Tumgik
#been swallowed whole by this show since 2017
thefirstlioveyou · 5 months
Text
some fans: 2025 seems so far, i dont think ill be still interested or even care for ST by then..
my autistic ass:
Tumblr media
556 notes · View notes
danthropologie · 1 year
Note
I wasn't around but why are people saying its a bad idea for daniel to go back to rbr? They're saying its bc he left bc he didn't want to be a 2nd driver?
this whole fucking narrative is straight up stupid if you ask me, so disclaimer: everything that follows will be coming from that perspective.
brief daniel at rbr synopsis: he was pulled up from toro rosso to join red bull in 2014. he was teammates with seb, who had just come off winning 4 world championships back to back (to back to back), and not only was competitive but BEAT seb in the wdc that year, 3rd to seb's 5th.
fast forward to 2016, they pull up max from toro rosso 5 races into the season. max is literally a child, 18 years old. that very first race max is with the team, daniel out-qualifies him (3rd to max's 4th), but ends up being put on the worse strategy, which leaves daniel in 4th place while max wins. it's obviously massive news because max is the youngest winner ever, it's his first race with the team, and is basically used to prove he's the second coming of christ on wheels. from there, there's just kind of a general feeling and consensus that max is the future of the team.
obviously daniel wants priority, feels like he's earned it, as any driver would, especially when he continues to beat and be neck-and-neck competitive with max over the next few seasons. so when rumors started happening about daniel leaving red bull, the overriding narrative—and the narrative that has lived on since—is that he was running from a fight. he wanted to be number one driver, he didn't want to be number two to max, and red bull wasn't willing to give him that, so he walked.
now what's NOT talked about is the fact that red bull was planning to move to honda engines the next year, and honda's previous foray into f1 had been an abysmal failure with mclaren (2015-2017, so literally had JUST happened too). there was also the fact that simon rennie, his engineer for years upon years, and a few other key people on his team were stepping back or moving to jobs at the factory. it's portrayed as if his move from red bull was because of this One Specific Thing, and yes, maybe that WAS the biggest factor idk, but it wasn't the only factor.
so looking at these rumors now, it seems like there's a tendency for people to boil it down to a very simple "he left because he didn't want to be 2nd driver, now he's coming back to be 3rd driver lmao" or act like because he left over priority disputes, he would nEVER (or should never) ~lower himself going back without guarantee of priority, basically ignoring everything that's happened since and how the situations are COMPLETELY different.
sure, on some level there's a bit of pride swallowing that would need to be done in order to go back to a team that he originally left in hopes of finding bigger and better things, but at the same time, these past few years have been rough. he was brilliant at renault, he had some of his best drives with them and showed he has what it takes to be a champion, but the team and the car were never going to surpass the glass ceiling of the midfield. and despite his win last year and the occasional flashes of brilliance, mclaren overall has been a shitshow, tho obviously not all from his own doing. red bull has really been the only place where the machinery and support they were giving him as a team came close to matching the level of talent and skill he was bringing to the track each week, and if he has a shot at having that back, who wouldn't take it after how awful the past few years have been for him.
and on top of that, there's also personal connections there too. he drove christian to his wedding for god's sake! he spent summer break in 2020 with max! they aren't just coworkers, they're people that genuinely care about him and want to see him succeed. at the end of the day, it's obviously still a sport and a business and depends entirely on the results he'd be able to bring them, but as it stands now, they seem to still see him for what he could (and probably should!) have been as a competitor, rather than just what he can bring them in terms of monetary value
70 notes · View notes
moregraceful · 1 year
Note
read your miro/luka edm fic and then proceeded to think about it. deeply. in church. i'm feeling extremely haunted and i would love to know more about how you came up with THAT. my jaw kept dropping further and further until i could unhinge it and swallow my fist whole. at the end my heart was racing j was like ohhhh. i don't even follow the dallas stars. i only barely know luka doncic from his allstars video where he sinks a half court shot and then proceeds to look incredibly in love with the dude trying to hold him back. also from his spanish interviews. have they interacted at all. where did you pull this from. why them out of all the people. follow up question how do i inject this in my veins.
Okay, first of all anon I am in love with you for thinking so deeply about this story. In 2020 I suffered extreme lockdown brain damage and got extremely into European EDM and when I saw that tweet for the first time, it stuck with me. I've been pondering that story since LITERALLY the NHL/NBA bubble playoffs. I could say so much more about it.
Second of all, strap in. I lost my mind reading this ask and blacked out while writing this primer up. I had to write this in google docs bc I was afraid my browser would crash and it's literally 1.3k. I also don’t 100% understand how European basketball leagues work, so some of Luka’s origin story might be wrong or inelegantly phrased. If any European basketball fans want to chime in and correct me, please do.
MIRO AND LUKA: ROOKIE RESPECT, A PRIMER
The year is 2017. The Dallas Stars have the third overall pick in the NHL draft. Miro Heiskanen, a mild-mannered and mature but intense Finnish defensemen, is considered one of the top European prospects and the top European defenseman in the entire draft. He goes 3OA to the Stars, who are beginning to build up what the media goes on to call their Finnish mafia (due to the amount of Finns on team) and also needed a defenseman. Miro signs a three year entry level contract shortly after the draft and is loaned to his home team in Liiga (Finnish hockey league), HIFK, for the season. He is 18 years old.
Meanwhile, Luka Dončić, who has been in the Spanish basketball trenches since he was 13, is tearing Liga ACB (the top basketball division in Spain) and EuroLeague (the top European basketball league) as an eighteen year old with Real Madrid in the 2017-2018 season. He guides Real Madrid to the EuroLeague finals and wins EuroLeague MVP. At the end of the season, he is drafted by the Atlanta Hawks third overall. He is immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for draft rights to Trae Young and a future 1rd pick. The Mavs wanted him, but drafted later in the 2018 draft and knew they didn’t have a chance in hell of getting him. So they traded for him. He is, at the time, tall, still a little gangly, and often emotional.
In 2018, Luka and Miro begin their rookie seasons in Dallas. They are both very, very good. Miro and the Stars make the playoffs in Miro’s first season. Luka and the Mavs do not, but Luka smashes the shit out of several rookie scoring records and is voted Rookie of the Year. Miro goes to the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose, the sole representative for the Stars. Luka narrowly misses being selected for the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, but finishes second in fan voting after LeBron James. Miro finishes fourth in voting for the Calder in 2018 (the NHL’s rookie of the year award) and they both, of course, make the All-Rookie Teams in their respective leagues.
If the parallel careers in their first gd season do not make you crazy, these tweets, in which they are wearing each other jerseys, will.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
“Luka showing some love to @/HeiskanenMiro” can you let me live? Please?
Critical to this is that these are not even the jerseys that they swapped. Oh yes: they exchanged jerseys their rookie year. The Stars and the Mavs share an arena and their PR teams are no fools; when your city has two of the top rookies in their leagues, you lean the fuck in. They exchanged jerseys while Miro looks the most awkward he has ever looked in his life and Luka looks like a normal human being. And then their team makes them do photoshoots in entirely different jerseys. Rookie. Respect.
And that’s just their first season! The Stars lose in the second round of the playoffs, but they come tearing back the next season in 2019-2020. The Mavs do too. In their respective league playoff bubbles (NBA in Walt Disney World, Florida, the Stars in Edmonton, Alberta), they both break MORE scoring records as young phenoms. The Mavs ultimately do not make it out of the first round and the Stars lose in their final round, but there’s no doubt that the city has something special.
Meanwhile, COVID. The 2020-2021 NHL season is a fucking nightmare for a lot of teams, particularly the Stars, who got hit with COVID multiple times, and ultimately fail to make the playoffs. I frankly was only watching games during the NBA 2020-2021 season and not following narratives, so I don’t know if the Mavs were dealing with COVID to the extent the Stars were. The Mavs did make the playoffs, but lose again in the first round.
Summer of 2021. Miro is at the end of his ELC in the NHL. Luka is eligible for a rookie extension in the NBA. (I understand NBA contracts even less than I understand NHL contracts, so ask someone else about this details of this.) Both the Mavs and the Stars are prepared to break the fucking bank for these players. Guess what Luka and Miro do.
Miro signs an eight year contract with the Stars in July 2021.
Luka signs a five year contract with the Mavs in August 2021.
BRO THEY’RE SPENDING THE NEXT HALF-DECADE IN THE SAME ARENA. THEY’RE SPENDING THE NEXT HALF-DECADE IN DALLAS TOGETHER. When I say I lost my mind….!!!
In 2021-2022, the Stars come back from their COVID hell season and make the playoffs again, but lose in the first round. The Mavs lose in the Western Conference Finals, but hell, the fact that they made it to the WCF? Crucial. To be honest I was not watching much basketball OR hockey that season, so that whole season for both teams is kind of my lost year. (Well. Lost years for all teams in all leagues. I watched the NHL and NBA playoffs because the Dubs are my hometown team and I love the Avs, and this paid off well for me, but during regular season, I think I watched like three NHL games and two NBA games all season.) I don’t really know how the narrative has developed since then. I don’t know if the parallels in their careers have continued to be crazy-making. 
I do know that Luka is having an insane year this season; every time I get notification from theScore, I go, how the fuck…?? And a quick glance at hockey-reference tells me that in 34 games this season, so far Miro has matched last year’s goals and is well on his way to making up the difference in assists. Miro had a rough year last year because he had mono and a hand injury, but he seems well-poised to come back strong this year. I don’t know what Luka is doing, but he is insane.
And I mean, that’s the story so far: parallel careers, parallel stories. Both 3OA, both rookie phenoms, both of them being cornerstone pieces of their franchises going forward into the future while still nascent in their careers, and just very, very good players. It’s early in their careers in the States, we have to remember that, and I am sure things could (and maybe have! Again I have been a little checked out of both sports and particularly both teams the past couple years) continue to develop and evolve in bonkers ways. How long will they stay in Dallas? How long will their careers last? How long will their lives intersect by the simple fact of a city and an arena? It makes me wild to think about. Cross-sports romances are so undervalued in sports rpf fandoms and when the narrative hits just right? Let’s fucking go.
There are exactly two fics on AO3 under their tag, both of them by the Stars RPF GOAT Nadler, and one podfic of Nadler’s work. They are both excellent fics and the podfic is quite good as well. I think about wunderkinder all the time and wish desperately for a follow up, and the PWP is just straight up good shit. And maybe someday I’m going to have a mental breakdown and finish the fake dating/mutual pining fic I started last year with them, but in the meantime, we have their IRL narrative. Fated by sports, love in the face of it all. When the narrative is right? It is so right.
Thank you for coming to my tedtalk!!!!
18 notes · View notes
inmyfxith · 2 years
Text
Co-victim
Tumblr media
Pairing: Kai x sister!reader, Ally x Kai' sister!reader
OC: none
A/N: Many of Lana’s quotes came from AHS Season 6 Episode 10
Warnings: Mention of incest, murders, language
Words: 2k2
Tumblr media
"How are you feeling?" Lost in thought, looking down at your shoes, the famous reporter's hand on your shoulder helped your mind return to the living. More than four years had passed since Kai's death and since Ally's election as Michigan's senator. And in those four years, you had remained in the shadows of the media, cloistered in the family home that had become the attraction of all the curious and sordid story seekers.
"Could I have a glass of water, please?" You replied, calmly, trying to hide your discomfort as best you could. Lana Winters appeared to be a talented journalist. A survivor of the despicable Briarcliff Asylum, her many reports had earned her a title relatively common to Ally's. Now very old, Lana continued to conduct interviews with more or less controversial personalities. And on this day, you were on the interviewees' couch. An assistant brought you what looked like a glass of soda water, which took only a few seconds to swallow.
Taking a seat on the couch opposite yours, Lana sighed a few reassuring words to you before the set was set up for the live launch of the show. Your hands were sweaty. Your heart was beating wildly, spreading an unusual feeling of heat throughout your body. The cameraman waved to the reporter, who was already facing the camera and reciting the day's introduction.
"Today, the entire nation knows the story of FIT, the cult born in a small town in Oakland County, Michigan. From its first meetings to its murder, the misdeeds of its ruthless leader have held tens of thousands of Americans in thrall. Since its dismantling in 2017, the few survivors have been trying to rebuild their lives in a society that seems to despise them for their choices. After many attempts, one of them finally agreed to return, with me, on the few months that saw the evolution of the infamous Kai Anderson's cult. Welcome to the Lana Winters special." Silent, you only listened with a detached ear to Lana's monologue. However, the use of the word "ruthless" stuck in your mind. A woman came out of nowhere and quickly powdered your face before disappearing from where she seemed to have come from. And then the interview really began. Lana turned back to you, her whole body leaning forward to add more proximity to your exchange. The almost blinding lights illuminated your face and darkened everything around you.
"Y/N, thank you for being with us for this interview. I have so many questions for you. There are so many things people want to know. I'll start with the most important one, how are you?" You smiled softly, as did Lana. Taking a deep breath, your gaze broke from the reporter's for a few moments. The expression on your face was undoubtedly meant to give clues to your future response. But Lana didn't let any silence settle.
"You've been to hell and back."
"I think, today, I'm trying to move on. For my parents, for my brothers, my sister. But most of all for my daughter." The reporter nodded as she took in your last sentence.
“For your daughter, Liberty right ?”
A smile instinctively appeared on your face when she mentioned your child's name. Since her birth, a few days before the death of your older brother, she had become your reason for reintroducing yourself to the world. The conditions of her conception were peculiar, but she was still your child.
"Liberty Winter Anderson," you replied with a touch of pride in your voice, "it is because of her that I am still alive today." Straightening up in her seat, Lana bounced at what you had just said.
"You understand then, no doubt, now that you are a parent, the situation that Senator Mayfair-Richards was in with her little boy." It wasn't long before the crux of the matter came up and, to be quite honest, you were slightly dreading it. People were already recognizing you on the street, staring at you and whispering in each other's ears in your presence. The pain, anger and pity they felt had somehow pushed you to accept Lana's invitation.
"Although I don't forget, it's been a long time since I forgave her for her actions. If Lili were in danger, I wouldn't know how I would react. Oz was a sweet boy who didn't belong in our house."
"There are rumors that you still live in the family home". The camera changes were so discreet that you didn't notice the crew.
"I moved there after I gave birth. I needed a place to live, and this house has been in my family for years. The memories, joyful I mean, are always important.“
"Can you tell us, Y/N, if it's not too difficult, about your brother? Who was Kai Anderson to you?" Oh, you dreaded that question too, the one where you would have to plead the case of a man who had orchestrated horrible murders. A man who despite this remained a member of your family that you would have cherished for the rest of your life. Running a hand across your forehead, you took a deep breath and, with your eyes directed at your hands, your monologue began.
"Kai was my brother. You can't ask someone to speak ill of their own family, because society will always have a different image than you. I will tell you who Kai was. He was an angry young man. But he wasn't always angry. Before my parents died, he was a completely different boy. He was kind, caring, and took good care of me."
"Why do you say that?" Lana cut you off suddenly.
"Our father wasn't the nicest man in the world. He often yelled, made scathing remarks at every turn. No one would have felt totally safe in his presence. In 2014, I was very young. My older brother already had his own psychology practice and my sister was studying at a New York university. Kai only stayed in the house for me. So I wouldn't have to endure my father's incessant scolding. He was waiting for me to leave so he could leave after." You were only exposing your truth to the world. Your mind had decided to blur its misdeeds for your own sanity. A slight silence enveloped the room and tears intruded into the conversation.
"I can imagine how painful it must have been to lose your family. But you have to admit that he was no angel. Kai Anderson was the leader of a cult whose victims number in the dozens."
"That's not the image I've decided to keep of him. The Kai you describe, whom other journalists portray as a sadistic manipulator, is nothing like my brother."
"Still, he was behind the murder of your brother, Vincent, and your sister Winter. You forgave him so easily?" She insisted again and again. The tears that were beginning to trickle down your cheeks fanned her desire for a reporter more and more.
"The leader of the cult was not my brother. As far as I'm concerned Kai died shortly before the 2016 election." Your tone becoming harsher, the reporter turned to one of the camera operators before announcing a commercial page. The short commercial page gave you time to think about Lana's next question about what you had done after Kai's arrest. A wave of memories emerged in your mind.
Your forehead resting against the window of the police car, the family home disappeared on the horizon as if it had come straight from your imagination. One blurry moment had followed another and your mind seemed to be lost in the maze of information acquired during those last moments. Winter's death, the night of the Hundred Males, Kai's anxious behavior and, finally, the arrival of the FBI.
Everything had happened at an alarming speed. The divine ruler was explaining his rules one last time, galvanizing his troops for what he had been preparing for months, and the next moment, half of his army was neutralized, just like him. In the room with them, and Beverly, you were trying to remain unmoved by Kai's monologues. Monologues that involved the murder of hundreds of women in your condition, but few knew that.
