#especially when it comes to fab and harry

[meetmymouth]

How has miss groupie been liking tour so far?? UK/EU and day one of Canada. Will she be joining for all of North America??

i missed groupie so here's something !!!! don't think too much about the tour dates when reading this, it's not accurate at all <3

groupie the fic

One year and twenty-five days.

One year of bliss, tours, different countries, and so much love for her and Harry.

Before him, she never thought she could be someone people wanted long term: she was always temporary, someone they could have fun with until they got bored. Then, he came along.

Sure, when Harry met Fab, it was temporary; she was temporary. Neither of them thought anything long-term when it came to their weird-fucked-up relationship. For Fab, it was all money, travels, and sex. For Harry, it was more or less the same: someone close by to fuck, whenever and however he liked.

One year and twenty-five days later, Harry found her to be something so precious; something permanent.

She'd left a permanent mark on Harry.

He knew the exact way she took her tea and coffee. He knew she hated someone touching her on the neck– especially with wet hands. She hated mornings, and Harry learned to love lay-ins when she was with him. She loved Dolma, stuffed grape leaves, so he learned how to roll them on his own, and cook them by himself. She loved bike-rides, so he bought her a brand-new bike.

She learned how to make his coffee, with the specific brand of milk he loved. He loved fresh mint in his salad, so she grew mint in Harry's back garden, alongside some lettuce, tomatoes, and sunflowers. She cooked his favourite meals, and woke up really early on the days he would leave for tour, just to say goodbye.

They changed for each other, and sort of met in the middle.

Tour was so much fun when you didn't have to explain to his crew what you were doing there.

She was the girlfriend now, not just a hook-up, the groupie.

"Does this go with my outfit?" She rummages through the makeup bag, coming across a lipstick, the shade reminding her of the Christmas lights on their tree– the one they decorated when they first got together.

Harry Lambert looks up from his phone.

"Hm?" He says, trying to see the colour.

She shows it to him, walking closer to where he's sitting.

They're in Harry's changing room, waiting for Harry to get his trousers on after some minor alterations by Harry Lambert.

"It does," Lambert nods, turning towards the small bathroom Harry is in. "Harry, is it all right?"

"Yeah," he calls back. "You can't see my bum now," he opens the door, a smile on his face as he walks towards her. "What you up to?"

"She's going through my makeup bag, I can see it," the makeup artist walks inside the room, hands on her hips.

"Fine, I'll stop."

"Leave my girlfriend alone," Harry quips, placing a kiss on her temple. "I'll buy you the same lipstick."

"You don't need to buy me anything, I told you. You need to chill," she says, referring to his latest habit: buying her whatever she mentions.

When it's time for him to go out on the stage, she takes her place in front of the stage, and Harry Lambert brings Jeff and Tommy with him to watch Harry sing his heart out.

He starts off with As It Was, and she can't help but dance along, singing along as well as he works the stage. It's fun– so much fun.

She can't help but hear the fans calling her name, and she turns around, watching as one of them waves her hands around– signalling for her to come closer.

So, she does.

She walks over to them, and Harry sings loud, leave America, two kids follow her.

"Can we take a photo?" One of them yells through the music.

"What?" Fab yells back, laughing since she couldn't hear anything.

"A photo with you?"

"Oh! Sure! Bring it in," she takes the phone from her, and takes a few before handing it back with a thank you.

When it's time for Satellite, she walks over to the side stage, and places her arms on the platform, cheek against her arms as she listens to him introduce the song, like he does every night.

"Now this song," he says to the microphone. "It's pathetic, really."

Screams.

Harry continues.

"I wrote it when I was kinda going through a breakup with someone very special to me. I'm–" he laughs. The screams get louder. "–I'm saying 'kinda', be cause we didn't even calling it a breakup– we weren't officially together. Then," Harry walks past her, and smiles at her before turning to the fans. "Then she said she didn't want me– didn't want anything to do with me, she said. So, I wrote Satellite, as one does," he laughs.

"Actually," he lifts up his finger in the air. "She's here– yeah!" Screams. "She's here, over there, watching me with the biggest smile– hi," he walks closer to her, then stops. "Are you having fun," he asks, still keeping the distance for obvious reasons.

The screams get louder and louder before Harry shushes them.

She nods, smiling up at him from her position.

He nods, too. "Good– I'm glad– this is your song, after all," he turns to the massive crowd. "This is Satellite."

#i'm rusty i guess #especially when it comes to fab and harry #harry styles #groupie!reader #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles concept #harry styles blurb #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic rec #harry styles writing #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles x y/n

[sitp-recs]

Happy happy birthday @tackytigerfic!!!! After so many recs and lists it was hard to come up with an original idea to celebrate your day but I was inspired by our darling @sweet-s0rr0w’s collaborative reclists and we thought it would be fun to ask our common friends about their Tacky faves, those fics that hold a special place in their heart for personal reasons. The result is this reclist that made me tear up just thinking of how much I love each fic carefully picked, especially after reading those heartfelt and spot-on commentary. This was really fun to put together - massive thanks to Sweets for being the best partner in crime with this side project, and also to @bluebutter-art who generously let us use her stunning artwork for Take the Moon. Click here to see the full version with their fab faces!!!!

Without further ado come and feast your eyes on our short but lovely “Tacky essentials”, a collection born out of our mutual love, respect and admiration for everything they are and represent, both as an immensely talented writer who explores the wonders of ordinary life and tender romance with so much heart and sensitivity, and also as a dear, generous friend we’re all very lucky to have by our side. Thank you for your daily kindness and for always being there to soothe my exasperated rants and join my overjoyed babbling. My experience wouldn’t be the same without my taste twin, and this Liv wouldn’t be the same without your friendship and fics changing my life for the better. I hope you enjoy our humble gift! I take this chance to invite everyone who enjoys Tacky’s work to join us and add their faves as well!

Our Little Life (Mature, 7.2k) ⚔️

Sometimes Harry dreams. Only they're not really dreams at all, and Malfoy is always in them. It's time travel, but not as we know it, and Harry just needs a good night's sleep.

“This a cheeky pick because Tacky wrote it for my birthday but I still so strongly remember reading for the first time each beautiful iteration of their gravitational pull together across every time and age and just feeling like *yes*, YES, this is why I love this ship, these characters, this magnetic draw together across every barrier and boundary. And it’s so much of what makes Tacky’s writing so exceptional—it’s expansive and open-eyed, and so generous with detail and insight. It totally draws you in to every world Harry dreams of, until they feel as real to you as a reader as they do to him, and then you get the sweet ache of reality and his realisation of what he might have.”

Favorite quote: “Are you going to go?” Malfoy asked, finally, and the regret in his voice was so clear that Harry could have cried, but instead he just shook his head and kissed Malfoy on his trembling sulky mouth, and Malfoy—real Malfoy—kissed him back.*

💚 Bella | @shealwaysreads

Even the Night (Mature, 3.4k) 🚬

Featuring lots of cigarettes, a Midsummer sky, close encounters in a bath, and plenty of fireworks.

“When I think of Tacky’s writing the first things that comes to mind are beautiful prose, gorgeous, evocative imagery and character dynamics that are always so fascinating and deftly written. Even the Night has all of these things and has also been a comfort read that I come back to very often, especially when I need a good cheering up. I love how soft and dreamy the atmosphere is, and despite it only being only 3k words, the universe feels so rich and evocative all the same. I love how subtle and nuanced their characterisation here is- we feel and see so much more as this was a first person POV, and just sensing how strong their yearning for each other in Tacky’s beautiful words are just *chefs kiss*.

My favourite part is their coming together, as it was very sweet and felt very *them*. The gentleness, the vulnerability and deep care and love that they have for each other in that scene is always enough to reduce me into an emotional teary blob (but hey, who am I kidding, that’s essentially me with all of Tacky’s writing!)”

💙 Blue | @bluebutter-art

Modern Love (Explicit, 61k) 🎼

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is. And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t?

“Reccing this fic feels a bit like sitting down in front of an abbey full of monks and recommending they check out this hot new book called The Bible. What I mean by that is both that Modern Love is a fundamental religious text in the canon of Drarry (complete with hot priest, thanks very much Tacky) but also that I think most of us have probably read it, and to rec it in the normal sense would be very “do not cite the deep magic to me, witch” vibes. Y’all know. We’ve all inked a page of the illuminated manuscript. Gutenberg is in all of our Twitter circles, and he’s printing honey. So I’m not going to sit here and try to sell you, the reader of this rec, in the year 2022, on The Bible. Instead I’d like to talk a little bit about what this fic meant to me while reading, and what it still makes me feel, months later.

The thing about Modern Love is, reading it made me feel exactly the same way I felt the first time I heard the song Modern Love. I remember sitting in a theatre in Manhattan, way uptown, one of those theatres where everyone else is average age 97 and the snacks are old, easily digestible cookies and paper cups of water. I was seeing Frances Ha, and it was the scene where the titular Frances dances down the street to this song. I’d somehow missed that Bowie song before seeing that movie, and so the audio and visual are now impenetrably melded together in my mind so that every time I hear that song, no matter what context it’s in, I think of someone being so full of emotion and vivacity and so very alive that they can’t just walk down the street—they have to dance. They have to twirl, and throw their hands out, and leap. Reading Modern Love made me feel the same way.

Because you don’t just read a Tacky fic. I mean, fundamentally, if you want to be literal about it, of course you do. But the experience of reading a Tacky story is not as simple as being carried from one word to the next until a sentence is complete, and then a second sentence, and a third, until you have a paragraph. Reading Tacky’s words, you’re compelled to run, to jump, to twist and turn and leap and grin and devour. I keep starting this next sentence as “And watching Modern Love…” because it doesn’t feel like I read it. It feels like I watched it. It feels like I lived it, deep inside of me, and carry it with me wherever I go.

Watching/reading Modern Love… you’re in London with our lads. You’re finding a purpose, you’re discovering meaning, you’re experiencing what it is to be alive, the splendor of making mistakes and looking foolish and falling in love. You remember the joy in being steadfast and determined and then, also, soft and vulnerable, in doing things that mean something, even if no one else notices. And if that’s not worth dancing about, I don’t know what is. Much love to you Tacky. Happy birthday! You’re so special and it is truly an honor to have you writing with us. How’d we get so lucky?”

🖤 Elaine | @oknowkiss

Through the Window, Clear Skies (Mature, 1.4k) 💍

What would happen if Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy moved in together, too soon after they started kissing and then fucking and not hating each other anymore? Will Draco insist on a wine rack? Or: Domestic Drarry with a bare hint of angst.

“One of my faves of Tacky’s is Through the Window, Clear Skies. It’s in essence a love letter to Draco, and it’s both gorgeously lyrical and refreshingly plain-speaking in perfect measures. And also just fills me with so much happiness for Harry, going for what he wants despite what anyone else thinks about it, about his joy at the fact that he and Draco enjoy the same ‘nice things’ and are a little team, and just *have* each other.

And goddamn it, the smells; Tacky always takes me to a higher plane with their descriptions of smells and sensory things. And lastly, because I don’t want to rave on too much, the absolute beauty of the domestic things—vases of flowers, hanging out the bedlinen, sock-stealing. Plus ok one more thing, the end is just so exquisitely romantic with Draco’s little misunderstanding and Harry’s saving of it.”

Favourite quote: "He always had talked a lot, Harry remembered, and he said as much about himself. *I never shut up, I’m a bit much sometimes*, with that crease between his brows that showed he was cross about caring too much about it; and he said out it just like that, like it was a fact, as though it was something he’d heard from other people too many times before. But Harry had never had enough of anything, growing up, and privately he thought that *a bit much* sounded like *just right*."

💙 Maester & Commander | @maesterchill

A Little Death Never Hurt Anyone (Explicit, 4.3k) 👑

Harry's getting good at slipping through the Veil. He's determined to win the war, even if means he has to raise the dead to do it. Draco just wants a stiff drink and a good night's sleep.

“Adulthood creeps up on you sometimes, and then you'll be walking down the street and you will suddenly feel something so big, as big as an army of you, and you'll get choked up like you want to cry and sit down and get picked up - but you can't, because you have to cross the street, you have to board the train, you have to get back to the dishes.

The emotional armature of this story is made of the same material as that precarious state, a gesture of solidarity with this essential human desire, which stretches across time and leaps right over maturity, to step out of the stream of fate and to be saved. This story knocks me out every time - I know it's beloved, but I guard it in my memory like some obscure independent film or the remnant of a forgotten bedtime story.”

