#Bloomsbury Girls

[cupofteajones]

Perfect Audiobooks for Your Summer Roadtrip

Perfect Audiobooks for Your Summer Roadtrip

Get ready for book loving summer on the road! As people pack up for the road (or a plane, whatever is your preference) for the first real summer vacation in two years, you might need something to listen to for the many hours on the road. And audiobook is the perfect remedy for that situation! So in honor of Audiobook Month, we have a great selection of audiobooks with not only engaging…

[pmg227]

Favorite Reads for August '23

I’ve read several times lately that the blog is dead. I do listen to more podcasts than I read blogs, but there have been several blogs I enjoyed following and the writers have quit for different reasons. Most of the blogs I follow are about reading; book reviews especially. I suspect that one reason there are not as many of these can be pointed to the rise of the YouTube channels where people…

[cameracourt]

Book & Film Pairings, Edition 9: 1950s Shops

Welcome to another post where I pair books and films or series with similar themes or content! This time it’s a matchup of two stories set in the 1950s following 3-4 main women in a changing world, both significantly set in shops: Bloomsbury Girls and Ladies in Black. Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner Set in a book shop (!) in 1950s London, Bloomsbury Girls is the tale of three women at…

[mercerislandbooks]

Short Take: Bloomsbury Girls

We all have those story elements that inevitably lure us into picking up a book. Maybe it’s mountain climbing thrillers or anything with “Paris” in the title. Two things that guarantee I will at least read the flap copy are bookstores and London. Bookstores in London? At pretty much any time period? Yes. Natalie Jenner’s new release, Bloomsbury Girls, is set in a venerable London bookstore in 1950 and I immediately sank into the rhythms of the inner workings of a bookstore with a sense of wry recognition. Following up her bestseller, The Jane Austen Society, Jenner brings Evie Stone to the forefront after her labors to catalog the vast library at Chawton Great House. It’s post-war Britain, Evie has finished at Cambridge and finds herself in need of a job. Using her connections after an academic disappointment, she secures a job at Bloomsbury Books in the heart of London.

Evie’s new colleagues include two other intriguing women. Vivian is an aspiring writer who longs to take on a more prominent role in Bloomsbury Books, roles that have been confined to only male employees. Grace is a working wife and mother who finds her job as the secretary to the general manager an escape from contending with a difficult home life. All three women chafe against the restrictions placed on them in their jobs by the men ostensibly in charge. But when the store manager falls ill, Vivian, Grace and Evie seize their chance to challenge the rules. And all the while Evie is covertly searching for a potentially ground-breaking feminist text among the stacks at Bloomsbury Books. With cameos by characters from The Jane Austen Society, as well as prominent figures from the worlds of publishing and literature, this is a page-turning read from start to finish.

For a special bonus we have a collection of Bloomsbury Girls related book swag to give away, including a tea towel with an architectural map of Bloomsbury Books, a signed bookplate, an exclusive note from the author and other fun goodies. Ask at the desk when you buy your book, supplies are limited!

— Lori

[fideidefenswhore]

This was a marriage that convulsed not just a nation, but a whole continent.

Drawing on new archival documents, startling artefactual discoveries and reinterpretations of long-misunderstood sources, John Guy and Julia Fox unearth the truth of these two extraordinary lives and their tumultuous times. They pay particular attention to the formative years Anne spent in the French courts while Henry learned how to be king among English courtiers – and dispel any lingering assumptions that a sixteenth-century woman, even a queen, could exert little to no influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society [...] a sumptuous retelling of one of the most consequential marriages in history and a startling portrait of love, lust, politics and power.

+

By closely examining the most recent archival discoveries, and peeling back layers of historical myth and misinterpretation and distortion, Guy and Fox are able to set Anne and Henry's tragic relationship against the major international events of the time, and integrate and reinterpret sources hidden in plain sight or simply misunderstood. Among other things, they dispel lingering and latently misogynistic assumptions about Anne which anachronistically presumed that a sixteenth-century woman, even a queen, could exert little to no influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society. They reveal how, in fact, Anne was a shrewd, if ruthless, politician in her own right, a woman who steered Henry and his policies, often against the advice he received from his male advisers--and whom Henry seriously contemplated making joint sovereign.

Hunting the Falcon sets the facts-and some completely new finds-into a far wider frame, providing an appreciation of this misunderstood and underestimated woman. It explores how Anne organized her "side" of the royal court on novel and (in male eyes) subversive lines compared to her queenly predecessors, adopting instead French protocol by which the sexes mingled freely in her private chambers. Men could share in the women's often sexually charged courtly "pastimes" and had liberal access to Anne, and she to them--encounters from which she gained much of her political intelligence and extended her authority, and which also sowed the seeds of her own downfall.

