#in the end i just shifted her parting and shortened it

[loveharlow]

I neeeed a friends to lovers with rafe. like you’ve been friends for ages and always been a bit flirty but he’s get a girlfriend so you back off and he gets annoyed. so he invites you to the gym bc you always went together and he’s touchy and ends with a love confession.

i'm only doing blurbs rn so I had to shorten this a bit but i still feel like it encompasses your idea which is just chef's kiss btw😚 (also, this idea reminds me of that new Lay Bankz song thats been going viral:)

cheating, sexual innuendoes, heavy touching, allusions to sex

"Your ass is getting tighter." Rafe breathed out, setting the barbell down, letting the metal clank against the padded gym floors.

You scoffed, taking one last swig from your water bottle and shifting your weight, letting the now closed cup fall gently to the floor. Your hands were on your hips as you spoke through heavy breaths. "You can't say things like that to me anymore, y'know?".

The boy simply shrugged, standing from the bench and leaning against the metal that supported the equipment. "You never had an issue before."

"You didn't have a girlfriend before." You added, cocking an eyebrow and turning away from him to where the dumbbells were lined up against the wall and adjusting your sports bra. "Or are you just gonna pretend Sophia doesn't exist?"

The wall where the weights were had a large mirror behind it, allowing you to see Rafe creeping up behind you, swiping a hand down his face to reveal a smirk. "Is that why you been dodgin' me? What, she say somethin' to you?" He inquired, sliding a gentle hand around your waist to which you brushed off immediately, sighing and turning on your heels to face him.

"No, Rafe, she didn't. But I wouldn't blame her if she did." You informed, crossing your arms and paying no mind to the little distance between you two. "The flirting, the touching — you can't keep doing this. I'm not a home-wrecker or a side-piece."

"You wouldn't have to be if you had said somethin' first." He said so nonchalantly, reaching around to tap your ass as your jaw dropped.

You struggled to find words, stuttering over your sentences before he cut in once more. "Next time you want advice? Don't ask Top. A little vodka and he's an open book." He basically laughed out.

"...Well, whatever he told you, it's over now." You gained your composure, feigning confidence and carelessness as you pulled your workout shorts higher up on your waist and attempted to turn away once more.

"So, you don't wanna fuck me anymore?"

You couldn't help but laugh, partly out of shock and amusement, throwing your head back as your eyes zoned in on Rafe. "That's what he told you?" You asked incredulously, scoffing. "I've wanted to fuck a lot of people, rich boy. You're not special."

The sweaty male simply jutted out his bottom lip, ruffling his hair. "I didn't think you'd want me to bring up the part where he said you were in love with me." He retorted. "Y'know, since I have a girlfriend 'n all..." He mocked your previous statement, throwing his hands out and turning away from you now.

"That's..." You started, tucking stray strands of hair behind your ear, feeling your face heat up. "...completely untrue." You muttered under your breath. The somewhat playful banter had turned into dangerous territory for any conversation to take place.

You'd been trying to keep your distance from Rafe ever since he popped out with Sophia for this exact reason.

You bent down to pick up two ten-pound weights in hopes of ending the conversation there when an all too familiar hand fully grabbed your ass in one hand, squeezing so tightly that you let the weights fall to the floor, whipping around in shock.

"Rafe! Dude, what-"

"I wanna hear it." He whispered, a hand grasping your jaw and directing your gaze up to him.

"Hear what?" You forced out, your speech slightly slurred from the way he was pressing your cheeks together.

"You're too pretty to play dumb." He spoke lowly, eyeing you up and down. "We both know you still want me. So, just admit it and I'll give you what you want."

Your mind fiddled with the idea for a moment. You never considered yourself a homewrecker or anything of the sort but something about Rafe was so tempting at this moment, making your knees shake as you stood.

You knew what you said next would forever make you the villain in most people's stories but self-control was always something you struggled with.

"...I'm still in love with you."

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"He spoke against your lips, your faces just centimeters apart.

His free hand hooked into the waistband of your shorts, dragging them down as your eyes fleeted around the empty gym room. He dropped to his knees in front of you, dragging your bottoms the rest of the way down as he licked his lips.

"Next time, let's not make this so hard on ourselves, yeah?"

©loveharlow.

heads up: i added emoji anons to my blog, so feel free to send an ask to take one if you frequently send in asks!

#harlowhasmail💌 #req. ♥︎ #rafe cameron x kook!reader #rafe cameron x fem!reader #rafe cameron x pogue!reader #rafe cameron angst #obx rafe #rafe cameron fanfiction #rafe cameron x you #rafe cameron smut #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron #rafe angst #rafe outer banks #rafe x you #rafe fanfiction #rafe smut #rafe x reader #rafe imagine #rafe fic #rafe obx #outerbanks rafe

[thesamoanqueen]

Same Side

Raitings: 18+

Warnings: SMUT

A/N: Requested by Anon "Roman watching Y/N vs Paul Heyman"

The room was empty, the lights dimmed. Roman took off his jacket leaving it on an armchair, next to the heels that she had taken off arriving before him. She could do everything on those stilts, but they were the first thing she let go of when she shut the world out to relax. In silence he crossed the entire space to the balcony, from which there was one of the best views he had ever happened to admire, although his attention was immediately on her, as soon as he crossed the threshold. Hands in his pockets, he watched as she scrolled photo after photo of them together, an untouched wine glass on the table beside her and that coral skintight dress still clinging to her curves.

- That skirt was pretty – he commented, seeing her lose a few seconds too much on one of the pic taken during his last birthday, a couple of days before.

She had spent the whole day going from one part of the house to another, getting everything sorted before his family reached them. Maybe it was because of the announcement of their relationship, maybe just because it was an important day for him, Roman hadn't asked any questions, but he had only managed to make her let go at the end of the day, when they were alone and he had felt her relax in his hands.

- It was – Y/N muttered with a grimace, glancing at him as he sat down at the foot of the deck chair, shifting her bare legs over him.

Yes, he had torn that skirt to pieces. Mercilessly.

- I wanted my cake, I had to celebrate ma day – he joked hoarsely, caressing her and she let out a half smile, abandoning her phone to take a sip of the wine.

A small smile. Just a sip of wine. She hadn't curled up against him yet. It wasn't a good night and Roman knew it without all those cues, because he'd partially witnessed what could have been a clash of titans. He had walked away from their table to answer a phone call lasting a few minutes and when he returned Y/N was already with her bag, hands crossed like a supreme court judge and her expression of global oblivion. And the most worrying thing was that she was saving it for Paul, which no one expected, including Paul. It had all been incredibly quick and Roman had found himself in the restaurant without her, trying to shorten the time of the dinner to be able to reach her.

For a few seconds, in silence, he continued to caress her legs as she turned the glass between her fingers with eyes firmly fixed on the city. But that game wasn't for them, they talked, they had always talked before anything else.

- What happened?

- You know what happened, he told you. Please.

Yes, Paul had spilled the tea and though he had done it carefully, knowing he was not so tolerant if Y/N was involved, he had told him absolutely everything. And Roman had got a pretty clear idea of what had happened since his warning onwards, but the suspicion that there was something more behind it and that that moment hadn't depended only on Paul, had crept into his head. They'd had that conversation several times since the pre-WM crisis and Roman had made sure he did what he could to not cut her off and still cushion the impact on the world against them, as well as she'd proven herself more than capable of carrying the pressure, but there were always “ifs”.

- I know a couple of comments don't even reach your ears Y/N, I've seen you keep control during fights and arguments even at work in serious situations – he barely managed to finish speaking, before seeing her put down her glass and shake her head, making the curls dangle on the sides of her face.

- I changed my schedule and contract to have more time together, it's something is granted to everyone in the company, it's a right, not my whim because you are the guy. And I've always made sure to exceed expectations even when ima way from work. I don't owe anyone an explanation and I can stand some idiot behind a keyboard, I certainly can stand the chatter of our co-workers, I don't accept that someone who knows how much effort I put in or I assumed knew me says it.

- Listen… you know the story, Paul was just a boy when he started working with my family, he feels compelled to pay back and have always an eye on me and the boys. And now he keeps an eye on you too, because he knows what you mean to me.

- With due respect to those women, he tried to compare me to the models of his agency.

Yeah, that hadn't been a great move on Paul's part. The point had something to do with it and made the problem clear, of course, there was no less to expect from someone who after decades and in the past even to his detriment, by now knew that business and fans like the back of his hand, but it hadn't been the best example.

- Because people objectify situations like this. He was trying to warn you, to give you some advice since many will think you're just a pretty face taking advantage of the situation. He doesn't think badly of you. Not Paul and no one closer to us.

Roman had known him all his life and knew what kind of businessman he was, but he had always been respectful to his family. He had always had a clear opinion of Y/N, as he had of everyone in that business off or behind the scenes. Since theirs had become a serious and official couple, he had reflexively broadened his vision on her as well. He'd been wrong to put her on that level and Roman would much rather have been there before starting that speech, but he really doubted Paul'd had any bad intentions. Maybe he had tested the waters, yes, but nothing more.

Y/N pursed her mouth, her breasts twitching a bit after inspiring lunge and one of her feet pushing against his leg in spite.

- You're defending him from me - she complained, making him frown.

There was no scenario where he stood up for anyone other than her. It didn't matter how serious or silly the argument was. He had learned that it didn't even matter if he was the one she was having an argument with. She would have made him mad yes and angry, of course more than anyone on the world, but he would have let her win anyway. She was his soft spot and that was okay, because they had each other's backs.

- No one can defend anyone from you babygirl. I'm just trying to keep things under control like we both promised to do, so no more running away, hn? – he put her leg back on him, hands massaging her slowly to reassure her, while his eyes searched for her confirmation in silence.

Those kinds of thoughts had to stay out of that little head of hers and she certainly didn't have to worry about who was close to them. He didn't want drama, he didn't want pressure, not if she was involved. Roman had sworn to work to keep that relationship only for them even by making it public and was willing to do anything to protect what they were building together. They needed to focus on their time together, on the future, not on what was out there, not when it was just the two of them. The door was closed, there was no room for others. Just them on the same side.

He saw her narrow her eyes for a second, annoyed and he smiled before even hearing.

- I left to spare him, I didn't run away - she pointed out proudly, prompting him to nod, nose wrinkling as he tried to hold back his laughter.

- Someone is in a mood tonight. And you kept the dress too – he felt her relax under his fingers trailing up her thighs, her back still leaning against the back of the chaise lounge, when she pointed out obvious what Roman’s eyes were already eating.

- I had dressed too well to take everything off after an hour and because of Paul

Yes, it was a real shame that she didn't stand on a podio every hour of the day and night, but he provided for that. After all, it was all just for him and dress or not… Roman never got tired of putting her there.

- We can take it off now though - he proposed, leaning down to kiss her bare, soft thigh and Y/N hardly hid her gasp, giving him a warning look which he returned with a grimace.

She had been tough for too long tonight. It wasn't necessary with him, she could put down her weapons.

-I have to get you back in line – he warned her, pulling her a little towards him and not feeling her cooperate.

- For how I treated your special counsel? - Oh, she really meant to put it that way.

- For leaving me at the restaurant.

- It's not my fault if was your first tim-ah!

He pulled her up bridal style, without warning or too much effort. He took her in his arms to get back on his feet and inside the room. Y/N immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, her good smelling body seeming to shrink for a second, getting used to being suspended in mid-air.

- You're looking for trouble. I'll settle you baby girl

Something inside him always clicked when he was with her, like an automatic switch and despite his deliberately threatening expression, Roman didn't hold back from lowering down to kiss her forcefully, his hands grabbing everywhere, while he approached their bed. He set her down with a little thud, feeling her fingers slip off the back of his neck and free his hair around which they had tangled as always. Y/N settled down with a grimace, without too much effort lowering the edge of the already short dress and going up above her round perfect ass, the light lingerie tempting him beyond the deliberately closed legs.

- Screw this up too and you'll have problems with me – she complained, but Roman knew that tone.

Neither of them really cared about the dress or skirt or anything else at that point. They don't need anything.

- I'd start putting down this attitude if I were you

From the height of his position, he watched her barely hold back her full smile, legs swinging invitingly and still tight in front of him, as he slowly stripped off his watch and then his dark shirt. He licked his lip, the taste of her and her lipstick mingling, fingers fumbling with the belt and then his pants, Y/N's eyes sliding down his now bare torso and further down to get stuck on the portion of meat he had freed. He gripped his shaft, rubbing from the base to the tip, and Y/N slid further back against the bed, her breath caught in her lit throat as Roman felt the blood rush to his boner, growing more awake, harder in response to the soft moans she didn't was able to hold.

- Dontchu wanna be a good girl for me? - he growled low, his hand moving one last time, smearing the precum starting to drip from his tip.

Slowly and hungry he climbed onto the bed giving a little under his weight, brow furrowed until Y/N stepped forward to meet him, hands running back through his hair, legs parting to make room for him. A kiss, a proper smile.

It was all back under controll if they were together.

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#roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns smut #roman reigns x reader #roman reigns x oc #roman reigns one shot #roman reigns x female reader #roman reigns x black reader #roman reigns x you #roman reigns x y/n #wwe smut #wwe fic #wwe fanfiction

[marleyybluu]

The Nanny

Part 4

Rio x fem!reader

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: angst (I think lol), our favourite couple part their ways for now, Nick being a nosey weirdo, sad Rio, sad reader. Idk I think that’s it.

A/N: I know this is a bit short and (surprise) no smut lol but we will get there dw. this is (kind of) a filler. Also if you’re new, check out my master list for parts 1-3 ❤️cus I’m too lazy to link them here lmao oops

It'd been two weeks since Y/n's encounter with the blonde lady. Elizabeth. Her name was Elizabeth. She noticed it at the top of the ultrasound. That ultrasound felt like it was forever engraved in her mind. She hadn't talked to Rio about it yet, she didn't know if she wanted to. Y/n wasn't really an angry or confrontational person, but when it came to it, she could explode and if it was going to be like that she didn't want Marcus to hear anything.

So, until then, she played her part as usual. Well, the affection she delivered had shortened, and that was very noticeable for Rio. They were practically living in each other's skin half the time and now he suddenly felt cold and that's what she wanted.

"Y/n." She felt something poking her hip, she blinked a few times zoning back in and looking down to see poor Marcus attempting to receive her attention. "Sorry, honey, what's going on?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to put my plate in the sink." She shifted over allowing him access to the sink, she continued to wash the dishes and hummed a tune that was repetitive in her head. "Do you know when Daddy will be home?"

She shook her head. "No idea bud." Suddenly there was a knock on the door, Y/n turned off the water and dried her hands lightly jogging through the short hallway to get to the door. She held her breath as she unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Oh, hi." It was Rio's brother... cousin... whichever. "Hey... you." She awkwardly greeted him, she forgot his name. He chuckled reaching out his hand, "Nick."

"Right, Nick, sorry." She shook his hand, a little longer than she wanted to, his grip was a little tight on her. "What can I help you with?"

"Is my brother here?"

Y/n smirked. "Thought he was your cousin." He was amused.  "Anyway, he's not here yet but he should be home soon if you want to wait for him." She stepped aside inviting him inside the house, she closed the door behind him. He took off his shoes and wandered off at the sound of Marcus' voice. "Uncle Nick!"

"Hey buddy, what's going on? What are you watching?"

"Bluey."

Y/n chimes in. "As always. And remember our deal, after this episode, you hit the shower and hit your bed okay?"

Marcus pouted and delivered those sweet brown puppy eyes. "What about Dad?" She groaned internally, he had school tomorrow and she did not need him to be up all night and end up sleeping in the next day. "I'll send him upstairs as soon as he's through that door okay?"

"Okay." He agreed and sat back down on the couch. She turned over to Nick and smiled. "Would you like anything?" He put his hand up and shook his head. "I couldn't intrude like that."

She reassured him that it was fine, suggesting there was water, juice and wine to choose from. He chose wine. He followed her trail back to the kitchen, he sat on one of the stools and waited patiently, watching her squat down behind the island to reach into a cabinet where she kept her special drinks. She then walked over to the upper cabinets and reached for a glass, her shirt slipping up exposing a bit of her skin, a small silly tattoo of Snoopy sitting on her hip as her sweatpants were almost dangerously low. His tongue swiped across his bottom lip.

She turned back placing the glass on the counter and poured out some liquor. "Not too much gotta drive back."

She hummed and nodded.

"You're okay?" Nick asked. She'd never talked to Nick, had no intention of speaking to him ever again since the dinner at their grandmother's house and judging how stiff Rio acted towards him she didn't really want to expose the problem at hand. So she bit her tongue and nodded.

Well, maybe she didn't bite hard enough.

"Actually, can I ask something?"

"Yeah."

Her nostrils widened as she angrily exhaled through her nose. "Has Rio ever..." Sigh. "When he was with Maria, and she was pregnant... was he sleeping with other people? Or bringing other women around?"

He thought about and she couldn't tell if he was going to save his ass or throw him under the bus. "I mean, they weren't really together when Maria was pregnant, so he still had other women around yeah."

"Okay." She simply replied looking at her wine glass, twirling it around at the stem, the red liquid swishing and swooshing with every movement it almost became hypnotizing. Her ears rang as scenarios filled her head. Was she the other woman that was around? How come no one in his family said anything? Do they not know?

Nick noticed how quiet she was and the coping mechanism she developed sitting there, he gently placed his hand over hers and she stopped playing with the glass. "Are you..."

"No," She quickly answered. "No, I mean I wouldn't be drinking."

Duh. He thought to himself but he had to ask anyway. He leaned forward attempting to pry more out of her without giving himself away. "Do you think-"

She cut him off. "Maria said that when you think you're the only one you're not and-"

Not too much.

"Fuck, I don't know it just got me thinking. And now I'm overthinking."

Before he could reply to her statement Marcus repeatedly squealed.  "Daddy's home! Daddy's home! Y/n! Daddy's home!"

She smiled at his cheery tone. "So I've heard."

Rio's figure came to join the duo in the kitchen, an overgrown Marcus sitting on his hip, just a small reminder that he'd forever be his baby. A very apparent frown played on his face while his eyes darted between her and Nick. "Hey, pretty mama." Immediately asserting his dominance.

"Hi." She nodded before taking another sip of her wine. "Nick... why are you in my kitchen?" He asked with hostility lacing his voice. Nick smirked, always smug at how immediately defensive Rio seemed to get whenever he came around. "Just came to see you, little brother."

Y/n cleared her throat standing up from her seat, she reached out for Marcus who easily transferred over to her, he was reluctant to leave his dad at first, not seeing him all day and only getting a minute with him made him a bit sad, but after a promise from Rio that he'd be up to at least read a story he cooperated and clung to Y/n as she took him upstairs.

While they were getting ready, Y/n's mind couldn't help but wonder about how she'd bring up the situation at hand, the envelope had been tucked under her side of the mattress for a while, maybe that's why she had trouble sleeping too it was taunting her underneath where she lay. She felt a bit of guilt, it was wrong for her to keep this a secret from him, he had the right to know he was having another kid.

Huh.

Another kid.

And it's not with her.

She sighed shaking off the thought, putting it on the back burner for a bit to focus on whatever Roblox game Marcus was trying to teach her to play on his iPad. She couldn't understand why these kids were so into this thing, he was obsessed. He rested his head on her shoulder while she tapped away on the screen. Her character disappeared and respawned in a moment. "What did I do?"

"Someone killed you." He giggled, and she gasped playfully poking his side. "That's not funny, I don't know what I'm doing." She laughed. He took his iPad back showing her once more what to do, a slight knock against the door frame interrupted their time together. Marcus sighed knowing he had to put his device away so he handed it back to her to take downstairs and in the morning he could have it back during breakfast.

Rio smiled. "Picked a book yet?"

Marcus nodded reaching under his pillow and showing him. "Say goodnight to Y/n."

"Night Y/n."

She kissed his head. "Night sweetness. I'll see you when I see you." Strange, Rio thought to himself, she always said she'll see him in the morning.

She walked past Rio, avoiding even an inch of contact with him. He swore he felt a cold air as she passed by, her loving and warmth had suddenly been replaced. Rio poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue and nodded. "Cool, let's uh, start reading."

---

By the time y/n got downstairs Nick had long disappeared, she sighed placing the yellow envelope on the counter after retrieving it from their room. She needed another glass of wine if she was ever going to get through this. She sat on the stool around the Island and twirled her wine glass once again, staring blankly at it until the sound of descending footsteps brought her back to Earth. "How was your day?" He asked opening the fridge and looking for something to drink or at least snack on.

"Good,"

Sip.

"How was yours?" Her tone was cold and uninterested so he responded with the same simple answer she gave him. "Good."

The silence returned aside from the obnoxious tapping of her fingers against her phone screen. He knew her well enough, when she was making extra noise on purpose she was pissed. Rio shook his head. "What was Nick doing here?"

The tapping stopped. "Came to say hi." She answered placing her phone down on the counter and picking up her wine glass. "Why are you talking to me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you want to pick a fight."

She chuckled pettily. "Hm."

"Y/n-"

"Who's Elizabeth?" She asked finally lifting her head up to look at him, he froze and audibly swallowed. "She's a business partner."