Before the discovery of his paternity, Kai had tried to create an heir. A successor who would surpass him in every way, a real man capable of changing the face of the world. However, his initial focus was on Winter, and Samuel had ruined everything. To fulfill his deepest desire, he had turned to you. Younger, more docile, that's what everyone had concluded. After several ceremonies, and attempts, he had finally become bored, finding other more important concerns.
What Kai didn't know, however, was that you had indeed ended up pregnant. And around you, Ally seemed the most willing to help you, since she herself had carried Ozymandias. She quickly recognized her own experience in the first symptoms described. Without covering for you, Ally was strangely sympathetic, especially when your mood swings became more frequent.
Then it was with a lump in your belly that you listened to your older brother's last statement about how these poor innocent women were to be exterminated. The next moment, dozens of heavily armed FBI agents had entered the basement, killing anyone who tried to resist. All except Kai, Beverly... and you.
The car that was driving you away from home was not going particularly fast. The flashing lights flickered in the dark night and, for the first time in weeks, you finally felt safe, though still deeply shocked.
In the interrogation room, a few hours after your arrest, two agents asked you a bunch of questions about the cult, Kai, Winter, your involvement in the murder spree, and a bunch of other misdeeds you had never heard of. You were not a liar, so the answers to these questions were made up of your truth. From the murder-suicide of your parents, to Winter's recent death, you hid nothing.
And at the end of your long explanatory monologue, tears had finally rolled down your cheeks. They had nothing to do with anything that had happened. You had only finally realized that you were finally tasting a form of freedom. You had not seen a doctor in a long time, and although your own health did not seem to be a problem, your baby's was.
A few weeks later, after a short visit before a whole flock of doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists, a magistrate heard your testimony again.
Collateral victim. That's what this law enforcement officer had written on your report. Not having taken part in any of the murders, because you were considered too young by your older brother, your minority added more credence to her conclusion. No one in the Anderson family was able to provide a home for you. Your mental state left something to be desired, however, and a place became available in a local mental hospital.
"Y/N? The commercial is almost over, we will resume in a few moments." Once again, the announcer's voice brought you back to real life.
"We are back with Y/N Anderson, a member of the cult of the notorious sociopath Kai Anderson." The more words came out of her mouth, the more the frustration of not being able to prove who Kai really was took hold of you. The interview continued for nearly two more hours. Two hours during which Lana Winters asks you to explain the functioning of the cult, what you were doing there and all the usefulness of all the elements brought to light by the police. Lastly, she questioned you on your current relationship with Ally.
"After Kai was arrested, I was sent to a mental hospital. Ally visited me, I don't know if it was a publicity stunt for the election or a genuine empathetic gesture. I could already see the headlines the next day...the woman who had helped dismantle one of Michigan's most prolific cults was coming back to pardon one of its former members. She offered to get me out of this ghoulish place, I think you know what I'm talking about. She wanted to put me up while I could bounce back, I refused at first before accepting a few weeks later."
"So you lived at her house?"
"For a while, a month or two. And then there was Kai's death, the election, Liberty's birth... today I live a pretty quiet life. No one is unaware of what's been going on in the house, but my neighbors are respectful enough not to reveal anything about it when we talk." Exchanging a smile with the host, the latter thanked you before turning to the camera.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes this unedited interview. Thank you for your loyalty even after so many years. It was Lana Winters, I wish you a good evening."
Back at home, your first instinct was to settle into one of the sofas where someone was already sitting, eyes fixed in front of the television.
"Do you think they suspect anything?" The voice asks you before taking a sip of what looked like beer.
"I think my little act worked, they won't be looking our way." Uncorking a bottle in your turn, it gently clashed with your friend's bottle with the sound of clinking glass.
"Long live to this motherfucking SCUM" Beverly yelled through the living room without caring about waking up your daughter.
Tumblr media
33 notes · View notes
relicshamecircle · 2 years
Note
Diarmuid for the ask game ❤️
Diarmuid! My guy
Favorite thing about them: How curious he is, and how willing he is to push back at what he doesn’t think is right. He is ready and willing to argue with the abbot about the riders, is intimidated by but still talks back to Raymond in the forest, and frequently is at odds with Geraldus over—everything, really.
Least favorite thing about them: More about his situation than about him specifically, but he’s also young and grew up in a monastery, so he’s also not used to being able to voice his opinions except in certain circumstances, so he won’t argue further if he’s up against, say, Geraldus, who is browbeating him. At the start of the movie Ciarán chides him and so he doesn’t say anything more to the abbot. And it’s not until the very, very end of the movie that he really learns to really outright defy Geraldus. I think the scene at the Norman camp with Ciarán shows that he does get the chance to ask questions and voice his opinions but Ciarán is treating him as an equal and there’s no arguing there—I think that’s what he’s not used to, an outright argument, and so when faced with opposition, i.e., Geraldus shouting in his face, he swallows his anger.
Where was I going with this? My least favorite thing about Diarmuid is that we didn’t get the chance to see him full on enraged. Let him scream.
Favorite line: Got to be right at the start, when he’s talking to the Mute about animals, souls, and razor clams. It really perfectly sets up his personality and is also what pulled me into the movie. I think in historical films characters tend to be portrayed as very one or the other in regard to their beliefs. Either they’re sort of a tyrannical Puritan type (and a villain), or they’re given this modern and anachronistic viewpoint to try and make them more “relatable” to the audience. But people have been the same since forever. That Diarmuid, a young man and a novice who obviously believes in God but is questioning some of the things that he’s learned—well, why wouldn’t he? He’s curious.
Anyway Pilgrimage (2017) best depiction of characters in a historical setting that I’ve seen
brOTP: I do love Dad/Mentor Ciarán and Diarmuid but I think Diarmuid and Rua must be a duo that got into some shenanigans.
OTP: Diarmuid x the Mute!
nOTP: Again, not a nOTP exactly, but Diarmuid x Raymond for a seriously messed up relationship.
Random headcanon: Hm. Well, I do tend to think of him as having been raised at the monastery since he was a baby, which would’ve been unusual. Not sure if that’s random enough, though. Maybe that I tend to think of him as having a wanderlust, but that since he’s also never left the monastery, he’s aware that he’s not really prepared for the outside world, and that angers and frustrates him.  
Unpopular opinion: Oh there’s so much anger in this novice. There’s rage simmering in his very bones. I think post-movie Diarmuid is able to tap into that.
Song I associate with them: This was very tough. I think King by The Amazing Devil.
Favorite picture of them:
Tumblr media
I don't think we ever see this particular shot in the movie, but we get a nice look at his whole outfit here.
12 notes · View notes
franks72morrow · 2 years
Text
replica kelly bag 10
Replica Hermes Bags When it involves the menswear trends, the most effective ideas don’t congeal. They are Loewe’s anti-meta ready-to-wear and Prada’s ageless and genderless armor coats. The giant shearlings at Alyx and 4SDesigns are sure to gain traction, as will the queer stylings of GmbH and Fendi. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson scanned models’ bodies for a one-to-one replica of their physique printed on white jersey. Brisbane, the city which inspired the show’s colourful animated backdrop, is house to the replica of the Heeler’s house, featuring details such because the purple letterbox and Bluey’s toys. Join the WWE Shop email list to receive updates, unique provides and extra... Particularly, the Hermes Birkin Togo is taken into account to be some of the iconic bags of all time. It is an outrageously fashionable bag that is synonymous with luxurious and wealth. Its recognition among famous individuals increases by the day and we always see celebrities carrying one. It's an virtually exact replica of Heights Alliance, their former dormitory, however fortified to withstand villain attacks. It's very doubtless that Troy shall be 1-A's residence and base of operations until All For One is defeated, and so they've wasted no time in totally settling into their new lodgings. Ever since the Paranormal Liberation War brought on a complete societal breakdown, UA was reworked from only a faculty for heroes in coaching to one of the few protected houses left in My Hero Academia. high quality replica hermes kelly Hermes Verrou Spring/Summer 2017 chain bag, available in medium and small sizes, with a alternative of colors and supplies. Flip cover design, small and moveable, distinctive design of the plug design, Jianghu people called “pistol bag”, is it fairly like? We are evaluating this Roulis 23, as a 23cm medium-sized bag, it might possibly maintain A5 dimension notebooks, sun shades and long wallets. For those that have always liked baggage, brand-name baggage are the pursuit. Dreams, elegant and generous again to extend the temperament of the bag is what every girl needs to have. That’s the biggest takeaway that the majority have as this present prepares to launch, that it’s insanely costly. That $14.5 million can also be tough to swallow if you’re one of the tons of of ESPN talent who had been laid off. Now you can argue that Cowherd and Bayless are overpaid, but that’s an insane place to undertake as a end result of each men introduced massive audiences with them and damage ESPN. Copyright © Designerbound.com Group since 2005, All Rights Reserved. When authenticating Hermes Oran Sandals begin by observing the "H" on the top; verify its measurements, form, and qua... To authenticate Hermes Clic H Bracelet start by checking the enamel which could be one of the necessary steps in... Prices differ on both of these models however principally, Birkin bags are costlier in comparability with Kelly baggage, due to the excessive demand in society. Sometimes there might be merely a hazy dividing choice amid the buying trendy and getting out dated. Hermes agency based mostly by Thierry Hermes in 1837 has come a very good distance from creating saddle baggage to get its horse riders for producing couture replica purses for star women. Each replica handbag is a whole masterpiece, even as a result of it requires longer that 24 hours at creating just one single handbag. Quite obviously that produces these purses distinctive and fairly pricey. wikipedia handbags Cowherd has essentially the most listened to day by day radio podcast within the nation and Bayless tripled the audience FS1 had in that daypart. Both these guys introduced substantial components of their viewers together with them, something that Beadle didn’t do at NBC. Because it’s not justified by any present market actuality. Now, look, I talk and text with people on a regular basis and let them make their case to me. And generally I agree with them and typically I disagree with them, however I always come into each story with an open thoughts.
0 notes
spankpjm · 2 years
Note
Sometimes I feel like the only person who believes this, but I really think JK knew that he was gay, and likely had a crush on Jimin, from the beginning. One of the first things I noticed from watching early content was JK's disinterest in women! I think it was in American Hustle Life that he told the story of having a girlfriend when he was younger and waiting to feel the way he thought he was supposed to, then ultimately breaking up with her after not speaking to her for 200 days. Not to mention the grapes over girls comment, his apparent early crush on namjoon (which was pretty much confirmed for me when the clip of JK gushing about joon was recently played for all the members... Poor boy looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him WHOLE 🤭) saying if he saw a pretty girl he'd "walk right past her," etc... Even in 2019 during his wine VLive when he talked about how his parents always accepted him for who he was and never tried to change him... I dunno, before I even thought JK was interested in Jimin, I thought he was likely gay.
I think in the early days both JK and JM were very concerned with creating their "hip hop personas" and projecting (a very stereotypical, very cringe version of) masculinity because they wanted to be successful idols. I also think the age gap was a problem for Jimin, and possibly also Big Hit. It's hard for me to believe that the fandom could see Jikook circling each other and suspect a budding romance as early as 2014 without anyone else at their very small, very close knit company noticing! And I'm not talking hindsight bias, I'm talking about ARMYs posting Jikook compilation videos very early in the fandom!
Sidenote: I also think BigHit has tried to be pragmatic, protective, and supportive: that they approved that Coming Of Age Ceremony performance at all says a lot to me. And, again maybe it's just me reading into things, but the very first Bon Voyage coincided with JK's coming of age... and they've all been filmed in very queer friendly locations... And the atmosphere surrounding Jikook in Bon Voyage...👀 My sister and I literally refer to that series as the BTS Gaycations... Lol but anyway, I digress.
I think JK has always known he's gay, and that what people see as him struggling with his sexuality was him wanting to protect himself, his persona, his career, and his group. I got more and more convinced of this as JK got older and started to do more to assert his identity as a gay man, not just his relationship with Jimin. Maybe that's why some jikookers can get a little myopic when it comes to JK? Or so easily offended by what they see as coldness or disinterest in JK toward Jimin, when Jimin is so open with his affection to all his members, including the one he happens to be in a relationship with. It does seem like many Jikookers start off as Jimin biased, because JM wears his heart for JK on his sleeve, whereas, at least to my eyes, JK is a lot more reticent, and prefers to be more in control when it comes to revealing the nature of their relationship.
I know I've been rambling but I really do want to know what you think about something in particular 😅.
First, if it wasn't obvious, I believe jikook are in a relationship and have been since JK came of age; I think they became seriously committed to each other in 2017 (I don't think JK would've created and released something as public and declarative GCF in Tokyo unless they were serious) and a permanently committed in 2019 (Again, I don't think JK would've kissed Jimin on stage in LA or permanently tattooed JM on his ring finger if they were just fooling around,) so to me Jikook is settled. Their couple moments may have gotten more spread out, but they've also gotten a lot louder imo.
Here's the thing: I think JK does public displays for Jimin. I think those times when JK has gone all out to show ARMY that, yes, he's in love with JM, were him speaking JM's love language. In the early days I think JK was content to have their relationship stay between the two of them, but because of Jimin's natural tendency to affectionately demonstrate his love, it left things looking one-sided. I think Jk's gotten more proactive in showing his own affection for Jimin .
However, imo, JK seems way more concerned with asserting that he's gay. I think he really wants ARMYs to know that he likes men and only men. As much as he's done to declare his love for Jimin, I think he's done twice as much to tell us, his fans, that he is gay.
Just today, when given the choice between two female leads in a drama, he chose the male lead, and people still tried to say he said that because he didn't want to start a controversy or dating rumors. Even many of those who acknowledge Jikook's relationship have a tendency to say JK is "Jimin-sexual," despite all the things that JK has explicitly said or done, past and present, that indicate otherwise.
I started making a list off the top of my head but I'm sure you're aware of many instances, and this is already 10 pages long.
I dunno, I feel like I'm on an island over here thinking JK is telling us he's gay and nobody will listen, especially after today. Just wanted to know your thoughts
Ooof anon this was a lot and I think I’ll come back to it and add more of my opinion when I can articulate my words better! But I agree I do think that he knew he was into boys, but at the same time didn’t really say it out loud you know what i mean?? Like he knew he was different but didn’t speak on it, because he didn’t know how people would take it at the time he cared too much about the image he was showing, I know what you mean about the boy crush, but I have a hard time coming to terms whether it was an actual crush crush or an “I admire you and look up to you crush” a lot of me thinks that JM was his first REAL crush. I’m not much of anyone to speak on the feelings that come with being conflicted about my sexuality (or that or gay men) besides my own experience, but I’ve talked to the gay men in my life and a lot of them said that they knew, they knew and it was hard to come to terms with sometimes, and JK being so young ( even tho I don’t think coming to terms with who you like romantically and sexually has to do much with age) he was in the spotlight most of his time growing up, in a place that’s very homophobic, and an industry that relies on mostly the whole boyfriend effect (if that makes sense lol)
I DO AGREE COMPLETELY that I do think he noticed these feelings, or attraction to men, buuuutttt I don’t think he was at terms with taking action on them yet, that he didn’t want to speak out loud of them yet. I hope this is all making sense my last post about fetus JK and JM was very rushed I didn’t explain myself completely and as well as i intended to. ANYWAYS over all I do agree with you on most points.
I ALSO AGREE with the fact that people don’t acknowledge a lot of his not very straight actions, I think so many people are stuck on his masculine energy and just assume that masculine energy is enough to say “hey I’m masculine so I am straight” which is totally false and some people are very bad at noticing that JK isn’t all that masculine just because he’s strong and just because he works out, and boxes doesn’t mean he’s masculine he’s always been open about being very gender neutral, and we have plenty of 💅🏼 JK and i LIVE FOR IT. I think a lot of the people that don’t wanna come to terms with the fact that JK avoids woman (for the most part) and never shows any interest is rooted with a lot of internal homophobia, and it kills their fantasy of having a shot with him it kills their delusions.
I’ll be on that island with you and a lot of us actually because most of us that aren’t delusional, most of us that know realistically we have zero chances LOL and those of us notice he’s actions and actually listen to his words, know he is not straight, and if he ever does say he is then shoot me in the foot damn it.
I will come back to this post and add some more tomorrow after I get some sleep 💤 I would also love to invite you into my inbox so we could discuss more 💜
Okay I’m back to add something else already lol, i also do believe they’re relationship started in 2017 I think the GCF was kinda like an open homage to that; like I said in my last post I think in a way it was a “video speaks louder than words” type of thing, showing JM and his affection towards him without saying it straight forward and most of us got that hint right away! And about him picking the make actor YES i also noticed that, and yeessss I think he was definitely saying something without saying it because overall he chose that question over many, and one think jk is not is clumsy lol nothing he does is a coincidence to me I’ve learned that over time it’s very calculated, I think he will continue to hint at us and tell us without telling us till he’s ready to say it straight forward but at the same time he doesn’t owe it to us either, so there’s no rush, I know we all want to be correct but at the end of the day it’s all up to him, and we will be here supporting him the WHOLE WAY
I hope all of this is coming out sounding the way I want it too, sometimes I think faster than I type and it’s a little difficult 😅
P.S if you ask me for my opinion on this I think they’re end game. 🤷🏻‍♀️ call me delulu IDC. To me they’re forever.
