#probably the best solution would be to stop thinking about it and continue living my normal life

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

aaaaahhhhhh stevie nicks will be performing close by me in december

and @actuallylukedanes told me about it because they knew i would want to know and that i might want to go and now i'm like...

it's expensive, but i could put it on a credit card? i've never been to a stadium-style concert alone, but i'm an adult and can surely figure that out? i'm fat and i worry about fitting in the seat, but when that happened with florence and the machine i just stood most of the time and it was worth it? a hotel room would cost more than the ticket and i don't want leander to have to come get me just cuz i won't have another way to get home... but it's STEVIE NICKS? and the time i was set up to go to a comic con carrie fisher was at i didn't end up going, and then she died?!?

so i can't decide if it would be dumb to go because i might regret it, or more dumb to not go and risk regretting that

[fivie]

I keep thinking about how well grantaire and anna would get along (before she gets re-brainwashed)... i know you've moved away from spn canon with UMW but do you have thoughts on how your characters would theoretically interact with spn characters?

ah yes, the re-brainwashing was very unfortunate 😔

my main headcanon re. UMW characters meeting SPN characters is that if Enjolras and Grantaire met Sam and Dean, based on Enjolras's personality and him having the sword, they would absolutely assume he was the angel of the pair 😂 Dean would probably commiserate with Grantaire about the challenges of hanging out with a socially challenged angel, and Grantaire would absolutely go along with it. Then Cas would show up and be like 'hello brother 😐' and spoil his fun.

I think Enjolras and Dean would butt heads, but Sam and Combeferre would probably get along quite well. I hope the spirit of Victor Hugo can't see me typing this.

Ages ago I actually started writing a little crossover story just for fun but I found it really weird 😂 I don't know if I'll ever write any more of it so I'll put what I have under a cut here if anyone wants to read it lol

(it is definitely not UMW canon 😂)

Grantaire is in a long-abandoned barn in rural Belgium, idly sweeping up the ashy remains of the shapeshifter that had been terrorising the nearby village in the guise of a local cryptid legend, when Combeferre pops into his mind with a bemusing prayer:

Don't come back to my apartment right now.

Grantaire pauses, awaiting further details. If Combeferre were in danger, he's sure he wouldn't bother beating around the bush, so Grantaire isn't overly worried, but Combeferre has never told him to stay away before and so he waits, curious. A minute or so later, an even more bemusing continuation:

Or if you do, make sure you come in through the front door like a human would.

Sometimes Grantaire desperately wishes that the prayer communication line went both ways. Combeferre feels distracted, like there are many other things demanding his attention and he is snatching at quiet moments to send Grantaire fragmented intel. Finally:

Other hunters here.

With that, the pieces slot together. Grantaire personally thinks it would be kind of funny for him to drop in on a room full of Musain hunters, especially the ones who'd written him off as a drunken waste of space years ago, and he could always erase their memories after if it was going to cause problems, but he supposes that Combeferre's solution of just keeping him away for a while is simpler. He finishes his clean up and is just about to return to Jehan's house when Combeferre reaches out again.

Could use your expertise for this. Come back if you're able? But please be discreet.

Grantaire snorts. He thinks he'll enjoy having a conversation with Combeferre later about why it's okay to pretend that he's human to other hunters, but not to Enjolras or Combeferre himself. He's well aware of the difference and the reasoning, of course, but he does like watching Combeferre wrestle with a moral quandary.

Enjolras is here, too.

This last part sounds like a warning, and Grantaire supposes it is, and one he should be thankful for. He braces himself before flying back to Combeferre's building, going up the stairs with pointed emphasis and hoping everyone in the apartment can hear his very normal, very human footsteps approaching. He opens the apartment door, calling out a greeting, and he steps inside and the world stops.

The other angel in Combeferre's living room stares at him, his human face registering only mild surprise even as his luminous true form roils and sparks in shock and alarm and, of course, horrifyingly, recognition. Grantaire stares back for a wild, world-tilting moment, and then he flies in a mad flurry, grabbing Enjolras and Combeferre and taking them to the furthest side of the room, pushing them behind him. Combeferre, who had just expressly told Grantaire to be on his best and most human behaviour, calls his name in confused dismay, and Enjolras is saying something too, demanding to know what he's doing, and there are two other humans here too, making their own noise, but then—

"Hello, brother," Castiel says, and all the humans in the room fall deathly silent.

Grantaire doesn't answer. His hand instinctively twitches to curl around the handle of a blade not currently in his possession. He can feel the presence of his sword burning in Enjolras's coat pocket and he wonders if the split second it would take for him to get to it will mean fiery death for all of them.

Three thousand years, he thinks. Three thousand years he successfully kept his head down, and then Combeferre goes and invites another angel into his living room—!

"Aw no, brother?" one of the new humans repeats. Grantaire doesn't dare take his eyes off Castiel, but the human sounds exasperated. He also sounds American, which raises many questions but also answers the one of why they are all here and not at the Musain. Grantaire can only imagine the Musain hunters' reaction to Americans descending upon their home base. "Cas, are you serious?"

"He's pretty clearly serious." The other human puts himself in Grantaire's line of vision, stepping between him and Castiel with one hand raised placatingly. He's uncommonly tall and more than broad enough in the shoulders to be considered physically imposing by human standards, but his posture and expression are currently extremely non-confrontational—he looks nervous, and sort of concerned. He looks at Grantaire first but then, clearly finding no invitation in his stony face, tilts his head to look past him at Enjolras and Combeferre instead. "So, uh. Got yourselves an angel."

"As do you, it would seem," Combeferre says with measured calm. It's strange to hear him speak English. Out of the corner of his eye, Grantaire sees him take half a step forward and hisses back at him, "Don't."

"Hey, who are you? Do we know you?" the first human says suddenly. "Are you an old douchebag in a new meat-suit?"

"Dean," Castiel says in quiet admonishment.

"What? It's not like we can tell."

"You don't know him," Castiel tells him before turning back to Grantaire. "This isn't necessary. I'm not going to harm you or these humans. You should calm yourself."

"And if you want to harm Cas then we're going to have a problem," the tall human says.

Grantaire makes no attempt to calm himself. "Are you alone?" he demands of Castiel, whose vessel affects a faintly puzzled expression.

"I'm here with Sam and Dean," he says slowly, and Grantaire scowls.

"I mean," he says, "where is your garrison?"

"I no longer serve Heaven, Rachmiel," Castiel says in oddly gentle tones, as if he's just realised why Grantaire would be so horrified to see him.

"Do not call me that," Grantaire snaps with a sharp shake of his head. "You—what do you mean?"

"I am...fallen." There's a strange mixture of pride and shame in Castiel's voice as he says it. "My loyalties were tested and I found them to lie more with humanity than with our brothers and sisters."

"You…" Grantaire's mind, emerging from the initial shock, starts to piece things together, starts to remember. "I saw you. Last year. You were killing angels and humans. Hundreds of them."

"Hey, that wasn't Cas," one of the humans, Dean, starts to protest, while Grantaire hears twin sharp intakes of breath from Combeferre and Enjolras as they apparently make the connection between the God-Monster they'd seen on screen all those months ago and the mild-mannered man standing before them now.

"Look, okay, let's...We didn't come here to fight," says the other human, whom Grantaire assumes, through elimination, to be Sam. "It's complicated, okay? But Castiel is with us. He's not the bad guy. He's saved our lives more times than I can count and—hell, he helped us stop the apocalypse."

"Did he say the apocalypse?" Grantaire hears Enjolras mutter behind him.

