#a happy amy is a productive amy and that goes for her as well | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dracarialove · 4 months

Text

📄 F it, I'm posting my finished fics here, too 📄

Heartfelt Holidays

As the year goes on, Sonic and his friends celebrate some of the festive annual holidays that give them a reason to party and socialize! And during these events, two members of Team Dark will find excuses to spend more time together.

Main Ship: Shadow/Rouge

Other Ships: Sonic/Amy (one-sided); Vector/Vanilla

*Originally published Feb. 14th, 2022

[Chapter 1: Rouge's Valentine]

After being invited to a party, Rouge notices one important guest is missing and seeks out Shadow's company, despite his loner tendencies.

The middlemost morning of February carried a clear sky and brought bright strips of daylight through the thin slits in Rouge's bedroom curtains. She stayed in bed so long as she was able to ignore the glaring beams, but couldn't withstand them as the sun rose higher above the top floor of Club Rouge.

It was just as well, she conceded, for her employees would be arriving soon enough to open the club; so, she pulled herself out of bed and dressed in her signature outfit, then brushed her teeth and hair before going downstairs to let the club staff open for the day.

She took a stroll to the nearby post office to check her mail, passing shops and restaurants that advertised Valentine's Day products and services.

'My, don't those look nice,' she thought to herself, admiring a pair of heart-shaped earrings in a jewelry store window.

She looked to her left, then her right, making a mental note of the abundance of bystanders present on the sidewalk. 'Too many people around to think about taking them... for now.'

Moving on to the building that stored her mail, the bat unlocked and opened the sleek metal box, pulling out a single envelope before closing it again.

The rectangular sleeve was colored a pastel pink, with a small red heart sticking it shut – Rouge turned it over in her gloved hand, looking for the sender's name, and saw curvy letters spelling out 'Amy Rose' on one corner of the paper.

'A letter from Amy?' she wondered, her eyelids raising curiously. 'On Valentine's Day?'

Looking up at the bold blue sky, she let the crisp breeze coax her into flying atop the post office, sitting on the roof to read the letter in private. As she slid her finger under the heart-shaped sticker, Rouge saw a hint of white card stock, soon pulling it out of the envelope to gaze at the front.

It was a plain white greeting card with red glittery letters that spelled out "Happy Valentine's Day!"

'How sweet of her to send these out,' the lady thought, slipping her thumb into the crease of the card to prop it open.

The same curvy lettering was present on the inside, showcasing Amy's handwriting as it read, "Rouge, I hope you'll join us for a Valentine's Day party at my house. It's going to be SWEET! - Amy"

The ivory jewel hunter smiled to herself as she considered attending the event, then slid the letter back inside the pink envelope. 'Well, it is a special occasion... why not?'

***

The bubbly hedgehog was placing down a platter of sprinkle-topped sugar cookies for her guests when she heard a knock at the front door. The inside of Amy's modest home was filled with partygoers who chatted and sampled the various snacks and sodas covering the counters and tables.

Most of her friends were in attendance – as well as a few plus-ones they'd decided to bring along – and upbeat instrumental music played in the background while they laughed and talked amongst themselves.

Rose strolled through the scattered crowd, excusing herself around acquaintances to open the door. Rouge was her newest arrival, standing at the entrance with a greeting card in her grip.

"Rouge!" the girl exclaimed. "So glad you could make it!"

"Sounded like a good time," the bat explained, looking down at Amy's outfit. "Seems you've updated your wardrobe for the occasion."

The young hostess clasped both hands behind her back and grinned, proudly sporting a dress and boots identical in style to her typical look with inverted colors.

Cherry red accented the snowy white, and she wore a scarlet heart-shaped sticker on each of her peachy cheeks. "Thanks! I couldn't pass up the chance to show off my new dress to Sonic!"

She giggled and Rouge held out the card, saying, "I gotcha this."

"Oh, wonderful!" Amy took it from her hand and gestured inside the house. "Come in, everybody's here!"

The bat walked through the doorway and gazed around at the clumps of guests all standing together and mingling. Some she recognized – like Sonic and his crew – but others were strangers, so she simply looked around for the first person she felt like talking to.

Across the room, she spotted tall white plumes standing higher than the other partiers' heads, which she recognized as hair belonging to Silver the Hedgehog.

Rouge made her way over and found Blaze, Tails, Vector, and Espio standing alongside Silver; some were holding plastic cups, and they seemed to be having a simple conversation until they noticed her approaching.

"Hey, guys," greeted the charismatic woman, waving at the group.

"Hey, Rouge, good to see you," Silver said, briefly raising his cup in lieu of waving back.

Vector commented, "Man, everybody's showing up to this thing! I don't know if Amy can fit any more people in here!"

The rest of them chuckled, then carried on with light conversation until Rouge got curious about what they were drinking. When she asked, Blaze pointed towards a long table sitting against a wall.

She said, "There's soda, water, and Amy set up a bowl of cherry punch for everyone."

Teal eyes noticed a familiar acquaintance when the white-haired lady scanned her gaze across the table – Knuckles the Echidna filling his cup with a ladle of ruby-hued punch. Rouge lowered an eyebrow mischievously as she saw the opportunity to tease him, then walked over to make her presence known.

Strolling up behind the redhead, she cleared her throat before speaking, "Well, well, look who I found."

Knuckles turned and furrowed his brow a bit when he saw her, his mouth pulling into an annoyed frown. His gruff voice rushed forth with a snappy comeback. "Great, who invited you?"

"Hm!" She smirked, holding eye contact and raising one hand to rest on her hip. "I'm surprised you resisted the urge to show up at my doorstep begging me to be your plus-one."

"Ha! As if I'd ever want to invite you anywhere," Knuckles responded, turning more as he began walking past her.

"Wait!" Rouge reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Didn't you get me a gift?"

He flashed his fangs and snickered. "No. Why, do you think you deserve one?"

"I'd consider you boneheaded if you didn't think so," she teased, still smiling playfully while crossing her arms.

"Think of me what you will – I don't donate to thieves!" The echidna's smirk remained as he turned his back to her and walked away, hearing Rouge scoff.

She uttered mockingly, "Touchy!" before pouring herself a shallow cup of punch.

Wandering around the living room of Amy's house, the pretty bat sipped her drink and followed the music. It led her to the boombox sitting on an end table, where Sonic the Hedgehog was casually leaning his weight on the wall and tapping his foot to the beat. His green eyes lit up a bit when he saw Rouge, and he smiled as she walked over.

"Hey!" he greeted, snapping his fingers once and pointing at her. The tread of his shoe continued to thump on the carpet while they talked. "Didn't know if I'd see you here – no plans for Valentine's Day?"

She shrugged. "Not really. I figured something would be happening. If I wasn't here, I'd be off picking out a nice present for myself."

Sonic chuckled, "Just can't keep your sticky hands off the expensive stuff, huh?"

"Ugh, you're the second person now to harp on me for my extravagant taste." Her glossy lips curved into an amused smile.

"Let me guess: the first was Knuckles?" he asked, one brow lowering as he grinned.

It was her turn to chuckle as one gloved palm moved to rest on her hip again. "He really is that obvious, isn't he?"

Sonic shrugged playfully, and there was a moment of silence between them. The mingling bat took a swift look around and noted that someone was missing from the party. She looked back to him and asked, "I don't see Shadow anywhere; did he not get invited?"

Once again, the blue hedgehog's shoulders touched his muzzle. "I think Amy invited everybody. Even Omega's around here somewhere. But you know Shadow, this isn't really his scene. Stubborn guy like him? He probably threw out the letter without even opening it."

"Hm..." Rouge's free hand left her hip and raised to cup her chin. She tapped one finger below her lips, then replied, "I should pay him a visit. Do you have an idea of where he might be?"

Sonic took a second to think, looking up at the ceiling and rubbing his own chin in contemplation. "Maybe somewhere outside the city. Beyond that? No clue."

Before Rouge could thank him for the suggestion, she heard Amy's voice from behind. The pink hedgehog emerged past a handful of guests and vaguely addressed them both before beaming at Sonic. "Hey, guys, hope you're having a good time. Sonic! You have to try the cupcakes I just made – it's a new recipe, they're so good!"

She stepped forward and grabbed one of his hands, tugging her royal blue crush even while he urged her to tone down the excitement. He chuckled nervously at Rouge and shrugged as Amy pulled him along, then disappeared past the crowd of people, leaving the bat to consider making her exit.

She finished her drink, searched for a trashcan, then noticed a few hand baskets sitting on the living room table when she began making her way to the front door.

Looking them over, she could see various chocolates, candies, and pastries filling the white woven receptacles. They were presumably for everyone, by the way they were displayed, but Rouge couldn't resist temptation.

'No one will really care if I only take one, right?' she justified in her mind, shifting her gaze around to ensure she wasn't being stared at. 'Besides, a certain someone's missing out on all these goodies!'

Her hand wrapped around the wicker handle of one basket and she smoothly slipped it off the table to stick by her side. The thieving woman walked past a handful of guests – who seemed too preoccupied with their conversations to notice her kleptomania – and out the front door with not a proper goodbye said to anyone.

***

Rouge took a leisurely stroll through the city on her way to find Shadow. She felt light on her feet as the clear sky shone warm light over everything, and the cool breeze blew past to kiss her tan skin before she could get too hot. Perfect weather – even if it was a little bright for the bat's liking.

Her hips swayed confidently and her heels clicked on the smooth cement sidewalk. The basket rocked back and forth with the gentle swinging motions of her grip. Rouge's smile was unfaltering, and she gazed once again at the passing shops, all done up in heart-shaped decorations to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Her walk was disrupted when she looked through the large window of a jewelry store. Instantly, her turquoise eyes were drawn to a wristwatch sitting in the center of a flashy display; made of shining solid gold, it twinkled in the light that reflected through the glass pane. Dazzled by its beauty, Rouge stared as her lips parted to flash white teeth in a delighted grin, followed by a mischievous idea.

'Maybe I should be bringing Shadow a proper gift. He does look good in gold...'

With no one in the immediate vicinity, she figured she would have enough time to swipe it and escape without being noticed. So, she pushed the door open, hearing the bell above it chime to announce her presence, and walked in.

The clerk standing at the counter looked past the customer browsing the ring selection; Rouge smiled and raised her hand briefly to indicate a wave, which gained a smile from him before the customer asked a question.

Aware that she needed to let the employee forget about her existence, the sneaky woman pretended to browse necklaces in an enclosed glass box right beside the window display.

She waited a minute, listening in on the conversation between the store clerk and his customer. Peeking out of the corner of her eye, Rouge decided to make her move when he opened his counter to pull out a ring.

As he showed it to the customer, describing its components to push the sale, she took a quick look around to make sure no one would see her approaching the display. It was tempting to steal more than just the watch, but the skilled bat knew better than to take a risk by grabbing more than what she'd gone in for.

So, the golden accessory was swiftly lifted from its velvet pillow and stuffed away. Rouge was exiting the store before the jeweler had even finished his sales pitch, and she relished the jingle of the bell as the door closed behind her.

The jewel hunter didn't linger in front of the store, quickly pushing off the ground to take flight – she held Amy's stolen basket close to keep it level, then chuckled triumphantly into the open air and used her free hand to retrieve the watch from its hiding place.

"What a beautiful piece of jewelry!" she said out loud, amazed by the white gleam reflecting off of the expensive metal. She turned it over a few times in her hand, admiring the craftsmanship as much as she could before the glint became overwhelming. "Shadow better appreciate my thoughtfulness in gifting him something so precious."

A carefree Rouge set off to look for her loner friend outside the city, coasting over buildings and peering out at the mountainous, forested area spreading past its borders.

She wasn't able to see anything resembling Shadow until she passed the outskirts of the city; once she scanned her gaze over the grassy cliffsides, she finally spotted a distant black splotch among the green terrain.

'Aha! Target in sight,' she thought, then zipped towards the dark figure.

As she got closer, the bat confirmed that it was the Ultimate Lifeform occupying the slope of the lush cliffside. He was lying on his back, resting on the earthy ground with both hands behind his head. His eyes were closed and he looked to be at peace, though his mouth curved downward in its natural dull frown.

The slight breeze rustled his fur, and as he lay perfectly still, Rouge wondered if he was asleep. Her heeled boots settled in the grass as she landed, staring curiously at the black and red hedgehog while holding the wicker basket with both hands.

Before she could take a step, Shadow's lips parted and his deep voice filled the tranquil air. "Who's there?"

Surprised at his alertness – and amused by his no-nonsense nature – the white-haired lady smiled and took a few steps towards him. "Your best friend Rouge, of course. Who else would be able to find you out here so easily?"

He kept his eyes closed and remained quiet for a moment, then calmly asked, "What do you want?"

The hedgehog heard her scoff softly and silently predicted the sarcastic remark that would follow. She said, "It's always business with you, isn't it? No friendly hello for your closest ally?"

Shadow was still as a stone, opening his eyes slowly to adjust underneath the glaring sun rays. His gaze fell on Rouge, her dim silhouette standing near his legs, sunshine spilling around her figure as it hit her back. He didn't linger too long on her face, dropping his eyes to the basket in her hands.

"I figured you were used to my coldness by now," he replied, trying not to sound playful.

He didn't like to participate in Rouge's banter, since she usually ran with it more than he cared for, but it was difficult to come off as disinterested as he wanted; the resting man was in a good mood, a rare occurrence.

And his partnership with the charismatic bat had brought them close enough that bits of her teasing tendencies had rubbed off on him, occasionally tainting his tone with a tinge of jest while in her company. She always saw through it, as she did in that moment, letting out a short chuckle and shifting her weight to one foot.

"It's Valentine's Day, you know," said the smooth-talking treasure hunter. "We missed you at Amy's party."

Looking back up at her, Shadow's mouth pinched into a slightly deeper frown. "Hmph. How many meaningless holidays am I supposed to care about on this planet?"

Rouge stepped closer, causing the hedgehog to finally pull himself up from the ground. His gaze followed her as he sat up straight, then looked into the white basket when she set it on the grass between them. She sat down next to him while he studied the gathering of sugary foods.

"Look," the bat began, "I know being drab is your style, but would it kill ya to have a little more fun? At least try some of these specially-assorted snacks."

Conceding to her request, Shadow reached into the basket and grabbed a chocolate cookie covered with red frosting. He took a moment to wonder how the dessert could be considered anything more than a simple cookie. Rouge decided to claim a heart-shaped box of chocolates for herself, pulling it out of the basket and opening the plastic.

The unimpressed hedgehog asked, "What makes them so 'special,' exactly?"

His friend plucked one of the chocolates from its indentation and held it up, as if to illustrate her point. "They're a labor of love! You think people put together basket arrangements every day?"

She popped the chocolate into her mouth; Shadow didn't quite understand what she was getting at, or even why anyone would put such effort into something seemingly trivial.

He ate the cookie, but didn't react much to its flavor, then looked over the rest of the basket with apathy. Though he generally liked the treat's taste, he noted that he clearly wasn't getting as much enjoyment out of it as Rouge.

"It's nice, I suppose." His attention was back on her, noticing the smile she held while chewing. "But I can't see myself putting up with Sonic and the others just for this."

The personable woman closed up the heart-shaped box, putting it back in the basket and swallowing her snack before speaking. "Well, then it's a good thing I decided to hand-deliver it to you. And, I even had the idea to nab this for you on the way over."

She made eye contact with Shadow and revealed the golden wristwatch – his expression turned to subtle wonder, while her sweet smile widened into a mischievous one.

Lying in her palm, the jewelry glittered once more in the sunlight as she held it out towards him. The taciturn lifeform stared at the twinkling object, a bit confused but also impressed.

"Hm, that's quite the accessory you've swiped – at no cost, undoubtedly." He couldn't help but smirk with the teasing remark as his ruby eyes ran back up to her teal ones.

Rouge raised her free index finger and pressed the side of it to her lips in a silent shushing gesture, then winked playfully. Following her silence, Shadow let his smirk drop and asked, "But why get such a thing for me? I haven't got much use for a watch."

He witnessed the lady's smile drop as well; her eyes rolled in slight annoyance, and she let out a sigh before prodding the watch at his chest. "Oh, Shadow, be materialistic for once in your life! You'd really reject my gift?"

The dark hedgehog's smirk returned against his will, faintly entertained by her insistence. He took the watch into his own palm and responded, "Of course not."

Rouge's impatience faded with his acceptance of the stolen item, and she started to smile again as she watched the golden band wrap around the cuff of his glove. He spoke while settling it around his wrist, "I hope you don't expect me to get you something in return."

Her index finger lifted once more to rest innocently against her muzzle. "Hm, well... to show the same generosity wouldn't kill ya."

Both of their smiles lingered as they looked at each other, Rouge's expression silently asking him to return the favor while Shadow's suggested he may be thinking about obliging. She couldn't tell for sure – his vocal tone was so dry most of the time, it was difficult to tell when he was being sarcastic.

The watch's band clasped around his wrist, drawing the pair's attention. He raised his arm to study the accessory at a different angle, turning it a couple of times to watch the gold reflect in the sunlight.

Beside him, Rouge leaned closer and said, "Looks nice, doesn't it? The shine really brings out your eyes."

The bat's smirk was playful when he turned to gaze at her, and they sat silently for a brief moment while he lowered his arm again. There was a subtle air of tension between them; Shadow could just barely feel it rising, and noticed how close she'd gotten to him. But they didn't move, and she broke the tension shortly after by speaking.

"Tell ya what: come to Club Rouge later tonight. I'll close it up and we can enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, just you and me." Her head tilted to one side and her eyelids rose to display an inviting demeanor. "You can even stay in my loft for the night. I've got a spare bed, so you can sleep on a nice, thick mattress for a change."

When he didn't respond immediately, she added, "And it'll give you time to find me a gift! What'ya say?"

Rouge's long eyelashes fluttered for a moment, once again silently asking her friend to accept. He considered it, then received a happy smile from the lady when he answered, "Sure."

Shadow then experienced a thin wave of compassion from her reaction, feeling compelled to follow up with, "I suppose I'll pay Omega a visit before heading your way."

The ivory bat sprung to her feet, her smile still wide, and he could feel the difference in her energy – heightened from her resting state after having her offer accepted. "Now that's the spirit!"

She bent over and grabbed the heart-shaped box of chocolates from the basket, then turned and began walking away. "I've gotta go, but feel free to enjoy the rest of those desserts. See ya later!"

A quick wave predated her takeoff, Rouge leaving the cliffside and flying back towards the city. The hedgehog watched her go for a second, then turned to look down at the woven basket sitting beside him. He made the decision to try enjoying the gift as something special before reaching for another snack.

***

Club Rouge's alluring owner waited until sundown to close up the casino. Once the patrons were gone and the place was tidied for the night, she dismissed her employees and wished them a happy Valentine's Day; walking out with them, she stood by the entrance and watched them all leave.

The bat looked around in case Shadow was nearby, scanning the street and then letting her gaze trail over the nearby buildings. In the darkness of nightfall, she spotted the hedgehog's barely visible form standing on a rooftop, looking down at her.

They locked eyes, and when Shadow saw her smile, he took it as his cue to teleport down to her level. He flickered out of sight, and Rouge's eyes snapped to his new position when he reappeared beside her.

"Good evening, Rouge," he greeted, still in a better mood than usual.

"Hi," she started, the nuanced tone of her voice dripping with maturity. However, her timbre became warmer and more complimentary when she looked down and noticed the golden watch glittering around his wrist. "Oh, you're still wearing it! So, you did like it?"

