#my favorites are the red on orange one and the gold leaf on white

[tarantula-hawk-wasp]

I saw this angel drawn by Moebius and saved it bc the blocky jaw and expression and general vibes screamed Glorfindel to me I went for a woodcut kinda style which is quite a departure from my usual, and then imagined all the variants you could make from a woodcut

[prismartist]

ID: a flushed logainne staring at her left hand in awe, sparkles around her. she wears glasses, a light brown vest with a white collar and pink ribbon, a light blue blazer, and a purple beret. she has blonde hair in bangs and twin braids. End ID.

ID: chip and leaf embracing each other. chip stares off into the distance, blushing with wide eyes, thinking “marigold…” leaf tucks his head into chip’s neck also wide-eyed, blushing and thinking, “warm…” leaf wears a wolf hat, a pink shirt, and a brown vest with patches. chip wears a white-and-teal striped collared sweater with a white cardigan tied around his shoulders. End ID.

ID: leaf collapsed in a passageway between two seats, one side seating logainne, who jumps. they are both startled. there is a “fwump!” onomatopoeia. in addition to their previously described clothes, leaf wears light blue sweatpants and white sneakers, logainne wears a grey skirt, translucent stockings, white socks and sneakers. End ID.

ID: leaf pointing at a shiny sticker on his arm and simply stating, “i got a sticker.” End ID.

ID: marcy staring up at jesus gliding in the air. jesus is smiling serenely with closed eyes, twirling a yellow ribbon. his hair is very shiny. marcy is awed. jesus has a large heart on his chest surrounded by gold. marcy wears her hair in high pigtails and a large red ribbon, a yellow sweater, and orange tartan overalls. End ID.

ID: a blurry mitch in the background sprinting towards panch, who looks back at mitch in a crab-like position, anxious and sweating. mitch’s eyes are red and flared. above him are the words in asterisks, "protective mode activated". mitch wears a denim vest and pants over a white shirt and a blue bandanna. panch wears a dark blue vest over a light blue shirt and black bowtie, glasses, and brown flannel pants. End ID.

ID: carl dad holding a drink, sprinkling something on the ground with a popped leg. logainne watches in the background, jaw dropped in horror. above in red all caps text reads, “vine boom.” carl dad is wearing glasses, a purplish-blue blazer over a dark pink shirt, light blue sweatpants and dark blue shoes. End ID.

ID: illustrations of carl dad. 1: he moves to the left with a raised limp wrist, exaggeratedly saying, “Miss Peretti, you’re so funny!” 2: he cups his cheek, looking distressed, saying, “Oh my god, this isn’t the bathroom!” 3: he gestures behind him at logainne, who is saying “beeee!” and angrily says, “clap!” slightly behind him is dan, who smiles enthusiastically with closed eyes. dan wears a colorful striped shawl over a dark blue shirt. End ID.

ID: barfee and olive sitting next to each other. they hold out their hands flat in front of them. olive grins up at barfee, slightly hunched, while barfee stares at her hands, intrigued. barfee wears a yellow shirt, a blue vest with yellow cloud-like objects on it, brown shorts and a straw hat with a chin strap. olive wears purple fingerless gloves, a green hoodie over a white-and-green striped polo, and blue pants. she has her hair in low pigtails and a green headband with a small ribbon. End ID.

–––––––

Some of my favorite lil moments in my local production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee!! It has been so much fun interning for this lovely show and i wanted to share some propaganda via fanart. If you're in or around the Makati area, please pleaaase check it out, i implore, it's so creative and energetic and fun. This was my first proper exposure to the show and honestly i think it was perfect. The direction, choreo, costumes, character choices, are all SO amazing!!!!

Information can be found at the Sandbox Collective's Instagram or Facebook page :D

also yes, these are all things that more or less really happened in the production. including the vine boom (kind of. it was a different dramatic sting but still).

can you tell leaf is my favorite fjkdfjs

[faggotstump]

PRETTY PLEASE ALL OF FOLIE… MY FAVORITE ALBUM…

ANON YOU GET IT I AM. SHAKING YOU. YOU UNDERSTAND MEEEE. ANYWYAS. This took a while im sorry.

Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes- opening organ notes are blue! Like, a shade of ocean blue if you will? Which carries through the rest of the song! Also bright yellows!

I Don't Care- red. Multiple shades, like an ombre! But very red nonetheless. Big amount of dark red.

She's My Winona- I mentioned this one in the folie ranking list! This song is very teal, almost green, kind of an in-between, if you know what I'm saying.

America's Suitehearts- yellows, reds and a bit of magenta!

Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet- both wine red and blood red, with bits of dark blue in there. You can see a bit of a visualization here!

The (Shipped) Gold Standard- Yellow at the beginning into an almost sage green.

(Coffee's For Closers)- NEON PINK. The first time I listened to the album this one hit me like a BRICK and helped cement this as my favorite song.

What A Catch, Donnie- aquamarine blue and white.

27- dark, angry red and deep purple. God this song . Murders me in cold blood. /pos

Tiffany Blews- mostly gray and black, bit of pale yellow here and there. Although, the bridge is a lot, mostly neon colors mixed in a deep blue.

w.a.m.s.- very reddish-pink, almost a dark magenta, the chorus adds in blotches of black. Patrick's little bit at the end is pale yellow.

20 Dollar Nose Bleed- bright green, like. Leaf green(?), while the chorus is a pale orange! Pete's bit at the end is mint green with bits of magenta and purple.

West Coast Smoker: another red one right at the beginning! (Very common theme here, I know) which fades into a dusty pink!

(Bonus) Pavlove- AUGH. Gold and Red, very warm and cozy song to me :]

(Send me a song and i'll tell you what color(s) they are to me :D)

[setagaya-division]

"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man." -Charles Darwin

Introduction

Elliot Shimizu is the second member of the Setagaya Division rap battle team, ENIGMA. He is known by his MC name, MC Nanashi. A timid and gentle young man who was sadly kidnapped and used for Chuohku's experiments, Elliot now works alongside his teammates and friends as he continues to unravel his memories and understand more about what was done to him; more specifically, his strange ability to speak to animals and understand them...

Elliot is a bespectacled young man in his mid-teens. He has black-grayish hair that goes down to his upper neck, which is fairly long and fairly neat. He has fair skin and dark blue eyes, which often become red when he is stressed or upset. Over them, he wears a pair of black rectangular-shaped glasses. He is lanky and doesn't have noticeable muscles, though he is in shape.

For his attire, when he is attending school, he wears his school uniform, which consists of a white collared shirt with a red bolo tie, a baggy blue padded blazer with gold buttons, a pair of cream and orange plaid pants that are cuffed at the ankles, and a pair of dark gray socks with blue derby shoes.

When he isn't at school, he dresses more casually. He wears a white t-shirt with Japanese writing on it, an oversized light green buttoned sweater jacket, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of white socks with black slippers.

Name Meaning

Elliot - a gender-neutral name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord is my God."

Shimizu (清 水) - 清 meaning "pure, clear, clean."/ 水 "water, fluid, liquid."

Aliases

Weirdo/Freak/Nerd - Bullies

"The Animal Whisperer"

Eli - His father

"Experiment #1006"

Biographical Info

Gender - Male

Age - 16

Birthday - August 8

Ethnicity - Half Canadian, Half Japanese

Hair Color - Grayish Black (Dyed)

Eye Color - Dark Blue (Becomes blood-red when he is stressed)

Height - 163 cm/5'4"

Weight - 58 kg/127 lb.

Star Sign - Leo

Piercings - N/A

Markings - Multiple faded injection points on his neck and arms. Plus a scar on his stomach that looks similar to a bullet wound.

Family

Father (???)

Mother (???)

Adopted Younger Brother

Adopted Older Sister

Voiced By - Junta Terashima (Singing)

Fun Facts

MC Name - MC Nanashi

Occupation - High School Student/Part-Time Veterinarian

Division - Setagaya

Position - Second Member

Favorite Food - Pancakes with Maple Syrup

Least Favorite Food - Tofu

Likes - Animals, reading novels, gardens, fruit, cooking, meadows, camping, tree tops, science, video game, his family, paintings, the night sky, coffee

Dislikes - Bullies, people who hurt/abuse animals, poachers, guns, being bound, Chuohku, not knowing anything, headaches, his cowardly personality, speaking in front of crowds, being stressed

Hypnosis Microphone

Elliot's Microphone takes the form of a delicate tree branch, with small leaves and blossoms that light up when he raps. The microphone's mesh has an intricate leaf pattern.

His Speaker takes the form of a tree with a dynamic display that shows silhouettes of various animals appearing to sing along as he performs.

His ability, Weight of the World, makes one of his opponents feel nothing but negative emotions, putting an unbearable strain on their bodies and spirits, which weakens their attacks. Elliot can keep this ability active, but the longer he does, the more stamina he uses up.

Elliot's rap themes are typically centered around the world, in general. He often sings about his love for animals, his love for his friends and family, and how he wants to gradually grow to be someone he can be proud of.

Personality

You know that one kid that is usually so quiet that you wind up even forgetting that they're around or that they even exist? Like, they're not invisible, you can still see them. But they're just so... ordinary that they just fade into the background, and you wind up forgetting about them until they make their presence known or until you need them for one reason or another? If so, then that person was more than likely Elliot.

Passive and introverted, Elliot doesn't go out of his way to make himself noticed or heard. He is very shy and meek, and always shies away from social interaction, due to being afraid of talking to people. His personality and behavior makes him a prime target for bullying from his peers. His withdrawn personality also makes it easy for others to take advantage of him because they know he will never say 'no'. He truly hates this part of himself and constantly wishes he could change that.

Despite this, he is a very kind and gentlehearted person who would sooner hurt himself than another living being. A firm lover of all living creatures, he absolutely adores and cherishes animals, finding them to be much pleasant company than most humans. It's uncommon to see him having a full-blown conversation with an animal, be it anything from a bug, to a cat or a dog, to a bird, to even a snake. Many people don't believe him when he says he can speak to animals or understand how they are feeling, but he doesn't really mind or care.

Despite his gentle personality, that is not to say Elliot doesn't get stressed or upset. When he gets too overwhelmed or angry, his eyes change color from a calm blue to a rather scary shade of red. He then unleashes all his pent-up emotions and completely changes his demeanor, becoming irate and taking his anger out on his opponents or whoever is wronging him. Though this side of him is rare, the one way to bring it out of him is to harm a living creature. He happened to witness some older boys torturing a stray cat once, and all he could see was red. When he awoke from his daze, the boys were staring at him fearfully as he had the cat in his arms. He then walked away as if nothing had happened.

Much like his teammates, there is much Elliot does not know about himself, as a large part of his memory is missing. He has pictures of people in his head, but for the life of him, he cannot remember who they are, which saddens and frustrates him. From what Mina tells him, he was in a daze until she found him and snapped him out of it. It's for this reason he is grateful to her and works with her and Yorii to find out more about themselves.

Background

*Coming soon*

Trivia

Though he doesn't mind some of his teachers, he secretly hates some of them because they tried to stop him from associating with Mina, believing that she would take advantage of him. He finds this ironic since none of them do anything to stop him from being bullied and made fun of by his peers on a daily basis.

He owns two animals. One is a white cat which he named Yuki, due to its white fur. The other is an Asian palm civet named Goemon which he uses to make kopi luwak and drinks as his morning coffee every morning.

His love for animals is the reason why he is a vegetarian. Though he does drink milk and eat eggs, he refuses to eat any sort of meat or poultry.

He has a crush on a young bluenette woman. It's because of her that he is studying artwork, in hopes that he can someday work up the nerve to talk to her about it.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

The Critique of Manners Part VI

~Or~

An Attempt at an Objective Review of Emma (2009)... VOLUME TWO

Haha, bitches you didn't think I could wait a whole week did you? Nah, not me. and guys, I added to it--all total, it's 9,023 words now. this half of the review is 5,214. HOW DO I HAVE SO MANY WORDS FOR THIS THING? I'm not gonna split it into a third part, because I don't need to for picture limit purposes, but buckle in.

If you didn't catch it, read part 1 here

Here it is, the stunning conclusion to my Emma Adaptation Review series (but this isn't really the end because I plan on doing some rankings later). In this half of my review of BBC'S Emma (2009) we'll discuss Costumes and all the very specific things that I love about this version, and some things I don't like, and some things I'm here to defend.

Let's dive in!

Costumes

Generally I liked these costumes pretty well. They were designed and facilitated by Rosalind Ebbutt, also known for her work on PBS’s Victoria and Vanity Fair (1998). And her work is, as her filmography would suggest, by turns, great and so-so.

These costumes are definitely in line with the adaptation’s general aesthetic: warm pinks and golds, with mints emeralds and blues to cool it off a little, are the order of the day. I really appreciate that every character has a definite color palette. The tradeoff is that this adaptation is the WORST EVER offender for the Jane Fairfax Blue™ trope.

Daywear

Emma’s daywear is full of warm and muted colors. Salmon and magenta are commonly seen. I love that most of Emma’s daywear consists of sleeveless or short-sleeved gowns with wide-sleeved linen blouses underneath. It’s not a commonly seen aesthetic so it feels light and fresh. My favorite of Emma’s daywear dresses is the pale yellow with purple floral print.

There’s one other in particular that I love.

Emma’s blue, sleeveless dress. I love this because of HOW OBVIOUSLY it’s a reference to this portrait of Charlotte, Princess of Wales. I mean...

I’M NOT IMAGINING THIS, RIGHT? WHY DOES NO ONE TALK ABOUT THIS? This is a REAL dress. They still have this exact gown of Princess Charlotte’s. It’s on display. It’s faded, but it’s the same dress.

Harriet has a fresh and innocent green, white and purple color scheme with healthy doses of peach and pink showing. I particularly like her white and purple floral print dress.

Mrs. Weston’s color palette varies, but leans heavily on tans and purples, which is very flattering, I must say, to Johdi May’s coloring and is really refreshing for Mrs. Weston who seems to get stuck in pinks and yellows a lot. No idea what’s going on with the laced-front dress though? This doesn’t quite read as authentic to me, but I do like that her first dress seems to be an apron-front.

I know I already said that this is the worst Jane Fairfax Blue™ offender, but guys I can’t stress it enough. WE ARE 5/5 ON DAYWEAR HERE. LOOK AT THAT. (Also of note, Jane 5 is one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s dresses from the '96 Emma.)

Mrs. Elton seems, at all times, to be wearing some form of pink, but I think I’m right in saying that the white day dress with the rose patterned bodice under the yellow and pink spencer is one of Jane’s dresses from P&P ’80. Can anyone confirm that? They did sneak in some Mrs. Elton Orange™ though, for Box Hill, and it’s worth noting that Mrs. Elton is the only lady who’s appropriately dressed on that occasion.

Isabella gets some understated day gowns that are very nice and also VERY “Jane Austen” in the sense that I feel like Jane Austen herself might have worn them.

Miss Bates, unfortunately is slapped with brown at just about every turn, but at least her “Nice” day outfit has some subtle leaf patterns, which is refreshing. Also Mrs. Goddard has a slappin’ cap. Love that.

Also, Harriet’s Grecian costume for the painting (upper right hand corner). What can I say, but that I love it. I love that it hints at the neoclassical influences on Regency fashion too. This is my favorite interpretation of the painting too.

Evening Wear

You know what I love about this version? It’s the first version of Emma where her gown for the Crown in Ball isn’t WHITE. I know, I know white was fashionable, but it’s just… it’s nice for not EVERY gown in a ball scene to be plain white friggin muslin and also, it’s not one she’s ever worn before, which is great.

Harriet does have only white evening gowns but that’s okay. My only complaint is that, specifically on her Crown Inn dress and in a lot of her costumes in general, the waistline seems just a little low. Hmm. I really like the pale blue pattern on her first evening dress though.

Mrs. Weston though. Woo. Look at those. She has a dark chartreuse gown with black lace trim that any other version would have put on Mrs. Elton, so you know from the dark tones that she’s a bitch. Not so with Emma '09, and that’s good. And her teal dinner number is a favorite of mine. I never paid much attention to her green and gold ball gown but it has some really beautiful, subtle leaf or maybe peacock feather patterns on it and I love that. My only problem is that there seem to be some fit issues. She’s got muffin top way too often. Her orange evening dress is a bit of a dud though, firstly, because it has long sleeves (which is an evening gown no-no) and the fabric slaps a bit too much of sari fabric for my tastes.

Jane, not only is put in blue with both of her evening gowns (although one is so pale it borders on white), ONE of them is another Emma ’96 repeat and not only that, it’s one of Jane Fairfax’s dresses in that film! Perhaps that’s enough to make it an homage, and I have to say, I think Laura Pyper wore it better.

Miss Bates only has one evening wear ensemble, but at least it’s cream and not brown.

Mrs. Elton’s gowns are surprisingly understated, and yet still seem to be annoyingly fussy and, what’s better? They’re not sickly green. One of them is actually a very pleasant mint.

Outerwear

Outerwear is roundly pretty great here. Emma’s primary choice of color for spencers is emerald/evergreen and one of them is Elizabeth’s Bennet’s from the 1995 P&P (though to be honest, I think Jennifer Ehle filled it out better.) I do love Mrs. Elton’s pink and yellow number with the slashed sleeves. Jane Fairfax’s only spencer is, you guessed it, blue, but her friend Miss Campbell has a rather fun mauve one.