"What did you two have to do with the…?" Grantaire looks at the two strangers properly for the first time and feels a fresh wave of hysteria. There is a lot to be read from their souls that he will unpack later, but most pressingly, he can see who they are—what they are. "You're the vessels." His undoubtedly wild-eyed gaze swings back to Castiel. "You're walking around with Michael and Lucifer's vessels? You brought them here?"

"Michael and Lucifer are both in the cage," Castiel says. "I do not expect they will be coming looking for their vessels."

"And they already know that they do not have consent to take either of us for a ride," Dean says with a grimly sardonic smile.

Grantaire's head feels like it's going to explode, which wouldn't kill him but would undoubtedly be very distressing for Enjolras and Combeferre to witness. He wills his vessel to hold it together.

"Grantaire," Combeferre says quietly—even that makes him jump. Combeferre speaks to him in soft, rapid-fire French that the Americans clearly do not understand and that Castiel politely pretends not to hear. "If he's really broken with Heaven, isn't that a good thing? For you to not be the only one?"

Grantaire casts a somewhat tortured glance back at him, not anywhere near ready to accept the idea that running into anyone from his family could ever be good, before looking inevitably back to Castiel, unable to keep his eyes from returning to the perceived threat in the room.

"It is good to see you," Castiel says, horribly earnest. "I believed you dead."

"Yeah, that was the idea," Grantaire snaps. Castiel tilts his head to one side like a confused puppy, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"You've been in hiding," he hazards finally.

"Pretty successfully, up until now," Grantaire says.

"Hey, just like Gabriel," Dean remarks. "You gotta wonder how many other angels flew the coop."

"Gabriel," Combeferre repeats in tones of disbelief that match Grantaire's own feelings. "The archangel? He also…?"

"Gabriel is dead," Grantaire says bluntly.

"Yeah, but he had a good run hanging out down here pretending to be a trickster god," Dean says with a smile that suggests not-so-fond remembrance. "What've you been hiding out as? Some other deity?"

There's an agonising sort of pause, and then it's Enjolras who says, not without bitterness, "A human."

Dean whistles. "That's a bold choice."

"Rachmiel," Castiel says, and Grantaire wants to scream. "Heaven will not hear of any of this from me. You and your humans are safe. Please. I—Here."

He puts one hand up as if in surrender while his blade falls from the sleeve of his coat into his other hand. He holds it up, slowly and demonstratively, before setting it down on Combeferre's coffee table and stepping back.

There is a very strange, very awkward moment where Castiel and his two humans look at Grantaire expectantly, waiting for him to return the gesture and disarm. Finally, Enjolras steps forward. He catches Grantaire's eye questioningly and, at his nod, takes Grantaire's blade out of his own coat and lays it next to Castiel's. Dean and Sam's eyebrows shoot up and Castiel gives a slow, considered blink, but mercifully all three of them refrain from saying anything about the matter.

[these-emo-thoughts]

Last Twilight Episode 11 thoughts

A lot of people are hating on Day right now but I get him. I do. And if you haven't watched episode 11 yet, maybe skip this post as it revolves around a major part of the plot. If you've watched the ep, you probably know what I'm talking about. More detail is under the cut.

Warning, this is a long one, lol. Apologies for any mistakes, I'm a bit sick and didn't read over it 🤣

If you've seen it already, I'm going to explain why I think Mhok and Day's break-up had to happen and why it is the best thing for them right now.

Mhok's fear of losing another person because he isn't there to help or pick up the phone is absolutely valid (and so real and relatable that I feel personally attacked). He doesn't stay with Day out of pity, which has been established multiple times throughout the series - but the trauma of what he went through with Rung and the fear of possibly repeating that again with Day has made his anxiety cloud his judgement and his heart. It's not a healthy way to live - constantly worrying about your partner, to the extent where you cannot live for yourself, is not sustainable for a relationship (I also find this quite ironic because up until this point Mhok has been on his own for a long time now). We saw the manifestation of this fear in episode 11 multiple times too, with Mhok leaving in the middle of the shift to check that the guest that was hit by a car wasn't Day, and then when he was freaking out when Day wasn't answering his phone. Imagine going through all of that, but this time, your partner is 15 hours away by plane.

Day choosing to break up with him is, in my opinion, more complex than just "he lied to me and pitied me". That's part of it (and will come back at the end of this post), yes, and he does have the right to be upset that Mhok lied to him. Again, it's not healthy for the both of them if they are going to continue a relationship. I also want to point out that Day is at a disadvantage here because while he is capable of living his life independently as a blind man, he can't actually see the emotions on people's faces when he talks to them and that's can be important for picking up what others are putting down. Day can't see the changes in Mhok's expression when his smile fades, he has to rely on the other to talk to him when something is up, so lying is a BIG no-no here (as it would be for any relationship). So far, they've done a great job at communicating, so this is presented as new issue - but, it's a big one. So yes, the lying is part of it, but it's not ALL of it.

"But what IS all of it!?" I hear you scream into the Tumblr void. Well, by now, OF COURSE Day knows that Mhok truly loves him and KNOWS that the other doesn't pity him - he's said so many times. So, Day must realise at this point - of which the timeline is probably at a year of them knowing each other, give or take - that Mhok is deliberately holding himself back from good opportunities because of that love. It must hurt like hell, knowing that you're the reason your partner is self-sabotaging, but there's nothing you can do to change their mind because everything is out of your control. It's so much easier for Day to say "Mhok pities me and lied to me and that's why I want to break up" instead of "I'm the reason Mhok won't go".

It's heartbreaking, but what's the solution here? Long distance? Sure, maybe - but that's not going to stop Mhok from worrying about Day and being distracted from his job. It's not going to stop Day from feeling like he's a burden to Mhok. Not only that, with timezones and such a huge distance, there are even more complications to worry about. Plus, let's say something DID happen to Day while Mhok was in Hawaii - it goes back to exactly the problem that Mhok had which is what can he do about it? Long distance is a solution, but how long will they last living like that?

"Okay emo, so why doesn't Day just go to Hawaii with Mhok? Then they can be together and Mhok can fulfil his promise to take him there and they don't have to break up and they'll live happily ever after." I see you!! But... that's a BIG decision. Mhok and Day's trip to Songkhla may have been a test to see how they weather the storm of living together as boyfriends, but it was only for a few days. And Day - for most of it - was alone in the room while Mhok was working. That's not a way for Day to live, and it still won't stop Mhok from being worried, probably even MORESO now because they're in a whole other country.

So... what's left?

Day's decision to break up with Mhok is heartbreaking, but is probably the only solution that makes sense to me. Mhok CANNOT live a life like this. He can't. It's already debilitating him and it'll get even worse if he's constantly prioritising Day over himself in every aspect of life. Of course a person should think about their partner, but not to the point where it becomes unhealthy self-sabotage. Day also cannot live happily like this. He's come to terms living with a disability and already is aware of how different his daily life is to that of a sighted person - but the little voice in the back of his mind, the one reminding him that he's the reason Mhok is not living his life to the fullest, is making the entire process more difficult for him (and the lying really doesn't help).

So... yeah. A necessary evil that unfortunately to many will be written off simply as the "episode 11 curse". An evil that has people already saying that Day is stupid and immature, when I really believe this is the most rational he's been. I know even the actors have said it's about the lying but this is P'Aof we're talking about here - he's a brilliant story-teller, and there's always more to his art than what we see on the surface. It's happened in other shows he's directed, which is why they rate so highly. Last Twilight is no exception, and the complexity of the love story between Mhok and Day is nothing short of a masterpiece. That's how I see it, anyway.

Would love to hear other thoughts and perspectives!

[waffleweirdo]

I ramble about Nana and her relationship to the auditions, and what I think that says about her character and how it ties into revstar's themes for 680 words (this is just my interpretation):

First and foremost I think one of the most interesting things to look at is the motivation Nana has for participating in the auditions...

