#but buddies IT IS ALWAYS DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writerbri-archive · 2 years

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Since I received a message today asking for some recs, I figured I might as well do a revamp of my big long buddie fic rec list that I did ages ago. There are over 200 fics on this list and I’m adding more even now. Fics are sorted by word count.

Enjoy and please show the authors some love if you read these fics!

Here is an alternate list with links since the length of the post won’t allow them.

–––

0 - 5k

where the heart is by @renecdote Oneshot • General Rating • 1,168

all the reasons we'd be mad by withoutthetiger // @rewritetheending Oneshot • General Rating • 1,251

Says So On the Marriage Certificate by Pan_Cake_Cats // prettyboyandthekid Oneshot • General Rating • 1,297

how bad it hurts (how good it heals) by @thisissirius Oneshot • Teen Rating • 1,543

Keep Me by selfmythology Oneshot • General Rating • 1,614

i just want you for my own (more than you could ever know) by lecornergirl // @clusterbuck Oneshot • General Rating • 1,694

it matters how this ends ('cause what if i never love again?) by @renbuckleydiaz Oneshot • Not Rated • 1,708

5-4-3-2-1 by @elisela Oneshot • General Rating • 1,829

a place for us by thisissirius Oneshot • Teen Rating • 1,991

to take more than nothing by selfmythology Oneshot • Teen Rating • 2,057

I’d rather be dry (at least I’m alive) by justhockey // @everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 2,089

one thing, anything by intotheblue // @probieeddie Oneshot • General Rating • 2,157

(wheeze) by intotheblue // probieeddie Oneshot • General Rating • 2,271

wherever we go, it'll be together by honestlydarkprincess Oneshot • Teen Rating • 2,327

i close my eyes (all the stars align) by @hattalove Oneshot • Teen Rating • 2,427

i watched it begin again by wafflesofdoom // capseycartwright Oneshot • General Rating • 2,433

Love Bites by @bigfootsmom Oneshot • Teen Rating • 2,709

i'm just tryna play it cool now by @prettyboybuckley Oneshot • General Rating • 2,733

We Can Be More Than Whatever This Is Now by Child_Of_Wonderland // child-of-wonderland Oneshot • Not Rated • 2,770

Our wonder hangs above our fear by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 2,840

You Can Feel It on the Way Home by 13zepptraxx Oneshot • Not Rated • 2,849

collisions in the dark by marciaelena Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 2,871

Safe in these arms of mine by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 2,922

Held at the Brink by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 2,943

four a.m. by asgardiun // @gayeddie Oneshot • General Rating • 2,953

a flower in a gun (a bird in flight) by @extasiswings Oneshot • Teen Rating • 2,963

parents always yelling (telling us to get our acts together) by prettyboybuckley Oneshot • General Rating • 2,973

and i confess babe (in my dreams you're touching my face) by buckleysbest Oneshot • Teen Rating • 2,979

devotion (defined by you) by tkreyesevandiaz // tawaifeddiediaz Oneshot • General Rating • 3,075

It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn by browney3dgirl6 // @adventuresofprettyboyandthekid Oneshot • General Rating • 3,096

on a wednesday by Pan_Cake_Cats // @prettyboyandthekid Multichapter • General Rating • 3,166

love's not a game by @thatbuddie Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 3,292

crack my ribs and make me whole by r_holland Oneshot • Teen Rating • 3,247

i should've worshipped him sooner by prettyboybuckley Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 3,313

sing me something brave from your mouth by spinningincircles // @tripleaxeldiaz Oneshot • Not Rated • 3,344

paint me a heaven with your bloodied mouth by extasiswings Oneshot • Teen Rating • 3,345

A Book is a Dream You Hold in Your Hands by princessfbi Oneshot • General Rating • 3,370

nothing here but light by @through-fire Oneshot • General Rating • 3,376

We won’t be like the others by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 3396

Hurricane of Bruises (and Flashes of Yellow) by @princessfbi Oneshot • General Rating • 3,404

Pull me Under by @dancer-me Oneshot • Teen Rating • 3,413

This is the place we were made by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 3,578

To Be Whole by @mansikkaomenabanaani Oneshot • Teen Rating • 3,594

Written in the scars on our hearts by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 3,614

disappear into the sun by orphan_account Oneshot • Teen Rating • 3,646

forever is a long time (and i want to spend it all with you) by eddiediazisascorpio Oneshot • General Rating • 3,686

Litany (For The Brave And Quiet) by @howlingsaturn Oneshot • General Rating • 3,740

nobody knows you, baby, the way i do by allyasavedtheday // @littlespoonevan Oneshot • Teen Rating • 3,751

Love Like Taffy by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 3,839

pink elephants by @evandiaz Oneshot • Teen Rating • 3,904

keep your eyes on the road by iriswests // @evanbucxley Oneshot • Mature Rating • 3,936

this is how i lose you by alekszova Oneshot • Mature Rating • 4,042

pin all of my hopes to your handlebars by spiritsontheroof Oneshot • General Rating • 4,062

if you want it baby i can show you by wafflesofdoom // @capseycartwright Oneshot • Teen Rating • 4,077

in search of a new sin by withoutthetiger // rewritetheending Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 4,159

when it rains in california by @lemonzestywrites Oneshot • General Rating • 4,193

I Opened My Eyes and There You Were by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 4,238

and it'll follow you still by gracieli // @buttercupbuck Series • Mature Rating • 4,262

Half Of My Heart Has Yet To Come Home by @howlingsaturn Oneshot • Teen Rating • 4,291

last time I saw you, we had just split in two by @elvensorceress Oneshot • General Rating • 4,296

after each midnight begins a new day by iphigenias // @oatflatwhite Oneshot • Teen Rating • 4,299

i did, i did, i do by hattalove Oneshot • Teen Rating • 4,320

Grand Gestures by red_to_black Oneshot • Not Rated • 4,401

balancing on breaking branches by intotheblue // probieeddie Oneshot • General Rating • 4,412

I Am Not Afraid Anymore by princessfbi Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 4,441

i've only known you to keep your word by thisissirius Oneshot • Mature Rating • 4,446

The Getaway by @on-maars Oneshot • General Rating • 4,475

kiss with a fist by @florenceandthemachine Oneshot • General Rating • 4,565

Not Done by red_to_black Oneshot • Not Rated • 4,579

nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy by spinningincircles // tripleaxeldiaz Oneshot • Not Rated • 4,611

Then Take Me by @thatnerdemryn Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 4,669

Accidental Fatherhood by Pineapplemoon Oneshot • General Rating • 4,711

Freedom ain’t nothing but missing you by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 4,746

All My Deepest Fantasies by ASweeterArrangement Oneshot • Mature Rating • 4,763

to wash away the day by autumnchills Oneshot • General Rating • 4,944

hear me now by evandiaz Oneshot • Teen Rating • 4,960

a soft place to land by wayfarer Type • Rating • 4,980

to let you know why by thatbuddie Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,006

Let's not sleep together by @starlingbite Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,047

Drunk off one sip, just so I can adore you by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 5,113

to keep you warm by playedwright // @ravibegins Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,120

one single thread of gold (tied me to you) by sunshineians Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,196

for all the perfect things i doubt by extasiswings Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,199

Believe in one thing, I won't go away by bccalling Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,204

tying you to me by rarakiplin // @hoediaz Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,394

pining from the passenger seat by mdnghtmmblngs Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,432

Love in the Time of TikTok by evandiaz Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,463

but when the sun came up, I was looking at you by strawberryblonde Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,593

it's funny how they say when you find someone (heart speeds up, time slows down) by wafflesofdoom // capseycartwright Oneshot • General Rating • 5,593

men made of stone and forged in fire (even you deserved to be so softly loved) by @lemonzestywrites Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,612

Loving you is second nature by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 5,623

there's magic in details, the tender small gestures of love by wafflesofdoom // capseycartwright Oneshot • General Rating • 5,675

I don't feel it till it hurts by bigfootsmom Oneshot • General Rating • 5,796

shout if you want my heart by hattalove Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,883

i love you (ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?) by diabolicaldean Oneshot • Mature Rating • 5,886

in the aftermath of meaning by euadnes Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,916

lest he be consumed by thisissirius Oneshot • Teen Rating • 5,921

6k - 10k

It's the softness that breaks you by bigfootsmom Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 6,140

the water’s crescendo by autumnchills Oneshot • General Rating • 6,308

everything you see (ain’t always what it seems) by autumnchills Oneshot • Teen Rating • 6,348

You can build a house, but not a home by justhockey // everything-i-am Oneshot • Not Rated • 6,419

Memorable by JessicaMDawn Oneshot • Teen Rating • 6,502

What's Died Will Never Stay Dead by @hmslusitania Oneshot • Teen Rating • 6,529

fire on fire by extasiswings Oneshot • Teen Rating • 6,668

am i who you think about in bed? by rarakiplin // hoediaz Oneshot • Mature Rating • 6,849

my certainty is wild, weaving by tuckergreeen // @henwilsonmd Oneshot • Teen Rating • 7,024

I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends to This) by @morganofthefairies Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 7,206

zoologist buck by @trippedandfell Series • Teen Rating • 7,211

dream of some epiphany by extasiswings Oneshot • Mature Rating • 7,357

Carbon Date Me, Excavate Me by extasiswings, letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 7,420

I hope I never lose you, I hope it never ends by writerforlife // such-geekiness Oneshot • Teen Rating • 7,449

Your Name A Promise In My Mouth by @kitkatpancakestack Oneshot • Teen Rating • 7,599

Steady on His Feet by BrighamVaughn Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 7,602

It gets better in the dark (i feel closer to your heart) by @mellaithwen Oneshot • Teen Rating • 7,613

run in the dark looking for some light by not1_2write Oneshot • Teen Rating • 7,616

can't do a love song (not the way you sang them to me) by hattalove Oneshot • Mature Rating • 7,639

your summer sun forever by hattalove Oneshot • Teen Rating • 7,671

Ever After by elvensorceress Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 7,809

religion's in your lips (even if it's a false god) by lecornergirl // clusterbuck Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 7,816

with every heartbeat i have left by iriswests // evanbucxley Oneshot • Teen Rating • 8,040

see you later (and love you just a little more) by hattalove Oneshot • Teen Rating • 8,047

Up Where We Belong by zarah5 Oneshot • Mature Rating • 8,289

gaps of the past by tuckergreeen // henwilsonmd Oneshot • Teen Rating • 8,703

i'm sinking deeper (reaching for the end of the light) by moodyreindeer // @spideypetes Oneshot • Mature Rating • 8,716

it's golden, like daylight by rarakiplin // hoediaz Oneshot • Teen Rating • 8,736

@LAFD_Overheard by fayevian Oneshot • Teen Rating • 8,753

the kermit verse by hattalove Series • Teen Rating • 8,760

safe as life by thatbuddie Oneshot • Teen Rating • 9,021

i love you, ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard? by rarakiplin // hoediaz Oneshot • Teen Rating • 9,073

keep you safe by withoutthetiger // rewritetheending Series • Mature Rating • 9,138

if i'm honest, it felt like love by allyasavedtheday // littlespoonevan Oneshot • Mature Rating • 9,304

the voice under all silences by lecornergirl // clusterbuck Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 9,401

Major Issues and the Tiny Knife Adventure by @znks Oneshot • Teen Rating • 9,413

renegade (if I would've known) by writerforlife // @such-geekiness Oneshot • Teen Rating • 9,571

i have had to deal with that by colonoscopys Oneshot • Mature Rating • 9,681

A Very Sucky Christmas by an_alternate_world Oneshot • Mature Rating • 10,064

i'll be yours forever (till forever falls apart) by @nymika-arts Oneshot • Teen Rating • 10,112

Plus or Minus by elvensorceress Oneshot • General Rating • 10,158

Quiet the mind and the soul will speak by justhockey // everything-i-am Series • Not Rated • 10,211

the wood marked for your fire by hattalove Oneshot • Teen Rating • 10,264

and i've been told, i'm heavy to hold by wafflesofdoom // capseycartwright Oneshot • Teen Rating • 10,377

took a picture of that smile and stuck it in my heart by farfromthstars // @buckactuallys Oneshot • General Rating • 10,473

I Didn't Know I Was Lonely 'Til I Saw Your Face by hmslusitania Oneshot • Teen Rating • 10,491

keep going, keep going come what may by iriswests // evanbucxley Oneshot • Mature Rating • 10,715

11k - 25k

it’s okay by itsmylifekay Oneshot • Not Rated • 11,087

The Ghosts That You Haunt by JessicaMDawn Oneshot • Teen Rating • 11,113

a leaf falls on loneliness by iimpossible_things Oneshot • Not Rated • 11,163

Give The Game Away by CypressSunn Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 11,337

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You by dancer-me Oneshot • Mature Rating • 11,870

look into your heart and you'll find love by soyxunxperdedor // @messyhairdiaz Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 11,895

you're my whole house by hammersmiths // @henswilsons Oneshot • Teen Rating • 11,958

17 Steps to Inevitability by allyasavedtheday // littlespoonevan Oneshot • Teen Rating • 12,024

burned, about to burn, still on fire by charliesarrows Oneshot • Mature Rating • 12,152

Death is the Road by JessicaMDawn Multichapter • Teen Rating • 12,648

this could be your happy hunting ground by hammersmiths // henswilsons Oneshot • Teen Rating • 13,189

I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be (Right in front of me) by Finduilas // @finduilasclln Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 13,272

some day i'll fall into you by allyasavedtheday // littlespoonevan Oneshot • Teen Rating • 13,467

you smiled and it was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen by wafflesofdoom // capseycartwright Oneshot • General Rating • 13,544

Letters I'll Never Send by Child_Of_Wonderland // @child-of-wonderland Oneshot • Teen Rating • 13,619

fireflies where my caution should be by littlesnowpea Oneshot • Mature Rating • 13,799

Mr LAFD Updates Man by hammersmiths Series • Teen Rating • 14,112

No such thing as an 'oh' in italics by RoisinDubh86 Multichapter • General Rating • 15,396

Teardrops Could be Bottled by princessfbi Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 15,539

wildfire by extasiswings Series • Explicit Rating • 15,817

the light's been out though, baby by hattalove Oneshot • Mature Rating • 15,849

playground love by extasiswings Series • Explicit Rating • 16,268

so show me (family) by cnomad // @cinematicnomad Oneshot • Teen Rating • 16,321

vienna waits for you by mottainai Multichapter • Not Rated • 16,406

i would like a place i could call my own by maybeamystery Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 16,767

The Aftermath of Liberation and Love Confessions by elvensorceress Multichapter • Teen Rating • 17,274

your heart's a bird without the wings to fly by ourdarkspirits Oneshot • Teen Rating • 17,465

The Nearness of You by allisonRW96 // @homerforsure Multichapter • Teen Rating • 17,886

i'm always left with the taste in my mouth by @gayravi Oneshot • Teen Rating • 18,036

Like Any Unloved Thing by hmslusitania Oneshot • Mature Rating • 18,148

Smoke and Ashes Brushed Off with Ink by Princessfbi Oneshot • Mature Rating • 18,197

Buy Back the Secrets by allyasavedtheday // littlespoonevan Multichapter • Teen Rating • 18,808

wherever we're together, that's my home by @woodchoc-magnum Oneshot • Mature Rating • 18,827

Evan Buckley Does Not Exist by hellskitchensmurdock Oneshot • General Rating • 18,922

what's been said (between your heart and mine) by Yavilee Oneshot • Teen Rating • 19,467

stole my heart and i knew before we even met by prettyboybuckley Multichapter • Teen Rating • 19,856

(Love Is) The Second Oldest Profession by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 20,018

Encore by Pline Multichapter • Teen Rating • 20,129

it's all on an incline by iriswests // evanbucxley Oneshot • Teen Rating • 20,365

Golden by not1_2write Oneshot • Teen Rating • 20,483

don't hold your breath waiting for me by CarnivalsoftheCity Multichapter • Teen Rating • 20,758

baby, let's talk it out by maybeamystery // @somaybeamystery Series • Teen Rating • 21,189

california wishing on these stars by hattalove Multichapter • Teen Rating • 21,383

flash like a setting sun by playedwright // @ravibegins Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 21,599

things we shouldn't do by @ingu Oneshot • Teen Rating • 21,740

Don't Take the Money by hmslusitania Multichapter • Mature Rating • 21,831

we can’t fight gravity (love is like falling) by @alasse9 Oneshot • Teen Rating • 21,858

right on time by tuckergreeen // henwilsonmd Oneshot • Teen Rating • 21,999

Tripped and Fell into the Deep End (Wading is for Suckers) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 22,093

Nectar Lips and Ambrosia Hips by UisceOneLove // @wolfnprey Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 22,216

Dare to sit and watch what we'll become... by ReallySmartLadyMarieCurie Multichapter • Teen Rating • 22,850

Despite it all, Because of it all by kitkatpancakestack Oneshot • Teen Rating • 23,747

where there's smoke, there's fire by wakeupnew Oneshot • Teen Rating • 23,985

waiting for the hint of a spark by @fallingthorns Oneshot • Mature Rating • 25,220

26k - 50k

'cause I see forever (in your eyes) by tkreyesevandiaz // @tawaifeddiediaz Oneshot • Mature Rating • 26,007

Road Trip Recovery Series by ChasetheWindTouchtheSky Series • Teen Rating • 26,157

takin my time verse by archerincombat // @queerpanikkar Series • Teen Rating • 26,400

And This Is His Life by ShyAudacity // @paranoidbean Multichapter • Teen Rating • 26,819

Without the Light of Day (would you still love me) by BabyGenius Oneshot • Teen Rating • 27,199

This Old Man Thought It Weak by orphan_account Multichapter • Mature Rating • 27,233

while we do what lovers do by withoutthetiger // rewritetheending Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 27,407

darling, the future's better than yesterday by rarakiplin // hoediaz Oneshot • Teen Rating • 28,749

Burnt Lips When the Wind Blows by princessfbi Series • Explicit Rating • 28,860

Big Brother Buck by Tails89 Series • Mature Rating • 29,049

The Definition of Love and All Things Ineffable by elvensorceress Multichapter • Teen Rating • 29,351

Tick Tick Boom by ChasetheWindTouchtheSky Oneshot • Teen Rating • 30,439

In the Darkest Time of Year by elvensorceress Multichapter • Teen Rating • 30,741

Imagine Me And You by FiremanSam Series • Explicit Rating • 31,131

beneath my mother tongue by archerincombat // @queerpanikkar Oneshot • Teen Rating • 31,552

i don't swim and you're not in love by hattalove Oneshot • Teen Rating • 32,374

vampire banquet by JuniorWoofles Series • Explicit Rating • 33,542

When I watch the world burn, all I think about is you by @theleftboobgrabber Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 34,226

Those Two Firefighters by DarkFairytale Multichapter • Teen Rating • 34,770

maybe one day i'll fly next to you by spinningincircles // tripleaxeldiaz Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 35,914

house of forgotten memories by not1_2write Multichapter • Teen Rating • 35,916

Ocean Eyes by kitkatpancakestack Series • Mature Rating • 36,309

it's blue (the feeling i got) by lecornergirl // clusterbuck Series • Mature Rating • 37,381

What's Up Danger? by princessfbi Multichapter • Teen Rating • 39,148

like the petals in our pockets (may we remember who we are) by evandiaz Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 40,440

