#just to up the stakes when Louis does what he does

[hourglassfish]

A (long) Aside on 1:7 and 2:10

There are two responses to 1:7 and 2:10 that always quietly horrify me.

The first, and you know, I'm writing a multi part series on it, so it's no mystery - is that Sydney was arrogant/a brat/ couldn't hack it/ wrong to walk out, and that the situation as a whole was her fault. Nah. She was right to walk out, the biggest failure of that episode is not fucking pulling the breaks when Richie gets stabbed. The workplace has gone from dysfunctional to dangerous, she has been responsible for that danger, the perpetrator of it, and she is right to leave.

little bit of an asshole but i love you so i don't care

Carmy sees Syd saying she's going to stab Richie (as she holds her knife to his chest!) while they're up in each other's faces (with Richie goading her) and he does... nothing. He tells them to shut the fuck up and make giardiniera. At this point they needed to be separated! One or both of them needed to cool off. We've seen Syd bodily put herself between a fighting Carmy and Richie. A little reciprocity would have gone a long way here.

It's wild to me that people think that Carmy was justified in his anger and aggression towards Marcus and Syd and ignore that he is aggressive to Richie also! Richie, typically one of the more confrontational characters in the show asks him to calm down, to cool it. That so many viewers so quickly and uncritically accept Carmy's narrative point of view, even while the show actively challenges it confirms something that has been in the culture a long time: that we are much more used to excusing and aligning ourselves with abusive behaviour, than we are at challenging and refusing it. That people - many of whom have received this kind of behaviour themselves - want to defend it, makes me so, so sad.

It always hurts me a little that in 1:8 Tina tells Carmy that if he 'tries that shit with her, she'll fuck him up'. It's a fun line! But I'm sorry, no she won't. He screams at her too, while chucking bowls around and Sydney's words in 1:7 clearly hurt her. Tina categorically did nothing wrong. She doesn't deserve that shit. But at the end of the day, she is a middle aged Latinx woman and a mother, and so her tolerance level has to be higher. She needs that job! Shedoes not, as far as we know, have a father she can live with rent free, she does not have youth and the promise of exploitable potential to offer to employers in an ageist job market, she does not have CIA qualifications or a CV full of ‘serious heat’.

Carmy. holds. a. position. of. power. over. these. people. He is their boss, not their manager, and he owns the place, mob loan or no. He has the power to sack them all, to cut their hours, to cut their wages; thus the impact of that power extends not just to them, but also to their children and families. Louis being present in Review is not just to add an obstacle, it's also a reminder of those stakes.

Carmy has influence in the fine dining industry, regardless of whether that social and cultural capital is respected at The Beef or not. The very same oppourtunities that he provides them with in season 2 are things he could also lock them out of if he so chose. Any analysis of 1:7 that ignores this power is flawed from its root. When you are a boss, this power is ever present. One of the few things you can do to alter your boss's behaviour is to withdraw your labour. It's not the only option you have, but everything else is at their discretion, or mediated by lengthy, expensive legal processes.

yeh, i hate this

Carmy knows this, even if you don't! It's why the apology he gives Marcus - which Marcus does not ask for - is so heartfelt. Carmy has been on the receiving end of what that power, wielded cruelly, can do. He does not want to do this to others. We see him talk to staff with respect even while he endures horrid abuse in a flashback. We see him teach and explain himself, we see him listen and invite feedback - ‘say more’. His commitment to being a good boss is sincere, that kindness is in his bones.

The second thing people say that makes me want to die a little inside is that Carmy bought getting locked in the fridge on himself, that he deserved it in some way, and that getting locked in the fridge was him abandoning Sydney.

Oh my god!

He does not have a diagnosis yet - so anything we see is an interpretation. But it feels explicit that Carmy has panic disorder, and perhaps generalised anxiety disorder and CPTSD from both his workplace experiences and his childhood. A couple of things that he says and does suggest ADHD, or some other neurodiversity. He is not very careful with himself, and does not recognise these things as treatable problems (Richie says he experiences anxiety and dread, Carmy's response is 'who doesn't' - wince, cruel to Richie, cruel to himself - vomiting everyday and crying out of nowhere are presented as something 'loads of people do' to Sugar. Tumblr loves to send people to therapy, but I just want to send this man to do a basic google search of more than fun tbh). But they are debilitating for him, especially at work.

What happens to how we read Carmy's behaviour when he is presented as someone with an untreated disability, and absolutely no support plan in place? Does he still get his just desserts at the end of the season?

The fridge thing is a bit clumsy, I think. It's silly that over the space of three months, no one at any point just takes that job off him as a priority, or at least makes it something where Tony will call the restaurant, not Carmy specifically. It is unrealistic that there would not be some kind of back up safety lock inside the fridge. But you know, they're characters in a TV show, it also does not take two people swivelling around on the floor to tighten the coat hooks on a table (LOOOOOOL) - it's realistic until its not.

But, you know, it's doing a thing, several things - it's Chekov's gun, isn't it, it's the tangible impact of the lapse of focus that Uncle Jimmy is constantly trying to warn them about.

He wanted to cry here so bad!!! It makes me laugh every time

But umm... guys? What happens to him on that night is so, so horrible. They're a chef down, they're running out of forks, Richie's giving him shit (and Carmy is so susceptible to Richie giving him shit), Marcus and Syd are being all weird. He thinks one of his abusers (Donna) might come, or that she might not come and there will be emotional fallout from that. He thinks he sees his other abuser (Evil Joel Mc Hale) - and he's triggered. He goes in the kitchen and yells, but Syd pulls him back in. Then he goes into the fridge, partly to do chef stuff, I'm sure, but also partly to fucking get his shit together aaaaaand he gets locked in there! He has a panic attack! In a fridge! That he is locked in! And the people he loves most in the world, are the other side of that door, and for five minutes, an eternity in panic attack time, they ignore him! He has no clue what's going on! Last time shit hit the fan, two of his staff walked out (he's still not over Syd walking out cus they never talk about it properly), another one got stabbed and all these new ones are 'emerald green'. And he still thinks evil Joel Mc Hale is out there!

My loves, that shit is the stuff of nightmares! I know he tells himself that he bought this on himself but can we please! stop! uncritically! accepting! his narrative! point! of view!

I don't think anybody on screen recognises that a panic attack is what he's having. That's not their fault. None of them have seen him have a panic attack! They don’t get to see inside his head like we do (which saves them from a lot of R.E.M.) He is locked in the fridge, they just hear the bear banging on the door of his cage! It's not even in the language of the show at this point (though i am curious about how and when Richie came to get his Xanax). But that's what's happening. The team are fine. They do great. He has a terrible, terrible time.

My support worker found 2:10 deeply triggering - and her reason for this, she said, was that a lot of her job was supporting people with panic disorders who are leading teams, and seeing that moment coming, the moment where the panic crashes headlong into their role as leader. Part of her role is anticipating it, and trying to turn it around before they reach the point of no return. And as soon as Carmy thinks he sees Old Boss, he's gone. His body is in flight or fight, and he is alone with that. He can’t show up for Syd at that point, he is in his equivalent of the trenches.

This is also what is happening in 1:7. Somehow his response is often framed as a) rational or b) just an asshole - but it is so outsize to the situation, and to who we know him to be most of the time (quiet, kind, thoughtful, sensitive, BITCHY), that we know it has to be more than that.

None of this is helped by the fact that Carmy's panic attacks are... well they're kind of ugly! His meltdowns are aggressive and shouty, on the edge of physical violence, in an industry where people behave like that because they can. It is hard, parsing through that to the triggers, and fears, and panic beneath. It's scary! It asks so much of people to see that and want to help, not run away. But that is where he's at.

I do not have language for how much I hate how physical he gets with Marcus here, it is deeply upsetting

I have an access rider, to help me work well with people, and to help them work well with me. My mental health turns up in every job I do. All the time. Has done for years. It can make me unreliable, uncommunicative and absent. It can mean that people have to step up sometimes in ways they weren't anticipating. And one of the things the rider asks for is 'Good Faith' - a belief that I have not shut down because I'm an asshole, but rather because I have some unhelpful coping mechanisms that I am trying to work my way out of, that my triggers are real, not excuses for laziness or an expression of lack of care, that i will give as much as I can when I can.

Syd and Carmy are beginning to work towards this - Carmy says over and over again that he doesn't want to be shitty. Claire fucking muddies things, because I will not meet you skiving off to see your girlfriend with good faith fam. That shit he needs to be held accountable for. Dropping that envelope was a perfect Richie job, I'm still pissed about that. But being locked in the fridge... there's way more going on there.

The idea that Carmy should, and will, leave the culinary world keeps coming up in various metas. But... the problem isn't cooking? I think Carmy loves cooking, still. I think he likes being part of a team, and wants to be good at it. I think he likes teaching, and he is good at that. I think he likes picking the right silent plates and having his CDC in Thom Browne. I also think he likes being there a lot and being absorbed by his job.

The problem is that the workplace he is in is not one that is set up to his needs right now - it's not set up so that he can rest enough, so that he can eat well, so that he can exercise, or whatever he needs to do to help him manage his brain and nervous system. It's not set up so that if he is triggered, he and his team knows how to keep going with the service *and* not abandon him to the worst of his brain.

Ohhhh it's bad

Carmy ignoring Claire's call and not calling Tony feels bizarre stripped of the context of his panic attack that morning. But we know that anxiety and panic and executive dysfunction take simple things and make them insurmountable. It's not about Sydney in that moment, or even really about Claire*, and self sabotage feels so weighted with judgement when I think about what those frozen moments feel like from the inside. And I've had my diagnoses for 12 years! I've been doing that work, the long slog of trying to make sure my employees know enough context that my MH doesn't fuck up their day, whilst also maintaining my own dignity and right to privacy.