Nana's first reason for pursuing the auditions wasn't to become a top star. She wanted to be able to perform on the stage of destiny so that she could begin her reruns. A very different motivation than every other original character. However she still followed the system of the auditions and became the top star. Afterwards she continued winning the auditions, for her same desire to continue the reruns, but also out of a belief that she was protecting everyone else from getting their brilliance stolen (albeit definitely in her own warped way). She becomes trapped in the necessity to win. We don't see the time loops extensively, but I think it's pretty safe to say that she definitely wasn't having the BEST time. Judging by her breakdown after losing, and well, just her general mental state, and, y'know, repeating a single year over 70 times due to your crippling fear of the future and loneliness probably isn't all sunshine and rainbows.

Nana originally didn't even want to be the top star. She loves theatre, but wanted to pursue a stage where she wasn't alone, and she found precious in Seisho leading to a performance that felt so perfect to her it was blinding. She hates Starlight, and is happiest, not when she is performing, but when she is everyone's Banana. She didn't want to be the isolated top star, but through her participation in the auditions she becomes trapped in the top star system.

(It's a bit of a tangent, but the fact that Nana who hates Starlight and doesn't even want to be the top star is ultimately the person who wins the auditions, combined with factors like her natural height and brilliance as shown by her two weapons just further adds to the show's critiques of the ideal of a top star)

It's almost like a monkey paw kind of wish. I think this is a lot of the reason Nana hates being a stage girl so much. She loves theatre. She loved the 99th Starlight and finding friends at Seisho. But when she became subject to the system of the auditions, being a stage girl meant fighting constantly to desperately claw at her happiness, where a single loss meant her happiness and all of her friend's brilliance would be stolen. That life or death, miserable struggle is what I believe Nana thinks of as being a stage girl. Not only does she believe she is protecting everyone's brilliance, but stopping any of them from being the top star, and is protecting them in doing so. (Hi Arcana Arcadia Nana)

I think we can also see a lot of this ideology in the Revue of Hunting. Nana cares deeply about Junna and sees how she has been struggling. And through her perception of what being a stage girl means thinks the most reasonable solution is 100% to kill the stage girl that is Hoshimi Junna. I think it's also interesting that when Nana is talking about Junna being dazzling she specifically references the time that Junna was overworking herself so much that she literally collapsed and she was miserable with the fear of being a failure... yeah Nana really does not think being a stage girl is a good thing.

I'm so normal about revue starlight and especially about Nana :)) hopefully this wasn't just word vomit and was at least a bit legible.

The moral of the story is Revue Starlight is incredible at conveying its themes, and every time I think about it I realize something and I'm like oh heck! The writing is so good

I also think this is only Nana's perspective before the end of the show, she's still struggling a bit in the movie, but is definitely growing! Plus in Climax she is happy living in London! I think she definitely ends up happy

I have so many more thoughts, and I barely even talked about Junnana and Nanahisa! Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed my rant

[ay0nha]

Dead Man Walking | Tommy Miller

SUMMARY: “May as well ask it, sweetheart.” Tommy caught your eye and saw the way you were contemplating every aspect of his being. You hardly knew him. He was convincing, though. Talked of a place that would take you in, no questions asked. A place that sounded disgustingly beautiful. 

PAIRING: Tommy Miller x femme!reader

WORD COUNT: 2K

WARNINGS: not too much, pretty fluff/angst oriented, canon-typical things (infected, firearms, etc.), talk of eating/food, etc.

A/N: I couldn’t resist. Look at him. It isn’t anything crazy, a short lil sm sm for fun that’s pretty self-indulgent. This is dedicated to @from-the-clouds​ who helped me tremendously and has a genius brain for ideas!

 Part II

The wind chill kept you static. It made your bones ache with every movement of the horse. But you were grateful that you no longer had to endure it on foot. Or alone.

There was little energy left in your body to keep yourself upright. Tommy could feel how your body threatened to cave and noted how you fought against it as best you could.

“No point in being stubborn.” Tommy’s voice rumbled against your chest as you moved away. The inconsistent conversation shared helped you rally but made you tense with uncertainty. “I’m just as cold as you are.”

Your effort to ignore him dwindled, and so did your willpower to argue. He was insistent on your comfort, offering his waist for warmth and support.

With a confident hand on the reign, Tommy reached for your own, pulling you tightly to him. At first, your grip around him was tight, as if you’d fall. Even with the thick fabric between you and him, the warmth seeped into you instantly.

You meant to keep to yourself, but your sigh was telling of the relief Tommy provided. Days passed with a chill you couldn’t shake and exhaustion that you refused to let consume you.

“We’ll go a little bit further before stoppin’.” Tommy was almost as tired as you, but he held more drive. Maintaining the steady pace of the horse, he almost cursed the weather. “Don’t think I’ll ever get used to this cold.”

To be afraid wasn’t strange; fear abounded in your dreams. So you stayed awake, resting your cheek between Tommy’s shoulder blades with some introspection. He appreciated the weight; it was something cathartic.

He provided information about himself easily. It rolled off his tongue as if he was with a lifelong friend. You wanted to hold the same ease, but your voice felt hard to find. You were uneasy; Tommy could sense it.  It’s why he always continued to fill the silence.

“You know, I’d kill for a cigarette.” Tommy hummed as if talking to himself, perfectly content. That familiar itch called him back before it all. “Probably best I haven’t gotten my hands on a pack in a while.”

The image suited him well—a smoking cowboy.

Tommy rambled on. He doesn’t know how much you understood, but you thought it was a reasonable bit of nonsense. It helped weave a dream of before as you finally succumbed to sleep.

“Oh, yeah.” Tommy nodded, talking through the cigarette that muffled his words. You could hear the brief inhale of smoke before he continued, "You and me, we're gonna get married."

You laughed as you found your balance on the hood of his truck, "You sound so sure of yourself."

"Can't you see it?" He plucked the cigarette from his lips to be heard clearly. Tone genuine, he held out his hand as if explaining an elaborate painting, "You and me with a couple of kids, not too many- We don't want to be outnumbered..."

"I’m not even sure I want kids." You humored him honestly as he held up his lighter for the cigarette you had bummed.

With the lighter secure in his jacket pocket, Tommy had already devised a solution, "That's fine, then we can get a dog and live anywhere. Anywhere but here. How's that sound?"

"I don't know…" You rhythmically tapped the ash off the tip of the cigarette. You had no idea where you truly were, but you couldn’t stop the confession, "I'm quite partial to this town."

"We can always talk about that in the future," Tommy shrugged, enjoying the amusement he pulled from you, "I want to show you Austin; I  think you'd love it."

"I've only just met you." Your smile mirrored his. "How would you know what I like?"

"I thought you might say that," He tutted lightly. Tommy imagined it all, played out every scenario, and there you were. It had just made sense. "Let's say it's a hunch."

You flicked your cigarette  to the ground before stepping on it firmly. Hands occupied in the pockets of your jacket, you took a moment to study him. He was handsome, no doubt, and used it to his advantage, which to you, became his only disadvantage.

"Not convinced I can go solely based on a hunch."

—

Stay close.  

You latched onto Tommy moments after the coarse instruction. You were sure it was a hindrance, but pure fear dictated your every move.

The gunshot continued to ring in your ears, causing your breath to become tight in your chest. The snow crunched beneath every frantic step toward possible safety. The sound allured danger, meaning it was imperative to move fast and quietly.

“Are you hurt?”

You hardly heard the question over the cluster of infected you’d angered. The shrieking intensified and filled your senses. Tommy repeated his question, yet entirely focused on the path before him.