💗 Joy | @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm

And One To Play (Explicit, 21k) 🌪

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter are the best team in the Auror Department, even when they're driving Gawain Robards up the wall. When Malfoy is injured on a mission, it causes Harry's magic to go haywire. Meanwhile, a mysterious criminal is draining people's magical cores and turning them into Squibs. Can Harry stop blowing Malfoy away in time to solve the case? And will Malfoy ever stop trying to get the last word?

“And One To Play is a very special fic for me, and all you have to do is read through the first couple of paragraphs to know why. It’s chock-full of worldbuilding, gorgeous imagery, inventive plot and magic, and crackling sexual tension and push-pull.

The main reason I love it so, however, is because this is the fic that got me out of my lurker status and made me brave enough to message someone in Drarry for the very first time. I didn’t know it then, but this fic brought me to a dear, very special friend who means so, so much to me, and has only meant more as we’ve gotten to know each other. Thank you for writing this and everything else you’ve gifted fandom with, Tacky. I am very lucky to know you.”

💜 Mostly Bones | @bonesliketambourines

Dad Draco!Verse: Semiplume | Far Side | Take the Moon 🛒

Harry Potter has always wanted a family of his own, and when a deadly blood curse forces him into a marriage bond with his best friend Draco Malfoy, it looks like he might just have found one. This isn't the story of the marriage. This is the story of two hurt and damaged men who learned how hard they could work for the sake of love.

“I might be cheating here but it was impossible to choose and Tacky knows all about my theory that these three stories belong to dad!Draco & wolf!Harry verse so this felt appropriate. For someone who never cared for kid fic the fact that I keep coming back to these for comfort is kind of a big deal. No one writes adult romance like Tacky, and these gems showcase their exceptional understanding and exploration of tenderness, longing, devotion and intimacy in ways that make me choke with family feels. It’s such a privilege to watch this Harry and Draco, who love Scorpius - and by extension each other - so very much, learn how to love themselves as well.

I embrace this warm and delicate universe in hopes to find some magic in the small joys of their ordinary life together; and every time Harry learns how to ask for, to have - and hold - nice things a piece of my heart clicks back into place. I see so much of myself, and of people I love - Tacky among them - in these stories, the mark they left within will never fade. And because I’m nothing but a sentimental fool, a while ago I asked Joy to illustrate Tacky’s dad Draco, who’s so close to my heart. You can check his magnificent art here. Thank you T for allowing me to experience such sweet devastation, and for showing me new ways of falling in love with these two flawed and fascinating characters, over and over again.”

Favorite quote: “I dunno,” Harry said indistinctly, mouth full, eyes bright with mischief. He swallowed, smiled. “It felt like you were mating me pretty hard last night.” (From Semiplume)

💜 Livvy | sitp

The Last Star Falling (Mature, 1.4k) ☀️

A destination wedding, an afterparty, and an unexpected guest. Seamus is getting married, Portugal is hot, and Ron has nowhere to stay for the night.

“The Last Star Falling was not written for me, but it may as well have been. A perfect bite-sized feast, incredibly sexy in the most subtle way, guaranteed to leave you convinced you’ve just come back from the beach and a long night of wine and dancing with your oldest friends. Let me fall into it face-first and open-mouthed. Delicious!”

❤️ Rosie Josephine Flower | @moonflower-rose

Between the Power Lines (Mature, 3.2k) 🌵

For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy. Or: this is not an AU! It's just Harry and Draco meeting by chance in an imported food shop in Connecticut and going on a road trip together. Featuring motels, cacti, Americana, and a hefty dose of pining.

“I often find myself moved by whatever writing Tacky shares, long or short, snippet or a full piece. They tell stories that are full of heart, obvious in every word and line and phrase. When I ready Tacky's writing, I see complicated, messy people who get to love and be loved anyway -- that's what keeps me coming back for more of their words every time. I remember reading Between the Power Lines for the first time. I think I got to the end and realized I'd been holding my breath.

I so rarely visualize books as I ready, but this fic's cinematic sensuality brought me along for the ride -- I couldn't put it down, couldn't stop feeling and seeing what Harry and Draco felt. I love the road trip setting because it let us see Draco and Harry moving around each other, readjusting, as the setting around them did the same. If you haven't yet had a chance to read this one, here's your sign to do so. And thank you, Tacky dear, for taking us along for the ride too.”

💛 Starry | @the-starryknight

Offer Up Our Hearts (Mature, 24k) 🧚

Harry Potter has a very nice life, thank you very much. He's a top Curse-Breaker with a lucrative Ministry contract, and exciting prospects ahead. Sometimes he does wish that he had time to pursue something official with Draco Malfoy - they're half in love with each other, after all, and a great team (in and out of bed), though Draco is still one of the most infuriating people he knows. Join Malfoy and Potter in a daring tale of espionage, politics, intrigue, and frog-hunting!

“Honestly I could have chosen any one of about twenty fics for this rec, but ~~since I’m not a dirty cheat like Liv~~ I did eventually manage to settle on just the one! Offer Up Our Hearts was the first Tacky fic I ever read, and it instantly became an all-time favourite for me, combining first-class worldbuilding and a truly unique plot with a Harry who feels very true to canon – brave, headstrong, kind – perfectly matched by this Draco who’s confident and capable in his role as Ministry diplomat.

The majority of Offer Up Our Hearts is set in the underground Sidhe fairy realm – described by Tacky so vividly that you’ll feel like you’re there, frog hunting with Draco or sitting down for a feast – with our boys starting the fic in an undefined (but still very romantic) sort-of-relationship. They’re clearly head-over-heels gone for one another but not quite ready to admit it – that is, until a gorgeous fairy prince with eyes for Draco enters the picture. Jealous Harry is a delicious Tacky trademark, and this fic definitely does not disappoint on that front! Offer Up is the perfect fic for you if you’re looking for a fast-paced, fun, romantic read from one of the best Drarry writers out there ❤️”

🧡 Sweets | @sweet-s0rr0w

Countdown to a Life (Explicit, 3.4k) 🎄

A balcony, first kisses, December to December. A little story of building up a life together.

“Tacky's Draco and Harry always seem familiar and dear, but especially in this fic. It has all the warmth, romance, and atmosphere Tacky always writes with. They take a deceptively simple structure and a straightforward premise and give it such vividness, such verve. I've read this fic over and over; I love sinking into Countdown to a Life and feeling their prose wash over me.”

💙 Tee | @skeptiquewrites

#happy bday 🐯 #collaborative reclist #💜🧡💙💛💗💚🖤❤️

[romaine2424]

Weekly Blog August 14, 2023

Whew! Finally making it back to the Blog. I've been occupied on the homefront with some house projects. Can I just say that peeling wallpaper is very therapeutic. Getting that large piece successfully off the wall and then the layer of glue that comes off like suntanned skin in the summer is weirdly satisfying.

I've been reading a lot of Drarry and delving into Haphne for research purposes. I hate that Harry/Daphne is called Haphne when there are really clever ship names available. I mean PotDGrass or DGrassPot are ripe for the taking. LOL Or something with Pot and Grass (have to distinguish between the Daphne and Astoria).

I've updated The Azkaban Letters with Chapter 10. I'll make a separate post for that. But I admit to being very dejected that the hit count was low for the last chapter, and I won't even get into the kudos or lack of comments, but then when posting today, I discovered a mistake I'd made in updating last time. The original publication date for the fic is June 2007. When adding a new chapter, for some reason, I have to manually update the posting date for the new chapter to the current day. I'm hoping that was the reason. *looks around nervously*

Okay, onto other goodies.

What I'm reading (and for today, What I'm Looking At):

First up is a major Art Rec. I'm sure most of you have seen it, but just in case. Keep Driving by Anonymous (Shhh, we know who it is!) from @hd-wireless is one of those pieces that is a complete game-changer for a trope. This is FemSlash!Drarry, or as the artist put it in the tags, Lesbian Road Trip Montage. Established relationship. From the get-go, we're introduced to fab badass Draco driving the car. And then we meet HJP in all of her curvaceous glory. And Draco thinks so too. In every piece after the first, we see that Draco is in awe of her love. I'm not an artist in any way, but the colouring is dreamy and summery. We feel that we're on that road trip as a fly on the wall or windshield. I've not been a big fan of FemSlash!Drarry in story or art. If you have any recs for me, send them my way, but previously most have been cutesy or PWP. This series I want to see more, I want to read more but what is there now is enough. Just absolutely stunning.

View "Keep Driving" on AO3

Second is a fic also from @hd-wireless. The Waiting (43.5K) by Anonymous is a great piece of mystery writing. Summary:

It’s been almost ten years since Draco Malfoy disappeared during a routine Curse Breaker training exercise. Harry, his partner in more ways than one, is determined to figure out why. As the past resurfaces and the present fades into confusion, Harry discovers the only thing more unreliable than memory is love.

There are two timelines in this fic, the one before Draco disappears and then the one ten years later. The one ten years later can be a bit hard to read because Harry is so lost (which means the author wrote this extremely well so we can feel his pain). There are also sections in the current timeline where we know things are wrong, as does Harry, but no one else does. It's scary, it's tense, it's delish!

One final note, read the Author's note and tags before diving into this amazing fic.

Read The Waiting on AO3

Remember, Artists and Authors need lots of love! Comment folks!

Tumblr Resource:

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with @creativepromptsforwriting but if you're a writer or artist too I think, you could spend hours on the blog. The series for What is? on Wednesdays earlier this year was wonderful, especially for those new to writing. They're definitions of terms we see all of the time but are sometimes afraid to ask because you might look stupid. Some examples defined are What is a Drabble, Deus Ex Machina, Missing Scene, etc...

There are thousands of prompts for different genres, there are fic titles to use beginning with every letter of the alphabet, and one of my favs was Same Height Ideas; basically, what can two characters the same height do, like rub noses without bending down or looking up, staring directly into their eyes, or one wearing shoes to get the other off balance. All very cute.

Also, there are examples of dialogue one-liners even for Smut. Sorry, I could go on and on.

Take a look, and have fun exploring!

Have a Fab week!

Rom

#romaine2424 daily blog #drarry fic rec #romaine2424 fics #drarry art rec #I'm not ready for summer to be over! #Haphne is not a good ship name!

[seriouslycromulent]

Thoughts on the 2nd Season of Leverage: Redemption

OK. So I finally got around to watching Leverage: Redemption season 2. It was a decent season (or half-season?). I do remember liking more of the episodes from season 1, but that may be because there were more episodes overall (Hence, why I referred to this as a half-season.).

Random Thought #1 --

I can say one of the major pluses of season 2 was the opportunity to see Aldis Hodge more. And of course, that wink at the audience regarding the DC cinematic universe was not lost on me. I’m glad he was able to participate in more episodes this time around, but I am just as happy to see his career flourish on the big screen too.

Any chance to see more of Aldis is always appreciated. But you know who I did miss?

Random Thought #2 --

None of the episodes were directed by Jonathan Frakes this season. I’m not saying I can’t enjoy Leverage without Jonny behind the camera, but when he’s not there, his absence is certainly felt. I can only guess it was because he was off getting his Captain Riker on in the 3rd season of Star Trek: Picard. Sure, I loved seeing him on ST: Pic, but he better direct some eps for the next season of Leverage or I'll ... stew silently like the impetulant child that I am.

Random Thought #3 --

Moving on. My favorite episode of the 2nd season was the non-Leverage Leverage episode titled “The Belly of the Beast Job.” I liked how our team takes a bit of a backseat to others in this episode, and let a duo of novices attempt to save the world for once. 

It was all very cute watching the Fab 5 help from the sidelines, plus the realistic scenario of the villain and the victim(s) really resonated with me. The storyline was incredibly honest regarding the nature of workplace harassment, even affording the reality that sometimes when there’s a woman in a position to help, she may be more concerned with looking out for herself than protecting others. I really appreciated that honesty in storytelling on such a sensitive issue. 

Also, the actor who played the bad guy, aka the smarmy record executive, was fantastic! I remember him – Jeffrey Vincent Parise – from an episode of Burn Notice where he played a fairly distinctive villain who was similarly flamboyant, but very different in other ways. In this episode of L:R, it seems he has turned up the creeper factor to 11, and delivered an especially realistic performance in a character that you love to hate. Kudos to him and whoever was responsible for casting him on the show!

Random Thought #4 --

I also have to admit some of my favorite moments of season 2 involved Harry Wilson. Particularly when he had to imitate Eliot in The Walk In The Woods Job. He actually did a pretty good job with the Spencer Growl™, but he couldn't get the rest of the voice exactly right. It was still funny as hell though.

As for his first time in the vents in The Museum Makeover Job, oh my goodness. 😂 At first, I felt a bit sorry for him because tight spaces are not my friend either. But then he started acting like a cartoon character and I couldn't help but laugh. I have a feeling that was intentional (by the writers) for us folks who might have felt some residual claustrophobia when watching through our screens. 

