#mom is a direct contact with a positive person

[itsclydebitches]

Did I just saw with my own two eyes an episode, where Ted’s mother shows up and acts in this very disinterested “I am not interested in you and your achievements whatsoever, you are not even the main attraction of this trip and I’m going to tell you that in this indirect passive-aggressive way, but at the same time I AM here because I am displeased with you, now guess what’s wrong while I tell lies about you to your friends and colleagues. The lies that are kind of nice but also lies and it makes you feel uncomfortable and I do not care”.

And then Ted goes back to Kansas where he can’t have his career, his friends, but he will be in contact with Michelle (who dates their couple therapist, and that is something that makes Ted very uncomfortable) and mom???? Like? And Henry never asked him to return and in fact is not suffering at all. Henry is shown to be fine. He never has meltdowns when he leaves London, he doesn’t express any hurt feelings towards Ted. They seem to just have an unconventional arrangement and Henry misses Ted, but doesn’t feel neglected. It also seems like his mom just believes that Ted should be home with his son, an unassuming father who doesn’t have public panic attacks and causes her embarrassment??? Because the way she showed him the clippings from the papers?? Boy! I don’t know how else to interpret that tbh

Ted has just achieved one of the best moments in his career and his mom actively and purposefully poisoned that moment for him, this whole thing is being contrasted to Jamie’s mom, I just don’t believe that Ted is going to stay in Kansas. That can’t be.

Also I feel like the tedependance tinfoil hat is not a tinfoil hat at all because actually! Ted having suppressed a huge part about himself (bisexuality), and not being able to live his life because of his roots works really well here.

It's precisely readings like this that make me hope a permanent Kansas ending can't be possible and likewise believe that if that is our ending... Ted Lasso will have failed in a pretty significant way. Even just a few episodes ago I was fully on team, "I 100% don't want Ted to return to Kansas, but if he does I accept that this was an ending long in the making and just because I personally dislike it doesn't make it bad." Now though? They've introduced so much lately -- and emphasized so much else from past seasons, like Ted's rocky relationship with Michelle/Jake -- that I just can't read Kansas as a positive ending for Ted anymore. It's not just me and my preferences anymore, I don't think that ending fits the show, period. Is, in fact, a betrayal of everything Ted Lasso has argued for.

Ted's mom was a big part of that feeling this episode, as you've nicely laid out, anon. It's no coincidence that in an episode titled "Mom City," Ted's story with his mother does not run parallel to Jamie's (unfailingly supportive, knows him better than he knows himself, Jamie comes to her when he's ready, an act of agency that Dottie doesn't allow Ted), but rather closer to Jamie's dad. Which I don't mean as a way to say, "She's abusive!" but rather the more nuanced take that we end the episode on: You can forgive someone while still acknowledging that they've hurt you so badly. Ted, normally so polite with his "Oh boy"s and "Darn"s and "Shucks"s really says it all with a string of direct, angry, "Fuck you"s. That level of anger and disappointment will not be magically fixed with one dinner. By continually introducing Kansas-aligned characters that make Ted uncomfortable at best, uncharacteristically angry at worst, it HEAVILY sells the idea that the space itself is no longer healthy for him. He can slowly rebuild those relationships -- and arguably should -- but that's not the same thing as throwing himself back into their mix. Allowing Ted to stay in London with visits from his family is akin to Jamie remaining removed from his dad, but sending him a text on his own terms.

As for Henry, yeah. I've been arguing for ages that Henry does not act like someone who feels abandoned and the few arguments I've seen fans bring up aren't very persuasive to me. Basically, framing every normal child struggle as a result of Ted's distance. Henry being a short-term bully is not automatically some cry for attention tethered to an absent dad -- there's no evidence for that, especially when Henry uses Ted's own teachings to realize his mistake and apologize -- and him being sad with Beard is because he's finally seeing his dad and Ted is ignoring him. I'd be sad too if I hadn't seen someone in a while and they were spiraling instead of hanging with me. That doesn't mean I need them to drastically change their life to accommodate me in new ways. Henry as a character needs to be allowed to make mistakes without that automatically reflecting badly on what Ted has chosen for his own happiness and mental health. Anyway, yeah, Henry has consistently been shown to likewise be happy, well-adjusted, and fully engaged with Ted through visits/over Zoom, so this claim that Henry needs his dad in this way doesn't jive with three seasons of Henry flourishing through Ted's parenting this other way.

All of which means that, frankly, I think we should take Dottie's "Your son misses you" with a serious grain of salt. That's a damn broad statement because of COURSE Henry misses Ted and vice versa, but that basic reality of missing people in life when you're separated from them doesn't mean he misses him in the way that I think Dottie is implying: he's hurting to an extent that you need to fix in this specific way (moving back home). Beyond everything you've listed about how Dottie makes Ted uncomfortable, I think it's significant that she has Very Traditional Ideas about how this family should function. She couches it in a lot of humor and starts to demonstrate a bit more open-mindedness at the end of the episode, but we're still left with:

Telling all Ted's friends that he's done Amazing, Unique, Super Cool Things That are Objectively Impressive. To be clear, I found her interactions with the team as funny and surface-wholesome as we were supposed to, but I do think there was this underlying implication that Dottie is not as satisfied with Ted's choices as Ted himself is, so she 'accidentally' makes up stories that make him seem 'better' than he actually is. This is compounded by what you've pointed out, about how she only gives a cursory congratulations for this MONUMENTAL achievement. Compare that to Jamie's mom absolutely loosing her shit in support of him.

She brings the 'gift' of the clippings -- Ted should be GRATEFUL for this. Only a terrible son would be upset by a mother keeping track of his accomplishments! -- which not only include the headlines about the panic attacks, but she's situated them front and center, ensuring they're the first thing Ted sees. Combine that with her 'concerned' question about whether he's still getting panic attacks and you have this strong implication that Ted Is Bad For Showing Weakness. Men don't do that. The Lassos don't do that. They bury things in positivity, even the suicide of a father/husband. The fact that Ted immediately lies and says the panic attacks are gone says it all. He knows trying to explain this to her is a lost cause.

Speaking of mental health, are you really seeing that therapist? Oh, well, good for you, I guess. Me? No, no, no, I would never see one. I'm going to be suspicious of it to the point of implying that it's a flaw to need one. This is the one point where I cut Dottie a lot of slack because Ted himself went through the same arc of needing to accept the benefits of therapy, but we're nevertheless seeing where he (in part) got that biased perspective from.

There are a lot of throwaway lines that paint Dottie as a Good Traditional Mother, very much in contrast to Ted Lasso's queer, open-minded, gender roles-bending world. She continually reminds him that she is NOT having sex, it's those Australians. Why-ever would an older woman be having loud, enthusiastic sex? (Compare that to Rebecca nearly getting it on with the boat guy, a celebration of romance and sexuality for older women.) Dottie can't take the bed. That's not the polite thing to do. She needs to be coaxed into accepting even the simplest of care while, simultaneously, expecting Ted to offer it despite the inconvenience. (If I bring up the awful hostel I've been staying in you'll offer to let me crash here instead, right?). That's one of the big differences between Ted and his mother: Ted has a lot of trouble accepting help, but honestly doesn't expect anything in return for the intense kindness he doles out to others. In contrast, Dottie has trouble admitting that she's accepting help, she pretends to do the nice thing while waiting for someone to insist strongly enough that she do what she's wanted to do from the get-go, then she's off the hook because, well, they basically made her. Will Dottie go to a football game like Henry and Higgins and Rebecca and Keeley and Bex and all the other emotionally open characters, screaming for her son in the midst of chaotic action? Oh no. No, no, no, that's not for her. She'll just stay home and do the Proper Thing of making a home-cooked dinner for her little boy... while making him feel guilty about that by sending texts about how now she kinda does wish she was at the game. The conclusion to their moment of honesty and growth is Ted (a man, the child in the relationship) serving her (the woman, the mother) for once, which I think highlights how much of the Good Traditional Kansas Woman mask Dottie has learned to maintain.

All of which is to say that we've been introduced to a loving but incredibly flawed mother who puts a LOT of stock in old-school values and appearances. There's no way that this all doesn't extend to her views on Henry, her grandson. Right now, Dottie is not someone who can fully embrace Ted's nontraditional style of life (divorced, in therapy, taking some risks like drinking not-actually-drugged tea) or parenting (long-distance, "It takes a village"). She doesn't outright reject Ted's choices, but she does spend the entire episode being passive-aggressive, even manipulative at times, to make it very clear that she does not approve of all this. When she says, "Your son misses you" it reads as a very biased view of the situation, driven by the idea that no child could possibly be happy without that nuclear family living their white-picket fence life in the good old US-of-A. Ted needs to move back to Kansas not because of Henry, but because that's what Good Fathers Do. I don't think Dottie should be seen as a reliable source here for what Henry actually wants or needs. She certainly hasn't been a reliable source for Ted.

Which -- as said numerous times -- paints Kansas in an incredibly negative light. We haven't actually seen Ted in Kansas on the show, so our understanding of his relationship with that place is filtered through the people living there. Michelle, Jake, and Dottie are all emotional landmines that Ted still needs a lot of time to diffuse and Henry is written as perfectly content with their arrangement. If Ted permanently goes back to Kansas I'm really gonna be ????????????????????????????????? about it.

#Ted Lasso #Ted Lasso spoilers #mymetas #Dottie Lasso

[stxrshxpxd]

💒 fic friday;

“he fancies you”

90s liam gallagher x reader

sexual tension

Liam and I knew each other very well. That’s not to say we didn’t hate each other, we definitely did. Opposing opinions on everything, clashing personalities, drunken bickering, etc etc etc. We had first become acquainted through our respective best friends, whose wedding we were currently attending. The bride, my best friend since third grade, always insisted that one of these days Liam and I would be all over each other. And so us being seated next to each other was definitely a diabolical little joke of hers.

“Anyway, I’ll see you around,” said the guy whose name was Aidan and who had just loitered around our table for the last few minutes, peppering small talk at me. I smiled and nodded as he waddled away with a hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“He was sweet,” I said casually, forgetting for a minute it was Liam who was sitting next to me.

Every couple minutes he had been tugging on his tie and by now it was significantly loosened around his wide neck. He was playing with a toothpick between his finger and thumb and he nodded blankly.

“Yeah. He fancies you.”

“What?!”

“He’s absolutely undressing you in his mind right now,” he piled on and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re sick.”

