#dair is number one for me but I love these two

[nikkiruncks]

That's the kind of heartbreak time could never mend

I'd never walk Cornelia Street again

Jenate - Cornelia Street (Taylor Swift)

[maya-matlin]

I just saw you contrasting Dair and Brucas and have to tell you that you made me realize why I prefer Brucas to Dair despite objectively getting that the writers were always going to follow the 'first couple to lock eyes and declare themselves soulmates end up together' rule by giving us Leyton and (ugh) Derena endgames. Like I think you and others have pointed out, Blair is kind of terrible. I mean she's amusing and interesting and the actress does a great job of giving her layers, but she's so genuinely elitist and mean, and even at her best with Dan that comes out constantly. I get that we're supposed to think it's just playful bickering but sometimes it comes across as them just genuinely not getting along and Blair "settling" for a guy from Brooklyn lol. And it doesn't help that Blair could never admit to loving Dan while she continually and freely admitted to loving Chuck. But Brucas for all their many problems generally had a more affectionate, less contentious dynamic---fewer insults, more real moments of emotional connection. So they just touch my heart more than dair even though I ship dair too and get why many like them more!

First of all, the "love at first sight" trope almost always flops for me when it comes to television ships. Even though my number one ship technically followed this pattern, they also took a long time to get together and weren't instantly "true love always" from the first couple of episodes. It's always "guy has been obsessed with girl for years and dreamed of marrying her before they'd ever spoken" or "they have this intense connection that can't be explained after speaking like twice and inexplicably understand each other better than friends, family, etc". And like you said, these couples are usually endgame so that the show can come full circle, even in cases where the two characters have moved beyond that and probably work better with other people.

I see what you mean, but I mostly view that as Blair being guarded and not wanting to admit out loud that she enjoys spending time with Dan. Both of them seemed to enjoy the banter, even though Blair could be mean spirited at times. As for the settling for Dan thing, I'm sure that's what was intended considering how the show ended, but to me it doesn't make much sense. Blair was settling for Louis and planning to commit herself to a life with him even though she was still drawn to Chuck. Dan was a complete surprise to Blair. He wasn't supposed to be her friend, let alone someone she could fall in love with. The end of season 5 is where it gets iffy. Initially, it seems like Blair is genuinely happy with Dan and is settling into this new, healthier idea of what love looks like. But obviously, the endgames were set in stone by this point, so they had to introduce some sort of conflict to push Blair back to Chuck. I don't know what to tell you. Gossip Girl is overall an offensively, badly written show. Yes, Brucas had softer moments. Both Brooke and Lucas were written as overall good people without the weird, elitist, hang ups, so there was no doubt they enjoyed each other's company even though mileage varies on whether or not Lucas truly considered Brooke his first choice the second time around. I mean, he did, but there's been a lot of retroactive discourse, insisting Lucas never cared for anyone except Peyton.

Also, sorry. I'm not trying to make you change your mind. You can't help how you interpret Dair, and your opinion is valid.

[4alarmfirecracker]

So... The Nevers. What's it all about? I've seen your gifsets and my interest is piqued. I 100% trust your taste in shows as you got me into Astrid and Raphaelle last year and am a keen follower of your wlw journeys haha

OMG where do I startttt. First, thank you for trusting me with your choice of shows to watch (and ships ^^). ♥ I always seem to choose the small fandom ships though :D

I call them Truedair but the fandom doesn’t seem to have come to a choice ... On twitter you have TruePenance you also have Trudair and that’s mostly the main ship names. I love “Truth and Dair” and ThunderCloud (when you see the scene in ep 3 you’ll know ^^)

No Ann it’s not Adue and no Laura it’s not Pamalia :D

Everything under the cut ♥

---------- General ----------

Ok so now ... a general comment about what the show is. Took it from wiki tbh ^^

The series is set in Victorian London and follows a group of people, mostly women, known as the Touched, who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities. Among them are Amalia True, a mysterious and quick-fisted widow, and her best friend Penance Adair, a brilliant inventor.

The Nevers is described as "an epic science fiction drama about a gang of Victorian[s] who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world."

At first I'm not the kind of person who loves Victorian London settings BUT this show honestly made me like love it ^^ (sorry youtube for all the Victorian dresses making videos I watched lately and NO I do not plan on creating one it's just ... hyperfixation) I love fantasy, I love sci-fi... so that's why I might like this show. The sci-fi part is the powers but also the big TWIST. (Nope won't tell you about it and yep I was sadly spoiled about it ... I know I shouldn't have went through the tag :D) Oh and also ... SteamPunk energy. I swear, at the start of ep 6 you will be ... Is it the right show I’m watching ? :D

It’s HBO so ... yeah sex and nudity sometimes are a thing. Sometimes it’s kinda dark but it also has humor and amazing lines/quotes. 

There’s some White Old Man™ talks especially in the first two eps where they discuss in their closed clubs about the fate of the Touched ... You know :D Boring talks where you wanna rip their throats when they’re talking about woman/Touched but it’s kinda necessary to get the feel of the situation they’re in.

It’s created by Josh Whedon but after what happened in other shows he decided to leave the show after ep 4 and Philippa Goslett took back the showrunner chair. Then you have  Jane Espenson as a writer ... Buffy, OUAT, Jessica Jones, ...

---------- Soooo the characters ----------

You have Amalia True, the number one main char who has the ability to see glimpses of the future. She doesn’t control it, she doesn’t know when her glimpses will manifest themselves and she doesn’t know when she sees an event that will happen, when it will actually take place. "The most irresponsible, spontaneous, and psychologically broken hero of 19th-century London, and a danger to the British elite. She is dedicated to her cause and never turns down a drink."

So yeah, you've guessed it, she's the perfect anti-hero, absolutely badass (in a corset and dress nonetheless), dark soul/past character. Who ... weirdly (we all know it and love it in our ships) is all soft and loving when one Penance Adair is concerned. Shocker, right? :D I swear the hearteyes I’ve seen x_x She’s also very protective of Penance. She’s got PTSD and doesn’t like large crowds.

She runs the Orphanage where a great number of Touched are gathered and live as a community. She protects them, she helps some others to get to safety and so on.

She’s played by miss Laura Donnelly who’s perfect for the role and amazing at doing different sorts of accents because, you might have recognized her from Outlander (Jamie’s sister), she doesn’t talk the same way AT ALL in both series. Also I’m in love with her voice in the Nevers I don’t make the rules. She’s 40 but honestly looks way younger. MILF am I right? Also Amalia fighting scenes are amazing and Laura has done the majority of it by herself !

You might have guessed ... I immediately thought of Jessica Jones when I saw her face ^^ But that’s kinda irrelevant here. She’s beautiful and messy and my kinda gal.

Then you Have Miss Penance Adair “Amalia's best friend, and a Touched with the power of 'seeing' electrical energy patterns and a skill for inventing. She is both religious and heretically progressive.”

She’s an amazing inventor, creating all sorts of gadgets for Amalia to fight with :D Our own 007 ... She’s her BeSt FriEnD ... When you know, you know. (Xena flashback ^^) She’s her wife right hand man and goes in the field to help Amalia. They also have this cute dynamic where Penance name an invention and Amalia calls it another way (the right way) and they bicker about it lovingly.

She’s THE sunshine character. Amalia is the Sunshine protector of course. But we all know who’s the top in the relationship and it ain’t Mrs. True. All her interactions with Amalia are WIVES™. She’s the cutie, she’s the hope and compass of Amalia. She loves to touch Amalia too ♥ Amalia is her idiotic suicidal wife and Penance has to deal with that but she doesn’t love her less. Like Laura said, Amalia loves Penance more than she loves herself. We all know it’s because she doesn’t think highly of herself but also because who doesn’t love Penance.

She’s played by Ann Skelly and has an amazing, lovely, Irish accent (Laura is Irish too but not in the show). And OMG I just checked and she’s only 25 ? She’s 6 months younger than me and I’m kinda shocked because I thought she was at least 28 :D Listen to her saying ‘fabric of the world’ at the end of ep 1 and not fall in love with her I dare you. You’ll fall in love with Penance way before the end of ep 1 tbh.

---------- Queer rep ??? ----------

They are not canon, I prefer saying it before anyone thinks that they are. (Like Astraëlle)

I honestly thought they would become canon until Laura Donnelly called them sisters in a IG live ... (Honestly the showrunner might make them canon who knows) but like Astraëlle even if they don't become canon I don't even care. Their interactions are magnificent and their relationship is everything that’s good in this world. Like I said, they have the WIFE™ energy, they’ve know each other when the show starts for about 3 years. “You’re supposed to be inseparable.” is an actually quote from ‘the bad guy girl’ (Maladie) or as I could say the misunderstood woman who’s kinda crazy too though don’t get me wrong ^^ But everybody is his own hero in his story. Maladie = Disease in French.

They both have what seems like male love interests too. One for Amalia who honestly I’m not a fan of. He’s cheating on her wife with Amalia so ... let’s not ship them. And then you have an adorable being as Penance’s LI aka Bird guy ^^ aka Augie. He’s a cutie like Penance and honestly if they go that way I won’t be mad.

Now ... the CANON queer rep ... I give them from the top of my head so if I forgot some sorry and please add them in the comments !

Amalia : She’s bi or pan ... given by an info in ep 6. Won’t spoil.

Hugo : pan man, of course we ship him with Augustus (Augie). Give them to me. They aren’t canon.

Won’t spoil it but there’s a repressed (kinda homophobic it feels like or at least not well in his shoes) gay man in the show too who’s as much as a main as Hugo and Augie. I personally am not a fan of him.

Nimble Jack is they/them (probs ?) not sure about it but the person playing them said this : “androgynous trans character” they’re not a big part of the show though so only a supporting char.

You have Bonfire Annie who looks kinda close to Maladie at some point so yeah probs not canon but she seems to be pan too. supporting char too

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

It has for now 6 eps because it stopped in the middle because of covid but s1 will have 12 eps overall ... 6 more eps will prob come in april or summer 2022.

If you can’t tell, yes I’ve become obsessed with this show and this ship. I love them with all my heart ... They’re blonde x brunette, sunshine x sunshine protector, they’re wives your honor.

OH AND I ALMOST FORGOT ... You’ll see miss Claudia Black in ep 6 and let me tell you I so ship her with an other character ^^

[isthemicon]

not trying to a hater but sometimes i watch d*** fancams just to see what kind of scenes they have and its mostly just in dan's apartment😭😭 but its the same with every gg ship except chair, the writers were biased and i support them!

Why Blair and Chuck have the most iconic scenes

Hahah the nasty me would say writers were clearly showing who their favorite couple is. They loved writing Chair so they gave them all the amazing scenes.

But if I were to answer it on a more serious note I’d give two options.

One is simply business. Blair and Chuck from mid s1 were and are fan favorite, they were bringing the audience, they were heating up the pages of magazines so they were the ones bringing the numbers. Bigger the scenes, bigger the numbers. Simple math, they weren’t going to waste their budget on couples that caused them 200k viewers in the middle of the episode but more importantly they weren’t going to waste the budget and stories on ships that were just their to prolong the ending, and that’s not just a case with dair it’s a case with many other ships. The only ship that was anywhere close to Chair in terms of iconic moments is Derena which again very popular couple and more importantly a couple writers wanted as an endgame. Iconic romances require iconic scenes, writers want you root for them so they are gonna give scenes that are impossible to forget. 

There’s an another layer to it and that’s what sort of a couple a ship is, what sort of aesthetic writers were going for. Blair and Chuck had the most iconic moments, sort of taken from the old Hollywood movies simply because that was the aesthetic writers were going for. They based them on the classics of the cinema and on iconic great romances, with huge emotional speeches, beautiful gowns and breathtaking backgrounds. They were writing to Chair to be that old school, great romance couple, living in 20’s star crossed lovers. Their scenes are much more cinematic and memorable because that’s what fit their lover story but also them as individual characters. Because as of you may recall my previous post about their interests (a link at the bottom of the post). They both loved old Hollywood, they both loved opera, they both loved the drama so to them those moments were the extension of the passions over which they bonded, those moments were also the love language that they both understood best and love language they desired.

