#oops I know it’s spring but found this post I wrote a while back in my drafts…

[chirp-a-chirp]

Court of Darkness: Prince Reactions to MC Being Cold/Shivering

GUY

MC sits on one side of a couch in Guy’s room, reading a book for an upcoming lesson. Guy sits on the other side, reading various Avari royal correspondence.

MC’s rubs her arms quietly, not wanting to disturb Guy’s work by asking for a blanket. Suddenly, without warning, MC is lifted in the air and plopped on top of Guy’s lap. Her face turns bright red as Guy licks her lips. He pulls back, a triumphant smile on his face.

“You’re warm now. Heh.” Guy trails a finger down MC’s blushing cheek and neck.

“You noticed I was cold?”

“You were hardly subtle.” Guy smirks as he kisses the length of MC’s neck. “Not that I mind keeping you warm like this.”

TOA

Toa is a mother-hen. If it’s cold outside, the MC isn’t going out without gloves, coat, appropriate shoes. If a room is cold, he lights a fire in a nearby fireplace. So it would be very rare for MC to be cold around Toa.

Toa, however, is a different story. His hands are constantly cold from anxiety. And he’s not into giant public displays of affection. So, MC looks for ways to subtly warm Toa’s hands—knitting him gloves to wear; holding his hands discreetly under a table; making him a thermos of hot chocolate to keep at all times.

MC: *Rubbing Toa’s hands underneath a blanket in his room* Do you feel better Toa?

Toa: *Kisses her temple* Yes. Thank you for bringing warmth to my life.

LYNT

Lynt: MC, are you cold? Do you want to snuggle with me?

MC: …

Lynt: No? *Pouts slightly*

MC: Lynt, we’re in class…

Lynt: *Blinks in confusion* And? So?

MC: Well, you’re teaching the class right now…

FENN

Fenn is the equivalent of a human jacket, needing zero excuses to drape himself on MC for extra snuggles. If anything, he’ll suggest to MC to wear short sleeves on chillier days so that he can wrap his arms around her in public more (“Just imagine how else we can be wrapped up in one another my dear…”).

MC catches on to Fenn’s antics. She meets Fenn outside the Academy’s gate, in long sleeves and a jacket. Before Fenn can react, MC pulls out a gigantic purple scarf, big enough for two people. She wraps it around both their necks smiling. “Now we can be close and warm!”

Fenn smiles tenderly at her. “How you surprise me Treasure.”

ROY

Roy notices MC shivering while in town. He begins to take off his jacket to offer it to her, but thinks of a better plan. Smirking, Roy puts a spell on his jacket so that it grows in size. He wraps the jacket, which now is big enough for two people, around him and MC, grabbing her around the waist as they continue walking.

“This is a cozy, warm hold, is it not?” Roy looks rather pleased with himself.

MC snakes an arm around Roy’s back, placing her hand inside the back pocket of Roy’s pants. While blushing, she gives a squeeze and retorts back “I think THIS is a cozier hold, no?”

RIO

Rio is the king of sleeveless shirts and vests. There’s no jacket he can gallantly provide MC. However, when he rummages in his pockets…

Rio: You look a bit cold and peck-ish MC. Here! I got just the thing!

*Rio roots in his pockets and brings out several warm bread rolls, muffins…*

MC: How are these rolls still warm? Magic?

Rio: No magic! I guess they’re just naturally warm! *Wipes crumbs from his back pants pocket*

MC: *Oh GOD, this roll’s been warmed by Rio’s—*

Rio: Why’re you blushing Sunbeam?

LANCE

Lance walks to his favorite resting spot by the lake in the forest. He finds MC asleep, sitting up against a tree. Her cat familiar Robin is curled up in her lap and the wolf Grushia’s head rests against MC’s outstretched legs.

Sunlight normally streams through the forest’s canopy. Not today; a cool mist hangs in the air, the sky an indeterminate shade of grey. Lance peers closer at MC and sees goosebumps prickling her lower arms. He takes off his jacket and drapes it like a blanket over MC’s upper half. Lance’s heart warms at the sight of those he cares for the most huddled together.

Not that he’ll admit it out loud, of course.

#court of darkness #voltage games #lance ira #rio voleri #roy invidia #fenn luxure #lynt akedia #toa qelsum #guy avari #voltage otome #oops I know it’s spring but found this post I wrote a while back in my drafts…

[ratcandy]

CoGR Abridged/Summarized

Hello hello! My name is Clam, otherwise known as Squeakyclam on Ao3, and this is a heavily summarized/shortened version of my HK fic Camouflage of Great Renown. For anyone somehow finding this that doesn't know what it's about, CoGR focuses on Zote and his story through the game and what preceded it. He recounts his entire life up until the end of what's known in canon, and this includes a whole lot of angst, growth, realizations, and Trauma Revelations.

Oh, and he's a nosk. Zote is a nosk. Yep.

I've had a few requests for a summary, as the work is super long and reading through 130k+ words of Zote dialogue may not be for everyone, hehehe so I've compiled all the important plot points and wrote them out here in order of his story, rather than the plotline CoGR goes through specifically (in which big events in his history are revealed later on).

If I had to recommend reading the fic for anything, it'd be the... impact, I suppose? 'Cause reading the summarized events here will NOT be anything like reading it in CoGR. Seeing as the fic is all in Zote's pov and he actually has to force himself to admit all of this aloud. But I digress!!

Here's a summary of Zote's life according to CoGR.

THIS IS A VERY, VERY LONG POST DESPITE BEING A SUMMARY. I'm sorry, CoGR just has a lot happening! T/W for mentions of death.

A lot more heavy stuff happens in CoGR, but in this summary I do my best to step around those subjects. If you think more T/Ws should be added, let me know, and I'll put them here

Nosks were a species that inhabited Deepnest, specifically living in a den towards the nest's depths. It split off into lots of tunnels and caverns that each nosk lived in. "Society" there was very hostile and unwelcoming, as nosks valued brute strength over just about anything else. Caring for another nosk - be it kin or otherwise - was considered weak. "Burdens" to the den, such as nosks that were badly wounded, would/could not hunt, or were simply getting too old would be killed off. Death in and of itself was very common and hardly anyone would bat an eye at it.

Think the Mantis Tribe but largely feral and without a shred of decency of morals.

Runt donning mask of citizen was born into the nosk den alongside his brother, who would become hunter donning hide of tiktik.

(Before anyone asks, these are just the naming conventions that nosks have. No one but the nosk superiors - the leaders of the den - are granted actual names.)

A third egg was among them, but the brother broke it open and ate the younger sibling not long after hatching.

The two were born under a superior (their mother) and her chosen mate (their father). They were expected to grow up strong and eventually overtake their mother and become superiors. Or, one of them would, maybe.

The runt (Zote) was immediately scorned by the mother, as he was extremely frail and useless, and she just about killed him off right after he hatched - but his father stepped in, and the runt was left alive.

Zote grew up to be a weak nosk who could barely defend himself in a den full of beasts that would gladly kill him if doing so wouldn't be a direct offense to a superior. His brother was cruel to him, his father berated him constantly, and his mother was hardly in the picture at all. Only ever watching him distastefully from afar.

His father did, however, train him, if only sparingly. The least he could do to keep Zote alive. (Doing so would be a death wish were any other nosks to find out about it...)

However, an elder in the den - hunter donning mask of weaver - gained Zote's attention as she told him fantastical stories from outside the den. This elder had spent a good portion of her life among the Weavers, initially being sent to learn about them (to make them easier to hunt) but growing interested in their culture and choosing to stay. Until she did something to get her chased out.

At any rate, she told the stories from the Weavers to Zote, alongside news of what was happening outside of Deepnest. This caused the runt to become obsessed with the idea of being a knight, as the stories just sounded!! So amazing and heroic and awesome and!!! :D Yea!! He wanted to be just like that!

To the point where he even carved a sword out of the shellwood... with the den elder's help. He named it Life-Ender eventually.

At some point, however, his father found out about all this. His father figured that the only way to eliminate this problem - as wishing to be something heroic that saved lives or whatever was SO unnosk-like (and would get him killed) - was to kill the den elder.

Before she died, the elder told Zote to run away from the den, and not to return no matter what. The idiot did not run, and because of this, he witnessed the Den Elder's death at the hands of his father and some other nosks.

Man! this does, however, cause Zote to be more... "open" about his ideas. By this I mean he begins carrying Life-Ender around instead of hiding it in his nest. what do you mean it's a comfort item what! no he's just rebelliously showing off how much he wants to be a knight. totally. 100% /s

well, anyway, not long after this, the idiot's father dies at the claws of his mother. Zote unfortunately witnesses this as well. When he tries to run, his mother catches him, nearly killing him as well. Luckily(?), this attempt is thwarted by Zote's brother, who was very distraught over their father's death. The brother swears to kill the mother before storming off. Zote runs into hiding (still in the nosk den), and begins devising his plan so to get the hell out of there.

Of the few times that Zote leaves his nest after his father's death, 90% of them ended with him getting pummeled by his brother. The latter was livid, blaming the father's death on Zote and frequently bursting into fits of emotional rage. Rage is great for nosks, other emotions not so much.

On one occasion in particular, the brother goes too far, nearly killing Zote. In the scuffle, Life-Ender is shattered, and that sends Zote into a blind anger (mixed with survival instinct as he's About to Die). Zote then kills his brother.

A crowd had gathered around them during the fight. In that crowd was Zote's mother, who looked to him approvingly after he'd killed off his brother. This terrified Zote, so he gathered the pieces of Life-Ender and fled the den forever.

Stopping at the hot spring in Deepnest, he made a disguise for himself based on the vessels that nosks would often capture. He made a new name for himself, took on an entirely new identity, and decided to abandon the idea that he was ever a nosk. He would just go to the City, be knighted by the King (who he'd heard of from the stories the Den Elder would tell him), and live out his life as a knight. Just like he always wanted. Not as a nosk. because he's not that.

The events that follow now are just very short summaries of things that happen throughout cogr.

- He breaks a statue in the Queen's station on accident after a bug finds him there. as a nosk. oops

- He obliterates the entire uoma population /j and burns himself in the process

- He repairs Life-Ender originally using mushrooms in the Fungal Wastes. Fungal adhesion is real I checked I swear

- He makes it to the City of Tears! and while there, he

Gets caught by Hegemol who mistakes him as a vessel

Drowns in the City's gutters

Purchases a cloth to wrap around Life-Ender

Hears the Pale King talk one (1) time and immediately decides he hates him

- While leaving the City, he finds a grub. That grub never really gets named, but as he frequented calling the little thing "Fiend," and the grub eventually began responding to that title, he just considers it a name for them now.

- Zote travels with the grub throughout the Crossroads until he drops them off with the Grubfather, being rewarded for reuniting them but overall feelings pretty :( about it.

- He then goes to the. So you know the houses that are underneath the Gruzz Mother's lil arena? Yea that place. he goes there and "guards" it, becoming that place's self-proclaimed knight.

- then he starts being paranoid about the grub and returns to the grubfather only to see all the grubs have been stolen. he presumes Fiend is dead from this point on (and dodges around ever using the word).

- Then he goes back to the lil town place only to see everyone's infected :(

- We then spend TEN CHAPTERS!! in Greenpath. In which he

eats a plant and dies

Stands in No Eyes's tomb.

Visits the Lake of Unn (and nothing bad happens)

Sees a nosk at the entrance to Fog Canyon and proceeds to have a panic attack

Kills everything

Gets caught by the Vengefly king

Gets saved!

has a breakdown

Yells at Ghost and then Leaves

- Canon starts!

- He stops in Dirtmouth, listens to Elderbug talk, gets told the Myth of the Great old Nosks who are now all Extinct. The news that nosks are now extinct freaks Zote out a little, but he absolutely refuses to return to Deepnest. He doesn't need to make sure. It's fine.

- In an effort to convince himself not to go to Deepnest, he goes to the City again, thinking it can't possibly be all that ba-- oh no everyone's dead!

- he inadvertently steals a map marker from Ghost and decides to use that as a pin for his cloak

- Zote returns to Deepnest. He's very upset with himself for this, but he just has to know if all the nosks are actually extinct now.

The answer is yes

but before that he gets caught by dirtcarvers and put in a web and has to be saved. this makes him angry

Upon seeing all the dead nosks once he gets to the den, and noticing that the last nosk was mimicking Ghost (evidenced by the mask left behind) before it died, he decides that he's gotta Kill Everything again

- more specifically we're going to the Colosseum now.

- Zote's fear of water evaporates as he goes through the secret passage in the King's Station to get to Kingdom's Edge. He only found it because he saw Ghost go that way

- While at the Kingdom's Edge, he gets caught by the Fools, who he stupidly challenges and then immediately gets caught by.

- sits in dumb baby jail for a while. mean to tiso

- Then the colosseum battle happens! He does not win he then gets dropped down into kingdom's edge with little regard toward whether he's dead or alive

- He grabs a Fool's helmet before leaving, going back to Dirtmouth, and intending to bury that thing

- this goes wrong as he bumps into Bretta. He then sits and talks with her for God Only Knows how Long, spacing out while doing so, and not even noticing when she eventually gets up and leaves him.

- He buries the helmet, shuts himself away in his house, and gets stuck repeating his precepts to himself. At the end of CoGR it is revealed that he hasn't been talking to anyone, and is instead talking to himself endlessly as no one is left to listen to him

and that's it! that's cogr. yeah

#clamtalk #cogr #camouflage of great renown #zote #hollow knight #fanfiction #nosk zote #nosk #uh #yeah #long post #VERY long ramble #I guESs? #it is a very long post anyway #cogr summary #so i can find it again later #anyway. now to wait for someone to show up in my dms and be like ''wait that didn't happen/that's wrong!'' because memory of my own fic? #nonexistent #yea. that's all #thanks for coming

[kiyoominous]

wishes (sakusa kiyoomi)

synopsis: sakusa doesn’t like making wishes, apparently they’re too childish. but he finds himself wishing that he never met you. 

pairing: sakusa kiyoomi/reader

warnings: major character death, mention of hospitals

genre: angst, fluff if you squint, established relationship

a/n: i was listening to a lot of mitski when i wrote this :D click here for a youtube playlist to possibly listen to while you read!!!!! cross posted to ao3! 

Sakusa wishes he never met you. 

He’s never been one to invest in wishes. It makes sense with someone as no-nonsense, as practical, as logical as him. But life tends to push your boundaries and opinions and now he’s a believer, to his dismay.

He wishes he never said hello. He wishes his eyes never found yours. He wishes that he never sat next to you in high school and he definitely wishes he never asked to borrow a pencil. 

“Of course!” you beamed brightly at him. Somehow, in amongst the sunny day, the smile on your face blinded him more than the light spilling into the classroom. But he didn’t mind. 

Perhaps he got lost in the radiance of your face because he didn’t see the pastel pink mechanical pencil that was waving in front of him. He nervously snatched it from your hands and muttered a ‘thank you’ before quickly returning to his workbook. 

He returned home that day, the gleaming image of you embossed in his mind. Reaching into his book bag, he found the mechanical pencil sitting right at the bottom of it. Oops. 

The next day, he ran to your desk to dutifully hand your pencil back. It was slightly embarrassing to think that he was so consumed by your glow that he forgot to return what he borrowed. He had never felt himself stand more uprightly as he loomed over your seated form, graphite stick in hand. 

“You can keep it, Sakusa. We’re friends now, right?” 

Friends? The most he’d let himself call you was his classmate but sure, being friends sounded nice too. 

He wishes he never let you speak to him, your intelligent words spilling like a fountain. He wishes he never heard you muse about language, culture, volleyball, anything really.  He wishes he never heard the sound of your voice. 

You were rambling on about something, Sakusa didn’t exactly remember what. Of course he was listening, it’d be rude of him not to. But he found himself tuning into the melodious noise of your voice rather than the words spill from your lips. He couldn’t help it, you had a way with his ears. 

“Sakusa, are you listening to me?” you teased. The aforementioned boy nodded fervently but the sudden spring from his slouched form into a more poised position told you otherwise. 

“You were talking about Latin or something.” he drawled lazily. You eyes widen in mock disbelief. 

“Is that all you remember? Are you that bad of a listener?” 

“Maybe you’re just boring.” 

A moment of stunned silence and then a gasp.

“You are going to regret that, Mister Top Three in Japan.” 

Sakusa felt a fist push into his arm. The sensation of the punch was so feather light so he thought that there was nothing to regret. Maybe he could get used to this. But not yet. It was too soon to think about a relationship. Or even holding hands. 

He wishes he never looped his arms around your waist. He wishes he never soaked in the warmth of your embrace. He wishes he’d never been so close to you that the smell of your laundry detergent lingered in his nose. 

First dates were nerve wracking. Sakusa thought it was ridiculous to feel so high-strung about dating, to feel nervous and shy and anxious. It’s just an outing, how bad could it really be? It’s a shame that he started to understand now instead of before all of this. 

His hands were sweaty, his chest was pounding and his knees were wobbling. Really, his damn knees? All of this because the thought of having to touch you once in his life was sprinting through the back of his mind. 

He knew you weren’t expecting him to kiss you at the end of the date. You were aware — and respectful — of his boundaries. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t feeling peer pressured by every romcom he had reluctantly watched with Komori to let his fingers brush against yours while you walked side by side. 

It didn’t help that he wanted to do that either. 

A gentle tap on his shoulder and you were staring up at him with puppy eyes he couldn’t resist. He hesitated before daintily wrapped his fingers around yours, pulling your intertwined hands into his pocket. It felt warm. You were warm. And now his body was warm. But it wasn’t warm enough, he wanted to hug you. 

Wait, what? Pardon?!

With that, Sakusa felt his hand slip out of yours in favour of wrapping his strong arms around your figure, engulfing himself in your heat. Even with the biting cold, he thought that he didn’t need the jacket over his shoulders to keep him cozy. You were enough to set his heart ablaze, to let that fire warm up his entire body.  

“Sakusa…” you gasped. Guess you were both just as surprised. He muttered something under his breath and you begged to hear it again. 

“Call me Kiyoomi, please.” he repeated. 

He inhaled the winter air and felt the bitter cold fly into his nose. He also noted the scent of fresh laundry detergent wafting amongst the chilly wind. Was he really letting himself be this close to you, so close that he knew the brand of detergent your mother used? 

His agenda against physical contact nagged him but he didn’t care. Your touch was something he’d sacrifice his comfort for. 

He wishes you never occupied his mind, he wishes you never meant so much to him, he wishes that he never loved you. He wishes that he never loved you because loving you brought him here, in his bed alone. 

You were supposed to be there with him. 

It was a shame that he loved loving you. He loved everything that you brought into his life. Your laugh, your smile, your terrible jokes. But he wishes he never let himself feel so comfortable with you that you knew him like the back on your hand. If he had just kept his damn mouth shut, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much when you weren’t around anymore. 

It hurt so much to see you writhing in pain when he got home from practice. The second he saw you collapsed on the floor, his mind hyper focused on you and you alone. His usual shower session was ignored in favour of you.

It hurt so much to drive you to the hospital, to even think about your body lying on a stretcher or in an operating room. Sakusa ran through one too many red lights but he didn’t notice. He didn’t care. All that was running through his head was to step on the pedal, steer the wheel and make sure you came out of there alive. 

Five torturous hours later and he learnt that you weren’t going to be breathing he saw you next. 

It hurt so much to lower your casket into the ground, you face to never see the world again. His family, your family and all of your friends passed by, long hugs and pitiful apologies in tow. Everyone thinks that performative sympathy is going to help with the grief. It doesn’t. 

Now you aren’t around to massage his back after a long day of practice, to listen to him whine about his teammates, to be the shoulder he leans on when he cries. Now Sakusa lies in bed alone, the bed you used to share with him, tightly grasping onto a pillow that he wishes could be you instead. He misses you. 

He misses you. 

He misses you. 

The first few months were agonising. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything. Not even cleaning the house or playing volleyball or eating his comfort foods. You brightened even the dullest tasks in the world and now everything felt so bleak. It still does. The world around Sakusa felt so boring that he swore his vision lost its colour. 

It took a miracle and the combined efforts of Komori and the Black Jackals to even get him out of his room. 

He got better. After six months of a depressive episode, he pulled himself back into volleyball again. He had to, it was at least one thing he could do in your memory. Days and weeks and months passed and Sakusa saw his beloved sport as a distraction, as a safe haven from the absence of you. If he could, he’d distract himself with the real you instead. 

The eventual push back into society didn’t mean that Sakusa was okay by any means. Some nights were easier, practice would tire him out so much that he’d be knocked out the second his body hit the mattress. Some nights proved to be not-as-easy, the sting of your passing pressed down on him like a weighted blanket. An unwanted weighted blanket. 

Tonight is not one of those easier nights. 

There’s an ache in his chest that he can’t shake off and there’s a rock in his heart that’s sinking it to the floor and there’s just so much pain coursing though his body. He’s never felt so sore before. 

He hates feeling this sore. 

A tingle rises in his chest and eyes and he knows he wants to cry but the water doesn’t fall. All he can do is heave heavy breaths and weep. Why does he have to live without you? Why? Breaking up with you would’ve been a breeze compared to your death, he thinks. 

It’s been a year since his loss. He knows that he’s allowed to grieve for however long he needs but some voice in his brain whispers that he should be over it by now. Sakusa wishes that he’s not in so much pain, that his suffering wasn’t there to begin with, that you weren’t in his life to make him feel this tortured. But perhaps instead of wishing to rewrite the past, he should wish to be okay. He should wish that the memory of you doesn’t pain him anymore. He should wish that he can power through this without you because that’s what you’d want. 

And so he does. He sits upright in his bed, closing his eyes in meditative thought. 

I wish that this’ll be over soon. 

I wish that I can return back to my life. 

I wish that I’ll be okay.

So there’s not much of a likelihood that his wishes will be granted. So what? At the very least, he can finally feel the ache in his limbs and the tension in his shoulders and the tug of his heart slowly beginning to vanish. 

He’s going to be okay.

#tw mentions of death #cw mentions of hospitals #art.os #haikyuu #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu one shot #haikyuu one shots #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fanfic #sakusa kiyoomi #sakusa x reader #sakusa kiyoomi x reader #sakusa imagine #sakusa kiyoomi imagine #sakusa headcanons #sakusa kiyoomi headcanons #sakusa one shot #sakusa kiyoomi one shot #haikyuu angst #hikari's writing!!

