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supersoldiersruined-me · 5 years

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I Could Never

A/N: This is so late, my brain hasn’t been my best friend lately. But, surprisingly, as I’d mentioned, school seems to have kickstarted my creativity. So here I am with a belated birthday gift for my space girlfriend @stanclub! I’ve already told you and keep saying it but I’m so happy to have you in my life! (at least I’m posting this while we’re still in Leo season! lol) 💕 Warning: um...cursing? no smut in that one. bit of angst. rpf Word count: 1.9k

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You had come home once to a fully decorated house, speechless before the immensity of work that was put into it. You hadn’t been able to spend Christmas at home, and Chris wanted to make sure you’d get a taste of it. After swearing that the band-aids on his fingers didn’t cover his struggle with the Christmas tree needles, you had settled down with hot cocoa in front of the fire and played board games until the wee hours of the morning.

On your birthday the year prior, a twelve person table was filled with family and friends who sat around a hearty brunch; his mom - who had grown to love you like her own daughter - joked about the pots of failed hollandaise sauce her son had expertly burned. His final result was amazing though.

Needless to say that Chris had settled a high level of expectation for surprises; that you soon found out was taken for granted. Flowers, amongst other things, were usually delivered to your house on special occasions, no exception. But only fresh-cut grass is being blown onto the rain stained pavement as you stare at an empty porch, and the sudden chill has you rushing back inside after one last quick glance around.

With your head well rested on the cold ceramic of your stand-alone shower, you let the warm water travel down your body, flushing away the sting of disappointment. Disappointment that, you’ve convinced yourself, holds a lot more meaning than simply being left giftless on your birthday. Salty tears are washed away; gut shivers have seized their attack on your poor nerves. Once the handle of the shower deprives you of warmer water, you settle to give him the rest of the day, while absentmindedly patting yourself dry and heading out to the patio for some fresh air.

The faint buzz of your phone on the wooden chair startles you out of a daydream.

“Hello?”

“Hey, kid! How’s it going?” A familiar voice echoes through the speaker with a spark of joy.

“Seen better. How about you, Mackie?” You know he can tell exactly how bad you feel, but he’s learned not to bother people with too many questions. Mostly you.

“T’sall good,” he adds, still bashful. “Hey, do you think you can do me a solid?”

A small sigh escapes your lips. It’s faint enough so he doesn’t feel guilty for asking, but quite effective to relieve a bit of tension in your heart.

“Sure. Seems like I have the day to myself anyway...” You know he can deal with your sarcasm - being a fluent speaker himself.

An hour later and a bottle of milk down, you’re sitting on the couch with his youngest in arm, watching that one scene in Moana on repeat. The floor has become the most hazardous place to walk, but the smell of fresh cookies, and the sweet snoring of the toddler seem to have cheered you up after the frustrating morning. The location of his house on a hill makes for the most beautiful sunset view. The rays bounce on the pool outside and heat up the room wonderfully. Soon the moon would take its place and begin another day, and the thought of having spent it alone brings back a small headache.

You’re setting the baby in his bed when a knock at the door startles you. You tiptoe through the dark house out of habit, which comes in handy for the situation. Not bothered to look out the small window by the door, you spring it open in one swift movement, and your knees practically give in when your eyes meet his baby blues. Before you can put a word in, a series of giggles comes from somewhere on his left; not only indicating that he has company, but that this company is female and apparently trying too hard to impress him. He’s wearing a black shirt, neatly tucked into some clean jeans; just the way you had recently suggested he tried. Hair slicked back and glimmer in his eyes. Dreamy, as usual. Clearly he wasn’t here to help babysit Mackie’s kids.

Another minute goes on before their laughter dims down and Chris seems to acknowledge your existence.

“Um, listen,” he begins through choked laughs. “I’m gonna need you to put this on.”

You look down at the black strip of fabric in his hand.

“Why should I?” The young girl hisses at your answer and bro-punches him on the arm.

“You said she was feisty. But man, she got you there.” You assume that your eyes dart through her soul because her sparkly smile immediately disappears. She glances quickly at Chris, and waves her hands in front of her before proceeding. “Oh, god. Look, I’m...” Her eyes shut close as she realises what you might have been insinuating. “Jesus, I’m sorry. I’m just here to take your place. I’m Anthony’s usual babysitter. Chris called me because he wants to ta-”

Her story is punctuated with Chris’ hand on her mouth. His brows rise up as a warning, and the poor girl snakes around you and into the house, taking the hint.

“I don’t know what you want, Chris but I’ve had a long day and I just-”

“Hold on, hold on!” His hand circles your wrist when you try to walk past him. “Y/N, okay look. I don’t want to break the surprise but please, put the blindfolds on and come with me.”

A small laugh comes out in a sigh, and your head shamefully drops down. So there is a surprise.

His finger carefully tips your chin up so he can look at you again.

“You thought I had forgotten?” His accusation is nothing but a friendly remark. Shivers run up your spine at the grin he offers next. “I could never,” he whispers a bit too close to your cheek. The last cloud dissipates and the stars begin to shine brighter. All of a sudden the air is a lot easier to breathe, although your heart seems to run faster.

His hands stretch the fabric in front of you, and you comply to the invitation. With your back towards him so he can secure it properly over your eyes, careful not to tangle your hair into it, you feel like a little kid waiting to unwrap their presents - albeit you’re the one being wrapped up. You curse yourself for doubting him. The ‘I could never’ replays in your mind, oddly pulling new sensations out of you - added to the fact that his breath tickles your neck with his proximity.

The ride is quite short and only makes his intentions much more mysterious. The only option to be ticked off the hypothetical list is him taking you out downtown, which would have taken twice the time. And you’re relieved to have a more casual night, considering the not-so-glamorous sundress covering your body. One thing Chris hadn’t thought of was to keep you from hearing your surroundings. As you stepped out of the car, the splashing of water gave up the first clue.

“Chris, if you want to throw me down the river this wasn’t-”

“Oh, just shhh.”

You walk down a small path, small branches snap under your feet, a faint cackling waits in the distance. The humming of the city seems to fade with each stomp, allowing you to relax for the first time today. Once you’re a few more minutes away, the grip on your shoulders tightens, bringing you to a stop. You hear him take a deep breath.

“Alright,” he adds in a soft tone. He steps behind you, and after a little warning takes the blindfold off.

It takes a few blinks before your mind catches onto the scene before you.

An off-white drape dangles from a few trees, looping around poles and creating an inviting tent - the ones so popular in fancy home renovation magazines. A picnic cloth sits underneath it, and everything is beautifully lit with a generous amount of fairy lights, tiki lamps and a slow burning campfire along the water line. The sight is mesmerizing, something out of a children’s book, and it has you wanting to shout “I do believe in fairies!”

The moonlight dances on the lake and glistens back into your watery eyes. With your hands over your mouth you turn around to him. His bottom lip is tucked between his teeth and his look is to die for. He’s soft and proud and his eyes are full of something new. Something you can’t quite figure out yet.

“This is just…” Your eyes dart back to the secluded area. Something he bothered his siblings with, you’re sure of, until they agreed to lend a hand after their mom insisted Chris’ intentions were founded. But you know he came up with the idea himself. Had it not been for his money, you think, this would’ve been a home-made fort in his living room, and you wouldn’t have complained - although the extra attention does make you feel warm and loved.

Loved. There’s the feeling.

In a rush, you tiptoe towards him, anchoring your arms around his neck and in a heap of passion, your lips come to his. Surprise suddenly takes him victim, until he responds and starts moving his lips, then tongue, against yours. You part with a huff, looking for your breath - which seems to be the theme for the night. His mouth rests on your forehead as he keeps your bodies connected. Hands roam the other in search for meaning. Answers. It’s with drips on your cheeks and a childish giggle that you dip your head back.

“Was about time,” he teases. You puffs in fake annoyance before stealing a couple more pecks.

“I didn’t see you make the first move...”

“I threw you all sorts of hints! Why did it have to be me?” You laugh at his remark.

“Alright, touché. But still. Thought you were old-school about this kind of stuff,” you clarify.

“I’m old-school as in I like to make sure that she’s the one, you know. All those years I planned things and bought some random stuff and you never asked for more. I could shit in a cup and you’d be hap-”

“Christopher! Fucking mood killer!” You pat him on the chest with your comical accusation, earning a deep laugh - minus the boob grab because he wasn’t about to take his hands from you.

“You get what I mean. You never made a big deal out of this,” he adds as he waves behind you. “You never made a big deal out of me. You let me buy things without always making me feel guilty for having this luxury. And then when I want to watch football with beer, wings and ribs stuck in my teeth you join in with a huge smile of excitement. I love the contrast...”

He closes his eyes for a second, trailing the last words in a shy whisper. Your hand comes to his cheek and your heart melts when he leans into it, water now overflowing under his long lashes.

“And I think I love you,” you say. His sparkly baby blues shot open, volleying between yours and analysing your expression. Looking for a hint of doubt, maybe. But then again, wasn’t this what he had always hoped for?

“I think I fucking love you too,” he answers. He kisses you, as if to seal a deal.

Best birthday ever.

#brb crying #my writing #chris evans x reader #chris evans fic #rpf #birthday writing #friend tag #amanda tag #space girlfriend #I love you boo #I hope this isn't too bad #*hides behind hands*

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misssunflowersandsangria · 5 years

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Muse

Authors Note: Hello Tumblr-Verse! Keep in mind that this is a Modern AU Soulmate story. Okay, enjoy!

Sai walked through the open space checking to make sure that everything was in its proper place as it had been 40 minutes ago. He was nervous but after years of mini-shows at smaller venues, he was finally being featured at a well-known art gallery. This art collection was his most personal one to date but also his favorite. He was nervous to share it with the world but it needed to be seen. All his close friends and instructors heaped praises on him, congratulating him for the accomplishment at such a young age. They told him that it was just the start of bigger and better things. And yet, something felt like it was missing. His brother’s loss was definitely felt but there was something else, someone else, that he felt like should be sharing in his success. His small group of friends would be there and he was thankful for their presence but something made him feel restless and unable to celebrate as much as he should. He tried to shake off the feeling and focus on the work at hand. The caterers and florist would be arriving soon and he wanted to be present and show himself as a true professional artist.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come tonight?” Sakura asked for the 10th time. “All of our friends will be there. It will also be a great way for you to mingle and meet new people.” She was worried about her childhood friend. She had been mostly staying to herself and not wanting to go out and socialize like she used to once returning home.

“I have a pretty big order to fill then studying.”

“Who would have thought that Yamanaka Ino would have turned into such a nerd.” She teased her.

“Oh hush, this doctoral program is no joke.”

“Fine, fine, but you can’t avoid people forever, next time okay?” She asked hopefully.

Ino worried her bottom lip. She knew that Sakura was concerned for her. “Okay, I promise.”

Ino sighed placing the last bucket of flowers in the truck. Her mother had asked her last minute to help with this event. Thankfully, she had little to no social life so it wasn’t as though she was missing out on anything. Her coworker had already gone ahead to start setting up and she was coming with the last few bouquets. The arrangements were gorgeous, apparently, the client himself was an artist and helped design them. She was hoping that she could meet him.

The gallery was in a nice area of downtown, a modern space with large windows. When she walked in she was hit by a flood of colors and smells that reminded her of walking through a forest. It was absolutely ethereal and she felt like she had wandered into another world. The roof was covered in leaves and lights.

“Hey, boss! Pretty amazing huh?”

Ino nodded greeting her coworker. “Yes, it’s incredible. How’s it going over here?”

“Good, I’ve got most of it set up, did you need help with the last few arrangements?”

“Just help me bring them in and I’ve got the rest.”

“You’ve got it.” As much as she wanted to wander through she focused her thoughts on the setup and began arranging what was left according to the schematic that he’d left the shop.

“This looks incredible, thank you.” Ino smiled at the voice taking a step back proud of her work.

“Thank you but I just brought the flowers, it takes a creative mind to come up with something like this.” She looked up and froze meeting dark eyes. He was so handsome and she felt her face blush brightly. He looked at her with a smile before it dropped and his eyes studied her curiously.

“Have we met?” She asked peering back at him, something about him seemed so familiar but she was sure that she would have remembered him. It was strange and she could feel her hands shaking.

He shook his head, but even he didn't seem too sure. “No, uhm at least I don’t believe so. I’m uh Sai, it's my gallery opening tonight.”

“Oh! It’s nice to meet you, I’m Ino! Seriously, it looks incredible in here. The flowers, plants and lights accent your work perfectly.”

He took her outstretched hand in his and shook it politely. His hand lingered a little longer against hers, her smaller ones fitting perfectly in his own. “Thank you, Ino.” He said her name with such sweetness that it made her heart flutter.

“Let me help you with the rest.” She was about to protest but he took the plant from her hands and placed it in the right spot. She smiled next to him as they put together the finishing touches.

She couldn’t help but be talkative and friendly, it was in her nature and she felt comfortable with him despite having just met. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind her chatter and was willing to converse with her. He was funny, a little blunt and shy but he was kind and complimented even the littlest things that she did and implemented any idea she had. If she wasn’t so sure, she would have sworn that she’d met him before. There was something that seemed so familiar in how he smiled at her.

They both took a step back looking at their hard work in its entirety. He insisted on walking her hand in hand through the space and it felt terribly romantic and almost like they’d done this many times before. Sai had created a forest indoors. Every inch was covered in greens or florals. His work blended into the ambiance rather than standing out.

“You did an amazing job Beautiful.” He told her affectionately her hand still safely enclosed in his. She blushed brightly at the compliment and shook her head.

“I was happy to bring your vision to life.” She assured him shaking her shoulders. For some reason, he felt like he knew that she would do this often when she got embarrassed.

Sai got a thoughtful look on his face looking at her with the same question in his eyes. “Ino...do you mind if I show you something?”

“Oh, sure!” She replied thankful to have even a few more moments with him.

They walked towards the back of the gallery into a small corridor.

“My studio is back here.” He explained opening up a door. She stood there shocked and confused.

“Do these flowers mean anything to you?” She nodded slowly. On every wall were pictures he’d drawn or painted of the same familiar flower.

“Yes, they are called Purple Bush Clovers, my mom used to plant them in her garden. Our backyard is covered in them.” She remembered playing amongst them as a child. Her father told her that it was their family’s flower and it meant positive love.

He nodded and drew her into the space. “When my brother died, I stopped painting in color. The world seemed very bland without him. I almost gave up painting completely. Then one day I had this dream. I was drowning and then I saw this light. It morphed into a hand and this beautiful girl was standing there surrounded by light and these purple flowers, she pulled me out. She told me to go with her and that other people were waiting for me. After that, I started painting in color again. I started to paint this flower over and over. Not only that, I started to draw and paint her over and over again.” He opened up a sketchbook and showed her pages and pages of her. Some were more detailed than others but no one could deny that it was her.

Her eyes were wide and confused. “How?”

Sai took her hands in his. “I don’t know. I kept dreaming of you, I kept seeing you in my dreams and so I started to draw you. I thought that I had just imagined you. That it was impossible that someone so kind and beautiful existed. Then, I saw you here today like something out of my dreams.” She carefully reached up and brushed his hair back staring into his fathomless eyes. There was something so familiar about how he looked at her so softly and sweetly.

“When I saw you, you seemed so familiar, it was like coming home. I don’t know Sai...maybe we met before, somewhere in a land hidden in the leaves.” It seemed impossible and unlikely and yet seemed so right. It was too much of a coincidence. She’d been drawn back to this town. She had other options and schools but something was calling her back home. Her feelings of restlessness and loneliness seemed to vanish with him standing there.

He kissed her forehead softly, that feeling of familiarity and home wrapping around him. “I’d like you to stay tonight as my guest. Please, I’ve been dreaming about you for so long and having you here, well it seems like that missing piece is found.” He asked her hopefully. Even if she was to reject him he’d easily follow her to the ends of the Earth.

She nodded stepping into his arms before they enclosed tightly around her. “I’d like that Sai.” She couldn’t help the tears appearing in her eyes. “I’ve missed you.” It was strange to say to someone that she had just technically met. But, there was a very real part of her that missed this familiar artist.

He rested his head atop hers, clutching her tightly into him his own heart echoing her sentiments. “I missed you too Beautiful.”

She returned hours later after going home to get ready. She’d woven fresh flowers into her hair. She wanted to stand proudly next to him while he introduced his art to the world. He greeted her happy once she returned, relieved to see that she was indeed real and it wasn’t another one of his dreams.

“Ino, I wanted to show you something before it was revealed to the guests, it's the masterpiece of my collection tonight.”

Sai took her hand in his and led them towards the front and center of the room.

“It was one of my first dreams of you.” He explained as she stood there shell shocked. He placed the painting after she had left. “It was our wedding. I tried to capture how beautiful you looked at that moment.” Her eyes couldn’t help but water seeing herself reflected in that painting. She was wearing a brightly colored, flower printed kimono rather than a traditional white one. Surrounding her were thousands of painted flowers that he then framed with real ones. She looked radiant and happy and she could tell that he’d painted it with so much love and attention.

“I kept that image of you in my head, of you smiling so brightly, so happy and ready to be married to me. That picture of you helped keep me going on even the most difficult days. I know that it’s completely crazy and probably impossible but I know you. We’ve lived a life together before this, a crazy, dramatic but amazing one. You’ve been my muse in this lifetime but also every one before.”

Ino couldn't help but throw her arms around him. “Truthfully, I've felt a little lost recently. Like something was missing despite achieving all these goals and all the different things I'd set out to do. Today though, being here with you, working together, just being together. It made me happier than I've been in a long time. I’d like to see where this could go and imagine what we were.”

He very softly and gently kissed her and while it was warm and familiar it was unlike anything he’d felt before. It was as though the missing pieces of his heart were found. “I’d like that too.”

“What are you doing here?” Ino turned and saw her pink-haired friend staring at her confused.

“What are you doing here?”

Sakura couldn’t help but look at her strangely. “It’s my friend Sai’s gallery opening. This is what I wanted you to come to tonight.”

Ino looked at her surprised, one way or another she was destined to meet Sai. “Seriously?”

“Yes, back to my original question.”

“The flower order I was filling was for him. We met and talked and he asked me to stay.” She explained.

“Oh…,” Sakura replied with a grin.

“Stop it!” Ino blushed brightly.

Sakura just ignored her embarrassment. “Okay, okay. You know I always thought that you two would get along. I was using tonight as a way to get you to meet.”

“Can’t fight fate I guess.” Ino smiled looking over towards where he was greeting various guests. He seemed to sense her looking at him and sent her a smile. He wanted to stay glued to her side all evening lest he wake up from this dream, but she promised that she’d still be there at the end of the night.

“It’s not like you to fall head over heels for someone so fast.” Sakura thought out loud.

“I don’t know, it’s different with him. Have you ever met someone and felt like you’ve known them before? Like for some reason, it’s like you’re meeting again for the second time.”

Sakura smiled in understanding. “Yes, it’s how I felt about Sasuke.”

Ino nodded, her friend had long told her that she felt like she’d met her boyfriend before in some other place or time. “It’s like that. It’s just like meeting him again in this timeline. It's new but familiar all the same.” Sakura just smiled happily for her friend. She deserved all the happiness and love this world had to offer.

Once all the praises were heaped and congratulations were given Sai and Ino laid in the center of the gallery staring up at the leaf and lights covered roof, their hands entwined between them.

“I’m proud of you Sai.” She told him sweetly shifting on her side to look at him.

“Thank you Beautiful. It was an amazing night and I‘m so happy that you were able to share it with me. I think that my painting of you is what convinced them to take a chance on me.” He replied gently playing with her loose strands of hair. He’d dreamed a million times of what it would be like to actually run his hands through her hair and it was far better than he could have imagined.

“It’s so strange but being with you feels so natural like we’ve done this so many times before.”

He kissed her gently drawing her closer. “Perhaps it was just fate, we were meant to meet again in this lifetime and I promise you, no matter what, we’ll meet again a million times more.”

Flashback

"Sai? Do you believe in soulmates?" Ino asked as they laid beneath the stars, shifting closer to him to keep warm. He placed an affectionate kiss on her head.

He paused thinking about the question. He had read about the concept in his books before. "I don't know. Before you, I doubt that I would have ever believed in something so impossible but you loving me, well that's changed everything that I'd ever believed in." She smiled sweetly at him her blue eyes sparkling. She met him in a kiss wanting to use every moment she could to remind him just how much she loved him.