“Fine.” You faltered, finding your voice. “I’m fine.”

Your hands started to shake. Your gun was gone, forgotten as you fought for your life. Tommy’s horse was mangled beyond recognition, buried beneath a swarm of infected. Your options were becoming extremely limited.

“We’ve got to get to the water.” Tommy was steps ahead of you, already seeing the safety in his mind. Yet, his lightheartedness with you was gone, replaced by years of tactful experience.  “We can get leverage there.”

The formation of your relationship would have questioned how you followed Tommy so faithfully.  You were reluctant, but you were desperate. And now that desperation morphed into dependence for survival.

“I need you to stay focused now, okay?” Tommy spoke in hushed tones, eyes filtering the mess before you. Even the path of least resistance included immense risk. “When I move, you move.”

He led you purposefully, firing his gun only when necessary and using his strength to his advantage.  You felt useless beside him, watching as he ruthlessly cleared the path. But you were no longer controlling your body, moving only on instinct.

That’s when Tommy heard it. He halted, reaching to you again to backtrack the route. His mind turned, waiting to land on a useful thought. But you recognized the panic in his eyes.

“Shit. ”

The curses poured out swiftly. He needed to think.

“Tomm-

His hand was to your mouth, cutting his name short. The forceful silence filled you with fear as your back became met the tree bark. Tommy’s eyebrows were taut, eyes wide with a finger on his lips.

You heard it.

The trees groaned against the wind. Anything that resonated drove the clicker closer to where Tommy encased you in a protective hold.  Its movements twitched erratically, following any sound with a semblance of life.

As the pressure grew, you pulled him to your chest by the collar of his jacket. Your bodies were flesh together, unsteady breath mixing as you trembled under him.

You tried to hold it in, breathing evenly to suppress any sobbing urge. It was neither the time nor the place for added emotion. But the clicker was close, close enough that it would soon brush against Tommy’s collar. The very same one you held onto so desperately.

Your tears fell freely, sliding down until they met the palm of Tommy’s hand. You clenched your teeth so hard you bit your tongue and cried harder. Tommy could feel how they burned, how terrified you really were.  Your brain lagged when Tommy pulled the pistol from his waist.

In a fluid movement, he used it to deliver a lethal shot.

—

You were staring.

Tommy could feel the burning gaze on his profile since you settled by the fire. He remained quiet, but you stayed silent from the moment the clicking echoed in the dense forest.  

The fear refused to leave you, and the repeated question stayed on the tip of Tommy’s tongue. Are you alright?

Anger radiated off of you. If you spoke now, you knew it would be misdirected. Instead, you tore your eyes from him with indifference.

Tommy pulled at the bandana fastened around his neck, using his canteen to dose it with water. You watched him rub it along his face, around his neck and hands. He wasted more water to help the paisley pattern return to its original grungy white.

Your arm's length away requirement diminished the longer you spent with him, especially when he was habitually responsible for closing the distance. “C’mere.”

Although Tommy called you to him, he met you in your spot. You lifted your chin for him as he wiped off any remnants of what shook you. Maybe it was only symbolic, but it helped.

“I don’t trust you.”  

You had waited until his fingers rested on your chin to speak. Your voice didn’t even sound like your own. It was soft and airy as if it carried no weight, no life. Tommy’s eyebrows pulled together. He wasn’t confused but intrigued by your choice of words.

“Odd way to say thank you.”  Tommy stood with a sigh, bandanna forgotten as he threw it on his pack. Your eyes tracked him as he moved on to prepare the canned dinner.

“Who are you- How did-” Your head cocked to the side. The images of the hours prior were still fresh in your mind. How could he be so calm? “How did you do that?”

You said it yourself; you didn’t trust him. He saw something in your eyes; he believed you.

The past handful of weeks proved that. And yet, he knew you stuck around because he was your final option for survival.

“I was in the military.” Tommy resigned in the truth. He didn’t regret it but always wished things turned out differently.  “Joined right out of school, stayed until I didn’t have to anymore.”

“The military’s just a pipeline to FEDRA.” You spat your words. You found any reason to be upset at him. You wanted something to be wrong about the situation—a reason to run.

“You believe that?”  He picked at the food, eyeing, squinting just slightly to challenge you. There was always a catch. But he was slowly giving you a reason to believe there wasn’t. “You need to eat something.”

Adrenaline had numbed your body; your legs no longer ached from running, your mind felt blank, and all you felt was dread. Therefore, you failed to tally how long it had been since you ate, the way Tommy had.

You pushed the food around in the can you hadn’t noticed he passed along. You didn’t trust what your stomach could handle.

Tommy seemed so unbothered that it bothered you. His gaze was fixed on the sky, ankles crossed over one another, and fingers settled comfortably across his chest.  But the judgment didn’t go unnoticed.

“May as well ask it, sweetheart.”

Tommy caught your eye and saw the way you were contemplating every aspect of his being. You hardly knew him. He was convincing, though. Talked of a place that would take you in, no questions asked. A place that sounded disgustingly beautiful.

“You’re not from around here.” You commented, but you didn’t seem settled with the statement. Sweetheart. Naturally, it rolled off his tongue and paired perfectly with the accent. “Louisiana?”

The more he spoke, the thicker his drawl seemed to become. Maybe it was the stress that evoked it, but it certainly didn’t belong to the land you occupied. It was soft but detectable.  

“God, no.” He shook his head.  You were able to hear his laugh directly. It was fleeting, more  like a quick breath out the nose, but it was a laugh. “Texas.”

“So you’re a real cowboy, then.” You mused. There was a warmth to your words that wasn’t there before. There was a need to put it out, but you continued, “All this isn’t just for show.”

“Suppose not, no.”

It was then you understood Tommy. You clocked him easily; what he was like before it all. He was trouble, a magnet for mischief.  He was kindhearted at his core but had the ability to do so much more. He was dangerous, yet you’ve never felt more secure.

A chill crawled up your spine at the actualization. You didn’t know what to do with it but pause before offering an unorthodox thank you,  "...Empathy will get you killed."

"Then I'm a dead man walking."

[minecraftbookshelf]

The Best Laid Plans

Have a snippet from the Marriage of State AU!

Ft. Xornoth, Scott, Laurenzside, and a surprising lack of demonic peanut gallery. (I guess Exor was taking a nap)

This takes place between the initial meeting where the marriage is first proposed, and the follow up meeting, where Lizzie and Jimmy go to Rivendell, and everyone finds out that Jimmy is Lizzie's brother

-

“Okay,” Lauren leans back in her chair, feet stretched out in front of her, and almost slides right out and onto the floor, stopped only by the speed with which she grabs onto the armrests. Both Scott and Xornoth hover awkwardly over her where they had lunged to catch her. She glares up at them and tilts her head so she’s poised to jab her antlers into Xornoth’s arm. “Can I help you? I’m not pregnant anymore you know, falling on the floor won’t hurt me. I'd even be able to stand up all on my own and everything.” Chastened, the king and prince back up and seat themselves. 