He smirked and briefly crossed his gaze over to the accessory before looking back to her. "Well, you went through so much trouble to grab it for me, I figured I should appease you and wear it for a little while."

"Is that your sarcasm again?" the treasure hunter asked playfully, balling her fist and resting it against her hip.

"Of course," he answered truthfully. "I do like it."

Gratitude crept into her expression as she turned towards the entrance. "I knew it wouldn't be a waste. Come on in!"

She opened the door for him, letting the hedgehog walk into the lobby. The first thing he noticed about the normally-flashy night spot was how calm the atmosphere seemed to be. The bright lights of the slot machines weren't blinking wildly, and the overhead lights were dimmed.

Instead of electric techno, the speakers were playing soothing jazz, and the building was empty, as Rouge had promised. He allowed a soft smile to touch his lips while his companion locked the double doors behind them. The muffled shuffle of her heels on the carpet then drew closer, as did the jingle of the club keys; she stepped next to Shadow and smiled.

"How about we go up to the lounge for drinks?" she asked in a friendly tone, walking with him. "I've got food, too, if you're hungry."

"I could go for a glass. And maybe a light meal." He didn't force his smile to falter when he saw her eyes dart towards it – he knew the bat had a fondness for the moments when he showed contentment, and he trusted her enough that he didn't feel the need to hide the occurrence.

The third-floor lounge was as dim as usual, and the same soothing jazz played through the speakers that dotted the corners of the room. The two of them walked past couches and four-person dining tables towards the bar, which occupied the back wall.

Rouge stepped behind the dark mahogany counter and opened up the mini freezer while Shadow made himself comfortable on one of the bar stools. She took out a small pizza and got the hedgehog's approval before popping it into the toaster oven to bake. Then she opened up the drink fridge and pulled out a bottle of sparkling wine.

"How about some champagne?" the cheery woman asked, propping the green container on her left palm while gripping the bottleneck with her right.

Shadow nodded and watched with interest as Rouge removed the cork, being reminded of the jewel thief's strength as she pulled it out of the bottle without much effort. A tinge of excitement rose in his stomach, the hedgehog surprised at the feeling of being anxious to give her the gift he'd brought. But it wasn't difficult for him to contain any eagerness he experienced, easily concealing the emotion and accepting the glass of champagne that was handed to him.

With a twinkle in her eye, the lady began pouring her own drink and said, "Thanks for visiting, by the way. I didn't have any plans for the holiday, so it's nice to spend the evening with someone."

One of his dark eyebrows lowered in curiosity. "I thought you went to that party you'd mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah, but that was just a quick thing," she replied, swatting the air with her free hand and carrying the fizzing glass around to his side of the bar. "It was alright, but... truth be told, I left because you weren't there."

Shadow's brows raised, his crimson eyes following her smooth walk over to the bar stool on his left. It was expected for him to skip out on events, but he was somewhat surprised that Rouge hadn't intended to spend the day with Sonic's crew.

He'd always thought her to be incredibly social – especially compared to himself – and assumed she actually enjoyed their company. He tried not to stare at her curvy figure when she lowered herself onto the cushioned seat, forcing his expression back into its neutral state.

"And why's that?" asked the skeptical hedgehog. "You weren't exactly missing the life of the party."

She swallowed her sip of champagne and responded candidly, "I wanted to spend time with you! Just because we work together sometimes, doesn't mean I want our personal relationship to be based on that. Some days I'd like to see you socializing with the rest of us; you know, shoot the shit every once in a while?"

A breathy chuckle escaped Shadow's lips before he could stop it, taken a bit off guard by her straightforward answer and the informal wording in her honesty. There were many things Rouge was good at, and speaking her mind was a big one.

He could always expect her to combat his cynical view point with a casually thoughtful response that instantly challenged his dour outlook. Her quick wits were part of what made her so intriguing, and he had to give her credit for that.

"Alright," uttered the hedgehog, swirling the yellow-orange drink in his glass. "I get it. I'll think about making an appearance to some of these holiday events you like to attend. Is that good enough?"

Rouge gracefully clutched her champagne glass with both hands and grinned softly, her bright eyes staring into his. "Hey, if you're willing to make an effort, I'll take it! And I hope you know what I'm all about in saying this. I just don't want you to miss out on all the fun these kind of get-togethers have to offer. I know you like to believe they're a waste of time, but just trust me; chances are, you'll make some great new memories if you expand your lifestyle."

"Yeah, sure," Shadow quipped, teasing her a bit. "I still have so much to learn from you, don't I?"

The elegant bat laughed, one hand raising to her muzzle as her eyes closed. It made his smile widen, and he prepared to give her the surprise that'd been waiting to be revealed. When her laughter subsided to a chuckle, Rouge let out a sigh and began coyly primping one of her curled locks while looking at her drink.

Shadow decided to take a few gulps of his chilled sparkling wine once she raised her glass for another sip, then heard a restrained exclamation resonate from the young lady's closed mouth, as if she had just gotten an idea.

"I can't believe I almost forgot," she spoke, then placed her drink on the bar top before excitedly clasping both hands in her lap and leaning towards him. "Have you got my present?"

The enticingly mysterious man lowered his own glass and smiled at her once more, feeding into her anticipation as he nodded and reached behind his back. Rouge looked down and saw in his strong gloved grip a violet Chaos Emerald.

Her eyes widened drastically and her jaw dropped when he held it out towards her. The gem glimmered in countless hues of purple, bringing a sparkle to her eyes as she gasped.

The bat's left hand shot up to cover her lips. "Shadow! A Chaos Emerald?!"

He didn't add to her reaction – though Rouge's elated expression did make him feel good about his gift choice – instead calmly saying, "I know you like them."

Her twinkling teal orbs were glued to the emerald as she used both hands to scoop it from Shadow's palm. She praised, "I love it! I wasn't expecting something this nice! A gorgeous Chaos Emerald... how did you even find it?"

The jewel-lover's gaze switched to Shadow, her grin unwavering while he spoke, "I used my own to scout out its location. It really wasn't that difficult to track down."

Despite the hedgehog downplaying the effort he put into obtaining her favorite gem, Rouge took it as the ultimate sign that he cared about the present she received; at least enough to think about what she would want more than anything. Her left hand floated to her cheek and her lids lowered, eyes still sparkling at him.

"Well, nothing can compare to this!" she said gratefully. "It's the best present I've ever gotten!"

Shadow turned to grab his drink from the bar top, lifting it and responding casually, "Don't mention it."

As he raised the glass to his lips, Rouge leaned forward and planted an unexpected kiss on his cheek, making the hedgehog halt. Surprised, he stared at her while she verbalized her appreciation.

"Thank you so much, Shadow." She looked at the gem again and added, "I think I know the perfect place for you, my precious jewel."

The quiet, stolid lifeform felt a warmness in his heart seeing Rouge so happy, and he let a genuine smile touch his lips before taking a drink and truly enjoying the citrusy taste of bubbly champagne.

#sonic fanfiction #ship fanfic #heartfelt holidays #heartfelt holidays chapter 1 #dracaria fics #shadouge #shadrouge #rouge the bat #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #valentine's day #writing

6 notes · View notes

deputygonebye · 1 year

Text

@wexarethewalkingxdead asked: Andrea hadn't thought much about the passing of time or the fact that she knew it had to be pushing late September and remembered Shane mentioning that his birthday was later on in that month. She wasn't the sentimental type. Well, not anymore. Not since getting Amy the mermaid necklace back in Atlanta, but something deep down inside her wanted her to keep some traditions alive. Birthdays were simple, right?

So she spent days searching for the right gift for him. And she finally found it when they lucked up on a department store that hadn't been ransacked as badly as the others they had already checked. She managed to slip it into her pack without him noticing and then managed to find some orange tissue paper to wrap it in. There was a tube of wrapping paper as well, but that wasn't as easy to conceal as the tissue paper. And it wasn't as practical either.

She went off to herself that night to wrap it carefully. She managed to find a small box to slip it into so that he wouldn't know what it was from simply the shape of it. She smirked as she looked at the finished product before picking it up and approaching him slowly.

"Not sure if it's still September or even if it is September at all, but Happy Birthday." She pulled the small box from behind her back and offered it to him. "It's not much…"

Happy Birthday, Shane!

Two lone outlaws with nothing but the sun on their backs for company. A packet of peanuts for dinner, if ever Shane and Andrea were so lucky, a quarter of water left still in the plastic bottles that they carried for drink. Dangerous was the life they shared together, but better was it spent than remaining as black sheep among their former group. Wherever that little family went, further into the woods or past the crumbled cities, Shane knew that they would be alright. Just as he had left them - with promise and good fortune prayed for - Andrea beside him and the long road before them both. It wasn't so terrible a journey. Days bled into each other, unable to be distinguished but not so bad as would've been imagined, companionship in Andrea was more of a comfort than Shane dared to admit. A warmth that kept him safe when the nights grew cold. A bliss that didn't end; somehow made the Walkers easier to bear. Foul flesh that was more of an annoyance than true threat, an enemy that could be defeated just through conviction alone, birthdays memorable despite the lack of party streamers and confetti.

Box opened with mindful hands, gentle around the corners but dedicated with the tissue paper, torn without resistance, Shane admired the coffee mug as if it were pure silver rather than ivory porcelain. Dusty around the rim, a few chips nearest the handle, the mug wasn't perfect, but Shane didn't wish for it to be. Preferred it just as it was, smiled as he inspected the cup in his hands, bold black print read: Life Is About More Than Coffee.

"Thank you." Shane said, smile still upon his lips, a glint to brown eyes that spoke of wanting his birthday cake and eating it, too. "To tell you the truth, I almost forgot about the day myself. Bein' out here, time goes by different. Don't count the same as it used to. But let me be clear, I will be usin' this from here on out. Better to be drinkin' my water out of a good mug than from a days old piece of garbage plastic. You better start doin' the same, too. Ain't no reason for you to be gettin' crud backwash when there's a decent cup for us to split. That's just what we're gonna have to start doin' a lot of now, you know. Sharin' and everything."

Shane stepped closer to her, gaze fallen from her blues to her lips. "I don't mind sharin' things with you, Andrea. Hey, what do you say to doin' a bit more birthday celebratin'? Just you and me. I don't think I'm ready for this party to end yet."

#wexarethewalkingxdead #Muse || Andrea Harrison #Judge and Executioner || Post Apocalypse Era #Verse || Alternative Universe #// This made me more emotional than I should've gotten but I just love them so much!

2 notes · View notes

allthefilmsiveseenforfree · 3 years

Text

Dear Evan Hansen

You may have seen some ~online discourse~ about the film Dear Evan Hansen, an adaptation of the 2016 Broadway musical, and you might have wondered what all the hubbub is about. I mean, it’s a feel good story about a senior in high school, Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), who has some pretty severe anxiety and depression. While trying to fulfill an assignment from his therapist to write a letter to himself, his letter gets picked up by another student, Connor (Colton Ryan) - and later that day, Connor kills himself. Connor’s grieving parents and sister Zoe (Amy Adams, Danny Pino, and Kaitlyn Dever) are desperate to learn more from the boy they think was Connor’s best friend - after all, Connor’s suicide note was a letter addressed to “Dear Evan Hansen.” And, as you can imagine, Evan tells them about the unfortunate mistake and sits with them in their grief as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Just kidding! He lies to them, repeatedly, elaborately, expansively for months, constructing an entire false friendship with Connor that never happened, and ingratiating himself into the wealthy nuclear family he never had, in large part because he wants to get into Zoe’s pants! THIS IS THE PROTAGONIST OF THE STORY. Oh, and it’s a musical so there is a lot of singing and crying and singing WHILE crying and sometimes crying and not singing at all. But the #inspiration, you guys.

Things I liked:

Pretty much everything but the story and Ben Platt’s performance. The supporting cast is stacked, and all of them do a great job at elevating material scraped directly out of a diaper worn by someone who just chewed their way through a copy of the DSM-5.

A couple of the songs are damn catchy - “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found” are standouts for a reason - and here’s the thing, Platt sings them well. But as you’ll discover, there’s a lot more to a movie musical than just singing your part.

Stephen Chbosky, the man behind every deep thought I and a lot of people in my generation had in 2006 after he wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is a pretty good director. I particularly enjoyed the fanvid-type cuts in “Waving Through a Window” in conjunction with the lyrics, and his use of interstitial shots to flashbacks (and sometimes flashforwards!) is a neat little bit of shorthand that I thought was used sparingly enough to be effective.

Amy Fucking Adams. She’s holding on so hard, so desperately to the idea of who her son could have been, rather than the reality of who he was, and she is full of such deep pain that is masked by an almost endless supply of patience with Evan and relentless positivity. All this made me want was Enchanted 2 even worse than I already did.

Super into everything Zoe wears - the costuming department did a great job, and now all I want to do is live in mom jeans and baggy sweaters.

Did I Cry? I teared up a couple of times because I’m not a completely heartless bastard and when Amy Adams offered Evan Connor’s college money, my heart broke for the lie Evan had thrust upon her, and Julianne Moore’s song got me good, because she’s just a single mom to Evan who is doing her goddamn best.

Things I hated more than the time I dropped a frozen gallon container of fruit cocktail on my pinkie toe in my parents’ garage and it turned black and I thought it was gonna fall off:

Ben Platt is 28 years old. He originated the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway, so in many respects it makes sense that he plays the role in the movie, except for the one kinda sorta important thing where he looks like a wizened old crone standing amongst a sea of children doing his best twitching, cringing Hunchback of Notre Dame impression. If you want someone to convincingly play 20 years their junior, hire Paul Rudd. Otherwise, please don’t ask me to believe that this supposed 18-year-old has crow’s feet.

And that twitching nervous energy is a huge part of the black hole at the center of this film - he’s playing to the cheap seats and walking through the halls of his high school like a wet chihuahua. It’s an excruciating acting choice to watch - he doesn’t just have anxiety, he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown seemingly every second of every day. Like honestly, where is only-mentioned-never-seen Dr. Sherman, because this young man’s meds are NOT WORKING DR. SHERMAN.

There’s such a lack of self-awareness on behalf of the writing, directing, and performance by Platt. There’s one song, “Sincerely, Me,” that offers the only glimpse of commentary about what Evan is doing, by pointing out the malicious ridiculousness of him writing a series of fake emails as proof of his and Connor’s friendship.

Also what high schoolers email this much?? I know this was written in probably 2014 or so, but has a bitch never heard of a text? Even a DM? This whole plot is constructed around the premise that high schoolers are just constantly, constantly emailing each other.

Everything - and I mean EV-ER-Y-THING - about Evan’s relationship with Zoe is so creepy and disturbing that with a soundtrack change, this could easily be a horror movie. He attempts to get her to like him by describing to her all the things her brother noticed about her - oh wait, I’m sorry, all the things HE noticed about her while he was skulking in the shadows following her around for years, watching every move she made, and it ends with him singing repeatedly “I LOVE YOU” because following a girl around and never having a conversation with her or knowing her at all is love, right? This was clearly written by the same people who chose “Every Breath You Take” as their wedding song because Sting is hot and they never actually listened to the damn words.

And it gets about 10 billion times worse when Zoe goes to Evan’s house alone, takes him up to his room, and sings “I don’t need reasons to want you” and that was the moment I was that person I hate in a movie theater and I pulled out my phone to Google who wrote the music and lyrics to the musical (we were in the back row of the theater no one was behind me THIS WAS AN OUTRAGE EMERGENCY) and of motherfucking course it was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, 2 men who heard about meeting an actual human woman from a friend one time but otherwise are unfamiliar with the concept.

Lastly, enormous serial killer vibes from Evan sending unlabeled flash drives anonymously through the mail with no note in an attempt to right his wrongs. That’s not catharsis, that’s how the next installment in the Saw franchise starts, with Evan in a Billy the clown doll mask showing up on the screen and asking if you want to play a fucking game.

Also, I know it’s not possible for the narrative to justify this in a way that could be satisfying based on Evan’s actions, but what is with this thing where single working-class mom Julianne Moore is turning down rich people’s money for Evan to go to college? Like, obviously we can’t have that happen in the movie but in real life, fuck your pride! Take those rich people’s money!

I also know how movies work but nothing annoys me more than a giant group of high schoolers all getting beeps and boops to indicate text notifications all at the same time because I don’t know a single person under the age of 55 who keeps their ringer on. That shit is on vibrate AT MOST, and I feel like that’s a millennial thing.

The emotional climax of the film is obviously Evan’s WAY TOO LATE confession, but the idea that it’s prompted by Connor’s family suddenly getting a lot of internet hate is, frankly, laughable. If Sandy Hook taught me one thing, it is that no tragedy is immune from trolls who live only to cause other people devastating emotional pain on the internet. That shit starts day 1. Apparently no one involved in this production has ever been on Twitter?

Also it feels like there should have been a dog somewhere in this movie and there was no dog, so points off for that too.

Perhaps Dear Evan Hansen isn’t nearly as deep as it aspires to be. Perhaps it’s a morality play, a simplistic message of “Don’t lie, kids, lying is bad!” Major studio movies wrap themselves up with a nice bow at the end so everyone can feel good about themselves and leave with a happy ending, but the moronic cruelty on display here makes that feat feel impossible. We’re left with Evan in an orchard, reading Connor’s favorite books and staring into the big blue sky with all the self-actualization he’s earned now as a lil treat. And if Evan Hansen looked like an actual 18-year-old, it would be a lot easier to extend more empathy to him and his not-fully-developed prefrontal cortex, but it’s a little harder with this fully-grown, weathered man who was old enough to remember seeing Liar Liar in theaters.

Dear Evan Hansen,

Get some actual help and a haircut and maybe you can grow up enough to have an actual healthy interaction with any other living person, ever.

Sincerely,

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

#121in2021 #dear evan hansen #dear evan hansen review #dear evan hansen 2021 #ben platt #amy adams #kaitlyn dever #julianne moore #colton ryan #danny pino #movie reviews #film reviews

87 notes · View notes

confusedwitch · 3 years

Text

Witch-Related Books to Grab off Amazon: Masterpost Part 1

First off, I'll be sectioning this into different parts based off of what type of witch you are/want to be/want more info on, or what practices you wanna add to your craft :)

Green Witch/Magick Herbalism (a classic):

The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock - $9.69 (Hardcover): This book had incredible reviews on amazon, and a lot of the written reviews said that the book wasn't specific to a religion and didn't try to push a religion on you, which is so wonderful because not everyone wants to be religious with their craft.

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz - $25.19 (Hardcover) $18.99 (Paperback): Again, stunning reviews, just a less popular book. This book isn't about general stuff, but instead it's more focused on mother nature and the useage of plants (non-herbal as well, so your houseplants might be mentioned too), which is great if you wanna center your practice around Gaia and the healing energies of the earth.

Herb Magick: An Introduction to Magickal Herbalism and Spells by Patti Wigington - $14.99 (Paperback): here's a review from a verified person- it explained this book WAY better than I ever could:

The focus of this book is on the folkloric and magical uses of herbs, rather than medicinal applications. It provides a few traditional uses of herbs, but the overall theme is knowledge of the plants and their associations, and incorporating them in your spiritual workings. This is an Introductory to Magical Herbalism.

