#also i was thinking about Victorian babies wearing dresses and somehow got here

[araremonaka]

Trolls Pirate AU

They send him in as a distraction, if you see him at the front door you’re probably about to get robbed or your house is currently being raided without you knowing.

#trolls #trolls au #trolls branch #trolls pirate au #haha the ribbons on his hat make him look like he has pigtails #also i was thinking about Victorian babies wearing dresses and somehow got here

[jazz-bazz]

Zeezee

remember the victorian vampires headcanon that @webbyghoul and i posted in september? and that Webby made into a series of fics including a couple that i wrote?

well we just had a new thought, so if baby Phantom (i think he should be around 5-8 years old here?) calls everyone else as Aunt or Uncle (except for Omega who’s Dad), but there’s no gender neutral form for Rain and Zephyr, what does he call the two then?

Rainy and Zephy would be weird, as it‘s also their nickname from the others sometimes, so I had Phantom call Rain “Rainrain” bcs i thought it’s cute, but it won’t work for Zephyr because Zephzeph is just too much of a mouthful 😂

after some more thinking i came up with “Zeezee“. and then Webby said to me “It's so cute just imagining little Buggy running up to them for the first time saying that and they have no idea who he's talking to until he gets to them.“

zero editing so if you see any mistakes no you dont 😬

Most of the family were gathered in the mostly unused dining room planning a surprise for little Phantom, whose birthday was coming up soon. They had decided on a party, which the little one was excited about, he wanted a bat themed cake with little puppies and for everyone to be wearing a costume. But in addition to that, they also wanted to gift him something special, something meaningful, something that says he’s a part of the family even thought they were still of different species for now, but nobody had any idea yet, not even Dewdrop.

Omega was tasked with distracting the little bug while everyone else brainstormed his present. But he must’ve been having difficulties reigning in the little energy monster, as they heard the sounds of little feet running in the hall shouting, “Zeezee! Zeezee where are you? Dad said you’re somewhere in the house!“

Everyone in the dining room looked at each other with confused faces, “Did Omega get another puppy for Phantom?“ Swiss wondered out loud.

“Not that I know of,” Cumulus replied.

“So who’s Zeezee then?”

Cumulus just shrugged, having no idea herself.

“Maybe a new haunted plushie?” Rain questioned, making Zephyr shiver, the Terzo plushie scared them so much, with its creepy eyes and unmoving mouth, yet it can still communicate somehow.

“But there’s no spirits left here as far as I know,” Mountain as the oldest of the vampires there, and the owner of the mansion, answered.

Meanwhile Phantom kept running around the mansion shouting for the mysterious Zeezee, apparently with Omega chasing after him telling him to slow down and stop.

They all heard the little bug running past the dining room a few seconds before Omega entered, “Kids these days, I’m sorry everyone, I tried my best but he just has to do it now.”

“Do what Megs?” Ifrit asked him the question everyone was wondering about.

“We decided to talk about the party some more, and he had this great idea about his-“

Just then the subject in question opened the door quite loudly, “Zeezee! There you are!” He said walking towards the vampires gathered around one end of the long table.

“Who’s Zeezee, little one?” Cirrus asked him.

“Zeezee! I had an idea for my costume,” Phantom said to Zephyr after he got in front of them, “May I get a suit with a cape like Uncle Swiss has, but pretty like the dress Rainrain wore last week to the ball, but not blue like theirs, can I get them purple like Uncle Aefer‘s eyes, and maybe decorated like Uncle Mounty‘s glasses, and then may-“

“Whoa slow down Buggy, first things first, I’m Zeezee?” Zephyr asked him.

“Well yeah! Dad said you’re like Rainrain, not my uncle not my aunt but something else, but I don’t want to call you just your name because that’s weird because you’re old, so Zeezee! Get it? What do you think?”

“Excuse me I am not old, little one. You’re just really young, that’s all. But I love it! And yes I will make your suit for the party, would you like to come with me to shop for fabrics tomorrow?”

