#love that i initially was going to wait to think of Interesting things about myself

[gayandvibin]

If you get this, answer with 3 random facts about yourself and send this to the last 7 people in your notifications, anonymously or not!

Oh hmm

I've only ever lived by the coast, there are five dragon stuffed animals in my bed rn, and despise being a self proclaimed musical kid i only listened to les mis for the first time yesterday

[verstappen-cult]

# THE BOYS MEETING YOUR PARENTS

INTRODUCING THE BOYS. lando norris. charles leclerc. oscar piastri. max verstappen. alex albon. daniel ricciardo. mick schumacher. logan sargeant.

Gwen’s radio message. . . 💬. you don’t know how much i missed doing these f1 grid headcanons! thanks to the anon who sent the request in the first place. i use a few different prompts for this, if you wanna check them out: one, two and three. <333

★ — LANDO NORRIS (4)

You’re waiting for your parents at the restaurant, Lando by your side looking like he’s about to meet his death. You notice that his leg is jumping anxiously beneath the table. In another situation you’d make fun of him but not this time, so you grab his hand and squeeze slightly, pulling him out of his head. You reassure him that everything will be okay, that “you’re going to be fine. They will love you just like I love you.” and Lando tries to smile, he really tries but he’s nervous. He’s meeting your parents, the most important people in your life, and he wants to make a good impression. You make small talk, trying to give him a few tips, what he can say to your father or how to compliment your mother’s dress. In the end, he didn’t have any reason to worry. Because after the initial greeting Lando is already in a deep conversation with your father about cars while your mother looks softly between you two. They leave with the promise of having dinner at their house next week. Lando can’t stop ranting about how interesting your father is and “do you think they would like to go to the next race? I can arrange that immediately. I’m sure your dad would love it.”

★ — CHARLES LECLERC (16)

Charles is about to have a panic attack or at least that’s what you think as you watch him pace around the living room. “You don’t understand. Like I need them to love me because you love them, and if they don’t love me I’ll just, I don’t know, kill myself.” And you can’t help but laugh because you’ve never seen him that nervous, not even on your first date he acted like this. He is a complete gentleman when your parents arrive at your house. Your father hasn’t even parked yet but he’s already waiting at the door with the most bright smile you’ve ever seen. Your mother loves him immediately, but your dad makes things a little hard, teasing him and making him so flustered you think Charles will pass out from how embarrassed he is. However, your mother has your back because she teases him back, engaging in some playful banter. Your heart starts hammering in your chest when Charles leans in and whispers “that will be us one day.”

★ — OSCAR PIASTRI (81)

You were nervous when, in reality, you shouldn’t have been. Oscar was natural, he was the one reassuring you that everything was going to be fine while you tried very hard to make him turn around and go back home. He had to park somewhere halfway to your parent’s house to calm you. If his kisses had anything to do with you finally relaxing nobody doesn’t need to know that. But he was right, as always, because dinner went smoothly. You have finished eating, your parents are laughing at something Oscar has said and you feel like you couldn’t be more in love. You are wrong because when your mother stands up to clean the table, Oscar is up in a second telling her to “sit down, I’ll take care of that. Anyone want coffee?” and you fall a little more in love. Oscar disappears into the kitchen and you get up to help him when your mother grabs your hand and softly whispers “He’s a keeper.”

★ — MAX VERSTAPPEN (33/1)

Max insisted on buying the most grand bouquet of flowers, the most expensive wine and taking the Ferrari once you revealed just how much your dad loves cars and, especially, Ferrari. You couldn’t laugh even though you found it funny and over the top, but no one has ever done something like that for you. It shows how important you are to him. Your parents love him immediately, your mother is more than happy when she sees her favorite flowers while your dad looks like a fish out of water, unable to close his mouth as he admires the Ferrari parked outside their house. Max makes the mistake of asking him if he would like to take a ride and they leave for thirty minutes. He makes conversation with your parents during dinner, they humiliate you a bit and bond over how spoiled you are. When it’s time to go, your mother hugs him so tightly and says “thank you for taking such good care of her.” 

★ — ALEX ALBON (23)

You’re coming out of a store when you see your mother across the street and before you can turn around and pretend you didn’t see them, she’s calling your name. Alex is surprised and doesn’t know what to do, choosing to stay a few feet behind because “I’m not ready! I need to mentally prepare myself to meet her and I’m wearing fucking shorts and a shirt, I can’t meet her like this.” but your mother sees him and her face lights up. “Is this the young man you’ve been hiding from us?” and Alex can do nothing more than accept your mother’s hug and the kiss on the cheek. When you laugh he sends you a death glare and you know you’ll be hearing about it all the way home. She invites you to have dinner because “dad misses you and he will be so happy to meet Alex.” and you were gonna decline her offer, really. But Alex beats you and accepts instead, telling her that “we would love to! But come to our house, we will cook for you.” 

★ — DANIEL RICCIARDO (3)

The first thing your mom says when she opens the door is “have you eaten? I made this delicious tiramisu, come on!” as she grabs Daniel’s arm and drags him to the kitchen, leaving you behind with your bags and the bottle of wine you insisted on buying. You don’t take too long closing the door and following them, but once you enter the kitchen Daniel is already sitting on a stool with a big plate of tiramisu in front of him. He sees you and smiles with his mouth full, and it would’ve made you laugh if you weren’t so offended. Your mother washes the dishes and makes small talk with Daniel, asking him random things about himself to get to know him better and he’s more than happy to answer all of them. When ten minutes go by without your own mother acknowledging you, you decide to speak because “you’re not gonna ask if I want a plate too, mother? Your own daughter?” which she takes as a good opportunity to tell a story about your childhood and humiliate you in front of your boyfriend. 

★ — MICK SCHUMACHER (47)

You weren’t supposed to find them, that’s what Mick tells you when you ask him “baby, are these… flashcards?” surprised when you start reading them and is all the information you gave him about your family during the week. He is embarrassed and it takes a lot of convincing and kisses to make him look at you. “I want to be prepared, okay? I want to make a good impression and this is my way to achieve that.” And, well, he is right. Because when the day comes, Mick fits so well. He asks your little brother about university and gives him a few tips, he asks your mother about work and your dad about horses, he even sits down with your little sister to play with her dolls. Everyone loves him. If you have to listen to your family tell embarrassing stories about you, you will endure it if it means you’ll keep seeing Mick’s bright smile. 

★ — LOGAN SARGEANT (2)

Logan wants to run. Yes, it was his idea to invite your family to a baseball game but “I still can get out of here and you can tell them that I’m sick. Or you can tell them that you don’t want me to meet them and we can run away to the Maldives or som—” you cup his face and shut him up with a kiss before he can keep talking nonsense. “You need to breathe.” It takes a while but he regulates his breathing eventually and doesn’t feel like passing out anymore. Logan still thinks that is best if he doesn’t attend the game and is actually about to make his escape when your brother yells your name. Before you can join them at the entrance, you hold Logan’s hand and whisper how much you love him. Logan forgets all about his anxiety once you are inside the stadium and he has a beer on his hand. Your dad makes sure to make him feel welcomed, including him in his and your brother's conversation. When you are home that night, getting ready for bed, Logan tells you that “I’m going fishing with your dad tomorrow.” And honestly, what the hell?

© VERSTAPPEN-CULT ⎯ do not repost, translate, plagiarise or claim any of my works as your own.

[sweet-as-an-angel]

König w/ a Mommy Kink

Warnings: 18+, mommy kink, breeding kink, kinda submissive König, mention of plugs, smut, Completely Inaccurate use of German, pet names, AFAB Reader, etc.

This is in my brain. I’m now making it your problem.

There’s nothing in this man’s history to suggest parental issues, but I can definitely see him having a mommy kink.

When he’s in a subby mood, he’ll beg you to ride him

something about seeing you on top makes him weak

The first time you discovered König mommy kink was completely accidental: you'd managed to hit his sweet spot and, reduced to a moaning mess, König yelled, clear as day, something obscene.

"M-Mutter!"

You didn't realise what it was at the time, assuming it was something in German, but you'd never heard this before, regardless of context.

You stopped bouncing on him, your hands on his chest, and leaned down to him.

"What was that, baby?"

König didn't reply, his face flushed with either exasperation or embarrasment - it was impossible to tell.

When you came to realise he wasn't going to talk, you slid a hand up his throat and gripped his jaw, forcing him to look at you.

"I said, what was that?"

König eyes couldn't meet yours, eyes settling somewhere on your chest instead.

"Mutter," he said, voice low, quiet. He swallowed, feeling you weren't going to let up.

"It means 'Mother' in German."

Your heart jumped in your chest, like you'd discovered an island no one else had.

König couldn't say a thing, worried he'd frightened you off with his...particular interests.

Instead, you smiled, releasing his jaw and returning to his chest.

"Alright," you said softly, half-lidded gaze making König weak with anticipation.

"I'll take care of you, baby. You gonna let me do that?"

König couldn't get the words out quick enough, a stream of hasty 'yes's falling from him.

After that initial discovery, you teased König for his mommy kink.

Any chance you got - you were relentless.

"König, sweetie, can you come and help mommy out in the kitchen?"

"Sure thi- wait...what did you say?"

And his face would break out in a contained blush each time.

You knew when to stop, though; you weren't a monster.

Whenever you were topping, you'd call him "baby boy,"; "baby,"; "sweetie," - things like that.

And he'd whine and moan every time.

"You gonna cum for me, baby?"

"Y-yes, mutter..."

One night, you asked him if he wanted you to breastfeed you.

You had no milk in you, obviously, but that didn't stop König.

While he sucked on you, you stroked his hair, calling him a "good boy," - telling him how you'd "have to let you put a baby in me someday,"

His eyes lit up at that.

And then you unearthed his breeding kink.

He loves you, wants to possess you in ways nobody else can, and to have something he literally put inside you was, in his eyes, the best way to do it.

Calls you mutter when he's trying to breed you, though for a different reason.

"You'll be such a good mother to our children, my love," he'd say, panting as he slammed into you.

He wouldn't leave until he knew you were satisfied and full.

And my god, this man won't stop until you're passed out beneath him, unable to take any more of him, his cum leaking out of you.

Is the type to plug you, either with his cock or an actual plug.

Won't let you take it out. It's staying.

Can get a bit dominant when you disobey him.

"Did I say you could do that, baby?"

Transitions into a daddy kink.

This man's transitioning through the kink spectrum fr.

When he's topping, he'll make you call him daddy.

Gives him a feeling of power.

If you want some more dominant König, read this.

Overall, you just make him feel so safe, so loved - he could scarcely think of any other name to call you except mutter (though, of course, not exactly appropriate in an every day context).

He loves you more than absolutely anything, and there are no limits as to what he would do for you.

Reblog for more content like this! It helps creators like myself tremendously and it is greatly appreciated :-)

Masterlist Masterlist [Continued] Masterpost Modern Warfare AI Masterlist

AO3 Wattpad

[itsclydebitches]

Don't mind me, everyone, just gonna slip on my Tedependent conspiracy hat for a bit...

Okay, for real though, can we talk about how Trent's backstory in 3x06 completely re-contextualizes his dinner with Ted in 1x03? Based on my own interpretation, the implied timeline is that Trent was married to a woman, attempted to come out to her and was dismissed (perhaps in large part because they were married: what do you mean you're gay? You can't be. You love me, etc.), either having his daughter forced Trent to become more honest about what he and his family needed, or they had her in an attempt to "fix" the marriage, she gets caught in the crossfire of all this, Trent comes out again, this time his wife believes him, they divorce, are still good friends, and their daughter is happier than ever because she has two loving parents who are now living their best lives.

Given her age - 3 at the start of the series, about 6 now - that means there's a decent possibility that Trent was still married at the beginning of the show.

And that his dinner with Ted is one of the things that pushed him to try coming out again.

As his core Ted is someone who is authentic and that authenticity is what catches Trent's interest. He's dismissive of it at first, literally thinking it's a "fucking joke," only to later end up with the revelation, "You really mean that, don't you?" - that Ted honestly enjoyed spending time with him. AKA, Ted says and does what he means, even when it seems completely unbelievable. How freeing must that be to see? I'm just imagining this interview-turned-dinner through the eyes of a man who is still unhappily married, mostly closeted, and struggling to help his daughter through the stress of that dynamic. Then he meets this sunshine of a coach who is so authentically himself that it initially comes across as an act, an exaggeration, a joke. But Ted never wavers, simply refuses to be anything other than himself. Soon he's doing even more than that, breaking down gender norms by characterizing the masculine, aggressive Roy Kent as the "little girl" from A Wrinkle in Time, burdened with the responsibility of leadership. He turns what should have been the end of a horrific day of shadowing into a dinner date and Trent finds himself answering the hard-hitting questions instead of his interviewee. Ted brushes off his accusation of greed with, "Wait, I'm supposed to be getting paid?" but Trent is completely caught off guard by Ted's "What do you love?"

The textual answer is "writing" and the fun fandom answer is "you," but if this is a Trent who still hasn't fully come out yet that's! A hell! Of a question!!! A closeted, queer individual's mind is going to jump to their biggest secret and, when offered an out, they're going grasp at it, so Trent eagerly agrees with Ted's guess of "writing" the same way Colin eagerly pulls the 'This is a gay bar? Haha, my mistake' card and makes a run for the door. Reading this interaction as Trent not just being gay, but potentially being closeted and unhappily married makes it less about the journalism (this strange coach likes me and thinks I can be a good person despite my invasive career choice) and more about his sexuality. Oh, no big deal, just having an intimate dinner with another good-looking man who's questioning me on love of all things and slowly inspiring me to be the best version of myself, which would require coming out to my wife again. This is a totally normal and not at all life-changing night! I definitely don't need to run away now!!