The disentangling of symptoms from personality traits is so hard - fuck ups from trauma responses, what was preventable, and what might have happened even if you did everything right. I never want to lose sight of compassion for Carmy, and the reality of how long it takes to break those cycles.

I also never want to stop seeing the power that he has over the people that he works with, and how, unfortunately, one of the responsibilities of leadership is that you have to be trying to get your shit together, you have to know yourself, and know how your baggage, combined with your power could be creating harm. It’s hard, but there’s not way around it. It is essential that he gets the support he needs, and puts the measures in place that means that he can also be vulnerable, not just for him, but for the team as whole. The power and the lack of framework together are so very harmful for everyone.

makes for delicious tv though 😉

I think a lot about the ticket machines in The Bear. I'm not thinking about them as a former line chef, cus I'm not that, I'm an artist and writer, that waitressed for a while (while a lot of chefs did a lot of coke out back!) and The Bear is fiction, not a documentary. Those little tickets are used for so many things. They're the sound of pressure. They're where a bunch of intrusive thoughts get flashed up on the screen. They are the presence of tech and of speed and alienation. They are the gap where two human beings, one asking for food, and one cooking that food, become consumer and producer. They are a presence of the machine in the workplace, and they stand in for Marcus's machines in McDonald's and for Evil Joel McHale and for financial failure.

One of the things that capitalism demands is that we always listen to that machine. That when we are making a choice, between the people stood around us, who we work with daily, who we live massive chunks of our life with, and the demand for production for go go go - that we choose the latter, even if it harms the former. That we open for service, even though one of our oldest friends just got stabbed. That we prioritise getting the service turned around on Friends and Family night (the easiest night of the year to go out, pour more wine, and say service is a little delayed, but we've got this), rather than maybe asking Fak or even Claire, to come and talk to Carmy through the door, as well, make sure that he's OK. That we just keep going.

And there are so many really important reasons to do that! Keeping going is how we learn and grow, it's how we make sure that we can pay the bills, how we provide beautiful experiences for customers and guests who are more than consumers to us.

But at some point, we have to ask at what cost. When do we stop and make different? When do we try something else, make new systems, that work for us?

A moment - a small, tiny moment - of triumph for me, is when Richie and Syd turn the table around. So rather than one person, facing the tickets alone, with their back to the kitchen as they yell out orders, the person on Expo faces in. yes they can see the tickets, but they can also see the people they are working with. They can see stress, and worry and joy. They can see how hard they are working. They can see that they are not alone, not just in a promise before service, but during service, when you need that connection most.

My hope is that Season 3 will have more of them making these decisions - ones that lean into seeing each other, where their relationships keep growing, and they build a system where the love and care they have for each other is truthfully at the heart of it.

Richie is not my bag, that's just for me, personally, but I get how much he means to others, and he's beautiful here.

*Man, I do think the romance subplot was a bit of a misstep. Pop always feels like such a waste of the audience's time, time not spent with Ebra and Tina, time spent on a presentation of romance that has been done to death and is never especially satisfying. Truncates a lot of empathy for Carmy. Boo. Hiss.

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics that involve racing of any kind as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

—Louis/Harry—

🏁 pray for some sweet simplicity by delsicle / @eeveelou

(E, 237k, motorcycle racing) an AU where motorcycle racing is the biggest sport in a heavily divided world, Louis is trying to take control of his own destiny, and Harry is in for more than he bargained for.

🏁 Something In The Distance (So Close You Can Almost Taste It) by magicalou

(T, 180k, F1) Louis is a Formula 1 driver for Scuderia Ferrari and Harry is a painter and sculptor, one of the most beloved from our time, and Louis's biggest pain in the ass.

🏁 The Finish Line (Is A Good Place For Us To Start) by LoadedGunn

(E, 121k, F1) The first thing Louis does is take him under his wing. From there it’s nine months of slow-burning romance, the past catching up to them, turning into the human puppy pile that is OT5 and a lot of feelings until, of course, reaching the finish line.

🏁 run away home by @hattalove

(E, 106k, horse racing) louis is a successful jockey down on his luck, struggling to get his life back on track after an injury. harry has a horse, a house fit for a prince, and a broken heart.

🏁 Counterbalance by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 44k, motorcycle racing) Harry Styles loves two things: teaching ballet and racing motorcycles. Those two worlds collide when his greatest rival on the track, Louis “Tommo” Tomlinson brings his tiny siblings to Harry’s class.

🏁 My Saddle's Waiting by @realitybetterthanfiction

(E, 28k, street racing) When Harry finds himself in charge of Ford's installation at the Chicago Auto Show, there's already a lot on the line. Little does he know that a seemingly harmless bet on the fastest pony car might just up the stakes even more.

🏁 Ten Second Car by orphan_account

(E, 14k, street racing) AU in which Harry goes undercover to catch illegal street racers robbing rigs and instead falls in love with the bad guys brother. Based off of The Fast & The Furious (2001)

🏁 You Made A Slow Disaster Out Of Me by lzcatalina / @harryandlouisarehappilystrong

(E, 13k, street racing) Louis was the king of illegal street racing who rarely lost, Harry was the newcomer who beat him in the first race and nearly ran him over.

🏁 kings of the castle by orphan_account

(M, 4k, horse racing) harry is the son of architects who bet on horse races and louis is the prettiest jockey he might've ever seen in all his betting years.

—Rare Pairs—

🏁 Slow Me Down by @justonebreathx

(E, 55k, Niall/Harry) the one where Harry is a NASCAR driver down on his luck until he meets Niall and suddenly everything in his life is right again.

🏁 Trip And Fall On Me by @fluffypiecake

(M, 38k, Zayn/Harry) You don't do what you're told. Bend and break, bend and break.

🏁 (dressed in black) from head to toe by soundingawkward

(G, 3k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw) nick hates the mud and the cold and all things about this stupid dirt bike rally, except for one muddy, grotty, dirt bike riding boy.

[skepticalarrie]

Hi allie, do you know what's my problem with the whole kid thing? What if he grows up giving shit on his parents getting millions for him being a fake child, and outs everything? What if he turns out to be the smart one in the whole family? I mean he could make even more money telling his own story.

Does really nobody think of it what will happen if he becomes an adult? It could ruin louis' life if F would do this. Also I know NDA's are a thing BUT peoppe have broken them before and it would seriously harm louis.

Anon, let's talk about a very ~ hard to acknowledge ~ scenario for a moment here. Freddie's mental health growing up was put in serious danger the minute his family decided to "sell" him for this stunt, the minute they allowed his face to be everywhere as Louis Tomlinson's kid. I think the damage would be less brutal if they had ended when he was just a baby etc etc, but they didn't and they lost the timing, it became a snowball (probably for a hundred different reasons). I was always the first person to go ahead and say it wasn't sustainable to keep this lie going for so long especially with Freddie getting older and going to school and having friends and letting people talk and all of that, and my opinion on that remains the same... it's not, he could do everything that you're saying and more, and worse. I mean, how do you even deal with being part of that lie when you grow up and start to think for yourself?!

So, being brutally honest here, the reason why babygate is "back" could be due to a number of reasons, and we have several different theories at this point, a lot of them are very plausible, but... could be just because he's getting older. And that's the turning point, it doesn't have to be super deep or shady. Because listen, when we put ourselves in Freddie's shoes for a second, we realise how devastating this could be for his life. They dragged it for too long and now both Louis and Freddie ended up stuck in it, so in a scenario where they end the stunt.... I mean, it looks wonderful to us, it's great for Louis. But - forgetting for a second how revolting it is to have it happening in the first place - how would that help Freddie? He would basically end up with twice the trauma. Not only with the huge ass lie he didn't ask for, but also he would end up as the kid that was once Louis' kid but it's not anymore!? Left to rot with his awful disgusting family who clearly doesn't give a shit about his well-being?! Do you understand where I'm going with this? We all love and care for Louis, so much, and it's heartbreaking to watch things unfold this way, we want the truth and we want to fight for justice for our boys. And as much as I want babygate to be over, I need to force myself to stop for a second to contemplate theories where Louis and his career are maybe not the priority. There are also other lives and really massive concerns at stake, maybe this isn't about NDAs and contracts.

[covenofthearticulate]

4. What they do on date night

15. What they would change about each other

For Louis/Armand for the ask game :)

Send a Ship!

4. Answered here but I also want to add that I think Louis and Armand love playing games with each other and get so stupidly competitive about it LOL like the chess games are unparalleled!!! Even like poker

15. GOD this is so hard because realistically I think what they both need to change with one another is their communication issues LMAO like they understand each other so deeply but there are still so many wounds between them that neither one are willing to address?? Like, I don't think Louis and Armand are prone to fighting very often, but I do think there is still quite a bit of leftover resentment that can sometimes bubble up and lead to some Unsavory Sleights between them.

But if you asked Louis what he would want to change about Armand, I think he would be inclined to say something about Armand's incredibly territorial nature. He's a natural coven leader and Louis understands that, but I can see him getting frustrated with how obsessive Armand can get about defending his turf and his loved ones. Louis just wants to keep to himself, he doesn't like to stir the pot or get involved in vampire politics, so he never fully acknowledges or accepts Armand and his crusades to wipe out the younger vampires or do whatever else it takes to stake their claim over a city. Post-Merrick, I think Louis is working through a lot of issues about where he fits in the world, and while Armand gives him purpose and joy and peace, Louis does not like to feel owned or pitied.