[rhysands-rightknee]

#FreeSarahJMaas @worldofsarahjmaas

[thebacksofyourknees]

Just An Idea I Had

Ok so, I had this idea for a story and I don’t know if it’s been done before. I usually do my story ideas in vibes so... Anyway, it’s one of those stereotypical hockey love stories BUT the hockey player is a girl and the figure skater is a guy! Black love story ofc, but I feel like the vibes would be AMAZING especially because hockey is such a white dominated sport I just want to see some representation!!! Anyway good mf vibez onlaayyyy~~~~

[carrotcakecrumble]

Omg i thought i wouldn’t get it so much that i haven’t looked at the posting since i cannot remember a single thing about it apart from the company

[fatehbaz]

Organizing more notes. Some recent-ish books on German colonialism and imperial imaginaries of space/place, especially in Africa:

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German Colonialism in Africa and its Legacies: Architecture, Art, Urbanism, and Visual Culture (Edited by Itohan Osayimwese, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023)

An Imperial Homeland: Forging German Identity in Southwest Africa (Adam A. Blackler, Penn State University Press, 2023)

Coconut Colonialism: Workers and the Globalization of Samoa (Holger Droessler, Harvard University Press, 2022)

Colonial Geography: Race and Space in German East Africa, 1884-1905 (Matthew Unangst, University of Toronto Press, 2022)

The Play World: Toys, Texts, and the Transatlantic German Childhood (Patricia Anne Simpson, 2020)

Learning Empire: Globalization and the German Quest for World Status, 1875-1919 (Erik Grimmer-Solem, Cambridge University Press, 2019)

Violence as Usual: Policing and the Colonial State in German Southwest Africa (Marie A. Muschalek, 2019)

Revenants of the German Empire: Colonial Germans, the League of Nations, and Imperialism (Sean Andrew Wempe, 2019)

Rethinking Black German Studies: Approaches, Interventions and Histories (Edited by Tiffany Florvil and Vanessa Plumly, 2018)

German Colonial Wars and the Context of Military Violence (Susanne Kuss, translated by Andrew Smith, Harvard University Press, 2017)

Colonialism and Modern Architecture in Germany (Itohan Osayimwese, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2017)

---

German Colonialism in a Global Age (Edited by Bradley Naranch and Geoff Eley, 2014) Including:

"Empire by Land or Sea? Germany's Imperial Imaginary, 1840-1945" (Geoff Eley)

"Science and Civilizing Missions: Germans and the Transnational Community of Tropical Medicine" (Deborah J. Neill)

"Ruling Africa: Science as Sovereignty in the German Colonial Empire and Its Aftermath" (Andrew Zimmerman)

"Mass-Marketing the Empire: Colonial Fantasies and Advertising Visions" (David Ciarlo)

---

German Colonialism and National Identity (Edited by Michael Perraudin and Jurgen Zimmerer, 2017). Including:

"Between Amnesia and Denial: Colonialism and German National Identity" (Perraudin and Zimmerer)

"Exotic Education: Writing Empire for German Boys and Girls, 1884-1914" (Jeffrey Bowersox)

"Beyond Empire: German Women in Africa, 1919-1933" (Britta Schilling)

---

Advertising Empire: Race and Visual Culture in Imperial Germany (David Ciarlo, Harvard University Press, 2011)

The German Forest: Nature, Identity, and the Contestation of a National Symbol, 1871-1914 (Jeffrey K. Wilson, University of Toronto Press, 2012)

The Devil's Handwriting: Precoloniality and the German Colonial State in Qingdao, Samoa, and Southwest Africa (George Steinmetz, 2007)

[acotar-taylorsversion]

So for some reason I got lost in the Elucien side of tik tok and, of course, they are convinced they are endgame. They are the ones who think Elain avoids Lucien because she’s trying to suppress her attraction to him and what not, but I just think that’s silly. Even though I agree with them about how we don’t know what’s going on in her head, I just find that theory ridiculous, especially when you look at the overall text that surrounds Elain and Lucien.

I am an Elriel supporter and have been since 2017, but I always have that “what if” in the back of my mind because we all know Sarah can just completely forget about what she’s written and do something totally different. My biggest fear is that I won’t ever accept Lucien. Like, I only really support him when I read those tiny moments when he’s talking about or with Vassa, because I can see that. But I’m scared I won’t ever accept Lucien or Elucien because of what we know.

I’ve never truly connected with Lucien. I always saw him as the annoying one. I never could understand why everyone finds him attractive or charming. I moved on quickly when we learned about his history, it didn’t really affect me. He’s just annoying to me. And I know he’s not a bad guy, like I don’t hate him. I just don’t care for him. I literally forgot all about his character in acomaf until he showed up again to kidnap Feyre, and I was totally dumbfounded when he said Elain was his mate. It was the most random thing to me. I remember reading that part 3 times because I thought I was crazy. And I was so so happy when he volunteered to go search for Vassa because that meant he was going to be gone for a while in acowar, and then I forgot about him again unless he was brought up. He’s just a very forgettable character to me and it’s going to take a lot for my opinion to change. Like I honestly hate that someone like Elain got mated to someone like him. It’s the most random thing.

