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icollectyoursins · 3 years

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Jotaro Relationship Head Canons SFW

Because I’m a self indulgent little shit and just love to ignore all of the work I have to do, have some Jotaro head canons. I am but a humble simp, and love this man. So much.

Update as of writing this. Somehow, it got very angsty, so... yeah. Sad man vibes. Also rambly. I just kinda kept going.

Wanna know what I’m willing to write? Rules here!

Have a character, but no idea? Prompt list here!

Looking for more? Master post here!

WARNINGS: None, just angst, but nothing too serious.

Word Count: 2,985

Jotaro’s type is... I mean, it depends, like most people. I don’t think he’s super picky over appearances or things like that, it’s more whether or not he gets along with you and how long he can put up with you. He’s polite (well, as polite as he can be) and courteous, but probably a little more apathetic when you’ve first met. Once you’ve been around for a while he’s more relaxed and almost a little more critical. Mostly because you’re his friend now and he expects more from his friends.

While I was writing this I sort of realized that he could be aromantic. Maybe it’s just my own aro tendencies coming through, but I thought it sort of lined up with his personality. Or at least from my experience with romantic attraction.

Eventually, though, he’ll admit he cares about you a little more than he cares about others. It comes through in little almost compliments. “You did good. Keep it up” or “good job, dealing with this” are common phrases that sound nice on the surface, but it almost feels like he’s trying to pressure you to do more, which is far from the truth.

If it’s not awkward compliments like that, it’s awkward gifts. Always something you had briefly mentioned wanting or stared at a minute longer than you usually do, wrapped in a paper that’s your favourite colour or pattern. Sometimes, though, it’s something you’ve never mentioned that he somehow guessed would be something you wanted.

At the same time, though, he’s oblivious or at least acts like he is. There may be times when he goes home after you said something exceptionally sweet to him or that just means so much and he’ll just take a moment sitting at his desk to mull over what you said.

With a grunt, Jotaro rolled back into the armchair with a cup of tea in one hand and today’s newspaper in the other, since he didn’t get to read it this morning. It’s late with the sun almost completely set, giving his room an orange hue. He tries reading the first column, something about a cat being saved from a sewer grate, but after about a minute, he catches himself drifting away, sort of staring blankly at the paper.

He blinks hard, taking a long sip from his coffee. He must be tired. Another attempt is made at reading, this time the comics. They’re not his favourite thing, but short enough that he can focus on them. Or so he thought.

He zones out again, face suddenly feeling very hot.

He was thinking about you. Or, rather what you said.

It was something so simple, so mundane.

You had been talking about family together, exchanging drama, if you will, and he had brought up how his father had left his mother when he was very young. It didn’t bother him, he had said, after all, it was years ago and if he was being honest, he didn’t really need a father. Then, you gave him this look. It wasn’t pity or something like that. You put your hand on his knee, staring deep into his eyes.

“Jotaro,” you said, voice soft and sweet. You struggled to say the next words, opening your mouth, sighing, then finally: “I’m not leaving you.”

“Why would you be leaving?” He said, confused, taking it literally. Or, he pretended to be confused. It had made his heart warm with affection.

What Jotaro hadn’t noticed at that moment was that his eyes seemed to gloss over with wet tears while talking about his father. He wasn’t over it, you understood that. How could he be? He was so young then, he probably didn’t understand what was happening or why and now that he’s a father himself, there had to be so much guilt about being the same way. It was only now that he was realizing how much you had an effect on him.

It didn’t make him sad, by any means but... loved. He’ll say thank you tomorrow with a gift or some flowers. He hadn’t planned on meeting you for the rest of the week because he was busy, but work could wait, right? Yeah. Tomorrow.

God, it would take so long for him to get you to move in together. He’s so used to living on his own that I think he’s a little self-conscious about it. He’s not a slob by any means, but certainly a bachelor. I mean, he lived (assumedly) on his own from probably around or earlier than DiU right up until Stone Free, so it’s been a while and he’s certainly comfortable with his mess of clothes lying on the floor in the corner, but you won’t be. He cleans up before people come over, obviously, but how many times did he actually invite someone in?

When you start staying around more, he starts cleaning more, which makes him a little frustrated both coming to terms with liking someone enough that he’s actively cleaning for them once a week and also discovering that he’s a lot more gross than he thought. You would not believe how stained the counter was from coffee or how gross the filter was on the coffee maker. He takes his coffee very seriously. You begin to notice how clean everything is, well, how consistently clean everything is and it even starts to smell nicer, more floral and fresh. He bought a lavender air freshener. “It’s supposed to be calming,” he’ll say with a hint of annoyance. It’s not a bad smell to him, better than vanilla air fresheners, but it does give him a headache when he first sprays his place. You seem to like it though, so he’s willing to put up with it.

I honestly believe this man can cook, but nervous when cooking for other people. His food when he was a bachelor was good enough for him and I’m sure Holly would have shown him a lot too, but it’s not the best food. He definitely steps up his game when you’re over and even more so when you move in. He’s better with dishes that have pasta or noodles because it’s easy, but he’s not too bad behind the grill either.

When you guys finally live together, he tries to keep the cooking even, with you cooking some days and him doing the rest, but I honestly feel like unless you are a hazard in the kitchen, you would do most of it.

Jotaro would be like that with most things around the house partly because he doesn’t want you to do all the work if you don’t want to but he enjoys having a little more time to himself to either do work or... yeah, it’s just work. There are a few things that he’ll never make you do because it’s either too hard or he’s built up a routine of doing that thing a certain way and he’s convinced no one else will do it right. Like his laundry. He won’t let anyone else clean his clothes. He tried once and nothing dried right, he swears that his jacket is still damp to this day. You can fold his stuff or hang it up, but he’s running the washing machine and dryer. Also picky about how his office is cleaned.

If you asked and gave a legitimate reason for not doing a certain chore, he’ll do it, but be prepared with an excuse as to why you can’t wash the dishes or fold the laundry. He’s especially resistant if he’s working whether that be gathering information for the Speedwagon Foundation or editing his latest Marine Biology book.

Actually, can we just talk about how much this man hates folding laundry? It’s so pointless to him. Why fold it and put it into neat little piles when you’re just gonna rummage through the drawer and mess everything up? Sure, it looks nice, I guess, but not for long. He was for sure a floordrobe kind of guy, especially in his early years. He knows which ones are clean, it’s fine, just leave it. Of course, he would get better the longer you’re at his place, but still. It’s not that he’s lazy, he’s just busy and putting clothes away takes way too fucking long. (which, honestly, agreed.)

Date nights with Jotaro are... rare. I mean, you live with him, why would he want to go out and pay for something when he could do the same thing at home? They’re nice, of course, but it’s more common for him to take you out to dinner while you guys are on vacation or in a location other than home, because he doesn’t feel like cooking and it’s more special when you’re supposed to go out. Eventually, it clicks in that you are supposed to make each other feel special and will surprise you with an expensive dinner or a short cruise. If you suggest the aquarium he’ll think you’re just saying that because he’s into aquatic wildlife, but honestly doesn’t put up much of a fight and will answer any questions you or anyone else has about the fish.

He does enjoy a good relaxing movie (or documentary) night at home, though. It’s so nice to finally be finished work, settle into your super comfy couch and just chill until he gets tired. Even better when you’re lying on top of him with your head just under his chin. There’s something so soothing about smelling your perfume, shampoo, conditioner, cologne, etc. To just smell you so close to him and feel your weight. Aaah. So nice.

The microwave beeps faintly from the kitchen signalling that popcorn was done. You trailed out soon after, tossing the bowl to mix around the butter. You smile sweetly at him, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on Jotaro’s lips before settling into his lap, nestling your head just under his while stretching out your legs. His arm instinctively moves from the back of the couch to drape over your back, rubbing circles into it with his thumb.

He sighs; relaxed, finally. He allows himself to kiss your forehead, closing his eyes for a moment, just basking in your comfort. When he opens his eyes, he pulls you closer to him, feeling your heart beat almost in time with his. It was moments like these that eased his panic of losing you. You were here in his arms, safe and sound and vice versa. He was safe in yours.

Yeah, he’s a little angsty. But, can you blame him? He’s getting better, though. With help, of course. With you being around so often (and being very adamant that you’re not going anywhere) he’s able to let go a little. He’s not perfect, by a long shot and progress is slow, but it’s the little things like these that makes you proud of how far he’s come.

PDA is common, but a little restricted. When you’re out together, Jotaro’ll always have his hand on your back or shoulder. Hand-holding isn’t really a thing for him, but he will make sure you know he’s there. He’ll kiss you in public, but it’s not nearly as intimate or special as when you’re at home. Still, it’s a sweet reminder that he loves you, seeing as words of affection aren’t really his thing.

I mean, he can express himself just fine, but he still gets a little nervous saying things like ‘I love you.’ It’s more along the lines of ‘I care about you.’ Or, well. “of course, I care about you. You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” Which... thanks. I think.

Kissing him is so nice, so you’re not too mad about him doing that instead of words. When Jotaro kisses you it’s full of a mix of emotions. Mostly caring, but on his rough days, there’s something else there. It could be worry or whatever the emotional equivalent of never letting you go is. You can always tell that he wants it to last a little bit longer. There’s something in the sad look in his eyes when he or you has to pull away. Sometimes he’s overly gentle like he’ll break you somehow, especially if you’re not a stand user or fighting-inclined (whether physical or otherwise). It’s not patronizing, or at least he tries not to be patronizing, he just prefers you safe.

It started out simple enough. You and Jotaro were just sitting at the table, eating dinner when he got this... sinking sort of feeling. There was something in the silence between you that just sent his mind spiralling. Thoughts of you someday dying too soon for whatever reason or leaving him because he’s not there enough, stand users, car crashes, divorce. They all started to flood into his mind, fabricating that you would somehow be taken away from him.

“Jotaro? Are you okay?” Your voice rings through; a bright light breaking the storm. He’s been staring at his plate for a while now, his eyes are dry and itchy. He looks at you and tries to say something, but the words don’t come. Is he okay?

You stand up and walk over to him, cupping his face gently. You rub the dark circles under his eyes while kissing his forehead. Jotaro slowly wraps his arms around you, letting his face fall into your hands. You’re pulled into his lap after a few minutes, running your fingers through his hair next. Finally, he sighs, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“Thank you,” he mumbles and though you’re not quite sure why, you still say a quiet you’re welcome, silently soothing him through whatever happened.

If you couldn’t tell, he needs a lot of reassurance. Not so much words, but actions like the snippet above. I mean, he can be as strong as he wants but we all know he’s got some baggage and while he’s able to put it aside, for the most part, I think when you’re at home he’s just a little more vulnerable.

Now, onto happier things! If you like coffee or tea, he will always make you a cup in the morning. Jotaro is a very early riser except on the weekends, so he usually gets that done while reading or watching the news and when you come down, he’ll ask if you want breakfast then make it for you seeing as he’s more awake.

He loves coffee. So much. He might have a caffeine addiction, honestly. At all times of every day, you can see him with a black coffee in hand and a book or phone in the other. He will switch to decaf at some point, but you might have to switch it for him. He’s forgetful when he gets busy.

Sleeping in on the weekends is like heaven for him. The two nights (or more on holidays) that he gets a full nights rest, breakfast in bed and a warm soul to cuddle into. He’s usually big spoon with a hand just resting on your side, but please, for the love of god make him the little spoon once a week. Will never admit it or vocalize wanting it. He just grabs your hand and drapes it over him with a “good night” and then promptly passes out.

He’s a heavy sleeper but doesn’t sleep often. Once he’s out, there is nothing that could wake him up except the fire alarm or something like that. It just takes a while. Not because of trauma, but more just internal clock is delayed.

Not a bath guy, strictly showers ‘cause they’re quicker. Most of the time he’s in and out before you can invite him into yours. When you do he’s “reluctant” but showers with you are a favourite of his. He gets his hair washed for him (if he bends down), he can wash you. It’s great.

I don’t think he would want more kids. He’s getting older, busier and just doesn’t think he has the time to care for a baby, even with help. Plus, if they were anything like Joylne or god forbid him when he was younger, he might start greying sooner than he thought. Joylne is a great kid, but... she’s definitely got some of his defiance in him. One kid is fine.

He doesn’t really like pets either, hates when there’s fur on all the furniture. But, if you came home with a stray cat or two, he’s not gonna put up a fight if you say they’re not going to the pound. “Just as long as you take care of them yourself.”

You got him a betta fish once because Jotaro. Fish. Makes sense. He thought it was a little pointless at first. You can’t pet them or play fetch (not like he does those things anyway). All a fish does is sit there and look pretty. You were a little disappointed, but whatever, you’ll take care of it. Then he comes home one day with a 30-gallon tank, freshwater plants and fancy lighting to help them grow which he quietly sets up in the living room. He spent at least a half-hour deciding on where to put it.

A week later, after he’s pleased with how it looks and the tank has been cycled he puts in an order for more fish then lets your betta acclimate to the tank. “There, he’ll be happier in here. The idea of bettas not enjoying or panicking in larger tanks is a myth. He won’t be alone for long anyway. He also won’t kill everything in the tank.” Well, he hopes he won’t, each fish is different. Thankfully, the small school of tetras get along with your betta just fine. From then on, he’s in there once a week, cleaning everything, trimming the overgrowth. It is officially his tank.

#Jotaro is probably my biggest comfort character and the first one I really fell in love with out of jojo so this had to be done at some poin #jotaro kujo #kujo jotaro #jotaro kujo x reader #jotaro x reader #jotaro headcanons #sfw prompts

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flamehairedwritings · 3 years

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Happiest Season Of All

Characters: Chief Jim Hopper x Female Reader

Rating: M, 18+ ONLY

A/N: Happy Holidays! Phew, it’s been a while. Here is a kind of drabble, and also kind of a sequel to Pain In My Heart? Set the year before S1, there’s no mentions of family, no use of Y/N, and it’s just a gentle, kind of angsty little story.

This story contains broken hearts, swearing, alcohol and embarrassment.

I hope you enjoy and have a lovely week!

Summary: Broken up with just before Christmas? Fantastic. The only thing that can help is returning to your home town, old friends... and an old love.

Masterlist

Please don’t copy, steal or repost my work; credit does not count.

—

23rd December 1982

‘... There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and carolling out in the snow...’

You quietly hum along absent-mindedly to the cassette someone’s playing from a boombox, gazing out of the window. Usually, you’d have been annoyed but, hey, it’s the holidays.

Besides, you haven’t had much of a chance to get into the festive spirit or mood recently. With the classic Christmas song playing, the train rumbling gently and the twinkling lights in the darkness slowly growing brighter, you’re finally starting to feel it. Inhaling a breath, you lean your temple against the cold glass, your fingers lacing together in your lap as you gaze at the lights.

Hawkins, Indiana. Your hometown.

It’s been a few years since you were here for longer than a weekend but, oh, boy, this year you just need to be here. You’re retreating, you’re not too proud to admit, coming home to lick your wounds and be surrounded by all things familiar, cosy and boring.

You almost laugh. You’d left this place because it was so damn boring and now here you are, craving it. If teenage you could see you now. She’d be giving ‘that’ look which you’re told you still give to this day.

Ah, well. Time’s a bitch, baby.

The train slows as it pulls into the station and you start to gather your things while a few others around you stand and pull their bags down from the overhead racks. You pull your suitcases down as the train comes to a stop, all three of them, with their different colours and patterns. Pulling on your scarf, coat and rucksack, you haul the suitcases down the aisle as best as you can single-file, muttering under your breath as they catch every few steps against chairs.

The wheels clatter onto the concrete of the cold platform when you step down, one suitcase twisting onto its front and tangling with the others as it nearly falls from your hand. Muttering under your breath again, you right it and continue walking down the platform, two small groups of people reuniting having to part for you. Making eye contact with a grateful smile, you’re relieved you don’t recognise any of them; you’re really not in the mood for your own reunion right now.

“There she is!”

Well, just the one.

A smile spreads across your face as Karen Wheeler trots down the platform in her heeled boots, grinning and her arms open wide. The suitcases drop from your hands as you throw your arms around one another, rocking from side to side slightly.

“Oooh, hello, sweetheart,” Karen murmurs, pressing a big, wet kiss to your cheek.

“Hey, Karrie.”

Your smile lingers, and it’s the first genuine one you’ve had in a while. Karen has worn the same perfume since high school and it puts you at ease instantly. God, you just love her. You talk on the phone every other week and have done since you moved out of Hawkins; she’s been the most consistent friend in your life and you love her with all your damn heart.

