#This also became a bit of an 'about me' spiel oops again

[omar-rudeberg]

Omg I have been loving your Parallel posts and reading your take away from different scenes. Especially the one you did on colour theories!! How did you learn about all the meaning behind tiny details and nuances? And do you really think they had all of those details so intentionally in their minds when they were creating it? Specifically things like Wille always being surrounded by blue (the Queens outfit for his first statement, his scarf, his bed covers etc), and how golds and yellow kind of followed Simon. I also loved what you wrote about character growth with the two parallel of the boys at the windowsill and the two scenes in the music room.

I just think to be able to notice these seemingly insignificant details and take such clear intention from them is amazing insight on your part and it’s been so interesting to read them then go rewatch the series with all that in mind.

I really hope you’ve got more thoughts to write!

I need you to know that first and foremost I am jaw-droppingly surprised that you took the time to pop in with this message, and it’s so thoughtful and considerate !! Thank you so much ?!

My Young Royals Parallels posts are the first seeds of ideas I thought others may possibly be interested in, and the first content I really made, so they’re like my little babies - thank you for treating them with so much TLC !!

Look, in terms of whether or not the show’s creators had every single minute detail that I’ve alluded to in the front of their minds when planning and shooting the series... no. I don’t think so. Some of it I believe was definitely intentional - all the B L U E in the boys’ end of episode 4 sequence? I’d have a hard time believing that was coincidence, especially with the removal of all their blankets and deep blue pillows for the start of episode 5. The Queen I’m on the fence about, as blue has been a Swedish royal colour for a long, long time, but I do think some of Simon’s golden imagery was very planned. Specifically the “We haven’t done anything wrong.” scene, where the blues & golds (or orange & teal, if you follow modern mainstream film critical colour theory) are screaming that they’ve been put there to serve a higher purpose.

Whether the writers / directors / set designers / costumers / cinematographers had all of this planned out to the tiniest detail or not though is, in my mind, irrelevant. I subscribe to the death of the author theory, which I believe I may have alluded to in my post about ‘blue curtains’. Once a piece of Art is released into the world, there is birthed an Audience for the Art. And this Audience is comprised of different perspectives that will reflect the Art back on itself in different ways, always and evermore creating New Art within the initial frame. As a viewer of Young Royals, you fill in the gaps in the story with your own experiences, and connect the dots in your own unique way. Your Young Royals is not My Young Royals, is not anyone else’s. But some of our beliefs, thoughts, ideas about the show may overlap; your ideas may spark ideas of mine; my ideas may feed into yours. The sincerest joy I have known in this Young Royals tumblr space is that there seems to be this inherent respect between different people’s interpretation of the Art, and willingness to engage with different perspectives to greater your own knowledge and depth of understanding of the emotion in the work. This is community. This is storytelling. This is connection.

Now... you wanna know a secret? I’m not really sure how I’ve come to think in these parallel-esque ways. I despised studying Literature in high school. I did a business degree and am currently working in quite a procedure-driven job. I’m not even a fan of too much critically “Good” media - you know, those books & films & tv shows & plays that people tell you to read/watch, because you simply ‘have to’, because they ‘changed the face of xyz’, generally filled with allegories and symbolism out the whazoo?

But I was a prolific reader when I was younger, so maybe that helped? I’ve been making & playing music since before I could spell my own name. And I’ve always had this innate ability to draw in information, synthesise it together and put out a coherent narrative - both with Things and with People / Relationships, so possibly that too? I also have such a passion for the abstract / absurd / impressionist perspective, and this has led me to think about colour, line, mood and metaphor in intricate ways.

But at the end of the day, I’m afraid I don’t have any real answers, my friend. I’m convinced that somehow Young Royals is just zapping secret sauce through our screens into the brains of us all who have been mysteriously, creatively awoken (again) by it’s siren call.

I’m just following the call & diving in deep.

#This turned into a meta analysis post about the death of the author oops #This also became a bit of an 'about me' spiel oops again #But this is the most you'll probably get from my personal life so eat your hearts out #young royals #young royals meta #young royals analysis #young royals parallels #ask #mine #wishhappiness #... and don't worry. I have lists on lists of content I want to create for you all. #Might just take a hot second. #omar rude words

[linguisticswithlester]

What is the Name?

