#to me Tessa has NO fashion sense

[p1ssyhorroz]

Jessa becouse yeah.... y'all fw this or nah... becouse I've been feeling yuriful lately...

[thatguywhodoesstuff]

Some Unsorted Thoughts Regarding Murder Drones Episode 7 & Episode 8

Hopping back online for a moment to post a bunch of unsorted thoughts & mini-theories about the upcoming episodes:

Nori and Yeva are well and truly dead, and didn’t fake their deaths like I’ve seen others theorize. Despite this, I can picture them directly being involved with the plot via some convoluted Absolute Solver related shenanigans.

Personally, I like to think all Drones can save, edit, & transfer copies of their memories in a manner akin to saving files onto a flash drive to transfer over to another computer to be modified. This isn’t all that far fetched given how V and N’s memories were altered and how Uzi managed to help recover them.

Going off of the above points and the fact that each episode lampoons a different horror genre, I feel that we are due a good ol’ fashioned psychological thriller. I can easily imagine the under depths of the labs being loaded with all sorts of Eldritch nonsense (like those decidedly organic hands that drag off N during the trailer) that will undoubtedly push everyone to their breaking point before episode 8 even happens.

I’ve always had the long-standing theory/belief that Khan actually knows more than he lets on. I know there isn’t a lot to back this up, but it’s just something I always thought would make sense given everything he’s managed to live through.

I am of the mind that Nori was not the one to cause the core collapse that wiped out the humans on Copper-9. If anything, I think it would be neat if the core collapse was a complete accident that actually prevented/delayed the Absolute Solver from destroying Copper-9, with the event simply happening to coincide with whatever hell Nori was undoubtedly raising at the time.

I’ve seen a number of people point out how Uzi seems to be in control of herself when she grips N’s hand, and while a number of people seem to interpret this as her being mad at him for keeping secrets, I’m not convinced that’s the case. My crackpot theory is that Uzi is going to learn some hard facts about her mother and she is not going to handle them well and, with everything else going on, needs N now more than ever for emotional support, probably at the expense of his own mental well-being.

The cathedral under Cabin Fever labs was either built by Drones already under the thrall of the AS or Drones like Alice who got trapped in the facility and went insane from the experience.

As for what purpose the cathedral actually serves, I feel it could’ve an actual place of worship for the Absolute Solver, just as easily as it could be a conduit to broaden the area of influence of the malevolent “program”. Then again, it could just as easily serve as both, sort of like a giant transmitter/receiver with a decidedly gothic style to it for added flair.

There is this weird feeling in the back of my head that we won’t get a proper confrontation between the gang and Doll and, in true subversive horror fashion, something will happen to her that takes her out of the plot, at least for the rest of the season.

Part of me wonders if the reason Tessa acted so strange during episode 6 is rooted in the trauma from CYN’s massacre. After witnessing that and implicitly having been seriously injured, it wouldn’t surprise me if Tessa is poorly coping with the situation at hand. I also can’t help but wonder if she’s got a touch of robophobia directed towards Solver infected Drones.

Out of everyone, I feel that N is the least likely to perma-die in the upcoming episodes. In pretty much every horror series I’ve ever watched the nice one (when they aren’t one of the first people to die) typically lives the longest so that the narrative can torment them, regardless of whether or not they eventually earn their happily ever after. I doubt that N is any different, and I fear that his suffering has yet to begin in earnest.

Doll also doesn’t seem likely to die just yet (but given how Liam doesn’t seem all that shy about killing off major characters when needed…), and I have a feeling that if given the chance she could become a valuable ally, even if the alliance itself would be pretty unstable at best.

Of the four, Tessa and Uzi have the highest number of death flags waving around them. One has to wonder which is worse, losing an old friend who didn’t dehumanize your every action, that you just recently remembered/reunited with or losing the first friend/love you have had in a long time, who has also helped you recognize your own self worth. Either way, N is going to be crushed by the loss, especially given the likelihood of it being at his own hands.

If Tessa dies, I imagine her final moments will involve her bemoaning how N has doomed everyone… only to impart words of encouragement to him and assure him that his loving nature isn’t a weakness and may be instrumental later down the line.

If Uzi dies (I wouldn’t put it past Liam to pull this), it will be in an intense heat of the moment situation that won’t immediately register to her or N. I also think that if Uzi does die, it will only happen in a physical sense. My logic being that since Uzi became N and V’s new Administrator in episode 5, she could continue existing as a voice inside N’s head (sort of like Zane and Pixel from Ninjago), which could also result in N developing Solver powers. Alternatively, Uzi just straight up dies and N has to live with the pain of losing two of his closest friends and his first and second loves… Not to mention the fact a dead Uzi gives the Absolute Solver the perfect ammunition to use against N in the future.

TLDR: That trailer gave me a lot of thoughts and with everything going on in real life, I haven’t been able to put them into text until now. Thank you for taking the time to read the inane ravings of a burnt out college student/part time shut-in. Likes and Reblogs are greatly appreciated…

…I really hope Uzi and N kiss in the season finale.

[assortedantics]

Hello! I thought I would bother you with a question. You’ve expressed an interest in The Gondoliers so I thought I would ask:

1. Is it your favourite Gilbert and Sulivan?

2. What’s your favourite song from there and, bonus: from all of G+S’ works?

3. Who’s your favourite character from The Gondoliers (similar bonus applies).

Thank you, and sorry to interrupt.

P.S.: I am pleased to have yet concealed my own pet obsession i.e.: Pinafore and wanted to ask your opinion on that.

P.P.S.: have a lovely day!

Thank you ever so for the ask!

1) It’s (currently) my second favourite, with my favourite being Princess Ida, but it has my favourite aesthetic, if that makes sense. A lot of set designs/costume designs I see of it remind me of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for some reason, which is my childhood film, and therefore the aesthetics of the Gondoliers feels somewhat nostalgic to me. Also I just really like Italy.

2) My favourite song from The Gondoliers is In a Contemplative Fashion, simply because Tessa and Gianetta, who have hitherto been typical Gilbert and Sullivan love interest ladies (which there’s nothing at all wrong with), are revealed to be absolutely unhinged when it comes to their husbands, which is both very sweet and very funny. I also really like Dance a Cachucha, List and Learn, and Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes. My favourite overall Gilbert and Sullivan song is Here’s a How-de-do from The Mikado. I have no explanation as to why, I just like it.

3) My favourite Gondoliers character is definitely Gianetta. Who thought such a sweet, soft-sounding soprano would threaten such brutal murder? My favourite Gilbert and Sullivan character is Mr Wells. I love the concept of a sorcerer who owns a sorcery shop, and he didn’t deserve what happened to him. He’s closely followed my Cyril from Princess Ida, who’s closely followed by every character except for Alexis and Fairfax.

As for my opinions on HMS Pinafore, I love it! Josephine is an absolutely charming leading lady, and Sir Joseph’s sisters, cousins, and aunts make up a very fun chorus. And Kind Captain, I’ve Important Information is remarkably sinister.

Every opinion expressed in this post is subject to change in a week.

[purplebass]

Just to get to know you better I hope you don’t mind indulging some of my questions 🤭

1. Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter ships and why ?

2. Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter novels and why ?

3. Top 7 fav head canons post the events of TLH about our favs ?

5. Fav shadowhunter ship to write and why?

6. Which of the four secret novels we r getting for seasons of shadow hunters are you most excited to read and why? (As well as which tier did you order?)

7. Super indulgent and shameless petition/ask- do you think you’ll ever write a long fic starring ghostwriter bc not only will that make me squeal and die of happiness I think it would be terrifyingly amazing to have someone take on TLH ambitious take on a long arc in the form of a long fic! A la downtown abbey style!

That’s all from me! Again, thank you thank you for all you do! Ur so talented xo

Hey there again :) no problem, you can ask me questions! And sorry if I took my time answering but it was a lot of q's haha

Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter ships and why ?

Oh, this is truly difficult because I'm mostly obsessed with tid&tlh so I'll say thomastair, blackdale and wessa (I also like other ships but perhaps I'm not as obsessed the way I am with them because I prefer the historical side of tsc). Each has a special place in my heart and they make me believe in love and makes me smile like an idiot <3 and I just love that they have in common the love for books. They're all bookish in different ways.

2. Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter novels and why ?

These are easier to rank :) (also you can tell I love tid/tlh haha)

Clockwork Princess

Chain of Iron

Chain of Thorns

City of Glass

Chain of Gold

Lord of Shadows

Clockwork Angel

3. Top 7 fav head canons post the events of TLH about our favs ?

I think Thomas and Alastair definitely adopt a cat or even more when they have their own house

Matthew teaches Lucie to drive his car and she's good at it (a reckless driver, though lol)

Jesse and Alastair are friends and they bonded over their mutual interest for mundane/political events and critical analysis of books no one seems to know

Will's fashion sense gets weirder as he gets older and Tessa loves to give him little accessories to match his suits

Thomas and Alastair love discovering new music together and sometimes Alastair is inspired to compose new melodies because of this (but he only shares them with Thomas)

Lucie and Jesse go on a trip to the US a few years after canon (and they're married) so she can research for her books. I believe they would really like the New Orleans vibes

All of them surely meet at James and Cordelia's house to play board games and eat together

5. Fav shadowhunter ship to write and why?

This is hard, because I obviously like to write them all, and they are different so there are different sides to explore in each. Maybe I'll say Thomastair because I really like their trope grumpy/sunshine. It's challenging to write :)

6. Which of the four secret novels we r getting for seasons of shadow hunters are you most excited to read and why? (As well as which tier did you order?)

Since we still don't know a lot of the couples, I'm excited for the Wessa story. I really want to see them being all happy and young before they had their kids, and I think Cassandra wrote something cute and fluffy that will make us go awwww!

I couldn't order any tier, sadly 🥲 because of some irl problems. But I hope someone will post some of the stories because I want to read them!

7. Super indulgent and shameless petition/ask- do you think you’ll ever write a long fic starring ghostwriter bc not only will that make me squeal and die of happiness I think it would be terrifyingly amazing to have someone take on TLH ambitious take on a long arc in the form of a long fic! A la downtown abbey style!

I love this idea! And I love Downton, so I'm up for it :) tbh I started a long Ghostwriter fic a few months ago, maybe I could continue that one and incorporate more historical things and such. I already did a sorta outline but I'm soooo slow so I need to organize things before I can post a few chapters of that (I always have too many ideas at once and I need to prioritize lol)

Thank you for this ask and sorry if it took me a few days to answer 💜

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Wallflower Wager. By Tessa Dare. Avon, 2019.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Girl Meets Duke #3

Summary: Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society—and now he wants to get even.

Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart.

When her imposing—and attractive—new neighbor demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.

Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?

And a two-legged dog.

And a foul-mouthed parrot.

And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog . . .

Easier said than done, for a cold-blooded bastard who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse. Soon he’s covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she’s set her mind and heart on saving him.

Not if he ruins her first.

***Fullnreview below.***

Content Warnings: graphic sexual content, references to bullying

Overview: I read this book a few weeks ago but forgot to write a review. So here we are. I genrally like Tessa Dare, so I decided to continue on with this series that I started a while back. Overall, this installment didn't wow me as much as some of her other books. While I liked the kind-hearted protagonist, I also felt like Dare could have used her themes better, so for that reason, this book only gets 3 stars from me.

Writing: I don't have much new to say about the prose in this book compared to the prose of Dare's others. It's quick, easy to understand, and balances showing and telling well, all while inserting a lot of Dare's characteristic humor. If I had any criticism, I would say that some of the humor in this book didn't land quite as well for me personally. But your mileage may vary, so don't take my word as gold.

Plot: The non-romance plot of this book follows Gabriel Duke, a rogue who has made his fortune by financially ruining members of the upper class and profiting off their losses. Gabe has recently come into possession of a house in a rather fashionable part of town, and given that it sits next door to a lady's residence, he anticipates it will sell for quite a lot of money.

