#colin would just like. make you feel so attractive. need me a freak like that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bleulone · 3 years

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i love your analysis so much! i have a question as well, like, how do you envision polin's sex scenes ? thanks for your answer (:

Hey! Thank you very much :)) I have no idea if they are that even good but I’m happy you like them. It’s just my brain tending to produce some iNsIGhiTfUL analyses though they usually end up drowned under a huge wave of stupidity and horrid spelling/grammatical mistakes XD. So, about Penelope and Colin’ sex scenes, I guess we’re getting spicy in this house 🌶. I mean, I don’t blame you. Who’s not hot for Polin ?! The steamy Polin hours have already begun and they’re legit challenging my patience. (Be still my Polin heart, be still).

Okay, without further ado, let’s talk about sex baby, shall we ? It’s a pretty long answer/meta so bear with me.

I don’t know if you’ve read Romancing Mister Bridgerton, but a quick reminder (for those who haven’t... yet), there are a bunch of iconic steamy scenes that I’m dying to watch on screen. First we have the famous “thank you” scene where Penelope, now a 28 year-old spinster, asks Colin to kiss her because she doesn’t want to die without having been kissed... then ends up thanking him— which happens to be humiliating for our 33 year-old boy because he thinks that she thinks he did it out of pity while he absolutely did not. The man definitely felt butterflies in his stomach... and in other places as well lol. We also have the ICONIC carriage scene where Colin gives Pen’s generous bosoms™ the attention they deserve. This is followed by his proposal. Later on, after the announcement of their engagement, there’s a pretty hot make-out scene on Lady Violet’s sofa. Finally, we have their first time in Colin’s bedroom, after sneaking out of their own engagement party... which leads Colin to push the wedding date forward. At this point, I just love their horniness, especially Colin’s who’s just so freaking amazed by Penelope for more than 300 pages straight (duh! who isn’t ???).

When you say envision, I suppose you mainly refer to the way those scenes will be filmed right ? I’m afraid I don’t have an advanced knowledge in film-making but let me start by telling you what elements need to be depicted. I would love Shonda and Chris to capture the real essence of our boos’ feelings : the yearning, the love, the respect and the guilt (specifically on Colin’s side) in their eyes. The more we move forward throughout the seasons, the more we see different layers of the perceptions of they have of each other, going from a childish idealization/immature ignorance to a sudden realization. A mature one. Penelope goes beyond the facade of the charming devil-may-care guy to meet the seriousness and temper of her significant other. Meanwhile Colin discovers how confident, powerful and attractive this woman is and always has been. It echoes what I’ve written about the importance of the gaze in Polin’s love story in this meta. By the time season 4 hits, man... their heart eyes and eye-fucking will jump OUT XD, all fibers of their beings, burning with need. The fact that this evolution took literally years is very emotionally painful, which is why I find it important to keep the slowness aspect of their relationship before and during their love making. I’m really looking forward a slow build-up toward their intimacy. It would differ from Daphne and Simon who merely shared one hell of a kiss in Lady Trowbridge’s garden then shared their sexy times after they married or Anthony and Siena’s rough sex... In fact, there’s a certain (sweet) ardent tenderness in Polin I like due to the fact that they’re slowly (re)discovering each other, as adults. Since they were both introduced in season 1, the audience will have all the time in the world to notice numerous evidences of the many natures of love they have for one another : from an affectionate and friendly love to a more carnal and enduring one.

Okay so, in terms of filming, with Netflix’s Bridgerton being a show which promotes the female gaze, it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise watching those sex scenes being shot from Penelope’s perspective, like it was the case with Daphne in the first installment of the series. Most of the time, sex scenes in Historical Romance are not gratuitous. Their presence serve an important purpose in a hero/heroine’s journey. In Penelope’s case, they’re here to help her learn to embrace and love herself. In other words, sexuality is synonym of freedom. I don’t know if they’ll show a lot of skin, but I won’t be complaining considering the fact that we’ll have the chance to get a chief kiss treat on screen : a plus size woman in a major successful Netflix period drama getting a love story as romantic and steamy as other more “fit” female characters. No, your weight doesn’t prevent you from being desirable at all. As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t watched a plus-size female character portrayed as an attractive protagonist in a period drama (please if you have, let me know, I can be wrong). Having a beautiful half bare curvy body like Nicola’s being equally filmed like numerous slim actresses will be so inspiring and powerful to watch, especially for (young) women who struggle, like Penelope, to love their body shape which, to them, doesn’t “fit” the “beauty standards”. By showing her female gaze and portraying her as seductive, Pen’s “supposed” imperfections transform themselves into mighty assets, loved and worshipped by our dashing Mister Bridgerton. That’s body positivity at its finest darling ;).

It will be deliciously erotic watching the undressing process being exquisitely slow, garment by garment, while their gaze are all heated and hungry. Their sex/make-out scenes should be tender and passionate, sweet and raw. The lightning, colored by a dark blood orange yellow or a blue depending the locations^^. Moreover, the depiction of the exploration of Penelope’s desire can translate itself thanks to multiple close ups. For instance, I can imagine a few ones on Pen’s fingers gently roaming over the smooth skin of Colin’s firm chest and back/touching his hair right after he removed his shirt. And a disheveled Colin letting his hands and lips making a journey of their own, mapping, conquering the alluring unknown territory that is her gorgeous voluptuous body... kissing her on the places he knows oh too well will give her pleasure (is this me wanting him to go down on her?— um yeah I sure hope it IS! If he doesn’t, trust me imma riot... AGAIN). Even a close up on her face while Colin is performing his addictively pleasing torment will be a marvelous proof of the female gaze. By the way, why not even adding a post-coital scene after their first time ? I can picture Penelope waking up first and contemplate her handsome soon-to-be husband. She’d bring her hand to his face and let it travel all around his forehead, his cheeks, his lips, his neck and let it rest on his heart— making sure that what she’s just experience was real... obviously, Colin will wake up in the process and he’ll take this as his cue to go for another round of sexy times under the sheets.

Showing Pen reaction is essential according to me because she was stuck with the idea that she would never experience the luxury of being loved, giving pleasure nor receiving it... she ended up being happily wrong. Throughout her multiple intimate encounters with Colin, I want her to progressively realizes that she can be an active partner. In the carriage, she knew she had an effect on him, but it’s not until their first time that she actually realizes it. Hence the reason why I WANT the mirror’s introduction in one of their sex scenes. Here’s as a little reminder an excerpt from chapter 18 :

“I want to see you sitting up," he groaned, "so I can see them full and lovely and large [about Pen’s breasts]. And then I want to crawl behind you and cup you." His lips found her ear and his voice dropped to a whisper. "And I want to do it in front of a mirror."

“Now?” she squeaked.

He seemed to consider that for a moment, then shook his head. "Later," he said, and then repeated it in a rather resolute tone. "Later.”

It would be such a shame if the show doesn’t use the incredible potential of this object (/kink). I mean, the symbolism is pretty clear. Penelope has always fled her “ugly” reflection but it seems like Colin wants to show the real her, the beauty that holds every single inch her alabaster skin and the effects they have on him. Thus, I would love to watch a scene where Colin just praises the alluring goddess and siren that is Penelope Featherington. Just imagine! Just IMAGINE the power of this scene : a shirtless Colin sitting behind her on a bed, meeting her gaze in the mirror, his lips touching her right ear, biting and licking the lobe sometimes, whispering all kinda of dirty yet poetic words to her while letting his hands caress her thighs, her hips, her arms, her lovely bosoms™... oof. At the same time, a wonderful and harmonic instrumental music will play in the background and match the melodic partition of shudders, breathes and moans let out by our lovers. I can imagine Luke inspiring himself from his performance in the 2019 short film, Youth In Bed. The way he conveyed the awe and the yearning on his face, in his eyes with his mouth slightly open when he knelt before his partner Shun Yin was just captivating and— and so Colin! I cannot help but bring myself to picture Ethan, the character he played in YIB, in a Polin steamy scene. I cannot unsee this anymore jsksk. I mean, all this gifset radiates this book4chapter18!Colin, you cannot tell me otherwise!

Also, I would love Shonda and Chris to keep Pen and Colin’s cute/emotional pillow talk. One thing I really love in JQ’s books is the concern she gives to her male protagonists about potentially hurting their partner during the act of penetration. Colin is a rake, and what his experience with women taught him is that he needs to be very gentle with the love of his life. It was so adorable seeing him not wanting to harm her and asking her to tell him if he does anything she doesn’t like 🥺. Plus, before actually doing it, Colin and Penelope shared a few kisses and just laid down side by side, confessing their love. Though our boy kept feeling guilty about not returning her love after all these years. He desires nothing but to make up for the lost time and show his love and desire during this special intimate moment. I hope they’ll keep all of chapter 18’s dialogue. It’s just so telling of our boos’ feelings, you see.

All in all, I can’t wait to watch those Polin steamy scenes. As much as I may sound crazy, I want them after two other seasons of pure pining and yearning in order to have a very good payoff. I’m not an expert on depicting intimacy on screen, but I loved so far what Lizzy Talbot, the intimacy coordinator who worked on the show, have done in season 1. Sex scenes in Bridgerton seem very real and dive you in the intimacy of the moment, leaving you all flustered and hot. So probs to her! I have faith in her work and have no doubts about what her and the directors will serve us in future seasons. Though, in the end, I think it’s mostly up to the actors, Nicola and Luke, to see if they’re comfortable filming sex scenes.

If you guys have any suggestions or wishes for those steamy polin scenes, please do share them :) by commenting on this post or by sending me asks! I’d love reading your thoughts/take on this very important matter ;))

#bleulone answers #meta and gush #polin #colin x penelope #bridgerton #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington #polin meta #ask #anon #luke newton #julia quinn #nicola coughlan

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ellewritesathing · 4 years

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Faking It - III

Summary: You’d done plenty of dumb things in your life, but the dumbest had to be picking Greendale’s latest bad-boy to pretend to be your boyfriend.

Masterlist Prev. | Part 3

Word-count: 3k+

A/N: hello friends i forgot what day of the week it was. sorry for posting late but i hope you like it regardless!!

“You punched Colin Anderson in the mouth?”

Sighing, you closed your locker and turned to face your friend. “Hi, Harvey, I’m doing great, thanks for asking,” you said, adjusting the bag on your back as you did. “How are you today?”

“Come on, Y/N, I’m being serious,” Harvey said. “You go on one date with the guy and now you’re getting into bar fights?”

“First of all, it wasn’t a bar fight,” you said. “Second of all, if Colin Anderson didn’t want to be punched in the mouth, he shouldn’t have tried to grab my ass.”

“Well, that’s not the story he’s telling people,” Harvey said, shifting around uncomfortably under the weight of new information.

“What’s he telling people?” you asked, turning and beginning to walk to your next class. “And who is he? I’d never seen him before that night.”

“That’s because you don’t go to any of the football games,” Harvey said, voice bouncing around as he followed you to keep the conversation going. “He’s like the rockstar of Green Valley, alright? And he’s telling people that Caliban lost a bet to him and you punched him to get out of paying up.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“Yeah, I know that now,” Harvey said. “But this is the kind of crap he does, Y/N. It’s only gonna get worse the longer that you’re around him.”

“Harvey, for clarification, I never plan on being around Colin Anderson again unless I’m punching him in the mouth.”

“You know that’s not who I was talking about,” Harvey said with a sigh. He rubbed his face and you actually felt bad for him right then. He could be a pain at times but he was still one of your closest friends, and the strain of being your friend was starting to show. “Just … be careful. Caliban’s not a good guy. I mean, look at just look at your hand.”

You looked down for a second and saw what he was talking about: the gnarly looking purple-yellow bruise on your outer three knuckles and the small split that refused to heal between your pinky and ring finger. You took a sharp breath and pulled your hand behind your back.

“I think you’re wrong about him,” you said. You put your non-bruised hand out when Harvey started arguing. “Yeah, he’s done some shady stuff but don’t you think, underneath all that, there’s something good about him?”

“No.”

“Ouch,” Caliban said. You’d been too focused on Harvey that you didn’t even notice his arrival until you were jumping at the sound of his voice. Harvey seemed less rattled and more annoyed. “Please, cousin, don’t hold back on my account.”

“Whatever.” Harvey was never a pro at witty comebacks. He shifted again and then gave up on whatever speech he was mentally preparing. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Duly noted,” Caliban said with a smile, stepping closer and placing a hand on the small of your back. “Thank you.”

Harvey shook his head and got ready to say something that would, without a doubt, end up in an argument when the warning bell rang overhead. “I’ll see you guys around.”

“No, Harvey, wait-” You reached out for his hand but he shook you off. You turned to face Caliban’s angelically smiling face with a fury. “What the hell was that?”

“What was what?” Caliban asked, either not noticing your frustration or ignoring it in favor of pretending to be playfully ignorant.

“Why can’t you have a single conversation with him where it doesn’t end in an argument?”

“I’m afraid my cousin is rather sensitive at heart,” Caliban said, dropping his gaze to the floor for a moment. “He doesn’t appreciate my witticisms the same way you do.”

“I’m not so sure I appreciate them either,” you said. The second bell rang out and you took another step back. “I’m going to be late for class. We can talk about it later.”

Caliban called out your name but you disappeared into the sea of students before he could change your mind.

---

In an attempt to distance yourself from all the boy trouble you’d gotten yourself into, you buried yourself in schoolwork. You opted for the safety and quiet of the library instead of eating lunch with your friends, but your carefully crafted isolation was broken by Roz dumping her stuff on one of the chairs across from you and taking a seat right in front of you.

“So what’s the deal with you and Harvey’s cousin?” she asked. The people around you shushed her and she mumbled out an apology before leaning in and whispering, “So what’s the deal with-”

“It’s really complicated, Roz,” you said with a sigh. “And I’ve got this trig assignment due in like twenty minutes so I can’t talk right now.”

“You can copy mine if you tell me what’s going on,” Roz said. She got a sinister smile on her face when she knew she’d won - a smile you had come to love and hate. You relented and she dug the assignment out of her bag. “Spill.”

“It started a while ago-” Not a total lie. It would be easier once you were copying answers and not looking at the face of your best friend. “He was looking for Harvey and somehow found me instead. The long-distance thing was going really well, you know? And then Harvey found out and completely freaked out-”

“I mean, it makes sense,” Roz said. “You and him are like best friends and it sounds like Caliban ends up with everything Harvey cares about so- hey, don’t look at me like that. I never said it was intentional.”

“What did he end up with that Harvey cared about so much?” you asked, putting the trigonometry aside for a moment to argue.

“His little league spot, Lucy, a loving mom instead of an angry dad,” Roz went on to list a few more, slightly less heartbreaking, things before sighing and shrugging lightly. “And now you.”

“I’m not some old action figure, Roz. It’s not like me dating Caliban has to change anything between me and Harvey,” you said. You looked down at your trig assignment again and thought that maybe you were taking this fake relationship a little too seriously.

“But it does change things. He thinks you’re choosing his cousin over him.”

“But that’s not what I’m-” you broke off your argument when people started shushing you again. “Fine, okay, whatever. Just tell me how to fix it.”

Roz got her sinisterly smart smile again and she rested her chin on her hands. “I’m so glad you asked,” she said. “I was thinking we could all go out - like go bowling or something - and the rest of us could meet Caliban while you spend some quality time with Harvey.”

You bit your lip as you thought about it. It wasn’t a bad plan, but you didn’t like the idea of Caliban talking to your friends when you couldn’t step in to fix whatever lie he messed up. And the idea of Harvey and Caliban getting in close contact again …

“We could go bowling,” you said eventually. Roz got excited and you got shushed again. “But you have to promise me you’ll be nice to him, okay? And Theo too.”

“Deal!” Roz scooped up all her stuff, forgetting her trig with you. “I’ll go talk to the others and give you the details later.”

“Thank you,” you said with a small smile as she ran off.

Maybe this would work out.

Maybe a group fake date was just what you needed.

---

“You want to go bowling?” Caliban asked as the two of you walked off the baseball field together.

After a day of avoiding him, you’d finally decided to track him down after practice, not accounting for how attractive he would look with messed up hair and some color in his face.

“I don’t want to - my friends want to,” you said. “They want to meet the guy that has me punching Colin Anderson in the mouth.” You shrugged when Caliban looked over at you with a very confused face.

“Who the fuck is Colin Anderson?” he asked. Deciding there were better things to argue about, he let out a breath and shook his head. “Alright, bowling sounds fun.”

You punched his arm playfully and said, “Liar.”

He gave you a lighthearted, self-assured smile and rolled his eyes. “Am I picking you up beforehand so we can go over whatever little details you’ve come up with for me to tell your friends?”

“Duh.” You sighed and stopped walking when the two of you reached the parking lot. “And, look, we have to talk about earlier. You can’t be like that with Harvey anymore, okay?”

“What was I like?” Caliban asked, looking amused by how seriously you were taking this charade.

“You know exactly what you’re like,” you said. “I know there’s that whole family thing that happened, but if you weren’t so antagonistic maybe things wouldn’t be so bad between you two. Why can’t you just be with him like you are with me?”

“Because Harvey’s not nearly as pretty as you,” Caliban said, lifting a hand to your cheek before you knocked it out of the way. He sighed and put his hand in his pocket. “Unfortunately, Harvey has made up his mind about not liking me. Nothing I do is going to change that.”

“Then let’s bet on it,” you said. “If being nice doesn’t work then I’ll … I don’t know, sit through one of your boring baseball games?”

Caliban laughed and rocked back on his heels. “If it doesn’t work, you have to come to one of my baseball games and cheer me on. Face paint, hand-drawn sign, the works. Deal?”

“No way.”

Caliban shrugged. “I wonder how Harvey would feel about me letting the air out of one of his tires ...”

“No!” You smacked his arm. “Fine. I’ll go to one of your boring games and pay attention, alright? Deal.”

Caliban smiled and took his hand out of his pocket to hold it out to you, waiting for you to shake it. “Deal.”

Rolling your eyes, you shook his hand. He cleverly maneuvered his hand around to interlace with yours and started walking across the parking and back to the school. His hand was warm and felt like it fit in yours, but it also left you feeling like you’d made a deal with the devil.

---

Despite your reservations, the group date was actually going well.