With any other ship those scenes wouldn’t work as they wouldn’t fit other characters but also wouldn’t fit the aesthetic of the ship, it’d seem horribly out of place and out of character. 

https://isthemicon.tumblr.com/post/639522867340509184/why-are-people-saying-that-blair-and-chuck-didnt

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

I am curious: what are your favorite scenes from your main ships (date, dair, derena...)?

scenes involving milo don't count, sorry!

for me, it's really not just scenes, but body language & just in general, how they are with each other, you know? dan and serena grin at each other and hug SO much, you can tell that being around each other in s1 made them both so happy, and even after that glow fades the way they look for comfort in each other... top level stuff. the way blair looks at dan... we never see her as radiant at any other point. she was not looking at anyone else like this. and gosh, dan and nate. they're both so comfortable around each other that there's absolutely nothing weird about like. discussing that one ex girlfriend whom they both share AND both were in love with. there is literally no other duo who trusts/enjoys each other's company so much that they're comfortable in a love triangle. (probably because they're more in love with each other than with the girl, but that is not the point. or is it?)

anyway, more specific answers. under the cut. this is one of the longest answers i've ever written on this blog possibly but you KNEW that would happen when you sent this ask, didn't you? (affectionate)

derena: i tagged one of my ds reblogs as 'the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one' and like. look at them! this hug from 1x10 kills me in the best way. they are both the literal embodiment of :D when they see each other! i love 1x10 as a whole moment, their entire thing at cotillion is so sweet and they're both so happy. the fact that he is talking about his chemistry teacher during this kiss in 1x07. that bit at the end of 1x05 when they talk about their siblings (being there for their sibling because of fallible parents being a derena parallel makes me simultaneously really sad and really soft, tbh). 1x05 gives me SO MUCH SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT but the way they walk off together arms around each other does something to me - these are two people who are still getting to know each other but who really like what they see, and who trust each other and. are just having a good time together! back when derena was my OTP, the 1x11 "your story's about me?" was absolutely a fave, too, and i still adore it, albeit in a different, more nostalgic way. i like a dan who writes cute stories about serena. no empty shell sabrina van skoneker bullshit. she is so much like you, daniel! you'd be shattered if she did this to you. don't do this to her. tbh, most derena moments from s1 are just A+ romance. the bit in 2x02 in the jitney is so funny, they're SO bad at being exes. the bit in... 3x03 i think?? i don't remember... on the contrary. when they're talking about dan's fling w/ georgina and serena's relationship with carter, the ease with which they talk and how happy/supportive they are of each other's new relationships... yeah. love to see it.

i also really like any instance of them having honest/open conversations. 1x13, talking about how serena is concerned about blair. 1x08, serena talking to dan about feeling jealous of vanessa. this bit from the touch of eva or whatever that episode is. 4x04 i think. this is the conversation everyone is trying to get dan to have and he's avoiding EVERYONE else. derena interactions in 3x21 (can't find a gif right now) - the fact that dan is with serena when her dad abandons them, the fact that he goes all the way there with her. 2x07, "i'm really glad you're nate's friend. he really needs someone like you right now" (though i'm cheating, that's technically a d/n moment too klhdflkgf). there's a bit in s4 where he's advising her against having an affair w/ colin, i don't remember the ep number, but the way he takes her side so easily and naturally and puts due blame/responsibility solely on her professor... yeah. 4x10 i think this ep is?? idk. but like my tags say, im sentimental about this moment because while what dan was doing was irresponsible, sneaking her out of the ostroff, he was the only person in this episode who was actually talking to her and listening to her and taking her seriously. nobody else was doing that!!

i probably have more moments i'm not remembering, but we're only 1/3 into this answer and LOOK AT THE WORDS, good lord, i'm sorry.

dair: my favourite dair episode is hands down despicable b (5x21) which i have heard is an uncommon answer. i just love the conflict resolution of it all, okay!!! 1x04 & 2x08 are like. standard answers any dair shipper will give, and i'm no different. i love dan being able to give blair advice and blair actually taking his advice even though they're not friends yet!!! be right back, yelling at the intimacy of it all!! 5x16, with their getting together (this little kiss and dan being so startled by it), blair admitting a flaw she genuinely does have and dan saying it's not awful because it's her, which is just. romance at its finest. those vows, good lord. 5x18.... they're having fun! blair showing up at the loft in lingerie for dan... the delight on her face.... (i know this moment blows up in their face but when she's there she looks so happy and proud of herself and this was like THE moment when i was like. oh. dair is really the heart of this garbage show huh).

i think for me, the thing that really sells dan & blair together is the serena of it all. both of them love serena more fiercely than anyone else, and that is what brings them together. (fwiw i definitely think nate loved serena this much and this deeply, too; the writers just wanted to pop the serenate balloon, which even i think was extremely unnecessary and ooc.) but (& i have so much meta about this) their relationship grows beyond serena. their entire s4 arc is SO good. i love how comfortable around each other they are, in such an adult way, in the sense of like. they both bring so much stability to each other? morgan tagged this edit "the marrieds" and like. yeah. b offers to help him shave. they're having breakfast & reading the paper together.

all the love declarations we got that weren't a simple 'i love you.' be your charming wonderful self (how could she not love you/ tell me what would make you happy, dan) i told chuck he doesn't have my heart anymore (you spent your life earning the keys to set you free when you were free all along!!!!) dan's pep talk to blair in 5x21 (already linked a gifset earlier, here's another one if you want i guess). there's definitely more... but honestly, the way the dair arc was executed was so good - while i do have my complaints, i also think keeping those aside, it was SO close to perfect. i love dan & blair's banter and gradually becoming closer and closer and closer. it felt very organic and real and GOSH. the way penn & leighton looked at each other while playing dan and blair...... it's just SO MUCH.

date: this is the hardest, because it's. *screams*. maybe you saw me losing my mind over those 2 seconds of nate handing dan a waffle? i love almost every scene with these two, even the hellish s6 breakup scene. my favourite episode for d/n (& also favourite gg episode in general) is 2x06 - i love the homoerotic subtext of it all. nate pretending to be dan because dan's name is the first name that came to his head. dan flirting w/ nate while tied to that thing, in his underwear. them becoming friends. and 2x07 as a follow-up to that! dan getting nate to live in the loft with the humphreys for a while. i am so soft.

4x09 is a terrible episode in general, especially for serena my beloved, but the d/n moments in that one? off the CHARTS. this weird overly macho flirting, in some ways THE most iconic d/n line. this entire finish each other's sentences nonsense. someone (i think it was ana but im not sure?) compared the energy of those scenes i just linked to the book blairenate love triangle resolution, blairena choosing each other over nate in the books, date choosing each other over serena in the show (if only! RIP.) after the saints & sinners ball, this cute little moment of 'youre the only one who understands me. please tell me they went home together. i mean. how could they not have.

3x07, them watching vampire porn together. a tag i used on ao3 (& also on here, once) is 'nate brings out the himbo in dan'. here is a prime example. 'is she levitating?' i don't fucking know, dan, what do you think?? (i was telling my partner that that's what i love abt dair vs date. around blair dan is an intellectual, a librarian, an art historian, a museum curator. around nate it's like dan is competing to be #1 himbo on the show. can my girlfriend actually fly? i don't know, dan. i can't believe you're seriously asking such a question.)

3x12 pep talk. (sorry about the shitty quality!) essentially nate telling dan that he (dan) is hot and that he shouldn't talk himself down so much.

dan making nate gay in his book. you know. his book from which blair found out he was in love with her. nads (who i will not tag in this billion word long gushy meta, because i value her sanity) once called inside "wish fulfilment' and. i mean. yeah

nate checking dan out at the derena wedding continues to be hilarious. hilarious in the same way as dan sexually fantasising about nate. canon really went 'let's give ivy some special easter eggs' and i appreciate them a lot!

i love the way they are around each other - so quietly attuned to each other. i showed my sister my date!husbands gifset, and she was like. yeah they're so married. and it's just stuff like how dan looks for nate over his shoulder, it's not even an active action, it's as easy and natural and intuitive as breathing, checking to see if nate is still there.

oh, that wasn't as hard as it could've been! okay. cool. im SURE there's more things i could scream about, because it's DN, the fact that they're non-canon makes me THAT much fiercer about them than dair/derena, to be honest. so many dots to connect!! anyway.

[terrainofheartfelt]

I think it's pretty amazing how much the gossip girl Fandom has changed. From my experience, most of my friends admit they didn't know what they were thinking with Chair when GG was on TV. And now you see this women empowerment movement. It's nice to know I've always been right about supporting DAIR. If only you saw the Fandom when GG was popular lol.

Oh, well for starters, let’s all be glad I wasn’t in the GG fandom while the original show was airing for a lot of reasons. Back then, I was a teenager DEEP into the twilight saga. My myspace page was all about my devotion to Team Edward. I was insufferable, my parents and brother are not on tumblr (thank whatever gods exist) but shoutout to them for loving me & putting up with me at my Peak Fangirl.

But to your point on how the fandom has changed, to put it extremely simply: I think it’s because we’re ten years older now. Most of my beloved gg mutuals are in their 20s like me, and while I can only speak for myself, the distance of my beliefs between when I was a teenager and the person I am now is VAST. My ideas of self, of feminism, of love, of sex, they’ve all evolved drastically over time.

Oh god especially my ideas of sex. My sex ed in high school wasn’t even in school, it was received via my church youth group [horrifying]. Now we don’t have time to unpack ALL of that, but I remember the exercise we did for the idea “just remember you’re having sex with everyone they’ve ever had sex with” (which, sidebar, I’ve always thought is a stupid ass phrase. That’s just not accurate, but I’m getting off topic) and it wasn’t that we were taught abstinence-only, but more like, “now don’t you want to keep this number as low as possible?”

So, between twilight and my religious upbringing, I’ve internalized this idea of “the first person you have sex with should also be the last person you have sex with,” and I think I’m still grappling with undoing that idea in my brain. BUT. bringing this back to GG: this idea permeates a lot of teen soaps in the 2000s, and the romantic fatalism that goes along with that.

I’ve been watching The OC for the first time, and it’s been interesting bc it’s the show the GG showrunners did before GG, so I can kind of see the blueprint for the ideas and characterizations that were really...amped up in Gossip Girl? Like OC is a dramatic-ass show, but it feels more gritty and grounded than Gossip Girl, in which everything feels heightened and elevated and...distanced, I guess? And these two shows are really actually period pieces, they are such snapshots & products of the area in which they were created -- which, carried those views of love and sex as a throughline throughout the course of their shows. (i.e., dan & blair both end up with their respective firsts, bc it’s Destiny. Or something like that).

So, when I first watched the show (I was a freshman in college, the show had just come up on netflix streaming - I still thought I was straight, I was still Christian, I still had yet to take a gender studies course), well - for starters, I was so into the derena endgame, and chair...I wasn’t too invested, but like, it’s not like I wasn’t positive towards it. And I think a lot of that was due to these 00’s media ideas of, what’s the right word...sexual fidelity? And the belief that everyone has One Person, and if they’re ever not with that One Person then those other relationships are fake and false. And derena and chair in the show both followed and affirmed that kind of viewpoint by ending up together.

I should say here that I am not equivocating the relationship dynamics of these separate ships, I’m lumping them together to make a point, but derena =/= chair in my interpretation of the show and of the characters.

Now, I am older and hopefully a little bit wiser, and I believe that romantic love isn’t necessarily destined, but it’s something that’s built, that grows, and a person’s sexual history is not a reflection of their goodness, and that love can change and evolve and it doesn’t have to be romantic or stay romantic to be meaningful. So, when I rewatched the show in my mid-20s, dair was the ship that resonated with me the most. And it still does, which is why I’m here, writin’ fic, and answerin’ tumblr asks from you lovely people.

Also on my rewatch, I read that dan & serena grew out of each other, which is sad, but it happens, and that’s okay. And with chair, all those red flags that 00’s teen soaps gloss over (because they do them for nothing but the Drama, the lasting implications don’t matter, it’s about taking the stakes of the moment as high as possible) I really saw them, and they alarmed me in a way that didn’t alarm over-romanticizing 18-year-old me. That being said, I’m very happy in my little corner of the fandom sandbox, and I’m not looking to argue the virtues of some ships over others or change hearts and minds. I just want to write my silly little stories and maybe have my friends read them :)

I think it’s also important to mention that since GG stopped airing we’ve entered a new wave of feminism, and the MeToo movement arose, and as people of my generation have grown up, we are engaging with the media we grew up in with our evolved/evolving viewpoints, and I think that’s why there appears to be such a change within the fandom. Plus, in the grand vast scheme of history, sex positivity and gender empowerment are SUCH recent things, and in the past ten years, they’ve progressed lightning-fast. Like, remember when I said I began college and I still thought I was straight? Gay marriage was not legal where I was from then. Like, I remember the day Obergefell v. Hodges was decided, and that win was not a guaranteed one. (I was actually studying abroad in Rome at the time, so we American students were running through Italy being like “gay marriage!!!” while the Italians just watched us like “????????”)

