#I am roasting a turkey as we speak

[secondbeatsongs]

do you think the national dog show announcers ever explored each other's bodies

#personal #sbs rambles #thanksgiving #dog show #happy thanksgiving everyone #I am roasting a turkey as we speak #also I just like the announcers' voices okay #they seem nice. they have good chemistry #I wonder if they hang out

[justinmitchellfan]

ARIANA GRANDE X MERCEDES VARNADO LOVE STORY SMUT WARNING ⚠️ PART 29 of the continuation of the she's the one love story

Chapter 61 title: big news

Mercedes point of view

Keeping this pregnancy a secret has been the hardest thing I've had to do in my whole life and I've kept secrets before and it was fairly easy like birthday suprises, holiday gifts, even my proposal plans to Ariana was easy to keep a secret but not this, God, I want to shout it from every rooftop ,I want to post about it and start talking to my friends and family about this whole thing and after the general and very necessary tests were run on Ariana, just making sure she and the babies were healthy and good, my wife and I decided to tell our family on Thanksgiving, it was only a few weeks away at the time and it would be our only opportunity to share the news while literally everyone was together

So, we told everyone we were hosting Thanksgiving this year and used the short two weeks until the day to prepare for it and we went shopping, got all the food since I'd be cooking and we decorated, fall colored paper leaves and pumpkins hung from the walls, some candles decorated the entryway tables, we let jack-o-lanterns on the front porch and reused the mini pumpkins in the center of the dining table and Ariana got us outfits because the clothes we already have weren't good enough or something but all of that waiting and prep would pay off today, it's Thanksgiving

I woke up early like 6 am, early and start cooking cooking ,the turkey alone would take 3 hours plus the ham and all the sides, I'm going all out today, the menu is long: turkey, ham, roasted cauliflower (cause my wife is vegan), sweet carrots, yams, green beans, mashed potatoes, Mac n cheese, garlic knots, stuffing, cranberry sauce, two different salads, a sweet potato pie, strawberry cheesecake, and peach cobbler and I tackled the salads and put those in the fridge and I seasoned up the turkey, ham and cauliflower so it could marinate and while that's been happening I've been working on the sides

I want Ariana to do as little as possible so for the past few hours she's been nitpicking over decorations and doing all the little stuff in the kitchen that I let her do and I know she's party annoyed with me because I'm treating her so fragile but she is and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to her or my children and speaking of which "Ariana, you've been on your feet long enough, come sit as I call to her, knowing she can hear me even though she's all the way in the living room while I'm in the kitchen and as I'm finishing prepping all the sides, she comes in, a very annoyed glare is on her face but I hold my finger up to her in a one minute motion then I turn to put the turkey and ham in the oven

I set the timer then turn back to her and smile "proceed says mercedes "stop babying me says Ariana as she snips "but baby as I playfully pout which just makes her glare deepen and heaving a little sigh, I wipe my hands off then cross the kitchen to her, I take her hands in mine and raise them to my lips, pressing a soft kiss on her knuckles "you're two months pregnant love and this is an iui pregnancy, every week that passes, every moment you get closer to giving birth as I sigh again and shake my head "I don't like to think about it but the chances of complications will increase, I might be acting annoying, bossing you around and doting on you but I just want to make sure everything is as okay as it can be, for you and the babies says mercedes

My wife's brown eyes bore into mine and I watch as her frustration and annoyance slip away with ease and she groans, leaning forward and resting her forehead on my chest "I hate how damn cute you are and right says Ariana as she mumbles and I can't help but chuckle a little, moving to wrap my arms around her "I just want what's best for you and our babies says mercedes and she goes quiet then ever so slowly lifts her head, tears glisten in her eyes and she sniffles "our babies says Ariana and a small chuckle falls from my lips then I lean down and kiss her softly "yes, our babies, this hormone thing is gonna take some getting used to says mercedes

"It's been two months, you aren't used to it yet says Ariana as she asks through a sniffle and pulling away from her, I guide her to the stool at the counter and she sits "I know for a fact it's gonna get crazier than this so I'm not even stressin as I tell her before going back to cooking and while I cook, we talk about this announcement, aris been excited and nervous about it and we hadn't told anyone but momma grande that we were trying to have a baby and even then, that was before the first procedure months ago and this would shock everyone, much like it shocked us even though we knew there was a possibility

Ari is worried that everyone will be upset shocked and not happier than ever shocked, I get her being worried but our family is going to be very happy and excited for us, I just know it and eventually Ariana gets up and helps me cook the sides, we sing along to the music playing through the speakers in the kitchen and occasionally I pull her close and we dance a bit and time passes quickly and the next time we look at the clock it's already 5 and checking our phones reveals texts from our family saying that they're on their way and that makes Ariana quickly dip off upstairs to change

While she does that, I set the food out on the table, making sure the spaces in the middle of the dining table are still free for the turkey, ham and cauliflower then I start setting the place cards out even though everyone gets along really well, we miraculously planned the seating arrangement, at one end of the table would be momma grande, next to her is Nonna then Ed, Frankie, Samia and ari and I'd be next to ari on the opposite end of the table then on my other side would be Anthony, then Courtney, Victoria, hazel and John and inside each name card we have the announcement, when we tell them to look inside, they'll open it and the middle sheet of paper says 'WE'RE PREGNANT'

We have it planned when we want to tell them and rounding the table, the more names of my family I see, the more my thoughts start to wander to the one person who isn't coming, my mom

When I invited her, she declined, actually at first, she ignored me and I sent texts, tried to call but I never got a response then I sent a physical paper invitation to the house which she responded to by saying she wanted me to stop inviting her and once again, her negative responses had put me in a sad hole but my family brought me back out like always and while it absolutely sucks that my mother won't be here to celebrate the holiday and this amazing announcement with the rest of the family, she made her own decision and I'm not willing to let that put a damper on my holiday

I look down at the name on the place card, 'Ariana', my wife, my best friend, my light at the end of every tunnel, my whole life, we'll until our babies are born and as the thought of finally telling our family comes back to my mind, I find myself racing upstairs, an almost overwhelmingly happy and energetic feeling washes over me and smiling brightly, I nearly went through our bedroom door, my wife stands near the foot of the bed, half dressed and I quickly move over to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pressing soft loving kisses on her cheek, jaw and neck

Her giggles fill the room as her hands rest on mine and gently squeeze and she almost completely relaxes in my hold, allowing me to kiss her and rock her back and forth a little "I love you too baby says Ariana as she pats my hand "but it's almost 6 and you need to change says Ariana and nodding, I kiss her cheek again "alright, I'm changin says mercedes and I pull away from her and go into the closet to pull out the outfit she got me which literally just some jeans, a white button up with a burgundy sweater on top and some back dress shoes, we're at home so I convinced her to keep it simple

Even her outfit is simple with a long Slightly oversized burgundy sweater dress with black knee high boots, I'm not a fan of her wearing the heels while she's pregnant but it's her body and as long as she says she's comfortable I'm not going to fight with her on it and after we're both dressed, we head back downstairs and Ariana goes straight to the door to let someone in and I go to the kitchen, chatter almost instantly fills the air as I turn the oven off and taking everything out and I inject the turkey again cause nobody wants a dry ass turkey then I take it out to the dining room "oooh, that looks so good sats Joan when she sees the turkey and I smile and thank her which is followed by a round of collective compliments

I look up in sight shock at everyone, cause I didn't realize that everyone was here "oh um, hey everybody, happy Thanksgiving says mercedes and Anthony and Samia laugh, amused expression on their faces as they move past everyone to the table "happy Thanksgiving ya nerd says Samia before looking down at the table and pulling the seat in front of her name out, she sits and mercedes nods "alright well, happy Thanksgiving yall, go ahead and find your seats while I bring the ham and cauliflower out as I say to them and they follow my words

When I come back from the kitchen for the final time, everyone is sitting and chatting, I mutter a quiet 'excuse me' as I lean between Samia and Ariana, setting the dish on the proper place and from there I take my seat at the head of the table and I look around at everyone and they look at me "so ari and I want to go around and acknowledge what we're grateful for this year and in general but the food is still hot right now si I say we fix our plates ,everybody get their first tastes out of the way then we can do that, cool says mercedes "sounds good to me cause this stuff smells absolutely amazing says Victoria making Courtney and joan agree

Respectfully everyone let's Nonna get up and fix her plate first "this all looks incredible darling says Nonna as she tells me afterwards, stopping by my seat to kiss my cheek and I smile and thank her, then the rest of us get up and start fixing our plates "mercedes out here acting like chef boy r d says Anthony from his spot between me and John in line, all the women and Ed are in front of us ,slowly piling food onto their plates and John snorts and laughs, the spoon in his hand shaking with the movement of his shoulders and arms

I roll my eyes, leaning forward a little to look directly at my best friend "you sound dumb as hell as I keep my voice low when I curse so Joan can't hear me "it's not chef boy r d, it's chef boyardee says mercedes and there's a pause of silence "wait what says Anthony as he sounds genuinely confused ,his expression dumbfounded and a shocked look passes John's face and we move forward a little getting more food "bruh, don't tell me you didn't actually think that man's name is boy r d says Anthony with a deep chuckle falling from his lips and shaking my head, I laugh and look at John "oh ,he def though that cause r d makes perfect sense right ant says mercedes as she sarcastically asks

"Man fuck you says Anthony as he huffs and turns around "Anthony as Joan snaps and even though she just said his name, all three of us look at her sheepishly and the grown man starts to stutter, completely forgetting about fixing his plate as he looks for an explanation for his cursing, me and John give each other that 'this none of my business' look and just move around ant to finish getting food and when I'm done I go back to my seat, snickering quietly as Ariana looks at me, she looks amused but also has that 'oop' he in trouble look and I raise my eyebrows a little and nod ,looking down at my plate

After Joan finishes scolding Anthony ,he sits down beside his wife and once again I look around at everyone, happy to see my family "so Ed, you wanna pray for us real quick says mercedes as she asks and the man looks up from his plate, eyes slightly wide and even after all these years, as his and my relationship has grown and strengthened and there's still moments of suprise in terms of little things we've said or done for each other and he stammers for a second "i- I'm honored says Edward butera as he nods to mercedes "but I think you should as there's finality in his tone, letting me know he won't change his mind on it "okay as I nod and stand "thank you as I say to him

After a deep breath, I take Arianas hand then look at Anthony with narrowed eyes before taking his hand too and we all bow our heads and I say a quick prayer, blessing the food and our family then saying amen and chatter falls over us quickly after I sit, our voices accompanied by the sound of forks hitting the plates or the obnoxious but playful smacking from Anthony, John and Samia, they're told to shut up multiple times and they do, only foe a moment and eventually though they all quit together

When people start to go for second helpings and start eyeing the desert, I get a little anxious about our announcement, Ariana sees my expression and reaches over to take my hand, the gentleness of her touch almost instantly relaxes me "you ready says Ariana as she asks ever so quietly and I nod and clear my throat, her hand remains in mine as I lean forward on my elbow, looking around "ayo so, I'd like to start us off with speaking of things we're grateful for as everyone's attention falls on mercedes and mercedes smiles "so it's no secret that I've been continuously blessed, money, my fans, multiple music opportunities, deals with clothing brands says mercedes

"If you wanted to brag just say that says Victoria as she jokingly cuts mercedes off and mercedes laughs and Ariana shakes her head "girl hush and let her finish says Ariana as she squeezes mercedes hand "go ahead baby says Ariana and mercedes nods "yeah, so I'm blessed, obviously a lot of good things have happened to me and I'm very thankful and fortunate to have those things but I have always and will always be eternally grateful for my family as my eyes slowly pan over every last one of them "nothing, not money or songs or clothes or cars ,will ever matter to me like family says mercedes

Sniffles sound from beside and I look over to see tears in Arianas eyes, followed by more sniffles now coming from vic and court "and that's why, what I'm most grateful for for this year, are the new additions to this family says mercedes and the smiles and sniffles turn to confused faces and frowns meet my gaze and its a little amusing and going alone with the plan, Ariana smacks her lips, she has to wipe unshed tears from the corner of her eyes "always being dramatic as Ariana rolls her eyes "what she meant to say was everybody look inside your place cards says Ariana "what says Samia as she asks, confused but still listening, she picks her place card up and flips it open

The gasps that ring around the table are nearly simultaneous and I resist the urge to smile too brightly as my gaze Pans over the table and Anthony is the first person who meets my gaze, he'd never admit to it but I see the shine of tears in his eyes " yo, are you as his voice cracks a little and he blinks to clear his eyes "is this for real says Anthony and the Same question hangs in the air from everyone else, clear as day in their eyes when I see them, seeing the tears in Joan's eyes nearly makes me cry instantly and swallowing the small lump in my throat, I nod "yeah, it's for real as I tell them "if you think thats something says Ariana as she adds once again sniffling "look at the other side of the paper says Ariana

Quickly, everyone flips the paper over and an even louder gasp sounds and Courtney nearly jumps up from her seat and in a quick movement she comes around the table and hugs Ariana, the beginning whimper of her cry sounds against my wife's shoulder and before I know it, soft sobs fall from both of them and that encourages everyone else to get up and crowd around for congratulatory hugs and Anthony wraps me into a strong hug ,it's almost equivalent to the hug he gave me in private the day of my wedding and I could feel the pride flowing off of him in waves, feel the love he had for me

