#such a good boy. such a little freckly boy.

[protect-daniel-james]

Tortured chubby little Franko.

#such a good boy. such a little freckly boy. #this era of him...in ayia napa.... #lampardverse #frank lampard

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Harry Potter is Probably Gay and Here's Why

So.... a lot of this fandom likes to call one Harry James Potter a Bi disaster. Personally, I think he's gay and I can use book text to prove he isn't actually attracted to women at all.

So here goes:

How Harry Describes Men

Harry describes many men as attractive and handsome in the books, not only that but in general Harry goes into more detail when describing male characters. I'll mention it again in a later section in this post, but when describing men, even those Harry doesn't find attractive, he tends to describe much more details about them than about girls he supposedly does find attractive. Something that to me suggests, he doesn't find these girls attractive at all.

Here are some examples of Harry finding men attractive:

Charlie Weasley:

Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weatherbeaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it.

(Goblet of Fire, page 52)

Bill Weasley:

However, Bill was — there was no other word for it — cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. Bill’s clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that Harry recognized his boots to be made, not of leather, but of dragon hide.

(Goblet of Fire, page 52)

Cedric Diggory:

Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen.

(Goblet of Fire, page 71)

Sirius Black:

Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good-looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither James’s nor Harry’s could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didn’t seem to have noticed.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 642)

Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 644)

Firenze:

white-blond hair and astonishingly blue eyes, the head and torso of a man joined to the palomino body of a horse.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 598)

Professor McGonagall turned next to Parvati Patil, whose first question was whether Firenze, the handsome centaur, was still teaching Divination

(Half-Blood Prince, page 174)

Blaise Zabini:

He recognized a Slytherin from their year, a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes

(Half-Blood Prince, page 143)

Draco Malfoy:

It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.

(Chamber of Secrets, page 133)

Malfoy, who had a pale, pointed, sneering face

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 79)

A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair

(Goblet of Fire, pages 116-117)

Tom Marvolo Riddle:

There was no trace of the Gaunts in Tom Riddle’s face. Merope had got her dying wish: He was his handsome father in miniature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale

(Half-Blood Prince, page 269)

The door creaked open. There on the threshold, holding an oldfashioned lamp, stood a boy Harry recognized at once: tall, pale, dark-haired, and handsome — the teenage Voldemort.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 364)

Harry recognized Voldemort at once. His was the most handsome face and he looked the most relaxed of all the boys.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 369)

followed by a tall young man Harry had no difficulty whatsoever in recognizing as Voldemort. He was plainly dressed in a black suit; his hair was a little longer than it had been at school and his cheeks were hollowed, but all of this suited him; he looked more handsome than ever.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 434)

I don't think anyone would argue Harry isn't attracted to men... He's kind of obvious. What I want to go more into detail about is him not being attracted to women, as that's what I think I disagree with most of the fandom about.

How Harry Describes Women (for comparison)

So, we saw how Harry describes men, specifically men he finds attractive, so, let's compare to how he describes a girl he thinks is pretty, like Cho Chang:

Harry couldn’t help noticing, nervous as he was, that she was extremely pretty. She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn’t think had anything to do with nerves.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 259)

“Good luck, Harry!” called Cho. Harry felt himself blushing.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 304)

She was waiting for him a little to the side of the oak front doors, looking very pretty with her hair tied back in a long ponytail.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 556)

These are all the physical descriptions I managed to find of Cho, the girl Harry supposedly has a crush on from 3rd to 5th year... yeah, I don't see it. Sure, he mentions she's pretty, and he blushes around her, but he doesn't describe anything else about her. Not eye color, not hair color, skin color, eye shape, physique — nothing! Compare this to how he describes Bill Weasley or Blaise Zabini even, with so much more detail in their description.

Now, details in descriptions when writing from a character's POV are very important. Because a character would use more words to describe what's most important or striking to them... and in Harry's case Cho isn't it.

We know she's pretty and Harry's nervous around her, but the descriptions are just so stale and distant compared to: Tom "handsomest face in the room" Riddle, or Sirius "handsome handsomed handsomely" Black.

And I want to talk about Harry's crush on Cho more, but first:

Fleur Delacor:

I want to talk about Fleur for a bit. Because Harry's reaction to Fleur is very interesting, specifically because Fleur is a quarter veela.

Ron was still goggling at the girl as though he had never seen one before. Harry started to laugh. The sound seemed to jog Ron back to his senses. “She’s a veela!” he said hoarsely to Harry.

…

many boys’ heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless, just like Ron.

(Goblet of Fire, page 252)

Veelas are literally magically attractive, if you are attracted to women, you'll find a veela woman attractive and be mesmerized. We see it with Ron and other boys, as Harry notes in the above quote. Ron and many other boys all stare, speechless at Fleur because that's how her magic works.

Harry, on the other hand, isn't affected at all. To the point, he's confused by Ron's drooling over Fleur. He later in GoF wonders why Ron wanted to go with Fleur to the Yule Ball so much, as he didn't see the appeal.

Harry is literally not attracted to a woman who is magically attractive to anyone who's attracted to women.

Looking careworn, she [Fleur] left the room. Ron still seemed slightly punch-drunk; he was shaking his head experimentally like a dog trying to rid its ears of water. “Don’t you get used to her if she’s staying in the same house?” Harry asked. “Well, you do,” said Ron, “but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then . . .”

(Half-Blood Prince, page 93)

It continues in his later interactions with Fleur, like when he arrives at the Burrow in HBP in the above quote. Harry asks Ron if he shouldn't get used to Fleur and stop drooling whenever he sees her, to which Ron responds that you do to a degree. The thing is, Harry isn't used to being around Fleur, he just arrived, after not seeing her for over a year. But still, he isn't affected at all, like in 4th year, he seems to not get what all the fuss is about.

That being said, Harry does react to the full veela in the Quidditch World Cup:

But a hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field, and Harry’s question was answered for him. Veela were women . . . the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen . . . except that they weren’t — they couldn’t be — human. This puzzled Harry for a moment while he tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their white-gold hair fan out behind them without wind . . . but then the music started, and Harry stopped worrying about them not being human — in fact, he stopped worrying about anything at all.

...

And as the veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Harry’s dazed mind. He wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Jumping from the box into the stadium seemed a good idea . . . but would it be good enough? “Harry, what are you doing?” said Hermione’s voice from a long way off. The music stopped. Harry blinked. He was standing up, and one of his legs was resting on the wall of the box. Next to him, Ron was frozen in an attitude that looked as though he were about to dive from a springboard.

(Goblet of Fire, page 103)

I'm not sure exactly about the full veela's effects. Mostly because Arthur Weasley doesn't seem as affected as Harry and Ron, and Harry describes the crowd in general reacting to them, not just the men. Hermione doesn't seem affected though.

Something I want to note is that Harry only becomes affected once they start dancing, and not just by looking at them the way Ron and some of the boys are described as being with Fluer. Only when the music and dance start Harry becomes mesmerized. Before that, he is wondering how their hair moves behind them without wind... Additionally, after the music stops, Harry snaps out of it quickly, Ron on the other hand doesn't and proceeds to tear his Ireland merch.

So, while full veela, can influence him, it isn't by their appearance alone but by magic beyond their regular magical attractiveness.

Note that even with the veela, Harry barely describes anything about them. his descriptions of them aren't as detailed as his descriptions of men he finds attractive.

So even if he is attracted to women, it's very minor and barely there.

Harry's Disastrous Relationship with Cho

So, Harry and Cho... I don't think it's a pairing that has fans, but I might be wrong about that. Regardless of your opinion about it, I don't think Harry actually liked Cho. Like, at all.

They looked at each other for a long moment. Harry felt a burning desire to run from the room and, at the same time, a complete inability to move his feet. “Mistletoe,” said Cho quietly, pointing at the ceiling over his head. “Yeah,” said Harry. His mouth was very dry. “It’s probably full of nargles, though.” “What are nargles?” “No idea,” said Harry. She had moved closer. His brain seemed to have been Stunned. “You’d have to ask Loony. Luna, I mean.” Cho made a funny noise halfway between a sob and a laugh. She was even nearer him now. He could have counted the freckles on her nose. “I really like you, Harry.” He could not think. A tingling sensation was spreading throughout him, paralyzing his arms, legs, and brain. She was much too close. He could see every tear clinging to her eyelashes. . . .

(Order of the Pheonix, page 456)

Cho, the girl Harry is convinced he's crushing on since he was 13, is about to kiss him under the mistletoe, and he's thinking about nargles and Luna... And how does he feel about kissing Cho?

"a burning desire to run from the room"

He wants to run away from kissing Cho. And, well, it doesn't get any better than that.

“What kept you?” he [Ron] asked, as Harry sank into the armchair next to Hermione’s. Harry did not answer. He was in a state of shock. Half of him wanted to tell Ron and Hermione what had just happened, but the other half wanted to take the secret with him to the grave. “Are you all right, Harry?” Hermione asked, peering at him over the tip of her quill. Harry gave a halfhearted shrug. In truth, he didn’t know whether he was all right or not.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 457)

He is not sure he's alright after kissing Cho. Harry thinks about kissing Cho like it's a traumatic experience... He's happier talking about Voldemort's resurrection than about his first kiss. (WTF Harry?)

Harry doesn't like Cho. Not even a bit.

“Did you kiss?” asked Hermione briskly. Ron sat up so fast that he sent his ink bottle flying all over the rug. Disregarding this completely he stared avidly at Harry. “Well?” he demanded. Harry looked from Ron’s expression of mingled curiosity and hilarity to Hermione’s slight frown, and nodded. “HA!” Ron made a triumphant gesture with his fist and went into a raucous peal of laughter that made several timid-looking second years over beside the window jump. A reluctant grin spread over Harry’s face as he watched Ron rolling around on the hearthrug. Hermione gave Ron a look of deep disgust and returned to her letter. “Well?” Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. “How was it?” Harry considered for a moment. “Wet,” he said truthfully. Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell.

(Order of the Pheonix, pages 456-458)

I don't need I need to add anything here... Harry speaks for himself.

“You just had to be nice to her,” said Hermione, looking up anxiously. “You were, weren’t you?” “Well,” said Harry, an unpleasant heat creeping up his face, “I sort of — patted her on the back a bit.” Hermione looked as though she was restraining herself from rolling her eyes with extreme difficulty. “Well, I suppose it could have been worse,” she said. “Are you going to see her again?” “I’ll have to, won’t I?” said Harry. “We’ve got D.A. meetings, haven’t we?” “You know what I mean,” said Hermione impatiently. Harry said nothing. Hermione’s words opened up a whole new vista of frightening possibilities. He tried to imagine going somewhere with Cho — Hogsmeade, perhaps — and being alone with her for hours at a time. Of course, she would have been expecting him to ask her out after what had just happened. . . . The thought made his stomach clench painfully. “Oh well,” said Hermione distantly, buried in her letter once more, “you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask her. . . .” “What if he doesn’t want to ask her?” said Ron, who had been watching Harry with an unusually shrewd expression on his face. “Don’t be silly,” said Hermione vaguely, “Harry’s liked her for ages, haven’t you, Harry?” He did not answer. Yes, he had liked Cho for ages, but whenever he had imagined a scene involving the two of them it had always featured a Cho who was enjoying herself, as opposed to a Cho who was sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 460)

Okay, so I have two things to mention about this quote.

The first, Harry realizes he doesn't like Cho and probably never did. He didn't consider dating her until Hermoine mentioned it. He doesn't want to date her. He's terrified and grossed out by the notion.

This isn't a boy with a crush. I'd argue this proves he isn't straight at all. I mean, a guy who is attracted to girls, even if not crushing on Cho specifically, wouldn't be horrified to a painful degree at the thought of going on a date with a pretty girl. Or kissing a pretty girl. His reaction is just too viscerally grossed out.

The second is Ron's response. Not really related to Harry being gay, but I love Harry and Ron's friendship so I want to mention it. Hermione and a good chunk of the fandom dunk on Ron for having "the emotional range of a teaspoon", but he clearly doesn't. Ron is Harry's best friend, he knows Harry better than anyone else, yes, better than Hermione even, and this scene proves it. Hermione is flippant, ignoring Harry's responses to his kiss with Cho, just saying he should ask her out as if it's obvious.

Ron on the other hand, Ron notices Harry's expression and the turmoil thinking of dating Cho causes him. Ron is the one who speaks up that maybe Harry doesn't want to date Cho. He immediately defends Harry and his option to choose not to date Cho. (Ron would be very supportive if Harry ever came out, is what I'm saying)

They sat down at the last remaining table, which was situated in the steamy window. Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, was sitting about a foot and a half away with a pretty blonde girl. They were holding hands. The sight made Harry feel uncomfortable, particularly when, looking around the tea shop, he saw that it was full of nothing but couples, all of them holding hands. Perhaps Cho would expect him to hold her hand.

…

In the time it took for their coffees to arrive, Roger Davies and his girlfriend started kissing over their sugar bowl. Harry wished they wouldn’t; he felt that Davies was setting a standard with which Cho would soon expect him to compete.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 559)

The above quotes are from Harry's disaster of a date with Cho. I think no one needs me to explain that the date went badly, but what I want to note is how uncomfortable and grossed out Harry is by the very notion of holding Cho's hands. That he'd have to kiss her again.

Like, again, even if he isn't crushing on her, a guy who's attracted to girls wouldn't be grossed out and pained at the thought of kissing or holding hands with a pretty, attractive girl.

Harry has never been attracted to Cho, and I don't think he's attracted to girls at all.