If you asked Armand what he'd want to change about Louis, I think he'd most likely make some sassy comment about Louis' love for Lestat, but deep down I think he does genuinely feel frustrated from time to time about Louis' inability to defend himself. Even after his power upgrade, obviously Louis is unable to hold his own against more powerful vampires, and as a result I think Armand really worries about him. Their relationship feels more even-footed than most other relationships in the series, but I think when it comes down to it, Armand will always see himself as the protector over those he loves, and at times it's empowering, but I can also see him occasionally feeling resentful of it as well.

[magnorious]

Review: ‘We Find Out The Truth, Sort Of’, Percy Jackson Episode 7

TL;DR the flashbacks were the best part of this episode and because they exist, precious minutes serving actual plot were eaten by missed potential. Also someone kidnapped Hades and replaced him with a caricature imposter.

This show is quickly becoming not even enjoyable enough to make fun of, but with two episodes to go, might as well see it through to the end.

Episode 6 left off with some wild Hollywood-y changes to the source material, the biggest being that the summer solstice deadline has already passed and the gods are at war, because tension? Everyone knows the world isn’t going to end, everyone knew it wouldn’t end in the book either — the stakes came from whether or not Percy would be able to prove his innocence and recover his mom. We knew somehow that things would work out, the question was what the cost would be if he failed.

Giving Percy the 4th pearl and making him already fail by the powers that be was an interesting decision. It robs the tension from the rest of the plot if there’s no clock ticking down anymore. Hades, Ares, every single hurdle they face burns more time and forces Percy to risk flying on a plane to reach New York before the deadline... all for Zeus to not give a damn anyway.

But did this interesting choice make for a better or more entertaining story?

—

I’m shocked they kept Crusty’s Waterbeds given how much plot they have left to shove in this story. And, of course, Percy already knows exactly who he is. They finally got a character to look like they did in the book and (for Supernatural fans, it’s the same actor as Death) it’s pretty well done for the costume and makeup department. But all of that is moot once again when the script gives away all the answers.

Percy has no time for Crusty because the plot has no time for Crusty. They try to give him some thematic relevance but they’re sprinting to the finish line now, and they can’t even let Percy kill him, going out of their way to make Annabeth tell him to be happy he gets to keep his head.

Side note- the pearls look like tiny Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

Oh and DOA Studios doesn’t exist, because there’s no time for that but there is certainly time for flashbacks. If I had to pick between Crusty and Charon, I would have preferred Charon 100%, he’s actually a decent guy — but not this version of him. He does actually appear, looking more like a grim reaper than an underpaid middle manager bereft of his Italian suits.

The flashback itself is wonderful, I wish the rest of the show was so nicely written. The second flashback they don’t have time for is also great. I like seeing more of Sally and their struggles growing up, her tireless search for ways to protect her demigod son. This is the kind of filler that helps tell the story, unfortunately it’s at the expense of the existing story this episode, eating up minutes. The *third* flashback eating up minutes is also good, this just isn’t the time for any of these. They should have all been in the St. Louis episode. I hate how good these are, because it shows how good the writing could have been. Baby Percy still runs circles around the older kids’ line deliveries. The **fourth** flashback is well-acted but baffling, more on that later!

The Underworld is grey. Painfully grey. Another reason I wish this show had been animated was full creative freedom to go all out with the design and the colors and the scale. This is just boring- grey and hazy to hide how boring it is. The Underworld is an entire kingdom, it’s a realm, terrifyingly beautiful. There’s black poplar trees and all the different rivers and Elysium and the Isles of the Blessed and Persephone’s garden. The ghosts actually look like ghosts. The kids in this version don’t actually look intimidated by the magnificence of the place. There’s no time to be intimidated.

Cerberus is fine. Annabeth’s waterland ball is swapped in for Grover’s stress ball. But he remained a Rottweiler. What’s not fine is the plot handing Percy 4 pearls only to randomly rescind one by making Grover lose his to recreate the tension they murdered. Percy doesn’t hesitate to give his to Grover and there’s no time for them to have any kind of dramatic argument over who should actually stay behind.

Asphodel is a forest, not a field, i.e. the Fields of Asphodel. The concept is cool, actually. These souls stuck there for so long they’re growing roots into the very fabric of the Underworld. So kudos there, that’s genuinely creepy. The rest of Asphodel is a desert, still not a field, and bright as daylight for some reason when it should be permanent night down there unless you’re in Elysium.

Buuut then said roots tangle up Annabeth and make them leave her behind. Percy doesn’t even try to cut her free and she just takes a pearl to the surface, to be ejected from the plot for now. What regret did she have? Doesn’t matter, no time.

Percy is still too smart for his own good and the plot still hates any mystery whatsoever, so he finds the Master Bolt immediately after the brush with the Pit. The Pit also has no voice of Kronos to make it extra creepy, because there’s No Time For That. The entire point of the Chekov’s gun that was those shoes is tossed aside.

The Underworld continues to be painfully grey and beige. Hades isn’t grey, though, oh no. Hades isn’t Hades either. I kept waiting for the reveal that he’s just one of Hades’ Furies in disguise or even a lesser spirit he orders around to screw with people. I waited, and kept waiting. The dude who played Hades in the movie was more accurate.

They still do argue. Percy still accuses Hades of meddling. They argue in front of a random living room instead of a godly Underworld throne. Maybe that wasn’t in the budget. I’m still waiting for Hades to drop this ridiculous act and toss this puppet aside. He starts offering sanctuary when book Hades desperately wanted absolutely nothing to do with whatever was brewing between Zeus and Poseidon, claiming now he needs another god’s weapon to defend himself and I don’t think signature weapons are so easily transferable. Percy and Grover get the heck out of dodge shortly after.

Then Poseidon shows up in the fourth flashback and, well, Percy does have his hair (but not his random British accent). No Hawaiian shirt and khakis in sight. This exists to make Poseidon and Sally’s love for their son more tangible, but in the first book he’s a dick. He’s not seen on the page until Percy meets him on Olympus and the god is a huge disappointment to him. Poseidon begins narrating like this is the season finale, Ares shows up, and cut to black.

The entire book we’re left in limbo on where Poseidon stands, if he’s going to be as spiteful and selfish as Zeus or Dionysus. That reveal on Olympus meant something. But at this point I’m tired of arguing why scenes matter when the show couldn’t care less.

At this point making book comparisons doesn’t matter anymore because this just isn’t Percy Jackson anymore. The characters have their names, sure, but that’s about all the due diligence that’s paid to the source material. I watched this with someone who hadn’t seen a single episode before nor read the books and even they commented that it’s horribly rushed. Even without Percy Jackson’s name on the marketing, they’ve been questing to the Underworld for the entire season and *this* is what we get for it?

Here’s to hoping the entire budget for fight scenes went to the finale so Percy can kick Ares’ ass.

[lestatisprince]

You know what’s really fucked up? The fact that Claudia knows what Lestat is capable of now. She knows his true power and she knows what can potentially happen if he’s fully triggered over the edge. Yet she keeps intentionally riling him up and pushing his buttons. She deliberately refused to finish the chess match knowing it would provoke Lestat. She then utilizes his outburst to demonstrate to Louis that they need to kill him. Does she not fear for Louis? Does she not care that Lestat could have another violent breakdown and hurt Louis again? Lestat was genuinely trying and I really think he was sorry for what he did. Louis even says that Lestat later admitted to being ashamed of it. It’s just all kinds of messed up that she’s manipulating them both against the other even after seeing what damage Lestat can do.

I have achieved it. The perfect ask. Pinning this for awhile.

Claudia doesn't care about Louis she's just afraid to be alone, and wants someone she can easily manipulate by her side. But she can never have that if Lestat is still around.

If it all goes to shit she will manage. After all he didn't really hurt HER that much when he snapped.

And it did all go to shit. Louis refused to leave with her so she gave up and decided to manage.

But then Lestat upped the stakes by threatening her, and dragging her home. Because he cares for Louis.

[hlficlibrary]

hello, do you know some stories similar to the hunger games but with L and H? Thank you

Hi, anon! There are definitely some Hunger Games AUs out there. Not enough to make a full rec, so I'll just put all the ones I know of here for you!

Who Painted the Moon Black by throughthedark (E, 95k)

“People died,” Harry whispers so quietly Louis strains to hear. “People died, and I killed some of them. How does life just go on after something like that?”

Louis shakes his head. “I don't know. It just does.”

Hunger Games AU where Louis Tomlinson is district six's victor from the 69th Hunger Games and Harry Styles is district seven's victor from the 72nd Hunger Games.

Sweet Blasphemy by blowmeharry (M, 67k)

Harry lived a normal life in the Capitol until his best friend Liam and him were selected as tributes in The Hunger Games to fight to the death, along with three other friends they later meet.

Us Against the World by Chelsea Frew / @chelsea-frew (M, 56k)

It's time for the 58th Hunger Games. 18-year-old Louis, the victor of the 56th Hunger Games, is to be mentor to the latest tributes from District 4. It is the worst job in the world. Making it even worse is that one of those tributes is 16-year-old Harry, Louis' secret boyfriend.

The stakes are life and death. Can Harry do what needs to be done to emerge as the victor? Can Louis help him from the outside? Against all odds, can these two be brought back together—or will Louis be saying goodbye to Harry forever?

'Til I Change My Luck by FannyT, RedOrchid (M, 41k)

“Can I have a pink flamingo, please?” the person next to him says, and Louis does a double take. The boy leaning across the bar to say something else to the bartender is not in costume, for one, and exudes money, for another. His shirt alone—a flimsy, barely-there thing in gold and crystals, unbuttoned almost to the navel—probably costs more than what a victor receives in a year. Louis feels a spark of hope; this might actually get him somewhere.

“Here, on me,” he says, as the bartender puts down a revoltingly pink concoction on the bar. “And I’ll have the same.”