104 notes · View notes
Text
Top 25 Larry Fics of 2020
h 2020 was HELLISH. So thank you to all the writers, and I mean ALL of them, who kept us occupied as the world continues to burn.
You may be familiar with these lists:
Top 25 Larry fics of 2016
Top 25 Larry fics of 2017
Top 25 Larry fics of 2018
Top 25 Larry fics of 2019
We’re going on our 5th year!!  As always, I read a lot of fic and the majority of it is Larry. I like making lists and I like Larry so I thought I’d do some minimal research of the top 25 larry fics published/completed in 2020 in order of least to most kudos (with links). All of these fics are top notch so you should all check them out!
25.) a trail of honey through it all by @yvesaintlourent (27k)
The boy in front of him, well really, the man in front of him, was like something out of a confusing wet dream. Built, tall, tan and muscular, his skin glistened with sweat after a long day of working outdoors with his hands. He was wearing a cut up old American football shirt, the bottom hem was torn and the sleeves were cut off to the point where the t-shirt was really just a loose tank top. The shorts he had on had clearly been full length jeans at one point, and were now just crudely cut off above the knee. His white socks were pulled up too high on his calves, and the brown work boots he had on were old as fuck, the leather peeling along the edges of the soles. Curly brown hair stuck out from the edges of his backwards snapback, and there was a smudge of grease wiped along his brow bone. The smattering of hair along his jaw proved that he hadn’t shaved in a week or two, the hair growing in thicker across his upper lip and around his chin. His sinfully bowed mouth was pink and plump, and Louis was suddenly hyper-focused on the way that he chewed at the toothpick stuck between his lips. He looked like he needed a shower. Louis wanted to lick him.
Or, the TPH fic we’ve all been waiting for.
24.) even the best laid plans by @falsegoodnight (25k)
“Anyways,” Louis stresses, narrowing his eyes, “just let me say it and then rate how terrible of an idea it is on a scale from one to ten.”
“Alright,” Zayn agrees, sitting up expectantly.
“I want to ask Harry Styles to take my virginity,” Louis blurts, holding his hands out for emphasis.
The way Zayn’s eyes bulge is almost comical. “Negative infinity,” he says, voice choked. “Negative infinity times negative infinity.”
“Technically, a negative times a negative is -”
“Really negative infinity,” Zayn corrects himself, shaking his head wildly. “Louis, what the fuck?”
-
Or, Louis wants to have sex with someone and decides Harry is the perfect alpha for the job.
23.) A Distant Hazy Light by @greenfeelings (76k)
Life’s pretty ordinary for Harry. He lives with his best friend, got into university just like he’s planned, and manages to support himself just fine for an unbonded omega. If he sustains that lifestyle by getting paid to help alphas through their rut every now and then, that’s nothing to be hung up on. Until he’s hired by an alpha that turns everything upside down.
Or, Harry’s working on taking Louis’ walls down, until he builds his own up.
22.) Ghost Note Symphony by whoknows (96k)
Louis is on tour when he first hears about it. It’s all over the news – Harry Styles Attacked By Fan runs in headlines for days. It’s not even just the gossip rags, either. Actual journalists are covering the story. It would have been impossible to avoid hearing about it. Technically, Oli is the one who tells Louis about it, but it’s not exactly being covered up. Harry doesn’t answer Louis’ text asking if he’s alright, but that’s not really surprising. They haven’t spoken for months, and it’s been a lot longer than that since they’ve had a real conversation. The sting of the text going unanswered is still there, less painful than it might have been a few years ago.
It’s not that it’s easy to forget about, exactly. Louis has a whole life outside of One Direction now, though. So Louis goes on with his life, figuring that if Harry was seriously hurt he would have heard about it by now. He might currently be in the same country as Harry, but being on opposite sides of it puts enough distance between them that putting it in the back of his mind is easy. There’s nothing Louis could do, even if he thought Harry might want him to.
That’s why everything that happens next comes as a complete shock to him.
21.) Until by @allwaswell16 (38k)
Rural Eagle County, Colorado wasn’t the type of place to find a famous musician or actor. At least not until songwriter Louis Tomlinson showed up with pop star Niall Horan to visit his uncle’s horse ranch, and they just happened to find themselves next door to a reclusive former movie star.
20.) Strangers in Love by sweetums (42k)
Louis wakes up to find himself in a marriage with the last man he thought he'd ever end up with.
-
Prompt 51: An amnesia fic where louis and harry were enemies to lovers but after an accident, louis only remembers those memories that him and harry hated each other. now harry has to fix it. I think something like this less dark and less angsty compared to other amnesia fics and it could be funny
19.) A Long Way From The Playground by Pink_Sunsets (170k)
One Direction is broken up. They broke up five years ago. That should be the end of the story, right?
Harry is finished with One Direction. He now has a new life, one with two kids and a successful solo career. And he’s happy.
But a call one night from management flips Harry’s whole new life upside down, and he’s forced to face the life he had left behind.
As well as a certain blue eyed man who had left him behind.
18.) my love’s not simple (it’s fragile) by @falsegoodnight (27k)
“Can I take you out tomorrow?” he asks. “My shift ends at 7 but we can go for dinner at 8.”
Louis is silent for a few seconds and then, “Like… on a date?”
Harry swallows thickly. He hasn’t done this in years, hasn’t ever wanted to. “Yeah.”
He’s worried he’s misread things but then Louis raises his head to kiss Harry’s cheek. “Yeah,” he says easily. “Sure.”
Tension leaves his body swiftly. “Are you sure?” asks Harry. “I know we’re both so busy but I can’t not try with you, Lou.”
“Neither can I,” says Louis. “I think we can figure it out. I care about you a lot Harry. We’ve known each other for a week, but I already like you so much.”
-
Or Harry's new job is threatened by his impending rut. Desperate for a solution, he allows Niall to introduce him to Louis, an omega whose heat begins the same day. They click.
17.) Cocaine for Breakfast by @harryeatsburger (309k)
“It’s an easy job.” He continues, as if Louis wants to listen. “Like I said, a few trips. Parties, students, nothing dramatic.”
Louis gazes over to Harry. He’s looking thoughtful now, eyes on the green like he’s talking more to himself than Louis.
“Clubbing, drinks. Whatever, the business is just a side thing.”
That’s not how Louis remembers it to be, “You lying?” He honestly can’t tell.
Harry shakes his head slowly, meeting Louis' eyes.
“No,” He answers almost toneless. Harry clears his throat, “I won’t put you in any dangerous situation.” His voice is sincere, Louis can tell he means it, his jade green eyes glinting with truth.
or, - Louis Tomlinson is a drug addict, sent away from his beloved party-scene to recover. There, he discovers that small towns have just as much access to drugs as London did, plus something even better that he just can't get enough of. That something is a boy with green eyes and bouncy curls named Harry Styles. -
16.) Tastes like Strawberries by @sadaveniren (4k)
I’m stressed. I’m nesting and demand cuddles. Come over
Harry frowned and double checked who the text was from. Yup, it still said Louis - Grad, which meant it was from Louis from his grad school.
aka Louis texts Harry by mistake. It works out
15.) the way the storm blows by @rbbsbb (21k)
Louis doesn’t have a habit of thinking about Harry’s dick.
That would be weird, seeing as they’re best mates, and they share a flat, and they’ve spent holidays at each other’s family homes. Their friendship hasn’t ever risen to a point where Louis should want to see his mate’s dick, and he’s happy to keep it that way.
Except, all that Louis can think about is exactly that. The size of it. The shape. The amount of people it’s been in.
Maybe it’s the tequila talking, or the fact that Louis’ just recently walked in to an eyeful of Harry taking turns on some slags that he’s never seen before, but. Louis’ mind can’t stop obsessing over the idea.
14.) bruise you like a peach by @falsegoodnight (40k)
There’s two reasons Harry despises Econ.
The first is that it’s boring as fuck. The second reason is a bit more personal, a bit more focused in a way. As in it’s focused on one specific thing, or in his case, person.
His name is Louis Tomlinson.
13.) Watching The World Fall by whoknows (11k)
This segment has been going on long enough that Louis knows what’s coming before James starts in on it, trying to sell him on something he knows that Louis wouldn’t normally be buying. But there’s four cameras surrounding him, and an audience watching him expectantly, so if Louis wants to continue convincing people that he’s doing just fine, he’s going to have to go along with it.
“We have a whole host of single men backstage waiting to meet you, Louis,” James tells him. “We want to help you find love tonight, on Late Late Live Tinder. Is this okay? Do you want to play?”
It actually kind of makes sense that his first date after the break-up is going to be just as public as said break-up. Something like coming full circle.
“Alright, James,” Louis agrees, hopping down off his stool.
“Okay, come down to the stage,” James says. Louis can’t even tell whether the excitement in his voice is genuine or not. “Right now, come on down!”
12.) Quiet People Have the Loudest Minds by @2tiedships2 (38k)
Broadway shows were one of the few things that could keep Louis’ attention for a full two hours without needing to move about. But not tonight.
The alpha next to him was both infuriating him and practically turning him on at the same time. He needed to leave. The alpha, that is. Louis was staying.
Or the one where Louis is a nonverbal omega who has accepted the fact that he will never find an alpha that will treat him as an equal. On the other hand, he’s never met anyone like Harry.
11.) The Wrath of the Emerald Eyes by @purpledandeli0n (85k)
His chin is grabbed harshly, facing the two deep green eyes that have been getting on his nerves for the past ten minutes. The smirk on the man's face does not vanish. The grip of his hand on Louis' chin does not soften, his thumb at the side of his lower lip.
His smile widens as he answers Louis' question, ''My name is Styles, but you will call me Captain."
Pirate AU
10.) Canyon Moon by @eeveelou (40k)
For as long as Louis has remembered, he has been promised to be mated to Harry, his best friend and the future pack alpha. But Louis’s heart belonged to the forest and to the hunt more than he could ever imagine it belonging to Harry.
Then Harry’s father dies in a violent accident, and Louis’s future alpha disappears on the wind.
An A/B/O Lion King AU
9.) We Both Got Nothing to Hide by lovelarry10 (43k)
“Talk to me, Lou.”
“I can’t,” Louis mumbled, knowing he genuinely couldn’t say it. He couldn’t admit to what he was doing. “Don’t ask me to say it, because I can’t.”
“Then… I’ll try and guess. You’ve… got some stuff of Harry’s. Something of his to make it smell like him?”
Louis just nodded, eyes fixated on the floor. This was humiliating, but he knew Zayn wouldn’t stop until he found out what was going on.
“Okay. Like… a blanket, or a comforter or something?”
“Kind of…”
//
Omega Louis has a secret nest. Alpha Harry keeps losing his clothes.
8.) sleeping on our problems by @falsegoodnight (67k)
I’m in love with you, Louis thinks. He feels empty, weighed down by his sadness and the loss of Harry inside him just moments ago before his knot finally went down.
There’s moments where he’s sure Harry feels the same. Like now, when he’s gazing down at Louis with so much adoration and tenderness. It’s like they’re both on the cusp of something more, but neither of them ever say a word.
His confession is on the tip of his tongue ready to slide out like honey, and yet he remains silent. They both do, looking at each other and recognizing the reluctance mirrored in each other’s eyes. It’s then that Louis realizes they’re both scared.
-
Or Louis sleeps with Harry and they have more than just catching feelings to worry about.
7.) like it’s a game by @soldouthaz (32k)
there is little harry hates more than truth or dare.
and louis.
6.) before we knew by @falsegoodnight (39k)
“C’mon Lou,” says Zayn after a moment, He sounds even more exasperated than before. Louis sort of has a knack for exasperating people, especially people like Zayn who aren’t usually bothered by his brattiness. “Can’t you give this guy a chance? Harry Styles? Aren’t you curious about him at all?”
Despite his best efforts, Louis still flinches at the name. He really shouldn’t be so affected after all these years. He’s seen the name printed down the curve of his waist in obnoxiously and uncommonly large loopy letters every single day since his sixteenth birthday eight years ago. He’s very familiar with the name Harry Styles.
It sounds pretentious and Louis hates it.
He hates everything about his supposed soulmate.
He hates his large handwriting that stands out like a claim on his skin whenever he’s walking around shirtless. He hates his pretentious name. And now he hates his supposed curls and green eyes and dimples.
-
Or Louis has been skeptical of soulmates for years so it seems like fate when he finally bumps into the owner of the obnoxiously large signature printed into his skin since age sixteen: Harry Styles, a human rights attorney who is firmly against soulmates.
5.) Mine Would Be You by @crinkle-eyed-boo (114k)
Louis blinks his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering as the room swims around him. He takes several gulps of beer once he confirms that he’s definitely not hallucinating, that the very first portrait Harry Styles ever painted of him is hanging on that wall.
Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache. A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.
Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.
Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn't intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?
4.) You’ve Got My Devotion (Hate You Sometimes) by @harryrainbows (95k)
Harry was in the biggest boy band in the world. He was also one half of the best (or worst, depends on who you ask) kept secret relationship in the music industry.
Now, almost five years on, after One Direction has broken up, and Harry and Louis' relationship has as well, a video threatens to put everything at risk.
One determined Irishman, a massive publicity stunt and two begrudging exes are all it takes to bring One Direction back to life and maybe, just maybe, Harry and Louis' mangled love life too.
Or: Harry and Louis are forced to fake-date after an old video from when they were dating emerges.
3.) The Space Between by @lads-laddylads (39k)
Harry Styles is the alpha rockstar who can’t sleep and doesn’t know why.
Louis Tomlinson is the omega PhD student who helps him figure it out.
2.) Nothing But You On My Mind by @absoloutenonsense (83k)
Louis Tomlinson is a PR manager hired to improve the image of royal bad-boy Prince Harry Styles. Unfortunately for him, that means being faced with the Prince's constant innuendos, incessant dirty jokes, and relentless flirting. Louis just wants to make it to Princess Gemma's coronation; once she's crowned Queen, his contract is up and he never has to see the Prince again.
1.) Collision by @tequiladimples (224k)
Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.
(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)
967 notes · View notes
autisticandroids · 3 years
Note
yknow those episodes where a character's whole personality gets split into 3-5 different distinct separate bodies? what bodies would cas have? I feel like it'd just be a mess tbh, imagine 5 different castiels all of them loving dean to a certain extent but showing it VASTLY differently. one cas would literally want to murder the others lmao
okay so i don’t actually think this trope would be an effective tool for analyzing cas? he’s not conflicted enough in himself. he’s too impulsive, too singleminded, too uninhibited. like, in the end, cas always ends up doing whatever he wants. there aren’t multiple discrete voices vying for control, really, or rather, if there are, one is always significantly stronger than the others. like in the end cas will always end up eating raw meat off the floor, you know? he’ll do what he wants. if i was going to do personality splitting i’d do it to someone intensely internally conflicted, like dean.
however, because i’m in an essay writing mood today, i’ll answer a question slightly to the left of the one you asked. cas may not be internally conflicted, but he is intensely changeable. these two things are related, actually; the same impulsivity and singlemindedness that mean he doesn’t have a ton of internal conflict at any given time mean that different ideas sound good to him at different times, because he isn’t really thinking about, say, what future-him will think of them. and he’s not really trying to maintain an image or identity. he’s just doing what feels right at the time, which is very different at different times and in different situations.
anyway, that in mind, i think a lot about ways to bring together many alternate versions of cas which sort of correspond to different times in the show.
i have a fic in my head about a bunch of cas-es pulled from alternate timelines by some kind of spell. so this would be set during the widower arc because the basic impulse here is to show dean a very bad time. just absolutely put him through hell. also, all the alternate timelines are different because different stuff happened, not because cas made different choices, because if we’re torturing dean it has to be like 5x04, the changes in cas can’t be cas’ fault. they have to be dean’s or just like, the universe’s (which makes them dean’s).
so dean is trying to bring cas back, and he finds some kind of spell that can bring someone “from another world.” and he tries it because hey. can’t hurt to try. anyway i’ve thought a long time about different versions of cas i would put in this and here is what i have. in order of when the timeline split off.
- a cas who never raised dean from hell. think 14x13 “lebanon.” this one i’m not too sure about, like, this could be fun, but i don’t know if it’s different enough from the next one. like this castiel would have lived through the averted apocalypse and subsequent general fuckery that happened as an angelic footsoldier, which would actually be pretty interesting now that i think about it, especially since all that stuff would have gone down soooooooo differently without cas specifically for your average angel footsoldier. like cas has PERSONALLY caused more upheaval in heaven in twelve years of spn than there seems to have been in millennia. so he would be the point of view of a normal footsoldier from a totally other world.