But What About Ginny?

So this post has gotten quite long already, but I don't think Harry actually likes Ginny. And I have evidence for it in the sequel to this post that is taking a while to write.

No hate for Hinny shippers, but I don't see the pairing, like, at all. I did write some of my thoughts about Hinny here until I finish with the more comprehensive post about them.

But in general, let's just say Harry never uses the word pretty (or good-looking, or nice-looking, or attractive) to describe Ginny. Ever.

And when I looked for his descriptions of her all I found were descriptions of her hair:

He felt a strange twinge of annoyance as she [Ginny] walked away, her long red hair dancing behind her

(Half-Blood Prince, page 136)

she was the only real thing in the world, Ginny, the feel of her, one hand at her back and one in her long, sweet-smelling hair

(Deathly Hollows, page 103)

(There are more descriptions of her hair in the books, but they follow the same lines as these and don't add more information)

Again, contrast these descriptions to the ones of the guys earlier. No eye color, face shape, eye shape, or descriptions of her body or clothes — nothing.

I have more to say about their relationship, but that's for another post.

#harry potter #harry potter thoughts #harry potter theory #hp theory #hollowedtheory #overthinking #hp #hp thoughts #harry james potter #hp meta #harry potter meta #harry potter analysis #anti hinny #cho chang #ginny weasley

[chapel-of-rizztual]

Favorite headcanon for every ghoul! Go!

Mountain

obviously I’m a big advocate for puppy mountain 

Had a plant for each of the ghouls. 

Can grow flower and herbs in his hair. Grows mushrooms when he’s stressed

one of the best cooks. 

One of two ghouls that can drive.

Early riser, rises with the sun.

Ridiculously tall. Always hitting his head don door frames.

Big lover of kissing.

Favourite colour is green.

Loves reading poetry

Vegetarian

Ram horns

Collects bug and insects

Spider catcher of the ghouls.

Joins the girls for girls night

Rain

webbing between his finger and toes

Gills on his neck and ribs

Chronic biscuit maker.

Worst chef. Can’t even make cereal

Presses the flowers Mountain grows into books.

Big sweet tooth

Will only wear crop tops. Even in the winter.

Cold to the touch

Scales on his arms and back

Bellybutton piercing. It’s a little sparkly raindrop that Dew got him for Christmas.

Night owl

Super clumsy

Slightly slimy skin

Loves the aquarium

Dewdrop

 Kitty

has scars where his gills use to be

Blue eyes from being a water ghoul

Early riser with Mountain. They like to cuddle on the sofa together while eating breakfast

Obsessed with dinosaurs

Hot to the touch

Good chef

Sucks the spade of his tail

Scared of the dark. Can’t sleep without Aether

Loves baking with Cumulus

Gets used as a heater in the winter

Likes sleeping in the fireplace

Can explode lightbulbs if he sneezes

Calls cereal ‘boy kibble’

Can play drums

Unhealthily obsessed with milk.

Pescatarian

Swiss

Loves getting stoned with Mountain

Just dance champion. Seriously no one can beat him

Horrendous chef. Don’t even let him look at the kitchen

Is the reason salt lamps are banned from the den

Hawaiian shirt wearer

Paints his claws

Has an extensive skincare routine

Crazy strong. Can lift Dew and Rain up together

Steals the fluffy blankets from cirrus’ bed

Crooked fangs

Hates sleeping alone

Greek mythology obsession

Two tongues

Phantom

also puppy

Sleeps with a stuffed rabbit. Seriously can’t sleep without it

Loves hiking and being outdoors. Spends a lot of time in the greenhouse with Mountain

Loves worms

His quintessence is more focused on orthopaedics

Cries at anything

Loves cocktails

Scar on his cheek from when he was summoned

Also Sucks the spade of his tail

Cow-like ears

White strip in his hair

Always wears glittery eyeshadow

Obsessed with cats. Can’t see a cat in the street without stopping

Aether

Dad? No, mother

Also a Hawaiian shirt wearer. Him and Swiss share

Nurse at the abbey infirmary

Carries Dew and Phantom around like kits

Second ghoul that can drive

Red Mohawk

Nose, lip and tongue piercing

Vinyl collection

Best collection of hoodies. Will let anyone wear them

Loves fruit

Paints

Bonded with Copias rats

Can’t ride a bike

Cirrus

daddy

Wears rings

Buff af

She/her/he/him

Goes to the gym with Swiss and Aether

Mechanic. Can fix anything

Good chef

Big top little pants

Makes fun of Aether for not knowing how to ride a bike.

Clothes stealer

Really sharp fangs

Made a Battle jacket

Wine drinker

Flexible

Cumulus

literal Barbie girl

Sims player

Loves all games is so good cod

Whiskey enjoyer

Country music lover

Favourite colour is pink

Crazy curly hair

Has deep stretch marks on her belly. Swiss like to put edible glitter on them and lick it off

Gap in her front teeth

Steals cirrus’ battle jacket

Loves Valentine’s Day

Fluffy tail

Has feathers on her arms and thighs

Sunshine

Literal ball of sunshine

Has a Christmas tree in her room all year around

Should wear glasses but doesn’t

Mountain always grows sunflowers for her

Gold jewellery wearer

Super freckly

Has one yellow and one orange eye

Good at photography

Has a cat hidden in her room

Stayed at the abbey instead of touring because she was working in the nursery and fell in love with the kids

Aurora

kitty

vitiligo

Purrs the loudest

Literal princess. Always gets her way

Obsessed with space and the stars

Loves horror movies

Coffee snob

Can sleep anywhere

Scared of flying

Very good baker

Wears heart shaped sunglasses

#ghost headcanons #nameless ghouls #the band ghost #These are more my Headcanons

[futurewriter2000]

Distance

A/N: Yes, I am alive. Yes, I am writing... from today again. Lemme live okay, there has been a lot going on but I haven't forgotten about my fics. Lucky number request 7 was picked up. Anyways I loved writing this one. Very soothing.

REQUEST: Hello it’s me, do you think you could write a cute jealous Charlie or Meeks, like the reader goes to different school so they don’t have a lot of time together, so one day Charlie or Meeks sees them talking to a guy, and they get jealous.

PAIRING: Charlie Meeks x reader

XX

Year 1959 started off with an odd coldness in the air. Not only because of the winter, but because of all the pressure and the stress of your surroundings.

Exams of the first semester were coming up and your father had you under strict rules, you weren't really obliged to follow. You had no idea why your education was so important to him, as if he wasn't planning about to marry you off anyway.

You never had those hopes for yourself. Yes, you did like to stay at home alone- it was one of your favorite pass times but you had ambitions and dreams of your own. You believed you could achieve them, however with no support of your father, who basically carried the whole family- it was harder to achieve.

Yes, 1959 was cold. Cold and cruel because it made you realise that world isn't that much nice to women your age. You're obliged to act a certain way, play a certain role and be a certain person.

You went to your bed and covered your cold feet under the covers. You thought of your ginger boy. Your sweet Steven. If you could have seen your eyes, you'd see a mirror of glow. You've never thought you'd fall in love with a boy who was all ginger and freckles. You've never even thought about that being close to your type of man but he swooned you over.

The two of you met in one of the hotels during the summer and realised you live close by, only weak 20 minutes away from each other. It was a surprise because you never saw him in your town before but your father didn't much allow you to go out and meet boys.

You did though. That summer, you met this freckly sweet boy, who did nothing but charm you and make you laugh. You thought it was too perfect to be true but there was something in him. Something you couldn't pin down. When he took down those glasses and you could see his gorgeous brown eyes, sometimes just jumped in your stomach.

You've been in love- with him and only him. You could still think of when the two of you first held hands and kissed on the wet grassy field as it rained. It sounded like a fairytale- a movie. It just seemed to be too good to be true and you were afraid that you would jinx it sooner rather than later.

But you didn't have to jinx it, when your father was doing all the work. You haven't argued in a house as much as you did at this age. You've had built up anger, holding it inside over the years. Yet, you never wanted to go too far, not now... because in a way, your father frightened you.

Now that your mother was away, taking care of your ill aunt in another state, your father has gotten worse. Like a little child he drinks and smokes inside. You clean after him, you cook for him, you do his laundry, you- it's like taking care of a child and you felt more exhausted than ever. So exhausted, you haven't had the energy to fight him anymore.

So you endured and you missed the only person who would make you feel better.

Private school for boys... could it be any worse? Nine months of barely any contact. You felt like you were about to explode from all this pressure.

He was your safety net. He was the one to catch you, to soothe you, to take care of you when you were so emotional and not being able to even shower. You walked towards the window and looked out.

A big hole in your chest formed because you missed him so much. You wished you could talk to him. Just to talk. He makes everything feels so much better but how, when he is so far away and you are so far away?

---

Steven Meeks has been feeling similiar as you do, except that he simply adored you more than you could ever know. He always asked himself why him and you always told him why not him. Of course, he was still insecure about himself but that was always a great motivation to keep him prooving himself to you. When Knox told him that he is going to your school to talk to the girl he's been fancying, he knew it would be a great opportunity to surprise you.

However, he was somehow oblivious to the fact that there were other boys in the school with you. He walked in with your favorite chocolate candy in his hand, a box shaped as a heart- even though he knew it was cheesy, you always blushed and laughed at it. To him that was only one out of many sights he loved to see on you.

His colour drained when he saw a large, bulky man standing over you. His hand was leaning on the locker and he had one of those pearly white smirks. Unfortunately, he didn't see your face because he was behind you but it was the perfect opportunity to release the rage he has been holding the minute his eyes set on the two of you.

Something went off in his mind. Something he never thought he was capable of. i

He slammed his hand on the lockers behind you, making you jump a bit and turn around. The guy looked up and raised an eyebrow.

It took you a minute to gather yourself because you haven't expected somebody so similar to your boyfriend appear right next to you. You haven't even believed it until he started to speak.

Meeks' eyes narrowed, his lips thinned and his chest puffed out. "You lost?"

The guy threw his head back in shock. "What?"

"You deaf too?" Meeks continued. "I don't see a single reason why you should be talking to my girl?"

He let out a laugh and took a step forward but Meeks didn't even blink an eye. "Your girl? You? Where you from? Popsicleland?"

"At least my clothes fit, yours are about to tear any minute." he continued to glare at him and you could see the way this was only about to escalate if you wouldn't interfere.

You pushed them away and dragged Steven, barely, around the corner. He was still huffing and puffing but you didn't even care. You didn't care about his challenging male outburst or fragile male ego- you simply jumped into his arms and hugged him so tightly, you were about to burst.

His anger drained slowly into a realisation who was holding him so tightly. The smell of your parfume hit reduced the anger and he hugged you so tightly and as he did so, you started to sob into his arms.

"Shh... I'm here..." he started to caress your back with his hand but you felt this huge amount of release when he did that. When he pulled away to see your drained, grey face he immediately became worried.

He cupped your head into his hands and looked deeply into your eyes. "(Y/N), what's wrong? Why are you sad?" he whispered, his eyebrows furrowing worriedly.

"I just missed you so much." you hugged him back, leaning your head on his chest and squeezing him. He simply didn't know what to do except pressing your head against him and kissing the top.

Oh how he loved you. His heart was simply throbbing from the sadness and the love he had for you. Why were you sad? What did he miss? Why wasn't he here more than he is?

"I love you so much, (y/n)." he mumbld against your head and pulled away, cupping your head again. "I love you and I'm sorry I haven't been here for you. I'm so sorry."

You laughed, wiping the tears off your cheeks. "You're too perfect to be sorry." you smiled and put your hand on his cheeks. "I just love you too."

---

You told him- you told him how pressured you felt and he felt enraged as you continued your sad, pitiful story. He held you so close to him, tightening his grip around your waist, kissing the top of your head whenever your voice started to quiver.

But oh the warmth of him. The presence, soul and love of him. It soothed you like no other thing in this entire world. You didn't know what it was. Was it love? Distance? Longing? But oh how warm and loved you felt by this man.

"I am so sorry." he said.

"What are you sorry for?" you smiled, caressing the hand that held you so close.

"Sorry you had to go through this alone." he said and your smile faded. You leaned back on his chest as you watched your feet drag up the grass until your knees were bent. You laid them on his outstretched legs and he pulled you even closer up to him. "It's my last year there..." he said and looked down at you. You looked up and your eyes met.

You could always read him so well. "Meaning?"

"Meaning I'll get the job as soon as possible and I'll save up for a wedding and a house- even a dog if you want."

You started to laugh. "What about your dreams as a literature professor?" you sat up, serious this time and placing your hand on his cheek. "What about Knox and Charlie and Neil-"

"They're my friends but you're the person I want to spend my life with." his eyes softened. "I want to marry you."

You leaned your forehead on his and smiled. "That's a shame because I want to be married to a literature professor."

#steven meeks #dead poets society #steven meeks imagine #steven meeks x reader #knox overstreet #neil perry #todd anderson #charlie dalton #dead poets society imagine #dead poets society imagines

[tomjamesavery]

Happy April First! As an avid Garry... I mean Hinny shipper, I couldn't let this day pass without doing something "special" for it 😉 Read on: AO3 Written for the Ginnyversary Bingo Challenge with the Prompt: #B13 — "As he flicked through the letters, a small, handwritten envelope caught his attention and his heart began to thump" A Poem in his Letters Gin felt winded, after four hours of Transfiguration, two hours of Defence against the Dark Arts, and two even more dreadful hours of Potions with Snape, he just wanted to lay down and not speak to anyone except the good book about 18th-century Quidditch he had gotten from the oldest of his six sisters, last Christmas.

