#written on my phone there may be funny typos

[eri-pl]

The Feanorian heresy

Ok, now that I have your attention: There's a take I've seen that's not wholly unfounded in Tolkien's writings, but also is not true in the Silm version and also I don't like it (sorry!) so I thought "Hey, what if people in-world believed that? Wouldn't that be interesting?"

The take I mean is something a bit nebulous in the area of "Feanor was/became an Ainu (almost)" ( @insidethehalloftheflame-eyedking I'm exaggerating what you said, but it was the inspiration. I get what you said and it made sense, but it is the inspiration anyway) and "the Silmarils contained/were the Flame Imperishable" (my most beloathed thing in the Czech musicals, but also Tolkien's "round planet from the start" version at least suggested a strong connection here, so as I said, not wholly unfounded).

After the exile of the Noldor, they are upset at the Valar, Feanor dies in a weird way, and I wonder, maybe in time, among the most radical Feanorians, there would be gossip that he ascended in some way? Even if not, many would assume that his spirit lingers (considering Feanor's resentment at the Valar and forgetting his longing for his mother). And he was so powerful, maybe his spirit still has some way to influence the world? I can very much see some of them praying to Feanor. After all, the difference between a Maia and a powerful housless fëa isn't so big, is it?

And then it gets even more complex: we meet the Men. And some of them do serve the Feanorians (Bór!!! But I'm sure there were many others, even if not as warriors). And Men know very little about the world. And are awed by the Elves already. And based on how I see it, Men worshipping a random dude (ok, Féfe wasn't random. But you get the point.) are more of a problem than Elves doing it - I'm not sure what would happen, what are the symptoms of it being a problem, but it feels like a problem.

Also Men adapt quickly and their cultures change. There would be so many takes on this. Oh, and also the "Silmarils are the fire that created the world" thing. It would spread too.

I really want this in a fic, I want those Men being insanely loyal to the sons of Feanor because of it, even if (some of) the sons of Feanor say it's all not true. I want those Men in the after war situation, when the host of the Valar recovers the two Silmarils.

I want some of those Men not allowed (due to their weird beliefs or to plain racism or whatever) or not willing to go to Númenor, I want them staying in ME, telling legends about the Spirit of Fire who will one day return and (idk, probably give them light and blood and happiness), and yes, you guessed right, I want Sauron hijacking this cult into his own.

I want remnants of those beliefs in tales, in folklore, staying in early Númenorean culture even despite the education they got from Eonwe, and yes, they don't pray to Féfe, they're monotheists, but they do have some folklore. Some weird beliefs about Gil-Estel in particular, and many people later would conflate it with Feanor and/or see it as something at least as divine as Meneltarma.

Unrelated to Feanor, but there's also that early concept of Túrin and Nienor becoming Ainur after Turin kills Morgoth. It would be a folklore thing in mid to late Númenor, but Túrin is probably mixed with Earendil somehow. Hmmm, I can see Pharazôn using Túrin (and his assumed apotheosis, even if the Valar are now controversial, Túrin is not) as an argument to convince Miriel that marrying a cousin is fine if you're special and cool, and he is special and cool. It sounds stupid, but if you warp the story enough...

I love when people in the setting have some misconceptions about the setting. Or makes it feel more real.

[starrystevie]

18+ | modern office steddie au | cw: public sex, undernegotiated kinks, unsafe sex | crossposted to ao3 here

eddie doesn't do it often. okay, maybe that's a stretch. frequently might be a better word for it, more accurate. but he wouldn't say he does it everyday or anything. it's just a little break from the day, an escape from the monotony of corporate america.

he's only been in this new tech support job for a few months but he's already comfortable enough that working on his next novel at his desk doesn't give him anxiety anymore. he isn't afraid someone is looking over his shoulder all the time like he did when he first started with the company.

the thing is, eddie's good at tech. he's good at finding the problems, finding even better solutions. half the time all he's doing is updating and restarting people's equipment that hasn't been refreshed in years. so he finds himself with enough free time at his desk to work on the second installment of his fantasy novel when the problems seem to be at a low.

as he waits for his laptop to boot up, eddie cracks his knuckles and grabs his phone to send a text to his editor that may or may not also happen to be his best friend so he could cut back on over exuberant editing fees. he doesn't read the message over, just fires out a text to nancy quickly before pocketing his phone.

he only realizes the typo once he gets a laughing emoji in return and cackles at what he actually sent.

"getting ready to write some smut on the cock!!!!!"

it doesn't take long to send a winky face before correcting himself to say " on the clock obviously", before pocketing his phone and opening the document where his novel is. just as eddie is about to start typing, a voice behind him makes him jump out of his skin.

"what was so funny?" steve asks, arm propped on the top of his flimsy cubicle wall, legs crossed over one another, smirk on his face.

eddie forces himself not to swoon. he takes in the way his white button up stretches across his chest, dress pants oh so snug over his thighs, hair pushed back in the way that only steve harrington could pull off. he may have only been at the office for a few months, but ever since he first saw him, steve very quickly became the only thing eddie could think about.

"i'm sure you wouldn't find it funny," he starts, tilting his laptop screen halfway shut so steve can't catch him doing his other job, his favorite job, while at work.

steve smirks again, his cheek lifting enough to crinkle his eye. "try me, munson."

with a dramatic push, eddie rolls in his wheely chair and stands up so he can keep his voice low. "i sent my editor a dirty text on accident."

if steve's surprised, he doesn't show it.

"editor, hmm? for what?" his voice is as low as eddie's and it makes the cubicle feel even smaller than it is. like everything in the world has zeroed in on their whispers to each other.

"i might be writing a book. well, technically i've already written a book. this is just the sequel."

steve's eyes flick from eddie to his laptop and then back once more. "is it anything i'd know?"

he cackles again, picturing steve reading his smutty fantasy novel, eyebrows furrowed as he tries to make any sense out of the haphazard world map eddie drew for the back page. but then again, he could easily picture steve in the world he made. he'd be a prince- no, scratch that, an elven prince- just like the one he's writing about in this one.

"i do read, you know. i'm not entirely up to date with everything but i do like books." steve says it like he's almost hurt and it makes eddie look back up at him, mellowing out his wide grin into a softer smile.

"oh, i wasn't doubting that. i just doubt you read elf porn in your free time."

whatever hurt was lacing through steve's face is gone, replaced with wide eyes and eyebrows to his hairline and a bright smile pulling at his cheeks.

"yeah," he says a little breathless, "yeah, definitely not the first thing i'd reach for."

eddie gives him a told-you-so head nod and brings a hand up to run through his hair, tracking steve's eyes as he follows the motion for a moment. having his eyes on him rushes through eddie like a wave crashing and he's halfway tempted to do it again if he didn't think it would look forced.

"well you probably don't know mine then."

as he turns to go back to his chair, he hears steve cough to get his attention back, arms crossed over his chest to make his shirt pull taut over his beautiful, gorgeous, annoyingly perfect biceps. "so what was the dirty text?"

"well, it was actually a typo," eddie starts, cocking his head to the side with a smirk as he pulls out his phone, "so an unintentional dirty text. but still funny, none the less. and i don't think i can say it out loud without getting hr called on my ass so-"

he holds up his phone so steve can see the brief conversation between him and nancy, watches his eyebrows shoot back up to his hairline, watches as his mouth drops open for a millisecond before giving eddie another goddamn smirk. steve leans back, drops his arms to put a hand on his hip, and looks eddie less than subtly up and down.

"so... do you want to?"

eddie can feel the moment his heart stutters in his chest. a combination of steve's general... steveness plus the implication of what the text said and his mind travels to a dirty, dirty, not meant for work place until he pieces it somewhat together and asks-

"...are you asking if i'm gay?"

steve huffs out a laugh and takes a step further into eddie's cubicle. there already isn't much room and with him coming in the tiniest bit closer, their toes are almost touching.

"sure," he says like it's the easiest thing to say on a thursday afternoon. "it can be a two-part question if you want."

a few things run through eddie's head all at the same time:

steve's close enough that he can feel the heat radiating off of the arm he now has resting on his desk, and he's really about to come out to a coworker which he normally leaves for at least 6 months into a new job, and that he thinks he's going to pass out if steve is actually asking what he thinks he's asking.

do you want to write smut while you're on my cock?

he doesn't know where he finds the courage, honestly. call it a slow thursday, call it a little extra motivation for his novel. eddie scoots closer and throws caution to the wind.

"then yes to both."

he's never seen steve's office. he's been to the top floors before when some higher up needed him to install a web browser on his new desktop so he has kind of an idea of what the private offices look like.

eddie didn't expect the first time that he got to see steve's office would be spread out, bent over his desk with his novel pulled up on his laptop while steve runs his hands over his ass.

"here's how this is going to work," steve whispers close to his ear while he lays against his back, snaking a hand up to undo the knot of eddie's messy tie, popping open a button on his dress shirt in the process. "you stop writing, i stop fucking you."

with a hum, eddie presses his hips back, up on his tiptoes with his off brand dress shoes pinching his feet tightly. "i think i can manage that."

"i'm not finished," he bites gently at eddie's ear lobe, returning his hands to palm over his ass cheeks. "everything i do to you, and i mean everything, needs to be written down. turn me into a character or something, i don't care, but i expect you to be thorough."

he doesn't mean to moan at the instructions, really he doesn't, but it's so easy to picture steve morphing into a character in his world. his mind races trying to figure out how exactly to write him into the scene that had already started, but with a snap of his fingers as the idea clicks, he writes out a quick line and looks at steve over his shoulder for approval.

"who's sylvar?" steve asks, pronunciation clunky on his tongue.

"sylvar is an elven prince, might as well make you him. besides, you both have an s name."

steve chuckles, his breath ruffling eddie's hair. "okay, fair. prince, huh?"

he doesn't have to look over his shoulder again to know that steve's smirking so he rolls his eyes and finishes the sentence, only breaking away to gasp as steve brings his hand between his thighs to spread them further apart.

"i'm gonna take a wild guess and say that elidyr is supposed to be you?"

eddie nods and pulls his tie off the rest of the way. "let's see, he's one of the prince's newest attendants, known for being a bit out of control, gets chastised for staring at the prince's ass in his khakis too much-"

"you're making that one up, huh?"

he tosses his tie to the side and brings a hand up to tangle in steve's hair, pulling his lips down to his neck and waiting for him to get the hint and start kissing. "steve, i'm making all of it up. that's the way writing a book goes."

"is that so?" he murmurs playfully against his neck, teeth pressing against the skin as he smiles, hands yanking on his hips to get eddie flush against his cock. "...i don't see you writing."

eddie huffs and shakes his head before writing out quickly how sylvar grabbed elidyr by the hips roughly to show him how excited he was. steve takes the typing as the go ahead and quickly undoes both of their pants before running his hands up eddie's now bare thighs.

he didn't really have any idea of how well he'd be able to hold out to steve's ministrations while having to write them out at the same time, but any confidence he had in himself leaves when steve's palm cups his cock through his briefs. eddie cants his hips forward and brings his hand back up to tangle once more in steve's hair.

and just like that, the touch is gone.

"oh, come on!" eddie whines and brings his hands back to the keyboard, typing in random filler words until suddenly he has no underwear and hands pulling his ass cheeks apart.

"gonna fucking take you apart... shit," steve whispers and eddie doesn't think he was supposed to hear it, but he writes it into the scene anyway.

there's a cool dribble of what must be lube on his hole and he fights against the shiver it sends up his spine. "you have lube in your office?"

"no, i have lube in my briefcase. big difference."

eddie doesn't really see how to the two are different, but he laughs to appease steve before getting cut short as a finger starts to enter him. he must whine, must jerk or do something wrong because it's leaving almost as soon as it had arrived.

"steve, i swear to god," eddie groans, head dropping down as he types without looking. poor nancy is going to have a hell of time reading and editing over this draft.

they both sigh when the finger presses into him once more and steve weaves his other hand into eddie's hair to pull him up and look at his screen. "there you go, just keep typing. write about how good it feels."

and shit. that's hotter than he expected it to be.

it goes well for all of a few minutes, eddie typing and steve reading over his shoulder, scissoring his fingers to get him nice and wet and open. they both somehow manage to keep their composure, filthy words being muttered out loud that then end up on the screen.

it's after steve gets him cock in him that it all goes down hill.

"oh fuck-" eddie moans as his leg gets hoisted up for a better angle. steve's grip on his hip is brutal, bound to be leaving bruises, as he pulls eddie back to meet him in the middle.

his chest is rubbing against the pleather desk cover, nipples catching on just the right side of painful when steve pushes his shirt up and out of the way. his dick is flopping against his thigh with every thrust, the lack of friction driving him insane.

he swears he only takes his hands away from the laptop for a second but then steve's pulling out quickly, dropping his leg and getting eddie off balance. he whines like he's throwing a temper tantrum before bringing his fingers back up to type more nonsense, gasping when steve slides back in like no time has passed.

"read it," he huffs next to his ear, "tell me how perfect you make fucking me sound."

"oh my god," eddie croaks, eyes rolling back as steve lets go of his hip once more to pull his head upright. "sylvar fucks wi-without abandon, hitting every right spot possible inside elidyr, the heat of his h-heavy cock punishing him making him mad with lust."

"good, yeah that's good. like when i fuck you hard?" steve grunts out before pistoning his hips even faster, eddie's moans bouncing off the bare office walls. "tell me more, keep going baby."

"the grip he uses to hold onto elidyr's hair is the only thing keeping him upright. this is all he could want, tending to the prince's every desire, being whatever the prince wants him to be." eddie expects it when the fingers in his hair curl even tighter, his back bowing against the desk with the pressure, but he still keens loudly at the pull.

steve chuckles roughly, like he's barely holding on himself, hips stuttering before evening out. "is that what you want?"

"wha-" eddie murmurs, not trusting his voice much more than that, his brain turning into mush. "is what what i want?"

"want to tend to my desires, want to be for me to use however i please?"

and the thing is, realistically, eddie knows this whole thing is weird, blending his two worlds together in a way he's never done before, but it doesn't stop him from forgoing the rules and bringing a hand down to work over his cock. "god, don't stop. please, please, please..."

steve must be tired of the game, too, because he doesn't even attempt to quit what they're doing to punish eddie as he stops writing. he barely has time to appreciate that the game is finally over because the hand in his hair slides around to rest gently around eddie's throat, pulling him up so his back is to steve's chest, every thrust punching out another gasping breath.

"answer the question," he says, punctuating each word with a snap of his hips. "gonna let me use you how i want?"

eddie has died and gone to heaven and the cause of death is a mixture of steve's tongue, hands, and cock. his mind wanders to what else they could do together, what else he'd let steve do, what else he wants steve to do. he sends up a quick thank you to whoever is listening that he saw the job posting for this company so he could be here in this moment with a possible sex god in his midst.

the hand that he had braced on the desk for support makes its way up to cover steve's on his throat, a barely there pressure combined with his quick fingers on his cock that sends him over the edge.

he breathes out a "yes" as he shoots come across the stop of steve's desk and see stars dancing in his eyes. steve fucks him through it, whispers filth of what he wants to do to eddie right into his ear, and when he comes back to himself, he digs his nails in the top of steve's hand.

"want it, want you, however you want me-" he chokes out.

and when steve finally comes inside of him, eddie makes sure he bends back down with his cock still pounding into him to write some line about how nice elidyr thinks it feels to filled up from someone who probably shouldn't be giving him the time of day. he tries not to find parallels as steve kisses up the back of his neck as he rocks his hips for the final time.

eddie's bare ass is in a mixture of their come as they maneuver him around to let him sit up and wrap his legs around steve's hips, pulling their spent cocks together while they lazily make out. steve's hands dance softly over his bare thighs, eddie threads his fingers through steve's hair.

"how does it end?" steve whispers against his lips.

"i don't know yet," eddie says truthfully, his mind wandering as kisses start to trail down his jawline. "how do you want it to end?"

"i don't suppose they have bars in this elf world, do they? one where they can go on an actual date to before going back to the palace or whatever to ravage each other?"

eddie grins, tipping his head back to catch steve's lips one more time in a slow kiss. "i can arrange for them to go to the tavern. i think they'd both like that."

the next morning, slightly hungover and draped over each other in steve's way too large bed, eddie ignores a text from nancy asking why the names change halfway through the draft and wondering who the fuck steve is. eddie silences his phone and goes back to sleep, so glad that he didn't double check his first message yesterday for typos.

[rootsofdread]

my brother told me about this teaser and i thought i'd do everyone a service and post it here, since it was difficult for me to get my hands on lol. this gave me GOOSEBUMPS to read!! i absolutely love the way it's written AND this kind of monster, i'm already in love. i really really hope it becomes a killer 🥺❤️

i also took the time to transcribe it under the cut. i did it fast so excuse any potential typos, i may have also added some commas, but i'd say it's 99.9% accurate lol:

I was on garbage duty. One of the boys usually offered to take care of it, but I was closing the diner alone with my friend Ashley. The cook had left an hour ago, and this was one of the last tasks we needed to take care of before we could head home.

"I'm going to grab a smoke and ask Tyler to pick me up," Ashely said, "I'll be back in a second to finish mopping."

"It's fine, I'll do it when I'm done with the garbage. It will only take a minute."

She smiled and walked out through the back door. I wasn't trying to be nice, I just wanted to leave as soon as possible. The diner was at the edge of the town and surrounded by forest. I dreaded staying around after dark. I always felt eyes watching me whenever I walked to my car.

I slung the bags over my shoulders and headed toward the back door. The dumpster was behind the diner, next to a picnic table where some of the staff sometimes took their break.

I was surprised to see Ashley wasn't there, but she sometimes paced around the diner when she was on a call. I tossed the sticky garbage bags and wiped my hands with disgust. I hated garbage duty.

I was about to head back inside when I noticed something glowing at my feet: Ashley's phone. I looked around nervously. Ashley wasn't known for pranks. I picked it up and took my own phone from my back pocket. I wasn't sure what to do -- or who to call.

I didn't have to. A voice called out from the darkness. Ashley's voice.

"Ashley, this isn't funny." I said.

I stepped into the forest. I didn't know how she had managed to navigate the trail in the dark. I had to turn on the flashlight to be able to see two feet in front of me. I let her voice guide me, but I still couldn't make out what she was saying. She sounded distant. Distorted.

"I want to go home," I insisted, "please, can we get back to the diner now?"

She either didn't hear me or pretended not to. I could tell I was close when I caught a glimpse of blonde hair in the distance.

"Hello Tyler," she said, her voice hoarse and strained.

"Is Tyler with you?" I asked, pointing the light ahead.

I could see two figures. One of them, shorter, leaned against the trunk of a tree while the other, taller, stood a little to the side. The first one must have been Ashley, but the second one looked wrong. Twisted. The torso and the legs seemed to be facing different directions, as if they could have walked toward me without ever taking their eyes off Ashley.

"I have your phone," I added.

"Hello Tyler." she said, again, but I could now see her lips never moved. Something didn't feel right.