- a cas who died mid season four, and is pulled out of the empty in 2017 by this spell. i’m not sure when this cas died. my thoughts are (1) killed in on the head of a pin by alistair, (2) killed during his torture in the rapture, or (3) simply never resurrected after lucifer rising. (3) makes the most sense, but that cas has already thrown away everything for dean. i prefer the idea of a cas who loves dean, is already on the brink of disobedience for him, but has not yet taken the plunge. both on the head of a pin and the rapture are great places for this, and they both have strengths and weaknesses. if he died in the rapture, he was killed by heaven, which is fundamentally more fun, but he was also really very much over the edge already. if he died in on the head of a pin, he wasn’t killed by heaven, but he is perfectly teetering on the brink of falling for dean. regardless of when he died, the purpose of this cas is to be horrified at all the various and myriad ways he has destroyed and corrupted himself for dean in the other timelines.
- possibly endverse cas, who would have died in 2014, but like s4 cas, would have been pulled from the afterlife by the spell. i’m not so sure on this one. we as a society love endverse cas but i dunno what purpose he would serve. maybe endverse cas didn’t die in 2014, and instead was imprisoned by lucifer, because, you know. he’s the only brother lucifer has left. so he is very excited to see dean alive and well, since his dean is dead, and, not being an angel, cas can’t bring him back. the purpose of this cas would be to horrify dean that cas loves him and needs him so much, and to disgust the other cas-es with his neediness.
- a cas who was in some way on better terms with dean during s6. maybe dean and cas ride off into the sunset together after swan song instead of dean going to live with lisa, maybe dean prayed to cas while he was with lisa because he missed him, who knows. either way, cas has dean’s help with the angel revolution in season six from the start, and never goes to crowley. the plan cas and dean come up with to beat raphael includes breaking into the cage and stealing the grace of michael and lucifer, freeing sam and adam in the process. incidentally, it also involves cas possessing dean, because if cas is gonna eat archangel grace to become more powerful, he’s going to need a stronger vessel. so cas and dean have a whole like. midam situation happening. they’re a double archangel together, and godstiel never happened so none of the other terrible apocalypses that stemmed from that happened, and everything is pretty cool where they’re from, and also they’re obviously uhhhhhh SOME kind of together. the purpose of this cas is to upset dean because this cas shows how much better everything could have been and how much better his and cas’ relationship could have been if dean had simply been more considerate of cas in s6, and also freak dean out with how uh. close. this dean and cas are.
- a godstiel who managed to swallow purgatory without swallowing the leviathans and remained god. he’s probably soooomewhat less scary and murdery than canonverse godstiel because no leviathans, so you know, not as many angel purges or massacres on earth. and he probably went and fixed sam’s wall within about three days because cas is prideful but he does NOT like it when dean is mad at him. so they did kiss and make up, and so this cas would have had dean to act as his morality chain. but he’s still very scary and godstiel. and also he refers to dean as “The Beloved” you know. his purpose is to freak everyone out, because he’s scary, but also, for the past cas-es, because he is a terrifying abomination that they could never imagine becoming, for the future cas-es, because he is a reminder of their worst selves, and for dean, because he is a reminder of how dangerous cas is, but also because he uh. obviously has some feelings about his dean. unclear if they are consummated or not.
- a cas who naomi never rescued from purgatory, and who stayed there. hasn't spoken to another being in half a decade, has not recovered from his emotionally destroyed state in purgatory in s8. believes at first that the spell is his dean rescuing him, and is crushed when he realizes he was wrong. like endverse cas, his purpose is to show dean how much cas needs him and depends on him emotionally, and how he (dean) is capable of destroying cas, as well as his guilt for leaving him in purgatory and how lucky he is that his cas got out. this is especially noteworthy since the guilt for leaving cas in purgatory is part of the reason dean is trying to get cas back.
- a cas who stayed human after season nine, and has built himself a small human life over the next four years. he has a job and an apartment and friends outside the winchesters and yes, he still goes hunting after work sometimes, and he's still in contact with dean, but he is also independent in a way no other version of cas has ever been. he exists to freak out dean because dean has never seen cas independent of him. he is also fairly bitter at dean since dean did kind of stop spending time with him when he was no longer useful, and our dean feels guilty for that.
- a cas who showed up twenty minutes later in 10x03, finding sam dead and dean gone, and had to chase down demon dean, and has now spent three years following demon dean around as his tragically adoring stalker, because he hasn't found a way to resurrect sam yet and he doesn't want to put dean through the demon cure until he can save sam because he doesn't want dean to experience that guilt, but he also adores dean and wants to keep an eye on him and keep him safe and also keep him from doing anything too heinous, so he just covertly follows him around the country and watches from a distance as he commits various murders and fucks his way through every local bar scene. and occasionally cas finds dean something to kill, when the mark gets hungry, and drops it in his path. his purpose is to freak dean out with the lengths cas would go for him, and the depths cas would sink to.
anyway. lebanon cas and season four cas are horrified and perhaps disgusted (lebanon cas more than s4 cas) by ALL of the later cas-es, and how far they’re fallen, all of it for dean. godstiel and archangel cas being abominations, endverse cas and s9 cas being fallen, even purgatory cas and demon dean’s cas for their total dependence on dean.
purgatory cas and endverse cas are just happy to see a dean, even if it’s not their dean. demon dean’s cas, too, in a way. he’s happy to see a dean who is still human, who he can still have as a friend.
human cas is pissed to see that he was right, that dean would have stuck by him if he’d still had his powers, that this version of dean is doing spells to try and bring his cas, who is still an angel, back, whereas he and his dean only see each other once every couple months.
everyone is terrified and disgusted by godstiel, as i said before.
they’re mostly kind of thrown by archangel cas. a lot of them are jealous. godstiel is furious because how dare anyone, even an alternate version of himself, take dean as a vessel (even if dean likes it). godstiel isn’t really there, though, he resisted the summoning and just sort of popped his head through to see what was going on, and he goes back to his own reality pretty fast without murdering anyone.
also to be clear dean has not at this point examined or acknowledged any feelings he may have about his cas besides “friendship,” nor has he wondered what feelings his cas may have for him. given how many of the cas-es were clearly in some kind of relationship with their dean (endverse cas, archangel cas) or just openly in love with their dean (godstiel, purgatory cas, demon dean’s cas), dean is forced to reevaluate the nature of his and cas’ relationship.
530 notes · View notes
rafaelblackbird15 · 3 years
Text
Teen Wolf Fic Recs Part 4: Sterek
These are Sterek, Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale fanfictions.
I really love these. They are some of my favourite Sterek stories, and ALL of these are absolutely beautiful. Without a doubt. Send the authors some love, because that's what they've given me and us right here. :)
If there is a problem with any of the links, let me know and I will fix them.
For appropriate reading check the hashtags on the actual fics.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
And check out my other Steter fic recs [Part 1] and [Part 2] and Sterek fic recs [Part 3]
***********
God Brings The Wounded by CallieB on Archive of Our Own
Words: 4938
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
“Jesus,” Stiles says, when he sees Derek for the first time, and feels his face do that thing where it tries to smile. Derek, or the weirdly fresh-faced teenage version of Derek that he is now, doesn’t flinch at Stiles’ exclamation.
He’s too busy flinching at everything else.
 
Requested by the lovely nohomohomie, who asked for something angsty post-nogitsune.
Has got to be one of my favourite canon teenage/de-aged Derek fics, with beautiful, angsty Sterek, of course.
************
You're Not You by CallieB on Archive of Our Own
Words: 5266
Chapters: 1/1
Part 9 of the Sterek Bingo 2017 series
Summary:
Stiles lifts his head slowly, meeting Derek’s gaze. His eyes… they’re always clever, bright, perceptive, but today there’s something in them that Derek doesn’t recognise. He’s pale, but not defeated. He looks stronger than Derek expected. And unexpectedly, he feels it flash through him in a bolt of absolute, though surprised, certainty.
That's not Stiles.
 
Written for the Dark!Stiles square on my Sterek Bingo card.
This story is possibly one of the best EVER Void!Stiles stories I have ever read. The idea is complex and fascinating and unique. After I read this for the first time I was left stunned and I kept coming back to it in my mind as well as to read because I couldn't get over the idea. It's beautiful.
***********
Yeah, Pass The Salt, Stiles by CallieB on Archive of Our Own
Words: 3609
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Yeah, pass the salt, Stiles.
They're not particularly inspiring words. Not like the long stream of goo spilling over Scotty's arm. But somewhere, Stiles' soulmate is out there, waiting to say them to him.
If only he could stop thinking about the mysterious hot stranger he met in the woods...
**********
Author: CallieB
This author has 15 Teen Wolf works, most if not all are Sterek. Some of them in particular really hit somewhere special.
**********
Behind Locked Doors by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella) on Archive of Our Own
Words: 11128
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Derek often showed up in his room—at least he used the fucking door now that he knew where the spare key was hidden—and he couldn’t escape people in general in the Jeep since they could see him through the window. His dad was home, and when he wasn’t, there was always the risk of other people showing up.
His bathroom, on the other hand? No, his bathroom was a small room with no window in the middle of the house with a lockable door and no judgement. He could sit in the bathroom for hours, and no one would question it. Was he watching porn on his phone and jerking off? Was he taking a massive dump? Did he have constipation? Was he stitching up the millionth injury of the month in private? Who knew? No one but Stiles!
The locked door at his back felt like a safety net for him sometimes. In the bathroom, he didn’t have to pretend. He didn’t have to smile and wave people’s words off, insist he was fine, laugh and act like everything was okay. In the bathroom, he was allowed to sit on the floor, his expression tight, and his body falling apart on him.
***********
Author: isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)
************
Should Have Looked on Craigslist by Akiruchan on Archive of Our Own
Words: 27217
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Derek is rash and self-sacrificing, everything that will one day get him killed. Stiles doesn't want that. He's become too accustomed to a life with Derek Hale in it. To live without, well, it just doesn't seem to be an option.
or...
The five times Stiles' expectations fall short, and the one time he's glad they do.
This is an incredible, slow burn, build of the winding relationship between Stiles and Derek and the world they now live in, side by side. It's wonderful and blessedly long.
***********
Bless You by Ankiruchan on Archive of Our Own
Words: 3070
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
It all started with a sneeze...
**********
Lend Me Your Eyes, Give Me Your Heart by Ankiruchan on Archive of Our Own
Words: 3057
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Stiles’ life sucks. He’s honest enough with himself to admit to at least that. More often than not he spends his free time running for his life, saving people from creatures who want to rip his face off, and all around having a distinct lack of self-preservation. It sort of comes with the territory. Not something he can avoid when his circle of friends happen to be werewolves.
**********
Nobody's Fault But Mine by Akiruchan on Archive of Our Own
Words: 26552
Chapters: 4/?
Summary:
Stiles has always been good at ignoring his problems. Preferring to wait them out until they are nothing but a distant memory. But when a midnight stroll leads to a nasty scratch to Stiles side, courtesy of Derek, Stiles finds that some things just can't be ignored, not that he doesn't try. Better hearing and improved eyesight, that is something he can ignore for now. The sudden urge to touch and smell Derek all the time? Not so much.
This is werewolf!Stiles, and it's one the of the laid back, kind, intense versions that I enjoy very much. Unfortunately, I think it's been discontinued, but I believe even so, these 4 chapters are worth the little heartbreak that comes with the knowledge it may not be finished.
**********
Author: Akiruchan
This author is responsible for some of the best slow build Sterek stories I've read.
**********
Lock All The Doors Behind You by entanglednow on Archive of Our Own
Words: 25960
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
He has no idea what you're supposed to say when you find one of your...werewolf acquaintances, completely out of their mind, growling like they're about to see what your insides taste like. There's no handbook for this. Stiles is thinking that if he survives he might write one.
I've come back to this so many times. The relationship is so vulnerable, down to earth and open and kind, extremely kind, which is something Derek really lacks in his life, someone to be kind to him. There's a feeling, somehow, that this is quite natural for them.
**********
In Case Of Emergency by entanglednow on Archive of Our Own
Words: 1826
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Derek falls through Stiles's bedroom window at ten past midnight.
***********
By Any Other Name by entanglednow on Archive of Our Own
Words: 33090
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
He doesn't know his name, he doesn't know who he is, and neither does the werewolf he's on the run with. But he's pretty sure they hunt monsters, because they seem to be really good at it.
**********
I Could Find My Way Back by entanglednow on Archive of Our Own
Words: 6250
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
What's the worst that could happen?
***********
Author: entanglednow
This author is responsible for so many amazing fics out there. They have 55 Teen Wolf fics, all with really interesting ideas and takes on the characters and supernatural world.
**********
You want forgiveness (I'll give that to you) by dearericbittle (dutchmoxie) on Archive of Our Own
Words: 2806
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Derek is running from the Alpha, suffering from wolfsbane poisoning and he’s clearly losing it. Why else would he be seeing his mother - and everyone else he might as well have killed himself. But Stiles can’t just let him get what he deserves. Stiles never leaves him behind, even when he should.
**********
(Fuck you they said) As they threw their threads from their wedding bed by dearericbittle (dutchmoxie) on Archive of Our Own
Words: 96199
Chapters: 9/9
Summary:
First Son Stiles Stilinski just accidentally caused an international incident. And apparently the only way to save human-werewolf relations is to marry him off to Prince Derek of Triskele. Stiles is going to need all of his acting skills to make the marriage look real, because the Prince is kind of a fucking asshole.
***********
Author: dearericbittle (dutchmoxie)
***********
fake empire by Poe on Archive of Our Own
Words: 3685
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Stiles hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. He was going to tell Derek. The whole truth of it. He was halfway through when the phone rang. A half-finished sentence, left hanging in the air as his life crumbled around him.
*
(or: Stiles gets so, so lost. But he finds himself again.)
**********
you all over me by Poe on Archive of Our Own
Words: 3705
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
The thing about Stiles is, Derek thinks, is that he has no idea how enthralling he truly is. He’s easy to overlook, right up until the point he isn’t, and at some stage, Derek started looking, and now, it’s all he can do.
(or: the one where the pack is happy, healthy and alive, and Stiles and Derek are sort of inevitable)
**********
Author: Poe
**********
For If Dreams Die by veritas_st on Archive of Our Own
Words: 24169
Chapters: 8/8
Summary:
“I had a dream about a boy last night,” Mischief says through a mouthful of pancakes. His dad points the spatula at him and he swallows before he says anything else. “His name was Derek. He called me Stiles. I want to be called that from now on.”
*********
Author: veritas_st
*********
About Today by rufflefeather on Archive of Our Own
Words: 8901
Chapters: 1/1
Part 1 of the inside these arms series
Summary:
Stiles is having the worst day of his life and it keeps happening.
**********
Until Tomorrow by rufflefeather on Archive of Our Own
Words: 9016
Chapters: 1/1
Part 2 of the inside these arms series
Summary:
Derek's worst nightmares didn't prepare him for this.
**********
Let it be me by rufflefeather on Archive of Our Own
Words: 1495
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
After everything that happened, Stiles goes to see Derek.
*********
Even the stars they burn by rufflefeather on Archive of Our Own
Words: 5770
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
Derek finds out quite by accident what makes Stiles shut up. If he reveals along the way that he didn't always carry this darkness around, then that's entirely Stiles' fault.
*********
Solstice. by rufflefeather on Archive of Our Own
Words: 4119
Chapters: 1/1
Summary:
It's the first total lunar eclipse during winter solstice in three hundred and fifty years and Derek has no idea what's going to happen.
**********
Author: rufflefeather
This author has some intense, sometimes heartbreakingly endearing, and wonderful Teen Wolf fics.
**********
Hear The Wheels As They Roll by crossroadswrite on Archive of Our Own
Words: 44919
Chapters: 2/2
Summary:
“You can’t be here. This is private property,” someone calls out and for some reason that voice sounds painfully familiar.
When it hits him why, Stiles almost chokes with the realization, “Derek Hale,” he says, unbelievably happy because he remembers Derek when they were young.
Derek looks grumpier, sadder, angrier. Stiles can’t really fault him for that. He also looks surprised that Stiles knows who he is. He squint/glares suspiciously at him, his nostrils flare for a second before he widens his eyes almost dramatically.
“Stiles,” he says quietly, like he can’t really believe it.
Stiles beams, “Yeah, you remember me!”
**********
Author: crossroadswrite
*********
132 notes · View notes
somanyerikas · 3 years
Text
Nostalgia sells - or does it? About BBC’s rehiring of a previous showrunner for Doctor Who as a marketing strategy
All, right, this is the one where I deal with my issues about RTD’s rehiring from the standpoint of BBC’s business strategy . Brace for passive agression, swearwords, brief history of british television and numbers. So, so many numbers.