He stumbled into his dorm room, lazily hurling his bag towards the side of his four-poster, before-, and with a loud thump, -he promptly fell into it, face first, relishing in the softness of his mattress.

It was Valentine's Day, yet he didn’t feel like going or looking for a date, no one of his year had caught his interest in the slightest, he and his best mate Lunar had gone over all the girls in their year, but Gin just wasn’t interested in any of them. Not with her around anyway.

He closed his eyes and saw the long jet-black hair, the emerald green orbs contrasting so beautifully with her pale milky skin…

No, he groaned to himself as he ruffled through his hair, she didn’t see him as anything but her best friend’s younger brother. He used to be so awkward around her when they were younger, doing things like accidentally putting his hand in the yogurt bowl.  He physically cringed as he remembered all the awkward moments between them.

Yet he couldn’t but notice that things between them had changed recently, it felt like she had been distancing herself from him a bit, excusing herself when he joined the trio-, his older sister Ronnie her best mate Hermion, and of course Herry, -in the library.

Gin had no idea why Herry started being so avoiding towards him, but with Umbridge at the school-, who seemed to target Herry especially, -he couldn’t blame her for being more on edge than usual, which meant something.

But enough with the pining after his sister’s best friend he thought, as he pulled himself onto his bum, now sitting on his bed he spotted the little pile of letters on his bedside table, eyeing them curiously.

He spotted his mum’s familiar handwriting on the top one, as he grabbed the whole stack, only skimming over the ones his family had sent him for now. Putting the one addressed by Frida and Georgina Weasley a bit further away, just for safety reasons. He would read them all in peace later.

 As he flicked through the letters, a small, handwritten envelope caught his attention and his heart began to thump. The paper was red and there were little black heart stickers on it. A love letter? It couldn’t be, no one would send the scrawny ginger boy with the many freckles a lover letter, it must be one of Frida and Georgina’s pranks he thought.

He gently brushed his fingers over the envelope before he turned it around and his heart started beating even faster. On it, it read: From H, to G His mind started racing and he went over all the names beginning with H that he knew, but only one of them kept popping up again and again.

Shakily he opened the neat-looking envelope, careful not the damage it in the process. He unpacked it and pulled out a tiny folded piece of parchment, it smelt like Broom Polish and Hyacinth, somehow feeling so familiar to him, yet he couldn’t pinpoint from where.

He put down the envelope, now tightly clutching the little folded letter in his hand.  Gin closed his eyes for a second before he opened it, slowly and carefully. He swallowed as he took in the neatly written lines on it. As he read them out loud.

Eyes so brown in that chocolatey frown, hidden behind a bright gingery crown, he is so funny and sweet, I blush when we meet, in his freckly gown, makes my heart skip a beat…

Gin felt his cheeks heat up rapidly, and his mouth felt dry as his world was slowly turning upside down. He shakily put the letter away, trying to not lose his balance as he only muttered one word- “-Herry…”

#hinny #ginny weasley #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry x ginny #fluff #ginny lovers #garry #Gin Weasley #Herry Potter #valentines day

[pinkykats-place]

No Quirks AU Ⅱ  BakuDeku

sfw one shots

AO3 Fanfic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

None of the stories linked below are mine.

All are SFW … still check tags.

Art not mine - credit to KacchanKudo.

Note: If you read any of these works and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

Cuddle Buddy by category6

Summary: Katsuki Bakugo wasn't expecting his friends to send him a 'Cuddle Buddy' for his birthday, but quite despite himself, he suprisingly liked the service when the man who knocked on his door was cute, freckly, and good at his job.

After he ended up calling this 'Deku' guy back for more cuddling services, he found himself hoping that at least some of Izuku's kind words and gestures were real.

He also hoped that the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about the cute freckled man wouldn't become a problem.

{Professional Cuddler au}

I’m not looking for somebody with some superhuman gifts by PassingShadow

Summary: Izuku is a professional cuddler and Katsuki is his new client that’s just a little rough around the edges, and needs a natural healing touch.

{Professional Cuddler au}

The New Assistant by dracofides

Summary: “My name is Izuku. I am a prototype created by CyberLife Japan. My main purpose is modeling, but I can also do any sort of assistance.”

“What the fuck?”

...

His mother brought home a new android, only the new android was unlike any android Katsuki has ever seen.

{Fashion au}

Case Closed by spicymacaron

Summary: The squad finally meets Bakugou’s mysterious long-distance boyfriend, Deku, but he’s not what they expect.

Empty by Mikacrispy

Summary: When bored billionaire Bakugou sees his old childhood friend down on his luck, living on a park bench, he can't help dragging him home and taking care of him.

He can't help falling in love either.

{unintentional sugar daddy au}

The Dive Bar by huliganships

Summary: Katsuki gets dragged out by his friends. He plans to indulge them for an hour before ditching them and going home again. His plans are being overthrown though when his eyes meet a pair of eyes that threaten to pull him under and into the green depths of the sea.

Are you into science? Because I LAB you! by huliganships

Summary: “Are you checking out the florist?” Kirishima whispered to him.“And what if I am?” Katsuki shot back, his eyes not leaving the figure of the green-haired man in front of them.

“Please don’t use one of your stupid pick-up lines on him. He knows what he’s doing and maybe I want to come back here sometime.”

“I will absolutely use one of those,” Katsuki answered. “I’m not willing to invest time in someone too stupid to get chemistry jokes.”

Trophy by Mikacrispy

Summary: After winning the State Championship with his football team, Izuku promises himself he'll tackle an even greater challenge - asking his crush out on a date.

It's way easier to throw balls on the field than it is to face Katsuki, the feisty top student in their school.

{High School AU}

Shoto, The Siamese Cat, Gives His Statement by GinaDeSpell

Summary: We observe the vicissitudes of Shoto, the Siamese cat, as he observes the growing love life of his owner Izuku Midoriya with Katsuki Bakugo, and how the feline makes them come to their senses when they are being stupid.

Love (Won't) Tear Us Apart by Golden_Writes

Summary: After stumbling upon "Nitro Records", a vintage record store, Izuku can't help himself from going back almost every day to see the explosive blond behind the counter and maybe buy a vinyl or two. The catch? Izuku doesn't actually own a record player!

{Music Store AU}

Watching You by Mikacrispy

Summary: Katsuki uses his position as Head of Security to watch Deku, the CEO's secretary, through the CCTV every day. He knows he's bordering on stalking, but it's worth putting up with the teasing of his friends just to see Deku's crazy antics when he thinks he's all alone.

— — —

Or: Good-hearted stalker Bakugou

Cheese Nachos and Pretty Boys by Chumpy

Summary: This whole day was very quickly crashing and burning, and Izuku realized he'd probably never recover. For one, the Triple Cheese Extreme Nachos he had for lunch were definitely negatively affecting his digestive system as they spoke, and two, he'd gotten the attractive Claire's employee's attention in the worst possible way.

Never again would Izuku Midoriya show his face in this Claire's, nor in the food court, nor to the outside world, probably; never again would Izuku Midoriya let himself feel confident.

— — —

(Or, Izuku goes to Claire's.)

{Mall AU}

#bakudeku no quirks #sfw #ao3 fic recs #bakudeku #no powers au #no quirks #no quirks au #secret boyfriend bakudeku #professional cuddler au #professional cuddler midoriya #pinning #getting together #rich bakugou x poor midoriya #bar au #meet cute #scientist bakugo #oblivious bakudeku #bakugou x midoriya #archive of our own bakudeku #ao3 bkdk #bkdk no quirks #alternate universe no quirks #archive of our own bkdk #bakugou katsuki x midoriya izuku #bakudeku strangers #android deku #high school au #jock deku x nerd baku #music store au #bakudeku fic rec

[pillowsickfics]

New Characters !!!

Hi! So it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted on this account but I decided I want to try again, but I feel like I need a fresh start. So, here are some new characters I’d like to write for! I’m not gonna say requests for my old characters are closed, but I would greatly prefer requests for these new characters. They aren’t totally fleshed out yet, but that’s kind of the point and I’m excited to see where this goes!

You can find character relationships/dynamics here!

Here is an image of all of them as picrews, and their descriptions will be under the cut! Any and all questions are more than welcome, and of course so are requests! I am very happy to be back! <33

Laurence (Laurie) Michael Callaghan

Age: 24

Description: Ginger and freckly!  He is about 6’0 with a good build, considering he is on a hockey team. He’s pretty lean but he has muscular arms and he definitely has some bulk to him. His eyes are hazel green and his skin is fair. He’s responsible and fun to be around and he is honestly just a good person.  

Brief Background: Laurie definitely grew up in one of the most broken households out of all these guys. He doesn’t talk about his childhood much. He is the oldest of five siblings. He has 2 brothers and 2 sisters and they're all significantly younger than him (ages ranging from 16 to 1 ½ ). He was forced to raise them practically by himself because his mom walked out on them and his dad was an abusive alcoholic. He is used to being in the caretaker role because he’d had to care for all of these kids all the time while trying to put himself through school and work to earn money. He is definitely glad to be out of that situation, but he often feels guilty about it and misses his siblings dearly.

Gabriel (Gabi) Santos

Age: 24

Description: He’s not particularly built in any way, it’s not really his thing. He is 5’8. He doesn’t really do sports; again, it’s not his thing. He has black hair and eyes and tan skin. He is blind without his glasses so of course he is always wearing them. He is a bit on the quieter side, but that doesn’t mean he’s upset or mean, he just prefers to listen. He can definitely get talkative with the right people!

Brief Background: He comes from a very strict Filipino-American immigrant household, so he wasn’t very wealthy growing up. He had an older sister. He moved around a lot when he was a kid, but he didn’t mind it too much, he just focused on school and making his parents proud. When he was in highschool, his parents found out that he was dating a classmate that happened to be a boy and they flipped out. He was yelled at and called horrible things and it ended with him being kicked out at age 17. It was the most betrayed and hurt he’d ever been. He went to live with his aunt and uncle for a few years before he got a scholarship and left his hometown completely. He has no desire to go back, despite the fact that his parents have reached out to him with half-hearted apologies because they heard he was successful.

Cynthia Hansen

Age: 23

Description: She is 5’4 and she’s pretty skinny. She has a pretty small waist and generally has a petite build. She has a very good fashion sense, it is one of her passions! She has long blonde hair that extends a little past her waist in gorgeous waves. She is also freckled all over with very pale skin. She is truly beautiful inside out, as she is one of the sweetest people out there. She loves being around others and she is extremely chatty!

Brief Background: Cyn grew up in a very wealthy household. Her mom was a hospital specialist (neonatal) and her father was an attorney. The downside of this was that they weren’t around much, so she was really raised by nannies and housekeepers. In her teen years, she was never really home, opting to stay at friends houses because she enjoyed the lively environment more than her own empty home. While she loves her parents and appreciates them, she doesn’t really have a relationship with them and was thrilled to graduate and move on to college.

Maverick Lee Miller

Age: 23

Description: He is large. He is 6’3 and he is BUILT. He has very broad shoulders and strong arms, but he is definitely pudgy around his belly and thighs and such. He has messy overgrown brown hair and the largest puppy dog eyes. In fact, he can really be summed up as a bug dumb puppy. He is The Himbo and he is so loved for it. He is so sweet and honestly a complete doormat. He can’t say no to people and it’s gotten him into some unsavory situations. Overall, he’s a gentle giant that deserves the world.

Brief Background: He actually came from a stable household, a nuclear family if you will. He lived in the suburbs and went to a pretty decent highschool. His dad believed in typical gender roles, so Maverick’s loving and gentle nature put a bit of a strain on their relationship. Maverick primarily made friends through sports, and the jocks at his school were.. not nice, to say the least. They often forced Maverick to do and say and watch things that he was uncomfortable with and he was so relieved to finally get away from them when he graduated.

Kurtis (Kurt) Noah Morrison 

Age: 24

Description: He is about 5’11 with a lean build. His hair is naturally black, but he has been putting it in locs and dyeing it since sophomore year of highschool. He hasn’t had his natural hair color since. He has an intense RBF and for the most part it is accurate. He is very guarded and grumpy and is very easily agitated. He obviously has a soft spot for people he cares about, and he has at least general manners, but he can come across as rude or bitchy a lot of the time.

Brief Background: He comes from a troubled childhood. He’s always dealt with anger issues, but they were at their peak in highschool. His mother passed away when he was very young and it caused a lot of turmoil inside of him that came out as rage and violence. He got into a LOT of fights when he was in school and just couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble. Eventually he got his shit together and finished senior year strong, hence why he was able to go to college. He retained a lot of street smarts from his upbringing.

Mallory Zhi Chiang

Age: 23

Description: She is very small. 5'2 would be pushing it a bit. Don’t let that fool you though, she can and will fight people if needed. She doesn’t tolerate bullshit. She has black hair and eyes and she has a curvier body type. She carries her weight in her hips and she has a very cute build. She is chatty and blunt and despite how she can come across, she is actually very fun to be around and a lot of the time is all bark and no bite (lovingly).

Background: She was raised by a single mother, which is where she gets a lot of her fiery attitude from. Her mother was an extremely strong woman and a great role model and they are still very close. Despite getting into some trouble at school, she generally had very good grades and prioritized school. Her mother is very proud of her and has always taught her to respect herself first, and she definitely holds that advice close to her chest.