The author's spiritual practice is rooted in traditional American and European Folk Magic. She is a licensed Pagan Clergy and is the founder of Clan Of The Stone Circle, a Celtic Pagan Tradition. (Funny, anything Celtic has been pulling my attention feelers lately, no wonder why I loved this book.) Her spells are derived/based upon the traditional folk magic practices of Western Europe and the British Isles, and the author's own experiences. They are positive spells for magical intentions of healing, love, prosperity, and protection. Baneful or negative workings with herbs are NOT used in this book.

The aesthetic of this book has my little, beginner herbalist heart gushing! The blue, green, and yellow earthy tones and hues used were perfect for the topic of herbs! The cover is GORGEOUS! It's so pretty and flowery, the illustrated pictures of the herbs were extremely helpful because I had never seen some of the plants before. This will make future identification much easier for me!

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham - $16.43 (Paperback): A couple reviews describe it as being in a cookbook format, and overall an amazing book, like most of Scott Cunningham's other works. Apparently the Amazon shipping was literal trash for a bunch of people and they essentially left the book loose inside the box to bang around and get all sorts of messed up :((

The Witch's Herbal Apothecary by Marysia Miernowska - $18.69 (Paperback): Described by reviewers as the PERFECT book for recipes and rituals, even one of Marysia's personal students spoke very highly of her, saying that she's the real deal. Other reviews state the book as being very beginner friendly, and beautifully written and illustrated :))

Blackthorn's Botanical Magic: The Green Witch's Guide to Essential Oils for Spellcraft, Ritual, and Healing by Amy Blackthorn - $15.79 (Paperback): again, phenomenal reviews, just a lesser-known book. Again, here's a review from someone who explained the book a bit better than I could:

This book is way more than I thought it would be. I thought it would be like a dictionary - you look up the essential oil and get the definition. It is that but it's also got a few introductory chapters about oils and products and rituals to give you a nice and concise overview of a lot of things you might need to know as a novice. I also like the way you can reference different oils in alpha order but also look up your purpose and find the oil you need.

From the looks of it, this book is specifically about Essential Oils. Is that still Green Witchery?? Lol I'm not sure, but i felt like it should go in this category.

Kitchen Witch (another classic):

Blackthorn's Botanical Brews by Amy Blackthorn - $14.49 (Hardcover): this is mainly a book of recipes for drinks and cocktails and stuff. There was one review complaining about how it didn't have correspondences, meanwhile the book is literally described as being a recipe book? It's an AMAZING book if you enjoy/want to start making homemade elixirs and cocktails :))

The Natural Witch's Cookbook: 100 Magickal, Healing Recipes, and Herbal Remedies to Nourish Body, Mind, and Spirit by Lisanna Wallace - $20.69 (hardcover): This is again just a book of recipes, and the reviews are really good. Here's one of them:

I wanted to write the review as soon as I got the book. I was not expecting this book to be so fantastic. The recipes are very nutritious and the names are very inventive, but I could see that before I tried the recipes. I held off on writing the review until I tasted a few of the recipes. Even my kids were very happy with the flavors of these recipes. They are mostly easy to make and they are very delicious. Be aware though that the food can only be as great as the quality of the ingredients that you get. These are not recipes that call for complicated or fancy ingredients, or even a lot of ingredients. As a result, you have to use the best that you can find/afford to get the best results you can. I did not use expensive ingredients, but everything I used was very fresh and it does make a difference on the outcome. Overall, the book have some great recipes, easy to follow and the end result does look like the ones on the picture.

The Book of Kitchen Witchery by Cerridwen Greenleaf - $12.89 (Paperback):

I am so pleased with this book. It’s so magical and warm. Sometimes the new age genre can be a little too technical or focus too much on religion or putting down particular religions... this was not like that. There are so many lovely tips and easy spells and recipes that are kept fairly light so you can make them your own. The book just makes me happy, it has an energy to it that goes right along with it’s artsy illustrations and at-a-glance format. This will be a great reference. Very grateful to everyone who made this book possible.

A former editor said that there were a few editing mistakes, but nothing too crazy. If that's one of your pet peeves, just beware when buying this book lol (btw the editor still have a 4 star review because they said the book is still very good)

Potions, Elixirs & Brews by Anaïs Alexandre - $12.79 (Hardcover): I just had to include both of these amazing reviews, since both said what the other review did not.

This book is so gorgeous and everything I have been looking for in regards to potions. I love her writing style and the way the book looks. Highly informative and I can feel her good intentions behind the book. She is very intelligent. I respect her and I am inspired by her! I found her by chance looking up books for potions, she also has Instagram! Very grateful, amazing book thank you:-) so happy to be the first comment:p excited to see what else amazing things come from Anais!

And

I adore this book. The art and setup is simplistic and beautiful. There is a system that tells you exactly how difficult each potion will be to make, whether or not it’s alcoholic, and what is the ideal season to make it in. The instructions are clear, the preliminary information is well done, and there’s even a section for brewing large batches which I LOVE. The weight of the book is nice and it feels of good quality. The papers are glossy and, I haven’t yet, but I feel like it won’t be a disaster If you get some of your creation on it. The book is separated into types of potions depending on your intent. This is a perfect book for anyone new to making potions or is interested in a magickal recipe book!

The Witches Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Madara - $35 (Hardcover): This book actually isn't out yet, but it'll be released on October 26th of this year (2021). It looks promising, which is why I put it on the list, and for that much money, it better be good lol

Lunar/Moon/Astrology Witch:

The Complete Guide to Astrology by Louise Edington - $9.49 (Paperback) $22.99 (Hardcover): There's amazing reviews on this book, and one of them said that she's been researching astrology for 23 years!! Here's the review in it's entirety:

I've been a student of Astrology for the past 23 years now, and have read most of the books on this subject that are considered foundational. Many guides to astrology that I page through in a bookstore are fine, but covering information I already know. What I so appreciated about Edington's new book is that she brings a new angle to even the basics of Astrology. Her book feels like a fresh update, more appropriate to our current time in terms of language and sensibility. There are no "evil" aspects or transits in Edington's view, no dark warnings of disaster; her evolutionary perspective encourages us to see the opportunity in even the most challenging times, what can be learned, what can be accomplished. As she says in her book, she doesn't look at the natal chart as something fixed, unchanging, rather a "blueprint rich in meaning and possibility."

I also admired Edington's extensive knowledge of the stories behind the names and symbology used in Astrology: sharing her interpretations of them, how they are useful, how they can be limiting. Concepts I thought I already understood have been unpacked in greater depth by the author, so that I see deeper layers.

This text is beautifully written, well-organized, offering a fresh update, as well as a deeper dive than many astrology texts. This book is an invaluable resource I'll be returning to, and consulting, with appreciation.

Moon Spells: How to Use the Phases of the Moon to Get What You Want by Diane Ahlquist - $11.35 (Paperback): This book is a bit older fashioned in the sense that it's VERY heteronormative, we're talking about love magick SPECIFICALLY for men and all about being a father, and a section of love magick SPECIFICALLY for women and being a mother. So if this gets on your nerves, then i wouldn't recommend this book. Other than that, the reviews are very good and they describe the book as being a must-have for lunar witches.

The Complete Book of Moon Spells by Michael Herkes - $13.49 (Paperback): Yes, this book was written by a man. If that's something that might make you not want to purchase, please look at this and also keep in mind that SO MANY of the most highly esteemed witches of the world ARE MEN. So if you wanna be closed off and refuse their help and their knowledge, go ahead sis, I'm not stopping you.

He's most definitely not just "some guy". Aside from that, this book has very good reviews. Some people called it "fluffy" and a bit less serious then they anticipated, but it's very good for beginner witches who are finally wanting to start doing spells. Here's a review.

In this book you explore ways to conjure the mysterious power of the moon to manifest your intentions to achieve abundance and balance in your life! Each chapter is devoted to one of the eight phases of the moon and includes various spells, tarot spreads, crystal grids and potions that reflect that phase of the moon!

This is an overall amazing book if you want to build a foundation of learning about the history of the moon, astrology, cycles & phases, ritual tools, crystals, herbs, and essential oils- as well as the moon spells and rituals.

This is one of my new favorite books! I feel so connected to the moon and this book is a great reference for learning the best rituals and spells to use for the different moon phases and energies surrounding them! It’s easy to follow and the lunar rituals, mystical spells and magical drinks are so vibrant, creative and helpful in my spiritual journey. I’d recommend this book to anyone that loves the moon like I do.

Moon Magic: A Handbooks of Lunar Cycles, Lore, and Mystical Energies by Aurora Kane - $19.99 (Hardcover, although there's only three left when I'm looking at it) $9.99 (Kindle):

One review said that the book much surpassed their expectations, and another review said this:

I absolutely adore this book.

If you're just a beginner and want to understand the different moon phases, this is the book to get.

The information inside was extremely helpful without being overly complicated.

Well worth the money spent.

Astrology: Using the Wisdom of the Stars in Your Everyday Life by DK - $14.59 (Hardcover):

I saw this in store and was immediately drawn to it's beautiful and shiny cover! But when I open it, the inside is just as beautiful! I love looking through the pages. I would say it is a very good basic astrology book, but I have another one that gives much more detail. I like this one for more of a quick reference kind of book. It's more of a bullet point style book, where it gives little tidbits instead of paragraphs going in depth. (Though some pages do have paragraphs) BUT, it covers just about everything including all the houses, moon signs, and ascending signs. It covers everything, but it just covers he tip of the iceberg. (In my opinion) I still absolutely recommend it!

Apparently this book is also available in Barnes and Noble, so if you have access to one, you might wanna look there for the book before purchasing off of Amazon :)

Misc Books (General):

The Spell Book for New Witches: Essential Spells to Change Your Life by Ambrosia Hawthorn - $10.19 (Paperback) $20.69 (Hardcover):

This book... It's a very good spell book, and is true in the spells it contains, but MY biggest problem with it is that it's V E R Y Wiccan, and seems almost preachy about the "Threefold Law" and what they like to call "karma". Choosing not to do dark magick is PERFECTLY FINE and being Wiccan is totally okay! But don't be like Christianity and rub it in people's faces, dude. The book talks about how you can ONLY practice "love and light". Other than that, this book is AMAZING and rated literally 5 stars with over 11K reviews. If you lean more Wiccan, by ALL means, buy this spellbook. It's the one for you.

Practical Magic for Beginners by Maggie Haseman - $13.49 (Paperback)

This book is fantastic for the witch who wants to learn more about her craft but doesn't know where to start. Each subject is broken down into easy to absorb bits of wisdom without being overwhelming. A great jumping off place to decide where to dive in deep next.

This book is very comprehensive, and is a great reference guide for beginner witches, or witches looking to add another book to their collection.

Candle Magic For Beginners by Mystic Dylan - $10.86 (Paperback) $21.99 (Spiral bound)

This book is a must have for anyone looking to deepen their connection with the magical element of fire, ritual, and spell work through candle magic! Dylan not only teaches you how to use candle magic for things such as protection, abundance, love, healing, and more, but takes you through the fascinating history of the power of fire & how to properly charge, cleanse, and consecrate your candles to begin manifesting your deepest desires!!! Overall, the book is beautifully written with gorgeous illustration and will hook you from the start!!!!!!!

This book is perfect for beginners to candle magick, or beginners to the craft in general. I personally LOVE candle magic because I've always been attracted to fire. I could void out and just stare at a flame for hours on end lol

Crystals for Beginners by Karen Frazier - $8.99 (Paperback) $20.95 (Spiral bound)

Absolutely love this book!! It’s so informative! I am a beginner and this book explains a lot. Everything a beginner would need to know about crystals is in this book. I am so pleased with it. Best purchase of the week! Definitely worth it. The author explains crystals, chakras and energy so enthusiastically and in a way that is easy to understand. At the end of the book, is a “resources” page with all the websites, books and apps that the Author recommends.

Again, very beginner friendly, but this time it's not spells, it's crystals and such. I've personally been wanting this book for AGES

The Crystal Bible Series by Judy Hall - $38.99 (Volume 1-3 shrink-wrapped set, paperback):

This is my first purchase of the three-part series by Judy Hall. Volume 1 covers over 200 crystals! I can already tell you I'll be purchasing volumes 2 and 3 (each of which cover 200+ MORE crystals/stones, not included in volume 1) I love how each crystal description includes photos to further help in identification. I also appreciate that rarity and sources were included. Information about the spiritual and physical impacts of crystals on the body is in there as well! This book is loaded with a lot of great information and is the perfect quick reference. It's also small and fits easily in my hand. I highly recommend it for beginners.

This is a review from just the first book, and it's from a verified hauler/buyer :)) these aren't exactly newbie friendly, and some people say they're a bit harder to understand.

108 notes · View notes

pumpkinspice-prouvaire · 3 years

Note

Dude your recs are!!!!!!! You see to be the one to ask do you have any recs that have bitter-sweet endings? (I want to branch out but I’m not ready for total pain or something)

oooh thank you so much I'm so glad you liked them!!! Fanfic reading/writing is like....My only hobby but hey it comes in useful for stuff like this!

Finding bittersweet endings was a little bit trickier because I'm very fussy about my angst, but I hope these ones fit what you were looking for! (If anyone wants to see my fantasy/different reality fic recs, you can find them here)

First, I would recommend the author areyoumiserableyet. Her works have a very distinct tone to them, really soft and lovely, and I've described them as bittersweet before, even the ones with happy endings. For this list, I'm going to recommend Tagged in particular.

Unravelling by tellthemstories- Enjolras has a massive, catastrophic fight with the rest of Les Amis, and he and Grantaire end up skipping town, going on a two month long road trip with no destination in mind.

Stereoscopic by tellthemstories- Enjolras goes on a year long volunteering expedition, and comes back to find things have changed in his absence. This fic was meant to have a sequel, but from what I can tell the author doesn't write Les Mis anymore, but it's a very good standalone anyway!

When the Chips are Down by KikiJ and MostGeckcellent- Fair warning, this fic is ANGSTY, but it's so worth it for the end. Grantaire and Enjolras try to work through their struggling marriage whilst performing in a production of Hadestown.

Cupidon s'en fout by Petr1chor- Please note this one does not have ExR endgame. Aromantic Enjolras decides to fake date Grantaire to get his family off his back- It goes about as well as you would expect

Between Meetings and Midnight by PieceOfCait- Pls note this one is explicit and has mentions of mild BDSM. Enjolras and Grantaire have been having casual sex but not talking about it, but when Enjolras subdrops after sex, they're forced to talk about their relationship

it was like we were already lovers by seravphim- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind AU. Okay, so I will be completely honest here, I haven't had a chance to sit down and read this one in detail yet- I have to build myself up to really angsty fics a lot of the time, because I am a big baby who WILL cry lmao. BUT I have skimmed it, and it definitely has the bittersweet feeling you're looking for!

bon appetit!!! I hope you enjoy this list, and like I said in my last post, if you read any of them make sure to leave a kudos/comment to let the author know as well!!!

#answered #long post #if anyone has any more recs feel free to add them below!!!#fic rec!!!#enjoltaire #exr #exr fic rec #feel free to reblog and share the recs

57 notes · View notes

emptymasks · 3 years

Note

I’ve seen a lot about your thoughts on Elisabeth and Tanz der Vampire, and they’ve been really helpful getting into those musicals! But you have a huge list of other musicals that people can get into…

So I was wondering if you had any musicals you hadn’t mentioned in a while that you really like or would like to talk about??? (preferably something from your lists that has a blue heart please?)

Oh if only you knew how long the list of European musicals really is... I however have only seen 9 (if I counted right) and I have a lot more that I still need to watch. Oh also, I only put the blue hearts on any musicals that I was providing multiple links for so people could see which version I reccoment the most highly. If a musical only had one link and didn't have a blue heart it doesn't mean I didn't like it.

I've watched: Mozart das Musical, Elisabeth das Musical, Tanz der Vampire, 3 Musketiers, Mozart L'Opéra Rock, Dracula (the Graz production), Rebecca das Musical, Roméo et Juliette and Schikaneder.

If you enjoyed those two you're likely to enjoy Rebecca! It's written by the same composer/lyricist team as Elisabeth and Mozart (and same lyricist as Tanz der Vampire - though if you're listening to any German musical, original or translated, 90% of the time the lyrics will have been done by Michael Kunze that man is everywhere). The Stuttgart production has my favourite set design of any musical! Well... Actually probably. There are so many big set pieces it's insane, way more than I've seen in some Broadway and West End musicals. You can tell so much work went into it and the visual effects that I won't spoil if you don't know the plot but if you know the plot you know what I mean by the effects at the end are so good and I didn't expect them at all and I freaked out so much the first time I watched it. Jan Ammann as Maxim in the Stuttgart production is the best Maxim. No I won't take any argument. Other actors feel a bit one-dimensional to me, but the way Maxim acts at times comes from trauma and some actors and productions seem to forget that, but Jan really goes for it and his Maxim is a lot more sympathetic and I just want to give him a hug. Pia Douwes as Mrs Danvers, if you've seen her in Elisabeth what more do I need to say, she's amazing. A musical goddess. Her Danny is a bit more wild than some, but she kills it. My favourite video, which I put the blue heart next to, has understudy Christina Patten as Ich/I, but I adore her she's my favourite. She adds some spunk to Ich in act 2 and her voice is so pretty and aaaa. I just love these three actors together in these roles.

Roméo et Juliette is another favourite of mine! It's hard to choose which one to recommend, but it has to be the original 2000/2001 production because of the sweetness and chemistry and voices of Damien Sargue and Cecilia Cara as Romeo and Juliet. They're so pretty and work together so well. The only reason I say it's hard to pick is Mercutio. I adore him, but in the original production they cut out a song they had planned for him and he doesn't really do much at all? In the 2010 revival they gave him two more songs and you care about him so much more and John Eyzen plays such a good Mercutio. So I'd recommend the original but if you want to like Mercutio more, which you should he's amazing, I'd recommend watching at least clips of John's. It's an interesting musical because all productions are non-replica and also change around the order of songs, add or take away characters, all sorts. The Hungarian production is also very popular and I'm sure it's great, I just haven't' gotten around to watching it yet.

Mozart das Musical was the first non-English language musicals I watched so I have a fondness for it, but it's not my favourite. However, I do realise I have forgotten most of the songs and the few I've gone back and listened to are better than I remember.

Dracula isn't super popular and I understand why, I don't love the plot of the Dracula/Mina romance in it, however. I do love this musical because despite how I find the plot lacking, the songs are so good! At least, I love them. And the actors are all doing a great job. And it's one of the few Dracula adaptions to keep Quincy Morris so they get bonus points for that.

Mozart L'Opéra Rock and modern French musicals... This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but they're often more like pop-rock operas now. So if you're not into musicals with that style of music it might not be for you, but I still enjoyed it even though I didn't think I would because of the style of music. Mozart and Salieri's chemistry is very good, Salieri's bisexual crisis song is iconic, actually all of Salieri's songs are iconic.

Schikaneder... eh. I didn't like it that much and I didn't really like any of the songs. There's no English subtitles, but someone sent me the entire English synopsis and I watched it with a German friend so I had double the help of understanding it. Doesn't mean others might not like it, just none of the songs stood out to me and I had no desire to listen to any of them again. It's by Steven Scharwz of Wicked fame and I love Wicked, but I didn't love this.