You say you’ve always been a dair shipper, and that’s great for you! But I wasn’t. And for me, I am constantly learning and unlearning and relearning, and media (even off the rails CW teen dramas like Gossip Girl) is one of my ways of doing so. Though I will put on my Old Lady Librarian Liz hat for a second and say: if you’re still in school/university, and have the opportunity to take a gender studies course (outside the realm of the internet, bc tumblr is not the be all end all of education), I highly recommend it. I’m still no expert, and I can’t throw any verbatim Judith Butler at you, but engaging with those ideas and the history of gender studies academically gave me a framework for thinking critically that I’ve taken with me. And nothing teaches you humility like wading through Butler jargon.

Thank you so much for this ask, this really got me to think and reminisce and I enjoyed it!

[beckydoesthings]

various fics of hxl that i adore reading! this list is quite lengthy, but feel free to message me if you have any questions!

*will continue to be updated. also, if i mistagged you, i apologize, i do not know how to tumblr*

Love Is a Rebellious Bird

E | 134k | @100percentsassy and gloria_andrews

AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

Don't hum Bolero.

i think this tickled every bone of my musical self and also made me cry (are you seeing a theme here??) one of the first fics i fell in love with and one i keep coming back to.

Collision

E | 226k | @tequiladimples

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

the world building in this one is insanity - so much good mythology mixed in and it made me screech with joy. i think i can firmly say that i did not expect where the plot went, but that made the story so much better.

Flour and Chocolate

M | 145k | @danosphere91

It was nice, for a bakery he supposed.

Then he approached the display cabinet.

And the foreboding slammed into him. Because every product had letters next to it. Letters. GF, DF, V, O, VGN.

What. The. Fuck?

Lifting his eyes to the chalkboard menu spread across the back wall Louis felt physically ill. ‘Gluten-free’, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’, ‘paleo’, ‘dair-…’ Wait, what the fuck was a paleo? He had entered some hipster-trash establishment and it was more than time to get out.

OR

Louis is a single dad and Harry works at the newly opened bakery down the street.

the miscommunication in this fic is SO REAL and makes for a good read. the rest of the flour and chocolate series is also fantastic. i thoroughly enjoyed both the ziam and ed/niall arcs that bring the whole story together.

run away home

E | 106k | @hattalove

Louis stands, in the middle of a clearing with his hands in his pockets, and stares. This boy—God, this gorgeous, gorgeous boy. He seems so clumsy, confused at the best of times, but there’s a wisdom about him as he speaks, a maturity that belies his age.

Louis is hopelessly, wildly attracted to him.

or, louis is a successful jockey down on his luck, struggling to get his life back on track after an injury. harry has a horse, a house fit for a prince, and a broken heart.

it takes them a while to figure out that they need each other.

this makes my inner horse girl extraordinarily happy - even if i don’t know anything about horse racing. louis’ story in this is beautiful and makes the whole piece worth a read.

waiting for the tides to meet

E | 60k | @nauticalleeds

Louis lets out a deep breath, thinking about Harry’s soulmate. Thinking about how Harry’s soulmate is probably as beautiful as Harry, some person that Louis cannot compare to, and how the universe has chosen them to be Harry’s. Fuck the universe. “Fuck you,” he calls out to the universe. He’s aware of how crazy he sounds.

Maybe he is crazy, with how he’s falling for Harry. And fuck that, too.

Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with heterochromia — one eye is their own eye colour, while the other is the colour of their soulmate's. It's only when they meet their soulmate for the first time that their own eyes match properly. After a hazy night at a frat party, Louis wakes up to blue eyes and the shocking realization that he had met his soulmate, without any sober recollection. Seven years pass where Louis comes to terms with the fact that he'll never know who his soulmate is. Then one fated summer, a beautiful green-eyed photographer arrives at Louis' workplace, with promises of endless laughter and a familiar feeling in Louis' heart.

Featuring a lovely cup of OT5, a road trip down the coast, and a scene where Harry eats a whole head of lettuce. Don't ask why.

gorgeous soulmate AU that gives me summer cruising vibes. worth the read for the lettuce scene alone (i kid, i kid)

Do Not Go Gentle

E | 70k | @afirethatcannotdie

“This is all a game to you, isn’t it? Well, it’s not for me. This is a real life or death situation,” Louis says, spitting the words at him. “And I just don’t think you’re cut out for it.”

For a moment, they stare at each other in complete silence. Harry can feel his blood thrumming between his ears, can see Louis glaring at him, feels red-hot anger. And then all he feels, oppressively and desperately, is lust.

Suddenly Louis is surging up to him to press his lips against Harry’s. Harry walks the two of them backwards, pressing Louis back against the door. Louis oomphs in surprise and brings his hands under Harry’s scrub top, scratching at his lower back.

“Lock — oh — lock the… fucking door,” Louis mutters.

When Harry Styles starts his first day as a surgical intern, he expects a lot of things: to treat patients, to observe a surgery, to feel a bit overwhelmed. What he definitely doesn't expect, however, is that the handsome guy he kicked out of his bed this morning is also an intern.

A Grey’s Anatomy AU where tensions are high, Harry and Louis are hooking up in secret, and no one has time for love. Or do they?

okay i’ve watched maybe 3 episodes of Gray’s Anatomy, but i feel like this encompasses the vibe of the show: medical stuff with a hefty dose of angst and sexual tension

Falling For Me Won’t Be A Mistake

M | 58k | @all-these-larrythings

Harry is married to his job and so overworked that he doesn't know how to stop. All it takes is a forced Hawaiian get-a-away, the warm tropical breeze of the island, and the most beautiful, elusive man he's ever seen to make him remember what living is like outside of work. Well, that, and the little souvenir he accidentally takes home with him.

one of my favorite mpreg fics so if that’s not your cup of tea, then don’t read it. i love surgeon harry with a vengeance, but honestly Gems and Niall are iconic in this one.

Watching the World Fall

E | 11k | @crazyupsetter why won’t it let me tag :(

This segment has been going on long enough that Louis knows what’s coming before James starts in on it, trying to sell him on something he knows that Louis wouldn’t normally be buying. But there’s four cameras surrounding him, and an audience watching him expectantly, so if Louis wants to continue convincing people that he’s doing just fine, he’s going to have to go along with it.

“We have a whole host of single men backstage waiting to meet you, Louis,” James tells him. “We want to help you find love tonight, on Late Late Live Tinder. Is this okay? Do you want to play?”

It actually kind of makes sense that his first date after the break-up is going to be just as public as said break-up. Something like coming full circle.

“Alright, James,” Louis agrees, hopping down off his stool.

“Okay, come down to the stage,” James says. Louis can’t even tell whether the excitement in his voice is genuine or not. “Right now, come on down!”

i have a soft spot the size of Antarctica for Late Late AU fics (we stan James Corden) and for exes to lovers so this checks all the boxes.

autumn leaves

E | 27k | @suspendrs

“Brave?” Harry frowns, caught off guard. “No, not particularly.”

“You seem brave,” Louis decides, pushing off the wall and stepping on the butt of his cigarette. “You are strong, and you are not mean. That’s good,” he assures, touching Harry’s arm gently.

“Thank you, but that’s not true,” Harry smiles ruefully. “I’m really not anything special.”

Or, Harry is an American soldier in France during World War II, and Louis is a French waiter that doesn't mean to fall in love with him.

love love french AUs and while this one isn’t sunshine and rainbows, it’s a beautiful yet heart wrenching piece. warning for period typical homophobia

caught up in your love affair

NR | 8k | @disgruntledkittenface

“And the corgis took to you straightaway,” Harry remarks.

“That’s true,” Louis chuckles.

 “I’ve spent the last 29 years being barked at,” Harry deadpans, jerking his hand toward Louis, “this one walks in, absolutely nothing.”

Louis outright giggles at that, saying, “They were just lying on my feet during tea.”

“Wagging tails,” Harry says, shaking his head.

“It’s because they don’t understand flirting,” Louis tells him, “you can’t charm them the way you do everyone else.”

Royal AU. Prince Harry announces his engagement to Louis Tomlinson in an interview with longtime friend and BBC host Nick Grimshaw. Inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

just. 8k of royal fluff. that’s literally it and i adore it so much.

Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You)

M | 54k | @rainbowsandgucci

”Due to unforeseen circumstances, help is needed here at the orchard for the impending apple season. Looking for someone able to start within the next week or two at the most, is willing to do whatever miscellaneous tasks are needed, such as picking & packing apples, running the cash register, and other handywork that may need to be done. Must be good with customers, and able to lift up to 50lbs. Help will be needed until at the least the end of October. Please contact the number found on this page, or come out to the orchard and ask for Harry. All the love xx” --- Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles. Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn. He also starts to fall in love with Harry. Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

i never thought i would enjoy an apple orchard fic?? but it’s so good?? farmer harry makes me laugh to think about, but the heartbreak in this fic is so. real.

Mine Would Be You

E | 114k | @crinkle-eyed-boo

Louis blinks his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering as the room swims around him. He takes several gulps of beer once he confirms that he’s definitely not hallucinating, that the very first portrait Harry Styles ever painted of him is hanging on that wall.

Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache. A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.

Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn't intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

exes to lovers drama but make it extra sad. the fact that we see so many facets to this story just makes it all the more painful, yet beautiful. this fic also reminds me of how much i love one mister niall horan.

One for Luck

E | 96k | @leavingonatrain

The very first time Louis remembers hearing Harry Styles' deep, deep voice, he's just won gold at the World Equestrian Games and he's officially back on Great Britain's Olympic team. He's also three sheets to the wind, drunk on victory and champagne, and there's a gorgeous boy whispering in his ear. Life's grand.

(AU: Louis and Harry are professional riders on the British Olympic team.)

again, i know nothing about horses, but i like to pretend i do for the sake of this fic. it’s beautiful, it’s smutty what else could you ask for?

Nothing But You On My Mind

E | 83k | @absoloutenonsense

Louis Tomlinson is a PR manager hired to improve the image of royal bad-boy Prince Harry Styles. Unfortunately for him, that means being faced with the Prince's constant innuendos, incessant dirty jokes, and relentless flirting. Louis just wants to make it to Princess Gemma's coronation; once she's crowned Queen, his contract is up and he never has to see the Prince again.

i absolutely. definitely. sobbed tears at this fic. it’s just so beautifully painful to read. don’t want to spoil anything, but this is a must.

Adore You

M | 67k | @isthatyoularry

“We invited our new acquaintances from uptown. You’ve simply got to meet their oldest son!” said his mother with a flourish, and suddenly it became abundantly clear as to why his parents had so adamantly demanded he join them in Deansville for the entirety of the summer.

Against his wishes, Harry spends the holidays at his family’s summer estate, and is reluctantly pulled into a courtship he didn’t ask for. Harry doesn’t want to get married, but Louis does. They don’t fit, but then again they really, really do.

Vaguely set in the 1920’s. Headpieces, jazz, fashionable canes, and flapper dresses, and that.

i strongly relate to harry in this one! one of my favorite historical AUs and honestly i love the thought of louis in well fitting suits.

leave it to the breeze

E | 81k | @hattalove

Louis couldn’t be prouder of his bake, but there’s something—there’s something. Something about Harry Styles and the earnest way he measures, pours, mixes, scrapes. Something about the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth as he knocks the air out of his batter.

or a great british bake off au in which louis cares about winning and winning only, harry is made of sunshine and rainbow sprinkles, and niall sticks his nose into other people's business. also featuring liam as louis's best friend-slash-concerned mother, and zayn as a macaron connoisseur.

i. love. the. great british baking show. baking + h&l is amazing. and another reminder as to why niall is the absolute best.