While the war had ended years ago it still left them with scars and feelings of loss. It pained her to believe that she had only a finite amount of time with her Love.

Her eyes stared up at the shroud of leaves and the stars twinkling between them. "I'd like to believe it. I'd want to believe that even after we pass in this life your soulmate finds their way to you in another." He smiled at the idea, wanting to believe that they had a million shared lifetimes and a million more to be had.

"Well when that day comes, I can promise you that I will find you again. We will always find our way together." They met in a kiss, a shared promise that no matter where, what universe, or space and time they'd always meet under the leaves.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21458557

#sai x ino #saiino #soulmates #fanfic #modernau

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imightbeapotatobutihavestandards · 6 years

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He’s Hurting Me

So this was an idea for a fic that I’ve had for a while, I wanted to post it once I’d written everything... but since Article 13/11 are going to be passed soon and will try to ban me from being creative and posting any fanfiction or fanart, I wanted to post what I’d done... and hopefully finish it.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

Summary: Patton, Roman, Logan and Virgil have been all been friends since high school, and though an unlikely group they’ve been with each other through everything. Now, they’re all adults, with jobs and responsibilities, but they’re still close. Though recently Patton’s been becoming more distant... While Patton faces struggles of his own in the present, every other chapter jumps back to the past and explains what the group has overcome, together.

Based very very loosely on the song He’s Hurting Me by Maria Mena

Pairings: Prinxiety, lil’ bit of logicality... the ships are more in the background

Warnings: None in this chapter, just a quick movie night with the bois

Part 1

Patton sat with his back leaning against the couch, one leg crossing over the other at the knee. He sighed deeply. He was so tired. He lightly pushed himself up, curling his legs up so he was sat cross-legged, and moved his glasses so he could rub his eyes with the heels of his hands. He pushed his hands to his head, running his fingers through his hair and glancing back up at the TV. It had been his turn to choose the movie this time, and he’d decided that after a long day at work, he wanted something light-hearted, so he’d chosen Tangled. Roman had been more than happy with his choice, immediately dashing over to his overwhelming collection of Disney films and finding it with ease.

Patton glanced behind him, looking onto the couch; Logan was to his left, sitting like a normal person, legs hanging over the edge of the couch, arm on the arm rest, even his posture remained impressive. Roman and Virgil… not so much. They were a mess of limbs, it was difficult to tell who was what, especially in the darkness of the room, but Patton was fairly sure Virgil was curled into Roman’s lap, the younger man’s legs pressing against Roman’s stomach. One of Roman’s arms was hooked around his boyfriend’s waist, the other was resting on his legs, occasionally moving in slow circles over Virgil’s knee. Patton noticed, as well, one of Virgil’s arms was draped across Roman’s shoulders, his hand resting in the other’s hair, ruffling it lightly. Both of them were intently focused on the movie, and Patton couldn’t help but smile gently. He was so proud, and happy for them, that they’d stayed together as long as they had, and that they still seemed as happy as they were at the start. Sure they fought, a lot, but it wasn’t normal people fighting, in fact, it wasn’t even fighting.

They were both polar opposites, Roman’s loud outgoing personality completely juxtaposing Virgil’s timid, introverted nature, they were destined to argue. And they did. Frequently. But it always felt like more of joke, they never seemed to be serious.

Patton was sure they must have had disputes, real disputes, where they questioned whether it was worth continuing, but they never let that side of them show. The worst argument he’d seen them have was over pineapple on pizza (“It doesn’t belong there Roman!”/”WHERE IS YOUR SENSE OF ADVENTURE VIGRIL?!”) But all couples fought, it was normal. It was always scary. It always left you feeling like a hurricane inside. But you always realise how much they mean to you in the end. Patton was sure that happened to them too. And they always seemed so loving, and caring, and...right together. It gave him, well, hope. In a sense. The amount of care, trust, and love in their relationship, was something he aspired to. His relationship wasn’t quite at that level yet, but it hadn’t been going on for nearly as long, so he couldn’t expect that.

Patton got lost in thought again, he thought about all the things Virgil and Roman had gone through, how much they had changed, and how much they hadn’t. It was the same for all four of them. They had grown so much, changed so much, adapted, in a way, but they were still here, together, in complete happiness, watching Disney films together. Even this, their movie night tradition hadn’t changed, even if they usually had to ditch the onesies. Patton was slightly downcast at that, but he understood; every Friday, everyone would come straight from work, round Roman’s (and Virgil’s) and they’d chat, mess around, and watch a film. It became difficult to always bring onesies, not to mention driving home in one was unacceptable for Logan, so he’d only bring his if he planned on sleeping round. It was funny, thinking of them being kids again, relaxing after school, dreaming of the future, wearing an assortment of onesies. Now that had been replaced with work clothes, it had been replaced with the future they were dreaming of. For Logan, that was a black shirt and a tie, as a teacher he had to look presentable. He’d always been inquisitive and had a longing for knowledge, it only seemed reasonable to pass this knowledge on. Roman wore a white shirt, his favourite jacket thrown over the top, and black jeans; despite working at the same school as Logan, Roman had assured him several times; “Drama teachers don’t need to look smart, our job is fantasy, what good is a tie there?” Roman had always been into theatre and actually gotten pretty far, being in several shows, but now his main priority was teaching. He really loved working with younger, enthusiastic kids and giving them a place to truly express themselves. Virgil wore pretty much his normal outfit, black shirt, black ripped skinny jeans, and had obviously put on his favourite hoody as soon as possible. Virgil worked at a small antique store, it was quiet and the atmosphere was calm. The owner had taken a liking to him and made working there even better, it was funny but Virgil really did love his job. He didn’t want the pressure of teaching, or running his own company, and sure as hell didn’t believe in himself to put his work out there, but running a quaint old shop with sweetest elderly woman he’d ever met was incredibly appealing to him.

Patton looked down at himself; pale blue polo with a cardigan wrapped round his shoulders… he didn’t exactly have a dress code. He owned a coffee shop, and ran it with his brother, Thomas. It was doing strangely well, Patton had thought, and he really loved it. He and his brother had designed everything, it was something they could call theirs, and it was perfect. They’d filled it with plants, fairy lights, board games and rainbow pillows and blankets. The walls were covered in short motivational quotes, such as “Stay strong,” and “Keep going,” in beautiful cursive font and a faded watercolour background (courtesy of Roman.) It was small, friendly, if a bit cheesy, but people seemed to love it. Though no one more than Patton.

Patton sighed to himself again, feeling sentimental. His life was good now, it was better than good, great even. He ran a pretty successful business with someone he knew he could trust entirely, he had amazing friends who he’d been through so much with, he had a lovely house, and he had his loving boyfriend. Yet he felt in himself a longing deep in his heart, pulling him back to his high school years, forcing him to remember how all of this started. High school wasn’t the easiest time, yet for some reason remembering it felt so easy, it was comfortable thinking back on the nights they’d spent on group projects, times they’d gone to support Roman on his numerous shows, times he’d just sat and talked to Virgil for hours, times he and Logan would go for walks in complete ease. That felt so far away now, so far gone, he hadn’t been able to hang out with any of them individually for so long, he’d always have to cancel last minute if they offered. It was sad, Patton was sure their friendship would always be such a massive part in his life, but recently it felt like he was slipping away, fading out like a half forgotten memory or an old photograph. Even movie nights he usually had to leave early. He had to leave early.

Panic began surging through his chest, eyes going wide. What was the time?

He jumped out of skin when he heard his phone buzz, he immediately slammed his hand on it, frantically grasping at the sides and bringing it up to his face. A message brightly illuminated his screen, he should have been home ten minutes ago, his boyfriend’s name was displayed above his message:

Mike:

You’re late.

Patton’s heart seemed to stop, how could he have been so stupid? He knew Miked hate it when he was late, still he did this. He’s probably so hurt, and worried, and upset. Patton felt the guilt and panic rot his insides, and a sickening feeling crawled up his throat. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Guilt. That’s what this feeling is. Guilt.

Patton shot up, startling the others, pausing only a second to type out a reply, then immediately began frantically dashing about the room, grabbing his stuff and uttering apologies as he went.

“Guys I am so so sorry, but I’m late and- Oh God, I have to get going, I’m sorry again g-“

“Woah, woah, hold up.” Virgil stated, confusion eating his words. “It’s only,” He paused to quickly check his phone. “Patton it’s 7:40, you have to be back at 8, chill.”

“No, no no no no, Mi-We decided to change it, I’m meant to be home by 7:30, and you know how he gets about time.” The eldest rushed out.

“What? 7:30?! That’s barely anytime at all! We haven’t even had our deep chats yet! The film isn’t even finished yet!” Roman gestured dramatically towards the TV.

“Indeed. Patton, I understand you want to get home, but surely you can explain to Mike you want to finish the movie. That is what movie night is for. You aren’t a child anymore.” Logan interjected, but Patton was already shaking his head.

“I’m sorry guys, I really am, I’ll try and stay longer next week. Promise.” Patton called, already heading out the door.

“Patton! Wait!” Logan called, standing and following him to the door.

“I’ll see you Lo! See you guys!” The door shut, the cheery tone carrying the words felt somewhat hollow. Logan sighed heavily, letting his shoulders slump forward as he walked back.

Virgil was standing by now, and Roman sat bolt upright, almost lifting out of his seat. The tallest shook his head as he re-entered, running a hand through his hair, then straightening his tie.

“I’m really… worried about him. He’s spending less time with us, barely answers his phone, seems constantly on edge. He’s isolating himself, removing himself from his own life.” Logan sighed, falling back onto the couch.

“It’s not him though, is it?” Virgil growled, Roman saw the anger building up in his boyfriend, it was flashing in his hazel eyes. Roman gently wrapped an arm around Virgil’s waist, pulling him back into his lap, lightly rubbing circles on his arm to calm him.

“That is, a fair assumption.” Logan continued. “But he doesn’t see what’s happening, he doesn’t understand the level of control that parasite has on him.” His voice was almost a whisper, but it cut sharp, causing Roman to lift his eyebrows.

“How… What can we do?” Roman questioned. “He won’t listen to us, even if we tell him the truth. You know he won’t. He’s always been a romantic, any issue, he’s convinced he can conquer it. He’s convinced love will conquer it.”

There was silence as the three of them thought. Patton had pulled them all together. Created an environment they were all comfortable. Given them all a family of sorts. He’s practically rescued them; he’d cared for them when no one else had. He’d always been there for him...and now they can’t be there for him.

I really hope you like this! Any questions feel free to ask me, part 2 will be out very very soon.

#thomas sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logicality #eventually #prinxiety #sanders sides #sander sides au #au #alternate universe #highschool au #abusive relationship #fanfic #fanfiction #he's hurting me

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impala666 · 6 years

Text

The One Where Monica Gets a New Roommate (pilot)Part Four: Just a Feeling

Just a sliver of Joey Tribbiani x reader

Friends rewrite (masterlist) Part One Part Two Part Three

It was the next morning and when you woke up you noticed that the boys were gone, which you thought was strange. But you figured it out when you found a note from Chandler. He told you as nice as he could that he and Joey were over at Monica’s, which now made more sense because when you looked in the fridge there was nothing that was breakfast worthy; mostly just beer. So you put on some socks and made your way over to Monica’s.

“Morning,” Chandler, Joey, and Rachel greeted you with smiles as you walked into the apartment and pulled up a chair to sit next to Joey.

“How’d you sleep?” Joey asked looking over at you. “I know that the pull out isn’t all that great.”

“I slept fine, it’ll just take some getting used to,” you smiled at his friendliness. Before the four of you fell into a comfortable silence.

“Isn’t this amazing?” Rachel asked bringing over coffee mugs full of coffee which brought a smile to your face. “I have never made coffee in my entire life.” Coffee just kind of made it easier to breathe. What you didn’t notice was Joey’s face when he saw it, it brought one to his own face.

“That is amazing.” Chandler said, missing the moment again.

“Congratulations.” Joey smiled up at her.

“Yeah, nice job.” Yourself as well smiled up at her.

“While you’re on a roll, if you feel like you got to make a western omelet.” Joey hinted causing you to smile at him before rolling your eyes, as the three of you took sips of your coffee. Which you immediately regretted putting in your mouth. You all poured the sewage like coffee into the plant on the table while she walked away, but personally you almost had a hard time keeping the one taste down. “Actually, I’m really not that hungry this morning.” Joey changed his mind, he also regretted asking Rachel to make something.

The sound of a bedroom door opening came from behind you as Rachel said good morning to Monica. “Morning,” You smiled over at Monica while the boys bid her one, too. But you jumped when the door slammed again behind you and a deep man’s voice with another good morning.

“Morning, Paul.” Joey greeted the man, already judging Monica. With your bare foot you playfully reached under the table to tap Joey on the foot to get him to stop.

“Hello, Paul,” you smiled at him receiving another playful nudge from Joey, neither of you hearing Rachel greet Paul.

“Hi, Paul is it?” Your big brother joked yet again. Monica started walking Paul towards the hall to get him away from the four of you in the kitchen, but you all silently agreed that she wasn’t getting away that easy. As they talked about what a great time they had, we all grabbed the table and move our chair closer to the door so we all could hear and see better.

“Thank you. Thank you, so much.” Paul told Monica.

“We’ll talk later.” Monica promised as she heard the table move.

“Yeah.” He smiled down at her as he leaned in closer and closer until they were kissing. You just smiled along with Rachel, while the guys just nodded in approval. The couple said their final goodbyes before Monica closed the door and leaned against it with the biggest smile on her face.

“That wasn’t a real date.” Joey quote Monica from yesterday. “What the hell do you do on a real date?” Joey smiled sinfully.

“Shut up and put my table back.” She told all of us. We all just nodded toward the command and did it. Your brother stood up and started to say something.

“All right, kids, I got to get to work. If I don’t input those numbers...it doesn’t make much of a difference.” Chandler announced to us honestly.

“No it does not.” You mocked him with a smile. Everyone smile at your comment.

“So like, you all have jobs?” Rachel asked all of you.

“Yeah, we all have jobs.” Monica answered for all of you. “See that’s how we buy stuff.”

“Well except me.” You smiled at her, loving that she reminded you of that.

“Yeah but you’re still going to school to get certified, so there’s nothing wrong with that.” Monica told you, trying to you lift you up.

“Really what do you wanna do?” Joey asked you. Everyone was actually listening and cared. Which felt nice for once.

“I really want to be a makeup artist, or hair stylist. But first I have to go to school for like a year before I can actually get a job at a salon. I just have to actually find a school first” You explained to all of them as they nodded to show that they were listening.

“That’s really cool,” Joey told you with a smile. “I like a job with all creativity and not the same everyday.” You felt your cheeks hurt from how much you were smiling, someone understood you and actually wanted to talk about it.

“Oh really, what do you do?” You asked, your eyes fully on him, like everyone else wasn’t there.

“Yeah. I’m an actor.” He told you with a proud smile before looking up at Rachel. You nodded with an impressed smile.

“Wow! Would I have seen you in anything?” Rachel asked him, sounding impressed herself.

“I doubt it. Mostly regional work.” Joey explained.

“Unless you happened to catch The Wee Ones production of Pinocchio.” Monica decided to mention a play of Joey’s that must have not been very successful from sounds of it.

“Look, Gepetto, I’m a real live boy.” Chandler said mocking Joey’s mistake.

“Really?” You asked looking at Joey with a small smile trying to hide your laugh for his sake.

“I will not take this abuse.” Joey told you and your brother as he got up from his chair.

“You’re right.” Chandler said, starting to apologize as the both of them got up and headed towards the door. “I’m sorry. Once I was a wooden boy, a little wooden boy.” Chandler started to sing as he danced out of the room like a puppet attached to strings. You started to laugh your butt off and hide your face. But then you saw Joey’s annoyed evil face and immediately tried to hide your smile.

“I guess I should actually get up and start looking for actual schools or something.” You smiled. No matter how much you were going to dread the work, you knew that you had to do it. “See you ladies later.” You smiled at the girls before walking out of the apartment door that Joey was holding open for you.

“So how are you going to actually find a school for that?” Joey asked you as the both of you walked into your guys apartment.

“Honestly I have no idea. Maybe I’ll just go into salons and ask?” You questioned out loud as you started making a real pot of coffee that wouldn’t want to make you throw up.

“Well, I think that makes sense.” Joey agreed with you. “If you don’t know where to look, ask someone who has done it.” He explained it out loud to himself.

“So how long have you been living with my brother? Because I have never heard of you?” You asked, leaning against the counter across from his seat at the counter.

“I moved in about a year ago. You’re brother’s great by the way.” Joey told you with a smile.

“Thanks,” you smiled, slightly blushing again. “He’s definitely my favorite in the family.” You said to Joey; you had never told anyone else that.

“So can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to,” he let me know before he asked the question.

“Why’d you leave your house?” He asked.

“Well, because my mom didn’t like what I was doing, and I guess Monica was right. As long as I like it I shouldn’t care what other people think, even if it just so happens to be the woman who pushed me out of her.” You didn’t know how to say it more plainly. “Plus I’m 25, I should be out by now.” Joey seemed to actually seemed to be listening, which you thought was interesting. Because most pretty men like him, or just men in general never really listen to women when we have problems.”You know you are a great listener, Joey. I’m kind of surprised.” You smiled at him. Joey kept feeling something whenever you smiled like that, but he just met you yesterday. Plus you were Chandler’s little sister for crying out loud.

“What do you mean?” Joey asked, he started moving closer to you without knowing it. You started getting lost in his dark brown eyes and you almost forgot where you were, all you felt was happiness and safety when you looked in Joey’s eyes.

“Nevermind!” You quickly snapped out of it as you both quickly turned away from each other. What the hell are you doing, Y/N?! You can’t fall for your brother’s best friend!!!! You told yourself. “You wanted coffee and an omelet right. One coffee and omelet coming up!” You accidentally yelled. The adrenaline from what just happened still draining from your body. You tried so hard to avoid his gaze as you reached for the coffee pot, but you could feel his eyes on you. When you looked out of the corner of your eye you saw him giving you a certain look, almost like he might have felt something too. But this is so wrong. You thought to yourself.

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

“Of course it was a line.” Joey laughed from next you on the couch. You were all at the coffee house listening to what Paul the wine guy did to get Monica to sleep with him. You listened while you looked through different school pamphlets and booklets for various beauty schools in the area.

“Why!? Why would anybody do something like that?!” Monica cried out.

“I assume we’re looking for an answer more sophisticated than “to get you into bed.” Ross told her clearly stating that there was no such way to state it.

“Is it me?” Monica asked pacing towards the sitting area. “Is it like I have some sort of beacon that only dogs and men with severe emotional problems can hear?” She asked us all.

“Alright. Give me your feet.” Phoebe ordered, making Monica climb over you and sit next to you for Phoebe to give her a foot massage.

“Definitely not, guys are just idiots.” You said trying to make her feel better.

“I just thought he was nice, you know?” Monica said, her voice starting to break a little bit with sadness. You couldn’t help but reach up and rub her arm soothingly.

“You know that’s what they all want us to think because if they’re themselves they’ll never get anyone. Which is just sad and pathetic, and you deserve someone so much better than that dingus.” You said trying to help Monica, and judging by her small smile. It had helped a little bit.

“I can’t believe you didn’t know it was a line.” Joey started laughing again. I rolled my eyes and pushed Joey off the arm of the couch next to me.

“I can’t believe it!” You yelled in frustration.

“What’s up?” Chandler asked while the others gave you concerned looks.

“All of 3 beauty schools in the area are so expensive, I might have to get a job to save some money, or a scholarship which pfff that would never happen.” You smiled even though your voice shook while you tried really hard not to cry.

“Didn’t mom and dad have a college fund for you?” Chandler asked and you nodded. “Why don’t you just use all of that?” He asked sympathetically placing a hand on your knee.

“Because our mother used it to buy new boobs.” You told him angrily.

“Well maybe you could get a job, and try for scholarships,” Ross mentioned. “Trying is at least better than nothing.

“Yeah, you’re right. I could always try that, thank you.” You said as you smiled sadly at him.

“Guess what?” Rachel asked as she entered the coffee shop with a shopping bag.

“You got a new job in that bag?” You joked.

“You got a job?” Ross asked her.

“No, and are you kidding? I’m trained for nothing. I was laughed out of 12 interviews today.” She announced to us with a big bright smile on her face.

“Yet you’re surprisingly upbeat.” Chandler sounded surprised.