Like 3 brothers x 3 sisters just makes so much sense to me and it’s so perfectly even and symmetrical. 2 brothers x 2 sisters, 1 sister x random guy, 1 brother x random girl just doesn’t make sense at all.

I don’t think I could enjoy the series anymore if Sarah has planned for Elucien and gwynriel all this time because why spend all that time building up Elriel? And I’m sorry, but people who say that they didn’t see Elriel moments as romantic clearly didn’t read them. I know we interpret things differently, but y’all are just delusional if you can’t see that.

I’ll go ahead and say it. The main reason I support vassien is because it gives Lucien a happy ending while elain is free to love who she wants and not who she is told to by the cauldron or whatever. I hate that she is being forced to make a decision that she should never have to make. And it’s not like we don’t have a reason to support vassien, there are some cute little moments between Vassa and Lucien. But even, with a vassien pov, I don’t think I would enjoy Lucien’s part. Another thing, I could totally see him dying. I’ve always thought he would seeing how he was becoming feyre’s friend and what not. That usually happens to that type of character in fantasy stories.

Who knows, though 🤷🏻‍♀️. I’m just over all these things with the fandom here lately. From the doxx threats, forcing artists to quit creating art for us because of the hate they receive, the teasing from Bloomsbury, and this stupid ship war, I’m just mentally exhausted from it.

Sorry for the rant, guys. I’ll be more positive next time, hopefully lol 😆

Hope everyone is doing good after all that’s happened ♥️

[cupofteajones]

Best Books of 2022...So Far: Fiction & Mysteries

Best Books of 2022…So Far: Fiction & Mysteries

Welcome to another round of the Best Books of the Year so Far, where halfway through the year, I name the titles I read that I feel are the best of 2022. Just like last year, I will be listing the books by different genre and format. So stay tuned every Thursday throughout the rest of this month, catch my favorite reads of 2022 that you want to keep your eye on! (more…)

[multi-writer]

The Broken Hearts Club - Eddie Munson

Friends Ending

Lovers Ending

Summary: After being best friends for years you finally decided to tell Eddie about your feelings. But what happens when an unexpected person comes along to ruin your plans?

A/N: Guess who´s back? and with a 5.3k words (or 12 pages) angst about Eddie? Hell yeah. This is a bit based on @/bloomsbury art. She´s amazing, all her works are *Chef kisses* and I needed to write this lol. I´m thinking this will have two endings - Lovers ending and Friends ending. (BTW I'm also working on another Steve fic, another Eddie one shot and the next chapter of Love in the Past) Thanks for all your support and I hope you like this fic too!

Warnings: curses, angst, nothing about the upside down happened,.

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The words became landscapes, people, emotions. Your eyes passed line after line, taking in all the ideas and creations that the author had put into his work. The noises around you dissipated the moment you stepped into the book, even the boys next to you had become invisible to the characters and their actions that enveloped your mind. Or so you thought until a knock next to you brought you out of your world.

“Ready for the new adventure coming?" asked Eddie Munson happily as he sat down at his place at the table. Gareth, Dustin, Mike and Jeff shouted a -Yeah!- excited about Eddie's new plan to get them into his D&D world. The boy smiled and then turned his gaze to you causing you to close your book and place it on the table, your elbow landed next to it to cup your cheek with your hand and look at it expectantly.

"Ink!" shouted Eddie with one of the many nicknames he had given you for your taste in books "Any plans or suggestions to make the new world more entertaining?". You just shrugged.

"I still don't know what you have planned Munson, I must read it to give my opinion. Now if you will allow me to go back to my book" You said as you picked it up again and opened it to the page where you had left off.

"After school come to the van and I'll show you what I have" Eddie said to get a thumbs up from you agreeing to his plan. The rest of the guys continued to talk about how excited they were about the new plan Eddie was going to create for them to play with. You, from time to time, looked up to admire the long haired boy talking enthusiastically to his buddies making you smile.

You and Eddie had met years ago at the town library when you were both looking for something new to read. The boy was fighting with a local helper while you were behind him waiting to check out more books. Hearing that the 15 year old boy couldn't find anything like LOTR -and that the assistant didn't know how to help him- you decided to recommend him 'Salem's lot' book by a new writer who was dedicated to horror, a very different reading from LOTR but that you had liked a lot. The boy accepted the book in surprise and decided to take it to him instead of continuing to fight. Seeing him go, you just smiled and signed the borrowing list for 'The Shining' book by the same author. When you came out you found Eddie sitting on the stairs waiting for you as he started to read the book, when he saw you he quickly stood up and introduced himself by extending a hand to you. Since then, the two of you were inseparable, even when he was two years older than you, you would always go out to play or talk forming a crush for the boy. Now, just out of high school, you were ready to confess your feelings to him.

"Eddie? Did Chrissy throw you a smile? And you smiled back?!" Your friend's exclamations brought you out of your literary bubble to look at Eddie, then turn to see the cheerleader leaving the cafeteria and return your gaze to Eddie who was still looking at the girl.

