#the person becomes a total stranger. so old feelings of friendship are also lost. every memory shared now gone

[mxlfoydraco]

Hello! I'm getting back into fandom after many years and was hoping you could recommend the best (or most popular) drarry fics to come out in the last 5 years?? The longer the better! I'm having such a blast re-reading old favs and would love more to read! Thank you so much!

I was also away from the fandom the past three years, we share the feeling! I'll go for +100k and skip super well known examples (e.g., Grounds for Divorce)

Alucinatio by alexmeg (127k)

"It's... it's not good," Harry tells them lowly. "They've given him a month's time, only." There is so much he needs to explain, but his head is foggy and exhausted and he can't think properly, can't think of how to relay all that he's learned. "Have you heard of Alucinatio?" is what he starts with. "The Daydream potion," Hermione says. "The person who intakes it experiences very vivid and realistic daydreams of all they could ever want, but is essentially in a severely catatonic state out in the external world, incapable of any basic functions." Harry nods. "Somebody's given it to Malfoy." He remembers the tattered remains of a black coak wrapped around Malfoy. "I think it might have been Professor Snape." They take a minute to process that. "And... the cure?" Ron asks. "Tears of anyone the experiencer craves love of," Hermione answers.

I Do Not Love You by Writ_and_romance (228k)

In 2013, a carefully-designed Obliviation leaves Harry reconfiguring his life and identity without any memories of true love; an act that’s essentially erased Draco Malfoy from his mind despite a wedding band and shared home. In 2000, Draco had expected Pansy’s relationship with Luna to bring the Gryffindors a bit closer to his orbit of quiet, carefully pacifistic existence, but he never expected to navigate such a transparent embrace into a unit of family, friendship, and love. A mystery, two love stories, and a reminder that learning to love never has an end date.

Nor All That Glisters by @sweet-s0rr0w (110k)

Lonely and frustrated on house arrest, with no prospects for the future, Draco begins brewing Felix Felicis in an attempt to improve his lot. Just in the short term, of course. He isn’t a total idiot.

But before long he finds himself with a thriving business, a nice flat, some actual (albeit irritatingly Gryffindor) friends, and a very satisfying sex life. What’s more, no-one is hexing him in the street. And Harry Potter is single, and gorgeous, and giving Draco decidedly interested looks.

Stop taking the Felix? You must be joking…

Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by @norelationtoatticus (104k)

Eleven years after the war, Draco Malfoy leads a quiet, boring, and perfectly respectable life, thanks very much. Or, at least he does, until a sudden and very unexpected veela awakening causes him to throw soup all over Harry Potter in the middle of the Ministry cafeteria.

Every Hour Has Led to This by @sassy-cissa​ (105k)

Banned from the wizarding world and sentenced to live as a Muggle for ten years, Draco Malfoy finds his world turned upside down. Navigating the Muggle world becomes easier thanks to help from some unexpected strangers who become family. But when his mother insists Draco fulfil an agreement set when he was a child, he finds himself married and a father. Then a divorced single father. After the war Harry Potter found himself without purpose, until an unexpected offer changed his life. Playboy, Quidditch star, war hero – Harry seems to have it all, until a Quidditch accident ends his career. Lost and without purpose, Harry’s life is lonely until a surprising event brings him to Draco’s door…literally. Running parallel lives for nearly 10 years, when they reconnect both Draco and Harry find the passion for life that had been missing. A story of love and loss and how the best things in life happen in their own time

Pages of You by @wolfpants (101k)

Summer, 1980. Harry is floating between university and becoming a Real Certified Adult. He's not ready. He really isn't.

In a desperate attempt to have the Best Last Summer ever, he takes a casual job at his godfather's bookshop in London, starts an illicit pen pal affair with a wordy posh boy that he's catching feelings for, all while dealing with the son of Sirius's business rival, one Draco Malfoy, insufferable know-it-all extraordinaire.

A story about trying to figure out who you are, where you're going in life, and who you want to take along with you.

Notes on a resurrection by newleaves (126k)

It was never Draco’s intention to raise Sirius Black from the dead.

The Liars Department by @dorthyanndrarry (103k)

This is a story about Harry meeting up with Draco Malfoy four years after the war. And a story about Harry, well, not hating his job per say, but it's not like he has much to compare it to and it seemed fine. His whole life seemed fine. Then Malfoy came along with and his flashy suits and fast car making everything seem dull in comparison, and Harry... Harry couldn't just leave well enough alone.

Turning Leaves by @kbrick (112k)

Draco and Harry have a one-night stand that ends in disaster after Harry tells Draco he's unable to move beyond their poisonous past. So when Draco finds an unusual Time-Turner in the Department of Mysteries, he seizes the opportunity to start fresh with Harry. Only instead of fixing things, he keeps making them worse.

Bolts by @lqtraintracks (114k)

Harry joins the Hogwarts staff as the new History of Magic Professor, while Draco has already been teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts for the past year. When Samantha, a first year, is being bullied one day and throws a made-up Truth curse at her harasser, only to accidentally hit Harry instead, Harry becomes cursed to tell the truth, and not only that, he has to regularly tell it to Draco Malfoy. Samantha is clearly gifted, maybe the most powerful witch or wizard to ever come through Hogwarts, and yet she has no idea how to take the curse off. As they work to remove it—and also teach Samantha how to control a power that's becoming more dangerous by the day—will Harry's truths become too much to handle? And will whatever’s going on with Draco just make everything exponentially worse?

Freedom to be by @quicksilvermaid (169k)

Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived. 12 years after the war, he's become the Boy Who Lived For Everyone Else. He has the perfect wife. The perfect house. The perfect job. The perfect friends. Only nothing feels perfect. Until one day he stumbles across a club called Release and begins a journey of self-discovery that takes him to a very different place.

By the Grace by @letteredlettered (139k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Two to Shore by Lamplighter (204k)

Harry and Draco meet in Madam Malkin’s and instantly take a liking to each other. Just kidding. They don’t, but Harry does get sorted into Slytherin, and they do become extremely good friends.

Way Down We Go by @xiaq (109k)

The war was over. Or at least that’s what the papers said. They’d been saying it, for months, as if people needed reminding. Maybe they did.

In which Harry and Draco both run away from their pasts and conveniently choose to hide in the same tiny American town. It's super.

Nyctophilia by prolonged_autumn (107k)

Everyone's back for 8th year, and Harry and his friends seem determined to spend their last year in school running around at night, hyped up on coffee and alcohol and Honeydukes candy, doing all the childish things they didn't have the chance to do before. Draco watches as he's always watched: from afar, quiet and bitter and hopelessly in love. That is, until Pansy decides she's had quite enough of it.

Make Yourself by @anyaelizabethfic (103k)

Harry just wants to be safe within the freshly painted walls of Grimmauld Place, with his friends around him. But when he hears Draco Malfoy has been spotted at the local soup kitchen, he can’t help but encourage a different type of stray to come under his roof.

Kept Man by @drarry (147k)

A downtrodden Harry Potter in a serious dry spell is looking to be a kept man, and a lonely Draco Malfoy responds to his anonymous ad. A perfect storm of lust, scandal, and maybe even love. A Daddy Kink Magnum Opus.

The Ordeal of Being Known by @lou-isfake (146k)

When Auror Potter is anonymously cursed with silence by being forced to hide his own voice inside his mind, there’s unfortunately only one person in the country with the qualifications to fix it: Certified and Licensed Healer Legilimens, Draco Malfoy, specialist in Mind Curses and Afflictions. It’s obviously a terrible idea, a disaster waiting to happen, but Draco’s never been able to back down from a challenge… especially from Potter.

Harry Potter and the Welcome to the World of Grey by @sobsicles (456k)

When Harry fails to keep his anger at bay and Voldemort possesses his mind, the events that follow lead him down a long road to realizing the world isn’t as black and white as it seems. Chaos, hilarity, and tragedy ensue with a Dark Lord being honest all the time, a rival becoming something else, and a world demanding to be saved. Featuring frightened Death Eaters, deep conversations with a monster, Pureblood traditions being ridiculous, and the fight to do the right thing with no true options. Harry’s life just gets more and more bizarre with each passing moment. ~~~ Or, the one where Harry’s life gets split in half, and he has to figure out how to bring it back together.

The Secret Keeper by @the-fools-errand (225k)

On Halloween 1981, Albus Dumbledore made a decision that would change the course of history, concealing Harry Potter’s survival at the hands of Lord Voldemort underneath a Fidelius Charm. But when Harry comes of age in the Muggle world, Dumbledore realises too late that the fate of the world may depend on a boy who has never held a wand. An unlikely team assembles to teach him everything he needs to know before the charm runs out, but only one of them knows the truth behind the Dark Lord’s return to power. If it were anyone else, Draco would have no problem turning them over to the Death Eaters, but there’s something about this certain bespectacled idiot that has him questioning everything he’s ever known. Will Draco seal the fate of the wizarding world by uncovering the Chosen One or will Harry save Draco from a fate of his own?

Dwelling on Dreams by @the-sinking-ship (135k)

Draco thought he could avoid Potter for the duration of his brief return to England. He’d stick to his schedule and be back home in Paris, where he belonged, in a few short months. No trouble at all. He had plenty to occupy him, what with the opening of the London branch of his successful apothecary, his innovative research, drinks with Pansy, a backlog of unread potions periodicals. Except Head Auror Potter is everywhere — in Draco's chair, at his door, in his dreams. All six feet of motorbike-riding, combat-boot-wearing, sex-hair-sporting Saviour of the World packed into one unfairly fetching uniform. Potter won’t leave Draco the bloody hell alone, won’t let him breathe, let him forget, let him sleep. Because no matter how fast Draco Malfoy runs, Harry Potter is always hot on his heels.

A Sword Laid Aside by @korlaena (128k)

When Draco’s cover is blown during a deep undercover operation and the Ministry is compromised, Ron takes Draco to the only safe place he can think of—Potter. Hiding out with a taciturn Harry Potter, who has been missing from the Wizarding World for almost two decades after a shocking fall from grace, is nothing like Draco thought it would be. Draco has to navigate dealing with this Potter while being hunted by Dark wizards and wanted by extremists in the Ministry. When things take a turn for the worse, Draco has to decide whether he's going to keep running or find a way to protect the world and the people he cares about most.

Changing Tides by @carpemermaidtales (109k)

Draco has spent half of his life spouting the things his father has taught him without much thought about how he feels about what he says. When he unexpectedly comes face to face with the Dark Lord, he grapples with the harsh realities of the world and struggles with his changing views on life. Instead of doing what’s expected of him fifth year, he joins Dumbledore’s Army and learns how to defend himself, how to make his own choices, and how he can be something greater than his father’s example as he grows into his own man rather than his father’s shadow. The choices he makes change both his and Harry’s fates, intertwining their paths until they converge.

Taking Chances by @gracerene (135k)

After the war, Draco disappeared and started over in America, vowing never to return to Great Britain and the fraught past he left behind. Unfortunately, when his mates convince him to sign up for an exchange programme for the last year of their Auror Training, Draco learns that he doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

Graceless Heart by @orange-peony​ (132k)

Harry is lost and broken after the war. He has gone to countless funerals, broken up with Ginny, moved back into Grimmauld Place—which feels darker and dirtier than ever before despite how much he tries to fix it. He feels lonely and desperate, but he won’t ask for help, and he still can’t cry.

When he agreed to help the Aurors at Malfoy Manor over the summer, he thought that he would be breaking dark curses. Harry never thought that he would actually spend his days sorting out dusty books with Draco Malfoy, or teaching him how to cook.

Little by little, as they begin to navigate their life post-war, Harry and Draco become intimate…in more ways than Harry could have ever expected.

Brave Though The Stars They Make Me by @dwell-the-brave (108k)

After the events at the end of his Sixth Year, Draco Malfoy has been kept all but prisoner in his childhood home, Malfoy Manor. Alone, terrified, and desperate for some way out, he begins to have strange dreams - dreams of Harry Potter. Are they a trick of his mind? Or are they a way to change his fate, and a chance at redemption?

Always Already by @aibidil (170k)

Harry and Draco are perfectly fine, separately minding their business in 2004, when the Unspeakables conscript them into service... in the First War against Voldemort.

Come for mutual pining and forced proximity in a 1980 hotel room, stay for young Sirius and philosophising about immortality and wormholes. And an eighties cowboy soap opera.

He Comes Like a Thunderstorm by @korlaena (140k)

Draco is doing his best to balance the life he wants to live and the life he’s forced to live. He’s nearing the tail-end of a long, post-war probation when Harry Potter crashes back into his life with all the grace of a charging Erumpent, breaking through his carefully constructed rules and routine. Caught up in a whirlwind of sex and lust, Potter unwittingly shows Draco that his life as an Incubus doesn’t have to be as lonely and unfulfilling as he thought, but how long can it last?

Close Behind by @oflights (134k)

To rescue Draco from the Underworld, Harry has to look forward. Unfortunately, Draco has to look back

where all the veins meet by @saxamophone (146k)

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now? His friends try to help, but the only thing that can hold his attention—one of the only things that ever has—is Draco Malfoy, out on parole and weirdly hanging around the British Museum. As they keep running into each other, Harry sees that Malfoy is different, and he wonders if he can be someone else, too. Featuring rumpled band shirts, poker games everyone hates, fumbling sex, and a Harry going a little mental over how wands even work.

#drarry #drarry reclist #drarry fic rec #drarry fic recs #drarry fics #drarry fic #draco malfoy #hpdm #harry potter

[qqueenofhades]

So like. What if there were a fic of Ivan and Fedyor falling in love? Just saying. Someone could write that...(and could that someone be you?!)

Fedyor Kaminsky is brought to the Little Palace when he is nine years old. Before that, he has lived his whole life in the place he was born: a small village about twenty miles southeast of Kribirsk. It is just close enough for him to be constantly aware of the Shadow Fold, looming like a thunderstorm on a hot summer day, and to know, also, the honor that it is when the examiners arrive, he receives a sharp prick in the arm, some sort of strange result takes place, and he is formally declared to be Grisha. His parents know it too, and are eager to tell him of it. They are not well off, and Fedyor is the sixth of seven children. The payment for their patriotic service will be welcome, and while his mother hugs him tightly and tells him to make the Saints proud, he feels, somehow, that they are not that grieved to see the back of him. He is the only child from his village that has been picked, and they all assemble to see him off. Just think. One of their own, in the Second Army.

Fedyor cries himself to sleep his first night in the dormitories, as most of the children do. But he wakes fully rested, hungry for breakfast, and eager to throw himself into his new life. He has a sunny temperament, a personable nature, that serves him well here, and any talented Grisha can climb high in the ranks, almost as high as the Black General himself. Back home, what did he have to look forward to, aside from the taunts and punches of his brothers, who always saw him as more like one of their sisters than one of them? He is learning things here. Religion and medicine and geography and history. And, of course, the arcane art of the Small Science, the one thing that binds these young people from all across Ravka. Their power, their responsibility, and their upcoming effort in the endless wars.

His first few years pass rather well, all things considered. When he is thirteen, it is officially declared that he will be taken onto the Order of Corporalniks, and – somewhat to everyone’s surprise, including his – he is best suited not as a Healer, but a Heartrender. It turns out that unassuming, smiling, friendly Fedyor, who knows everyone’s name and is always given an indulgent second portion of dessert from the doting canteen ladies, packs quite a punch.

It’s here where he first puts Ivan Sakharov on his back, and his whole life changes.

Fedyor and Ivan have known of each other, ever since they arrived in the same class of recruits. Ivan is a tough, taciturn northern boy from Chernast, skinny and scowling and always displeased about something, no matter what. Fedyor once saw him brood through the whole Winter Fete, and he has taken it as a professional challenge to get Ivan to smile. Once Fedyor plays a practical joke on him, to the awe of the entire dormitory, who would not dare to even imagine such things themselves. Ivan scowls at him like the Black Heretic himself, and stomps off to have his important life problems somewhere else. But now they’re both thirteen, Ivan is shooting up like a weed and channeling all that pent-up resentment into some really effective Heartrending, and Fedyor is regretting all his previous liberties. As they face each other and bow, thus to commence the duel on Botkin’s word, he thinks, Please don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me.

Then he remembers that he’s the same Order, he has the same red kefta awaiting him when he finishes his trials, that he has as much right to be here as some tight-arse bastard from the frozen northern wastes, and that is why, thirty seconds after the duel has begun, Ivan is flat on his back and looking astonished. Everyone is applauding, and Fedyor feels somewhat confused. He strides over to his fallen adversary and offers him a hand. “Good job.”

Ivan glares at him, exquisitely sensitive to the possibility that he’s being mocked. “You’ll regret this, Kaminsky,” he says, low-voiced. “Mark my words.”

After that, for several months, Fedyor lives in terror of going anywhere in the Little Palace alone, lest Ivan suddenly leap out from behind a shrubbery and murder him. He and Ivan spar in their classes, in practice, in trying to outdo each other in Baghra’s ridiculous lessons, throwing all their effort into the sort of stupid, pointless rivalry that can only be maintained by teenage boys with too much pride and too little sense. They start to look for each other wherever they go, waste no opportunity to glare heatedly, and they are sixteen years old when Fedyor notices to his extreme vexation that during all this time spent staring at him until he has memorized his face, Ivan has gotten a little… handsome.

(What? No? Ivan? Horrifying.)

Fedyor himself isn’t exactly cursed in the face department, once a persistent bout of acne clears up. With his wavy hair, dark eyes, and easy smile, he provokes his fair share of sighs and pining among the female Corporalniks, but he is oddly uninterested in reciprocating their advances. Then he and Ivan get paired together on some training exercise that goes horribly wrong, they are trapped in the woods for hours until someone comes to find them, and with nothing else to do, they are forced to actually talk. Ivan has that northern chip on his shoulder that they all seem to, and probably started fighting Fjerdans when he was two years old, but what he says next takes Fedyor completely aback. “You’re… not that bad,” he says grudgingly. “You’re the only one who’s brave enough to actually talk to me, not just tiptoe like a mouse.”

“Well.” Fedyor throws a stick of wood at him. “Have you considered being less of a total grouch all the time?”

Ivan scoffs, lunges at him, and they end up wrestling in the leaf mold, an exercise that both of them enjoy a bit too much and take extreme care that the other not notice. By the time the search party from the Little Palace comes to retrieve them, they have forgotten all about being lost. In fact, as they were lying on the ground together, tangled up and panting and staring at the stars, Fedyor had the strangest thought that it was the best night of his life, and he doesn’t have a clue what he should make of that.

After that, an even stranger thing happens: they become friends. Well, sort of. Ivan maintains his default posture of appearing to hate everything and everyone, but Fedyor is the only person he tolerates, or allows to yank his chain in any way. And in turn, though Ivan Sakharov is the last person who would seem to need any kind of protection, the favor is returned. Once, when a city boy from Os Alta starts going on about how savage northerners are, staring pointedly at Ivan the whole time, Fedyor launches him halfway across the room. He gets in trouble, but it’s worth it. And they do undoubtedly work better together, Fedyor fighting right-handed and Ivan fighting left. They cover each other’s weak sides, learn to anticipate each other’s moves, and…

It’s a deeply inconvenient fact of life that when you are a Heartrender, and are exquisitely sensitive to pulse rates, you notice when yours starts going consistently haywire around certain people. Especially when, the year they turn eighteen, they are assigned to room together. The Little Palace is spacious, but not enough for every Grisha to have his or her own room, and since they’re no longer children, they’re not expected to share with the entire class. So Fedyor and Ivan end up in a garret room of their very own, and it is here, to his extreme consternation, that the next phase of Fedyor’s torment re: Ivan begins.

It is difficult to share a small room with Ivan and not want to look at him, and unless he is much mistaken, Ivan always seems to be concentrating a little too hard on his books whenever Fedyor is changing clothes. Fedyor is self-aware enough by this point to know that he prefers men, but he has absolutely no idea as to Ivan. Do they do this sort of thing in Chernast, or does it distract from arm-wrestling bears and shooting drüskelle? Ivan is so constantly unwilling to admit any kind of weakness or effeminacy that Fedyor figures gloomily he’s just doomed to suffer in silence. Naturally.

Except then both of them start rejecting any other romantic overtures, and they even go to the Summer Fete dance together, and Fedyor is taken aback when Zoya Nazyalensky asks bluntly the next day, “So, you and Ivan? Really?”

“What?” Fedyor is aware that Zoya and Ivan cordially hate each other, though she and Fedyor have always gotten on. “We’re not – Zoya, it’s not like that!”

He pauses.

“At least,” he adds guiltily. “It’s not like that as far as we’ve said?”

Zoya gives him a look silently agreeing that for the sake of their friendship, they will never mention Fedyor’s terrible taste in men again, though that doesn’t mean she has to like it. As for her, she’s pining after Kirigan, as almost all Grisha do at some point. Fedyor did so himself – the Black General is gorgeous, all right, shoot him – but he cares about nothing except finding the mythical Sun Summoner and engaging in a busy schedule of brooding even more intense than Ivan’s. Ivan, for that matter, seems to have struck it off with him, as Kirigan always values talent, and Fedyor has to fight down an unbecoming surge of jealousy. It’s not like they’re something. Not really.

(Though not for lack of wanting.)

After that, an even stranger thing happens, which is that people start assuming that Fedyor and Ivan are, in fact, a couple. Fedyor gets asked how his boyfriend is doing (sometimes sardonically, sometimes in a tone that turns genuinely surprised when he hastens to correct them) and he minds it less and less. Of course, for his part, Ivan is utterly oblivious. They’re sitting in a sunny hallway one day, Ivan tolerantly letting Fedyor play with his hair (though he keeps it military-short and it’s not like there’s that much of it) when Genya Safin walks by, glances at them archly, and says, “You know, Ivan, you’re much nicer now that you’re going out with him.”

Ivan turns such a deep shade of purple that Fedyor’s afraid he’s going to blow a gasket. “What?!” he splutters. “We are not – we are not – we are not going out! Never! I don’t – what are you talking – I don’t even like him!”

Fedyor’s lip quivers, despite himself. “Come on,” he says, failing to make it entirely lighthearted, wounded deeper than he wants to admit. “You don’t mean that, right?”