“Yes please!” Phantom said with a big grin, and then he turned to his father, “Can I, Dad? Please?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

~~~

anw i just love the little bug so much 🖤

#victorian vampire ghouls #bex keysmash #ghost fics #webby #phantom ghoul #zephyr ghoul #omega ghoul

[self-loathing-angel-of-thursday2]

Beautiful Spouse’s Rewatch Thoughts SPN 02x01

In My Time of Dying

“There’s a storm comin” “They got the timing of the scream pretty close to the timing of the song, but of course idk if its the real song” “You dead bitch” “Shoulda shot him” “That demon didn’t want to bet.” whispers “he’s dead or ghostified or whatever”

“We also never see him wear white usually so I guess that’s supposed to mean something. He’s also wearing a v-neck. He’s not wearing hospital clothes, because they have to sexify him a little bit” “hey we’ve got fire and a little devils trap thing!” “considering you’re such a bitch” “What kind of hospital takes your fkn payment while you’re in recovery?” “So does Dean getting hit by the truck count as 2 near-death experiences in S1 or does that count as S2?” “I think you’re full of shit, John” “At least the damaged baby looks realistic” “I feel like this is an analogy?” Explained how Dean is Baby

🎶it’s not a protection spell. He’s going to summon the demon or reaper or something instead🎶

“Too bad it took you this long to see that, Dean” “Are they going to play Don’t Fear the Reaper?” “Reapers are trouble, though, so idk”

I don’t think reapers are bad. They go with you to the next destination; it’s nice

“That’s an oddly empty room” “Imagine anyone listening to this conversation just outside the door. This ultra-weird cult-family bullshit yelling about demons and deals and summoning; I’d slowly walk away and never make eye contact. Imagine hearing about a demon killing their mother and the girlfriend” “I don’t know that reference” explained Ghost the movie

NIPPLES

“The burn marks would be bigger on his chest” Me singing about seeing Dean’s boobers solely because it’s fun

“I love how he never has this scar for the rest of this show. I guess eventually they get an angel to fix everything” “the first thing you say to an upset woman - calm down” then laughing hysterically girl she doesn’t know you - maybe you do listen to Yanni and play with crystals 

Spouse is having a stressful time with this episode because of Health Events from earlier this year. It’s why we are doing this rewatch; so I can have his words later down the road in case Bad Things happen again, and we aren’t as fortunate next time. He’s ok overall, but he’s my delicate flower / my good time boy-eh / my bestest boy / my Victorian bride who needs to go to the seaside for her constitution. He’s currently wrapped in a tortilla blanket so he’s my delicate burrito atm. 

“This bitch is the reaper, right?”

“Just calm down and stay here. Not “you can follow me”” “What a weird thing to say” “Dean’s going to make fun of him anyway” “Dean is dressed for a slumber party” “dun dun dun” 🎶daddy’s gone🎶

“He’s doing his little summoning ritual already” “That’s a lot of crystals” “I don’t think they use the sandbox analogy for reapers again” “These guys really like cutting themselves right in the fkn palms, don’t they?” 🎶happy birthday to you / We’re giving birth to a demon / it’s one second old / it’s going to arrive right now🎶

“Why didn’t John pull the trigger already? He’s pulling a Sam? They already know it can blink away.” “terrible sales pitch really” “Did they actually killed Yellow Eye’s children? Or is it figurative?” “I can’t remember how this works out” “Well, it’s not you who needs help, Dean” “Something like that” “I forgot how low-budget that effect was at first” “This is the thing that the boys get upset over later, right?” “still making Sam doing the bitch work” “what’s with all the sentimental bullshit? Like I know he knows he’s going to die, but John never gave a shit before” “I didn’t pick up on this the first time, but when they all questioned it, I don’t think I fully understood everything. This rewatch though, it’s all overdone and somehow I’m a dumbass and missed all of this” Us analyzing that this Grand Gesture is really shitty overall

“I think they spent more money on that coffee than they did with that demon/reaper scene” “That took long enough”

#beautifulspouserewatchesspn #supernatural #supernatural s2 #supernatural rewatch

[maxwell-grant]

Having asked your thoughts on designing Frankenstein's daemon, might I now ask your thoughts on bringing Count Dracula from the written word into illustration? (I'm definitely in favour of the 'Hairy Old Mountain Man of Horror pretending he's people' look from the original novel; one of the small tests too many Draculas fail to pass is an absolutely tragic lack of the Evil Beard and/or Wicked Moustache explicitly described by Mr Stoker).

Unlike with Frankenstein, where I think the design needs to be painstakingly thought out in order to achieve the best balance of the creature's traits for horror and tragedy alike, I think with Dracula you can actually just take an approach of "whatever works". Because as I mentioned before, I think much of the appeal and longevity of Dracula is how the character's both a layered villain as well as a shapeshifting narrative force that can be tailored to whatever you want to do with. Granted, there are bad or dissappointing Dracula designs, of course there are, but in regards to the leeway you get for reinterpretation, you get a lot more of it with Dracula than with other literary icons.

Like with Frankenstein, I'm gonna bring up how I'd tackle a less grim, more comedy-centric Dracula first, one that's less a force of horror and more of a charismatic villain, and I think to that end I definitely agree that people are sleeping a lot on the hairy old man barely-passing-off-as-humanoid of the original story. Despite very much loving these performers, I'm actually not a fan of takes that mold Dracula too closely to people who've portrayed him, like Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, partially because I think it's a waste of an opportunity to create your own Dracula design. Since I can't draw (yet), I'll do what I usually do and make a board of images to try and convey some of my thoughts on one way I'd design Dracula.

(Pictured: Kiwi's design for Dracula, Hotel Transylvania concept art, Nandor, Castlevania Dracula, Charles Dance in Dracula Untold, Vladislav, a Transylvanian rug)

I used the images in my other Dracula post and I’ll post it here again because I absolutely adore @kiwibyrd's designs for Dracula and it's main heroes, in particular I love the way it strikes a good balance at making sure Dracula looks distinctly separate from the humans, but not too much that he couldn't conceivably operate in society as just a harmless old man. I also adore the mustache and bushy eyebrows and pointy ears and I think these three are wonderful features to keep on any Dracula design. I'm also very partial to the Hotel Transylvania concept art, even if it makes me incredibly depressed to look at all the great designs they had for Dracula that they threw in the trash because they somehow decided making him look like Adam Sandler was the idea to go with.

I deeply adore What We Do In The Shadows, both the movie and the show, and Jemaine Clement's Vladislav is one of my favorite (maybe even my actual favorite) on-screen Draculas. But I also enjoy Nandor just as much, and I think it's really great that as a character he's completely different from Vlad while also being ostensibly a take on Dracula, and in particular I bring up his Jersey look because "Dracula in common clothing" is a criminally underrated concept for a joke.

As a character, I'm very partial to comedy takes on Dracula that play him up as a decadent aristocratic supervillain, the kind that can get away with talking in third person. I also have this idea for a version of Dracula who dresses ostentatiously in finely-broidered Romanian or Transylvanian patterns, maybe even wearing a rug as a cape, claiming that he's carrying the legacy of his people on his back. And of course he's lying, he's not Vlad Tepes and he's not even Romanian, he is just a parasite pretending to have a history to be proud of, but good luck getting him to admit that. And finally, I'd like this version to be played by Charles Dance, and I consider it a tremendous crime against humanity that he has yet to play Dracula proper even despite being in a film with the character's name on the title.

So that's kinda how I would design a take on Dracula for something more comedic or more based around him as this guest character and personality on-set. Now, if we're talking a more serious version, I think the possibilities increase, and I won't be getting into all of them because I may prefer to keep them to myself, but I'll elaborate a few ideas.

For example, the edition of Dracula I personally own comes with these really scratchy, really creepy B&W illustrations related to the story, that I can't find scanned online so I'm uploading them here so you can look at. They don't necessarily depict the scenes but rather some of the story's moments, like Van Helsing staking Lucy, Renfield in a straightjacket, Dracula as a coachman, and they are more focused on conveying the horror of the concepts at play.

Dracula never looks the same way in any of the illustrations, in fact you kinda have to piece him out of them by trying to find teeth or capes or eyes or bat-features to see where he's hiding this time. In the first, it's the half-man half-bat, in the 2nd, he's the shrieking bat silhouette next to Renfield, and in the latter, he's the gaping jaws and eerily humanoid eyes in the wolf. The effect to me almost feels like if you were to look at a bunch of tv static and then see a humanoid shape form for a split second before everything went back to normal, something like you'd get from Slender Man or other modern creepypastas, and I’ve argued before that Dracula’s form of horror is a very modern one. 

In terms of illustrations of Dracula that keep up the original traits while still pulling off horror, I definitely have to hand it to the one at the left of the image above, drawn by regourso on Deviantart (account deleted at present). Going back to Castlevania’s many takes on Dracula, two in particular that stick out to me would be Castlevania: Judgment’s armored dress Dracula, who’s got this great twisted heart/rose motif going on in his outfit, and Dracula’s final form in SOTN where he just sits in his throne and his cape twists into all these monsters, particularly how it’s depicted by witnesstheabsurd’s depiction. 

I’m not particularly a fan of how Dracula’s “final form” in these games is usually just some big demon, and part of what I like about his final form in SOTN instead is that, while it’s not a particularly challenging final boss, I do find it interesting the idea of us never actually getting to see what Dracula’s true final form looks like, only an ever-shifting pitch-black torrent of teeth and claws and bloody veins pouring out because that’s ultimately what Dracula is and brings to the world.

On the flip-side of the rotten old monster, we have the charming seductor Dracula, and while I’m really not a fan of how various adaptations have convinced people that “the point” of Dracula is that he’s a seductive force and an allegory for Victorian xenophobia and I’m reeeally even less of a fan of adaptations that make Dracula some misunderstood tragic hero (and I think I’ve made rather violently clear my feelings on interpretations that play up a romance between him and Mina), that the seductive force part exists is impossible to deny, so conversely, while on one hand we can have Dracula as the gargantuan whirlwind of predatory violence, we can also go for Dracula as the tantalizing lover.

I’ve seen a lot of opinions proclaiming Frank Langella as the best Dracula because he was the best at actually being seductive while still playing Dracula, although I haven’t yet seen his performances. If I had to point at one picture I look at and do buy for a second the idea of Dracula as a romantic character, it would be that particular still of Raul Julia in the left of the above image. And it’s strange for me to think of Raul Julia as attractive because I mainly associate him with his brilliant comedy performance of M.Bison (I know it’s far from the highlight of his career but, look, I grew up with Street Fighter, I can’t help it) but those eyes are definitely looking pretty convincing to me, if nothing else. 

And I’ve included this still of Sebastian Stan in the right because, during a conversation between me, @krinsbez and @jcogginsa about who could be a good fit for Dracula, jcog suggested Sebastian Stan, partially because he’s Romanian, and I’ve learned recently that Stan was actually interested in playing the character in Blumhouse’s upcoming remake. And you’d think I’d hate this idea  considering how much I don’t care for tragic anti-hero Draculas, but who says that’s what he’d have to play? 

Do you have any idea how much actors, who are traditionally known for heroic or supporting roles, usually LOVE it when you give them a chance to cut loose as the main villain?

I’d want Sebastian Stan to put all of his charm, all of his talent, all of his good looks and etc, into playing the absolute most vicious, bloodthirsty and irredeemable Dracula put on screen. Someone who is exceedingly, eerily good at being a lovable protagonist, who’s all smiles and charming eyes and politeness mannerisms and maybe even a funny accent, and then it isn't as funny when he's flying through your window intent on kidnapping babies to feed to his brides, except he may take a moment or two to do so because he's feeling pretty hungry himself right now.

Now, admittedly this is kind of a lot to juggle in regards to a single character, which is why my answer for questions like these inevitably has to be “depends on what I’m going for”. That being said, if I was going to try and cast someone who I think could both look the part of Dracula, as well as respectively, play “cartoon aristocrat” Dracula, “mercurial embodiment of evil” Dracula, as well as realistically be an attractive, even seductive performer who can charm viewers even as the character descends into horrible villainy, and juggle these performances even?

I think I’d have to go with Mads Mikkelsen. Not specifically because of Hannibal (I actually haven’t watched it yet), although it’s definitely a factor, the thing that actually made me pick him specifically is, other than his looks, his voice, his reputation for playing sinister characters, the fact that he loves the role and wants to play it, or how many people are deeply in love with this man, or that people already joke that he looks like a vampire, was watching him in Another Round, and specifically that glorious final scene where he’s just dancing to his heart’s content and just, moving with such spring in his step and such joyful vitality even though he’s past his mid-fifties, and that was the moment where, in regards to how much you all love this man, I went

And now I am going to add “casting Mads Mikkelsen as a dancing Dracula” to The List of Reasons Why I Became a Filmmaker.

#replies tag #dracula #horror tag #bram stoker #charles dance #sebastian stan #mads mikkelsen #castlevania #raul julia #wwdits #what we do in the shadows #vladislav #nandor

[unrestedjade]

Baseless Ferengi headcanons no one asked for and that get increasingly queer-navel-gazing and self indulgent because the horrible space goblins have consumed my brain:

- Mobile ears, because if hearing is so well developed and important to them they should be able to aim those big stupid radar dishes. Also because then they can emote with them and that's cute. THE AESTHETIC IS PARAMOUNT.

- Since they canonically sharpen their teeth with chew sticks and sharpeners, their teeth must grow continuously. So I submit: subcultures that let certain teeth grow out as a fashion/political statement. Ferengi punks and anarchists with 5" tusks. Ferengi with all their teeth filed flat (mom and dad HATE it).

- Corollary to the above, most of their teeth are crooked. At the least, they don't share our fetish for straight teeth. What if their teeth are deciduous, and there's no point in trying to force them into perfect alignment, since they'll just fall out and get replaced? So like, sharks but their teeth can also grow longer with no limit. WHAT HAST EVOLUTION WROUGHT ON FERENGINAR :V

- Parents nagging their kids to sharpen their teeth "or they'll grow up into your brain and you'll die :)"

- Personal space? Don't know her.

Okay I need a cut because there's too many now. WHOLE SOCIETY OF GAY HOMOPHOBIC UNCLES AND AUNTS GO I HAVE A PROBLEM

- I can't remember who on here put forth the idea of them having retractable claws but Yes. :3

- Pushing back against the worst canon episode a bit but: relative ear size being the only obvious sexually dimorphic trait, and even that having enough of a gray area that the only way to be 100% sure you're talking to a male or female Ferengi is if you do a blood test. Unless they're intersex! *shrug emoji*

- This is why they're so fanatical about gender conformity and their Victorian "separate spheres" attitude to men and women's roles. Capitalist patriarchy is fragile! And as artificial to Ferengi as it ever was to Humans! (self-indulgenceeeee about gender shiiiiit)

- You know how with domesticated rabbits, the rabbit getting groomed and paid attention to is the boss? Yeah. Go ahead and paint your bestie's nails, just don't be surprised if she cops a little bit of an attitude with you from then on.

- Their fight/flight/freeze/fawn instincts skew heavily toward the last three, and what a lot of other species read as annoying sucking up is the Ferengi in question feeling anxious and unsafe. Especially if they don't feel integrated into the group. Even being at the bottom of the pecking order is better than not being in the flock at all.

- If they DO opt for fight, it's ugly and typically their last resort. Bites or scratches will get infected without intervention-- microbes that their immune system can handle could cause big trouble for aliens. You might wanna check for full or partial teeth that break off and get lodged in the wound, too.

- Too many of these are tooth related but I don't care. :B More teeth stuff: you know what else has teeth that grow constantly? Puffer fish. Likewise, Ferengi can chew up mollusk shells as easy as potato chips, and they need the minerals for their teeth. (Imagine grandpa Sisko offering Nog a crayfish for the first time and watching as he just...pops the whole damn thing in his mouth and crunches away...)

- Their staple foods seem to be grubs and other arthropods, high in protein and fat. I've unilaterally decided their cuisine also involves a lot of edible fungi, ferns, plant shoots and seeds. Gotta get those vitamins. Overall flavor profile leaning toward umami, vegetal, and fresh herbs, and pretty mild (or "delicate" if you wanna be snooty about it, which a Ferengi probably would let's be real).

- Not much sugary food. I'm basing this solely on Quark's aversion to root beer as "cloying". Which could definitely just be his personal preference, but most of the people I hear hating on root beer cite the actual sassafras/sarsaparilla flavor (saying it tastes like medicine) not the sweetness. Nog might be the weirdo outlier for being able to enjoy it.

- Their home planet isn't bright and sunny, so their eyes are better at discerning shades of gray in low light conditions, with relatively weak color vision. Which could explain why they dress Like That.

- Conversely, human music has a reputation for stinking on ice because a lot of it is juuuuust lightly dissonant or out of tune because we can't pick up flaws that small. Ferengi can, and it drives them up the *wall*.

- Music? So many different kinds. Traditionally, maybe lots of percussion and winds, and water as a common component of many instruments to alter pitch or tone. Polyphony out the ass. Some of the modern stuff is an impenetrable wall of sound if you're not a species with a lot of brain real estate devoted to processing sounds. Pick out one melody to follow at a time.

- Yes, back to teeth again I'm sorry. It's a sickness. At some point in their history, pre-chewing food was just something you did for your baby or great grandma as a matter of necessity. Possibly your baby gets an important boost to their immune system and gut biome from your spit. At some point takes on a more formal intimacy aspect and gradually drifted from something all adults and older kids do to something only women do. Your husband and older kids have perfectly functional teeth, but you love them, right? =_= (Think old memes about husbands being useless in the kitchen if little wifey isn't there to cook, but even more ridiculous. Ishka was right about everything but especially this. Thank you for making your family chew their own food, Ishka. Not all heroes wear capes. Or anything!)

- How did they get started on the whole men: clothed vs women: unclothed nonsense? My equally stupid idea: men just get cold easier. Those huge ears dissipate a ton of body heat. Cue Ferengi cliches like "jeez, we could be standing on the surface of the sun and my husband would put on another layer." At some point, again, this got codified and pushed to ridiculous extremes in the name of controlling women and keeping everyone in their assigned box, to the point that women just have to shiver if they really are too cold and men have to pass out from heat stroke if the alternative is going shirtless, because That Would Be Inappropriate.

- Marriages default to five years, but they're also the only avenue for women to have their own household or any stability. Plus their religion places no emphasis on purity save for pure adherence to the free market and the RoA. So, curveball to the rest of their patriarchal bullshit: female virginity isn't a concern in the least. Bring it up and they'll rightly side-eye you.

- Family law is absolutely bonkers and lawyers that specialize in it make BANK. I feel like custody would default to the father usually but oh wait, the maternal grandfather has a legal stake in this, too, and your next father-in-law is asking HOW many kids are you dragging into my daughter's house, etc etc. Growing up with a full sibling is way rarer than growing up with half or stepsiblings, since it usually takes both men and women two or three tries to find someone they vibe with. (Not love, unless you're super cringe.)

- A misogynistic society is a homophobic society. Imo those flavors of shittiness just come in pairs. Homosexual behaviors are fine within certain parameters (aka "always have sex with the boss") but not on your own terms. To add spice, bisexuality is their most common mode (because I'm bi and these are my hcs for my fics I'm not writing, so there), but capitalism demands fresh grist for the mill so you better get het-married and pop out some kids you lowly peons. You have a choice so make the proper one. :)

- Corollary to the above, that doesn't keep all kinds of illicit "we're just friends with quid-pro-quo benefits for realsies" affairs of every stripe and every gender from going on everywhere. Many Ferengi have a lightbulb moment somewhere in early adulthood when they figure out their dad's business partner or the "auntie" who visited their mom every month had a little more going on.

- Plus there's way more gender non-conformity and varying degrees of trans-ing than the powers that be have a handle on. Pel isn't unique, even if most would have to somehow make it out into space to be able to thrive.

Damn a lot of these are just my personal bugbears plus THE GILDED AGE BUT WITH HAIRLESS SPACE RODENTS ain't they

- Women can't earn profit, okay. But lending or "lending" things to each other isn't commerce, riiiiiiight? To be assigned female is to master navigating a vast, dizzying barter/gift economy. Smart boys and men leverage this, too, and there are splinter sects that view this as the purest expression of the Great Material Continuum.

- Of course plenty of women make profit anyway, and just do their bast to dodge the FCA. The tough thing about insisting on using latinum as currency is that cash can be so hard to track, you know?

- Because of the RoA, guys are discouraged from doing favors or giving gifts without setting clear expectation of getting some return on investment. This can twist into an expression of friendship (and of course women do it too), and the ledger will keep cycling between debit and credit among friends for decades. A common mistake aliens make is to tell them recompense isn't needed without explaining why, or return their favor or present with something that zeroes out the debt. The Ferengi will assume you want to break off the friendship. (I cribbed this from dim memories of an African studies course I took in 2007 and whose textbook I know I still have but I can't frigging find it...)

- Flirting, they do a lot of it for a lot of reasons. Roddenberry made it clear that they're just straight up pretty horny, but there's no reason it can't pull double duty for building alliances with other people, smoothing over feuds or disagreements, or cementing friendships. Ferengi who are ace and/or sex-repulsed are possibly viewed similar to the way we'd view someone who's "not a hugger/not big on touching" and if they flirt just don't get offended if it doesn't go any further; aro Ferengi don't garner much comment aside from an occasional "wow how badass, never falling in love with anyone."

- where to even start on making sense of the Blessed Exchequer??? Like seriously, what is this literal prosperity gospel insanity, I need to force myself to re-read Rand and like, some Milton Friedman for this shit. Help.

- fuck I'm probably going to actually do that, RIP me...

#ds9 #star trek #meta #ferengi #i love them Too Much help #reliving my brief libertarian phase from high school from the opposite direction #my heart wants to make them simultaneously as queer and as repressed as possible #i didn't even make it to the goddamned blessed exchequer my head is too full #i will find beauty in this vulgarity if it kills me #this is too long #why did i spend my time this way

[asagimeta]

Enhypen Theory- Ruins & Rituals

So I've been watching Given/Taken alot lately for writing purposes and am curious about something....

What's with the weird monument?

The beginning of the video starts with Jungwon standing in a desert with a bleeding nose, but we don't see this scenery again until the third "arc" of the music video, when the rest of the boys join him and immitate firing arrows at this broken monument of some kind- we later see them at night, dressed in their uniforms, dancing in front of it- though before this Jungwon is seen again slowly burning from (presumably) the sunlight

But... what is it? What's the significance and why does the video open there? Why are they firing arrows? There are just so many questions and I, personally, haven't really seen this part of G/T addressed yet so I'm going to take a shot at it for my first HYBE theory! (I actually have been *following* HYBE theories for a few months now but I'm new to K-Pop in general so I've been quiet until now)

First, it's important to note that it stands out as odd from the rest of the video

The beginning and middle of the video have two primary locations with similar but still considerably different vibes-

Old fashioned clothes, indoors, a sense of containment and "other"ness, even though they aren't the same, you can still feel the connection to eachother- but that's completely removed in the desert scenes, wich are outdoors, in modern clothing, and present the boys with more individuality (IE: lacking uniforms)

And it makes me wonder if the ruins they're visiting are of their old testing facility

Let me break it down a bit better-

The two primary locations we see other than these ruins are a mansion-wich I'll, possibly incorrectly, refer to as "the orphanage" henceforth- and a testing/containment/research facility of some sort

At first I wondered if the ruins were simply the orphanage but that's clearly not the case as you can see the exterior of the mansion in one of the snapshots early on, it's very different looking- even the shape is extremely different, and it seems to be in a forest just below a hill, not in the middle of a desert

What about the other place though? The facility- as I'll call it from here on- doesn't have the same deniability

In fact, we see a very similarly shaped building to the ruins during one of the snapshots, but we don't have any clear indication of what it is, why would it just randomly be there? Unless, ofcourse, it isn't random

Initially I assumed the orphanage and the facility were the same place because the boys are wearing the uniforms in both locations, but I'm starting to think that isn't the case, and that the boys were moved to the facility after being experimented on at the orphanage

The thing is that vampires don't always turn when they're given the venom/virus/blood/whatever-it-is-that-turns them, and when this substance is manmade or engineered somehow, it takes even less frequently, this is true of all supernaturals, and again, is emphasized when the people attempting to make the transitions are humans experimenting with forces beyond their understanding, so it's typical of these practioners to have large "sample sizes" of potential experiments, often turning to hospitals, schools, and orphanages (to name a few) seeking the few candidates that can survive and thrive under these new conditions- from there they'll experiment on all of them until they get the desired result, and those select few will move on in the process to the next step

Sound familiar at all? I think this is further representative of the idol industry

We know that a big theme of Enhypen's storyline is going against the toxic nature of the idol industry, with songs like "Not For Sale" and "Mixed Up", and themes like being museum or display peices in "Let Me In", and the process of a large group of young boys being picked through and groomed until there are only a few left standing, who are then taken away from the "orphanage" and brought to a more intense experimentation/testing facility, sounds alot like idol-potentials who are on talent shows, win, and then assigned to a group and agency who put them through intense preperation for their debut

We know Enhypen went through that exact process on I-Land, so it's not a stretch to say this may be what they're referencing

But back to the ruins