[yeaahishowedupatyourparty]

Red & the meaning of it’s songs for Lottie. I just feel like doing this is going to help me build her narrative more, there might be some open spots in here but I doubt it. Also, as I said in the chat, it just helps everyone differentiate her from Holly because they both use Taylor’s albums for their character development! Hope that makes sense :) 

1. State Of Grace - Moving to New York and a dedication to all of the friend’s she’s made there. It’s the first time she’s been settled properly in one place and I think it’s about the intense excitement and love she feels for her academy already. She’s met Yasmine, Salem, and so many others and it’s track number 1, because she sees it as the opening to a really exciting new chapter.  2. Red - Elijah! This was her first boyfriend and they drifted as they grew up and moved on to different things. She has no ideas he’s into guys and that doesn’t really matter, anyway. She’s accepted that they’re over but the relationship is always romanticised in her head and moving on fully will probably never be an option.  3. Treacherous - Her first crush at Liberty was Avery and it hit hard. She was intensely pissed off when she didn’t get the reciprocation she wanted but after ‘Better than Revenge’ on Speak Now, she knows better than to put people on blast TOO hard. So, she went down the lovesick route and created this beautiful song. She knows that nothing’s going to come of it, but she can’t fully leave him alone. It’s a little less intense now that all of the academies are together though, because she doesn’t see him as much. 4. I Knew You Were Trouble - This plot is still work in progress, but it’ll be dedicated to Ethan. The two of them have got closer through attending Liberty and he’s attracted to her on a physical level; but nothing more. He’s mainly hooking up with her to prove a point to Addy and it’s working. They’re never official but even still, when she realises/the truth comes out, I think she’ll put her “Stop putting people on blast” attitude out of the window and release this because she won’t be happy.  5. All Too Well - I think All Too Well is really easy to interpret as heartbreak, but Lottie’s meant to be more calculated than that. So, even though it’s very much a heartfelt song and really emotional...she’s crafted it to be that way. It’ll be about Ethan and the purpose of it will be to get the general public and fans on side. She knows it tugs at heart-strings and while I Knew You Were Trouble is a bop, All Too Well is designed to give her the vulnerability that everybody loves to see. In reality, she’s not as hurt about it as she’s pretending.  6. 22 - Every single album has a song about or inspired by Annabel because she’s hands down the most important person in Lottie’s world. I feel Lottie would have grown up hearing Annabel’s stories about St Judes, her adventures and the friends she made. Lottie wrote this song when she got accepted into Liberty, knowing that she’d be having the same thing, and in a weird way feels more connected to her Mum than ever. The line “Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you” kind of points to how much she still relies on Annabel and knows her Mum will guide her through anything that gets hard in the next few years. She basically feels as if she’s her Mum when she was 22.  7. I Almost Do - Elijah. This would be an older song and I think it’d be written when she first started feeling the distance between them. This is probably the least complicated meaning on the album, oop.  8. We Are Never Getting Back Together - NOBODY LOL She just knew it’d get people talking and was catchy and it’ll be one she always acts as if it’s a huge secret who it’s about. 9. Stay Stay Stay - Again, it needs a little bit more development but Flynn is the second guy she’s had a major crush on. He’s really good to her and they have a lovely friendship, but she’s also keeping him at arms length because she knows her career plan is going to end up screwing over a lot of people and their reputations and she doesn’t want him to be one of them. It’s also about how he seems to genuinely like her and not care as much about how successful she is/what she can or cant offer him.  10. The Last Time - All Too Well, part 2. Just to REALLY drive home the fact that Ethan’s hurt her feelings, it’s all his fault and people should feel bad for her. Forget the fact she also knew he was one of the star basketball players and dating him would help boost the attention for ‘Red.’ That’s irrelevant...Obviously.  11. Holy Ground - She wrote this during her visit to St Judes and again, with her parents in mind. For them, Violet Springs is where it all started and I think she would’ve done something really sentimental like visited Annabel’s old dorm room or asked her Mum to take her to the place where they first met. This one tells their story more than any of theirs.  12. Sad Beautiful Tragic - Another one about Elijah. I feel like this is probably the shadiest song she’s written about him and here’s why...’Sad beautiful tragic love affair’ almost implies that something happened or somebody was wrong - and, of course, Lottie’s RARELY going to put herself in the shoes of the villain in any of her stories, so it very subtly nudges people to feel like Elijah did something. He didn’t, though, but one of Lottie’s weaknesses is making things up in her head until she believes them to be fact. There was definitely a stage where she thought he’d found somebody else, so this was the result.  13. The Lucky One - For Violet! Lottie’s been in the music industry for a little longer than most, just because Drew and Annabel let her be home-schooled for a few years while she worked on her debut. I think she sees a lot of herself in Violet and it’s somebody she genuinely cares about. It’s written almost like a fable about fame and trying to warn her that she needs to keep her feet on the ground or she’ll get hurt.  14. Everything Has Changed - I REALLY DON’T LIKE THIS SONG, I FIND IT HARD TO CARE ABOUT. She does have a vague connection with Fae’s new character, Jace, though, so I’ll fill this in when we’ve got a better idea of what it’s all about.  15. Starlight - Her second song about being in New York and starting life at Liberty. Lottie’s version of ‘Red’ is about living life at maximum intensity, which is what she feels like at the moment. She feels like this is the most alive and new she’ll ever be and her passion for everything is burning, so Starlight is another song that expresses that.  16. Begin Again - Flynn and Elijah, ahh. Again, she deep down knows Flynn’s a good guy and the real deal; the only other person she’s had that intuition about is Elijah. She’s kind of comparing them in the sense that they’ve given her that hopeful, heads-in-the-clouds feeling...unlike Ethan who is the other side of the album. I think it’s from the perspective of Lottie looking at Flynn and seeing a lot of Elijah - hence something quite nice is beginning...again. 

17. The Moment I Knew - This will again be for Jace. The vague idea of their connection is that they dated after she dated Elijah, while she was home schooling. She fell hard and looked to him for support and was convinced he’d be the same as Elijah was to her but he is and has always been more focused on his career. So, when she decided to go back to VS, he stayed out in LA trying to make his dreams come true. They tried long distance but he never called as much as she did and it felt very one way. He never did anything explicitly wrong...unless you hear Lottie’s slightly overdramatic version of the story via this song. (For people struggling to keep up, it goes: Elijah, Jace, Liberty, Crush on Avery, vague fling with Ethan, Longterm crush on Flynn LOL) 18. Come Back, Be Here - Leaving LA (when she was being home schooled/working on her debut) and Jace, too. This was the beginning of their short lived long distance relationship when she thought they genuinely had a chance. I feel like she’s embarrassed to admit she fell for him now but she did lmao.  19. Girl At Home - If you didn’t get the clue in her post, Peter C LOL. It’s plotted that when they got to NYC, he flirted with her a few times even though Lottie knew he was with Bianca. Hence why she wrote this song. She could’ve just told him to fuck off and left it be, but why do that when you could have it on an album and cause rumours to spread like wildfire?

#lotties project: red #ITS NOT OUT YET #BUT THESE WILL BE THE MEANINGS #i also love how sneakily shady she is with these songs and the meanings :')

[drwcn]

haha this kid has it hard. There is not a single functional romance in this entire family. None. I wrote a little something :) I do take prompts, I just might not be very timely to respond, depending on my inspiration reserve and work schedule/exams etc. Again, btsf!verse (or post btsf!verse if you will, that’s where my brain is at these days), but can be read independently. Hope you don’t mind.  

Warning: this is a fluff piece but a servant gets slapped in this. she is a minor, a trope frequently scene in historical dramas and traditional households. 

When Jin Ling was seven years old, he developed his first crush. In the many years to come, he would develop many crushes - pretty girls, tall boys - but his first crush was on one of Jinlintai’s servant’s daughter, an older girl with shiny braids and soft dark eyes. And because he liked her, he found all sorts of reasons to see her (read: pester, command, annoy). 

Jin Ling was a menace, and xiao-Rui had up until this point in time tolerated his behaviour, but this last straw was the one that finally broke the camel’s back. 

Clack!

Jin Ling didn’t know the right vocabulary for it yet, but an older him would reflect on this as the moment he “fucked up”. The yin’er congee splattered across the marble floor and up the hem of his brocade robes, staining it. Beside the upturned cherry-wood tray, the jade bowl and ivory spoon laid in pieces. 

Oops. 

Jin Ling wouldn’t have panicked, because truly this was no big deal. He was sure the kitchen had lots of other bowls and could whip up another congee in no time. But then xiao-Rui slowly knelt down, curled up into a ball and began to cry. 

Jin Ling felt all the calm instantly evaporate from his small seven year old body. Oh no! Crying girl?! What to do, what to do, what to do???? 

What did father do when mother cried??? Ah heck, what was he thinking? Mother didn’t cry. Crying was beneath Mother. 

“What’s going on here?” A harsh voice echoed from down the hall. Jin Ling blinked, surprised. Nobody here ever dared use that tone of voice with him. At Lotus Pier maybe, he and his little sister Jiang Rao would get reprimanded for being particularly naughty, but that was usually their mother and she never needed to raise her voice to put the fear of immortals in them. Jin Ling swallowed nervously, looking over his shoulder, praying that Jiang Yanli didn’t somehow magically transport herself from Yunmeng to appear behind him. 

She didn’t. Thank the gods. 

From spring to fall of every year, Jin Ling spent his time at Lanling under the care of his uncle Lianfang-zun who he would one day succeed. After several months, Jin Ling had come to realize that his Uncle A-Yao was itching to spoil him due to having no children of his own. This meant outside of his daily lessons in cultivation and etiquette (sprinkled with just a little bit of politics), Jin Ling was allowed to run wild, something he was rarely allowed to do at his a-niang’s Lotus Pier unless his a-die championed on his behalf. Jiang Yanli was a gentle mother, sweet, soft-spoken, and loving. But everyone under the sun with half a brain knew Sect Master Jiang was a woman made out of diamond, forged by the war, beautiful and unbreakable. Up against her, even with his father and his two uncles backing him up, Jin Ling had no chance.

The voice that called out belonged to an older woman, a momo, neatly attired in pale orange and earth brown - servant’s colours - with her grey streaked hair tightly coiffed back into a severe bun. She walked briskly, back straight and face grim, until she came all the way up to them and their mess. [momo - an older female servant]

Once she saw who he was, she quickly relaxed her posture and curtsied deeply, “shizi*, shao-gongzi*, I apologize on behalf of the servants for not tending to your needs that you must trouble yourself to come down to the lower units. What may I do for you? What has this undisciplined yatou done to upset you?” [1)shizi = heir, 2)shao-gongzi = young master, 3)yatou = girlie, referring to a young girl, or a servant girl].  

Jin Ling blinked, much confused. Surely, he was the one causing the upset. He certainly wasn’t the one crying. 

“Uh....” 

“Oh no, you stupid girl, that’s Qin-zhangshi’s yin’er congee and her favourite bowl!” The momo yelled angrily. [zhangshi 长事 - head of staff] 

Qin-zhangshi? Oh yes, that was his aunt Qin Su, Jinlintai’s Head of Staff who handled all the internal affairs. This would be the duty of the Lady of Lanling if his uncle A-Yao had had a wife, but he didn’t, hence the burdening of his only sister to rise to the task.  

“Zhao-momo, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to -” xiao-Rui squeaked as Zhang-momo pulled her up by the ear. A second later, a loud clap was heard and she cried out in pain. Zhao-momo had slapped her soundly across the cheek, leaving red to bloom where her hand had been.  

That jostled Jin Ling out of his trance. “Hey!” He exclaimed, using all the power of his seven-year-old barely-cultivated body to shove the momo out of the way.

After that he barely remembered what he did. 

-

Qin Su was having an exceptionally good day. Jinlintai for once was running like a well-oiled machine, so much so that she felt in the mood to call for a bowl of yin’er congee as a mid-afternoon snack. It was one of her favourite treats...but it was taking a rather longer time than usual to get here. 

Before she could ring to see what was the hold up, the door to her study burst open, revealing her seven-year-old nephew, a servant girl he dragged by the hand, and a flustered Zhao-momo, the supervisor of the kitchen staff.  

The front of Jin Ling’s robe was ruined by a large patch of food stain - congee from the looks of it. The girl, sobbing, had clearly been struck, and Zhao momo.... 

Qin Su took one long hard look at the situation and was instantly reminded of what Jin Zixuan had been like at this age. As Qin Cangye’s daughter, she had  crossed path with him frequently all her life. She wasn’t quite sure how Meng Yao might’ve behaved at seven, and xiao-Yu had always been too timid for a Jin, but this...this had Zixuan’s bullshit all over it.  Though, Qin Su internally rolled her eyes, even without his father, Jin Ling had plenty of bad examples to learn from: 

Jiang Cheng, for one, never outgrew awkward, not with the way he still stared at Wen Qing every cultivation conference. At least it was difficult for most people to discern between his deathly stare of murder and his thirsty stare of sexual frustration. 

Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun, as saccharine and grossly in love as they were now, only learned to communicate after one of them faked their death for a year. 

xiao-Yu visited Qinghe every month and stayed for most of it. Qin Su never asked him what he did there, and frankly she didn’t want to know. 

As for a-Yao, if Zewu-jun didn’t do more than play his goddamn instruments and talk about philosophy every time he invited A-Yao to Cloud Recesses, Qin Su was afraid her poor brother would soon physically combust.  

Thus, with the full fondness of a doting aunt and the exasperation and wisdom of a woman who once almost married her own brother, Qin Su said, “A-Ling, my sweet dear, that is not how you treat a lady, and certainly not how you treat a lady you like.” Jin Ling dropped the girl’s hand like a hot potato. “San-gugu! I don’t - that’s not - I mean - I -” [san-gugu = third auntie] While she left the boy sputtering, Qin Su turned to the older servant. “Zhao-momo, you may return to your duties. You’re an efficient supervisor; I’ve always liked that about you, but if I hear of you hitting another one of the girls again, you and I will have words, am I clear?”  “Yes, Qin-zhangshi. Of course, of course.” Zhao-momo backed out the room and fled.  Softening her tone, Qin Su waved the girl over. “Come, child, come closer and let me take a look. My, you are pretty one. Now, now no more tears, or you’ll redden those lovely eyes. Oh geez,” she clicked her tongue as she tilted the girl’s face to examine it. “It’s a bit swollen. Luoti,” She looked to her handmaid. “Bring her down to get some ice and ah...some cream. For the inflammation.” “Yes, ma’am. Come on, xiao-Rui.” 

“Thank you Qin-zhangshi! Thank you Qin-zhangshi!”  Luoti led xiao-Rui away, shutting the door behind them with a click. Jin Ling, shame-faced and embarrassed, stood before his only aunt with his head bowed low. “Gugu...you’re not - you’re not going to tell a-niang on me are you?”  His uncle never tattled. If Jin Ling did anything wrong, Uncle A-Yao would give him a stern talking to that would often turn to a long boring lecture. But then after, Uncle A-Yao would simply have a word with his a-die, and his a-die would just give him another Jin-styled talking to and then brush the whole thing under the rug so his a-niang would never find out. (She still does though, more than half the time, like goddamn magic.) Now his gugu, his gugu was the best, the absolute best, and he’s yet to receive any kind of reprimand from her. 

Well there’s a first time for everything - as his da-jiujiu would say. 

Qin Su rose from her dais, came up to him and lifted his down-turned chin so he could look her. “A-Ling. Are you going to tell me what happened?” “Uhm....”  “Hm?” “Will you tell mother? I promised her I would be good.” And I haven’t been.  

“Of course I will. She is your mother and deserves to know about your well-being. But, remember this: honesty will grant you forgiveness, but dishonesty will only see to punishment. Your a-niang has always been fair with you and your sister, hasn’t she?”

The boy visibly sagged. “I was bothering xiao-Rui. And I made her drop her tray. The congee spilled everywhere and the bowl broke,” confessed Jin Ling. 

“And why did you do that?”

“Because...” 

“Because?” 

Jin Ling grumbled something incoherent. 

Qin Su sighed. Taking his hand, she said, “Let’s get you changed, my love. And then after, you and I will have a long talk. Don’t worry, it’s not one of your Uncle A-Yao’s boring lectures. If you’re good, maybe we can go to town and I’ll let you pick out an apology gift for poor xiao-Rui. How does that sound?” 

Jin Ling nodded fervently, his smile wide. 

Qin Su chuckled, thinking that while her generation may have been thoroughly fucked over by the circumstances of their youth, there was no need to continue that tradition. Not when the times have been so peaceful. Tonight, she will write to her lovely sister-in-law who will surely have a good laugh over her son’s antics.   

#cql #the untamed #qin su #jin ling #jin rulan #peaceful times #btsf #post btsf #corie prompt replies #corie fics #character fic

[neouihobi]

florist! bangtan headcanons

a/n: hi lmao i wrote most of this in 2017 and seeing how florist!bangtan actually came to life in the recent run!bts i decided to finally post this no i haven’t watched the ep yet i like to procrastinate (did see some gifs and scs on twt though!!!!! sunflower hobi is real!) 

seokjin

would have the displays adorned with wide varieties of pink flowers, hydrangeas, roses, peonies and sprinklings of baby's breath

would be a hit with the neighborhood ahjummas because would sometimes give their flowers out for free with a wink and a hand kiss

the neighborhood ahjussis would shyly make their way to his store to ask for advice for what type of bouquet they should get for their wives

jin thoughtfully gives them recommendations! (his heart is warmed whenever they come and ask him)

10/10 bonds with the ahjussis with dad jokes

yoongi

ochre wooden floors with matte black details; furniture he designed himself, marble countertops, large windows, high stools—basically the kind of flower shop that has everyone pulling out their phones because #aes

would have fancy packaging offered at his store, black silk sashes for a bunch of roses, sleek matte boxes for single long-stemmed roses; min yoongi has an eye for classy packaging that has everyone buying only from his shop for extra fancy events

yoongi writes stories for his creations

he's thought of plots about dreams & remaining strong despite adversity--then he'd create a piece with a small water lily on an acrylic box with just enough space for it to come out, much larger lilies overhead. the idea of youth & wanting to keep it forever? he grabs white lilacs, roses, foliage, binds them together, has a wooden plate custom made & puts the flowers on top, encasing them in a glass globe

likes it when good music is floating in the store while you shop so he invests in a record player and puts on old classics and basically djs; also has a sideline job of djing and his radio show is called kkul fm (and his fans are called bees ehe) (which is also why he sells flowers ehe)

(oops maybe a little sope too oops) 

would have the cutest pink apron tied to his waist that hoseok gave him for christmas because hyung!!!! you need a nice apron ok trust me on this which yoongi only grumbled at that night but the next day that he opened hoseok found him wearing it and attacked his hyung with the biggest hug ever

hoseok

would over-order sunflowers because oops lol he doesn't have an excuse he just really likes sunflowers ok

sunlight always permeating the flower shop because maybe god thought the sunflowers needed sunlight hehe it's definitely not because hoseok is a flower too lol ofc not

everyone who enters his shop and grabs some flowers has a spring in their step! bc!!! hobi is just a ray of sunshine! makes the shopping process very smooth and easy for his customers

has monthly specials for 20% off on your order for bouquets for your mom!!! bc love your mom y'all!!! be a good offspring n send her flowers!!!!

namjoon

would know all the meanings behind each flower and consequently recommendations for any occasion you'd like to give flowers

he knows all the scientific names of each of the flowers but he'll only spew those out when trying to scare away the rowdy boys who are itching to pluck the petals out of the rosebuds "magnolia sparklium!!! some other scientific flower name!!!" /volume increases/

reads a lot of poetry & slips copies of his favorites when clueless high school boys come and ask him for advice on what to do with their confessions

dimples every time he is able to sell a bouquet not because he'll be making profit!!!! this boy just loves it when someone's just so thoughtful to give someone else flowers to brighten their day!!!! it makes namjoon soft

jimin

would sell fresh flower crowns bc why not!!!! they're the prettiest!!!!

you would find him hunched on his wooden table, meticulously stringing together delicate buds with bits of twine and string and everyone's watching through the glass display bc like!!!!! florist park!!!! is so!!!! dreamy!!!!

florist friends jungkook and taehyung had convinced him to join them in modelling to rev up the hype for the flower crowns, so they did a photo shoot and kook made the posters and of course the sales increased by 200% because aesthetic!!!! genuine flower boys in flower crowns what is this perfection you have blessed us with

he adopted a calico cat after that one day he found the little guy in the alley near his shop

the customers love the cat very much!!!! he became the mascot for the shop!!!! they tease florist park that he and the cat are very much alike!!!

taehyung

would have wild flower suppliers because he's got connections from daegu n wow!!!! the flowers r hella beautiful in his shop, beating out all the others' in the neighborhood

sometimes when you come to the shop early enough, it's possible to see taehyung in a large straw hat and light blue overalls and it's the cutest thing ever!!!!!

when it’s early in the afternoon and the store isn’t as busy, he’d definitely be sitting in a corner, easel and paintbrushes out, studying birds of paradise, attempting to paint their likeness on the canvas 

kim namjoon, a friend and fellow florist from another neighborhood, is awestruck by his paintings that are hung around the store, asks where he got them, taehyung happily answers that he was the one who made them!

and wow maybe mr. namjoon kinda fell in love right then and there (hehe......... he... vmon crumbs)

jungkook

large doe eyes and soft cotton shirts, rolled up sleeves, of course, revealing kook's strong arms and tattoos *fans self*

quickest flower snipper ever, he even has a certificate and trophy at the back and will show you if you ask him about it

has the most bomb ass photos for his online flower shop which really attracts people from all of korea to order from his store

florist jeon draws too!!! has gorgeous pencil sketches of flower arrangements hanging on the walls of his shop.

(like isaac lol) he would have a tiktok account dedicated to his and his friends shenanigans as florist bois 

definitely went viral after posting a behind-the-scenes of the flower crown photoshoot they had with jimin and taehyung

#bts headcanons #bts #bts scenarios #bts imagines #seokjin headcanon #namjoon headcanon #hoseok headcanon #yoongi headcanon #jimin headcanon #taehyung headcanon #jungkook headcanon #ot7 headcanon #ot7 #florist!bts #florist!bangtan

[dandelliongirl]

What a year

2020 was..

The last time I wrote anything it was April, and now it is the 23rd of December and I’m about to go spend Christmas with my family. My last failed attempt at christmas bread is in the oven (for some reason it didn’t proof at all, I guess I put too much flour in..) and I’m cooking up some Christmas porridge on the stove. Watch me burn that in a moment too.. For some reason this whole autumn has been a very stressful disaster. I am still working from home and just logged myself off of work until the 7th of January 2021. Maybe because I’ve been working from home it feels difficult to get into holiday mode. At least we got some snow today so it looks beautiful.

Spring and summer 2020 were an absolute dream! With no responsibilities and the possibility to work from anywhere I got to spend so much time with my family and at our summer house away from the stress of the real world. I could not have dreamt of a better summer, and apart from strawberry picking (at an actual farm, not just from my own strawberry plants) I got to finish off my summer’s to-do list. I even made a cute little summer video with my old Canon EOS 100D (yes - I have a new Canon EOS 90D now!). Endless days of exploration, swimming, biking, sauna, gardening, having lunch with the midsummer roses, baking rhubarb galettes with my own rhubarb from the garden, biking to the ice cream van, SUP-boarding with dad and spending so much time outdoors made me happier than I could ever be. I cannot believe how many beautiful things COVID has given me despite it’s awful impact on the world.

The start of the autumn semester was chaotic to say the least. Practically all of our system integrations are behind one developer, and he happened to be on vacation when everything went down, and study rights did not transfer correctly. This lead to an insane rush of support requests across the board, and lots of extra stress. I was exhausted and scared after last autumn’s disasters and definitely didn’t need another one to start the new semester. I’m starting to seriously fear August... Other universities have tens of people in their technical support, and we have TWO (sometimes 3). In more positive news I was given a permanent job contract starting August, which was amazing, and makes me so grateful especially during a year when many lose their jobs and get laid off. I guess that also contributes to my levels of stress as I cannot hide behind “I just work here for another few months”, but I have to actually take responsibility and ownership as a permanent team member.