Paint The Sky With Stars

M | 62k | @icanhazzalou grrr let me tag

On 10 April 1912, Harry Styles boards the finest ship the world has ever seen. Still grieving the death of their mother, he and his sister are being sent to America to live with a callous uncle who cares more about his business connections than family. Harry prepares himself for a long, disappointing voyage alone in his stateroom.

Louis Tomlinson has borrowed and saved, and finally has enough to purchase a Third Class ticket to America. With all of his belongings in a single ruck sack, he boards the Titanic filled with hope for a brighter future. Never one to sit still, he can’t resist exploring the massive ship, and soon goes sneaking into First Class in a stolen steward’s uniform.

By a twist of fate, Louis finds himself in Harry’s stateroom, entranced by the most attractive man he’s ever laid eyes on. He keeps returning day after day, even if he doesn’t understand what it is about Harry that continues pulling him in. That’s all right; Louis has a week to figure it out, and Harry is plenty willing to help.

Except they don’t have a week. They have four days. Because on 15 April, their entire world will be turned upside down.

Or, the historically accurate Titanic AU with a happy ending.

gorgeous historical fic that’s so accurate and painstakingly written. i keep coming back to it!

When It’s Late At Night

M | 25k | @all-these-larrythings

Louis has zero interest in an ex-boybander turned solo artist when his appearance on the show gets announced, but that's exactly who he gets stuck with when Harry Styles shows up at the Late Late show to promote the release of his debut album. For an entire fucking week.

Or

The Late Late prompt that we all need to get through this excruciatingly hard time.

remember when i said i love Late Late AUs? yeah. i love that louis gives absolutely zero shits in this fic until he gives all the shits.

Chasing Empty Spaces

E | 79k | @domestic-harry

The year is 1934 and Harry Styles was to inherent the largest tobacco firm in the south. His parents have picked out the “perfect” girl for him to marry and he has the privilege of receiving the highest education possible. The problem was, Harry hadn’t realized he didn’t actually want any part of that future until he met a mechanic named, Louis Tomlinson.

gorgeous historical AU that goes through Harry’s struggle with his sexuality wonderfully. this one also made me cry.

Resist Everything Except Temptation

E | 100k | @domestic-harry

The lethargic sound of heels clicking against wood resonated across the sea. Footsteps descended the staircase, every assured step creating a menacing aura as it grew closer. Perspiration gathered along Louis’ palms as the rhythmic sound halted in front of him.

“Captain,” Malik greeted.

Louis watched out of his peripheral as Malik’s boots shuffled back a few steps. Sweat matted the hair along the nape of Louis’ neck as he waited for something to happen. He felt as if a sharp blade was twisting his gut as the silence became tangible. There was a metallic slide of a sword being pulled out of its sheath, the sound startling Louis out of his cocoon of sterile shock. His shoulders jumped as the tip of a blade flattened underneath his jaw. Louis’ distorted reflection stared back at him in the polished metal. Engraved rose petals twisted his appearance as they crawled up the length of the sword. The sword lifted and took Louis’ chin with it.

Standing in front of Louis was Captain Styles.

OR

The one where Louis is the commodore's son who is forced to become a part of Harry's crew when he is captured.

love this pirate AU that’s got one badass gemma styles. also, harry as a super cool pirate in gorgeous clothes makes me super happy!

i’ll make this feel like home

E | 49k

Harry to groans himself and then takes a deep breath. “Okay, well. Here’s the thing. I peed on a stick.”

Louis isn’t able to get more than a shocked “What!” out before Harry’s steamrolling on.

“I peed on a stick and it says it’s positive, but you always prattle on about how it’s best to go to the doctor’s before you get excited, you know to confirm it because sometimes hormones are off or you have like a tumor or some shit and get false positives and what if I’m dying and-”

“You’re pregnant?!” Louis shouts out, stomach dropping as the words leave his mouth.

“Um, yeah… maybe.”

[the one where Louis' hopelessly in love with his best mate... who just happens to be pregnant with another man's baby.]

baby momma harry with hot mess!Louis is a recipe for disaster, but this one has plenty of fluff to make up for it.

Hands Clasped Tight

E | 44k | @afirethatcannotdie

“What am I looking at here?” Harry asks.

“This, my friends, is a ‘proof’ Instagram account, run by your students,” Liam announces.

“It’s got all this stuff about how the two of you are together,” Niall adds.

“I heard about that,” says one of the math teachers. “Confiscated a kid’s phone today when they were looking at it. I have to say, the evidence that you’re dating is pretty damning.”

“Really,” Louis says dryly. “Do you think being married for three years might have something to do with it?”

Or the one where Harry and Louis are high school teachers and their students have been playing matchmaker for over a year. Little do they know, Harry and Louis are already married.

love love teacher harry and louis that’s mostly funny fluff with a little angst. just a teeny amount. reminds me of my own experiences with meddling students haha.

*updated 2/16/21*

[nateserenas]

How would you rank all of Nate, Serena, Dan and Blair’s relationships outside of dair and serenate (including guest stars)

ok so i’m only giant to do canon romantic relationship and i’m going to do the ones i remember which won’t be all because i find a lot of them to be very unmemorable.

Blair:

1. Dan (i feel like that’s obvious) 2. Nate (i really love platonic nair and i think they had some cute romantic moments) 3. Louis (a very distant third and i really did not like them together or think they loved each other but the last two are still much worse) 4. Marcus (a very distant fourth and i obviously hate him - he was sleeping with his stepmother) 5. Chuck (i obviously really really despise ch/air) (blair really got screwed over in the romance department she had some very terrible romances)

Dan:

1. Blair (again, obvious) 2. that person from s3 played by hilary duff (i thought they were cute) 3. Vanessa (they weren’t perfect together but i think they cared about each other a lot and as friends understood each other) 4. Georgina (ok i know their actual relationship in s1 was problematic for so many reasons but their interactions in s6 were really fun) 5. Serena (i don’t hate d/erena as much as i hate ch/air but i still dislike them) (also doing this list made me realise that dan actually had some pretty fun romances also i feel like i’m missing some and i’m sorry)

Serena:

1. Nate (obviously) 2. Carter (again, obvious) 3. Gabriel (distant third - i remember literally nothing about him like all i remember was that they thought they got drunk married) 4. That guy from s6 (that romance was so weird and he was so much older than her and literally slept with her mother but still somehow better than the other guys on the list) 4. Dan (ok you know serena had horrible romances when i’m not putting d/erena at the bottom of the list) 5. Tripp (he was such a dick imagine getting into a car crash and just leaving your unconscious girlfriend ???) 6. Ben (I HATED BEN SO MUCH and it’s probably irrational to put him above tripp but i really hate him) (serena truly had terrible romances)

Nate:

1. Serena (obviously) 2. Vanessa (i literally always forget they dated even though i’m pretty sure they dated for longer than danvanessa or serenate they were very unmemorable for me but whenever i’m reminded they dated i remember that they were really cute and i liked that moment in s3 when she told him what he was doing with tripp’s campaign was wrong and that he was a better person than that it was a sweet friendship moment) 3. Blair (again, i really like platonic nair and romantic nair had a few cute moments) 4. Raina (they had some sweet genuine moments) 5. Serena’s half sister whose name i’m completely blanking on (all i remember about this relationship was that most of their conversations revolved around serena lol) 6. Ivy (i remember literally nothing about their relationship all i know was that i thought it was random) 7. Jenny (so so bad he treated her like a sister) 8. Diana (this is where it starts getting truly horrible literally) 9. Bree (please just let nate date women his own age) 10. Catherine (so so so horrible he was an actual child and she was an adult and also sleeping with her stepson) 10. Sage (literally just what the actual fuck she was a HIGH SCHOOLER)

i feel like I forgot a lot and i am sorry. Aah i just realised that you said excluding dair and serenate but changing the numbers would take really long and i’m far too lazy to do that so they’ll have to stay.

[serenitysnow6]

Excerpt from Romance With An                                Heiress

Kendra slipped into the hotel that evening and smoothed her hand down her blouse. The top two buttons were left undone to show off her throat and the gold chain she wore.

She hadn’t wanted to overdo with a tie and jacket, though she rocked the hell out of a suit. Tonight was about relaxing, and Spencer assured her she’d invited at least four other women, so maybe she could get in a few dances if not a little flirting.

All she did was work, which was her parents’ point. They were eager for her to settle down with the right woman, have some kids. They were worried about the next generation of Dairs with her brother being a confirmed bachelor.

She pushed open the door to the Cozy Hunting room to find Spencer there with Kate, and they were merrily talking to the lovely curly-haired Adra McCain, brown-haired Mori Baker who’d become her close friend, and—she was here.

Alice was gorgeous in the simple summer dress that accentuated the gold of her skin while enhancing the blue of her eyes. She was short at five-foot-six next to Kendra’s five-foot-nine.

“Hey, girlfriend,” Spencer called. “Come on over. Mori was just telling us about her trip to New York.”

“You and Mori were reminiscing about your old stomping grounds?” Kendra replied, and Alice looked at her then.

Her blue eyes were shining with curiosity. Her long black hair tumbled around her shoulders in a cloud of curls, and she wore light make-up, her lips shining from the gloss. Everything about those just-shy-of-full-lips said, “kiss me”.

And Kendra wanted to do just that.

She walked over to the table and scanned it, looking for a seat next to one of her friends though next to Alice was where she wanted to be.  

“Here’s a perfectly good seat right here between me and Alice,” Mori said. “Who by the way is looking so hot tonight.”

Alice flushed and gave Mori a look. “Thanks,” she said. “You did pick out the dress I could just barely afford.”

“But she is right,” Kate said. “That dress looks great on you. Mori seems to have great taste.”

“Of course I do,” Mori agreed. “It’s my job to match the right woman up with the right dress.”

“You just have a good eye for women,” Spencer teased.

“Oh, yeah, that too,” Mori agreed with a laugh. “And Alice does have a great ass as well as—”

“Shut up,” Kendra said, smacking her on the back the head before sitting down next to Alice.

“Hi, Ali,” she said after sitting down. “You look gorgeous tonight.” Alice’s cheeks pinkened a little, and she looked away, but not before Kendra saw interest in her eyes.

“How are you?” Kendra asked, leaning toward Alice.

“Good and you?”

“Tired. It’s been a long day with the work we’ve got going on at the hotel.”

“What kind of work? I thought you guys were all through with the renovations inside,” Alice answered.

“We’re just finishing some painting,” Kendra told her. “And daddy dear is making me help.”

“Why? Does he want you to be able to say you’ve logged the man hours learning every aspect of the business?” Alice asked in a teasing tone.

“Maybe,” Kendra said, making a face. “He can be a slave-driver at times, but I love him.” She reached for one of the two bottles of wine and poured a generous splash into her glass. “Another?”

“No.” Alice held up her hand, shaking her head. “I’ll have a half glass with dinner. I have class in the morning.”

“Class?”

“Yeah. Summer session. It’s almost over. We’ll have a few weeks before the fall session starts, which means I’ll have time for a quick break or vacation.”

“I know a beautiful spot or two around here,” Kendra said. “I’ll give you my number, and you can call if you really want to know more.”

“Okay.” That was a bad idea. If Kendra had her number, Kendra could just call her. Alice picked her phone up from the table and handed it over to Kendra.

Their fingers brushed, and electricity zinged through Alice, causing her to catch her breath. She dropped the phone, and Kendra caught it.

“Are you okay?” Kendra asked, concern in her gaze.

“Y-yes.” She swallowed tightly.

Kendra put her number into Alice’s phone and handed it back. “You can use it anytime. I have my phone with me even when I’m working.”

Alice nodded, wishing Kendra had taken her number. “My schedule is going to be pretty busy as the session winds down.”

“So, maybe you should just take her number, Ken,” Spencer suggested.

“That way you can call her,” Mori added conversationally.

Alice’s heart was pounding even as Spencer and Mori chimed in, but she was grateful for their input.

“Tell you what,” Kendra said. “You call me, and I’ll have your number.”

Damn her.

Why was she making this so hard?

“Right.” Kendra probably just didn’t want to go out with her.

Alice knew Kendra was a player. She’d seen her in a few clubs in the city. She knew she took women home or to a motel every time she left. They were all so pretty and way thinner than she was.

It was never going to happen. She may as well resign herself to settling for someone else.