You can see a definite difference in the way the orphanage looks vs the facility, wile the orphanage is a western style mansion that looks like it came from the late Victorian era- though, as Laina Sunflower pointed out, it does seem to have some modern conveniences like pen lights and electric fans- (the person conducting the experiments is also wearing a face mask, wich looks more modern from what I can tell)

-the facility is seemingly more modern than that, and has a much less homey feel, resembling instead a more containment type of vibe- large areas of open space, large glass windows dividing one from another, and the boys all seem to have their own rooms to keep separated from eachother, very unlike the mansion where you can probably safely assume that they share rooms, as unlike the sleek, minimal style of the facility, is cluttered with children's toys, furnishings, and accents, and you get the vibe that the boys are allowed around eachother often, the entire feel is more casual, and considering the number of tables in the dining room, you can also safely assume that there are many more inhabitants of the orphanage than just Enhypen themselves, meaning that it's more likely they share rooms

We know what the outside of the mansion looks like, but we don't have as definitive of a space for the facility

Wile the tower in the snapshot is a bit different in shape from the ruins, they're similar enough, and the landscape is notably perfect for a facility containing baby vampires- a barren desert devoid of the one thing they need most (blood) and full of the one thing that can most harm them (sunlight), it would be like keeping Superman in a chamber beneath the red sun surrounded by kryptonite, there's very little chance of them escaping

There's also something particularly strange about the ruins, in that there's a LADDER hanging off of one side leading to the top of the facility

The entire set up reminds me of the vampire facility in True Blood, and I wouldn't be surprised if the facility had this peculiar setup to make it even more difficult on the boys to possibly escape, I wouldn't even be surprised if these ruins are only a small portion of what's been left, maybe the original facility was a little in tune with the building from the snapshots before whatever happened to it... happened

There's also some other things I want to point out with this line of thought-

Sunghoon is kept in a room filled with orange light at one point, sitting on the edge of a bathtub-?- when his hand catches on fire

Some have theorized that this is Sunghoon's power, just like other boys have the power to levitate, hypnotize, and teleport, but what if that isn't it? What if that was the facility testing him in a room full of manufactured sunlight to see if he indeed burns in the sun? True Blood, again, has a similar theme (and it wouldn't be unusual for HYBE to draw influences from other popular media, what with TXT's frequent Harry Potter references)

Additionally, could this be in part about their escape from the facility? We see the boys make a running motion as though they're trying to get away, only to stop

We see something almost exactly the same in "Fever", but this time they succeed in seeming to go through the door to their freedom

I also wonder if the Victorian style clothing vs the French Roccoco style clothing is meant to show that there was a large gap between the time they were originally imprisoned and the time they got out?

This also fits with "Drunk Dazed", we see the mystery woman before the boys, still in their Rococo style clothes, performing a "ritual of blood" by pouring blood into the fountain, could the boys have been rescued, found, or "adopted" by **real** vampires after their, probable, human experiments? If the French Rococo style represents the boys during their escape period, this could make senses, and could also serve to explain, to a degree, their blood festivities in the first place

This doesn't make alot of sense though in terms of timing as the Victorian era is around two hundred years *after* the French Rococo period, so unless it's symbolic....

But I've wondered about the weird contrast between the boys being experimented into vampirism vs being turned naturally, as the mystery woman seems to heavily implicate that she herself is a vampire and that she's showing the boys a "natural" ritual, something that's part of the vampire community/species/way of life, but this is a giant contrast to the more clinical, experimentation vibe of what the boys had been going through in their orphanage/facility days; I'm reminded again of True Blood here, as well as "Bitten", "Servamp" (the manga), and plenty of others where the older, stronger vampires (or werewolves) free the younger ones from human captivity

Things I still haven't figured out or that I find most notable:

-Jungwon seems seperated from the others the most here, he's the one at the beginning with the nosebleed and the one catching on fire- something that doesn't happen to any of the other boys- and in one of the flashbacks he's the one standing outside of the orphanage banging on the window as the others go about their routines, and in “Fever” he’s the one left behind/last in line when everyone is running towards the door, he seems to be the "main" charector in Given/Taken, as he's the last one on screen revealing what everyone suspected: that they're vampires; he's also the one with teleportation, most prominantely seen in Drunk/Dazed, flittering around outside the room where Sunoo is pouring his blood into his glass and coming in between the two groups of three who, according again to Laina Sunflower, seem to be at odds with eachother

-Sunoo is also the one seen to be biting (or attempting to bite) Jungwon, this could be a really interesting nod to their relationship, the two seem to be connected in a special way (is this why Jungwon is outside Sunoo’s room in Drunk/Dazed, flittering around anxiously as though he’s not sure what to do with himself or isn’t sure what to do about something that’s bothering him?) Could Sunoo have been responsible for turning Jungwon, or maybe completing his transformation? Or even just feeding off of him, wich, in some lore, creates a special bond between two vampires?

-Speaking of Drunk/Dazed, we see the mansion reappear during their first "bloody birthday party"- when there was only one candle on the cake- does this mean that they celebrated their life as vampires before being transferred to the facility? Were they vampires for a fair amount of time- several months or maybe even a year or two- before being taken away?

-Why are they immitating firing arrows? They don't seem to be *actually* doing this, just mimicking it, why expose themselves to the sun just for something symbolic? Is it a repetition of something they've done before? Did they originally destroy the facility themselves? Or it it something else..?

If anyone has any ideas definitely let me know, HYBE is my new favorite thing for theorizing!

#enhypen #enhypen theory #hybe #hybe universe #kpop #kpop theory #hybe theory #hybe universe theory #dark moon with enhypen

[grayhouse3]

SJTR is my villain origin story

So I finished Stalking Jack the Ripper.

Originally I told myself that I was going to just stick it out and read the next one (“Oh, it’s about vampires and Dracula. It’s probably more fun. You can forget all about the pain this one inflicted on you"). No. I got 12% of the way through and had to DNF. So here are my messily compiled thoughts on the book, basically expanded from the last post. Honestly, kind of feel free knowing I won’t be writing more about this series. (Also I am adding some TWs down below but don't know if I am doing them right!)

More on the exoticism, weirdness with Audrey Rose's Indian mother, and the British Empire:

In chapter 14, we read, "Dark strands of hair were piled atop my head, my eyes more mysterious somehow with the dark liner, and my lips were the bright crimson of freshly spilled blood … I thought of my mother and the saris she’d brought me to wear from Grandmama’s homeland. I felt just as stunning now as I did then, and the memory warmed me.” I am still trying to figure out why Maniscalco made Audrey Rose mixed race. Why is Audrey Rose’s grandmother from India? Literally, what did it add to the story? Was it nothing more than just a cute lil quirky fun character trait to her? I don’t think I missed any key moments where there were important conversations about race, imperialism, British occupation, etc., mostly because Audrey Rose’s father (a big fancy rich lord) is a white man and because Audrey Rose is white-passing. I can’t recall any moments in the book where she faces the realities/consequences of being a socially mobile POC WOMAN in LONDON IN THE 1880s. Honestly, if someone else can point out a passage I glossed over or explain some nuance I missed I would actually really appreciate it, because this drove me CRAZY.

(Audrey Rose and her brother also go visit a circus in town in chapter 15; of course these events existed purely for England/colonizing countries to exercise and display their power and to exoticize/exploit the communities/cultures that they came into contact with. Audrey Rose sees silks, beads, etc. that remind her of her grandmother’s saris, smells the foods of her family’s “homeland,” etc. Also in the same chapter there’s this great scene where her brother is describing their mother and father’s marriage: “Grandmama told me she’d refused him twenty times just for fun,” Nathaniel replied. “Said he squirmed like a cobra in a basket. That’s how she knew he was in love.” Uhhh … Is that supposed to be romantic?)

On the feminism stuff:

I am too *gestures vaguely* to write much more on this. Yeah, it’s heavy-handed. Yeah, it’s cringey. But at the end of the day, it’s not really that harmful, I guess. Here’s just a fun sampling of some of my favorite lines from the book:A few of my favorite bites from the book:

***“close-minded society” (chapter 21) Okay

***"Why turn a murderer of women into front-page news?” (chapter 15) Bro do you know how the media works

***"But what of her [mother’s] insistence that I could be both strong and beautiful? Surely Father had to be wrong.” (chapter 21) Yes girl you are strong and beautiful!

***"There would be no skirts or bustles to wrangle with anymore. I was through with things confining me” (chapter 22) Ugh down with corsets just another tool of the patriarchy amirite

On the violence against women, weird classism, and stuff about prostitution:

I was bound to be uncomfortable about a lot of this because I have weird feelings about true crime stuff, and this is historical fiction set around the Jack the Ripper murders. It was going to go sour somewhere.

Consistently Audrey Rose wants to be sympathetic, but is unable to connect all the parts of this situation together: she struggles to imagine the women (very real-life victims) beyond their lives of prostitution, poverty, squalor. When she does, we see something like this: "The women he murdered did matter ... They were daughters and wives and mothers and sisters” (chapter 28). Oftentimes she wishes she could continue to cut cadavers open in peace (women in science!) without having to think about how those cadavers came to be on her examination table: “I needed to get away from those women and their tragic lives before my emotions got the better of me” (chapter 25). Perhaps Maniscalco deserves more credit here, and perhaps I’m just being a bitch, because Audrey Rose is a very privileged girl and her actions and thoughts make that clear. It’s just that the conclusions she comes to in the name of feminism, justice, etc. weren’t at all satisfying to me.

Also: OH MY GOD. Oh my god. There is this one moment that is BRANDED AGAINST THE GRAY MATTER OF MY BRAIN FOREVER and I will never forget it. At one point, Audrey Rose and love interest Thomas decide the best thing they can do is go out and—yes—stalk Jack the Ripper. To do this, they know they need to “blend in” with the crowds in East End. So … like … cosplaying as poor people? Audrey Rose manages to find and wear the dress of ONE OF THE MURDER VICTIMS (long story short her medical doctor uncle was in a relationship with this woman and when she died he acquired her worldly possessions). It’s like, so fucked up, I can’t even describe my reaction when I read it. In chapter 25 we read, "The dress was a little too old, a little too ragged, a bit too big. If I were to wear this ghastly dress out, I’d look as if I belonged in the East End, begging for work to feed my addictions … It was absolutely perfect.” Oh my god. And THAT’S NOT EVEN THE WORST PART. While they’re “stalking Jack the Ripper” on this incredibly stupid mission, the two main characters just … make out in an alley. Like, okay. People are being murdered and you’re wearing a dead woman’s dress and you suspect your father of being guilty, but yeah, that kind of stuff makes us all a little horny. Super relatable. Absolutely no concept of reality or consequences or anything at all.

Another random note on class: I noticed the only time Maniscalco writes in dialects/accents, she’s writing seedy/working-class characters. Not saying this is a problem unique to Maniscalco’s writing by a longshot, but ... something to think on. (I think it’s ingrained in a lot of author’s writing habits/minds at this point.)

Weird stuff about the dad, the brother, and what justice means to Audrey Rose:

I had to add a whole new highlighting color for this stuff!

Any growth Audrey Rose might’ve shown over the course of the novel—anything about how these women mattered, and how they deserved justice as any “highborn” individual might, simply by dint of being humans—goes away when she and Thomas come to the conclusion that the Ripper murders must have been committed by Audrey Rose’s father. She realizes her moral dilemma when she contends with the harsh reality: if her father is the Ripper, can she turn him into the authorities? Audrey Rose worries how that might impact her own moral virtue: "They’d hang Father. Given who he was, they’d make it as public and brutal as possible. Just because blood might stain his hands did not mean I wanted his on mine. No matter if it was right or wrong” (chapter 24). First of all, BITCH. You have to. You have to report this kind of thing. No ifs, ands, or buts. I HAVE to imagine Maniscalco’s intended audience would feel the same? It’s? Serial murder? Second: Audrey Rose, baby, sweetie, honey. This is just a reminder that ACAB. I actually don’t know a whole lot about how the late Victorian criminal justice system functioned, but something tells me her family's public outlook would’ve been less bleak than she imagines here.

Lucky for Audrey Rose, her dad isn’t guilty in the end—but her brother sure is. He’s a mad scientist, using the brutalized bodies and souvenirs of his victims for Frankenstein-style experiments. Ultimately, he wants to reanimate the corpse of his and Audrey Rose’s long-dead mother, and he believes he can achieve this by transplanting fresh organs into ? Her dead and decomposed body? The thing is that, this moral dilemma persists for Audrey Rose—and her dad, too. He pressures her not to bring the little matter of Nathaniel’s issue—you know, his casual murder of a number of local women—to Scotland Yard: “They’ll have your brother hanged,” he said quietly. “Could you honestly watch that happen? As a family, have we not suffered enough?” (chapter 29). Nathaniel electrocutes himself to evade capture by the authorities, and Audrey Rose and her father feel relief. The book ends by confirming that "Lord Edmund covered up Nathaniel’s involvement, I didn’t ask how. One day I’d let everyone know the truth, but the pain was too raw now” (chapter 30).

((Side note: Listen. I knew Nathaniel had something sinister going on from the GET-GO (I’m not trying to be obnoxious) because he basically started some nighttime vigilante group called the Whitechapel Knights of Justice or whatever bullshit, I don’t know. All I know is that my red flags IMMEDIATELY started going off because that sounds exactly like the terrible and awful Crusader cosplay clubs from my (bad) Catholic childhood, where everyone thinks they’re a knight for Good but really they’re the bad guy.))

Overall, kind of ...

I think one of my biggest issues with this ending was … You have already stepped into a realm of fantastical revisionist history here in writing such a fictionalized version of these real-life events. (I know Maniscalco is far from the first to do it.) That means that the rules you are playing by are essentially your own—evidenced by the liberties she points out in her Author’s/Historical note (dates changed for convenience or storytelling purposes, real-life individuals changed for narrative purposes, etc.). So WHY would you not conclude this fantasy retelling of the Jack the Ripper murders by meting out some form of justice? I hear the counterargument: "Well, because we still don’t know the culprit today. This book would ring hollow if it named someone since historians, forensic scientists, etc. still don’t know who committed these crimes." My question: is that really a problem though? This is a work of fiction. Nothing in history happened the way it is written here. Is it crueler to the women who were murdered and who remain spectacles for true crime junkies and authors like this, less satisfying to readers who want some more concrete kind of closure, to not offer that up? I am asking this in earnest here, because I don’t know. Maybe it is insensitive to make up a murderer, to fill in the gaps in order to make sense of the violence that happened. But in my brain it feels almost like a responsibility at this point, since these murders served as the backdrop for the romance between Audrey Rose and Thomas, for the background to Audrey Rose’s empty feminist diatribes, and as inspiration for a book that went on far longer than it needed to. To me it kind of feels like the least an author could do, but I have no clue.

Anyways, I'm just glad I get to put this series to bed. No more.I truly lost sleep over it this weekend. Onto something better, please, for the love of god.

#mnc reads #mnc writes #stalking jack the ripper #sjtr #I dont know what to tag this as but I dont want to leave anything out! #tw death #tw suicice #body horror #violence #classism #I guess #racism #maybe #I dont know #Im sorry

[missnxthingg]

Hii~ A request for Tom Holland x Reader :3 well, i don't know how to explain (i hope my english is not too bad and understandable) but it would be fun if Tom and Reader were in love with each other, but one day their families set up an arranged marriage and they don't know with whom (when it is to marry Tom and Reader, they don't know that they both come from a wealthy family) and therefore they do their best to cancel this wedding separately

Summary: Tom and (Y/N) have been dating for a while now and both knew that they loved the other more than anything in the world. But when they received the news that they were going to marry someone else, they try everything to call off the wedding, without knowing the whole story behind it

A/N: I loved your request, I really did. Don’t worry about your English, it’s fine! Also, my first language is Portuguese (the hardest language to speak on Earth, to be honest), so I make my own mistakes sometimes and I apologize. I made up names for family members to give some reality to the story and I got a little carried away with 10K words. And sorry I took too long.

Words: 10.2K 

Pairing: Rich!CEO!Tom Holland x Rich!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of sex, cursing, alcohol.

masterlist | main blog | gif source | story’s playlist | song title

ALWAYS THERE

Valentine’s Day was a very special day for many couples, especially for those who just got together and were really looking forward to having a nice date with their significant other. It didn’t really matter how cold the day was, the streets were full of couples trying to get to their dates and restaurants all booked up. For (Y/N) and Tom, it would be the very first time spending Valentine’s Day together. The had just got together, after meeting in each in a pub and started going out on dates together. It was fast but they really were completely falling for each other and that’s why today was so special for both of them.

The day started with (Y/N) getting a huge bouquet of flowers over her work dress and getting a lot of funny or jealous looks from her coworkers. And after a full day of work, both her and Tom rushed to their dinner reservation. Tom made sure to get the best place to have dinner with his girl, just because he wanted everything to be perfect. Somewhere that wasn’t crowded and the food was just so good. They almost lost their reservation because of the traffic, but luckily they made it to the restaurant just in time.

“Hi, darling. Happy valentine’s day.” Tom pulled her by the waist and kissed her deeply.

“Happy valentine’s day love.” She fixed his hair and smiled. “I’m sorry I’m late, it’s just… Traffic and work.”

“Yeah, I know. Me too.” He smiled and kissed her again. “Shall we go in?”

“Yes! I’m starving.” He followed her inside with a hand on the small of her back.

It was the perfect place for both of them. Not very crowded, lots of wine options, good music and good food. It was just so perfect, just the two of them, after a long day of work. They weren’t together for long, but judging by their faces when they were looking at each other, you could just know how in love they were.

“Thank you for the flowers earlier. Lilies are my favourite.”

“Just a little something for my favourite girl.” He searched for her hands over the table and rubbed circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. “How was your day?”

“Full. I had many job interviews to make and a really long and boring meeting. And I had to stick around a little longer just to choose the last outfits for tomorrow’s photoshoot.”

“Wow, you must be really tired.” He said and she nodded.

“Mostly mentally tired, but I’m okay now.” She tightened her grip on his hand and smiled. “How was your’s?”

“Tiring as well, but is mostly my dad’s fault. He’s been bothering me all week to come to dinner with both him and my mother and to be honest, it’s not something I’ve been looking forward to having because every time we are together, we fight.”

“Oh, I wish I could just go with you. It would be lovely to meet your parents. But my aunt is hosting a dinner tomorrow with a big part of my family and my mom said it’s important for me to be there.”

“It’s okay, darling. Maybe you can meet my parents some other time and I can meet yours. I just know that I’m dying to meet the two that graced us with your presence in the world.” He smirked and she laughed.

“That was cheesy.” 

“I know.” Both of them laughed and got excited to see their food coming in. “But yeah, I’m serious. I can’t wait to meet them because I really want this to be a serious thing.”

“I’m glad you are because I am too.” She blushed slightly, taking in her food for the first time. “Uhm, this is delicious.”

“I know right? I came here for a business lunch once and absolutely loved it!”

“It’s just so good. I don’t know if I’m starving or if this is really good.”

“I think both, darling.” He chuckled and she nodded, agreeing.

It was the perfect valentine date after a long day of work and stress, seeing each other and having a simple and nice dinner together was enough to calm their hearts. Tom couldn’t describe the way he felt about her. When she walked into the room was like she could just pull out every single particle of oxygen from the air and he needed her to be around so he could breathe again. She was literally breathtaking and Tom knew it since the first time they met. He also knew he wanted to marry that girl someday. (Y/N) literally felt the same and Tom somehow turned to be the person that really got her and he was the one that made her smile after a hard day. She couldn’t get herself to say, afraid that saying it would make it all go away, but she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. Of course, they were taking things slowly and it was too early into their relationship to even start talking about marriage, but it was something both of them wanted.

“I’m so glad we did this today. Our first valentine’s day together.” (Y/N) said after they ordered dessert.

“One we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”

“And we’ll tell our kids about it.” After they both realized what they’d just said, both fell into silence. “Sorry, I shouldn’t…”

“No, I started it.” He said looking down to the table. “But I really want this to be the first of many valentine’s days.”

“Me too.” She smiled. “And I’m sorry for rushing things and talking about kids, but I want it if you want it. Not right now of course, but if I had to have someone’s babies, I’d have yours.”

“I’d have yours too.” He blushed and both of them smiled widely for each other. 

“That’s cute, planning our future.”

“Really cute.” 

They were truly happy together and it was like nothing was going to tear them apart. What they weren’t expecting was the next day and the dinner they were going to have with their families separately. The end of their night was amazing, almost flawless. They ended up going back to her apartment and spending the whole night together with all their intimacy and everything. They woke up in each other’s arms but they quickly had to leave the apartment to go to work.

Working on the fashion industry could be hard most of the times, but (Y/N) loved every second of it. She spent the whole day working on a photoshoot for a fashion magazine interview and gathered new material to start some new small collection. It was a busy day, but she felt renewed after last night’s events and was really looking forward to spending some time with her family that she hasn’t seen in ages. So when the night came, she just ran to go get herself ready for a nice dinner with her family.

Of course, she found the nicest and most expensive dress in her closet just to go to that dinner. If there’s a thing she knew about her family is that they always noticed those little details like what she was wearing, especially after many investments in her fashion school. She needed to look absolutely perfect for them and she found the perfect dress for the occasion. It was a short white dress with a turtleneck and a long creme coat that fit her just fine and it was elegant, perfect for a family dinner.

Her aunt’s house was absolutely lovely. It was outside town and it kind of looked like a Victorian palace, but it was only her mansion that was so big that a person could easily get lost inside. Wasn’t much different from her old parent’s house, before they moved to a luxury apartment in the city, but her aunt’s was much bigger. She loved her family, but when it came to money and luxury, they’d never hold anything back to get it, coming to a point where they married her cousin Rufus with a girl, daughter of a big company in Paris, just to earn more money with the marriage. And years later she found out that Rufus was gay, which you repugned their forced marriage even more.

She parked her car in the middle of many other cars in front of the house, that was lit up with some amazing spotlights, making it look like a heavenly place. She rocked those heels making her way to the front door, trying to get a little bit more of quietness before she entered a place with a bunch of people bombing her with questions, but before she even rang the doorbell, the big wood door opened revealing one of her aunt’s butlers.

“Good evening, Ms (Y/L/N).” He said with a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Good evening, Mr Williams. Anyone here yet?”

“Everyone. And they were just waiting for your arrival.”

“Uhm, bummer that I’m so late for this.” She fixed her hair and he gave her some space to come in. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

(Y/N)’s aunt Amelia was the kind of woman that wanted everything perfect and in order, which meant that a simple family dinner could be easily turned to be a fancy dinner. Everyone was dressed nicely, which made you feel slightly underdressed. Her aunt herself was wearing a big black furry coat, expensive jewellery and Louboutins. Amelia welcome her niece like she was the most important guest of the night as if she was famous or something. She approached her with two glasses of Whisky in hand and a half-smoked cigarette between her fingers.

“(Y/N) darling, finally! We were already thinking you weren’t going to make it.”

“Sorry Auntie, I’ve been busy at work.” She replied with a smile on her face.

“Oh, so you must be really tired.” She extended one of the glasses towards her niece and winked. “Here, you might need to get some energy for tonight. I know how much you like Whisky with coconut water ice cubes.”

“Thank you, I’ve been needing this all day.”

“Come on, the whole family is waiting for you.”

The living room was filled with family, that including many of your aunts and uncles, cousins and their small families, your mom, dad and younger sister. Everyone was socializing, with drinks on hands and making nice conversation with each other. Very calmly, she made sure to say hi to everyone in particular. Her uncle Robert still made some bad jokes like every other uncle, some of her women cousins were having the motherhood fever and all they talked about was having kids. Her mom and dad were glad to see their older daughter again without any interruptions since she was too busy with work and secretly busy with a new boyfriend. Her younger sister was a little bored at that party, but she was trying to have a good time with her recently married husband and trying to get away from all the maternity talk. And for least, she met her cousin Rufus, sitting on the ground and playing with his twin little daughters while his wife was sitting on the couch with their newborn son.

“Hey Ruffie, so glad to see you here.”

“Hey (Y/N), glad to see you too.” He smiled at her while she kneeled down to meet with his daughters.

“Oh my God, Ronnie and Poppy are so big!” She smiled at him and he smiled back. 

“Time flies cousin. And now I have three kids.”

“And they are completely adorable.” She fixed Ronnie’s hair and picked her up in her arms. “Hey Ronnie, how have you been?”

“Good auntie (Y/N). Have you seen my dress? Dad said you made it for me.” She asked showing her beautiful yellow dress with little flowers all over it.

“That’s right darling, did you like it? I sent them to you and your sister as a gift.” 

“I loved it. And I’m sure Poppy liked it too.”

