#adam parrish and accepting that he can be happy

[waxing-hiraethh]

make us stand before the masses

like two speakers for the poor.

when there was no revolution,

nothing we were fighting for.

//Chelsea, Phoebe Bridgers

my belly--my boyhood

a balancing act, braced at the edge

of entropy

//Homecoming, The Agonist, Shastra Deo

[ragesingoddess]

(greywaren spoilers)

Hey, do you ever think about how Adam Parrish grew up believing that everything he ever wanted had to be painful for him to deserve it?? Ronan says this in the dream thieves: "Adam was so used to the right way being painful that he doubted any path that didn't come with agony." , and this mindset follows Adam into every decision that he makes for as long as we know him. In the dreamer trilogy we can see him clearly struggling with the weight of everything he's left behind because he has convinced himself so thoughtly that him being in misery is worth it because he prevents himself from feeling that way in the future. He's so wrapped up into this cycle of suffering because of a childhood he spent with the hope for the future being the only thing that could keep moving him forward. He hasn't had the chance to learn that being happy now is as important as being happy in the future because the future is never guaranteed in the first place. He backtracks so much in the dreamer trilogy; tries to convince himself he doesn't crave magic (he does), he doesn't miss Henrietta (he does), doesn't miss the Barns (he does), doesn’t miss his friends (he does), doesnt need his past (he does), doesn't love Ronan (he does) etc etc. He tries to convince himself to be happy at harvard even though he clearly doesn't like it, or at least doesn't like as much as he wanted to like it, because that's everything he's worked for and he doesn't know how to accept that maybe he was wrong. He doesn't allow himself to doubt his decision because that, in his mind, means that everything he fought for in the past, everything he gave away in order to achieve it, was for nothing (it wasn't.) This passage from greywaren; "Although life is unbearable now, and Adam Parrish has lost everything important to him in the present by pursing the things important to him in the past, he will be fine.", sums it up perfectly. And that's why the epilogue of greywaren makes me quite honestly foam at the mouth. Adam transfers colleges not once but twice! Gansey asks him if he would like to marry Ronan at some point and he says yes! Ronan offers him a ring and he wordlessly accepts it! He comes to realize that his happiness now matters more that the idea of happiness he has made up for himself, that he is allowed to change his mind, that not wanting the life he thought he did doesn't make him less worthy. He comes to realize that he deserves happiness and love and good things and that actually none of those have to be painfull.

[excelynch]

are you the king, mirror, ghost, magician or dreamer?

(write the letter of the answer you chose on a paper, at the end you will have the result of each letter)

1 - are you a poet, king or soldier?

a) poet

b) soldier

c) king

2 - choose a part of the song meet me in the woods by lord huron.

a) "I took a little journey to the unknown and I've come back changed I can feel it in my bones"

b) "I have seen what the darkness does. say goodbye to who I was"

c) "meet me in the woods tonight"

d) "I fucked with forces that our eyes can't see, now the darkness got a hold on me"

e) "show me yours and I'll show you mine"

3 - choose one of my opinions about trc that MAYBE you don't agree.

a) the dreamer trilogy has a slightly more interesting story.

b) the raven king ending sucks. like what is that DEMON?

c) adam and ronan were a little quick (but they're perfect anyway, maybe because it was so sudden, i wasn't expecting ronan lynch's secret)

d) declan was right most of the time, he just wanted to take care of what was left of the family.

e) noah deserved at least a decent goodbye.

4 - pick a random thing that was mentioned in the books

a) the pig

b) squash 1, squash 2, squash 3...

c) adam parrish's worn clothes.

d) lampshade dress (or ronan's lack of interest.

e) blue's pink pocket knife.

5 - you woke up at 03:49 am and you feel happy but you don't remember what you dreamed about. later, as the day goes by, you reflect. what did you dream about?

a) I don't remember exactly, just one person in front of me, they says my name and then they hugs me and I feel loved and then aliens take us to a distant planet and I turn out to be that person is a little girl who stole a lego of mine when i was a kid and we started battling for the hand of the cockroach queen.

b) I woke up happy that I finally got some sleep, but dreaming? it's something I'm still trying to remember how to do.

c) I can't remember what I dreamed about.

d) me in front of a mirror and in that mirror I saw myself as a kid. they told me in a calm voice "you can grow up now"

e) a house with all the ghosts that haunt me, they say they can move on now. I'm alone in the house, there's nothing left, but that emptiness doesn't bother me. I like the silence after so much noise.

6 - choose a quote from the books

a) "he threw me out the window"

b) "excelsior"

c) "maybe i dreamt you"

d) "safe as life"

e) "i am being perfectly fucking civil"

7 - ok, without judging the inside of the books, just choose by the cover.

a) the dream thieves

b) the raven king

c) the raven boys

d) blue lily, lily blue

e) call down the hawk / mister impossible /greywaren

8 - which of Ronan's dreams do you most identify with?

a) adam's perfect teeth (i know, i know)

b) matthew, the golden boy who just wants to be a normal boy

c) the other ronan who was born to die

d) forests and more forests

e) a hoverboard that will save everyone in the end

9 - if gansey is the king, blue is the mirror, ronan is the dreamer, noah is the ghost and adam is the magician so henry is...?

a) the one that's left (maybe you didn't care enough to give him a meaning)

b) madonna's number one fan

c) the bee

d) the son

e) the master

10 - if someone came and told you that you were going to die in a year, how would you react?

a) "no shit, sherlock! now say something new"

b) I would accept my fate and live normally. "After all, we're all going to die, I'm just going to die sooner"

c) I would do what I was always afraid to do.

d) "I've been dead for seven years"

e) I would do anything to change my destiny.

...

if you chose king add a point for ronan. if you chose poet add a point for noah and gansey. and if you chose soldier add a point for adam and blue.

now just add which letter you got the most and tell me in the comments the result :)

a = ronan

b = noah

c = gansey

d = adam

e = blue

I hope that you enjoyed and sorry for any mistakes, I'm learning english :)

I was thinking of doing a "which brother lynch are you" and one about the marauders, what do you think?

[stillfrownyclownlol]

FROWNY I FINISHED IT.

I don’t even have the words to describe how shocked I am. I don’t even know what to write because the ending genuinely shocked me and it’s not even DONE.

ADAM. PERSEPHONE. THE LEY LINE??? CABESWATER???? RONAN??? THE NIGHT HORRORS??? KAVINSKY??? OH MY GOD MATTHEW?? THER MUM??????? HOLY SHIT.

Okay. Let’s seee if I can get my thoughts to work.

Adam and Persephone are a duo I didn’t see coming but I actually like it a lot. They both give off melancholic vibes you know? I think they understand each other, in some way. The way to redirect the ley line was AMAZING? And Adam finally coming to terms with Cabeswater? He’s the magician?? Honestly love him so much!

Ronan. RONAN. Oh my god Ronan. I don’t even know what to say. He’s gay? I’m pretty sure he’s gay. There’s just so much to say about him really. The way him and Kavinsky have the same dream place — the way he talked to the trees? The way he saw Adam? The way Adam could see him too? The way he just KNEW? The lightning? The rock? ADAM OMG. Anway. Ronan’s night horror was a genuine shock. The way it symbolised his hatred for himself? And once he accepted himself could he finally control his nightmares? UGH. THE WAY HE DREAMT HIS DAD?? THE WAY HE LEARNED WHAT HIS DAD HAD WANTED HIM TO? THE LANGUAGE OF THE TREES??? The battle between Kevinsky’s fire dragon and Ronan’s albino terror? Honestly so cool. Matthew? Like MATTHEW? During the first book I thought the Lynch brothers all despised each other but it’s more like Declan and Ronan hating each other and only doing things for Matthew’s sake. RONAN you are an amazing big brother omg.