There’s no shortage of pelisses and redingotes either. Harriet can be seen in one borrowed from Elinor Dashwood in the '08 S&S, Mrs. Weston has a rather fabulous purple one which she wears with the most delicious looking hat I’ve ever seen.

Emma has two. The first one is a great magenta number with military braiding (and I think she wears with it one of the brown slouch hats that Kate Beckinsale wore in the same role) and while the other pelisse is brown, they had the sense not to make her wear a hat with it that was also brown. Instead, they gave her a contrasting color. Good on ya, Rosalind!

Speaking of hats, I don't often single them out for commentary, but I want to here because… the hat authenticity is… kinda spotty. Let me show you.

Okay first of all, Emma may be a teenager in this pic on the upper left, but she is not dressed formally enough for her sister’s wedding (which is what’s going on in this scene) but at least her hat is pretty good. You can see the ribbons are on the inside of the hat here, which is as it should be… but she never wears this hat again. At any point in the series. Instead, we next see her in the one on the upper right and ye gads this is atrocious. WHY IS HER HAT NOT PINNED ON? IT’S SLIDING DOWN THE BACK OF HER HEAD. SOMONE FIX IT. PLEASE. But wait, there’s more. This kills me because these bottom two are so similar to the one she wore earlier (the correct one) but crappier looking. Jeez.

This is not a hat. It’s a peanut. You know who doesn’t have this problem? Harriet. She only has one sun hat but at least it’s correct.

I also wanna touch briefly on this ^ costume continuity issue.

WTF is this? She’s in the hall, her ribbon is contoured to the line of her dress; she goes into the drawing room and… it isn’t anymore? Wha happun?

I took more menswear screencaps for this version than any other version. And that’s because the men just have more outfits that are, y’know, different from each other.

Mr. Knightley is as understated as ever, but I wanna highlight the first pic there and why I love it. This is Knightley’s first appearance in the series and it’s the perfect establishing shot that shows the viewer everything they need to know about Emma and Knightley’s relationship and how it has always been. He sort of materializes, out of focus in the background, but Emma immediately knows he’s there. And to accentuate how much Knightley is part of her home and scenery, his clothes (similar shades of pale tan, white and minty green to the wall behind him) almost camouflage him and make him seem at one with the moulding.

He also has a rather lovely blue evening waistcoat that I WISH I could have gotten better shot of (although I do believe it’s also worn by Henry Crawford in the '07 Mansfield Park, so for further reading…)

Mr. Weston finally gets to wear clothes that aren’t all brown! He only has ONE brown outfit. He gets PATTERNED waistcoats, one of them a rather spiffing blue and brown striped number. And he wears TROUSERS! Because he’s a gentleman, and he’s not that old and trousers are worn by fashionable gentlemen in this period!

You know who else gets to wear trousers and at least one fun waistcoat? Mr. Woodhouse. Check out that lovely Sunday Best™ waistcoat. The red striped one. That’s delightful.

John Knightley’s evening wear intrigues me. That’s a double-breasted jacket, and you know I’m not totally sure that’s very authentic for evening-wear of this period, but it is different. Unfortunately he also has a flared top hat and that is definitely not on for this period.

One of my favorite things about this version is that they don’t dress Mr. Elton as a clergyman all the time. Yes, he may be the vicar, but he’s also allowed to dress like a fashionable, handsome young man. So I’m really happy that he gets to flex his fashion muscles here.

And speaking of fashionable young men, FINALLY frank gets to be COLORFUL and his trousers are even tight enough. Both he AND Elton are often seen wearing TWO waistcoats, as I would expect them to, and even though Frank’s a dandy, he knows that flashiness is gauche so his pops of color are bright, but not in your face. His green and red waistcoats are always worn under more muted colors, and I just love it.

The only problems are… what’s with the turned-down waistcoat collars? There’s no precedent for this, in fact I think it’s directly contradictory to the style at the time, and also it makes the cravats look a bit unruly.

A Critique of Manners

A lot has been said about the manners in this adaption. Like, the actual manners, body language and facial expressions, specifically vis-à-vis Romola Garai.

And, oh yeah, there’s a lot to pick at here, but first I’d like to talk about the facial expressions.

I'm mostly gonna be talking out of my ass here, but this is my take, so if anyone can make a better argument against my points, I am listening, because I don't really like talking out of my ass and I like to be informed. That said...

I tend to be lenient on the… exaggerated facial expressions because, something I’ve noticed reading Austen’s works through the last several months is that Austen is very descriptive when it comes to facial expressions and I just find it hard to believe that people in the Regency Era never made exaggerated expressions like this.

I’ve heard a lot about how Garai’s Emma is not dignified or lady-like. But let’s think about the context of Emma Woodhouse – she’s never been in society. She’s only had a governess to teach her, and we know Emma’s always been sort of averse to being told what she can and can’t do. Emma is the highest ranking woman in her social circle (barring Isabella’s occasional presence). Emma doesn’t have to be ladylike. At 21, she’s already her local Lady Catherine. She puts a lot of stock in her position in society but, as Mrs. Elton will be the first to hypocritically point out, she’s very poorly behaved. I'd be very curious to see what would happen if Emma went to London for the season. Probably, she'd be seen, comparatively, as a country bumpkin. Can you imagine how she might get on in a sea of accomplished young ladies? She can barely handle having ONE rival with any kind of grace.

Austen never describes bodily movements of the kind we’re looking at when we watch adaptations, so why not have Emma’s body-language be un-ladylike in the conventional sense of the time? I’m not saying this to excuse the absolutely inexcusable (Frank’s head in her lap, kneeling on the sofa backwards etc.), but while Emma’s mannerisms aren’t exactly ladylike for her time, they’re not overtly masculine either (which was one of my biggest problem with Death Comes to Pemberly for example.)

Yes, there’s an ideal for manners. But we know real people didn’t always follow those ideals. In dancing for example, many dancing guidebooks of the day were full of repeated instructions not to be too loud or rambunctious when dancing. What this tells us is that people were doing just that, and probably quite a bit, too. I think that, while taking societal strictures into account, we shouldn’t totally discount the idea that people in the Regency weren’t really that different from us, and young people especially.

Now I’ve already mentioned some of the inexcusable aspects of interaction in this adaptation and they’re so notorious at this point, I don’t think that I really need to go over them much here. Although I will say: is it ridiculous to have Frank Churchill put his head in Emma’s lap? Yes. Did it make me more viscerally uncomfortable with the situation on Box Hill than any other version? Yes.

I was like, 14 when I watched this the first time. This was an effective way to telegraph to young people like me that Emma is being extremely inappropriate here in a way that no other version really managed to, even when I watched them when I was older and understood the period more. I’m far more acquainted with Regency manners than I was then, but to be honest – if they had been accurate with the manners here, when I was 14 I would not have understood what the big deal was. Is there merit in circumventing historical accuracy in favor of reaching a less-informed but still-interested audience? Yes, I think so. There were three other versions of this, at that point, that did this scene with more or less pristine manners. Not every version has to follow the manners of the time to-the-letter to be good. That’s my feeling on the matter.

There are things that do really bother me though. Like the idea that Harriet Smith doesn’t know how to spoon soup, for instance. As I said in my review for the Miramax version, table manners are pretty basic, there’s no reason Mrs. Goddard wouldn’t have taught Harriet this. It does provide a good moment to show Emma tacitly coaching Harriet and showing the trajectory in which this relationship will go, but personally I don’t think it was necessary—there are plenty of other ways that could be done.

Also: kids at the dinner table? I know this is part of building the familial atmosphere but it really does annoy me, because apart from building the familial atmosphere (which they do very well and frequently in other ways) it really didn’t need to happen, and it doesn’t add anything.

The Heart of Highbury

So, as I’ve hinted at throughout this review, the bread and butter of this adaptation of Emma is emotion. This version goes hard and heavy on showingthe relationships – Emma’s relationships with Mrs. Weston, Mr. Knightley, her father, her sister, her brother-in-law, Miss Bates; Jane’s relationship with Frank; Frank’s relationship with his father; The John Knightleys’ home life – and it illustrates things that can be surmised from just reading the story, but really draws your attention to them in ways that other adaptations just don’t.

It does this from the very beginning with the prologue which explains in detail (not just in quick exposition between characters) how Jane and Frank were separated from their families at young ages. We know now, from psychological study, that being taken away from their primary caretakers during their formative years is one of the most psychologically traumatizing things for a child. This is deeply important context which is explained in detail by the narrator in 2-3 large pages (in my Barnes & Noble anthology) in the book.

In the featurette on the houses, they talk particularly about Hartfield and the Woodhouses being the heart of Highbury and how they particularly wanted it to feel homey because Hartfield is Emma’s house and they wanted the audience to feel why everyone is so drawn to it, and to Emma; to me that is what they did with the whole adaptation in microcosm.

I usually talk a bit about the dancing and I'm going to here as well because this is maybe the most special dance scene in any Austen for me. Of course I'm going to link to Tea with Cassiane as usual because she knows what she's talking about and I don't. But I wanna add some comments. She gives this a pretty low rating in spite of a generally favorable commentary because of two big oopsies, the circle dance formation is one, and the other is I believe, an issue with the style of dance not matching the tune in Emma's dance with Knightley. Throwing out any objective technical analysis though, this is my favorite Ball in any Austen and it all comes down to the cornerstone of this adaptation--emotion.

All of the songs and dances were original compositions and choreography made for this adaptation. So they're not period per se, but the tunes at least are representative of how Regency dance music should sound. These dances are upbeat, and lively and, damn they look like fun. Everyone is excited here and it makes me understand why dancing was such a big thing. Best of all that excitement adds to the emotional charge of the scene. "The Ship's Cook" is the most fast paced dance and I'm glad they made this the dance where Elton snubs Harriet because it really hits for me just what Harriet would be missing out on if Knightley wasn't so fucking aptly named. In all other versions you get the insult, but the dance that's taking place is usually a Baroque walker so it doesn't seem terribly like she's missing out on much. Here, this is like not getting picked for kickball-- not only is it a slight that no one wants you on their team, but you miss out on even playing the game. Harriet looks so lonely, and her feeling of being out of place rolls off of Louise Dylan so forcefully it chokes me up just thinking about it because I've been there, man. I feel this shit. *dabs eyes*. Ahem. So, yes, when Knightley engages her for the dance the excitement the viewer feels is that much more forceful and Harriet's exuberantly starting to jump in when the timing is off and Knightley gently pulling her back, it just hits me in the feels center, guys. (I wanna take a moment to give a shout out to every camp counselor who ever partnered with me for any game at summer camp.) Emma's reaction too, is gold. Her genuine relief at Knightley swooping in is one of those great reminders that Emma is Harriet's friend, and she does care about her.

Finally on the dancing front, I wanna talk about Emma's dance with Knightley and why I prefer it to the one in the 2020 version. I already talked about this a bit in the 2020 review, so I'm gonna try and keep it brief. That shouldn't be too hard, because I'm probably mostly going to repeat a lot of what I've already said about Emma and Knightley in this version as a whole.

The big thing everyone loves about the Crown Inn dance in the 2020 is the yearning, the sexual tension, the quivering touches etc. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE all of those things but... not all the time. Not in everything, and definitely not in Emma. Because Emma, to me, isn't about repressed sexuality or heated tension or seething passion. Emma and Knightley are the opposite of that, to me, really. One of my mutuals put it best, I think: "Emma and Knightley are more suited to stolen glances than hot touches."

In Part 1 I talked about how Knightley is Emma's comfort object. When Emma is out of sorts, Knightley re-centers her. It helps set up, and puts emphasis on, the crisis of the story in the last act--Emma not knowing what she has until [she thinks] she's lost it. Emma and Knightley are Friends to Lovers done as it should be. She is already so comfortable with him she doesn't even realize her own feelings. She just feels right with Knightley and that's what this dance is here to show you--a foreshadowing of matrimonial harmony.

The dance itself, of course, is always up to interpretation, because Austen never describes how it goes, just that Knightley asks Emma to dance and Knightley doesn't dance (barring charitable causes). If you prefer the sexual tension take, if that, to you is an improvement on Austen's story and gives you what you've always felt was missing, I'm glad that there is a version now that gives you what you've been looking for, but for me, I think the 09 approach hits closer their dynamic in the book.

Now do I do think the Emphasis on emotion maybe went a little too earnest in some places in this adaptation? Maybe. Just a little.

In my last review (1972) I went on a rather lengthy tirade about the scene where they turn Emma’s appeals to Harriet to exert herself and move on following Mr. Elton’s marriage into Emma guilting Harriet into thinking she’s a bad friend for being heartbroken and then throwing her into the situation most likely to rub salt in that particular wound.

In this version, while I love the emphasis they put on the stress Emma puts on her own guilt for being the reason for Harriet’s situation in the first place, I think it’s maybe a little too… much.

That’s the only way I can put it. I know I’ve just said that I think there should be a bit more expressiveness in period drama, but this doesn’t quite match the way I read it (Emma’s a bit less desperate in Austen’s prose. Very dedicated to helping Harriet feel better, but just a skosh more composed). I think she’s even crying in this scene.

While we’re here let’s go over to Box Hill ONE. MORE. TIME.

First of all, this is where this screenplay shines, in my opinion. This is the big turning point in the story and as such, should be a touchstone for the judgment of any adaptation. This sequence in the 2009 version is a perfect crystallization of everything I love about this version—namely that this is the version that, to me, most feels like someone read the book thoroughly, paid attention to what Austen was describing and then actually tried to convey it on screen. A lot of other versions sort of feel (to me), like the director glanced at the page and said “here’s what I want to convey in my version”. Insofar as making a piece of art goes, that’s good. Directors are artists as much as painters are and movies are their canvass, but it’s seldom that you find a director who honestly wants to hit as close to the author intent as possible and this Box Hill sequence makes me feel like that’s what Jim O’Hanlon was going for. I have the book open next to me as I write this and it’s shocking to me how minutely the atmosphere described in the book is conveyed here. Most of all, the fact that Emma’s insulting Miss Bates is not the only thing faux pas she makes here. Box Hill as a whole is a disaster, and it’s largely because of Frank.

“When they all sat down it was better; to [Emma’s] taste, a great deal better, for Frank Churchill grew talkative and gay, making her his first object. To amuse her, and to be agreeable in her eyes, seemed to be all that he cared for—and Emma, glad to be enlivened, and not sorry to be flattered, was gay and easy too, and gave him all the friendly encouragement, the admission to be gallant, which she had ever given in the first and most animating period of their acquaintance; but which now, in her own estimation, meant nothing, though in the judgment of most people looking on it must have had such an appearance as no English word but flirtation could very well describe. “Mr. Frank Churchill and Miss Woodhouse flirted excessively.” They were laying themselves open to that very phrase—and to having it sent off in a letter to Maple Grove by one lady, to Ireland by another. Not that Emma was gay and thoughtless from any real felicity; it was rather because she felt less happy than she expected. She laughed because she was disappointed…” --Emma, Chapter 43

Most other versions rush through Frank’s “excessive” flirting with Emma (Right in front of Jane) to get to “Three Things Very Dull Indeed” as fast as possible, and yes that’s the crowning horror of Box Hill, but there’s a very intricate setting here, too, and this version has the time to lay back and let it all unfold in the oppressive discomfort of an English summer day.

Even better than all of that though is Knightley confronting Emma after it all goes down. This treatment is neither plaintive, nor aggressive as it was in ‘96 and ‘97 respectively. I’ve already extolled the virtues of Johnny Flynn’s Box Hill rebuke, but for a change I’m not going to zero in on Miller’s performance which is, at least as good as Flynn’s, but on Romola Garai’s, which I find superior to Anya Taylor Joy’s. Specifically, her reaction once she’s alone.

ATJ in the 2020 version immediately breaks down sobbing and it’s hard for me to feel that she’s sobbing for “anger against herself, mortification, and deep concern” or that there’s much self-reflection going on there. To me it rather just feels like she’s crying because she got shouted at. The theatrics of it, to me, feel childish and self-centered.

I don’t feel that with Garai’s performance.

“She was vexed beyond what could have been expressed—almost beyond what she could conceal. Never had she felt so agitated, mortified, grieved, at any circumstance in her life. She was most forcibly struck . . . How could she have exposed herself to such ill opinion in anyone she valued! And how to suffer him to leave her without saying one word of gratitude, of concurrence, of common kindness!

Time did not compose her…” --Emma, Chapter 43

Of course one can make the case that Emma's reaction should be a bit childish because Emma is an immature character, but that's the thing--I can agree with you anywhere else in this story but this is Emma's maturing moment. This is her turning point as a character. It's where we should see her reactions shift from the same childish denial we're used to seeing when Knightley scolds her, because this is different. It's not the usual brushing off of big brother Knightley, this is a young woman reacting to an esteemed friend pointing out how abhorrently inappropriate she's been and her having to admit that to herself.

I didn't really want to drag comparisons to the 2020 film into this, not on this scale at least, but this just jumped out at me the last time I watched the new film and I have to express it somewhere.