Ivan turns to him, flustered. “No,” he says convulsively. “Don’t look sad. Don’t look at me like that. Shh. Of course I like you.”

Fedyor brightens.

Genya gives them an obnoxiously knowing look and walks away.

By now, they’re twenty-one, old enough to be properly deployed as soldiers to the front, and Fedyor can’t help but thinking about where Ivan is, what he’s doing, if he’s all right, whenever they’re apart. He doesn’t like it, it feels wrong and unnatural, they always did better side by side anyway. Finally, they both get back to the Little Palace after a grueling campaign of many months away, Ivan against the Fjerdans and Fedyor against the Shu Han. They see each other, and it’s like lightning, rooting them to the ground. They’re dusty, dirty, banged up, bruised and bloody, but they know as a simple truth, beyond any doubt or questioning, that Fedyor will be coming to Ivan’s room tonight, and that Ivan will sit up and wait for him.

And that, therefore, is what happens. Fedyor can barely concentrate on washing up and fetching supper because he is so fixated on the knowledge of what’s coming later. He goes through the motions, barely hears his friends, barely tastes what he’s eating. He scarcely manages to wait until it’s dark. Then he gets up, slips through the corridors – they no longer bunk together, but he knows the way – and reaches the door. Fights a final attack of nerves, about how long he’s been waiting and how it might go wrong – then knocks.

“It’s open,” Ivan calls from inside, his voice dark with wanting. Of course it is.

Fedyor steps inside, and looks at him. After all this time, it feels like he should make a speech, have something more grand to say, or perhaps even an I-told-you-so. He doesn’t get around to any of that. He can’t stand it. Instead he shucks his kefta in a quick, practiced movement. Runs across the room, and climbs, claws, into Ivan’s arms.

Their kiss is rough and wet and wild, mouths open, teeth dragging, tongues scraping, trying to get as close as they possibly can, and then closer. Ivan’s hands, deft and eager, rough with calluses, spread across Fedyor’s arms and shoulders, the neat muscled column of his torso. “You should have let me do that,” he scolds between kisses, evidently referring to the business of undressing Fedyor. “I’ve been waiting long enough.”

“You’ve been waiting long enough – ?!” Fedyor Kaminsky really does love this man, but Saints help him, he is dense. “You could have said something!”

Ivan looks at him with pure wickedness in his eyes. “I thought I just did.”

Fedyor groans, grabs Ivan’s head to kiss him again, and they roll down onto the covers together, tearing at the remaining clothes in their way. It’s raw and agonized and real, this coming together, this needing, this consummation and completion, and afterward, as Fedyor lies gasping on Ivan’s chest and Ivan sleepily strokes his hair with a tenderness that seems totally inconceivable to anyone who has met him at literally any other moment, Fedyor knows, in some way, he will never truly leave this room again. That he’s here. Home.

(Later, Fedyor finds out that Ivan actually asked his boss for help with his romantic quandary, and Kirigan’s advice was evidently so terrible that Ivan decided to just give up and go for it with Fedyor rather than trying that again. Even if Aleksander Kirigan is the Black General, the Shadow Summoner, the most powerful Grisha in the world, Ivan does not intend to let him forget it. They are all fortunate that Aleksander thinks it’s funny.)

#ivan x fedyor #heartrender husbands #henchmen deserve happiness too okay #<<is my tag for them #oops now i ship it #mearcatsreturns #ask

[santiagoswagger]

i've never fallen from quite this high

Amy's birthday falls one month into her very new relationship with Jake, and he promises her he has plans to blow her mind.

Set sometime after “The Funeral.”

In all the years Amy’s known Jake, she’s been witness to the downfall of most of his relationships, and she knows they all tend to follow a similar pattern.

He was disorganized and completely consumed by his work throughout most of them, perpetually forgetting to show up for dinners or drinks because a case always took precedence. He could be selfish, unfiltered with his words and competitive to a fault. Most of the women he dated never seemed to last very long, and if they did, Jake usually found a reason to end things. There were a few exceptions, just as there are with any rule, but Jake was nothing if not consistent. He was a lone wolf, even in his personal life.

But the Jake Peralta that Amy finds herself dating now might as well be a stranger.

In the month since they decided to screw being light and breezy, she’s observed several small changes in him that often have her questioning if he’s the same man who once took her on a date designed for maximum humiliation.

When they make plans, he immediately adds them to the calendar on his phone so he won’t forget. He shares his snacks with her at the movies, even if he rolls his eyes while passing her the popcorn bucket. He takes the time to compliment her whether she’s dressed up for a date night out or wearing her ratty sweats on the couch at home, and genuinely means it either way. He’s still overly competitive, but that only makes her like him more.

She catches herself staring at him from across their adjoined desks, in awe of the person he was and the person he’s becoming. She can’t believe she’s actually falling for her goofy, infuriating partner. It’s scary, just as any big change is for a control freak like Amy, but she’s starting to believe that anything worthwhile begins with a little fear.

Much to Amy’s chagrin, Jake catches her mid-stare and smirks.

“Amy, I know you think I look extremely handsome in my new flannel, but this is a workplace. What would the Captain say?” he asks smugly, keeping his voice quiet enough so their coworkers can’t overhear. It’s something they’ve both perfected over the last month.

She rolls her eyes but can’t stop a traitorous grin from materializing on her face.

“Jake, we both know you took that flannel from the lost and found last week. And I wasn’t doing anything,” she says unconvincingly, burying her head in the open file next to her keyboard. “I was thinking. About my case. Because I’m a detective.”

Jake leans back in his chair and crosses his arms behind his head. “Does this ‘thinking’ have anything to do with a major life event happening this weekend?”

Amy cocks her head to the side. “’Major life event?’ What are you talking about?”

Jake lets out a loud, triumphant laugh, startling Hitchcock and Scully from their afternoon naps a few feet away.

“Amy, please tell me you didn’t forget your own birthday. No, wait, please tell me you did so I can make fun of you.”

Her jaw drops in horror. Amy Santiago, queen of organization, forgot her own birthday. Work had been so crazy the last few weeks and nights spent analyzing her planner were few and far between now that she had someone to go home with after work so something was bound to fall through the cracks. But she would rather let Charles cook dinner for her than let Jake know that.

“Shut up,” she says indignantly. “Just because I don’t obsess over my birthday like some people doesn’t mean I forgot it.”

Jake leans forward with a softer smile than before. It’s fond, almost. “You did, but that’s okay. I’ve got a few things up my sleeve for Saturday.”

“You do?” she says, surprised.

“Mmm-hmm,” he nods, grinning. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”

She laughs. “Okay, I’ll hold you to it.”

As they pack up their desks to leave for the night, Amy allows herself to wonder what Jake could possibly have planned. It’s their first birthday or holiday as a couple, and it’s so early. Their relationship is still so new and exciting, but a birthday is a big commitment. They haven’t even discussed where they see things going or if there’s a future for them. She doesn’t want this birthday to be the thing that scares him away before the relationship really gets off the ground. She’s pretty sure it could be something great if they let it.

Amy wakes up Saturday morning to the smell of fresh coffee wafting into her bedroom. It’s a shock for two reasons: she’s fairly certain she ran out of coffee grounds earlier this week and she knew Jake was scheduled to work an overtime shift today. The rumpled sheets next to her confirm his absence, but they’re still slightly warm to the touch; he must have just brewed her a pot before stumbling out the door.

She takes the time to brush her hair and teeth, and wash and moisturize her face – she refuses to let her morning routine slip, even if it’s her birthday – before walking out into the kitchen. It’s where she finds a full pot of coffee, complete with a new bag of beans from her favorite neighborhood café. It’s annoyingly expensive hipster coffee, and she can’t believe Jake shelled out the cash for it.

She also finds a note written in Jake’s awful chicken scratch on some stationery he must have grabbed from her office. Lucky for him, Amy’s been forced to decipher a few hundred of his case files over the years and can read his appalling handwriting without a problem.

Ames,

Happy Birthday, weirdo! I’m sorry I have to work on the day of your birth but I promise to make it up to you later ;) See you at 5.

Jake

She smiles as she finishes reading before pouring herself a large cup of steaming coffee and taking a long sip. She sighs, and she’s fairly sure it’s not just the coffee warming her from the inside out.

Truthfully, a day to herself is the best birthday present she could have asked for. She spends the day fielding calls and texts from her family and Kylie while also managing to organize her binders alphabetically and catch up on her very full DVR.

But by the time 5 o’clock rolls around, Jake is nowhere to be found and Amy can’t help but be a little disheartened. He had been making much more of an effort to be punctual lately, especially once he discovered what that earned him from Amy, but she supposes he hasn’t completely let his old habits die. She does her best to shrug it off. He probably just got caught up finishing a case, she thinks.

By 5:30, Amy is concerned. By 6, she’s spiraling.

He’s never been this late to meet her before, and never this late without sending an emoji-filled apology text. She, more than most, knows things can get out of hand at the precinct within an instant, but a shadow of a doubt still manages to nestle its way into Amy’s brain as the minutes tick by without word from her boyfriend.

She pours herself a glass of wine and takes a huge gulp. She knows from past observations that a month is usually Jake’s tipping point in a relationship. It’s entirely possible that he’s starting to have second thoughts about turning their friendship into something more. The thought rips through her like lightning.

It’s then that her front door opens and an exhausted looking Jake practically stumbles into the living room carrying two stuffed takeaway bags. His hair is a mess and his flannel is even more rumpled than usual. Her previously racing thoughts are immediately quelled when she sees him.

“Ames, I’m so sorry but I couldn’t find the restaurant and then the order was wrong and then I had to go to a different place and it was a whole thing,” he says in a breathless jumble. She can barely make out individual words.

“Are you mad?” he asks as he catches his breath. He looks genuinely gutted at the mere possibility he’s disappointed her.

She puts her wine glass down on the coffee table and moves to wrap him up in a firm hug. She can feel the tension leave his body at her touch.

“No, I’m not mad,” she mumbles into his shoulder. “But I wish you had texted me so I knew you were alright.”

“Phone died,” he says sheepishly. She pulls away slightly and gently swats his arm.

“I thought I bought you a charger for your desk!”

“I may or may not have been playing Kwazy Cupcakes all day and it totally drained my battery,” he laughs. “The precinct was so boring today, Ames.”

She smirks. “Did you miss me, Peralta?”

“Pshh, no,” he says, eyes darting around the room.

“You did,” she says smugly and he rolls his eyes, visibly grinning. “Now, tell me about this food.”

She pulls away from him to rummage through the plastic bags he’d placed on her dining table when he came home. It smells unbelievably familiar.

“I, um,” he stutters. “Remember when you told me about your favorite birthday parties as a kid? When all of your extended family would come over and it was just a giant party with games and the best Cuban food?”

“Yeah, I do,” she says softly. It had been such a throwaway conversation, late night memories shared while cuddling on his couch in front of the TV after a long shift. She’s genuinely touched that it stayed with him.

“Well, I found a place in Park Slope that sells those cheesy guava pastries your mom used to make you every year on your birthday,” he says, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. “But they messed up the order and I had to drive around to a bunch of Cuban restaurants to find them. That’s why I was so late.”

Maybe it’s the nostalgic smell of the pasteles de queso y guayaba bringing back her childhood, or maybe it’s the look of pure vulnerability on Jake’s face, but Amy can feel the warmth from this morning’s coffee returning tenfold. A lump begins to grow in her throat and she swallows hard to tamp it down.

“I can’t believe you did this,” she says, astonished. “I haven’t had one of these in forever.”

He’s rubbing his arm again, a nervous tick. “I hope they’re right. The woman at the last place I tried didn’t speak English so it was a lot of charades and pointing.”

She laughs. “They’re definitely right. They smell just like I remember.”

She puts the bag down and walks quickly over to where he’s standing in her kitchen doorway. She kisses him delicately, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek, thumb sweeping his jaw as she pulls away. His eyes are half-mast but they’re shining brightly.

“Happy birthday, Amy,” he whispers, moving to gently grab her hand as it pulls away from his face.

She scrunches her nose and smiles. “Thank you. Now, are you ready to try some cheese and guava pastries?”

He wrinkles his nose. “Ugh, no, thank you,” he says vehemently, backing out of her embrace.

She walks closer. “Please? For my birthday? You did say you would make it up to me after working all day.”

He groans. “Fine. But this is the last time I do anything nice for you.”

She smiles. “Deal.”

#b99 #brooklyn nine nine #b99 fic #b99 fanfiction #peraltiago #this is what quarantine has done to me

[almaasi]

3 million words fic rec (Destiel)

I’ve officially posted 3 million words on my AO3 account!!

Here’s all 115 of my Dean/Cas fics (as of December 30th 2019). They currently make up 85% of my total fics. I posted 42 fics this year, with a new Destiel fic once every 2 weeks on average, with 24 total.

(The rest, as of the last 6 months, are Crowley/Azriaphale (Good Omens) and Garak/Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). There’s separate fic recs for those. And here’s one Cockles fic.)

Fics listed by year (newest first), then by word count (shortest first).

--

2019

Just a Sniffle (2k / canon, Cas has a cold, Dean gives him a foot rub)

Hanukkahn't Resist You (2k, AU, teacher!Dean gives autistic Jewish teacher!Cas a Hanukkah greeting card containing a pickup line)

Brothers Don't Do That (3k / canon, Cas talks to Sam about how their feelings for Dean differ while ordering take-out)

Taste the Rainbow (In the Rain) (4k / AU, strangers sharing Skittles in the rain and kissing to help Dean quit smoking)

Hit Pause Kitty Claws (4k / AU, Team Free Will are cats belonging to Death!Billie, soft fluff and feline antics)

Weird But Confident (5k / canon, Cas finds Dean’s panties in his bag and thinks Dean slept with a woman)

Enemies Closer (5k / teachers AU, Dean keyed the wrong car, Cas runs AV club and Dean joins him so he has an alibi for his crime)

Snugglebird (5k / canon, Dean’s clothes are going missing, Cas is building a nest

Texted My Ex and Got You Instead (6k, AU, title explains it, fluff, asexual!Cas)

The Angel Cake Challenge (8k / canon crossover with Good Omens (book), Dean tells Crowley & Aziraphale they’re a cute couple and they encourage him to make a move on Cas)

Let's Play Doctors (8k / canon, smut, Dean asks Cas for medical roleplay and they use the machines to watch themselves have first-time sex)

Good For You (11k / canon, Dean teaches Cas to masturbate over the phone, then shows him properly in person)

BFBF (Best Friend's Boyfriend) (11k / AU, ft. Eileen - Cas has an absent bisexual boyfriend named Dean, Sam has an absent straight brother named Dean, oops they’re the same Dean)

Dean and Castiel's Lagoon of Love (12k, canon, Cas is cursed with tentacles and that’s Dean’s kink, they roleplay Dean’s favourite anime, smut and feelings)

Measure of Thigh Love (14k / canon, Dean is turned on by big muscles, Cas has some of those. smut, bottom!Cas)

Eleven Erogenous Zones of a Fallen Angel (15k / canon, Cas accidentally has physical wings and he hates them, Dean bathes and grooms Cas to soothe him, wing kink smut)

Two Heart Pose (17k / AU, overwhelmed papa!Dean, yoga instructor!Cas helps out with baby care)

Through the Lace (18k / office romance AU, desperation & pee kink smut, Dean in panties)

Sycamore Smile (18k / AU, professor!Cas, barista!Dean with a pet bunny, both are a hot mess, Dean helps Cas KonMari his life, ft. the purest fluff and sunshine)

Circuitry and Dust (23k / AU, demiromantic antique dealer!Cas, gaming lounge owner!Dean, Cas wrongly assumes his love is unrequited so helps set Dean up with an ex-girlfriend)

He's Kind of a Hairy Fairy (24k / AU, Team Free Will & co. running a summer camp, there’s only one bed in Dean & Cas’ cabin, Rowena curses Dean with fairy wings and he has to confess his feelings to get rid of them)

First and Only (35k / AU, Dean bets Sam he can have more sex in one year, Dean & Cas become fuck buddies, but Dean wants more so asks Charlie for help)

☆ Sleigh ☆ (46k / Christmas AU, makeup artist!Cas also works for Santa, Dean tags along delivering gifts on Christmas Eve, later a long distance relationship and eventual smut)

He's a (Zoo) Keeper (74k / AU, when zookeeper!Dean isn’t dating anyone, he and beekeeper!Cas have a BFF-roommates-with-benefits thing, but then Cas becomes a wedding planner and plans their fake wedding, drama with smut and feelings)

2018

Gulls N’ Roses (2k / canon, Dean hands Cas a rose, Cas interprets it as romantic)

Lost Night (2k / canon, Dean has nightmares, Cas dreamwalks to help)

He Called Me Honey (3k / canon, breakfast fluff, Dean dreamed he kissed Cas, talks to Sam, Cas shows up)

Note to Self: Cas Loves You (3k / canon, very drunk!Dean, Cas confesses his love)

I’m Dreamin’ of a Grey Christmas (4k / canon, Team Free Will 2.0 snow fight, Cas has some new grey hair, Dean has hearteyes, season 14 divergent)

Dry in the Downpour (5k / Pixar-short-inspired AU, umbrella-sharing)

Prince of the Ether Realms (5k / canon - season 13, must get married for a spell, Sam officiates)

Never or Forever (5k, canon, family dinner, Jody POV)

Without Further Ado (5k, canon, Dean has a list of “reasons not to be with Cas" but they’re all irrelevant now)

Wee Little Love Child (10k / canon, de-aged!Sam thinks Dean and Cas are his parents, gets them together)

Room for Two (The Mattress AU) (14k / college roommates AU, autistic!Cas, fake relationship, ALL the bed-sharing tropes)

Paramour by Post (18k / historical-ish AU, mail delivered to the wrong address, love letters, agender!Cas, bisexual!Dean)

Barbershop Duet (22k / Christmas AU, smut, shaving kink, domesticity, family gatherings)

The House That Wanted to Be a Garden (32k / AU, famous musician!Dean, gardener!Cas, fairies, accidentally moving in)

Duck Duck Boots (92k / ex-daredevil kindergarten teacher!Dean, agoraphobic Cas, small town magic realism & fate AU, looking after ducklings together)

2017

Unconditional (2k / canon - season 13, Dean explains why he loves Cas)

Mostly in Silence (4k / canon, Cas is depressed, Dean helps with self-care)

Restaurant Revelations (4k / canon, Dean and Cas tell Sam they’re engaged)

Whoa There Cowboy (5k / canon, cowboy-kink smut, porn-watching, magic fingers bed)

Pretty Panties and the Pool Shark (6k / kid!fic AU, autistic!Cas is scared of an imaginary shark in the school pool)

Purple Horse in a Coffee Shop (8k / ultimate office romance, pride parade, coffee shop AU)

Lucid Nightmare (10k / siren!Cas AU, dreamwalk-or-die, spooky fluff)

Stumble and Fall (20k / Team Free Will as dogs AU, search-and-rescue adventure, fluff & pining)

A Place and A Feeling (24k / AU, real estate agent!Cas, Dean looking for a house)

Night Exhibition (26k / AU, security guard!Cas at museum at night, friends to lovers, sex everywhere)

The Emporium of Christmas Enchantments (28k / Christmas, magic toyshop AU, kind of like a Disney movie)

Marshmalloween (33k / Halloween AU, Dean takes Sam’s teen friends to a haunted swamp, meet old bestie Cas, ghost adventures)

Our Garden Home (36k / everyone is a garden fairy, AU disabled autistic!Cas, found families)

The Wireless (58k / solarpunk carnival adventure AU, famous hunter!Dean, famous radio presenter angel!Cas, tent sex)

What We Ache For (93k / sex worker!Cas AU, Dean wants to make love, trauma recovery, Team Free Will & found families, a dog)

2016

Fight and Fool Around (5k / AU, bartender!Cas, Dean realises he’s bisexual, alleyway smut)

Tickle Fight Wasteland (5k / AU, fluff in a post-apocalyptic world, everyone is alive, tickle fight & cuddling)

Raising Hell in a Hotel (29k / kid!fic, living in a hotel AU, friendship, pining)

Welcome All Winchesters (60k / AU, snowy Christmas cabin, fake relationship, friends to lovers)

The Moonlighter and the Magician (67k / 1920s historical AU, asexual jewel thief!Cas, bisexual!Dean, running away together)

2015

What’s a Hickey? (1k / canon, Cas has a hickey, talks to Sam about it)

A Postcard for Castiel (4k / AU, kid!fic, autistic!Cas exchanges compliments with Dean, teacher!Charlie)

Symbols of Affection (4k / canon, Dean accidentally texts Cas a kissy-face emoji)

In Which Dean Frogs Up (6k / canon, Dean’s turned into frog in Moondoor, needs true love’s kiss to fix)

The One Where You Are A Guinea Pig (8k / canon, title says it all, Cas takes you to the bunker, Team Free Will interact)

We’re the New Romantics (8k / gifted & talented high school camp AU, aromantic!Cas, pop culture geek!Dean)

Waiting For That Final Moment (8k / AU, Cas interrupts Dean & Lisa’s wedding at a roller rink to declare his love, polyamory)

Delirium and Doctor Sexy (9k / canon, bisexual!Dean high on magical gas, thinks Cas is Dr. Sexy)

#ThankYouSammy (9k / canon, Sam prepares a Valentine’s Day dinner-date for Dean & Cas)

Dean Winchester the Puppydog (10k / canon, puppy play, submissive!Dean, hurt/comfort, non-sexual)

Father Material (12k / AU, asexual uncle!Cas, babysitter!Dean, kid!Claire, romantic attraction)

The Tailor of Fairy Ridge (17k / fairytale AU, tailor!Cas, fairy!Dean helps with clothing designs, good witch!Charlie, evil witch!Rowena)

Take You To The Country (18k / 1920s historical AU, pining, Dean reads an elopement proposal in the newspaper and realises it’s for him, running away together)

Sharing the Rain Dog (19k / AU, musician!Dean, FBI agent!Cas, sharing custody of a dog, have to move in to look after her)

Drop Anchor (42k / pirate!Cas, sailor!Dean, trapped on a deserted island and accidentally achieve domestic bliss AU)

Snow Place Like Home (But My Home Is With You) (47k / canon, Team Free Will in a B&B over Christmas, softness, smut & domesticity)

Held in Your Tender Hands (59k / AU, agender tattooed masseur!Cas, customer!Dean, workplace sex, paintball, found families, somnophilia)

2014

Cheek on Your Shoulder (1k / canon, Dean misses Cas, hugs him and can’t let go)

The Literal Bear Hug (1k / canon, Cas is accidentally a bear, cuddling)

If I Fall For You (2k / canon, Hannah likes Cas but Cas loves Dean)

If You Could Go Anywhere (3k / canon, Team Free Will ponder: all the drama is over, so what now?)