“No, you’re sick for thinking he’s not dying to take you home.”

He accidentally flicked the toothpick across the table and sighed, letting his choppy hair fall around his face as his head dropped in frustration.

“You’re certainly stuck on this idea, aren’t you?” I asked, searching for eye contact.

“Well,” he scoffed softly and nodded his head in my general direction with eyes wide and brows raised. My heartbeat quickened slightly and I smiled, fighting to hold in my laughter.

“Do you wanna say that I look good tonight?” I suggested and was met with stunned silence for a second. In the two years we’d known each other he hadn’t ever seen me in this type of formal wear, and I realised now he had been actively steering his eyes away from the body-hugging dress and my cleavage all day.

“Didn’t mean to accidentally compliment me, did you?” I teased further and he let out a pained breath, gazing away maybe to hide his hot cheeks.

“Which one would you let take you home?” he tried to steer the conversation back and I laughed gently, looking out at the room full of people.

“That guy in the blue tie.” I pointed at a man with swoopy blond curls some tables away. “I really love blond men.”

Liam chewed on his lip and scowled in silence for a moment, twitching his eyebrows at my teasing comment.

“Good. You’ll have beautiful children.”

“Oh, I’m not interested in children. I just wanna have lots and lots of sex. In lots and lots of crazy positions.”

He grimaced, cheeks still warm, and he turned his face to me at last.

“Now who’s the sick one?”

“Maybe the one who’s picturing me having lots and lots of sex in lots and lots of crazy positions?”

“Or the one raving about it,” he countered, his eyes doing a quick, barely noticeable, scan of my body up and down.

“Or the one imagining it was him doing it with me.”

“So that would be Aidan.”

I laughed at his quick callback and rolled my eyes, leaning back in my chair. He laughed faintly with me too and mirrored my leaning back after grabbing another toothpick from the middle of the table. I watched him toy with it restlessly and tap it against the table for a few seconds until it was getting on my nerves.

“Stop fidgeting!” I complained as I snatched the toothpick from his hand.

“Okay, mom,” he sighed in a jokingly juvenile voice and I smirked back, laughing softly.

#liam gallagher #oasis #britpop #imagine #fic #liam gallagher x reader #fic friday

[freyatarotreadings8]

OCTOBER 2023 | PAC

Pick a picture 1 - 2 - 3

Hello, Pile 1! In October you may be on a crossroad. You will need to make significant choices/decisions regarding personal relationships. (any bonds you share with others, but especially romantic). Some of you may start a new relationship, but majority may say "Goodbye" to a toxic person, who stops you from personal growth and so many other positive things. That's why there may be some disagreements or conflicts. You may be fed up with it. So, you may need to walk away from conflicts that aren't win-win for you or where there's no clear resolution in sight. Don't waste your energy and time by trying to change someone's decision or vision. It's better to reflect on your actions and intentions, ensuring they align with who you want to be. Deep introspections are coming your way. You may spend time alone, delving into your thoughts, feelings and experiences. It's a time for seeking wisdom, answers and understanding. You may get clarity via psy consultations, coaching, personal tarot readings (I'll be glad to help you!), deep meditations, books about spirituality, self-awareness. Then you may become a source of guidance and light for others, offering wisdom or clarity in their moments of darkness. Personal readings are available! Donations - https://destream.net/live/FreyaTarot/donate 🧚🏻

Hello, Pile 2! October may be a time for you to assess the progress you've made in certain areas of your life (work, finances or personal projects). Take a moment to reflect on what you've planted and nurtured thus far. It may be an excellent time to manage your finances (budgeting, investing) or finding ways to increase your income. Remember that your efforts will eventually bear fruit. You may want to spend more time outdoors, do gardening or any activity that helps you connect with the earth. You also may buy some crystals that can clean your personal energy and energy of your house. Citrine can bring luck and abundance into your life. Talking about your home, you may have a focus on home, family and daily responsibilities. You will have a chance to improve your relationships with your mom. Clear communication is essential during negotiations, daily interactions. Additionally, you may need to make decisions based on logic rather than emotions. . You also may consult/interact with someone who smart, logical and authoritative. Upholding your principles, being truthful will be highlighted. Personal readings are available! Donations - https://destream.net/live/FreyaTarot/donate 🧚🏻

Hello, Pile 2! October might present unexpected emotional news or insights. It may come in a form of a new romantic interest, a rekindling of feelings or a fresh creative inspiration. Some of you may meet a potential partner during a trip, travel. Listen to your intuitive side. Pay attention to your dreams, your emotions and the subtle signs around you. A great month to do something artistic or creative, expressing your innermost feelings through art. October will be filled with spontaneous adventures or unexpected journeys, travels (some of you may even move somewhere else or have contact with foreigners). You'll be encouraged to chase after what sets your heart ablaze. Take bold steps or make significant moves in areas that you're passionate about. Expect a significant forward thrust. You may be called to pursue your goals with heightened energy and direction. Moreover, you may be managing conflicts or trying to bring harmony to contrasting viewpoints.

Personal readings are available! Donations - https://destream.net/live/FreyaTarot/donate 🧚🏻

#tarot online #tarot reading #tarot workshops #tarot community #tarot witch #tarot readings #psychic readings #tarot cards #tabloid #tarot #pac #pac tarot #tarot pick a card #pick a picture #pick a card #pick a pile #pick an image #tarotblr #tarotcommunity #daily tarot #personal tarot readings #advice #divine advice #October #future predictions

[curtsies-from-princess-ashlyn]

A reflection on season 1

Going into this rewatch, I really wanted to challenge my old opinions of it (specifically the opinion that s3 takes what was best about s1 and improves it) and see if I could walk away with a new perspective.  I know that there are plenty of fans who believe that there’s something special about s1 that hasn’t been recaptured in following seasons, so I also wanted to identify what it is distinguishes s1 from the rest of the series and decide, as objectively as possible, if it truly is the best season, as many have claimed.

To get to the point: no, this isn’t the best season in objective terms.  It has flaws and weaknesses, just like the next two, but I definitely notice a big difference in the overall feel of the show compared to s3.  In this regard, I can understand how personal preference might sway viewers to prefer one over the other.  It’s far simpler in its concept, so it ends up just being a show about some normal theater kids putting on High School Musical.  Its simplicity allows for some moments to breathe a bit more than s3 does (though I think the 10-episode season helps), but there’s also a lot more awkwardness and emptiness between moments in the earlier episodes.  I was really surprised at how slow the first few episodes felt to me, and it wasn’t until 1x04 that I felt as though the show was going somewhere.  My personal feelings on this are largely due to Nini’s storyline being the focus in those first few episodes, and it’s not until Ricky’s struggle with his home life (which I would consider the emotional core of the show) gets more focus that things felt like they were starting to move.  There’s a clear shift in the direction of the show in 1x05 (and in my opinion, a shift towards something much deeper), but the show doesn’t fully commit to this shift through the rest of the season.  This shift is threefold: the positive progression of Ricky’s growth from his relationship with Gina, the expansion of character focus beyond Nini or Ricky, and the reveal that Nini lacked a sense of true identity in her romantic relationships.  The direction of Ricky and Nini’s arcs are never resolved, and they’re actually regressed by the conclusion of this season.  While I believe this is intentional, the framing of the conclusion is still trying to evoke a sense of celebration and triumph, making the conclusion feel really manufactured and jarring when it stands on its own.  This is why, after my first viewing in 2019, I didn’t rewatch the season until s3 aired... it simply cannot effectively stand on its own.  I’ll get to my opinions on how it compares to future seasons in those analyses, because I do have more to say on that.

Something very interesting I wanted to point out: Gina is always shown to offer the consolation and comfort Ricky is looking for in Nini, and when Nini has the opportunity to give Ricky emotional support, it’s shown that she doesn’t understand his struggle.  Throughout the entirety of 1x04, every person Ricky turns to for comfort are incapable of giving him the emotional support he needs, and this includes Nini.  The emotional poignancy of the episode is that the only thing that can make Ricky feel safe is returning home to his mom and listening to HSM, signaling that theater is becoming a new safe space to him.  This is notion is made deeper in the next episode, when Gina, to his surprise, empathizes with him in a way no one else had.  In 1x07, Ricky wants to call Nini after Todd answers the phone, but Gina shows up and offers him the comfort he was never expecting.  Then in the last 2 episodes, we see Ricky frantically try to contact Nini after Todd shows up, only for Gina Porter to give him the consolation he needs and also successfully encourage him to show up for his cast and walk back into the gym.  In 1x08, we see Ricky’s eyes light up with surprise for a moment when Nini says “I get it,” when he apologized for his behavior on Thanksgiving, but her next lines reveal that she actually doesn’t get it at all.

Last comment: I was shocked at how little Gina was actually in this season.  EJ actually leads more plotlines than she does, technically making her more of a supporting character (even though her character arc is much stronger than his, imo).  She is the antagonist the first 4 episodes, so she really only has focus when she’s disrupting Nini’s storyline or scheming with EJ.  Then, she becomes the character to further Ricky’s growth and storyline for the rest of her appearances.  Despite her appearances being more limited, her presence is so strongly felt this season, which I think really speaks to Sofia Wylie’s screen presence and strength as an actor.  Honestly, not a single minute is wasted with her screen-time.  It's seriously to the show’s benefit that she becomes the female lead in the following seasons, because her character was already upstaging others.  I honestly think Sofia’s performance is what gave Gina so much depth and richness in s1, so she is without a doubt the MVP of this season.