"Is she?" Y/n questioned with a trembling voice. She slid the envelope over to him as he took a seat next to her. "Open it,"

He was lowkey starting to sweat. He fumbled with the envelope until it opened, he reached inside and pulled out the evidence. His eyes fell out of his head and rolled onto the shiny clean floor. "Y/n..."

"Congratulations, I guess." She shrugged. He looked up at the name double checking if it was really Beth's. There's no way this was fucking happening. He'd admit they had their fair share of encounters, maybe one before he met Y/n but there was no way that it resulted in this. She would've told him, or at least he'd hoped she would.

This looked bad, there was no way to weasel out of this when the evidence was right there. What made everything more uneasy is how calm Y/n was being, any other woman would have thrown their wine at him or knocked him with the bottle but she downed the last of the liquid and poured whatever was left of the bottle.

"You think it's a boy or a girl?" She laughed tipsily. "This isn't funny."

"You're right," She sipped. "It's not, but you know... when you've been crying about it for two weeks, you just run out of tears and all you can do is laugh."

She continued. "You laugh and you wonder how you fell so fucking foolishly in love with someone, in such a short time... how in that short time he made you feel so special like you were his world. You fall in love with his son, the sweetest boy you've ever met who tugs at your heart everyday and you think to yourself maybe one day you can give this kid his own little best friend."

Rio dropped his head. "And you come to find out, that- that someone else beat you to it. Is that how you did Maria? I mean she- she told me I'm not the only one, Christopher can never have one girl and I fucking defended you. I was so fucking sure-"

Y/n's voice cracked, and her chin trembled as she fought back a flood of tears but they were no longer tears of sadness, they were angry. Pissed. "I was so fucking sure you wouldn't do that to me."

He didn't know what to say, his mouth ran dry. "I'm... baby, I'm sorry. Look at me, look at me," He put the picture down and grabbed her face forcing her to look at him. Her eyes were so sad, so tired, so broken. He'd never seen her like this, he couldn't believe he was the cause.

"I love you... Y/n. I swear to god, I fucking love you ma. I'm sorry, okay? But you're going to have to believe me when I say this ain't my kid. There's no way. I-it's just been you and me this whole time, baby, I fucking swear."

She sniffled. She could see it, or maybe she just wanted to see it. That he did love her and some part of him was telling her the truth, but bless her heart she didn't know what to believe. It was too much, maybe she moved too fast and this was her consequence, didn't ask enough questions when they started dating and now this was the result. She loved him. God she loved him. Her whole body gravitated towards him and it was so hard to pull away when she found out.

It was hard to pull away now, how close they were in proximity, noses almost touching, foreheads pressed together. He didn't want to let go, this was something he was willing to go to war for. Against her better judgement, she leaned forward connecting their lips.

The love, the regret, the sorrow was all wrapped up in it. Ugh, he tasted like alcohol, probably took a shot before he came home. He smelt so good even after a long day. His lips were so soft, so sweet to her and extra gentle. Their kiss started slow and soon picked up feverishly, she pulled at his shirt, the sudden need for him took over. The two sides of her brain knocked at each other, sleep with him tonight and leave in the morning or leave now and never see him again— let this kiss be the last.

Beep! Beep!

Someone else was there to answer for her. She pulled back but he brought her in, one last kiss. Just one. Y/n pulled back, tugging his hands away from her and she immediately missed them. She stood up and grabbed her keys off the counter. "I made Marcus' lunch... oh, you know the routine."

"Y/n... ma, please..."

She kissed his cheek. "Tell him I'll see him soon, okay?"

"No." He protested. "He can see you tomorrow, in the morning."

"Christopher."

"Y/n."

She wasn't about to argue with him, her sister blowing up her phone letting her know she was outside and to hurry the fuck up. She backed away as slowly as she could, his jaw flexed and his eyes became glossy. He was going to cry. She couldn't watch it otherwise she'd stay and she just needed the space right now. She quickly made her way down the hall with him hot on her trail, she opened the door and wiped a tear that ran down her cheek.

Her sister caught sight of Rio and shook her head. Y/n went on the passenger side.

Just one last glance.

She ducked down and sat, closing the car door. She turned away from her sibling not wanting to be bothered by anyone right now. Understandable.

Rio watched as the car disappeared, the gravel under the tires crunching as she vanished before him. He stood there, dumbfounded. He's fucked up a lot but never like this.

He needed a way to resolve this and he needed it now.

If you liked this fic, feel free to like this fic. Comments and reblogs are appreciated.

See you in the next one. Peace and love✌🏾

🏷️ : @darqchilddaydreamz @rio-reid-whoreee @bigenergy777 @christinabae @corpsebridenightamare @prettylilsapphic @realhotgurlshit @being-worthy @skyesthebomb

#rio x fem!reader #rio #goodgirls #rio fanfic #marleysfanfictions #marleywrites #good girls rio #rio good girls #rio x reader #the nanny #angst #heartbreak

[whyareyouhere66]

JJ Maybank x Male Reader - Safe With Me

JJ Maybank x Male !kook! Reader

Request [shortened, it was very in depth and I don’t want to spoil too much] : “male reader is a popular kook…and best friends with Sarah and Kie…and he has a rough family they are super rich but his dad doesn't like him to being gay…also JJ and the reader act like a couple and they like each other but don’t realize it cause they like what they got…[main event you’ll have to read]…then they make it official.”

CW: hurt/comfort, homophobia/homophobic family, the slightest mentions of drinking, kinda cheesy towards the end, y/n’s dad sucks

x

Love;

[noun]

An intense feeling of deep affection

“Y’think we can make a quick pit stop before we go and do, well, whatever this is?”

The voice woke Y/n up before the sun even could, though his eyes were still close to shutting. It was Pope’s voice, of course- his sarcasm leaking through his words.

On the couch, Y/n had one arm stretched out next to his face to act as a pillow, shielding his eyes from the early morning sun just enough for him to not be blinded. 

A few feet behind the couch, Pope walked over to the small round table where John B sat with Sarah. Papers were scattered across the wooden surface, the girl’s feet propped up on the edge. 

“Eh, sure why not- hey, pass me a beer, will you?” John B said, nodding towards the fridge behind Pope’s chair. 

“It’s 7 in the morning.”

“Oh c’mon, never too early to get a little drink.”

Pope rolled his eyes, but sure enough got up again to open the fridge.

The sound of a can being tossed, and the rattle of the fridge door closing made Y/n groan. He just wanted to sleep, he was comfortable on the lumpy couch with JJ’s warmth beside him. 

The night before they’d fallen asleep side by side, nothing new for either of them. JJ’s head was settled just below Y/n’s arm-pillow, just slightly pressed against his chest while their legs overlapped. When the sound continued on, his friends still talking across the room, he shifted in his spot and let his free arm fall on JJ’s shoulders.

Y/n would’ve smiled at the sight of the blonde settled so close to him, but the voices that rang out behind him were so loud. 

He just wanted to go back to sleep-

“Aw, did we interrupt your sleep?” Y/n’s eyebrows furrowed.

 ‘Wonderful’

Sarah was grinning at him, seeing how his face had changed. 

“Let’s go, up and at ‘em.” John B joined right in, drumming on the table just loud enough to force Y/n’s eyes open, and stir JJ just a bit.

It was then when the sun finally hit him, groaning again and rubbing his eyes. “You guys are so loud.” Y/n complained, lifting his head and looking around the room. 

Kiara lay sprawled out on the arm chair across from the couch, rubbing her eyes and glaring at Pope and John B. “Seriously guys? This early?” She asked  sleepily, falling against the chair again. 

It was clear the other 3 couldn’t care less, Pope ignoring the sleeping teens while John b and Sarah were getting up from the table to bug them some more. 

The blonde girl walked to the chair, standing over Kie and grinning widely. Back at the couch, John B walked past the half asleep pair, drummed against their legs once, before looping around back to the kitchen.

The slaps to their calves caused both Y/n and JJ to jerk, the latter doing so more loudly as he was only then waking up. 

“What the fuck dude.” he grumbled, shoving his face back against the couch while Y/n rolled over onto his back. 

At that point, all 6 of them were awake- whether it be willingly or not. It was simply a part of the Chateau’s morning routine, something you sign up for when falling asleep at John B’s. The alarm would be just as obnoxious as the host. 

Y/n pressed the heel of his free hand into his eyes, hiding them from the sun. The other arm was still stuck under JJ’s neck. “What time is it?” He asked, to which Pope responded.

“7:32.”

 Y/n groaned. 

“Shit,” he mumbled, clumsily sitting up from his spot on the couch. 

“Pops’ll be mad?” JJ sighed sarcastically, and watched Y/n’s figure as the boy stumbled off the couch to grab his shoes. 

“Don’t leave me man-“ he gasped out dramatically, and Y/n couldn’t help but smile. Reaching over the couch, he ruffled the blonde hair on JJ’s head.

“Oh, this is heartbreaking.” Kie faked a frown and put a hand over her heart.

 The two boys had always been close, everyone knew that. They each cared for each other in a way that neither could truly describe, any words used felt wrong, or perhaps too soon for them to say. 

So they didn’t try the words, they stuck to their bond even if it got them the “idiot-boyfriends-who-aren’t-even-boyfriends” label in the group.

Y/n himself felt the smile growing, opening the door that lead out to the porch.

“Bye, JJ” he called jokingly, getting a “bye Y/n” right back, the words holding the same tone that his had. 

It wasn’t until he was entirely out of the house that he let his mind wander, only having 10 minutes time before his car would reach his drive way- where the smile he wore would disappear. 

****

Greed; 

[noun]

Intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

A day had passed since Y/n unfortunately had to leave the Chateau early, and it wouldn’t be long before he was back in the car with his closest friends, with JJ.

The h/c teen sat on his scratchy, leather couch- it’s black color popping out against the light walls. 

He sat there, leaned against the armrest scrolling through his phone as he waited for the Pogues to come and pick up him and Sarah. Across the room, his father- D/n L/n sat at the dining room table.

The man’s face was very stern, lips formed into a  thin line as he stared holes into his computer screen. A few papers were in a pile, his hand resting on top - the focus leaking from his eyes leaving no breathing room, no space for him or Y/n to talk. 

The latter looked up from his phone, glancing at the stairs where Sarah left for the bathroom 5-ish minutes ago. The sooner she came down, the sooner he’d have an excuse to leave the room. 

Slowly, he let his gaze wander. 

It shifted from the long staircase, over the walls until it was set on the man at the table. His eyes narrowed.

Greed and love. 

It was a relationship never fit to work, though it can still find itself intertwined into bloodline. Two opposing forces sitting on the same branch of the family tree, living in the same house. One on the couch, one at the table. 

Y/n always preferred to differentiate himself from greed.

Being born a Kook, he accepted his privilege. But he saw what greed looked like, he lived with it. And he knew, from the nasty snarl worn on his father’s skin, that it was something he never wanted to be.

The boy stared at his father until the edges of his vision began to dance. So, he looked away, eyes going back to his phone screen. He didn’t want to think about it anymore than he had to. 

The time read 12:09, him and Sarah were to get picked up at 12:15. Y/n stood up, tucking his phone into his pocket so while Sarah took her time upstairs, he could at least get some of the stuff he needed. 

Starting with his keys, he grabbed them from the coffee table and stuck them into his pocket. He moved towards the fridge next- but the noise that had come from his key chain caught his fathers attention. 

“Going somewhere?” D/n asked, just as Y/n had opened the fridge door. 

“…yeah.” The h/c looked straight forward, the blue-ish light flooding his face as he grabbed a water bottle. 

“And where would that be?” 

Y/n’s father hadn’t looked away from his work, though Y/n couldn’t tell either way as he was staring straight into the fridges’s shelves.

“Just out, nothing special.”

He  eventually had to draw away from the fridge where he’d been hiding. The silver door closed after him, and Y/n turned to see his father looking right at him. 

“Just you and Sarah?” The man asked, raising an eyebrow and resting his elbow on the back of his chair. 

Y/n’s face faltered. He knew who his father was referencing, what he was getting at. 

“No” he thought, saying it in his head over and over until maybe, he could say it out loud.

“Doesn’t matter.”

…or not. 

Admittedly, he didn’t want his father to know. He selfishly wanted his friends to be his own thing- because when his father even caught sight of them, it would become a disruption. 

D/n had the belief that Kooks and Pogues shouldn’t interact unless absolutely necessary- he was just “too good” for them, after all. He worked so life ran on his own personal railroad, and Y/n’s friends were nothing but roadblocks. 

“Oh, but I think it does.” D/n narrowed his eyes at his son, who looked away with his head tilted towards the floor. Y/n fidgeted with the bottle in his hands- his father was onto him. They each had one specific boy in mind at that current moment, and by the look in each others eyes, they each knew it.

“Hey! Sorry about that, Wheezie called me.”

 Sarah landed on the last step just as Y/n was released in from his father’s stare. She looked up from her phone, not catching how D/n had to adjust to return to his computer screen. 

Y/n quickly walked to her, giving her a smile when she quirked her eyebrow. 

“Hey, took you long enough.” He joked, sitting back on the couch. Sarah rolled her eyes and shrugged. 

“Just say you missed me, it takes less time.” She says, plopping down onto the chair. 

Y/n laughed, letting his shoulders relax as Sarah had joined him in the room. He opened his mouth to reply, fire some sort of comeback, but a small ding came from his phone.

‘We’re here, hurry up JJ’s about to rob your neighbor.’

The text came from Kie. Y/n peered over his phone and caught a glimpse of her car outside the window, catching a small smile on his face. Sarah followed his eyes and saw the car, grinning and nodding at the boy to get up. 

Sparing one last glance to his father, Y/n followed Sarah out the door. 

“Hey hey!” 

As soon as Y/n stepped foot outside his door, JJ was jumping right out of the parked car- of course. With a grin, Y/n hopped down the stairs and jogged to meet him in the middle.

“What’s up JJ-“ he said, his voice almost giddy, and he wrapped his arms around him. There was a slight slap on his back as JJ hugged him back, and a tickle in his neck as that’s where JJ buried his nose. 

“Waiting for you, I was about to hop the fence and visit old Richie over there-“ JJ’s voice turned breathy at the end of the sentence, spinning on his heel and bringing the boy in his arms right with him. Y/n’s eyes widened, and a laugh rumbled from his throat. His arms tightened around the boy, securing himself when his feet left the ground. 

“Holy shit dude-“

“JJ, put him down.” John B sounded tired, managing no more than an eye roll when JJ only laughed. Though, he did drop Y/n onto the sidewalk right next to him. The boy, with his feet finally planted on the ground, patted the back of the blondes back.

“C’mon, let’s head out-“

“Y/n.” 

The deep voice sent chills down the teen’s spines, each of them recognizing who it was. The joyful feeling that tainted the air only seconds ago suddenly faded into tension.  Y/n himself was forced to hesitantly turn, and meet his fathers cold eyes. 

“Come here.” The glare that emitted off D/n’s stern figure made his son shudder- the boy really just wanted to leave. 

“Dad, we’re going somewhere-“ 

“I thought we talked about this?” One eyebrow raised, turning D/n’s face into one of judgement. Y/n swallowed.

“I mean, there was never really an agreement, so-“

The next look that came from D/n was one of warning. 

A small lump formed in Y/n’s throat, swallowing it down and air huffed from his nose. 

“Mr. L/n, we were really just-“ Kiara, bold as always, tried and failed to reassure her friends father. Her words got cut off before she could even finish, the deep voice replacing them. “No, no I know. And it’s not happening.” 

Y/n felt his skin itch, why was his father doing this in front of his friends?  Before he would go out of his way to avoid them, but now he talked freely. Y/n’s eyes flickered to the car, having half a mind to run and jump into the back seat before another word could spill. 

“Dad-“

“Y/n, look at the neighbors,” his fathers voice rose, “their son is your age, what about that?” He gestured towards the large, nearly identical house across the garden. His other hand gripped the door handle tightly, as if he was prepared to storm back inside at any moment. 

The group tensed, they knew what his father meant, even if he hadn’t said it directly. Though while John B and Pope bit their tongue, Kiara stepped forward with a deadly glare imprinted onto her face. 

“What are you implying?” She asked, clearly having taken offense. Y/n looked at her, battling with himself in his head as to whether or not he should stop her. John B’s hand landed on her shoulder, urging her to step back.

Y/n’s eyes are torn away when he suddenly felt the familiar warmth of JJ’s hand grabbing his. His eyes widen. 

“Shit.”

He nearly pulled away, but something made him stay, something in him wanted to. Though the second his fathers cold stare landed on their tangled fingers, he questioned that decision. 

JJ glared harshly at Y/n’s father- but no words fell, as he still was trying to decide if he should say anything at all. But in that moment, it was better that he didn’t.

Y/n was frozen in his place, head tilted down to stare at his hand and JJ’s, too scared to look up. 

“And what’s this, huh?”

‘No.’

“Are we still on this, are you serious?”

The words tugged the strings of Y/n’s heart, hearing such words from his own father, being watched by all his friends, by the boy he could only secretly love. He glared at the ground, shaking his head. 

“It’s-“

“You just-“ D/n turned, facing the wooden frame of the door and rubbing his eyes, “this is not how I wanted to raise you.”

The words ran Y/n’s throat dry, like a river drowned into soil by hot sun. JJ felt the way his hand tightened, heard the shaky sigh that escaped him.

Kiara, once more, stepped forward boldly. “You can’t say that to him!” She rasped, eyebrows pulled into a deep furrow. JJ too found his voice quickly, barking out a “hey!” 

“Mr L/n,” Sarah’s whisper barely scraped past the lump in her throat, only heard by her boyfriend. 

As Y/n stood there on his own walkway, all the words of his friends fizzled against his ears in an echo. He stared at the ground until he became dizzy, nothing but his fathers voice reaching past his ears. 

He didn’t want to fit his fathers description. But it still hurt. 

He snapped out of the daze when JJ began moving, their joined hands swaying. 

“The fuck is your problem, man?” JJ’s voice was heavy with anger, challenging D/n with his voice. Y/n’s eyes darted to JJ’s face.

“Excuse me, young man?” The authority that rattled from Y/n’s father would’ve made anyone else back away, but JJ only seemed to move closer. Y/n watched on with wide eyes. 

“JJ,” he tried, suddenly becoming aware of what exactly was happening right next to him. 

“You talk to him like that then wonder why he likes hanging with us? Man you must be joking-“ the blonde seethes. 

“Do not talk to me like that,”

“You’re a real piece of shit.” 

John B pulled JJ back, giving him a stern look. Pope, backing towards the car, mouthed at him to shut up. 

Y/n’s heart pounded, staring only at JJ. What was he doing?

D/n’s head snapped to his son’s.

“If this is how you’re going to be, dont try coming home.”

Y/n reeled back, shocked. JJ stomped forward. 

“Good, he’ll stay with me. You’re only helping me here, man.” 

It got quiet for a moment after that. 

Angrily, Y/n’s father looked at him expectantly, telling him to choose with nothing more than his eyes.

Y/n’s lips were parted, staring right back at his father for the first time that whole argument. JJ’s arm snakes around his shoulder.

“He’ll be safe with me.”

Those last words are what settled it for Y/n, the only thing he needed to hear before he knew. He knew exactly what, who, he wanted. 

Wordlessly, he turned away from his father and pulled JJ into a tight hug. No hesitation followed as JJ pulled him even closer. 

Behind them, the door slammed shut, and Y/n knew that was it. Yet for just a moment, when JJ pulled away and held his face in his hands, he pushed the thought away. 

“I promise.” The blonde whispered with a small smile . Y/n smiled back, unable to stop himself for he knew what he truly meant by those words. 

The smile broke into a sniffle and a chuckle, feeling Kiara attacking him from behind with a strong hug. Sarah followed.

“Fuck, guys, I don’t know what to do now-“ he kept the smile through his teary eyes. 

“We’ll figure it out, man.” Pope told him from the car. “We always do.”

#jj maybank x male reader #JJ maybank #outerbanks x male reader #Outerbanks angst #66 recs&replies

[heelwriting]

For the good of the company

Day/Prompt: Day 8 - "Either you cuddle me, or stop hogging all the blankets."

Fandom/Character(s): NJPW / Wrestling / Gabe Kidd x F!Reader

Warnings: Cursing

Wordcount: 686

Summary: Gabe and reader aren't fond of each other and find themselves in a "there was only one bed" scenario

@12daysofchristmas

A/N: There are words misspelled on purposide to recreate Gabes british accent

Every time there was a joint show with NJPW somehow things went sour, maybe her gear got stolen or sent to another city, maybe her match time was shortened as if having only 1 women’s match on the card was enough for a big company like NJPW.

But this time somehow became the worst, the hotel had double booked her room, she was told there was a person already signed in but they made him come down to see if they could arrange something since the hotel was fully booked since it was holiday time and tourists where flooding the hotel.

She let out a hiss as soon as she saw his blond hair walk into the lobby.

“Nah, ya ain’t getting MY room”

He immediately started a fight with her but she wasn’t baking down.

“The fact that I booked this before you means I should be the sole owner, pack your bags Gabriel that is MY room”

He got in her face and laughed.

“Ya can take your fucking bag and sleep somewhere else”

Gabe was feeling the winner in the situation when she pulled out her keys, he looked at her and then at the keys, he tried to take them from her hand but she was faster than him and pulled them back on her jacket pocket, she turned around with her luggage and went to the elevator, after a few seconds Gabriel followed her in, he was mad.