Basically a lot of things escalated at work this autumn because our entire staff is way over burdened with COVID changes and the systems not working in an ideal fashion. Because our organisation does not have clear and defined process ownerships many changes come alongside the implementation of new systems, which puts me as a system admin (and not a process expert) in an awkward position. Hopefully our organisation will be able to develop and reconfigure responsibilities with some outside help, but for some reason my hopes aren’t very high.. All in all the anger and frustration of the organisation has been reflecting on the way people treat us and each other and as an empath it has been very exhausting. Luckily my new team is amazing and I’m having so much fun working with them - even though we aren’t physically working together at the office. I cannot imagine how it would be if my previous colleague hadn’t left. I hope she is happy and thriving as well!

All in all what got me through the autumn was the fact that I got to work from home. Being able to take a 10-15 minute nap when things got overwhelming pretty much saved me. Also the fact that I can wear whatever, make tea or snacks whenever I need to and don’t have to spend time moving from one location to the other. My guy got his own computer desk and a proper chair, and we’ve both been working from our very crammed but cozy livingroom. Even though our hobbies have been on and off I’ve gotten a few moments to myself and have also gotten used to doing my thing even though he is always here. No big relationship drama apart from the occasional little argument.

Ballet and body combat got to continue in person for most of the season. The last couple of weeks of ballet classes were on Teams, and the last body combat class was on Facebook with the season ending a couple of weeks early, but other than that having hobbies outside the house definitely helped. I have also loved having my ballet friend stay home instead of studying abroad. Obviously it sucks for her because it has meant a lot of changes to her plans, but I’ve needed her so much, and enjoyed our walks, hanging out together, going to ballet and the hours we spent outside talking on our way back. Ballet classes have been pretty easy as we only go to pointe and adult classes, but at least we are having fun together, and I like to somewhat maintain my skills even though I am not improving by miles. It’s also easier for the body as I’m definitely no longer a teenager. Starting next year we’ll have a fancy new studio!

After the relaxing summer it has definitely felt like I don’t have enough hours in a day or days in a week to do everything I need to. I cannot believe how I used to do all this and so much more pre-COVID but I guess it’s all because Animal Crossing didn’t take anywhere between 30 minutes to 5-8 hours a day. Oops. Needless to say I have been loving ACNH even though the Halloween and Turkey Day events were a bit too easy compared to New Leaf. I have high hopes for Toy Day tomorrow (YIKES! TOMORROW?) even though I haven’t had to go through the usual process of noting down all my villagers’ wishes, which I definitely miss. I am sad the diy recipe RNG has been so bad though. I’ve spent a couple of days spawning balloons on my beach, and never got the big Christmas tree diy in time. Maybe I’ll get it tonight but it’s definitely too late for this year.. Maybe next year then. I didn’t struggle this much with the maple and mush series diys..

So yeah, last summer me and my friend finished our old photography project and I edited the last sets of photos to give the finished book for her as a Christmas present. I love the project a lot because the learning curve is so apparent between photoshoots, and I found my “style” throughout the process. My EOS 100D started to get weird electronical bugs and definitely wasn’t running very well anymore, so after insane amounts of research I decided to get the EOS 90D from a Black Friday sale. I still need a memory card and a new camera bag for it since it’s so much bigger, but I’ve already planned out some future photoshoots and the theme of the new project, which can be described as “Adventure”, “Expedition” or “Discovery”. I just hope my friend will have time to model for me because I’m yearning to go try my new camera out.

My boyfriend and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a friend couple who started dating a week after we did. We took an extended weekend trip to a national park, a spa and a rental cabin. It was so much fun and a very special way to celebrate 10 years together. Especially with an exceptional year like this one has been.

Yesterday me and mum went to granny and grandpa’s place to help with the last of their Christmas preparations, take over some food and sing Christmas songs. I took our old piano book with me and mum played the piano while we sang. Grandpa got teary eyed during a special song and it was so incredibly bittersweet. I don’t want to lose my grandparents but I know it won’t be long since they are both approaching 100 years. I am so thankful for them, and for the time I’ve gotten to spend with them. I just wish I could remember more of it. It seems so unfair that we never have enough time with all our loved ones, and there are so many childhood memories other people remember that I don’t. I wish I could go back in time and observe myself spending time with my grandparents to memorise everything. If I ever have children I’m going to take so many photos and videos to preserve as much as I can for them.

In my post from April I wrote that I had been looking at houses and vacant lots. Well, the house of a childhood friend of mine is listed and I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve arranged my mortgage and left an offer. The sellers didn’t accept my first offer so now I’m going to see the house again on the 30th to see if it’s wort raising my offer. I like the house but it’s definitely a bit inconvenient as it is a 3 storey house and way too big and expensive for our current needs. I just really like the area and it is one of the best houses in that neighborhood. I’m going to let things progress naturally though, and if I end up with the house then it was meant to be. If someone else makes a higher offer I won’t be upset either since we have no immediate need to move. It’s just a bit crammed in our current apartment and I would definitely like to have an actual office for my photography equipment, and a sewing machine/crafting space.

Looks like my christmas bread cracked pretty badly but at least it rose a little in the oven.. Hopefully it is edible. At least the one I made for granny and grandpa turned out better.. Time to go scarf down the last of my porridge (which I didn’t burn by the way!) and then try to get all my stuff over to mum and dad’s place. Christmas preparations this year have been crazy busy and I definitely regret not being able to enjoy the season enough but hopefully I’ll get more in the spirit tonight. I’m really happy with the gifts I got mum, dad and my guy this year (online and early in October/November to avoid the rush).

I’m hoping to make a new year’s post on here as well either before 2021 or during the first week. I just like writing things down so that I can look back on where I’ve been. :)

Happy holidays whether you’re spending them with your loved ones (in real life or through a video call) or alone.

#personal #diary #December2020

[echodrops]

The Promises I Made (2018)

For the past twelve years, I’ve spent every New Year’s Eve compiling a list of fifty promises I intend to keep or fulfill over the next twelve months. The results have been truly amazing, and I have kept some promises I never thought I could. Although this year was really, really bad, oh lord... This year, for New Year’s, there will be a new set of promises for to me keep, but here are the old ones, for review!

 The Promises I Made (2018 edition)

1) I will be less anxious at work and not let passing comments from students or passive rudeness get under my skin as much. Status: Somewhat kept; I feel like I wasn’t as upset by students being rude this year as last year, but then again that might just be because I had better students. XD

2) I will be more proactive about my responsibilities for the college newspaper committee so we can make a great product. Status: Uhh… Can I count this as kept if the newspaper committee was put on hold due to decisions from the higher administration, so I didn’t have to be proactive about these responsibilities?

3) I will actually visit Mexico, not just accidentally take a wrong turn and end up there... Status: Broken. You know how some people like live next door to a restaurant for years but somehow never get around to trying it? Yeah that’s me, with the entire country of Mexico. Like, I literally live less than a mile from the border… I really should just go get lunch one day or something…

4) I will actually decorate my office with all the stuff I have had sitting around at my house for months. Status: Actually kept. I don’t feel like the decorating is really done in the office, but the decorations are no longer cluttering up my actual home instead of the office!

5) I will be better about focusing so that I can grade quickly and feel less overwhelmed throughout the course of the semester. Status: You know, it’s hard to say whether or not I did grade more quickly because spring semester I took on a really annoying class schedule and it screwed me over hard. I feel like I was a little faster this year, but I felt more overwhelmed than ever.

6) I will get the scratch on my Camaro buffed a bit to clear up the parts that can be cleared. Status: I just… didn’t do this. Broken.

7) I will repair the mortar on the fence outside the Utah house and seal the bricks on the window sills. Status: Somewhat kept/broken. I fixed the mortar on the fence outside but did not seal the windowsill bricks.

8) I will finish at least 26 books over the course of this year. Status: Look man. If my promise had been “Finish 26 fanfics longer than 100,000 words,” I would have blown this promise out of the water. But as it stands, I think I only made it to 10-ish printed books. I’m naughty. 9) I will retrim the grape vine at the Utah house and also spray/get someone to spray to kill the wasps. Status: Broken. I don’t know why I thought it would be smart to make a promise about trimming the grape vine, since that’s something you do in fall… when I’m not even in Utah… Hrmmmm… 10) I will get the mail man to stop delivering the wrong mail to my box because I’m getting ten times more mail for other people than for myself. Status: I had so many opportunities to do this, and I just didn’t. RIP.

11) I will have the fire escape window installed on the Utah house to make it legal to rent. Status: Broken. That’s a lotta money fam.

12) I will update Home and a Half at least four times (and no more double posts, just be chill Yehn, be chill for once…) Status: WOW. I was so, so optimistic, wasn’t I? 13) I will actually build all the furniture I bought for the Texas house and never assembled. Status: Mostly kept? I think there’s like one more thing I haven’t assembled (the spare futon), but up to this point I haven’t needed it, so...

14) I will actually watch Stranger Things since everyone keeps nagging me about it. Status: Broken. I just didn’t do this at all.

15) I will go to a dentist and get this annoying wisdom tooth removed and also see what can be done for my front tooth that got pushed out of alignment by said wisdom tooth. This really needs to happen ‘cause the partially erupted tooth is killing me. D; Status: Wisdom tooth is still hurting me… I am the worst at taking care of myself… 2019… the year of self-care?

16) I will take a road trip with my friend Karen like we’ve been talking about for a while. Status: Actually did this! Finally something completely kept. It was a great trip too.  

17) I will continue to serve as the video game club’s faculty sponsor. Status: I was too busy… T_T Broken.

18) I will lower my credit card debt by at least $2000. Moving is so expensive. T_T Status: I ended up having major set-backs this year in the form of having to pay out of pocket for a new windshield in my car and also my Playstation flat out dying on me, so this goal did not get satisfied. But now that my car is completely paid off (hell yeah!), I’ll finally be able to start making big payments on this sucker.

19) I will have ALL my lesson plans planned out in advance for Fall 2018 so that I can just chill next fall. Status: YO THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. There were still some instances of needing to fix things, but overall I did actually have all the lessons done in advance, and that was probably the only reason I survived fall at all lol.

20) I will finish painting the living room in the Utah house, finally. Status: I… forgot I even made this promise. Yikes.

21) I will be better about walking my dog because I have been slacking lately. Status: I wanted to be better, but every fucking time I go to walk my dog, the neighbor’s Chihuahua runs through their fence and tries to attack my dog, so literally every walk becomes a nightmare and there were a lot of days when I just didn’t want to deal with that stress… :/

22) I will finish a game other than FFXIV this year. Man, so many games have been piling up… Status: I couldn’t even find time to play FFXIV this year, let alone another game… 23) I will write a new, original short story. Status: I… did not write like at all this year. 2018 was just really hard for me. T_T

24) I will get my black glasses fixed this year, finally. Status: Uh… Kept… I think? At least I think this promise was referring to the damage to the frames of my black glasses, which I did get fixed. But now the lens has a scratch… V_V

25) I will attend more professional development/on-campus events and trainings to bolster my evaluation. Status: Eh, kept? I’m signed up for a conference and did some extra training thing that I can throw on the sheet, so I’m calling it good.

26) I will ink and color at least the one drawing of Yehn’zi that I finished sketching a while ago and did absolutely nothing with. Status: A whole lot of nope on this one.

27) I will really finish moving in to my Texas house, no more “I’ll fish out the clothes from the Space Bag when I need them but never actually hang them up.” Status: I’m counting this as kept, since the only thing that didn’t happen is that I never took the plastic wrap off the top of my nightstand, but like… hey that’s a really convenient way to avoid water spots so…

28) I will volunteer at a non-profit organization to fulfill my “service to the community” work requirement. I mean, I will volunteer from the goodness of my heart… yeah… Status: Shitttt this didn’t happen and it really needed to… Oh dear…

29) I will level ALL my classes to 70 in Stormblood. Status: This also did not happen. No time to play.

30) I will reach 1000 followers on tumblr. You should follow me. I’m only marginally a waste of time and space. Status: Kept and exceeded! I’m at like… 1540-ish right now I believe.

31) I will find a salon so I can get my hair dyed consistently instead of looking like a shabby blob half way through each semester. Status: Well, the good news is that my hair color fades so nicely that one of my students actually asked if the strawberry blonde was my natural color. But uh… no… it’s not… so…

32) I will find some way to pay back my coworker for all the incredibly nice things she has done for me already. Status: I mean, I took her out to lunch a lot but I don’t know if I really managed to feel “equal” on the debts I owe her for helping me out.

33) I will see an Anhinga (it’s a kind of bird!) in Texas. Status: Kept! The very first time I went looking for it, I found it, so score.

34) I will win Camp NaNoWriMo this year (because November might never be a possibility for me again, given how much grading I seem to end up doing during that month). T_T Status: Broken. Again, I wrote almost nothing this year. Too much stress. T_T

35) I will scout for new neighborhoods to move to with better internet access and closer to my work. Status: Kept. It’s still a bit too early for me to be looking for specific places, but I have a better sense of where I’ll be aiming for when I do go to buy something.

36) I will try to get better at Spanish, possibly by using my DuoLingo app more. Status: …Broken.

37) I will buy sod for the front part of the Utah house so that my house actually looks decent from the curb. Status: I COULD HAVE… But I didn’t.

38) I will be more proactive about commenting, reccing, and reblogging content I appreciate online because I find so many wonderful things but I rarely say as much about them as I should. Status: I think I was worse about this than last year. I miss the days when I didn’t feel like every five minutes taken to myself was stealing from my work responsibilities…

39) I will actually use my Instagram account to upload my photography somewhere public. Status: I forgot I made this promise too. Oops…

40) I will go dolphin-watching in the Gulf. Status: Somewhat kept? I mean… I stood on the pier… And saw dolphins in the Gulf. That counts, right???

41) I will clear all the photos and videos off my phone and camera SD cards because they are overflowing. Status: Kept but now they’re just sitting on the hard drive unsorted and in a confusing jumble of unnamed folders...

42) I will update my calendar with important dates—holidays, birthdays, etc.—and be productive about sending cards and well-wishes. Status: Broken, just totally broken.

43) I will complete my series of posts about Yato/Hiyori. Really. Status: >___> One day…

44) I will not work later than 10pm on any given work night. I can’t keep running myself ragged. I need to brake sometimes. Status: HA. I was really hopeful. More broken promises…

45) I will explore some new places/cities in Texas that I have not been before. Status: I… did not do this. I had a chance to do this and I didn’t. D;

46) I will get a gardener for the Texas house because the lawn is basically unmanageable by myself. Status: Kept. Because… the lawn really was unmanageable by myself so…

47) I will clean out the fridge more often. No expired milk or ancient leftovers this year please… Status: >_____> Ooopppssss.

48) I will get some sort of watering system set up so that the lawn at the Texas house isn’t a total disaster anymore. Status: Somewhat kept. I did buy hoses and sprinklers to water the lawn but mostly it’s just been raining a lot and that made the grass greener on its own.

49) I will help make one of the super complicated cookies from the new cookie cookbook I bought for Karen. Status: Actually kept! We learned much about the workings of cookie guns.

50) I will keep these promises. Status: Ouch, this one hurts a little.

Totals Kept promises: 12 Broken promises: 29 Somewhat kept/broken promises: 9

Y I K E S ™. I thought last year was crazy and was so hopeful for this year… I had NO IDEA how hard this last year was going to be. So many broken promises; I feel so guiltyyyyy. DDDD; Although I’m still at the same job and not planning on dramatically swapping entire career fields again, things are still in the process of settling and there’s still SO much more I feel like I need to work on. 2018 was the year of being constantly overwhelmed. Unfortunately, 2019 doesn’t seem like it’s going to be much calmer because I’m still working on designing classes and getting my lessons ironed out, but I at least no longer feel like I’m at rock bottom… So, I’m cautiously, very cautiously, feeling the tiniest bit optimistic?

  Let’s do this, 2019! The new set of promises will be up by tomorrow.

#50 promises #new year's resolutions #2018 feels like a thousand pound weight on my shoulders #time to shake it off #new year #IRL stuff #welcome 2019!!

[just-another-fan17]

Like You Never Left

Word count: 12,940 words (geez man)

Pairing(s): Romantic Prinxiety with some small side romantic Logicicality

Warnings: Lots of fluff, lots of angst, but we all love a happy ending (tbh I don’t think there’s any warnings...I guess anxious and or self-depreciating thoughts? Only a little though...don’t you worry) 

Author’s note: WOW OKAY. Hey guys! A little while ago I asked @tinysidestrashcaptain if I could tag them in a story I wrote featuring everyone’s favorite sides and I was really fake because I contacted them FOREVER AGO. I only just now worked up the courage to finish and post it. Oops? I’m sorry I’m doing my best over here. Please be kind to me, this is the first fanfic I’ve ever written.

Just some clarifications below…

 Anything in-between these…

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>

…is a flashback

Anything before or after this…

………………………….

…is either a break in scenery or a P.O.V. change

 I included that just in case the writing isn’t clear enough, I’m so sorry. I’m a mess. I’ll go now.

~Laur

Roman’s P.O.V.

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

“Okay, it’s a straight shot. Whoever gets down there first wins and gets to pick the movie for tonight.”

“Bold of you to assume there’s a chance you could ever beat me.”

The two best friends sat in their wagons preparing to take off down the steep hill, one boy ever more confident than the other. After the shouted count, “3…2…1…,” off they went, laughter echoing in the warm summer air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>

Roman pulled into the university’s parking lot with far too much time to spend in the lecture hall than he would have preferred. After a quick text, to make sure his friend was already inside, he begrudgingly hauled his backpack on and walked towards the double doors. He’d already had a terrible start to his morning when, in a rush, his shirt got caught in a loose screw on the battered screen door, pulling the thread of the sleeve, causing a small tear. Everything seemed to go downhill from there. As he trekked down the pathway, he found his thoughts drifting to how little time he had left in this place.

Junior year. Spring of junior year to be exact. Graduation was rapidly approaching for seniors, and it was all anyone seemed to be talking about. He was walking up the steps of the main building and could hear a group of friends tittering about graduation parties and dinners. He eyed them wistfully.

After a rough battle with the zipper, he was finally able to wrench the books he needed out of his backpack for art history. He then promptly threw his bag down with a glare.

“Well, don’t you look lovely this fine Friday morning.”

Roman inwardly smiled at his friend’s obvious sarcasm. His mussed up brown hair hadn’t seen a brush yet and his shirt was wrinkled with a long thread dragging a mile behind him. Truth be told he wasn’t quite feeling like himself. He hadn’t for a while, but today he seemed especially frazzled and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. He turned toward his friend sporting an indifferent expression.

“Logan, do me a solid and don’t attempt conversation before 8am,” he deadpanned.

Logan just smirked and raised an eyebrow, occupying the seat next to his friend.

“Is there any particular reason you look like you have not encountered a mirror this morning?” Logan eyed his friend’s out of place appearance.

Roman turned to his friend, hands flailing about, annoyance rolling off of him in waves, as he launched into his rather loud explanation.

“You wouldn’t believe the nonsense I’ve had to endure today! My alarm didn’t go off because my phone was never charging and lost it’s battery so I woke up late. I rushed out of my house only to tear my favorite shirt, suffered through an absolutely ridiculous amount of traffic, and then I didn’t have enough time to stop at Starbucks for my usual,” he finished bitterly.

Logan just smirked at his exasperated friend, barely holding back quiet laughter.

Logan McClure and Roman Prince had been close ever since the two had engaged in a very heated debate in freshman year English. While Logan is far more reserved than Roman, their drastic dynamic differences balance one another out quite seamlessly. Roman will often wax poetry about how it was written in the stars or some other such fated nonsense. Logan likes to think it was how often one was mistaken for the other. Though they only had a few lectures together, teachers always seemed to call them by the wrong name. Both with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a similar tall stature, it was difficult for most to tell them apart before Logan opted for his glasses instead of contacts. Though, in hindsight, their stark personality differences should have done the job.

Both boys waited for their teacher in amicable silence. Logan glanced at Roman out of the corner of his eye frowning. Something was going on with his friend, he could feel it. Logan knows he’s more emotionally inept than most, but if the great Roman Prince is known for one thing, it being obnoxiously loud and ‘looking absolutely fabulous at all times!’ He would be lying if he told himself Roman’s rather subdued expression and unkempt appearance wasn’t quite jarring.

“Hey, Roman-”

Roman’s text tone abruptly stopped him from voicing his thoughts.

Logan saw his face morph into something giddy…and that always spelled trouble.

“Remy’s friend is having a bonfire this Saturday!” Roman’s face lit up at the prospect, while Logan groaned internally.

Roman slowly turned to his friend, a sly expression already in place.

“Hey Lo-”

Logan, in turn, cut him off before he could even begin.

“No. I am not going to subject myself to the nonsense of Remy Marzena on one of my only two days of peace and quiet.”

Logan’s tone brooked no argument, but Roman’s puppy dog eyes had other plans.

“But I can’t go by myself! Besides, you know our dear friend Patton will be there too…” he trailed off enticingly.

“You say that as though it will influence my desire to go.” Logan leveled him with a look, fighting off the blush threatening to spread across his cheeks.

Patton Sanders had puzzled Logan ever since they’d met. He was always cheerful and optimistic at the strangest of times. Logan would forever deny how endearing the literal personification of sunshine could be. Unfortunately for Logan, he and Roman attended Springfield University, while Patton and Remy attended college up town at Pennbrook University. The only reason Logan had ever met Patton was through Roman’s rather unfortunate friendship with Remy. Both had met during the summer of freshman year at the district theater. Logan couldn’t comprehend how one person could be so…extra. Though Roman was quite theatrical himself, Remy, it seemed, was on another level. How he could be related to the sweet, kind, caring, lovable-

“Oh, do excuse me. If it weren’t for me the most socialization you’d ever experience would consist of late nights with your Advanced Methodical Statistics textbook.”

Logan didn’t appreciate the sarcasm, or the spot-on presumption. Roman’s pout was starting to get to him, and Roman did a mental victory dance when he saw the edges of Logan’s eyes soften ever so slightly.

“C’mon Lo, you wouldn’t leave me to fend for myself out there, now would you?”

Logan shifted his gaze to Roman knowing that his answer didn’t matter, seeing as he would be dragged there anyways. Roman’s pout persisted, and Logan winced as he finally felt himself give in.

“Ugh, you make me sick.”

Roman perked up at his friend’s response and texted back that he and Logan would be there. Worked every time. He learned from the best after all.

When the announcements crackled over the loudspeaker he turned and caught a glimpse of his hair in the window’s reflection.

A rat’s nest indeed.

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

Roman sat with his back against his bedroom door knowing the loud knocking would only continue the longer he remained stubborn.

“Come on Ro, open the door. It can’t be that bad!”

Oh, but it was. Sixth grade started tomorrow, and he had a haircut he only ever saw in his nightmares. Everyone, it seemed, has had their experience with this particular nightmarish milestone and he was devastated to have to suffer through it so soon.

“You’re just gonna laugh at me,” Roman huffed.

“I won’t laugh I promise! C’mon open the door,” he trailed off quietly, but encouragingly.

His friend was met with stubborn silence, until a muffled “fine,” could be heard. The door opened to reveal the same old Roman…except his hair was...different. He was sporting a bowl cut that was rather reminiscent of Justin Bieber. The other boy couldn’t help the huge smile that lit up his face, which he quickly attempted hiding behind his hand but to no avail.