“Well you would be, too, if you found Joan and David boots on sale 50 percent off.” She answered handing Monica the box.

“Oh how well you know him.” You said to her sarcastically.

“They’re my new I-don’t-need-a-job, I-don’t-need-my-parents, I’ve-got-great-boots boots.” As Rachel said that she was practically giddy, until the rest of us brought up something she hadn’t thought about.

“How’d you pay for them?” Monica started.

“A credit card.” Rachel replied confidently.

“Yeah, and who pays for that?” You added as you started on your third cup of coffee for the day.

“Um...my father.” Rachel replied a little less confident, and much more quiet.

“Alright, we are going to go upstairs and, Rachel, you are going to do something that I think will help no matter much it’s going to hurt.” You told her.

“Come on. You can’t live off your parents for your whole life.” You told her, because you yourself just learned that lesson when your mom spent your inheritance.

“I know that.” Rachel answered as she looked down at the scissors and the numerous credit cards. “That’s why I was getting married.”

“She’s right,” Monica agreed with you.

“Give her a break. It’s hard being on your own the first time.” Phoebe told the 2 of you to help calm Rachel down.

“Thank you.” Rachel told her.

“You’re welcome. I remember when I first came to this city. I was 14, my mom had just killed herself, and my stepdad was back in prison. I got here and didn’t know anybody. I ended up living with this albino guy who was cleaning windshields outside port authority, and then he killed himself,” Phoebe kept explaining and it had felt like your brain had stopped functioning. “And then I found aroma therapy. So believe me, I know exactly how you feel.” Phoebe finally finished explaining to Rachel. “Oh and you, too.” Phoebe said looking at you. Then she got up and headed to fill her mug with tea. Your jaw hung open and you looked over at Rachel who had the same look on her face as you. You had no clue what had just happened.

“The word you’re looking for is...anyway...” Ross informed the both of us as he took Phoebe’s chair next to you.

“Yes, thank you.” You chuckled.

“All right. You ready?” Monica asked handing her the scissors.

“I don’t think so.” Rachel looked nervous, but this would be a good healthy thing for her. Plus maybe you wouldn’t want to put her preppy head through a wall.

“Oh come on,” you and Ross cheered together. “Cut. Cut. Cut.Cut.Cut” Everyone around the table started to join in on the chanting. Everyone cheered as she cut into the first one.

“Welcome to the real world. It sucks.” Monica stood up and hugged our friend Rachel after she cut the final card. “You’re gonna love it.”

----------

It was almost two in the morning. The boys were both in bed, so that meant you should be too. Yet here you were, awake, sitting up straight, with the light on, looking through the booklets for the thousandth time.

“Hey, I thought I heard you up. What are you doing?” Chandler asked through a yawn as he took the empty spot on the bed/couch next to you.

“Just going through this stuff again.” You answered without looking up at him.

“Alright give me that,” Chandler took everything out of your hand, walked over towards Joey’s room and threw it inside.

“Why would you do that!?” You quietly yelled at him, while he retook his spot.

“Because you need to stop stressing yourself out. Despite what I say, I love you and I don’t want you dying from exhaustion.”

“Geee, thanks,” you laughed.

“But really I think getting a job first is great, get your feet wet a little. I know what you and mom went through suck, and she’s letting you drown a little. But I’m here to get you out okay. So job first, look at the little picture first, alright?” He asked as he watched you let out a yawn.

“Awwww, thanks big bro.” You smiled with your eyes closed as you wrapped your arms around his torso and rested your head on his shoulder. You had no idea how tired you were until you closed your eyes, and once you were you totally fell asleep on Chandler.

“Annnnd you’re asleep.” Chandler said to no one out loud. “Meh, whatever you need it more than me. So i’m just gonna slowly turn the light off,” which he did as slow as he could; to the point where he felt awkward and he just let you sleep on him. Because that’s what a big brother did for his little sister.

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

It was the next morning and the six of you were sitting in the coffee house just like yesterday. Joey on the chair by the table, Monica, Chandler and yourself on the couch, Ross on the green armchair, and Phoebe on the floor.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing here.” Joey argued.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing here.” Phoebe sang.

“But I said you had…” Monica started before Phoebe did it again.

“But I said you had…”

“Would you stop.” Monica wasn’t asking for herself, it was for all of us. Phoebe had been doing it on and off all day.

“Was I doing it again?” Phoebe asked without realizing.

“Yes!” All of us complained. Then the seventh person of the group walked over with a coffee pot.

“Would anybody like more coffee?” The newest employee of the coffee house that we hung out at, Rachel Green asked all of us.

“Did you make it or are you just serving it?” You asked for everyone.

“I’m just serving it.” She answered.

“Yeah, of course.” You all answered, reaching for your cup.

“Kids, new dream.” Chandler started after he got his coffee.

“Oh, God.” You jokingly whined.

“Shhhh,” Chandler gently pushed your head away. “Alright, I’m in Las Vegas. I’m Liza Minelli…” and that was how the most recent dream started.

#friends rewrite #friends #Ross and Rachel #ross geller #rachel green #joey tribbiani #joey tribbiani x reader #chandler bing #monica geller #phoebe buffay

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bat-besties · 6 years

Text

On Impossibility - 6

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

A popular!Logan and loser!Roman high school AU based on @2pointomg’s idea with eventual Prinxiety.

impossible

ɪmˈpɒsɪb(ə)l

adjective

· not able to occur, exist, or be done.

Eg. It is impossible to fund both the sports and drama programmes with the school’s limited budget.

· very difficult to deal with.

Eg. The situation which Logan Sanders, Student Body President, is in after he convinced the school board to cut the unsuccessful drama programmes is impossible.

· (of a person) very unreasonable.

Eg. Roman Prince.

To Roman, nothing is impossible. Not following his older brother Patton to acting college, not being a loser taking on the school’s popular Student Body President and definitely not writing and performing an epic school play with no money and six cast and crew members.

Edited by @alpacasarethegreenestanimal, who has an amazing fanfiction on AO3! If you like superheroes, sarcasm and Virgil angst then you’ll love this

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@cashmeredragon

@jughead-is-canonically-aroace

@immacrazyfangirl

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@what-a-catch-joe

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@whatamessofwords

@zoalis

So close. They were so close.

‘Then this I say, oh noble knight, if you let go of your anger then you could be great. Give up the light – it is so comfortable here in the dark. Vines to hold you close, the canopy to shade you, thorns to protect you. Does the light not burn you?’

Kyle had a blanket cape round his shoulders and was jutting his chin confrontationally towards Roman. His pose was perfect, he knew his lines inside out, and his emphasis was just as Roman had imagined it when writing the speech late at night in his bedroom.

Roman suddenly broke out of character, running his hand through his hair. ‘That was great – really, really. Could we run it again? There’s just – you’ve just got to really feel it.’ Roman hated to be that guy – Kyle had been great, and their priority was to get a feel for the new set and adjust their blocking for the stage. But he had to be perfect. Roman would make him perfect no matter what it took, for although he knew the role was one which stretched his friend he had faith in him to get it right. All through workshopping a boy called Raphael had dominated Ombretto, throwing him into dramatic confrontation with Rosso and drawing him back into introspective monologues. To be honest, it had hurt Roman greatly when Raphael left ‘due to creative differences’ and Kyle had to be pulled from the role of Giallo, but he much preferred his friend’s delivery because he had learnt from Patton the importance of an actor subordinating themselves to the character.

It was six o’clock on a Saturday night and they had been there all day assembling the set, but Kyle ran the lines again - with more feeling. It wasn’t good enough for Roman, but then again hardly anything was. They moved on and he saw Talyn give Kyle encouraging finger guns from the wings. Kyle returned a small smile. Everyone was tired, but Roman had asked them to run through the whole thing again, so they had. While Patton’s entire year would go to the moon and back for him, Roman’s few friends would paint the Kuiper belt rainbow if he asked them to.

They should have gone home and caught up on homework after putting up the set, but the beauty of the set had transported Roman into ecstasies of inspiration, and he doubted Virgil would leave until the building was shut. The boy for once in his life was not scrolling through Tumblr, listening to music or fiddling with his sweater paws. He just sat starry-eyed in the front row of the seating, hunched forward in his over-sized hoody as he tried to hide a grin behind his hands.

The set Virgil had built was amazing. Fate had finally given the theatre troupe a helping hand as Dahlia’s neighbours had spare planks of wood from a loft extension they had not technically forbidden her from taking. Virgil had understood the aesthetic of Talyn’s designs and had decided to play around with the handmade nature of the set. Basically, it looked like the child of a Victorian toy theatre and the illustrations in a book of fairy tales raised by a goth/steampunk in the hedge of thorns from Sleeping Beauty. Or that’s how Virgil had pitched it. Originally there had been a scaffolding tower, but they had to improvise with the tall metal balcony from West Side Story Patton had once sung on so happily.

Virgil was weirdly proud of himself. He tried to be self-deprecating about his set, however he couldn’t help but be happy with it. Logan had always been complimentary about his work, but he did not have a great understanding of art, and Virgil had suspected the positive feedback was a key bullet point in the Word document ‘How to Get Self-doubting Friend to Apply for College.’ In contrast his new friends had very high standards, so a single nice word from Talyn would go around his head for days and days. Roman had been extremely exacting – a picture of the cliff from the Nightmare before Christmas had literally been ripped off Virgil’s mood board because the smoothness of it ‘didn’t fit the vibe, the emotion’ of the play – and now he was playing in the set like a kid in a candy store. Virgil understood it now, Logan and Roman’s drive for perfection. Oh sure, Logan was a textbook perfectionist and Roman was slapdash and confident in his own abilities, but in his own way the actor was just as meticulous about his work. The play – not yet named because there was not something which fit it well enough – was his baby. And while the set was a part of that brainchild it was Virgil’s own – baby was a weird comparison, it was just…he just had lots of feelings about it he hadn’t had for anything else before, OK? The exercise in 3D space was interesting.

At 22:00, a janitor finally came around. He peeked his head into the auditorium, then walked into it fully. Kyle was perched on the balcony, which was festooned with sequinned purple fabric vines, and Roman was kneeling in centre stage entreating him to come down, framed by chaotic brambles the size of tree trunks and twisted metal spider webs throwing bizarre shadows onto the wall behind him, covered with sheer green fabric donated by Mrs Damon. He looked at Virgil, who was entranced by the scene.

‘Hey kid, you part of this?’ he spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the actors. Virgil looked up at him and nodded with a grin.

‘Good on you, kid. I told you that you shouldn’t use your drawing skills for rude caricatures. And now look at you!’

Virgil was rapidly beginning to lose his sense of mystery and magic. ‘That…that was not me. I told you, and I told the principal that that drawing wasn’t by me.’

The janitor took off his hat and sat next to Virgil in a fatherly manner. ‘If you didn’t draw that cartoon, then why was it on your locker, heh?’

Trying to be absorbed into the tear in the seat covering, Virgil gave the man an exasperated look.

‘Well, I’m here to ask you guys to leave. You need to sleep!’ replied the janitor brightly, completely unfazed by Virgil’s silence. He leaned in even closer to him. ‘How long is there left?’

‘Fif-een min’tes.’ was mumbled from behind a wall of purple hair.

‘Fine. You guys promise to look up, then you can have the time.’

‘Thks.’

‘Careful of that balcony. Bit rickety.’ With that Malcom headed into the hallway again, marvelling at the impact that simple sentence of his had made on that punk kid. Permanent sharpie and Tipp-ex on that locker as well. Sometimes kids just need a bit of self-belief.

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Roman bounded off the stage and thundered up to Virgil. Ignoring the fact that Virgil was putting into practice everything he’d learnt trying to disengage Malcom, he grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. ‘A cheer for Virgil!’ he yelled to the others.

There were scattered cheers from the cast and crew as they cleared up. ‘Visionary, visionary!’ shouted Roman, throwing his hands in the air.

Virgil blushed. ‘What does that even mean?’

Roman threw himself down on the gangway, pulling the emo down beside him. ‘One who has unique visions!’

Virgil looked at him sceptically. ‘I’m sure that’s not the exact definition.’

‘We can’t all be the calculator watch, can we?’ The annoyance entering Roman’s voice was jarring.

There was a beat of awkward silence as Virgil refused to forgive Roman or defend Logan.

Brightly, Roman grabbed Virgil’s hand and admired his nail polish. He looked up at Virgil and whispered, ‘Visionary, visionary.’ Over his knuckles.

Virgil recoiled and stood up. ‘What the ever-loving fuck was that?!’

Roman face-palmed. ‘It was meant to be…friendly.’

‘It was really weird! And not friendly! That was not in the realm of friendly!’

Roman rocketed to his feet, ‘Sorry to break it to you Virgil, but just because I’m gay, it doesn’t mean that I’m flirting with every straight guy I talk to!’

‘How is that-? It wasn’t- I didn’t even know that! Anyway, I’m not straight either.’

‘Well, fine. I’m not.’ Roman put his hands on his hips.

‘Fine!’

The two stood angrily staring at each other before dissolving into laughter.

‘How could you think I was straight?’ howled Roman, ‘And you’re not either? Yes!’ he punched the air.

Virgil was bent over, clutching his stomach. ‘I…I didn’t want to assume…’

Dahlia came up the gangway halfway, since the rest of it was blocked by two dorks rolling around on the floor. ‘We’re going to head, if you guys could lock up.’ Breathlessly, Roman waved her on.

Once the two came to they sat up, lounging against the seating.

Roman studiously didn’t look at Virgil as he spoke to him. ‘Your set – I love it.’

‘I know.’ The emo smirked at him, ‘you spent all evening playing in it.’

Roman’s hand shot to his chest as he gasped, ‘PLAYING! How dare you? I was acting!’ he made a point to gesture dramatically to signal his thespian talent. He put his hand down and turned to Virgil. ‘I do, though,’ he said earnestly, ‘it’s beautiful, and dark, and creepy, and fantastical, and better than I could ever have hoped for. We can do this – we can put on this play.’

Virgil’s insides twisted as he looked at the boy across from him, his face desaturated and pupils dilated by the dark. He wasn’t so sure of success. The costumes needed to be big and bold, and that meant lots of fabric and shiny things in elaborate designs. They had asked to use the black fabric which backed the curtain but had unsurprisingly been turned down, and money from rainbow T-shirt sales had covered enough for a dirndl for Margherita bought online and a shimmery brown and green leotard for the malevolent fairy (nicknamed Bob) after the set had been built, but for now the magnificent hoop skirts of the Evil Queen and flowing robe of Ombretto were impossible to realise.

‘Virgil?’

The emo snapped his eyes from Roman’s face. ‘Yeah. Let’s not count on…let’s not give on up this.’ He made eye contact again. ‘I believe in you. Or whatever. Dork.’

Roman smiled to himself a little. ‘And here I was thinking you were some massive edgelord.’

Virgil raised his eyebrows. ‘You saw my Nightmare before Christmas poster.’

‘True.’ Roman grinned, ‘But you were too cool for my Randy Newman impression.’

Virgil giggled. ‘You had a cowboy hat. And a pink plastic radio. And you were fifteen.’

‘I took it seriously! I wanted to be your friend.’ Roman emphasised each word.

‘Well, I wanted you to stop singing before I cringed myself a six-pack.’

They sat in silence for a while, neither wanting to suggest leaving.

‘I don’t know what I’m going to do with my future.’ Virgil’s head was flung back to look at the set, and his voice was soft.

Roman rolled onto his stomach, supporting his head on his hands. ‘What do you want to do?’

‘This.’

Roman put his hand on Virgil’s and smiled at him reassuringly, ‘Then do it. This is good.’

‘I…’ Virgil took a shaky breath. ‘I can’t. I’m not good enough.’

‘Virgil. I have been to four Broadway shows and twenty-three shows in other towns. I watch bootlegs like other kids watch let’s plays. I read about this stuff. I think you could easily design for a smaller show, and once you go to college…Broadway, baby.’

Virgil felt something suspiciously like hope rise to fill his chest. ‘Why would they take someone like me? From a school like this, which isn’t particularly keen on the arts, if you hadn’t noticed.’

‘Virgil – you have Mrs Damon who would write a book about you, let alone a recommendation letter. You’ve got this production, which will make one hell of an essay. The school is academic, and your grades are good. Besides, Patton did it – my older brother.’

‘I guess. But wasn’t he like some genius or something?’

It was Roman’s turn to break eye contact. ‘Yeah, he is. But we don’t need to be scholarship holders like him or anything. Just good enough.’

Virgil sat up, ‘You’re worried about acting school, princey? Big brother in New York and half-a-billion extracurriculars. Please.’

‘No extracurriculars now. But yes, of course I’m worried. I want to go to the same place as Patton, when we went to check it out with him it was…magical. These past few years it’s like he’s living every single dream I have. And I’m happy for him! I am! I’m super proud, but I don’t want to apply and be rejected, and he’ll be super nice about it…you know.’

‘Do your parents compare you a lot?’

‘No, god no.’ Roman shook his head emphatically. ‘They’re incredibly proud of both of us. It’s me. I do. And I know I shouldn’t…’

He broke off and tried to hide the fact that he was crying. The emo scooted closer and awkwardly pulled him into a loose hug, at which point Roman attached himself to Virgil’s hoodie like a baby koala.

‘Aw, jeez. Come on, dude. Don’t make me give a heartfelt speech. Just like, know, that I think you’re - good.’

‘Huh! Yeah, I am pretty good! Thanks for reminding me, J-Delightful.’ Roman pulled himself up and punched Virgil in the shoulder.

‘Alright, dudebro.’

The boy slumped again. ‘Arggggg. Now you think everything is fine!’

‘You do not look like everything is fine.’

‘Well, yeah, no.’

Virgil just wanted to paint and listen to emo music and be left alone. Why the hell was he landed with looking after overachievers?

‘Wanna come to my house tonight? We could watch Disney, or whatever. My parents would be happy I have someone to invite over.’

‘I would love that! I’ll text the old parents…Odin’s eyepatch! It’s eleven already! We’d better hurry!’

That night as Roman was spread-eagled on his bedroom floor, Virgil tried not to think of the lack of money for costumes, but they joined the usual procession of Logan’s eye bags, situations in which his set would collapse and his plan for the future which marched round his head whenever he tried to sleep.

Increasingly old-school Disney songs sung in bass, a voice passionately and loudly delivering lines or unaffectedly and quietly trying to explain ideas had echoed around his darkened bedroom too, but he preferred to not think about that.

#roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides au #prinxiety

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scurvgirl · 6 years

Text

So @lillotte17 and I have been talking a lot about the triplets and at some point I went “Tonlen and Oisin would be cute together” and then this happened.

Oisin belongs to @lillotte17

Uthvir (implied) and Thenerassan/Thenvunin belong to @feynites

Mana’din needs a cobbler, apparently. And not just any cobbler, but a high-end shoe maker who caters to the upper class.

Tonlen is informed of his trade early in the day. A runner fetches him from his workshop and brings him to a bunch of managers who are looking over files. There’s another person there, they wear Mana’din’s markings and look particularly unhappy about the situation. Like they have any right to be more put out about this than Tonlen. This is a slap in the face of his work. Is he not skilled or creative enough to remain under Sylaise? Must he be subjugated to the pervasive disorganized “style” in Mana’din’s ranks? Truly, this is an insult beyond reasonable bearing, but Tonlen is gracious, so bear it he will.

“And what is it you do?” He asks the soon to be former servant of Mana’din.

“I’m…I’m an aqueduct engineer.” Oh, well, that explains things more than simply Mana’din desiring a cobbler of Tonlen’s exceptional caliber. The aqueducts have been needing some tuning up in the more rural parts of Sylaise’s territories. He sighs. Well, it beats being sacrificed and Mana’din has a good reputation for being good to her followers, even if she is not as…stylish.

Perhaps she can be convinced to allow him to remain in Arlathan. He’s been to Daran before, it’s not quite his cup of tea. But he can grow to love it if that is where he is placed. He’s not a fool, merely disgruntled at lackluster taste.

The trade takes a few weeks to be completed, mostly due to Sylaise and Mana’din having conflicting schedules for this time of year. They both need to present for the ritual vallaslin change, so Tonlen and the engineer wait. It gives Tonlen time to inform his clients that he is being moved. To his delight, many of his clients seem very saddened by the thought of losing his trade. Some even nod and say they will still seek him out. It is all very flattering. He also begins to reach out to some of the other higher end shoe makers in Mana’din’s territories – staggeringly few compared to Sylaise that is for sure. It is likely he will be heading to Daran after all. That is where most of the higher-ups are, so most of his potential clientele, not to mention Mana’din herself.