Via this reading Trent's article feels so loaded. Ted is "out there in the community" either "bravely or stupidly facing the music." That sounds a hell of a lot like a parallel to literally coming out and facing the music of a community's potential rejection, with Ted's American background/inexperience/unique personality acting as a stand-in for sexuality; the reasons he's labeled a "wanker" before anyone actually gets to know him - as the pub trio does while those very words are narrated by Higgins.

And then we have this:

"If the Lasso way is wrong, it's hard to imagine being right.... and though I believe that Ted Lasso will fail here... I can't help but root for him."

There are other elements at play here, like the football's celebration of ego and the threat of the club being relegated, but underneath it really sounds like a still-cynical Trent wanting to see the kind of changed world that those like Ted could bring about, but not really believing that it's possible. Given his history, is he really just talking about football when it comes to "the Lasso way"? I doubt it. Trent is potentially feeling trapped at this point in time, pessimistic to the point where yes, he still thinks that Ted will fail at football and creating a more inclusive, accepting community... but even still, Trent can't help but root for him. Of course he can't. He wants what Ted is offering. He needs it.

But then, of course, Ted succeeds! Not just in doing well by the club, but by the community as a whole. He maintains that inspiration and hope until, potentially, Trent felt like he could do something about his own situation. He found the nerve and strength to try again. So he comes out to his wife, they divorce, their daughter is happy, he goes on a date with a mustached man at the local pub, ditches him to try and 'interview' Ted, blows up his career because he realizes that his job is undermining the very thing he's been rooting for and he can't not give Ted a heads up, begins shadowing Ted as he looks for something "deeper," and then comes out to Colin, gazing wistfully across the water as he imagines being able to kiss a man after a win...

I'm not saying Ted Lasso is going to go there - and I'm DEFINITELY not saying there should be ANY accusations of queer baiting if/when they don't, because we've absolutely built the majority of this ship in fandom spaces - but I AM saying that if Trent's potential intersection of his history with Ted's influence and Ted's desire to shake things up while imagining bisexual triangles actually led to something... it would be a damn well done setup!

[gregorovitch-adler]

A Chemical Defect

The mild sunshine in the afternoon hit softly on Sherlock's face, lifting his mood quite a bit. He took in the fresh breeze as he kept walking along the pavement, with John by his side, towards 221, Baker Street.

"How would you define love?" John asked, carrying a grocery bag in his hand to their way home.

Sherlock was carrying the other bag.

The two of them had been out shopping, because it was time they went to the supermarket this week. And because it was a Sunday. Sherlock had oddly felt like accompanying John today, so he did.

They had been talking about what romantic attraction was like, how it felt, etc., when they were shopping. Though what had triggered that topic exactly, Sherlock had no idea.

Sherlock parted his lips and blinked, feeling thrown off by this sudden question. How should he respond?

"How would I know? I'm just a sociopath." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

John shook his head immediately at that. "No, that's not true at all. 'Sociopath' isn't even the correct term. And I know that you feel things." John let out a bitter laugh. "God knows I've personally witnessed you feel it."

They had arrived at their apartment building.

Sherlock turned to look at him with his eyebrows knitted and nose scrunched. "When?"

John turned around to face him too with disbelief in his expressive, blue eyes. "When? Seriously?" He shook his head again and opened the door to get in.

Sherlock followed him, and now they were both climbing the stairs leading to their flat.

Sherlock's hands were trembling, and his heart raced as his stomach churned in horror.

Did John know how Sherlock felt for him? Shit. Now what? How was Sherlock supposed to explain himself? Why did John bring this up today? Was this supposed to be a call-out? Oh no.

They both walked into their flat, closed the door, and John went straight to the kitchen with the bag in his hand.

Sherlock went to the kitchen too. It was dimly-lit with natural sunlight coming from the outside.

The table was a mess from Sherlock's latest experiment. Now John had also spread everything out that they had just bought, adding to the mess even more.

John was arranging everything properly in the fridge.

What was Sherlock to do now? Might as well out with the truth, he thought. It was time.

"Turns out I was in love. With you." Sherlock paused. "I still am," he added, as he set the bag of groceries on the kitchen table. He kept staring at John - whose back was facing him - holding his breath.

You were right, John. You always are.

John stopped in his tracks with a pack of yoghurt in his hand. "Come again?" John placed the pack in the fridge, closed it, and finally looked around at Sherlock.

They were both facing each other now.

"I won't repeat myself, John," he said briskly, bracing himself on the kitchen table, waiting for John's reaction.

"What about The Woman?"

Sherlock's initial reaction was to flinch in self defense. Disappointment followed through shortly.

Here he thought John was talking about the two of them.

The Woman. Why now?

Sherlock closed his eyes as a faint memory of a beautiful face with soft, feminine features showed up.

The violin tune that he had composed was playing in the background in his mind.

Sherlock shook his head and opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "Ancient history," he blurted out.

Truth meant a complete and accurate information about something. He was not going to hide anything from John.

"So, there was a history." John folded his arms across his chest.

Sherlock sighed deeply. "Doesn't matter now."

John slammed one of his hands on the kitchen table. "It matters to me, Sherlock! I've spent ages wondering why you looked so abnormally interested in her when she was practically a stranger - especially when you'd specified that you weren't interested in relationships - and more importantly, where I went wrong if you were interested in romantic entanglements, after all. So, yes. It does matter even now. Very much." His chest was heaving with his face flushed.

Sherlock felt his jaw drop. "John? I never thought you -"

"Yes, you idiot. I feel the same. Have been for ages. So tell me: did you or did you not feel for Irene Adler?"

"I did."

John's face fell and his eyes looked considerably sadder than before, so Sherlock continued hastily, "Doesn't mean I didn't care about you, then. Because I did. A lot.

"And now you're so important to me that if you were to leave this place, right now, I'd feel lost. In the middle of a barren desert." Sherlock swallowed. "I've felt this way about you for ridiculously long. I am in love with you. Is that clear enough, now?" His voice broke with desperation at the last sentence.

John quickly walked up close to Sherlock and grabbed his waist. Sherlock wrapped his arms around his shoulders and sighed. John rested his head against Sherlock's chest and they both fell silent for a few seconds.

John looked up at him with a soft gaze. The amount of sentiments in those eyes was unbelievable. Sherlock was looking at him in wonder.

"Yes, it is," said John, in a voice just above a whisper.

Sherlock placed a hand on John's cheek as he ducked to kiss him. John moved one of his hands from Sherlock's waist to his nape as he kissed him back with abandon.

Sherlock hoped that any feelings of jealousy, disappointment, etc., between him and John would fade away now.

They had each other by their sides. They knew they would handle their future lives better from now on.

*

Prompt: Jealousy by @calaisreno

Tags: @jamielovesjam , @peanitbear , @helloliriels , @topsyturvy-turtely , @gaylilsherlock , @totallysilvergirl , @lisbeth-kk , @keirgreeneyes , @nowiamcoveredinyou , etc.

Let me know if you want to be added/removed from the tags. :)

[captainsophiestark]

Mad Scientist

Kol Mikaelson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Day 5 Prompt: "You're the smartest person I know."

Summary: Kol's dating a scientist who's buried in college-level work and more than ready for a ridiculous, fun version of science for a break.

Word Count: 1,685

Category: Fluff, Humor

Shoutout/Credit to The Scientific American for the info on how Mentos-Coke reactions work!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Darling? What do you think would happen if I made pancakes with Mountain Dew instead of water?"

I paused, my pen hovering over the page in the middle of summarizing my findings for a lab I'd been working on at my university. I didn't turn around to face my boyfriend, Kol Mikaelson, who stood behind me in the kitchen, instead just staring off in thought for a moment.

"I don't know," I said, finally turning around to look at Kol. "As far as I'm aware, water's not one of the things like baking soda or eggs that's insanely important to the chemistry of baking. As long as you have the same amount of liquid, it should be fine. Maybe a little sweeter than normal, but basically still a pancake."

Kol grinned. "Excellent."

"What exactly brought this on?" I asked, standing from the kitchen table in the Mikaelson compound where I'd been working and wandering towards my boyfriend. "Just out of curiosity."

"Well you see," he said, holding his hands out in a grand presentation gesture and fixing me with a giant grin. "While I was getting the ingredients for making pancakes, I also found Mountain Dew. The rest is history."

"Interesting..."

I trailed off as I finally reached Kol, stopping so I could hold onto his arm and lean around him to look at the ingredients laid out on the counter, Mountain Dew included. My eyes wandered back to my books, still open and waiting for me on the table. I had no desire to go near them again right now, and this was the absolute perfect distraction. I looked back up at the grinning face of my boyfriend.

"Do you need any help?"

Within half an hour, Kol and I's initial experiment had expanded to encompass the entire kitchen and just about every ingredient we had in it. The Mountain Dew pancakes hadn't been much different than the regular pancakes, so we'd gotten progressively more creative in our ingredient substations, snacking on our successes as we went. My books lay long-forgotten on the table, Kol enabling my chaotic science tendencies in the best way possible.

"What if we put pop rocks in it?" asked Kol as he riffled through a drawer of sweet treats in one corner of the kitchen. I hummed to myself as I mixed our latest version, with orange juice instead of water.

"I don't know," I said. "I think we'll just get little pieces of candy in it without the pop, since the liquid in the batter would probably dissolve the candies enough to trigger the reaction before anything else. We won't know for sure unless we test it, though."

I finished stirring, then wandered over to join Kol. He'd set the pop rocks on the table along with a few other types of candies, and now stood in the open door of the fridge. I rested my head on his arm and hummed thoughtfully, until my eyes landed on something else interesting in the fridge.

"Since you've been back in the modern world... has anyone introduced you to the marvel of Coke and Mentos?"

Kol turned to face me, eyebrows furrowed but a smile on his face.

"No love, I can't say they have."

I grinned. "Then I can't wait to be the one to show you."

I snatched the bottle of Coke out of the fridge, snagging the Mentos and a piece of paper with tape too before plopping them both down on the table where we'd been mixing our batter. Excitedly, Kol joined me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Okay, so first we need to make the tube to hold the Mentos,  to make sure they all drop in at the same time when we want them to," I explained while I worked. I rolled the paper into a tube, covering one end with my thumb and then holding it out for Kol. "Put seven Mentos in there, please."

He complied, sneaking one for himself and then passing one to me. I looked over my shoulder at him, smiling, and he leaned in to give me a soft kiss.

"What's next, darling?" he asked, his voice low. I leaned back into him a little more, but returned my attention to the Mentos.

"Now, it's time for the reaction. Unscrew the lid of the soda, please." Kol took care of it, shifting a little behind me in anticipation. "Good. Now, I'm gonna dump these in, and after I do we're gonna step all the way back, okay?"

"Okay. And what happens after that?"

I shot him a grin over my shoulder. "Science."

With that, I put the tube of Mentos to the neck of the bottle, then quickly moved my thumb and let them drop all at once into the soda.

Kol's grip tightened on my waist as he used his vampire speed to get me to the far edge of the kitchen, hopefully out of the splash zone. A moment later, the reaction started, and the soda quickly bubbled and fizzed until it became a geyser, exploding out of the bottle. Kol gasped from behind me as it hit the ceiling, and I smiled.

The reaction didn't last very long, but once it fizzled down, it took Kol a minute to let me go and move to meet my eyes. He had a ridiculous grin on his face that I quickly mirrored.

"That was amazing, darling," he said. I practically glowed at the compliment.

"Thanks! It's really cool how it all works, actually. See, carbonated beverages are full of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which wants to form bubbles and escape the pressure of the liquid. But to do that, it has to break its bonds with the water and interact with itself. Because the Mentos candies are actually covered in a bunch of tiny grooves, it makes it easier for the bonds between the carbon dioxide and the water to break, making the reaction of bubbles escaping the soda happen at a much, much faster rate!"

I'd started pacing a little, gesturing with my hands as I explained, but froze when I realized I'd been rambling for more than a little. I turned back to Kol with a grimace.

"Sorry. I know you probably don't care about how it works-"

"What? No! That was excellent, the way you explained everything!" He grabbed my hands in his as he pointedly met my eyes. "Darling, you're the smartest person I know. And it's absolutely incredible. Please don't ever apologize for the way your eyes light up and your voice gets all excited when you talk about something you love. It's one of my favorite things in the world to see."

I started tearing up a little bit at Kol's words, and as soon as he finished speaking I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, kissing him, hard. He smiled into the kiss and wasted no time wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me tighter to him. Finally, after a few long moments, I pulled gently away.

"As much fun as I'm having... I do need to finish the lab writeup for my actual science class."

Kol sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then fixed me with a devilish grin.

"Fine. As long as you promise to let me know anytime you have an experiment to do that I can sit in on."

I beamed back at him. "I promise."

Kol gave me a sweet smile, then leaned in and kissed me one last time. Despite the homework hovering in the other corner of the kitchen, I could feel Kol sucking me in and distracting me to the point that I didn't care about my work. I was just about to give in, too, when someone coughed loudly from behind us.

Kol and I turned around to find Elijah standing in the kitchen doorway, his eyes scanning the disaster zone the kitchen had turned into. Soda still dripped from the ceiling, and horrifying pancake mutations were spread on almost every surface.