#I do have a more thoughts as the seasons go on #and fair warning: I believe s2 has a lot more to offer than people give it credit for #but we'll cross that bridge when we get there #hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #Ricky Bowen #Gina Porter #Nini Salazar-Roberts #EJ Caswell

[42-42-564]

whats so interesting to me is that i personally have no trouble imagining the kind of person maka's mom might be. we have so little information but from what we do have im able to put something together. she seems like someone who chose to completely cut ties with spirit and just want nothing to do with him, didnt want to drag out any court stuff just wanted to break off the relationship and be done with it. and then went on a soul-searching "im my own person and im gonna go explore the world and expand my horizons" world trip. that is a thing people do ESPECIALLY after something like a divorce. just those two things about her make such a realistic person in my head, or at least a realistic snapshot of one part of someones life.

maka admires her mother because she thinks she's strong. and i dont have trouble believing that! i definitely believe that maka's mother was written as a character to be that type of independent person. which is why her absence in maka's life is so weird and therefore interesting. theres suddenly more depth there because we have contradiction. makas mother is portrayed/spoken about as an independent, possibly stubborn woman. we also know that she was the one to put a stop to stein experimenting on spirit, which could show her being brave or moralistic or caring, or caring specifically for spirit, or being especially perceptive for figuring out it was happening. its pretty vague and could go a lot of directions, but most of them give us yet another positive trait.

so why would she let her contact with maka be so abruptly limited? im not entirely on board with condemning her just for the world traveling. really the only thing making this weird is that we're told she's the one with custody. if spirit had custody or it was left ambiguous there would be nowhere near this much issue. but she does have custody in canon, and she does leave to travel in canon. which puts "cutting ties with spirit as quickly and completely as possible" into a different light, where she just cut ties with... everything. her whole life in death city. for something that drastic i think it means she must care a lot about maka to still be sending her what little mail she does. it makes it seem like she was deeply hurt and damaged by spirit's actions.

maka's mother seems like a headstrong, perceptive woman who was possibly blind to or denying her husband's cheating, until it reached a breaking point and her daughter was also aware of their family falling apart. maka's mother seems like someone who was so shaken to her core by this that she felt like she had to abandon her entire life with spirit, only keeping the barest contact with her daughter. honestly, she seems like a cool character with a lot of potential for development/plot. its really a shame that she just doesnt exist.

#posts #soul eater #maka albarn #<closest tag to her idk man. she doesnt have a NAME #soul eater meta

[poetry-protest-pornography]

I'm thinking a lot about Jeng, and how he's grown, and how the way he's grown is specifically towards Pat.

The scene in episode 7, where he's putting Cris' mom in her place is Jeng saying loudly and sincerely that he trusts his team. That he trusts Pat. That Pat is doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing, and that his brother and Jen and Chot are a valued part of his team.

He doles out praise and then turns to her with friendly threats about treating his people with respect.

This is the same man who his entire department feared. Who could only communicate in frowns and stern directions, and spoke without care for the way his words would be received. The same man who admonished Pat for being too emotional, and now he held Pat while he cried (before carefully verbally tearing down the person who made him cry).

And he held Pat so gently. He was so reluctant to cross the line, to initiate a comforting touch, but as soon as Pat closed the distance, and sought contact, Jeng just melted. His entire posture relaxed and his face softened and he leaned into the hug, freely giving whatever Pat wanted to take.

Jeng has grown to allow more space in his life for Pat, but also it has created more space for other, positive relationships, and to allow himself to enjoy things and care about things outside of work, and to reframe the way he approaches his work and his colleagues. There is more room for happiness and softness in Jeng's life, because he's making room for Pat.

And all the while Pat is growing in confidence so that he can reach back to Jeng.

(And Put is wanting so badly to have grown into someone who can be what Pat needs, but the reality of his career is holding him back, still. A mirror of how Jeng's career was keeping him from happiness-- and from Pat -- but Jeng was able to make the choice to change in a way that isn't available to Put. As earnestly and genuinely as he wants it, Put is an actor, and being in a relationship is something he can't be open about and maintain his career. But this is about my many feelings about my giant teddy bear, Jeng, and not about crying about my sad little affection starved baby, Put.)

I have so many feelings about this show.

#step by step the series #excuse me while i cry about fictional men

[bluedalahorse]

As my identified reference about Sara and August, I have a question for you about the end of s1.

When Sara goes to August's room to confront him, they end up kissing. Before I saw S2, I thought Sara was not really consenting, giving the way she looks away. I thought August was taking avantage of her.

Do you think she was "enjoying it" at that time, but maybe was wondering what was happening ?

Thanks for your ask! I’m happy to be your sargust expert.

And now to address your question. It’s an uncomfortable question to answer, but I’ll do my best to answer it all the same. Content note that we’re about to get into discussing consent and other difficult topics related to sexuality.

Generally my read on the situation is: yes, Sara consented. At the same time, she’s conflicted about her feelings for August in that scene, so I think what we’re seeing when she looks away is her struggling with her feelings about her desires.

While we talk a lot about the more positive depictions of sexual behavior in Young Royals, one thing that’s true about the show is that it actually depicts a range of sexual behaviors. Earlier in season 1, we have Simon nervously but happily kissing Wilhelm on movie night, but we also have Felice showing up at August’s room and initiating a hookup not out of desire but out of feelings of anger and insecurity. Felice and August both consent to the latter encounter, but both of them do so while in a negative headspace. Sara’s encounter with August in 1.6 occupies a sort of middle space between these two extremes. This is even evident by how the scene is blocked and directed. Sara showing up at August’s door reminds us of the way Felice shows up, but her first tentative kisses remind us of Simon on movie night. Sara does feel genuine desire—she’s the one who initiates the kissing, at first—but she’s also struggling with that desire and what it means for her understanding of herself, her relationship with her family, etc.

Another piece of important context for the confrontation scene is that both Sara and August are in not the best headspace. August has been grappling with the fact that he betrayed his core value of discretion released the video, and a lot of the buried resentment he feels toward Wilhelm has come to the surface. This is coming on the heels of August barely avoiding being kicked out of Hillerska after not being able to pay his boarding feels. Sara encountered her father in person on Lucia night—something caused by Simon going behind her back—and her house is now being hounded by journalists and her mom is threatening to pull her out of a school where she’s finally made friends. While neither of them is in as awful or traumatic a place as Wilhelm or Simon, for obvious reasons, I don’t imagine either of them has been sleeping well or taking care of themselves. This is likely something that’s cutting down on their usual inhibitions, and their decisions are driven partially by bad mental health/a stress response.

Regardless of the fact that Sara consents, I also think we’re meant to feel uncomfortable in that scene because we know how quickly things could go in a negative direction where Sara’s consent is disregarded. We know August’s views of women are crap. He has a lot more privilege, between the two of them, and he’s physically taller and stronger than Sara. If I recall (I’m trying not to rewatch the scene right now so I don’t accidentally rewatch Young Royals when I need to get work done) we even see him lift Sara up and put her on his desk. In a more idealized/less realistic teen drama, the directors might have tried to turn this into a ~sexy move~ via camera work, lighting, and sound mixing. But here it’s merely a demonstration of physical strength, and one that Sara’s not initially expecting. I don’t think Sara’s feeling threatened or coerced, in that moment, even if she’s surprised and even if all of this physical contact is new to her—I imagine season 2 would have played out very differently if she had felt that way—but I do think that we, as audience members, are supposed to feel the possibility of that threat, and worry for her.

(Something I also have considered in season 2 is the way that Sara is initiating a lot of the physical contact at the beginning of season 2, while also knowing August’s secret. Theoretically she could have blackmailed him into hooking up with her by threatening to go to the police with information. She doesn’t attempt to blackmail him, and August consents to physical contact with her even when he’s surprised by it. But the context in which Sara kisses August in 2.2 is supposed to bring this idea into our head, I think. Maybe. I go back and forth on what the writers want us to think there.)

Another way to think about these scenes, also, is that some sex educators recognize multiple categories of consent. For instance, Angela Chen recognizes four in her book on asexuality. Chen would probably label Sara’s consent in 1.6 as willing, but not enthusiastic. Likewise with August’s consent in 2.2.

Tl;dr consent is a complex topic and different sex educators have different paradigms about consent. Young Royals wholly acknowledges the importance of consent in sexual situations, while also acknowledging that not everyone who consents does so at perfect times, or with pure, uninterrupted feelings of love and desire in their heart. And I think being aware of that makes it easier to interpret scenes like the one above.

Hope this answers your question! There really are a lot of emotional layers to this show.

#young royals #sara eriksson #august young royals #sargust #consent talk #asks #cw consent violations #(there’s probably a better label for this but I’m struggling for words)

[came-like-a-postcard]

which direction...

Warnings: description of a panic attack, language, slight mention of blood, alcohol *if I missed anything, I'm so sorry!! I will be sure to add it*

Author's Note: Hello! So this is a collab between a friend (A) and I (C) that we decided to just randomly start. We're both 18, we both love to write, and we're always coming up with silly storylines and plots, so we decided to take the next step and type them out! Unfortunately, this is supposed to be really *really* cheesy so I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable. Future chapters will contain some more mature content (cough cough smut cough)! I hope it's stupidly silly enough :) This first chapter was written by A, so enjoy!!

🫶, C

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5 things you can see

The nearly fallen sink of this gas station bathroom

A positive test

A stain of grease on the ground

A pile of discarded cigarettes, only an inch from the trashcan

Fuck Off scratched into the side of the wall

4 things you can touch

The soft toilet paper beside me

The bracelet dangling from my wrist

The test

A soft dent in the toilets lid

3 things you can hear

The ringing of silence

A drip of leftover fluid finding its place off the test and onto my thigh

A soft buzz from the lights

2 things you can smell

The waft of ocean sented soap

The smell of the test

1 thing you can taste

Blood rushing over my tongue as I release the soft skin of my cheeks from inbetween clenched teeth

I grabbed my phone from the baby changing station it rested on, hovering over my contact list, urging myself to call someone. Anyone.

My mom?

No she’ll judge me

My friend?

What good will that do

My Ex?

It can’t be his… we broke up a month ago.

My thumb stopped patiently over 4 contacts, names I didn’t recognize, added last week.

I mumbled their names quietly, trying to jog a memory of anything that could have happened a week ago significant enough to render new contacts.

Drinking, A broken heel, definite unpaid bar tabs, hickeys from the next morning, that apartment…

Wait. What?

Hickeys, an Apartment, a Hookup.

Fuck.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, i’m not the type to get blackout drunk, to not remember. There had to be something in that stupid brain.

【1 week earlier】

Soft red lipstick was spread over my lips as I blinked, trying to get used to the feeling of the heavy fake lashes that were forcefully placed there. My soft dark hair fell into place almost perfectly for once, curled for a night of fun. Framing my face in a way I had been told was “astonishing.”

“Y/N!”

I blinked quickly, falling out of the trance I had left myself in and stared at the source of the noise: My friend, Cameron. I smiled softly, pressing my lips together to feel the new texture that they had, to feel the makeup.

“Thanks.” I whispered, standing up to look in the mirror at this new person I had made up for tonight. Someone in heels and a silver two piece. Someone hot. “It’s not too much. Right?”

I glanced over my shoulder, eyes searching for an answer from the pale reflection of me.

“You look perfect.” She said, grabbing my sides as she planted a soft kiss to the side of my cheek. “Now you wanna get hammered, or stay wallowing in the fact you're single?”