Lauren continues as if the little interlude hadn’t occurred. “So we need to go over everything about this before you take it to the council, and definitely before you meet with the Swamp Man.” “Codfather,” Scott mutters under his breath. “His title is The Codfather.” Lauren waves a hand dismissively. This is why she’s an infrastructure counselor and not a diplomat. (And by ‘infrastructure’ Xornoth mostly means she is there to tell them when she thinks they’re being stupid. She’s very good at it.) “They’re going to use this as an excuse to bring up the heir thing again.” Exor’s tailfuzz she’s right. Scott looks like that just occurred to him for the first time as well, but he’s clearly contemplating something. Xornoth will take any solution to certain people’s insistence that they either find an heir or make one. “Does it need to be a concern though,” Scott says slowly, feeling his words out as he speaks them. “Is there any reason I cannot continue to be the heir for now?” Lauren stares blankly at him. “You’ll be marrying in. Best case scenario, we’re able to work it into the official marriage agreement. More likely that would be at your husband’s discretion. Either way its a potential conflict of interest between your duties as heir in one kingdom and consort in another.” “I mean long term,” Scott says, now sounding more sure of himself. “The Codfather is mortal, unlike the other members of his alliance. He’ll live what? Sixty more years? Maybe seventy if fate is kind to him? And then what, another few years of being the grieving royal widow? I could be home before my two hundredth name day.” Lauren glares at Xornoth again, reminded of Scott’s age. (Or lack thereof.) Xornoth, who was even younger when he and Iona were thrown at  each other (By Scott and Lauren no less) ignores her. “It’s possible,” they admit, trying to keep the hope from swelling too much in their gut. Best not to tempt fate. “If need be I can just name one of the cousins as heir in the interim, in case of emergency.” “Not it!” Lauren says immediately, finger on her nose. “I refuse. It’s bad enough you made me a politician, I won’t be a royal.” “Aimsey or Acho probably,” Scott says, looking a million times more relaxed now. “You might need to bring them both to the Peak for a couple of decades, Aimsey at least until star’s first shed. So you can say you’re training them for the role.”

-

Part 2!

AU Masterpost

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, today we have a rec list of bottom Louis fics that both have A/B/O dynamics and are soft and fluffy! If you enjoy our rec lists and would like them to continue, please like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) Seven, Seven | Not Rated | 1,877 words

“Hello, baby girl,” Harry says as soon as the nurse places the bundle of joy into his arms. “We’ve been dying to meet you.”

2) Send Me Your Pillow (The One That You Dream On) | General Audiences | 3,187 words

Harry is embarrassed to realize he's nesting but can't stop stealing Louis' things for his nest.

3) Whisk Me Off My Feet | Explicit | 5,054 words

When Louis locks himself out of his apartment in just a pair of novelty underwear, he hopes his new neighbor can come to his rescue.

4) Purr And Shout | Not Rated | 5,274 words

The sound that escapes Harry's mouth couldn't possibly be a purr. He's an alpha, alphas don't purr. Or do they?

5) Take Me To The Stars | Explicit | 5,840 words

Staring at his darling daughter, in the middle of the pasta aisle, Louis found himself on the edge of a neurotic breakdown.

"It’s your birthday tomorrow! And your papa better not do anything to muck it up! Because your dada worked very hard to organise it! And all of your aunties and grannies and granddads and friends will be there!” Louis continued in a sweet sing-song voice that seemed to get increasingly frantic as he continued. “And if your papa is in rut, then what? What’ll we do, honey girl? Your dada will be too busy! And your papa will be too horn-”

“Louis,” Harry interrupted, touching Louis’ arm. “I’ll be okay. It’s probably not even my rut. I can appreciate you… all of you… even when I’m not in rut.”

Louis looked at him skeptically, imagining the shitshow that would be Harry in rut, surrounded by family and friends, at their child’s first birthday party. “I hope you’re right, H.”

6) Young And Sweet | Explicit | 5,894 words

Louis sees his ex at the carnival and thinks that he must be the solution to his problem.

7) Glistening Under The Sun (You're My Honey Soaked Love) |  Mature | 8,996 words | Sequel

The cottagecore fic we all needed, featuring Petal the overprotective bunny, mummy Louis and alpha Harry that lives and breathes for his omega.

8) I Will Cover My Eyes (For If The Dark Returns) | Not Rated | 9,582 words

Alpha Harry asks omega Louis out and things progress from there.

9) When Tomorrow Comes | Explicit | 11,111 words

When Louis and Niall are partnered up to complete a project on Omega scents and how they effect the nesting behaviours of Alphas, little does Louis know that the course of his life is about to be forever altered.

10) Butterflies, The Beautiful Kind | Explicit | 18,401 words

Prompt 36: Louis is a single parent with a child who is terrified of doctors. However, one day, the kid gets sick. Thankfully the new pediatrician, doctor Styles, has wild curly hair and green eyes and a soothing deep voice that the kid immediately grows attached to.

11) Tiger Lily | Mature | 20,155 words

I worked next door and when he walked in, my whole world turned on it's head.

12) This Love Is Ours | Mature | 21028 words

“I told you to call me Harry.” Harry looks amused. It’s not funny. Louis throwing up because of him isn’t funny.

“But I’ve been calling you Mr. Styles for so long.”

“And now you’re carrying my baby.”

13) Swept Me Off My Feet (Took My Heart And Took Me Down) | Explicit | 25,447 words

When Louis had decided to reopen his mother’s bakery, he never thought a charming alpha would walk in through the door, let alone fall in love with him over tea, dessert and music.

14) Raise a Glass to the Four of Us | Mature | 25,470 words

Louis stared at his luggage.

Well. Apparently not his luggage, because the clothing he was looking at currently was a: worth more than everything he currently possessed, b: not his size at all, and c: more suited for a fancy ass lawyer than a holiday in NYC with his best mates.

“Ooh, nice loafers,” Niall said as he pulled one out of the suitcase. “I love the rainbows.”

“Okay,” Liam began. “What do you want to do first? Eat, shop for new clothes, or spend hours on the phone with the airline?”

Louis continued to stare at the luggage.

15) Yours To Lose | Mature | 25,472 words

“I think I know the person that matches your descriptions of your dream alpha.”

“Who? And oh not my dream alpha, god you’re making me sound like a teenage school girl. I’m a mum, H.” They laugh as they watch kids gather in front of the verandah, getting ready to go back to the orphanage.

“Well, you’re gonna have to find out.” Harry winks before standing up to start cleaning their spot.

16) Feeling Peachy, Take A Bite | Explicit | 25,654 words

Prompt 570: Omega Louis works at a cupcake shop. He makes the prettiest cupcakes and loves his job. In comes beefy alpha Harry who absolutely loves to eat Louis’ cake. Inspired by Louis being a cute baby girl handing out cupcakes. (no a/b/o necessary, but Louis has to be feminine).

17) Confections Of The Heart | Explicit | 25,877 words

Louis is a single mom, Harry is a pastry chef, and Oliver just wants his mom to be happy. With a teaspoon of love and a sprinkle of fate, the three might just find a home in each other.

18) I Know How To Whisk (But Teach Me Anyway) | Mature | 32,113 words

Louis scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t understand. Unmated alphas don’t just go into a rut out of nowhere. Unless…”

Louis grabbed onto Niall’s arm in desperation. “Am I a homewrecker? Does Harry have a mate? Oh my God, was he not flirting? Did the change in his scent not have anything to do with my smell yesterday? Did I just make that up!?”

Louis let go of Niall and dropped his face in his hands. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“You’re an idiot,” Niall stated. Louis looked up to find Niall rolling his eyes. He snapped his laptop closed and moved to stand up. “I need to get some work done. Why don’t you stay here and think back to ABO dynamics 101.”

With that Niall hopped off the couch and headed to his room. He stopped and turned to Louis before he made it to the hall and said, “Oh, and Lou. You may want to reconsider your outlook on soulmates.”

Louis yelled after him. “Soulmates aren’t a thing, Niall!”

19) Let Me Feel Your Heartbeat | Explicit | 34,572 words

Harry is 98% sure Louis hates him. So he feels like his bewilderment is justified when the omega offers to help him through his rut.

20) I Found A Love For Me (Darling Just Dive Right In) | Explicit | 46,652 words | Sequel

Louis, an omega with very little control. Harry, an alpha with a lot of emotion. Neither of them have any idea what do to with this little thing called love, but they’ll be damned if they don’t put up a good fight.