“The bed is already mine, but ya can take the floor”

He said while they were still in the elevator, she ignored him and walked out.

“I bet there’s space for the both of us on the bed”

Gabriel smiled watching her face shift to disappointment, there was a single bed, technically only one person could fit there.

“You’re the man, sleep on the floor”

She says after coming back from a shower, Gabriel had taken all the space on the bed.

“No, please be my guest and you take the cold floor cuz I ain’t taking it, that shit is cold”

She had her arms crossed.

“Can you stop acting like a child and let me take half of the bed?”

“Don’t you have friends you can call to sleep over or somethin?”

“No, we are in the show tomorrow and I need to sleep too, it’s for the good of both company’s stop being such an asshole? Just for one night at least”

Gabriel rolled his eyes still mad at the situation and her, but he realized there wasn’t much either could do, they were stuck in a shitty situation thanks to the hotel and it wasn’t her fault so maybe he could be comprehensive for once.

“Fine”

He rolled over and let her have a small part of the bed, as soon as she got in bed she pulled the covers but Gabriel tried to pull them back to his side and that became a game of pull over the dominance of the blankets.

 “If ya keep hugging the blankets you’ll end up on the floor”

He threatened her which only resulted in her yelling at him.

"Either you cuddle me, or stop hogging all the blankets!"

She covered her face realizing what she accidentally had said, Gabe looked at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“I didn’t mean it”

She tried to reason with him.

“Of course not, so… you want to cuddle?”

He looked at her with a knowing look on his face, as if every woman around him wanted to sleep with him.

“I’m cold, ok? I need the covers”

She explained a little embarrassed of what she said.

“Yeah, I get it, I’m cold too”

They looked at each other for a few seconds as if trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

“Well?”

She asked.

“Should we cuddle?”

Gabe asked her. It was the least threatening he sounded all night and she had to accept the offer especially because there weren’t any other blankets.

She took a deep breath.

“Nobody can know about this Gabriel, I have a good reputation”

#12daysofchristmas #12 days of christmas #njpw fanfiction #wrestling imagine #wrestling fanfiction #gabe kidd #gabriel kidd #gabe kidd fanfiction #gabe kidd imagine #gabriel kidd imagine #gabe kidd x reader

[mdhwrites]

Different anon here! About your post about the owl house, just out of curiosity, how much do you think is forgivable due to how Disney screwed them over? I do agree, the arcs feel impatient and couldn’t dedicate the time to the middle of the arcs, but that’s also in part because of how Disney cut the show prematurely short and they were scrambling to tell the story.

No. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Jack Shit. How many more ways do I have to put this: The cancellation is NOT why the show has writing problems. The show has writing problems because the writers are bad storytellers who have no clue how to actually do plot. For just the most obvious, basic example, let's take the end of S1. Belos presents himself as the big bad. Eda, Lilith and King are almost killed because of him and Luz destroys the portal door to make sure his plans cannot come to fruition. By all means, the show is ready to start its story and Luz is ready to start facing off against the Emperor's Coven.

She won't until Hollow Mind. Now you might disagree with me on this because Shifting Tides has her face off against the Golden Guard, Escaping Palisman is Golden Guard and Kiki, Eclipse Lake is Kiki and you even have Terra showing up in Falls and Follies. What are the character's goals in those episodes? Hunter is a surprise villain in Shifting Tides while Luz was just looking for cash, in Hunting Palisman, the two literally had no clue about the other until Luz was accidentally abducted and fighting them is just saving the palisman, not standing up to the coven. In Eclipse Lake, the coven just happens to be here at the same time as Amity, Eda and King and in Falls and Follies, they aren't standing up to the coven... They're getting Eda's love interest back.

The idea of Belos being evil and of facing him AT ALL... Happens in Hollow Mind. And Luz brings it up right after Eda's old wild witch pal says no to fixing Luz's magical cloak. Which, you know... Has problems for WHY Luz is now deciding to yell in public about how evil Belos is.

Instead, that time is spent on Hunter, who really has a very minimal effect on the plot overall. Like... Besides giving screentime to Belos where we still aren't learning anything about him, his relevance is just very low. We also Lumity which NEVER has plot relevance and King gets a few episodes episodes but still not much despite easily being the most important character in hindsight as far as the plot goes. Raeda and angst about that is given at least half as much screentime though and the closest you can come to justifying that is the failed plan of the CATs.

If you REALLY need something not from S2, then just look at Amity. She was already 99% reformed by the time Adventure in the Elements happens, if not Lost in Language and those are her fourth and fifth major appearances. Worse yet, their treatment of Boscha and her friend group is effectively the EXACT same as how they treated Amity's parents. Just an obstacle to be blown aside for Lumity to happen. The flaws in how TOH is constructed from a basic level are there even in S1, it's just easier to ignore them because the show was willing to be fun back then.

None of this even gets into the Collector, who was explicitly chosen to be moved forward in their plans when the show was cancelled. Instead, you know... Not. Just not introducing a character you have NO TIME to do anything with.

Then there's the condemnation of S3's creative decisions. If they REALLY had a plan for all of this stuff, S3 should feel like it's constant payoffs without proper build up as they wrap up loose ends, deal with the threats that are unresolved, etc. like that. Instead, S3 is so desperate for ideas to fill its runtime that the finale starts with a 7 minute dream sequence that actively goes against the character arc, shit as it is, Luz went through during the time from Hollow Mind to Watching and Dreaming.

If the shortening could be used as a real excuse, you shouldn't have been able to cut 80% of S3... And lose nothing. TOH is not bad because of the shortening. It's bad because because the writers are bad storytellers. (Yes, this was technically asking about the arcs but I decided to focus on how they just wasted time in general, especially on characters or elements that didn't matter. I still stand by the idea that TOH either NEVER wanted to end or that it wanted five seasons to cram literally every idea it had into it. Shortening S3 doesn't change the flaws of either approach.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical

[silknoise]

x. dossier. / x. wanted plots. x. pinterest. / x. thread tracker.

hi there friendos!!! i am thrilled to be joining you since i've been wanting something simple on tumblr for awhile now!! also so happy to be bringing my underappreciated queen umji to the party! the muse she's the face for is one of my faves to write; lee seonah, aka ramona lee is a new york born saxophonist with a cool demeanor and a love for cucumber melon. more info is listed below the cut, so if you're interested in any of her plots or would like me to swing by your ims to say hello or to plot something, you're invited to leave a like on this post!

trigger warnings: m*rder, robbery, implied g*n v*olence, grief

BACKSTORY

as briefly mentioned above, seonah was born in staten island, new york on august 7th, 1998.

her parents, originally from daegu, built a life stateside in the early '90s, so they were already pretty blended into the american routine by the time they had seonah.

in new york, seonah often went by her english name ramona, often shortened to mona. the name was derived from an old jazz singer and pianist her mother loved.

one of the main reasons seonah's parents even moved from south korea was so that her mother could try her luck at the new york jazz scene. she was a gifted pianist with quick hands who had always ensured seonah's life was filled with music.

those very sessions with fellow musicians she worked with were the catalyst for seonah's obsession with the saxophone. a musician seonah would always call uncle franklin would come and play the sax at their south shore townhome, while the small child watched and danced along.

he was actually the one to gift seonah her very own saxophone at age ten, by which her younger sister seoyeol had been born and was clinging to seonah's legs while she struggled to play the instrument.

the characteristics of her music were very much shaped by the staten island jazz scene, and the city's famous festival was a tradition for the whole family.

from her father did seonah inherit a love of gardening, building terrariums and making sure a healthy amount of green was present in all her decorating. she and her father would spend hours carefully placing moss, stones, grass and water in small glass containers until they resembled miniature nature scenes.

she spent a good amount of time in her dad's store as well, helping him stock and clean up throughout her childhood. the value of hard work was an early lesson for seonah and it would likely stick with her permanently.

that store, however, would come to be the site of a horrible tragedy that would uproot many lives.

TRIGGER WARNING AHEAD

her mother and father were working the late shift at the store one night when a masked gunman entered, demanding cash. her parents were both killed during the exchange, leaving seonah and her sister to grieve them at far too young an age.

as the two had no other blood relatives in the area, their parents' friends franklin and his wife delisle were named in a will to take the children in and raise them as their own.

it was an extremely tough transition, but the pair, along with another of their parents' closest friends adam made sure the sisters never went without love and encouragement. they refused to let the children's view of the world become twisted due to what they had gone through, and they were a huge part of why the two made it through that period of their lives.

END TRIGGER WARNING

now being raised by franklin, seonah was kept occupied by saxophone lessons, camping trips, walks through the city — any and everything she loved simply to keep her mind off the tragedy her family had faced.

despite her new guardians' best efforts to make her childhood fulfilling, seonah couldn't help but feel somewhat aimless after the passing of both her parents, and even a bit disconnected from them. she developed a fairly unbothered demeanor that some would even mistake for just not caring, though that was the furthest thing from the truth.

as she finished out her primary schooling and prepared to apply to the manhattan school of music, she floated the idea of possibly traveling to her parents' home city of daegu after graduating college to franklin and delisle. they met the idea with approval, thinking it was an excellent chance to reconnect with a past she'd never really gotten to discover.

after training up her musical talents to her instructors' satisfaction, it was finally time to say farewell to her family. she couldn't have said thank you to franklin, delisle and adam more times if she'd tried. seonah looked upon her now teenaged sister with slight guilt, feeling as though she were abandoning her for her own selfish reasons. seoyeol simply threw her arms around seonah and promised her she'd seek out universities in daegu so they could see each other soon.

and that was it, she was off to daegu with a graduation present of a one way flight and some won to run on until she found work. thankfully, that didn't take too long, as she found a pretty fancy restaurant looking for jazz musicians of her caliber.

seonah made a vow to herself that she would only speak in korean and only use her korean name until she felt that familiar connection to her parents once more.

she soon found a home in the confines of sueunju sharehouse, and though it's filled with strangers, it reminds her of the blended household she lived in back in staten island and even makes her oft expressionless visage falter into a smile. though she is still very much getting used to living in daegu two years on, her life is in a place of contentment for the time being. she continues to chase memories that have long since passed her by, barely conscious of all the new ones she is making in the process.

PERSONALITY

some would call her an ice queen, but she's more like a snow angel. like she's definitely composed, doesn't like to argue and sometimes comes off as though she's silently plotting your demise in a corner, but there is a warmth to seonah that is unmistakable. she can be so cold to the touch but also reach directly into your heart and make you melt. she is a mess of contradicting thoughts and feelings and words, but she could be ur mess of contradicting thoughts and feelings and words, u know???

only really loses her cool when it comes to music she's excited about, if her heart's a little bit broken or if she's lost something near and dear to her (her saxophone goes missing, one of her terrariums get broken, etc) and it's sad, but also kind of funny cmvnbvncb!

she's very inquisitive, especially about the daily routine in daegu. she desperately wants to know more about the lives her parents lived before they moved to america, and being that she's only been in south korea for two years, she isn't as in touch with things as she feels like she should be. stop her if she's asking too many questions — she just gets into a flow of seeking information and doesn't realize it sometimes!

a girl of many hobbies: gardening, camping, building terrariums, hitting up the thrift store, smoking on roofs, seeing performances at masquerade, noraebang, etc. and she loves doing these things with friends! partake in any of these activities with her, and you'll earn a special place in her heart and the slightest aura of a smile just for you.

sometimes she just??? disappears. sometimes her social energy simply runs out and she needs some time to recharge it. she's not trying to ghost, she promises! she just needs a couple days of mirror glaring and deep rumination before she's ready to have company again.

a wanted plot of mine (!!!!!!) but i also hc her as recently single with a lot of regretful and reluctant pining for her ex lol. she's in her slightly reckless era in an attempt to forget them, so pls forgive her for any messy moments 😘

#midnightintro #´ ❇ 𝐈 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 . #/don't mind me breaking the ice 🤭

[eliza1911o1]

Resident Alien S3E3 reminding me why I loved this show

Not going to get into the issues, functional or superficial, I have with the show (post-s1, especially); that’s another post. Just wanted to note how 141 Seconds finally utilized some of the best parts of the show that have being going under appreciated

Obviously, one of those is focusing more on Harry himself. Subsequent seasons have really allowed supporting cast to grow, but this has come at the cost of Harry’s depth, at-times. It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen him truly wonder what he’s doing on Earth past chalking it up to affection for Asta or flippant interests such as his love for certain foods

The addition of the subplots wasn’t unwelcome, too. Rather than merely putting them through funny scenarios or highlighting some random meditation on humanity, the scenes truly added to the characters. For Dep. Liv, we gain insight to her lacking confidence as her grandmother bullies her for meaningless reasons; Sheriff Mike shows again his tactlessness for relationships, but is there to support Liv; Judy surprisingly gains context and is supported by D’arcy; Asta is guided to focusing on herself rather than keeping busy by others; and most focused on is the position of Ben and Kate, who is haunted by the ghost of a baby she supposedly never had. Though this plot feels more redundant than foreshadowed due to feeling too close to the scenes involving the Alien Tracker and his wife from last season, they are expanded this episode and strike an emotional chord that finally makes it feel worthwhile

It also highlighted that, even though he’s always saying it, Harry is an intelligent being with knowledge far beyond Earth’s limits. Though Harry has been expanding his repertoire of expression, most scenes have him coming off as immature and, at times irritatingly selfish. He’s typically the butt of a joke and substantially simpleminded, not bothering to understand the complexities behind his own emotions. I think the show has been struggling with the “show don’t tell,” so even though it was kind of a weak example, there was satisfaction in seeing Harry finally display his skills

Season 3 hasn’t felt as tight as it should for the shortened episode count (now at eight from twelve), but this episode managed to make the sitcom shift into more the drama it was during season 1. The anxious thought/hallucination Harry has of lava pouring out in the lobby was an especially nice touch, reminiscent of the zombie figures he saw when he was struggling with the guilt of killing his newfound human friends. The introduction of the Blue Avian at the end (who supposedly is Harry’s love interest, whose role I am skeptical about) is also nice as Harry’s trouble with the galactic laws reminds us (and him) he is, in fact, still an alien. No matter how human he is becoming or how much he wants to stay in this small town, that is not his full position. It’ll be interesting to see how this season pares out since the writing/plot has really been a hit or miss. However, if you’re just watching for laughs, there’s nothing to complain about

#resident alien #harry vanderspeigle #syfy

[a-celestial-dream]

Can we just talk about how realistic and relatable DreamWorks made the characters of HTTYD?

Here are some things I noticed:

(Go to the end for the TLDR)

Appearance

In HTTYD1, the kids look like actual kids. Their bodies are lanky and/or awkward. Arms too long, heads too big, bodies not yet accustomed to their appendages. They’re all in that awkward teenage stage in their lives where some parts of your body are growing faster than the rest.

Their skin as well. Their skin is dirty with visible “imperfections” and spots. Hiccup is a good example of this, as he’s seen with a large amount of freckles, some darker than others, and tiny bristles of stubble on his chin as well as his scar. His freckles aren’t visible only on his face, but on his hands as well.

Their teeth aren’t perfectly straight either. Multiple people are seen with crooked and even missing teeth.

This makes them ask the more relatable.

Expressions

The facial expression made by the characters of the HTTYD verse are extremely realistic and similar to expressions you’ll see in day to day life.

When they’re happy, their eyes widen and they smile in a way that’s unique to each individual (i.e. Hiccup’s smiles are always lopsided, and Astrid’s smile only show her top teeth)

When they’re confused or intrigued, their heads tilt to the side and their eyebrows furrow downwards slightly.

When they’re sad or regretful, their eyebrows once again furrow but upwards this time. Their eyes widen and grow misty, and their mouths either open or tighten as a way to show the vulnerability being caused by the emotions.

Gestures

As pointed out by Astrid in the second movie, Hiccup gestures with his hands and shoulders a lot. But it’s not just home. Everyone has body language that is actually readable to the viewers, clueing then in to how certain characters are feeling. Some use certain parts of their bodies to emphasize what they’re saying

(Hiccup uses the entirety of his arms and shoulders, occasionally even his entire body to get emotions across, while Astrid uses her head to communicate. Turning it this way and that, shaking it or nodding as she talks for the same reasons Hiccup uses his hands to talk, to get her emotions across)

Aging

The way the characters age is not exaggerated or all that unrealistic, no matter how much it seems like it is.

Teenhood is the primary time for bodily change. Jawlines sharpen, hair texture and color can change, eye color can shift. They grow taller, their bodies become more developed and balanced in certain places, filling out in thinning depending on the area. All of this happens to the teens, and it’s apparent. But they still retain the features they has when they were younger. If one was to put them side by side with their younger selves, you would be able to the see not only the differences, but the similarities as well.

I also like how some grew more than others. Like how one of the tallest became the shortest because the shortest hit a growth spurt and became the tallest. They didn’t maintain the heights they had when they were kids, but they also didn’t grow too much or too little for it to be unreasonable.

Speech

The way the VA’s handled their roles was amazing and so fluent and natural. It felt less like a script being read off, loud and emphasized, and more like a conversation. Quiet or loud depending on the mood, muttering in ways that everyone has at least once, and stuttering during stressful situations but never overdoing it. Humming in acknowledgment or using shortened versions of words when it was appropriate and never over doing it.

All this made the characters feel so alive.

TLDR; DreamWorks did a great job at bringing the characters of the greatest animated movie trilogy in cinematic history to life.

#a celestial dream #httyd #tumblr #i’ve thought about this a lot #you can tell #hiccup how to train your dragon #httyd astrid #dreamworks #analysis

[isthisfree]

15 questions for 15 friends

Thank you @kato-neimoidia and @starwalkertales for tagging me! These were fun the answer.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes. My legal first name is my aunt's middle name and her name came from her god mother. My middle name is my other aunt's middle name and it came from her aunt, so my great aunt. The name I've gone by since I was born though is from my mother's best friend from college. A couple of years ago my mom told me that she just wanted to name me after her best friend, but my aunts are the type that would feel slighted by that, so she got lucky that the name I go by is a shorten version of my legal name. So really I never had a chance in the whole people pleasing department lol

2. When was the last time you cried?

The last time I had a full cry, not just a couple of tears escaping, was last September. I found out my cat I've had for 15 years has cancer and that it is terminal. He's still going strong though!

3. Do you have kids?

Nope

4. What sports do you play/ have you played?

I played soccer as a kid, but just rec leagues, nothing serious.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Yes! Unfortunately though if I don't know someone really well I tend to have a hard time recognizing it when other's use it. So sarcasm and I have a love/hate relationship.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I don't like to look at people directly unless I am close to them, so I notice their voice first. If I do have to focus on someone new, it's probably hair. At an old college job I had to semi-permanently cover a shift and I would always start it by introducing myself to everyone else there as the manager on duty in case they needed anything. I introduced myself to the same woman 3 times before she finally told me. I had zero recollection of her. Felt sooooo bad.

7. What's your eye colour?

Brown

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings for sure. I'm a big baby when it comes to scary movies. Luckily I wear glasses, so I can just slide them down my nose so I can't see the screen if a part is too intense.

9. Any talents?

Umm, I like to crochet, mainly blankets, and cross stitch.

10. Where were you born?

East Coast of America, then moved down south when I was 2. Been pretty much in the same place ever since.

11. What are your hobbies?

I like to read, crochet, cross stitch, watch tv/movies. I also really like to work in my yard. I've planted around 120 bushes since I moved in. (Don't tell younger me, she will never believe I willing do yard work now). Also Obikin should probably be listed here too. Those idiots (affectionate) take up a lot of brain space. (no complaints)

12. Do you have any pets?

Yes, one cat.

13. How tall are you?

5'2"

14. Favourite subject in school?

I loved history

15. Dream job?

Retirement lol.

I'm getting a little anxious about tagging others, so please consider this an open invite. (sorry for the cop out.)

#15 questions

[imfrom-neptune]

So I was talking with my love about how some of the songs in PORTALS seem to reference K-12 and Crybaby and that ofc put the idea in my head to go find every reference I could-

So here’s a master list of everything that other people have found as well as some of my own personal takes lmao

-DEATH: “life is death is life” etc could reference Crybaby and Angelita’s convo in the K-12 film (“I don’t know why people are so afraid of death.” “I agree, it’s just another part of life.” “You start in the womb and you end up in the tomb.”)

-VOID: the lyric “I’m tryna find a doorway” could reference an unreleased song also called Void. One of the lyrics from this version is “Think I got a key but I don’t see a door”. (I never would’ve known this lmao)

-FAERIE SOIRÉE: this one’s a personal take, but “lips of sugar” could be a parallel to the lyrics in Cake, “your kiss is sugary sweet” or “you taste like buttercream”.

-BATTLE OF THE LYRINX: could refer to Alphabet Boy with the lyric “Your daddy could never bestow you, while bloody, they’ll tell you you’ve won.” being similar to “But you’re not my daddy and I’m not your dolly, and your dictionary’s destroyed.” (I don’t know about this one but.. okay)

-THE CONTORTIONIST: “I’m done, I’m done” / “it’s no fun, no fun” are both used in the chorus of Bittersweet Tragedy: “I’m done” / “it’s no fun”. (I am very proud that I found this myself). Also, again, personal take, but “caught you like a cold or a flu (achoo), praying that someday I’ll be immune” feels like a Nurse’s Office reference.