"What...what's going on?" you asked in a shaky voice fearing the worst. Eddie just shrugged his shoulders and stood up on the table to make dramatic talk.

"As you know it's my senior year" he held out his arms as Jeff let out a groan interrupting his friend.

"Dude, you've been saying that for two years" The boy put his face in his hand in boredom. Eddie just held up his finger as he smiled at him.

"Well being my senior year, I finally got up the nerve to talk to Chrissy and I'm going to try to ask her to go out with me" he put his hands on his chest. "And not only will I walk out of here with a diploma in hand flippin Higgins the bird, but I'll walk out of here with the queen of Hawkins in my arms."

For every comment Eddie made your face was dropping, as if the life had gone out of it. Gareth discreetly put his hand on your leg making you jump a little in surprise and turn to look at him. The boy looked at you with sad eyes for what was happening.  Gareth had discovered your crush on Eddie a year ago when he inadvertently overheard you talking to Robin about your love for your best friend.

"Besides, it would be perfect! She and I have known each other since we were kids!" exclaimed Eddie as he jumped down from the table startling some girls. Hearing the bell Eddie grabbed his things quickly. "I'll go talk to her before she goes into class. This is finally going to be my year!" he yelled as he walked out of the cafeteria causing several students to let out a laugh.

The rest of the guys started to get up from the table to grab their stuff and go to their classes, leaving you alone with a broken heart and in shock at what had just happened.

"But... we knew each other when we were kids too" You said quietly as you watched the door where Eddie had left.

-.-

"I'm telling you, of all those losers you could have fallen in love with you decided to do it with Eddie Munson" Robin commented as you both walked to your lockers after a day of classes. "There's even dingus! If you like you can come with me to work and who knows, maybe something will happen" Said your girl best friend as she put her books in her locker, you were leaning on yours as you thought about what you were going to do.

"It's not that simple Robin, it's not that Steve isn't cute, but there's something about Eddie that's different, plus the way I feel about Eddie has been since I was a kid." you commented as Robin let out a sigh and closed her locker to grab you by the shoulders.

"Hun, I know it's hard, but I don't want you to end up with a broken heart just before you finish high school. Tell me, did you get the letters from the colleges yet?" Robin tried to change the subject making you smile.

"I already got two, but Columbia´s still missing," you commented. The girl let out a small 'Yes!' as she punched the air with her fist.

“You better tell me when you get your answer, then you will leave this place to start living and become the best writer in the world. Who knows, maybe you'll become so famous you'll meet Tom Cruise and get married and have lots of babies. I mean, have you see him in ‘Top Gun’?" She said as she raised both eyebrows making you let out a laugh. Robin managed to distract your mind for a moment until Gareth and Jeff approached.

"Hey, have you seen Eddie? It's almost time for D&D" commented Jeff as he rubbed both hands together excitedly. You grabbed your backpack and started walking to the school exit along with the two boys and Robin.

"No, I'll go to his van to check that everything is well planned and that this new game goes well" you commented smiling, the boys watched you happily and then said goodbye to go to the drama room where they would get ready to play.

"Want a ride? Nance will pick me up to take me to work" commented Robin as she stopped in front of the school doors. You just shook your head.

"I'm fine, thanks. I'll go check out that D&D thing" you told her as you pointed to Eddie's van.

"Perfect, if anything happens call us" Robin started to walk away when she saw Nancy in her car waiting for her. "And remember!" she yelled. "Tom Cruise is a thousand times better, and that's a lot coming from me!"

You just shook your head as you smiled and started walking towards Eddie's car, from which music was blaring, giving you to understand that the boy was inside. As you approached you held your backpack tightly with one of your hands to open the door with the other.

When you opened the car door you were confronted with a scene you hadn't expected to see yet. Chrissy was on Eddie's lap as they both quickly separated to see who had interrupted them. You let out a little scream and then slammed the door shut to leave them alone. Heat ran down your cheeks from the embarrassment you felt as a lump quickly formed in your throat. Inside the car you could hear noises from both teenagers for a moment until the door slammed open again.

"Hey, sorry you had to see that" Eddie commented with a relaxed smile as he held his notes in his hand. "Here's what I was thinking of doing for D&D, anything or suggestions let me know, okay?" he asked as Chrissy's voice could be heard inside the Van calling for him. The boy smiled even wider and handed you his notes to start getting into his car. "Oh, and tell the rest that I'll be there in a few moments" he commented one last time and then closed the door in your face without giving you a chance to say anything else.

You saw his notes in your hands for a few moments and then saw the car door, the music was still playing and this time it was accompanied by Eddie and Chrissy's laughter. You just turned around and started walking towards the school as small tears fell from your eyes and you bit your lip to keep from sobbing on the spot, your cheeks still red with embarrassment. You quickly made your way to the school entrance to go to the Drama room and drop off Eddie's notes.

You weren't planning to check them out.

As you walked in you could hear the voices of the boys excited about their new game. Gareth was the first to turn around, who, upon seeing you, quickly got up from his seat to walk over to you and hug you.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly as you held his shirt tightly for support.