“SEE. I knew you would betray me!” He stomped his foot to emphasize his point. He looked for all the world like an angry kitten.

“Aw c’mon it’s not even that bad. You made it sound like they shaved half of it off and cut the rest while wearing a blindfold or something,” he paused at Roman’s squeak of offence and continued, “Look, I know we have school tomorrow, but I practically begged your mom to let me stay and watch a movie and eat lots of food to make you feel better. So, will you come downstairs with me? It’ll take your mind off of it,” he pleaded with his eyes. Those stupid brown puppy dog eyes. He knew Roman couldn’t say no to those stupid brown puppy dog eyes.

Roman looked him up and down, pretending to ponder the offer already knowing he was going to give in, and brushed past him. “We are watching The Incredibles and I get the purple blanket.”

His friend laughed and followed him down the stairs, “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, moody.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>

He caught a small smile on his face when he snapped back to reality. Almost immediately, his normally cheerful face was downcast, and he stared at his feet. He wouldn’t be thinking about it anymore. As his day wore on, he let his friend’s comments on how tired he seemed today roll off his back, brushing off the concern. He was fine. He just had to convince himself.

His day consisted of the usual monotony plus a lecture on self-representation by multiple teachers. When his last class ended he all but ran to his car. Once he plopped in the front seat he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. After a few minutes of blissful silence, he started the car and let the radio play quietly in the background as he drove. The sun shone through the trees painting the street with a soft afternoon glow.

“Alright listeners, our next set is going to take you back. We’ve got some oldies but goodies right here on 93.7 W.S.T.W…” that was all the warning he got before Dancing Queen followed by Welcome to the Black Parade came on the radio. An odd pairing, but that didn’t stop his squeal of delight as he turned the volume up and rolled the windows down. At stoplights people in neighboring cars and passersby on the street turned to stare. His bitter sweet singing could be heard by all as he turned left down his street.

“WE’LL CARRY OOONNN, WE’LL CARRY OOONNN, AND THOUGH YOU’RE-”

He was abruptly cut off when he almost hit the back of a large truck.

His car jerked to a stop. He turned the radio down as he tried to collect himself. He stayed frozen at the four-way, long after the truck continued on its way, in an attempt to calm his breathing down. The quiet guitar solo continued in his silence as he stared into space. He found his mind wandering to late nights listening to this album with him, the smile upon hearing his favorite solo, his voice…

Eventually, the laughter of three kids riding their bikes snapped him out of the staring contest he was currently having with his steering wheel. His small smile fell from his face as he watched the kids race each other to the townhouse at the end of the street, carelessly throwing their bikes down by the porch. They looked to be no older than 11 or 12 but Roman couldn’t be sure. Once other people moved into that townhouse he hardly paid attention to that sort of thing anymore. Bottling his emotions had served him well so far. Ignorance is a foolproof system.

His thoughts drifted to the occupants of Brookhaven Ave and how little he knew of them now-a-days. He mentally counted the five families that remained from his childhood. Wait, make that four. The Berkley’s had just moved out a two months ago in October. He hadn’t even bothered to get the name of the new family that lived across the street and neither had anyone else in his family. Roman continued to stare at nothing, his eyes glazed over as he was lost in thought.

A loud honk snapped him back to his senses.

“Oh shi-” the curse was mentally cut off as he hit the gas harder than intended, jerking the car forward.

He pulled up to his porch and ambled inside, with a quick “I’m home!” to announce his presence. Without a word from anyone else, he made it to his room where he released a big sigh that was supposed to release the tension from his shoulders. He flopped on his bed and looked out the window only to see those three kids back on their bikes circling around the corner. He let out a wistful sigh as his gaze caught the rope still attached to his bed. He smiled wryly.

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

He used all the strength that a lanky, 9th grade emo could possibly muster to tie the rope securely to the bottom of the bedpost.

“There.” He stood up eyeing his work proudly.

“Okay, so what’s the plan exactly? You haven’t told me what you’re doing and honestly I’m starting to wonder if I should be scared,” Roman said teasingly.

He turned back, trying to hide the blush threatening to spread across his cheeks at Roman’s remark. Thank god for foundation. He took a deep breath that was supposed to help compose himself and turned around, smirk in place. “Okay, so, I know you’re not allowed out tomorrow for the Fourth of July-”

“Yeah no thanks to you,” Roman cut in, only slightly miffed.

He scowled the interruption and continued, “-Anyway…your parents know you’re not supposed to be out. Fortunately, mine do not,” he finished proudly.

“Am I supposed to be getting where you’re going with this?” he asked tiredly.

His friend rolled his eyes and exhaled slowly through his nose. “The fireworks start at 9:30pm. You can still hang with me at my house and we can watch them from the roof as planned. All you have to do is throw this out the window and climb down. Easy. Simple.”

Roman wasn’t sure if he was supposed to laugh or scoff, so he settled for a mix of both.

“Y’know, if it were anyone else, I’d tell them I’m not scaling the side of my house to hang out with the person who put me on house arrest,” he finished.

Roman stood and grabbed the rope testing its strength.

“Ah, well, good thing I’m not anyone else,” he countered smugly.

Later that night, Roman’s parents would find his room empty. Too busy wondering how the heck he got out of the house, they missed the dangling rope keeping the window cracked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>

The rest of the week continued with nothing more eventful than a pop quiz in art history. It was finally Friday night, and the small group of friends were hanging out in Logan’s basement as per Roman’s begging request. The guys had been informed of the bonfire earlier that week and apparently a good handful of people were going to be there, much to Logan’s distaste. All the sudden this weekend was looking to be pretty miserable. Logan didn’t realize he was scowling until someone was waving their hand in front of his face to get his attention. He looked up to see Patton with a confused look in his eye.

“Hey, you okay? You were…glaring,” he finished with an uncertain smile. Before he could respond, Remy opened his mouth from across the room.

“Astute observation Pat, but he’s been glaring at the corner of the room for the past 20 minutes now,” he said laughingly. Roman just looked on in amusement, at the flustered look on his friend’s face.

“I’m quite alright. I was just thinking about tomorrow and suffering through an entire evening with Remy.” He put his head in his hand and continued, “Maybe I’ll just stay home and tell everyone that I’m dying of a terminal illness,” he trailed off languidly. Logan inwardly grimaced at how utterly dramatic and Roman that statement was, though he quickly brightened up when Patton laughed.

Remy had finally had enough of this blatant disrespect. It was a party.

“God, you too? How many people do I have to bend over backwards to convince to quit being such a stick in the mud?” The frustration was clear on his face as his head flew back in exasperation. “It’ll be fun. Gurl, honestly, you can’t even talk. You always say shit like that and then you finally get there, and you end the night with: ‘That was actually pleasantly surprising,’ or ‘I suppose it was not as unbearable as I expected,’” he said imitating his voice with annoying accuracy.

Roman stayed quiet that night. He tuned out the good-natured bickering of Logan and Remy. The smile slipped off his face as his thoughts consumed him again. He glanced at Patton who was not so subtly staring at Logan, lovestruck expression in place. He sighed bitterly to himself. He was really happy for his pining friends, ecstatic even, but his lovesick heart could only take so much. Roman was suddenly shaken by his own thoughts.

“Oh god…lovesick?”

He was brought back to reality by Patton shouting over Logan and Remy.

“Guys, GUYS!” His dad voice captured the attention of his friends and they silenced immediately. “Enough fighting. You will settle your differences like civilized people.”

Roman looked up to see the Mario Kart loading screen and Patton holding four Wii remotes.

Logan and Remy just looked at each other sly grins in place.

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

“You better look out Princey, I’m catching up!”

“I don’t think so, you hot topic reject…” Roman threw back a red turtle shell and laughed victoriously when it hit head on.

They were on the last lap of the final race of the circuit and he was not about to give up yet. Roman was too cocky for his own good, and he looked to change that. His gaze hardened with determination, and a sadistic smirk grew on his face, as he gained another power up. A game changing power up. His smile quickly turned even more sinister as they sped closer towards the finish line.

“Hey, Princey.” Roman looked over at him briefly acknowledging his words.

“I’m sorry our friendship had to end this way.” Roman’s eyes flew wide with betrayal as he finally realized what was about to go down.

With no hint of guilt or remorse, the blue turtle shell was sent with a shout of victory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>

Roman woke up the next day with not much else to do than wait around and start getting ready.

He was scrolling through the depths of YouTube when he got a text from Remy.

HEY if you don’t start getting ready you’ll never get there and then I’ll have to kill you and I don’t plan on going to jail for manslaughter

A few seconds later…

Yet

A laugh bubbled out of him before he could stop it.

How Remy seemed to sense these things was beyond him. He let out an overdramatic sigh and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Damn, it was 5:30pm already? After putting on fabulously subtle makeup, he decided to check the weather and of course it was going to be unreasonably cold. Why did life hate him so?! He ran his fingers through his hair pushing it out of his way and opened his closet.

His eyes locked onto the old, abandoned hoodie before his mind could catch up with him. His grip on the door loosened as his shoulders deflated ever so slightly. Suddenly struck with annoyance he scoffed and reached for the hoodie. He was so over being sad and melancholy all the damn time.

Besides, he was in an edgy mood as of late.

 Virgil’s P.O.V.

He stood in the middle of his room looking at all the packed boxes with his heart in his throat. It felt like the room was slowly suffocating him. He was going back soon, and if that didn’t fill him with enough terror and anxiety for the rest of this life and the next, he didn’t know what would. Worse than that? He was living on the same street. Right across the street. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? Never go outside and hope for the best?

Luckily, his mom knocked on his door frame and cut off his downward spiral.

“Hey V? You doing okay? The moving truck should be here in about 10 minutes…” she cut in gently.

“Yeah I-, yeah.” His gaze never left the pile of boxes as he answered.

His mom sighed and sat on his bed, motioning for him to do the same.

“Honey, I know this move is sudden. I know you’ve already begun school, but I thought you’d be thrilled being able to go back! You were devastated when we left Pennsylvania, and it’s still something I haven’t forgiven myself for but-…” she was rambling.

“Mom.” He cut her off. Her jaw snapped shut at the harsh tone. Something she still hadn’t gotten used to over the years.

“In case you’ve forgotten,” he continued, “I didn’t exactly leave on the best of terms,” he finished, scowl in place.

It was the one thing he would never forgive his father for. No, no he can’t even blame his father.

‘You were the one who kept it from him, remember? Remember how heartbroken he looked? How could he ever have trusted you after that?’

He had to shake himself from his thoughts. His mind consistently antagonizes him with everything he should have done differently, and damn him, for messing everything up. He knew whose fault it was. It was only natural that he’d try to find someone else to pin the blame on.

He knew he had changed over the years. There’s only so much pretending you can do to convince people everything is fine before it wears you down. Eventually, he just stopped trying. His smiles dimmed until they weren’t there anymore, leaving an almost permanent scowl. His broad shoulders hunched in on themselves. Any and all optimism flew out the window, replaced by stone-cold cynicism.

High school wasn’t easy on him. Best years of your life, my ass. He looked back at most of high school with a bitter resentment and longing. Finishing senior year somewhere totally new just seemed to taint what good memories he retained. It was hard enough for a gay, edgy emo to make friends as it was, but when they moved, V didn’t even try. He didn’t want to try anymore. The bullying only cemented that decision. So he kept building his walls higher and higher. No one could be allowed to see past his walls ever again.

“V, honey, it’s been years since I’ve seen you smile. I know that things have been less than ideal. This whole move, transferring all your credits, starting at a new university is scary. It’s okay to be scared.” She looked over only to see her son glaring at the floor, but continued. “Penenbrook is a great school and I just know that you’ll make friends this time around. Your father’s relocation could be good for you. Besides, I know at least one person will probably still be waiting for you when we get back.” She turned gauge his reaction. He could only offer a sad, barely-there smile still aimed at the grey carpet. He could only hope at least.

When he didn’t reply, she got up and grabbed a box. “C’mon. Let’s get some of these downstairs.”

The family packed their belongings in a tense silence. His mom tried to initiate small talk but the two Manson men didn’t feel like talking. It’s a surprise to no one that V and his dad don’t have the best relationship either. Both of his parents have jobs involved with the government that prevent them from sharing certain information with their family. V had to learn to understand that sometimes not one but both of his parents had to go away on the weekend and he wasn’t allowed to know where or why. As he grew older, he couldn’t help the part of his mind that wanted to resent his parents. When they moved away from his childhood home it only worsened.

Once the van was packed up, he slid into the back seat and put on his headphones almost immediately. T-minus 13 hours and 45 minutes. He passed the houses and streets he’d come to know the past three and a half years. He didn’t expect to feel any sadness upon leaving, and he was correct in that assumption.  He couldn’t help the jolt of excitement he felt when the car passed by a sign that said, “Now Leaving Florida, Come Back Real Soon!”  

Maybe things were finally looking up for him.

………………………………………………………………

Things were decidedly not looking up for him.

He and his family were all sitting at the dinner table when his mom dropped the bomb on him. The chit chat immediately stopped when she noticed his expression. He paused with his fork halfway to his mouth.

“…What?” Silence reigned, so he tried again.

“What?”

His father had finally had enough with his apparent insolence and put down his utensils to stare his son in the eyes.

“Pennbrook is a fine school with top programs and teachers. I will not listen to your complaints simply because you are unable to live on campus,” he said with gruff finality.

In hindsight, he should have looked into it, but as of late, his mind has been…occupied by other things. Now, however, all he could think about is the lack of privacy he would now be subjected to living at home full time. On some days, he’d argue that it be worse than prison. He and his father were stuck in a glaring match until the boy finally gave up and sat back in his chair allowing an overdramatic sigh to fill the room.

Dinner continued, and he found himself staring out the window at the house across the street. The light was still on in his room.

…………………………………………………………………

Monday came sooner than he would have preferred.

He slammed his hand down on his alarm clock and looked over at the time. He blearily processed that it was 6:00am and that he needed to get up in order to ensure the least amount of embarrassment today. He pulled his blankets off and walked towards the door furiously trying to rub the remanence of sleep out of his eyes. A light switch would have been useful but that was all the way on the other side of the room, so he was flying blind. In his sleep induced stupor, he forgot that there were still boxes all over his room and that fate never planned on being kind to him. He barely took three steps before he stubbed his toe and fell forward.

“AH, fucking dammit!” He sat on the floor, his head between his knees, debating on whether he even wanted to stand up. Eventually, he decided he’d rather suffer in class than face his father’s wrath today.

He survived the rest of his morning routine without any other mishaps. He threw on his black skinny jeans, combat boots, and patched up hoodie. He didn’t even want to think about what he would have to endure today. He looked at himself and tried to look at the bright side. At least, there was going to be no picking on him. He learned early on that looking as scary and unapproachable as physically possible could really help you in the long run. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it, but a few stubborn bangs still hung in his vision. His eyes were cold, and he prided himself on his disaffected scowl. If he was lucky he could just sit in the back and blend in. He put light, barely there, black eyeshadow under his eyes just for kicks. He supposed this new school could use an edgy loner. He would gladly fill that position.

He ran his fingers through his hair and walked downstairs. After grabbing his keys, his wallet, his backpack, and an apple on the way out the door, he roughly sat down in his old, beat up Honda Civic and plugged in his phone. An oldies emo playlist should lift his spirits. A loud guitar blasted through the speakers, and he was off down the street sparing a single glance back in the mirror.

His classes didn’t start until 8:00am but he was still surprised he found good parking at 7:15am. He parked his car in the visitor’s spot and walked up to the main entrance. He couldn’t help the scoff at the saying etched into the archway of the building.

“Pennbrook, where excellence is habit? Oh, god.” He shook his head and sighed.

He walked in towards the main office with his backpack slug over one shoulder, already slightly amused at the atmosphere this school was attempting to put forth. As he walked down the hall, he saw posters and signs with various absurd sayings: “Pennbrook University, where forward thinking begins,” “Preparing for life is more than just test scores,” and his favorite, “Be who you are and be it well.” Yeah, okay.

He walked into the main office and was greeted by a too-perky receptionist.

“Hello! What can I do for you, son?” He wore a light brown sweater, a pink tie, and glasses. His desk was covered in various amounts of different cartoon paraphernalia, some he recognized and others he did not. His blinding smile crinkled by his eyes.

“Hi, I’m the new transfer student? I was told to come early today for my official schedule and ID card?” He kept ending his statements as questions, but the man didn’t seem to mind.

“Ah, yes, of course! Manson, Vi-”

“-uh, just V sir. Please.” He was quick to cut him off with a wince, lest anyone else hear.

The man peered up at him through his glasses with an amused glint in his eyes.

“Of course.” He walked back over to his desk to fish around for V’s papers and handed them over with a sugary sweet smile.

“Your first class begins at 7:50am. Here is your schedule as well as your student ID. The school layout is pretty simple. Three ‘L’ shaped buildings, two floors. First floor room numbers begin with one and second floor room numbers begin with two. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out. If for some reason you’re having any trouble, I’m sure one of our students or faculty members could help direct you,” he finished his rant looking to see if he caught all that.

“Thank you, Mr…” he trailed off inquiringly.

“…Picani,” he supplied.

“Mr. Picani. I really appreciate it,” he said with a slight smile. That smile immediately fell of his face as he turned to walk out into the hallway.

And with that, he was out in search of his first class. He had enough time to glance through his schedule and walk to all the classrooms he would be forced to suffer in for 50 minutes later that day. It was still only 7:40am, but he begrudgingly walked to his first lecture. The hallways were quite crowded at this point, but it didn’t matter. People parted like the red sea when he turned down the hallway. He was a few inches or so over six feet with dark eyes, an eyebrow piercing and a pointed glare in anyone and everyone’s general direction. His gait held a purpose as he walked swiftly and quietly into his homeroom. A quick scan of the room and he was walking toward the seat all the way in the back by the window. The room quieted ever so slightly as he made his way to his chosen seat. He dropped his bag to the floor and pulled his headset on determined to drown out the noise. Chatter slowly built back up as the clock approached 7:50am.

An older man in his mid to late 40’s walked in and called for silence. V took this time to actually look up and realize that someone had dared to occupy the seat next to him. The boy looked at him and smiled slightly before looking back at their professor.

“Good morning, delinquents,” he said as he set his things down. The class laughed as he prepared to take attendance.

V tensed in his seat because he knew what was undoubtably coming. He just had to appear unaffected and maybe it would pass over painlessly.

“…Jenson, Lombardo, Marzena, Mans,” The man started rattling off names, but stopped as though he wasn’t expecting one of them. No doubt his. God, didn’t they inform teachers of anything anymore?! The professor looked up scanning the room until his gaze landed on V.

“Manson?” he questioned.

V sat unmoving as all heads swiveled in his direction. Using every ounce of strength not to crumble as all eyes were on him, he only offered a two fingered solute as any indication his professor was correct.

“Ah, Mr. Manson, I was informed of your transfer. Might I inquire from which school?” He asked innocently, a tired smile in place.

V sighed but answered, “Sandalwood State in Florida. My family just moved back to PA.”

“Oh wonderful, I do hope you find Pennbrook to be a wonderful school to spend the remainder of your college years,” he said with gusto. He turned back to his attendance sheet, read off the rest of the names, and launched into the syllabus.

V was shocked to say the least. Maybe he could get by without his name being spoken aloud. A futile hope, but hey, he was doing good so far. Maybe this luck would stick with him. The kid next to him chose this moment to turn to him and try to introduce himself.

“Hi, I’m Patton,” he smiled amicably. He had a fairly tall build with brown hair and shinning blue eyes.

V just stared, shocked that anyone would even attempt conversation at this point. C’mon, his resting bitch face should’ve been enough!

“I’m V,” he supplied.

“Just V?”

“Just V.” He turned away trying to cut off anymore interaction.

V was hoping that this horrifying awkward tension would be enough to halt this conversation in its tracks, but then again, he was never that lucky. A kid wearing sunglasses chose this moment to turn around and introduce himself.

“Hey gurl. I’m Remy, the fun one, here for your viewing pleasure,” he spoke around the straw in his Starbucks iced macchiato bullshit. He had short brown hair swept back from his face. V couldn’t help the snort that came from his nose at the boy’s antics. He relaxed slightly in his chair.

“I’m V, the emo one, from your nightmares,” he deadpanned. That line had both Patton and Remy laughing.

Remy eyed the singular eyebrow piercing, eyeshadow and unruly hair.

“Honestly honey, I would’ve pegged you as a mellowing punk kid,” he pondered aloud. V just stared.

“A mellowing punk kid…” V tested the words on his own tongue. “Original. I haven’t heard that one yet,” he let a smirk ease its way onto his face.

The sudden shuffling startled him out of this impossible interaction. It seems the syllabus was all that was going to be covered today. V was at a loss. It was his first day, and he was supposed to be silently brooding in the corner. Patton reached for V’s schedule and scanned over it.

“Oh cool, you’ve got Philosophy with me at 2:30pm!” His eyes scanned over the rest of the sheet. “That means you can join us for lunch!” V tried to object but Patton looked back up and him with hopeful shinning eyes that were rather reminiscent of a small child, and V found his resolve weakening.

“I-…s-sure, whatever,” he mumbled.

With that, they grabbed their stuff as Remy dramatically gestured toward the door.

“Follow me, you tall, misunderstood shadowling!” V looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

“You’ll soon learn that my brother will be the most dramatic and theatrical person you’ve ever met,” Patton supplied helpfully.

Remy just laughed without denying his claims, and the three of them marched on to find food.

Maybe not the most theatrical…but he was pretty darn close.

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

It was one of his cleverer ideas.

The two friends were lounging on V’s bed when inspiration struck. Roman jumped up jostling V, who had his head hanging over the side of the bed.

“Good sir, I think I have a particularly grand idea,” he declared with a regal stance.

“Thank God. I don’t think I’ve ever been this bored in my life,” V said unmoving.

“We shall construct a grand movie theatre and have an equally grand Disney movie marathon!” Roman shouted a bit loud for V’s taste, but he was intrigued nonetheless.

“How many times are you going to say ‘grand’ before you explain how exactly we will accomplish that?” He said with playful sarcasm.

“Dishonor me again peasant and I will see to it personally that you die a very painful, boring death.”

V fought to keep the smile off his face.

………………………………………………………….

“It’s a drive-in movie!” they chorused. V’s mom felt an amused smile tug at the corners of her mouth.

She had to admit, it was pretty well put together, considering they were only eight. The TV set had been pushed against the open bay window facing the deck with blankets draped around acting as curtains. The two friends had dug out their old, beat up wagons and piled them high with pillows, blankets and popcorn. They were her really expensive throw pillows, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to discipline them.

“Just make sure you kids put everything back where it’s supposed to be when the movie is over,” she said with a smile. The two just offered her cheeky grins and a promise that everything would be cleaned up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>

Days turned into weeks, and weeks very quickly turned into a few months. Christmas and New Year’s had come and gone, and spring fever was in the air. V was honestly shocked at how fast time seemed to be going by. School was bearable. He had actually managed to make friends, but even then, he tried to keep his distance. They were constantly trying to get him to go out with them, but he was content with just observing from the side lines. He skipped out on all the hangouts. The only real friend he’d ever had was, it seemed, too far out of his reach. He didn’t need to depress himself further by going out to some party where everyone knew everybody else. That’s what he kept telling himself anyway. It was best not to think about it.

“Hey tall, dark, and emo. How are you this fine morning?”