3 Musketiers!! God it's so underrated and not spoken about within the European musical fandom that I even forget about it and literally forgot to write about it earlier in this post. It's a Dutch musical (though did also have a German production) and it's really good!? Faces you might know are Pia Douwes as Milady de Winter, Stanley Burlseon as Cardinal Richeliu (Netherlands Der Tod in Elisabeth), Henk Poort as Athos (Netherlands Phantom and Jean Valjean). The dialgoue is funny, the songs are good, some of the set pieces have no right to exist in this tiny musical?? They made this giant boat and pelt the actors with rain just for one 5 minute song and then we never see the boat again? And while I recommend the Dutch one because Dutch musicals deserve more love and it has official English subtitles!! Official ones, not fanmade! I have the DVD and it comes with English subtitles (and Dutch and German subtitles) which is so nice. The German version is also good, good cast, Pia came back and Uwe Kroger as Richeliu and omg they rearranged the songs and the German arrangement of Nicht Aus Stein is insane and amazing and frankly iconic.

That's all of the ones I have watched. Next on my list to watch are Rudolf and Notre Dame de Paris, both of which I have listened to some songs from and already love (I've listened to way too much of Notre Dame de Paris and am so in love).

I want to start organising streams where I'll host the musical either by getting the video from Youtube or my own files and anyone who wants to join can come along and watch with us, chat with us if you want or just watch there's no pressure to chat. I thought about doing weekly streams? This would also make me finally watch some of the ones I've been meaning to for ages. But I keep wondering about time zones. I'm in the UK and would want to stream at about 11pm at the latest (11pm BST/GMT+1 as we’re in daylight savings at the moment, if the streams continue past the end of October which would be wild then I’ll make a note of the time change that would be to 11pm GMT), which I know can work for other UK and Europeans, but for any Americans would be in the afternoon. So, I wondered if doing it on a weekend would be better? Then it doesn't matter if it's in the afternoon? Maybe Saturday evenings then? It would either be Saturday evenings UK time or Friday evenings UK time. What do you guys think? If people are down then I'll make a separate post with a list of what we'll be watching each week and if anything happens to me that means I can't stream one week then everything will just get pushed back a week, but I don't see that as likely to happen. And I'll only be streaming those that have English subtitles, so don't worry about not being able to understand anything.

edit: am also open to 10pm bst if others want that, im just trying to think of what time works best for everyone so sorry if 11pm is a little late for europeans, i know 10pm could be a little early for americans. also in case it sounded like these are the only musicals i will be streaming, thats not so, ive got more than just the ones mentioned on this list!

(Tagging some people who I know are or might be interested in streams to see what you think of that plan: @sirona-art @ringwraith100 @tanz-der-trash @smilingwoland @the-weird-dane @witchgaye @ami-fidele @kisstheghouls @looking-4-happiness @ladysapphire928 @sloanedestler @tinywound @persephonaae @phoenixdewinter @uwucoffee @freshbloodandgothicism )

#european musicals #mozart das musical #3 musketiers #dracula the musical #retj #romeo et juliette #mozart l'opera rock #mozart l'opéra rock #musical theatre #musicals #broadway #musicaledit #rebecca das musical #rebecca the musical #answeredasks #non english language musicals

55 notes · View notes

cutegirlmayra · 4 years

Note

Hiiiiii, I rly like your writing X3 I was wondering if you’d answer this question: What is your interpretation of what SEGA is doing with SonAmy as of right now? Seems like it’s becoming more and more canon. I know you’ve done similar question before, but could you maybe just answer this for 2021? Thanks!💖💙

No problem! And thank you, lovely Anon~<3 I love writing for the feels~ But also for the accuracy to be as close as possible if I can manage it! First of all, they’ve always been canon? Maybe not ‘in-world dating’ canon but canon in the sense that they are a official SEGA advertised couple since the get-go.

Amy was created to literally be in the slot of ‘Sonic’s Girlfriend’ where she had feelings for Sonic and always a fun mystery as to decipher Sonic’s subtle ‘returned caring’ for her.

As for 2021 we are so FREAKIN’ HAPPY to hear that SEGA is FINALLY marketing the two and VISUALLY SEEING the sales of their ‘couple shirts’ and the like make some profit. Furthermore, we have long-time fans and professionals in the careers within SEGA also vocalizing that they don’t mind the couple and even support it. With less emphasis on the ‘fandom fanatics’ of the raging past and more so on the fantastic marketability and popularity the couple brings to SEGA’s exposing their main IP, it’s become almost common ground to expect more and more people liking romantic and suggested romantic couples in all ranging medias.

We need also mention the alarming rate of the worrisome numbers in Japan recently. Conducted studies have shown that most of Japan’s population is elderly, and in the very near future (About 5 years or so) a good chuck of Japan’s population will die. This means the Japanese Government is promoting more and more companies within both entertainment, advertising, etc. to be more ‘promoting family’ in their media. Japan needs more babies! And guess what?

Mario Odyssey comes out with a completely ‘Wedding themed’ video game.

Dramatic romantic underlying's in Zelda’s new game.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s focus on romantic underlying’s along with Cloud willingly saying (English version) “Do I have any say in this?” As though to fight the idea that romance can’t happen and-

Kingdom Hearts 3′s romantic underlying that literally has a song (Japanese) talking about rings and getting married called “Chikai” or also ‘Oath’ that in English is rewritten to a romantic song about going deeper into love called “Don’t Think Twice” but literally has the two ‘making their fates intertwined’ in a symbol of ‘romantic intentions’ such as marriage or even just fidelity in a relationship.

So? How does all this influence the latest Sonamy supersonic boom we’ve seen in the media recently?

Although Sonic is his own character, he’s also only 15 (But as many of you have seen in Anime, Japanese ages of appropriateness are different then our own cultures and societies) we see faint glimpses. In the mostly American-made Sonic Boom t.v series, the comedic moments of Sonic and Amy are very much to a genre of American audiences and how we view ‘funny love’ should normally be marketed as. (I don’t always agree with what they say, but that’s how they’re trained and believe the ‘trends’ go... so ... can’t argue with professionals? Eh? -I personally think they’re outdated *cough cough*)

Sonic is not one to express feelings in overly dramatic ways which is common place in American television and media, but he’s also got a ‘boy’s heart’ which means we won’t see a lot of things from him BESIDES ‘romantic underlyings’ that are probably going to be initiated and themed mostly and primarily in Amy Rose’s character (If at all shown or expressed.)

For these reasons, I believe SEGA is just hopping on the bandwagon and doing what they’re told, while also following the latest trends that the other big fellow companies are making a significant profit on. I know we wish and want SEGA to be ‘special’ in how they think, but they really are just a company that is trying to survive and outlast the competition.

It’s sad to think that way, especially when SEGA used to be so creative and always influencing the next best thing but that was YEARS ago and they’ve learned to tread water since then...

(Goku being a grandfather emphasizes family in this particular scene where they take his granddaughter before a big tournament fight to a fair/festival. We see Goku with his family too, or at least, a successful son with his wife and daughter, spending time with his Father-In-Law, and the like.)

We see it in Dragon Ball emphasizing family, we see it in more romance-themed animes (and those that have only recently done romance, when they--for the longest part--never indulged in such things before or previously) and we now see more japanese games and media centralized around that.

What does that mean for Sonamy? Hopefully good things! Because if you buy the merch, they’ll produce more content. It’s a basic ‘supply and demand’ formula. If the demand (meaning how much you spend and want Sonic and Amy couple merch) goes up, then they have to supply to keep their business afloat. If they don’t they sink, but that DOES NOT MEAN TO BE AGRESSIVE. It means just support when they do something you like, and positively, kindly mention what you liked and wish to see more of if the future allows. No one reads aggressive writing unless, they too--wish to be aggressive back.

SEGA’s had issues with aggressiveness before, please let them see that couples in the sonic world won’t have a negative impact on their branding with irrational and bad-media frenzies. (Now, after saying this, I know people will start to do just that, don’t feed fire with fire, just let the fire burn till it has nothing left to consume, and carry on happily posting fanart or fanstories of what you love. Ignore to extinguish, which is what SEGA will do to Sonic shipping fans if we don’t act somewhat reasonably, okay?)

My predictions are such: 1. Amy’s crush will sadly lessen in impact and become more of a novelty, something that is treasured when moments arise to reveal her crush on Sonic, which in my opinion, is not her personality, but due to the heavy influence of women’s portrayal (Especially in America) being overemphasized and not done well, this is how they will try and combat it... (No one does this right and you shouldn’t base a characters solely on political reasonings...) 2. Sonic will have moments of caring for Amy or doing something sweet that can and probably will be interpreted as ‘a couple moment’ but he’ll remain mostly about other things, and the ‘underlying romance’ will have to come through Amy Rose’s character. 3. SEGA will loosen some rules after seeing more and more of the productivity and trend associated with marketing romance, and to keep up with demand and growing times, will finally let small moments emerge between the two, but the fandom will not be satisficed since we will now be desensitized to overly avert demure and oblivious stereotropes that will date their characters. and won’t allow them to proceed smoothly into the new area of customers and audiences.

Children are becoming extremely observant and aware. They are clever, and they always have been. It’s time to market to Children and Young Adults, not babies.

My ways to avoid this, predictions 1: New employees will surface that will start to get a name and reputation in the Sonic Fandom, along with youtube and internet stars who will influence certain marketing schemes (as is starting to appear now, and I feel will be just like ‘star marketing’ or ‘influencers’ that will be popularized in fandoms that companies will slightly make use of.) that will encourage new ideas and bring about a sudden ‘boom’ not expected. (Especially after the lull of the pandemic, I feel there will be an abundance of things happening in the upcoming years... but nothing right now, unfortunately, but at least they’re forced to focus on working on things instead of just releasing to keep up with other companies.)--In other words, they will incorporate new blood with the old, and they will lead Sonic’s IP into a ton of nostalgia and new beginnings that will actually stick and become Sonic’s new brand identity. (This will resonate with fans old and new, but still be a fresh leap into the future for the franchise and fandom.) 2. Sonic’s negative popularity will start to decrease, leading and paving the way for fame and possible adjustments such as more romantic themes to keep up with trends and Japanese Government demands (especially when the population starts to wither and it becomes an emergency situation to start encouraging family ties). Other than sonamy or romantic things, I believe new characters will pop up to ‘test the waters’ and see if we like romance intertwined adventures. 3. Villains will become more sentimental and caring, less comedically, they will be redeemable entities so that the company can market them more. This can also lead into funny romances that help other romances develop and have more meaning. (In other words, they’ll dig into their vault of familiar and new faces, go off the trend of ‘redeeming the villain’ and have more heart-to-heart moments that may inspire more canonical couples... especially if a newer villain were to have a crush that ended up helping two canon characters get together and leave the audience sympathizing more with the villain. This is an actual trend starting where Villains have more character and roles other than just being evil and staying that way till death. I suspect this will be popularized in American and possibly foreign media as time goes on.)

(I actually have a lot of the sonamy shirts lol But here’s an example of the villain actually helping the canon couple have more ‘romantic underlying’ moments together <3)

Those are my current predictions, though I admit that some don’t sound all that hopeful. But hey! All my hopeful and positive predictions have already come true XD Sonamy is being marketed, the new media (Sonic Boom at the time) had subtle but more forward comedic hinting (that I don’t feel went all that well? But eh, that’s just me!), and SEGA continues to try and reface Sonic which his brand doesn’t need. I believe they will still try and rebrand Sonic continually until something sticks for them that they like. Sonamy may go through many iterations, as they are still hesitant with it, and we see that by only marketing their ‘younger selves’ as in Classic Sonamy, and are too ‘shy and uncertain’ if backlash would happen if they advertised a more mature-looking Sonic and Amy marketing. Again, I don’t know if they’ll fully grow out of this, so I predict they won’t.

(I have this one but in black <3 <3 <3)

That’s it for now! My positive last comments would be the more we buy/purchase Sonamy merch, the more we’ll start seeing it in their media and entertainment products. Until then, do your best and write, draw, and review -kindly- to keep those articles of enchantment alive with the sweet sound of--”When will Sonic and Amy finally have a love song AMV moment for us?” lol

#cutegirlmayra ask #ask cutegirlmayra #sonamy #sonic the hedgehog #sega #amy rose #cutegirlmayra #sonic ask #ask sonic #sonamy ask #ask sonamy #sonicxamy #sega marketing #anime #video games #japan #sonamy predictions

86 notes · View notes

weightlossmeticore · 2 years

Text

4 Stone Loss - from 'Oooof' to 'Got This'

CLICK HERE FOR METICORE PRODUCT

How my story starts… My weight loss story starts with how I gained the weight in the first place!

"I enjoyed eating what I wanted, when I wanted, in whatever quantity I wanted."

I was an extremely active outdoors ‘kinda gal’ and never paid much attention to my weight because I didn’t need to. That is until tragedy struck when I was 26 and I unexpectedly lost my mum.

I must confess, wine was my crutch and I drank it almost daily for longer than I care to admit to and since her passing, over the years, I have had a difficult relationship with alcohol.

The truth is, I was oblivious to the side effects of alcohol and I thought ‘moderation’ meant not being sick before bed. Shameful I know! Add the inevitable snacking whilst in a merry, carefree brain space, then the ‘recovery’ junk food the next day – it was no wonder I had managed to pile on the pounds.

The emotional impact of my bereavement resulted in a complete lack of self-care. Sure, I managed to seem the like the happy, strong-minded professional every day in my business development role, but I was battling the gremlins of a cycle I was struggling to break.

Amy before - at wedding Amy before - seeming happy, but battling gremlins

Throughout that period of time, I left a toxic relationship, moved 100 miles from my homeland and lived alone for two years.

Nearly a decade on, I have had a successful career in the logistics sector and I'm now a self-employed commercial consultant. I live with my amazing partner, Paul and our little dog Ted and have regular family time with Paul’s two daughters and gorgeous little grandson.

We live in the Cheshire countryside and have plenty of outdoor space to keep us busy and active – I paint quite the idyllic picture I know.

"For the past 5 years, I have struggled immensely to fully appreciate the lucky lady I am because I have been so preoccupied with… well, being fat."

Worthy of note, my Paul has been nothing but a support to me, loving me for who I am, though, I bet if you tied him down and forced him to confess, he would eventually admit he much prefers the slimmer me.

I suspect that is as much (if not more) to do with my confidence and inner peace as it is to do with my new slinkier frame… It can’t be nice living with someone who consistently gripes about being overweight, how they look, the condition of their skin – the list goes on, then watch them drink and eat too much! It’s the subtlest form of self-harm there is.

"No photos please!"

Then there are the family adventures, no photos please, needless to say I was the one behind the camera as I couldn’t trust anyone to get the angle right.

There are plenty of pictures of just half my face (gotta hide those chins) and certainly nothing below the neck – who an earth was I kidding? ME that’s who.

How I've tried to lose weight in the past… I should say, I have lost significant numbers of weight several times with the cabbage soup diet, Weight Watchers’ Pro Points, and even starving myself.

Sure, I lost weight with all of them at the time, but these quick fixes only resulted in the short term exhilaration of dropping the dress sizes, short lived compliments from everyone and short-term sustainability.

"This time is different, I am not going back, not ever."

Using wlr changed my whole approach for life. I can safely say I will never go on a diet again but, I will continue to take responsibility for my decisions.

The push I needed… Last year, after a 20-year battle with severe endometriosis, I submitted to having a total hysterectomy. Big decision but life changing for all the right reasons. Along with my broken reproductive system I waved goodbye to my last remaining ‘excuse’ for being fat.

The world is made up of opportunities to hide from your reality - support underwear for example (no social situation should be entertained without it), and then there is the human equivalent of ‘spanx’ - loved ones. You know you are fat, they know you are fat but we all subscribe to the tight shield of support available from those who are secretly just wanting you to get your self together and sort out your insecurities.

"It’s exhausting for our family and friends to constantly find new ways to reassure and comfort us without hurting our feelings."

My Paul did break at one point, it was the kick up the proverbial I needed. I never looked at it from his point of view before.

His words were cutting but came from a place of pure love. I can only thank him from the bottom of my heart for loving me enough to give it to me straight…

“You know you’re overweight, it’s not my job to make you feel better about it or to pretend that you aren’t eating and drinking too much, it’s quite simple Amy, you need to eat and drink less and exercise more.”

Of course, I was in tears and even angry with him. How could he be so cruel? He knew I’d been through some challenging times; he knew I found it hard to control my weight. Then he said…

“For the whole time we have been together you have been ‘on a diet’ I have supported you; I have tried to help and make suggestions…. but you just keep doing the same things over and again.”

Ooooof he was so right. Shame on me.

"My main motivation to lose weight, was actually to reward my nearest and dearest with a happy, healthy me for the effort they had put in over the years."

Closely followed by looking good, feeling good and prolonging my life. What I haven’t told you yet is my mum was morbidly obese. It was cited on her death certificate as a secondary cause of death. My turn to break the cycle.

Then along came wlr… I found wlr by accident, as much as I don’t rate the Weight Watchers scheme from a long-term point of view, experience had told me that calorie counting and logging is key to success.

"I quickly signed up to wlr and it took me a week or so to make it my bible."

What I have realised over the past 12 months is that the wlr tool has features that I didn’t even know I needed or would come to rely on from a nutritional point of view. "Unlike the other diets I was 100% in control."

The wlr platform is not a guide, unless you want it to be, it is a tool that you use in a way that suits you! I have to say, paying for the ½ yearly subscription made me commit to using it.

The help in the background is fantastic but, it’s not forced upon you. There is a community available if you wish to participate or you can just crack on yourself.

Invaluable to me was the food diary, in fact it was the single most important function, followed closely with the ability to create your own recipes and the system calculates the calorific content for you – did I mention I am a total foodie and the appointed family chef?

Then there is the progress tracker - I'd weigh in daily and I could see, in real time, the impact my effort was having…

Losing weight is not easy, but it is simple, when you know how. That’s not to say my journey was always simple. I found the daily fluctuations in my weight difficult to navigate emotionally, though I did reach out to the wlr team who helped me understand what was going on.

Now, when I weigh 2lb more than yesterday, despite being ‘good’, I shrug and look forward to tomorrow’s weigh in. Even Paul says now, “It’ll be back down tomorrow.”

Then there is the dreaded weight plateau. I made the worst mistake you can possibly make - I dropped my calorie intake too far below safe in order to manage it. My plateau was because I was exercising more and actually needed more calories. Once I increased my calories, the weight began to fall off again, crazy hey?

I stayed motivated because I had already made a good dent into my goal and I wasn’t settling for halfway there again. Plus, I had a debt to pay to my family to get myself in good shape. My weight loss strategies...

Exercise is not for everyone. I personally used to prefer ‘hidden exercise’ like hiking, mountain climbing kayaking. I deliberately did not exercise to begin with.

The truth is, I knew I could hammer the treadmill and quickly lose my weight but, that wouldn’t be sustainable.

"My journey with Meticore Product"

My sister introducrd me to meticore lossing weight product which also played an important role in helping me loss weight.Incase you havent heard or used meticore ,this is the best time and oppurtunity for you to give it a try.

Meticcore is a highly- quality supplement with natural composition that has helped it emerge as a promising soloution to your weight problems.If you have been struggling to shed excess pounds like i did then perhaps you need to guve it a try

"My battle began in the kitchen."

When I nailed down my food and enjoying life at the same time, I then introduced the exercise, which is now a great pleasure because I am no longer trying to lose weight.

"I am sculpting my shape and people are noticing."

My sister is obsessed with my arms of all things! I don’t like to drag fitness training out, I like it out of the way, so I never do more than half an hour of, well, anything.

But I make that half an hour count with HIIT. I combine running with uphill walking, weights, general floor exercises and I am conscious of not sitting around too long.