-NYMPHOLOGY: the spelling element also being used in Dollhouse. Idk. Also the line “Get your image off my back” could be referencing a song on Melanie’s SoundCloud called Piggyback. “Push your penis into your mouth” could be a more mature version of “pacify(ing) her”.

-The ending part of NYMPHOLOGY is actually a shortened version of a song called AMULET, which is very similar to an unreleased song called Emerald. The clearest similarity is the lyric “So rare it is offensive, I think you will agree” in AMULET, which is basically the same as “Rarity I am, it’s offensive” from Emerald.

-EVIL: personal take but “now I’m stop-drop-rolling over all your jokes” could be referencing Fire Drill. Not directly, but y’know. Stop/drop/roll being a fire thing. Then ofc, “hope you slip on soap” is obviously referencing Soap.

-WOMB: Again referencing the “you start in the womb, end up in the tomb” line from the K-12 film, just like DEATH did. Also the “no more, no more” lyric being the same as High School Sweethearts.

-POWDER: the whole thing is sort of being mad at her ex for not getting help for his addiction to drugs (powder) apparently?? Could relate to Sippy Cup: “just another shift at the drug company”

-PLUTO: “some friends that I thought were forever, now I wanna sever their ties” reminds me of Lunchbox Friends. Could be the end of “friendship that will last forever”.

I’m done sorry lmao

Let me know if there’s more!!

#melanie martinez #portals melanie martinez

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

AFFC: Cersei V (Chapter 24)

The king was pouting. "I want to sit on the Iron Throne," he told her. "You always let Joff sit up there."

"Joffrey was twelve."

"But I'm the king. The throne belongs to me."

"Who told you that?" Cersei took a deep breath, so Dorcas could lace her up more tightly. She was a big girl, much stronger than Senelle, though clumsier as well.

Are you having difficulty with your clothing, Robert? Try the breastplate stretcher.

I'm sorry, that was a low bow.

+.+.+

Tommen's face turned red. "No one told me."

"No one? Is that what you call your lady wife?" The queen could smell Margaery Tyrell all over this rebellion.

Holy shit, Tommen and Arya are endgame.

You gotta love Cersei being annoyed by this little display from Tommen.

Tommen did as he was bid. His meekness troubled her. A king had to be strong. Joffrey would have argued. He was never easy to cow. - Cersei II, AFFC

+.+.+

"If you lie to me, I will have no choice but to send for Pate and have him beaten till he bleeds." Pate was Tommen's whipping boy, as he had been Joffrey's.

This is horrifying, but the Joffrey part takes it to another level. Way to encourage him.

+.+.+

The Grand Maester had been especially querulous in council of late. At the last session he had complained bitterly about the men that Aurane Waters had chosen to captain her new dromonds. Waters meant to give the ships to younger men, whilst Pycelle argued for experience, insisting that the commands should go to those captains who had survived the fires of the Blackwater. "Seasoned men of proven loyalty," he called them. Cersei called them old, and sided with Lord Waters. 

This can't possibly backfire.

+.+.+

"The only thing these captains proved was that they know how to swim," she'd said. "No mother should outlive her children, and no captain should outlive his ship." Pycelle had taken the rebuke with ill grace.

Heh.

+.+.+

"Your Grace, glad tidings," he announced. "Wyman Manderly has done as you commanded, and beheaded Lord Stannis's onion knight."

"We know this for a certainty?"

"The man's head and hands have been mounted above the walls of White Harbor. Lord Wyman avows this, and the Freys confirm. They have seen the head there, with an onion in its mouth. And the hands, one marked by his shortened fingers."

I don't know about you guys, but I totally believe a POV character just died off screen.

+.+.+

Noho Dimittis, the Braavosi named himself. An irritating name for an irritating man. His voice was irritating too. Cersei shifted in her seat as he went on, wondering how long she must endure his hectoring. Behind her loomed the Iron Throne, its barbs and blades throwing twisted shadows across the floor. 

Was it a shadow or the Iron Throne??

+.+.+

When the Braavosi paused for breath, she saw her chance. "This is more properly a matter for our lord treasurer."

That answer did not please the noble Noho, it would seem. "I have spoken with Lord Gyles six times. He coughs at me and makes excuses, Your Grace, but the gold is not forthcoming."

"Speak to him a seventh time," Cersei suggested pleasantly. "The number seven is sacred to our gods."

[...]

"The Iron Bank will have its gold when this rebellion has been put down."

He had the insolence to scowl at her. "Your Grace—"

"This audience is at an end." Cersei had suffered quite enough for one day. 

Of all the silly things she does, this is by far the worst.

+.+.+

"I must confess, I am running short of patience with dear Osney. It is past time he broke in that little filly. I named him Tommen's sworn shield so he could spend part of every day in Margaery's company. He should have plucked the rose by now. Is the little queen blind to his charms?"

It seems as if lots of roses are ready to be plucked.

+.+.+

"She likes his face. She touched his scars two days ago, he told me. 'What woman gave you these?' she asked. Osney never said it was a woman, but she knew. Might be someone told her. She's always touching him when they talk, he says. Straightening the clasp on his cloak, brushing back his hair, and like that. One time at the archery butts she had him show her how to hold a longbow, so he had to put his arms around her. Osney tells her bawdy jests, and she laughs and comes back with ones that are even bawdier. No, she wants him, that's plain, but . . ."

I wonder who told her?

Cersei Lannister, asleep at the wheel.

+.+.+

"They are never alone. The king's with them most all the time, and when he's not, there's someone else. Two of her ladies share her bed, different ones every night. Two others bring her breakfast and help her dress. She prays with her septa, reads with her cousin Elinor, sings with her cousin Alla, sews with her cousin Megga. When she's not off hawking with Janna Fossoway and Merry Crane, she's playing come-into-my-castle with that little Bulwer girl. She never goes riding but she takes a tail, four or five companions and a dozen guards at least. And there's always men about her, even in the Maidenvault."

Wow, it's almost as if Margaery always has an alibi! What good fortune.

+.+.+

"Men." That was something. That had possibilities. "What men are these, pray tell?"

Ser Osmund shrugged. "Singers. She's a fool for singers and jugglers and such.

But that doesn't mean Cersei is about to give up, lol.

+.+.+

"I'll tell him, Your Grace. He's eager for that ride, don't think he ain't. She's a pretty little thing, that filly."

It is me he's eager for, fool, the queen thought. All he wants of Margaery is the lordship between her legs. As fond as she was of Osmund, at times he seemed as slow as Robert. I hope his sword is quicker than his wits. The day may come that Tommen has some need of it.

Duly noted.

+.+.+

"You were glorious." Margaery went to one knee, kissed the king upon his cheek, and put an arm around him. "Brother, take care," she warned Loras. "My gallant husband will be unhorsing you in a few more years, I think." [...]

"When he is a man grown," said Cersei.

Their smiles withered like roses kissed by frost.

I badly want to believe this is something.

+.+.+

"I was watching from across the yard. You did very well, Tommen. I would expect no less of you. Jousting is in your blood. One day you shall rule the lists, as your father did."

"No man will stand before him." Margaery Tyrell gave the queen a coy smile. "But I never knew that King Robert was so accomplished at the joust. Pray tell us, Your Grace, what tourneys did he win? What great knights did he unseat? I know the king should like to hear about his father's victories."

A flush crept up Cersei's neck. The girl had caught her out. Robert Baratheon had been an indifferent jouster, in truth. During tourneys he had much preferred the mêlée, where he could beat men bloody with blunted axe or hammer. It had been Jaime she had been thinking of when she spoke. It is not like me to forget myself. 

Bwahahaha. Well done, Margaery.

"Jaime told me once that he only feels truly alive in battle and in bed." She lifted her cup and took a long swallow. - Sansa VI, ACOK

+.+.+

"I helped His Grace to don his armor and showed him how to couch his lance," he answered.

"That horse was much too large for him. What if he had fallen off? What if the sandbag had smashed his head in?"

"Bruises and bloody lips are all part of being a knight."

"I begin to understand why your brother is a cripple." That wiped the smile off his pretty face, she was pleased to see. 

Oof.

+.+.+

"Yes, I thought as much." Cersei had seen how tight the bonds grew between squires and the knights they served. She did not want Tommen growing close to Loras Tyrell. The Knight of Flowers was no sort of man for any boy to emulate. "I have been remiss. With a realm to rule, a war to fight, and a father to mourn, somehow I overlooked the crucial matter of naming a new master-at-arms. I shall rectify that error at once."

Ser Loras pushed back a brown curl that had fallen across his forehead. "Your Grace will not find any man half so skilled with sword and lance as I."

Humble, aren't we? 

Good thinking Cersei, we don't want Tommen catching the gay.

I lost it at that humble line.

+.+.+

She left him on the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat with its bed of iron spikes and entered Maegor's Holdfast alone. 

I may be slow, but I eventually put it together.

She paused upon the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat, gazing down at the spikes below. - Cersei I, AFFC

x

"Should Ser Loras fall, Your Grace will need to find another worthy for the Kingsguard," Lord Qyburn said as they crossed over the spiked moat that girded Maegor's Holdfast. - Cersei VII, AFFC

Ahem.

Yet all these were as naught against the tragedy that descended on the court and king. On the twenty-second day of the ninth moon of 133 AC, Jaehaera of House Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and the last surviving child of King Aegon II, perished at the age of ten. The little queen died just as her mother, Queen Helaena, had, throwing herself from a window in Maegor's Holdfast onto the iron spikes that lined the dry moat below. Impaled through breast and belly, she twisted in agony for half an hour before she could be lifted free, whereupon she passed from this life at once. - Fire & Blood

I take back everything I ever said about Tommen and poison.

I'm staying firm on Myrcella though.

+.+.+

Where am I to find a master-at-arms? she wondered as she climbed to her apartments. 

[...]

It was rather a pity that the Hound had gone rabid. Tommen had always been frightened of Sandor Clegane's harsh voice and burned face, and Clegane's scorn would have been the perfect antidote to Loras Tyrell's simpering chivalry.

Aron Santagar was Dornish, Cersei recalled. I could send to Dorne. Centuries of blood and war lay between Sunspear and Highgarden. Yes, a Dornishman might suit my needs admirably. There must be some good swords in Dorne.

Do you want to know how I know the Hound is a worthless piece of shit? Cersei wants to employ him.

No word yet on who the Dornish master-at-arms will be. Developing story?

+.+.+

He [Qyburn] smiled sympathetically. "As you wish. There is talk that the Archon of Tyrosh has offered terms to Lys, to end their present trade war. It had been rumored that Myr was about to enter the war on the Tyroshi side, but without the Golden Company the Myrish did not believe they . . ."

"What the Myrish believe does not concern me." The Free Cities were always fighting one another. Their endless betrayals and alliances meant little and less to Westeros. "Do you have any news of more import?"

You get the sense that this is bigger than just the Golden Company.

+.+.+

"The slave revolt in Astapor has spread to Meereen, it would seem. Sailors off a dozen ships speak of dragons . . ."

"Harpies. It is harpies in Meereen."

Go ahead and make fun of her for ignoring this, but never forget Tywin did the exact same thing.

+.+.+

"There is some news from Dorne that Your Grace may find of more interest. Prince Doran has imprisoned Ser Daemon Sand, a bastard who once squired for the Red Viper."

[...]

"Also," Lord Qyburn said, "the daughter of the Knight of Spottswood [Sylva Santagar] was betrothed quite unexpectedly to Lord Estermont, our friends in Dorne inform us. She was sent to Greenstone that very night, and it is said she and Estermont have already wed."

[...]

"Eldon Estermont has taken a wife fifty years his junior," she said to Qyburn. "Why should that concern me?"

He shrugged. "I do not say it should . . . but Daemon Sand and this Santagar girl were both close to Prince Doran's own daughter, Arianne, or so the Dornishmen would have us believe. Perhaps it means little or less, but I thought Your Grace should know."

Perhaps it means little or less, but I thought Your Grace should know aka George would like the reader to know.

Sylva Santagar, active participant in the Queenmaker plot, is sent home by Doran. She is then quickly sent to Estermont by her father, and married off to a corpse.

The Golden Company take the island of Estermont when they arrive in Westeros.

+.+.+

Robert had later insisted on returning the courtesy with a visit to Estermont, a mountainous little island off Cape Wrath. The dank and dismal fortnight Cersei spent at Greenstone, the seat of House Estermont, was the longest of her young life. Jaime dubbed the castle "Greenshit" at first sight, and soon had Cersei doing it too. Elsewise she passed her days watching her royal husband hawk, hunt, and drink with his uncles, and bludgeon various male cousins senseless in Greenshit's yard.

There had been a female cousin too, a chunky little widow with breasts as big as melons whose husband and father had both died at Storm's End during the siege. "Her father was good to me," Robert told her, "and she and I would play together when the two of us were small." It did not take him long to start playing with her again. 

Try not to laugh challenge.

+.+.+

"One more thing. A trifling matter." He gave her an apologetic smile and told her of a puppet show that had recently become popular amongst the city's smallfolk; a puppet show wherein the kingdom of the beasts was ruled by a pride of haughty lions. "The puppet lions grow greedy and arrogant as this treasonous tale proceeds, until they begin to devour their own subjects. When the noble stag makes objection, the lions devour him as well, and roar that it is their right as the mightiest of beasts."

"And is that the end of it?" Cersei asked, amused. Looked at in the right light, it could be seen as a salutary lesson.

"No, Your Grace. At the end a dragon hatches from an egg and devours all of the lions."

I would bet a lot of money Varys is responsible for this.

+.+.+

The ending took the puppet show from simple insolence to treason. "Witless fools. Only cretins would hazard their heads upon a wooden dragon." 

I agree.

+.+.+

"There are four. Perhaps Your Grace might allow me two of them for mine own purposes. A woman would be especially . . ."

"I gave you Senelle," the queen said sharply.

"Alas. The poor girl is quite . . . exhausted."

The most poetic ending for Qyburn is Frankenstein's monster eating Frankenstein.

+.+.+

"Must I send for Pate? You do not command me. I am your mother."

"Yes, but I'm the king. Margaery says that everyone has to do what the king says. I want my white courser saddled on the morrow so Ser Loras can teach me how to joust. I want a kitten too, and I don't want to eat beets." He crossed his arms.

[...]

Tommen ran along, but before he left he turned back to say, "When I'm king in my own right, I'm going to outlaw beets."

You little shit, beets are fantastic. I hope you enjoy those spi-

I apologize.

+.+.+

"—or what? Will you send me to inspect the city walls again?" He sat and crossed his legs. "Your bloody walls are fine. I've crawled over every inch of them and had a look at all seven of the gates. The hinges on the Iron Gate are rusted, and the King's Gate and Mud Gate need to be replaced after the pounding Stannis gave them with his rams. The walls are as strong as they have ever been . . . but perchance Your Grace has forgotten that our friends of Highgarden are inside the walls?"

I don't believe these gates have been repaired. Developing story?

+.+.+

Dorcas helped the queen into her new gown. It had stripes of shiny green satin alternating with stripes of plush black velvet, and intricate black Myrish lace above the bodice. Myrish lace was costly, but it was necessary for a queen to look her best at all times, and her wretched washerwomen had shrunk several of her old gowns so they no longer fit. She would have whipped them for their carelessness, but Taena had urged her to be merciful. "The smallfolk will love you more if you are kind," she had said, so Cersei had ordered the value of the gowns deducted from the women's wages, a much more elegant solution.

+.+.+

By the time she joined them in the solar, her guests had made a good start on the hippocras. Lady Falyse not only looks like a fish, she drinks like one, she reflected, when she made note of the half-empty flagon.

+.+.+

"I shall add my prayers to your own," said Cersei. "Lord Qyburn tells me that Tanda was thrown from her horse."

"Her saddle girth burst whilst she was riding," said Ser Balman Byrch. "The stableboy should have seen the strap was worn. He has been chastised."

I'm sure Bronn had nothing to do with that.

+.+.+

"How was your journey?"

"Uncomfortable," complained Falyse. "It rained most of the day. We thought to spend the night at Rosby, but that young ward of Lord Gyles refused us hospitality." She sniffed. "Mark my word, when Gyles dies that ill-born wretch will make off with his gold. He may even try and claim the lands and lordship, though by rights Rosby should come to us when Gyles passes. My lady mother was aunt to his second wife, third cousin to Gyles himself."

We don't know who this young ward is, nor do we know who will inherit Rosby. Developing story?

+.+.+

"They call themselves sparrows," said Cersei. "A plague upon the land. Our new High Septon will need to deal with them, once he is crowned. If not, I shall deal with them myself."

Believe her.

+.+.+

Cersei reached across the table and gave his hand a squeeze. "I . . . I would sleep more easily of a night if I were to hear that Ser Bronn had suffered a . . . a mishap . . . whilst hunting, perhaps."

Ser Balman considered a moment. "A mortal mishap?"

No, I desire you to break his little toe. She had to bite her lip. My enemies are everywhere and my friends are fools. 

Hahahaha.

This won't backfire either. I have faith.

+.+.+

The rest was hippocras and buttered beets, hot-baked bread, herb-crusted pike, and ribs of wild boar. Cersei had become very fond of boar since Robert's death. 

lmfao.

+.+.+

It was past midnight before she could rid herself of them. Ser Balman proved a great one for suggesting yet another flagon, and the queen did not think it prudent to refuse. I could have hired a Faceless Man to kill Bronn for half of what I've spent on hippocras, she reflected when they were gone at last.

No, of course you couldn't.

Faceless Men shoutout!

+.+.+

"Never speak of it, child," he [Tywin] had told her, smiling his secret smile that only Cersei ever saw. "Not until His Grace agrees to the betrothal. It must remain our secret for now." And so it had, though once she had drawn a picture of herself flying behind Rhaegar on a dragon, her arms wrapped tight about his chest. When Jaime had discovered it she told him it was Queen Alysanne and King Jaehaerys.

Even I know Alysanne had her own dragon. Stupid Jaime.

+.+.+

She was ten when she finally saw her prince in the flesh, at the tourney her lord father had thrown to welcome King Aerys to the west. Viewing stands had been raised beneath the walls of Lannisport, and the cheers of the smallfolk had echoed off Casterly Rock like rolling thunder. 

Including it for reasons.

+.+.+

By night the prince played his silver harp and made her weep. When she had been presented to him, Cersei had almost drowned in the depths of his sad purple eyes. 

Lots of fun things happening here.

+.+.+

Later, when Aerys and his son and all his gallant knights had departed for King's Landing, the girl had gone to her aunt in tears, not understanding. "Your father proposed the match," Lady Genna told her, "but Aerys refused to hear of it. 'You are my most able servant, Tywin,' the king said, 'but a man does not marry his heir to his servant's daughter.' Dry those tears, little one. Have you ever seen a lion weep? Your father will find another man for you, a better man than Rhaegar."

It turns out I'm capable of liking a Targaryen for 30 seconds.

+.+.+

Her aunt had lied, though, and her father had failed her, just as Jaime was failing her now. Father found no better man. Instead he gave me Robert, and Maggy's curse bloomed like some poisonous flower. 

You aren't kidding.

+.+.+

If she had only married Rhaegar as the gods intended, he would never have looked twice at the wolf girl. Rhaegar would be our king today and I would be his queen, the mother of his sons.

Hehehe.

"If I had been born more timely, he said, Rhaegar would have married me instead of Elia, and it would all have come out different. If Rhaegar had been happy in his wife, he would not have needed the Stark girl." -Daenerys IV, ASOS

+.+.+

She had never forgiven Robert for killing him.

But then, lions were not good at forgiving. As Ser Bronn of the Blackwater would shortly learn.

That's like the one good thing he ever did!

Final thoughts:

The long chapters are starting to get to me.

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #affc #cersei v

[syceusfig]

Sex Education S4.

Hi friends, its been a while. Shit has been pouring down and I've been here with no umbrella, just hoping for it to end and it hasn't but you know what? Acceptance is a gift. So here I am, accepting things and writing a rant about the forth season of Sex Education because I might actually be going insane. If I feel like it, I might do a proper analysis of the show as a whole because it is absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend watching it if you haven't yet. That being said, spoilers for Sex Education season 4 (and potentially other seasons) ahead.

I'm honestly not entirely sure how I feel about this season. I think I prefer it to the third season but not to the first and second. To begin, I think it might be nice to cover why that might be.

So the first, probably most striking factor, is how crowded Sex Education got in the third season. There were (from what I found) 18 characters considered part of the main cast in the third season, which made it very difficult for the show to put any focus on specific characters and shortened the amount of time we got with the main three. Now, the forth season cut out quite a few characters and managed to do it somewhat naturally with Otis and Eric's shift from Moordale to Cavendish, as well as Jean finding out Jakob was not Joy's father. Most of the characters that were cut out had completed storylines (in my opinion) so I wasn't too bothered by it however I felt that Ola and Jakob's complete removal from the show was too sudden as there was no consolidation from Jean finding out Jakob wasn't Joy's father to him completely leaving. I also thought that Ola not being in Adam's life made no sense as I was really hoping they'd get more screentime this season after they got so little of it last season.