[ladyherenya]

Books read in March

If there was a theme this month, it was: retellings. This was something of an unintentional theme, since what I read next depends a lot on what’s available from the library, but certainly a theme which is indicative of my tastes.

Favourite cover: Sherwood.

Reread: Nothing, too many other things to read.

Still reading: Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow.

Next up: Pride by Ibi Zoboi, Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser, A Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons and Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. 

... and I just checked my library account and there are five more books waiting for me! FIVE. Why must you all be available at once?

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (translated by Rod Bradbury, narrated by Steven Crossley): On his birthday, Allan Karlsson escapes from his nursing home and gets on a bus, taking with him a suitcase that doesn’t belong to him. The story alternates between Allan’s adventures in the present day, and his bizarre exploits throughout the politics and conflicts of the 20th century, travelling through (or trying to escape from) different countries, meeting an unlikely number of important world leaders and blowing things up. I listened to the audiobook, a format that I find much more conducive to being amused by this sort of story.

Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White: Sequel to Heartstone, a fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Aliza has married Lord Alastair Daired. When Alastair and his dragon Akarra are offered a contract in the north, Aliza insists on coming too. Aliza is still processing the trauma of war, and adjusting to a new stage of life. It’s less common for fantasy to show the early days of a marriage (and of a pregnancy), which makes for some interesting territory to explore. As for worldbuilding, I needed a glossary or more in-text reminders. I enjoyed Heartstone more, but I want to see what’s next for Aliza.

A Sudden Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna: Esmae, the secret twin sister of an exiled prince, has a plan to see her brother regain his throne. It involves going against the advice of the war goddess Amba, winning a competition, revealing her identity and pretending to take her uncle’s side. This hooked me from the very beginning. I liked the worldbuilding, the complex family relationships, the sentient spaceship, the prose and how some of the twists took me by surprise. It would have made an even bigger impact if it’d made me more invested in all of Esmae’s relationships, but I have high hopes for the sequel.

Possession by A.S. Byatt: Two English scholars investigate a relationship between two Victorian poets. I read this with delight, then disappointment, then an urgency that surprised me and then, finally, with bittersweet pleasure. Possession is about things I feel strongly about: libraries, poetry, fairytales, academic interpretations of past women, the joys of language and of narratives. It’s about the possession of, and the desire to possess, knowledge, objects, relationships, the full story. I like the parallels -- themes and variations -- between the two sets of characters. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. I’ve bought my own copy and carefully bookmarked all the quotes.

Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley: Lyn, a literary agent, is invited to spend Christmas with a couple of authors in Wales. The Overdrive description makes this sound sombre and creepy. But although Lyn’s backstory is sad, this story isn’t. It has warmth and a web of relationships like something from a comedy of manners. I liked the historical details about Tudor kings, the references to Arthurian legends, Lyn’s confidence in dealing with writers with strong personalities and the delight she finds in exploring coastal Wales. The mystery of her dreams and Elen’s fears was a good amount of suspense with a hopeful resolution.

The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard:  A novella about a mindship and a scholar investigating a death. I read this not because it is a Sherlock Holmes retelling but because it promised one of my favourite things: an AI with feelings! Also: tea! It’s set in an unfamiliar universe -- “a galactic empire inspired by Vietnamese culture” -- and involves mind-altering substances, something I’m irrationally squeamish about. But being a Holmes retelling gave this story a comforting sort of familiarity and predisposed me to liking the characters. (Although I would have instantly warmed to The Shadow’s Child anyway. I just want ships to be happy...)

Circe by Madeline Miller: I impulsively borrowed this, and then doubted whether I’d like it. Was this going to be an exercise in watching everything go wrong? I kept reading because I’d become invested in Circe, and because the prose is so compelling. This is sharply written and unflinching about gods and mortals, but it is not as bitter as I expected. It’s a lot more hopeful -- a story about freedom, transformation and life in a way I found surprising and deeply satisfying. It’s also a fascinating and complex portrayal of Odysseus that focuses on the impact this charismatic and deeply flawed man has on others.

Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna (illustrated by Ramâon Pâerez): Jane moves to New York to study art and gets a job as a nanny. This graphic novel follows Jane Eyre loosely, which allows for changes that suit the contemporary setting and the format, and introduces a greater level of surprise for someone familiar with Jane Eyre. It’s not as complex or as serious as Charlotte Brontë’s novel, but it isn’t trying to be. There were a lot of things I really liked about the illustrations, such as their use of light, colour and perspective. I wasn’t such a fan of the way faces were drawn. Not quite my style?

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas: Very satisfying as a story playing with the Holmes-and-Watson mythos in some unexpected ways, as a murder mystery and as a story about the constraints and opportunities women in Victorian society had. Disgraced Charlotte Holmes runs away from home and tries to find a job in London. When one of the gossips responsible for exposing Charlotte dies, suspicion falls on Charlotte’s sister and Charlotte uses the persona of “Sherlock” Holmes to direct a murder investigation. I’d have liked to have seen more of relationship between the Holmes sisters. Maybe there will be more of that in the sequels.

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Nigel Planer): Another story about telling stories. Agnes suspects that Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg have her in mind to become a witch, and she goes off to Ankh-Morpork to join the opera. After Lords and Ladies I wanted to read more about Agnes. I enjoyed the mystery, the play on The Phantom of the Opera, the further adventures of Granny and Nanny, and the appearance of some of the Watch. The conclusion to Agnes’ opera career was less satisfying.

Grumpy Fake Boyfriend by Jackie Lau:  An introverted SF author agrees to pretend to be a boyfriend for a weekend. I liked the set-up and the way the characters discover that they don’t have to agree or have the same tolerance for socialising -- they can be themselves with each other. But on the whole, the execution of this romance didn’t really appeal to me.

Forever in Your Service by Sandra Antonelli: I had a mixed reaction to At Your Service, but liked Mae and Kitt enough to read the sequel. Sometimes I wanted it to slow down and explain things -- like characters’ thoughts, theories and feelings -- a bit more. That said, the tendency for understating rather than overstating is one I appreciate. And I like that, as Mae and Kitt navigate the challenges of Kitt’s job, their relationship is believably complicated. While this spy story isn’t quite my genre (I’m more of a cosy mystery or romantic suspense person), it certainly wasn’t boring or predictable.

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner (narrated by Fiona Hardingham): I love the way this twists and reimagines the Robin Hood story, putting Marian at the centre. Her grief, her history with Robin and her ideas about what he would do, her skill as an archer, her passion to fight injustice, her frustrations and discomfort with being a noblewomen, her relationships, her mistakes, her discovery that she’s the only one who wants to change things. Sherwood surprised me, gave me lots of feelings and made me stay up until 2am. It successfully does something different while still including much that is familiar. A poignant, compelling retelling. I was completely hooked.

[hannah-deserved-better]

Dystopian Crossovers

A multi-fandom, multi-pairing crossover of Supernatural, Star Trek TNG, DS9, VOY, X-files, Buffy, and the Hobbit movie verse.

These are the one-shot, two-shot, short multi-chapter adventures of the small San Francisco colony of humans. After a major disaster in the 24th century, a temporal distortion occurred which destroyed Earth in the 24th century. It also fractured other dimensions such as Middle Earth causing contamination on a colossal scale.

The disaster is thought to have been caused by experiments with the omega molecule but no one could be certain. It’s also a coincidence that at the same time, dark magic on middle earth and meddling in the natural environment by a group of rogue angels and demons in the 21st century may have added to the disaster.

Whatever the cause, Earth is now a wasteland. The setting is 2018 San Francisco after the eruption of three super volcanoes (Yellowstone, Toba, and Taupo), a nuclear explosion in DC, London, and Los Angeles, and a comet strike in the middle of the Atlantic have led to a complete wasteland.

Note: there are some controversial, rare-pair and completely made up pairings and ships below. If you aren’t prepared to have an open mind, or if you plan on sending me hate of any kind, do not continue. Also note this is very, very long.

The Characters and ships

So these characters and ships are my absolute OTPs in all my favorite shows. With the exception of one crossover pairing and a few others, these are pairings which I have been into since I first saw the shows. This is especially true where Star Trek is concerned because starting with TNG, I was a trekkie since I was 3 years old. Yes, I know they are all M/F or F/M but that isn’t relevant. This is really because these are the ships that I like all in one spot. In short, this collection of stories is all about me, myself, and I. These are my all time favorite OTPs and it really comes down to personal preference: my personal preference. And because there are so many characters I had to limit it to my absolute favorites in each show.

And yes there are so many other characters I would have loved to add in here and are certainly not forgotten but I am only one person and there are a lot of characters as it is so lots of characters just didn’t make the cut. If there were 10 of me then a lot more characters and a lot more variety of m/f, f/f, and m/m pairings would be possible but there aren’t 10 of me so it is what it is.

So here are the ships:

Janeway and Chakotay from Star Trek: Voyager

Picard and Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Kira and Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Dean and Jo from Supernatural

Sam and Eileen from Supernatural

Crowley and Meg from Supernatural

Castiel and Hannah from Supernatural

Buffy and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Willow and Charlie from Buffy and Supernatural

Fili and my OC Brenna from the Hobbit movie verse

Kili and my OC Asphodel from the Hobbit Movie verse

Mulder and Scully from X-files

If you request to do your own one-shots using this verse, you are welcomed to add whatever additional characters and ships you want, including OCs, but the above pairings are non-negotiable.

Also, writings for this story will be rare because again, I am only one person and when I feel inspired to write something, I will. And I won’t be going in order so there will be seasons and it will all be labeled as to what season.

Here’s the backstory for each series. Note that timelines will conflict so for character ages, refer to the seasons I have them in:

Star Trek Voyager

Takes place in season 6/7 right after the events of Unimatrix Zero

Kathryn Janeway was recovering from her experience with the Borg and being assimilated. She’d been taking a few days shore leave in the holodeck and Chakotay had joined her for a pleasant evening in Tuscany. They were having dinner when the disaster occurred and they were transported to Earth in 2018. When they arrived, they found the planet in ruin.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Takes place in season 5 / 6 during the battle with the Dominion

As Starfleet and the Klingons, led by the USS. Defiant, were trying to retake DS9 from the occupying dominion. Kira and Odo, their relationship strained from the events with the female shapeshifter, were trying to defend the station when they were transported to Earth in 2018.

Star Trek The Next Generation

Takes place in season 3 / 4 right after the battle of Wolf 359.

Dr. Crusher meets up with Captain Picard shortly after the events that made him Locutus. He was showing her around his brother’s vineyard in France, introducing her to his brother when the accident occurred and sent them to Earth 2018.

Supernatural

Takes place in Season 5 shortly before the accident with the hellhounds. 

Instead of hellhounds, Lucifer decides to go with a new plan. Destroy the planet naturally. With a snap of his fingers, three Super volcanoes become active. Sam and Dean have only a few precious hours before their world is changed forever. First Yellowstone, then Toba in Indonesia, then Taupo in New Zealand. One by one, these volcanoes erupt, causing massive destruction, global economies to collapse, and civilization to be reduced to anarchy. Within a few short months, after terrorist organizations take advantage of the situation by dropping nuclear bombs on Washington DC and London.

In retaliation for what Lucifer did, Michael launched an asteroid at Earth, the impact in the middle of the Atlantic caused devastating tsunamis in Africa and South America.

The planet is now locked in a seemingly eternal ice age caused by the triple effect of a volcanic winter and an impact winter.

Dean, Sam, Castiel, and Jo make their way to San Francisco, the peninsula is becoming a last stand against vampires, demons, and other creatures waiting to take advantage. The whole city has been warded against demons and angels and as such, Castiel has lost his grace.

Hannah: Hannah was among the angels loyal to heaven, but she also against the apocalypse. She defied heaven to undermine Michael’s efforts, as punishment, she was dropped from heaven and forced into Caroline Johnson’s body. Caroline, whose husband was killed in the eruptions, was struggling to survive in Montana. Hannah took control of her and made her way to San Francisco.

Eileen: Eileen Leahy had already been in San Francisco when the disaster occurred. She’d arrived from Dublin to finish her studies on anthropology at San Francisco State. When the disaster occurred, she was stranded since airplanes can’t fly in volcanic debris.

Charlie: Finishing up her masters in tech in San Francisco, Charlie was also in the city when the disaster occurred. Proving to be resourceful in a crisis, she helped to use the city muni subway systems as refuge areas for displaced families.