21) Gallery Of Us | Explicit | 55,782 words

Harry knew what he was doing in life, everything laid out in black-and-white, each day pleasantly predictable. Cue lively art student, Louis, trying to find his place. An almost insufferably happy person who sometimes forgets to hide the way they feel meets the person who is diligent enough to notice and determined to make a difference.

22) Love Me Until The End | Mature | 207,053 words

“Dr. Styles there’s an emergency at the maternity ward. The head nurse called for you, he needs you there as soon as possible.” The trainee tells Harry over the phone, catching his attention. Louis Tomlinson, the Louis Tomlinson is calling him? He lowers his clipboard and nods his head, getting up from his chair.

“Tell Mr. Tomlinson I’ll be there right away.”

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Round 2, Poll 1

Poll at the bottom of the post.

A Mother's Curse: (Reverse Werewolf AU)

“Oh Bilbo. Are you certain about this?” Aunt Chica fussed.

Bilbo smiled fondly at her before pulling her into a hug. Dawn lurked closer with every second, but Bilbo still had time for this farewell.

“Gandalf says there might be a cure. I would be a fool not to take this chance.” He answered.

Uncle Bingo clapped him on the back before pulling him into a hug as well. 

“Sounds like your mind is made up then, but cure or no, this is always a home waiting for you.” 

Bilbo could feel his eyes prickle as he couldn’t stop himself from releasing a low, keening whine. Rather used to his oddities, his family merely smiled at him. There was no need to talk about what would happen if Bilbo failed to return. Bag End’s residents would continue to live and thrive without having to prepare for an expected house guest every full moon. Perhaps this adventure truly would be best for everyone.

“Come on, Bilbo. We don’t want you to get caught in Hobbiton again.” Falco stated.

Yes, Bilbo had managed to frighten quite a few neighbors that morning which was one of the reasons he kept away from the villages. He wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore. Not while they were on the road. In fact, he hadn’t quite figured out what to do about a hobbit appearing suddenly in the company, but he was sure Gandalf would have a solution for him. 

Bilbo gave one last look to his family and his home, committing them to memory before stepping outside into the cool morning air.

Oakenshield: Prince or Thief?: (Robin Hood AU)

“They are only worthwhile to the dwarf that bears them, and I do not go around blaming every dwarf we find for Smaug’s reign.”

“Perhaps you should.” Legolas muttered much to Tauriel’s amusement.

Bilbo rolled his eyes. This is what he got for partnering with elves. However, Legolas and Tauriel’s help has been invaluable, and Bilbo could not thank Thranduil enough for lending them to him. He probably wouldn’t say it to the lord’s face, but he would definitely think it.

“How did you fare this time, my boy?” Gandalf asked, from where he had been sat on a log tending to their campfire. 

“Our dwarves were certainly not the richest bunch, but it is enough to make a difference for a couple of families, I think.”

Gandalf gave him a pitying look as he plopped down next to him. “You can’t save everyone, Bilbo. The people you’ve helped appreciate your efforts, whether they are enough or not.”

Bilbo tried not to scowl into the flames at being read so thoroughly by the old wizard. It had started by just asking the townspeople what he could do to help. They would list off their needs: more food, more medicine, more cloth, and Bilbo tried to fulfill their needs to the best of his abilities. More often than not, stealing what he could from the more fortunate, but there had been a time where he had gathered herbs in the forest or raided his own garden for crops. However, he soon learned that all of their ails would be cured if they weren’t busy squandering their savings on Smaug’s ridiculous taxes. That’s when he started robbing for coin. 

[perfectlyvalid49]

Sometimes I feel like this blog is more Judaism focused than I really want it to be. Like, I am Jewish, but that’s only one aspect of my personality. I’m also interested in politics and linguistics and nerdy pop culture stuff and a whole bunch of other things. And I want this blog to have space for all of that.

So when I spent a ton of time late last week fighting with an antisemite, I told myself that when I was done with him (or as it turns out, when he was done with me), I’d take a break from posting about Jewish issues for a bit. Just like, a week where I’m just reblogging stuff that makes me laugh or an interesting language fact or something like that. Y’know, happy stuff.

He blocked me Friday, and on Saturday, Hamas attacked. And I’ve got a big mouth, so I can’t not say anything. Maybe when this is all resolved I can post happy stuff, but for right now, I need a place to talk, even though I’m struggling with what to say.

I guess the first thing I should say is that I feel terrible about what’s happening. Because what’s happened so far is bad, and what will happen next is even worse. Israel will take its vengeance; innocent Palestinians will die. The friends and families of the victims on both sides will be radicalized and the violence will continue. I hate it and it’s stupid and I wish there was an easy way to stop it and I know that there isn’t.

And I want to say that I support the Palestinian people. The way that Israel treats the Palestinians in Gaza is inhumane – it shouldn’t be allowed! But Israel treats them that way because before they did, you couldn’t get on a bus in Israel without worrying about being blown up. That shouldn’t be allowed either! Everything is complicated. Both sides are full of people who just want to live in peace who are being screwed over by a minority who won’t be happy until the other side is gone. Both sides have valid points, both sides have done terrible things. Anyone who is telling you that it isn’t complicated is either woefully uneducated about the history of the conflict, thinks one side does not deserve fundamental human rights, or both.

And after saying all that, I guess that I should make it clear that I’m still a Zionist – I believe that the Jewish people have the right to a self-determined state, and I think that Israel is probably the best place for it (I did not say a good place, I just don’t think there’s a better one. The best of a bunch of bad options is still the best). Having said that I’m a Zionist, I still hate what Israel’s government is doing and has been doing. Netanyahu is a monster. You can disagree with a country’s government and still think it has a right to exisit.

If you think that all Zionists are evil (and you’re still reading this), then tell me a better solution. Where should Jews go to be safe from governmental persecution? Or should they be denied that? If so, why?

And that’s the other thing I want to talk about. Every Jew I know is watching this with feelings of grief and horror, and the response from the left seems to be some variation on, “Israeli civilians deserved this,” “go back to where you came from,” or “terrorism is OK, actually, as long as it’s against a colonizer state (but not the one I live in).” And it’s soul-crushing. It is possible to be anti-Zionist without being antisemitic, but it seems like right now people aren’t even trying. The only good Jew is a dead Jew, and now that there are a bunch of dead Jews, everyone is celebrating.

I keep thinking about this video that I watched at school when I was a kid about the conflict. It was probably the mid 90s and the video showed Arab and Israeli kids playing together with a voice over from an interview with one of their moms. And I remember her saying that the kids playing together was good because then they would be friends, and when they got older they wouldn’t want to fight each other because they would remember that they were friends. I know now that it was probably a propaganda video, but that’s still what I want. I want leadership for Gaza that isn’t a terrorist organization, I want leadership for Israel that isn’t a far right authoritarian nightmare, I want Palestinians to not be locked behind a wall, I want Israelis who don’t have drills for when the rockets come. I want everyone – EVERYONE – to be able to live a life in peace and I want two little boys with different backgrounds and religions that both include a history in Israel to be able to play in a field by a river and be friends.

And if you don’t want that? Fuck you.