"It's me," she started. "Can you pick -- me up," she tried, hesitant. "Me up? -- pick me -- up -- Tyler -- it's me? -- hello."

I caught a glimpse of something in the light. It looked like teeth. Too many to count. A phone rang. Not mine, but Ashley's. Tyler was calling. The tall figure shifted, and then it spoke. Its disembodied voice sounded almost exactly like my own.

"Home..." it said. "P-please."

I ran without looking back, branched tearing at my skin, sliving my arms and cheeks. I reached the diner and threw myself inside, locking the back door behind me. I waited for a thump, a crash against the door, but it never came. I stood there for a while, still clutching Ashley's phone, and before gathering enough courage to sprint to my car.

It's 3 in the morning and I don't know what to do. Tyler keeps calling Ashley's phone but I don't know what I would tell him. I want to believe this is a cruel prank, but I can still hear it now, floating softly through my window. A voice, haunting and familiar, so close to my own.

"Please," it begs, "I want to go home."

[sjullay]

Why the Film Adaptation of Red White and Royal Blue Missed the Mark

By Sera B

*This is my word vomit response essay to the movie and I didnt go back and edit it so sorry for any typos or grammar issues

** I use the word queer a lot, it is a word I believe is reclaimed and it is one I use to refer to myself 

As an avid lover of Casey McQuiston's work, I was excited when I heard their 2019 novel Red White and Royal Blue was being made into a film. As a queer person, I have loved the author’s contributions to LGBT+ storytelling for both YA and romance readers. Their writing brings light and joy to queer stories while making me as a reader feel seen and understood. 

So I will briefly start with what the movie did well.

All of the important scenes were there… The kiss, the turkey, the lake, the museum, etc. The movie gave us a line drawing of the plot while the book gave us the statue of David. The casting of Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine as Alex and Henry was in my opinion and fantastic choice. These two clearly understood their characters, had fantastic chemistry with one another, and showed amazing emotion throughout their acting. They were so gentle with each other and you could feel the love between Henry and Alex even with the pitfalls of the plot. Secondly, the physical intimacy was fun, and sexy, and fairly accurate. You would not believe the number of times I have yelled at my tv screen because a queer couple in a show is having sex in a position that doesn't make any sense for queer sex. Additionally, there were a few fun details that brought a smile to my face. Most notably the British Prime Minister is portrayed by a black woman, and the choice to bring on gay icon Stephen Fry as the King of England (instead of the Queen of England as written in the book. 

So let's get on with what was wrong with the movie (and sadly it was quite a lot).

The compression of the plot

As I began the film I immediately noticed that the pacing felt jump and off-putting. While I understand the time constraints of a movie over a book, the choices the filmmakers made left little room for the audience to get to know these characters. The scene transitions felt like jump cuts from one important scene to the next with little care for the impact or the arch of the story.

The Romance 

Where were my details?

The biggest heartbreak for me in watching this movie was the complete eradication of details that made these men who they are. I fell in love with Henry and Alex reading about two dorks with big hearts who helped figure each other out through grief, and bravery, and political climates, and family dysfunction. They are thoughtful and funny and talk like I do and the details are what made them interesting and real. 

Star Wars

I know this may have been a licensing issue but still… To me, the Star Wars scene in the Hospital is the first time Alex as well as the readers get to see Henry. We see that he doesn’t know that he is brave and that he really does believe that anyone can be a hero. Later in the emails Star Wars becomes a cute joke between our romantic leads and shows a story that to some level reflects their own. A princess who is being told her role but finds that she is in control and she is powerful falling in love with a rouge bandit just trying to find his way in the world. This reference also shows that Henry’s taste is relatable and not just the pompous posh of the royal family. In the end, the mural of Henry and Alex as Lea and Han is a symbol of hope, rebellion, and queer liberation. 

Texts, Emails, and the first Phone Call

While the movie did well the first texts, building from teasing quips in response to tabloid articles slowly into longer friendship building conversation. But as it progressed they stopped including the body of most of the emails sent between the two. The few they included were included as seemingly phone conversations but were instead filmed as in person conversations. Setting a confusing tone to the scenes from the start. Then the turkey call was short and was not the first time they had called. The main subjects of this call and how it was the first time they really started to know each other were also brushed passed for the comedy of their being a turkey in Alex’s room. Alex slowly falling and not really realizing it is instead replaced by a series of fast surface level texts and calls that simply establish that they don't hate each other anymore.  The feeling you get as a reader of enemies falling into friendship falling into a situationship then falling in love is almost completely lost. 

History Huh?

One detail of the book that may have seemed small to many but made my heart sing was the post scripts on each email. The historically queer quotes gave context to their love story and showed readers how we really have always been here and queer. The movie omitted not only those but all historical context as to why this love story is important. The museum scene is important not just because it's a safe place for Henry but because he gets to come here and learn! Learn that there was a gay king of England who openly expressed his love. And that the art that was gifted out of that queer relationship was one of the few things freely given to the British monarchy, not just in their museums as an unjust product of colonialism and violence. 

Additionally, the museum scene was changed to have Alex offer to dance which to me felt a bit off because that made it so the romance never really came from Henry. (This is a whole other rant but it felt like they just wanted to put Henry in the role of a woman instead of honoring the differing gender dynamics in queer relationships)

Then the song that plays both here and later during the piano scene is not Your Song by the gay icon Elton John. To me, Your Song was perfect here as it gave Henry an outlet to express his true feelings and implied hope for a future where they could tell everybody (this is their song ;)). 

Henry’s Charity Work

Henry in this story also seemed to not do anything. He was the prince, he attended events and meetings, and he knows how to play polo and piano. Thats it. We got nothing about what he thinks, what he likes to do, or who he is when he is just Henry Fox and not Prince of Britain. As said above we don't know he likes Star Wars, or that his fact sheet was written for him to make him sound better to the crown. We don't know he devotes his time to working with Pez to create charities and give as much of his royal family money away as he is allowed. We don't know his love for music, that he shares with Bee. We don’t know his love for art and history and queer stories. While the movie says it is showing us Henry Fox (the boy brave enough to be gay I guess). It really only shows us one dimensional Henry who is scared of what his family and the world will think. 

Why were other characters even included?

With the obvious start to the movie showing us the lack of integral characters such as June and Rapheal Luna I thought well at least we will get the fun, joyful dynamics of Nora, Pex, and Bee with our iconic star crossed political figures. Sadly this was not the case. With the most screen time, Nora became a soundboard for whenever Alex needed to say something out loud to someone who wasn't Henry, Her role otherwise was superficial, silent, and really almost nonexistent. Even more, hidden away was the best friend to his royal heartiness Pez! Pez had one line in the entire movie and immediately became the prop to the already prop character Nora. This was especially shocking to me as it tokenized both of these black characters both of whom get rich interesting personalities and lives within McQuiston's world. Lastly, Bee. In the book, her character serves as a primary companion to Henry and as another example of how the British royal family has failed these young people. In the film, her backstory and dynamic with Henry was completely erased and she served a very similar purpose to Nora, a sounding board for the few times Henry wasn't talking to Alex. She again felt like a beautiful character that became a flat prop waiting to be picked up only when she is deemed useful enough.

Henry’s Mom and Dad

The lack of parental influence on Henry's story may feel appropriate based on how the royal family really has failed him in both the book and the movie the eradication of the story of his parents further robs Henry of his own emotional depth. While the film does acknowledge the death of Henry's dad it is only to explain why he was a prick to Alex one time. In the book, we are able to see the weight Henry carries and how he goes through grieving periods and depression because of the traumatic loss of his father. His father was the person who understood him and helped keep him and Bee out from under the intense judgment of the crown. Additionally not having Henry's father included means his mother isn't as well. Her grief is a mirror of Henry’s and (in the book) we see her getting braver as a reaction to Henry’s strength and bravery. It shows a story of a mother who got lost in herself and was still able to find her way back and fight for her children. She is the carrier of change for the royal standard.

The 2016 and 2020 Elections 

While the Red White and Royal Blue movie still technically included an election, the context for why this election was important was completely omitted. Casey McQuiston's book was written as a direct response to the 2016 election and imagined a kinder world in which instead of Trump we had the first female president of the united states. The speeches in the book direct acknowledge the hate that has been so prevalent in recent years and how all people still deserve a voice at the table. By disregarding this context the urgency and heart of the movie fell flat again. Instead of a corrupt politician working to out Alex to ruin his mother's campaign the film had a petty gay journalist who used Alex to get his five minutes of fame. Not only does this feel homophobic but the catty nature of the articles and interview portrayed makes the entire plot point of Alex and Henry being outed to the world feel flippant. The film completely lost the weight of these two boys being maliciously outed to the entire world without their consent. 

In the End

My biggest question at the end of this movie is why don't we get to see the crowd? If I had not read the book I think I would have been left wondering who the crowd was and why are they important past just being people to simply see Henry and Alex go onto the balcony? In the book, these crowds are reported to be not just all over England but all over the world. They are crowds with signs and shirts and flags and rainbows. They are the diversity of the world showing up for these young men who are like them. The lack of these images also made me further miss many of the missing details I discussed above (Amy’s queer and transness, Han and Leia mural, history huh shirts, etc).

While I really wanted to love this film as much as I love its source material I really felt that the movie completely missed the heart of Alex and Henry’s story. Without the context of their detailed interactions, their relationships with others, and their place within our world the story fell flat. I didn't know what message I was supposed to get besides just the basic being gay isn't shameful. And if the point wasn't a message and was just a love story then I really wanted to feel their love. I am not saying the book was perfect but I personally loved it and wish the movie had carried its same soul. 

I know there is lots more than I put in this post and please feel free to discuss! 

Thanks for letting me word vomit my feelings out :)

[all1e23]

Bad Habit [Pt.2]

Pairings: Biker!Steve x Reader

Series warnings:  Drug use. Violence. Smut so 18+ please and thank  – No smut this chapter. Sorry to disappoint

A/N:  I’m doing my best to get my wips finished by the end of the year so fingers crossed I actually do so.--- LOL guys I wrote that last year. I guess here is part 2. Enjoy? Un-beta’d just as a warning for lots of typos.  

***My fics are not to be saved or posted on any other sites without my written permission. Reblogs are my jam, though! Thanks!****

You hadn’t expected to be nervous about your date with Steve. Friends date. It wasn’t a real date.  You made it clear you didn’t want a relationship. All you could offer him was friends with benefits. There was no point in trying for a real relationship. You were far from okay after your last break-up and the idea of letting in someone like him wasn’t an option. Sure, he may not be as ruthless, as cutthroat and vicious, as some of the other club members you’ve met but, he was still the president of a biker gang. You could hear Natasha’s voice in your head, reminding you that they were a club and not a gang. You’ve heard that excuse a few times. It was always bullshit. 

Club or gang. President or member. Real or faking it. It really didn’t matter. They were all the same in the end.

Your phone pinged from your pocket and the butterflies in your stomach told you it was Steve before you ever looked at it. It wasn’t anything special. He was excited to see you. If anyone was around to see the size of your grin you would have been embarrassed. 

Fuck. He make it so hard to remember the whole friends thing was your idea. You didn’t want to admit how much you liked him. He was sweet and surprisingly funny. He spoke about the world in an idealistic way that made your heart ache in the best damn way. It wasn’t as though he was a dreamer. He truly believed that the world should be that way and when it wasn’t he took steps to make it that way. Even if they were small steps. You liked that. You also liked the way he looked at you. He looked at you like you were something special and for a minute he actually had you believing he wasn’t going to break your heart the first chance he got.

Thankfully, your common sense and self-preservation came back before the handsome asshole showed up in your driveway. 

“Hey, Firecracker,” he greeted with a crooked smile and your stomach flipped from just the tiny curl of his lip. 

On second thought, you were so fucked. 

You pulled the helmet from his hand and swung your leg over the back of his back, slipping it over your head. “Don’t look so pleased with yourself. Yeah, yeah, you’re beautiful. Cocky jerk,” you pressed a kiss to his cheek. The rumbling laugh that fell from his lips did something to you you didn’t want to examine in the moment so you pushed it down and told yourself it was a moment of insanity. On your part or his you couldn’t be sure just yet.  

Thankfully riding on the bike gave you the quiet to get your head clear. There was no chance of him whispering some charming line that made you forget all the reasons why falling for him was a bad idea. You sunk against his back and let your chin rest on his shoulder, resisting the urge to nuzzle your face against his neck. He was annoying how easy it felt to give into him. Steve’s hand dropped down to your shin and his thumb rubbed back and forth, catching your smile in the side mirror and you playfully rolled your eyes when you saw him watching you and stuck out your tongue. He laughed and squeezed your leg, leaving his hand there until he was forced to move it on the next turn. So you liked when he touched you. Big deal. Who didn’t like when a gorgeous man touched them? It didn’t mean whatever the hell he thought it meant. 

By the time the bike came to a stop you were warm and fuzzy from more than just the sunshine. The fuzzy feeling quickly faded as a frown tugged at her lips. He took you to the lake? This wasn’t what you were expecting. It was a public park with a well known, very popular lake taking up most of the middle. You’ve run around it several times and have seen plenty of couples having picnics and families bringing their kids to play. You just hadn’t expected Steve to bring you here for your date. Friend date. You took the hand Steve held out for your and swung your leg over the bike, your boots kicking tiny bits of gravel out from under you. What was he trying to pull by bringing you here?

Steve was quiet as he laid the blanket he brought out onto the grass a few feet away from his bike and you were grateful. You needed a second to breathe and understand what was expected of you. A dinner you could handle. There was a start and end time. Bathrooms to escape to and waiters to interrupt. You could stuff your mouth with bread when he asked something a a little too personal. So, you could still do that but it would be less acceptable without a basket of complimentary bread between you. He dropped to his knees and looked up at you, an expect look on his face and your mouth went dry at the sight. 

If you hadn’t been so confused you would have combusted right then and there. You took his hand and sat down on the blanket next to him, glancing over everything he brought. Natasha obviously helped him pick out things you would like and you weren’t sure what to make of that either. 

“Why do you have that look on your face? Like you’re debating whether or not you’re going to punch me.” The question in Steve’s voice caught your attention and you realized you were frowning as you took in your surroundings. 

“I wasn’t expecting this,” you murmured, quiet and unsure. You didn’t know how to react to something like this. It wasn’t something you were used to. Steve, quite adorably, tilted his head to the side and asked, “What were you expecting?” 

“I don’t know,” you muttered thoughtfully. What had you expected from him? “You trying to win me over or something. Taking me some place you couldn't afford just to prove that you could. Showing off your position within the club and the city by getting us in somewhere fancy. Letting me know just how important and powerful you are in the community.” 

Steve brushed his hair out of his face but his bangs flopped back in front of his face and your heart ached at the sight. It begged you to kiss him. Just once. One little taste of his lips to satisfy the hunger he brought out in you. He looked so gorgeous and maybe a little shy, unsure of how to respond to your assumption of him. There was a frown sitting on his face that didn’t look like it quite belonged there and the urge kiss away his worries was hard to resist. 

“You’ve dated some real assholes I take it,” he finally said, watching you closely and you had to look away from him. He was good at knowing what was written on your heart before you were ready for him to read it. 

“You could say that,” you muttered purposely quietly.

“I’m not really into the whole powerplay thing.” 

He propped himself up on his left elbow and popped a blueberry into the air, catching it in his mouth with little effort. For a split second you wondered how sweet his kiss would be with the taste of berries on his tongue. He smirked as if he could read your thoughts and you quickly looked away, grabbing one of the small sandwiches he prepared to help distract yourself from thoughts of how soft his lips felt against your skin.  

"What things are you into?" you inquired, hoping to avoid anymore distracting thoughts. That had to be a safe subject, didn’t it? It would likely be something along the lines of working on his bike or hanging at the bar with Bucky. There was the high chance it would have something to do with the club and that would be enough to remind her why she should stay away from him. 

"Art mostly. I like to draw. Charcoal. Paint on occasion,” he responded causally, so casually you nearly dropped the sandwich in your hand and Steve chuckled a little. "What? Wasn't expecting that either?" 

"No. No I wasn't,” your voice was surprisingly soft and you picked at the sleeve of your sweater, forgetting the food all together. Maybe this was a bad idea. You liked him more than you wanted to admit from that first night and now you were only digging yourself into a hole you wouldn’t be able to escape from. 

"Hey,” Steve whispered as he nudged your knee gently with his elbow and you looked up to see worry etched over his face. “You okay? Did I say something wrong? We can go somewhere else if you want. I thought you’d like this. You didn't seem like the kind of woman to like-" your lips cut him off before he could finish and he moaned into your mouth. How could you not kiss him? He cared. You realized that shouldn’t be something rare and enticing but you’ve dated enough to know it was. 

Despite initiating the kiss you quickly lost control. Steve devoured every piece of you when he kissed you. You’ve never been kissed like this before. In a way that consumed all of you. It left you wanting, desperate for more and that wasn’t a good thing. If you were thinking rationally you would have shoved him away the second the thought popped into your head but you were too focused on the way his hands felt pressing into your back. Your hand twisted around the fabric of his shirt as he pulled you onto his lap, taking advantage of the tiny gasp that left you and slipping his tongue past your lips. 

Things were moving too far, too fast and you needed to pull back before you completely lost yourself in his touch. You broke the kiss, slowly pulling away despite the way he chased after your lips. Your hands framed the sides of his face and he stopped moving, giving you the a shy grin as he leaned back on his hands to give you space. 

"You think you know me so well already, Charming?" you teased but Steve shook his head, something you couldn’t read flickering through his eyes and he whispered back, "No. Only an idiot would assume you were easy to figure out. Gonna take more than one night for you let me behind those high walls. I'm willing to wait you out, firecracker." 

Your stomach did a full on flip. Part of you wish he wouldn’t say things like that. You didn’t want to fall for him but you couldn’t help it when he was smiling at you the way he was. You grinned and pulled him in by his shirt so you were nose to nose, whispering against his lips, “Take me back to your place. We did the friends part, I think we’ve earned some benefits.” 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You settled in the crook of his arm and stared up at the dark wood ceiling How you kept ending up in this dirty ass clubhouse, in this man’s bed you had no idea but you were starting to like the way it felt to wake up next to him. “You good? You’re okay?” Steve checked in again. He was constantly checking in and making sure you were okay. He did that after your one-night stand. He wanted to make sure he hadn’t gone too far and that you were both on the same page now that your hormones were no longer driving the moment. You liked that. You wiggled against him and nodded, assuring him for the hundredth time you were fine, squealing when he nibbled on your shoulder and neck. You playfully shoved at his face and he nipped at your palm, making you pull back with a playful yelp.

"Quit being weird,” you whined through your laughter. “Talk to me. Tell me something about you that no one else knows.” 

“What do you want to know?” 