The boy next to him looks up, sees Louis, and his eyes widen a little. Good. Instant recognition is par for the course, with Louis being such a recent victor and all, but the way the boy’s pupils dilate and his breath catches slightly in his throat—Louis can definitely work with that.

A Hunger Games AU. Starring victor!Louis, capitolite!Harry, literal!captain!Niall, two shady deck hands and a lot of sailing.

Freeze This Moment In A Frame by hot_damn_louis (T, 26k)

Harry just wants to protect his family. Louis doesn't want to marry Eleanor. Somehow, Louis and Harry just fit.

Aka Hunger Games au.

it comes and goes in waves by orphan_account (T, 10k)

The 50th Hunger Games mark a Quarter Quell. Louis knows his chances of being selected in the Reaping are doubled as the Capitol decides to honor the Quell by selecting two males and two females from each District.

~ or an au feat. district four harry and louis ~

Victory by @juliusschmidt (E, 6k)

By the time Louis finds Harry, it’s too late for both of them.

[Hunger Games AU in which Louis is the most recent victor and he's to mentor Harry, the tribute from District Nine.]

Wear A Necklace Of Hope (Side By Side With Me) by sweaterpawstyles (E, 5k)

"Lou," Harry's voice was high-pitched and small. He was so small. Everything about him seemed so fragile and Louis was terrified he would break him.

He knew it was too late though. Louis couldn't break him because Harry was already broken.

Or A Hunger Games AU about Louis and Harry's life as victors in District 4

you'll always be my hero (even though you've lost your mind) by girlmadeofstars (M, 5k)

He's only fourteen when he falls in love for the first time, fourteen when he meets's Louis Tomlinson in the bathroom at school, and he shouldn't be so lucky so young, but he is. (Until he isn't.)

 Hunger Games AU

Glory and Gore by orphan_account (G, 2k)

“Quite the mystery aren't you, Louis Tomlinson?” He didn't know what to say to the crowds of people. What did they expect to hear, from the boy who didn't speak?

Or No one expected him to win. He was suppose to die 15 seconds into the game, but then there was Harry.

Looking to the sky to save me by starsandnightskies (G, 2k)

Louis was almost positive he'd never make it out of the arena. Almost.

and we all know what we've done by keepthemusicplaying (NR, 2k)

they'll have supper on the sundeck, and louis will eat every single thing on his plate. he'll bathe next, asking harry to wash him, to stay with him. so harry picks up a rag and washes away the fear and guilt on louis' tan skin. louis will hum under his breath, and close his eyes. and harry will shampoo his hair, letting his fingers run and dance in feather like hair. when louis is bathed, harry will guide him to bed. louis likes to sleep naked, so harry will just strip and get in bed beside louis.

or the one where it's after louis has been crowned a victor, and he likes to drown himself in the tub.

[Okay there ended up being more than I thought! lol Enjoy!]

[eric-the-bmo]

The Neighborhood Watch Recap S2ep6: A Walk in the Park

[Summary: Markus and Bob make a plan to kill Lestat, and almost everyone seems to be mad at Louis. Fatima recommends Song a new book. John finds a flower. ]

(@gr3y-heron here u go! ⭐)

During the night, Song had waited to see if Louis would return home. After half an hour she Did in fact try to see what was going on, but was stopped by Lestat's lackeys ["Do you work for The Master?" "No, I sleep with him."]. She threatened them, and eventually decided to just sleep in Louis's bed.

Louis let Lestat feed on him.

Markus is sad, since the other two forgot about the meeting they wanted to do, and indulges in one of their bad habits; it's almost becoming routine now.

John, meanwhile, is woken up by a loud noise at around 4am.

He rushes over to where the sound came from and sees that the TV's been turned on, playing the ending credits of some old anime. Shelby's holding the DVD remote in her hand, and says maybe she just fell asleep watching TV, maybe she turned it on by accident?

But John, with his second-hand knowledge, knows that this show isn't aired anymore. And with DVDs, you have to put them in, so there's no way this was an accidental tv turn on. John sees the box of old DVDs Shelby had gotten from their neighbor. Hm... They decide to have an early breakfast, and John makes waffles as Shelby goes back to working on the Lego set. She seems annoyed at being interrupted from her task when he tries to distract her from it, so he ends up walking the hour to work.

Louis wakes up in Lestat's house, and checks the basement for his coffin. He doesn't find it; he ends up insulting himself in the mirror as his pep talk for the morning, and gets home to see Song in his bed.

He goes into his guest bedroom (where he stores his extra suits), and gets dressed for the day and starts to make breakfast. Song eventually wakes up and puts on one of his shirts before heading over to the kitchen.

As she enters, she makes a comment that if he's going to hook up with his ex while a woman is in his house, at least let her know; send a text or something. Louis tenses and apologizes; he had no intention of staying, and tells her he wished he could've staked Lestat, but he's not a good or strong enough man.

Song raises her eyebrow, and looks for Signs that he's been bitten- he’s pale, and his shirt is buttoned up a lot. Louis is good at hiding vampire bites- or at least he thinks he is.

Song gets up from her chair and pushes Louis against the wall (!!!!!!) and unbuttons his shirt to look at the vampire bites. She's stone-faced, and warns him "This might sting" before sticking her fingers into the bites and casting a healing spell. She hopes it'll scar. It does. Louis feels like his wound is being cauterized from the inside- He says he deserved that and worse, and thanks her for healing him.

["I see a lot of bad decisions when I look in the mirror, Ms. Song."]

She asks if he knows how to use a stake, and he makes a comment how they don't really need stakes, we could just go grab some sticks from the woods, and she reveals she has a vampire hunting kit- they then both realize that hey, didn't Markus want to tell us something last night? Louis calls them only for it to go to voicemail, so Song properly gets dressed (hiding weapons under her clothes), and heads over to their house.

She runs into Bob Patterson, who's also on his way to Markus's. They have a short conversation about the HOA meeting happening later that day and she checks his aura during it, seeing a thread from his hand that was stabbed connecting him to Markus. He eventually starts to walk away, and Song knocks on Markus's door.

They answer, Song apologizes for forgetting their proposed meeting last night, and that things are getting complicated. Markus says it wasn't important (it totally was). Then Markus sees Bob and rushes past Song over to him, asking if he needs anything. Bob asks what the next steps for camping trip should be, and Markus invites him in for coffee.

Song texts Fatima, and says she'll be over in ten minutes for coffee.

John arrives at work and sees there's much fewer people at work today- while there were 20 yesterday, there are only 6 now, including himself. Clara isn't there. The manager sees him- "Oh thank god, you're finally here, John- wait John where are you going"- but seeing as how Clara isn't here, the man turns on his heel and just starts walking away.

John heads to the woods to grab a sample for Emmett- The AI said he would like one, and Joe Miller the Park Ranger kept saying yesterday how many seeds were dumped in the park. The place is practically overgrown, and John's distaste for them is clear as he tries his best to step over them- and then at the edge of the woods he sees someone go into the trees. White shirt, black pants, long auburn air- that's Clara. He follows her quickly, not wanting to lose sight of her- it would be harder to find her if he did, with him only being human now. He walks through one of the thorny plant brambles, getting a thorn stuck in his hand, and his hair gets undone from its ponytail.

John ends up in a clearing, and the trees around it are bending away from the clearing, as if to funnel more light into what's at the center of it: a giant flower, with petals of every color and a giant bulb at its center with a split in the middle. There are people standing around it in a circle, swaying slightly with a green tint to their skin. The bulb moves to lay on its side, releasing some kind of scent as it does, and opens up to reveal a mouth full of teeth. One of the people starts to walk into it; John bolts over, tackling them out of the way.

The plant doesn't like that; it screams, and the people all turn to point at John before screaming as well. John, realizing he can't possibly fight/defend himself from all of them the way he is now, scrambles up and bolts out of there- one of the plant's thorn projectiles gets him in the face. He angrily rips a root out from one of the park flowers, and marches over to Emmett's.

Louis, meanwhile, is taking a hot shower. He cries a bit; he always knew he wasn't good person but had prided himself on being good friend, but he’s not even that, since he skipped out on meeting with Markus. Once he's done he looks at himself in mirror ["He sees all the mistakes hes made in his life"]. There's many other scars on his body- he's been shot and stabbed, and there are other bite scars. The one Song left is just the most recent one. Louis gets new clothes on, and goes to Markus's house.

Meanwhile over at their house, Markus makes coffee for Bob, advising him to not touch their bugs; those are their friends. Bob proposes the plan to kill Lestat during the day, but Markus counters that the two of them really shouldn't break into someone's house. They ask why Bob doesn't like the Main Cast; Bob's the second worst person they've ever met, and they want to know why he's Like That. Bob tells them that he's been in this town for 30 years and is very set in his ways; There's all kinds of crazy shit in this town, and as soon as it got to the point where all the crazy stuff left them all alone, new crazy stuff moved in. He just doesn't like change. (Markus says he needs to change or else he'll get left behind and die alone; Bob responds that he's got his wife, and won't die alone if he's with her.)

Bob makes a comment saying he's dealt with vampires before and says they're tricky, and also their weakness to garlic is a myth (Markus silently pulls off a garlic necklace they were wearing and throws it away). They continue to make their plan- Together they'll attend the HOA meeting, and Bob will keep everyone distracted while Markus searches for Lestat's coffin; they're small, and good at not being noticed. They can stake Lestat in the morning.