Progress chart

How my life has changed…

I am now a happy size 12 though toying with losing just a little more to be a comfortable 10 – 12.

"I love being able to put anything on and feeling comfortable."

I must confess part of my journey has been during the COVID-19 pandemic so, I had to wear my fat clothes for quite a while (and still do).

I flop around in my bras and have had to put so many extra holes in my belt that it nearly wraps around me twice! I love this feeling because it reminds me how far I have come and what my weight loss represents.

Paul is so unbelievably proud of me which feels amazing but what I have realized is more important now is how proud of myself I am! I was motivated to lose my weight for my family BUT, I am keeping it off for myself.

I know that I have already inspired others around me to take action, this is something I never anticipated. What I recognize is their desperation for me to tell them the ‘secret’, so I do…

"The secret is, there is no secret!"

It’s quite simple you have to eat less and exercise more and don’t try to lose weight until you are fully committed to being painfully honest with yourself and others around you and ready to do it properly.

My beautiful mother left me too soon but, she left me with so many pearls of wisdom and she always said:

“The wrong way is always the long way in the end.”

And never a truer word was spoken.

"Quick fix diets just prolong the time it takes for you to achieve true happiness."

Incase who want to get Meticore that also helped me loss weight u can u this using my link.Guys dont miss out meticore

Meticore

#body ch3ck #weight loss #bmi #size 4 #size12 #clean eating #goal weight #need to lose more weight #i want to be weightless

1 note · View note

pregnant-piggy · 4 years

Text

Two trees (1/3)

Harry Potter x reader, modern high school AU

This is part of All I want for Christmas is fanfiction

Words: 3k

A/N: this fic is mostly based on my experiences with school theatre. I have joined twice in my school’s plays a few years back and i can only wish it was like this

Every year the school would do a Christmas production on the day before the Christmas break. And every year your friends managed to convince you to join them in it. But they all had something valuable to add, you had nothing. Lavender had great acting skills and she would undoubtedly get the leading part, like she had last year. Parvati was part of the technics team, so she didn’t even had to sign up for anything. And your best friend Dean had helped write the script, so he was settled too. You on the other hand had nothing. No acting skills, not a writer’s hand and no sense of technicality.

So when the day came that the roles were announced, you were slightly anxiously sitting in the school’s theatre, while your friends were chatting excitedly around you. The row in front of you was taken by a group of giggling girls and in the row before that were some other guys from your year seated.

‘Harry and Ron lost a bet,’ Dean explained when he noticed you were surprised to find those boys there. ‘They had made a bet with Neville and Seamus and lost. So they had to audition for the play.’

You chuckled and averted your gaze from the boys. Soon afterwards Mrs Stanley came to the stage and a silence fell over all who were in the theatre. Mrs Stanley was, despite the fact that you didn’t have classes from her, one of your favourite teachers. She was always kind to everyone and she hadn’t laughed at you when you had auditioned for the play.

She started to name the characters in the play, called The more the merrier, starting with the leading parts.

‘The role for Amy goes to Lavender Brown!’ Mrs Stanley said and Lavender beamed with happiness. ‘And the part of her opponent, Jacob, goes to Ron Weasley!’

Two rows in front of you three of the four boys started to laugh. The back of Ron’s neck turned as red as his hair and Neville almost fell from his chair laughing so hard.

Next to you Lavender and Parvati started to protest. Lavender had gotten up and was staring angrily down at the four boys. Parvati pulled her back down, while giving the boys a nasty glare. She took Lavender in an embrace and shot you a questioning glare over her shoulder. You shrugged back and turned to Dean.

‘Ron?’

‘Yeah, he was actually really good,’ said Dean, who had been at the auditions. ‘He surprised everyone.’

You looked at Ron and his friends, who were still laughing at him. Your gaze shifted to the mop of black hair that was sitting next to him. You had gotten to know Harry better since he was seated next to you in your history class, because he had been talking too much with Seamus. Despite what his lazy attitude made you believe, he was actually a really nice guy. And smart. He had surprised you with the comments he had made during class.

The rest of the parts were divided too and with every name that was called and that wasn’t yours, you felt both relieved and disappointed. Not disappointed because you had expected a part in the play, but because you wished to have this experience with your friends. You had missed it all those years and they always talked about how much fun it was to be part of ‘the crew’, as they called it.

‘And the last parts, go to y/f/n and Harry Potter!’

You started from your daze and stared at Mrs Stanley. Did she just say your name? You turned to Dean, who was smiling at you. ‘Welcome to the crew!’

‘I am part of the crew?’ you whisper-yelled. ‘I am in the play?’ Dean laughed and nodded as he put his arm around your shoulder and pulled you in for a hug.

The group of boys two rows below you were laughing again, but this time only half of them were. Neville actually fell from his seat this time and Seamus was pointing at Harry while the tears streamed down his face.

‘The rehearsals are every Thursday at four and I expect you all to be there! Please take the sheet with roles with you when you leave the place!’ Mrs Stanley said and she placed a stack of papers on the stage before she left.

Together with your friends you went down and got a piece of paper. On the top of the list stood indeed Lavender and Ron as the main roles. You heard Lavender sigh behind you, while you searched for your own name. Totally on the bottom you found it after the role you were playing.

‘A tree? I’m a tree?’

You turned around to Dean, who was grinning at you. ‘It was the only way to get you in.’

‘A tree?’ you repeated and looked back at the sheet. ‘Do I even have lines?’

‘You do, you do,’ Dean reassured you. ‘You have a conversation with the other tree.’

‘Of course, because one tree’s not enough! Who is my worthy opponent then?’

‘Me,’ a voice behind you said.

You turned around and were faced with Harry. He had an easy smirk on his mouth as he pulled his hand through his hair. You looked at the sheet again. On the paper stood indeed, next to your name, Harry Potter.

‘Oh, great,’ you mumbled before you smiled at Harry. ‘Well, at least it’s nice to know there is someone just as bad as me.’

=-=-=-=

Apart from being a tree, you were excited for the play and the next Thursday rolled around quickly. You were waiting with Lavender and Parvati in the seats closest to the stage, talking about all and nothing while you waited for the rehearsal to start. Around you were mostly younger students, not a real big surprise as you kept in mind that you were in your final to last year. Two girls were sitting close to you and you listened with half an ear to their conversation. The girl closest to you, with two pigtails, was explaining to the other girl how her family had big expectations for her own future as an actress.

Your eavesdropping was cut short when Harry and Ron, both with long faces, sat down between you and the girls. You now completely stopped listening to Lavender and Parvati as they talked about Lavender’s new math tutor and turned to the two boys next to you.

‘Look who it is, Mr Prince Charming and my fellow tree companion,’ you said. ‘Looking forward to it?’

‘Mr Prince Charming?’ Ron asked confused.

‘Oh, that’s right,’ you said. ‘You don’t know what the play is about.’

Dean had told you as soon as you had gotten a part in the production. It was about a girl, Amy played by Lavender, who shows Prince Jacob, who loathes the holidays, how much happiness Christmas brings to the people. They cross the whole kingdom that belongs to Jacob’s father, King Samuel, together until Jacob is convinced that Christmas is indeed a happy time. In the end he invites everyone that he has come across over for a big Christmas dinner in his castle.

And no one less than Ron Weasley was to play Jacob; hence the Prince Charming.

‘You’ll see,’ you said and at the same time Mrs Stanley walked on the stage, silencing everyone in the theatre.

‘Good afternoon! I am so excited to see so many familiar and new faces! I have no doubt that this year we’ll perform an even better play than last year.’

Mrs Stanley divided the whole group in little ones of four people who had sort of the same roles. You were in a group with the two girls you had listened to earlier and Harry. The girl with the pigtails, who was supposed to be a great actress later, appeared to play the part of a lumberjack and her friend was her sheepdog. You quickly learned that their names were Jennifer and Kayla.

The groups were all given a scene not from the play and it was the exercise to change and play it so that it became an interesting scene. The text would be unaltered, but all the rest was up for change.

Jennifer suggested to make it a melodramatic piece, acting it as if it was the last thing you’d do. However, you and Harry decided against that already foreseeing the embarrassment that would cause the two of you.

‘What if we completely change the context?’ you proposed. ‘Say we make it night instead of day.’

‘And we could be in the woods instead the-’ Harry read the description at the top of the paper, ‘-kitchen.’

Soon your group was working on a way to make clear that it was dark and night and time flew by. After an hour it was time for all the groups to present their pieces. Lavender’s group was first. She was with Ron, since they had the biggest roles, and three other people. You knew how much Lavender despised Ron right now, but there was no trace of it in her acting. And it surprised you how well Ron could act. It was as if someone else was standing on the stage and not the Ron from your PE class this morning who was whining about the laps he had to run.

‘I didn’t know he could act,’ you whispered to Harry, who was sitting next to you.

‘That makes two of us,’ Harry mumbled back as he raised his eyebrow at his best friend acting out a loud scene on the stage.

There were three other groups after Lavender’s group and then it was your turn. As you stood on the stage with the paper in your hand, you regretted ever letting your friends convince you to join them. All eyes were at your group but you saw nothing from the bright lights that were pointed at you.

Luckily for you, the most lines were given to Jennifer and Kayla for they also had a bigger part in the official play. Harry and you stood in the background and occasionally had to shout a spooky word, but most attention was focused on the two girls in front of the stage.

‘But, oh! How could you do that? Please tell me!’ Jennifer shouted out and you had to hide your face behind the script so no one would see your laugh. On the other side of the stage, Harry wasn’t even trying to hide his smile and you gave him a scolding glare. He shrugged and nodded at Jennifer, who was now running around her friend, while this one was trying to recite her lines without betting too distracted by the running figure.

‘Very well, very well!’ Mrs Stanley said when you were done and the four of you were standing on the front of the stage. ‘I like the dramatic approach you have taken.’

‘Yes, we were very focused on that,’ Harry mumbled softly and you chuckled.

‘That was the final group! I am more than happy now I have seen you all act together and I can’t wait to start rehearse the actual play next week!’ Mrs Stanley said and she dismissed everyone from the theatre.

You walked off the stage and grabbed your bag. You took out your phone and saw that Dean had texted you twelve times, asking you how it was going.

‘It could always be worse,’ Harry said to you, pulling your attention from your phone.

‘That indeed, imagine if we had the leading parts,’ you said and laughed as you looked at the awkwardness between Ron and Lavender.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow, y/n,’ Harry said and he walked away to Ron, who was searching for him.

Lavender and Parvati immediately rushed over to you and looked at you expectantly. You rolled your eyes and lifted your bag over your shoulder. While they complained about Ron you left the theatre and headed in the direction of your locker. While you dropped the books you didn’t need at home, Parvati turned to you.

‘So, you and Harry?’

You sighed and closed your locker, leaning back against it. ‘There is no me and Harry,’ you said, lifting your hand to brush away a speck of dust from Parvati’s shoulder.

‘Right, well you obviously had some chemistry there in the back of the stage. Don’t think we didn’t see it, sweetie,’ Parvati said and she wrapped her arm around your shoulder, pulling you with her to the exit of the school. Lavender followed behind.

‘Believe me, there is just as much chemistry between me and Harry as between Lavender and Ron.’

‘Ugh, why did he ever have to audition?!’ Lavender cried out.

=-=-=-=

The rehearsal got a lot more fun after you started with the actual play. With every week more and more started to come together. Despite the mutual annoyance, Lavender and Ron were a perfect couple and they nailed their parts.

Though you didn’t have a whole lot to do at the rehearsals; there was one scene you were in and you had only a few lines, it was fun to be at the rehearsals. You helped other people learn their lines and spent a lot of time with Harry, sitting in the back of the theatre and joke about the people that were rehearsing their scenes.

One or two times you were joined by Dean, but after he had seen that you were perfectly fine without him, he had decided that there were better things to spend his time on. Parvati was busy all the time with the lighting and sounds so she wasn’t around you a lot. Not that you minded, you had fun with Harry. He was perfect company and even made the boring scenes fun to watch.

In the past five weeks you had grown to him immensely. He had become a good friend of you. It felt like you had known him for much longer than you actually did. His humour matched yours and you felt he was more than relieved to have someone to go through this experience with.

Your scene with Harry was no longer than two minutes. You were two of the trees in the forest that Jacob and Amy travelled through. Jennifer, the lumberjack, and her dog, Kayla, would be on the point of chopping you down, when Jacob and Amy came by and saved you from your terrible fate. ‘Thank you so much. You saved our lives,’ was your line and when Jacob would ask if you would like to join his feast, Harry’s line was: ‘Yes, please. It’d be a pleasure. Only if there was a way we could move.’ After which you both would be chopped down anyway.

At the sixth rehearsal you were helping a boy, Rick, learn his lines when Harry plopped down next to you, fifty minutes after the start of the rehearsal.

‘So, you just have to go over that last part and then I think you know it all,’ you said to Rick, who thanked you and hurried off to a quieter place to learn his lines. You turned to Harry. ‘Why are you so late?’

‘I had to stay behind with Seamus after our chemistry class,’ Harry explained and put out his arms. His fingers and hands were completely blue. ‘We spilled something and had to clean everything up.’

‘I want to feel sorry for you, but something tells me that you deserved it,’ you said with a small smirk.

‘Well, I’ll let you know that I rushed here immediately so you wouldn’t be alone. I didn’t even wash my hands.’

He brought his hands closer to your face and tried to bop your nose, but you caught his wrists and held his hands away from your face. He started to laugh and tried to get closer to you, but you were in a better position than he and managed to keep his hands away. However, just because his hands didn’t get any closer didn’t mean that his head couldn’t. Suddenly his face was so close to yours that you felt his breath on your skin. Something turned in your stomach and you stared at Harry a second too long.

You cleared your throat and dropped his hands. He leaned back, but since you were thrown off you didn’t notice his hand getting closer until it was touching your cheek. You felt the cold substance of whatever was on his hands leave a print on your cheek and your jaw dropped as you looked at Harry.

Before you could do anything, he had pressed both his palms against your cheeks, squeezing your face in between them. You started to sputter and pushed Harry’s hands away, but the damage was done. You didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that both your cheeks were now the same colour as Harry’s hands.

‘Harry and y/n? Your scene is up next!’ Mrs Stanley called from the front row.

You frowned and looked at Harry. He was staring at you in shock; neither of you had known that it was your scene that was to be practiced next.

Huffing you got up, trying to wipe the blue off your cheeks, but all that happened was that your hands were turning blue too now. And yet, you couldn’t help but laugh at your miserable situation. Harry, who had been rushing after you throwing apologies your way, was visibly relieved to see you smile at him.

‘It’s nothing, Harry,’ you said. ‘But I now do know that you absolutely deserved that detention.’

You went on stage and the bright light from the lamps on the ceiling shone in your face. You had to squeeze your eyes a little to make out where Mrs Stanley was sitting and you found her little away from you, looking at you with a strange expression.

‘What happened to your cheeks?’ she asked.

Next to you Harry put up his hands and showed his blue palms apologetically. ‘I might have stained y/n.’

‘Alright,’ Mrs Stanley said slowly while shaking her head. ‘Are you ready?’

----------

taglist:

general HP: @kitkatkl @girllety @yuptha-tsme @sleep-i-ness @iamak20 @thefuturelawyer @weasleydream @missmulti @deafgirltingz @moonstarrnghtsky @mytreec @lilulo-12fanfiction @emmaloo21 @kashishwrites @ananad1 @figlia--della--luna @kylosleftbuttcheek @mrs-malfoy-always @thefandomplace @magicwithaknife @mt2413 @aesthetically-hailey @superbturtlemakerathlete @the-natureofme @missswriter

MASTERLIST

#all i want for christmas is fanfiction #two trees #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #harry james potter x reader #harry james potter imagine #harry potter #harry james potter #lavender brown #dean thomas #ron weasley #parvati patil #harry x reader

132 notes · View notes

streetslost · 3 years

Note

{{ So Dove and Cat don't really have much of a relationship to work with (yet?), but can I put in a request for a ramble about Scott and Cat? I'm especially curious what it's like between them when they first reunite!

kylie wanted to ramble about relationships

cat and dove will get there slowly eheheh. i will say right now that cat views her as a bit odd, but still someone that she just. wants to make sure is okay. like she isn’t quite motherly yet, but she is big sister you’re alive and breathing that’s fantastic asjkdfl;a but she’s at the same time really confused and wondering if she’s that clueless about kids/other people or dove’s that unusual, she can’t decide yet lmao.

but. as for scott and cat now that. that i can definitely provide, and i am so happy you asked because amber and i have not really explored that time of their lives here on tumblr a whole lot but it is chaos because they don’t reunite and suddenly sunshine and rainbows. it’s actually hell, and they almost give up on each other as friends basically.

so when cat is first taken back in by scott’s aunt and uncle, amy and jon, she’s not off the hook for everything. in fact, she’s more on the hook in a lot of ways because she broke out of juvenile hall... not really a good thing to have going for you. but with amy and jon’s support as well as scott’s immediate family, she’s under the hope that maybe she won’t just be handcuffed and sent back to a cell. cat knows she needs to face consequences for her actions, but being locked up really isn’t going to do her any good mentally or just in the long run. she’s still young, ruining her life even more is not going to make her better for society.

having wealthy allies is useful, however, and thus she gets an incredible lawyer on her side to help argue her situations ( the abuse, abandonment, and such ), her mental illnesses ( they get her properly diagnosed and have her sent to see a psychiatrist and a therapist even though she’s heavily adverse and embarrassed of these at first ), etc. thus resulting in her only having probation/house arrest, and community service for years alongside needing to keep up with her medications and appointments.

scott is not actually involved with cat much during all of this. he knows she’s alive and they see each other, but because of all the trouble going on, they don’t see each other much. partially to spare his image, partially neither of them really have the time, partially he’s not being allowed to see her, and partially because she’s not in a good headspace to handle too many people. she stays pretty reclusive, really only meeting with lawyers, amy, jon, and scott’s dad allen. allen is in attendance for most of her trials and such. the reason scott’s not entirely allowed to see her is allen isn’t very trusting, especially because a few of the first initial visits go wrong to the point allen sends her and amy home or demands they leave due to cat’s behavioral problems.

he goes to her trials to learn more about what all has happened. so he gets the first hand stories she tells in court, he sees her at such weak moments, he’s the only other person outside of amy and jon ( of the people who care about her on a personal level so not listing the lawyers and all that ) who really comes to see her. scott doesn’t. scott doesn’t grasp the severity of what cat has endured, and cat’s stubborn view and ignorance to h.ollywood has her seeing him as too above her and disconnected. when the two of them meet, they don’t see eye to eye at all. cat’s still rough around the edges, still someone with anger and resentment against the world. scott seemingly has it all and relies on the material things in life to a degree because that’s the life he lives. he can’t help but to see her as a criminal in some ways, one who isn’t even remorseful of everything she did. while she can’t help but see him as a selfish, product driven boy who doesn’t care about how she’s feeling.

when he gives gifts and gets mad because they aren’t what she wants, they conflict. when she doesn’t know how to express herself because what are proper social cues? they argue. not to mention she’s cycling medications to find what works, making her emotions even more volatile, and he’s battling the ordeal he had with aubrey. so neither of them are in a decent mindset. what should be finding comfort with each other turns into stress as their expectations on the other are so off base, they’re disappointing themselves.

and the fact they’re fighting makes them feel worse. because both wonder if they’re just too different to still be friends... both feel as though they’ve lost the other. it hurts them, but the ground beneath them is too shaky and the path seems shrouded.

amy and jon actually start encouraging scott to see a therapist, and end up guiding him to the same one cat’s been going to. with the bit of insight as to how each other them feels about the other ( as well as their personal issues with themselves ), margaret is able to start guiding the two on how to approach and interact in a way that the other is comfortable. she becomes a bit of an instruction manual for how the other is behaving, though she never gives exact reasonings or the like, letting them be the ones to talk to each other. but she is able to challenge what they think they see and know to make them think otherwise.

slowly, this begins to break the hard walls and stubborn pride they’ve each put up.

cat does not just turn around overnight and become soft and loving because she’s with scott. the two essentially start over, knowing that they can’t look at each other like they’re ten and eleven years old any more. they also need to put aside what they think they know and understand, learning to listen and communicate. ask what the other might need or want and how they feel rather than making assumptions or just going with their own gut instinct when they’re still learning. slowly, scott’s presence becomes warmth to cat, and she allows the truth and smiles to come out more, while scott is able to relax and feel more grounded than when he’s being a huge star. it turns out they can anchor each other.

they take it slow. especially since they still live across the country from each other technically ( amy and jon in north carolina while scott in hollywood, of course ), and cat has to get special permission to go to california while under her house arrest of sorts. she mostly works around amy’s assisted equine therapy program, or even helps jon coach football when she’s not doing community service or schooling. scott, of course, has seasons and interviews and movies, so the two work hard to make time for visits and hanging out, getting to know each other once more and finding what they can have in common and what makes them happy. and soon, what makes them happy becomes each other 🥺🥺🥺🥺

i could keep going but. i’mma slow up there because i think that answers the main gist and this got long lmao.