Cherry Pink Wedding (4k / AU, Dean & Cas both cry at Sam’s wedding)

Lettuce Share This Moment (4k / canon, Dean secretly likes salad… and Cas)

The Joke Is on You (And So Is Castiel) (4k / canon, April Fool’s Day, Cas pranks Dean & Sam when they pray for him)

Some People Would Call This Romantic (5k / canon, Dean and Cas take a long walk on the beach)

Panic Kiss (5k / AU, Dean has a panic attack, Cas calms him down, accidental kissing)

Boutique du Ballet (6k / canon, Dean loves ballet and wants to try the outfits - either crossdressing or trans-curious!Dean)

Minty Fresh Kisses (7k / canon, Dean teaches Cas to brush his teeth)

Sexier Than Doctor Sexy (8k / AU, doctor!Cas, Dean gets a prostate exam and enjoys it more than he should)

Sam Accidentally Sees the Whole Picture (10k / canon, smut, Sam is in the room while Dean & Cas do it for the first time, Sam POV)

Understanding Your Body in Ten Easy Steps (12k / canon, smut, Dean teaches Cas how to masturbate)

Roost (12k / AU, Dean and Cas are rescued fighting roosters, for some reason not that interested in girl chickens)

Dead Body Disposal 101 (14k / canon, angel!Cas wants to be a hunter so Dean & Sam show him how, Dean & Cas are bad at expressing feelings)

Of Shampoo and Fruit Flies (17k / roommate AU, autistic!Cas, confessing feelings surrounded by supportive friends)

Love Him in His Sleep (Love Him Always) (32k / canon, Dean has wet dreams about being cuddled, Cas is into somophilia and dreamwalks to gain consent)

Preacher Comfort (42k / AU, hurt/comfort, asexual preacher!Cas, nurse!Dean, hugs & cuddling, Halloween)

Nine Times We Met (And One Christmas We Parted) (58k / queer historical romantic angst AU, teacher!Cas, firefighter!Dean, meeting over the years & falling in love)

Hart of the Storm (119k / historical AU, hunter!Dean turned into a deer by shapeshifting god!Cas, magic forest)

2013

For a Scarf in October (1k / canon, Halloween, Dean wants to buy a ~women’s~ scarf, Sam tells him it’s okay)

Of All the Bars in the World (There Are None Between Us) (2k / prison AU, Dean and Cas are cellmates, discuss past and future intimacy)

Dean’s List (3k / canon, Dean writes a list of men he’d ~go gay~ for, Sam has a suggestion to make, bisexual!Dean)

Nobody’s Daddy (3k / canon, accidental baby acquisition, Dean breastfeeds, then Cas arrives with actual milk)

Foal Delivery Service (4k / AU fusion with ‘My Little Pony’ - kid pony!Dean finds out how heteronormative the world is, then meets agender pony!Cas, later have baby ponies together)

Winchester’s Rouge (6k / canon, angst, Dean tries on makeup and remembers his mother)

Manscaping (6k / canon, Cas cuts himself shaving his junk, Dean does first aid, boners)

Sharing Hands (6k / canon - season 8, smut, Cas is possessing Dean, masturbate together)

Play Nice, Kids (10k / AU or alternate canon, reverse-verse, angel winged!Dean, wing kink masturbation, sex toys)

Hello Night (11k / historical AU, demon possessing Dean, priest!Cas, crossroads sex to save Dean, Cas/demon & Cas/Dean)

Shadows Across the Camera Lens (13k / AU, smut, dominant bottom photographer!Cas, submissive top crossdressing underwear model!Dean)

Faerie Strange Circumstances (30k / AU hunters, fairy!Cas, fairy realm adventures, Bobby’s house, Charlie, Jody)

Bad Things With You (31k / AU or alternate canon, smut, catboy!Dean, catboy!Cas, mating urges, biting, licking, fake relationship is actually real)

Cowboys and Real Estate Angels (36k / AU, bisexual retired musician cowboy!Dean, old fan!Cas, lovemaking, falling in love in one night)

Try-Something Tuesday (48k / my most popular fic of all time, teacher!Dean, librarian teacher!Cas, smut in strange places, school trips, moving in together AU)

The Feline Perspective of a Guilty Conscience (51k / canon divergent - season 9, hurt/comfort, Dean transformed into a cat, sad angel!Cas, Team Free Will, forgiveness)

Foxfire Blossom (283k / AU, florist!Dean, rich!Cas, affairs, soap opera-level drama, sex, highly problematic lies, and cheating, ALL the characters)

2012

Angelhawke (407k / epic medieval fantasy AU, Dean and Cas are cursed to be animals in the day/night, travel with Sam and Bobby as they tell their story in flashbacks, quest to be together, based on ‘Ladyhawke’ but ~70% original story)

--

New fics are on their way in 2020! 

☆ Subscribe on this page if you want new fics in your inbox!!

☆ And you can support my writing, art, and other creative projects here~

Thank you all so much for supporting me all these years. I’m so excited to see what I end up writing next~!! ♥

Elmie x

#Destiel #DeanCas #Destiel fic rec #Destiel fanfic #Elmie writes things #Elmie makes things #masterpost #post of postiness #milestones

[jamielea81]

Text to Win

Description: When you transpose two digits of a telephone number, you end up with more than you bargained for.

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: None really. Fluff and a tiny bit of angst.

It’s time for KMPQ’s text to win. And the question is ‘What’s the worst thing you can text someone after a first date?’ Text in your answer to 555-0243. We’ll pick a winner and those tickets are yours!

Having the radio on while you worked had become a habit. You played it softly through your laptop speaker much to your cubical neighbor Bernice’s disapproval. It wasn’t your fault, not really, you just couldn’t handle having earbuds in for more than a couple of hours.

“Oh crap! What did they say that number was?”

Bernice shrugged her shoulders, not even bothering to spare you a glance.

555-0243? No. 555-2043. Yeah, that’s it.

Entering the radio stations number on your phone, you submitted your answer.

“Could you pick me up some Imodium? I’ve got diarrhea AGAIN.”

Satisfied with your response, you went back to your report.

You had worked for Stark Industries for three years and you loved almost every minute of it. You started in the mailroom to get your foot in the door, but once your boss’ boss found out you had a degree in accounting, they moved you to that department. A year later you were moved to a specialized team that dealt with the expenses of the Avengers. It was an interesting job, and it was fun to guess what the food expenses would be each month. Your teammates placed bets each month regarding the total. Who ever had the worst guess bought donuts for the team. You haven’t had to buy any yet.

A couple of minutes later your phone chimed indicating you had a text message. The radio station was still on commercial break so you hoped it was them notifying that you had won.

KMPQ: I’m sorry, what now?

You frowned at your phone. That’s a weird way to reply.

Y/N: Does this mean I won?

KMPQ: What do you think you are winning?

I’m pretty sure I heard them say the number is 555-2043.

Y/N: Wait, is this not KMPQ Radio?

KMPQ:

I’m not sure what that means, but I’m pretty sure you have the wrong number.

You sighed out loud causing Bernice to spare you a glance. You scrunched your face and waved your hand to tell her it was fine.

The radio station had come back from commercial break announcing the winner. The winner’s reply had something to do with an STD. You rolled your eyes. They probably received a few replies regarding that topic. At least yours thought outside the box.

You slid your phone into your purse not wanting to think about how you texted a stranger that you needed diarrhea medication. You were positive a screen shot was entered on Twitter by now for all of humanity to see. You hoped they had the decency to blackout your phone number before they posted.

 You were home and changed into your pajamas before you looked at your phone again. Surprisingly you had two new messages from the stranger.

Stranger: Do you really have diarrhea?

Stranger: My mother used to recommend plenty of fluids, bananas, rice, and applesauce to help with the symptoms.

Well, at least it was a helpful stranger.

Y/N: No, I don’t have diarrhea. I wrote it for a radio contest and I apparently had the wrong number. Sorry about that.

Y/N: And I’ll keep your mother’s cure in mind if the problem every arises.

You all of a sudden had a hankering for applesauce since your new stranger friend had mentioned it. Digging through your cupboards you found two snack pack cups. Finding a clean spoon in the sink, you made your way back to your couch. You clicked a picture of one of the cups and decided to text it.

Y/N: Since you mentioned it, applesauce sounds quite good right about now.

Stranger: I’m glad I could be of some assistance.

Stranger: You never did tell me what you were trying to win.

Y/N: Tickets to see the band Imagine Dragons next week.

Stranger: I’m not familiar with them. Are they any good?

Y/N: Yeah, they’ve got a lot of really great songs. You should look them up.

Y/N: What kind of music do you normally listen to?

Stranger: I like the oldies. Glenn Miller, Billie Holiday, Tommy Dorsey.

Tommy Dorsey? Was this someone’s grandparent you were texting with? If so, props to them for knowing how to text.

You didn’t really now how to respond. Deciding any response was better than no response.

Y/N: Cool

After about 20 minutes with no response, you figured your texting friend must have gotten bored with the conversation. Deciding to get ready for bed you set your alarm on your phone and placed it on your nightstand along with a glass of water. You brushed your teeth and applied your nightly moisturizer before laying down in your comfy bed.

Just a you were starting to doze off, your phone chimed with a text alert.

Stranger: I’m not old or anything.

Stranger: My friend Sam thought I should add that. I just like older music.

You laughed out loud to the response. You decided to have a little fun.

Y/N: What if I’m old? I feel offended.

Stranger: I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate being old is a bad thing. I actually think it’s a good thing.

You laughed again. Shaking your head at their response.

Y/N: I’m totally messing with you. I couldn’t resist. I’m 30.

Y/N: I’m Y/N by the way.

Exchanging first names can’t hurt.

Stranger: You had me going there. I’m Steve.

Y/N: Hi Steve. Glad to get a name from you, I had you in my phone as Stranger.

Steve: You don’t want to know what I had you in my phone as.

Y/N: Please don’t tell me you had it as Diarrhea.

Steve: Of course not. I had it as Imodium.

Y/N: Mortifying

Steve: Hey, it’s not so bad. Y/N is a lot prettier though.

Was he flirting with you?

Y/N: Why thank you. 😊

Y/N:  I’m off to bed Steve. Good night.

Steve: Night Doll

Doll? You could get used to this flattery, even if it was from a stranger.

 The next several days you and Steve texted quite frequently. Nothing too personal was shared. You mainly talked about what TV shows you were watching, what you had for dinner, and what crazy thing you saw on the subway that day.

Y/N: I swear Steve. The guy had a hug yellow snake around his neck! I don’t know how no one saw it until he was on the train.

Steve: Could it have been in his pants?

Y/N: Steve! No! I’m talking a 5 foot long snake. I know guys like to exaggerate about the size in their pants...

Steve: Doll…

Sometimes you wouldn’t hear from Steve for days. He told you he often worked on call and when he’s working, he can’t be on his phone. You understood, but it sure added an air of mystery. You thought he was a fireman which sent your imagination into overdrive. Picturing a buff Steve in his uniform, all sweaty…When you asked him about it, he told you he wasn’t a fireman, but didn’t extend beyond that.

About a month into your friendship you let it slip that you worked in Stark Tower. When you normally told people this, they would always ask if you knew any of the Avengers. Even though you technically worked with their expenses, you never met any of them. Steve had almost no reaction. You were relieved but also a little surprised.

 It had been over a week since you received a text from Steve and you were starting to worry. He’d never been away for more than four days without sending you a text and here you were at seven. You worried that he was hurt and part of you was worried he got bored of you and decided to stop talking to you. There was no way to get a hold of him because you didn’t know any of his friends, you didn’t even know where he worked.

The next night, just before midnight, your phone rang startling you out of sleep. You reached for your phone, squinting your eyes to see the name on your caller id. Steve was calling you. In the three months you’d been texting, you’ve never talked on the phone.

“St-Steve?”

“Hi Doll.” His voice was rough and tired.

“Are you OK?”

“It was a hard week. I just really needed to hear your voice.”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You sat up in bed, scooting yourself back so that you could rest your back against the headboard.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I really can’t. Could you just talk to me about your week? I just want to hear normal for a while.”

“I really wish you’d talk to me. I don’t know what you even do. It’s been eight days Steve and you call me after midnight. I’m relived but I’m also a little bit pissed.”

“Y/N.” You heard him let out a ragged breath. “Please, Doll. I promise to tell you soon. But for tonight, could you just tell me about your day?”

You licked your lips and nodded. Realizing he couldn’t see you, you quickly replied.

“Okay. So, today I had to bring donuts into work. I don’t think I ever told you, but I work in accounting. Boring, I know.”

He let out a chuckle and it was honestly the best sound you’ve heard in a long time.

“My team has a monthly bet about a certain account and I lost the bet this month so I had to buy the donuts. It was the first time I’ve lost in a year and a half, so I thought that was pretty good. Anyway, no one ever mentioned to me that Taylor was allergic to nuts. One of the donuts had chopped nuts on it, so Taylor like flipped out. It was pretty epic. She didn’t eat any of course, and I did apologize.”

He laughed again and you couldn’t help but smile.

“You have a really nice laugh Steve.”

“And you have a very beautiful voice Y/N.”

From that night on, Steve called you almost every day. Most days it was just for a minute or two because he really wanted to hear your voice. You enjoyed it as well.

 By month four you were brave and sent Steve an unsolicited photo or yourself. It was a simple selfie of you with a nice smile. You were actually surprised he never asked for a picture.

Steve:  You’re beautiful Doll. Far too pretty for me.

It made you blush but you were disappointed he never sent you one in return.

By five months you were anxious. When he wasn’t working, he was spending an hour on the phone with you at night before bed. He talked about his friends and the trouble they would get into, but he would always leave out details, like their names. He would talk about how traveling was lonely, but he would never specifically tell you where he had been. You respected his privacy, but you really wanted to know all of Steve.

 Steve asked for other pictures of you. He told you he liked to sketch and he wanted to sketch you, but he needed additional angles. One night he sent you pictures of 4 sketches he had done of you and they were remarkable. For never seeing you in person, he was pretty spot on.

“My friends were giving me a hard time about the pretty girl in my drawings. I had to tell them how we met.”

“But did you tell them that we haven’t actually met?” You asked.

“Soon sweetheart. Soon.”

A week later, Steve called to say he had a job and would be gone for a while, but he didn’t know how long. You cried to him on the phone. The nightly conversations had become a habit you couldn’t live without.

“I promise to be safe. I’ll be back before you know it and you’ll be tired of me in no time.”

“That’ll never happen.” You said between sobs.

“Sweetheart, you’re breaking my heart. It’s going to be so hard for me too. I’ll try my best to be home as soon as I can. Okay?”

You let out a long breath trying to calm yourself down. “Okay. Bye Steve.”

Was it possible to love someone you’ve never met? Your heart was telling you yes.

 Three weeks. It had been three weeks since you’ve heard Steve’s voice. Surprisingly you were spending more time with your co-workers. Bernice and you started having lunch together a week after Steve had gone on his work trip. She noticed you were down and you had the urge to talk to somebody. She didn’t know all the details, just that there was a man you had grown close to and he had an important job that he could keep him away for days or weeks with no communication. She said it sounded like a plot for a movie and you had to agree.

Steve had sent you a text early in the morning that he was back, but wouldn’t be available to talk until later in the day. You had made up your mind that you were going to meet him. It needed to happen. Even if he didn’t want anything more than friendship, you wanted to be able to see him in person. Watch movies together, listen to music together, talk about your days, but in person rather than on the phone.

You and Bernice were enjoying a late lunch in the lobby of the tower. She was going on about troubles with her landlord when you could have sworn you heard your name.

“Isn’t that Y/N!” You looked around, trying to see who was saying it. The lobby was pretty empty since it was almost two and most employees were done with their lunch by then.

“Why is the Falcon saying your name and pointing at you?” Bernice asked.

You looked over to where she was looking and sure enough the Falcon and Captain Rogers were looking at you. The Falcon even waved. Captain Rogers was saying something to him in a hushed voice that you couldn’t quite make out.

“I have no idea. I’ve never met them.” You shrugged your shoulders.

She pushed on your back, urging you to stand, so you did.

You took a couple of tentative steps toward the two of them. The Falcon had a bright smile on his face while Captain Rogers kept looking down.

“Um, hi.” You said.

The Falcon started to walk to you with Captain Rogers trailing behind. Once he was two feet in front of you, he spoke again. He stuck out his hand. “Hi Y/N, I’m Sam Wilson.”

You tentatively gave him your hand and shook his.

“I know. But. But how do you know who I am?” Eyebrows high with surprise.

Your hand was still in his and he gave an awkward chuckle. He released your hand and turned toward the Captain. When Captain Rogers said nothing and continued to look down, Sam nudged his shoulder hard with his own shoulder causing Captain Rogers to move closer to you by an inch or too. He looked up and gave you a bright smile which caused your face to heat up. Of course, you had seen pictures of the Captain and footage of him on TV, but you’ve never seen him in person. To put it simply, he took your breath away.

“Hi Doll. I’m Steve.”

You blinked a few times. Still not understanding why this awkward introduction between the three of you was taking place. But then you remembered something.

“Did you say doll?” You asked.

He nodded his head.

Your brow furrowed and you looked down. This can’t be.

“And you’re Steve?”

He nodded again.

“Nope. This can’t be happening. You are Captain Steve Rogers but you can’t be Steve. Nope.”

You turned back to Bernice whose mouth was wide open in shock, grabbed your lunch bag and proceeded to walk to the elevator to head back to your floor.

You heard Sam and Steve arguing behind you but you didn’t care. You heard shuffling of feet as you waited for the elevator, but that was Bernice who was out of breath apparently by the time she reached you. She started to ask about Steve to you but you raised your hand to her to silence her.

No sooner than when you were back at your desk did the text messages start rolling in from Steve. Or should you say Captain Steve Rogers?

Steve: Doll, please? Can we talk?

5 minutes later

Steve: I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was. I wanted to do it in person.

30 minutes later

Steve: I’m calling you.

Sure enough your phone rang and you immediately sent it to voicemail.

In all honesty you didn’t really know why you were mad. You felt more embarrassed than anything else. Embarrassed that you were kind of in a way ambushed. You didn’t like that Sam Wilson and your co-worker slash friend Bernice were there. You didn’t like how the whole interaction caught you off guard. You would have liked to have known that Steve was Steve Rogers before you met him.

 Hours later you were at home with a glass of wine. Yes, it was Tuesday, but the wine was needed.

Your phone chimed with another message from Steve. You ignored it for a minute or two, but then found yourself opening the message.

Steve: Hi Doll. I think it’s time that we met.

You rolled your eyes and then typed out a response.

Y/N: Funny

Steve: I’m serious Y/N. I want to meet the woman who messaged me about diarrhea and captivated my heart.

You smiled and shook your head. It was a great reply, you had to give him that.

Y/N: I’m mad at you.

Steve: I know and I’m sorry for that.

You decided to give in. You really cared about Steve and wanted nothing more than to see him in person before you accidently met him this afternoon. This was just another part of Steve you would have to get to know.

Y/N: When and where?

 It was Thursday night and you and Steve had been radio silent since Tuesday. You told him you wanted the space before the two of you met and he said he understood.

You stood in a coffee shop two blocks from the Tower. Since it was after six, the shop was only half filled with patrons, but you didn’t see Steve anywhere. Deciding to order yourself a drink while you waited, hot chocolate since you rarely drank caffeine at night. You found a small table in the back, figuring he’d like the privacy a little better.

You were early and you knew it, but you couldn’t help but check your phone every couple of minutes. What if he got called away on a mission? You hoped he would text you before leaving. Those worries were useless as Steve Rogers stood in front of you, two drinks in his hand. He was dressed in jeans, a navy t-shirt and a blue ballcap on his head. God he’s handsome.

“I bought you a drink, but I see you already have one. It’s hot chocolate because I know you don’t drink coffee at night.”

You smiled at him and nodded. He set both drinks on the table and stuck out his hand. You stood up and walked closer to him.

“Hi. I’m Steve.”

You put your hand in his.

“Hi. I’m Y/N. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

He held on to your hand, not releasing it after the initial shake. You smiled again and he licked at his bottom lip. His thumb started to caress your hand which instantly made your stomach flutter. Steve tugged you closer and pulled you into a hug. Your head fitting perfectly in the crook of his neck. You felt his breath on your neck and you smiled again.

“Yeah. It’s really great to finally meet you Doll.”