You only tried on two outfits beforehand and your parents weren’t there to ask questions when Caliban picked you up. The two of you went over all the details in the car about your relationship - Where was your first date? Did he know your favorite color? Did you know his favorite book? What was your song? - and he didn’t catch you staring at him this time. Plus, Caliban didn’t roll his eyes when you reminded him to be nice to Harvey tonight.

Harvey, on the other hand, made no such promises, and one of the first things he did when he saw Caliban was glare at him. The rest of your friends were a lot friendlier; introducing themselves with uncertain hugs and making jokes about finally meeting the guy that left Billy speechless for once.

And Caliban was quite the charmer, even with his whole bad boy thing going on. He flustered Theo and made Roz giggle - that’s right, giggle - and didn’t even argue when Sabrina suggested you bowl as teams. She was the only person who wasn’t affected by Caliban, but Sabrina wasn’t affected by much.

Theo banned playing as couples because he and Roz weren’t a couple anyway, so Roz quickly suggested possible teams. You and Harvey would be together (she cast a very un-subtle look at you when she said that part), Theo and Caliban could be on a team, and then she and Sabrina would tie it all together. When no one offered up a better roster, the lot of you went to get shoes and pick a lane.

Theo and Caliban made a surprisingly good team, with Theo excitedly bumping into Caliban every time one of them made a good throw and then full-on hugging him whenever one of them got a strike. It was cute, and you couldn’t fight those damn butterflies that flew around every time Caliban got along with one of your friends.

Sabrina and Roz were, unsurprisingly, more interested in talking to one another than trying very hard to win. It was nice to see they’d outgrown their competitiveness, but maybe that was just because they weren’t competing against each other.

And then there was you and Harvey. Like always, you were crushing it, but unlike always Harvey was so focused that you could basically see the steam coming out of his ears. He was determined to beat Caliban, even if it meant he had a rotten time while doing it.

“Alright,” you said, turning to Harvey after your turn and crossing your arms over your chest. “Are you gonna be frowning like that the whole time?”

“I’m not frowning,” Harvey said, mimicking your movements and crossing his arms defensively. “I’m just, you know, focused.”

“Focused,” you repeated and he nodded. “Okay, but just know that you’re the only one ‘focusing’ so hard.”

You walked back to the chairs and sat next to Caliban while Theo got his ball from the retrieval area. Pulling his arm around your shoulders, you leaned your head up to talk to him. To anyone else, this was a sweet moment - and maybe it still was - but it was also a very sneaky way to check on him without your friends suspecting anything.

“You’re doing great,” you said quietly. “I think Theo would be your real boyfriend if you asked nicely enough.”

Caliban laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind, but I get the feeling that’s not all you came to say.”

“It’s not,” you said, shifting as Theo started yelling for Caliban to come bowl for his turn. “Just- miss this one, okay? Not totally because that would be suspicious but-”

“You want me to throw the game?” Caliban asked.

“Yeah, kinda,” you said awkwardly. “Do you mind?”

“A little, but I’ll do it,” Caliban said. He kissed the top of your head and untangled himself from you to get to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a game to win,” he said with a dramatic wink. “Enough fraternizing with the enemy for one night.”

“The enemy?” You laughed and repositioned yourself in your seat. “Huh, so that’s how it is?”

“Exactly,” Caliban said over his shoulder as he went to get his ball.

He knocked down the pins so it would be impossible to get them all down on the second try. If Theo did well, Caliban would make some slight mess up and vice versa. By the time they were done, you and Harvey had won by three points.

“Yes!” Harvey said under his breath after tallying up the scores. You pretended not to hear, but the two of you had a celebratory hug before getting back to the group. To your surprise, Harvey took a breath and held his hand to Caliban to shake. “Hey, good game, man.”

Caliban took his hand after a moment and smiled. “Thanks, you too.”

“Okay, that was fun and all,” Theo said, holding out his hands and gesturing vaguely to your bowling lane. “But can we get out of here now? I’m starved.”

Sabrina laughed and bumped Harvey’s arm. “What do you say? Winner buys us all something to eat?”

“Oh, no way,” Harvey said. “I’ll drive but you guys are buying us dinner. That’s how it works.”

“I think he may be right,” Caliban said with a dramatic sigh before smiling at the group. “What do you guys say we get out of here and treat them to a burger and some fries?”

“As long as you’re paying, you can treat them to anything you like,” Roz said with a laugh. “We’ll meet you guys there?”

You said you would and then followed them out to the parking lot, making jokes about how Harvey must have been practicing beforehand and Roz’s one amazing strike among the rest of her gutter throws. Your friends went one way and you and Caliban went the other, still holding hands even though no one was around to see it.

Squeezing his hand, you came to a stop on your side of the car and leaned against it to face him. “Hey, thanks for that,” you said. “You were really great with them.”

Caliban shrugged. “What are fake boyfriends for if not to impress your friends?”

You laughed and shook your head. “I’m being serious,” you said as you straightened up. “I know how much you hate losing.”

“I may have thrown the bowling game, but I think I won something else,” Caliban said. He looked at your mouth for a second before looking back up at your eyes.

“Oh really?” you asked.

“Definitely,” Caliban said with a smile. He took a deep breath and looked out at the road not too far in front. “We should probably leave before your friends get worried.”

“Probably,” you said. You took a step closer and lifted your hand to the side of his face before kissing his cheek softly. “Thanks, Abercrombie. It’s been a good night.”

“It has,” Caliban said quietly.

He didn’t push any more than that, letting go of your hand and opening your door for you. When the door closed as you got in the car, you took a deep breath. As happy as you felt when Caliban got in the car with an uncomplicated smile on his face, it also felt like you’d just been hit in the mouth like a pissed off teenager.

“Ready to go?” Caliban asked as he buckled up next to you.

This was still an undeniably bad decision, but it was your undeniably bad decision.

“Ready,” you said with an uncomplicated smile of your own.

Part 4

Tagged: @t-a-i-l-o-r-m-a-d-e @miss--moose @marrypuffsstuff @harryscarolinaa @igorsbby @foji2000 @mschfavngz @artaxerxesthegreat @thxmagic @strawberriesandknives @xealia @hotmessindisguise @sweetrogers @reheated-coffee @shelby-x @perseny-blog @millie-753 @luneerius @shizzybarnaclee @lettherebelovex @throughparisallthroughrome @ietss @thebookwormlife @mechanicalanimalz @mariamermaid @nqbmf

#caliban #caliban imagine #caliban x reader #faking it #caos #chilling adventures of sabrina

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sirius · 4 years

Note

Could I get an imagine where the reader is a muggle American and she’s on vacation in London with her family and she somehow lost her family and she’s like freaking out and then she runs into Sirius on the streets and he like helps calm her down and helps her find her family? Sorry if this is a weird request

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader, James Potter x Lily Evans (mentioned)

Warnings: Swearing, stranger danger too, I guess.

A/N: so sorry this took so long! I loved the idea and I hope I did it justice. I might add to it later on or revamp it bc I love the idea but it’s a big maybe at the moment bc I’m so busy with uni and work and also my other wips. I hope you enjoy this though. Also I changed the request quite a bit bc I forgot what you originally wanted! So sorry!!

just want to add that I did something o probably shouldn’t and included my real life friends! With their permission, ofc. I also made a modern reference even tho it’s supposed to be the seventies but I liked it too much so I left it in ha ha. Also…pls don’t talk to strangers. This is fanfiction people not an advice column.

****

It’s another uncharacteristically warm day in London.

The sun showers blankets of warm golden light over the city, guilding skyscrapers and warming the sweet, honeyed breeze. Sparrows are chirping sweet, morning songs, dancing in the air with surprising grace. Squirrels scamper across lush green grounds in a park nearby, happily bidding you a good morning.

And not one of these motherfuckers are going to help you find your friends.

You wander aimlessly past the same park monument you saw just half an hour ago. Your legs are already aching, your feet are forming blisters that hurt the more you think about them, and the sun is slowly drilling into your soul.

You think you might die of thirst before you find your friends.

In retrospect, it wasn’t entirely Sophie’s fault. While it was her dumb shit idea to tag along with the sexy British tour guide, you, Matt, Aaron, Riley and Reuben had been far more interested in touring the British Museum. So it wasn’t at all surprising when Sophie rushed off with knockoff Colin Firth to have a jolly high tea or whatever it is British people do on dates. Still, it gave you an opportunity to visit the museum.

You hadn’t even walked through the front gates when Matt, Aaron and Riley wandered off to have a deep and meaningful (you had warned Riley that coming on the trip with Aaron would cause some tension between your group. Thing between you and Aaron were a lot more complicated than the five-night-stand you’d shared last year). Reuben, being his usual womanising self, started flirting with the hot receptionist and not wanting any part of that (last time you wing-womaned for Reuben, the chick thought you were seeking a third), you stepped out for some air.

Now, you’re trying to navigate through the urban maze that is London by yourself, struggling to find your friends who are scattered all over the city.

Slumping against a park chair, you take a deep breath and study your map again. A part of you is screaming at you to swallow your pride and ask for directions but you’re a stubborn New Yorker and if you can effortlessly find your way through the Big Apple, you can tackle London.

“You’re not from around here…” says a masculine voice behind you. You sit up straight, whipping around in the direction of the voice.

Holy fucking cucumber sandwich.

The most handsome man you’ve ever laid your eyes on leans against the trunk of an old oak tree, observing you with a mixture of amusement and intrigue. He looks like he chomps down magical donuts that grant him sexy powers. You stare.

A cigarette hangs from his kissable, smirking lips. His hair falls gracefully around his face, framing glinting gray-blue eyes, high cheekbones and a strong jaw. He’s wearing a leather jacket and exudes all types mysterious-sexy-bad boy vibes. You’d bet a hundred bucks that he rides a motorcycle too.

Boys with motorcycles are usually trouble.

Your mouth goes a little bit dry.

“Please don’t be a serial killer,” you mutter and the stranger cocks a perfect eyebrow.

“What was that?”

You shake your head, “I mean — Is it that obvious?”

Sexy bad boy stranger shrugs, “I know a lost tourist when I see one.”

“Is this what you do, then? Lurk around parks waiting for lost tourists?”

Bad boy chuckles — a deep growling sound that rumbles at the back of his throat, “Maybe. Maybe I was just walking past and thought I’d help out a pretty girl in need.”

It takes all of your willpower not to blush now.

“So you’re just a Good Samaritan, then.”

“I’m whatever you want me to be.”

“What if I want you to go away?”

The handsome, young motorbike guy takes a deliberate step forward, “I think we both know that’s not true.”

You swallow. He’s good at this game. Something tells you that you’re not the first victim of his play-boy charms.

Desperately trying to reclaim your composure, you fold your arms across your chest and glare at him.

“What makes you think I need your help?”

British James Dean thinks for one attractive moment, “Well, you don’t have to accept my help but something tells me that if you don’t ask for directions soon, you’re going to end up wandering around London forever.”

He makes a good point.

You stand up from your seat, arms still folded across your chest, “Hypothetically speaking, If I were to accept your help, how would I know that you’re not a perverted serial killer who wants to collect my spleen and leave me in a ditch or something?”

Sexy stranger takes another step forward, “That’d be a shame. You’re too beautiful to kill, and I’m just beginning to like you.”

“That’s exactly what a perverted serial killer would say.”

“Touché. Alright, how about this: I drop you off at your hotel straight away, no detours and no taxi fees that you have to fork out to greedy muggl— erm, I mean, drivers.”

You consider this. He certainly doesn’t seem like a serial killer. Still, it’s hard to trust a charming stranger, especially one as handsome as he is. Then again, if he’s smart — which he definitely is — he’d never kill you in broad daylight in the middle of London.

You uncross your arms and hold one out for him to shake, “Alright, deal.”

Sexy stranger takes your hand and shakes it. His hand is strong and firm and electricity sparks in the warm space where your hands are clasped together.

“Sirius.”

“What?”

“Sirius.”

You blink at him, “Is that some kind of fungal STI that I need to be aware of?”

Sexy stranger chuckles again, “My name is Sirius.”

Sirius? Who the fuck calls their kid Sirius? You have to admit that the name suits him, and the way he says it — in a husky, velvety murmur — gives the name an alluring sex appeal, which sums him up completely.

You consider giving him a fake name but ultimately decide against it. That’s just weird and you can’t lie for shit.

“I’m (Y/N).”

Sirius repeats your name, tasting it on his lips. A more carnal part of you wishes he’d say it in a completely different context.

“Alright, (Y/N),” Sirius smiles, and he practically glows with charisma, “Lets get you home.”

***

You were right, of course. About the motorcycle.

Sirius’ carefully-polished motorbike is almost as sexy as it’s owner; gleaming in the sunlight and flaunting a sleek black paint job with plush leather seats. Several passerby’s stop to admire it (or Sirius, you can’t exactly tell), though Sirius doesn’t pay them any mind. One dudebro with a repugnantly bright tank top gawks at the motorbike while his girlfriend stares hungrily at Sirius.

“I’ve…never ridden a motorcycle before,” you bleat nervously.

Sirius hands you a helmet and smiles.

“Just hold onto me and you’ll be fine.”

Sirius mounts his motorbike and you awkwardly slide in behind him. You’re not sure where to put your hands so you place them on his shoulders. You think you hear Sirius laugh behind his helmet.

Sirius turns the ignition, revs the engine, and kicks the bike into gear.

“You alright back there?” He calls over the roar of the bike.

“Uh—yeah.”

“Hold onto my waist,” he orders, “You’ll be more secure.”

You’re about to protest but then Sirius takes off and you find your arms flying to his waist, gripping on tightly.

It’s exhilarating. Liberating. Intoxicating.

As Sirius weaves between London traffic, you feel a rush of adrenaline pulse through your veins. The air whips past, fluttering around the ruffled trim of your dress. Your hands soak in the warmth of Sirius’ body, his muscles firm beneath your touch.

You pass familiar landmarks and stores you passed when you and your friends took the double-decker bus from your hotel room. You recognise the buildings around you and realise the hotel is just a few kilometres down the street, on the right.

Suddenly, Sirius veers off to the left and zooms down a street you don’t recognise.

“What are you doing? The hotel is up that way!”

“I just have to make a quick stop,” he shouts over his shoulder.

“That wasn’t part of the deal!”

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”

You clutch onto him, apprehension beginning to claw away at your lower belly. Where is he taking you? How could you have been so stupid to trust an extremely attractive stranger to follow through with a deal?

Sirius slows the bike down until it rolls to a stop and flicks the engine off, climbing off sexily. He helps you clamber awkwardly off the bike and you tear your helmet off, taking in your surroundings for the first time.

You’re next to a footpath with a view of the The Thames, lined with large ornamental pear trees. Its quite a romantic spot with a view of the entire city sitting pretty behind the flowing River Thames.

Sirius tells you to wait by the motorbike and stalks away, rushing toward a boy who looks about your age. He’s tall, has messy black hair, and half-frame glasses. He looks like a sexy professor with the body of an Olympic swimmer that all the girls have crushes on.

Why are all the men here so insanely attractive?

You’re just about to sink into a delightful fantasy of sexy Professor feeding you grapes when Sirius comes up behind you.

“Ready to go?”

You ignore his question, “Who was the god — I mean — guy that you saw?”

Sirius arches an eyebrow. You notice for the first time that there is a scar knitted into it, “That’s James. He’s a total prat, by the way.”

“Sounds like you two have that in common,” you quip and Sirius mocks offence.

“Anyone tell you that you’re cruel?”

“Everyday of my life.”

“Here I was thinking you were just another hot little American bird.”

For one half of a millisecond, your brain snags on the word ‘hot.’ Did he just call you hot? You heard that right? You recover with grace, grinning wickedly.

“You’ll get over it.”

A teasing smirk flirts around the corners of Sirius’ lips, a little crookedly, slanting lazily in a way that makes your cheeks warm. He looks amused by this verbal tug-of-war but also a little turned on.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel the same way.

“You ever walk along the River Thames?” Sirius asks, sliding his strong, sexy hands into the pocket of his sexy leather jacket. He begins to follow the footpath, leading you past the knots of pigeons and moonstruck lovers.

“No,” you sigh, “Admittedly, I just came along for the underage drinking and the hot British guys.”

Sirius laughs, “How’s that working out for you?”

You shrug, teasing him with a flirtatious smile, “I’m still working on it.”

“If you want,” Sirius begins, clawing at the nape of his neck, “I can help you out with that.”

You quirk a carefully-manicured brow, “What, you know any hot guys like your buddy James?”

Sirius snorts, “I wouldn’t go saying that around his girlfriend.”

“Why, is she the jealous type?”

“No, she’s the ‘try-not-to-make-his-fat-Head-even-fatter’ type.”

You chuckle, intrigue plucking at your mind, “She’s my type of girl.”

“Lily is everyone’s type of girl.”

“Well now I just have to meet her.”

Sirius raises his brows, a spark of hope in his eyes, “Is that your way of telling me that you’re taking me up on the offer for free beer?”

“You never said it was free before.”

“I’m feeling generous.”

“Aw, and they say chivalry is dead.”

Sirius laughs easily in a way that is completely carefree, as though laughter bubbles just beneath his skin, itching to pour out. It’s mesmerising how he doesn’t seem to take life too seriously.

“You are something else,” he says, letting his eyes catch and linger on yours for a quiet, suspended moment.

A gust of warm, summer wind brings peach blossoms raining down. The gentle coo of a skylark echoes in the distance. Time slows to a stop to stare at the two of you.

He steps forward, like he’s about to kiss you.

You let him.

He tastes like liquor and rebellion, a little wild in a way you’ve never realised you’ve wanted, you’ve needed. His hands are strong as they wrap around you, pulling you flush against his chest. Your fingers roam through his hair, tangling, tugging, earning a low groan from the back of his throat. You feel drunk on him, your head spinning and your heart thumping, as though it’s trying to tear through your chest and leap into his strong, capable hands. Suddenly, you realise how weird this is. He’s a stranger you’ve known for an hour or so yet now you’re kissing him. It’s as though you’re somehow drawn to him, to his energy, to the way he seems to know you intimately, in ways you hardly know about yourself. You break away, taking a step away from him. Sirius looks like he’s five again and has just had his favourite toy ripped away from him.

““Are you—?”