So having Harry freak out in an absurdly cartoon-y manner helped keep the situation light, I think. And it just made me adore Noah Wyle's complete lack of ego when it comes to comedy even more.

Random Thought #5 --

Finally, I know I’m late to the party here, since the season 2 finale aired in January, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was shocked to find out that Eliot Spencer is adopted. And that his adoptive parents are Black! [insert head exploding emoji]

But let me tell you this … I don’t hate it. 

Here’s why:

It’s just like Eliot to keep this type of info to himself. He plays everything close to the vest, and this definitely would qualify as info that no one needs to know but him.

It adds a different kind of beat to Christian’s roles where he often plays men (usually from Oklahoma) who have estranged relationships with their father. I wasn’t too interested in seeing him play that same character beat yet again, so adding in a transracial adoption angle actually gave it a fresh twist. 

His dad was played by Keith freakin’ David. Keith. Freakin’. David. If you only know Keith David through his voiceover work in animation, that may not seem like a big deal to you. But for those of us who grew up on this man’s film and TV work onscreen coupled with that very distinctive voice of his, … well … let's just say I fangirled for quite a while when he first appeared on camera. And when it was revealed that he was Eliot’s dad, I had the stupidest jaw-dropping grin on my face for like 5 minutes. 

And on top of that, Christian got to shoot a fight scene with Keith too. Dude! I don’t personally know Chris (although I’ve met him several times), but I am sure he pinched himself more than once while preparing for and shooting that scene. I can only imagine he was trying really hard not to picture himself as a stand-in for the late great Rowdy Roddy Piper in that iconic fight scene in They Live. Heck, a part of me was doing it myself as I was watching it. I genuinely felt incredibly happy for Chris for getting the opportunity to work with Keith in this way. 

With that said, I did make my way over to ao3 to see if anyone has written any fanfic around the whole adoption storyline. So far, I’ve only found two. There may be others, but they’re not too easy to track with the search tool, so it's a slow process.

Anyway, I noticed in the comments section on one of the fanfics I found, the author mentioned that they saw a comment on Facebook stating that the person wished that Eliot’s father had been Native American instead. And the author worked into the story the idea that Eliot’s biological mom was Native due to this comment.

Here’s the thing. I don’t have a problem with the author at all. They just wrote a quick story offering a wee bit of background on how Eliot ended up with the Spencers. 

But I admit that I find that Facebook comment to be unnecessary and giving off some skanky anti-Black vibes. Yes, Chris has Native ancestry IRL. But how many times has he played characters where both of his parents were white and not Native? Did this person leaving the comment ever lament over his parents not being Native for any of those other roles? And if not, why not? 

Here was an opportunity to allow Chris to be a part of multiracial onscreen family in a way that he hasn’t been able to in the past, and apparently, someone objected to that multiracial family being of African descent instead of Indigenous descent. They apparently didn't care about how it affords Eliot a new layer of complexity that we would rarely see in any other role Chris has played in the past (assuming the writers want to do something with it). It also acknowledges that Black people adopt children of other races and ethnicities too, which typically isn’t shown or discussed on American television. Transracial adoption is often painted as something only white or Asian-American parents do. 

I’m not saying that the Facebook comment was racist, but it definitely seemed to have anti-Black bias that is far too often brushed aside when it comes to non-Black communities of color. And I hope that this person's sentiment is the exception, not the rule in the Leverage fandom.

Ok. That's it. I just wanted to share my thoughts on those aspects of season 2. Feel free to agree or disagree or something else. Thanks for reading my ramblings, and I will now happily sit over here and wait on season 2 of Almost Paradise premiering in July.

#leverage #leverage: redemption #fandom #christian kane #keith david #noah wyle #racism in fandom #aldis hodge #jonathan frakes #eliot spencer #billy spencer #harry wilson #alec hardison

[valerie]

TWITL - week 43 - the cooler turn

The weather has finally turned to slightly cooler. I don't think we can really say "cold" when our highs are in the low 70s. It's definitely sweater weather in the mornings. Glorious! https://flic.kr/p/2pbERGk RUGBY WORLD CUP - The South Africa Springboks won the Rugby World Cup over the New Zealand All Blacks. It was a hard fought match and both teams played with much grit and determination. The All Blacks had chances to take the lead and maybe even win but it was not in the cards for them. Maybe I don't understand all the rules of rugby (I definitely don't) but I won't ever understand how one yellow card was turned red (All Blacks) and another yellow card stayed yellow (Springboks). Regardless of the officials, the All Blacks had their chances and the Springboks prevailed. As an All Blacks fan, it's a definitely a bittersweet feeling. I'm glad they made it to the final and I'm disappointed that they didn't get the win, especially since a lot of the players I've watched over the years have likely donned the All Blacks jersey for the last time. Alas. https://flic.kr/p/2pcmff7 Matthew Perry died yesterday. I was watching a long review of the Pixel 8 Pro when I happened upon a post on Threads that said he had died. I had to pause the video as I tried to process the information. How could he be dead? He's too young! (Just a couple of years older than me.) I checked online sources and saw that it was being reported at various news sites. It was true and oh, the sorrow that overwhelmed me for a moment. When Friends originally aired, my cousin and I would get together to watch those Thursday night shows. We were in the same age range as the characters on that show and I remember the laughs and the sitcom moments that were funny and charming and poignant in turns. I didn't watch the series in its entirety but I'd come in now and again through the years. One of my favorite moments of the show was when Chandler was stuck in the bank lobby with Jill Goodacre (who was already married to Harry Connick Jr at that point). And even though it's been years since I've watched it, I know that I was mildly surprised by how much I liked Fools Rush In. It is utterly sad that Matthew Perry is gone. His light is still there for us to witness in his work. And from the different tributes I'm reading online, it's obvious that he left his mark on the people who worked with him, were friends with him, and loved him. For me, his gift was laughter. His legacy is in his work and in the people left behind with fond memories. May peace find you in next, Matthew Perry. Thank you for your light. You will be missed... https://flic.kr/p/2pboFyW Resigned indifference. This week I found out something that miffed me. I was surprised, in an unpleasant way, and it took awhile for me to dismiss it to indifference. Part of me was a little sad but it was a moment where I had to realize that nothing lasts. In this case, it was a friendship of over two decades. I have so much more I could say but I'll leave that all to my private journal. Even though I shouldn't care about offending anyone in my own space, it's just not worth the bandwidth... https://flic.kr/p/2pc8job TV Milli Vanilli - We watched this documentary this week and it was very well done. I thought it was quite balanced and so very interesting. I loved hearing from the singers of the songs, as well as the faces of the group. I knew it would be sad because of Rob Pilantus' death but it was hopeful too, seeing where Fab Morvan is in his life. The whole story is infuriating too, especially in regards to the producer who concocted the whole thing. How does he not get more of the backlash? Why was his part shrugged off and dismissed? I was glad to watch this and it gave me a better idea of Pilantus and Morvan and their part of the deception. I definitely recommend this, especially if you're like me and lived through that time in music. Haunted Mansion - I was actually surprised by how much I liked this movie. I will credit LaKeith Stanfield because he knew how to pull those heartstrings. There were some very cool jump scares and even though it's been AGES since I've been on the ride, I saw elements here and there during the movie. I thought it was very well done and I bet it looked so good on the big screen. Loki - This show is really so good. I will always love cause and effect/time loops/general mind bending stuff and this show is giving us all of that. The end of the most recent episode was a crazy shock. What will happen next? Does anything happen next?! What will happen at the end of the season. Will there be another season? Found - Here's a show with what I consider a limited premise, as far as the show arc is concerned. The mystery of the week works really well, no doubt, but how long can it go on? Does the show operate on a limited timeline? Doe all these cases happen one of top of another so that time passes slower? I am very intrigued on how it's going to blow up in the main character's face because it will and then what? The Irrational - Maybe I just miss "case of the week" shows because I'm enjoying this one. There's enough room for the characters to grow and it feels like the kind of show that can go on for years. Besides the mystery of the episode, the characters are interesting enough to watch as well. https://flic.kr/p/2pbp5ba This time next week, I'll be writing my next novel for National Novel Writing Month. I still don't know exactly what my main female character does for a living. Yikes! I'll figure it out by Wednesday. Maybe. Hopefully? The working title of the novel is WHISPERS IN THE NIGHT. This could change if I hear a line from a song that makes sense for the story. Something else happens on Wednesday but I'll wait to talk about it in next week's blog post entry. Wait, do I usually write a blog post during National Novel Writing Month? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Well, I might have to write something next week depending on what happens on Wednesday. ;) https://flic.kr/p/2pc7jzh Social handles: - Threads – @kiari - Spoutible – @valerie - Bluesky – @kiari Just because... Read the full article

#movies #nanowrimo #rugby #tv #writing

[sweet-s0rr0w]

I make absolutely no secret of my adoration for the wonderful @tackytigerfic and all of their works, so I’ll try to keep the flailing to a minimum here! Someone once said to me that the beauty of Tacky’s fics is that their characters somehow just seem to love more deeply than other people’s, and that’s always struck me as the perfect summary of their writing (er, credit @fw00shy 😂). Tacky's fics are intense, incredibly vivid, and the emotions they evoke stay with you for a long, long time after you’ve finished reading. Their microfics always pack a punch (see how I cheat again by linking more fics) and their longer work… well, you’ve read Modern Love, right?

Tacky's working on some longer fics right now which look amazing, but in the meantime you should go read/re-read/re-re-re-read my recs straight away – you won’t regret it. Happy Birthday, lovely Tacky. My life is better for knowing you, and I wish you a wonderful day!

Read Tackytiger's fics on AO3 here

Offer Up Our Hearts – M, 24k, gorgeous Drarry coming together fic set in an Irish fairy realm

Summary: Harry Potter has a very nice life, thank you very much. He's a top Curse-Breaker with a lucrative Ministry contract, and exciting prospects ahead. Sometimes he does wish that he had time to pursue something official with Draco Malfoy - they're half in love with each other, after all, and a great team (in and out of bed), though Draco is still one of the most infuriating people he knows. And when Draco asks Harry to accompany him on a diplomatic mission to the mysterious Sidhe fairies in Ireland, Harry agrees to lend his expertise. Especially since the Sidhe diplomat is a handsome fairy prince who's also in love with Draco.

Join Malfoy and Potter in a daring tale of espionage, politics, intrigue, and frog-hunting!

Our Little Life – M, 7k, original and touching multiverse Drarry

Summary: Sometimes Harry dreams. Only they're not really dreams at all, and Malfoy is always in them. It's time travel, but not as we know it, and Harry just needs a good night's sleep.

Even the Night – M, 3.5k, tender, evocative Drarry in the dark

Summary: I'm so bad at this

Two boys meet on a rooftop

Read and find out more

Featuring lots of cigarettes, a Midsummer sky, close encounters in a bath, and plenty of fireworks.

Modern Love – E, 69k, (and please read the fab sequels too), stunning Draco in the Muggle World fic feat perfect OCs and so many feels

Summary: Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is. And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t? Because things don’t really change, do they? And if Harry can’t be happy, he’ll settle for a good night’s sleep, some posh antiques, and the opportunity to find out what Malfoy has been up to for all these years.

And that’s what starts it all.

Aim For My Heart – M, 3.5k, DRONARRY (H/D/Ron), sweet, romantic and sexy triad fic

Summary: Harry's in love, Ron's in control, and Draco just wants a nice lunch. They say three's a crowd, but Harry doesn't always agree. Not when he gets to be in the middle, anyway.

In which Harry's in love with Ron, and Harry's in love with Draco, but they're not in love with each other. Not yet, anyway.

***

Previous Five Favourite Fics posts - thestarryknight, vukovich, fwooshy, lq_traintracks

#drarry #five favourite fics #tackytiger

[sunflovverharry]

Driving Home for Christmas

a/n: hii! i wanted to make this a super cute dad!h during christmas fic so i hope you enjoy! this fic is a part of @goldenbluesuit ´s christmas song fic challenge which i’m honored to be a part of! It's the first fic challenge I’ve entered and I’ve been nervous to post something along with all these other amazing writers, but I'm excited to post this little piece centered in the dad universe. Happy reading, and remember to read the rest of the entries as well (which I’ve read some these past two weeks and they’re fab!) <3

pairing: dad!h + y/n

warnings: none! just a cute dad!h piece

word count: 3.8k

Harry was loading the trunk of their Audi, putting all their packed suitcases and bags of presents in there. The car was smack full as this year they had another addition to their family, waiting patiently for her mum to feed her before they left the city. It was snowing heavily and Anne made sure they knew they didn’t have to drive up today with the weather making the roads worse than usual. Y/n also told him a hundred times it was his decision as he was the one driving. Harry didn’t budge though, telling his mum they would definitely be there by tonight.