Welp. The universe just shot that dream straight to hell.

Remy leaned against the door of V’s emptying lecture hall peering at him over his sunglasses with a suggestive smile, awaiting a response. V already knew where this conversation was headed, and honestly, he wasn’t sure how much more of this hounding he could take.

“I’m not going,” he said as he brushed past him avoiding eye contact. Remy hurried after him nonetheless. They both had lunch with Patton, so he wasn’t about to escape that easily.

“Oh, come on, dead girl walking, just come out with us this weekend. You need to get out and experience the people outside this mental asylum,” Remy complained. V smirked a little at his comment before carefully schooling his expression back to careless and uninterested. Despite his efforts, Remy saw it and decided to jump on it while he had the chance.

“Look, it’s a simple gathering with some food, some people, and a bonfire. There isn’t much that could go wrong, so you can give your anxious mind a break.” Remy was aiming for casual conversation, but he couldn’t conceal the whining annoyance in his tone. After being turned down too many times in the past week, there wasn’t much patience he had left to offer.

“My anxious mind is fine. And anyway, I couldn’t go out this weekend even if I wanted to. Both of my parents are away, and I need to watch the house,” V knew it was a weak excuse, but he’d had a long morning and lunch was calling his name. Remy scoffed.

“Where are your parents going that they needed to entrust you to ‘watch the house’? I don’t think your house would spontaneously combust if you left for a few hours.” Remy tried to keep the amusement out of his voice but failed miserably.

“My dad is involved with the government and sometimes his job requires my parents to go away for a few days. I’ve never known what for. He’s never legally been allowed to tell me. All I do know is that they’re both in Washington D.C., or so I’ve been told.” V spoke as if it didn’t really matter, but Remy could sense the underlying irritation.

Remy’s eyebrow quirked up at that. He and Pat had known him ever since a little ways through the first semester and he was quickly adopted by Patton, forming their little group of friends, but the ever-elusive boy was never really forthcoming with any information regarding his past or parents. The more he thought about it, he didn’t really know much about his dark, strange friend. Hell, they didn’t even know his name. Remy sought to change that. He continuously refuses to hang out with anyone outside of school and Remy just can’t fathom why. Who doesn’t want to have fun? Any outing with the fabulous Remy Marzena is surely not an outing to be missed.

“Damn that sounds frustrating. What did you do when you were little, and they had to go away?”

It was an innocent question. V knew that he didn’t mean anything by it.

That didn’t stop the pain in his chest.

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

It was 2:13am.

“I just don’t understand. I’m their son, right? I feel like I’m supposed to know. I must be obligated to know, right?” V asked anger coursing through his veins.

Roman just sat on his bed and listened to him vent. V was staying with his family for what seemed like the tenth weekend in a row. He could see this eating away at him. V always claimed that he was fine. That it didn’t really bother him. That there was nothing to worry about. He was just about done dealing with his fake smile until V’s careful control all but snapped about ten minutes ago.

“I mean, I know it was last minute, and they said they didn’t want to, but this happens all the time. We were all supposed to hang out this weekend, and last weekend, and the week before. It’s like they plan these things just so they don’t have to spend time with me,” he finished bitterly. His anger was quickly diminishing, a defeated expression overtaking his features. He stopped pacing to stare at the carpet.

He looked at V with sad eyes but didn’t interrupt. There were tears at the corners of his eyes when he finally let out a choked sob.

“Am I really so bad that they’ll take any and every chance to get away from me?” V turned to him, looking for something, anything that could prove him wrong.

Roman quickly stood up, crossed the room and pulled him into a tight embrace. V clung to him like he would disappear if he let go and cried on his shoulder until there were no more tears left. He pulled away, an apology on the tip of his tongue, but Roman cut him off before he could even begin.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare apologize,” he cut in hotly. He saw his friend’s thick tears, broken expression, and smudged eyeshadow and something inside him snapped.

V’s eyes widened, and his jaw snapped shut. He looked taken aback at his forcefulness. A few stubborn tears still rolled down his cheeks. He tugged him over to sit on the bed and forced V to look him in the eyes.

“It burns me up inside to see you apologizing for your emotions so don’t do it again.” V took a minute to absorb his words and nodded mutely, his eyes never straying from the determined, hazel pair staring back.

“I saw how upset your mom was when they left. Her strained smile may have fooled you, but it didn’t fool me,” his eyes softened as he decided to give up on the tough guy act and sit down beside him. He hesitated before taking V’s hand in his own. A blush took over his face but he continued. “I know this is hard for you. I know you wish that they were around more often. I don’t want this making you think that you aren’t worth anything to anyone. Your feelings matter. You matter. You have so many people that care about you. Hell, my parents have practically adopted you and I’m convinced that they like you more than me,” he huffed out a laugh trying to lighten the mood.

He saw the ghost of a smile on V’s face. He let the silence hang over them for a few minutes before continuing, “They do love you, y’know. They might not be so good at showing it, but they love you, so much,” he said desperately. V’s gaze remained resolutely on the floor. He resolutely ignored the part of his mind that thought Roman meant it wasn’t only his parents that loved him so much. His small smile fell into a thin line.

“How do you know?” he mumbled, voice was still strained. His friend perked up dramatically with his signature mega-watt smile.

“Because, I’m your best friend. I know everything,” he said proudly with his hand on his chest. He batted his eyelashes at V until he couldn’t resist a small laugh.

V turned to him and his eyes softened as he tried to think of how he could possibly put into words how much that meant to him. How much he meant to him. So, naturally, he did what any other emotionally insecure 17-year-old boy would have done at a time like this. V’s eyes turned mischievous and Roman looked at him confused by his sudden mood swing. Before he could blink, V snaked his arm around his waist and swung him around onto his back. His friend let out an undignified squeal as V quickly pinned him under his weight. He squirmed to get out of V’s hold, and had this been a few years ago he would have succeeded, but with V’s recent growth spurt his struggle was fruitless. V quickly pinned his hands above his head in victory. Their hysterical laughter dissipated the remaining atmosphere in the room.

However, as their laughter died down, both of them seemed to realize just how close they were. Both boys were panting heavily, sporting a pink blush. Roman was short-circuiting. Holy fucking shit he’s on top of me, he’s on TOP OF ME, HE’S-. V wasn’t doing too well himself, suddenly realizing the compromising position he threw himself into. Neither one dared move.

In the middle of V’s spiraling thoughts about forcing yourself on you best fucking friend for god’s sakes, what are you doing!? What were you thinking?!, Roman’s eyes shifted to V’s lips and back to his piercing stare.

That stopped his train of thought in its tracks, and his breath hitched audibly. V didn’t know what the heck he was doing, but he felt himself slowly leaning in anyway. Their lips were only a hairs breath apart-

A loud car horn snapped them both out of their fervor and V sat up with barely concealed panic. Roman sat up as well and the two of them were decidedly looking everywhere except each other.

Eventually, Roman cleared his throat and V’s gaze snapped back to him.

“Perhaps we should get some rest, yeah?”

V looked at him and nodded in agreement, and they both shared a small smile, silently agreeing to forget about whatever just almost happened. They rolled onto their backs, pulled up the covers, and stared at the ceiling. When V heard the steadying of Roman’s breath, he turned on his side and mumbled out a quiet, sincere “thank you,” into the silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>

“I stayed at a friend’s house,” he said looking away. He was currently thanking whoever was looking out for him up there for his choice of an extra layer of foundation today.

Remy nodded his head and didn’t pry any further accepting his short explanation. They both fell into a comfortable silence as they paid for their food and made their way to a table in the back of the cafeteria. Pat was already there. Remy decided to leave a standing offer if he decided to change his mind.

“Well, if you feel like living dangerously tomorrow, you text me and I’ll pick you up on my way to the party. I can’t stay too long so that means you won’t have to stay too long if you’re really that hesitant.” Remy looked at him awaiting a response. V just sighed and looked over to him tiredly.

“If I consider it, will you let me suffer through the rest of my day in peace?” he huffed. Remy’s whole face practically lit up and Patton let out a tiny squeal in delight.

“I’ll take that as a definite maybe!” he cheered.

V just groaned and glared in the other direction.

 Both P.O.V.

He was not one for social outings. The bonfire started at 7 o’clock and he was no closer to a decision. He’d already received a text from Remy earlier that day asking if he was “ready to live a little.” He stared at his phone debating on whether he really wanted to face people tonight. Somewhere deep down he really did want to go, but his mind was constantly rattling off hinderances: “You’re just going to be sitting alone the whole time. They probably won’t even like you. Remy only offered to be nice.”

He was getting really sick of that voice. He stared down at his phone, the text bar blinking back at him. In a moment of pure impulsiveness, that he would probably regret later, he finally sent a message back:

Fine. But if this all goes to shit, I will never go outside again and you will be forced to live with that on your conscience forever.

He got an instant enthusiastic response:

YES. FINALLY. Fucking took you long enough lol

I’ll come by your house at 6:45pm…shouldn’t take us too long to get there but I will need an address from you 😉

V will never understand this boy’s constant positivity. Patton must be rubbing off on him. He sent his address nonetheless. He trudged up to his room trying to decide if his usual style would scare everyone. If he was being honest his style had really mellowed out over the years. People would laugh if they could see his 14-year-old self now. He shook himself of the thought and settled for ripped black skinny jeans, a distressed purple long sleeve, a black beanie, and his old black combat boots.

Time ticked by quicker than he would have liked. Soon enough he received a text from Remy saying he was waiting outside with Pat. He looked in the mirror and gave himself a mental pep-talk before heading out the door. His hand hesitated at the handle as he gazed through the window. He looked longingly across the street and saw all the downstairs lights on. He prayed no one could see him as he walked out and quickly made his way to the car waiting for him. Pat was driving it looked like and Remy was in the front passenger seat. He made his way into the back seat only to look up and find two pairs of eyes scrutinizing him.

“Uh, can I help you?” he said defensively. Both boys just laughed causing his scowl to grow.

“Relax, we just thought with all the glaring and brooding you do at school your outfit would be a little more emo than this,” Remy replied breezily.

“Weren’t you the one who dubbed me the mellowing punk?” V replied smirking. Remy just laughed and typed in the directions to his friend, Jake’s house.

“Hey kiddo! I love your eye makeup!” Patton looked awed and V was just shocked he’d received a compliment at all. He looked at Pat and smiled shyly.

“Thanks Pat.”

The car fell into an easy silence as they drove. Internally, V was freaking out a bit. He had agreed to go to this thing, but he had absolutely no idea what was in store for him. As if reading his thoughts, Patton piped up from the driver’s seat seemingly sensing his panic.

“We’re almost there, he lives in the next town over so it’s not too far,” he began. V took his chance to grill them for information.

“So…who’s going to be at this party exactly,” he said hesitantly.

“It going to be us and a few of the other guys and gals.” He looked both ways and turned left at the intersection.

“And who are these ‘other guys and girls’ exactly? Where do they go to school?” he asked. He stared at his phone trying to appear less anxious.

“Oh, they all go to Springfield University,” he replied easily. V’s head snapped up.

“Springfield University?” he parroted back, eyes wide.

He must have heard him wrong.

Patton glanced at him in the rear-view mirror in confusion.

“Yeah. Why, do you know someone?” Pat asked out of curiosity.

V took a minute to calm himself down and rationalize that Roman probably didn’t go there. V remembered that Ro had thought about it, but before they finished high school, he was still on the fence about Springfield and the local charter school. Besides…how could he know Remy or Patton anyway…The chances were infinitesimal at best.

“Yeah,” he replied without thinking. “Well, no, I mean I used to know someone who might go there, but I doubt he’d be wherever we’re going tonight.” Remy wasn’t sure if V was trying to reassure them or himself. Remy looked at Patton, then back at V before posing his own question.

“Oh. How’d you know him?”

V took a minute to respond. In that time, a small bitter sweet smile spread on his face.

“We were best friends,” he began. The other two boys thought that was all they were going to get out of him, but he continued after a small huff of laughter, “He lived down the street and we did practically everything together. Ever since we were little we were a neighborhood menace.” He laughed outright at that as he remembered a particular moment with Mrs. Berkley chewing them out for drawing on the side of her house with sidewalk chalk.

The other boys were stunned into silence. They had never seen V so easygoing and animated. He seemed almost wistful. But then his smile became crestfallen. “But-..uh…I haven’t really seen him since senior year of high school when I moved.” His head was in his hand as he looked out the window.

Remy was watching him carefully. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say V looked a little lovesick. Eventually, Patton spoke up and that was enough for V to catch himself and revert back to his usual closed off expression.

“Well, what’s his name?”

V just stared at the back of the driver’s seat. It was a simple question, so why was it so hard to just say it. This wasn’t Harry Potter and he wasn’t Voldemort. For so long, he never spoke his name simply because the memories were too much. Even his family had picked up on it. His mom was always so careful about it, like she was constantly walking on egg shells. Those mannerisms were eventually present in nearly every interaction, but V didn’t like to dwell on it much. He seemed to finally snap out of whatever daze he was in before he realized he hadn’t answered yet.

“Roman. Roman Prince,” he finally choked out.

Oh.

Oh.

Patton and Remy both shared a look of disbelief before they carefully schooled their expressions.

“Well hey, maybe one of these guys will know him,” Pat encouraged. V offered a noncommittal shrug before turning his gaze back down to his phone.

“Yeah. Maybe,” V mumbled.

……………………………………………………………………..

When they pulled up to the house V tried to quell his initial panic upon seeing the ridiculous amount of people. This had to qualify as some sort of public disturbance, right? The sound of Patton and Remy opening their respective car doors shook him from his anxious thoughts. He silently followed them towards the house. Once they got to the end of the driveway, a smiling blonde came walking towards them.

“Hi guys! Glad you could make it. Who’s your friend?” he asked with a welcoming hug and smile.

“Hey kiddo! This is V. He just moved here a few months ago,” Pat answered for him.

“Hi Jake, thanks for having me,” V replied nervously. After some relatively painless small talk, and an explanation as to where everything is, he left the three to their own devices.

There was a huge bonfire out back stocked with anything and everything to make s’mores, along with patio furniture and extra chairs set up on the driveway surrounding a smaller fire pit to accommodate the ridiculous throng of teenagers. Roman and Logan had just roasted some marshmallows, with only a few marshmallow fires to report, and were now sitting on the driveway chatting aimlessly. Roman snuggled deeper into his hoodie as a particularly cold breeze made him shiver.

Patton and Remy quickly surveyed those they could see and lit up when they spotted Roman and Logan. Remy finally spoke up and began to introduce everyone he knew from afar.

“Okay, so you’ve met Jake. Over on the couch is Julia, Maddie, Brandon, Matt, and Anna,” Remy rattled off. He smirked at Pat motioning for him to continue.

“And, over on the other side is Lia, Peyton, Roman, and Logan,” Patton finished. V was nodding his head along before what Pat said had finally caught up with him.

His entire body froze and his breath hitched audibly.

No. No.

His eyes were impossibly wide, and his mouth was opening and closing at a loss for words. He jumped behind Patton and curled his hands into fists, quietly cursing the air blue.

“Are you guys fucking kidding me right now?! Why the fuck didn’t you tell me he was going to be here!? I can’t fucking talk to him, you don’t get it!” He whisper-shouted.

Remy brushed off his panic. V could faintly hear Patton trying to calm him down, but his gaze was focused on the glowing man by the fire. He looked so different, yet the same. His heart leapt into his throat as he heard him laugh particularly loudly at whatever his friend had said. He hadn’t heard that sound in years. His brown hair was perfectly styled he noticed, the fire giving his hazel eyes a urethral quality. He noted the crinkle by his eyes, the gentle curve of his nose, the cupid’s bow of his lips. His blissful moment was broken when he heard Remy call him over here.

“Hey Ro, get over here!” Remy yelled with a laugh. V watched helplessly from behind Pat’s shoulder as he and his friend walked around the firepit in his direction. He couldn’t stop shaking and his eyes were blown impossibly wide. His voice was nowhere to be found and his feet seemed glued to the ground. His protests died on his lips as Roman came over and hugged Remy.

“Took you long enough. You’re the one who forced me to come to this thing and you show up late?” Logan asked playfully.

“Well, we had to make an extra pit stop,” Remy said while he hugged Roman as well. It was then that Roman noticed the dark figure behind Patton. V turned away from him hiding behind his hair as Roman tried to meet his eyes.

“Who’s your friend?” he asked but received no answer. “C’mon I don’t bite…much,” he tried to joke.

V knew he had to face the music. There was no way out of this, God there was no way out of this. He let out a shaky exhale and stepped out from behind Patton. He painfully tore his gaze from the ground and looked at him through his bangs.

“…Hey there Princey,” he tried to smile.

…………………………………………………………………………..

The world stopped.

His confident stance faltered as his phone clattered to the ground. His heart stopped. Tears gathered in his eyes without his permission. His mind was running a mile a minute. Roman wasn’t sure if he was sad, angry, happy…he had been numb for so long, and he only seemed to realize that in this moment. Only one person had ever called him that, and he left years ago, along with whatever genuine happiness he had. He took in two sharp breaths before he attempted to speak.

“…V?” he whispered.

A few tears were flowing freely now. A sob threatening to come out of his throat. Roman looked on to see panic on his face as he began rambling.

“No, no, no, no, no don’t cry!” Patton and Remy watched as V’s carefully constructed walls tumbled down. Gone were his cold eyes and standoffish stance and attitude. His eyes were scared and panicked, as he held his hands up to try to placate the man in front of him. “Please, I knew I shouldn’t have come I’m so sorry I didn’t know you were gonna be here and-” but he was cut off by Roman’s hysterics. His hand was over his mouth trying to calm down before he was all over him.

“Oh, just shut up and get over here,” Ro laughed through tears as he jumped him.

V staggered forward as Roman pulled him into his arms and burried his head into his neck. V hesitantly wrapped his arms around his back and rested his nose on his shoulder, a tear rolled silently down his cheek.

“Where have you been, you emo nightmare?” He laughed, but didn’t move from his current position.

V couldn’t have smiled wider as a loud laugh tore out of his throat. The first genuine laugh he’d allowed himself in a while. They only held one another tighter.

“I was in…it was Florida,” he mumbled quietly.

Roman pulled back to look him in the eyes, a ghost of a smile graced his face. He looked at him like he wasn’t real. His thumb brushed a stray tear from V’s cheek as he studied his face. Gone was the 2007 emo haircut and makeup. His hair was cut and styled a little shorter, hiding under his beanie. A few pieces hung in front of those brown, dough eyes he missed so dearly. His features grew sharper, and he most definitely grew taller. Only an inch or two shorter than Roman himself. V blushed under his scrutiny.

“Look at this hair,” Roman laughed as he ran his hand through it, effectively removing the beanie and mussing it up.

“I like it.” V tried not to melt at the affectionate touch. Roman looked over all his features, and after a beat of silence, Roman spoke up again, “You grew up.”

“Hey, so did you,” V said with a wide smile. “You’re taller than me now, damnit. And look, you finally got a haircut that fits your face,” he finished with a laugh.

“You know me, I couldn’t endure another-”

“-sixth grade bowl-cut disaster,” they finished together laughing.

Their giggles died down and looked at each other, faces turning serious.

“Roman…” V wanted to explain. He wanted to explain what he couldn’t all those years ago.

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

Silence.

That’s all there was between them.

A heavy choked silence.

“…you’re moving…?” The way Roman’s voice cracked may as well have broken Virgil.

He wasn’t meant to see the text from his mom about the moving truck. V almost dropped the glass of water he was holding when Roman asked about it. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Virgil just needed a little more time.

Virgil tried to speak. He tried to find the right thing to say, to explain himself, but the words wouldn’t come.

“How long have you known about this?” Shock punctuated each word, and again V floundered for what to say.

“I-..it-…a few months.”

A choked scoff was all Virgil got in response.

“Where?” Roman tried to appear indifferent, but his eyes gave him away.

Tears started to gather in V’s eyes. That was the one question he couldn’t answer. He couldn’t, he couldn’t, and that pained him more than anything.

“I-…Roman, I can’t tell you.” V looked at his friend desperate for understanding, but he was met with barely concealed outrage. Roman knew why Virgil couldn’t tell him but that didn’t stop the anger permeating through his entire being. If it weren’t for his  fucking parents. But that didn’t matter in Roman’s head right now. He was just beyond hurt…betrayed that Virgil would keep this from him for so long.

Then suddenly Roman realized something. Virgil was crying. Something he would never normally do, even in front of his best friend. Roman was mad that he was just finding out about this, sure, but Virgil wouldn’t be so panicked if it weren’t a big deal.

“Is it close? Will we still be in school together?” Roman tried to sound hopeful, but he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“It’s-…no Ro…it’s out of state.” The dam finally broke and silent tears began to fall.

Roman let out a humorless laugh, and his face turned cold. He felt like he’d just been kicked in the stomach, and Virgil wasn’t much better.

“When.” Roman was desperate for answers. His whole world, it seemed, was being taken away from him. The one person that he cared about the most, the one person who understood him the most, the person he loved the most was about to move away.

Tears were flowing freely down V’s face. He opened his mouth to speak but after a few failed attempts at getting the words out. He took a deep, shaky breath and spoke up in a quiet voice.

“Five days.”

Roman’s eyes flew wide.

“Days?! You’re moving away in five days and you didn’t think to tell me months ago? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? When were you even going to tell me?!”

Angry. He was angry.

Virgil’s tears continued to fall. His hands we balled into tight fists at his sides and his breathing was labored as he stared resolutely at the floor.

“I-I tried to-, I didn’t mean-…” He couldn’t even form a sentence. He was overwhelmed, on the verge of an attack, but he was trying to keep himself together. He had to explain.

“It’s the middle of the school year! We’re supposed to be graduating high school in four months together. We’re supposed to be getting ready for college together. Getting ready for the rest of their lives together. I thought that you and I-…I thought…” Roman’s voice broke and he shook his head.

“V I’m your best friend! At least I thought I was. What possessed you to tell me five days before you had to leave that I’m probably never going to see you again, because I don’t even know where the hell you’re going!?” Roman was borderline hysterical, but his anger was overriding his sadness. Virgil continued to look at the floor, tears blurring his vision.

A beat of silence passed and suddenly everything that had been going on recently made more sense. Why they hadn’t been able to hang out at his house, why V’s mom always gave Virgil looks when Roman talked about what they were planning to do this summer. All of it.

Roman finally broke the silence.

“I have to go.”

Virgil’s head snapped up at his words, but his feet wouldn’t move to stop him.

He wanted to tell him everything.

He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs how he had tried to tell him before but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so because it hurt so damned much. He wanted to tell him how much he wishes to spend as much time together as they can before he has to say goodbye. He wanted to tell him how much he was going to miss him. His laugh, his nicknames, his dramatics, his limitless kindness and wit, his unbelievable ability to calm and reassure him in his darkest moments. His ability to understand. He just wanted to tell him how much he loved him.

It was a lonely five days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>

“I’m sorry.”

Virgil’s mouth snapped shut, confused.

“Roman, what in God’s name are you-”

“ -you didn’t deserve my temper tantrum.” He paused taking in V’s face of confusion. “I shouldn’t have shut you out. I should have stayed. I should have talked it out with you. There’s so much I should have done differently. Instead, I let you go without a goodbye,” he trailed off quietly. A rueful smile could be seen on his face.