The lady in question, however, is Lady Penelope Campion - a spinster who uses her property as a haven for dozens of sick, disabled, and otherwise rejected animals. When Penny's aunt gives her an ultimatum on behalf of Penny's brother (get rid of your animals and rejoin fashionable society of you want to stay in London), Penny and Gabe make a pact that is sure to benefit both of them: rehome the animals and not only will Penny get to stay, but Gabe's property will be all the more attractive.

The parts I liked most in this plot were moments when Penny pushed back against Gabe's plans or when Gabe stood up to other people on Penny's behalf. I love an independent heroine with a strong sense of what's right, and I like when heroes with obvious flaws show that disreapecting women isn't one of them.

However, there were also a few things that didn't work for me. For one, Gabe's battle with indoor plumbing felt a little too silly, and I think a lot more could have been done to engage with the idea of modernity in this book. For two, Penny and Gabe seem to rehome the animals way too easily and with very little emotional reaction from Penny, which made them feel less important. For three, the subplot between Hammond (the architect) and Mrs. Burns (the housekeeper) felt a little random and didn't really compliment the main plot.

Characters: Penny, our heroine, is rather easy to like because she is so big-hearted and cares deeply for broken things. While these qualities are good on their own, they are made more endearing once the reader discovers that Penny had a rough upbringing; her soft heart in spite of the troubles she faced is incredibly inspiring, and I loved that she opened herself up to others - not just to Gabe, but to her closest friends.

Gabe, our hero, is a little gruff and stubborn, but he did have moments when that facade cracked. I liked him best in the moments where he defended Penny's right to make her own decisions. His callousness towards the animals did grate on me sometimes, and I think not enough was made of the fact that he tried to hire actors to trick Penny into giving her animals away faster, but it was clear by the end that he came to understand Penny's care, so I guess it was fine in the long run.

Supporting characters were fine, though none of them blew me away. I enjoyed Penny's friendships with the other wallflowers, and the husbands were kind of charming in their fierce loyalty and protectiveness. The only characters that seemed underdeveloped were Hammond and Mrs. Burns; I can't for the life of me decide whether their subplot was inserted for laughs or for something else, but whatever the reason, they felt random and didn't compliment the others at all.

Romance: Gabe and Penny's romance was ok; not my favorite, but not the worst either. I liked that they worked together to achieve the same goal, even if their motivations were different, and I liked that Gabe was constantly torn between his desire for financial gain and his attraction to Penny.

However, I do think Dare could have put more pressure on the thematic connection between Penny's care for rejected animals and Gabe's past. While I did like that Dare didn't overdo this connection, it also felt like a non-issue, and I think more could have been done.

Moreover, I think Gabe abandoned his economic goals a little too quickly, and more inner conflict would have made the romance more angsty. It also would have helped the narrative flow better towards the end, when Gabe shows he hasn't completely abandoned his old ways. I rather liked the end conflict and thought it brought a lot of concerns to a head, but it would have been nice if the lead up was spread more diffusely throughout the rest of the narrative.

TL;DR: Tessa Dare's The Wallflower Wager is charming in some respects, but doesn't quite dig deeply into the themes it introduces. The kind-hearted heroine and fiercely loyal friend group makes this book worth the read, however, even if I personally found the romance to be a bit silly and narratively lacking.

[ezraproduction]

#FemaleFilmmakerFriday: Liza Voloshin, Commercial Video Director

New Post has been published on https://ezraproductions.com/femalefilmakerfriday-liza-voloshin-commercial-video-director/

#FemaleFilmmakerFriday: Liza Voloshin, Commercial Video Director

Ezra Productions is committed to fostering diverse talent in the video production industry. As part of that mission, our Female Filmmaker Friday series highlights best-in-class diverse directors, editors, and DPs from across the globe. This week, we’re excited to present Liza Voloshin.

Liza Voloshin is a NY-based commercial video director dedicated to spreading joy through video production. Liza’s work spans from directing commercials for beauty and fashion brands like Estée Lauder and Barneys, docu-narrative branded content videos for brands like American Express and Nike that feature women’s stories, to narrative film installations that explore the senses with institutions such as the Whitney Museum and Philip Johnson’s Glass House, to music videos with artists such as Adeline and Katy Perry.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Liza to get a peek into her world and how she got to where she is today.

  How and when did you decide to get into the world of video production?

My road to film was anything but typical. As a young refugee growing up in the United States, I was raised in an environment that encouraged safety and pragmatism. And in my case, that meant studying economics and going into investment banking. I felt stuck and uninspired for much of my twenties. My only outlet for freedom was to surround myself by creative people and a close group of friends that encouraged me to pursue inspiring projects. I began first by painting and then photography until I bought my first 8mm camera on Ebay – an old, but sturdy Canon 310xl. But that was it, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to tell stories through moving visual images and to share the way I always try to see the world no matter how difficult it gets – with a little beauty and joy.

Check out this video Liza directed for Nike Women, entitled “‘Zahra Lari: A Moving Portrait.”

  Do you have any advice for other women who are in different fields but thinking about getting into film or commercial video production?

Just start. The world of film can often feel like a technical gauntlet, daunting and uninviting, but don’t let the noise deter you. Make a safe space for yourself to experiment and play without judgement – especially your own. Grab a friend, go to nature, wherever inspiration finds you, and have fun. See the work that will come out of your joy, and let that guide you.

  What it like being a female in the video production world? How about specifically as a female director? Do you have any funny or horror stories to tell?

There is a French phrase one of my clients told me I remind her of the saying “Main de fer dans un gant de velours,” which means “An iron hand in a velvet glove.” I spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about the kind of leader I want to be and how I want everyone on the set to feel. My goal is always to create a collaborative environment in which everyone on the set has a clear objective with space to be creative in their role.  But the reality is, I’ve been called a bitch and told I don’t know what I’m doing – all by men on the crew. I bet a male director would probably just fire those people and never think about it again, but I do contemplate those moments and what I can do better in the future. And that is a pretty feminine trait.

This reminded us of a hilarious episode of “Flip the Script,” a series written and produced by the amazing Tessa Bell and Meredith Riley Stewart for Women in FIlm:

    Do you think it’s important to help other women in the film industry?

Women were the first ones to take a chance on me and support me. I wouldn’t be creating film today if it wasn’t for the supportive women in my life, both in and out of the film industry. The barriers to entry are high in film, and you do need help from those in spaces of power to show you the way. And that’s why no matter how little much or power you have, you use it wisely and give back to the community around you. I love it when I get an unexpected email from a young woman that wants to explore her career path and talk through getting into film. I always make time for that. Also, I love the men that support women, they are just as important in getting more feminine energy into this industry.

  What video production project are you most proud of?

I love what my Director of Photography Chevy Tyler and I created for our triptych called “Join the World: Burgundy” for American Express x Departures Magazine. We had 5 days to film three different stories about next generation winemakers across a large region in France, with a crew of just the two of us and a wonderful camera assistant Archibald Vienot. It was pretty hectic with uncooperative weather and daily long drives to set, but it is one of my favorite documentary shorts I’ve created to date. And it was like bootcamp for wine! I love learning and I think I translated a little bit of that into a final beautiful series.

Take a peek at the video Liza directed for American Express x Departures Magazine:

    Do you have any advice for other women filmmakers trying to break into the commercial video production world?

I love you, sister. Let’s shine.

  We’re so appreciative of female commercial director Liza for taking the time to share her story with us. As a woman-owned branded content studio and creative agency, Ezra Productions is committed to working with women, minorities, and young people, and helping them thrive in the video production industry. Whether you’re looking for a production company in Los Angeles or New York, we’re experts at creating engaging video that promotes your brand and social change. Contact us to learn more about our services as a commercial video production company.

[queeringdiedreiausrufezeichen]

This feels like a “You’re asking me about my theories? I have waited years for someone to ask me about my theories” moment, even if you didn’t ask and I’m gonna tell you anyway! Haha

You have no idea how many queer fan fiction I have in my mind for them. Please. So so many. (And also in my mind they are at least like 17-19 at this point.)

I just didn’t think any one besides me would ever be like interested in that. (And non of them are finished. They just live rent free in my head.)

Listen Franzi/Marie ist peak Ship Dynamic and I Love them, but Kim/Marie und Kim/Franzi also just hit different. They are both just very soft. Specifically Kim/Marie. Kim/Franzi is just wholesome.

Liebe die aber alle gleich viel to be honest.

Suggestions für Kim/Franzi/Marie als Triad, weil ja. Das ist Canon in meinem Kopf, danke der Nachfrage. (It’s what I’m manifesting for the show actually 😌)

Kim/Chrissie ist ehrlich gesagt etwas was mir noch nie in den Sinn gekommen ist. Aber interesting. Wobei ich eher Marie/Chrissie vorschlagen würde. Die haben definitiv some good vibes. (Marie giving Chrissie fashion tips and letting her steal from the incredibly huge amount of clothes she owns. Franzi appreciates that, cause Chrissie stopped stealing her things.)

Lina/Franzi is definitely something. (In the positive sense.) But I would like to inform you that Lina canonly has a girlfriend (and I love that so much!). So yeah, Lina/Anouk as a suggestion, cause they are canon

Why Marie/Kommissar Peters? When Maries dad and him are basically dating. /hj I will go down with that ship. They definitely dated at one point. (On that note. Helmut Grevenbroich/Tessa Grevenbroich/Kommissar Peters)

Marie/Stefan is well… okay, if they are adults. I mean she has a crush on him at the beginning of the series, but 14 and 18 is a bit much of an age gap at that age in my opinion. Also I am just vibing with Marie/Chrissie way more. Thanks for putting that ship into my mind.

Franzi/Sue is really not something I would ever think of and Idk. Not that found of it. Simply cause of the age gap. In my mind Sue was already in her mid twenties when they meet for the first time. So yeah. It´s a no for me.

Here more ships that I personally ship (that I haven´t mentioned yet) as more suggestions:

Marie/Verena -> Verena was literally so smitten by Marie and I do not take critism. Their dynamic is also pretty “heated”. Well Marie views it that way, meanwhile Verena is like: I like you 🥺

I wanna keep the boyfriends in the picture soooo:

Felipe/Michie -> for no specific reasons

Felipe/Blake -> very obvious in my opinion. Having an shared ex when dating each other is just a fun dynamic

Holger/Michie -> also no specific reason but I like to believe that they hung out together while their girlfriends were solving crime

And not to bring up my (sadly wildly unlikely) theory about the parent situation for Kim in the TV show:

Polyamrourse Jülich parents. (Explanation the tv show cast has listed three people as Kim’s parents.) -> Brigitte Jülich/Peter Jülich/nameless boyfriend

One episode appearance ships:

Marie/Ramona -> signing competition girlfriends

Bennie/Franzi/Leonhard -> Skaterboyfriends triad edition

Kim/Bente -> childhood friends

Marie/Bente -> Marie had literal heart eyes when she saw her

Side Character Ships that don’t include any of the three and also just appear 1-2 times:

Bennie/Leonhard -> The Skaterboyfriends

Adrian/Lola/Erik -> and they were roommates

(Thats all the ones I could think off of the top of my head, but there are probably more)

I feel tempted to drop my whole list of queer headcanons for them in this post. But on the other hand they’ll all be getting posted to this blog anyway. So only if you are interested in them.

drei ausrufezeichen

okay dear drei fragezeichen fandom anyone interested in a dramaticaly queer drei ausrufezeichen fanfic? because i guess it is time for some tragic in der heilen welt von kimmy, franzi und marie!