Crowley: Crowley escaped with the Winchesters when Lucifer set of the eruptions. He loses his powers and becomes stranded with them.

Meg: Meg was supposed to send the hellhounds after the Winchesters but when she failed, Lucifer banished her and she became a rogue. Reluctantly, she was forced to join forces with the Winchesters.

X-files

Takes place in between season 5 and 6 right after the events of the movie.

After returning from their event in Antarctica, Mulder and Scully are in Washington when a nuclear bomb caused them to evacuate, barely escaping with their lives. They made it across the country to San Francisco.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Takes place shortly after Sunnydale is destroyed at the end of season 7.

After the scoobies separate, the eruptions occur and Buffy and Willow make their way to Los Angeles to team up with Angel who then goes with them to San Francisco.

Hobbit

Takes place after the battle of the five armies

When Fili and Kili are separated from the rest of the company and left to fend for themselves in Laketown while the dragon pummels the defenseless town on the lake. Fili and Kili are dealt an additional blow while, during their attempt to escape with Tauriel and the others, the brothers are separated and stranded in the town. The disaster occurs and Fili and Kili are transported to a new world- modern earth 2018 in San Francisco.

Asphodel: Asphodel Cheesewillow is a typical hobbit who, while on holiday with her parents, is separated and lost in the Old Forest. She is transported to Earth.

Brenna Norrsken: Brenna is a gnome from the far north of the Forodwaiths. Her particular race of gnomes are female dominated and she and her mother were part of a whaling crew. During a particularly difficult battle with a whale, Brenna is thrown overboard and then transported.

Seasons

Yes, I am taking prompt requests, PM me for requests. Also, I am willing to work with any number of authors and artists who are interested in doing their own one shots and short stories but please remember this is MY world and MY rules. Pretty much the only rules I have are please use the appropriate ships as defined above, and please no hardcore smut. Abstract, soft smut is fine.

Seasons 1-7: Is all about them surviving in the new world created by the disasters. The 24 of them have banded together in San Francisco, along with a group of refugees. All around their little peninsula are extreme dangers. In the rest of the world, vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, and other beings have taken over. Michael dominates parts of the planet while Lucifer dominates other parts.

Seasons 8-19: as everyone has paired off by now, a series of pregnancies occur, many of which were acts of supernatural intervention.

Season 6: Hannah has a daughter, Devorah,

Season 7: Kira has a daughter, Meru,

Season 8: Janeway has twins, Jessalyn and Jordan,

Season 9: Buffy has a son, Adrien,

Season 10: Jo has a son, Jonathan

Season 11: Eileen has a daughter Lillian

Season 12: Scully has a daughter, Samantha

Season 13: Charlie has a son, Justin

Season 14: Asphodel has twins, Sighreth and Daire

Season 15: Meg has a son, Dameon

Season 16: Beverly has a daughter, Kayla

Season 17: Brenna has a son Kastrin

Seasons 20 and on: The Next Generation

[alarriefantasy]

                                          Single Parent Louis

But Darling, Stay With Me by AFangirlFantasy

Words: 5k

The 'Louis calls the wrong number AU' with a twist!

Deep in His Eyes (I Think I See A Future) by FallingLikeThis 

Words: 5k

Louis is a single father with twins, Davis and Ethan. Harry is the cute nursery school teacher that volunteers at the town’s fair.

 Drive Me Crazy by AFangirlFantasy

Words: 7k

Louis’ a single Dad heading out to buy a birthday present for his little princess. Harry’s a uni student working part-time at the toy store.

Or an AU where Louis just wants a toy for his daughter, and Harry just wants to take Louis on a date.

we're afire love by soleilouis

Words: 11k

Harry and Louis are best friends. Harry has the whole "crush" thing under control, honestly. Until, of course, he moves in with Louis and his baby.

 something to come home to by up_and_away

Words: 11k

When Louis Tomlinson had a son, he had to set aside things like one-night stands and parties for mortgages and PTA meetings. Harry Styles, an adorable, dorky popstar, definitely falls under ‘Things Responsible Adults Should Avoid.’ Then again, Louis has never been that great with responsibility.

Cheese Toasties by elsi_bee 

Words: 13k

Harry is back to managing nights at Sandy's Diner, his home away from home. A new customer with two kids in tow makes his nights a bit more interesting.

It'll Be by styleandsin

Words: 13k

Louis has always wanted children and he decides he's done waiting for love to come first. However, after adopting a baby girl just days after she's born, he quickly realizes how hard parenting is. Louis hires Harry to be his Nanny, and it all works out great. Until Louis falls in love with him.

 what's love without tragedy by @hilourry

Words: 17k

Louis is a widower with three kids. Harry is the babysitter. They fall in love.

 Outside Is Just A Blur by daggerandtherose

Words: 18k

Louis' son might just be a technology genius as he has quite a knack for calling strangers up on Louis' phone. Repeatedly.

Took Me by Surprise by QuickedWeen

Words: 20k

Louis Tomlinson and his best friend Bridget had a daughter when they were very young and he was on the brink of becoming the next MLS star. Until he blew out his knee.

A decade later, he's the head anchor of the American version of Match of the Day and is raising the coolest nine-year-old on the planet, who happens to be obsessed with Harry Styles - popstar, musician, and all-around household name.

Building Castles In The Sky by SexyAsswoMan

Words: 22k

Where, Louis had a four year old with a stuttering problem. Harry was always there to help.

Barefoot in Blue Jeans by indiaalphawhiskey 

Words: 24k

AU. Louis Tomlinson is trying desperately hard not to fall for his son’s au pair, but he can’t, for the life of him, remember why.

i just know i have found the place my heart belongs by scagnetism

Words: 32k

Or, the one where Louis has a quiet little girl, Harry has a toy shop with a magic faerie house, and they were made to fall in love.

 nothing else but us right here by @idkmybffgansey

Words: 35k

Louis sighs and gives himself a mental pep talk as he smooths his jumper down over his hips. He can do this. He can resist the draw of Harry Styles, because he is a responsible, mature adult, and as much as he wants to tangle his fingers in that mess of hair and map those ridiculous tattoos with his tongue, he does not want to get his daughter’s favorite teacher fired.

K-9's and Blue Eyes by LHStylinson

Words: 36k

Harry runs the police station’s K-9 unit and Louis is a single father to a newborn and has a few things to figure out.

Or Harry and Louis with puppies and babies.

For You I Saved the Love (I Never Knew How to Give) by pinky_heaven19

Words: 42k

OR the one where Louis moves to a small town with his young daughter and has a gorgeous neighbor. Harry loves children and Louis also likes him a little bit. Lots of fluff.

Manhattan From The Sky by sincewewereeighteen

Words: 47k

Harry's been raised to know that successful men do not fall in love. Louis believes that love is all you need to be successful in life. They meet.

 baby we could be enough by orphan_account

Words: 52k

“Did you clean the table?” Harry asks Louis once Rose is done speaking, now occupied with trying to see if she can reach over and touch Harry’s hair from where she’s sat. At Louis’ nod, Harry frowns. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my guests here, I could’ve dealt with it later.”

Louis just smiles easily, though, adjusting Rose on his lap so that she’s facing Harry better. She manages to tug on a loose wave of hair, and she makes a noise of triumph that both Louis and Harry smile at.

“I don’t mind,” Louis murmurs to Harry, even though he’s looking at Rose. “This one here seemed very excited to talk to you.”

And, okay. Harry can’t help but think of how domestic this feels, all of a sudden.

[harry is a photographer who's trying to find his place. louis is a single father with a smile that feels like home.]

I need home (our tangled bones) by togetherwecouldbealright 

Words: 68k

Or, the kid fic where Louis wants to make Harry a star, Zayn just needs everyone to stop being stupid, Niall laughs his arse off at everything, Liam attempts to keep things in order and Harry takes a chance.

we'll take the trail marked on your father's map by cleverfics

Words: 100k

louis is a single father and harry just wants to be part of the family

 Flour and Chocolate by teaandtumblr

Words: 145k

It was nice, for a bakery he supposed.

Then he approached the display cabinet.

And the foreboding slammed into him. Because every product had letters next to it. Letters. GF, DF, V, O, VGN.

What. The. Fuck?

Lifting his eyes to the chalkboard menu spread across the back wall Louis felt physically ill. ‘Gluten-free’, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’, ‘paleo’, ‘dair-…’ Wait, what the fuck was a paleo? He had entered some hipster-trash establishment and it was more than time to get out.

OR Louis is a single dad and Harry works at the newly opened bakery down the street.

Piece by Piece by lovelarry10, wander723

Words: 168k

Now that his best friend Liam is getting married Louis Tomlinson needs help, and he’s finally admitted it. He can’t work and be the best dad to his disabled son Mason without it. That’s where Harry Styles comes in.

And so begins the love story of a lifetime.

Your Mess Is Mine by @amories

Words: 176k

Louis is the father to the most brilliant little boy in the world who is all Louis really needs, or at least that's what he tells himself. Harry is a gorgeous boybander fresh off a two year break and a massive scandal that's left him a little broken and more than ready to move on.

They fall in love.

 Cold Little Heart by seducedbycurls

Words: 194k

Louis is a soft omega with an abusive past and an alpha child A few months after getting a divorce, Louis meets Harry, an ex-military alpha wolf that offers him something -odd.

In exchange for teaching him how to cook, Harry will babysit his son, Abraham Louis really could use the help.

*credit to the owner of the manip

updated: 3.16.21

[kentamaeda]

RULES: answer all 30 questions and tag some people you want to get to know better. tagged by @iwasborntobeatortoise dziękuję Andrea :D

NAME: tayler

NICKNAME: tay tay, moff, muffin, mo-fat, mo fizzle

GENDER:  female

STAR SIGN: sagittarius

HEIGHT: 5′7

TIME: 8:30 pm

FAVORITE BANDS: the carpenters, white lies, johnnyswim, kings of leon, bastille, matchbox 20, needtobreathe, imagine dragons, the eagles, the civil wars, depeche mode, oasis, royal blood, the xx

FAV SOLO ARTIST:  kygo, birdy, britney spears, dua lipa, george ezra, sleeping at last, tom odell, billy joel

SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD: san francisco - scott mckenzie

LAST MOVIE I SAW: ready player one

LAST SHOW I WATCHED: either timeless or superstore, its the only two i watch lol 

WHEN DID I CREATE MY BLOG: march 2012.. oh god. all because of dair

WHAT DO I POST?: shit

LAST THING I GOOGLED: some song lyrics to figure out a name of a song

DO I GET ASKS?: nope

WHY DID I CHOOSE MY URL?: because Kenta Maeda is my favorite baseball player and he deserves all of the love and support :))))))

Following: ummm...like....... around.... more than... 1000

FOLLOWED BY: 699

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 7

LUCKY NUMBER: 2?? idk, always my jersey number.. ill go with that lol

INSTRUMENTS: I used to play the piano

DREAM JOBS: flight nurse, i used to want to be a sports commentator or basically anything to do with sports is still a dream

DREAM TRIP: all over europe but mostly england :))

FAV FOOD: i love me some pasta

NATIONALITY: american

FAV SONG(S): GET READY FOR A LIST.,…..

Drew barrymore - bryce vine,

heroes - alesso,

death - white lies,  

nobody compares to you / feel good - gryffin

What once was - Hers,

you & me - marc e bassy / g eazy, 

remind me to forget / stargazing - kygo,

bridges burn - needtobreathe,

famous - kanye west,

evil - interpol

forget about life - alvvays

flaws / things we lost in the fire - bastille

partitiion - beyonce

work from home - fifth harmony

final song - MO

party talk - craft spells

hey - pixies

echoes - klaxons

let me down gently - la roux

breaking the habit - linkin park

touch - shura

ok thats enough 

LAST BOOK I READ: six years by harlan coben

TOP THREE FICTIONAL UNIVERSES I WANT TO LIVE IN: i wanna say timeless, not because of all the evil people but for the ability to go back in time like they do lol

ill tag.... ummm.. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO IT. please be my guest :)

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

here’s a thought: if the show had been less cowardly and went forward with incorporating dan’s bisexuality from the novels into the show’s canon, how and when do you think it should have been done? what kind of storyline would you ideally want for him?

hi!! as you can imagine, i was delighted to receive an ask of this nature, and i started writing an answer for this, and then tumblr randomly shut its tab and ate it (biphobia!) so i’m trying again. uhh the short answer is that there was ample opportunity in canon – this post i made about dan dating everyone in the njbc, while sadly a joke, is based entirely on canon situations & dynamics. 