What I see in Garai’s performance is desolation and mortification. That shocked tearfulness of knowing you’ve been justly reproached for wrongdoing, but being too frozen in a pretense of composure to actually cry about it until you’re quite sure that no one will see you. And especially when it’s someone you esteem rebuking you, the horror of them leaving before you can admit that they’re right. There’s so much more depth here, I think, and I can’t even quite express what it makes me feel.

The aspect of time not composing her is another thing that they decided to put stress on in this version. Emma looks fucked up in the following scenes. When she goes to see Miss Bates, she clearly either hasn’t slept or has slept very badly. I feel like this is maybe an anticlimactic conclusion to this section but I’m afraid I’m very close to reaching incoherence, so I’m just gonna leave it here.

My absolute favoritest thing about this version though—something that sets it apart from ALL other versions and even adaptations of other Austen stories—is the inclusion of the post-confession conversation.

This is something of a trope in Austen books but it very rarely finds its way into adaptations: confessions of love are out of the way, the hero and heroine settle into an easy an comfortable conversation, glowing with happiness as they explain and laugh over their actions and misinterpretations of each other’s choices. It happens in Pride and Prejudice, in Persuasion, and yes, in Emma. This is the only Austen adaptation, that I've seen, to include this kind of conversation in any kind of detail. The 1995 Pride and Prejudice alludes to the corresponding scene in it its source material, but the lines pulled from it get tossed into the confession scene itself and then it flies through to get to the obligatory wedding—a side effect of rushing through endings, a convention I’m rather tired of.

Emma (2009) takes its time with this, as with all other aspects of this adaptation. For a version that’s so full of energy, its pacing is extremely laid back and comfortable, without dragging. When you hear the gentle musical swell and Emma and Knightley have their kiss (this whole confession sequence is so sweet and wonderful in its own right), you expect that to be it. But no, we cut to them, the picture of contented happiness, sitting together on a bench overlooking Hartfield’s garden, just talking and enjoying being together, with no teasing, no pretense. If Jane Austen stories emphasize anything, it’s the importance of communication in relationships, and I think that’s maybe why she made it a point in almost every story to show her characters communicating their feelings in words, even after all the conflict has been resolved. This is my favorite scene in the whole series (In case it being my header image didn’t make that obvious.)

This is followed rather promptly by a cut to the next day, with Emma bursting in to Donwell in hysterics about how they can’t be married because she won’t leave her father alone.

This is one of those maybe over-the-top choices that a lot of people don’t like, but guys, it was so funny to me when I was fourteen and it still makes me laugh. It might seem outlandish, but to me it’s just the emphasis on personal relationships and emotion coming through again and it always makes me smile.

Final Thoughts

It’s hard for me to give a proper round up of my feelings for this section because I think I’ve poured just about all of my feelings on each aspect into its dedicated sections.

At the end of the day, the only thing that really disappoints me about this version is the number of missed opportunities there are here. One of my favorite parts of reading Austen is when I run across a line in dialogue or narrative that just… slaps. But they never make it into the adaptations. Emma is full of them and I just wish that Sandy Welch could have taken an opportunity to slip a few of them in.

In summary, I think this is a wonderful, heartfelt adaptation aimed at getting to the emotional heart of a story that often gets caught up in the Mean Girl-ness of its main character than the coming of age story that it is. It's one of my favorite period dramas because it's one of the few that really captures the spirit of the source material as it's always felt to me. There's really only two other period dramas that I esteem on the same level as this, and they're North & South (2004) and Jane Eyre (2011) and it's for the same reasons; because they impact me deeply on an emotional level--which is what art is supposed to do--because of how well it captures the essence of the story that I know and love.

So did I succeed in a more objective review of Emma 2009? I' feel like probably not. But I tried my best. It’s so hard to be objective about something that makes you as happy as this adaptation makes me.

Ribbon Rating: Most Agreeable (83 Ribbons)

Tone: 10

Casting: 9

Acting: 9

Scripting: 7

Pacing: 10

Cinematography: 7

Setting: 9

Costumes: 6

Music: 8

Book Accuracy: 8

[insomniac-jay]

Redesigning The Trigger Happy Havoc Boys

So this lovely post you should look at got a lot of positive feedback, I decided to to make the one for the boys since some of them have the most atrocious designs ever (Looking at you, Hifumi).

Makoto Naegi

Listen, I know Naegi is meant to be generic and boring but for the love of GAWD, please at least give him a good outfit. For starters, I made his hair curly because I headcanon him to be Asian and Hispanic mixed. Also he’s fat and he has freckles.

As for his outfit, I decided to give him a black long sleeve shirt, a dark green t-shirt with a four leaf clover on it, a black hoodie with some graphic designs because his canon one is cursed and ugly, ripped jeans, and red sneakers. He wears a chain on his pants with lucky charms on it.

Byakuya Togami

For someone with so much money, Togami has very poor taste in fashion and haircuts. Someone get this man a stylist. First of all let’s get rid of his Karen haircut and traded it for slicked back hair. Next I gave him wider glasses. When it comes to his outfit, I decided to dress him a designer suit. He wears a white jacket with cuffs and gold lining, a dark green shirt, white pants, and designer shoes. I gave him gloves bc he doesn’t like to touch plebians (except for his bfs) and gave him more bling bc he likes to flex. I want him to be the obnoxious rich kid.

Leon Kuwata

Listen I know his whole thing is like whether or not he wants to do baseball or rock music, so I gave him a mix of both (or at least tried). The roots of his hair are black but then turn to ginger because of his mixed heritage and made his hair longer. I also gave him more piercings because I want him to look like a true punk.

I gave him a black Letterman jacket with all sorts of pins on it such as a trans flag, a bisexual flag, BLM and Eat The Rich on one of the sleeves, and an anarchy symbol. His baseball uniform is the one from the splash art because it’ll be easier on my life. I got rid of his ugly ass shoes because they’re a crime against humanity and a cardinal sin. They are replaced with some good ol’ punk boots.

Yasuhiro Hagakure

Hiro’s canon outfit is so ugly Kodaka ffs give your characters good designs. They looks like a hobo outside a 7/11 that might scam me.

First of all I gave them glasses rights because I believe in glasses Hiro supremacy. Next I gave them vitiligo and tattoos because I also believe in that. For their outfit, they wears a black shirt but it’s hella unbuttoned bc they lack in self preservation, dark purple jacket with star signs on it, black pants, and sandals. Also, I gave him the dreads from their beta design bc pls,,, give them good hair. They also wear a headwrap. 

Mondo Oowada

You can tell I’m gonna have way too much fun with this one and that I’m gonna play favorites. I gave them tattoos and a missing tooth bc I can. He also has scars on his body bc y’know he gets into fights. One of the sleeves of their jacket is missing because I refuse to believe that wouldn’t happen, he doesn’t wear a shirt and instead wears a haramaki, and black pants. I replaced his loafers with boots bc to quote my mutual on Discord, “When you gotta lead the gang at 6 but go to church at 7″. I also have him a headband bc that’s the style.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

Another redesign that you all can tell I’m both playing favorites and having too much fun with. I gave Kiyotaka fangs so him and his bf could match. Next I gave him round nerd glasses bc he hits different with those on. For his outfit, I decided to keep his canon outfit but make it even better. I gave him more medals and a tie as well as gloves and a belt. He also gets a sash with all sorts of pins on it.

Hifumi Yamada

Hifumi ily and kin you but Kodaka did you so dirty. First, I fixed them fucking leg proportions bc they are my villain origin story. Next I made pheir hair soft and curly. For pheir outfit, I gave phem a dark grey cardigan, orange suspenders with anime pins on them and a few pride flags on them, khakis, and some sneakers. I also gave phem an ita bag.

That’s all. Might do Goodbye Despair next, who knows.

Reblogs > Likes

Please respect the pronouns I use for certain characters.

[thiswasinevitableid]

Prompt #15 Danbrey if you're feeling up to it! (NSFW or SFW! Your choice!) Hope you're having a nice day :)

Thank you! I went with SFW

Prompt 15: Nymph

Normally, Aubrey would obey the “no fires” warning sign at the edge of the woods. Both because she’s all about respecting nature and also she doesn’t want another safety lecture from Duck. Her roommate needs to study in their dorm, and she really, really needs to practice this set of tricks for her show in a few weeks. 

The card and sleight of hand tricks go well, but when she segues into her fire illusions it all goes wrong. All her flash paper gets tangled in a vine that swears wasn’t there a minute ago and any time she generates so much as a spark a bunch of leaves fly into her face.

“Ugh, come on, work with me here.”

“No.”

She spins around and discovers a tree is talking to her.

“Please work with me here?”

Golden eyes appear in the trunk, “No. You’re using fire. In the woods. The very flammable woods. So, sorry, but as long as I’m around you don’t get to run around throwing sparks.” The voice moves closer and Aubrey understands her eyes were playing tricks on her; it’s a young woman about her age who, up until a moment ago, was camouflage against the tree trunk. Her hair fades from speckled brown to blonde, and her skin is broken up in markings of different colors. Aubrey vaguely remembers Duck telling her that was how some predators avoid being seen in the forest, and wonders if she should be worried rather than noticing how her audience of one looks cute even with her arms crossed in annoyance. 

“I’m sorry, I just really need to practice for my magic show because if I bomb it’s gonna suck and no one will ever book me again. So like, what if I promise to keep the sparks small?”

The woman shakes her head. Before Aubrey can react, branches reach down and pick up all her supplies, dangling them out of reach. 

“Hey!”

“I’m not giving them back unless you say you’ll stop with the fire.”

“It’s flash paper, it barely produces any sparks at all!” She jumps, misses her deck of cards, jumps again and promptly collides with her tormentor, sending them both to the ground.

“Oops.” She tries on her best smile as the woman blinks up at her. Pink flowers bloom up her arms, which is just so fucking cool.

“Are you, like, a wood nymph or something?”

“I’m a dryad, but I think humans just call anyone who lives in the trees nymphs, so that works too.”

“That’s amazing. I wish I could do real magic. Maybe not plant magic because of my whole persona, but any kind would be super rad. Oh!” she sits up, allowing the nymph to do the same, “I know, what if you stayed and watched me practice? That way if the sparks land somewhere they shouldn’t, you can just smoosh them out like you have been. Or we could take turns doing tricks? Not that, like, your magic is like a parlor trick, but more like we could each take turns showing off? What do you think?”

“I think…” the nymph toys with a strand of hair, which shimmers to light green as she walks past a new stand of shrubs, “I think I’m not doing a great job chasing you off. But I also don’t think I want to?” She gives Aubrey a shy smile, “will you do that trick with the rings again?”

Aubrey does a mental fist-pump as her supplies are once again within reach, “You got it.”

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

“Dani, look!” Aubrey holds the pet carrier up to the tree, “I brought my assistant to meet you.”

“Wrong tree, Aubrey.” The nymph appears to her right.

“Dang. I thought I was getting better at spotting you.”

“You’ve done it on the first try twice this week, which is better than basically any other human has ever done.” They sit on the grass, which thanks to Dani’s intervention no longer irritates Aubrey’s skin or has unwanted bugs in it. She reaches into the carrier, rubbing the white rabbit’s nose “this is Dr. Harris Bonkers, right?”

“Yep! Thank you for using his full name; he worked hard for the diploma.” 

Dani laughs in a way that suggests she understands this is a joke but not what the joke is. 

“Do you want to let him out? He could nibble grass while we talk.”

“Um, I mean, he’d love that. Right up until something ate him.”

“Here, I have an idea.” Dani twirls a finger, sending up walls and ceilings out of woven branches until she, Aubrey, and the rabbit are in a beautiful gazebo of greenery.

“Wow.” Aubrey whispers as Dr. Harris Bonkers leaves his carrier to happily munch the grass and clover. 

Dani scoots closer, “Hey, Aubrey, what’s your favorite flower?”

“I like, um, I think they’re called Penstemons? I also really like cherry blossoms but they’re not in-” The entire roof of the gazebo explodes in pink petals, “season.”

Dani winks, sending the walls into bloom with bright red and deep orange flowers, “they are now.”

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

“Can I open my eyes yet?” The nymph sits on a tree-stump, fingernails still painted deep green from two nights ago. She and Aubrey spent until about two in the morning in the nymphs’ house, since she wanted to see how human sleepovers differed from dryad ones. Aubrey suspects they both played up how much cuddling between attendees was normal for the sake of being closer. 

“Not yet, lemme just get this--hah, okay, you can look now!”

Dani uncovers her face and daffodils burst through the ground at her feet. 

Aubrey smirks, spins in her new stage outfit: a satin, flame red top, black jacket, black skirt, sparkly red fishnets, and her Doc Martens, “ta dah!”

“Wow.” Dani sighs, but says nothing else, making Aubrey a little self-conscious

“It really looks good?”

“It looks amazing, fireblossom. No one will be able to take their eyes off you.”

The nickname makes Aubrey’s face match her shirt, “Are you sure you don’t want to come? We could, like, get you a seat in a corner or something so no one would notice you look a little plant-like.”

“I wish I could, Aubrey. But I’ve got work to tend to out here. Plus, I’d be so excited to see you up there, impressing everyone, that I’d fill the whole theater with roses before I knew what I was doing.”

“Good point.” Aubrey sags a little; she’s so pumped for the show, but all she can think about is proving to Dani that all her time practicing in front of her paid off. 

“Hey” Dani hops up from her seat, cups one of Aubrey’s cheeks and kisses the other one. It tingles, like rubbing a mint leaf between her fingertips, “good luck tonight.”

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

The show goes better than expected. There are some hiccups in her first two tricks, but her friends are in the front row and cheer her on as she gets the hang of things. By the time she hits her fiery finale, she has the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand like they’re Dr. Harris Bonkers. 

“You did great!” Duck bear hugs her in the green room as Barclay hands her flowers. 

“Glad you think so! And, um, thanks you guys. It means a lot that you gave up your Saturday night to come see my act.”

“You know we’d never miss it” Mama hugs her, “we;re so proud of you kiddo, forging your own path like this.”

“And it seems we are not the only ones who enjoyed the show. Look.” Indrid holds up a second bouquet. Tucked among the pink blooms is a card reading “fireblossom.”

“That from the gal you were tellin me about?”

“Yeah” Aubrey cradles the bunch of cherry blossom stems, “she couldn’t make it tonight but, um, I hope she can meet you guys soon. I think you’ll like her. Especially you, Duck, she’s super into plants.”

“Right on. Now, who’s up for some celebratoryholyshit” Duck stops abruptly in the door, “y’all, come look at this.”

The venue has several windows, since during the day it’s a cafe. One of these windows, with a clear view of the stage, is wreathed in honeysuckle. Stranger still is the path of flowers and leaves trailing from the crosswalk, down the opposite sidewalk, and into one of the pedestrian only paths that leads to the green belt around campus. 

“Barclay?”

“Yeah, Aubrey?”

“Please put these in a vase for me.” Aubrey hands him her bouquets and sprints out the door, a rainbow of petals coating her shoes as she runs. Soon there are no streetlights to help her navigate, just the starlight and the river of greenery beneath her feet.

“Dani!” 

The nymph, coaxing an ailing Elm back to health, turns in surprise. Aubrey throws her arms around her, ever changing hair catching in her face and mottled green dress soft under her hands. 

“You came.”

Dani snickers, “what gave it away? The fact it looked like a meadow exploded downtown?”

Aubrey giggles, pulling back to bump their noses together, “Yeah. Just...what made you change your mind.”

The nymph caresses her cheek, fingers coming away glittering from her make-up, “I couldn’t stay away. I saw all the work that went into your act and, and I, uh, I’m also just so into you, fireblossom. I wanted to be there for you, even if I wasn’t in the room.”

Aubrey’s heart threatens to burst out of her chest. To keep that from happening, she pulls Dani into a kiss. The nymph laughs against her mouth, cups the back of her head and holds her there, teasing her tongue between her lips when Aubrey parts them. By the time they separate to breathe, the taste of orange blossoms is on her tongue and her fingers are tangled in gold-green strands of hair. 

“Um, you can totally say no to this, but my friends and I are meeting at Mama’s place to celebrate the show going well. There would only be a few of us, and they’re all pretty chill.”

Dani tucks a flower behind Aubreys ear, “I’d love too, fireblossom. But first…” she grabs Aubrey, spinning and dipping her into another kiss, so deep that the stars in her eyes outshine the ones in the sky. 

When the nymph guides her back up, both of them laughing in their embrace and all Aubrey can think to say is, “wow.”

[seeyounexttime]

A sorta continuation of my previous post [here], and as of right now that menu is being served in like two places in Japan. But before that, back in 2019, between June 4 to June 16 [link] there was another..! This menu included a dessert section, and idk it’s neat which ingredients repeated

Food Menu:

"Black Bulls" Special Asta's 5-Leaf Hamburg Steak

inspired by the Black Bull's hideout

the square of cheese on the big bacon has a 5-leaf clover mark

doesn’t say what kind of pasta that is

Yuno's Impossibly Delicious Curry

yes, that does say arienee and I had a few ideas of how to work with that leave me be

served with saffron rice

and gold leaf. wait... wait on the curry?