“C’mon, give me those, let’s get out of here, it’s freezing...” Pulling back, she takes two of the suitcases from you before you can protest and starts striding down the platform.

You have to do a quick little jog to catch up with her, marvelling, not for the first or even fortieth time, how she can go so quickly in those heels. It’s a short walk to the exit, made shorter by Karen’s pace, and she’s parked right outside. Wonderful. Opening the trunk, you both bundle your suitcases in, tossing your rucksack on top of it, and then do a speedy little walk to the doors, yanking them open.

“Oof, coldest winter we’ve had in years,” Karen shivers dramatically in her seat as she rubs her gloved hands together before buckling her seatbelt.

Buckling your own as she eases out onto the road, you blow out a breath. “Yeah, definitely feels that way.”

“So, how was the journey?”

“Oh, the usual, long but fine. It was a lot emptier than I expected.”

“Well, we keep hearing there’s gonna be a blizzard, so some folks have come home a little earlier.”

“Well, that’s smart.”

“Yeah. Means I keep bumping into people at the store that I wish I could avoid, though, and on the street.” She snorts as she glances at you. “Ugh, I bumped into Peggy Dawnes the other day, remember her? She would not stop talking about her perfect life on her perfect farm with her perfect husband and her perfect kids and her perfect lawn. Well, there were ten bottles of wine in her cart and I know for a fact her mother doesn’t drink and her perfect husband only likes neat whisky, so, there.”

“Oh.”

You cringe internally at your short reply, but you really can’t think of what else to say. Karen glances at you again, pausing. You look over at her and find the sympathy you’ve only been able to hear during the last few weeks. She reaches over and pats your knee gently before returning her hand to the wheel.

“Oh, sweetheart... How are you doing?”

You release a breath, raising your eyebrows slightly. “Better for being here, already. But, y’know...”

She gives you a sympathetic smile as she pats your knee again. “Don’t worry, toots, like I said you can stay as long as you want, it’s no trouble at all.”

You return her smile, relieved that you find you don’t have to force it. “Thank you.”

“No worries.” Her smile widens as she tilts her head. "The kids are looking forward to having you with us, you know how much they love you. It’ll do us all some good.”

You don’t ask about Ted because you know not to.

“I can’t wait to see them, too. How have they been?”

You gaze out of the windshield as she tells you how Nancy and Mike are doing at school and how many words Holly can say now, your eyes flitting from house to house. Decorations are out in full force, as they should be, they’ve probably been up since the 1st of the month, and it makes you smile to see them, remembering how you and Karen would go from house to house when you were younger and rate them out of 10 candy canes.

Ah, the simple life.

She’s still chatting about Mike and his friends when she turns down onto their long drive. It’s lined with various Christmas lawn ornaments, most lit up. Lights line the inside of some of the many windows of the house, too, making it look gorgeous and cosy and warm. A curtain is yanked back suddenly and Mike’s face appears, grinning. He waves frantically and you smile instantly, waving back with your eyebrows raised.

My favourite, funny little kid.

He’s already at the wide open door when Karen parks, still grinning. Unbuckling your seatbelt, you open the door and step out only to have him nearly slam into you before you can straighten, hugging you tightly.

“You’re here!”

You laugh, wrapping your arms around him just as fiercely. “Hey, buddy. You okay?”

“Yeah. C’mon, I wanna show you this book I got...” He’s already out of your arms and waving you towards the door, which Karen is muttering about the heat being let out of.

Chuckling to yourself, you help her with your suitcases and rucksack, feeling vastly different to how you did ten minutes ago; they never fail to raise your spirits. Nancy greets you as you enter, smiling widely and also ready for a hug. You give it gladly and just as fiercely as you had with Mike, asking her how she is. She shrugs and just says “Fine,” with a smile as you remove your shoes and coat, and you marvel at how she’d once been as talkative as Mike when she was younger. You hear the boy himself calling from the basement, telling you he can’t currently find the book but it’s around here someone and you’re gonna love it! You follow Karen up the stairs to the guest room with a wide smile, calling back your thanks to him.

Passing walls lined with family photographs, it’s a short walk down the hall to the room you’ll be staying in for... well, who knows. Karen opens the door with a trilled, “Ta-da!” and you laugh as you take in the sight before you. It’s completely decked out in Christmas decorations; tinsel on every bit of furniture, snow-globes on the window sill, a polar bear stuffed toy on the bed, fairy-lights around the headboard. You’d roll your eyes at the excessiveness of it if it wasn’t so damn sweet.

“Wow, it’s like Santa’s Grotto in here...”

“Eh, close enough, I wanted fake snow on the ground but Ted vetoed that idea pretty quick.”

You snort, hauling the suitcase you’re carrying onto the bench at the end of the bed and dropping your rucksack onto it before sitting on the bed, your fingers running over the blanket Karen’s mother had crocheted. Nancy lingers in the doorway, and after leaning your other suitcases against a chest of drawers, Karen turns to her, making a shooing gesture.

“All right, go on, Nance, us hot young things need to get ready.”

“Ugh, Mom...” Nancy just about manages to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she turns away and heads back down the hall while you stare at Karen.

“Uh... Ready for what? Bed?”

“No,” Karen laughs, and you suddenly notice she’s going through your suitcase on the bench, rifling through and pulling various items out. “We’re going out, to the bar.”

“The bar?”

“Yes, the bar.”

You’re still staring at her. “Where everyone we know goes?”

Karen shrugs, looking at you like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Yeah, ‘cause it’s still the only good bar in Hawkins.”

“I thought you wanted to avoid everyone.”

“Eh, yeah, but... y’know, only good bar in Hawkins. And...” Oh, no, she’s looking sheepish, her head bowing slightly as she glances from you to some of your clothes she’s pulled out. “... Uh, we’re kinda having a party here tomorrow, anyway, so...”

“What?”

Her eyebrows shoot up, her hands raising. “It just kinda happened. It’s been years since we’ve had one and Ted and I were talking about it and then I saw Mary-Lou at Mike’s school and I just happened to mention it and she got so excited and then I got excited and it just, it suddenly happened.”

Your lips press together as you exhale a short breath. “Well, they were fun...”

“Yeah, they were, weren’t they?” Karen sits beside you with a nostalgic sigh, shaking her head. “We had some of the best times of our lives at ‘em.”

“Yeah... I remember the one after you gave birth to Nancy, I thought I was gonna have to take you to the hospital.”

“Ha! Thank God my Mom came over to look after her. What about the one where you set fire to the tree?”

“Oh, please don’t remind me, and that wasn’t actually my fault, you know,”

“Ha, yeah, sure, that was great...”

You both sigh together, a smile finding its way onto your lips at all the memories that come flooding back. They had been fun. You hadn’t been able to attend every one over the years but the ones you had had been so great they’d almost made you want to stay in Hawkins. Maybe... Maybe a return to a beloved tradition is exactly what you need.

Turning your head to her, you arch an eyebrow. “You didn’t think to tell me it was happening, though?”

Karen shrugs as she smiles. “I didn’t want you to talk yourself out of enjoying it before it had even happened. Same as tonight.”

“Oh, Karrie...” You huff out a breath. “... You know me too well, it’s so annoying. Ugh, I was so looking forward to just curling up on the couch, drinking and watching some of the classics.”

“I know.” She pats your knee, nudging her shoulder against yours. “And we’re gonna do that the day after Christmas, and every day that you want to while you’re here. But tonight, we’re gonna get fancy and go out and get a little bit drunk. It’s Christmas, c’moooon.”

You just can’t help but smile. “All right. All right! Fine. How long have I got?”

“An hour.”

“What—”

She’s already on her feet, pointing at you as she heads to the door. “Take a shower while I cook us and the kids something up, and then we’ll get ready. okay?”

You know you have absolutely no choice in the matter. “Okay, fine.”

“Great!” she beams, reaching for the door handle to close it behind herself. She pauses, though, resting her weight on one foot as she clears her throat. “Oh, and uh... he’s probably gonna be there.”

You don’t have to ask who she’s referring to.

Staring at her, you manage to keep your features expressionless. “Oh. Really?”

“Yeah.” She’s watching you carefully, teeth grazing over her lower lip. “He is nearly every night, apparently, according to Marian.”

Raising your eyebrows slightly, you smile. “Well... maybe he won’t be.”

“Yeah, maybe he won’t be...” She’s still watching you, a gentle smile pulling at her lips. “Shower, toots.”

“Okay, okay...” You wave your hand as she pulls the door closed, hearing her move down the hallway.

The moment you hear her heading down the stairs, you release a long breath, lying back on the bed.

Oh, shit...

Well.

You stare at the ceiling as the realisation suddenly dawns on you.

I might see Jim Hopper tonight.

James Hopper. Jim. Hopper. Hop. Chief, also now, not that you’ve ever been around to call him that.

You’d been friends since you were kids, best friends actually, at one point closer than you and Karen had been, and then feelings had developed when you'd become teenagers and then you’d taken the leap and had started dating and then...

You’d broken up.

And you’d been the one to initiate it.

And you’d done that because, well... It was because of a lot of little things. Mainly, though, you hadn’t known what route you wanted to take, college or work, you hadn’t even known what you wanted to do, but you knew you wanted to get out of Hawkins. And Hop... hadn’t known what the hell he wanted to do either, but he hadn’t even thought about it. He’d spoken once or twice about joining the military, or just starting a job, too. College hadn’t even crossed his mind. The conversation had come up and, well, it hadn’t ended well.

In fact, when it ended, that has been the last time you’ve spoken to him. As you’ve returned home over the years you’ve heard he did join the military, fought in Vietnam, came home, married, and lived in New York the same time you had. You’d been heartbroken to hear from Karen that his daughter had died, and he’d divorced and moved back home.

Now, he’s Chief of Hawkins Police and, well, you’d love to avoid seeing him at all costs. There can come a time when, having not seen someone in decades, you can’t even have a casual conversation because all both parties are doing is screaming in their heads.

Well. Like you’d said yourself. He might not be there.

Hey, as Chief of Police this is probably a very busy time of year and he’ll be off doing something.

It’s gonna be fine.

Absolutely fine.

After showering, you throw on some clean, comfy clothes and head downstairs to eat with Karen and the kids.

Holly sits at the table in her highchair, silent as ever, well, being two years old she only knows a handful of words, but she just stares at you as she has done since she was a baby. Mike talks non-stop about school and his friends while Nancy chimes in every now and then to talk about her own friends, saying names of people in her class that you take a moment or two to remember, and to mutter insults at him while he mutters them back.

Karen half-heartedly tells them to stop in between telling you what she might wear, and you somehow manage to keep up with all conversations. Frankly, it’s also quite nice after being surrounded by mostly silence for the last few weeks.

Whipping your plate away from you seconds after you finish, Karen is up and striding to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder.

“C’mon! Let’s get sexy!”

Your lips twitch as Mike and Nancy groan, the only thing they can agree on right now being that their Mom is a complete and utter embarrassment.

She practically shoves you up the stairs, trying to get you to move faster, and from then on the next 30 minutes feels like a whirlwind. She tries on six outfits before settling on her usual favourite, and changes in your room while you rifle through what you’ve brought. Luckily, even though you can’t really remember packing, you’ve brought some of your own favourites, and, after scrambling to find some shoes to go with them, she helps you decide on an old classic.

Gazing at you, her hands on her hips, she beams with delight.

“Well, look at you, huh! Fancy lady!”

You give a twirl as she whoops, and then her arm is looping through yours and she’s practically dragging you towards the door.

“Bye, guys, we’ll be back late!” she calls out, though no one answers, too busy doing their own thing.

You haven’t seen any sign of Ted and, once again, you know not to ask.

“Late? How late is late?” you ask with an arched eyebrow as she hurries you down the stairs.

“Oh, come on, not that late, we’re not gonna get wasted, we’re not teenagers anymore.”

—

“... God, I hate it...”

The stall door slams against the cubicle wall as you pull it open a little more forcefully than you had intended. Holding it for a moment, you exhale a short breath before moving towards the sinks, only swaying a little. Washing your hands, you glance up at Karen, watching her try to reapply her lipstick as neatly as possible.

“And did you hear Julian is engaged? And Andrea has a new boyfriend? Is it me or is everybody getting into a relationship?”

She snorts, rubbing her lips together. “It’s that time of year, folks hate being lonely at Christmas.”

You scoff, turning the tap off and drying your hands. “Just sleep with people, then, doesn’t mean you have to get into a relationship and hog someone all to yourself.”

She laughs, slipping her lipstick back into her bag before turning to you, a hand on her hip. “Oh, babe... C’mon, let’s find you someone to have meaningless sex with it.”

“Okay.”

The bar has been heaving from the moment you’d arrived. It usually is, but tonight the place is rammed, perhaps because of the time of year, but maybe more because, it turns out, there’s an offer on drinks, it being the holiday season and all, and happy hour has lasted more than one hour. More than two. It’s nearing three now.

Each sip has helped you relax, even as Karen gasps and points out old high school classmates, filling you in on every detail of their lives she’s learned. So far, incredibly gladly, she’s not pointed out a certain Chief.

Returning to your table, which a guy you don’t recognise has been guarding for you, as in literally guarding, he has his hands behind his back and is saying, “Nah, move along, this ain’t free...” to anyone who looks like they’re going to swoop in. At spotting you both, he grins and holds his arms out wide, gesturing at the table.

“All free for you, m’ladies.”

You’re unable to stop a smile because there’s something so weirdly charming about this absolute goofball of a man. He takes a seat beside Karen as you sit, the two of them having been exchanging small talk that verged on flirting. Heck, it was flirting. Sipping from your drink as you watch them, you feel a small, familiar twist in your stomach.

Karen is more like her teenage self when she’s with you, but when you see her with Ted, no longer Teddy as he had been in high school, and the kids, she’s Karen the mom, like she’s caged her personality in and doesn’t quite know how to bring the two parts of herself together. When she’d come to visit you once last year, you’d gone out to a bar and you’d watched her flirt with a couple of the men there. You’d thought it was harmless at first, just a bit of fun for her, she’s a charismatic lady, but then something had changed and, as a guy had held her hand, stroking it, and she hadn’t pulled away, you’d felt a twist in your stomach.

She’s gonna have an affair one day.

The thought had come to you so suddenly and so sharply that you’d shoved it away with all your might, horrified with yourself. No, Karen wouldn’t do that... Would she? Since then, you’d become more and more unsure. You’ve stopped asking about Ted when you talk because she’d just sigh heavily and spend the next ten minutes pointing out every flaw he has, how the romance has gone, how she’s tried and nothing happens. You know she’s unhappy, but you just can’t see her doing it. You hope not, anyway.

Looking away from them, you watch a few people dancing, Christmas music flowing out of the speakers above.

Karen laughs at something the guy says, and in the corner of your eye you see her place a hand on his arm.

“Oh, that’s too funny! You’re really funny... Sorry, what’s your name again?”

The man is unfazed, still grinning. “Callahan. Phil Callahan.”

He says it with such an atrocious Sean Connery accent, making Karen burst out laughing again, and it makes you smile, too.

“Oh, big James Bond fan, huh?” she says, her elbow on the table, chin in her hand.

“Oh, yeah, it’s why I became a cop.”

Your gaze darts to him. “You’re a cop?”

He raises his hands as he laughs. “Yeah, but, hey, you go on and drink as much as you want, I’m off duty now.”

Karen laughs and you make yourself join in, but your heart has started to beat a little faster.

Oh, stop it, he’s not here.

You take a quick sip of your drink again to cover the fact you aren’t laughing anymore, and then Callahan looks up, his grin widening somehow as he waves his hand frantically.

“Hey, boss, over here!”

Boss?

Boss.

The entire room seems to slow down as you turn your head and see a man, who’s stopped for a moment to shake hands with someone, with brown hair and a neatly clipped beard, wearing a brown leather jacket, plaid shirt and jeans, his eyebrows raised—

Oh, God.

Oh, shit.

Oh fucking Lord in the manger.

Callahan is slapping his hand against the vacant seat at the table, that happens to be close to you, practically shouting, “Hop’, here, saved ya a seat!”

You swiftly turn back around, staring at Karen. She’s frozen, staring at you, and for the next three seconds you somehow communicate an entire conversation with just your eyebrows and eyes.

Both of you seem to agree on fuuuuuuck.

You can’t just get up and leave, that would be the most obvious thing in the entire world. What if he doesn’t recognise you? Yeah, maybe you’ll be so incredibly fucking lucky and it’ll be a Christmas miracle and you’ll somehow have just disappeared from his memory.

Swallowing hard as you hear him move past a group behind you with an “Excuse me,” you rest your hands on the table, gripping them together.