Allright, so I already wrote a post about my problem with RTD’s (re)hire from the creative standpoint (it’s here in case you’re interested), but hey, I can bitch about it all I want, but we all know what caused the BBC to make this decision, right? You’ve heard about it for sure. The Dropping Ratings. You’ve read about it on so many posts, lots of them probably oh-so-gladly conflating this fact with their own opinion about the deteriorating quality of the show. (Don’t worry, we’ll get to that.) So Obviously the execs at the Big BBC Quarters needed to do something about it, and what better way to go than rehire a guy who’s run at Doctor Who is a warm childhood memory for so many in it’s fanbase? After all, it’s what we’re seeing nowadays: from Star Wars return to wave of 80′s nostalgia to every old blockbuster star doing a comeback, there is but a single conclusion - nostalgia sells.
Or does it?
Part One: Moving with the change; or very much refusing to.
Let’s start this off with some facts about the ratings for Doctor Who. (Well, I warned you there’s gonna be numbers, didn’t I. Stick with me, I’m going somewhere with this I promise.) In it’s beginnings, in the sixties and seventies , the series flown high, averaging a viewership from 8 up to 10 million viewers per season. Collin Baker’s series 17 brought in a record of 11.21 milion viewer asses in front of a good ol’ TV screen, real champagne opener here. But, as it happens, things were downhill from here. During the eighties, the rating started dropping steadily, reaching an all-time low of 4.15 milion couch-warming bottoms in 1989, the last season of the classic era. 
Years passed, 16 of those years to be exact, and here comes our saviour RTD. Under his wings, the revived series premiered, bringing in over 10 milion viewers to the premiere episode of season 1, Rose. A viewership this high did not last for long, but still, RTD’s seasons averaged between 7 and 8 milion viewers per season, which seemed pretty respectable. But then, as the story likes to repeat itself, not unlike the bbc execs just did, along came the decline again. Ever since 2010, the ratings began steadily dropping again, from 7.95 in 2010 to 5.46 in 2017. Then DW experienced an unexpected peak in 2018 with the premiere of Jodie Whittaker’s first season, which averaged 7.96 viewing asses, but then continued the dropping trend on the next season, averaging 5.40 viewing butts.
So what went wrong?
You see, part of the reason that Doctor Who was bringing in such great viewership numbers in the 60′s and 70′s, was that, to put it simply, BBC did not have much competition. Or, to be exact, only had one competitor. ITV was literally founded in order to break BBC’s monopoly over British television. But in the 80′s, with the launch of Channel 4 and Sky, the british viewers had more and more options to choose from. So logically speaking, they no longer had to watch BBC’s programming just because there was nothing else on. There was more and more new programes to boredom-watch. And here’s something y’all need to know about the tv industry: the boredom-watchers, the casuals? That’s the most important demographic. As hard as it might be to swallow, us hardcore fans, forum dwellers and Ao3 gremlins, we’re not as big of a group as we’d like to think. Loving fans are important to the tv execs as providers of word-of-mouth advertisment, but the real numbers come from the casual, everyday viewer who will just put on the next episode cause the other one was kinda fun I guess. Or more fun than the other options, anyway.
And this is why, by the way, when someone is conflating low viewership with the show Dissapointing The Fans, they’re full of shit. I’m sorry, but we’re really not that much of a force here, definitely not enough to make such a big impact on the numbers. Another factor, that some of you probably noticed already, is that the numbers I’m quoting are from british tv only, while the online fandom is very much international, so our opinions matter even less to the british execs, I’m sorry again, hard pill to swallow I know, but true nonetheless.
But I digress. So, to sum up the previous paragraph, Doctor Who’s viewership decline in the 80′s was the effect of the changing landscape of the TV industry, with which the BBC struggled to come to terms with.
Sound familiar?
Let’s move on to the 2010′s, shall we?
2010 was is actually a good marker of a year to choose, because it marks one important thing that begun a big change in the industry. This was the year in which Netflix expanded their services overseas, from being a DVD rental company to providing VOD services. Over the next decade streaming services grew in importance, from being an add-on to your cable TV that you didn’t really want but they were throwing it in for cheap, to very much self-sustainable media services you might very well buy instead of buying the cable. And if you look at the numbers for Doctor Who viewership declining over the last 10 years, that’s precisely what’s been happening. It’s not that people don’t want to watch Doctor Who on tv, they don’t want to watch tv in general. Do you know what was the most popular channel in Britain this year? Can you guess? Fucking Netflix that’s what. It’s just slowly-yet-steadily ceasing to be the way we use home entertainment anymore. Again, not much to do with the audience approval, because for that matter, let’s see about the specific episodes that saw the spikes in viewership. 
Rose, which i mentioned at the start of it, was for the longest time the unquestionable queen when it comes to viewership, at 10.81 milion. The next episode, The End of the World, pulled in 7.97 - almost 3 millions worth of lost viewer-butts in one week? Is it because it was so much worse than it’s predecessor? No, it simply did not have the smell of Newness, the Event You Must See, and as such brought forth less of the casual viewers who were simply curious about The New Thing. The next season followed the similar formula, peaking at the premiere, when the marketing was at it’s strongest, going down during the season, sometimes rising slightly for the finale, sometimes not. The most popular episodes are, of course, the specials - yet again, the vibe of The Event To Be Seen worked here, but one more thing working to their advantage is they often aired in spaces between seasons, serving as both a long-waited Crumbs of Content for the fans, and the basically stand-alones for the casuals. Do you know what the single most watched episode of revived DW is? No, it’s not Tennant’s goodbye with the role (yeah I know, I thought it had to be that as well). It was Voyage of the Damned, between seasons 3 and 4. The perfect standalone for the casual watcher. And last but not least, you know one more special feature that brought, maybe not as much, but definitely more than expected? The 1996 movie Doctor Who, with 9.08 million. Again, a perfect standalone.
But the standalones aren’t the only way to grab the viewership. The currently-highest viewing non-special episode of DW? The Woman Who Fell to Earth, Jodie Whittaker’s introduction. In 2018 no less, in the year when the streaming was the ruler supreme, this episode brought a whooping 10.96 million buts to the good ol’ TV again. Let me reiterate: this episode brought in more viewers than Rose did in 2005, while having WAY more competition and way less favorable circumstances of release that RTD’s debiut did. Not only that, it managed to bring on some numbers for the entire season as well, not as good of course as the premiere (because again, the Event vibes faded), but still brought a better average than the last six seasons did. (Again, let me reiterate: more than the last SIX seasons. More viewership than any series since 2010, since the Streaming Wars.) So clearly, this must be the way, right? Catering to this Weird New Trend, that saw directors notice there do in fact exist other actors than white men, that surely brought in some profit, even Marvel does it now, right? Out with the old, in with the new!
Part 2 The Deceitful Charm of Nostalgia
Well, it turns out the whole Doing New Things deal didn’t work out that well after all, now did it? The second season penned by Chibbnal averaged 5.40 milion, that’s 2.5 million drop from the previous one! It must mean it didn’t work, right? Well, yes and no. As much as the refreshment of the formula as simple as Let’s Put A Woman In It absolutely worked for one season, it very visibly did not hold up for longer. An Event-Episode is something that can still happen on TV, Event-Series? That’s pretty much reserved for streaming now, if you think about it, and it’s honestly kind of a miracle that Series 11 did as well as it had. Two consecutive Event-Series on network tv? Flat out impossible. 
So how to make those ratings great again? How to get those butts in seats of the Good Ol’? Well, the execs of the BBC have a plan for that. They brought in a devouring beast, and it’s name is: Nostalgia.
Without a doubt, there is a number of people who feel nostalgic about RTD’s era of Doctor Who. It’s a lot of people’s fond childhood memory, or the series they started with, and judging by the numbers, there should be quite a lot of them. So the new plan, as it appears, is to get to those who maybe lost interest in the show and lure them with the promise of the thing That Is Totally Like The Thing You Used To Love, Remember? (This is why I don’t actually think that RTD will be allowed to do anything new and interesting, that’s not what they hired him for. And that’s why I think this is bad from the creative standpoint.) So there are two questions here: One, will the people be lured? And two, for how long?
Nostalgia as a marketing strategy is something that you’re probably sick of seeing already (I know I am). But it has very much been effective on many levels, especially the eighties-baiting, Stranger Things style, can bring a new IP up to relevance. But what about old IP’s that want to have a comeback? 
It’s kind of dificult to find another TV show that I could compare to Doctor Who. Most series that have been running for that long are mostly soap operas, that operate on slightly different rules, and are also targeted to a different audience. So as much as the movie series is still not exactly the best comparison, when I think about a big IP, campy sci-fi, family-oriented (at least in theory) on its path back to relevance, I think about Star Wars, obviously. The Force Awakens gambled on that nostalgic feeling and won big, but the next two movies, while still financially successful, were nowhere near the astounding success of the first one. And that’s because - you guessed it - it created the Event You Must See again, The Great Comeback, but merely two years later, the comeback became old news. So what we can gain from that is that nostalgia can create an Event as well as a new trend, if not better. But the question remains: how long will that last?
That is, after all, the main difference between a movie franchise and a TV series in the traditional, network TV sense of the word: movie franchise must bring in the viewership every year or two, and TV series must bring in viewers every week for at least two months. Is RTD’s Nostalgia Vibes enough to provide for that?
I’ll say this: I’m absolutely certain that the 60th anniversary will be very popular. I still don’t think it will break any records because, as I’ve been trying to explain for this whole post, it is not 2007 anymore no matter how much the tv execs would like it to be. But ironically, the almost-certain success of the special is the very thing that could undermine the effect of bringing their precious Nostagia Boi back onboard. Remember, the first Event Episode is The Big Oof. That’s the one that gets asses to the Good Ol’, if anything ever does. After the first big event one, that’s the point when things start going down. They’re wasting their Special Event Boi for something that already would be an event, dear fucking gods, I hate your plan and I would still execute it better. Either have RTD be the Anniversary Guy and then hire someone new, use that hype and keep it going, OR have RTD come in after the anniversary, then at least you get the Event Effect for the premiere of his first return season. Fukin’ amateurs.
But even if they did that, here’s the thing: do you think that the people who departed from the show years ago actually want to watch another three to five seasons of The RTD Show? I mean, I’m sure the thought warmed some hearts, for sure. A number of people will definitely gladly watch the anniversary, probably the first few episodes of the first return to the basics, but after that? In the world when, due to streaming, they have an easy way to revisit the actual thing they’re nostalgic towards? I honestly don’t think so. And you’re not really gonna get many new people by going back, if that nostalgia factor isn’t there. And then there’s casual viewers, the backbone, as we established. And here’s the thing: lots of those people don’t even know who the current showrunner is, cause they’re not Terminally Online like we are, and the second thing? Lots of those people ARE JUST NOT WATCHING NETWORK TV, IM SORRY GARRY. They’re just. They’re just not. I don’t know how to spell it out better. Even my mum has netflix now. Your biggest base is in another castle mate, gotta get moving and gotta get moving quick, cause here’s another thing: all the nostalgia in the world will not do SHIT for you if your target, people who were kids/teens when the RTD era was airing, PROBABLY DON’T EVEN HAVE A FUCKING TV ANYMORE CAUSE THEY MOVED OUT OF THEIR PARENTS FLAT AND LOTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE JUST DON’T BOTHER. Just. I’m sorry but you’re trying to resuscitate a decade-deceased corpse there buddy. It just won’t work. The times have changed and you gotta swim or drown, and it’s just not gonna be 2005 again, no matter how hard you pretend it is. It’s not your content it’s your business model. Just push more marketing for your iplayer or whatever, focus on streaming as your primary not your secondary cause that’s just what it is now, and maybe don’t rely on the viewer-counting systems of the yesteryear to evaluate your business. Or else you’re gonna get stuck sacrificing the creative growth of your show for a marketing strategy that probably won’t even fucking WORK.
There, I got it of my chest. Feel free to reblog, and also: you somehow got to the end of this, congrats! I’ll make numbers nerds out of y’all yet.
44 notes · View notes
blouisparadise · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media
We realized it’s been a while since our first canon rec list came out, so we decided to create a second part to it! We hope you enjoy these fics. If you enjoy BLP making rec lists, please be sure to reblog this post to spread the word. Happy reading!
1) That Summer Feeling | Explicit | 2093 words
"It was still a lazy summer evening, the sun was still floating in the sky and the balcony window was letting in a warm breeze. Harry thumbed at Louis’ hipbone, easing his lips off Louis’ skin just to mumble “Turn over, darling.” Louis cracked a small smile, turning over slowly and revealing the back half of his naked body. Harry’s tongue felt too big for his mouth. He swallowed as he took in the sight. He’d never get tired of this."
2) The Sucking Method | Explicit | 2668 words | Sequel #1 | Sequel #2 | Sequel #3
Louis tries to quit smoking, but none of his methods work. Harry comes up with a new idea that involves lots of sucking.
3) Spirit Meets The Bones | Explicit | 3220 words
The action shouldn’t fill his eyes with tears but it does. These small gestures mean the world to him. A steady reminder that Harry does notice all the tiny, seemingly insignificant details that make Louis him.
4) Blue Eyes, Black Jeans, Lighters, Candy | Explicit | 3629 words | Sequel
Harry is in Madrid and Louis had a hard week.
5) This Is Where I Sleep | Explicit | 3678 words
Harry and Louis go camping while on break and make some memories.
6) A Touch of Your Love | Explicit | 3856 words
Harry needs to work out. Louis wants him to pay attention to him. They find a compromise.
7) We’ve Got A Vicious Streak | Explicit | 4073 words
In the aftermath of 1DDay, Harry finds a way to help Louis relax.
8) The Sound Of Silence | Explicit | 4272 words
Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.
Early the next morning, Louis had been scrolling through Twitter when he first saw the wild conspiracy.
“What if the person in the VIP box is actually Xander?”
Louis had almost choked on his coffee. Xander? Of all the people Harry had been connected to over the last few years, this person was speculating Harry was secretly in love with Xander Ritz?
9) Cherries In The Snow | Mature | 5151 words
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Harry is not in the mood. So naturally, Louis lets Harry paint his body with kiss marks to make him feel better.
10) At The End Of My Rope | Mature | 5608 words
The one where they go to Crete and Harry is definitely hiding something.
11) Just Stop Your Crying (It's a Sign of the Times) | Explicit | 5864 words
My own imagining of the inspiration for Sign of the Times.  Featuring boys in love, even after all this time.
12) Maybe My Heart’s Numb | Mature | 6007 words
"Lou."
He breathes in sharply and turns to his right, the source of the voice just having sat down. "Yeah?" he asks softly, trying to get his voice to come out as evenly as possible.
Harry stares at him with an unreadable look on his face, then looks down. Louis' gaze follows.
 Oh.
Harry's holding his right hand, a completely burnt out cigarette lying underneath it.
13) Singing Your Praises | Explicit | 6226 words
Prompt 86: Louis rides Harry while wearing his packer’s jersey/sweater and gets his ass ate.
14) The Window To The Soul | Explicit | 6925 words
Harry comes off stage at iHeart 2017 and really needs a bit of physical affection.
15) PDA: Public Displays of Arousal | Mature | 7281 words
"He soon ventured out on a relaxing stroll along the damp shore, pouting down at the very dainty size of the footprints he made in the wet sand. He could already picture Harry making a large footprint right next to it just to coo at their very distinct size difference, and Louis didn’t know whether to grin or grimace. He looked up from the ground to observe the colorful assortment of tents and umbrellas from the people scattered along the sand, and the people themselves were-
Well, they were all naked."
16) Cease The Day | Explicit | 8195 words
In which 1D Day takes on a whole new meaning.
Instead of a seven hour livestream, the One Direction team deem it more profitable to offer an entire day spent with any one member of the band for the highest bidder. What happens when the same buyer wins both Louis and Harry for a day?
17) Little White Lies | Explicit | 10450 words
Louis makes an off hand comment in an interview then comes home to find Harry has laid his old braces out on their bed.
18) Tomorrow You Won’t Be Mine | Explicit | 13592 words
Louis and Harry were larry, until they broke up and weren’t. Years into the hiatus Louis finds himself in Philadelphia for a music festival, completely unaware that Harry has a show that night there too until fans start to freak out online. Louis has things to get off of his chest about their break up all those years ago and turns up to Harry’s concert without notice, leaving Harry in complete shock. Feelings overwhelm them both, leading to a night where they realise just how much they missed eachother...
19) With the Certainty Of Tides | Mature | 13980 words
“Love you,” Louis whispered in the dark. He didn’t know what time it was or where the light had gone, he knew that he was in Harry’s arms, basking in the afterglow of all their love and he’d be a fool to not tell Harry that. As if Harry didn’t know.
“Love you,” was whispered back, as if Louis didn’t know. They confessed to each other as if it was their first time saying it, raw and painful, and listened to it the very same way, but they knew those words to be the only ones true.
With all the certainty of the tides, with all the light from the sun, with all the steady beats of their hearts, they were deftly in love, in secret and so loudly. They were brave and fearless and strong and hopelessly devoted in every sense of their breaths.
“We made it, baby,” Harry mumbled, bringing their lips into a final kiss, sweet and soft and the color of pink. They already knew that, didn’t fight tooth and nail and argued through every petty year and bleed their hearts into the words they sang and on their skin for them to have not made it home.