This year's Christmas celebrations were being spent in Cheshire with Harry’s family seeing as they were with her family in Nottingham last year. They’ve found it works best this way rather than splitting it up to go both places every year. After four years together and buying a house at the start of this year, y/n thinks this might be the last Christmas spent out of their own home. They have their two cats (Nellie and Sunny) and having their first child it might be time to start celebrating the holiday at their own house.

«Babe, did you remember to pack the board games?» Harry heard his girlfriend ask from the threshold where they had hung a mistletoe and had Harry not been busy trying to make everything fit, he definitely would’ve turned around, ran up to her and gave her a big smack on the lips. He settled for giving her a thumbs up not swirling around as he was too busy trying to figure out how he could make most of their things fit in the trunk, thinking it was just like a game of tetris. While Harry had been doing the heavy lifting and packing; y/n had put a cute Christmas onesie on the still tiny body of their daughter, definitely small for her age but she was eating like her daddy so where the weight went they had no idea.

Olive was a generally happy, cuddly baby who more often than not reached for her dad over her mum. It didn’t bother y/n that she was a daddy’s girl, knowing how much Harry loves children and now that he has his own he’s all over her. She finds the two cuddled together on the sofa, their bed or the armchair in her nursery at least a couple times a day. Her phone is now overflowing with photos of the two and she’s hoping to put together a photo album for Harry’s birthday filled with them - knowing he’d cherish it forever.

Half an hour later they were pulling out of the driveway. Harry had checked multiple times that all the lights were out, the doors were locked and the alarm system was functioning properly. Olive was smiling as she sat still in her car seat behind y/n. She had wondered if sitting in the back with her daughter would be better, but decided against it. If she got fussy they’d stop at a gas station and she’d move to the back.

The couple was tremendously excited to bring along their little bundle of happiness and get to show her off to all of Harry’s family and friends. Of course, his family have seen her when she was a newborn but living quite far away most of them only get to see them once or twice a year. It’ll change the dynamic of how they celebrate the holidays for sure, but it's a positive change. Anne will spoil her rotten, just like she does to y/n when they visit - making her tea whenever she wants some, washing their dirty laundry (which y/n didn’t care that her mother-in-law saw her underwear cause she didn’t bring anything too scandalous) and heading to the shops when they needed even the smallest thing. Really, y/n thought she was too kind for her own good. At the same time though, y/n always did play a good host when Anne visited them - spoiling her with the comfiest bed sheets, making the food for every meal, not wanting her to lift a finger as if she was the queen.

Olive was eight months - a fairly active one at that - and loves to crawl everywhere, especially to follow her mum or dad around the lower floor of their (way too big) house for only the three (five) of them. Since the pair hadn’t brought Olive with them for such a long drive, the longest being an hour, they were anxious to find out how she’d react to being confined over a longer period of time.

Half an hour in and Olive was babbling away to the teddy bear in her arms (she got it from her nephews when she was born and has been attached to it since) as Harry and y/n talked about how excited they were for their daughter to explore her daddy´s hometown and how his whole family and friends would fall in love with Olive even more. With their little girl just starting to sleep all through the night in her own room, Anne wanted to make sure she got her own room at her nana's too, so apparently she’s cleaned the office and made it into a makeshift nursery for her granddaughter.

Y/n doesn’t know who’s more excited to see all the familiar faces, the family that’s become not only important to her in the last four years, but now also to their baby. The last time they visited Cheshire, y/n was barely two months pregnant and as tough as it was to keep it hidden from Anne for another month, they managed to keep it to the two of them (with just a handful of slip-ups). They were sure Anne knew they were having a baby with the small smirks she gave y/n and harry when she didn’t want the wine - Harry keeping to non-alcoholics in solidarity with her - which was unregular for her, normally jumping on the thought of having a glass or two after a long day.

“You know mum won’t give her up after she gets her hands on her right as we walk through the front door? Might want to hop in the back and get your fix before we get there.” Harry let out a chuckle with y/n joining in knowing just how true his words were. Anne was a godsend of a grandmother, taking Olive in her arms doting over her until she’ll start crying for her daddy. Though everyone gives her all the attention she could wish for, no one could ever do what Harry can. He’s her favorite, no matter how much I wish I could be.

Another half hour later and we were making our first stop at a local gas station in Aylesbury. We were about a third of the way in, but the weather was getting harsher with the snow falling harder and the wind picking up just a little bit. While Harry filled the car up with gas and made sure Olive didn’t start fussing, y/n went inside to get a couple snacky items for the three of them and a filled up cup of coffee for her boyfriend. Coming out of the station she could see Harry in the back with his love bug, bringing her out of the car seat as her cute little wails haltered. She was due for a feed, so they found a secluded space to park so no one would stare at her while breastfeeding their daughter.

Sitting in the front passenger seat with her daughter attached to her nipple with her baby daddy sitting in the driver's seat next to her they spent the next twenty minutes singing along to the Christmas songs playing one after the other on the radio.

Y/n had always loved this time of year - the snow, the songs (which - admittedly - she listened to throughout the entire year), the decorations, the joy and cheer. With y/n and Harry moving in together a month before Christmas, only half a year after they first began dating, they had a mutual understanding for how they would go all out with lights, trees and decorations both on the inside and outside. Though their house was gated with a high fence along the perimeter of their entire land. The trees lining the driveway all the way from the gate to where the gravel road extends into two, one leading to the garage and the other to the front door, were now lit up with strings of light going through them. It was only the beginning to their decorations, but it couldn’t be seen from the gate. More lights were lit along the house, windows were accentuated by red tape creating squares with spray along it, making it seem like snow on the glass. Though there aren’t tons of colourful lights, outside at least, the inside is littered with different colours, shining and sparkling along the staircases, mantels, dressers, counters and tables.

Olive felt like there was something new to look at, touch and be amazed by in every room of their house. As the clock sets seven in the morning, like clockwork, Harry hears Olive’s wails for him to get her out of the crib so she can move around. He kisses y/n’s forehead as he lets her sleep for another half hour to an hour like every morning before pulling on a pair of boxers and some pajama pants if it’s cold to get his daughter from her nursery across the hall.

The two of them were like two giggling girlfriends when they finally saw each other for the first time that day, not being able to keep their smiles from their similar lips. Walking downstairs Olive points at the garland wrapping the staircase and every time she sees it, a small sound of surprise and excitement exit her puckered lips. Harry talks to her about how good her mama is at decorating their house and how good it looks good for Christmas (he only helped her put up decorations, following her direct orders). Y/n had a certain way she liked to decorate and with this being the first Christmas in their house she wanted everything to look perfect.

Coming into the kitchen after turning the dimmed lights on low to have some lighting in the morning dark they had a little shimmy along the floor. Olive babbled along with Harry’s singing and mumbling to her explaining how the buttons on the walls turned on the different lights. She probably didn’t understand or care about the lights, but the two continued singing and talking about nonsense along the way. In the kitchen, Harry made her a bottle she demanded having before getting started on the omelette he makes for him and y/n every morning he’s home without fail.

When they finally got back on the road the snow was coming down heavily and the only thing they could see were the lines of cars in front of them on the M40 pushing the break every few seconds before accelerating again moving only a couple meters before breaking again. Y/n didn’t have a lot of patience in traffic - or in general - and quickly became annoyed making Harry laugh at her telling her to calm down (she wasn’t even the one who had to drive through this horrible weather). This lasted for another forty-five minutes before the snow let up just a little bit and the cars seemed to roll along the road like normal.

“I didn’t think driving home for Christmas would take this long. At least, I hoped it wouldn’t.” They’d been on the road since nine thirty this morning and now, two and a half hours later, they still have at least another two hours left until they’re at Anne’s. It wasn’t unusual for y/n to call Anne’s home, having stayed there for weeks at a time during the almost five years her and Harry have known each other. Harry isn’t unknown to calling y/n’s parents’ house his home either.

“I know. Wish it didn’t have to take this long and I’m sure little Ollie is going to get antsy soon. If the weather continues like this and we don’t have to take more than one more break, I think we’ll be there within three hours, but if we run into traffic, we might have to take more stops along the way.” Harry wanted to move along quickly to get to his mum’s before Olive’s nap time around three, if she didn’t end up sleeping in the car. We knew when we decided to drive in the morning that Olive would probably stay up the whole way, too engrossed with the cars and lights along the way to ever be able to fall asleep.

“You know what we should do to keep her happy for another half hour at least?” Y/n turned to look at Harry with a smile grazing her lips. “Play some Christmas music! She loves when we sing and dance around the house.” Playing the memories of hearing Olive’s belly laughter through the house while Harry and her danced in circles around her like another pair of idiots.

Putting on the same Christmas song list they’ve played since making it together all those years ago, the first song coming on shuffle being Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The noise was at a comfortable volume so they could still hear Olive if she started fussing though it’s unlikely and for it to not be too disturbing for Harry’s driving. With Olive seated with her back to them she couldn’t see her mummy dancing in her seat while they sang along to song after song, but she heard her parents’ voices singing out to the songs she’s heard oh so many times before.

“This is accurate, huh?” Harry snickered as Driving Home for Christmas began playing through the speakers.

“You don’t say.” It was one of their favorite songs and it fit the scene they were in, driving home for Christmas, excited to see their family, singing along the slowly getting better traffic. Looking around at the cars next to them, most of them looked to be families also driving home to be with their families for this year's holiday celebrations.

The rest of the drive was filled with more singing, two more stops for Harry to give his baby some cuddles and walking around one of the local Tesco’s they stopped at to get some more drinks and snacks. Olive was waving at everyone walking past us and talking all kinds of gibberish. While y/n grabbed the snacks, Harry had Olive walking along the aisles in between his feet while holding her little hands in his following her around the store.

A quarter to three they finally made it to Anne’s home, reversing into the driveway so they could get their baggage inside easier later in the day. Y/n saw Anne open the front door in the rearview mirror when Harry was pulling in the last meters. There was a bright smile on her face when we got out of the car. The snow had laid thick on the ground up north and the slick ice underneath made it harder to walk without having to make sure every step was carefully thought out.

Just minutes later Olive was already crawling with her little legs all over her grandma’s home, interested in anything and everything she could get her chubby hands on not seeming to be tired at all. They decided to forgo her nap and hope for an early night, which isn’t likely with everything going on around her. Anne was on granny duties right away telling the pair to sit down and relax with the tea she had prepared while she took care of the baby. There was no doubt she loved the attention from the person she might not remember from this summer but quickly became attached to, almost as much as she is to her daddy.

Harry found his place on the sofa, head in y/n’s lap and feet hanging over the armrest demanding her fingers curling through his locks. It wasn’t surprising to her that he was tired from driving the entirety of the way in traffic and tightly packed snow at times. Sure, if needed he could have stayed awake, but with his mum taking care of his little love he didn’t care much, falling asleep to his other love combing her fingers through his hair. It didn’t happen too often that they could have a cuddle in the middle of the day - just the two of them - with Olive needing their attention at all hours of the day so when the opportunity arose he wasn’t going to turn it down. He admits, though this is nice as well, that a naked cuddle in bed would definitely top laying on the sofa with his mum and daughter running around them. Maybe tonight, he thinks, as he finally falls asleep to the sound of Olive’s giggles.

As nighttime inched closer and Olive’s bedtime was passing them in the chatter and laughter, y/n told Harry to get their things from the car while she nurses Olive before getting her ready for bed. While they took care of their daughter, Anne made a nice spread of cheese and crackers for them to indulge tonight while catching up on everything that’s been going on in their lives since the last time she visited them in London.

Harry found Olive’s bag first, choosing a pair of christmassy pajamas from the mountain of clothes they had brought for her. Y/n walked upstairs to the nursery Anne had set up, seeing Harry already unpacking her bags into the cute vintage turquoise chiffonier Anne had bought from a neighbour only a couple weeks ago immediately falling in love with it.

«Would you like to have a cuddle with daddy before bed, Ollie?» Y/n firmly believed her daughter needed the nightly cuddle from Harry, just like she does, to fall asleep. She was already reaching out for him with her nimble hands waiting for him to take her in for a snuggle in his arms. There was no armchair in the makeshift nursery like they had purchased for Olive’s nursery back home where they always sat but Harry made it work. Anything for a cuddle with his baby growing way too quick for his liking.

It was no secret Harry loved babies and that only heightened when he had his own baby. With how good Olive is and how lush it’s been having a baby around and it not be just the two of them, he had thought about what it would be like with another baby around. Another little love for them to have, give Olive a sister or brother to play with. He hadn’t said anything to y/n about the thoughts he’d been having, not knowing if she'd agree with him. It’s been eight months and when they had talked about it before they agreed on a maximum of two years between their children.