“(Y/N), for fuck’s sake, don’t get close to Veronica or Penelope with Whisky. It’s not good for them.” Her mother said from the couch, where she was holding her baby in the middle of all the girls.

“It’s not like I’m giving them to drink, Bonnie.” She replied back.

“Still, the smell is not good for them and it’s a bad influence. That’s why we don’t have any alcohol in the house.” She said to the other mothers. “We should drink around three little kids, it’s just… wrong.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes and rested Ronnie on the ground, finishing her drink right after.

“She’s just so annoying, isn’t she?” You sister, Olivia, asked on your ears.

“Don’t even start on that. She always gets on my nerves.”

“Well, let’s eat!” Aunt Amelia announced.

Dinner was fun, catching up with family and drinking the nicest bottles of wine one could possibly find with a great meal made by Amelia’s personal chef. Everything was just spectacular and everyone was having a good time. (Y/N) loved her family, even though they were messed up people and sometimes they married boring people just for the money and luxury. It was still great to be around them because after all, they were her family. (Y/N) was just glad that Olivia’s husband Wyatt was a decent guy and was treating everyone good. They all enjoyed a good meal together and almost gave up eating by the time dessert was served. After a couple of minutes, people started saying goodbye, going to their homes or to their rooms, leaving only (Y/N), her parents, Olivia and Wyatt, Rufus and his newborn son and Amelia.

Well, speaking of her aunt, she served herself and her son with a good glass of wine, saying that nobody would tell his wife, which he appreciated and drank the whole with excitement. Olivia finally said goodbye to everyone, leaving with her husband back to their house. Rufus finished his drink and went for a walk to try getting his son to sleep. Amelia lighted up a cigar and offered it to the ones left at the table, which all politely decline, except for (Y/N), who accepted it.

“Look at you, darling. So much like me. I’m very proud.” Amelia said.

“It just came to me that all of those times we left (Y/N) with Amelia, she taught her daughter to be a whisky and cigar appreciator.” Her dad said, cracking a laugh.

“That’s why she didn’t turn out to be a boring girl like you Harry.” 

“I just hope Olivia didn’t turn out to be like you two.” Alice said in the middle of a laugh.

“Uhm, auntie Amelia. Why exactly did you host this dinner? Cigars and my favourite whisky, also my favourite food and dessert. I know you like to please people, but not that much specifically.”

“She’s smart, Harry!” Amelia pointed her cigar towards her niece and sipped her whisky.

“Well, darling, we were talking to your aunt since Olivia got married and we were all just impressed that she got engaged before you did. Not to be totally rude, but you’re 27 darling and she’s 24.”

“I haven’t met someone special yet. Also, I’ve been really busy with work. You know that I need to sacrifice myself to get some good money as you all do.”

“Well, actually talking about money. We are trying to open the horizons for our company and after some long talks about how it happened before in our family and turned out to be just fine, we decided that you can help us get where we want.”

“What do you mean?” She did a confused face to her aunt and she laughed, looking back to Alice gripping tightly on her glass of wine.

“What your aunt is trying to say is that you’re the only single one left in the family and we are going to get you married to one of our associate’s son to unite the company’s. It would be beneficial for both you and him, also for the family business, since we’re all going to get a lot of money out of this. You can drop your work and work much less with us.”

“That’s completely insane! And disgusting. I’m not marrying someone I don’t love, or worst, someone I don’t know!”

“He’s a great kid and very handsome,” Amelia said, resting her glass on the table. “And you know we got to do everything to keep the family good. If we don’t do this, we might go bankrupt in a year.”

“I can’t believe you’re trying to do this to me, just the same as you did with Rufus and the same the rest of this disgusting family did for money. Marriage without love, that’s absolutely insane! You’re all insane.”

“Well, we’re not proposing it to you. We decided and you’re marrying that guy, rather you like it or not.” Harry said and (Y/N) dropped her glass on the floor. “The marriage will be here, a small reunion with just the important people and it has to be done in two weeks, only in time for you to choose a dress. Your aunt and mother took care of all the rest of the ceremony.”

“Just know that you completely ruined my life right now.” She left the table and ran for her car. Rufus was leaned against it with his baby pressed on his chest completely asleep. Some tears were already falling from her face and she tried to hide it.

“I know that’s fucked up.” Rufus said before she could get into the car. “I was also one of the few that was truly forced to marry someone I don’t like. And God, I wish it was because of money, but it was because my homophobic mother didn’t want to see me married with a guy.”

“It’s so unfair! I love someone and I was planning to spend the rest of my life with him, but they are taking it all away from me.” She said lost between tears. “How do you manage to not completely destroy yourself?”

“Hidden affairs. If Bonnie finds out that I’m gay, she’ll lose her mind. That’s why I try to be discreet and I always go out with other guys, but this is the only thing that keeps me sane. Also, my kids help me a lot, I love them no matter what.”

“That’s so sweet.” She smiled and cleaned some tears from her face. “Hey, how did you manage to have three kids if you don’t even like girls?”

“To be very honest, I don’t know. But it’s sex. if they do the right thing, it just turns out to be good.” She nodded, opening her car door. “Hey, (Y/N). I’m sorry you won’t get to be with your guy anymore, but you’ll make it work.”

“God, I hope so.” 

All the way through town, while (Y/N) was arriving at her aunt’s house, Tom was leaving his last meeting of the day to go to his mother’s house. All he truly wanted to do was go to his own apartment and just enjoy a beer alone, or maybe invited his girlfriend over to watch a movie and order something to eat. But since she wasn’t even home and that dinner somehow meant a lot for his mother, he drove directly to her house, which was slightly close to his work. His mother was waiting outside by the time he got there.

“Hey mum, I’m home.” She smiled to see her son parking in front of her house.

“Hello love, oh, I missed you.” She threw her arms around him a pulled him into a hug.

“Why are you outside. It’s cold out here.” He said once his hands got in contact with her cold skin.

“Oh, I was just getting some fresh air while your father finishes dinner.” She fixed his hair and smiled. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“I’m happy to see you too.” He genuinely was and that made him smile. Tom could be worried about having a fight with his parents or maybe he was too tired to be there, but he missed his family and just being with them without having to worry about anything.

“Let’s go inside, everyone is waiting for you.”

Harry was the first one to find Tom when he came into the room, hugging him tightly with a big smile on his face. Paddy came to him second, letting his video game go just to meet with his big brother. Sam waited for Tom to get to the kitchen along with his dad since both of them were doing dinner. The whole place still felt a lot like home, so memories made in there and it always felt nice to be there, especially with the homemade food smell in the air along with some of his favourite people. Their parents decided to ditch their personal chef and make Tom’s favourite food from when he was a kid, homemade lasagna.

“Son, I bought your favourite whiskey.” His dad said, pouring some for Tom.

“Oh thanks, dad!” He smiled and took some of the liquor.

“You can take it home afterwards if you want it.” Tom nodded and thanked again.

Even though his brothers seemed normal and treating it like a normal family dinner, Tom noticed his parents were acting weird, a little spaced out and worried about something. He didn’t want to bring it up in the middle of dinner, especially while his twin brothers were talking excitedly about their new projects and their girlfriend and his younger brother talked about college, but he would definitely bring it up later.

“So I’m thinking about proposing to Elysia soon.” Sam said and everyone cheered, happy for the guy. “We’ve been together for a long time now and maybe it’s time for us to take the next step.”

“It would be lovely, darling.” Nikki said with a smile, surprised with the revelation.

“And what about you Harry?” Tom asked and his brother smiled.

“I don’t think I’m taking that step just yet with my girlfriend, especially now that I’ve been busy with my job. I think I’m just okay with the way things are.”

“How about you Tom, seeing anyone?” Paddy asked and his parents started to pay more attention to the conversation, shutting up to listen carefully. Tom wasn’t sure if it was time to talk about his girlfriend just now, maybe he wanted to keep it all to himself a little more so he could just enjoy her alone.

“Uhm not really, I mean, I’ve been dating some people but nothing serious. You know, same as you Harry, work’s been hard and I haven’t found the right girl yet.” He lied to their faces and everyone seemed to believe in his story. 

“I’m sure you’ll find the right girl soon.” Paddy smiled. “I’ve found a really nice one in uni, haven’t asked her out yet but she’s really cute.”

“I’m glad you found someone.” Tom smiled widely, happy to see that every brother found someone that they truly liked now.

The rest of the dinner was really nice, just catching up in each other’s lives and having fun with the bad jokes thrown around the table. He really didn’t regret coming to their parent’s house today and was really glad to see his family again. By the end of the night, Harry said he had to leave early because of the job that required him very early in the morning. Sam and Paddy started cleaning the living room together, leaving right before they finished it. Tom stook around a little longer to help his mom do the dishes and clean the kitchen, which meant that it was the perfect time to ask them what was wrong.

“Okay, you’ve been acting weird all night.” Tom said pointing to both of his parents. “Like really weird. Spaced out and worried faces. What’s going on? And why the dinner in the middle of the week?”

“We wanted to talk to you about something, sweetie.” His mother said, sitting next to Dom and looking at his son with a worried glance. “You’re 27 Tom and you haven’t even met someone yet. You’re the only single brother left in the family and it’s getting harder and harder to see you finally marrying someone.”

“Also, your mother and I have been talking a lot about expanding the business. We talked to one other enterprise we wanted to associate with and the owner only offered us one way to unite the companies.”

“Which is?” Tom frowned and crossed his arms.

“You have to marry one of the owner’s daughter.” His mom continued and Tom's eyes widened.

“In two weeks.” 

“What the fuck? Are you serious?”

“Yes, we are very serious. And you don’t have another choice.”

“I don’t even know this girl.” He spits in anger and his mother held back.

“I know. But you’ve been single for so long, maybe it was meant for it to happen that way. You know Tom, maybe she’s a really nice girl and it’s the perfect woman for you.”

“I don’t want perfect. I want to marry someone I love. I don’t even know the other girl.” 

“Please, you need to do this. If you don’t, we might get sued.” His dad begged and Tom shook his head.

“I can’t talk about it right now. I gotta go.”

“Tom…” His mother called but he didn’t look back, going straight to his car and shutting the door behind him.

Tom had a hard time driving home, blinded by the tears falling down his face. He tried to work through everything he just discovered and all he could think about was (Y/N). He could never leave her to marry someone he doesn’t even know. He truly loves her and couldn’t imagine himself being with anybody else but her. (Y/N) wasn’t exactly in the best place right now, crying out of anger and sadness. She made her way home much quicker than it usually takes, rushing to just get to her apartment and crumble in her own bed. They didn’t even know what to think about, only wanting it all to be just a lie.

“(Y/N)?” Tom called his girlfriend once he got home.

“Hey, Tom.” She said softly, trying to cover her own crying voice.

“Are you already home?” He asked and she hummed. “Uhm, I had a really bad night and I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“I had a bad night too. Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No, definitely not.” He shot back quickly. “Do you?”

“Not right now. I wanted to hear your voice too. God, I wish you were here.”

“Promise me we’ll have dinner tomorrow.” He pleaded, making her smile for the first time.

“You can come over to my apartment and we’ll see what we can find for dinner. But I’m not in the mood for going out for dinner. I just wanna cuddle up in my PJs with my favourite boy.”

“I’ll be there.” He said and both of them paused for a second. “I love you.”

“I love you too. So much.” Both of their hearts ached when they said those words, so true and so painful.

“Good night my love.” By that time, Tom was already lost in his own tears.

“Good night Tommy.” She said between her own as well and quickly hung up before breaking down. 

It was the hardest night of their lives. (Y/N) cried herself to sleep that night, not even bothering on changing from her clothes before lying down. Tom cried a lot too, but he couldn’t get himself to sleep, spending almost the whole night alone in the door, lightened up only by the television light trying to entertain him somehow. Both called in sick the next morning, not only because they didn’t feel like leaving the house, but mostly because they were trying to avoid any family member. 

Tom started his day differently. He opted for black coffee instead of his usual tea, trying to find something to make him stay awake. He didn’t shower right after, coming back to bed once he finished and calling his best mate Harrison, because he needed to vent and he knew that Harrison was the only one who would understand him.

“You’re kidding me, right? Arranged marriage Tom? That’s completely insane? It’s the 21st Century, we don’t have arranged marriages anymore.”

“Try saying that to my parents Harrison.”

“I’m really, truly sorry for all of this. I know I’ve only met (Y/N) once and your relationship is new, but I know how much she means to you and how much you love her.”

“I was going to marry that girl, Haz. Now I’m marrying the girl I’ve never seen before. God, it doesn’t even make sense!”

“You don’t need to marry the other one.”

“My parents could get sued if I don’t marry her. I don’t know what to do, really. I love (Y/N) so much and I don’t even know how to have such a conversation with her.” He started crying again and Harrison remained silent.

“I’m truly sorry Tom. If there’s anything I can help you with, I will.”

“Thank you Haz, you’re my best mate.”

“You’re mine too Tom. I’ll call later to check on you, just… Today pretend you don’t have anything going on. Have one last good night with her before you tell her.”

“That’s a good idea, I’ll try it.” 

Tom had everything planned for his last night with her. He bought flowers and some food from the restaurant they had their first date. He drove early to her house, not wanting to be away from her much longer and found her baking in the kitchen. The smell was so good, as homemade chocolate cake should smell like. It was Tom’s favourite and she knew it was since they had it on their second date in her apartment, where she baked some just for him.

“Uhm, this smells so good,” Tom said, hugging her from behind and kissing her neck. “I got here in a good hour.”

“You took to long to get here.” She mumbled, finishing the cake’s cover.

“I actually came earlier.” He turned her around and pulled her into a kiss. She leaned back in the counter, pulling him by the neck, deepening the kiss.

“I know, it’s just… I’m still bummed out by last night and all I wanted was to just be with you.”

“I’m here now.” He kissed her temple and hugged her. “Let’s do something to forget about our horrible night.”

“Uhm, thank you.” She mumbled against his chest and smiled.

“So… I bought us dinner. A little something from the restaurant we had our first date."

"Oh, that's so nice! I love that restaurant."

"Also, I bought you these." He gave her the flower bouquet and she opened a wide smile.

"Oh my God Tom, this is beautiful. Thank you! I love carnations." She brought the flowers to her nose to smell it. "You're full of surprises today."

"I just wanna see a pretty smile on my girl's face." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"I haven't bought you anything, Tommy."

"Oh it's okay, you made my favourite cake. Already good." 

"Maybe I can pay you back later if you stay the night." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back into a kiss.

"I was hoping you'd ask that, darling." He mumbled between kisses and she smiled.

"Come on, there's some wine in the fridge."

"Oh, and I bought some appetizers."

Tom and (Y/N) had a lot of fun together that night. They shared a bottle of wine and danced together to every song that was playing. During a slow one, he swayed her side to side, chin resting on top of her head, eyes closed and bodies as close as possible. Both of them wish that moment wouldn't be over at all, because they knew that it might be the last time they were so close like this. The only thing was that they didn't know that the other knew it was their last night and they had to take advantage of it. Earlier that day, (Y/N) decided that she would tell him later because tonight she just wanted to have one last good night next to him.

"Thank you for being here." She whispered against her chest. "I love you."

"I love you too, darling." He tightened his grip around her and kissed the top of her head "And I'll always be right here with you, no matter what happens. I promise you."

"I promise you too." She tried hard to hold back her tears, letting only a small one go down her cheek. Her heart ached in pain because she wanted to be with him and have a happily ever after along him.

"Should we eat something? I'm starting to feel a little hungry."

"Yeah, sure." She nodded and he pulled her to the kitchen. "What did you get us?"

"Some pasta, roasted meat and those amazing cheesy potatoes they have." Tom picked some pans to heat their dinner and re-do everything he got for them.

"Sounds delicious." She hugged him from behind and buried her nose on the back of his neck. She was gonna miss that smell and he was gonna miss those hugs while he was cooking.

"It not only sounds like it, but it is indeed."

"Uhm, anything's good for me." she was needy and whining. Somehow, she didn't want to let him go.

He finished the dinner and both ate it in the living room while they talked about everything that came into their mind, sharing more stories about each other and just bonding over a delicious meal and good background music. Tom fell in love with her every time he looked at her, she was absolutely perfect, sitting there in a pretty pink dress, hair falling over her shoulders and a pretty smile on her face. Absolutely flawless, almost angelic. And she would say the same about him because looking at him right now made her realise he was the only one she wanted next to him for the rest of her life. And that was the moment they both thought “I have to do everything I can to cancel the wedding because there was no way they would give up on their love just yet. 

So the next morning, when they both woke up for a short night sleep, they both needed to leave for work, but both of them went to meet with their parents. Tom went to his parent’s office in the official headquarters and found them drinking some tea and replying to emails, as they normally do by the morning.

“Mom, dad. I know you won’t like what I have to say but I won’t marry that girl. And I really don’t care what you think, because I love someone else and I can’t see myself marrying someone I don’t truly love.”

“I’m sorry Tom, but if you won’t do it the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way.” Dom started saying, resting his glasses over the table.

“And what’s the hard way?”

“First of all, you’ll get fired from your job and we won’t make you a recommendation letter for a new job, nor we’ll give you money for surviving.”

“What the fuck? You wouldn’t do that.”

“Yes, we would. Also, you have to consider that if we don’t go through with this wedding, we’ll lose tons of money.” His mother said and he sighed, closing his eyes.

“This is so fucked up…” Tom rubbed his face and sat down in front of his mom. She tried to reach him to comfort him, but he dodged her hand.

“At least give the other girl a chance.”

“I don’t know, okay? I mean, I hope you know you’re literally ruining my life forever, you know that? And I hope you know that for the rest of your lives, looking at all of your sons, married to the girls they love and knowing that one of them doesn’t love his wife as the other ones do.” They all fell into silence and Tom sighed. “I’ll meet the girl, but I’m not promising I’ll appear for the wedding.”

“I can arrange for you two to meet.” Dom said and Tom nodded.

“And she’s on board with all of this?” He asked and both his parents nodded. “Fucking pathetic…”

“When are you free this week?”

“I don’t know, talk to her and I’ll see what I can do.” Tom exited and Nikki ran after his son, finding him waiting for the elevator with tears in his eyes.

“Son, please. I know this is the worst, but you gotta make sacrifices for the family. We’re about to go bankrupt and if you marry that girl, her family promised to help us get back on our feet.”

“I know this is important for the family mum, but you know, I always thought about marriage and how I someday wanted to marry someone I truly loved. And I found her and she’s spectacular. But now I can’t marry her because of this stupid shit you’re pulling and I’ll do it anyway because I care too much about you all.”

“I’m so sorry Tom.” She said and he stepped into the lift.

“No, you’re not.”

While Tom was confronting his parents, (Y/N) completely ignored her own work, driving to her aunt’s office where she knew she would find both her parents and her aunt. They were about to have a serious conversation and they were gonna have to listen to her ramble on about everything on her mind. Luckily they were found having a meeting on a reserved room and it was so confidential that security tried to keep you away, but when your aunt noticed something going on, she allowed her niece to come in.

“We need to talk.” She said, throwing her bag on a chair and not even bothering sitting down. (Y/N) crossed her arms and stared at her parents and aunt. Harry and Alice stared at her with concern in his eyes, but Amelia lifted an eyebrow and leaned back into her seat.

“Come in, (Y/N).” She said, pouring herself some water.

“We need to talk about the wedding.” She said and her aunt nodded, pointing to a chair.

“Sit down, darling.” Her father said and she did, trying to remain calm because the screaming wasn’t going to get her anywhere.

“First question, why are you doing this? How is it good for the family or the company?”

“Well, the family that owns the other company is almost going bankrupt by themselves, but a little research said that if we unite both our business, it will be beneficial for all of us.” Her aunt started and (Y/N) frowned.

“And why do I have to get married for the companies to come together?”

“Because technically we can’t just simply say we got together because of the money, it would look bad for press and the industry. A marriage would be the perfect reason to unite both companies and that’s why after we do it, we’re gonna ask you to leave your job in the magazine to come lead around here, with a big rise.”

“Oh okay, so first you want me to marry someone I don’t even know and then make me leave the job I absolutely love?”

“It’s for everyone’s good, my love.” Her mom said for the first time and (Y/N) rolled her eyes.

“At least can I have a name?”

“We don’t know his name.”

“Fucking perfect.” She chuckled and crossed her arms.“What if I don’t? What will happen?”

“Their company will go bankrupt in less than a month and we’ll lose popularity quickly, and it will coast us a lot of money, maybe it’ll coast everybody’s job around here.” (Y/N) sighed and leaned back into her seat.

“It’s just so unfair, you know. You do it ALL the fucking time and I’m getting tired of seeing people in this family only married because of the money or because you don’t approve their significant others, like Rufus.”

“What about my son?” Amelia leaned up and frowned, making (Y/N) laugh.

“He’s gay, auntie. And you made him marry a rich blonde girl because you couldn’t accept the fact that he was in love with an actor.”

“Shut up!” She shouted, making her niece laugh harder.

“Don’t worry. I’ll think about doing your little dirty job, but I wanna meet the guy, tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Isn’t it too early?” Her dad asked and she rolled her eyes again. God, she was getting tired of rolling her eyes.

“Not for someone who’s marrying a guy they don’t know in two weeks. I already think it’s too late.” She walked to the door, rocking her heels, but turned back before she left. “Oh, just so you know, if I do what you’re asking me, you’re all guilty of my unhappiness since I’m not marrying the one I wanted to.”

Nobody dared to say another word and she left after a small nod from herself and a crooked smile. She had to see that guys face for once but was ready to run away with Tom after that. The day was hard for both of them, would they go through with the wedding and leave the person they loved the most or would they help their family? It wasn’t easy to decide and they needed time. Tom denied the request of meeting the girl tomorrow since he had a big meeting and she understood, not bothering much about meeting him because it would be pointless.

The week went by and both of them couldn’t get together to meet the one they were about to marry, too busy with work for that, but always finding time to go to each other’s apartment to spend the night together. They couldn’t tell the other what was going on, it was too painful and they had to enjoy it all until there was no time left. Tom lied awake almost every night he had her on his arms, thinking how hard it will be to tell her and maybe come up with a way to tell her soon because he couldn’t keep lying to her.

During the last week before the wedding, (Y/N)’s sister went dress hunting with her and they both had a long conversation about weddings and about everything that was going on. Olivia was getting married soon, but she was lucky enough to pick her own husband and being so in love with him that no one could break them apart and that was all (Y/N) wanted.

“I’m disgusted with what they’re doing to you.” Olivia said from outside the cabin. A nice lady was adjusting the dress in your body. “I mean, it’s so unfair. It makes me want to call off my own wedding because I don’t think it’s fair to you.”

“No, Liv. Seriously, don’t do this. Marry that guy because I know he’s incredible and this is what you deserve.”

“But this is not what you deserve, (Y/N).” She said and (Y/N) lowered her eyes to her dress.

“Okay miss, I think it’s good.” The lady said and she stepped out of the cabin to show the dress to her sister.

“Wow.” He sister started, jaw-dropping in a second. The dress was transparent, all decorated with little shinning rocks, forming a beautiful rosé dress. She looked absolutely stunning. “You look amazing!”

“I don’t know, maybe I should go with a simple white dress. I don’t even am excited about this wedding.”

“Babe, no! You’re already doing something you didn’t want to be doing. You deserve at least a pretty dress.”

“I wish I would be wearing this to marry Tom.” She said, with eyes full of tears. “God, leaving him will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“I’m really sorry, darling.” Olivia held her sister into a tight hug. “Just know that you look absolutely gorgeous.”

“Thank you.” She cleaned a tear away and smiled at her sister. “Now, let’s go find your dress darling.”

Tom’s mom picked is suit for him because he couldn’t even bring himself to choose what to wear because he decided to do it for his family and he still hasn’t met the girl. Harrison was the only one besides the family that knew and was invited for the wedding. Tom said he couldn’t do it if Harrison wasn’t there.

“It’s two days before the wedding and I haven’t even met my wife, or told (Y/N) about everything. And I don’t think I’ll even have one last night with her, because she said she’ll be away for a job this weekend.”

“This sucks. But I guess you’ll just have to call her or something. I don’t know, you can’t marry the other girl without telling (Y/N). She’s the love of your life and she deserves to know why you’re leaving her.”

“I know, I’ll call her, I promise.”

But Tom kept postponing it while (Y/N) kept avoiding him and suddenly the day of the wedding came. Tom hadn’t slept all night, too worried about what was going to happen and that (Y/N) wouldn’t take his calls. (Y/N) also didn’t sleep much that night, but got some rest close to dawn. The wedding was going to be in her aunt’s backyard and since early in the morning there were people setting the wedding and making everything look perfect, even though it was a corrupted wedding. She slept in the house and was woken up by her sister with a good breakfast.

“I know today will be awful, but I want to at least try pleasing you with a good breakfast.”

“Thank you, Liv.” (Y/N) smiled at her sister and took the cup of tea she got. “I’m nervous and I’m avoiding Tom.”

“You shouldn’t and you know that.” She nodded and her sister fixed her hair. “Finish your breakfast and call him, please.”

“Okay.”

But she didn’t, not because she didn’t want to, but because her room started to get crowded with people wanting to get her ready for the wedding. They did everything they possibly could do with her such as facial masks, a good shower with hair hydration, finishing with the makeup and hairstyle. Her face was gorgeous and they left her alone for a while before putting the dress on. That was when she found the time to run to the balcony and have a cigarette to calm her nerves and maybe find somewhere quiet to have the hardest conversation of her life.