They were home.
20) Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) | Not Rated | 16683 words
The one where Harry wants a little more in the bedroom and has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth.
21) Oblivious | Explicit | 19096 words
Where Louis gets a little crush on Luke and for some reason Harry starts acting weird.
22) Late Night Devil (Put Your Hands On Me) | Explicit | 20086 words
Harry Styles has always put up with him. With every snip of attitude, every idiotic act of stubbornness, every harsh and sour word. Each time Louis thinks he's stepped too far, clung too tight, bitten too hard, Harry is there to forgive him, to protect him, to hold him. Maybe he was naive to think that, no matter how hard he pushed, Harry would never move.
Maybe he should have seen it coming.
23) England Has My Bones | Explicit | 24087 words
The next time Harry thinks about calling, it’s 4.14 in the morning on a Parisian hotel balcony.
24) Pink In The Night | Explicit | 32324 words
His finger was tapping on Louis’ chat before Harry could even think about it, eyes reading over the last text he’d sent Louis. I miss you. Do you miss me?
Harry had felt so pathetic that December night, alone in the dark room of the Japanese apartment he’d been staying at, the strong smell of alcohol clinging to his clothes.
Louis hadn’t replied, but Harry wasn’t surprised; he had texted Louis a few times before while he’d been away, but there had never been a response.
It pained him to admit that this was their new normal.
25) What’s Mine Is Yours To Make Your Own | Mature | 39919 words
Sometimes, the closest Harry ever feels to home is Louis. It’s their shared hotel rooms on tour, their shoes toed off in the doorway next to each other, jackets hung on the same post. It’s everything he doesn’t notice until it’s been taken away from him.
Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.
166 notes · View notes
hwrryscherry · 3 years
Text
The one where Anne teaches Model Y/N how to make gingerbread cookies.
Tumblr media
blurb: Model Y/N never baked gingerbread cookies before and she has no idea how to do it, so as Anne is teaching her Harry realizes how good the relationship of his girl and his mother is and also, he gives model Y/N her first mistletoe kiss later at night.
warning: fluff, smut and more fluff Harry because we love it.
word count: 7.2K
author's note: DAY 2 of Christmas Special is here!!!! What are you guys thinking so far? I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am. Also, I must admit I’m a little nervous to post this because it’s the first smut I ever posted so yep, i’m a little nervous and I apologize if that’s the worst smut you’ve ever read lol, I just wanted to try. Anyway make sure you find the holiday spirits and start celebrating, I hope this helps♥️♥️
christmas song of the day: Like It's Christmas by Jonas Brothers.
December 21st, 2020.
    After sleeping for a good number of hours from basically 7 AM until the current time that was 12:19 PM, you'd feel a sharp cold air running through your skin making you wake up, not fully, but enough to see that Harry had took all the blanket to his body leaving you uncovered. Neither of you actually had taken a shower or changed clothes when you arrived because the urge of laying in a bed was all you really wanted to do after traveling for 20 hours straight and the jeans were probably the one thing that kept you from waking up some hours earlier.
    Anne noticed that you both were home when she woke up and saw that all brownies were gone. She walked her way carefully to the only room that wasn’t occupied when she arrived and came across you and Harry sleeping on the king-sized bed under that heavy white blanket extremely appropriate for the weather outside. Harry had his body very close to yours, by the way. The older woman admired the scene a little, she thought to herself that after some complicated relationships that generated the boy's music and also three Grammy nominations, he had finally found someone like you. Someone who brought him nothing but peace. She could see in the boy's eyes, in his voice and even in his appearance that he was genuinely happy. That he was excited about what life would bring him. Harry was Anne's little boy. It had always been like this and it always will be, he called her every day and they usually spend hours talking about how things were going. Harry asked about Gemma, asked about his family in general and she informed him with all the details, and then when she asked how you were, he’d spent a long time talking about you to her. And she adored you, she adored you for knowing that you loved and cared for her little boy but she also loved you for being an incredible person. And two Christmases ago when you met her you were so nervous, terrified would be the right word. Harry told you that you had nothing to worry about and that she already liked you, but how can you not worry? It was Anne. But being nervous about meeting new people was something yours. The first time you had met Gemma, which was on the New Year's trip to Ibizain 2017 that you and Harry had before you started dating, in fact Gemma told you that he was not being "just" friendly’’on that trip. Anyway, when Christmas 2018 came and you had to go to Holmes Chapel you were nervous to meet Gemma again. You previously knew her as your friend's sister, now you’d know her as your boyfriend's sister and that was a big thing.
    Anne didn't stay long at the bedroom door, of course. And a few hours later when that cold wind ran through your skin and you woke up, you used your hand to try to pull the blanket over your body again but your tall and heavy boyfriend was completely wrapped around it like a cocoon.
— Harry! — You whined with your eyes closed as you tried to pull it, but the man didn't move, not even a muscle. At this moment, you already knew that you were wide awake and wouldn’t sleep anymore, so you decided to get up. You then put your two feet covered by cozy socks on that dark wooden floor and got up from the bed slowly. You passed both of your hands over your face as you approached the big glass window and could see the sky extremely clean and blue and all that white snow everywhere. On the ground, in the mountains completely covered with snow, on top of the roofs of other houses and even on top of cars that were left on the street and not in the garage. You really felt like you were in winter wonderland.
   You took a deep breath and started walking to the suite bathroom and were amazed at how beautiful it really was. Like the rest of the house, it had the floor and walls made of wood but it also had some parts of the wall painted white. There was a long mirror on the wall of the sink that spanned the entire length of the counter, which there was a grayish blue color. It had a bathtub that was in by a window and in front of a painted picture of the mountains in the fall.
   You walked back to the bedroom approaching your handbag where you took your toiletry bag and walked again to the bathroom. You placed the small bag over the sink and opened it instantly taking a hair clip inside it and then using your hands to join your strands of hair to be able to pin them with the clip. So you immediately brushed your teeth deciding that you would go into the shower and take a long and hot shower actually.
    You had already undressed, but cover your body with a white cotton robe that you had brought for after showering. You were looking through your suitcase that was on top of the dresser next to the bathroom door open in front of you while you chose the clothes you would wear today for after you actually shower. As you took one of the baggy jeans, you had put in the suitcase. You felt a pair of hands on your shoulders, as you looked at them to see the little cross tattoo on his hand, you felt his hot breath close to your neck as he used his other hand to move your hair to the other side of your neck to give you a peck in it.  
— Good morning, I can see you're rested — You'd say feeling the boy's warm lips slowing moving against your jaw and the spot under your ear that gave you goosebumps towards all of your body causing Harry to open up a smirk, which you could feel perfectly over your skin. He just knew, he knew your body so well at this point to know all of your sweet spots but he still is quite determined to find new ones.
— I am, but ye' look tired! — Harry whispered next to your ear as he started using his hands to slowly move the robe off your shoulders so he could see the skin of your neck, shoulders and collarbone exposed in front of him. You'd frown your eyebrows at his words trying to understand what he was trying to say and just when you were going to talk, you'd feel Harry's rough fingertips slide softly over your collarbone — And as I'm such a good boyfriend, I should relax ye', shouldn't I? — Harry would say, his voice deep and rough as he took his right hand up to your neck so he could hold your jaw to move your head to the side just a little to give him more space to kiss your neck again. Now moving his lips lightly as he used his tongue to suck on the sensitive skin, being careful to not leave any marks, even though he wanted to so much. He wanted to mark that pretty neck of yours, so everyone knew that you were his, and only his.
   You'd roll your eyes at the feeling of your whole body becoming hot from the sensation he was gifting you to. You'd move your head a little as a successful try to free yourself from Harry's grip so you could turn around to face him. You'd kiss the boy's tempting lips immediately as you put your body closer to his feeling the boy use one of his hands to cup your face and the other one to your waist squeezing it as he brought your body even closer to his.
   Once both of you accepted the heat of the moment, Harry would slide his hands to the back of your thighs lifting you up and carrying you to walk to the huge bed you had in your room. You'd cross your legs on his waist to hold you from falling as now disconnecting your lips to start kissing his jaw and then going down his neck feeling the small growing hair tickle your face a little because even thought he had shaved his beard two days ago it was already making its way back.
    Harry’d put you lying in bed, just getting on top of you while he felt the wonderful feeling of your tongue sucking on his neck, maybe you weren't being as careful as him about the "no leaving marks" rule but at this moment Harry didn’t care, and he knew that if the mark shows up he would smirking show it around the house so everybody could know what you guys were doing earlier in the room.
    You used your body to switch positions and now stay on top. Harry’s back was now on the mattress, while he took his hands to the band that held your robe, well, it held more or less since because of all the action it was almost out of your body now. He pulled the fabric and slid the robe out of your body, leaving you completely exposed in front of him. He would be stunned for a moment because it doesn't matter how many times he saw you naked. It feels like the first time, every time. He’d still admire any stain, any stretch mark, any cellulite, any part of skin that was present on your body because he finds you perfect just the way you are. Anyway, your knees would rest on either side of his hips, and your butt would be specifically on top of his now, growing boner that was covered on his jeans from yesterday. You'd feel him swallow hard when you'd pass your delicate lips over his throat and slid your hands to pull his goddamn shirt out of his body getting a perfect vision of his tattooed chest and arms. You'd softly run your fingertips through his butterfly tattoo to the two tattoos a little up the beginning of his jeans feeling his skin get chills under your fingers and feeling the urge between your legs get higher as you'd feel his boner getting harder under you and his big hands sliding through your naked back.
    Harry would kiss your lips again, moving his tongue with yours feeling how your mouth tastes. He would suck and bite your lips as he teased you delicately moving through our body touching it slowly, as he caressed the sides of your body, the whole length of your back and hips feeling how incredibly hot you were now. Your body was on fire. He'd hold the back of your head's hair with one hand as his tongue would slowly circle on your skin as he dowered his lips from your neck, to your collarbone, your chest, until he'd get to your breasts where he’d kiss carefully the extension of your breast before sucking on your nipple putting it entirely on his mouth. You'd throw your head behind to let out a grasp and a low moan of his name as you felt his hot tongue around your sensitive nipple. "Harry", he likes it. He likes the way his name leaves your mouth, specially on situations like this when he could feel your breathing and your heart beating faster. Where he could feel the intimacy of being this close to you and to know that he’s the one who’s been touching you in places that nobody could and he planned that nobody else would ever do. Only him. He planned on being the only one to give you all this sensation, to be the only one to make you rolls your eyes of pleasure and shake under his body into yours. He’d wouldn’t give this intimacy away for anyone.
   Harry's fingers would squeeze your hips harshly as he felt you unconsciously starting to move it against his boner. You’d hear a groan leave the boy's lips at the feeling of himself getting so turned on that his jeans were starting to tighten. He’d slid his hand down your stomach to your bare core, feeling how soaked you were for him so he’d take a finger and starts rubbing it slowly against your clit making you let out a confederative quite loud moan at the friction of his finger at your swollen clit, you needed more. You wanted more. Harry would look up to your red blushed face with closed eyes right before you’d lay your head on his shoulder to drown out the slightly pornografics sounds that left your throat.
— I can see ye' getting more relaxed, darlin' — He'd promiscuously comment with a smirk on his face feeling your hot breath on his exposed neck — You gotta be quiet, petal! D' ye' want everyone to know how good you're being on your relaxing moment? I'd think you'd rather keep it private. I'm very surprised — Harry would joke, then you'd guide your delicate hands to the buttons of his pants, unbuttoning as fastly as you could — Rushing, aren’t we? — Harry would say feeling a relief as you unbuttoned his pants and released its length. You'd stand up in the moment Harry'd say this indicating to him to take of his pants, and he did, throwing it at some corner of the room as you'd get back over the guy putting both of your hands on each side of his cheeks cupping them.
— I think you'll be the next one to be rushing! — You'd whisper as a smirk formed on your lips when you approached Harry's face kissing his lips roughly, full of passion and desire. You'd move one of your hands down the man's body playing for a while with the edges of his underwear until you took it completely off to see his hard length chilling on his lower belly. You'd carefully grab it with your hand with slow grinding twists, your thumb moving on his tip, and it’s Harry moaning your name lowly now as his head fell back on the pillow with closed eyes and parted lips over the pleasure you were giving him. He'd positioned his palms on either side of your hips trying to bring it down to give him any kind of friction that he desperately needed.
— Rushing, aren't we? — You'd now joke positioning yourself by the tip of his length letting out a grasp at the feeling. Harry'd chuckle at your words that was previously his. You'd slowly dig your hips into his length making your lips part at the huge pleasure.
   He would use his hand to help you move your hips against him. And he’s not sure what he should focus on, if it's the feeling of your wet core moving against him, or how pretty you looked with blushed cheeks and sweat over your forehead.
   Harry'd wrap both his arms around your exposed back and changes your position making himself be on top of you as he started to move his hips against yours at a quick pace washing your body in complete pleasure. His thrusts were deep and harsh as he continually hits your spot making it 10 times harder for you to keep it low. He positioned his one hand on gripping her right wrist above your head tightens it’s hold and he slid his other hand to your leg taking it to pull it higher to get a new angle. His grip on your legs tightens as he feels his abdomen starts clenching with the new sensation.
— Tell me… tell me how much you want this… — Harry would say as you let out low moans to the sensation washing all over your body. He can feel it. He feels your muscles shaking from pleasure under him, and he could feel you tighten around his length as the knot in your stomach continued to grow. Harry lets go of your wrist and moves his hand to your core to use his finger to stimulate your swollen clit increasing your pleasure.
— Harry — You'd whine taking your hand to the boys hair pulling it softly as you leaned ahead a little to distribute kisses through his broad shoulders — Pl..please — As you said that, sounding so desperate for him, his jaw locked as his eyes clenched tight making his entire body goes rigid, and his mouth to fall open while a deep moan left his throat as you felt Harry’s body to fall over yours as you tried to catch your breath and so did him.
— Did so good for me, darlin'. — He'd kiss your collarbone right before removing himself from you and you'd stay this way for a while. Just catching your breath as you reminiscing the moment, you both had until you sat on the bed making Harry see the view of your naked back to him covered by your long strands of hair, he would take his hand to your lower back and caress it gently.
— I'm going to take a shower, your mother must already be thinking that we died in here! — You said letting out a chuckle while getting up from the bed looking for your robe on the bedroom floor. When you found it closer to the big window next to the bed, you bent down to pick it up and hold it in your hands while you made your way to the bathroom leaving the door open. 
— Look... I hope her room isn’t next door, if it is she certainly knows that we are alive. — Harry said with a playful tone also standing up from the bed walking to where you were in the bathroom.
— God, don't even joke about it — You’d say with wide eyes, and then looking at the sight of you in the big bathroom mirror seeing how sweaty your hair had gotten — I'll have to wash my hair again — You opened the glass door of the shower cabin by turning the hot water valve on the shower, walking back to the sink where you had left your belongings to get the shampoo and conditioner.
— Don't worry, I'll happily wash it for you! — Harry said placing a quick kiss on the top of your head with a smirk on his lips and soon after walking into the shower feeling the hot water fall down his back releasing any remaining tension from his muscles.
   You would smile a little at the sight of it before agreeing and going into the shower with him. You would feel completely relaxed now after feeling the hot water fall on you, wetting your hair and your face. You would extend the big bottle of your shampoo to Harry, who’d pick it up by opening the lid and take the bottle closer to his nose to feel the relaxing and sweet smell of lavender invading his nostrils. He would pour some shampoo on his wide hands by rubbing them together and then on your scalp, later unintentionally pulling your hair a little causing you to gasp as you’d take your hand to touch his on your head.
— Oh my god, I said you could wash it and not get it out of my head! — You said with a playful tone making Harry chuckle and whisper a slight "sorry''. You turned around with the boy's hands still in your hair so you could face him. You could see that Harry was focused on your hair with his eyebrows drawn together and his lips squeezed into a line. You, on the other hand, ran your fingertips gently over his chest. Drawing the shape of his tattoos and then seeing the bonus nipples that he has.
— You know what, I think it's really cute that you have four nipples! — You said causing Harry to laugh out loud and you look at the boy's face focusing on his dimples appearing — What? — You’d say with a smile on your face, and then entering again with your head under the water after the boy's signal that you could rinse your hair now.
— Nothing, it's just not cute! It's weird actually! — Harry'd say putting a little of shampoo on his hair as well. His gorgeous hair, you could look at it all day long actually. When the Golden music video came out you freaked so much about how gorgeous his hair looked in it.
— It's just that I have peculiar tastes. You wouldn't understand. — You said with your eyebrows raised in the most sassy tone of voice you could do. That’s not true, not at all. It’s just that you loved everything about Harry, there wasn’t a universe or a time when you wouldn’t think he looks completely stunning.
— Oh yes, forgive my small brain for being unable to understand your deepest thoughts — Harry said returning your sass while he approached you to also rinse his hair now.