"This is huge mercedes says Anthony with his voice vibrating against my shoulder before he pulls back, hands grabbing my arms gently "babies, twins says Anthony and the smile I had been holding back lights up my face "yeah man, twins as those tears come back "I still can't believe it says mercedes and his hand gently squeezes my arm "congrats says Anthony and when he steps away, I'm hit with a force, arms wound around my waist and squeeze tight, looking down reveals a familiar head of dark brown hair and a sniffle follows another squeeze and the first tear falls ,my sister holds me closer and I wrap my arms around her

Neither of us say anything at first, we just hold onto each other until eventually she lifts her head from my shoulder "I'm gonna be an aunt says Samia through her sniffles "yeah you are as I laugh a little and nod "tt Sammy says mercedes and my words make her smile brighter and I can just tell she's holding in giddy little squeal, mainly because she let's it out the instant she moves from me to Ariana, vic and John approach and I hug them both "say two for one huh says Victoria as she jokes and I laugh out loud and they Laugh as well "aye congrats though mercedes, this is big says John as he lightly claps his hand on my shoulder

I share a hug with everyone else, smiles and words of love and congratulations shared between us and the news remain a topic of the conversation as dessert is served and we all sit back down and Ariana and I find ourselves on the end of jokes, apparently it's funny that we were trying to have one baby and end up with two "I mean damn, you wanted kids so bad- says Anthony "alright Anthony alright says Ariana as she cuts another of his jokes off "we're havin twins Says Ariana with a straight face

My eyes widen a little, that's the tone she takes with me when I've been going on a joke so long and Anthony's on the end of that tone and attitude now "my bad sis says Anthony as he chuckles nervously when Arianas expression doesn't change and he averts his gaze to his wrist "well would you look at the time, should probably get home to the wife says Anthony as he stands and I laugh, leaning towards John and vic who laugh as well and hazel looks back at us and laughs as well "your wife is right there as Samia points out

Anthony huffs "Man whatever, it's late so we should go says Anthony and everyone agrees with that, noting that the time is nearing midnight then they gather their stuff "alright yall as I walk Anthony, court, vic, John and hazel "I'm glad yall could make it says mercedes "I'm just glad we did, twins Says Victoria as she says the last part and shakes her head then we hug and I quickly hug everyone else, being extra when I hug hazel by picking her up and excitedly swinging her side to side then they head to their cars "yall better text when yall get home as I call to them ,waving back at hazel before she's lifted up and put in her booster seat

I wait abd watch them ,not door until they're out of the driveway and the voice of my remaining family still sound from the kitchen but I don't hear one in particular and walking forward, I lean around the corner and look into the kitchen and Samia isn't there which makes me frown a little and I step away and go look for her and she isn't in the living room, or the office and I would've heard her go upstairs. I click my tounge against my teeth and head back to the sunroom, that's where she is, standing beside the windows and looking out "must have a lot on your mind, ova here lookin like you In somebody movie as I tease as I walk in, coming to stand next to her

Instead of looking at me she keeps her eyes out the window, I follow her gaze outside and the ground is covered with leaves, if the pool cover wasn't blue it would be heard to see too and leaves continue to fall, seemingly preparing the trees for winter and the silence stretches a little too long and making sure my voice is low so as not to break the atmosphere she seems to want right now, I ask "what's on your mind Sam says mercedes and she sighs, her voice comes out quieter than mine did "mom should've been here says Samia and I can't help how my breath hitches, a feeling flickers through my heart and I hate it ,I look back out the window

"You're about to be a parent, to twins and she didn't find out with the rest of the family says Samia "yeah well she didn't want to come as I almost snap at her but I manage to keep my tone neutral "she didn't want to be here and that's not on me says mercedes and Samia turns to me "no it's not but she deserves to know ,she's going to be a grandmother, that's like one of the biggest milestones in a parent's life as I look at her and soft eyes stare back at me "you have to tell her mercedes and if you need me, I'll be there with you says Samia and the young girl looks at me, an almost pleading expression in her eyes

Myself and my mom are the two most important people in Sam's life right now, us fighting is probably killing her and the thought was always in the back of my mind but now it's at the front and I find myself giving in to it ""okay let's go says mercedes and her eyes widen a little "right now says Samia and mercedes nods "if we don't now I'll talk myself out of it says mercedes "okay, come on come on as she leaves out first and I follow and while she dips off to get her shoes from upstairs, I go to the kitchen, flagging ariana down and she excuses herself from the conversation and comes into the dining room

"Me and Sam are gonna go see my mom, Sam pointed out how odd it is that she wasn't here for the news like everyone else and I agree as I tell her and nodding, she purses her lips "you sure you wanna do it now, it's already been a long day and talks with her lately have been taking a lot out of you says Ariana as her tone remains light as if not to hurt my feelings but she's not wrong "I'm sure, I'll convince myself not to talk to her at all if I don't go now says mercedes as she admits "you know I hat confrontation and she does deserve to know she'll be a grandmother says mercedes and again, she nods then smiles reassuringly "well as her hands rise to cup my face "I'll be right here when you get back says Ariana

Leaning down, i softly kiss her lips, both of us smiling a little into the kiss that doesn't last long and after we part, I pack a plate for my mom and grab a copy of the ultrasound pictures then me and Samia get our coats and leave out and it's silent between us, both our minds no doubt stuck on the coming conversation with our mom and I don't know what to say ,how to even begin, she doesn't want to see me, I know that and she doesn't even want me to call her for christ sake , sadly the drive is shorter that I'd hoped and I pull Into the driveway and kill the engine, me and Samia get out and go up to the porch and she unlocks the door and we go inside

For a moment I think mom might be asleep until I hear the TV, me and Sam share a look before going into the living room and my mom gets startled a little when she sees us but that completely gone in a matter of seconds, her expression goes blank and it puts me at a loss for words and Samia takes the lead, walking over and sitting on the couch beside my mom "brought you this as Samia emphasizes this by holding up the plate she packed, then sets it on the coffee table and I refrain from making any sounds, not even clearing my throat as I sit in the chair adjacent to the couch, my mom watches me then averts her gaze when I look at her

An awkward silence passes, only broken by Samia "mom I as Samia sighs "I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you last time I was here, I know better than to take that kind of tone with you says Samia as her words are genuine and I'm a little surprised even more so when she clarifies "but I won't apologize for what I said, I still stand by that, what mercedes decides to do to her body is and will always be her decision, we should support that even more If her mental health depends on it says Samia and my mom says quiet ,the look that crosses her face sends that feeling through my heart again

I look down, finding the way I play with my fingers to be more interesting than the words my mom and sister exchange, I hate the way she makes me feel, the way her words make me feel and taking a shaky breath in, I blink back the mist of tears in my eyes and look back up, both of them are looking at me now but I direct my attention to my mom "I know you're upset with my decision, I know that this is hard for you, I'll always acknowledge that this is difficult because I care about you and I love you as mercedes starts by saying

"But I won't ever forget what you said cause my father would be so proud of the person I've become as her eyes narrow and our gazes don't break as I keep taking "he'd know that my decision to Change my body was just another step towards me becoming the amazing person i am right now says mercedes and I lift my head higher, feeling a bit of the weight off my shoulders now that I'm partly expressing myself "while I won't forget it, I can forgive you, I forgive you for not understanding and I forgive you for being blind to how much this meant and means to me and even if you can't see me as the child you raised, I won't ostracize you from my life or your grandchildrens says mercedes

An instant glisten of tears shine in her eyes, her eyebrows raise and fall quickly in suprise and I notice the ever so subtle way her nose flares a little "yeah, Ariana Is pregnant with twins, she's 10 weeks now, had you showed up to dinner you would've gotten the cute little name card with the ultrasound pics but anyway, here as I stand up and put a copy of the ultrasound pics on the table beside her plate, she stares at them but doesn't say anything "I'll make sure ari or Sam keeps you up to date on the pregnancy and with that said I turn to Sam "I'll be outside, let me know if you're coming back with me or staying here says mercedes

With that, I get up and leave out, the second the air outside hits me, I take a deep breath and it doesn't do much but still me, my feelings still race but the fresh air helps bring my mind back in check and another deep breath and then the door opens behind me, I turn around to see Samia, she gives me a sympathetic look "I'm gonna stay here tonight, I've been gone a bit so- says Samia "you don't have to explain Sam, I figured you might as I tell her, smiling reassuringly "but you got a room at the crib whenever you wanna come back says mercedes "thanks sis says Samia "anytime sis as I pull her into a short hug, dropping a kiss on top of her head before we part

She turns and goes in, the porch light flicking on once the door closes and I manage to hold my emotions in check the whole ride home and when I get inside the house I'm a little grateful that everyone else is gone, it's clean except for the decorations and most of the lights are off ,usually I stop to pet the dogs and say goodnight but I don't feel up to it instead I go straight upstairs, the ensuite door is closed in the bedroom so I figure ari is in there and my movements are a little slow, my muscles feel weighed down and mentally I feel drained and after stripping from my clothes, I decide not to put on pajamas, just crawling into bed in my boxers and sports bra

Not too long after I slip my head under the pillows, I hear the bathroom door open, the quiet padding of Arianas feet across the floor lasts a second and I then feel the bed dip from her weight and her hand gently slides across my back, then rubs small soft circles, the occasional light scrapping of her nails over my skin is a slight comfort, when I inhale, it's unintentionally shaky and it makes my wife all the more concerned and she moves closer, arm sliding around my waist, featherlight kisses are placed on my shoulder and she squeezes me gently "I live you so much mercedes varnado says Ariana quietly, soft lips moving against my skin as another comfort

"I love everything about you, your heart, your mind, your spirit, your body as I feel when her head turns and her cheek rests on my back where her lips were and my heart clenches and for seemingly the billionth time today, tears spring into my eyes and the woman I love practically molds her body around mine, the growing bump of her belly presses against my back "you're gorgeous baby, your soul is so beautiful as her words of affirmation eases the feeling in my heart and tears start to fall, staining the sheets "I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this but you're not alone, I'll always be here for you baby says Ariana

Again, I find myself hating how weak this whole situation makes me feel, I hate that it's pulled so many tears from me but at least I'm in the safest place I could be right beside Ariana and I allow myself to be vulnerable with her and not once during my crying does she judge me or push to talk, I fall asleep with a mild headache and puffy eyes, silent tears still falling as I drift into a dreamless land right in my wife's arms

[orion-starfall]

1 am

Post Christmas

I am plagued by thoughts of spicy noodles post draft writing

I know I must make a compromise in order to even pass sleep like a stranger in a big city

My mother only cooks on holidays

The fridge is a treasure trove of turkey and roasted vegetables

I forage

I stuff my maw with delicious foods my mother spent the morning producing

I am in ecstasy

My father is known for his insomnia

I think I am safe because the hour is not yet three

I am wrong

My father sees me hunched over the stove

I am only in a tank top and boxers

He is only in boxers

He closes the door and gives me time to stuff a few precious morsels in my mouth before replacing the dish I was pilfering from

I scuttle back to my bedroom the same way a cockroach skitters away from someone turning on the light

We will not speak of this come light of day

#dad #haha that was wild #I think my dad lost a year of his life #we both stared at each other for a moment before reacting #like deer in the headlights #he stopped by my room and asked if I was okay #I told him I was hungry and he just accepted it #fatherhood #poor dad #scarred for life

[starverscarol]

food ranking again but All Of Them

note: i only have 25/63 recipes discovered; same stat layout as last time [health; hunger; sanity]; this is very opinion based but im also open to critique

1: meatballs [3; 62.5; 5] versatile. easy to make. can use almost anything as filler. short cooking time. if you have meat of any kind slam it into the crockpot and get almost half of your hunger full. amazing. i love it.

2: butter muffin [20; 37.5; 5] my favorite healing food. one butterfly one veggie and two filler and bam you get one of the easiest early game healing items. it is much more than the sum of it’s parts. dont know what to do with mushrooms? toss them in there. you can put three poisonous mushrooms in there but as long as you’ve got the butterfly wings it will heal you. wonderful. also wx’s favorite food and i am a wx main

3: fist full of jam [3; 37.5; 5] have some spoiling berries? make some of this shit. four spoiled berries in a crockpot and you get this. short cooking time AND slow spoiling. super simple.

4: trailmix [30; 12.5; 5] really good early game healing, all you need is a roasted birchnut and some berries. not very filling but it heals like a charm. walter’s favorite food

5: dragonpie [40; 75; 5] there are fights in the dont starve fandom on whether this or a different food are the best healing items. personally i prefer this one bc it gives more hunger, is easier to make (unless in winter), and warms the body. biggest downside is that wigfrid cant eat it but thats it

6: stuffed eggplant [3; 37.5; 5] spoils slowly, heals a food amount. i’d rather make something else with the ingredients but it’s good in winter bc it warms the body

7: meaty stew [12; 150; 5] is your meat going bad/ are you starving to death as we speak? make meaty stew. the only characters it will not fill up immediately are wolfgang, webber, warly, wortox, wurt, and wanda. and even then, if we exclude mr outlier (warly), you’ll only have between 50-25 points of hunger left (warly has a whopping 250 hunger so you’ll have 100 left over but thats still more than halfway). 