While she was lighting up the cigarette in the balcony, Harrison parked his car where he was supposed to park with Tom sitting right next to him, completely distracted and with dark bags under his eyes. He was still glancing down to his phone, waiting for a reply or maybe a sign that she was still alive somehow. Maybe he could still get to say he loved her for the last time before ruining everything or before knowing she was upset with him, especially to be doing this over the phone. And just before he started dialling her number, his phone started to ring.

“Tom?” She asked.

“Hey, baby. I’ve been calling you.” He said and the pain in his chest started to come out again.

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been avoiding you. We should talk.”

“Yeah, we should.” He stepped out of the car and started to walk towards a bench in the front garden. “I’ve been avoiding you too.”

“First, before we talk, I need you to know that I love you so much and that you’re the love of my life. I know it’s too early to say something like that because we’ve not been dating for long, but I feel it deep in my heart.” She started to tear up, which made her sit down on the ground, feeling her legs turning to jelly.

“I love you too. And I don’t care if it’s too early because I love you more than anything in the world.” He started crying himself. 

“That’s why what I’m about to say to you is the hardest thing in the world. I tried to postpone it the most and it sucks that we’re having this conversation over the phone.” Tom started listening to her saying the sentence twice as if she was close. He started to look around to see if it was something from his own head and it probably was. “But we have to break up because I’m about to do something I’ll regret for the rest of my life just to help my family and it sucks that its price is our relationship. I’m being forced to marry some guy today and I don’t even know him, all of this just to help the family business.”

“Wait, what?” He asked, frowning. “I was calling you to tell the same thing.”

“What the fuck? Tom, where are you?”

“I’m at the wedding, in the front garden.”

(Y/N) hung up and ran for the front garden as fast as she could, not even bothering on putting some clothes on or even shoes. And there she was barefoot, running in her silky robe with only her underwear underneath it. She left Tom confused and calling her name when she hung up. A lot of people tried to talk to her such as her own mother, aunt and even her cousin Rufus, but she didn’t care what they were saying. Could Tom be the one they were forcing you to marry? She got the confirmation once she stepped outside the house. Harrison was standing right next to her, but all she could focus was on the guy standing in front of the bench, talking to his phone with tears in his eyes.

“(Y/N)?” He called one more time and she smiled.

“I’m right here Tom.” She spoke softly and Tom turned to her, hanging up the phone and keeping it in his pocket. Harrison slowly walked into the house, closing the door to give them some privacy.

“Oh my God.” He ran to her and pulled her off the ground, spinning her around as if he didn’t believe what was in front of him. “You’re the one I’m supposed to marry today?”

“I guess so.” She said with a big smile on her face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. “God, I had no idea it was you.”

“If I knew it was you, I would have been on board with all of this since day one.”

“Me too.” She said and he finally closed it with a long passionate kiss. “I love you so much.”

“I love you so much too.” He said between kisses and finally settled her on the floor. “I had no idea how to tell you about everything and it was the worst feeling in the world, knowing I would have to walk away from you and never come back. It was so unfair.”

“I know it was, but it’s okay, we’re okay now. I don’t think it could be more okay than this.”

“Marry me, (Y/N).” He whispered against her lips and she nodded, pulling him into another kiss.

“Yes, I will, a million times yes!”

By that time, the whole front garden was crowded with their whole family wanting to know what was going on, finding them kissing and wondering what was going on. How did they know each other and how’s this happening. The only one smiling was Harrison because he was the only one who knew what was going on.

“What the fuck is happening here.” Alice, (Y/N)’s mother, asked once she saw her daughter kissing the boy.

“Mom, dad, Liv. I would like you to meet my boyfriend Tom. Coincidentally he’s the one I was supposed to marry today.”

“We didn’t know you had a boyfriend.” Her father said and she smiled.

“It’s because I never told you about any of my relationships and this one wasn’t much different.” 

“So, are you all happy with the wedding after all?” Harry asked and they both nodded, looking into each other’s eyes.

“That’s how you end a good love story.” Harrison mumbled and Tom smiled at him.

“Okay, this is confusing.” Her aunt said and (Y/N) suggested that they should go inside so they could all talk.

So they all catch up on what was happening and what actually happened the past two weeks and it was completely crazy but everyone understood it. Tom and (Y/N) couldn’t believe what was going on and what was supposed to be a sad day turned to be the happiest day of their lives.

“What are you waiting for, you idiots? Go get ready!” Olivia said and they both rushed to finish getting ready.

Soon the whole place was crowded with important people, like family and friends from work. It was going to be a small ceremony and super simple. But since it was with the right person, nothing else mattered, because they would do it even if they were all alone. Amelia did a good job decorating her backyard and everything looked so simple and beautiful, with lots of flowers and fairy lights. It seemed perfect, but yet, maybe it was the occasion that made everything better.

Tom was over the moon and nervous at the same time. He walked down the small aisle and waited for his bride anxiously, sometimes looking at Harrison to get some reassurance of what he was doing, receiving some comfort from his best friend. He nodded, still too nervous to think. But (Y/N) stepped out of the house with her father and she looked absolutely flawless like some heaven-sent light lied over her and all he could see was her, all he could hear was their heartbeats. She could take his breath away with a simple smile and right now she was killing him in every possible way. He fought the urge to cry once he saw her but he couldn’t, tearing up once she approached him. Tom was all she could see as well and he looked fantastic. It was meant to be, she knew it because it wouldn’t have happened that way if it wasn’t meant to be. 

“You look so beautiful.” He said between tears, facing lighting up once she touched their hands.

“You look beautiful too.” She said with a wide smile.

“This dress…” He was breathless and couldn’t get to say the words. “This dress can take anyone’s breath away.”

“You know, when I went to try on dresses, I didn’t want this one because I imagined getting married to you in this and I didn’t want to marry some other guy with this one.”

“I guess it was all meant to be.”

It was a simple ceremony, where there were beautiful things said to each other, an exchange of rings and a big kiss in the end. They couldn’t be happier with what was happening. They loved each other and they would love each other through all eternity. The party was so good, with good food and drinks and lots of music. Also, it was an opportunity for them to meet the family.

“Liv, this is Tom, the one I talked to you about.” (Y/N) said, introducing them.

“It’s so good to finally meet you.” Tom said standing his hand in the air, which Olivia slapped it away, pulling him into a hug.

“We’re family now and I’m glad you’re here to make my sister happy.”

“I’m glad I’m here too.”

“It’s good to meet you too, Tom.” She leaned back and they both smiled. “I’m glad it all worked out in the end, (Y/N) was devastated that she wasn’t marrying you.

“Well, Tom was devasted as well.” Harry approached them and rested one hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Can I finally meet the girl you lied to us about.”

“You lied about me?” She asked raising her eyebrows and he laughed.

“I just said I didn’t have a girlfriend, you did the same thing silly.” He bumped her nose and (Y/N) stepped forward to hug Harry.

“Nice to meet you, Harry.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, (Y/N).” They smiled and Tom chuckled, pulling his wife into a hug. 

“I wish we all had met in another circumstance but this is nice.”

“Come on, you idiots! Let’s dance.” Harrison pulled them to the dancefloor where everyone was enjoying the party.

It was a different wedding, a weird one, but they’d do it all again. There was the sign of the universe that they were meant to be together and it was just amazing. The wedding was perfect in its own way and of course, they’d do another one in time with all of their friends and everything. But this one represented so much more for both of them. So they danced to every song and had the time of their lives. Also, it was a great opportunity to meet the family, which they all did. Tom couldn’t get his hands off his wife, or his eyes at all. She was perfect and everyone got to agree with him.

“(Y/N), can I talk to you?” Amelia said, pulling her niece alone to the side and she nodded. “I wanted to apologize to you because after looking at you and Tom together, I can see how much you love that kid. You were really meant to be and if you married someone else, it would make you miserable.”

“Thank you, auntie. I really appreciate it.”  

“I bought you both a little something. I was already giving it before and I made sure to get the best place to redeem myself, but here are your tickets for the honeymoon.” She said giving her some tickets to Greece.

“Oh, this is great, thank you!” She held the tickets between her hands and tried to find Tom with her eyes, but found Rufus having a fight with his wife. “Actually auntie, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Anything, (Y/N).”

“Please let Rufus divorce his wife and finally be happy. You know he deserves to be happy. It would be the biggest gift for me and I would even give these back to you if you want it.”

“Keep it.” Her aunt said and looked at Rufus still arguing with his wife. 

“You know he’s unhappy, think about it.” She said and her aunt nodded.

“Maybe this whole thing taught us all a lesson.”

“I hope it did.” (Y/N) smiled and walked away to find Tom, who was doing shots with his brothers in the back with his tie already up around his head.“Oh my God, baby, don’t get trashed at our own wedding.”

“I married the woman of my dreams!” He shouted and kissed her passionately. “I love you, baby. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” She gave him another quick peck and showed him the tickets. “Tom, we’re going to Greece for our honeymoon!”

“That’s amazing!” He shouted and she smiled at her dorky husband. “I’m truly happy.”

“I am too.”

“Lovebirds. The driver is waiting to get you to your hotel room.” Olivia said and (Y/N) frowned.

“Hotel room?”

“A little gift from me and Wyatt. Enjoy the little surprises I have for you there.”

“Come on Tom, let’s go.” 

(Y/N) pulled him and they said goodbye to everyone, leaving right after. They made out a lot in the car, starting what was going to be an all-night thing. They were extremely happy and everything was now perfect. The hotel room was one of the nicest they’d ever seen, with a lot of gifts all over it, such as alcohol and even some sex toys which made you both embarrassed and excited for tonight.

“Your sister is naughty.” He said, pulling her into a kiss mid-laugh.

“I know, she’s such a pervert.” She said kissing him again.

“You know darling, I love you in this dress but you look so good without it.” He ran his hands down her body, grabbing her ass tightly.

“So come take it off.” She pulled him to bed and he sighed.

“Oh, fuck, I will.”

That was the perfect ending for the perfect day and they felt more intimate than they ever felt before. I was so good that they didn’t even notice the sun coming up, too busy being each other’s to care. In the end, they could only get the conclusion that they were meant to be.

…………………

ADD YOURSELF TO THE TAGLIST!

bold means i can’t tag you (send me a message to solve it!)

Taglist: @missmulti , @zabdisamor , @cmon-peter-tingle , @lifeisabitchandsoareyou , @tinyplanet-explorers , @spideyyypeter , @princezzariel , @pastyoverlord265 , @dumandbass, @lilgaga98 , @chatnoirfangirl1624, @heartofholland, @tomshufflepuff, @deathofthethrones , @unicornslothfish, @coonflix , @itsjustahuman, @legendsofwholock , @emistrash, @starlightfound, @sandran04 , @paaaam97, @pure-ghost, @unconditional-love-and-support, @janieavalos, @jug7eun, @jacobsppsleeve, @cosmicholland​

#tom holland #tom holland fanfic #tom holland fanfic cute #tom holland fanfic angst #tom holland imagine #tom holland imagine cute #tom holland imagine angst #ceo!tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland cute #tom holland angst #mcu #marvel #peter parker #peter parker imagine

[elisabeth515]

“The General’s Mistress”review (part 1)

(Part 2)

(Part 3)

(Part 4)

About: Basically this thing is based on Ida St. Elme’s memoirs (and plus some spiritual stuff—like angels and divination🧐)

Foreword

I am going to attempt to review a historical fiction properly after the horrors I’ve seen from Alison Pataki’s Sisi series (Elisabeth hates it so much). Although a very strong opposition from my dead best friend Michel, I decided to read Jo Graham’s “The General’s Mistress” because I feel really, really called to read it, after reading some reviews on GoodReads, also the encouragement from mutals on tumblr.

I hope you all will enjoy this entertaining reaction/review on this book which, hopefully I am going to finish it despite the fact that I have to finish two philosophy essays, my French writing assignment and prepare for the upcoming maths exam in January (#UniLife). Now, to the main thing!

//

First Impression

To be honest, although I was triggered by the fact that it was based on Ida St. Elme’s “Memoirs of a Contemporary” (which, as you know from some older posts, I don’t really like it no matter how intriguing the author is), this book is probably my cup of tea, given to my great interest in the Napoleonic era, also some supernatural, witchy things that reminded me of my weird witchcraft journey which has ended just some months ago. Given to the reviews thats I’ve seen on GoodReads, I think it is quite a nice and entertaining novel—especially because Michel Ney is in it. After reading the sample, my feelings are positive as I was pretty much hooked into the story.

The Reaction

This post is going to be a collection of my reactions, and impressions to chapter 1 to 13 of this book, which I managed to finish it in a lightning speed of 3 hours (with note-taking on my phone). So far, I am on chapter 24 (and now taking a break by charging my kindle) and it’s quite good I would say, at least better than what I expected, somehow, considering I am a bit reserved when it comes to historical fiction—like the accuracy is super, super, super important to me.

From the reviews, I have already been warned for 18+ content so reader’s discretion is advised. Before starting the book I have already been trained by watching porn with a straight face and I’ve passed them easily. Well, let’s just have a rough go through on my reaction to chapters 1-14 because I have too much things to talk about in this.

At first the writing is quite fine—here we have the very first glimpse of Ney and the MC basically swooned—as someone who loves Ney too much sometimes I approved

Yes we shall S W O O N in front of this babe

Well, apparently she no like her husband Jan (whom she married when she was 12, by the way) so she decided to go to be a sugar baby amd goes with the name Ida, and Victor Moreau is her sugar daddy

Everything is rather fine, until I found some errors in the clothing that the MC is wearing—dresses from the late 18th century to early 19th century are not closed with hooks (*at the back I mean); it was a late 19th century (La Belle Époque/Late Victorian) thing.

Edit: just looked up some more info again, apparently dress hooks also exists in some regency gowns for back closure, nevertheless, it would not have existed in a 1795 round gown.

By the way she is supposed to be wearing a pair of stays, not corset as it’s a future invention derived from stays. (This is somehow just nitpicking but this is very important)

Since she was supposed to be wearing a 1790s regency dress, I somehow just kinda want to say that she’s probably wearing a round gown since it was fashionable at that time; the square neckline started to come out in that decade, but I personally doubted that she would have been wearing one, since the wrap neckline or round neckline is more fashionable I would say.

Here is a fashion plate from the year when Ida started to have an affair with general Moreau (source)

Also, she would have been wearing a big handkerchief around her neckline (a fashionable thing in the 1790s).

Nevertheless the author got it right when it comes to the first steamy part when Moreau started to do her—before the drawers, dress historian guessed that women wear nothing underneath at the lower part of the body (except the mensuration belt which acted as the pads/tampons that we wear nowadays)

I kinda need to substitute the steamy parts with Moreau doing something to a sentiment rock to make myself get over it because idk—I just kinda reading them with horror because I can’t really stand smut for historical guys to an extent-

Oh no the description of babeythighs I’m ded- *proceeds dying of laughter while a confused Michel Ney watching me in the background*

Of course our MC just goes like “OMG OMG OMG I LOVE HIM😍😍😍😍😍” whenever Ney is mentioned and I feel somehow personally attached 🌚👌🏻

So there are some tarot scenes that somehow reminded me the days of me opening a tarot reading shop for earning funds for amino events, haha. It seemed like a pretty nice foretelling of the things coming ahead—like the main girl is going to be the master of her fate under the war ahead, yada yada

Another thing to note is that the MC has another persona called Charles and well, there are steamy parts for Charles as well besides Ida. The MC was seemingly super confident in “her crossdressing alter” (which you would first meet him the very first chapters of this story).

In the very first acquaintance between Ida and Michel, he kinda seemed awkward and cute which is pretty cute I guess- (well Michel in this said the MC is the most beautiful woman in the world and she has “the face of an angel”—I can faintly hear the one irl in the background saying he begged to differ lol—but spoilers say that there’s something going between him and the MC thus the “unusual behaviour”? Michel seemed a bit smitten to me in that scene ngl)

Of course the MC is super smitten by our babey who has unlimited charms despite not being considered good-looking; so she wrote a letter to Moreau and Ney respectively and Moreau found out and yeeted her out of the house.

In overall the pacing is fine, we are in the lens of our MC Ida/Charles and those foretelling through tarot is pretty cool in my opinion. There were some parts that I guess are connected to the previous books in the series which I have not read, but at least I can get the thing. One additional note is that it is written in American, so some terms might required a dictionary to understand if you have been learning British English.

Last but not the least, happy holidays and I shall yeet back to my philosophy readings now UwU

#historical fanfiction #I hope you all will like my new content ;-; #i am so sorry marshal ney please don’t fuck my life up #the sentiment rock thing was an inside joke reference to one of my philosophy teachers who looks like an older version of general Moreau lol #idk ever since I started to learn French I used the word ‘super’ more and more often lol #I really would love to rule out the existence of ghosts and spirits with my rationality but sadly I got to admit my dead friend’s existence #procrastinating from homework by writing reviews #historical fiction #book review #Napoleonic historical fiction #Napoleonic #napoleonic shitposting

[maximoffzinha]

Candyman (50′s AU)

The war is over. Poe goes out to drink and can't help but to feel lost. What he's gonna do? His life was only war, and now it ended, and all he has left is a Corgi... And the memory of a voice as sweet as candy.

A/N: So, this is the first time I tried to write something like this... Never done reader inserts before but Poe really puts me in the mood. PS: Please have in mind that english is NOT my first language, I'm sorry for any mistakes

°°° It was a warm night; people were dancing around the bar finally being able to enjoy parties again. The War was over, for good this time, and Poe wasn’t going to waste any time. Being a Pilot for the royal fleet wasn’t easy, he lost many colleagues and many friends, but tonight was about happiness, a celebration! His best friend Finn invited him and two of the nurses of their squadron, Rey and Rose, for this party, they had become good friends besides the environment where they met, and while he was walking around he saw Snap and his wife Karé together laughing and enjoying each other presence in the midst of the drunk mess and the dancing couples.“I’m telling you man, I think I have a shot at the academy.”- Finn told him excitedly, he was looking for work after the army dismissed him at the end of the war.“That’s awesome Finn! I got a job at a local hospital, if you need a place to crash, we have a spare bedroom since Rose and I share the suit.”- Rey says with a smile, the two women have been living together after the hell they’ve been through on the field.“And you Poe? Any plans?” Poe stared at his friends, had he any plans really? Those five years fighting had been the only thing occupying his mind, he never thought he would get a chance to do something else, hell he never thought the war was going to end. Except it did, what did he have left? Sure, he was a General now… But he didn’t see himself in the military front forever… He wanted a domestic life, a house to get back to, someone to get back too… He even knew who he wanted, but the was too much of a coward to look for her… What could he give her?  Scars, psychological trauma and a corgi. At least BB wasn’t expecting much more of him than belly rubs and food. All of his friends had some sort of last resource, someone to get back to (well he had his father, and his sort-of-maybe-adoptive-Mother Leia, but it wasn’t the same). He mumbled some idiotic answer to his friends that seemed pleased enough, and was shaken out of his sadness by the sound of applauses and a familiar up beat tune.“Holy shit, they brought her!”“I thought she had retired!”Soon enough a velvet like voice began to sing, and Poe didn’t need to look up to the stage to know it was really you. Two Years Ago… Poe and his squadron were back to the base after a month long operation that took them all the way to Eastern Europe, they were tired, beat down, and grieving with the loss of many colleagues, so imagine their surprise when they saw a show stage in the middle of the field. Colonel Solo gave them the day off to enjoy the show paid by the US allies as a reward for their backup.Poe and the guys did their best to freshen up and went on their way to the show, some girl choir was there and the guys were excited to maybe get laid. It was nice to see them hoping for something else besides survival. A upbeat sound started and some well dressed women were up, their outfits reminded him of some military secretaries back home, their hair in perfect Victorian Rolls with a hat on top that resembled the formal uniform he had stored away. They began to sing and dance some sort of mock up march, and then there she was… Y/N Y/L/N. The men around Poe started howling and whistle when they saw the American beauty. Poe was frozen, as she sang the song (so full of innuendos that got him in a mood), somehow their eyes locked and the words coming out of her mouth held a lot more of meaning.“There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm... He’s a one stop shop, makes the panties drop...” -She licked her deep red tinted lips and Poe found himself doing the same. “He’s a sweet talkin’, sugar coated Candyman”- The other girls supplied backing up her strong voice.The lead lady then took of her blazer living her in a tight blue tank top like dress that had the soldiers screaming louder. “Well, by now I'm getting all bothered and hot…When he kissed my mouth, he really hit the spot… He had lips like sugar cane, oh” “Good things come for boys who wait!”- She winked giving a side smirk then turned around to dance with the backing vocal ladies.She then opened space for two girls come to the front, a red headed, and a blonde.“He's a one stop, gotcha hot, makin' all the panties drop…”- The blonde one sang and danced her way next to the red head. “He's a one stop, got me hot, makin' my (uh) pop…”- they both dance to stand next to the main singer who smiles before singing. “He's a one stop, get it while it's hot, baby, don't stop”- She sang and they got on to the next part. “He got those lips like sugar can…- They belted a high note in harmony and Poe saw some of his mates literally drooling. - “Good things come for boys who wait” “He's a one stop shop with a real big (uh)… - The main lady sang without breaking eye contact with Poe who swallowed dry. – “He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man…”  After the show Poe didn’t try to invade the stage like his desperate friends, he went straight to the backstage, nervously passing his hands on his dark curls, he avoided the other girls going straight to her, every second he got less confident but he found himself knocking on the support bar of your makeshift tent.“Yes? Come in please.”- Poe stepped inside the tent and saw her wearing a lighter blouse, in trousers and a pair of black boots, still with her make up on, he thought she was even more beautiful that way. “Hello? Anybody there?”- She was snapping her fingers on his face, and he felt the warmth spread across his face. “Sorry, ma’am. I’m Commander Poe Dameron, from the black squadron.”- He said still embarrassed. “Commander? Very interesting… I’m Y/N. So Fly Boy, are you here to show me you have ‘The lips like sugar cane?’ like every other officer on this camp might try later?” Poe was taken back, what was exactly his plan? He really didn’t think this through, and was feeling kind of stupid, I mean, did he really thought he was the only man that tried to win her? “… That must be tough.”- He found himself saying. “It’s more tiering than anything else really… Most of the times the guys understand the meaning of NO, but other times… Sorry, you don’t have anything to do with this.” “No, I don’t mind… I can’t imagine that is easy to be out here having to entertain a bunch of needy man.”- He said with a smile, she sat down on a bed and motioned to him to sit with her. “I shouldn’t complain, you are doing an essential job, taking the real risk, and I’m a showgirl. I wish I could do more, maybe being a nurse… Or even fight like those Russian girls.” – She sighed. “Try to fight? That’s not something you see everyday… You any good with a pistol?”- He said with a smile and an idea popping into his mind. “I know some stuff, my dad taught me even though I was a girl… It came with the singing classes.”- She smiled a little as she got a small pistol from her boot.Poe let a small laugh out as he got up and gave out his hand to the woman, she hesitated a little but accepted his silent invite and followed him out of her tent.It was already night and the sky was clear and the star shined bright.“Where are you taking me Fly Boy?”- she said smiling. Poe could see the stars reflected in her eyes, as she could see it in his. “You’re gonna have to trust in my Showgirl…” – He smiled back at her.This man was weird, but by far the gentlest and educated one she found on this tour through the camps. It also helped that he was devilish handsome, his smile was broad and true, his hair was beautiful even though she knew the supplies were few, but his eyes… His eyes dragged her in and she found herself lost in them already. She was no fool, she knew love at first sight didn’t exist, but damn if this wasn’t a close to the feeling.That night he took her to the forest, and he showed her the beauty behind all the pain they were living. Present times. He had kissed her, he had loved her in the short while they were together, after he took her back to the camp she gave him her full name, told him to look for her after the war, she said she would be waiting… And he didn’t do that. Not because he had forgotten her, God knew there was no way for him to forget her, but because he knew better. She was a star, a fucking singer, with a brilliant career ahead of her, and he was what? Another soldier. Just another pilot without a plan.When she started to sing, that same lewd song that got him and so many other soldiers crazy, he only smiled, making way to the front of the stage being pulled by Finn and the girls who were dancing happily.She saw him. How could she not? Right there, with the formal uniform that made him look so damn good, she was singing that same damned song that she sang the night they met. And fuck if it didn’t make her remember him, it was like the lyrics were about him. Fucking gorgeous bastard… She thought without stopping the show, and while he looked at her singing, she formed a plan to never let him go again. “He’s a sweet talkin’, sugar coated Candyman… A sweet talkin’, sugar coated Candyman.” As the crowded bar applauded Y/N got down from the stage and staying in front of Poe she got him by the neck of his shirt and brought him down for a heated kiss, it didn’t take long for him to respond to it letting even a small moan as he held her by the waist and felt her fingers tugging in his hair. “Wow… Showgirl… What’s this for?” “I missed my Fly Boy and his candy cane lips…” – She whispered against his mouth, they separated when finally noted the whistles and cat calls around them. “You didn’t look for me, so I came after you, Commander Dameron…” “It’s General now actually…”- He smiled at her surprised face. “It seems like we have a lot of catching up to do.”- She said playing with the medals on his blazer. “We do… What do you say we come back here… Thursday, 7 p.m. sharp.”- He said smiling. “Is this an order, General?” “It’s a hopeful request from a stupid man that almost let you go.” “Then it’s settled. 7 p.m. sharp. Dress nicely, you look good in tuxedos, Candyman…” She went away with a sway of her hips and left Poe smiling like a fool not even noticing the sheer disbelief on his friends faces… He didn’t know what the future would be like… But at least he had a date.