Their mum??? She’s back??? The will ???? I’m so shocked I can’t even believe it. I knew they’d do that — of course she’d come back — but still. Also. EXCUSE ME RONAN LYNCH BUT WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR SECOND SECRET IS ADAM PARRISH? HELLO??? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? 🤨🤨🤨

I had to stare at the wall for a good minute because the ending genuinely shocked me. Like. MAURA. WHAT. THE. FUCK. It is one in the morning and I’m not even tired I’m probably gonna start the third book now oh my lord 😭

I’m so happy you introduced this series to me Frowny because now I don’t know what I would be doing right now?? How could I NOT love these guys???? AHHHHHHHHHH.

ALSO WHEN YOU SAID ADAM WOULD GET LOVE SOON I HOPE IT HAPPENS!! I NEED HIM TO BE LOVED.

You're tearing through these omg

YEAHHHH I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN...THE ENDING LEFT ME "...what the HELL-" skdhkajdd and you still have two more books left...🫠🫠🫠

Akdbiwhdosb I love their mentor-student relationship sm they break my heart every time </3

I don't think it's a spoiler but I think in the spin off he does explicitly call himself gay lol. I LOOOOOVE THE FIGHT WITH THE DRAGON AND THE NIGHT CREATURE IT WAS SICK AF. and I love Matthew we'll see him more later <3 he's such a silly guy...

HEHE IDK WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS?? ✨️ (I can't wait for that scene kagdjshdj)

Blue Lily, Lily Blue was CRAZY bro idk what to tell you except you're in for a ride, one time I stayed up till 6am reading 😭

Thank you to my bestie for getting me to read it hihi <3 the raven cycle goes on forever...one day, you'll also recommend it to someone ✨️

And I promise you, Adam will be loved (picks him up) never forget you have been loved :")

[andrea-lyn]

Happy new year! If the adage is that you spend today doing what you want to for the rest of the year, then I want to keep reading and reccing some fics I’ve loved in the last little while!

So, here’s a mish-mash of multi-fandoms. As always, you can find my master rec collection here. 

Ghosts (BBC)

And So On and So Forth by V_Evergreen

Dying is, of course, incredibly tragic. It is also the most wonderful opportunity.

Father of the Bride by EllianaDunla

Rachel Fawcett visits Button House to feel closer to her father.

Which happens, just not quite in the way she expects.

Project Chatterbox by SqutternutBosh

‘What’s this?’ Alison asks, looking down at the scrappy piece of note paper that Mike has just put down in front of her.

‘It’s a list of ways I can talk to them,’ Mike says, sitting down beside her at the kitchen table.

Raven Cycle

hold me tight, fear me not by audikatia for Northisnotup

When Adam stepped around, he found himself suddenly in an emerald glen of moss-covered trees. More blue roses scattered over the green ground like raindrops or tears.

And there, in the center, was a man pinned to a tree with an arrow through his heart. :: Tam Lin AU

Someone Worth Knowing by SprigsofViolets

Alex Claremont-Diaz and Adam Parrish meet on their first day at NYU. They do not hit it off—cue the academic rivalry. They hate each other until they learn to understand each other.

(I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read this one, esp as it hits two of my fave canons in all the right places)

since you've been home, see what you have become by Mici (noharlembeat)

Adam goes touring colleges, and Ronan comes along. And Opal, well. She stays with Declan.

***Greywaren spoilers for the below fics!***

There's No Place Like My Room by Lil_Redhead

Sometimes endings are endings, but sometimes they’re just middles and the real ending is very, very far away.

Or, the days between the last chapters and the epilogue of Greywaren

(This one is still a WIP with one chapter left to post, but it hits all the right notes of post-Greywaren + plot that I was craving after finishing the book)

god only knows (what i'd be without you) by RhymeReason

[Part of Gansey was starting to accept that two of his best friends were most likely dead.]

Or: gansey finds adam and ronan :)

and on the seventh day he rested by Prevalent_Masters

On the seventh day, the Lynch brothers discovered they were friends once more.

Or, the week following the (near) apocalypse.

Roswell New Mexico

Contigo me encontré by beautifulcheat (Katalyst), ladynox

The Lockhart House was once a home, although it was never a happy one. Steeped in tragedy, it still stands today, in the heart of Old Town Roswell, attracting ghost hunters and those seeking to catch a peak of something from beyond the veil.

Contrary to popular myth, it wasn’t currently haunted (except by one paranormally talented docent). It was Michael’s favorite job and the best part of his summer home from UNM. Or at least was until Alex Manes was hired to man the gift shop, complicating an otherwise fun and easy job.

With Love Overflowing by Nestra

"We both agree that this is not the place we belong, right? Please say yes."

Michael tossed his hat on the coffee table and dropped onto the couch. "If you mean that your dad's been dead since CrashCon and some kind of crazy shit is going on, then yeah, I agree."

(This one was for me for Secret Santa, it is just THAT GOOD that I want everyone in the world to read it)

Severance

r/severed by curtaincall for LearnedFoot

Welcome to r/severed! This is a subreddit to discuss the experience of severance and provide advice and support to fellow severed people (and friends and family).

Top Gun Maverick

we're fools to make war by whimsicule

In a Walmart at three am, between beef jerky and tortilla chips, with the lights flickering above them like it’s the fucking twilight zone, Bradley wants him more than he’s ever wanted anyone.

or: it's a hundred degrees in texas.

what doesn't kill me makes me want you more by ok_thanks

For Rooster to be his ex-boyfriend, that would require him to have been Jake’s boyfriend in the first place. Which he definitely wasn’t. He was – "Ex-something," Jake coughs. or, the intricate ritual of teasing the guy you've been hooking up with since college that you're definitely not in love with

Men Like Us by DancingDisaster

Seresin men love with reckless abandon. It’s put every man before him in the ground.

Jake refuses to be buried.

[arleney]

What is something that people overestimate or underestimate about you?

I promise I haven’t been ignoring this! You sent it while I was traveling home from visiting family and my first thought was “nothing,” because I feel like people have a pretty accurate picture of who I am, but I immediately realized this was not the case. Anyway, it’s been a couple of interesting weeks of me taking more time to consider how people see me.

For both, I will say anger. People overestimate or underestimate how angry I am.

Strangers will sometimes see my unpleasant facial expression and awkward body language and hear my blunt responses and assume I don’t like them. That I’m offended or about to fight or something. A few years ago, I met a friend of a friend and I started the day by telling him, almost verbatim, “I am tired from flying across the country and I didn’t sleep well last night. You’re going to think I don’t like you. It will not be true. It’s just my face.” And he said he understood. So obviously at the end of the day he came up to me to say “I feel like you have a problem with me.” I don’t even remember what I said haha, probably just reiterated what I said in the first place while trying not to laugh.

However, my boss lies to my face all the time and has started getting super condescending and I’m in shock that I’m supposed to just? accept this??? He’s lying I know he’s lying he’s making it very clear he never understood what I did for him so he doesn’t value it. Contrary to the above I do know how to do a customer service face so I guess he always thinks I’m happy enough to be lied to? I can almost never sustain anger about something for this long and it has been interesting.

Also my mother, who has never been able to read me properly, watched me fight with her new husband. I had to explain to her weeks later that I was extremely upset at that time, we were not just having a lively discussion or whatever about human rights, and that I had to stomp around outside for an hour afterward to calm down.

This got so long! And now I have Adam Parrish in my head saying “I am unknowable.” Oof.

How about you?

[vexedtonightmaare]

✝ main ✝ bio ✝ face ✝ muse ✝ starters ✝ wishlist ✝

about:

This is a sideblog, and I follow back from my main @grimmusings. Please direct IMs there, since it's easier for me to keep all my messages on one blog. It's also easier to start interactions with me there, where I regularly post open starters and meme prompts. For a full list of rules, see my main. Honesty hour questions will largely be answered IC and treated as anonymous unless signed by a muse.