“Get hammered” I said, giggling at the pure excitement that splashed across her face as she pulled me out the door.

***

I was a lightweight. That was no secret, three drinks in and my face burned, everything was funny. Everything.

The dance floor was crowded, as was the entire club but it felt good. I was stared at by men, men that I hadn’t been engaged to for 3 months before they cut it off. I was hot, and I knew it.

All reasoning had gone out the window at this point, my focus simply on dancing, letting my body move, letting my hips sway. I twirled around Cameron, stomping hard on the floor to make my presence known. To dig my feet in as if I wanted to leave a mark.

SNAP

Then suddenly I wasn’t up straight anymore, I wasn’t dancing circles around Cameron. My heel didn’t feel like it was carrying my weight anymore. But I didn’t feel the ground beneath me either. What I did feel however was the feeling of hands embracing my waist, holding me up. I looked up, to see soft brown locs and beautiful eyes holding me up.

“Are you okay, love?”

Pretty. That was my only thought as my cheeks flushed at the realization of the interaction, a pretty boy saved me.

“I’m Y/N” I muttered out, biting my lip as our eyes stared daggers at one another.

His lips curled at the sides into a smile as he looked down at me. “I’m Harry.”

#harry styles smut #harry styles #one direction #this was not meant to be taken seriously #liam payne #louis tomlinson #niall horan #zayn malik #japan business trip #fun fact we actually have a friend named cameron who is nothing like cameron in the book #after movie #harden scott #team peeta #gale needs to exit the love triangle #cliffhanger #whaaaaaaaaaaat

[snailchaser-the-medicinecat]

Can you tell us about your SpottedTiger au? :)

100%, absolutely. :D I'm glad you're interested in it! Prepare for a long ramble LMAO

It's called the False Prophecy AU, and the baseline story around it is that Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw fake a prophecy to the clan to be able to be mates without being seen as breaking the code. Straight up lying about a sign from the ancestors in order to get together.

There are actually some minor worldbuilding changes that come with the AU, like changing the names of some of the first arc elders, family tree adjustments, Medicine cats being essentially the only cats who can contact Starclan directly other than extremely rare exceptions, and clear, starry nights being seen as sacred due to it being seen as time that Starclan is able to see them clearly. Cloudy, starless nights tend to make clan cats uneasy due to the lack of direct view of their ancestors above, and is when a majority of crimes and code-breaks are committed, in the hopes they can still get into Starclan.

I haven't read a majority of the prequel novellas or anything, so this is purely AU brainrot. Bear with me LMAO

Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw grew up together as childhood friends, with Spotted being a medicine cat apprentice from the start due to her love of healing and natural connection to Starclan, and Tiger being a warrior apprentice, unfortunately stuck with Thistleclaw as a mentor. With having such a rough training situation, he'd often linger in the medicine cat den in his free time or when he was injured, helping Spottedpaw and Featherwhisker with small tasks and keeping them company while he was cooling off from patrols. He's always thought of the medicine den as a type of sanctuary where he could be safe and rest, so it has a lot of positive associations with him, and he has a lot more knowledge of herbs and how to use them than most warriors do. Which is extremely helpful on the battlefield when a medicine cat isn't nearby.

Spottedleaf had always been a bit playful and sassy, even if she was still compassionate and kind. Her and Tigerclaw often bantered, and though as he grew, Thistleclaw molded him into being more and more aggressive, there's always been a base foundation of respect and care between the two. Even with Tigerclaw eventually growing to tower over her (Maine coon mix Tigerclaw has my heart), Spottedleaf has essentially been the only person who's been able to rein him in and knock some sense into him.

They had been secretly romantically involved for a while, but Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw had been planning to fake the prophecy for moons in advance of them putting their plan into action, only discussing the idea of it during the day, or whenever there were no stars in the sky at night, these two were serious serious. They end up presenting the prophecy to Bluestar using a ladybug and a cat's claw that were apparently tucked into her nest, and while she believes them, they decide to keep things secret from the clan in order to ease them into it, since compared to Riverclan and Shadowclan, Thunderclan's fairly traditional and. Some cats wouldn't be too happy about that.

I won't go too far in, since I don't want to outright spoil my fic, but some other happenings are:

Redtail not dying.

Due to Spottedleaf not being killed, both Yellowfang and Spottedleaf are medicine cats of Thunderclan, which. Complicates things a lot with her and Tigerclaw's plans, to say the absolute least. Though we get the fun three medicine cat dynamic once an apprentice comes in. Two different flavors of sass in mentors, nice aunt and grouchy grandma LMAO (Spotted does discreetly use Yellowfang's arrival as evidence of her and Tiger's prophecy with later events)

Spotted, Red, and Willow all just being super close and a tight knit family with their mom Rosetail

I've still been debating if I want to keep Cinderpaw as a medicine cat, but I've considered having a different cat be her apprentice- It's still definitely in development, but it's coming along slowly but surely!

#the false prophecy au #spottedtiger #wc #spottedleaf #tigerclaw #warrior cats #warrior cats au #I wrote this while extremely tired #Sorry if it's a bit disjointed LMAO #This is subject to change #I'm only just now writing chapter 3 #so bear with me

[mixelation]

NOTES ON THE WEIRD AU.

The Weird AU: Kakashi and Sakura from a different AU transmigrate into an AU where Minato lives.

AU PRIME

Kizashi dies saving Kakashi's life and asks him to look after Sakura.

This spirals in a way where Sakura ends up Kakashi's apprentice at age 8. She also lives with him.

Sakura calls Kakashi "Dog Man" as an affectionate nickname. Her assigned name from the dogs is "beans" (like pink toe beans), so Kakashi calls her that as a pet name when he wants to annoy her. This is the explanation for the tag.

Just wake up in a new AU one day.

THE AU OF THE AU (WEIRD AU)

Minato lives. Kushina does not. Naruto is still the jinchuriki.

The Uchiha Massacre still happens. It is drive and carried out by Obito and Zetsu this time aaround, because Minato is Hokage so the political situation is very different but Obito still wants his/Madara's revenge. Itachi and Sasuke survive. (Still ironing out details.)

Sakura is an orphan. She and Kakashi should not know each other exist, so them suddenly being close one day is.... confusing.

NARUTO

Grew up with plenty of positive attention from a parent. Has a good relationship with Minato.

Feels a lot of pressure from other people to be a mini-Minato. Got a lot of shit from teachers/peers when he got to school and wasn't particularly academically gifted.

Minato frequently tells Naruto he takes after his mother. Naruto likes reminding people he's Uzumaki Naruto, not another Namikaze. He wants to be a ninja more like Kushina than Minato. Minato approves.

(Naruto keeps his mom's name because it's a clan name and Namikaze is not.)

Started pranking not for attention, but as a way to make himself stand out as his own person.

Overall has had a lot more direction and support, leading to better foundations in most ninja skills than in canon.

Knows who Kakashi because Kakashi hangs around at their house sometimes. Does not know him that well because Kakashi is awkward around him and spends too much time in ANBU.

Still has a crush on Sakura, which makes him treat her with kid gloves. Is the most suspicious of Sakura's sudden personality change post-transmigration.

Doe not want to be Hokage.

SASUKE

Still deeply traumatized by the massacre, but very confident that Itachi has his back. Wants to get even stronger than Itachi because feeling weak terrifies him.

Still fairly anti-social.

There's some conflict with Itachi but I'm still ironing out details in my brain. Will stem from a combination of feelings surrounding the massacre (like survivor's guilt or blaming Itachi for not being there, etc) and how their relationship played out after the massacre (more in the Itachi section).

Still top of his class. Got to train with Itachi sometimes while at the Academy, but not super often.

Does not really notice a huge change in Sakura. Goes, "Huh, guess she was always better than I thought."

SAKURA

Hates being late. Is constantly made late by Kakashi.

Still has a lot of self-esteem issues and mad imposter syndrome.

Will fight you if you underestimate her.

Finding herself in a new body SUCKS because she suffered so much to be faster and stronger and more fit in her original AU.

Also? Her new wardrobe? Horrible. Ugly. WHERE are all her cute clothes???

Has her own puppies, Anmitsu and Azuki, in original AU. Debating how the dogs work in this AU.

Decent tracker. Knows a couple genjutsu. Doesn't know any elemental ninjutsu (yet!) but can do more with the basic academy three than many ninja. Learning kenjutsu but Kakashi won't let her swing a real sword at another genin yet.

Declared herself rivals with Ino after she decided she was going to stand out on her own. Decided to seduce Sasuke after Ino announced she had a crush on him, just to take away something Ino likes. (It's not working.)

Knows Team Gai through Kakashi and is friends with Tenten.

Feels like the transmigration event really screwed her over, since it undid a lot of her conditioning and killed some of her social contacts. Tenten, recognize me.......!

Has been told not to tell anyone she's Sakura-from-another-timeline and that it's unlikely anyone will notice since the original Sakura didn't really have any friends. Is offended on original Sakura's behalf.

Starts off terrified of Itachi but gets over it quickly. He's worse than she could ever imagine but in, like, a really annoying way, not a "kill you in your sleep" way.

KAKASHI

Mixed feelings on the transmigration event. His social connections weren't fucked up like Sakura's were, but original Kakashi is still in ANBU and now his knees hurt?? Having Minato back is a plus.

Every morning Sakura wakes up and attempts to get to training on time. Every morning Kakashi has a new evil plan to stop her. (At some point, Sakura's ability to pre-empt weird shit happening to her is going to make her seem clairvoyant.)

Learned to braid hair to have a bonding activity with Sakura.

Also very slowly learning to cook. It is...... a process.

This are the only notes I have for him so I guess I should figure out some things for him to do LMAO

ITACHI

Stayed in ANBU after massacre because he didn't know what else to do with himself.

Tried to be Sasuke's guardian and then it became very apparent to everyone that the traumatized thirteen year old murder machine shouldn't be in charge of a child. (They let him stay in charge of the murder machine squad, though!)

Sasuke and him ended up living separately as a result, although Itachi still visited regularly.

Itachi gives Sasuke the offer to move in with him when he graduates, since he'll be an adult allowed to make his own decisions. Sasuke declines.

Itachi requests Sasuje's genin team as a way to spend more time with him. Minato is on the fence about it for a while, but eventually decides Itachi IS best suited to lead a team with one of the last sharingan users and their jinchuriki.