Tagging: @ly-cia @lookwhatyoumademequeue @humandasaster @joannie95 @xxloki81xx @thefandomzoneisdangerous @chita0027 @estillion14 @smoothdogsgirl @tessvillegas @xceafh @violetadefebrero

#steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #misdial #wrong number #marvel imagine #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fan fiction #sam wilson #steve rogers x you

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Mike and Eleven are an unhealthy couple, and other ST relationship notes

Relationships have been shown to be a big part of Stranger Things from the beginning. In Season 1, we’re treated to The Party’s unique dynamic, Nancy’s rocky romance with Steve, Joyce’s interactions with her ex-husband, and Johnathan and Will’s brotherly bonding. We are also introduced to Eleven, who more or less instantly bonds with Mike. These relationships allow us to get to know the characters in a more intimate way, and help drive the narrative. In Season 2, we get deeper into these relationships and also see new ones bloom. We witness the special bond that Mike and Will share, the abusive dynamic of the Hargrove household, Dustin and Lucas spar over Max while she adapts to being adopted by a group of nerds, Steve and Nancy’s relationship fails and Johnathan and Nancy’s begins, and even Karen get frustrated over her boring rut of a marriage. We also see Mike, at least early on in the season, desperately reach out to Eleven, and it’s indicated he’s been doing this for just shy of a year (353 days I believe).  In Season 3, a heavy-handed theme is “we don’t understand each other.” This is displayed prominently by multiple relationships. It’s most obvious with Johnathan and Nancy, where I believe it was directly stated. Nancy feels he doesn’t believe in her and her journalistic hunches, while he feels she isn’t considering how badly he needs that internship since he lacks her familial resources. Joyce and Hopper’s relationship goes on a roller coaster stemming from Hopper seeing Joyce as playing around with him as he tries his best to open his heart again, but Joyce still has grief over Bob and understandable paranoia about the lab holding her back. Max and Lucas seem ok, showing some playful banter, but we’re also told they’ve broken up five times. Seeing as how they’ve only been together for about 7-8 months or so. That’s a sign of a lack of understanding, but sadly we don’t get much more out of Lucas this season. Karen is tempted by Billy to bring some excitement into her life, though Ted is shown to be rather content with his boring family life. We’re also treated to the heartwarming friendship of Steve and Robin, which is teased as a romance through yet another misunderstanding. This brings me to the crux of this post (finally), and that is Mike, and his horrible (or horribly written) relationships in Season 3. I can totally buy his attachment to Eleven. She helps him find Will in Season 1, and is traumatized by her disappearance (and apparent death) during the final battle with the Demogorgon. It’s completely understandable that he’d be affected by that, possibly feeling guilty and responsible, and desperate for her safe return. It’s totally realistic for a 12-year-old to develop a crush on a girl in a short amount of time such as the week he knew her. It’s unbelievably realistic for him to be immensely happy and relieved when she comes back in Season 2, safe and sound. It’s totally in-character for him to be a nervous wreck when she goes to close the gate. At no point, however, does this have the appearance of a romantic relationship, at least not a true and healthy one.

In Season 3, however, he is completely obsessed with her. It’s revealed by Lucas that he’s been neglecting his friends. He’s been seeing her every day, at least since summer started, and there are implications that Eleven primarily only sees Mike (Max is shocked to see her, we see no interactions between El and the others, she’s still not allowed to be out in public, etc.). This girl has had no opportunity for social or emotional growth in the roughly year and a half since she’s been out of the lab. Her question to Max (”How do I know if I like something?” or something along those lines) should be jarring. She’s never considered anything for herself. Pre-dumping, she and Mike are shown basically just making out. There’s no conversation, no getting to know each other, no simply enjoying each other’s company. The only time we see them with the others, Mike and El very quickly leave, which the others know means they want to make out. El is supposed to be friends with them too, but she seems equally obsessed with this relationship. It’s been months since the Snow Ball, they should be out of the honeymoon phase even if Mike’s opportunities to see her during the school year were limited.  So, unpopular opinion, Mike and El share an unhealthy relationship. He’s more annoyed than upset when she dumps him, while El has a blast hanging out with Max. It’s nice to see her grow with this, but she’s quite honestly depicted as being better off without Mike as a boyfriend. I’m not saying they couldn’t grow into a better couple, but we see nothing like that in this season. They make up in the hospital, and Mike awkwardly tries to talk about feelings in the grocery store, but they just aren’t hearing each other. They don’t understand each other. They still don’t at the end, to be honest. While many people seem to think they rekindle their relationship before the Byers’ move, Mike seems legit confused. He stands there, stock still, as El kisses him. He doesn’t kiss back, he doesn’t close his eyes, he doesn’t put his arms around her, he doesn’t return her “I love you”, and, as she walks off, he doesn’t get a goofy grin, a sad smile, or a hopeful look on his face. He stands there, confused, as if that kiss was unexpected and he doesn’t know how to feel about it. That wasn’t a boy who had been going out with this girl for the past three months post-Starcourt. If they were meant to be seen as a happy couple, tragically being torn apart, then the writers did a terrible job of it. It’s almost too obvious that we’re supposed to compare this to Mike’s strained relationship with Will, though at the same time it’s like we’re meant to forget all of that. There’s curiously no acknowledgement to any of the bonding they shared in Season 2, even through flashbacks. Will is portrayed as being upset at the slightest sign of Mike and El’s romance. He doesn’t show frustration with Max or Lucas, and he’s amused at the prospect of helping Dustin contact his camp girlfriend. If this wasn’t intentional, then it’s either poor acting or poor writing. Both Mike and Will become single-minded, Mike towards El, and Will towards D&D. There’s many possible explanations (besides the aforementioned bad writing) that could explain Will’s change of character, but that’s a post for another time, if people are interested. Will reaches his breaking point in a conversation that reads more like a breakup than anything else. Again, though, it’s clear they don’t understand each other. This is where the “Is Will gay?” speculation hits a crescendo, as he angrily states it’s not his fault Will doesn’t like girls. Will is...devastated, shocked, terrified? It’s hard to nail down. Mike is immediately remorseful, though his apology is severely lacking. Will’s parting words of “I guess I did. I really did.” again seem more like a breakup. I’d like to go on more, but besides Mike tracking Will down in the rain (not unsignificant), we see little between them until the goodbyes. Their scene is shorter than Mike and El’s, but significant in that it’s the only goodbye Will is shown having (apart from all the hugging). They speak in code again, with Mike worried Will may replace him, and Will reassuring Mike that could never happen. It’s worth mentioning that the smile Mike shows in this scene is the most genuine we see all season from him.  I’m not sure what to think about it all. Mike and Will’s relationship is somehow portrayed as stronger and deeper that Mike and El’s, but simultaneously less significant. It makes more sense for Mike to be closer to Will than El, and it’s curious that he and El are never shown trying to get to know each other. My ultimate conclusion, drawing on personal experience and someone with degrees in psychology and counseling, is that Mike and El are bad for each other, at least based on how they’ve been depicted thus far. They’re shown to be better outside of their relationship.  Ultimately, Mike lost both of these relationships at the end. While we know the three of them will meet again, they simply have the hope of visits and calls. Mike is left visibly upset as the Byers family drives off, but it’s ambiguous as to whether Will or El leaving upsets him more. I don’t think he knows the answer to that either. As he enters his mother’s embrace, he appears in a state of shock. This scene parallels him being comforted in season 1 when Will’s fake body was pulled from the water, even going so far as to include the same song. It’s possible he’s coming to a realization involving Will, which could explain the shock. I think the simplest explanation, though, is that we’re supposed to be as confused as Mike as to what all this means. Mike starting to consider that Will is more than just his best friend would be a breath of fresh air for a story like this, but I doubt it.  If you made it this far, let me know if you’d like more posts from me. I have thoughts on the effects of trauma on the characters, theories for season 4, and general opinions about seasons 1-3.

#stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #eleven #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #joyce byers #jim hopper #joncy #byeler #mileven #jopper

[teamhook]

A Chapter a Day... Savage Heart CS AU

Yes, a chapter a day.

This story will be finished by the end of the month. :)

A love story between a pirate and his savior. An innocent, beautiful, selfless woman meets a man with no manners, no formal education and not even a last name. Will Emma fall in love with Killian once she discovers that beneath his tough exterior lies a heart-wild, but a heart of gold? This is a Captain Swan AU

Beta-ed by the lovely @ilovemesomekillianjones​

|AO3| |FFN| previous chapter

|AO3| |FFN| current chapter

Chapter 5: Catch and Release

Flashback - The Road of Redemption

Once the betrothal is arranged, David Nolan decides he must leave his family in order to seek out a way to rebuild his own fortune. If he's able to, he won't have to see his daughter entered into an arranged marriage. As a young man, he had been betrothed to Kathryn Midas. His father George thought that it was the best match for the family.

He had hoped to never put Emma in that position. He had gotten lucky because Kathryn had fallen in love with Frederick Knight, a business partner of her father, and she married him instead.

David had met Snow not long after, and he is forever grateful to have had the fortune of meeting his true love and marrying her. Snow tries to stop him, but he refuses to stay. He wants his daughter to marry for love not to save them. He still has time.

Torn, David Nolan travels north. He has been hearing an awful lot about a booming port town called Arendelle. David Nolan soon arrives at Arendelle in search of a chance to redeem his family's good name. All he wants is to be a hero for his daughter, his family. There is one benefit of traveling so far, James' reputation didn't follow him.

The climate there is so different from Misthaven. It's cold and somber, there's no color. Or maybe, it isn't the town at all.

He misses his family, his beloved wife, and precious daughter. Milah too, Even without knowing her that well he misses the opportunity to be there. His desire was never to take his brother's place, but to enrich her life.

He soon makes friends with a kind woman named Ingrid Foster. He only approaches the woman at the market when one of her daughters runs straight into him. The girl reminds him so much of his little duckling, his sweet Emma.

Goodness, he is so homesick. He misses his love and his little girl. She is blonde too like his princess but a little more platinum than golden, with blue eyes. He hears a woman say the young girl's name, Elsa.

Elsa is chasing her younger sister Anna. Anna is a little bundle of strawberry red hair and blue eyes with an energy that never seems to end. Young Anna can talk for what seems like hours without taking a breath.

Ingrid apologizes profusely for the two young girls, but David just smiles softly. He then finds out that the lovely young girls are actually her nieces. That reminds him of Milah. He regrets not spending more time getting to know her better before leaving Misthaven.

Ingrid and David bond over tales of family and lost loved ones. He mentions the loss of his brother, and she talks about her sister and brother-in-law's passing.

Ingrid had never found love herself but gladly accepted the responsibility of care provider to both girls when their parents had perished. That is how she became Anna and Elsa Frost's appointed guardian. She has been raising the girls alone for the last two years. Anna is 9 years old and Elsa is a year older, like his Emma.

His longing for his family isn't as bad when he is around the young girls. His Emma would love Elsa and Anna. Someday he will be able to introduce them in person. In his letters, he tells her stories of both young girls and their antics.

Ingrid introduces him to some amazing connections and not long after his arrival, he has started a small trading business. David never knew he had such a knack for this type of business.

He imports anything from silver and silk to spices. Exporting goods include honey, wheat, wool, and various types of furs.

He is truly happy with the success of the small business. Sadly though, the business is growing and prospering a little too slow for his taste. He wants to go home. He sends letters and money to Snow with Archie Hopper's help. He lives very modestly and has no need for any luxury. No sacrifice will ever be too considerable if it meant his little girl's happy ending.

Arendelle Present

David Nolan has slowly amassed enough money to live comfortably. Would that be enough? He knows Emma and Snow have never desired riches.

Milah, on the other hand, has taken to the privileged lifestyle quite well. She enjoys luxury and craves more. Whatever he sends, it's never enough. That thought breaks his heart.

Throughout the years, each time he had sent money to Snow he would ask Archie if it had been enough for their needs. Archie would simply say, "Snow and the girls are fine." Then in the space of seconds, he would always add some sort of remark about Milah wanting to go on a trip or a new wardrobe. His niece's thirst for riches was unquenchable, and Snow always gave in, the money was eventually spent on something for Milah.

Sometimes it was for trips and others for jewelry or whatever she must have. Archie keeps telling David that even his guidance is not enough to deter Snow from granting Milah all she desires. Snow and Emma are extremely sensible when it comes to their expenses. However, the guilt Snow feels because of Milah's lack of a happy childhood leads her to just about squander the little bit of extra money he was able to provide them with.

His friendship with Ingrid has endured through the years. He happily takes the role of Uncle to both girls.

Anna has found love at the young age of seventeen, his name is Kristoff and he genuinely adores Anna. He seems a little eccentric but it's clear that he is an honorable young man. Soon they will marry. That is the kind of relationship David so desperately wants for Emma.

David and Kristoff bond soon after their introduction and David even offers Kristoff a job at Nolan Importing & Exporting.

The threat of the business becoming a target for pirates indicates the success he has accomplished. There have been rumors of a pirate captain from Misthaven making a move towards David's company.

That is how David crosses paths with a dashing Navy Captain by the name of Liam Long. Liam has an impressive reputation at a young age. He has been successful in his counter attacks towards all acts of piracy so far. David befriends the young man and introduces him to his adoptive family.

The young Captain takes to Elsa quite rapidly. Elsa, on the other hand, is a little more closed off, but it's obvious the attraction is not one-sided. Elsa and Liam start by being friends and are slowly moving towards more.

Soon enough, all these lives, near and far, will be intertwined.

~~~~~

KPOV:

In a dark corner of the local Arendelle tavern, Killian is deep in conversation with some of his associates. His eagerness to conclude the transaction has blinded him to see the officers arrive. To be honest he had stopped paying attention to any sort of officials long ago. He was so used to the corrupt Misthaven legal system that would gladly look away in exchange for a small contribution.

He's finally wrapping up the once in a lifetime endeavor and soon will be able to return to his love. Suddenly chaos broke loose, and it becomes apparent that Killian Jones has become overconfident in his excitement to get back to Misthaven. There is an eruption of swords clashing, chairs breaking, and even some cloth ripping. The yelps of the injured are heard throughout the room as swords pierce skin.

The aftermath is bloody and devastating. There are losses on all sides. The dead pirates, civilians, and military are scattered on the floor. In death, nothing differentiates the men.

This is how Killian Jones finds himself rotting away inside the Arendelle prison. He was so close to returning to his love. He no longer feels the need to pillage and plunder. The infamous scoundrel had finally given his heart away.

He had found an odd familiarity to the arresting officer, and had asked one of the guards for the officer's name. The answer was a simple Captain Liam Long. He had felt a connection to the man and for some reason, he had thought of his mother.

He had been so young when his mother died, and the memories, although faint, had stayed with him. To satisfy his need for the connection and trying to never lose her completely, a total stranger had made him pause and now he was rotting away.

He should have killed the Captain when the opportunity had presented. His death would have easily guaranteed the escape of what was left of his crew on his beloved ship and he would now be back in Misthaven.

Killian comes to the realization that love only makes you weak. He had fallen in love, and now he is in a prison far away from where his heart longs to be. Weakness or not, he will find his way home, to Milah.

~~~Liam's POV:

Captain Liam Long was the pride of the Arendelle Navy. He had come from a modest upbringing. He was sent away for his best chance by his parents. He had been almost six years old when he had arrived at his Aunt Annie's house.

She had always talked so fondly of his father, John. She barely mentioned his mother. Every time he would ask if he could send a letter home she would simply say, "Sorry Liam, but your mother is very ill and she will not be able to respond."

Then not so long after his arrival, his aunt told him his mother had died. That is something a child doesn't forget, no matter how young. His father would send letters for years until he also succumbed to death.

Liam had grown up to be an exceptional young man. He was seventeen years old when he joined the Arendelle Navy. Pure dedication drove him to rise in the ranks and became Captain at 28 years old.

Now Liam and his men find themselves walking into a seedy tavern on a tip. Quickly surveying the scene and coming to the conclusion there is, in fact, a big deal closing gives them the reasonable cause they need. Liam acts fast and gives his orders, detain everyone, dead or alive.

Soon he comes face to face with a man that he feels an instant camaraderie with, it makes no sense to him. The man is a pirate; he stands for everything that is bad form. The battle is quick, and Liam gets the upper hand, he captures the notorious Captain Killian Jones.

When Liam visits his Aunt, he tells her of his latest capture. The look on her face when she hears the name Killian Jones gives Liam pause. "Why did the mere mention of that name make you white as a fresh sail? Who is he?" He asks over and over to no answer.

Finally, she gets up and reaches in the cupboard in her small kitchen. She pulls out an old letter and hands it to him. Liam takes a breath when he recognizes the handwriting, his father's.

He slowly starts reading it, and the name Killian Jones takes a new meaning for him. He has a brother. Now he remembers his mother's maiden name, Jones.

"Why are you giving me this letter now? Growing up you never once mentioned Killian to me, ever. Father didn't either in any of his letters until this his last letter. I could have gone to Misthaven to look for him! He grew up to become a pirate. He had no one!"

"I only followed my brother's instructions. He wanted you to forget about Killian. You were young enough that the memory would eventually fade," Annie sobs.

"Yet, somehow I find myself holding a letter that was meant for me to have read after his death. The telling of a sordid tale. He is still my brother and you kept it from me, why? Oh yes, I read that too. My mother made a mistake and Killian was born from it. For someone that has always told me how important doing the right thing is and to be kind to the less fortunate, you sure did not follow your own teachings."

Annie simply answered, "My brother, while on his deathbed, grew a conscience. What are you going to do?"

Liam smiled and answered, "Be an older brother and release him. My record is impeccable; I will get away with a slap on the wrist." Liam leaves his Aunt's house and heads to the prison while still holding the letter. Once he arrives, he tells the guards he needs a word with the prisoner.

Liam is guided to the well-known cells, and when he finally reaches Killian's, for the first time since they had been separated, he looks into the eyes of his younger brother.

Liam asks the guard for a bit of privacy.

"Captain Jones, I remember hearing you mention to your associates there was a very specific reason for your urgent return to Misthaven. What was that reason?"

Killian looks at the Captain who captured him, and for some reason, he knows this man will appreciate a story of love.

"I was heading back to my betrothed. I am to marry once I return. I will be leaving this life to become an honorable man." Killian answers honestly as he has nothing left to lose.

"I will personally escort you to your ship so you can make the trip. Better late than never. Before I let you go I would like for you to read this letter."

Killian looks at Liam suspiciously before agreeing. Taking the letter to the most lit section of the cell he begins reading.

Killian cannot believe what he's reading. He has a brother, and finally knows the reason why his father, no, his stepfather hated him, though the identity of his real father is not revealed in the letter.

Not long after the cell door is opened, he is quickly engulfed in a hug from his brother. He returns the hug awkwardly.

Liam explains to the guard how everything was a setup and that Killian, in reality, was the victim of foul play. It doesn't take a long time for the guard to finally agree to let Liam leave the prison with Killian in tow. His excellent military record is the reason why his explanation is not doubted.

Once back on the deck of his ship, Killian thanks his brother Liam and sets sail. Soon he will be with his love.

Tagging:

@hookedonapirate @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @seriouslyhooked @profdanglaisstuff @let-it-raines @revanmeetra87 @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @kymbersmith-90 @branlovestowrite @thejollyroger-writer @shireness-says @ilovemesomekillianjones  @thisonesatellite @thesschesthair @winterbythesea @stahlop @resident-of-storybrooke  @superchocovian  @lfh1226-linda @artistic-writer @thislassishooked @shardminds @winterbaby89 @xhookswenchx @ultraluckycatnd @gingerchangeling @laschatzi @wellhellotragic @xemmaloveskillianx @courtorderedcake @pirateherokillian @optomisticgirl @darkcolinodonorgasm @sherlockianwhovian​ @andiirivera​ @djlbg​ @nikkiemms​ @jennjenn615​ @scientificapricot​ @officerrogers​

#Captain Swan #cs ff #CS Crew #CS Mafia #teamhook SavageHeart

[aparecium-hq]

Welcome to Aparecium, Ro! You have been accepted for Scorpius Malfoy. We are thrilled to have, as you put it, a massive anti-hero, morally-grey character nerd among us! Your Scorpius has a lot of fun potential, and we can’t wait to see what you do with him. Check out the new member checklist, and jump right in.

Character Basics

Birthday (Age): 21 Gender (Pronouns): Male (He/Him) Sexuality: Currently still exploring and unsure. He knows he’s interested in men, but isn’t sure if it’s an exclusive thing and doesn’t feel confident enough for labels just yet. Blood Status: Pureblood Hogwarts House/School: Ravenclaw Occupation: Healer (4th Year Apprenticeship) Faceclaim: Maxence Danet-Fauvel

Any requested changes? Not super explicitly a change exactly but, from the resources I’ve found, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of information on training involved in becoming a Healer. Wiki suggests that it’s all based on academics from regular school years, but I find this a little far fetched. I imagine there’d be some sort of training system in place at the hospital, not that different from the muggle world, so I’ve sort of assumed  a couple of years of what we would call ‘residency’ but I’m calling 'apprenticeship’ because that’s the old school guild way and feels wix-world appropriate? Anyway, let me know if there are any issues with this or if you want to discuss it further! Also, please note that any headcanons I form in the rest of my application regarding existing, playable characters, I can definitely tweak if the personality portrayal goes against future applicants! I make a few references to Albus, for example, that is sort of based on his personality in Cursed Child, as well as what I read in his bio. But if anything conflicts with how he is portrayed by who eventually plays him, I will obviously take that into account and accommodate.

Biography:

Having inadvertently become the best friend of Albus Potter, he never really had the opportunity to complain about the challenges of growing up the son of Draco Malfoy. Because obviously, growing up the son of Harry Potter (and then sorted into Slytherin, no less—cue gasps of shock and appall) was obviously a lot more immediately arduous. And Scorpius is and has always been an empathetic person. Some people (sometimes even his father, when he got cranky) had coined that particular trait as being a bit of a push over, but Scorpius liked that he put the needs and considerations of others before his own.

So he had no regrets about how he more often than not, kept those particular thoughts to himself. But it did get frustrating sometimes, especially as a kid. Because it would seem that no matter how many years of post-war peace go by, they can never fully escape the discrimination (or, as his father likes to sarcastically call it, the 'hurt feelings’).

And it’s not at all that he didn’t have a good childhood. In a lot of ways, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Certainly, there were some… complications. A few particularly difficult years, being that he was a child of divorce, and had to adjust to bouncing back and forth between two separate households at a young age. But overall, he knows he’s one of the lucky ones. He has always felt loved, protected and supported. And though his parents were barely on speaking terms for the better part of the first few years after their divorce, they did their best not to involve Scorpius in their issues of discontent.

Despite all of that, he has always been a lot closer with his father, than his mother. Astoria is good to him and loving, but she was (somewhat surprisingly) less supportive of Scorpius’ straying from tradition when it came to being sorted into Ravenclaw, and his relationships with the Potter-Weasley clan. Draco, despite his persnickety temperament, had been Scorpius’ influence of patience, ambition and most importantly, tolerance. From the conversations they’ve had over the years, Scorpius is beginning to understand that his father still holds a lot of resentment for the expectations that were forced upon him as the only Malfoy heir of his generation, especially with things that went on during the war. To this day, however, it’s a bit like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle because Draco often refuses to discuss the war.