There are major spoilers ahead for The Raven Cycle and some for the Dreamer trilogy. Ronan has the ability to take objects or beings (or sometimes entire forests) out of his dreams. There's no real limit to what he can take--if it works in the dream, it works in real life, beyond the bounds of reason or physics--but he must be on a ley line to use the power, and he'll die if he leaves the line for too long. He guards this secret ferociously, so there is no chance your muse would know about it unless they're a fellow canon in the know or it's been heavily plotted ahead of time. What they are welcome to notice is that he's often surrounded by improbable objects or that he constantly hums with dream energy if they're supernaturally sensitive to that sort of thing.

I typically pull my portrayal from some time after he's graduated from Aglionby, while Adam is away at college, and Ronan is fucking around dreaming things, taking care of the Barns, and generally being a menace. I take some elements from the Dreamer trilogy, including Ronan's friendship with Jordan and their investigation into sweetmetals (made objects or art that keep dreamed things awake even after their dreamers die, otherwise they fall into an unwakeable sleep). In addition to the intricate tattoo on his back, Ronan also has the chainmail tattoo on one arm that's made of sweetmetal ink to keep him awake off a ley line. However, I typically don't include Ronan's friendship with Bryde, their bout of ecoterrorism, or the plot with the Moderators.

wanted connections:

Per canon, he's a hostile jerk to most people, so please do not interact if you're not prepared for that. Likewise, your muses are welcome to respond in kind, since being an asshole has consequences. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I can roll with most muses as far as basic interactions. I’m happy to ship Ronan with other TRC characters and OCs/fandom crossovers based on chemistry, but unless they’re on my OTP list, they need plotting and interaction first. There is never any pressure to ship with me, even if they’re on my list.

Please note that I write Ronan as homosexual, as supported by his canon, and I only ship him with male muses, with the exception of a polycule that includes Blue Sargent (because imo the canon also supports all of them being in love with each other). He doesn't consider this as much a secret as it used to be, and while he's come a long way in terms of acceptance, that Catholic guilt is hard to shake, and he still struggles to be open about it. There may be some internalized homophobia in his threads.

OTPs: Adam Parrish, Richard Campbell Gansey III, Noah Czerny, Blue Sargent, Joseph Kavinsky NOTPs: Anyone on the family list (it should go without saying, but you'd be surprised), Bryde Family: Matthew Lynch, Declan Lynch Other: Jordan Hennessy, Opal, any supernatural/powered people because he feels very alone in that secret

default verses:

canon (+/-): Ronan's main verse, with any events that take place post-Aglionby.

horror!verse: Any crossover verses with other paranormal/horror fandoms.

multiverse!madness: Ronan dreams an object that can take him to alternate dimensions and back and stays out of curiosity. Crossover/duplicate friendly!

[toast-the-unknowing]

la verse adam makes me sad that he stayed working in a place he hated for so long but that's something that's very accurate, and i know you left it pretty in the open but i hope that after he's break he finds something that he loves, i could maybe see him as a social worker but i think the emotional baggage is also kind of strong, maybe he could be a teacher he would be terrified at first but i think he would be a good one, anyway that's were my goo brain went today, love your verse

I don't expect to ever write the story(ies) where these events will occur, but I have vaguely headcanoned out what becomes of Adam's career post-leaving his old law firm:

He has a stated intention throughout of the series of switching from criminal defense to criminal prosecution, which comes from the hurt and powerlessness he felt as a teen when his dad was acquitted. Since he's Adam Parrish, he does in fact achieve the thing he sets out to do. Except...

He gets to the district attorney's office and absolutely hates it, because most of what he is doing there has jack shit to do with protecting the innocent or reducing harm. He gets really disillusioned and bitter about it, because not only does this job suck, but this was supposed to be the thing that was BETTER than the LAST job that sucked, this was supposed to be the reward for staying at the place he hated so long, and if it's godawful too then everything must just be godawful, what's the fucking point.

Ronan feels very helpless because Adam is miserable but he has no idea what the heck to do about it, it's not like he has any way of fixing it; Adam is smarter than him and knows more than Ronan does about the legal field (since Ronan goes out of his way to avoid learning about it) and if Adam can't figure out something he would be happy doing, what the hell is Ronan supposed to do about it?

Gansey probably has a lot of well-intentioned advice that wouldn't help. Blue probably has a couple of suggestions for things Adam could do instead that might actually be a decent fit but at this point Adam is resigned and sees no point and is even less welcome to accepting help from other people than usual.

I think ultimately in my mind where Adam does end up finding a new role for himself that actually makes him feel satisfied with his work is through Declan; I don't really know what the opportunity is, but I figure at some point Declan mentions to some politician or advisor or director of some worthy cause that he knows someone in Los Angeles who would be a good fit for X thing, and since meeting with this person really feels more like doing a favor for his brother-in-law instead of accepting a favor from a friend, Adam is actually willing to take the lunch meeting or go to the networking event or whatever it is, and it is a good fit, and he goes and does whatever that is.

I don't really know what that new role is, and fuck, I can barely make my own career decisions, I'm not tremendously interested in sussing out the details. Suffice to say Adam has a few more years to go of "staying at a job he hates" but he gets to something rewarding in the end.

[rovinky]

i have a sudden thirst for an au where

ronan and kavinsky are usually dance partners at an imaginary dance school where this is at all possible during a summer program

they're both very talented

ronan's parents had him take lessons and were very strict and he grew up classically trained

kavinsky's father would rather have died than have his son do ballet so kavinsky had to find time on his own to learn

they both paired up in college and compliment each other well even if they fight like cats and dogs off-stage

kavinsky's crush can be seen from space thank you

junior year and a scholarship transfer student, adam parrish, arrives

ronan is immediately drawn to him like a fly to honey

he wants to know everything there is to know about this new kid

kavinsky is immediately jealous because he thought he finally had a shot with ronan

adam quickly proves to be highly talented but not as classically trained so kavinsky takes this to his advantage to one-up adam constantly

adam is a total bitch and he and k are quick to form a rivalry

ronan tries to defend adam but adam doesn't want his help so they also are quick to fight

kavinsky thinks he's won and is happy with this outcome

except ronan catches adam late at night in the studio, meticulously training, and working himself to death so he can be at peak performance and catch up on everything he never learned

ronan watches him for a while and ends up studying adam's habits until he learns adam does this almost every night so he ends up coming into the studio one day to help him

adam is reluctant at first but over time, he accepts ronan's help and they quickly form a bond and realize they have fire chemistry both on the dance floor and between one another

kavinsky's jealousy darkens and when their instructor sees adam's improvement he quickly rises to the top of their class

ronan and adam are paired together and end up dating down the line

at the end of the summer program, ronan and adam perform together and win an ending competition

this is all i've got and idk shit about dance - at least not beyond super basic stuff but i just really want this thanks

[happyandticklish]

Smile, Parrish

Notes: Based off the anon suggestion for Noah & Adam tickles, because the prompt was too cute not to write. 

Summary: Adam is working himself too hard yet again, and Noah decides to give him something else to focus on. 

“What are you doing?”

Noah’s voice, spoken softly and suddenly over his shoulder, startled Adam out of his earlier intense concentration. Having been dead for several years now, the former had the eerie quality of near silent footsteps that made it too easy to sneak up on others. Adam glanced down at the mess of papers in front of him, math homework he had been putting off for a while now, what with the sudden increase in Gansey’s quest for Glendower. Now though he only had tonight to finish it and he had been staring at the same problem for almost an hour by that point. Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair and tugging at it a bit too harshly, frustration catching up with him.

“Nothing. Homework.”

“Homework?” Noah repeated, peering over his shoulder. With his face so close, Adam could feel his breath on the back of his neck and he instinctively drew his shoulders up. “Maybe I could help?”

“No,” Adam said too hastily, then repeated in a calmer tone, “I mean, no, no thank you. I got it. I just need to finish this last problem and then I’ll be done.”

Noah wrinkled his brow. “It looks like you’ve only done one problem, thus far.”