"Eddie and Chrissy" you commented between breaths, however Gareth understood. The boy directed you out of the room so you could have more privacy in the empty hall.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gareth said as he continued to hug you. You just pulled away and denied as you wiped your tears with the palm of your hand.

"No... just take this, the notes. Give them to him when he gets here, yes?" you asked as you handed him the notes and then rubbed your hands on your arms comforting yourself. Gareth just looked at the notes and nodded.

You mumbled a small 'thank you' and started walking towards the school exit to go straight home. You weren't planning on staying to watch them play after what had happened. The walk home wasn't long, so when you arrived you were still crying about what had happened earlier that day.

How had Chrissy gotten in a few days what you had waited more than five years for?

Life was truly unfair.

As you entered your house you could hear your mother in the kitchen listening to the radio to make the place feel so lonely. You left your backpack in the living room and then went to the bathroom. In the mirror you could see that your eyes were crystal clear while the rest of your face was red from crying, you took your time trying to recover and wet your face. When you came out you went straight to your room.

"(Y/n) Is that you?" your mom asked from the kitchen as you lay down on your bed.

"Yes! I'm going to sleep for a while!" You shouted to her as you hugged one of your pillows, hearing no answer you closed your eyes and thought of something other than Eddie. You stayed like that until you fell asleep.

Hours later you felt a hand on your shoulder trying to wake you up while at the same time you felt a gust of wind coming through the window.

"Eddie...?" you asked as you tried to wake up.

"No honey, it's mom. You got mail" Your mother said in a soft voice so as not to upset you, you kept trying to regain consciousness until your brain caught what your mother had said.

You got mail.

You quickly got out of bed to run downstairs. In the kitchen you saw that your mother had put the other two letters next to the new one. You had only applied to three colleges, so your heart was pounding with nerves. Your mom came up behind you to pull up a chair so you could sit down.

The first letter was from Northwestern University, your third choice, which you quickly opened and ran your eyes down the lines hoping to find one you liked.

"I'm in!" you smiled at your mom who hugged you tightly. You pushed aside her response to then open the next letter and second choice. Sadly University of Pittsburgh had left you on the waiting list.

Nervously you looked at your first choice. Columbia. That was your dream since you knew you wanted to write, so you slowly reached out your hand and took the letter. You opened it with all the patience you had at the time, running your eyes over the lines of the letter and taking in all the information you could gather. When you found your answer you let out a gasp and ran out of your house with letter in hand.

You had never run as fast as you did that night, when you arrived at Eddie's trailer you knocked loudly on his door until someone opened the door. Wayne was looking at you while carrying a cup in his hand.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?" The man asked tenderly, after all he saw you as a daughter watching you grow up along with his nephew. You, between breaths, showed him the letter from Columbia. The man read the letter slowly and then let out a sigh of relief and hugged you tightly. "I knew you would make it, you are a pride for all of us," he said between tears. "Eddie's not here, he's out with that girl and I don't know when he'll be back. Do you want me to tell him the good news?" you just shook your head.

"No, I'd like to tell him myself Wayne" you commented as you hugged the letter containing your future. You didn't think to tell him that the fact that Eddie was with Chrissy hurt you - However, Wayne knew about your feelings for his nephew - the man just nodded and then gave you another hug to congratulate you - or maybe comfort you.

Behind Wayne you could see the clock and noticed that Robin was not yet off work, so you said goodbye to Eddie's uncle and started walking straight to the video store. Images of Eddie with Chrissy flashed through your mind and then changed to Columbia. Finally good things were happening.

When you arrived you noticed Robin and Steve arranging several movies, the sign at the entrance said that the store was already closed, but you didn't care and walked through the door making the little bell ring.

"Can't you read? We're closed" Steve said without looking at you as he continued doing his work. Not hearing you leave, the boy turned to look at you. "you doesn't listen either? What already..." you interrupted him by lifting the letter in your hands causing Robin to let out a scream and run to hug you pushing Steve on his way causing the boy to let out a small 'hey'.

"You got in! You got in didn't you? Because if you didn't this would be really awkward" Robin started rambling while holding your shoulders, you just nodded with a huge smile and then hugged again. As you pulled apart you could see Steve looking at you with a smile as he came over to hug you.

"Congratulations" he whispered in your ear causing you to thank him equally whispering.

"Now if you'll have a chance to make a name for yourself, meet Tom Cruise and finally forget about Eddie" Robin commented without thinking causing Steve to pull away from you abruptly to grab your shoulders.

"Eddie? Like Eddie Munson" The boy looked at you quizzically as you nodded shyly, Robin just kept quiet as she watched you, noticing that no one was talking, the girl continued.

"But it doesn't matter, you will leave this place and live the life you deserved and wanted for a long time" She commented as she lifted her shoulders.

"Besides Eddie is with Chrissy" you commented looking at her causing her to stop dead in her tracks and turn to look at you in surprise.