Slap

Before you even realise what you’re doing, you’re slapping him across the cheek, not hard but he feels it. You kissed a stranger. That is a thing you did. You also slapped said stranger, partly because of impulse and partly because you’re terrified of how quickly your feelings are beginning to stir for someone you hardly know. Sirius is stunned, silent, staring at you with shock and hurt that stings you more than it should. You stare back, drawn in by every fleck of colour in his eyes, suddenly aware that, sure, he may be a stranger but that doesn’t mean he has to stay one. Obviously, you have a connection.

So…connect.

You crash your lips against his again, throwing your arms around his neck.

Your friends can wait. You’ve found yourself a new tour guide.

#sirius black #harry potter #hp imagines #young sirius black #sirius black x reader #sirius black x you #sirius black x y/n #james potter #lily evans #jily #fanfiction #sirius black imagine #the marauders #the marauders imagine #remus lupin #georgie writes

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emeraldtawny · 5 years

Text

Why I Love The 7 of Hearts

...I said I would do it. And now that it has officially been one month since his route release, the official banner for spoilers is now lifted! That being said, I’ll put a disclaimer now: I will be talking about key aspects and spoilers from Kyle’s route. Be warned.

Alright, now onto my thesis. Title: Why Kyle Ash Is My Favourite Otome Husband To Date - An Incredibly Biased Review, by Tawny ^w^

Part 1: Before his route

Before we talk about the actual route itself, let me explain to you guys why this man already had my heart before even getting to date him. I’ll be honest; when the game first came out, he was already in my top 3 but he was not the best boi (that went to Fenrir and stayed like that for a bit). That is, until I played through Lancelot’s route. Being able to get more interactions with Kyle gave me more insight into the kind of person he is, and I honestly liked what I saw. He condemned Lancelot for throwing his life away needlessly without concern for his safety (important note to come back to) and made it clear that his affiliation with the Red Army didn’t mean anything when there are lives on the line (another impotant point to revisit). I honestly respected that about him and sure enough, he snuck his way into top spot and has stayed there since. And if I’m being real, his route has completely solidified that. He ain’t moving. Ever.

Personal Rambling #1

Okay, now comes the fun part hehehe >:3

With the question “did you enjoy Kyle’s route?”, is there an option for “everything” and also “yes yes yes, holy shit yes”? Because, Kyle’s route is a big fat YES out of 10 for me, and I say that as unbiasedly as possible. I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any dev notes released before Kyle’s route dropped (my poor boi getting shafted :c), so allow me to give you my own variation:

Kyle

Recommended if you like: Yukimura (brusque yet sweet, kind of an idiot but means well) and Mitsunari (oblivious genius)

Sexy…7

Drama…7

Romance…9

Dev Notes: For a man so smart, he’s awfully clueless when it comes to you. This weirdly approachable doctor may lack tact, but that doesn’t stop the blood pressures rising and the hearts racing - both yours and his. Get ready for an angst road bump at part 20 (as well as his Dramatic Ending), but rest assured that the doctor is here to see you now.

When I say he’s a combo of Yuki and Mitsunari, I’m not kidding. He’s basically Yuki without the full-on tsun tendencies (he has a few, but you could call it more embarrassment and awkwardness compared to being a tsundere) and then a touch of Mitsunari’s infuriating obliviousness and bam, you got Kyle!

I won’t give a synopsis of the route, since you’ve all likely read it or know most of the story (why on earth are you reading this far in otherwise?) so allow me to share with you, my personal favourite chapters/parts of his route!

Chapter 7 - the first (and definitely not last) instance of a blushing Kyle in his natural habitat. Bonus for glasses uwu

Chapter 14 - the introduction of Goo, the new best pet in Cradle (sorry Chutney). Legit, I recorded that entire section where Kyle and MC are naming Goo and I was just squeeing like a deranged lunatic because I loved it so much like bdjxbgdkfnxfkd

Chapter 24 (His POV) - DRUNK KYLE POV. Of course, he’s still cognitive to have proper thoughts, it wasn’t Masamune levels of drunkenness. But...jealous Kyle. That right there is a rarity but WOW, it’s a treat ;3

Towards the end of the route when MC finds Kyle’s confession written on his freaking hand (Kyle you doof) and just...him burying his amused smile into the crook of his elbow when she says she likes someone…..HNNNNNGGGGGGG yes

Part 2: Character Development

This man has such strong convictions to his profession that it’s honestly admirable. He may only have one pillar to stand on, but that pillar is strong and immovable. I’m of course talking about this line: “I absolutely despise people who are ready to throw away their lives”. Sound familiar at all? Remind you of...a certain Red King? Honestly though, this commitment to his work as a doctor when he seems to do nothing else except drink himself into a stupor most nights (if not every night) is awe-inspiring, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.

The MC in Kyle’s route is my new favourite. I love how the romance she develops for Kyle starts off as simple admiration, just her wanting to follow in his footsteps and prove useful to people without provoking the war occurring around her. She’s grounded and has a clear purpose, which is refreshing compared to other iterations of her being more meek and more better categorised as a “damsel in distress”. Don’t get me wrong, I”m not criticising those types of MCs. It’s just nice to see a driven MC with a clear goal and a motive for why she wants to do the things she does, enough for her to stay longer than the allotted month (something NONE OF THE OTHER ROUTES DO, HELL YEAH KYLE!). She actively chose to stay in Cradle - even when her ticket home was right in front of her - because she wanted to help Kyle save lives. It’s refreshing. And it makes for some great interactions between her and Kyle, especially later in the route when they’re more comfortable with each other. Which leads me onto my next point…

It felt like a real relationship. The slow growth and blooming of feelings, the cute interactions they’d share (every time Kyle stroked her hair or bopped her on the head, my heart exploded into confetti), and how awkward they both were with each other. God, if you guys could have seen me reading his route with my dumb dopey grin and squeaking like a lovesick children’s toy every 10 seconds...I was a mess gielkdsnglkd.

I love how they let us see into Kyle’s world. It may be a simple outlook on life, but you can’t fault the man. His strong conviction to save as many lives as he can because he feels it’s what he was made to do, and his importance on smiling and presenting a calm, friendly image of himself as he treats his patients (remember the line “People are like mirrors.”. It’s important.). He’s a very “my pace” kind of person, and it was fun to just kind of...relax a bit. Sure, war preparations were happening but wait one moment, please. I need to educate Jonah on what is needed for a balanced nutritious breakfast. It was refreshing to see a route that was surprisingly chill for most of it until the ending crescendo, and I welcomed it.

Alright….angst time. All of the little hints we were getting, like his role of the 7 of Hearts not being “set in stone”, had me squinting at the screen like “boi, what you hiding?”. When we got to drinking with Kyle, Oliver and Blanc and the conversation of Kyle having a brother came up, I was like “....oh. This is gonna be baaad.”. And this wasn’t even including Colin (because when a character gets named, you know they’re important.). But…..Chapter 20. It actually came out of left field, sucker-punched me in the kidney, cracked my heart and left me crying as I’m just reading this whole thing unfolding. Colin’s heartbroken cries, Kyle’s unmoving unresponsive form as he lets Colin punch him, the symbolism and connection of both Kyle and Colin having lost an older brother because of the war. I’m….. ;~; aaaaaa. And then in the Avatar Challenge following the angst, MC throws the “people are like mirrors” line back at him to get him to break down a bit, to let some emotion out, and I was just a blubbering mess at this point. The route is generous enough to give you a floof and mild spice break, but then if you choose the Dramatic Ending…..you…..you visit...his brother’s grave...and the waterworks begin again.

Continuing on from the point above, this means Kyle also has connections with The Day That Went Dark, along with Fenrir and more importantly, Ray. From the way it was described in Kyle’s route, he himself doesn’t know for certain if Ray used magic or not. He only knows that Ray was there when shit went down. So even after his brother passed from the tragedy, Kyle held no animosity or desire for revenge against Ray; very fitting for his character. This route made me realise just how similar Kyle and Ray are: they’re both very determined in their ways to keep the peace and they both hold strong to their views of freedom and honesty (Ray and Kyle respectively). And you can tell that Kyle doesn’t hold it against Ray for whatever happened on The Day That Went Dark.

I would honestly love to see a scenario of the two of them sitting down together in a room and just awkwardly yet honestly expressing all of their pent-up emotions about that whole ordeal (angst writers, if you’re reading this...only if you want to ofc ^w^).

Personal Rambling #2: Gushing Edition

So those were my structured notes, but now let me indulge you on my messy bullet points that I made throughout reading his route. A lot of these are pointless to character building and things I just thought were cute and needed attention drawn to sooo….ye ^w^

Like the rest of the Red Army, Kyle was born into a family that carries the mantle of 7 of hearts. All of them doctors.

Cute theme of beds??? (his bday story and them sleeping in the same room)

“When he wasn’t talking, he’s actually quite attractive.” (wow, r00d)

His palm notes are work and other things related (and he doesn’t always remember why he wrote it down bgrkdgn)

Not a sweet tooth (dammit Kyle, that’s your only downfall :c)

Easily embarrassed despite his earnest and straightforward mannerisms

Doesn’t dote on MC and teaches her what he can

His importance on smiling and presenting a calm, friendly image of himself as he treats his patients (“People are like mirrors.” - ch 8)

Head pats. Lots of head pats

Awkward sweet love (kill me it’s too adorable)

Edgar’s silent envy yet sweet support of their romance (this boi istg…)

Super proactive MC (she’s my new fave, seriously I love her)

Lots of touching (head pats, forehead bonks), he doesn’t know what personal space is (and I love it)

His pig is the cutest thing in the entire world, I need 20

Really good with kids…...yes.

“I absolutely despise people who are ready to throw away their lives” (incredibly strong convictions - doesn’t have many, but the ones he does have he is incredibly dedicated to)

Stays longer than the allotted month (FUCK YES)

His brother’s death strengthened his convictions to be able to handle being an army doctor (direct and honest, no bs about sacrificing your life etc etc)

The “People are like mirrors” line is tearing my fucking heart apart (makes sense in chapter 20 avatar challenge)

The angst…..his brother...and Colin….I’m rdfkgndkjfnxclk ;-;

His realisation of love….and his confession….lord, IM DROWNING IN UWUS

Saving Amon despite him murdering many innocent people, a big decision that could have changed the tide for the future, but he stuck with his beliefs

MC’s insistence that Kyle doesn’t like her that way, and Kyle’s inability to realise it’s love (help me it’s so fucking cute I’m dying)

Whether intentional or not, he’s good at diverting the attention away from him when he wants it off him (maybe MC just assumes he’s an idiot?? lmao)

So his glasses are for sentimental reasons (but does he need them???) and his alcohol drinking habits are from his father (not a coping mechanism)

Incredibly kind...but not good at showing it (helping MC distract herself by giving her work(?))

MC’s obsession with Kyle’s eyes and collarbone (same sis, SAME) and Kyle’s obsession with her hair (fsekfbksfnjweksdgn kd,nAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

Conclusion

Overall, Kyle’s route is very solid. It may not add much to the overarching lore of Cradle (aside from another victim in The Day That Went Dark), but the route was still adorable, enjoyable and incredibly sweet. I had no moments where I felt bored throughout his route (then again, that’s likely the bias talking) and the balance between cute floof, tear-jerking angst and then hot hot spice (that he FULLY deserves, mind you) came together into a wonderful experience that left my heart full and sad when it all ended.

My final message to you all: Kyle Ash is the sweetest, most adorkable nerd that has ever graced my presence and I hope that even a tiny portion of my love for him rubs off on you, just so you can see how amazing this boi is. Thank you for your time and for listening to my ramblings gesgnsk ^^;;

Bonus: my two favourite screenshots from his route

#ikerev #kyle ash #tawny loves kyle #my kyle thesis #I was ready to post this like a week ago but I held myself off gksehdhgbks #tawny rambles

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michelles-garden-of-evil · 4 years

Text

Episode 7 Review: Flying South Like the Birdies

{ YouTube: 1 | 2 | 3 }

{ Synopses: Debby Graham | Bryan Gruszka }

{ Screencaps }

We open with a conversation between Alison and Raxl about the death of Dr. Menkin. Mostly, this is repeating what we already know for the benefit of the original viewers who missed the previous two episodes, but not entirely. I just realized that Alison didn’t learn of Dr. Menkin’s death in either Episode 5 or 6. (I had to re-watch part of Episode 5 and skim over Debby Graham’s synopsis of Episode 6 to confirm this.) So this is also an important scene for her, one that augments the fear she has begun to feel on the island, even if, unlike Raxl, she does not yet believe in the supernatural forces that make Maljardin, as the immortal housekeeper says just before the opening, “the Garden of Evil.”

We also get an unintentionally funny moment where Raxl shouts “THAT DEVIL!” and the camera quickly zooms in to the portrait of Jacques Eloi des Mondes with some thunder and lightning for emphasis. Then Alison freaks out as she realizes that Jacques put the dream from last episode inside her head. It’s not clear if she is more frightened by the possibility that Jacques will kill her or by the fact that she is sexually attracted to a dead man who looks exactly like her brother-in-law.

Alison: “The dream was so real! This island...it IS evil! I have to get away, back to reason. Away from HIM!"

*flashing lightning and wailing theremin*

Colin Fox, by the way, isn’t in this episode, so, just like the previous Foxless episode, the focus is primarily on the subplots. In the next scene, we cut away to the French Leave Café, where Boring Artist Tim is hanging out with Vangie Abbott (Angela Roland). Now, even though Vangie first appeared on the show in the second episode, I wanted to wait a while to introduce her, mostly because I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started writing these massive blog entries and got overwhelmed early on by all the things I wanted to cover. But now that things are slowing down and she’s starting to become relevant to the plot, I will write a little about her.

Vangie, who owns the café, is a psychic who uses tarot cards to divine the future. She usually provides a lot of detail as to what individual cards mean, connecting them to specific characters and not always using the more well-known trump cards/Major Arcana to represent them. This indicates that Ian Martin probably did a significant amount of research on tarot cards and their meanings before writing about them. (Contrast with Dark Shadows, which mainly featured the same few cards--especially the Tower of Destruction--over and over and usually interpreted them literally.[1] I admittedly haven’t done much research on the tarot (although I intend to in the near future for this blog), so I’ve learned quite a bit about different cards’ meanings from Vangie’s dialogue. There’s a lot more that I could say about her character, but this is about all I can say for now without spoiling anything.

Well, I could also mention her quirky fashion sense and distinctive sing-song alto voice. (That’s Boring Artist Tim on the right, by the way.)

A screenshot of Vangie’s outfit from Episode 2.

Hundreds of miles away, we find the Reverend Matt Dawson at Westley House seeking word of the whereabouts of 20-year-old teenager Holly. He visits her roommate Dinah Heath[2] (Trudy Young), a young hippie who only appears in this episode, but who is the best thing about it. Truth be told, I wanted to write this entire post about just Dinah, but changed my mind when I re-watched the episode and remembered that Vangie was in it, too. Dinah is really fun and probably my favorite of the One-Episode Wonders: characters who only appear in one episode, but who are memorable for the right reasons. Dr. Patton from Episode 4 is another favorite one-episode character of mine, as is Claude from an episode months in the future (although my opinion is largely based on how I imagine him, because so far I have only read that episode’s synopsis and watched the accompanying slideshow).[3] And she totally takes the piss out of Matt when he comes to question her.

At the start of the scene, Dinah is jamming out in her room to some music while smoking. It looks like a cigarette, but it’s probably meant to be a joint, because she acts stoned during the entire scene.

Matt knocks on the door and she jumps off her bunk and immediately starts fanning the air to try to get rid of the pot smell. I love the ironic “please keep off grass” sign.

Matt doesn’t even need to mention Holly for her to know that he plans to ask about her. Dinah just outright says “she isn’t here” while smirking and posing with her hand on her hip.

Cue an exchange full of awkwardly-delivered 1960s slang as Dinah clarifies that he wants to know “why’d she split” and he accuses her of “trying to put [him] on.” I’m not sure how current the slang would have been when the episodes were written, but, considering that the writer was in his fifties at the time, probably not very.

She goes over to her desk to brush her hair while Matt continues questioning her. She denies knowing where Holly is, so he says patronizingly, “I admire your sense of loyalty, but there are times when it could hurt Holly rather than help her.” I might believe him if I didn’t already know that he had the hots for Holly.

More awkward slang. Dinah is still pretending to ignore him.

Matt’s horrified reaction when she says what we know from Episode 3. “Uh-oh,” he’s probably thinking, “she’s onto me.”

Definitely onto him!

Matt so wants the pretty young chicks at Westley House to see him as a groovy, happenin’ padre with all the hip slang he uses.

When he finally gets her to “level” with him, she tells him, “All I know is that she’s flying south like the birdies. Way down south. Has to be. Air alone costs $163.75 [$1,148.24 in 2019 USD, or $1,124.03 in 2019 Canadian dollars].” He asks how she got that money, and Dinah responds, “Saved some. We all chipped in with the rest.” So they all think that he’s a creep, enough to fund her escape from him.

She grabs this huge teddy bear and starts drumming on it. She’s not even trying to conceal that she’s stoned.

She means "vampire” figuratively, but I imagine this line was added to try to hook any DS fans tuning in. It would have admittedly been so awesome if Mrs. Marshall had turned out to be a literal vampire.

Stalker!

We next see Holly at the French Leave Café, trying to order a drink but getting turned away from the bar because she’s underage. How can they even tell? No one cards her before turning her away and Sylvia Feigel looks 27 at the youngest. Hell, I’m 26 years old, look younger than Holly does, and no one ever cards me when I buy alcohol. I could see them turning someone like Dinah away without carding her because she definitely looks under 21, but Holly? Really?

Holly does not look 20.

She has a meet-cute with Tim, followed by a free tarot reading courtesy of Vangie. Without her saying anything about her life, the psychic reveals that she knows Holly’s future:

Foreshadowing!

She also knows that a man has begun stalking her, but not his identity. “What are you running from Holly, and who is the man running after you?” she asks before the scene cuts to Matt telling Elizabeth Marshall that her daughter ran away. Soon after, the conversation shifts to his attraction to Holly. While stalkers are always creepy regardless of their age and the age of the stalkee, the way they talk about Holly makes it sound like the Reverend is interested in a teenager:

Because Reverend Dawson isn’t already gross enough with his stalking, smarmy demeanor, romantic interest in a just barely former ward, and offbrand Reverend Trask accent.