8: froggle bunwich [20; 37.5; 5] nice healing, easy to make if you’re near a pond or too. honestly just the meat version of the butter muffin but this isnt anyones fave and also frogs can hurt you so there’s more risk

9: pierogi (i spelled it wrong last time) [40; 37.5; 5] the other one people fight about, it takes less time to cook than the dragonpie but thats really all it’s got going over that one. takes eggs so if you see a bunch of pengulls and you’re fast go ahead and make some

10: vegetable stinger [3; 25; 33] nice sanity buff, short cooking time, always reminds me of this piece by @stickygumz so that’s a plus. winona’s favorite dish but i dont play as her often

11: honey ham [30; 75; 5] good hunger regen and it warms the body, probably my favorite use of honey

12: fruit medley [20; 25; 5] cools the body but hard to make unless you’ve got a good farm. not much else

13: soothing tea [3; 0; 15] alright sanity buff, the one unique use of forget me lots, wx’s quote for it is funny. 

14: surf ’n’ turf [60; 37.5; 33] amazing stats, but im very bad at getting fish so hard for me to make. wickerbottom’s favorite dish and im trying to main her

15: honey nuggets [20; 37.5; 5] hey, vsauce, micheal here. what if honey ham was Bad? woodie’s fave but i only care about him lore wise

16: spicy chili [20; 37.5; 0] nice healing, warms the body so that’s a plus. no sanity regen though. willow’s favorite dish

17: turkey dinner [20; 75; 5] also nice healing, and also warms the body. just a more expensive but more rewarding spicy chili. wigfrid’s favorite dish but i dont main her

18: pumpkin cookies [0; 37.5; 15] actually a pretty shitty food but i got so excited when i found out i could make them so seeing them makes me happy

19: stuffed pepper poppers [30; 25; -5] good healing, needs one meat and peppers, it fucking hurts sanity. 

20: creamy potato purée [20; 37.5; 33] decent either as warly or with a good enough farm. apparently its less than the sum of its parts though

21: taffy [-3; 25; 15] why does it hurt you. good sanity though. wanda’s favorite dish and also her line for this implies that shes either south asian or middle eastern

22: fancy spiralled tubers [3; 37.5; 15] i make it mainly bc it looks nice

23: ratatouille [3; 25; 5] honestly shit stats but it’s quick to make and you can shove a bunch of mushrooms to make it if you want. also alright for wurt apparently but i dont have her 

24: wet goop [0; 0; 0] take a wild fucking guess why i dont like this food

25: monster lasagna [-20; 37.5; -20] do not fucking make this. this isnt even good with wormwood who doesnt take damage from food this just fucking sucks what the hell. if you like this food seek help

#dont starve #dont starve together #ds cooking #dst cooking #ds crockpot recipes #dst crockpot recipes

[ruminativerabbi]

Thanksgiving 2023

As I’ve written many times in this space, Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday. I have only the happiest childhood memories of the holiday, most of them featuring my mother’s family gathered around my grandmother’s dining room table in her apartment on 84th Street in Bensonhurst. And I have nice memories of the earlier part of those Thanksgivings as well, the several hours that my mother and her sister, my Aunt Ruth, would work with my grandmother in her kitchen preparing the meal while my father and my Uncle Herb were assigned to amusing me (or, as my mother would have said, “doing something with me”) while the womenfolk did their thing in the kitchen. (Holiday roles were distinctly gender-specific in our family back then.) And so we’d go for a walk in the neighborhood, usually wandering down Bay Parkway or along 86th Street to see what was going on in the neighborhood or, in the last years of my grandmother’s life, to check on how much progress had been made on the Verrazzano Bridge, then just being built. Those were happy times and even now, after all these years, I remember them fondly and gratefully.

I have other nice memories as well, for example the one featuring my late mother-in-law organizing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for her new American son-in-law when we came to visit Toronto in the first year of our marriage. (The only strange part was that Joan’s mother had somehow come to think that part of the fun involved actually dressing up as Pilgrims, to which minhag she dutifully nodded by buying a kind of white cap that seemed to her to suggest seventeenth-century New England and then wearing it at the table.) I was beyond touched by the whole thing and, even to this day, the memory of my first Thanksgiving outside of these United States remains one of the nicest of them all.

I have other nice memories too—our strange ex-pat Thanksgivings in Germany, for example, featuring roast chicken since there simply were no kosher turkeys for purchase anywhere in the Federal Republic, at least not as far as I could see—but that was all then. And this is now. Tradition bids us gather around our dining room tables and speak openly about our sense of thanksgiving, of gratitude, of appreciation for the bounty of the world. It shouldn’t be that complicated: we actually do all benefit from the bounteous earth and from the wealth of natural resources with which our nation has been blessed. And yet what Jewish soul can give him- or herself over to the “normal” sense of uncomplicated thankfulness the holiday exists to engender while so many hundreds—including babies, including a newborn, including little children—are being held captive by a fiendish and barbarous enemy that has shown no sign—or at least no public sign—of being willing to return these innocents to their families and to their homes.

Or is that the wrong way to approach the issue? Joan and I are going to have Thanksgiving at our home, as we always do. (I am writing this before the holiday although you will read it the day following.) One of our children, our son Emil, will be in Boston for the holiday with his husband Adam and their baby. (Adam is from Boston, which is where his mother still lives.) But our other children will be with us, as will also be our son-in-law’s parents and a friend of our older son Max who has no other place to go. So we will have a full house. I can already see the scene in my mind’s eye. The table will be set beautifully. Four of our five grandchildren will be present. As I contemplate what this week will yet bring, I feel overcome with the thought that gratitude is not merely being happy you have some specific thing you have in your life. It’s much more complicated than that, I realize—and has more to do with the fragility that inheres in life than with just being pleased with the things you’ve acquired over the years. My heart aches constantly these days for the hostages held by Hamas, but particularly for the children and for the babies, for those poor souls—some not even old enough fully to understand what has befallen them, some almost definitely unaware of the fate of their families, all but the babies no doubt terrified of what every next hour might bring. But I know enough of Jewish history—more than enough, actually—to understand that their story is not about some tragedy that befell them out of nowhere, but rather about the nature of Jewish life, about the precariousness that inheres in Jewishness itself.

We live our lives on a razor’s blade, all of us. The world is awash in cruelty, in prejudice, in savagery. And things can change on a dime: the anti-Semitism our Jewish students are facing on America’s college campuses, for example, would have been unimaginable for most of us even just a few years ago, let alone when I myself was in college. And yet here we are in a world in which a credible death threat against Jewish students in one our most prestigious Ivy League universities actually led to the arrest the other week of someone who apparently actually was planning to kill Jewish people. All of this, we all know.

So the real question is how to respond to it. With worry, certainly. And with action and not just words, just as certainly—Joan and I went to Washington last week specifically to be present on the Mall when almost 5% of Jewish America gathered to support Israel. But there’s a spiritual part of this as well and that is the part that coincides, at least emotionally for me, with Thanksgiving.

I know that when I look out at my table on Thursday, I will be seized, at least at first, with anxiety, with uncertainty born on my inability to know what the future will bring to all the assembled. (I know myself at least that well.) But my plan is to deal with that ill ease by summoning up a sense of deep, abiding gratitude to God for the gifts that the holiday will have put right before my eyes. My home. Joan. My children. My children-in-law. My grandchildren. All of us gathered under one roof, all of us safe and sound, all of us well-fed and relaxed, all of us together.    

I have responded to October 7 in many different ways. I have lost track of how many emails I’ve sent to our senators, to our (so far still-seated) representative in the House, to the President himself, all of them expressing my hope that the United States will never waver in its support for Israel. Joan and I keep sending checks out as well—to the FIDF and to the American Friends of the Magen David Adom, but also to other, less well-known charities doing things in Israel on a smaller scale for displaced families, for bereaved families, and especially for the families of the hostages. But on Thanksgiving, I plan to respond emotionally and spiritually to the challenge of the day not by becoming angry or anxious, but by allowing myself to be filled to overflowing with gratitude to God for the gifts that will be right there before me. I plan to look out at my family, at my people, and despite everything I know of the world—despite everything I know of Jewish history, despite all I’ve read and learned about the history of anti-Semitism, despite all of it—to allow myself to be filled with the deepest sense of gratitude for the moment and for all that that moment will be capable of suggesting about the future.

#Thanksgiving

[tetrisfinished]

NYC 2023

a couple of my girlfriends and i finally did a trip to NYC - all 3 of us are mothers and this was all of our first times leaving our kids under the care of their fathers for this long (3 nights, 4 days).

so before i forget, as per the usual - HERE is how our trip happened!

thursday october 26th, 2023

take the 10:56 am AA flight from YYZ to LGA - arriving at noon

wait for our baggage and take a cab in to manhattan where we were staying at the crowne plaza hy36

got an early check-in thank goodness and so we went and refreshed ourselves before heading out

then we walked to the VESSEL - fun fact, the vessel is permanently closed (ie you can't go to the top upstairs because apparently people kept trying to commit suicide on it!)

after the vessel, we walked the high line walkway all the way down to chelsea market to have some lunch

i got a truffle and potato pizza - gotta say not my favourite thing lol

then we walked through the city and went into the starbucks roast store (big i guess flagship store with the machines and all visible - 3 floors large!)

after that, we walked to the friends building facade (who would have known that a couple days later we would hear of matthew perry's passing...)

after that, we walked to sabyasachi - which was a gorgeous store and experience omg. the JEWELRY displays i mean...i couldn't deal. also something interesting about his store was his decor - he had a bunch of "Allah" "Rasool" mirror decor all over the walls!

after spending about an hour of so at sabyasachi, we took walked to the subway and prior to that made a pit stop at the milk bar and got a cereal sundae - the name alone makes it sound not great, but believe me when i tell you it was SO GOOD!

then we took the subway to go catch our broadway show

we watched our broadway show - SIX at lena thorne theatre super close to times square - excellent show, 12/10 recommend!

after the show we walked around times square, spent some time in the disney store, and then got dinner at the carts on the roadside which was delicious

and after that we walked back to the hotel, i showered, and we sort of fell into bed and asleep - that night i got to sleep on the bed alone (two doubles that each of us got to sleep alone per night!)

friday october 27th, 2023

woke up and got dressed to go to leo's bagels and got these amazing massive bagels with omelette

then we went to the staten island ferry dock and took a ride on the ferry there and back (didn't stop over) mostly just to see the skyline and lady liberty - fun fact - it's free!

when we got back to manhattan, we walked through to the bull on financial street - next to which there was some turkish politician speaking about how times and turkey has changed....it was interesting but we didn't stick around for the whole thing

after this, we took the subway to go to oculus and one world trade centre where there was some food truck/cultural food fest happening; at the memorial, i saw an older couple just hugging each other and crying and there was a solemn energy in the place.

we left shortly after and got eileen's cheesecake - OMG. SO GOOD. we got the chocolate espresso and shared a slice and prior to that stopped at bambino bakery (where i purchased an almond croissant and proceeded to hoard it for the next couple of days before finally eating it lol) for a bathroom break - which was necessary since eileen isn't a sit-down establishment or anything.

after cheesecake, we walked along the city roads and stopped at stores like polene, abercrombie & fitch, sephora, and target

after that we went to washington square park where there was some little student concert happening and also so much activity just in general because it's right outside of NYU; we had a couple of (what i'm assuming to be) students stop and ask us to call a politician using a script to ask them to call for a ceasefire in gaza.

after that i asked for a stop ANYWHERE i might be able to get some bike shorts because your girl took all dresses and the CHAFING WAS R E A L - so we stopped at aritzia and got some

after that we walked through the city and passed by empire state building on our way to ny public library - unfortunately though as we entered the library was closing and we were unable to go inside :(

after the library we went to the bryant park grill right behind the library and i had some of probably the best ravioli i have ever had!

then we walked through bryant park and walked to macy's

finally, we went to the moynihan train hall and enjoyed some banana pudding from magnolia bakery which was indeed v v delicious!

then we went back to the hotel, i showered, we did some face masks and we slept

saturday october 28th, 2023

we started off the day by subway-ing it to levain bakery where i got a sticky walnut bun - sooooo goooood!

then we walked through the roads and homes and got to central park!

at central park, we made our way to the bethesda terrace and fountain and yard....oh my goodness the architecture EVEN in the park is something else!

we then walked through the park to get to the conservancy pond where there were model yachts sailing along and sat there and just took in the gorgeous day and weather and park next to the alice and mad hatter statue of the tea party. it was a quiet moment of gratitude and happiness there that we absorbed and...filled our cups.

then we walked through to the bow bridge as well as the central park carousel and out the park we exited

after central park we went to our lunch reservations at nobu and oh my goodness - it was soooooooo good and worth it! fun fact, nobu the chain is owned by robert de niro!

after lunch, we went to bergdorf and goodman and my goodness it really makes you feel so little and insignificant surrounded by so much money - that's kind of how i felt while i was there!