There's a knock on the door as Louis arrives. Markus greets him coldly, and when he tries to apologize, Markus says they're kinda busy at the moment hanging out with their friend Bob, who realizes who's at the door, marches over to tell Louis they're busy, and slams the door on him. Louis stands there for a moment before starting one of his rambles: "Wow, how are you Louis? Horrible! I got bit, it was a terrible night!" He continues to ramble all the way back to his house, and heads down to his basement, which he's been using as a wine cellar; he gets well-acquainted with the drink down there.

Meanwhile, Song is over at Fatima's house for coffee; She tells Fatima that Markus found some of the melted plastic from Amira's face and had brought it to Emmett (Fatima and her husband have met the man, but he was standoffish and they haven't seen him since), but she was able to cover it up with a lie. Song will let Fatima know if anyone gets too close to the truth.

Fatima wants to know the gossip about Lucretius (which, btw is the name Lestat has been going by)- Song informs her Louis spent the night with him, and Fatima was all "whats the deal with YOU spending the night?" and Song's like "well I didn't know Louis liked having multiple set pieces, so yknow" The two of them agree that Lucretius is pretty; Song said sleeping with him was worth it.

With the conversation going the way it is, Fatima recommends a book series to Song, saying it's very good (a fourth book is being made, she excitedly says) before grabbing the first book off the shelf and showing it to the witch: It's this paperback book called Steam Rising by Lauren Smith, and seems to be about sexy firefighters- the man on the cover looks exactly like Ted, one of the firefighters in town, to the point it's uncanny. The main character even has the same name as him! They agree it's wild, and Fatima suggests maybe Ted served as inspiration for the author, but Song counters that surely she wouldn't use his name for the character? Song learns that the author is actually Greenville's librarian, and makes a note to head over to the library to try and get more info from her; She promises to tell Fatima everything about it.

Song then changes the subject and asks if she can rekindle her friendship with Amira. Fatima pauses before telling her that when Amira was with Song, she was the happiest Fatima had seen her be in a long time. They agree that Song can interact with Amira again and even start up her lessons again, but Fatima has to be there to supervise.

John managed to dig out the hand-thorn on the way to Emmett's and sends Shelby a quick text to check in on her; no response. John shows Emmett the flower, putting it into the drawer, and the AI begins to analyze it; however, as John's filling Emmett in on what happened and as Emmett is trying to make sense of it, red popups appear on the screen. The drawer is rattling, and Emmett yells that the plant seems to be trying to take over the mechanics. The fire alarm goes off, and after a bit of panic it all gets resolved. Emmett offhandedly wonders if he can make a poison from the plant, and then he gets the analyzation results.

["...I've never seen a reading before like this." Emmett looks at him. "It's alien."]

Comments:

We love messy relationship drama! Song you're so petty, girl why the Fuck did you do that

SONG PUSHING HIM AGAINST THE WALL??? MADAM?? I was losing my mind during that part, we love women

John just turning away and leaving is much more funnier if you know his walk to work took him an hour

Fatima loves gossip she's just like me fr

Lauren Smith totally brought the firefighters to life through her books I'm calling it now!!!

When John found the grove all of us (includnig me) were like "Well, nice knowing you John, you might get killed here /lh"

Hey guys do you think if I save Clara I can get a second shot with her- /hj 👉👈

[Little Shop of Horrors theme playing softly in the distance]

[runningwithfangs]

Vampire Chronicles Book Review/Rant #3

The Queen of the Dammed

Wowowow congratulations to the world’s worst polycule on saving Vampirekind. 

Another super fun romp where so much happens, yes there is nonsense, but the nonsense is nicely paired with a lot of intense drama and high stakes. I like how Anne got around her own premise that the vampires are writing their life stories by it still being Lestat who writes it, but he’s gathered all this information from the other vampires that were actually there, even when he was not. 

The chapters being mini-stories and the many characters we meet, everything coming together in the end, it’s not just fun but so immersive. Anne doesn’t hold back in expanding her universe. At no point does it feel like too much too soon, or like the universe and characters are expanding faster than the story or getting out of hand. Anne is a fantastic writer.

In this book we start to see the world outside of our main vamps, the fledglings (Killer and the Fang Gang 🤯), the vampire bars, the Talamasca, the vampire cult followers, and so many new characters! 

Feminist Icon Akasha (is trying to kill most men). See kids, that’s what happens when you watch TV for 50 years straight.

This is one of my favorite books from the series, maybe one of my favorite books ever. 

Favorites:

It’s hard to pick! Jesse’s story is great, the dreamlike drunken nights at Maharet’s house with the vampires asking her about chocolate, the Great Family and the care and love Maharet has for them, her records and her family tree of lights, the attention and advice she gives them all, it’s just so sweet.

Devil’s Minion! I’ve been seeing fan art and posts about Armand/Daniel since I started this blog and did not get it until I read this. Now I GET IT, holy shit, it's chewing-through-drywall material. The horror of Daniel running for his life, being hunted, then suddenly they’re bonding, hanging out and doing all these cool things, Daniel admitting he loves to cuddle a dead thing?! The experiments, the smoothies, the madness from hanging around a vampire, the “I love you too much to turn you” vs “I love you too much to let you go on without me.” Insane. Horrible. Beautiful. I could rant about this section alone for so long. Oh, and learning how the book was published was neat too.

Getting little bits about the twins from everyone’s dreams, that repeating imagery of the cooked body, the heart and the brain on plates. I got really invested in this mystery, and once it all came together it was horrible but so captivating. It’s a great vampire origin story. 

Vampire road trip and vampire roommates at Night Island! I wish this part was longer and that vampires could stand to hang out with each other more, I want my vampire friends to hang out damn it! Jesse and Gabrielle became friends! Louis wants to know about his daughter’s ghost! Grandpa Khayman telling stories! Uncle Marius accepting that Lestat is gonna be little shit and no one can stop him!

Least Favorites:

The violence enacted on Maharet and Mekare, I know it’s to show Akasha’s cruelty but damn.

Smutt:

Lestat’s permaboner. Thanks, Anne.

Lestat and Akasha pinning each other back and forth on the bed and drinking from each other was kinda hot tbh.

Armand and Daniel in Pompeii when they start their romance, if you can call it that. Armand making Daniel have sex with other people while he watches 🙈

Nonsense Meter:

4/10 nonsense again. A bit of nonsense in the Devil’s Minion, and a bit in the Lestat training montage/kidnapped by Vampire Mommy part, but not a ton. Maybe it’s a bias because I liked this book so much and every story was full of drama, high stakes, and complex morality. 

Misc:

I can’t help but wonder what kind of research Anne was doing, I looked up some of the cities, artifacts, and locations she mentions and it checked out. Was she taking ancient history courses or just living at the library?! Gotta give that woman credit. 

I don’t want to get into a long discussion of Akasha’s idea that killing most men would allow women to bring about world peace and fix all our earthly problems, but as someone who has mostly existed as a woman in the world, I may have fantasized once or twice about Thanos snapping a bunch of men, sure, I get it. I don’t agree, I think money, isolation, messed up priorities, and lack of checks in power have more to do with *waves hand around vaguely* everything, but it makes for an interesting premise. “Tell me, my prince, what is the primary use of men now, if not to protect women from other men?”

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

Remembrance Chapter 11

here on ao3 or read in below

Armand looks between Daniel and Louis, then back to Louis. It's obvious they're having some sort of mental communication. After a few seconds, he drops his hand. “I'll let you get back to it. Call if you need me.”

Daniel watches him go, though he suspects he doesn't go far. There's a moment of heavy silence. Then Louis begins to speak as if nothing happened.

And so the story continues.

Daniel listens without interruption as Louis talks about his life, Lestat, his sister, Claudia. Louis reads aloud how Claudia follows Louis and Lestat without knowing why, other than that she can't find meaning without them.

And doesn't that sound familiar? Daniel hadn't been able to find meaning in his life without Armand. But Claudia thinks she was made to be Louis' sister. Daniel wonders if Louis ever knew that was what she thought. Wonders if maybe it isn't partly true.

Of course, Claudia eventually returns. How could she not?

But that's when things fall apart. Because she doesn't come back to stay, no, she comes back for Louis. And Lestat can't have that. Her exact words to Louis were “I thought I could live without you, but I was wrong.”

Daniel had said the same words to Armand once. And what had Armand said? “There is nothing for you now, Daniel, except for me. Madness waits out there.”

Madness would be better than what happened next. Daniel knows it's going to turn violent even before Louis says anything. Things were at a boiling point, and violence was inevitable.

Had he and Armand ever truly been violent? Daniel remembers love-making that had been vicious, remembers fights that had been volatile, but true violence? No, that had never happened. Even when provoked Armand.

Once, during one of their arguments—and it was always the same argument, really—Daniel had accused Armand of being a liar and struck him. He had been packing his bags during the fight, ready to bolt. Armand had grabbed him by the arm to stop him and Daniel slapped him.

He can still remember the look on his face, the anger flashing in his eyes as he hissed “How dare you!”

Armand had looked truly monstrous and it was frightening and exciting and infuriating.

So Daniel had said, “Don't hit me. You might kill me. You're very strong.” Except he had been trying to provoke Armand to do just that. He wanted Armand to strike him, was the sick thing. Wanted it so he'd have something to hang over his head during their next fight.

Jesus, he was fucked up.

The next part is difficult to listen to. Daniel thinks if he didn't remember Louis, remember caring for Louis, he might be able to be objective. What Lestat does to him, in front of their daughter, no less, is sickening. Hell, it makes Daniel want to find the bastard and drive a stake through his heart. If that could even kill him.

Daniel wants to say something comforting, but what comes out is “And you don't consider yourself abused.”

Louis' face shutters and he draws back. “I think that's enough for tonight.”