“Hey, Callahan, where’s everybody else?”

Oh, his voice has changed. It’s deeper, rougher.

“Oh, well, Powell said he and his wife are gonna come later when he finishes his shift, and Jones, Davids and Williamson are over there, they’ve been waitin’ to get a drink for ages.” Callahan laughs delightedly, and Karen joins in, giving a slightly nervous one.

It draws Hopper’s attention and you don’t dare look up to see his expression but there’s a note of surprise in his tone.

“Karen, hey, you doin’ okay?”

“Yes, thank you.” And then she panics. “We’re just having a night out.” And then she panics more when she realises what she’s said, and that she’s gestured at you, her eyes as wide as her now somewhat manic smile.

Oh. God.

Lifting your head, you automatically smile, your features frozen.

“Hi.”

Hi.

He looks from Karen to you, and you’re suddenly subject to the full force of Jim Hopper’s gaze for the first time in decades.

Oh. God.

You can’t help it; the memories of the last time you saw him flood your mind.

“Hop’, are you even listening to me?”

He swiftly puts down the ball of rubberbands he’d been picking at on your desk, his eyebrows raised as he looks to you.

“Yeah, yeah, course I am.”

Your own eyebrows rise even higher, your hands lifted. “What, then?”

He tilts his head slightly, grazing his teeth over his lower lip. “’What’, what?”

“You weren’t fucking listening—”

“No, I was,” he quickly says at your weary sigh, leaning forward in the chair and resting his elbows on his knees, an easy smile pulling at his lips. “C’mon, just repeat the last part.”

You’d once found this all charming and endearing.

Your hands going to your waist, you exhale another breath before folding your arms, managing to calm yourself.

“What are you gonna do after school?”

Hop’ shrugs, leaning back again. “I don’t know. What are you gonna do?”

It was just the answer you’d feared, and expected. Licking your lips, you glance down at the carpet before steeling yourself and meeting his gaze again.

You can do this.

“I’m thinking of moving.”

He nods, his smile returning. “Okay, where?”

“I don’t know. New York, maybe. There’s jobs there and I have a friend there, I could stay with her for a bit.”

“Or we could get a place together.”

You stare at him, feeling your stomach twist.

“So... you’re, you’re just gonna follow me where I go.”

“Yeah.” His brow dips slightly, the smile still there, though it’s hesitant. “Aren’t girlfriends supposed to be happy when their boyfriends say that?”

“Yeah, but... What do you want to do?”

Hop’ shrugs again. “I don’t know. I know I wanna be with you, though.”

You’d once have quietly swooned at that and given him a fond smile. Now, though... You want more.

“Hop’, I don’t... I don’t wanna be one of those high school couples that just sticks together because they’re together. I want you to actually want this.”

He’s frowning again, confusion starting to set in. “I do.”

You say it quietly. “I don’t think you do.”

He stares at you, all traces of his smile gone. Then, he scoffs, leaning back in his chair a little more as he folds his arms.

“So now you’re tellin’ me what I do and don’t feel?”

“No, I just, I want you to have some drive, some ambition, not just go along with what I say and do.”

“I go along with it because it’s what I want.”

You can feel tears stinging at your eyes but your mind has also been made up.

“I don’t think it is, I just think it’s easy and safe for you.”

“Stop tellin’ me what I’m feelin’!”

His voice raising makes yours, too.

“Am I wrong?”

He looks at you like he has no idea who you are, and for some reason that really pisses you off because you don’t really recognise him anymore, either.

“Why are you pushing me away?!”

“I’m not, I—”

“Where has all this come from, then?!”

“I don’t know if I want this!”

Silence falls.

You swallow thickly as he stares at you, your voice cracking slightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, but... y’know, Karrie and Teddy, they... I look at them and at Joyce and Lonnie and they’re so happy, they know what they want, and they can’t wait to get married and settled down, here, but...”

“You don’t want that,” he finishes for you, quietly.

You speak after a moment, your tone matching his. “I don’t.”

“You don’t want me.”

That sends a knife through your heart because honestly? You have no idea.

Shaking your head, you close your eyes for a moment. “No, yes, I... I don’t know. I care so much about you, but... I just think we’re on different paths.”

His gaze drops as your words linger in the air. Clearing his throat, he glances up at you again.

“What if we just take a break, for a bit. Or I can come up and visit you, in New York.”

He’s just a boy, you suddenly think, your heart breaking.

Biting at your lower lip to stop it from trembling, you give a small shrug. “I think that wouldn’t be fair on us both.”

He nods slowly, his jaw moving, and you’ve never seen him this distant. Raising his eyebrows slightly, he stands.

“Seems you already had this all figured out.”

“No, no, I didn’t, I just don’t want to be unfair to you—”

“Could I have said anything that would have changed your mind?” His quiet words silence you, and you have to stifle a sob.

“... No.”

Hop gazes at you, and after several moments he nods. “Good luck with everything.”

You’d burst into tears the moment he’d left your room. The front door had slammed shut and as you’d sat on your bed and cried and cried you’d heard his car door slam, too. You’d cried for days, going between telling yourself you’d made a huge mistake, and then that you’d done what was best, that he didn’t appreciate you like he used to and it wasn’t your job to fix him and coach him through life and that... yeah, you’d fallen out of love with him.

You hadn’t just lost a boyfriend that day, though, you’d also lost your best friend.

You loved Karen but there was just something different about Hop’, something that made you feel safe and like you could tell him anything and he wouldn’t judge. As you’d moved away and the months had gone on, several triumphs and bad days had happened, and all you’d wanted to do was just pick up the phone to call him and tell him. You’d stopped yourself every time.

Then, at some unremarkable point, you’d just stopped getting that urge, and life had moved on.

Oh, it certainly had moved on.

You stare at him, trying to look without looking. You can still see the face of the teenager you once knew, though with the beard and the lines at the corners of his eyes he’s very much a man now.

God, is he a man.

He was tall when you’d known him, but is he taller now, somehow? Had he had another growth spurt in his twenties? His hands are huge, too, and he’d been confident back then but it had come from cockiness whereas now he just seems quietly so, more sure of himself.

And you have absolutely no idea what he’s thinking. He’s staring at you so expressionlessly that you believe for a moment or two he actually has forgotten you.

Then, he speaks

“Hey. Been a long time.”

Hey. Been. A. Long. Time.

Said like you didn’t once whisper “I love you” to each other and share every single secret you’d ever had.

Then again, all you’d been able to muster up was a ‘Hi’.

You’re still smiling and you don’t know how to stop.

“Yeah, it has.”

“How are you?”

“Fine, thank you, you?”

“Yeah, good. You home for the holidays?”

“Yep.”

He runs his fingers over his mouth as he nods, and oh my God, he’s attractive. Is he, or is it the alcohol?

Wanting to banish the thoughts from your mind and distract yourself, you quickly continue.

“I’m staying with Karen.”

“That’s nice.” It’s said absolutely expressionlessly. “Just ‘till the new year?”

“Uhm, indefinitely. I’m, I’m working, uh, going through, uh, I’m moving, at the moment.”

“Okay. Well, I hope it goes okay.”

Oh my God, he’s winding down the conversation. He’s gonna go.

And you’re still smiling.

“Thank you.”

Nodding, he glances at Callahan. “I’m gonna go and check in with the others, see how they are.”

Callahan just nods once, his gaze flicking from you to Hopper and back again with utter confusion.

Rising, Hopper glances from Karen to you.

“See you around.”

“Yeah, bye, happy holidays,” you answer, Karen possibly unable to speak.

His lips move slightly, possibly into a faint smile. “Yeah, to you, too.”

And then he walks away, heading for the bar. Staring at where he’d just been sat, a slightly strangled sound releases from the back of your throat.

“Oh my God, oh my God...”

Looking to Karen, a whole range of emotions are flashing across her face as she tries to find the most comforting one. She fails.

“Oh, babe, oh God, that was horrible.”

“I know, I just, I forgot how to have a conversation, my voice got so high.”

“It did, I don’t know why you did that.”

“Neither do I, oh my God...” Putting your head in your hands, you then quickly lift it after a moment, pressing your lips together as you raise your hands. “Whatever. It’s fine. Let’s just, please, move past it. It’s over, I got it out the way, it was civilised, it’s done.”

“You’re right, you’re so right, please let’s forget it. Let’s drink.”

“Yes, please.”

You tap your glass against Karen’s as she raises it, and both take a long drink.

Oh, God.

That had been... so uneventful you don’t quite know what to do with yourself. In all the times you’d thought about how this exact moment might go, you’d never thought it would be uneventful. You’d imagined yelling, or crying, sometimes even laughing, but this...

Well. It was really like it had meant nothing at all.

You don’t know why it’s getting to you so much. You broke up with him. Of course he’d have moved on and left it all behind, God, you have as well. You’ve both lived your lives, gone through so many things and come out the other side and... A break up when you were teenagers kind of pales in comparison.

Yeah. It’s all fine. In fact, you know what, you’re relieved. It’s mature. It’s done. That’s it. You don’t have to be best friends with him again, for fuck’s sake.

Lowering your drink, you don’t realise your internal monologue has played out on your face, eyes widening and narrowing. Looking up, you find Karen and Callahan staring at you.

Licking your lips, you shrug. “It’s fine. It’s fine. Who wants another drink?”

You’re out of your seat and heading to the bar before they can respond. Karen sits back in her chair as she blinks, watching you stride away.

“Can someone just please tell me what’s going on?” Callahan bursts out, his hands raised.

“Oh, God, sweetie...” Karen sighs, reaching for her drink again. “... I have no fucking clue.”

—————————————————————————————————

24th December 1982

“Ughhh... Oh, God...”

It’s not your own groaning that wakes you, but that of someone else.

Cracking open an eye, you stare up at the ceiling as the groaning continues.

Uh, my mouth is so dry...

Licking your lips, you turn your head and find Karen on the other side of the bed, her hair bedraggled and spilling across the pillow, mascara halfway down her face, lipstick smeared. Turning her own head, she looks at you and groans again.

“Am I alive?”

“I think so,” you rasp, and she groans mournfully.

“Ughhhh... I don’t even remember how we got home...”

Closing your eyes, you scratch at your forehead, trying to remember yourself.

You’d gone to the bar, drank, drank a lot, maybe danced a little, spoken with your old classmate, Jessica? Justine? and then... Oh, what was his name again...

“Callahan,” you murmur, your throat aching. “Callahan brought us home.”

“Oh, yeah... Didn’t we ask him to turn on his lights?”

Your lips twitch as you recall how you’d both screamed with joy and whooped and cheered as he’d turned on the lights, waving your arms from side to side.

You snort and she glances at you. A laugh escapes you as you think about the absurdity of it all, and then she’s laughing, too, her cackle loud and delighted.

“Oh my God... Ugh, that was fun...” she sighs, her smile lingering.

“Yeah...” you murmur, stretching your legs out.

“We’ll have fun tonight, too.” She pats your hand, exhaling a breath. “If we just... If we just sleep ‘till noon, and then we can start preparing the house... Maybe even two, it won’t take long...”

You hum, closing your eyes, and, yeah, sleeping a little longer does sound like a good idea... Besides, when you’re unconscious, you don’t have to think about a certain embarrassing event that happened...

Perfect.

You focus on the softness of the bed as Karen snores lightly beside you, already fast asleep... Yeah... the joy of unconsciousness...

—

“... Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock... Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring... Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun... Now the jingle hop has begun...”

Adjusting a plate on the table, you straighten and blow out a breath, trying to stifle a yawn.

I really can’t handle a night out anymore.

Brushing your hands together, you turn, surveying the party that’s in full-swing. It’s only a couple of hours in but it’s already a success. People are talking, laughing, dancing, singing, eating, drinking, having a merry old time in general really. You feel more proud than you would have thought as your gaze drifts across the room.

You’d had to shake Karen awake at half one, both of you practically dehydrated and feeling not so fresh. After drinking copious amounts of water, showering, changing and finally eating, realising you were both starving, you’d flown around the house together, tidying, cleaning, cooking up food, putting drinks out and decorating. It had been another whirlwind but a wonderful whirlwind. You’d had so much fun, and hadn’t thought once about The Incident. An hour before the party was due to start, you and Karen had gotten ready, selecting slightly more festive outfits than the ones you’d worn last night.

Now, she’s in the kitchen, laughing at something a neighbour is saying, while Mike and Nancy talk in separate corners with some of their friends who have turned up, and Ted, who’d you’d finally bumped in to and greeted, was sat in his armchair, talking with a guy who looked slightly desperate to get away.

The doorbell chimes and you catch Karen’s eye, waving your hand and mouthing, “I’ll get it,”, as you’ve done so for the last few chimes.

You have to carefully push your way past people on the way to the foyer, which is surprisingly empty. Moving to the door, you grip the handle and pull it open, a smile already on your lips.

“Hey—”

You cut yourself off, pausing as you stare up at the man.

Hopper stares back at you, shoulders slightly hunched from the cold, hands in his pockets.

"Hi,” he says, glancing behind you briefly.

"Hey,” you repeat, your heart pounding.

... Whaaaaaat is he doing here?

As if he’s somehow heard your thought, he clears his throat and raises his eyebrows a little. “Uh, Callahan said we were invited.”

Oh, fuck, yes, you’d forgotten Karen had insisted he come, and you, jokingly, had said, ‘Hey, why not invite Hopper, too?’

Haha. Ha. What a hilarious joke. What a hilarious little joke that Callahan clearly hadn’t taken as a joke so it is now real.

Just as you realise you haven’t answered him, he clears his throat again. “Should I—”

“Oh, no, God, sorry, come in.” Holding the door open, you step back, gesturing with your other hand into the foyer.

He steps in, glancing at the party beyond before he turns to you as you close the door, looking up at him.

You’re staring again.

Swallowing, you point at the stairs. “Uh, coats are up here, I’ll show you.”

Before he can answer, you stride to the steps and ascend, gripping the bannister.

Ooh... Ooh, what’s happening... What am I doing...

You’ve shown the last few people up to where the coats are being kept, just in case you can’t see them out, but this is... This is rather intimate.

You hear him behind you, following you up, and you make yourself exhale a long breath to try and calm your heart.

Be an adult.

The coats are being kept where they usually would at a Wheeler party; the guest room, AKA your room. It’s one of the reasons you’ve been basically escorting people up to it, not wanting them to linger in there or have a stranger possibly go through your things.

Pushing the door open, you step in to the dimly lit room and gesture at the bed that’s piled high with coats, scarves and jackets.

“Just here, leave it anywhere.”

He stands in the doorway, hands back in his pockets.

“I’m actually not stayin’ long, I’ve got a shift soon.”

Your hands drop. “Oh. Okay...” You can’t stop a slight frown from crossing your features. “Why did you come up, then?”

Hopper meets your gaze, his jaw moving minutely. “‘cause I want to talk to you.”

“Oh.”

Oh.

You’re sweating, your fingers flexing by your side.

Okay, here we go, he’s gonna yell at me and tell me everything he’s been holding back, here we go...

Shifting his stance, he leans against the doorframe, his gaze holding yours. “Listen, last night, I... I’m sorry I left so abruptly. That wasn’t, uh... polite of me.”

... Well, that’s not what you’d expected.

Your lips parted, you gaze at him. “Uh, no, no, no, it’s fine, I, I completely get it. It’s, uhm...” You pause, swallowing. Then, you smile faintly, and just say it, your voice dropping slightly. “... It’s weird, isn’t it.”

“Yeah. Fuck, yeah, it is.” He lets out a laugh, and for some reason the sound of it warms you. “I was a little taken aback when I saw you, I was totally unprepared.”

“Oh, me, too.” You exhale a laugh, your smile easing. “I wanted to say so many things but my brain wasn’t quite connected to my mouth.” You laugh again, though it’s more nervous this time, because you know if you don’t say it now, you never will. Your tongue gliding across your lips, you raise your hands a little. “Look, Hop, I...” Fuck, it feels strange saying his name again. “... I’m sorry for how things ended between us.”

Hopper’s already shaking his head before you’ve finished, a slight dip to his brow. “Don’t be. I think it was the kick up the ass I needed, and I knew you were right. Took me a little while to admit that, but, yeah.”

“Still, I could have given us a chance—”

“We were kids,” he cuts you off gently with a light smile, shrugging. “Neither of us knew what we were doin’ or how to handle somethin’ like that.”

You snort. “I still don’t.”