Adam glared down at the worksheet, hating the truth of that statement. It was late and his brain wasn’t working. He was supposed to be staying the night with Ronan but instead he was sitting here doing homework while the other lay passed out on the couch, after falling asleep waiting for him. Gansey, the other resident of Monmouth Manufacturing, was experiencing one of those rare nights where the insomnia waned and allowed him to finally get some rest; Adam had considered waking him up earlier, as Gansey was much better at the subject than him, but the other needed sleep and Adam could get by without him, if needed.

Noah didn’t sleep, and thus was the only one awake to witness Adam’s outburst of exhausted annoyance. Noah took in the look on Adam’s face, the dark circles under his eyes, the sweat sprouting on his forehead from concentrating too hard, the clench of his fingers around his pencil. “You seem exhausted.”

“I’m not,” Adam snapped, trying to ignore how every time Noah spoke that close to his neck it sent goosebumps prickling across his skin. “I’ll be fine, Noah. Just go to bed, or go do… I don’t know, whatever the fuck you do at night.”

Noah frowned. “You don’t have to be rude about it.”

“Look, I’m sorry okay, I wasn’t trying to—can you stop breathing on my neck, please?” he huffed at last, his shoulders nearly parallel to his chin by now. “It tickles.”

Noah’s eyes widened as though he had been unaware of his actions, and he stepped back a bit. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” As he watched Adam lower his shoulders, rubbing the back of his neck, an idea occurred to him. Possibly, this could go very wrong. Possibly it would be just the thing Adam needed. Noah was willing to risk it regardless.

Adam had returned to his work by now, either assuming that Noah had left already or would soon leave. With that creeping silence that made others around him nervous, Noah managed to move behind Adam. He reached out hesitantly with one hand and wiggled gentle fingers against the back of the other’s neck.

The reaction was instantaneous. A yelp, followed by Adam’s head slamming backwards in an attempt to trap Noah’s hand. “Shit! Ah, Noah, that tihickles!”

“I know,” Noah agreed simply, moving closer and using his other hand to torment the sides of his neck, so that no matter which way Adam twisted he couldn’t escape him. “It was supposed to.”

“W-Well stop thehehen!” Unwilling giggles were pulled from Adam with each twitch and scrape of those nails against his skin. His neck had always been abnormally ticklish, and when combined with Noah’s eternally cold ghost fingers, he found himself quickly forgetting all methods of defense. He chose instead to simply squirm and cover his mouth with his hands, trying to prevent the involuntary noises.

“This is for your own good,” Noah informed him, smiling a bit at the sight. “I read an article somewhere that said tickling was good for mental health. If I tickle you, maybe you can finally relax and stop stressing out so much.”

“Thahahat’s s-soho stuhuhupid!” Adam spluttered, reaching a hand back finally and attempting to slap him away. Noah merely danced his fingers out of the way, easily avoiding his grasp. “Ihihi cahahan’t rehehelax ihihif yohohou’re tihihickling mehehehe!”

“Is that not relaxing you?” Noah inquired innocently, fluttering his fingers over his ears and prompting a shriek from the other.

“Nohohohoho!”

“Hmm…” Noah mused, eyeing his ribs which were exposed on either side of the chair. “Maybe I’m doing it wrong then. I’ll try somewhere else.”

“What do you mean—ahaha, shihihit!” Adam’s confused reply was cut off as hands dug suddenly and vigorously into his sides, vibrating into his lower ribs. “Nohohohoah!”

“What?”

“Thahahat reheheheally tihihihickles!”

“Does it?” Noah replied brightly, happy at his accomplishment. “Good.”

“Nohoho!” Adam denied, giggling ecstatically in a way Noah had never seen him laugh before. “Ihihihit’s nohohot gohohood!”

The strangest thing about being dead that Noah had found, aside from the fact itself, was how his emotions were often muted. He could feel the vague stirrings of happiness or anger, and the pull of grief, but it was almost like an echo of reality as opposed to the true feeling. There were moments, however, moments when significance made the echo more solid, anchoring the feeling to him. As he watched strange, annoyed, bookish Adam laugh like this, more a boy now than he had ever been allowed to in his childhood, he felt the gentle glow of happiness settle in his chest.

“You should smile like this more,” Noah said in his abrupt, honest way. “I know the others think so, too. It makes you seem less scrunchy, more—open. I like open Adam.”

Adam flushed, the compliments only working to fluster him more. “W-Wehehell, ohohopen Ahahadam cahahan’t tahahake muhuhuch mohore ohohof thihis!”

“Bullshit.”

Hands grabbed his wrists suddenly, pulling them far above his head and thus taking away what little defenses he had. A quick glance upwards told him the hands belonged to Ronan. Evidently he had been woken up by Adam’s laughter, which, to be fair, was entirely not his fault. His gaze was met by a taunting grin that had Adam’s heart stuttering in his chest. It was truly unfair how with a simple glance Ronan could unravel Adam completely.

“I happen to know,” Ronan said, enclosing his wrist in one arm so that his other hand was free to poke and scratch at the upper part of his armpit that always had Adam shrieking. “That you can handle much more than this.”

“Trahahahaitor!”

“I also happen to know that you don’t hate it as much as you claim.”

“Really?” Noah asked curiously, peering down at Adam. “Do you like being tickled?”

“Yohohou guhuys ahare sohoho mehehean!” Adam protested, arching back as Noah’s fingers closed around the sharp bones of his hips.

“Don’t listen to him, Noah,” Ronan said. “He just needs a bit more provocation to admit it. What do you think?” The question was directed at Adam. “Do you want me to show him what it takes to make you admit it?”

“No, no, Rohohonan, noho!” Adam protested, his giggles becoming nervous and anticipatory. “I k-knohow whahahat yohohou’re gohonna dohoho, ahahand ihihit’s nohot fahahair!”

“Don’t be a child, Parrish.” Ronan handed over his arms to Noah, who accepted them cautiously but firmly after a glance from the former. Ronan leaned down, resting his hands calmly on each of Adam’s knees. Every once in a while he would twitch or curl his fingers lightly, causing Adam to jerk away from him with a strangled yelp.

“Don’t,” Adam warned him, trying to make his voice serious despite his growing smile. “C’mon, seriously, I can’t.”

“Can’t what?” Ronan asked innocently, turning his hands so that his thumb just brushed against the place on the inside of his knee, his fingers curled against the bone on the other side. Adam tensed, sucking in a sharp inhale of breath. “Can’t handle it?”

Adam waited in heart-stopping anticipation, his smile a flushed grin now. “Yes.”

“Good.”

Adam shrieked as both his thumb and fingers dug in suddenly sending shocks of feeling scurrying up his legs. He twisted in his chair and tugged hard at Noah’s grasp but was unable to free himself. He kicked his legs out wildly, but no matter which direction he pulled Ronan’s hand followed him, insistent and oh-so-devastatingly ticklish.

“RoHOHOHohonan!” Adam squeaked, head thrown back in wild and uncontrolled mirth. “Plehehehease! Dohohohon’t!”

“Don’t what?”

“Tihihihickle mehehehe!”

“If you insist.”

“WahAHAHAhait nohoho!”

As Adam fell into another round of helpless laughter, Ronan shook his head incredulously. “I still don’t know how you fall for that every time.”

“He’s quite beautiful like this,” Noah said, tilting his head to one side. Ronan threw him a quick glance, eyebrows drawn down in careful discernment, but after realizing the comment was meant in simple honesty he allowed himself to agree. “How come I never realized he was ticklish?”

“Foolish Noah,” Ronan said, pinching his way up and down his knees and delighting in Adam’s hiccupy squeaks. “Parrish is far too prideful to admit to something as human as being ticklish. It’s why you have to force it out of him. It’s the only way you can help him be true to himself.”

“Nahahat hehehelping!” Adam screeched, managing to clip Ronan on the shoulder with one foot. Ronan winced, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Shouldn’t have done that.”