Rating: NR

Word Count: 2775

Warnings: None

Summary: A curly headed barista becomes smitten with a new quiffed customer that comes into the coffee shop. Taking a chance, he makes a bold move that results in a battle of cute nicknames and feelings that could lead to a new adventure.

Written for the 2018 Holiday Exchange! 

Read on AO3

Christmas time always proved to be a busy time for a small coffee shop in the middle of London. The outside was rundown a bit and the inside had a homey feeling to it but, the patrons seemed to enjoy it. The shop wasn’t that modern and the employees had their opinions on making it seem more “2018.” However, the owner didn’t seem bothered by the suggestions. One barista however, enjoyed how the business remained consistent throughout the years. He was the one wearing an all black ensemble with a red and black flannel tied around his waist; his purple apron clashing with the plaid. His hair was brown with honey that shone through in the sun. It curled around his eyes and his shaved sides started to twist around as well with every week that a hair appointment was missed. His brown eyes matched his hair and they held a longing for something exciting to happen.

   Serving coffee to the everyday customers became tiring after a while and the barista was aching for something to happen that would give meaning to his days and maybe make waking up in the morning something that he wouldn’t dread. Then the bell above the front door rang.

Ding.

    In walked that something.

   The curly headed barista turned his head towards the door to greet the mysterious man that was gracing the small coffee shop floor. The barista headed for the register and waited for the man to make his way up.

   “Hello,” the barista choked out. The man standing in front of him was nothing short of beautiful. He hasn’t seen a man that looked quite like that and pulled it off so well. The man was pale white and it looked like the sun has never tanned his skin. His hair was dark, perhaps dyed but, it complemented his fair completion well. He had a sharp nose with cheek bones that most would pay for. His bright blue eyes were hidden by thick black rimmed glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose. He was tall, not taller than the barista but, then again he was tall himself. The stranger was wearing a bright orange jumper that most people couldn’t pull off but, he was wearing it well; on the front it had a festive cactus.

    The barista let out a little chuckle at the thought of the jumper in front of him which caused the man to raise his eyebrow. The barista cleared his throat.

    “What can I get for you on this fine day?” The curly haired man asked while trying not to look like a complete idiot. The man in front of him was mystifying  and he wanted to get to know him beyond his customer service spiel.

    “Yeah, um could I get the hot chocolate? Without the cream?” Said a voice that was much deeper that the barista was prepared for; it suited the man.

    “You sure can.” And now for the question that the barista actually cared about, “And what is the name?”  He tried to say it as cool as he envisioned it sounded in his head but, it came out a little higher than anticipated. He rolled his eyes at himself and continued to look forward at the man in front of him.  

    “Yeah, it’s um Phil.” The man said as he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

    He paid for his drink and found a spot to sit to wait for his beverage.

    While the barista was preparing the hot drink, he continued to think about the man now named Phil. It suited him; however, it is not what he would have pegged him as. He seemed quirky and cute. A funny novelty jumper with the order of a hot chocolate. How innocent was this man? He looked like he would get upset over the idea of virtual baby badgers getting hurt in their natural habitat and the barista’s heart warmed up with the hot chocolate. Leaving the cream out, he realized that he forgot to write the name on the customer’s cup. Looking around to make sure that no other co worker was within eyesight, he quickly wrote down a name in sharpie on the side of the take away cup.

***

    “Phil!” He called out pretending to look around the shop as if he didn’t know where the man had taken a set. He saw Phil get up and walk towards the counter. He walked with such a force that it intimidated the barista and yet, he could tell he was nervous.

    Maybe he will ask for my number?  

     Oh god!

    What if he’s straight?

    oops.

***

    Phil made his way to the counter to collect his drink from the cute barista that took his order. His curls looked like waves and Phil wanted to learn what secrets they held.

    “Thanks,” He paused looking down towards the baristas name tag, “Dan.” He said as interesting as he could make it.

    He took his drink and headed back to his seat. He pulled out his phone to continue his riveting game of scrolling through Instagram. He went to pick up his chocolate when he noticed that his name looked way longer than the usual four letters that it takes to spell it. He picked it up to inspect what was written.  

    “Mr. Cinnamon Bun”

    Oh mY GOD! What the hell?  