#poe dameron #poe dameron x you #poe dameron x reader #star wars fanfiction #50's au #bb8

[glass-es-say]

The Fitzjames Sweater: a Terror conspiracy theory

Do you like your meta long and stupid? And full of not-really-mystery about a single item of clothing? Then boy do I have a meta for you; the center of which is James Fitzjames’ sweater—and the identity of its final owner.

(Half meta-analysis, half conspiracy theory, half absolute blithering nonsense under the cut, lads.)

Now, this is a pretty distinctive sweater, especially in an expedition full of grey and navy arans. There are a couple of specific design elements (best outlined in knit-the-terror’s posts) that make it easy to identify The Sweater once it ends up on Le Vesconte: the side cables, the gansey-esque top and bottom, the ribbing patterns on the sleeves. The short neckband also visually distinguishes The Sweater from the cowl-necked white sweater Mr. Collins is wearing (also I think that one gets pretty soundly torn apart when Tuunbaq eviscerates him).

All of this is great and wonderful. However. What I’m most interested in is the cuffs.

These are double-length cuffs in a 1x1 rib with (perhaps anachronistically) a thumbhole knit in. Fitzjames wears the cuffs folded up most of the time, though if you turn up your brightness and squint you can spot that they’re all the way down at the time of poor Morfin’s death.

The garment construction appears to be such that sleeve was worked flat and them seamed into a tube—the thumbhole then just being part of the seam that wasn’t sewn up. (Why you would make a sleeve like this is beyond me—seaming sucks and it would literally be just as easy to add the thumbhole in when knitting in the round, but I suspect it has something to do with how they produced the no-doubt 10+ versions of this sweater they needed for filming.)

So, we’ve established some key characteristics of The Sweater that help us identify it. We’ve determined that it ends up on Le Vesconte after Fitzjames’ death. (Actually, Le Vesconte’s wearing The Sweater + waistcoat when Fitzjames collapses, so presumably James gives it away before then.)  But can we show that anyone else has worn it? (Spoilers: sort of, but also yes.)

The morning after Silna leaves the Inuit village, when Francis is running around trying to figure out which way she went, he’s wearing the above outfit. His left hand is gone at this point, so his sleeve is tied up at the wrist, but there, covering his right hand… is an extra-long white sweater cuff with a thumbhole.

The image quality isn’t great here (the cameraperson decided to focus on the acting instead of a sleeve cuff for some reason) but when you look at all the angles next to each other, the resemblance is pretty obvious. Either there was always another long-cuffed white sweater on the Franklin Expedition that we are never shown, or Francis has at some point picked up The Sweater and is wearing it under his slops.

You can see a sliver of neckband underneath all his other layers in the picture above, just like with James.

Now, my main hurdle in 100% proof that this is The Sweater is, actually, also my most definitive proof: the thumbhole. (My gift and my curse…my blessing and my burden...)

Assuming James hasn’t folded his cuffs to intentionally obfuscate, it’s pretty clear that each sleeve has one—and only one—thumbhole along the inside seam of the sleeve. It’s a logical assumption—I have no clue why you’d put a thumbhole on the outside of the sleeve because, like… that’s not where thumbs are.

By the time Francis is wearing the sweater it’s pretty beat up, so there are a number of noticeable holes in the cuff rather than just the one. (As we see from Le Vesconte’s shot at the beginning of this post, the rest of The Sweater is faring a pretty similar fate. My poor knitter’s heart is weeping.) While some of the holes have a fuzziness around the edges that indicates fraying, there’s still one hole with a cleaner, more finished edge that would indicate its identity as the real, intended thumbhole.

The problem is, it’s on the outside of the sleeve. Crozier appears to be sticking his thumb through another, accidental hole on the opposite side of the cuff. Even if The Sweater was worn inside-out and/or backwards, he shouldn’t be able to wear the thumbhole on the outside—at least, that’s what I thought. Then I tried putting on a sweater with only one hand. (It’s called field research, please don’t judge me.)

Basically, it’s really easy to get a sleeve twisted when you pull on a sweater, especially if it’s made to fit someone with a different physique. Without the opposite hand (or using your teeth, I guess), it’s basically impossible to untwist it, a difficulty that I imagine is compounded if you’ve already hooked your thumb through the cuff in the wrong place. I personally hate the feeling of a twisted sleeve, but Francis has just woken up in an unfamiliar place and honestly at this point in his life he might’ve just shoved the sweater on and called it a day.

Plus, we see the left cuff on Le Vesconte earlier and the thumbhole appears to be on the outside. The sleeves on this sweater are consistently Way Too Long, so it’s possible things just got twisted around whenever an actor would put it on and they left it that way for realism’s sake.

We don’t see Francis in it after the scene in the Inuit village, but like, even if The Sweater was still wearable after another two years, Francis is pretty well covered by his fur parka. (Also… just saying… the emotional implications of a moment where the last remnants of James Fitzjames unravel under his fingertips are uh… pretty juicy.

James has holes in him and so does his sweater.)

So! I think it’s fair to say that, at the very least, the sweater Francis is wearing is supposed to be the Fitzjames Sweater, as shown to the best of my ability (and screencap resolution). I won’t call it “beyond a doubt” but I think it’s a pretty strong foundation—which is good, because here is where my knit-wear based fever dream starts to, uh, unravel.

My initial assumption after realizing Crozier had the white sweater at the Inuit village was that he pulled it off Le Vesconte after Little’s death. (And idea which cannot help but conjure the morbid image of Crozier undressing a body beset by rigor mortis with one hand…. Or asking Silna for help.)

The tangle in this theory is that I went back and looked at the first few “travelling with Silna” scenes, initially for proof that Francis doesn’t pick up The Sweater until the Little Camp—and found the opposite. 

There’s no sign of The Sweater on Francis before the Tuunbaq showdown, but he has somehow acquired The Sweater before finding the body of Le Vesconte. The same identifying features I’m using for the end scene are all there, so. Can’t really deny that. (The best view we get is from the sad dead Jopson hair stroke, which  also dates the timeframe a lot better then an ambiguous “Crozier walking around” screenshot.)

(For what it’s worth, the thumbhole arrangement appears to be done properly this time. Or at least, the hole on the outside of the arm is the frayed “accidental” thumbhole.)

To clarify the timeline:

Fitzjames has The Sweater.

At some point before James collapses, Le Vesconte acquires The Sweater.

Francis is kidnapped by Hickey’s camp. He does not have The Sweater, or at least not visibly.

Le Vesconte (and sweater) leave the sick (including Jopson) behind and head off toward the eventual Little camp.

Tuunbaq showdown. Francis spends some time in recovery.

We can assume that at some point during this bullet point or the next Le Vesconte and buddies die.

Francis and Silna leave the Hickey camp, find the abandoned men and sad dead Jopson. Somehow Francis has acquired The Sweater.

After this, Francis and Silna find the Little camp, presumably including a dead Le Vesconte and The Sweater.

(You could argue that Le Vesconte actually ended up staying with the sick but Francis’ is wearing the sweater when he first sees Jopson so he would have had to have it before finding them.)

(Also, I have suspicions that this figure leaving the sick camp is Le Vesconte.)

So! There is an indication that, at the same point in time, both Crozier and Le Vesconte(‘s body) were wearing a version of The Sweater. If from this point forward we consider the sweater Fitzjames is seen wearing to be the “true sweater” and the extra to be the “double sweater”, then I see four possibilities:

Option One: Francis already had the sweater double.

Points in favor:

This gives the fun image of Crozier and Fitzjames showing up to the expedition on day one and staring horrorstruck at each other like “we wore the same dress!??!!”

You change. No you change! No you change!!!

Points against:

We see Francis in all kinds of informal dress and never see him wearing it. I’m not actually sure we ever see him wearing a sweater, period. Man hates being cozy, I guess.

There is literally no way costume design would have done this. Like, it beggars belief.

Option Two: Someone else (at the Hickey camp) had an eerily similar sweater that Crozier felt justified in taking.

Points in favor:

It doesn’t show up until he and Silna go back to the Hickey camp, so it’s unlikely that he would have gotten it earlier and just been carrying it around without wearing it.

They did seem to just leave all their stuff lying around, so Francis wouldn’t have to pull it off a dead body, which is a lot more palatable.

If the sweater was a standard “baby’s first officer sweater” present, Hodgson could be a candidate for the true owner.

Points against:

“Baby’s first officer sweater” is just like… not a thing the Victorian Royal Navy did. Also, we never see any of them wearing it, so.

Why wouldn’t the owner have worn it to the Tuunbaq showdown? I get that they’re all wandering around in their shirtsleeves but if someone had a sweater that was remotely still wearable, I feel pretty confident in thinking they aren’t just going to leave it lying around.

Option Three: Actually, Le Vesconte’s sweater is the double.

Points in favor:

Obviously Henry and James got them as best friends forever tokens and whenever they notice they’re wearing them at the same time they spend like, two minutes just hugging each other and saying “bro. bro. bro!”

It absolutely infuriates Francis.

This implies that Francis (or possibly a Hickey camp member but uh… unlikely) got ahold of the Fitzjames version after his death. James isn’t wearing it when he collapses (god… think of the blood stains…), so it would have been as easy as packing it up once he’s dead.

Francis is either in slops or in shirtsleeves after this point so if he keeps the cuffs folded up and his slops collar buttoned (which he does) then we might just not have seen it?

Even if we assume Le Vesconte’s sweater is a different one, there’s still pretty strong evidence James wasn’t buried in his sweater—see the above point, and also the fact that it doesn’t later show up on Hickey’s person. That’s a nice sweater, man, even if it’s fraying, and if I were already stealing a dead man’s boots I would’ve taken the sweater too.

Points against:

Le Vesconte is wearing The Sweater when James collapses—Fitzjames, notably, isn’t. (James mentions the heat as a reason why he can’t keep walking, so he might just not have been wearing it?)

God, guys, I don’t know that much about the Victorian knitting industry but the idea of two bros going out and getting matching sweaters seems… implausible at best.

Option Four: Making a TV show is hard and keeping track of all the details is harder and someone just accidentally put Jared in the sweater five minutes of screen time too early and we were past the time for reshoots and just assumed that no one would be neurotic enough to notice this.

Points in favor:

Script supervisor is like, a really hard job and if this is your biggest slip up then honestly? Who even cares.

Points against:

I care. I care very much.

But which option could be the truth? What conclusions have we formed from this tedious trek across the frozen wasteland of HD screencaps? What horrors have we (me, literally just me) wrought in the name of split-second costume design based character choices? Could Crozier have somehow gotten The Sweater from Le Vesconte after Tuunbaq dies but before reaching Little’s camp? Is there another, actually viable explanation for the mystery of the twin sweaters? How many good fics/headcanons could come from any of these options? I don’t know! Please discuss!

(For however much it matters: my personal favorite is Option Four. None of the others seem a terribly plausible story justification, and also I like the emotional weight of Francis picking up the sweater as a memento of JFJ—or the intention of it, even if continuity gets a little screwy.

Also, if no one writes fic about this then I will be forced to and who really wants that?? Write this fic for me and save us all the turmoil.)

(A thousand props to @knit-the-terror for sussing out enough details that I could even make an argument focused around the cuff of a sweater. Please forgive my corrupting your research for a frantic fever dream rant about something that mostly doesn’t matter.)

#this is my magnum opus and my greatest shame #the terror #meta analysis #james fitzjames #henry le vesconte #francis crozier #that sweater lasts longer than most of the cast #and I love it just as much

[caffeineivore]

Fic!

For @smokingbomber. AU. A scene featuring Kunzite, Mamoru and Usagi, in which Kunzite and Mamoru are best friends and Kunzite and Usagi are siblings. For a fic not yet published. This is semi-unedited drivel and snark. Sorry not sorry.

**

The commencement ceremony for his sister’s class at the Greenwich Academy features raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses (without blue satin sashes) and a Pulitzer-winning journalist as the commencement speaker, and of course, their whole family was there for Una’s big day. Kent’s mother, Isabelle, had also attended the school in her own teenage years, and had been sloppy with sentimentality all morning at the thought of her only daughter following in her footsteps. His dad, of course, was a bit more prosaic, though he did approve of this year’s choice of commencement speaker as opposed to last year’s staid and rather boring senator.

Una isn’t Valedictorian-- that particular honour falls to her good friend Molly O’Shea, the heiress of a chain of jewelry stores. Molly’s family is a bit new-money, and her mother is undeniably a little crass by their standards, but she’s a sweet girl, undoubtedly with a bright future ahead of her, and certainly, Una could associate with worse people.

The graduating class of an elite, private all-girl’s school is typically less than 100 students, and this year’s is no exception. Kent had heard tell of the local public school holding their ceremony at an actual sporting stadium due to the plethora of students, family, friends and staff involved, and it’s almost comical. Who would even be able to get a good picture of their kid’s face as he or she got their diploma from some spot in the stands fifty feet up? It would make sense for a college graduation, of course, but seems to lack the sort of sentimentality and ceremony that kids always enjoyed.

“Hey.”

The voice is familiar, and while his best friend’s presence isn’t a complete shock-- Matt has been promoted to almost-an-honourary-Crawford-Tate since the events of a year ago, it does strike Kent as a bit odd that his friend would be standing there in full-on black tie and carrying a bouquet of red roses like it’s a wedding or something.

“Hi there, Miss America. Lose your tiara or something?” Kent jostles his friend’s arm good-naturedly, but rather to his surprise, Matt doesn’t say anything smart-alecky back in response and watches the proceedings without a word.

They sit through the speeches, the music and ceremony, and of course, everyone applauds when Una receives her diploma and a yellow rose as her name is announced. She beams and waves at them as she follows the rest of the procession down the line, and Kent is struck with the fact that his baby sister is now all grown up, wearing a long white dress that isn’t all princess ballerina ruffles, her hair down her back rather than in pigtails. Una is petite and bubbly and probably would love sappy nonsense like fuzzy little kittens and Disney movies for the rest of her life, but she is no longer a kid, and it makes Kent, at the advanced age of twenty-two, feel ancient.

The ceremony ends shortly, and Una breaks away from her friends to join them, and that is when all Hell breaks loose.

That she smiles and runs towards them, not quite graceful in her kitten heels, is not super surprising. She’s a soft-hearted little thing, after all, and unlike Kent, who’d grown up on a steady weekly diet of private tennis lessons and captained his rowing team at Yale, generally hated sports and athletic activity. But that she only spares her parents and Kent the most perfunctory greetings before making a beeline for Matt on the other hand stops Kent in his tracks, and when Matt hands her the roses, then opens his arms, and she jumps in, arms looping around his neck and blonde hair mingling with Matt’s black, Kent is almost certain his jaw made an audible thump as it hit the floor.

It isn’t the type of hug a girl would give a friend, or a brother, and the kiss Matt has the audacity to plant on her isn’t exactly fraternal in nature, either. Kent doesn’t even register his own parents’ reactions-- whether they were as shocked and appalled as he was, or whether, worse, they somehow knew about this. Matt picks up a giggling, blushing Una and swings her around, then sets her down and, even more horrifyingly, pulls out a small black velvet box out of a pocket. It’s like the climax scene of every fluffy chick flick ever except in Kent’s head, some 80s era Wes Craven horror movie soundtrack is playing over it.

Matt pulls a ring-- an actual RING!-- out of the box, classic antique platinum band with a flawless white pearl flanked by two small diamonds, and offers it to Una. “It’s not-- well, it’s my mother’s. I know we’re young, and you have college and I have med school. But I want you to wait for me. Someday, I want to do this again, with something just for you.” It’s an old-fashioned notion-- a promise ring-- but even more shocking is the fact that his normally quiet friend is doing this in front of everyfuckingbody like it’s not some huge spectacle, let alone the fact that apparently Matt and Una had been carrying on for goodness only knew how long before then, because she seems thrilled and misty-eyed rather than horrified and shrieking. She kisses Matt again, accepts the ring and the roses, and then, FINALLY, Matt manages to meet Kent’s eye, and Kent has no choice but to move his brain and body out of the fog and react.

He hauls Una none-too-gently out of Matt’s arms, and then punches Matt in the face, his friend’s head snapping back at the contact of Kent’s fist against his jaw. Matt almost falls down, but then Una is screeching and yanking Kent off like a baby kitten attempting to move a mastiff, and her ire is apparently at Kent for punching Matt rather than Matt for laying hands on her in every single violation to the Bro code in the history of ever.

“DON’T HIT MY BOYFRIEND!!! WE ARE IN LOVE AND YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!!” Undoubtedly, this is the liveliest graduation scene the hallowed grounds of Greenwich Academy has seen in at least a decade, and perhaps later, Kent would be reading about some pearl-clutching old biddy having a stroke because of this almost-brawl that would certainly be more in character at a dive bar that served cheap beer and twangy country music or whatever than here. But for now, Kent turns, open-mouthed, to stare at his sister. The petulant words and tone are definitely hers-- classic riled-up Una-- but since when was Matthew Darien Clark anything but his friend?

“Matt is NOT your boyfriend! Since when is Matt your boyfriend?! YOU JUST TURNED EIGHTEEN LAST JUNE SINCE WHEN DID YOU START HAVING BOYFRIENDS?!”

“Kent, you’re making a scene and embarrassing your sister.” His mother’s voice cuts through the haze and whatever undoubtedly furious retort Una has for his remark. “It is extremely unseemly to engage in this boisterous contretemps in public like an uncultured ruffian. Una, dear, do stop screaming. Do you think we might be able to find a place with some privacy to resolve this situation?”

“Why the need for privacy? HE’S the one who wanted to freaking damn near propose in front of all these people! He should suffer the consequences of his actions that HE chose to do publically!”

“I have nothing to say to you about Matt and myself, and until you get off your high horse and leave whichever awful Victorian planet where women sit cross-legged at home and bat their eyelashes while patiently waiting for the men to find something to do with their lives that you seem to be living on, I have nothing to say to you, period. Matt’s your FRIEND and you just punched him because, what, we’re in love?” Una clenched her jaw, then raised her chin in stubborn defiance. “If you’ll excuse me. I need to find some ice for my boyfriend’s face.”

“Kent, kindly don’t conduct yourself like a hooligan.” Even his father, apparently, was in on this horrifying scenario. Kent Crawford-Tate, Jr. looked his usual unruffled self, slightly bored and slightly disapproving with the scenario playing out. “Matthew is not a stranger or an unsuitable fellow, and he even asked my permission to do this beforehand. Your sister is happy.” He waves a hand at the crowd starting to gather around them, bequeaths a jovial smile. “Everything is perfectly fine, folks. Isn’t it a beautiful day? Are you all right there, son?” This last bit is directed at Matt himself, who is rubbing his jaw gingerly, but meets his eye with a wan smile.

“I’m fine, sir.” Matt then turns his dark-blue gaze towards Kent, and though his eyes are somber, they’re unapologetic and meet Kent’s without any fear. “I’m okay with you punching me. I guess we should have told you, but everything was happening so fast. I’m sorry you’re upset over it, but I’m not going to stop seeing Una just to appease you.” An awful, sappy smile crosses Matt’s face. “She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“Okay, that’s my sister, and that’s disgusting, and never do that again.” Kent shudders. It’s incredibly demoralizing to learn that not only is he the last one to know about this outrageous new development, but Matt’s focus is completely on Una’s happiness. “Do I even want to know how long this has been going on?”

“Since the time my grandmother got sick. Una caught me on a bad day, and just… she understood. We must have talked for hours.” Matt, the noble idiot, brushes lint off his stark black lapels and makes that lovesick face again despite Kent’s stern injunctions just a moment prior. “Your whole family has been incredibly supportive, and I can’t thank them enough, of course. But Una-- she’s like light shining through the darkness. I don’t know what I would have done this last year without her.”

“Ugh.” It’s an uncouth nothing of a word, but Kent finds that he doesn’t have anything else to say. The idea of being friends with a boyfriend of Una’s has literally never occurred to him before, nor the idea of his own best friend eyeing his little sister, nor even the idea of his best friend being in love, period. Certainly Matt was not the sort to tomcat around the Yale campus like some of the other rich, privileged douchebags of their acquaintance, but they were too damn young to settle down for 2.4 kids and a white picket fence. Or, more likely in their case, 2.4 kids, a live-in housekeeper, and a six-bedroom mansion with a three-car garage.

His asshole disgrace of a best friend has the nerve to smile. “You’ll know what I mean someday, bro.”

“Why, you have any long-lost sisters?” It’s a snotty remark at best, but Matt is too nice of a guy to care, and Kent privately finds the idea of continuing to pick a fight with someone who, goddammit, is just not willing to engage, about equal to the idea of arguing with a six-year-old about the existence of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Sure, it may be an easy battle to win, but the victory would feel dickish at best, unjust at worst.

“No, but you’ll fall in love yourself someday. And when you find the right woman, nothing will be as important to you as bringing a smile to her face, and all you’ll want from your friends and others around you is the support and goodwill to share in your happiness.”

“Sounds like a hocus pocus curse, so you should probably stop that shit. I didn’t punch you that hard, you ass.” Kent doesn’t want to shake on it and call it good, not in front of all these people, especially since they’ve already given everyone at that year’s graduation more than enough of a shit show, so he hunches his shoulders, well aware that a multitude of young, white-gowned debutantes are eyeing him like something beneath a microscope slide, and hightails it out to the parking lot.

His car is… noticeable, even in this sea of luxurious, flashy Range Rovers and Mercedes Benzes and Bentleys. The sleek black Maserati with the custom gold trim had been a present for his own graduation a month earlier from his parents. Sure, he rarely ever drove it into the questionable parts of town, and certainly it is a vehicle that screams ‘PLEASE HIT ME WITH A SPEEDING TICKET AGAIN, OFFICER, AND MAKE IT A GOOD ONE!’ the way a BDSM fetishist might scream at some leather-clad dominatrix plying a cat-o’-nine-tails on his backside, but it is a Thing of Beauty and a Joy Forever. Kent makes a beeline towards it, then stops in his tracks about two feet away.

Una had certainly NOT been fetching ice for Matt’s jaw in the interim. Keyed into the exorbitantly-expensive custom paint job, in loopy, girlish handwriting, are the words “SCREW YOU, I DO WHAT I WANT!”, followed by a bright pink lipstick heart on the side mirror.

God fucking dammit! He was too damn young to have two heart attacks in one day.

#mamoru x usagi #kunzite #fanfiction #fanfic #sailor moon #smokingbomber

[finefeatheredfriend]

The Bodysnatchers!

This time on Eileen reads the EDAs we’ve got a thrilling and gorey adventure with Eight and Sam and some Zygons, brought to me by my laptop’s text to speech function cause I’m too distracted to focus on actual reading lol

I liked this book! It was a bit slow at first and it took me longer to really love the book than it did with Vampire Science, but the Victorian setting and some really brilliant lines won me over in the end haha! And we had Litefoot in this! And the Zygons (and some nice ones as well, what??), which for some reason I didn’t recognise on the cover, but I still got spoiled by myself because of my brilliant idea to use text to speech. 

I was rooting for something to happen between Sam and Emmeline, but alas. There are some parts that I will interpret that way though, even though they were definitely not intended that way lol. 

Still no naked Eight, so that’s a big minus.

I’m going to write down my reactions to all the EDAs in this series of reviews, and here are some of the highlights and my favourite quotes:

‘splendid, we’re where we’re supposed to be. I'm getting the hang of this.’ Doctor stop ahahsgahga

‘Leela is married, with children I believe’ I’m sorry what

what is it with me and shipping Sam with any woman she comes across hahah

(please let something happen between emmeline and sam)

'That didn't do much for your image, did it?' said a voice behind her, as though stealing her thoughts. Sam pushed herself up on to her elbows and looked round. The Doctor was just a few feet below her, leaning back against the wall with his hands behind his head, looking so relaxed she wanted to hit him. 'I missed my footing,' she said huffily. 'Several times,' said the Doctor, nodding.” Oh my god Doctor I love you ahahahahah

“Sam opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor effectively plugged it with a jelly baby which he produced out of nowhere” that is such a Doctor thing to do ashafsgsfs

it’s so weird that the normal zygons are so soft (they have voices like songbirds????)

“bigger and nastier people than you have tried to suck my brains out before with no success whatsoever - well, not much anyway.” ... am I. am I really going to say it. am I really. ok no I won’t but seriously eileen get your mind out of the gutter ffs

I love how the doctor went ‘eeny meeny miny mo. hm. which one of these do i like the most? eeny!’ I love him

“That was a very uncool piece of headgear,' she said weakly. 'Not my style at all.' 'Oh, I don't know. I've got some rather fetching photographs. I thought we could blow them up and have them printed as T-shirts.” doCTOR (this is the kind of brother/sister dynamic that I love about these two)

Sam pretending not to know it’s a Zygon impersonating her just to say ‘who’s that gorgeous person?’ aaaah i love her

‘Is my nose really that big?’ ‘Only in certain lights’ DOCTOR NO

I was promised lots of naked eight in the EDAs and so far they have NOT delivered

AAAAAAAH SAM NOTICED EMMELINE’S BREASTS

‘Confusing emotions’ ‘jealousy’ aaaaah Sam I love you please be gay

“'That's assuming that the elastic band hasn't snapped of course.' 'Elastic band!' He grinned. 'I'm joking. It was one of those really thick ones. There's no way it would break.” I’m screaming I can’t stop laughing

‘My motto is never to get too attached to thing’ ‘does that include people’ oooooh (in clueless voice) that was way harsh Sam

‘nimble as a ballerina’ oh my god I love Eight and thank you for this hilarious image in my head omg

As usual (I’ve only done one of these before but still lol) this section is way longer than I expected haha!

And also as usual, you’ll find the unabridged version of my liveblog under the cut! (It’s technically just for me to be able to go back to so I can see how I reacted to reading this for the first time, but read it if you want to!)

I bolded my favourite quotes and reactions again! Enjoy ahaha

this one’s a bit slower