after bergdorf we went to 30 rockefeller across from the saks 5th avenue store that has the massive clock on the facade!

then we went to the ny public library again to go and see inside and oh my goodness, what a frigging goddamn beautiful library!

after that we took the subway to get to dumbo (in brooklyn) and then we walked across the whole brooklyn bridge

we ended the night with dinner at joe's pizza which was so g-dang-delicious - i had two slices of the white pizza

when we got back to the hotel, i showered and did another face mask and then fell asleep earlier than the others

sunday october 27th, 2023

was a rainy day from start to end! and also our last day

we started it by going to the summit one at vanderbilt, which was such a cool experience - luckily it was not foggy with the rain and we could see everything above really clearly

after that we went to the grand central terminal, which is right next to summit at one vanderbilt

and then we grabbed breakfast at the pershing square cafe which was delicious

after this, we went back to the hotel and checked out and then walked to macy's

i got esa a little toy and umbrella as a souvenir

and finally we got a cab back to laguardia and unfortunately...our flight got delayed; it was originally meant to be at 5 pm however it ended up being at 6:25 pm and even then we stood in the plane on the tarmac for a good half hour before actually flying

back at home, yasir and a VERY ASLEEP esa came to pick me up at the airport and we headed straight home

it was an incredible trip, and i am so so so sincerely grateful we got to do it. my cup is full....and i hope we can make this a tradition.

much love,

k

[gyllenhaalstories]

GRATITUDE & ATTITUDE — THANKSGIVING WITH RAPPER!JAKE HEADCANONS.

anonymous asked:  what would rapper jake be like at Thanksgiving?

warnings: confused canadian tries to understand american thanksgiving, multiple mentions of food/eating, daddy kink, brief mentions of smut (as usual).

notes: i apologize if i’m not representing thanksgiving properly, i tried to do as much research as possible though! for those who don’t have this holiday/don’t associate with the religious aspects of it (like me!), this is pretty much focused on family gatherings and food, so you’re good! i found the gifs in a gif hunt and idk who made them, i’m sorry i can’t credit the creators. i was listening to mirrorball by taylor swift and glee’s let’s have a kiki/turkey lurkey so... yeah don’t vibe with me this time! happy thanksgiving to everyone who celebrate it! <3

food. this holiday was about food and nobody could tell rapper!jake otherwise.

the mountain of grocery bags and produce in the kitchen proved his point. he was determined to turn into all of those friendly people he watched on food network. you know, the kind eyed grandmas and the men with funky glasses? he even got an aprin. and new oven mits in which his hands actually fit. he had all of the recipes printed out on paper, then taped on the cabinets’ doors. he had the biggest smile on his face.

“when we’ll have kids, imma cook them yummy dinners every night.” he greeted you with this promise when you walked in the kitchen, rubbing your tired eyes.

you checked the clock on the microwave. it was 8: 20 am.

jake caught up on your confusion. “i waited in the parking lot to be the first person there as they open, ordered all the food online last night when you were sleeping. i picked up a cute table center piece on my way back. isn’t it lovely?”

lovely. that’s not a word he used often.who was this man and where was your boyfriend?

you turned your head and found a very autumn looking arrangement of candles and wood and other golden elements. you nodded slowly, approving of his choice.

you turned your heels, ready to go back to bed and ignore the upcoming chaos in the kitchen as lil chef jakey-jake was about to cook for an entire army.

“don’t you wanna be a good girl and help daddy cook for your parents?”

soon enough you two were wearing matching aprins, you had jake’s hands printed in flour on your butt as he fed you slices of apple while putting the pie together.

it was barely two in the afternoon and everything was ready or finishing to cook. jake made sure to let you taste test everything. he didn’t want you to be too full, so he let you snack on some froot loops around lunch time. he couldn’t deal with a hangry hostess, tonight was too special for that!

you started to yawn and get cranky and quite frankly, he was not doing any better.

“let’s nap before we feast like royalty” he suggested.

you cleaned the kitchen at the speed of lightning.

jake grabbed your hand and pulled you upstairs. he tucked you in. you spooned him, hiding your hands under his t-shirt to keep them warm as you too quickly fell asleep. he was too exhausted to laugh at your cold fingers toasting against his skin.

the alarm ran so loud that jake jumped off the bed (he caught himself before falling on the floor).

“wake up, buttercup.”

you earned a kiss on your temple, basically the only corner of skin exposed from under the blankets.

you growled in response, missing the warmth of his body.

“oh, is that so? you’re not gonna let daddy make you feel good in the shower?”

won’t you look at that, your pyjama was tossed on the floor, steam was leaving the glass shower and your back was pressed against the tiles as jake held you up and fucked into you, slow and deep.

“stuffin’ you up so good” jake laughed, as both of you were close to your release.

you exploded in laughter, jake echoing your gleeful giggles. he went to rub your sensitive clit and a few seconds later, you were screaming out his name.

the two of you got dressed. he wore a black shirt. you wore something that matched. you put on light makeup and perfume as jake watched your reflection on the steamy mirror, his arms wrapped around your waist.

“tonight is going to be perfect.” you reassure him, making him grin.

the door bell rang and jake ran down the stairs. he let you fix his rebellious collar and press a kiss on the tip of his nose.

the door slammed open. “mom, dad! so good to see you!” jake greeted your parents, remembering how you introduced them to him the first time.

another wave of laughter. jake noticed that you had the same happy wrinkles at the corner of your eyes as your mother. he loved that new detail about you.

“gather around, the food is ready!” jake said and your mom offered to help him serve the plates. he accepted, thankful for an extra pair of hands.

the table was quickly covered with mashed potatoes, chicken (he didn’t want to roast a whole turkey for the four of you), roasted veggies, salad, gravy, bread and basically everything you could think of (he kept the froot loops on the counter in case you didn’t like his newfound recipes).

jake buttered a slice of bread for you, earning a smile from your father.

you gave him a bite of stuffing and the two of you laughed at his cheesy dirty talk from earlier.

jake leaned closer to your ear, when your parents discussed some encounter with wild turkeys they had on their way home. it was picturesque, but jake’s words snapped you out of this reverie.

“all the food is good, but your pussy’s still my favourite flavour.”

you choked on your sip of hot apple cider for a quick second.

this man had no shame.

rapper!jake started to talk to your dad about the hockey season. and to your mom about the carrot cake recipe he found that he wanted to make with her.

you blinked away a happy tear.

the rest of thanksgiving dinner went smoothly. you guys went to watch television, some old scenes of charlie brown were playing. jake switched to music instead, the smooth jazz of louis armstrong brought your dad to invite you for a slow dance around living room. jake did the same with your mother.

eventually, you tried to switch partners and your dad ended up dancing with jake. they both went all in, suddenly thinking they were in a royal ballroom.

it was after the four of you stopped laughing that your mother suggested they drove back home.

it had started to snow outside, pretty hard.

“why don’t you stay? we have a guest room.”

the we made you feel all happy inside. it was jake’s house, he worked so hard to afford it. yet, he considered it yours too.

“we don’t want to bother the lovebirds!” your mom tried to deny the invitation.

“family is never a reason to be bothered.”

these words came from jake.

the same jake who, not too long ago, didn’t even speak to his own family. he didn’t want to have anything to do with them.

the same jake who was about to break down at the thought of meeting your parents.

the same jake who thought would never have a family of his own.

your parents smiled and thanked the both of you.

jake gave your dad some merch and sweatpants for sleep wear. your mom took your favourite pyjama set.

they were fast asleep.

and you thought jake would be too, after such an exhausting day of running around.

“what are you thinking about, my love?” you asked.

jake shrugged, moving his arm so you could snuggle up against him. you rested your head on his naked chest. the beat of his heart was peaceful, almost enchanting.it was your favourite musi.

“we didn’t say what we were thankful for.” he remembered the essential tradition of thanksgiving.

“then say it now.” you chuckled softly.

“i’m thankful for you,” he poked your nose, making you scrunch it adorably. “thankful i get to see you smile, get to hug you and kiss you, get to sing to you until you sleep...”

he kept going with millions of other details.

“i’m thankful for the wonderful human that you are, jacob.”

strangely, he was both tearing up and getting a boner at the same time. you can’t blame him, there’s something very hot about being open and vulnerable.

you moved on top of him, trailing kisses on his jawline and neck, on that sweet spot that drove him wild right under his ear. you painted his collarbone with more kisses.

your pace slowed down, your body was falling against his.

he wrapped his arms around you, making sure you were safe and sound as he heard you snoring slightly.

he laughed through his nose, not bothering to turn the lamp off.

he opened his mouth one last time that evening, to whisper those three magical words:

“i love you.”

#jake gyllenhaal imagine #jake gyllenhaal x reader #jake gyllenhaal smut #jake gyllenhaal fluff #jake gyllenhaal x you #series: southpaw #topic: rapper!jake

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

It’s always fun jumping into a movie I know next to nothing about, and this requested review for Wes will be no exception. All I know is that Girls Just Want to Have Fun is an 80s teen romp with the worst photoshopped cover photo I’ve ever seen. It looks like Michael Scott put it together. I know it stars girls, AND I know what those girls want. That’s half your narrative battle right there. So do they achieve the fun they seek? Well...

They do! A lot of weird shit happens along the way, but yeah, fun is had and that’s all that really matters. God, 1985 was a simpler time. I mean, I know everyone was living in constant fear that the Russians were going to invade Kansas and we’d be faced with a neverending nuclear winter, but in the face of all that existential terror you also get movies where the entire pitch is “So there’s this girl (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to be a dancer on tv, but her parents don’t want to let her. But she does it anyway! And her partner is chosen for her and, boy, they do not see eye to eye. But then they do! And they have to practice a lot. And then they win the dance contest!” 

You know some studio exec heard that and screamed at his secretary to hold his calls for the day so he could sign the contracts and then do a mountain of blow off them. 

Some thoughts:

It’s so weird to see Sarah Jessica Parker without curly hair! I was never a Sex and the City fan, so my exposure to SJP is purely Hocus Pocus based.

This dance sequence over the credits is incredible. Why do we not have shows anymore that are just a large group of young attractive people dancing in sync? No host, no dialogue, just the power of dance. I was born in the wrong decade. I would have appreciated the shit out of the 80s when I was alive.

Poor Helen Hunt - she must be one of those people who always looked like she was 35, even in high school. Granted, she was 22 when this was filmed and she’s playing a teenager, but still. 

Helen Hunt is wearing dinosaurs in her hair. 80s fashion was on a wavelength that I don’t think any of us living will ever see again.

Omg this rich bitch (Natalie, I guess? She’s not named for at least the first 30 min of the movie) had Claire’s closet from Clueless 10 years before the movie existed! This is already groundbreaking.

NOW SHE HAS A BUG ON HER HAT. A big plastic green grasshopper. This review is mainly going to be about the insane things Lynne (Helen Hunt) wears.

Speaking of - I’m getting big lesbian vibes from Lynne Stone and I am so here for it. The homoerotic tension when she acts like she’s gonna fight the rich bitch? Delicious. The immediate intimate connection she makes with SJP? Practically U-Hauling. 

I love an 80s dance montage, and this movie promises to contain basically nothing but that tied loosely together with some nonsensical dialogue in between. This is gonna be my new favorite movie. 

Ooh Nestle Quik syrup! I forgot about Nestle Quik. 

Favorite line: “There is a time and a place for calypso music, young lady.”

Ohhh I see what this is gonna be - Janey (SJP) is a classically trained dancer and gymnast, and Jeff (Lee Montgomery) is more of a rough and tumble music video kinda guy from the streets. You can tell cause he’s got a motorcycle and a leather jacket. And he wears cutoff sleeves! He’s a white guy in Chicago, who could be more street than that? And they’re butting heads! How will they ever be able to make it work for the big dance contest??

How did Natalie know Janey’s phone number? She specifically said it was unlisted. Unless she remembers it from overhearing it offhand after the dance tryouts...? That’s insane, I can’t even remember what I wore yesterday let alone a 7-digit number someone shouted in a crowd.

Lynne Fashion Alert: Is she wearing a belt made out of bullets? And a Davy Crocket hat. This is galaxy brain lesbian fashion. If the costume designer for this movie didn’t win 10 Oscars...

The music director on the other hand...not sure what is up with all these weird KidzBop covers of excellent songs like “Dancing in the Street” or the titular “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” but if you’re gonna include them, you gotta spring for the originals. This is just sad. 

I’ve never been at a party with an ice sculpture. I think that’s how you know you’re among the rich. 

Whatever happened to Jonathan Silverman? I miss when he was the nebbishy sidekick in every 80s movie. 

Who enters a party by catapulting through the damn window?? Punk does not mean that you no longer know how to use doors, sir! 

Who serves a full roasted turkey at a party? Is this how rich people live? This feels like the equivalent of using Google translate to identify rich people food in another language, then translating it back to English. 

Lynne Fashion Alert: Now I think she has space shuttles in her hair.