    Phil’s stomach was filled with butterflies and his cheeks have no doubt turned to a deep crimson. He wasn’t one for cute nicknames but, he would make a exception this time. He continued to drink his order and he thought about what to do next.

***

    Dan’s stomach was hanging above his head. He had never been this bold in his life and quite frankly, he was wishing he hadn’t been. He didn’t know what came over him but, Phil’s whole being was something that Dan wanted to get to know more of. Granted he could have done it in a more subtle way, he thought it was pretty clever. He kept looking over at the table in which Phil sat to see if he had noticed the name yet and every time he looked over, Phil was on his phone.

    Damn.  

    Dan was about to give up hope that Phil was going to notice the name when the man started his way to the counter. He sucked in a deep breath and held it.

    “Hey, thanks for hot chocolate. It was probably the best one I’ve ever had.” Dan’s face was deepening and he could feel it. “I’ll see you later… pumpkin, “Phil said as he slid a tip into the jar and walked away with his hips swaying with every step.

    And with that one utterance, Dan knew he was smitten. He watched the man walk out of the shop and he had no idea how anything was going to top his week, let alone his day.

***

  The days leading up to Christmas, Phil always managed to find his way back to the coffee shop. Each day he would get something new by letting Dan surprise him with a drink of his choice. They were growing closer and Phil always looked forward to being able to talk with Dan and see him and that smile that always accompanied him. Dan always looked like an excited puppy dog when Phil walked through the door.

   Today however, it was really slow at the shop and Dan was hoping that he would get a chance to have an actual conversation with Phil that only had minimum interruptions. He knew Phil was coming in today, like he always does, but he just didn’t know when. The last couple of weeks, he has been rushing to get all his cleaning responsibilities done and anything else that his boss might throw at him before Phil would come in. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with him. Today he was going to ignore the butterflies that unsettled his stomach and see if Phil wanted to go to see a movie this weekend. He knew Christmas was next week but, he might not have the nerve to do it any other time.

***

    He was wiping down a table when the doorbell rang and in walked Phil. He was wearing a light pink shirt that looked like it had anime characters on it from what was visible. He was also wearing a navy blue coat that had faux fur around the hood. Dan thought that that coat suited him very well and he couldn’t help that his breath hitched when he saw him. His stomach accumulated more butterflies and over walked Phil.

    Dan put the towel he was using in the front pocket in his apron and met Phil in the middle.

    “Hey Cherry Blossom.” Dan greeted Phil. It has been a ongoing challenge between Dan and Phil on who could call the other the most cringeworthy “cute” couple pet names without laughing. So far Dan has had more wins; Phil has a hard time not cracking when Dan fully embodies the name he was given for the day.

    “Hey Pudding.” Phil said back as he set his stuff down at a table. He looked up to meet Dan’s eyes and a smile spread across his face.

    Dan took that as a crack, “AH HA! I win again Lester. This Dan VS Phil isn’t turning out to be challenging for me. You’ve got to step up your game man.” Dan started to slowly spin in a circle as if being surrounded by applause.

    “Oh shut up you buffoon. I could win if you would just stop being so damn cute every time I meet eyes with you..”

    Dan stopped spinning and met eyes with the older man again; cheeks heating up.

    They’re relationship so far consisted of complimenting the other; making sure they knew how beautiful they looked that day while at the same time, making sure they threw a few good insults in there as well. They always called each other pet names and whenever they could talk they always acted like a couple that has been together for years; it just felt right. Although, they could never have a full conversation because of that fact that Dan was always working. Customers were always popping in and out needing something.

    Phil looked around and noticed that today was actually quite slow. “This might be the perfect time to ask Dan to go to dinner with me this weekend,” he thought to himself as Dan looked at him with his doe eyes. He was fully aware that Christmas is next week but, he wanted to see Dan before the holidays. He didn’t know exactly what their relationship was but, he hoped he was reading the signals correctly.

    Dan got taken away before their conversation could make it to anything actually important so Phil took out his laptop. He started replying to some emails in regards to his work to try to keep his nerves down to a minimum. Dan was cute and adorable; he was everything Phil always talked about having in a boyfriend. While Dan looked like the complete opposite of Phil, they were actually suspiciously similar. Dan liked dark colors and only wore according to those; it contrasted nicely to Phil’s bright and obnoxious wardrobe. He mess of curls balanced out Phil’s poker straight quiff. Hell, even their hair naturally grew to the opposite sides. However, they were both very socially and politically aware. Dan claimed that he was a master at Mario kart and he loved to brag about it and that was one of Phil’s favorite games to play. They both loved watching movies and staying inside to browse the internet. Pajamas and netflix sounded like the perfect day for them and just being in each other's presence made them feel at ease.