[ more under the cut ]

that post i linked is quite a bit even as is but there are more things in canon that lend themselves to dan being bi which i didn’t think of while making that post, such as:

the thing with chuck, when he was trying to get that story in season 2. it was very fade to black, which means anything could have happened.

dan making nate’s character in inside gay!! like, this was played off as a ‘haha funny’ by everyone, but characters in inside are…. recognisable. blair realised dan loves her for her through an extract from the book. everyone in dan’s life was pissed off with him because they could recognise themselves in the book. why would dan even make nate gay? what purpose does that serve? is it heterosexual to look at your dude best friend and go “damn, i wish he was gay”? nope! (here's a little more on why i choose to interpret it this way, despite the whole nate & eric being one character fusion thing.)

remember that bit in s2 that all of us dairs keep yelling about, where dan gives blair advice on how to seduce chuck? why was blair taking dan’s help on how to get the guy?? what made dan a suitable candidate for this sort of seduction? what made serena –  dan’s literal ex gf – suggest dan for this job? this makes so much more sense if he were bi, seriously.

him thinking of nate & serena having sex at the shepard wedding in graphic detail. i made this meme because, lmao, dan, what are you doing! but seriously – that didn’t feel very heterosexual to me, at all. i know the vibe was supposed to be ‘dan comparing himself to nate’ but the vibe was… not that, lmao.

things i would do beyond this / the direction i would get canon to take:

i think dan would know he liked boys as young as like, 13 or 14, but i think he would repress it and keep it to himself and not talk about it. vanessa would have her suspicions, possibly, but she would never bring it up.

i’ve written this in a fic or two before, but i headcanon dan’s first crush on someone in school to be on nate and not on serena. he meets serena at that party in ninth grade, but i’m assuming that he has classes with nate all the time at school, more than with serena simply because of the way constance/ st. jude is divided.

i think dan would have a lot of internalized biphobia to work through. i don’t think he would initially be happy or comfortable with knowing he likes boys, and he would try to ignore it. dan’s already very much a loner, ostracized by his peers, made to feel different and weird, and to him this would be one more thing that sets him apart from his classmates and makes him different from them.

so, given this, i think dan would be afraid of / highly uncomfortable with the possibility of becoming a stereotype. like “of course dan likes men, he likes to read poetry and watch romantic movies” or “of course dan likes men, he’s so well-informed on fashion” –  i think dan would find that sort of thing uncomfortable and reductive, but in true dan humphrey fashion, i think he would be judging himself more than anybody else is.

this sounds so cliché, but i think dan having a gay arc in college would be best for him. esp given his popularity at NYU, i think that’d do wonders for his self-confidence in general – knowing that he’s found ‘his people’ and that people like his writing and like him, just for who he is.

he would kiss a boy at some party, and the world wouldn’t end, and the boy would give dan his number, and dan… would still be too shy to call but it’d be a life-changing moment of… oh. i can have relationships with boys and still be dan humphrey. this doesn’t change anything about me. okay.

once he’s had that revelation, of course, it gets a lot easier. i’d want dan to have his first serious boyfriend in college. probably not anybody he knows from high school, someone new – an olivia type of person, basically, but a man.

he could still end up with blair, or get to raise milo with nate – i like both nate & blair as potential romantic endgames for dan. blair gets him in a way that nobody else really does, which is fun to watch on the show and very sweet to envision for dan. at the same time, there’s an easiness to the way he is with nate, like, their friendship is so low-pressure and solid and i think that’d translate nicely into a relationship, despite lack of similar interests.

i would like dan to make queer friends at college! i would love that for him. i’d like him to have friends who drag him into gay bars, i’d like for vanessa to realise she’s bi in college (vanlivia always had better chemistry than danlivia, this is the hill i will die on), i’d like dan to finally get to a point where he’s comfortable enough with his sexuality that even if randoms go “of course he likes men, he likes poetry and he likes fashion” he’d just be like, “fuck off, i like men because i like men, not because of the other things,” and he would… not care what people said, basically.

there’s probably more, but this is all i have for now! bonus: here’s a margottenenbaum S3 au fic where instead of serena who has the affair with tripp, it’s dan who does that? it’s a really interesting fic – the dynamic is so different, and it’s in tripp pov, which is kind of a rarity, at least, from what i’ve seen.

if for some reason you want more thoughts from me on bisexual dan beyond this, here’s an iconic conversation @blairwaldorfisgay & i had which started out with nate x dan & somehow ended up at chuck x dan. to this day, i have No idea how that happened, lmao.

[terrencellovesyou]

It’s time for one of my wonderful rants

I was bored ~still am by the way~ and I decided to go through both the anti-Dair and anti-Chair tags on Tumblr. Well, it has been a while since I’ve decided that I wanted to write my opinion on all of this, but with university and my internship, time wasn’t really something I had. Anyway, if you are bored as well and want to read what I’m about to say, I would be thrilled, especially if any of you have any opinion on it, regardless of who you ship.

So, Gossip Girl first episode came out almost 10 years ago, yeah I know, and I still watch it periodically. I first started watching the show when I was 11 years old and I instantly became obsessed. As the years went by I matured, when through all kinds of life experiences (especially in the last couple years) that made me view some aspects of the show differently. Since my Tumblr name is waldorfbasss you can infer that I ship Chair.

As I said, I was bored and went through both tags to read people`s opinions on both relationships, analyzing what Chair shippers thought of Dair and Chair, and vice-versa. It was clear that both sides are completely biased and I could say that Dan and Blair shippers are a little more delusional (I promise I’m not being partial, or at least I’m trying not to be). Why do I say that? Because if you go on the anti-Chair tag, one of the first posts you’ll see is a gifset comparing the terrible things Chuck has said to Blair to the good ones Dan said. I think it’s valid, honestly, but let’s not forget to do the comparison for both sides. I thought I had seen a gifset doing exactly that, but I did not find it, but anyway. You can point out things in a way that is more beneficial to prove your point, and that works for basically anything in life. Chuck did his share of dreadful things to Blair, I’m not even gonna try to deny that, but so did Dan, and worse, he was supposed to be older and presumably, more mature and he always pretended to be better.

There are two key points when it comes to Chair critics: Chuck was abusive and a horrible person, who manipulated Blair and made her be less than she was. First things first, I don’t know how many times I’ll have to say this but BLAIR WALDORF WAS NEVER A FUCKING SAINT. It amazes me how people in general forget who was the most manipulative and bitchy character in Gossip Girl and try to put on Chuck all the blame of being a “horrible person”. I’m not defending Chuck at all, especially when it comes to the Empire/Blair trade and the “you are mine” + accidently hurting her with glass. Both attitudes were despicable and way worse than anything Dan has done, but (yeah there’s a but), those were clear mistakes that he later on apologized for (and was forgiven), and most importantly, did not commit again, or anything remotely close to that. In spite of these two “episodes” Chuck and Blair’s relationship was not abusive. Yes, you read it write. If you don’t believe me just google “abusive relationship”. I’m not saying, though, that it was one hundred percent healthy or that those two very specific moments were not abusive. You can say Chuck was manipulative, but so was Blair. This was actually a trait that they liked about each other, together with their games and schemes. Since we mentioned the two horrible things Chuck did to Blair, I should also point out when Blair was blatantly abusive to Chuck. Do you guys remember when Chuck was dating Eva and minding his own business, when Blair did everything she could to put Eva down and destroy their relationship, just because Chuck was happy with someone who was not her? Or when Blair made him wait for her while she dated Dan? They were both abusive assholes to one another in specific scenarios and extremely manipulative on a regular basis (as said before, they weren’t in a healthy relationship for some of the time), but they both were and at first they didn’t mind, but later decided to grow out of it.

Argument number two: Chuck was a horrible person. There are a lot of things to say about this, inside and outside of the tv show context. It’s obvious that he abused two girls (Serena and Jenny) trying to rape them both on the pilot, but that was a fucking pilot, he even had a mother and rode the bus, so. I’m not trying to excuse him on this one, but when saying thigs like that, the whole context should be taken into consideration. He was still a pig on season one and on other occasions, but, fortunately, he matured and changed (I know, right? Unbelievable that people can actually change wow). Chuck was a horrible person, but he started to change and mature during season four and five, and it’s clear by the end of this extremely bad written tv show, that he had become a better person (by the way, best character development on the show). People change, grow up and mature (eventually), even if it is for worse, which was Dan’s case.

It’s ridiculous hearing people say Blair was weak around Chuck and that her goals revolved around him solely. Blair was strong and independent since day one, she never bowed herself for men (except when she dated Dan, an OOC moment). Season six was a mess, but don’t get me started on how much Chuck encouraged Blair on everything and I quote “Don't let anyone tell you you're not powerful. You're the most powerful woman I know.”. What a horrible selfish prick.

I wanna start off by talking about myself and my personal experience to justify what I’m about to say. As I mentioned before, I was 11 when I started watching Gossip Girl and I never kissed anyone until I was 18 and that guy ended up being my boyfriend for two and a half years. So, before the end of 2014 I didn’t even know what kissing was, let alone the dynamic of a relationship. Being broken up now for four months after two and a half years with someone, I can base a lot on my personal experience. As soon as I broke up I started rewatching GG for the 17th time and when Dair started happening I actually didn’t think they were as bad as I thought before [being in an actual relationship]. Not once, though, I liked it or thought it was cute, but I understood Blair a little better. If I had a friend like Dan was to Blair, I would probably give him a chance after my relationship ended, because I was fragile and missing having someone there.

The things I’m about to say, therefore, are based on what I saw of Dan and Blair’s relationship and on my personal experience. There are many things about Dair that are delusional and unrealistic (that I will gladly accept responses on) and with Dan himself. Again, first things first. Blair was in a really bad emotional place when she started dating Dan and that was so wrong and unfair to him, because, as you can see later, he fell for her and loved her, but she didn’t, she just needed someone to help her bounce back on her feet and he was there. The relationship started wrong right dair (got it?). Many of the Dair shippers defend that they were equals and that they liked the same stuff and, therefore, were perfect for each other. Well, trust me when I say that having things in common is not enough, especially when you are completely different people. Someone once said that Blair went from being an Audrey Hepburn fan to being a cult movie and art aficionado and I agree. This “common interest” was molded and created so that they would have something to bond over when they became friends, but even if we let the horrible writing aside, I’ll repeat, having things in common is not enough to neither make a relationship work or maintain a “good” relationship, let alone make it perfect. When you have different life perspectives, dreams and values it’s pretty damn hard to put those aside to consider only the points you think are good, and that happened a lot with Dair. Blair didn’t want to go to Rome for multiple reasons, but imagining that she did want to go, don’t you think that she would like to stay on the best hotel, eat at the most exclusive places and shop whenever she had the chance? And it’s clear to me that Dan would not be a fan of those things. As to the being equals part I don’t have to say much, I’ll just take Blair’s words from season six “tasks are for minions and Dan Humphrey”. They were not equals and definitely didn’t see each other as such.

What gets me the most about this relationship is that Dan never truly loved Blair Waldorf. As I mentioned before, Dan said his amount of shitty things to/about Blair, and he thought he was right. Dan built in his mind what he wanted Blair to be, cutting of all of the things he didn’t like and pretending they didn’t exist. He fell in love with Claire, his character from Insider. It was nothing other than an idealistic Blair that he manufactured to be what he wanted, but who in the real world had a lot of the flaws he despised.

Another aspect that is really interesting to me is how can people say that Chuck was horrible and put Dan on a “great guy” pedestal? Did you forget that he manipulated everyone around him? He was Gossip Girl for fucks sake. It was sociopathic the way he maneuvered the scenarios and planted the gossip that was good for him, such as posting that video on Blair’s wedding and posing as the victim, so she would think Chuck had done it and go running back to him for support. I’m not talking exclusively about Blair in here. Dan was creepy and in the end the most disturbing thing about GG’s finale was how easy everyone accepted the fact that he was manipulating information, plotting and using people to get what he wanted. Regardless of Dair, Dan was the worst character in the show, since season one, only getting worse with time.