Elizabeth threatens to “fix” both him and Holly and leaves to track Holly down on her own. Then we get a short, unnecessary filler scene of Raxl and Alison before the credits.

In the next episode, THE DEVIL JACQUES ELOI DES MONDES returns and Dan meets up with Vangie to do some more research regarding Jacques’ identity. Stay tuned!

Notes

[1] I’m not disparaging Dark Shadows here. I love both shows; I just wanted to point out that the Dark Shadows writers probably did less research on the tarot. Either that, or they just loved the Tower of Destruction. In any case, they used the Tower of Destruction so excessively that sometimes even thinking of that card is enough to send me into giggling fits. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, I have an odd sense of humor.)

[2] Ian Martin seems to have been fond of the name Dinah for girls and young women. Eight years later in 1977, he used the name again for the 12-year-old protagonist of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater episode “The Child’s Cat Paw,” played by a young Sarah Jessica Parker. It isn’t his best CBSRMT episode, but I still recommend it.

[3] Coincidentally, the episode with Claude also features the introduction of Susan, another Trudy Young character who plays a major role in the show’s final arc. I haven’t seen any full episodes after 130 yet because they’re not on YouTube, but I’ve read all the synopses. Someday I will watch the second Desmond Hall arc, and I can only hope that the Claude scene on the show is as romantic as it is in my head cinema. (It probably isn’t, given that David Wells' other character Cort is hilariously badly acted (if very, very cute), but perhaps Wells’ acting was better when he played Claude.)

ETA 6/22/2020: I just watched Episode 133 this evening (got the DVDs now) and I loved the scene with Claude. I’m not kidding. Surprisingly, David Wells’ acting as both Claude and Cort is decent in the episode--and, after re-watching the first Desmond Hall arc, I can say that his acting improves over time and is even occasionally good. I’ll write much more about Cort later on (this isn’t the right entry for it), but I will say that not all Cort episodes are created equal.

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#strange paradise #gothic soap opera #week 2 #episode 7 #maljardin arc #ian martin #review #foxless episodes #1960s slang #one episode wonder #tarot #twentysomethings treated like children

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mashitandsmashit · 5 years

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America’s Got Talent: The Champions - Auditions 5

10: Sons of Serendip. Let me just start by saying that I love these guys! I just decided to put them at the bottom of this list because they’ve performed this song at least twice in the past, and I’ve heard these little covers of it multiple times during scenes on this show where some act gets to advance, and it’s all emotional and crap...The instruments and vocals are still great...It’s just that SOMEBODY had to be ranked in last place tonight! It’s not that they were the weakest act...Just the least strong!

9: Lost Voice Guy. So we go from a comedian with Tourette’s, to a comedian with a stutter, and now a comedian who can’t even talk! And like the others, I really like him, despite how short the set was! I mean, geez, are comedians on this show now limited to three jokes!? But regardless, I admire the way this guy can work through his condition! I mean, of all the conditions that can keep you from performing stand-up, being mute must be pretty high up that list! And yet he found a way, and I love how he managed to win BGT with it!

8: Sal Valentinetti. This guy’s just too much! I think this was a repeat of his final performance back in Season 11, but he’s still incredibly infectious and a very talented singer to boot!

7: Colin Cloud. I think the trick was mostly solid...But bringing David Hasselhoff along makes it feel staged (I mean, I know it is, all magic tricks are, but still...) But the fact that he was able to afford the Hoff for his trick tells me that he’s doing alright! Also, looks like he cut that silly hair! (Probably because he knew he couldn’t compete with Shin’s do...Of course, he couldn’t compete with Shin in general...)

6: Cosentino. Coming this summer...Johnny Depp is...Yeah, you get the point...Anyway, there’s a lot of debate in the Youtube comments with how real or challenging this really is...But if nothing else, he did narrowly dodge those arrows shooting at him and jump away from that fiery explosion like he’s Sylvester Freaking Stallone, so that in and of itself impresses me!

5: Attraction. We’ve seen quite a few acts like this one by now, but this group really does it the best! (Note: If you’ve read this post earlier and notice that this entry has climbed up the list, it’s because I watched them again and changed my mind about them...)

4: Jackie Evancho. I’m sad...I mean, I’m glad there aren’t any singers going through this week, but it’s just tragic that Jackie Evancho of all people had to be sacrificed...Not only that, but both her placement in the line-up as well as her not even making the Top 3 just felt insulting for one of the most iconic singers in the history of the show, as well as one of the most successful! And indeed, she has only gotten better with age! If only I could trade in all the other singers that made the finals to have her there...Except Cristina Ramos; She’s pretty awesome! I guess the two factors that made people less inclined to vote for Jackie are 1: She’s not a cute little kid anymore, and 2: She sang for Donald Trump at his inauguration, and everyone knows that having ANYTHING to do with that guy automatically makes you evil! (It’s divisive crap like this that makes me hate America...)

3: Shin Lim. I’m not gonna pretend that this is anything groundbreaking by Shin’s usual standards...But I could just watch him for hours! It’s gotten to the point that I was able to watch his AGT audition again and fully appreciate it now, despite not being that impressed by it before (it might have just been the magician burnout I had at the time...) In all honesty, this is close to everything you could ask for from a close-up magician, right down to the looks! (My man crush on this guy is real!) So as predictable as the result may be (even if I DIDN’T know it ahead of time), it’s good to have him in the finals!

2: Kseniya Simonova. I remember back in Season 7, we had a guy who did exactly what this lady does: Create images with sand and kind of adjust them to tell some kind of story...While I thought the concept of the act was interesting, I never felt it was anything I’d pay to see in Vegas, nor did I feel he really deserved to make the finals (as he did). This lady on the other hand...The pace of her act is quicker, the artwork is better (albeit still sloppy at points) and there is just much more to the stories! While I don’t know if I would call her one of my absolute favorite acts, this is something I wouldn’t mind paying to see, and good on Terry giving her the GB! Can’t wait to see what she does next...

1: Tokio Myers. This guy NEEDS to team up with Brian King Joseph! I can definitely see what made him a BGT champion (and beat cute little Issy)! And while it is a pity that he didn’t even make the Top 3, I can tell that he will do well in the long run!

This was like last week, except literally everyone had something special to offer (no Moonlight Brothers THIS week) and the results were significantly less outrageous...albeit still not the most satisfactory...My only real issue is the tragedy of who isn’t making the finals vs. who has over the course of the season...It does feel like they’re pushing away older AGT acts that I was looking forward to more than all these last-three-seasons acts that made the finals...I really wanted to see some of them in there alongside these more recent acts...

But I guess I should take this all with a grain of salt...In any other season, would Deadly Games or Brian Justin Crum make it farther than Jackie Evancho or Prince Poppycock? Maybe in a season that only has two rounds with only two acts advancing per week...But in a classic season, it would probably go quite differently...

Anyway, let’s just go ahead and rank next week’s acts based on my tastes...And while the two wildcards haven’t been announced yet, someone spilled the beans online who they are...(God, I hate that this isn’t live!) So I’ll just go ahead and list them regardless...

12: Brian Justin Crum

11: Kechi

10: Angelica Hale

9: Paul Potts

8: Susan Boyle

7: Cristina Ramos

6: Deadly Games

5: Jon Dorenbos

4: Preacher Lawson

3: Kseniya Simonova

2: Shin Lim

1: Darci Lynne

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welllpthisishappening · 6 years

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I wanted to tell you I watched an NHL game last week for the first time. Its all down to Blue Line! Hockey playing Killian is too hot. Except that playoff beard...*shudder* (Baseball fan usually so I know the playoff beard. I mean I get it, but theyre so ugly. Lol) If you were serious about ideas for stuff for the Blue Line world, I would adore seeing Emma’s joy when the playoff beard returns to normal Killian/Colin scruff. And her reluctant admission that yes, she hates the playoff beard. Haha.

Ah, this is the nicest anon! Hockey-playing Killian and this whole group of other Rangers has kind of taken over my life. They win a lot more than the real Rangers, but that’s neither here nor there and I’m mostly just bitter that our defense is so awful.

Anyway, I agree completely about the playoff beard. The worst. The woooooorst. So here’s, uh, here’s 4.1K on playoff beards and athletic superstition and Emma’s thoughts on making out with her boyfriend. Set just a few days before the epilogue of Tripping Over the Blue Line. Also, whispers, I’m always down for Blue Line prompts and The PyeongChang Triple updates on Tuesday and Friday at noon.

“It’s just…very long.”

His lips twitched at the announcement, eyes cracking open and Emma tried to hold her ground – something that was easier said than done when they were still in bed and she wasn’t sitting up, just a pretzel of limbs and blankets and pillows and a playoff beard that had, officially, overstayed its welcome.

“I’ve got it on good authority that’s how hair works, Swan,” Killian muttered, arching an eyebrow and that wasn’t playing fair at all. He grinned when she rolled her eyes.

“You’re being difficult on purpose.”“You’re making sweeping comments on hair.”

“Facial hair.”“Is there a difference?”

“I mean, obviously,” Emma grumbled, nearly kicking a blanket off the bed when she flipped onto her side and –– “God, that is just stupid.”

Killian’s eyebrows flew up his forehead, the left joining the right in its apparent quest to make her stomach do several somersaults at whatever time it was, “You’re shouting insults at me now,” he grinned, flipping his head on the pillow and maybe he should get a haircut too.

His hair kept falling into his eyes and, really, Emma didn’t mind that much because his whole face seemed to shift when she’d lean over and brush it away and that did something else to her stomach too, but she could only think so many sentimental things at once and she was on a quest.

A facial hair quest.

She’d come up with a different name eventually.

Maybe after she forced a razor in his hand.

“Swan,” Killian prompted, tapping a finger on her wrist and she nearly jumped out of the bed. “You’re like a live wire. Why are you making proclamations about facial hair?”Emma made a face, scrunching her nose and working a laugh out of him and this was not going according to plan at all.

Four days after making history and finding themselves on Page Six, again, and there was still a goddamn trophy sitting on her kitchen counter, and they hadn’t really done much more than sleep and kiss and not kiss and occasionally eat and Killian kept trying to force her to drink glasses of water because “hydration is important, Swan,” and the smirk whenever he said that was easily the best and worst thing she’d ever seen.

They’d been outside twice.

For the post-victory dinner and brunch at the brownstone before Mr. Vankald drove Elsa and Liam and three painfully adorable children to LaGuardia.

He wouldn’t let them call a car.

It was the single most familial thing Emma had ever seen – and Mrs. Vankald hand wrote her recipe for cinnamon sugar french toast and handed it to Emma before they went back uptown.

She kind of wanted to make cinnamon sugar french toast.

But, now, four days after making history and locking themselves away from the rest of the world, they had another team dinner and a parade to help plan and something needed to be done about the playoff beard.

“It’s overstayed its welcome,” Emma muttered, realizing rather belatedly she’d never actually answered his question. His eyes fell closed when he laughed, shoulders shaking against the mattress when he tried to tug her back against his side.

Emma flopped down, twisting her arm awkwardly underneath her and Killian was still laughing when he looked at her – eyes just a hint brighter than usual and that was almost impressive considering how much hair kept falling into his eyes.

“Should I be offended by that?” Killian asked. “I have been a little preoccupied.”He widened his eyes meaningfully, something that felt a bit like flirting lingering in the air and Emma bit her lip so she didn’t do something stupid like push his shoulders even further into the mattress and hitch her leg over his hip and that was part of the problem to begin with.

“Not offended,” she argued. “Just…it’s really long.”“You’ve mentioned that several times now, love.”“Yeah, well, you keep doing whatever, so it’s really cheating and it seems wrong to tell you that I want you to shave your face.”That smirk was the dumbest thing in the entire world.

And kind of working.

And she didn’t even want to think about how many e-mails were sitting in her inbox. She hoped Merida wasn’t too stressed out. Emma had never planned a parade before.

There were probably eight-hundred forms to fill out.

“Shave my face,” Killian echoed, sounding as if he was just half a second away from another round of laughter and Emma stuck her tongue out. The laughter arrived in full force, bouncing off the walls of her apartment and maybe into the center of her soul or something equally absurd and she was definitely going to make french toast.

“What else would you call it?” Emma asked. “You really can’t show up to dinner looking like you’ve spent the last two months in the mountain.”

His whole body shook with the force of his laughter and Emma was going to do permanent damage to her shoulder if she kept twisting and turning and trying to smack at her boyfriend – her Stanley Cup-winning, distractingly attractive, even when he looked like he was auditioning to be some kind of Bear Grylls stand-in boyfriend.

“God, you are the most frustrating person in the entire world, you know that?” Emma groused, voice muffled when her head landed on his shoulder and Killian hummed before kissing the top of her hair.

“That’s been mentioned a few times, yes,” Killian grinned. He traced his hand across the curve of her spine, brushing in between her shoulder blades and back down and it probably would have been decidedly romantic if Emma didn’t reach up her hand and tug on the end of his beard. “God,” he yelped, eyes flashing towards her, all blue and sharp and Emma couldn’t really shrug, but she tried anyway and maybe her smile was a little cheating. “That was almost aggressive, Swan.”“I have a lot of feelings about this facial hair.”“You seem to have one feeling about its length.”“Because it is mountain-man long. Robert Redford in that movie long. Haven’t seen humans in years long. Very good at foraging for berries long. Should have signed with the Sharks long.”

Killian glared, but it didn’t hold much weight and front office was still talking and Regina hadn’t kicked down the apartment door yet, which either meant it was going well or absolutely horrible and Emma was an absolute idiot.

Superstitious athletes.

“Killian,” she breathed, but he shook his head once and the force of her jaw snapping shut seemed to reverberate down her spine.

“Jeremiah Johnson,” he said. Emma blinked. “The Robert Redford movie you’re looking for is Jeremiah Johnson.

“God, why do you know that?”He smiled, kissing her forehead again and Emma shifted, twisting her legs up with his and the blankets and there really weren’t many clothes between them. She had no idea where her phone even was.

“Swan, you brought it up,” Killian pointed out. “If you’re going to make sweeping generalizations about the state of my facial hair with slightly dated Hollywood references, then you’re not allowed to be surprised that I know what you’re talking about. Those are the rules.”“Those are incredibly detailed rules.”“Call ‘em like I see ‘em.”“Pun or cliché?”“An overused answer in post-game press conferences.”Emma smiled, something fluttering in the pit of her stomach that felt a lot like hopes and wants and they should probably discuss their apartment situation at some point. After the parade. After dinner. Definitely after he shaved his face.

“I have worked in the league for years and I have never once heard a single person use that phrase at any point,” Emma laughed, arching her back when his hand moved again and they were never going to get out of bed. She’d make him shave that goddamn beard in her bedroom if she had to. “It doesn’t even make any sense. That is a baseball pun. At best.”“I thought we decided it wasn’t a pun.”

Killian made a noise in the back of his throat, half a laugh and a bit of a disagreement and someone’s phone rang…somewhere in her apartment. “I really don’t know what we’re talking about at this point,” he said. “Is that your phone or my phone?”“I don’t know. How come you’re worried?”“About?”“Killian!”

“You’re still assuming I know what we’re talking about, Swan. And I think that’s your phone. I’m fairly certain mine is dead.”Emma rolled her eyes, hardly surprised and just a bit charmed and Merida was probably freaking out about permits. “Why are you worried about this? You won a Stanley Cup. You stole a Conn-Smythe.”“Borrowed.”“That implies you were intending to give it back and that would require you to actually leave this apartment. Is that why you haven’t shaved? So the league reps won’t recognize you?”“I have every intention of getting out of this bed at some point today.”“With a razor?”“That question suggests that there is, somewhere, in this bed a razor that I would bring with me when I got out of said bed.”“Oh my God,” Emma groaned, squeezing her eyes closed and Killian chuckled lightly under his breath. Her phone stopped ringing. And started again.

“How many times do you think Merida will call to ask you about the parade before she tells Ruby you’re not answering your phone and Lucas arrives with some sort of battering ram?”Emma laughed, but he probably wasn’t far off the mark and her stomach growled. Loudly. Killian quirked an eyebrow, waiting for a response and pointedly ignoring what he absolutely was not admitting to. “Half a dozen,” she answered. “But I’m not sure if that includes the inevitable text messages and e-mails she’s sent too. And you’re being stupid.”“I’m sorry, what?”“They already told Regina they were going to offer. She’s probably just bartering zeroes.”“I don’t think you barter with contract extensions, Swan.”“And I think you’re refusing to shave because you’re trying to hold onto some kind of Stanley Cup winning magic or whatever.”His eyebrows shifted again, another deflection and Emma tried not to scowl. It didn’t work. “Are you suggesting that we won the Stanley Cup with magic, love?” Killian asked, taking his time on every letter and Emma probably wouldn’t have been able to hear the strain in his voice a few months before.

It felt like it reached out and slapped her.

“De. Flec. Ting,” she said, rapping her knuckles on his chest in between every syllable. He caught her around the wrist as soon as her jaw snapped, tugging her hand up and brushing his lips over her knuckles and it sent a chill down her spine that felt incredibly out of place in the middle of the summer and the start of the offseason and she kind of wanted him to shave just so there was more face to kiss.

She didn’t say that out loud.

“Maybe a little,” Killian admitted, widening his eyes when Emma let out a sound that was vaguely triumphant. “And maybe I really didn’t want to get out of bed when you’ve been in it. Wearing team-branded when you happen to do wear anything.”Emma had a response. She did. She had some sort of flirty, slightly sarcastic retort, could feel it sitting on the tip of her tongue, but then she met his gaze and he looked so….certain. In this and them and how much he wanted to stay in New York and, maybe, stay in bed and her fingers were in his hair before she realized her brain had even decided she wanted them to be there.

She made a noise when he moved her, something between breathless and swooning and eventually she’d tell him that she absolutely, positively did not care about the zeroes or whatever Regina was bartering or anything even remotely related to the inevitable Post story about his contract negotiations, but Emma was far too busy trying to document whatever her whole body did when he canted his hips up.

A live wire.

The beard scratched against her jaw when Killian kissed her, likely leaving red marks in its way when he moved down the side of her neck. She nipped at his collarbone in retaliation and she’d probably think about the sound he made – some kind of strangled, needy, slightly desperate thing – for the rest of her goddamn life.