Only a couple hours later they headed to bed themselves, ready for a good night's sleep before another long day tomorrow. Harry had been debating with himself whether he was going to mention babies to y/n or not - ultimately ended up with yes, he would mention it. Now they were finally alone with y/n resting her head on Harry’s pillow, her fingers delicately drawing patterns on his chest.

“I have something I’d like to discuss with you.” Harry’s voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper, not wanting to ruin the calmness around them. He wasn’t nervous so to say, but he felt his pulse quicken the tiniest bit at the thought of getting turned down. Y/n turned her head to watch Harry as he pulled her in as close as he could without suffocating her.

“It’s been lovely having Olive, right? Seems like it was meant to be to have a baby and during the holidays it’s been so fun watching her so interested in everything.” Y/n murmured her answer. She had loved having a little one to care for and to fill their days with joy over the last eight months.

“Well, with how well it’s been going with her, I was thinking we could talk about having another little one? Maybe discuss it a bit. What do you say, let's make Ollie a big sister?”

“I think we might be well on the way to making her a sister, bub.” Harry turned his head at lightning speed hearing her words, not knowing if he heard her quite right. His open mouth and big round eyes weren’t something she saw often combined as she wasn’t always the best at surprising him, but this time she was sure her secret had come as a big shock. It wasn’t as if they had been trying for a baby either, only forgetting a condom a handful times when they were too in the moment to care for it.

She found out only a week ago, thinking she could keep it to herself until Christmas day. It wasn’t difficult to hide it from him, not struggling with morning sickness and only craving sweets as if she was on her period. Knowing they had agreed on the number of children they wanted - four - she wasn’t scared of him reacting badly.

“You’re not joking, right?” Harry smashed his lips onto his girlfriends when she shook her head - no, i’m not joking - kissing her slow and long, showing her just how happy he was. They spent the night talking about how thrilled and excited they were to expand their family with more children and how great of a sister Olive would be. Baby names were flying between them, agreeing to never naming one of their babies after a city, but rather continuing naming them something more unique than Chloe or Adam.

The rest of the holiday spent up north with Harry’s family was relaxing and lovely all around. Playing board games, exploring the city with Olive (who was way too fascinated by all the snow), family dinner parties and having fun with friends they didn’t get to see all too often. Olive was wiped out after opening her presents on Christmas morning and spending all her energy on all the toys she got and the paper ripping she played with (more than the toys to be honest).

This year had been special for the family and Christmas was just the same. Olive was lively and it made y/n and Harry exhausted with everything going on, but they wouldn’t change it for the world. After all, Olive was their little girl and soon there would be another little love in their family. Trying to keep the pregnancy from their family and friends was easier this time around as she could blame not drinking alcohol on her breastfeeding and decided they would keep it hidden from everyone until the last possible minute.

#gbsxmaschallenge #harry styles fic #harry styles fluff #harry styles #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles blurb #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles drabble #harry styles fiction #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #fic challenge #harry styles x oc #harry styles x yn #writing

[countessofravenclaw]

Memories of Time: Chapter fourteen

What if you woke up one morning and realized that you were back in the beginning of your story? But to your surprise, you remember how that story will play out. Did you go back in time?

Happy 2022 everyone! Let this year bring us something else than new covid variants. But our friends the holy trinity are still stuck in 2016, so let's get back into seeing how they are doing.

“What are we going to do?”

Ambar was asking a very accurate question, Luna had to admit. They were all together now, minus Simon, but still, none of them had any idea what to do. She herself definitely didn’t. Luna took Matteo’s hand as they all sat in Gastón’s parent’s living room. Ambar’s question had silenced them all.

“Well we can’t just disappear.” Gastón finally broke the silence. “At least to a certain extent, we need to keep living so it looks as normal as possible to others.”

Luna didn’t fully understand what Gastón meant, but others, including Matteo, seemed to. She felt Matteo shift uncomfortably, as he did when he was really thinking about something.

“You’re right, brother, we are known—aside from Luna and Simon. People know our names, expect us to be or act certain ways. We can’t raise any suspicions.”

“Not me that much, but it is still a problem. Especially for you three.” Nina said, pointing to Matteo, Ambar, and Gastón.

“Nina, this impacts all four of us. You weren’t as invisible as you remember. We all were on first name terms,” Ambar said. “Nico and Pedro know us. Tamara does. Jim, Yam and Ramiro. People at Blake.”

“You two were the most popular guys there,” Ambar continued pointing to Gastón and Matteo, “So you had plenty of acquaintances and swarms of girls after you”

At the mention of the possibility of Matteo having girls after him, Luna noticed that she had unconsciously gripped his sleeve quite possessively. Well, she had always been known to be quite clingy, but she had let the world know that great Matteo Balsano was very much taken and his fans could abandon their delusional dreams. Luna noted that Nina had very much done the same to Gastón as Ambar kept speaking.

“And of course there are Delfi and Jazmin and Fab and Chic” Ambar closed her eyes, clearly frustrated. “God, what am I going to do with Delfi and Jazmin? Actually, what are WE going to do with Delfi and Jasmin?” And Ambar turned his eyes to Matteo.

Luna gripped Matteo’s sleeve even tighter. They had come to this topic, again. Luna very much would like to forget the whole thing of Ambar and Matteo dating, but it was not possible, especially since everyone thought it was still going on.

“They think we’re dating.” It was not a question, more like a statement that Matteo let out of his mouth. “What are our options?”

“We could fake it…” Ambar started, but it was clear that she couldn’t even finish the sentence. Matteo was shifting very uncomfortably again and Luna knew exactly how he felt. “But, neither of us is such an actor. Also, I just don’t want to do it.”

“I think the best bet is to tell Delfi and Jazmin that we have broken up.” Luna finally relaxed when Ambar said that. “Or is that changing the timeline too much?” Ambar turned her head towards Gastón and Nina.

“We can’t know,” Gastón began. He turned to Nina and she continued automatically, finishing his sentence. “But, I think telling them that you broke up is the best route. It’ll be least suspicious if you do it right. Neither of you thinks that you should be dating, so nothing should be changed.”

Matteo, Luna, and Ambar all sighed in relief, but Nina continued. “This is not back to the future time-travel, but not Harry Potter either. Those are opposites, in one you can change the future, in the other you can’t. The problem here is the lack of duplicates. We have not been physically transported into the past, only our minds have. Things have already changed by us being here in the first place.”

Everyone except Gastón stared at her blankly.

“So what do we do now?” Matteo asked, bewildered. Luna was glad he had asked, because she still didn’t fully understand the situation herself.

“I think I know,” Ambar piped up, looking like she had gone right back to lawyer-mode “I’ll have to go to talk Delfi and Jazmin and break the news about me and Matteo— they’ll do the rest. I think it is the best if we all just go to the Roller, show our faces, scout the scene a little bit. Just like Gastón said, we can’t just disappear, and Luna might as well get accustomed to the place again.”

Usually, Luna wouldn’t have followed Ambar’s spiel one bit, but now she somehow and somewhat understood. At this time, she was not yet known at Jam & Roller. In this reality, she had still never been in the place that she would forever call her second home.

“If we try to go on as normally as possible, we’ll spend time at Jam & Roller and I’ll have to get to know everyone. Again. That’s what you meant, right?”

“That’s precisely what I meant. And one more thing. Remember, all of us are not friends…”

“I think Luna and I can still be,” Nina started speaking, “No one paid attention to me, so it won’t look out of place.”

“Yes, I agree on that,” Ambar continued, “but, just to be safe, we should set your so-called first meeting with an outside witness. We can’t raise ANY suspicions, so better to be safe than sorry. But who can we use?”

“Originally it was Delfi and Jazmin, but… I’d rather avoid that again if we can” Nina said, looking down as Gastón put his arm tighter around her. Luna did remember what Nina meant. She had originally walked in on Nina getting bullied by Delfi and Jazmin. While it was hard to believe that of them now, there was no point in denying that it had happened. And if Nina wanted to avoid repeating that, she was going to help her.

“We could use Nico,” she piped up, “I mean, I’ll have to talk to him anyway, since if I’m going to spend time at Roller, I’ll need his help. I don’t have a membership yet, so I’ll need a rink pass, and I remember he was passing them out for the first-timers.”

They all agreed that this plan was the best plan of action, so they all gathered their things, waited for Gastón to lock up, and started heading towards Roller. When they were maybe only a kilometer away, they scattered, knowing they couldn’t just walk into Roller all together.

Luna was the last one to arrive at Jam & Roller. It was odd, to say the least, when she walked in and no one greeted her. The Roller looked pretty much the same as it had when she last saw it. Juliana had been running it for the last five years quite successfully. But Luna could feel the lack of Juliana in Jam & Roller’s spirit somehow.

The plan was for Nina to be at the rink bleachers so she and Luna could “run into” each other. They had picked the place because Luna remembered that Nico had been around that area at that time, so it would be the best spot for having him be the “witness” as Ambar called it with her legal jargon.

Interestingly, she did not run into anyone she knew, not even Tamara, as she went over to the locker room to put her skates on. Actually, she was kind of looking forward to seeing Tamara again. They had briefly met while Luna had been in a competition with Ramiro, but they hadn’t had any time to chat. Not that they would be able to chat now either, at least not about the stuff she wanted to talk about. It would be a bit weird if she, who at this time had never skated freestyle, asked questions about triple axel jumps.

Luna sighed and got up. She skated towards the rink and looked around. She saw both Matteo and Gastón skating on the rink. Good thing that she had been determined to not let any of her friends get rusty, even when most of them had started careers outside of skating. Luna shook her head, forcing herself not to stare at Matteo for too long.

“Hi, HI!” a voice shook Luna out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw that the speaker was Nico, albeit a much younger Nico so the image took a bit of time to register in Luna’s mind.

“Are you new here? I have never seen you before,” Nico started speaking again.

“Yes, I am very new,” Luna began. She was very bad at improv. She cursed herself for not asking Nina to write her lines down for her. “I just moved here, and I’ll start at a new school…”

***

“Are you going to go Blake?” Nina piped up from behind Nico, where she had been sitting while Luna had been talking with him. She had been sitting on the bleachers for at least 20 minutes now, waiting for Luna to arrive. She had been watching Matteo and Gastón goofing off on the rink, trying not to look too obvious. It brought back memories of when she had spent all her time secretly looking at Gastón.

Nina couldn’t help but notice the slight look of confusion on Nico’s face as she spoke voluntarily to a stranger. She decided to ignore it. Let him believe that she had gained some confidence over the summer.

“Yes, I am.” Luna picked the conversation up. “I’m Luna. Do you skate?”

“My name’s Nina, and no, I don’t skate.” Nina repeated her lines. It was funny, how she had told the same thing to Luna when they had actually first met, but now it was a lie.

“I work here, I’m Nico.” Nico spoke, and Nina was worried for a moment that Luna had totally forgotten why she had sought Nico out for the first place, outside of their little reenactment.

“Hi, Nico. I’m Luna, but you probably already heard that.” It was a good thing that Luna seemed to remember what she was supposed to do. “Can I skate there?” she said, gesturing toward the rink.

As Luna started talking with Nico about the ticket for the rink entry, Nina’s eyes wandered back to Gastón. As she followed him with her eyes, she noticed Ambar, Jazmin and Delfi coming onto the rink… and something in Delfi’s eyes as she passed Gastón rubbed Nina the wrong way, but she couldn’t come up with a reason why.

***

“Where have you been?” Ambar was bombarded with questions as soon as she ran into Delfi and Jazmin in the Roller’s locker room. She had to admit that she could have done a bit of a better job keeping up her act in the past few days. She had pretty much ghosted Delfi and Jazmin after that one call, but she had been so busy with so many other things and she had honestly been quite nervous to answer their questions, so she’d just ignored all the calls they’d made since. Now she would need to deal with them… like she would have done eight years ago.

“I was busy in Cancun with much more important things,” she said while mustering all of the old Ambar essence she could. Being mean hurt almost physically, just like the memories, but she had no choice. At least she wasn’t completely lying—things in Cancun had been quite important, only she couldn’t tell Delfi and Jazmin why.

“Ooh, you must have done so much shopping,” Jazmin started, and Ambar had to roll her eyes. At least that would be in character. 17-year-old Jazmin was so much worse with her fashion obsession than she was as a 24-years-old. Ambar definitely preferred both Delfi and Jazmin when they were not as surface level as they were at the moment. It had definitely been a perk of growing up… though their shallowness right now had partly been her own fault. Jazmin had a nature-friendly fashion line now, and she had put all of her online experience into creating an online creator community. Delfi had become a video editor and producer, and she worked on all of the Roller Band and Matteo’s videos. In some ways, Fab and Chic had definitely paid off.