#it's so long my computer was sluggish while i typed lmao rip #but thank you for asking i lOVE TO RAMBLE ABOUT THESE TWO !!#beyondthetemples #&&. ooc ( an athlete with nerd credentials )#&&. asks ( sometimes you gotta know )#long post //

3 notes · View notes

princesssarisa · 4 years

Text

Assorted thoughts on “Little Women”

In no particular order.

*I’m glad I waited this long to read the original, unabridged novel. If I had read it as a teen or a preteen, I just might have followed countless girl readers’ example of having a crush on Laurie and being angry that Jo doesn’t marry him. Reading it now, I’m able to see him as the well-rounded, likable yet flawed character he is, not just as a girl’s prize, and realize that while he and Jo have a beautiful friendship, they wouldn’t have worked as a couple. The canon pairings of Jo/Friedrich and Amy/Laurie are the right ones.

*About the controversial issue of the characters’ ambitions... None of the young leads achieve their childhood dreams in the end; Alcott’s intended message was clearly “We don’t always achieve our dreams, but life can still be happy in ways we never expected.” That’s all well and good. But apart from Meg’s gender-neutral dream of being rich, the characters’ “castles in the air” are all in defiance of their expected gender roles: Jo wants to be a famous author and Amy a famous artist, two fields normally reserved for men, while Laurie wants to be a composer instead of going into his grandfather’s business. And all three of their endings are distinctly more gender-conforming: Jo becomes a schoolmistress, Amy becomes a society lady, both become wives and mothers, and Laurie goes into business “like a man.” I think it’s fair for modern readers to be disappointed by that conformity, even while appreciating the realistic message about childhood dreams. Those feelings aren’t mutually exclusive. For modern audiences, I think the standard adaptational change of Jo publishing her own version of Little Women at the end (instead of 20 years later in the last sequel) is a good change.

*About Jo needing to control her temper... I understand why this annoys some feminists. So often women are expected to suppress all anger and never stand up for themselves. Maybe it is problematic that role model Marmee explicitly never shows her anger, but only purses her lips and leaves the room. But personally, I think it’s presented in a healthy, gender-neutral way. Jo’s anger isn’t a problem because it’s “unseemly” or “unfeminine,” but because it can lead her to do cruel things to others. The mistake that teaches her the lesson in “Jo Meets Appolyon,” letting Amy skate on the thin ice, isn’t a loud, aggressive act of rage, but a cold, silent act (or rather inaction) of spite. Besides “control your temper” doesn’t mean “never stand up for yourself.” The book has several examples of women calmly yet firmly calling out other people’s bad behavior (most often Laurie’s ^–^) and it’s portrayed as entirely right. And though it’s tempting to be annoyed by Mr. March putting his finger to his lips when he sees his wife starting to get angry, it’s also a nice subversion of gender stereotypes to see a marriage where the husband is gentler by nature than his wife and is a calming influence on her. Stereotypical couples are the other way around.

*As a person on the autism spectrum, I relate strongly to Beth. I fully embrace the headcanon that Beth herself is autistic and that Lizzie Alcott might have been diagnosed as such if she had lived today. So it hurts a little to see other readers call Beth “boring,” “annoying,” a “doormat” and “the worst of the sisters.” Although she is idealized because she was Alcott’s tribute to her dead little sister, she’s not the cardboard cutout of bland feminine virtue she’s so often been stereotyped as being. It’s clear from the start that Beth isn’t “normal,” either by our standards or by past ones. Her crippling shyness isn’t just “sweet Victorian modesty,” but portrayed as a real flaw that she struggles to overcome. She’s been homeschooled because as a child her social anxiety made regular school unbearable for her. She still plays with dolls, believes in Santa Claus and has imaginary friends at age 13. She has no desire to get married, or to have any kind of career, or ever to leave her parents’ house. And because of all this, she clearly has a low opinion of herself: hence she tells Jo that she was never meant to live long, because she would never have been anything but “stupid little Beth, trotting about at home.” But the narrative belies her words. In both of her illnesses, so many people rally around her and reveal how much they love her and how valuable her quiet kindness has been in their lives. Ultimately she dies in peace because she realizes her life hasn’t been worthless after all. With my own social struggles, my tendency to be “younger than my years,” and my own desire to have a quiet life close to my family instead of going out into the big, overwhelming world and doing big, overwhelming things, I find her storyline beautiful, because it gives me hope that my life is just as valuable as anyone else’s.

*I also relate to Jo, as so many readers do. The result is that I’m of two minds of the chapters “Calls” and “Consequences.” On the one hand, there’s no doubt that Jo is at fault in those chapters and does more-or-less deserves to lose the trip to Europe. She’s genuinely, purposefully rude to her aunts and to the other people they visit and she humiliates Amy and harms her social life – at the subsequent fair, the Chesters ban Amy from the art table because Jo insulted them. Plus the only reason why she has to join Amy in the calls in the first place is because she promised she would, so it’s hypocritical of her to whine about it. But on the other hand, I do empathize with Jo. With my own my social difficulties, I relate to her hating formal occasions where she has to dress up, mind her manners, make small talk about topics that don’t interest her with people she dislikes, and always be “agreeable” and “docile.” For Jo and for so many of us, it’s so hard to be that way, yet it’s the mold that all women were expected to stuff themselves into in the 19th century and to an extent still are today. Amy is lucky that she enjoys playing that social game and that it comes naturally to her. So it’s easy to sympathize with Jo’s envy when Amy is chosen to go to Europe, to feel as if Amy is rewarded for her social conformity while Jo is punished for failing to conform, and to feel as if the message is that all girls should conform like Amy. Fortunately, the book as a whole doesn’t send that message: even Amy achieves her ultimate happiness by letting herself be a bit more like Jo and call Laurie out on his laziness and apathy, when back in “Calls” she had argued that a lady should never show disapproval to a man.

*I don’t understand why some commentators think the chapter “On the Shelf” is so horribly sexist. Well, actually, I do. It’s tempting to find fault with John for being “jealous” that Meg is focusing more on their babies than on him and for “neglecting” Meg and spending carefree evenings out while she slaves away with the twins. And for Meg to be told by her mother that this is her own fault for “neglecting her duty to her husband” understandably rankles some feminists. But I honestly don’t think there’s any real problem. Meg genuinely neglects John and overtaxes herself by devoting every waking minute to the twins and letting neither John nor anyone else help her, because she’s afraid that otherwise she’ll be a bad mother. John isn’t jealous of the babies, he understandably feels ignored and useless. Nor (despite what some critics think) does he cheat on Meg, or want to. He just goes to a friend’s house rather than sit alone at home; Meg’s fear that his eye is roving to Mrs. Scott is just a product of her own stress. The resolution is arguably just the opposite of sexist: Meg finally lets John take an equal share of child-rearing duties, lets Hannah babysit often so they can both have time for themselves too, and steps out of her domestic sphere to share talks with John about politics, literature, etc. By the end of the chapter, their marriage is more egalitarian than ever.

*I’d like to read a fanfic where Jo meets Rodolfo from La Bohéme. I wouldn’t ship them, since they’re even more “too much alike” than Jo and Laurie are, but I’d like to see them meet. They’re both lively, passionate, temperamental ENFP writers, whose minds are full of “castles in the air” (they both use that exact phrase), yet whose lives both turn out differently than they had hoped, although Jo’s outcome is much happier. Both also adore a sweet, gentle, sickly young girl (Jo’s sister Beth/Rodolfo’s love interest Mimí) whose death they both regard as the end of their own youth. Furthermore, both of their authors modeled them after themselves. Jo is more down-to-earth than Rodolfo, though, and I’m not sure if they’d be friends or hate each other – Jo would definitely be indignant to learn how Rodolfo emotionally abused and broke up with Mimí because he couldn’t bear to watch her die, when she herself nursed Beth day and night through both of her illnesses and never left her side. But it would be an interesting meeting.

@fairychamber, @thatvermilionflycatcher

#little women #meta #opinions #rambling

44 notes · View notes

notmyrick · 4 years

Text

Also long side note/analysis:

In s4e10, Rick was part of the resistance against the Galactic Federation in his 30's which he said he grew out of.

In the comics (#34) while he was in the band The Flesh Curtains (which some sources say started in his college years, not sure when it ended though) , he also was starting off as a weapons dealer and got his first client/ friend Krombobulous Michael (Mike). After making the deal, in the following panel, Mike goes off in a killing spree and if you include the initial gun, and assume he got all his guns from Rick, he has a total of 4 guns, which at max means he met Mike 4 times to deal him weapons. At least from the first deal. Then we see another deal with Mike and Rick, this would be the 5th transaction, which this is where Rick confesses he fell in love. He has shorter hair, looks happy, and has the vibe of slowly becoming simple Rick as he even tells mike that he should fall in love. Same comic, when mike meets his wife amy they have a love montage where in the end they got married and surprise surprise, Rick is there with his iconic flask drinking as one of the groomsmen or as the best man wearing his common getup.

So this gives us a rough timeline that by the 5th transaction, Rick met his wife Diane when he became a well known weapons dealer and by the time Mike got married to Amy, he either had problems in his marriage or Diane already divorced or died. Most people married around their late 20's and early 30's and assuming Rick did the same maybe on the late side. He was also still part of the resistance against the government.

Also in Rickshank Redemption, does "weird" Rick give off any I'm against the Federation vibes? Like the outfit has the same feeling of space Beth? Anyone?

At the ending of Auto-Erotic Assimilation beth says:

And I know I sound like mom but I can't sacrifice this whole family's safety just because I'm afraid you'll leave again,

So this is something Diane would say, maybe not word for word, but certainly the same tone, vibe, and message.

This begs me to question how did Rick threaten his family's safety? For the smartest man in the universe, you would think it be easy to slip under the radar of the government considering that Earth wasn't really under the Galactic Federation until Rick was in his 60s/70s(his current age) in Rickshank Redemption. Sure they sent a couple spies, but they didn't give Earth an olive branch to join anytime prior to this episode. To me this means that Earth was under watch, but they werent worth much of the Federation's time. So Rick could be considered "not a threat" in his 30s (debatably). Also in this episode, it shown during this time (also debatable) that he was trying to figure out interdimensional travel. So breaking down the jobs Rick had, he was a weapons dealer, he was still part of the resistance against the government, he may or may not be working on earth to bring money to the family, and he was an at home scientist. That's a lot. It's nice to note that Diane was supportive of Rick's science endeavors although she might not know much. It looked like the family didn't have much conflict, at least in the early years of the marriage.

So what was Rick doing that was threatening the safety of his family? From Diane's/Beth's words, he was always leaving and the threat always starts when he left. So here is my 2 scenarios.

The Citadel of Ricks. When interdimensional travel becomes a Rick thing, they created a "clubhouse" or government where only Rick's exsist. But since this is an earlier time, it can be assumed that the Citadel was very "primitive" at this time. Sure there are a bunch of Ricks and a group of geniuses can achieve a lot, but not nearly the end product we see in the show. Rome wasn't built in a day and most definitely the Citadel wasn't either. Maybe a day and a half at best lol. Anyway, I just dont think that the power the Citadel has now, is what they had back then. They can be threats individually, but not a threat as a whole, at least not yet. And since a lot of non cooperative Ricks view this as a clubhouse or party, it could be safely assumed that it was used as such initially.

The Galactic Federation. In his 30s he was still part of the rebel alliance. Which one can assume, he was still a rebel during his marriage. Now this I see much less of a threat. As shared previously, I believe that Rick can go under the Federation's nose and stay hidden. As a matter of opinion, if the Galactic Federation knew where Rick was, which presumably he was soely labeled as a criminal instead of the smartest mammal who discovered interdimensional travel, they would've already threaten/take over his home planet and more specifically threaten his family to get him to concede. Which I believe is not the case because Diane couldn't sacrifice this whole family's safety which implies the threat was more looming and mental, than it was physical and present.

In Diane's case the Citadel of Ricks, yes can threaten the safety of the family despite being Rick, knew and are aware of Diane and Beth. They even have the advantage of portal tech and know the dimension they come from. Diane and Beth are essentially sitting ducks in this scenario and this can be a looming and mental threat compromising the safety of the family. However there are two caveats.

Beth's adoration

Rick's presence

While the Citadel is a threat, it would be more of a threat to Diane than Beth. Both caveats are linked to Beth. They can psychologically torture Diane with multiple Ricks. As a spouse, you hope the person you love comes back, but with the interdimensional travel the person who comes back may not be the person you married. In addition, this doesnt threaten the safety of the whole family, it only threatens Diane. And it seems to me as along as (a) Rick is cordial and father like to Beth, she would be willing to suffer the mental abuse of multiple Ricks. This is assuming that the threat came to them and as stated before, I'm less inclined to believe this because while yes it is a looming threat and definitely a mental one, it is also a physical threat because there is an actual entity invading and I don't think there was any physical factor when Diane spoke these words. Not only that, but it has to threaten the life of one Rick sanchez along with the rest of the family.

The term "losing you" can be interpreted in a lot of ways, but the most common I think of is death. If the Citadel was threatening another version of himself, then it would make sense that they would target the Sanchez family when they are together. And the only way to threaten Rick is to kill his family, and the only way to threaten the whole family, is to kill everyone. Which again I think, the threat should be more psychological and mental, than having an actual physical threat. This also contradicts that the family's safety is threatened when Rick leaves. For Diane, this is an inescapable scenario where safety is never guaranteed. Either way it should have enforced Rick to stay by his family's side instead of leaving.

Which brings me to the second point: Rick's presence. If they did torture Diane with multiple Rick's that wasn't her Rick, to Beth's childhood, her father would have more presence, even if he tried to sneak around the child (I'd like to think that Beth was like a bloodhound when it came to her dad). Also in her words, "I'm afraid you'll leave again" implies she constantly saw her father leave her mother, herself, or both.

With the Galactic Federation, I can see a little more meat to this. If Rick was still a rebel and actively participated in the front lines, Diane is essentially married to a solider, who has a very realistic possibility of dying on the battlefields. In addition if Rick is the weapons dealer and if he is as infamous as he claims to be, then he paints, not only, a target on his back, but his family's as well. Assuming his world state is similar to ours with the exception of us not having a Rick, then Rick is the first and only human to interact with other intelligent, sentient life forms. To Diane, Rick is easily recognizable. So a psychological looming threat is possible and can even manifest into something worse due to imagination. Even if the truth says otherwise, as long as Diane wasn't aware of it, she would just think the worst.

Now moving on to Diane and Beth. Don't take this to heart bc Diane had no speaking lines only rare appearances and mentions here and there, so I'm taking a few liberties with Diane. You could say these are a few headcanons I had of Diane (subject to change). Beth said she "sounds like mom" which I translate Beth is bringing up common issues or problem arguments they had when she was young. Essentially her argument is very reminiscent of the missing/late Mrs. Sanchez whether it was tone, topic, or opinions. So instead of word for word of what Beth said I made Diane say: I can't risk our family's safety just because I'm afraid of losing you. Which, like beth, sounds like an ultimatum, and to further emphasize that point I made her say in addition to that: Choose Rick, come home or stay out. In the episode Rick essentially implies that the creation of Portal tech is what caused the divorce or death of Beth's mom. Although there was a fabricated backstory, the show also implied that what was out of the shoneys were real. And we have a real memory of Beth and her mom standing infront of Rick's green portal in between Rick's favorite sports blooper and where he was in 9/11. To me there must be a connection with the portal and Rick's wife. So here is where the headcanon or possible backstory of Rick's marriage. I believe that Rick was still part of the rebels against the government during his marriage, that the federation was the looming threat that may compromise the safety of the Sanchez family. I believe that Diane was supportive, but was always frightened when Rick would be gone days at a time without a single word. So Diane actually proposes that Rick call her whenever he was in trouble. Depending on the Rick, he either calls her constantly to the point where he abuses it and depends on her to get him out of a sticky situation or he doesnt call her at all to the point where she is informed by a close friend of Rick because they were worried for Rick. Either way, it stresses Diane out to where she is jaded and worried at the same time. In this scenario, she saved rick from gods know what and essentially snaps. She confronts Rick to either come home or stay away because Diane realizes he's no good trying to protect the galaxy and being a father/husband, but he could excel if he focuses on one or the other.

Anyway this is merely for me of I ever wanted to explore this concept of Rick X Diane, or do like a one shot of this exact scenario.