And if they’d been a mess of limbs and blankets before, it was nothing compared to what they were now – hands moving quickly, like they were trying to stretch the moment out in front of them with their legs twisted together and Killian hissed when Emma’s toes brushed against the side of his ankle.

“You’re feet are freezing,” he mumbled and she could feel the hint of his smile against her skin.

Emma rolled her hips in response, working another groan out of him and the morning was doing dangerous things to her ego and certainty that she could plan a parade in 48-hours. “You’re talking way too much.”He grinned at her, a flash of teeth and want and calling it desire sounded absurd, but she was having a hard time formulating coherent thoughts anyway so that seemed like par for the course.

That was another pun.

Or cliché.

Whatever.

Emma rocked back, trying to find enough space between them to tug the shirt over her head, but Killian’s fingers were back on her wrist and she was fairly certain the look on his face had imprinted itself on several different parts of her brain.

He shook his head deftly, something in his gaze that probably would have led her to come up with another electricity pun if she was still a cognizant human being, but Emma was straddling her boyfriend and he couldn’t shave because he was nervous about the rest of his professional hockey-playing career and all of those things colliding together formed some sort of impossible scenario where they absolutely had sex while she was still wearing team-branded.

And his number.

“You’ve got some sort of name and number thing happening here, don’t you?” Emma asked knowingly and the tips of Killian’s ear’s went red. She brushed her tongue over her teeth, a shock of control shooting through her limbs and it felt a bit like standing in the middle of an inferno or winning a Stanley Cup four days before and she didn’t hear her phone ring again.

Killian shook his head again, shifting against the mattress with a hand heavy on Emma’s hip. She could see the tendons in his neck when she stared at, strained as he tilted his head back into the pillow and his eyes fluttered shut.

Emma smiled. And laughed. “It’s rude to laugh like that, love,” he mumbled, voice gruff and that need was back. They were never going to get out of bed.

“I’m not laughing at you,” Emma countered. She ducked her head, letting her lips trail across his jaw and he probably couldn’t even feel it through the ridiculous amount of beard. “I’m just pointing out observations. Play by play as it were.”He groaned when she carded her fingers through his hair, nails scraping lightly over the nape of his neck and there were goosebumps on his skin. She was bordering just on the edge of uncomfortable, body bent in a way that wasn’t doing anything for her thighs, but Emma laughed when Killian’s hand moved again, pushing underneath cotton and a t-shirt that still looked pretty good even after a season of team rules and away games and some kind of historic performance.

There was a deeper meaning in there.

She ignored it.

“You’re the one who said I was talking too much, love,” Killian bit out, flipping them again and grinning when Emma’s hair splayed out underneath her. “Quid pro quo or whatever.”“Ah, you are a font of cliché.”

He opened his mouth to mutter something, but Emma didn’t give him a chance, tugging him back down and she might have sighed when his lips crashed against hers, but that might have been him too and she’d lost track of anything that wasn’t how exceptionally good they were at kissing each other.

She never took the shirt off.

They did, eventually, get out of bed, lingering in each other’s space and Emma was fairly certain her neck would be red for most of the offseason, but there was a mark just under Killian’s collarbone so it felt like they were almost even.

“You want some help?” she asked, voice quiet when they padded into the hallway. She wasn’t wearing any pants.

Killian tilted his head, like he was waiting for some metaphorical rug to be yanked out from underneath him, and Emma tried to smile. “Yeah, ok,” he said, letting his palm rest flat against her back and it was some sort of miracle they didn’t trip over each other on the way into the bathroom.

It was a balancing act of sorts – Emma perched on the edge of the sink with her toes only just skimming the floor and Killian standing in between her legs with a pair of tiny scissors in her hand. She tried to concentrate, but that was a very distinct type of challenge when his thumb was brushing small circles around her knee and Emma was positive she nearly cut off his nose at least four times.

“You don’t have to do anything except snip, Swan,” he muttered and the whole thing felt oddly personal and, somehow, a bit romantic and she’d clearly lost her mind.

Maybe it was because they hadn’t been outside in two days.

“Stop moving,” she grumbled. “You’re freaking me out.”“You know I am capable of shaving myself, love.”Emma hummed, a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat, and she nearly stabbed him in the cheek when he smiled. “I’m just trying to make sure this happens. Do we have…whatever here? Are you going to ruin your face doing this?”“Shaving cream?”

She didn’t answer immediately and Emma tried to cut in a straight line, far too aware of the placement of his nose and the quirk of his lips when the scissors got too close. “You know it’s going to be fine, right?” Emma asked, hooking her foot around the back of his knee. He nearly crashed into the cabinet under the sink. “Like…no matter what?”Killian’s eyes flashed, darting up towards Emma and they should really find shaving cream. It felt like the wrong moment to mention that.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I do know that. And there’s shaving cream underneath your left foot because I brought it before the season started.”Emma bit her lip. “Planning ahead, Cap?”“Hoping.”“Unnecessary.”

“Move the scissors so I don’t impale myself while trying to kiss you.”

She did and he did and there was shaving cream on the edge of her shirt by the time Killian ushered her out of the bathroom and told her to put Merida out of her misery.

Emma had sixteen text messages and two very detailed threats from Ruby and she was mumbling instructions to Merida, phone pressed against her ear with her shoulder and Mrs. Vankald’s recipe sitting on her counter, when she heard the quiet whir of an electric razor at the other end of the hall.

It took him nearly forty-five minutes and Emma was in the midst of trying to decide how to separate the team on floats that could only be certain dimensions as dictated by the city of New York and the canyon of heroes when she heard footsteps.

She nearly took out the pan on the stove when she spun around.

And Merida shouted when Emma dropped her phone.

“It’s rude to stare, Swan,” Killian said, arms crossed lightly over his shirt and she couldn’t stop moving her eyes, tracing over the clothes and how well they fit and the distinct lack of any facial hair. He smiled when he took a step forward, bending to grab her phone and she was pleasantly surprised to find her entire arm didn’t explode when he brushed his fingers over her palm.

Merida was still talking.

“Not staring,” Emma said. “Just…” She waved her free hand through the air, sighing when one side of Killian’s mouth tugged up and maybe he should have shaved the eyebrows off too if they were going to keep doing whatever it was they were doing.

Taunting her.

The fucking eyebrows were taunting her.“Certainly feels like staring,” Killian countered, tilting his head and maybe she wouldn’t think about those sounds from before all night. She’d think about his jaw. And the shape of it. And how sharp it looked when it wasn’t covered in playoff beard or perpetual stubble and Emma wasn’t sure she was still breathing.

His cheeks flushed slightly when she didn’t say anything, rocking back on his heels and it wasn’t jarring so much as it was surprising and attractive and Merida was still talking about player distribution.

They should come up with another name for that too.

“Swan,” Killian said, caution in the name and his face and she couldn’t stop staring at his face.

She’d had seen photos at the brownstone – Draft night and college articles and even that one picture of the entire family on the steps of a downtown courthouse, slightly stunned smiles on their faces and there’d been no hint of a beard then, but this was…something else all together.

Killian always had stubble, not quite a beard, but definitely enough that it would drag across her skin in a way that made her toes curl and it always made him seem…him. And now it was like she was seeing his entire face for the first time, looking younger and more open than Emma could remember and her toes curled for a totally different reason.

She wasn’t sure he’d completely shaved since he got into the league.

That felt important. To this and them and each other and maybe she was just as weirdly possessive as he was.

Emma reached up, brushing the tips of her fingers over his jaw and the slant of his cheekbones, mumbling something to Merida when she asked another question. “Your cheekbones are insane,” she said, rolling her eyes when Killian blinked in surprise. The smirk was back. “That’s not what I was planning to say.”“I’ll take it,” he grinned, brushing his lips over her. Merida absolutely heard. “Is she freaking out?”“Kind of. You want to share a float with Scarlet? He’s got to film all this stuff anyway and we’ve got to put your face everywhere.”“My face specifically?”“Yeah.”“Huh.”“Fishing for compliments.”“Eh, you were staring, Swan,” Killian said and her breath hitched when he pulled her flush against his chest, nuzzling his nose into her hair. The french toast was going to burn. “And I don’t care about float positioning or distribution or however seriously Scarlet is taking his filming duties. Whatever you need, love.”“That seems fairly wide sweeping.”“It does.”

Merida shouted something that sounded like I don’t need to be here for this and we can figure this out later, boss and Emma barely heard her when Killian tugged the phone from her hand and they had to make more french toast.

Robin and Will both laughed at the distinct lack of facial hair later that night, collapsing against the side of the bar in the restaurant with hands around their middles and tears in their eyes and they only stopped when they noticed the look on Emma’s face.

Killian wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head and didn’t flinch when Roland leapt towards him shouting Hook, look at your face like he was a totally different person.

There were probably comments on the SubReddit – discussion and discord about Cap’s lack of beard and what it meant or could mean, but Emma spent most of the night kissing everywhere she could and she was, absolutely, done worrying about the internet.

She was fairly certain Mary Margaret looked close to tears several times.

And, two days later, on a float in downtown Manhattan, when the scruff was back and the zeroes were certain and the future was set, Emma kept kissing everywhere she could, trying to promise and ensure and she was fairly positive it worked when Killian muttered I love you, Swan in her ear.

She didn’t take the team-branded off.

#cs ff #anon #laura rambles #blue line one shots #captain swan #always down for prompts #about this stupid hockey team #and how much i hate playoff beards

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queensofrap · 7 years

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PAPER MAGAZINE : Beautiful People ~ Cardi B is Still Real

Known for her candid social media presence and outspoken, magnetic demeanor, Bronx-born rapper Cardi B rose to stratospheric heights this year on the wave of her summer anthem "Bodak Yellow." Despite her whirlwind success, Cardi has kept it real, speaking out about police brutality, honoring Colin Kaepernick at the VMAs and continuing to share her life and feelings unapologetically with her fans. From stripper to BET-nominated artist, this "regular, degular schmegular" girl from the Bronx reminds us that being beautiful also means staying true to yourself.

What makes you feel the most beautiful and when do you feel the most beautiful?

Somebody asked me before, when do I feel the most beautiful, and I told them, "I feel beautiful when men think that I look beautiful," and everybody was upset because they told me that I shouldn't let men make me feel like I'm beautiful. But do you guys want me to lie to you? When a man tells me that I look good and appealing, that's when I feel great. I don't miss dancing but I do miss the fact that when I was performing, I had the richest of the richest men, drug dealers, scammers, doctors, lawyers, oozing for me. They wanted to give me money because I looked good. That's how I know I'm freaking beautiful, because people are paying me because I'm beautiful.

Do you feel beautiful when you're performing now?

It's a different feeling. Me knowing that I could get anybody I want because of the way I look makes me feel beautiful. A lot of people on social media try to make me feel like I'm ugly, they're always talking about my nose. A lot of people say that I have an amazing body, but my face is not all that and it's like, how is that true? I could get anybody I want and if I was ugly I wouldn't be able to

Being famous people try to tear you down. A lot of people tell me that I'm ugly every single day on social media and it puts my self-esteem down sometimes because I am a woman and it hurts our feelings when people call us ugly, but then I remember that everybody I've ever wanted I got. Men used to give me money because of my looks; if I was ugly no one would spend a dollar on me in the strip club.

What about inner beauty?

I know that I have inner beauty; it's what attracts people. I know I have inner beauty. I know sometimes I can be a bit ugly.

What does success mean to you?

I don't even know what success means anymore because I feel like I'm not successful enough. Every single time that I set a goal and I accomplish the goal, I feel like it's not good enough. I'm only telling you the truth. At first I wanted to make a certain amount of money, then I made that amount of money, and that wasn't enough. Then I always wanted to be a respected artist; now I'm getting respected but I still want more. Maybe you're just never fully satisfied.

So maybe it's about reaching and grinding and trying to achieve something.

Yeah, reaching and grinding, reaching and grinding.

You've had a crazy year. Has there been one best moment, where you were like, "This is it?"

The best moment for me is everything that I've ever talked about, everything that I've ever wanted becoming a reality. It was very frustrating because I kept telling people, I kept telling my managers, I kept telling my friends, "I feel like I'm doing this music thing and I'm not getting to where I wanted to be. It's been a year, it's been eight months, and I already put out two mix tapes. What it is?" My managers always have a lot of hope; they're always positive. I feel like I was getting them so negative to the point that we were looking for other plans. So for me to know that I hit success is when I started having hope again and they started having hope again.

Now it's really happening and I'm really here. I'm getting everything I wanted, the money and the respect. At first I always wanted the money but then it was like nah, I want the respect from these artists and everybody. I want people to take me seriously as an artist and a musician. I'm tired of getting denied for features, I'm tired of it. And now it's happening. It's the best feeling ever when I meet an artist and they're like, "Hey Cardi B, I love you, when are we getting in the studio?" That's the best feeling. I'm happy they're not seeing me as a funny person or a sex symbol, they're seeing me as an artist, as one of them.

Do you feel like you've become less negative as your music career has taken off?

Nope. I'm always negative.

Why is that?

It's just the way I am, I guess. I feel like there's always a catch or something. "Things are too good, what's going on?" Maybe it's something that I need to stop doing, but I always like to prepare myself for the worse.

In this past year has there ever been a moment when you felt like giving up?

Yes.

What happened? How did you get through it?

The reason why I didn't give up is because first things first, I have a whole team so if I lose they lose. Then, my fans, Bardi Gang, they were just constantly harassing me for new music. It's just like I cannot give up because they really love my music, and I can't stop what I'm doing because I already started it. Everybody else who's not an artist, they don't understand how frustrating and annoying it is. The process and how low you feel. You make songs and stay hours in the studio, you're just not getting the results you want until you meet other artists.

The other artists tell you how long it took you to get where they want to be or how hard the process to be where you want is. And it kind of sounds similar to what you're experiencing. It's like, if these motherfuckers went through it and the same motherfuckers are number one maybe I need to be patient too. Patience and dedication so you can have celebration.

Was there someone in particular that gave you advice or inspired you?

Yeah, my man.

Do you think there will ever come a time where you're less open about your life, and share less with your fans on social media?

Actually, I'm not as open as people think I am. Little by little I'm becoming less open. It makes me sad, that I can't say what I really want to say or express myself how I used to.

Nowadays you can't even have a voice if you're an artist. You have to really watch what you say or you're a phobic, or you're a racist, or you're a colorist, or your opinion is too strong. You have to be scared that you'll lose fans, or people are attacking you, or you get canceled. I really hate it because I cannot be as real as I want to be because people are so sensitive and I guess that's the price you pay when you want to be a good artist. But there's going to be that one day where I explode again as an artist, and I'm going to give you 2013 Cardi B. Imma let motherfuckers know. I've been quiet a little bit, but I'm about to start getting back to my old ways. I'm just annoyed that I have to keep my mouth shut. I'm annoyed. Dead ass.

Now I know why these artists be doing drugs. I don't do drugs, but now I know. When I was younger I used to see these artists, these actors, commit suicide, overdose on drugs, being depressed and wanting to kill themselves. I would be like, "Why do you want to kill yourself? You're rich and you're famous, I'm broke and I don't even want to die like that." I know why now because you have to be a puppet and do things you don't want to do. I see people that say things out their mouth and then they have to apologize for it. Why do you have to apologize for what you feel? Why do you have to watch how you say things? Everybody wants to be free and everything, why can't I be free? I have to satisfy you, you and you? It just gets on my fucking nerves. It's like I'm a prisoner. I hate that shit. I came up talking on my beliefs and now it's like I can't even do that shit no more. But it's going to be that one motherfucking day, that I'ma say what I say.

I think people are hungry for that authenticity though.

They think they are hungry for that until you motherfucking say it and then they want to call you ignorant, problematic. All this bullshit, then they start labeling you something that you're not. It's ridiculous.

That is a lot of pressure.

You have to be in my shoes so that you can see how frustrating it is.

What advice would you give to young women trying to do what you're doing?

Do what works for you. Don't do what other people do and then think it's going to work for you, because it might not. What worked for me, it might not work for you. What worked for me was stripping. Stripping got me my first apartment, stripping got me my boobs done, stripping fed me for a very long time. But it might not do the same thing for you baby girl. Find a way for you and always save money. Don't get distracted by men. I spent a lot of time and money bailing men out. I almost went broke, getting lawyers for men. I quit college chasing a man. Don't stop because of a man.

#cardi b #paper magazine #interview #rap #rapper #hiphop #hip hop #female rapper #fashion

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robronsecretsanta · 6 years

Text

Fanfic: The Before-Presents

My gift for @mrshiftyafsugden

Summary: A tradition that grows in the Sugden/Dingle/Flaherty family shown over 5 different christmasses

24th December 2018

„Can you just do what I tell you for once?” Robert asked. His voice wasn’t loud, but everyone who knew him could hear the edge, the annoyance.

“I am just doing that,” Liv bit back and cleared the kitchen table of her school stuff.

She stumped up the stairs like an elephant and Robert called after her. “And come back down after, we need your help.”

Aaron came down with a box just as Liv had disappeared.

“Okay, this looks like half the stuff is broken,” he said and plopped it on the kitchen table. “But we can use the lights maybe. Do we really need more decorations though?”

“Yes, we do,” Robert said shortly. “It’s all the Dingles tomorrow morning, at our place, having Christmas breakfast. You know it will be over the top and they will expect over the top.”

He turned on the mixer to mix the pancake dough he was preparing for tomorrow.

“And you know you don’t have to impress anybody, right?” Aaron said.

Robert huffed out a laugh.

“That’s funny, you’re funny,” Robert said. “We both know your family hates me.”

“They don’t,” Aaron said. “They’re just… a bit protective.”

“That’s the understatement of the century,” Robert said. “Not that I blame them. But even more so I want to make it perfect.”

“Well, if I know one thing about the Dingles, they don’t give a toss about perfect,” Aaron said. “They want a lot of food and maybe booze.”

“Okay, but still, could you just humor me and put more lights up, please?” Robert asked.

The Mill was already decorated quite heavily, the tree was set up in the corner. Liv had decorated it and so it was very mixed, lots of ornaments, no lametta, she thought those were dumb, and quite a few lights. You could see little christmassy things scattered all around the Mill and it looked quite homey.

Robert had been upstairs, making sure all his presents were wrapped when he remembered he had a snowman family that they could put out on the kitchen counter.