[ladyhindsight]

Hi! So I'm re-reading TMI these days and can't help but feel for you anytime I stumble upon something frustating or laugh when a limb is having a life of its own lol. I don't know much about editing or the quality of the writing in general because I'm not a native english speaker so reading in english kinda makes it better, if that makes sense (even tho I now notice things thanks to your blog, and let me tell you, I had the displeasure to read a small part of the translation in french and it is so much worse that I'm fine with not getting how shitty CC's writing truly is) but omg I want to facepalm so often… Particularly now that I'm almost done with CoFA and I can see so clearly the influence of TID in it. Like in one of the first three books, when Valentine killed the Silent Brothers to get the Soul Sword, everyone insist they were ALL dead (which was stupid) but now some Brothers were away at the time so no worry, Jem is well and alive! Or Luke and Magnus could always get into the NY institute, but Simon had to stay outside because he's a vampire but now there is a sanctuary they never thought about using before because it was "out of fashion" (sure Jane) and they suddenly remember it exists! Poor Simon, knowing they could have hang out with him there all along but wouldn't bother to just think about that big room standing in front of their eyes. I was also very frustrated with the fact that no one seems to care what Valentine was doing for the last seven years after giving Jace to the Lightwoods and before coming back in CoB (yes, we do kind of find out at some point that he was probably hiding in Hodge's cabin or farm or whatever but why no one ever WONDER at least to themselves where he was?). There is also, of course, all the BS with Malec in general plus the fact that it makes no sense anyway with The Red Scrolls of Magic, but this is too painful for me to even think about. Nothing makes sense, really, as if we all knew those books better than the person who wrote them, can you imagine? I could go on for hours but I won't, I just needed to rant for a second and I felt so sorry for you who go so much deeper into that hell hole for your wonderful blog that I love. So kudos, stay strong and I can't wait to read your next post! (and sorry if this makes no sense, as I said I'm french and we all know french people can't speak english).

Hi! Thank you for the love, it means a lot. 🥰😊 I am slowly working towards the next post.

When I go through Clare’s writing, more often than before I have to just stop and think whether some things in the text are worth pointing out, because at this point stuff just begins to repeat itself a lot. Like noted in the previous message, Clare’s writing has barely improved in the course of 15+ books. I’ve made a PDF file of City of Bones with bunch of footnotes that never really made it to the blog, but the content of those notes apply to the following installments as well because of that repetition of writing mistakes, weird or weak sentence structures, choice of words, story structure, plot etc. And sometimes my opinions are just made of weird noises and frustration that I can’t put into words. 😂

Clare adding these new elements to the Shadowhunter world really show how little thought went into it in the beginning of the series. I was originally so confused when I read CoFA for the first time ever because I truly thought Valentine had killed every Silent Brother there was previous to that, and why wouldn’t we think that? It is exactly how the writing presented the case. The first three books of The Mortal Instruments feel so disjointed from everything else that came afterwards, because the world started getting bigger after them but none of those new elements were present in them (obviously they couldn’t have been, but you know). Jem as a character did not exist before Tessa appeared at the end of City of Glass to herald a prequel series. Similarly how Jace probably wasn’t Herondale when City of Bones was written. His scar appeared first in CoA, and then it was relevant for Imogen to notice it. Not that it had been an essential part of his character before the plot demanded it.

Similarly this case with Simon and the Institute Sanctuaries. In the original TMI trilogy the vampires appeared through Projections. There wasn’t such facilities mentioned before that. Clare just added things as she went along. Similarly to this, the Shadow Markets and the Scholomance. Imagine how bigger the world had been if there was even a mention of these places in the first three books? Especially since everyone has been visiting the Shadow Markets, like, always if GotSM is anything to go by. But there is that absence because, again, none of these concept existed, and retroactively writing stories about how, for instance, Jace as a kid went to a Shadow Market does not bring that same magic to the original trilogy where such concept is unheard of.

In Born to Endless Night the Sanctuaries are rendered effectively useless when Magnus’ magic can give Lily an access to wander the halls of the Institute. Aside from other grievances with that story, Clare effectively broke the rules of her own world to make it easier for Lily to be present in the party instead of writing them having a party elsewhere where Lily as a vampire could safely attend, and without this rule-bending as a surplus.

Valentine’s whereabouts, like you said, well he just kept training Sebastian and that’s about it. Every character never really thought about it more or questioned why he waited seven more years to finally resurface. Most things were just taken by face value. The first three books especially were really half-cooked, if even that, when they were published.

[buckmepapi]

IM. Not. Okay. I’m having an aneurysm. I’ve been seeing this guy for a few weeks now. He came to my home for the first time last night. In my room. Where my bookshelf’s are.

He picked up a spicy book and asked why I had little post it notes on some pages. He got to the smut page. Fuck. My. Life.

He read a few lines, set it back (in the right place may I add!) tapped the book and said “that’s good to know”

WHAT WAS GOOD TO KNOW!! Home girl was getting RAILED in the book. I’m not prepared to see this man again

(Side note My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey is a good read 5/5 would recommend)

OOOOOOH CHILE ,,, that was spicy and he deffo seems like he’d be planning some shit 🍆

I’ve actually never read an actual smut novel, so I will 100 percent check it out !!!!

Also I’m gonna post some long soppy shit rn; I finally left that toxic ass guy back in April that I was seeing for like 4 years (some of u may recall posts I made bc literally every single one of u would reply to the posts telling me to get out asap lol) and I started seeing this guy in June and boy lemme tell you

He is a skinny nerdy tattooed guy that radiates alt dilf energy with his sense of fashion and has a big thick dick that curves lord have mercy

He is literally so emotionally mature, like my god he treats me like royalty and will do anything for me. He moans and whimpers when we fuck, he’s also starting to come out of his shell and talk abit during sex now which I’m dying over, he knows all my kinks and is on bored, even jokes about breeding and I’m like 👀👀👀👀👀

He eats pussy like a god like I’ve never had sex feel good before. I’ve spoken about sex before on my page and I was pretty much lying bc I was overcompensating bc sex has never felt good for me but everytime this guy fucks me I feel like I’m in heaven and I’m always saying “oh my god?” Or “how are you doing that??”

Side note; I still can’t cum though. It’s not really him bc he feels incredible when he does literally anything I get all over chills I just get too inside my head bc no one’s ever made me cum but myself but he’s getting their with praise and reassurance and verbal stuff like dirty talk etc so I know damn well he’ll be able to do it one day. He understands and doesn’t get defensive or upset and blame me , he listens to what I want and learns.

Like I can not reiterate how this man is so mature emotionally and mentally, he’s empathetic, we’ve cried in front of each other many times. He even cries when I cry lol, when I’m upset he crouches down in front of me and holds t my face and looks at me when he speaks to me and kisses my forehead and I AHHSJDLSOAJSKA

We’ve said I love you to each other now, we’re dating/seeing each other exclusively and have been since we first met. We aren’t in a relationship yet and we’ve discussed it before but due to our past issues we’re taking it slow and waiting till it feels right so we don’t rush into anything too quick.

And!!! I let this man sleep over at my house every weekend. If y’all know me y’all know I have insomnia and also can’t sleep around people whatsoever. I feel so sleepy around him constantly and fall asleep next to him within 30 mins — he literally makes my inner child feel so safe and protected.

He understands my disabilities, is learning sign language to communicate with me when I can’t hear, helps me when I’m non verbal, looks after me when I’m in pain or tired, he understands my sensory issues and doesnt say hateful things to me about my disabilities or triggers. He understands my CPTSD and helps me during episodes — this man !! Holy shit!!!

That’s why I’ve been so quite as well bc I’m so happy ;; he’s coming over tomorrow after his shift at work and will be here till Monday AAAAAAAA

[sunjaesol]

Hi! Can you do

Chenford + Kiss me already

Admittedly, playing spin the bottle had never been Tim's preferred way to spend part of the evening at a party, but he was seventeen and popular and others expected him to dig it, so there he sat, in a circle with a dozen tipsy high schoolers.

If it was up to him, he'd play a round of football or watch a baseball game or discover new music, anything that didn't include the twisting nerves in his stomach at the thought of kissing someone he didn't like.

Call him old-fashioned, but Tim just couldn't casually kiss someone. He has only kissed one girl, Isabelle, and that crush quickly faded afterwards.

"C'mon, Tim," Emmett drawled next to him, jostling his shoulder. "Chillax! Every chick wants to kiss you!"

He rolled his eyes and mustered a smile. "Yeah. Sure, whatever. Just thinking about the game of next week."

"We're gonna kill that, dude, don't worry," he reassured. "Now, what are the odds of my bottle landing on that girl over there?"

Following Emmett's line of sight, it landed on a girl on the other side of the circle. She was a year younger, a junior, and he hadn't seen her around much. Lily? Luna? Something like that. She was pretty though, he noted, understanding why Emmett wanted to kiss her. Smooth skin, doe eyes and pouty lips, long hair.

Tim shrugged. "I dunno. One in twelve?"

"Okay!" Tessa yelled, the hostess of the house party, and clapped her hands. "If you don't wanna play, get the fuck out. Everyone can kiss everyone!"

Jesus. Tim really did not want to play. Emmett's grasp on his shoulder didn't loosen though, so he brushed his blonde mop of hair back with a resigned sigh and took a sip of his watered down beer. From the corner of his eye, he saw the girl looking at him.

His heart did a funny little jump at that.

It started. The bottle of Coca-Cola spun and spun over and over again between all the kids. From Meredith to Isaac and from Isaac to Jackson and Angela to Wesley and Wesley to James and James to Nyla and Nyla— to Tim.

Nyla gagged. "I'm sorry, but no. Tim is like a brother."

The group booed. Tim felt himself getting hot.

He nodded. "For real. Not kissing Nyla. Our moms literally go to book club together."

Tessa let out an exasperated scoff. "Fine! Lame, but I'll let it pass. Tim, your turn."

The bottle clung to his hand, the glass slick and sweaty from all the turns, and he gave it a rough spin. It went around its axis ten times before it slowed down (as Tim's heartrate quickened) and got to an agonizing stop... right at the girl. Emmett pursed his lips.

The girl smiled and nodded, the silent okay for him to crawl over and kiss her. But his head refused. The boys began to egg him on, the girls already defending Lucy.

Lucy. That was her name.

Shoved to the other side, he sat crouched in front of Lucy with a shy grin. "Uh, so, can I just—? I'll just—?"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his cheeks. "Just kiss me already!"

And then she went for it. Meeting in the middle, her warm lips slanted across his, the faint taste of beer and candy mingling between them, and all sense knocked out of him when her tongue grazed his lips, and he wondered why the fuck he never kissed when girls like Lucy existed.

The group began to yell and hoot at their display. Suddenly, he realised that their one kiss became two, three, four — that the party was getting a free show of him making out with Lucy.

"There," she puffed as she let go. "Not so hard, right?"

He blinked. "Right."

And then Lucy dazzled him with a megawatt grin, eyes sparkling like the fireworks he lit up on the Fourth of July, and reached for the bottle. Oh, wow.

"My turn!"

[theeangeleudaku]

🦋 Synopsis & Cast 🦋

Angèle Lianne Duplessis is all grown up & determined to let the whole entire world know it. Since shedding her clean cut, good girl image after being cut off by her parents & moving to Los Angeles, Angel, as she’s known to her new found tribe of friends & growing fan base, is strutting down the runway of success & unconventionality in her best pair of Louboutins. She’s on the cusp of truly having everything she’s ever wanted & all while being her free spirited, polyamorus self. Things change when a mysterious man named Erik Stevens comes crashing into her life. Is Erik just the man to show her that maybe she doesn’t have it all together? Is he the one to show her that maybe there’s something bigger she’s missing from her so-called perfect life?

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖙:

Angel:

Angel is a 24 years old aspiring singer and actress. Born and raised in the city of New Orleans. Angéle, known to most people as Angel, moved to LA one month after her high school graduation and hit the ground running in pursuit of her dreams. While she grew up in a more conservative household, moving to LA allowed Angel the freedom to explore who she truly is: a free spirited, passionate woman with a love of edibles, tattoos, great, intimate connections, good vibes, great experiences, and the arts (music, film, fashion, etc). She also has a temper & leans left in politics. She’s very “namaste, but don’t try me, bitch.”