Cameron Leslie Hale 

Age: 23

Description: An all-American blonde jock. He is 6’1 with broad shoulders and a slim waist. He is probably the most noticeably muscular of the guys as he works out the most and often goes on diets. He radiates smug asshole energy, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. As cool as he wants to seem, he’s a huge dork and it's very endearing.

Brief Background: He also had a pretty cushy upbringing when it came to money. His family was well off and he lived in a good neighborhood. He actually went to the same highschool as Maverick, and they were in the same friend group but they didn’t interact much until college. His dad was the hockey coach, and he had a lot of pressure put on him to be the most fit and skilled player because of it. It caused him a lot of self-worth issues because it felt like the only time he got praise and love from his dad was when he practically killed himself to meet the high standards set for him. He still struggles often with feelings of inadequacy.

Daniel (Danny) Alejandro Martinez

Age: 23

Description: He is definitely the most chill of all the characters I have listed here. He is 5’10 with a slimmer body type. He has a messy mop of brown hair (it’s nearly a mullet!) and black eyes. He’s not huge on sports, he’s much more into the arts. He is the musically gifted one of the group! He plays both guitar and bass guitar and often has jam sessions with his “band” (they’re really just people he smokes with and plays random songs for a couple of hours). He’s very calm and is honestly refreshing to be around. He is usually the voice of reason in whatever scenario he finds himself in.

Brief Background: His childhood was probably the best out of all of them. He didn’t really have a “home” because for a majority of his life as a kid, he was living and traveling in a van with his mom. She was essentially a hippie and loved nature and art and culture and she wanted to expose Danny to as much of it as possible. She is where he got his love for music and he mostly has fond memories of this. This got a bit worse when they had to move into the city and she began to work. He got picked on in school because of his unusual upbringing and also his heavy Mexican-Spanish accent that he had since he didn’t start speaking English until 9th grade, and of course it hurt, but it didn’t affect him too much.

#my ocs <3 #original character #if you notice similarities to my old ocs no you don’t #theyre all so silly #sickfic #whump #i’m back #!!! #hope u enjoy!!!

[baronessblixen]

I tried something 😂 I hope you’ll enjoy ! Apologizing for anyone seeing this long post on their tl.

Taking care of children traveling alone has never been a bother to her. Scully enjoyed it most of the time. Before every flight, she writes down their names and age, tries to remember them, to win the children’s trust. She can’t imagine how intimidating it is for little ones to be 4000 feet above the ground with hundreds of strangers. So, it is her duty as a flight attendant to make them feel safe.

On her flight from Phoenix to DC, there is only one child, a little six year old boy named William. A sweet, freckly boy with big hazel eyes and a Batman backpack. Dana likes him immediately. He’s very quiet, occupying himself with a coloring book or comics.

The first time they speak, she brings him coke and he shyly shows her what he has been coloring. The second time, she sits next to him and he awkwardly reads her a few lines of his Spiderman comic book. The third time, his nose is pressed to the window, his eyes lost on the sea of clouds below them, singing quietly to himself and Dana’s heart melts.

The seat next to William is thankfully empty, and he has spread his crayolas and books all over it but promptly takes them off when she sits next to him with chocolate pudding. She wishes she can stay and chat while he eats, but the other passengers need her as well.

Dana learns a little more about him. His parents are divorced, his mom lives in Phoenix and his dad in DC, and his life is split between the two cities. Dana’s heart constricts a little. It’s not a life for a child to live on a airplane because of grownups matters. William shows her a photo with his father on it, a proud smile on his lips when he explains that he’s a cop. Dana can see the love in the boy’s eyes as they rest on the picture.

Not long before the plane lands, William has grown attached to her, resting his head against her arm sometimes when she can stay with him for a little while. One time, he whispers conspiratorially in her ears : « Dana, can I tell you something ? My ears are really clogged. » and she laughs so loud that a few people turn to them.

When the plane lands, William has his small hand clinging hers as they leave with backpack, child-sized suitcase and Bunny plushie under his arm. Dana is determined not to leave him until they find his dad. He’s waiting for them at the end of the escalator, and William runs into his opened arm. Their hug makes Scully smiles broadly. « Was he good ? » the dad asks, and suddenly Dana finds herself looking right into the same eyes as his son. « Oh yes, amazing ! He’s very smart, and well-behaved. And a sweet little boy, for sure. » Her finger boops William’s nose. He laughs, and suddenly Dana is not so sure she wants to leave him. « That was very nice of you to be sure he was ok. It’s never really easy for me when he travels alone. » The dad smiles at her, but eyes have a soft expression of hurt puppy-dog, and Dana has to smile back sweetly. They stay like that until a small voice below says : « Are you leaving, Dana ? » My god, Dana thinks to herself. These boys really can pull off the hurt-puppy look, can they ? She’s about to answer when the boy grabs her hand again and asks excitingly : « Come have dinner at our place tonight, please ? » His dad pats his head softly : « Honey, she has a life of her own too, you know. She probably has other places to be. » Dana wants to chuckle at the boy’s pouty face, so she bends down and kiss his forehead before saying : « My mom is waiting for me tonight. But you know, I can give you my number and you can call me tomorrow ? I’ll be happy to hear from you. » William’s face lifts up again when she gives him her number on a small paper. Then, she’s looking in his father’s eyes again. He’s smiling, thanking her quietly, and she smiles back. But she can also feel her face getting red by the second, so she grabs her suitcase again. « So, let’s say tomorrow, Will. Right ? » The child hugs her tightly, and she says goodbye to his dad before leaving in the opposite direction. A few meters away, Dana decides to turn around just once, just to watch them leave, only to realize the dad is also watching her.

ANON! This is so wonderful ❤️I read the whole thing with a big smile on my face and went all aww. Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I love it!!!

#lovely anons #askbox fic #xf fanfic #anon you did it!! #it is SO SWEET #i love it so much

[llycaons]

so I'm relistening to one of my favorite podcasts, kingkiller chronicles, where a group of people (re)read name of the wind and critique it. in the first episode they most talk about the author, patrick rothfuss. highlights so far

the host who likes his books the most reported that when she met him at an event, she asked him for writing advice. he looked at her and went "I'm patrick rothfuss. who are you?"

that time (admittedly quite a few years ago) he wore a shirt that said "joss whedon is my master now" I found the picture on his blog and you can too if you google it

the fact that his twitter profile is art of himself and his protagonist standing epically next to each other, which isn't even a bad thing but it's very funny. it's pretty clear his cool oc is his cool oc, and that's fine

what's not fine is the fact that his Rromani-inspired main character is apparently generically incliined towards being a genius musician and stealing

another host reported that he witnessed an author meet and greet during which rothfuss, standing 20 feet above his fans at the top of a staircase, asked them not to record him, and then proceeded to talk shit about tolkien for like 20 minutes

this...very bizarre essay he wrote about the new hobbit movie, which he wrote 10 years ago in fairness but he never took down or apologized for. it's like...I can't describe it you'll just have to read it for yourself. this is deranged. this man is incapable of being normal about women. I'm pasting the most relevant part of it under the cut because I need everyone to share my pain. Be ready for a really creepy description of a teenage girl, hatred for sex workers, and unmitigated misogyny

It will be a good movie. Maybe even a great movie. But it will also be, at best, a moderately okay adaptation of the subtle, sweet book that I grew up loving.

You know that it’s going to be like? It’s going to be like wandering onto an internet porn site and seeing a video of a girl I had a crush on in high school. You probably knew someone like her. The smart girl. The shy girl. The one who wore glasses and was a little socially awkward. The one who screwed up the curve in chemistry so you got an A- instead of an A.

She was a geek girl before anybody knew what a geek girl was. And that was kinda awesome, because you were a geek boy before being a geek was culturally acceptable.

You liked her because she was funny. And she was smart. And you could actually talk to her. And she read books.

And sure, she was girl-shaped, and that was cool. And she was cute, in an understated, freckly way. And sometimes you’d stare at her breasts when you were supposed to be paying attention in biology. But you were 16. You stared at everyone’s breasts back then.

And yeah, you had some fantasies about her, because, again, you were 16. But they were fairly modest fantasies about making out in the back of a car. Maybe you’d get to second base. Maybe you could steal third if you were lucky.

And maybe, just maybe, something delightful and terrifying might  happen. And yeah, it would probably be awkward and fumbling at times, but that’s okay because she’d be doing half the fumbling too. Because the only experience either one of you had was from books. And afterwards, if you make a Star Wars joke, you know she’ll get it, and she’ll laugh….

That’s the girl you fell in love with in high school. You didn’t have a crush on her because she was some simmering pool of molten sex. You loved her because she was subtle and sweet and smart and special.

So you stroll onto this porn site, and there she is. Except now she’s wearing a thong and a black leather halter top. She’s wearing fuck-me red lipstick and a lot of dark eye makeup. Her breasts are amazing now, proud and perfectly round.

Someone’s taught her to dance, and she does it well. She’s flexible and tan. She has a flat midriff and walks like a high-class Vegas stripper. Her eyes are dark and smouldering. She has a riding crop, and she likes to be tied up, and her too-red mouth forms a perfect circle as she sighs and moans, and tosses her head in a performance designed to win any number of academy awards….

And what’s the problem with this? Well… in some ways, nothing. What you’ve found is perfectly good porn. Maybe even great porn.

But in other ways the problem is blindingly obvious. This girl has nothing in common with your high-school crush except for her social security number. Everything you loved about her is gone.

We loved the sweet, shy, freckly girl. We still remember her name, and after all these years she lives close to our heart. Seeing her in lipstick and stiletto heels dancing on a pole is like watching Winnie the Pooh do heroin and then glass someone in a bar fight.

It just isn’t something that I look forward to seeing….

[Image of naked Frodo on a stripper pole. I am dead serious. Click the link to see it I don't want it on my blog]

And that’s how I’m going to feel when I watch the Hobbit.

I’ll be one part entertained, two parts nostalgic, two parts irritated, three parts outraged, and one part oddly titillated.

And I’ll watch it, and I’ll enjoy it, and afterwards I’ll go home and feel more than slightly sad….

pat

#I thought he was fine in CR if a little annoying and full of himself #but WOW he does not deserve his fame #kkc lb

[casspurrjoybell-28]

The Alpha's Addiction - Chapter 25a

*Warning Adult Content*

The Mission - Part 1 - Koa

Why does the world feel like it's caving in?

After I left Cyrus hanging like that, the last words I'd told him weighing on me like an anvil as I rushed back to the pack house, I felt horrible.

Sickeningly horrible.

The look on his face when I'd called him disgusting keeps replaying in my mind.

I hurt him so much.

But at the same time, the fear of his arousal still conquers me.

I feel queasy, remembering how it felt against me.

Which is honestly ridiculous after all the suggestive flirting I was doing.

It was my own fault, riling up an Alpha like that.

What is wrong with me, to keep pulling him in then coldly pushing him away?

"What's wrong, mama? You keep staring out the window with a sad face," Oliver asks, coming over and climbing into my lap where I sit in the armchair in our room.

I eagerly take him into my embrace, cradling him close.

He can barely fit in my arms anymore, he's getting so big.

His head bumps the bottom of my chin sitting in this position.

"I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Well... maybe that I'm not a good person," I confess, only realizing what I've said when it's too late.

I frantically observe his reaction, feeling guilty for dumping such a heavy statement on a child.

I'm supposed to be the strong one for him, not the other way around.

Oliver frowns.

"Don't say that, mama. You're good."

I shake my head.

"I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's better than when you lie. You're a good mama. My mama. You always protected me, even when...when we were stuck in that bad place. That's why don't think that," I smile, chuckling at his firm declaration.

"Awe, I appreciate that, my little pup," I pinch his cheeks gently, adoring how his freckly nose scrunches up.

"I'm not a pup. I'm a wolf, now."

"Ah, how could I forget. You're my big, strong alpha now, aren't you?"

"Yep," he agrees, puffing his chest out, proudly.

"Gonna be just like Cyrus."

The mention of the man makes my heart go heavy.

I love that he's a role model for my boy.

I wouldn't support it if Oliver idolized someone like Zacan but this is Cyrus.

And the fact that I said something so cruel to someone who's had such a good impact on Oliver's life... both of our lives... makes me feel like shit.

It was a bodily reaction.

My rational mind knows that.

It knows that Cyrus has never shown any of the colors that the Alphas in the Blood Pack did.

But my emotional mind... the deeply scarred part of myself, couldn't logically process him getting hard against me.

Especially when I was in such a vulnerable position.

My wolf whimpers, missing our mate and saddened by the recent turn of events.

'I feel you.'

I try to comfort him, despite being the one who messed everything up.

He just huffs, blocking me out.

Fair enough.

I decide to go on a stroll with Oliver.

He can't shift yet but seeing me in my wolf form is extremely exciting for him.

I trot through the forest, paws sore from still not having formed proper calluses yet.

I never did get to shift freely back in the Blood Pack.

Oliver squeals with laughter, running after me and trying to catch hold of my tail.

"Your fur is so nice, mama. Like poppies," he finally grasps it, running his hands down the orange and golden tufts.

I nuzzle my face to his, licking a kiss on his cheek.

My sweet baby.

He deserves the world.

I don't really think I'm the best mother but he certainly makes me feel like it.

The next morning, I come to a resolution.

I'm going to find Cyrus and apologize.

It's the least I can do after I lashed out like that.

But when I search for him at the schoolhouse after dropping Oliver off or the training field, he's nowhere to be seen.

I'm about to head back to the Pack House and look there for a second time when I spot Morgan just ahead.

I forgot he was off work today. I jog to catch up with him.

"Morgan. Have you seen Cyrus today?" I ask, noticing I'm less out of breath than usual.