   In general, you were grateful to have had many moments together this year. Moments where you could talk without interruption, where you could play and laugh without feeling that the world was watching your every step. Being a public figure and dating another public figure could be difficult at times but you and Harry have always managed to get through all the difficulties together. And let's agree that getting out of the shower wrapped in towels, with wet skin and hair, selecting the song Don't Stop me now by Queen in your Spotify app and dancing in front of the mirror was a moment to definitely cherish and never forget.
   You prefered to keep yourselves comfortable when choosing which clothes to wear and you’d chose the baggy jeans you had chosen earlier, a white dress shirt and a red sweater over the shirt along with your white sneakers that you take everywhere with you just like Harry does with his vans. When you put your hand on the door handle, you’d feel Harry pull your other hand to get you closer to him. He cupped your cheeks as he leaned to give you a sweet kiss before you'd go out. It's not that he doesn't want to go out and see his family. He did; he missed those people and spending time with them would be more than he needed, but he was also reluctant to open that door and leave the comfortable and private space that you both created in that room. When he had moved your faces away, he’d sigh and remove his hands from your cheeks and collect them for himself.
— Okay, now I'm ready! — He’d say softly making you smile tenderly at him and open the door leaving the room. You both could notice that there was no one in the halls which made you deduce that they were all downstairs.
   You and Harry would go down the dark wooden stairs paying attention to the details of the house that was extremely decorated for Christmas. Honestly, it looked like Santa's own workshop. Harry had an arm around your shoulders and you kept your arm around his waist. Like you, Harry was wearing a wine red oversized sweater, which was actually quite cozy and you could feel it just by touching the fabric.
   Upon reaching the floor below, you could see Gemma and Michal sitting on the sofa in the living room doing nothing more than that thing where you put popcorn and some other candies on the string. Why were they doing this? You had no idea, but it was what they were doing for some reason. You quickly looked away at the clock over the fireplace trying to see the time, but you couldn't, it's very difficult to be a myopic.
   Gemma would look away from the string to the two of you right after stepping on the first floor as she felt your presence in the room. She opened a huge smile on her face at the sight of both of you because you happened to not meet each other earlier.
— Look, the lovebirds woke up! — She’d say in a loud and lively tone with her strong and cute british accent as she got up from the sofa leaving her piece of string on the coffee table with Michal. You also saw the figures of your mothers leaving the kitchen with big smiles on their faces. Your mother and Anne got along very well and you even think that your mother's english improved a lot after they met, even though the two of you never spoke in English with each other. You’d remember that when she came to US with you, she could barerly say ‘’hello’’ and look at her now having full conversations.
   Gemma would accelerate her step as she got closer to you and instantly wrap you in a strong hug.
— Hi! — You'd say hugging her back tightlyand then you and Harry would alternate hugging and greeting everyone. When you hugged Anne, she hugged you so tight, like she was showing all of her love for you in that hug. She would be stroking your hair and inhaling the perfume that Harry bought for you yesterday in New York. When you’d step back, you would basically run into your mother's arms that was shorter than you, wrapping her tightly in your arms while you heard Anne hug Harry calling him "mommy's little boy", which he was.
— We apologize for being late, there were technical problems! — You’d say referring to the situation where you and Harry overslept and missed the flight without specifically explaining why you missed it.
— Exactly! — Harry said, holding his laugh because only you both knew the despair you felt that morning when you realized that you were extremely late, but it was quite an adventure. Harry’d take a deep breath, running his ringed hand through his strands of hair, throwing that stubborn streak of hair away from his forehead — We’ll tell you the details later, now explain to me what this is all about! — Harry said turning around pointing to all that popcorn that Gemma and Michal were giving their attention to a few minutes ago, causing Anne to laugh briefly.
— We’re cooking now, we didn't want to go out and do things without you! — Anne said taking a few steps back and pointing to the kitchen, which made the curious asses of you and Harry to walk next to her seeing the kitchen yourselved. You could notice that they were cooking from the dishes on the sink and from the ver pleasent scent that you could smell coming from the oven. You’d put a lock of your hair behind your ear and then look at the group of people again.
— Uh, and what are you cooking? Can we help or is it an activity only for those who arrive on time? — You asked ironically making fun of yourself.
— It is an activity only for those who arrived early! — Gemma'd say with her raised eyebrows, mocking you and Harry, which made the girl's brother look at her with the most falsely offended look he could peform now.
— She’s joking. Gemma! — Anne would say scolding her daughter even though she was joking and she knew it because Gemma loved you, and you two had a great relationship. You always called each other and exchanged messages and when you were in person together you’d always go out to do something fun and have a girls' night which even made Harry a little jealous sometimes but in general he was very pleased knowing that his sister loved his girlfriend  — Well, your mom was teaching me how to make brazilian chicken pie and then we were going to make Christmas gingerbread cookies. You both should come with us!
— Sure, but I have no idea on know how to bake gingerbread cookies! — You’d say softly looking at the shorter woman and then at Harry as he’d say that he also didn’t know how to. The woman looked shocked, not about you, she understood your case because baking gingerbread cookies aren’t a thing in Brazil but Harry? She felt offended. She was quite sure she'd taught the boy before even though he claims that she didn't.
   And after some minutes of argumentations on wether she taught him or not, you'd finally make your way to the kitchen. And you'd confess it was one of the prettiest kitchens you'd ever seen, and you could actually say it because the kitchen is your favorite place in every house so you've seen plenty of them. And yes, you and Harry were there in the morning but you couldn't actually pay attention to the details because all you could think about was a long sleep on a comfy bed. You'd pay attention to the big glass window now. The window that reflected the sun's light on the large navy blue island and stone based wall. It was stunning, completely stunning. You would slide your right hand to the stone on top of the island and then lean in on Harry's chest as you felt the taller guy standing behind you. He'd wrap his arms around your waist resting his head on top of your head as you both watched his mother getting all the ingredients herself and Gemma and Michal entering the kitchen.
 — I wouldn't mind not helping... — Harry'd whisper as he leaned his lips next to your ear as you felt his hot breath against your skin — I wanted to watch all Home Alone movies and then pretend like it's the first time! — He'd complement making you let out a low chuckle over the boy's argument. The thing is, you and Harry created a tradition for christmas, and thinking now, you'd have a lot of traditions for a lot of things, but anyway, you both have the tradition of chosing one day of christmas week to watch all three Home Alone movies laid on the couch wrapped on cozy blankets, eating some snacks and actually reacting to the movie as it was the first time you'd watch it because I mean, we can all agree that Home Alone is the best christmas movies and it should be treated as its prize, and honestly, every year when you'd watch it, you'd probably notice something new that you haven't noticed on the past times.
— We can watch it after the cookies! — You'd move your head a little to the side as you whispered to him back to him. You’d positionate your hands over his to play with his big cold rings on his fingers.
— No, love. You're not getting it — Harry would say with a very straight face as you tried to control yourself over your boyfriend's drama. It's not like you won't watch the movies, you'll just postpone it but he loved the drama — I wanted to be in the couch now. It's cold in here — He'd say fake shrugging a bit from cold making you give him a big smile while shaking your head 
— It's not cold in here, there's a heater in the house! It's just you — You'd argue looking directly at his emerald green eyes that looked extremely green today by the way. It’s the little details for you.
— Exactly! — Harry’d whisper a little bit louder now with his eyebrows raised as he tried to expose his point — If we were in the couch now, I wouldn't be cold because we would be cuddling, please understand my point.
— You're such a drama queen. I promise we'll watch it. We can even watch it with everyone on the living room, but I want to eat the cookies and I’ll feel bad to not help your mom — You'd say moving your head to the side a little so you could peck the boy on his lips. His sweet, small and cute lips that you loved to admire whenever he talked.
— Alright kids so... — Anne would start saying as she turned around finishing to  put all of the ingredients on the island being interrupted by Gemma when she’d notice both of you actions.
— HEY! — Gemma would shout at you and Harry making both of you to immediately part your lips and look at her — No kissing on the kitchen, focus on the cookies...Jeez, get a room! — She'd tease both of you. She's probably you guys biggest shipper in the world and her heart melted when she'd see moments like this where she could feel the love and happiness in the air. — I want the cookies to be done in a few hours and this will distract you guys.
— You know what they say, right? Bake with love! — Harry'd say with a smirk on his lips as he loosened his arms around you so you could walk to be beside Anne’s now, looking at all the ingridients on the counter thinking to yourself that even though you both are great bakers this could go really wrong.
— Yes, bake with love not bake while making love — Gemma’d say with a sweet smile on her face as she winked an eye at you both when she’d hear you laugh. It was mostly a nervous laugh. Is her room beside yours? Honestly, you didn’t even want to think about this now because you’d blush and wouldn’t focus on learning how to make the cookies.
   Anne grabbed her glasses and a small paper from her recipe book as you 
you gathered all your hair on the top of your head and with the help of a hair tie tied it in a ponytail. Anne had a specific notebook full of loose leaves with some amazing recipes that you loved and would often ask her for a picture of some recipe that you wanted to try and then you guys would probably face time each other as she’d give you instructions on the recipe and it’d usually be really nice to spend this time together.
   It was 1:55 PM now and you saw it this time when you took your phone off your pocket and gave Harry asking him to put it the big dinner table that it has in the kitchen. In the recipe, it said that it would take around four hours and thirty minutes to complete the recipe so the cookies would be ready by the sunset probably. You walked to the sink, where you rolled up your sweater sleeves and washed yourr hands while looking at the view of the snow-covered mountains through the window in front of you. When you’d turn around, you’d see Harry sit on the table with Gemma and Michal scrolling through his phone as he asnwered some texts in it.
— What the hell? You’re not helping? —  You’d ask him placing your palms on the bench bringing Harry's attention to you as he immediately stopped typing. He’d be silent for a few minutes trying to find a good excuse as to why he was too lazy to help.
— Well, no —  Harry would say calmly while looking at your face — But see, I won’t help because I think that not having my help will help you to have a nice moment with your favorite mother-in-law.
— Do I have another mother-in-law that I’m not aware about?  — You’d ask after letting a chuckle out causing Anne to laugh and ask her son if he had any other lost mother walking around. 
— Y/N, focus on the cookie and the nice time with your mother in law! — Harry’d say laughing at himself and turning his attention to his phone again while Anne handed you an extremely cute personalized Christmas apron that she had brought from London and helped you tie it to your body.
— We should put some christmas songs to give that christmas spirit — Gemma said as she fiddled with her own phone. 
— Wow yes! Michal, can ye’ please take the Alexa I brought from my room? — Harry asked his sister's boyfriend who agreed and got up from the table asking him where the device was — Oh, it's in Y/N’s bag, the bag that is on top of the dresser, other than the suitcase — Harry would give him the instructions and then focus on his phone again as the man left. It didn't take long for Michal to return with the small device though, and then Harry asked Alexa to play his christmas playlist that started with ''Santa Claus is Comin 'to Town' 'by Frank Sinatra.
— Alright my dear, let’s start! Take that small bowl over there for me please —  Anne would ask, and you’d start to make it. In a small bowl, she’d tell you to whisk together the perfect amount of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and then cloves until well blended. Later, you’d take a large bowl and add the beat butter that she made while you were whisking the dry ingredients together. You’d add brown sugar and egg on medium speed until well blended. While you continued to blend it, she’d add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended. Gradually, you’d stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth. She would let you divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and then tell you that you’d have to wait at least two hours so the dough could be ready.
    While you were waiting for the dough, Gemma took the UNO cards she had brought and you all started to play together. Of all the things you did to kill time, your favorite would probably be playing UNO. Even if there was a lot of shouting when someone forgot to say '' UNO '' when it was just holding a card left, or when someone told the other person to add four more cards to its deck. The point is that probably with the number of times that you played this game, you added thirty more new rules that were not in the original rules of the game but it was these new rules that were fun and made you laugh out loud while playing. You were very good though, and you always finished your cards first which made Harry faithfully believe that you cheat in the game in some way and that would make him indignant.
   You would play faithfully for two hours without even noticing that time has passed and then when Anne returned to the kitchen saying that the two hours had passed, you put your cards on the table and went back to the counter while they continued to play, but Harry didn't pay as much attention to the game as he did when you played alongside him.
    Anne would preheat the oven to 375 deg while you’d prepare the baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. She would place one portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle flour over dough and the rolling pin as she’d give the rolling pin to you. As you rolled the dough, Harry paid attention to the way his mother carefully taught you and how you’d take her advices so openly to learn, if he didn’t know both of you, he would tell that you were mother and daughter because he’d never had any of his girlfriends to get along so well with his family before as you did and that’d honestly warm his heart. With so many years on the public eye, Harry learned the importance of his family and how important it was for him to receive their support in everything he decided to do and he’d in moments like this where he can see how his family loves you, the sensation that you were the one for him only grew more on his chest. He would smile openly at you when you show him the cute gingerbread man that you just cut with the dough. He’d appreciate your smile and how such little things actually made you the happiest.
    In the past months in quarantine, Harry has been thinking about taking the next step in your relationship. You both would celebrate your 3rd anniversary on January 8th of 2021, and he’d feel like it’s the right time to do it because even though he knows that you don’t really believe that a piece of paper saying that you were married would change your relationship, he wanted that. He wanted to go around town being able to call you his wife. He couldn’t wait for a time when this would be a thing for both of you and that’s why later on that night when you’d finish baking the cookies and probably eaten way too many cookies and completely fall asleep on his chest while you all were watching Home Alone in the couch, he’d talk to his mom about how he’s been feeling and he’d be very content about the support she’d give him. ‘’She’s the one, my love! Do what your heart tells you to do’’, she’d tell him.
    You’d wake up a few minutes later, though, when he tried to take you to your room. This time, when you turned the corridor out of the stairs to walk to your room, you would notice nothing more and nothing less than a mistletoe hanging from the wooden beam above your head and would stop walking immediately while Harry continued, and then he stopped and looked at you with a curious look on his face.
— What you’re doing? — He'd ask by releasing the door handle and walking closer to you.
— It's a mistletoe! — You said pointing upwards without taking your eyes off the mistletoe above your heads.
— Oh, it is! I hadn't noticed! — Harry said raising his head so that he could see the mistletoe you pointed with your finger.
— Did you know that I had never kissed under the mistletoe? — You would ask, now looking at him with a smirk on your face and he would then look at you with a wide smile and raising his eyebrows understanding exactly what you were saying.
— Oh, really? But that has to change. The mistletoe is magic of Christmas! — Harry said as he cupped your cheeks with his palms and approached you giving a tender kiss on your lips that had a smile formed in it. And at that moment Harry decided he wanted to kiss you for the rest of his life, whether you were under the mistletoe or not.
207 notes · View notes
recentanimenews · 2 years
Text
The Unwanted Undead Adventurer Light Novel to Get Anime Adaptation
Tumblr media
  Yu Okano and Jaian's light novel series The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (also known in Japan as The Unwanted Immortal Adventurer or Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha) has sold more than 1.4 million copies since it made the jump to Overlap Bunko in 2017. Now, it's about to become the latest Shōsetsuka ni Narō website alum to get an anime adaptation!
  The announcement was made during this weekend's Overlap Bunko 9th Anniversary online event, and came with this flashy PV:
youtube
    RELATED: Princess Plots in How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom TV Anime PV
  And a celebratory art piece shows skeletal protag Rentt Faina enjoying a meal with fellow main characters Lorraine Vivie and Sheila Ibarss:
Tumblr media
    The original light novel and its manga adapation are both currently available via J-Novel Club, who summarize it thus:
  Rentt Faina, a twenty-five-year-old adventurer, has been hacking away at monsters for a decade. However, without much talent for the job, Rentt finds himself stuck hunting Slimes and Goblins for meager amounts of coin every day. Little does he know, all this is about to change when he comes across a seemingly undiscovered path in the Labyrinth of the Moon's Reflection. What awaits him at the end of the path, however, is neither treasure nor riches, but a legendary dragon that wastes no time swallowing him whole! Waking up a short time later, Rentt finds himself not quite dead, but not very alive either— He is nothing more than a pile of bones! Armed with nothing but his trusty sword, tool belt, and ghoulish new looks, Rentt sets off on his quest as a newly reborn Skeleton to achieve Existential Evolution, hoping to one day return to civilization with a more human form. Will Rentt succeed, or will the labyrinth consume him for the rest of his un-death...?
  RELATED: J-Novel Club Announces New Slate of Light Novel and Manga Titles for Spring 2022
  Volume 10 of the light novel is also scheduled to be released in Japan on April 25.
Tumblr media
    Keep an eye on the Overlap Bunko Twitter account for future news on the project.
  Source: Dengeki Online
Tumblr media
    ------
Kara Dennison is the book reviewer for Sci-Fi Magazine and a regular features writer for Otaku USA Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @RubyCosmos, and read more at KaraDennison.com.