"What? What do you mean?" Robin walked over as you explained to her what had happened outside the school after she had already left. When you finished Robin gave you a hug to comfort you as Steve shifted his gaze from you to Robin.

"What the fuck is going on? I come out of school and the freak is dating the prettiest cheerleader. Nothing makes sense" Steve commented quietly only to get a smack from Robin to shut the guy up. "But it doesn't matter! What matters is that someone from this town will fulfill their dreams at one of the top colleges in the country!" Steve tried to fix what he had said by making you laugh. You won´t let anyone take away your happiness.

However, the next few days and weeks were more complicated. You saw them every day showing some affection causing your jealousy to grow even more. But it all went downhill a few weeks before graduation. At lunch time you were the first to arrive at the table so you decided to take out one of your favorite Stephen King books - you didn't feel like reading something romantic and remember that didn't exist in your life - and distract yourself while the rest of the group arrived. One by one they began to arrive and talk about what they had done the night before.

"(y/n) why haven't you come these days?" asked Dustin as he looked at you with his sparkling eyes and a small smile making you smile. Gareth was just silent as he looked at you worriedly.

"I wasn't feeling well, I wanted to go home to rest before the big day" you commented as you continued your reading. "Hope you didn't miss me too much" you finished jokingly.

"Don't worry, Chrissy made sure there wasn't a girl missing from the game" Mike commented nonchalantly as he began to eat. You looked up so fast you thought you had hurt your neck.

"What?" you asked as you forgot what you were reading, your breathing became faster and faster and instead of sadness, anger began to fill your body. Mike continued talking without seeing that everything he was saying was affecting you.

"Yes, she has come with Eddie and seeing that you haven't been with us she took your place so no players were missing so -OW!" Mike shouted while holding his leg, Gareth -who had hit him- ran a hand across his neck signaling Mike to shut up. Before the boy could say anything else, Eddie arrived along with Chrissy, who sat her on his lap. The cheerleader just let out a small giggle as she blushed at the show of affection.

"Wow, Stephen King! I heard he´s al about horror" Chrissy, cute as ever, tried to draw you out while giving you an honest smile. It was impossible to be mad at her. You just smiled forcedly and nodded.

"He's one of my favorite writers. He's still relatively new to the world of literature but his stories are amazing" you commented as you closed your book then brought your hands under the table and scratched your palms in anxiety. Eddie let out a small laugh causing you both to turn to look at him.

"It's entertaining but kind of slow, personally they're not my thing" he commented as he gave Chrissy a small kiss on the cheek. His comment hurt thanks to the fact that Stephen King books were the reason the two had started their friendship. Chrissy, seeing that the comment had affected you tried to fix the situation.

"But they sound very interesting! Someday I'd like to read them" Chrissy turned to you with a smile as you looked angrily at Eddie.

"You're not going to like them, they're kind of boring" continued Eddie oblivious that you were getting annoyed.

"Eddie..." continued Chrissy. "I don't think-" you interrupted the girl.

"No Chrissy, let him continue. Tell me Eddie, what else is boring you" You said as anger began to take hold of you. Eddie took it as a sign to tease you a little.

"The people who read them. There's something about them that, I don't know, I don't like them" Eddie continued with a smile thinking they were playing games, however you finally snapped, so you got up to quickly grab your stuff and leave. His comment hurt a lot more than he could believe.

"See you guys later" you commented as you left the cafeteria, eyes filling with tears from frustration. Robin, seeing you leave, turned to Eddie to give him the finger and go after you. The entire hellfire club -and Chrissy- were silent, shocked at what had just happened. Eddie was speechless at your reaction, not expecting you to be so upset.

Robin met you in front of your locker as you threw your books down hard and wiped your tears with your hand, frustrating you even more. You, noticing Robin, started saying everything you had been holding in your chest.

"How dare he say such stupid things" you said to her as you slammed your locker shut. "He's an idiot!" you yelled as you kicked your locker trying to get all the anger out, your actions surprised Robin, who had never seen you like this before. Apparently years of holding in a feeling can take a serious toll on a person, especially when you saw them happy with another person.

"Besides, look at them! They're the perfect couple!" You continued in a mocking tone. "She's a walking rainbow, always positive and kind and the perfect popular girl while he's dark shades and metal and what everyone would fear. They complement each other perfectly! God I've been in love with him for years! What an idiot to think I had a single damn chance!" you put your hands over your face so your scream of frustration wouldn't be so loud.

When you took your hands away from your face you found not only Robin -who was leaning on the lockers while looking at the floor and biting her lip- but also Eddie who looked at you surprised by what he had heard.

The three of them were silent not knowing what to say, it was as if your voice had disappeared and his mind had gone blank. Eddie was the first to react by slowly approaching you as if he was afraid you were going to hurt him.

"Hey... I think we need to talk about this" You only shook your head, the boy finally had his desired girl in his arms, besides this was not the way you wanted him to find out about your feelings. You slowly turned around and started to walk away from him, but Eddie had other plans. The boy ran in front of you to grab you by the shoulders. "Look, if this was about the book I'm sorry, it was just a joke dude."