You rolled over onto your stomach, laying half on him and half off because you couldn’t bare the thought of losing his touch at the moment. He scrunched his nose at you and you leaned in to bump your noses together but Steve had other ideas, tilting his chin at the last moments and catching your lips instead. His arms tightened around you and pulled you fully on top of him, his tongue slipping past your trembling lips. As easy as it was to let yourself get distracted his lips and his hands, if this was going to ever be anything you needed to know more about each other and he wasn’t going to distract you with sex again.

“Don’t distract me with your perfect lips,” you whispered breathlessly and he chuckled, asking again what you wanted to know. “Why did you go on the road? Why did you go nomad?” 

Steve shifted so he could see your face better and tucked his right arm behind his head, staring at you for a long moment. It was obvious he was debating what to say, how much he wanted to tell you and if things were more serious between you that might bother you. It does bother you, your heart was quick to remind you. Maybe it did bother you a tiny bit. For where you were at the moment, vague was okay and Steve seemed to agree based on his answer. 

"Had some bad habits that I needed to break." 

"Did you?" you wondered out loud. “Did you break them?” 

"Yeah, but it looks like I came home just in time to pick up another." 

You smirked at the suggesting you were just another bad habit he picked up. You couldn’t be mad at him for it. He was probably going to be the same for you.

"Is that what I am? A bad habit you need to break." 

Steve grinned and pressed a kiss to your shoulder, asking against the goosebumps on your skin, "Are you bad? Gonna break my heart, Firecracker?" 

You attempted a snide smile but it fell short. You could feel it so you didn’t need to see the wistful look in Steve’s eyes to know it was weak, uneasy and fearful. He made you bare, in more ways than one it seemed. Somehow he broke you down and left you vulnerable without even trying and you wanted to hate him for it. Instead, you found yourself tucking your head to hide whatever he was drawing out of you and you pressed a kiss to his shoulder, smiling at the feel of goosebumps forming under your lips. Hopeful the feel of your lips, soft and warm against his cool skin would distract him enough to let this go.

His head dipped and his index finger tilted yours back up letting your noses bump together. No such luck. 

 "Should I get out before you hurt me?" Steve teased, but there was a genuine concern behind the jest. 

"Probably,” you retorted with a smile so pathetic it rivaled the one you let slip moments ago and Steve caught every ounce of regret pouring off of you. He shifted in bed, pulling you back into his arms until you were secured on top of him, your legs tangled around his and his arms wrapped around you with warm hands resting on your sheet covered cheeks. 

"You don't have to break my heart first to keep yours safe. You're safe here with me, firecracker. I like you. Sparks and all.” 

That sounded nice. The words were pretty but that’s all they were. Pretty words that you doubted he could truly back up with action. You’ve been around the block a time or two and men like him always let their mouths run before they really put any thought into what they were promising. 

"What if it's out of your control? What if it's club related?" 

"Baby, nothing is out of my control if I don't want it to be.” The confidence in his voice made your heart skip a beat. Or t could have been the possessiveness in his voice when he called you baby. “The club and you, there’s no contest there. I know what I would choose. The real question is, do you?” 

Your brows furrowed and a frown tugged at your lips. What in the hell was he talking about?

“I don’t have a club-” Steve cut you off before you could go any further, “I never said you did.” You stared at each other. Neither of you were willing to back down or look away from each other. You were both stubborn and neither of you wanted to give in.

 “Well, what do you mean?” you asked, caving and letting him win whatever little contest the two of you had going. “What do I have to choose between?” 

Steve’s large hands came up to frame your face and he stared in your eyes, sincerity and adoration reflecting back at you. “Running and being happy, Firecracker. Are you going to run or are you going to let yourself be happy here with me?”

You were right this morning. You were absolutely fucked.

Last // next  

[tellmethisisnottumblisnextfuckup]

Hello Gabi! To add to the "newcomers" stories, mine is quite weird when i think about it. I never followed 1d, i remember i was around 16 when they started and i was watching some of the xfactor stuff, seeing H&L and thinking "oh they’re so cute together", but i didn’t really care, just went on with my life. Continued over the years to hear their songs on the radio and see stuff on gossip sites about harry’s relationships and every time one of those articles popped up i was always kind of disappointed and said to myself "well that sucks… him and louis were supposed to be a thing!"

Then i distinctly remember the moment i was in college, bored out of my mind in this lecture and started scrolling on tmz or something and saw that louis is going to be dad?? And my immediate reaction was "huh? Really? Well thats just weird… " and then moved on with my life.

Then 2017 happened, harry released Sing of the Times which i became obsessed with, and a few months later i think back to you came out, which i really loved too, and somehow that brought them both together in my head again and i was like "oh yeah…harry and louis, that was supposed to be a thing" and then moved on with my life again lol.

Jump to the year of our lord February 2021 sitting in quarantine watching TikTok.. and a Larry TikTok appears. It was the arm caress when louis is sitting down and harry behind. we all know it. And after ALL THESE YEARS it was the first time i actually saw a piece of Larry "proof". I had NEVER looked into it, I never saw a picture, a video, nothing, and that one tiktok was the moment that made the alarms in my head go THIS IS A REAL THING OMG???!!!!?? Next thing i know, 6 hours have passed, i watched all cosmic leeds timeline videos and i am furiously scrolling and consuming every tumblr post ever made.

So i am a newcomer but at the sad time i feel like my heart has always been here, it’s just that my mind took a while to catch up with actual FACTS😂 it’s been a long and slow journey but I can’t wait to see them both in Europe this year ❤️

Ps. Sorry for typos or mistakes, english is not my first language and also i am on my phone and it’s a pain… also i think i may have written a small novel, but i felt the need to tell my story 😂

I love this!!! I’m also on the phone and type like shit, so no worries 😘 Please don’t apologize (not on this blog at least) for taking the time and energy and even the money to learn English apart from your native language so that you can get a good job and succeed in this world, all the kudos to you for speaking more languages! I’m not a native speaker either :)

Thanks for sharing your funny story with me! I just love that your brain was like no-no-no let’s live a peaceful life instead and you sat out the drama.. 😆

[anonil88]

FF: "I hate us sometimes."

Rue x Jules

Someone mentioned how Jules looked more stunned to see Rue than happy, also a mutual of mine made a comparison gif set from the first time we saw that shot and the teaser clip in a post that was out before the new teaser we saw.

[Also on AO3 here]

[Listened to Ethel Cain writing.Not this song but this song feels like what they are projecting S2 to be.]

Drabble idea from @creativepromptsforwriting . I'm not in a great mood but someone suggested I write a continuation piece to after-school anime. I'm not always motivated by messages like that but i can write sad stuff pretty ok and fast when I'm not in a great place so why not. This is not exactly a continuation of that fluffy cute story at all. It is more like prepping myself for this ship to get hit with more cannonballs before it can even hit shore or less turbulent waters. Aka lots of angst is coming in season 2. This may get a part 2 thats less sad, keyword MAY. Excuse typos this was written no edits in my notes at 4-7am.

"I hate us sometimes!" Jules yells with her entire chest into the empty bathroom.

The words echo across the pale pink stalls and contrasting tiles. The already dejected girl sitting on the floor bites her bottom lip with disgrace.

This was her fault, she can't stay clean. She can try but she won't even do that. In a matter of weeks shes managed to push her mother, her sister, and her lover away. Lexi is still there and it feels like she always will but Rue can sense that thread has been getting thin. Its not like none of them understand because they do....kind of. They sympathize with an illness that has her stuck in concrete she pours herself. But, one person can only bare so much guilt and responsibility before you break them.

So here she is on the bathroom floor under a hand dryer, a crushed pill scattered in her lap, and her girlfriend that's not her girlfriend anymore yelling at her. Yelling just like Leslie when she got fed up with asking Rye to take out the trash every night she forgot, because the girl was too focused on getting to her new dealers for a re-up. Not that her mom knew where this new dealer even stayed which got a bit sketchy at times.

Sketchy describes the past few weeks of this spiral down perfectly. Rue stares up at the girl who looks dumbfounded at Rue's callous nature. Getting high at school was whatever but, using and then trying to pass her absence from Jules life on "processing emotions" was low. All Jules asked was for honesty and it wasn't getting any easier to hide the truth and Rue didn't enjoy telling Jules the truth. The truth led to this look on everyone's face, regret that they'd ever gotten mixed up with her in their lives.

"My name means regret....why would my parents name me that," Rue wipes her tears with the sleeve of her hoodie.

Jules starts typing angrily on her phone and exhales, "It also is another way to spell roux like Ru Paul. Roux is an ingredient for food."

"Stop making me feel better," Rue deadpans, "you can just stay angry at me."

Jules hears the side of Rue that is arrogant and mean bubbling at the surface. She's tired of tip toeing around all of this just to make sure Rue isn't hurling herself off a cliff. Rue is already waist deep in the deep end of a pool filled with quick sand. Jules knows it, Lexi knows it, and fuck so does everyone else at their fucking school. And, everyone just expects her to pick up the pieces for Rue after every slip up and fall.

She fell hard for the Rue thats funny and shy, the one who squeezes her arms tighter at sleepovers, and sends her little purple heart emojis to let her know she's safe. Rue let's her know that she's always felt safe with her but safety doesn't exist when you're falling head first into a mattress 20 feet away. Jules buries her head in her hands and swallows a sob.

Everytime this girl, her girl, gets 3 steps forward it's 22 steps back. Jules isn't always naive she knows this is just what the journey to sobriety looks like. It's praying to religions you don't believe that your mom will show up to your birthday not high or drunk. Its not being angry at your mom for being an addict but its being angry she chose it over you. She chose God, pills, and alcohol over knowing that her daughter is her. And not forgiving her will mean she'll never have to worry about her mother showing up to save her unannounced ever again. Jules can't help the way the tears make her body shake and her heart hurt. She knows its not her fault but it doesn't hurt any less knowing that Rue can't just choose her.

It will never be that simple and that wouldn't even be healthy. She can't give her girl whatever it is that makes this all so hard. If she could resurrect the dead maybe then they could both get a second chance. Maybe they'd get a few more kisses in that feel like the weight of their worlds had shifted back into place.

Jules drops her tote bag in a dry sink, "What made you have to get high this time Rue? Or did you just hate that you had to actually fucking face me?"

Rue looks up at Jules with a hand on her head. Her forhead is wrinkled and scowling. Fighting halfway through the class period in a bathroom was not a kind of avoiding she ever tried. At least not with Jules, maybe with all the other people she managed to burn bridges with.

"I could never hate you Jules," Rue hears her own voice crack at the mention of Jules' name on her lips. All she wants to do is put out this burning bridge even if it means Jules comes out unburnt. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

The blonde shrugs her shoulders where long blonde hair used to sway, "I don't know either Rue."

A teacher abruptly opens the door and stares at Jules, "Oh Kay, time to get to class Ms. Vaughn." Jules rolls her eyes at the teacher and gathers her bag and a wet paper towel. Her eyes have been crying too much to not be puffy and she still has several classes to get through. Even one Rue happens to be in although her therapist wrote a letter suggesting her class schedule be void of Rue.

Rue tucks her feet close to her body, hoping to go unnoticed and giving herself time to plan a way to leave school grounds. She is not about to spend an entire day sitting by herself at lunch or avoiding Jules to give them both a chance to cool down. They don't really talk these things out like they should because she is too worried about saying the wrong or right thing. She doesn't even glance her way as she pushes past the teacher to get to class.

"You too Ms. Bennett," the teacher clears her throat staring at the girl curled up and covering her face.

Rue sighs to herself. She is really starting to fucking hate all of this.

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

I wrote this quickly on my phone so beware of typos. This is the longest story I’ve ever written so I hope it doesn’t seem too long. I hope you like it. Reblog and like if you don’t mind.

Small Time Witch (20)

“Norns, girl. It’s hair. It will regrow. Just do it.”

“But I love your hair. Isn’t there another way? What if I take a piece of flesh?”

Loki pinches the bridge of his nose trying to shove scissors in your hand.

“Flesh will decay eventually if it has no blood source. Hair can last much longer.”

“Why do we need to cut it all off?!” You are being the biggest brat at the moment.

In order for you to become immortal Loki must bind a part of himself with the clipping of the Yggdrasil. Since it is a very powerful spell he assumes a large amount of hair is needed. Loki assured you he would make his short hair look as fashionable as any other mortal man. That’s exactly why you won’t let him cut it. He is anything but basic. Even when he’s in modern clothing he still looks like a fucking god and it’s all due to his luxurious hair.

Loki considers your earlier suggestion and genuinely fears for his safety. And this isn’t the first time he’s had to worry about you stabbing him. He taught you a spell using blood magick and you went for your athame so fast he had to knock it out of your hand. Now that it’s just you and him you have really let your true self shine. He can’t help but think he is also rubbing off on you a bit.

“While your violent tendencies turn me on immensely, I have to say your preference for my hair over my flesh is a little unnerving.”

“You are a Demi god. You heal fast.”

“Point well taken, my love. If you don’t cut it I will.”

He looks in the mirror holding the scissors open and he hesitates. He frowns at his reflection and drops the scissors on the counter. “On second thought, dearest, why don’t we go see the elves on Alfheim? Perhaps there is another way.”

With satisfied little smirk on your face you pat him on the shoulder and leave the bathroom. He is annoyed with your silent gloating but you really don’t care. You sit at the kitchen table quietly turning the pages of your cook book now full on smiling.

When Loki asked you to be immortal for him you hesitantly accepted. Forever is a long time and it was hardly a marriage proposal. You accepted none the less and so the complicated spell work began. The first step was binding Loki with the Yggdrasil and that was proving to be a challenge. So, as your life mate suggested, you geared up to take your first trip on the Bifrost to Alfheim.

You are very nervous. Loki held your hand trying to calm you but you couldn’t help it. Your thoughts were racing and your stomach was doing flips. You focused all of your energies on not puking. Loki called for Heimdall and you were whisked away.

Loki held on to your hips and braced you for landing. Your face was pressed up against his shirt and your eyes squeezed shut. It took a little bit of force to pry you off of him. “Relax, y/n. You’re safe. We’ve landed.”

Once you felt the ground solid beneath your feet you pushed Loki away and released the contents of your stomach. Inter dimensional travel was clearly not for you. He smoothed your hair back from your face and rubbed your back. A bottle of water appeared in his hand. “Drink this. Are you ok?” You shook your head and plopped into the grass trying to regain your composure.

Alfheim was truly a sight. Sprawling mountains and crisp air, the sun shining and glittering on the water. Your eyes explored the landscape with childlike wonder. The grass even felt softer. You stood up slowly turning to take it all in. We should definitely build a vacation home here.

You had a pretty long journey ahead of you by foot no less. You hoisted your pack onto your shoulder and started walking. Loki stared at you completely confused. You walked with purpose like you knew exactly where to go. You were absolutely walking in the wrong direction but you looked so sure of yourself.

“Pet?” he called after you, “It’s this way and we can just teleport.”

“I’m not sure if my stomach can handle that again.” All the color drained from your skin and you gagged.

“It’s not as harsh as the bifrost and we aren’t going as far. Hold onto me.” He took your hand and in the blink of an eye you were standing in front of a large temple. “Steady, darling. Deep breaths.” He backs away a little as you right yourself. “Ok?”

“Yep.” you gag a little but choke it back. After a moment you feel well enough to walk. “What is this place?”

“The temple of the Ljósálfar. Light elves. Freyr, who is the king of this realm and a very powerful vanir, gifted me the Yggdrasil. He will help us when the spell. Bow when he greets us.”

Out of nowhere the elf appeared. He was just as glorious and ancient looking as the land he ruled. He looked impossibly old. Your brain couldn’t even fathom how long he’s been alive. Was he glowing? You forgot to bow so you did quickly. Loki couldn’t stifle his laugh.

“This is the Midgardian to whom you’ve pledged your life? A little rough around the edges huh?” His voice was gentle and playful. You have come to realize Midgard is known as the idiot child who ate paint chips that one time. Couldn’t help if it was true.

“This is her first time outside of Midgard, your Grace. I am working on polishing her up.”

“If you’re careful you’ll have an eternity” he smiled at you and spoke slowly, “you may need that long to make her presentable.”

You opened your mouth to defend yourself but Loki squeezed your hand and gave you a warning stare. He’ll get an earful at home.

“Forgive me for the unannounced intrusion, Sire, but I’m afraid the spell you’ve given me is a touch advanced...”

He tutted Loki and held up a finger, “You flatter me, boy. You are as practiced as they come. If you hesitate ask yourself if her immortality is what you really seek.”

“It is!” you shouted. “I’m sorry. It is, Sire. We didn’t know what to use. You said ‘bind it with a piece of himself’. Which piece? I suggested flesh but we were worried about decay.” You rambled on for what felt like hours. He hung on your every word chuckling at your ignorance. This ought to be a funny story to tell at the old elf’s lodge later. Loki was mortified. Once you finished he patted your hand and laughed.

“You are a spirited little girl aren’t you? What fun! Loki I am surprised at you. To think hair or flesh could grant immortality. It has to be the essence of your life force. More powerful than blood. A piece of your soul.” Loki looked shocked. Minor detail. As if the elf could read his mind he said, “Did I leave that part out? Must be slipping in my old age.” He smiled at you again. “Come! I’ll get you fixed up.”

He lead you deeper into the temple down a dark path illuminated by torches. It should have been cold and damp but it was still comfortably warm. Loki felt your apprehension and squeezed your hand. You came to a gigantic wooden door with carvings depicting elves dancing around what looked like the Yggdrasil. You ran your fingers over the wood dipping them into the carvings.

You reached a long table that looked like an alter. He took the Yggdrasil clipping and Loki’s hand. With the tip of his athame he cut Loki’s palm. He took your hand and did the same. You placed your hand on top of the clipping and entwined your fingers. Freyr held his hands over yours and said something that sounded like a prayer. The Yggdrasil let out a stream of golden light that wrapped around both of your wrists.

“Now you will feel no storms,

for each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold,

for each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no loneliness,

for each of you is companion to the other,

You are two persons,

but there is one life before you, and one home.

Turn together to look at the road you traveled,

to reach this—the hour of your happiness.

It stretches behind you into the past.

Look to the future that lies ahead.

A long and winding, adventure-filled road,

whose every turn means discovery,

new hopes, new joys, new laughter,

and a few shared tears.

May happiness be your companion,

May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead;

And through all the years to come.

Go this day to your dwelling place

and enter into your days together.

May your days be good and long

upon the earth.

Your adventure has just begun!”

The Yggdrasil split into two pieces which he placed on your left ring fingers. Those words sounded an awful lot like vows. You and Loki stared at each other in shock. “Umm. Excuse me, Sir. Are we married?” you asked in disbelief.

“Yes! Of course! In the sense that your souls are bound and only death can part you. Sounds like marriage to me. Did I leave that part out too? Oh dear. Well joyous felicitations to the happy couple.” And he disappeared.