Why Do All The Monsters Come Out at Night? by princessfbi Multichapter • Mature Rating • 41,275

a place we both know by not1_2write Multichapter • Mature Rating • 42,411

Knit Together by dunn0man Multichapter • Teen Rating • 42,617

Don't Play Games (Come My Way) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 43,108

The Best Lie is a Truth (My Best Mask is My Face) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Oneshot • Explicit Rating • 43,164

darker days, brighter endings by farfromthstars // @buckactuallys Multichapter • Teen Rating • 44,506

dancing under red skies by dayswithout Series • General Rating • 44,731

try to love me if you can by woodchoc-magnum Multichapter • Mature Rating • 44,800

But Oh, To Be Ruined In Love by Ironkissedfanfics Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 45,230

would you lie with me and just forget the world by colonoscopys Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 45,685

Bad Luck Buck 'verse by red_to_black Series • Explicit Rating • 50,216

51k - 100k

across our great divide (a glorious sunrise) by catchingpapermoons // @gayeddiaz Multichapter • Mature Rating • 53,747

00Q!Buddie AU by princessfbi Series • Explicit Rating • 54,728

The Monsterfucker's Symphony by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 57,200

hearts on fire by woodchoc-magnum Multichapter • Mature Rating • 65,543

I Hit the Accelerator (But the Car was in Reverse) by extasiswings, letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 68,139

circles all the way down by archerincombat // @queerpanikkar Multichapter • Mature Rating • 70,393

all you want and more by @dottie-wan-kenobi Series • Teen Rating • 70,633

as if it were not a lightning bolt that splits your bones by @rosyredlipstick Series • Mature Rating • 74,371

(betting on us) by @theleftboobgrabber Series • Explicit Rating • 74,991

Tortured Musician Buck!AU by princessfbi Series • Explicit Rating • 77,270

Leading with the Left by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 84,763

the trees of vermont by elisela, tripleaxeldiaz, thisissirius Series • Explicit Rating • 89,507

Come then, and be broken by unintentionalgenius Multichapter • Explicit Rating • 98,216

100k +

a bleeding sun on a silver screen by rarakiplin // hoediaz Multichapter • Mature Rating • 130,340

Heart of Flowers / Heart of Gold by elvensorceress Multichapter • Mature Rating • 145,130

just to be with you by woodchoc-magnum Series • Mature Rating • 147,990

Tread Lightly by an_alternate_world Multichapter • Mature Rating • 151,278

tell me about despair by hattalove Series • Explicit Rating • 170,694

The things we lost in the fire by SunSpell80 Series • Mature Rating • 204,485

white house AU by @buddie-buddie Series • Explicit Rating • 305,765

#buddie #buck x eddie #buddie fic recs

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coolmomacchiato · 2 years

Text

Auroras, The Course of Empire, and a HUGE Tiger & Bunny 2 realization

Before I begin, let me start out with a brief art history lesson about a series of 5 paintings by English-American painter Thomas Cole of the Hudson River School movement (mid-1800's). The series depicts the growth and fall of an imaginary city, each taking place at a different time of day to reflect where in its lifecycle it is. The paintings are: "The Savage State" or "Commencement of Empire" (Dawn/sunrise)

The Arcadian/Pastoral State (morning)

The Consummation of Empire (Sun's zenith/Day)

Destruction (Waning day/twilight)

and finally, Desolation (Sunset)

Of course even beyond Cole, the different stages of the day/night cycle has widely been used to symbolize the circle of life: Morning/Sunrise being birth/rebirth, Day for "adulthood"/Consummation (completion), Sunset/Twilight for downfall/aging, and Night for death. The SECOND thing we need to establish is the way "Little Aurora" is constantly equated with " hope" - both literally (as in it says the words right there) and figuratively, since she represents hope for not just NEXT, but society as a whole:

Now - how does this relate to Tiger & Bunny 2, you may ask? If you recall, Sunsets were a visual metaphor in Cour 1, and referenced in the ED AIDA, as well as the OP.

In Cour 2's ED, we see Kotetsu and Barnaby - each alone - standing under a night sky filled with auroras, surrounded by a broken cityscape. As the sun begins to rise over the desolation, Tiger and Barnaby cross a liminal landscape to find each other again, to face a new day together. Indeed, the ED ends with a visual recall to Cour 1, but at dawn:

S2 ends with the destruction of the status quo. The last scene takes place at night: the hero system is no more, society is fractured between NEXT/non-NEXT, Kotetsu has lost his powers, and Kotetsu & Barnaby are no longer "Buddy heroes". Even the two symbols of "justice", Sternbild, and Tiger & Barnaby's partnership as a whole - Justice Tower and Mr. Legend's statue - are destroyed in the fray.

However, as the title of Episode 20 says, The darkest hour is always before dawn. In fact, Episode 25 ends with the hope of a new beginning. The title is "Today is Not Tomorrow's Yesterday", and includes an epilogue scene where we see a snow-flecked museum that looks disturbingly like a mausoleum. The memorial plaque says "The Legend of Buddy Hero", with the starting date of when the first episode of S1 took place - the beginning of their hero partnership - and ending on the day that S2E25 happens on. Underneath that, we see "NEXT". Though this might be the end of the era of Tiger & Bunny as we know it, NEXT is the beginning of a new one.

So what does this mean for the future of the series? I posit that S2 isn't a conclusion - it's a second act that precedes a 3rd act with a drastic change of status quo - and a new beginning.

Staff have repeatedly spoken about "change" around S2, and now I think I understand what they meant. Bringing back the times of day symbolism, we can imagine that the entire story of Tiger & Bunny could be divided into 3 acts (seasons), with 3 "intermissions"(movies). They are: Intermission 1: The Beginning Movie Season 1: Day (Consummation) (this is a recent visual from S2, but I've always found the choice to frame them against a bright day unusual, compared to the historical treatment of key art):

Intermission 2: The Rising Season 2: Sunset/Nightfall (Destruction & Desolation) If so, then perhaps during the live audience viewing of Episode 25, which will air on the infamous T&B day of Christmas Eve (Dec 24, 2022), we will get an announcement of the conclusion: Intermission 3: The Fall? Season 3: Sunrise/Dawn (Rebirth. "Tomorrow is not Yesterday's Today.") As many have noticed, there seemed to be several suspended story and character arcs from S2. Foreshadowed events (such as the dinner/drinks date") don't end up happening, and character journeys don't feel complete. I can go into detail on what specific story aspects feel set up for a 3rd arc, but that will be for another post. For now, I will leave you with this last Easter egg. Thank you for reading!

#tiger & bunny 2 #tiger & bunny season 2 #tiger & bunny #tiger and bunny #t&b #t&b2 #t&b2 spoilers #t&b spoilers #kotetsu t. kaburagi #wild tiger #barnaby brooks jr #tiger and bunny 2 #kotetsu kaburagi #theory #analysis #taibani #kotetsu x barnaby #barnaby x kotetsu

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lost-generation-lights · 3 years

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It used to pain me so much that Joey bounces on Pacey at the end of The Longest Day and ostensibly chooses her relationship with Dawson over what they feel for each other, and don’t get me wrong, it still breaks me to see him crying on that dock when she walks off at the end of the episode...but when you know what’s coming?? When you know where the story is headed? IT IS ACTUALLY PERFECT. Isn’t it that much more compelling for Joey to believe *so strongly* that she couldn’t live without Dawson’s approval just to turn around and realize (again and again) that in fact it is Pacey she can’t lose???? This girl who has lived through too much trauma and has always viewed Dawson (along with his parents, his house, etc.) as the constant that got her through the tragedies of her life...that girl forces herself to go for safety & comfort only to find it isn’t enough. It isn’t what she needs anymore, because she’s outgrown her security blanket and every moment that she denies the actual desire of her heart is another moment of sheer misery for all involved. Joey, who often clings to the so-called moral high ground, who can be so unbelievably stubborn and self-righteous, has to admit that she made a mistake and consequently launches herself from the foundations of her life by turning her back on everything she’s ever known. Joey who turned down Paris. Joey who struggles to define herself without the context of Dawson’s lens. Joey who is riddled with doubts over whether or not she’ll ever make it out of Capeside. This Joey falls in love with the last person she ever expected to feel for in this way, and because of that love she *finally* decides to sail off into the sunset, embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, throwing all consequences overboard for an entire summer on the open sea. This is what she’s always dreamed of—freedom, happiness, a story of her own. Would she have trusted herself to do something so bold without attempting to fall in line with Dawson’s ultimatum first? I think not. I think she would have always wondered if Dawson had been right, always questioned if it was worth the emotional turmoil, always looked back wistfully thinking *she* was the one who ruined things by continuing to pursue a relationship with Pacey. She has to take that detour, momentarily allowing Dawson to set the narrative for her before realizing it’s impossible. This isn’t what love looks like. She can’t suppress her feelings. Maybe she had theoretically convinced herself that her attraction to Pacey would fade, that the whole thing would prove to be fleeting and insignificant, but when she puts that concept to the test, it is an indisputable failure. Joey can’t deny it anymore, but she had to be wrong before she can know in her bones, without dispute, what’s right...which is why she returns to the exact same location of her initial misstep to rewrite the ending: that dock, that boat, Pacey. It’s where she leaves him at the end of The Longest Day, breaking both of their hearts in the process, and it’s where she finds him again three episodes later at the end of True Love. No ultimatums or stipulations. No turning back. It’s True Love—the episode, the boat, the relationship. She just took the long way in getting there.

#Dawson's Creek #why am i like this #writing random discourse about a teen show from 20 years ago #but buddies IT IS ALWAYS DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN #now I just have to get through that wretched regatta episode before it goes ALL THE WAY OFF INTO SHIPS SETTING SAIL #pacey witter #(FICTIONAL LOVE OF MY LIFE WHO DESERVES THE BEST OF EVERYTHING)#joey potter #(she will get there she will get there she will get there and it will be GLORIOUS)#dawson leery #(he can fall into the creek and never crawl out tbh)#dawson's creek season 3 #pacey and joey #TEAM PACEY #i cannot wait #FULL CIRCLE #with the boat and the dock #the longest day #true love

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thunderheadfred · 3 years

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💥Bakugou HC's💥

Aged-up pro hero Katsuki for all of these. Some NSFW beneath the cut. Minors do not interact.

- - - - -

General

He’s scary good at everything he tries. Every. Single. Fucking. Thing. It’s infuriating. Has zero patience when other people can’t immediately master a skill. Never let him teach you anything. Not that he’d offer, nerd.

He WILL offer, though. A lot. He can’t believe you still can’t Do That Thing. Tsh. Like THIS. You're gonna hurt yourself, Dummy.

But hold on. Of course you have unique skills of your own. You work hard to improve yourself. Trust me, he's the first person to notice. He doesn't praise anyone lightly, so when he raises his eyebrows and whispers he's impressed, your heart will go thermonuclear.

Perfect spelling and fully punctuated texts. Never uses abbreviations. Employs a grand total of four emojis, all of them angry faces. Constantly leaves you on read. He's busy, dammit.

Doesn’t smile or laugh in public (except sarcastically). His real smile is a crooked, fragile thing. Never make him feel self-conscious about it, or you might not see it again for weeks.

He does not talk about his private life to the press. Ever. Will K.O. rookie reporters who can't keep their big mouths shut.

HOweVER: he's intensely kind to his fans. There is a whole photographic sub-genre of little girls in cosplay hugging Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight like he's a Disney Princess.

Too smart for his own good. Emotionally hyper-vigilant. Overthinks every interaction to hell and back. Will act like he's not listening but actually hears every single word in a ten-block radius.

INSECURE AF. 110% convinced he will never be good enough. Terrified of his loved ones leaving him behind. Does he do anything to assuage his fears? Like... talk to anyone about it? Hell no. That would require admitting he has fears to begin with.

Seeing people upset makes him upset, especially if he doesn't know how to fix it.

The epitome of being mean because he cares. He genuinely does not seem to comprehend that monosyllabic grunts and lopsided shrugs are not actually that comforting.

Because he was such a brat growing up, he wants to make up for it now. Sort of. In his own way. Look, he's trying, okay?

He smells - so - good. Obscenely good. He doesn't wear cologne; are you joking? There's the burnt-sugar caramel candy smell of his quirk, for starters. And since he sweats deadly ammunition, he showers and wipes himself down almost constantly. He always smells clean. Like a fucking meadow.

Never got that growth spurt he was hoping for. He’s a short man - not even THAT short - but he has a Napoleon complex anyway. If you’re taller than him, the collars of your shirts will all be stretched out. He’s constantly dragging you down to his level. He will assert himself all the fucking time; the pissing contest is never-ending. Don’t wear tall shoes unless you want him to drag you around on a leash. If you’re shorter than him, that’s good. That’s very good. He likes that.

He’s an incredible cook, but everything he makes is a nuclear fire challenge. Adapt or starve.

- - - - -

Dating

Makes artisanal, nutritionally flawless bento lunches for both of you. When people assume his S.O. makes them, he gets fucking pissed. Damn right your co-workers are jealous of my cooking.

Your pet name is Dummy. Don’t like it? Fine. You can be dumbass.

There will be zero PDA in this relationship. His hands are shoved so deep in his pockets you can’t even try.

Intensely private with the press. But with his friends, he will brag about you nonstop. Bakugou Katsuki has the most talented and attractive and intelligent S.O., and anyone who doesn't recognize that is blind. Were you assholes even listening?

A mutual buddy definitely recorded one of these drunken brag-rants and sent it to you for safekeeping. Do not let Katsuki find out about it, unless you enjoy having an ash pile for a phone.

Gets jealous about everything, at least at the start. He calms down eventually. Kinda. He stops saying shit to you about it, anyway, because he learns to trust you. But anyone who so much as looks at you in a too-friendly manner will get the death stare of a lifetime.

He’ll throw all kinds of temper tantrums and the two of you will argue about every tiny fucking thing. He’ll scream out car windows, he’ll ball up his shirt and gnash on it. But he will never raise his voice at you. He’d rather die than make you feel unsafe.

Honestly, the constant bickering is really just... uhh... passionate communication. Eventually you both hash out the important things. You'll learn how to step around his landmines and actually make your points, and he'll learn to open up. A little.

Once you meet his mom, Katsuki starts to make a lot more sense. His family just... emotes like that. Eventually, you and his dad form a spousal support group consisting of exactly two lifetime members. He teaches you the Bakugou family semaphore you need to survive a long-term relationship.

Katsuki can dish it out but absolutely cannot take it. The only person who can level with him about serious issues without explosive fallout is his dad. Or, on a lucky day, Kirishima.

If you give him a legitimate criticism (even gently!) he will take it about as gracefully as a knife to the gut, because it confirms everything he hates about himself.

To your never-ending shock, you’ve made him cry. Yes, CRY! You monster! More than once! His lip gets all *trembly* and his eyes get all *watery* and all you want to do is hug him, but. No. He’ll storm out and wander around for a few hours before coming back with the problem perfectly solved.

He always takes your advice to heart. No, he will NOT talk about it, stop asking.

Gets mad if you don’t snuggle him on the regular. Will drag you into his lap with a pissy little grunt. There might be two seats on this couch but you will not be needing both of them.

Takes pictures of you while you sleep.

Takes even more pictures of you when you're awake but think he's out of the room.

He looks at all these pictures when he's away on high-stakes jobs. He gets all bleary eyed and sleeps in a salty puddle without you. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW.

You don’t have to meet him at the door or anything, but when he says “I’m home,” you’d better answer fast. If he doesn’t know your precise location in 0.05 seconds, he will assume you’ve been kidnapped. He never checks the fridge for notes. Never assumes you've gone down to the konbini for a snack. No, it’s kidnapping every time.

A terrrrrrible bed partner. He goes to bed at senior citizen hours and will never fuck you after sundown. He snores SO loud. Runs hot and sweats through the sheets. Slaps and elbows you in his sleep and aggressively spoons you with his loud, sweaty body. You WILL want to suffocate him. Separate bedrooms aren’t such a horrible idea......

BUT HANG ON, because in the morning he transforms into an honest-to-god angel. He's half awake, his guard is non-existent. Morning Katsuki is a doting kissy-faced marshmallow man.

If you can wake up before the ass-crack of dawn, he will pamper the fuck out of you. You are royalty for one (1) hour only, and he is your bleary-eyed slave. You want a cuddlefuck? You got it. Hugs? Kisses? Take as many as you need. You want a perfect, fluffy, NON-SPICY omelette with a heart drawn in ketchup? Here it is, gorgeous.

Then he gets in the shower and the spell is broken.

- - - - -

💥bang BANG💥

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this here is an ASS. MAN. He'll spank you with his quirk; doesn’t matter if you’ve been good or bad. Wants to see you wince when you sit down later.

Likes pounding you face down with a vice grip on your waist.

Unfortunately, even with all that said... he doesn't exactly have the feral beast sex drive you were expecting. He’s married to his work and has the fuddy-duddy habits of a once and future valedictorian. Only fucks you when he has the time and energy to fully dedicate himself to it.

But ohhhh. Shit. When it's time? It's TIME. The man will rush for nothing. Stamina for days. Making you cum as many times as possible is a point of pride. Yeah, you passed out once.

You’re gonna need those days off when he’s done with you.

That dick THICC.

Sends unsolicited dick pics. Only after you’ve been dating a good long while - he doesn't show that shit to just anyone. But yeah, don’t check your phone at work. He won't cum without you; those pictures and videos are time bombs. You better get home. Now.

Physically dominant as FUCK, but won’t verbally degrade you unless you ask. Well, let’s be honest. Unless you beg.

Praise him and reap the rewards. A long hard ego stroking will get him off more than touching his cock ever will.

Will grab your hair and fuck your throat. Will also stop immediately if you need him to.

The two of you have safe words and gestures. Even for vanilla stuff. He’s paranoid about scaring or hurting you. He insisted you both sign a color-coded ‘love contract’ that he meticulously formatted in a word processor. When you gave him guff about it, his blush was the darkest crimson you’d ever seen.

Coin-flip: he will sometimes be unbelievably gentle in bed. Doting and affectionate, taking perfect care of you. Like, it’s baffling. There’s no warning, the switch just flips. When you want him to be extra-rough and mean, he’ll sweetly worship you instead. For hours.

Bonus: he likes being penetrated. But of course he’s got a complex about that too. Super intense power bottom. You will never fuck him hard enough. He’d like to see you try. Hit his prostate just right and he might literally explode.

You'll live happily ever after but he will say he loves you out loud exactly once. Maybe. If you're lucky. And you're both about to die.

#bakugou katsuki #bakugou headcanons #bakugou x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x you #gender neutral #mha #bnha #mha headcanons #bnha headcanons #smut #mha x reader #bnha x reader #fred writes

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hoodie-buck · 3 years

Text

It’s Always Darkest Before The Dawn

Just needed to write something soft for that buddie firehouse scene 💙

Buck

Buck wandered around the station aimlessly, clipboard in hand. It was late into the night, most of the crews out on shift, the cots downstairs scarcely occupied.

He walked by Eddie’s cot for about the millionth time, stopping to look the man over. Everything was heightened right now what with the blackout going on, Buck unable to stop his restless thoughts. Looking his best friend over once more, he softly called out to him. “Hey, are you sleeping, or just pretending?”

Eddie was lying on his back with one arm thrown over his face, his arms exposed from the lose tank top he was wearing. “I was actually tying to, until you interrupted me.” Buck sat across from him, noting that Eddie kept his eyes closed. “I’m exhausted.” He couldn’t remember the last time he slept, or was able to calm himself for five minutes to lay down and relax. It was bad enough with everything going on around them, but then there’d been the mysterious cardiologist asking Eddie how he was, followed by the very awkward incident when Ana had come to visit; even Buck had wanted to flee the scene.