Dude

It was the first time he called you that and the worst time.

You looked at him angrily, eyes red and crystalline. You were already tired of everything that was happening and you didn't think you could take it anymore.

"Don't talk to me, don't come near me, let alone don't think I want to keep putting up with this. Goodbye Eddie." You forcefully removed his hands from your shoulders and then walked towards the school exit. You didn't plan on being there another minute.

Eddie stood looking at where you had gone, trying to think about what had just happened and what he had done wrong to have lost you. His thoughts were interrupted by Robin, who nudged him with her shoulder to go after you.

"If you thought this was all about a stupid book then you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were" Robin commented as she walked off to find you and not leave you alone. After all what you needed most at that moment was a shoulder to cry on and a friend to hug.

-.-

The next few weeks passed quickly, between classes and packing what you were taking to Columbia kept you busy and Eddie out of your mind. Since that sad day you hadn't gone near the table where you used to sit, nor had you talked to any of the club. You just went to sit with Robin and the school band to read. Before you knew it your room was almost empty and graduation day had arrived. You proudly received your diploma as your parents, Wayne, Steve, Robin and Gareth shouted with happiness for you.

Tears were falling and smiles were adorning the place, after a long time you were finally free and you were leaving the place. In the distance you heard screams and saw that the Hellfire club was screaming with excitement because their friend had finally graduated, Eddie looked happy for what had happened, causing you to smile a little, after all you still loved him. Your smile turned nostalgic as you watched him take pictures with Chrissy as they hugged and kissed. Your heart ached not only to see the two of them together, but because you would not see Eddie again for a long time.

Losing your best friend since childhood hurts more than losing a lover. 

Robin, dressed in her graduation gown, seeing you looking at Eddie, draped her arm over your shoulders to regain your attention back to your parents and friends.

"We need to go celebrate, after all you are almost leaving and I don't want your last day at Hawkins to be thinking about an idiot" she commented with a smile making you smile as she broke away to take one of your arms. Steve took your other arm to lead you towards the exit of the school you would never set foot in again.

It was time to celebrate.

Eddie looked for you among his friends, Chrissy and the crowd of people so he could hug you, after all you had managed to survive high school too. As he watched you leave with your friends and family -without turning to look at him- he let out a sad sigh and then turned his attention to Chrissy and smile. He had finally graduated and had the queen of Hawkins on his arm.

But why did he feel incomplete?

All afternoon Eddie thought about you, about what had happened, about how he wanted to go with you to celebrate together, to hold you, to be with you. The club had each gone home to enjoy the vacations, Chrissy was with the rest of her cheerleading friends who had graduated and Eddie was lying on his bed in his trailer. Wayne slowly approached with a small cake he had bought Eddie to celebrate his achievement. It wasn't much but it was special to both of them. As he saw his boy lying in his bed he realized how much he was hurting.

"Do you miss her?" Wayne asked as he walked over to Eddie with the small dessert in his hands making the boy smile.

"Chrissy? I'm going to see her tomorrow" he commented as he took the small treat in his hands. Wayne just shook his head.

"I didn't mean the cheerleader" Wayne's comment caused Eddie to duck his head knowing who they were referring to. Of course he missed you, there was no doubt about that, after all one day it was the two of you against the world and the next day it was the two of you against each other while the world watched. "You know, I didn't think you were going out with her" Wayne continued as he noticed the silence in his nephew.

"What do you mean old man?" asked Eddie with a small smile causing Wayne to give him a little shove for the nickname.

"You two were always together, you were inseparable, (y/n) I mean. After all you always liked her" Eddie lifted his shoulders. "And she'd give anything for you. But you still dated the cheerleader"

Eddie stood for a few seconds thinking until he came up with the answer.

"I was afraid" he said as he set the cake down on the small table next to his bed. "(y/n) is this special girl, she loved to dream and live big, there was no stopping her, wherever she was she lit up the room. And I'm...me."

"That's what she loved most about you, that it was just you" Wayne commented.

"I think I'd rather have her next to me as my friend than lose her forever as my girlfriend" Eddie continued as he lay back down, bringing his hands to his face trying to hide the small tears that were falling from his eyes. "And yet I still lost her."

"You should talk to her as soon as possible. Take it as an advice from this old man" Wayne replied as he patted his nephew's leg then got up to leave for work.

Eddie spent the whole night thinking about everything he experienced with you, his past and his future, in every memory you were with him, he also thought about what Wayne had said.

It wasn't until the next day that Eddie finally made his mind, he got up to change his clothes and get ready, it took him a few minutes to find the keys to his van and run out of the house.

When he arrived at your house he noticed that one of your parents' car was missing, but he didn't minde, maybe one of them was already working. Noticing that it was still early, he decided to go to your bedroom window instead of ringing the doorbell and, among several plans, he managed to figure out how to climb the tree to reach your room. When he was well secured so as not to fall he began to lightly touch your window with one of his rings causing a high-pitched sound. After waiting 5 minutes and knocking 3 times he decided to try to open the window, which gave way easily.