Minato, months later: Wait, you only requested that to force Sasuke to be with you all day after he told you he didn't want to live with you? Itachi: Yes.....? Minato: Minato: Okay you DO recognize this is why you weren't allowed to raise him, right?

Definitely recognizes Sasuke will always be his absolute favorite on Team 7 but valiantly attempts to not indulge in favoritism. If you forced his hand, he'd leave both Naruto and Sakura for dead, but also good fucking luck forcing his hand to begin with.

Knows about the Sakura-Kakashi situation. Is not impressed.

#the adventures of beans and dog man and also itachi

[equallyshaw]

baby (please) come home - mat barzal

Warnings: swearing.

Word Count: 1.9K +

← day one. day three. →

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dallas hadn't seen mat for 11 months. dallas moved to toronto from new york, after landing a job at her dream place. she was writing for the toronto times: community section and she was thriving in her new life. she had new friends, close confidants, and her wellness/mental health was thriving. she was overall a new person, and mat didn't really like that. though her changing, wasn't for him. it was only for herself.

dallas walked into the bar that snowy christmas eve, in lower manhattan. she didn't know what she was doing the next day because her dad and his family was down in florida for the holiday. while her mom was no newly settled into vancouver, where she recently moved from toronto. though, she would be making her way over to the bronx to visit her aunt and her family. she skimmed the room for her closest and long time friends, and found them in the corner. abigail waived her over and the four friends cheered and beamed as she did so. they all go up and wrapped the brunette in huge hugs. they hadn't seen her since she left, and was amazed at the positive change she had done; now in person. abigail squeked, "you look SO good babe!!" she smiled wickedly befor peering behind dallas. dallas was about to look behind her but she shook it off, and took the shot of tequila the girls offered. then clapped her hands together once she saw the pretzel bites and chicken tenders they had ordered. her favorites. sasha pulled her down to the velvet vintage couch and took a selfie of the two rocking out to the music, u2 currently was blasting. abigail poked jasmine and the two looked towards the group of guys in the other corner. mat was among the 6 guys, but dallas had yet to notice his stare. dallas hopped up, stating that she was gonna get a martini to start the evening. she dipped and hopped in between the crowd, and smiled at the bartender as he greeted her.

"if it isn't miss dallas p!" he smirked and she laughed, throwing her head back. let's just say her group and mat's group once upon a time ran this bar only a mere 6 months back. they were pretty known her, though everybody left them alone. she nodded, ordering her usual martini. she immeditely felt his presence next to her. she turned towards him and saw the hazel eyes of his, twinkle as he took her new aura in. she smiled softly to him, before turning back to the bartender who waved her card off. she playfully sighed before thanking him. she took a small sip and set her drink back down, and turned towards mat again. "hi mat." she stated simply, acting as if this interaction wasn't affecting her as much it was for him. "hi da-dallas." he stuttered. she smiled softly, pulling some hair behind her ear. her long dark, brunette locks curled per usual. her gold jewerly simple yet elegant. her dark maroon heels, popping out from underneath her blue distressed jeans, and a simple boyfriend white button up shirt. this was new, this was different mat thought. she waited for him to say something to her, but she got nothing.

"how can i help you mat?" she questioned, sipping her strong drink. he stared at the new her, "you've changed?" he stated more like a question. like he was surprised. she scoffed, quirking an eyebrow as she looked down at her drink. she shook her head as she looked back up at him. "me changing had everything to do with you. you realize that right? i was disgusted with myself because i wasn't good enough for you apparently." she spatted making direct eye contact with him. that rocked him, rocked him to his core. "you don't remember? you don't remember last christmas? or are you just being ignorant?" she questioned. mat continued to look in her eyes, before remebering.

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𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯' 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯

𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯

𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦

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christmas 2021, and mat was nowhere to be found or heard of. he had left dallas in the dark. it was 8 pm christmas day and mat was meant to be over at dallas' apartment for an intimate dinner between the two. and after 3 years of dating, dallas was thinking it might of been the night the two would get engaged. though here she was nursing a bottle of red wine and eating the cookies she had baked hours prior. she stared at the small turkey, mashed potatoes, brocoli, stuffing and gravy sitting cold on the table in front of her. mat was meant to be here at 4 after having brunch with his family over facetime. yet he hadn't come yet. she could hear the faint church bells from down the street, signaling that it was the beginning of a new hour. 8 pm, they were meant to be eating right now. she turned her head and looked outside of the upscale condo's window and saw that it was snowing. a christmas miracle, she hummed. mat, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 she silently begged as tears pooled her hazel eyes.

dallas eyed anders contact an hour later. she pressed the call button and he picked up a few rings later. "anders." she said breaking down instantly. anders looked at his wife and sighed, already knowing what was happening. "im sorry dallas." he said sympathetically. he knew, even without her saying the words. she sniffled, and looked towards the screen. "is grace there?" she asked and grace instantly moved and grabbed his phone to walk to another room. she loved dallas and was heartbroken to see that mat's idea was reality now. "how could he?" dallas sobbed, standing up and walking towards the window. it was snowing down hard and she hoped - despite everything - that mat wasn't driving. "dallas- i- im sorry that this is happening. i really didn't think he was going to go with it." grace said honestly, not wanting to hide anything. dallas felt nausea growing and sighed before wiping her tears. "thanks grace, i appreciate it." she said before hanging up. so he had been thinking about this and vocalizing it for some time. that made her angry beyond belief. an anger she had never felt before with mat. she looked up, shut her eyes and sighed. she sniffled, crying some more and thinking about their christmas last year.

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𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭

‘𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳

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mat held dallas' hand as she climbed off the step stool they had for her to decorate the tree. she had put the star on top of the tree, one that had been given down through generations of her family. he wrapped an arm around her pressing a kiss to her temple, and she leaned into him taking in and savoring his warmth. she smiled, feeling incredibly lucky. she never wanted this to change. yet, she didn't know what would hit her.

mat and dallas threw snowballs at one another, before dallas playfully charged mat and threw him into the tall snow- cushioning there fall. mat felt incredible warmth and fondness as dallas giggled like there was no tomorrow. she smiled down at him, as he pulled her on top of him. she took in his enthuastic and enamored look on his face, which made her beam with butterflies. she lowered her head down and met his, filling them both with warmth. he flipped her over so now she was on the ground, and he pulled away looking at the love of his life. whom, he could never see his life without. she softly smiled, feeling butterflied and nerves flood her body. "my god you're so cute." he mused before pressing another kiss to her lips. she smiled, while giggling. she playfully pushed him away and quickly spat some snow on his covered head. he playfully gawked and said, "oh its on chica!" he said standing up and running into the field to make some ammunition.

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𝘐'𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳

𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺

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dallas hastly cleared the table in between fits of crying. she couldn't help it. she texted her mom that she would be coming to toronto to visit her for the new year before she decided what she wanted to do with her life. she was ready to move on, get a new job, potentially move to a new city. but first she needed to move out, this was no longer home. she continued to nurse the bottle of wine before it turned into two bottles. around 1 am she sighed, falling into bed and feeling for mat's spot on the bed. she brought his pillow to her chest and let out one last loud call. tomorrow she would be on a plane home to her mom, not without saying goodbye to her dad and apologize for missing the new years party he always threw.

she was spending christmas day alone as well as new years, and if that didn't make her feel even more alone i don't know what else would. she repalyed the past few months in her mind seeing if she could find something to explain mat not showing up. what had she done? was she the problem? or was it all him? she just didn't understand, but she was too exhausted to really ponder on it and she was out before she knew.

𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺

dallas looked at mat, and didn't see anything that made her fill with butterflies. mat was completley in her past, and he knew it. he knew it once the guy behind her made his presence known, he was more than a friend- mat knew that much. dallas jumped as she felt arms wrap around her waist and she knew exactly who it was without having to hear him speak. she clutched his hands and smiled fondly as she turned around in his arms. mat pondered on long the two had been together, butit didn't matter at the end of the day. she had moved on, and was now in a healthy relationship. dallas was jubliant as she jumped up and down in theo's arms. he quickly leaned in and pecked the brunette and her hazel eyes twinkled with delight. something that only happened when she was with mat. 𝙤𝙝 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙.

theo looked behind dallas' shoulder and caught mat's stare. he unlutched one of his arms from dallas, and held it out for mat. "theo robinson." he said holding it out and mat shook it, "mat barzal." he responded repsectfully. mat could hardly contain the jealously and emotions that he was holding back, as he tapped his fingers nervously on the bar. dallas turned back towards mat and softly smiled, a reserved and matured on. "have a wonderful holiday and new years mat. it was great seeing you." she said before theo took her drink from her. they walked hand in hand back to the group that she was with. mat watched from afar for a few minutes, and felt like he could hurl as he saw them kiss once more. but he knew it was all his fault, he was the one who did not come home last christmas. he's the one who left without a word. he had no right to be angry or jealous, when he is the one who caused her to leave and change. he had no right to have an opinion on if he liked the new her or not.

he never came home.

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hope you guys enjoyed day two !!!!

RANDOM tags: @barzalsworld @bitchinbarzal @lhugh @huggybug @powermakar @eightmakar @cellythefloshie @makarhughes

[spacefinch]

Octonauts Star Trek AU

These are mostly notes about Shellington and Dashi’s roles as joint Second Officers.

Shellington

Full name: Shellington Holmes

Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Species: Human (country of origin: coastal Scotland)

Family: Pearl Holmes (older sister), Peri Holmes (nephew)

He has a doctorate in exobiology, and is particularly interested in marine biology.

Chief science officer aboard the USS Nautilus. He also handles ship navigation and linguistic interpretation.

He is okay at flying the Nautilus (provided that Dashi is copiloting), but he is terrible at shuttle piloting. He’s also scared of heights.

Often a key part of away missions that involve scouting out planets.

Very good with children. He even has his own adopted son, Tunip, whom he found on an unknown planet.

Tunip and his siblings were still eggs when Shellington found them. Wanting to study the eggs (but actually wanting to keep them safe), he brought them aboard the Nautilus and kept watch over them day and night until they hatched. Tunip and the others immediately imprinted on him.

Quickly learned that Tunip’s species was highly intelligent. Worried that he might have broken the Prime Directive by taking the eggs. However, Shellington can’t return Tunip to his home planet. The little guy’s already very attached to him, and he’s learned too much about Starfleet to be set loose on a planet that hasn’t had contact in years.