“Well shit.” You said to no one in particular. You left the temple in complete silence occasionally looking down at your finger. Loki called for Heimdall and you were home. You didn’t vomit this time thank goodness. That would have made your dramatic exit a lot less dramatic. You let go of his hand and walked into the house leaving him on the porch with a slammed door in his face.

“Pet?” He said after a few minutes. You were standing at the kitchen sink drinking glass after glass of water. “Y/N. Can you say something? I don’t know why you’re angry but I can tell you are and....”

“Did you know?” Your voice was deadly calm.

“Know about what? That he’d marry us today? No. He conveniently left out that tidbit. It’s not like it’s legally binding.”

“But it is spiritually binding. Your soul is bound to mine. Your immortality bound to me. That means something.” You had tears in your eyes and your fists were clenched. How could he be so casual about this?

His brow furrowed and he hated that you thought it didn’t mean anything to him. Now you felt each other even deeper. Subtle shifts were amplified. As soon as his mood shifted from apprehension to hurt you knew. It softened you a bit but you were still angry.

“Lok, I didn’t mean to say it didn’t mean anything to you. I know it did. I got married today in sweatpants with none of my friends or family there and my ring is a twig. Forgive me if it wasn’t the magical day I was expecting.” The weight of the Yggdrasil changed on your finger. The brown branches were changed to gold and an emerald of impressive size set in the middle. You noticed he changed his to complement yours. He weaved his fingers with your fingers and pulled you closer to him.

“It was magical to me. Couldn’t you feel it? The way we are now woven together like a tapestry? It’s not just the meaning of it all, a symbolic moment. We are physically one. Y/N I don’t care if you are in the finest gown or your sweats. We are bound together until death. Did we need the pageantry?”

Now you felt like an asshole. He gave himself to you mind body and soul and here you are crying about a dress. “I’m being a brat aren’t I?”

A soft smile warmed his face, “A little. I didn’t want to say.”

You slid your arms around his waist and rested on his chest. With a wiggle of your fingers the record player clicked on.

“Is this our first dance?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Mhmm. I love you. I’m sorry for ruining our day.”

“I love you too and you ruined nothing. It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t have a little drama surrounding our wedding. Dance with me.”

You swayed to the music in the dim light of your living room....in the cottage built in the glen where the sun hits it like a spotlight.

[a-solitary-marshmallow]

Please Don’t See Me - Chapter 5

This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but I didn't want to split it up! It was written in a hurry because I was excited to get it out to y'all, so let me know if I've made any typos or mistakes. As always I adore your comments so feel free to tell me what you think.

______________________________________________________________________

“You should come down to Gravity Falls!”

Ford didn’t quite think about the words before he blurted them. His close (and only) friend from college had mentioned in their weekly phone call that he and his family were thinking about taking a holiday from his would-be small computer business, and Ford had reacted without thought.

He laughed nervously, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Rebus padded through the kitchen with the click-click-click of claws that Ford had become accustomed to over the last month.

Ford cleared his throat. “If you want to, of course. I would love to show you some of the research on anomalies I’ve been doing, and I think Tate and Emma-May would like it here. I have plenty of space in my house.”

“Well sure Stanford, if you don’t mind.” Fiddleford said cheerfully. “I’ve been meanin’ to visit for a while now. Course, I don’t wanna get in the way o’ yer research if you’re busy.”

“Not at all.” From the other room Rebus let out a bark, and Fiddleford squeaked.

“What was that?”

“Oh, just my dog. There are probably some Manotaurs passing by.”

“Ya have a dog? When did that happen?”

“A month or so ago. His name is Rebus.”

Fiddleford huffed out a laugh. “Well, at least ya got yerself some company. That dog sounded mighty fearsome; ya sure he’s safe? I don’t wanna bring Tate around if e’s gonna bite.”

“Oh, Rebus is a sweetheart.” A savage growl issued from the other room. “He’s great with kids. When he accompanies me into town he will often play with the children in the playground.”

Rebus growled again, a growl Ford was reasonably certain was aimed at him for daring to imply that the wolf had a heart. Not that Ford had been lying – the kids in town loved Rebus and he delighted in running around with them while Ford ran errands. He was a veritable gentle giant.

“Tate would love him.” Ford continued, unconcerned with the wannabe threat display. The stubborn wolf reminded him of his brother sometimes, all bark and no bite.

…except when he did bite.

“If yer sure.” There was rustling on the other end of the line. “That sounds like a mighty fine idea, Stanford. I’ll have to check with Emma-May, of course, but I’d love ta see some of these anomalies you’ve told me about. Check that yer not crazy, at least!”

“I assure you, these things are one hundred percent real. You’ll be able to see for yourself.” Ford assured him.

“Does Friday afternoon work fer ya? We figured we’d go on the weekend so Tate doesn’t miss much school.”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll prepare the spare room.” Ford said excitedly. “It’s been quite some time since I had company.”

“Ah – Stanford?”

“Yes?”

“Exactly how long has it been since you talked to someone?”

“A few hours.”

“Other than yer dog I mean.”

“Oh, only a week or so.”

There was a pause. “Was that ‘someone’ me?”

“Er…”

“When was the last time you talked to a human being aside from myself?”

Ford laughed nervously. “Ah, it seems the connection is breaking up I’ll call back another time-”

“Stanford-”

“Say hello to Emma-May for me bye!”

He hung up.

 Stan heard the car approach first, the approaching rumble of its engine dragging him from a light doze in that ever-illusive pool of light in the hallway. His ears picked up and he let out the beginnings of a warning growl at the intruders.

That was, until he remembered that they were supposed to have visitors. He yawned and stretched, slightly annoyed at having his nap interrupted but more curious to see who it was that Ford had been expecting. Being the local canine, people didn’t usually run names and stuff by him.

All Stan had been able to tell was that whoever was coming Ford was pretty excited to see them, judging by the way he had hustled and bustled to prepare the spare room. It had been pretty nice, these past few days, to just chill and watch Ford buzz around the place. In those years apart he’d missed Ford’s relentless energy; the way he bounced on his heels when excited, and the little flapping, and the excited gleam in his eyes, the way he could never quite hold still. It was pretty hilarious to watch the nerd get all wound up.

God, Stan hoped it wasn’t a family member. If Pa walked through that door…

Maybe it was that guy Ford was always calling, Fiddlesticks or something? Seemed likely. From what Stan could tell, his brother had a maximum of two friends. And one of them was a wolf.

He padded out to watch Ford open the door for… a small family? The man shook Ford’s hand while the woman chatted and held a small child on her hip.

“It’s great to see you again, Stanford. Thank you for letting us stay in your home.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, I have plenty of space.” Ford assured her.

“And Fiddleford said you had a – oh sweet Mother Mary-”

Stan was used to the usual ‘Oh my god is that a wolf?’ song and dance. He stepped forward and wagged his tail helpfully. Scaring kids and dames was only funny when you were trying to scare them. When you weren’t, it got old pretty quick.

The strange man leaned down and hesitantly offered one hand, and Stan allowed himself to be petted. Show of goodwill, and all that. The guy was short and twiggy and he smelled of engine grease and metal and root beer and straw. Stan decided that he liked the guy. The lady, too. Her suspicious gaze had mellowed out and now Stan could see the smile lines around her eyes. The kid, however, seemed… sticky.

Aaaand the kid had fussed to be placed down and was now trying to touch Stan’s tail. He whisked it out of reach but the sticky brat was laughing and already chasing after it.

Oh, hell no. Kid wanted to get its grubby mitts all over his coat? Think again. Stan darted out of its way and weaved past the adults to try and throw it off. Ford didn’t even try to help, the smug bastard.

Alright kid. You think you got stamina? Let’s see about that.

 The kid.

Would not.

Stop.

Tate, as it turned out his name was, seemed to have boundless energy. The two kept up their game of cat-and-mouse all afternoon until Stan flopped on the porch, panting for breath. Tate squealed and rushed forward to bury his hands in Stan’s thick fur.

You win this round, pipsqueak.

A part of him wanted to place the kid on a high shelf where he couldn’t get in the way, and leave him there. Another part of him… wanted to lick his face and wag his tail. C’mon, mighty hunter and all that! Stan was supposed to have more dignity than like… a Labrador or whatever.

His traitor tail wagged anyway.

Ford and the dame, Emma-May or something, stepped outside to join them, Ford glancing over his shoulder and biting his lip as he went. Stan wondered idly where his nerd friend was.

“Oh, don’t worry, Fiddles hardly ever electrocutes himself!” Emma-May said cheerfully. “He’ll be done with his tinkering in no time.”

“…I was worried for my toaster.”

Emma-May flapped her hand. “Oh, it’ll be fine. I think he said something about making it like ours.”

“How has Fiddleford improved your toaster?”

“I dunno, but it has a lot of blinky lights and sometimes it smells like burning sugar!”

“…I feel like you’re trying to be reassuring?”

Stan should probably be on the lookout for smoke. He scented the air and got a whiff of something like burning plastic from inside…

…and curdled wrongness.

He wrinkled his nose. The air smelled weird and it was vaguely familiar, like he’d smelled it before, but never this strongly. There was something oily and metallic and… squirrelly?

Stan shook Tate’s clingy hands from his coat and stood to scan the house yard. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. But it just didn’t smell right.

The faintest scrape of claws on wood made him snap around. There – clinging to a house support and evidently trying to climb up to the roof was what might have once been a squirrel. Emphasis on once. Its front limbs were bulkier than the back ones with claws like tiny steak knives buried into the wood grain. Its fur hung off in patches and it was big – more raccoon-sized than squirrel-sized. The extra weight seemed to be giving it grief because it was struggling to make headway.

Fat bastard, Stan thought petulantly.

“Err – Stanford?” Emma-May piped up. “What on god’s good earth is that?”

Stan glanced across to follow her pointing finger. Apparently he wasn’t the only one to notice the thing.

Ford squinted and stepped closer to the rodent, which started hissing around overgrown teeth like a stepped-on snake with a lisp. “It… it appears to be another mutated creature. I’ve been finding them around the place since I got here. My hypothesis is that they’ve been somehow affected by the size-changing crystals in the forest.”

“The what-nows?”

Ford’s eyes brightened. “Oh, in the forest there are natural crystal formations that, when light is shined through them, have the ability to change an object or organism’s shape. The majority of the mutant sightings have been around that area. I’ve been meaning to investigate but a freak blizzard recently ruined my plans. Now, if I can just capture this specimen here…”

“Throw a blanket over it?” Emma-May suggested.

“Perhaps. I have a number of size-appropriate cages in my shed, would you mind keeping watch over the creature while I retrieve one?”

“Sure thing.”

Ford went to walk past but the movement seemed to startle the squirrel, which launched itself wildly into the air and latched onto Ford’s sleeve, scurrying up his arm. He yelped and flailed. Fortunately Emma-May smacked it and sent it flying. Unfortunately it skidded across the ground and took off towards where Tate was playing in the grass.

Fortunately, that was also where Stan was.

He lunged forward and snapped up the rodent in one bite before it could get close to the kid. Its tiny body gave out with a single, pathetic crunch. Weird-tasting blood exploded in his mouth.

Ford coughed. “Well.”

Stan spat out the creature, wrinkling his nose. The thing tasted – wrong. Like its blood was tainted with seawater and oil slick with an added hint of burning rubber. He spluttered and swiped at his tongue to try and get rid of the rancid flavour.

Ugh, were squirrels so corrupted by the weight of their sins that it seeped into their blood?

“Is it dead?” Ford asked curiously. Emma-May walked over to scoop up her child and prod the body with her shoe.

“Depends. Can these mutant things live with a snapped spine?”

“Dead, then. Still! It’s a specimen to study. I’ll get – oh, I suppose I won’t be needing that cage anymore.”

 Nothing blew up that weekend. Stan took that as a win.

The McGuckets were… a different sort of folk than he was used to. They smiled so easily. Those two dopes of parents looked at their kid like he was the moon and the sun and everything in between, like they wouldn’t kick him out onto the streets no matter what dumb mistakes he made. Damn. Imagine that.

The Sunday night before they were set to leave Emma-May retired to bed early and Fiddleford and Ford settled onto the couch to talk, with cans of beer in hand and Tate playing happily with his Legos. Stan dropped onto the carpet to keep a watchful eye on the little brat. The fire crackled softly and cast a warm light across the room, its heat pressing against his fur.

A month or so ago he would never have let himself relax like this. He would be watching the window, ears pricked for any sign of…

Huh. He couldn’t remember the name of the man chasing him. When he thought hard there was a flash of scarred hands and packets of white powder and the taste of blood in his mouth. That’s right, the guy Stan had used to run drugs for a few years back, the guy who was now after him. Why couldn’t Stan remember his name?

Ford and Fiddleford’s murmuring rose slightly above the crackle of the fire and the clinking of Legos.

“-ya mean Shermie?”

“No, my… other brother. My twin, Stanley.” Ford said quietly.

It took Stan a moment to remember that that was his name. He rested his chin on his paws and tuned into the conversation.

“Ford, ya never told me ya had a twin.”

“No, I probably didn’t. You see, Stanley and I parted on… unpleasant terms. I haven’t seen him in almost a decade.”

“A decade?” Fiddleford squawked. “Why in the blazes not?”

“It’s complicated. Fiddleford, do you remember when I told you how I was rejected from West Coast Tech?”

“When you were drunk outta yer mind and I had to drag ya back to our dorm? Yes, I do recall.” Fiddleford said dryly.

“Yes, well. It was Stanley who sabotaged my project. He insisted it was an accident, but…” Ford sighed.

“Why do you bring him up?” Fiddleford tipped his head. Ford sighed and pulled off his glasses to polish them on his sleeve.

“I was hoping to get your advice, actually. Recently he’s been coming to mind more and more. I thought that, perhaps, he might have grown up over the last decade, and it might be worth getting in contact and seeing how he’s doing. Do… do you think people can change that much?”

Change. Had Stan changed much? Except for the whole werewolf thing…

It was like trying to think through sludge. Stan hardly remembered what it was like to be human. Or… human-shaped. Jeez, how long had he been Shifted for? Time was slipping away from him in this little bubble of happiness. Stan had never been in wolf form for this long before.

A chill shivered through him. The nerds’ talking continued but it was background noise to the humming of his thoughts. He stood and padded into the hallway, ignoring Tate’s whine. Stan shouldered through the (thankfully unlocked) front door and trotted outside.

He glanced around warily before slipping into the trees. Once a quick scan showed that he was alone, he Shifted.

Or… tried to.

The change that had once been liquid and effortless now felt like trying to shove a square peg through a circular hole. His skin prickled. Stan shook himself and tried again with a small growl.

The Shift swept across him with the popping of joints and the crackle of cartilage; creaky, like a neglected machine that had acquired rust from years of disuse. Stan gritted his newly-flat teeth and waited for the agonizingly slow Shift to pass.

He ended up crouched on the damp earth, breathing hard and squinting through suddenly blurry vision at the dark, hazy world around him. His skin felt itchy and it pinched in all the wrong places, like a suit that didn’t quite fit.

Well, shit. Note to self: don’t stay in wolf form for weeks at a time.

Stan flexed his hands, trying to reacquaint himself with having fingers and opposable thumbs. Being human. Or human-shaped, at least.

Because he was still a person. No matter what he looked like he wasn’t just some – some pet. He had a life to get back to.

Except… he didn’t. Not really.

Stan chewed over that piece of information for moment. Before he could really think about it a voice called his name. With a final stretch he slipped back into an awkward Shift, easier than before, and trotted after his brother’s voice.

[idumpyourgrass]

Just Go With It- Chapter One

Steve Harrington x Reader

Masterlist

Pairing: (Eventually) Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary: Y/n L/n receives an invite to her ex’s wedding and attempts to invite her co-worker Steve Harrington as her plus one.

A/n: I am so incredibly excited for this! I hope you all enjoy it! Lmk if you would like to be added to the taglist

Warnings: Swearing, typos

Work Count: 1.9k

             The bell rang above the door as you push your way into the Police station. You walk over to your desk, throwing your purse on top of it. Grabbing two cups, you make your way over to the coffee machine. You fill one cup up all the way and the other one you fill up ¼ of the way, filling the rest up with cream. You place one cup on your desk and make your way to the back of the office with the other in your hand.

            You walk past the group of officers, laughing at some cheesy joke. A collective group of “Morning Y/n!” cheerfully greet you.

“Morning boys, is the chief in yet?” You stop and ask.

            “You know he’s never in on time.” Officer Meyer tells you. Rolling your eyes, you continue to the back of the office. You place the coffee on the Sheriff’s desk and head back up to the front. The phone rings as soon as you sit down.

            “Hawkins police station, Y/n speaking, how may I help you?” You hold the phone up to your ear with your shoulder as you pick a magazine to flip through.

            “Yes, I would like to report some kids that keep ding dong ditching me!” You flip the page of your magazine, completely unbothered.

            “Oh, well we will get that taken care of right away, can I have your name and address please?” you put down the magazine and grab a pad of paper and a pen, scribbling down the address, “Right, I will send an officer down right away, have a good day, yup, okay bye.”

            “Hey, Rogers!” You call out. Officer Rogers makes his way over to you, “I need you to go talk to Ms. Drew, she has some ding dong ditchers.”

            Officer Rogers gives you a look of disbelief. The phone rings again.

“Hawkins police station, Y/n speaking, how may I help you?” You look at Officer Rogers, raising your eyebrows, “Go!” You mouth, pointing towards the door. Huffing he walks out of the building.

            “Y/n! It’s Steve, I know I’m late, but I’m on my way!” You prop your feet up on the desk.

“Harrington, if you were on your way you wouldn’t be on the phone right now,” You twirl the phone cord around your finger, “Your milk with a splash of coffee will be cold by the time you get here.”

            “Okay, okay, I’m on my way!” Steve hangs up the phone.

You and Steve have been working together for about five years. Working with the “King of Hawkins high” is not what you planned. Truth be told, you actually liked it. In high school, you managed to get away with only speaking to Steve maybe twice. You went off to college, met who you thought was the love of your life, and planned a whole future with him. As it turned out, he wasn’t the one. Once you graduated college, you lived with him for about a year in Indianapolis, you were engaged. Then, he cheated. You moved back to your home own and got a job as a receptionist at the Police station, working with none other than Steve the hair Harrington, Hawkins police sheriff.

            You hear the sound of a car door close and look out the window, witnessing Steve trip over the curb. You let out a laugh as he walks inside.

            “I saw that,” you laugh. He points a finger at you, “You saw nothing,” rolling your eyes, you stand up and follow him back to his office.

            “So far the only call has been about some ding dong ditchers, but officer Rogers is taking care of that, your coffee is on your desk,” you hand him a folder, “here are some papers, I just need you to look over and sign, and that’s all I got.”

            Steve plops down in his chair, leaning back and propping his feet up on his desk, “Jesus Christ, ding dong ditchers? That’s it? Not even any speeding tickets or anything?” You shake your head, “It’s the last day of school, kids will start getting into trouble, trespassing and what not,” you smile at Steve.

“You’re the only thing keeping me alive L/n.”