By: Kara Dennison
5 notes · View notes
larrietalk · 2 years
Note
Times like these I wish there was some actual gain from Louis stunting. Don’t get me wrong I hate every part of the fact that both of them are closeted but sometimes I do find myself wishing Louis would at least date someone well known and get some promotion from it or have it work in his favour for the narrative. I loathe Wilde and that feeling has only gotten more intense after I had to see her at my HSLOT show dancing like she was having an exorcism but I can however acknowledge that the relationship is textbook PR for the movie and Camille was for the Fine Line promotion to sell the album as much as it was to closet him and from a business stand point it’s all working, quite well if I do say so myself. This isn’t me blaming Harry for his situation or downplaying it or trying to paint him out as a greedy person it’s just that it works for his career and we can all see that. But with Louis? where are we going with this? Nowhere. His music hasn’t been properly promoted since 2017, fans are pretty much single handedly keeping his entire career afloat out of sheer love for him and appreciation for him and his talents. I think I’d have been able to swallow all this stunting down a bit more easily if it didn’t feel like someone was making good on a grudge they held against him. A dog walker with no job and ambition who looks dead inside and a child from a Trumpie family and a club thot groupie for a mother, this isn’t even a Drake and his child situation it’s just one massive crock of shit.
Anon you lost me at the first sentence. HL don’t pick and choose what works for them, they get what they get and they make it work best they can.
Camille served the exact same purpose E does. Camille was a beard, and after the fact, their whole relationship was used to sell FL. E was brought back to create a narrative for Walls. Same shit different day
No shit his situation fucking sucks. He’s been closeted for a decade. He’s been in a long term relationship for longer than that. At the same time, he’s trying to keep his career and fans afloat among all this. Why are we asking for more bullshit to surround him?????? Why does everyone want HL to be miserable in the tabloids because “it makes them more popular” what fucking year is it
7 notes · View notes
graceverse · 3 years
Text
Here Be That EniKao Fic I Told You All About
Please note that this is post "The Final" movie. This happened around 2 months after Kenshin and Enishi's fight. AND OH MY GOD, this is my first RK fic since what? 2017?! It has happened and I would like to thank Mackenyu for making this possible. LOL.
--------------
An Unexpected Invitation
Winter and spring had passed quietly without much excitement. Which was exactly what the occupants of the Kamiya Dojo, and indeed the residents of Tokyo, needed. After much turmoil from the previous year, the quiet restful months have allowed everyone to heal from their wounds.
Physical injuries were all but gone now. No one was wearing any bandages, no one was limping around, clutching a broken shoulder or needing a change of bloody bindings.
Megumi has finally been able to get a decent enough stock of bandages and ointment for the actual patients of the Ouguni Clinic. A feat she didn't think was possible especially since everyone seemed to have been incapacitated in the aftermath of Yukishiro's Jinchuu.
"You're all a troublesome bunch." She told them when she'd given everyone a clean bill of health. She haughtily tossed her hair, looking imperiously down at them. "Next time, you're replacing everything that you'll use up in the clinic."
"Just let Sano take you out for dinner as payment." Yahiko suggested. Boldy too, since he had never really tried teasing Megumi before.
Megumi didn't seem to mind as she actually winked at him before turning to give Sano a look. "Dinner, eh? Sagara Sanosuke can afford dinner?" If she had any eyebrows, it would have disappeared up into her bangs. But the curl of her lips was enough to let Sano know that she was merely teasing him.
"Jou-chan would lend me money, right Jou-chan?" He sidled up to her, elbowing her and making faces that Kaoru supposed was meant to make him look like an adorable puppy, but failing miserably with the still darkened bruises on his face. His spiked-up hair did nothing to help his cause.
"I will most certainly not!" Kaoru indignantly crossed her arms, sending both Sano and Megumi a glare.
"I'd rather that Kenshin take me to dinner, ne Ken-san?" Cool hands snaked around his arms and Kenshin was quick to jump away from Megumi's clutches.
"Why you-"
"Maa, maa -" Kenshin said, raising his hands, trying to prevent unnecessary bloodshed.
As usual, they all ignored him; insults and intimidations of violence were quickly tossed around which ended when Kaoru actually promised Sanosuke that she will give him the money he needed just to shut Megumi up and make her stop acting so inappropriately towards Kenshin.
To which Megumi had answered with a laugh, sultry enough to make both Kaoru and Sano blush. Chaos ensued and Kenshin reveled in the happiness that stirred inside of him as he watched his friends chase each other, threatening murder and all sorts of physical pain.
It was good to be back.
-----------
All traces of the violence and destruction from last winter was gone. It was as if it that night of chaos and fire, explosions and screams piercing through the night, the ghostly air balloons silently stalking the sky had become more like a nightmare that had faded away.
It was now the height of summer, the humidity so unbearable that even when Kaoru had changed the schedule of her classes to the hour of the hare, ("too damn early, busu!" Yahiko had complained), by the mid-morning everyone was drenched with sweat, limp and tired.
Classes were dismissed by noon which gave her ample time to take a long, cooling bath and sit at the engawa eating watermelons while watching Kenshin do the laundry or the gardening or whatever household chore he fancied for the day.
Today however had been hotter than usual and Kaoru briefly wished that she was alone at the dojo so she could changed into something more lightweight, like a yukata.
A slightly opened yukata.
She missed those days when she could just lie down, arms and legs thrown around and not have a care in the world about propriety. It was a constant learning process and test of patience living with two grown men and a young boy on the verge of manhood.
She could not understand how her father had dealt with so many hotheaded, pigheaded, sweaty, untidy – well, except for Kenshin – scoundrels.
Ugh!
Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes, leaning her head against one of the columns of the engawa, her socked feet listlessly swinging at the edge. If only there was tiny little breeze to alleviate this heat. She wanted very much to loosen the summer kimono that she was wearing.
She'd been planning on going to The Akabeko later. It was the only reason why she had dressed up today. Tae-san had promised her that she'd prepare anmitsu and Kaoru could already taste the sweet red bean paste inside her mouth, but as the day progressed it had become too hot that she could barely move from her spot.
Even Kenshin had decided not to do any outdoor activity, quietly sitting beside her instead. Apparently feeling the same kind of stupor that had descended upon them.
It was the kind of heat that robbed you of thought and speech and Kaoru had been imagining dipping into a tub filled with ice cold water when the sound of bells and sirens blasted through the tepid air.
Another fire.
There have been small conflagrations around the city, what with the heat and people being addled by it, someone was always bound to fall asleep with a lit cigarette or mothers too distracted by the heatwave would leave matches lying around for bored children to play with. Easily put out without much fuss but when she'd look up, startled by the sound, she could see dark plumes in the sky, getting bigger by the second.
"It looks like that's from the docks." Kaoru murmured, sitting up straight.
"That it does, Kaoru-dono." There's an almost sleepy quality in Kenshin's voice, low and raw from not having spoken for a quite a while, but she sensed his alertness as he stood up, grimly looking at the cloud of smoke that had impossibly become larger at such a short amount of time. Before Kaoru could say anything, Kenshin had stepped off the engawa, already sliding his zori on.
"Kenshin-" she had started to stand up as well, but Kenshin had placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, stilling her.
"Please stay here, Kaoru-dono. It is too hot, that it is. Yahiko and I will go check if we could be of any help." His eyes are narrowed, an unpleasant thought obviously occurring to him but Kaoru didn't think that a fire, a safe distance from their home, should be of any concern.
"Don't over exert yourself Kenshin." She told him, the warning tone in her voice softened his eyes, the corners crinkling as he very visibly tried not to smile.
"I mean it, Kenshin." She added a little more firmly, fighting the urge to grab on to the ends of Kenshin's hair and pull on it just to show him how serious she was. "Absolutely no running inside burning buildings. None of that foolishness. I forbid it, Kenshin."
Kenshin's eyes gleamed at her. "Aa, Kaoru-dono, this one promise to stay behind the police line, that I do."
A blatant lie. The insufferable jerk. But Kaoru was too tired to argue and she only gave him her mightiest glare, one that was enough to make Sano squirm.
It apparently does not work on Kenshin as he merely reached out to briefly pat the top of her hand, his fingers lingering for just a few second more and Kaoru suddenly felt all hot inside. Like she had swallowed a whole taiyaki fresh from the oven and now it was idly swimming inside her stomach. She felt her whole face heating up and was rewarded with a genuinely amused smile from Kenshin who had leaned forward, just a fraction of an inch, head bowed down that she couldn't even see his eyes.
She felt herself freeze, her heart stuttering inside her chest. Kenshin seemed to have sensed this as he slowly, almost languidly, pulled back, the same amused smile still on his face before murmuring a quick goodbye.
She reluctantly let him go, trying not to worry so much as she watched as Kenshin waiting for Yahiko by the gate, ready to provide some much-needed assistance to the Tokyo Police.
Once they have closed the gate behind them, Kaoru sent a quick prayer to Kami-sama that no one was hurt from the fire and that her boys would come back unharmed.
She let her lids drop, trying to recapture that emotion she had felt when Kenshin had nearly invaded her private space. He'd never done that before…she wondered if it was brought upon the heatwave or something that he had seen in her face – when she had been imagining tugging at his hair…
Kaoru took a deep breath her eyes suddenly snapping open as she realized that she was finally alone. She let out a lazy smile as she pulled on the collar of her kimono, loosening it a bit. She let herself lay down, sprawled on the engawa, enjoying the little comfort it gave her.
--------
A shadow loomed over her.
It took her a second to realize that she had fallen asleep and the presence of someone looking down made her sit up, grabbing the nearest object she could reach to use as weapon: it was an emptied tea cup, utterly useless but she threw it with all of her might, hoping that in her still half-asleep state, her aim would be good enough.
It wasn't.
A hand caught it with ease and then a glint of light caught her eyes as she stared up into the face of Yukishiro Enishi, casually staring down at her as he pushed the bridge of his eyeglasses up to his nose, his other hand crushing the tea cup in his fist.
Kaoru let out a small gasp, realizing that that was her favorite and most expensive cup. Kenshin always took great care when handling it and now it has been turned into dust.
The indignant scream of rage that had wanted to escape her throat was swallowed down as Enishi wordlessly tossed something at her feet, it made a soft sound as it hit the wooden floor. Scrambling to sit up she glared at the object only to find out that it was Tomoe-san's diary.
She frowned and then slowly turned to look up at Kenshin's possibly deranged brother-in-law, now apparently escaped from prison, fugitive brother-in-law.
This could not be happening to her.
"I'm dreaming." She muttered darkly, more to herself, ignoring the man standing before her. She reached out to touch the diary, but pulled her hand at the last minute, her fingers curling in mid air before digging into the plump flesh of her palms. "I just need to wake up and everything will be fine." She closed her eyes, wondering rather inanely, if closing one's eyes would work when trying to wake up, wasn't she supposed to be doing the opposite? But -
Enishi was not cooperating. "I've read it." He told her, breaking the silence and forcing her to once again open her eyes, back to the dream. He was looking at her as though they were having some conversation that she had missed entirely because, what?!
"What?" She asked, equal parts perplexed and irritated at her inability to wake herself up.
"Nee-san's diary. I read it like you told me to." Enishi's voice held the same quality as Kenshin's earlier. A low rumble that sounded too unused and raw. Like those were the first words he had uttered since the last time she had seen him at his ruined garden, clutching at his stomach, sobbing Tomoe's name. He looked strangely normal all things considered. He was wearing an unusually bright orange Chinese robe that made Kaoru squint.
Kami-sama. She brought her hand to the side of her head, pressing hard, feeling suddenly lightheaded.
And then completely out of nowhere, in an almost toneless, disinterested voice, Yukishiro Enishi asked her: "Are you married now?"
Again, "What?!"
Enishi frowned at her. "Am I not making myself clear, Kamiya-san?" Now he was impatient, the tone of his voice changing into something that sounded suspiciously patronizing.
Kaoru absolutely hated being treated like she was a child. "Shut-up." She hissed at him. "What are you doing here?"
Enishi made a displeased sound at the back of his throat, "Why is your kimono open, Kamiya-san?"
Why is my -?
Kaoru felt her left eye violently twitching before letting out a shrieked loud enough to disturb their neighbors, it was a wonder no one came rushing in to check if she was alright. Kaoru had the presence of mind to clutch at her kimono, closing the tiniest of gaps that Enishi deemed improper. The stupid jerk. He couldn't have seen anything.
She took a deep breath, both hands clenching into tight fists as she gathered all of the swearwords Sanosuke had taught her and was about to let Enishi have them when something inside her head clicked.
She blinked up at her former captor who looked almost friendly, if it weren't for the stoic expression on his face that might actually surpass the permanently emotionless face of Shinamori-san. "The fire, that was you?!"
Enishi merely shrugged, untroubled by her accusation. "It was an old, hideous building. Abandoned." He added when Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, "I did Tokyo a favor."
A favor?! Kaoru wondered how exactly Enishi's head worked. How was deliberately burning a building –
"It was the green one with the stupid yellow door." He explained further, seeing the balled-up fists that Kaoru was shaking at him.
Kaoru saw the building inside her head and winced. It was incredibly ugly and she had complained about it to Tae-san about how much of an eye sore it was and she wished someone would just burn it to the ground but hadn't meant it literally!
She suddenly jumped up when she noticed Enishi stepping into the engawa.
Going into her Chūdan-no-kamae stance, her left foot just a few inches behind her right foot, her left heel elevated, hip thrust forward. Her shoulder was too tense though and she had to concentrate, trying to relax her shoulders.
She took deep breaths, readying herself for any attack. She didn't have her bokken with her, dammit, but she wasn't going to be taken without a fight. Not again. Never again. If she had to claw out Enishi's eyes or shove his glasses to his eyeballs, she'd do it.
"Stay back." Kaoru hissed at Enishi as he took another step towards her. "I will not let you take me again."
Enishi frowned at her. "Take you? Why would you think I'd want to take you?" He asked in a tone that suggested something entirely different to Kaoru, she just didn't know what, which further annoyed her. This was too weird to be a dream.
Yukishiro Enishi was really here. Again. In her dojo. And he made damn certain that no one was with her but he didn't want to take her.
Why couldn't Kenshin's brother-in-law be Yahiko's age?! She'd have a better way of dealing with that instead of this brown eyed, six feet, bulging muscles of insanity - Kaoru shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "What do you want then, you creep?"
Enishi merely raised his eyebrows, a dark severe line, in complete contrast to his disheveled white hair. "Is this how you normally react when asked if you're already married?"
Kaoru's jaw dropped. A hummingbird can probably fly inside and make a nest inside her mouth. She quickly clamped it shut before, letting out a battle cry: "You jerk! That's not of your business!" She lunged at Enishi, who smoothly slid out of her way and she tried another attack, swiping her feet from underneath him, which he also dodged by jumping away from her. He backed into the dojo and Kaoru followed, grabbing a bokken. Finally, a weapon she could use. She grinned in triumph and prepared to attack once again.
The bastard didn't even break a sweat as he effortless avoided her blows – and if he hadn't, she would've cracked his head. The whistling sound her bokken made every time she swung it towards Enishi filled the air.
Still, he sidestepped, graceful and damn it, oh so elegantly. It was almost as if he was dancing, his feet light and silent.
"Kuso, stay still!" Kaoru ordered, completely losing her patience, panting like a wild boar.
And the stupid fucking Yukishiro smirked at her.
Smirked! She was going to wipe that off of his beautiful face.
Wait.
WHAT?!
"I take it you aren't married yet." Enishi finally said, stepping into the line of her attack.
Gotcha!
But of course, like before, his hands clamped around her bokken, snatching it from her with restrained viciousness and throwing it somewhere against the wall where it noisily clattered.
Completely unperturbed by the events, Enishi then very casually asked her, "Do you want to go to Shanghai with me, Kamiya-san?"
And Kaoru thought, not for the first time in her life, that she was cursed to deal with incorrigible men that she would very much like to whack with her bokken.
Mou!
------------
Author's Note:
And that is what I have so far. I don't know what to do with it. Anyway, tell me what you think. This fic is borne out of the sheer frustration of The Final and how Jinchuu Arc, which I am now calling the Cursed Arc for obvious reasons– had been - watered down seems too kind, ne?
But I'll rant some more if I can manage to have a second chapter up. Maybe.
Lastly, I typed this all up really fast while pretending to work so, if there are any typos, annoying grammatical errors, I promise I'll come back and try to fix them. I hope.
Translations and notes:
The hour of the hare: 6:00 a.m.
Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert, traced back to the Meiji era (1868 to 1912). It consists of cubes of agar jelly, which are made using water and/or different fruit juices. Typically served in a bowl, with toppings like slices of fruit and sweet red bean paste. The dessert is also served with a sweet black syrup, kuromitsu,(the -mitsu in anmitsu) that's poured over the treat just before you enjoy it.
Taiyaki - Fish shaped cakes filled with anko (red bean paste)
Chūdan-no-kamae is the middle posture used in kenjutsu. The most basic stance, it allows for a balance between attacking and defense. When performed correctly, the practitioner's trunk and right wrist are protected
31 notes · View notes