“Ro, if I had just told you sooner. None of that would’ve happened.” V turned his face away trying to stop the second barrage of tears threatening to fall.

Roman grabbed his chin with one hand and forced Virgil to look at him. Shock replaced his sadness and a bright blush spread across his cheeks.

“V, I don’t blame you for anything, no matter how much you think this is your fault. I’m just-…I’m so glad to have you back,” he finished with a huff of laughter. There were still tears in his eyes and the laugh was strained, but it was something Virgil didn’t know he needed to hear all this time.

Roman’s eyes slid down to his lips before coming back up to meet his eyes. V briefly wondered if he’d imagined that.

“…Virgil?”

He was asking permission and Virgil sure as hell wasn’t going to lose this chance while he had it. He leaned forward, his lips lightly brushing Roman’s, hesitating only a moment longer before Roman captured his lips in a gentle kiss. Roman put his hands on the sides of V’s face while Virgil’s hands tangled themselves in Roman’s hair. The kiss slowly became more passionate as Virgil pulled him even closer. The butterflies in Virgil’s stomach had him dizzy, but he was about to complain. Roman smiled through the kiss absolutely elated. He caressed Virgil’s cheeks like he was something beautiful, trying to make up for the years they lost.

They were breathing heavily when air forced them away from one another. They didn’t break eye contact. They stood shell shocked at what had just happened, both on cloud nine. Then Virgil started laughing.

“You don’t know how long I’ve thought about that,” he eventually got out.

Roman’s smile could have lit up an entire city block.

They hugged each other again, both sporting ridiculous grins before something caught V’s eye. He moved away slightly and ran his hand over the hoodie Roman was wearing.

“Wait, is this…is this my MCR hoodie?” he said with mock outrage.

Roman had the decency to allow a blush to appear on his cheeks as he decided to feign innocence.

“What, this? I haven’t the faintest idea as to what you’re talking about…” Virgil raised an eyebrow in amusement. His smug smile hid the part of him that absolutely melted because it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, and yet Roman is wearing his sweatshirt. He waited about 30 more seconds before Roman gave up the charade, Virgil’s grin never faltering.

“Hey, you’re the one who left it in my room. Finders keepers, my chemically imbalanced romance.” He shot him a sly look and stuck out his tongue for good measure.

V just stared at him. He was smiling so wide he could barely talk.

“God, I missed you.” He spoke with such conviction that Roman could feel the warmth spreading through him at his words.

Roman tugged him forward and they remained in a silent hug. That’s when Remy took his chance.

“Not that this isn’t incredibly adorable or anything,” he waited to continue as the two finally realized that they had an audience.

Virgil quickly stepped away to ease the blush on his face, but Roman yanked him back with a firm pull, tucking him securely against his side with an easy smile. This only caused his blush to worsen.

“I have a clarifying question,” Remy continued.

Virgil looked on in confusion at his inquiry.

“Roman, what did you say his name was?”

And just like that Virgil went from super relaxed to super panicked. Roman looked over at him in confusion before he quickly cut in.

“No, no, no. Don’t. Do not.” He tried to sound menacing, but the fear showed on his face. He was in no place to give orders.

He looked at Virg and then turned back to Remy as realization dawned on his face.

“You mean to tell me you don’t know his actual name?” he said with barely contained amusement.

“He’s a dark, brooding emo! How could you expect us to know such private information?” Remy was going for sarcasm, but there was a hint of underlying exasperation. Roman let out a loud laugh at that.

“Oh please, Virgil is the softest emo I’ve ever encountered in my life, and he’s only gotten softer,” he finished pulling him closer, pecking his cheek. V…no, Virgil groaned while trying to bury his face in his hands.

Remy let out a soft snort. “Vir-gil?” He tested the name on his tongue. Virgil looked at Roman, a pout in place.

“Oh my GOODNESS, I love it,” Patt said cutting in with an adoring squeal. 

Virgil was not amused.

He threw some choice words at his prince charming and just like that the two reunited friends began to bicker back and forth, settling back into their dynamic seamlessly.

“Okay, you sir, are coming with me,” Roman declared.

“Where exactly are you taking me? Looks like some Blair Witch Project woods back there,” V trailed off jokingly. Roman just looked at him with a fond, amused smile.

“There are marshmallows down there with your name on them.” V abruptly stopped walking and stared up into his eyes, looking more serious than he ever has in his life.

“Take me to them.”

Roman laughed and tugged him along. The three people who witnessed this entire exchange decided to hang back to give them some well-deserved catch up time. Just as Logan was about to ask Remy and Patton what the hell was going on, a very loud and very undignified yelp was heard from across the driveway.

“D-did you just taze me?” Virgil sounded shocked and every bit as embarrassed as one could imagine. Roman just stood there with a smug smile. V looked back and saw Remy and Pat looking back at him with barely contained amusement, before turning to Roman with determination.

“You do realize of course now I’m going to have to kill you,” he said matter-of-factly.

Roman ran towards the bonfire with a shout of, “You’ll have to catch me first, Gerrard Way!”

“You are NOT getting away from me this time!” He laughed as Virgil ran after him.

………………………………………………………………………

Later that week one would find the two at the top of a hill, sitting in their rusty old wagons. They looked positively ridiculous with their long legs hanging over the sides, but they couldn’t find it in their hearts to care.

“Okay, we’ve got a straight shot. Whoever gets down there first wins and gets to pick the movie for tonight.”

Virgil looked back at Roman, smirk in place.

“Bold of you to assume there’s a chance you’ll beat me, Brendon Urie.”

The two best friends sat in their wagons preparing to take off down the steep hill, both men confident as ever. After the shouted count, “3…2…1…,” off they went, laughter echoing in the crisp spring air.

  And there she is! I just now realized that idk if “taze” is a universal word for poking at someone’s side to tickle them or if that’s something only my friends and I say…but it’s all I got. Also I made them all from Pennsylvania? Yeah. It’s fine, Florida is mentioned in there. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at writing these cuties! Perhaps I’ll continue to do so in the future.

Thanks, you muffins!

~Laur

[deepdisireslonging]

Family Found Part 28: Not a Total Loss

The Reader has to take a match into her own hands when one of her wrestlers is attacked backstage. With that against her, and the other events of Survivor Series not playing to her favor, how can she prove to Stephanie McMahon that she is still the best option for a General Manager?

Warnings/Promises: wrestling violence, some Sheamus x Reader, uneven match descriptions, probably some typos (sorry, wrote this quick)

Word Count: 5430 (I am so so sorry. It’s a big PPV!)

Note: It’s Capstone season for me, so some of this is a bit more rushed than I would have liked. Still, it turned out pretty good, and I’m getting excited for some things to come. Also, I have Becky still competing because my invasion was different, and she would not have been hurt in mine. Please let me know what you have been liking or disliking about my series. The tag list is still open. Enjoy!

Part 1: Welcome to the Team

Part 27: Powerhouses 

Survivor Series – November 18, 2018 – Los Angeles, CA

Before the show could even get started, there was one more fight that needed to come into being. It wasn’t your problem. The stars were part of William Regal and Drake Maverick’s crews, and part of it was up in the air until after Saturday’s NXT: War Games. The cruiserweight champion, Buddy Murphy was pleased to see Tommaso Ciampa retain the NXT championship. So, on Sunday they met each other in the ring as part of the pre-show. NXT versus 205 Live.

You were in the PPV booth with Renee, Shane, and the regulars watching the match and listening to the join commentary team make their usual commentary. Mario’s ‘Mama Mia’ never failed to make you smile. Though first, you had to flinch. Ciampa technically weighed less than Murphy, but only by three pounds. And his stringy form was making some problems for Murphy each time he tried to catch him. But when he did… there was nothing Ciampa could do. The cruiserweight wasn’t one of the highest flyers, but he was plenty. If Ciampa couldn’t get up, then he was repeatedly at risk of getting pinned. Luckily for him, he was a sly character. He didn’t have to get to his feet, all he had to do was roll out of the way of a landing and let gravity fight against Murphy for him.

This strategy won. Ciampa’s hand was eventually held high, and he even went as far as to put a weary boot on Murphy’s chest for the event.

***

The wrestlers were still leaving the ring when a techie came up to you at the booth. He whispered in your ear something that made you jump out of your chair and rush back stage.

When you arrived, the trainers were already taping up Dolph’s knee and shoulder. “What happened? Dolph, if this is some trick to get out of the match-“

“I was attacked from behind. I’ve been looking forward to this match and you know it! Why would I have myself attacked?” He tried to stand to say as much closer to your face, but his knee gave out. The trainer had him lay back on the concrete floor. He gave you a look and shook his head. Dolph noticed and sighed. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

You couldn’t tell if he was apologizing for getting attacked, or for challenging Sheamus in the first place. You assumed the former. It wasn’t his fault. “It’s okay. I’ll think of something.” You turned and walked a few steps away. “Something.”

***

The pop for Breezango was incredible. Although Fandango wasn’t going to be competing, it was still good to see their team entrance. Arm sling and all. The reaction for R-Truth and Tye Dillinger was almost as good, but most of the energy went towards rapping along. Tyler and ‘Dango got into it too.

It was a fun match. Tye and ‘Dango stayed on the floor while Tyler and R-Truth performed acrobatics against one another. Impressed by R-Truth’s flexibility, Tyler tried to do a split.

Tried.

Thankfully, his own flexibility helped him spring into his own impressive stance. And the battle continued. There was a five-second dance break, and some fashion feux-pas tickets given out to some audience members on the front row, and to Tye. He didn’t take kindly to this and got up on the apron to argue it with Tyler, which gave R-Truth the opening he needed. He rolled the officer up and won the pin. Tye tossed his ticket in ‘Dango’s face and left with his partner having won the first score of the show for Smackdown.

***

***

Survivor Series officially started.

Sheamus made his entrance alone since Cesaro was going to go solo later. Backstage, you were in a rush and bumped into Shane coming back from the pre-announce table.

“What are you doing?” He motioned up and down to your hastily thrown-together gear. Technically it wasn’t really gear. Just some flexible skinny jeans and a black tank-top with the Raw logo on it.

You finished your hand tape. “What do you mean ‘what are you doing?’ Did you think I wouldn’t have a back-up plan?”

“You can’t just…”

“I know. Like you have never inserted yourself into a match. Or erroneously filled a team member spot or main evented or wore black and white stripes. Nah. Heaven forbid a manager get involved. Tonight, you guys are just going to have to deal.” You smirked and took a deep breath, squaring off to him. “A manager does what they have to, to keep the show going.”

Shane sputtered as you side stepped him to enter the arena.

Sheamus laughed as soon as your music hit. He leaned against a corner as you lifted a mic to your lips.

“Sorry, Sheamus. Dolph Ziggler won’t be able to fight you tonight. Oops,” you shrugged and continued down the ramp. “But what kind of manager would I be to deny the WWE Universe a unique match?” The mic bounced off floor and you entered the ring. The bell rang shortly after, and you began to circle one another.

Right out of the gate, Sheamus sling shot you into a corner and tried to take you out with a Brogue Kick. You dodged it easily, laughing. He smiled back and waited for you to take a turn attacking him. Before he could change his mind, you bounced off the bottom rope and swung a punch to his face, shaking your hand after the collision. He stumbled back, shock giving way to being impressed. There weren’t taking turns after that.

He caught your Seth-taught frog splash, and he was too big for you to Spear. You were to quick for him to trap in the ropes for chest slaps, and your self-preservation kept avoiding getting hit to hard. The ref was having more trouble getting you two to fight than the usual keeping wrestlers apart. You wanted to keep smiling at each other too much. After another evasion, you spun to sit on the ring post. When Sheamus turned to find you, you gave him a finger wave. Then you jumped, effectively catching him at the shoulders and dropping him to the canvas for the first attempted pin. It didn’t work, but that feeling of ‘almost’ was addicting.

You wore him down a few kicks at a time. Due to his tall figure and your lack of equal height, you aimed more at his thighs and stomach to cut him down to size. Occasionally you forgot to keep your arms up to block and took a punch to the head or shoulders that sent you spinning away. You had to avoid another Brogue Kick, wincing as his boot barley missed your face. With his knee still resting on the top rope, you scaled the turnbuckles and spun to give your punch more force. It hit Shamus square in the jaw and sent him to his back. One, two, three later, you won Raw’s first score of the evening. You had felt him tense at two and a half, but he didn’t go through with it. Something you confronted him about while the crowd cheered.

“Raw’s goin’ ta need the win. We’ve got the better teams.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” Hiding a true smile with a smug grin, you held out your hand for his. He took it and gave you the handshake. “Good luck with the rest of the show, Miss Manager.”

“The same to your team, Mr. Sheamus.”

***

The second match was the first of the one-on-one matches. Natalya and Becky Lynch took a second to observe each other after the bell rang. For Natalya, it was just another match. Another chance to show how she deserved to be the women’s champion, for Raw and for herself. Becky saw it a different way, and she had expressed as much with her Twitter account. Natalya was another example of a legacy winning over the individual hard work of a roster. Because of this, Becky started the match at the same intensity as she did with her last woman standing match with Charlotte. Fast and brutal.

Desperate to slow the match to a glacial pace so she could catch a breath, Natalya caught Becky up in a series of holds. With each, Becky scrambled to the ropes or was able to contort her way out. So, Natalya changed her game. She met Becky blow for blow, and kick for kick. Dragged her to the center of the ring for holds. And still, Becky fought her way out. If she couldn’t beat Natalya, then her victory over Charlotte was a fluke.

And that could not happen.

When Becky had repeatedly beaten Natalya down to the canvas, she finished her off with a Dis-arm-her. She left the ring holding her blue title high, even as the ref handed the red one back to Natalya still recovering.

***

The women of Raw squared off against the women of Smackdown. The blue brand ladies were running on a high note with their champion’s victory. Carmella was already bragging that she was going to challenge Becky next when she led her team of Charlotte, Sonya, Mandy, and Asuka to the next win. Ember rolled her eyes but kept that plan in mind. She turned to Nia, Sasha, Alicia, and Ruby for a few last words, then left the ring to give the first-round ladies their space.

Sonya and Ruby faced-off first. Sonya pointed back at Mandy. She had back-up from her own mini team is she needed it. Ruby was by herself in a team of people she had taken great pride in destroying. They met in a head-lock, with Ruby taking the opening advantage. They struggled back into the Raw corner, where Sasha tagged herself in and quickly flipped Sonya into the bank statement. The Smackdown team flooded the ring, dragging their teammate from the hold. The teams were forced away from each other by the ref, who noted the change of tags to Carmella and Alicia.

Each woman had a turn to shine. And when the moment was over and she began to dim, another tagged in and picked up where she left off. Alicia eliminated Mandy. Sonya eliminated Alicia. Ember and Asuka had a long engagement, but neither was able to eliminate the other. Nia tagged herself in and eliminated Asuka after a while that left her battered and bruised. Charlotte took that advantage and quickly rolled her into a Figure Eight, relying on her teammates to keep the others at bay. Ruby tried to sneak in to catch Charlotte off-guard but missed the tag that brought in Sonya, who eliminated her with a series of rough punches.

It was down to Ember and Sasha against the three remaining Smackdown women. Sasha leapt in and caught Sonya in another Bank Statement. This one was successful with the others engaged on the floor. Carmella was nowhere to be seen, leaving it to Charlotte to answer the empty tag. Outside on the floor, Ember was hunting for Carmella. She found her hiding behind a camera crew. Carmella screamed, making Charlotte turn from where she had Sasha ready for a pin. Sasha leapt up and rolled Charlotte onto her back, holding her down just long enough for the pin. They glared at each other. The Queen took her time leaving the ring, making sure Sasha was looking at her instead of watching her own back. Which is where Carmella entered with a superkick as soon as Sasha turned around.

Ember slid into the ring, eyes aglow with her victim in her sights. Carmella backed up into the ropes, ordering the ref to keep her back. She tried to escape to the floor, but Ember met her on whatever side she landed on. Carmella finally changed her tactic and fought back. She was captain. And she was going to make sure she was number one contender for her brand’s women championship. She tossed Ember around by her hair. Kept her on her knees. Spun her into corners so she could hit her fast in a place where she couldn’t get away. When it looked like Ember wasn’t going to make it, she turned to the crowd and started to gloat. By the time she had turned back, Ember was on the top turnbuckle. Carmella shrieked. It was cut short by the Total Eclipse and the following pin.

***

The coed teams of Jimmy and Naomi Uso, and Bayley and No Way Jose met in the ring next. The women said hello to one another, and the guys shook hands. Then the bell rang. The match had the same rules as the Mixed Match Challenge. Naomi and Bayley started first. They were cordial to each other but didn’t hold back. Naomi was almost pinned after a series of Bayley-to-bellies. After she kicked out, she rolled out of Bayley’s grasp and tagged in Jimmy. Jose danced in from the other side, hip bumping Bayley on his way by. Jimmy danced for a while with him. But when his back turned, Jimmy ran for the ropes, drop kicking Jose just as he came back around. Jose kicked out at two, making Jimmy tag in Naomi with a huff.

It continued like that. Each team trying their hardest to beat each other down. Tagging out when it was time to switch tactics. In the end, Bayley and Jose didn’t have nearly as much practice working together as the married couple. There were no hard feelings after the pin. Goodbyes were said in a similar way as to the greeting at the beginning of the match. And all four of the wrestlers walked out of the arena together.

***

Logic left the building. Sanity entered the arena. And then Braun Strowman and Dr. M. The doctor wore a blood red lab coat with a ripped blue pocket. A detail that did not go unnoticed by the opposing team. Before they could take the fight to him, Braun took it to them. He controlled most of the fight while Dr. M watched from the floor and kept an eye on their third member, Wolfe. For the longest time, it didn’t matter if Killian or Eric were in the ring. Braun was more powerful, and he only had minimal difficulty in powerslamming Killian. But when they finally cornered him and took turns tagging in, they were able to get him to his knees.

Wolfe cheered them on while Dr. M scaled the ring, holding out his hand for the tag. Braun roared and burst from the corner. He staggered to the center of the ring where Young stopped him with a pair of fists to his spine. He fell to one knee again, taking the blows while Dr. M called out words of encouragement. Words that were strange and twisted and made Young pause. It was enough. Braun broke forward and tagged in Dr. M. Young was caught in the kiss-n-twist and Braun kept Killian from interfering. Raw had another win, making it even against Smackdown.

***

The tie did not hold for very long. Shinsuke Nakamura and Seth had a match for the ages. United States champion versus the Intercontinental champion. The match was constantly moving, jaw dropping, and had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Even Corey was enjoying himself. Seth responded to Nakamura’s “come on!” with a shrug and a near-pedigree. His attempted frog-splash was diverted into a roll as he was thrown over Nakamura’s shoulder on the way down. They danced around the ring like the veterans they were, sometimes having to take a moment to smile in awe at their opponent.

Seth scooped Nakamura up in his northern lights suplexes, making the king of strong style wobble half-way to his feet, seconds away from falling to his knees. It was the opening he’d been waiting for. But on his way by, Nakamura ducked, and Seth tripped over his leg. Seth came back up, spinning around and ready for anything. Except a kinsha-sha. When Seth could blink without his vision blurring, he stared incredulous at his victorious opponent ascending the ramp.

***

The Prince of Phenomenal met the Demon King once again. But this time, as man versus man. Finn passed his Universal championship out of the ring, and AJ did the same with his WWE Heavyweight title. When the bell rang, AJ rushed Finn, catching him in a head lock and pushing him back into the ropes. Finn wrapped himself up in the ropes, hanging out there until the ref was able to get AJ to back off. Then it was his turn. With a series of rope bounces, he had AJ flipped onto the canvas, kicked to the face, and down for the first attempted pin. They rolled away from each other, the seriousness of their matches setting in. Raw was down a win. If Finn won, the men’s elimination team had a chance to win the who pay per view for the show. If AJ won, it wouldn’t matter.

This lit a fire in both of them, making them run and jump and crash into one another. When they weren’t leaping at each other from high, they were interfering with the ropes and making everyone watching flinch with the landings. AJ jumped up on the ropes to do a Phenomenal Forearm to Finn on the floor, but he spun out of the way, leaving AJ with nothing to do with his momentum but fall back into the ring. When he came back up, Finn was there was a kick to the face. The Universal champion scaled the turnbuckles and finished the match with a coup de grace. Raw still had a chance. And the two leaders gave one another a ‘too sweet’ after taking back their titles.

***

Before the men’s elimination match started, while the teams were still staring each other down, Dean and Jey stood across from each other. Dean’s fist let go into a Shaka that Jey mirrored. They shook their fists like they were tossing back a drink, then shared a smile. Kofi let them have their moment, but as captain, he scooted Jey over so he could stare Dean down.

The captains started the match. At the bell, Dean was already attacking Kofi’s head and shoulders with punches. Kofi was able to grab him around the waist and push his back into a corner but then needed to take a breather. He got it by placing his hand over Dean’s face and leaning ever so slightly. When Kofi had his rest, he stepped back, leaving Dean confused. But only for a second. Dean kept Kofi on the defense for most of the rest of their time in the ring. With a kick to the stomach, Kofi fell with a Dirty Deeds. Almost. At the last second, he kicked out and twisted Dean up for the pin.

Before the Raw captain could roll out of the ring in shock, Drew McIntyre was in the ring with a Claymore kick that eliminated Kofi. Cesaro stepped to him. The men were equal in strength and skill and height. Which made it hard for either to gain the advantage. When neither could even take the other down to a knee, they both backed off, tagging in different partners. Bobby Roode and Jey Uso entered the ring. Again, there was a match in skill. But Jey gained the upper hand and lucked out with a heavy drop-kick. Bobby Roode was eliminated.

Baron stepped in, angry that his team was falling apart so quickly. He ran at Jey, who dodged and sent the lone wolf out of the ring, who spun around the ring post and was back in the match in seconds. With a Deep Six, Jey Uso was taken out of the match. Elias and Drew rushed into the ring as Cesaro, Rusev, and Andrade came in to keep Baron from taking advantage of their downed teammate. Once he was safely out of the ring, everybody backed off. With the encouragement of the rest, Rusev entered the match. Baron narrowly avoided a Matcha Kick that would have made him vulnerable to a hold. Both Drew and Elias held out their palms for a tag. Baron growled and shied away. He should have been captain. If he had, they probably would have won the match by now. Another furious attack later, Rusev was eliminated.

Team Smackdown was livid. Baron wisely tagged in Drew when Cesaro entered. With a simple trip, Cesaro had Drew on his back and in perfect position for a spin. He let Drew go as Baron tried to interfere, slinging Drew into Raw’s corner where Baron could tag himself in. He was caught and spun too. Elias held his hands up in defense under Cesaro’s glare. Instead of interfering, he rolled Drew to the floor and pushed Baron further into the ring. Dizzy, Baron wasn’t able to fight back as well as he had before, and he was eliminated. Elias eased into the ring. He used Cesaro’s anger against him and continually beat him down to the canvas until he was able to roll him up for a fighting pin. Andrade rushed in just as Elias and Drew switched. No matter what they were going to do, he was a fresh man who had more energy than them combined. He eliminated Drew first, still reeling from Cesaro’s spinning. Then, avoiding Elias’s heavy hits and dangerous knees, Andrade was able to pin Elias.

Smackdown won Survivor Series with five matches to Raw’s four. Their first winning year.