A corner of his mouth lifts a little higher. “Yeah, me, too.” Grazing his teeth over his lower lip, you watch him as he seems to consider something, your cheeks heating slightly at his intense gaze. “... Stop me if I’m, uh, treadin’ where I shouldn’t, but, and I’m just connectin’ the dots here, you said you’re stayin’ in Hawkins indefinitely, is that because something similar has happened?”

You give a faint smile, pointing a finger at him as you raise your eyebrows. “Yeah, you got me. I, uhm...” Here we go... “... I broke up with my fiancé. Or, he broke up with me, actually.” Your smile widens a little more. “Good connecting, you must be a great Chief.”

“Well, I do my best.” He looks sympathetic in a way that is mercifully not pitying. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks. I feel like shit every day, but, it was for the best. He was an asshole. I just didn’t want to see it.”

“How come he did the breaking up, then?”

You fold your arms, exhaling a breath. “He met someone else. Didn’t even bother to hide it or save my feelings. Just told me.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, it really did.”

“Still,” he nods his head at you, “you seem much better off.”

You feel a little proud at that, because, actually, you feel like a mess. “Thanks. Karen’s letting me stay here until I figure out what I wanna do. I don’t even know if I like my job anymore or if it’s just everything that’s going on making me feel like I hate it, or maybe I have hated it for a while and I just don’t want to admit that to myself either.” You catch yourself from continuing, releasing a sheepish laugh. “I’m sorry, I’m just rambling on now, you can go back down—”

“Nah, it’s okay, I like listenin’ to you.”

He says it so sincerely, holding your gaze, that you don’t quite know what to do. Biting at your lower lip briefly, you look away for a few moments, your fingers twisting together.

“Well... Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

You can hear the smile in his tone, so you look up, and God...

You’ve missed that smile.

His expression is so soft, too, so gentle and...

No, no, no, no... No, it’s just because you’re sad and it’s Christmas and—

Clearing his throat, he leans an arm against the chest of drawers beside the door.

“Y’know, I... I’ve thought about you over the years, thought about reachin’ out. I heard from someone years ago that you were in New York and I... I told myself I was gonna look you up but... I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Didn’t know if you’d even want to see me.”

A smile pulls at your lips, your chest aching slightly. “I think I would have.” Biting at your lower lip again, you take a breath. “... I’ve thought about you, too. Sometimes I think about if I made the biggest mistake of my life in leaving you.”

He blinks, before quickly smiling, shaking his head. “Like I said, we were just kids. We didn’t know any better.”

“I know.”

You’re gazing at each other again, quietly.

Don’t.

Clearing your throat, you make yourself smile. “I’m so sorry, I should have offered you a drink, I—”

“Would you like to go out for a drink?” he asks, so swiftly that it’s as if he’d been waiting to. “So we can catch up properly?”

Staring at him, you feel something quietly ignite within you. He looks somewhat nervous, and for some reason it calms you instantly.

A softer smile returning to your lips, you nod. “I’d like that.”

One corner of his mouth lifts a little higher than the other as he straightens, his hands falling to his sides. “Good. Okay. I’ll call. I gotta head out now, sorry, I just wanted to drop by before my shift.”

He wanted to drop by... to see me.

Trying to contain your smile, you move towards him, heading for the door. “It’s okay, I’ll walk you out.”

“Thanks.”

You head down the hallway and stairs in silence, your heart fluttering wildly. You’re suddenly very aware of your body, and of his right behind you, and oh my God, when was the last time I felt this way?

Pulling the door open, you hold it for him as you smile.

“Well, I hope your shift goes okay.”

“Thanks.”

He’s stood before you, a hand in his pocket, and he doesn’t move.

Then, his other hand moves to rest on your arm gently as he lowers his head and presses a soft kiss to your cheek.

Oh, fuck.

His lips brushing against your skin makes your heart stop and every inch of your skin warm. It’s brief, far too brief, and when he pulls his head back to look at you, you desperately hope you don’t look as flustered as you feel.

Giving a slightly breathless smile, you hold his gaze. “Merry Christmas, Hop’.”

The smile he gives in return has you feeling a way you know you haven’t in years.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

—————————————————————————————————

Reblogs and comments make my day in a way I can’t describe.

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Apologies to those Tumblr won’t let me tag!

#jim hopper x reader #jim hopper x you #hopper x reader #chief jim hopper x reader #stranger things fic #hopper x you #my writing #flamehairedwritings #pheeewwww #just a lil something to ease back in

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quarkcore · 3 years

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1-5 for the asks :)

1: Song of the year?

ok so i feel like theres so many contenders for this. This year has been strange for me, and right until i finished my degree, I didnt listen to much new music. I had a real focus on nostalgic faves. Because of that I have a hard time placing a specific favourite; its all just this long blur of old familiar tunes. If we go by my spotify, “Alone Again Or” by Love is my top song, and i cant deny that its absolute bop. If were going by what song i consider my fave right now, its “Lay This Body Down” by Sam Lee. If i was gonna choose an absolute favourite new track, I think i would go with “Rack Of His” by Fiona Apple. Obviously, her new album is an absolute masterpiece, and thats the song that i just consistently enjoyed the most.

2: Album of the year?

Not Fetch The Boltcutters, surprisingly. For the place I was in, I personally found it just a bit too much to take in. I had a pretty massive shift towards pop, which FTBC just..... isnt. I needed comfort, familiarity, something i didnt need to analyse. With that in mind, The Mountain Goats’ The Jordan Lake Sessions is becoming a real late game favourite for me. I have started listening to stuff that challenges me a bit more again, but i still crave old favourites, and TJLS has packed a lot of old favourites onto one album, while also filling the gap that the lack of live music venues created in my life. Listening to TMG live is a really special experience for me and to have something replicate that, even imperfectly, really meant a lot to me.

3: Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

There isnt an immediate standout for me, so I’m just gonna list a few good contenders. Rina Sawayama, who id technically listened to before, but never to the same extent is an obvious choice, Noname (who id also technically listened to before) is another. Id also listened to the Kinks before, but got into them after watching a part of the umbrella academy and rewatching hot fuzz (they feature on both soundtracks). Ive really been enjoying Dorian Electra, and 100 Gecs became a new favourite in abt the same time period. yet again im limited by how little new music ive listened to lghdkfgj.

4: Movie of the year?

FINALLY ONE I CAN DO!!!!! ITS PARASITE ITS 100% PARASITE!!! nothing has worked its way into my brain in the same way, I’ve watched it 3 times and every single time i went fucking ballistic. i dont think theres anything i can say thats not already been said better, but the single bit that hits me the most is the one where the Kim family’s sub-basement has flooded and the father tells his son “You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan. No plan at all. You know why? Because life cannot be planned. Look around you. Did you think these people made a plan to sleep in the sports hall with you? But here we are now, sleeping together on the floor. So, there's no need for a plan. You can't go wrong with no plans. We don't need to make a plan for anything. It doesn't matter what will happen next. Even if the country gets destroyed or sold out, nobody cares. Got it?” because GOD how fucking real is that. every fucking day im thinking about parasite.

5: TV show of the year?

SPN’s Destiel but only for the bants.

Nah, kidding. its still deep space nine for me right now, but red dwarf is also a contender. both are rewatches (continuing the trend for the year glhfgkj). If you havent watched red dwarf, its a sci-fi sitcom, focussing on Lister and Rimmer, the two lowest ranking people on the ship red dwarf. Along with the Cat (exactly what it sounds like) and Holly, the ships’ AI, they on a quest to return home to earth. If you are a big fan of star trek, and want something extremely funny, and which in many ways critiques utopian sci fi (imo) you cant go wrong. Red Dwarf’s vision of the future is that its more or less the same as now, and thats mined both for comedic purposes, and for more serious plot lines. I first watched it when i was around 10 years old, and going back and rewatching only reinforced my belief that its one of the greatest shows of all time. It has a lot to say abt the british class system, and abt the capabilities of the peopel at the very bottom of society, in my opinion. It also unfortunately has a lot of homophobia and misogyny. The way i personally cope with that is by not watching the only season with an actual human woman (yes, really), and by taking all the gay jokes to their logical conclusion, and actually headcanoning multiple characters as lgbt. its my show now and i can do what i want.

if youre here, then i assume you know what ds9 is like and why its good.

edit: A) what did tumblr DO to this post, B) i forgot joanna newsom!!! its bc shes not on spotify rip. DEFINITELY a new fave and contender for new fave artist.

#thank you so much for the ask!#rip my lack of good answers to give #odetodata

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purplesurveys · 4 years

Text

805

First, a few randoms... Do you know anyone who can speak more than 5 languages fluently? Not that I know of, though I won’t be surprised if I find out some Filipinos I know fit into this category just because of how many languages we have. Is there a boiler or heater in the room that you're in? There is aaaaaabsolutely no need for a heater anywhere in this country, lmao. What we need are a gazillion aircon units everywhere.

Do you read magazines? Not anymore. The last time I encountered magazines, it was back when my lola would still collect celebrity and high society magazines and I would read them whenever I came over her place. Other than that, I haven’t bought a magazine for myself in like seven years. Did you ever get a detention for doing something by accident? We don’t get detention. But no, I’ve never been in trouble for something like this before. Would you rather write an essay on global warming or UFOs? Global warming. UFOs are more entertaining, but there’s been more research done on global warming so it’ll be easier to write something informative on it.

Have you ever worked with a mixing desk? No, I’ve only seen them in real life. Cheeseburger with fries or Toasty Sandwich and Garlic Sticks? Do you know me? Burger, duh. Do you like sailing? When was the last time you went, if at all? I don’t think I’ve ever been sailing before. Pokemon; do you like it? Favourite Pokemon? I liked it a lot more as a kid. Now whenever I see Pokemon references on the internet I kinda just give a slight smile to myself to acknowledge the nostalgia. My favorite Pokemons as a kid were Chikorita and Ho-oh. Do you or have you done martial arts? Which type? No. Enrolling your kids in taekwondo classes was super popular when I was younger, but I was more interested in ballet and swimming at the time. Can you tell the difference between Japanese and Chinese language? Yes, their manner of speaking is different and their words are also very different. I think Japanese and Korean are harder to distinguish, actually. Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackcurrant or no Jam/Jelly? No jam for me. Please give me Nutella instead, haha. Strawberry or Orange Jelly/Jell-O? Pass. Answer with your first response. Don't look below! Name a colour: Pink Town Name: A******* Girls’ name: Olivia Type of drink: Beer A word that begins with 'L': Ladder A film title: Breakfast at Tiffany’s A mood or emotion: Happy A type of sandwich: Clubhouse Name a Colour Is this your favourite colour? Yes. At first I used to say it ironically, but there was one time when I bought school supplies and I realized they were literally all pink, and I realized that it had actually turned out to be my favorite color for real, lol. Are your eyes this colour? Definitely not. I think for this to be possible you’d have to be wearing contacts. Is this colour one of the colours in your country’s flag? No. Close enough, red and white are in the Philippine flag haha. Does this colour make you feel the mood/emotion named above? Sure, it does. Are you wearing this colour now? No, I’m wearing all black at the moment. Town Do you live in or near this town? I live in it, hence me censoring it out lol. Have you ever gone shopping in this town? No. The malls here are pretty ehhhh when it comes to clothes, so I prefer going to the city whenever I need to get new stuff for my closet. How many E's are in the name of this town? Zero. Describe this town in 5 or less words? Little boring, but still home. Girls Name Is this the name of a famous celebrity? I can give you a couple of celebrities named Olivia, so sure I guess. There’s Olivia de Havilland (kween shit), Olivia Newton-John, Olivia Wilde, Olivia Munn, etc. Is one of your close friends called this? No. If I did I’d tell them on a regular basis how much I like their name lolol. Would you like this name to be your middle name? Nope, I’m satisfied with my own name. Does this name begin with the same letter of your name? No, but it's the same as the second letter. What does this name mean- look it up on www.behindthename.com? Google says it’s just derived from the Latin oliva, which means olive/olive tree. Pretty straightforward. Name a word, place or another name that rhymes with this name? Bolivia. Type of Drink Is this the last thing you drank? Hell no, you will rarely catch me drinking this. The only time I’d be seen drinking beer is if I’m at a bar that serves only that. Do you drink this drink often? See above. Does this drink make you hyper? It makes me just a little bit drunk, which yeah, when that happens I do get hyper. What do you like about this drink? Nothing. Word Beginning with L Is this word the name of an emotion? No, it is an object. Does this word have a D in it? Yes, two of them. Can you hold whatever this thing beginning with L is? It’s tangible, if that’s what you mean. But I can also literally hold one right now if I wanted to since we have a ladder stored in the rooftop bodega. Does this L word make a noise? If it falls, it would definitely make a lot of noise. Another L word that describes your L word? Long. Film Title Is this one of your favourite films? It used to be, now it’ll probably settle in my top 20 or 30. Audrey Hepburn has better films. Who are the central characters? Who plays them? Holly Golightly is played by Audrey Hepburn while her love interest, Paul Varjak, is played by George Peppard. Do you love this film? Yes. There are some things I’d change from the film as a whole, but the ending is very beautiful and makes me cry every time I watch it. Is this film title either two or three words? It is, actually. Three words. Is there a noun in this film’s title? Yup. Mood or Emotion Do you feel this way now? Mmmm I guess kinda? I’m finally done with my antibiotics and I can finally drink coffee and the bottles of soju I have stored in the fridge!!!!!!!!!! I also don’t feel too hot at the moment and I feel quite relaxed taking this survey so yeah, there’s little to complain about right now. Does this describe your life so far? No. Life is a different story, lol. A similar mood or emotion to the one you named? Elated. Are you ashamed or annoyed about feeling this emotion or mood? Not at all. I barely feel it nowadays, so whenever it’s here I make sure it has a good stay.

Sandwich Does it contain lettuce? Yes it does.

Does it have a sauce in (mayo, salad cream, mustard)? Yes, it has some kind of mayo in it. I haven’t had a club sandwich in a while though so I can’t really remember the exact type of mayo it has. When was the last time you had this type of sandwich? Like I said, a while. It has probably been years. I only regularly ordered this sandwich as a kid because I thought it would make me part of some sort of club loooooool, but like it was never my favorite or anything. Does it contain anything the colour you named above? Eh sure? I guess ham counts as pink.

#survey #surveys

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mwolf0epsilon · 4 years

Text

DBH - The 12 Pains of Christmas

Summary: The typical seasonal hassles cause a few issues for Leo and Co. as he helps the four leaders of Jericho prepare for a Christmas party Carl is hosting. Somehow it all works out in the end.

[The 12 Pains of Christmas will forever be my favourite parody song, and it perfectly describes the nuances of the jolliest holiday. What better way to have some fun but to torment a few of my favorite characters,plus a few OCs? Merry Christmas everyone]

---

[[MORE]]

It was supposed to be everyone's first proper Christmas together, after androids had finally acquired their freedom and rights as an intelligent and civilized species.

By all means it should be the highlight of their arduous year that had been full of tormenting perils and hours upon hours of slaving away behind a desk, agoning over paperwork and conferences. The key words here being 'It Should Be'.

Carl had good intentions inviting all of them to spend the holidays together to celebrate, and Leo knew his father had everyone's good interests in mind with all the hassle he went through to reach out and extend his gracious hospitality (with some mixed results due to a few political disagreements he had with his family)… The problem wasn't even the idea of a party. It was the goddamn holiday season itself…

Christmas, as it turned out, had a way of getting people to act up in the worst way possible. It was just one of those holidays that really made it easier to be a dick to people, which was a little ironic considering it was supposed to be the holly jolly, merry little season of gift giving and family bonding times.

Which was why he currently found himself trying to mediate an argument between two frustrated androids, over the best option of Christmas tree available. How freaking 'joyous', ending up as Markus's and Simon's seasonal middleman...

"Think of all the harm that plastic tree will cause once we have to get rid of it!" Markus crossed his arms and glared daggers at the offending faux pine Simon was currently hugging closely to himself. The blond looked positively ridiculous holding on to the largest plastic tree he could find, while also looking incredibly offended at the RK200's opinion on his choice.

"I'm not just going to toss it after the holidays! We can reuse it next year, and the year after that!" Simon cried out, indignated with such an idea as throwing out a perfectly good hunk of plastic bristles. "Besides, I'd rather decorate a physical tree instead of a holographic display!"

"There's no space in the attic for that tissled abomination, and a holo tree would be more efficient and easier to put away afterwards!" Markus defended, holding the compact machine as if it were the most precious thing on this side of Earth. "And we can customize the ornaments to our own taste!"

"I'd rather die than give up tradition! We're not leaving Carl's ornaments to rot in a box!" The PL600 was furious at such blasphemous insinuations.