Wow we got a real 1-2 punch of sexual harassment in this club. Who wrote this Tune in Tokyo gag and was like “You know what would be hilarious? If this shitty little nerd convinced this girl to raise her arms so he can just grab her boobs full on, front and center. And then she gets upset and runs away. God I’m good at this *snorts another line*”

Lynne Fashion Alert: Now it’s two globes (like, two Earths) with crab claws on them? This is a choice that I don’t understand, but I think I may just not be seeing what it is clearly. I am digging her mirror sunglasses though. 

I know Janey is smart but when did she learn how to hotwire a security system? It’s not like Google or Youtube existed, and I doubt there was a library book about how to dismantle that specific system. MYTH BUSTED.

Oh god oh no I’m so gay for these Dixon sisters from Kansas City, these two gorgeous black women in tuxes and spandex leotards. They 100% should have won this dance contest. 

Why did guys stop wearing crop tops? Can we bring back slutty quarterback as a fashion trend for dudes? Seriously, the costume design here is everything. 

I really love Jeff and his little family - his sister and his dad are so proud of him and supportive. You never see that in dance narratives featuring guys. I like the reversal here of gendered expectations.

Did I Cry? No, but my heart was warmed at various moments. 

Honestly, why can’t more narrative arcs in movies be solved via dance battle? 

Lynne Fashion Alert: She’s now dressed as...Cleopatra? Wait why the fuck is there a horse here? 

Oh that’s it that’s the end! Man, you can’t be mad at a tight 90 min film like this - it gets in, it gets out, bing bang boom you’re done with enough time to read before bed. 

Is this a cinematic masterpiece? No. But is it good clean fun? Absolutely. Barring the brief [obligatory 80s] sexual harassment scene, there’s very little to be upset with here. Kids wanna dance, they’re told they can’t dance, they dance anyway! It’s the power of dance! You’re either into it or you’re not, but if you’re not, I ask that you search your heart and try to find one teeny tiny sliver of joy inside it. You’re gonna need to feed that joy if you wanna make it through 2021, and watching this movie is a darn good place to start. 

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

#121in2021 #girls just want to have fun #sarah jessica parker #helen hunt #lee montgomery #movie reviews #film reviews #patreon review

[languesbians]

How I’d have liked Supernatural to end

This is intended as an extension to 15x19, set after Jack’s speech about being present in all things etc. Also I wrote it as a story outline rather than a prose fanfic, hence the shifts in framing.

Two weeks later

Dean is alone in the bunker's kitchen, peeling potatoes. He looks pensive. Sam walks in.

Sam: "Hey man, you okay?"

Dean: "Yeah, I just... I wish Cas was here, you know? I don't know if I can do this on my own."

Sam moves in to reassure him, patting him on the shoulder. "It'll be okay. I know it will.”

Half an hour or so passes. We're still with Dean in the kitchen, but he now has a large bowl of mashed potatoes and a pile of peelings, which he sweeps into a bin. Close-up on his hands as he carries the bowl towards the kitchen door. The other side of the bowl is suddenly grabbed by a pair of hands.

"These potatoes look great, Dean." It's the guy they were just talking out, alive and well. We zoom out to see that he's wearing his trademark trenchcoat.

"Yeah, I just wish you'd been there earlier. I had to peel like, a hundred potatoes on my own."

Cas looks into the bowl with a 'himbo angel who doesn't understand exaggeration' expression. "This doesn't look like a hundred potatoes." He holds that face for a couple of second before his lips curl up slightly at the corners; he's just teasing Dean.

"Dumbass" Dean says, smiling affectionately. "What's with the beige, anyway?" he asks, gesturing at the trenchcoat. "You gonna start wearing that old thing again?"

"Only on special occasions. [beat] It reminds me of when we first met, remember?" He leans forward into Dean's personal space, imitating that 'mean angel' we remember from the barn all those years ago.

Dean's face is torn between his affection for Cas’ sappiness and his amusement at the S4!Cas impression. "Alright feathers, no chick flick moments." He pecks Cas on the lips and grabs a bowl of vegetables from the counter before they both walk out of the kitchen.

Up until now there’s been no ambient noise, but it turns out the sound guy has been deceiving us - the bunker's main room/foyer/whatever is actually full of noise and people. They're all sitting around a big table laden with food, chatting and laughing. At the centre of the table is a roast turkey: it's Thanksgiving.

There’s a lot going on - Charlie is showing off some cool computer shit to Claire, Kaia and Patience while her girlfriend watches; Eileen is pointing at different food items and teaching Bobby and Donna how to sign them; Sam and Jody are opening cards from friends - we see the names ‘Fitzgerald’ and ‘Rosen’, among others.

Dean and Cas sit down next to each other in the middle of the table, Sam and Eileen on the other side. Dean dings a glass for attention and stands up. He's about to speak when a thunderous crash erupts from the direction of the sky. Immediately the whole table switches to Hunter Mode - they jump up, take out concealed weapons and go on full alert, although those nearest to Bobby are slightly distracted at the sight of him pulling an angel blade from the turkey.

"Sorry, I still haven't worked out how to stop that happening” says a voice. It turns out the noise was merely heralding a rare event - Jack is walking the Earth again, for the first time since defeating Chuck. The youngest Winchester is on the balcony by the bunker’s front door, looking slightly sheepish. Everyone stands at ease again, looking slightly annoyed and putting their weapons back away. (The camera shows the whole table at once, so unless you're paying attention you won't notice Donna preventing Bobby from angel-blading the turkey again.)

"Oh by the way - I've brought a guest, if that's okay. All the way from the depths of Hell."

"Happy Thanksgiving, boys" says Rowena, stepping out from behind him. The two of them head down the stairs: Sam, Dean and Cas take turns embracing Jack while Rowena greets everyone else. For the next minute or two everyone hugs the newcomers and Rowena is introduced to those who haven’t met her yet - Claire in particular is fascinated and asks Rowena to sit next to her, eager to badger her with questions about what it’s like being the bisexual Queen of Hell.

Eventually they're all sat back down except Dean, who's holding a wine glass ready to make a toast. The glass, of course, is filled with beer.

"You all know I'm not a fan of long speeches, so this isn't gonna be one of those. [beat] I just wanted to say that I am so, so grateful for all of you guys. For my brother and his fiancée. For my angel and our son.” He gently tousles Cas’ hair. “For my grumpy adoptive dad and my lesbian friend - both versions of them." Charlie and Bobby nod their heads in recognition of their absent other selves. "For Jody, Donna and the kids; for Rowena; and for everyone we lost along the way. Without you guys I wouldn't be here - hell, this whole universe wouldn't be here. So I'd lke to raise a toast."

He's gradually getting more and more choked up. "To Bobby, Charlie, Adam, Kelly, Jessica, Benny, Jo, Ellen, Rufus, Pamela, Meg, Kevin, Gabriel, Crowley, Ketch, Jimmy... and to Mom." He takes a second to steady himself, then raises his head and his glass. "To family."

Everyone repeats back, "To family" as they all drink. Cas looks lovingly up at his boyfriend and gently touches his arm as Dean starts to carve the turkey. Everyone else gets back to chatting and laughing. Vegetables and sauces are handed round while Cas proudly serves Charlie and her girlfriend slices of a vegetarian pastry dish as his voice cuts through the babble: "I made this specially for you guys." It’s kind of a mess because he hasn’t learnt how to cook yet, but they’re grateful nonetheless.

All the while the camera is slowly zooming out and eventually the conversation starts to grow quieter, replaced by a solo piano version of the opening "Wayward Son" chorus.

Cut to black as the final note plays.

#spn #supernatural #i really enjoyed writing this! #idk if charlie is canonically vegetarian but i like it in the story so #spn fanfic #destiel

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2021 #7: In which Donna gives Cameron a hand

[CN: SPOILERS for 4x10 of Halt and Catch Fire; food mention; allusions to grown women having sex]

.

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(CONTINUED FROM #3!)

If Cameron hadn’t already known how happy she felt with her decision to stay in California, she would have known from how delighted she was to have a surprise visit from Donna out at her trailer. Between Cameron’s general aversion to unannounced intrusions and how frequently she spoke to Donna, even when she wasn’t staying at Donna’s house, Cameron hypothetically shouldn’t have been so overjoyed to see her, but, she was. When Donna said that she’d gone out to Cameron’s property just to visit with her, Cameron had meant it when she’d said that she was flattered. What she’d really meant was that she couldn’t believe how lucky she felt when she was with Donna.

The feeling was mutual. “I’m flattered that you’re flattered,” Donna had joked, beaming at her. “But seriously.” Nervously bending and unbending a corner of the large brown paper bag that she’d brought with her, she said, “I know that you’re out here to work. I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“Not at all,” Cameron said, “I was actually just wrapping something up, and thinking about getting some fresh air. In the mood for a walk?”

Feigning hesitance, Donna narrowed her eyes. “Will you tell me what you were working on? At least a a little?”

Cameron squinted back at her. “You drive a hard bargain, but I accept.” She stood up, and offered a hand to Donna. 

Donna took her and hand stood up, and then said, “These need to be put in the mini fridge, though.”

Cameron eyeballed the bag, and then said, “Roast beef and provolone, and turkey and cheddar?”

Donna winked at her. “You know it.”

“Okay, I need to go put on a real shirt anyway,” Cameron said, starting for the trailer door.

Donna followed her. Cackling, she demanded, “Since when?!”

Cameron stepped into the airstream. Failing to fully suppress a laugh, she said, “You know very well that I have been grudgingly wearing bras and mostly real shirts in public since 1986, Donna.”

Cameron went into the bedroom as Donna opened the refrigerator door. She folded down the top of the bag, making it as small as she possibly could, and moved jars of mayonnaise and cornichons to the side to make room for the bag. By the time she was done, Cameron had emerged, now wearing an olive green button down blouse, sleeves rolled up, and tails tucked into the waistband of her jeans. 

“Hey, while we’re in here,” Cameron said, passing Donna as she went to her workspace, “this is what I just worked on.” She grabbed the idea map, turned back to Donna, and offered it to her. When Donna took it from her, Cameron noticed her nails, which had been trimmed short but filed into a an elegant oval shape, and painted a robin’s egg blue. Cameron asked her, “Did you just get a manicure?”

Distracted by the map, Donna took a second to answer. “What? Oh, why yes, I did!” She smiled, and held up her hand. “What do you think?”

Cameron took her hand gently, and brought it a little closer to her face. “I’ve never seen any nail polish color like that….”

Donna shrugged. “It’s the ‘90s, I guess, weird and/or ugly is the new pretty and desirable!”

Cameron noticed her own nails, which were getting long. As always, some of them were chipped, and they looked uncomfortably dry. “Speaking of,” she grimaced. “I should take care of my own nails. Hold on a minute,” she went back toward the bedroom, but instead stopped at the bathroom, where she grabbed her nail kit, which consisted of a nail brush, pair of clippers, and glass file Donna had gifted her that Cameron still hadn’t gotten used to, out of the cabinet. She fished the clippers out of the pouch, set the pouch down on the counter, and started to trim her nails. 

“My, my, my, aren’t we optimistic!” Donna teased her. Then she said, “Actually, maybe it was a mistake, to come here right after getting my nails done…?”

“Don’t make me laugh!” Cameron scolded her. She trimmed the nails on her left hand easily, moving from one nail to the next quickly, and then switched to her right hand, and slowing down. When she made it to her last nail, on her right pinky finger, she went into the bedroom so that she could sit down. 

Donna followed into the bedroom, and watched Cameron rest her right elbow on her right thigh in a vain attempt to stabilize her hand. She started to trim the nail, then stopped, then started again, then stopped again, changing the position of her right hand each time, and unable to find a position that felt comfortable for both of her hands. Donna noticed that her hand was shaking slightly. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine, I just always have a hard time with this one,” Cameron said. “How do you do this?”

“Well, my manicurist usually does it,” Donna said. She felt slightly embarrassed as soon as the words were out. “But when I do it, I make sure I hold my fingers close together, like this.” She curled the fingers on her right hand, about two thirds of the way to a fist, but flipped out her small finger, so that it was accessible, but still right next to her index finger. “Use the other fingers to stabilize the smallest one, if that makes sense?”

Cameron sat up straight, copying Donna, curling her fingers into a not quite fist, and stuck her pinky straight out.

“Okay, but, keep it loose. You want a loose tension,” Donna said, sitting down next to her. Cameron tried to relax her pinky, let it go too loose, and struggled to find a happy medium.” Grinning, Donna said, “You’ve really never studied an instrument, huh? Loose tension is kind of key. No piano pun intended.”

Cameron rolled her eyes, and her pinky relaxed just enough, curling slightly. Intuitvely recognizing that this was exactly the loose tension Donna meant, she trimmed the nail, catching the clipping in her hand. She was about to say, ‘There, that looks better, right?’ when she felt Donna lean over and lightly kiss her neck. Cameron shivered, sighing quietly.

“So, do we still wanna go for that walk?” Donna asked, teasing again. She rested her band on Cameron’s thigh, and kissed her shoulder.

“Uh, yes, but also no?” Cameron responded. “Like, yes, I so need to get out of this trailer, but also no? No.”

Donna got up, and took the opportunity to slide into Cameron’s lap, straddling her, and put her arms around Cameron’s neck. She kissed her forehead, and said, “What an amazing dilemma to have!” Laughing in agreement, Cameron pulled her close, squeezing her tightly.