Dashi

Full name: Dashi Omura

Rank: Lt. Commander

Species: Trill (joined). She is the fifth host of the Mar symbiont.

Chief of ship operations. Very good at flying the Nautilus.

Has a younger sister, Koshi, who is a science ensign under Shellington’s watch.

Other notes:

Shellington is the official Second Officer, according to the ship’s register. However, he prefers to share the position with the more confident Dashi.

Dashi programmed the universal translator to give her an Australian accent when translating her native tongue to English. She also figured out how to keep Shellington’s Scottish accent when translating his English to Trill.

Without the translation technology, Dashi only speaks broken, heavily accented English— as Shellington finds out when the universal translator malfunctions.

Dashi feels very self-conscious about her “poor” English. She makes every possible effort to keep her crewmates from learning the truth. In addition to the shipboard translator, she also carries a personal translator at all times.

When this translator breaks during an away mission with Shellington, Dashi is very stressed. How will they communicate? And more importantly, what will her best friend think of her now that her secret is out?

Fortunately, Shellington is A) very understanding and patient, and B) knows several alien languages, including Trill. And he’s more than willing to personally give Dashi English lessons.

They’re nearly inseparable. They were classmates at Starfleet Academy, and they clicked right away.

Both enjoy holodeck LARPing.

Pearl and Peri

Pearl was originally assigned to a different ship, but asked to be transferred to the Nautilus to be closer to her brother.

Has been raising Peri mostly on her own. (She and Peri’s father separated soon after Peri was born.)

Rank: Lieutenant

Comes from a family of scientists and engineers.

Peri takes after both his mom and uncle. Full of curiosity! He also has an interest in engineering — even building his own starship models.

Other notes, continued

Both Shellington and Dashi maintain the appearance of model Starfleet officers, but they are anything but that.

Shellington plays the harp and occasionally the bagpipes. He is not very good at the latter.

His quarters has a saltwater aquarium— a big one. He keeps reef fish and other creatures in it.

“I’m a biologist, not a doctor!”

— Shellington, every other mission (some people don’t understand that he only studies life-forms and he can’t heal them.)

#octonauts #star trek #shellington #dashi #Pearl #periwinkle #Star Trek AU

[hchollym]

Sometimes I wonder how much of Percy’s desire to work for the ministry came from him wanting more stability then he grew up with.

Idk I always pegged him as a teacher 🤷

I definitely agree with this. I personally think Percy liked the idea of the Ministry more than the reality:

He wanted a stable job where he could make a decent amount of money, because he wanted to be able to support a family better than his father did (which is entirely understandable). He also wanted a job in a place where his hard work would paid off and he would get the respect that he’s always craved. We know that things are more complicated than that within the Ministry, but Percy didn’t; for him, the Ministry seemed like a reasonable choice. I’m also willing to bet that his mom played a part in pushing him in that direction because she saw it as an “acceptable” career. Plus, you also have to take into account that there are only so many jobs in the Wizarding World, and the Ministry is by far the biggest employer, so it seemed like a safe bet. 

However, even though Percy could/would excel at a job in the Ministry, I don’t think it would ever really make him happy. 

Ironically enough, we see that his interests don’t necessarily align to his career goals. When he was talking to Harry about which classes to choose in his 3rd year, he said: 

“It’s never too early to think about the future, so I’d recommend Divination. People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they’re thinking of working in close contact with them — look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Harry.”

Divination? Yeah, he’s not using that at his Ministry job. It’s also a very interesting choice for Percy, but I won’t go into that right now. I also tend to think that Percy has a strong interest in Transfiguration as well, because he chose to use Human Transfiguration during his duel in the Battle of Hogwarts, and I don’t think many people would have even considered that as an option if it wasn’t something they thought about often. 

It would have been super interesting for Percy to become the Divination professor or the Transfiguration professor (when McGonagall took over as Headmistress) at Hogwarts. However, I also think Percy knew that he couldn’t go into teaching right away (even Tom Riddle Jr. - known as the most brilliant student to ever attend Hogwarts - was rejected for a teaching position right after graduation because he was considered too young), and that would have been a major deterrent for him.

Regardless, I think the Ministry would slowly suck the life out of him, because it’s not what he hoped for - you don’t just succeed because you work hard and try to do the right thing. There’s a lot of politics involved, including making connections (often with unfavorable people) and sometimes overlooking “minor” infractions, and even though Percy could (and clearly did) adapt to that, I don’t think he would want to. And no, I don’t believe for one second that the “reformed” Ministry after the war was suddenly devoid of all this. 🙄 Percy wants things to be fair, and in the government, they’re just not. It’s one of those situations where people like Percy would ideally make the government better, but in reality, they often get screwed in the process. 

I personally think he would be happier in a job where he could be organized, do research, share his findings, make changes to better his field (we see that theme several times throughout his story), and not have to deal with all the games that people play to get ahead. That’s why I think he would be a great Healer, but I do think he would be a great professor as well. 

Thanks for the ask! 😊

#ask me #anon ask #percy weasley #my thoughts #my headcanons #hp #healer percy weasley #professor percy weasley

[trantrumsfromthevoid]

Twilight Advent ‘22

Day 13 (12.13.22) - “What college major did each one of Bella's human friends choose?”

Did Bella really have human friends? You sure?? Just kidding. But another time to revisit the ye olde Lexicon to remind myself who her friends were. (Edit: I actually found a couple “friends” I’d completely forgotten about and the movie didn’t include.) I’m only gonna do a couple, though, ‘cause there’s quite a few, actually.

According to the Lexicon Jessica Stanley went to college in California and probably majored in fashion design or interior design for a semester or two and then found her “true” passion. I feel like she probably would’ve done well as an elementary school teacher or some kind of managerial position (wherein she, essentially, gets to boss people around for a living). I feel like during her junior year, though, she met someone who totally swept her off her feet, fell in love, got married, and even had a kid or two; all before her twenty-fifth birthday. I think she still lives in California and really loves her life as a soccer mom. She’s known for her “award-winning” bake sale cakes, has a truly gorgeous husband (who’s a personal trainer - maybe even a legit model), twins, and organizes the cul-de-sac block parties.

I think Mike Newton always felt like he’d eventually take over Newton Outfitters and so he majored in business or economics. He probably went to Washington State or stayed relatively close to home and eventually married some plucky girl after his relationship with Jessica Stanley fizzled out and he realized Bella would never leave Edward for him, lol. I think he’s simply living his “best life” as an All-American, Boy-Next-Door type as the manager of Newton Outfitters; complete with a beautiful trophy wife, three kids, a dog (or two), and has never lived out of Washington State. The furthest he’s ever gone was on his honeymoon. Maybe somewhere like Hawaii or the Bahamas. (Not that there’s anything wrong with living in your home state all your life.)

Ben Cheney, according to the Lexicon, moved with Angela Weber to Seattle and went to the University of Washington. To be quite honest, I’ve always associated him with Eric Yorkie. I don’t think Ben was part of the movies and they just “morphed” him with Eric. But anyway, I fully believe he majored in graphic design. Or some kind of art/comic book design (like an illustrator of comic books; whatever they’re called). I think he’s actually really successful and eventually found a job at Disney and has done a lot of set design/character design for all the Marvel movies. I think he and Angela Weber are still in contact ... in fact I’ll talk about why next.

Angela Weber went to the University of Seattle along with Ben and they also lived together in Seattle. I think she probably majored in photography and minored in English or English lit or something along those lines. I think she probably got a job as a newspaper photographer right out of college and probably eventually found success as, like, an indie filmmaker or something like that, who maybe does wedding photography on the side. I think she and Ben continued dating throughout college (although they did “take a break” for about a year but eventually got back together) and eventually got married when they were twenty-five(ish). I think Angela still keeps in touch with Bella and is really good about sending emails, Christmas cards, etc. But Bella ... well, she’s Bella, you know? She and Ben probably have at least one child, maybe two.

Tyler Crowley (aka the guy who nearly killed Bella with his van) didn’t have a whole lot of “direction” after high school and joined a branch of the armed forces for awhile. He probably remained with (whatever military branch) for like five, maybe ten, years and spent a lot of time traveling stateside. Eventually, though, I think he returned to Forks and went to the local community college where he majored in kinesiology and eventually got a job at Forks High School as the football coach. I think he’s probably had a lot of girlfriends but has never really settled down. He has one kid with an ex-girlfriend, with whom he co-parents. But, again, he’s never been able to settle down.

#twilight #the twilight saga #twilightadvent22 #headcanons #jessicanjpa #bella swan #jessica stanley #mike newton #ben cheney #angela weber #tyler crowley #day 13

[opinated-user]

Outside of the Snape section, what do you think of the rest of Orchard's Harry Potter video? I think she makes some good points and there is a lot I've disagreed with her on in the past.

the rest as well was pretty bad. just like her first video, you aren't gaining anything watching her video that you wouldn't have by watching the videos of other people who are far better explaining their points. she is very close to reach something but she never does it. the point about how the women in HP are written with some misogynistic tropes and don't ultimately do much outside of that? heard that before. it's nothing new. the only thing LO add is about how the "anti slavery" portion of Hermione is written as a flaw, which somehow she doesn't relate back to how rowing views activist and activism in general as people being annoying. the idea that ron is written as clashing with hermione purely because of romantic tension is so reductive and then all their disagreements being purely jelousy is just... wrong. she talks about how people hated ron in the final book and apparently she missed the part about how ron was in direct contact with a cursed artifact that literally brings out the worst on people. that thing about him rubbing on harry's face that his parents are dead is because the collar he has is feeding off all his insecurities and fears. this is not an issue with ron specifically, anyone would end up saying something like that or worse because they're quite literally lashing out. he does tries to apologize regardless and harry doesn't want to hear about it, because they're in the middle of a war and have a friend is more important than unpack every single awful bad comment someone said. when talking snape, she either lies or forgot that snape did kept persuing harry's mom for far later after he already said a magic racist slur to her and she had to consistently reject him over and over again, in part too because snape just refused to apologize or see what was the issue in the first place, preferring instead to keep being mad at james. there's are so many little things that she says about the character that are outright not true or contradicted by the actual text and does literally sound like coming out from a snape apologist type of fan.

btw, the casually dropping that his father went to an abusive catholic school and might have been sexually abused himself by flashing the CSA allegations against that school? that's still disgusting. that's a real person whose trauma she's flaunting to her entire audience to be "well, he thought this was okay because that's what he grew up with" in the context of talking about a fictional character on a fantasy franchise? what a complete lack of any tact or sensibility. nobody needed her to flash those images, she didn't need to share to everyone "my father could have been a victim of CSA, no wonder he thinks like that!", her point could have come across without them! none of that comes with any warning. she's again treating a very serious, very delicate topic like CSA, CSA of a real person she's currently criticizing for internalizing abuse, on your face like it was just part of any casual conversation and i'm positively revolted that more people don't have a negative reaction to that.

the section of rowing hates women is fine by itself... but it's coming from the same woman that is adamantly against any self reflection, about actually learning from marginalized people, about listening when she's done wrong by them, that it sounds like she's actually just repeating what other people have said without any real conviction.

my only conclusion is that, again, she's not bringing anything new to the table and it's not worth watching. better look for other critical videos. they won't suddenly start talking to you about the sexual abuse their parents went through as children either.