Yami's Dark Cloaked: Roast Beef Meal

with black balsamic cream sauce and special soy sauce

mixing the egg yolk is recommended

Charmy's Mega-Belly-Filler Plate

naporitan, deep fried shrimp, vienna sausage, and potato salad with images of sheep cook on top

no mention on whether these images are edible

apparently naporitan is a Japanese spaghetti dish made with ketchup

translation of plate’s name courtesy of this helpful stranger [link]

Vanessa Special Cheese Side Dish of Fate

the Japanese name of this plate uses otsumami which is a term for snacks to have with a drink

says its her favorite cheese but doesn't say what kind that is :\

a line of ketchup to represent the "red string of fate"

includes cat-shaped tortilla (took me a minute- it’s orange-colored and next to the white block of cheese. I suspect it’s a tortilla chip but idk)

Mereoleona's No Compromise! Flaming Deep-Fry Potatoes

fried chicken and potatoes with strings of chili pepper

comes with simmering sweet chili sauce and cheese sauce

like her, there's no compromise in seasoning!

Dessert Menu:

Black Asta's Grimoire Mille Crêpes Cake

mille crêpes is a French cake made from layers of crepes

inspired by Asta's grimoire

no word on whether the cover is edible

no word about the berry in the corner either

beside it is cocoa powder shaped like Asta's devil wing

House Silva Purveyor Noelle's Berry Yogurt Parfait

Noelle's tsundere-ness is expressed with sweet and sour strawberry yogurt

includes sweet panna cotta

panna cotta is an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin

has plenty of berries, and silver dragée

it seems like dragée are small sugar spheres? 

Xerx's (?) Chocolate Muffin

this must’ve been back before Zora’s actual name was revealed in the anime

on top for the hair part is strawberry sauce

the base of the throat is black sesame sauce

A Little Tatoe Set

I’m not sure about the chokkoto thing... it apparently means “a little bit, slightly”

a set where you can eat "a little bit" of the dishes that Asta and Yuno ate at Hage village

comes with vanilla ice cream

so I have to assume this is made with sweet potatoes, because potatoes with ice cream sounds.....

Nero's Hideaway Style - Fluffy Cotton Candy Crepe

Nero is here to welcome you atop some cotton candy on a crepe

and if you look inside there’s... magic stones?

it’s actually jelly :)

Drink Menu:

Asta's "Anti-Magic" Cola Float

Cola float with mixed berry

raspberry powder sprinkled on vanilla ice cream

monaka with 5-leaf clover printed on it

monaka [link] are filled rice wafers

it asks if you too will you go Black Asta if you drink it?

Yuno's Cool Calpis Float

Calpis float with lemon

Calpis was described to me as a “citrusy yogurt drink”

gold dust sprinkled on vanilla ice cream

okay so what does gold dust/gold flakes cost that you can just... sprinkle it on some curry and ice cream and not raise the price of the item? does it even taste like anything?

monaka with 4-leaf clover printed on it

Noelle's "Water Magic” Style Marble Drink

marble drink with light blue yogurt and blueberry syrup

I’m not sure what they mean by “marble drink”...

Finral's "will this steal a girl’s heart?" Strawberry Soda

inspired by unrivaled lady lover Finral

strawberry soda with strawberry pulp

the internet tells me that ichikoro can be used for when someone stole another’s heart by just one action, and since this is Finral...

Luck's Crackling Drink

green apple soda

with whipped cream topped with crackling candy

Big Sis Vanessa's Red Wine Style Grape Juice

like the red wine that Vanessa always drinks

of course it's non-alchoholic so please drink with confidence ☆

[heartbreakgrill]

Common Sense Pt. 2; Ashton Irwin

a/n: send requests!! I’m so fucking soft these days.

description: in which you hang out with Ashton and his friends before staying the night at said-simp’s house.

You threw your head back, cackling louder than you thought you ever could as Calum ducked, mouth hanging open. He fell to his knees, but his eyes lit up when the marshmallow landed between his lips. You cheered, arms in the air, bouncing on your feet.

“Can you do another?” You breathed through your laughter.

He nodded, unable to say much of anything. Blindly, you reached a hand into the bag of marshmallows and gripped one between your already stick fingers. Calum titled back his head, parting his lips further to make room for another.

You chucked it at his face, your aim directly at his mouth. He ducked down to catch it because it had arched in the air. You cheered with him again, snorts coming from your vocal chords and nostrils. He laughed so hard, he fell to his knees and dropped marshmallow into his hand. You ran over to Calum, falling onto your knees next to him.

You heard footsteps near the living room and looked up, still laughing with a beat red face. Ashton sighed, grinning, placing his hands on his hips, “How are we supposed to make s’mores if you eat all of the marshmallows?”

You stood up, shuffling over to him with crossed arms. “You’re just jealous Calum’s better than you at catching them.”

“My mouths bigger,” Calum grumbled. He stood and passed the two of you to the kitchen so he could spit out the food in his mouth.

“Yeah, whatever,” Ashton called after him. “The fires going outside, if you two wanna join.”

You nodded, finally coming down from your laughter. Ashton intertwined his hand with yours.

“I’m glad you’re fitting in with everyone,” he remarked as you stepped closer to him.

You smiled up, “Me, too. I was super nervous an hour ago, and now I’m having the best time ever. Is Sierra still here?”

You asked the last question as you and Ashton made your way outside, Calum trialing along behind quietly. Ashton held open the door to his backyard for you and Cal, and you joined back at his side.

“Yeah, she’s over there with Luke,” he pointed across the pool, over towards the edge of the yard where there was a railing to guard a cliff overlooking the city.

She waved at you, and you took giddy steps over to her. “Hi!” She grinned, sitting up from Luke’s side. His arm slid down from her shoulders to her waist, lazily dropped over her.

You sat on the patio couch next to her, the hum of Luke, Michael, and Crystal talking in your ears along with crackling of the fire, crickets, and wind. Ashton and Calum trudged along behind, the older man plopping next to you as he carried on a conversation.

“So, you were going to tell me about your job?” Sierra prompted, urging you to strike up paragraphs of thoughts.

You did so; “Oh, right! Okay, so...”

You rambled on with Sierra for what felt like hours, but you knew it couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. Michael and Crystal has decided to slip away during the middle, saying goodbye with nice-to-meet-you’s and promises of tomorrow. Calum, who took up Michael’s spot in order to be closer to everyone, fell into conversing with Luke and Sierra.

You glanced over at Ashton, noticing his eyes were already on you. You were sitting side by side, hands conservatively to yourselves. You smiled up at him and moved closer to him. A chill ran down your spine and he noticed your want and need for his warmth.

Ashton wrapped an arm around your back, fingers curling around your shoulders. You nuzzled into his hold, your ear cupping the skin protecting his heart. You heard it thumping in time to the crickets, his voice echoing through your head.

“Need a coat?” He asked through a soft grin. You looked up at through your lashes and shook your head. “Let me know if you do. Are you having a good time?”

“The best,” you murmured, “everyone is so kind and welcoming. I’m excited to fit into your little family.”

“I’m so glad,” Ashton hesitantly pursed his lips before bending his neck to press a kiss to your forehead.

You blushed, skin on fire from the flames licking at the air in front of you and the flames burning your stomach and heart. You turned in Ashton’s arm, towards the group. He adjusted, wrapping both limbs around your torso. His hands rested on your stomach, stiff and nervous. You took one in your one, looping each finger together and holding loosely.

You jumped in as Calum said, “I can’t wait to go on tour again. I get so antsy just sitting at home.”

“Whats your favorite spot you’ve visited?” You asked, eyes flickering between the group of people.

“Japan,” he answered quickly. Your brows flicked up as if to say, “Really?” and he nodded. “Defintiley Japan. The food, the architecture, everything, is amazing.”

“I don’t know, I’d say Italy,” Luke cut in with a nod of approval from Sierra. “It’s so pretty and historical.”

“You seem to forget I’m single,” Calum flicked in his hands in a sarcastic motion.

“Ah, true,” Ashton added. “Anyway, I’d say Paris. It’s even prettier, the architecture and food is better, and it’s so romantic.”

“Is it really?” You glanced up at him in admiration.

“Really,” he nodded, grinning at you. “I’ve never been while in a relationship or anything, but you feel like you’re in love because of simply being there.”

“That sounds amazing,” you guffawed.

“Do you travel, [Y/N]?” Sierra said.

You shrugged, “Not really. I mean, I’ve been to a few places all over the country, but I’ve never left it. I don’t even have a passport.”

To them, not having a passport out of place because they were so used to it all.

You added, “It’s pretty lame, huh?”

You felt Ashton shake his head, “Not lame at all.”

“You’ll get out there,” Sierra spoke like it was a promise.

Calum and Luke agreed with nodding heads. The conversation flowed for another ten minutes before the three decided to call it a night.

You walked with Sierra to the door, making pinky promises through your words for lunch dates, swapping numbers right as Ashton went to close the door. When they were all gone, you were left with the ghost of a grinning smile.

Ashton was staring at you in affectionate amusement. When you turned to him, away from the door, he tilted his head. He reached for your hand, tugging you into him by the wrist. As if it were a muscle memory in your arms, you wrapped them around his shoulders, looking up at him.

“You’re so pretty,” he slowly leaned his forehead into yours, boring his hazel eyes into your own.

You felt your breath leave your lungs, your diaphragm refusing air because it was filled with paper hearts. You held your breath as his lips puckered slightly, as they fit themselves between your own and your eyes squeezed shut. He gripped your waist, fingers squeezing into your hips as his lips pressed harder.

He pulled away, the sound of kissing echoing between you. “Pretty.”

Your nose scrunched up from the joy you felt and you blushed. You pulled him into you, hugging him tight. “I really like you.”

“Me, too,” he agreed into your shoulder, kissing it lightly. “Are you ready for bed?”

You answered by pulling away and allowing him to guide you to his room. Ashton headed into the bathroom connected to it while you admired the master-sized bedroom. You started off in the corner by the door, lightly tracing your fingers over the simple decorations he had: A bookshelf, filled with anything from music theory books to mystery novels. Your smile quirked at the few titles you recognized, understanding just how well the two of you fit. You moved to the dresser against the window, noticing a door leading into a walk-in closet you didn’t feel like inspecting.

On the dresser were little emblems of Ashton: His cologne, the beautiful odor of sunshine and oranges you loved smelling on his tanned skin; a small plate decorated with gold and white features which held the rings he wore; his deodorant, sitting alongside his vintage camera he’d told you all about over text message. Next to that was, funny enough, a polaroid camera. You didn’t fail to notice the polaroids hung all over his room, on the fridge, framed in the living room. You carefully touched the leaf of his planet before your eyes flicked up the mirror above his dresser.

He was leaning against the door frame to the bathroom, changed into a pair of sweatpants and a black t shirt. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, glasses sitting firmly on the bridge of his nose, and his curls pushed back on his head, but still messy as before. You smiled at him through the mirror, biting onto your bottom lip in order to suppress screaming at him that he was adorable and attractive and you were definitely might be falling in love with him.

He grinned back, pushing himself off of the door to meet you in the middle of the room. His breath was minty, face shiny from cleanser. “Go ahead and do whatever you gotta do to get ready for bed.”

You chuckled, “Thanks for your permission.”

He rolled his eyes, playfully, and shrugged. “Well, i didn’t know if you felt awkward just walking into my bathroom.”

“I’ll only feel awkward if it smells bad, and-“ you moved past him moving into the said-room, “it doesn’t! Congrats, Ash, you’re cute and clean!”

He blushed, falling back onto his bed and moving to his side to look at you. “You know it, babe.”

You felt giddy at the nickname as you stepped back into his room. You unzipped your bag, fumbling around for your pajamas and bag of cleaning items. Once you had them, you moved back inside and softly shut the door.

You went through the motions of changing and used the toilet before washing your hands and stepping back into his room. Ashton was scrolling through his phone, now under the covers, but he looked up when he heard you. He put his phone on the charger and on his bedside table. The lights had been turned off, save for the lamp beside him.

You stuffed your things back in your bag and set it on the floor by the bathroom door. You moved to get into bed when you noticed Ashton’s eyes flick up and down your body.

You pursed your lips, feeling insecure under his gaze, “What?”

He reached for your hand and you took it. “You look so cute.”

“Thanks,” you squeezed his fingers in your own, a squeal emitting from your lips when he tugged you down beside him.

He moved so he was on top of you, giggles bubbling from your lips as he chuckled. His curls tickled your forehead, lips brushing over your own.

You pressed yourself up towards him and kissed him, impatient to wait for him to. He grudgingly pulled back and lay beside you. You hesitantly curled into his side, but he in tangled his legs in yours and pulled you tight.

“Goodnight, sweet girl,” he spoke as he turned off the lamp.

You replied, through deep red cheeks and butterflies spewing from your lips, “Goodnight, Ash.”

TAGLIST: @mantlereid , @boxofteenageideas , @dinosaursandsocks , @elliewgnr

[xbreezymeadowsx]

A Telford Tea Party

A/N: Pure, unadulterated FLUFF. Inspired by my favorite thirsty Flanagan obsessed girls and what’s said in our chat.

Chibs x Reader

This has not been proofread and therefore may contain spelling or grammatical errors. Oops.

TW: Nothing should be triggering unless you hate daddies having tea parties with their little girls.

PREPARE YOUR OVARIES!

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(this gif just seemed appropriate somehow. Not mine, credit to the maker.)