As for romance, Angel currently practices solo polyamory. What this means is she forms intimate connections with multiple people while maintaining a single lifestyle. This differs from typical non exclusive dating as she doesn’t date new people without the consent and knowledge of her other partners. She also does not date with the intention of eventually forming a committed relationship or having a primary partner. Her main focus is her career & anyone who wants some of her time better get with the program or get left behind.

Mateo Cruz:

Mateo is a 26 year old Mexican American & UCLA graduate. He was born in Mexico, but moved to South LA at the age of 9 with his parents & younger brother, Manny. He’s one of Angel’s best friends and og plug whom she met her very first year in LA. Mateo started off selling weed as a high schooler to bring extra money into the house which would lead him to eventually opening his own dispensary after graduating college with a degree in business management, then two, then 15 across california, colorado, & massachusetts. The two of them have also been dating on and off for the past 3 years & are each other’s first loves. He’s accepting of the fact that Angel is solo polyamorous with no plans for a committed relationship anytime soon. He’s also supportive of her career & hooked her up with her main collaborator & bestie, Blaire Jones.

Blaire Jones:

Blaire is a 24 year old musical extraordinaire from Brooklyn, New York who moved to LA at the age of 21 after graduating from Berklee School of Music. She & Angel met through a mutual friend (Mateo) & became fast friends & collaborators both. Blaire plays 7 instruments & has been said to be the future producer of the decade. She plans to punch any barriers in her way as a female producer down with her bare fists. How did Mateo & Blaire meet? She was a regular at Mateo’s dispensary in Central LA that he hooked up with a few times before she decided he was better as strictly the homie because he’s a little hoe.

Rei Aoki:

28 year old Rei Aoki, a Japanese American from Manhattan, is thee fashionista. Angel & she connected on instagram and became close friends after Angel hired her to style her for a photoshoot 3 years ago. With a passion for fashion, an eye for upcoming trends, & a great sense of humor, it isn’t of any wonder that Angel and Rei are close. She’s already styled big names like Beyoncé & Tessa Thompson, but will always keep her bestie as a client. That’s loyalty, baby! She has dreams of one day creating a fashion label of her own that fuses street style and japanese culture.

Cairo Smith:

31 year old Cairo Smith is a socialite, model, & actor from Houston,Texas. Over the past 3 years, Cairo has risen to fame after getting caught at the club with Zendaya, then on a dinner date with Selena Gomez 6 months later, then in a rumored cheating scandal between him & Rihanna 2 months after that. His notoriety landed him a gig in an Ocean’s 12 reboot and the rest is history. He’s basically the black Pete Davidson, known for bagging A list celeb women & getting a come up while doing it. He has no shame in fucking his way to relevancy.

What started off as a raya date when Angel was about 22 & Cairo was 29, turned into a friendship, then turned into a fwb situation because apparently Angel likes fucking her male friends from time to time. The two are particularly close & it’s through this friendship that Angel finally gets her big break.

Tyla Duplessis:

Tyla is Angel’s 20 year old younger sister. She always knew she’d follow in the footsteps of their supermodel mom, Ayan Duplessis from a very young age. She and Angel share an incredibly close bond, which is why it surprised neither of their parents when Tyla moved to LA to live in the same high rise as her big sister once she turned 18. Tyla enjoys hiking, surfing, and abusing adderall to stay supermodel thin.

Ayan & Noah Duplessis:

Parents of Angéle & Tyla Duplessis. The two of them have been married for over 30 years & chose to raise their children in the city of New Orleans, away from the spotlight & where Noah Duplessis was born & raised, after successful careers as a model & rock & roll singer respectively.

Erik Stevens:

Erik Stevens is a mysterious 31 year old MIT graduate turned navy seal, turned black ops operative, turned arms dealer that was born and raised in Oakland,CA. He’s also in a serious relationship with Nola Reign, a close friend (lowkey a lil more than that) of Angel’s. Between his charm, his African god like looks, & his big dick energy, it isn’t of any wonder that Angel finds herself getting a little caught up in him.

Nola Reign:

Hennessy Aurelié Baptise, also known as Nola Reign, is a 25 year old child prodigy from the beautiful city of New Orleans. A Harvard & MIT graduate. Nola and Angel meet as a result of Nola attending a concert and becoming completely smitten with Angel & viceversa. The two form an instant connection and become fast friends once realizing they have so much in common (a love of the arts, born and raised in New Orleans, creole heritage etc.)

She and Erik are in a serious relationship.

[dreamofmysoul-tsc]

Kit and Ash headcanons because I need TWP right now

These two have been occupying my thoughts all day send help

Ash keeps Kit from doing potentially dangerous, spur of the moment decisions; Kit helps Ash break out of his shell and let loose once in awhile

Ash has two moods when it comes to Kit: fond exasperation and unamused™️

Kit teaches Ash how to use mundane things like dishwashers and laundry machines. He also teaches Ash how to cook (he isn't very good at it)

Kit drives like a bat out of hell regardless of where he's going; Ash is unfazed, Jem and Tessa are about to go into cardiac arrest

Ash's favorite part about mundane society is the music and the fashion; Kit is definitely constantly following fashion trends and I think he'd help Ash develop his own sense of style

When Kit becomes more comfortable around his new family, I can see him starting to show the goofier parts of his personality more. When he laughs, he laughs with his whole body and he'll sometimes need to hold onto somebody if the joke was especially funny. We briefly saw that he was kind of mischievous in TDA and I can see that part of his personality expanding, too

Ash strikes me as somebody who doesn't like physical affection (I can relate) he makes exceptions for Kit, Mina, and Dru tho

Kit has pointy ears. Not up for debate

Kit has himbo tendencies

Ash always looks annoyed or tired; alas, he's cursed with RBF 😔

Kit loves artists like Taylor Swift, The Lumineers, The Head and the Heart, Cavetown, Joan Jett, The Clash, more alternative/punk type vibes; Ash enjoys Hozier, Pink Floyd, Florence + the Machine, Keaton Henson, Jefferson Starship, Fleetwood Mac, more psychedelic and introspective vibes

Kit is the first person to make Ash laugh,,,like a real, true laugh

Not my headcanon because I've seen a couple posts about this, but Ash with dark wings, Kit with light wings,,,here for it

In conclusion, I love these two and they've never even had a real interaction :/

[hockeyboysiguess]

Jerseys and Dumplings

a/n: some good old friends to lovers Tkachuk for your Thursday!

warnings: swearing

word count: 6.3K

You yanked the restaurant door open harder than you’d meant to, but you were in a rush. A last minute assignment had kept you at work later than you’d planned, much later than you’d planned, and you were running later than would ever be considered fashionably late by anyone who made insane amounts of money to recite a bunch of shitty dialogue to a camera. You pulled at the bottom of your skirt to adjust it as you walked through the door before giving up. Your skirt was definitely crooked, your hair was definitely a mess, but your mother’s words played over in your head, “It’s never the job of a successful, powerful to look a particular way. Success is messy. Own the messy.”

“Hi, sorry,” you whisper-yelled to the hostess. “Uh, Hanifin? Pretty sure everyone else is already here.”

“Right this way.”

She was clearly unimpressed with your disheveled appearance and your tardiness as she looked you over from top to bottom from over the top of her glasses. You pushed thoughts of her and work out of your head to focus the evening. Meeting your best friend’s boyfriend was a hit-miss experience with Tessa as your best friend. She alternated between introducing you to immature, outrageous guys who were all about having a good time who always ended up cheating on her or guys who were basically the human equivalent of a completely dried builder-grade beige wall. This one was apparently some moderately famous hockey player, which automatically had you leaning him in the first column, but she pleaded with you to reserve judgment until you met him tonight. You were desperate for her to finally date a guy that was somewhere on the middle of her two extremes. She always countered by saying she wanted you to go on a date, any date. You brushed her off every time, telling her you were focusing on your career and yourself.

“There you are!” Tessa shouted, bumping the table harshly as she stood up to great you. “I started to think you forgot about us.”

“Sorry, babes,” you sighed as you let her pull you in for a quick hug. “I-”

“Got caught up at the office.”

You pulled back from her and glared at her. Tessa saying the words that all too frequently left your lips was just a little passive aggressive, usually your specialty. You rolled your eyes at her and she giggled before reaching out to the guy next to her to pull him to his feet.

“This,” she wrapped her hands around his forearm in a sort of death grip, “is Noah. Noah, this is the ever-discussed best friend slash somehow roommate even though I see her more out to lunch than I do in our apartment.”

“Thanks, Tess,” you mumbled. Noah offered his arms out to you gingerly and you accepted a soft hug. “Nice to meet you, Noah.”

“Really nice to finally meet you,” he smiled softly as you took your seats.

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind.” The sing-song tone in Tessa’s voice drew a groan from you because you knew what was going to come next. “Stop it! Anyway, Noah brought one of his teammates along, so you weren’t third wheeling.”

“Is he invisible?” you asked with a wave of your hand to the empty seat next to you.

“Just in the bathroom, actually.”

You turned your head and were greeted with a bright, toothy grin and mop of curly hair. The restaurant was dark, but you could tell he had a beautiful pair of baby blues to go with his dimples and sharp jawline. Tessa has clearly hand-picked this one out of the Flames line up for you. He was exactly your type. You watched as his light eyes broke contact with yours and gave you a quick once look over, lingering almost indiscernibly at your chest and your hips.

“I’m Matthew,” he said, his smile starting on a slippery slope to a smirk as he sat down next to you.

You debated calling him out for checking you out, but Tessa rapped her foot on your shin, letting you know she was ready and waiting to give you a swift kick if she didn’t like how you were acting. People thought Tessa was soft. You thought people shouldn’t underestimate Tessa, so you swallowed your comeback and introduced yourself instead. Matthew gave you a quick nod, his broken curls bouncing with the sudden movement. A smile began to pull at the corners of your lips against your will and something in your chest told you he was going to be trouble if you let him be, so you resolved not to let him be. You watched his attention shift to the couple across the table and his face scrunch up in disgust. Noah and Tessa were seeming trying to figure out if it was possible for two people to become one via their open mouths pressed against each other.

“Come on, guys,” Matthew whined as one of his hands came down roughly on the tabletop, causing the silverware to click together loudly. Noah and Tessa separated at the sound, not at Matthew’s words. “The single folks don’t even have drinks yet. Can you save the foreplay until we at least have some alcohol in us?” 

“Seriously,” you joined in. If Tessa was going to set you up against your will, at least it was with someone that hated Tessa’s fondness for wild amounts of PDA as much as you did. “Please keep all tongues, hands, and arms in your own seats tonight.”

“Genitals should remain their not upright and locked positions” Matthew added. Tess blushed at his words, causing Matthew to turn his head towards you. He cocked his head to the side, a mischievous look dancing in his eyes and pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Too much?” 

You answered by continuing, “Excellent addition, fellow date attendant. Fasten your seatbelts as we expect there might be some turbulence on tonight’s date.” 

“Turbulence?” Tessa asked, her voice a solid octave and a half higher than normal and her eyebrows raised, daring you to continue. 

“Oh yes, turbulence,” Matthew cut in. “So, Tessa, where did you grow up?”

“I’m sorry, I’m back on turbulence,” Noah jumped in verbally and physically, a hand raised across the table. 

“We,” you informed him, gesturing between Matthew and yourself, “are the turbulence.”