Leo merely rolled his eyes and sighed. This had been going on for a while now and he doubted it'd be over anytime soon. The two were too stubborn to give up.

The brunet turned his back to them before taking his phone out of his pocket when he felt it vibrate.

Looking at the screen, he saw that it was Josh who was calling, likely to see what was taking so long. Hopefully things were less stressful on his end.

"Ok, you two assholes fight some more about the tree while I go get this and end up being more productive..." He moved towards the store door, nodding politely at the poor android watching helplessly from the counter.

Neither Markus nor Simon seemed to have noticed his departure. Not that he cared much. They shouldn't be his problem in the first place.

Once outside (and blissfully alone), Leo picked up the call.

"Hey Josh. You done with the lights?" The human greeted as he leaned against the closest street lamp. The bitter cold was biting at his fingers uncomfortably so he put his free hand in his pocket and hoped the wind wouldn't pick up too much. Winter in Detroit was not very pleasant at times, and downright sucky if you forgot your damn gloves like he had.

"Not yet. Miles and Matthew just helped me pick up the last box from the attic. We're trying to decide how we're going to decorate outside." Leo could hear humming from Josh's end, likely Miles as he looked through the boxes at all the soon to be shiny lights. "You guys picked a tree yet?"

"Markus and Simon are arguing over what type to get, so nope." Leo glanced back at the shop window. Yep still going at it. The shop android looked miserable as they watched the spectacle.

"Really? It's been an hour…"

"Well, this is just one of the mystical twelve pains of Christmas." Leo shrugged dismissively. "The first one is always finding a tree..."

"Twelve pains of Christmas?" Josh sounded a little confused, before Miles cheerfully told him it was a song.

"Yep, parody song. Ancient but pretty good." Leo smiled, glancing back at the store occasionally to make sure everything was still under control. "Dad has it, on like, a playlist. That and a few others, but that's definitely my favourite one."

"Well, if finding the tree is the first pain, what's the second one then?" Josh asked out of curiosity. Leo could hear boxes being shuffled about. Josh was likely opening them up as well.

"Rigging up the lights, of course!" Leo smirked, being able to almost see the realization on the lecturer's face when he was met with brief silence.

"Is that why you asked to go with Simon and Markus when Carl asked you to help out with the Christmas lights?" Yep, he definitely had that pouty expression he bore whenever Josh felt like he'd been tricked.

"Look dude, I haven't had to deal with tangled headphones since I was a kid. There's no way in hell I'm dealing with tangled lights."

"Yet you're willing to deal with being the middleman in an argument over which decorative tree is the best?" Josh sounded pretty incredulous at Leo's choice for avoiding the task. Honestly it was a sacrifice he was willing to make if it meant escaping knotted cable hell.

"Yes when both parties involved don't ask for an opinion. They're both so stubborn even the cashier looks like they wished they had the Hanukkah shift instead." Leo's gaze returned to the store where Simon and Markus had now acquired a bit of an audience.

It was probably about time he broke them up properly and bought a tree himself. "God, wherever Markus goes he just has to stick out like a sore thumb…"

There was a startled shriek on the other side of the line, which startled Leo enough to lose focus on the storefront and the growing crowd.

"Oh damn...Hold that thought Leo, Miles got his arm tangled up in some of the lights. I need to go help him out." Josh changed the topic, clearly distracted with whatever shenanigans the prototype android had gotten to in the background "Just, try to get them to compromise and get all of you and the tree back before 18:00 pm."

"Aye-aye captain. You go rescue Miles from the decorations."

The call came to an end with a monotone click and Leo crept back inside, skirting around the argument and heading for the isles.

If Markus wanted something more environment friendly, and Simon wanted tradition, he was going to give them both plus a good hearty laught out of it…

He was good at compromising and being petty while doing it.

---

The car ride to Val's and Artyum's apartment was spent in silent fury, annoyed bafflement, and a great big grin upon Leo's face.

From the back seat Markus sighed. The look of defeat partly the reason behind Leo's contented shit-eating grin. He loved winning against his younger brother even if just in the littlest things. It felt more rewarding to be occasionally right.

"I'm all for biodegradable options Leo...And really I should have gone for that instead of the holotree if we wanted everyone to be happy but…" Markus peered out the window at the "leaves" that were hitting the window, annoyance that was steadily growing into irritation. "...Why the hell did you buy a palm tree?!"

"Because you're both assholes for taking up so much time arguing over a stupid tree, and because dad's probably gonna piss himself laughing when he sees it." Leo leaned back in the driver's seat, letting the autonomous car crawl at a snail's pace in the crowded snowy road. The rearview mirror showed the expressions of the people in other cars. All looking more shocked and amused at the fake palm tree carefully pinned to the roof of the car for easy and safe transport.

They seemed somewhat appreciative of Leo's sense of humor, so the brunet didn't feel particularly inclined to yell at them to mind their own business in a few more colorful words.

Probably for the best as they all waited in traffic, since the snow sweepers clearing out the piled up snow in front of them was likely to take a while...

"Couldn't you have at least picked a less stupid looking tree?" Simon bitterly glanced at the back windows. The pout on his face made it look like the faux greenery alone was an offense to him and all that he stood for. "We can't exactly decorate a palm tree like we would a pine tree…"

"Why the hell not? It's big enough to fit all the crud my dad saved over the years." Leo asked as he glanced over at his right to look at the blond. "The top is nice and smooth so the tree topper won't just fall off, and we could even wrap a ton of the lights around the trunk since it's nice and long. We'd still have enough to light up the fence walls."

"So basically you want to string up a palm tree in festive ornaments and bright lights, like a sideroad bar you see in concert festivals…?" Simon didn't seem all too pleased with this idea. The way he made it sound was definitely less cool than a festival sideroad bar.

"Would you rather I hadn't bothered picking a tree at all? Next year we'll just decorate the fucking giraffe then…" Leo decided that on Christmas everyone was a damn critic.

No matter, as soon as the road cleared out the three didn't take long to reach the apartment complex where both of the brunet's friends lived.

They were already outside waiting, with Artyum carrying a large bag and a ton of wrapped presents that the two had likely spent the day making nice and pretty. The group quickly noticed that Val looked to be slughtly under the weather (if the look of pure hatred on her face was anything to go by).

"What's up Sourface?" Leo grinned as he rolled down the window.

"Fuck off Manfred, my head's killing me and I fucking hate how bright it is out here." The younger Latina growled irritably as she hurriedly climbed into the back seat next to Markus with Artyum following close behind after putting the gifts in the trunk, the bag remaining in his possession.

"Do not bother with her today. She has massive hangover from "sampling" some of drinks I bought yesterday." The Russian informed the trio while putting on his seatbelt. "None which survived for party."

"Getting shit-faced alone on Christmas Eve? That's a new low for you, Val." Leo snorted. "What's with the bag?"

"Postcards. For family." Artyum shrugged "That is something I forgot to ask. Can we stop quickly by mail place so I can send them?"

"You send your family postcards? Really?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "We're in the 2030s Art. You could just...I donno… call them?"

"Or send an email." Markus added.

"It is family tradition!" Artyum sounded genuinely appalled.

"Finally someone who understands!" Simon smiled at the larger man, appreciative of his devotion to some of the older ways. Christmas just wasn't Christmas without a physical tree, caroling, cards and eggnog. Why couldn't more people get that?

"Artyum has a massive family tho, those are going to be some expensive post office bills…"

"I'll manage. Worst was writing damn things in first place. I find that English has been coming to mind more often...Puns are hard to resist but also hard for non-english speakers to appreciate…" the Russian sighed sadly at the loss of opportunity to employ his acquired skills at weaving words into funny sentences.

"Oh my god can we just go? I need a fucking aspirin!" Val whined, pulling her scarf over her face to escape the assault on her sensitive senses. Snow blindness was not something she wanted to be submitted to.

"Fuck, this really is like the damn song… can't wait for number five on the list of how crap this holiday is." Leo groaned.

"You're looking forward to five months of consecutive bills?" Markus snorted "You're unemployed."

"You know what I meant… Dad fucking loves that song and I know you played it every year for him since Kamski sent you to care for him." The human shot Markus a dirty look.

"I personally prefer 'Wreck the Halls'. It's got more of a beat." The RK200 grinned.

"Fuck off."

Once everyone settled, off they drove to the post office. Now that there weren't any snow sweepers slowing down traffic the ride went more smoothly. Until a massive line ruined the mood considerably.

"Ok yeah I can see the parallels of our current situation with the song..." Markus gave them all a long-suffering groan as the group ended up in said massive line at the post office, behind a couple who was currently arguing over their impending meet up with their in-laws for dinner.

"Told you. That song speaks of the essence of this shitshow of a holiday. It's just a hassle all around if you take off the pink-tinted shades."

"That's not how that saying goes, but yes." Simon checked his internal clock. Josh was going to be upset if they came in too late. "Christmas is a very hectic time of year, and a little overrated. I rarely got to celebrate it, and most of what I know are pleasant stories of functional families actually sharing the good little moments…"

"Is that why you're so enamored with the traditional aspect?" Markus questioned, which the blond merely nodded along to.

Enough said of that then. The story behind Simon's escapism tactics was never a good one. That they knew by now.

"Artie why couldn't you send these off earlier? This place is crowded!" Val grimaced as the crowd seemed to get just as agitated over the argument going on in the background.

"Was also crowded earlier..." Artyum sighed.

The couple in front of them got louder.

"Oh god could this get any worse?" Leo put his face in his hands.

"Excuse me sir do you have time to donate a dollar to the cause?"

"Oh my fucking god it can." Val punched the brunet on the arm. "The fucking Salvation Army is here."

"Fucking shit!"

---

After forty minutes of pure hell at the post office, the group finally got to the counter and thanked the gods that it didn't take long to sort the paperwork involved with sending off an entire bag of postcards.

They practically ran back to their car, avoiding the various parents dragging screaming children that were demanding this or that as the perfect gifts.

Next destination: Manfred household.

A drive that took less than an hour.

Except…

"OH MY GOD THERE IS NOWHERE TO PARK THE FUCKING CAR, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

It was well past 18:00 pm when they finally found an available parking space, and the effort of hawling the tree along was less of a minor inconvenience and more of an annoyance to add to the list since they had to climb uphill rather than simply take it from one end of the road to the next.

"I have never seen so many cars on this street." Leo remarked as he steadied the base of the tree as they walked along.

"That's because you've never actually spent the holidays over." Markus replied nonchalantly. "It was always a pain in the neck if shopping required an autonomous cab… There just wasn't ever a place to stop close enough that I didn't need about five trips to and fro just to get the all of the bags."

The gate opened up for them without much fuss and the group noticed North retreating out of the house looking absolutely pissed.

"Where the hell have you been?!" She met with them, eyeing the odd choice of a tree briefly before staring accusingly at Leo. "We called! Repeatedly!"

"Battery died."

"And we also called you both." She pointed at both androids.

"We were a little distracted." Simon admitted.

"With what?!" North glared.

"Marital problems at the post office, and an army of kids screaming because they wanted whatever is hot with the kids these days." Simon sighed "It's a long story…"

The redhead groaned before holding up the TV remote, much to the confusion of everyone else.

"Well then, you're on remote duty. The batteries died and Matthew forgot to buy more... And if I browse through any more of those shitty stale tv specials I swear to God I'll blow up Stratford tower."

"Please do." Leo grimaced. "Everyone else arrived yet?"

"Yeah, but they're kind of busy right now…"

"With what?" Markus asked.

Ten seconds later they all stood baffled, staring up at the chandelier.

Well at the entire living room, the stairs, hallways and even the kitchen actually…

"How the hell did you manage this?!" Leo gawked as he watched Josh struggling to get free from the Christmas lights he'd gotten horrendously tangled in.

"Miles got stuck and panicked...The rest kind of happened before we could control the situation…" the lecturer looked absolutely embarrassed as he hung in the hair just a little bellow said prototype.

"To make matters worse, Miles can run like no other android in this freaking house…" Benji retorted as he tried to free his constricted arm, which was pinned by the chords that had wrapped around the giraffe's legs when the RK-series prototype had gone berserk.

"That's Miles for ya. Problem solving is an experimental process." Tristan was stuck to a wall. He didn't seem too fussed over this. "If hitting it and running doesn't work, he'll stop to contemplate it for a bit. Not that it'd help now of course."

"Sorry…" In the RK300's defense, he did look a little guilty over causing so much trouble. "I ruined Christmas..."

"I'll just...Go get a ladder." Markus walked off while Simon gave Miles a sympathetic look.

"You didn't ruin Christmas buddy." The blond caretaker reassured. "You got a little stuck, is all, and the house will probably look good once we actually turn on the lights."

"You really mean it?" The RK300 blinked in confusion, looking around before humming and then nodding "They'll blink unsynchronized... Might make more colors..."

"Yep. We might get orange lights this year. Pretty cool Miles!" Tristan smiled appreciatively at Simon, mouthing a silent 'Thanks' while Markus returned with the ladder.

"While Markus deals with that, I should get started on the baking. Then Leo can help rig the rest of the lights." Simon stated, ignoring the look of horror on the brunet's face.

"Baking equals good smells and pretty shapes. You can go bake Simon!" Miles smiled more genuinely as he kicked his legs about, narrowly avoiding hitting Josh on the head. "Sorry."

"I'm good."

"Not until I get you down you're not." Markus quickly got to work freeing the two of them, while Artyum helped Tristan and Benji down from their own prisons.

---

By 20:00 pm, all of the decorations were set up, lights properly rigged, food and sweets cooked and baked, and guests arrived. Despite the hectic confusing day, the party turned out alright.

All around friends and extended family talked, laughed, enjoy Simon's splendid cooking and Carl's family eggnog recipe, and gifts were exchanged without incident.

Leo looked all around and sighed contentedly as he rested on the couch, enjoying the buzz of conversations going on in the background.

His eyelids drooped as he watched humans and androids alike relishing in the enjoyments that followed the usual inconveniences of Christmas.

There was no good without a bit of bad. If anything, all the stuff they'd gone through just to get everything nice and ready made it more rewarding.

The brunet nodded off peacefully... Only to wake up when the caroling began.

"Oh my god..." Leo put his pillow over his head and mentally screamed.

Fine. Almost worth it. Fucking Christmas carolers ruining everything. They were almost as bad as the Salvation Army!

#Eps Writes:#detroit: become human #detroit become human #fanfic #leo manfred #dbh markus #dbh simon #dbh josh #dbh north #there are ocs #merry christmas

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gorgxoxus · 2 years

Note

What are your top five favorite books? :D

Hi Meggie 💗

Top 5 favourite books:

1. A Waltz For Matilda by Jackie French. This was the first big book I was given as a 10 year old (it’s four hundred and something pages so it’s definitely long). It continues to be one of my favourite books and Jackie French continues to be a fabulous author. I’m actually reading a different Jackie French book right now for context.

2. The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson. It’s such a comfort read for me. It’s a book about two trans friends and it fills my heart with such warmth.

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This is the first book on this list that’s a recent read, but it’s definitely deserving of this spot!! I read it on kindle and then actually bought a physical copy of the book because it needed to be on my bookshelf!!

4. Red White Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston. I was thinking of a book that has stayed with me and this is the one from the last few years!! I reread it in January and it was just as iconic on a reread!

5. Am I Normal Yet? By Holly Bourne. Actually shoutout to the Spinster Club books, they are all great! Am I Normal Yet? Is definitely my favourite. The main character has OCD, but she also has friends, love interests, other hobbies and a full life. I also love the friendships developed in the Spinster Club books.

#btw I’m diversifying my reading these days and I’m reading more books from other countries and races but also I’m a white gal so sue me #if my faves are about white women mostly #also I think my top five is going to be constantly changing this year. it already has changed quite a bit in the last few months #xmeggiemoox

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gaycousinlarry · 6 years

Text

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation

*All answers should be about works published in 2017.

1. List of works published this year:

If the story is part of a series or a challenge I’ve put the name of the series/challenge in parenthesis.