After the transfer is complete, his family helps move him into his new quarters. He is given a small apartment that his mother is none too happy about. It’s not good enough for him, and he agrees. But…his skills aren’t as appreciated here, so…his apartment isn’t as nice as his old one. He gets a balcony, though, and the view isn’t so bad. The closet is slightly too small to house all of his robes, however, and he refuses to part with any of them. That sacrifice is too much to bear. So, he has a rack of splendid clothes in a corner of his living space. There is no actual change in rank, so he will be keeping all his clothes, all his accessories, everything. They can pry it from his cold dead hands at this point.

His memae and him spend several days getting the apartment to better a standard. Papa helps of course, he has a great eye for these sorts of things as well, and he knows how to install things. Ileth helps by cooking and baking and making sure everyone is fed. His new station as a baker is serving him well, much better than how he was as a manager.

Memae sighs and looks at the finished apartment, worry clear on her face, “It is not as nice as what you had. But Mana’din is…a very kind and merciful woman to work under.” The unspoken unlike Falon’din hangs in the air. She was here for that, she saw his tyrannical rule.

“I will make the best of it, I always do,” he asserts, “and perhaps my superior tastes will invigorate the nearby peoples to adopt more fashionable styles.” He can hope.

His family leaves in the afternoon, hoping to make it back to Arlathan before it is too late. Ileth has an apprentice to make sure kept the bakery up and running and Papa has a large commission to work on. Memae can’t leave her duties for overlong, Tasallir will be put out and they can’t have that. Besides, he’s an adult, this is his life now, it’s best if he just…learns how to deal with it. Tacky as Daran may be, it is considerably safer than Arlathan and any other of Sylaise’s cities.

The next day is spent with Tonlen getting his work shop set up. Being a shoe maker means he makes not just hard-soled shoes, but enchanted footwraps, and occasionally foot jewelry that is suitable for walking and dancing in. He started out in a lower end sector, catering mostly to workers who needed sturdy shoes for their work like gardening, sewer tending, construction – things like that. He’s plied his knowledge of stability and sturdiness to his higher end trends. The results have been amazing – the elite can dance for days in his shoes and not feel a thing. He’s proud of the reputation he has cultivated for himself. Now he must build it up once more.

The next few months, he works does whatever a shifted artisan does. He holds sales, advertises, flaunts his work on himself, and even pays a few people to talk about his store to bring in more commissioners. He’d feel bad about the bribing if he wasn’t being honest about the quality he creates.

But to Tonlen’s dismay, the first higher up clientele he receives are military officials. They ask if his resilient dancing shoes can be translated to their marching gear. Well, of course it can and he can, but…military boots? Is this what his work will be now? Oh, how he longs for the ridiculous couture of Sylaise’s people!

He takes the commissions, though, and works sturdy, comfortable enchantments into them. He matches them to the patron’s gear, slipping in a slightly more colorful interior of the boot than explicitly necessary. Well, he has to do something. They walk away happy, though, and soon more military clientele show up – so he’s done a good job at least. And it pays. But what he wouldn’t give for something completely ridiculous to make.

It requires him working later, but Tonlen decides to make some new boots for himself. It will take a long time to construct them, with all the patterns in the leather, and the silver threading, the beaded lace trim, and the heels of course. But it will be worth it. No one else here in this depressingly drab land would dare to wear something so…fashionable.

He needs something to occupy the creative side of his brain. Marching boots are fine for generating revenue, but they are dull, and there are only so many pattern differences he can use, particularly if he wants to continue to use the exceptionally effective enchantments for comfort and durability. Tonlen needs diversity in his creation if he’s going to continue to enjoy his work. Maybe he should bribe some more people to say he’s a couture designer, not just an elite military shoe maker.

But even as he laments the monotony of the work, more military personnel pour into his workshop. He fills the orders even as he tells them that his true specialty is more delicate fanciful shoes.

He is working on his personal project, early in the morning, when the door to the shop opens and yet strides in another military person. They look unlike the other military persons he’s served, covered in red spiked plate, their eyes keener and more…aware. Strangely enough, they make him think of the more pointedly different people in Arlathan, the ones who despised the trends and ended up creating their own style. He quite liked them in a way – they always gave him interesting challenges. So Tonlen smiles his most charming smile and rises happily from his chair.

Only to have the new client plop a pair of worn, well-worn, boots onto the counter.

“These need to be repaired and re-enchanted.”

Something in Tonlen deflates as he inspects the boots. They’ve been repaired and re-enchanted multiple times. The soles are worn to a disastrous point, the leather is weak, and whatever style they used to possess is long gone.

He shakes his head, “I am sorry but I think these boots have earned their rest. However, I am quite capable of making you a new pair, if you would like.” He hands the boots back and they nod, apparently unsurprised.

“I suspected as such…” they glance around the shop then consider Tonlen, “you do not specialize in military boots.”

He shakes his head, “No. In Arlathan I was known mostly for my couture, I made…beautiful, exquisite shoes for dancing and wooing and outlandish outfits. Strappy sandals, thigh highs, boots, even leg wraps, and shoes that are more like leg jewelry than shoe – but all enchanted to give the wearer the feeling and security of shoes. I am happy to create more…military styled boots for marching, though. They simply do not strike the artistic chord in me.”

“Hm. Then I think I will take these to my usual cobbler.”

“Oh, I apologize if I came across poorly, I’m happy to make any shoe you wish. My flights of fancy do not impede my work.” But they take their boots off the counter anyways and say their goodbyes as they leave the shop.

Dammit.

Maybe he should just accept that this is his work now. He is…a military boot person. His days of crafting amazing works of art are over.

The rest of the day passes in a disappointing melancholy. He works on commissions and a few stock pieces people can buy out from the store without commission. A few more people come into the shop, some even purchase more fanciful shoes, but they are more standard fun glitzy shoes.

But the next day, around noon, just before Tonlen is about to take his midday break for lunch, two men enter his shop. They are tall and blonde, and look related in how they carry themselves, straight back, squared shoulders, but they are also surrounded by airs of civility and friendliness. Though the air around the blue-eyed one is tangibly younger and more open. And it is Blue Eyes that pulls Tonlen’s gaze. His features are rounder, softer, his face covered in an endearing smattering of freckles. His skin shines in the light, particularly next to the golden piece he and the other are admiring.

“Welcome! I am Tonlen and this is my lovely little shoe shop. Please, have a look around, if there is anything I can help you with, let me know.” He smiles and sends up a prayer to whatever is out there that they’re here to commission, or they could be persuaded to commission him. They look closer to the types who would commission him back in Arlathan, so maybe there’s hope.

Green Eyes turns to him and puts on a polite smile himself, “Actually yes. My spouse came by yesterday and they said you do more fashionable shoe commissions?” Tonlen blinks, not believing his luck before snapping out of it.

“Yes, yes, I do! I’m originally from Arlathan, I’ve only been here a few months. I am very skilled in creating couture shoes, sandals – really whatever it is you heart desires.” He is woefully out of practice and desperate, but it doesn’t seem to put the clients off, thankfully.

“The seasonal apple harvest celebration is in two months and we’re hoping to see if you can create some suitable footwear,” Green Eyes explains. Oh yes, he’s heard of that, it’s an open celebration to most in the city. There are of course caterers and servers who are paid to tend to the celebration, but most of the city is expected to attend in some fashion. The orchards are there for everyone to enjoy apparently, not just Mana’din and her attendants. Strange but…a welcome sort of strange. It gives Tonlen an excuse to wear the new boots he’s making for himself at least.

“Oh of course! Do we know where the celebration will take place? Is it in the fields or somewhere with more substantial flooring?” He ducks down and grabs his sketch book for commissions and pops up. He’s already composing color ideas and requirements in the shoe.

“There is a feast hall, so more substantial flooring.”

“Excellent. And are there specific types of shoe you would like? An outfit that you seek to match?” What a joy to be working on actual beautiful commissions once more! The green-eyed man is more experienced in this, Tonlen can tell, while Blue-Eyes tends to look over the shop, quieter, but there is something…quite entrancing about him.

It’s not uncommon to have muses in Arlathan, many in the Pleasure District have been muses for many artists and artisans. One of Tonlen’s previous romantic relationships grew out of a muse-artisan relationship. It had been a beautiful thing, one full of mutual respect and beauty. But time goes on, people grow apart.

“May I have your names, please. To keep the sketches clear, of course, organization is imperative,” he says.

“I am Thenerassan, pleased to meet you, Tonlen,” Green-Eyes, Thenerassan, says.

Blue-Eyes smiles and it is magnificent, so suited for muse work, really, “Oisin, nice to meet you.”

Tonlen smiles back, “Beautiful,” he says, the flirt easy on his lips before he sees Thenerassan’s eyes narrow and his lips thing, “is what the shoes you order will be. Now, do you have any outfits to match?”

He falls easily into the old commission work, looking at the designs they brought him of their clothes they’ll be wearing. They’re…fashionable but not forward like he is used to. Still, he is glad to be given the chance to work on something other than clunky military boots. Granted, they are the best and most beautiful military boots out there, he’s a damn visionary when it comes to military boots, but they’re still military boots.

“The slit is up to the bottom of your hip where the leg begins…have you considered to the top of the hip? It’s trending in Arlathan and there are ways to achieve more modesty with stockings. It shortens the torso while elongating the legs, I say that because it looks spectacular with thigh high lattice work metal sandals. The bottom-hip high slit looks better with just over the knee sandals. The idea is keeping a good skin to shoe ratio,” he explains, “here, I can grab a couple of sample shoes to display the difference.” He moves to the side of the store and pulls down a few mannequins, one with mid-thigh height boots and one with over the knee sandals.

“I see, so mine will take the over-the knee sandal. Oisin, what would you prefer?”

“I like the boot, but I don’t want the slit any higher,” he says. There is a slight hesitance in his voice that Tonlen recognizes as some inexperience of commissioning, or rather in clients who attempt to be polite by not being overly assertive in what they want. But what he wants is what he gets, that is Tonlen’s goal as a craftsman and a businessman.

“Completely doable, there are many designs that I can do to make the best boot for you.” He returns to his sketchpad and begins to work on Oisin’s design. Thenerassan’s is strangely straightforward, it’s a sandal style with winding metal that has feathered etching, up over the knee, embellished with a few garnets up the back where the shoe opens for him to put in his foot and leg.

Oisin’s boot, though, is going to be slightly more complex. It’s a sturdy cloth base with leather accents. The season is too warm for a completely leather boot without heavy cooling enchantments, but there’s no need if Tonlen can use more breathable fabric. There is a very minor heel, just under an inch in height, so it will not really make Oisin taller, but rather offer support. Thenerassan’s sandal even has a support heel.

Since the celebration is in the autumn, there is a trend towards warmer colors. Oisin plans to wear a burnt orange robe with umber and gold accents. This makes Tonlen favor a rich brown leather and a slightly darker fabric for the boot. If he went lighter, it would draw a strange contrast to the robes, and this way, Tonlen can potentially work in a gold accent somewhere in the design.

Once they have confirmed on the concept designs, Tonlen walks Thenerassan and Oisin over to the seats and breaks out the molding socks. The fabric was invented recently by a sex toy maker, of all things. It was to make taking casts of certain appendages easier and allow for more privacy. It has since translated well to jewelers and shoe makers. It’s simple, he stretches the sock up to where he wants the shoes to go, and then the fabric remembers the form for Tonlen to work from later.

Thenerassan seems to be familiar with the fabric, however, and he sets to protest, “That fabric –

“Has many uses! It works well on remembering feet and leg measurements, so you won’t have to come back in multiple times for confirmation of measurements. I’ve worked with it for years now and I love it, clients love it too,” he reassures Thenerassan as he eases the stocking up his legs. Once properly placed, Tonlen activates the magic in the stocking. It glows briefly before dulling, cuing Tonlen it’s safe to remove.

He places Thenerassan’s stockings into a box that he quickly labels with his name, then moves onto Oisin. He slides the stocking up Oisin’s leg, adjusting it so that it is not too tight but also not too loose. The fabric can be persnickety with modeling, it requires particular touching which for some is uncomfortable. Even so, it is still less invasive than the multitude of measurements he’d have to take if he was doing this traditionally.

Tonlen adjusts the stocking to where Oisin wants the boot to end and he, in what could possibly be described as too forward or ill-advised, looks up. Oisin is watching him and Tonlen smiles. It’s not a business smile, not a “my pleasure to serve you!” smile, but a flirty smile. It’s quick and Tonlen comes to his senses so he looks away, rolling the stocking down when it’s ready then puts it into a box.

“Alright, next I need to observe how you walk. I create beauty, but this type of beauty should also serve a functional purpose of support. A dance can be completely thrown off if the shoes do not fit correctly or do not support properly.”

Thenerassan demonstrates for Tonlen first. His gait is elegant, but strong, indicating his fighting training. He moves with his robes beautifully, and he is balanced on his feet evenly. He has a low arch, and when he turns, he loads most of his weight onto his heel – a warrior’s move. Oisin however, frontloads his weight like a dancer might, but it’s untrained, to uneven to suggest Oisin is a dancer. His arches are higher so the bulk of the stress his feet bear are on the balls of his feet rather than his heel. Tonlen makes a note to bump the support heel to a full inch instead of the quarter of an inch before.

Tonlen takes all the notes down and circles areas on the shoe designs that are going to need some altering for comfort’s sake. He is very aware that beauty can be pain, but if he can manage something just as beautiful without pain – does that not make it more beautiful?

He jots the notes down onto the sketches. When the demonstrations are done, he grabs swatches of materials from the back to show them what the shoes will be made from. Once they seem pleased with the selection, it’s finalized.

“Now the least fun part – I require a fifty percent deposit for the work, then the remaining fifty percent upon reception of the commission. Thank you for choosing my business, I know there are many others you could have chosen, I’m honored to make these beautiful shoes for you.” Being gracious is important, otherwise, he risks offense to the customer. Papa was always clear on how to interact with the customers – make them feel good, happy, flatter them, don’t focus on numbers, but emotions, they are giving you money, yes, but presenting a servile nature is to your benefit. Customers like feeling in control, no matter their station.

They get the money sorted out, as well as a time frame for when Tonlen will complete the shoes. It should take three weeks. He has two other commissions, but both will be completed soon, then Tonlen can dedicate as much time as he needs to these commissions. If they had requested special enchantments, it would take longer, but they opted for basic comfort enchantments that Tonlen can accomplish in an afternoon.

Thenerassan and Oisin turn to leave the shop. Tonlen can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. And just before he leaves, Oisin turns and smiles back at Tonlen.

“I look forward to seeing how everything turns out,” he says.

“That makes two of us,” Tonlen replies. Oisin nods then follows Thenerassan out the door.

The next few weeks, Tonlen spends working on solely on commissions. Some of his prepared stock dwindles, but not enough to drag him from his beloved work. He travels to Arlathan once to consult his father on Thenerassan’s commission. It involves a lot of metalwork similar to jewelry, and he could use the help. While at his father’s, he creates gold buttons that will run up the back of Oisin’s boot. They’re etched with little flowers, each one unique. It’s a detail that won’t necessarily noticed by most, but it’s the details like these that make the shoes feel luxe.

And it’s good to visit his parents. They feed him and Memae fusses over him. Arlathan looks different, the colors surrounding the fashionable areas are different – less turquoise and more gold and amber for the season. There are trees of rich brown with leaves of gold lining the streets, the leaves that fall suddenly being suspended in an aura around them.

He visits the market and finds a gold silk scarf that remind him of Oisin’s hair. It is completely inappropriate for him to send a gift now, but…after the commission is completed, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Tonlen isn’t one to dilly on a decision such as this – Oisin is beautiful, radiant even. He isn’t even exactly proposing courtship, he would settle for friends or a muse relationship. Oisin would make an excellent muse. What he is unsure of is that this is entirely too early and out of place.

But the scarf is beautiful, and even if he decides to not send it to Oisin, he can wear it himself. So Tonlen purchases the scarf and doesn’t spend more time thinking about it than necessary. He can over-analyze later, right now, he has a commission to finish.

When Tonlen returns to Daran, there are fewer decorations, but he sees that the people smile more freely. The restrictions regarding status are more lax and the air isn’t quite so tense. It’s a beauty he hasn’t appreciated, didn’t know how to appreciate. Arlathan is a work of art, beauty is pain.

But if the same beauty can be achieved with less pain – does that not make it more beautiful?

The thoughts don’t sit well with him, and thankfully he has his work to distract him.

The shoes are finished in the next week, just meeting the end of the three-week deadline. Thenerassan and Oisin return when Tonlen sends word that he has completed the commission.

“Please sit, I will be happy to put them on you,” Tonlen says. He works on Thenerassan’s first. He shows him how to open the back of the long sandal with the right use of magic. The flexible metal opens up and he is able to slide his leg in.

“How is the fit?” Tonlen asks as the sandal closes around Thenerassan’s leg.

“Good, it doesn’t pinch,” he sounds slightly surprised at that. He rises from his seat and takes a few steps, turns on his heel, and flexes his feet.

“They are very comfortable, and I don’t see any place where you’ve sacrificed aesthetic.”

“You are very kind – that is always my goal. Form, function, and comfort. Please remain standing, I am going to inspect the fit to make sure that everything is in order.” He shifts to where Thenerassan is standing and looks at the places where fit tends to get difficult – by the toes and the heel. But everything seems to be right, the toes aren’t pinched and the metal lays flush against Thenerassan’s heel, but not digging in.

“Everything looks good, I do recommend breaking them in before any dancing, however. To reduce the likelihood of blisters, and to help with any pain from the blisters, you can use a basic crème you can get from any apothecary. I’ll write the name down for you. Alright, Oisin, time to fit your boots. These were an absolute delight to make. And as you can see, I added some gold buttons on the back, just for some sparkle. And if you look closely, I etched in floral designs into each one. Just an extra touch.”

“That was not part of the agreed bill,” Thenerassan says. Tonlen purses his lips.

“It will not raise the cost, I did this for the art. If you wish, you may consider it a gift.” He regrets the word as soon as it leaves his mouth. Oisin’s eyes widen, and Thenerassan is suddenly very close in Tonlen’s peripheral.

“As in a complimentary gift. I saw it would compliment the shoe, so I put it there. I can absorb the cost with ease thanks to other commissions. I mean no imposition,” he explains quickly. Thenerassan becomes no less looming and Oisin looks…flushed, but not dismissive.

“Of course not, I appreciate the thought, they really do add to the boot,” he says, holding his stockinged leg out for Tonlen to affix the boot. He takes the cue and puts the boots on, noting the lack of tightness or unpleasantness that can sometimes come with the first fit. But no, the boot is snug and will allow for some breaking in, but it should not be uncomfortable.

Oisin stands and steps in place, testing the fit. He is a natural in wearing boots, they compliment his form in such a sublime manner that it makes Tonlen’s hands itch to make more. The elf is made for fashion, and yet he is here in Daran and not Arlathan. Curious. His look is one that is prized in Arlathan, he could reach high station just on looks. But, the winds of fashion tend to change and those who reach heights with prettiness need more than just their looks to hold onto that station. Still, Oisin is beautiful, and only if Tonlen were without eyes could he not see such beauty.

He keeps his doe-eyed sighing internal, however, no need to make the father-hen more ruffled than he already is.

“Are they comfortable?” Tonlen asks.

“Very! And I imagine they will only become more comfortable after wearing them in. You are quite skilled.” Oisin’s smile is soft and Tonlen can guess as to why he is not in Arlathan. Softness means weakness, there are plenty of sharp people willing to take advantage of those who are given to kinder and softer things in life. Tonlen never understood the need to hurt or step on other people to get what you want – he achieved so many things he wanted, and he never had to hurt anyone. But, he did end up in Daran.

“You are too kind. If you will permit me, I’d like to make sure everything is right with you standing?” He asks and Oisin nods, going still and adjusting his robes properly for Tonlen to inspect the boots. A wonderful fit, just as he had hoped for and promised.

Tonlen stands back up and waits for them to take their shoes off and don the shoes they had entered with.

“I am honored to have made such lovely pieces for such lovely people. I hope you dance to happiness and comfort all night long,” he says, collecting the rest of the money. Thenerassan’s smile is tight, polite – a familiar forced type of smile.