***

***

Monday Night Raw – November 19, 2018

It was inevitable. Still, you flinched to hear Stephanie’s boots approaching. Hopefully, your plan was going to be enough to wow her and the disappointed universe.

“This is unacceptable,” she spat, “we are the leading show for the WWE, and we should have won. You-“

“Hey, take it easy. I think we did pretty well, all things considered. We only lost by one match, and I won mine. On the fly, might I add.” You sighed. “In the long run, we’ve still got the lead. Raw won the last two years, and this has been Smackdown’s first winning Survivor Series. We’ll get them next year. I don’t really know why you’re so upset. Everyone tried their hardest, and we put on some great matches. Not a single won was an easy win. In my eyes, we are still the leading show. Especially now that everyone will work that much harder to prove it again. Don’t worry.”

“But-“

“Stephanie.” You gave her a soft smile. “It’s okay. This is Monday Night Raw. We will excel like we’ve always done. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an announcement to make.” You headed for the door but turned and offered for her to go first. “Shall we?”

***

The women of Raw were already waiting in the ring when you and Stephanie arrived. Nervously, you spun the mic between your palms. “Well done, ladies. All of you. In my eyes, you were all a success in showing off the best female talent in the WWE. So, I think it’s time for a change. Another milestone. This Saturday at Starrcade, there is going to be a tag match. Four on four. The winners of that team will get first pick. ‘First pick of what’ you might ask. Well, the final product isn’t done yet, but Raw is going to have women’s tag team titles.”

The women gasped and hushed each other so you could continue.

“The winning team of Starrcade will get first pick of their teammate for the tournament to determine the first ever female tag team champions.” With a smile you let them flock you for hugs and thank you’s and handshakes. “Good luck everyone.”

You held the ropes open for your boss. She shook her head and met you on the apron. “And you were going to tell me… when?” Stephanie smirked. You were still in trouble, but not nearly as much as you had been.

In the ring, Ember picked up a mic before everyone could leave the ring.  “Natalya, could you stay a minute?” She handed her mic to the champion, then went for another. “I’d like to have a word.”

“I’m all ears,” Natalya said brightly, motioning to her trademark cat-ear headband.

“You lost your match.”

She shifted the title uncomfortably on her shoulder. “So did a lot of people. Why? Do you think you could have done better?”

Ember cocked her head. “Maybe I do. I was the captain of the winning elimination team. And as such, I deserve a title shot. And I want it at Clash of Champions.”

Biting her lip and looking off into the crowd, Natalya scoffed. “What? Starrcade too soon for you?”

“No,” Ember sing-songed. “I’m going to be busy already. I’m going to be in that tag match. Making history. And then… I’m coming for your title.” She pouted mockingly. “That’s enough time for you to prepare. Get those last pictures and stuff, right? They’re all you’re gonna have of that title once I claim it.” She dragged a finger down the red and white, then across Natalya’s shoulder blades on her way around to the ropes. “Enjoy it while you can.”

***

Backstage, Sasha stopped in her tracks and rolled her eyes. She turned around to go the other way, but Bayley stopped her.

“Sixty seconds. That’s all I need. Hear me out.” She waited for Sasha, who crossed her arms with a sigh and set her gaze on her former best friend. “The world is changing. It’s getting bigger, and there are new opportunities. Like the new Raw women’s tag titles. We both know the group that’s going to do anything to get their grubby hands on them first. But what if they didn’t make it.”

Sasha squinted. Bayley’s time was almost up, but now she was listening.

“We are the best at what we do. But for the past several months we’ve turned it against one another. It’s weakened both of us. You don’t have to like me. I don’t have to like you.”

“We just have to work together,” she added.

Bayley grinned. “I’m glad we can agree on something.” After half a nervous breath, she held out her hand. Sasha took it and gave it one hard shake before continuing her way down the hall.

***

“I once held the whole world in my hands.” Dr. M peered out over his firefly followers with Braun standing right behind him. “I rose up and up and then fell into a pool that cleaned out the cobwebs in my mind. And I realized, the world I held was not rotten and in need of salvation by fire like I had originally thought. I realized it was just sick. In need of a doctor. It still needs salvation, make no mistake. Salvation from the depths the WWE has sunk to.”

Dr. M stroked at his beard, newly trimmed but still dark against the bright white lab coat. “This Saturday there is to be a match. Whoever comes out on the other side will be the number one contender for these badges of honor.” Behind him, Braun lifted the tag titles to show them off. “But there is another, more desperate matter at hand.” He breathed deep. “The sickness. The illness that has taken these athletes and lulled them into a false security. To heal anyone, I must first go to the one who was infected first.” Dr. M grinned. “Starrcade. Then… the purification begins.”

***

“Dean. Dean!” Seth jogged to catch up with Dean. “Where’ve you been all day?”

“Nowhere,” he mumbled. Dean shrugged Seth’s hand from his shoulder, but Seth grabbed at his forearm.

Seth shook his head. “No, no, no, no, no. Don’t avoid me.”

“I’m not going to talk to you about this.”

“I know, but Y/N is busy-“

“She’s in hot water because of me. I wasn’t going to talk to her either, brother.”

“No. Just listen.” Seth succeeded in getting Dean to face him. “It’s not your fault. There were four other guys in that match. And four other matches that could have ended differently. A whole mess of things that were out of your control.”

“Actually,” Baron stepped into the light, overshadowing Dean. “It was. You were the captain. There were four of us who could have started that match better. You got us off on the wrong start.” He leaned closer to Dean’s face as your cousin bit back a growl.

Seth stepped between them. “Hey. You didn’t do so hot yourself, mister lone wolf. You made sure the team lost when you wanted to do everything by yourself.”

“I eliminated more of Smackdown than anyone else. And who are you to get into this? One of those ‘other four matches’ was yours. And you lost it.”

“Shut up,” Seth and Dean chorused. Just Baron was about to bite something back, they froze at the sound of a guitar.

Elias walked up. “I have to agree… with Baron.” Everyone looked confused. Including Baron. “You also lost your match, Seth. You’re supposed to be ‘the man’ and this great pinnacle of wrestling skill. But you fell flat,” he said, twanging his guitar strings. “A champ is not a champ if he can’t win matches.”

Dean had to be the one to step between them. “You’re the one that got pinned, cockatoo.”

Seth pushed against his arm. “And I bet you think you’re the guy to step up, huh?”

He grinned. “If you think you can handle it after such a sweeping loss.”

“You’re on.”

Elias’s eyes raked over the title on Seth’s shoulder as he turned to leave. Baron gave one last hard look at Dean, then went his way too.

***

It didn’t take long for the Seth and Elias’s match to get nasty, even with Dean there to run interference from anybody who tried to get involved. Seth flattened himself against the barricade as Baron swept past. Baron moved to attack again, but Dean hit him from behind. Elias reached over the ropes and grabbed at Baron’s vest, effectively unbalancing him over the apron where both Seth and Dean could attack his rib cage. When Elias let go, Baron sagged to the ground where Dean could keep a close eye on him.

“Stop messing around and get in here,” Elias said, nodding towards the ring. He stepped to the center of the ring, ignoring Seth’s dramatic huffs.

They kept going. Elias was sure that the match with Nakamura would have exhausted Seth, but he was mistaken as to the amount. With a series of Northern Light suplexes, Coasts to Coasts, and a Curb Stomp, Seth retained his Intercontinental Championship.

Later that night, you announced that the four of them would have a match at Starrcade on Saturday.

***

“Congrats on your win tonight. To bad about your loss on Sunday.”

“Yeah, yeah” Seth chuckled, shifting his title on his shoulder. “I’ve already been over that tonight, and I’m not looking to do it again.”

“T’at’s too bad. So much for Monday Night Rollins. Guess that doesn’t extend to other nights of the week.”

Seth spun. “Really? That’s how you see it?”

“T’at’s how I see it.” Finn’s forehead creased as he watched the cogs turn in Seth’s head. “Watcha thinkin’ about there, Seth?”

The man chuckled. “You remember a couple weeks ago I said I would hold both titles by the end of the year? How would you like the chance to prove me wrong?”

Finn slowly grinned. “It’s one of my fav’rite things. Shall we set tha date for Clash of Champions?”

“Yes. Unless you lose your match to Drew tonight. And again, on Saturday. Then… I guess I’ll have to make the deal with him.” He gently patted Finn’s shoulder before walking off.

***

The main event was to determine if Drew McIntyre was going to have a title shot at Starrcade. But he had to beat Finn first. Which he did, carrying the rage and frustration over from losing in the elimination match. Finn’s high over beating AJ Styles again wasn’t enough to keep up with the Scotsman.

The combination of a Glasgow Kiss and a well-timed Claymore Kick wiped the champion out for the pin. And put at risk Finn’s title reign.

  Part 29: A Dangerous Road

Series Masterlist 

Masterlist 

Forever Tags: @blondekel77 @hallemichelles @laochbaineann @lavitabella87 @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @savmontreal @southsidebucky @tinyelfperson @zuni21798

WWE/Series Tags: @a-home-for-stray-stories @amballins-priestess @top-1-percent @mother-forker @neversatisfiedgirl @racheo91 @roman-reigns-princess @secretagentfangirl @thetherianthropydaily @wwe-smutfics @scuzmunkie @likeisaidwhatever @cait-kae @ramsaypants @sony-undead18 @brianaraydean @st4yingstrong @dopeybubbles @crystallizeme @jessica91073 @denise8691 @stalelight @kenyadakblalock @1dluver13xx @lauren-novak @lunatic-desert-child @littledeadrottinghood @livelifewondering 

#Family Found Series #original wwe series #original storyline #cousin!dean ambrose #cousin!reader #general manager!reader #survivor series 2018 #wwe au #wwe parallel universe #monday night raw #smackdown live #it's nearly 1 in the morning #why do i do this to myself

[imasleepytea-blog]

Fuck It (Snowbaz AU)

Read Chapter 1  

Read it on my a03 or my wattpad

I’d like to thank my brilliant beta @nerdflighter for keeping me sane as I wrote this, you’re great and also thank you to @nerdflighter for inspiring this, with this post. 

Chapter 2

Baz

Simon bloody Snow is fucking seething all day long and I genuinely think it's because I helped him this morning. For fuck’s sake, I wish it wasn't so easy to piss him off, but then again, it means he’s more likely to kill me. He’ll destroy me and I’ll just be able to hold him and be so fucking close to him.

I can’t be near him, it just makes my brain short circuit, I swear. He makes me shut down and I'm honestly impressed with myself that I didn't strangle him with his own bloody tie or kill him this morning; I was sure that one or the other was inevitable. But no, I was actually nice to him and I could tell that he had no fucking clue how to take it. He actually will be the end of me, Snow will destroy me or I’ll fucking kill him because of my lust and his insane stupidity. Jesus, this is a pickle.

You know what, fuck it. Fuck it. Fuck it. I’m going to fucking tell him.

I’m in our room later, after afternoon lessons but before dinner and I’m waiting for Snow and I’m so desperate to tell him that I’m almost growling. I’ve almost given up hope and I’m just about to go down to the Catacombs to hunt when the door flies open and there is Snow.

“Hey, Snow. I need to talk to you, it’s important.” Fuck, I’ve started telling him, I can’t go back now. He splutters something vague at me, I think about Penny and dinner, but I interrupt him. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you late for your precious scones.” I can never just be nice to him, can I? Crowley, I’m a posh twat. “Simon, I want to stop fighting with you, please.” His jaw drops open and all I can think is shit. Shit. Shit. I’ve messed this up.

“What did you just call me? Did you- did you just call me Simon?” And I swear to hell, his eyes are the size of fucking saucers, he’s so shocked. Well get ready for another fucking surprise.

“No I didn’t, get over yourself.” I snap, “Snow, just listen to me. I like you and I’m done fighting with you an-”

“What do you mean, done fighting with me? What am I meant to do now?” Seriously, that’s all he has to say. I just told the buffoon I like him and he’s worried about battles. I should have known, seriously, don’t fall in love with a kid who just wants battles.

“I’m sure you’ll find some other way to occupy yourself, perhaps with eating.” I retort, starting to get annoyed here, why won’t he let me speak? Fuck you Snow (Crowley know I want to). “Snow, for God’s sake, I like you and I want you.”

“You want me? What do you want me to do?” He’s not joking, he’s actually confused. I’m in love with a moron.

I was expecting him to scream, or to punch me or maybe, just maybe to kiss me - I know that’s not going to happen, but I’ve got to fantasise about something, haven’t I? And… he doesn’t he just stands there, blinking at me and then runs off, probably after Bunce.

Simon

Baz just told me he likes me and clearly this is him fucking plotting against me. I mean, he called me Simon - he’s never done that ever before. He must want me to think that he genuinely likes me so I’ll become his friend and then he’ll hurt me. You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Penny. I need to tell Penny. She’ll know what to make of it all. She always knows what to say about Baz.

“Pen! Penny, Baz just told me something nice! He said he doesn’t want us to fight any more. Penny, Penny, he’s plotting, can you believe it? He basically just told me he’s plotting!”

“While I distrust Baz a whole lot, how does this prove he’s plotting?” Penny is always so exasperated at me talking about Baz and I’m sick of it. I love Pen the most, probably more than I love Agatha to be honest, but she never believes me about Baz.

I push out my chin and sigh, “Penny! He’s trying to make me trust him so I’ll become his friend and then he’ll tear me apart, can’t you see? You know, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

“Wait. That’s actually quite smart. That jammy genius, taking all the best ideas. I wish I’d thought of that.” I’m glad Penny finally believes that Baz is plotting, but she doesn’t just get to think Baz is great and be jealous of his ideas when he almost certainly wants me dead again. Why else would he say he likes me?He clearly only meant that he likes me as a friend; Baz is straight after all, but something in the way he said it was just so intimate, I feel embarrassed just thinking about it.

“What am I going to do though? He said he likes me! So he obviously wants me dead, no matter how smart his plans are!” My eyes are filling with frustrated tears, fuck, I hate that they do that.

“Well… just hear me out here, maybe, just maybe, you could… pretend, only pretend, obviously to make friends with him, treat him as if you don’t 100% hate him, maybe even treat him as if you like him to, you know, just as a friend. And it would be okay, because you know that he’s plotting so you’ll basically be immune to it and actually be have the upper hand and we’ll be able to plot against him.” It’s actually a genius idea, why the fuck is Penny so smart? If I make friends, I’ll actually know what Baz is up to, unlike the year when I unsuccessfully stalked him and found out nothing, I’ll know it all. And it’s not like I actually have to be his friend for this plan, he just has to believe I am. Genius.

When I get to our room later, I smile at Baz before sitting on my bed, he looks startled but at least doesn’t glare at me like he would normally. Baby steps, baby steps to Baz thinking I’m his friend and then I can tear him apart.

The next morning, I actually try to get up quietly, trying my hardest to not bump into anything and when I do, I actually bite my lip to stop myself swearing, but there was no point in that, Baz is awake and staring at me anyway. Oops.

Baz

Snow doesn’t seem to have taken my little confession to him too badly. Then again, he seems to be way too fucking dim-witted to have understood what the hell I meant. God, why am I in love with such a gloriously innocent moron? I’m glad he took my confession alright because it means I get to stare at him, at his fucking perfection even longer. But, fucking hell, I wish he’d just killed me. I think he meant that I want to just be friends and I don’t fucking want that, do I? I cannot be around Snow, I want to be fucking dead. I wish he’d fucking run me through with his sword, then I could have seen his fucking beautiful concentration face, the one where his eyelids droop and he bites his lower lip. I cannot be around him when he does that face, sitting near Snow in class makes me implode.

And now he’s being nice to me, which is the worst. Snow tried to get up quietly this morning, which didn’t work because he’s the fucking clumsiest person in the entire world and I wish he were dead. (The two of us dead, covered in blood, cradling each other. Such a fucking fantasy.) But he is trying. Which is sweet, I guess.

If he’s getting up, I may as well too, I duck into the bathroom to change and return to see Snow struggling with his tie again and he’s doing the fucking concentration face. I cannot deal with this. I lean against the bathroom door frame, watching him, just enjoying it all, until he looks up. “Baz, will you… help me, please?” He says plaintively. I have to step forward, pulling him closer by his shoulders and getting to touch him is almost enough for me. I’m going to fucking die and Snow will kill me, one way or another- I just have to remember that. He’s breathing a little too fast, but I’m too busy tying his stupid tie as fast as I can to dwell on it. I spring away from him as soon as I’m done, embarrassed and ashamed at how overwhelmed I feel after just seconds of being so close to him.

“Thank you, Baz.” He murmurs hesitantly. I nod in response and start to head out the door to breakfast, at the same time, so does Snow. He stops, in a panic and I know exactly why; the two of us never walk anywhere together, even if it will make one of us late “You know, we could just walk down together?” He offers and he looks so, well, good. And all I want is to be close to him for a little longer. I nod again. he’s just so hot and I just want him to kill me so fucking much that I have to nod.

Simon

Baz and I walk down to breakfast together in silence - it’s not like we have anything to say to each other - and it’s kind of nice. It’s weird, yeah, but nice. I can’t believe I offered, even though obviously I did it so he’d think I want to be his friend, that’s all.

Baz

The whole way down to breakfast all I can think about is the gap between Snow and I - it’s so small you couldn’t fit a person between us and his hand is so close to mine. I could take it. I shouldn’t take it, he’d fucking strangle me if I did and I’d be able to see all his muscles and it would be the fucking end of me.

I’m just about to reach out to him when we reach the dining hall and separate our ways, him going to Penny and fucking Agatha and I to Dev and Niall. I stare at Agatha all breakfast - it’s a sure-fire way of getting him to stare back at me and when he looks at me I can imagine him destroying me.

#carry on #carryon fanfic #carry on fic #carry on fan fic #carry on fanfiction #snowbaz #simon snow #fanfic #baz #snowbaz fanfic #snowbaz fanfiction #snowbaz au #basilton #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #im a complete mess but here we go #for some reason i keep writing #there were italics but cba to put them back in #i hope you enjoy

[gleefail]

Glee Memories: 1x12 MATTRESS

A long, long time ago, as Glee was approaching graduation in Season 3, I found myself nostalgic with some rare free time on my hands. So I decided to rewatch the series from the beginning and jot down some memories, discrepancies that have arisen since, fave quotes, tally solos - all that good stuff, strictly for shits and giggles.

8 years later (eek!) and once more I find myself with an unexpected abundance of free time. With so many revisiting or being newly introduced to the show between binge watching during Quarantine and all the tragedy that has surrounded the show since it went off the air, I figured I’d finish what I started. And by finish, I mean go through the end of S3. Cause I truly cannot acknowledge what happened after that. Except for 5B.

Kicking this off by reposting the first 15 episodes I already went through. Enjoy!

1x12 MATTRESS Yearbook pictures. Ruh roh. I remember this ep. It ended sad for me. :(

Ken thinks he’s gonna drop 20 pounds in less than a week. Oh boy.

Remember that time Ken totes planned his and Emma’s wedding the same time as Sectionals so she couldn’t go, then pretended he didn’t, then Emma stood up for him when Will caught on? That was fun…douche Ken.

“Got myself a bit of an eyelift. And while they were in there I told em’ go ahead and yank out those tear ducts. Wasn’t usin’ em’.”

Is Sue right – do yams really draw the water out of the skin? Hmm…yam diet, eh?

“We have all felt the cold humiliation of a slushie in the face” Not yet, Kurt. But apparently you ALL will. Still double-checking that. Rachel, Finn, Quinn, Puck, Kurt, Mr. Schue.

“What’s a patriotic wedgie?” “It’s when they hoist you up the flagpole by your undies.” “Strangely it did make me feel more American.”

It is TERRIFYING, the fates of these kids in previous glee yearbook photos whose pictures were defaced. OMG.

“He barks at my mom.”

Alright. I gotta say it. It is totally not right or legal I’m sure for Figgins to ask for Glee to pay for their own photo. He’s saying that’s what a full page ad costs…but the school doesn’t pay a thousand dollars for each club’s picture. Shenanigans.

Okay. So I’m watching this post-Props/Nationals. And I’m pissed. Rachel just came storming into Figgins’ office to petition for a Glee yearbook photo. She says “As you may know, this is my first year in Glee Club” – THE FUCK?!?! So she wasn’t in Glee her freshman year?!?! So she started the same time as Tina, Artie, Kurt, and Mercedes?!?! So we DIDN’T miss a year of her ‘earning it’ more than anyone else around her? THE FUCK, Glee?! THE FUCK, I ASK YOU!

Hey, remember that time that Rachel joined every club possible? Hey, remember how 2 seasons later she’ll say she doesn’t have extracurriculars for her NYADA audition application? Hey, remember how in Props she says she’s involved in 6 clubs? WTF? #oops

Quinn wants her kids to look back on her yearbook pics and be proud. “Not the bastard one I’m carrying now…” Ha!

Quinn is gonna get in that yearbook photo for the Cheerios and back on that squad whether Sue Sylvester likes it or not. Quinn is braver than I’ll ever be.

Terri is so supportive. She just told Will to wear the tie for the Glee Club photo that’ll go best with the cool kids defacing of it.

“Oh great. Why don’t you take the food out of the refrigerator and give that to the kids?” hahaha. Overdramatic and exaggerating, but still funny.

Will is going behind Terri’s back to pay for the photo. Yup. That’s a strooooong marriage they got there…

Ok. Rachel just said if she is in one more club she would officially be the most involved student in the school. Yet she HAS to run for Senior Class President because she has nothing for her NYADA application and she is convinced she won’t get Maria…and even after she GETS Maria, she still doesn’t drop even though her ‘friend’ Kurt really needs it and really wants to be prez to make a difference while in the position. She is awful. They turned her into an AWFUL human being. That we’re no longer supposed to laugh at, but admire. And honestly so far in the series, she’s not so bad. So…lemme see if I can pinpoint in my rewatching when the decline of her character started…

The look Kurt has when he just gets up and walks away from Rachel’s GayLesbAl suggestion. Hi. Lar.I. Ous.

And Mercedes is chillin’ with Matt and Mike. I’m tellin’ ya, I thought she was like, a popular girl!

“I nominate Rachel.” “Second.” Kurtcedes love.

…two things: 1. I think Will uses Emma’s counseling services more than any student. Or all of them combined. 2. He does know she’s not a psychologist, right?

haha. Emma and Will are acknowledging how annoying Rachel is. It’s cruel, but..yes. Teachers do that.

As captain of the Glee Club, did Rachel (or Finn) ever have to do more than have the responsibility of this first yearbook photo? I know at times Finn tries to take on a leadership role but…it’s such a useless position.

:) Aw.Rachel went to Mercedes first to be co-captain. I like that. Maybe it’s cause I’m thinking of TroubleTones and how well and fairly she led them.

“Because I don’t wanna be in a picture with you, it’ll get defaced.” “No it won’t.” “Yes it will, I’ll be the one doing it.”

Rachel is saying that the football players and cheerleaders are only in Glee because of Finn. Hmmm….well, Quinn kinda but more cause of Rachel trying to steal him. We don’t know exactly why the football players joined but it was after they won that game and danced with Kurt and Mr. Schue…and wasn’t it Finn that didn’t choose Glee over football when all the rest of them did? Did I imagine that? No? Just checking.