When it comes to politics, Scorpius is by no means opposed to muggleborn equality—obviously—and he can even hypothetically be supportive of the introduction of muggle technology. But he was raised by parents who were absolutely against the absurd idea of abolishing the Statue of Secrecy, and Scorpius has to admit he agrees with them. Even his father, who is generally a lot more empathetic to muggle and muggleborn related politics than Astoria, firmly believes dissolving the Statue of Secrecy would only lead to another war, perhaps even uglier than the last.

A typical Ravenclaw, Scorpius very much enjoyed school, and now that he’s out in the 'real world’, even though he's  had a few years to adjust, he still sometimes feels a little lost in it. He misses the reliable comfort of being a student, of having constant mentors and structure available to him, and the leniency of not having to make and stick to decisions regarding his future. He followed in his fathers footsteps and pursued Healing, which he has to admit feels relatively right, but still, he’s never been as good under fire as his father, nor as unflappably resilient and ambitious. He wants to be good, and he wants to make a difference and make his parents proud—but there are times he really struggles not to crumple under the pressure of it all.

And then there was Rose. Merlin, he has so many regrets about how things went with Rose—his other best friend. He’d known they should probably never have dated. He’d known, and even Albus had tried to warn him, but at the time Scorpius had just dismissed Albus’ concerns as his “annoying cynicism” talking. And to be fair, Albus really could be quite cynical sometimes.

But as it turns out, he was right. He was really, really right, because the (astoundingly brief) relationship had been a total bust, and even though he and Rose had agreed in advance not to let the attempt at romance come between their friendship should it not work out, Scorpius made that promise a difficult one to keep when he cheated on her with a young man in his apprenticeship program at St. Mungo’s, and she found out. He knows it’s his fault, he does—but he misses her intensely and he wants to find a way to win back her trust and respect.

Plus, it’d be great if he could finally get Albus to stop with the 'I told you so’ tirade.

Character Questionnaire

What does your character value in a friendship? Scorpius’ friends mean everything to him. Though he can be something of an introvert (strong Ravenclaw vibes), he is prone to getting lonely without the company of those few people dearest to him. The ones who know him best and with whom he can share anything. He finds he’s frequently looking to his friends for advice, or their perspective on something he’s feeling particularly indecisive or uncertain about, so he definitely values honesty in that regard, and someone he feels safe being open with about his fears. He also values patience, and inquisitiveness, and he has a harder time with people who are hot-tempered or quick to anger. Which… did make his relationship with Albus a complicated one, especially at first, but by the same token, he also really admires people who are passionate and decisive—perhaps because it embodies traits he wishes he could see more of in himself.

How would your character describe their own work ethic? Is that an accurate measure of themself?

If there is one thing Scorpius inherited above all else from his father, it’s his work ethic. Draco taught him to be a resilient, diligent student, and a reliable, focused worker. He taught him to take pride in his work, and to never settle for anythnig less than the best. This did generate some issues with Scorpius’ tendency towards being an obsessive perfectionist, which doesn’t actually bode particularly well for his softer sensibilities and his capricious sense of confidence, but otherwise he considers his work ethic one of his stronger attributes.

How would a stranger who has just met your character describe them?

Probably sweet, warm, and a little shy. Scorpius generally gives off a good first impression because he is well mannered, friendly, and easy going. He much prefers making friends to enemies—but his first impression is usually limited to just that one dimension. Only those who know him better are exposed to his more anxious, self-conscious side, and his friends know he has a bright, almost sarcastic sense of humour that he undoubtedly got from his father. Often, new friends are taken a little by surprise by it.

Para Sample

He knew for a fact that his hair was standing every which way by the time Albus got home, thanks to his some-call-it-habit, others-call-it-tic, of tugging his fingers through it when he was bored. Or nervous. Or tired. Or hungry. And he also knew for a fact that there was a spot on his jumper from the bit of tea he’d spilled on it when he’d gotten home, and that his father would be less than impressed at his state of dress. But though there were a lot of things Scorpius got from his father, one apple that had fallen actually quite far from the tree, had been Draco’s sophisticated propensity.

Scorpius much preferred jumpers that were cozy and a bit too big, shoes that were comfortably worn-in, and rolling out of bed and more or less letting his hair do what it would, without too much fussing about. Sorry, Da.

And tonight, it was admittedly his boredom at fault for the bird’s nest state of his hair, perhaps helped by an undercurrent of anxiety that was pretty common now that Scorpius was getting on into his apprenticeship—and that had undoubtedly gotten worse since his falling out with Rose. And really, he tried not to talk about that whole debacle too much with Albus, because it seemed to make him a little uncomfortable, but Scorpius was prone to over-thinking (read: obsessing) and so it was a subject that was almost constantly simmering at the back of his mind.

Nonetheless, the sound of the door clicking open brought with it an intense wave of relief and excitement for Scorpius, because Albus was home, which meant someone to talk to, someone to distract him from thinking about work (because his father always told him to leave work at the door when he left, if he wanted to have any semblance of a life outside it), and perhaps someone to play a round of Wizard’s Chess with him. Though that usually took a fair amount of convincing, with Albus.

#apareciumacceptance #rp #rpg #hp rp #scorpius malfoy

[girlinthepictureframe]

The Briefest Kiss Part 15

Early April 2019

“Miles!” Suki made her way through the busy club and smiled when she reached him. “Oh, it’s been too long, isn’t it?” She pecked his cheek, then pinched it playfully. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” said Miles, scooting to the side of the large velvet sofa in the back of the VIP area of the club, away from prying eyes and cameras, to make room for her. “How are you? I’ve heard you’re constantly jetting back and forth these days! Life is good, then?”

“Life is amazing,” she smiled. “Are you single at the moment?” The smile made way for a sneaky grin. “I gotta ask ‘cause I’m here with this friend of mine and she’s very into The Beatles. Also, she looks a bit like me, so she’s totally your type!”

He laughed. “Appreciate that, but…it’s the wrong time for that.”

She sat closer to him. “Why? Are you seeing anybody? Do I know her?”

“There's not…exactly...” He chuckled at himself. Explaining it felt rather ridiculous. “A long story. I don’t want to bore you with that.”

“Bore me good,” smirked Suki, put her purse on the floor, crossed her legs and grabbed the drink from his hand. “Bore me real good, darling!”

He loved that there was no lingering awkwardness between them. For as long as they had dated, years ago, things had been good. And when things had stopped being good, they had parted as genuine friends. Which mattered a lot to him, for he had always admired and appreciated her view of the world and her fearless approach to life.

She gave him a pointed look. “Start talking. I want to know.”

“There’s a somebody, alright. And I’m in love.”

“So you do have a somebody! Who is it?”

“It’s a somebody that’s not mine. He doesn’t feel the same.”

“How dare he?” she asked, offended on his behalf. “Do I know him?” He swallowed and she smiled. “Oh, I know him! Who is it? A model? A musician? An actor?”

“You’re not surprised that it’s a guy?”

“No? Why should I be? It’s 2019, Miles. Love whomever. But nice way of changing the topic. Come on, who is it?”

The waiter stopped by and he grabbed another drink from the tray when she leaned in and whispered, “is it Alex?”

Miles almost dropped the glass.

Suki giggled. “Damn, I’m good.” She pulled out her phone and started texting. A moment later, the phone vibrated. She giggled louder.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Telling Alexa that she owes me money!”

“What? Why?” He was lost. Completely.

“We made a bet years ago! I said you would fall first and she said he would fall first. You did fall first, right?” She eyed him skeptically. “I got my eyes on a nice pair of very expensive suede boots. Be honest here!”

“Told you,” assured Miles. “He’s not into me.”

“How would you know, though?”



“I just do!” he said.

She gnawed on her bottom lip. Unconvinced. “You’re a guy. Guys and love. That’s a whole other thing. Let me demonstrate.” She turned towards him, cupped his face and looked deeply into his eyes. “I love you.” Then she pressed a quick kiss on his lips.

Miles leaned back a bit, suddenly uncomfortable. “Um…”

She burst out laughing. “See?”


He shook his head. No, he was too stunned, too confused, to see.

“You’re a guy. You hear something, you believe it. The bunch of like your lives simple like that. But feelings are complicated.” She linked her arm with his and tipped their glasses together. “I’ve met Alex. I’ve seen you with him. The two of you…you’re two halves of a whole. Everyone always says so.”

“Alex and I…there’s a certain kind of attraction,” allowed Miles. “I won’t deny that. And something might have happened, but,” he added quickly, seeing her wide eyes, “I won’t spill anymore details! However, he and I are friends.”

“That’s not a reason not to be with somebody when you love him.” She winked at him. “You are I were friends.”

She was cornering him and he didn’t like that. “But—”

“No but. Think about it, Miles. Whatever it is that you and he have done, would you have done it with a stranger? Would it have felt the same?”

“No,” he admitted, “but I don’t deny that I’m in love with him.”

“Do you think he would have done it with a stranger? Would he have done, whatever he has done, without a certain kind of feeling for you?”

Would he? Miles was struck. It hadn’t been a simple kind of fuck. He’d had those in his life. He knew those felt different. The kind of thing he had experienced with Alex was different. It was haunting. It still lingered on his body, like a scent one couldn't shrug. It was one of the reasons it left him longing for more of it. It had been the kind of thing that showed you that life had something else, something more to offer – something you never even knew existed.

“You should tell him.”

“That I’m in love with him? I can’t, Suki. How selfish would that be? I unburden my heart and place all that weight on his? Besides,” confessed Miles. “Even if he shared those feelings, it wouldn't change anything. We would never work out. I mean, you’re the one who told me I’m not made for the forever-kind-of-love.”

She rolled his eyes. “We had just broken up, Miles. I was hurt. I said something I shouldn’t have said. I also said that you had the worst style ever and then I went and stole half of your closet! So what if you try and fail?”

“If we fail, I’ll lose him,” said Miles.

Suki shook her head. “I wish you weren't this pessimistic. We need another drink. Let’s party that gloominess out of you!”

Present Day

May 2019

Miles checked his phone. Again. When he had told Alex not to call him, he hadn’t really foreseen that he’d take that literally. Radio silence, week three. He tossed the pencil across the room, sighed heavily and leaned back on the cold floor of his London apartment. Surrounded by his acoustic, two electrics, an amp, a notepad and a withering biology book, Miles felt cornered. Every item in his vicinity was telling him to express his feelings, to write it down, to sing it out or to just let go, but the words refused to come to him today. They had abandoned him, along with his good mood, his interest in being sociable and every other reason to leave the apartment and enjoy life.

Instead, here he was, on the floor of a dimly lit room that was filled with memories of a life that used to be his and which he might never regain. Okay, fine. Maybe he was a bit dramatic. Melodramatic, even. But he was lovesick! He had a right to be pathetic and miserable! He checked the phone again.

Still nothing! “Argh!”

Miles sat up, grabbed the notepad and tried anew. Going through the scribbled remains of what once had been good ideas but now felt like mere nonsense, he tried to spot the bits that were worth holding onto. A few words here and there, maybe even half a stanza. Where was the damn pencil? He stretched, reached it and flipped through the notepad for an empty page, only to roll his eyes hard.

It was an old notepad he’d taken from Alex weeks ago, after having had to wait around for him in his childhood room. Only Alex had a habit of randomly choosing pages to write down on. A normal person would start at the beginning, then work his way through it page by page. Not Alex. And now Miles had to flip through page after page on the hunt for a blank one. He could take one of his one pads, but that would require getting off the floor, walking towards the shelf, pulling one out…all in all, it was just too much work.

Flip. Flip. Flip. Perfect! Blank pa—

Miles flipped back to the one before that.

His pulse began to drum. His heart-rate sped up.

“Dear Miles…”

The letter that Alex had mentioned back on New Year’s Eve. Here it was. In his hands. Available. He quickly shut the notepad and shoved it away from him. He stared at it from a distance as it laid on the floor, taunting him. Answers. In his reach. Right there, in front of him. But should he read the letter? Wasn’t it a bit like reading a trusted friend’s diary? Alex had told him that some of the letters were too raw, too honest. To read them without Alex’s consent would be awful, wouldn’t it?

Miles’ foot began to wiggle fast. He was fighting the urge to grab the notepad. What would Alex do? Would he read it, if roles were reversed? No. Or? The wiggling got stronger. Both feet were restless. He jumped up, began walk up and down the living room. Should he call Alex? Should he ask for permission? Alex wouldn’t give it to him, else he would have sent him the letter!

But he had mentioned the letters to him, which could mean that, maybe, subconsciously, he did want him to know what was inside. Right? “Oooh,” he whined, frustrated with this conundrum. He came to a stop in front of the item in question, tapped it with the tip of his foot. It looked so innocent and harmless. But it wasn’t. It was a ticking time bomb! A trap! It was the apple that would get him kicked out out of paradise.

“I’m going to hell for this!” Miles dropped to his knees, flipped to the page and began reading.

“Dear Miles,


Speaking my mind, as becomes clearer to me day by day, is, for now, entirely unmanageable. As I have told you last fall, I could fill a series of albums with the amount of truths I’d like to share with you. But it’s not the notion of being honest that makes me avoid doing so, it’s the part that follows. I quite fear for your reaction. We’ve always been brutally honest with each other and there’s never been a moment in which I’ve regretted it. Until now, though, there has never been a truth as big as the one which is currently burdening my shoulders. I’m in love with you. And not just a little bit. Imagine that. I want to be your friend, but in your presence my heart’s desires overpower my mind’s demands. I want you to trust me with your friendship, but how can I ask that of you when I don’t trust my own self to keep a platonic distance towards you? I miss our nearness, our comfortable proximity, I miss the warmth I received in your arms when you held me as your friend, but how do I return into your friendly embrace when the longing for a different heat makes me seek out your arms in an utterly carnal manner? These are the questions I need to find answers to before I can figure out how to make amends for the mess I’ve created. I hope that yo—”

“He’s in love with me,” whispered Miles in utter disbelief. “How is that possible?” He couldn’t form a clear thought. Instead, all they had ever done, every moment they had ever shared from the very second they had met flooded his head all at once. Images of them holding each other close. Recollections of conversations they had shared – deeply personal ones, of topics he’d never discus with anyone else. Flashbacks of their time on stage together, lost in each other, while surrounded by hundreds and thousands.

Miles got up, went to grab his coat, a large paper bag with a backpack in it, his keys and then headed down to get a cab. It was too big of a statement, too massive a thing, to just read and believe. He needed to hear it from Alex. He needed to see Alex and hear him say it or else he wouldn’t believe it. This wasn’t the kind of thing one just accepted. This was something else, something bigger.

Only, when he finally reached Alex’s place, damn fucker didn’t open the door! Miles grumbled a rotten curse under his breath. “Alex, it’s me. Open up!”

“He isn’t here, Miles.”

Miles turned to find Alex’s neighbor standing in the doorway, an amused grin on her face. The woman was in her early eighties and at times mistook him for an old acquaintance of hers. “Where is he, Mrs. Finch?”

“Can’t tell you. Left with one of those really big suitcases last week. Haven’t seen him since.”

Facing away from the door, Miles leaned back against it. Exhausted. Angry. Restless. Impatient. Full of energy but completely drained all at once. Alex could be anywhere in the world right now. Could be in France, with Louise. Could be in bed with her right now. The very thought brought on a wave of nausea and he quickly pushed it away. He dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Alex’s number, only to be told by a computer-generated voice that the person he was trying to call was temporarily unavailable. He bit his tongue from cursing again. He tried messaging him, but his phone let him know that his message couldn’t be delivered. “Fuck, Al. Where are you?”

He considered calling Alex’s parents but the fact that Al had his phone off and couldn’t be reached would needlessly worry them and that he didn’t want to do. He could call Louise, but what if Alex was indeed with her? He couldn’t bear the idea, least of all the confirmation of that. Miles took the big paper bag. “Mrs. Finch, may I ask a favor of you? Would you be so kind to give this to Alex once he returns? If I get a hold of him before you do, I’ll return and collect it.”

“Of course.” She sneaked a glance into the paper bag. “Is this his backpack?”

Well, thought Miles, hopefully it would become his. He nodded at her and smiled. “See you soon, Mrs. Finch. Thank you very much.”

---

“Open the fucking door, you double-standard-applying, never-doing-what-you-want-me-to-do, generous, sweet-talking-old-ladies bastard!”

Miles, who had just fallen asleep on the couch and was torn wether he may or may not be dreaming at the moment, all but stumbled towards the door and pulled it open and said the first thing that came to his hazy mind. “You really need to learn how to curse right.”

Alex stormed past him, roughly shoving the backpack into Miles’ arms. “I just came back from very long, very exhausting, extremely delayed flight from Los Angeles only to find my neighbor all but attack me in my hallway as I’m opening my door. She was telling me a really strange story about some tall guy in a brown coat who had dropped by earlier and was quite disturbed by the fact that I wasn’t at home because, apparently, you desperately wanted to return a backpack to me!”

Miles was still wiping the sleep from his eyes, only slowly realizing that Alex Turner, his Alex, the one who was supposedly more than a little in love with him, was actually standing in his apartment right now and he was wearing a leather jacket. The latter part Miles found a bit rude. It was just as rude that somebody who had spent so many supposedly awful hours on a plane was looking so fucking ravishing this late into the night! He became aware of the backpack in his arms and held it out to Alex. “Merry Christmas.”

Alex shot him a fierce, frightening glare. “Do you have any idea how tempted I am to punch you right now?”

When Alex didn’t take the backpack, Miles dropped it on the floor. “Very?”

“Don’t push it,” warned Alex, his voice rising. “You told me to leave you alone! You left that hotel room! And I get that I fucked up, okay? But you didn’t speak a word to me for weeks and out of bloody nowhere you drop by and leave that for me?”

“You weren’t home. I wanted you to have it,” said Miles.

“Now? Why today? Without any explanation?” Alex met Miles’ eyes, then frowned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Miles looked away. Oh God, had he drooled? “Like what?”

“Like I’m a ghost or something.”

A flash of relief overcame him. “I’m not sure I’m really awake at the moment.” Miles walked back to the couch and sat down on the edge of it. Alex was here. Was Alex in love with him? How did one ask a question like that? Was it a yes or no question? Did it require eloquence? And where did he put that aspirin? “I could be dreaming right now.”

“You’re not,” assured Alex, unamused. “I’m more than happy to pinch you as proof!”

“Could you?”

“Miles! You’re not dreaming! Why would even think that? What’s so bloody good about this moment that you would want to dream about it? I’m not here to thank you for your gift! I’m pissed off right now and you know why!” He walked into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of water. Once he drank some, he placed it away, got rid of his jacket and sat down on a chair.

Miles was confused about it all. “You’re getting comfortable?” Did he intend to stay? Would this be a longer visit? “Are you staying?”

Alex scoffed. “Yes! I’m not done yelling at you! But it was long day and I’m tired. And jet-lagged. And hungry. Got anything good in your fridge or just the green stuff?”

Miles pinched his own arm. “Ow!”

“Bloody hell, Kane! What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you tripping on cold meds again? Is that a thing now?”

Shaking his head, Miles wondered if he’d ever snap out of his daze. It all felt so surreal. Alex Turner, who may or may not be in love with him, was in his apartment, irate at him for what Miles considered to be a very thoughtful gift, and he was also hungry. And even though Miles had a million questions he wanted to ask, all of which centered on the topic of ‘love’, the one thing he eventually did say was completely asinine. “I tried calling you today. Your phone was dead.”

“Well…” Alex seemed startled at the question, but then he looked at the floor, shrugging almost embarrassedly. “Threw it against the wall of that hotel room after you left. Decided to give up on phones altogether. They’re overrated anyway.”

“You…threw…” Miles started to laugh. The entire situation was simply too much. He was tired, confused, still shellshocked by Alex’s letter and now that he was actually sitting face to face with him, Miles was done for. It was either crying or laughing and laughing seemed the wiser, less awkward thing to do.

“You must be tripping right now,” concluded Alex, reached for the bottle of water on table next to him. And froze.

Miles noticed, saw what his friend’s eyes were focusing on and all laughter died.

“How did that get here?” Alex didn’t look at Miles. His eyes were firmly glued to the yellow notepad on the table. The visible page held Alex’s letter to Miles.

“I needed something to write when I visited you in Sheffield. I just grabbed one of your old ones from the shelf. I hadn’t noticed the letter until today.”

“You’ve read it, then.”

“Is it true, Al?” Miles couldn’t even read Alex’s feelings for he was so bloody somber and emotionless at the moment.

Alex stood up after a minute, began pacing the room. He was still avoiding Miles’ eyes.

“Tell me, is it true?!”

“You think I would joke about something like that?”

Alex’s disgust at the mere suggestion was visible. But Miles didn’t care. He needed to hear it from him. He needed to hear him say it and see him speak the words. To him, it was that big of a thing. “Say it, Alex. Just, please, fucking say it!” Miles was pleading.

“I wanted to say it when I came to that party,” Alex explained, staying as far away from Miles as the living room allowed it. “I wanted to tell you in the hotel. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about! I wanted to ask you how you felt about me, Miles. ‘Cause I needed to hear it from you! I had this idea that maybe you were— that maybe you felt something like that for me! But it’s so hard to say it loud. It’s so hard to ask when the answer can hurt so much!”

“What made you think that my answer would hurt you?” whispered Miles, feeling so close to everything and yet so far from it all.

Alex stopped and stared at the ceiling. “I saw the pictures of you and Suki and…”

Miles took a sharp breath. “That’s why you…”

“That’s why I asked about her and you. And that,” said Alex, swallowing hard, “is why I hadn’t broken up with Louise yet. I never loved her, Miles.” He sat back down, covering his face with his hands. “Taylor broke up with me because I’m an asshole. And she was right to do so. But when she did, she didn’t break my heart. She broke my head. She put this thought into my head that I was in love with you…”

Miles gasped when he heard the words rolling from Alex’s lips. He sat up straight, leaned forward, strained to hear every last letter Alex spoke.