“Your work is very good, even if –

“Your work is lovely, we’ll be sure to tell our friends,” Oisin finishes his father’s statement in a much different direction. Tonlen blinks back a blush and nods his gratitude.

“Thank you, my lords, you are exceptionally kind,” and forgiving.

He sees them out and clicks the door shut. He doubts he’ll get any more through traffic today, but he leaves the store open and returns to the back to continue working on his personal boots. They’re a gorgeous deep shade of purple that almost borders on black, and the heel is high enough to probably make him at least Oisin’s height.

Tonlen is not even an hour into his work when the wards at the front door ring. Apparently he was wrong on getting more traffic for the day. When he returns to the main shop, he finds Oisin there, standing slightly awkwardly, holding the bag with the box of boots. For a split moment, Tonlen worries that he does not like the boots after all.

“Welcome back, is there something I can help you with?” Tonlen asks, consciously keeping his worry from spilling out.

It takes Oisin a moment before he responds, “Were you lying when you said the buttons were just a complimentary gift or…” he trails off, but Tonlen gets his meaning. His smile turns into a grin.

“My dear Oisin, I assure you, if I were to give you a courting gift, you would know.”

Oisin blushes and glances at the floor but to his credit, he quickly looks up, eyes shining, “Oh good. I would hate to not notice.”

“Would you like me to send you courting gifts?” Tonlen asks, feeling exceptionally bold. Oisin blinks and blushes a bit more deeply.

“You don’t even know me,” Oisin says quickly.

“And what a shame that is.” Tonlen walks out from around the corner and strides slowly to Oisin, giving him time to move if he so chose.

Oisin swallows but does not move, “My father thinks you are terribly indecent and crass.”

“Well it’s a good thing that I’m not interested in your father,” Tonlen quips.

Oisin makes to respond but Tonlen raises a finger, “But I understand. I was terribly forward, and I should not have been. Your beauty took me off-guard. It is partially why I included some more…upgraded things in the shoes, to make up for that.”

“I do not mind,” Oisin says softly.

“But I do. Professionalism is very important in this business. So, I will ask – will you permit me to, after a reasonable amount of time has passed, to send you what can be considered a courting gift?”

Oisin’s blush remains but he looks more sure when nods, “Yes, I will permit it. I’ll even look forward to it.”

“Good. I look forward to sending it…and hearing of what I’m sure will be a happy response.”

“You’re very confident of that,” Oisin replies, quicker.

“Because I’m an excellent gift giver, and you are lovely and polite. The two make bliss.” He is aware he sounds cocky, but this is fun, and he hasn’t had this kind of fun in…well, he hasn’t had a partner since Lithadra and that was almost ten years ago. Perhaps he’s rusty, or maybe he’s just making up for lost time.

“You may have point. I’m afraid I am out of time of slipping away from my father. I look forward to hearing from you.”

“It has been a pleasure. Wear the shoes well!” Tonlen walks him to the door before Oisin turns back around, positioned so that he’s half out the door but leaning back in towards Tonlen.

“Are you going to the celebration? Perhaps I will see you there?”

“It is likely you will see me there.” It’s Tonlen’s turn to blush slightly at Oisin’s forwardness. But Oisin just smiles in response, his entire face lighting up so sweetly.

“Wonderful, I look forward to it.” He leaves the store to head back to Thenerassan but Tonlen’s smile and slight blush remains. What a delightful surprise. He can’t believe he’s not done this in so long, he’d practically forgotten how much fun it is!

He returns to the back, feeling light and better than he has in weeks. Perhaps the best since he’s moved to Daran. He’ll have some reason to send the scarf, after all. And poetry. Lots and lots of poetry.

#tonlen #oisin #thenvunin #tonlen x oisin #clusterfuck triplets au #fic #my writing #tonlen is a bit of a diva #'MILITARY BOOTS! THE HORROR! THE TRAGEDY!'#i took some liberties with stuff #thenvunin Does Not Approve At All

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lookatthedawn · 6 years

Text

While in Bangkok

Breakfast at the hotel is a very formal affair. The dining room is big and well decorated and there is a plentiful buffet. The headwaiter speaks good English and is quite solicitous, although a bit intimidating. He wants to make sure that everything runs smoothly and that's good, but I need a little more space. A table at the corner is occupied by a sour-looking French couple. At another table sits a group of Asian ladies who could be Thai or from another country nearby. They're noisy and demanding, but I'm grateful to them as they hijack the headwaiter's attention. My usual beverage of choice is tea, but I want to try the Thai coffee. I find it a lot like the Vietnamese; extremely strong and sweet. Also, very small. After it's gone, I'm still thirsty, so I have a big cup of tea. Many people in Thailand speak English, some quite well. On the way to the Grand Palace, I get directions from an Englishman with lovely blue eyes, then a couple of locals are happy to direct me to the train station. From the station, I take a tuk-tuk whose driver convinces me that the best way to see the city is by boat. He shows me the route on the map which covers a great part of what I want to see. He can't tell me the price of the boat tour but his own fare is quite low. I like the tuk-tuk as it offers an affordable way to see the city. As we arrive at the pier, I'm surprised that there's no line and no one waiting to go on a tour.

The tuk-tuk driver directs me to a woman sitting at a table, who will make a special price for me, which is two thousand Baht. I think I misheard, so I ask how much again. Two thousand Baht, she repeats. I tell her I don't have that kind of money and start to walk away. She lowers the fare to 1800, I tell her no, thank you. Sixteen hundred, she says, is her best offer. The driver is still around, trying to convince me as well, but I'm already on my way out. He offers to take me wherever I want to go, but I decline.

I want to see a Buddhist temple we passed by, but in Bangkok, you find Buddhist temples and Seven-Eleven stores in every corner. I stop at one of these temples for a bit of peace and quiet away from the heat. It is white with a red and gold roof decorated with precious stones in the front. Everything is clean, neat and peaceful. Dozens of statues of the Buddha sit behind glass windows facing a patio. At a table on the right side of the temple, two monks sit and talk. I greet them and they reply amiably but as I don't speak Thai and they speak precious little English, so we communicate with smiles and nods. I usually feel quite comfortable around Buddhist monks. Something about their lifestyle appeals to me. I have a thousand questions for these two, but for now, the language barrier means my questions will remain unanswered.

After a while, I exit the temple and take a taxi to the Grand Palace. In Bangkok, the taxis have the most wonderful shade of pink, something between magenta and fuschia, and drivers drive on the left side of the road. It's a busy Saturday afternoon and the area around the King's Palace is blocked. The driver, who speaks English with ease, makes light conversation. He asks where I am from and we talk about soccer a little bit, then he speaks of his country; he has a few complaints, mostly about the cost of living, but overall he is quite proud of his homeland and the new king. He drives me as close as he can to the Palace and I jump out. I see men and women dressed in black going toward the palace and feel inadequate in my jeans and red, sleeveless tunic. I think of the long-sleeved shirt in my bag, in case I have to change into something more somber. There is a narrow passage leading to the palace area where security is tight. They check my ID and my bag before letting me in. There are a few people, tourists like me, wearing regular clothes, but most visitors are in groups, wearing black and walking purposefully. The marine, the army, and the navy are massively represented. A sign at the palace's gate says that the King's Palace will close earlier, because of the death of the king. I bemoan my timing as I connect the dots of the sights around me; the people in black, the many official cars, the soldiers, the monks and all the signs praising the king. The mood is both festive and somber, as the tribute to a well-lived life. I don't know much about the king, but I suspect he was quite well liked.

I leave the area near the palace and find a pier with shops around. I'm looking for a fridge magnet from Thailand. On January, when my son Marcelo went to Europe, he had the bright idea of collecting magnets from every country visited. He proudly displays his collection on our fridge and I have decided to do the same. Thailand will be my first if I can find one. I walk around the shops and find shoes, hats, and t-shirts, but no magnets. On this pier, there is a line to get in the boats. The price for the boat tour is around six hundred. Four hundred and change before 4 p.m., but this is 4:10. It strikes me as odd that prices for the same tour -- even though the first was individual and this is in a group -- can go from 2K to 600 hundred Baht. I watch the long line of people getting into boats as I try to make up my mind whether to buy the ticket or not. In the meantime, I sit in the shade and rest, while watching the people and the breathtaking view of the city. I decide not to take the tour. I walk out of the pier and back in the streets. There's food for sale everywhere. Fruits, juices, smoothies. Small shops, doors that are no more than two meters wide, selling every kind of food and clothing. No magnets, though. I come to another pier, which looks like a well-kept plaza, pleasant and tourist-friendly. This is the third pier I visit and it offers quite a contrast to the other two. The first one was poorly maintained and smelled strongly of fish. The second and busiest catered to tourists but was disorganized and the staff was not very friendly. The pier where I now stand is elegant, with a restaurant overlooking the Chao Phraya River, big pots of flowers, and polite people. I imagine the price of the tour to be exceedingly high. When I ask, I think I misheard. "Forty Baht." "Excuse me? How much did you say?" The smiling clerk pushes a table with different prices. For the ride I want is, indeed, forty Baht. "The next one leaves in twenty minutes," he adds in clear English. I buy the ticket and wait for the boat to arrive. This is a hop-on-hop-off boat, for which you pay for the whole day or buy a one-way ticket like I did. The ride offers a chance to see much of Bangkok for little time and money. It is not only for tourists but a safe and pleasant type of transportation for Bangkokians commuting from work, school or just going out shopping. I try capturing the moment with my phone camera, but I can never catch the breeze, the sounds and smells as the boat glides over the Chao Phraya River. I'm aware that this is a singular moment, one I'll remember many times when I think of my time in Southeast Asia. Yes, I was there, I shall say, and it was worth it! I hop off at Yannawa and walk toward Silom. The streets are busy with traffic, vendors, and buyers. I wonder if other cities in the country are as busy as Bangkok or if the whole country conglomerates here. I make a mental note to research. That is what visiting a different country does; it ignites the mind and incites our curiosity. Who is the minority in this country? Who do they blame when things go wrong? Who is the scapegoat? What are their problems? What I see is a pretty homogenous people, going about their business boisterously but peacefully. I search my brain for news I might have heard from Thailand. Was there any terrorist attack on its soil? Earthquake? I find nothing. The place reminds me of movies with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, where a lot is happening right under the surface, but the regular man and woman don't have a clue about it. Is that the case here? "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera."

In Silom I enter Robinson Department Store, which is a chain of megastores, sometimes standing alone, other times in a shopping center. This one is in a shopping center, which includes a supermarket, cafes, clothing stores, etc. I spend much time in this mall, looking at products and prices, then sitting at a cafe to rest for a while.

I don't know what I thought about Bangkok, but I definitely didn't think it was so large, busy and well organized as it is. I see a fair number of tourists and Westerns living here. Something like 8 million people live in Bangkok. And yet, traffic flows without conflicts. Unlike Hanoi, drivers don't honk as much and the people are polite and helpful. I find quaint little shops in picturesque villages. Art galleries, cafes and restaurants look delightful in the late afternoon's glow. I stop at Mama Mia Bangkok, a busy diner on a side street where I'm served the richest vegetable soup I ever tasted. The restaurant has tables on both sides of the narrow street, which the waiters cross constantly while carrying trays with hot dishes and cold drinks. There are more tourists eating here than there are Thai customers. While waiting for my soup, I pull out my laptop. The humdrum in the background is perfect for writing. In the meantime, night falls over the city.

After searching in a number of stores I finally find magnets at a stand of a street vendor. It's the first one I see and it's dirt cheap. As soon as buy it, however, they appear everywhere. I explore the city on foot, amazed by Bangkok's modern and creative architecture. It's hot and humid, but there's a constant breeze that makes walking around a pleasure. At a bridge over the train station in Silon, a girl wearing a costume poses for a photo shoot. She's not the only one. In fact, the place seems to be quite popular with photographers. Most people on the streets are in their twenties, usually with a group of friends, having a good time. If they're in a group, they keep to themselves but if they're alone they politely greet me. There are many Westerns around, and most of them look like well-adapted residents, not tourists.

If you ever go to Bangkok, pay close attention to which airport you're arriving and departing. I arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, but I will be leaving from Don Mueang International. This airport is smaller and the staff is quite friendly. As I am flying first thing in the morning, I spend part of the night in the airport, and I'm far from the only one. There are people sleeping everywhere. At a busy charging station, I meet and befriend Carl, Kazild, Kevin, and Cynthia. Each of us is from a different part of the world, traveling to another, completely different place. At that airport, what unites us is that we need to charge our phones. Carl and Kazild are best friends originally from the Philippines but raised in Hawaii. They're on their way to Hanoi, Vietnam. Kevin is from Pennsylvania and he's flying back home, and Cynthia, who is from Argentina, has just arrived from Myanmar and is flying to Japan. All of them have been around and have interesting tales to tell. Just by looking into their eyes you can see a world of places and people, of which they're happy to share, though no narrative can fully bring to others the intensity of the experience itself. After talking of places, people and how to find the best lodgings, we settle on politics, and I find that, though our backgrounds are quite diverse, our views are similar. Soon it's time for Kevin to board his plane. One by one we go our own ways, but we promise to stay in touch. As I depart from them I wonder about their expectations and thoughts toward their destination. It took courage for each of them to embark on this adventure and I'm impressed -- and jealous -- of their experiences. I wish them all the best. My batteries are fully charged and it's time for me to go too. I stop at the exchange booth and turn baht into riel, then eat my last guava before heading to my gate. Goodbye, friends! Goodbye, Thailand!

#silon #travel #mountholyokecollege #Summer internship #thailand #Bangkok #donmueang #Survarnabhumi #baht #riel #mamamiabangkok #boattour #chaoprayariver #tuktuk #hoponhopoff #grandpalace #kingspalace

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what-even-is-thiss · 7 years

Text

I don’t have a favorite sanders side. Therefore, I have a lot of things to say about all of them. I gushed over Patton in a reblog to a post that was talking about how he’s under appreciated. @darude-sanderstorm asked if I could talk about the others too. My Patton bit was just copied and pasted from that post.

Patton/Morality

-He’s the reason Thomas is so gosh darn nice. Do you know just how accepting that man is? Patton makes him see the best in people, be excited over dogs, love everyone, and be the best person he can possibly be.

-He’s so proud of everyone. He is a proud dad. He’s proud of himself (the other sides and Thomas) he’s proud of Thomas’ friends. He’s proud of us. He’s just a great dad.

-The inner child and the dad. Who doesn’t love the innocent character? Endless source of misunderstandings.

-Way smarter than he appears on the surface. Able to compromise and notice things that the others don’t. He knows big words and also doesn’t know some simple ones. He knows what they need at times and just generally seems to embody most of Thomas’ emotional intelligence.

-His memory problems are so relatable. Like, seriously. Forgetting what your own apartment looks like? Yeah.

-Being the sense of morals can’t be easy. You have to find a balance. You have to make some tough decisions. You have to realize what questions are best left unanswered. There are no set rights or wrongs and Patton is the one that walks that line.

-Dad jokes are amazing and he is a walking cartoon character. Even more so than the others and all of them are cartoony.

-He knows how important all of them are. He knows he’s important and is really sad when he’s pushed aside and irritated when Anxiety is pushed aside. He seems to view the importance of each of them the most accurately.

-Off topic slightly, but have you seen the dad character in Thomas’ vines/shorts? Those are some of the best ones. They always make me smile.

-He knows how to distract and redirect a conversation. Absolute pro at distracting.

-He’s so genuine. You know when he’s sad, scared, or happy. Even when he’s distressed when he’s smiling he says so. You know what’s happening. There’s a lot to be said for a character that’s an open book like that. It’s not a sign of weakness.

-He has the ability to be serious when the situation demands it and he’s genuine with that too.

-If Anxiety and Roman cover Thomas’ self esteem issues and what self hate he has, Patton personifies his self love and that is so important. It’s really clear how much he loves the other sides and it’s shown through him just how much Thomas wants to accept all of himself. And he’s trying really hard to do that. I’m proud of him.

-He’s just really great and just as wonderful as the others. Being happy and relatively simple doesn’t make a character bad or uninteresting. He’s still just as important and wonderful as the others and deserves just as much appreciation.

Roman/Creativity

-Oh my gosh is he extra. Half the stuff he says is so dramatic I love it.

-Who doesn’t love an egotistical character? It’s funny and makes him flawed and interesting and causes some useful conflict.

-All the Disney, mythology, and pop culture references. I live for that kind of thing.

-He has such amazing phrases. Bitterly jittery and not very glittery. Gosh darn song dang. Great Odin’s eyepatch. He says a huge chunk of the things we all quote regularly from the videos.

-The best at insults. I cannot come up with insults that good.

-He’s probably what gets Thomas to do impressions, sing, perform, and come up with interesting and/or hilarious things for videos. Patton may be why Thomas started making vines but Princey probably comes up with most of the ideas.

-Thomas has so many cool hopes and dreams. Becoming a cartoon. Performing. Being in a Disney program. It’s amazing.

-I really like his name. I didn’t name myself after him, I’d like to make that clear, but he did influence my decision somewhat. Roman. I just love that name, even if it does cause confusion sometimes since I decided to call myself that.

-The way he moves and talks grabs your attention immediately. The way Thomas plays him, he’s really fascinating and entertaining to watch.

-Creativity is necessary for many basic everyday things. Getting to stuff you can’t reach, talking, etc.

-He’s representing Thomas’ struggle to love all of himself and get past some of the things society has engrained in him. I’m very proud of how far he’s come.

-Thomas says he represents his femininity, or what society would normally classify as that. Yes. Cis guys expressing their feminine side is a great thing and should be done more.

-He may be the ego and be a jerk sometimes but he means the best and he’s improving. And if he had less influence we wouldn’t have the Thomas we have. I love theatre people. Roman is great.

Virgil/Anxiety

-He’s a good guy sometimes yes, but he can also be the bad guy. Everybody loves a villain.

-He’s just trying to protect even though he doesn’t always go about it the right way.

-He’s really closed off even when he wants to be open. He’s uncomfortable feeling positive and can’t accept compliments. I’m like that too. He’s really relatable in that way. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing that he’s like that.

-He’s slowly accepted as a part of the group. He works his way in and is brought back when he ultimately decides to leave. The accepting of the character is slow and feels very believable.

-So done with everything. So edgy. I love that. Seriously.

-He has such a classical name. As a mythology/history nerd I seriously love it a lot.

-Seems to cover Thomas’ apathy, which is great. Slouching and barely trying. Making “your mom” jokes. Hissing. Endlessly entertaining.

-Notices the weird things Logan does. Probably because he’s filmed last and a lot of Logan’s lines are improved. “Is anybody going to acknowledge that he just dabbed?”

-He has an interesting character arc. He goes from being comfortable in his role to doubting to feeling a bit useful to feeling completely useless and eventually leaving to beginning the process of accepting his existence.

-He’s not trying hard sometimes but in his case that can be a good thing. He’s trying to protect Thomas and that is great. Even if he makes a lot of mistakes along the way.

-He just has a really entertaining personality. He’s so dark and determined to feel left out even when the others acknowledge that he added something good to the. Conversation.

-Actual proof that there’s a part of Thomas, however small, that is edgy and emo. He’s Thomas’ inner emo. Gotta love that.

-The emo villain character has only been in two shorts but I really liked them. He was so confused when the prince character wanted to be put to sleep and was so reluctant to give up the rabbit. It’s amazing, honestly.

-He’s just super relatable, entertaining, interesting, and occasionally evil. Really great and interesting.

Logan/Logic

-He info dumps like crazy. I also do that. Exposition dump characters are really important.

-He’s got some malapropisms and those never get old, honestly.

-Random facts galore.

-Does not understand emotions fully and often times is held back by them. Is practical and objective to a fault and doesn’t always take feelings into account. Going so far as accidentally calling the others unimportant when he was trying to say he loved them.

-I like the way he talks. He talks fast and even stutters sometimes and yet is really interesting to understand. Like any good teacher he is very good at simplifying difficult concepts and making them easier to digest.

-I’d like to have him as a science professor, tbh. He likes dogs and makes things easy to understand. Plus his temper could get interesting.

-He gets into conflicts with all of the others but doesn’t seem to hate any of them. His frustration is usually directed at the situation.

-He’s on his way to realizing that he’s not necessarily the most important. I feel like sometime soon he’s going to gain a bit of humility and that is an awesome thing to look forward to.