#yes this was partly inspired by the end of go fish (1994 dir. rose troche) #and no i do not have any ragerts! #if you haven't seen it: it's amazing and you can watch it for free on tubi right now if you're in the states just sayinggg #femslash february #femslash february 2021 #fan fiction #cameron howe #donna clark #donna emerson

[asexual-hugger]

Lady Eleanor McQueen leads the group to a brilliantly-decorated table in the dining room. Tall candles surround a large silver plate, and chairs are set all around. Harry and Dominic get the two chairs next to each other along the long side of the table, on the right, while Kade gets the third chair next to Dominic. This placement is directly across from where Allison will be sitting right next to Detective Ernest Sinclaire. To her surprise, however, there appears to be an extra chair on her other side.

“Mum, did you mis-count the seating?” she asks. “Why is there an extra chair on the other side of me?”

Lady Eleanor is about to answer when the doorbell rings.

“That must be him,” she says. “I forgot to mention... Excuse me. You can all sit down. Dinner will be served momentarily.”

She disappears down the hall to answer the door. Muffled voices. One is clearly Lady Eleanor, but the other is an unrecognizable male.

“We were just sitting down to eat,” Lady Eleanor says. “Please come in. Allison is already here. She’ll be thrilled to see you.”

She re-enters the dining room, and Allison gets a good look at the mystery guest behind her. A strapping young man wearing a felt hat with a patterned scarf and a long jacket grins widely at the assembled family.

“Evening, everyone,” he greets them in a smooth kind voice. “Brothers. And Allison McQueen. My, my, my. You get more beautiful with each passing day.”

“Oh, my god. Walter Enos. Is that you???” Allison gets up from her chair and embraces the stranger tightly, and he returns the gesture a bit too eagerly.

“The one and only,” Walter answers proudly. “How have you been? You sort of lost touch after high school.”

Walter was Allison’s high school sweetheart. After graduation, they had gone their separate ways but managed to stay in touch here and there. When Allison decided to move to London, Walter had stayed closer to home, wanting to be near his family.

“Yeah. I’m afraid that’s on me,” Allison answers. “As you know, I moved to London in hopes to find a job in my field of study. I’m still working through my criminal justice program, but I think now I’ve settled on something I really want to do.” She nods towards Detective Sinclaire. “Detective, I want you to meet Walter John Enos. He was my boyfriend in high school. Walter, meet Detective Ernest Sinclaire.”

Detective Sinclaire stands up and offers his hand. “It is my pleasure to meet you, Mr. Enos. I’m a private investigator with the Ledford Park Detective Agency, and Allison is currently my assistant.”

“Assistant?” Walter looks between Allison and Sinclaire. “So he’s your boss?”

“He is,” Allison replies. “I invited him to spend Christmas with us, and no one told me YOU were coming.” She eyes Lady Eleanor skeptically, and Lady Eleanor takes a small sip of wine as she looks away.

“Sorry.” Walter looks guilty. “I thought maybe your mum told you. She thought it would be a good gesture for us to catch up and spend the holidays together. It’s been a long time since we saw each other.”

Allison can sense her family’s and Detective Sinclaire’s eyes on her, and her cheeks burn. “Let’s eat dinner first,” she says quickly. “I guess you’re on my other side, Walter. That explains the extra chair. I’m starving. I don’t know about the rest of you.”

“Yeah! Let’s eat!” Dominic shouts. “We can catch up and all that good stuff after dinner. Walt, how’s it going, man?”

“It’s been great, Dom. How are you?” Walter asks, reaching over to shake the eldest McQueen child’s hand. “Are you still flying?”

“I am always flying,” Dominic answers. “Nothing’s changed. You still working at your dad’s accounting firm?”

“Nah. I decided to go my own way a couple years ago,” Walter replies. “Allison inspired me. I thought that if she could travel to London to be her own person, I could do the same. I’m actually working in an office for a small local company running their numbers. They were looking for a bookkeeper.” He winks at Allison and gives her a tender kiss on the cheek. On her other side, Detective Sinclaire tenses up.

“A bookkeeper! How wonderful!” Lady Eleanor comments.

Lord Sebastian, Allison’s father, speaks up. “Is it by any chance that Winslow’s place a couple blocks down from here?” he asks.

“It is,” Walter answers. “They’ve been in need of a bookkeeper for months. When I spoke to the guy at the desk, he explained that all their skilled people had left. They hired me on the spot.”

Dinner is served, Lady Eleanor placing a giant roast turkey on the silver plate in the center of the table. Sautéed vegetables surround it: carrots, onions, mushrooms, potatoes and peppers. There is a smorgasbord of side dishes and a variety of breads.

“This looks delicious, Mum,” Harry comments.

“Thank you, Harry dear,” Lady Eleanor responds, grinning at her son. “I made something for everyone, since there are different preferences at this table. You know that variety is the spice of life.”

“I think we should serve our guests first,” Lord Sebastian says. “Walter, Detective Sinclaire...would either of you like some turkey? I’ll let you in on a secret. My wife cooks the best dang turkey on this side of the village.”

“Oh, stop.” Lady Eleanor giggles like a schoolgirl, cheeks flushing.

“Yes, please!” Walter answers eagerly, at the same time Detective Sinclaire says, “I would love some, Lady McQueen. Thank you.”

Walter holds up his plate for Lady Eleanor to serve him, while Detective Sinclaire waits patiently before receiving his serving. Again Walter gives Allison that flirtatious wink and a sidelong glance. Detective Sinclaire stiffens, his jaw tightening, but for Allison’s sake, he keeps his professionalism.

“So Mr. Enos,” he starts, addressing Walter before clearing his throat. “You said that you and Allison used to date in high school.”

Walter gazes at Allison fondly. “We sure did,” he gushes, remembering every moment like it was yesterday. Memories start bubbling to the surface as he speaks. “Those were great times. Movies, bowling, dinner and dancing at the local cafes. Pretty much every date that teenagers experienced. And of course you couldn’t forget prom.” His hand finds Allison’s knee and gives it an affectionate squeeze. The way he’s recalling every detail of their time together in such a romantic fashion only causes Sinclaire to tense up even more. He grips his dinner fork with such strength that his knuckles turn white. 

Allison doesn’t say much during the story. She looks over at her boss and notices his expression. Was that jealousy in his blue eyes? His face is dark, and he seems to be clenching his teeth. Walter’s hand begins to rub gently across her leg. She manages a small interested smile at him and places her right hand on Sinclaire’s shoulder, silently attempting for him to relax. He seems to acknowledge her touch for a moment, easing up only slightly, but his eyes move down to where Walter’s hand is resting on his assistant’s knee. Anger crosses his features and he stabs his fork aggressively into a slice of turkey, bringing it to his mouth and chewing it quickly.

“Yes, Walter, we know how romantic you were in high school,” Allison tells her former flame gently, trying to halt the topic. “It was fun while it lasted, but we both know that everyone moves on at some point.” Her eyes keep diverting to Sinclaire.

“Not me,” Walter says truthfully. “A day in my life has not gone by without me thinking about you and what you’ve been doing. You were everything to me, Allison McQueen. I always believed that you would be the girl of my dreams even beyond high school. Are you going to the tree-lighting ceremony tomorrow night?”

“Of course we are,” Allison answers. “Our family goes to it every year. We’re going to stand around the fence and sing carols. Same as last year.”

“I didn’t see you last year,” Walter says. “I had to work, sadly, but at least this year will be better. If I get picked to be Christmas Maestro this year, I’m choosing you as my duet partner.”

He grins the grin that always melted Allison’s heart through high school. He hadn’t changed. He was still the charming boy she had fallen in love with back in the day.

“And you believe you’re going to be Christmas Maestro,” Allison observes. “You seem very confident about that. Not to mention you’re hoping that I’ll sing with you.”

“Why not?” Walter challenges. “We both have the best singing voices of a lot of people in this small town. It only makes sense that I would pick you. We were the top singers in our high school chorus. It’ll be just like old times. I still love you, Allison McQueen. I’ve never stopped loving you. I want us to catch up. There is so much I haven’t heard about your life in London. I wish I could see you more often. I only hope that you still have a place in your heart for me.”

He turns back to his dinner and starts conversing with the rest of the family, and Allison takes advantage of her new out. She looks back over at Detective Sinclaire, his face still hard but saying nothing. He looks as if he is really struggling to hold back some very powerful emotions.

“Are you all right, Detective?” She speaks in a low voice so that Walter won’t hear.

“To be honest, no, I’m not,” Sinclaire replies, his voice sounding strained. “Just listening to your former boyfriend rave about your high school romance and then have the nerve to put his hands all over your body is enough to make me hurl. It’s like he was craving attention, and the way he was gloating about you being the love of his life...ugh. I’m vomiting in my mouth just thinking about it! You’re not really still into him, are you?” His expression turns questioning, and slightly hopeful that she will say no.

“Honestly, I haven’t really thought of him at all,” she replies, and she can hear the huge relieved sigh that escapes him. “I was not expecting him to show up tonight. Mum didn’t tell me she had invited him, and I had distinctly told her that I had already invited you. You seem really tense. Did Walter’s story get to you that much?”

“His story, his attitude, everything,” Sinclaire admits. “He was speaking extra loud, too, like his relationship with you was the highlight of his entire life. He just confessed his love to you, and he hasn’t even seen you since high school.”

“Well, we WERE in love, once,” Allison replies. “I did love him. He was the most charming boy I ever met. He treated me like a queen when other boys brought me down. We lost touch after high school, though. I moved away for college and job hunting. I never knew I would meet another equally charming and handsome guy after Walter John Enos, but then you showed up that night several years ago with your white knight in police armor demeanor and saved me from what would’ve been a toxic date. I don’t recall Walter doing that.”

“I saved you because I saw a vulnerable woman in danger,” Sinclaire explains. “That despicable individual that attacked you in his car was way out of line. Even if I wasn’t a private investigator, I still would’ve rescued you. My instincts were telling me that you needed help.” He pauses, looking over at Walter laughing with the boys. “You mentioned that you loved Mr. Enos, like past tense. How do you feel now?”

“Now...I think I might be falling for someone else,” Allison answers.

#choices stories you play #desire and decorum #pixelberry #detective story #fanfic #tv show idea #choices game #play choices

[rainandhotchocolate]

Hey, it’s the Remus x Reader Christmas celebration ask. I’m so sorry for not being specific enough! Remus and the Reader having playful banter with a lot of fluff and affection please and thank you!

A/N YO MERRY CHRISTMAS Here is your fic lovely! Hope you enjoy, it’s been fun doing more Remus fics!! 

Merry Christmas 

“Y/N, come on we need to go!” Remus called up the stairs. They had slept over at Y/N’s house for Christmas Eve, a two bedroom flat she shared with Alice who was barely home anyway. Y/N was still staring at herself in the mirror, nervously adjusting a strap on her dress.

“I’m coming!” Y/N sighed, grabbing her purse and moving quickly down the stairs to meet him on the landing. He looked up when he saw her, about to speak but froze momentarily, watching her.

“What?” Y/N felt a blush creep onto her cheeks as he continued to stare, his gaze intense.

“You just, look stunning.” Remus blinked a few times as if he was taking her in. “Sorry to stare.”

He smiled at her, a soft smile that barely parted his lips and curved laugh lines into his cheeks. He trailed a hand against her shoulder, feeling the material of the dress slowly, keeping his eyes on her. It was always Remus’ intensity that got her stomach flipping over itself, honestly it was the reason she fell in love with him in the first place. Scars and all.

“You ready to go?”

“Yep,” Y/N looped her arm in his, kissing his shoulder lightly. They stepped out into the cool, winter air, soft bits of snow drifting down from the roof where it had fallen overnight and begun to melt as the sun rose. Y/N loved the snow, the way it blanketed everything, making even her crummy sharehouse appear as magical as Hogwarts used to look. Remus gripped tighter onto her arm and they spun on the spot, the air tightening around them like they were being sucked through a tight tube and landed on the front doorstep of James and Lily’s Godric Hollow apartment.

Lily flung the door open as she heard them, her face and jumper covered in flour, and was looking very flustered.

“You’re here! Come in, come in, Merlin it’s cold out here.” She ushered them inside, directing them to an already overfull coat stand and then into the living room. “Lunch might be a tad late, we are having some, er, kitchen mishaps.”

With that she left the two of them exchanging a look and turning to Sirius and Peter who were sitting down in front of the Christmas Tree, grinning up at them as they entered.

“Merry Christmas!” They both called out, Sirius opening his arms wide and taking Y/N into a bone-crunching hug, Peter going a little lighter on Remus before they switched.

“Merry Christmas to you too!” Y/N smiled happily at them. Sirius was wearing a large jumper that James had made him the year before that said “Have a Siriusly good Christmas”, a large black dog covered in tinsel winking at them underneath. Peter had an oversized green jumper with a large Christmas tree that twinkled with lights.

“I guess we missed the shitty jumper memo,” Remus raised an eyebrow, smirking at the two of them as they sat down in the two empty chairs beside each other.