“And it freaked me out,” admitted Alex quietly. “Not because it meant I was attracted to a man, but because I was attracted to you. To my best friend. To the one person I can’t do without. For a while, I denied it. I fought it. But it didn’t work, it got worse. Louise was my safety cushion. She stopped me from getting lost in my thoughts. And that day at the concert hall on the day we… I brought her along so I could hide behind her when you…when you were around. And when you weren’t there, she kept me from feeling lonely. I didn’t break up with her ‘cause I was afraid you weren’t in— you felt different about me.” Alex dropped his hands, looked at the floor and sighed. “Here’s the answer you’ve been waiting for since last fall: I walked out because I was afraid you’d wake up, look at me, and regret what we had done. I was afraid you’d be disgusted when…when all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed and do it all over again. If I had stayed, if I had seen just a flicker of remorse in your eyes, it would irreversibly broken my heart. And so I left.”

For a long while they just sat in silence. They had yet to make eye contact. Miles tried, but Alex put up a tough fight. After a very long, brutal pause, Alex spoke up again. “What does it matter if I do, Miles.” His voice sounded bitterly resigned. “Look at us. You and I, we’ve never had a functioning relationship in our lives. Imagine if we tried, together. I mean…we don’t even manage to meet up as friends! I just got back from Los Angeles and you’re leaving for France tomorrow. By the time I get to France, you’ll be in Italy, then Spain or Portugal? Somebody told me you’re headed to Russia this summer. And those are just the few I can name from the top of my head. I need to stay here, ‘cause I got meetings, then there’s a wedding in LA I promised to attend. My parents are asking for me to spend a bit of time with them this summer… I’m a mess in relationships. I get antsy and feel cornered easily. I’m selfish and restless. And it’s not just me. You told me how the idea of being stuck with somebody freaks you out. You love your freedom and I love mine. We would trap each other. We would ruin each other!”

Miles’ heart broke all over again. But it wasn’t the fact that Alex was telling him that the chances for a relationship between them to survive were slim to none, it was the realization that Alex had considered it and had come to the same conclusion that Miles had come to, himself. Alex shared his fears and worries, which made him see that he wasn’t crazy or overly worried. It made him see that he had valid fears and valid worries.

“I’m in love with you,” whispered Alex, at long last, looking directly into Miles’ eyes.

The words made him breathless. To hear them, to actually hear them? It was something he so often tried but never succeeded in imagining. No fantasy of it would have ever given justice to the real thing. And, suddenly, unexpectedly, it was so very easy to say them back. “I’m in love with you,” replied Miles.

“But I’m afraid,” continued Alex, “that, should I ever lose you, I won’t recover from that.”

“Neither would I,” Miles admitted. He gave Alex the world’s most helpless smile. “We’re destined for a life of misery, aren’t we?”

Alex chuckled, then became somber and serious again. He took in a shaky breath. “I’d rather have a little bit of you than nothing at all.” He got up, walked over to Miles and gave his cheek the gentlest of caresses. He closed his eyes, leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “My heart was yours long before I knew I could lose it. Know that.” Letting go, Alex grabbed his jacket, put it on and, looking at the backpack on the floor, he reminded Miles, “you know why I can’t take it, right?”

“Penguins.”

“Penguins,” nodded Alex.

As Alex made his way to the door, Miles got up, took a few large strides towards him, spun him around and kissed him hard. Alex didn’t push back or protest. He just held on to Miles and returned the kiss with as much desperation as possible. “I don’t regret our night,” stated Miles. Another kiss. “It’s the one thing in my life I will never regret.” One last kiss. He let his lips linger. Pulling away was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. But he did it anyway.

Alex opened the door. “Call me when you land in France.”

“You no longer have a phone.” What a silly conversation to have at this moment.

“Right.” Alex nodded. “I should get a new one,” he concluded and smiled a small smile. “I’ll call you.”

Miles wanted to touch him again, kiss him again, hold on to him and never let go, but he couldn’t. So he didn’t. “Night, Alex.”

“Night, Miles.” Then he was gone.

Miles closed the door, leaned back against it and slid down to the floor.

How had this happened? How could this day have been such a rollercoaster ride of emotions? He’d gone from melancholic to shocked to energetic to happy to breathlessly overjoyed to heartbroken all within the span of a few hours.

His head rolled back against the wooden door and came to a rest with a thud. How powerful this love of theirs was, for two grown-up people to be so thoroughly afraid of it.

Half an hour later, Miles had recovered enough to gather the backpack from the floor, place it back in the closet of his bedroom, grab his suitcase and start packing. France would do him good right now. It would distract him and keep his mind from drifting back to one he longed for.  

Once all the clothes, shoes and necessities were stuffed, he grabbed his laptop and prepared a playlist for the travel. Any other day, he’d have begun with the Beatles classics. But not today. All You Need Is Love was sitting there, on the screen, paused, and it made him snort.

What a lie.

What a huge, fucking, disgusting lie.

Spoilers Part 16:

“You’re still in bed? What are you wearing?”

Miles laughed hard. “Dirty, Alex. Real dirty!”

#the briefest kiss #milex #milex fanfic #milex fanfiction #fan fiction #fan fic #miles kane alex turner

[thebestplltheories]

PLL The Perfectionists - Season 1 Finale (and Season 1) Review

Here we go friends, season 1 of the spinoff is over and I have a lot to say. In this post I’m gonna review the finale but also season 1 in general.

Dare I say it, I think season 1 as a whole was flawless. Sure, some episodes were better than others, but no episode was down-right horrible, boring and without a purpose. All 10 episodes were great as the plot was constantly progressing. We started off with totally innocent characters, doing their best to be perfect in a high-pressure and competitive school. A person who loosely connects them is murdered and as the investigation unravels, the innocent people get pulled together by forces outside of their control. Consequently, they become best friends. Caitlin’s mother put it really well in episode 9: Caitlin got hit by a car, was dating someone who got murdered, is friends with a fugitive’s daughter and is hiding a bag of money. How did all this non-sense happen to someone who was so innocent and perfect 9 episodes ago? That’s what I love. That’s what’s entertaining for me. As Claire said, they’re trying to dig themselves out of a hole but they keep falling and the hole is getting deeper and darker. This whole plot about being almost strangers and then best friends is a plot that could have very easily been squished into the pilot, and at the time, that’s what I wanted. But now looking back, I really appreciate that they stretched this across 10 episodes. It feels organic that this friendship didn’t just happen the day after Nolan died. It happened after 10 episodes of chaos and that’s not forced. It’s realistic. So overall season 1 achieved everything a season 1 should achieve: it brought the characters together slowly over time and reinforced that bad things are going to happen to these previously perfect people.

Casting is spectacular. I’m absolutely sucked into the worlds of Caitlin, Dylan and Ava and whilst the addictive story is definitely contributing to these feelings, I need to give a shoutout to Sydney, Eli and Sofia. They’ve achieved the one thing PLL did that no other show has done for me since PLL ended: they created extremely loveable and addictive characters. Sure, I watch heaps of other shows, but there’s just something about the core cast on a PLL show that is different. 

Some quick reactions from the finale:

This whole time we were wondering what they will call this new enemy, yet it was right in front of us this whole time in the episode title! Not only was “The Professor” right in front of us, but the title literally says ‘enter’. You know... say hello to the new A. That’s essentially what the title of the episode says. Now I feel dumb for not guessing that. More thoughts on The Professor later.

"Jealous much?” was a shocker! I love Mona’s confidence. Even when Claire says “that’s not how this works”, she insists, and gets what she wants.

I’m so glad Mona is here in this show. I love the new characters and I would be watching even without Ali and Mona, but Mona just fits in so well. Like PLL, this seems to be another game, and Mona is falling back into old habits. She not only wants to win, but she wants to know who is smart enough to create such a game, and why and how such a game is created. “Dying before I find out who you are bitch!” Loved that!

Mona’s red coat... her dolls in her apartment... I appreciate that!

Blowing up the RV was unnecessary. I think they did that just to put an action shot in the promo, to attract viewers. That’s not a complaint, just an observation. 

PLL always succeeds at making the town feel like its own character. Rosewood was a town that kept attracting misery and murder, like a person. And now we have Beacon Heights; a town that demands perfection so much that you get kicked out when you fail to be perfect. 

I think the storyline with Dylan and Luke was not necessary for this finale. It’s a fantastic story that should be told, just not in a finale. I wouldn’t say it’s a filler story, but it’s definitely not central to this professor story.

As someone studying psychology, and is in their final undergraduate year, I don’t think it’ll help as much as Alison thinks it will (in terms of working out who the Professor is). She can study psychology all she wants but that doesn’t really give insight into a person’s twisted game. Anyway.

I kinda ship Mona and Mason! You could see it on Mona’s face that it was hard for her to lie to Mason like that. I guess she’s extra motivated to solve this game now so that she can go back to Mason.

Add “your lips are moving but I have no idea what you’re talking about” to Ava’s list of iconic one-liners! Everyone loves insulting Booker and I live for it. Mona’s “yes you need a makeover” comes to mind too!

I hope Booker doesn’t go away. She lost this mini game but she’s a great villain.

I hope that’s the end of the story of Ava’s father. I’m just not compelled by this one story, sorry. All I really care about is that Ava stays at BHU (because she has the money to pay). I don’t really care about her relationship with her father. Maybe this is due to the casting of the father? I don’t know, but I’m not drawn into this story like the others and I can’t pinpoint why. 

What a full circle moment, playing Poker Face in the final scene like they opened with Poker Face in the pilot! It’s a small detail but it just makes the show feel cohesive. Like a distinct beginning and end. Can’t explain it.

So season 1 is over and they STILL have not tapped into that amazing storyline they started in the pilot... “it’s exactly like you imagined it”. Surely the Professor will bring this up during the social experiment.

Beacon Guard is going to start to get annoying. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this element that someone is always watching and listening, and that someone hijacked this system. But if they really need to find a safe spot every time they want to talk... surely the season 2 finale will be them destroying Beacon Guard!

The Professor! Wow. I’m... shook. 

With A, we were never really sure if it’s just a sick twisted game that someone is having fun with, or, if A actually chose these Liars because of a personal vendetta. But with The Professor, it is clear from day 1 that this is a game. It’s a social experiment. I fucking LOVE that idea. 

Again playing with that theme I touched on before: I love how previously innocent people are getting sucked into madness. 10 episodes ago, everyone was leading a seemingly perfect life and now they’re part of a social experiment that they’re forced participate in because they were recorded staging a crime scene and being involved in a shooting. That’s so twisted and it just really sucks to be them.

I lowkey want to cry for Ali and Mona. They went to hell and back in Rosewood and now here goes another potential 4 year mystery. Will they EVER live in peace? I mean, for the sake of this show, I hope the Professor makes this game as twisted as possible. It’s entertaining. But at the back of my mind I am crying for Ali and Mona. 

When all their phones rang/vibrated at the same time, I felt at home?? At that exact moment I had a rush of nostalgia. It’s close enough to the original series to provide that nostalgia that we all want, but it’s distinct enough to be its own show. I love this Professor storyline because I think they’ve found that perfect middle-ground.

I hope they don’t give the Professor a black hoodie, but if they really want to make this as iconic as A, they absolutely need to give this villain an outfit. 

Is the Professor a short/mini story arc? Or is this the series-defining story, like how A defined PLL? Will there be a Big Professor and Uber Professor (lack of better terms)? I’d love for this to be the series-defining story and enemy. I’m all for this social experiment. 

Did anyone notice the Professor speaking in the third person? Is that the writers hinting that there is more than one person here; the Professor AND a helper? Kinda like an A-team? Or was speaking in the third person just the way of emphasising the new name for the enemy?

So many questions about the Professor!

Tonally, this finale felt like a premiere. It raised questions rather than answered questions. It told us that there IS an enemy, rather than tell us WHO the enemy is. That’s an odd structure, but I’m totally okay with it for 2 reasons. Firstly, because I’m simply just not hungry for answers. The mystery is still new and fresh. We didn’t get our first major answer on PLL (who is original A) for 2 years. I’m not expecting an answer as to who killed Nolan within 10 episodes. Secondly, it’s fitting because the entire first season was spent establishing that friendship. That needed to happen before such an enemy was introduced. It would be awkward watching strangers get sucked into this social experiment together. Now that they’re friends and they trust each other, it’ll be more entertaining to see them respond to the Professor.

There’s so much to theorise about now! But I need to say it again: this show is suffering from a major lack of a quantity of characters. Every scene revolves around Mona, Ali, Ava, Caitlin, Dylan, Taylor, Booker and Claire. That’s literally all there is. There’s the occasional side character like Mason and Zac, but no one is really key to the mystery like Noel, Jenna, etc were in season 1 of PLL from the get-go. I like that we met Luke, and I think season 2 really needs to prioritise ASAP increasing the quantity of characters. The lack of characters makes me think that we have not met the Professor yet. It’s obviously not Mona, Ali, Ava, Caitlin or Dylan. Maybe Taylor, she was missing. That’s a theory topic. Maybe Claire. Not Zac. Maybe Mason. And my list of suspects ends there? Again, season 2 needs to increase the quantity of characters.

Now I’m just gonna sound like a broken record, but in the extremely low chances that someone at Freeform catches this post (hey, the cast reacted to Tumblr posts the other month so we know they do snoop here)... I need to say it again: it’s no secret that the ratings are low, so you’ve got a lot of work to do for season 2 to get this show the recognition it deserves. Please consider reading this post. Do not give up on this show. It has really high potential. It just needs a few tweaks in terms of promo and supply system. The low ratings do NOT correlate to low quality. 

Look at me, writing massive posts like this! I haven’t done this for a TV show since PLL ended. Only this show will get me intrigued enough to come online and talk. There’s something about the PLL universe that distinguishes it from other shows, in the best way possible!

#pll #pretty little liars #pll the perfectionists #pretty little liars the perfectionists #the perfectionists #pll tp #plltp #freeform #tp #pll finale #the professor

[dramaclover]

The Man Who Kills Troubles: Thoughts & Ending Summary

Every year TVB would release a drama that does extremely well in ratings but for some reason no one really talks about it. And sort of becomes a “forgotten drama” in a sense. It may sound confusing but I don’t know how else to explain it. It was The Unholy Alliance for 2017 and Fist Fight for 2018. It’s not like it had a bad plot or bad acting but it just wasn’t memorable. And unfortunately for this year it’ll go to this drama.

Honestly, it’s not surprising this got good ratings. It has everything that appeals to Hong Kongers. Romance, friendship, family, lost love, triads vs police, secret identity all set within the backdrop of a school. It also boasts a popular cast with Vincent Wong portraying O Sir while Natalie Tong portrays Jovy Cheung. But it was so predictable - so very predictable. I already knew what was gonna happen. There wasn’t any plot twists errr any plot twists that I didn’t catch on. The cliches were endless as well. The predictability is no joke. Right away I knew Jovys Father is gonna die, & obviously it wouldn’t be because of old age. He is the triad leader of course he’s on everyone’s hit list. Jovys brother is involved in his fathers death- not a shocker since he’s been vying for that power. O Sirs girlfriend Chloe Wong played by Kelly Cheung dies in an accidental lab explosion death - yeah right, it’s never an accident. O Sirs master, who raised him turned out to be the one that kills Chloe. Not a twist for me it’s never a stranger killing - it always has to be connected to the main character in some way. Jovy gets shot & falls into the ocean and dies - of course she’s not dead there’s 30 episodes! Linda is a doctor that turns out to have an ulterior motive in helping O Sir - well yeah, it’s not like she got bored and moved from Australia to Hong Kong out of boredom & accidentally encountered O Sir.

In the beginning it focused heavily on the school storyline. This is also where Jovy and O Sir officially meet. Jovy as a music teacher and O Sir as a gym teacher. O Sir is given the task of reviving the disbanded popular rugby team. And of course the star player is the schools typical bad boy, Wong Ko Chun that always ditches class but has a heart of gold. Oh, he also happens to be Chloe (O Sirs dead girlfriend) little brother. Ko Chun has lost his passion for rugby after his sisters death, so O Sir is the one that convinces him to return & helps him find his love for the sport again. Ko Chun is not a team player with him always wanting to hog the ball to ensure they win. The other members aren’t happy as he steals the limelight. *Insert Ko Chun learning the meaning of teamwork* (I know eh? How cheesy & predictable). The school scenes were definitely meant to be lighthearted to contrast against the mafia vs police issues. I thought this part of the story was cheesy. I did like the friendship that ends up forming though.

Then slowly, it moves into a more darker setting. Jovys Father passes away & she takes up the position as head of the company. O Sir becomes the head of security detail. Her brother Cheung Tai Bong has gone over to the dark side. Here comes the revelation of O Sirs real identity of being the fixer, Chloe’s death, Man Sir played by Jonathon Cheung becoming evil & a new villain is introduced. It’s interesting to see how it goes from an innocent school setting to something more sinister. And I wish I could say that the second part of the story was good, but it truly wasn’t. I guessed everything that happened & nothing made me shocked. It wasn’t a thriller to me at all. I didn’t end up being invested into any character. Sure, some parts were interesting but it didn’t need to be a 30 episode drama.

The love story between O Sir & Jovy wasn’t as romantic as they made it out to be. The only obstacle was O Sir, not getting over Chloe’s death. I never felt the love between O Sir & Jovy. They had a lot of cheesy, lovey dovey scenes but to me they were just cringy. I felt nothing for them. And I can’t say it’s cause Vincent & Natalie had no chemistry because they do - they were sweet together as Saving & Cherry in “My Unfair Lady”. For me, the problem lies on Jovy being too similar with his ex girlfriend Chloe. And oh boy, this drama never made us forget about it. Every time Jovy does something, it’ll flashback to Chloe doing the same thing. Both Jovy & Chloe plays the flute & studied in Australia. Chloe wanted to become a teacher, well Jovy becomes a music teacher. It’s also because of their similarities that O Sir, even rescued Jovy the first time. So to me, it just seemed like Jovy was a replacement for Chloe. I actually thought O Sir had better chemistry with Chloe. In fact, I loved the both of them together. I felt they were a better matching couple. It was because of Chloe, O Sir finally decided to stop being a fixer. It was because of Chloe he finally wanted a family. I wish they hadn’t made both characters so similar. It’ll always look like O Sir settled for Jovy cause she reminded him of Chloe. I believe this was a mistake on the writers part.

There is also a side storyline that focuses on Man Sir turning evil. And a romance he has with Ace played by Crystal Fung. Unfortunately their story fell super flat. At times I even forgot they were even a part of the drama. Their storyline was so disconnected from O Sirs. It wasn’t until the last 8 episodes did Man Sir & O Sir finally collide. I’m pretty sure if you take away Man Sirs story and just only followed O Sir, you wouldn’t be confused. Because literally they go their own separate ways. You don’t even need to know why Man Sir turned evil - you just need to root for O Sir to win. Man Sir turned evil because he found out his Father was actually a black cop the entire time & he accidentally murders someone out of self-defence. He just thought he needs to get rid of the people that knows about his Father being a bad cop to save his Fathers dignity. At first I thought the main romance was a fail but it wasn’t compared to this one. Man Sir & Ace were a total bust. Seriously they were hugely boring. And I was terribly disappointed with Ace. You knew he was turning evil, and did nothing to stop it. I thought Ace would be the voice of truth & the one that would end everything. But she didn’t do squat. She literally watched him do more and more evil deeds. And other than whining about it she didn’t do anything more. All because she was so deeply in love with him WTH. What kind of cops are they? One turns evil over a a dumb reason, another just sits by and watches. She kept her mouth shut the whole time & it wasn’t until he died that she’s like “oh by the way he’s a black cop ahaha okay byeeeee”. I could’ve done without their backstory and stupid loveline, they did not even contribute much to the story.

The ending was way too rushed. And was a clusterfuck of what the heck is going on. It was dumb cause a big part of the storyline was Man Sir trying to kill Qiao Yik Fung, who is the biggest villain on the show. You’d think since it’s so hard to kill him as evident by the amount of episodes he’s been alive, that his death would be interesting to watch. Well it wasn’t! He literally just tricked him into going to an isolated area & shot him in the head. Like seriously? That’s all it took? You couldn’t have done that 5 episodes ago? And the fact O Sir also helped you come up with that plan! This villain got killed off so quickly that it was pathetic.

After that, it was basically a showdown between Man Sir & O Sir. Man Sir causes O Sir to crash his car, and then they started to fight each other with their bare hands. Who wins? We don’t know. Like for real - they just time jumped to one month later. Before the time jump it shows them both falling to the ground head first - & then admitting to their mistakes. Man Sir confesses saying how when he had killed someone - he should’ve surrendered to the police, instead of choosing the dark road. O Sir, wishes he spent more time with Jovy. And then they both try to get up to get back to their love ones, but you know they failed. We don’t know who won. Imma consider it a tie. So the showdown was a fail. All the hype only to end up like that. And then we flash forward to a month.

Man Sir survives the fight and has turned back into a good person. He plans on leaving Hong Kong to start a new life with Ace. But he gets stabbed by Yik Fungs underling Ray & he dies. Then another month passes. O Sir, ends up surviving only to find out Jovy died from poisoning. After all that Jovy dies, the amount of times O Sir saves her & she still dies. Is O Sir cursed? Both of his girlfriend ended up dying. You know Man Sir dying made sense since he did many bad things. And justice must be served. But wait - did everyone forget? O Sir was a fixer for the triads. They use a fancy word like fixer but it basically means he’s an assassin. Triad leaders would send him a target & he has to finish them off- that’s his job. O Sir killed so many people. He didn’t even have a good reason for the killing, he did it for the money. Why is that O Sir, is still alive & living well when he killed so many? Yet his girlfriend Jovy was the one who died? What are you saying TVB? And I feel like no one even remembers all the bad things O Sir did as the fixer. They made him seem so glamorous. Who are we even rooting for? Killer #1 or killer #2? Though I want to point out Man Sir, technically only ever killed two (and one was out of self- defence), all the other victims were indirect. O Sir, on the other hand did directly kill a lot of people.