He grabbed Adam’s leg suddenly, pulling it out taut and revealing the sensitive underside of his knee. Adam’s eyes widened and before he could protest nails were scratching over the spot, leaving him in a fit of giggly hysterics. “Stahahahahap!”

“Will you admit that you love it?”

“Ihihihi—” Before Adam could answer in another denial, he felt the soft fluttering of fingers against his neck again, Noah evidently feeling left out of the fun, and he scrunched his shoulders up desperately. “Ohohokay fihihihine! Ihihihi lohohohove ihihihit!”

“What do you love?” Ronan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Beheheheing tihihickled! Ihihi l-lohohove beheheing tihihickled!”

“And will you take a break?” Noah added, scratching behind his ears and pulling a frantic squeak from the other.

“Whahahat? Thahahat wahahahasn’t pahahart ohohof thehehe deheheal!”

“It is now,” Noah said happily, though he did admit he would be a bit disappointed to stop. It was nice seeing Adam like this—carefree for once in his life. “So?”

“Fihihine! I-I’ll tahahake ahaha breheheak!”

“That’s all you had to say.”

Ronan and Noah both released him and Adam slumped back in the chair, breathing heavily. “You guys suck.”

“You love it,” Ronan teased.

“What’s going on out here?”

They all whirled around to see Gansey, illuminated by poor lighting in the doorway, rubbing tired eyes. He blinked at the scene in front of him, Adam’s flushed, giggly countenance and Ronan and Noah’s triumphant one. Noah had froze at the sight of him, like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Ronan merely sat back on one hand, a confident, lazy grin stretching across his face.

“Hey Dick,” he said, emphasizing the word in a way that implied a capital. Gansey frowned, as he had expressed many times in a variety of expressive words his distaste for the name. “We were just getting Adam here to smile. He needs to relax more.”

“Oh,” Gansey said, before pausing as confusion set in. “Wait what? Smile? How?”

Ronan’s grin inched wider into something dangerous and he stood up, sauntering over to the other. “I’m glad you asked, oh Gansey, my king. Why not let me show you?”

The room was soon filled with the sounds of laughter once more and in the chaos of it all Adam managed to gather his books and sneak off to Ronan’s room. His plan had been to study in secret in the sudden distraction of Gansey’s presence. As he sat down on Ronan’s bed, however, he found his head hitting the pillow before he could stop it, and sleep like an unwanted stranger whisking him away.

Maybe he had needed that break after all...

[kelliealtogether]

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish Characters: Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Ireland, Adam Parrish Has No Chill, Irish Ronan Lynch, Road Trips, Slow Burn, Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and there was only one bed, Adam Parrish Is Trying His Best, Architect Adam Parrish, Bartender Ronan Lynch Summary:

Adam Parrish always takes the hard way.

Seizing an opportunity to advance his career up the corporate ladder, Adam accepts the opportunity to speak at a conference in Dublin, Ireland. He's already not a fan of flying, and then his plane has to make an emergency landing in Dingle. All the way across the country. With no other options, Adam has to convince the bartender of a local pub, The Greywaren, to drive him to Dublin.

It should be an easy drive. It's pretty much a straight shot, just about four hours.

But Adam Parrish always takes the hard way.

I’m just like, really, really happy with this one, and it made me really, really happy to write so I feel like sharing. And now I’m going to go watch Leap Year and have a gin and tonic made with Dingle Gin.

[ive-garden]

👋 I'm curious! you said you didn't like adam much at first but that you grew to like him as you reread the series and read some meta. what made you change your mind or what is it that you like him for now? (or why didn't you like him before??) as you can see i am always looking for excuses to talk about adam parrish 🌿

Hiiii!!!! ❤

Listen, I'm not great at explaining my feelings but I'm gonna try here because Adam Parrish is also my favorite topic to discuss! Please be patient with me!

Let's start with why I didn't like him very much at first. The first time I read TRB I remember thinking how annoying it was that he was always complaining about the fact that he was poor and Gansey and Ronan was rich. About the fact that he had to work for everything and the others didn't. And the fact that he didn't accept help from his friends because he thought it was pity. I remember thinking: why are you like that kid! They are trying to help you, stop being such a bitch about it! Some people are rich and some don't, get over it already! (Please don't hate for thinking like that 😅).

When he went to Cabeswater behind everyone's back I was really mad at him because I thought he was really selfish!

For me he wanted to be like everyone at Aglionby so bad that he didn't care for the consequences and that was really dumb.

I didn't really like how he saw himself. His insecurities really bother me. How he thought people would judge him because he was "trailer trash". It really bothered me and at the time I marked him as really annoying because of it.

But as I kept reading the series I started to see how much he was changing and how much he was learning and how beautiful that was! And then it hit me: Adam was just a teenager!!!!! How was he suppose to deal with everything that was going on with him without being the way the was!!!!! He was just a kid! After that I felt bad about myself 😅

And because of that I started thinking about myself as a teen. I was really poor during a period of my life and that was some part of me that was ashamed of it, because I was just a silly little teenager that put value on things instead of people and experience. I also had a lot of insecurities because of the wait my mother treated me! I too was scared of the people looking at me wrongly just because I lived in the very poor neighborhood. All those things was slowly healing with time and experience and some therapy. Now I'm 33 and look back and think how silly I was to think like that!

Like Adam I always wanted more for my life, to live in a better place, to study, to have a good job, to have money to buy what I wanted without having to do math in my head, without worrying about the next bills or more food. And just like Adam I was told that it was wrong to think like that, to want more, because I was being ungrateful with this thinks I already had, because I wanted to be better than my family. We have a saying in Brazil, that I don't know how it is in English, but it's something like: you are spitting in the plate that fed you, and my mother used to say that to me all the time. Everytime I told her about my dreams. (Of course Adam's life was WAY worst than mine, my father is the best person that ever grace this world for example, but we had similar experiences that cause similar insecurities).

But even going through all of that myself I let my mother judgment take the best of me for a while and I judge Adam for him being like that. And know that I've realized that, I feel really bad about it. But I also realize how hard it is to move from the prejudice you grew up with!!! Imagine being all of that with just 17/18!!!

That is why I love him now! Because he was better than me and learned the lessons faster. I think in Opal you can see that he finally realized that you cannot count happiness with the amount of things you have! He is still very insecure, but he is learning (he is still really young!). I guess I was used to characters that are always flawless and when I was faced with a very human and imperfect one I didn't react very well. Because he is so very normal and human that sometimes I think he really exists and it is out there going to college 😅

And I also saw that better after all the discussions and all the fics that I read about him and how he felt about things. It really helped me see things from other's perspectives, it opened me up so much. That is why I love this fandom.

Another example of how I changed my perspective of a character because of fics and the fandom is how you made me realize Declan is a wonderful person who just needed his own POV! Sometimes I need a little push to get the message 😅

Oh my, I think I'm rambling now!

I hope I could express everything here and that the post was not so boring . But feel free to discuss even more if you want! I also love to talk about Adam and how great he is!!! ❤❤❤❤❤

[blackeyeslikequestionmarks]

field trip [a short Ronan/Adam fic]

Fandom: The Raven Cycle

Relationships: Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish, Gansey/Blue Sargent

Contains SPOILERS for "The Raven Boys" and "The Dream Thieves".

you can also check it on ao3

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ronan waited in the car park beside Monmouth Manufacturing. Gansey had told him he and Adam planned to stop by Blue while Ronan went to church. They had to sort some things out about their field trip that day, and then they would pick him up after mass.

Ronan sighed, impatient at the impossibly hot Sunday. He had arrived at a point where he was seriously considering going back to the apartment and changing his shirt to anything but black when the Pig finally appeared on Monmouth Avenue.

It pulled to the side of the road in front of him. Ronan was about to open the door when he realized Blue was occupying the passenger seat.  

He looked at her.

She held his gaze.

Then he threw a quick look at the other occupants of the car. Gansey was obviously driving, and, on the back seat, there was Adam. He looked back at Blue.