#lily orchard

[parkerslatte]

𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 || 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐮𝐦 𝐎𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4.1k

Summary: It’s the day of Halloween and Marina plans to go trick or treating with the party, however she is swayed to go to Tina’s party, leading her to reconnect with a certain someone.

Warnings: underage drinking, vulgar language

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄: 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

“Y/N, wake up, you’re gonna be late!” Her mother yelled through her bedroom door. 

Groaning, Y/N rolled out of her bed, letting the cold morning air hit her. Wanting nothing more than to go back to bed, she urged herself to get up and wander into the bathroom. From head to toe her body ached, moving around furniture and getting everything into the exact position her mom wanted it was tiresome. 

After washing her face and cleaning her teeth, Y/N felt more refreshed and ready to start the day. Rummaging through her wardrobe for something to wear took up most of her morning, wanting to find the perfect outfit to wear. 

Once she had changed into the clothes she would be wearing for the day, she hastily put on a little bit of makeup before grabbing her jacket and bag and heading into the kitchen. Her dad sat at the table reading the newspaper while her mom washed the dishes. There were a couple of breakfast items on the table but she could tell that most of them were already eaten by her dad. 

Grabbing a couple slices of toast and bidding goodbye to her parents, Y/N headed out. When she stepped out of her house, Dustin Henderson stepped out of his, dressed in a ghostbusters uniform. 

“Who you gonna call?” Y/N called over to the boy. 

Dustin’s head snapped up in her direction, smiling before answering, “Ghostbusters!”

Y/N smiled at the boy's enthusiasm, “Nice costume.”

“Thanks,” Dustin replied, pushing his bike down his drive, “Mike, Will and Lucas are dressed as ghostbusters as well.”

“That’s cool,” Y/N said, “Are those your costumes for tonight?”

Dustin nodded, “And for school today. Everyone is meant to wear their costumes to school.”

“That sounds fun,” Y/N said, “I wish I had an excuse to dress up for halloween without looking sad and alone in my bedroom.”

Dustin’s eyes lit up, “Why don’t you join us?”

“I don’t know buddy,” Y/N said, “You really want me supervising you all night.”

“You won’t be supervising us,” Dustin says, “Everyone will love to have you around.”

“I’ll decide later,” Y/N says, “For now, I’ve got to get to school and so do you.”

“Decide quickly,” Dustin says as he begins to ride his bike down the drive, “I’ll see you later.”

Shaking her head at the boy, Y/N headed to school. 

***

When Y/N walked through the doors to Hawkins High she was considerably less nervous than the day previous. Holding her head high she walked down the many halls to her locker. Many people smiled as she walked past, most of them Y/N didn’t recognise but she smiled at them nonetheless, she didn’t want to appear rude. 

Spotting a familiar face in the sea of students, Y/N heads over to Nancy Wheeler. Once Nancy saw Y/N approach, a smile appeared on her face. However, once Y/N saw Steve also approaching Nancy, she simply waved to the girl before continuing down the hallway, not wanting to have another interaction with Steve. 

As she ended up by her locker a person slouched next to it, leaning in close to Y/N.

“Looking good, L/N.” Billy’s voice spoke into her ear.

Y/N turned to face him, “Why thank you Billy.”

Billy smirked at her before resting his back against the locker next to hers and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her body to his. Y/N tried her best to avoid all eye contact with him, due to how flustered she had suddenly become.

“So tonight Tina is throwing a halloween party,” Billy began, “And you do owe me a date.”

“Tonight?” Y/N said, “I don’t know, my neighbour already asked me if I wanted to go trick or treating with him, y’know to make sure they are all okay.”

“Let me put this in your mind,” Billy began, “Would you rather hang out with a bunch of middle schoolers or would you rather come to a party where there will be booze and music and I can promise that you will have an amazing time, especially if you’re my date.”

Despite the fact that Y/N didn’t want anything to do with Steve, the piece of information that he told her about Billy being friends with Tommy and Carol stuck in her mind. Despite how persuasive Billy was being, especially with how his hand moved from her waist to rest on her hip, she stepped back.

“I don’t know Billy,” Y/N says, “That all sounds amazing and I’m sure that we’d have a great time but I haven’t seen these guys for four years and one of them is like my brother.”

Billy looked at her as if trying to persuade her with his eyes. There was no denying that he was attractive and charming but Steve’s comments about him still lingered in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to push them away.

Sighing Y/N shut her locker, “I’ll think about it.”

Smiling Billy pushed himself from the lockers, “I’ll hopefully see you tonight.”

Y/N gave him a parting smile before she began walking to her first class of the day. 

***

“So, are you going to Tina’s party tonight?” Nancy asked as the two began to walk out of the school.

“I don’t know,” Y/N says, “I did say to Dustin that I might join him, Mike, Lucas and Will trick or treating and he seemed excited about me going.”

“Do you really want to spend halloween night supervising a bunch of middle schoolers?” Nancy questioned.

Y/N thought about it for a brief moment before answering, “Not necessarily, I guess I just want to spend some time with Dustin and see the others. My original plan was to just sit indoors.”

“You should come,” Nancy says, “You’ll get a chance to see people you haven’t seen yet, y’know?”

“Maybe,” Y/N says, thinking it through, “I don’t have a costume though.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something.” Nancy says as the two stepped outside, “I’ll hopefully see you later.”

“Yeah see you Nance.” Marins says as Nancy parts ways with her, walking over to Steve’s car while Y/N walks over to the bus.

***

As soon as Y/N got home, she began looking through all of her clothes for something to wear to the party. Flipping past multiple clothing items that definitely wouldn’t work, she came across a simple white dress. Knowing that she had a halo headband somewhere, Y/N pulled it out. The dress was one she wore a couple of years ago for another halloween party.

“Y/N?” Her mother said, appearing in her doorway.

“Oh hey mom.” Y/N says, placing her dress down on the bed. 

“What’s that for?” Her mother questioned stepping further into her room.

“A halloween party tonight,” Y/N answered, “A couple of people asked if I was going so I decided that there isn’t any harm in going.”

“Is there going to be alcohol at the party?” Her mother questions, straightening up.

“I don’t know,” Y/N says, “Probably, it’s a high school party.”

“Hmm,” Her mother says, “I’m not sure I want you going.”

“Seriously?” Y/N says, “Just because there is going to be alcohol there? The whole reason for me going is to reconnect with people I was once friends with.”

“I’m just not too sure about there being alcohol,” Her mother says, “Can’t you just meet up with them for lunch or something? You’ve just turned eighteen, I don’t want you drinking, especially at a high school party.”

“Mom, everyone is going to be at this party,” Y/N says, “If it makes you feel any better, I won’t drink anything.”

Her mother stood still in contemplation, “If you promise that then I’ll allow you to go.”

“I promise.” Marins says.

With a nod of her head, Y/N’s mother left the room, leaving her to get ready for the party.

***

Standing in front of her mirror, Y/N inspected her outfit. The dress was a lot shorter than from when she originally wore it, only coming down to her upper thigh, exposing her legs completely. The headband on her head squeezed it causing her to constantly adjust it. Her outfit wasn’t good by any means but it was decent enough. 

Knowing that she didn’t live that far away from Tina’s, Y/N decided that she would walk it, otherwise her parents would definitely have something to say about her outfit if they were to see it.

After bidding goodbye to her parents and swiftly leaving the house, Y/N began her walk to Tina’s house. 

When Y/N showed up to the party, she was overwhelmed by how many people were actually there. Of course she knew that there would be a lot but due to how many people were loitering outside she could only imagine how many would be inside. As she walked, she could feel the stares on her body, the white dress she was wearing left very little to the imagination. 

As she stepped into the house, Y/N made her way over to get a drink. She needed at least a little bit of liquid courage if she was at the party. Grabbing a plastic cup she dipped it into the bowl of what was most likely pure alcohol. Y/N’s thoughts were proven correct as soon as she took a sip. 

“Look who made it,” Billy’s voice spoke above the music, “My very own angel.”

“I guess I did.” Y/N shouted over the music, taking another sip from her drink. 

“I was starting to think you wouldn’t show.” Billy said, wrapping his arm around her as they walked through the crowd. 

“Yeah well I changed my mind.” Y/N said. 

“I’m glad,” Billy said, his hand squeezing her hip slightly, “Now we can have some fun.”

Despite Y/N promising her parents that she wouldn’t drink tonight, the promise went out the window as she had finished her third cup of the mystery liquid. Y/N felt the alcohol in her system. She hadn't had enough to the point that she was stumbling around a lot but she was feeling a little buzzed to the point where a lot of her reasonable thinking went out the window.

Standing in the middle of everyone, Y/N and Billy danced along to the music, alcohol in both of their systems. Billy’s arms snaked around Y/N’s waist as the two danced. Y/N having too much of a fun time to care. Billy pulled her closer and before she knew it, his lips were placed on hers. 

If Y/N were sober, her logical thoughts would come into play. She would’ve pushed him off of her and she would say that she would prefer to remain friends. But due to the alcohol clouding her brain, Y/N kissed him back. It wasn’t a bad kiss by any means, Billy’s hands roamed around Y/N’s body, touching her in places that caused her to moan slightly in delight. But Y/N couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all that Billy wanted from her. 

“And look what we have here.” A piercing voice spoke, making Y/N pull away from Billy.

Tommy and Carol stood in front of the two, both with an evident smirk on their faces. Y/N stared the both of them down as they looked between her and Billy. 

“Y/N L/N,” Tommy said, “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I moved away idiot,” Y/N says, “That’s probably the reason why.”

“And you’re here with none other than the new king of Hawkins High.” Tommy added, ignoring Y/N’s interjection. 