-He’s really learning more lately how important Patton is. He’s learning to accept being wrong and he’s doing so much better. Character development, people. Love it.

-He’s serious all the time and sometimes he’s really not serious and he flat-out denies it. Just admit you make teacher jokes. Admit it!

-He studies so hard and still doesn’t understand slang words. Characters that don’t understand slang words. Endless source of comedy.

-Some great lines. Teacher jokes. Unintentional dad jokes. E=MC scared. Tomato. He is such a nerd and I love that.

-He’s such a huge nerd and is the friendly local exposition dump character. A great teacher and he’s so proud of himself when he learns new things. Did you see his face when Thomas learned things at the end of negative thinking? He’s a great proud teacher. He’s got a character arc going on even if it’s not obvious or it’s slow.

Okay I think I’ve talked enough. I could say more about all these guys. They all have really great things about them and I truly don’t have a favorite. I’m so fond of all of them in such different ways. Thomas made such amazing characters. I love them so much, you guys. Seriously.

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #morality sanders #patton sanders #prince sanders #roman sanders #logic sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #anxiety sanders #roman said a thing

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finn-nelson-for-the-win · 7 years

Text

Changing Priority-Chapter 12

Hey there! How’s it going, everyone? I’m back with my next chapter after less than a week and I’m feeling pretty proud of myself…this chapter picks up almost exactly where the previous chapter left off, so if you’d like a refresher on what went down in the prior chapter or the 10 chapters before that, look no further!

There’ll be a couple more Author’s Notes at the very end, if you’re willing to read that far, but without further ado, let’s get on with it, yeah?

With a Little Help from My Friends- Part 2

“I warned you, Abbie! I said ‘my hair is purple’ and you didn’t believe me…” Rae said with a chuckle as she pulled her awestruck mate into a tight hug.

“I guess I just didn’t realize HOW purple it was going to be! I like it though. It looks really good on you!” Abigail returned the hug and lightly picked up one of Rae’s curls to examine it further.

“Well thank you! I rather like it too!” Rae jokingly flipped her hair and chuckled as her and Abigail approached Abigail’s car where she had parked it in front of Rae’s apartment building.

“So…what’s life been like for Abbie this the last semester while you’ve been attending Uni on the other side of the country?”

Abigail told Rae stories about some of the fun nights out with friends she had this past semester and all of the boy drama she had dealt with in recent months while the two girls drove to the restaurant Abigail wanted to try for lunch that day.

When they pulled up to a quiet little Italian restaurant a short distance from Rae’s apartment and parked, Abigail was concluding telling Rae about everything that had happened in her life since the last time they had seen each other in-person.

“So…how are things going in the life of Rae?” Abigail asked as she and Rae perused the menus after being seated at a small table off to one side of the restaurant.

“Surprisingly good, especially as of lately! I’ll give you the whole run-down later today if you want me to, but let’s cut to the chase because I’m sure Finn is bound to come up in conversation at some point…so I’ll lead with that, if that’s alright with you?” Rae asked casually when she looked up from the menu in her hands to meet Abigail’s eyes with a friendly smile.

“Oh! You know me too well, Rae! I’ve been dying to know what’s been happening between you two since you texted Chloe and I in the group chat a while back!”

“I figured as much,” Rae began with a chuckle before continuing, “So picking right where we left off after I texted you and Chlo for advice on my boy troubles…”

Rae proceeded to tell Abigail about every new development between her and Finn in recent months including the confusion Hannah and “Alphonzo” added to the mix, Finn leaving for two weeks and missing Rae, and their new and much more flirty dynamic that has taken shape in the last couple weeks leading up to the last time they worked together.

“Oh my god, Rae! That’s great! I’m so happy for you. Have you made any attempts to ask him out yet?” Abigail asked as she served herself a slice of the Margarita pizza that she and Rae had ordered to split which their waiter had brought out to their table at some point during Rae’s stories about what had been happening between her and Finn lately.

“Well, not exactly, no. Unless you count our rain check to visit my garden..?” Rae replied, nervously tearing pieces off of her own slice of pizza to avoid making eye contact with her friend across the table.

“Hmm, I’m not going to count that as a date unless it turns out to be more than just a casual tour of your garden when it actually happens…Why don’t you just text him and see if he wants to hang out or grab food or coffee or something?”

“Well I would, really…but…I don’t exactly have his phone number…”

“Rae! Are you serious? Why not!?” Abigail asked, nearly choking on the bite of pizza she had just taken.

“I just haven’t found the right opportunity to ask for it…we aren’t allowed to have our phones out at work and I seldom see him outside the confines of work…it’s not as easy as it seems!” Rae exclaimed defensively.

“Well do you have him on any social media sites or anything?”

“Uhh…nope…” Rae emphasized the pop of the “p” at the end of the word before she began nervously biting her lip, unsure of what her friend’s reaction would be.

“Seriously? Oi…Rae…Wait! I have an idea. What’s his first and last name?” Abigail grabbed Rae’s her cell phone from where it sat on the table with a suspiciously excited smile on her face.

“Finn Nelson…wait…why do you need to know his name?” Rae already had a sinking suspicion about what her friend might be doing, but she asked anyways, hoping that her assumption was wrong.

Abigail did not respond to Rae immediately, typing and scrolling rapidly on the phone in silence until she seemed to find what she was looking for.

“Is this him?” Abigail asked, handing Rae her cell phone back.

Before Rae even looked at her phone and saw the Instagram profile Abigail had found by searching Finn’s name Rae instantly knew that what she found would most likely be Finn’s Instagram account.

“Yup…that’s him…” Rae mumbled as he set her phone down on the table, refusing to look further into Finn’s Instagram profile

Abigail on the other hand, quickly grabbed Rae’s phone again and began scrolling and commenting aloud on the various things she saw.

“Wow, his username is ‘finnnelson_’…that’s not creative at all! Oh…oh my, are those his tattoos…holy shit, he is in a band…wait a second…that cupcake looks delicious…Okay, it’s settled, Rae.”

“What is, Abbie?”

“This boy uses emojis and his Instagram page is amazing…you need to marry this boy immediately.” Abigail said matter of factly as she reached for her glass of water on the table to take a drink.

“Okay, Abbie…because that totally makes sense and is grounds for marriage…” Rae snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes, not at all surprised that her mate would say something along those lines.

“Can I follow him on Instagram for you? Pretty please?” Abigail asked, hovering her thumb over the button on Rae’s phone that would allow her to follow Finn’s account if pressed.

“No! Absolutely not, Abbie! He’ll probably think I’m some creepy stalker who found him on Instagram by searching for his name or something…”

“But you did find him on Instagram by searching for his name…? Well, technically, I did…but still…what’s so wrong with that?”

“I don’t know…it just feels really weird and creepy to me. Like if we had mutual followers or something like that, it might seem less random, but I’d find it creepy if I were him if one of my coworkers found and followed me on Instagram out of nowhere!”

“Okay, a couple things to point out Rae: it’s not out of nowhere, you two have been flirting like crazy for months now…also, you can’t just wait for him to follow you first and make the first move. Based on what you’ve told me about him, he’s a pretty reserved guy and he most likely doesn’t want to seem too forward by following you on Instagram first!”

Rae shrugged, legitimately considering what her friend was telling her but not knowing how to respond just yet.

“Listen Rae, I don’t want to force you to follow him or get his number or make the first move if you don’t feel ready or comfortable with it yet, but at least promise that you will consider it or at least try to drop subtle hints to steer the topic of conversation toward getting in touch with him on social media or getting his phone number. Can you do that?”

“Well, I can’t make any guarantees, but yes…I promise that I will consider it and try to get his number or Snapchat or follow him on Instagram or something.”

Rae and Abigail had finished eating lunch and were idly walking along the street lined with a variety of other restaurants, shops, and street performers playing guitar and attracting the attention of patrons passing by.

“Rae…I love this city. Don’t get me wrong, I love the university I attend, but I can definitely see why you and so many others would enjoy living and attending Uni here…”

With no concrete plans for the rest of their day, Rae and Abigail continued walking along the street and looking at the displays in the shop windows they passed when one shop caught Rae’s attention and cause her to fall behind and stop in front of the shop.

“Do you want to go in there, Rae?” Abigail asked as she turned back and walked to stand next to where Rae stood in front of a piercing shop they had recently passed.

“Uh, yeah, if that’s alright with you. There was a piercing I was wanting to get soon and I suppose today is as good of a time as any!” Rae said with a smile as she reached to open the door to the shop.

Abigail happily agreed and the pair walked into the piercing shop and was hit with the distinct smell of antiseptic that was jarring initially but offered reassurance as to the cleanliness of this piecing shop.

Since it was at an odd hour of the early afternoon on a Tuesday, the shop was not at all busy and as quickly as Rae had decided that today was the day she wanted to get her septum pierced she had chosen the jewelry, filled out the necessary paperwork, and had the piercing done.

“Holy fucking shit…I love it!” Rae exclaimed as he examined her face in the mirror only moments after the man who had done her piercing secured the jewelry she selected into place.

Abigail walked up to get a closer look at the white gold hoop with an single light blue jewel in the center that now adorned Rae’s septum and the matching white gold and light blue stud that Rae had put into the piercing on her left nostril.

“It looks so cute, Rae! I’m so happy that you like it!”

When Rae and Abigail walked up to the jewelry display case where her piercer stood—preparing a small bag with the necessary after care instructions and the products necessary to cleanse the piercing during the healing process—Rae reached into her purse to get out her money to pay for the piercing and jewelry but was stopped by Abigail.

“Don’t worry about it Rae, I’ll pay for it! Just think of it as your belated Christmas present from me, yeah?”

Not long after that, Abigail drove Rae back to her apartment and they sat in Abigail’s car where it was parked as they said their goodbyes to one another.

“I’m so glad we got to hang out, Rae! It’s been hard not seeing you on a regular basis since we go to school so far away from each other, but I’m glad that we have still remained fairly close.”

“Me too, Abbie! Uni just isn’t the same without you here, but I’m glad that you’re doing what you enjoy and have the opportunity to study what you want to study.”

“I think the Uni lifestyle suits you, Rae,” Abigail stopped for a moment when Rae chuckled lightly under her breath before continuing, “I’m serious, Rae! You look good, you seem more confident and relaxed than I’ve seen you in a long time and you seem…happy. Like actually, truly happy. It’s a really good look for you, Rae, so whatever you’re doing or whoever is the cause for this new, happy Rae…I’m glad you found it.”

“You’re actually the second person today to point out that I seem happier than usual and I think you guys may be on to something. I don’t wanna jinx myself or speak too soon, but I do feel like I might possibly be on my way to being truly happy for the first time in nearly six years. It’s kind of terrifying, in a way, but it also feels fantastic.”

Rae got out of Abigail’s car and waited outside the metal gate leading to her apartment, waving goodbye as her friend drove away, before opening the gate and climbing the steps to her apartment.

Rae: I have a surprise for you the next time I see you, Izz! ;)

Izzie: Oh, is that so? (^.^) I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, Rae! Are you free to hang out this week? Thursday, perhaps?

Rae: I work in the early afternoon, but we can definitely hang out once I’m off work. What do you have in mind?

Izzie: Oh, nothing too crazy. Just video games, movies, the usual…is that alright with you, Rae?

Rae: Yeah, of course! That sounds great, Izz. I’m really looking forward to it! :D

Rae grabbed the makeup compact that was sitting on her counter and used the small mirror to get another close look at the new pieces of jewelry that seemed to be commanding attention from where they were placed on her nose.

Why did I wait so long to get my septum pierced!?! This is such an adorable piercing!

Although Rae was still trying to become accustomed to the new piercing, every time Rae happened to catch sight of her reflection, she could not help the smile that would spread across her face.

It’s official, I’m obsessed…

***

Rae was working two separate shifts on Wednesday with a two hour gap between them, and as she walked into work at 8am with her hot chai latte in-hand, she could not wait to show some of her coworkers her latest piercing.

As she sat at her desk between Archie and Hannah, Rae decided to wait for someone to mention her new piercing instead of bringing it up in conversation. They had been working in near silence for almost an hour, when Archie cleared his throat as he turned toward Rae to ask a question.

“Hey Rae, can you take a look at this customer’s questio—OH MY GOD! When did you get that piercing and how am I barely noticing it now?” Archie exclaimed as he brought his face closer to examine Rae’s septum piercing up-close.

“I got it done yesterday and I was trying to keep quiet about it until someone else brought it up, so thanks for that!” Rae replied with a chuckle.

“It looks so cute, Rae! I wish I could pull off that piercing as well as you do…” Hannah said when she looked over at Rae to determine what Archie’s attention was now focused on.

“I think a septum piercing would look good on you too, Hannah.” Rae replied with a smile.

“Definitely not as good as it looks on you. If I had a septum piercing I feel like I would need to do my makeup and dress nice every day to make the piercing look nice…but you’re already so pretty…it’s like you don’t even have to try to look nice, it’s just effortless for you. I find it kind of annoying, honestly, but I think that’s just my jealousy getting the best of me.” Hannah blushed slightly and looked away after saying this while Rae’s eyebrows remained raised in surprise.

Hannah is jealous…of me? Why the fuck would she be jealous of me?

And what does she mean that looking nice comes naturally to me? She couldn’t be further from the truth even if she tried.

“Wow, thank you, Hannah. That’s really sweet of you. I think you’re naturally pretty as well and you wouldn’t have to put in any extra effort to look nice if you wanted to get this piercing too, so I’d go for it if I were you.”

“Maybe I will…hopefully it’ll look half as good on me as it does on you, Rae!”

Rae was still blushing from the flattery Hannah had been giving her when Archie rejoined the conversation after getting help from someone else while Rae was preoccupied with talking to Hannah.

“I agree with Hannah, the piercing looks really good on you, Rae! Did it hurt?”

“Oddly enough, no, it didn’t really hurt. I was mentally prepared for it to hurt a bit, but I’ve decided that this piercing was the least painful one I’ve gotten thus far!”

“Wow, that’s great, Rae! I’m glad that you seem to really like it because I think that this piercing suits you well.” Archie added.

The small machine on the wall chimed when the time changed to 10am, which signaled the end of Rae’s first shift of the day.

“Hey stranger…” Rae said as she walked past Finn who was rushing through the door to get badged in before he would be considered late for work.

“Rae!” He called back in return, but Rae was already out the door and he was unsure if she had even heard him or not.

Rae had a couple hours to kill before her second shift that began at noon, so she walked to her Uni campus and decided that today was a good day to check on her plants inside the Secret Garden.

After removing all the grass and weeds that were beginning to sprout within her garden and watering her garden, Rae sat down at the stone table off to one side of the secret garden to browse social media until it was time for her to walk back to work for her next shift.

Rae opened up snapchat and began playing with the various Snapchat filters and taking in her appearance today. As usual, Rae had chosen not to put on makeup and while most days her attention would be drawn to every blemish and imperfection on her face, today Rae was surprised to see only the positive things.

After taking an unreasonable amount of Snapchat selfies and sending them to some of her mates who would not be seeing her in-person anytime soon, Rae decided to start walking back to work, even if that meant being a little bit early to her shift.

As soon as Rae walked back into the office building her boss, John, saw her as he walked out the door toward the break room.

��Wow, back already, Rachel? You just couldn’t stay away, could you?” John asked with a laugh as he held open the door for Rae before walking briskly to the vending machine to purchase what was indubitably his third or fourth energy drink of the day.

I have no clue how that man can drink that much caffeine and not be dead or glowing crazy colors from all the chemicals!

Rae was not interested in sitting down at a desk and getting logged into her computer—since she was well over twenty minutes early to her shift—but she noticed Rebecca sitting on the opposite side of the office and she made her way over to chat with her friend for a bit.

“Hello, my darling!” Rae said in a poor imitation of a Russian accent that she frequently used with Rebecca as part of an inside joke they shared.

Rebecca, who had evidently not seen Rae approach and did not register that her friend was giving her a hug from behind until she heard Rae’s signature greeting, jumped and shrieked in surprise.

“Oh my god, Rae! You scared me! You can’t just sneak up on me like that…I’m fragile!” Rebecca exclaimed, still slightly breathless and turned around in her desk chair to face Rae with one hand positioned over her heart from the initial shock she experienced.

“I’m so sorry, Rebecca!” Rae was laughing slightly, since it was often Rebecca who would sneak up on Rae by hugging her from behind when she least expected it, but she composed herself and continued, “I could have sworn you looked over at me and saw me before I even walked up behind your chair, so I didn’t think I would scare you!”

Rebecca was laughing now too but she opened her arms wide, inviting Rae forward to give her a proper hug.

“What are you doing here? Are you on break right now?” Rebecca asked.

“My shift starts at noon, I just got here super early and wanted to talk to you for a bit! I also wanted to show you my latest piercing…” Rae trailed off and tapped the tip of her nose twice with her index finger to give Rebecca a hint as she scoured Rae’s face to locate the new piercing she was referring to.

“Rae! That is so cute on you! I love it! I swear, I never knew how good piercings could look on a person and then you just casually get all these different piercings and make them look great!”

“Oh, you’re too kind, Rebecca!” Rae replied, giving her friend a wink as she shrugged off the compliment.

Rae and Rebecca kept talking and they made plans to get dinner after Rae got off work later that evening to continued catching up on how they spent the holidays, but Rebecca’s attention kept being pulled away from their conversation.

“Why do you keep looking over to the other side of the building?” Rae asked, trying to determine what could be catching her mate’s attention.

“There’s a guy over there that keeps looking over here. I though he was just looking around idly out of boredom, but he always ends up looking over here at us talking…Wait! That isn’t what’s-his-name that is in love with you and has been flirting with you for months, is it?” Rebecca nodded her head to the side of the office that Rae worked in, gesturing towards the person she had noticed looking over at them off and on for nearly five minutes.

“Uh, yeah…that’s ‘what’s-his-name’ otherwise known as Finn…I don’t know why he’d be staring at us though…” Rae trailed off but smirked when she met Finn’s stare and his eyes widened suddenly before he turned away to direct his attention back to his computer screen.

“Well, I suppose you can always go ask!”

“Perhaps I will. I really should be getting to work soon anyways…It was really nice to chat for a bit today before my shift, Rebecca, and I’ll text you when I’m off work and then we can get dinner, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course, Rae! I’ll go over there and say goodbye to you when my shift ends in a couple hours, okay?”

Rae nodded her agreement and waved goodbye to Rebecca before walking to her respective side of the office and taking a seat at the nearest open desk.

“Rae! I didn’t know you were going to be back today. I tried to say ‘hi’ to you when I first got here at 10, but I was running late and you were leaving and I have no clue if you actually heard me or not…so yeah, hi, girl!”

“Hiya, Finn! I heard you and figured you were in a rush, but since I knew I was coming back for a second shift today, I decided that I could just talk to you a bit later.” Rae replied with a smile, which caused the fluorescent lights of the office building to glint off the small jewel on her septum piercing enough to draw Finn’s attention.

“Well, that’s new, isn’t it girl?” Finn added with a smirk as he leaned forward and rested his head on one hand while examining her latest piercing.

“Yeah! I finally made the leap and decided to get my septum pierced yesterday! I have to admit, I’m really loving it so far, so thank you for being one of the people who helped me decide to get it done once and for all.”

“You are very welcome! I was so right, by the way…you look really good with this piercing!” Finn added with a cheeky smile.

“Thank you, but you never said that…at least not to me…”

“Well no, but I thought it…and I was completely right…it looks really good on you! Can I..?” Finn asked, hovering a finger near the piercing and requesting permission, which Rae immediately granted.

His fingers were slightly rough and calloused from what Rae assumed to be years of playing the bass but as he brushed his fingertip over the jewelry of this piercing and used his hand to turn her head side-to-side slightly to see the piercing from different angles, he did so with a gentleness that Rae was not expecting Finn to possess.

“Did it hurt?” Finn breathed against Rae’s left cheek as he sat leaning forward in his chair, still examining her new piercing, with this face only inches from hers.

“Uh…what? Er, I mean, not really…it was probably the least painful of my now nine piercings that I have, honestly,” Rae replied, still in somewhat of a daze from the intimacy and tenderness of Finn’s examination of her septum piercing.

“That’s good to hear, girl…Wait, did you say you have nine piercings…where are they all?” Finn quirked an eyebrow up as he briefly looked Rae over, suggesting that some of her piercings maybe not be in a place that is easily seen.