#rick and morty #rick sanchez #diane sanchez #beth's mom #ricks wife #mini analysis #long side note #possible one shot #related to picture i drew

61 notes · View notes

singingaboutwishingx · 3 years

Note

hello! ik u love musicals and the ww so i had a thought—donnajosh the last 5 years au?

oh. my god. pain. why would you put me in pain like this.

i imagine that instead of being a novelist, josh is a political pundit—he has his degrees from harvard and yale, and he’s trying to climb up the ladder. at the beginning, he’s running a political news/commentary blog while he’s in a low-level position for a mid-range news outlet. donna never met freeride, but the drama minor really stuck with her, and it turned out that she was like, really good at being a musical theatre actress. after she graduated, she decided to pursue it full-time.

another difference in this au is that i would kind of reverse the roles. i think that donna would be analogous to jamie, while josh would fill cathy’s place.

i just ended up mapping the whole thing out chronologically by song, so that starts under the cut.

goodbye until tomorrow- donna and josh meet and sleep together. there’s a sense in both directions that they’ve met their soulmate, and it’s glorious.

shiksa goddess- donna is obv not jewish, but she knows that josh is not the guy her parents would want her to date. while they are republicans, and josh’s staunchly democratic views would make them uncomfortable, it’s more of the fact that he’s super outspoken, both politically and in general.

i can do better than that- basically the same as in the musical. josh and donna drive back to josh’s hometown so she can meet his parents. josh tells her about his friend, sam, whose girlfriend got pregnant in high school, and they got married and never left town. he also tells her about his college girlfriend, amy, who blew him off after nearly a year. he doesn’t need much from donna. all he wants is her.

moving too fast- donna gets a callback for the anything goes revival, and they take a chance and cast a complete unknown as hope harcourt. she becomes an instant star, a media darling, and a huge fan favorite. (it helps that they cast big names as reno and billy, which attracts some attention to the production and allows the unknown actors for oakleigh and hope to be pulled into the spotlight.) donna’s in love, and she’s on top of the world.

climbing uphill- josh is writing furiously. he keeps submitting op-eds everywhere and applying for higher positions at other companies, but there’s always someone or some writing that’s just a little bit better. he’s kind of afraid because the underachieving husband isn’t really where he thrives—he’s always had big dreams. he’s happy that donna’s found success, but he’s kind of bitter that it’s taking her away from him so much.

the schmuel song- josh is feeling down about his career. he basically just wants to give up, stop running his blog, and not even try to go any higher at his job. donna assures him that he’s immensely talented, and that she believes in him more than anyone could ever believe in someone.

when you come home to me- josh spends most of his nights alone, trying to write something that might maybe possibly be published, while donna, he knows, is out living her dream. she’s out there doing amazing things without him, but she’ll always come home at the end of the night. he knows that she’ll always come back home to him.

the next ten minutes- yay marriage! happy fun wedding time!

a summer in ohio- josh is hired to assist at a major news outlet in ohio. it feels less fun as the summer wears on, but it looks good on his resume. he misses being separated from donna so much.

a miracle would happen- donna loves josh desperately, and she honestly would never cheat on him. however, since her run in anything goes, she’s been going to all of these events and seeing all these other people who are more successful than josh. and like, the fact that his career hasn’t really taken off isn’t a problem, but she has a feeling that something doesn’t sit right with him. she wishes he’d just be happy for her with no strings.

i’m a part of that- josh sits at opening night of broadway’s new smash hit, which is essentially a star vehicle for donna (i mean, she had to audition, but the part was always hers). he sees her fall for her love interest and it’s so convincing that josh has to tell himself that she’s thinking of him when she looks at her co-star like that (and really, donna’s just! that! good!). broadway is this whole world that he can appreciate but never fully be a part of, and josh wishes that he could be thriving like donna.

if i didn’t believe in you- as josh’s resentment for donna’s constant absence grows into resentment for her success, donna’s disappointment in josh grows, too. she is by no means disappointed in his lack of tangible accomplishment—she knows her own success is such a fluke, but she’s grateful for every minute—but the way he always seems to have reservations at her triumphs. she tells josh that she loves him deeply, profoundly, but needs more support than this.

nobody needs to know- cut? sorry. i simply don’t think that donna would do this. she might have some feelings that lie elsewhere, but no way would she actually cheat on josh.

see i’m smiling- donna takes a couple days off of the show to come see josh in ohio. he actually gets to fill in for a newscaster on saturday night, and he’s really excited for donna to come to the taping. it’s also his birthday, and he thought they were planning to spend it together, but at the last minute, donna is called back to new york to meet with a movie producer about an upcoming project. josh begs her to please come see his taping and just let them work around her schedule, but donna keeps denying him. this could be a huge opportunity for her. she can always watch the recording later and they can celebrate a week late. he makes a comment about her always being gone, and it spirals into a knock-down-drag-out fight. donna leaves for new york.

i could never rescue you- months later, after their marriage has continued to slip away despite their best efforts, donna sits him down. she says she wants a divorce. she can’t be with him anymore because they’ve tried and they’ve tried, but nothing can make him happy for her and nothing can make her not feel like her success is the cause of his lack thereof. donna’s already packed a bag. she walks out the door.

still hurting- and at last, we arrive at the beginning. donna still leaves him a letter even though they sat down in person, and josh reads it and hurts. it’s not fair. how can she just walk away from him and leave him with this heavy grief for their love?

the trouble i’m having with making this au work (not that it’s a bad idea or anything—i think it’s fantastic and heartbreaking) is that cathy and jamie (i mean, mostly jamie) are worse people than josh and donna, and i just like... i don’t really see any universe where either of them cheat on the other or where one is too self-absorbed to realize how seriously cruel they are. josh had a few moments in the show that make me go “well...” about that statement, but on the whole, they’re both really kind, considerate people.

while cathy and jamie were basically incompatible from the start, josh and donna’s marriage fails because they both don’t realize what the other’s problems are. in josh’s case, his abandonment issues take center stage, while donna feels almost wrong for succeeding.

other choices for a ww tl5y au that interest me very much include cj and toby, toby and andy, and zoey and charlie.

thank you sm for sending me this idea!!!

#bianca answers the tea #the west wing #tww #josh lyman x donna moss #josh x donna #the last five years #tl5y

3 notes · View notes

katecarteir · 4 years

Text

Penny for your thoughts, dollar for your insights (Or a fortune for your disaster)

pairing: eddie kaspbrak/richie tozier [reddie] rating: teen & up word count: 7,173 summary: Richie is suddenly forced from his home, his kingdom and his birthright, and sent to live in a shithole town in Maine, he doesn't think he'd could ever be happy here. He's quick to learn that there's more in Derry than he'd ever expected. ⤹ a birthday fic for the amy (@eddiefuckinkaspbrak)

Read on AO3

perma taglist: @jwilliambyers, @stebbins, @lermanslogan, @s-s-georgie, @transrich@eddiefuckinkaspbrak, @edstozler, @emgays, @anellope, @thorn-harvester-ven, @wheezyeds, @vipertooth, @tozierking, @billdenbrough, @starrystoziers, @trashmouthtozierr, @perseusjaxon @loserslibrary (let me know if you want added!)

Richie Tozier was pretty sure he was barely even conscious when he was being dragged out the bed. It wasn’t his bed, because his bed was much higher off the ground with nearly a hundred more pillows than whatever this poor excuse of a mat had. He was pretty sure this blanket was wool, and if his head wasn’t pounding something fierce, he would be raising major complaints.

“Prince Richard must go.” Charles, who had been Richie’s footman for his whole life and sometimes had more to do with Richie’s up bringing than Richie’s own royal parents, hissed in his ear as Richie clutched at his head. “We need to get away.”

“Away? Away from what?” Richie grumbled. It was mostly dark in the room but as they moved, little flashes of light showed through the long, dark curtains that informed Richie and the sharp ache behind his eyes everytime the light touched them, that it was very much daylight outside. “Can’t it wait? My head is fucking killing me.”

His parents had always begged him to control his cursing, and in their ideal world, he simply wouldn’t curse at all. It wasn’t becoming of a monarch, and if Richie wanted his people to love him, then he couldn’t go around cursing like a common sailor. Not that it mattered much, as Richie had ruined any chances of ever being loved by his parents’ people when he came forward and declared how much he loved dick.

“I’m afraid it simply cannot wait, Prince Richard, I’m sorry.” Charles said desperately, nearly holding up Richie’s half asleep form. “There has been discourse in the kingdoms, and it seems it’s no longer safe for you here, Your Grace. It is imperative that you be removed tonight.”

“Moved where?” Richie asked, suddenly feeling much more coherent. He and Charles stumbled out onto the roof of one of the taller towers of his castle home, and the sunlight burned so painfully that Richie was forced to squeeze his eyes shut. “For how long, when am I coming back?”

There was a silence from Richie’s footman that was only interrupted by the chopping noise that could only be a helicopter landing nearby.

“I’m sorry, Prince Richard.” Charles had to shout over the sounds of the helicopter as Charles continued to guide Richie over to it. “At this time, it’s a matter of your safety and your life. You will not be returning to Chamberlain.”

Richie was dazed as Charles pushed him into the helicopter and somebody- Richie couldn’t even be bothered to figure out who- buckled him up. And even as it burned his eyes and made his actual brain throb, Richie watched the Kingdom of Chamberlain disappear from view.

He couldn’t have told anybody how long the ride lasted after Richie couldn’t see his home anymore. Could have been hours, could have been days. Richie felt numb right down to his core, but eventually the helicopter landed on a large landing strip and Richie was being ushered back out. People certainly were being grabby with him today. And his head still fucking hurt.

A man in a formal grey suit was waiting on the tarmac and gave Richie a slight bow as he approached. “Prince Richard, it’s an honour to meet you.”

Richie forced a smile. “There is no need to bow, sir. I know little of what is going on, but it certainly I am no longer any prince. Just Richie is fine.”

The man straightened up and gave Richie a wiry smile. “My name is Donald Uris, and I’m part of a very private branch of the United Nations which works lands such as your kingdom, to provide safety and protection for those of royal blood such as yourself in situations like this. I will do my best to give you an easy transition into your new life.”

Richie nodded and followed Mr Uris back to a small, grey van parked the end of the turmac strip. Richie crawled into the backseat and buckled himself up. Immediately, Mr Uris was pulling out pieces of paper and handed them to Richie. Most of them didn’t make any sense to him at all, with numbers and dates and signatures but something did catch his eye near the bottom of the pile.

CERTIFICATE OF VITAL RECORD. STATE OF MAINE.

TOZIER, RICHARD IRA. MARCH 07, 2003 M LITTLE CANADA, MN

Richie frowned. It was his name, sort of. His first name, certainly, but not last name nor his even middle name. Not his actual date of birth, but the correct year. He didn’t even know what a Little Canada or a Maine was, except that he assumed it was somewhere in America. Just like he was now.

“The story we’ve come up with is that you are the son of my deceased sister, come to live with my family.” Mr Uris said. “All these documents are everything you will need to be a legal citizen and navigate your life here in America. You’ve been enrolled in public high school, though I will warn you that their curriculum is likely behind that of your personal studies in Chamberlain. My son, Stanley is of an age with you and will be showing you around the school and the town and helping you feel at home.”

Richie flipped through the papers again, still not completely absorbing what they said. “Can you…” Richie started, then cleared his throat. “Do you know why I had to come here?”

Mr Uris was quiet for a moment before he started up the van and began to pull away from the drop off. The helicopter was already long gone. “I don’t have all the information, Richard, I’m afraid. All I’m aware of is that an attempt had been made on your life, a very close attempt, and it was the belief of your parents and counsel that the best course of action would be to allow those who harm you to believe that they succeeded, and to get you somewhere safe.”

“They told everybody I was dead.” Richie said slowly. Another awkward silence settled in the space between him and Mr Uris.

“It’s not a cut and dry as that, Richie.”

But Richie was pretty sure that it was.

The Uris’ house was nice. Certainly no castle, but bigger than any of the houses in the village’s under Richie’s reign. Two stories, possibly with an attic. Large windows and front porch with a swing. A front yard with flawless green grass and white mailbox. A wooden fence separated the property to the neighbours nearly identical houses, and there was a large two car garage. Suburban bliss, Richie thought to himself, though he’d never really experienced suburban- or even urban- other than the occasional at times he’d sat down and watched American television.He’d never considered when watching to take notes, that it would end up being his life.

It was only when Mr Uris guided him up the stairs, that Richie realized that he didn’t have any belongings. He was wearing a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt that he’d awoken in, possibly days ago, and he suddenly felt disgusted. “Mr Uris, I’m sorry to interrupt but I think I really could use a shower. And I don’t have any change of clothes or anything-”

“Oh yes, of course!” Mr Uris’ eyes widened as though surprised he hadn’t thought of that himself. “The bathroom you and Stanley will be sharing is just down the hall. I will tell you that my son is rather particular, so I ask that you did not touch any of his belongings. We placed shampoo, conditioner and soap in there for you already, and we will take you shopping for anything else you might need or if you don’t like shampoo brands we’ve gotten for you. The Aveeno products are all Stan’s, so please don’t touch them. And the same goes with blue towels and face clothes in the top cupboard, yours are in the bottoms cupboard. Your bedroom is on the left joining side, and there are some clothes in there for you. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but I think it will be adequate for you.”

Richie blinked, information being thrown at him with no qualms.

“This is it here.” Mr Uris opened the bathroom door and Richie was happy to see that it wasn’t much different than that back home. Smaller, but just as efficient. “Take your time, but we do have mandatory dinner at 5:30. You’re free to leave again after the meal, curfew is 11pm.”

Richie laughed. “Thank you, Mr Uris, but I don’t think I need to worry about curfew anytime soon.”

Mr Uris smiled back at him. “You might be surprised. My son has a nice little group of friends and I’m sure they’d be happy to have you along, Richie. Life here might not be as glamorous as royal life, but it’s not too horrible.”

Mr Uris left him alone to his thoughts after that, as Richie turned the water on as hot as it would go and stood under the burning stream. He still wasn’t sure he had un-numbed yet. Richie had never had friends before, not really. There were people around the palace, always, that Richie sometimes chummed around with but the only person Richie had ever really been close to was his sister.

The choking feeling of incoming tears hit Richie hard. God, Reed. He’d probably never see his sister again. She might not even know he was alive, but she was going to be being groomed for rule now. Thrusted into the position after the sudden loss of her only sibling, and her life would never be the same. Reed was sweet, pure, and Richie feared the pressure of rule could crush her.

Richie didn’t mean to cry, but when he came out with dripping hair and red skin, his eyes were no doubt puffy and red as well. He wrapped himself up in the beige towels from the bottom cupboard and pushed open the joining door to the bedroom.

Only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of two boys in the room. A thin boy with wiry blonde curls and a distinct nose and jaw line that made it obvious he was Mr Uris’ son, Stanley, was seated at the desk in a pastel blue button up and khaki pants. Lounging across the bed, in white T-shirt and red runners shorts, was a boy with day messy brown hair and wide brown eyes.

“Oh, uh- shit.” Richie said, suddenly aware of his obvious nakedness besides the towel around his waist. He was glad his skin was already flushed from hot water, otherwise his blush would be horribly obvious. ”I’m sorry. I thought your dad said my room connected to the bathroom.”

“It does.” Stan said simply, turning back to the door he had previously been reading. “It joins on the other side, the left. I’m sure my father told you. Do you know what left is?”

Richie's mouth dropped and blinked hard at him. “I- yes I know what left is! I got a lot of information in a short period of time. I forgot.”

Stan stared him down for a month before he smirked. “It’s fine. You’re not in a blue towel, so you’re forgiven.”

“Is this your cousin?” Stan’s friend spoke up suddenly, and Richie was aware of how the other boys’ gaze was trailing down his torso. “Richie, right? I’m Eddie.”

Eddie held his hand out but Richie stared down at it awkwardly, his own hands still holding tightly to the towel around his waist. “Yeah, I’d love to shake your hand but I think I’ll do it a little less naked if that’s cool.”

Eddie laughed and that sound made Richie’s stomach jump. ”That seems pretty fair. Your room is on the other side of the bathroom. The bed is really comfortable by the way, I crashed there enough times to know.”

“Don’t mind Eddie,” Stan called over to them, his eyebrows pinched together like he found something deeply amusing. “He’s in the middle of a reborn and he’ll hit on anything that moves.”

“Well, it’s pretty convenient that I am able to move then, isn’t it?” Richie waggled his brow, tried to ignore the fact that he was naked and relished in the way Eddie’s freckled cheeks pinkened slightly. Richie made his way back into the bathroom and let himself into the room on the other side, the room that belonged to him.

It wasn’t too different from Stanley’s, a double bed with a comforter set. A desk pushed into the corner and a large window with flannel curtains. But there weren't any pictures or posters on the walls, or awards or trophies littering shelves. It looked like exactly what Eddie had described it as, a guest room.

Richie sighed and moved towards the double door closet and opened it to a selection of jeans, khakis, button up shirts and white t-shirts. Richie had never chosen his own clothes before, never really considered the option, and this didn’t feel much different. Instead of an assortment of suits, it was just a different type of wardrobe.

He threw on a pair of jeans, cringing when they came up a couple inches short of his ankles. He grabbed a white t-shirt and one of the button ups- pink and white striped- and left it unbuttoned. He shook out his hair that way he always did when he wasn’t forced to style it for some sort of event, and he knew it was how his curls looked the best once they dried. He grabbed a pair of plain white socks from the basket in the bottom of the closet and tugged them. He hung the wet towel on the back of the door and returned back to Stanley’s room.

Eddie chuckled at him the moment Richie entered back into the room, eyes glued to the too short pants. “Your pants don’t fit.”

“Yeah, my dick is so big it’s forcing the fabric up.” Richie shot off.

Stan rolled his eyes in Richie’s peripheral vision but Eddie didn’t seem fazed. “Well you look like an idiot with them like that, let me help you.

Eddie dropped down to his knees in front of Richie, and Richie felt his face burn a bright red. Eddie rolled up the cuffs of his pants just slightly, enough that they looked short on purpose, and popped back up with a grin on his face. “There! Now you don’t look so much like an idiot.”

“Thanks, Eds. You’re really saving my ass.”

“Are you two done?” Stan asked, marking his place in the book and pushing away from his desk. “Because it’s 5:30 so we have to get to dinner.”

Eddie's eyes light up. “Mr Uris makes the best spinach pasta, you’re in for a treat.” He took off out the bedroom and downstairs towards the kitchen Richie had walked through when he’d gotten there. Richie moved to follow but Stan caught his arm before he could get anyway.

“Nobody in town knows who you really are except my parents and myself.” Stan told him seriously. “I don’t like lying to my friends, but I know it’s a matter of your safety so I won’t complain. I just ask you please try not to slip up. I don’t want my friends to think I’m a liar, and it’ll put your life in danger.”

“Your friends are the people who are trying to get me off’ed?” Richie challenged, simply for a lack of any other response.

“The more people who know who you are, the more possibility of your identity getting out.” Stan said dryly. “You should take this seriously. It’s literally a matter of your life or death.”

Richie learned within the week that it was actually rare for Stan to have his friends over to the house. Stan was always jetting out, returning home for his 5:30 dinners then taking off again until curfew. Mr Uris assured Richie that Stan was usually around the house more often that that, but it was the last week of summer vacation and he was trying to suck up the last bit of freedom he had left before going back to school. Richie wasn’t too upset that Stan wasn’t around much, Richie was still getting used to the entire situation.

Richie’s first day in town, Mr Uris had handed him a cell phone and showed him all the sorts of apps. Richie hadn’t bothered to set up any sort of social media, but once Mr Uris showed him a music app called Spotify, Richie had been hooked. It was like having every bit of music ever released at his fingertips in a way that Richie had never experienced before, and it blew his mind that everybody had this sort of access here. He spent days just exploring the apps playlists, learning new artists and devoting hours to their entire discographies if he could.

Richie had been so immersed in his music library that he hadn’t even noticed the door to his bedroom opening. Richie relished in the privilege to hide in his bedroom, something he was so rarely allowed to do back in Chamberlain.

Eddie had let himself into Richie’s room and was grinning at him. Riche yanked that headphones out of his ears and sat up in the bed. Ever since Eddie had rolled up the cuffs of Richie’s jeans his first day in town, Richie had been trying to continue doing it with the too short selection pants in his closet. He never managed to make it look as good Eddie had. The cuffs usually didn’t reach the same length, one thicker than the other, but Richie didn’t mind too much.

“Stanley isn’t here.” Richie said, resting up against the headboard of his bed. “I actually sort of thought that he was out with you.”

“We have other friends,” Eddie said dismissively. “I’m here to see you. Well, to steal you.”

Richie raised his eyebrows, legs starting to jitter under him. He stood up and moved over towards Eddie. “What like, kidnap me?”