In the order that they were posted

Them Butterflies (Them Butterflies)

Moments of Memories

You light up the room (short fics & drabbles)

They don’t know (short fics & drabbles)

Just for you (short fics & drabbles)

Follow the sun (short fics & drabbles)

Flutter of a Butterfly (Them Butterflies)

sun kissed (short fics & drabbles)

Hot Guy (short fics & drabbles)

Remind Me Again

the sun comes back up

a night like this (daydreams are made of this)

a day like a dream (daydreams are made of this)

It’s halftime. Are you ready to go? (50 reasons to Have Sex Larry Fic Fest)

deck the halls with boughs of holly (Larry Winter Drabble Challenge)

The rest under the cut <3

2. Work you are most proud of (and why): Them Butterflies will always have a very special place in my heart. It was the first fic I wrote/posted and that was a huge step for me. I also think it, in a way, set a tone for who I am as a writer lol. It gave me the courage to keep writing, to see what I’m good at and what I need to work on. I’m also so in love with the characters from this verse, I still think about them all the time.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why): Okay I’m going to be obnoxious now, but I’m sort of ridiculously proud of everything that I’ve written? Not because I think they’re all perfect or even particularly good, but because it was something I wrote and even if I don’t like it, it’s helped me get better. I do worry about what people will think of my writing and I always hope people will enjoy it. But I think I’ve never had too high expectations on my own writing because I literally just started writing a year ago and I’m still amazed that I write at all and that I love it so much haha.

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing: This is from Moments of Memories. These two break and mend my heart in equal parts and in some strange sort of way I feel honoured to have written about them.

And it’s so much more than Harry ever imagined. Because he always dreamed of butterflies in his stomach, shaky breaths and soft lips, and it is all that, but also calloused hands holding his face delicately, tears welling up in two pairs of eyes and lips wobbling into wide grins of equal parts disbelief and elation. His fingers find the deep lines at Louis’ temples, wiping at the wetness collected there and he thinks that from now on he doesn’t want to miss a single tear.

They break apart and breathe in the same air. Share another moment containing hundreds of moments, but this time it consists of moments that never were. Kisses never shared, tearful eyes that never had the opportunity to find comfort and understanding in each other. It is years spent apart that wore down their hearts and shrivelled their thoughts.

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received: I don’t think I can pick one. There are people who’ve told me my writing makes them cry, that it’s one of their favourite fics, that I’ve moved them and that they come back to read my stories again and again. I have no words to describe how much every single comment means, especially if someone take the time to say why they enjoyed the story. Okay now I’m weepy so I better stop.

6. A time when writing was really, really hard: I struggled quite a bit with Remind Me Again at times because the story was so intuitive to me and it’s difficult to get that to make sense to other people. I knew the feeling I wanted to get across, knew why things were happening the way they were, but the characters didn’t always make sense and sometimes it felt like I was swimming in an ocean of jumbled messy EMOTIONS that made no sense outside my own head. Thank to the gods Nic was there to pull my out of it. Over and over. And over again.

7. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I would say… no? The stories don’t always end up the way I thought they would, but I think they very rarely surprise me. I guess Remind Me Again was more of a continuous stream of revelations though haha. More like things falling into place than coming out of left field? I dunno.

8. How did you grow as a writer this year: Oh my god. I became a writer this year hahaha! I learned that all these thoughts and feelings (cheers to that if you don’t need them!) that I’ve carried around with me my whole life can be put down and other people can read it and enjoy the things that I’ve kept locked up for so long? Amaze.

What has helped me the most is HANDS DOWN working with the most incredible beta in the world, Nic @louandhazaf . She puts words to the mess that is the thoughts in my head and makes me sit down and think about why a character does something. She makes me see that sometimes less is more. Sometimes more is definitely more so why the frick aren’t I showing that? She makes me think more like a storyteller and a writer rather than just someone vomiting feelings into a computer.

9. How do you hope to grow next year: I’d like to get better at what I already think is my strength, which is stories that are emotionally/character driven. To understand that it’s okay to write like that, but that it also doesn’t mean it has to be all over the place heh.

I would however like to get better at world building and maybe, at least a little bit, dip my toes into more plot based stories…. okay that will literally never happen who am I kidding. I guess what I’d like is to get better at using the surroundings and symbols, to try to be more structured even when it comes to things beyond timelines and scenes.

I just want to keep writing and find new stories to write and characters to fall in love with and discover my own writing while doing that. I still feel extremely new to the process of writing so. I think I should be kind to myself and just let me enjoy it haha.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): NIIIIIIICCCC! <33333 I literally could never thank her enough. The thought and the time she’s put into helping me, to make my writing make sense to myself, to push me and question me and make me annoyed at myself because I kind of sort of already knew that didn’t make sense but I didn’t CARE and now she’s pointing to the mess and asks What is this? Why is it? but THEN we get to the best part which is when her questions makes me think and then new inspiration hits and all I want to do is write write write. I cannot believe my luck to have found you and get to call you my friend on top of that. Miracles and all that.

I also have to say, I read so much fic and this fandom has so much of it that is absolutely mind blowingly spectacular. I think reading is one of the best ways to become a better writer because it sort of… stretches out your mind and it makes you think about why that writer made you belly drop to the bottom of the ocean with just one word. God I love the writers of this fandom so incredibly much, your words mean so much to me, both as a writer and as a like... human being.

11. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: I have read and related to m/m fic since I was very young. It’s been a way for me to escape reality but also find comfort in characters that are more like me than heteronormative mainstream stories. Then this year I started reading f/f and my world tilted off its axis and put a billions thoughts in my head that I thought I was done dealing with a thousand years ago. Then I sat down and wrote girl direction myself and yeah. Gods I love girls.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: BE KIND TO YOURSELF! Honestly the fact that you’ve written anything at all is AMAZING. Every single word you put on that page is wonderful. If you don’t let yourself explore and need everything to be perfect from the start, it won’t be fun and you’ll never learn more. You learn by making mistakes and just writing, no matter what it is. Betas, editing and rewriting are the magical words.

13. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: -Oh gosh. I’m reaaaally looking forward to posting my Hope Floats AU that will probably come out in January. I have worked on it since this summer and it’s made me sweat and cry and laugh. Cannot wait to show it to you guys and I’m so happy @curleduphl is doing amazing artwork for it <3

-I’ll continue writing my girl direction series. I have the next part planned out, I just need to… write it.

-I have a “summer nights” fic that I hope to write. They’re teenagers and it’s summer and Louis skates at the park every night and Harry cannot stop staring. I already have a playlist for it soooo… haha.

-Louis babysits Harry’s cat and has a deep and meaningful conversation with the cat about his feelings for her Papa.

-Omega/Omega fic. I love ABO fics and I’ve had this idea forever. I hope I can gather up the guts to actually write it. Friends to lovers and ridiculous amounts of pining.

-I would also like to write a snippet from the Them Butterflies series. They are at a lake house with their friends and Harry has been really quiet over the past few days.

-THE INCREDIBLE AMAZING IDEA THAT WILL COME TO ME ANY SECOND NOW

14. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read. ;)

I don’t know if you’ve been tagged before but I’d love to read this from @haloeverlasting @rosegoldhl @indiaalphawhiskey <3333

#hhsjkfh this was so fun to do!#thanks for tagging me <3 #my writing

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miasswier · 6 years

Text

miasswier’s ultimate glee ranking: no 84

84: Sexy

Written by: Brad Falchuk Directed by: Ryan Murphy

Overall Thoughts: This is the last episode in a small crop of “I don’t really dislike this episode, but I don’t really like it that much either” episodes. It’s at the top because I really like the way the Klaine/Kurt and Brittana stories are dealt with, but still so low on my ranking list because I just can’t stand the other stories in this episode.

What I Like:

The Brittana story is finally picking up speed, and it’s so amazing to watch. First of all, I love that it was Brittany who made the effort to get the conversation going, not only because Santana never would have, but also because it shows that Brittany does truly and deeply care about Santana (something that doesn’t always come across). I like that they made the decision to talk to an adult (even if their choice in adult was questionable, but to be fair, who else would they talk to), that they followed through with singing the song, and that they had that very important conversation at the end. It’s so amazing to see Santana be open and honest about her feelings for Brittany, in a way she’s never been with anybody else. She isn’t trying to get with Brittany for status, or because she knows it’ll piss someone else off, or for revenge, or anything like that. She just wants to be with Brittany, and that comes across so perfectly in this absolutely heartwrenching scene. God, I love that scene.

Also, this is such a small thing, but I felt so emotional when Santana was telling Brittany that she thinks sex is better when it doesn’t involve feelings, because we now know that the person she’s saying that to? Is her future wife. HER WIFE. God.

“I’m not following” “It’s jazzercise, Will, it’s not that hard”

Kurt looking so offended when Blaine says he doesn’t think people know who Joan Armatrading is.

That whole scene with Kurt/Blaine/Sue

Look, honestly, just everything about Klaine in this episode. The “Animals” sequence, Kurt looking like he thinks Blaine saying “we’ll figure something out” means he’s going to have sex with him to show him the ropes, Kurt being so terrible at being sexy, “The touch of the fingertips is as sexy as it gets”, Kurt looking so upset at the idea of Blaine having slept with people before (because you know that’s what he really meant when he said he didn’t want to know the graphic details)... Just. Everything.

The scene with Blaine and Burt (which I think is also the first scene we see with just Blaine and another character without Kurt involved?)

The sex talk scene with Kurt and Burt.

Seriously, I always seem to forget that there such a huge Klaine story in this episode and it always surprises me in the best possible way.

“It’s pretty cool that our girlfriends are such good friends. Wish you and I were that close.”

“Wait, cucumbers can give you AIDS?” “Seriously? Because I just had some on my salad.”

What I Don’t Like:

Santana manipulating Brittany into cheating on Artie by telling her it isn’t cheating because “the plumbing’s different”. Yikes.

Santana immediately telling Tina about Brittany being pregnant when Brittany specifically asked her not to tell anyone.

Holly Holiday.

More specifically, the way that Holly Holiday doesn’t seem to be able to realize that it’s possible to be sex-positive without shaming people who choose not to have sex. She makes some really good points about wanting to educate the kids about safe sex, which I think is really, really important, but then she takes it too far and starts calling the kids who openly say they don’t want to have sex “frigid”.

On the other side of the spectrum, I’m really annoyed that Emma has taken her own issues regarding sexuality and is trying to use them to stop kids from learning about sex in a safe environment. She, like most abstinence-only educators, seems to be under the impression that if they simply don’t teach teenagers about sex, they won’t have it. That’s false. They will have it, it’ll just be unsafe, and more likely to result in an STI or a pregnancy.

The whole Holly and Will romance was so unnecessary and ate up way too much time in this episode and in “Night of Neglect”.

Glee never fully fleshed out Emma’s issues with sex and sexuality. Here we have her as a married woman who still hasn’t had sex, even though she’s been married for four months. The only reason we’re given for that is that she’s still in love with Will, but I’m not satisfied with that. She has clearly had issues with sex from before she was in love with Will, so obviously it’s not just that she’s specifically waiting for Will for this. Is it because of her OCD? Sex is messy, there’s no escaping that, and there’s only so much showering and laundry you can do before and after the fact. Is Emma asexual? Demisexual? The way the show portrays her very clearly points to demisexual, but she claims to love Carl, so why hasn’t sexual desire followed that deep emotional connection? What is it about Will, specifically, that makes her so unwilling to have sex with anyone else, even her fucking husband? GIVE ME MORE, GLEE, I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR LAME “she loves Will so she won’t sleep with Carl” EXCUSE. Especially since we know she doesn’t even sleep with Will until they’ve been dating for a whole season (and when they do they do it in the worst possible way ugh).

Similarly, I really wish we’d gotten to see more in regards to Kurt and his relationship with sex. I think it’s really cool that they created a male character whose entire world didn’t just revolve around jumping into bed with the first person who would let him (though I do find it a little suspicious that the character they chose for this just so happened to be the gay one), but they didn’t really follow it up with anything. There was one attempted scene at follow up in “The First Time” that got cut, but even that was lame and clearly meant for comedic purposes, not actual character analysis. Kurt very clearly has zero interest in sex when this episode airs, not even seemingly in the idea of sex. Yet by the time “The First Time” airs, it’s Kurt who is pushing for more, who is growing frustrated with the boundaries they’ve set. So what changed? Similarly, after Kurt and Blaine start having sex, it’s clear that Kurt’s relationship to sex changes. We see it in “I Do”, we see it in “Previously Unaired Christmas”, but we never get anything explicit about it. It’s implied that Kurt and Adam have had sex, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d slept with Walter, but again, it’s never explicitly stated. Kurt is a character who was shown to not care about sex, then want to have sex but only with one person, then implied to be more open about sex, but we never got to see the journey of that or even get one small conversation about it. Even if there had just been a scene between Kurt and Rachel, or Kurt and Santana in season four talking about how his relationship to sex changed, I would have been happy. But we never get that. Instead, we get a whole lot of character development but with nothing specific to back it up, so it ends up looking almost inconsistent. It’s too bad, because I think this could have been a really cool story to tell, that also could have dealt with homophobic stereotypes and Kurt’s self-esteem issues.

Puck and Lauren’s story has always made me uncomfortable, but now it absolutely makes my skin crawl.

Ugh, seriously. Holly Holiday. Why does she even exist.

Songs:

Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah): Eh, it’s an okay song, and it’s cool how everyone gets into it, but it’s definitely not an appropriate song to be singing to students. For once, I agree with Will – too much.

Animal: This song is fantastic, and the performance is hilarious and just plain fun. I love it. I LOVE IT.

Kiss: I’m indifferent towards the song, but considering how much I dislike both Will and Holly it just makes me dislike the whole thing.

Landslide: Listen, I love this song. I really do. I love it with all my heart. It’s probably one of my all-time favourite Glee covers. That being said, why, oh why, did Holly have to sing this one with Brittany and Santana?! Especially considering she sings the whole damn song?!!?!?! Like, okay, I guess I could kind of justify it as Santana not feeling comfortable really singing her feelings for Brittany in front of everyone, so she wanted to hide behind a teacher to do it, but really it just feels like an excuse to make a moment that should have just been about Brittana also about Will/Holly. Ugh.

Afternoon Delight: Ah, I love it when Glee uses music to be funny. This performance is hilarious, and so is the reactions of everyone listening (especially Brittany, who is just genuinely enjoying it).

Final Thoughts: I don’t know why so many of the best Brittana episodes are so terrible in every other aspect. Granted, this one has a lot of awesome Klaine content too, but seriously, everything else is bad. It sucks, too, because the past few episodes have been so good, and obviously “Original Song” is fantastic, so what was the deal with this episode? This, and “A Night of Neglect” break up what could have been an amazing streak of episodes between 2x12 and 2x22. That would have probably been the longest running group of episodes that are just legitimately amazing. But no. Ugh.

#ultimate glee ranking

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saintdaphne-blog1 · 7 years

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❝ there was a foundation of wildness and bravery in her ❞

( intro post + tag dump )

DAPHNE RATTIGAN ( THE MISSIONARY ) is a 21 year old HETEROSEXUAL FEMALE that hails from LONDON, ENGLAND. They have been in Orlando for A FEW DAYS and are making a living as an YOUTH MINISTER. Some people say they look a lot like SOPHIE TURNER and it’s been said that they are fated to end up with ( THE CARETAKER ).

hi ! i’m holly, i’m from australia, and this is my sweet bby gal and my second character here. below is a brief rundown of daphne and her history + personality, and i’m sure more will develop over time. this page will absolutely get updated as time goes on.

>>> please give this a LIKE if you’d like to plot/interact !! <<<

B A S I C S

positive traits: genuine, caring, sweet, charitable, clever

negative traits: nervous, shy, naive, awkward, submissive

can speak tetum and portuguese as a result of living in east timor for two years

never been kissed wow

ironic that the eternal virgin is born on valentines day, but here we are

super modest about everything to the point where it’s a little self-deprecating

( she’s a little more aware of it now as an adult, and is embarrassed by it )

gets sunburnt?? all the time

will work herself to death and has gone hours w/o food or sleep bc of it

loves kids!! her favourite youth group to run back home is the one with the younger kids

catholic but has spent so many youth groups talking about homosexuality, abortion, etc., and why god would love you either way ( and why bigotry is literally what jesus fought against )

wears a little wooden rosary bracelet around her wrist, with the exception of showering/sleeping, no matter where she is

softly spoken, polished accent

loves candles, tea, and mugs; is allergic to shellfish; morning person and mum friend

H I S T O R Y

pretty average family in terms of finances and size in london

grew up attending catholic schools and became very invested in her faith

became a young youth minister with her church, helping run youth groups and retreats

instead of going on her end-of-school holidays, she finished her year top of her classes and signing up for two years of relief work at a parish in laga, east timor with her church

as a result of proving herself in laga and back home, she signed up for a global ministry, where they send young people all over the world to share in

her office is a safe space for people to escape, even more so than the small recreational and meeting room adjacent. there’s small plants everywhere, a full bowl of lollipops, and tea everywhere

she’s also made sure the meeting room’s aesthetic matches and that there’s stuff there to entertain people, especially books

in terms of romance, daphne has never even had a crush on someone really, and whenever she did she was too shy to do anything about it

( definitely 100% had a crush on the actor who played claudio when she saw much ado about nothing, but that doesn’t count )

has only just moved into town. her flat is modest and light and near the church, and is currently struggling to find her way around

#never had the sky been more studded with stars ( ic )#a sensation of april and dawn ( ooc )#there was a dew in her eyes ( fc )#the sigh of a faraway song ( aes )#more of a lark than a dove ( musings )#fatedintro

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flamehairedwritings · 5 years

Text

The Christmas Tree

Characters: Evelyn (Carnahan) O’Connell x Rick O’Connell

Words: 822

Rating: M, 16+ ONLY

A/N: Hello! Welcome to Christmas Drabbles 2018! For the next seven days I’ll be posting a drabble every dang day with a festive theme. I hope you enjoy and happy holidays!