When Eddie didn’t say anything, Buck took it upon himself to keep the conversation going; he really didn’t feel like being alone, Eddie’s voice always calming him. “Uh, h-how are you feeling?” Eddie’s eyes remained closed, his voice seemingly annoyed, though not at Buck specifically. “Hot. I’m sweating out of places I didn’t know I could.” Normally Buck would’ve laughed at this, but after the way Eddie had been acting lately, he immediately went into protective mode.

“Not like a cold sweat though, right? A-any chest pains?” Eddie’s beautiful browns finally opened, the man glaring over to him; Buck hated to feel like he was hovering, but he was worried, ok? Sue him.

“You don’t give up, do you?” Not on you, not on us. Buck tried to remain calm, but he felt a little guilty for asking, almost as if he was being annoying; he always felt like he was a burden. Eddie played it off, clearly not taking the situation seriously. “I’m fine, Buck.”

Buck sat up a little then, looking to Eddie more sternly. “People who are fine don’t go and see cardiologists.” He willed Eddie to hear him with his next words, needing his best friend to understand his worry. “You need to tell me if something is wrong.” You need to tell me so I can protect you, keep you safe.

At his words, Eddie finally sat up, gathering Buck wasn’t going to let this go. “All right. It was a panic attack.” Eddie threw his hands out with frustration. “Not a heart attack. Panic.” Buck watched as Eddie buried his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair. He was in disbelief; Eddie didn’t panic. “Uh, since when do you panic?” Eddie shrugged his shoulders while shaking his head. “That’s what I said. I don’t panic.” Sighing heavily, Eddie added, “Except I did.”

Read the rest here

#5x2 coda #911 season 5 #911 spoilers #buddie #evan 'buck' buckley #eddie diaz #911 fox #my writing #read on ao3 #idiots in love #fluff #panic attack #only mentioned #eddie ‘does not panic’ diaz #christopher diaz is a sweetheart #911fic

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your-eternal-muse · 4 years

Text

Wish I Were....

Heather Series Chapter 12 (FINAL PART)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Bonus!:Readers Card Confession Bonus!:To Hold On, To Let Go, Spencers take Bonus!:Series Playlist

Summery: Reader no longer wishes she were someone else

Words: 4k

Warnings: Swearing, Description of Birth, just pure, tooth aching fluff

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Y/N: This is it y’all. This is the final chapter of the Heather's Series. I started this journey a little over a month ago, and my god, has it been amazing. I never thought it would pick up the traction it did, and I am so glad I decided to start posting in the first place. I’m gonna take a short break from posting any writing just to recuperate and stuff, but it won’t last longer than a week, and I will still be interacting on the platform itself. I want to thank every single reader who has liked and/or reblogged my work. It means so much to me, and I would not have gotten this far without your support. I love you all with all of my heart. There will be one more bonus “chapter” that I will be posting within the next couple days, but it’ll be mostly headcanons, and answering any questions you may have about the series. I hope the ending is worth it.

With love, your eternal muse,

Frankie <3

~~~~~

I used to be a night owl.

I used to live in the night, sit under the stars and soak it all up.

I used to not go to bed until hours after the sunset, perfectly content to not waking up until hours after it had risen.

Now, I’m lucky to sleep for a few hours between dusk and dawn.

But I’m okay with that.

The ringing of trembling tears echoes through my ears, and I stir awake.

I rub my face, looking at the clock as I push back the comforter.

4 am.

Oh goody.

“I’ve got her baby, go back to sleep.”

Spencer whispers in my ear, planting a kiss on my shoulder, and I’m not one to argue.

I fall back into the pillows, pulling the blanket back up to my chin, my eyes closing without much resistance.

I wake an hour late, expecting to feel his body warmth against my back.

I turn, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, realizing that the blanket is still pulled back from when he got up the hour before.

Oh dear lord please tell me she didn’t get sick.

I climb out of bed, padding down the hallway towards the soft glow of light emitting from her room.

I pause at the doorway, watching as he holds her close to his chest, a smile draped across his face.

I can’t help but stand and watch as he sways back and forth, watching her sleep in his arms.

I notice her tiny hand is clasped around his ring finger, the gold of his wedding band glowing in the dim light.

I love that ring on him.

I never thought I’d be the one to put it on him.

My heart is pounding in my chest.

Why am I so nervous?

He’s not going to leave me stranded.

Right?

Jesus, get a grip, y/n.

“Are you ready y/n?” Hotch walks around the corner, fixing his cuff links as he walks up to me.

I take a deep breath in, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t going to throw up.

“Yep. I’m ready, I just….” I fan myself. “Is it normal to feel like you’re going to pass out on your wedding day?”

He smiles, coming forward and taking hold of my hand. “It is. And I guarantee you, he’s worse than you are.”

I laugh, just imagining the state he’s in.

He hasn’t seen me in three days, since I’m a stickler for tradition.

It was my bachelorette party, than his bachelor party, and now here we are.

“When Haley and I got married, I was a nervous wreck. I don’t think I took a normal breath until hours after just because I was so worried about everything going to plan.”

He brushes some of the curls framing my face out of my eye sight.

“But, when I met her eyes, it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. It was just us, and I knew, at that moment, that everything would be okay.”

I nod, exhaling. “Okay. I’m ready.”

He loops my arm through his, turning to the closed doors where my future waits for me.

“Thank you, Aaron. For giving me away. You’re the closest thing to a father I’ve got.”

He pats my hand. “It’s my honor, y/n.”

I hear the start of the music, and my heart jump starts.

I grip his arm, trying to control my breathing.

“Don’t let me fall.”

“Never.”

The doors open, and for a moment, I panic.

But then my eyes meet his.

And everything else disappears.

His hands are clasped in front of him, and I see him look me over, taking in everything.

Tears are streaming down both of our faces, and god, I never realized how much I missed him when he’s gone.

We reach the altar, where a proud Rossi stands, and Hotch hands me off with a kiss to my cheek.

I hand JJ my flowers, turning clasping Spencer's hands in mine.

When my hand touches his, my breathing returns to normal.

However, before I even notice, JJ is handing me a folded piece of paper that holds my vows.

Weddings always seem longer when you’re not in them.

I unfold the paper, clearing my throat.

“I don’t have an eidetic memory, so I need this so I don’t make a fool of myself.”

A couple laughs from the crowd.

Okay, here goes nothing.

“The first time I saw you, you were sitting at your desk, while Derek and JJ sat around you, watching you explain the scientific inaccuracies of Star Wars.”

He laughs, and Derek pats his shoulder from behind him.

“I was awestruck to say the least. The way your eyes lit up with excitement, how your hands couldn’t stay still.”

I take a breath, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“I fell in love with you at that moment. But I knew I was done for when you looked at me for the first time.”

Rossi produces a tissue from his pocket, and I laugh, accepting and blotting at my tears.

“You are my best friend. You are there for me in my darkest times, and are often the cause of all my light ones. You hold me when I cry, and you laugh when I’m angry at something stupid. You never make me feel stupid. You are the greatest thing to have ever happened to me.”

Christ, why was this so hard?

“I love you. And I promise to cherish you, and not get annoyed when you ramble on about god knows what, because I love to listen to you talk. I promise to never make you feel like you don’t matter, because you matter so much. I promise to love you through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, until the end of time itself. I choose you, forever and always.”

I fold the paper up again, dabbing away my tears.

“Well, look at that, I still made a fool of myself.”

More laughs, and I hear a few sniffles here and there.

Spencer wipes his own eyes. “I don’t know if I can top that.”

I giggle.

He goes into his jacket, and pulls out a white envelope, and my face scrunches in confusion.

“It’s not what you think it is.” He whispers.

He opens it, pulling out a car, and begins to read from the inside.

“You told me once, in a card similar to this one, that the moment you admitted to yourself that you loved me, was on a road trip to visit my mom. I thought it fitting that I tell you that, that was the moment I admitted to myself that I loved you in the same way. So here we are.”

I bring a hand up to my mouth, covering the ugly sobs that threaten to spill out.

“We had only known each other for a month, but you were easily taking over every brain cell in my mind. I was terrified of you saying no, but I asked anyway. Those two weeks were some of the best of my life. I fell in love with your laugh, your smile, the way your hair looks in the sunlight. I fell in love with you from the driver's seat and I’ve loved you ever since. You deserve to be reminded of that every day for the rest of your life. I promise to hold and cherish the heart that you have given me. I promise to catch you, every time you run away. I promise to protect you with my life. You mean everything to me, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of forever with you. I love you, forever and always.”

He closes it, and it takes a moment for me to gather myself.

“I promise I didn’t look at your vows before writing mine.”

I laugh.

Rossi clears his throat. “The rings please, Henry.”

Henry walks forward, our rings sitting on the pillow as he smiles at us.

“Thank you buddy.” I say, taking hold of Spencer’s between my fingers.

“Alright. Y/n, repeat after me. I, Y/n Y/l/n, take Spencer Reid, to be my husband.”

I repeat the words, a smile growing bigger and bigger on my face.

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until the end of time.”

Can I kiss him yet?

I say the words, like casting a spell, before slipping the golden band onto his finger.

Rossi repeats the phrase, and Spencer’s smile is as big as mine, if not bigger.

“Until the end of time.”

He delicately slips the ring on my finger, and my heart starts pounding.

“One more question for each of you. I promise, we're almost there.”

He smiles at each of us, before turning back to me.

“Do you, Y/n Y/l/n, take Spencer Reid as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

Not even a question.

“And do you, Spencer Reid, take Y/n Y/l/n as your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.”

I start bouncing on my toes, too excited to care.

“Then it is my great pleasure and honor to pronounce you, husband and wife.”

He turns to Spencer. “You may now kiss the bride.”

He doesn’t hesitate, cradling my face in his hands as he places his lips on mine.

It’s just me and him, in an empty room.

I move my hands up his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck.

It’s only when we break, that I remember people are here, and the room is filled with applause.

With our hands clasped together we walk back down the aisle, and I swear I am never going to be this happy ever again. And that’s okay.

My eyes fall from his arms, to the dresser sitting next to her crib.

The top is covered with photos, personalized trinkets, and books.

One picture is framed with her name in gold lettering down the side.

My first sonogram.

Through the glass I can see wrinkles in the film.

Spencer carried it with him until the day she was born.

He had always mentioned how he wanted to have kids someday.

It didn’t make me any less nervous to tell him, though.

“Hello?”

“Hi! Is this Mrs. Y/n Reid?”

I stop writing, my pen mid stroke on my paper.

“This is she.”

“Hello! This is Nicole calling from United Health with the results of your pregnancy test.”

Jesus that was fast.

“Oh! That was quicker than I expected.”

I set my pen down, closing my file, pushing some hair behind my ear, looking around to see if anyone was in ear shot.

They weren’t.

“We get that a lot. But, I’d like to say congratulations! You are pregnant!”

I stop breathing for a moment.

“Oh my god. Oh my god! Thank you!”

Holy shit.

Holy fucking shit.

“You’re so welcome! Congratulations again! Have a great rest of your day!”

I hang up, still trying to grasp the words that have just been spoken to me.

I’m pregnant.

I’m fucking pregnant.

Holy fuck.

“Y/n? Baby, are you okay?”

I snap out of my daze to see Spencer standing beside my desk, a look of skeptical worry on his face.

“Uh...yeah. Yeah. I’m fine. Um…”

I have to tell him. I can’t keep this a secret from him, even if I wanted to try and surprise him.

I stand, running my hands over my pants.

“Okay, somethings wrong. You do that when you’re nervous.”

I can’t help but laugh, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Nothings wrong, Spence. Um, I just got a call from United Health.”

He’s confused, setting the file in his hand, down on my desk.

“Why would United Health be calling you?”

There are days when I can't believe he has an I.Q. of 187.

“I went in yesterday, to get a test done. I’ve been gaining weight, and I’ve been getting sick in the mornings. I also skipped my last period.”

I can sense the wheels beginning to turn in his head.

“Wait. Are you…”

I nod, tears falling down my cheeks. “I’m pregnant, Spencer.”

It takes a moment for the words to register in his brain, but then he’s yelling in excitement, throwing his arms around my waist, picking me up and spinning me around.

He sets me down, his eyes red rimmed, his smile one I will never forget.

“You’re pregnant. Oh my god we’re having a baby.”

His hands are placed on either side of my face, and I can’t help but laugh at his infectious excitement.

“Who’s having a baby, now?”

Derek walks up, and Spencer turns, and I know Derek knows just by the shit eating grin on Spencer’s face.

But I just love saying it.

“I’m pregnant.”

Derek’s eyes light up as he claps his hands together, before pulling Spencer into a hug. “My man!”

JJ and Emily gather around, all smiles and squeals as I’m captured in the middle of a group hug.

Penelope walks into the bullpen then, confusion written across her face.

“What’s going on out here? Why are you guys screaming? Who won the lottery?”

I bite my lip, trying to hold back the smile.

“I’m pregnant!” I all but scream.

Penelope’s expression changes in an instant as she practically runs forward.

“Oh my god! Holy crap! Baby genius! That’s so much better than the lottery!”

She catches me in a bone crushing hug before suddenly pulling back.

“Crap. Sorry. Fragile baby.”

“Congratulations baby girl.” Derek swaps places with Penelope, who is now hugging Spencer with everything she has.

“Alright, why are you guys hugging each other?”

Rossi and Hotch walk through the glass doors, taking in the commotion.

I feel Spencer wrap his arms around me from behind, as he kisses my shoulder, my neck, my cheek.

“I’m pregnant!”

A smile immediately forms on Rossi’s face as he comes forward, grasping my face between his hands, kissing me on each of my cheeks.

“Congratulations, principessa.”

“Congratulations, to both of you.”

Hotch is smiling, waiting his turn to give hugs.

“It’s decided, celebratory dinner at my place tonight!” Rossi announces and we all cheer.

I turn my head, placing my hands over Spencer’s which are now resting over my stomach.

“I love you.” I smile.

“I love you, too. Both of you.”

Soft humming breaks the silence of the room, and quiet words float through the air as he sings to her sleeping form.

“Come Josephine, in my flying machine. Going up she goes, up she goes.”

I enter the room then, tip toeing over to stand by his side, leaning my head against his shoulder as I gently stroke her hair.

“Up, up, a little bit higher. Oh! My! The moon is on fire! Come, Josephine in my flying machine going up, all on, goodbye!”

She’s tiny.

I couldn’t fathom how tiny she was a month ago, and she has grown, but she’s still so small.

Has it already been a month?

“Jesus fuck, I promised myself this wouldn’t happen at work.”

I shouldn’t have come in.

I know that.

I know that waking up with contractions is a tell tale sign that you should not go to work.

But she isn’t due for another two weeks. Two weeks is a long time. Hopefully enough time to get a grip on myself so I don’t panic that I’m gonna fail as a mother every time I think about it too hard.

I thought maybe I could just get through the day, but the warm stream trickling down my leg is a big fuck no to that.

I’m trying to steady my breathing, the cup of tea I was making abandoned on the counter as I grip the edge with a force I didn’t know I had.

“Y/n? Is everything okay?”

Hotch walks up, worry creasing his brow.

He places a hand on my back, a comfort as pain ripples up and down my spine.

I shake my head. “I need Spencer.”

I shift my weight from leg to leg. “And a towel.”

He nods his head, looking around for a chair, frowning when he comes up empty.

“Aaron,” I say, turning my head towards him. “Please go get my husband.”

“Right.” He nods, taking a second to make sure I wasn’t going to topple over before almost running towards Penelope's bat cave.

A hiss escapes my mouth as I feel a jab in my side.

“Yeah, I know baby, I wish he would hurry the fuck up too.”

A plethora of footsteps fall upon my ears, and Spencer immediately places a hand on my lower back, taking hold of mine with his other.

“How far apart are they?” is the first thing out of his mouth.

“I’m fine, honey, thanks for asking.” I say as we start to make our way towards the front glass doors.

He gives me a look and I sigh.

“I don’t know. I thought if I didn’t count they’d go away and I could pretend this isn’t happening at work.”

“I wish it worked like that.” JJ laughs, holding open the door and what I presume is my go bag.

“Me too.” I grit, squeezing Spencer’s hand.

“Remember our deal. Not one statistic, or fact is to be uttered from your mouth today. You are not a doctor once we enter the hospital.”

I can see the panic start to form on his face, but he laughs.

“Yes ma’am.”

~~~

I’m never doing this again.

I don’t think I’ve ever been in this much pain before.

I’ve been in this room for what feels like forever, because she’s taking her sweet time being early.

No amount of pillows or soothing rubs can help the aches that are washing over me.

My hair is falling from the bun I threw it up in, sweat coating every inch of skin I have.

I feel gross in every sense of the word.

I lean forward and groan as another contraction rips through me.

How do women do this?

Spencer brushes some hair out of my face and lays a cool washcloth on my neck as I grip the side rails of my bed.

“You’re doing so good baby.”

It feels like I can’t breath.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

He knows there’s not much he can do right now to help, but he holds my hand, trailing his hand up and down my back.

“Just a little bit longer. I promise. She’s almost here. You’re doing so good, y/n. I’m so proud of you.”

If only he knew about the panic flowing through my veins, the thoughts that I’m not ready to be a mom bouncing around my skull like an insistent headache.

A knock at the door, and my doctor walks in, smiles and bright eyes. “How are you feeling, y/n?”

“Like a,” I groan, trying to move away from the pain, shifting forward and backwards. “Like a million bucks.”

She laughs, and I don’t have the energy to be nice and laugh with her.

“Well, I still need to check, but I’m pretty sure you’re ready to push.”

I close my eyes, not wanting to look as she sticks her fingers in a place that will need some R&R after this.

“I was right. You’re ready. Now, your body knows exactly what to do. It’s best to not fight it, and just listen to what it’s telling you okay?”

I start to move myself back away from her, my breathing picking up pace.

I can’t do this.

“No. No. I can’t. I’m not ready.”

She doesn’t seem phased at all, but Spencer easily notices the fear in my voice.

“Hey, Hey, Hey. Look at me.” His hands stroke the sides of my face, and his fingers are wet from my tears and sweat.

I shake my head. “I’m not doing this. I’m not ready. What if I fail? I don’t want to fail her. I can’t. No. I’m gonna be a horrible mother.”

“Y/n, baby, breath with me.” He takes my hand, and places it on his chest.

I can feel his breaths beneath his breastbone, the frantic heartbeats that give away his true state of mind.

I hate that I’m stressing him out.

“You are going to be a great mother. One of the best. I don’t think you could fail even if you tried.”

He brushes my tears away. “But you can’t force your body to stop. You need to let go. I’m right here.”

“Alright, were ready, y/n.”

My eyes pass between Spencer’s and I know he’s right.

I just need to let go.

I nod, and I move back to where I was.

My left hand grips the rail, while my right is situated inside Spencer’s.

I feel the next contraction start.

“Alright I need you to push for me.”

I’m on the brink of a mental breakdown, but I take a breath and let my muscles do the work.

I hear that groaning and screaming can actually help, so that’s what I do.

With every push, my voice grows louder, words lost in the back of my throat.

But I’m getting tired, and I can feel myself crashing.

So when another contraction pulses through me, I push myself forward, and use every muscle in my body.