Elijah sighed heavily, his exhausted stare turning back to me and Kol.

"I trust that this will all be cleaned up before the two of you run off to other activities? Preferably sooner than later?" he deadpanned. Kol scoffed, and I tried and failed to fight a guilty grin.

"Yes, Elijah. We'll take care of it," I said. He nodded once, pausing to stare at everything for an extra moment before shaking his head.

"Good."

With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen. Even without vampire hearing, I heard his heavy, long-suffering sigh from the other room. I turned to Kol and giggled.

"Oops."

"He loves it," Kol said confidently, waving me off. "We keep his life interesting."

"Well, that second part is definitely true. Come on, let's clean up at least a little bit of the mess. We need to do it at some point anyway, and I really do need to go back to my homework."

Kol booed and rolled his eyes, but moved to start helping me deal with the mess anyway. He picked up the now mostly-empty bottle of soda and held it thoughtfully, then turned to me with a glimmer in his eye that I loved.

"You know darling, if we pointed these in a specific direction for the reaction... we could probably shoot the soda at Elijah and the rest of my siblings."

I grinned. "We absolutely could do that."

We stared at each other for a few beats, nodding slowly, communicating without words.

"I'll superspeed cleanup," Kol finally said. I nodded.

"I'll finish my lab writeup as fast as possible."

"And I'll go get more soda and Mentos while you do."

I high-fived Kol as I crossed the room to retake my seat at the kitchen table and he turned into a vampire-tornado of cleaning. We had evil masterplans to enact, after all, and with the two of us working like a well-oiled machine, the rest of Kol's family and anyone else in this house didn't stand a chance.

****************

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

[nordleuchten]

I finished watching Franklin the other day and I had to comment on the portrayal of La Fayette throughout the series – while there were some things that I disliked, the show did a really good job portraying La Fayette. I have a lot of notes and screenshots because the show actually included a great number of sweet details. Therefore, I hope you are interested, because we are going into detail.

Franklin – Episode 1

There are two important things happening in this episode with regards to La Fayette: La Fayette’s first meeting with William Temple Franklin and their visit to the club.

The show naturally puts the two Franklins at the center of all the action and this is – with regards to La Fayette, one of the “problems” it suffers from. La Fayette’s departure for America and the whole politics behind it are oversimplified, the show omits his visit to his uncle-in-law in England and its also omits Silas Dean. Dean played a very important role in getting La Fayette to America – arguably more important than Franklin’s role and definitely more important than Temple’s role. La Fayette and Temple knew each other, they exchanged letters and these letters were polite and friendly, but there are none of these overenthusiastic declarations of love that we see in letters to his family, to Adrienne, to Washington or Hamilton for example. In fact, the first letter I could find between the two of them was written by La Fayette on September 14, 1779 – so long after La Fayette’s initial departure. As I already said, the letter is friendly, but not overly so. There might be other letters, that did not survive and many things could have happened, that can not be represented by letters and what is written in them – but I nevertheless think it is safe to assume that the show depicts a deeper friendship between them then there actually was.

With that out of the way, we meet La Fayette for the first time in de Vergenne’s anteroom where Temple is also currently waiting for an audience. When I was watching the show, especially in later episodes, I am not quite sure if it was made clear, that de Vergennes and La Fayette actually had a very warm relationship. Sure, de Vergennes sometimes needed to reign La Fayette in a bit but they were still very affectionate with each other. I saw their interaction in the show always as a mentor-son-thing or some friendly banter but I am not quite sure if you got the same impression when you have not read their letters for example.

Anyway, the real star of this scene was La Fayette’s uniform. This set probably won me over to watch Franklin – because the show actually managed to put La Fayette in the right uniform at the right time!

Here he is wearing the uniform of a Captain from the Noailles regiment. He joined the regiment in 1775 and his commission was a “wedding-gift” from his father-in-law who owned said regiment (although La Fayette had to wait until he turned eighteen to actually be commissioned a Captain). La Fayette wore this uniform in a painting by Louis-Léopold Boilly – although the painting was only done in 1788.

And of course, there was no way the show could do without a scene about La Fayette’s many first names.

I was baptized like a Spaniard. (…) But it was not my fault. And without pretending to deny myself the protection of Marie, Pauls, Joseph, Roch and Yves, I more often called upon Saint Gilbert.

Then we have this absolutely delicious scene of La Fayette dressing Temple up – something very much on brand. @my-deer-friend and I once had a conversation about La Fayette doing something along these lines with John Laurens as well if I am not mistaken.

Next we are taken to a club where La Fayette introduces Temple to his friend Ségur and de Noailles – I really liked it that they were included as well:

And in the course of the conversation there were many interesting aspects raised. For example, there is a reference to La Fayette’s “country-origins”, something that was perceived by his peers back then as way more significant, to the point where he was ridiculed for it, then we today might believe it to be. There was also a spotlight shown on La Fayette’s pursuit for glory and fame, a strong factor in the crafting in his public image and something that was very important for him. I made a post about this here.

We also have La Fayette express his distaste for the British and relay the story about his father’s death. And while I appreciate the background information and motivation, I think that “We hate British” is a bit of an oversimplification – as I said, La Fayette had recently visited his uncle by marriage in England, he was the French ambassador to the British court, and by his own accounts, La Fayette had a blast of a time while in England. I also would like to one day look a bit deeper into the connection La Fayette felt towards his father and his passing, because I believe that he might not have felt quite so strong about the matter.

Lastly, La Fayette comments about his distaste for court rituals. While this was his general opinion, there was one especially notable incident were he purposefully insulted the future Louis XVIII, younger brother of Louis XVI, in order to avoid an appointment to the royal household. I wrote about his little stunt here. He also mentioned that the King at the time, Louis XVI, had forbidden him to sail to America. The logical conclusion: La Fayette bought his own ship.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Tell me, what did you think of ML when you first discovered it? I thought Chloe's arc in season 2 was decent for this type of show, even if it could have been better. I also never took Marinette's obsessive behavior over Adrien that seriously until it started getting really grating.

My first interaction with ML consisted of me looking for kids shows to watch in Spanish, finding Miraculous on Netflix, watching maybe three minutes of The Bubbler, and then turning the show off because it didn't seem very good. That's the episode that starts with Marinette freaking out about giving Adrien a birthday present and it gave me the impression that Miraculous was doing the classic female-protagonist-pines-for-the-male-protagonist-who-barely-even-knows-her-name trope, which is not a trope that I'm into. I'm way too ace for that shit. This is the scene in question as I looked it up to make sure I was remembering it correctly:

Marinette: Ah! (she stops right in front of Adrien.) Um, he-- Hey! (she gets nervous as she holds her gift behind her back.) Adrien:(surprised, shyly) Hey. Chloé:(as she watches what's happening outside) Wait! Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Don't tell me it's Adrien's birthday?! Sabrina:(checks her tablet, gets surprised, and makes excusing noises while smiling sheepishly.) Chloé:(facepalms) Ugh, do I have to do everything myself? Seriously, what are you good for? (walks toward Adrien.) Marinette:(nervously) I, uh, I wanted to, umm, gift you a make-– I mean, gift you a give I made-- I mean... Chloé:(yawns while Marinette is talking and then shoves her away) Out of the way. (she acts sweet.) Happy birthday, Adrien! (throws herself onto him and gives him a kiss on the cheek.) Mwah! Adrien:(surprised) Yeah, thanks Chlo.

This backs up my vague memory that my initial assumption was that Adrien and Chloé were friends while Adrien didn't know who Marinette was because he was clearly much more comfortable with Chloé. Same goes for Nino who was talking to Adrien earlier in this scene.

I'm not sure when this first watch occurred, but I know it was at least a year before I revisited the show. I made a friend in another fandom and that friend was transitioning out of Miraculous, but they had a lot of really good Miraculous fanart and even some fanfic which got me curious as I couldn't understand why anyone would be into the show given my dismal initial impression.

On this friend's recommendation, my SO and I started watching Miraculous an episode or two at a time. I was pretty unimpressed with the actual show, but I started reading early fandom fanfic between our watching sessions and that kept me interested enough to keep watching. My initial impression of the show didn't really change until we watched Origins. That's the episode that really made me fall in love with the canon characters as it took everything about the show and elevated it. The crushes had depth! The Chloé/Adrien thing wasn't just the bitchy rich girl going after the popular boy! Gabriel was confirmed to be the big bad! Things were suddenly going places and that honestly wasn't surprising.

It's incredibly common for kids shows to have lackluster first seasons where they don't really commit to anything major re plot because they're just testing the waters to see if they'll be green lit for more seasons. Because of this, I was under the impression that Origins must have been when they got green lit and season two was going to do the standard kids show thing where they really get to dive into the plot and characters in a big way now that they're making money. This assumption was backed up by the addition of the new heroes to the show's intro.

For the first half of season two, I was invested as it seemed like we were finally getting seasonal arcs. Chloé seemed to be getting set up for some sort of character arc, which I was all for as I enjoy a good mean girl arc. We also had some tension brewing between our heroes with Fu favoring Marinette, a dynamic that felt more accidental than planned since it only happened because Marinette found the grimoire at the end of season one. I thought all of that was going to come to a head with Chloé's Queen Bee debut as things had seemingly been set up for Chloé to be Adrien's pick for a Miraculous.

Then Queen Bee actually happened and my excitement quickly faded. I still cannot think of a less interesting way for Chloé to get and use the bee. No one gives it to her and she outs herself on national television right away? Talk about wasting an idea. Clearly this had just been a one-off thing done so that the show could drive up hype for season two based on promo images of Chloé as a hero.

But it wasn't a one off thing. For some reason, they kept bringing Queen Bee back and that's when I knew we were in for a bad time because that should have never happened. It especially shouldn't have happened when Marinette was giving out the miraculous. I could maybe see a setup where Adrien gives Chloé a second chance, but Marinette trusting Chloé made no sense:

Marinette: I must choose someone who's not impressed by people in power. Who can help me trap Malediktator. Huh?! Of course! That's it. (reaches for the Miraculous of the Bee) Wait, what am I thinking? (facepalms)

Yeah, what are you thinking? Alya was your first choice for the bee, she isn't impressed by people in power, and she wasn't hit by Malediktator, so go grab her! Why would you pick Chloé?

Long story short, I kept watching because the show wasn't terrible, my SO enjoyed hearing me dunk on it as we watched it, and I was really enjoying the fan content, but I didn't have much faith in canon after the midpoint of season two and I continually lost faith as the seasons progressed. I never pictured it getting as bad as seasons five, but I only had hopes for Miraculous to be truly good for about 2 weeks as that's how long it took us to get from Origins to the Queen Bee mess. I was also disappointed by Alya and Nino's hero journeys. I expected them to be chosen for grander reasons. As is, it felt like they only got recruited because their loved ones were in danger.

Since you brought up Marinette's crush, I'll end by saying that I have never been a fan of that style of crush-based humor (once again, way too ace for that shit), but it didn't bother me in a serious way because it was very obviously meant to be humorous. I just suffered through the jokes when they happened and then moved on as there was no reason to dwell on them. It probably helped that I was reading a lot of fanfic and even the people who love the show generally agree that Marinette's crush should be played down in more serious stories.

The only time Marinette's crush bothered me was Derision as that episode straight up destroyed her character. It also made the writers look awful because they made Kim the bad guy for laughing at Marinette's behavior, but we'd just spent over four seasons being told Marinette's behavior was a joke, so what is the lesson here? Are we all supposed to feel guilty for laughing at a trauma response we didn't know was a trauma response? Are the writers saying that trauma is funny? How can you be so tone deaf?

[lyralit]

4.1.24 - the importance of learning new things

As much as I think academic & work focus is incredibly important going into the new year, one of my other goals is to practice doing more: to learn all of the things I want to do, in addition to work, in addition to writing. I want to know how to do thousands of little things, and I think the longer we wait, the less likely we are to do them.

Picking up a new hobby doesn't have to be buying a dozen textbooks and spending hundreds of dollars on lessons because you might have the slightest interest: it can be from whatever you have here, now, and you'll never learn if you don't get started.