I mean in the way that I don’t absolutely love it from the first page on like I did with Vampire Science

but I love the Victorian era vibe it’s giving off

I can’t wait for Eight and Sam to show up though

oh that’s so the doctor - accidentally setting a book on fire ahahah

oh no it was an original printing of Sherlock Holmes aaaaa

oh I love it when companions get to dress up for trips

name dropping the BBC ahaha

AAAAH she’s in Nyssa’s room!!! I was wondering whose room it was when they mentioned that in Vampire Science! and obviously if it was Nyssa’s room then it’s also Tegan’s old room since they shared

I love Eight and Sam so much

“’How do you want to look?' asked the Doctor. 'I dunno. Cool. Confident.' 'You definitely look cool,' said the Doctor. 'In fact, you'll be one of the coolest people around.The 1890s equivalent of a... a Spice Girl.' 'I think I'd better take that as a compliment,’ said Sam carefully. 'Otherwise I might end up giving you a slap.’” omg

‘splendid, we’re where we’re supposed to be. I'm getting the hang of this.’ Doctor stop ahahsgahga

“'No, this is Earth all right. Smell that air.' Sam did so, almost choking on the sulphurous fog. 'Only London smells like this,' said the Doctor cheerfully. 'It has a certain... ethos. A certain bouquet.’” have I mentioned how much I love Eight

when Sam falls onto the Doctor and he hits his head and he goes 'what pretty fireworks, are they yours?” oh my god doctor I love you

Aaaaaah jago and litefoot!!!!!!

oh well or just litefoot but still!!!

‘Leela is married, with children I believe’ I’m sorry what

touch telepaths. time lords are touch telepaths. how did he get that information about the constable’s wife

first a house keeper called mrs hudson and now a revolting man called mr stoker looking hungrily at emmeline i see what you’re doing here

“Sam did as instructed (put her foot in the noose of the rope), and felt herself being hauled upwards at an alarming speed. It was as if there was not just the Doctor, but a ten-man tug-of-war team heaving on the other end.” wow the Doctor is STRONG

oh no it’s emmeline’s mum sitting in that armchair but she’s gonna be dead isn’t she

but the way emmeline describes the figure sitting there it sounds more like a man somehow

oh ok I was right it’s her dead mum

please don’t die please don’t die please don’t die I like you emmeline pleeeaase don’t die

why is Sam so jealous of emmeline :(

ok good, Sam likes her now and feels bad about thinking awful things about her that makes me happy

“’Great,' said Sam sardonically. 'I've always wanted to wallow knee-deep through -' 'Shh,' said the Doctor, holding a finger to his lips.” Oh my god anahahahahha (this reminds me of all the times they did this exact same thing with Lucie lol)

what is it with me and shipping Sam with any woman she comes across hahah

(please let something happen between emmeline and sam)

“She would rather die of curiosity than betray her ignorance and inexperience in front of Emmeline and the professor.” oh I love Sam

“As the more petty concerns of life began to filter back into her consciousness, she found herself hoping that Litefoot and Emmeline had seen little of her graceless descent. 'That didn't do much for your image, did it?' said a voice behind her, as though stealing her thoughts. Sam pushed herself up on to her elbows and looked round. The Doctor was just a few feet below her, leaning back against the wall with his hands behind his head, looking so relaxed she wanted to hit him. 'I missed my footing,' she said huffily. 'Several times,' said the Doctor, nodding.” Oh my god Doctor I love you ahahahahah

“Sam opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor effectively plugged it with a jelly baby which he produced out of nowhere” that is such a Doctor thing to do ashafsgsfs

“Even though she bent her knees to cushion her body from the impact of landing, the unexpectedly short fall jarred her legs and caused her to lose her balance. However she managed to convert her momentum into a forward roll and sprang immediately to her feet in what she hoped looked a professional and athletic manner.” god I love how Sam always wants to look like she knows what she’s doing

BRAVE HEART TEGAN oh my heart

“The Doctor: ‘This has the effect of drawing out their fierce but latent aggressiveness and, supposedly, making them more single-minded in battle.' 'Stupid, you mean,' said Sam,'like most men.” Sam I love you. and this reminds me of that scene in the 50th where Liz 1 says something similar

can you believe zygons look like that because they’re sterilised and normally look ‘’’’dainty’’’’ and white and have smooth skin instead of suckers???

also I love how the doctor just spends soooo much time explaining every single little detail about zygons while they’re sitting not even that far away from three actual zygons they’re currently hiding from

oh no Emmeline is a zygon

I’d be more shocked if I hadn’t accidentally seen this while setting up the text to speech 

“A trap,' said the Doctor with almost child-like wonder” I love him. How many times can I say that before it gets boring to see this in my reactions (i don’t care cause I’m going to say it as often as i like so that’s gonna be a LOT)

it’s so weird that the normal zygons are so soft (they have voices like songbirds????)

“You have no choice, human. Either you each enter a cubicle or you die.' 'Hang on, that means we do have a choice,' said Sam with a cheeky bravado that she didn't really feel.” me

“bigger and nastier people than you have tried to suck my brains out before with no success whatsoever - well, not much anyway.” ... am I. am I really going to say it. am I really. ok no I won’t but seriously eileen get your mind out of the gutter ffs

“As Litefoot blundered along, he found himself thinking about the nature of the astonishing beings whose clutches he and his friends had fallen into. (...) Were they physically attracted to one another despite being genderless?” interesting your mind took you in that direction - thinking about alien sexuality..? okay

the Doctor is wearing a wet suit I repeat the doctor is wearing a wet suit someone help me

and he’s wearing goggles and flippers I can’t (it’s actually a face mask and not goggles but I don’t care I’m just going to imagine him wearing goggles)

ugh and when it said that the doctor was stripping down... I was expecting more of this scene. although I must admit that the image of the Doctor standing there in just his long johns before he puts on the wet suit was... a nice thought. (and he ‘expertly folded each item of clothing’ as if he had all the time in the world agxjagsgsg)

what the fuuuuuuck

that guy who witnessed his friend being killed by a zygon is ‘hacking away’ at a young man’s mouth because he made a joke at his expense omg

eeew now he’s got the youth’s tongue in his hand

I love how the doctor went ‘eeny meeny miny mo. hm. which one of these do i like the most? eeny!’ I love him

gaaah an Ace mention!!

double punch!! (how)

“What time is it?' she asked, her voice faint, rusty. 'Time to go,' replied the Doctor.” an icon

“That was a very uncool piece of headgear,' she said weakly. 'Not my style at all.' 'Oh, I don't know. I've got some rather fetching photographs. I thought we could blow them up and have them printed as T-shirts.” doCTOR (this is the kind of brother/sister dynamic that I love about these two)

“Suddenly Tuval registered the Doctor's attire, and the Zygon's borrowed features creased in puzzlement. 'You have changed, Doctor.' The Doctor looked momentarily alarmed. 'Not again, surely?’” anxhkavdbz

Sam pretending not to know it’s a Zygon impersonating her just to say ‘who’s that gorgeous person?’ aaaah i love her

‘Is my nose really that big?’ ‘Only in certain lights’ DOCTOR NO

‘Sam, who was blushing wildly but trying to appear cool’ I love you Sam

oh and also - the doctor’s only wearing his long johns and that’s already a nice image but

I was promised lots of naked eight in the EDAs and so far they have NOT delivered

“Magnificent,' the Doctor murmured, examining the readings once the straining of the TARDIS's ancient engines had faded. 'When it comes to the crunch, the old girl never lets me down.' He flicked a couple of switches.” the Doctor really does love the Tardis noise ahsgsggahdgs

Oh no

Oh no Doctor

it’s ok you didn’t mean to kill them all

but oh god

I am so sorry

“The Doctor left Emmeline and Nathaniel Seers to the end. He awoke Emmeline first, greeting her with the charming smile and silken voice that Sam had observed him employ often in the past to get them out of awkward situations. She knew, not without a slight sense of superiority, that this kind of treatment would have caused most of her mates at Coal Hill to go weak at the knees.” I’m screaming but also same

“The simple choice is this: work together under my guidance or PERISH” doctor, a little bit less of the dramatic (i’m kidding pls keep doing this)

aw I thought emmeline was going to step forward to go first but then her father did

AH HE SAID NO AND NOW IT WAS EMMELINE AFTER ALL I LOVE HER

Jack choked on shit (that’s a twisted reference)

AW SAM let it out it’s okay to cry and show feelings sometimes!!!!!!!

I love her

AAAAAAAH SAM NOTICED EMMELINE’S BREAST

‘Confusing emotions’ ‘jealousy’ aaaaah Sam I love you please be gay

“'That's assuming that the elastic band hasn't snapped of course.' 'Elastic band!' He grinned. 'I'm joking. It was one of those really thick ones. There's no way it would break.” I’m screaming I can’t stop laughing

“You know, I've been far more conscientious since I regenerated. I even keep my room tidy sometimes.' 'Congratulations,' said Sam drily.” AhahahHhha

HE WAS SINGING A VENUSIAN LULLABY

‘My motto is never to get too attached to thing’ ‘does that include people’ oooooh (in clueless voice) that was way harsh Sam

‘nimble as a ballerina’ oh my god I love Eight and thank you for this hilarious image in my head omg

‘That other doctor, will you meet him on your travels?’ and the Doctor shudders and says ‘I sincerely hope not, once was enough’ ahsgdga tell that to then curator from the 50th lol

#the bodysnatchers #edas #eileen reads the edas #edas reviews #not for kitty #not for abbey #not for franzi

[secondscratch17]

weird asks that say a lot

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? All of them. I drink tea in coffee mugs and teacups. I love drinking wine. I like that I can recycle soda cans

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? chocolate

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? bubblegum if the flavor lasts long

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? the stereotypical quiet, obedient, smart, goody-two-shoes kid

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? somehow I like the aesthetic from soda bottles

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? hONESTLY I can dO ALL OF THE ABOVE in the span of days. Went to work one day wearing beach-y clothes for spirit day. Returned to pick up a friend to go see a metal concert in VERY metal concert attire. I own short, sweet summery floral dresses and gothic dresses, too

7. earbuds or headphones? Earbuds, they allow me to be more mobile

8. movies or tv shows? movies

9. favorite smell in the summer? Fresh cut grass. The smell of the ocean. Churros at the fair

10. game you were best at in p.e.? Soccer, obvs. Somehow would always last until the end of the game in dodgeball tho because I was small and no one could hit me

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? Cereal

12. name of your favorite playlist? Don’t have one. 

13. lanyard or key ring?  Key ring

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? Smarties!

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? I remember re-reading Holes over and over just to make my book reports easier since I knew the boo so well. The Kite Runner was phenomenal and unforgettable

16. most comfortable position to sit in? idk?? I really can’t sit still in one position for too long

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? Currently my hiking/outdoorsy shoes. Also my black Nikes that I play pickup in and wear to the gym

18. ideal weather? Sunny and 65. Maybe one or two clouds. The tiniest of faint breezes to cool me down. 

19. sleeping position? Any I can get into and fall asleep in quickly

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? Laptop. I can edit easier.

21. obsession from childhood? Probably any cheesy show on Animal Planet. The Most Extreme, Meerkat Manor, Big Cat Diary, etc

22. role model? I have a lot of different ones. Role models for athletics, role models for career and ambition choices, artistic role models...can’t pick just one

23. strange habits? Spelling words with the tips of my fingers

24. favorite crystal? Aquamarine

25. first song you remember hearing? how in the FUCK am I supposed to remember that. I do remember my parents playing The Beatles for me when I was a toddler

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? Soccer! (futbol) 

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? Sledding, making hot chocolate, or playing indoor soccer haha

28. five songs to describe you? Who I am Hates Who I’ve Been by Relient K, Proud by the Icarus Account, Land of the Dead by Voltaire, Always Leaving by Mayday Parade, Wavin’ Flag by K’naan

29. best way to bond with you? Listening to my favorite music with me or watching the US Women’s national soccer team with me

30. places that you find sacred? Belfast, Maine. Gold Camp Road. Newport Beach

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Tight jeans with holes in them, fishnets, and a crop top

32. top five favorite vines? Vines still exist?

33. most used phrase in your phone? “tbh”

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? O O O O REILLYYYYYY’S autoparts

35. average time you fall asleep? around 9

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? I don’t remember

37. suitcase or duffel bag? suitcase

38. lemonade or tea? Is it warm outside? Lemonade. Is it cold outside? tea

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? PIE!

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? Zombie hunting or my professor cutting lab a half an hour short to go look at some Cedar waxwings

41. last person you texted? I think it was Robert

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? Pants pockets

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? Jean jacket

44. favorite scent for soap? Anything fruity

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? Fantasy. It depends on how good the sci-fi movie is

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? as little as possible lmao

47. favorite type of cheese? Parmesan

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? A raspberry

49. what saying or quote do you live by? A great amount of good is always evened out by a great amount of bad

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? Honestly Daniel knew how to make me laugh better than anyone. There are a couple of memories with him that I don’t remember entirely but I know that I ended up cry-laughing so hard that my head hurt. There was a time during my orientation camping trip when a bunch of us were playing ultimate Frisbee, and Jesse went to catch the frisbee in the most perfectly lateral horizontal position and the expression of focus just frozen on his face had me laughing so hard that I couldn’t see

51. current stresses? Sam. Jobs that I can apply for starting in May of 2020. Sam. STUDENT LOANS. Bills. Car payments. Wondering how fucked up my car has gotten since I’ve lived here on this ranch. Sam. 

52. favorite font? Anything that looks fancy and sarcastic

53. what is the current state of your hands? Need to be washed. 

54. what did you learn from your first job? The world is cruel and bad things happen without warning

55. favorite fairy tale? Uh....the Pied Piper?

56. favorite tradition? when my family visits for Christmas, eating lots of traditional Chinese food with them

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? Heartbreak. Staggering rejection from the field I majored in. Probably a lot of body image struggles in there as well

58. four talents you’re proud of having? Writing, futbol, adaptability, flexibility. I think the last two are just traits but I don’t have a lot of talents I can invest in

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? Let’s make like a baby and head out

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? No idea

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? Though we are far apart, our spirits share the same earth and the same sky

62. seven characters you relate to? Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Data from The Goonies, Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, Eliza Thornberry from The Wild Thornberries, Raven from Teen Titans, Isaac from Teen Wolf

63. five songs that would play in your club? ANYTHING by Within Temptation. I wouldn’t be a good club owner. The catchy and pump-up songs from Hamilton.

64. favorite website from your childhood? Wasn’t allowed much computer time. I was allowed to visit educational sites and occasionally the Disney site

65. any permanent scars? some self-harm scars. Probably the one on my right leg that I got from CO parks and wildlife. I stepped on a barbed wire fence that had been plastered to the ground, but the metal sprang up when I stepped on it and ripped through my skin

66. favorite flower(s)? Plumerias

67. good luck charms? I’m not sure if I have any. 

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? earthworm flavor from Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? uh...Something about not being able to spray silly string on Halloween in Hollywood

70. left or right handed? Right handed

71. least favorite pattern? wtf

72. worst subject? anything math related, I really struggled in GIS.

73. favorite weird flavor combo? I...have no idea

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? 2. I’m a baby

75. when did you lose your first tooth? I was 6

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? chips and fries

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? a succulent

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? sushi from a grocery store, the quality can surprise you

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? Both are terrible

80. earth tones or jewel tones? Jewel tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? I hate bugs

82. pc or console? PC

83. writing or drawing? Writing, I’m terrible at drawing

84. podcasts or talk radio? Not into either

84. barbie or polly pocket? I had both

85. fairy tales or mythology? God!!!! Like hearing about both but mythology I guess

86. cookies or cupcakes? Cookies

87. your greatest fear? Being forgotten. I also have a terrible, horrible fear of drowning

88. your greatest wish? In the times I’ve struggled I often find myself wishing for peace. Not only for myself, but for others to easily feel peace with everyone else

89. who would you put before everyone else? Sierra

90. luckiest mistake? Mistake? There’s been lucky accidents but I don’t think any of my mistakes have been lucky

91. boxes or bags? It depends on what I’m packing and where I’m going

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? Sunlight

93. nicknames? T, Tear, Tear-tear, T-Dog, Miss T..a few of my recent favorites from soccer: Ronaldinha and Thierry Chun

94. favorite season? Fall! Shit, especially in New England

95. favorite app on your phone? I don’t know

96. desktop background? A picture of a simple dock leading out to sea

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? My parents’ and brother’s

98. favorite historical era? Victorian era, for sure

[lovemesomesurveys]

...Third time I’m doing this because first I accidentally highlighted and deleted the whole thing and the second time I accidentally clicked to go back. It’s supposed to ask you if you want to leave or stay on the page, but somehow it bypassed that. I’m so annoyed, but here we go again... -______-

What’s something that makes you feel more creative? Nothing. What are the last three nail polish colors you wore? I last recall wearing black, which was a few years ago so I don’t know what I wore before that. How often do you switch up your nail polish cover? Not often apparently. What’s the last thing you binge watched? Catfish. Do you watch youtube videos or tv shows more? Both.

Who’s the most shallow and superficial person you’ve watched on youtube? I don’t consider any of the YouTubers I watch to be like that. What’s the last magazine you’ve read? I don’t remember. What’s a DIY project that you don’t think actually works? I don’t know. Do you collect Mason jars to use for crafts? No. What are you tired of right now? This survey because it’s now my 3rd time doing it. What gives you a quality of life? Uhhh. What would give you a high quality of life? Good health. Do you have any rugs on top of carpet in your home? No. What color is the last teddy bear you bought? I only buy stuffed animal giraffes, and they’re the color you’d expect a giraffe to be. Have you ever gotten rid of something and then regretted it? Yes. If so, what? (or what’s one thing?) A lot of things. I have a hard time getting rid of stuff. How does your stomach feel right now? It’s been bothering me. What color is the zip-up hoodie you wear the most? Black. Do you have a mattress cover on your bed? Yes. Do you live in an apartment that has inspections? I don’t live in an apartment. Do you hate taking naps during the day? No. Who in your immediate family has the best natural hair? My mom. Who has the best personality on youtube? Shane and Trisha Paytas, and the many ASMRists I’m subscribed to such as GibiASMR and PrimASMR to name a couple. Which youtuber seems uber confident? One of the ASMRists I watch, ASMRxBABEE. What is the funniest youtube video you have ever seen? I’ve seen many in over the past 11 years that I’ve been watching YouTube. Would you ever audition for American Idol? Um, no. I can’t sing and I know that. Do you know anyone who thinks they’re more talented than they are? No. Do you buy gum? I haven’t in awhile. What’s your favorite dollar store? I don’t have one. How many cell phones have you had in your lifetime? Like 5 or 6. Can you play the ukulele? No. Do you correct spelling and grammatical errors? Sometimes I will in a survey, but not in the question itself. I just correct it in my answer. Did you get a perfect SAT score in any subjects? I didn’t take the SATs. What is the origin of your last name? (i.e., Italian, French, etc.) Irish. Do you know the meaning of your first name? Yes. If so, what is it? "to be crowned.” Have you ever been inside a Victorian mansion? No. What was the most boring field trip you ever want on? I didn’t consider any of them boring, really. The last time you went, what were your favorite rides at Cedar Point? Never been. Have you ever ridden a horse? Once, at a fair. Sorry horsey, I was a kid and didn’t know any better. Do you enjoy watching videos of babies being born? Um, no thank you. If you had a boy and a girl, what would you name them? Which country do you have no desire to visit? *shrug* Which country would you most like to visit? Sweden. What is your nationality/what are your origins? American. ^What is the stereotype associated with that nationality? Probably that we love guns or something and that we’re fat. ^And do you feel like you fit it? Nope. What are your favorite types of videos to watch on youtube? ASMR and vlogs. What’s a DIY craft project you want to try? I don’t do any. Is your room clean? Mostly. It’s a bit cluttered. Are you a hoarder? A bit. When you think of your past, do you hurt? When thinking about parts of it. I also miss parts of it, though. Is there a guy (or girl) that you wish things had worked out with? Yes. I do wish things had worked out between Ty and I. I wish we had least remained friends if we couldn’t be anything more. I truly loved having him in my life. Do you ever call yourself stupid in your head? That and many other putdowns. “Stupid” is the least of them. What was your favorite Barbie doll? I just loved Barbies. If you were to start a collection, what would it be? I do, I have a ton of stuffed animal giraffes. If you were rich, what things would you get done cosmetically? I’d just want to get my teeth fixed. How old were you when you got your license? I haven’t still. Are you parents too controlling? No. Do you think “Sarah/Sara” looks better with an “h” or without? Whichever. Would you ever give your daughter the middle name Marie? Do you think “Ann/Anne” looks better with or without the “e”? Again, whichever. Who is your favorite fictitious redhead? Archie Andrews and Cheryl Blossom. Name 5 fictitious redheads that you can think of. Those 2, Merida from Brave, Daphne, and Wilma. Do you like musicals? Some. What shows have you seen on Broadway? The Phantom of the Opera. What big cities have you been to? Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta. What other big cities do you want to go to? New York for sure. Do you follow through with your new year’s resolutions? I don’t even make ‘em anymore. Do you make bucket lists? I did one years ago. What’s number 1 on your bucket list? I do wanna travel. Do you have a relationship with God? Yes. Do you hate haters? Haters gonna hate. What do you want to be for Halloween this year? I don’t dress up anymore. Do you like unique spellings of names? Sometimes. Do you trust anyone? Yes. What kind of milk do you drink? I use soy or almond milk for stuff, but I don’t like to drink them by itself. Have you ever “fired” a doctor? No. What’s your favorite type of cheese? I love cheese. American, cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan... What store do you want to win a shopping spree at? Hmm. What clothing store would you like to win a shopping spree at (if different)? I don’t know. Do you wear heels or flats more? Neither. Do you love shopping? I like online shopping. Who is the prettiest Asian youtuber that you can think of? I’m not sure. Do you watch a lot of youtube videos? Yes. What is the best news you’ve heard lately? Ummm. Do you use a sunlamp? No. What was the temperature where you live today? I think mid 60s F. Is your sleep schedule all messed up? Yep. Has been for many years. Do you keep up with trends? Some. Did you wear green last St. Patrick’s Day? Nope. Name three positive things about the Internet. Tumblr, surveys, online shopping. Have a lovely day! Thanks.

#personal #text #survey #surveys #yay I got through it this time

[ahgasescenarios]

A Fortunate Encounter- Doyoung Tattoo Artist! Au

Word count: 6.1k

Genre: Angst/fluff

Plot summary: (Y/N) is from a wealthy family while he works as a tattoo artist. When they cross paths, will they remain strangers or will they find themselves drawn to each other?

A/N: So I got this idea out of the blue and I could really picture it so I hope you guys enjoy! I literally wrote this until 3 in the morning because I was so inspired. I put a lot of work into this scenario and I'm so happy that you guys liked the teaser so much! Hopefully this will be up to par and thank you to everyone who reads my stories once again, I love you all so much(: Let me know if you'd like to see me do more of these long scenarios 

Ever since you were little, you had been told what to do- just like everyone else. You had been taught what was considered good and bad and had behaved accordingly. When you misbehaved, you were punished and when you behaved well, you were rewarded. It had been that way all of your life, society acting as a dictator.

Your entourage had taught you what to wear to be considered sophisticated, how to act around others, and so on. Being born into a wealthy family had its advantages, but people expected so much of you- to the point where it exhausted you both mentally and physically at times.

Just like today. You were sitting on a luxurious couch, staring into space and only vaguely making out your frantic mother's silhouette. She rummaged through your closet in search of the perfect outfit for the night. After groans and scoffs of desperation, she finally settled on a black gown. It was gorgeous, just like everything else in the humongous walk-in closet. You couldn't take pride in saying you had exquisite taste in clothes, as your mother was responsible for your wardrobe. The top of the dress was embroidered with lace and the gown pooled at your ankles in an elegant trail.

Your mother was hosting another one of her gatherings and as always, everything had to be perfect. She made some final touches to your look: adding some hue to your cheeks, making sure your hair had enough volume and tying a pearl necklace around your neck so you represented the family's fortune.

Before you knew it, you were descending the stairs with everyone's gaze fixated on your figure. You smiled shyly, introducing yourself to the select few people you actually were acquainted with. The only instructions you had to follow for this kind of event were simple, "Smile and look pretty." That was all that was asked of you. Most nights you were fine with it, but you weren't much in the mood for it all tonight.

You did have one person who always managed to lift your spirits though and he was coming your way.

"(Y/N), as dashing as always."

He kneeled, pressing his lips to your hand. He was wearing a brand new tuxedo, probably custom-made by the family tailor that same day. His red hair was slicked back which gave him a more mature allure despite his young age.

Although it looked like you two were a couple, Taeyong and yourself were merely friends. Both born in rich families, you had bonded over countless mandatory family dinners, golf tournaments, charity events, and more. You had been playful, teasing even at a young age but you grew on each other and matured together. The two of you had the same view of your reality, feeling as though all the money in the world could never guarantee anyone's happiness.

He scanned your face and in an instant knew exactly what was going through your head. He knew you like the back of his hand after all, of course, he would see right through you at a time like this.

"Wanna get out of here?"

It felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. You looked up to the model-like man before you and nodded in approval

"I thought you'd never ask."

He took your hand in his and dragged you along to the exit, in an effort to escape people's lingering stares. You giggled and followed in his footsteps until you were met with the cold outside breeze.