“Now, now Finnley! Let’s not get carried away…Yes, I have nine piercings: three on each earlobe, my right helix, my left nostril, and now my septum. That makes nine, it just sounds like a lot more at first,” Rae replied, using her index finger to point out each piercing as she mentioned it to make sure that Finn was following along.

“Ah, I see. Well either way, it looks really good on you and I hope you like this piercing as much as you hoped you would. I think it’s…you’re…beautiful,” Finn breathed the last word so quietly that Rae couldn’t determine if she had correctly heard him or not.

Did Finn just call me beautiful? He was talking about how much he like the piercing, but I could’ve sworn…maybe not?

But what if he did…?

Rae and Finn kept chatting as they worked and Finn mentioned how much he like her piecing and how good it looked on her on numerous occasions, causing her to blush every time.

When Rae was nearly two hours into her shift, she saw Rebecca walk past and hold up one finger, signaling for Rae to wait for her to come talk to her in a moment. As soon as the small machine on the wall chimed signaling the new hour, Rebecca scanned her badge and quickly walked over to talk to Rae.

Rae waved at Rebecca as she saw her approach, but Rebecca stopped a short distance from Rae’s desk, her jaw hanging open slightly in shock for a brief moment before a wide and cheeky grin spread across her face.

“You have got to be kidding me, Rae! Seriously? You guys are so fucking adorable,” Rebecca paused briefly as she took in Rae’s look of confusion, “wait, you don’t know what I’m referring to, do you?”

Rae shook her head and before Rebecca could elaborate, Finn cleared his throat and chuckled before speaking.

“We match today. Like our clothing? Our outfits match almost entirely, girl…”

Rae looked at Rebecca, who nodded to confirm that what Finn said was true, and then looked down at her own outfit for the day.

Dark blue-green flannel over a fitted gray band tee, dark denim skinny jeans, and black high-tops…okay…and Finn is wearing..?

A fitted gray t-shirt with a dark greenish-blue flannel over it, dark blue jeans, and black converse sneakers…well, fuck…we DO match!

“Wow, I guess you’re right! Great minds think alike, I suppose!”

Finn was smirking uncontrollably as he logged out of his computer and stood from his chair before turning to face Rae.

“I feel honored to be dressed similarly to someone like you, however I must say, you make the outfit look so much better than I could ever hope to…I’ll see you later, yeah? Have a nice day, girl!” Finn replied, glancing down at her cleavage that was visible from the scoop neck of her gray top for longer than justifiable, before shooting Rae a wink and giving Rebecca a friendly smile as he walked past them to scan his badge at the machine on the wall and leave the building.

“Well, that Finn boy sure is good at subtlety…not! Is it always like this or is that palpable sexual tension and overt flirting a newer development?” Rebecca asked while trying to contain a laugh after seeing the flushed look on Rae’s face.

“Uhm…it’s fairly new, I suppose…I’ll tell you more about it at dinner today, okay? I need to get back to work again, but I’ll see you in a few hours, yeah?”

“Of course, darling!” Rebecca gave Rae a tight hug and waved goodbye as she walked out the door and Rae attempted to refocus her attention back to her work, which proved to be much more difficult for Rae than anticipated.

***

Rae rolled over in her bed Thursday morning, taking her time to allow her eyes to adjust, and glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table.

5:24 AM? Are you shitting me? Why am I awake at this ungodly hour when I could be doing literally anything, namely sleeping?!

Despite her best efforts to fall back to sleep until her alarm clock was set to wake her up at 8:30am, Rae quickly realized that she was officially awake and would be staying awake, so she might as well make use of the extra time she has to get things done before going to work at noon.

Rae did laundry, washed the few dishes that she had left in her sink to be washed at a later time, and showered and it was barely approaching 9AM.

Rae: Good morning, Izzie! I think I’m gonna head out to run some errands before work today, are there any snacks you’d like me to pick up for our movie night tonight? Just let me know!

Rae took her time getting dressed and she even decided to spend some time putting on makeup as she waited for Izzie to respond before she left her apartment.

Izzie: Hiya, Rae! You can bring whatever you want to. I’ll eat pretty much anything, in terms of snacks, so just whatever you like! :)

Rae: Ok, cool! I’ll see you later today!

Rae left her apartment and decided to grab coffee from the café across the street from her work, since it was in the same direction that she was already heading. She walked into the café and was initially surprised to see that the line to place an order was nearly out the door, but then she realized that this was the first time she had ever gone to this café later than 8AM.

Rae waited for nearly twenty minutes for her turn to place her order at the counter, but she was still in no hurry and welcomed the warmth and fresh coffee scent that she always found endearing about this café.

“Good morning, Rae! What can I get for you today, sweetheart? One of the usual drinks or are you willing to be a little adventurous today?” The same barista who had taken her order every time she came here stood behind the counter, giving Rae a wide grin as she walked up to the counter.

“Hey there! I suppose I’m a little predictable, huh? I’ll take a large hot hazelnut latte…with soy milk, as usual, please!” Rae replied, giving him a friendly smile.

“Of course! Your drink will be ready in a few minutes at the other counter, if you just want to wait down there.”

Rae began to reach into her purse to pull out her credit card to pay for her drink, but the barista quickly stopped her.

“Don’t worry about it, Rae. I’ve seen you in here often enough and you always tip generously and are so polite and courteous to me and all the other workers here when you come in. It would be my pleasure to pay for your drink today, in fact, I’d be terribly offended if you didn’t allow me to…”

“Really, are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble or anything. It’s really not a big deal, I don’t mind paying, honestly.”

“I’m very sure, Rae. But if you really feel that bad about me paying for your drink, come down to the other counter and we can chat a bit while I make your drink? It’d be more than enough to repay the favor…”

Rae smirked and agreed, walking away from the counter allowing the next customer to place their order and toward the other end of the counter where the barista stood scribbling on what she presumed to be her cup.

“So…you’re here quite a bit later than I’ve come to expect you. I was honestly beginning to get a little worried about when the next time you’d come in while I was working would be, but alas, here you are!”

“Here I am!”

“You haven’t been cheating on me with some other coffee shop, have you? Because no matter what they try to tell you, they will never put the same kind of care and attention to detail in your drinks that I do.”

“No, my work schedule just changed with the New Year and it has been super crazy lately. And yes, I know how difficult it must be to make a basic latte with soy milk or a chai latte with soy milk, but what can I say? I am a girl with very complex, sophisticated tastes!”

“Are you mocking me? I’ll have you know that I don’t let any other barista lay a finger on your drink when you come in for fear that they might screw it up. I refuse to serve anything but the best to my favorite customer, Rae!”

“Well, I greatly appreciate that…”

“No problem. Sorry for the long line today, Rae, you caught us at a particularly busy time.”

“No need to apologize, I’m in no hurry today!”

“Well, either way, if it’s ever super busy like this again and you see me working, come down to this counter and get my attention and I can get your drink started for you without you having to wait in such a crazy long line.”

“I couldn’t, but thank you, that’s very kind of you to offer.”

“I can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to, of course, but just know that the offer still stand should you ever want to take me up on it.”

“Thank you, I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

The barista handed Rae her drink carefully, ensuring that she gripped the cup by the protective sleeve to avoid burning herself on the heat permeating through the disposable take-away cup.

“It was really nice talking to you a bit more today, Rae! I hope you enjoy your drink and I look forward to seeing you around here really soon, hopefully!”

“Likewise…well, this is terribly awkward…I just realized that I don’t know your name…”

“Oh, right. I suppose we’ve never been properly introduced, I just learned your name from taking your order all the time,” the barista blushed slightly before reaching out a hand to Rae and grinning, “my name is Eric. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”

Rae chuckled and shook his hand with her free hand before waving goodbye to him as she walked out the door of the café.

It was abnormally warm for late morning in January, so Rae stopped at one of the tables outside the café to remove her red flannel shirt and tie it around her waist, exposing the low-cut white top she was wearing underneath. Once situated, Rae pressed play on the Spotify playlist she had paused on her phone and put her earbuds into her ears, blocking out the sounds around her with Oasis’s Wonderwall, which happened to be the first song that came up with the playlist on shuffle.

Rae took a slow sip of her latte, which had cooled significantly while she was chatting with Eric the Barista after he finished making her drink. As she lowered the cup from her mouth, the writing on the side of the cup caught her attention and she turned the cup slightly to get a better look at what it said.

As always, her name was written in the rushed script that bordered on sloppy that she had come to associate with Eric the Barista when he would write her name on her cup; however, this time there was a small heart drawn next to her name.

Slightly below her name she saw additional writing, but the protective sleeve was obstructing what that said. She carefully eased the sleeve down the cup enough to read what else was written as she proceeded walking down the street, toward her initial destination, and gasped quietly when she read what else Eric the Barista had written on her cup today:

Seeing you is always the highlight of my shift!

~Eric

P.S. You look very beautiful today, BTW ;)

***

By the time Rae had walked to the closest grocery store and bought a few different snacks to bring with her to Izzie’s apartment when she went over after she got off work that afternoon, Rae had just enough time to walk to work before her shift began at noon.

Rae sat at a table in the break room at work—waiting a little while longer before actually going inside the main part of the office and getting to work—sipping the last her now tepid latte and trying to avoid reading the short note left on the side of her cup by Eric the Barista which would cause her to blush and become flustered all over again.

“Hey there, Rae! I haven’t seen you in a while, how have you been?” Andrew said ass he pulled out a chair from the table where Rae sat and took a seat next to her.

Andrew had been one of the first people she met when she initially interviewed for this job and they often used to sit beside each other when they began working here; however, after Rae switched departments she rarely saw Andrew except for when Rae would go over to chat with Rebecca on her breaks.

“I’ve been pretty good, Andrew, thank you. And yourself?” Rae replied, slightly off-guard by seeing Andrew at work today.

“Not too bad. I’ve noticed that with the new schedules, I don’t see you come around to chat with Rebecca as often. I know she really looks forward to seeing you and giving you hugs, and she always brings you up in conversation, so seeing her miss you is making me miss seeing you around a bit as well”

“Really? That’s really sweet. My new schedule is pretty crazy, but I can assure both of you that I will try to stop by and say ‘hi’ whenever I can, okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good to me. Oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a really long time, but I suppose I never found the right chance, but I really like the way your hair looks like that. Purple suits you and your personality really well, I think.”

“Well thank you!”

“You’re welcome. I hope this isn’t crossing any lines as your sort of coworker, but you look very pretty today. I don’t know what you’re doing later today, but if you’re free, maybe we could…hang out or something…?”

Wow…is today secretly “complement Rae endlessly day”? This is so crazy…Had this conversation happened three months ago, I would have been dying from excitement because the guy I liked just asked to hang out with me outside of work, but do I even still see Andrew in that way anymore? I’m not so sure that I do…

“Wow, thank you, Andrew. I’m incredibly flattered, really I am, but I actually have plans with my mate Izzie tonight…so, sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize, my offer still stands, so maybe we can hang out together another day?”

“Yeah, maybe. I need to get to work now, but it was nice chatting with you for a bit. Have a nice day, Andrew!”

“You too, Rae!”

Rae walked through the break room door that led into the main office building and scanned her badge at the machine on the wall when she heard someone calling her name from the farthest row of desks on the side of the building she worked in. She turned around, walking toward Finn who she immediately realized was the one who had called her name as he sat at his desk waving his hand to beckon her towards him.

“Hi there, Finn…you certainly seem excited to see me today!”

“Of course I’m excited to see you. I’m always happier when I get to see you, girl,” Finn gave Rae a genuine smile as he continued, “I just wanted to let you know that I saw you!”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah! I saw you when I was driving to work today!”

“Where? When?”

“It was around maybe 9:50 or so this morning, because I wasn’t running late to work. You were standing outside the little café down the street and then you kept walking down Dorsey Place for a bit. You were listening to music, I think, because you had your earbuds in…and I think you were looking at something on the coffee cup you were carrying.”

“Oh, geez, uh…okay…Huh, did you try to say ‘hi’ or honk at me or try to get my attention or anything? I mean, if you honked I probably would have just thought you were a creep and ignored you, but still…I don’t think I heard or saw you.”

“Yeah…well no, no I didn’t think to do any of that. You just seemed to be in your own little world and you were bobbing along to whatever music you were listening to and you just looked really cute and I didn’t want to interrupt. So I just sort of stared and watched you walking, I guess, and I told myself that if you worked today I would tell you that I saw you while you were walking…which I just did…now that I’m saying all this out loud, it feels a little weird and creepy, so I’m sorry if that was weird or creepy of me to do, but yeah…”

“Ah, cool. You’re fine, it’s really not too weird or anything. But maybe say ‘hi’ or something next time? That might make this whole situation a bit less weird if you are feeling weird about it…”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I see you around.”

Finn’s shift was nearly over, but he kept chatting with Rae as she logged into her computer and began responding to customers. When the machines on the wall chimed, signaling that it was noon, Finn logged off of his computer and told Rae goodbye before leaving work for the day and leaving her to finish the next four hours of her shift with no one at either desk to keep her preoccupied while she worked.

@eveerez @tinakegg @hey1tskat1e @bitchesbecrazy89 @kneekeyta @milllott @protectfinnnelson @arathewallflower @jackiewalsh2013 @pink-royaute @i-dream-of-emus @lurkernolonger @bitchy-broken @nutinanutshell @mallyallyandra @borntosik

A/N: Hi there! Thank you for making it through yet another chapter! What did you all think of the last two chapters that detail most of the first week of the new year (expect for Thursday evening and Friday, but they warranted a separate post)? Rae somehow managed to balance working everyday that week with having a social life, getting a new piercing, and attracting the attention of some new boys being introduced into the story (just when things start to pick up with Finn…new boys enter her life and start getting flirty to add a little drama to the mix, hahaha).

I’m trying my hardest to knock out the next few chapters within the next week or so, which could be a bit ambitious, but I have a plan and that plan requires me to be at a point in my story that is still about two weeks away in the timeline of my story (so like 3 more posts, approximately). Wish me luck! 😅😅😅

#mmfd #my mad fat diary #mmfd fanfic #my mad fat diary fanfiction #my writing #chapter 12 #Changing Priority #are y'all ready for some more drunk Rae shenanigans?#because that's exactly what you're gonna get in the next chapter #hahaha

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jinnieboo-blog1 · 7 years

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VIXX Hongbin: College!AU

So it took a while for me to get back to this little AU series that I’m doing, but here’s the third one, and it’s for our Bean. Hope you like it <3

“Y/n!”

You spun around on the computer chair as you heard someone call your name. “Yes?”

The newspaper club’s president smiled, “We need certain photos for this article, but none of our photojournalists were able to take many photos. Do you think you can head to the photography club and ask if we could use their photos if they have any?”

“Sure thing.” you nod and grab your things then head out to the photography club’s room.

You happily knock on the club’s door, but there’s no response. You try once again, but as there is still no response, you cautiously open the door. “Hello?”

A male student looked up from his laptop and smiled, “Oh hi. Sorry, I was a bit busy.”

As soon as he smiled, you recognized him as Hongbin. He was one of the best friends of your classmate, Ken. Hongbin was obviously a member of the photography club, but you also knew he was a member of the basketball team. You’ve seen him play- he was actually really good. You often saw him around the campus, carrying a camera. It was always a cute and charming sight for you.

You never really got to talk to this guy though, mostly because he was always either with his friends or surrounded by dozens of girls. A lot of them had a crush on him, and you could understand why. Some of your photojournalist friends often take photos of him when he’s part of a basketball game, and they fangirl together. Surprisingly, he doesn’t have a girlfriend. He’s not a flirt either. Based on what you see, he’s easily flustered and shy.

Remembering why you were there, you spoke up, “It’s fine.” you clear your throat and continue, “I’m y/n from the newspaper club and I was just wondering if I could ask for a favor.”

Hongbin nodded, “What’s that?”

“I need pictures of an event for an article we’re writing, but the photojournalists need more photos than what they have. Would you happen to have photos that we could use? Only if it’s alright with you, of course, you’d be credited.”

Hongbin smiles even wider, revealing his dimples. “I don’t mind.” he chuckles.

“Great!” you grin.

You tell him to prepare his files, and when he’s done, the two of you head to the newspaper club’s room. You open the door, only to find the other members gone. Heaving a sigh because you’re quite worried about being alone with Hongbin, you sheepishly grin. “There’s no one here…I hope you don’t mind.”

Hongbin returns the smile. “I prefer it that way. I’m not really fond of big crowds.”

You smile at him and usher for him to take a seat. Sitting next to each other, you open your laptop and Hongbin gives you his files. You click on the folder of the said event and start browsing. You copy some photos to your laptop while giving him compliments for taking such great shots. Every time you compliment him, he’d get shy and cute, saying that it’s really nothing.

Afterwards, you turn to face him and ask, “Is it ok if I see your other photos? I just think these are amazing, so I want to see more.”

Hongbin, blushing from the compliments but obviously happy and proud of himself, nods. “Go ahead.”

You quickly browse through the other photos and folders and are left in awe of how good he is. No wonder why he’s really loved by the photography club. “Hongbin!”

“What?” he looks surprised but is grinning widely, chuckling even.

You playfully clap your hands in front of him, “You really are a talented photographer. Bravo!”

Hongbin shyly smiles and continues to chuckle, “Thank you, y/n. I’ve seen your photos on the newspaper too. You’re not bad as well.”

“Thank you very much.” you chuckle back. Contrary to what you were expecting, that it would be hard to interact with him, it actually wasn’t. He was such a polite and friendly person, which made it easier for you to talk to.

After a while, you thank him for being kind enough to let your club use his photos. He politely excuses himself, and as soon as he’s gone and the door is closed, you lean back on your chair. Sighing heavily, you smile to yourself as you feel your heart thumping loudly. “What is wrong with me?” you say to no one but yourself.

A few days later, you are at indoor gymnasium, taking photos of the volleyball players as they practice. Your club was asked by the faculty to prepare a special section dedicated to sports. “Hmm…the lighting isn’t quite right.” you mumble to yourself.

You fiddle with the settings of your camera, trying to get the adjustments right. Just then, you hear a voice from behind. “Let me help you.”

You turn around and chuckle as you see Hongbin. He flashes a dorky, cute smile and takes the camera from you, fiddling with the buttons and making adjustments. “That should do it.” he smiles.

You take your camera. “Thank you so much.”

You point your camera to the players’ direction and snap away. Afterwards, you preview your shots and gape at your camera’s screen. “They look amazing,” you laugh and face Hongbin, “you really are good at this, aren’t you, Photographer Hongbin?”

He just blushes again and shyly scratches his nape, “I’m not that amazing, but thank you.”

You chuckle at his cute shyness and humility. You give him a friendly pat on the arm. “You’re great, don’t deny it.”

Hongbin now chuckles with you, still flustered, but you can tell by his expression that he is genuinely happy to hear that.

Since you’re satisfied with the shots you took, you smile at Hongbin. “I actually need pictures of the other sports teams. I’m done with the soccer team, the baseball team and the track and field team, but I still need shots of the basketball team.”

“We have a practice game later after classes.” Hongbin says, “You can come with me and take shots.”

“Will you be playing? Girls will be happy to have pictures of you.” you tease.

A smile forms on Hongbin’s lips, but you notice that there’s tinge of sadness in it. “No, I won’t. If you’d like, I’ll help you take pictures. I’ll bring my camera.”

You beam, “Yes, I’d like that. It’s going to be fun.”

Hongbin grins wider this time. He’s just as excited as you are.

Over the next few weeks, you and Hongbin become good friends. You even meet some of his friends, namely Ravi and Hyuk. The two like to tease you as a couple, and while Hongbin gets flustered and panicky, you remain calm and brush it off. Though deep inside, you know they have a point because somewhere along the journey of your friendship with Hongbin, you developed feelings for him. Not like other girls who think he’s just a pretty face, you actually like Hongbin for who he is. You love being with him. Of course, you wouldn’t admit it just yet.

Eventually, the two of you also became some sort of photography duo. Though he’s not an official newspaper club member, your club’s president allows him to partner with you when photos are needed. He doesn’t feel comfortable working with the other photojournalists, so he’s always paired with you because he feels more comfortable that way. Soon after, the newspaper club and the photography club somehow merged and developed a partnership because of how much you and Hongbin work together.