I guess training has had some positive effects.

He raises a confused brow at me.

"You didn't hear? He left with a team this morning on a mission. Xavier too. They're settling a dispute with an allied Pack. They might also scout for resources."

My heart drops.

"What? When will they be back?"

Morgan thinks for a moment.

"I'd say about a week? Xavier didn't really go into much detail."

"B-But..." I start but am unable to find the right words.

I've been taking Cyrus being here for granted all this time.

How could I forget that he's also the Pack Alpha, with numerous duties that often take him off-territory?

I'm so done with myself.

"Don't worry, Koa. This isn't a high stakes mission. They'll be back before you know it."

They aren't back.

He isn't back.

They've been gone for over a week now and there's been no word from anyone.

Even Morgan looked a little worried when I questioned him about it again, which didn't help quell my anxieties.

What if something terrible happened?

What if Cyrus was hurt?

What if... what if he's dead?

My mind jumps to the worst possible conclusions as I stay up late each night, chewing at my finger nails until they bleed.

When two weeks have passed, I go into panic mode.

Cyrus might never come back from this mission.

And the last thing I'd have said to him was that he's disgusting, when that couldn't be farther from the truth.

I'll never be able to make things right.

To see him again.

Those blue eyes, that smirk, those warm arms that keep me safe. 

I miss him. I really miss him.

It's a few evenings later and there has still has been so sign of Cyrus's return.

I'm beside myself with worry.

Morgan's not in any better state than I am.

I've overheard a few parents at the school tittering about the lack of the Pack Alpha's presence, concerned over the pack's 'protection'.

As if Cyrus didn't leave guards stationed.

I don't care about that. I care about the fact that he's not back yet.

All I can do is pray to the Moon Goddess that he is safe, which provides little to no relief.

I get ready to turn in, glancing over to the bed to see Oliver has already fallen asleep while reading his book.

I smile, walking over and pressing a kiss to his curls.

"Goodnight," I whisper, putting the book on the nightstand and pulling up the covers to tuck him in.

With a sigh, I walk to the window and sit at the sill.

I clutch the throw pillow there to my chest, wrapping my arms around it to form some semblance of comfort.

This will be another sleepless night.

I stare hopelessly out at the dark silhouettes of the trees swaying in the breeze.

'Please. Please, if you're listening, Goddess, bring him back to me.'

[agentrouka-blog]

Isn't she called maiden of the tree? Why would she hate it?

(Referring to my addition to this post.)

Hi anon!

Well, the song itself is kind of indicative that the "proper lady" kind of dress (and way of life) is not for Arya? The chapter very beautifully, organically, explores her struggle with that role, and gives a suggestion of where it may eventually lead.

Let's look at how comfortable she is in the dress in the chapter ASOS, Arya IV.

But first, let's enjoy these wise words by Lady Smallwood that I left out below.

The gods give each of us our little gifts and talents, and it is meant for us to use them, my aunt always says. Any act can be a prayer, if done as well as we are able. Isn’t that a lovely thought? Remember that the next time you do your needlework.

This is not about Arya conforming to things that she is uncomfortable with. It's about Arya finding a valid path for herself outside the norms that don't fit her. Isn't that a lovely thought?

(Long quote below the cut.)

So, here we have Arya returned to the state of a "lady".

Arya promptly found herself marched upstairs, forced into a tub, and doused with scalding hot water. Lady Smallwood's maidservants scrubbed her so hard it felt like they were flaying her themselves. They even dumped in some stinky-sweet stuff that smelled like flowers.

And afterward, they insisted she dress herself in girl's things, brown woolen stockings and a light linen shift, and over that a light green gown with acorns embroidered all over the bodice in brown thread, and more acorns bordering the hem. (....)

Are you fond of dancing, child? My Carellen's a lovely dancer. She sings beautifully as well. What do you like to do?"

She scuffed a toe amongst the rushes. "Needlework."  (....)

Lady Smallwood fussed at the bodice of the gown. “Now you look a proper young lady.”

I’m not a lady, Arya wanted to tell her, I’m a wolf. (....)

Supper was being served in the hall by the time Arya was all washed and combed and dressed. Gendry took one look and laughed so hard that wine came out his nose, until Harwin gave him a thwack alongside his ear. (....)

The outlaws were adamant. “Go on with you, skinny squirrel,” said Greenbeard. “Be a good little lady and go play in the yard while we talk, now.”

Arya stalked away angry, and would have slammed the door if it hadn’t been so heavy. (.....)

“I wish I had a flaming sword.” Arya could think of lots of people she’d like to set on fire. (...)

“Riverrun.” Gendry put the hammer down and looked at her. “You look different now. Like a proper little girl.”

“I look like an oak tree, with all these stupid acorns.”

“Nice, though. A nice oak tree.” He stepped closer, and sniffed at her. “You even smell nice for a change.”

“You don’t. You stink.” Arya shoved him back against the anvil and made to run, but Gendry caught her arm. (...)

Both of them were covered in dirt, and one sleeve was torn on her stupid acorn dress. “I bet I don’t look so nice now,” she shouted. (...)

Harwin took one look at them and burst out laughing, and Anguy smiled one of his stupid freckly smiles and said, “Are we certain this one is a highborn lady?” But Lem Lemoncloak gave Gendry a clout alongside the head. “You want to fight, fight with me! She’s a girl, and half your age! You keep your hands off o’ her, you hear me?”

“I started it,” said Arya. “Gendry was just talking.”

“Leave the boy, Lem,” said Harwin. “Arya did start it, I have no doubt. She was much the same at Winterfell.”

Tom winked at her as he sang:

And how she smiled and how she laughed,

the maiden of the tree.

She spun away and said to him,

no featherbed for me.

I’ll wear a gown of golden leaves,

and bind my hair with grass,

But you can be my forest love,

and me your forest lass.

“I have no gowns of leaves,” said Lady Smallwood with a small fond smile, “but Carellen left some other dresses that might serve. Come, child, let us go upstairs and see what we can find.”

It was even worse than before; Lady Smallwood insisted that Arya take another bath, and cut and comb her hair besides; the dress she put her in this time was sort of lilaccolored, and decorated with little baby pearls. The only good thing about it was that it was so delicate that no one could expect her to ride in it. So the next morning as they broke their fast, Lady Smallwood gave her breeches, belt, and tunic to wear, and a brown doeskin jerkin dotted with iron studs. “They were my son’s things,” she said. “He died when he was seven.”

“I’m sorry, my lady.” Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. “I’m sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty.”

“Yes, child. And so are you. Be brave.”

Arya doesn't hate the dress itself (”pretty”), but she hates the entire process of being cleaned up and prettified and putting it on and wearing it. It’s all described in terms of force and discomfort. The decorative dress is "stupid", and Gendry obviously senses that Arya is deeply uncomfortable. If she looked at home in the dress, I doubt he would laugh as he does, or tease her as he does. The dress is incompatible with her behavior, it is damaged when she gets physical. The next try of turning her into a lady is "worse", meaning the first one was "bad".

And Lady Smallwood, bless her, eventually accepts that. She gives her boy clothes and still she calls her pretty. Because Arya, with her unique talents and gifts, is valid even outside of the role of a proper lady, the role she rejects. "I'm not a lady."

(This has its mirror in Catelyn encountering non-traditional women, like Brienne and Dacey Mormont, both of whom she comes to understand and appreciate.)

It’s important to note that being a traditional Lady and mother doesn’t exclude Lady Smallwood from holding power and influence, running her keep and plotting with the outlaws, giving them shelter, confronting unwelcome guests, even having affairs with scoundrel singers. She is neither weak not powerless. They don’t send Arya out for being female, but for being young. And because they are talking about scandalous rumors concerning Catelyn. Rejecting being a lady is not (primarily) about rejecting the powerlessness, but because this particular role played by Lady Smallwood is not what Arya “likes to do”. She likes her own “needlework”, not the kind Lady Smallwood thinks of.

When they reenter the hall, Tom sings the first verse of "My featherbed", which is the traditional image of Lord and Lady romance. When they discuss Arya's nature, he all but dedicates the second verse to her. The forest lass, wild and free, who spins away from the traditional role, the silk dress.

She doesn't want the tree dress. She wants the tree.

#arya stark #dresses #dress imagery #maiden of the tree #my featherbed #lady smallwood #nonconformity

[lindyloosims]

Hallie ended up going home when she saw her dad’s car outside her house, so I headed back by myself which was probably a good thing...

...as my brother was entertaining a guest in our bedroom! “Lance!” The girl squealed and giggled as he pinned her down on the floor and tickled her.

“Ewwww!” I shut my eyes and gagged.

“Who...Lance who’s...that?” The girl gasped when she spotted me. Wasn’t it obvious that I was the owner of the action figures and co-resident of this bedroom?

“Oh my GOD!!! Can you knock?” Lance muttered at me through gritted teeth as the girl hid behind him. She wasn’t wearing any trousers and he was in his sweatpants and nothing else.

“I didn’t think I had to knock on my own bedroom door Lance, I am so glad I didn’t bring Hallie with me!”

“Well are you gonna leave?”

“This is my room!” I repeated indignantly.

“Yeah? Well it’s mine too and I’m using it!” The girl snuggled into him like he was some sort of big hero! He was just a stinky big teenage boy with zits, what was there to like about him?

“Aren’t you going to introduce us? He’s so cute!” The girl cooed as Lance sighed and made some introductions.

“Fine, Regina this is my little brat of a brother Shawn, he’s supposed to be climbing trees with his freckly little friend right now but instead he’s decided to ruin my afternoon!”

“Aww, don’t scold him Lance, look how adorable his little face is!” She talked down to me like I was some kind of baby until Lance finally grabbed me by my hood and dragged me out of the room, slamming the door behind me. Well, that was me dismissed!

<Previous_Next>

#TheTartosaVampire #ts4 #sims 4 #the sims 4

[abused-sides]

Ghost Parade

    Synopsis: Ghost/Demon AU with human Logan, abused, who just ran away into the house Janus and Remus haunt. The others will exist in this au as well.

    Read on Ao3

___

    Something was off from the moment Logan moved in. 

    He’d arrived at the house feeling heavy, lethargy dragging his movements and his eyes lidded. The moon shone down on the driveway, still wet from the earlier rain. He turned off his car and found his overnight bag— thank God I packed this —before heading up the drive. 

    His hands trembled as he found his keys. When he stepped into the house, it was cold. Wind blew from the open door, forcing a violent shiver through Logan’s hunger-panged frame, so he stepped fully inside and slammed it close. It echoed through the house. 

    Something fluttered to the ground— a folded piece of paper. Logan set his overnight bag down and picked up the note. 

     Went ahead and cleaned the place up for you! I’m right next door if you need anything. 

    —Patton

     Logan shoved the note in his pocket. He dragged his bag into the living room, waiting until he reached the carpet before shimmying out of his pants and collapsing on the ground. 

    His ribs ached with fresh bruises. Every time he drew in a breath, his body rattled like everything was a step away from coming loose. He wanted to find the blanket he’d stuffed in his bag, but couldn’t convince his limbs to move. He fell asleep like that.

    He woke up in the middle of the night to something soft being settled over his shoulders. He was too cold to be scared. He pulled the blanket tighter and fell back asleep.

    The sun streaming through his curtainless blinds woke him. He propped himself up on one hand, the other rubbing his eye as he yawned. 

    He stared down at the blanket. 

    Must’ve done it in his sleep. It got freezing at night. 

    After waking up a moment, he trudged back outside to bring in some boxes. He had four boxes total, most of them clothes. It didn’t take long to bring everything inside. 

    He decided to fold his clothes and line them along the living room wall. He didn’t have any furniture, and he sure as hell didn’t have the money for any, so he planned on staying in the living room until things got settled. Until he was safe. 

    He dumped his box of clothes on the ground. The doorbell rang. 

    His heart hammered, drowning out any other noise. His palms sweat. The room spun. 

    “Hello? You up yet?” A sweet voice called. “I brought breakfast!” 

    Logan blinked. That didn’t sound like them. 

    He shakily rose to his feet and crept over to the door. He peeked through the peep hole. 

    A short, freckly boy with brown skin and curly hair stood on his doorstep, arms piled with tupperware. 

    He cracked the door open. “Hello?” 

    “Hi! You’re Logan?” 

    “Yes. Do I know you…?”

    He shook his head. “Nope! I’m Patton. Talyn told me you were coming and I know the house pretty well, so I’ve been taking care of it. Just wanted to drop in and make sure it’s treating you well!” 

    Logan hesitated, then pulled the door open while clearing his throat. “Uh, yeah, sure. What’s…?” 

    “Breakfast!” He strided through the foyer, the living room, into the kitchen, where he lined the containers up on the counter. “I wasn’t sure what you liked. I made toast, eggs, bacon… I think I have some waffles here somewhere…” 

    “That’s…” Logan swallowed. His chest was tight. “That’s really sweet, but I couldn’t—”

    “Have you eaten today?” 

    Logan paused. 

    “Come on, I made too much! Please, take as much as you want.” 

    Patton poked his head in the living room, looking around. “Still as neat as I left it. I can tell you’re pretty neat, too.”

    Logan blushed. “I’m sorry about that, I was about to—”

    He stopped at Patton’s side. 

    His clothes were folded. 

    Neatly, colour coordinated. 

    “Uh…” 

    Patton smiled and urged him towards the kitchen. Logan nibbled on a piece of toast, ignoring his growling stomach. “So how are you liking it so far? It’s treating you well?” 