Daniel sighs. “Wait, I didn't mean-”

“You did,” Louis cuts in, then looks off in the distance. Daniel can guess that Armand is telepathically checking in on him. Good. At least one of them isn't sticking their foot in their mouth.

Louis stands. “Good night, Daniel.”

Daniel watches him walk out without protest. Once he's out of sight, he rubs a hand over his face. This interview is proving harder than he imagined. He sits and tries not to think of Louis beaten and bloody. It's insane that he still cares. He shouldn't. He shouldn't be here.

He's not left to his thoughts long. Only a few moments pass before Armand enters and places a steaming mug in front of him. Daniel lifts it and takes a sip. It's tea, that ridiculously expensive kind made from leaves that only grow in a specific rainforest. It had been Daniel's favorite in the seventies. Armand still remembers just the way he takes it.

Armand sits across from him and doesn't speak. Daniel takes another swallow of tea and thinks of what to say. “Thanks,” he says and lifts the tea. He looks toward where Louis exited. “He going to be alright?”

“Speaking of the past is difficult for Louis,” says Armand. “But yes, he will be fine. I'll take care of him.”

“Why aren't you now?” Daniel asks. Why is Armand out here with him instead of with Louis?

“Then who would care for you, my boy?”

Daniel feels a flare of anger surge through him. What right does Armand have to call him his boy, after all this time? “Not your boy, and I don't need taken care of.”

Once, after a particularly vicious fight, Daniel had told Armand he'd always been his. They'd been wrapped around each other in bed, just finished fucking. Make up sex with Armand was always especially intense. Armand's fingers had been stroking through his hair and Daniel had his face buried in Armand's chest. “You know, I'm still yours, right? Even when I leave. I'll always be yours. I don't know what else to be.” Then Armand had made love to him again and things were good for awhile.

The memory makes him burn red with shame. He wonders if Armand is poking around in his head, hearing him think of it.

“Perhaps I want to take care you, whether you need it or not.”

“Well, don't,” Daniel snaps. He pulls off his glasses and rubs his eyes. “Shit. I slapped an abuse victim.”

Armand's mouth twitches at the corner. “Louis wouldn't like being called a victim.”

Doesn't mean he isn't one, but Daniel's not going to push it. “I'd feel worse if he didn't deserve it.”

Armand glances towards Daniel's hands. “How is your hand?”

It's a little sore, but that's par for course these days. Everything aches all the time. The joys of old age and disease. “Fine.”

“May I?” Armand says, and reaches towards him. He doesn't wait for an answer before taking Daniel's hand in his. He massages it, rubbing his thumbs over his tired muscles with just the right amount of pressure. It feels pretty nice, actually.

Armand is focused on his hand while he does it, so Daniel takes the opportunity to drink in the sight of him. He's a damn fool, but he's missed him. Even without remembering him, he missed him. There always was that something lacking that he could never find, that ephemeral feeling he kept chasing.

Daniel hates him so much he can't stand it; he wants him so much it hurts.

Armand kneads his thumb over a tender spot and Daniel lets his eyes fall closed. He sucks in a breath and pulls back his hand. “I'm going to bed. Go take care of Louis.”

He rises to his feet and Armand lets him leave. Part of him wishes he hadn't.

When he crawls into bed, it's hard to sleep. His brain won't shut off, won't stop bringing up memories. So much of his life is wrapped up in these two vampires. Being with them had been the best and worst time of his life.

After an hour, he's ready to give up. He goes to the bathroom—no one told him how often you have to pee when you get old—and washes his hands. He's sees a flicker in the mirror, something behind him. It's there and gone too quickly to make out. Then cold seeps down to his pores, sliding down the back of his neck and filling his body with an icy chill.

The image behind him flickers again. A girl in a yellow dress, her face twisted in anger. Claudia.

Daniel turns around and sees nothing. His heart is pounding in his chest. “Claudia?”

No answer. Whatever he saw is gone, and the chill fades with it.

A ghost. He just saw a ghost. Claudia's ghost.

Daniel casts his eyes around, but there's no sign of her. “Don't worry, I'm going to find out what happened to you.”

And he will. Then just maybe, by the time this is over, she can have some peace.

[oblivi0nskeep]

The Lone Walk to Eternity

Within this Horror Unwaking

Louis laments the many regrets he has in life. Eternity is a long time to pass; the list of nightmares could only span so far, no?

[Chapter 1, Crossposted on Ao3]

To think that either path damns his dearest all the same.

The crew defeats the frenzied Silva, leaving the relics to take Luciel's body as their new host. Luciel sooner finds the new additions to his body twisting his very being from the inside—it is by Louis's intervention that the Queenslayer does not complete his rebirth as the Queen.

General Information.

Rating: Mature

Genre: Angst

Point of View: Third-Person Limited

Tense: Present

Fandom: Code Vein

Characters: Original Character, Louis Amamiya

Relationships: Louis/Protagonist

Tags: scantily edited; no beta, we die like... well.; heavy angst; hurt no comfort; emotional baggage; emotional constipation; guilt; regret; unconfessed love; crying; grief/mourning; repeated trauma; canon-typical depiction of blood.

Warnings.

❗ Spoiler Alert: "Heirs Ending" The following fanwork takes place directly during and after the bad end of the game. If you have not yet experienced it yourself and are looking forward to it, please refrain from reading any further.

⚠️ Triggering contents may be present within this fic. Please proceed with discretion. Vivid portrayal of grief and symptoms of PTSD ahead. Although chapter two is yet to be posted, the current draft and the final product for that will feature heavy gore and graphic mutilation. The tags will be updated accordingly to match the content that is already posted.

Author's Note:

guess who used angsty fanfiction as a medium to vent their disappointment of life again, as always 😁

THE SILENCE THAT ENSUES RINGS DEAFENINGLY CLEAR. Deep is the blue that spills forth in the wake of his resolve, his royal decree; the brand that sealed his deal with destiny. But what quality marks nobility, if not the sacrifice it demands of those who wish to stake their claim upon it?

The sway of indecision is a dead adversary by now. A gallant knight is he to renounce his own heart if only to avail his dismal duty: the leap that tears him of hesitance’s manipulative strings. A shambling fool no more, he finds his limbs moving with fluid ease as they bring his sword through flesh and bone and the wicked Queen’s then-beating heart. 

And like so, his prove to be the hands that ply the blade, that sever this world from the fount of its suffering.

From chaos delivered.

But what of this cold mask of stoicism when it finally lets up, cracks and melts?

Down with his verdict comes bitter tears unbidden like the storm that had rained for many nights before.

“Leave the rest to me,” is the meagre much Louis could mutter out. A gruesome conclusion attained in solace; a pathetic attempt thereof.

And the Queenslayer, oh, crushed as he is under the weight of his sanction, could offer naught a word in reciprocation.

Both men suspended in a static of their own pain, time grinds to a halt for them. The rest of the world is a distant abyss whereupon desolation’s forbidding knell descends—a shallow fanfare for a hollow victory. Shatter goes the Queen’s judgement thorns as they are called to resonate, swallowed up in the void harmony.

Louis could just hear how his blood sings in beat with his rapid pulse; mayhem blaring in his ears. It stings in his eyes, to be so rife than ever before with sentiments, each a contradiction of the other. Tears ripe to fall—bountiful fruits of his soul. What more can they (his eyes) betray?

Every next breath comes with a needle down his throat. Air sifts into his lungs in uneven chunks; so awfully thick they are that Louis could not help but to choke on them.

Every next breath grows shorter and shorter for the Queen in death’s waiting. Whatever awaits him on the other side? When the blade is withdrawn from his heart, what then, will become of him? How absurd it is that the question seems to weigh heavier in Louis’s mind than it does in Luciel’s.

For what else has he to worry about? To resent? To regret? As far as Luciel is aware, order will be restored upon Vein. Everything is proceeding in accordance with their initial plan. Naught falls outside of his foresight. Or does his silence bespeak of something other than acceptance?

No, for it is not Luciel’s heart that is in conflict. He has long since decided and is content to forever hold his peace.

Tick-tock; as precious seconds fleet away, Louis finds the steel chain that holds his will together coming loose. What paltry resolve he had garnered over the course of their journey as though evaporates; trickles to waste through old cracks that have begun to resurface all across his heart.

Tick-tock; the present moment he takes for granted in favour of questioning what could have been done differently. Yesterday’s regret was over his lack of strength to spare the previous queen from a fate worse than her already disgraceful demise. Today’s sorrow is brought forth by his overcoming of that weakness. How his heart yearns for another answer, asserting a different question: why, why must it come to this again?

Why was he not strong enough to steer fate away from this outcome altogether?

Tick-tock; even with much of it stolen, time has never made it to his hand in enough the amount. Though he had made the most of what he was given, regret finds him all the same, all too soon.

All over again.

Nada; the seconds have passed him by before he can string together a single conclusive thought.

The moment carries him worlds away that for a moment then, he is granted the clemency to forget his immediate plight. It really matters that little when Luciel’s body fails and falls before him, hanging limp on the blade of his sword.

As the light leaves his eyes—as he draws shorter and shorter breaths, so too does the sword become too heavy for Louis to bear. Even with both hands on the hilt and his entire strength put into the effort, life is still too hefty a thing for him to hold, to fit in his palms, to be taken in indifferent spontaneity.

A deep inhale steadies his trembling figure. With nary much else, Louis pulls out the sword in a single swift motion. Like a puppet bereaved of its strings, Luciel collapses onto the cold hard ground, sprawled as he welcomes death with arms outstretched.

The next spill to join the bloody mire and feed into the Gaol’s unquenchable thirst is the blue of Luciel’s own life essence.

Herewith does the Queen’s life meet its end—slain before the throne in the midst of his ascension by the very sword that had sworn him fealty. His was an abrupt birth that has found its true pair in an equally abrupt death.