“Right back at you Harrington,” You shoot him a finger gun and pull the door shut as you make your way back up to the front desk.

Steve throws down the folder on your desk, “All done?” You flip through the papers, checking for his signature. Steve pulls a chair up to your desk, setting down a box of connect four.

Steve separates the black and red chips, sliding the red chips over to you.

“I’m thinking about getting a puppy.” You blurted. Steve furrowed his brows and looked up at you.

“A dog? Why?”

“I’m alone and bored Harrington, I need something to entertain me.” You place a red chip into the connect four grid.

“You don’t need a dog, you need to get back out there.”

You cross your arms and narrow your eyes, “What do you mean get back out there?”

Steve’s hand hovers over the grid, studying it carefully, finding where his next chip should go, “You need to start dating again, when was the last time you went on a date?”

“No, dating wouldn’t solve any of my issues. Once you start dating, you get attached, and then you think ‘this is the one,’ and then you say I love you and he says it back too but little do you know he doesn’t actually mean it and then he cheats on you and crushes your heart,” you place a red chip in the grid, creating a diagonal line, “Yes! I win!”

            Steve sighs, throwing his arms up in defeat, “You cheated, I don’t know how, but you cheated.”

            Chuckling, you dump the chips out and throw them back into the box. The phone rings and you pick it up, motioning to Steve to pick up the rest of the game.

            “Hawkins Police Station, Y/n speaking, how may I help you? Oh hi Mr. Sheldon. Trespassing?” You give Steve an “I told you so” look, “Teens? South side of the Quarry?” Steve jumps out of his chair, running back to his office, “Alright, I will send Chief Harrington right away.” Steve leaps back down the hall, jumping in the air and placing his hat on his head, “Woo!” He cheers, as he runs out the door.

You grab the mail from your mailbox and unlock your door.

“Bill, bill, junk,” you flip through the mail, “Junk, bill,” you get to the last envelope. Your name and address is written in beautiful penmanship. In the corner, there is a return address you don’t recognize. You place the envelope on the counter, giving it one last look before heading to the pantry. You grab a box of Kraft mac and cheese.

            While you wait for the water to boil you grab the envelope. You carefully tear it open and pull out what’s inside. “Y/n L/n (plus one), You are formally invited to help celebrate Ryan Milar and Franny Kowski as they exchange rings on the beautiful beach of Maui!”

            “Are you shitting me?!” You yell. He has the fucking nerve to invite you to his wedding with the girl he cheated on you with? Without thinking, you throw the invite away.

            You scoop some mac and cheese into a bowl and pour yourself a big glass of wine. You sit down at the dining table letting out a sigh. Your eyes keep flickering over to the trash can. Groaning, you abruptly stand up, making your way over to the trash can. You reach in and grab the invitation.

You remain at the dining table. Your head rests in your hands at you look over the invitation. You look over the pictures of the two of them, laughing, smiling, holding hands in a field, kissing. Using your thumb, you wipe away a stray tear. You slowly move your hand down to the pen that sat next to the invitation, but you quickly retract it.

You grab the sheets and pull them up to your chin. You curl yourself up, hoping this will help hide you from your thoughts. Why can’t you just RSVP no and move on? Maybe it’s because the thought of you going and him realizing he actually loves you is giving you hope. You still think there’s hope that you and he can try again.

 Grabbing your keys from the table, you look at the invitation. It hasn’t moved. Huffing, you grab it and shove it in your purse.

            You sit at your desk, staring at the invitation. A pen hovers over the yes box. Inhaling, you mark it.

            “What’s that?” Officer Meyer asks, picking up the invite. You try to grab it out of his hands.

“It’s nothing!” You stand up on your chair trying to reach it but he keeps it out of your grasp.

“Oooo, a wedding invitation! Ryan and Franny. Who’s your plus one?” Officer Meyer hands you the invite back.

“What?”

“It says Y/n L/n plus one.” You read over the invite. You can’t show up to the wedding alone, that would make you look alone and sad.

“Who the fuck am I supposed to take? I don’t know anyone!”

“I can think of one person.” Officer Meyer nods his head over to the window. Outside, Steve gets out of his car.

You shoot a glare towards Meyer and make your way over to the coffee machine to make Steve’s coffee, or “milk with a splash of coffee.”

“Morning Y/n!” Steve greets you with a smile. You pass him his coffee and watch him walk to the back.

You look over to the invitation that sits on your desk, then to Steve’s office. Taking a deep breath you grab the invite and walk to his office.

“How’s it going Y/n?” Steve takes a sip from his coffee.

“Steve I have to ask you something, and before you say no, I would just like to remind you of all the things I have done for you these past five years. I give you coffee, just how you like it, I have brought you spare keys when you got locked out of the cop car, I have reminded you every year to wish you colleagues happy birthday, I have attended every office party we have had just because you whined about me not going,” Steve just stares at you, his mouth slightly open, “I laugh at all your jokes, even if they aren’t funny, I play games with you, I help you out with your family problems I-“

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Steve cuts you off.

“I need you to be my plus one to Ryan’s wedding.” You get right to the point.

“Ryan? Why does that name sound familiar?” Steve questions.

“Ryan’s, uh Ryan’s my ex.”  Steve’s mouth drops.

“He invited you to his wedding?! That piece of shit!”

“So, will you go with me?”

“Yeah, sure.” Steve responds.

“I should mention,” You hesitate, “it’s in Hawaii.”

Steve nearly spits his coffee out, “Hawaii?”

You slowly nod.

“No, I’m not going to go to Hawaii so you can watch you ex get married.”

“Steve, no please, please, please!” You beg him.

“No, if it was here, sure, but I’m not going to Hawaii.”

“Steve Harrington! Please!” You yell. He looks up at you, seeing how much stress this is causing you. He sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“Please, please, please, please,” you whisper.

“Ok, fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @mochminnie​

[the-awful-falafel]

Rick and Morty - S4E6 "Never Ricking Morty" Podcast Summary/Breakdown

So y'all probably expected this based on how often I've been talking about these official companion podcasts. I recommend listening to them yourself either on the official Adult Swim YT channel or the official website, but I thought I'd go ahead and make bullet point breakdown of some key points for this particular podcast, because trivia and behind-the-scenes knowledge really appeal to me. And this episode is pretty divisive in the fanbase, so I think this podcast will assuage some fears even if you still personally dislike it in the end.

For some reason, the title of the podcast calls this S4E7 instead of episode 6. It wasn’t commented upon, so I assume either it was a typo or it was 7 in the production order and got swapped shortly before release.

The interviewed staff involved in this episode were Carlos Ortega (character design lead), Erica Hayes (director), James McDermott (art director), and Jeff Loveness (writer)

The idea of this episode was conceived in October/November 2018 as a "one-up" of anthologies and clip shows. They didn't want to do a straight anthology because many other TV shows had already done that, so they tried to go more experimental and bold and basically went balls-deep with the metanarrative as a result

It was a substitute for Interdimensional Cable (which they were going to do instead but it fell through for unknown reasons)

"We had to go so far up our own ass, because if we didn't go far enough, people would be mad that we didn't."

The writers intentionally mocked themselves as much as the fans, pretty much, and it was meant to be all in good fun

The artists really enjoy designing all the weird aliens in the show, as well as getting to reuse/repurpose them when applicable. Apparently next episode (Promortyus) is going to be reusing a lot of designs for something (but they obviously can't say due to spoilers)

Compared to other episodes, "Never Ricking Morty" went pretty smoothly once it got to the art stage. That doesn't mean it was easy, but there weren't a ton of revisions they had to do

There was a joking spoiler about Rick becoming pregnant later this season. At least I think it's joking.

While writing this episode, the writers came up with a huge whiteboard list of complaints about the show, misconceptions about the show, etc. to consult for the meta jokes. Loveness later clarified that it wasn't quite about attacking "complaining" though, and it wasn't meant to be mean-spirited

The Bechdel test skit came from them realizing they hadn't done much with Beth and Summer this season, which definitely can be considered a flaw. Therefore, as part of their self-mockery, the writers decided to force them crudely into the episode as a joke, while also making fun of men who write women characters poorly and reductively.

The Jesus Christ / Rick suddenly being Christian part was written in response to the writers asking themselves "what would kill Rick and Morty as a show?"

Jeff Loveness said this in the "Inside Never Ricking Morty" video as well, but he really loved the "old man is really ripped and ready to kick your ass" trope and is partially responsible for it becoming a running gag this episode along with "cum gutters". Apparently cum gutters return in season 5 (also said jokingly, so who knows)

One of the Q&A callers called multiple times, with different phone numbers, and kept asking about potential crossovers for some reason

"A lot of people are saying that the show is fucking with their fans. Is that accurate?" "I think some of those fans deserve to be fucked with a little bit."

They point out how some fans feel entitled to the idea they should be pleased by the show all the time, and the writers feel like the show should ideally surprise the viewers in a good way, but you still may not like every episode and that's alright

At the same time, the episode wasn't meant as an attack on the fans, it was more of a "we'll do this our way, be experimental, and push the envelope of what we can do" message they were sending. Jeff Loveness promises that there's "good stuff coming up" that he thinks the fans will be happy with, presumably in late Season 4 or even Season 5

"Just because we showed it this way and you'll probably never see it this way again, that doesn't mean we're dropping these storylines completely." There you go, everyone! The ongoing story threads are still happening at some point, and the message of the episode wasn't about dropping continuity or mocking people for caring about it. Although if you were hoping for resolutions similar to what was shown in this episode (Evil Morty w/ a giant army, Tammy VS Summer with lightsabers), those scenarios are almost certainly not going to happen canonically based on this statement. Let's hope that what they do come up with is both unexpected and awesome.

The episode is intended to be non-canonical, similar to past once-a-season clip show episodes like Interdimensional Cable

Story Lord was inspired by characters like Mysterio and Q, and the writers created him late in development as a type of villain they hadn't done before. Dan Harmon also put a lot of self-mockery into the character with how much he loved narrative structure and the story circle. The character artists even initially asked if Harmon could be the design for the character but that received an immediate "no", as it was perceived as being too on-the-nose.

Jeff Loveness was surprised the Rick/Birdperson musical made it to the final episode since it seemed like the sort of thing that would be cut or lost in development. He was also surprised the Jesus thing stayed in mostly untouched

The Story Train was intended to be an actually purchasable product by the time the episode aired-- the writers were emphatically excited about that being the culmination of the joke in the writers room-- and they were surprised that it didn't go through by the time the episode aired. They guess it's due to the coronavirus pandemic interrupting merchandising plans, but they're ultimately unsure because the decision isn't discussed with them

The artists do receive some limitations on how much gore they're allowed to depict, but they can show as much blood as they want, so for the most part they can still be creative with gruesome violence (like the Tickets Please guy ripping in half in this episode)

The artists are credited for elevating most of the fight scenes in the show, sometimes with only vague script direction which they use to be very creative

In response to a viewer calling in and asking the question about whether Pickle Rick will return: "I think there's a conversation to be had about: do we want these things to return or it better to do a one-off story?" So my take on this is that not literally everything will factor into the continuity-- they put thought into what ideas have more long-running potential and they build those up. Which is kind of obvious but the question was silly anyway. (They're still ambiguous about whether or not Pickle Rick will come back, by the way)

They aren't going to do an outright Star Wars parody in Rick and Morty because other shows have already done that, but they can still parody what Star Wars represents rather than doing a "branded commercial" for it. Apparently there is a lot of that specifically coming up this season (although indirect in the way they're describing). I assume this is referring to the upcoming "Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri" episode, so I’m curious about how they’ll reference Star Wars in that one.

The COVID-19 reference this episode was thrown in last minute, presumably with just alternative dubbing and changing the lip sync animation. They say that sometimes episodes are still being worked on up until the moment they release on television. Referring to a previous episode as an example, the character of Shadowjacker from the dragon episode was thrown in last-minute

With the exception of James McDermott, most of the staff interviewed had no control or participation over the commercial product placement work, such as the Wendy's/Pringles commercials. They don't mind them for the most part and find them funny

The writers try to avoid being too topical because the scripts take so long to turn into animation that any references will become outdated by the time it releases. Therefore, they try to be "timely" in the sense that they're writing about things that are happening in the world, but in a more abstract/thematic sense. Jeff Loveness implies that the next episode Promortyus will have a lot of that

In response to another viewer Q&A: There is no Rick and Morty movie currently planned. They wouldn't mind one, but nothing is really in development at the moment

The staff say they're excited for the next batch of episodes and seem pretty proud of their work on this season

They don't plan on making a Rick and Morty musical episode at the moment, as they feel like other shows like South Park and the Simpson have done it excellently and don't feel like they're capable of doing it better. The Rick/Birdperson bit in this episode was the most we're going to get

The code inside the broken-off throttle lever was intended to just be a bar code decal (to show it's a toy) and doesn't actually mean anything. James McDermott jokingly said it's "where the bodies are buried"

The Rick army / Evil Morty scene was huge from an animation standpoint and they almost couldn't do it due to how ambitious the shot was. They were going for a "Lords of the Rings", faux series-finale vibe, where they "give the fans what they THINK they want". Justin Roiland insisted they do it

There are definitely more big animation setpieces planned for the future

And that’s it! I’ll probably do more of these for the future episode podcasts, if anyone is still interested.

[ultimetletterart-blog]

11 Common Cover Letter Mistakes

1. Not addressing the letter to a specific person. You can use the Internet or personal contacts to track down the hiring manager. Often a quick phone call to the company solves the problem. Sending in your resume and cover letter addressed to "dear Sir" instead of a named individual shows that you haven't taken the time to properly research this position, and are not that interested in the position.

2. Not capturing the readers attention right away. Do not start off weak. Don't just start with "I am applying for a position x posted a paper x". Instead you could say: My five years of experience at x makes me an excellent match for position x listed in paper x". Don't use phrases such as "I think". Use stronger language such as "I know". Remember to point out any contacts you might have in the company in the first paragraph.

3. Sending your resume without a cover letter or sending a generic nonspecific cover letter. Sometimes it might feel tempting to just take the shot and send the resume without writing a letter: Don't do this since you don't know how much weight the employer puts on the letter. Also do not reuse the same letter for different jobs. Of course you may use the bulk of the letter but tailor the specifics to the job ad. A good tactic is to make sure that all of the key words in the ad are somehow covered in the letter.

4. Your cover letter should not be a rewrite of your resume. Use points from the resume that are relevant to the job in the letter. Do not waste the employers time with the rest.

5. Do not focus on your personal life. Do not include data such as gender, martial status, religion or any other personal information unless it directly relevant to the job. Do not include any photos unless the ad is for a job in modeling acting or broadcasting.

6. Don't try to be funny. Don't use anecdotes or humor. Even if you have a great sense of humor you do not know if the employer will have one. Also, you might not be taken seriously. Use a conversational but professional tone.

7. Don't make the letter too long. Your letter should never be longer than one page so do not use your cover letter to provide a narrative of your life and career.

8. Do not use a gimmicky cover letter format. It's usually a good idea to use a simple, well written letter printed on white or ivory paper. Sometimes a cover letter in a different color might catch the employer's attention, but this could backfire. Only use this if you know what you're doing.

9. Proofreading. Your cover letter may not have any typos and grammatical errors. Make sure it is easy to read and has a good flow. The employer should know the most important points after quick scan of the letter.

10. Don't forget to include your contact information on the cover letter. Sometimes cover letters and resumes get separated. Make sure you can be reached from either of them.

11. Show your desire to be interviewed. Ask for an interview in the cover letter. You can take this a step further by telling the employer that you will contact them to arrange an interview appointment. Obviously you have to follow up in a specified time frame.

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

hey so remember like last year when i was re-reading misadventures and fixing typos? (well, i say that, but it was just an excuse to re-read it and write some absolutely absurd commentary on it...) i found old notes in my phone from january with even more so guess i may as well post it because people seemed to find it funny at the time, it’s basically just The Misadventures of Aish Realizing Things though

[yeah so here’s the original notes i’m not even gonna change anything even though lots of Lore has happened in the show and we Know things now, you just get to see what january aish typed]

ok well let’s go then chapters 31-35 oh god

oh yeah the ML Blackout! I remember that

hm it’s occurring to me maaaaaybe I should post a bit of a warning on this chapter. like “yes this starts off stupid and cracky and fluffy but takes a complete 180 in the middle and you will end up sobbing.”

or maybe I should put that as a disclaimer on the whole fic cause it’s one hell of a ride

THE AROACE SCIENCE JOURNAL YESSSSSSS THAT COMES BACK LATER

yeah the reason why the early parts of this chapter are very lighthearted is honestly because the fic was getting a bit too bleak, I needed something cheerful, so paper planes and arm wrestles it was

wait... isn’t this just that scene from Anansi??? where like Nora challenges Nino to an arm wrestle but then he wins because Someone Else Nearby Did A Thing

also this is Peak characterization, damn Aish, you rly outdone yourself, congration

any time I drop the word “inkling” into a fic it is always 100% a splatoon reference

MAX WOW TONE DOWN THE GAY

heh... BI-ceps...

oh my godddd Max trying to play off his ogling as “ah yes I am scientifically studying Kim’s arm muscles ofc, it’s science I swear” is SO frickin funny I’m already losing it

Alix: “scientifically speaking I’m hot therefore you have to lose this arm wrestle” hshdhdghshskkjkdhshs

^literally the kind of nonsense every single teen I know spouts irl

including me when I was a teen, I just said things

(I still just say things)

you can’t bring up the sports bra thing goddammit, I agree it’s cheating because it has the power to one-hit kill anyone in the vicinity

I love how Max thinks his crush on Kim is “under control” while like. visibly swooning over him

OH MY GOD THE PILLOWS SHHDJDHDHDHSKHS

OKAY SO LIKE I was supposed to put the thing about Kim snogging a pillow in chapter 20 but I forgot or something and then I just had to get it in somehow, oh it kills me dead just thinking about it, I’m dying, I’m dead

and the fact that he admits to it as well, holy moly

KIM

K I M

THAT’S GAY

OH WOW

this is the moment when Alix’s Kimax shipper heart was suddenly feeling validated like “omg wait Kim DOES like Max??? like for real??????”

awwwww Kim, Max doesn’t have those kind of superpowers, you just have a crush on him that’s all <3

THE SKATEBOARDING SNEK!!!!!!!!!!!!