“Yes, thank you, good blind date I didn’t ask for,” Matthew nodded to you, curling bouncing again in a way that made you have to bite your lip to avoid smiling like a schoolgirl with a new crush. “You both worked together to set us up tonight, unasked for based on just how fed up my fellow date attendant seemed by my very presence. Esteemed co-worker, can you confirm, for the record, that you did not ask for this set up and that you’re just as tired as I am of your friends across the table setting you up with people?”��

Matthew grabbed a breadstick from the basket in one fist and presented it to you like a microphone. You laughed softly, making an out of character smile crack across Matthew’s face before you both pulled yourself back into the accidental routine you’d created. 

“Yes, yes, Matthew. I can confirm I was not made aware of your presence tonight and I have not asked Tessa to set me up with anyone at this time,” you replied seriously, putting on your best politician impression. 

“You sounded like you were doing an impression of Tina Fey doing her Sarah Palin impression from SNL,” Matthew laughed at you. He couldn’t stop smiling as he turned his attention to your friends who had no idea what monster they’d created tonight. “As my good colleague Sarah Palin just said, neither one of us asked to be here. So now, we’re teaming up to see if we really approve of this union or not. So, I repeat. Tessa, where are you from?” 

The evening was filled with you and Matthew teaming up to flip the script on your friends. You grilled Noah, with Matt’s support, and you offered some direction to his probing questions for Tessa. They took in stride though and you realized somehow, some way beyond your understanding, Tessa had fallen into a good relationship for the first time since you knew her. 

Just after making a two-bite dent into your incredible dessert, Tessa pulled you to the bathroom with her, the classic story of girls never being able to pee alone floating at the excuse. When you left the stall, you were greeted by Tessa, arms across her chest, one foot tapping on the ground, and wry smile on her face. 

“So, things seem to be going well with Matthew,” she said with a smirk and a soft nod. “Figured it would be sink or swim but didn’t think it would go quite this.” 

“Oh, shut up,” you groaned as you turned on the water for the sink to start scrubbing your hands, “we’re just being friendly.”

“Are you kidding me?” she practically shouts at you. “He literally has not taken his eyes off you once all night. He’s so into you!”

“Tess, stop,” you told her with a sigh as you shut off the water. You grabbed a couple of paper towels before spinning on your heels to face her. “Seriously, Tess, he’s not into me. We’re just getting along as friends, okay? Be happy this didn’t blow up in your face for the first time.” 

“You cannot be serious right now,” Tessa whined. She reached for your arm as you tossed the paper towels away, pulling your attention back to her. She bounced on her heels a little and gave you the most frustrated look she could muster. “He is into you. Noah thinks so too. Just, can you just try? For me?” 

“I don’t want a relationship, Tess,” you replied curtly. “Why can’t you just accept that?” 

“He’s perfect for you!” Her frustration with you was growing with each word that she had to say as she tried to spell it out for you. “He’s your type. I know I nailed that one. I know you have to think he’s attractive, so you can’t lie to me. You have really similar senses of humor. He totally thinks you’re hot, which you are. Don’t you dare, that’s not up for debate. Come on, babes. Give Chucky a chance.” 

“Chucky is a murderous doll,” you retorted, skipping over everything else she’d said. “Look, Tess, can’t you just be happy I might have made a friend tonight? That’s growth for me right there.”

“But he wants to be your special friend!” she insisted, bouncing on her heels again. 

You couldn’t help but laugh at the image presented by her bouncing and her words. She was channeling herself at age six for sure, an age you didn’t know Tessa at, but from the stories her brothers and mother told you, you were kind of happy you didn’t know her at. 

“Jesus, did you just say that?” you got out between laughs. You sighed as you pulled yourself together. It was time you both escaped the bathroom as the boys were bound to get suspicious soon. “Look, I’m just not really in the sort of place to put myself out there at all right now. If Matthew really does want this and he really does try, I’ll think about it for real, okay? Does that work for you?” 

She sighed and rolled her eyes before saying, “I mean, no, it doesn’t because he would totally give you the good dick right here in this bathroom and probably buy you brunch tomorrow if you actually showed the tiniest bit of actual interest in him, but, it’s the best you’re going to give me, so it’s fine.” 

Your desire to leave the bathroom and get back to your chocolate cake overwhelmed the desire to correct Tess. You pulled her back to the table with you, collapsing into your seat and immediately diving back into the dessert you’d been hearing call your name since you’d left the table five minutes ago.

“You’re murdering that cake,” Matthew noted. “It’s impressive, honestly. Where does the cake go?” 

“Hopefully out my pores tomorrow in the stupid hot yoga class Tess is dragging me too,” you replied, halting another bite on its way to your mouth just to answer. “I wanted to watch Love is Blind and Too Hot to Handle as our new best friend activity for the month. Tessa wants to do hot yoga, so we’re doing hot yoga.” 

“So, you’re the boyfriend in this relationship?” Matthew joked, gesturing between you. 

You dropped your fork to your plate and reached for your almost empty drink instead before replying, “Gender roles are a completely unnecessary societal standard, Matthew, and they do not need to be enforced by heteronormative men who play an incredibly heteronormative sport. Who is the boyfriend and who is the girlfriend is unnecessarily gendered, especially considering I’m clearly the left chopstick and Tessa is the right. ” 

Matthew’s nose scrunched up when he laughed, a sight you were quickly growing used to over the evening, maybe even starting to like. He shook his head softly at you as he took a sip from his glass. 

“Says the girl who pitched to watch a bunch of trash Netflix dating reality shows that are all pretty heteronormative, right?” Matthew countered with a nod of his glass to you. 

“Garbage is not heteronormative,” you replied. “Trash TV is just trash TV, Matthew. Don’t read too much into it. I still haven’t gotten to watch any of it though.” 

“If you need someone to watch with, hit me up,” he told you. “I need an excuse to get drunk on a Wednesday night and sounds like it I would need to be incredibly drunk to watch any of that.” 

“So, this Wednesday then?”

—————

Standing in front of Matthew’s apartment door with a wide variety from your favorite Chinese takeout place in one hand and a six-pack from your favorite local brewery five days later, you were beginning to regret the life choices that led you to this particular moment. You didn’t have much time for the regret to sink in though before Matthew opened the door. 

“If there is something the resembles a dumpling in that bag, I will be your servant for the rest of your life,” was Matthew’s verbal greeting.

“You’re about to be my servant then, but it’ll be worth it. These are the best dumplings I’ve ever had,” you informed him as you pushed past him into his apartment to drop the bags and beer on the counter. You started pulling containers out of the bags as you continued, “I will say you should never Google this place. I’ve only ever ordered via Grubhub delivery before today. I did pick up and this place honestly looks like the architect was drunk and the builders forgot their glasses for the entire build and I’ve never been more horrified, but the dumplings are killer, so I’ve just decided to put it in a box and try to forget I ever saw where they originated.”

You heard a beer crack open beside you and Matthew’s large hand came into view as he set it in front of you. He was close to you, closer than you had thought he would be. You could feel his tall frame behind you, his loose t-shirt brushing against you as he set the beer by your hand. His arms brushed your softly, making your breath catch in your throat.

“Good brewery pick,” he complimented you, his lips near your ear as he spoke. “Also, if you give me food poisoning from your weird Chinese food place, I’m released from my servitude.”

“You know the word servitude?” you countered, trying to pull your mind out of the gutter it was sliding headfirst down with sarcasm and chirping him.

Matthew laughed lightly and shifted himself closer to you. He leaned into you, his chest gentling coming into contact with your back with each breath you took. His large hands gripped the edge of the counter on either side of you. He towered over you and you couldn’t stop yourself from wondering what it would feel like to let him bend you over this counter right here and now.

“Mm, I know a lot of things that might surprise you,” Matthew laughed in your ear.

He pulled back without warning and you released a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. Matthew shifted over to the opposite side of the counter, grabbing a beer and popping it open on his journey. He didn’t say another word before turning on his heels and heading toward the couch. Your brows furrowed as thoughts began to swirl and bleed together in your mind. Was that just all in your mind or was that nothing that your mind turned into something? You didn’t have time for something like this. The fact that you’d found time to have dinner with Matthew within two weeks of meeting him astounding given your inconsistent hours and his season. No, you didn’t want him to be flirting with you, you decided, so he wasn’t. You came over looking for a friend, so that’s what you were here for, the only thing you were here for.

“Hope you can use chopsticks,” you told him as you sat an overly full plate of food in front of him a few minutes later.

“I play hockey. I wasn’t raised in a barn,” he threw back at you, a joking smile on his lips.

“Okay, okay,” you laughed with a roll of your eyes.

Matthew tossed the remote as you with his free hand as he brought a dumpling to his mouth with the other, dropping the entire thing into his mouth in one go. You watched his eyes go wide as he bit down for the first time. He looked at you in disbelief as he chewed.

“Holy fuck me,” he told you through a full mouth. “I want to marry whoever made this.”

“Now,” you open Netflix on his TV, “you get me, Tkachuk.”

Matthew had already shoved another one in his mouth by the time Netflix loaded the first episode. Matthew was in food heaven, shoving dumpling after dumpling into his mouth. You laughed a little as his stuffed cheeks. He looked like a curly-headed chipmunk and you told him just that as you grabbed another container of dumplings out of the bag on the counter. He almost chirped you back, but when you dropped a full container in his lap, the chirp died before it had even fully formed.

“I think you’ve ruined dumplings for me from everywhere else in the world. Also, is that guy hot? I feel like they’re just trying to convince us he’s hot when he’s not.”

You were amazed he was able to pay any attention to the show with the speed at which he was consuming food. It was equal parts impressive and disgusting.

“He’s alright,” you shrugged as you reached for your beer. “Not my type. You’d be better off asking Tessa.”

Something you’d said finally beat out the interest of the dumplings. Matthew dropped the container to the table and skewered a dumpling with his chopsticks in exchange for a beer and turning his attention to him. He raised an eyebrow at you before he spoke.

“A type, huh? I wouldn’t happened to fit that type, would I?”

He took a sip as he watched you roll your eyes at him. He chuckled a little against the edge of his bottle at your response.

“Why would you think you would?” you countered, barely pulling yourself together in time to say something within an acceptable response time.

Matthew shrugged casually before replying, “Noah asked me specifically to come the other night and after meeting Tessa, I have a hard time believing she let Noah pick whoever he wanted since that was definitely a set up and blah, blah, blah, so I’m definitely your type, right?”

“Mm,” you hummed as you took a sip of your beer to try and disguise the anxiety his question had brought on. “My type is definitely guys who are obsessed with trying to be my type. It’s so sexy how much you need my validation right now.”

Matthew’s head fell back as he laughed, curls shifting back in tandem. His mouth opened wide as he laughed a full belly laugh at your words. One of his hands came to his stomach as his laughs became breathier and he slowly brought himself back down.

“You’re something else,” Matthew mumbled through a smile, beer on its way back to his lips and soft shake of his head with his words.

“I’m a goddamn goddess and you know it,” was all you had to say to get him laughing again.

—————

“Let’s fucking go, Calgary!” Tessa screamed next to you out of the blue, jumping to her feet as she shouted, making you and several other people around you jump a little in their seats.

“Jesus,” you sighed. “Tess, can you take it down a notch or eighteen, please?”

“It’s the Battle of Alberta, baby!” she shouted in response, a wide drunken grin on her face as she retook her seat next to you with a flop.

The referee blew the whistle, stopping play, and you pulled your attention back to the game with a soft smile on your face. You looked down the ice to see someone wearing a red and black jersey tangled up with a white and blue one. You craned you’re neck to try and see who it was, your breath catching in your throat at the idea it as Matthew. Your eyes were flying back and forth between the ice and the screen, trying to see a number or part of name to figure out if it was him or not. Your racing thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the glass in front of you. You were greeted with a smile that was slowly becoming more and more familiar, just with a mouth guard hanging between his teeth, and some curls peeking out from under a helmet.