Luciel tries his best to retain acceptance until the very end. He thought that mayhaps, it would make it easier for Louis and everyone else. That, maybe, he would have a better time fading from their memories if he were to go out without much commotion.

But as pain sets in and instinct overtakes, there is not much that Luciel can do about the way his body jerks reflexively in defiance of its shutdown; a desperate struggle that only serves to choke the last of his fight out of him.

Only then does he feel the agony of flesh sundered and he could not hold back the urge to scream from being crushed under the intensity of it all. Before even a drop of syllable could be given sound, however, Luciel has bitten down on his tongue, persisting to wallow in silence.

His eyes flicker, searching through the haze of his vision until they find their mark in those of Louis's. But faced with the terror and anguish alike residing within those crimson depths, Luciel stays his tears, his tongue gone still on its own.

“I’m sorry…” Luciel mutters only above a whisper. “…Thank you, for…” He breathes his gratitude—and weaker yet, he mouths, “…you.”

Louis does not spare himself any of the details. He witnessed it all; holding Luciel’s gaze until he was sure the latter had breathed his last. There is no harm in that, no? It is the least—the only measure of comfort that Louis could provide.

The rest of the crew gives him a wide berth. They turn a blind eye to his gleaming tears and a deaf ear to his unceasing sobs, pretending otherwise. They yet respect his vision of an infallible leader, even while every gulp of air crushes the tender swell of his heart in, while he bleeds himself dry with every breath.

“Louis…” calls a voice he is most familiar with. “We don’t have much time.”

Louis makes an attempt to answer, to voice his compliance, but all that falls when he opens his mouth is a slew of pitiful blubbers. He bows his head lower as though in sombre prayer, hiding his sorrow—hiding from his sorrow, for behold: the nightmare that had caused him many a sleepless night has reared into reality before him.

“We’ll help you take it from here.”

But Louis remains a trembling mess that he was. Having abandoned his speech entirely as it seems, his companions again afford him the peace to grief.

There is then the clamour of footsteps, closely followed by the Gaol’s ambient silence.

True enough, when Louis cast his gaze to take stock of his surroundings, there is not a single soul left in the vicinity aside from him.

And…

His gaze next sweeps over the soundly slumbering form of Luciel. At the sight, his feelings come at him once more, each and every at once. Finally does he buckle and yield under the bulk of his conscience after denying it for so long.

The coarse stone digs into his knees and shins. But Louis could not care less about it; the gnawing pain that creeps over to his palm as he haphazardly crawls closer to the revenant he so cherishes.

Louis turns the stiff body of Luciel over with care so as to not disturb his sanctity of death. How distraught is he to find that Luciel’s eyes remain unclosed postmortem, blankly staring back at him. Tears well upon those lifeless eyes, while some had run and formed trails down his face. Stilling his shaking hand, Louis brings it over Luciel’s eyes, gently dragging his lids down to a close.

Then, he wails. He throws his head onto the crook of Luciel’s shoulder and wails. He wails and wails, hollowing himself of the words he has lost the chance to speak, of the feelings he never before allowed to be known, of the ache in his heart that had broiled overlong. He wails at the top of his lungs; until his throat goes sore, so sore that his tongue could fall out.

Loud as he and his anguish are, the person he is calling for never stirs.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry; a litany of apologies he utters without end with what little voice he has left.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading! This was actually my proudest work of 2023. I hope you enjoyed it! There will be a second and third part, but I regret to inform you that I may not be able to dish it out anytime soon (the perfectionist within me treats this fic like an Asian parent's firstborn son, it needs to be EVERYTHING; I would know). Please look forward to it still!

If you enjoyed this fic, please don't forget to leave a like and reblog!

[little-smartass]

7, 8, 14, 17 vampire chronicles

^ actual depiction of anon who wants to see me get killed dsfjkldsfjls but SURE, LET'S GO, I'LL DUNK ON VC ANY DAY

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

oooh, tough one, just because I already hate so many characters because of canon lmao. I'm gonna say... maybe Nicki? purely because I've seen people attempt to Poor Little Meow Meow-ify him, and I'm not a fan of that. I wouldn't say I hate him, though.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

HOO BOY. I'm gonna go for a tame one: that book!Louis is pathetic and boring. is IWTV and Louis' intense depression easy and fun to read? no. but it does really feel like it hits on something real, and something that I personally really resonate with, and so as a fellow drowning-in-emotions wet blanket, I am very LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE when people talk shit about him. it's uncalled for, IMO.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

I don't actually read much VC fic anymore because it's all just swamped (haha) with show fic, and that's not an AU that I personally care much for - and when I do venture into VC fic, I am exceedingly picky about what I will read, so I don't really feel like I have a wide enough data set to answer this question.

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

Lestat + Louis + Armand + Daniel dynamics, either as a polycule or as two couples in a little coven together. I honestly see that as the best case future scenario for all of them, as it allows the more intense boys different relationships to get attention from, and gives the others the opportunity for some space. also, for ALL of them, I think having a relatively low-stakes family unit would do them good, even if it occasionally gets messed up and weird. ALSO, a free AU for anyone who wants it - instead of Daniel going to Marius post-QOTD, Jesse sees this ticking timebomb of a man and asks her aunt if they can adopt her Blood Twin. Daniel would super benefit from being in an environment that isn't as intense as his relationship with Armand, and getting to hang around with someone his age would really help him work through whatever Post-Turning Bad Mental Health Shit he has, I think. And Jesse would have fun with him because they both have that Need To Investigate thing, and again, I think she'd like having a friend her own age who Gets what she's been through. platonic Daniel + Jesse please!!!

choose violence ask game

[sofipitch]

something that confuses me about louis/i dont have a concrete conclusion on is the fact that he is so proud of his abstinence as a vampire and moralises it constantly but when he was human he was literally the most hedonistic mf. why do you think that is?

Okay this one took me a bit to get too bc the way Louis frames it in IWTV is so insane I would look at this passage and think "Am I stupid this makes no sense" but it actually doesn't:

My thirst rose in me like fever, and I followed him. My desire to die was constant, like a pure thought in the mind, devoid of emotion. Yet I needed to feed. I’ve indicated to you I would not then kill people. I moved along the rooftop in search of rats.”

“But why…you’ve said Lestat shouldn’t have made you start with people. Did you mean…do you mean for you it was an aesthetic choice, not a moral one?”

“Had you asked me then, I would have told you it was aesthetic, that I wished to understand death in stages. That the death of an animal yielded such pleasure and experience to me that I had only begun to understand it, and wished to save the experience of human death for my mature understanding. But it was moral. Because all aesthetic decisions are moral, really.”

“I don’t understand,” said the boy. “I thought aesthetic decisions could be completely immoral. What about the cliché of the artist who leaves his wife and children so he can paint? Or Nero playing the harp while Rome burned?”

“Both were moral decisions. Both served a higher good, in the mind of the artist. The conflict lies between the morals of the artist and the morals of society, not between aesthetics and morality. But often this isn’t understood; and here comes the waste, the tragedy. An artist, stealing paints from a store, for example, imagines himself to have made an inevitable but immoral decision, and then he sees himself as fallen from grace; what follows is despair and petty irresponsibility, as if morality were a great glass world which can be utterly shattered by one act. But this was not my great concern then. I did not know these things then. I believed I killed animals for aesthetic reasons only, and I hedged against the great moral question of whether or not by my very nature I was damned.

Louis abstains from killing people in the beginning because he thinks he derives such pleasure from it that it is something he shouldn't indulge in often. For him killing humans and drinking their blood is the bottle of champagne only opened on a special occasion, the perfume you only wear on fancy occasions, etc etc. The idea of luxury, to Louis, means that it is something you shouldn't have often, and thus he abstains from killing humans. He thinks he should eat rats and work his way up the scala naturae so that he tastes the difference between a rat and cat, or a cat and horse, and finally a horse and human.

Part of why he hates Lestat is bc he sees Lestat as naturally wasteful, he doesn't savor the finer things in life, bc Lestat is ravenous after so many years without. Lestat died starving. Lestat did not have the luxury of hoping for a better tomorrow at a lot of points in his life, because of his past Lestat lives perpetually in the now bc that is all he can guarantee. So Lestat does things like kill "important" people, or order champagne in their hotel room just to look at and never drink.

However, Louis eventually gives in to drinking from and killing humans. So to justify this he makes up a new moral code to fit his own deeds. He says anything that creates pleasure/beauty is good. This is blatantly not true when you consider to him pleasure is killing people. The example he gives, an artist stealing supplies, is so low stakes he must know he is warping the situation in his favor. Even right now, what immediately comes to mind is diamonds. Yes a large mined diamond is gorgeous, but when you know people and especially children mine them in slave like conditions, how can a small beauty ever be worth the cost of suffering?

So yeah Louis is aware he is a hypocrite, he had to come up with his own new morality to justify his actions. He's the millionaire justifying jetting everywhere with "there's no ethical consumption under capitalism"

I think both the movie and TV show have individual scenes that let you glimpse this but I would have loved to hear him say this convo with Daniel out loud bc it's so insane and it would have been fun to as a fandom tear him to shreds for it

[cbrownjc]

That post about Lestat turning Daniel... I also think it's going to be this way but I have the craziest theory about this: the groan in the penthouse is actually Lestat. He's living there as a hostage. one day, Daniel decides to follow the groan and discovers the prisoner. Lestat somehow convinces Daniel to help him out but Lestat is super hungry and feeds himself from Daniel and escape. Armand decides to turn Daniel to avoid his death.

Hi Anon!