    “It’s… yeah? It’s been okay. I got in late last night. It gets cold.” 

    “Yeah, that turns a lot of people off. But it’s got a lot of good qualities! Just a little cold sometimes.” Patton hopped up on a bar stool and swung his legs. “This is a really good house, Logan. A lot of people have wanted to live here, but couldn’t.” 

    He frowned deeply. “What does that mean?” 

    “They couldn’t stomach it. Not that I can blame them, but they were squeamish. Are you squeamish?” 

    Logan stared. 

    “I’m getting carried away,” he said softly. “I’ll leave you to it. Uh, just return those tupperwares whenever! And if you need help finding a job, let me know, too! I’ve got a home bakery next door, I could use an assistant.” 

    Logan nodded slowly. He followed to make sure Patton left, and locked the door behind him. 

    He checked the food before he continued eating. He wasn’t sure if he’d actually be able to notice if it were drugged, but he had to try. He also couldn’t turn the food down. His stomach clawed itself to shreds, screaming for something. Logan ate himself sick. 

    He spent the first two hours after unpacking, then headed into town to look for work. It wasn’t easy without a phone or laptop. He eventually found his way to the library, and spent all day sending out resumes and filling in applications. After exhausting every opportunity, he found a quiet cafe and waited out the rest of the day, eyes alert. 

    He got home around eleven. A mattress laid in the centre of his room, and he could have cried if he wasn’t so confused. 

    He plucked the note off the pillow. 

     Noticed you didn’t have a good place to sleep, and that simply wouldn’t do! Hope you don’t mind me coming in, I wanted to surprise you. And don’t you dare think about repaying me— just get me that tupperware back and maybe send over one of your resumes. 

    —Patton

     Logan wiped his face and tossed the note on the ground. He plopped onto the mattress.

    Something rustled underneath him. He flip-flopped around for a moment before finally pulling out the rose he’d landed on. It was crumpled now, blood red and otherwise immaculate. There were no thorns. 

    Logan blushed. 

    No. Patton wasn’t flirting. There would be no reason for him to… 

    Was there? 

    Logan buried his face in the pillow. He was too tired to pick through his parents’ lies. He fell asleep. 

    Voices drifted into his dream. 

    “That was dangerous and you know it.” 

    “I couldn’t help it! I looove him!” 

    “Remus. You’re going to scare him off. That’s not what you want, is it?” 

    “No… It’s not.” 

    “No more roses. Got it?” 

    “Yeah, Jan, I got it.” 

    Logan forced his eyes open, and could’ve sworn he saw two figures on the staircase— one draped in flowing black fabric, the other sat on their haunches, eyes glowing green. 

    Then sleep dragged him back down.

hey... anyone wanna... talk to me about this au? 👀  please reblog btw!

#ghost parade au #logan centric #logan sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #intruloceit #and also maybe virgil idk #or moxiety? #can't decide #virgil writes

[ttylfedora]

Guys, which book?

I am not projecting onto Finn. I am not projecting onto Finn. I am not projecting onto Fin. I’m projecting onto Finn DAMMIT

Anyway!! Based on an actual conversation I’ve had.

Characters belong to @lumosinlove

Enjoy!!💚

“Finn, you can’t seriously be considering buying more books? You have like fifty on your shelf that you haven’t even opened yet. You just sit and reread ‘The Song of Achilles’ all the time.” Leo ranted, leaning against one of the shelves in the bookstore.

Finn looked over his shoulder at the blond, almost dropping the stacks of books in his arms.

“See, you can’t even carry them all.”

“Leo, my darling, my love, my sunshine, buying books and reading books are two different hobbies. The exist separately.” Finn answered, restocking the books in his arms so that they didn’t fall again. “Plus I need these books because BookTok recommended them to me.”

“Finn, please tell me you aren’t taking book recommendations off of TikTok.” Leo warned, rubbing his hands over his face.

“What’s so wrong with that?”

Leo’s expression widened as if the answer to his question was the most obvious thing ever.

“For one, I repeat what I said earlier, your ‘To Be Read’ list or whatever you call it probably stacks up to a similar height to me. Second of all, how many of those will you actually read?” He tried to reason. Finn just smiled back at him.

“Separate hobbies, Peanut, separate hobbies.” He giggled, wiggling his shoulders. The books almost fell out of his arms again, causing Leo to sigh, but follow his boyfriend nonetheless to the checkout counter.

“Could you not at least have bought paperbacks?” Leo asked. Both Finn, and the girl behind the till looked at him with a sense of abject horror.

“Honestly, baby, I’m offended you event actually asked that.” Finn scoffed. Leo rolled his eyes and, as the last book was rung through, quickly unlocked his phone to pay while Finn was pulling his card out of his wallet. Finn looked over at Leo with a look that can only be described as pure admiration.

“That is the first and last time I fund your book obsession. You better read those.” Leo deadpanned with a cocked eyebrow. Finn smiled as he grabbed the bag off of the counter, muttering a quick thanks to the girl that served them and they left. They only detoured to Sid’s to pick up dinner seeing as it was The Cubs weekly pizza night, in which they would stick on a movie and put the world to rights.

Finn, however, would not stop shuffling in his seat, the anticipation of rearranging his bookshelf to fit the new books on being too much to handle.

“You are such a nerd, you know that?” Leo glanced over at his boyfriend, deviating his attention from the road for a second to look at the more freckly part of his world. He placed a tentative hand on the red heads thigh and carried on driving home.

“Are you alright to grab the pi-“ Leo was cut off by Finn already closing the door as they pulled up to their apartment building, carrying only his bag of books. Leo sighed and turned around to pick up the boxes of pizza that were on the back seat and followed him in. He opened the door to an amused Logan who just pointed to their bedroom.

“You let him buy how many?” Logan asked, standing up to greet his boyfriend with a kiss to the jaw, and then the lips. He took the pizza boxes from him and started for the kitchen.

“Would it make it worse if I said I bought them for him?” He asked, scratching his head. Logan turned around.

“You did what?!” He laughed as he placed the boxes down on the counter and opened them up.

“Lo he just looked so happy. I couldn’t not.” Leo tried to explain.

For all the chirping the pair of them gave Finn for his book buying habits, they couldn’t help but love the little gleam of excitement that covered his eyes every time he walked into the bookstore, or every time he picked up a new book, or every time he got to a particularly exciting chapter.

“You are such a pushover, Nutty.” Logan laughed, pulling Leo into a hug by the belt loops of his jeans. “Such a pushover.” He sighed into Leo’s chest.

Leo laughed as he brought his hands up to run them through Logan’s hair.

“You would have done the same thing.” Leo smiled. He leant down to kiss Logan who nodded into the kiss.

“Okay, guys, right, I need you to help me cho-“ Finn cut himself off at the sight of his boyfriends in the kitchen and leant against the doorframe, heart so full of love that it might just burst. He put the two books he was holding down onto the counter and walked up to them both, wrapping his arms around them.

“You two are pretty damn cute, you know that?” He asked. He felt Logan chuckle as he looked up to Finn and kissed him. He felt Leo place a small kiss to the side of his head and pulled away. “Now, I need you both to help me pick which book to read. Please?” He pouted at the end of his question causing Leo and Logan to roll their eyes.

“What’ve you got?” Logan caved, grabbing a slice of pizza.

Finn lit up. “So, I’ve got Eragon, or Red, White and Royal Blue which everyone’s raving about at the moment.” Finn gushed, picking both books up again.

“Which one has been on your shelf longer?” Leo questioned as he walked over to the fridge to get a drink.

“Eragon.”

“So read that then”

“But Red, White and Royal Blue is meant to be really good!” Finn argued.

“Then read Red, White and Royal Blue then you numb nut!” Logan laughed, as though this was the most obvious solution ever.

“But-“ Finn started but he could see the logic in what Logan was saying. He sighed in defeat and placed both books back down. “Okay…”

“See, it wasn’t that hard now was it?” Logan questioned with his mouth full.

Finn rolled his eyes and walked over to him, placing a kiss on Logan’s head and grabbing a slice of pizza too.

“I don’t suppose you’ll be filming another ‘Fish Reads’ episode for your BookTok now?” Leo joked. Logan looked at him with pure confusion in his eyes. ‘BookTok’ he mouthed.

Finn’s eyes lit up.

“You can bet your ass I am, Nutty. OH! That reminds me, I need to go film that book haul!” Finn turned to leave the kitchen again but Leo grasped his arm.

“Nope, not today. It’s movie time and I’ll be damned if you get yourself out of this one and I don’t.”

Logan looked at Leo with utter betrayal written across his face.

“What’s so wrong with Pitch Perfect?” He asked, genuinely offended.

“Lo, baby, moon of my life, one of the two people I trust to do a food shop semi-correctly, “Finn started walking back over to Logan and cupped his face in his hands “I am not even going to entertain a response to that question.” Finn kissed the top of Logans head and backed off into the living room, Leo following closely behind.

Logan stood there in shock.

“What’s so wrong with Pitch Perfect?” He asked into the empty kitchen.

“Everything!” A dual response came from the sitting room. It would seem Logan was outnumbered on this, but he didn’t mind because any time he could spend with his boys was precious, even if the circumstances are unwilling on their end.

#coast to coast lumosinlove #coast to coast #sweater weather lumosinlove #lumosinlove #sweater weather #o’knutzy fluff #o’knutzy

[peiperpotts]

December Writing Challenge

Day 9 - Falling in love

Marseille/OC

The market was crowded that day, with the harvest hitting the streetside vendors. A thousand dialects mixed and clashed, and fruit and vegetables were held and squeezed and judged if they were worthy of purchase or not.

She stood next to a spice stand, watching him. 

Marseille treated the child gently, holding his hand in his, leaning down to listen to him. He’s so attentive, she thought suddenly. 

The little boy had brown curly hair and a broad, freckly face. If she looked close, he almost looked like their son. A little curly-haired boy with his blue eyes and her chestnut hair. But no, her hair is too dark for that. 

And no, she is not falling in love with him. 

That would be stupid and Amina was anything but that.

She watched them, a flock of children cheering on the Ace, lingering behind fruit stands and carts, but it was only a matter of time before he spotted her. He had a keen gaze, he did.

When Jochen spotted her, he smiled broadly, extending a pale hand. “Komm hier! Amina!”

Amina gave up all attempts at just observing and joined him in his admirers circle. 

It was a sparkling spring day. The buildings were splotched in blues and green, with the windows of sunlight looming over them.

'I was shopping for… jewellery.’

'Liar. You were standing by the curry stand.’ 

Amina admitted as such. She was in good spirits. 

'Okay, you’re right. I was watching you.’

'Watching me?’ he laughed. ‘My, my. Couldn’t resist my handsome face, could you? All you have to do is ask, darling, and I’ll take you in my arms.’

He squeezed her arm.

She ignored his last words.

'You’re in a good mood today,' Marseille commented. ‘You are technically glowing.’

He stopped at a fruit stand to browse the oranges. Amina noticed that wherever he seemed to go, the crowd opened in front of him in swathes. Men tipped their hats to him, women blushed, and children waved. 

They know him. 

They respect him. 

It seemed so alien to her, that they admired a man who was their enemy. Wasn’t he? 

Yet they love him. He is a hero to them. 

Why?

'I’m in the best mood I’ve been in for months,’ she said as she strolled with him through the market.

'That’s good. I like to see you smile.’ He matched her grin with his own, sunny-bright.

He had her arm in his. She could feel the tight dark leather of his flight jacket on her skin. 

‘Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m so happy?’

'I figured you would just tell me. Like you’re doing now.’ He was peeling an orange with his sharp fingernail, the juice running down his fingers.

She huffed, banishing her thoughts. ‘Well, fine then. I’m in a wonderful mood. Maybe in the mood for love.’

'How lovely.’ 

The blessed moment of quiet filled her heart so completely she felt like bursting.

They walked on. 

Amina had a swing in her step. 

She squeezed his arm. ‘I have to go soon.’

'Whyever? Why don’t you let me take you out to dinner? I know a lovely place.’ His voice was gentle, and he wasn’t letting go of her.

'No,’ she said. 'Someone’s already taking me out.’

She was so afraid his hawklike eyes would seek the lie behind her eyes.

Smiling, Amina leaned up and planted a kiss on his soft cheek. She smelled his cologne and kerosine and gun oil. 

She turned around then disappeared into the crowd before he could catch her.  

#you ask i write you regret i laugh

[bosspigeon]

Carabosse et la Fee des Lilas

Prompt: 💋Drag

Pairing: Adam/Male Detective, Bonus Found Family Vibes~

Words: 5,346

Summary: Tina spends some quality time with Arlo and Unit Bravo as they prepare for Wayhaven's first real Pride festival, Tina torments her best friend and his maybe-boyfriend (as is her god-given right), and Arlo has a big think about his favorite role and what that role allowed him to explore~

CW for references to transmisogyny and implications of past trans/homophobia

Sometimes, Tina wonders if Arlo missed his true calling. His hands are surgeon-steady as he pencils delicate patterns onto Felix’s cheeks, outlining with white eyeliner in preparation to fill them in with bold colors and glitter. Tina almost can’t wait for her turn, even though Felix looks like he’s in real, physical pain with the effort of holding as still as possible. She’s no stranger to that struggle herself.

Neither is she a stranger to Arlo’s forceful, if toothless, threats, overcome as she is by fondness when he growls that he's going to draw a mustache on Felix’s face with permanent marker if he doesn’t stop bloody bouncing.