Matthew waved at you with two gloved hands, his light blue eyes crinkling at the corners as he looked at you. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. You were relieved he was standing in front of you, a goofy smile on his face, rather than down the ice in that fight. At least the linesman has managed to break it up by now. Matthew’s eyes broke contact from you to give you a once over. He pinched his jersey between his gloved fingers and his eyebrows furrowed down as he looked at you

“Where’s your jersey?” he shouted, though you had to read his lips to actually understand him

You just put your hands out next to you, palms up, and shrugged with a slight pout sticking out your bottom lip. You didn’t own any Flames gear of any kind, certainly not the Tkachuk jersey he was probably looking for. He shook his head at you and glared a little, just to get a small laugh out of you, before he turned his attention back to the game.

“Look at your guy!” Tessa said way too loudly for how tender she’d said it, hands stacked over her heart. “He likes you so much.”

“We are just friends,” you countered firmly, which made Tessa frown.

“He likes you! Aren’t you going over to his place after the game? You should make a move,” she nudged you in the ribs with her elbow.

“I’m picking up exactly four containers of dumplings and we’re watching exactly two episodes of Love is Blind because we’re going to finish up the episodes before they go on vacation with their new fiancés, okay?” you told her. “That’s not exactly a hot date. Besides, I don’t want to make a move. I like him, as a friend.”

“Okay, whatever,” Tessa rolled her eyes at you. “You keep denying that I set you up with a good one until you can’t anymore. Chucky is so smitten with you, he’ll probably wait for you for a ridiculously long time, like rom-com style long time, babes.”

—————

It was your new routine. Well, it wasn’t regular enough to really be a routine. Matthew would text you when he felt like he hadn’t seen you recently enough and demand you show up that same day with dumplings and your sparkling personality. You had tried to deny him, push him off a day or two due to work, but he might be the only person you’d ever met more stubborn that you were. Over garbage television shows and Chinese food, you’d made an actual friend out of him and despite Tessa’s insisting that both of you wanted more.

“Oh, suck it!” Tessa shouted as the Bruins pulled out a last-minute OT goal against Edmonton. She hated the Bruins, but you were pretty sure the only thing Tessa hated more than your insistence that you didn’t want to date Matthew was Edmonton.

You sighed, realizing you’d lost the bet you’d made with her, even though you picked that Edmonton would win to piss her off. She was shouting and jumping up and down, trying to rub her win in your face, but a text cropping up on your phone was pulling your attention.

Tkachuk: pls get five orders of dumplings and bring them right over

You: worked hard today huh?

Tkachuk: you know I fucking did. See you in 30?

You smiled softly, catching Tessa’s attention in the middle of her winning tirade.

“Is that Chucky?” She was already leaning over you, trying to get a glimpse of your phone screen. “Are you ditching me for him again this evening?”

You glared up at her and tilted your phone back, hiding the screen from her view. She stated to glare back, but then her face softened as the corners of her mouth started to pull up. You caught a mischievous glint in her eyes start to form she spoke.

“Hey, the bet was that I get to pick your outfit next time you go out, right?” Tessa asked hesitantly.

“I mean, yeah, but your face is scaring me a little bit here,” you replied, concern for yourself dripping off each word.

“And out could just mean when you go to see Chucky in a few minutes, right?” Her excitement was beginning to leak out, but you couldn’t understand why. “Because since you’re leaving, that’s going out, right?”

“I mean, I guess- Tess, what are you getting at here?”

Tessa didn’t reply. She ran out of the living room, cursing as she banged her elbow on the corner as she turned into the hallway. You heard some rustling in her room, followed by another curse, before she came bounding back into the living room. She tossed something red at you, a borderline evil smile on her face as she did so. You grabbed the red garment. As soon as your fingers touched it, you had an idea of what it was based on the fabric and you groaned as you flipped the garment in your hands. You were greeted with Tkachuk in large bold letters when you looked at the back of the jersey.

“I’m not wearing that to Matthew’s apartment,” you whined, letting the jersey fall into your lap.

“Ah, yes you are. You lost the bet. You wear what I let you to wear,” she told you, waving off your complaints. “Besides, Chucky gave it to Noah to give to me to make sure you wore it to next game anyway. We’re just getting you in it earlier than he had in mind, that’s all.”

You sighed as you stood up to head to your room where you exchanged your comfortable, worn in sweatshirt for the new, crisp jersey. When the red fabric finally hung off your body, you turned and let out a groan when you saw his last name on your back. You knew he wasn’t going to let you live it down the entire time you were with him, but Tessa’s wrath was worse than Matthew’s chirping would ever be.

Tessa was laughing as soon as she caught site of the red fabric, but you didn’t give her much time to feel satisfied with her handiwork. You grabbed your wallet, keys, and phone and headed out the front door. You paused as you sat in the driver’s seat of your car. Tessa had said Matthew wanted you to have the jersey to wear to the next game you went to, but why was he insistent enough to get Noah to give Tessa one of his jerseys? Why didn’t he just give it to you himself? 

You tried to analyze the gesture as you waited in line at the restaurant. You’d taken to just coming in for pick up since you’d been unsuccessful in forgetting just how terrifying seeing this place for the first time was. You never called ahead anymore. You just showed up and the chef knew to start making dumplings for you. They were ready when you got to the counter to order, so you paid, grabbed your food, and returned to your car quickly. You decided the gesture was probably nothing, just Matthew being odd per usual, and tried to force the thought out of your mind as you drove over to his place. 

The thought hung around as you parked in his spare parking spot. The parking pass had gone from being loaned out to every guest to living in your car after the fifth dumpling and trash television visit. He said you were his most regular visitor and he was tired of having to leave to put it in your car for you since you always argued that you’d brought him food, so it was the least he could do. Your mind was racing, trying to figure out if all of it added up to something, or if you were adding up things that didn’t really exist to get to an answer that definitely didn’t. 

You only got one knock in before Matthew opened the door. He moaned when he saw the bag in your arms. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said, his eyes trained on the brown paper bag his hands were reaching for the entire time he spoke like a prayer had been answered.

You laughed at him and let him take the bag from your arms before following him inside. He dropped the bag on the counter and began grabbing containers and chopsticks while you kicked off your shoes. You let out a long sigh as you prepared yourself for the chirps that were bound to come when you took your coat off and the jersey was finally in his line of site. You chewed your bottom lip between your teeth as you spun around to face him. 

Matthew was frozen in place, a partially opened to-go container on the counter in front of him and chopsticks about to be ripped apart in his hands. His eyes were trained on the flaming logo on the front. 

“Tessa made me wear it,” you admitted quickly. “I lost a bet and she made me wear it.”

Matthew slowly put the chopsticks down and one of his hands came up to his mouth. His hand was on his chin, thumb crossing his lips as he shifted his weight to his other hand braced against the counter’s edge. His light eyes were darker than you were used to as they scanned up and down your body. They came to rest on the number partially visible on the shoulder. He moved his hand from his face to hovering in front of him with his index finger outstretched. Slowly, his index finger began to make small circles as he looked at you. 

“Oh, you’re rubbing this in now,” you huffed, hands going to your hips. 

Matthew just shook his head softly before he swallowed hard, then said one word, “Spin.” 

You sighed, knowing he wanted the full picture for future ammunition, but you wouldn’t get to enjoy your food until you gave him what he asked you. You slowly let your feet shift across the floor, moving you in a gentle circle, giving Matthew a perfect view of his last name across your back. You closed your eyes as you reached the point in your circling where you’d have to see him again. You didn’t need to see the smug look on his face. 

You heard Matthew sigh and you knew whatever he was about to say next was going to be brutal. Instead, all you heard was his feet shuffling quickly across the floor before you felt his hands on you, pressing you back against the nearest wall. Your eyes flung open when you made rough contact with the wall. Before you could fully process it, Matthew’s head dipped down and his mouth was on yours. You almost pulled back, but he was kissing you in a way that took your breath away. You couldn’t not fall into the moment with your palms coming to rest on his chest, but you needed some sort of explanation and you weren’t even sure if this was really what you wanted, so you pushed gently on his chest and he instantly separated from you.

“What the fuck?” you breathed out at him as you lifted your eyes to look at him. 

He was towering over you, his arms boxing you in on either side of your head. His eyes were even darker than they had been and while you could usually read Matthew like open book, you couldn’t recognize the expression on his face. 

“I can’t be your friend if you’re going to look this fucking good with my last name on your back,” he told you. His words were so matter of fact, as if it was the most obvious thing the world. “You have absolutely no idea how bad I want you right now.” 

“Matthew,” you said between deep breaths, “I don’t know.” 

“You know,” he said, his baby blue eyes locking your gaze on him. “You know you know. You’ve known since that first dinner. Tessa knew too. Hell, even Noah knew, and you know how fucking thick he is. We’re not supposed to be just friends. You,” he sucked in a breath through his teeth when he broke eye contact to look down at the jersey while balling some of the red fabric in his hands, “you are too perfect for me to be my friend. God, it’s like someone took everything I ever wanted and put it all in one perfect, stupidly sexy girl, except that someone made her fucking oblivious to her own feelings.”

Matthew let out a soft laugh and shook his head as he released the fabric from his hands. His eyes rolled up to lock with yours again. 

“You can’t stand her and tell me that kiss wasn’t different,” he continued. “stop being so fucking thick for two seconds and you’ll really feel it. I know you feel it. Because if somehow, I feel this goddamn strongly about someone, and they don’t feel a single ounce of something for me, then I must have really fucked up in my past life and deserve to have the perfect girl right between my fingers and feel her break my heart instead. Like, fuck, you know this is different, that this is something that stupid kinds of special. Just let yourself feel it. Let me in, baby. I’m right here. You’re not gonna fall. Nothing is going to break. I’m right here. I’ve got you, if you want me to.” 

Matthew was wrong. You felt the walls you built to keep you from having to put yourself out there, from having to risk anything, start to crack under Matthew’s gaze. His eyes started bouncing from feature to feature on your face, trying to figure out what was going on in your mind since you hadn’t said a word yet. When his baby blues met yours again, the walls broke, and you felt everything. You felt everything he said and somehow, so much more. You grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked his mouth down to yours. He kissed you back instantly, his hands reaching down to the backs of your thighs to pull you up to his height. Your legs wrapped around his waist and his hands moved to your torso, yanking at his new favorite piece of clothing you owned to get under it and feel your skin under his palms. 

You broke the kiss to breathe. His mouth moved to your neck as you tangled your fingers in his curls. 

“I’m going to fuck you and you’re going to wear this while I do it,” Matthew breathed out against your neck with a faint tug of the jersey, “if that’s alright with you.”

“Little aggressive,” you told him with a tug of his curls. Matthew pulled you away from the wall, switching to support your weight so he could start walking you towards his room.

“Oh, shut up, would you?” Matthew laughed against your skin. “If you actually have objections, fine, but the peanut gallery is closed for anything other than curse words and my name for the next few hours, okay?” 

“Whatever you say, Tkachuk.” 

[livia-dovehallow]

all I need - Wessa/Gabrily

some basic fluff for all my kind anons who have wondered where I disappeared to <3

Ship: Wessa, Gabrily

Characters: Will Herondale, Tessa Gray-Herondale, Cecily Herondale-Lightwood, Gabriel Lightwood, Jessamine Lovelace, Anna Lightwood, James Herondale, Lucie Herondale, Christopher Lightwood

Time: November 1887 || London

“Will.”

Will Herondale woke slightly, one eye lazily gazing around the room. When he saw no one but Tessa sound asleep beside him, he closed his eyes again.

“Will.”

He did not stir.

“William Herondale!”

Will started and shot up. Tessa did not move beside him. He was grateful he had gone to bed fully clothed that evening, for the ghost of Jessamine Lovelace hovered at the foot of his bed with an annoyed expression. “What on earth are you doing in my bedroom, Jessamine?” Will asked in an irritated voice.

She did not react to his fatigued-state of annoyance. “It concerns the children, Will. Would you rather I not disturb you?”