I want to note that I do know Patricia Allison (the actress who plays Ola) had said she would not be returning for the forth season and things like that do happen, however it is still very unfortunate and I wish Ola would've at least still have been mentioned by Adam, acknowledging her absence in his life because her complete erasure felt unnatural to me and didn't make much sense overall.

In spite of this, cutting some characters out was generally a good thing. It allowed the show to focus and develop more on characters, giving them more complete, well-developed storylines (or it should have, but we'll get to that) and removing the struggle for screentime I felt there was in Season 3.

One of the downfalls of this season, however, was the failure to fully take advantage of the newfound lack of crowing. There was a certain choppiness to the third season and all the storylines felt disjointed. Which can be okay, as characters do need to develop by themselves, but too much individuality can take away from the whole. The first two seasons of Sex Education had that wholeness, characters had storylines but they were connected in a way; there was a bigger picture that formed as each character developed their smaller, individual pictures. Unfortunately, the choppiness from the third season remained in the forth. Though less, there was a disjointedness. The characters were very strongly "grouped" this season and their storylines hugely revolved around those groups and those groups only. There was no bigger picture, there was no "ultimate" which left a sense of unfinished.

Speaking of unfinished, I'm going to move into individual things that worked and didn't work this season, starting with Jackson and Cal. Quite simply, there was no resolution. Their relationship went nowhere this season, it was just something that sort of lingered over the audience's head but never went anywhere. I found it increasingly frustrating and thought there were multiple moments that could've been worked to create a resolution between them, whatever that may have been. Like when Cal went missing, if Jackson had found them rather than Eric, something could have been done there, a talk, a moment, anything. I just didn't like how they were sort of glossed over. Ultimately, I felt their storyline was unfinished and, as a whole, discarded.

Before moving on I want to talk a little bit more about Cal. I thought they had a lot of potential when they were introduced in Season 3 them being non-binary was practically their only defining trait. I had hope that more would be done with them this season because it's great to have NB representation in shows but I don't feel more has been done. There were some pros, like us getting a bit of a view into Cal's home life, but aside from that it didn't feel like much had changed and the only moment Cal was at all crucial to the story was right at the end.

I also felt that Otis and Eric's "rift" didn't work. One of my favourite things about Sex Education has been Otis and Eric's relationship because they have an incredible bond despite their differences and are always there for each other when needed. The lack of this relationship this season was very much missed. While I understand Eric's inclination to befriend people he felt were more similar to him, I feel the show navigated this badly and it was sort of an afterthought. Otis and Eric's fight was furthermore incredibly redundant as it was similar to fights Otis and Eric previously had made up and moved on from, making it seem like a fight for the sake of a fight.

There was quite a bit of fighting for the sake of fighting this season. Which brings me to my next point, Maeve and Otis. I was firstly glad the show had them keep in contact while Maeve was in America so they didn't start in that sort of strange, vague place they did in the third season. However, their on and off this season was very unnecessary. With the death of Maeve's mum and her having just come back from America, their relationship would have already faced enough challenges and obstacles. Getting to watch them navigate that in a relationship would have worked a lot better than the same "will they, won't they" the show has been doing for three seasons already. It's gotten old. We ended up not getting much time with them as a couple which I was really hoping for.

Maeve and Otis' ending in and off itself was understandable but I am very upset regardless. I loved the bit with the note, I thought it wrapped everything up very well. I liked that she kept the shirt, I liked that she chose herself and her future, I like how he closed his eyes when she left so, to be fair, I liked quite a lot. But, as I've said, I wish we had gotten more time with them in the season because I think it would've made it more impactful.

Something that wasn't major but I quickly want to talk about was Eric's relationship with religion this season. While I liked that the show presented how difficult it can be being a queer person who is still religious and finds community in church or worship in general, I found Eric's religion journey confusing. The abstract aspects of it (like the signs, the woman who I suppose was God, etc.) were kind of like when Villanelle started seeing Jesus in "Killing Eve". I didn't think the abstract aspects really fit with the rest of the show so it all just felt out of place. However, I liked that it brought about a lovely family moment with Eric and his mum.

I've been talking mostly about what didn't work so I'm switching to something that has. Family moments were something this season absolutely nailed. The scene between Maeve and Jean was absolutely beautiful and so tender. I loved everything about it and I think the show did wonderfully, especially because Jean and Maeve properly meeting was something I have been waiting for since the start of the show. This and the simple, lovely moment were Cal and their mum were lying together.

Also worth mentioning Adam and his dad's slowly growing and healing relationship. Mr. Groff's development throughout the show has been done astonishingly well, I was genuinely rooting for him this season and I loved seeing him trying with Adam. I also thought Adam was great. I liked that he found something he loved, accepting school wasn't for him because it really isn't for everyone and it's very nice to see that acknowledged.

So, there were nice things about this season and I did enjoy it (I mean, I finished it the day after it came out) despite it definitely not being my favourite. Now, I have a multitude of different issues with the end probably because so much pressure and anticipation goes into an ending that when it doesn't reach the expectations we set for it, it can be very detrimental to our overall enjoyment. For Sex Education, I think there are a lot of little things that could have been changed to make the ending more satisfying, more final. But, if I keep going I will never, ever stop (and it is mainly minor things that could've been done) so I think I'll just end this post here on a semi-positive note.

Sex Education is a great show. Yes, it was better at the start and yes I think it could've been wrapped up earlier hopefully leaving us with a more satisfying ending. But it's still very much worth the watch, there's a lot to love, and I still recommend watching it regardless. I want to be clear in saying I don't think this season or the ending was horrible by any means I just expected and hoped for more. Anyway, if you have any thoughts do share them whether or not you agree with me; I'm always happy to discuss.

#sex education #sex ed s4 #sex ed spoilers #netflix #show review #more like show rant #i cannot shut up #shows #netflix series #netflix shows

[ya9amicide]

The End of the World In a Woman’s Hands [Newsies]

chapter eleven

♡ newsies masterlist ♡ previous chapter ♡ next chapter ♡

summary: Being a girl in the everyday world is difficult. Being the leader of the Manhattan Newsies and a girl? Even more so. Especially when nobody knows you're a girl and the truth is the closest kept secret you have ever had. For Jack Kelly, keeping the truth of her gender a secret is one she's found easy after doing so for many years. Unfortunately, having close encounters with the iron fist, Pulitzer, and a new Newsie who seems determined to get to know her, that secret might just become the opposite.

pairing: fem!jack kelly x david “davey” jacobs

warnings: none

“So,” David says, “why Jacqueline?” They sit on the fire escape, still talking the night away.

Jack shrugs half-heartedly. “Well, I don’t got no family. Least not one I care about. So, I wanted somethin’ of my own. Francine Sullivan sounds too snobbish anyway. Jacqueline…I like Jacqueline.” She looks over to find David listening to her intently. “When I became a Newsie, I just shortened it to Jack.”

“So…What should I call you?”

She huffs out a silent laugh. “Jack is still fine. But…It might be nice bein’ called Jacqueline now and again. Jackie too.”

“Okay, Jacqueline.” They share a soft smile and David shifts, feeling something in his pocket and remembering Denton’s article which he had shoved in there earlier. “You know, I’m not the only one you’ve touched.” He took out the paper. “Denton’s story.” When She doesn’t say anything, he starts to read the paper. “‘'The men who run this city are terrified of the Newsies strike because other child laborers in the factories and sweatshops are hearing the message of the Newsies leader. In the voice of Jack Kelly, these children hear strength and pride. Most of all, they hear hope.’”

Later, Denton reads the same part of the article. “‘And that is what terrifies the powers-that-be, for they know our city thrives on the shame of child labor. Therefore, Jack Kelly's voice must be stopped, whatever the cost.’” He stops reading. “Damn good writing, isn't it?”

Jack listened somberly, moved by his words. “All them sweatshop kids are listenin' to me?”

“They think if the Newsies can do it, why can't they? All they need is a leader.”

“The minute I show my face, I'm back in the Refuge.”

“You'd have help this time. I've been investigating the Refuge. I know somebody who's going to be very interested in Snyder's little racket.”

“Whatever happens, it's Jack's decision,” David says. “She's the one in danger.” They all look over to her and see her deep in thought.

Les steps up to her. “Jack? You thinkin'?”

“Yeah…I'm thinkin' of Newsie Square full of kids.”

David seems to know exactly what she’s thinking and picks up on her thoughts. “Another rally, right under Pulitzer's nose, and not just the Newsies-”

“Every workin' kid from every sweatshop in New York. We gotta get the word out -- let's go get the Newsies…” She stops, trailing off. “They still think I'm a scab…”

“I'll tell 'em you was a spy!” Les tells her.

“How're you gonna reach all these people?” Denton asks. “No paper in New York will print anything about the strike.”

Jack smirks. “We're Newsies, ain't we? So we make our own paper.”

David shushes her. “Be quiet and let me think.”

“Whattaya need to start a paper? Writers, right? So we got Denton. What else?”

“A printing press,” Denton intervenes. “And no paper or printer is going to defy Pulitzer.”

The others look discouraged but Jack starts thinking again. “Les. Go set me straight with the Newsies, okay? Tell 'em to meet us later at the World Building.” Les races off on his mission and David and Denton look questioningly at Jack. She shrugs. “So happens I know a guy with a printing press.”

The huge presses pound out papers and a loud thudding rhythm shakes the building. Jack leads David, Denton, and Les down the stairs with a candle. “They're right above us, and if Weasel catches us, it won't be just me they'll throw in the slammer.”

Denton heads straight for the old press, checking it over expertly and Jack directs the others to the ink and paper.

The other Newsboys start making their way in and out of the room to offer their help.

“All right,” David says, getting everyone’s attention. “Here’s how it’ll work: as we print the papes, Race, you’ll let the fellas in and they’ll spread them to every workin’ kid in New York. After that…”

“After that it’s up to them,” Jack finishes.

“So…,” Race says, sidling up next to her. “Francine, huh?”

Jack cringes slightly at the use of her real name and the other Newsies quiet down to hear the conversation. “Please, don’t call me that. I’m still Jack, just…”

“Just a pretty dame this time ‘round,” Romeo says, batting his lashes at her playfully.

She plants her palm across his face and pushes him away with a chuckle. “Zip it, Romeo. I’se still the leader of the ‘Hattan Newsies,” she pauses, remembering her brief stint as a scab. “I-I mean, if you’se will still have me?” She directs the question to all of her boys in the room, worry and self-doubt lacing her tone.

“Yeah, sure thing,” he says. “Just no more secrets, okay, Jackie?”

“Mmm, no promises,” she jokes, earning a playful slap on the back. “C’mon, back to work, these papes won’t make and deliver themselves.”

“I bet after all of this you thinkin' you'd like to take a shot at my schnozz, right?” Race asks her. “Five to one says you can't break it.”

Jack laughs and gives Race a quick hug as they climb onto the wagon.

“The cops are looking for Jackie,” David says. “We gotta protect her.”

“Any bull comes after Jack, they gotta go through all of us,” Kid Blink punches his fist into an open palm.

Boots spots the bundle of clothes that Jack has with her. “What's with the bundle, Jack? Ya leavin'?”

“Santa Fe bound, Boots. But not without givin' Pulitzer one last kiss goodbye.”

#𐙚 sfw ! #newsies movie #newsies #newsies fanfiction #newsies musical #newsboys #jack kelly #female jack kelly #crutchie morris #morris delancey #oscar delancey #spot conlon #racetrack higgins #david jacobs

[theflashdriver]

Household Magic

Having already posted it everywhere else, here is my 15,000 word three part Silvaze fanfic all in one place! It focuses on Silver attempting to return Blaze’s hospitality following an extended stay in the Sol Dimension. The contents are nothing but fluff and cuteness, I hope you enjoy!

An anticipated cacophony filled the room, loud enough to spread tired eyelids. That noise was a ringing, the sound of a hammer striking back and forth across two metal bells and bringing with it vibrations enough to shake a bedside cabinet to the point of almost tumbling. For a moment the room’s sole occupant allowed the noise to linger. She hoped it would simply fade into obscurity and her all too brief rest could continue, but that was an impossibility.

The covers were pushed back as Blaze the cat, age twenty, set up straight before turning to fiddle with the infernal awakening contraption at her side. The clock had admittedly proved useful across its now five years of service, it meant she wasn’t reliant on wake-up calls delivered by Gardon or another member of the guard as she had been as a child. On the other hand though, Marine had been the one to create the device and, as with most things the raccoon did, she’d gone more than a little overboard. Most alarm clocks of its style were only slightly larger than the princess’ palm, but this one was almost as big as her head.

It took no fewer than three attempts to fasten the latch and stop the ludicrous device, but the silence that permeated the aftermath was more than worth it. The princess’ eyes flickered across the room, presently lit dull orange by a small slit in her balcony curtains. Beyond the reach of her four-poster bed were indicators of the day’s workload. Papers she’d been reading and amending well into the evening were strewn across her desk in an atypically loose manner, her robe loosely hung from the back of her chair and a cup half filled with now ice-cold tea had taken residence between the two messes.

Yesterday had been an especially busy day, with six two-to-three-hour meetings taking up the majority of her time and delivering an excess of paperwork. Each of these conferences were important of course, their subjects ranging from agricultural laws to discussions of energy production, but their combined presence being spread so varied meant more than she’d hoped of it had drifted through her ears without imprinting on her brain. Usually sorting through paperwork could right such issues, but there had simply been too much to handle over her already shortened night.

Either way, it seemed likely it’d all be righted by the days end. Meetings were set for today too of course, it was rare for the guardian to go a day without encountering some sort of stakeholder or advisor, but her schedule wasn’t nearly as chaotic. That thought naturally led into another as she heaved a stretch; a small seed of hope hope that, by the evening, she and Silver would have some free time that they could spend toge-

A light knock at the door sprung the felines from her daydreaming. This wasn’t an abnormal occurrence, though usually such interruptions came at night or while she was with the hedgehog rather than early in the morning. She presumed this intrusion meant a shift in her schedule, likely to one of her morning meetings was set to be shifted into the evening. Assuming the worst, she immediately disregarded her half-baked daydream.

“Who’s there?” She called out, bundling the covers over herself to preemptively reinforce her modesty.

“It’s just me,” The voice of the very hedgehog she’d been thinking of rang through the door, “Can I come in?”

Immediately, her presumptive wish was back on the table, “Of course, Silver.”

The hedgehog had visited the royal bedchamber before, he'd spent the night in here more often than she’d openly admit. It wasn’t the first time he’d come to see her in the morning, he had before on occasions she’d spent the prior day cooped up in meetings… but his present state immediately raised her eyebrow. The hedgehog had taken to clothes since he’d first arrived in the Sol dimension, some six years prior, but his present outfit had only been worn on one prior occasion.

Silver the hedgehog, also age twenty, had stepped into her room in full formal dress. A black suit jacket hung unbuttoned over his shoulders, revealing a white dress shirt and teal bowtie. Cufflinks, matching his own metal cuffs, hung off his sleeves with black suit trousers and semi-smart walking boots completing the ensemble... but clothes weren’t the only surprise he was bringing. Rather than use his hands, the psychic had opted to use his powers to open the door and maintain all he was carrying. A wooden tea tray stretched between his hands, stacked with what looked and smelled to be various breakfast foods.

Despite the smartness of his outfit in theory, it was clear that the time traveller hadn’t fully grasped how to tidy himself up. From when he’d worn this outfit last, a few aspects that the princess herself had seen to fix were out of place. For one, he was plainly new to tying a bowtie and for another his bedhead quills were still spread in their usual manner rather than brushed down.

Regardless, being solely garbed in a deep purple nighty was making the feline feel overdressed.

“Good morning!” He beamed, so casually wandering toward her bedside.

“Good morning,” Blaze bit back a stutter, still taking him in.

She had acquired Silver’s present outfit almost half a year ago in preparation for a certain event, her twentieth birthday. Usually, the guardian’s birthdays were a private affair but, for every ten-year milestone, a more public event was expected. In an attempt to keep things at least somewhat enjoyable for the princess, and mitigate anticipated unfortunate interactions, the hedgehog had offered himself up as a sort of companion for the evening. They hadn’t called it a date or claimed to be romantically involved but by hanging off his arm, and dancing more than a little, they’d successfully kept wannabe suitors at bay. With his help, rather than the awkward evening she’d anticipated, it’d been an occasion she was more than happy to look back on.

The princess had reflected on the evening perhaps a little too often, especially the point when they’d escaped the stuffy castle hall and found themselves beneath the stars in the royal garden. All that reflecting was now acting as a double-edged sword as her brain repeatedly misfired. Why had he put on that outfit? Why was he bringing her breakfast in bed?

As he arrived at her side, stood parallel to Marine’s haphazard alarm clock, the hedgehog leaned over. Immediately, Blaze caught on to what he was doing and flattened her legs, letting him place the tray into her lap. Though the aroma had been strong, it fully intensified once he placed the platter directly beneath her nose.

Usually the princess ate a scant breakfast, she’d only have time for a piece of fruit plucked from a bowl and plan go hungry until lunch at the earliest. Comparatively, this gift of stacked toast, sausages, bacon, boiled eggs, roasted tomato, and a tall glass of orange juice was undeniably mouth-watering. It would surely be even mouth-watering if confusion wasn’t occupying much of her mind.

“Th-Thank you,” She cursed the confusion in her voice but quickly bit the bullet and embraced it, “Have I forgotten something, Silver?”

His face twisted adorably for a moment, she could see the cogs turning in his brain, “I don’t think so?”

“I see,” His understated response only left her with more questions, how could he stand to be so casual while dressed so formally?

“Have I forgotten something?” He interrupted before she could attempt to pry further.

“No, this all looks wonderful,” She quickly replied, not wanting to seem ungrateful, but he’d presented another opportunity, “Although, I suppose you have in one sense. You’ve not explained why you’ve brought me breakfast and why you’re dressed like that?”

“Oh, I thought it was obvious,” His confusion faded as a beaming smile returned, the hedgehog stood up straight before giving a small bow, “I’m your butler now.”

In Blaze’s own opinion, Silver was easy to read. The hedgehog bore his emotions plainly under almost every circumstance and he was the worst liar the princess knew. That all being said, ever since he’d arrived in her world and started to live a life closer to normal, the hedgehog had a tendency to act spontaneously. Some things could be predicted, like the hours he’d spend by the beach or gardening, but he'd catch her off-guard every so often. He’d surprised her with gifts more than once, his interest in cooking had also gone unanticipated, but this all seemed a step more bizarre.

Despite all that, annoying was the first to worm its way into her head, “Did Gardon arrange this? I told him to let you rest…”

“Oh, no. It was all my idea,” Finally, he seemed to notice that she was confused by all he was doing, “When you said you’d be busy yesterday I spent the day at the library, going through old fables to see how they compared to the ones from my world. There were a few about the royal family, which I guess makes sense since they were in the royal library, but they usually focused on maids and butlers who looked after them,” Blaze putting the pieces together just as quickly as the hedgehog laid them out, “It made me think about how you’ve been looking after me every time I arrive from the future, even back when we didn’t remember each other. It only makes sense that I do the same for you when you’re struggling, so I put on the right outfit for the job. Whenever I get back from the future, as soon the calamity is solved and I’m strong enough to stand, I’ll be your butler from now on.”

“You’re so naïve,” She tutted, reaching up and catching the side of his head while he was still bowed over, “Silver, while you’re here I want you to rest. You work so hard in the future. I want this to be a space you can relax and just be yourself, you don’t need to do anything for me.”

“But I am rested,” He promised, slightly nuzzling into her grasp, “Besides, I’m really good at it, watch.”

Still leaned over her, the hedgehog extended his right hand to the far side of the room. Immediately, by his psychic will, her messy papers neatened themselves back into their individual folders. Next her robe rose from the chair, fully masked in a cyan aura. All the creases from its prior use faded as the entire garb was straightened before being neatly folded. The curtains gently parted, orange daylight filled the room more properly and gave her a more thorough view of what came next. From her desk and its surroundings, she watched as pencil shavings, dust and eraser filings amassed in a singular arial point. Once the gathering was complete, the mass softly flew down to land in her discarded mug.

“When I go, I’ll take that with me,” Her eyes flickered back to his, only to be met with a warm intensity, “I’ll do whatever you need and whatever you say.”

Something about that last sentence brought heat to the princess’ cheeks. Silver was attempting to balance a ledger that didn’t require balancing, that much was clear; she wanted to help him, he’d endured such harshness fighting for what was right, but that truth went both ways. It was clear that in her absence the hedgehog had thought long and hard about this, the meal on her lap and his state of dress was proof of that alone, but could she handle this shift? Then again, could she stand to tell him no while he was so earnestly smiling, so honestly and fully trying to help her.

Blaze’s eyes dropped to the meal on her lap as her hand slipped from his muzzle, “You’ll do whatever I say?”

“Absolutely anything,” He swore, as if it was the most important thing in the world.

As she to come to terms with their current situation, looking to buy time in any way possible, his quills offered some inspiration, “Go into the bathroom, there should be a glass in there. Fill it with water and see if you can find a comb in there, bring them both out here.”

“As you wish,” He said very intensely, as if copying something he’d read, before turning and making for her en suite.