Summary: Based on the prompts ‘TREE DECORATING (bonus points if one of them is doing it completely wrong omg why am i in love with you) & person a seducing person b into taking a few steps back/backing them against the wall (”oh look, how did that mistletoe get right there????”)’ by angeliiiic

MASTERLIST

CHRISTMAS DRABBLES 2018 MASTERLIST

Please don’t copy, steal or repost my work; credit does not count.

“Evy... Evy... Evelyn. Evelyn, this will go a lot faster if you stop laughing.”

Rick O’Connell tried not to smile at the sight of his wife half bent over the back of his favourite armchair in an effort to hold herself up, trying to regain control of her breathing.

“I’m so— I’m sorry, darling,” she managed to gasp out, pushing herself up and wiping stray tears from her cheeks.

Pressing her lips together in an attempt to halt any more laughter, Evy surveyed her husband’s handiwork.

The tree they so carefully picked out together looked like... Well, she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to quite find the words to describe it. Tinsel was wrapped, not around the tree as was traditional, but from bottom to top, woven between branches. Ribbons of different colours were tied to random branches in no sort of pattern or order. Every single porcelain bauble they owned was also hanging on the tree haphazardly, dangerously close to the edges of the branches. And was that a bunch of grapes hidden in the middle? Most wonderfully of all, though, was a halo of tinsel wrapped around Rick’s head.

Folding her arms, Evy beamed at him as she rounded the armchair. “What was the question, darling?”

Looking down at her from where he stood on the top step of the ladder, Rick waved the candles in his hands. “Do you put candles on top or on the edges of the branches—”

“Definitely not on the edges. Just one goes on top.”

“All right.” Tossing all candles but one over his shoulder into the chair behind him, he produced another ribbon, from where she didn’t know, and attached it to the branch at the top of the tree.

Then, he held his arms out and turned to her. “Am I done now?”

“Yes, I think you are.”

Watching him climb down from the ladder, Evy couldn’t stop smiling. Jumping down from the second to bottom step, he moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she leaned it against his shoulder.

“Do you like it?” he murmured.

“I absolutely love it,” she whispered, tilting her chin up to brush her nose against his jaw.

“Still glad you let me do it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Liar.”

He smiled as his lips found hers and stopped her protestations, turning her towards his body. Her arms slid around his waist as she leaned in to him, their lips moving gently.

“Mmh...” she hummed after a few moments, drawing her head back. “I have to finish wrapping presents—”

“Presents? Mmh, what have you got me, sweetheart?” he murmured against her lips, having chased them as she moved, both arms wrapping around her waist.

“I am not telling you, Richard O’Connell,” Evy laughed as she tried to turn her head away, walking backwards.

Rick moved with her, turning his attention to her jaw and neck as he made a low sound. “Did you just full name me, Mrs O’Connell?”

“I believe I just did, Mr O’Connell, so pay attention and take me seriously.” She was nearly bent backwards once more, this time over his arms, in her effort to avoid his sinfully delicious kisses.

“I always take you seriously, ma’am. Very seriously.”

The words were murmured into her ear and had her knees weakening slightly. Thank goodness he was supporting her. As always.

Oh, stop it.

She still had a shred of resistance left in her.

“Good. So release me, you cad, and let me get on with my work. You have to finish the rest of the decorations.”

“I’ve finished them.”

“Oh, really? So the stream of holly and ivy half hanging off of the banister is intentional?”

“Yes.”

“As is the wreath lying at the floor outside the front door?”

“Yes.”

“And the abundance of clementines that have fallen down the stairs, too?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderful.” She pushed at his shoulders as she tried to straighten up, biting at the inside of her cheek to stop a smile.

“Well, there is one thing I haven’t put up yet,” Rick interjected, easily keeping her against him whilst shifting her to his other arm.

“Oh, really? And what’s that?”

One corner of his mouth lifted as he moved a hand behind her ear, then swiftly pulled it back, a tied bunch of mistletoe suddenly between his fingers. “Oh, gosh, what’s this?”

Slowly lifting it above their heads, he arched an eyebrow as he watched her, unsuccessfully, fight off a smile.

“I am not impressed—”

“You are so impressed, sweetheart.” Lowering his head, he brushed his lips against hers, catching her lower one slightly as he murmured, “You know, I know quite a few other tricks, too...”

A wide smile spread across her lips as she tilted her head back and he bowed his own, beginning to trail a line of kisses down her neck.

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged or removed in my future work!

Tagged: @persephone-divine, @jobean12-blog

#the mummy #rick o'connell #evy carnahan #rick o'connell x evy carnahan #rick o'connell x evy o'connell #the mummy fanfiction #flamehairedwritings #my writing #the mummy 1999 #christmas drabbles 2018

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welcome-to-panic-station · 7 years

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@icantgetitright-sinceimetyou tagged me a few weeks ago but since i’m almost never on my computer and also i’m abysmal at completing tasks, it took me until now to do this. thank you for tagging me!! i love being included in things!!

1. Rules: Answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better.

A - Age: i don’t know about you but... (22)

B - Birthplace: bay area C - Current Time: 22:07

D - Drink You Last Had: trader joe’s hard cider E - Easiest Person To Talk To: depends what i’m talking about, but my drift-compatible former roommates laine and marb let me ramble at them about all my interests F - Favourite Song: i definitely don’t have just one but people do associate mr brightside with me and i’m never not jazzed to hear it G - Grossest Memory: not sure, so i’m taking this question as an excuse to tell you that when i was a child i dropped a dolphin cerebellum on my sweater because i didn’t know it was not attached to the cerebrum. the formaldehyde smell really... lingers H - Horror Yes or Horror No: B horror only, or horror comedy. i’m talking grabbers, sharknado, evil dead, etc I - In Love: probably not capable of that but it sure is a concept! J - Jealous of People: more than i’d care to admit, but i keep it in check K - Killed Someone: nice try, nsa L - Love At First Sight Or Should I Walk By Again: lust maybe M - Middle Name: lee, which i might use as my first name in the future since it’s less obviously feminine and i like to be hired N - Number of Siblings: nothing but cats O - One Wish: no more fascism, which i really think shouldn’t be too much to ask but here we are P - Person You Called Last: my “twin” nicole (a close friend from nerd camp) Q - Question You Are Always Asked: “is that [necklace] a tattoo?” (it isn’t) R - Reason to Smile: my cat, whom i love and cherish T - Time You Woke Up: 7:15 today U - Underwear Colour: cobalt blue V - Vacation Destination: i’d like to go back to scotland, but my parents are on a switzerland trip and the photos they keep sending me look pretty cool there too W - Worst Habit: dermatillomania, if that counts as a “habit” X - X-rays: i’m unclear on the question but i’ve had x rays taken before (of the foot that did not have glass embedded in it, because the doctor had a troubling misunderstanding of left/right) Y - Your favourite food: today it’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups but tomorrow it’ll probably be pesto tortellini Z - Zodiac Sign: libra

***

2. Rules: answer 20 questions and tag 20 people

Nickname: ellenm, ellie, ellen page, thunderwhore (i only know how to play smash as pikachu and i’m extremely annoying when i do), elle belle (only my mom calls me this)

Zodiac: libra

Height: 5′7″ or 170 cm

last thing i googled: “5 feet 7 inches in cm”

Favorite music artist: well uhhhhhhhh i’m gonna have to go with muse

Song stuck in my head: learn to let go / kesha

Last movie i saw: grabbers, which is also my favorite movie, and i made some friends watch it

What am i wearing right now?: maroon tank top, beige bra, blue panties, and some salsa i dripped onto my leg

Why did a chose my URL?: i mean... you’ve seen the masterpiece that is panic station right

Do you have any other blogs?: my main is hyacinth-willow, and my aesthetic sideblog is witchofthewest-coast

What did your last relationship teach you?: if you stay in a relationship because you think it’s the best you can do, you’re better off single whether you can do better or not (and you most likely can do better)

Religious or spiritual: free-form witch, so spiritual i guess

Favorite color: pastel mint-turquoise, or deep red

Average hours of sleep: seven ish? i’m trying to shift the whole thing earlier though

Lucky number: thirteen

Favourite characters: when i was much younger i felt that annabeth chase (percy jackson books) was me put onto paper; i also love nyneave, elayne, and egwene (wheel of time, which i’m currently reading), holly belladonna (my d&d character), mustang and victra (red rising books), finn, rey, and poe (star wars vii), inej and nina (six of crows), blue (raven boys), scully and mulder (x files), ephraim and alex (dissent webcomic)

How many blankets do you sleep with: one in the summer, as many as possible in the winter

Dream job: virologist, which i already am, but with a phd and working in a bsl-4 in a place that’s not an hour from the closest target and chipotle

i figure anyone following me is already seen this make the rounds or been tagged but if you haven’t, then i’m tagging you specifically (if you want)

#stuff about me for once #not muse

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dat-town · 7 years

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Coffee taste (m)

Characters: Min Yoongi & You

Genre: fluff, smut (just a prolonged foreplay though)

Summary: As in what happens when you disturb your boyfriend late at night in his studio uninvited and try to lure him home.

Warnings: mild dirty talk and light sexual content

Words: 2963

I blame my late night conversation with @taetaeby about sweets, coffee and Yoongi.

“Come on, take a break.”

If there were a list of things you definitely shouldn’t tell Min Yoongi, that would be at the top of it right after Hey, wake up, sleepy head. Still, you get no reaction from the young man sitting in the chair in front the computer illuminated by its fluorescent light. His fingers are constantly typing, clicking, pausing or drumming to the beat that’s coming from his headphones. He is so lost in his music that he is completely unfazed by his surroundings. You take a few steps towards him after closing the door shut with a quiet click and setting aside the bag in your hands. You have always found the so-called Genius Lab cozy with its worn leather couch and stylish furniture decorated with memories of its owner’s most cherished or life-changing moments: a museum of photos, awards, CDs and let’s not forget about the iconic Kumamon plushies either.

Your steps come to a halt just to stand behind the swivel chair that provides you a better view of what Yoongi is currently working on. Not that you know anything about music softwares, so the only thing you comprehend is that he’s still staring at the same file he opened two days ago when you were in. Based on the empty pizza and Chinese take-out boxes in the corner it looks like he didn’t move around a lot in the meantime and you sigh at the collection of various neglected energy drinks on the wooden table. You gently pull off the headphones you bought for him last Christmas and place it around his neck while you bend down to rest your chin on his shoulder.

“Hey,” you greet him in a soft murmur, pressing a short peck on his nape which finally jerks him out of the trance. You feel the muscles in his shoulders tense immediately because he certainly didn’t expect a visitor in the middle of the night and your fingers move quickly to soothe him by applying light pressure on the uptight area.

“Oh shit, it’s late, right? I forgot about time,” cusses fly out of Yoongi’s mouth followed by a tired yawn and you can tell from his raspy, deep voice that he hasn’t spoken out loud in a while. Which means he didn’t really have company during the past days.

“It’s okay,” you reassure him like the patient girlfriend you are even if you hate sleeping in the cold king-sized bed alone. You had been well aware of his life style and perfectionism when you started dating after being just friends for years. You admire him for being so invested in music, living so diligently to his passion but you are willing to be that person who stops him if he overdoes it. Someone has to make sure he takes care of his health and doesn’t forget about his family and friends either.

Your hands smooth down on his hoodie-covered arms and when you reach his pale, bony fingers, both of you instinctively move to intertwine them with yours. “Let’s go. You need to get some rest,” you nudge him lightly, whispering into his skin that’s still faintly mint-scented despite the previous days without seeing daylight much less taking a decent shower.

“Soon. I’ll just finish this beat,” Yoongi promises hastily while he brings your hand close to his face and you feel his slightly chapped lips brushing over your knuckles lovingly. Even though his affectionate gesture sends shivers down your spine, you know better: in his dictionary soon means another hour then one more again and so on. The never-ending battle with his own expectations to create something perfect: he won’t stop until he’s satisfied with the track and that takes a lot of time. You can’t blame him because good things take time and the outcome is always jaw-dropping: a heart-stirring song you could cry on or a rap track you would be hyped for. However, it means a lot more nights spent alone. An unintended whine escapes your throat.

“You haven’t come home yesterday and the day before either,” you remind him trying not to pout but failing miserably. The disappointment must colour your voice too because Yoongi turns in his chair and looks at you with those sincere eyes as black as his favourite coffee.

“You know what it’s like with inspiration.”

It sounds like an apology you don’t want to hear. You understand and respect his love for music and his loyalty to his fans but you won’t let him work himself to death.

“I know,” you mutter with an acknowledging nod because during the last nine months of your relationship and ever before, as soon as you miraculously became friends with him over a cup of coffee, you promptly learned how it is when he gets into the zone. You literally had to drag him out last time when he was in this phase before their latest comeback. You mercilessly threatened him to visit Holly, his beloved dog in his hometown alone and bless your acting skills, he believed that and crawled out of his cave. Somehow you figured, the trick won’t work multiple times. So you adapt to the circumstances with a sigh. “I kind of already knew you would say that so I bought you coffee and sweets just in case your supply ran out.”

You draw back a little and pull out two cups of sweetened coffee from the bag set aside along with a package of colourful french fancies you bought at that fancy patisserie open 24/7 down the corner to ensure his normal blood sugar level. Of course, you also brought decent food: a serving of black bean noodles and spicy rice cake.

“You are an angel.” Your boyfriend exclaims with widened eyes, sitting up straight and he licks his lower lip at the sight. You just smile at his eagerness and hold out wooden chopsticks for him which he takes still dazed. “What did I do to deserve you? I must have saved the world in my earlier life.”

“Probably,” you laugh it off, a pink blush heating up your cheeks as you watch him attacking the sauced pasta. He doesn’t talk much while he’s munching on the food but he has always been softspoken. You’re glancing at the luminescent light of the clock on the shelf and it shows a little over 1AM.

Your boyfriend lets out a content sigh patting his now full stomach and tosses away the empty box. He wash away the taste of spicy food with big gulps of coffee and you swallow hard at the sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing. You can’t even argue with that fan claiming she would sue Yoongi because he really is a dangerous man. Who else could turn you on just by looking hella fine while drinking?

“I really needed this, thanks,” he rewards you with a grateful smile after he finishes the cup, and then turns back towards his computer to continue working.

You almost unconsciously slip off the table you’ve been sitting on the last fifteen minutes while Yoongi devoured the food you bought him. You know that you should probably go and leave him work in peace so he can come home in the morning and make it up to you. But you’re needy when it comes to his presence and you don’t want to leave yet, at least not alone. So you slip into his personal space trying not to block his view and unceremoniously sit on his lap sideways with your legs swinging on his left. You act like you don’t know what it does to him even though his tense grip on the computer mouse makes his knuckles turn white. Leaving it without comment, you casually stretch yourself to reach the package of pastries across him as if it was your sole purpose of closing the distance between you.

You open the plastic bag noisily to take out a strawberry flavoured dessert. As soon as the typing sound dies away in the background, you can sense Yoongi’s hungry gaze on you and try your best not to smile. The pastry looks delicious but when you hold it to him, he shakes his head dismissing your kind offer. Though, his dark eyes are still trained on you absorbedly and you dare to maintain the eye contact as you ever so slowly bite into the sweetness.

Eventually you end up smiling when the rapper’s breath hitch in his throat.

“Babe...”

It’s a warning, you know well but it doesn’t stop you from innocently licking the sugar off of your fingers that became sticky because of the frosting.

“Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to come home? To freshen up a little? We can shower together and then cuddle,” you murmur, your lips barely touching Yoongi’s ears but his hands suddenly find their way on your waist and his grip immediately tightens.