“What the heck is that?” “My snake.” DYINGGGG

Kim trying to figure out if the snake is sitting or standing is a whole mood

ohhhhhhhh my gosh poor Alix trying so damn hard to subtly ask Kim if he likes Max and Kim’s just. so DUMB he doesn’t even get it no matter how obvious she is

she’s even trying to pull out those stupid amatonormative “so is he MORE than a friend???” questions just to get this idiot to figure it out because she knows allo-romos are Like That and he still doesn’t get it,,

[future aish says: the word is alloro, past aish. it’s alloro]

AND SO NOW SHE ASSUMES THEY’RE NOT INTO EACH OTHER BECAUSE SHE THINKS EVEN KIM CAN’T BE THAT STUPID

YOU UNDERESTIMATE HIS STUPIDITY

oh no... oh NO.... the letter.... here we go....

btw yes Gabriel had Kim’s grandad assassinated, it was indeed his doing

...isn’t this lowkey the plot of The Lion King?

or Long Live The Queen

hmmm let’s just say in the sequel poor Kim really will have to deal with the stresses of ruling a country >:D

NO MY POOR SON HAVING A BREAKDOWN, I WANT TO HUG HIM

(also can I just say like... this chapter is actually well-written for the most part? I’m actually kinda impressed)

unfortunately I know the feeling of wanting, needing to return home, but it fills you with dread... *hugs Kim forever*

Kim crying all over Max both hurts me and sort of heals me because Max is so sweet and comforting about it ohhh my heeeaaart

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

THIS IS LOWKEY A LOVE CONFESSION I SWEAR, IT’S SO CUTE

chapter 32 being called “Un chat noir” is kinda dumb af but also it just so happened that I accidentally had the chapter called “Coccinelle” be chapter 64, aka exactly double of 32, so that was kinda neat

Plagggggg!!!!!!!!!!

and Wayhem lol, I think I’ve already mentioned how originally this noble was just some random irrelevant unnamed OC until I decided way later it’s gay stalker fanboy

oh yeah that’s how the nobility recognize the royalty, I forgot lol

(also nobles from countries with widespread newspress or tv will recognize them from news reports and stuff I guess)

the fact that Plagg just hates Wayhem is funny to me for some reason

MISADVENTURES

HOLY SHIT I ACTUALLY THREW IN THE ACTUAL WORD

except it was in reference to Adrien... let’s just say that The Misadventures of Imperial Prince Adrien may or may not make an appearance in the sequel >:D

...the Adrienette is literally just in this fic so that people would read it, ngl

hhhhhhhhhhhh okay it’s true Alix is an aro idiot who doesn’t know anything about romance but for once she’s RIGHT, Kim IS in love with Max, but she assumes she’s wrong hshgshdjhdnsnsh

oh my god noooo timeline twin go away and stop giving me nightmares

I still love how they hate each other, that’s some top-notch self-hatred right there and I need to get on their level

[future aish note: no past self!! be nice to yourself!! you are a cool bean!! own it!!]

YOU FOOL... EVERY CLASSMATE WOULD TAKE A SWORD TO THE HAND FOR ALIX, WHY WOULDN’T THEY

ỳïķèš,,,

honestly I probably should stop being lazy and actually go back to like idk chapter 8 and put in an actual monopoly game (it had to have been before the oracle sessions in ch10 at least)

fun fact!! I have indeed very nearly had a fist fight over the last dark blue card in a monopoly game!! also I blatantly cheated, and the main opponent locked someone else (an 8 year old btw) in a cupboard... it was Wild(TM)

me and my irl friend actually came up with the butterfly thing when we were at the cinema once, she made up this random angry gardener OC who stepped on a butterfly after being fired or something lol

I mentioned Rose liking unicorns!!!! before Captain Hardrock!!!!!!!

shdhdhkshs Alix is such a moody emo brat in this fic I adore it

“The only real difference between you and me is one dead butterfly.” goddammit that’s the creepiest fucking thing, I’m genuinely shaking

technically it’s a butterfly’s fault for ALL the timelines which means that we’re all one butterfly away from death at any moment

cheerful stuff

no, no, you’re not trying to block it out on purpose... I’M trying to block it out on purpose bc I’m highkey shamelessly projecting

god I wish my timeline twin would manifest in the astral plane and punch me in the arm too

“Count yourself lucky you’re not a pillow, idiot.” in-context this is contender for Most Cursed Line I Have Ever Written In My Life

and yes Alix was about to straight-up swear

Mylène rollerskating is extremely blessed and good

pfffffffff Max you coward, I stand on swivel chairs all the time

*me, chanting at the spider in my room* KIMAX! KIMAX! KIMAX!

Kim literally making every excuse to not put Max down is amazing honestly

Kim and Max’s origins story is sooooooooooo cute wtf

THIS IS SO BLESSED OH MY HEART

HE’S JUST STANDING THERE CUDDLING HIM I’M

DECEASED

I,,,, swear to god,,,,,,,

so like. I know it’s now canon in the show that Kim really is as oblivious to his feelings as I wrote him in this. but MY GOD. IT’S FRIGGIN PAINFUL

KIM YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH MAX, FULL HOMO, THAT’S WHY YOU’RE FEELING LIKE THIS, IT’S NOT THAT COMPLICATED DAMMIT

oh yeah I wrote the kimax bits rly early and my old url was @queenkubdel haha

aight now a no-kimax chapter, but at least it’s a goodun

there’s that catradora-esque weather girls frenemyship again

Kim having a full-on breakdown when he finds out Alix’s hair isn’t really pink is actually really blessed, no lemme explain

so this universe has magic, right?? so he thinks to himself that the reason his friend has pink hair is because she must be some sort of anime protagonist or Really Important and Cool or something, and it never even occurred to him to doubt her

in other words he’s betrayed because he WANTED HIS FRIEND TO BE A COOL SHONEN HERO

which is both hilarious AND very sweet

...oh wait I’ve scrolled down and it turns out I literally explained all that in the fic itself hhdgjdvzjdjhs

and yeah honestly I can’t blame poor Kim for taking it so badly, he’s still reeling from his grandfather’s assassination so it’s natural his emotions are not exactly Regulated atm

actually when are his emotions ever regulated

1703-1899 hm... might change that since the fic takes place in 1957-1960 so even though it’s a commissioned history of the empire it was before Gabriel was even born so like why would he even care lmao

“Great Western Ocean” so pretentious, just say the Atlantic omg

I’ve been playing way too much civ because the first thing that came to mind was that everyone’s denounced Agreste due to the high warmongering penalties of the industrial/modern eras

Chloé and Kim is one hell of a brotp okay I still firmly believe that

also Chloé still loves her rococo fashion, she’s just toned it down enough that she can fit through doors and it’s not quite as “in your face” towards commoners

listen I know in the show Kim still liked Chloé for a while after Dark Cupid but in this he got over her quicker because his crush on her wasn’t as deep in the first place

Kim literally tells Chloé he gave the brooch to Max and yet STILL doesn’t realize he likes him!!! KIM!!!!!!!!!!

Chlodemption arc yesssssssss

also she’s a lesbeean

(ye Pollen will be in the sequel don’t you worry)

god I’m so proud of her <3

it feels believable too, so I’m proud of myself!! (I’m trying to be nice to myself before next chapter where I will no doubt roast myself so badly I’ll never recover)

outdated laws about marriage... jeez was that cursed foreshadowing or what

YES IT’S IVAN, I LOVE THIS BOY, HE’S SO GRUMPY AND ANGRY ALL THE TIME AND HE HATES KIM

...actually wait this is sibling culture

I literally speak like this to my brother and he’s my best friend so in conclusion Ivan thinks of Kim as an annoying brother

Jalil why are you a historian. just go be a psychologist and stop your sister accidentally hecking up the country

omg the Antarctica thing, I’m just imagining Jalil in the freezing cold with a massive coat on and getting chased by penguins

I love how the timeline twin’s plan was “escape school, force Adrien to get a venomous pet, then abandon him immediately in the middle of nowhere” and later on it turns out she skipped step two and just ditched him lmaoooooo

being so ace that your brain goes straight to “death and murder” before anything else is the biggest mood, I speak from experience

Jalil knows... he had that conversation with Kim in chapter 20... he Knows

“a bit unsupportive” um that is an extreme understatement good grief he was more savage than ME

RISE OF THE KIMAX SHIPPERS

oh don’t worry the venom death still haunts me too

chapter I Hate You... “A rather rotten winter party” well it should have been named A RATHER ROTTEN CHAPTER DO YOU KNOW HOW IMPOSSIBLE THIS ONE WAS TO WRITE OMG I HATE WRITING MYSELF INTO CORNERS

you see I had to have a motive for the timeline twin to explain things properly so that I could put in a really really dumb pun later but that meant I had to unfortunately suffer many allergic reactions again

[future aish note: forgot to mention, i also needed a motive for kim to stop eating chocolate forever, so i had to Curse this chapter as a sacrifice in order to save his life later on]

alright, alright, here we go, I’ll stop procrastinating and just get this over with

oh yeah it’s chapters like these that the fic’s rated T lol

the Adrikim friendship is indeed important... for later... like, plot-relevant levels of important... life-saving levels...

“some event” is the Peace Ball actually and I can’t wait because that chapter’s actually a good one

KIM BRAGGING ABOUT KISSING ADRIEN LAST YEAR IS SO FUCKING FUNNY OH MY GOD I’M LOSING MY MIND???

like last year he was LITERALLY LIKE “oh boo hoo I cannot tell anyone about this because Adrien is Ã Bøyê” and now he’s just like “yeah I kissed a hot boy and what about it???”

to be fair he is on an extreme sugar rush from all the chocolate he ate, which will... be a plot point in just a moment...

PILLOW GIRLFRIEND

I’m the amused nobles, they are me

oh my god Kim we get it you want to kiss someone (Max) and you don’t want to outright say it

holy shit do any of these kids ever think before they speak??? not to sound like the timeline twin or anything but alix... you could have avoided this if you’d bothered to use your one (1) brain cell

[future aish note: bold of me to assume that alix has a brain cell]

Kim wants to now fight his PARALLEL SELF oh my god, get on my level Kim, I want to fight my actual self like right now so there

stfu all of you, this is poisoning my liver

Max is the biggest mood and at least mildly sensible thank god, but he really shouldn’t have left those two alone for even a second

I AGREE PLATONIC LOVE IS UNDERRATED

the chair... the fucking c h a i r... I’m already lying down but I need to lie down harder just to process the absurdity of this

(I think I was gonna have Alix fall off the chair just because that’s hilarious but I forgot)

look I can’t take heartrate seriously but if you ever write it then you are legally required to put in kissing contests or you’re doing it wrong

fudgin Adrienette kiss offscreen and irrelevant

DJWIFI!!! AND ACTUAL PROPER DJWIFI!!!! I was sick of seeing it treated as some kind of pair-the-spares beta couple so I flipped the script and had them literally call out that trope while treating Adrienette as irrelevant instead, which is also why the sequel will be extremely djwifi-centric

“super swanky bae” please stop misusing commoner slang I’m begging you

THERE’S THE PLOT POINT I WAS TALKING ABOUT

Theo was right here, he witnessed with his own eyes how much chocolate Kim ate, so he knows for a fact that if you give Kim chocolate he will scarf it down without a second thought... so hypothetically if one sent him poisoned chocolates... dyou see where I’m going with this...

oh and Theo still has like every job btw

Alya!!!! no!!!!! hire him again!!!!!!!! then he won’t send the chocolates!!!!!!!!!! aaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

there goes me hinting how alyadrininette is the ultimate ot4 again

...do I really wanna scroll down and keep going? no I don’t but I guess I gotta, and relive every one of my most embarrassing school sleepovers in the process

full offence to everyone bothering to read this but kissing sounds gross, actually

(for the record it was probably like... 10 seconds or something idk it was Not Long At All)

“probably not more than 5 minutes” omg I just said it was 10 seconds??? hmmm m okay like 20 seconds maaaybe, Kim just has no sense of time perception

neither do I based on my microwaving skills

SHIT THIS IS LITERALLY A SCHOOL SLEEPOVER

INNOCENT DUMBASS AROACE ASKING “what does that mean? what’s this? what’s that? it’s okay you can tell me :-)”

omg I forgot the snake was there ahshdhdkshfs I’m the snake, probably wants to launch itself out of the window so big mood

most of the fic so far had Alix being really aro so I was like damn... gotta make her really ace too

(if I ever bother writing the Kimdine AU then you actually get an aro character who isn’t ace, because we need more of them, but I won’t say who) (okay fine it’s Luka)

I tend not to be too British in my writing so as not to give the Americans heart attacks whenever they see someone referring to their mother as “mum” etc, but like... sometimes you just gotta throw in the word “snogging”

(I’m typing this out on my phone rn and it has exactly 69% battery, I hate this and also hate that I felt the need to mention that)

THE HOCKEY THING MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN BASED OFF A REAL LIFE THING. *SWEATS NERVOUSLY*

honestly I was soooooo tempted to actually write The Talk bit, it would have been the funniest thing ever, but I was also 99% sure I would have to change the rating to M (despite it not even remotely being smut lol, just a regular biology lesson) and there was no way I was doing that, pretty sure I pushed the T rating at some points as it is

[future aish: god i am still so tempted to write it. man, i’m tempted. it would be the funniest thing. but no... i have sworn not to write anything above a T rating so guess i won’t.]

YEAH THE THROWING UP THING TOO WAS DEFINITELY NOT BASED ON REAL LIFE OR ANYTHING *MORE NERVOUS SWEATING*

(it genuinely wasn’t a flowerpot though. it’s my life’s goal to throw up in a flowerpot and I still haven’t achieved it.)

all of this is an Ace Mood(TM)

also I love how elaborately I’ve worded this, like yeah idiot royal teenagers are too royal and posh to ever bother just saying the word “sex” like a normal person

to any 17 year old aces: you aren’t too young to know, I told myself that aggressively when I was 17 but now I’m 22 and I’m still just as ace as I always was sooooo yeah

I also hope I can wake up tomorrow and forget I read this trash

well tbh... it’s not total trash... it highkey reminds me of my school days, like, maybe that was subconscious or something... god who even knows

jeez if timeline twin slapped me in the face I’d just keel over and die from sheer terror, other than that that’s HILARIOUS

timeline twin: “YOU HAVE ONE (1) BRAIN CELL NOW P L E A S E CONSIDER USING IT”

fuckeninf hell listen,,, so when I was writing this chapter I didn’t know I was aro... I mean, I was kinda questioning it?? but all I knew was I was ace, and that me not knowing that as a teenager almost totally screwed me over because like

to be normal or to feel normal there’s things you do or say that you don’t want, and things you know would happen or whether you want something or not you’ll take it because you think you’re expected to, because otherwise you’ll have to confront yourself with the fact that something is wrong with you and you don’t know what or why or how to fix it

and being aro on top of that is misunderstanding how to navigate close friendships because of this fundamental fear that if you want to be close with someone then friendship can’t suffice, that how much you care about them doesn’t matter

and things I did or almost did, or had the chance to do and only stopped because (awfully enough) crippling anxiety which ironically saved me (let’s just say the dude turned out to be a creep)... yeah basically this is all a callback to that aroace teenager feel where you can’t help not being true to yourself because you don’t want to, because you don’t know what’s wrong or right, only what’s “normal” and the ache of knowing that you’re not, no matter how much you try

and I didn’t know I was aro while writing this but in hindsight it’s easy to see how that played into it too, and writing this definitely played a part in me realizing I’m aro and was somehow trying to work through some very pent-up feelings about friendship and closeness with people, as well as pent-up feelings about being ace and how that tied into everything too

...in short, do not phuck the pharaoh or you will get HOUSE ARRESTED and DIE

(jk jk she’ll just be awkward around you forever lol, and then SHE’LL get house arrested and die, because you’re not commoners so your actions actually have consequences you dumb idiots)

this entire thing is just a whole mood and lowkey my teenage years holy fuck holy fuck I hate that I’m only just realizing how bloody hard I was projecting

I literally read a post the other day about how unrequited love is only ever usually explored from the perspective of the person who’s in love, whereas aros are usually on the receiving end of it and it’s a tragedy in its own right that you might do things that wind up driving you apart because you can’t bring yourself to love them back but you can’t tell them because of the fear that it’ll push them away... and I gotta say, I totally nailed it 💪

...you know what I’ve changed my mind, chapter 34 is good actually, and now I need to make a time machine and go and hug my 17 year old self for living this, and then hug my 20 year old self for writing this, I’m sorry I was mean to this chapter it’s very relatable and I shouldn’t keep beating myself up over it

thinking makes me miserable too!! that’s why it’s optimistic nihilism only lads

impulse control, hmmm... someone who’s good for him, hmmmmmm... it’s almost like someone like that is right there and exists and is already in love with him 😏

so apparently timeline twin’s idea of “fixing her life” is burning all her bridges and then hecking off to the Kazakh wilderness for over a year

did Alix just... ask the snake if it’s aroace too???

I mean it definitely is, but...

UGH SNAKES DON’T BLINK, I’M STILL SO ANGRY ABOUT THIS

chapter 35, thank god, the title “Finally!” is very apt

(because I can finally change the music from Death Valley to something else lol)

oh poor Max, his heart goes on a real rollercoaster these few chapters doesn’t it? it’s okay buddy, in like 10 chapters you’ll get your man...

NO BUT SHE H A S FIGURED IT OUT!!! SORT OF!!!

I just misread “despite” as “despacito”, I’m going to bed and continuing this tomorrow dammit

alright I am now funky refreshed and ready to roll, let’s get this kimax party started

Max is angsting internally like “no one’s realized I like Kim :( well except Juleka but she’s a lesbian so she doesn’t count” ashgdjsghskk that mlm/wlw solidarity is holding out I see

YES ALIX YOU DO NEED TO TALK TO NATH MORE, THAT’S YOUR FREAKING BEST BUD IN THE SHOW MAY I REMIND YOU

this is all so Irony it’s murdering me dead

okay yeah I’m gonna be really honest and salty here for a second, this bit where Max is annoyed that Alix takes Nath more seriously as a contender than him was me being a bit salty over the fact that like... kimnath/tomato ketchup is a great rarepair but got so weirdly popular amongst people who didn’t seem to care about Max as a character at all despite how close he is with Kim in canon, and as a Max Stan it made me sad because he’s already not very appreciated in fandom

[future aish note: HE IS NOW BABEY!]

THERE IT IS

I WANT TO HUG MAX TOO, BLESS HIM

I also want to hug Alix because godddds I’ve been in that situation where if you were allowed to just TELL the idiots that they like each other then all their problems would be solved but noooo, you’re sworn to secrecy... *sigh*

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t change, ever...” me: *thinks about the sequel and cackles evilly while cracking my knuckles* well,,

A R O M A N T I C

listen it was VERY IMPORTANT to me that I actually put in all these actual words in the fic and made them relevant, like gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc (I think the only one I didn’t was trans, oops?? gotta remember that for the sequel, at least Nino IS trans in this even though I never said the word)

[future aish note: i feel like i didn’t say pan either, or nonbinary... more stuff for the sequel folks! i can’t put in everything but i may as well try!]

bc you see all these tv shows where a character is bi but they say they “don’t like labels” or a character with no love interest get suddenly paired up with someone random at the end... like NO I wanted to do the OPPOSITE of that bc people’s identities are IMPORTANT so I wanted to MAKE IT RELEVANT 💪

and even though I didn’t yet know here that I was aro and highkey projecting, there’s already a fair few fics dealing with asexuality but not aromanticism?? so I rly wanted to make the aro side of things important

almost relieved??? Max, you buffoon, she IS relieved, extremely

Malix friendship is good and severely underrated and I still haven’t forgiven myself for not putting more of it in this

“He was never eating chocolate again” HO-HO-HOLY SHIT THAT’S SOME FORESHADOWING RIGHT THERE

Rose is a distinguished bi who doesn’t realize Kim is a disaster bi

Kim oh my god you can’t just out Adrien “just about functional bi” Agreste like that

I love that Rose calls Kim a casanova even though he’s very much not... how many people are even into him over the course of the fic? Max, Adrien, it’s implied Marinette used to be, Lila is ambiguous, same with the lacrosse guy later, oh yeah Ondine highkey lmao along with 90% of the teenage population of Saharan Africa, Kim himself in about 2 chapters time...