“Noah?” he asked.

“He was with us back at Blue’s” Adam said from the back seat “But then he started to fade. Now he’s completely gone”

Ronan wasn’t surprised, as Noah disappearing - altogether with power surges and outages - had become quite common since Adam wake up the ley line.

And Blue was still on the passenger seat.

“Move” he finally said.

She looked as though she was about to say something, but then she didn’t, letting out an exasperated sound instead. However, Blue didn’t move. And Ronan just stood there, staring at her. Two could play this game.

“Ronan, come on” Gansey said after a few seconds of the hot summer day invading the interior of the Camaro. Ronan could feel the feeble cool breeze of the air conditioning struggling to keep the atmosphere acceptable “Get in the car”

Ronan growled. But this time he opened the door and waited for Blue to move forward on the passenger seat so that he could climb onto the back.

“Happy?” he asked, as he settled himself on the slightest cooler interior of the Camaro.

“Immensely” she replied.

Gansey started the car, and they were off to whatever place they ought to explore that day in order to better delineate the perimeter of Cabeswater.

“Still not getting enough sleep, Parrish?” Ronan asked even before they’d left the city.

Adam had huge dark circles beneath his eyes, and his skin was pale, there was a sick aspect about it. He looked as though he was about to die within the next few days. Or as though he’d been dead for at least a similar amount of time.

Ronan expressed his impressions.

“Are we sure Noah is the only one of us who’s dead?”

Parrish looked at him, eyes and expression tired. He didn’t answer. Ronan caught a glimpse of Gansey looking at him from the corner of his eye. His expression was both a reprehension to Ronan and a clear concern for Adam.

The Pig roared throughout the road as Blue and Gansey entered a conversation Ronan wasn’t particularly interested in, although he would contribute with a few remarks from time to time. Adam was quieter than usual, and Ronan stole a few glances at him, wondering whether he was eating enough food.

And then, just as Ronan had turned his attention to the conversation on the front seats, he felt Adam’s body pressed against his left arm.

His body instantly froze, and he rapidly turned his head to look at him. Adam was leaning against Ronan, head resting between the headrest and Ronan’s shoulder. His eyes were closed, his breathing soft and regular.

Ronan was at once overly aware of the points of contact between them, of Adam’s warm skin against his own, of the hot air that gently left Adam’s lungs and blew over his shoulder and neck. Overly aware of Adam as a whole. The conversation had become a distant background noise.

And then-

“Ronan?” it was Gansey’s voice.

Ronan jerked his head at him, startled. He was vaguely aware of something being said to him in an inquisitive tone, but he had no idea whatsoever of what it could have been.

“What’s that?” he asked, trying to sound casual as Adam fucking Parrish leaned asleep against him.

He met Gansey’s eyes on the rearview mirror. Gansey was frowning.

“Ronan, is everything okay? Your face looks awfully flushed. Are you feeling unwell?” he said it in an impossibly clueless voice that only Gansey was capable of using.

Blue turned her head back, her eyes immediately darting from Ronan to Adam. And then she smiled slyly. A smile that rightfully should belong on Ronan’s lips. She returned her eyes to the road and a soft laugh escaped her lips.

Ronan was mortified at how transparent he had been to Blue. His pulse raced.

“What is it?” Gansey asked.

Blue looked at him, in disbelief at his confused expression. He was clearly waiting for an explanation, but instead Blue’s laugh just got louder.

“Oh, Gansey, thank god you’re pretty” she finally said.

Ronan’s look darted towards Gansey, waiting for realization to dawn on his eyes. He held his breath. But then he realized there was something new and different on Gansey’s expression, and it wasn’t directed at him.

“Do you think I’m pretty?” Gansey said after a moment of silence. It looked like he was teasing Blue, as he usually did, but something in his voice seemed unusual and overly curious.

Ronan let out his breath, realizing they weren’t focused on him any longer. Blue blurted an answer, which also looked like teasing, but something on her voice sounded a lot like embarrassment. He wondered whether she was also blushing.

Ronan’s attention on their banter was easily lost. He glanced back at Adam, who miraculously hadn’t woken up with all the commotion. He thought of waking him up or gently pulling himself to the side, but he couldn’t seem to move under the pressure of Adam’s body on his. Not because he wasn’t physically capable of doing it, but because it was Adam, and Ronan didn’t know whether he wanted to end their contact. Now that Gansey’s and Blue’s attention wasn’t over him, Ronan couldn’t care less for how it was too hot for touching, or how the touching in question made his face feel warm and his emotions too exposed.

Instead of pulling away, he decided to lay his head back as well, ready to pretend to look asleep once Parrish showed the slightest signs of waking up. He settled himself on the back seat as the Camaro roared behind him and Blue and Gansey now talked about something else entirely.

It was a good day.

[aritany]

Can we hear a full Adam Parrish rant? I haven’t even read the book he’s from but now I’m intrigued🥺🥺🥺

yes you can, anon.

i love him for the reasons i mentioned in my other post: he’s SO determined to be something, thinks he runs on logic but is absolutely ruled by emotion and pride, who is so intent on the future that he literally can’t allow himself to consider present happiness. this kid who needed to get out and would do almost anything to do it on his own terms.

but it goes deeper than that. (of course it does.) there are two quotes from the series that i still think about at least weekly.

this: 

“Adam Parrish was lonesome. There is no good word for the opposite of lonesome. One might be tempted to suggest togetherness or contentment, but the fact that these two other words bear definitions unrelated to each other perfectly displays why lonesome cannot be properly mirrored. It does not mean solitude, nor alone, nor lonely, although lonesome can contain all of those words in itself. Lonesome means a state of being apart. Of being other. Alone-some.”

and this: 

“Being Adam Parrish was a complicated thing, a wonder of muscles and organs, synapses and nerves. He was a miracle of moving parts, a study in survival. The most important thing to Adam Parrish, though, had always been free will, the ability to be his own master. This was the important thing. It had always been the important thing. This was what it was to be Adam.”

as a pretty lonesome kid myself with intense issues with control at the time, this kid who was so lonely and obsessed with carving out his own path resonated with me so deeply.

of being other. of being OTHER are you kidding me? i read that and cried like a baby. this was before i knew i was neurodivergent and could not understand why i couldn’t be like the people around me. i read it before i really understood how much of myself i was hiding by pretending i wasn’t queer.

a study in survival. i’ve struggled with a mental illness for a long time that’s done it’s best to kill me, and for so many years, life was something to get through. i was just surviving, certainly not thriving. adam’s burnt-out weary acceptance that life just sucks right now and all he can do is work towards a brighter tomorrow... ouch!

the ability to be his own master. i built a lot of peace amidst the chaos by forcing control, so i knew this feeling. and then the fact that’s what he has to give up in the series by making the sacrifice!! i just knew how it felt to give up the one thing that matters most to you. 

also, adam parrish was the first overtly bisexual character i’d ever encountered in media. watching him slowly grow in confidence, let himself fall for someone and be happy not because he was with someone, but because he was slowly learning himself and letting people in... it just gave me a lot of hope.

i used to think that i saw a lot of adam parrish in some of my characters (colin thorpe, connor murphy, emory ghosh), but i think that the real truth is that i’m just seeing that part of myself that i saw when i was a very lonely reader. 

anyway. the raven cycle is a masterclass in character dynamics, and adam parrish is wonderful. read the series (with a critical eye, of course, as we know that there are certainly some questionable elements) and fall in love with the characters. also, read it again and let the symbolism destroy you! it’s very fun. 

that’s my adam parrish rant for you anon (& @themillionthdraft, who was the one to ask initially)!