Some of the things I've been getting into (as I've mentioned before) are baking & crocheting. it just feels so cozy and nice & I love the idea of comfort.

here is a list of things I want to / you should try that's new!

learning a new language. fifteen minutes a day, I kid you not. I'm learning latin on duolingo and I don't ever think about it, but when I do it (25 day streak 💪🏻), I'm starting to notice my improvements

consuming good media. and that's not scrolling for half an hour on tumblr. it's books—deep ones and silly ones and ones about romance and dragons and apocalypses. it's movies! I watched keira knightley's pride and prejudice twice in the last few months, and also three men and a baby which is something I never thought I would watch, but it was quite funny I think. and I learn from it: I cannot write humour or romance for the life of me, so it's basically studying to write (is the self-gaslighting too evident?)

learning to crochet. I made a silly little headband today, after scrolling through pinterest and desperately wanting one. I started crocheting in december to give as gifts (I completed none of my wips, much like when I write) and used the tools I had around me: an old rainbow loom hook and whatever string I could find. now I'm proud to say I can read somewhat fluently crochet acronyms.

baking. I keep saying this. I know. but when I tell you a two years ago I was exploding cupcakes in the oven and last month I made bakery-style cookies...I made bread! a loaf of bread! (in a bread machine, but it's so good and I instantly made another. there is one in the bread machine right now). honestly it just made me feel that much better about improvement, and trying new things, and that is the mindset I want for the new year.

learning to code. in all honesty, I never thought I was a compsci - engineer kind of person. then this year, out of sudden (masterminded) urges, I joined a bunch of tech and robotics initiatives, and maybe it's the sense of community (I can rejoice in finding another nerdy group) but now I am happily chauffeuring myself to these meetings 4h a week. I'm looking into pursuing more into the fields of eng and science. and I'm learning some code from one of the friends I've made!

starting a blog. ...I know most of the people who linger around my blog stay for the writing content (the last posts have turned this writerblr into a digital diary, and I'm only half sorry for that). but since I've joined tumblr (almost three years ago now!) I've got to meet so many wonderful people (including you!) and want to try so many things.

and I get it. it's overwhelming. so here are some starting goals that maybe I'll try also.

start doing art. -> make a card for someone as a gift.

learn a new sport & start exercising. (I'm trying out track & field in the spring, so stay tuned to figure out how that goes) -> see if someone will come play ball with you. do 1 or 2 youtube workout videos a week.

film videos of your daily life. it doesn't need to be for posting! -> edit together clips you've taken for a last year recape.

start a scrapbook. -> print out photos and dig up construction paper. decorate a page.

make a poetry journal. -> go on pinterest to read poetry! pin styles you like and set fifteen minutes to writing.

make a regular journal! -> write once a day. just try: goals for the day in the morning, or a recap at night.

try your hand at gardening. -> research plants that grow well in your region. see if any of the seeds you may have at home are useful. water your lawn. buy a plant and try to keep it alive (set reminders, leave it in front of your sink)

learn to make candles. -> watch a youtube tutorial. see if you can play around with candles you already have.

play chess. -> see if someone will play chess with you. no? chess.com is right there. go make an account. go find a stranger.

learn to play an instrument off youtube. -> maybe you have a piano sitting around, or a guitar you've never touched. you don't even need to master it. pick a song you like and google that. no instrument? maybe there's a way to play drums with home items.

go for a run. -> once a week. a set time. just shoes and the outdoors. too cold? go to a gym and use a treadmill. maybe that's not possible? skip rope.

start / join a book club. -> just you, or some close friends, or people online. a book a month. talk about it.

** on that note, would anyone like to join a tumblr book club? slide into my asks and maybe we can get a blog list!

thank you for reading again <3 until next time.

k.

[unluckywisher]

Rafayel's

"The Little Mermaid"

Content: The original tale by Hans Christian Andersen, modified to have Rafayel as the protagonist. Other characters have also been genderbent. I've tried to keep the story as close to the original as possible, while also incorporating some new elements as well as modifying others to fit Rafayel.

Warning: This is not like Disney's version of the story. The original fairytale is less sweet, and doesn't have a happy ending. Expect angst.

Word count: 6.1k (+ Author's Note and Bonus at the end)

Tagging the people who commented on my initial post about this fic: @fancyhawk45 @anxiousgoddest @exactlycleverpirate @solinmoirav @his-ocean-emissary @aneverydaysimp Thank you for waiting <3

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Rafayel’s brother muses, “humans are so lively and interesting… It’s just like our brother said last year. No, even better! Rafayel, you’re gonna love it once it’s your turn.”

Rafayel listens to his brother’s tale starry eyed. He just returned from the surface, like their brothers before him on their coming-of-age birthday. Next year, it will be his turn.

Unfair, he thinks, that he’s the youngest, yet the one most interested in humans. Every year for the past 5 years, his brothers have had the pleasure of seeing the human world for themselves, while he has to wait and be content with the stories they tell once they come back.

He has tried to protest to his parents, the Sea King and Queen, as well as his grandmother, but they’ve just told him to be patient. His mother, at least, gave him something to help him pass the time: A statue of a human girl that she found once while swimming near the coast.

He cherishes it dearly, visiting it every day and asking it questions, imagining what the responses would be like.

“Do you like painting too?” he asks, showing it the drawing he just finished.

A pause.

“Yeah, I painted it myself. You must use different things to create the pigments, you don’t have algae up there, do you?”

He looks around the Royal garden the statue has been placed in.

“No, you have…” he tries recalling the stories, “Flowers! That’s the word. They’re supposed to be as colorful as nudibranchs and shaped sorta like anemones, right?”

The statue remains silent.

“Oh, how I wish you could speak, so I could ask you a million questions…”

Rafayel spends his days talking to the statue, painting how he thinks the surface world looks, daydreaming about seeing it all for himself. With each passing day, the fondness he feels grows. It doesn’t help that his brothers like to tease him about how he’s the only one that hasn’t been above water yet.

Luckily, the year seems to fly by. Well, except for the week before his birthday, in which he can’t sleep nor eat. He swims nervously from place to place, barely able to contain his excitement.

“It’s today, it’s today, it’s today!” He chants, waking up his whole family.

They can’t help but feel happy too, he’s been waiting for this day a long time and it’s hard to be angry at him for waking them up so early.

He can’t claim victory yet, though, because the coming-of-age ceremony can’t be skipped, and he won’t be able to see the surface until nighttime.

To him, the day seems to stretch infinitely, his goal becoming more unreachable with each passing moment. He opens his presents in a rush, not even stopping to see what they are once they’re out of the wrapper. He says his sea vows as fast as the words can form in his mouth. He visits the rest of the sea creatures with a speed that would rival a sailfish. He lets his grandmother adorn his hair with a wreath made of pearls. But alas, his family won’t let him go that easily. He must spend the day with them, even if the rest of the tasks have been completed.

There’s a stillness as the sun goes down and its rays stop reaching the waters.

Rafayel turns to his family expectantly, his heart fluttering.

His grandmother nods with a smile.

He’s gone from view in an instant, only bubbles left in his wake.

He notices the water change as he goes up, the temperature, the saltiness, the pressure. There’s so much to process that he wants to scream with joy. And then- He stops.

The surface.

He can see the barrier. Where water ends and air starts. Suddenly, he finds himself feeling anxious, even scared. What if it’s not like he imagined?

Slowly, he lifts an arm and grazes the edge. His fingers retract at the odd sensation. He tries again.

He waves his hand, now strangely… Dry. That’s a first.

Taking a leap of faith, he lunges his head out. The water splashes around him and his hair sticks to his forehead. Weird.

But he’s too enthralled by what he’s seeing to be preoccupied with that. The night sky. The moon. The stars. The lack of sound. He always thought the surface was a very noisy place. Sure, his ears ring a bit, but it fades away as he gets used to the environment.

He snaps out of it, looking around. If what his brothers told him was correct, he needs to swim eastward for an hour to reach land and see the humans. He doesn’t waste a second, his tail forming waves as he swims near the surface.

Half an hour later, he sees something that completely derails his plans.

A ship. Not only a ship, but one from which fireworks are being set off.

At first he has to dive underwater and cover his ears, overwhelmed by the abundance of noise, but his desire to see the magnificent colors on display is bigger, and he peeks his head out once more. 

“What are those?” He says to no one in particular, then grabs his throat. He didn’t expect to be able to speak so clearly.

His focus goes back to the ship, curious about the source of these strange lights.

Even if his family told him not to interact with the humans, they didn’t say anything about swimming close to them, so this is fine, right?

He nears the vessel, hearing cheery voices and what sounds like music.

Using his upper body strength, honed by his constant swimming, he grabs one of the dangling ropes and pulls himself up until he can just barely see the deck.

He almost slips and lets go as he takes in the view. So many humans, dancing and laughing, right before his eyes. White-knuckling the rope, he tries to understand what’s happening.

Ah, they must be having a party. …what’s the reason for celebration?

“Princess, did your birthday party really have to be at sea? You know I get terribly nauseous!” Two women walk near the railing where Rafayel is perched.

A birthday? For a Princess? What a coincidence! He’s also a Prince celebrating his birthday! He looks up at the women.

“I know, but I wanted to make it special somehow, since I’m officially an adult!” She laughs.

The rope slips from his grasp and he falls into the water with a splash, covered by the sound of the fireworks.

What was that? That… Feeling. Why are his cheeks red? That girl…

He pops out of the water, searching for her face again.

“Come on, let’s dance, you’ll forget you’re out in the sea in no time!” She grabs the other woman’s arm and leads her to the center of the deck with the rest of the humans.

Thoughts form in his head about him dancing with her. If he had legs… No, that’s a wild thought.

Wait, why is he having these thoughts in the first place?

He climbs the rope again. She’s twirling, and skipping, and clapping along with the guests. The music is coming from a band playing near the mast.

Rafayel watches and watches, not noticing the smile forming in his face, or the fact that the fireworks eventually stop, or the dark clouds rolling in. 

It’s not until a lightning cracks and the wind picks up that he looks away from her and up to the skies. The humans get startled too, the music and cheer stopping.

Orders are immediately shouted to pack everything and sail back to land. Rafayel is a bit disappointed that the fun got cut short, but he jumps back in the water, intending to follow the ship back to the continent.

A wave pulls him under, and he realizes that the sea isn’t as calm as when he first emerged. The humans are lucky to have their vessel, they probably wouldn’t make it in these waters, he thinks, recalling one of his brothers telling him about a human that drowned during a storm. To him, however, this seems like a fun time.

As he resurfaces, the raindrops start hitting his face. So that’s what rain feels like. And the thing from before, that was lightning and thunder.

Sometimes, when the storm had been violent enough, he had heard the booms even while at the bottom of the sea. Of course, it was entirely different to experience it firsthand. Much scarier. 

The ship starts moving, waves crashing on its sides. The wind tousles his hair back and forth, the flashes of light becoming more frequent. He hears the humans start to panic as the ship is rocked harshly. He instinctively looks for her.

She is shouting orders and trying to calm everyone while she helps the crew, her hands slipping as she pulls on ropes due to the rain that has already soaked her.

Why aren’t they protecting her? Isn’t she the Princess? Get her out of-

There’s no time to be protective. A huge wave, double the size of the hull, crashes into the ship. It tilts to the side and capsizes, all of its passengers falling into the relentless sea.

Rafayel dives, maneuvering through debris and drowning figures.

It might be selfish of him, considering he’s about to go against his family’s orders, but he has to save her. Rational thoughts are not in the picture in a situation like this.

“Come on, come on, where are you…”

Finally, he spots her. She’s sinking, unconscious.

He tackles her as he grabs her by the waist, pulling her up and away from the chaos.

“Don’t die on me now,” he scolds her.

He manages to bring her up to the surface, but the waves are too frequent and big to let her breathe. 

His arms stay around her protectively, his grip so determined it might leave bruises, but he keeps swimming towards land without faltering, always trying to keep her as raised as possible, and by the time they reach the shore, the sun is showing its first rays.

He pants as he lays her on the beach. She’s still unconscious, though her heart hasn’t stopped.

“Good job, Rafayel, you brought her here and you don’t even know what to do now,” he  complains to himself.

With gentle hands, he moves the hair out of her face. She looks so beautiful even now. He can’t help it, he needs to kiss her.

Closing his eyes, he presses his lips to her forehead. A silent prayer for her to live.

Suddenly, the nearby forest rustles, followed by footsteps. He perks up and dives back into the water.

“Yes! They will be able to help her!” He hides behind a rock and watches.

A young man in strange robes appears. A religious figure of some kind, Rafayel thinks, comparing him to the underwater priestesses running the temple to the God of the Sea.

The young man kneels next to the Princess, then calls for help. He starts massaging her chest in a way that looks foreign to Rafayel, and soon other men appear to help him.

The Princess coughs water, leaning forward as she regains consciousness. She gasps and clutches her neck, looking around her. Her eyes fall on the young man.

“You… You saved me…” She whispers.

Rafayel dives just to scream “WHAT?”, resurfacing to watch the rest of the scene.

“Please, your Majesty, I simply found you here and did what any common person would have done. Now, let’s get you back to the castle. What happened?”

He helps her up and leads her into the forest, the other men following them.

Rafayel lets his head lean on the rock, frustrated.

“But… I was the one that saved you… That’s not fair…”

For some strange reason, this hurts him deeply. He doesn’t understand why this stranger is having such an effect on him.

Tired and upset, he decides to head back home, even if his trip to see the surface world didn’t get him far. After all, now that he’s an adult, he can visit whenever he pleases. Right now he just wants to get as far away from this place as possible.

As he swims back, his family welcomes him with a smile that soon turns to a frown as he goes past them and into his room. They look at each other, confused.

His brothers decide to ask him what happened, softly knocking on his door. There’s no answer. They open the door and find him lying face down on the bed, with his head propped on his crossed arms.

“Is everything okay, Rafayel?”

“Yes. Leave me alone.”

His brothers respect his wishes and leave him, but they still discuss what could have put him in such a mood when he was so excited to go to the surface.

The days pass, and Rafayel refuses to talk about it still. His family worries for him, because now he spends even more time in the garden with the statue, lost in thought and barely painting.

A statue that now seems akin to that Princess, no matter how different they might actually be. When he looks at it, he sees her.

In secret, he swims every morning to the surface, to that shore where he left her, but he never sees the Princess come by. This only makes his deteriorating state worse.

One day, fed up with her absence, he can’t take it any longer and he tells his brothers what happened on that day.

It turns out that one of his brothers knows who he’s talking about, because he swam by her castle once and saw her. That same day, with renewed hope, they make their way to the coast where the castle resides.

He’s ecstatic. The Princess is right there, sitting by the stone steps that lead to the beach, gazing calmly at the horizon.