“Hm... tempting,” he lets out a shuddering breath and you enjoy the effect you have on him until you can. Most of the times he’s too composed to let you have the upperhand so it’s always thrilling to have a chance. He’s a little emotionally reserved, rarely allowing his feelings to be shown but right now he’s too tired to put on a mask and you shamelessly try to make the best out of it.

“Well, that’s what I was aiming for,” you admit with a cute giggle while your fingers are tangling in his soft locks. You press an unexpected peck on his cheek again but Yoongi takes you by surprise as he greedily chases after your sugary lips. He’s still a little tired so the kiss is kind of chaste and sloppy but you love it nonetheless. The coffee washed away the spiced flavours leaving nothing but the bittersweet caffeine aroma on his lips. Shakily you have to grab ahold of your boyfriend’s shoulders while he’s stroking your thigh through the thin fabric of your jeans. You kiss like this for what feels like hours and your limbs slowly turn into jelly at Yoongi’s light touches. You open your mouth instantly with a sigh when his tongue licks at your sugar-coated lips seeking entrance. The way the sweet taste of dessert and the bitterness of coffee mixes overwhelms you and before you could stop yourself, you let out a whimper in pleasure.

Yoongi pulls away with a light groan, panting heavily into your neck with his breath hitting on your heated skin.

“If you keep that up baby girl, even if we make it home, we won't sleep soon.”

You are already breathless from the kissing but the nickname and the implication that slips out of his mouth so casually really knocks out all the air from your lungs. You remind yourself that you came here with a purpose and you won’t be deceived so easily into thinking that it was his idea all along.

“You said you need to finish that damn beat so do it,” you provoke him, just a little and your daring gaze follows the way Yoongi’s tongue wets his lips. Both of you know that it’s a challenge but also a clear innuendo.

Finish what you started is one of Yoongi’s most common used line when it comes to you. He can be a teasing little shit in the bedroom but pretends not to like when you tease him (but oh, he does love it very much). You know exactly how to rile him up and he knows how to push your buttons to conjure up those sweet sounds he adores so much. Sometimes he’s rough and into dirty talk, whispering sinful things into your ear, telling you how much he’d like to record those filthy moans that leave your mouth and maybe include them in his next mixtape. His skillful, fire-spitting tongue and teeth are always on the mission of mapping out your whole body while he holds you down not letting you to touch him, torturing you in the best way possible and only allows you to have your release if you beg him like a good girl. But other times, he’s so gentle as if you were made of porcelain and his gentle touches are sorrys for the purple bruises and love bites he left earlier even though you love the way he marks you and makes you his. His butterfly kisses on your hot skin are full of praises, his mouth engraving silent I love yous on the canvas of your body while he makes love to you oh so good.

“Okay,” Yoongi shrugs nonchalantly, tugging the headphone back on one ear and starts revising the track, replaying it again and again leaving you disappointed and untouched like a doll in a vitrine.

You have no idea because he looks so put together as always that but deep down inside it’s killing him to resist and deny you what you want. Still, he acts like he’s unaffected by your charm and focuses on the unfinished melody while you watch silently as he works. You love observing him when he writes lyrics or produces a song, it's always so inspirational. But tonight, you aren’t in mood for inspiration. It's late and you want to go home. With him.

Your patience only lasts for a few more minutes and while your lips graze his earrings, you can’t see but rather feel Yoongi’s cunning smirk. He knows you too well, he knew you would break eventually, a lot sooner than he would give in because you aren’t as stubborn as him.

You plant a kiss under his ear, then right under his jaw, at the corner of his mouth and then on his plump pink lips. You expect him to stop you, to tell you to leave him alone for a bit but he surprises you once again and you gasp loudly when he finally kisses you back with fervor. His hands cup your face keeping you close while you lick the taste of iced americano out of his mouth and savour it. He always tastes like coffee. bitter and sweet at the same time, it's addictive, really.

“Impatient, are we? You really want me that much, huh?” He chuckles sneaking a hand under the hem of your shirt so he can caress the soft skin of your stomach.

“So bad,” you admit without shame and your eyes flutter half-closed at the wonders his long, pianist fingers are doing to your skin leaving goosebumps behind. You can’t even protest, not when he asks you so nicely. But who could blame you? When a comeback or concert tour is nearing, you see your boyfriend less often and he’s always so stressed, you rarely have time to be intimate. It’s been a while and you missed feeling him close.

“You couldn’t even wait until I finish. You’re so spoiled, princess,” Yoongi clicks his tongue disapprovingly and you feel arousal licking your veins at the authoritative tone of his smooth voice. The small studio suddenly feels too hot. Perhaps you like it a little too much when he takes charge. You can’t seem to shake off the memories of him blindfolding you and tying you up completely leaving you at his mercy and you think you could get off on that thought alone. But why bother if he was right here?

“Will you punish me for being bad?” you ask seductively, fluttering your eyelashes at him while your naughty fingers dance down on Yoongi’s chest until the button of his jeans and you tease it just to test the waters without taking your eyes off of him.

“Maybe,” he replies after a moment or two of nerve-wrecking silence and his raspy voice sends shivers down your spine. The anticipation is building up quickly as you bury your fingers into Yoongi’s soft raven hair you adore so much and he wastes no time to crash your lips together. As you devour each other you can still feel the sleepiness in your boyfriends’ lazy moves but you find it too attractive to complain about it. Maybe he will make you do all the work tonight, but you wouldn’t regret it one bit.

The way his calloused fingers tap on the small of your back makes you bold and he growls into your mouth when you sit a little too close to his sensitive part.

“I changed my mind…” he pants heavily as he pulls back but you’re no better when a whine escapes your mouth. You can’t help the tremble either that shakes you to the core when his rough voice whispers those dirty words so close to your ear, his teeth gently nipping at your earlobe. “You’re definitely going to get punished. You’ll regret playing with me, baby girl.”

You know that he’s dead serious because he doesn’t joke about these things. Yet, it’s not fear but excitement that makes your blood boil. He’s like fire, burning hot but you’re reckless enough to seek this intoxicating sensation.

“Really? Because so far you’ve been all talk but no action,” you say trying to keep your voice as calm as possible but it cracks when Yoongi’s fingers teasingly play with the clasp of your lacy bra under your shirt. Staring into his darkened coffee brown orbs, you can pinpoint the exact moment when he snaps. He dives in to lock lips with you quickly and roughly one last time before he pats your butt silently ordering you to stand up. As you obediently do that, you can see the mischievous glint in Yoongi’s eyes and the dangerous curve of his mouth promising you a long, long night.

“Okay, you won. Let’s go home.”

And oh, winning never felt so sweet.

#bangtan bookclub #bts scenarios #suga scenarios #bts smut #suga smut #bts fluff #suga fluff #stories

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patheticphallacy · 5 years

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This is a tag I always see making its rounds on YouTube and in the blogsphere, and while I don’t do many tags anymore (that aren’t related to music, you can pry the Playlist Book Tag from my cold, dead hands) I saw a few really great takes on the tag and looked at the questions and figured this is one for me!

A little about my reading history:

Since April of 2018, I’ve found myself enjoying reading more than I have since around 2013 when I first joined the book community. It’s become a lot more personal and just reading on a whim, not hesitating to DNF and leave things half-read until I’m interested in the book again. My memories of what I read is a lot stronger, even though I’m reading more.

At this point in the year I’ve read 170 things, mostly manga and comics, which I’m honestly really happy about as they make me happiest as I read them. That also means I have a lot to choose from in my answers.

Without further ado: the questions!

1) BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019?

Okay, so a lot of my top books happen to be horror, and I promise you that’s purely accidental.

The Elementals by Michael McDowell: 80’s horror where two families journey to their Summer houses after the death of one of the matriarchs and find themselves at the hands of not just the elements, but forces that reside in the land.

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell: A gothic told across three different points of view centred around a widow who travels to her late husbands estate and is tormented by strange wood carvings who seemingly move by themselves.

Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl: A year after the death of her boyfriend, a teenager journeys out to visit her estranged friends, only for them to end up stuck in a time loop repeating the same day until they can come to a unanimous decision on which one of them deserves to live.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: Horror classic where four people travel to Hill House and experience strange hauntings that begin to send them mad. Also highly recommend the Netflix show!

Teen Dog by Jake Lawrence: The coming-of-age graphic novel with anthropomorphic animals you never knew you needed. Full of innocent existentialism and themes of growing up!

2) BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019?

They aren’t sequels, but these are my favourite volumes in longer series! It counts! They are all follow ups to previous volumes!

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 9 by Hiromu Arakawa: If there was a Connie has to go more than 5 posts without mentioning FMA challenge, I would lose. Literally the best possible conclusion to this series, it broke my heart.

Haikyuu!! Volume 2 by Haruichi Furudate: My review for this on Goodreads was literally just ‘Oikawa AND Nishinoya?! In one volume?! I’m having a crisis!’ which sums up me reading this whole series.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Volume 3 by Hideyuku Furuhashi: Volume 2 of this series was an absolute goddamn mess but this volume? Wow. My review if you want to read me lose my mind. Some spoilers for extra content and some characters, but it’s not really overly spoiling plot points.

No.6 Volume 5 by Atsuko Asano: I have gone on so many spiels to my best friend about how amazing this series is. It honestly deserves recognition for being a very thought provoking and character driven dystopian, the character development is truly a work of art and I wish I could write a world and dynamics as well as Atsuko Asano does.

3) NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT WANT TO?

I can’t really give much information on these seeing as I haven’t read them, so sorry everyone!

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia: I confess, I am getting this because of Gabriel’s artwork. I’ve been a huge fan for a while now, so it just felt right to have this in my collection, especially considering I want to learn more about the Titans.

Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner: Very mixed reviews on this one, but oh well!

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman: Everyone and their mother is talking about this book, honestly.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling: It’s like a space survival story but with these weird zombie creatures? I’ll be going for the audiobook with this one.

4) MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR?

I made a whole post about this that I worked very hard on so please check it out, but I guess I’ll include the only three I’ve been able to pre-order.

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab: This is the sequel to City of Ghosts, a middle-grade horror story I really love, and I’m looking forward to this one even more as it’s set in the catacombs of Paris!

Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker: Several people have described this as having some of the best mental health rep in young adult fiction, so I’ll be reading this for my dissertation that I’m starting in January.

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen: I reallllly love the podcast this is based on (The Bright Sessions, also created by Lauren) and Adam and Caleb are my absolute favourites, so this book is my JAM.

5) BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT?

BOY DO I HAVE A LOT OF THESE. one of the cons of reading so much is that I end up being disappointed by significantly more books than others do, which sucks, but I honestly don’t find myself hating the reading experience. Even if i hate the book, for me, tearing it apart can become fun!

Slam Volume 1 by Pamela Ribon: I love roller derby, but the characters and the lack of narrative in this volume really didn’t do it for me. Maybe if more time was spent making sense of plot at the start I’d have enjoyed it, but there were so many time jumps I stopped caring.

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne: One day UKYA readers are gonna have to sit down and properly talk about how the first maybe 5 years of the decade were spent crowning titles and writers as the leads of UKYA despite the fact that their books aren’t really good. They contain thinly-veiled misogyny, really bad writing that uses chat speak in-text as if it’s normal, stereotyping of characters (they really love the bitchy mean girl trope) and what the kids would call racism that doesn’t explicitly state it’s racism, like, say, dropping slurs or having outwardly racist beliefs, but when a character says someone ‘might be Asian or Jewish’ and then laughs about it and never addresses it again, you kind of guess it’s some kind of internalised racism nobody feels comfortable addressing.

Trouble by Non Pratt: SEE ABOVE, only this one has the most terribly written step-incest subplot that never properly gets resolved or treated with the disgust it deserves!

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: Weird possessive vibes, references to stalking, and shitty love triangles. This received the best rating of the bunch (3), but the general disappointment I feel is at the continued inclusion of uncomfortably possessive male love interests dehumanizing and treating women like they are better seen not heard in romance fiction. Tessa Dare doesn’t treat me like this!

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: This one is less hate, more just disappointment. I was so bored reading this, honestly, it feels unbearably long, and the romance is so unneeded and dull.

6) BIGGEST SURPRISE?

The Unsound by Cullen Bunn: I’ve learnt that my opinion on generally negatively rated comics and graphic novels is going to completely differ. This is very surreal, with a lot of graphic self harm and violence, and will definitely not be for everyone, but I very much enjoy it!

Sweet Blue Flowers Volume 1 by Takako Shimura: I literally heard about this, ordered the first volume day-of, and then read it as soon as it arrived and loved it. It’s predominantly a slice-of-life/romance following sapphic teenage girls!

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan: Everytime I think of this I feel soft. For a fantasy this is very easy to read, with snappy dialogue and a lot of wit from our main character. What surprised me most, however, was how deep and introspective it got exposing the fears of our main character, something not enough portal fantasies spend time doing, and I’m really grateful to have read this book!

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay: Can you really be surprised if you go into a book with no expectations? I knew vague details about plot, and a brief allusion to a dollhouse in a review I happened to scroll past, and I ended up loving this.

Lazaretto by Clay McLeod Chapman: This is an absolutely horrifying comic about a flesh eating virus that breaks out during the first few weeks of college and sends the campus into complete lockdown. It’s honestly tragic, and does not have a happy ending, but I love it? I usually hate endings that are bad for our main characters, but everything about this just really wrapped me in a blanket- horrified me, sure, yet it was weirdly comforting.

The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson: Again, I saw one person praise this book and listened to the audiobook immediately after and really enjoyed it. It’s very moving with some main characters that will test your patience but you’ll end up loving.

7) FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR?

Paul Tremblay and Michael McDowell!

8) NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH?

Kirie in Uzumaki by Junji Ito! Makoto in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes! Charlotte Holmes in A Study in Charlotte! I’m noticing these are all women, which is kind of on brand for me.

9) NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER?

Seeing as all my crushes are on women, I’ll try and pick some other favourites here! I’ve really fallen in love with Tensei Iida in My Hero Academia and eternally love Thirteen, Teen Dog in Teen Dog, Shion in No.6 (the character development!!!!), and basically the whole cast of The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin! Tom in the Memoirs of Lady Trent series has really grown on me after book one, too.

10) BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?

BOY. I cry a lot. I cried reading Winnie the Pooh, which I finally picked up all the stories of earlier this year; Neverworld Wake; the Save Me Webtoon, a great webcomic based off of the BTS music video continuity; I Want To Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino, which beat me over the head with a frying pan while I was distracted. Sheets by Brenna Thummler didn’t make me cry but it did make me incredibly sad.

11) BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?

A lot of what I read makes me happy! There’s Super Fun Sexy Times by Meredith McClaren, a small collection of 5 stories based on the sex lives of different superheroes/villains/etc.; My Love Story by Kazune Kawahara which makes me eternally happy and soft every time I pick up a volume; In Other Lands, which, while sad at times, is also very funny and has my exact brand of humour; and there’s the Haikyuu!! manga series, which I love and adore and all the characters are hilarious, even while being serious.

12) FAVOURITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION?

I haven’t really seen any? Does Boys Over Flowers count if I haven’t read the manga OR finished the show yet? Either way, Boys Over Flowers is great and so melodramatic. If you push through the drama and very strange and problematic behaviour, it’s honestly got a cute romance between two tsundere people and enough stupid hair to giggle at.

13) FAVOURITE REVIEW YOU’VE WRITTEN?

LOOOADS! I’m very proud of my reviews this year, and it seems like a lot of them are horror!

my review of haunting of hill house by shirley jackson

my review of a head full of ghosts by paul tremblay

my review of the elementals by michael mcdowell

my review of meddling kids, where i discussed harmful stereotypes and tropes within horror fiction

three horror reviews: this is not a test, the silent companions, uzumaki

my review of poetry book shame is an ocean i swim across, where i discuss body image issues

14) MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU BOUGHT THIS YEAR?

Other Words For Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin! It’s really pretty and has beautiful pink sprayed edges, and I absolutely love the owl in the background. I think the mix of pink and gold on the cover is so striking, too, it really is a book that stands out.

15) WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY 2020?

I actually have a Summer 2019 TBR if you want loads of information on everything I plan on reading.

However, other than all the books I kind of have to read for my first semester back at University, I really want to read Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz and When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow.

What would you pick for these questions? Please let me know in the comments if you made a post of this tag, I’d love to read them!

Thank you for reading!

If you liked this post, consider buying me a coffee? Ko-Fi.

I also currently have a GoFundMe set up to help fund my third year of University, so any stray pound helps ❤

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Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! This is a tag I always see making its rounds on YouTube and in the blogsphere, and while I don't do many tags anymore (

#book #book tag #books #mid-year book freak out tag

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