“You sure get around Hawkins royalty quick,” Carol says, twirling her hair, “Steve Harrington and now Billy?”

“You and Harrington?” Billy questioned.

“It’s nothing,” Y/N says, her jaw tightening, “He’s nothing to me.”

“You sure?” Carol says, “Because I definitely saw the two of you talking in the hallway yesterday looking quite cosy.”

“If you think we looked cosy then I think you need to get your eyes checked Carol,” Y/N says, “There never was anything between Steve and I and there most definitely isn’t now.”

Y/N looked between the three of them before walking away, “I’m getting another drink.”

Making her way through the maze of bodies to get another drink, Y/N was pushed left and right. Due to her intoxicated state, her balance wasn’t the best so when she went tumbling forward into someone, she groaned at the impact. 

Steve was making his way through the crowd as he looked for Nancy who had wandered off. As he was looking for his girlfriend, someone collided with his chest. Steve’s arms immediately shot out to steady the person. Looking down he saw that it was Y/N. Steve could tell that she had had a bit to drink by the way she clung to his forearms. 

“Y/N?” Steve says, “Are you okay?”

The girl looked up, finally making eye contact with Steve. Once she realised who she had collided with, she scoffed.

“Like you care.”

“Y/N, you’re drunk and should go home.” Steve says. 

“Stop telling me what to do Steve.” Y/N says, pushing his arms off her before she grabbed another drink and disappeared into the crowd. 

Steve looked to where Y/N had disappeared and to where he had spotted Nancy, also nursing another drink. Hesitating for a moment, Steve headed over to Nancy, leaving Y/N alone. 

***

As the last drop of the drink fell onto Y/N’s tongue, she threw the cup away. With how quickly she drank the drink, it had affected her quite quickly. Her vision was distorted as she stumbled through the house to get outside, thinking some fresh air would do her good. 

Stumbling down the drive, Y/N struggled to stay upright. Her best bet was trying to phone her parents to come and pick her up but she only knew how angry they would be if she came home in the state she was in. As Y/N stumbled further away from the house and down the street, she wrapped her arms around herself. The night breeze makes goosebumps appear on her skin. The dress she was wearing exposed her legs and arms. 

The more Y/N walked, the more she felt like her legs were giving up on her. By now she was a fair distance away from the party. The music was only now a quiet sound in the distance, compared to the thumping music that shook the ground Y/N welcomed it. Before Y/N could even try to stop herself. She felt herself tumbling towards the ground. 

Her knees made contact first, scraping them both up almost immediately. Her elbows here next, the friction of her skin sliding across the concrete ground creating harsh red grazes that caused pain when she bent any one of her limbs. 

Y/N rolled onto her back, not having any energy to get up from the ground. In her intoxicated state, Y/N stared up at the sky looking at the few stars that littered it. 

***

Steve stormed out of the house, trying his best to hold back his tears. He wanted to get as far away from the party as possible. As he walked down the street, he noticed someone laying on the ground in the distance. At first he thought nothing of it, until he got a little closer recognising the white dress. 

Steve walked faster to where Y/N laid sprawled out on the ground, cuts and scraped all over her legs. Her eyes were closed and Steve began to worry.

“Y/N,” Steve says, bending down, shaking her shoulder slightly, “Y/N, wake up.”

“I’m not asleep.” Y/N mumbled, the words slurring together. 

“Are you okay?” Steve said, his eyes scanning over the grazes on her body, which had blood and dirt in them, “Did someone do this?”

“No,” Y/N says, trying her best to sit up, Steve tried to help but all Y/N did was push him away, “I fell over.”

“Let’s get you home, yeah?” Steve said, keeping a respectable distance from her as she tried to get up from the floor. Once she began to wall again however, he wrapped his arms around her, keeping her steady. 

“No,” Y/N whined, “Can’t go home, my parents will be really mad with me.”

Steve helped Y/N down the street to where his car was parked, “Why’s that?”

“I wasn’t meant to get drunk,” Y/N says, gripping tightly onto Steve to keep herself from falling, “They’ll be angry.”

“Okay,” Steve said, as he pushed her gently to rest against his car as he opened the door for her, “You can stay at mine for the night.”

“No, leave me here,” Y/N says, not wanting to go to Steve’s house, “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not leaving you here, Y/N,” Steve says, helping her into the front of the car, “I’m making sure you're safe.”

The drive to Steve’s house was quiet, the only sound coming from the radio. The song playing was Hammer to Fall.

“I like this song.” Y/N muttered.

“You always liked Queen.” Steve says. 

“They’re still my favourite band,” Y/N says, before she began to laugh to herself, “I remember when I got you into them. You kept telling me that you didn’t like them but then we were in your room and you had cassettes of all their albums. I then bought you a poster to complete your shrine.”

Steve smiled at the memory, “I remember that too,” He replied, “It was a good day.” Y/N didn’t respond to him, they both sat in a comfortable silence listening to the song. 

It wasn’t long before Steve was pulling into his driveway. Helping Y/N out of the car was a challenge as her body wasn’t doing what she wanted it to so Steve held onto her tight as he walked her through the house and up to his bedroom. 

Stev sat Y/N on his bed as he went to get the first aid kit to clean up her wounds. Leaving Y/N on her own for a few brief moments. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a very familiar poster up on his wall and she smiled at the sight of it. When Steve finally came back, first aid kit in hand, she stared at him.

“You still have it,” Y/N says, “The poster.”

“Of course I do,” Steve says, bending down in front of Y/N, “It hasn’t moved from that spot since you put it up there.”

“Why didn’t you take it down?” Y/N questioned.

“I didn’t want to,” Steve says, “You’re the one who gave it to me.” Y/N smiled slightly. 

Steve’s hands lightly brushed the grazes upon Y/N’s knees and she flinched. Apologies came tumbling out of Steve’s mouth. 

“These are bad,” Steve says, “How hard did you fall?”

Y/N shrugged, “I don’t know. I just fell.”

Steve’s jaw tightened, “Where was Billy when this happened? You were at the party with him.”

“I don’t know,” Y/N says, “I left him half way through because Tommy and Carol were there.”

“Did they say anything to you?”

Y/N nodded, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter?” Steve says, “You looked quite angry when you quite literally fell into me.”

“They just said some things and I got angry,” Y/N says, “That’s all, you probably don’t care anyways.”

“Will you stop saying that? Y/N, of course I care,” Steve says, “If I would’ve known they were saying things to you I would’ve said something to them.”

Y/N scoffed, “Yeah like I believe that. You didn’t do it four years ago so you're most certainly not going to do it now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve asks. 

“You know exactly what it means Steve,” Y/N says, standing up, “I’m just gonna go, it was stupid of me to even come back here with you.”

Steve stood up and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, keeping her in place, “Y/N you’re still drunk and not thinking straight. You are safe here, I’m not letting you go out wandering the streets at night.”

He pushed Y/N down onto the bed and crouched down in front of her again to clean her wounds. Every time he came in contact with them she flinched. The grazes stung a lot as Steve disinfected them and wrapped a bandage around them. 

As he was cleaning the ones on her elbows, Y/N looked to his bedside table and the photo on it. It was a photo of Steve and Nancy at Christmas. There was a wide smile on Steve’s face and a smaller one on Nancy’s.

“Where’s Nancy?” Y/N asked, “You two were at the party together.”

“I don’t know.” Steve answered.

“What? Is she okay?” Y/N questioned, worried that Steve had left her at the party.

“Drunk, but she’s with Jonathan so she’s okay.” Steve says, the conversation pushing more daggers into his heart the more they spoke about Nancy.

“Why is she with him?” Y/N said, “You’re her boyfriend, surely you would’ve taken her home.”

“Ex-boyfriend,” Steve says, “She made that evidently clear.”

Y/N didn’t know what to say. The look on Steve’s face made it clear that he didn’t want to talk about it. 

“I’m sorry, Steve.” Y/N says, it’s the only thing she could really say at that moment. 

Steve looked at Y/N as he tied the bandage around her arm. His eyes held a look of heartbreak. From all the time that Y/N had known Steve, he had never held that look in his eyes before. Despite how much animosity Y/N held towards Steve, she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him at that moment. 

As Steve looked right back at Y/N, he felt like a kid again. The two had been in a very similar position when they were only thirteen, the only difference was that the roles were reversed. Being with Y/N, talking somewhat civilly for the first time since she had been back made Steve realise how much he had missed her. 

“It’s fine,” Steve says, finally answering Y/N, even though he clearly wasn’t, “All done.” The final bandage was wrapped tightly around her arm. 

“Thanks.” Y/N says. 

Steve nodded before getting up to rummage through his drawers for some clothes for Y/N. He pulled out a plain black t-shirt and grey sweatpants that would definitely be too big on her. Once he handed them to Y/N, he stepped out of the room to give her some privacy. 

Taking off her dress was a hassle for Y/N, so much of a hastlt that she went stumbling to the ground with a loud thump. 

“Are you okay?” Steve asked through the door.

“I’m fine,” Y/N called to him, “Just getting changed.”

Before Y/N got up, there was something under Steve’s bed that caught her eye. Reaching forward she pulled it out. It was a small box filled with photos. The one on the top was the last photo Y/N and Steve had taken together. It was when they were at the Snowball dance. Steve’s arm was wrapped around Y/N as the two smiled brightly to the camera. 

Steve looked handsome in the suit he wore and Y/N smiled at the hair on the boy's head. It was before he knew how to style it so it was sticking up in every direction. Y/N smiled at the photo before she heard Steve knock on the door again and ask if she was okay.

Placing the photo back into the box and getting changed as quickly as she could, Y/N changed into Steve’s clothes and said that he could come in. He entered holding a glass of water for her.

“You can sleep in here,” Steve says, “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

“Are you sure?” Y/N questioned.

“I’m sure,” Steve says, “The bed in the guest room is like a brick. You’ll be more comfortable here.”

“Thank you Steve.” Y/N says.

“You’re welcome,” Steve says, “Anything to save you from a bad neck-”

Y/N interjected, “Not for the bed but thank you for helping me, you could’ve just left me on the street.”

“I care about you Y/N,” Steve says, “I still do even if you’ve been gone for years.”

Y/N only nodded, “Goodnight Steve.”

“Night Y/N,” Steve says, “Get a good night's sleep.”

Steve left the room and Y/N climbed into Steve’s bed and under the covers. She must’ve been more tired than she thought because as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.

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