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Dada... Chibs grumbled burying his face in his pillow. "Dada." He cracked one eye open and squint, scanning the bits of room he could see when a little face was suddenly taking up his whole view. "Daddy." The four year old girl said firmly, letting him know he wouldn't be going back to sleep. He smiled sleepily and moved an arm from under his pillow to tuck some of her silky brunette hair from her face. "Mornin', Tilly." He graveled. Her hazel eyes lit up and she giggled. "Goo monin'!" She smiled brightly. Chibs groaned as he rolled to his back again and stretched as his daughter knelt on the bed, the empty half of the bed. "Where's yer Ma?" He asked with a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Da movie place." She told him. "Aun'ie Lyla as'ed her fo' sum'tin. Baby Mal wen', too." "Oh, okay." He thanked her for explaining it further. "Daddy, can we have a tea party?" She begged, giving him puppy dog eyes. "Do we hafta?" Chibs grumped. "Pweeeeeeease?" The little girl plead and clasped her hands in front of herself. He sighed, it didn't take much for the little one to get her way with him. "Fine." He huffed, scoffing at his lack of will power. "Lemme take a shower quick, okay?" "O'tay!" "Go ge' yer sissy an' set up in the playroom." He told her, tickling her side and making her squeal and jump off the bed. "BRINNNNAAAAAAA!!!" She hollered as she raced out the bedroom door. After showering and quickly dressing in black jeans and black SAMCRO t-shirt, Chibs went into the kitchen to grab a jug of sweet tea and tin of shortbread. However, as he turned the corner, he was greeted with the sight of his six year old standing on the counter next to the fridge, the four year old standing on the chair they'd pushed over there, and their six year old brindled shepherd mix Jameson prancing excitedly in place watching his little humans going after something near the treats he couldn't reach and hoping they'd knock the container down. The pajama clad girls- the pair looked nearly identical save for the elder being a head taller- froze in place and stared wide-eyed at him. "Sabrina Rose. Matilda Mae." Chibs said sternly, setting his fists on his hips. "Uh-oh." They gasped in unison. Chibs scooped them up and set them on the hardwood floor. "Couldn' wait ten minutes, eh?" He asked in amusement. He shook his head, chuckling and ruffled their long hair. He reached on top of the refrigerator and took the blue tin the girls had been after, handing it to his oldest. "I'll get the tea." Y/N opened the truck door and reached in to get the three month old out of his carseat as he babbled and waved his orange rattleball around. The neck of his green dinosaur onesie was covered in slobber and drool. "Yes, yes, yes. We're so happy, aren't we? Yes, we are." Y/N cooed as she picked the baby up and held under his butt as he leaned into her shoulder. "Auntie Lyla and the girls spoiled you, didn't they? I saw them sneaking you whipped cream. All that damn sugar's got you wound up." She slung the Harley Davidson diaper bag over her shoulder and grabbed the bag of groceries she'd picked up on the way home before heading to the front door. Once inside, she set the bags on the kitchen table and shift her son to her other arm. "Now, where's Daddy and the girls, huh?" She asked the baby. He looked at his mother curiously before letting out a shrill scream of joy. Y/N cringed. "Malcolm Robert Telford, you're gonna make my ears bleed." In the playroom, Chibs shift uncomfortably in his tiny, tiny pink chair. He would've liked to have sit on the floor, but his girls insisted he had to sit at the table like a proper gentleman. He watched Tilly- a sky blue fairy costume on over her pajamas including wings with an Anna from Frozen glittery tiara- pick up the little plastic pink teapot in the middle of the round white table and pour nothing into a mismatched tiny purple teacup in front of one of their guests. "Mo' tea, Mr. Bear?" She asked the large teal teddy bear. She turned to her other side and poured some into a large blue teacup for her sister's yellow lab, Jax. "May I have more tea, Daddy?" Brina asked in a horrible attempt at some kind of European accent. While her younger sibling was clearly a typical girly-girl, Sabrina wasn't. She, too, wore a costume dress but her's was black velvet with gold trim. She looked like a regal witch or vampire... if it weren't for the mini felt top hat and the headband that made it look like she had an arrow through her head. "Of course, sweethear'." He replied warmly and picked up the larger stainless steel teapot. Clinking came from inside from ice cubes sloshing around as he poured iced tea into her cup which was actually a black enamel camping mug. "Can I have a'nudder cookie?" Tilly asked sweetly, not bothering to fake an accent. "Haven' ya already 'ad three?" Chibs asked, raising an eyebrow and already knowing the answer. "Nooooo." His younger daughter trailed off not looking her father in the eye. Sabrina cackled at her sister's bad acting. Chibs pretend to wipe his face to hide his smirk. "How abou' we split one?" He compromised and picked up a shortbread from the Santa platter the girls had piled them on. Tilly nodded eagerly and held out her little plastic Disney Inside Out Joy dessert plate. Chibs broke the cookie in two pieces as even as he could and set one half on her plate and the other on his red Elmo face plate. "Daddy! Your hat!" Sabrina exclaimed realizing Chibs had taken it off at some point without them noticing. He reached up and felt his head. "Oh no! It's gone!" He cried, faking shock. "Someone stole it!" He shout, so clearly upset at this revelation. Tilly started frantically looking behind the plushies and lifting plates up as if the rainbow striped pinwheel hat would be hiding under them. Brina searched in the nearest toy chest, suspicious. The last two times the hat went missing, that's where it was. She slammed the lid shut hopelessly when her search came up empty. "Sissy, look'it!" Matilda ordered pointing a little index finger across the room. Chibs internally cringed and prayed the hat was destroyed by now. "Jamie, no!" Sabrina rushed the dog and began tugging the hat from him. He growled lightly and tugged back, wagging his tail and thinking she wanted to play. Unfortunately for the mutt, he'd done enough damage already that one more solid yank and the fabric seperated with an audible rrrrrrrip. The little girl flopped on her behind with a thump. "Bad dog!" She reprimanded him. Jameson spit out his half of the rainbow and whimpered, approaching the little girl and snuffling around her head. He licked her cheeks and she scrunched her shoulders, shrieking with laughter at his tickly whiskers and unable to stay mad at the innocent beast. "Wha's Daddy supposed to wear now? He needs a hat!" The young toddler declared before scurrying to the dress-up closet. Chibs whistled and called the dog off his daughter, her face having been slurped on enough. "Go lay down, ya mongrel." He chide goodnaturedly. He helped his daughter wipe her face off with a napkin. "I found a hat, Daddy!" Matilda proclaimed, emerging from the closet and holding something up triumphantly. Chibs face feel momentarily at the sight before changing his expression to something neutral. "Maybe no' tha' one, princess." He denied gently. The green plastic bowler hat was missing a chunk of hat and the white ribbon with four leaf clovers that usually wrapped around it was dangling over the edge of the rim like a graduation cap tassel. The little girl frowned and studied the hat. "I guess not." She agreed sadly and chucked it in the small trash bin between the girls' drawing tables. Seeing her sister on the verge of crying, Sabrina hurried over and ushered her back into the closet to help her find a more suitable hat. Y/N stood in the doorway watching her husband interact with their girls. Malcolm was quietly sucking on his thumb, head laying on her shoulder. It melt her heart every time she saw them all. Filip was always so good with his children and the girls had him wrapped around their little pinkies most of the time. He was stern when he needed to be, but honestly the girls were rarely brats. She swooned when she saw Matilda run to her father and hold up a plastic gold crown with colored jewel beads adorning it. Chibs gushed at how perfect the item was and scooped the girl up, standing her on his knees so she could place it on his head. Thrilled, Tilly set the crown atop his head and declared him king of the tea party. She hopped back to the carpeted floor as Sabrina joined her and the pair curtsied before their king. "Greetings, my liege." Chibs snapped his eyes up and found his wife and baby boy watching them from the doorway. A loving smile gracing Y/N's face. "Miladies," He addressed his daughters. "Look! Tis my Queen returned from her travels!" The girls curtsied to her. Y/N curtsied back with a soft giggle. "I do apologize for missing tea time. I needed to acquire more covers and a rash tincture for Prince Malcolm's royal fanny." Her daughters roared with laughter, falling to the floor in a pile of wiggly court jesters. The baby picked his head up and watched his big sisters before giggling sleepily. Chibs groaned as he stood. He pressed his hands to his lower back, leaning backwards to stretch his aching bones. He carefully skirt around the flopping sillies on the floor and held his hands out with wide eyes and big smile. "There's ma'boy!" He cheered. His smile threatened to split his face in two when he saw the baby boy excited to see him. Malcolm screeched and giggled, trying to fling himself from his mother's arms towards his father. "Hiya! Were ya good fer yer Mama?" He questioned in a voice he reserved for babies. "Didya go see Auntie Lyla? Was she filmin'?" He heard Y/N scoff as she fixed the little one's cotton shorts. "Ha! No. Say we didn't see any of that naughty stuff, Daddy." Y/N told her son to say knowing he'd just babble or blow a spit bubble instead. She looked to her husband as he kissed the light haired, blue-grey eyed bundle of joy all over his head and cheeks. "They were on lunch... brunch, I guess? when we got there. Everyone in robes, dirty bits hidden from innocent eyes." "Tha's a shame." Chibs joked earning a backhand on his free shoulder. He snickered and winked at Y/N before leaning in for a kiss. "Missed ya." He muttered against her lips. "Mm, you missed sleeping till noon." Y/N teased. "Tha', too." He agreed with a cheeky grin. "Daddy, can we go to the park?" Matilda asked, the girls' laughing fit having subsided finally. Chibs turned to his wife. Before Y/N could answer Malcolm started grunting, his face going red before the unpleasant sounds of a much needed diaper change filled their ears. "EEWWW!" The girls exclaimed, faces scrunched up in disgust. "We can go later, okay?" Y/N told them. "It's lunchtime now, then naptime." The girls started whining. "Hey, no whining." "No nap, no park." Chibs said, backing up his wife. The girls scowled, knowing it was too late to try to persuade him otherwise now that he showed he was with Mom. "Keep makin' tha' face an' it'll stick like tha'." He threatened, a sideways glance to Y/N who gave him a mischevious half-grin. "I'll ge' the lad changed an' down fer his nap." He told her, kissing her cheek. Y/N sighed softly, leaning into his lips. "Okay. We'll clean up in here and get lunch going." She decided, stepping aside to let the boys out of the room. "Come along, ya wee bug. We'll get a fresh nappie, read tha' book abou' a wee mouse an' a biscuit, play some o' tha' Celtic lullaby music ya love, an' have a bit o' dreamin'. Sound good?" Chibs spoke softly to his son as he moved down the hallway to the baby's room. Y/N turned to her daughters, taking out her phone and snapping a picture of the dressed up pair before smiling at them. "Shall we have chicken fingers for lunch?" She quiered. The girls nod enthusiastically. "Anything else?" "Neeps an' tatties!" Chibs called down the hallway. Y/N rolled her eyes, but the girls were already getting more excited. The girls loved her homemade mashed potatoes and turnips. "Alright, then. I think we have some mash leftover from dinner." She sighed. "Start cleaning and I'll get the chicken in the oven." She told the girls. "Okay, Mama!" They agreed as she turned and made her way to the kitchen. Once the food was warming up, she was jotting something down on the grocery list on the counter when the sounds in her house distracted her. Sabrina and Matilda were giggling with each other, toys and make believe sets were clattering here and there as the siblings no doubt were throwing everything haphazardly into random toy chests, the rumbles of Chibs' Scottish brogue float down the hallway as he read a bedtime story to their baby, and the sounds of yipping and collar tags jingling were heard from the living room as Jameson dreamed of chasing squirrels. Y/N breathed deeply and sighed, content. This was her favorite thing in the world. The sounds of home.

[shadowgeist-stars]

Vitam et Mortem: Divine Pride

A small gift for Pride Month before June ends. I probably should've come up with this earlier, but hey, I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Bridget had wanted to show Emily her new favorite part of June for years since they first began. After all the time they spent together for the last five or six centuries, she found it quite fun to introduce the otherwise reclusive Mother Nature to all the things she otherwise ignored among the mortals.

But this particular celebration wasn't just a joyous occasion for herself. Many lost spirits and even deities from all over the world rejoiced at the celebration of their own way of love and life.

From the gods of ancient Mesopotamia, to the far-flung rainbow serpents of Australia, to the hidden deities in China and Japan, to Bridget's own neighboring Loas and other divine friends in the Americas. The jubilee expressed by the immortals could only be matched, let alone surpassed, by that of the humans. Finally, all of the unfortunate people who lost themselves for the sake of their own hearts wouldn't have died in vain. All of the poor children close to that edge had something to look forward to.

"Come on, Emily, it's this way!" she called, leading her companion by the hand. "I promise you'll love it!"

Mother Nature chuckled, following the winged girl as quickly as she could. "This is the most excited I've seen you in the past few centuries. Have you met another holiday spirit?"

Bridget shrugged. "Not exactly. But I think you'll especially love it. It can't be much further now."

They stopped when they reached a crowd of people down the road.

Marching through the street was a parade of celebration. Flags of many bright color combinations littered the area. Some were blue, purple and pink. Some were pastel pink and blue and white. But a great many of the flags and all-encompassing banners -- and there were so, so many of them -- were all the colors of the rainbow.

"Bridget, my dear… what on Earth is this?"

Before her eyes, the rainbow painted itself over Bridget's otherwise black cloak. Strips of each color encircled her long cloak in luminous, vibrant hues. Shades of deep bright pink and fiery red orange sought out her shoulder cape, imitating one of the proudly-waving flags in the parade with black between each stripe. Emily soon learned exactly what it meant, as many couples in the parade embraced one another without fear or shame.

"It's a celebration of people like us," the redhead explained, no less than sheer jubilee on her face. "You once showed me how many animals are able to love in the same way we do. And according to the older gods, mortals who were the same way never had such a chance to be themselves since before the Dark Ages. Now that they have that chance again… isn't it beautiful?"

Emily did remember showing her all that. From birds of all kinds to various cats and other mammals to even insects and fish, and a whole lot more. The colors around her and the light in Bridget's eyes and all over her cloak… it truly was a sight to behold.

"It's wonderful," she replied simply. "Absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it."

They joined the parade like it was the most natural thing in the world. Following families and children greeted the two, as did many more immortals who began to appear. The children were laughing and dancing together with the other immortals, sporting their own flags.

"Lovely day for a parade, ladies," greeted a man in a multicolored tribal outfit framed with various flowers. "I'm certain I saw someone handing out Sapphic flags. Just watch for the usual, ahem… intruders."

"Thanks so much, Xochipilli," Bridget thanked the stranger. "I'm sure Emily would love that."

He smiled. "Never thought I'd see the day that the infamous Mother Nature would appear here. I'll tell the others; all of your Loa friends are bound to be nearby, and they'll love hearing about this."

Emily was confused by the names. "Who was he talking about?"

"My Voodoo-related associates," Bridget explained. "Many of them like both men and women, so they'll almost definitely be sporting pink-purple-and-blue flags like those over there. Though it takes a trained eye to know who’s who with the outfits they wear.

“Xochipilli is Aztec, and one of the few gods in that group with a decent amount of common sense. Back in his hayday, he was the god of games, the arts, and flowers, as well as the patron of people like a lot of the mortals here. Really nice guy, but I wish I could say the same about some of his friends.”

Emily chuckled. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Are there others like the ones you mentioned?”

The redhead nodded. “Lots of others, all over the world. They’re all probably having a blast at parades on their home turf just like this one. Oh look, there’s the flag Xochi was talking about!”

The flag in question was actually quite darling. It had two pastel pink stripes around one that was white, with a pretty little violet directly in the center. The person beside the girl handing such flags out was handing out flowers of all kinds.

Bridget went for the flower person, taking a violet before flying up to plant it above Emily’s ear, adding on a kiss on the cheek.

The swell of warmth in her chest from the gesture caused the violet to spread into a crown on her head.

The Grim Reaper giggled. “Now it looks even prettier. It suits you!”

Emily sighed at her reaction, but eventually couldn’t help a smile. At least until she noticed the white-robed and white-winged people hovering above a different crowd. They glared at the celebration as they stood guard over the yelling people holding some… rather rude signs.

Her beloved noticed her expression. “What’s wrong?” Bridget followed her gaze, lifting off the ground a little for a better view.

Angels. And a whole lot of their own downline.

“Oh, for the love of vultures…” she muttered under her breath as she pulled her scythe out of her shadow. “Ignore them, Em. They should know by now that they can’t do much of anything without getting people upset.”

“Is that… normal of them?” asked the dark-haired woman.

“Very,” the redhead replied with a sigh, leading Emily away from the protestors. “Their minions love to say that living the way we do isn’t natural and that it’s corrupting their children. All because they like to listen to the one who commands those angels. We just call them the usual intruders. I think I’ve already told you how troublesome they are to my fellow death spirits.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” She noticed how the blade of Bridget’s scythe shined with iridescent colors. “Hm, even your weapon appears to have gotten into the spirit of the celebration.”

“There’s a reason for that, actually.” With a snap of her fingers, Bridget unveiled a slew of visiting wandering souls in the broad daylight. So many of them floated around in groups, like the other immortals in the parade had called them here. Many bore dark scars that only occurred among souls who sought their own destruction in life. “These are all of the people in just this area who lived the same way as all of these mortals, in worlds that didn’t allow them, or hearts that no longer wanted to beat.”

Emily gazed upon each spirit, seeing the joy and peace on each and every spectral face in the procession. “This is far more than the joy of the living... it’s also a comfort for the dead.”

Bridget could see the angels daringly lean towards the ghosts from above their followers, and firmly tapped her scythe against the ground. All of the ghosts turned their attention to the Reaper, and to those she glared at. The protesters faltered, as if perhaps they had seen her standing there. Either way, they knew better than to test an emissary of death with her albeit passive army, so she’d count that much as a win. So did the ghosts, who peacefully returned to their own mingling.

Fingers found their way into soft, owlish feathers. “Where did you learn that trick?”

Bridget’s smile returned with a chuckle. “The Valkyries have shown me how they command their soldiers a few times. Angels are a pretty popular overarching reason as to why the ghosts around here have perished. It's just a matter of setting off the alarm. They know better than to trust what killed them."

A couple of the children seemed more than a bit intimidated by the parade's protesters, regardless of their dropping momentum. "Come with me, Em. Forget the angels and their little friends. This is a time for celebration."

Mother Nature was quite willing to comply, her leaf-bearing winds gently guiding the children away from the scary people like large, caring hands. As they went on with the parade, the two eventually grew more cheerful again. More immortals dropped by to meet them, such as Nibo, one of the Loas Bridget mentioned earlier; Oua Oua, a higher-ranking Loa who led the children, also said hello. Several "Voodoo" figures made appearances, really, and all of them offered nothing but coos and congratulations.

It certainly made it a far more lively experience than Burning Man, where they usually wandered about largely unseen. But oddly enough, it wasn't quite unpleasant. Emily enjoyed meeting so many wonderful divine friends. Seeing Bridget's multicolored stripes grow brighter, and her hair shining in the sun like fire, against eyes so pale silver in the daylight they almost looked pure white, was a simply mesmerizing experience.

Near the end of the parade, Emily had discovered a work of art made entirely from flowers; an entire wall of words shaped with roses of every color. Red, orange, yellow, green, even blue and purple. She used her power to grow out a bouquet of separate lavender roses, with a little help from Xochipilli. After which she gently wove each flower into Bridget's lovely wings and hair, pale and beautiful against her bright red locks and dark gold feathers. Bridget was delighted at the gift; something she knew Emily would most certainly do.

"Now you look even prettier,” she said warmly, parroting the reaper's words. “It suits you.”

The look she got in response was so full of affection… Emily could feel it taking something else from her chest aside from her breath. Bridget floated to her eye level, cupping the taller spirit's face between her hands.

"I think you deserve a thank-you for it."

With that, she leaned in for a kiss.

Emily’s heart filled with a familiar, welcoming fire at the soft and warm touch of Bridget’s lips, yet entirely new and exciting. A wild and joyful tune, yet sung in the tone of a lullaby. Miniature earthquakes rattled through her body, and she felt like she was floating. Her hands started flexing and lifting up on instinct, until they dug into the soft down between the reaper’s shoulders, pulling her closer. The flower-decorated wings swung low, the ends of the joints resting on her sides.

A moment meant to last forever.

“Ah, young love. Truly a beautiful thing.”

“It’s like something straight out of those romantic fairy tales.”

The two voices startled the two from their reverie. Bridget sank to the ground with a face as red as her hair; given the fiery heat that went from her heart to her face, Emily probably wasn’t much better.

“Lundy! Limba! You ruined the moment!” scolded Èrzulie Dantòr, batting the two men away with dark-skinned hands. “Out, out, and away, boys, before you ruin their mood any more! Shoo!”

Bridget giggled at the sight of the Loas. “I take it you enjoyed that, Emily?”