I could go on and on about both relationships, but I just wanted, on this post, point out the mainly points I saw on those two tags. I am pretty aware of all the flaws Chuck and Blair’s relationship had, but one thing people don’t seem to get is that they were both disturbed and dark, but they matured and changed. They are extremely alike in more ways than one. I hate that people forget how bad Blair is and blame it all on Chuck. As for Dan and Blair, they just didn’t match and the only thing they had in common was their love for movies. The same way all relationships have flaws, theirs did as well, and quite a lot, mostly because of the fact that Dan loved Claire and Blair loved Chuck. She was fragile and lost after losing Chuck and the baby, and then Louis; she needed someone and Dan was there, she used him (unconsciously of course). Dan on the other hand wanted to be Blair’s savior, like he wanted to be for Serena.

One thing I like to make pretty clear: Chair should not be relationship goals. Serena once said, “two wrongs make a twisted right”. Twisted right describes them perfectly, they are dark twisted and troubled, but somehow, they are right for each other. Chuck evolved and matured and so did Blair, but neither are examples of great people. Nor is their relationship an example of healthy. Their evolution, though, is something to take into consideration. The way they wanted to be equals and have their minds set and focused on the relationship is awesome. Their relationship, especially in the end, has great lessons, both good and bad.

We are adults and should be able to spot the differences between fiction and reality, to be able to see what’s wrong on tv and try not to mimic in real life. This serves for all the relationships, not only the ones involving Blair or Gossip Girl.

[imagine-loki]

A Warrior’s Life

TITLE: A Warrior’s Life

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter Twenty-Nine AUTHOR: wolfpawn ORIGINAL IMAGINE:

Imagine Viking Loki coming to your village, raiding, and pillaging, before deciding there is something about you that intrigues him and deciding to take you back to Asgard with him. There, you are forced to learn a new life and language, and though you hate what has happened to you, you learn that Loki is not as bad as you think.

RATING: Mature.

NOTES: For anyone who doesn’t know, a fjord is a is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial erosion, very common in Norway, and we even have one or two here in Ireland, and they tend to be very beautiful.

The journey back to the boats was long and weary. Every warrior was hauling as much as they were capable of carrying of food, goods and bounty and though they had acquired two carts and two animals to pull them, one was designated to carry the wounded and the other was heavily ladened with more foods and goods.

Some of the Aesir had decided to remain behind to aid with the transition from Cathal’s rule and to maintain control of the king’s large homestead and those that had been deemed loyal by Séan were rewarded with new larger areas of land.

Maebh brushed her arm across her sweaty brow with the exertion of carrying her load, relieved that as they were no longer concerning themselves with remaining hidden from view, they made it back to the boats in two days.

Baldr remained very ill and the warriors worried of fever setting in, so they left as soon as the boats were readied. “Are you saddened to be leaving once again?” Loki asked Maebh as she watched Midgard grow smaller into the distance.

“No, I find myself yearning for home, our home.” She replied. “There is nothing for me there now, no reason for me to ever wish to return. Everything I could ever want awaits me in Asgard.” Loki smiled at her response. They looked on as Midgard disappeared from sight completely.

Vanaheim was similar to Midgard in many ways Maebh realised. They had been there almost a month and Baldr was still quite weak. Maebh remained anxious to return home, they had been away from Asgard for too long in her opinion and she was worried for Nafi.

“You are his mother in all but blood; it is natural for you to want to be home with your child. I miss him greatly too and cannot wait to be reunited with him also.” Loki smiled one morning as they lay in bed when she voiced her concern.

“I even find myself missing the cat.” She admitted earning a laugh from Loki, which she quickly joined in.

“My poor Maebh, so homesick she misses the cat we have had but for a few weeks.” He cooed, earning him a slap on the chest for his comment.

“I am also worried it is getting closer and closer to winter. What way will the waters be soon, and we will be perishing cold exposed to the elements in our travels.” She added.

“I share your concerns my dear, but we must await instruction from Baldr and Thor before anything more can be done,” Loki remarked.

“The more time that passes, the more I fear Baldr may not recover. In a month he has yet to sit up unaided I have noted.” Maebh had been set the task of aiding Baldr in eating and in his general care, so as such, she had spent large portions of her day in his company, and had yet to see much if any improvement.

“I have noticed too,” Loki admitted rather sombrely.

“Has word been sent to Asgard that we have not all perished on our journey?” Maebh asked, thinking again of Nafi.

“I never asked Thor, I will be sure to do so when I see him later. I can only presume it has, it seems the only logical thing to have done.” Loki pulled his wife closer to him under the warm pelts that covered them, feeling her bare skin against his own as he began to litter her shoulders and neck with kisses, effectively ending all discussions.

It transpired that though Thor had thought it pertinent to send a small convoy ahead to inform Odin of their delayed return, Baldr had fought against it. As departing from Vanaheim seemed somewhat difficult at the time being, the majority of the warriors voiced their support for sending a smaller number of them home before the rest to inform the king of their circumstances. The smaller of the boats was prepared as well as some of the men, mostly those with young families, along with some goods and before long, they set sail for Asgard.

Thor had suggested that as Maebh had been yearning to return to Asgard so much, she should go with the smaller boat, however, he requested that Loki remain with him as with Baldr incapacitated, he felt he needed his brother by his side. Maebh worried about being on the boat alone with men that were not her husband, so she insisted on remaining by Loki’s side in Vanaheim until his own departure.

A little over two weeks later, Odin sent word back that they were to set sail for Asgard, regardless of Baldr’s health, by the next full moon as it would be too dangerous to sail any later into the winter. In truth, Maebh and Loki were relieved at Odin’s message, as was Thor, but they did not say anything beyond their own personal sighs of relief.

Each day for the remaining time on Vanaheim, Maebh continued to help care for Baldr. As the time drew close for the next full moon, she knew he was nowhere near capable of making the journey. She listened in silence as Thor and Loki discussed what to do with their leader one evening in the home they were sharing for their time in Vanaheim. Baldr had stated that he wanted to try and make the journey, but the brothers were convinced it would mean his end.

“Why do you think Thor is relying on me so much here?” Loki asked his wife as he lifted the pelts on top of their bed a week before they were due to depart.

“Because he trusts you more than any other, because he knows you are not interested in trying to weasel your way into his good graces for the reason Odin will crown him king soon enough, and because he knows you will say what you believe to be right, even if it is not what he wants to hear.” She replied as she got into the bed.

“Why have you taken to being clothed in bed?” Loki asked, his answer came as he watched Maebh huddle under as many pelts as possible.

“It is beyond cold here. I feel as though we sleep in Jotenheim.” She responded, her teeth chattering as she waited for the pelts to warm around her.

Loki pulled her close to him to help her warm up. “I do not think it too cold.”

“Well, you are more used to such temperatures. I am not.”

“It did not seem to bother you too greatly on Asgard.”

“That dwelling is far better built, it retains the heat better, also I spent last winter on a bed of pelts and straw in your son's room, so you do not know how I reacted at night to the cold.” She retorted, shifting slightly to get more comfortable before starting to doze.

“You seem more tired also of late,” Loki noted.

“I have had a lot of nightmares recently. I find myself waking many times at night.” She admitted.

Loki looked at his wife in concern. “I had not noticed, what keeps you awake my love?” he asked kindly.

“Aodhán, face down in the mud, his dead eyes staring into the distance. Daire, dragging himself along the ground to try and aid Síofra when he himself was dying. And Síofra, in agony as that, that…” Loki held Maebh as she began to sob. He quickly realised that bar the time he found her in the cottage and the one or two occasions she had stared sadly at the little crosses in the herb area she had made for the loss of her family, she had never really mourned them. She had concentrated on anything else but them, and now she had little else to think of, she was forced to face her loss.

“There is nothing I can say or do that would bring them back to you, and it pains me greatly to say it. I truly wish there were sill here with you, my love. I really do.” He caressed her hair soothingly as she attempted to calm herself.

“I miss them so much.” She sobbed quietly.

“I can only imagine. I am so sorry my dear.” He soothed.

That night, Maebh cried herself to sleep, by the time slumber had taken over her, she had exhausted herself into barely being able to whimper. For his part, Loki remained awake and tended to her.

Baldr continued to argue that he was fit enough to attempt to travel, but Thor refused to listen, instead insisting that he remain in Vanaheim for the winter which would allow him enough time to recover and he would be in full health hopefully once more by spring. Maebh remained doubtful that that would be the case, but she said nothing.

Finally, the day to leave arrived, and Maebh tended to the wounded man for the final time as she watched the boat being loaded.

“I have to admit, I was wrong about you.” Baldr acknowledged as Maebh aided him to sit up in the bed.

“I like how you waited until there were no others around to hear you admit to that so I have no witnesses.” She retorted jestfully, laying the plate of food on his lap.

“I wish to apologise for my harsh words to you in Midgard, but I cannot apologise for my mistrust.”

“You had the safety of many men on your shoulders, two of which are the sons of the king, and one the crowned prince, I understand completely and I accept your apology for the words.” She smiled kindly, filling his goblet as he finished his meal in silence.

Before she had even a chance to take the plate away when he was done, Thor and Loki entered the room. “Maebh, the boat is leaving as soon as we are finished speaking with Baldr here, prepare yourself,” Thor informed her. Maebh wished Baldr a swift recovery before leaving to get the last of her belongings on board.

The weather told her what was to come as she grabbed another pelt. The air was cool, though the sun shone brightly, it would be a cold voyage. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to settle her nervousness. Her stomach churned and she knew as soon as she would be rocked by the motion of the waves, she would be ill. She groaned at the prospect of days of travel on the ocean with such an ailment.

She had made her way to the dock before Thor and Loki and prepared for their departure. Maebh watched as the brothers walked to the boat, both of whom had sombre faces. She watched as Loki sat next to her and Thor took charge, barking orders that were obeyed immediately.

As Maebh had expected, it was not long before she was feeling physically ill. Luckily the wind was with them so she did not have to row, but that did not even enter her mind as she attempted to prevent herself from being violently ill over the side of the boat.

“I have to say,” Fandral commented after the fourth day of her being unwell. “You are an outstanding warrior, but a horrific sailor.” Maebh was so ill she could not even muster a proper glare back at him.

Loki simply tried to occupy her thoughts. “You are right you know. “ She looked at him to get him to expand further as to what he was talking about. “About Baldr, I do not think he will make it to spring.”

“I think he knows it too. He attempted to apologise to me before we left.”

“Then he knows it.” Loki acknowledged. “Why then try to insist on coming to Asgard anyway, though?”

“I assume it is because he does not want to die alone in a foreign land, I cannot think of any who would want such a thing. I am sure he thought it better to try and get to Asgard to die, or at least on the boat, he would be surrounded by his men.” Maebh guessed. Loki agreed with her thoughts, then grimaced as she threw herself to the side of the vessel to be ill once more.

The seagulls that flew above them in the sky were the most welcome of sights to Maebh on the ninth morning as she shuddered with the cold. Her stomach was aching with hunger and the tenderness of her constantly being ill. She swore if she ever set foot in a boat again it would be too soon for her liking.

“We are near home.” Hogun sighed in relief as he too noticed the birds flying above their heads. General cheering erupted from all aboard as they finally came into view of Asgard.

“I cannot wait for the evening.” Smiled Fandral. “Good food, even better company.”

“Is there not some sort of alarm that needs to be sounded to warn the poor women of the realm that he has returned?” Maebh asked Loki, who immediately erupted with laughter along with one or two others close enough to hear her.

“It is all well and good for you Loki Odinson. Not all of us have had a woman of our own to keep us warm on cold nights.” Rollo argued, not having heard what Maebh had said, therefore not knowing what was the true reason for Loki’s laughter.

“The brothels of Vanaheim saw much of you Rollo in our time there, so I am sure the few days on a boat since has not traumatised you too greatly,” Thor commented. He looked to Maebh who knew exactly what he was silently asking. He wished to know would he finally know the reasons for Sif’s indifference. Maebh had to fight hard to keep the grin from her face. She was not swift enough and Thor saw it, only baffling him more.

The familiar sights of particular villages told them how close they were to their destination, the further up between the fjords they went, the more the general hum of excitement and relief flooded them.

Finally, they arrived at the village and alighted onto the dock. As Maebh disembarked from the boat, she could not hide the sigh of relief at being back on hard, dry ground.