You looked up, noticing how endless stars decorated the beautiful night sky. Night had always been your favorite time of day, a time where you didn't have to put on a façade but one where you could feel- something you apparently weren't allowed to do normally.

You lowered your gaze, taking in every detail of your surroundings. You had a pretty good view of the city from this high up. You observed the row of Victorian houses in the distance and tried to fathom from afar what normal life was like.

"You wanna go?" Taeyong asked, motioning to the town before the two of you.

You nodded with a smile on your face.

"I often wonder what it's like to live in this part of town." 

Taeyong muttered, hands in his pockets as you walked the streets of the quaint town.

"Me too, Tae. It seems other-worldly even."

He nodded his head, agreeing with you silently. The shops around you were all closed at this time of night and you sighed, feeling like you needed a spoonful of reality. The walk was silent but not in an uncomfortable kind of way, both parties lost in thought. A ringing sound broke the calm atmosphere.

"Baby, what's up?" Taeyong answered. "Wait- right now? Okay, okay, I'm on my way. Be there in a few."

His gaze shifted towards you, a helpless look draped over his delicate features.

"It's okay, go. I'll be fine."

"Thanks, I'll make it up to you."

He hugged you briefly before going back to his car. Girlfriend emergency, you figured. You couldn't blame him for having a girlfriend, you were actually happy for him. It sucked that he didn't spend as much time with you as before, but you understood. Although sometimes, you wished you had a special someone to share everything with as well.

You kept on walking down the usually jampacked street, taking the time to admire the charm of each little boutique. It was getting chilly out, but you didn't mind. A certain shop caught your eye, as it was the only one with lights still on at this hour. You picked up your pace until you were standing in front of it. Your eyes were met with a neon sign reading Black Lotus Tattoos. Your gaze immediately drifted inside the shop, checking out the place from where you were standing. It was pretty empty, but it seemed like it would be a lively place typically.

Your eyes landed on one tattoo artist tending to a client. His black hair was pushed back in a failed attempt to keep it out of his face. Tattoos adorned his arms, each one more fascinating than the previous. You had never seen anyone with tattoos before, but somehow you knew you wouldn't be seeing the last of this man. He seemed so enthralled in his work, his eyes squinting in concentration.

You must've been staring at him for quite some time because he had just finished his client's tattoo by the time you snapped out of your daydreaming. They were most, fortunately, discussing something funny since a big smile made its way to the mysterious tattooer's face. Your breath hitched in your throat at the sight. You had never seen someone so handsome, and that was saying a lot considering the people you were constantly around.

Before you could protest, your feet led you inside.

"Can I help you?"

He quirked one of his eyebrows at you, silently judging your choice of attire for this kind of place.

"Are you gonna say something or is that something stuck-up princesses like you don't know how to do?"

You opened your mouth in shock. You stood there baffled, no one had ever talked to you so rudely before.

"Uh- sorry, I- uh, I'll just leave then. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

You mumbled an apology, too unsettled to say anything else. You bowed your head at him before scurrying out. The boy watched you walk away while shaking his head. Everyone in town knew about the rich families who lived "above" them, in every sense of the word. No one in town could stand those families; they were greedy and hostile which didn't have its place in such a homey village.

Rudeness was not something you were familiar with. Your family's influence and power were intimidating enough for people to think twice about their actions. Yet, this particular guy did not care at all. And secretly, you admired that about him because "not caring" wasn't even an option for you in the world you lived in.

  You didn't return to the shop until weeks later, too anxious to confront what scared you most: normality. We were all scared of the unknown after all. You also feared the handsome tattoo artist's smoldering gaze. But your curiosity had gotten the best of you so you decided to go back- for a reason this time. And yes - you guessed it - you had decided to get a tattoo. You had already done your fair share of research online so you knew precisely what you were getting yourself into - you had read enough worst-case scenarios to know how to take care of the new addition to your body.

You ransacked your entire closet in search of any regular clothes. Your mom didn't let you keep many "poor people clothes" as she called them, in a firm belief that you had to reflect what you were (more like how much money you had) in every aspect of your life. You finally came across a pale green sweater and worn-out shorts but decided that they would do regardless. You slipped into your favorite pair of boots (which your mom never let you wear) and grabbed a backpack before heading out.

The shop was within walking distance, but it was still a long walk. You hummed as you walked, finding the weather to be especially pleasant today.

You took a deep breath before entering the shop. A faint part of you wanted him to have the day off, but there he was in all his glory. His smile faded when he saw you, excusing himself from the conversation he was currently having. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn't find you beautiful, but he wasn't about to tell you that.

"Well, well, look who has returned."

You caught a glimpse of his name tag. Doyoung was his name. It suited him, you thought. You took a deep breath to gather your thoughts.

"Look, I didn't come here to cause you any trouble. I know people like me aren't particularly welcome here but I just want a tattoo. And I have a name you know, it's (Y/N)."

"Fine, then. Anything in mind?"

You browsed through their catalog for a few minutes, Doyoung growing impatient by the minute. You made your way over to Doyoung shortly with the binder still in hand.

"I want this rose on my left ankle. And this wave on the right side of my ribcage. Can you do that?"

He widened his eyes.

"Of course I can do it." He scoffed, "Any color you wanna add?"

"No thank you, just black will do."

He laughed at your politeness, something he wasn't used to in his line of work. He came back a few moments later with the necessary equipment in his hands. He prepped his station while you looked around nervously. You knew it would hurt at least a little - or like hell if you trusted what people said on Yahoo! -, but you were still scared. You had never been too keen on anything requiring needles and you were doubting your decision to come here just a little.

Doyoung motioned for you to get closer and you approached hesitantly. You were shaking, your heart beating out of your chest. You positioned yourself on the chair, shifting uncomfortably now and again.

"Can you stop fidgeting please?"

He looked at you with annoyance clear in his eyes.

"Sorry. Uh- is this going to hurt a lot?"

You muttered. A small smile tugged at his lips as he understood what was going on. It wasn't the first time a client was scared of the pain the needle would inflict.

"It'll be over before you know it, I promise."

It felt weird for kind words to leave his mouth, but you just nodded frantically in response. You were anxious to get this over with. To think you'd go to these lengths just to see him again. He got to work, placing a hand on your waist to steady himself while he worked. Goosebumps formed on your waist at the spot. You had never reacted that way to a guy's touch but shrugged it off regardless. It was probably the nerves talking.  

He was right, it was over before you knew it. He handed you a mirror, showing you the results. You smiled in delight. Even if they were small and discreet tattoos, they still caught the eye which was exactly what you were going for. You made your way to the cashier happily.

You had one thing left to do before leaving. You spotted Doyoung and walked over to him, successfully capturing his attention.

"Listen, uh, I know you think I'm just a spoiled brat and what I'm about to do probably won't help change your mind, but I just hope you can see that I'm far from being one. I don't especially like living in luxury, for what it's worth."

With that, you shoved a hundred-dollar bill in his pocket and walked away. Doyoung stood there in shock. He had always thought negatively about the upper class, but maybe you were actually one of the good ones.

  Your parents never noticed the addition of ink to your body, much to your relief. You didn't regret it, but they would make sure you did if they ever found out. You were currently enjoying some much needed alone time when you heard a knock at your door. Weird, you thought. People didn't usually knock since it was such a big house- who would hear it? You hurried to open it, your jaw dropping when you saw the person before you.

"Doyoung, what are you-"

"I wanted to apologize for acting like such a jerk. You didn't do anything to deserve that, and I'm sorry. Do you think we can start over?"

You were too stunned to speak. It took your brain a few moments to function properly again.

"Sure. It's okay, don't worry. Happens all the time."

"Let me make it up to you, over coffee maybe?"

He took you by surprise once again and you accepted the offer. You invited him in since you had to change out of your pajamas. You tied your hair in a high ponytail, putting together an outfit in record time.

You found Doyoung admiring a painting hung in your living room.

"It's an original. Do you like art?"

"I'm an artist, of course, I do." He laughed, making you laugh as well.

He brought you to his favorite coffee shop and you had to agree with him. The place was remote, but the moment you stepped in you were met with friendly faces and delicious aromas. Your coffee tasted amazing and you could tell by the taste that the owners ground their own coffee beans.

"By the way, how did you know where I lived?" You asked, the question having been on your mind ever since he crossed the threshold.

"It's a small town. Plus, there aren't a lot of houses up there."

Your lips curled up into a smile at the thought of the young man asking around about you. You made conversation for a little while, going through the basics. What your childhood was like, what school you went to, your major in college and your favorite things in life. And then came the inevitable question.

"What's it like to be rich?" He asked with hesitance laced in his voice.

He didn't expect to hear that it was so lonely and demanding, that was for sure. He listened to you carefully, hanging on to your every word. And that's how it was for a few hours. You got to know the mysterious tattoo artist who was actually studying to make his dream a reality. Opening an art gallery, becoming a renowned artist. Doyoung had ambition, something you lacked yourself. Working as a tattoo artist made his artistic juices flow in the meantime, you learned.

You actually had a lot in common with Doyoung, despite coming from two completely different backgrounds. You enjoyed his company so much that you found yourself pouting as he walked you home.

You came to a halt when you faced your doorstep. You exchanged phone numbers before he bid you goodbye, waving from where he stood.

  Laying on your bed, you recalled your time with Doyoung. It was the first time you had hung out with someone from the "outside world" in a while and you were happy you two got off to a good start. Maybe a normal friendship was what you needed in your life right now. You smiled to yourself, playing with your hair absentmindedly until fingers poked your side repetitively.

"Hey, what's up with you? In love or something?"

Taeyong rolled his eyes, abandoning the idea of you ever listening to what he was trying to say beforehand.

"No, nothing like that. I've just made a friend, a normal one."

"Oooh, tell me about her then!"

"Him, actually. His name's Doyoung and he works at a tattoo shop on the street we walked together that one time."

"Oh, I see how it is. You've got the hots for him."

Taeyong teased.

"I do not!"

"Liar."

You chased after him, set on making him think twice about teasing you.

  You saw Doyoung again a few days later, this time for a meal at some local restaurant. The more you got to know him, the more you realized that despite his cold exterior, he was a really sweet guy.

"Is it hard to have friends in your situation?"

His question took you by surprise, it wasn't often that people asked you about your feelings.

"Well, yes since I don't go to school, but I do have a best friend whom I share everything with. He's kinda all I've got."

You laughed lightly.

"Nonsense, you've got me too now."

He winked playfully, making your heart stop for a nanosecond. His beauty never ceased to unsettle you in the subtlest of ways.

  Hanging out with Doyoung soon became a regular thing. You shared the same passion for music as well as art, and so much more. You had never been this close to someone who your parents didn't "approve" of and it honestly felt refreshing. You'd visit him at the tattoo shop often and admire his passion for his work from a distance. Whenever he had a day off, you would see each other whether it be for a walk in the park, going to the movies, or chilling at his place. You had grown quite close in those weeks and so, you figured it was about time that your two favorite people met.

So here you were in Taeyong and Doyoung's company, talking about this and that. They had hit it off from the getgo, both noticing the antique car parked in the driveway of the café. Apparently, it was one of a kind. You had proceeded to find a table while Doyoung took care of ordering the drinks for everyone. Taeyong had leaned over and whispered in your ear.

"I like him."

You had talked for hours and shared countless anecdotes (most of which were embarrassing for yourself). You were happy that the two most important guys in your life got along, you would even go as far as to say that it was a relief.

  The next Saturday, your parents decided to host a charity event to raise awareness for one of the same old causes: helping the poor, protecting the environment, making the world a better place allegedly. You weren't too psyched about it, especially since you didn't think your folks would let you invite Doyoung given the importance of the event. You had still tried, though.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a second?"

"What is it? I have a lot to do, make it quick."

"Uh, can I have a plus one for the event?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Make sure to share the dress code, I can't have anyone looking homeless."

She shivered at the thought. She was too busy to pay attention to you, as always. Her agreeing was not something you expected, though. You invited Doyoung nonetheless to which he confirmed mere minutes later. You smiled thinking about how full of surprises the day had revealed itself to be.

Said guest arrived a few hours before the official time, wanting to spend some time with you beforehand. He showed up in a fitted tux, his sleeves rolled up so the average person could catch a glimpse of his numerous tattoos.

"Earth to (Y/N). Hello?"

You hadn't realized you were staring until he waved a hand in front of your face. You felt a blush creep to your cheeks and just smiled to disguise it.

You laid next to Doyoung on your king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling mindlessly. Your eyelids were starting to droop before Doyoung spoke up.

"You know, before I met you, I thought all rich people were the same. Brats, greedy, arrogant. But you've proven me wrong and I'm honestly happy you did."

"Wow, where is this coming from?"

You answered, trying to mask your giddiness.

"I don't know, I'm just glad I met you I guess."

"You guess, huh? How convincing."

You laughed. He rolled his eyes, used to your behavior by now.  A maid entered the room shortly after as if to make sure that your happiness was short-lived. She handed you the dress you were going to wear for the night. It was a sparkly one this time, with Valentino written all over it- figuratively speaking.

Doyoung waited downstairs while you got ready, recognizing Taeyong in the foyer. He approached the young man and the pair exchanged a polite greeting.

"I know we get along and all, but if you hurt her, I swear I'll kill you."

Doyoung's brows knitted in confusion.

"What-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his gaze was directed elsewhere. You were now standing right in front of the two boys in your carefully-selected Valentino dress.

"What are we talking about?"

You looked at the both of them inquisitively.

"You look beautiful, (Y/N)."

The comment left Doyoung's mouth almost without him realizing it. You blushed at the comment.You uttered a faint "thank you" under your breath.

People started arriving shortly after, filling your house to capacity. You had greeted some people, but couldn't for the life of you find the hosts. Precisely at that moment, the lights turned off all at once and music started playing. A spotlight lit up the area where they were standing, waiting for everyone's attention to be redirected to them. Of course, they were going to make a grand entrance, you thought.

After a useless speech on how it was important to give back to the community - because everyone knew that the rich only attended these events to feel good about themselves -, you made your way over to the waiter whisking away a flute of champagne.

A hand grabbed your arm forcefully, almost making you drop your glass.

"Who the hell is that, (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?"

Your mother stood in fury before you, pointing to where Doyoung was sitting.

"My plus one, his name is-"

"I don't care what his name is, young lady! I will not let you disgrace this family. Tell him to leave and you are never to see him again after that."

"But Mom-"

"No! Or you go with him."

You were taken aback by her cruel words. Would she really disown you just because you were friends with a commoner? You knew your mother cared about her image, but this was crossing the line. And it wasn't the first time that she had been this mean to you, which only added fuel to the flame. Regardless, you were too upset to stay in the same room with her.

You tugged at Doyoung's arm who understood by your facial expression that something had gone haywire. He let you drag him out of there, walking until you felt like you were far enough from that house and everything it represented. You halted and tears started forming in your eyes, your hand moving to cover your mouth as you exploded in sobs. Doyoung pulled you against him, caressing your hair as you cried it all out.

It took you a while to get back to your senses, wiping your eyes in an attempt to stop the tears.

"My mom's horrible, Doyoung. She threatened to disown me if I didn't kick you out."

He thought for a moment to process what you had just said.

"Why didn't you though?" He frowned in confusion.

"Why didn't I what?"

"Kick me out."

"You're my friend, I would never do something like that to someone I care about. Unlike my mother."

You looked down, feeling the tears form in the corner of your eyes once more. Seeing this, Doyoung brought you in for a hug.

"It's okay, I'm here."

He rested his head on top of yours, giving you all the time you needed. You broke away from the hug as you felt the tears come to a stop. His thumb wiped the remainder of your tears away and he smiled, still cupping your face. Staring into his eyes, you felt safe.

"Doyoung, do you mind if I sleep over at your place tonight? I don't really want to go back there."

"Of course."

He took off his jacket and draped it across your shoulders, holding you against him while you walked towards his car. The small gesture made your heart flutter for some reason.

You were exhausted when you arrived at your destination. Crying was very draining, both for the mind and the body, you concluded. You began walking towards the couch when Doyoung took ahold of your wrist to stop you.

"No, no, no, I'll take the couch. You can take my bed tonight."

"But-"

"There's always a but with you, isn't there? You don't need to worry tonight, okay? Just take my bed and sleep it off."

He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

You mirrored the action, nodding in defeat. He handed you some of his clothes to sleep in. You changed and hopped into bed, wanting nothing more than to relish in the comfort of a warm bed.

You tossed and turned for a while, feeling quite guilty about stealing his bed away from him. You wrapped yourself in a blanket and walked over to where he was supposedly sleeping.

"Doyoung."

"Hmmm?"

He opened an eye.

"There's enough room in your bed for the both of us, come on."

He mumbled something under his breath. You could only make out "Bed, for, you".

"I know you'll wake up with a sore back if you sleep on the couch, Doyoung."

He groaned because he knew you were right. You put a pillow between the two of you and fell asleep in a heartbeat.

  The sun rays shone through the curtains, making you squint your eyes. You woke up with heavy eyelids, still feeling quite tired. Your head fell to the side, expecting to land on a pillow- which did not happen to be the case. Your eyes widened when you saw the position you were in. Doyoung was sleeping on his back, an arm wrapped securely around your waist. Your head was on his chest and your legs were entangled with his. Oh god, you thought. How were you going to explain this? Did friends even cuddle? A thousand questions starting running through your head before you decided to do something about it.

You got up, limb by limb so you wouldn't wake him and tiptoed to the kitchen. You decided to make breakfast as a way to repay him for being there for you the day before.

Doyoung woke up while you were preparing the pancake mix,  smelling the food from his bed. He looked over to where you had previously been, smirking as he remembered how you had cuddled up to him in the middle of the night.

"Something smells good."

You jumped in surprise, not expecting to see him there.

"I sure hope so, I'm making pancakes."

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day apparently."

He chuckled, taking a seat at the counter. You finished making breakfast and the both of you enjoyed it in silence. He made a few comments about the food here and there, making you blush in the process. You had never been one to get flustered easily, but you found yourself blushing often when you were with him.  

You decided to go back home, even if you weren't ready to confront your mother just yet. You had probably made everyone worry, something you had never taken pleasure in. You thanked Doyoung for everything again, giving him a hug before leaving.

You took a deep breath as you stood before the familiar surroundings. You had never really found any comfort in the mansion you lived in, the place was never a home to you despite having lived there all your life. Any minute now, you would have to face your mother's wrath and saying you were dreading it would clearly be an understatement. You hated her outbursts, but most importantly, you hated that you could never stand up for yourself.  

The door swung open, revealing one of your nervous maids. She sighed in relief when she saw you- having had to deal with your ballistic mother for the last 24 hours. You apologized for your absence, knowing it must've been hard for the poor maid to calm your lunatic of a mother. You gathered all your courage and spoke up so your voice resonated in the empty foyer.

"I'm home."

Your father was probably at work by now, but you knew for a fact that your mother would be home. She didn't have a job, so she basked in her luxurious surroundings day after day. She planned events now and again, but it wasn't like there were a lot of them to be held. It must get boring to stay home and do nothing every day, you thought suddenly feeling a sort of empathy towards your mother.

She wrapped her silk robe around her slim figure before making her way to the foyer. She had too much pride to admit that she had missed her daughter, especially after what she had done. Honor was of utmost importance, especially when it came to your family.

"You have no idea how disappointed I am with you, (Y/N). First, you disrespect your family by bringing a hobo into our home, and then you go and run off with him. What do you think that says about our family? Do you know how humiliated I was? I had to come up with an excuse on the spot again and frankly, I am tired of having to do that for you! "

She was still mad, as predicted. She seemed more resigned than the previous day though.

"You know what mom? Screw that. You don't have to care about what I do all the time, isn't that what freedom is all about? Oh wait, I don't have any! No one cares about our stupid family reputation but you. We're respectable enough as is, we don't need to justify our every move. And you know why you care so much? Because you have nothing else to do. You don't have anything to occupy your time, you just sit here all day doing who knows what!"

"And now you're talking back to your own mother? What has gotten into you!"

You were so engrossed in your argument that none of you heard the door open.  

"Is this because of that boy you've been spending time with? What has he said to you? I knew I should've gotten involved sooner, look at what he's done to you! Can't you see that he's a bad influence, just like all the others?"

"Don't you dare pin this on him. This has nothing to do with him and quite frankly, I'm glad I met him."

 She gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

"He's made me happier in the last few months than you have in my entire life! Did you think that having me cooped up in this prison that you call a house would make me happy? Well, think again, because I'm not you. I know how desperately you want me to be, but I'm not. To be honest, I don't care what you think of him. I don't need your permission for anything anymore, Mom. And as my mother, you should be happy that I've met someone like him."

"I don't know who you are anymore."

You let out a chuckle, utterly discouraged.

"I'm not gonna apologize for falling in love with him because you know what? I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry that spending time with him has made me notice all the small things in life. I'm not sorry that he's made me feel things I didn't know I could feel. Most importantly, I'm not sorry that he feels more like family than you ever will. If you still want to disown me after this, I'm not stopping you. There's nothing holding me back anymore."

You shook your head in a mixture of pride and sadness. You had stood up to your mother for the first time in your life and yet she still didn't understand.

You had never identified your feelings for Doyoung before that fight, the truth coming out on its own accord. You did notice some details when you were around him like how your heart would beat faster when he touched you, how happy you felt when he was around, and more. You had never realized it was love because truthfully, you had never been in love before.

You left the house as fast as was humanly possible but a hand grabbing your wrist prevented you from doing just that. You turned around, not quite sure who you were expecting, but it certainly wasn't who you were met with. Doyoung stared at you quizzically, his lips parted as though he was still in shock about something. You walked out in a hurry, him trailing behind you.

"How much did you hear?"

"All of it, actually."

"Oh god."

You heard yourself say out loud. You ran your hands through your hair in disbelief. Just when you were sure the day couldn't get any worse, this had to happen. The universe really was out to get you.

"Did you mean it?" He asked.

You pondered the question for a short while. If you agreed, everything would change and probably not for the best. You wanted to deny it so badly, but you owed him the truth.

"Yeah, I did."

You looked down and bit your lip as you waited for him to reject you.

"Good."

You raised your head in confusion.

"Because I'm not sorry that I fell in love with you either."

And with that, he pulled your face towards his in a heated kiss. You moved your lips slowly against his, deepening the kiss. He bit your lip before releasing your lips. You smiled before pulling him in for another kiss. It was slower this time, expressing all the pent-up feelings you've felt for each other all those months. By the time you broke away from each other, the both of you were out of breath.

He held out his hand invitingly which you gladly took. He led you to his car, his hand resting on your thigh as he drove. His touch comforted you and ignited something in you all at once.

You were in his apartment in no time, his lips finding yours again. Your hands found his hair -which was just as soft as you had imagined it to be- and his grabbed your waist firmly. He trailed down, giving your ass a squeeze. You gasped at the new feeling, granting him access to slip his tongue inside your mouth.

He guided you to his room, making you giggle when you knocked over some foreign objects. He closed the door with his foot, leading you to his bed.

"Are you sure about this, baby?"

"Yes."

And that's all it took for Doyoung to show you how he felt about you on a deeper, more intimate level. You wouldn't come to regret the events of that night, quite the opposite actually. You felt things you had never felt before with Doyoung and you knew this was only the beginning.

As you cuddled up to him that night, you were convinced that there was more to family than just the link that bonded people with the same blood together. Family was a feeling. The feeling of being loved and having a home, that's what family was all about. You felt safe and alive with Doyoung. And somehow, he simply felt like home.

Masterlist (in case you guys want to check out my other stuff)

#kpop #fanfiction #kpopfanfiction #kpop imagine #kpop scenarios #writing #fluff #angst #kpopfluff #kpopangst #nct scenarios #nct 2018 #nct u #nct imagines #nct doyoung #doyoung #doyoung tattoo artist #tattoo artist #jaehyun #taeyong #mark #winwin #lucas #jungwoo #kun #ten #yuta #johnny #taeil #chenle