Mother Nature cleared her throat, smiling down at her sheepishly. “I suppose I did. Though I… can’t say I expected to… Will there be other parades like this in the future?”

“Of course!” She took her hand as they prepared to return to the realm they shared. “It’s an entire month out of every year that celebrations just like this will occur. Why? Do you want to go to another one?”

Emily chuckled, mustering the courage to kiss the top of her head. “Perhaps…”

To see such colors like those still lingering on the Grim Reaper’s cloak… To feel such childlike glee she hadn’t experienced in millennia… Mother Nature could hardly wait for the next adventure outside of her fog.

[wildestdreamsgardens]

A Survey of the Best Goldenrods for your Garden (Part I)

Introduction:

Why goldenrods?  

There are currently 136 species in the genus Solidago, three more than the last time I checked the astereae lab. (see https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/)   Most of these species are native to North America.  For those who see them on the roadsides as masses of weedy generic golden flowers, it seldom occurs to them that from July through October they are most likely witnessing the blooms of a dozen or more species.  By far the most common and most widespread and aggressive goldenrods throughout the Americas are those within the Triplinerviae group, which includes S. canadensis, S. gigantea, and S. altissima all of which can be maddeningly difficult to accurately distinguish even for the experts.  Weedy though they may be, there are many plant lovers including those in the cut flower trade who understand the value of the majestic diamond and pyramidal flower forms of the canadensis types.   A few hybrids have been developed for the cut flower trade that are generally not available to gardeners. Cultivars sold in the nursery like S. canadensis ‘Goldenbaby are smaller diploid forms that are less aggressive and more manageable.  But on the whole, only recently do we see a wider variety of garden worthy species entering the nursery trade.

This is a great benefit to gardeners as many of these varieties are well behaved and very attractive plants that don’t at all resemble their weedy cousins except in their trademark golden flowers. And it must be said, while posing the question, why goldenrods, that they do not cause allergies as they have long been accused of doing.  Their pollen is heavy and sticky and not carried in the wind.  It has been guilt by association, a purely circumstantial case, while the real culprits (one of them ragweed) are off the hook. Goldenrods depend on insects for pollination.

Which brings me to the overwhelming benefit to growing goldenrods: they are one of the most important food sources in the late season for pollinating insects, especially bees.  And goldenrod honey is delicious. Gardeners who are aware of the decline in bee species throughout the world, should straightaway run to their nearest online nursery and begin shopping for appropriate Solidago species for their region of the country.  Lastly, in addition to providing you a pictorial and descriptive list of some of my favorite forms, I do so to show another advantage to growing goldenrods.  It has to do with form.   If you think about most perennials, you notice that many plants come in a variety of colors, but by and large represent a single form.  Goldenrods do it the other way around--they come in only two colors, overwhelmingly yellow/golden and a couple of white ones, but they come in a wide variety of flowering forms.  I hope to introduce the unfamiliar to some of the more striking and unusual ones, that should provide imaginative gardeners with a lot of landscaping and design opportunities.

1 & 2. Solidago bicolor.  Also called silver rod, this is one of the white goldenrods well suited to the garden. Beloved by bees and has a light lily-like or honey suckle fragrance.   Widely adaptable in Eastern North America, from the Maritimes south to Alabama and Georgia and as far west as Michigan and Illinois. In the wild, it is often sparse and underdeveloped and makes little impression. In cultivation it can make a rich flowering stand in late summer and early fall producing refreshing cream-colored wands over a 4 to 6 week period.  Planted in a mass with Helenium, Sedum, Persicaria or Panicum it will have people asking, ‘what’s that’, and ‘goldenrod, really?’  Can sustain winter damage, but I’ve been growing it for 7 years and still have a few of the original seed grown plants.  Reseeds will replace spent plants, and its slender profile won’t take up too much room in your garden.  Full sun and part shade, where it can reach 4ft in height.  Usually about 2 to 3 ft in full sun.

3, 4 & 5.  Solidago riddellii.  In my opinion this is the finest and most versatile goldenrod you can grow in your garden.  It has an elegant and striking presence from May to November that is just as suitable for refined plantings as it is for the wild or natural garden.  What you have here is a distinctive and elegant foliar profile, strong stems and rich, vibrant flowering. Another plus (image 5) is that the spent flowers retract neatly and the golden color of the phyllaries shines through, so there is no drab phase many flowers and most goldenrods pass through.  Rather a pleasant golden/brown appearance enhanced by bright chartreuse leaflets below keep it shining through October, along with flashes of variegated colored fall foliage in shades of gold, orange, red, pink, purple and bronze. Finally soft-gray mounding seed heads complete the show in November.  This long-lived clumper is a native of moist conditions, but it performed beautifully in the drought conditions that 2020 brought. So at the very least it can withstand the occasional drought.  2 1/2 to 3 1/2 ft in height.  Difficult to find in nurseries or from seed.  I purchased my seed from Ernst Conservation Seeds.  The prices per pound are staggering and have gone up considerably since I first purchased seed in 2013 but smaller portions can be purchased at more affordable prices. Pollinator paradise.

6  Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’.  This variation of S. rugosa was discovered in North Carolina in 1973 and registered as a cultivar in 1993.  A more beautiful structural plant is hard to find, that and the thrilling lateral blooms cascading in all directions puts this one in my top 5 goldenrods. Likely a tetraploid as it blooms a good month later than the native S. rugosa that grow in Vermont, and it displays a tetraploid’s vigor.  This plant is tough as nails and completely immune to flopping or collapse.  You can park a bike against it (not saying you would but sometimes kids do the darndest things).  The foliage is unremarkable and coarse (thus the name rough or crinkle leaf goldenrod), but notice in image 6 that even at bloom time it maintains most of its lower foliage, so you don’t have to hide ugly legs as you do with most Asters and many fall blooming perennials. You do have to watch this one over time.  This slow spreader won’t take over your garden, but a single plant will spread outward into a 3 or 4ft stand, with its underground rhizomes working their way into other plants.  Very long lived and hardy.  It blooms so late in the north my experience is that it never has time to set seed before it is cut down, either that or it is sterile.  Long and short you won’t be troubled with seedlings.

7 & 8:  Solidago caesia ‘Blue Stem Goldenrod’.  Here is one that can be grown in sun or shade, and a bright graceful addition it is to the shade garden given it blooms in August and September when very little is flowering in anyone’s shade garden.  It has lax stems that tend to arch,  cascading on slopes and showing off the lovely linear quality of its axillary blooms.  Quite bushy in full sun, sparser in shade.  This is one of the more delicate goldenrods with its slender purple stems coated with a blue powder, thus the name (reminding me of wild Concord grapes of childhood that ripen at the same time as these bloom) Image 8.

9 & 10 Solidago speciosa ‘Showy Goldenrod’.  Put this one in your top 5 goldenrods as well.  The shorter diploid version is pictured in image 9 and the much taller bolder tetraploid (image 10) that blooms very late in the North.  Image 10 was harvested from the disturbed ground along the NJ Turnpike about 3 years after construction occurred.  There are foliage differences as well.  The tetraploids I harvested showed no dentation on the leaves (they were entire and longer and smoother than those of the diploids I harvested from Central Massachusetts).  I believe most of what you will find offered in the wildflower nurseries such as Prairie Moon and High Country Gardens are the earlier blooming, shorter diploid types. But don’t ask the nurseries, they will neither know nor care.  If it says to 3ft, it’s probably diploid, if it says to 5ft, possibly tetraploid.  Some of the NJ populations were as tall as 6 1/2 ft, which of course makes a lot of difference if you are planning a garden.  Majestic, non-invasive clumps, with quarter inch individual flowers give these full flower heads their showy quality and what I can only describe as a radiant glow from a distance.  Another plus are the often deep red stems that intensify in color in the fall and make for a spectacular contrast with the cloud-like off-white seed heads.  A stand of these in your pollinator garden is definitely worth growing.

[sweetness-pop]

Summer Sweets #2

Heya! 💗🍓🌟Sweetness*Pop🌈🍭🌸 here! 

So I wanna type in a special idea for a cutscene in a future game of Mortal Kombat. 8 of the female kombatants in stylish swimwear along with lovely hairstyles:

1) Cassie, hairstyle: blonde hair in high long twin tails(aka pigtails) tied in bubblegum pink retro bobbles. & swimsuit: bubblegum pink halter bikini with black trim. Black string side ties on the bottoms & front neck of the top. Back of the bikini is closed with a pink button. One pink button on both front sides of the bikini. & a light pink heart printed on the right front side of the bottoms, & on the left breast. Style of Lucky Chloe from Tekken 7.♥

2) Jacqui, hairstyle: medium-length dark brown hair tied in a high left side ponytail with a red scrunchie, & a strawberry clip also on the left side of her hair. & swimsuit: red strawberry patterned double string halter bikini. Green leaf mini ruffles on both the bikini & bottoms. The double string top is side tied. The bottoms have double side straps.🍓

3) Kitana, hairstyle: long black let down & wearing a pretty ocean blue hibiscus clip on the right side. & swimsuit: sapphire blue halter rhinestone bikini. Bottoms have an attached see through mini skirt that reveal the rhinestones on the bottoms. & the top has a front string tie that is embellished with crystal beads.🌺

4) Jade, hairstyle: long brown wavy hair with the bottom tied in a long/rabbit ear green ribbon. & swimsuit: jade green metallic halter monokini. Side cut-outs. Black side tie strings. & a jade o-ring at the center. Resembles the Kurama monokini of Nyotengu in Dead Or Alive Xtreme 3.💚

5) Sareena, hairstyle: short black/white up in a golden claw clip. & swimsuit: black metallic halter bikni with side golden chains. A black sash tie attached to the yellow gold chain on both the top & bottom of the bikini. & a golden handprint/breast grab on the bikini.🎗

6) Li Mei, hairstyle: medium-length black hair with a half-up ponytail. & swimsuit: yellow/orange leopard patterned strapless monokini with cut-outs on the sides & front. Sash tie on the back of the monokini. & matching patterned ribbons as tie sides on the bottoms.🐆

7) Verna, hairstyle: shoulder-length dark brown tied in a low braided ponytail with a classic white bow. & swimsuit: white spaghetti strap monokini with side cut-outs & white pearl o-rings on the front of the top's spaghetti straps & sides of the bottoms.⚪

& 8) Sonya, hairstyle: medium-length wavy blonde hair left down & wearing one matching emerald stone golden hair clip on both bangs. & swimsuit: emerald green spaghetti strap criss-cross bikini with the spaghetti straps being black & crisscrossed by the front, & matching black crisscrossed straps on the bottoms. Noticed that I said Emerald Green?🟩😏

Just picture the cutscenes where the ladies pick out their swimsuits especially with Cassie & Jacqui helping Kitana & Jade finding theirs. & then a beach scene where the lade kombatants show off their swimsuits as the guy kombatants like Johnny, Jax, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Takeda, Jin, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, maybe Erron Black & somehow Kotal Kahn were waiting....OMG imagine the reaction of certain dudes, examples:Takeda to Jacqui, Liu Kang to Kitana, Kotal to Jade & Johnny to Sonya.☺💞👙

I do remember the true ending of MK 11. So...hopefully certain characters like Sonya, Scorpion &.....Verna (not a kombatant, but she’d probably make a good one), Jax’s wife & Jacqui’s mother should come back to life.😌🙏🏽

I wanted to make the 2nd summer sweets a swimsuit post......which if you’re anime/manga fans, you would often see for a beach/pool episode or chapter. 😎

Hope you enjoyed reading the sweets. Are any of the swimsuits your favorite? Have fun picturing the ladies in the bikinis or monokinis that I used with my imagination..😚

& See ya!🤩💕✨

[beautifulbuckys]

Cleaning week

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: None

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Y/N

A/N: This is for the wonderful @stanclub‘s 3k celebration! Congrats to Amanda, she deserves it!

With every movement of your arms, the sweater covering your torso grew itchier. The olive green dyed wool rubbed upon your arm, causing red patches to litter your arms. Despite the uncomfortable factors of your sweater, you loved it. The crisp fall air ventilated the heavy sweater. It was warm, yet cool simultaneously. The sweater's color was unique, and fun to wear. The best part about it, however, was that it was a Christmas gift from Bucky.

Your boyfriend was currently inside washing the dishes from your breakfast. You could still taste the lingering cinnamon on your tongue. From where you were standing, it wasn't hard to notice how rough Bucky was being while scrubbing off cooked on dough. The cinnamon rolls Bucky made were always your favorite. It was a morning surprise for you.

"Baby," Bucky whispered as he kissed your temples. "I need you to wake up before breakfast gets cold,"

"Okay," You mumbled, opening your eyes slowly. You saw his gorgeous face hovering over yours. Strands of brown hair fell from his face, framing it perfectly. His blue eyes shone in the morning light. You saw the strands of dark blue pop from the light blue. His eyes were an ocean, like ones you'd visit in the summer. The oceans on the beaches Tony would bring you to. They were the eyes that reminded you of team bonding at the poolside. Those eyes were the eyes you'd look into when you were scared. They were the eyes that loved you.

You eventually got up. It felt like forever to you, sluggishly arising from your soft bed. Your feet landed on the chilly wood floors. You didn't feel like getting dressed, walking into the kitchen as you were. As soon as you entered the room, delicious sents flooded your senses. The perfect balance of sweet and spicy was engulfing the room.

Over breakfast, the two of you discussed chores. You family was coming down for the weekend to visit. They were meeting Bucky for the first time, it was a big deal. They were a little weary when you told them you were moving in with Bucky, reasonably. They'd never met him, so they were scared for your safety. So ever since the week prior, Bucky has been in cleaning mode. He vacuumed once a day, which was typically a weekly chore. Bucky cleaned out the fridge, something you hadn't done in months. The countertops were clean after every meal. Every shelf was dusted and rearranged.

You tasked yourself to rake the leaves, desiring to be done before the weekend. Your Dad was a garden guy. He took good care of his lawn and garden. You figured you'd spare Bucky the stress, assigning yourself the chore. You understand gardening, for the most part.  It was a menial task, but not the worst. The bright orange and bold gold of the leaves surrounding you was calming. The small crunch they made when you stepped on them was entertaining. However, it was more alarming when you heard the 'entertaining' crunch approaching behind you.

"Surprise!" Bucky shouted, throwing leaves at you when you turned around. The leaves fluttered to the floor, a number of them sticking to your sweater.

"Bucky! I just raked this whole area," You scolded. You weren't genuinely upset. It was more of an 'I'm annoyed with you but you're too cute to be mad at' type of scold. It was a type of scold that Bucky earned a lot. You'd make sure he heard you playfully scoff when he brought Sam in the house after 10. Bucky felt the eye roll if he ever left his dirty clothes in the bathroom. He was used to it, but it was still effective in proving your annoyance.

Bucky wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed your nose. You could smell the spice in his breath, not that it's a bad thing.

"Sorry hon', didn't mean to. Need help?" Bucky asked with a grin on his face, placing another kiss on your forehead. He must've gotten a leaf in your hair, you felt his metal hand move from your waist and pluck something off your head.

You shook your head, denying Bucky's help. The bags under his eyes signified to you he was tired. He'd been tuckering himself out the past week. Bucky denied himself breaks while cleaning around the house. You couldn't remember a time he sat down for more than three minutes.

Bucky tilted his head at your denial. "Mmm, too bad," Bucky stated, departing you to find another rake in your shed. You giggled, getting back to work.

He soon returned with a taller rake than the one you had, a worn-down red handle to match some of the leaves. He whistled, raking leaves into one big pile. You two would talk every once in a while, making small talk. You guys didn't mind the silence, but small talk helped get the job done faster.

"If you could only have one color apple, which one would it be?" Bucky asked, raking around a small tree in your backyard.

"By color, do you mean like red, green and yellow?"  You shouted, being about fifty feet away from him, closer to the house.

"Yeah!" He replied, pushing a mixture of dead grass, twigs and orange leaves into his pile.

"Hm, probably yellow. They're sweet but not too sweet. They're not sour either, which is perfect!" You added, plucking a few leaves that found their way on your sweater, off. There were a few on your jeans too. You bent over, taking two off the knees of your distressed jeans.

Bucky made a disgusted face. His nose scrunched up, his eyebrows furrowing.  "Yellow? Seriously? Is it too late to move out?! Those are the grossest ones, Y/N! Green is the way to go, I'm a sour apple kind of guy,"

You chuckled, resuming raking the spacious yard.

This apple conversation later evolved. Who knew?

"Okay, Buck, if you like green apples so much, do you think green apple candy is good?" You ask, relatively closer to the brunette.

"Green apple candy is the worst, Y/N!" Bucky responded, with a playful mock of disgust. "It's too sweet. A green apple is sour, it should stay sour!"

"Bucky, it's sweet because it's candy!" You suggested. You knew that Bucky knew that's why it was sweet, but it's all for the sake of conversation.

Bucky shook his head, circling the tree to rid of the leaves at the base.

Other conversations arose, he questioned you about modern technology. You quizzed him about 40's music, a thing you loved to talk about. Bucky smiled every time you asked if he heard a specific song. He loved how infatuated you were with his time and pop culture. It was something admirable about you.

"Did you hear the song 'Rum and Coca-Cola', Buck?"