Feeling heat still flagging from her face, Blaze quickly took up the glass of orange juice and gulped it down. Immediately, by its texture and its level of sweetness, Blaze knew he had freshly squeezed it. By the time she’d reached the bottom of the glass, her state was barely any better. Claiming a roasted cherry tomato, immediately identifying the basil and spice that signified his effort only further plunged her into embarrassment. Just how early had he woken up this morning? Had he even slept?

The princess shifted the duvet from her shoulders in yet another failed attempt to escape the heat. Silver’s time was still in a state of disaster, once every month or so he’d depart her world in an attempt to set it right only to return ragged and haggard. He’d rarely return without some kind of injury, usually they were minor but that didn’t stop her from insisting on weeks spent relaxing and recovering. The idea of him working during that time just filled her with conflicting feelings.

Another aspect Blaze was struggling with was the aesthetic of it all. The idea of Silver referring to her with a royal moniker put a bizarre feeling into her gut. On one hand she frankly detested those associated terms, not only did they make her seem more important than her people but they also reminded her of her isolation from her public. Undeniably however, the conjured thought of those words slipping from Silver’s lips as he pleaded and promised in that blunt way he so often did was somehow enticing… and yet simultaneously extremely flustering.

The bathroom door swung open, revealing the hedgehog. In his right hand was a long black comb while the left held the filled glass, he looked much too determined considering how simple his given task had been. Without a word though, he stepped forward and presented the objects she had requested.

“Good,” Awkwardly, Blaze shifted the tea tray from her lap to her left side before rising fully from the covers to kneel atop her bed, “Lean down.”

As he did, Blaze claimed the comb but left him holding the glass. She dunked the comb with her left hand, wetting it, while she reached up with her right hand, pushing down his quills. She knew this process would take a minute or two, the hedgehog was much too fluffy, but she was certain that the effort would be worthwhile.

“If you’re going to wear that outfit, you should wear it properly,” She chided, now taking the comb in her right and beginning flatten his quills back, “These are always such a mess.”

It was only when she went to dunk the comb again that she caught his eyes, sighting the warmth on his cheeks and the grin on his lips, “Thank you.”

“I-I’m only humouring this for a little while,” For as serious as her tone was, Blaze knew she could see through her hard façade, “You don’t owe me any kind of debt for looking after you. Once you accept that, I’ll put a stop to this.”

He didn’t seem to have a response to that, not that Blaze would have accepted any haggling over this situation. The princess did manage to lose herself in the act of brushing his quills down, lowering her temperature just a little. As long as he didn’t overuse his psychic powers, she knew they should keep their brushed back look… but him using such power was an inevitability, especially if he was set on serving her.

When she pulled back, she found him quite changed. His ears now the only think poking up; his still separate quills were laying streamlined and neat against his head. It was unfortunate that the view rekindled the heat in her chest as again his likeness from that day became all the more undeniable. In an attempt to dissuade such thoughts, she distracted herself by buttoning up his jacket.

“There, now you look more proper,” She, rather gruffly, insisted. In immediate hindsight any other wording would have been better but her embarrassment wouldn’t allow her to say the likes of handsome, at least not this early in the morning.

He seemed to accept her claim without need of a mirror, rising back to his full height, “Is there anything else you want me to do before your meetings start?”

“No, I think you’ve done more than enough,” Her gaze flickered back to the breakfast he’d prepared. She couldn’t help but cringe as she realised it’d be getting colder by the second, “Thank you, again, Silver. I don’t usually have time for a breakfast like this.”

She didn’t have the skill to cook it either, but that was better left unsaid.

“Well there’s more of that to come, I’ve already planned out lunch,” He jubilantly responded, “Do you think you’ll have a lot of time for it this afternoon?” “I’ll probably have a little to spare,” Blaze recalled, reminding herself of the day ahead, “But don’t go too over the top Silver, I do have meetings up until the evening.” “I won’t, I won’t,” He promised, his eyes glowing even brighter, “Just come out to the gazebo whenever you want it, I’ll have it ready.”

His mentioning of that glass building, situated at the heart of the royal gardens, again brought to mind the night of her twentieth birthday and stoked blush she’d been so desperately trying to hide. The event wasn’t the torrid tryst deserving of the spot it occupied in her mind, the guardian truly knew it wasn’t, but that knowledge wasn’t enough to prevent her flustering. No one had actually been there to stop them slipping out and into the garden, wandering until the music was faded and the light of the castle was dim behind them, but in the moment it’d felt so liberating and exhilarating. It was them, laying atop a grassy knoll and stargazing, that lingered so plainly in Blaze’s mind, how picturesque everything had been. That night she’d caught his gaze slipping to her on more than one occasion, but that was surely because her eyes had kept shifting to him. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him awash in starlight, but something had felt different.

She could picture it in her mind’s eye, them lying hand in hand and scantly talking as the stars twinkled overhead. For whatever reason, be it his outfit or nature’s lighting, she’d found herself noticing things about the hedgehog she hadn’t prior. The calluses on his hands were first identified, the way they marked not only his efforts but how age had changed him. The broadness of his shoulders and the difference in their heights so starkly contrasted the warm excitement in his eyes and the softness that encompassed him, but all those things tightly held her attention. Those observations naturally led to thoughts she was yet to dare confront regarding the status of their partnership and what it might lead to.

“If you must,” Shaking thoughts from her head, Blaze found herself wearing a forced frown, “I take it you’ve planned other things as well?”

“Nothing too big, just little jobs out there,” He seemed to have caught onto her worries, “The gazebo needs cleaned, some of the hedges need trimmed,” He reached out to her still kneeling form and so casually put his hands on her shoulders, “It’s all easy stuff. I’ll manage it, don’t worry.”

“As long as you don’t push yourself too hard,” Her gaze again broke from him, “As long as you don’t overwork, I suppose I can endure all of this,” Now she was being too lenient, "For a day so."

“I’ll only do what seems easy and whatever you tell me to, I promise,” The punctuation of those last words with him squeezing her shoulders was almost enough to make her jump, “Are you really sure there’s nothing else you want me to do? Anything Blaze, no matter how small, I’ll do it.”

“Just go do whatever you think you can manage,” She instructed, beginning to bark, “I’ll come up with something specific for you to do later, just go do what you think needs done!”

“If that’s all you want, then I’ll do my best,” His hands fell from her frame, “I hope today’s not as tough as yesterday…”

“It’ll be fine, Silver,” She insisted, trying to ignore the sweat on her brow, “I’ll see you at lunch.”

“As you wish,” Again, she could hear the smile in his voice.

Having pulled away, halfway to the door, he seemed to catch himself and freeze. He turned on his heel and gave an overly deep bow. It was another act that, like using the royal monikers he had thankfully chosen not to grasp, would have usually turned her stomach and stoked her ire. Instead, especially as he rose and grin regrew to its widest, the feline felt her heart skip a beat.

Before she could stammer out any more nonsense, to call him naïve or hurry him off, he claimed the mug he’d filled with rubbish and quickly left her room. The near silence that hung in his wake, only broken by the ticking of the clock at her bedside, gave her mind plenty of room to run rampant. In an instant, a thousand of her synapses launched into overdrive as Blaze's hands covered her face.

What had she done? In the wake of his promises her temperature had shot through the roof, she could feel her tail whipping beneath the covers. How was she supposed to focus on work knowing he’d be waiting for her, preparing things for her and set to make even more promises about serving her?! He'd already swept her off her feet those nights ago, now it felt like that could happen at any time!

After some more panicking, her gaze was finally restored; her eyes flickered to her alarm clock before falling back to the meal by her side. Her first meeting was less than an hour away. Steadying herself with a deep breath, she took up her knife and fork and claimed a rasher of bacon before skewering another tomato beneath it.

The moment the morsel slipped past her lips; his form arrived in her mind’s eye to accompany the delightful taste. This was going to be even harder than she’d thought.

---

As expected, the morning’s work had proven difficult to focus on. High noon now approaching, the guardian of the Sol Emeralds had just concluded the last of her meetings before her scheduled break for lunch. She’d organised a topographical survey of a newly discovered island to the south, decided the locations of new wildflower beds set to be planted across the capital city and set up a meeting between two hunter-gatherer groups from the isle of Blizzard Peaks.Though the work had been successfully completed, imagined forms of a certain psychic time traveller had been vying for her attention.

A folder was clutched against her chest, so she shouldered her way through the door leading to the royal gardens. In truth, the papers she was carrying weren’t in need of edits or even reread, but they would hopefully prove to be an acceptable excuse to keep her eyes off Silver. Ideally, they’d also mean that conversation would be scant, but Blaze knew that hope was, at best, foolish.

As the princess’ heels met with the stone path that cut across the garden’s grass, her eyes were cast across the greenery, in search of both him and his work. The rose bushes flanking her sides looked to have been recently trimmed, but she admittedly hadn’t been paying much attention to their state over the past weeks. Nothing looked out of place... but if he’d only done easy jobs, as she’d instructed, his work was set to be more subtle. A sigh slipped her lips as the great glass greenhouse dome came into view, still half obscured by various bushes and large ornamental plants.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk with him of course, under any other circumstance she’d have happily accepted a lunchtime rendezvous, but the role he’d taken was prodding at the forefront of her mind. While she should have been rehearsing the customs of the two nomadic groups, she’d been plagued by an imagined reality wherein he’d enter to offer her and the scholars she’d gathered tea just in the hopes of seeing her. The thought of the island survey had reminded her of so many not-quite-dates they’d been on, hiking and visiting the natural wonders spread across her kingdom. Considering the flowerbeds had especially sparked her imagination, conjuring images not of him working the garden in his typical manner but presenting her flowers and offering her arm.

Blaze stopped in her tracks, balling her fists. She hadn’t even reached the hedgehog yet, but her tail was whipping wildly, and her temperature had skyrocketed. He was just trying to be helpful, simply embodying a foolish idea that had brewed in her absence. She was being just as fanciful and immature as he was; Silver’s change of dress wasn’t going to induce some shift toward the romantic. If anything, his self-claimed role should have put him in the strictly platonic position of being under her employ rather than an honoured guest. And yet, for a multitude of reasons, it made Blaze feel much the opposite.

She heaved a deep breath before resuming, hearing the resounding clicks of her heels against hard ground. It was only when she was halfway there that she noticed how the greenhouse had changed, its glass panelling was catching the sun in a way unlike it had for years. Had the metal frame that separated the panes been repainted? He hadn’t promised to go that far, but Blaze supposed that wouldn’t be too difficult of a job for Silver and his powers.

The guardian picked up the pace and quickly arrived at the dome’s entrance but opted instead to round its right side. It was as she thought, the thoroughly cracked and glaking paint was gone, and a still slightly wet looking white sheen had taken its place. Despite this change, and though she didn’t round the entire dome, the princess couldn’t see a single stray droplet of paint on any of the glass. That success suggested he’d used his powers, but she’d never seen them used quite like this. Regardless of how he’d done it though, this was an incredible feat considering the limited time he’d had. He’d been shocking accu-

Blaze’s train of thought came to a screeching halt as a movement within the gazebo caught her eye. Various ornamental plants surrounded the dome’s edge, both in pots and on tables, most of them requiring a more humid climate and protection from the elements. Through the stalks of a particularly tall flowering bamboo plant, she’d only just managed to see the hedgehog on the far side of the dome. Even though he was out here working, Silver hadn’t changed out of his fancy outfit; leading to a view that teased a wiry grin onto her lips.

His hands were raised before him, gently oscillating back and forth as he stretched his fingers. Ahead of him floated a dozen watering cans, each of them pouring into individual pots. Every so often, seemingly at his whim, one or two of the dispensers would upright and float to a different thirsty plant or rush to the flowing faucet at the back end of the half-sphere for refilling. As her gaze was pulled in that direction though, it landed upon an iron wrought table and chair that had been set up at the building’s heart. There was silver dome, surely covering a plate, directly in front of where an individual would sit.

Her vision shifted from his works to focus on the hedgehog and, again, heat blossomed on her face. He looked like a conductor, standing tall and straight before a grand orchestra. Poking out through the back of his trousers, just visible through his suit jacket, Blaze could see his tail beating back and forth. Compounding with that expression, emphasised by his brushed down quills, the hedgehog’s expressive ears were sticking straight up in excitement.

Though that view, and imaging the grin on his face, warmed her heart comfortably... it did lead to something much more embarrassing. He seemed to have realised that using his powers would force his quills to straighten. To keep his quills as she’d set them, he’d used an accessory to ponytail his quills. Specifically, he’d used one of her red bands.

It was as she noticed the hair-tie that a trio of the watering cans flipped from floating under the faucet to race in Blaze’s direction. Before she could step one way or the other, either better into hiding behind the bamboo or toward the entryway, his gaze was cast over his shoulder. Immediately, the grin she’d imagined on his face was replaced by the real thing… only for it to grow even brighter as they locked eyes.

Blaze couldn’t help but look away. Her toes and fingers curled as she, rather quickly, turned and made her way to the entryway. The princess caught herself just before she could shoulder check it, realising there was a fresh coat of paint on the entryway too. It seemed to take the hedgehog himself a second to notice this, but the moment he did the watering cans were rushed to the ground as he raced over. With a psychic tug, the door swung inwards, and Blaze was met with the rain-like sound of the pouring faucet.

As she stepped into the room, she couldn’t help but notice the worry creasing his face, “I-I’m sorry, were you waiting for me to get the door?”

Her eyes broke from his face to trail down his form, again being drawn to his suit and bowtie. Somehow, even now that she was fully dressed in her royal tailcoat and tights, he still made her feel underdressed. Silver’s scruffiness was quintessential, it wasn’t something she could verbally explain but there was a sort of balance to the hedgehog’s appearance. The soft cuteness of his fluffy appearance was contrasted by a certain inherent prettiness, both of which masked the underlying ruggedness of his lived experience. Dressed as he was now though, his softness was more misplaced while those the latter aspects was on full display.

“Not for long,” The stern tone of her voice was born of her own internal conflict, “Don’t worry about it.”

Ahead of her she saw the iron wrought chair glow cyan before being pulled out for her to sit, “Do you have a lot of time? I-I tried to make something you could eat on the go if you have to.”

She hesitated, still feeling the worry in his voice, “I have time, don’t worry Silver, but,” She held out the folders she was carrying, “I do have quite a lot of reading to do.”

“Oh, alright,” He quickly moved, making for the side of the table, “Then I’ll just present this and leave you to it.”

The absence of his smile promoted a different stirring in her chest.

“Silver, relax,” Blaze insisted, arriving at the table, “I know you want to fill this role, but try not to take it so seriously. You’re just helping me, this isn’t nearly as important as your other work,” As the princess sat she kept talking, both to keep him from ardently proclaiming anything and herself from getting cold feet, “Regardless of whether you want to say it is,” It was around then that she ran out of words, but she couldn’t help noticing his expression had softened, “Thank you for painting the gazebo, I didn’t think you’d go that far.”

“It’s no problem, it was easy,” He promised, but his eyes had drifted to the table, “A-And I know I’m overdoing it, I’m probably about to show that again, you just work so hard and…” Him smile had returned but there was something new in it, it was as if he was bursting with warmth, “I just really want to help you, in whatever ways I can now.”

With that, he raised the large metal dome, and her eyes were drawn to where it’d left. The hedgehog had prepared a spread of club sandwiches far larger than she could ever hope to eat; one row of tuna and cucumber, the next of ham and pickle, then a third of chicken and what looked to be avocado. Each row consisted of six triangular sandwiches, plainly derived from two full sandwiches each cut twice to create three smaller ones.

Immediately, Silver’s choice struck a chord with the feline. Coming from a destroyed world where it was sparse, the easy access to food her world offered had first spurred him to try everything and then take to the culinary arts himself. Through both of these pursuits, Blaze had a very clear understanding of Silver’s taste. His sweet tooth was most obvious, but the platter before her spoke volumes about the hedgehog’s intent.

First and foremost, Silver didn’t like pickles. The hedgehog didn’t like slimy food in general, that’s how he’d refer to it rather than her, but their salty-sour flavour seemed to especially put him off. That former issue however was also present with the tuna and cucumber sandwiches he’d prepared, he wasn’t a fan of wet bread especially. Coming from where he had, he was more than willing to eat these things of course... but his preference was easily read on his face.

He’d made these sandwiches specifically for her, not to share. He’d opted to give her variety, even though it went against his own taste. For anyone else such a conclusion could only be born from overthinking, but to Blaze it was as plain as day.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of pouring, She’d been too distracted to notice the glass pitcher of pink lemonade set behind the spread, now being used to fill a tall glass with an almost childish yellow straw poking out of it. Within the jug, and somewhat spread to the glass, she could see lemons, cut strawberries and smatterings of raspberry floating alongside ice.

“Is there anything else you need?” Blaze’s mouth felt dry as he leaned over her. Clearly his new position’s mannerly traditions hadn’t granted him a sense of personal space.

She managed to shake her head and set an open folder down adjacent to the provided meal, “No, this is more than enough, thank you, Silver.”

“It’s really no problem, it was all fun to make,” He smiled through his voice, “I’ll try not to be too loud, I’ve only got a few more plants to water.”

“Don’t worry about it,” She insisted, mostly so that he didn’t overextend himself but also because she didn’t really need to read, “Just do what you can but don’t overwork, I can keep an eye on you now.”

“I’ll try,” He answered, a little more than half-heartedly, but he only made it two paces away, “Um, are you sure you want me to go back to work?

She turned in response, her eyes quickly dropped from his face to his waist. As had happened a few times before, through its flailing, her tail had found its way to curl around his waist. Immediately she grabbed the errant appendage, freeing the hedgehog from her accidental grapple.

“There,” She grumbled, “Sorry.”

“It seems to really like me lately,” He mused aloud, heading to physically pick up a watering can, “I wonder why…”

Blaze wasn’t about to answer that. Instead, the princess drew the glass close and put the straw to her mouth. She immediately recognised the flavour of pink lemonade, the mix of red fruits and lemon was obvious, but more than anything it was the sweetness that stood out to her. More specifically, it was how well balanced the sweetness was with flavour; it wasn’t as purely sugary as the drinks the hedgehog usually made. Silver would happily take six sugars in his tea, were it for himself the liquid would be closer to syrup than water… but it wasn’t for him. It was sweet and refreshing, neither aspect overpowered the other.

Again, Blaze felt warmth amass on her face as her thoughts ran rampant. While this was all lovely, he could have so easily prepared something closer to a neutral ground and shared all this with her. In fact, they’d done that before; sat in this very building during prior breaks between her meetings no less! Had he even eaten today? Between him getting up early to make her breakfast, preparing her lunch, painting the gazebo, tending plants and who knows what else... what time had he had left? The hedgehog might not have done anything especially difficult, but he had worked incredibly hard!

She drew up a tuna and cucumber sandwich, taking a bite as she pried her gaze from him. The freshness of the fish immediately caught her attention, but she tried not to overthink that. There was simply too much here, she stood no chance of eating it all, so immediately she spawned a plan. Of all he’d made, the chicken and avocado were likely the sandwich he’d like best so she’d aim to leave some of them behind.

Her gaze was forced to her binder’s pages as she ate, though the wall of words did little to halt her rampaging thoughts. That night, her tail had stayed coiled around his waist for much of the evening. It was only natural her subconsciousness would react to the similar circumstance, or so she told herself.

Mere minutes later, only two pages into her reading and two small sandwiches eaten, her gaze had already returned to him. Keeping to his word, rather than psychically tending the plants he’d taken hold of a single watering can and was filling it manually, turning the faucet off and on rather than letting it run. She’d made it halfway through a third sandwich, finding the avocado perfectly ripe, as he turned to water a growing dracaena tree.

Though she was uncomfortable wearing formal dresses, he’d taken to the suit without the slightest issue. Blaze supposed that made sense, he didn’t have the mental baggage associated with dressing up that she did, but did it have to suit him so well? Black clothes went well with his white fur, she’d recognised that when they’d first gone clothes shopping over six years ago, but she hadn’t anticipated the impact of tailored formal wear.

It was almost the opposite of his usual clothes, so neatly put together and buttoned up. It contrasted his usual loose-fitting jackets, t-shirts, and baggy jumpers. A wetsuit he’d once worn was the only thing that came remotely close, but (like the suit) that outfit came with its own flustering memories. The lack of exposed chest fur was especially an oddity, usually the hedgehog’s chosen garbs had a hole cut, a low neckline or simply didn’t cover his chest. Instead, the princess could make out the outline, even through his buttoned jacket, where the fabric was slightly stretched. In that formfitting way especially, the suit truly was like that wetsuit.

She drew her glass close for another sip, just in time for him to depart that plant and move to refill his watering pail. The way she’d been heartily throwing an objectifying gaze in his direction was bringing her stomach to churn. Blaze finished the sip and her current sandwich before locking her eyes on the page, trying to reabsorb details she already understood regarding changes to the local fire station.

Not three minutes later she’d already glanced up at him no fewer than four times. She gritted her teeth and curled her toes as she batted over the page, half-sighting a diagram of an expansion to the facility’s water tank and its various ports for refilling fire engines. None of this was her area of expertise, but that was what engineers and advisors were for. She’d listen intently to what they had to say and trust in their decision making, so long as there was nothing that stood out as unwarranted.