During the times that you two aren’t taking photos, busy with classes or basketball practice, you both go to cafés and talk over coffee. Sometimes, you’d also go around the area, looking for aesthetic-looking places to practice your photography. Hongbin would often take photos of you, and you’d take photos of him. Some photos are pretty and good-looking, and there are also candid, silly photos that the two of you laugh at.

******

One evening, you stay up late in the library because you’re editing the layout and pictures of the soon-to-be published issue of the club’s newspaper. You’ve been there for hours, finalizing everything. While other members are editing and checking the written works, you are busy with the more creative and artsy side. When you’ve finished, you didn’t notice that it was past midnight. So you shut down your laptop and keep all your things, but the last thing you remember was that everything went black.

Minutes later, Hongbin drops by to check on you, but is surprised to see that you’ve fallen asleep. Your things are already packed, but he assumes that you were too tired to move, so you fell asleep there. Having a debate with himself, he was deciding whether to take you to your dorm or his. He’d take you to your dorm, but he doesn’t want to search you or invade your privacy by searching your bag for your dorm keys. He ends up making the decision to take you to his dorm.

Quietly, he carries you and sneakily heads for his room. Once there, he gently sets you on his bed and tucks you in with a blanket. Taking this as an opportunity, he gently smiles at your sleeping form, relieved that you’re getting rest. He brushes a strand of hair away from your face before he goes to sleep himself.

The next morning, you wake up, rubbing your eyes. The first thing you realize is that there is an earthy scent in the room. You don’t recall owning any scented candles or something of that sort, so you abruptly sit up. Even the bed and blanket is different. You look around the room. The things are very organized and neatly placed. You remember your desk being cluttered with papers, so this couldn’t have been your room. Whose was it? You look around, and when a body on the floor catches your attention, you cover your mouth and gasp. Then, you remember that you were up late, finishing your work for the club. You kneel on the floor next to Hongbin, who is just lying down on a thin mattress with small pillows. You sigh but smile at how gentle and thoughtful he was, but feel bad that he had to sleep on the floor. You wake him up gently by running your hands through his hair. When his eyes slowly open, he smiles sleepily, “Hi, y/n.” His voice is sleepy but sexy, however, you shake the thought away.

“Thanks for bringing me here, but you could have woken me up so that you wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor.” you chuckle.

“It’s fine. You looked really tired.” Hongbin states and you just smile at him.

He sits up and smiles, still sleepy, and you let out a little giggle. Reaching out, you fix his bed hair. “Such unruly hair.” you joke, and Hongbin laughs.

As you’re too focused on fixing his unruly bed hair, Hongbin whispers, “Y/n.”

He takes his chance and leans forward. Before you could react, you feel his soft lips on yours, and without any thought, you kiss back; it’s a short kiss, but when you two pull away, you’re smiling at each other like dorks. Blushing, you look down, and Hongbin takes your hand in his. “I never had the courage to ask, but I think I do now. Are you busy today? I’d like take you out on a real, proper date.”

You grin, still a bit shy, but you manage to answer, “Whoa really? Me? I’d love to.”

Hongbin happily smiles, his dimples more visible than ever. He squeezes your hand tighter and leans forward again. You both close your eyes, and once his lips are on yours, you’ve forgotten you’re on the floor and you both get lost in the kiss.

#vixx #hongbin #vixx hongbin #lee hongbin #vixx imagine #vixx scenario #vixx fanfic #hongbin imagine #hongbin scenario #hongbin fanfic #imagine #scenario #fanfic #hongbin x reader #college #college au

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femslashrevolution · 7 years

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I Am Femslash: Mod Jess

This post is part of Femslash Revolution’s I Am Femslash series, sharing voices of F/F creators from all walks of life. The views represented within are those of the author only.

(Thank you so much to those who suggested my name. You’ve made my new year! I do want to give a TW for some discussion of my personality history of alcohol, disordered eating, and mental illness...don’t worry, I got a happy ending!)

There’s a movie called Gold Diggers: Secret of Bear Mountain that I watched about a thousand times as a little girl. I wore out two VHS tapes (one of which my mom stole from Parrot Video and Tanning Salon for me in 1995). It was about two girls, Beth (played by Christina Ricci) and Jody (played by Anna Chlumsky), who meet over the summer and go on a treasure hunt together. The first time I watched the movie, I was three or four years old, and I was immediately attracted to Jody.

The thing was, I had an Uncle Jody, so I thought that was only a boy’s name. So, to me, Jody was a boy, and he teased and got a rise out of Beth, and I adored it. Then my mom told me that Jody was actually a girl—she just had short hair and wore tomboy clothes. I was so upset, and I don’t know why!

I know now, of course, that I was frustrated that Jody couldn’t have been flirting with Beth, because they were girls, and girls only did that with boys. So why did they make me feel like that? What had gone wrong inside of me to make me want that?

Despite my love for this movie (which is now cited for it’s amazing lesbian subtext), I absolutely did not think I was a lesbian growing up. I had no idea. I was bookish and shy and very feminine. I assigned myself strategic crushes on quiet, distant boys who were so far out of my league that there was no chance of anything actually happening.

Even fandom was a pretty male-centric place starting out. My introduction to online fandom actually began in the mid-2000’s with the Fueled by Ramen “bandom”—emo/alternative/rock bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco. I crushed on boys with slim hips and long hair and fingernail polish, boys who weren’t afraid to be feminine. It wasn’t very friendly towards women, and femslash was quite a foreign concept. But…the more feminine an artist was, the more I was drawn to him. I became quite enamored with Adam Lambert during his American Idol season because of his makeup and hair, and because, though he wasn’t out yet, I knew he was gay. I only ever was attracted to gay men, and I think this was similar to my unattainable crushes in grade school—it’s not as if anything could ever happen with them. They were safe.

Then, a little show called Glee popped up out of nowhere.

It seems normal now to anticipate pairings like Clarke and Lexa or Alex and Maggie on network TV. They’re possible now. Sure, there was Tara/Willow, but they were a bit before my time, and Arizona/Callie, but Grey’s was a little above my age bracket. But then there was a slow pan upwards from two pairs of sneaker-clad feet, four legs entwined with matching red cheerleading skirts, and my heart began hammering, my breathing quickened, I got all sweaty and cold at the same time.

It was happening, it was happening. Brittany and Santana were queer girls, and they were kissing, and it wasn’t a joke. I was a freshman in high school and knew so little about the world.

From then on, I was in the femslash fandom, confined to our desktop computer in the kitchen. Brittany/Santana gave way to Quinn/Rachel, who became my OTP. Many of my favorite fandoms weren’t femslash juggernauts (Emily/JJ from Criminal Minds was a big one for a while), but I always found small spaces with other femslash lovers. However, I was in the middle of writing a Criminal Minds high school AU that featured both Emily/JJ and the smaller pairing of Hotch/Reid. I received a firm, angry review from someone who wondered why I wasted my time on femslash when people only read for my slash pairings. They said femslash wasn’t really a thing in fandom.

I quit fandom for three years after that.

In that time, I still identified as straight, and to this day, I don’t know why. I was only attracted to women; I was not attracted to men except in the abstract. I was growing bored with straight romance movies and books. I sought almost exclusively LGBT media and I still do today. But maybe I thought it was a phase. Maybe I thought I’d grow out of it. Maybe I just didn’t care, because I was anxious and depressed, I battled intrusive thoughts and dissociation every day, I binge ate and drank, and I had a wicked nicotine addiction.

I got into college, moved out, and I still identified as straight. I loved college and completely flourished creatively, academically, and socially. I quit smoking, changed my style from very feminine to relaxed and tomboyish, and stopped wearing makeup. I won several writing contests and read hundreds of books. But my drinking got worse and so did my anxiety, no matter how happy I thought I was. To make matters worse, I drank alone—I partied with my friends and had great times, but my drinking was a solitary thing. Because if I drank around my new friends, I might say something. I might admit something to them. I wasn’t ready for that. But it took me a long time to realize that when I drank alone and blacked out on my dorm room floor, I was just trying to hold off from admitting something to myself.

It took me a long time to come out. I won’t bore you with what is really a very boring story, but I will say it was very difficult but I received a lot of support from many people. Due to this, I can’t help but feel much of my high school and college experiences were wasted due to my being closeted.

Around this time, I got into the Teen Wolf fandom, which is still my biggest fandom experience. While there were no canon femslash pairings, there was still a thriving femslash fandom that I got involved in right away. I then found Once Upon a Time and Orphan Black years later—two fandoms that I joined mainly because of the main femslash ships.

And the only way I noticed those ships was through this awesome new blog I found called Femslash Revolution. I knew I had to get in on the action, so I contacted Lulu, the amazing person who made it all happen and guided me every step of the way. There would be no blog without her—that’s a given. She’s the woman behind the curtain, and we owe it all to her. Looking back, I can’t believe how small we were back then, and that was only a few years ago! Our pairing tags fit on one page, and we got the chance to spotlight fandoms with popular femslash content, including relatively new fandoms like Orange Is the New Black.

Now, I am out and proud. I’m a published writer. I have also written over 900 individual pieces of fan fiction. I live comfortably and easily. I started medication for my mental illness and by necessity stopped drinking, which was the best thing that I ever did. I am in recovery from my eating disorder. And through it all, this blog has been here. Clarke Griffin has been here. Alana Bloom has been here. Santana Lopez, Alex Danvers, Cosima Niehaus, Poussey Washington, and Amy Raudenfeld have all been here, smiling and laughing and crying along with me, filling me with their strength and inspiration and the idea that we exist, and we aren’t going anywhere.

And you guys have been right here, too. I hope you stick around for a long, long time.

About the Author: @freshbrainss

By day, I go by Jess. I love cats, coffee, and Minnesota winters. And why, yes, I am single. You can find me at AO3 and on LJ. I also mod for a LJ drabble community called femslash100, so if you’re a writer, come and play with us!

#I Am Femslash #freshbrainss #Type: meta #Femslash February 2017 #Femslash February

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kristinsimmons · 4 years

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Oh She Glows For Dinner + Pre-order Bonus Bundle!

Hi everyone! I hope that summer is treating you well so far, and you’re staying in good health and good spirits during what has been a heartbreaking year. How are you and your families doing right now?

At long last, I have some fun news to share with you today! This cookbook reveal was supposed to go out to you in May, then in June, and then in early July, but with everything going on in the world it just didn’t feel right, so I delayed it multiple times. I’m not sure it feels right even now, but I’ve had a lot of questions about the new book’s listing on various retailers online, so I knew I couldn’t delay any longer. I’m holding onto the hope that this news will bring a smile to your face and a bit of cheer. :)

If you haven’t guessed already, my new cookbook, Oh She Glows for Dinner: Nourishing Plant-Based Meals To Keep You Glowing, is finally complete and it comes out in a couple of short months! It’s been a wild ride to cross the finish line (never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be wrapping up a cookbook during a pandemic and lockdown), but after 3 years of working away on this project, I’m absolutely thrilled to let you know all the juicy (pun intended) deets about this new book. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you may have seen the sneak peek pop into your inbox yesterday!

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes from earlier this year when I was going over the book design!

Shifting from “behind-the-scenes” mode to “in-the-spotlight” mode doesn’t come easily for me (I’m much more of a behind-the-scenes kinda gal!), so this “launching into the world” part of the creation process is a big challenge for me on a personal level, and oh boy, the nerves I have right now are unreal. I’d be perfectly happy to work away diligently behind-the-scenes and never have to self-promote. ;) Do any of you relate? I’m always up for a good challenge, though, and getting to reconnect with you all is the icing on the vegan cake!

This book would not have been possible without your encouragement, patience, and support throughout the whole process! It also wouldn’t have been possible without my small-but-mighty team made up of Nicole and Eric. They are my rocks, my sanity savers, my reasons for inappropriate fits of laughter, my sounding boards, my reminders to drink more caffeine and breathe, and it goes on. My incredible, diligent group of recipe testers (a special shout out and thank you to Anna, Carin, Tana, Tammy, Laurie, Caroline, Danielle, Vanessa, Lynn, Audrey, Stephanie D., Anne, Kathy, Stephanie S., Andrea, Beth, Katie, Lindsay M., Bridget, Laura, Lindsay V., Erin, Heather, Suzanne, Adrienne, Stephanie M., Carolina, Kirsten, Lori, Marina, and Kristen) have tested, and tested, and tested these recipes right alongside me and shared the most helpful feedback. And last but not least, I have so much gratitude for the amazing teams at Penguin Random House Canada and Avery!

I held this book in my hands for the first time last week! I can’t even tell you how fast my heart was a-thumpin’ when I opened the box! It is always slightly terrifying and thrilling to open one of my books for the first time, and it really never gets any easier to send my heart and soul’s work off into the world. But I am so darn proud of this book. It’s my very first hardcover book, too!

About this book

Oh She Glows for Dinner is a reflection of what you, my dear readers, have asked me for the most over the years—more plant-based, crowd-pleasing dinner recipes!

Dinner is something I think most of us have struggled with (I know I sure have!), and when you throw “plant-based” into the mix it can be even trickier to figure out. If you’ve ever shrugged your shoulders over what to make for a vegan meal and resorted to toast or a bowl of cereal, you certainly aren’t alone. I knew I had to create this cookbook to help answer the ever-burning “what’s for [plant-based] dinner?” question. As an added benefit, the recipes in this book also make incredible (and often portable) lunches! You’ll also find the perfect, satisfying sides to add to your dish, meal-worthy salads for every season, hearty & healing soups and stews, and a bounty of flavour-poppin’ sauces, dressings, parmesans, and pestos that you can make to change up the flavour profile (or simply punch up your dish even more). And I threw in a delicious dessert/drink chapter, of course, because it wouldn’t be an Oh She Glows cookbook without some sweet, healthified treats! ;)

What you’ll find inside:

Dietary and Cooking Labels

Each recipe indicates whether it is nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free, grain-free and/or oil-free, raw/no bake or one pot. Out of 106 vegan recipes in this cookbook, 101 are gluten-free or have a gluten-free option, 90 are nut-free or have a nut-free option, and nearly all are soy-free. I also share whether the recipe is kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, and/or if any advance prep is needed. My “on the glow” label tells you whether the recipe is portable. My goal was to pack in as much helpful info as I could for you (dare I say this is my most informative book yet?)…you know me, go big or go home…lol.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Almost all of the recipes in this cookbook also include specific storage and reheating instructions, customized to each recipe. My recipe testers and I spent so much time testing the recipes to take the guesswork out of them for you!

Active Time and Total Time

Each recipe tells you how much active time and total time will be required. Active time is the time you are actively preparing food in the kitchen. Total time reflects how long the recipe takes from start to finish. If applicable, we also share Soak time and/or Chill time.

Full-page colour photographs

I am so excited to share that I did the food photography and food styling for the recipes in this book – there are more than 100 of my photographs inside!

Glow Getter Meal Plans

This book includes 4 meal prep plans! Each time-saving plan provides step-by-step instructions, so you can prep or fully make 3 dinner recipes in just 60 to 90 minutes. I knew it was important to create plans that would actually work for a busy lifestyle. I’ve tried plans in the past that take 2.5 to 3 hours each week, and they just didn’t fit into my life. These plans don’t take long (60 to 90 minutes at a brisk pace) and they set you up with a few hearty meals each week!

Menus To Get Your Glow On

I also share my tried-and-true menus for special occasions or themed nights, such as Girls’ Night, Mother’s Day, Game Night, The Oh She Glows Cookbook Club Night, and more. If you have ever struggled with how to combine recipes for special meals, I really hope this will give you the inspo you need to simplify your planning. Don’t forget to check out our bonus bundle below as it includes 4 designed printable menus which correspond to menus found in the book!

Helpful Recipe Lists

My Helpful Recipe Lists index at the back of the book provides at-a-glance searching of recipes by allergy label or preference, so you can find all the gluten-free recipes grouped together in one spot, or all the kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, nut-free, one pot, and on the glow recipes.

My Pantry Staples, Kitchen Tools and Appliances

I’ve included a condensed list of the essential pantry items I keep on hand along with my favourite tools and appliances. If I have a preferred brand, I share those names with you, so you know exactly what I use in my own kitchen.

The Oh She Glows for Dinner Bonus Bundle is here!

The response to my pre-order bonus bundles for my previous two cookbooks was so enthusiastic, I knew I had to raise the bar and add in some exciting and unique new bonus features. This Oh She Glows for Dinner Bonus Bundle is definitely my favourite, most cheerful and creative pre-order bundle yet. All the *heart eye* emojis for this one. I had so much fun collaborating with local artist, Kayla Whitney, to create an adorable, custom Oh She Glows “Glow” downloadable art print for you to print and hang on your walls! This is my very first custom Oh She Glows print and it looks so bright and cheery on the wall. If you end up hanging the print in your house, we’d LOVE to see it! Simply tag it with #ohsheglowsfordinner on social media.

In addition to the “Glow” art print, you’ll receive 4 artfully designed Oh She Glows for Dinner menus to download and adorn your dinner table on special occasions. Super-handy Glow Getter Meal Plan printables from the new book will make prepping the plans even easier when your book arrives. It’s so convenient to print the meal plans and place them on your counter so you can cross things off as you work through the plan. Lastly, I couldn’t make you wait until October to get cooking, so I’ve included 4 advance recipes in this bundle—a few of my summer-friendly ones that we’ve been enjoying during this hot season!

If you pre-order Oh She Glows for Dinner, keep your receipt handy and follow this link to get your free bonus bundle PDF!

Pre-order now at the following retailers:

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Indigo.ca

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble (signed copy)

The Book Depository

Books-A-Million

Apple Books

Amazon.co.uk

Please note: We earn a small commission if you purchase an item through our affiliate links above. Thank you so much for your support!

I can’t wait to hear what you think!!

With love and gratitude,

Angela xo

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beccameliora · 4 years

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Read More Oh She Glows For Dinner + Pre-order Bonus Bundle!

The following post Oh She Glows For Dinner + Pre-order Bonus Bundle! is republished from Oh She Glows by Angela (Oh She Glows)

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes from earlier this year when I was going over the book design!

About this book

Oh She Glows for Dinner is a reflection of what you, my dear readers, have asked me for the most over the years—more plant-based, crowd-pleasing dinner recipes!

What you’ll find inside:

Dietary and Cooking Labels

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Active Time and Total Time

Full-page colour photographs

I am so excited to share that I did the food photography and food styling for the recipes in this book – there are more than 100 of my photographs inside!

Glow Getter Meal Plans

Menus To Get Your Glow On

Helpful Recipe Lists

My Pantry Staples, Kitchen Tools and Appliances

The Oh She Glows for Dinner Bonus Bundle is here!

If you pre-order Oh She Glows for Dinner, keep your receipt handy and follow this link to get your free bonus bundle PDF!

Pre-order now at the following retailers:

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Indigo.ca

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble (signed copy)

The Book Depository

Books-A-Million

Apple Books

Amazon.co.uk

Please note: We earn a small commission if you purchase an item through our affiliate links above. Thank you so much for your support!

I can’t wait to hear what you think!!

With love and gratitude,

Angela xo

Comments (0) | function fbs_click() {u=location.href;t=document.title;window.open('//www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent(u)+'&t='+encodeURIComponent(t),'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=626,height=436'); return false;}Share on Facebook | Tweet | Pin It | Snapchat |

#Oh She Glows

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bestnaturalsecrets · 4 years

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Here’s a little behind-the-scenes from earlier this year when I was going over the book design!

About this book

Oh She Glows for Dinner is a reflection of what you, my dear readers, have asked me for the most over the years—more plant-based, crowd-pleasing dinner recipes!

What you’ll find inside:

Dietary and Cooking Labels

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Active Time and Total Time

Full-page colour photographs

I am so excited to share that I did the food photography and food styling for the recipes in this book – there are more than 100 of my photographs inside!

Glow Getter Meal Plans

Menus To Get Your Glow On

Helpful Recipe Lists

My Pantry Staples, Kitchen Tools and Appliances

The Oh She Glows for Dinner Bonus Bundle is here!

If you pre-order Oh She Glows for Dinner, keep your receipt handy and follow this link to get your free bonus bundle PDF!

Pre-order now at the following retailers:

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Indigo.ca

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble (signed copy)

The Book Depository

Books-A-Million

Apple Books

Amazon.co.uk

Please note: We earn a small commission if you purchase an item through our affiliate links above. Thank you so much for your support!

I can’t wait to hear what you think!!

With love and gratitude,

Angela xo

via Oh She Glows

#IFTTT #Oh She Glows

0 notes