“Get out, get out, get out, GET OUT!”

I don’t think I’ve ever screamed that loud, but it seemed to work.

It felt like a gush and then crys fill the room.

I fall back onto the bed, tears streaming down my face.

“She’s beautiful!” I hear my doctor say over her screams.

Spencer kisses my forehead, his own tears coating his face. “You were amazing, baby. I’m so proud of you.”

“Here she is!”

My doctor lays a bundle of white blankets onto my chest, and when I see her face, my heart stops.

The world could be burning around me, but I wouldn’t care. Even covered in gunk and red faced, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

I sob, holding her close to me, Spencer right there beside me, his hand gently stroking the top of her head.

“Hi, Ettie.” I whisper. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“She’s so beautiful.” He whispers, his voice thick with emotion.

I can’t take my eyes off her. I never want to let go of her.

Nothing else matters anymore, nothing but her.

Juliet Diana Reid.

Born at 6:08 am, on the third of December.

He places her in my arms, and I clutch her close to my chest as I move back towards her crib to lay her down again.

I don’t understand how I could have ever doubted how amazing my life would be with her in it.

Soft snores emit from her small mouth, and Spencer wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder, only moving when he hears me sniffle.

“Why are you crying, love?” he whispers

I wipe my face, turning around so I can face him.

His hands are on my hips, his thumbs rubbing circles on my skin.

“For so long, I was jealous of so many people.” My hands play with the fabric of his t-shirt, rubbing it between my fingers.

“I was jealous of Heather. Of what she had.”

My hands move up his chest, coming to rest at the base of his neck.

“I dreamed about this. About having this with you. And I never thought I would get it. But here I am.”

I smile up at him. “I have everything I have ever wanted. I wouldn’t wish for another life even if it was offered. I have you, and Ettie, and the life I wanted so bad. I’m just…”

I swallow the noise threatening to spill from my throat, so I don’t wake up the sleeping girl behind me.

“I’m just really happy is all.”

He smiles softly down at me, and he brings up a hand to cup my cheek.

He leans down and kisses me slowly, gently, in a way that always leaves me paralyzed.

“I love you.” He whispers.

I nuzzle my nose against his, before laying my head against his chest, feeling his arms wrap around me, holding me tight against him.

“I love you, too.”

I love you, Spencer.

I love you.

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paunchsalazar · 3 years

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hey!! i loved your hoo playlist! can you explain more or less where which book begins and ends? or just your thought process behind picking the songs?

omg hi!! this is going to be really long I’m so sorry... I vaguely broke them up by book and sorta character/event/theme, it’s not super strict or anything but that was the logic!

I kinda imagine it playing out like a movie or tv series.. and so some of these kinda play over a scene or transition to the credits in my head? some more than others! otherwise it’s like punny titles or just songs that remind of plot points!

Lost Hero

- Goodbye Stranger - for Jason, since he has no idea what’s going on lol

- Teenage Dream - for the three of them, but mostly Piper!

You think I'm pretty without any makeup on You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong

- Parachute - kinda Jason and Piper, I think as she realizes their relationship isn’t quite what it seems? (and just playing with his flying lol!)

- Metal Guru - Leo!

- Pretty Girl - Piper, I was imagining this when she clashes with Drew/learns about the Aphrodite cabin

And I could be a pretty girl Shut up when you want me to And I could be a pretty girl Won't ever make you blue And I could be a pretty girl I'll lose myself in you

- The Sky’s The Limit - when the three of them take off on Festus

- Snowqueen Of Texas - this was for Khione lol

I'm on my knees, your majesty; Snowqueen, save a cold kiss for me I'm on my knees your majesty

- Sweet Talkin’ Woman - this is book-wide but it’s for Piper’s charmspeak!

- Are You Gonna Be My Girl - is sorta general but I was imagining it when Jason and Piper kinda decide to be together/give it another go

- It’s Not Unusual - I think this was sorta the entire book/wider series but I just think it’s cute and fun and a Guardians of the Galaxy type end credits song? And just them accepting their very bizarre situation

Son of Neptune + Mark of Athena

I put these together because there wasn’t really a set bookend in my head!

- Hello Stranger - finally reuniting with Percy! (and I wanted the Percy and Jason songs to mirror each other)

Hello stranger (Ooh) It seems so good to see you back again How long has it been? (Ooh it seems like a mighty long time)

- Diamonds - Hazel

- Don’t Go Breaking My Heart - Frank trusting Hazel with the wood, also Percy + Annabeth, everyone really

Don't go breaking my heart You take the weight off of me Oh, honey when you knock on my door Ooh, I gave you my key

- Beautiful Soul - I literally don’t know why I added this I just wanted an excuse to add a Jesse McCartney song (which feels so tonally correct to me?) but also I think it’s Frank liking Hazel in spite of her big secret and Percy loving Annabeth

- Pocketful of Rainbows - encountering Iris!

I don't worry Whenever skies are gray above Got a pocketful of rainbows Got a heart full of love

- Am I The Same Girl - Annabeth’s POV upon reunion!

Why don´t you stop And look me over Am I the same girl you used to know?

Why don´t you stop And think it over Am I the same girl who knew your soul?

- Bizarre Love Triangle - Frank, Hazel, and Leo

- Treasure - Hazel again + the literal treasure?

Pretty girl, pretty girl, pretty girl you should be smiling (you should be smiling) A girl like you should never look so blue (blue) You're everything I see in my dreams I wouldn't say that to you if it wasn't true

- The Sweet Escape - off on the Argo II

- Okay Okay - to Italy! and I just think Italian disco is so fun

- On An Evening in Roma - walking around Rome, seeing all its history

Though there's grinning and mandolining in sunny Italy The beginning has just begun when the sun goes down So please meet me in the plaza near your casa I am only one and that is one too few On an evening in Roma Don't know what the country's coming to But in Rome do as the Romans do Will you on an evening in Roma

- Stuck on the puzzle - Annabeth + the Mark of Athena

- Coca Cola - I was imagining the pirates+sacrifice to Dionysus/ his appearance

- Edge of Seventeen - I think Annabeth remarks to herself something like am I really going to die at 17? so this is for her and all the kids just on the cusp of being 17

And the days go by, like a strand in the wind In the web that is my own, I begin again Said to my friend, baby (everything stopped) Nothin' else mattered

- Landslide - when everything goes wrong and they start falling to Tartarus

Oh, mirror in the sky What is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changin' 'Cause I've built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I'm getting older too

House of Hades + Blood of Olympus

these are more thematic I think? but a few moments in particular

- Head Over Heels - falling down...

I made a fire, and watching it burn Thought of your future With one foot in the past, now just how long will it last?

Something happens and I'm head over heels I never find out until I'm head over heels Something happens and I'm head over heels Ah, don't take my heart, don't break my heart Don't, don't, don't throw it away

- You and Me - Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus

If the stars don't shine If the moon won't rise If I never see the setting sun again You won't hear me cry as I testify Please believe me boy you know I would I lie As long as there is you and me

- Don’t Worry Baby - Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus, on the shore of the river

Well it's been building up inside of me For oh I don't know how long I don't know why But I keep thinking Something's bound to go wrong

But she looks in my eyes And makes me realize And she says "don't worry, baby"

- It’s Only A Paper Moon - the mist and Hazel starting to understand it

You smile, the bubble has a rainbow in it Say, it's only a paper moon Sailing over a cardboard sea But it wouldn't be make-believe If you believed in me

- Money, Money, Money - Hazel + Pluto

Money, money, money Must be funny In the rich man's world

- Magic - the whole story, but particularly with the presence of Hecate

- Summer Wind - Jason harnessing the winds!

The summer wind came blowin' in from across the sea It lingered there, to touch your hair and walk with me All summer long we sang a song and then we strolled that golden sand Two sweethearts and the summer wind

- Mala Femmina - the return of Khione

- Would You? - Leo and Calypso

Well, you know she took my hand And we walked away And I can't understand why she would stay Would you like to fall in love with me?

- Love is Like a Fire - Leo and also Frank

- Don’t Wanna Fight - Percy and Annabeth

Take from my hand Put in your hands The fruit of all my grief Lying down ain't easy When everyone is pleasing I can't get no relief Living ain't no fun The constant dedication Keeping the water and power on There ain't nobody left Why can't I catch my breath? I'm gonna work myself to death

- Love Really Hurts With You - Leo after leaving Calypso’s island

- What Makes the Sunset - Percy and Annabeth (and by extension Bob and Damasen)

What makes the sunset? What makes the moonrise? What makes the tide remember to hide and why does it soon rise? What makes a star fall? Where does it fall to? Why does its flight make us stop in the night and wish as we all do?

- Dedicated to the One I Love - everybody, but an ode to Bob and Damasen (their goodbye made me cry!)

While I'm far away from you my baby I know it's hard for you my baby Because it's hard for me my baby And the darkest hour is just before dawn

Each night before you go to bed my baby Whisper a little prayer for me my baby And tell all the stars above This is dedicated to the one I love

- Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus, I was thinking about this post-curses and them being so done with everything

Good times for a change See, the luck I've had Can make a good man Turn bad

So please, please, please Let me, let me, let me Let me get what I want This time

- Lonely Boy - Nico

- Fantasy - indulging all their visions... the mist, etc.

- Stupid Cupid - Nico and Cupid (of course)

Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy (stupid Cupid) I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly (stupid Cupid) I'm in love and it's a crying shame (stupid Cupid) And I know that you're the one to blame (stupid Cupid)

Hey hey, set me free Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

- Suzanne - still Nico, looking over at the couple (sorry... all the mopey songs)

- Dream A Little Dream of Me - dreams... also Percy’s wishes of the future

Stars shining bright above you Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you" Birds singing in the sycamore tree Dream a little dream of me

- Our Day Will Come - I think Annabeth says a line almost like this? somewhere at the end of HOH, I think when they’ve just gotten out of Tartarus and are all sitting together, like haven’t they had enough? won’t their day finally come?

Our day will come If we just wait a while No tears for us Think love and wear a smile Our dreams have magic because We'll always stay In love this way

- Call Me - all of them! also Nico and Reyna, just being there for each other

Tell me and I'll be around Now don't forget me 'cause if you let me I will always stay by you You've got to trust me, that's how it must be

- Nobody - Nico... oh buddy

Venus, planet of love Was destroyed by global warming Did its people want too much too? Did its people want too much?

And I don't want your pity I just want somebody near me Guess I'm a coward I just want to feel alright

- I’m a Believer - Jason and Piper

I thought love was only true in fairy tales Meant for someone else but not for me Love was out to get me That's the way it seemed Disappointment haunted all my dreams Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer Not a trace of doubt in my mind

- Summertime - Piper singing and it being the end of summer

- Happy Trails - more singing ( I want to include the songs actually mentioned!)

- The End of the World - the big battle!!

Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore? Don't they know it's the end of the world? 'Cause you don't love me any more

- Too Late To Turn Back Now - departing with Festus (I think Leo almost says this too!)

- Here Comes The Sun - day comes, the Athena Parthenos is back

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

- Walking On Sunshine - Will Solace

- Evil Woman - Gaea fight

Evil woman, how you done me wrong But now you're tryin' to wail a different song Ha, ha, funny, how you broke me up You made the wine, now you drink a cup I came runnin' every time you cried Thought I saw love smilin' in your eyes Ha, ha, very nice to know That you ain't got no place left to go

- Seven Wonders - the seven! also traveling the world... making it this far

If I live to see the seven wonders I'll make a path to the rainbow's end I'll never live to match the beauty again The rainbow's edge

- This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - to me this is just after Annabeth and Percy’s kiss, shots of everyone back to camp, wides of people running around, new cabins under construction, the sun is shining, the camera pulls out

Loving you is some kind of wonderful Because you showed me just how much you care You've given me the thrill of a lifetime And made me believe you've got more thrills to spare, oh!

- Love Makes the World Go Round - like the end credits! last pov with Piper, love makes it all happen

Without love flowers wouldn't grow in the spring And without spring, yeah the birdies just couldnt sing Everybody needs love to watch the twinkling stars above It makes a boy and girl, Say they feel so fine, now

#SORRY I REALLY WASTED A LOT OF TIME ON IT #percy jackson #pjo #hoo #heroes of olympus #piper mclean #annabeth chase #jason grace #leo valdez #hazel levesque #frank zhang #Anonymous

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pparkerpoetry · 3 years

Text

Face Reality (Part 1)

Title: It’s Better This Way (but then why does it hurt?)

"Really, it was Ranboo’s fault, he figured, because if he hadn’t been so stupid, surely he wouldn’t have clung to a business relationship and blown it out of proportion. It hurt now, but he hoped that the pain would dull. He hoped that now he had gotten away from everyone who he cared about but never cared about him, that he would be able to find peace.

It was better this way.

Then why did it hurt so much?"

Part 2

Masterlist

His hands were shaking in the cold, or from stress, he couldn’t remember which one. Maybe it was both. His hands were shaking, his head was pounding, and the comfort room that he had built so carefully did nothing.

His pets did their best, but there was nothing to be done. He was too far gone at this point, and the tears welling in his eyes couldn’t be stopped. There was nothing that could be done to stop his breath from becoming faster, there was nothing that could be done to stop the soft endermen warbles from leaving his throat.

Well, maybe one thing. But it was impossible. There was no way that he would be calmed down by anyone, not when he had overheard what they’d said. No one would hear him and hold him in a warm embrace to comfort him, no one would bother to find out just how messed up he was.

No one was going to take the time out of their stupid days to help him. He just wasn’t worth it, in their eyes.

Ranboo buried his face into the fur of his dog, hoping that his tears would be absorbed rather than hurting him. He didn’t want to deal with more than he already was, it would just add unnecessary complications to what he was about to do.

He stayed sitting for a while, admittedly, but once his noises had quieted and his shaky, suppressed sobs had stilled to slight hiccups, He stood up. His legs were unstable, but he walked, leaning against the wall to reach his chests.

He filled his inventory with as much as he could carry. He left anything that he could easily get again, he got all of his pets standing, and then he clambered up the rickety ladder. It was dark, and only one lone light was on in the cottage that Ranboo stared at longingly.

It’d be so easy to reach out.

Ranboo started walking towards the cottage, but he didn’t stop. He kept walking towards the portal, only pausing when he heard the telltale sound of a door opening.

“Ranboo, is that you? What are you doing up?”

Oh, Phil.

He didn’t turn around. He didn’t want Phil to see his puffy eyes, his wavering smile. “Oh, I was just going to see if I could find any mobs, get some experience. Chat with some endermen if they don’t get scared. Don’t worry about me!”

It was spoken with such obviously faked cheerfulness that Phil must’ve known he was lying. He had his pets on him, why did he need a parrot to go mob hunting? He didn’t turn around, surely that was suspicious.

There were so many things wrong with his alibi, but if Phil noticed the hybrid’s voice cracking with sadness, he didn’t say anything. Why would he? He just gave an “Okay.” and shut the door softly.

Ranboo let out the sob that he had been holding in, stumbling forward and away from his home house. He could find a nice place, rebuild. Find peace.

Then why was he so sad? Was it because he had thought he had finally found people that cared about him? Was it because he had thought that he could finally be himself, and not hide who he was? Was it because all of his hopes amounted to nothing, only serving to crush him more? Was it because, with all of the people in this forsaken land, he was still lonely?

He remembered to take a deep breath, although it was probably closer to a sharp inhale, as he trudged through the snow and to the shimmering portal to the Nether.

He didn’t know what it was, but something in him made the Nether seem so unappealing that he just sat in the snow for a little, thinking. It would be dangerous for his pets, and he didn’t want anything to happen to them...

At the end of his train of thought, Ranboo gathered his pets and started walking to the coast. He didn’t know why, until he was staring down through the water at the stone of a Fortress.

Should he?

It was with startling clarity, then, that he remembered what his people had said to him when he wanted to reach the overworld.

“You can go, if you so wish, but it is a land of evil. You will find no comfort there. You will come back to us, crying, and will know that we were right. You can go, but be prepared to be faced with nothing but sorrow and pain. Do you want to go, child? Then go, but never come back. We will no longer want you here. We will have nothing to offer but a turned side.”

As Ranboo stood in the sand, looking down, he pondered on those words. Would they accept him if he pleaded long enough? If he cried enough? Would he find peace in the land that he had been so eager to leave as a naive child, only to discover that the way back was sealed?

He remembered the fear that he had felt knowing that the choice was permanent back then, but would it be now? This wasn’t the same place he had emerged.

He made a split-second decision, diving under the surface and ignoring the stinging of the water on his face that made him wince. He landed on the cracked stone, not surprised that there were torches everywhere. What did he expect- humans to not meddle in business that wasn’t theirs? To leave what was peaceful alone? Not the humans he knew. No, they only knew war and manipulation.

He wandered the halls, looking for the portal, patting his pets occasionally as they followed him. He almost wanted to leave them here, but he couldn’t ensure their safety. Not with humans. They were better off with him.

Ranboo almost laughed at that. Nothing was better off with him.

Eventually, he found the portal. It was in a room that had clearly already been found, but the portal wasn’t lit. The space in the middle was filled in, and it looked like someone was using it as a table. It was a good thing he knew who, but his heart still burned with rage at something so important being disrespected and demoted to something as domestic as a table.

Time passed in a way that he couldn’t quite grasp, but at some point in his contemplation on whether it was worth it, he heard a noise from the hallway. He didn’t move, because he figured he knew who it was.

He was wrong, of course. Just like he always was.

That didn’t mean he had no clue who the being was when he turned to look. He had seen this god, many years ago when he was a child.

“You want to go back?” The voice wasn’t natural, but it seemed similar to the one that haunted him in his darkest moments.

“I’m thinking about it.” Ranboo responded, sitting down on the cold floor.

“You realize you need me to light it? How were you going to get there?”

A heavy sigh passed through the hybrid that looked so small there, on the stone. “I was going to cross that bridge when I got to it.”

It was quiet, but the deity took pity on the child. “I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I’ll light the portal for you. Help you get back. I can’t promise they’ll accept you back, and I’ll have to close it once you’re gone, but I’ll help you.”

Ranboo scoffed. “Don’t try to be all buddy-buddy with me. I’ve got nothing left to offer back for it.”

It grew dark, as if the being was sucking light from the nearest sources. The black aura around it grew, as its wings fanned out. “Don’t mistake my duties for kindness. You got out, I’m getting you back in. You are going to be just as alone in there as you are out here, it makes no difference to me.”

“Maybe it’ll hurt less in there.” Ranboo whispered. Then, “Light it.”

In a split second, it was done. The black expanse of starry night beckoned him, so Ranboo stepped up to it. Before he entered it, though, the god spoke again.

“If they come looking for you, I’ll let them in. Maybe you need someone to find you, show you they care.”

As Ranboo ushered his pets into the portal, he straightened to his full height and stared the deity in the eyes, ignoring the sudden urge to attack. “Don’t bother. They’ll never look for me.”

And, just like that, he was gone.

The god gave a slight chuckle as he moved to put the portal back to as it was, only the ominous purple particles giving any clue as to what had just happened. “I don’t know what they’re doing to these kids, but it’s a good storyline. Maybe the script’ll be even more angsty. Ranboo is carrying that, though. Maybe they won’t even use Pandora’s Vault- but you never know.”

And, just like that, it was quiet in the tundra again, the first hints of dawn clinging to the skies. In the distance, a shack lay abandoned, and the people in the cottage slept peacefully. They didn’t know why, but their dreams that night were of a land with pitch-black skies and flying cities.