He tapped down the staircase, but stopped before he could make it all the way down. He saw and heard Aaron and Liv in the kitchen.

“Why is he freaking out so much? It’s driving me crazy,” Liv said.

“Because,” Aaron said. “This is important to him and we support him. I want him to feel the most comfortable he can when having to face the Dingle clan, don’t you?”

“Suppose,” Liv grumbled. “I don’t know why he cares so much. They tolerate him, isn’t that enough? He got us.”

Robert didn’t hear the answer to that, instead he slipped back upstairs and put the snowman family away again.

When he came back down, he had two presents in his hands.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I think we done enough for tonight. Would you mind coming over here.”

He sat down and waited for Aaron and Liv to join him.

He handed them both a present.

“What’s this for?” Liv asked.

“I know I’ve been driving you both a bit crazy, and I’m sorry,” Robert said. “So I thought as a thank you for putting up with me, you each get one present a day earlier. Christmas Eve.”

“Dankeschön,” Liv said with a laugh.

“What?” Aaron asked.

“They do it like that in Germany,” Liv said. “Paddy told me. They hand out the presents on Christmas Eve.”

“Well, I didn’t know about that, I just wanted to give you one present ahead of time,” Robert said.

“Hold on,” Aaron said and got up. He came back a few minutes later with two presents that he handed out.

“Oh, fine,” Liv huffed and got up.

They all opened their two gifts; Liv tried to not show how much she liked the new backpack Robert got her and Robert looked confused when he unwrapped two hooks to screw in a wall.

“For the new bookshelf I’ll buy you,” Aaron said. “So you can have some of your books in the bedroom and not in one huge pile next to the bed.”

Liv scarpered off after the little exchange and Robert and Aaron laid on the couch together, facing each other, feet tucked away under.

“That was a nice idea,” Aaron said. “With the presents. Where did it come from?”

“Liv,” Robert said honestly. “I heard you two talking and she said it should be about us and I figured she’s right. This is our first Christmas together. Well, our first in this house and I figured it should be about us, not the crazy Dingle clan.”

Aaron smiled at that and Robert smiled right back.

24th December 2019

“Do we really have to go tomorrow?” Robert asked as he got the pie out of the oven.

“It’s just breakfast,” Aaron answered. “And Belle is so excited to host her first Dingle Christmas breakfast together with Jimmie.”

“I know, I know,” Robert said. “It’s just… I’d rather have breakfast here, with you and Liv. Just us.”

“We’ll have the evening just us,” Aaron said.

“You know I’m gonna be drunk by the time we leave,” Robert said. “There is no other way to survive a Dingle get together.”

“You just love the snowballs, don’t blame it on my family,” Aaron laughed.

“I do, yes, but I also love spending Christmas with my family,” Robert said. “You, me and Liv.”

“Oh, you big softie,” Aaron laughed, but his face grew tender.

“It’s Christmas,” Robert argued. “I’m allowed to be soft.”

“Of course you are,” Aaron said quietly. “Oh, but do you remember last year? Our little gift exchange? That was nice.”

“You two are both just big old softies,” Liv said, coming in the kitchen and trying to pick at the pie.

Robert playfully slapped her hand away. “That’s for tomorrow, leave it. And I don’t remember you complaining about getting two presents early.”

“Let’s do it again,” Aaron said. “It was nice and calm and us.”

Liv sighed and rolled her eyes like she couldn’t believe she was stuck with these two mush balls, but she was the first to go and get two presents from her room.

They met in the living room. Liv shoved her present at Robert and said: “Open mine first.”

It was a book. “Wild”. Robert couldn’t believe she remembered.

“Yeah, I actually listened to you when you kept complaining about that it wasn’t realistic when we watched it,” Liv said. “And I know you like to read and research, so I figured, maybe the book is better.”

“Thank you,” Robert said.

“Well, my gift fits with that then,” Aaron said and Robert unwrapped a small night light.

“For your reading in bed,” Aaron said. “So I can actually sleep, when you read ‘just one more chapter’.”

“These are perfect,” Robert said with a smile.

24th December 2020

“Okay, tell me again, why are we watching this?” Aaron asked.

He was half lying, half sitting on the couch, his back against Robert’s chest, a bowl of cookies on his lap that they both ate from, and they were watching “Love Actually”.

“Because it’s a classic,” Robert said. “And Colin Firth is hot.”

“Knew it,” Aaron laughed. “It’s because you have an insane amount of hot people in this movie.”

“Oh really?” Robert teased. “I just said Colin Firth. Who do you think is hot?”

“Liam Neeson, of course,” Aaron said. “And Alan Rickman.”

“You have horrible taste in men,” Robert said.

“I know,” Aaron laughed.

And it was due to their relationship, to the work they put in ever since they reunited in 2018, that this comment didn’t sting, that they could joke about this, about being horrible, about finding other people attractive.

“So, who would you prefer? Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant or Alan Rickman?”

“Hmmm, what about that Walking Dead guy?” Aaron said. “Can I pick him?”

“Oh, now you’re just being difficult to annoy me,” Robert laughed.

Aaron had just opened his mouth to reply when Liv came in, she looked like she had hurried up to get home.

“Hey you,” Aaron said. “Why the hurry, you’re 18, you don’t have a curfew.”

“I know,” Liv said, looking around the room. “I just thought… well… is everything done for tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Robert said, looking a bit confused. “We finished everything this morning.”

“So, no panic, no chaos, no break downs?” Liv asked and Robert could have sworn she sounded disappointed.

“No,” Robert said. “Not unless you want to have one. What’s going on?”

“Nothing, nothing,” she said. “Can I join you guys without getting sick?”

“Course you can,” Aaron said and Liv plopped down on one of the armchairs.

“So, who do you think is the hottest?” Robert asked.

“Robert!” Aaron chided him.

“Sorry, never mind,” Robert said.

They continued to watch in silence for a few more minutes. When Robert and Aaron laughed at a joke Liv didn’t.

They didn’t pay it too much thought, Liv was like that sometimes, in her own head, not really paying attention to what was happening around her.

“So there’s no stress about tomorrow?” she asked again, out of the blue.

“No,” Aaron said. “It’s the usual Dingle Christmas breakfast, at Cain and Moira’s this time, we swing by Diane and Doug’s for lunch and then head home for tea. Everything is sorted. What’s going on, Liv?”

“Nothing,” she said again. “It’s just, you’re usually way more stressed and panicked and… well… need something to calm you guys down.”

“Ha,” Robert called out. “You want a present early! That is what this is about! You’re greedy.”

He laughed, but Liv’s face fell. “I’m not greedy,” she said and her voice dropped.

“Oh no, Liv, I didn’t mean it… I was just joking,” Robert said quickly. “I thought you said we were soft for doing that last year?”

“Yeah, well, you are, but maybe I don’t mind being soft every once in a while,” Liv said.

Aaron smiled and turned the TV off.

“Let’s do it! Everybody get one gift for each,” he announced and they all got up to get their presents.

24th December 2021

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Robert argued.

“You don’t…. seriously?” Aaron huffed. “You made that decision without me!”

“It was one call, Aaron,” Robert said. “She called, asked if we wanted that 3D scan and I said yes. I didn’t know you would be so against it!”

“I am not against it!” Aaron shot back. “I want to be included!”

“You are seriously mad at me for agreeing to something you would have agreed to as well?” Robert asked.

“Yes!” Aaron scoffed.

“Well, that is just stupid,” Robert said and rolled his eyes. “Why can’t you just be thankful that I handled it?”

“Handled it? HANDLED it?” Aaron’s voice got louder now. “This is OUR baby, Robert. OURS! Not yours. Not hers! OURS! I am not your nanny or the uncle or whatever!”

“Of course not,” Robert said, still not getting where the problem was. “So if she would have called you and asked, you wouldn’t have said yes? Even though you would have been pretty sure this is something I would have wanted? You would have said, no, I have to ask Robert first?”

“Of course I would have!” Aaron said.

“But the other day when she called and said she would have to push the appointment to another day, you said yes without asking me,” Robert started.

“Oh my God,” Aaron said and shook his head. “I have access to your calendar. I know when you’re free and when you’re not. This is different.”

“Really? Is it?” Robert shot back. “Why don’t you write me a list of what is okay and what’s not, so we can make sure I don’t mess up again. Because apparently that is what I do, right?”

“Oh, that would be a short list: Do not be an idiot and do ask your husband about stuff concerning your baby,” Aaron shot back.

“Stop it!” Liv bellowed, coming down the stairs. “Both of you!”

Robert looked at Liv and Aaron stopped pacing as she came to a stop in front of them.

“You are gonna be dads soon! Both of you! Real life dads, not pretend to be like you did with me, you are gonna be responsible for a little, tiny, human being and you are fighting over something you actually both want? It’s Christmas, pull yourselves together and be happy and together and think about how different next year will be! You can’t keep fighting about stupid stuff like this!”

Robert looked at her in surprise, then carefully at Aaron. Aaron looked at him and pulled at his sleeves. He shot him a half smile.

“I guess that is us told,” Aaron said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have got so upset.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Robert said. “I should have asked you.”

“Now kiss and make up,” Liv said with a grin.

They all laughed at that and Aaron shook his head.

“What now, family? Order food and Love Actually on the TV?” he asked.

“Only if you two don’t fight about who is hotter again,” Liv said with a grin.

“I’m in, but just hold on a second,” Robert said and disappeared up the stairs.

He came back with two presents and Aaron smiled.

“Are we doing this again?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Robert said. “I mean, if you guys want, but I really wanted to give you these.”

“All right,” Aaron said.

Aaron and Liv went to get their gifts and they all sat down together.

Liv unwrapped her gift from Robert, a t-shirt that said “Keep Calm because I’m gonna be an aunt” and Aaron got the first ultrasound in a little frame as a key chain. They both loved it, even though Liv was saying that she was never gonna wear it.

Robert just grinned at that, because he knew she would.

When the two of them were cuddled up on the couch, with Liv on the armchair, Aaron turned a bit and whispered in Robert’s ear. “I can’t wait for the 3D one, see our little girl as real as possible.”

“I love you,” Robert whispered back and Aaron smiled at him.

24th December 2026

Robert heard the key in the lock and walked from the kitchen towards the door to greet Aaron.

“Did you get everything?” he asked.

“Yeah, eggs and milk, but barely,” Aaron answered. “David said everybody seems to be needing milk last minute.”

“Thank you,” Robert said and took the bag from him before giving him a quick kiss.

“Eva is still asleep upstairs, I hope,” Robert said as he walked back to the kitchen. “Would you mind checking up on her while I finish this cake real quick?”

“Sure,” Aaron said as he kicked off his shoes. His jacket was tossed on the sofa and then he headed upstairs.

He came back down after five minutes.

“Still asleep and looking like an angel,” he said with a smile. “Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m good,” Robert said. “We got everything else ready to go for the Dingle invasion tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah,” Aaron said, stepping up to Robert from behind. “And even if not, you know they always come with food.”

He slipped his arms around Robert’s waist and docked his head on his shoulder.

“You’re distracting me, Mr Sugden,” Robert grinned.

“Are you complaining, Mr Dingle?” Aaron asked and kissed a spot on his neck.

“No, not at all,” Robert said. “Just let me get this in the oven.”

Aaron let go of him and Robert put the cake in the oven, adjusted the temperature and set the timer.

He turned around, leaned against the kitchen counter and pulled Aaron towards him by his belt.

“Now, where were we?” he asked with a smirk and their lips met in a soft kiss.

“Daddies! I’m awake!” Eva announced as she trotted down the stairs, one hand on the banister and the other one holding her favorite stuffed animal, a monkey that Liv had given her.

Aaron pulled back from the kiss and said with a smile. “Hold that thought.”

“You bet I will,” Robert smirked back before he turned around to their daughter.

“How is that possible?” Robert asked with a smile. “Daddy just checked on you.”

“I tricked him,” Eva said proudly. “The trick is to close your eyes and don’t breathe too fast.”

“Well done you,” Robert said proudly. “What a great little actress you are.”

“Are you encouraging our daughter to lie to us?” Aaron asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, of course not, she was just pranking you, weren’t you?” Robert said and went over to pick Eva up.

“Yes, I tricked him,” Eva said proudly.

“Very much your daughter,” Aaron said and couldn’t help but smile.

Robert just shrugged his shoulders and walked to the oven so Eva could look inside.

“See, I made some cake for tomorrow,” Robert said. “You looking forward to having the whole crazy family here?”

“Crazy family!” Eva giggled.

“Stop teaching her that,” Aaron said, but couldn’t help a grin. “You’re hungry, Eva? Want some fruits?”

“No,” she said and laid her head on Robert’s shoulder. “Can I have my before-present now?”

“Oh, the before-present,” Aaron said with a smile. “No, not yet. And do you know why not?”

Eva pouted and shook her head.

“Because we need the whole family here for that,” Robert said. “And who’s missing?”

“Livi!” Eva announced, proud that she figured it out.

“Exactly, we wait for your Aunt Liv before we do the before-presents,” Robert said and let her back down. “And now your dad is gonna make you some apples, because you need to eat something, okay?”

“Fine,” Eva said. “Robbo wants banana though.”

“Then it’ll be apple for you and banana for Robbo,” Aaron said with a grin and started to wash the apple.

An hour later Liv came and was greeted by a cheering Eva who ran into her legs to hug her.

“Daddy, Livi is here, we can do the before-present now!” Eva announced.

“She did not get this materialistic streak from me,” Aaron laughed.

“Watch it, you, or you’ll get no presents this year,” Robert teased and nudged Aaron.

Liv laughed, hugged them both hello and went upstairs to get settled before they all sat down in the living room together.

Robert handed out his gifts first and when he gave his to Liv, she grinned and said: “Dankeschön.”

“Every year,” Robert grinned.

“Every year,” Liv said.

“Every year!” Eva called out and jumped on Aaron’s lap.

“Every year,” Aaron said with a smile.

#robron fanfiction #Robron #aaron x robert #emmerdale

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glowstickhaloboy · 7 years

Text

have u ever wanted to read a yuri on ice au for characters u’ve never met

In his quiet room, the pounding of Peter’s heart was like a drum. His breathing was heavy, uneven. He felt like crying, but his body didn’t seem to want to go through with it. In his chest were a jumble of emotions that he was well accustomed to but, even after years and years of them boasting their claim on him, unable to sort through.

He’d competed in the Grand Prix Final last year, but now he was nervous for a domestic block championship? He was pathetic. He didn’t deserve to win tomorrow. He had no idea why Colin was even here.

Colin Dehills. In Peter’s house. Coaching Peter.

Peter could never live up to Colin’s standards, that much was a guarantee. Sooner or later, it would be one failure too many, and Colin would realize what a waste of time this all was. Right now, he was enchanted with the idea of surprising the audience by leaving without really leaving, but that too would wear off soon. Peter didn’t know which he was doing more--dreading it or anticipating it.

It had been an hour since Peter was supposed to be asleep, more than that since he had shut himself in his room and turned off all the lights. He needed to sleep if he wanted to perform well tomorrow, but it was precisely the anxiety at the thought of not falling asleep that was keeping him awake. He tried to shut his eyes and think of nothing, but his mind always routed him back to a failure on the rink, a news article proclaiming disappointment in him.

Eleventh last year. Colin had probably never come eleventh in his life. He was too graceful on the ice, too skilled. A paradigm. In most other matters, he was bumbling and foreign, but the second he put on skates, all eyes were on him. He’d made an audience of war heroes cry while performing at an In Memoriam service six months prior. Watching Colin was like leaving your body behind and being caught on the wind. It was so right. There was no match more perfect than Colin Dehills and figure skating. No one begrudged him his five consecutive Grand Prix wins. It was an honor to watch him win. Really, the only competition was to see who would get the other two spaces on the podium.

And now Peter was habitually watching him eat pork cutlets bowls in pajamas, taking joint baths with him in the hot springs, scolding him for finishing the cereal but putting back the empty box.

How did I get here? Really, how did I get here?

Peter tried twisting in bed, turning the pillow over, but it was no use. He was wide awake and still on the verge of tears with no release discernible on the horizon.

He reached over the side of the bed and retrieved his phone. Maybe he could numb his mind by playing a game until he fell asleep. For a while he sat there, swiping the screen, making little to no progress, only feeling worse. At last, he dropped his phone on the mattress and buried his stinging eyes into his pillow. Maybe he could just not show up tomorrow. If he vomited, Colin wouldn’t blame him for dropping out, surely.

Peter opened his eyes. His blank phone screen cast a light over the places where tape had ripped up his ceiling and wall. He hadn’t been very careful taking all those posters of Colin down. He had even ripped one of them. Now, they hid at the bottom of his locked desk drawer, underneath a photo album of baby pictures and several Dehills brand skating shirts.

…

...What was Colin doing here?

Really. Why had he come? Peter had nothing that screamed promise, no special skills. His quads were a laughingstock. He could count on the fingers of one hand how many times he’d had a flawless performance--and even then, he rarely placed first. Colin Dehills was the kind of skater to take risks, and Peter Saint was very much not.

His phone screen dulled slightly, a warning that it was about to auto-lock. Peter frowned and grabbed it before it could, but he didn’t care about saving his miserable game. He wanted to see how Ramona was doing. She was with her family, visiting relatives in Spain, several hours ahead of him. For the past few days, she had been posting pictures of the sunrise on Instagram. Maybe she would be awake already.

Peter checked, but his feed was dead. He didn’t follow very many people. There were only a few new posts. No Ramona.

…

...What sort of things had Colin been posting recently? Peter had been mostly staying offline in an attempt to avoid seeing his name alongside Colin’s in headlines.

The most recent photo Colin had posted was only 37 minutes ago. He was snuggled in bed, the picture captioned underneath with: turning in before the season officially starts. wish us luck!!! #beautysleep

Peter scrolled past it. He didn’t want to think about all of Colin’s faith in him, a tiny animal exposing its belly to the claws of a vicious beast. Colin’s perceptions of Peter were going to shatter like windows in a storm tomorrow. After that, Peter could say goodbye to his career.

There was no way he could live up to the programs Colin had choreographed for him. He’d already shown his true colors as an underachiever. People weren’t going to believe he could suddenly switch sides now, tap out his lackluster potential for actual talent. Or, if he did, they would accredit all of his success to Colin.