“I did,” Ambar responded to Jazmin, and to her relief she didn’t ask anything more, for once. Ambar was not feeling like talking about fashion at the moment.

“You never called back from Cancun,” Delfi piped in, “but tell us what happened with Matteo. We want all of the details about your romantic summer in Cancun.” Jazmin had already picked up her tablet and started to record. It was now or never, and it was the perfect opportunity for it.

“Jazmin, put that tablet away. I don’t want to be recorded. There is nothing to tell about Matteo.” She took a deep breath and tried to pretend that she was at court. This would be no different from it. She was just presenting evidence.

“We broke up.” It was short, sweet, and simple. She had a small fight in her head about whether to laugh or cringe at Delfi and Jazmin’s faces.

“But why?” Delfi started after a 10-second silence.

“There is nothing to explain.” Ambar decided that that was the best explanation. It wasn’t wise to come up with an elaborate story, the plot holes would be evident. “It just didn’t work out, but we are still friends. Now I can focus on much more important things, like me.” It was better to define that since she was positive that she would get caught talking to him at some point.

“Friends? You are never friends with your exes,” Jazmin noted. Ambar knew at once that it had been a mistake to mention being friends with Matteo. Jazmin’s look of bewilderment turned into a mischievous smile. “You’re trying to get him back, aren’t you? He’s the most popular guy at Blake—you can’t just let that go.”

“No, I—” Ambar started, but Delfi cut in first. “I saw him at the rink. Go talk to him. Imagine, you’ll get him back and then we both could have the two of the most popular guys at Blake.” Ambar raised her eyebrows at that. What on earth did that even mean? She had no idea what Delfi was talking about.

But before she could present any kind of objections, Delfi and Jazmin dragged her out to the rink. As they skated to the rink she spotted Luna talking to Nico, and she thought that she saw Nina there as well. So it appeared that they had succeeded on their mission.

“There he is, go talk to him,” Jazmin said, egging her on.

“Jazmin, stop!” She dragged her hand away. “I don’t have time for this. I have much more important things to do.”

“But…” Jazmin started again, and Ambar thought it would be for the best if she would distract her with something else. “Do you want some freestyle for Fab and Chic…”

It worked. Jazmin got her tablet out again and they started filming a video. She really should have ought to on stage, she was a quite of a good actress when she thought about it. She didn’t know how she was able to muster all of the shallowness that had been her former self.

“Hello everyone! Do you like my outfit? I bought it from a super exclus—”

“Oi! He’s back!” Delfi squealed suddenly. “Where do you think he went on vacation? I think he’s really tanned, don’t you?”

Ambar rolled her eyes. She really didn’t feel like dealing with Delfi fawning after some random boy. Another thing that was not fun was single Delfi. Being single did not suit Delfi at all. As Jazmin had always joked, she was the best candidate for being a wife out of three of them. During that discussion, Ambar had tried to maintain a strict poker face. Simon had pretty much spilled the beans to her about Pedro’s plans, not accidentally, exactly, since apparently she might be needed for help and Jazmin could not keep a secret to save her life.

She hid her groan and turned to look at the person who Delfi was fawning over this time… It was a good thing that her heart didn’t stop.

Gastón. Delfi was fawning over Gastón. How had she forgotten that? To be fair, it had not been an impactful part of her life, but right now, it would have been very useful if she had remembered it. This was not good, and apparently, no one else had remembered it either—not Gastón himself or even Nina. This would complicate everything, and she had to do something.

“Wow, wait what are you doing?” She stopped Delfi before she could skate toward the corner where Gastón was with Matteo. “You can’t just go to him. And I’ve known him since the third grade, why would you wanna date him?” Maybe it was for the best if she could get Delfi to give up on Gastón right from the start. It was not like she would lose something by not dating him. She would only save herself from heartbreak and making a lot of bad choices.

“What has that got to do with anything? You know that I’ve liked him since forever. He’s popular and extremely good-looking. He and Matteo are the most popular guys at school, just like we are the most popular girls—why shouldn’t we be together?” If only Delfi knew that both Matteo and Gastón’s type was younger, shorter, and with brown hair.

“Well, I am not with Matteo anymore, so I don’t think it’s going to work.”

“That’s why I need to try. Before he forgets that I exist.”

Delfi, he is not available. Had Delfi always been this insistent? Ambar was so frustrated, she wasn’t able to stop Delfi as she managed to slip away and skate towards Gastón.

This was bad.

***

Gastón was skating around the rink with Matteo. It felt a bit strange to skate again, as he hadn’t done it in awhile. Luckily, skating seemed to be like riding a bike, and he was glad he would never be able to forget it or lose the skill. His 17-year-old body also still possessed the muscle memories, so it was easier to get started. It was also a very good thing that Luna had been very insistent on all four of them going skating after he and Nina had moved back.

His eyes wandered back to Nina. He hated the fact that he had to leave her alone at the bleachers. He just generally hated the thought of ignoring her, but they were not supposed to know each other. He never thought he would need to live a cliche Romeo and Juliet story of a secret engagement. Okay, maybe Romeo and Juliet was not the best example, their families were not at war after all. This reminded him more of the legend from the War of the Roses and Kind Edward the IV and his queen, who allegedly had gotten married secretly. Nina had read a book about it and forced him to read it as well.

“Stop staring, you look too obvious,” Matteo whispered to him and then slapped him on the shoulder. Gastón reluctantly tore his eyes away from Nina.

“That was the third time I needed to do that,” Matteo started complaining. “Would you maybe control yourself, or do you already have an elaborate story prepared for when you get caught?”

“No. I just hate leaving her alone. If I can’t even look at her… Can you claim that this is easy?”

“Nope, you got me there. I totally get you. It really is our fault, with our taste for short stature and brown hair. They’re too irresistible”

They both laughed. Matteo did a couple of tricks and Gastón followed suit, surprisingly managing to do a decent job.

“I’ll go get some water. Do you want some?” Matter asked, but he declined.

Gastón stopped alone in the corner of the rink that was closest to the door, where Nina was sitting. It really killed him not to make eye contact. He did a quick scan to see if anyone was watching before sliding his hand through the bars of the railing. Nina realized what he was doing almost immediately and grabbed his hand, giving it a quick squeeze before anyone could see.

“Gastón!”

He quickly pulled his hand away from Nina’s and turned around to look at whoever had spoken. It was Delfi, who had an unconventional smile on her face. And that face somehow made him uncomfortable. “Hi, Delfi. How are you?”

“Doing great! I did a lot during the summer.” The weird smile on Delfi’s face wasn’t going anywhere. “We traveled all over, but I missed Roller, my friends… you…”

What? She’d slipped that last word in very quickly, but he’d still heard it. Delfi was acting very weird—why on earth would she have missed him, of all people? He had been so wrapped in his confusion, that he hadn’t even noticed that Delfi had begun to drift closer to him in a way that almost felt suggestive. He immediately skated back to put some distance between them. What was going on?

“I’m sure you had a good time.” He said, trying to hold onto any amount of normalcy in this conversation.

“You know, there’s probably a new competition coming up… and I thought that maybe we could compete together. We’d be a perfect couple.” Delfi wasn’t relenting. She was twirling her hair between her fingers, and there was this shy puppy-dog look in her eyes, even as she continued to move closer to Gastón. Was she flirting with him? What on earth?

“I don’t know Delfi…”

“We don’t need to talk about it right now…“ Delfi interrupted him. Gastón tried to wrack his brain for something to get him out of this weird situation. “But maybe we could meet up and discuss it more? I’ll let you think about it, but maybe we could still see each other—I mean, there is only a year until our final year at Blake and I thought, since you’re so smart, maybe you could help me study? She took his hand, and he quickly pulled it away.

Gastón skated back again. “Delfi, I—”

“Gastón! I just saw Matteo and he said he was looking for you.” Ambar had dashed up to them, interrupting him, but he was so glad for it.

Delfi gave Ambar a look. “But we were just talking—”

“Sorry Delfi. Matteo needs me.” And he skated away as fast as he could. When he got to the locker room, he leaned on the wall.

“What was that?” He asked when Ambar appeared in the doorway a few minutes later.

“She likes you. Don’t you remember?”

No. No no no no, NO. He had totally forgotten.

We are getting into the meat of things now. Anyways, I really need to thank my amazing beta reader again. I am very bad at writing flirting, so that scene where Delfi hits on Gastón was very much co-effort, I could have not done it alone

#Soy Luna fanfiction #time travel #The Holy Trinity of ships #Lutteo #Gastina #Simbar #Soy Luna #Memories of time SL

[ketrindoll]

This is my take on William and Harry based on various interviews, including the latest one with Oprah.

- I don't think the brothers are at war. I see them being in disagreement over certain things, like media (will get more into it later). Harry said that his brother is hostage and even Diana raised him to be king, so I see how Will would be upset that his brother, the only person in his fam he could relate to and support each other during events ("the fab 4") is far away and Will is left with old people, dick dad and a pedo uncle. No wonder he likes spending time with Kate's family so much.

- You can tell where the disagreement between them could come from. They are both the children of their mother, so I don't think there's any difference in values or morals, but there's definitely a difference in attitude towards media. They both hate it, that's for sure (Meghan's quote "they don't report news, they create them"), but while Harry sees the potential to express himself and use it the way Diana did, Will sees it only as predatory. While Harry would go on Oprah to tell his side of the story, William would never open up like that to the media.

- The reason I think so comes from their opinions about the famous Diana interview. William said he saw it as the media taking advantage of her, to use her while she was in the vulnerable place to pry for information that she otherwise would never reveal. Harry, on the other hand, would never have done Oprah interview if he thought the same, and I'd say he agrees with Meghan on "making your voice heard". William is all about the royal "don't complain, don't explain" policy, especially if he doesn't like the media prying for information, meanwhile Harry is all for transparency. Both are ways to battle media in a certain way (one just refuses to feed them, the other fights their claims head on). That's also the reason why I see Will disapproving of Harry's interview.

- Charles is trash, and Harry called him out on it. But I don't see William doing the same for two reasons. One is duty - Charles is his dad and he, like Harry, still loves him. He's not going to go against tradition when he was raised, even by his mom, to follow the rules, at least in that regard. Two - I don't think he wants to be king. I'm sure he enjoys living in somewhat privacy with his family and wouldn't want at all to jump over his dad to get the crown. Right now he's second in line, and I'm sure he wants it to stay that way for as long as possible, even if it means his asshole of a father becoming king.

#prince harry #prince william #meghan markle #kate middleton #princess diana #prince charles

[ofprincessesandqueens]

I agree with you that her PR pushed her forward as a fashion icon before we even had the chance to see her style. Things like that has to come organically, but it didn’t help when fashion editors just went with it, I remember one thought the white and blue ODLR she wore with the horrible fascinator was ‘revolutionary’. No, it was ill fitting.

And that whole fab four thing, woo! It was pushed by the place, but I heard some surprisingly self reflecting comments from some royal reporters on pod save the queen once, that they too were at fault. The media wanted that picture, ‘Diana’s boys have found happiness and love, and they will all be best friends!’ (they even mentioned how it was a mistake from them to presume that Kate and Meghan would be best friends immediately because they were just so different, and in different stages of their life). But you know, that was all in hindsight, it didn’t bother them at the time to write about how Meghan would be a fantastic duchess and show Kate how to do the work, like Becky English loved to fantasy about. Or that the friction caused in the household was because Meghan was essentially a new CEO coming in with new ideas and a new way to do things - when the truth was she had no experience whatsoever and Harry didn’t inform or teach her anything about it, or his ‘rank’ both in the larger family but at KP especially.

I also think there was two clashing PRs. The palace pushed for the feminist, humanitarian M PR and M's PR went for the fashionable, hollywood star, instagram influencer as soon as she could, IMO.

Dude, but what the RRs say is "normal" xD. She was a new toy to experiment with, not to mention that M's PR was leaking positive stories at the time. And while, IMO, there wasn't ever a great excitement around M herself, there was a lot of goodwill from the public who pushed for a wholesome story. That's why there was a Duchesses team and a Fab Four team. People did want them to get along and nobody wanted to see Diana's boys fight. In fact, one of the most glaring signals that something was deeply wrong was how short the honeymoon phase of the press with M was.