For better or for worse, Rafayel now spends as much time as possible near the castle, looking at her, painting her. If she’s not there, he hides near the pier and listens to the fishermen talk about her, all the good deeds she’s doing and how lucky they are to have her as a Princess.

This fills him with joy. To have saved such a wonderful person… 

And yet, she doesn’t know of his existence.

Each day that Rafayel spends near the coast, his love for humans grows, and he always returns home with a million questions for his family, to the point that even they cannot satisfy his curiosity.

He decides to turn to his grandmother, the wisest in all of the sea when it comes to human matters.

“Can humans live for as long as us?” He asks, bright eyed.

“No, they cannot. They have shorter lives, and instead of turning into seafoam once they die, they are buried by their loved ones.”

“So I’ll watch them die?” His smile turns to a grimace.

“Yes, that is how the world works. But why are you sad about this? You get to live and enjoy the wonders of the world for longer. Humans have nothing to do with us, in any case. They find us strange, an ill omen at times. You shouldn’t worry about them so much.”

His grandmother’s words bring him back to the reality of the situation. He can’t be by her side, and will be doomed to watch her die. And she will never learn of her true savior.

No, he thinks, I cannot let this come to pass. I have to do something.

Rafayel remembers a tale told by his parents, of a dreadful Sea Witch that lives in the deepest cave of the ocean’s floor. Dreadful, but also powerful.

Determined, he sneaks out in the middle of the night to visit her.

The carcasses of several animals and fish are strewn around the jagged rocks leading to her cave, which is adorned with the remains of sunk ships. He has to dodge a few whirlpools that threaten to plunge him down into the abyss, but once he clears them, he finds himself at the cave’s entrance, only a black void to welcome him. Tentatively, he leans his head past the threshold, only to be hit by a shiver down his tail.

Gathering his courage, he swims in with determination.

At first, nothing. Darkness. A cold current his only companion.

He sighs with relief as a faintly illuminated clearing comes into view.

“I know why you’re here,” says the Witch, hearing his sigh.

Rafayel freezes, assessing the scene before him. The witch sits atop a rock, eels and water-snakes circling her playfully. Her tail sways to and fro, the bones decorating it rattling as it moves.

“How?” He swims closer, still keeping his distance.

“I know everything that goes on under and above water. You came here asking for a solution to your ails, a way to be with the one you love; the Princess,” she cackles, tapping a finger to her chin.

He feels the tip of his ears turn red. Is that what he is feeling? Love? Before he can ponder it, the witch speaks again.

“It’s an awfully stupid idea, but I can make it happen…”

“You can? What’s the catch?”

“You have to give me,” she pauses, looming closer, “your tongue.”

“What?” He retreats, putting his hand over his mouth.

“It’s no easy potion to make. To turn a creature into a different one… I’d say the price is more than fair.”

“Wait, wait, wait. First, tell me how the potion will work.”

“Your appearance will turn into that of a human. You will lose your tail, but gain a pair of legs. Of course, you will never be able to turn back, or see your family ever again. Your lifespan will also be reduced to that of a human’s. But then again, I guess that last part works in your favor, doesn’t it?” She smirks.

Rafayel stops to think about it. His mind, however, is too clouded with thoughts of the Princess and how it must be to live on the surface.

“Will it hurt?”

“Oh, greatly so. When you turn, it will feel as if your tail is being cut in half. And when you use your legs, every step will feel like knives jabbing into your feet. However, you will also be the best dancer on the surface, and every human you encounter will see you as the most handsome man they’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“This doesn’t seem like the greatest trade-off…” He crosses his arms, frowning.

“I heard the King and Queen are looking for candidates to marry their daughter. It would be a shame to visit her like you always do, and find her with a man by her side, wouldn’t it?”

The Witch’s taunts work.

“Fine. Any other annoying rules I should know about?” He rolls his eyes.

“Once you’re a human, you will have to win the Princess’s heart. Just to remind you, since I’m taking your tongue, you won’t be able to talk.”

“Then, how…”

“You’re an artist, aren’t you? I’m sure you have enough creativity to think of a way to charm her,” she dismisses the thought with her hand. “As I was saying, she has to fall in love with you, and marry you. If she, by any chance, marries another, you will become seafoam as soon as the next morning’s sun rays start to shine.”

“That won’t happen. I can do this easily. She will love me in no time,” he smirks, shaking his head.

“Then, shall we begin?”

She moves to the center of the clearing, where a cauldron stands. She pricks her finger and lets a drop fall into the swirling liquid.

“Well? Come closer and stick your tongue out.”

Rafayel, a bit hesitant, leans over the cauldron and looks inside. The blood-dyed solution reflects his face, and as he opens his mouth and sticks his tongue out, he closes his eyes so he won’t have to see the damage being done.

A sharp sting rips the muscle out. He recoils, closing his mouth and using his hands to cover it. Blood fills the cavity and slips out through his lips, rising in plumes as it dissolves in the water. The Witch laughs.

He opens his eyes in time to see her pocketing his tongue and starting to throw more ingredients in, the liquid bubbling and smoking.

Then, it subsides. What’s left is a strangely transparent concoction that she scoops up into a vial. She extends it towards him.

Still nauseous due to the injury, he takes it with shaky hands.

“Now go. Quickly. Swim up to the shore and drink every last drop,” she ushers him.

Ignoring his pain-induced blurry vision, he does as she says, clutching the vial to his chest.

He doesn’t let himself think about his family, or everything that he’s leaving behind, as he swims eastward to the Princess’s castle.

A pleasant ache rises in his stomach with each moment that he gets closer, he can’t believe he’s finally going to meet the Princess. The one he loves. Yes, love. He’s certain about that now.

The castle comes into view as the sun starts to rise. He crawls out of the water and lays in the sand, opening the vial and swallowing its contents. For a moment, he’s grateful he doesn’t have a tongue so he doesn’t have to taste it, its smell already pungent enough.

As the last drop goes down his throat, he feels a pain worse than having his tongue cut. His tail being sliced in two, no, butchered in two. He can’t help the scream that comes out of his lungs.

The pain is so unbearable that ultimately he faints.

When he wakes, a figure is kneeling by his side, gently sweeping his hair out of his eyes. The Princess.

He turns red, looking around. He wants to say so many things, do so many things.

The first thing he notices is the fabric that now rests on top of him. Him. His legs. That’s the second thing he notices. He has legs! And he’s… Naked. The Princess must have covered him while he was unconscious.

“Who are you?” The Princess asks, tilting her head in curiosity.

Rafayel opens his mouth only to close it. He can’t speak. He points to himself, then to the Princess. Not looking her in the eyes, of course, he’s too embarrassed for that.

“You… Are me?” She giggles. “Let me guess… You can’t speak?”

He nods, clutching the fabric, which he now realizes is a long coat, and brings it closer around him.

“Do you have a family? Anyone that can help you?”

He looks to the sea for a moment, then shakes his head.

“Hmm… Okay, come to the palace with me. We’ll sort things out there. Can you walk?” She stands up, offering her hand to help him up.

Taking her hand, he manages to prop himself on his two legs. They wobble a bit, but that’s the least of his concerns, needles, pricks and knives digging into the soles of his feet.

The sudden pain, which he forgot would happen, makes him stumble and crash against the Princess. She catches him by the shoulders, which only manages to embarrass him further, his face now so close to the Princess’s.

“You just woke up after being unconscious, your legs are probably not fully recovered yet. Here, lean on me while we walk.” She extends her arm.

He takes it, his attention fully focused on the places his hand touches hers.

They walk into the castle, and the King and Queen welcome him warmly, feeling sorry for his situation.

He gets dressed in the finest clothes while a room is arranged for him. Every person he encounters is instantly charmed by his good looks and silent grace, just like the Sea Witch said.

He spends his time alongside the Royal family, his gaze never straying far from the Princess.

The first day he wakes up in the castle, he’s invited to an event that will take place that afternoon: A suitor from a far land is visiting, intending to win the Princess’s heart and marry her. Hearing the news, he dresses in the best clothing at his disposal and marches with his head high into the throne room. The Royal family lets him stand next to the Princess, who’s sitting expectantly with her hands on her lap. She gives him a smile before looking forward.

The doors open and the Prince and his servants march forward. Rafayel rolls his eyes.

After the formal introductions by both Royals, Rafayel learns that it is custom of this kingdom for the Princess to dance with any suitors she might have, to his horror. 

He watches as the Princess dances with the Prince, a fond smile on her face as she glides effortlessly in his arms.

If only she knew how much I’ve given up just to be with her, he thinks.

Once the Prince is gone, the Princess speaks quite highly of him and his dancing skills, since she loves to dance.

Rafayel remembers that the witch told him he’d be the best dancer on the surface, and instantly steps towards the Princess, extending his hand.

“Oh? You like to dance as well? Well, now I’m curious!” She takes it.

The pain is unmatched, but so is his grace, the emotion that fills his eyes as he leads her across the ballroom. She is so impressed that she asks him to be his dance partner from now on, to dance with her everyday.

Rafayel chooses to ignore the blinding pain coursing through his legs and agrees, nodding and smiling.

The second day, just as the Princess said, she dances with him.

“I’ve been thinking,” she says as they dance, “that since you have nowhere to go, and you seem to have settled just fine to life in the castle, I could appoint you as my personal servant. I quite enjoy your company.”

His eyes light up at the idea, and he nods enthusiastically.

Cut, burn, tear, scream his feet at the one - two - three waltz rhythm.

He is given a chamber next to the Princess, so he may be near her at all times, as well as clothes that show his new status.

Rafayel can’t believe his luck, he’s sure they’ll get married soon if things continue like this.

That evening, he finds some painting supplies and asks for permission to use them, which is granted as soon as they see his prowess. He insists on making a portrait of the Princess. She is delighted, praising him left and right.

But at night, he paints the sea. He opens his window and captures the waves, the moon reflecting off its surface.

The third day, after dancing, the Princess takes him out horse riding. This gives him relief, since he can enjoy her company without sacrificing his feet.

But a new problem arises, he doesn’t know how to ride a horse.

“Don’t worry,” she says as she sees him confused about what to do, “you can ride with me. Sit behind me and hold on tight.”

He settles carefully behind her, turning red once more as he puts his hands on her waist and feels her warmth against his chest. He can smell her perfume, her hair tickling his neck.

The horse starts moving with her silent command, and soon they are crossing a forest, the low leaves tousling their hair. It’s peaceful, only birdsong filling the atmosphere. He sees flowers. So many. And he can’t help but wonder how they’d look if he used them for his paintings, instead of the algae he used in the past.

He ends up collecting a whole bouquet with the Princess’s help, who’s eager to see how they will look as pigments as well.

This day couldn’t get any better, he thinks.

“I have an idea. There’s a mountain nearby with a wonderful view from its top. Shall we go?”

Rafayel nods without a second thought.

Once they arrive at the mountain trail, she gets off the horse.

“The path is narrow and rocky in some parts, so we have to go on foot. But don’t worry, it’s a short hike.”

Of course it is, why did I agree so fast…

So they walk, having tied the horse to a nearby tree, they make their way up. And though it may be short, Rafayel’s feet don’t let up. For all he knows, they could be bleeding.

A small relief is the fact that the view is indeed wonderful when they arrive.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” She smiles, taking in the puffy clouds, the setting sun, the ocean disappearing in the horizon.

He nods, looking at her.

The fourth day, after dancing and strolling through the town, Rafayel leaves the castle once the sun has set to cool his feet on the shore. He sits on the sand and sighs. His feet look fine, but they feel like they’ve been mutilated.

The sea is calm, and he takes a moment to reminisce about his family.

As if his prayers were heard, a head pops out from the water. And another. And a few more. His brothers.

“Rafayel!” They swim closer, disbelief in their eyes as they see his legs.

“What happened? You disappeared! Why do you have…”

He tries to explain, to no avail. He points to the castle, then to himself. After some back and forth between the brothers, they seem to get the gist of it.

They decide to come visit Rafayel every night after this.

The fifth day, as they both sit in the garden, him painting, her reading, enjoying each other’s company, she closes her book and looks at him, her expression unreadable.

He stops painting to look at her too.

“You remind me of someone… A man that saved me not long ago. Have I told you this story?”

He shakes his head, although he knows the story she’s about to tell.

“On my last birthday, which I celebrated on the open sea, there was a terrible storm, and the ship capsized. I thought I’d die, but I awoke on the shore, a man by my side. At that time I knew he was the one who had saved me, brought me back to life. I fell in love immediately, and I think he’s the only man I could ever feel this way about…”

Rafayel suppresses the urge to bang his head against the canvas he’s working on.

“But, like I said, you remind me of him. I know you’re not him, of course, but with each moment that I spend with you, I forget him more, and I find myself wanting to be by your side, instead of his. In any case, I could never be with him, for he is a holy man and belongs to the temple.”

The urge goes away, now replaced by butterflies in his stomach.

This is perfect, he thinks, she’s growing to love me, I’ll marry her in no time.

Filled with joy, he leans forward to embrace her. She laughs, hugging him back and kissing his cheek, after which she returns to her reading.

He’s blushing, his heart beating out of his chest, his eyes sparkling. True happiness is near.

The sixth day, the King and Queen receive news of a suitor that will be visiting later that day. Both the Princess and Rafayel are annoyed by this visit.

“I’m forced to welcome him, but I won’t marry him,” she confides in Rafayel that morning. “If I had to choose someone to marry, I’d choose you.”