    “A match made by Cupid and brought together by fate...,” he thought to himself as he tuned out his uninteresting emails, “...or maybe these cheesy nicknames are just getting to my head.”  

    He did a comical shake of his head and started to focus on his emails again.

***

    “Okay stud-muffin, I’m on break today because it’s slow in here so I’m all yours for a full fifteen minutes.” Dan said as he interrupted Phil’s reading. He pulled a chair out from the table and sat down next to Phil. His purple apron was wadded up in his hand and rested on the table.

    “Well, I guess I better have something entertaining to provide you with then, babe,” Phil replied as he shut his laptop thankful for the well needed and highly anticipated break from adult responsibilities.

    Dan’s face flushed with “babe” and Phil noticed. Dan had this rosy patch on his right cheek that turns red when he gets warm and it was definitely on show after that. Phil was enamored with it and wanted to place a light kiss on him right there. This battle of “who can say the best name without laughing” has become the one thing Phil looks forward to during his days.

    Dan’s eyes widened and he felt his face deepen in color. Phil always seemed to know what names to say that would make Dan melt. Babe wasn’t something revolutionarily groundbreaking but, it was the little things that made Dan swoon. Although, Dan was sort of disappointed that he was going to have to make another move first. This whole challenge is fun and all and it makes the work days go by fast but, Dan really thought Phil would catch on to the fact that Dan wanted to go out with him. Nonetheless, his gut was ready and his time was now.

    “Hey Phil I-”

    “Dan, I was wo-”

    They both looked at each other.

    “No, you go ahead Phil,” Dan offered hoping his courage would still be as strong in a few minutes.”

    “Oh... well I was just wondering if you maybe... wanted to get, um dinner with me this weekend? Saturday maybe? If that works for you?” Phil asked with a shaky voice. He rubbed his hands together and took a breathe.

    He did it.

    “Oh my god, did Phil just ask me out? Oh my god.” Dan’s heartbeat got faster as he processed what he was just asked.

    “I know that it’s close to Christmas and everything so if you already have plans don’t even worry about it,”  Phil added soon after, looking down at his lap.

    “Oh no! I don’t have any plans. I would love to go to dinner with you on Saturday.” Phil let out a sigh of relief. “I was just a little surprised you asked because I was just about to ask if you wanted to see a movie this Saturday!” Dan’s heart was racing the fastest it ever had and he was sure his face was redder than a stop sign.  

    “Great minds think alike!” Phil laughed. “...I guess I’ll pick you up at 6 on Saturday and then we can officially start out date?”  Phil said more as a question than a statement.

    “Our date,” Dan repeated in his head. “ Wow” .

    “That works perfectly.” Dan said with a wide smile, the one that only appears for Phil. He looked down at his watch. “Ugh, I would love to stay and chat about our date and how you are going to spoil me in gifts but my break is almost over so I best get back to the counter but,” Dan got up and ran his hand across Phil’s shoulders,  “I’ll see you Saturday.”

    Dan started to walk away but, Phil called him back.  

    “Oh, hey boyfriend?”

    Dan turned around to face Phil with a look of excitement mixed with puzzlement on his face.

    “Does this mean that I win this Dan vs Phil? I mean I did just make my name a reality?”

    Dan walked back to where Phil was sitting and leaned down to be eye level with the man.

    “You wish, baby. I’ve got plenty other names that I have yet to use. Better keep up old man.” He closed the gap between them and placed a soft kiss on Phil’s cheek. “See you at 6 tomorrow, you absolute spoon.” Dan whispered in his ear leaving Phil’s neck cold from the absence of Dan’s breath. He walked away for good this time, swinging his apron back and forth.

    “Cinnamon bun to boyfriend,” Phil thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair with his hand laying against the skin that Dan had kissed, “I like the sound of that.”

#phan fic #au #phan #coffee shop au #dan vs phil #pet names #or nicknames #i still dont know what the proper term is #oof