[thatcheesyler]

Spiderman ATSV tk hcs (because I'm very normal about them)

Miles Morales

He gives me lee-leaning switch vibes

Is usually the one dragged into tickle fights whenever he's on the sidelines

He doesn't really mind though, as long as he's having fun

Cannot STAND teases in the slightest

He can't help but melt into a blushing puddle the second somebody teases him

Produces nervous giggles at first, but his laughter gets higher pitched as his ler continues

Is the type of guy to be slightly insecure of his laugh

He'd do next to nothing about stopping your hands and instead focus on covering his mouth

An easy solution to this would be to get his armpits as soon as his hands start to gravitate towards his face

He'd absolutely 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘢𝘭 and clamp his arms down, trapping the ler's fingers and, well...you know what happens

Can be a bit of a thrasher when being wrecked, but he tries his best not to harm anyone unless his ler is a villain

Beware for his ler moments though, he can and 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 use his invisibility or electricity powers to sneak up on you and send ticklish shocks throughout your body

He's still working on his stealth, but he's managed to get Gwen, Pavitr, Miguel and Peter B. so far

He gives me ticklish neck vibes, I'd say his neck is the only spot that makes him snort of you tickle him for long enough

Did once get ganged up on by the other Arachkids

Was also later wrecked by Miguel as revenge, but he kinda figured it would happen sooner or later

He tries so hard to curl in on himself when he's tickled, whatever the position

Worst spot would probably be his ribs in my opinion, bro cannot handle anyone even 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 his ribs

Is overall a 7.5/10 on the ticklish scale

Gwen Stacy

Defo a ler for the most part

Please be careful when initiating a tickle fight within close distance of her bc she will go in for the kill

She's fine with saying the word or any connotations but only for a short period of time

Due to her incredible agility and grace under pressure, running is literally pointless bc she can and will catch you within the first ten seconds

I like to think she starts with slow traces along the lee's torso, just to get those pesky anticipation giggles outta them

Will absolutely compliment the lee's laughter/giggling/snorts, etc

She will DESTROY the lee with teases when or if she gets the chance, do not mess with this girl 😃

Often finds herself smiling subconsciously bc she just thinks the entire predicament is just so wholesome for some reason

Her lee moments are rare...but never forgotten

I mean, staying in Hobie's dimension doesn't always come for free, and the price does just so happen to be tickles

Being the teasy asshole he is, Hobie has and never will let her live that down, but it is Hobie we're talking abt here so she wouldn't really expect anything different

(She did get him back afterwards tho lol)

Overall probably a 6.6/10 on the ticklish scale

Pavitr Prabhakar

A shameless switch in my opinion

I mean, let's be honest, if he has the effortless confidence to tease Miles and Gwen abt their relationship, then he will have next to no problem expressing his need for tickles/to tickle someone

Due to his personality though, I do believe he'll lean more towards being a ler

He absolutely created a rule where anytime someone says 'chai tea' or 'naan bread', they will be wrecked to the verge of tears for disrespecting his culture (yes, this rule does apply to The Spot as well)

Bro has been blessed by the gods perhaps a little bit 𝘵𝘰𝘰 much, his laugh literally sounds like the most charming noise ever, even when he's being tickled silly. But anytime someone brings it up, he'll blush and dismiss his laughter as being "okay" and "just a normal laugh"

RASPBERRIES WORK WAY TOO WELL ON THIS BOY

He ended up screaming so loud that his neighbours called the police because they thought he was being murdered or something

So that was an awkward interaction, considering the neighbours called the police captain in, aka GAYATRI'S DAD

Any place near or on his ribs is an absolute 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 spot

Anyway, ler time

EXTREMELY skilled with his hands (that sounds so wrong help 😭)

Will literally do a full mental assessment of his lee, noting which spots are the least and most ticklish, how the pitch of their laughter varies, etc

Very good at teasing, but doesn't like to overdo it, and won't baby-talk anyone unless they're comfortable with it

Will laugh along with the lee, he can't help it, their laugh is just so contagious!

About an 8.2/10 on the ticklish scale

Hobie Brown (my love)

...Oh lord, where do I even 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 with this anarchist

Ler-leaning switch, in all honesty

He's a lovable asshole and he takes pride in it, if he finds out someone he's friends with is ticklish, they are 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 for

Playful bullying is part of his love language, so don't expect any less than a teasing smirk the whole time and mean but joking comments about the lee's reactions

"Aww, bit sensitive luv, aye?" "Why yu laughin' dear? Did I say somethin' funny?" "I don'know how yu thought yu'd get away wiv that."

Stuff like that basically, so yeah, be prepared to melt into a flustered puddle

Of course he still respects boundaries though, if you really want him to stop, he will back off without any hesitation

Okay, now, his lee side..oh gosh, he is quite the squirmer

Good luck trying to hold him down, he will thrash around like a fish that's fresh out of water

Can and will yell out almost every curse word in the book, he doesn't mean any of it though

If you do manage to keep him in place though, the amount of sheer panic and anticipation in his eyes will never get old

Will try to keep his cool, constantly attempting to distract you so that he can prolong his tickly fate

The ler almost always sees through his lies though, so there's really no point

He has the highest pitched giggles a person could ever hear, very out of character for him, but very adorable so we can excuse it 😌

Has a SERIOUSLY sensitive neck, probably explains why he wears a choker

Will screech like a vulture if the ler goes anywhere near his neck and may accidentally try to punch them, so watch out for that 😅

The front and backs of his knees will also have him cackling like a maniac

Overall an 8.7/10 on the ticklish scale

Done! :D

[aita-blorbos]

Am I The Asshole for not telling my QPP that I (sort of) came back from the dead?

My Queer Platonic Partner (4595 M), who I'll call F, and I (~300k M) got together in the late eleventh century, and we've basically been married since the sixteenth century. (Not legally, obviously, but we lived together and pooled our finances and all that.)

While doing some spy work in France during WWII (on behalf of the Allies) I got another future vision showing me getting killed by this cult of weird supernatural obsessed rich people, and I could tell it would happen sometime in the next year or so. Now, there are ways to shift small details of the stuff I see in my future visions, but I'm pretty sure trying to change anything too major would break the fabric of spacetime, if you could even manage to make a change in the first place, so I accepted pretty quickly that my demise was inevitable and started making preparations (writing a will, etc.)

Obviously after all this time I know F pretty well, and he tends to struggle dealing with grief; most of his friends are other immortals and he only really interacts with mortals professionally. I also know there would be absolutely no way he would just accept the fact that my death is inevitable, and would end up spending the next however-long-I-had-left trying to find a solution and would probably really beat himself up about it when he failed.

On top of that, telling other people too much about my visions tends to lead to bad stuff happening (like an immortal cult leader/dictator from my home dimension, who we'll call C, massacring 60+ planets, attempting to take over Earth multiple times, and basically turning his kid into a living weapon), so I don't tend to tell people about them, a boundary which F knows about and usually respects.

So basically, I didn't tell F what I saw. I got kidnapped, he tried to rescue me but was a bit too late, I bled out after getting stabbed by a magic sword, etc., etc. Now, when people of my species die, we get reincarnated. We're reborn in an entirely new body, and with our memories suppressed, we grow into entirely new people with entirely new experiences. You keep your magic powers and basically stop aging around 20, but that's about it. It's a bit different for humans for slightly complicated deific political reasons, I think? F knows this because I told him about it at some point.

After I died, the wife (? F) of one of F's old friends showed up and told me she was Death and that C was gonna try to invade Earth again at some point in the future and my help would be needed, so she was willing to let me sort of... stick around in my reincarnation (now 78 NB)'s brain. So obviously I agreed.

My reincarnation, E, was born somewhere in the US shortly after I died. For context, F and I previously lived in the UK. I hung back for most of E's childhood because I wanted to let them live their own life, but I did help them out a few times with bullies and shitty teachers and stuff. (They're queer and neurodivergent and grew up in the 50s, so they didn't exactly have the best childhood).

There wasn't exactly a whole lot I could do to contact F when E was younger, and even when they got older, there still wasn't much I could do without fucking up their life, so basically I spent several decades only showing up when E was asleep or everyone involved was super high, so even E didn't know I existed.