"Who was it by?" Bucky questioned. Maybe if he heard the artist name, it would ring a bell.

"The Andrews Sisters," You replied, picking up a few larger sticks and adding them to a nearby pile. It was in your head that you could have a small fire when your parents arrive.

Bucky shook his head with a small smile. "No, I don't think so. I might need to hear it to see if I know it. You can't rely on my old brain to remember something like that,"

"Whatever old man," You laugh, throwing some leaves at Bucky. He rolled his eyes, sticking his tongue out at you. He threw leaves back, which was a bad idea. You two had ditched the rakes and were now chucking small piles of leaves at each other. The you in ten minutes will be so mad.

Raking took hours. It's closer to three o-clock when you step back to admire your work. The yard was essentially barren! Bucky was going around, picking up a few strays from the ground and placing them in a plastic bag. You guys made three big piles. One was near the shed, and it was slightly larger than the third step of your patio. Another was near the small tree in the back of your yard. The last pile was in the dead center of your yard. Bucky held the plastic bag in his hand, waving when he noticed you were watching him. You grinned, returning the wave and walking up the patio steps.

"Where 'ya going, dollface?" Bucky asked, sneaking up behind you and placing the bag on your grill.

You chuckled, wrapping your arms around his neck. "I was wishing to go inside for a minute. Why do you ask, my love?" He beamed at the pet name.

"You're missing out on the best part of leave raking, Y/N!" Bucky sighed, planting his hands on your hips. "The only thing more fun than raking leaves is jumping in them once you're finished ranking 'em!" He let go of you, finishing his sentence. He pulled himself away from your arms. Bucky stood still waiting for your response.

"James," You warned. This provoked Bucky to depart from the old, wooden patio. Watching Bucky sprint to one of the piles was entertaining. His hair was flying behind him, the brown locks blending in with the dying grass surrounding you. You observed him barreling towards the pile near the tree. He jumped in, making leaves float above the pile, and settle on the ground and back in the pile. Your jaw dropped, he had the nerve to do that. "Bucky, what the hell?!" You watched Bucky's face. He had the widest grin on his face, he looked happy.

You sauntered over to the pile. You weren't angry, more amused than anything else. "You've got some balls to do that. We've been out here since nine!" You laughed, with a bit of annoyance and a smidge of happiness.

"Dollface, I pinky promise on Steve's life that after we're done, we'll clean it up. Hell, I'll clean it up!" Bucky mused.

You had an idea. You're gonna scare the shit out of Bucky Barnes. You shook your head no, turning on your heel. You walked about 10 steps towards the house until you turned back around and booked it towards the pile. You leaped into the bundle of leaves, making a small flurry of leaves float around the two of you. Bucky smirked, realizing you hopped on top of his chest. You giggled, leaning down and placing a kiss on the lips.

"Wanna get off of me, babe? I wanna show you the coolest thing ever." Bucky said, looking at you with admiration. His smile was wide. His white teeth popped out from the warm colors surrounding his face. The ocean that was his eyes stuck out from the oranges and reds underneath him. Everything about this moment was perfect, but you had to get up.

You lifted yourself off of Bucky, laughing as you did so. You wiped a few golden leaves that stuck to your sweater. Bucky made a hand motion for you to get out of the way, so you took a few steps backward.

Right before your eyes, you saw Bucky Barnes, your boyfriend, no a backflip into the pile of leaves.

"Holy shit!" You shouted, immediately covering your mouth in case any neighbors heard. It was too late if they did hear, though. You felt your eyes widen at the sight of Bucky's trick. He got up from the leaves, chuckling. His hair was full of orange, yellow and red leaves, it was like a wig.

"You're going to be the death of me, babe," You deadpan, plucking the leaves out of Bucky's hair. He mumbles something about you loving it while you take the remaining leaves.

"You, mister," You point to Bucky, "Are going to rake this up. I, Y/N am going to go make us some glasses of tea so we can relax" You check your watch. "I'll probably get a start on dinner too,"

It was nearing five now, by the time he finishes and dinner was done it would probably be six. If you add a shower into the equation, you two would be dressed in PJs and watching a Halloween movie at eight-thirty. Better start now.

Bucky nods, understanding what you're saying. He made the mess, he's going to pick it up. "What's for dinner?"

You start walking away, pulling a leaf from underneath your belt. "You'll find out when you come inside, leaf boy,"

Bucky shook his head as you walk away, chuckling at himself. You're going to be a tough cookie after all he made you deal with today. For all he knows, you probably have leaves in your sweater. What he'd give to find out.

Bucky was almost done when you hung out of the kitchen window.

"Dinner time!" You cheer out from the warmth of your house.

Bucky came running in, stomping off his boots in case they got mud in them. You giggled at the simple act, he'd been doing that ever since you educated him on mud tracks. He untied them and arrived in the kitchen, sliding a bit on the floor due to his mix and matched socks. He reached over you to grab two paper plates from a shelf and placed them on the counter. Did he smell the lovely smell of tomato and cheese, plus an interesting vegetable smell? It was pizza night.

"Looks amazing, babe," Bucky says as he kisses a kiss to your shoulder. You mutter a thank you while cutting out pieces for the two of you. They weren't perfect slices, some of the triangles being smaller than others. Though, it was hard to deny that it looked terrible.

The pizza was a hit. Bucky had almost all of it. He would've eaten all of it if you'd let him. However, you needed food to eat. The night concluded in watching a movie on the couch. Tonight was your choice, and you wanted to watch something spooky. 25 minutes into 'Beetlejuice' and your pajama-clad boyfriend was passed out. You heard the wind blowing when realization hit you like a truck.

You never put the leaves in the bag.

It was windy.

You'd need to do this all over again tomorrow.

[pietrotheavenger]

learn to love

chapter 5 - ‘til i forget about you

summary: steve and y/n don’t get along. now, they have to.

warnings: swearing & alcohol

pairings: au!steve rogers x fem!reader, wanda x vision

a/n: this chapter is 4k words long you’re very welcome

series masterlist

steve didn’t wake y/n up. she looked so comfortable, tucked deep into his covers. her face was smashed against the pillow, her breaths leaving her parted lips in soft sighs. she hadn’t slept much the night before, anyways. it was better to leave her sleeping.

he freshened up before returning downstairs to his family. “where’s your girl?” sophia suggestively asked, wiggling her eyebrows. she was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone.

“sleeping,” he replied. “don’t you have some homework to do or something?”

“oh, fuck off,” she scoffed.

“language.”

he entered the kitchen, scratching his jaw. “hey, ma,” he greeted.

“steven, be a dear and set the table?” she set down a stack of plates on the island.

“sure,” he picked the plates up. “by the way, y/n fell asleep upstairs and i didn’t wake her up because i want her to get some rest. i don’t know if she’ll come down for lunch.”

“that’s fine. you’re so sweet for letting her sleep in. i’ve always said that you’re the sweetest rogers,” she beamed, pinching his cheek.

“thanks, ma,” he responded, sheepishly.

he headed to the breakfast nook where a bowl of salad awaited the family. “here?” he asked.

“well, if she’s not coming down, then yes.”

he began setting the table for the six of them. “so, what do you think of her?”

“she seems nice. i think she’s a good fit for you.”

“good fit?”

“yeah, i mean you can’t keep your hands off of her. and i feel like she keeps you on your toes.”

“she definitely keeps me on my toes,” he chuckled.

“and you need that. you would get bored if she didn’t.”

“you’re right.” steve continued setting the table in silence.

“does she make you happy?”

he pondered the question for a moment, pausing at his work. “yes,” he answered, genuinely. after a few minutes of silence, simon seemingly appeared out of thin air.

“what’s up, genitals and gentlemen?” he said, enthusiastically.

sophia cackled from the couch, but their mother gasped, “simon andrew rogers!”

“hey, i did not use any swear words,” he pointed out.

“that’s still vulgar.”

“it’s funny, though,” steve giggled.

“you kids drive me crazy,” she sighed as steve and simon high fived.

lunch was pleasant aside from steve being grilled on y/n. it was nice for the family to be back together like nothing had changed. “why don’t we talk about sawyer’s girlfriend?” he tried to steer them away from the topic of him and y/n.

“no!” sawyer yelled.

“we know enough about gina,” his mother waved them off. “however, y/n…” she trailed off.

“well, her favorite color is yellow, she likes sunflowers and strawberries, she can’t hold her liquor, and she’s really good at cooking but hates doing it,” he blurted out any information about her that he could think of. “okay? is that enough information for you guys? can i get back to my salad?” he looked at all of them carefully.

“y/n can’t hang,” sophia snickered.

“neither can you,” he retorted.

“no fair!”

“listen here, you gremlin-”

“enough!” joe yelled. “we’re having a nice family lunch, okay?”

“okay,” steve and sophia grumbled.

the rest of the lunch continued smoothly. once it was over, everyone retreated to their corners of the house. rosie followed steve up the stairs. he let her into the room before closing the door. y/n was splayed out on the bed. she slept on her stomach, with one leg drawn up and the other straight out. the sheets were tangled with her limbs. he slowly unwound it from her and properly covered her. rosie jumped up onto the bed and laid down at the end, her head in her paws. “sweet girl,” steve cooed, scratching behind her ears.

he had drawn the curtains over his windows, earlier, but the sheerness still brought in some soft light. he examined the books on his shelves before pulling out one well worn copy of his favorite book, anna karenina. he hadn’t taken it with him when he moved out because he didn’t want to lose it. he owned at least a dozen other copies of the book, anyways. he opened the book up to the inscription inside the cover.

steve,

happiest birthday ever to america’s golden boy! picked up this book because the pretty girl at the bookstore recommended it. she had a lip ring. she told me i lived many lifetimes of despair with you if this was the book that i settled on for you. i suppose i may have lived many terrible lifetimes, but as long as i lived them with you, it doesn’t matter.

with you ‘til the end of the line,

bucky

he sighed, running his fingers over the fading ink. he leafed through the pages as he sat down with his back against the bookshelf. he had highlighted all the quotes in the book that he liked. he stopped at a random page and read the quote that he had highlighted on that page.

“he stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”

y/n made a noise and he looked up. she was stillfast asleep. he continued reading along that page, and continued on with that chapter, and accidentally continued on with the book. he heard y/n stir. his eyes flickered to her and then to the clock. 5:57, it read. they were meant to go to dinner with the barnes’ and the maximoff’s at 7:30.

her eyes fluttered open and met his. “hi,” he whispered. she sleepily hummed back. he closed the book and set it back onto the shelf. he got up and sat down on the edge of the bed. he brushed her hair away from her face and let his hand stay on her face. “i’m sorry about earlier,” he mumbled, stroking his thumb along her cheekbone.

“s’all good,” she replied. she raised her arms above her head and stretched, emitting soft moan. “neither of us were at our best.”

“we’re going out to dinner in an hour. i’ll let you get ready.”

“dinner? what time is it?”

“almost 6.”

“oh, fuck,” she threw the covers off and jumped out of bed. she began rifling through her bag, pulling out clothes and toiletries. “where’s the bathroom?” she demanded.

“first door on the right.”

when she flew out of the room, he began getting ready, too. he took his time as he showered in another bathroom and returned to the room, a towel slung low on his hips. y/n was back and sitting on the bed, brushing makeup onto her cheeks. if she noticed him, she didn’t do anything to suggest that she did until he closed the door.

“stevie, could you-” she began turning to him but froze. “you’re naked!” she hissed.

“yes, i am,” he chuckled. she threw a pillow at him. “hey!” he cried.

“get your dick out of my face! and when you’re done with that, do you mind looking for my white heels in my suitcase?”

“anything for you, darling,” he rolled his eyes. he tugged on a pair of boxers under the towel before letting it fall to the ground. she tried not to drool at the rippling of his back muscles as he went through his suitcase to find a shirt. he settled on a silky burnt orange shirt. he buttoned it up and grabbed a pair of black slacks and pulled them right up. as he was doing up the belt, there was a knock at the door.

“it’s me!” simon called.

“you good?” steve mouthed to her. she nodded. “come in!”

simon opened the door. he was dressed in a forest green button up and dark brown dress pants. “mom said you guys have twenty minutes before we have to go. we’re taking two cars, by the way,” he told the pair.

“i’ll take y/n and sawyer,” steve offered.

“sounds good. maybe dad will let me drive his car,” simon grinned mischievously.

“in your dreams, buddy!” steve laughed.

“hey, it’s gonna happen, one day!” he began closing the door, but before he closed it all the way he said very quickly, “you look really pretty, y/n.”

“thank you,” she giggled. she finished swiping on her red lip color, and a moment later, she zipped up her makeup bag. “okay, i think i’m done with that,” she said to herself. she stood up and examined herself in the full length mirror. she wore a black maxi dress that had a plunging neckline and small yellow flowers printed all over. there was a slit up the left leg that ended near the top of her thigh. she layered the same three gold necklaces she always did.

“shoes?” she turned around where steve stood, holding her white heels out for her. “thank you,” she smiled. she slipped her feet into them, sprayed perfume, and picked up her brown purse. she pet rosie as she asked, “how do i look?”

“not bad, y/l/n,” he cheekily responded. “how do i look?” he spun around for her.

“your collars all fucked up.” she made grabby hands at him and he crossed the distance between them to stand in front of her as she smoothed out the collar. “better,” she said, quietly. “ready?”

“ready,” he nodded. he opened the door and offered her an arm. “shall we?”

“let’s just fucking get this over with.”

the drive to the barnes’ house was nice and calm in steve’s jeep. only god knew the havoc that simon was wrecking in the other car. sawyer was the shyest of the rogers but y/n managed to pull some light conversation from him. when they arrived to their destination, steve leaned in and whispered to her as they walked up the steps to the house, “he likes you.”

“of course he does,” she whispered back. he rolled his eyes.

they were the first ones to show up. mrs. barnes greeted them at the door. “steve! it’s been too long!” she exclaimed.

“hi, winnie,” he smiled as he hugged her tight. when he pulled away, he gestured to y/n. “this is my girlfriend.”

“oh, it’s lovely to meet you, sweetie,” winnie gushed as she pulled y/n in for a hug.

“it’s great meeting you, too, mrs. barnes,” she laughed.

“call me winnie!”

the trio was brought into the house where they met mr. barnes, better known as george, and their daughter, rebeccah. she had gorgeous chocolate brown hair and the greenest eyes.

“where’s bucky?” steve asked, looking around.

“right behind you, punk.”

the whole group turned around and y/n’s heart skipped a beat at the attractive man standing in front of them. he had the same glossy hair as his sister and piercing blue eyes. stubble dotted along his jaw, which looked like it could pierce through a sheet of metal.

steve crashed into bucky, hugging him as hard as he could. bucky was everything for steve. they had been best friends since they learned what friends were. “i missed you,” bucky’s voice was muffled by his shoulder. “you’ve bulked up, huh?” he commented. when they pulled away, he squeezed steve’s bicep.

“you know, i’ve been hitting the gym,” the blonde man flexed. he made eye contact with y/n and beckoned her over. he introduced her to bucky.

“it’s a pleasure meeting you. especially since steve has so selfishly kept you all to himself. but, i can see why,” bucky flirted.

steve put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. “alright, buck-” he began, but the man in question waved him off.

“i’m not gonna steal your girl off of you,” he laughed. “yet,” he added.

“y/n, how do you like your wine?” rebecca asked, interrupting steve who had just opened his mouth to reply to bucky’s pass.

“white,” y/n and steve both said at the same time.

“i can handle myself, rogers,” she poked him in the stomach.

he bit back a snarky remark and instead smiled warmly at her, “i know, darling.” she sensed the slight bitterness in his tone and made a face at him. he mocked her expression.

“you’re truly a match made in heaven,” bucky chuckled.

“he truly is something else,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“oh, tell me about it,” bucky sighed. “he thinks he can fight his way into and out of anything.”

“oh my god, right?! he’s the biggest dumbass i’ve ever met in my life! one time we went out clubbing and i forgot to bring cash. he almost started fighting the bouncer so i could get in. for what reason? there was an atm around the corner.”

“alright, honey,” steve laughed nervously, “that’s enough of that.”

“sounds like the time that i forgot to bring money to a high school basketball game and i couldn’t get in. he almost started fighting the security. back then, he was a shrimp. he would’ve gotten pounded into dust if our other friend hadn’t had some extra cash.”

“maybe that says something about me choosing forgetful friends?” steve interjected. just then, the rest of his family arrived, causing some commotion.

“i have drinks!” rebecca exclaimed, balancing two wine glasses and two glasses of whiskey in her hands.

“thank you,” he said, under his breath.

“i like this bucky,” y/n quietly told him as rebecca passed out the drinks.

“a little too much, if you ask me.”

she didn’t have time to ask him what he meant by that because rebecca spoke up, “so, stevie, where have you been hiding y/n from us?”

“i didn’t want to tell anyone about her because, you know, we haven’t been together for that long. i didn’t want to speak too soon,” he looked down at her. she returned his gaze but looked away because his eyes were burning into hers. she rested her head on his chest and smiled. he kissed the top of her head.

“you’re so cute together,” rebecca gushed.