I’m not sure what to say. I can’t say it was a terrible drama. It was very fast paced, the action scenes & scenery were very nice. I just felt that the villains were dealt with too easily. Some stories were still left open. Jovys death had no impact on me - I never connected with her character. I felt more sad when Chloe died despite the fact she only appeared in a couple of flashback scenes. The ending would’ve been more impactful if Ace had died for Man Sir, and through this he reforms and confesses to all his wrong deeds & goes to jail. Cause that’s what you should do - and not run away from your past, seriously if he didn’t get stabbed, he would’ve literally gotten away with it all. O Sir should’ve been the one that died - in the end he’s an assassin! Hes the one who killed for a living. It should’ve shown his gravestone next to Chloe’s. And the ending should’ve been Jovy & her Mother reuniting with Tai Bong after he leaves prison. With the final scene of Jovy going back to being a music teacher with her class. Now that’s my ideal ending. Hmm I guess there was a plot twist. I guess I was shocked. I stand corrected the ending was not predictable. O Sir not dying is probably to keep his ending open in hopes of a sequel. To me, it was definitely a forgettable drama. It wasn’t a super waste of my time. However, I don’t see myself ever rewatching this.

#The Man Who Kills Troubles #TVB #TVB Drama

[rheaitis]

DVD commentary for matrvat?

The thing to know going into this story is that @parlegee is the absolute greatest for giving me open-ended prompts because I feel lost when there’s no prompt and sometimes constrained if it’s too specific, and there’s zero chance i’d have come up with this story in either case. Now, onwards.

---

Who is an opinionated teenager who can’t really allow adults their weaknesses? Krishna is!

“I thought he was a great king,” Krishna says disconsolately one morning as the sun drenches golden every wall of Rohini’s favourite room in Vasudev’s palace. The garden outside is fragrant with a dozen bushes of champaka flowers reaching for the light, and resounding with the laughing voices of Vrishni children and youths.

On such a day in Gokul, in Vrindavan, Krishna would be dancing through fields at the head of the pack, creating mischief and music in equal part. He used to come home along moonlit paths and worry Yashoda, whose heart was more tender than Rohini’s hard-shelled own.

In the ordered gardens of Mathura he skulks into the council-chambers of kings and nobles who have survived Kamsa’s scourge, and sulks in Rohini’s chambers.

If Krishna was even 10% less sunny than he is, he’d be in screaming fits the whole time. Rohini doesn’t really know it yet, but she’s aware of the general shape of it.

Rohini, who has missed Mathura’s high towers for longer than he has been alive, understands his longing only too well. Among the laughing children in the garden are the sons and daughters of women she befriended as a young bride, children who have never known her, who regard her sons with awed suspicion.

“King Ugrasena,” she asks now, careful to keep weariness from her voice. “He was, years ago when we were young and he was in his prime. But he had a grown son who kept him imprisoned, and deprived him of the joys of consorting with his grandchildren.”

He’s aware of the more visible wounds on the others, but he’s still. He’s sixteen; he’s a kid; and he hasn’t really learnt to accept that a lot of people just are weak.

“I meant my pitamaha King Shurasena,” Krishna says, and urgently adds, “I would not trivialise my matamaha’s suffering, or that of my parents, nor their resilience.”

I’m very proud of this association, ngl.

“No,” Rohini assures him. “I misspoke. You have been kind to them as to a day-old calf.”

That is praise he understands, and Krishna’s face blooms with joy. Her wild, wicked youngest. Her poor boy, whom they have transplanted into such strange soil.

“Will you say of pitamaha too, that he has suffered much, and is an aged man to whom I ought be kinder?”

He says it as though he knows the answer already, and comes quietly to sit at Rohini’s feet when she beckons him. If it is all so unfamiliar now to her, the floors of white stone, the fittings of brass, the plenitude of silver and gold, how much stranger must it be to him?

This is all canonical, btw, and I totally did a quick skim of Harivamsham for this fic, which may have been a bad idea, but anyway.

“We heard his praises, when I was a child,” she begins. “That he had been a great warrior in his youth, and was favoured by the gods. And it is true that he has had his own sorrows, with his queen dead from grief for your father, and with his eldest daughter sent to fill the nursery of a friend. Then too, without his son at home he gave your aunts in marriage to kingdoms that have not prized them as they ought be, and it is a great burden to any parent to know their children unhappy without hope of rescue or redressal.”

“However?” Krishna puts in, and grins wide and wicked. If she hadn’t known him since Yashoda brought him to her house to play with Balabhadra, she would think him sincere.

This is still going to take a very different strength.

Well, he has been battling monsters since he was a suckling babe.

“When I was a handful of months older than your brother is now, and there was first talk of me wedding your father, my uncle spoke to me of the household I was to enter. Your pitamaha is an amiable man, you’ve seen this already. He is chief among the Vrishni, who are not the most peaceful of the Yadavas. You are too clever, surely, to not know how a man of sweet temper might become chief of such rowdy princes?”

“He was the man all could agree upon,” Krishna says on a sigh, and she rewards him with a hand smoothing over his hair. He wears it still in a mass of curls barely restrained by a fillet, but it is of bronze silk now, and not the undyed ribbons he had used to steal from unwary girls. Good, he's learning; to take aught from a Vrishni girl unawares rarely bodes well. 

The Vrishni and larger Yadava politics are fascinating, and also this is bb!Krishna’s first lesson in politics and manipulation.

“He was given to pleasing men and creating compromises that nobody else could. It is a necessary skill, and your father had it also. Perchance he still does.”

“Do you doubt it?”

IDK about Rohini’s mother, but mine firmly believes everyone has a quota in everything. Also I wanted to introduce her longing for her own parents early on, both for the parallel to Krishna’s longing for his childhood and also to balance out the payoff at the end of the story.

“My mother used to say when I had climbed too high in a tree or gorged myself on mangoes in summer heat, that we have a share in the world’s joys and might spend it too soon and find ourselves in sorrow’s shadow.” It is strange now to think of herself as a child, when her mother’s hair has turned grey, silver, white with age and yearning in distant Bahlika without Rohini around to care for her, when she had been given in marriage to Shurasena’s son because the Vrishni let their wives travel often and her mother could not bear to part from her for long. In the first five years of her marriage she had visited often, rarely in the seven unhappy years that followed, and never in the seventeen that have since lapsed.

“You’ve said it to us often enough,” Krishna points out, and when Rohini looks down she finds that he has turned his head under her hand and is fixing her with a stern eye. “Do you think it is the same for a skill?”

... not that Krishna is ever going to hit hard limits on his own capacity for anything, be it love or war or politics but the rest of us aren’t a shard/iteration of the God who Keeps.

“They tell me skill in war increases with every battle. I know little of war, and even your father never won Devaki with his own prowess. But a singer can sing herself hoarse, and a callous herder milk a cow dry. Your father kept himself alive while helpless, and kept your mother alive while she posed a great threat to your uncle, and he kept them together when solitude would have driven them wild.”

“You think him brave!”

And again, [wonder woman baby.gif] Krishna is going to become someone who understands bravery beyond the physical wonderfully well, and his Mom’s here to guide his first steps down that path.

He is so young, Krishna, for all his valour and all his wit. So young, even though it seems most days that he knows all the things there are to know, that they are alive only by his grace. But he is sixteen, scarcely, and she is near fifty years of age. He has hardly seen anything of the world.

“I think him clever,” Rohini says. “Valiant, too, but not in the way of warriors who gain great renown in battle. He crossed the Yamuna in full flood for you, dearest, and then returned to Kamsa’s prison where he saw every day for sixteen years the spot where six of his sons had had the life smeared from them.”

This is Krishna & Yudhishtira’s one great similarity, in my head: the wish for more brothers to hide behind. They deal with it differently, but it’s there for both.

“I might have had brothers,” he says, and flashes her an apologetic smile. “I know I have one, but even that knowledge is new to me. I never thought I could love him more dearly than I did all my life, but in this I am happy to be proven wrong. But I might have had more.”

All these lives gone to suit a fearful man’s cruel paranoia.

“Kirttimat would have been twenty-five,” Rohini says, more to herself than him. “We would have been hunting out a bride for him. Then Sushena and Udayin and Bhadrasena, what strength they would have lent us in council, perhaps in war if they more closely resembled your matamaha than your father. Rijudasa and Bhadradeha would have still been in the care of their preceptor, and Balarama preparing to take Rijudasa’s place. And then you, youngest and most indulged.”

... let’s not think about the knives in Yashoda’s heart right now.

“Aren’t I so still?” Krishna laughs, and she thinks that this would not fool anyone who knows it well, that it would knife through Yashoda’s tender heart were she to hear it.

Vrishnis gossip. It’s what they do.

“You are the jewel of Mathura, best-beloved of an entire city,” she assures him. If there are rumours, they will be quieted soon. Of course there are rumours. Rohini has not lived in the city in years, but she knows still too well how the bees buzz in their hives, how gossip sings through the streets on the fleet wings of the mynah.

“You might have had more sons as well,” Krishna says, as though he likes the thought of being rendered insignificant by a horde of elder siblings, of being safely the infant of the family instead of the lauded hero who has battled demons and killed grown men.

Look, I never said I was a nice person.

“I would have liked a daughter,” she tells him, trading truth for truth. In Vraj she had looked at lissome young Radha and thought, if only Vasudeva had given me a child the year we were first wed. She had delighted in Radha’s friendship with Krishna, her amused tolerance of the boy following her around and sharing her chores: rare forbearance from a woman fifteen years his senior but oh, understandable.

He got away with so so much. In the song listing out Krishna’s hundred and eight names it says, “Ayaan Ghosh dubbed him Rage Douser.” Ayaan Ghosh is Radha’s husband and Krishna’s uncle, and knows about their affair, fwiw.

How could anyone resist Krishna’s laughter and his tricks and his charm? Yashoda and Nanda had never disciplined him; Rohini herself, who could rain recriminations upon stolid Balarama while the sun ran from morning to noon, faltered before she could devise a punishment for Krishna.

“You might still,” Krishna offers. “I should like a sister.”

Older people falling in love again is My Fave. Look, I read R/S fic at a formative age.

“If the gods will it,” she says repressively, as much to ward off her own blushes as his impudence. She has missed love, and Vasudeva’s arms around her are still the best home she has had, even though they are grey, even though imprisonment has sapped his vitality.

Ohohoho, just you wait, Rohini, he’s going to find every use possible for it and then some.

“You missed him, all these years,” Krishna says, because he has always been far too perceptive. When he was a child he had mostly used the knowledge to ferret out butter and ghee that had been stored out of sight; what uses he will find for it in a squabbling nest of nobles hardly bears thinking of.

“I’ve known Vasudeva since I was a girl climbing into womanhood and he was a boy proud of his first beard who could persuade a roaring council-hall into acquiescence. We were wed for years before Sini won him your mother’s hand,” she tells him. “Of course I did. But I had Balabhadra, and I had a share in you, and I had my duty before me.”

“Duty,” Krishna says, desolate again, and younger in his silk and gold than she’s ever seen him in torn cotton and mud. “And now I must do mine, when so many have given their lives for mine.”

“So many have had their lives won by you,” Rohini corrects, and stoops to press a kiss into his curls.

Dearest and loveliest of boys.

He smiles up at her as she straightens, but it is still a wan little thing and melts her heart as none of his sulking ever has.

“Come,” she says, “you have months yet till you must go to your preceptor. It does you no good to intrude on your elders' councils.”

“What would you bid me do instead? I can hardly herd cattle in this fine city, and there seem no demons about for me to defeat.”  He looks so quietly unhappy, her heroic son, her child who has lost the mother who raised him and cannot yet love the woman who bore him.

“You might have had more brothers if the gods had not wished them away,” she says instead of offering platitudes he would only despise, “and it is your right to mourn them. But you have cousins you might grow to love, who will be your allies as all of you grow to take your part in grihasthashram.”

He hones right in on his eventual favourites, but alas, there’s obstacles incoming.

“I thought they were in exile,” Krishna says, but now at last something is sparking to life behind his eyes. “My aunt Pritha and her children, I thought they were wandering in forests with King Pandu.”

Of course he thinks first of the ones deprived of their rightful homes, the ones who might be discomfited by palaces as he is himself.

“You have other aunts,” Rohini says in lieu of laughter. “Your pitamahi Bhojya had many children, and though King Shurasena was generous in giving them to such of his friends and cousins who—childless—were fated to roast in the hell, Puta, yet he kept his eldest son your father, and he kept his daughters Shrutadeva and Shrutashrava.”

“Their marriages are unhappy, you said.”

“And yet not childless,” Rohini says carefully. “Your aunt Shrutashrava has borne Prince Damaghosha of Chedi an heir, and I must visit if your mother cannot. We may travel without too large an escort of guards.”

“You would have me come with you?”

I just want to share the fact that family trees which start tracing lineages from the Sun and Moon still don’t show what family Rohini comes from and I had to read the Harivamsam to find out. I resent this fact.

“Only if you wish it as well. Then, too, Bahlika does not lie so very far from Chedi, and... Krishna, as you are in part my son, so too can I offer you a share in another matamaha and matamahi. My parents are old, and shall soon proceed into sannyasashram, but they are hale and they have always been happy. King Ugrasena is a great man, but...”

“Mother,” Krishna says, snatching up her hands and covering them with quick, fervent kisses. “You give me the sweetest gifts.”

#dvd commentary

[winryofresembool]

Edwin one-shot: Starry Night

A/N: Merry (belated) Christmas, @theothardus, and sorry about the lateness! I am your Secret Santa! You mentioned you liked Edwin and Christmas and fluff, so I sort of combined all those things. Since I’m trying to keep this fic as canon ‘verse as possible, I made up another (very Christmas like) holiday, called the Starry Night. The name comes from the game Harvest Moon Sunshine Island, and it was suggested to me by the lovely @criis55 who has had to listen to me rant about this fic a LOT (sorry about that)! I hope you’ll enjoy :3 (and don’t forget to leave ‘em comments!)

@fullmetalsecretsanta

Words: 2277

Relationship: Edwin 

genre: fluff

warnings: none

The traditional Winter Solstice holiday, often called the Starry Night by the inhabitants of Amestris, was drawing near. Even the small town of Resembool was bubbling of excitement as everyone was preparing to spend time with their loved ones, buying a presents and tons of food, and decorating their homes. Some people were even competing on who managed to put the most dazzling lights on their yards, annoying their neighbors.

One of the annoyed people was Edward Elric, who had never been a huge fan of Starry Night. When asked why he didn’t like the holiday, he claimed it had become way too commercial, making people forget what the day was really about: spending time with their families and friends. Those who knew Ed better, though, suspected that his dislike for Starry Night stemmed from his childhood; since his mother died and father left, he and Al had always spent the day alone, studying ways to bring their mother back instead of joining the girl and her grandmother in the yellow house near them. Every year Winry asked, yet they didn’t appear until over 10 years later, when they had finally finished their journey to get their bodies back.

This time the reason for Ed’s annoyance was a gift he was supposed to purchase. Earlier that day, Pinako, Winry and the Elric brothers had decided that this year each would get only one present. Al had suggested they write their names on a piece of paper, put them into a hat and draw someone else’s name from it, buying the gift for the person whose name they got. Ed had ended up getting Winry’s name, but something about Al’s demeanor when he saw Ed’s reaction to his gift recipient told him that the younger Elric might have planned it from the beginning. He didn’t have any proof of it, though.

Lately, Al had been hinting often that Ed should finally make his first move, claiming he totally knew what was going on between his big brother and their childhood friend, but Ed had tried to ignore the comments. If Ed was honest, it wasn’t that he didn’t know that his feelings towards his automail mechanic weren’t quite brotherly, but it was different to know it than to act on it. What if Winry didn’t answer to his feelings? What if he’d embarrass himself in front of her? What if he ruined their friendship? He wasn’t ready to take that risk especially since Winry hadn’t been sending him any signals of being interested in him… Or that’s what Ed thought, at least, because he could be quite oblivious when it came to other people’s feelings. Had he paid more attention, he might have noticed how wrong he was.

Now, the biggest question was: what should he give Winry? First, he had tried asking her if there was anything she needed from the town as he’d be going there to do some shopping, but she had simply stared at him with confusion, telling him new screws would be great. They weren’t an appropriate present in Ed’s opinion (she did deserve something better, after all), so as he made his way to the town, he still no idea what to buy. Usually, he would have asked Al to come with him, but his pride had won. That pride couldn’t accept that Al would probably pick something Winry would prefer over his present. Besides, he knew Al wouldn’t stop throwing sly remarks about his possible feelings for Winry, so for the sake of his mental health, he decided to go alone.

Ed hadn’t picked the best day to go shopping because unfortunately, everyone else was doing their last-minute Starry Night preparations as well. The shops were crowded and played holiday music loudly from their speakers, making his head ache. Not just that, nothing he saw seemed inspiring enough.

He could have gotten her a piece of clothing; she seemed to love the hoodie he had been wearing on Al and his return day, but he didn’t know her size and was nervous he would accidentally pick something she wouldn’t like. He was aware that their tastes were very different, after all. She liked cute things, he liked skulls and dragons. He fully gave up in the idea when the salesman at the clothes store heard he wanted to get something for a girl and suggested he get her underwear because what girl wouldn’t like that? Ed wasn’t an idiot, he knew Winry would throw a wrench at him faster than he could say “alchemy” if he did that. Besides, Ed found that particular department slightly intimidating, and the last thing he needed in the middle of a busy town was the idea of Winry in only those pieces… And so he ended up leaving the store rather quickly.

He also considered giving Winry something practical. She would probably appreciate a bucket of wrenches? That was better than screws, right? Winry always lost the old ones carrying them all around the house, so it would probably be useful? But then again, he didn’t enjoy the idea of Winry throwing those same wrenches at him, so he should probably get something that didn’t hurt so much if he ended up annoying her again. Which he probably would. The screwdrivers didn’t feel like a lot safer option. Books were useful, but if he was honest, he didn’t really know which mechanics books Winry already had and which she considered relevant to her interests, so he should have figured that out first. And with the Starry Night already happening in a few days, he didn’t have time for that.

Next up were the food stalls, and Ed stopped there for a good moment. Food was something they both enjoyed, but Ed could hear Al’s voice in his head saying that he should get Winry something more personal. Chocolate would be too lame, even though Ed didn’t understand why anyone would refuse a good chocolate bar. Apple pie was out of the question too, since Granny had already promised to bake one, and it would be weird if he baked one too.

Once Ed had walked past the stalls, he was ready to give up. Just when he was about to leave the market place, someone yelled after him: “Oi! I know that expression! You look like someone who hasn’t found the right gift for a loved one. I think I can help you.”

“Can you, really?” Ed asked sarcastically but decided to follow the man into his shop either way.

The man owned a jewelry store, selling products expensive enough to make Ed’s antenna twitch even though he did have a good amount of money in his pocket from his state alchemist days. At first he was certain he would not buy anything from there, but then the store owner asked: “who are you planning to get this present for?”

“A… friend…” Ed answered with hesitation, not really knowing how to describe Winry and his relationship. Truthfully, it was much more complicated than “just friends”, but this stranger didn’t need to know that. Ed decided to add: “… who’s also my automail mechanic.”

“A guy?” the man asked, assuming a mechanic must have been a man. “I’m sure we’ll have something for gu…” “No, no, not a guy!” Ed got angry. “She’s a she and she’s the goddamn best automail mechanic in this country, so don’t you go assuming…!”

“OK, calm down! I got your point,” the man tried to reassure the angry young man. “A mechanic, you say? Someone donated this a little while ago.” He pointed at something by the shop window. “Do you think she’d like it?”

Ed found himself staring at a small silver locket that had a wrench engraved on it, and in the middle of it there was one tiny stone; an aquamarine resembling the color of Winry’s eyes.

“I could see that…” Ed said, surprised he had managed to find something so fitting. “Is that expensive?”

“Funny you should ask… Normally, I would put a very high price on this because it’s 100 per cent silver, but its old owner told me that if this locket would make its new owner happy, that’s all she’d ask for. So, to listen to her wish, I’m gonna give it for a very reasonable price if you give it a good home.”

“Really? How much is it?” Ed asked, now genuinely curious.

The man told him the price, and Ed decided it was worth it. He was also told he could put something into the locket for an extra value, and suddenly an idea started to form in his head.

…

It was finally the Starry Night, and after a good dinner, the gifts were exchanged in the Rockbell-Elric household. Pinako opened hers first, and not surprisingly, it was a bottle of whiskey (how had Winry gotten that, Ed wanted to know, since people weren’t buy stronger alcohol drinks in Amestris until they were 21. And she wasn’t even 17 yet!) and a new pack of cards for her games as the old ones started to get rather worn. Al’s gift was a living being; Pinako had gotten him a kitten from the litter of neighbor’s cat, and Ed eyed it suspiciously for moment, before finally accepting that maybe it was time for Al to get one. As long as he’d take good care of it! Even the old Den had accepted the cat so there was nothing he could do to deny this from his brother. Ed himself had gotten an “ugly” sweater from Al, with skulls, and to Ed’s horror, hearts (the cute looking, not realistic), on it. He still put it on, smirking widely, before it was time for Winry to open her present.

Ed’s smirk turned into a nervous one as she started ripping the gift wrap from the package. He had decided to play a little prank on her, putting the small locket box into a big box under a lot of newspaper, but as he watched her reactions, he started to regret it. She looked quite upset when it started seeming like there was no present at all in the box, but finally she found what she was looking for.

“What’s this?” she stared at the present a bit nervously before opening it. Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw the locket Ed had bought from the jewelry shop.

“Wow, this is not what I was expecting…” she finally said, her eyes shining with the locket. “Ed, it’s really pretty!”

“I’m glad you like it, but it isn’t the only thing I got for you… Open that locket.” Ed poked his finger at the little lock the gift had.

After admiring the silver wrench on the locket for a while, she opened it and found…

“My earrings!!! I thought you had lost them because you never gave them back to me! And… and… a picture of us! Aww, look at how small we were… I think this was before your mother… And did you carve this text yourself?” She noticed the “thank you” carved into the metal that reminded her of Ed’s state alchemist watch. A wide smile rose on her face as she took the gift in.