Haha. Smile. I like this song. I had a friend who hated Glee because everyone loved it. He’s one of those “If everyone loves it it can’t possibly be because it’s good, it’s cause it’s a stupid fad” people – you know the type. He was into this girl and I knew she liked the show so I liked to tease him about how he probably watched it with her. I think he said this song was the first time he saw any of the show and he was confused. I remember I was like “oh, you saw like, the first time they did a song that made no sense in the moment at all. Like, it wasn’t used to further the story, it was out of context except the title of it and it wasn’t supposed to be a performance either. They never do that though. Watch it again.”. Wow. Thinking back on that now…this was the first moment that happened. And it ended up happening SO many more times.  Just…wow. Historic moment right there.

And still, this song is such an odd choice for learning to pose for a yearbook photo. It could’ve been cut completely. Why wasn’t it? It didn’t even bother to further the Finchel storyline either. It was cute and fun and I like the song and I’m glad they did it so I have it on my ipod for workouts, lol, but…unnecessary.

It annoys the crap outta me when they act like they’re sightreading sheet music on this show. No. You are not. And you do an awful job pretending like you are. Just stop.

Ooh, Brad’s getting his jam on, lol.

hahaha. Karofsky just asked how to spell loser. Really? Also, is he officially a football guy now instead of a hockey guy? Ok. Sure. Why not.

I always wonder how people act to a pre-recorded voice-over of inner monologue when there’s more than just “I’m sad” happening with their sub-text. How do they sync that up to the acting journey so well like in this moment that Rachel’s giving her self a pep talk in the mirror? It’s like magic to me, lol.

“I can cry on demand. It’s one of my many talents.”

“Aside from nudity and the exploitation of animals, I’ll pretty much do anything to break into the business.” It’s funny cause I saw Lea Michele topless in Spring Awakening prior to this.

Finn bitches about Glee bringing down his reputation, take three.

“Do you think I have a potato head?”

haha, I do love love love how Rachel shames Finn during this scene. Every time she says his name it’s like a bitch slap for bailing on the yearbook photo.

they’re reeeeeeal excited about selling mattresses. Wanky.

Oh, this brilliant brilliant script for the mattress commercial:                *sigh* “Ah me”                “What’s wrong?”                “We just lost our jobs. At the factory. And we can’t get a good night’s                   sleep” (emphasis on ‘night’s’)

“We should perform.” “Perform the lines…as I wrote them.” I wonder if that was a shoutout/threat to this cast from RIB. Or how many times they’ve heard that if they ever bring up continuity etc. Just me?

Oh Jump. Ok. Let’s talk about this. Super fun number. Great vocals. Also the first time I realized AmberRiley is the shit. Except it took a couple people to make me realize it wasn’t just cause I love listening to her, it’s cause she’s a one of a kind, super rare talent. My one friend pointed out the actual notes she’s belting like it’s a fuckin’ hiccup. ‘Ain’t no thang. I’m Amber fuckin’ Riley. What? Can’t everybody belt that?’ That’s what I imagine she thinks when she pulls off shit like this. Also, one of my students ALWAYS requested this for warm-ups because “she’s so fucking amazing”. And despite the profanity, I was so proud of him for realizing that, even though he was a 16 year old popular-ish boy and she wasn’t the cheerleader or super popular hot chick on the show. And watching my students reacting to her in this and praising her. All of that combined made me go “how did I miss this? Normal people can’t sing that way.”

Will just found the pregnancy pad. Oh shit. Shit’s about to get real. Terri did tell a very convincing lie, without batting an eyelash about how it was just so she could try on clothes for the coming months. That says a lot.

This scene is good. To the point it makes me uncomfortable.

“This marriage works because you don’t feel good about yourself!”

“Quinn Fabray”. Ugh. I can’t even imagine being Will in that moment. How deceived and betrayed he must feel. Man. I’m uncomfortable watching this.

It drives me nuts when people bring up promises made under false pretenses. Terri brings up now how Will promised to remember how happy they were and that they loved each other…at the fake ultrasound. Yeah. Your lie negates the promise, idiot. Rachel does something similar in regards to “you said you’d never break up with me” to Finn in season 2 after she cheats with Puck. People are fools.

Seriously though, how does Will not even question those mattresses and just bust one out. And couldn’t he have slept on it without taking it out of the plastic? High maintenance much? ;) Honestly though, if I found a stack of MATTRESSES delivered to my drama club kids saying “thanks for all your hard work”..I’d raise a fuckin’ eyebrow and question what they’d done to earn that. It’s sort of suggestive, is it not? Or do I just have a dirty mind?

haha. Something I’ve always loved about this moment when Sue overhears the mattress commercial at the tv studio is that moment where she thinks she just hears Rachel Berry near. Her reaction, and me always thinking “what would I do if I thought I heard Rachel Berry outside of the one place I’m forced to have to” always makes me laugh.

“oooohhhh, I got nuttin’ to say to you, preggo.”

They’re disqualified from Sectionals!!?? Oh no! Lol. This was before I knew what RIB was capable of. When I thought they’d go the honorable, legit route with this show. I was wracking my brain to figure out how they’d get out of this one. Oh how wrong I was.

“And what if I were to innocently murder you, William?”

“I’m sorry, but Glee club is over.” “It’s. OVER!” Dun dun dun!

“It’s like looking at a porno star in a nun’s habit.” re: pregnant Quinn in her Cheerios uniform. Amazing. 

Season tickets to Cedar Point!! Yay for accuracy, Glee!

Listen. Quinn has a lot of rage. She’s talking to Sue like she’d talk to Rachel or some other underclassmen ‘loser’.

Quinn just quit Cheerios sorta to be in Glee club instead. We’ll find out, but my memory is that she’ll start wishing she was back on that squad and complaining about it real soon. No?

Okay. HOW is Will disqualified for being paid for what he does…when he gets PAID to RUN the Glee Club? Makes noooo sense. He should be fine.

Charlie Chaplin Smile. Such a sad song. This montage is so good though. It’s one of those times Glee kinda moved me. I got choked up. And my heart dropped to see people defacing this photo when they’d all taken a step forward and were so proud. This is hard to watch right now with Glee Graduation mere days ahead. :(

Also, I miiiight still listen to this song when I’m having a hard day to try to turn it around. Good song.

Aw, Karofsky figured out how to spell loser. Good for him.

Okay, so I’m pausing this to take a look at the comic brilliance of these cool kids defacing the picture. They gave Santana a pitchfork. No shit, Sherlock. They’ll all call her Satan in Glee soon enough. They gave Kirt a skirt and boobs. Cause he’s gay. Brilliant. :/ They gave Finn buck teeth. Matt got a fro (RACIST!). Puck got devil horns. Mercedes got…a cigar? No, giant buck teeth and…a lollipop? They drew a happy face on Tina (? The fuck?). Nothing to Mike Chang or Britany. Artie got devil horns and a mustache. Rachel got a pitchfork. Quinn got..a giant Rabbi beard? They crossed out Rachel’s face and wrote ‘lame’ with an arrow pointing to her. This is the most UNcreative defacing ever. I’m disappointed. Be better bullies! Or funnier ones at least! SOLOS: Rachel (3), Finn (3), Mercedes (1) MERCEDES TAKES THE GLORY NOTE: 3rd time

#Glee Memories #Glee #lol Glee #Glee Mattress

[daniellethamasa]

Hey all, Dani here.

A few months ago I did a wintery atmosphere recommendations post, and when I was trying to plan out my posts for March and April, I realized that I had had fun making the seasonal recommendation post, so why not try to keep going with it. So here we are, at the spring atmosphere recommendations.

Now, what makes for a spring atmosphere pick for me? Well, I find spring to sometimes be light and fun, and sometimes I find them to be books with a sense of hope for better times. Spring is that burst of brightness after the dreariness of winter, that inviting warmth leading us to the heat of summertime. So I wanted my books to reflect that.

Okay, first I need to talk about Donaya Haymond’s book Seasons Turning. I have been a long-time fan of this book, since long before it was in a bound print format. Also, this one definitely makes use of all of the seasons, but Spring herself is one of the main characters, so it feels even more appropriate for this list.

Next, I suppose it is natural to add romantic stories to a spring atmosphere story, but I also like my romances to have a little bit of magic in them. Fine, I do read non-fantastical contemporary or historical romances sometimes too. But this book, Heartstone by Ell Katharine White, is Pride and Prejudice meets dragon riders, and honestly I feel like that’s all I need to say to sell this book. I originally thought it was a standalone, but then learned it is a trilogy. The final book is out now (and I still need to read it), but I adore this book so much.

Then I have a couple of contemporaries to talk about. One is a cute YA contemporary romance that features fantasy without actually being a fantasy book. I’m talking about Now A Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy. The main characters are the granddaughter of a famous fantasy author and the actor cast in the lead role of the book’s film adaptation. It’s a fantastic story, one that I got so distracted reading while at work that I ended up losing track of time and coming back from break late. oops. Also, somehow I never wrote a review for this book, which is upsetting. I guess I’m going to have to re-read it so I can write up a nice review.

Finally for this grouping I have Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. This book spoke to the creative being within me. Eliza is an artist and online content creator, and things get a bit complicated when one of her biggest fans turns out to be the new kid at her school. Of course nobody knows she’s the creator of this awesome web comic. It’s a cute and inspiring romance that I feel touches the soul of all of us who create artistic content.

First up for this grouping is The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller. Whoa, actually this particular grouping are the only male authors in this whole list, but they are both extraordinary, so I feel good about recommending them. In this alternative history book with a little bit of magic/science, our main character wants to be a flier, a job that is solely filled with women. It is an uphill struggle for him to achieve his dream, but following his story just made me hope for better things to come.

And to wrap up this section, I need to talk about the Princess series by Jim C. Hines. Obviously, I find fairy tale stories and fairy tale twists or fairy tale retellings to be full of hope and eventual happiness. Well…this series is and isn’t that feeling. These books start after “happily ever after” has happened. So Cinderella has married her prince, Sleeping Beauty has been woken from her slumber (same with Snow White). But these stories have darker twists to them, and our heroines have more adventure they still need to accomplish…and some happiness and new happy endings can be found along the way. Also…I totally ship Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, because yes, that is a thing in this series. I love it so much.

I mentioned it earlier, but springtime is when I turn to romance more than most other seasons. Well, sometimes winter, but that’s just because I think that cute or steamy romances make me feel all warm inside. Anyway, there are a number of Christina Lauren books I could recommend here, but I’m going to pick My Favorite Half-Night Stand because of all of the co-author duo’s books I’ve read so far, this one seemed the most light hearted and fun to me. Plus it has friends-to-lovers and a love triangle that really is more of a secret identity thing, and I just really had a good time reading it.

If you want cute and heart-warming look no further than Catana Comics. You can follow these comics on Facebook or Instagram, but there are now two bound books that have been released, which feature several comics that were not released online. Follow Catana and John through adorable day-to-day romantic moments and every day moments. These are just adorable, and so darn relatable.

Obviously if you want a fun read, why not try a hilarious historical read. This is a book that is totally fine being not at all serious and sort of making fun of itself. So don’t go into this looking for something mostly serious with moments of humor. I should know; it took me three tries to finally read all the way through this book and enjoy it. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (known as The Lady Janies) is definitely that light and fun read for your spring mood.

And the final book I have on my recommendations list is Again, But Better by Christine Riccio. Bonus points: it takes place during the spring semester of a year in college, so definitely appropriate for a spring atmosphere recommendations post. This is endearing and relatable and pretty fun, honestly. I actually probably need to re-read this time, and now would be a pretty good time to do so.

Hmm…actually you know what, spring also makes me think of flowers blooming, and that makes me think of cherry blossoms…which then gives me two books I need to recommend solely based on the mental image of cherry blossoms flowering.

Shadow of the Fox takes place in a fantasy world inspired by Japanese mythology, and Wicked Fox is basically a K-Drama, but they both just come to mind when I think about cherry blossoms. Plus they have good mythology, fox-shifting leading ladies, and a definite emphasis on good food, which always makes for a good recommendation.

All right, well that is all from me for today. Feel free to recommend your own spring atmosphere books in the comments. I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I will be back soon with more bookish content.

Recommendations: Spring Atmosphere Hey all, Dani here. A few months ago I did a wintery atmosphere recommendations post, and when I was trying to plan out my posts for March and April, I realized that I had had fun making the seasonal recommendation post, so why not try to keep going with it.

#Books! #Reading #Reading Challenge #Recommendations

[rhandumthoughts]

Since I wrote that first post... I'll try to be chronological, so here it goes

I did find a job in June like two weeks before my birthday at Walmart in Boardman, even though I applied to the Liberty one that was much closer. But I guess the part of the application where I put my aunt (the CSS) down as my parent because I didn’t see an option for her to be my family and she’s way more like a mother than she is a sister, spouse or anything else. She’s very important to me so she has to be mentioned as a relative. But later I found out that I could have chosen the blank space.. oops my bad. At Walmart I was an apparel sales associate which meant I put back clothes that came from the fitting room and customer service; and at times I worked at the fitting room answering the phone and redirecting calls and making sure people know by over the walkie and over head, that they needed to answer these questions for the customers. Sure it wasn’t always that good but to me it was a good first job and it was a nice start to my own independence of freedom. Then the next month in July I got another job at JoAnn’s craft and fabric and I worked there for a few hours a week. JoAnns had a calm atmosphere and I learned how to cut fabric and to use the cash register but the fabric cutting was more fun. Then life was cool, I had a nice birthday party I had friends there and I had money to throw my simple party together and I had cheesecake and a cookie cake and I had my friends J*****, K*****, S*****, and my cousin J**** and her friend. Ooh and I forgot about T***** and I’m not sure if S******* was there or not, but she was at least there in spirit. And it was all cool, my dress was cute and my hair was curly, it was a nice girly dream. Then the next day all hell broke loose in a way. I was on kik talking to my friends while I was on my break then I was confronted by this old “friend” associate named W****** because the little girl (she’s two years younger than me) told W****** some wrong information. She told her that I said she changed and she kept insisting that she didn’t change. But at the same time I was insisting that I never said she changed I just saw her for who she was and didn’t like who I saw. But she just kept going like “I didn’t change, who are you to say that… blah blah blah”. But now looking back at it, she probably did change and there’s nothing wrong with that because she should change, we all should, we survived highschool/early college and moved on to college college. But in some confrontational situations I choose not to rise above or to stoop down because I don’t see the purpose in it, and I like to talk and have fun so I decided to keep texting her back simply words to her angry sentences and phrases because I wanted the last word and to enjoy it. I also kept my group of friends on kik I formed on what was going on because it was funny. This W****** girl then went to our mutual friend S***** who was basically the only reason I still knew W******, but she was telling her “get your friend, she whillin out blah blah blah…” talking trash and I’m just like okay I know that’s not true and have shown the proof that says so I need not to worry. But once that was all over when we ended up moving in together, because me and S***** went and signed our leases way back during spring break then W****** signed hers after and was trying to get out of it soon after. On move in day W****** was being weird, she was all friendly like she wasn’t so nasty to me the days after my birthday. But I played along but never tried to fully trust her again and I guess it’s good to behave when our parents and grandparents are around to help us move in. But there was never a confrontation like that again and that’s alright with me because I didn’t have the time to be more stressed out than I was being that I was a college student who pays my own rent and phone bill with minimal help. So we lived on life and slowly stopped seeing her and slowly stopped talking to her and she eventually moved out and I didn’t even notice… But I did notice all those boys she was messing around with but that’s none of my business 🍋🍵. So life was all cool and I was living free and feeling independent and I had my friends S*****, J*****, K*****, and even J****** and sometimes L*****. We were living life, and dealing with our struggles together overally. (Overally is my new created word of mine and it is an adverb used to describe the verb form of live.) I didn’t get a job again until the very end of October, because I was looking and applying but I didn’t try the hardest I could and plus I liked my freedom. But I knew I needed a job because my money was starting to dwindle down so I had to make that smart choice so I could struggle less in my future. I got hired at Kohls it was pretty cool and all. I sometimes like to go into things blindly to an extent. Before the interview I went to the store because I couldn’t ever remember going to a Kohls before so I needed to get an idea of what they sold. I also went on glassdoor and looked at some interview questions so I could have an idea of what I’d say. I got hired after just a few questions and I was happy. While working there I had good times, met some really nice coworkers, learned some cool things and the managers were cool too, mostly. I liked using the technology there, we had Bluebirds and RFs. Bluebirds were my favorite and I liked all the things it allowed me to do. I was able to stock and backstock items; almost all the items had pictures; I could get a general idea of where the items were located on the floor or in the stock room and I could easily see what other stores had. It was a really cool experience to use the technology. I was hired as a home and kids associate and for a while I spent most of my time in the kids department just folding clothes and picking up clothes and putting the fitting room and doing reshop that made its way to customer service. I liked working in that department and plus it was fun to see the kids and help the parents out with my knowledge of the clothes and even just seeing if we had anything else in a different size or color. I first started off in girls and spent a lot of time there, especially with that being the most popular department and having the most clothes left in the fitting room. I soon ventured off to spend time cleaning the boys and infants department and eventually there became lots of times when I was the only one in the kids department and since I typically closed, I kind of had to make my rounds. When I had the days when I worked in the home department for the majority of my work shift I would straighten things, and put out the reshop, but mostly I would fold the towels and make sure the rugs were neat. Sometimes it would take my whole shift to fold those towels. I also liked the slow days were there weren't much customers and no manager assigned projects because I could go into the stockroom and pull stuff to pit out on the floor. I think the backroom duties were my favorite part of working in the home department.

[sorayahigashikata]

Chapter 45

#Paula reads SBR #Chapter 45 #...I'm not feeling it #maybe God did take the wrong son #Steel Ball Run spoilers #Part 7 spoilers

[primaryideasuk]

Busy, Busy: Kitchen and Backyard Updates

This past weekend was one of those “I’m going to stay in town and recover from all of this weekend traveling I’ve been doing” types of deals… only that didn’t happen at all.

couch sleeve / affiliate sources: planter (similar) / black and white pillow (similar) / fur pillow

My intentions were initially for relaxing, finding some time to get caught up, clean the house, maybe take a nap (Charlie could sure use some cuddle time!), and just feel like I’m no longer being pulled left and right (to find time to write more posts was also on that list). And yet, I managed to pack it so full of things to talk about, I feel even more behind with getting you guys all caught up on Casa UDH!

Kitchen updates:

  First of all, I finally got the pantry doors properly hung back up in the kitchen. Remember how I created a tutorial ages ago about not taking your doors off in order to paint them? Well, I didn’t listen to my own advice when I remodeled the kitchen.

Due to settling, the doors were no longer properly closing after I tried to hang them back up. Thus, a little bit of wrestling was necessary to get them to fit squarely enough back into the door frame to close them both. Plus, I lost the screws to the second door (d’oh!). I enjoy hitting things with a hammer as much as the next DIY enthusiast, but I’d be lying if I said this door and the lack of closure hadn’t caused me a lot of frustration. But woosah — the doors are back in place, so I can continue with the pantry area makeover without having to move them around.

With things a little tidier, I did a quick first floor house tour on Facebook Live on Friday (catch that here if you missed it). It’s been so long since I last did live video that I spaced and held the camera vertically (oops). You would think that my confidence came from the fact that my house was actually clean enough for live video (I also talk upcoming projects and rooms I’m working on!):

To be honest though? My motivation was really that I was having a good hair day. Most of the time, I look like a hot mess while I work on projects (my blog friends can look so polished in their DIY videos, but I wind up sweaty and dirty with sawdust across my forehead and bleeding from one shin). My hair’s natural style pattern is “beach” hair — that sort of naturally-wavy-but-also-straight style that looks amazing when there’s just enough salt in the air to make it cooperate. But under normal Atlanta circumstances, it tends to fall more limply while still frizzing out of control (aka, least flattering combo ever). I struggled for years to find the right thing that would make it work away from the beach, and I think I may have finally found it! I’ve been using some new products from the Kristin Ess line at Target (affiliate link) and I REALLY like how it isn’t weighing down my natural wavy hair and I can skip a few shampoos in between without it getting all gross or crunchy (the beach wave spray is something you use just a little bit of on dry hair). I have to laugh at myself for looking a little too serious in the photos below, but here’s what I mean:

Later that night, I had my sister and her boyfriend over for dinner (they were meeting a guy I’ve been dating for a while). You guys: I actually COOKED. I know – that’s rare enough to be its own April Fools’. Granted, it was mostly a slow cooker recipe (mushroom risotto! my favorite!) and really could’ve used more salt (the steak we served on top helped that), but I had actual plates with food on it that weren’t prepackaged and I adulted so hard. I even made a fancy cheese board to make all of the pre-dinner wine drinking socially acceptable. Considering that this house has spent years with half-finished walls and drywall dust everywhere, suddenly being the “wine and cheese” house is a pretty nice upgrade.

Tip: Trader Joe’s is a pretty great place to pick up enough cheese for two sisters from a Wisconsin family.

Backyard updates:

On Saturday, I had a failed experiment with trying to repair the back fence and gate. The damage originally happened last summer during the big sinkhole-filling grading project. In case you missed that info, Dad knocked over one of the sides of the gate when he took his turn on the backhoe (so for those keeping score, it was the more experienced DIYer who wrecked something and not me!). I tried out a new epoxy foam product that was supposed to work for post holes, but it simply didn’t live up to its advertised promises, so I’ll have to go with the tried and true concrete method next weekend. I will cover this in a separate post since seeing this reminded me of other times I’ve tried out products just because they seemed like fun, and it’s always good to share real experiences to remind us that hiccups are part of the home remodeling experience.

The grass isn’t quite growing in yet the way I hoped, so I had to come up with a new plan and also planted 14 new shrubs along the back of the yard. It will take a while before it all grows in, but the hope is that I’ll have a natural hedge to hide the mismatched fencing of my neighbors. The sun was already set by the time I finished and it poured today, so I’ll have new pics of that for you soon.

Also, a HUGE tree just fell over in my neighbor’s yard, so getting things rooted into mine is really important to make sure all of that work I did last summer isn’t undone with spring rain). Even though it takes longer, a natural hedge can be a pretty good budget option, and I may have found a way to stretch the dollar a little further (hint: the idea is in the photo above); time will tell and I’ll report back if it worked!

I then started on upgrading this small corner to the left of the yard. I put this leftover fencing in a few years ago (yay free projects!), but it’s time to make a few more decorative changes. I want a cute little flowering tree here and a few hydrangeas, plus maybe a little DIY woodworking project… perhaps a bench? And the rest of that chain link fencing is going to disappear as well. I’ve only just gotten started, so you’ll have to see how it shapes up over the next few months.

Seven Years!

Finally: April 1st marked SEVEN years since I first started this blog! As you may have read in the Instagram post I wrote about it, I find that April Fools’ Day has always been the perfect holiday to celebrate the start of this site. In past years, it was because working on this house has always been so full of laughs and embarrassing moments. But after this much time and this many stories, I like that I can look back and say that it’s the fitting anniversary for celebrating the unexpected.

Crazy how time flies, right? Thank you guys SO MUCH for reading along! <3 <3 <3 This blog wouldn’t be where it is without you awesome folks, so I really hope you guys know how much I appreciate that you’ve supported my little corner of the internet. Cheers to another year!

The post Busy, Busy: Kitchen and Backyard Updates appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

Website // Subscribe // Advertise // Twitter // Facebook // Google+

via Primary Ideas http://ift.tt/2oyxIBF

#IFTTT #Primary Ideas