They spared it no thought. It was just a dream.

______________________________________

Ranboo emerged from the portal, and was greeted with silence, just as it was with the silence of the snow. His soul felt torn, part of it glad to be back, one hating it.

He held his head high as he carried his pets to find his old home. Maybe they hadn’t destroyed it, yet. Maybe they had so little faith in him that they knew he’d be back.

The island he was on seemed so... dead. Empty. No endermen were there.

Ranboo pushed down the feeling of unease that he had. Now was no time for being sick. Not when he needed to travel over the void.

He found the hidden pathways that all the inhabitants of the End used, feet moving almost mechanically as he found the city he needed. His old home.

When he entered the old house that he had been given, off the side of one of the bigger buildings, he was greeted by one enderman. He was startled by the sudden interaction, but then the other started talking.

“Hello, child. We knew you would be back. You’re later than the books said you would be, though.”

The garbled speech surprised Ranboo, and he struggled to remember the tongue that he had once been so fluent in.

“I am. Where is everyone?”

The enderman gave a short little scoff. “Gone. Packing. We’re leaving the city. We knew you’d be back and want no part in it. You’ve fallen far, child. You have forgotten our language, you embraced the overworld as your own, you smell of humans. We said that we would not accept you back, and you dared test that? You are on your own, and have searched for comfort in the wrong place, hybrid.”

The way that that word had been spoken hurt Ranboo, as if he wasn’t worth as much because of his heritage. He kept his tears at bay, getting his pets to sit down in their new spots.

He didn’t register the enderman teleporting away, but when he stepped into the city he got no comforting welcome, he got no pitied hugs, no one offered him words of advice. They all walked past him, humming, as if they didn’t see him. As if he didn’t matter. As if he was invisible to them as they abandoned their life-long homes to get away from him. No arms circled around him to hold him as he broke, no one gave him the attention that he needed so badly, that he had traveled so far to try and find.

It was then that the tears fell again, finding a new path down his face as the old ones had scabbed over. They burned him, but it didn’t matter. He was even more alone now.

“Please,” He cried. “Please, I’m sorry. Please, I just want a home.”

There was no answer to be spared for the boy.

“Please, I’ll be good, I’ll be quiet, I’ll gather stuff for you. Please, I just want someone, please-”

There was no one to respond to his call.

“Please,” He warbled, letting the enderman part of him come out more. “Please, just answer me.”

There was no change in the crowd of lanky, black bodies that gave him a large berth. There was no comfort to be found in those long arms. There was no love in the screeches.

The sobs that racked his body didn’t stop for hours and hours, maybe more, because the sky was no good judgement of time. It was just a dark expanse, almost as unwelcoming as all of the failed versions of family that Ranboo had searched for.

When he looked up next, the city was abandoned for good. It was just him, alone, with no one but his pets to cling to for sanity.

He stayed sitting on the vaguely dusty ground for a while, numb. He’d lost three homes, in just a few days.

As much as he wanted to beg to go back, beg on his knees that he was wrong, beg and plead and hope that someone took pity on him, He knew he couldn’t. He knew he didn’t belong where the sky moved and had colors, he knew that no one would take pity on him, he knew that no one actually cared for him.

He had to face reality. No one cared for him, they only used him for as long as he could provide something to them, no matter how many things he gave, no matter how many times he searched for even a semblance of a family.

As he trudged back to his small little house and tried to sleep, hoping his dreams would take him far away from where he was, or better yet not even wake up, he was only haunted by the words that had caused this whole thing in the first place.

He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. He really didn’t, but as usual, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

_________________

“So, now that we have a base and we have a plan, who are we going to invite to join us?” That gruff voice was Techno.

Base? Wasn’t their base just their cottage? They had another one?

A softer voice. Phil. “Maybe Niki? She seems pretty against L’manburg now.”

Techno scoffed. “She’s making some land with Fundy, I think. We’ll have to see how that plays out, keep an eye on them. My voices are saying Ranboo, what do you think about that, Phil?”

“Ranboo could be a good choice. We’ve been kind to him, and he’s useful with all of the gifts he’s been giving us. The memory issues might be a problem, though.”

The pig hybrid hummed, before speaking again, “Wait, we could use it to our advantage! Tell him he’s part of it, get him to go feral on whoever we need him to, drop him off at his little shack, and he forgets. It leaves us clear of the blame, it’s perfect!”

Ranboo felt as if all of the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Techno wanted to get him to join their… whatever, and get him to be violent? Phil would refute it. He had to.

“Hmm, maybe.” Phil said. NO, Phil, no, please, don’t agree- “Actually, yeah, that could work really well. He’s got ties with Tubbo, ties with Dream. He can get in places that don’t trust us. Plus, if he keeps giving us gifts, it’s definitely worth keeping him around. Large profit.”

They laughed a bit, and Ranboo slid down the door that he almost opened before catching wind of their voices. He pulled his knees to his chest, ears still picking up their conversation no matter how much pressure his hands put on them.

“The only problem is I hope he doesn’t get attached. He’s had a rough time, but I’m not sure he’s aware that this is a professional relationship to benefit each other, not a familial one.”

At those words, Ranboo stood up, and teleported to his comfort room. It had been a while since he lost control of his teleportation, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t even register which one said that.

He had thought that this was his chance, his hope for a life that didn’t kick him down all the time. He guessed not, though, if he was nothing but a means to an end, a money giver, a source of information and nothing else.

__________________

He needed to face reality. Phil wasn’t a good father to his other sons, what made him think that he would be a good one to him? Techno wasn’t a brother, he only cared about anarchy, and if Ranboo was the way to get it, why would he mind housing the hybrid?

Really, it was Ranboo’s fault, he figured, because if he hadn’t been so stupid, surely he wouldn’t have clung to a business relationship and blown it out of proportion. It hurt now, but he hoped that the pain would dull. He hoped that now he had gotten away from everyone who he cared about but never cared about him, that he would be able to find peace.

He didn’t expect to have to find it alone, on a floating island surrounded by nothing but darkness, with nothing but his fading memory and a vague sense of direction connecting him to the family that never saw him as more than a weapon.

It was better this way.

Then why did it hurt so much?

***

@tommyapollogist sorry, i gotta write more ranboo angst i guess

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anathtsurugi · 3 years

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So, Star Wars buddies, y’all remember how I wrote that soulmate AU a couple years back...

Well, When You Pry it From My Cold, Dead Chest is finally getting a continuation. The new story will be posted in about a month as part of @kalluzebminibang‘s mini bang event, but the first chapter is available right now on my Patreon. So if you still remember my odd little story, if it touched your life in some way and you’ve maaaaaybe got a few spare dollars lying around for a rainy day, you can hop on over and be one of the first to see the start of the new fic.

But for now, if you haven’t got the spare change but are still excited for the new story, here’s a little sneak peek at the upcoming You Can Take My heart, You Can Take My Breath.

~*~

Ever since returning from Mandalore, Kanan had been working with him to try and figure out a way to regain his soulmark. Nothing they'd tried had come anywhere close to succeeding. Zeb still possessed amber in his field of vision, and would occasionally report other flashes of color flickering in and out. So it seemed the problem lay not with him, but with Kallus himself.

These last few days, he had gone out early in the morning to meet with the Jedi, before he had to be on shift and before Kanan would meet up with Ezra for their own regular training. But this was even earlier than he normally woke. He doubted Kanan would even be awake yet. Even so, he would head out, maybe take a little extra time to get into the necessary head space...

"I know you're not goin' out at this un-Ashla hour," Zeb grumbled from the bunk just as he finished dressing. "Y'should come back to bed."

Kallus gave a fond sigh as he crossed the few steps back to the bed, dropping to one knee beside it. "I will do no one any good lying here unable to sleep," he said, leaning down to press a kiss to his partner's lips. "Go back to sleep, my love. I'll return in an hour or so."

"Mm, there's other things we can do if you can't sleep, y'know," Zeb mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

"Be reasonable, Garazeb," he started with a small laugh. "We can't have sex every time I can't sleep."

"We could. It's an option. You're just choosing not to."

Again Alex laughed, placating his lover with one last kiss. "Maybe so, but you at least require sleep, and if you're a good boy and get enough rest, I promise you can kriff me up against the wall when I get back."

"Promise?" the Lasat grumbled peevishly as he rolled away from him.

"Promise."

"Fine. But I'm holdin' you to that. I don't care how late we are for morning shift."

"Fair enough," Kallus conceded as he got back to his feet.

"L'ashkerrir an," Zeb mumbled, barely awake.

Kallus stopped in the doorway at the sound of those words, feeling that same flutter of unbound joy in his heart as he had the very first time Zeb had spoken them. He hoped it never stopped.

"And I you...my dearest Zeb," he said softly, adoringly, before allowing the door to slide closed behind him.

Kallus took no weapons with him when he departed the Ghost, despite every instinct he had always begging him to. The very first time they'd gone out into the jungle, Kanan had insisted he wouldn't need any weapons.

"Are you crazy?" he'd asked, certain the knight hadn't yet been informed about the local fauna. "Do you have any idea what's out there?"

Kanan had simply given him a shit-eating grin and offered up cryptically, "Only what you take with you."

Whatever that meant. Still, Kallus had obeyed, and he had not found cause to doubt Kanan yet. This particular morning was no different, if not a touch earlier than even he rose. The sky had barely begun to lighten as he moved through the dense jungle. He'd likely have had trouble finding his way if he didn't already know where he was going. However, much to his surprise, their usual clearing was not deserted when he arrived.

"Couldn't sleep?" Kanan asked as Kallus stepped into the circle, clearly having been sitting in meditation for some time already. As had been the case on all the mornings prior, he was not wearing his typical mask.

"I don't know that I've slept properly since Atollon," he admitted, tired of his own stoic front. He had learned quickly that the knight could read him like a holobook. "Though neither, it seems, could you."

"Call it a hunch," the Jedi said, nodding to indicate he ought to sit down beside him. "Feel up to contemplating your innermost self this fine morning?"

"As much as one ever is 'up' for such a task," he conceded as he came to sit beside the man he had previously hunted. "Though Zeb did try to argue that it isn't even properly morning yet."

"And he was right. Unfortunately for those of us with normal biorhythms, the Force says 'jump' when and where it wants to, so we mortals must abide. Let me see your arm," he said, holding out his hand.

"See, Kanan?" he joked half-heartedly as he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket, resting his forearm in the Jedi's outstretched hand.

"I can see better than you can right now," Kanan returned in a similar tone, caught somewhere between joking and serious. Exhaling, he brought his other hand up to run his fingers over the skin where the soulmark had once been, and when he winced at whatever it was he was feeling, Kallus was once again grateful not to be able to feel it.

"Close your eyes," the Jedi told him.

Kallus did as he was bid, easily quieting the skeptical voice in his mind that had grown smaller and smaller since he'd watched the inquisitor burn away a piece of his soul.

"Quiet your mind," Kanan coached him.

Kallus knew the Jedi had not found it easy to convince him to let go of the tight patterns of control Imperial conditioning had worked him into. He still didn't find it easy to just...let go. To give up control of his mind and his thoughts and allow himself to just...be. The closest he came was his state of mind when engaged in a particularly fierce fight ― the sort where he had gone beyond gauging his opponent and plotting his own moves and had simply become lost in the rhythm of the moment...the dance of it. He couldn't say how much time had passed when he became aware of Kanan's voice again.

"When you first realized Zeb was your soulmate...what did you feel?"

"Relief," he answered without having to think about it. "Even though I had tried- to give it up...I had feared that my partner had died soon after Lasan. There was something...freeing...in finally hearing those words spoken aloud."

"But...?"

"That relief was immediately followed by anger."

"Because he was your enemy?"

"Because I was his."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I had always known...from the moment I was able to understand the words on my arm...that there would be enmity between my partner and I. The older I became, the more I was prepared to hate myself...for all of it. When the moment finally came...all I had left was anger...hatred...for him, myself...for the galaxy and everyone in it. I tried to tell myself I'd done the only thing I could do..."

"But you knew different."

"Deep down...I suppose...yes. I didn't begin to consider the implications of any of it until after Bahryn...and then everything was happening so quickly...and Zeb was forgiving me everything...even if he shouldn't have done. I loved him...so fiercely in those days. I clung to it when I was weak...in my darkest moments..."

"And then you were captured."

Kallus gasped, any response he might've had slipping away from him as the memories pierced his awareness, sharp and unforgiving.

Thrawn's red eyes...his cruel sneer...

The inquisitor's chilling voice...her molten, scorching touch as she-

"NO!" he cries out in anguish, struggling to pull back, to turn away from the horror of it.

"No. Don't run from this. Stand your ground, Fulcrum," the Jedi's voice comes to him again, firm but not unkind, guiding him in the darkness. "We're so close now."

So Alex let the memory play out, trembling, but not looking away as he relived his worst moment.

"It- broke me...when that bond was cut," he recounted, his voice unsteady. "I had bled for it...killed for it...in a way, I had died for it...and they took it from me. As easy as peeling off a glove...they stole a part of my heart from me...the part that was good...that was true and worth saving...the part that Zeb loved. They stole it from me," he hissed, feeling the sting of tears as they pushed their way through his closed eyelids.

"Do you really believe that?" he heard Kanan asking him. "That the part of you that's worth saving is lost?"

"Yes," he answered, voice still unsteady, but certain. "I don't- doubt his love...but why should someone as wonderful as Garazeb Orrelios...be bound to such a broken creature as this?" He had taken comfort in Zeb's promises...after Atollon...but did he believe himself worthy of them?

No.

"That's it, then."

Inhaling sharply, Kallus suddenly found himself blinking his eyes open in the grey pre-dawn light to find Kanan now sitting in front of him, unseeing eyes gazing rather pointedly into his. Kallus had to resist the urge to pull back from him.

"I...what?"

"That's why you haven't been able to regain your soulmark. It's because you aren't certain you deserve to have it...that you don't want Zeb to be tied to you when, in your view, he has the chance to be free."

"It- would seem so. Yes," he said quietly, achingly, as he let his gaze drop to the small patch of dirt that separated them.

"Then there isn't anything I can do to help you," Kanan told him, reaching a hand up to grip his shoulder. "Until you know what it is that the two of you share, that bond won't return."

Kallus inhaled slowly before giving a long sigh and looking up at the Jedi. "I understand. Thank you for everything you've done."

"Don't give it up for lost yet, Kallus," Kanan scolded him mildly as he climbed to his feet. "Zeb's a stubborn one. He'll help you scrub out that Imperial mindset. You just need to give him a chance to prove himself. Go back to him. You two can probably get in a little extra time before the day gets going."

"Right. I'll...catch up with you," he said, voice still little more than a whisper. Not watching Kanan go, the only indication he had that the younger man had done so was the quiet sound of his footfalls.

~*~

Interested yet? Wanna see some more? Come check out the full chapter over on Patreon.

#Star Wars #SWR #Kalluzeb #soulmate au #My writing

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skinnyziamlove · 4 years

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i've always wanted to make a fic rec but i never got the chance, but yesterday some friends (@introvertedbitch2302 and @liamislife) asked if i could recommend them some of my favorite fics and i got all excited and here i'm !!!!

these fics are my precious babies and i love them all so they are not in a specific order (and please be aware of the trigger warnings in the tags before you read them):

Just the two of us and a cute little cup of cyanide

Or an I-accidentally-married-my-best-mate-in-Vegas fic, where Liam's completely oblivious, Zayn's completely in love, Harry's had enough, Louis plays mediator and Niall just wants his best friends to be with each other.

The Underdogs

Zayn Malik hates everything about winter. He hates the snow, he hates scraping the ice from his car, he hates freezing every time he steps outside, he hates wearing hats and heavy jackets. In fact, the only thing he doesn't hate about it are his hockey player buddies and his childhood best friend, Liam Payne, the teenage star hockey player and captain of their small town team.

Good Thing At a Bad Time

Zayn prefers to be on his own. It's easier to survive when you don't have to worry about anyone else. Liam leads a large group of people that have taken residence in an abandoned prison. When Zayn wakes up in a prison cell, all he can think about is finding a way out. Liam makes him want to stay.

I See You Babe, But We Are Both Blind

Zayn's fairly certain the world actually hates him. He's got the shittiest luck, and fate seems to want to fuck with him. But maybe that's exactly what he needs.

One Direction returns to London for a break from their Take Me Home Tour in August 2013, and after an unfortunate run-in at a coffee shop, Liam and Zayn find themselves in a fake relationship. Except, it ends up not feeling fake at all.

through the summertime, winter, spring, and fall

They change with the seasons, burning bright during the summer and biting cold during the winter, but that feeling of being in love Zayn found in the summer clings to him through it all.

Angel of Mine

"I'm Zayn, a third year english student, it's my first time here and," he swallows, throat thick with nervousness, "I guess I'm here ‘cause I'm an alcoholic."

Zayn is a recovering alcoholic and Liam is his sponsor.

Die Young, Stay Pretty

Zayn is happy being a hairdresser who minds his own business; that is, until someone called "Liam" has to come in, dragging his friend on the back of a bet. And, really, Zayn didn't stand a chance.

It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn

At a time in his life when Zayn thinks he has forgotten what genuine happiness feels like, Liam comes into the picture and changes everything.

Mad About the Boys

Or: Five times Zayn and Liam cheat Death and then one more time for good measure.

But You Held the Ice

Every time Zayn gets hurt, Liam is there.

Everything On You Intoxicates

Where Zayn maybe stalks that fit guy from his Intro to Lit class on Instagram.

Tangled Up in You

It turns out Zayn’s flatmate is essentially a disney prince. Zayn wonders how this became his life.

kill monsters in the rain

A story where Liam can't get over how great Zayn is at singing and drawing and pretty much everything, how just being near Zayn is enough to make Liam's life a hundred times better, how lucky Liam is to have a best friend just as dedicated to pretending to be a superhero as he is.

it keeps my veins hot (the fire's found a home in me)

or the one where zayn survives a fire and falls in love with the firefighter that saved him.

This Swirling Storm Inside

Or Frozen AU in which Zayn is the heir to the kingdom of Arendelle. He's also trans, and his lifelong dysphoria is finally reaching a breaking point.

I'll Be Strong For You

When Zayn breaks his leg attempting to skateboard over Harry's car, he ends up stuck in the hospital for two weeks. The only thing he doesn't hate about the hospital is the gorgeous volunteer, Liam, who is almost annoyingly sunny and happy. But Liam's got a secret a secret hidden behind his impossibly bright smile.

And You Know For Me, It's Always You

The Gilmore Girls AU I thought would be a good idea and it turns out, it was.

Beautiful Monster

Or, Zayn is a homeless vampire who, unbeknownst to Liam, has been routinely breaking into Liam's van for a warm place to sleep. When Liam catches him in the act things end up going in a direction no one expected. And then shit gets weirder. Because Liam might also be hiding some secrets of his own...

Z.A.Y.N

For six years, international R&B star Liam Payne has topped the charts with his unique, upbeat songs. Even though he’s proud of where he’s gotten himself, he knows he can’t take all the credit; there’s one particular songwriter that goes by the name ‘Icarus Kalim’ that’s played a huge part in his success. Because of the writer’s ability to craft thought provoking tracks that touch Liam in a way he didn’t even know was possible from afar, the celebrity makes a musical exception for ‘Icarus’, buying the man’s songs for himself, even though he swore he would never put his name on something he had no help in creating. But what happens when Liam finally tricks the soulful poet into meeting him after years of not even knowing what the man looks like? Is ‘Icarus’ really all Liam’s made him out to be in his head or will he be unlike anything the singer could’ve ever dreamt up…

I'm Almost Me Again, He's Almost You

(Or, where Liam searches across time and space for the answer to the question: Who the fuck is Zayn?)