“How dare you,” Sirius looked aghast, “This is high fashion.”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Sirius, ok, and it’s for your own good. It is. Trash.” Remus grinned wider as Sirius pouted, but winked at him all the same. “Personally I prefer my girlfriends take on Christmas attire.”

Remus looped an arm around Y/N’s waist, who rolled her eyes, but felt a little gooey on the inside.

“Ah, you’re biased, she lets you do things.” Sirius waved them off, chuckling as Y/N scowled at him.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like CHRIST-mas,” James sung loudly, dancing his way out of the kitchen and into the living room. He handed each of them a very large mug of alcoholic egg nog, Lily’s favourite, humming along to the rest of the song as he exited again, giving another spin at the doorway and returning to help Lily in the kitchen.

“Can you please let us eat already!” Sirius called out to him as he left, hearing a loud ‘No’ in response.

“I am starving,” Y/N groaned, leaning her head into Remus’ shoulder who laughed and pulled her closer towards him, stroking her head softly.

“You know Lily, it’s got to be perfect.”

“I would honestly eat her at this point – Sirius, NO” Y/N sat up quickly and pointed to him with a glare when she realised what she’d said.

“Oh, come on, it was such an easy one!” Sirius pouted, sinking back into his chair and taking a sip of the nog and grimacing. “James has not taken it easy this year.”

“Like he does ever,” Peter took a sip as well, grimacing in a similar fashion.

“At least Lily is helping him cook this time.”

“I really don’t think she’s any better,” Y/N snorted, remembering her birthday cake from two years ago which Lily wanted to make by hand and was somehow dry on the outside and undercooked in the middle.

“Someone better have gifted some snacks,” Remus laughed, looking towards the tree where there was a large stack of multi-coloured, terribly wrapped presents, and a grouping of nicer ones that Remus had meticulously wrapped all last night whilst Y/N tried to force him into coming to bed with her.

“I can definitely smell fudge… and chocolate frogs?” Sirius got down on all fours and began smelling the present in front of him.

“You can’t smell that!” Peter protested, shaking his head, “You’re only a dog some of the time.”

“Yes, but you just gave it away.” Sirius winked at him, “Anyway, be glad Peter, you might be the only one who can give us an edible meal. You’ve just become the most popular member of our group.”

“Oh? And who is the most popular?” Y/N asked, leaning into Remus’ warm body.

“Well me, obviously, then James, Lily, Y/N, Remus, and Peter. But Peter has just jumped ranks so sorry Remus you’re out of luck.” Sirius patted him patronisingly on the shoulder.

“Oh don’t worry, I’m very sure that your list is actually just the wrong way around.” Remus replied nonchalantly.

“Ok, lunch will be in five minutes!” James’ head popped around the corner, puffing loudly. “So go wash your hands you dirty animals.”

Remus stood up, holding out his hand to Y/N who swatted him away playfully.

“Get those dirty mutts away from me,” Y/N stood up and moved towards the door with Remus who, as they reached the doorway, swept her up in his arms rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

“Now you’re covered in me,” He leant into her ear as Y/N squealed, pushing him off and laughing.

“Good,” Y/N retorted, spinning on her toes and kissing Remus quickly on the lips giving him a wide smile.

“Please Merlin, don’t make me puke before lunch,” Sirius pushed passed them, miming throwing up on the carpet. Peter followed him giggling, pushing each other over to wash their hands at the small bathroom sink. After they’d washed they moved into the kitchen where Lily had set up a small festive looking table with a large turkey in the middle, roast vegetables covering every other inch that wasn’t taken up by the plates and cutlery. She’d even attached tinsel to the edge of the table cloth so it hang in wreaths around the table.

“Wow, Lily this looks amazing,” Peter’s round eyes were gazing at the all the food, lifting his head up to where Lily and James were standing, still wearing aprons and covered in food.

“Thanks, Pete,” Lily beamed, “Sit down, sit down, I want to make a toast.”

“Make it quick cause I might wolf down that whole turkey soon,” Sirius eyed it hungrily but sat down obediently with everyone else, lifting their glasses in the air alongside Lily. Remus had his other hand on Y/N’s knee, sending a shiver up her leg and a smile to curl on the edge of her lips.

“It’s been a hard year. A shit year if I’m being honest.” Lily sighed, looking over at James who smiled back reassuringly. “But having you all here, all standing by us and with the order, fighting for a better world it’s just… it just makes me so happy to see everyone here for Christmas. So anyway, before I get too sappy – Cheers!”

“Cheers!” The group chorused back at her, lifting their glasses and drinking back large gulps of egg nog. Everyone began to dig into the food, Lily carving the turkey and Peter digging into the large roasted potatoes that smelled heavily of butter and salt.

Remus leaned into Y/N’s hear whilst everyone was busy, his hand trailing up her leg slightly.

“This dress is teasing me you know, it’s like it wants to be torn off.”

“I guess you’ll just have to hold off for a few more hours.”

“Can assure you, I don’t think I can.”

“Good, I want to see you squirm,” Y/N leaned over and brushed a hand against his upper thigh, grinning when he froze.

“On another line, you do look amazing you know.”

“So do you, love.” Y/N felt her heart lifting. She loved his soft voice in her ear, the small conversations they have when no one else was listening. She just loved him a stupidly large amount.

“I’m lucky to have you.” Remus kissed her shoulder, pulling away and digging into the food in front of him.

“Damn right you are,” Y/N grinned as he rolled his eyes and they rejoined the conversation around the table.

 @maraudersandco @gollyderek @hermionie-is-my-queen

#rainandhotchocolate #remus x reader #remus lupin x reader #remus x you #remus lupin x you #remus imagine #remus lupin imagine #marauders christmas #remus fluff

[hollywoodx4]

Thanksgiving-Modern AU

Hi I’m finally here! I’m Danielle, and I’m the coparent to this modern college AU-So this one of the moments @dilforpheus​ and I have talked about over and over again and it is one of my most favorites, so I had to write it. I’ve been sitting on this for a long time but I’m excited for this AU to find air other than us screaming at each other all hours of the day even though I love screaming about it. I am so happy that ten years later we’re still on our bullshit. It is SO special to me. - The only thing you need to know is that Orpheus and Eurydice go to college together-she studies in a coffee shop on campus and he notices her there. They both end up going there just to see each other but not saying anything, until Persephone invites her favorite student with nowhere to go for the holiday over to her family Thanksgiving. This is the result.  -

The doorbell rings and Orpheus looks up from the mashed potatoes with curiosity, scanning the room. It seems as though they’re all here; Hades stirring one pot and monitoring another, Hermes sitting on the island stool transferring roasted carrots to a different plate. Orpheus has been mashing the potatoes for a while now, the back-and-forth motion making him feel useful in a kitchen commanded heavily by his culinarily anal uncle. He can hear the soft click of Persephone’s footsteps moving across the floor of the entryway, then the slight squeaking of the front door and a bright greeting. The voice that responds is familiar, but in a distant sort of way; Orpheus stops his mashing in hopes of hearing the conversation better-there’s slight laughter, distant but sure, like a music that pulls him.

Persephone enters the kitchen first, reaching an arm out and pulling a girl in beside her. The girl, small in stature, smiles slightly and waves at Hades, who gives the first greeting. Orpheus is frozen; the cropped haircut, bangs just above her eyebrows-the sound of her laughter and the soft, lilted timbre of her voice…this is the girl from the coffee shop. She orders dark coffee with extra espresso, always has her nose in a book or her feet hurrying her somewhere. This is the reason he’d started playing more in that coffee shop, lugging his guitar halfway across campus to somewhere with poorer acoustics and more chatter. This is the girl he’d been thinking about since the beginning of the semester, always a song on the tip of his tongue. When she turns her gaze to him and flashes him that friendly smile, Orpheus lurches at the feeling of his heart skipping in his chest.

“I’m Eurydice,” She steps toward him, leans slightly on the counter in front of him. Eurydice-he can feel the way her name would roll from his lips, four syllables in absolute melodic harmony, a sigh of thanks straight from his soul. He realizes that it’s been too long after everyone else has introduced themselves and his hand shoots away from the bowl of mashed potatoes and reaches to hers. In a flurry he realizes the residue on his hands and quickly wipes them down the old kitchen apron he’d put on. A quick heat rises to his cheeks as he attempts again, and she takes his hand and shakes it.

“I’m Orpheus.” It’s about all he can manage to get out through the near magical feeling of her hand touching hers, even in something as cordial and demure as a handshake. Her dark eyes meet his and he almost forgets to let go-that this is just a handshake and nothing more. It’s a tiny voice that interrupts them, Junie’s light figure bumping against his leg and breaking their eye contact. He takes in a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

Junie’s gaze is fixated on Eurydice, who bends down to her level and introduces herself again. The toddler, in all her amazement, lunges forward to hug her. Eurydice laughs-the sound of music and light-and hugs her back before asking her name.

            “I’m Junie, are you a princess?” Eurydice can’t help but feel herself warm to the question; she’s dressed simply, a thrifted shirt slightly too big for her small frame with ornate detailing tucked into a pair of dark skinny jeans. She’d taken her boots off at the door, and was left with a pair of mismatched socks thrown on when she realized she’d be late if she didn’t leave her apartment soon enough. The back of the hand she’d shaken with everybody still had remnants of a list written with ballpoint pan; things to do, a new work schedule. She felt like Eurydice, with the arms of the toddler of the mysterious, beautiful musician from the coffee shop wrapped around her.

            “No, I’m not a princess,” She brushes the girl’s hair back instinctively, gently. “I bet you are, though.”

            The little girl claps, clearly satisfied with that notion, and begins to skip around the kitchen. She holds the hem of her big dress with two hands, lets her soft ringlet curls bounce up and down as she parades. Persephone calls her name, warns her about running in the kitchen as she weaves between Hades carving the turkey and Hermes with a stack of dishes in his hands. Junie then calls for Orpheus, pulling on his hand, and he follows dutifully behind. Persephone shakes her head, sipping from a glass of deep red wine.

            “Our daughter-man she’s a firecracker. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. We waited eighteen years for her and it was worth every heartbreak.”

            There’s something tiny, indescribable that shifts through the air at this notion; Persephone’s daughter, not his. They race across the edge of the kitchen singing some kind of princess song, Junie’s tiny, powerful voice and his softer one, laughing and playing. Eurydice bites at the corner of her lip, shifting on her feet as she watches them skip by, finally looking away to flash a smile at Persephone.

            “She’s beautiful,” They’ve gone into the adjoining room and so Eurydice turns back to the three adults standing around the kitchen island, accepting the offer of a wine bottle and a glass wordlessly held up by Persephone.

            When dinner is served Eurydice ends up on one side of Orpheus, who pulls out the chair next to her with the slight turn of his lip and a nod. She nods back, turning her focus to Junie climbing her way into the empty spot on his other side, fitted with a booster seat in the big chair. Her big dress settles around her like a cupcake, all tulle and frill, but she settles her cloth napkin in her lap as if its second nature.

            Persephone begins the dinner with a speech-something about being together “just like Sunday dinners,” thanking a quiet, grinning Hades for orchestrating the entire dinner.

            “You might’ve made too much, but you’ve been up for a month planning and researching this menu so I can’t say that.”  The family laughs, and Eurydice does too-this man with his white-grey hair and large presence is feigning offense, gesturing to the table full of elaborately plated dishes with pride. Once Persephone gives the go-ahead the meal is served, plates passed back and forth around the table. More than once she bumps hands with Orpheus, who hands her dishes of food after serving both Junie and himself. More than once she feels color rise to her cheeks, dismisses it with the warmth of the room and the wine just beginning to hit her system. But the electric feeling lingers between them all night, bumping elbows and making jokes, and she barely remembers the meal she’s eaten when everyone gets up from the table.

            She moves to the kitchen but Persephone stops her, shaking her head vehemently.

            “You’re our guest, you’re not washing dishes.” She shoos her away and Eurydice finds herself in the living room, where Junie has settled herself with a large bin of dolls. She sets her wine on the coffee table and sits cross-legged on the floor next to her. Junie immediately pushes a group of dolls her way and gives her instruction, babbling on in her tiny voice as she scoots herself closer to Eurydice.

            In the kitchen there is a hum of activity, instantaneous and simple from years of practice. Persephone washes and Hades wraps up the leftovers. Hermes dries and Orpheus puts the dishes away, stacking them neatly back in the wide expanse of cabinets the gourmet kitchen is filled with. The dried dishes begin to stack next to the counter, however, and when Hades is done wrapping his eyes catch the pile. Orpheus is leaning against the kitchen island, one finger tracing mindless patterns on the granite countertop. He calls for his nephew but receives no response. Hermes and Persephone turn around-the water is shut off, the dishes done, and the adults watch the boy they raised stand idly, uninterrupted.

“Are you even listening?” Hades raises his voice a bit, prodding his nephew with one giant hand on his shoulder. Orpheus’s lean frame lightly sways in response, but he does not turn to face his uncle. Persephone chuckles from beside him, bringing her glass of wine to her lips.