[stitchkiss]

College!Adam Headcanon

This is kinda old but i thought i’d post it anyways! Declan and Adam at college!!!

adam gets accepted to the ivy league college of his dreams

but, to ronan’s horror, its the same university declan attends

declan likes adam and he approves of his relationship to his brother, so he takes adam under his wing

ronan thinks declan just wants to corrupt adam with boring political shit and a never ending supply of conversational hors d'oeuvres

they drive to d.c. together

they drive home together on the sundays adam doesn’t have work or an assignment due

ronan is a bit jealous of how much time they spend together

but then adam comes home and they spend an entire afternoon doing rather unholy things for a sunday and his jealousy is forgotten

(ronan doesnt know he’s the topic of their discussions a majority of the time)

adam and declan also share a study group

the members are friends declan made (shocker!) in his first year

they think declan’s pleasant and kind, but sometimes a tad boring for a twenty year old

there are moments his friends see The Real Declan, but they find it’s best to enjoy the part of himself he’s giving them

he’s also suspiciously private

so when he introduces them to adam parrish, a mysterious freshman with stellar work ethic, they start to see a little more into declan’s world.

they’re apprehensive of adam in the beginning

he’s younger than them first of all

and he’s nearly as private as declan is

but when he allows bits and pieces of himself to be known, it seems… fake. unreal.

he uses tarot cards regularly

they’re accurate enough to end up causing someones midlife crisis at the tender age of 19.

he says offhandedly that he’s a magician, but not that kind like there’s any other kind

he’s freakishly great with plants and animals

one guy in their group swears the plant adam sits by in the study room seems to stand straighter when he’s around

another claims she saw a herd of random cats crowding around adam on campus and he simply told them to please go away i have places to be

and they just. left. ???

he also somehow managed to get into sophomore and junior classes that aren’t offered to freshman

adam parrish is a mystifying creature and it scares them.

declan listens to these complaints and rolls his eyes

this raises some eyebrows

“adam parrish is the smartest little shit i’ve ever met. befriending him will get you farther than you think”

thats how the study group finds out adam and declan went to the same prestigious academy and thats how they know each other

things go smoother after that

they find out where declan fucks off to every weekend and sometimes takes adam too

this is also how they find out about adams boyfriend

they do not find out he’s related to declan

(adam and declan want to keep ronan on the DL for safety reasons, and declan had never mentioned the names of his brothers anyways so it wouldn’t matter, right?)

anyways they come back from cow shit valley, virginia and the group gets together for a pre-midterm week schedule organization session before everything gets messy

they’re ivy league, what’d you expect?

they chatter about their weekend as they jot down times and finals and the most opportune part of their day to grab a coffee

then someone complains they won’t have any time to spend with their girlfriend for two weeks

thus generating an uproar of a little over a half dozen young adults dejected over loss time with their significant others

there’s comfort and pouts and cute couple stories

declan realizes he’s the only single one, which, fuck.

he’s proud his friends have such happy romantic lives, but if he has to endure another second listening to hallmark grade romance stories, he’s going to throw up.

then:

“adam, what about you? you gonna survive not seeing your mans ass for two weeks?”

adam blushes and rightfully so, but declan makes a face

“we spent the whole weekend together because i knew i wouldn’t get the chance to see or talk to him for a while. it’s not that big a deal, we’ve been apart longer”

the sappiness of adams voice would be endearing if it weren’t declan’s b r o t h e r he was talking about

ronan lynch and endearment were two emotions on opposite sides of a fucked up love spectrum

adams love spectrum was a goddamn puzzle

“oooo. did adam get some this weekend???”

declan blanched as others around the table howled and catcalled and raised suggestive eyebrows

this...this was not a conversation he wanted to be apart of

at all.

adams eyes flickered over to declan as he laughed the comment off

he decided to tread lightly over the brother to the snake’s territory

“we’re not just a physical couple. there’s a lot of love and worship between us”

“aWwWw LiKe WhAt??”

“he's very thoughtful. he, uh, makes me hand cream because he knows how much i work with them—“

“he has a HAND KINK adam you can’t ignore this!!!!”

declan tries to ignore this greatly.

adam stayed respectfully quiet, though more to the fact that ronan did actually have a hand kink but he wasn’t about to expose his boyfriend

besides, that information was adams to know and adams use to his advantage when need be

declan was glaring intently at the planner in front of him

adam didn’t even think he was breathing!!!

“are you a top or a bottom” someone winked

declan dropped his head into his heads heavily

“can we please stop talking about this?” came muffled from his position

“don’t be homophobic, declan! we always talk about the saucy details, and now youre all uncomfortable because it’s guy on guy?”

adam willed himself to die on the spot, but even his magician powers could not grant him instant death to escape violent embarrassment

declan straight g a g g e d because that was worded ever so eloquently

“i don’t want to talk about the saucy details of parrish’s sex life because he’s dating my brother.”

[jacnaylor]

romance book recs!!

romance is my feel good genre, and it’s also usually somewhat easier to read during stressful times, so here’s a list of some books that are either romance or have a romance element i feel like mentioning.

(EDIT: I STAYED UP TILL 2 AM DOING THIS HELP. this is why some of the comments. don’t make any fucking sense.)

romance books and authors:

CONTEMPORARY:

1. The Bromance bookclub series by Lyssa Kay Adams (A group of men form a bookclub dedicated to romance books in order to understand women, improve their relationships and become better men. It’s funny, cute, and all about dismantling toxic masculinity one romance book at a time)

2. Mariana Zapata books (The queen of slowburn romance. The only book I’ve read by her is ‘Under Locke’, but ‘From Lukov with love’ and ‘Kulti’ have rave reviews. There is so much build up and SO much sexual tension with a great pay off)

3. Milly Johnson books (A uk author whose books are primarily set in the north, these are total feel good books. Not so much graphic and more romantic, but her characters are great and her plot lines really hook you in.)

4. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Super cute, quick enemies-to-lovers story about a bridesmaid who has to go on a honeymoon with the best man when the bride and groom get food poisoning. Obviously this means the holy of holies: fake relationship!)

5. Well met by Jen De Luca (Oh my gosh! Super fun, the characters are just wonderful especially our heroine. A hate-to-love romance set at a renaissance fair! All about overcoming the limits you set on yourself and rethinking your first impressions.)

6. Katherine Center books (My personal favourites are ‘How to walk away’ about a woman who falls for her PT after a near fatal plane crash. And ‘Happiness for beginners’ about a woman taking part in a wilderness trail with her brothers annoying best friend. She writes such great plots and you really feel all the emotions!)

7. Mhairi Mcfarlane books (my personal favourites are ‘Here’s looking at you’ about a woman who comes face to face with her high school bully years later - only he doesn’t recognize her. And he’s not awful? Don’t worry. I know how that synopsis sounds. He’s not excused his actions, but you also understand how he’s grown and changed. It definitely gets you in the feels though. As does ‘You had me at hello’ Which is about a couple from university meeting again years later. God this woman can write angst and yearning!!)

8. A part of me by Anouska Knight (On the same day she and her husband have been accepted into the adoption process, their marriage implodes. This has such a cute romance which follows hate-to friends- to love and it’s v funny)

9. Southern Eclectic series by Molly harper (Just as it sounds. Southern small town romance with a great, quirky cast of characters)

10. Maggie’s man by Lisa Gardner (writing as Alicia Scott) (An escaped convict kidnaps a woman from the courthouse to act as his hostage whilst he tries to prove his innocence. Surprisingly funny and warm. Maggie as a heroine is an absolute joy. They’re sort of chaotic together and it’s a wild ride.)

11. The Mister by E.L James (LISTEN OK - SIT BACK DOWN - It’s not winning awards but it’s actually decent! I was skeptical, but I will admit I was won over. I mean parts are cheesy but it’s so addictive. Basically a rich man falls for his cleaning lady - but it’s also about the yearning. It’s also quite action packed as there’s danger, drama and a chase across europe to get the girl.)

12. RECENT Colleen Hoover (Now, you may enjoy older CH books. Personally I find them very problematic. Now I’ve really enjoyed her recent books though. Especially ‘Without Merit’ and ‘It ends with us’ and ‘Regretting you’. High angst, high drama, dark topics for all of her books. But you can tell she’s matured with her writing. She isn’t for everyone but they’re addictive, fast paced reads.