Stop it. That’s enough. Snap out of it.

Peter didn’t know how to stop. He scrolled back up and stared at the picture of Colin, smiling for the camera, giving a thumbs up. He stared at the picture, knowing what he wanted to do but not quite brave enough to commit.

Just do it already. You’ve had enough of being scared tonight.

As if a ghost took over his hand, Peter watched himself exit Instagram and find his messages. He selected his conversation with Colin and tapped out a simple message: Are you awake?

There. At least he had tried. And if Colin was asleep, then that was-

Ding!

Yes! Do you need something?

Of course. Of course Colin was still awake. Why wouldn’t he be? Now Peter had to lie in the bed he’d made. He shut his eyes and pulled up the same daring he used just before he went to perform a jump in competition.

Will you come in here? I can’t stop thinking.

Read 11:13pm.

Peter heard the squeak of Colin’s noisy door down the hall. He sat up in bed, pulled his blanket closer around him. His door opened, and Colin slid inside.

“Peter?” Colin’s voice was quieter than usual because of how late it was. Peter shut off his phone.

“Hi,” Peter said. Colin took this as permission to come inside and scooted the rest of the way in, shutting the door behind him and inviting himself to Peter’s bed. Peter pulled his legs up to make room for him.

Colin asked, “What’s up? Is everything okay? How are you feeling?”

Oddly enough, now that Colin was here, Peter’s mind finally decided to quiet down. It was no secret that he was attracted to Colin--his entire bedroom had been a shrine to the guy since he was a kid. And Colin always seemed excited beyond logic by the idea of sleeping in Peter’s room. Maybe tonight, the last night they would be together, it wasn’t such a bad idea. How many others could say they’d slept in the same bed as Colin Dehills?

“I’m… tired,” Peter admitted, his mouth filter all but dissolved from lack of sleep. Colin had gotten him up at half past five that morning to get to the rink for practice. “Will you stay in here tonight?”

Colin’s entire body stayed exactly the same, faultlessly, but somehow managed to also sharpen around the edges. His eyes were taken over by a manic glint. He brought his fist to his mouth. “Of course,” he whispered, apparently incredibly moved. Peter was too exhausted to question it. Now that his mind had shut up, fatigue was settling in nicely.

Peter scooted over in his tiny bed, trying to give Colin enough room to be comfortable. He had already accepted the fact that there was no way for this to work without them being pressed against each other in some capacity all night. Colin nearly dislocated his shoulder in his attempt to claim his spot in bed.

“What changed your mind?” he asked, unable to hide his excitement. “Do you want to talk?”

Peter shrugged languorously. His pillow was so soft. “In all honesty, it’s probably sleep deprivation,” he said, “but I couldn’t fall asleep before, and now it’s all I want to do, so that must mean we’re doing something right.”

Colin looked quietly ecstatic. So far he was lying parallel to the wall, wary of touching Peter without his permission. Noticing this, Peter said, “You can come closer, you know.”

It was like watching firework after firework light up in Colin’s face. He squirmed under the blankets and wiggled closer. “You know, I’ll have to put my arm around you, I think.”

Peter yawned. “That’s fine.”

His eyes were closed that time, so he didn’t see Colin’s reaction. He sunk farther into the mattress, though, as he felt Colin’s arm close around his middle. Peter’s bed had never been this kind of warm before.

“I don’t know why I get so freaked out,” Peter confessed, words drowning in fatigue. His voice was a little deeper than normal, but also quieter. It hit his ears harder in the dark. His head lolled toward Colin’s chest, seemingly of its own accord. That was okay. It seemed like a nice place to be. “Failure isn’t anything new to me. I rarely win anything. I think I just don’t want you to be wasting your time here.”

Peter rarely talked about himself, and Colin knew it. Getting an insight into Peter’s mind was the most vulnerable way Peter could present himself.

“I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time here,” Colin said, softly but emphatically. “I chose to coach you, Peter. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t want to, and especially not if I didn’t believe you had a really good chance at winning the Final.”

In the middle of the night, Peter could almost believe him.

Peter had no way of replying to that, so instead he said, “I’m sorry for how you’re going to see me tomorrow. And, I guess, how you’re seeing me now. I always get so nervous right before a competition.”

Colin snorted. “It is not a bother, Peter.”

Peter turned so that he was fully cuddled into Colin’s chest. He was falling asleep between every inhale and exhale. “The truth is, I worry that I’ll let you down. I know I will eventually. I’ll be sorry for it, when it happens.”

“Stop it,” Colin tutted. “If you talk that way, you’ll only lose your focus. Is this how you normally behave toward competitions? No wonder you’ve been holding yourself back. At least this is teaching me how to coach you better. You’re hardest on yourself, which means I need to be easier on you and guide you more smoothly. Of course, don’t think ‘going easy’ means I’m going to let you slack. Your quad flip is still appalling, frankly speaking, and during your free skate program you always get sloppy just before the second half. I’m going to be watching for that tomorrow, and if I see you looking tired-”

“I never thought I would have to worry about you watching,” Peter blurted. He could hear Colin’s sporadic heartbeat.

There was a second of confused silence. “I watched you during the Final last year,” Colin pointed out.

There was a second second of confused silence. Peter was dragged a little bit farther out of sleep. “You did?” he asked. “I thought you would have been off--I don’t know--somewhere else. With Antoinette or Roux.”

“I watched you,” Colin said firmly.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re going to watch me tomorrow.”

“Of course I am, Peter. I love to watch you skate. You’re beautiful on the ice.”

In the daylight, that would have made Peter blush and gawk at Colin. Here, it glanced off the shell of exhaustion slowly encompassing Peter. He wanted to take advantage of the moment and fall asleep, but he didn’t want to pass up one of the last real conversations he was likely to have with Colin. After tomorrow, Peter would be spurned from the ice skating world for good.

“Please watch,” Peter found himself saying. “I skate better when I want to impress you.”

Peter felt the room’s atmosphere shift. “Oh, really?” There was a grin audible in the purr of Colin’s voice. “In that case, I’ll be watching closely tomorrow. And I want you to seduce me with all the Eros you’ve got. Are we clear on that?”

Peter nodded. He was seconds away from passing out. He could feel himself floating away, picturing curves cut into the ice and the roar of a stadium filled to bursting. He didn’t want these days to end just yet. “I’ll skate my Eros just for you.”

And then he was out. He didn’t hear Colin say, “Try to keep your promise this time, Peter. I feel like a total idiot for chasing you out here just to be ignored by you all the time. And then we go and have conversations like this, and I totally second-guess myself on everything because of the things you say to me. Oh, you’re asleep. That’s just great. Of course. Well... Goodnight, I guess.”

#PeterAU #dont mind my blathering i am simply obsessed with everything #if u actually read this then kudos to u i guess

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paradisobound · 7 years

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Phan Masterlist

This is my Phan masterlist that is compiled only of my stories that I have posted with Dan and Phil. This list is being continuously updated as I post more stories so stay updated and organized here!

A Summer Beside You: 36.5k Words- Rated Explicit-Dan Howell, a New York City native, suddenly finds his world turned upside down when he is told that his estranged father is wanting to spend the summer with him. Having not seen his father since he was young, he is reluctant to travel to this small little beach town to see him. Bringing his younger brother along with him, he boards a plane and heads south. Upon arriving, Dan goes to the boardwalk just down the beach and runs into a native by the name of Phil Lester. As Dan starts to spend more and more time with the native rich kid in town, he finds himself slowly falling in love. Through trips to the boardwalk and even just simple walks down the beach, Dan realizes that he doesn’t want to leave this town behind. But as the date of his departure edges closer and closer, he finds that his grasp on this small town and his love for Phil strengthen, leaving him to make the ultimate decision: Do I go back to NYC or do I stay here with my dad and Phil?

A Picture is Worth: 4,441 Words- Rated Explicit- Dan is a student photographer who finds comfort in taking photos. Phil is the older man who is finally confronting Dan on why he’s trespassing on his dock.

A Royal Wedding: 997 Words- Rated Teen-A chance encounter leads to a royal wedding.

As Told By Dan: 1,500 Words- Rated Mature- Dan recounts to his friend Louise what his first time with Phil was like.

30 Day's of NSFW Challenge

Be Alright: 3.3k Words- Rated Explicit- Warning: unhappy ending- There is a darker side behind the hiatus and the ending of Dan and Phil games…one that Dan and Phil never showed.

Behind Hazel Eyes: chaptered work- Rated Explicit- Dan’s known Lucas since college and he’s never been so convinced that two people are meant to be together. He loves Lucas more than anything. But when news report of a serial killer striking around the town, Dan begins to notice signs in Lucas that leave him nervous. With the help of his newfound friend Phil, Dan pieces together the parts of Lucas that he somehow missed before anyone else loses their lives–and before Dan loses his own.

**BINGO 2019 Masterlist**

Buy You A Drink: 1.1k words- Rated Explicit- Dan’s lonely…and bored. He also has nothing to drink in his flat. So as he’s swiping on Tinder and he matches with a random guy, he decides to play it up a bit. So he asks the guy to bring him a drink to his flat–in exchange for a blow job.

Car Sex Can Be Romantic!: 2,656 Words- Rated Explicit- Dan and Phil have their first time in the back of a car. Trust me, it’s more romantic than it sounds!

Convergence: Part I, Part II, Part III- Rated Explicit- Daniel Howell had a one night stand in London when he was only eighteen years old. It was supposed to be a visit to London but instead, it led him into the bed of Phil Lester: Flat 311 to be exact. Now, three years later, Dan decides to seek out Phil in London but he’s not alone…he has a three year old son.

Dear Diary...Signed Daniel Howell: 3,551 Words- Rated Explicit- The Diary Entries of Daniel Howell. Warnings: Rape and non/con elements!

Dorm Room Antics: 1,877 Words-Rated Explicit-Dan and Phil have sex in Dan’s dorm room the day he moves into college.

Down By The River: Chaptered Work- Rated Explicit- Dan Howell was isolated from the world. Living in a small town, the population only 750 and being in a high school where everyone knew your name and your history, Dan hated it. He wanted out. Nothing is going where he wants to in life. That is until he meets Phil Lester by random chance at a grocery store and Phil begins to show him all of the happiness that life can actually bring.

Dreams Can be Deceiving: 2k Words- Rated Teen and Up- Phil has a nightmare one night that Dan is pregnant. The dream causes Phil to freak out and freak out Dan in the process. However, the dream leads to some thoughts and Phil begins to see what the future may look like.

Flashes of Innocence: 5,600 Words- Rated Explicit- Phil Lester was an aspiring photographer, trying to fine tune his skills in a black and white photography class. Cue Daniel Howell, the attractive male that walks in one day and captures Phil’s eyes. But Dan has a small secret, he needs help. He runs a Tumblr blog and he needs someone to shoot his photos for him. But there’s a catch that Phil doesn’t know right away. Dan runs a NSFW porn blog and he’s asking Phil to help him recreate authentic photos.

Forever the One: Chaptered Work- Rated M- When Omega Dan is of age, he is told by his father that he will be sold off to find an Alpha mate. Cue, Alpha Phil. Alpha Phil is in desperate need for a mate, and although Phil is only a few years older than Dan, he holds a reasoning behind why he needs a mate so quickly. When secrets are revealed that give up why Phil needed a mate, this story may not have a happy ending.

*Forever the One Masterlist!*

In Front of the Lights, Behind the Camera: Part 1, 2, 3, 4: Rated Explicit- When Dan Howell became a model as a teenager, he expected that his face would be used for clothing launches and runways. But suddenly, his once pristine appearance changes and he’s left with nowhere to go in the modeling industry. One night, he finds an application for something different–completely absurd really–and decides to take a shot. Not long after, he becomes well known adult film star James Colin and finds himself in front of the similar lights of those of a modeling shoot. But then he meets Phil Lester, who appears to be an arrogant cameraman with nothing better to do than snap at him. And slowly, Dan sees something that he wants a little bit more of than the fame, money, and the attention.

Innocence: 2,206 Words- Rated Explicit- Dan was always adamant about not having sex before marriage. But one day he decides he wants to try it with his boyfriend, Phil. But he has one condition: he doesn’t want to see Phil’s dick during sex.

**I Want It, I Got It Masterlist**

I Want It, I Got It: Chaptered Work- Rated Mature- Phil Lester was a worker for the BBC in London. Working in the advertising department, he was content being alongside his friend and fellow coworker PJ during every shift. However, the BBC is temporarily being used as a film set for a new movie staring Hollywood ‘It’ star, Daniel Howell. Being stuck as an extra on the set, Phil finds it’s hard to ignore the famous star. And maybe, just maybe, Dan finds it hard to ignore Phil as well.

Japan 2.0: 1.1k words- Rated Teen and Up- Phil decides to plan a trip to Japan for Dan because he wants to propose to him.

Keep My Head Above Water- 7.8k words- Rated Teen and Up- Dan is the captain of his high school swim team and the sport means more than anything to him. He hopes to be recruited into college so he can continue to swim, however, his plan changes when he fails English. Being tutored by Phil, Dan soon sees that even though he still wants more than anything to continue to swim, he may also want something else too.

*Light in the Dark Masterlist*

Light in the Dark: This is a chaptered work- Rated Mature- Warnings: Medical disabilities (blindness)- Phil is the RA (Resident Advisor) for his local college where he manages the residents in his dorm building. But his junior year in college is about to take a turn when one of his residents, who’s named Dan, is blind. Soon, Phil develops a friendship with Dan as he soon discovers that they were meant for much more than just a platonic relationship. He just hopes that his Alpha abilities won’t scare away the timid Omega

Let’s Party!: 1,738 Words- Rated Explicit- A party that Phil doesn’t want to go to? check. A night of surprises? also check. And finding unexpected feelings for a friend? Triple check.

Lets Get Lost: 4.4k words- Rated Mature- Sometimes a drive going nowhere is all that one needs

Love Thy Neighbor: 3,063 Words- Rated Explicit- Phil is the son of Assembly of God pastor who begins to fall for the son of the rivaling Methodist church across the road. A quick friendship quickly picks up speed into a sexual relationship that neither one of them can avoid. Finding solace in one another, they gain a newfound love that they never knew could have existed.

Moving Too Fast: 986 Words- Rated Mature- A small one-shot based upon this post that I laughed at for a solid twenty minutes.

Painted Flowers: 1,764 Words- Rated Mature- Flowers come in many shapes and sizes. Colors and types. But to Dan, they mean so much. From the young age of five, flowers begin to show up on his skin, and slowly as he ages, every Valentine’s Day, another flower paints over his flesh. They continue to grow into a beautiful garden until one day he meets Phil. And like the tale tells, once you meet your soulmate, a flower will no longer bloom on your skin every Valentine’s Day.

Perfect Night for Wishes: 1.6k Words- Rated Teen and Up- Dan hasn’t been nervous for a date in nearly 10 years. But now that Phil suddenly wants to go out for Valentine’s Day, he finds himself nervous for their date

Piecing Together My Mind: 10,763 Words- Rated Mature- TW- hospitals, mentions of injuries, surgery- When Dan is the victim of a terrible car accident, he suffers unbelievable trauma to his brain. As a result, only a few doctors in the world can perform the operation that is needed for him to recover: one the doctors being Phil Lester from America. Through the surgery and his recovery, Phil is there for him every step of the way, leading them into a spiral of love no one can predict, which eventually gains attention and popularity through a book written by Dan.

**Sail Away With Me Masterlist**

Sail Away With Me: Chaptered Fic (In progress--on temporary hiatus)- Rated Explicit- It was a fluke. Dan shouldn’t have ever gone with Sam to a party on a yacht. He shouldn’t have trusted her to go. But in a chance encounter, he ends up in bed with Phil Lester, a billionaire CEO of a luxury clothing company. When he thinks he’s screwed up enough, he realizes he’s in way too deep. Because Phil Lester has fallen in love with him. The catch: Dan gave Phil a fake name and all Phil has to remember Dan by is the tattoo on his hip and the necklace he left behind.

Scared to be Lonely: 15,700 Words- Rated Mature-Tw:Signs of a toxic relationship, mentions of dubious consent, mpreg, sexual mentions, and light smut-Phil begins school at a new high school to avoid his past, however, he doesn’t intend for how much his life is going to change. He meets Dan, the one he’s first warned about, and develops a quick attraction for him. But when things begin to look up for Phil, someone else comes in and breaks the norm.

Skittles Grow on Trees: 2k Words - Rated G- Phil tells his and Dan's son a little white lie that Skittles grow on trees in an attempt to stop buying him them. However, their son gets excited about the idea and thus, Skittles Trees are born

Social Interactions of the Drunken Kind- 2.1k words- Rated G- Dan gets drunk and confesses to Phil that he likes boys. But now that that is out in the open, where does that leave them to go from here?

Starry Eyes: 1.6k Words- Rated Explicit- It’s a night under the stars and what’s a more perfect way to look at them than in the bed of Phil’s truck.

Starstruck: 3.6k words- Rated Mature- Phil attends all of Dan Howell’s concerts. In fact, he makes it a rule to even record every one he goes to. You could say he was in love with Dan Howell and in fact, that wouldn’t be a lie because he’s actually Dan’s fiancé. Too bad Dan’s fans see him as the creepy guy at Dan’s concerts.

They’ll Tear Us Apart (If You Give Them The Chance)- 7.3k words- Rated Teen and Up- Dan was just a fairy in his little village of Vixedeler when a mermaid invades the waters and sends the village into a frenzy. A thousand year old rivalry is resurfaced and Dan is left in the middle of his village while also feeding his new connection with the mermaid, Phil. As tensions rise, and Dan falls deeply for Phil, a Romeo and Julietlove story begins.

The Christmas Fic || 2017: 1,995 Words- Rated G- How Christmas 2017 should have went

The Flowers Are For You: 1.9k words- Rated Teen and Up- It’s Dan and Phil’s one month “anniversary” and Phil wants to get Dan flowers. The only catch is he has no idea what flowers to get Dan, or even if Dan will like them.

The Glory Hole Incident: 2,281 Words- Rated Explicit- Phil is pressured to go to a glory hole to relax, who would have thought it would lead to more?