#anonymous #anon #ask #and that's why it's bollocks a lot of what h&m say regarding the press #nobody wanted to see wills and h reach this point #literally nobody

[carriagelamp]

Since it’s Pride Month, I decided this year I wanted to raid the library for a bunch of different queer books to read. Mostly graphic novels in this case, because I’ve had a hard time settling into much reading lately... thought hopefully now that it’s summer and I finally have my second shot I’ll be able to relax a bit more and dig into some heavier novels again. For now, enjoy some light, queer reads that I indulged in this June.

A Wolf Called Wander

A beautiful novel I had been hearing lots about. This story follows the young wolf Swift, who grows up knowing that he and his pack are the mountains, and the mountains are them. It’s in those mountains that he grows and learns and loves… until disaster strikes and he finds himself viciously torn apart from his family and forced out of the mountains that have always meant home to him. Forced to survive on his own. Swift then begins a gruelling journey that makes him face injury, starvation, and the everpresent danger of humans as he seeks a new place he can call home, and new people with whom he can form a pack.

This is all based on the true story of a tagged wolf known as OR-7, following the unbelievable route he took through Oregon and northern California! It was a very neat read, and I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy stories told from an animal’s perspective because this book is a master class in it.

Bloom

I decided for June to try to read a handful of different queer books, and this was one of the first graphic novels I picked up. It is a super sweet story and the art is lovely. It’s about Ari, a boy who has just graduated high school and is now desperate to move away from his small town and his family’s struggling bakery, to join his band in the city where they hope to make it big. An agreement is finally reached: Ari’s father will let him leave, if he can find someone who can replace him in the bakery, which is how Ari meets Hector, someone who sees artistry and peace in baking. For anyone that’s read Check, Please, it gives off those types of vibes!

Boule et Bill: Bill est Maboul

Another book of Dupuis comics, because I can’t get enough of them! This one I just stumbled across and ended up reading on a whim but it was very cute. Geared younger than the others I’ve read, but still quite funny. It’s the charming hijinks of a young boy, his dog, and the family they live with. Each page or so is a different stand alone joke, a bit like Calvin and Hobbes except expanded beyond a single strip.

Chicken Run: Chicken Pies for the Soul

This was a ridiculous urge I got and had to follow. I recently rewatched Chicken Run (which is, of course, one of the best movies ever made) and felt the need to see if it had ever been novelized. Well, I found something better than a novelization! This is a chapter book with “advice” and stories written by the various characters, post-movie. It really does a good job with grasping the different characters’ voices and making something simple and funny out of it. It was very cute (and available on The Internet Archive if anyone else feels like reading something ridiculous!)

Doodleville

I picked this up on a whim and honestly, I shouldn’t have bothered. It was not very impressive. Very mediocre, awkward feeling artwork, and a story that only slightly manages to redeem it. The concept was kind of neat, and I did like how the ending came about, the rest was rather… plodding. I did not like the main character at all, her friends felt very Intentionally Quirky Aren’t We Cute :3 in a way that just tries too hard, and… yeah. Meh. It technically gets the “queer graphic novel flag” but it’s so in-passing that it feels rather excessive to give it that.

If you are interested, it’s about a world were doodles actually exist as living creatures that can be drawn into existence (the rather unsettling implications of which is never fully explored). This is all well and good, until the main character draws a monster and takes it with her to her art club... where it begins ravanging not only her doodles, but those of her friends. Together they need to work together to figure out how to stop this menace.

FRNCK v4

Phenomenal. I adore the FRNCK series, and book four wrapped up the first “cycle”, revealing several of the big secrets dogging the series so far, and changing how things are going to be able to run in the future.

If you haven’t seen me talk about it before, FRNCK is a graphic novel (a franco-belgian bande dessinée) about a young orphan, Franck, who’s chafing under the constant parade of uninterested foster parents that visit the orphanage he lives in. Determined to learn about his mysterious abandonment instead, he flees the orphanage… but finds himself tumbling through time, landing among a family of cave-people who rather reluctantly take him in and ensure this modern boy doesn’t die in the strange, dangerous new surroundings he finds himself in. You can get these ones in English as e-books, so if you want a really kickass graphic novel series to read please try these.

Haikyu!!

I’ve heard so much about Haikyu!! that I finally gave in and picked up the first book from the library. And I gotta say, it’s well worth the hype! This series really does capture the best parts of a good sports manga -- which is to say the team is filled with interesting, enjoyable character who all need to learn to pull together, boost each other’s strengths, and cover for each other’s weaknesses. Love me some found family tropes and this series oozes it in the best possible way. And then you also get some very cool action scenes as it makes high school volleyball seem like the most intense thing on earth. I can’t wait to continue it

Queer Eye

I haven’t been keeping up with Queer Eye but I was watching it ravenously when it first came out, and this seemed like a very cathartic book to read… and it really was. It had the same gentle, loving encouragement as the show. It doesn’t expect you to change your entire life, but to learn to embrace who you are, and take small steps to enhance those things. There a segment written (presumably) by each member of the Fab Five, explaining the mentality behind what they do on the show and how you can grow in those areas too. It’s very zen.

Spinning

I got this graphic novel out at the same time as Bloom, but it was the one that interested me less of the two... though that’s just because I have less interest in “real world” slice of life as a genre and this one is meant to be autobiographical. If you’re into that, you’ll probably love this because it really is stunning. Very pretty, and the format and pacing is all really well done. It’s a coming of age story for Tillie as she grows up dealing with a crosscountry move, complicated friendships, a burgeoning attraction to girls, and attending competitive figure skating classes.

This Place: 150 Years Retold

A stunning and heart-wrenching graphic novel told by a collection of different First Nation’s authors/artists, recounting oral histories about the 150 years since the colonialist formation of the country known as “Canada”. In other words, this is a post-apocalypse story, but one that really happened and that entire peoples are still fighting to survive. It’s very eye opening and beautifully told. Very strongly recommend the read, especially if you’re at all interested in history.

Torchwood: Serenity

Whoops, not technically a book. I had thought these were technically audiobooks at first, but rather they’re audio dramas that were played on the radio. Still, I decided to include one because I’ve been listening to them like a person possessed and they’re too fun not to at least mention. Let me indulge in my obsessions.

If you don’t know Torchwood, it’s a BBC series that spins-off from Doctor Who, focusing on the enigmatic and flirtatious Captain Jack Harkness, who is running the covert organization known as Torchwood, which is tasked to protect humanity from and prepare them for alien contact. It’s goofy and campy but also more adult and heavy than Doctor Who tends to get, so it is (in my opinion) a really fascinating series. Though it also has content warnings coming out the wazoo so maybe make sure it’s for you before delving in.

Serenity specifically is possibly one of the best Torchwood stories I’ve ever experienced. The Torchwood team concludes that there’s an undercover alien hiding in the idyllic gated community Serenity Plaza, and so that means it’s up to Jack and Ianto to go undercover as a happily married couple and flush out the alien without being discovered first. Even if it means being sickly sweet together, pretending to care about the local neighbourhood barbecues, and actually caring a bit too much about the Best Front Lawn competition. What is truly magical about this one, is that it manages to make it a Fake Dating AU despite the fact that Jack and Ianto are actually dating in canon. But they’re both used to dating as a pair of alien hunters with insanely dysfunctional lives, and who now need to figure out how to deal with domesticity. It is marvellous.

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice

A middle grade novel that felt a bit like a cross between Harry Potter and Pokemon. It’s about orphan Barclay Thorne who wants nothing more than to be accepted in the rule-bound village of Dullshire, and live up to his apprenticeship as a mushroom farmer. He certainly wants nothing to do with the fearsome Beasts who live beyond the village, deep in the Woods or the sinister Lorekeepers that bond with them. It was, after all, a Beast that had killed his parents all those years ago. But when he finds himself at the very edge of the forest, hunting for an elusive mushroom, he is suddenly unable to avoid any of that. Not when a wild girl and her bonded dragon appear to summon a horrible Beast and end up getting Barclay bonded to it instead. Now, if Barclay ever wants to be welcomed back into his home, he has no choice but to venture into the Woods and find a way to sever the bond imprisoning him to the massive, monstrous wolf now imprinted on his body as a living tattoo.

I honestly can’t decide how I felt about this one. I feel like it’d be a really fun read for maybe a grade 5 to 7 student? I was a bit more meh about it. It was fine, but it was very hard not to draw unfavourable parallels to Harry Potter. But for a kid who’s never read Harry Potter? Or even an adult that has but is looking for something different to scratch that itch, this might be a good book to try. I’ll probably try reading the second book when it comes out.

#book review #book reviews #canlit #canadian literature #queer lit #queer books #pride month #wilderlore #torchwood serenity #this place: 150 years retold #cbc #spinning #tillie walden #amanda foody #queer eye #haikyu #haikyuu!! #furudate haruichi #frnck #dupuis #boule et bill #chicken run #bloom #kevin panetta #a wolf called wander #rosanne parry

[meetmymouth]

She’s obviously hung up and scared to open up now harry cause you lied about something small which is how she felt with the other girl who led her own telling her she was wanted and then she wasnt (also that was why sarah had a look of shock when she heard fab was coming tonight? Also how they reunited and harry was yelling nine months)

yes exactly!! even smallest things like that can set her up which sucks. sarah knew they liked each other but harry didn’t mention it too much especially after they decided to take it slow which is when she left lol!! my man wrote his album and tried to get over her but it clearly didn’t work !!!

#anonymous #ask

[pixie88]

Hello, Wishing you a glorious Sunday.

I have finished your nanny affair fanfiction. I adored it. I have began your Bridesmaids fiction I am captured by it.

Please I ask questions from NSFW ABC, fanfiction writers and a couple of my own questions and NSFW ABC for The Bridesmaids.

NSFW= F. M. T. U. Fanfiction writers= 4. 13. 26. 28. My ques= How do you picture Harry. Layla. Nicki. Remy. Alec? Do you think Laila is scared to love or to be loved? I see elements where it looks like they love each other but they seem to scared to say the word. Are Layla and Harry going to tell everyone soon? I would love it if Layla asked Harry to be her boyfriend.

Kind regards

Shy fan

Hi morning Shy fan,

Aww thanks hope you are having a fab day! 😊 Wow! This has to be the biggest ask I've had 🤣🤣 I'm glad you liked my TNA series and ATB has you hooked.

NSFW answers

F - Favourite position.

This is possibly the most boring answer ever, so I'm sorry! 🤦‍♀️ In the first scene where they DTD Laila admits she hasn't EVER climax in the missionary position until she meet Harry so I'm just guessing maybe this is her new favourite position.

M - Motivation.

I think just each other's touch turns them on especially Laila she hadn't have anyone touch her in that way for 8 years! 🤣🤣 but if I really had to think about it I suppose Harry kissing her neck gets her all hot and bothered.

T - Toys.

I don't think toys are off limits I think that would be something they would both be interested in but they have only just started getting intimate with each other. It will probably be something their explore soon.

U - Unfair.

In previous chapter we have seen they like to tease each other quite a bit. The gym shower scene comes to mind 😈😈😈 sorry if you haven't gotten that far yet.

Fanfic writers answers

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

Yes, there are I'm just going to list a few of them! Because their work is amazing if you haven't already check it out.

@secretaryunpaid @khoicesbyk @aussieez @txemrn @lem-20 @shewillreadyou @irisofpurple @lifeaskim @thefrenchiemama

13. First fandom I wrote for?

This question depends if you mean published or unpublished? Unpublished was my first Adam and Ellie series it was sat in my drafts for 10 months it wasn't until after I wrote and published my TNA FF that I finally published A&E.

26. Is there anything you've wanted to write, but you've been to scared to try?

There is a couple actually I would love to do an Open Heart One Shot but I read the OH FF on here I could never do it justice it deserves or get Ethan down to a T like the talented writers on here.

The second was something I WAS scared to write about but now I have done it now and received such amazing comments about it, so now I'm no longer scared. This is my Alone A&E series with touches the subject of postnatal depression which I went through with my smallest baby.

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I didn't handle it well a few weeks ago when I was sent Anon hate. But I have recently realised to only listen to criticism from people who don't hide behind Anon HATE. As it take a lot more courage to criticise with them knowing who you are! 😘

Your Questions

How do I picture Laila, Harry, Nikki, Remy and Alec?

Laila and Harry I'd like to keep it to myself how I picture them because I think the readers have their own Harry and Laila in their minds. Nikki? Well, she is base on a friend I have. We don't always talk and with covid we haven't been able to meet up but before when we got together our hubby's would shake their heads knowing we were going to get into some kinda trouble. I will say she's blonde 👱‍♀️but that's it. As for Remy and Alec I picture them like this from Shadow Hunters like Jace in my TNA FF -------->

Do you think Laila is scared to love or be loved?