This brought Will to full alertness. “The children?” he asked, suddenly serious. “What about the children?”

Jessamine gestured to the large window in the room. “It’s terribly freezing outside and it has started to lower the temperature inside the Institute. The children have started to shiver.”

Will was out of bed in seconds, scrambling to put his robe and shoes on. “Tessa,” he said urgently. She groaned but did not wake. “Tessa, love, wake up. It’s Jamie and Lucie.”

Tessa sat up and swung her legs out of bed. She began reaching for her own robe. “What? What’s happened?”

Will breathed and grew more urgent at the sight of his own breath in the chill air. “Jessamine’s warned me of a cold-front outside. The children are starting to freeze. We need to bring them to the family room fire. And wake my sister as well.”

.

.

Down the hall, Cecily slept uncomfortably. Something had nagged her the night before as she tried to sleep. A sense of worry and urgency she could not put her finger on. She’d ventured out of bed several times to check on her children only to find them safe and sound in their nursery, peacefully asleep. It was only after the fourth time that Gabriel all but commanded her to stay in bed and had locked her in with his arms.

This didn’t ease her mind. Her sleep was fitful while Gabriel snored quietly beside her. Cecily tried to sleep to the sound of his heart beating in his chest as it had always comforted her when she could not sleep, but it was useless. She’d gotten a cumulative two hours of sleep when she heard a door slam open elsewhere in the Institute.

“Gabriel,” she said, shaking him by his shoulder. He hummed in response. “Gabriel, I think something’s happened.”

“What—” he began in his fatigued state, but was interrupted by urgent knocking on their bedroom door.

“Cecy!” It was Will. “Come quickly. The Institute is freezing and Jessamine’s warned me of the children.”

Gabriel was awake now, following Cecily out of bed and hurrying to dress. She could feel the chill air across her skin. Of course, her and Gabriel could wear runes to keep them warm, but their children were much too small to be given runes. “I told you something was wrong,” she said to her husband. She looked at him, worry growing in her chest.

He looked back at her with an expression that Cecily had come to call his “Family Face,” an expression of worry, protectiveness, and affection in one that he saved for her and their children only. “Mother’s intuition is a frightening power,” he said simply before rushing across the room to take her hand and hurry out of their bedroom.

Thankfully, Cecily had chosen to keep their nursery close by. Only a couple doors down on the opposite side of the corridor was where Anna and Christopher slept. Gabriel, with his longer legs and stride, got to the nursery first and threw open the door. In the nursery was an even more frigid air, sending shivers through Cecily’s body. Without needing to speak, her and Gabriel split. She went to Christopher, who was only just under two months old, and lifted him from his cradle. Across the room, Gabriel went to Anna and lifted her from her children’s bed, gathering the blankets as he went.

In Cecily’s arms, little Kit was breathing fast, his lips pale. Her heart jumped in her chest while she fret over him, gathering every coat and blanket she could find in arm’s reach. “I’ve got you, my sweet boy,” she said to Christopher, whose small head lay against her chest.

“Anna is all right,” Gabriel said at her side. She glanced up to find their daughter bundled up in layers of blankets in his arms, doubling her small size. “I’ve just seen Will and Tessa take James and Lucie toward the family room. I suppose that’s where they’ve built the fire.”

Cecily nodded and followed him out of the nursery toward the family room.

.

.

In the nook of the family room, where the largest fireplace in the Institute lay, Will organized the furniture and pillows in a fashion that allowed for the family to sit near the fire comfortably. James had been awake when Will went to him, seconds from crying, and little Lucie was shivering terribly.

“Here,” Will said gently to Tessa, who held both children in her arms as he built the fire. “Bring them closer. Has Lulu stopped shivering?”

Tessa looked down. They’d wrapped Lucie in several layers to the point where her small face was all you could see. James had even given her his favorite spoon, believing somehow it would keep her warm. “I think so,” Tessa answered. “But she’s still quite cold, I’d bet. She’s so small.”

Will nodded and added more kindling to the fire before returning to his family. He sat beside them near the fire and lifted James from Tessa’s lap into his own. “Are you cold?” he asked her again, after several failed attempts at receiving an answer prior. He’d been able to place a warming rune to himself in order to pass body heat to his son, but Tessa could not bear runes.

“I am fine,” she answered, her attention still on Lucie. “James and Lucie are more important.”

Will opened his mouth to argue that she was important, too, when his sister and her family came hurrying into the room. Cecily had Christopher cradled to her chest while Gabriel had Anna in what looked like the most massive child-burrito he’d ever seen. He met his sister’s eyes. “Are Jamie and Luce all right?” she asked him.

Will nodded. “They’re all right,” he assured her. “Lucie was a bit worse off than Jamie, but she’s is doing better now with the fire.” He shot his brother-in-law an amused glance. “I take it Anna is warm as a snug bun.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I panicked, okay?”

Cecily stepped forward and lowered herself near the fire. “Christopher was shivering as well,” she said, peering through the bundled blankets in her grasp. “I am sure it is just because he is still a baby, like Lucie.”

Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness they’re all okay,” she said and her shoulders visibly relaxed. “I was so worried about them all.”

Will adjusted his son in his lap and glanced about the room. He still hadn’t gotten used to seeing their little family surrounded by little ones, despite the fact that Anna had just turned three. Seeing his little sister with a toddler and an infant with Gabriel reminded him of just how far they had come. Truthfully, he never thought he’d have the opportunity to be an uncle, let alone a father. And now he was both.

“Will,” Tessa whispered. “Will you give Jamie one of the smaller pillows? He struggles to sleep well if he isn’t holding something.”

Will grabbed one of the smaller sofa decorative pillows and carefully tucked it into his son’s arms. James immediately hugged it close and relaxed in his father’s arms, his head neatly tucked into the crook between Will’s neck and shoulder. “We’re going to be here a while,” he replied to his wife. “Get some sleep, Tess. We’ll take turns watching the children.”

He did not have to tell her twice. Tessa dropped her head on his other shoulder and closed her eyes. 

.

.

Across the room, Cecily made herself comfortable in Gabriel’s embrace, with Christopher still carefully tucked in her arms and Anna sleeping away on Gabriel’s other shoulder.

Gabriel pressed his back against the solid oak table behind him. He tested it for strength before leaning fully against it in preparation for bundling up his family. His stele lay beside him, freshly used to apply warmth runes on himself and Cecily, hoping their own body heat could help keep their children warm through the night. “Are you sure?” Cecily asked, uncertain. “It doesn’t look stable or comfortable.”

“I don’t mind it,” he answered. The leg of the table did dig into his back a small bit, but it was a small price to pay for his family. He adjusted Anna so she was lower on his chest, enough to sit in his lap with her head still supported, and then turned to his wife with a cheeky smile. “C’mere,” he said with a gesture of his remaining free arm. “I’ll keep you warm.”

Cecily laughed and did as told, shifting her way between his legs to rest her back against the right side of his chest beside their daughter. His arm came down and wrapped around her tight, his forearm helping support Christopher’s weight. “I can handle holding a baby, bach,” she said with amusement.

“He is my son, too,” Gabriel retorted. “Am I not allowed to partially carry my son?”

He could feel Cecily roll her eyes but their banter was always affectionate. He knew that she knew he would always put them first. “I love you, too,” she chided before she leaned down to press a gentle kiss on Kit’s head. Then, she turned to face Anna, whose small nose was only a short distance from her own, and softly kissed her chubby cheek.

“Have I told you before that you are a fantastic mother?” Gabriel wondered aloud. Cecily craned her neck up to smile at him. “Truly, you are a natural.”

“You may have mentioned it once or twice,” she answered in feign modesty.

Gabriel quickly planted a kiss on her forehead. “There is no way I could have done this without you,” he added. “I would have made a terrible father if it weren’t you at my side.”

“I told you to stop saying that,” she scolded and returned to her relaxation against his chest with her eyes closed. “And besides, of course you couldn’t do this without me. You cannot physically bear children, Gabriel.”

“Well, there is that.”

He felt her slip her small hand into his and give a soft squeeze. “Forever and always,” she whispered, her voice laced with growing fatigue.

“Sleep,” he told her gently. “I’ll be here.”

She was snoring seconds later.

.

.

“Will,” Cecily said suddenly, alarmed. “Are you crying?”

He sniffed loudly and denied everything. “There is just something in my eye.”

Cecily rolled her eyes. “Yes, they’re called tears. Why do you look so somber? Are you not happy to have a niece?”

“Of course I’m happy,” Will answered immediately. He was gazing at her intently, amazed how much she looked like Cecily already and she was only hours old. “I’m thrilled. She’s perfect.”

“Then why do you look that way?”

Will smiled ruefully and let out a puff of air that only sounded vaguely like a laugh. “Because I never imagined I would ever get to be here, holding her.”

Cecily sat up in her bed beside him. “Whatever do you mean? Did you not think I would ever marry? Really, Will, I’m quite a catch.”

Will laughed, heartily this time. “That is not what I meant,” he answered. He looked up at his sister. “I just didn’t think I’d get to be an uncle. When I thought I’d never see you again.”

Cecily’s eyes softened. “You still would have been an uncle,” she said quietly. “You’re my brother. That makes you an uncle to any children I have.”

“You know what I meant, Cecy,” he said. He bounced his niece in his arms but his gaze remained with Cecily. “A real uncle. A present figure in their lives and not some abstract name or picture on the wall.”

Cecily’s face suddenly hardened. “Do you think Ella is just some abstract name or picture on the wall?”

Will’s heart stopped. “No. That is not at all what I think.”

“That is what you said.”

Will blinked at his little sister. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to say Ella isn’t Anna’s aunt.”

Cecily sighed and adjusted the blankets over her legs. “What matters is that you are here, Will,” she said quietly. “You are here and you are an uncle.”

“You’re right,” Will answered, looking back down at Anna asleep.

.

.

Anna woke up fussy.

From what Gabriel could tell, it was nearing three in the morning. For a grown Shadowhunter, three in the morning was not an unusual time to be awake. Gabriel had been on patrol plenty of nights into the early hours of the morning without any problem; but now, a father, he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

That is, until Anna stirred against his shoulder and began to fuss about being cold and then fuss about not being in her own bed. Gone were the days that Anna preferred to sleep in his arms, Gabriel sighed internally. “Snuggle in close,” he told her in a whisper. “I’ll keep you warm. I promise.”

“Okay, Papa,” Anna yawned before she lay her head back down on his chest, calm once more, and dozed off back to peaceful sleep.

Will chuckled at him across the room. Will had his own herd of children in his grasp, like Gabriel. Tessa sat across him, her legs thrown over his lap, while little Lucie lay asleep on her mother’s chest. James sat sideways in his father’s lap, facing his mother, his head nodded off on Will’s shoulder, their identical black curls side by side. “Your arm lost feeling yet?” Will asked.

“I lost feeling in all my extremities long ago,” Gabriel lamented.

Will smiled knowingly. “So have I,” he offered. “The things we do for them.”

Gabriel laughed. “Truly, Will, I never thought either of us would end up here. We got lucky.” He looked down at the three people who had bundled up to him for warmth and comfort. “We have our entire worlds sitting in our arms.”

Silence fell between them but it was not uneasy. Both of them were gazing at their little families, sleeping away the cold in their comfort. “I hate to admit it,” Will said, breaking the silence. “But I think you’re a pretty decent father, Lightwood.”

Gabriel shook his head, amused. “I’m glad you think so,” he retorted. “My biggest critic thinking I’m a good father is the best compliment.”

“I only criticize for my sister’s sake,” Will offered.

Cecily stirred in Gabriel’s arms, shifting his attention to her instead of his brother. “Leave him alone, Will,” she slurred, waking up slowly. “We’ve been married for five years.”

“Did we wake you?” Gabriel asked, concerned. There were bags beneath her eyes, yet he could not decide if they were from the cold-stricken sleep or from having two young children. If it was the latter, Gabriel did not want to know what his own eyes looked like.