Rose giving Kim the gay talk is so blessed omg I need more interaction between these two

“If you swung one way you were gay, if you swung the other way you were straight, more than one way made you bisexual, if you didn’t swing any way at all then you were probably just Alix...” I will literally NEVER be able to outdo this line, this is Peak

hmm I don’t think at any point in the fic Max says to Kim that he’s exclusively into boys... I guess he said it offscreen then lol, point is He’s Gay

OMG KIM, YOU FINALLY REALIZED WHAT THE NOSEBLEED SCENE MEANT, GOD BLESS YOU

this is like in Syren when he realizes the mermaid is Ondine and that she was trying to tell him she likes him... except this is the gay version of that

yeah Rose I really do need to get more sleep, that one was directed at me and I know it was

Kim being all like “fellas is it gay if you take off your shirt and a guy swoons at you 🤔🤔🤔”

no, no... Max is definitely a complete trainwreck at romance, just slightly less than you

god freaking dammit not the sports bra again,,, I s2g later in the fic all Ondine would have had to do is to show up in a sports bra and Kim would immediately go full ot3 mode no questions asked,,,,,,,, (I mean he does see her in a swimsuit but that’s not the same??? sports bras are in a different league okay shush)

psssssst!!! you should read heartbroken!!!! it’s a kimax fic and it’s so good!!!!! this was a lowkey shoutout!!!!!!!!

genuinely tho, even if Kim hadn’t liked Max too here, he’s being so sweet about it?? he’s worried about his poor friend’s emotional state and wishes he could have done better to help!! gahhhh their friendship/relationship is just So Blessèd

hsndhkdhdkshdh I only noticed it after finishing the fic and occasionally skimming back through, but so much of the time whenever Alix shows up Kim’s all like *ungrateful* “oh not you again” like WOW that’s one way to greet your friend?? mood tho

[future aish note: i did the exact opposite in No Romo, funnily enough! kim’s not in it much but whenever he sees alix he’s like “friend!!! friend!!!!!” and she’s just like -_- “oh it’s that guy again”]

he’s not even paying attention to her omg she’s trying to save the timeline here you idiot

POOR ALIX how frustrating,,, and also I’ve literally been there,,, the woes of being a wing-girl indeed

and now Kim wants to fight himself, why am I not surprised

aND YES HERE’S WHERE IT HITS HIM, THE EXACT FUCKING MOMENT

WHERE HE’S SUDDENLY LIKE “OH WAIT MAX’S LOVE FOR ME ISN’T UNREQUITED??? I LIKE HIM TOO HOLY SHIT????”

aaaaaaand he immediately asks the aro for love advice, why is he like this omg

gosh this is sooooo sweeeeeet

I did not let up, did I? just went ahead and made this as cheesy and cutesy and over the top as I could because It’s What Kimax Deserves

(there wasn’t rly much Kimax content yet in the fandom at this point so I had total free reign and went all-out with it)

sfjsgskdhs and there goes Alix getting her wing-efforts sidelined again

“I’m never asking out someone on a whim again. Or, uh, confessing that I like someone on a whim either.” so uh... you know how I said I’m considering making the sequel Kimaxdine? well if I do then uh. hm. this might change. because reasons.

I don’t know why I made nothing Alix ever says make sense but I’m glad I did because she’s so freaking funny

I swear I talk about Max’s eyes being “magnified in his glasses” multiple times in this fic, either that or I’m having serious deja vu

Kim’s so cute dammit!!! now that he knows he likes Max he’s just swooning over every little thing and it’s!!!! adorable!!!!!

(I wonder if this is how it was with Kimdine in the show? it does seem like Kim already liked her but just hadn’t noticed...)

huehuehuehue Kim later on you do indeed recklessly propose to Max on the spot... in like 18 chapters or so

also the fact that Kim thinks things through better when he’s around Max is just the total sweetest and also what Alix was basically trying to aim for

I love Kim showing off that he can pack all his stuff in half an hour like buddy, the porters can literally help you with that, you’re royalty remember

omg I’d forgotten I left a note here later for binge-readers!! being all like “drink water and eat food and go to sleep uwu”

lmao guess I’ll take my own advice then and leave it there for now

[future aish note: same, goodnight]

[sherlock-one-shots]

What You Like

requested by: anonymous

‘Could you do like a one-shot or imagine where the reader is the younger sister of Irene Adler and the reader and Irene are the complete opposite of each other. Like the reader is very submissive and Sherlock has a crush on the reader’

warnings: none that I can think of

this was written very quickly on my phone so if there are any typos please forgive me! I tried to go back through and find them all...

~*~*~*~

If you were to ask anyone who Irene Adler was, a few may spout trivia about her based on news reports and rumors, and even her website (though a few would deny it). She wasn’t discreet, quiet, or shy.

Now, if you were to ask those same people who YN Adler was, you would get blank looks from every single one.

She wasn’t well known for scandals and affairs, nudes, or for being controversial. Unlike Irene, she WAS discreet, quiet, and very shy.

That was the first thing Sherlock Holmes saw as he stared at the two side by side. Irene sat confidently, her arms spread over the arm rests of the leather chair she sat in, her shoulders back and head high as she stared, unwaveringly, into his eyes. YN stared anywhere but Sherlock, keeping her arms tucked and folded against her, legs crossed and barely uttering a syllable.

Irene was dominant- a challenge and challenger.

YN was submissive and avoided arguments.

Which was, in part, why Sherlock directed all of his questions to her. She never expected to be directly spoken to, not with Irene around, and she stuttered over her answers.

It wasn’t until John, who was still getting over the fact that Irene was alive...again, sent him a glare that he stopped, easing up in his torturing you, and turning back to your sister who sat beside you, a scowl on her face now as well.

“I’m summary,” Sherlock concluded. “You’re worried for her safety?”

Irene nodded. “Very.”

“And what are we to do about it?” He wondered.

Irene looked to you and you pulled your phone from your pocket handing it over to her. She then passed it to Sherlock, who took it and scrolled through.

“What is this?”

“That is her Twitter.” Irene explained. Sherlock then looked to you.

“And what am I looking for?”

Irene went to answer, but Sherlock held up a hand signaling for her to be silent.

“Well,” you began quietly. “I wasn’t too worried about it really but Irene insisted-those are my direct messages and I’ve been getting a few from the same person that are....not very nice.”

Irene shook her head, furious over the situation. “She’s being kind and modest, she’s getting hate mail and death threats.”

Sherlock scrolled through another set of messages and found what they were talking about. Over and over, almost hourly, she was getting what Irene called ‘hate mail’.”

“And why would someone send hate mail to someone who hasn’t done anything?” John wondered, looking at the trio before him.

“Her connection to me, I’m assuming.”

She saw Sherlock smirking as he read through them.

“What’s so funny, Mr. Holmes?” Irene wondered, leaning forward. He wouldn’t tell if she was amused or annoyed, but he ignored her.

“‘Why would someone send hate mail to someone who hasn’t done anything’, is that what you asked?”

John nodded. “Yeah, I’m glad you’re finally listening.”

Sherlock then turned back to Irene.

“And these threats? How did you see them?”

“I glanced over her shoulder one evening.” She shrugged. “I did so just as one came through.”

He nodded, turning to you.

“And what have you told her?”

“Well-I- I mean I haven’t been able to tell her anything.” You shrugged.

He nodded with a triumphant smile.

He handed the phone back to you and only you, grinning at you.

“Carry on.” He nodded to you and you smiled back, nodding.

His smile only widened.

“I don’t understand.” John muttered.

“You’re quite smart, you know. Much smarter then you let on.” Sherlock told you, ignoring John.

“Thank you.” You answered. With the praise, you had become more confinement and it was the first time you had spoken above a mutter. They heard you clearly and Sherlock wondered, for a moment, why you didn’t speak more often. Your voice was clear and light, but beautiful.

You both smiled at each other until John cleared his throat.

“I don’t have anymore middle names.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes, Irene smirked, and you looked between them all confused.

“Alright, but I still don’t understand, how did you get all that?”

“Someone doesn’t receive hate mail often for nothing at all. Sometimes it happens, sadly, but it’s no common. She’s....provoked someone, for lack of a better word. She doesn’t speak much in real life but on Twitter she doesn’t mind speaking out.” He explained. “She merely corrected someone with misinformation and they became defensive. Nothing more.”

Irene nodded, understanding now. “And what about this person. They’re a threat to her.”

Sherlock thought for a moment. “Perhaps, but I’ve got an appointment. Perhaps, Miss Adler-YN,” he quickly clarified. “We could talk tomorrow over lunch about safety and safety measures I believe oh should take.”

You nodded as you stood, everyone following suite.

John walked to Irene out to the stairs while you stayed behind.

“Where should we meet then?” You asked.

Sherlock smoked again. “You’re not in any danger. I looked at the profile, a twelve year old girl from California isn’t much of a threat to you now, is she?”

You shook your head and laughed. “No. Then why did you suggest meeting.”

He took a deep breath and you could tell he was going out on a limb. This was all new to him and he didn’t properly know how to ask, just how to get you both alone.

“I wondered if, maybe, you would still like to catch lunch with me tomorrow-dinner even, if that works for you.” You stared at him wondering a bit if this was a joke and he saw you needed the reassurance. “Your clever, if your Twitter is any indication, and....” he didn’t want to say beautiful, that was too cliche...true, but cliche. “....you are, to me....aesthetically pleasing.” He saw your brown furrow at his odd compliment, but you said nothing. He didn’t know what else to say. “I would simply like to get to know you, the real you, not the you hiding behind your big sister.”

The confusion on your face melted away at his little confession and you smiled.

“Just tell me when and where. I should, I’m, probably give you my number? If that’s okay?”

“Yes of course, of course.” He fumbled around the desk, finding a pen and paper.

You wrote it down hastily, aware of Irene and John both waiting.

You handed it to him and he could tell your hand was shaking as you help it out. He took it and put it in his breast pocket until he could put it into his phone.

“I text you tonight, then.”

She smiled and, before a blush could make an appearance, though he would’ve liked to see it, you turned away and walked outside.

John put on his coat, paying no attention now to Irene, who stood next to Sherlock.

“A bit mean, you know.” He commented lowly enough John couldn’t hear.

“What’s that?”

“Plotting this. Sending those messages so you could lure her here.” Irene looked up at him in surprise. “Don’t worry, it’s not my secret to tell. Honestly, I’m glad you did it, even if it did become a little harsh in the end.”

“She had to believe it.” Irene shrugged. “She needed a boyfriend, you needed a girlfriend-“

He was going to protest-he didn’t NEED a girlfriend- but John turned, handing Sherlock’s coat to him.

“And why did you bring her to me? What made you think I would take a liking to her?” He wondered.

She smirked up at him as John turned away.

“Because I know what you like.”

She left him with that, brushing last John on her way out, muttering her goodbye.

You were waiting on the sidewalk, wrapping your coat around you.

“Come along. We have shopping to do.” She announces happily, smiling ear to ear.

“Shopping? For?”

“Your date.” She beamed.

“What dat-how do you know?!”

“Oh you two whisper with a megaphone. Come on, I’m going to help you and get you ready for it.”

“Why?” You wondered. Sure Irene had taken an interest in your dating life before, but had never taken you shopping for a date, nor was she ever this excited.

“Because I know what he likes.”

[justalittleofmyworld]

The luckiest (Ashton Imagine) - Request

You can ask for a request here 

So thanks to @laserbeamsky for her lovely request. It’s my first Ashton stuff and I’m kinda proud of it - I wouldn’t have written it if it wasn’t a request, I always write about Luke idk why, so thanks for taking me out of my comfort zone. I hope you really enjoy it! 

(Sorry in advance for any typos or grammar mistakes, I wrote it while I was on the bus and although I already revised, it may contain some of them)

Warnings: none

You step out of the car and look at Ashton nervously. He smiles and put his hand in the small of your back, guiding you towards the front door of the house. “Everything’s gonna be fine, Y/N” he says, kissing your temple and then he rings the doorbell. You take a deep breath while you hear some movement behind the door. It suddenly opens and a pretty girl appears, smile on her face.

“Hey Ash, finally,” she says and gives your boyfriend a quick hug. She turns to you and smiles even wider. “Y/N, right?” she asks and you nod smiling and she hugs you too. “I’m Crystal, I was dying to meet you.” she exclaims and almost drags you to inside the house. “They’re in the backyard, you know the way” she turns to Ashton and he takes your hand, taking you with him through the living room to the big glass doors outside. Some music plays from an unknown source and you can hear someone laughing loudly. When you step outside, you find three boys, bottle of beer in hand, laughing over some goofy comment.

“C'mon, you’ve started without us?” Ashton asks them and the boys came and greeted him. “Guys, this is Y/N” he introduces you, almost proudly and you smile shyly.

“The famous Y/N” one of the blond boys says and approaches you to hug you quickly. “I’m Luke, and these are Michael and Calum” he says and the other two follow and give you the same welcome.

“Don’t let them fool you, I’m the only decent one in this group” Michael says and you giggle.

“Yeah, sure” Calum says, “I don’t even know how you have a girlfriend” he exclaims and handles you a cold beer that you gladly accept. “First one’s on the house” he smiles at you. “C'mon, have a sit”

You sit in one of the chairs and the conversation flow easily among you. Once you realise, a couple of hours have passed and any of you have noticed about it. The boys are an infinite source of funny stuff, from anecdotes from the tours to dad jokes. You also collaborate with some of your own anecdotes and surprise them with some goofy things they don’t even know about Ashton, things that make him blush like they’ve never seen before. During all this time, your boyfriend has watched how you leave your shyness behind and make yourself a place in the group, like it wasn’t the first time they meet you. Beer after beer, he’s sure that you’ll fit perfectly with all of them, with their stupid things and lazy evenings like that one.

“One you’re not even a little drunk?” Luke asks you while putting down his own empty bottle, red cheeks flushing. “How many beers have you already had?”

“I don’t know… Four? Maybe five?” You answer and a laugh escapes your mouth at the frowning boy in front of you.

“She’s such a hard rock, I tell you” Ashton adds. He takes advantage of one moment you get up from your chair to sit you in his lap. “She’d beat all of us in a shot competition without blinking.”

“Even Cal?” Luke questions and you laugh again while Ashton nods effusively.

“Not in a mood for shots today but any other day? I’m ready to win a competition” Calum looks at you like challenging you and you respond to him the same way.

“Challenge accepted, Hood” you reply, and then he offers you a fist pump and the two of you end laughing.

“Oh c'mon!” Michael huffed, “You cannot be this perfect. Not even Crystal is” he says and his girlfriend hits his shoulder, pretending to be offended. “I’m serious, is there anything you can’t do? What about videogames?”

“Well…”, you start “I’m not that bad, actually”

“Y/N, you are officially challenged to beat me in a videogame” he solemnly says and he enters into the house. Still wondering if he’s being serious, the group moves to the living room, where Michael is looking through his collection of games. You know that you are going to lose. Playing against him? Ashton already told you how good he is. You take a sit on the sofa and wait for the blond to pick a game. When he finally shows it to you all, you throw your hands in the air, joyful, and Ashton laughs.

“What’s so funny?” Luke asks confused. “It’s only Mario Kart”

“That’s the funny thing” your boyfriend looks at Michael still with a smile on his face. “Be prepare to die, mate”

Only four of you play the game, Luke and Ashton prefer watching it from the outside. You choose playing with Luigi and the game starts. You stay in second place for the 2 first laps, not far from Michael, who’s winning. He tries to sabotage you by throwing all types of traps, but just towards the end of the third and final lap, you’re able to throw him a weapon which makes him go out of the road, making him curse. You cannot help jump from the sofa when the little man on the green jumpsuit crosses the finish line, crowning you as the winner. Michael looks at you while the rest congratulate you.

“I guess that was a fair competition” he says, offering you his hand, which you gladly shake.

“That’s my girl” Ashton appears from behind you and turns your body, so he can pull you in a quick kiss. The boys holler around you but far from being embarrassed, you enjoy it and smile on your boyfriend’s lips.

“So…” Luke speaks, “she’s funny, a beer champion, a Mario Kart goddess, she’s not blonde…” he emphasises and the rest of them laughs at some kind of joke you don’t get. “You better take care of her, man” he says to Ashton.

“I know” he responds, putting his hands on your waits and putting a light kiss on your hair.

//

You wake up the next morning with the lightest headache, the light coming through the curtains making you scrunch your eyes and close them again. Then you realise about the soft touch on your shoulder. Ashton continues drawing little circles on your skin while you start to adapt to the clarity of the room.

“Good morning” he mumbles and leaves a sweet peck on the same place he was touching a second before. “We forgot to close the curtains last night” he says with a raspy tone and you put you arm over your eyes, shielding them from the light.

“Oh really?” you joke and giggle. He puts his head on your chest and you start to play with his hair, feeling how relaxing it is for him. “Don’t fall asleep again” your warn him, continuing touching his messy bed hair while he hums softly in response. You move one of your hands to the bedside table and reach for your phone, curious to see what time it is. It is probably late, as the night before you arrived later than expected after hanging with the boys. You smile at the good memories but soon you frown your eyebrows. Your phone screen shows you hundreds of notifications, lots of new people following you and liking all your tweets and photos on Instagram.

You get up and Ashton does with you while you rest your back on the headboard. He return back to the pillow, sleepy, as you continue watching how your social media has gone crazy. When you find the reason of all the chaos, after a minute, you cannot do other thing than opening your eyes in surprise.

“Wow” you’re able to say, watching the screen.

“What?” Ashton asks sleepily from his place by your side.

“And you ask what?” you exclaim, nearly shoving your phone in your boyfriend’s face.

He opens his eyes for a second and looks at the screen to close them again. “Oh, that” he says and a smirk spreads on his face.

You watch his smile and kiss him on the forehead, returning your attention to the phone. You remember the moment in which the photo was taken, late last night, still at Michael’s. In the photo, you’re on Ashton’s lap, your head in his shoulder, cuddled in his embrace while you were almost falling sleep, and he was placing a kiss on top of your head. You remember Luke saying how cheesy you were and how he was taking a photo so he had proof of it. It was a beautiful picture, to be honest, but you didn’t expect the man beside to be uploading it to Instagram. Not at least as the first photo of you two as a couple.