I'm 100% with you on "the groan" being Lestat. However, I don't think Lestat is currently conscious or awake. I think he's asleep/in a coma and creating "the groan" unconsciously. Kind of a spin on him/his body protecting itself when he was in his post-Memnoch the Devil coma.

And yes, I, too, can see Lestat attacking Daniel at the end of S2 after he wakes up, in a kind of shout-out to the end of the 1994 movie.

However, I think Daniel will get saved or something without needing to be turned by Armand, Louis, or even Lestat. Simply because I don't think the show is going to make Daniel a vampire that soon, i.e., at the end of S2.

Daniel has just begun to fulfill his story role as the ordinary human among these fantastical, supernatural characters. Even outside of what's been adapted so far, Daniel has yet to be changed enough over the course of the story of the show to be fully brought into that world just yet.

Plus, audiences who haven't read the books have no idea about Daniel's deeper - i.e., Devil's Minion - connection to all of this, just like Daniel doesn't at the moment. And there isn't time to tell that whole story in just 7-8 eps in S2, not with everything else S2 also has to cover.

The dramatic stakes are significantly lowered if Daniel is turned before he learns everything that took place regarding these things if he is turned before he learns it.

Also, I don't think Daniel would help Lestat out if he was in trouble. Like, not at all. Even if Daniel remembers having maybe met Lestat before in the 80s or something, he still barely knows the guy now, except for what he's heard and been told about by Louis. And what Louis has told him hasn't been all that good, to say the least.

That is partly why I strongly feel Daniel - while still human - will be the one interviewing Lestat in S3 when the show adapts The Vampire Lestat.

First, we already know the show's name isn't going to change in S3, Rolin Jones already said so in an interview. The show will still be called Interview with the Vampire in S3. And you've already got Daniel right there, you don't need to try and introduce another different character and set them up to do the interview for Lestat's life story, that's just wasting time. Also, Lestat just telling the story to himself as he writes it down, or something, is just boring visually. No way are they going to do it that way. The dynamics of a back-and-forth interview, as we've seen in just S1, are much more engaging.

And secondly, I'm pretty sure Daniel will have a low opinion of Lestat and his actions going into such an interview at the start, just like I bet many in the audience will (particularly, again, those who haven't read the books). But, the journalist that Daniel is, he'll still be curious to hear Lestat's side of everything and, therefore, will do the interview.

Daniel will push and ask questions that many watching, especially those who don't know the story, would want to ask. And I expect Daniel's opinions of Lestat will change over the course of the interview with him and learning what he does of Lestat's story and side of things, probably for the better in some significant regards.

But right now? Naw. Daniel wouldn't help Lestat, even if he somehow found him awake and in chains or something. That said, I do kinda think Daniel will either discover or be taken by Armand, Louis, or both and be shown the source of the "the groan" which will be a coma-sleeping Lestat.

As for who finally does turn Daniel, which I think will happen a few seasons from now (like S5 or so)? I could be wrong, and it really could still be Armand. I really do think Armand has Dr. Fareed doing something wrt the levodopa Daniel was given. My mom had Parkinson's, and the only time she was given an IV drip of levodopa was when she was in the hospital. Otherwise, she took her levodopa in pill form. So I think Armand has Dr. Fareed doing something to try and stay Daniel's Parkinson's. Because while I still think Armand is dead set against ever turning someone himself, I don't think he wants Daniel to die, and is looking for other ways to preserve his life.

That's why, IMO, Armand gave Louis that look when Louis offered to turn Daniel in EP6. Armand might have asked Louis to turn Daniel in the past, during the show's version of The Devil's Minion, and Louis refused. (And unlike with Madeline in the books, and possibly what will also happen on the show, Armand didn't try to mentally manipulate Louis into doing so this time.)

In the end, though, as in the books, Armand's hand might finally be forced to realize there is no way to stop Daniel from dying a natural death, and he's just going to have to make a choice to offer to turn him.

The real question is, though, would Daniel accept the offer? And, at the moment, I'm just feeling "no." Because Daniel is in a different place than he was almost 50 years ago. He basically alluded to it himself in EP6.

Unlike when he was in his 20s, being immortal now would now mean watching his daughters grow old and die.

So if Daniel continues to refuse the offer of the Dark Gift, even knowing he's dying (and I think he will), then the only way he's getting turned is if someone turns him against his will. And I just don't know if Armand would ever do that. I, personally, don't think he would.

However, I think Lestat would. And so would Marius.

Marius would do it because he's a controlling ass, and would do it for the same reason he turned Sybelle and Benji in the books IMO.

Lestat, OTOH, I think, would do it for the same reason he forcibly turned David Talbot. Which is that he just wanted to. (And, he didn't want to lose David, which he felt he had when David got his new body, along with a host of other things Lestat thinks about himself at that point, but that's a whole other thing I don't want to go into right now.) Anyway, as far as the show goes, I think Daniel and Lestat might end up having the same kind of friendship and love that book-Lestat and David had.

I know I'm not alone in thinking David Talbot's character has been cut from the show. (I feel more sure of it since Aaron Lightner was cut from The Mayfair Witches series too.) And I think one of the new things that will result in that is that Lestat and Daniel will grow to have an affectionate relationship between them like the one Lestat had with David in the books.

Whether Daniel gets David's body-swapping plot remains to be seen (and could open up a whole other can-of-worms, which I'll refrain from going into here.) Needless to say, I've said elsewhere that the four main characters of the show are Louis, Lestat, Armand, and Daniel, all of whom will have complicated relationships with each other; and I think the way they are going to go into building something between Lestat and Daniel is to pull from the relationship Lestat has with human-David in the books. An older man, who has a long life experience under him, and finds Lestat fascinating while not interested in being turned either, so the relationship develops rather equally.

And ends up with Lestat eventually turning him. And I can fully see the same happening with Daniel.

Damn, can I ever answer an ask without writing an essay in response? I guess not, when I have so many thoughts about this show in my head . . .

[chamomileharry]

Summer fics

✿ golden hearts (light their way back down) (4k) // fairytalelights

“...So, top or bottom?” Louis asks when Harry tunes back in. And... what? Harry knew he should have been paying more attention but he has no idea how in the hell Louis explaining camp rules to him could have led to discussing sexual preferences this quickly. He must have smiled and nodded at the wrong place one too many times.

or, the one where Harry’s first day as a summer camp counsellor doesn’t go quite as planned.

✿ giving and receiving (4k) // delicatels

New, as of the year, Harry becomes friends with Liam and Niall, more so Niall. Summer is finally here! But so is Liam's step-brother, Louis, and his best friend, Zayn, all the way from university. With conflicts stemmed from hidden relationships, this is an unforgettable one.

✿ You're So Square (Baby I Don't Care) (15k) // mmaree

“So does it say who my new co-counsellor is?”

“Yeah, it does.” Zayn doesn’t even try to hide his smirk and Louis just knows.

He sucks in a breath. “It’s that bloody Styles kid, isn’t it?”

Zayn starts cackling, and Louis takes a moment to rethink every life decision he’s ever made, figure out where he went wrong and why karma hates him so much.

“I’m stuck with Britain’s Biggest Boy Scout for the rest of the summer, aren’t I?”

***

Or a summer camp au where Louis tries to sort out whether he wants to murder or snog his perky co-counsellor.

✿ Summer Loving Happened So Fast (16k) // kikikryslee

I’m here until Wednesday and I’d love to see you again when you’re not waiting on me. Think we can make it work? xx Harry P.S. You probably already know this, but you’re positively breathtaking. --- Or, the one where Harry is staying at his dad's beach house for the week and meets Louis on the third day. Five days later, he thinks he might be way past the 'summer fling' stage.

✿ Til My Voice Breaks, Baby I love You (23k) // Isforever, TheIfInLife

Louis is in the ultimate form of lazy - sloppily thrown on cap, open bag of crisps with crumbs spilling out, mouth full, and fingers itching behind his balls - when he hears a knock on the front door.

or, Louis' family is vacationing in what happens to be the same place as Harry's family over the summer. It's awkward when they first meet, no thanks to Harry and his little yellow shorts.

✿ open up my eager eyes (31k) // blankiehxrry

Louis is not about to spend the summer before uni picking up after his mother’s messy life and involving himself with some boy, some boy who giggles too much and loves so intensely and has the voice and lips of an angel. But it seems as if he has no choice.

also known as the one where louis is hopelessly immune to the charm of one gangly harry styles. angst ensues.

✿ Hate Me To The Moon (83k) // harrystylesandstuff

The last thing Harry wanted was to spend his entire summer stuck with his dad's new fiancée and her kids. He wants no more when he learns she's a very religious dictator, raising a sixteen year old nun and a clean cut potential priest ass kisser.

Everything takes a slightly different turn, however, when Harry finds out his future step-brother is actually the rude stranger he caught sucking off a guy in a pub, far from the reserved Christian his mom thinks he is...

AU where Harry is a sexy nerd, Louis is a great actor, and they both pretend to hate each other's guts to convince themselves they're not feeling things future step-brothers shouldn't feel...

✿ Trois Étés (90k) // tomlindrugs 

It's summer.

Harry’s fourteen, fifteen, and then twenty years old.

On holiday, at the fragile age when everything’s at stake, he meets Louis, an older boy he quickly develops an almost unhealthy admiration for. And by his side, under his touch, Harry doesn’t feel so small anymore. On the coast of Andalusia, on the foothills of the Jura mountains, and in the heart of Paris, they find each other for three summers, in all the desires, wanderings, seriousness and violence of first loves.

In the end, perhaps the sun had something to do with it.

as always, please read the tags and remember to leave kudos and a nice comment for the author!

if you have any requests this summer, feel free to ask please! <3

remember to stay hydrated and safe