“No,” Cecily answered. She sat up from his chest and shifted little Christopher onto her lap. She shook out her arms in a deep, long stretch. “It’s time to feed Kit. I work on a mother’s clock now, you know.”

.

.

There will possibly be a part two. Maybe. We’ll see. Enjoy! || @tsccreatorsnet

[virtchandmoir]

We Spoke To Olympic Champion Tessa Virtue About Her Career Change & Here’s What She Told Us

"I dream of launching my own business, for sure!"

June 21, 2021

The pandemic wasn't something anyone had anticipated happening, and it's impacted every aspect of people's lives, from how they live to the way they work, and even what it looks like to interact with friends and family.

Think about the way that your life has changed over the last year. Maybe you're working from home and have stopped going for weekly brunch with your pals. Perhaps catching up with your grandparents changed from in-person visits to phone calls. You might be using your laptop more than ever before to stay entertained, keep in touch or continue your education.

The pandemic wasn't something anyone had anticipated happening, and it's impacted every aspect of people's lives, from how they live to the way they work, and even what it looks like to interact with friends and family.

Think about the way that your life has changed over the last year. Maybe you're working from home and have stopped going for weekly brunch with your pals. Perhaps catching up with your grandparents changed from in-person visits to phone calls. You might be using your laptop more than ever before to stay entertained, keep in touch or continue your education.

No doubt, having technology within easy reach has been particularly helpful for people adapting to this new way of life.

From catching up with loved ones over video calls when it wasn't safe to do so physically, to entire companies meeting virtually from every corner of the world, you could say that technology made getting through this pandemic possible.

Someone who's no stranger to transformation is Olympic and World Ice Dance Champion Tessa Virtue. Following her retirement from ice dancing, Virtue has moved on to the next chapter of her career. She's taking her competitive nature and winning attitude to the business world, pursuing her Executive MBA at Queen's University and starting a new job at one of Canada's leading consulting firms.

The pandemic wasn't something anyone had anticipated happening, and it's impacted every aspect of people's lives, from how they live to the way they work, and even what it looks like to interact with friends and family.

Think about the way that your life has changed over the last year. Maybe you're working from home and have stopped going for weekly brunch with your pals. Perhaps catching up with your grandparents changed from in-person visits to phone calls. You might be using your laptop more than ever before to stay entertained, keep in touch or continue your education.

No doubt, having technology within easy reach has been particularly helpful for people adapting to this new way of life.

From catching up with loved ones over video calls when it wasn't safe to do so physically, to entire companies meeting virtually from every corner of the world, you could say that technology made getting through this pandemic possible.

Someone who's no stranger to transformation is Olympic and World Ice Dance Champion Tessa Virtue. Following her retirement from ice dancing, Virtue has moved on to the next chapter of her career. She's taking her competitive nature and winning attitude to the business world, pursuing her Executive MBA at Queen's University and starting a new job at one of Canada's leading consulting firms.

Virtue is adapting to this way of life and is doing her learning virtually, using products from Microsoft to help navigate this new and exciting path. With products like Microsoft 365, Surface Laptop Go, and Surface Duo, Microsoft has helped Virtue transition from the ice to the office seamlessly.

These products have also helped to make flexible work environments possible, as Virtue has seen firsthand in her transition to the workplace and classroom while working and learning from home.

In this interview with Narcity, Virtue discusses the next chapter of her career and the personal challenges that come with it, how COVID-19 has impacted her approach to her education and career, and how technology has helped her with that transition.

Questions and responses have been edited for clarity.

Let's start off by speaking about something that's affecting us all right now: the pandemic. These are challenging times. What's it been like for you? “What a strange and scary time it's been for everyone! Relatively speaking, I have been incredibly fortunate in that those closest to me have remained safe and healthy. And every day I am grateful to have a sense of purpose with both work and school!

“Grappling with such widespread uncertainty has meant turning inward for meaningful self-reflection and I'm emboldened by the outcome of that self-work. Thank you for asking!"

You announced your retirement from professional skating after more than two decades (and five Olympic medals) on the ice with partner Scott Moir. That must have been a huge transition. Can you tell our readers a little bit about your decision to retire from competitive ice dancing and take on new challenges? "I am completely obsessed with improving and learning! I knew it would be pertinent for me, once leaving sport, to set short-term, tangible goals that required the adoption of new skills and a sense of pressure (what can I say, I prefer to live in the "uncomfortable" to challenge myself!).

"Having worked on building my brand in the business realm 10+ years, I wanted to get a deeper understanding of the corporate landscape. Not to mention, after being defined by a job that was so physical in nature, part of me wants to prove my worth academically, too!

"My school experience has been abnormal from about grade four or five on, given the demands of training. Prioritizing education now feels like such a privilege!"

You've taken on the fashion and beauty industry with several collaborations. What drew you to take on the world of business and get an MBA? "I dream of launching my own business, for sure! But it's not something I take lightly and, if I pursue an entrepreneurial path, I want to do it right. I'm fortunate now to have been hired by a top consulting firm, where I can practically apply the lessons I'm learning in school and gain experience in various departments.

"By exposing myself to new and different roles, the goal is that I will then be able to develop a clear path forward. Even as I say that sentence, I get excited about future possibilities!"

What does your MBA journey look like right now? What do you hope to do after graduation? Will you launch your own business? "I dream of launching my own business, for sure! But it's not something I take lightly and, if I pursue an entrepreneurial path, I want to do it right. I'm fortunate now to have been hired by a top consulting firm, where I can practically apply the lessons I'm learning in school and gain experience in various departments.

"By exposing myself to new and different roles, the goal is that I will then be able to develop a clear path forward. Even as I say that sentence, I get excited about future possibilities!"

Would you say that the drive that you find as an Olympian is ever-present in your life? What skills as an athlete do you find are proving transferable in the business world? "It is amazing to me just how applicable the inherent skill set of an elite athlete is to the business realm (or in any life situation, really!). Goal setting, teamwork, resilience, embracing failure, managing pressure, and so much more!

"The difference is that athletes have the luxury of time to hone their craft — usually a very specific, repetitive task — mastering a particular technique or preparing to peak at one specific moment is paramount to success.

"Most executives, on the other hand, are expected perform at a high-level all the time, in all situations! One thing I'm observing most these days is that athletes crave feedback in a unique way that is not always reflected in corporate structures. I think remaining open to constructive critique — letting go of our egos — is one of the most valuable gifts!"

Transitioning from constantly being on the road and being a professional athlete to going back to school must have come with a steep learning curve. How do your Microsoft products help you feel competent and confident enough to take it on? "Training my brain to focus for long periods of time was one of the most difficult things, as was finding confidence! With the help of Microsoft Surface, I felt equipped to manage the heavy workload knowing my work, assignments, and correspondence were seamless, intuitive, and organized.

"The devices allow me to unlock my academic and professional potential by allowing me to optimize performance and productivity. And not only that, but they're also beautiful!!! As a skater, I desired excellence and valued innovation. The same is true now and that is reflected in my technology choices."

Knowing firsthand the challenges that can come from a career pivot, do you have anything you want to say to Narcity readers out there looking to make a change in their own lives? "Go for it! And if it is daunting and frightening, well, that probably means it's worthwhile! The magical meeting point of hard work and opportunity is where the joy lies, but it is completely unattainable if you don't take the risk."

As Virtue knows, and as we all have found out over the last year, the pandemic changed how we live our lives. With flexible work and learning here to stay, Microsoft's suite of products like Microsoft 365, Surface Laptop Go, and Surface Duo can help make navigating new careers and new challenges easier than ever. And until June 30, you can get $200 off the Surface Laptop Go - devices purchased through Microsoft Store on microsoft.com come with the Microsoft Store Promise with free 2-3 day shipping, an extended return policy, low price promise and expert help when you need it!

To learn more about Microsoft's products and how Tessa Virtue is using Surface to accelerate her career goals, visit the Microsoft website. To keep up with all the latest news, follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

—Narcity

[dearhummingbird]

too easily influenced! I’ve been doing alot of reading and now I want to buy a bajillion books — my Bookshop cart was at $400+! — I feel guilty only because I’ve got so many on my shelves that I’ve not touched! ughh. I don’t know to amend my bookbuying habits other than by staving myself off from bookbuying completely, which is what I’ve done the past year or so. I know I’d feel a lot better if I donated what I didn’t want to thrift stores I just haven’t prioritised it but now it feels real, it feels serious. also it feels like I’m in that place again where I only read books to learn or gain something, or to find a certain kind of answer that will comfort me; nothing necessarily wrong but, I’m older now, you know? I want things to be different, expansive, more so than before. I probably don’t make sense to you and sound pedantic but I understand what I’m talking what. anyway not trying to be dramatic and never want to create or recreate a space of shame when it comes to books anymore, so here’s a list of things I’d love to buy:

Miriam Toews’ Women Talking

Robert Alter’s The Art of Biblical Narrative

Shahida Bari’s Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes

James Wood’s How Fiction Works

Paisley Rekdal’s Appropriate: A Provocation

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick

these are kinda up there; Miriam Toew’s because she seems funny and manages humour without detracting from the weight of what she’s talking about, i also love the premise of her books; Alter because of Jennifer from Insert Literary Pun Here, she mentions how Alter consolidates what everyone assumes to be narrative contradictions in the Bible to be instead narrative strategies, and that’s something I’m really really interested in because every time there’s a contradiction of some sort I, small-mindedly, doubt the writer and their capabilities, instead of giving them some kind of chance or thinking hey maybe this was an intellectual choice. I’ve realised this and that makes me wonder why I’m such a skeptic reader, why am I this distrustful? so easily put off, so quick to judge.. anyway I think the Bibles very interesting too so I really want it; I want Dressed because I’m starting to sew and I just want to read about fashion through a literary lens, and this looks like it; I want to read Wood because I don’t want to immediately invest in Serious Noticing; I want Appropriate because of @dorothea-rising who has very clearly had a lot of influence on this list! Moby Dick too and because I want to read Gilead, not that I need the former to read the latter but I kind of want to. 

if you really really want my full list I’m going to put it here(also because I want to!!) 

George Saunder’s A Swim in A Pond in the Rain

Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses

Luster by Raven Leilani(people either loved this or thought it was meh so I wanna see how I feel about it!)

Savage Conversations by Leanne Howe(because of Claire Reads! <3)

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters(because of that interview about something like how straight people are increasingly seeing the world through a trans lens)

Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer(duh!)

Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel

All of It Singing by Linda Gregg

The Great Fires by Jack Gilbert 

Lauren Berlant’s Cruel Optimism

Infinitely Full of Hope: Fatherhood and the Future in an Age of Crisis and Disaster by Tom Whyman

Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying by Sallie Tisdale

The Alleluia Files by Sharon Shinn(which I think is out of print which makes me very! upset! I put off buying this one for so long and now I got hunt it down and it’s my fault)

Sleeveless: Fashion, Image, Media, New York 2011-2019 by Natasha Stagg

The Art of Repair by Molly Martin

Notes From An Apocalypse by Mark O’Connell(because of Rosianna Halse Rojas + Parul Sehgal!!)

as you can see I’m kinda lusting for criticism + fashion, and btw I won Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous in a book giveaway(that came with a shampoo that’s locally and sustainably made! <3) which I don’t regret choosing because I’ve wanted it for months but Detransition, Baby was another option of three that I could’ve gotten! see, every book I have is influenced by one person or another and I always question whether I have any kind of readerly instinct because I always just read based on people’s recommendations.. it’s perfectly harmless but idk! Do you do the same?

currently from the library I’ve got The Essex Serpent, Uprooted, Rules for Visiting, The Gatekeeper by Nuraliah Norasid, When A Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare, Love Medicine, Homeland by Barbara Kingsolver + A Cheater’s Guide to Love.