I think it a little of both if you remember in the Meet the characters chapter her first BF cheated on her....then Josh her fiancé well he died but you find out a lot more about that in the next chapter and it will reveal reasons why she is so scared to love again.....! But I am glad you can see a hint that they do love each other this is what I was aiming for 🥰

Are Laila and Harry going tell everyone soon?

I'm guessing you mean their families as their best friends know already. I think they will but maybe once they make it official as it is a big thing especially to Laila who hasn't had a BF in 8 years.

As for Laila asking Harry to be her boyfriend?

I think that's a genius idea I think it would show him that she's ready for this to be serious and we are in 2021 right! Why not!! 😉

This has been so much fun so thanks Shy Fan hopefully soon you'll reveal who you are 😘

[dewitty1]

Fic Recs Wrap Up - March 2020 (ノﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

I dream of you, to wake by harryromper @harryromper

“Typically coma patients are made comfortable and left to regain consciousness in their own time," Draco points out carefully.

“Typically, yes. But when has anything about Harry been typical.” Hermione sighs, rubbing at her eye with the heel of her hand. “The Healer-in-Charge has consulted with experts at all the major wizarding hospitals. They all agree. Whatever’s happening inside of Harry’s head right now is killing him.”

Draco Malfoy is a world-renowned dream-walker, and he may be Harry Potter’s only hope. Excerpt post

When Did You Last Let Your Heart Decide? by hephaestiions

"I can show you the world."

Our world is a broken disaster. A world separated by death and devastation.

"Shining, shimmering, splendid."

Torn, darkened, burnt.

"I can open your eyes."

My eyes are watering from the smoke.

"Take you wonder by wonder."

Are you a wonder? Could you please, please take me somewhere? Excerpt post

Ocean of Storms by Bounding-Heart (Brief_and_Dreamy) @bounding-heart

The war is over and Harry has returned to help rebuild Hogwarts. He longs to move forwards, but the past refuses to let him go. The castle is full of ghosts: haunting nightmares, the deaths he couldn't prevent, and the age-old rivalry that Draco Malfoy seems determined to maintain. Excerpt post

The Last Day We Ever Close Our Eyes by firethesound @firethesound

When Draco Malfoy returns to the public eye by purchasing a run-down little antiques shop on Knockturn, Harry is convinced that he is up to something. It turns out that Harry is both very right and very wrong about that. Excerpt post

Offer Up Our Hearts by tackytiger @tackytigerfic

Harry Potter has a very nice life, thank you very much. He's a top Curse-Breaker with a lucrative Ministry contract, and exciting prospects ahead.

Sometimes he does wish that he had time to pursue something official with Draco Malfoy - they're half in love with each other, after all, and a great team (in and out of bed), though Draco is still one of the most infuriating people he knows.

And when Draco asks Harry to accompany him on a diplomatic mission to the mysterious Sidhe fairies in Ireland, Harry agrees to lend his expertise. Especially since the Sidhe diplomat is a handsome fairy prince who's also in love with Draco.

Join Malfoy and Potter in a daring tale of espionage, politics, intrigue, and frog-hunting!

Excerpt: 

"Can you feel it?" Malfoy's voice is hushed, and when Harry stops and just feels for a minute, he notices the insidious creep of magic in his very bones. It's an old magic, cold and remote...It feels like it's running through the very earth itself, like it's been summoned from solid rock and damp soil, like it carries a memory of ages past.

"That's fairy magic," Malfoy whispers. Excerpt post

The Boy Who Lived Next Door by RuArcher (Coriesocks) @coriesocks

The last time Draco Malfoy saw Harry Potter, Draco was bent over a desk in an empty classroom, begging for more. Right before Harry walked out of his life for good. Which was fine. It’d been fifteen years and Draco was obviously over him, thank you very much. He had a nice life and a successful art gallery and no space for noisy neighbours (having sex) or tiny dogs (slobbering) or Harry’s unreasonably muscular arms (wow, where did they come from). If only Harry would just, like, leave him alone... or something. Excerpt post

Burn The Witch by lettersbyelise @lettersbyelise

When Harry Potter is sent in to investigate Draco Malfoy’s successful potions company, posing as Draco’s bodyguard, he doesn’t know the case will launch a series of events that will change his life — and Draco’s. A story about choices, scars, Chopin piano pieces, and finding all kinds of love in the most unexpected places. Excerpt post

=。:.ﾟ(●ö◡ö●):.｡+ﾟ

Here are some other fab things to check out -  (○´･∀･)o<･。:*ﾟ;+．

Living For Your Every Move by parkkate @parkkate

Harry likes to pretend it’s his first time. Draco is always willing to lend a helping hand

A Series of Neighbourly Epistles by slytherco @slytherco

Harry finds himself in a very awkward spot when he calls the Aurors on his neighbour… having very loud sex. As in not actually killing anyone. He writes him a disgruntled note and thus begins a very interesting exchange. When they finally decide to meet, Harry’s not quite prepared to find out who his mystery neighbour turns out to be. Or for everything that happens next, for that matter.

Unpin That Spangled Breastplate by tackytiger @tackytigerfic

Draco Malfoy—talented Curse-Breaker, reformed Death Eater, Celestina Warbeck fan—has a problem. In fact, you might say that Harry Potter has got him hot under the collar, and he's hanging onto his patience by a thread. Because surely no one needs to spend that much time doing up the buttons on their robes?

A tale of lust, laundry, and the lasting power of a good Scourgify. Oh, and careful where you point that thing—it's going to leave a mark. rec post

A Welcome Distraction by MaesterChill @maesterchill

Draco and Harry get trapped in a Ministry lift. Whatever shall they do to distract themselves?

A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587

Fleeing the aftermath of his recent divorce, Draco Malfoy takes up a post as the new Potions Master at Hogwarts. At first he believes his hopes for a fresh start are dashed when he sees that a certain boyhood rival is on staff there as well. But Harry Potter is being weirdly nice to him, leaving Draco no choice but to play along. As Draco reckons with his ex-wife's infidelity and questions about his own sexuality, he finds himself going to an openly gay Potter for guidance. As their friendship deepens, Draco realizes that there is quite a lot that Potter can teach him. And that he is surprisingly ready to learn.

I hope you enjoy these fics! As always, thanks for reading,following & sharing! I’ll be back next week with more fic recs!

Also, thanks for the (more than) 700 followers that I reached this month! Whooohoo! I love you all! ( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡

Xoxo Carey (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡💜💙💚💛❤💕💖

#March fic recs wrap up #fic recs #drarry fic recs #drarry #drarry fanfiction #drarry smut #drarry squad #Draco Malfoy #Harry Potter #Careys Bookmark fic recs #Careys Personal Bookmarks #Thank you 700 followers!

[gin-rummy]

Purebloods reacting to Muggle music please

ok yes

Disclaimer some of the Marauders did know music before me so this will be more me talking about everyone's reaction to my personal taste in music

Molly- So lill nas X was probably a mistake, but can y'all really blame me for vibing to his stuff? "I want that jet lag from fuckin' and flyin' Shoot a child in your mouth while I'm ridin'" got me band from playing music at the burrow for a month

Author- loves it all, surprisingly a swiftie... really wasn't expecting that one "I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings" is probably his favorite quote

Moony- Love listening to Ashnikko with him, he gets so fuking into it, although having to explain "cunnilingus" to your Dad over dinner is not a vibe

Siri- This is love is like our favorite song to vibe together with, love bonding over music... "A jealous fool who won't let go"

Meth- Hindi songs are my go to with her, specifically Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho, its one of my favorite love songs

Fab- America's Sweetheart. he says its a great pre-game hype song, I absolutely agree "So, kick out the jams, kick up the soul / Pour another glass of that rock and roll"

Aster- Muggleborn so of course she's my go to when I want more music, I cant think of anything I might have introduced her too, but a song that I feel fits her is Ophelia "You've been on my mind girl since the flood"

Reg- sea shanties, fucking slapppppp he goes so hard when he jams out, best cure for a bad day

Bill- I'm not calling you a liar Florence + the Machine, I will not be explaining or taking criticism "And when you kiss me, I am happy enough to die"

Fleur- Anything from Gang of youths I cant explain the vibe is just right ok

Charley- I told you so, I didn't know he could rap, His free style is a game changer

Percy- I'm hoping that if I play Avirl's What the hell enough he'll get the hint and stop giving so many fucks

Oliver- Little miss perfect, he claims it reminds him of Perc.... which like, yeah

George- one word, Lizzo.

Ron- Honestly we normally listen to musicals yet our favorite song to vibe to is of course "VICES"

Harry- shotgun, trust me it just makes since, especially with Ron as his bestie

Draco- I thought he was gunna be up tight about the shit I listen too, but he's pretty chill about it, I've become his go to for new music

Gin- is concerned with how much I listen to Achilles come down

-Bay

[absoloutenonsense]

2020 Writing Self-Evaluation 🖊

Thank you @kingsofeverything for the tag! 

1. Number of stories posted to AO3 this year: 5

2. Total word count posted to AO3 for the year: 127,221

3. List of works published this year: these are in order by date posted:

Listen to the signs (Jan 1)

Nothing But You On My Mind (Mar 27)

You Called (I Missed It) (May 28)

Gimme Some Sugar (Aug 2)

It’s Always Better When We’re Together (Aug 23)

4. Work you are most proud of (and why): It’s Always Better When We’re Together was posted as part of a fundraiser, so I’m really proud of the money we raised together, and thus the story itself. 

5. Work you are least proud of (and why): I’m proud of all of them, but I suppose Listen to the signs, and only because looking back at it now, there are a few things I would do differently. 

6. A favorite excerpt of your writing: The first kiss scene in NBYOMM. I had a lot of fun writing them drunk and feeling all of that electricity between them. It’s too long to post all of it but I’ll post a little.

Louis giggles at that thought. Harry smiles back at him, but he’s so close it’s kind of a blur. It’s then that Louis realizes he’s gonna kiss him. “Mmm,” Louis hums. “Can I?” Harry asks. “Hm?” “Can I, please?” he asks again. A whisper. Their noses touch and Louis can feel Harry’s breath on his lips. Louis’ hands come up to hold on to Harry’s wrists, and then they slide up and down a bit across his forearms. “Shouldn’t,” he whispers back. The hair along Harry’s arm tickles his palms. It’s nice. “We want to,” Harry says. “Just one.” Louis can practically feel the wetness of Harry’s mouth already against his own. His heart is beating so fast. When did his heart start beating so fast? “Just one,” Louis says. Breathes out. Can feel and hear Harry’s lips make a soft sound as they part. But he doesn’t actually move forward, so Louis says it again, “Just one.”

7. Share or describe a favorite comment you received: All of them, truly! It makes me feel warm whenever someone takes the time to do that, because I know it’s much easier to just not. Trying to be more specific, ones that say something along the lines of “what the fuck!!!” make me laugh a lot. 

8. A time when writing was really, really hard: This whole year has been rough if I’m honest. I suppose the last few months have been the worst of it, just feeling like I have no motivation to work on anything. I’m truly in awe of and grateful for everyone who put work out this year! 

9. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Cedric from my royal brat au. I started writing him and he became such a comfort throughout the story. I wish he were real and I wish I knew him so he could make me Croque Madame and I could tell him how wonderful he is. 

10. How did you grow as a writer this year: I was a little kinder to myself. I feel like all writers go through various stages with their work where you love it then you hate it, and you post it then hate it even more. Putting work out into the world is making yourself vulnerable, and I’ve learned to try and hold myself through those feelings instead of berating myself for them.

11. How do you hope to grow next year: I want to try writing a few new/different ways. Most of my works in progress are long bois, which can feel really heavy if I’m not careful. I’m going to try and give myself more prompts for shorter bois and mix up the way I’m writing to get me out of my comfort zone. 

12. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): All of my friends who cheered me on, especially when I got down on myself. Thank you and I love you <3 

13. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: Loads of little things. Part of me hopes someone can see the parts of me in my stories, and another part wishes to remain unperceived. Such is life!

14. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Writing doesn’t stop being hard, but it should never feel like a chore. If it feels like something you have to do, don’t be afraid to take a step back, figure out why, and try to make it more fun for yourself.  Also look up Ursula Le Guin quotes on writing or her writing schedule, because she’s fab and who I’d like to be when I grow up. 

15. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I’ve got a few longer works I started this year I would like to finish next year. Also, I want to get back to H&P in whatever form it comes in.

16. Tag 3 writers whose answers you’d like to read. @a-brighter-yellow @indiaalphawhiskey @cocoalou

*All answers should be about works published in 2020. Also, you can skip any questions you hate or don’t want to answer, but please leave them on the list so that others can do them if they want.

#tag game #writing #2020 in writing #what a year it's been lads #cheers to a new year and writing projects old and new !