He smiles, his expression turning to surprise and then embarrassment as she leans forward and kisses him on the lips. One of her hands runs through his hair, while the other lays on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. He returns the kiss timidly, his hands cupping her face. In that moment, he truly feels as if all the sacrifices he made were worth it.

The time of the visit draws near, and the Royal family gets ready to welcome the suitor. While they wait, a servant comments: “I heard the visiting Prince has been studying abroad in a temple in our kingdom, to learn how to be a virtuous ruler.”

This catches the attention of both the Princess and Rafayel.

It’s then that the doors of the castle fly open, revealing the Prince and his entourage.

“It’s him,” the Princess whispers, breathless.

She stands up and walks towards him, surprising everyone in the room.

“It was you who saved me.”

The Prince smiles and nods. She embraces him, his arms wrapping softly around her. Then she turns towards Rafayel.

“Isn’t this wonderful? I’m so happy!” She takes Rafayel’s hands. “My wishes came true…  I hope your wishes come true too, my dearest friend.” She smiles sincerely.

He returns the smile, his eyes looking right through her.

The seventh day, they are to be married. Both kingdoms want to ally as soon as possible, and seeing the love the Prince and Princess have for each other, they decide not to delay it further.

Rafayel already feels his heart breaking. He will turn into seafoam come tomorrow morning.

The whole city celebrates, music and cheer in every corner. There’s decorations, and food, and the smell of flowers permeating the air.

The ceremony takes place in the biggest ship the kingdom owns, citizens and Royalty alike invited. They both say their vows, having only eyes for each other.

Rafayel doesn’t even register the words being said. He thinks about the fact that this is his last day alive. How he lost everything. His family, his body, his home, his voice, his love. His life.

Fireworks go off as the ceremony comes to a close, reminding him of that first night he met the Princess. What a blissful dream that first sight of her had been.

He joins the rest of the dancing crowd. He doesn’t care about the pain anymore. It’s his last day, he might as well go all out. His last day seeing the Princess, the sea, the starry sky he once thought he would never witness.

He sees the happy couple, chatting and laughing in each other’s embrace.

The celebrations continue until midnight, when the couple retires for the night and the rest of the guests go to their respective rooms below the deck.

Rafayel stays behind, leaning against the railing and watching the waves, the sea breeze almost a comforting balm.

There, amongst the waves, his brothers appear. As they peek out of the water, he notices their hair has been cut.

“We visited the Sea Witch,” they explain with low voices, “Word reached that the Princess was to be married, but not to you, so we asked her for a solution so that you won’t die. She asked for our hair as payment.”

Rafayel listens with hope. Things might not turn out so bad, after all. Even if he doesn’t have the Princess by his side, at least he’ll return with his family.

“Here, take his knife.”

He does, looking at it with confusion.

“You must plunge it into the Princess’s heart before sunrise, and when the blood falls on your legs, they’ll turn once more into a tail, allowing you to return to the sea. You won’t turn into sea foam, brother!” They all smile.

But he stares at the knife with empty eyes, unsure.

He nods and makes his way to the Princess’s chambers. Everything is quiet as he turns the knob and enters.

Step by painful step, he approaches the bed. They are both asleep, her head resting on his chest. He moves to her side and carefully peels back the covers.

Through the window, he sees the sky turning rosy, a sign that dawn is near. He makes haste and leans to kiss her forehead for one last time, like he once did when she was unconscious on the shore, wishing for her to live, only to pull back as he hears her whisper the Prince’s name in dreams.

His hands tremble as he grips the knife. He, who had lost so much, who loves her so much.

He can’t do it. He throws the knife out of the window. The water turns red as it lands.

Rafayel looks at the Princess once more, his mind and heart broken, yet filled with only her. Her. Her.

He sees the first rays of daylight as he jumps off the window.

By the time his body makes contact with the sea, he’s turned into pure sea foam.

A/N: It felt right to post this on Raf's birthday, hehe. To be honest, I'm not entirely satisfied with the way this turned out, although that might be my perfectionism. However, I do encourage any writers reading this to try to write this in their style! Thank you for reading and I will see y'all in therapy <3

Bonus: A song and a meme.

[nickeverdeen]

heya! could you please do some HC's for Mike Schmidt with a s/o who absolutely LOVES the animatronics and he wants to keep her away but she keeps going back so eventually hes js like "fuck it. it is what it is" and gives in to let her play with abbey n them? thankssss!!!!!

Sure! Although is it just me or is this fandom dying?

You = white cursive text

Mike = orange text

Abby = purple text

————————————————————

Mike Schmidt x fem!reader who’s an animatronic lover

At first, Mike is adamant about keeping you away from the animatronics

Mainly ‘cause he is fully aware of the risks and dangers associated with the job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza

Animatronics randomly acting up at night?

Nope, he’s not letting you or Abby near them

Seeing the animatronics walk on their own in middle of the night was enough to creep him out

And the protective boyfriend he was he wasn’t gonna let anything happen to you ‘cause of his actions

Mike warns you about them yet you can’t see anything bad about the animatronics just like Abby

“The animatronics might look harmless, but they have a tendency to act up, especially when it’s dark. I don’t want you to be in harm’s way.”

Despite his warnings and attempts to dissuade them, you are persistently drawn to the animatronics

“I get that you’ve seen some weird things, but I’m not afraid. I’ll be careful around them.”

Mike's protective instincts kick in, and he worries about your safety, repeatedly emphasizing the potential dangers lurking within the pizzeria

“I just want you to be safe. If something were to happen, I couldn’t forgive myself.”

However, you remain undeterred, convinced that the animatronics are misunderstood

“I think we can change the way we see them. They’re not inherently dangerous; they’ve just had some glitches in the past.”

Over time, seeing the genuine excitement and joy on your face, Mike begins to soften

He observes how you interact with Chica, one of the friendlier animatronics, and notices the mutual enjoyment you both share

After a while Abby joins and she surely is in love with the animatronics maybe even more than you

“Mike! Look at how cute they are!”

Abby grinned while playing with Chica and other animatronics

“You might see them as harmless performers, but I’ve seen some creepy stuff. It’s hard for me to trust these animatronics completely.”

Mike shook his head taking Abby away waiting for you to follow

He felt bad when he saw you get sad about it

The more you try to interact with the animatronicts the more he slowly lets you go without comments

Eventually, Mike reaches a point where he decides to let go of his reservations, adopting a "fuck it, it is what it is" attitude

He concedes to allowing you and Abby to play with animatronics, realizing that perhaps it can coexist in an unexpected actual joy for all of them

Despite his initial reluctance, Mike starts to appreciate the happiness and comfort that the animatronics bring to you

It becomes a unique bonding experience, and he finds himself occasionally joining in on the fun, even if cautiously

Seeing you happy made him smile and he couldn’t hold back a chuckle when Bonnie was tickling you

Of course at first when Bonnie touched you he instantly got nervous

But Mike realizes that your love for the animatronics is harmless, and he learns to accept and support their interest, understanding that it’s a source of joy for them

[lovemyromance]

I think regardless of which side of the ship war you're on, everyone is claiming that "Ofc their development and love story is going to play out more in their book!"

And I think that's a fair statement to make 🤷🏻‍♀️ No Elriel is claiming Elain & Azriel are in love right now (and if they are, they're wrong lmao), I might've seen some Eluciens & Gwynriels claiming their respective couples are in love or whatever - but I am willing to accept that is not the general consensus of those sides.

We often see the "Why would Elain accept a mating bond in a book that's not hers?" Argument from the Elucien side. And Elriels have countered with "Well then why would she reject a bond in a book that's not hers?" but apparently, THAT is too hard to grasp for some anti-Elriels.

I think the real question is: where is the buildup?

Elain & Azriel have undeniable build up on the page. Even if you dismiss all their other small romantic moments in the background (i.e. Hybern rescue, Truthteller, "sit I'll take care of it", garden scenes), they still were about to get NAWSTY with each other in the BC.

And you can call it whatever you want (love/lust/obsession), but you cannot deny that is clear romantic build up. Whether they are endgame or not, nothing will change the fact that Elain willingly chose to kiss the Spymaster, not her mate.

Speaking of the M-word: Also undeniable: Elain & Lucien are mates. Regardless of what happens, that bond situation will have to be addressed at some point in Elain's book.

But so far, that initial "You're my mate" is the only thing that gives us any indication that Elucien is even an option. Nothing I have seen from either of them is giving "mates".

In ACOTAR, it has been very clear with both Feyre & Nesta that their mate/endgame was Rhys/Cassian. How did we know that before they were declared mates officially?

Because the build up. They had clear chemistry on the page. Even when they were avoiding each other, they weren't really avoiding each other. From the moment Feyre met Rhys and thought he was the most beautiful man, to the moment Cassian & Nesta squared off at the dining table - we could see their chemistry and attraction on the page. They left us wanting for more.

If we compare Elucien to these couples - it cannot be said that they are the same. They already know they're mates, so arguably that should be more incentive to get to know a person - but they still avoid each other. All their interactions are described as uncomfortable, forced, or dry as hell. There is no conversation or interaction between them that had me smiling to myself or excited to read more about them.

You can place the blame on Elain all you want. Say that in ACOWAR - she was depressed. In ACOFAS - she was still adjusting to fae life. What's the excuse by ACOSF? She is just quietly miserable in the NC?

If that's the case - isn't that more of a reason to reach out to her non-NC mate? Isn't that more of a reason to want Lucien, over Azriel?

We see Elain ignore Lucien at every turn in ACOSF. We see multiple characters notice how Elain doesn't want him, Elain seems wary of him, Elain avoids him, Elain loses her boldness around him.

How is that build up? Even when SJM writes enemies to lovers, even if there are XYZ things against a pairing, they still have chemistry. That is what is missing in Elucien.

You don't need to wait till Elain's book to see chemistry. They've interacted multiple times and not one of their interactions had me wanting to see more.

Elucien will not fall in love suddenly off page. No one expects that. Elriel will also not fall in love off page.

The difference is, Elriel has shown chemistry. Attraction. Romantic interest.

Elucien has not. You can argue "foreshadowing" all you want but at the end of the day it comes down to Elain & Lucien and how they interact. Do they have any tension or chemistry? No. They just ignore and avoid.

That does not make for a solid foundation for a romance book. People are forgetting these are not standalones, these are spinoffs to ACOTAR. SJM has said herself she started planting clues for Nesta & Elain's stories in ACOFAS itself.

Even when Nesta was not the focus in ACOWAR, she and Cassian still had significant moments. Even before she turned fae, she and Cassian received a bonus chapter in ACOMAF. Their chemistry was undeniable. It was almost exactly like the Elriel BC encounter - but I guess we're not ready for that conversation 🤷🏻‍♀️.

All I am saying is that Elain & Azriel have had proven romantic buildup on the page. You can believe the mating bond will prevail but what is giving you that confidence reading the current text in front of you?

If I open ACOTAR 5 come springtime (lol can u imagine what a dream) - and Elain & Lucien suddenly start interacting and it's interesting and they have chemistry with each other- great. I'm on board.

But until then, they'll never have what Elain & Azriel have. And that's mutual romantic interest.

[marrogerson]

Hi Margaret,

I absolutely adore Sorcery of Thorns. As an aspiring writer, I wanted to ask you how you started worldbuilding? The world just seemed so lively and detailed, just as if it was real. While reading I imagined it like in the Victorian era, were there special things you researched? Worldbuilding just seems so daunting to me.

Sending you all the best wishes, and I‘m waiting patiently and excited for new stories from you :)

Hi anon,

Thank you for the lovely ask. I was also daunted by worldbuilding when I started trying to write books. (Key word, trying... my attempts didn't work out too well for the first few years.) Since this is turning out to be a longer post, I'll put the rest under a cut.

Initially, the thing I struggled with the most was having a great idea for a world, fleshing it out, and then trying to populate it with characters and an interesting plot. This worldbuilding-first strategy works for some writers I think, but it didn't for me. I personally had a breakthrough when I started instead focusing on creating the main characters/their central conflict first, and then constructing the worldbuilding around them to support the story's needs. For example, the premise of the magic system in Sorcery of Thorns (sorcerers who summon demon servants at great personal cost) was one that I created specifically to facilitate the angst between Nathaniel and Silas.

I always say that I don't consider myself much of a researcher, but then I glance across my desk and see the stack of books that I ordered secondhand from Ebay because they're no longer in print. If you're writing in a similar time period, I highly recommend The Victorian City by Judith Flanders (this one is still in print and easy to find). The most curious one (to me at least) is probably The Victorian Bathroom Catalogue which is a book full of historical advertisements including illustrations of old bathroom fixtures.

My best advice when it comes to research—if it's something you struggle with—is to try reading things that are fun, which you would enjoy reading anyway even if you didn't have a reason. The most useful research I've ever done was just-for-fun reading that I did not realize was important research until much later. Forgive my weird analogy, but all that reading turns into sort of a yeast culture in the fridge of your brain, which you can draw from when needed instead of having to go searching for yeast every time you need it. And the yeast culture will also creep into your bedroom at four in the morning, and whisper tantalizing ideas into your ear... ok, let's stop there.

The nice thing about writing fantasy is that you don't need to sweat the small stuff. Just worry about writing a fun story first.

Some of my favorite specific topics that I've researched online lately include elevators in the first half of the 1800s, and whether gunpowder would have been used to demolish a large building just prior to the invention of dynamite.

Best of luck!

[livingalifeonfire]

Learning to Love His Body Art

I had never been one to have an opinion on tattoos and scars and the people whose skin they adorn. However, when I met Evan, I learned that beautiful art on someone's body can tell parts of their story that they may have never told anyone.