It’s pretty fun to watch from the outside. Sure, when you first sit down when he’s like this—all sharp and snappish and “stop moving or I’ll chuck you out the window”—it’s hard to keep still, but Arlo’s got this sort of quiet intensity to him when he’s focusing on something that’s oddly meditative. He’s just a soothing presence, really. Like a capybara or something. He’s friend-shaped.

Whatever weird magic it is, it’s definitely catching, because Felix looks less like he’s about to burst, like he did when Arlo was putting down the foundation, and more like he’s enjoying the attention. Tina’s not sure how long it’s going to last, seeing as Felix has given her a run for her money in the “manic energy” department, and he’s nowhere near as caffeinated as she is at any given time, but for the time being, he’s (mostly) still and quiet.

There’s music playing, quiet enough that the broody one (she knows his name, but it seems to bug him when she calls him "the broody one," which is funny, so—) only grumbled about it for a few minutes when Arlo turned it on, and even seems to enjoy sitting close enough to Arlo’s stupidly fancy stereo system to, she guesses, feel the rumble of the bass through the floor. Vampires are weird.

Anyway, it’s Arlo’s usual sad goth boy nonsense, but as quiet as it is, and with its intense instrumentals and rumbling vocals, it’s pleasant background noise more than anything.

Nate (the handsome and charming one, because of course all Arlo’s vampire friends are handsome, so she has to differentiate between them somehow) is rifling through Arlo’s bookshelf like it’s his job, and visibly struggling to pick something to read, because Arlo’s sitting room bookshelf (the one she found at a yard sale three hours away and lashed to the top of her sedan with every single bungee cord she could find at the local hardware store because it was coffin-shaped, for god's sake) is where he keeps all his weirdo occult stuff to, quote, “make people who pop by unannounced leave faster.”

And then there’s the big, handsome, stupidly fit blonde Arlo still won’t call his boyfriend, even though they’re so obvious it’s sickening, and she means that with all the love in her heart. He’s sitting in the armchair by the bookshelf, positioned so he can look like he’s reading one of Arlo’s old music magazines and totally isn’t taking advantage of the perfect line of sight of Arlo perched on the end of his coffee table so he’s not too tall to work on Felix, sitting in a chair from the kitchen. Tina sure hopes he doesn’t think he’s subtle, being a super special vampire secret agent and all.

He seems to notice her eyeing him, at least, and keeps his attention pinned firmly on the magazine, though he is definitely not reading a single word. Nate keeps browsing, the Broody One keeps brooding, Arlo keeps working, and Felix starts to hum. Arlo gives him a sharp look, but it doesn’t seem to be moving his face in any major way, so he just rolls his eyes and keeps tracing pretty patterns onto that unfairly smooth, dark skin. Do vampires do skin care? They probably don’t even need to, and that’s probably one of the reasons people like to villainize them. It always comes down to jealousy, doesn’t it?

She sighs, loudly enough that every eye in the room turns to her, and while she did not expect the sudden attention, she knows she can at least use it to entertain herself. She homes in on Adam, and smiles when she finally looks at the magazine he’s still valiantly pretending to read. There’s a familiar man on the cover, and while she can’t be bothered to remember his name, she grins. “Oh, hey! Arlo, he’s reading the one with the guy who looks like you!”

Arlo doesn’t even look up, but he huffs out a laugh and rolls his eyes again. He’s going to give himself a headache if he keeps that up.

The comment does exactly what she wants it to, which is draw the attention of all the other vampires. Arlo even begrudgingly pulls the pencil away from Felix’s cheek so he can take a look, and he immediately bursts out laughing.

“Arlo!” he exclaims, slapping at Arlo’s knee. “You didn’t tell us you had a twin!”

Nate chuckles (warm and rich and handsome, if a sound can be called handsome) and turns from the shelf to study the magazine curiously himself. Even the Broody One peers over to see, a little smirk curling his permanently-scowling mouth.

“Considering he was born in the sixties, I definitely don’t,” Arlo drawls. “Tina’s been making that joke since we were kids. She’s just happy she’s got an audience who hasn’t heard it twelve times a week since she first saw my old Type O Negative poster.”

“Some jokes just get better with time,” Tina says archly. “Like a fine wine.”

“And some jokes age like milk,” Arlo fires back.

Adam tilts the magazine so he can look for himself, and his dour expression clouds over even more, brows furrowing and mouth twisting. He peers up at Arlo, studying him, then down again.

Got you. “Yeah, you’re right,” Tina says, nodding sagely at him. “Arlo’s much prettier.”

It has exactly the reaction she was hoping for. Arlo drops his eyeliner pencil and makes a strangled noise, glowering at her with his cute freckly cheeks going all red, and Adam, who is a good bit paler than Arlo, goes pink from the crewneck of his just-this-side-of-too-tight tee shirt to his hairline. Tina wants to punch the air as the other vampires snicker at them. Well, except for Nate. Nate’s not a snickerer. He chortles. It’s adorable.

“Speaking of pretty!” Felix crows once they’ve all had a laugh at their fearless leader’s expense. He points to his own face with both hands, dancing in his chair, and Arlo sighs and rolls his eyes again, bending to pick up the dropped pencil. Luckily, the tip isn’t broken, so he can get right back to work, once he’s given the young vampire a moment to get his wiggles out. He settles, sitting on his hands and pursing his lips when Arlo gives him a dry look. He hovers back in with the pencil, and then Felix blurts out, “How’d you get so good at this anyway? Well, I assume you’re good at it. I haven’t seen it yet.”

Arlo doesn’t say anything. He just looks at him, pencil poised, until Felix pinches his mouth shut with a quick little apology. Once Arlo’s satisfied his canvas is actually going to hold still and keep quiet, he gets back to it. “My school was pretty small, especially compared to the bigger-name performing arts schools out there,” he says after a moment of quiet focus, tracing the outline of a heart around one of Felix’s eyes. “Our department didn’t really have a huge budget, and workspace was at a premium too. We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for performances before someone else had to use the theatre, so we all did our own makeup at once, for the most part. Sometimes we’d help each other out, because we all had our strengths and weaknesses.”

He pulls back the pencil, squinting critically at the heart like it’s not completely perfect. “Demi was the best at laying the groundwork, and at matching colors to our costumes and complexions. Viv was the best at coming up with concepts and making sure we looked like a matching set. Wendi could do insane prosthetics, and was the best at bullying our department head into giving us the money for them. I had the steadiest hands, so I always did the eyes and the details.”

“Was Wendi the one who did your Dracula look?” Tina gasps. “That one was so cool!”

“Dracula?” Felix blurts. Tina doesn’t miss how the others perk up with interest too.

Arlo glares at him, and he shrinks back with a sheepish little grin. “Yeah, we did Dracula, uh… second year, I think? That was when Tilly transferred in and started doing our choreography. She’s the one who got Professor Dacey to let us do less classical stuff and start branching out a bit.” He glances briefly at Tina, staunchly ignoring the way Felix pouts at him for dividing his attention. “And, yeah, Wendi did the prosthetics for that one.”

“She’s got to be magic,” Tina asserts. “She managed to make your sweet, mopey face look so scary.”

Felix and Mason both snicker at that, and Arlo’s mouth goes all lemon-sour pinchy, like it always does when she calls him a sad puppy man, or any variation thereof.

“Take a lap,” Arlo says to Felix. “Don’t touch your face.” He jerks his head at Tina when Felix bolts to his feet and starts zooming around the flat to get out some of his energy. “Your turn, if you’re done being a comedian.”

“I’m never done,” she says with a sunny smile, but she bounces over to take Felix’s place in the chair and closes her eyes serenely so he can start on her makeup.

“And, God, do I know it,” he grumbles under his breath, knowing full well she can hear him, and so can everyone else in the room, too.

“Do you have pictures?” Felix hollers. He’s dipped into Arlo’s studio, and he’s making no secret of rifling through the desk in there, drawers slamming and paper rustling.

Arlo tips his head back so when he sighs, loud and dramatically long-suffering, he’s not blowing his breath right in Tina’s face. She appreciates the gesture. “Bottom right drawer,” he calls back, resignation thick in his voice. Given how long he’s been putting up with Tina—and Felix might just be Tina’s second platonic soulmate (Arlo, of course, being the first)—he already knows that keeping quiet is just prolonging the inevitable. Tina opens her eyes briefly to see Felix come sailing out of the studio with a thick leather-bound album held triumphantly over his head.

“Oh, I haven’t seen that in years!” she coos happily.

Arlo bops her on the forehead pointedly with a sponge covered in foundation, and she closes her eyes obediently.

She hears Arlo’s antique sofa creak as Felix plops down onto it, rifling through the plastic pages. “Aw,” he whines, “no baby pictures?”

“I can’t imagine him ever being a baby,” Mason snorts, and he sounds closer than he was before. Tina knows better than to open her eyes while Arlo’s in the zone, though. He’ll bop her with something less soft than a sponge next time. “I figured he’s just always been a giant.”

Felix laughs, high and chiming. “No wonder Agent Priestley’s always so sour, then,” he says. Tina giggles, and it becomes an inelegant snort when Arlo bops her again on the nose.

“Ask Rebecca if you want to see my baby pictures,” Arlo mutters blandly, and Tina can feel the weight of his attention. “I doubt she has many after age two, and the ones before I’ve barely seen.”

Tina’s not a super-special supernatural secret agent, but she tries with all her might to will someone to change the subject before things get weird. Now’s as good a time as any to learn telepathy.

Felix, heart of her heart, interrupts what’s shaping up to be a real prize winner of an awkward silence with a loud gasp. “Woah!” he exclaims, and pages crinkle as he presumably holds up the book for Arlo to see. “Who’s this? Did you do her makeup too?”

Arlo’s hair rustles as he turns his head away from her, and then the hand on her cheek freezes. Tension radiates through every inch of his body, practically leaching into hers. She cautiously opens one eye, and sees Arlo sitting up impeccably straight, stiff as a board and staring at Felix like a deer in the headlights. He swallows so hard she can see his throat move. “Um,” he says, stilted and strange. “Yeah. I did.”

Tina opens both eyes and squints at the photo album. Oh.

Felix looks at the sudden strain in the way Arlo is sitting, the tightness of his posture, and looks quizzically down at the picture again.

Tina remembers that performance. She remembers Arlo dancing (ha) around the subject when she asked him teasingly if he was going to be playing the prince, who was the lead, was he excited to kiss a pretty girl?

She can’t remember the character’s name, not so many years after the fact, especially since they were all weird classical nonsense, either Latin or French or some mishmash of the two. But she remembers the costume. She remembers waiting with bated breath to see Arlo onstage, to stand and scream and cheer obnoxiously loud in support of her best friend. She shot to her feet the second she saw his obvious silhouette rise from a feather-bedecked black chariot, head and shoulders taller than anyone else onstage. The music swelled, lightning flashed, and then when the spotlight hit him, she was so stunned she plopped right back into her seat with her jaw on the floor.

Arlo’s always been one of those guys that straddled the line between pretty and handsome. Long, lustrous hair and eyelashes she would kill for, cheekbones that could kill, a defined jaw, a proud nose, and intense eyes she could only call sultry—if she hadn’t known him since they were both weird, gawky brats, she’d probably be half in love with him before figuring out she wasn’t his cup of tea. But seeing him onstage was always an adventure. He threw himself into whatever character he played, put his everything into them, from the costume to the makeup to the performance. He just became the character, and in a way that was so very Arlo, all that intensity and focus channeled into an act that completely stole the show, in Tina’s humble and completely unbiased opinion.

Carabosse! That was her name!

Carabosse was no different.

Arlo’s makeup was flawless, ghost-white foundation giving him intense Morticia Addams vibes, contouring that made his cheekbones look absolutely unreal, bold black (or maybe really dark purple?) lipstick and shiny, smoky eyeshadow that made him look ethereal and wicked, with a daggerpoint cat-eye that she spent an hour begging him to teach her after the show. When he turned his head in a sharp, birdlike motion to look down his nose at the dancers playing the King and Queen, she gasped at the way his hair rippled down his back, shiny-black and woven with actual feathers that trailed back from the ornate metal circlet resting on his brow like a bird’s crest. The costume was breathtaking, too, a tightly corseted bodice and a high collar, a dramatically billowing skirt and trailing, feathered sleeves that flared like wings whenever he moved.

And the way he moved! Arlo’s dancing changed with every role, whatever he felt would suit the character. One of her favorites was always his Hans-Peter (she had a soft spot for that one, and had ever since she was little—one of the first Christmas gifts her stepmom had ever given her was little storybook version of The Nutcracker that came with a CD) because his dancing was so stiff and stridently mechanical, he looked like a real toy soldier come to life. But his villains moved with a slinking, predatory prowl she’d only ever seen in monster movies, and never in something like a ballet. His Carabosse was as beautiful as she was terrifying, and it was incredible to watch. She wanted to fling herself at him after the show and babble at him endlessly like she always did, but she spent a solid minute staring at him slack-jawed, until he shifted awkwardly and looked down, and the confident intimidation of the Wicked Fairy sloughed away to reveal Arlo underneath.

He almost melted into the floor with relief when she finally startled to babble.

She puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes, and he takes a slow, deep breath, offering Felix a strained smile. “Take a closer look, mate,” he says quietly.

Felix does. He looks up and squints at Arlo, and then back down at the photo. Tina has to bite her lip so she doesn’t laugh when he looks over at Adam, still holding the magazine with that metal singer that kind of looks like Arlo on it, and then back at Arlo. His mouth drops open into a little o, and he shoots to his feet and shouts, “No way!”