You read the caption and your heart skips a beat, a silly smile appearing on your lips.

“So… are we officially official now?” you inquire. He drags you down to the mattress and pulls you in a hug. “Wow, that’s a really big step, Irwin.”

“It’s not like I needed to confirm anything but… I guess I just wanted the world to know how much you mean to me” he says and you hug him more.

I “I love you, Ash” you murmur.

He turns his body and hovers yours. “Really?” You nod and he captures your lips in his for a moment. “Well,” he whispers, stating his way down your neck, “let me show you how much I love you then.”

I want a thousand nights like tonight, but only if she sleeps in my arms each one of them. Feeling the luckiest man in the world.

.

[hanramz-the-fander]

Die a Happy Man

Soooo... I took a vote on Amino, and this song fic is the result...

This is going to be a bit different cause I created Trans!Virgil, so we’ll see how that goes...

Also, Roman is a head taller.

Pairing: Prinxiety

Warnings: Mentions of transphobia, self hate talk, a panic attack, and some overly sweet fluff. Read at your own discretion. (Please let me know if I missed anything!)

Word Count: 4074 (By far the longest I have yet written!)

Let me know about typos and other errors, critisism is welcome!

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​Roman walked into the coffee shop at the same time he always did and ordered the same thing he always ordered, but when he turned away from the counter, he paused. A small figure sitting in the corner had caught his eye. They wore dark clothing, very unlike his own white garments, and they seemed upset.

As he stood there, the object of his attention seemed to feel his gaze and looked up, and Roman froze. They were gorgeous! He gathered himself and walked over to introduce himself. "Sorry if I was staring, I saw that you looked upset and was wondering if I should come and see if you were ok. My name's Roman." The -boy?- sat there for a minute before replying "I'm Anxiety". "May I sit down?" "Sure, if you want."

​Roman took the seat opposite Anxiety and asked "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine. And why do you care, we just met." They looked rather nervous, and the princely man thought carefully on how to proceed. "Well, I love to help people and rescue them from whatever may be ailing them. It's no more than a prince would do, and I do try to live up to those standards." Anxiety scoffed "A prince? Really? So now I'm just one more charity case, a tally mark for your self esteem? No thanks". "What? No! I don't do charity, I just like to help people! But if you don't want help, fine, I'll leave you to your misery. You obviously don't need me around for that." Roman was quite shocked at the thought of helping people as a charity, he genuinely enjoyed talking people through issues in their lives. But this character didn't seem to want help, so he started to get up to leave. Then he felt a hand on his arm. "No, wait! I- gosh I'm an idiot. I'm sorry, I get defensive and snarky when I meet people, please, don't leave..."

​Roman sat back down slowly. "Well, what's up?" Anxiety sighed and ran their hands through their hair. "It's kind of a lot," they muttered. "How long do you have?" "As long as it takes," Roman said quietly. The dark one hesitated, "I know I look like a guy but I'm not... I'm a trans female, I use she/her pronouns."

Roman was elated. He'd never met a trans before, and he got excited. "Really? That's so cool! How did you know?" Anxiety was surprised that the other hadn't run off when she told him, everyone else had. "Well, everyone was using he/him pronouns, but it just felt wrong, and a couple years ago I was reading about others who had the same problem, and that's when I realized I was a girl." "That's great, welcome to the LGBT+ community!" "Thanks- wait, are you part of it to?" Roman grinned. "Yeah, I'm pansexual, have been for a long time." Anxiety smiled back timidly, and Roman nearly swooned. She had a beautiful smile.

"So what has you sitting here so dejected?" The smile faded. "A couple weeks ago I came out to my parents... They didn't take it very well." "Oh no," Roman whispered, "what happened?" "They disowned me... and then they outed me to everyone I knew. They gave me 2 hours to pack and get out. So I got on a train and just rode 'til I got here. I've been living in a hotel since I arrived."

Roman couldn't believe what he was hearing. "They outed you to everyone? How could they, how could anyone do that? That's despicable!" Anxiety gave a dry laugh. "I'll tell you how, they're Catholic, the most rigid form of any religion ever to exist. They thought I was bad enough without this on top of it." "Well all I have to say is screw them, and you won't have to live in a hotel anymore. You're coming with me." She stared at him. "What? I- what are you saying?" Roman smiled warmly at her, "I'm saying to pack your bags, you're coming to live with me. And no arguing, my mind is made up. You need someone to take care of you and I can do that. Let's go to the hotel to get your stuff." "But-" "Ah, I said no arguing. Come on. Oh, and did I mention that I have a mansion?"

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Baby, last night was hands down

One of the best nights that I've had, no doubt

Between the bottle of wine and the look in your eyes and the Marvin Gaye

Then we danced in the dark under September stars in the pouring rain

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Anxiety had been living with Roman for about a month when he opened her door an said "Put on something nice, we're going out." She stared at him blankly. "Nicer than what, and where are we going?" He just smiled and gestured to her sweatpants and t-shirt. "Anything is nicer than that." "Hey, don't insult my comfort like that!" she said, acting hurt. "I need my comfy clothes!" "Alright, alright," he laughed. "Just get dressed, we're leaving in twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes later

When Anxiety walked down the stairs wearing black skinny jeans and a tightly fitting t-shirt Roman's breath hitched. She was dressed so casually but looked so good. She clapped in his face and said "Hello, earth to Roman! Are we going or not?" He mentally shook himself and looked away. "Yeah, let's go."

During the drive Anxiety kept asking "Where are we going?" but he just shook his head with a smile and said "You'll see".

They eventually arrived at a small Italian restaurant near a river. Anxiety looked at Roman questioningly, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. "Why are we here?" Roman smiled "Well I thought it might be nice to get out of the house for a while". As they walked in and were led to a table, she noticed that he didn't let go of her hand, and it didn't seem like he planned on doing so. Her cheeks grew warm and she thought, What? I can't have a crush on him! I've only known him for a month! And he could never like me, I'm just someone he's taking care of out of pity... While they were being seated he did finally let go, and Anxiety tried to hide her blush with the hair she was growing out.

Later, when they were almost done eating, Roman asked suddenly, "What's your name? I mean, I know you go by Anxiety, but what's your real name? You don't have to tell me if you don't want, I was just wondering". "No, I don't mind telling you, I just-" she paused for a moment "- I really don't like it and I want to find a new one. My name is Virgil. It's a guy's name so I want to change it." Roman smiled softly. "I like that name. And I would be glad to help you find a new one if you want." "Thanks for the offer, but why do you even care? I'm just someone you're taking care of until I get on feet. You don't need to help me, you don't need to care..." Virgil's voice trailed off and she looked at the floor. Roman was shocked. "Of course I care, why wouldn't I? You're not just a charity case, or anything like that, you're a human being who is sweet and kind and funny, and a pleasure to be around. I don't think I could stop caring about you if I tried! Trust me, you're an easy person to care about. Now, about your name, is it alright if I call you Virgil for now, or do you want me to call you something else?"

It took a minute for Virgil to process that speech. When she did she said quietly, "Please don't call me Virgil, if you don't mind." "Very well, then, how about I call you Angel, cause you seem as close as you can get to being one." The nickname and compliment made her blush darkly, and she muttered, "That's fine I guess." Roman grinned "Alright then Angel, how about some wine to finish the meal?"

The wine made Angel feel bolder and more at ease, and they talked freely for a long time. Finally, Roman decided it was time to leave. He paid for the meal and they walked out, but when they didn't walk back to the car Angel asked, "Where are we going now?" Roman replied with the same infuriating "You'll see". He led her along the riverbank, and they came to a small flat area clear of trees. Roman pulled out his phone and turned on a song. He said to Angel "May I have this dance?" Angel froze for a minute, surprised, before slowly putting her hand in his. As he pulled her close he thought She is truly beautiful. I wish I could tell her... but she would never feel the same. I'll just enjoy this dance while I can.

As they swayed to the music it suddenly started to rain. Roman swore and stopped, but Angel didn't let go and whispered, "I like the rain. Let's keep going". He looked at her for a moment, at the way her eyes were shining, at how wonderful she looked in the rain, before he pulled her closer than they had been. They danced slowly, gazing at each other, each wanting to say what they were thinking, neither having the courage to do so.

Eventually Angel started shivering, so Roman took her hand once again and they walked back to the car. It was a silent ride home, each lost in their own thoughts. When they pulled in, Roman was about to get out when Angel stopped him and smiled gently. "Thank you for tonight, Roman. I had a good time." He smiled back "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Angel. I hope we can do it again sometime." "Yeah, that'd be nice." With that they got out of the car, walked into the house and went to bed, and that night they dreamed of dancing through the night.

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That red dress brings me to my knees

But that black dress makes it hard to breathe

You're a saint, you're a goddess, the cutest, the hottest, a masterpiece

It's too good to be true, nothin’ better than you in my wildest dreams

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It had been six months when Roman said, "Hey, there's a party this weekend, you want to go?" "But I don't have anything to wear!" Angel whined. "Well then we'll go shopping. Let's go."

Timeskip to the store

When Angel walked into the clothing store her jaw dropped. It was huge. And when Roman said to pick anything she liked, she squealed and ran off, leaving him to laugh and follow behind. When he finally caught up he found her looking through the dresses. She looked up at him shyly. "I've never worn a dress before. Do you think that would be ok?" "Of course, Angel, why wouldn't that be ok? You're a girl, you're allowed to wear girly things." She grinned excitedly. "Thanks Roman!" With that she grabbed a few dresses and dashed off to a changing room.

He wandered around for a few minutes before he heard "Hey, Roman, can you come look?" He walked to the door of the room she was in. "Here I am, what did you want me to see...." His voice failed him as she opened the door and he saw her in a short, tight dress that left little to the imagination. He felt his face flush the same red as the fabric as she stood quietly, waiting for his opinion. "Well? Do you like it?" she asked nervously. He cleared his throat and said carefully "It's great, I do like it. Uh, it looks nice on you." She smiled happily "Thanks! Now I'm going to try on another!" She spun around and closed the door again. He looked absently through the clothes around the changing room until she called again. "Roman, I'm ready!"

This time, when she opened the door, Roman froze. He forgot how to breathe, forgot how to think, forgot everything but the figure in front of him. She was wearing a long black evening gown that fit her perfectly, and she looked stunning. When he started coming back to himself, he heard "... you okay? Can you even hear me?" He shook himself. "No, yeah, I can hear you. Sorry, it's just... wow. That is magnificent. We are definitely getting you that one." She giggled and twirled. Wait, is she blushing? That is so cute- no, keep yourself together, Roman. No thinking like that. "Well, then, are you ready to go, or do you want to look for something else?" "No, these will do, as you clearly seem to like them." She grinned cheekily when he started turning red again.

"Alright, let me just go pay for this-" "No, Angel, I'm buying them for you." "But- no- I can't ask you-" "You're not asking, I'm telling. I want to buy the dresses for you. Please, let me do this." Angel sighed. "I just don't like being beholden to anyone. I guess it's fine, you can buy them." Roman smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Thank you Angel. And you won't be beholden to me, it's a gift." Having said this, he paid for the dresses and they walked out, and if you asked Angel if she stayed a little closer to Roman than she had before, she would deny it to her last breath.

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I don't need no vacation

No fancy destination

Baby you're my great escape

We could stay at home

Listen to the radio

And dance around the fireplace

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The evening of the party, Angel realized that she had never seen Roman dressed up before. He was wearing a marvelous suit that not only fit his figure perfectly but also seemed to fit his personality. It was such a deep yet vibrant black, and his tie was a dark blue with red stripes. She couldn't help but stare, he looked good in a suit.

She herself was wearing the black dress that he seemed to like so much, so not only was she staring at him, but he was staring at her! She forced herself to stop mentally screaming and sauntered over to him. "Well, don't you look spiffy?" He didn't respond for a minute. Then he smiled "Thanks, you don't look half bad yourself". She mock-gasped "'Don't look half bad'? Really? I would think you could do better than that." He laughed "Alright, fine, you look great. Now, we should get going if we want to get there on time."

Timeskip

When they arrived at the party, Roman noticed that Angel was fidgeting and looked quite nervous. He reached over and put his hand on hers and said reassuringly "It's ok, you're gonna be fine." She smiled shakily and took a deep breath. "Ok. Thanks."

They walked inside, and immediately Angel was turning heads, some not in a good way. She clung to Roman and whispered, "They're staring. They probably think I'm despicable. This was a mistake." Roman stopped walking and turned towards her. "Angel, look at me. It doesn't matter what they think. You are beautiful and you look amazing in that dress. You have nothing to fear while you're with me." She stood there looking at him, then threw herself at him in a hug. "Thank you Roman. That means a lot." He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "You are very welcome, my dear."

They finally stepped back and went on, finding food and drink, Roman introducing her to some of his friends. Music was playing, and some people were dancing to it. After a while a song came on that made Angel pause. She turned to Roman excitedly. "This is the song we danced to in the rain! Come on!"

She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to the dance floor. Roman was surprised at this sudden outburst, but her smile was so big that he couldn't help but smile back and dance with her. They got lost in each other's eyes, and eventually Roman pressed their foreheads together. Angel gazed at him for a moment, but then she turned away and buried her face in his chest.

This made him pause. He then noticed that her breathing was fast and erratic, and that she was clutching his shirt and trembling. He whispered to her, "Hey, you alright?" She just shook her head and held on tighter. "What's wrong?" She just shook her head again and the trembling got worse. Roman was really getting worried. "Ok, I'm getting you out of here." He bent down to pick her up  bridal style and carried her away from the dance floor. He carried her out to the car and put her gently in the back seat. Then he got in the car and drove toward home. Good thing we live so close. I hope she's ok.

They got back to the house, and by now Angel was sobbing. Roman carefully picked her back up and carried her inside and laid her on the couch. She immediately curled into a ball and cried harder. Roman didn't know what to do, so he went with his instinct: he sat down next to her and pulled her onto his lap, encircling her in a hug. He just held her as she sobbed, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, and he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

After a while the crying slowed, and she started to uncurl herself. When she realized she was sitting on Roman, her eyes grew wide and she scrambled backwards, apologizing profusely, and she started crying again. Roman quickly knelt down next to the couch. "No, hey, it's ok, what's wrong?" "It-I- just- I- I- can't-" "Shhh, it's okay, you don't need to talk, I can wait." He kept doing his best to calm her down, and soon enough she was calm enough to say quietly "Why are you so nice to me..." Roman responded with calm intensity. "How could I be anything but kind to you? I care about you, Angel." "But why? Why do you care? I'm nothing, I don't matter, I'm not worth anything... You should just let me go and find someone who's worth your time..."

Roman was shocked: how could anyone think so badly about themselves? "Angel, look at me. You are not worthless. You matter. I care about you because you are sweet and funny and kind and beautiful and so many other wonderful things. Angel- you are worth everything I could possibly give you. I care about you and nothing will ever change that." She was stunned. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. After a moment she tackled Roman in a hug, and he laughed and hugged her back. They sat there for a while, just enjoying each other's company, when Roman said, "Hey Angel." "Mmm?" "I thought of a new name for you." She sat up and almost screamed with excitement. "What is it, what is it?" Her reaction made him laugh. "Well, I have several that you can choose from. You have Beatrice, Sarah, Sharon, Gail, Nicole, Victoria and Vivian." "Wow, they're all so pretty. What do they mean?" "Beatrice means 'she who makes others happy', Sarah and Sharon both mean 'princess', Gail means 'gay or lively one', Nicole means 'victory of the people', Victoria means 'victory', and Vivian means 'alive'."

Angel pondered for a few minutes. They were all so nice, but did any of the meanings apply to her? "Roman? Why these names?" He suddenly seemed shy. "They all have meanings that are something I see in you that you don't, so I wanted you to have a name that reminded you of those things." She smiled and took his hand. "That's really sweet of you, thank you. Hmmm... I think I like Vivian the best." "But that's so similar to your old name." "I know, but it will remind me that I am alive and have things to live for. Roman, thank you for the wonderful options, they were great. And... sorry for making you leave the party... I know you were really looking forward to it, and I had to go and have an attack, I'm really sorry I ruined the evening-" "Let me stop you right there. Vivian, you didn't ruin anything. The only reason I went to that party was so I could take you. To me, it doesn't matter what we do, so long as we do it together. I care about you so much, I-" He stopped and looked at the ground. "'I' what, Roman?" He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. "I love you, Vivian."

Her world froze. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, all she could do was stare in disbelief at her crush of many months. He liked her back! He loved her! How can this be happening?! She couldn't have stopped her next words even if she had tried.

"I love you too."

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And I know that I can't ever tell you enough

That all I need in this life is your crazy love

If I never get to see the Northern Lights

Or if I never get to see the Eiffel Tower at night

If all I got was your hand in my hand,

Baby, I could die a happy man

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They had been dating for over a year now, and Vivian knew that Roman was planning something. He would be on his laptop, but when she walked in the room, he would immediately close whatever he had been looking at and try to look innocent. She knew something was up.

That's why, a couple weeks later, when Roman said they were going out for dinner, she was instantly suspicious. Of course, her anxious mind went Oh no, he doesn't like me anymore, he's going to break up with me, what did I do, oh no oh noohnoohno- calm down, it couldn't be that serious, honestly. Be realistic. But what if- no, we're not going there. Zip it!

That night, Vivian found herself walking into the same Italian restaurant they had eaten at on their first night out all that long time ago. She remembered that so fondly. This night was much the same, eating, drinking, talking and talking about anything and everything. Then, just as before, he rose and took her hand, and they walked to the little clearing, not talking, each enjoying the other's presence.

When they reached the clearing, they stood, lost in thought, for what felt like hours. But Vivian was shaken from those thoughts when Roman's hand left hers. She turned, and he was facing her with his hands behind his back. He said, "Vivian, we've been together for a long while now, and I've enjoyed every second of it. But now, looking to the future, there's no one else I'd rather have by my side than you. Even if I never got to do great things, or go places, having you with me would be enough. I would give up everything, even my dream of seeing the Northern Lights, to be with you and to make you happy.”

Then he got down on one knee, bringing his hands forward to show a small velvet box. "You are the love of my life, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Vivian, will you marry me?"

Her eyes were wide, her breaths were short. She could barely comprehend what was happening. Once she finally understood what he had said, she screamed as she tackled him "Yes! Yes, of course I will!" Then they were laughing and crying, and he slipped the ring onto her finger. They gazed at each other in utter bliss, until they leaned forward and kissed so hard it took their breath away.

And they lived happily ever after.

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For their honeymoon, Vivian, who Roman still sometimes calls Angel, planned a trip to see the Northern Lights, just for Roman. And sometimes, on their anniversary, she will secretly plan a trip to someplace new and exciting to surprise him, and he loves her all the more for it.

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Well, that was quite the ride! Hope you enjoyed it!