That meeting was set to be long, but it’d be followed by a short but relatively intense brainstorming session focused on treating Southern Island’s eastern shoreline for erosion. Her notes for it were already written, she was set to vehemently stress that whatever mitigation they selected should have a limited environmental impact and shouldn't disturb local businesses for an extended period... although again, it wasn’t her area of expertise. It wasn’t traditional defence, management of the otherworldly, or designating aid for her people; those were her speciality.

All in all, that meant she would be listening, asking questions and note taking but wouldn't bring a plan to the table. She knew she didn’t really have an excuse not to stare at him, she should have been talking with him in all honesty and being casual like normal, but she was certain that her blush wouldn’t allow for that. So, staring, as much as she hated to think it, was all she could truly manage. Another ham sandwich was slowly being eaten.

By now he’d moved to tend a large leafy fern, its name was lost on the guardian. His idea of what a butler did seemed to run the gambit from chef to groundskeeper to being a general servant, she’d have to ask what he’d read to prompt all this later. He’d always been good at following instructions, when she’d take the reins back in Crisis City he’d follow her commands without-

Before she could react, Silver glanced over his shoulder and they locked eyes. Blaze had no idea what had prompted him, whether he’d felt her gaze or it’d been a simple whim, but she was immediately met with his growing smile. Temperature spread across her shoulders and billowed up to heat her muzzle.

“Good job not getting any paint on yourself,” She quickly excused her staring, blankly glancing down to her open binder, “I assume you used your psychokinesis?”

“Oh, yeah!” He boisterously responded, “It was really easy; I just shaped the paint to fit the metal.”

That mental image was a little confusing. Had he shaped the paint like he could water, lined it up, and then applied it all at once? Or had he formed the paint into the shape of a paintbrush and applied the coat in a more traditional manner but from a distance?

“I see,” Was all she managed to respond, but she soon decided it wasn’t enough, “Between that and lunch, you’re really taking this butler thing seriously. You’ve perfectly fallen into the role…”

“I-I have?” His stutter magnetized her gaze back to him.

Despite the outfit, despite all he was doing, this was still Silver. He was still the naïve hedgehog he’d always been, overthinking yet underthinking and as easy to read as a fairy-tale. Praise had always been a weakness of his; regardless of his efforts, the hedgehog never expected it. That was something she could use, something she could take advantage of. He wore his emotions openly, that meant they were easy to toy with. If he was just as embarrassed as her, it would show far more clearly. If they were both in the same position, she’d get through today far more easily.

“Absolutely,” She gently hummed, attempting to play coy and subtle to gently build him up, “You said it yourself.”

“I did?” He half repeated, not catching her drift.

“You really are good at this, Silver,” She now more bluntly pressed, “From your powers to your interests, it all matches so perfectly. You’ve made wonderful food and performed impossibly well. No one else could even come close.”

His cheeks puffed pink as his smile grew more bashful still, when he tried to look away and return to his work it only served to reveal his beating tail. It was close to what she’d hoped for, but not the stumbling and stuttering mess that she’d caught glimpse of a little more than a handful of times. Pushing him to that point, from them being on equal footing to her being the more comfortable, would that make this all a different sort of enjoyable?

Blaze bit her lip, glancing back down to her papers just in time to avoid his eyes drifting to her from the chrysanthemum he’d been watering. Her thoughts were scattered and yet they all orbited a central concept. To get the most enjoyment out of his current state, she would have to fluster him more permanently.

Regardless of those thoughts though, feeling his stare was itself stoking Blaze’s own blushing. The feline flipped to the next page of her binder, but again the words were but a vacant wall before her. The presence of her own cursive handwriting however did provide some inspiration. After scanning the tabletop and patting her pockets, making sure her plan was solid, she looked across to the time traveller.

“Could you,” She hesitated for a moment but managed to steel her nerves, “Do something for me?” “Anything,” Excitement sparkled in his eyes as his gaze snapped back to her.

“There’s no need to be so dramatic,” She rolled her eyes, “I think I left my pen in the meeting room. Could you go and get it for-

“As you wish, I’ll be back with it in a moment, don’t worry,” He cut her off, not quite like any butler she’d ever read about, before psychically waving the door open and launching into flight.

Blaze couldn’t help but snort as the door slammed shut in his wake and he soon vanished from view. Any task he was given, no matter how minor, he’d put his whole heart into it. She could ask him anything short of carrying her back to the meeting room and he’d have done it enthusiastically, without even questioning it. A potential lay there, an opportunity she was still cautious about taking advantage of.

The guardian pulled a pocket watch from her robe; time had flown, she would need to return to the meeting room soon. After that though, after just two more meetings, she would be free to do as she pleased. They would be free to be together without the worry of work. Both options were foolish: to take advantage of this situation bordered on juvenile but to not would be such a waste.

She drew another ham and pickle sandwich to her lips, still thinking. Perhaps she wouldn’t feel so bad about it if she gave him a task he enjoyed? Maybe if it ended with some sort of reward for him, she could command him without hesitation or worry? They were set to have an evening all to themselves, a time which they’d usually while away in the library, the gardens, or her bedroom. But she was in charge today, she got to decide where they’d be and, more specifically, what he’d do.

A long sip of pink lemonade was claimed. Of course, she knew that this couldn’t go on forever. Not only would the hedgehog inevitably have to return to his world and continue his grander task, but also Blaze knew she couldn’t stand this becoming the norm. For a spell it might even be nice, but she valued Silver’s headlong capacity to act boldly where she would not. Having him wait after her and only do as she’d ask ran contrary to that want. If she could make the most out of this just once, if she pushed him as far as possible and thanked him, then hopefully he’d see that there was no score to settle. Ideally then, he could help her and receive her help without overthinking if he owed her something. Just what form would the big push take though? That question was proving difficult to answer.

She could make some extravagant request he could never complete, like for him to clean the entire palace, but he’d just stubbornly smash his head against the task until it broke, or he did. Neither of those outcomes were her goal. It had to be something light, something he would enjoy, but would lead him to realise that there wasn’t anything to make up for. That he just-

Blaze didn’t let the sound of the door flying open surprise her into turning. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed to her pages. She heard psychic whirring quickly rush to her side before, presented from behind, a pen found its way to land at her right side. The princess tried not to snort as she noticed he’d physically placed it, yet surely used his psychokinesis for every step beyond claiming it. She imagined he’d treated it like some sacred relic.

She looked back and up at him but only for a moment, “Thank you,” Again, he’d drawn much too close, the outline of his chest fur beneath the fancy garb almost entirely consumed her vision.

Wanting to make it look like his efforts weren’t for nought, she pointlessly underlined a section detailing how wooden struts could be used as a wave break.

“You’re more than welcome,” The impromptu butler happily responded.

He reached over, still stood behind her, and claimed the jug to start refilling her glass without so much as blinking. The hedgehog was getting good at this; suave wasn’t a term she’d use to describe him, but if this was the closest he’d ever been to it. It would be a shame when this all came to an end, but it was for the best. If she had too much fun with him, then adapting to when he was away would be impossible.

“Has today been busy like yesterday? You seem kind of distracted,” Of course he’d noticed.

“Not especially, I think I’m still just a little tired,” She half-lied, “I only have two more meetings.”

“Oh, really?” A relieved look crossed his features, “I was getting a little worried.”

“I’ll make it through,” She waved off his fussing, “You’re working much harder than me today.”

If his outfit was having such a strong effect on her, then would what she wore that night prompt a similar response from him? Though she owned a lot of formalwear, she’d kept that outfit in particular at the back of her closet; pressed and folded but as if it’d been forgotten. She couldn’t help but imagine how he’d react if she were to don it and surprise him. He’d be curious about the change, that much was certain, but would it fluster him? It’d draw the memories of her birthday night to the forefront of his mind, that much was a certainty.

As he began to walk away, heading toward his watering pail to resume his work, Blaze once again caught sight of his wagging tail. When her gaze reflectively dropped, this time to the platter of sandwiches rather than her notes, an idea jumped up at her. It met all her criteria, it wouldn’t take much work and he’d surely enjoy the work, but could she stand what she had in mind? It took her a few minutes of thought to settle, then five or six more to decide how she’d frame her ask. Surprise would likely increase the odds of her endeavour’s success.

“Remember this morning, I said I’d think up something for you to do?” She called across, opting not to look up quite yet, “Well, I’ve got something in mind,” She let those words hang in the air before, finally, meeting his eye, “Only if you feel up to it, of course.”

“I told you Blaze, I’ll help wherever I can,” He was beaming again, entirely oblivious to her machinations.

“Upon rereading my notes, I think my last meeting this evening is going to go a little longer than I anticipated,” She lied, “I wonder if, as my butler, you could provide dinner for me and a certain guest?”

“I absolutely could,” He quickly nodded, “Would it just be for you and the advisors?”

"Yes," Her toes curled, had she mentioned today’s meeting to him already? “Well, just one advisor. The others will surely depart but one is set to stay for a while longer.”

“Oh,” His inflection soaked up all her attention, did she detect disappointment? Had he himself come up with plans for tonight? “Do you have anything in mind you’d like?” With his hint of disappointment catching her off guard, Blaze struggled to think for a moment. How much did she wanted to manipulate the situation? It was important to strike a balance. He’d probably enjoy himself the most if he had free reign to cook as he pleased. Not only that but, by presenting him a choice, the hedgehog would likely spend much of his time in the kitchen and not overwork himself elsewhere. She could honestly foresee him making an afternoon of it, her leaving his options open leading him to produce something special for her and this mystery guest.

Allowing herself a small smirk, Blaze opted to give a simple response, “Surprise me.”

---

The trap had been laid; Blaze sat in wait. The royal meeting room was windowless and sparsely filled. A circular table, large enough to seat twelve, stood atop the lush mauve carpet of the room’s interior. At its centre an unlit three-pronged candelabra had been placed and stocked with fresh candles. A cork board hung on the left wall, littered with the remnants from meetings spanning several months back, but besides that feature the wall was bare. It was very fortunate that the lights had a dimmer function, the room’s lowlight state was lending to the ambiance that the feline had sought to create.

Blaze was sat with a book in hand, specifically one of the fables that had likely inspired his efforts today. It hadn’t proven difficult to find, he’d left a small pile in wake of his efforts yesterday. The phrase he’d been repeating with such seriousness, as you wish, came from a book that Blaze wasn’t certain the hedgehog had fully understood. The character who repeated the phrase was a stable hand, which she supposed wasn’t too far removed from being a butler, but the tome was plainly romantic. By the hedgehog’s own bookmark, which she had gifted him to stop his dog-earing, he hadn’t really reached the romantic highpoints that she’d skimmed to.

That book’s presence wasn’t her primary tool for teasing him however, neither was the room’s set up or the lack of mystery visitor. The princess had taken on the outfit she’d worn on her twentieth birthday. A dark red military style long coat (buttoned all the way down the left side) hid a cream shirt with ruffles at its sleeves and collar. Rather than her usual tights, mauve riding trousers and shin high black boots clothed her lower half.

To be frank Blaze hadn’t been the biggest fan of her present outfit, at least prior to her present understanding of its potential. The clothes she wore day to day, her royal robe and tights, perfectly walked the line between formal and practical. Her preference outside of them honestly bordered what the hedgehog himself typically wore, but she couldn’t be seen publicly in such garb and so she owned little herself.

Her current outfit was a little heavy, and a little too formal, but she had made peace with it for the time being. The look was intended for travel, it allowed modesty and decorum to be maintained while simultaneously not hindering her movements. It did seem though, based on the padding within the coat, it was intended for someone without her pyrokinetic capabilities. Either way, she’d accepted it rather than the elaborate dresses associated with stereotypical royalty.

The only remaining fixture of the room was an old grandfather clock, stood strong on the opposite side of the room and adjacent to the door. During the aftermath of her claim, she’d instructed him to bring the food at five thirty, knowing her meeting wouldn’t drag on past four. That time had only just arrived, Blaze knew he wouldn’t keep her and her non-existent mystery guest waiting.

A knock resounded against the door; she gave just a moment’s pause to check herself over and make sure everything was in place. Though the sound hadn’t quite caught her off-guard, her heart picked up the pace. A last-minute thought prompted her to quickly undo the top button of her jacket, hoping its looseness would somehow cool some of her flustered warmth.

“Enter,” She permitted aloud, raising the book to block her view of him.

While it would have been a delight to watch his surprised look evolve, leaving him to hang on his thoughts and break the silence was bring a slower and longer lasting enjoyment. She felt a wiry grin cross her lips as she heard some sort of cart push into the room before coming to a sudden halt, it was easy to imagine the confusion on his face. She heard him take another step, likely reaching the table, before pausing again.

“Hey, Blaze,” He greeted, his state of mind plain in his tone, “Is the guest away at the bathroom or something?”

“Guest?” She feigned confusion, “What guest?”

“The one you said would be staying late tonight,” He elaborated, questioning still in his tone.

“Oh, them. They decided to leave early,” She finally looked up from her book.

They locked eyes and, immediately, the princess could tell that her plan had worked. To say he looked flustered would be an understatement, pinkness capped his cheeks and his eyes quickly bolted for the trolly he’d brought in. Her gaze followed them and arrived at the frankly ludicrous amount he’d prepared. While she had anticipated that he’d go overboard, dishes were stacked on not one but two levels of the luggage trolly and what looked to be an ice box was accompanying them. Just how far had he gone? What all could even be in there?

“Oh, that’s a shame,” He managed to mumble, awkwardly shifting the trolly to avoid looking at her.

“It appears that they made a rather poor choice,” Blaze mused aloud, unable to keep all the surprise from her voice, “You’ve clearly done a lot of work Silver, I’m sure it’s all wonderful.”

His blush doubled its spread across his face in pursuit of his smile, in the room’s quiet she could hear his tail whacking against the back of his jacket, “Thank you.”

She could tell that he’d noticed her outfit, in the same way she was certain he’d recognised her reaction this morning. His eyes kept lingering on little things, like how her gaze had been drawn to his quills and the fabric obscuring his chest fur. The exposed frill just poking from her jacket sleeve, the open buttons along her left side and especially her hair being down were clearly holding his attention. That latter aspect was something she’d almost forgot from that night, that she’d attempted to balance the overly proper outfit with a slightly more casual hairstyle. In hindsight, it mirrored how his quills had been styled; he had been made fully formal, if such a thing was possible for Silver. She had attempted to avoid such a thing.

It was strange when considering their positions in life, but formality suited him better than it did her.

“Regardless of their absence, since you’ve gone to all this effort, I think I’ll still take dinner here,” As she made that decision verbally, she began to slip out of her jacket. The coat was only necessary to spark his memory of that day, now it would linger on in his mind, “Would you please set the table?”

He half bowed, fully returning his eyes to her, “As you wi-

He hesitated mid-sentence, eyes wide. It was clear that he’d finally noticed the book she’d been reading as she’d set it down, deciding to shift her garb.

“Is there a problem?” She coyly inquired as she slung the long coat over the back of her chair.

“No,” He plainly lied, “J-Just, um, I should probably talk you through all I’ve made. It’s a bit much for one person.”

His hands raised and cyan light overtook the weak warmth of the bulb hanging overhead. Immediately, a long white sheet billowed out from the cart before taking to the air like some sort of ghost. The candelabra, book and her binder rose from the wooden table only to return after the sheet slid between them and the wood. As she’d presumed, he had brought placemats and cutlery. Silverware, a metal placemat and a plate soon found its way before her but did not grace his side of the table.

After that however, one by one, a seven rectangular silver dishes with domed tops formed a collective near the table’s centre. It took one more wave of his hand to shift the lids from the plates, revealing a veritable smorgasbord of different foods. From right to left there was paella decorated with king prawns, crispy golden spring rolls, stir-fried noodles with beansprouts and green pepper, a cheddar and prosciutto quiche, steaming saffron risotto, clam and spinach linguini, and a pile of knotted garlic bread. A serving spoon found its way to each of the messier foods, while a knife made its way to the quiche and a set of tongs arrived beside the bread.

She’d been confident that she’d manage to avoid him to set her trap, that he’d end up spending most of his time in the kitchen, but it was now clear that he had been in the kitchen ever since she’d departed the gazebo. While it had been unclear if he’d eaten before lunch, Blaze was almost certain he wouldn’t have had time to pause while working on all of this. The thought that he’d go to this much effort for her, following what had been a relatively sudden and otherwise simple request, did prompt her heart to skip a beat. There wasn’t a ludicrous amount of food, each foodstuff was fairly portioned, but the effort he’d gone to by making so many individual dishes was clear.

“I realised I hadn’t really asked if the guest had any allergies or anything, and since you’d asked for a surprise I thought a small buffet would make sense?” He hurriedly explained, still seemingly reeling from noticing the book, “A-As in, you’d probably only expect one option but now there’s, um…”

He began to point things out, growing all the more flustered as he did, but his words fell on deaf ears. Blaze drank in the sight of him; he’d put himself together so well but now he was beginning to unravel at the seams. The pink on his cheeks was bordering on red; he looked like he might overheat any second and his, still fully buttoned, jacket certainly wasn’t helping. Silver was practically squirming as he explained, his gesticulations were even more over the top than usual and she couldn’t help drinking them all in. The hedgehog hadn’t noticed yet, but his psychic showings had caused one of his quills to slip free from their ponytail-snare to hang at the side of his muzzle. She was very tempted to demand his approach, just so that she could tuck it back into place, but the embarrassment in that effort’s aftermath would surely prove to be more than the guardian could handle.

To complete the set-up, a coaster and tall glass floated their way from the cart to land in front of her. As she came back to reality, she heard him ask, “I’ve got a few drinks too, some juices, water… wine? Do you want anything?”

“Wine? For a meeting? How scandalous,” She mock tutted and watched panic creep into his disposition, “Just water will be more than fine.”

“I just wanted to give the most options possible a-and it was one of the only things I could…” He further squirmed beneath her gaze, turning and opening the icebox to allow a large pitcher to float out, “As you wish.”

The jug floated through the air, angling itself to pour upon reaching the glass before settling near the table’s centre, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” He more gently smiled, “Is there anything I’ve forgotten? Anything else you want me to do?”

Was he really that oblivious to the current situation? Of course he wasn’t, Blaze could see it in his eyes; he was overthinking so much that he was hardly thinking at all. Of course he knew the seat opposite her was meant for him, but he still needed her command.

Blaze hesitated, faux contemplating whether there was. There was something so enjoyable about leaving him with his thoughts, hanging by the lone thread of anticipation. Everything she’d set up, from her initial order to her outfit to the state of this room hand been building to this moment. Her words and mind had been made up hours ago.

“Well, I can’t eat all that on my lonesome,” She stroked her chin, “Have you had dinner yet?”

“No,” She could see the gears spinning behind his eyes.

“And you’ll do whatever I say, won’t you?” She pushed.

“Y-Yes?” He squeaked, plainly knowing where she was going with this but not daring to bluntly act or ask as he usually would. By tonight’s end she'd hopefully have returned him to that prior state.

“Then join me,” The princess ordered her butler, gesturing the chair opposite, “I can’t leave you hungry after you went to all this effort.”

The hedgehog did hesitate, his stare dropping to the chair. She swore she could see sweat on his forehead, that his hands were shaking as he pulled the seat out and his gullet flexed as he heaved a swallow. If he hadn’t thought she’d set him up before, the psychic was plainly certain of it now and further trying to predict if she had any other traps laid out. Admittedly, she did have a few choice words in mind but nothing quite so extravagant as what was presently in place. Whether those smaller schemes would have a deeper, yet blunter, impact however was still to be seen.

“Set yourself up,” She smothered her grin, “Take whatever you’d like.”

The hedgehog reached over his shoulder, turning to psychically draw another set of dining equipment from the cart. Blaze knew fine well that he could have claimed the items without turning, but he was attempting to hide his flustered state. His tail was still beating back and forth, the crinkling of his ears stood out like a stone windmill atop a hill and there was no denying the tenseness in his shoulders.

As he arranged the space before him; Blaze reached across the table. With a simple flex of her fingers, one by one the candles between them were lit. The situation she’d orchestrated bordered on being stereotypically romantic, but it’d been the most apt parallel she could come up with that would both match the romanticism of her twentieth and keep him following her orders. So far, everything had gone exactly to plan.

Lightly, she waved her flaming fingers along the base of each dish he’d set out. A wreath of fire came to trace around the metal containers, guaranteeing they’d stay served at a warm temperature without expending too much of her power. She hadn’t exactly done that before, unlike lighting candles, but it’d been hanging in her mind since she was a child, seeing tea lights used to keep hot plates warm. That, and shows of her power tended to light a certain sparkle in his eye.

“What would you recommend starting with?” She asked, fully earnestly.

“Well, um,” He hesitated, going to tug at his chest fur (a common nervous habit of his) only to find clothes in the way, “I guess the garlic bread? The plan was to make a few main dishes, those being the pasta, paella, and quiche, with a few side options. I mostly made the garlic bread to be more of a snack, something light or to start or…” His tongue seemed to become tied for a moment, she almost thought he’d bit it, “I’m probably over explaining.”

“That outfit has made you dangerously self-aware. You’re doing wonderfully,” She joked then insisted, “Thank you for the recommendation, Silver.”