I met Evan around 2 years ago, when I first moved to Los Angeles, California for a fresh start. I was over a thousand miles away from my hometown in Tennessee and I happened to pop into a small local coffee shop right down the street from my new apartment. As I walked in, I took notice of the tall blonde with stunning blue eyes who was waiting for his order. Deciding that I found him stunningly cute, after ordering my own coffee I approach him.

" Hi, I'm Y/N! I just moved here, and I do apologize for being so forward, but you have to be the cutest guy I have seen. " He smiles at me and extends his hand. " It's nice to meet you Y/N. I'm Evan but my friends call me Buck, I'm a firefighter with the 118 on the other side of town. So, what brings a pretty girl like you all the way to LA?" he asks as he shakes my hand. I notice two black bands wrapped around his right forearm as his hand goes to grab his coffee. My order comes up as well and I pick it up. " Well, I'm originally from Tennessee but I wanted to get a fresh start somewhere new, and this is where the wind blew me, I guess. Would you want to sit and talk for a little bit? If you have nowhere to be that is" I reply, hands slightly sweating against the warm takeout cup. He looks up from his drink and smiles at me. " That sounds really nice, I'd love to." He says as he leads us to a table and pulls out my chair.

From the moment we sat down, it felt like we were the only two that were even in the room. I learned that he was the youngest of 3 kids, one older brother who had passed away and an older sister Maddie. He had spent a good chunk of his 20's traveling the US and South America, doing odd jobs and experiencing all that life has to offer and he had been a firefighter for 6 years. He had his fair share of hard times and injuries during that time, but he got back up and kept pushing to do the thing he loves most. I told him about my tough relationship with my father and how the life I left in Tennesse was one I never wanted to but had to. I ran from an ex that I never felt truly loved or cared for me and how I had to find who I was separate from what others told me I was. He listened and held my hand as we kept getting to know more and more about each other until it had been over 4 hours. After that initial meeting, we met up again for dinner for a more formal date later that night. We would keep talking and would start dating a few months later.

As we got closer, I noticed 2 more tattoos that were inked into Evan's skin. A quote from Michealangelo on his left forearm and an interesting interweaving of shapes tattooed on his chest. Every time his shirt would come off, I would trace my fingertips over the ink permanently etched into his skin. I had never considered getting one myself but seeing how good it looked adorning my boyfriend, I was starting to feel that maybe we could add another one, together. One night as we lay snuggled up in bed together, I again traced those familiar tattoos on his arms and chest. He looks down at me and gently lifts my head with two fingers under my chin to look him in his blue eyes with my green ones. " Baby, what is going through your head? You look so enamored when you trace over my tattoos. Is there something you want to talk about?" Buck asked. I lock my eyes on his and swallow before I speak. " I'll be honest with you buck, I wasn't sure about how I felt about guys who tattooed their body, but after I got to know the man behind them, I think that I want to get one of my own. What would you say to me having one and going with me when I have it done?" I ask, his hand snaking up to gently intertwine with mine. His eyes gaze lovingly into mine and he says with the sweetest tone: " Nothing would make me happier my love. I think you would be even more beautiful than you already are with something you love tattooed on your body" I had the biggest grin on my face as I lean in and give him the most loving kiss in the world. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have found him, tattoos and all. Little did he know what my plan was for this tattoo.

[carawenfiction]

Will we have an update soon?

Tumblr won't let me make normal posts for some reason, so the update will have to be in form of an answer to this ask smh. Anyway:

Hey everyone!

This post is long overdue, I know. I’m really sorry to those who have been worried about my wellbeing, as well as those who have been waiting around for an update for so long.

I’ve put off writing here because this “update” is something I’ve been wrestling with for a long time. But I can’t keep going back and forth on it forever, which is why I’m now letting you all know that the Shadow Society is officially discontinued.

I know that this might not come as much of a surprise to anyone at this point. I’ve tried to salvage the story by remaking it into something I’m happy with through a rewrite. But I’ve rewritten the rewrite itself more than once, and no matter what I do, I’m just not happy with the result. Rewriting something that’s already published with all the coding it involves is a lot more tricky than I initially thought it would be.

This is not a case of me being needlessly harsh on myself, however; it’s simply a truth I’ve come to realize after struggling to find a way to keep going with the story. I’ll never be fully content with it, or even content enough, unless I’d be able to completely remake and rewrite everything from scratch – and consequentially, I will never find enough motivation to continue because of how unhappy I am with it.

I’ve seen some speculation about my reason for rewriting the story and my long absence, and that they’ve had to do with comparisons to other IFs (well, you know which one). This isn’t entirely the case. While the comparisons did happen and probably still do, and while they were discouraging in the beginning, I can definitely understand where people have been coming from when making them. I talked about this more in-depth in the forums right after the release of TSS.

The main reason for why I can’t continue is that it’s not a series I feel passionate enough about to work on. My tastes have changed, and so has my writing to some degree. I’ve tried to convince myself that I am passionate about it. It’s hard to admit that you’re not when it’s been in your head for so long, when you’ve tried for so long to make this work and when you know that one part is published and that some people are anticipating a continuation. But it had to be done sooner or later.

Other reasons:

-While I don’t think that my writing style has changed drastically, I feel like it is somewhat different from how I wrote back in 2018 (which is a GOOD thing). Whenever I tried working on the rewrite or second book and attempted to emulate the writing of TSS, it just didn’t sound right anymore, and that took a lot of fun out of it.

-With everything that has happened with CoG over the past few years, they are no longer a company I want to write for.

Please know that none of this has discouraged me from writing in general. I still love doing it. If anything, this has taught me a lot about what I actually want to write and the writing process in general. Whether I end up publishing anything else in the future or will simply do so for my own enjoyment we’ll just have to see, though.

I still have the idea of a shadow-like world in my head, and maybe it’s one I will revisit at some point. Maybe there will be another version of TSS someday, albeit very different from the original one.

But for now, I can only thank you all for the overwhelming love and support over the years, and apologize for any disappointment this has caused. If people are interested, I’d be happy to share parts of the rewrite and unused ideas. The Tumblr page will still stay up at least for some time, but I will probably not be answering any asks from here on out.

EDIT: Forgot to add, but if anyone wants a genuinely amazing IF read you should check out my friend's wip here: https://uroboros-if.tumblr.com/ ❤️ Play the demo here: https://mistyriousness.itch.io/uroboros

[kyleraynermybeloved]

One Of A Kind -Chapter Three

Pairing: Kyle Rayner x Batsis!Reader Summary: Meeting a new friend and secrets being spilled is certainly one interesting way to spend a day. Warnings: Pregnancy, morning sickness, swearing, Christmas mention, fluff, slight angst Word Count: 4.7k A/N: The beginning is a mess but I hope y'all enjoy it! I'm going to pump out some more stuff before I go on vacation in August! OOAK Masterlist

“So, what originally brought you to our humble abode?” You placed the grocery bag on the counter in front of you. The three of you were still standing in the kitchen, a little closer now the initial shock washed over.

“You can thank this one over here. Left his comms on when once he came back, fortunately for him no one was listening, well besides from me. I caught everything up until you went deep into your history before the connection finally ended.” Guy sent a look to Kyle, shaking his head slowly. “Now, I figured I should probably meet this mystery person I’ve heard so very little about for myself. I was lucky you two live together, otherwise that would’ve made my trip a little harder.”

You let out a long sigh, mentally reminding yourself to have a talk with your apparent careless husband. “Okay, I can get behind that.”

Kyle sent a nervous look towards you, shuffling closer hesitantly. “Darling, honey pie, light of my life, you’re taking this all very calmly. Does that, perhaps, mean you’re not angry?”

“Oh, I’m furious with you,” You tried to keep your voice steady as you moved away from his reach. His face dropped slightly at the motion. “But I’ve also kept things from you that I should have told you sooner, so I guess this puts us on some slight even footing. And just so you know, this does not mean you’re in the clear. This is my life you had been reckless with, the life I tried so hard to keep safe. If this was anyone else, we both would be in more danger than you know.”

Tears were pricking your eyes and the nausea was setting in, your stomach fluttered as the rush of emotions became overwhelming. “Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go throw up and when I come back I expect the both of you to be ready to leave for lunch. This is non negotiable.”

You turned on your heel and dashed to the guest bathroom, slamming the door shut as you barely made it to the toilet before the contents of your stomach spilled out. You whimpered as the heaving became too much all too quickly. Resting your forehead against the cool seat felt heavenly for your heated skin, waiting for the next wave to come. Fortunately it never came. The room no longer felt like it was spinning so that was a win.

After a few beats nothing else came up, the queasiness had eased up some.

The knock on the door startled you. You called out weakly for them to come in, you were taking your chances on it being Kyle since Guy had looked like he wanted the Earth to swallow him up whole when you left.

The door opened and you were met with the familiar green eyes you’ve come to long for and love. His face was stoic but quickly softened at your crumpled figure.

“How are you feeling?” Kyle spoke softly, kneeling down, gently rubbing your back.

“Like shit,” you said flatly, leaning into him with a grumble. “I think this week takes the cake of being terrible. It feels infinitely worse than the weeks before. I don’t understand how someone can be this sick during every waking moment of the day?”

“Do you want to stay home for lunch then? I could send Guy out.” He suggested.

You hummed, doing a mental check of your physical state. “No, I think it would be better to go out. I’m going to feel sick regardless so might as well make the most of it.”

“Okay,” He blinked, eyes filled with emotion. You could tell he wanted to say something so you sat patiently for him until he was ready. With a sigh he continued, “I’m sorry I wasn’t careful. I was just so focused on getting to you before anything terrible happened, the last time you had gotten sick I almost lost my mind when you had to be hospitalized. Honestly, I couldn’t handle another repeat.”

You turned in his arms, pulling him close in a hug, his arms wrapped tightly around you as if afraid you would crumble if he let go. “My love, listen to me. It's okay. I turned out okay in the end. More than okay, really. And before you say anything, you already know I would do everything in my power to not let that happen again, especially to you. I made a promise that day at our wedding I would never leave you, that no matter what we’ll always have each other.”

“But I could have put your life at risk. I should have known better. If something were to happen to you- gods, and the baby! If something happened to the both of you I could not forgive myself. I’m sorry I did that to you both.” Kyle croaked out. Your heart nearly broke at the sound.

You knew where this was stemming from, had been there to pick up the pieces that were threatening to shatter completely, caring for a nearly broken man trying so desperately to stay afloat. How one man could deal with all that trauma and still manage to smile and care for you every single day, you didn’t know. You were glad you were there in time before it became too much for him. Had been alongside him to mourn the loved ones he had lost.

“Look at me,” You pulled back to cradle his face in your hands, thumbs brushing over his cheeks, his hands found your hips. “I’m not gonna lie, I was more than scared when I found out the comms had been left on. But it appears that luck was on our side since it was your best friend who was on the other side, a person who I trust by the way.” You said with certainty. “That being said, I know with my whole being and soul that you would never mean harm to either of us. I trust you completely. So don’t get lost in that wonderful, beautiful head of yours.”

“Thank you.” Kyle smiled. You could see thoughts were still swirling in his head, you know this conversation would be continued once you had no more guests.

During that time you pulled him in to give a peck on his nose, which he wrinkled in a grimace. “And as much as I love you, I’m asking you politely to rinse your mouth. Your breath is gnarly.”

You let go with a laugh, smacking his arm. “You ass!”

“Get washed up, lovey.” He placed a kiss on the crown of your head and got up, helping you in the process as well. “We’ll continue this later, let’s get back to our guest who’s awkwardly waiting for us.”

“Oh yeah, I don’t think I made such a good impression. Go ask what he’s feeling on eating, I won’t be more than a few minutes.”

He left with a small pat on your butt. Remembering what a coworker once said about not brushing your teeth after throwing up because it grinds the acid into your teeth, you rinsed thoroughly with water followed by mouthwash. Doing another rinse of both you figured you could do a quick brush now.

It probably wasn’t the best idea but at least the mint flavor replaced the offensive one that had been left in your mouth. It also helped ease the sick feeling that clung desperately to you.

The boys had picked a place nearby the apartment to walk to, they had been chatting your ear the entire way there. Of course, you wished you had offered to drive since the weather had gotten worse, the snow now in huge piles on the sidewalk making you put in more effort than needed to trudge through it.

Thinking about it now, there are only three more weeks until Christmas comes. You had forgotten all about it, too caught up with work to begin shopping. You’ll have to find a day when Kyle was out to go get gifts.

Not wanting to chance it again when you had been called in three days before the holiday last year, the two of you hadn't made any plans ahead of time, not sure if there'd be any last minute assignments given.

The diner had been tucked away towards the end of the block, it was small and gave off a warm, cozy vibe. You picked a booth in a corner, away from the windows with you near the wall and Kyle at the end, Guy sat across from the two of you.

You were trying to decide on getting either soup or sandwich for the better half of ten minutes, your efforts on choosing one was futile because you ended up ordering both

It was Guy who pulled you out of your thoughts. “I’m curious to know how he managed to score a date with you.”

With a mischievous glint in your eyes, Kyle knew what you were going to say first.

“He managed to spill his coffee all down my shirt.” You said with a shake of your head, forcing off a smile to feign the look of disappointment.

“There’s no way he did that, holy shit! And you still gave him the time of day?”

“Well, I was the one who actually asked him out. He was too shocked by what had happened, it was really cute. I like to think he fell for my charm, pun intended.” You laughed.