            “It’s the girl,” she points to the pile of toys on the floor, a trail of them leading up to the ornate Victorian-style dollhouse in the corner of the living room. Eurydice is lit by the glow of the fire, her voice changed to match the doll in hand, putting herself in the elaborate story they’ve created. Junie leans up against her, her body nestled in the crook of Eurydice’s elbow. Their backs are turned to the kitchen but he catches glimpses of her turning her head, leaning down to speak to Junie. There is something more to the way she cradles Junie’s sitting frame close to her, the way her voice changes to match the characters she’s set out to play from the endless expanse of dolls. Her full attention is focused on the girl, who’d just met her only hours before. He finds himself transfixed by the scene, by the girl he’d only admired from afar until she’d walked through the door. He wonders briefly what kind of strange magic had brought her to this Thanksgiving, and then remembers Persephone’s brief wording days before.

            “She doesn’t have family-she doesn’t have anybody. She’s my favorite student-brilliant, quick as a whip. I invited her over for dinner. She’ll have us.”

            “Go talk to her.” Hermes finally pulls him from his daydream, her voice startling him and causing him to jump slightly. Persephone laughs, moving to stand alongside him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Go.”

            “She’s the girl I’ve been telling you about-the one from the coffee shop.” It’s almost breathless, the disbelief in his voice as he looks into the living room at her small frame and warm smile. Of all of the people on their college campus-of all of the students Persephone teaches-he can’t believe that she is sitting in his aunt’s house, playing with his niece. He can’t believe the luck-the coincidence that feels more like fate to his poetic translation. But as much as he feels the pull toward her he cannot seem to move his body, rooted to this place in the kitchen by an unrecognizable force.

            “Here,” Persephone pours him a hefty glass of wine, much to Hermes’s warning glance-their boy is a lightweight, but the woman with beautiful rolling curls and a coy smile does not take his overly-cautious caveats; this is typical of Hermes, who’d always been the more serious in raising their boy. “Take a little sip of liquid courage and just go over there. Speak your truth.”

            “No,” Hermes interrupts with his slow, careful wording in the most delicate and intelligent of voices. He narrows his eyes at Persephone, turning to Orpheus with a caution in the back of his eyes. “Go on and talk to her, but don’t come on too strong.”

            He looks then to Hades, who’s polishing off the pieces of the gas stove, reading glasses perched neatly on the tip of his nose. He chuckles, shaking his head.

            “Just talk to her, boy. It’s as simple as that.”

            Orpheus, taking a long sip of red wine, finds the confidence to saunter into the living room. At least, it feels like a saunter. His long limbs perform the action with less grace and poise, certainly. Junie turns to him first, hearing him coming, and reaches his arms out to him. He sits on her other side, nodding again at Eurydice, who grins back. She’s completely illuminated by the warm glow of the fire and his heart nearly stops there, the words he’d practiced on the short walk completely forgotten. All he can muster is another hi, spoken through a gentle tenor knocked over by her presence. The words he wants to say get mixed up, and he’s not sure where to begin; I feel like I’ve known you forever-I’ve seen you at the coffee shop before-I’m the one who bought you coffee and sent it your way last Monday-I haven’t been able to find the words to say to you-I

            Persephone calls Junie’s name, appearing in the doorway. The toddler pouts, crossing her arms-she knows what’s coming before Persephone can tell her.

            “No bed.” She shakes her head, looking between Orpheus and Eurydice. She doesn’t want to miss the fun; she’s sure her uncle has come to join their play. But Persephone gives her a pointed look and she groans, little yet sure, then tugs at Orpheus’s arm.

            “Ophie put me to bed.”

            “No, sweetheart, let me do it.”

            “No, Ophie.” All Junie has to do is look up at him with big, adoring eyes and a refusal is out of the question; he shrugs at Eurydie, an apology more to himself, and picks his niece up, cradling her in his arms.

            “Queen Buggy has spoken,” He coos, kissing her forehead and hugging her close. “I’ll be back. Say goodnight.”

            Junie lays her head on Orpheus’s chest and waves, then he turns and moves to bring her upstairs while speaking to her in a silent, slightly singing voice. Eurydice watches them go, still clutching both barbies in her hands, until Persephone begins to pick up the mess around her.

            “She’s a good girl,” Eurydice offers, tossing her dolls into the large toy chest against the wall. Persephone merely grins, with a hidden sort of prodding within the mask of outward happiness that causes Eurydice to blush in immediate understanding. Persephone gestures to the couch and she sits, hanging Eurydice her glass before taking a drink from her own. The older woman sits on the coffee table, one leg crossed over the other.

            “I’m glad you could come,” Persephone softens upon looking at the girl-really looking at her. With her soft, rounded features and fringed bangs over tired eyes, she is a thing of beauty. Exhausted, intelligent, hard-working beauty; she is effortless in her posture, humble in the way she thanks Persephone for giving her somewhere to go. She has to work later-the Black Friday rush-and Persephone wonders briefly if this is the first Thanksgiving she’s spent with the company of a family and warm food. It seems so; her frame is tiny, and she’s debated heavily on the topics of humanity and the reality of family ties in class before. Her papers have been moving, completely compelling. She wonders now, with the girl sitting with her body toward the front of the couch, if her arguments had been born from experience.

            Orpheus returns then, standing awkwardly in the doorway, and Persephone jumps from her place on the coffee table and pats the couch.

            “Here, Orpheus,” She prods, with a pointed look so natural to the blatant nature of her personality. “I don’t think you’ve had a chance to talk much yet-keep her company while I settle some things with Hades?” She’s nodding, not giving Orpheus a chance to give in to the bustling anxieties living underneath the pull in his heart. She bustles quickly from the room then, moves to stand behind the kitchen island, just barely out of sight. She watches as her nephew sits, Eurydice laughing at whatever introduction they’d given themselves. She pulls Hades and Hermes to stand next to her, watching the younger adults talk.

            “I have a good feeling about this-look at him, he’s gone.”

            Orpheus leans back on the couch, taking practiced breaths as he attempts light chatter. She volleys answers back to him-she’s a communications major, spends most of her time in Persephone’s classes. He’s a music major, a year older. The more she talks the more he’s hinged on her words, the tonality of her voice and the warmth of the room-the crackling of the fire, the soft music coming from the speakers in the dining room-wrap Orpheus in a consuming serenity. She’s just finished telling him about a final paper when he loses it, that restraint he’d been so surprised with having for so long.

            “I’ve notice you before-in the coffee shop.” He stammers over the words that spill themselves involuntarily from his lips, and he immediately feels the overwhelming heat that reaches his cheeks. Eurydice lets a soft smile reach her lips, her head tilting slightly.

            “I’ve noticed you too-you always have your guitar. Working on something important?”

            “A few things-I haven’t finished anything yet, though. The coffee shop is always busy-the acoustics aren’t the best. I used to work more in one of the practice rooms, but you have to stay where your inspiration is.”

            “Oh,” It’s all she can muster-she isn’t sure what to make of Orpheus’s words, the meaning she thinks she deciphers behind them. He looks at her with a gentle nature unfamiliar to her, speaks in a voice so light she feels as though it could carry her away at any moment. She thinks of him with his guitar, settled in the corner of the coffee shop with a notebook balanced on the arm of an old chair. She thinks of her abandoned notes, the time spent watching his careful concentration as he plugged away at combinations of chords that felt like otherworldly symphonies. Her intention of drinking dark coffee with extra espresso had been laced with the promise of the possibility of seeing him again, hearing more of his musings, and now he sat next to her on the couch talking of inspirations and bad acoustics. There’s a flood of pictures in her head-him and his guitar, him chasing his niece around the kitchen earlier in the night, him chasing other children with her dark hair and his light eyes. She blinks the vision away, frightened at the strange intensity that draws her to him. Instead of drawing back, however, she feels herself pull closer toward him. Setting her glass on the table beside them, she shifts her weight on the couch, turning her body to face his. Her request is wordless-she’s not sure she can speak at this point, so enraptured by his soft eyes and the visions in her head. When she puts a hand on his jawline he meets her lips, eager yet slow. She moves against him instantly, pushing herself against him as the immediate spark flies to the forefront of her mind. He holds her then, hands gentle and soft, encompassing her in warmth as she moves her hands to the hair on the back of his neck. There is nothing else-just Orpheus, the name she breathes as she lowers his body to the couch. Her musician has a name and it is beautiful just as he is, with his hands holding her hips and his lips brushing her neck.

            He isn’t sure what’s come over himself but once her lips meet his, Orpheus feels impulse kick in. He wants to hold her; hear her voice sighing his name, feel the hitch in her breath as he kisses her neck. He wants to lose himself in the song of her action, her body, her soul. It’s as if he’s known her for years, but is kissing her for the first time, familiar yet so new, and something he wants to do until his lips turn blue and his lungs give out.

            “Come home with me,” He whispers the words as she presses his forehead against his, feels the strength and rapidity of her heart beating in her chest. She nods, wordless, and takes pause to catch her breath. They’re interrupted by the clearing of a throat from the kitchen, voices speaking louder than need be, and as they sit up Persephone appears in the doorway.

            “We were just going to take out some cards-want to play?”

            “No-uh-no thank you, Seph. We-we’re going to get going now.” Eurydice nods, biting her lower lip and clearing her throat and trailing Orpheus to the coat rack by the front door. He holds out her coat to her first, helping her slip it on before finding his own.

            “Thank you so much for inviting me-it was a beautiful dinner, and it was so nice to meet everyone.” She’s still near breathlessness, a slight giddiness in her voice as she and Orpheus move to hug everyone goodbye. He wraps a hand around her waist then, and she falters as they make their way for the door, waving one last time before the cold air of the night hits them as brisk as their impatience.

#hadestown #modern au #orpheus #eurydice #the entire family

[javajunkieao3]

Steggy Reunion Series: Thanksgiving Edition

Growing up, Peggy Carter never celebrated Thanksgiving.  For obvious reasons, of course, as her home country was the very state from which those celebrating left.  However, when Steve returned, he prodded her to celebrate, telling her, “We have so much to be grateful for.”

“I agree with you, darling, but I don't need a holiday to remind me of that.”

It all felt a bit silly to her, but she could tell that it meant something to her husband, so she acquiesced and learned everything she could about the holiday, including the traditional food.  Mashed potatoes were old-hat for her.  Cranberry sauce seemed easy enough, and even more so when she learned she could find it in a can.  However, Peggy took one look at the gargantuan raw turkey at the market and decided on the spot they would be more of a chicken family.  It was close enough.

Steve didn’t mind, but over the years, that blasted turkey became somewhat of a taunting figure.  Each year she saw them in the market and took pause, wondering if this was the year.  But, alas, it never was.  Cooking a turkey was the one challenge to which Peggy Carter could not rise.

But no more.

Peggy stood in her kitchen, staring at the bird with steely grit.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Steve asked.

Peggy took a deep breath and tied her apron behind her waist.

“I’ve detonated bombs using only items from the pantry.  I can handle this.”

“When did you detonate a bomb using only pantry items?” he asked incredulously.

“It was before your time, dear.”  She paused and said,  “Actually, I suppose it was after your time, but before this time.  Either way, it doesn’t matter.”  She forcefully stuck her hand into the large cavity of the bird and frowned.  “Now, I need to focus.”

Steve nodded quickly and said, “I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”

The beginning of this turkey business frankly had her elbow deep into the bird a concerning amount, but she persevered, seasoning and stuffing it to the brim with the requisite onions, lemons and apples.  Steve checked in on her every so often, particularly when she nearly dropped the bird while transferring it to the roasting pan, a slurry of curse words of both the British and American variety, leaving her mouth.

But, it all seemed to be going fairly well.  Peggy performed the rather unsettling task of lifting the bird’s skin and smoothing butter underneath, and then she popped it in the oven.  She set the timer and joined Steve in the living room for a well-earned spot of bourbon.

"How long does it cook?”  Steve asked.

“For an ungodly amount of time."

Steve laughed.  “I told you we could have just done chicken.  I like chicken.”

“I refused to be bested by a bird any longer,” Peggy said stubbornly.  She propped her feet up on the coffee table, and added, “I also am never making one again.”

“I think that’s fair.”

Approximately three hours later, Peggy removed a beautifully cooked turkey from the oven.  The skin was perfectly browned and crisp.  Watching Steve begin to carve the meat, Peggy understood why women put in all this time and effort.  It was for the satisfaction of a job well done.  The knowledge that sticking your hand deep into that turkey was all worth it because - 

“Uh, Peg?”  Steve looked over at her cautiously.  “There’s a slight problem.”

Peggy walked over, anxiously observing the bird and quickly identifying the problem.  Encased in the delicate white meat were the remnants of steamed giblets that she apparently failed to remove, the plastic wrapping baked clean into the meat.

“We can eat around it?” Steve offered.

Peggy turned toward the refrigerator sharply and pulled out a loaf of bread and leftover lunch meat.  She kicked the door closed with the heel of her foot, and said, “We will never speak of this.”

That evening, the pair celebrated with roast beef sandwiches, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.  Peggy didn’t dare attempt a turkey again until many years later.  That time, she removed the giblets.

(Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!)

#steggy #steggy fanfiction #domestic!steggy #thanksgiving #Peggy Carter #Steve Rogers