“steve, y/n! come here!” mrs. rogers called from the kitchen.

he moved his arm around her shoulders and took her hand, instead. he pulled her towards his mom and y/n waved to the siblings they were leaving behind. she drained her wine just as they stopped at the kitchen island. he stood behind her, his hands on either side of her on the counter. her back was pressed into him. she put her hand down onto the counter, unknowingly placing her hand over his.

“let me help you with that,” someone said, taking her glass and refilling it. she looked over and had to keep herself from drooling. what was it with everyone in boston being unnecessarily attractive? he had curly bleached blond hair, greenish blue eyes, and a devilish smile. his biceps rippled under the fabric of his blue shirt. he caught her staring and smirked at her. “i’m pietro,” he said.

“piet! how’re you doing?” steve embraced him.

“great. we’ve been missing you,” he replied. she wanted to shove him into the hall closet and rip his clothes off.

“well, duty calls,” steve laughed. “this is y/n, my girlfriend.”

pietro pulled her in for a hug. she got a whiff of his cologne, which was heavenly to say the least. she closed her eyes and savored the hug. “okay,” steve said, tugging on her arm.

“steady, rogers,” pietro teased. “it’s so great to meet you, y/n,” he smiled. he had a slight accent to his words. she couldn’t put her finger quite on it. “come, let me show you my family,” he grasped her elbow and guided her away. she looked over her shoulder to steve, who was looking dejected. sorry, she mouthed. pietro then continued to introduce his parents, erik and magda, his twin sister, wanda, and his little sister, anya. wanda came with her fiancé, vision. he was a weird, british man. somewhere along the way, she also met mr. barnes better known as george. they all mingled and she finished off her second glass of wine before dinner started. steve came to find her and whisk her to the dining room. she was starting to feel the alcohol so she was giggling at him and poking him.

“alright, babe, stop,” he batted her hands away.

“hi simon!” she beamed as she collapsed into the chair next to them. “ooh, champagne!” she squealed reaching for the flute on the table. she began sipping on it.

steve took the seat next to her, placing his hand on her thigh. “sweetheart, why don’t you drink some water?”

“i’m fine, peach!” she kissed the tip of his nose. he felt his cheeks redden.

dinner went by without any major hiccups. at one point, simon and y/n were whispering to each other and she almost fell out of her chair due to laughter. simon had also been drinking so steve had to babysit both of them. he tried to keep them from drinking but there was no point in beating a dead horse. pietro sat in front of her and watched everything unfold with a smug expression.

after dinner, he pulled away to a secluded corner. they could see everyone, but no one could hear them. “can you cool it with the drinking? do you want to blow this?” he hissed.

“alright i’m sorry. i’m good. i’m sober,” her face changed into one of adorable seriousness.

“i know you may find pietro and bucky attractive but for the rest of the trip you’re kinda my girlfriend-” he tried to explain but she interrupted him.

“god the things i would let pietro to do to me,” she swayed, grabbing onto his arm for balance.

“that doesn’t matter. you sound ridiculous.”

“steve, relax. it’s not that deep.”

“don’t fucking tell me to relax. you’re the one who’s gonna fuck it all up for us!”

“well it’s not my fault that you can’t get a girlfriend and you’re afraid of facing the truth!”

“oh shit, my mom saw us,” he grumbled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the bathroom.

“steve! what’re we doing in here?” she struggled for second, but once he had locked the door, he let go of her.

“it’ll look like we’re up to something. set everyone off our trail,” he murmured, pressing his ear to the door to listen.

“whatever,” she rolled her eyes. she opened up her purse and pulled out her lipstick.

“i need a vacation when we get back,” he grumbled. he opened up his phone and saw a text from natasha.

how’s everything going with my favorite couple?

he snapped a picture in the mirror. he stood in the background with his hand in his pocket while she leaned in close to the mirror, touching up her makeup. he had to admit, they looked good together. he typed out a text to accompany it and hit send.

“can you kiss me so it looked like we were making out?” he tapped his cheek and turned his head for easy access. she grabbed his face and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips. he stumbled backwards into the door when she let go. “what the fuck? y/n the contract!”

“fuck the contract!” she messed his hair up before throwing up the door open. he saw his reflection in the mirror before he was dragged out. he looked like a hot mess.

when they exited, anya caught sight of them, her big hazel eyes widening. she nudged bucky who looked to them then promptly choked on his whiskey. “steve,” he coughed then gestured to his mouth.

steve wiped his lips, knowingly leaving a corner. he carded his fingers through his hair as y/n dropped his hand and went to talk with mrs. barnes. mrs. rogers came rushing towards him like a train.

“have some shame, steven grant,” she scolded. she rubbed the lipstick off of his face while shaking his head.

“sorry,” he said, giving her a charming smile. he knew it was the smile that she could never stay mad at.

“you can’t help yourself, can you?” she shook her head.

“c’mon, ma. we’re just young and dumb.”

“and in love, clearly,” she grumbled.

he swallowed hard at her words. “alright, i think we’re gonna go home in a few. i told you she can’t hold her liquor,” he changed the subject.

“okay. don’t do anything stupid.”

“no promises,” he kissed her cheek. he mingled for a short while more before heading back to the house, a drunk y/n and simon in tow. he made both of them sit in the back.

“stevie, i’m cold. can you put the heat on?” she whined.

“yeah, stevie,” simon echoed.

“of course, honey,” he said through gritted teeth.

simon poked his head into the front and said, “pass me the-pass me the-pass me the-pass me the aux cord, man.”

the older brother did as he was told. simon fumbled with the cord for several moments before successfully connecting his phone. suddenly, at full volume, ‘til i forget about you by big time rush started blaring through the car speakers. steve flinched hard.

“fuuuuuuuck! i love this song!” she threw her hands up in the air.

“i get a call on random afternoon. i pick it up and i see that it’s you. like my heart, you were breaking the news. you say, ‘it’s over, it’s over, it’s over.’” the pair sang at the top of their lungs. steve knew that y/n had done choir all years of high school. he was surprised at how off-key she was singing.

“can i turn it down?” steve asked.

“NO!”

when they pulled up to the house, they both refused to get out of the car. he physically dragged them out. he threw y/n over his shoulder and pinched simon’s ear as he pulled them up the stairs to the front door. she giggled uncontrollably. she tried holding her head up but she physically couldn’t. simon yelped, trying and failing to slap his brother’s hand away. rosie greeted them at the door, enthusiastically wagging her tail.

“get to your room before i beat your ass,” steve threatened simon. he took her to the kitchen and set her down on the island. she kicked her feet back and forth as he got her a glass of water.

“i’m hungry,” she stated.

“you just ate,” he deadpanned.

“i want toast,” she said, laying on her back.

“butter?”

“always.”

when the toast popped out of the toaster, he brought it to the island. he began buttering it but paused when she wrapped her arms around his neck. she hugged him tight and didn’t let go. so, he continued buttering the toast behind her back. he took a bite before saying, “here, babe,” and handing her the slice. he began buttering the other slice. he stood with his legs far apart, and her legs in the middle of his.

“i’m having a great time. i’m glad you invited me,” she told him.

he couldn’t hide his smile. “i’m glad you’re having a great time.”

“being your girlfriend isn’t half bad if i get to get drunk and eat bread,” she remarked.

“yeah?” he tilted his head to the side as he bit into the other slice of toast. his heart fluttered at her calling herself his girlfriend, even if it was fake. it was the first time he’d heard her say it. “let’s see if you think that in that morning, when you’re hungover.” be smoothed her hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “let’s go to sleep.”

“carry me, steve,” she demanded.

“oh no, it seems that i’ve spoiled you, already,” he groaned, picking her up bridal style. she snuggled into his chest.

“i must be carried everywhere from now on,” she yawned.

by the time he had made it up the stairs, she had fallen asleep. he slipped her into bed. “you need to change, darling,” he whispered. she sleepily raised my arms. “i’m not doing it,” he added.

she pulled the dress off of her, struggling to get it over her head. “help,” her voice was muffled by the fabric.

he tugged the dress the rest of the way over. “where’s your pajamas?” he questioned.

“let me sleep,” she mumbled, receding into the covers.

he grabbed one of his shirts from his drawer and forced her to sit up one last time as he slipped it over her head. “you’re not getting makeup on my bedding,” he tapped her shoulder.

“suck my dick,” she responded.

he sighed in defeat. he dug around and found makeup wipes at the top of her suitcase. he pulled one out and began lightly wiping her face. he was afraid of putting too much pressure and hurting her. finally, it was his turn to undress and slip under the covers and into a deep sleep.

infinity tags:

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learn to love tags:

@youunravelme ; @cailin-lefantasy ; @thatoneslytherinbeater ; @clockworkherondale ; @clean-and-claire ; @tits-out-for-cevans ; @evverything-plus-anything ;

[mycatshuman]

I Put A Spell On You

All Hallows Eve

Pairings: eventual prinxiety, logicality, Remile

Warnings: talk of bad break up and bad ex, please let me know if I missed any.

Thank you so so much to @civilsounds17 and @icequeenoriginal if it weren't for you two fabulous people, this probably wouldn't exist outside of Google docks. Thank you. 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💜💜💜💜💜💜

Please forgive me for not having the read more. The mobile thing isn't working for me and I have no way to a desktop version.

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Salem, Massachusetts, 2019

An older woman in black steps through the aisles of desks as her students listen to her tale. "And so, the Sanderson brothers were hanged by the Salem town folk. And now, there are those who say that on Halloween night, two black cats still guard the old Sanderson house. Warning off any who might make the witches come back from the dead." The teacher threw a handful of plastic spiders at a student in front of Roman Prince. The student shrieked before the class dissolved into giggles.

Roman scoffed. "Give me a break."

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Do we have a skeptic in our midst?" She asked

Roman rolled his eyes. "Halloween is nothing but a holiday invented by the candy companies to earn more money. It's all a conspiracy."

Now normally, Roman would be all for Halloween, but due to a recent event that had him crying to sleep most nights, he was all too grumpy and hurt to properly get excited for the spooky holiday.

"It just so happens that Halloween is based on the ancient feast known as All Hallow's Eve. It's said to be the one night a year where the spirits of the dead can return to Earth," a young teen, wearing a soft cream-colored sweater corrected. Emile Picani. Roman groaned. He loved his friend. He did! And he really appreciated his friend trying to cheer him up with some knowledge on one of his favorite holidays, but at this moment he really couldn't deal with it. He was just too down in the dumps. He really shouldn't let it affect him. He should be happy and bright, but he just couldn't find it in himself.  

"Whatever."

The bell rang and teenagers filed out of the classroom. Emile grabbed his things and then waited for Roman to gather his stuff before they both left the classroom to meet up with Patton.

They found their cheery friend outside waiting for them underneath one of the tall trees outside of the high school. The two friends watched as an orange leaf floated down and landed in Patton's curly auburn hair. Roman let a small smile spread across his face at the sight of his friend with a leaf in his hair. The two friends walked up to stand by Patton as he finished a conversation with someone in his cooking class. Once he was done and the other person left, Patton turned to his friends with a smile.

"Hey, guys! How was Miss Dennison's class?" The bubbly teen pushed up his circular glasses and pulled his grey cardigan tighter around himself to offer some protection against the crisp fall air.

Emile shot a glance towards Roman, his warm brown eyes twinkling with concern. "Well, she told the story about the Sanderson Brothers. So that was nice." He left out the part about Roman's "outburst", unsure if whether or not he should mention it. The three set off towards their neighborhood. Their feet crunching on random leaves as they walked down the sidewalk.

Roman sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He suddenly felt incredibly guilty. He dropped his arm and shoved his hands in the pockets of his letterman jacket. "Hey, Emile," he called softly, his friend in question turned his attention to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so grumpy."

Emile gave his friend an empathic smile. "It's okay, Roman. I know you're feeling a little down."

The elephant in the room made Patton grimace. The knowledge of his friend hurting made unpleasant emotions storm his mind.

He forced a smile on his face. "So, what are we doing for Halloween tonight?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

Roman bit his lip. "I don't think I want to do anything tonight."

"What?!?!" Both Emile and Patton exclaimed, shock evident on their faces, Halloween was one of their friend’s favorite holidays.

Roman shrugged and looked away as they walked along the sidewalk. Young children in costumes ran by excitedly on their hunt for candy in the late daylight. "I just want to get my homework done before the weekend."

Emile and Patton shared a look as they followed after Roman. "But you love Halloween. You always have the best costumes."

"You always spend months planning and working on your costumes. So why....?"

Roman's shoulders hunched up by his ears and he pulled on his jacket sleeves. "Well, I just wanted to be mature, you know." Roman picked at the red and gold stripes of his jacket. He forced down the lump in his throat. "I-I mean, Matt didn't like that I was so immature. He was tired of the singing and dancing and childish movies. That's why he left so I just thought that I should probably grow up if I ever wanted to actually be able to be romanced." He forced his line of sight on a distant tree to avoid the sympathetic looks from his friends.

Emile bit his lip as he tried to come to a decision on how to approach this conversation. Meanwhile, Patton was fuming. He half wanted to strangle Roman's ex. How dare he make his best friend feel this way?!?! It made him so mad and upset. He let out a silent huff of breath. After taking a deep breath to slowly calm down, he took a few moments to think up a plan. Then he rushed forward to catch up with his friend and walk beside Roman. "Hey! I have an idea!" Roman raised an eyebrow as he shot a glance towards Patton, Emile sharing a similar expression.

"What is it?" Emile asked.

Patton began to physically vibrate as he held in a squeal, building up the excitement. "Come on Patton? Share with the class." Roman chuckled, thankful for the distraction.

"We should go to the Sanderson House!" He burst out energetically. His friends raised an eyebrow in sync.

"Why?"

"The kitties! What if they're there!!" He squealed. Roman snorted.

"But you're allergic," Emile said.

"No one can stop me."

Roman scoffed. "You wouldn't go alone, there could be spiders."

Patton shivered, the cool autumn air not being the cause but certainly not helping him. "Mm. While the idea of the creepy-crawly death dealers is scary, I still want to see if the cats are there."

Roman rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt that the 'brothers turned cats' are there, Patton."

"It's scientifically impossible," Emile added once he caught up. "But, it does sound very appealing."

"You too, Emile?" Roman asked.

Emile grinned. "Hey, cats are worth everything."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Alright, yeah, let’s go to the Sanderson house tonight. Sounds fun. Sounds dangerous. Let's go!" He exclaimed as they finally entered their neighborhood. "When are we going?"

Patton shrugged and pulled out a bag of trail mix and began munching on his snack. "Sometime tonight. I guess." He munched on his food thoughtfully for a few moments, deciding the best way to approach the subject he was about to bring up. "So, are you going to dress up?"

Roman bit his lip. "I guess I could throw something together real quick if you wanted me to."

Patton nodded and Emile let out a soft breath. "I'm going as a Dad."

Roman nodded. "Interesting. Why?"

Patton shrugged. "I don't know, just sounded like a good excuse to use a bunch of puns."

Emile nodded. "Sounds nice. I'm going as a therapist." He fixed his glasses smiling brightly.

"These are things you guys actually want to be, why dress up like them?" Roman asked.

His friends shrugged. "Well, we want to see if it actually makes us happy."

Roman nodded absently. His thoughts trailing off towards what he could possibly do for a costume in just a few hours. Soon enough they came to his house. He waved goodbye to his friends and rushed inside and up the stairs to his bedroom as fast as possible before bursting through his door and dropping his backpack on the floor. He shut his door and leaned back against it, resting his head as he let out a deep sigh. He took a glance around and felt his heart twist painfully.

Roman used to like his room. There were Disney posters everywhere. And there were musical posters and playbills pinned to every surface. There were stuffed animals on the bed, a sewing machine on the desk, complete with a box of fabric sitting underneath. That's how his room looked when he first got together with Matt. And that's how it looked through their whole relationship. Unfortunately, it was the same room they had their breakup fight in. All Roman had asked was if they could watch Moana. Then Matt exploded, calling him immature and childish because of all the things he did and enjoyed. Then he left. And Roman was left alone in his room that was too childish for his first boyfriend. After a few hours of crying Roman had ripped the posters and playbills off the walls and shoved them on a shelf in his closet. He shoved the stuffed animals, sewing machine, and fabrics behind his clothes in the closet.

He hardly opened his closest anymore. He grabbed most of his clothes from his dresser. He didn't like his room anymore. It was so bare. So, boring. He didn't like being in his room anymore. He glanced towards the closed doors on the opposite side of his room and bit his lip. He suddenly remembered what he had been working on before his boyfriend had come in to break up with him. He inched over to the doors and braced himself to open them. He whipped open the doors and found all of his favorite things sitting neglected in boxes.

He kneeled down and dragged out one of the boxes and began shifting around and then his hands closed around a piece of white fabric. He pulled it out and felt a tingle in his fingers as he spread out the mostly finished costume and felt his lips twitch slightly. He set the costume on the floor before pulling out the rest of what he needed. He suddenly felt a little more excited about tonight. It would be nice to get out of the house. Sort of like an adventure.

Roman smiled as he set to work finishing his costume. He had the eerie feeling that this was an adventure that was going to change his life. For better or worse, he had no idea what it would be. He just hoped it would be for the better.

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