Kyle let out a groan, hiding his face in his hands clearly embarrassed. Guy groaned at your awful pun, if you could even call it that. But you were very pleased with their reactions.

The full brunt of nausea had returned when the food arrived but you managed to push it down and force food into you so you at least had something in your system. Kyle glanced your way, noticing the change in your demeanor and took your hand in his, rubbing comforting circles onto the back of yours.

“We went out for a date the week after the first, which turned into having dates once a week, which turned into two dates a week after a month, and then three dates a week. Eventually he wouldn’t dare part with me.” You said between bites.

“We've been together for five years now, going on six real soon.” Kyle continued. You hummed, leaning into his shoulder.

 “The first three years we dated, it was interesting to see how it lasted since I was going on and off world for most of the beginning. Coming clean to her helped tremendously,” Kyle noted happily. “And these last two years have been amazing since we married.” The pure joy was evident in his voice.

“What’d you think when he kept leaving in the beginning?” Guy asked you, clearly interested in your thoughts.

“It wasn't as noticeable to me because I travel a lot for work. We were lucky I had that week off, otherwise I don't think none of this would have happened. But his cute charms and loving personality made it worth it.”

“Gross.” Guy faked gagging. “What do you do for work that keeps you traveling?” 

You had been expecting that question to come up. But you wished it had come up later. Looking at Kyle who shrugged, suggesting it was your decision to tell him the truth. You decided on something in the middle.

“I work for a security company, traveling wherever I'm needed to provide my services.” It wasn't the whole truth but it also wasn't completely a lie.

Guy seemed pretty surprised at your job, not expecting that from the cozy nature of your look. “That's pretty neat. Do you stay in the country or do you also travel internationally?”

“Most of the time it's international but the most recent trip was actually here on the east coast. I was happy with the lack of jet lag that accompanies my trips.”

The three of you let the conversation die down to eat your food. The faint music playing from the speakers added to the comfortable atmosphere. It felt like you were catching up with lifelong friends rather than meeting up with your husband's brother for the first time.

“Not to bring up the elephant in the room but does Bats know about you two being together?” Guy asked wearily, looking back and forth at the two of you.

You tensed at the question, shifting uncomfortably in your seat, suddenly more interested in shoving your food around, no longer with an appetite.

“Actually, no.” Kyle coughed. “As far as I’m aware, they don’t know about us.”

“They don’t.” You confirmed coldly.

The air became thick at your tone, sensing this was a topic you did not want to talk about, Guy quickly changed the subject.

“Uhm… Have you guys got anything for the tiny lantern?”

Like a switch had gone off in your brain, your body relaxed against the seat, a soft smile on your face upon hearing the name.

“Tiny Lantern?” You asked.

“Y-yeah. The kid is gonna be a lantern if I have any say. Ring or not, we’re family.”

“Oh, fuck I think I’m going to cry thats so sweet!” The overwhelming emotions began pouring out, tears streaming down your face.

“Wait, no! Don’t cry!” He panicked and looked at Kyle for help, who was equally as flustered and confused as he was.

A small sob came out, you gulped down your water trying to stop the tears from continuing. You really didn’t know why it affected you like this, you were normally amazing at keeping your emotions in check. That’s a lie, you knew exactly why.

“It’s not that, it’s the hormones.” Wiping your tear stained face you sucked in a deep breath hoping to calm down. “Don’t worry about it, I'm fine. They’re happy tears, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Kyle gave your hand a squeeze, comforting you and turned towards his friend with a smile. That seemed to relieve him. “To answer the question, no, we haven't gotten around to any shopping yet. Well, apart from the prenatals and vitamins she needs to take now. I think that had been our next stop once we dropped off the supplies at the apartment.”

Your breathing had evened out, no longer crying. It was a little embarrassing but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care, your energy now low. That seemed to be another lovely symptom you’ve acquired in the past month, remembering how you felt after your last mission.

“Maybe after a nap?” You suggested with a yawn. “Or perhaps you two could go while I nap?” You were exhausted, possibly due to the whiplash of emotions during the entire time here.

“Of course, let me pay and get some containers for us. I’ll be right back.” Kyle scooted out of the seat and walked to the counter.

The both of you kept quiet, not really sure on what to say.

You broke the silence, “I want to say that I’m normally not like this. I’m usually much calmer, not really a crier.” Not sure why you felt the need to explain yourself but continued. “Sorry I scared you earlier, it’s been a pretty harsh week for me.”

His face faltered for a moment, “Somehow, I don’t doubt that. I apologize for bringing up an unwanted past. I don’t know how long it’s been since you last saw your family but they’re different now, if it makes any difference.”

You sent him a knowing look. Of course you know how your family is doing, you’ve kept daily tabs on them since you left the manor that day.

It was one of the conditions of your new life and job that your boss let you have complete access to anything regarding them. Both in and out of the mask, although you're the only one with access to that knowledge.

“The things Kyle told me about you when you were in the bathroom makes you out to be a strong and loving woman. I don’t doubt that one bit. You’re good for him, he’s much happier than before and I know it’s thanks to you.” Guy sat back in his seat, sent a warm look to Kyle and turned back to you.

Your heart warmed and you felt lighter. Like a tension had been released from your shoulders. Looking into his eyes you only saw comfort and admiration shining through.

“Thank you, I know you mean so much to him too. I’ve heard and seen the way you treat each other like family, it’s of great importance to me having you out there with him keeping each other safe. Just know you’re always welcome to stop by, whether that be for him or to crash. The door is always open for you.”

There was a faint blush that crept up his neck. “Thank you, that means a lot coming from you.”

“Any time, although I do have one request… actually two requests for you.” He motioned for you to go on. “First, if you could keep us, me and the baby, a secret from the others, just until we’re ready.”

“That’s understandable, don't even have to ask.” He smiled.

“You might want some background information for the second favor. I have this friend of mine, a kid that I look after whenever he’s in town, actually his entire family are friends of mine.” You rambled on, taking a moment to breathe. “Anyways, he crashes with us from time to time, but is a little weary of strangers. So, whenever you’re here around the same time as him, if you could possibly ease up and maybe… give him space. Just so he doesn’t freak out.”

“That’s certainly something.” He chuckled. “But I’ll be on my best behavior, since you asked so nicely.”

Wishing you could believe it you knew better than to hope for a miracle. You knew with the two of them together they'd end up destroying the whole apartment complex. Billy had confided in you that you Rayners and his family are the only people who know about his identity, but that doesn't mean he'd stop being his chaotic smack-talking self around Guy. The less they interact with each other the safer your home will be.

Kyle came back with a few containers and you all quickly filled them before heading out, you hailing a taxi to avoid the cold before the two could oppose.

*****

You woke up much later in the day, the sky was dark but that was expected in the winter. The smell of food welcomed you, no longer feeling sick for the time being although you knew it would be a matter of time before it returned.

Making your way out of the bedroom there were bags littered along the hallway, leading to the living room where you found Kyle and Guy sitting on the floor reading instructions with parts on the floor in front of them

“Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes.” Their heads shot up in your direction, surprised at your arrival.

“Hey sleeps, you’re up! There’s a dinner plate on the counter for you,” Kyle nodded towards the kitchen counter where there was a steaming plate of food.

You crossed the room grabbing the plate and walked back sitting on the couch closest to Kyle, judging by all the pans on the stove top he made dinner for all of you. He gave your calf a quick squeeze for his own comfort, fingers lingering.

“What are you two building?” You asked in between bites.

It could have literally been anything. The random parts on the floor didn’t give you any clues at all, whatever container they had been in was gone as well. Kyle and Guy shared a look, having a silent conversation while you ate, looking between the two of them perfectly content on waiting them out.

Guy spoke first, “It was supposed to be a surprise for when you woke up, a gift for the tiny lantern.”

“It’s a crib for our little bean,” Kyle continued eagerly with a grin. “It’s the same one you were looking at online, you’d mentioned wanting it and I thought we might as well get it now.”

Looking over at the parts in front of you it slowly clicked together. It should have been obvious from the start but your sleepy baby brain hadn’t booted up when you had looked at the familiar soft gray pieces all laid out for them.

“You do know we still have like another seven months until our bean joins us, right?” You asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, but I was a little eager and Guy suggested it was a good idea to get started with the big stuff early on rather than wait until you’re farther along.”

Guy held up his hands, “Woah! I didn’t do anything, you’re just easily suggestible.”

“No, you’re the one who put the idea in my head.” Kyle bickered back.

You chuckled into your food. Kyle smiled up at you before turning his attention back to Guy who was smirking at him. It was obvious to Guy that you and Kyle were completely in love with each other, he was glad his best friend was happy.

“Well, thank you both for the amazing gift. The only thing we need to do besides building this is to figure out where we’re going to put it.” You said.

“Are you not turning the guest room into the nursery?” Guy asked you both.

You shrugged, “We only found out three days ago we’re expecting so we hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I mean it would be smart to do that but what about when we have guests staying over?”

“Maybe we could let our little bean stay in our room with us so they’re within reach, and we keep the guest room as is, at least for now.” Kyle suggested.

“I think you might need to invest in a larger home, this apartment is gonna get cramped real soon. You have some time to decide but don’t put it off at the last minute.” Guy piped in.

“It honestly wouldn’t be a terrible idea to get a bigger place,” you agreed. “We do have a stable and good enough income to go looking. Alright then. I’ll leave you two to build, I have maternity shopping to do.” You got up and loaded your plate into the dishwasher.  “Babe, do you know where my laptop is? I think I misplaced it again, I couldn’t find it when we got back from lunch.”

He mumbled instructions to Guy then turned to answer you. “Yeah, the rascal asked if he could use it for the weekend to do a school report so I dropped it off. You can use mine, it should still be charging on my bedside table.”

Of course your unofficial son was borrowing your laptop, this shouldn’t be news to you. You did your best not to trip on all the bags that were still placed around the hallway floor, making a mental note to inspect their contents later. 

For the time being you made yourself comfy on the bed with the laptop in your lap, you had some shopping to do since it was getting more difficult to squeeze into some of your clothes. Everything was slightly snugger than they normally were but in due time nothing would fit.

Time must have flown by quickly because a very exhausted looking Kyle walked in, shutting the door quietly behind him. You weren’t sure if it was the pregnancy spurring on your feelings but he looked downright beautiful. His hair was a tousled mess, half-lidded eyes struggled to stay open, and his pout was too cute. “Were you able to find anything good and comfortable? Should I be worried about fighting off wandering eyes when you look gorgeous in whatever outfits you got yourself?”

“Only found a few things but since I have no clue what I’m doing I bought them in different sizes and I’ll return whatever doesn’t work. As for fighting off others, I’ll handle that myself but you can do as you please,” you closed the laptop as Kyle got on his side of the bed, setting it aside and gave him your undivided attention. “So… are we good to talk about it? Our situation.”

“If you’re asking if the walls have ears, no– we’re good. Guy barely made it to the spare room before he passed out. Damn crib took all our energy. It was impossible to put together.”

You let out a laugh scooting closer to Kyle, he pulled you both down so you were laying down with your back to his front where he could easily wrap his arms around you. He let his fingers rub away any lingering discomfort that came with the stressful day.

“I want to start off by apologizing for not telling you about my past sooner. I mean, we’ve been married for years now and the only thing I told you was that I had left my old life behind and took up hiding behind this new person I created. It wasn’t right nor was it fair of me to do that while you gave me everything and more.” You sighed, placing your own hands on top of his.

“Believe me when I say I knew what I was getting into when I decided to marry you. Your job alone requires you to erase your existence both in the virtual and physical world, it’s a miracle we ran into each other when we did otherwise I wouldn’t have the love of my life in my arms right now,” Kyle gave you a gentle squeeze. “You can say I don’t know anything about your past but don’t you dare say I don’t know anything about you. I know your favorite color and how you try to keep something on you that closely matches it.

“I know your eyes light up whenever you get to a good part in a book. I know how after a bad day of work you love it when I get a bath ready and have dinner prepared so all you have to do is wind down and relax. And I know that when I get too overwhelmed and start panicking you’re always there to bring me back to reality and calm me down– how you’ll drop everything to come to me to do it. These are all the little things that piece you together, the only things that matter. I don’t care that you hid that part of you but I would love nothing more than to learn about it when you’re ready and when you’re willing.”

It was incredibly hard to keep the tears back but your sniffling gave you away. There was no one more understanding and kind than your husband and it broke your heart you never had the guts to completely spill all your secrets to him. He had all your trust, love, and support and you hoped he felt the same.

“Have I told you how much I love you?” You turned your head and kissed him.

“I don’t believe you have, maybe I could do with some reminders.” Kyle gave you another peck when you pulled away.

You both stayed silent for a moment, soaking in each other’s presence and warmth. You might have thought Kyle fell asleep if it wasn’t for the long yawn coming from him.

“Babe?” you whispered and waited for a response before continuing. “Guy is right. We’re going to need to find a bigger place, it might be time to start looking into some houses. Get a nice place to stretch our legs, lord knows we’re going to need the extra room once our little bean is here and the Marvel gang makes it their life mission to help out.”

“Okay, we can start looking tomorrow– after we get some rest.”

You eased out of his arms to turn off the lamp and he immediately pulled you back to him when you were done. “Alright, tomorrow then. Good night, I love you.”

“I love you too, sleep well.”

Now, with the heavy weight off your chest you were able to fall asleep without a problem for the first time in a long time.