“I did.” Ed rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I feel we haven’t properly thanked you for everything you’ve for us… So this is for that. Also, there’s one more thing… Look behind the photo.”

Winry took the photo from its place and noticed there was a tiny letter behind it. She moved closer to the fire to read it, not noticing that Ed was blushing next to her.

“Winry,

Thank you for always being there for us, even though that must have been hard sometimes. I know I can be one hell of a brick when I get to that mood. So sorry about that.

Thanks for getting me back to my feet when it was nearly impossible. I don’t know where I’d be without your automail. Not here, for sure.

Thanks for giving us a reason to come back home. For being an amazing friend, and more… I guess we should finally talk about that topic soon. That’s what Al keeps saying to me.

I hope this locket reminds you that you are our, my favorite gearhead, now and always.”

There were tears in Winry’s eyes when she stopped reading, and Ed nearly started panicking:

“Wow, please don’t cry! Tell me those are tears of joy instead of… the others?”

“Yes, stupid, they are tears of joy. Come here.”

Winry extended her arms to hug Ed who had sat down next to her and whispered into his ear.

“That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me… thank you so much… this is an amazing present… I don’t know what to say…” she laughed awkwardly and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Ed helped her to put the locket around her neck and the earrings in her ears.

“It looks nice,” he said, and she simply nodded. They didn’t even notice the other two snickering at their actions.

Once she finally calmed down enough to think straight, she added quietly: “Oh, and about that thing we need to talk about… Join me here once the others have gone to bed.”

Ed felt nervous for a moment, not knowing what to expect from that conversation, but then Winry squeezed his hand and gave him a smile that reassured him. He had a feeling this was shaping up to be the best Starry Night he had ever had.

#fmasecretsanta2018 #edwin #edward elric #winry rockbell #fullmetal alchemist #my fics #theothardus #oof it's been too long...

[tonystarkficrecs]

hey could you rec some fics where Tony is paired with someone other than Pepper but he and Pepper are still friends? I love her and I hate reading fics where she's vilified. Thanks! :)

I’m not a fan of villified!Pepper, either! I adore her. I feel like they’d remain friends even if they ended up breaking up, such as in these fics (and it’s a long list of them, too, so hopefully there’s some new stuff in there for you). I’m sure I missed some, so at some point I might add more to the list! The extent that their friendship is portrayed varies from fic to fic, but none of them should have any negativity towards her.

My Son, My Sun by Wordsplat

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 70,151

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark; Tony Stark & Peter Parker

Completed: Yes

Just before the events of Iron Man, a baby is left on Tony’s doorstep. He wants nothing to do with it at first, but his time in Afghanistan changes his mind and Tony vows to become a better man for his son’s sake.

Anew. by IViv

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 130,567

Pairing: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

Completed: Yes

In death, there was no glory, no redemption, no salvation.

Only darkness and ice—or that’s what Tony thought. He closed his eyes in a Siberian bunker and opened them again on his 41st birthday, with War Machine flying into the distance.

Still Alive by araydre, Menatiera, Neutralchaos, and yeppers

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 62,088

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

The Winter Soldier escaped from Hydra, and on the run, It needs a Mechanic to maintain the very efficient weapon attached to its body. It decides the best person for the work is the world’s best weapon expert: Tony Stark.Abducting him goes unexpectedly well. Then, complications come.

Paved With Good Intentions (I’m on the road to hell) by itsallAvengers

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 121,126

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Completed: No

When the mysterious group of vigilante assassins known only as ‘The Avengers’ are tipped off about the dirty secrets that lie within Stark Industries, Steve Rogers has his heart set on taking out Tony Stark for good in order to protect the rest of the world from his evil. He’s seen the footage, after all- Stark is a man who fights only for himself. And of course, when a job arises as chief bodyguard for Stark, to protect him from the growing threat of an ominously infatuated stalker, the opportunity is way too good for him to miss out on. It’s the perfect placement, and the perfect way to find out whether or not their tipoff is genuine.

But as Steve falls into rank as the new bodyguard for Mr. Stark and he spends time getting to know and protect him, his initial hatred begins to falter and merge into something different, something far more terrifying than the prospect of killing the face of Stark Industries.

Steve Rogers may just be falling in love with him instead.

Illuminate Me by Half_SubmergedinPurgatory

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 130,041

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Tony isn’t a healthy man. He’s fine with that, really. It makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, he has a job to do that kind of has his health as a major requirement. So he unmakes himself, remakes the Accords, protects every single child super that enters his field of view, and hopes ferociously that the Avengers never come back to the US. He doesn’t spend any time at all rebuilding Bucky Barnes’ life. Not a single second. Anything he does that contributes to him is simply an accident.

Bucky is a patient man. It’s ok if Tony wants to ignore him for now. He won’t be able to forever.

(Somewhere in the world, a sense of dread crawls up the back of Tony’s spine)

Dig No Graves by miss-aphelion

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 142,844

Pairing: James “Bucky” Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: No

“I’m here to kill you, Terminator,” Tony said slowly, “does that compute?”

The soldier looked up at him with wide blue eyes and no expression. “Okay.”

Tony froze. “Okay,” he echoed. “I tell you I came here to kill you and your response is ‘okay’?”

“I am being decommissioned,” the soldier said, and for one horrible moment Tony thought he actually seemed relieved. “I understand. I will comply.”

(Or; Tony learns the Winter Soldier killed his parents and goes on a search for revenge, but ends up learning how to heal instead)

Saving the World (Is Totally a Date) by Wordsplat

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 64,465

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Tony discovers Stane’s betrayal while he’s still being held captive. When he escapes, he sets out to ruin Stane as completely and ruthlessly as he can, playing up his PTSD and quitting his job to destroy Stane quietly from the outside. He also picks up a teaching job-all Pepper’s fault-and oh, right, becomes a supervillain. Okay, that one was Tony’s fault, but it was totally an accident.

In the meantime, a certain Capsicle is defrosted a year early, and is assigned the task of capturing the notorious Iron Man. It’s not going particularly well, if the embarrassingly high number of times he’s been kidnapped in the past six months is any indication. When SHIELD decides to help him “adjust” by getting him a teaching job, Steve is skeptical; but then there’s Tony, and Steve finds he doesn’t mind the 21st century so much after all.

The Accidental Husband by panda_shi

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 97,716

Pairing: Tony Stark/T’Challa

Completed: No

Tony Stark discovers, that during his lowest point when he had been almost-twenty-one, he had married the King of Wakanda. Except he doesn’t remember how. Now, trying to get a divorce is going to be one challenging thing – how is this his life, even? It’s almost unfair!

It’s Not Cosmetic by withasideofangst

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 32,997

Pairing: Gen (pre Steve Rogers/Tony Stark)

Completed: Yes

After Afghanistan and Iron Man, SHIELD gave Tony a choice. He could out himself as Iron Man, or claim it was a bodyguard, and hide his face from the world.

Agent Agent never said anything, but Tony had hacked SHIELD’s servers and knew they wanted him to go the bodyguard route. Yes to Iron Man and no to Tony Stark, and all that.

That, as well as keeping Pepper safe, made him go with the bodyguard cover, and flimsy as he thought it was, no one questioned it.

Of course, why would they? Tony Stark was no superhero.

—

Although, it’s less easy to keep a secret identity with a bunch of superheroes and spies living in your house.

Journey To The Past by melonbutterfly

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 67,329

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Loki doesn’t know why he feels the urge to go to Midgard, but it’s strong enough that he, when a stranger offers him free passage in exchange for his pretending to be lost Prince Loki of Asgard, doesn’t hesitate for long.He really has no idea how much his life is going to change.

A Friend for A Week by LokasennaHiddleston

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 159,969

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark

Completed: No

A week before Thor’s coronation, a drunk and depressed Loki decides he wants a genuine friend of his own. Of course, he turns to magic to solve his dilemma.There are only two problems. First, he is very aware that his current form isn’t very lovable or trustworthy. Second, he actually needs a person to befriend.This is how Loki ends up in Tony Stark’s living room, minutes after his disastrous birthday party, and in the shape of a cat. What will our favorite genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist make of the mysteriously appearing feline, and how will it all affect their lives, and those of the people around them?

Case 623 by DannieU

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 146,441

Pairing: James “Bucky” Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: No

Tony was pretty sure that the small human left on his doorstep was just a (really fucking frightening) attempt at extortion, and mostly just wanted child protective services to show up yesterday. Then an extended trip to Afghanistan puts life, the universe and everything into perspective, and somehow, miraculously, Tony might be closer to happy than he’s been in his life. He’s even willing to accept the enormous pieces of the puzzle he’s obviously missing. He should’ve learnt long ago that what you don’t know will always come back to bite you in the ass.

Even the Light is an Illusion by Mizzy

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 102,373

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Death threats are an unfortunate side-effect of being Tony Stark, so he’s learned to ignore them. The problem is, when someone really wants you dead, hiding your head in the sand just kinda exposes your ass.

But it’s not just Tony’s behind on the line. Whoever wants him dead wants him to suffer first, and they’re willing to do anything to make that happen. Tony knows there’s only one way out. To save Steve, the Avengers, and the general public, Tony has to die. Of course, death isn’t always the end, and Tony does what any other self-disrespecting scientist would do: he finds a way to fake his death and avenge his own murder.

The trouble is, terrible decisions usually have a terrible price, and this one is no different. Tony has a chance to save the day, but the cost may be more than Tony was ever expecting to pay…

Forged With Blood, Forged With Fire by agentsimmons

★ ★ ★

Words: 91,279

Pairing: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

When Bruce looks over Tony’s blood work he notices an anomaly that sets them both on a search for answers and shows them just how much they mean to one another in the process. But when the truth finally becomes clear, it’s only the start of more obstacles and changes to come as they each find themselves facing new enemies and old.

And When It Does I’m Already Gone by qwanderer and roseapprentice

★ ★ ★

Words: 75,111

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Eighteen years ago, Tony fell in love with a mysterious woman, all green eyes and wit. Now he’s given up all hope of finding her again, but with curiosity and a well-placed spider, fate has different ideas.

Loki lies and loves and loses and leaves things unfinished. But the people who love Loki back aren’t about to let the past go so easily. And Tony and Peter can dig up their share of secrets when they put their heads together. Biological Smartass Family.

#fic rec list #fanfic #marvel #avengers #pepper potts #tony stark

[elizabethrobertajones]

What do you think a meeting between John and Cas would be like? And if he knew that Dean and Cas had feelings for each other, do you think he'd have more of a problem with the man thing or the angel thing?

Oof this is the sort of question where I down my whole coffee and think about it for 2 hours and I still need to sound things out :P 

I think there’s a few sort of variables to consider even just how we get here because my brain is bubbling with scenarios, like: is this where John is around when Cas is introduced, and how he’d react when everyone is meeting Cas, and he gets a perpendicular arc to Cas and Dean like Bobby got (aka the opposite to Bobby’s adopting of Cas and somewhat knowing looks and pep talks towards the end because Bobby and John would never agree so that dooms John to become more intolerant of Cas n Dean :P)… 

Or does John come back instead of Mary when Mary came back in season 12, so we get his equivalent reactions to Cas, when Mary was somewhat cool if stunned by his presence, but we know she was the pro-angel parent while John thought her ceramic angel was “creepy” in 5x13…

Or is this that John reappears in season 14 and sure only 2 years difference has passed but that’s 2 years of Dabb at the helm and Dean n Cas are practically ready to retire to their B&B in Vermont at this point, just as soon as they get a few weeks of no plot distractions to themselves.

I think we can use Dean from seasons 1-4 as the guide for roughly how John would have felt about angels in general, because John taught the boys all he knew about the supernatural world, and in general Dean mirrors him when it comes to grief about Mary and worldview and other things which were tied up in this complicated mess of angels watching over them. Maybe he didn’t know what Mary said to her boys but he’d have known she was religious and got the angel for them, and so we can just assume his distraught scepticism on the subject is passed down to Dean, and Mary and Sam have more in common with their approach to faith. If John had still been around in the background of season 4 onwards, like, AU where he never died, or they got him back in time, then he’d likely have been just as sceptical as Dean but presumably never been on the personal arc with Cas that Dean has, with a special heap of not getting rescued from Hell by angels annoyance, which could nicely make a scenario where he remains anti-angel while even Dean comes around to how awesome Cas is, leaving a permanent conflict about it. (Honestly I love this scenario just for how Bobby still ends up adopting Dean n Sam out from under John’s nose :P)

In this case I would probably say that his issues would be disguised as the angel thing, but very much a long-form arc about parental acceptance and homophobia using Cas’s otherness as an angel as the metaphor, in just the same way we have the actual arc with Heaven being disapproving of Cas’s friendship/supposed sex life with Dean, with “angels are forbidden to procreate with humans” as the underlying issue instead. 

For scenario 2, if John had been brought back instead of Mary, then again we have a very curious conflict from the start because Mary is reasonably accepting of Cas, perhaps a little dazed by “actual angel” but that’s taking a step down from “so I did a favour for God and his sister, and she brought you back” to accept that her sons have been running around with an angel, and she remembers being in Heaven so that’s another validation to the concept for her. She and Cas have immediate understanding as strangers in a strange land, and by the end of the episode she kills to save both Cas and Dean together which is an implicit nice kind of acceptance for the both of them at least as a metaphoric path forwards.

For John, that first reaction to Cas is going to be instantly more suspicious and probably even if he doesn’t initially find something weird about Cas and Dean embracing like that in front of him, he’s narratively set up to oppose angels like Dean once did, and would probably have been having issues with the God and Amara scenario already, with far less the tearful reunion at the start of the episode and much more distrust of the scenario and a sense of needing to get right back to work and that he was brought back for some reason (I assume that’s why he takes off in episode 3 like Mary did) because John has a bunch of secrets and doesn’t even like telling his sons stuff. It would be far less coincidental that YED reappear in the narrative for the first time since Azazel got killed in the John version of season 12, you know? 

I think a lot of what in 12x01 and 2 played out as Mary Is Family, Cas Is Family Too, Let’s All Be Family But Sad About It, would become far more tetchy and distrustful - John ordering Cas to hurt the guy would be less Mary copying Dean and making inaccurate assumptions about Cas and his role, and more John making similar inaccurate assumptions but from the more alpha male sort of angle. I suspect a lot more competitiveness with Cas, and by 12x03 in the opening where Mary and Cas had the sad quiet conversation about belonging, it may be more aggressive, at least subtextually, to the point that John may be disappointed that Cas is looking after the boys when he’s been unable to and sees his position as the third wheel usurped and that spurs him to take off on whatever he goes to do off-screen for the rest of the season :P 

12x09 and 12x12 would be the clues (er, love confessions) that Cas has a thing for Dean in front of John, and may overtly be to reconcile John to the concept of angels being real and watching over his sons. Considering this is happening in a hypothetical Dabb era where Lily Sunder still happened in between, I’m pretty sure this would not have totally positive effects when it comes to John’s path of accepting Cas n Dean or not, just because we get this reminder that Heaven is so dead set against their union. Would John warm to it as a contrast and *even he* starts to see there’s a value in it and defends it in the equivalent of the Mary Losing One Of Her Boys speech at the end of 12x12 (I assume with a Ketch/Toni flip although honestly what the hell let’s keep season 12 the same and he hooks up with Ketch and surprises himself and everyone else and it all went well and he accepted Cas n Dean back in 12x12 and - this season has completely derailed)

The John Comes Back In Season 14 one will be even more painful for him. Mary has mourned him, got over it, and has a lil crush on AU!Bobby, who, after all, has always been a flipside of John where he was the father figure they needed… This Bobby may not have that history with the boys but our Bobby and John fell out, were at gunpoint odds last time John saw Bobby, and 7x10 implies that might even have been about Bobby nurturing Sam and Dean too much while accusing John of running off endangering them and himself and not giving them time to be boys. Even a mirror universe copy of Bobby who had been with a Mary Campbell who lost John back in the 70s and AU Bobby never met, now making moves on his wife… Well, you got to ask, when you promise “til death do us part” and then you BOTH DIE, is that legally binding contract over? 

So there’s a big old blow to his entire personhood, and then he finds the buckwild family scenario at large that has Sam, who is the SENSIBLE one in this whole mess, parenting Lucifer’s son while smiling too much at the local saucy witch, Dean either a possessed fancy angel or a wreck from having been possessed by said fancy angel, also parenting Lucifer’s son, with a dynamic of an old married couple to a gloomy angel who is, inexplicably, also parenting Lucifer’s son, on the outs with Heaven, and mooning after Dean. 

Also, Mary is parenting Lucifer’s son.

I think I can only see one solid result here: amongst all the tension and falling out with and being upset by every single dynamic he stumbles across while lost and horrified by what everyone has become, losing all connection to his sons and wife, surrounded by changes in their world that his revenge-driven head is not equipped to handle… 

He probably at least ends up confusedly parenting Lucifer’s son and redeeming himself as a parent through that vector and then, perhaps, slowly, to the others.

#Asks #listen after Lucifer literally anyone can be a better parent to Jack #I think there's scars that run too deep with his family but Jack doesn't know that #he took adam to baseball so he's going to knuckle down and take this kid to the game #because he's so lost and confused and there's only one constant in this entire mess #and that is that Jack is adorable and friendly and reminds him of every child he's had #I don't know how he reacts to Dean n Cas but it's going to be a LOT of beers in before he grunts that it's fine with him if they're happy #towards the end of the season #they are so confused #they're still in denial while mooning after each other #*not a john winchester fangirl* #destiel

[sarahsweden-blog]

Ten Interesting Swedish Novels

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

It’s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet’s disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age—and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it—who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism—and an unexpected connection between themselves.It’s a contagiously exciting, stunningly intelligent novel about society at its most hidden, and about the intimate lives of a brilliantly realized cast of characters, all of them forced to face the darker aspects of their world and of their own lives (Goodreads.com)

2. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past. (Amazon.com)

3. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (Amazon.com)

4. Willful Disregard by Lena Andersson

Ester Nilsson is a sensible person in a sensible relationship. Until the day she is asked to give a lecture on famous artist Hugo Rask. The man himself is in the audience, intrigued and clearly delighted by her fascination with him. When the two meet afterward, she is spellbound. Ester’s life is then intrinsically linked to this meeting and the chain of events that unfolds. She leaves her boyfriend and throws herself into an imaginary relationship with Hugo. She falls deeply in love, and he consumes her thoughts. Indeed, in her own mind she’s sure that she and Hugo are a couple.

Slowly and painfully Ester comes to realize that her perception of the relationship is different from his. She’s a woman who prides herself on having a rational and analytical mind, but in the face of her overpowering feelings for Hugo, she is too clever and too honest for her own good. Bitingly funny and darkly fascinating, Willful Disregard is a story about total and desperate devotion, and how willingly we betray ourselves in the pursuit of love. (Amazon.com)

5. Everything I Don’t Remember by Jonas Hassen Khemiri

A young man named Samuel dies in a horrible car crash. Was it an accident or was it suicide? To answer that question, an unnamed writer with an agenda of his own sets out to map Samuel’s last day alive. Through conversations with friends, relatives, and neighbors, a portrait of Samuel emerges: the loving grandchild, the reluctant bureaucrat, the loyal friend, the contrived poseur. The young man who did everything for his girlfriend Laide and shared everything with his best friend Vandad. Until he lost touch with them both.

By piecing together an exhilarating narrative puzzle, we follow Samuel from the first day he encounters the towering Vandad to when they become roommates. We meet Panther, Samuel’s self-involved childhood friend whose move to Berlin indirectly cues the beginning of Samuel’s search for the meaning of love—which in turn leads Samuel to Laide. Soon, Samuel’s relationship with Laide leads to a chasm in his friendship with Vandad, and it isn’t long before the lines between loyalty and betrayal, protection, and peril get blurred irrevocably. (Goodreads.com)

6. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last—revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.

But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door—a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night (Goodreads.com)

7. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrick Backman

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other. (Goodreads.com)

8. Echos from the Dead by Johan Theorin

On a gray September day, on an island off the coast of Sweden, six -year -old Jens Davidsson ventured out of his backyard, walked out into a fog, and vanished….Now twenty years have passed, and in this magnificent debut novel of suspense—a runaway bestseller in Sweden—the boy’s mother returns to the place where her son disappeared, drawn by a chilling package sent in the mail… In it, lovingly wrapped, is one of Jens’ sandals—sandals Julia Davidsson put on her son’s feet that very last morning. Now, with only a handful of clues, Julia and her father are questioning islanders who were present the day Jens vanished—and making a shocking connection to Öland’s most notorious murder case: the killing spree of a wealthy young man who fled the island and died years before Jens was even born. Suddenly the island that once seemed so achingly familiar turns strange and dangerous… Until Julia finds herself facing truths she never imagined—about what really happened on that September day twenty years ago, about who may have crossed paths with little Jens in the fog, and how a child could truly vanish without a trace…until now. (Amazon.com)

  9. The Serious Game by Hjalmar Söderberg

Sweden at the turn of the previous century. Arvid, an ambitious and well-educated young man, meets Lydia, the daughter of a landscape painter, during an idyllic summer vacation and falls in love. Lydia, however, has other suitors, and Astrid is frightened of being tied down by his emotions. Trapped inside loveless marriages of convenience, they struggle in later years to rekindle the promise of their romance with bitter and tragic results (Amazon.com)

10. Hanna’s Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson

Anna has returned from visiting her mother. Restless and unable to sleep, she wanders through her parents' house, revisiting the scenes of her childhood. In a cupboard drawer, folded and pushed away from sight, she finds a sepia photograph of her grandmother, Hanna, whom she remembers as old and forbidding, a silent stranger enveloped in a huge pleated black dress. Now, looking at the features Anna recognises as her own, she realises she is looking at a different woman from the one of her memory. Set against the majestic isolation of the Scandinavian lakes and mountains, this is more than a story of three Swedish women. It is a moving testament of a time forgotten and an epic romance in every sense of the word (Goodreads.com)