The Moments that Shape Us: 4,547 Words- Rated Explicit- TW-non con elements and mentions of rape!- A timeline through the tough times that Dan has to go through following a traumatizing experience and how he eventually goes back to the way he should be.

The Notion of Us: 2,742 Words- Rated T- Five Times Phil wanted to propose, and the one time he actually succeeded

The Perfect Gift: 3.4k Words- Rated Explicit- Phil Lester didn't particularly like Secret Santa that his maths teacher did every year. He normally received just simple gifts and was always underwhelmed. But this year, his Secret Santa gives him the perfect gift and he's determined to find out who this person is. It also helps that his Secret Santa has a crush on him too.

The Photoshoot: 1,266 Words- Rated PG- Dan wants to do a couples shoot and it goes better than expected.

The Valentine’s Day Fic: 2,057 Words- Rated T- It’s Valentine’s Day, and things go a little differently for Dan

Unexpected Trip: 1k words- Rated G- While Dan and Phil are in the USA for Vidcon, they go with Cat to an animal shelter and Dan falls in love with Holly, a 7 year old corgi mix.

Uncertainty: 10,317 Words- Rated M- It was all started with a fight…I mean, when you looked at our relationship in the public eye, everything seemed perfect. We were loving to each other, he was always holding my hand in public, showing me affection, just making sure I was comfortable in every sense of the world. I really did love him. I still do…Dan Howell and Phil Lester were the couple everyone thought of them to be–or so everyone thought. That was until a fight between them nearly collapsed all they had known…and left them in a situation neither one ever wanted to be in.

Wonders Never Cease: 10,300 Words- Rated Explicit- Dan and Phil were one of the ‘it’ couples at their high school until one day, Phil blindsides Dan with a break up. Hurting and seeking comfort, Dan befriends Tyler who helps him get through the first tough few months of the break up, mending his shattered heart. But Dan doesn’t want to move on. He wants to be with Phil and maybe, just maybe, in the end, he’ll still get to be.

Young and In Love: 9,148 Words- Rated T- When the coffee shop in the basement of Dan’s university is suddenly closed one evening, he uses his phone to track the next closest one. But who was to know that his life would change entirely when he stepped inside? A story of love, heartbreak, and everything in-between, we follow Dan through the journey of growth and acceptance.

#princesslexi763fic #princesslexi763fics

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fire-fira · 7 years

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My dads drinking, it's gotten so bad that my neighbor just texted me and said that they're considering calling the police, and I'm hiding in the attic barley escaping a panic attack, could you please write some insecure Damian and lovely Collin who I've kinda fallen in love with because he's awesome and Just please?

I’ve got you fam. Stay safe. Whatever happens try to stay safe. Keep your phone close and stay in touch with your neighbor. If your neighbor calls the cops, even then stay in touch with them. Please stay safe.

Following Advice and Crashing in the Best Way Possible (Ao3 version)

“Why?” It was a simple question asking for what had to be the most complicated answer that Damian had to ever consider giving. He’d been friends with Colin since they were 11, and they’d had five (going on six) long years of friendship that had only led them to becoming so close they were almost inseparable. And yet… and yet…

“You’d be better off with someone else,” Damian grumbled without really looking at Colin.

How could he possibly explain that he couldn’t see why Colin would have any interest in him? It wasn’t that he wasn��t attracted to Colin or that he thought Colin wasn’t attractive (Damian would willingly tear into anyone who said different), it was just that he thought Colin could do far better than him. He was temperamental, infuriatingly quiet, stubborn, uncommunicative, prone to storming off and doing things on his own without forewarning, occasionally still prone to lashing out, and he was all around lousy at discussing his feelings.

‘Not unlike my father,’ he thought wryly.

Colin crossed his arms while giving Damian a dubious look. “Are you serious? I’ve known you this long. What makes you think I’d be ‘better off’ with someone else?”

Damian gave a ragged sigh, frustrated but without any real heat to it. “You deserve someone better. I’m… not.”

“Riiiiight,” Colin drawled before miming dialing a phone and putting his hand to his ear. “Hello, 9-1-1? My emergency is that I’m calling bullshit on my best friend and crush because apparently he thinks he’s garbage.”

Damian scowled. “That’s not funny.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be funny ya dingus,” Colin retorted. “You think you’re not good enough for me and that’s ridiculous. I have been your best friend for five years. I doubt anyone else is as qualified to put up with you. So don’t give me that ‘I’m not good enough for you’ BS. I asked you. I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t like you or think you were good enough.”

“I’m short-tempered, rude, confrontational-” The irony of the fact that he was rattling off the same complaints his family had about him was not lost on Damian, but in that moment he didn’t really care.

“-And you’re charming, loyal to a fault, attractive, a good person even if you’re one of the sassiest people alive, a complete animal nut, and you make the best damn Middle Eastern food I’ve ever had.”

Damian scoffed. “It’s only one dish, and it’s the only Middle Eastern food you’ve had, so that doesn’t even count.”

“My point is, Damian, that you are good enough. I like you. I want to go out with you. And I’d really rather not wait until we’re in our 40s or whatever for you to figure out that you should take a freaking chance to go out with me– because I know you. I know you want to, but your tendency to try to put me up on a pedestal and say that I’m too good for you gets in your way. So stop.”

“But you could easily find someone better for you,” Damian insisted.

“What’d I just say?!” Colin snapped before forcing himself to breathe for a moment or two. “Damian, look: IIIII. liiiiike. yoooouuuu. And no amount of you kicking yourself in the ass is going to change that. Do you see me asking anyone else out? No. You don’t. Because I don’t want them. Do you see me looking at anyone else? No. You don’t. So get it through your thick bat-skull that I like you.”

“There’s Jon-” Damian started.

Colin gave an aggravated groan as he raked his hands through his hair. “You are so fucking stubborn! What is it going to take to get through to you that I want you?! Jon doesn’t even enter into the equation! Yeah he’s a hot guy and all, but he’s not my type! YOU ARE.”

“But-”

“Damian, I swear to god, if you keep this up I’m just going to kiss you to make you shut up in the hopes that it’ll finally get through to you that you’re the one I want to go out with.”

Damian was quiet for a few moments. Colin had effectively cornered him so that his only options were to either agree to going out with Colin, or bluntly turning him down; but he didn’t want to turn Colin down, even if he still thought Colin could easily have made a better choice in who he wanted to be with.

He finally met Colin’s eyes and grumbled, “I still think you could do better, so I suppose I’m fortunate that you’re willing to put up with me.”

Colin aimed an unenthused look at Damian. “I will fucking sit on you if you keep tearing yourself down. In fact, you know what? Rule 1 of this relationship: no more of this ‘you deserve better than me’ bullshit.”

Despite himself a smirk tugged at Damian’s lips. “And you call me stubborn.”

“Of course I’m stubborn. Anyone who would go out with you would have to be. And need I remind you that I’m the one who walked up to Wayne Manor from the orphanage when we were thirteen just to make sure that your stubborn ass stayed in bed when you were sick?”

Damian’s smirk widened slightly, almost slipping into a smile. “You win this one Wilkes.”

“About damned time,” Colin huffed.

#Damian Wayne #Colin Wilkes #DamiColin #Damian is stubborn as hell #my fiction #please stay safe #I hope this helps #Anonymous

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twentysomethinginorlando · 7 years

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Pulse: Working Universal On Orlando's Darkest Day

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/pulse-one-year-later/

Pulse: Working Universal On Orlando's Darkest Day

On June 12th, 2016 a shooter entered the Pulse LGBT nightclub and slaughtered forty-nine innocent people. You always see stories of mass shootings on the news, or online, and you feel for the victims and become angry at this country’s lack of gun control, but there’s a level of devastation I didn’t know was possible when it’s your city.

I was not involved in the Pulse shooting. I have actually never been to the club, and I’m not sure I had heard of it before then. I did not personally know any of the victims, but I want to talk about what it was like to be in Orlando that horrible day. Occasionally I need to write things just to write them, and this is one of those times. Some of these may not be in the correct order, but I know they happened that day.

At the time, I was a Team Member at Universal’s Islands of Adventure on the opening team for Skull Island: Reign of Kong. Our first soft open had been on June 9th during my last shift. I hadn’t been there the two days in between.

My alarm went off around 4 a.m. I was scheduled from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., but with the bus and getting into costume I had to leave about an hour and a half before my start time. I groggily rolled out of bed and began the stumble around my apartment to get ready. I remember checking my phone and seeing a friend of mine had posted about a shooting at an Orlando night club. I am ashamed to admit I remember rolling my eyes and thinking, “Not another one.” I didn’t click on the article. I dismissed it, thinking it was probably a drive by of some sort with minimal damage. I wish I had been right.

The bus is always quiet in the morning, no one really talks because we’re all still waking up. I played Words With Friends against my mom. It seemed like a normal day.

I had no idea the gravity of the situation until I arrived in the Kong break room. The television mounted over the engineers table was on the news, and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. It was Latin night at an LGBT night club called Pulse. It was about 5:45 a.m. at this point, so the news reports were still just starting to roll in. The death toll was being estimated in the twenties, and I had no idea how bad things would get. I didn’t want to run the risk of waking my mom up so I sent her a Facebook message asking her to call my grandmother and tell her I was okay. I knew she would panic as soon as she saw Orlando on the news and wouldn’t stop until someone talked to her.

Universal shifts always begin with a meeting in which the leads (supervisors in Universal speak) go over the expectations for the day. This one included two of our managers, saying if we needed anything to let them know. The whole room was generally silent and we headed to our positions.

I get a lot of questions about what happens when you work a ride that isn’t actually open yet. It is basically a whole lot of sitting around with the occasional button pushing if you are inside the building, and pretending to be a parrot answering the same questions over and over outside the building. We usually had four or five greeters up at any given time during those days, or had indoor positions that were not necessary for cycling (like groupers and glasses) stationed outside to help with guest questions. An average rotation was a spot inside, a spot out front, a spot inside and then break.

I was at unload with a kid named Mark*, who apparently frequented Pulse and his friends had invited him out last night. He was understandably freaking out, and kept going on at length about what if he had gone. He then insisted he was going to get his parents to help him get a gun to keep under his bed, and I had to resist the urge to tell him it wouldn’t help. Another guy, Dave*, joined us and did everything he could to change the subject. We wound up in a lengthy discussion about the woes of not being able to get Chick-fil-a on Sundays.

Everyone processes differently.

I got my lunch around 10:30 a.m., and the news reports were showing much higher numbers. I stared at my peanut butter sandwich, I didn’t feel much like eating. Between the news on the television screen and social media, it was non-stop. I have a friend from my college program who is now a camera man for the local news and he was one of the first on the scene, so I was getting his updates live from Facebook. The death count was now estimated to be up to fifty. My mom still hadn’t viewed the message I sent her, so I called my grandmother myself to tell her I was okay. She asked if my friends were okay, and I had to tell her I didn’t know. I sent one of my best friends from home a text message, asking him to humor me and stay out of night clubs for a while. He told me not to worry. I don’t think he had realized what had happened yet.

I went down to Badging, which was the position where you sat at the door to the building making sure people had the right credentials to enter. One of my leads came in, Becca*, with this quiet, sad look on her face. I had never seen her not in a good mood, and I asked if she was okay.

“Yeah, just my boyfriend is at the hospital waiting on someone.” She left, and Dave showed up a few minutes later, sitting on the stairs with his phone in his hand.

“I couldn’t take it in the break room anymore, so I’ll just hang out with you.”

“Are you okay?” Stupid question. No one was okay, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“Yeah, it’s just… it’s hard,” his phone buzzed, “when you have someone…” He trailed off, tearing up, then stood up and ran out the door.

A little later, Becca and another lead, Ethan* were looking at the rotation board trying to figure out where Dave was. I told him he left all of a sudden after he got a text message. Becca huffed in frustration that he should have asked first, and Ethan said he’d take care of it. I later heard him tell one of the managers he had let Dave leave.

The guests in the park seemed to have no clue it was anything but an ordinary day. I’m not surprised. People take on a whole new mind set on vacation and shut the real world out. I had a sick feeling in my stomach and my chest felt hollow.

Around noon, some of the closers started showing up. They weren’t scheduled to come in until 4 p.m., but they knew we would be short staffed. We weren’t really short yet, but this allowed people who wanted or needed to leave to do so. I told the leads I would stay until 6 p.m. if they needed me to.

I got my next break close to 1 p.m., and by then the safety check on Facebook had been activated. I had requests pending from friends all over the country to know if I was okay. I checked in and sent requests to a few of my Orlando friends who hadn’t responded yet. Only a handful were unaccounted for, and that was a big weight off my shoulders. Several friends commented their relief and then one of my relatives said, “Knew not the kind of place you’d be at!” I resisted the urge to go off on her. If I still went out, Pulse was exactly the kind of place I would be.

With the exception of Atlantic City Dance Hall, and that barely counts, I have not been to a night club in Orlando. However, I used to frequent one in particular in Knoxville, before it closed: the Carousel II, Knoxville’s LGBT bar. Two of my best friends came out in high school as gay, and two more as bisexual. A lot of my favorite people I met in college are gay, so that was where we went on Friday nights.

The friend from home I had texted earlier messaged me to see if I was okay. He had seen the updated news reports and promised he’d be careful. As if being careful could help anyone in a situation like this, but it made me feel a little better. I still hadn’t heard from my mom. Names were slowly starting to be released. We didn’t know if Universal had lost anyone yet.

It was about then I stumbled on a certain presidential candidate’s tweet and my blood started to boil. I was already angry enough that it was being labeled domestic terrorism instead of a hate crime. I threw my phone in my locker and bumped back in. The day that seemed it would never end dragged on.

Word started spreading that management was saying we had a choice if we wanted to soft open that afternoon or not, that the park executives said Kong could stay closed if we wanted. I never found out if that was true or not, but I would have chosen to open. It wasn’t fair we were the only ones given that option.

I was back at Badging when the rest of the closers arrived. My friend Colin* came through and stopped to hug me, thanking me for asking if he was safe.

I was at exit greeter when we opened, and instantly our line was over two hours. Soft opens, or technical rehearsals as Universal calls them, are a tricky business. We try to operate as normal and allow people to ride, but we can literally shut down at any moment. Protocols are still being established and nothing is routine the way it is at a regular attraction. As luck would have it, this would be one of our first evacuations.

I helped evacuate Pirates of the Caribbean a million times. Even the new Cast Members have a decent idea of what they’re doing because they’ve got experienced Cast to follow. We had nothing to go off. This is where I saw one of the main differences for working at Disney vs. Universal. At Disney, you do not allow people to enter a line for a down attraction and you dump the line before you go to an evacuation. At Universal, people could still get in line and we didn’t dump the queue until we knew it would be a long downtime. Since we were in technical rehearsal, we were told to stop people from entering or reentering the line.

The reentering was where I started running into problems. People with family in the line that had left to use the bathroom couldn’t get back in, small children that had gotten hungry or just people who had gotten too hot and wanted a drink. Needless to say, they weren’t happy. I came up with the best compromise I could, they could wait with me. If and when we reopened, I would help them get back to their family. For a lot of guests, that wasn’t good enough, but I didn’t know what else to do.

A Team Member from Universal Hollywood arrived and showed me his ID. I don’t know who he was, but his ID was the kind that meant he was someone important. He told me had talked to Cameron*, one of our leads, earlier about getting on when we opened. I told him we were down, but if he wanted to wait I would get him and his two friends escorted up as soon as we opened. He was fine with that, and we started chatting. After about the fifth person yelled at me, the girl with him looked at me and said, “You’re having a bit of a day, aren’t you?” “You have no idea. I don’t know if you’ve seen the news, but it’s been pretty stressful. I’ve got friends who I still don’t know about.” “You poor thing!”

Six o’clock came and went, but I didn’t want to bother my leads about letting me go home. We finally reopened and I got on my radio to find someone who could walk the guests up since I couldn’t leave my spot. Cameron answered me, “Hey Chelsea, your bump out is coming.” “Great! That’s not why I’m calling. I need guests escorted up the exit, but I can take them myself when the bump comes.” I took the guests up with a special needs family that had appeared while we were waiting, and they thanked me. The girl said she hoped everything would turn out okay.

I grabbed my gear and headed out, I finally had a text message from my mother: “Haven’t heard from you. Hope you’re doing okay.” My mom is the most wonderful person in the world, and she normally knows about things happening in Orlando before I do, I don’t know how she missed this.

Actually, I do. It turns out the news in Tennessee was barely reporting it.

I waited until I changed back into my street clothes and was in the parking lot to call her. “Largest shooting in American history in my city, no, I am not okay.”

She hadn’t even seen anything about it until late afternoon. “I never dreamed you would know people!” She kept apologizing, and after my initial anger wore off I told her it was okay. I think she’s now got like twelve different news alerts for Orlando set up. She hadn’t noticed my Facebook message until late in the day, and I told her I had already called my grandmother. She asked what my plan for the night was and I just wanted to go home and try to process.

My Facebook feed was flooded with posts. People waiting six hours to donate blood, blood banks turning people away and asking them to come back later, vigils being scheduled. Watching the community come together was the one bright spot in an extremely dark day. I also saw some of my LGBT friends on the far side of the country posting about the lack of response they were seeing in their own cities, that they felt this horrendous hate crime at Pulse was being ignored in the straight community. I hurried to correct them.

Screen shot from tumblr.

Screenshot from tumblr.

I completed two versions of the same painting the following week, the word “‘Ohana” in white on a rainbow background. It wasn’t much, but it was something I needed to do. I gave one to the friend who I had texted asking to stay out of clubs for a while, and I still have the other one. I had an idea for another painting that I never got around to, and the concept would eventually become the Twenty Something In Orlando logo. I’m hoping to complete the actual painting soon and find something meaningful to do with it.

It’s been a year, and the sick feeling in my stomach returned this morning listening to the radio. The station I usually listen to was broadcasting live from Pulse, and that left me bouncing between the other two stations I have on preset. One was also very somber in remembrance, and the other one, which I have stopped listening to their morning show because their host is a conservative, close-minded moron, was talking about how they were “going on with their lives” because if they didn’t it would be “letting them win”.

I don’t know who “them” is, but yes life goes on. Orlando will never forget the tragedy at Pulse, but we will overcome. Love will always overcome hate, and we are stronger together.

*Name has been changed.

#orlandostrong #orlandounited #pulse #Memories

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