Mason was allowed his name back briefly, but he goes right back to Broody One when he grimaces at Felix and slinks pettishly back to his corner.

Arlo’s shoulders are practically around his ears, but he tries to keep smiling. “Yeah. Sleeping Beauty. Fourth year. I was the Wicked Fairy.”

“He was amazing,” Tina declares, shoulders back and chin tipped up challengingly. “The costume was insane, but the way he played her was absolutely, ridiculously badass.”

“You look awesome!” Felix blurts, still gawking down at the photo. He flips to the next page, and squeaks happily when he finds more pictures, from different angles, showing off the costume, the way Arlo loomed over the other dancers, the way he commanded the stage. Tina should really find out who took the pictures and send them her thanks, because they really put in the work. “Your makeup, your dress, your hair! How’d you even do that?”

Arlo laughs, and it sounds so utterly relieved, Tina’s heart breaks a little. Arlo’s always been sensitive, and for someone who dresses and holds himself the way he does, he worries more than he lets on what people think of him. Especially people he cares about. She squeezes his shoulder again, and he bites his lip when he glances back at her and smiles hesitantly.

“A lot of wire, and enough hairspray to choke a bloody cow,” he says, twisting around and slinging his long legs over the coffee table so he can face the sofa. “I think we bought every bag of black feathers the craft store had, and then spent an entire weekend painting them with this stupidly expensive embossing powder. We had to get, like, ten pots of the stuff, because the craft store only had pots the size of a quarter.”

“I admire your dedication,” Nate says pleasantly, strolling over to peer over Arlo’s shoulder. They tighten just a bit before relaxing slowly. “That costuming is superb. I’ve seen professional productions that weren’t half so detailed.”

“That would be Viv’s work,” Arlo laughs, looking down at the pictures fondly. “She took whatever cheap garbage the department had for us, raided the nearest clearance fabric rack, and worked her magic. The employees at that little craft store loved and hated us in equal measure.”

Arlo is still tense, but he’s loosening up little by little, and with him Tina does too. The easy camaraderie is soothing, and she knows how much Arlo cares about his vampire friends, so it’s got to be a huge weight off his shoulders to be able to let his guard down around them. He deserves that. He deserves to be able to be himself.

Adam standing up draws Arlo’s attention like nothing else could, and he freezes like a startled rabbit again looking up at the burly blonde vampire as he approaches the sofa. He looks a split second from bolting. Tina sits up straighter and gives Adam her most daring look, squaring her shoulders to make it perfectly clear she's ready to fight the second he opens his mouth. She’ll definitely lose, sure, but she’ll make as much trouble as she can before she goes down.

He reaches out, his hand hesitating before it touches the album’s glossy page, and he looks up at Arlo with a questioning tilt to his brows. Arlo looks like he’s barely breathing, but he nods, and Adam slips one of the pictures from its sleeve. He straightens his spine, shoulders back, holding the photo and studying it carefully. His face is impossible to read, about as expressive as a bloody brick wall. Tina’s vibrating with nervous energy. She’ll fight a vampire, though. She will.

When Adam does finally speak, his voice comes out so softly Tina almost doesn’t hear it over the adrenaline rushing through her. “You look… striking.”

Striking. Oh my god.

She wants to laugh. They’re ridiculous.

“Thanks,” Arlo chokes out, his cheeks and ears going red this time.

Oh my god. Tina covers her mouth with both hands. Arlo glowers at her. It’s a lot less threatening when he’s blushing like that. “I didn’t say anything,” she mumbles against her palms.

“Your face,” he hisses, and she yelps.

“Oh! Shit!” She pulls her hands away, and he grabs her by the chin to check the damage with a click of his tongue.

Tina thought things would get better once Arlo actually kissed the man (and maybe got a leg over, but that’s only her business when she can finally get Arlo to actually talk about if the big, beefy Adonis is as missionary-with-the-lights-off as he looks) but at least they’re not just staring longingly at each other from across the room and then getting all sad about it anymore . Thankfully, Felix seems to be an old hand at clearing up the weird tension between the two of them, chiming in a delighted, “I’ve never seen you look so scary!” as he rifles through all the pictures from the Sleeping Beauty show. “I mean, you’re pretty scary when you go all furry, but also, you sort of just look like a big lanky puppy, because it’s just you, you know? This is someone else! Who is she! She's so cool!”

Arlo sighs and turns around to fix whatever Tina’s ruined with her foundation, and throws himself back into dolling her up. Thankfully, the actual festival’s not for a while yet. She complained about the unnecessarily early start when Arlo suggested the time, but now she’s glad he’s such a persnickety prick about scheduling. “I had a lot of fun with it,” he admits, shrugging his shoulders. “The original script notes said to get, y’know, sort of silly with it, but I wasn’t a big fan of that angle for a character like her. Yeah, I wanted to be campy, but not in the way…” He purses his lips. “Okay, well, Nate probably knows this, but a lot of classical ballets that have a female villains do this thing with them that I hate.” He frowns deeply, patting at Tina’s chin with gentle ferocity. “ An evil female character is supposed to be sort of… sort of a cautionary tale, I guess? Like your typical bitter spinster crone, the old hag, or the wicked stepsisters, things like that. So they’ll specifically cast a male dancer and put them in bright, gaudy facepaint and garish costumes that are supposed to be cartoonish and ugly, that you're supposed to find funny, to show you that this character is bad because she’s indelicate and mannish, and that’s why she’s evil.”

His mouth twists around the words, and he looks up, back at the vampires, leaving Tina a moment to really appreciate that Arlo’s comfortable enough with them to do what he’s only ever really done with her—which is ramble about something he’s passionate about. It’s always fun to watch. He turns back to her, and she just wishes his hands weren’t occupied, because he’s a big hand-talker otherwise. “I got the role because the professor thought it would be funny to stick me in a role like that, being so tall and, y’know,” he gestures vaguely to his faded old band tee and dark jeans, the thick leather cuff around his wrist. Tina doesn’t see what he really means, seeing as he looks cozy and content right now, but she gets what he’s going for. “He was expecting me to be awkward about it. The big, tough guy doing drag as the creepy crone caricature.” He huffs. “I talked with Demi about it, and we decided to say fuck that.” He sits up straighter, tilts up his chin, and looks down his nose at Tina.

She peers up at him, wide-eyed, and suddenly wonders if this is how Demi felt, playing Aurora when Carabosse looked down her nose at her like an insect under her heel.

“I thought Carabosse deserved better,” Arlo says fiercely. “If I was going to be a villain, I was going to be a damned good villain. I was going to tower over all the delicate, dainty little princesses and fairies, and I was going to be fierce. Professor Dacey wanted Aurora, and Candide, and Florine to be the epitome of sweet, delicate femininity, the ideal damsel in any classical show. Carabosse is supposed to be the complete opposite. You’re supposed to root against her, not want to be her. She’s a threat to the idea of womanhood, of the ideal feminine. She’s bold and selfish and she takes what she wants. I leaned into that. I even danced en pointe for parts of it, even though Carabosse isn't supposed to, and between the rehearsals and the actual performance, I thought my feet were gonna fall off, but it was worth it.”

Arlo smiles, and Tina is thrilled by the wickedness of it. She thinks she even sees just a hint of fang. Arlo’s been so careful about showing his teeth, ever since he told her what happened to him, why he disappeared for so long, so it's somehow special for him to feel like he can show her even a hint of what he’s become.

“Professor Dacey was pissed, afterwards, of course,” Arlo laughs, but there’s an edge to it. He seems to shrink. From Arlo to Carabosse to Arlo again. He looks down at his hands as they work on Tina more than at her face. “He didn’t, y’know, say anything he could have gotten fired over, but he did rail about being left out of planning and the budget and all that rot. Got even madder when Demi pointed out we’d spent our own money on the costumes. I think if he was tall enough to look down on me, he would have.” He snorts, a bitter curl to his mouth. Tina thinks of it painted bold, dark purple, thinks of how it would look with those teeth behind it. She wonders if he’d let her do his makeup for the festival. She’s not nearly as good at details as he is, but she’s no slouch either.

“You should have let me put raw fish in his hubcaps,” Tina mutters, just to make Arlo laugh. It works, and she beams at him.

“Would have been a waste of fish,” he mumbles, sucking his teeth. He finally picks up a bright eyeshadow palette and starts waffling over colors. He’s quiet while he deliberates, but after a while, he sighs. “I liked being Carabosse,” he says, like it’s a secret. Like he’s trying very hard not to be ashamed.

“I wish I could have seen it,” Adam says, almost dreamily. Tina could scream. “I— We could have, I mean. All of us. In solidarity.”

“Smooth,” Felix whispers.

“I’m sure it was a phenomenal performance,” Nate adds helpfully. He’s taken the album from Felix to flip through to some of Arlo’s other shows. “The passion you have for your characters shines through in just photos. It’s quite impressive.”

“You should have gone pro,” Tina mutters. “You’d be a household name by now.”

Arlo snorts and bops her with the brush. How many bops is that now? She’s certainly on a roll today. “And who’d keep you in line back here?” he teases.

Tina squints up at him and sticks out her tongue. “Like you’ve ever even tried to keep me in line, you big softie. You love the chaos, just admit it.”

“I’ll admit you to the hospital when you do something stupid and get yourself hurt again, how about that?”

They bicker like children back and forth while Arlo finishes her makeup, a wash of pink, purple, and blue eyeshadow and matching lipstick, overlaid with a lustrous sparkle to her cheekbones and a cute little black heart-shaped beauty mark under one eye. Felix gets a bi flag heart to match her eyeshadow around one eye, and then the rest is a sort of confetti splash of sparkly stars and hearts in every color. Even Nate goes for the bi eyeshadow (Bi-shadow? She should have been saying that this whole time!), making him, Tina, and Felix a matching set, and Mason consents to a very simple pan flag on his cheek. Tina suspects Adam only allows the eyeshadow treatment so he can have Arlo cup his face all tenderly, but she keeps the thought (mostly) to herself. He looks good in pastels, she thinks when she sees the finished blue, pink, and white.

Arlo draws a little heart under his eye too. The heart in Tina's chest almost explodes with warmth.

And then Arlo disappears into the bathroom, leaving the rest of them to entertain themselves while he gets ready on his own. They go through the album some more, and Tina tells them all about her favorite shows, because she went to every single one she could manage, and got Arlo’s school friends to send her videos of the ones she couldn’t. Tina Poname is Arlo Priestley’s number one fan, and that will never change. Not even now that she's got some competition.

When Arlo comes out of the bathroom, they all look up in sync, and he stands there, shifting anxiously from foot to foot under the attention, and lifts his hands in a stilted shrug. “So?” he asks, smiling nervously. He’s changed clothes, too. Tight pants, big boots, a mesh-sleeved black shirt underneath his patch-and-pin-covered denim vest. His wrists jingle with chunky bracelets, and his hair is braided neatly over one shoulder. But his makeup is what really steals the show. That insanely sharp cat-eye, of course, but one eye is done up in blue, pink, and white, and the other in yellow, white, purple, and black. He smiles timidly. “I, uh, I couldn’t really decide on just one,” he says, sticking his gloved hands into the pockets of his vest. “I’m, um, I’m not sure which one’s really right for me yet, I guess?” He shrugs again, and Tina watches delightedly as Adam stands up slowly, his eyes on Arlo with such an awed intensity she wonders if he even remembers there’s other people in the room. Arlo keeps babbling as he approaches, the words tumbling nervously from his black-painted lips. “I sort of like matching with you, Adam, and I know they’re both fine, but I—”

Adam grabs him by the lapels of his jacket, yanks him down to his level, and silences him with a kiss. Tina throws her arms up in the air with an impulsive shriek of “WOO!” that Felix echoes even louder. They high-five over Mason’s head, and he looks like he wants to throw them both out the window. Nate sits by with a pleasant little smile, which only fades when he takes note of the clock.

Adam and Arlo are still kissing, Arlo’s hands cupped around the vampire’s cheeks and Adam clinging to his vest like he'll drown if he lets go. Tina thinks she might see a hint of tongue when Nate loudly clears his throat.

They break apart with an indecent smacking noise, and Tina yelps out a sharp laugh when she sees Arlo’s black lipstick smeared all around Adam’s mouth.

Nate crosses his arms and smiles dryly at them. “Why don’t you two go fix your faces,” he suggests. “The rest of us will make sure the car is packed for the festival.”

“Um, yes. You— We—” Arlo fumbles for a bit, touching his smeared lips, his eyes just a bit dazed. He and Adam look at each other, and then flee for the bathroom together.

Tina’s never been more excited for a festival in her life.

#the wayhaven chronicles #wayhavensummer #pride in wayhaven #tina poname #adam du mortain #a du mortain #felix hauville #f hauville #specialist agent mason #specialist agent m #nate sewell #n sewell #oc: arlo priestley #pidge writes #HELLO I AM FINISHING THIS AT 3:30 AM #I HAVE MY FIRST DAY OF MY NEW JOB TOMORROW #WISH ME LUCK #this turned out WAY longer than i meant it to but god was it fun #i hope you guys like it as much as i liked writing it #arlo playin w gender expression via ballet is my everything #the costume designs for carabosse can be SO GOOD #but some of them are SO BAD #ballet is like that #its very uuuuh traditional wrt its aesthetics and gender roles #and arlo and his friends were all like 'but what if not' #anyway title is v last minute bc *shrug* #tina gets to be the lilac fairy #i did so much reserach into this ballet y'all #the only thing i didnt do was watch the whole thing #tho i DID find it on yt so i could later....