As he entered he began to talk, but stopped when he noticed something different in your room. Several things were missing from your place, the white walls looked at him as they were not caught up with the posters you had and most of your books were missing from your bookshelf. Eddie watched your room some more as his breathing began to quicken at not finding you in your room.

You had already left Hawkins.

[cameracourt]

Recommended Reading: Literary Influenced Fiction

[gogandmagog]

I really hope you’ll write Peter Pan in Rainbow Valley! You’re the most qualified to match Barrie’s and Montgomery’s respective tones, all your fics are very whimsical and funny. I’d LOVE to read it.

Lol! Oh, thank youuu. That’s so nice! 🥹 And just so you know, I’m really happy to have another J.M. Barrie mutual, I feel like we’re kind of thin on the ground on tumblr. I follow all his tags here, and they’re so rarely added to.

I like half drafted an outline on this, and will keep it in the future-maybe-someday file for ‘fics that want to be written,’ but it’s a real purgatory over there, if I’m being honest. But outlining it has admittedly taken zero effort, because these two stories almost seem meant to be joined. We know Maud was a huge fan of J.M. Barrie, and by extension of Peter and Wendy… and I’ve long personally thought that it was beyond pure coincidence that ‘James Matthew Blythe’ is so similar in name to ‘James Matthew Barrie’… but even Rainbow Valley (place not book), which is kind of this liminal space between fairyland and reality, sacred to childhood and play, has some existing Neverlandness about it already built in. And then there’s these compelling similarities between Mrs. Darling and Mrs. Anne Blythe as well; both charming mothers, both adult advocates for/in/of imagination, and both wonderful storytellers (Peter lingers around the eaves of the Darlings Bloomsbury home to hear her stories) that are devotedly loved by their husbands and children. But for me, I think it's a huge (the hugest) point of interest to loop in Walter, who saw the Piper, like really really saw him, in Rainbow Valley. How easy it would be to kick out the German Pied Piper and drawn in Peter Pan and his flute, instead… two characters who are already deeply linked by folklore. Elsewhere, if the Jolly Roger, did take a wrong star and run aground in the Rainbow Valley brook, it’s just asking to have the suspended-in-time Neverland pirates be familiar with Captain Jim and maybe Lost Margaret, from bygone Life-Book days. I’d even give Shirley a boyish thimble-passing romance with Tiger Lily, the same way I’ve always wanted to see him paired off with a Mi’kmaq girl. Aunt Mary Maria’s hand also shoots right up for the doubling Hook-ish authoritarian/‘grow up already’/take-all-the-fun-away role (Gilbert would never suit it the way Mr. Darling did). But anyway! With all this low hanging fruit, it’d seriously be so simple to neatly tuck these two books into each other at every corner. It’s really all right there.

[sea-owl]

I wonder how Colin would react if he heard Pen say that if he indeed got her pregnant, she'd marry someone else. Like maybe he overhears Pen talking to Edwina who's still worried that she might fall pregnant but Pen just shrugs and says "Even if I am, I can always just pass of the child as another man's." And Yandere Colin goes ballistic because raising his child with another man???? No the fuck she won't.

For those wondering this an extension to this post.

Considering a part of him was probably hoping that she would get pregnant and then oh no now they have wed, but our children will be gorgeous! Yeah he would not take that news very well.

That baby would be his and Penelope's to raise. Their family members could help but he is not letting no other man be husband and father to his Penelope and his kid. He doesn't care if the kid doesn't exist yet, it is the principle of the matter damn it!

Colin was out in the market, charming many to first learn who holds Jack Featherington in high esteem and who doesn't. Then he can plan on who he has to on getting to see him as the sleaze he is.

It's by chance that he stumbles upon Edwina and Penelope, both of whom had not noticed him yet.

Penelope's hair is pulled back, giving Colin a view of her neck. The same neck he had nibbled on only a few nights before.

Penelope had kissed him in the carriage. That kiss quickly becoming more passionate as they found themselves lying on one of the benches. Her bodice pulled down with him sucking on her collar bone.

The kiss continued in his Bloomsbury home. Their clothes fell off their bodies as they fell into his bed. Entering into her warmth had felt like coming home. Doing it in front of the mirror had been a holy experience as he watched the pleasure he brought to his goddess.

"But Pen, what if you fall pregnant?" Edwina whispered to Penelope. Had Colin not been standing so close and paying attention he wouldn't have heard.

"Winnie relax," Penelope said, holding Edwina's hand. "I have faith in Phillip's contraception tea, and should it fail Phillip and I already plan to wed should we need to. If it happens then that plan will only be sped up."

What?

Should she fall pregnant with his child she would do what?

Absolutely not. He lost her in his previous life before, he will not lose her now.

Not to be outdone Colin walked right up to the two girls.

"Hello my love," Colin whispered to Penelope before capturing her lips with his own.