She took hold of the tongs and drew two of the knots onto her plate before passing them across to the hedgehog. Unfortunately, the gap between them was only just too wide, and so his powers were again used to extend his reach. As he claimed two pieces for himself, leaving one in the basket, the feline drew the gloves from her hands and balled them to sit atop her book. That seemed to catch the hedgehog’s eye, for whatever reason his blush seemed to further as he floated the cutlery back to her side and began to fumble with his own gloves.

“You’re looking a little hot, is something the matter?” Blaze asked, entirely aware of both her word choice and the origin of said heat.

“I think I just need a drink,” He managed to answer with a straight face, but again took the opportunity to fully turn away.

From the large icebox came another pitcher, this one filled with orange juice that looked to be freshly made, like the lemonade this morning. In the wake of its appearance, she did somewhat regret simply asking for water but there was always the opportunity to claim it later. Those thoughts didn’t hold her attention for long though as, while he took a long drink, a fresh thought flew into her mind.

“You know you can take your jacket off…” She couldn’t help but smirk as the next words fell from her lips, “I give you permission.”

In the wake of his stunned response, she drew up a piece of garlic bread and allowed her eyes to be drawn away from him. The taste was wonderful, the bread was perfectly crunchy and buttery, but it couldn’t hold her attention for long. A glance taken but a moment later revealed him to still be fumbling with his buttons. By the time she’d finished the savoury mass, he’d only just managed to remove his outerwear and reveal the white shirt beneath.

In shuffling to remove his though jacket, he seemed to have finally noticed the errant quill hanging at the side of his face and some chest fur poking through his shirt buttons. Blaze saw another opportunity, one that was slightly embarrassing but would perhaps push him just a little closer to being his usual self. That, and it should shift him closer to the midpoint between proper and casual state that she often attempted to embody.

“Make yourself comfortable, I insist,” She finished the piece bread only to catch his gaze flickering between her and his clothes, internally debating, “Whatever that takes.”

The hedgehog again hesitated at her offer, hand still on his stray quill, but quickly seemed to settle into what he wanted to do. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, allowing just a small amount of chest fur the freedom to breathe. Then he slipped loose the red ring that had been holding his ponytail in place. With a wave of his free hand, psychic energy blew his flattened fur back out and into its usual fluffy style. While seeing slight relaxation cross his muzzle did bring her joy, her eyes found themselves pulled to the red ring in his right hand.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, where did you get that?” Blaze asked, pointing to the hair-tie he’d just pulled loose.

“Oh, I was tidying up the library last night, practicing after I thought this whole butler thing up, and I found it under a couch,” He quickly explained, presenting Blaze with the humorous mental image of him tidying and practicing the anachronistic tendencies he’d been embodying on his lonesome. That was interrupted though as the hairband hovered to her side of the table, “I meant to give it back to you this morning but I kind of got caught up in the whirlwind of the whole thing and left it in the kitchen. When I went down, I had the idea to use it.”

“Well, it seems almost fated,” With a smile, she pushed the hovering object back toward him, “It suits you.”

“Thank you,” He grinned, plucking the accessory from the air, “You look really pretty today,” The hedgehog had been fast to return her compliment, but even quicker to realise what he’d said, “I-I mean, you do every day of course but that outfit just,” He continued to stammer, stuffing a piece of garlic bread into his mouth, “It’s the one from your twentieth, right? Why did you change into it?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Even if he’d spoken with his mouth full, his unintentional flirting was just so endearing. She was stringing him along perfectly, “It just felt right.”

She let the silence that came in those words' wake linger, making short work of her second piece of garlic bread. With her plate cleared, she considered what to take next. All of it looked good of course, their combined aroma in their windowless room was truly mouth-watering, but lunch and breakfast today had already been more than she was used to. A little bit of everything seemed like it’d be too much, a blend of too many contrasting tastes and textures as well as honestly just too much food.

Ultimately, having pushed her plate toward the dishes, she opted to take his taste into account. While the hedgehog did eat meat, his preference likely lay in the spring rolls (though their exact contents were unknown) and stir-fried noodles. She opted to take a small portion of everything else: a cut of quiche, a dollop of risotto, and a larger portion of the linguini.

A forkful of the latter immediately proved her decision wise, the red sauce that coated the pasta and soft clam meat had a spicy kick to it. When he’d first taken up cooking he’d struggled to spice food, probably due to his own inability to handle the heat, but with time he’d managed to strike a balance. This pasta was perfectly embodied how far he’d come.

The saffron risotto was similar, it carried a slight kick that suited her pallet but went too far against his own. Again, this food was plainly for her rather than him, he’d plainly hoped that her guest would be able to eat some of the things he’d meant for her. Well, at least he’d made a few things close to his taste. The quiche too, though simpler in taste, was a grander feat of creation. Its pastry was perfectly right, the taste of cheese wasn’t overwhelming but didn’t hide beneath the egg and the pieces of parmesan, onion and tomato were perfectly sequestered throughout. Never too common but not too rare.

She’d made it a forkful through each aspect of her meal when he reached out to claim his own food. As she’d anticipated, he’d claimed a big pile of the noodles and most of the spring rolls but then he went on to cut a slice of the quiche. She'd known he'd claim a small mountain of food, but not all at once.

He made it a few bites in but redness still clung to his cheeks. She caught him throwing her stares before, finally, piping up again, “There never was a guest set to stay late, was there?”

She chewed and swallowed, taking the opportunity to think ahead, “What makes you think that?”

“W-Well, um,” He again went to tug at his chest fur only to meet with fabric, “Just,” He gestured to the candles, up to the light and then to the book at her side, “All this stuff?”

“What a devious theory,” She crooned, cutting a chunk from her slice of quiche, “Do you really think I’d lie to you?”

“N-No!” His nose wrinkled as she raised her brown, “Well, um, not about anything important?” His voice cracked but he doubled down, “You have before to tease me.”

“You think I’d set this all up to tease you?” She could tell by the growing redness of his face, the best he’d manage to answer was a wavering maybe. Before he could answer, she opted to cut him off, “This really is lovely. Did you really cook all this yourself?”

“Yes,” Her compliment furthered his bashfulness, she heard his tail strike the back of his chair, but he surprisingly fought on, “J-Just, you had time to change and find a candelabra. You even have that book, that means you at least had some time after they left. Right?”

She chewed and swallowed her forkful, pretending to be in deep thought, “Well, I didn’t have to look very far for this,” Blaze poked the book’s cover, “Someone had left it as part of a pile, near our usual spot. Its contents just so happens to match some of your recent activity quite closely,” The feline could feel the cunning in her smirk, “Right down to a certain phrase you’ve been using.”

“You got that far then…” He seemed a little surprised, “That means you did have a lot of time, right?”

“Well, I got further than a certain bookmark I found,” Blaze deflected, “I suppose its owner got a smidge too caught up in their own thoughts, must have slowed their reading.”

He grew even redder, his gaze collapsed to his plate, “Perhaps.”

“It is a nice book,” She moved her finger from it, returning to prime her fork with pasta, “But I think I prefer my Silver to that stable hand, if you catch my meaning,” He squirmed, but tried to obscure his emotions with a huge mouthful of spring roll, “Though, given the chastising he receives from a certain other character and your thought that I set this up as a trap, perhaps you see another parallel.”

He almost choked, so much so that he was forced to psychically reach for a napkin on his trolly, “I didn’t really think that much into it, I swear. I-I just saw how polite and helpful he was being, and with the other stuff I’d read it just sort of made sense? I just thought, you know, with my powers and the cooking and tending plants, it sort of made sense for me to fill that role. There was all just-

Blaze couldn’t help but laugh, he was speaking so fast, “You’re so naïve,” She tried hard to smother her outburst, “It’s fine Silver, but it’s like I said this morning. You don’t have to do all this.”

He smiled, albeit softly, as his overly expressive hands slipped back to his cutlery, but Blaze could see something lingering in his eyes. He was an over-thinker, he was a hammer with a thousand neurons firing behind its head but not one of them pushing it in the optimal direction to strike the nail. Silver was sweet and soft and genuine, but he hopelessly naïve.

For a while they ate in relative quiet, the ticking of the grandfather clock and her occasional thrown compliments kept the sound from fully vanishing though. Each and every morsel she ate was just so wonderful, the risotto especially kept pulling her in. There was something about the balance of it, how the smoothness of the sauce seemed to contrast yet compliment the kick of the saffron. The pasta was similar in its spice, the fishiness of the clam mingled so well with it to create a perfect duality.

She did go on to claim just one of the spring rolls, finding its filling to be entirely vegetable as she’d predicted but again the crunchiness of the casing so wonderfully matched the tender internals. Beansprouts, bamboo shoots, carrots, onions, lettuce, and mushrooms created a variable internal consistency when mixed with their sauce, but it still managed to contrast the exterior. Everything he’d prepared truly was wonderful, the thought that she could have eaten this with another and not thought of him the entire time was a fool’s dream.

But, despite all of her enjoyment, Blaze still found herself lingering on the hedgehog himself. Ever since she had reminded him that he didn’t actually have to do any of this, though he had been eating quite ravenously, his disposition had shifted. His ears weren’t quite as straight as they had been, his posture was slightly more hunched too. Despite his eating, she could tell that he was deep in thought.

Untimely, she broke the quiet, “What’s on your mind?”

“Did I mess up in doing all this?” He cautiously asked, only briefly looking up, “Was it all a stupid idea?”

“Well, everything you’ve made today has been wonderful,” She initially complimented, gauging him, “But I’d call it naïve rather than stupid, Silver. It’s been perfectly you, even if you’ve not embodied your usual self.”

“Right, but,” His right hand found his back quills, “Have you been okay with it? Did I go too far with things, did I make you uncomfortable?”

She could hear the concern in his voice, “Of course not, you mostly just surprised me. You didn’t do anything I thought was too extreme. You were just sweet, like you always are.”

For the millionth time in this sitting, a flushed look claimed his muzzle, “It just feels like I’ve overstepped, and maybe you’ve tried to show me that by doing all this,” He gestured to the lighting and the candelabra, “I was just trying to make up for all you’ve done here. Letting me stay here, the food, all the time we’ve shared, these clothes even,” The hedgehog seemed to run out of words, his gaze parted from hers, “It’s just a lot.”

She set down her fork and stood, granting the small amount of extra reach they’d need to hold hands. Almost instinctively, though he didn’t stand, the hedgehog reached out and their grasps met. The fingers of her right hand coiled around the portion of hand directly beneath his thumb and along his lower wrist. Immediately, gently, he returned that hold.

“I know it may feel like you’ve got something to make up for, but I’m telling you that you don’t. You are here as my companion, not some renter or even guest. You can do nice things, but don’t worry about some sort of non-existent balance of favours,” The princess insisted, squeezing his hand, “I don’t want a serf to order around, I just want you. I just want to be like this with you; free to be the me I’m not supposed to be otherwise. If I’m to be comfortable and free to be as I want, you should be the same,” Though he still looked bashful, he met her eyes, “As fun as it has been teasing and ordering you, I wouldn’t have things any other way.”

“So, I can do stuff like this for you,” He spoke his thoughts aloud, “Just, I shouldn’t for that reason?”

“You should do whatever you want to do,” She rolled her eyes at their shared over-seriousness, “But I won’t have you feeling like you owe me anything.”

He squeezed her hand, intensely meeting her stare, “Alright then, as you wish,” He immediately realised what he’d said, “I-I mean, I won’t do things as your butler or whatever. Just myself.”

With that, despite the trappings of the meeting room, things progressed far more normally. Even as they sat and ate, conversation scarcely left the air. They talked of the books he’d read yesterday to inspire the days antics, the pile of work that was awaiting the princess tomorrow and their friends in the other world. It wasn’t long though before the feline was full and soon after, though it took much more food, he matched her.

“Right, I’ll just take this back to the kitchen then,” He rose, beginning to psychically gather the goods and slinging his jacket over his shoulders, “I guess the leftovers will probably keep for tomorrow?”

“Silver,” Her serious tone caught him off guard, but he quickly seemed to understand, likely prompted by her punctuating his name by snuffing out the candles.

“I mean, we can take it back,” He awkwardly grinned, “Not just me.”

“That’s more like it,” The silliness of his expression prompted a matching one from her as she made her way over and took the cart by its handle.

He went for the door to open it for her, simultaneously casting his psychic power across the room and pulling her coat to fit around her shoulders. Following gentle thanks, she pushed on through, the hedgehog tailing behind her. It wasn’t long before they were walking side by side down the hallway, like a very bizarre set of parents pushing an overloaded pram.

Not long after, he used his psychic powers to push open a set of double doors. The kitchen was in a surprisingly clean state, the pots, pans, and trays he’d used were already loaded into one of the palace’s two overlarge dishwashers. With a combination of psychic will from him and manual labour from her, what food remained was packaged and the dirty dishes were being automatically cleaned.

In the aftermath of their cleaning efforts, Blaze’s eyes drifted one of the kitchen’s windows. Her first glance to the outside world in over six hours revealed it to be cast in the light of a summer sunset. As she looked away, she caught his eyes cast in that same direction. Without the red band to keep his quills together, and following his mild displays of psychic powers, his quills had truly returned to their upright, bed-headed, state. She hadn’t noticed until now, he’d gone from having the top buttons of his shirt undone to more than half of them and his bowtie had come to loosely hang at his neck.

To be honest, caught in the warm pink hue of the approaching night, he looked more like he had on the night of her twentieth than ever before. It wasn’t just the suit from that night which brought her heart to skip beats, but his expression in a tone painted by the sky and messiness born of their freedom. Gingerly, she sidled up beside him and raised herself to sit on the kitchen counter.

The noise brought his eyes racing to her, but they quickly fell to the floor. For as oblivious as he had proven himself to be, surely that much was a sign that he knew he was feeling something. That thought in itself however, did bring Blaze to look away from him.

“I-Is there anything else you want me to do, Blaze?” He asked, only to lock eyes with the incredulous stare she sent his way, “One last thing, just for today as in? Before we go back to normal.”

She hummed mockingly but genuinely considered his ask, “Is there?”

An idea did pop into her mind, one she’d had earlier that day. On one hand, it was more foolish and self-indulgent than anything else she’d asked for today. On the other, she’d thought of it specifically as a bridge he wouldn’t cross. Ideally, his stumbling here would end this foolish nonsense and they could go back to normal.

“Well, I suppose I do have one last request,” She pretended to yawn into her palm, “I am feeling rather tired after our meal. Would you mind carrying me up to my room?”

She’d meant it as a joke, a fact she was certain he’d hear in her tone, but the hedgehog sprang into action. Before she could blink, he’d stepped closer. One hand found her shoulders while the other slipped beneath her legs. In one swift movement she met cheek first with his soft yet unruly chest fur and the crumpled fabric of his shirt. In her usual outfit it would be embarrassing enough just being held in this style, but she softness of her ruffled shirt was so different from the usual thickness of her usual royal garb. If she’d been wearing her jacket properly it might have been manageable, but the strong touch of his fingers on the thin fabric was triggering all her synapses.

“S-Silver, I was joking,” She flustered, feeling her tail whip around as she looked up at him, “You don’t actually have to-

“W-Well,” He was redder now than ever, “Maybe I’m doing this because I decided I want to, not because you asked.”

The princess was stunned into silence, but the hedgehog refused to waver. Though his blush intensified in the wake of those words, and he was plainly sweating (likely due to a combination of embarrassment and the heat flagging from her) he pushed forward. She heard the whir of psychic powers, the spreading of a door, and soon it was the hallway rather than the kitchen framing his face.

It took them climbing halfway up the royal stairs, the hedgehog now refusing to use his powers and insistent on performing the act properly, for Blaze’s sense to catch up to her. Though they’d cleaned the meeting room of food and paraphernalia, the binder with all her notes for tomorrow had been abandoned alongside the book that'd inspired him. He wasn’t her butler anymore, her insisting he go down and get it would run contrary to what she’d just worked into him. That all meant she’d need to get up early and head down there to read up on the day’s work, it was lucky she’d had a little extra time to read while waiting for him.

A sigh slipped the guardian’s lips, that tiredness she’d lied about was now claiming her. Blaze allowed herself to nestle into the crook of his shoulder and shut her eyes, trying to build up energy for when they inevitably arrived at her bedroom. In her freshly drained state, her mind began to wander without being granted permission.

Today had been a strange day. From his initial arrival and gift of breakfast to him now carrying her back up to that room, the princess had experienced an endless string of high emotions from panic to embarrassment to excitement and glee. The fact of the matter was, whether he’d remained a butler or not, more of that was most certainly in her future.

#silvaze #Silver the Hedgehog #Blaze the Cat #sonic the hedgehog #Sonic Rush #Sonic 06 #silverxblaze #sonic #fanfic

[mdhwrites]

My Adventures With Superman Episode 7 Review: IS THAT AN OURAN HIGH SCHOOL CLUB REFERENCE IN THE TITLE!?

I want to believe it is.

Anyways, short, non-spoilery version: We have the show going "You want a comic book show right? Well, let's fucking go then." This is however WITHOUT losing its identity though as we see highlights for each character, them working together, and the personalities we've gotten used to grounding what would normally be an extreme escalation WAY too quickly in most media. This is the payoff for keeping it tech based for five episodes and focusing so much on the characters as now they can expand on their adventures. I will say that I wish the budget for the animation was expanding with it though as I'm still finding the Superman fights somewhat lackluster and so while I liked the episode, I actually wouldn't say it had any big bang moments before the one alluded in the title. So good but I won't be surprised if I remember nouns from this episode more than scenes.

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Okay, so lets start Myxz (thank you to a friend for introducing that shortening to me). So when I talk about the animation budget, it's probably what makes me the most trepidatious about him in the long term. Discord in My Little Pony was so effective because he genuinely fucked up the world. As a god of chaos, he seemed genuinely as chaotic as he preached. That takes a lot of money and a lot of effort though which is part of why Discord didn't show up too often, or at least I assume that's part of it.

BUT with that said, I do think they did a very good job with him. Not only does he get a couple moments to shine with his powers like turning into the various Supermen, he also works the chaos angle through his words very well. "I told some VERY excellent lies" stands out as just a great line but how he's looking to be entertained, see where things go, etc. like that is very in line with not only god mentality but chaos god mentality as well. By the end of the episode, you know why he's not shifting the portals in a way that could actually kill the league because that wouldn't be any fun.

Speaking of fun: The League of Loises. Fun in a different way. I LOVE the use of multi-dimensional beings for how things like the planet Clark is from and the introduction of Kryptonite is used, but I also want to shout out the separation of information. Lois has the actual substance kryptonite and knows those weapons are designed specifically to beat Clark but Clark knows what they can actually do to them and knows that Krypton is his home planet, while Lois knows Kryptonian is the race he is. It's a fun back and forth that will be interesting to see, especially given their characters.

Because while they've grown... I don't expect them to dive in deep with each other yet. Now Jimmy will fill in Clark on what they know and I'm hoping Clark talks about the name Krypton with Jimmy and Lois but if he just wants to brush it off as a liar's tricks, I wouldn't blame him. Lois though? Poor Lois. She's made a lot of headway but I can just imagine "I don't want to worry Clark about these other Supermen and this weird green gem so I'm going to look into it myself" as her response. Care while also putting too much on herself, much like what Clark does heroing and putting himself into danger.

Honestly though? I complained last episode that Lois didn't really get a chance to shine in their reconciliation but this is the episode that goes "This is Lois. This is why someone would want to be with her. Take her or leave her." And that is VERY true for her. Everything that makes her the cute, tough girl the internet fell in love with is also what makes her the invasive, brash, nerdy girl who makes mistakes. The good comes with the bad for her and that is GREAT. That is how most people are, hence why someone can theoretically be 'your type' and not be someone you're into at all because people are complicated and messy and their specific quirks can be a NIGHTMARE.

But Lois' heart is in the right place and while she needs to be tempered, she is working on it. Also, it's not always a bad thing, like the fact that other Loises would simply trust themselves but ours? Ours is about openness and honesty. Period. Honestly, it's probably part of why she hasn't gotten a Pulitzer yet. She works too hard to make sure what she's writing is 100% right, instead of 100% what will make her famous.

Last thing I want to touch on is the ending. I said in other places that the most subversive thing about this show is that after a decade of Supermen who were mean or cold or bad or evil (it has been literally a decade since Man of Steel came out) this show has a blue boy scout. A Superman who is just a good person and who will never stop being a good person. The ending with the reveal that a LOT of Supermen have turned evil feels like the show knows that that is its big hook, that is what makes it special in our media landscape, and wants to play with that some. Heck, we even got it a couple episodes back with Lois' line of "That's if you had powers Clark but we're not talking about you." It's kind of a bit of recognition that Clark is an anomaly. A paragon to be an example to all paragons. Just as Superman should be. Is he flawless? No, because he's still human, and that's also why so many are falling in love with this Clark so rapidly. Why we got the confession we got in this episode. And I for one am here for it.

Also, sorry I'm not talking about the romance element. Honestly, with how amazing Clois is written in this show, it feels a bit like beating a dead horse at this point to praise it. I will give a shout out to the difference in nerd attitude to the two though since they are both AWFUL when it comes to first dates but the reminders that Lois is also a trainwreck are always welcome.

But like seriously, can we PLEASE get fanart of Lois in a host's outfit? She'd make such a good Haruhi! PLEASE!

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past.

I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead.

If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

#my adventures with superman #Clois #lois lane #Myxz #Episode Review