Eddie smiled. “School starts tomorrow, you can’t go in with all these too small clothes. Come on.”

Richie frowned but let Eddie lead him out of his bedroom and down to where Mr and Mrs Uris were sitting at the small kitchen table with steaming mugs in front of them. They glanced up and only Mrs Uris seemed mildly surprised to see Eddie there.

“Edward, we’ve told you that you don’t need to sneak in.” Mr Uris said, voice dripping with amusement.

“Sorry, sir, force of habit.” Eddie chuckled. “Richie needs new clothes.”

Mr Uris blinked and glanced at Richie, two short jeans and button up shirt and chuckled. “I suppose you’re right, Edward.” He stood and pulled his wallet out from the back pocket of his pants, pulling out a slick bank card. “Go ahead and get whatever you need to within reason, but from here on out, if you want spending money you’ll need to do chores like Stanley does.”

Richie blinked. He’d never done any sort of housework before, but he didn’t think he should point that out. He still wasn’t sure what was considered normal, and what wasn’t, and he was pretty sure that not owning any clothes that fit him fell under the “not normal” category. The last thing he needed was to make Eddie suspicious of him, when it had been made very apparent that Richie should be doing everything in his power not to be drawing unwanted attention to himself.

So he let Eddie guide him to the closest bus stop, and pretended to his best ability that he’d taken a bus before at any point in his life. The mall didn’t seem to be anything overly impressive, a long straight hallway with stores. Mostly clothing stores, but there were two or three cell phones shops as well as a bookstore. There was a single As Seen On TV! Store that caught Richie’s eye, but Eddie quickly shoved him into the first clothing store.

“Okay, you need jeans. What size are you?” Eddie guided Richie over the long table with pair and pair of denim pants laid out across it, in different shades of blue and some black. Some were already ripped through the knees and thighs and Richie frowned at them, reaching out and putting his fingers through the rips in the fabric.

“Richie?” Eddie prompted again, startling Richie out of his wonder.

“Oh, uh…” Richie frowned. “Tall?”

Eddie crinkled up his nose and shook his head, before looking Richie up and down slightly. “How does somebody not know what size pants they are? Here.” Eddie started scooping up different pairs of pants in the same style, and tossed them into Richie’s arms. “We’ll get a dressing room, try them all on and you’ll figure out pretty quickly what fits and what doesn’t. We can go from there.”

Richie felt beyond embarrassed to have to ask the workers for a change room, and even more embarrassed to be changing down into his underwear with Eddie standing just outside. Whenever Richie had gone for a fitting before, it had always been himself and his stylist aside from any occasional time his mother would show up to pass her own judgement on whatever they were trying to put Richie into.

He eventually did figure out however, that his pant size was and Eddie quickly started tossing him as many pairs of pants as was allowed in the changing room at a time. He liked the pants that were tighter in the legs and ankles, and while he didn’t really understand why somebody would buy jeans that were already ripped, he couldn’t deny there was something he enjoyed about it when he looked at himself wearing them in the dressing room mirror. He got two pairs of the blue ripped jeans, and another two pairs of the regular jeans, one in a dark blue and one in black.

Eddie nodded with a satisfied smile. “Sweaters and shit are all on back to school sales, so this really is the best time to shop for anything.”

Richie reached his hand out and touched one of the sweaters on the hooks. It was soft, and checkered black and white. He noticed Eddie wrinkled his nose as Richie gave it attention. “It’s not good?” He asked. He wasn’t sure why stores would sell clothes that weren’t nice, and something about the pattern called to Richie, but he wouldn’t want to wear anything that would make him look wrong.

“I wouldn’t wear anything like that.” Eddie said. “But it doesn’t matter what I like, it’s what you like. Get it if you want it.”

Richie turned back to the sweatshirt and smiled slightly. He’d never had this sort of freedom with clothing before, and he pulled the sweatshirt from the rack before proceeding to grab the clothes with the brightest and wildest colours and patterns he could find. He watched Eddie get more and more amused as they moved through the store.

As the cashier rang them through, Eddie turned to Richie. “Do you need anything else for school?”

Richie frowned. “What would I need?”

“Uh-” Eddie faltered and Richie realized he’d asked a “not normal” question. “Like… pens and paper? Binders?”

“Oh!” Richie said, trying not to flush as he put Mr Uris’ card into the machine and put in the four number code he’d given him on his way out the door. “No, no. Mr and Mrs Uris have that stuff coming out of their asses, I’m pretty sure.”

Eddie chuckled. “I don’t think I doubt that. We can just pick up some new shoes for you because you’ve been limping around in those sneakers all day like they’re two sizes too small.”

They were just a pair of black sneakers that Mr Uris had from when he’d gone through a short period of thinking he wanted to go to the gym, and they were certainly hurting Richie’s feet. Eddie led Richie down that long hall again to a store that seemed to sell only shoes, and a pair of thick black boots caught Richie’s eye immediately.

He tried them on, going a full size higher than the sneakers on his feet, and Eddie made him walk and also buy a pair of sneakers because he assured Richie that they were much more practical than the boots. After they finished, Eddie even helped Richie carry his bags onto the bus and back to the Uris’ house. Richie excitedly unloaded all the new clothes and shoes into his closet, and felt a warm flutter in his chest when he thought of going to school the next morning.

He was significantly less impressed with the thought of school when he was dragged out of bed by Stanley at 6:30 the next morning. He threw the first things he saw in the closet, one of the ripped blue jeans with a shirt covered in Hawaiian flowers that was so large on him that it reached the middle of his thighs and threatened to slip off his shoulder. He tossed his hair up into a half-hearted bun on top of his head that he knew would be mostly fallen out by the end of his day and graciously accepted the buttered toast and orange juice that Mrs Uris handed both Stan and Richie as they were being ushered out to Mr Uris’ car.

One of the only other vehicles sitting in the parking lot when they arrived was a big red truck. The paint was chipping on the sides, and a group of teenagers were standing around it and sitting in the bed. Stan gave his father a quick goodbye and took off running towards it, while Richie hesitated in the back seat of Mr Uris’ Sedan.

Mr Uris’ caught his eye in the rearview mirror. “If you’re not ready yet, you can take another day off at home. I know this must all be a lot.”

It was, but Richie cleared his throat and unbuckled himself. “No, uh… It’s probably easier to be the new kid on the first day right? Instead of coming in when classes have already started?”

Mr Uris’ smiled. “It is, yeah.”

Richie gave his new guardian a thanks as he slid out of the car and walked slowly over the group of teenagers that Stan had rushed over to.

“Hey, Richie!”

Richie sighed a breath of relief when Eddie called out to him. While he’d known that Eddie was going to be at school with him- there was only high school in town- it was still nice to see Eddie was already there, meaning one less introduction.

“Guys, this my cousin Richie.” Stan said, lying with such ease it startled Richie. He smiled as Eddie gestured for him to climb up into the bed of the truck and sit down beside him. “I told you he’d be coming to live with us. Richie, this is Mike, Ben and Beverly-” He pointed to each person in turn. “You already know Eddie, and Bill should be coming but he’s late because that’s who he is as a person.”

Mike gave him a toothy grin. “Bill isn’t always late, I usually pick him up but I learned a long time ago not to bother trying on the first day of the school because it would just mean we’d both miss the first period.”

Richie laughed. Eddie leaned into Richie’s space, chin resting on Richie’s shoulder. “Mike and Bill are together,” he whispered in Richie’s ear as the conversation around them swirled into what their first periods were. “We all pretend we don’t know, but they’re not subtle at all.”

The parking lot was quickly filling up with cars and people, and Eddie kept his chin on Richie’s shoulder. “Ben has had a crush on Beverly since like sixth grade when he moved here.” Eddie continued whispering his friends' secrets to Richie as they talked obliviously. “She and Bill dated for like, three years or something, though, it’s just something we don’t talk about. We don’t talk about how Bill and Beverly used to date, either, but it makes Beverly really awkward.”

Richie nodded. “No talking about the love square. Got it.”

Eddie giggled directly in Richie’s ear and it really couldn’t be healthy how his heart jumped, skipping a full beat.

It actually surprised Richie had quickly he got the hang of his new life. Mr Uris hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said that their education system was behind that of Chamberlain, and Richie quickly rocketed up to the top of their class. September turned into October, and people stopped giving Richie weird looks in the hallways and started asking him for homework help instead. Beverly officially caught Mike and Bill on a date, and the not secret-secret officially became open knowledge amongst Stan’s friends. Stan got a crush on a girl in his and Richie’s AP math class, and Richie teased him about it mercilessly, but Richie was still the first person Stan came to when he asked her out and she said yes.

As the end of October loomed nearer, Richie quickly realized he rarely spent any time away from Eddie Kaspbrak. They had most of their classes together, and Eddie was over at the Uris’ house almost everyday after school if the group wasn’t all hanging out. Just a couple days before Hallowe’en, Eddie had invited Richie to see some horror flick and paid for the entire thing. He’d gotten scared and spent half the movie with this face hidden behind Richie’s shoulder, and the fluttering in his stomach kept Richie up almost the entire night after he’d gotten home.

Hallowe’en came around and Stan ordered Richie a costume to match all the rest of their friends. They weren’t doing anything like Hallowe’en on American TV, not trick or treating or going to some sort of intense rave in costumes that were basically half naked. They’d all gotten oversized sweaters with Pokemons on them, each of them a different one, and they were all going to have a sleepover out at Mike Hanlon’s family’s farm.

Richie had had a few other sleepovers since he’d come to Derry, but this was the first time that Eddie was going to be there all night. Eddie’s mother rarely let him out of the house overnight, and Hallowe’en was one of the occasions that Eddie felt important enough to argue with her over his sleepover rights. Richie was stupidly excited and painfully nervous.

Richie had never really had a crush on somebody before, certainly not like this. He was only a drink or two into the mix that Mike and Bill had somehow provided and Richie was feeling a buzz under his skin that he did not associate with the glasses of wine he’d be allowed to drink with meals back in Chamberlain, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off Eddie across the campfire in his huge Squirtle sweater.

Richie couldn’t think of any good reason not to, so he crawled around the fire and settled at Eddie’s side. They pressed together from knee to shoulder and Eddie turned to give Richie a slow smile. He was still nursing his drink of the evening and his eyes were bright and alert. “Hey, Togepi.” He said, grinning down at Richie’s sweater.

“I think it’s kind of bullshit that my sweater is the only one that’s white.” Richie said with a sigh. “I’m probably the most likely to get myself dirty.”

Eddie waggled his brow and licked his bottom lip before pulling his drink back up to his mouth and taking a long sip. “It’s eggshell, not white. You’re a fucking egg.”

Something about Eddie deadpanning the term you’re a fucking egg hit Richie hit in the giggles, head dropping down onto Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie shivered as Richie’s breath blew across his neck and suddenly the rest of the sounds in the barn seemed to fade away around them.

Richie lifted his head slightly, and Eddie’s hand came out to rest on his cheek. Richie was pretty sure his heart was in his throat as Eddie leaned into him, but he still found himself- “Eddie, wait.” Richie breathed out. He didn’t want to do it like this, he couldn’t. “I… I have to tell you something. I’m not who you think I am.”

Eddie blinked at him, not pulling away or lowering his hand, but pausing his motions forward. Richie inhaled slowly. “I’m not Stanley’s cousin. I’m not… I’m not related to him at all. I’m… okay this is going to sound insane but I’m actually a … prince.”

Eddie’s hand fell from Richie’s face, dropping to rest on top of Richie’s hands in his lap. “Okay, please, I know this sounds absolutely crazy and you can ask Stan if you need to. I mean, he might lie actually, I’m not sure. I was sent here for my own protection, people in my home country were trying to kill me. Maybe for being gay, maybe for something else, but probably for being gay. I’m not supposed to tell anybody who I am, but I didn’t want you to- I didn’t want us if you didn’t really know who I am because that’s not fair to you. Even though you probably think I’m fucking nuts now.”

Eddie sat there a long moment, just looking at Richie’s face. If Richie had thought Eddie had got his heart racing before, it was certainly nothing compared to how raced with panic now. “I should think you’re fucking nuts.” Eddie said slowly. “But I actually believe you.”

“What?” Richie asked, voice coming out more of a gasp than actual words.

Eddie broke into a shy smile. “It actually makes a lot of stuff make more sense. Like how you moved here without so much as a pair of shoes to your name, and you didn’t know who Lady Gaga was.”

Richie chuckled and Eddie’s thumbs brushed over the backs of Richie’s hands. “Thank you for telling me, honestly. I really like you, Richie… and I wanna like you for who you are. Whoever you are.”

“I really like you, too.” Richie said, feeling himself blush. “I don’t think I’ve ever liked somebody like this before.”

Eddie beamed. “Can we makeout now?”

“Oh. I don’t… I really don’t know how-”

Eddie smirked and reached up to tangle his fingers in Richie’s black curls. “Oh, I think I can show you the ropes.” He tugged Richie in to connect their lips, and Richie was a little shocked to realize how quickly instinct took over. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there with Eddie, could have been hours, or just minutes, but he was brought back into the reality of the party around him when a marshmallow hit him in the side of the head.

“Kaspbrak!” Stan shouted from across the fire. “Get your tongue out of my cousin’s mouth!”

Eddie joyously flipped Stan the bird before pulling Richie in for another kiss.

November flew back in a haze of Eddie and colourful leaves. The snow began to fall and Richie began to learn all about Hanukkah from his new found family, and about Christmas from his boyfriend. The amount of things that took place in such a small period of time at the end of December was a little dizzying for Richie, and he expressed as much to Mrs Uris one day as she was helping him making real hot cocoa for himself and Eddie.

“Nothing is expected of you, Richie.” Mrs Uris told him gently. “We know that this must be weird for you, the holidays away from your family. I’m sure Eddie knows it, too.”

Richie’s ears burned slightly. It had taken all of three days into his and Eddie’s relationship for Richie to confess to Stan and the Uris’ that he told Eddie the truth about who he was. Stan had been supportive and happy for him, while Mr and Mrs Uris had still been apprehensive about Richie sharing that information. Stan had tried reminding them they’d known Eddie since the other boy wore diapers, but they’d still been concerned that it put Richie’s safety at risk.

“Richie…” Mr Uris called from the front foyer of the house. “Can you come here, please?”

Richie stepped towards Mr Uris, only to freeze at the sight in front of him. Shedding out of long grey trench coats were Richie’s parents and younger sister, Reed. She gasped at the sight of him, and flung herself into his arms without a care of the snow still hanging off her. Though shocked, Richie didn’t have any hesitation in wrapping his arms around her and giving her a tight squeeze.

“Rich?” Eddie’s voice sounded from behind him and Richie slowly pulled away from his sister’s embrace. Eddie was standing at the bottom of the stairs, Stan and his girlfriend, Patty, just behind him. Mrs Uris was hovering nearby in the doorway between the kitchen and the front hall.

“These are my parents, and my baby sister.” Richie smiled at them and reached his hand out behind him for Eddie. Eddie shuffled over and grabbed hold of Richie’s awaiting hand. “You guys, this is Eddie. My boyfriend.”

Eddie smiled bashfully at them, only half hidden behind Richie’s figure. Reed let out a delighted gasp while his parents donned polite smiles.

“It's lovely to meet you, Eddie.” King Wentworth said, sounding genuine enough. His parents had been loving and understanding when Richie had come out to them, and he knew that most of their wants of Richie to keep things shushed was out of concern for his safety. Rightfully so, it would seem. “Richard, we come with news.”

Richie raised his eyebrows at them, finding himself struggling to slip back into the formal person he knew he should be right then. “Yeah… Uh yes, okay. Let’s sit.”

The merged families sat around the sunny Uris’ living room as Mrs Uris offered everybody their selection of drinks.

“I’m afraid we cannot stay long,” Queen Margaret said sweetly, patting at Mrs Uris’s extended hand. “The royal family cannot all be absent from their places for long. We have pressing issues to discuss with Richard that must have been said in person.”

Eddie squeezed Richie’s knee, and Richie leaned to the side to press a soft kiss to Eddie’s cheek. There was a burning feeling in his gut that told him this was going to get messy.

“We have found the culprit who was making the attempts on your life.” King Wentworth said, eyes only for his son. Richie felt a chill run down his spine. “It was Lord St George of Little Tall Island. He was unhappy when the bethoral between yourself and his eldest daughter, Lady Selena, and he seemed to believe that it would be better to have you dead then it be revealed that you have rejected his kin.”

Richie only dimly remembered Selena St George. A mousy girl with long braids, they’d met only three or so times, and he felt she’d said an equal amount of words in his presence.

“We have him contained and he’s awaiting a trial in our dungeons.” King Wentworth continued. Richie heard Eddie whisper the word dungeon in awe at Richie’s side. “We wanted to let you know that, should you choose to return, it is safe for you.”

Richie was sure for a moment that he’d misheard, but the way every eye in the room was trained on him promised that he hadn’t. “Go… Go back to Chamberlain? I thought… didn’t you tell everybody I was dead?”

“Yes, when we believed it unlikely we would ever find the person responsible for the attempts on your life,” Queen Margaret said softly. “We have found him, and there is no reason to carry on the charade that you’ve been lost to us.”

Richie swallowed audibly. “You said if I choose to, you mean it’s up to me?”

The King and Queen exchanged a look with Mr Uris. “Donald told us much about how you’ve grown the past four months. That you seem… happy. Adjusted here. We would love for you to come home with us, but Donald’s stories prompted us to wonder if that would be what make you happy.”

Richie glanced at his sister, who smirked and pointedly looked in Eddie’s direction. Richie’s boyfriend was sitting stalk still beside him, pale and pressed against his side. Richie thought of their relationship, how they’d only just begun to fall for each other, and he thought of sneaking into Stan’s room at night to talk even though he pretended it annoyed him. Thought of all the clothes in his closet upstairs, every single one picked out by him for him. He thought of Mike, and Beverly and Ben and Bill, the first real friends he’d ever had. He thought of the stories that Mrs Uris and Eddie had told him of Hanukkah and Christmas, and how even though he was nervous about it he wanted to experience the holidays.

“I.. I think I want to stay.” Richie said slowly, looking at Mr and Mrs Uris. “If that’s okay.”

“You are more than welcome to stay, Richie.” Mr Uris assured him with a fond smile.

“You need to be sure that’s what you want.” King Wentworth leaned forward and rested his hands on Richie’s knees. “If you do wish to stay in America, we would continue forward under the premise that you have died. For your safety and your privacy. The privacy of the family who took you in and your friends. We would charge St George with your murder rather than simply an attempt, you would not be able to ever return to Chamberlain.”

Richie’s stomach tensed for a moment before he remembered a simple fact. “I already believed that to be true.” Richie said in his most princely voice. “I had accepted that I would never see you or Chamberlain again months ago, that was what they told me when I came here. I made my own life, and I love it. I love the people in it.” Eddie’s head came down and rested gently against Richie’s shoulder. “And I love you guys, too, so much but I… I don’t want to be a prince, I don’t want to rule or any of that shit. I’m not built for it. This is the life I want, and Reed will be an amazing Queen. Better than I could ever be a King.”

Reed gave him a tearful smile. “You know it, big brother.”

“That’s your final decision, son?” King Wentworth asked his only son.

Richie made only a second of eye contact with Stanley, who offered him up a half twitch of a smile. “Yeah.” Richie said happily. “It is.”

#reddie #reddie fic #my writing #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak

76 notes · View notes