A Full Course Meal

Liam had been dreaming about having his own restaurant for a few years. Money was always an issue, though, so when he heard the Food Network was recording a few episodes of Chopped in his city, he let his best friend talk him into participating.

Many things could go wrong along the way; from ruthless rivals to impossible ingredients, from unforgiving judges to his own mind getting in the way.

He spent long nights fretting about the possibilities and still, he never could have guessed what Chopped really had in store for him.

My Lungs and Your Lilac Eyes

This is a love story. It’s an accident, mostly. Nearly all of them are.

You're My Favorite Story

A zombie outbreak leaves Liam teamed up with Zayn, a stranger with a motorcycle who saves Liam's life. Their world has been turned upside down, and all they really have is each other.

Let's Be Alone Together

After getting his heart broken, Liam escapes his life in London by boarding a plane to Amsterdam. Along the way, he finds someone just as lost as him. Together they might just be able to find themselves.

Money Moves

~Fake Engagement AU with Boss!Liam and Secretary!Zayn ~

in the sun

"This man might wander into my dreams, too, some night. Wouldn’t it be nice, if I could pretend we’d met before? I’ve waited a long time, for such a lord.”

Be cruel to me ('cause I'm a fool for you)

Or the one where Zayn is a stressed out single dad, Liam might just be what he needs, Louis and Niall are always happy to babysit and Harry's a loud snorer.

powerless (and i don't care it's obvious)

"Or the one where Zayn and Liam are in love, Liam has another bro female pal that might have been his beard in high school, Zayn has heartbroken sorta past, Liam is a superhero, Louis and Harry are disgustingly in love as Liam and Zayn are and Liam's friends just want him to not-be-a-virgin anymore.)

#ziam fic rec #my ziam fic rec #ziamfanfiction

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areiton · 4 years

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End of Year Recs - 2019

It’s the end of year fic round up time--and this year I’m doing things a little different. I’m gonna do my favorite two fic for each ship or gen pairing I really enjoyed this year, and then (up to) five honorable mentions.

So here--without particular order, my faves from the year!! Also this is long as hell so hit read more for...more...

Irondad

we’re gonna have to do this together by edibna (Irondad | MCU)

Being a superhero sometimes means you forget about the small dangers in the world, like disease. For Peter, this means he loses May to natural causes, not something he could ever save her from.

Unknown to him, May left custody of Peter in the hands of Tony Stark, who, even though he wants kids, has no idea how to actually raise one. With a grieving superhero teenager on his hands, Tony is going to have to figure it out quick, if he wants Peter to ever be able to move on and be happy.

Webcams and Webshooters by losingmymindtonight (Irondad | MCU)

Once Peter's relationship with Tony gets out, the public can't get enough of their new favorite father-son duo.

So, naturally, they monopolize.

(Or: Tony and Peter's relationship, as seen through videos.)

Honorable Mentions:

Put out every star

Holdfasts

i'm the satellite (And you're the sky)

stars, hide your fires

miscommunications

~*~*~

Winteriron

fractures (filled) with liquid gold by itsallAvengers (Winteriron | MCU)

Ultron happened. The Avengers left.

Tony is fine with being alone again. He always worked better as a Lone Wolf than a team player anyway. He's not sleeping or eating or resting or... living, but it's fine. It's good. It's okay.

And then there's James.

illuminate me by Half_SubmergedinPurgatory (Winteriron | MCU)

Tony isn't a healthy man. He's fine with that, really. It makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, he has a job to do that kind of has his health as a major requirement. So he unmakes himself, remakes the Accords, protects every single child super that enters his field of view, and hopes ferociously that the Avengers never come back to the US. He doesn't spend any time at all rebuilding Bucky Barnes' life. Not a single second. Anything he does that contributes to him is simply an accident.

Bucky is a patient man. It's ok if Tony wants to ignore him for now. He won't be able to forever.

(Somewhere in the world, a sense of dread crawls up the back of Tony's spine)

Honorable Mentions:

a street corner in Cambridge

does it hurt

the road less traveled at the end of the line

scars

looking at you

~*~*~

Sambucky

winter, sweetheart by wilsonsnest (Sambucky | MCU)

To know the Falcon’s identity feels surreal to Bucky. It means nothing. As far as Hydra was concerned, Sam Wilson was erased. He has only ever been The Falcon and to Bucky he’s always been Sweetheart.

we could jump state lines (we only get the one life) by notcaycepollard (Sambucky | MCU)

It starts in Paris.

“You can’t steal things just because you like them,” Sam tells Bucky, feeling innately that this is a losing battle, and Bucky cocks his head to the side, considers Sam very thoughtfully.

“Really,” he says. “I’m stealing you, aren’t I?”

Honorable Mentions:

seek out hidden places

not an end, but (the start of all things)

cancel all your reservations (no more hesitations)

they gave you a heart, they gave you a name

you touch me within and so I (i know I could be human once again)

~*~*~

Starker

Stipulations by anonymous (Starker | MCU )

Peter Parker’s longterm dream recently went from ‘get into MIT’ to ‘afford going to MIT’. As the time approaches, it’s dawning on him that he won’t be able to pay his tuition and afford the move to Cambridge all at once: he’s out of money, his secrets are beginning to pile up, and desperation has started creeping in...

And then one night, he saves Tony Stark’s life.

mr. hurricane by spqr (Starker | MCU)

Peter makes it to the ripe old age of 26 without anyone finding out he’s Spider-Man. And then he falls asleep during a B&E at Stark Tower, and the rest is—well, the rest is this.

Honorable Mentions:

Both Ways

breaking point

velvet elvis

the leash

left hand free

~*~*~

Thorki

along a deserted highway by trieduntrue (Thorki | MCU)

The events of Thor (2011) take a different turn when both Thor and Loki are sent to Midgard without their powers as punishment for their misdeeds. With nothing except each other, they go on a journey to reclaim Mjolnir together.

soft shocks by stereobone (Thorki | MCU)

"And why," says Thor, "would I need to come with you to Jötunheim?"

"Ah, well," Loki says. "They may be under the impression that we're married."

Honorable Mentions:

How Long We Were Fooled

we spent our darkest days howling at the moon

~*~*~

Ironhusbands

touch the sky by scrollgirl (Ironhusbands | MCU)

Jamie Rhodes wouldn't be who she is today without her friendship with Tony Stark. The flip side of that is Tony Stark wouldn't be Iron Man without the twenty-five years he's been in love with her.

twenty five years by Not Applicable (Ironhusbands | MCU)

Nobody knows how long this has actually been going on. (Tony Stark has pretty much been in a monogamous relationship since he was 18 years old.)

Honorable Mentions:

a date on the moon

home for the non-holidays

reconstruction

pretend we're in love (the heartache still hurts)

i place your hands around my neck

~*~*~

Winterhawk

silhouette by mariana_oconnor (Winterhawk | MCU)

After a mission in Mexico goes wrong, SHIELD Agents Barnes and Rogers are given the job of hunting down the notorious Hawkeye and the Black Widow, the only problem being: no one even knows what they look like.

On the other side of the law, Clint's enjoying messing with their new SHIELD shadows, especially seeing how close he can get to Agent Barnes without him realising, but he makes the mistake of getting attached, and that makes everything more complicated.

nameless by AvaKelly (Winterhawk | MCU)

A gun is pointed at him before he can even move from his position, the Soldier's metal arm steady in its aim. Clint sighs.

"Nemo," Clint says. "It's tattooed on your wrist, right here," he lifts his right hand and taps his left index finger where his palm ends.

The Soldier's eyes widen. "How do you know this?"

"I put it there."

Honorable Mentions:

What do you mean we left Clint on Mars

clint barton's super secret snipers' club

lucky in love

i'll keep you safe here with me

complications

~*~*~

RPF

the end of the missing by eadunne2 (Evanstan | MCU RPF)

Sebastian remembers this from before, Chris’s physicality, remembers shoving and tripping one another, and hugs that lingered. It had been silly, friendly, until some vague, unspoken moment towards the end of filming when their relationship had changed again - Chris circling Sebastian’s wrist with his hand, or a palm to his lower back, only on rough days, only when Chris noticed him tensing up against unpleasantness in his own mind. At first Seb wanted to apologize, brokenness is a tiresome trait, but the actions seem to calm Chris too, ease his busy brain. When they lost touch Seb pretended not to miss it; he wouldn’t have had a chance to anyway, right? - with two dozen excellent fuck buddies all over the globe. Weird how they all had blue eyes though.

I would lose my decadence (for your love) by deadhearts (Stackie | MCU RPF)

The thing of it was that Mackie had just been trying to make a point. He'd just been trying to shut him up, or to make something clear, and he'd done what he'd set out to do. Sebastian had been well and properly put in his place. He'd been put in his place so well that Mackie had never touched him again, not in that way, because he'd never had the need: whatever question he'd been asking had been so thoroughly and roundly answered that there wasn't any need to ask it twice.

Honorable Mentions:

Like O, Like H

when you kiss me i just gotta say (baby i love you)

cross the line

fine until you're not

~*~*~

Stucky

ain’t no grave (can keep my body down) by spitandvinegar (Stucky | MCU)

It's six in the morning, and Steve is heading out on a run when he nearly trips over a bouquet of sunflowers on the front steps of his brownstone.

For a second paranoia takes over, and he kicks the flowers a little, waiting for them to explode. They don't. They also came with a card, which he picks up. The front of the card has a tasteful picture of the Brooklyn bridge at sunset. It's very nice and sedate, like the kind of card you would buy to give to your boss. On the inside someone has written a short message in big, shaky block letters.

I AM SORRY FOR SHOOTING YOU.

Steve sits down hard on the steps.

there should be stars by childhoodinfamy (Stucky | MCU)

“All memories to tell you the truth aren’t good.

But sometimes there were good times.

Love was good. I loved your crooked sleep

beside me and never dreamed afraid.

There should be stars for great wars

like ours. There ought to be awards

and plenty of champagne for the survivors.”

- Sandra Cisneros

Or, it takes them decades.

Honorable Mentions:

This, you protect

little animal lives

the long game

a long winter

the art of cooking for two

~*~*~

Stony

never too late for love by Sineala (Stony | MCU)

Steve has always believed that a soulbond is a blessing -- a rare and beautiful miracle, joining the thoughts and feelings of two people forever, from the first time they touch. Steve knows he's not going to be one of the lucky ones. He knows Gail isn't his soulmate. But he loves her, even if they're not soulmates, and he's going to do right by her. After the war's over, he's going to marry her, and they're going to settle down. They'll buy a house. They'll have children. He'll see his family again. Maybe Bucky will live next door. It's going to be a good life. He doesn't need a soulbond. He'll be fine without one.

Then Steve wakes up sixty years in the future to find that his wonderful life has moved on without him. His family is long dead. His fiancée married his best friend. And the only purpose he has left is leading the Ultimates, a misbegotten team of superheroes with flaws too numerous to count. Steve hates everything about the future -- but most of all he detests Tony, flashy and flirtatious, who embodies everything Steve hates about a world he never wanted to live in.

And, oh, yeah, Steve has a soulmate after all: Tony fucking Stark.

wait and sea by lenalena (Stony | MCU)

In which Tony and Steve get sent on an undercover mission aboard a cruise ship to make contact with Hydra. In this AU the military has kept the discovery and defrosting of Captain America a secret, so Steve and Tony have never met before. Yet they are to pose as newlyweds....

Honorable Mentions:

celestial navigation

the song without words

dear mr fantasy

slipping off the page into your hands

the twice-told tale

~*~*~

Stuckony

hide a heart of war by Hummingbird_52 (Stuckony | MCU)

“You’ve got war in your heart boy,” Howard sneers, “don’t ever try and pretend to be anything but what you are.”

Tony feels the familiar burn of a flower mark being etched into his skin but he doesn’t look, doesn’t try and check to see what it is. Instead he keeps his eyes on Howard and his hands cupped around his bleeding mouth and nose.

the stories we write by NotEvenCloseToStraight (Stuckony | MCU)

A question at an interview leads to Steve and Bucky discovering fan fiction, and after piles of coffeeshop au's and fake dating tropes (and screaming over ABO fics) they find an author that writes some of the best fics they've ever read-- reader inserts starring a dark haired, dark eyed male reader as their shared love interest.

The platonic fics are heartfelt and sweet, the smutty fics have them tearing their clothes off to act out scenes, the soulmate fics have them crying over the true love that so often ends with the Reader passing away and Stucky being left behind.

Then one day, a fic posts with a scene taken right out of their lives, one that happened right there in the Tower, entirely the same right up until they take the Reader to bed.

Bucky is the one to realize the writer is Tony.

Steve is the one to suggest writing fics of their own to show Tony they return his feelings.

Writing fics to show an author you're in love? What could possibly go wrong?

Honorable Mentions:

eagles

branded

imagine you and you (and you) and me

#arei reads fic #stony #stucky #sambucky #irondad #starker #winterhawk #winteriron #MCU RPF #stuckony #ironhusbands #thorki

139 notes · View notes

swanqueeneverafter · 4 years

Text

The Once & Future Queen Pt.9

Camelot. Courtyard. (Guinevere places a Camelot cape and sword on a pyre in the courtyard.) Guinevere: “I want to pay tribute to Robin of Locksley. Known to many of you as Robin Hood. We owe him a great debt. It is not just his deed that we’ll never forget. It’s his courage. His compassion. (Lancelot brings Guinevere a torch for the pyre:) His unselfish heart. (Guinevere looks over to Zelena who nods. Guinevere then tosses the torch on the pyre:) He gave his life for all of us.” (Zelena cries as she watches the pyre burning. Regina and Henry console Robin while the flames continue to grow. Alice takes Will’s hand.) Will: “He didn’t sacrifice himself for Camelot. He wanted to prove himself worthy to a man he never even met. It cost him his life.” (Alice nods and places a comforting hand on his shoulder and leaves him by the pyre to join Robin and the others. Zelena continues to weep by the pyre, as the courtyard slowly clears out.)

Arendelle. Past. Dawn. (Staring out at the lights coming from Arendelle castle, Emma rounds on Blackbeard, who looks rather pleased with himself.) Emma: "Arendelle. Seriously?" Blackbeard: (Chuckling:) "What's the big problem? I agreed to take you one place and we arrived at another. In fact by my reckoning, I've taken you further than we agreed." Emma: "Yeah, I can see that." Blackbeard: "Which means a renegotiation of my fee is required." Mulan: "What?!" Blackbeard: "Don't worry, I know you ladies don't have any money. So, since I only hire gentlemen for my crew... (Blackbeard’s crew begins to close in around Emma and Mulan:) I'm sure we can work something out." Emma: "You've got to be kidding." Blackbeard: "Just be relieved you didn't sail with Captain Hook and his crew. Because believe me, you two would have found the rogerings anything but jolly." (Emma looks to Mulan, who merely shrugs.) Emma: (Sighs:) "All right, you guys asked for it." (The crew cheer and converge on the two women. Moments later however, they are all blasted overboard by a pulse of Emma's powers. Drawing her sword, Mulan holds it at Blackbeard’s neck.) Mulan: "I believe you spoke of a renegotiation?" Blackbeard: "Ah. (Smiles:) What did you ladies have in mind?"

A Short Time Later. (Emma watches from the deck while Blackbeard rows away from them, cursing their names.) Blackbeard: "You ungrateful harlots! I hope you never get home!" Emma: "Yeah you just keep rowing, buddy." Mulan: (Standing by the cannon:) "Or we'll blast your little boat to pieces." Blackbeard: "You will rue the day you ever crossed the legendary Blackbeard!" Storybrooke. Present. The Dragon's Lair. (At Robin Hood's wake, Rumplestiltskin and Regina talk at the bar.) Rumplestiltskin: "Forgive me, it must be my age but, didn't we already have a wake for Robin Hood?" Regina: "Different guy." Rumplestiltskin: "I see." Regina: "Anyway, you're one to talk. You've come back to life more than a few times." Rumplestiltskin: "This is true." Regina: (As Rumple brings his drink to his lips:) "We didn't bother with a wake, though." Rumplestiltskin: (Chuckles:) "Perhaps next time." Regina: "Mm." Rumplestiltskin: "I get how you're feeling you know. Being separated from the one you love, knowing they're still out there somewhere. It's-" Regina: "Agony." Rumplestiltskin: "Yeah. (Places his hand on hers:) Of course, being separated from the one you love for thirty years after thinking they were dead is much harder." Regina: (Slapping his hand playfully:) "All right, it's not a competition." Rumplestiltskin: "If it were I'd win." (Elsewhere, Zelena and Robin talk about their feelings.) Zelena: "I'm sorry you had to go through this again. Losing your father like this." Robin: "Mom, he wasn't my father, you get that right?" Zelena: "Even so..." Robin: "Mom, your boyfriend just died to save everyone. That makes him a hero, but still not my Dad." Zelena: (Nods:) "I know. I just... this is the second time I've caused the death of the same man. How do I get over something like that?" Robin: "What happened wasn't your fault. He made the choice to sacrifice himself. I was the one who originally asked him to fight with us in the Dream World. If I hadn't then maybe-" Zelena: "Robin was little more than a common thief who spent his money on booze after fighting in the King's army. If you hadn't come along when you did to inspire him to fight, he'd still be there now. Robin told me as much on our first date." Robin: "He did?" Zelena: (Nods:) "He credited you for turning his life around. (Taking her hand:) Even though he wasn't your father, he was very proud of you." Robin: "I wish I hadn't given him such a hard time when you guys first started going out." Zelena: "He understood. It was difficult for all of us. What's important is the time we spent together and that in the end, he had something worth fighting for." Robin: (Smiles:) "I guess you're right. Just... promise me one thing?" Zelena: "Anything." (Robin stands, pulling her mother into an embrace.) Robin: "No more hooking up with Robin Hood doppelgängers, please?" Zelena: (Chuckles:) "I promise."