13. The Austenland duology by Shannon Hale (You might have seen the Austenland movie - The cutest, cheesiest, sweetest, campiest movie ever. Well there’s a book! It’s about women who go on a holiday and live their own Jane Austen story with actors. The first book leans towards Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield park. The second book is more Northanger abbey and Emma.

14. Brigid Kemmerer contemporaries (She is an auto-buy author for me, especially her contemporaries. She writes the best teenage characters, the best teenage boys I’ve ever read about. Her characters are real, she writes about kids trying their best, struggling, and being good, and kind, and the world not being kind to them. Usually the books have a pov from both the female and male love interest. I would rec any of them tbh. ‘Letters to the lost’ comes before it’s companion novel ‘More than we can tell’. I loved ‘Call it what you want’ with has modern Robin Hood elements!!!! seriously she is my favourite YA contemporary author.

15. Sophie Kinsella books (If you haven’t picked up her stand alone novels then what are you doing???? she is the queen!!!! Personal favourites are ‘Can you keep a secret’ and ‘I’ve got your number)

16. A quiet kind of thunder by Sara Barnard (I love her ok. Her books are short and sweet but she packs a punch. TBH these aren’t primarily romance, they’re more just about teenage girls but this one has a good romance element so I’m putting it on here. It’s about Steffi, a selective mute who sometimes communicates with basic sign language who is assigned to look after the new boy at school Rhys, who is deaf.)

17. Meet me at the museum by Anne Youngson (GORGEOUS! moving, tender. A lonely housewifes strikes up a correspondence with a widowed museum curator in Denmark. Oh gosh. I just love this one. It’s about friendship, love, grief, second chances, the choices we make. Seriously love this one and it’s not that long.)

FANTASY:

1. Sorcery of thorns by Margaret Rogerson (Elisabeth has grown up in the great library, protecting grimoires with powers and fearing sorcerers. When a dangerous grimoire is released, she’s forced to team up with an enigmatic sorcerer and his demonic servant in order to save the world.)

2. Sky in the deep duology by Adrienne Young (A viking inspired story about a warrior who is captured by the tribe she is at war with. Such good tension and it’s also got a lot of action. Battle couple romance! Mutual respect! Hate to love!)

3. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley (I’ve reread this book once but will end up reading it again. It’s a time travel romance about a woman staying in cornwall dealing with the death of her sister who is transported back and forth to the 17th century. It’s a favourite. The romance is wonderful but the stakes are really high too. I also love ‘Belleweather’ by the same author)

4. An ember in the ashes series by Sabaa Tahir (Oh god, the romance. THE ROMANCE! it’s so much. The angst, the pining, the longing. The first book follows Laia, part of a slave class in a roman inspired world. She begins spying in the top military academy and meets Elias, a reluctant soldier. This is a proper fantasy series with only the first three books out, but it’s so great.)

5. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen (Let me just copy the blurb ok: “Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan's rules.” I MEAN COME ON. a gorgeous adult fairytale with love and redemption at the center.

6. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot (Obviously Meg Cabot is the most iconic and we stan. But this series is my absolute favourite by her. About Suze Simon, a kickass, no nonsense mediator - Someone who helps ghosts move on to the other side. Sometimes by force. She has to move house and ends up sharing her room with a 100 year old hot ghost named Jesse. The tension. The angst. THE BANTER!!!!)

7. House of Earth and Blood by Sara J Maas (a half fae half mortal girl tries to solve a murder with the help of a fallen angel. It’s a LONG book, but for me personally it flew by. It’s a big new fantasy world but the romance has a great build. Overcoming grief! Being normal together! Being in danger together! THE UST! the characters are so good. I ahven’t been this impressed by a new series for a while)

8. Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer (yep, she gets another mention. This one is a beauty and the best retelling about a man forced to relive the same season over and over, becoming a literal beat, until a girl from our world can break the curse. The second book, following secondary characters, is my fave so far. But both feature kickass ladies and those small romantic moments BK is so good at)

9. A court of thorns and roses series by Sara J Maas (a fae inspired beauty and the beast retelling. The only time you support a ship switch. Also the secondary ships are getting their own books and oh my god. I’m so excited.)

HISTORICAL/CLASSICS/MILLS AND BOON

1. Jane Austen (The original rom com queen, obviously. Pride and prejudice and Emma are faves. Also I have a major soft spot for the alwayc chaotic and underrated Northanger Abbey)

2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (Actually might be my favourite classic ever. Often described at an industrial p&p. Margaret, from the south, comes face to face with the harsh reality of the world when she moves up north and comes face to face with a brooding millowner. There’s obviously a lot more nuance than that but. THE PINING!!!!!! THE MISCOMMUNICATION! THE DRAMA!)

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (You might have seen the film. Please also read the book. Told entirely in letters. The sharp witted author Juliet Ashton falls in love with Guernsey and it’s characters whilst researching what happened there during the war. Funny, moving and romantic.)

4. The Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn (A butterfly hunter foils her own kidnap and is paired together with a reclusive natural historian. They solve mysteries together. They can’t admit they wanna sleep together. The tension.......unbearable. See also the Julia Grey mysteries by the same author)

5. The warrior knight and the widow by Ella Matthews (So last year I discovered Mills and Boon and I have no shame about it whatsoever. This is a medieval beauty and the beast retelling about a woman being escorted to her fathers estate by an enigmatic and scarred knight. She’s hoping to convince her father to let her steward her own lands, and of course trying not to fall for her escort.)

6. The bareknuckle bastards series by Sarah Maclean (A badass, brooding trio of siblings who rule the underbelly of Covent Garden fall for smart, beautiful women. Opposites attract, Good girl/bad boy, strong women, banter. Super fun historical romance)

7. Redeeming the reclusive earl by Virginia Heath (I just read this and it was seriously cute!!!! And book where the hero blushes even once is a good book in my opinion. Basically aspiring antiquarian named Effie barrels into the life of a new earl - who really just wants to be left alone to be grumpy and sad and disfigured. ALONE. But Effie wants to dig on his land. And she won’t take no for an answer. She also talks A LOT.

8. A family for the widowed governess by Ann Lethbridge (Technically this is part of a series but you don’t need to read them in order and this is the best one. A widow who is being blackmailed accepts a governess post. She can’t tell her employer about the blackmail especially when she starts falling for him.)

9. The bedlam stacks by Natasha Pulley (I read watchmaker and didn’t like it but you might like it. This one also FEAUTRES A M/M ROMANCE. I know this list was super straight im sorry. Anyway this is about a botanist falling in love with a priest in the jungle.

10. The wilderness series by Sara Donati (Think outlander without the time travel and also not set in scotland. Basically Last of the Mohicans fanfiction about Hawkeye’s grown up son. An english woman moves to america when her father promises she can be a school teacher there. Little does she know he actually has plans to marry her off. Things get more complicated when she falls for Nathaniel Bonner, a white man raised native american and who’s daughter and extended family is Native American. Like outlander there’s romance, adventure, history. But unlike the outlander books the love interest is a decent guy (i say as if i don’t love the tv show)

STUFF THAT REALLY ISN’T ROMANCE AT ALL. BUT I SHIP A SHIP.

1. The Lacey Flint series by Sharon Bolton (Lacey Flint is a police officer who becomes involved in the hunt to catch a Jack the ripper copycat. There actually is a strong romantic element with the other lead police officer.)

2. The last hours duology by Minette Walters. A novel about the black death and a closed estate lead by a woman who’s trying to protect her people. There’s also a kind of murder mystery. But she also has a close relationship to one of the surfs that I got super invested in.

3. The Strike series by J.k Rowling (I know we don’t stan anymore but. This series about  PI and his assistant slowly growing closer? Becoming best friends and partners? Not acknowledging any feelings for each other?