(Standing at the bar, Henry notices Will sitting alone and goes over to talk.) Henry: “Will! Hey.” Will: (Nods:) “Alright.” Henry: “How are you doing? Everything all right?” Will: (Takes a drink:) “Is it that obvious?” Henry: (Chuckles:) “Well, the truth is, I, uh, I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done. Helping Ella through Wonderland and everything.” Will: “Oh I don’t think you want to be thanking me for everything we did together. After all, (Winks:) someone had to be there for her, didn’t they?” Henry: “Uh-” Will: “You know Henry, you're not the only weirdo that believes in signs. I think it's in our darkest hours that the universe shows us our true path. (Henry’s cellphone rings:) That might be the universe calling.” Henry: “It’s Ella.” Will: “Ah. Well you better answer at least one of her calls eh?” (Will finishes his drink and leaves.) Henry: (Confused by Will’s behaviour, answers the phone:) “Hello? Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure. Of course I’ll be right there.” On A Hill Overlooking Storybrooke. (Seated together on a large rock, Gabrielle and Xena take time to enjoy their surroundings.) Gabrielle: "I'm sorry Robin Hood had to die, but I'm glad neither of us had to make that sacrifice." Xena: "Those days are over, remember?" Gabrielle: "Just be sure you do, Ms. Martyr." Xena: "Don't worry. I made you a promise never to die on you again after the incident with the Ambrosia." Gabrielle: (Watches Xena sharpen her sword:) "Yeah, and then you went and died two more times after that." Xena: "Technically you died on me first." Gabrielle: "But I came back to you." Xena: "Well so did I!" Gabrielle: (Chuckles:) "You're on thin ice, Warrior Princess." Xena: "Ooh ice! That was another one." Gabrielle: (Nods:) "I remember. When you let Ares beat the crap out of you. What was the point of that again?" Xena: "To draw out the Furies." Gabrielle: "Right. (Xena returns to sharpening:) At least that's one thing we don't have to deal with here." Xena: "What, Gods? (Gabrielle nods:) Yeah, that is a relief." Red Queen: (Arriving in a cloud of red smoke:) "Don't breathe that sigh of relief just yet, darlings." (Xena spins around, her sword ready for action.) Gabrielle: (Stands:) "Who are you?" Red Queen: "Why, I'm the Red Queen of course. And while I may not be a God, my powers will make you pray for mercy soon enough." Xena: "Get down!" (The Red Queen sends a jet of sparks towards Xena and Gabrielle, obliterating the rock they were sitting on. As the dust settles, the Queen sees that her prey have disappeared.) Red Queen: "Oh well, there's nothing like a good hunt." (Straightening her gloves, the Red Queen walks deeper into the woods. Hidden up in the trees, Xena and Gabrielle watch her go, concerned looks upon their faces.)

Arendelle. Past. Harbour. (Elsa rushes to the dock with Kristoff following her.) Kristoff: “Elsa! Wait! It's too late.” (Elsa watches Anna’s ship leave the harbour.) Elsa: “We have to go after her.” Kristoff: “No.” Elsa: “Are you really saying ‘no’ to your queen?” Kristoff: “I'm saying no to my future sister. (Elsa gives him a look:) In-law. For good reason. We both love Anna. We both know her. She will be fine.” Elsa: “She didn't have to do this alone.” Kristoff: “Yes, she did. You told Anna and you're right... You're the queen. We all remember well what happened the last time you left.” Elsa: “Why didn't you go with her?” Kristoff: “She didn't want me to. She thought I was needed here.” Elsa: “For what?” Kristoff: “She didn't want you to be alone. She'll be fine. I believe in her. You should too. Because she doesn't give up on the people she loves. And she always succeeds.” Elsa: “She also sometimes acts before she thinks. This place could be dangerous. What do we even know about this... Misthaven? How have I never heard of it?” Kristoff: “You might know it better by what the inhabitants call it.” Elsa: “What's that?” Kristoff: “The Enchanted Forest.” Emma: (Slightly out of breath from running:) "Queen Elsa! (Turns to see Mulan catching up with her:) I'm so glad you’re here." Elsa: "I'm sorry... (Looks to Kristoff, who shrugs:) Do I know you?" Emma: "Not yet, but you will. In time."

Storybrooke. Present. Will & Tiana’s Apartment. (Ella opens the door to Henry.) Henry: “This is so weird, I was just talking to Will at the bar.” Ella: “Oh, how’s he doing?” (Steps aside to allow Henry entry.) Henry: “He was acting kinda strange, but that’s to be expected I guess.” Ella: “Knowing Will as I do now, I’d say strange was definitely to be expected.” (They share a laugh.) Henry: “So, what are we doing here?” Ella: “Well, Tiana and I were talking and we thought it might be a good idea if you were to... ask me on a date.” Henry: “I thought we were already going on a date?” Ella: “Yeah, but a little romantic gesture always goes a long way.” Henry: (Smiles:) “Of course. (Looks around the apartment and spots something:) Ah. (Walks over and picks up a handful of flowers from a vase and hands them to Ella:) Ella, would you do me the honour of having dinner with me at the Dragon’s Lair?” Ella: (Smiling:) “I’d be delighted.” Henry: “Great. Pick you up here?” Ella: “Uh, no. How about I meet you there?” Henry: “Sure, what time?” Ella: “Say around...7.30?” Henry: “Sounds like we have ourselves a date.” Ella: “Yeah.” Henry: “So, do you want me to-” Ella: “Oh, no, Tiana and I have some stuff to do here.” Henry: “Okay, great. I’ll... see you at 7.30.” (He leaves. Ella leans on the door frame and watches him go.) The Dragon's Lair. (Regina is returning a glass to its shelf behind the bar when a voice calls out to her.) Ruby: "Regina. (Regina jumps and turns to face her:) Bad time?" (Regina glances around the empty bar.) Regina: (Sighs:) "I guess not." Ruby: "Great. I thought we could talk." Regina: "Yeah... all right." Ruby: (Takes seat at the bar:) "So, the last time this happened, Emma changed a few things in the past. Have you... I mean, do you feel any different?" Regina: "I'm not sure it really works that way. If there were big changes being made to our past, we in the present wouldn't necessarily know about it. The changes themselves would become our past." Ruby: "Oh... No, sorry, I don't quite get it?" Regina: "Okay, well the last time Emma went back, she and Hook altered a few key events. After they returned to the present, the only way we knew they were changes was because she told us about them. Does that make sense?" Ruby: "I guess so. I just thought that if Mulan and Emma were doing something in the past and we could sort of sense it happening, it'd be a way of being close to them? Kinda silly, huh?" Regina: (Shakes her head:) "No, it's not silly. It's very sweet. But like I said, I think the only way we're going to know what damage they've done is when they come back to us." Ruby: (Wistfully:) "Yeah." Regina: "And when they do return, I don't know about you, but I plan to jump Emma's bones the very first chance I get." (Ruby laughs heartily at this while Regina pours them both a drink.)

Granny's Diner. (David and Kristoff catch up.) Kristoff: "So, how're you handling things?" David: "Well, Snow's obviously busy covering Regina's duties as Mayor as best she can in between teaching her classes. And I've been helping down at the station whenever Lily needs an extra hand now that Hook is on his honeymoon." Kristoff: "Which is ironic when you think about it. I mean, Hook now literally has an extra hand and he's not here to lend it to his daughter." David: "I think Anna's terrible sense of humour is rubbing off on you." Kristoff: "Hey, Anna's sense of humour is great, just like mine. Your problem is you don't know good puns when you hear them." Unknown Location. Past. (Having agreed to take Emma and Mulan to the warrior's homeland, Kristoff has been pushing Sven pretty hard.) Kristoff: "Keep going, buddy, you're doing great. (To the others:) Do you know why I chose a reindeer to pull my sled rather than dogs?" Emma: (Bored:) "No." Kristoff: "Sven has a louder bark. If you ask me, the dogs were a little husky." Emma: (As Kristoff laughs:) "Oh, God. Are we there yet?" Mulan: "Yes, up ahead, look!" (Through the thick snowfall, all eyes turn to the cabin barely visible in the distance. Pulling the sled to a stop, Kristoff jumps down and offers his hand to each of them in turn.) Kristoff: "I hope you enjoyed your ride with us today, don't forget to pat the reindeer upon exit." Emma: "Thanks, Kristoff. You're a life saver." Kristoff: "Think nothing of it, happy to be of help." (Jumping down from the sled, Mulan makes her way silently through the snow.) The Cabin. Emma: (Catching up with her:) "You sure this is the right place?" Mulan: "Yes, I'm sure. Just do me a favour, don’t mention my name while we’re here." Emma: “What?” Mulan: “Just trust me.” (Reaching the door, Mulan knocks firmly. When the door opens, a look of recognition crosses Emma's face.) Emma: "You?" Dragon: "May I help you?" (The Dragon stares at the two women standing on his doorstep while the snow continues to fall all around them.)

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

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monkey-network · 3 years

Text

Moonsummer: Prologue

Have you ever gone to such passionate ends for something eternally dispassionate to your problems? All the chaos, the hurdles, for something you’re never certain is real and doesn’t care to know you exist? Why must this be the most favorable punchline to the most cosmically despicable joke imaginable?

A sundial has been erected in the village square for over ninety-nine years. We only know this because of me, one of the few that bothers to keep track of how long it’s been and can somehow answer simply when asked. Not even the headman, who doesn’t look an increment over twenty despite being over sixty, ever cares to remember and sometimes asks me about it’s age whenever I go to visit him. I have to walk by it every morning, evening, and occasional afternoon and over time, I feel like it mocks me. It gets to stand there, useless to no one because no one else notably acknowledges it, perfect as it appears. The hardest stone, with gypsum fragments peppered in its base, smooth slate with barely a chip fallen from its circumferential edge nor of its gnomon. It looks so perfect, so flawlessly antique it almost sickens me that every time I walk out, nary a soul goes up to it to utilize it’s crafted purpose. [sigh] At the same time, who am I to quibble? What does this sundial do that I haven’t done for myself after over fifteen years?

I notably asked myself this as I luckily woke up today, dawn seductively making her way up to my consciousness once more. About as awake as a milligram of yeast is getting its heat, I steadily peer onto the floor boards over the edge of my bed. I was grateful enough to see the beam hit the 7th chalk line so I definitely could get ready easier than most of last week. I scanned the floor for any insects, content to only find a mere pillbug near a dust mite.

Then came the best part of the minute as I rolled over to see that she was still in bed, back facing me. A two by three foot slab of visible bronze skin, glistening from the oil I helped apply last night. I steadily inched my hand up to her left shoulder, with a tear creeping out as I felt the multiple scars that told me of the rapiers responsible for these. This adult back was an artistic yet historical horror, malicious marks that no one could bless away no matter the remedy because, personally, they tell a story I’ve yet to hear. They’ve constantly reminded me of how gutless yet scared I am to just whisper her the question, regardless of how open we’ve been after so long,

“Who are you really, Cassius?”

I pulled my hand back, thankfully she didn’t notice. I rolled back to shift a leg out the sheets, to stop quickly after feeling a damp, goopy cloth on the ball of my exposed foot. I was the right amount of tired to only take a deep breath in muffled revulsion as I immediately recognized the piece of fabric… that was used… to pleasure… my girlfriend.

After cleaning “that” off, I tiptoed into the kitchen to see the grain was in the pot ready to boil. I turned on the heat in the midst of getting the brown sugar and some berries from the bag on the other counter. A couple minute wait goes by, and I hear a familiar creak from the bedroom. Awaken, she has. I turn to see she’s fast as ever to appear before the door, leaning confidently on the frame as it appears she woke up in a snap and is ready to seize. The darkest crimson of her long hair being the first thing I see to ignore the fact that she’s still nude.

“A morning of morns, love,” she yawned out like a grizzly, “bubbling the grain?”

“Yeah,” I said, trying to hide my smile, “something simple for today since we’re gonna be low on vittles for a couple days.”

“Pssh, you say that as if we get much else,” noting with a cheeky scoff, “Then again, this evening I’m certain me and the boys are netting some good ones. Boss said he’ll provide a catch just for me~~.”

“Sure, you should catch those clothes outside before somebody takes them like before.”

“Shit, you’re right! Gimme a sec.”

Cass went into the bathroom which leads to our clothesline outback. I began stirring the grain, taking in its charming warmth. Makes me grateful again that my “family” was as charitous to leave me enough for this old house. Still have regrets, but like this… well aged meal, I should be appreciative that things turned out well. Cass came back in, clothes tucked in her arm, and is still in the nude.

“Aren’t you cold? You gonna p-”

“Nope and nope right now,” she chipperly responded, “I’m in a pretty good mood after last night.”

“I figured with the evidence I stepped in this morning.”

“I thought you were gonna wash it before bed.”

“You said you would since I got to finish.”

“C’mon, you kne~ew I’m a heavy sleeper ‘specially after sex so this time it w-”

Before she could finish, I turned off the heat to slowly look towards here with a smile she knows can chip her confidence, if only for a second. She huffed, instantly lost the argument the moment our eyes squarely locked.

“Damn it... M’kay, I’ll make up for your squeeshy morning,” she slumped her way over to my shoulder with a cornered smirk, “only cause you bewitched me again and since you’re cooking this time.”

Cass slid her arm around my left side, now doing her typical cheek to cheek begging method, “Can I at least stay nude for just a little while longer?”

“Sure,” I said relievedly as we pecked lips real quick, “but clean your bowl before dressing.”

She plopped her clothes on her chair as I gave her the steamy breakfast and put the washed berries in the center of the table. She waited for me to sit down before digging in. She really was in a good mood, she’s always respectful to me but not as patient and awake as this morning. As we started talking about the happenings of the village and her job buddies, I wondered if there was more than the potential “good catch” this evening that had her in such spirit. I’m probably overthinking it, but I don’t know if last night was better than some of the others. It’s never like Cass is hiding something beside her past, but that has never been something I felt could be brought up and not feel too wrong for pressing. Again, it could be just me, but something about Cass’s spirit this morning made me feel different. Different, in a good way.

After eating, we cleaned our bowls. I went back into the bedroom to see the sunlight reaching the 2nd chalk line which means I was on schedule. I got dressed but I decided to not wear my vest today. Not sure why, but I just tucked my tie into my shirt since I didn’t have a clip. I walked back in to see Cass on the hay couch having her jumpsuit on but not fully zipped, still with no top on as she threw her hair back, revealing more of her rosy nipples before facing towards the kitchen.

“Got time to do my hair?” she requested over the shoulder, back once more facing me.

“Of course,” I said calmly, feeling at ease that the morning was running as smoothly as it was.

Sat down to methodically comb these dark red locks as she stared at the front door, I kept pace with braiding her mohawk just how she likes it. Firm up top but not tight all the way down. After a couple minutes, as I was nearing the end of the braid I noticed the scars again. I slowed down for a moment, intrusively imagining countless brutal events in a flash before recollecting myself to finish. I was thankful she didn’t notice the pause. She took a sec to appreciate the work before bouncing to do my hair. I faced the bedroom doorway as I felt those admittedly big hands of hers caress my hair gently before combing it out. I wanna say this is what I’ve come to love about her. A woman bigger than me, far stronger than I could ever do for myself, the body of someone that I can’t help but say was tormented, and she enjoys treating me with genuine grace. I know we helped each other out long ago but, deep down, I feel like she’s too nice to me after all this time. I’m not sure, I don’t know what’s happening with me this morning. I know I love Cassius, she loves me back wholeheartedly, so why does it feel like something’s out of place? Nothing is wrong, but something feels incomplete.

“All good,” Cass says, patting me playfully.

I shake my head, not only to feel the braiding but to wake from the daze.

“Thanks, hon’,” I said putting the braid over my shoulder.

I grab my satchel and Cass grabs her tackle box after finally putting her top on and zipping up her jumpsuit. We put our shoes on and headed out the door. Walking outside, I took in the fresh, cool air of the morning and for the first time in a long while, it felt like things were gonna go my way somehow.

Cass closed the door and whispered, “I know, right? Sex can make for a breath-taking morning.”

“Shut up,” I flusteredly giggled with a playful jab to the arm, “I’ll see you later.”

“Sorry sorry, see you tonight, Aussie.”

We shared one more kiss before she jogged off, waving goodbye as I waved back genuinely.

“See you… Cass,” I whimpered in awe.

I slowly let my arm down, standing in the same spot for longing than desired. I peered passionately at my girlfriend until she was the size of my pinky finger, then I started to walk to my job staring coldly at the ground.

The dirt felt right, damp but not muddy. The breeze felt complimentary to the gradual warmth of the sun, especially on my neck. I honestly couldn’t feel my steps as I went along, like I was just floating along as I felt empty. Not empty in a negative sense, but hardly any other thought I had stayed for more than a second. What came over me? Was I late? No, I kept track; I know I can’t be late? Was I malnourished? No, that breakfast still feels filling to me; ate two whole bowls of grain. Was it... love? More than before when I haven’t felt any different about her? I love her, I know I do, but what is convincing me otherwise? Not otherwise, but variably? Seriously, what other feelings could I have for that beautiful and outgoing and strong and polite an- OOMPH!

My mind played a gag as I somehow walked right into the square’s sundial, stumbling from the pain in the stomach before falling over onto the ground. I writhed for a bit before looking to see the sharp triangular tip of the gnomon spark for a moment. I instantly grew puzzled, so I got up and looked at the big instrument. It wasn’t long before I recognized something that I should have for the past fifteen years… the sundial was facing east. Nobody could even use this because it’s… always been positioned wrong. Something that looks so perfect, and yet could hardly do the one thing it was meant to do for almost a century.

That was when another thought occurred to me. A more deeper thought, one that stuck with me for the many weeks that I’d knowably work through to finally answer it with everything and everyone coming together:

How does time move forward?

#mnky writing #Moonsummer #long post #my story #feedback would be appreciated #fav

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theboy-thebitch-thelegend · 3 years

Text

President-Elect Joe Biden Addresses the Nation

transcribed from: x

Hello my fellow Americans.

And the people that brought me to dance, Delawarians. I see my buddy, Senator Tom Carper, down there; and I think Senator Coons is there, and I think the Governor is around. Is that Ruth Ann? And former Governor Ruth Ann Minner. Most importantly, my sisters-in-law and my sister, Valerie.

Anyway, folks, the people of this nation have spoken. They have delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for We the People. We’ve won with the most votes ever cast for a presidential ticket in the history of the nation, 74 million. While I must admit it surprised me, tonight we’re seeing all over this nation, all cities and all parts of the country- indeed across the world- an outpouring of joy, of hope, renewed faith; and tomorrow will bring a better day.

And I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me. I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify, who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States. I’ll work with all my heart with the confidence of the whole people to win the confidence of all of you- and for that is what America, I believe, is about. It’s about people, and that’s what our administration will be all about.

I sought this office to restore the soul of America

to rebuild the backbone of this nation, the middle class, and to make America respected around the world again. And to unite us here at home. It’s the honor of my lifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for that vision. And now the work of making that vision is real. It’s a task, the task of our time.

Folks, as I said many times before, I’m Jill’s husband. And i would not be here without her love and tireless support, and my son Hunter and Ashley my daughter, and all our grandchildren and their spouses and all our family. They’re my heart. Jill’s a mom, a military mom, an educator. She has dedicated her life to education- but teaching isn’t just what she does, it’s who she is. For American educators, this is a great day for you all. You’re going to have one of your own in the White House. And Jill is going to make a great First Lady. I’m so proud of her.

I’ll have the honor of serving with a fantastic Vice President you just heard from, Kamala Harris. She’ll make history as the first woman, the first black woman, the first woman from South Asian descent, the first daughter of immigrants, ever elected in this country- don’t tell me it’s not possible in the United States! It’s long overdue and we’re reminded tonight of those who fought so hard for so many years to make this happen.

Once again, America has bent the arc of the moral universe more toward justice.

Kamala, Doug, like it or not, you’re family. You’ve become an honorary Biden, there’s no way out. For all those of you who volunteered and worked the polls in the middle of this pandemic, local elected officials, you deserve a special thanks from the entire nation. And to my campaign team and all the volunteers and all who gave so much of themselves to make this moment possible: I owe you. I owe you, I owe you everything.

And to all those who supported us, I'm proud of the campaign we built and ran. I’m proud of the coalition we put together. The broadest and most diverse coalition in history: Democrats, Republicans, Independents; Progressives, Moderates, Conservatives; young, old, urban, suburban, rural; gay, straight, transgender; white, Latino, Asian, Native American. I mean it- and especially those moments when this campaign was at its lowest ebb, the African-American community stood up again for me. They have always had my back, and I'll have yours.

I said at the outset, I wanted this campaign to represent and look like America. We’ve done that.

Now, that’s what I want the administration to look like and act like.

For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance.

It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature

See each other again, listen to each other again; and to make progress we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies, they are Americans.

The Bible tells us: to everything there is a season, a time to build, a time to reap and a time to sow and a time to heal.

This is the time to heal in America.

Now this campaign is over, what is the will of the people? What is our mandate? I believe it’s this: America has called upon us to marshal the forces of decency, the forces of fairness; to marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope and the great battles of our time; the battle of control of the virus, the battle to build prosperity, the battle to secure your family’s health care, the battle to achieve racial justice and rout out systemic racism in this country, and the battle to save our planet by getting climate under control. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy and give everybody in this country a fair shot. That’s all they’re asking for: a fair shot.

Folks, our work begins with getting COVID under control. We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality or relish life’s most precious moments- hugging our grandchildren, our children; birthdays, weddings, graduations- all the moments that matter most to us, until we get it under control.

On Monday I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisers to help take the Biden/Harris COVID plan and convert it into an action blueprint that will start on January the 20th, 2021.

That plan will be built on bedrock science. It will be constructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern. I will spare no effort, none, or any commitment, to turn around this pandemic.

Folks, I’m a proud Democrat. But i will govern as an American President. I’ll work as hard for those who didn’t vote for me as those who did. Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now. Refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another is not some mysterious force beyond our control, it’s a decision, a choice we make.

If we can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide to cooperate.

And I believe that this is part of the mandate given to us from the American people. They want us to cooperate in their interests, and that’s the choice I'll make. I’ll call on Congress- Democrats, Republicans alike- to make that choice with me.

The American story is about a slow yet steadily widening the opportunities in America. And make no mistake,

too many dreams have been deferred for too long.

We must make the promise of the country real for everybody, no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity, or their disability.

Folks, America has always been shaped by inflection points: by moments in time where we made hard decisions about who we are and what we want to be.

Lincoln in 1860 coming to save the Union; FDR in 1932 promising a beleaguered country a New Deal; JFK pledging a new frontier; and 12 years ago when Barack Obama made history and told us, Yes, we can. Folks, we stand at an inflection point. We have an opportunity to defeat despair; to build a nation of prosperity and purpose.

We can do it, I know we can.

I’ve long talked about the battle for the soul of America. We must restore the soul of America. Our nation is shaped by the constant battle between our better angels and our darkest impulses. And what presidents say in this battle matters. It’s time for our better angels to prevail. Tonight the whole world is watching America. And I believe at our best, America is a beacon for the globe.

We will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.

I’ve always believed, many have heard me say, I’ve always believed we can define America in one word:

Possibilities.

That in America, everyone should be given the opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God-given ability will take them. I believe in the possibilities in this country. We’re always looking ahead. Ahead to an America that’s freer and more just. Ahead to an America that pays jobs with dignity and respect. Ahead to an America that cures diseases like cancer and alzheimer’s. Ahead to an America that never leaves anyone behind. An America that never gives up, never gives in. This is a great nation. It’s always been a bad bet to bet against America.

We’re good people. This is the United States of America and there’s never been anything, never been anything we’ve been not able to do when we’ve done it together.

Folks, in the last days of the campaign, I began thinking about a hymn that means a lot to me and my family, particularly my deceased son, Beau. It captures the faith that sustains me, which I believe sustains America, and I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to 230,000 Americans who have lost a loved one to this terrible virus this year. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. Hopefully this hymn gives you solace as well. It goes like this:

And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings Bear you on the breath of dawn And make you to shine like the sun And hold you in the palm of His hand

And now together on eagles’ wings we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do with full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with love of country, a thirst for Justice.

Let us be the nation that we know we can be, a nation united, a nation strengthened, a nation healed: the United States of America.

Ladies and gentlemen, there’s never, never been anything we’ve tried and not been able to do.

So remember, as my grandpa said when I walked out of his home when I was a kid up in Scranton:

He said, “Joey, keep the faith.”

Our grandmother when she was alive, she said, “No, Joey- spread it.”

Spread the faith! God love you all! May God bless America and may God protect our troops!

#2020 election #Joe Biden #president-elect joe biden #Kamala Harris #vice president kamala harris #joe biden speech #victory speech #democratic victory #2020 election results #i should do kamala's as well i just need to find the time

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noctuprofugit · 4 years

Photo

meet rory!

“And what is beauty?” “Terror.”

At a glance SHE may look like KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, but in reality they’re just UNKNOWN year old LORELEI CAVENDISH, a FAERIE here in Barton Hallow. They are a COURT MEMBER in the DARKNESS SECTOR. They work as a CLASSICS/LITERATURE PROFESSOR here in town and are known for being ERUDITE and INTIMIDATING. I’d watch my back if I were you.

BASICS

Full Name: Lorelei Selene Cavendish

Nicknames / Monikers: Rory, Lori (first name) + Cel, Lena (given name)

Current Titles: Faerie Court Member (darkness sector) & senior lecturer in Classics & Literature at Hollow College

Former Titles: Duchess of Devonshire (circa 18th century) & lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth of York (c. late 15th century to early 16th century) amongst others; she’s been around an incredibly long time, to say the least.

Gender & Pronouns: cis female & she/her

Date of Birth: 31st October, unknown year

Place of Birth: Believed to be what is modern-day Norfolk, England.

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual ( with a preference for women )

Romantic Orientation: Panromantic

APPEARANCE

Faceclaim: Keira Knightley

Height: 5 ft 7 in (170cm) in human form.

Eye Colour: Brown & “deep-set”

Favoured Expression: Rory calls it “neutral,” others would almost certainly call it “resting bitch face.”

Accent: Decidedly high-society, “received-pronunciation” or ‘stereotypical’ English. She can, however, still do a very good imitation of the Essex accent, as she keeps going back to Colchester, a place with... interesting memories for her.

Clothing Style: Increasingly variant and mood-dependent, swinging between formal and comfortable at her own whim.

TRIVIA

MBTI Type: ENTJ-A

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Theme Song: Which Witch by Florence + The Machine

Favourite Movie: Dead Poets Society

Preferred Weather: The cool dampness of approaching rain, just before dawn, when the world is perfectly silent and dark; the sun has not come yet, and her strength is at its finest. “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”

Favourite Food: In Rory’s opinion ( alternatively known as the right opinion, as she has been known to say ) you just can’t beat a medium-rare ribeye steak.

Favourite Drink: A perfectly paired wine with the above steak. Existence & time-related monetary inflation has made her rich enough to be a “connoisseur,” though she doesn’t necessarily flaunt this all of the time. It can, however, be a quite excellent card to have in her hand when it comes to deal-making.

Favourite Book: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

BIOGRAPHY

Why is Dr. Lorelei Cavendish ( doctorate in classics and literature from Girton College, Cambridge ) so knowledgeable in her field? Well, she crossed paths with a great many of the writers and scholars discussed.

The house you drive by and absently say to your companion, “if I had the money, I’d live there?” She lives in that house. It’s the envy of the town and she wouldn’t take any less. It’s just worthy of her and her first edition books.

Don’t ask her how old she is; she won’t tell you. It’s not like she can: she doesn’t remember when or where she was born herself, which is naught but an unfortunate side-effect of time stretching out unerringly behind you. She has a tight connection to the places she does remember; times she’s dabbled in English nobility, years she’s spent living in Colchester, for example. If she had to give herself an identity based on what she does know of herself, she’d say she was English.

She sounds it, after all.

Her head is so loud, the sound of her own heart and her own thoughts so deafening that it takes effort to place herself in the world.

“Lorelei Cavendish” is not her birth name, and thusly not her real name. Giving her real name to people decreases her power over them: Rory knows this, and she’s not “actually that stupid.” If she believes you are stupid, don’t take it personally — or do, she doesn’t much care — her threshold to consider people learned and intelligent is about as high as the Empire State, at least.

Rory came across Barton Hollow quite by accident, and the irresistible allure of a fresh civilisation appealed to her. New things tend to be the most mould-able, where the traditional ( from whence she came ) are, in her experience, staunch in their ways. So if — from that alone — you’ve come to the conclusion that Lorelei Cavendish is a cunning and silver-tongued piece of work driven by her own machinations: you’re absolutely right.

( She has always picked her occupations to gain power over people: occupations in which people would thoughtlessly break rule number one: never give your name to the Fae. Her position as a teacher, in which students readily give their names, is no exception. )

CONNECTIONS

Best Friend (taken by @freya-frost): The only person in the world Rory wouldn’t stab in the back for her own ends, and likewise the only person she has told her true name. If the darkness faerie’s dreams come to life, then this muse definitely stands to benefit handsomely as her right hand.

Best Enemy: Okay, so think the Doctor and the Master from Doctor Who. Rory is the Master. They were best friends, once, but it went sour once this character worked out the sort of person Rory really was. ‘Sour’ is loose, because this muse is really hopeful of remedying her. It won’t work.

Victims: People she’s tricked and now holds... some degree of influence over. We can plot this out more ( the exact degree ) if you’re interested in it.

Unrequited Love: Someone who has a crush on Rory, but it’s like she doesn’t see them. She does, but she prefers to ignore them apart from the satisfaction they bring to her... considerable ego. She’ll give them brief moments of attention when she wants to feel a little ego boost.

Requited Love: Open to anyone, but she leans to women. I’d love an angsty element. I apologise that I’m only able to express things through song, but something like Visions of Gideon by Sufjan Stevens, or Amsterdam by Daughter, because real love hurts and she needs to feel something.

Reluctant Ward: A muse who is lost, and so Rory’s reluctantly taken them under her wing. Who knows how they’ve wormed their way into her cold, dead, heart — but they’re there now, and there’s nothing she can do about it.

Mentee: Someone with an intense interest in classics and/or literature who she’s taken an interest in.

Burgundian Wine Club aka Drinking Buddy: Self-explanatory, I think. Everyone needs their vices, right?

The Icarus Union: Think of it as a dark-academia aligned grouping that meets in an abandoned building. It’s almost a cult but not quite. It feeds into Rory’s desire for power: to have begun this herself. They are very much like The Secret History by Donna Tartt: wishful for all things grand and beautiful, drinking and wistfully smoking and staring out of windows. Writing their feelings and reading what truly touches their souls. And most of all, hungering for all things beautiful: and beauty is terror, and gifts come with their due prices.

Ex-Lovers: She’s certainly had them.

Cavendish Family: Siblings, half-siblings, cousins, heck even a child or two, or a grandchild. I’m down for whatever.

#bartonintro

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quietwriterthoughts · 4 years

Text

Sunday

Drops of water hit the window. It’s raining again and I find myself drifting to sleep. The slow, comforting sound of the water rare now that the weather is getting colder. I doze in and out of sleep until a different sound forces my eyes open. I look out the window and from my cozy spot in the recliner chair, I hear it. In the kitchen, the old lady is bustling back and forth, from the fridge to the stove, getting ready for lunch, unaware that our quiet life is about to be upended.

I can’t see the door from where I sit, but I can hear them coming even before they get to the door. Whatever anyone says, my hearing is still as clear as it was when I was young. My eyesight may be going and my old bones not as strong, but my mind is still sharp. The old can age gracefully and still keep their wits about them, even if they choose to sit in a recliner for most of the day. As it so happens, I don’t bother to get up from my chair as the door opens. I know from experience that the small foyer only gets crowded as the family arrives. It's Sunday; the best day of the week, in my opinion, and the entire family will come over for lunch and my usually quiet home will fill with laughter and the pitter patter of the grandchildren’s little feet.

The door opens and many voices fill the house all at once. I groan ever so slightly and glance around the room. The living room is small for a townhouse, but with my recliner in the corner and the couch on the opposite wall, we’ve made it work. I glance at the shelf beside the tv. Several of my precious trinkets have been kindly set up high by the old lady, in preparation for the ones that have just arrived. The first group is loud, boisterous and full of a boundless energy that I will swear, up and down, I never had in my youth. Their voices echo down the hall and the quiet disappears. They say it’s the darkest before the dawn, well in this house it’s the quietest before the chaos.

If I wasn’t paying attention, I might’ve missed it. The shape that comes hurtling around the corner is a blur of black and white and mostly legs. The dogs have arrived. The first dog skids into the room and a second follows right behind, a little slower, but, she still careens into the room with the same propulsion. Two more creatures follow and I am a little more relieved to see these ones. They, at least, can control the two blurs that still have leashes attached. With matching mops of curly black hair and teasing smiles, the twins, one in pink and one in blue, chase the two dogs in a complete circle. The chase through the dining room, into the kitchen and then back seems endless, until one of the dogs collides into the couch. The twin in blue slides right in beside him, laughing hysterically as only a tiny human could.

“Liam! Scooter!” comes the booming voice of the tall man from the foyer. He, who looks just like the boy on the floor. The two culprits look at each other and make a run for it, running into the kitchen as the tall man comes around the corner. The other dog walks right behind him as if she hadn’t just been apart of the chase seconds before.

The man smiles at me and says hello in a quiet voice. Everyone does that now. No matter how loud the house gets or the conversation in it, they always speak to me that quiet voice. I try to say hello back, but the twin in pink begins to cry from the kitchen and the tall man is gone. I watch as he goes to console the small girl. The twin in blue is on the verge of tears, but stands beside his sister, his arms crossed in defiance and guilt.

A shadow crosses over my face and I look away from the scene. My heart does a little flip and I want to stand now, to get up and jump and run. My best girl stands in front of me, her warm eyes staring into mine, familiar and kind. No longer the young girl from my youth, she too has grown older. She kneels and her hand touches my face, her fingers featherlight and gentle. “I’ll try to keep them quiet today” she tells me, but, both she and I know that what she is proposing is almost impossible.

The crying stops as the door opens again and the second group arrives. My girl gets up to greet them and I sigh. I want to follow her, but my bones creak as I stretch them out and I stay where I am. There are only three in this next group and while they are the calmer of the two groups, they can be just as loud. The woman laughs and the sound bounces of the walls. It’s joined by the laughter of another voice, smaller, and deeper. I am now fully awake. The kind boy is here today. His protests echo down the hall as the mother of the twins peppers him with kisses and hugs. It’s a scene that has occurred so often over the years that I don’t have to get up to see it.

The boy comes around the corner, a bag on his shoulder and a toy car in his hand. The twins race up to him and he hands the blue twin the car. The little girl pouts as she watches her brother run off with the toy, but the kind boy has come prepared. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small trinket. I cannot see what it is, but the girl takes the object and hugs the boy before following her brother. He watches her go and then turns towards me. He shrugs off his backpack and places it on the ground and starts to walk towards me when he is intercepted by the old lady, who hugs him as only a grandmother would, crushing and with love.

The others all spill into the living room as the boy is pulled into the kitchen, no doubt to be given a preview of what is for lunch. My best girl reappears with them and comes to stand next to my chair. My heart does the little flip again and I stare at her until my eyes begun to droop.

I wake up sometime later and the group has moved to the dining room. Lunch is well underway and the dogs are under the table, sitting at the feet of the old man, who must have arrived after I dozed off. He’s notorious for handing out tidbits to the dogs, his fingers always at the ready with a scrap of bread or cheese to sneak under the table. There is a running joke that even though the basket of bread stays at his end of the table, he never actually eats any of it. The kind boy, who sits next to him, likes to take several pieces right at the beginning and will pile it next to his plate, just in case. He learned that from my girl. I crane my head to see her, but she is at the other end of the table, next to the old lady. She sits across from the one who has what my girl calls, the Eye. She can silence loud voices and curb bad behaviour with only a single look. I used to be the subject of that look, but since the twins arrived, the look has changed targets. Thank god.

When I used to join the group at the table, my place was next to my girl, although I occasionally moved around to make sure the dogs were behaving. That was a long time ago. Now, I prefer to stay in my chair and watch, my old nose telling me everything I need to know about what’s being served. Today, its pasta with meatballs, plus a bowl of leaves with a bitter smell that makes my nose crinkle. My best girl used to say that I had the worst sniffer in the world and that I couldn’t sniff out a steak if it was right in front of me. I could, for the record. I just chose to use my nose in a more advanced way, like finding the lost cookie in the far reaches of the couch or the day old potatoes in the garbage bin outside. A dummy could smell a steak right in front of them, but only a real hound could find something no one else could.

There is a lull in conversation and kind boy looks over to me and says something to the table. I lift up my head and watch as he brings his empty plate to the kitchen and then heads back towards me, one of his hands curled tight at his side. He kneels in front of my chair and opens his hand. A kibble sized piece of meatball, flattened ever so slightly, lands next to my paw. The boy smiles and glances back at the table while I eat the small offering. He turns back as I swallow it and I look up at him. He has gotten older since I first met him, taller too. He’s even had a haircut since he was last here. But, he still smells the same as he did when he was no bigger than the twins. It’s a mixture of cookies and dirt and I love it.

His hand reaches out and touches my ears, flipping one of them back over.

“They still feel like velvet,” he whispers to himself, as his fingers trace the path of white around my eyes that has long since replaced the brown.

“Are you tired, Buddy?” he asks me, his hand stopping to rest on my head. I want to tell him no, that I can still chase him around the house too. I look at him and manage to sneak a kiss to his hand instead. He recoils and laughs, his twinkling eyes full of happiness.

“Buddy!” he scolds, fondness overriding any real annoyance. He tries to wipe his hand with his shirtsleeve, but as he does I sneak another kiss to his cheek. He falls back onto the floor in his haste to get away from any more of my kisses. This proves disastrous for the boy as the other dogs abandon the table, which is now being cleared, and lunge for him. They jump all over him, licking his face and pinning him down. The commotion doesn’t faze the big people as they are given mugs of steaming liquid, but it does get the attention of the twins, who bolt from their parents and join in on the fun. I watch in amusement as the boy tries to get free, calling for his dad to save him, tears of laughter streaming down his face as the dogs now begin their assault on the smaller, easier to pin children.

The big people look over and they begin to move to the living room, mugs held carefully in their hands, high above the madness going on below. The boy breaks free and jumps for cover onto the couch. His father takes pity on him and sits in front of him, protecting him from any further attack. The old man pats me on the head as he drags a dining chair next to the recliner. My girl is the last to come. She nudges my shoulder and I look up at her.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she says. “Scooch over.” She gives me another poke and I sigh loudly, which elicits a laugh from the lady with the eye.

“You’re such an old man,” the lady says in that quiet voice, reaching over to pat me on the head. Her hands are gentle and kind, just like the kind boy next to her.

I shift slightly and my girl slides in beside me. I lay my head on her legs and gaze up at her. Her hands are the ones I like the best. They glide over my head and neck in a way that always makes me feel sleepy and safe. I can feel her laughter, her body vibrating as she watches the twins try to escape the dogs, and I hum softly in response.

My house is noisy, crowded with dogs and children, there are little toys that pinch when you step on them and adults who squish together on couches not made for more three people. I feel my eyes begin to droop once more, the gentle motion of my girl’s hand on my back and the blissful chaos that surrounds me lulling me to sleep.

I want to stay awake to run and to play with the dogs and children, to go into the empty kitchen and try and reach the last meatball on the counter, but for right now, I am content.

My family is all around me. My girl is beside me. I close my eyes and dream of more Sundays.

The End.

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