Sometime around the early 80s E started getting into superhero stuff, which isn't really my cup of tea, so I ended up sorta taking a nap for a few decades. I woke up in the mid 2010s to find out that F and E had apparently become friends? Again, I don't want to mess up either of their lives, and it seemed to me like F had moved on, so I continued hiding.

Recently, C started trying to invade earth again, so I started sneaking out at night to try to stop them with the help of R (18 NB/M?), the literal only other person who knew I existed. (He accidentally ran into me getting a late night snack while breaking into E's house for prank reasons. It's a long story.) We ended up running into some other people, including F's dad (4622 F), so eventually a total of like, 4 people knew about my existence. None of them knew I was me, as in F's dead ex QPP/E's past life. Fortunately, I was able to convince everyone not to tell E or F about me.

Fast forward to a couple months ago, C launched a full scale attack on the city where basically everyone involved in this mess lives. I won't go into too many details, but during the attack E ended up getting hit with a "sleeping spell" which basically just knocked them out, leaving me in control of the body by default. My fighting style is pretty different than E's, so F recognized me almost immediately.

We ended up getting into a pretty big argument about me not telling him I was still around, during which I ended up finding out that after I died he basically lost all faith in humanity and tried to destroy the world a couple times, and he basically admitted he still wasn't over my death, but he was also really pissed at me for not telling him that I was still around. I tried to explain but F still insisted I should have told him. We're both fairly stubborn and quick to anger, so the argument ended up getting a bit out of hand, and now we aren't talking to one another. I understand why he's angry, but I still feel like I didn't have any other choice.

Am I The Asshole?

(Side Note: E is now aware I exist and is trying to act as a mediator. They understand my reasoning for not outright telling them, and had a pretty good laugh over all the signs of my existence that they missed, but F is still pissed on their behalf about me not telling them.)

[booksandpaperss]

some ramble-y thoughts on men's social isolation and women's safety bc this has been on my mind for a bit

I do think it's really sad how men end up feeling so isolated bc of various social expectations as well as people being cruel, but as a fem presenting person I have to say that you can't just expect women and anyone who is fem presenting to just "start being nicer". ive seen a few posts on Tumblr essentially stating that but I have to reiterate it is about safety. I literally cannot afford to stop looking at men with caution and assumed violence until I get to know them really well bc if I stop that could genuinely cost me me life. its true that most men I see probably are not predators and im sure it hurts to be perceived that way, but I have no way of being able to tell who is and isn't going to harm me. I have to assume the worst because it is the only way I can stay safe.

it sucks, it really does, for all parties involved. I have so much sympathy for the men who are genuinely kind and would never hurt me that feel isolated, it isn't fair, and I myself certainly don't enjoy the *necessary* fear that the random guy im passing on the street could see me and decide to hurt me, but this is the reality of the world. there is no easy solution, but what certainly isn't a solution is expecting women to start being kinder to men they dont know because once again: that could genuinely cost someone their life.

The best solution right now I think is to continue to try to deconstruct misogyny and gender roles, and that takes time, patience, and understanding.

I have also seen the notion on here that men feeling isolated socially is misandry, but the reality is that misandry is simply not real on a systemic scale. men feeling isolated is a direct result of the patriarchy and a side affect of misogyny. a lot of things on this website that are perceived as misandry are either not real problems or they are but they're just the impacts of misogyny and the gender roles that come with it.

But it is very surreal to be walking alone at night, clutching my pepper spray and glaring whenever a man I don't know is near me, making sure to stay next to the street and make it obvious I know exactly where I'm going and still feeling the fear that it might not be enough and something horrible could happen to me anyway, only come back to Tumblr and see people saying misandry is just as prevalent as misogyny and women need to start considering how it feels for men to be looked at like they're predators. Touch grass seems like an applicable statement here.

oh and obligatory piss on the poor tumblr disclaimer: I know I am using binary terms so before any of you get on your high horse about it, I myself am non binary. I am not actually a woman, but I certainly look like one and therefore deal with misogyny. I fully understand that trans men and genderqueers of all kinds as well as even feminine cis men also fear for their life on the street so dont even think abt getting on my ass about that. oh and if any of you try to call this a terf post consider yourself blocked with a recommendation to get a refresh on what terf actually means instead of just throwing around the term when you see any post trying to talk about misogyny :D

final disclaimer bc I wanna cover all my bases due to Tumblr reading comprehension: im aware topics like this are very nuanced with lots of layers, please dont act like im obligated to cover all that in a random Tumblr post of all things, I cannot possibly cover everything nor am I obligated to. I simply wanted to remind ppl that actual lives are at risk and fem presenting people constantly and regularly fear for their life bc I feel like that gets left out a lot in conversations like this on here. <3

[annab-nana]

🐚 - okay this is gonna sound typical but “elevator” from e list with peter maybe enemies to lovers okay ty 😭

ahhhh cookie yes 😆 typical or not, i love it

warnings: slightly suggestive, it's more like enemies to friends with a crush on each other, trapped in an elevator, angsty at parts, not proofread

❀ masterlist ❀

"oh, fuck me," peter mumbled when none of the buttons in the elevator worked. it had stalled about fifteen seconds ago and your worst fear had come to life. you were stuck with peter parker alone.

you might as well have a little fun with it.

"i thought you'd ask a little more nicely," you chided, smirk plastered on your lips when he cut his eyes to you.

"that wasn't a request," he clarified in a sharp tone before letting his eyes fall back on all the buttons. "we need to get out of here."

"aw, do you not want to spend a little time with your best pal?" you teased, watching the brunet roll his eyes.

"ned is my best friend. you are not," he deadpanned while analyzing the situation at hand and trying to find a solution.

"i'm hurt, peter," you exaggerated. had his words hurt you before? yes, but that particular statement did not.

he scoffed. "like you have feelings."

okay, that one hurt a little.

"you think i don't have feelings?"

"you sure don't act like it."

and he just kept cutting deeper.

you went quiet and watched the back of his head while you took a seat on the elevator floor. there was no telling how long you guys would be stuck for since the rest of the team was busy with other things. after a minute, peter looked over his shoulder at you, met your eye, and turned back to the buttons.

"this is the longest you've been quiet for," he commented as he pressed the 'open door' button again and again.

"'thought you'd like that better."

"since when do you care about what i want?"

"since i acquired feelings apparently," you muttered lowly.

peter could tell he'd hurt you with that comment, but all he had ever known was competing with you and tearing each other down. it started when tony was looking for a new intern and couldn't pick between the two of you so he brought you both on. somewhere along the way, you two started competing against one another and it bled into other areas of your lives as well. it wasn't just at stark industries. it was at school. it was with the avengers. it was even with happy and may. you both could never fully relax unless you were completely alone. peter knew he was tired of it and maybe you were too. this could be his only chance to change things.

"do you ever think we could like... be civil?" peter questioned, not looking at you as he pretended to fiddle with the buttons. he heard you let out a sigh and braced himself for a sly comment.

"i don't know," you mumbled. this seemed like a small step in progress to peter. it was a genuine response rather than a quick remark. this was good. "i thought you didn't want that."

"what makes you say that?" peter stopped what he was doing and turned to face you, sitting on the floor across from you. your eyes were trained on your hands in your lap.

"you've never really seemed to like me."

peter shook his head. "that's not true."

"i heard you telling ned how much you hated that the internship was split between us. you said that it was infuriating to have to work with me and i didn't deserve it as much as you did." that was the day you decided you'd beat peter parker, the day you'd overheard his conversation with ned on the phone.

"was i a little upset that it was split? yes. i didn't mean you necessarily are infuriating to work with. it's just that i work better alone with these kinds of things and for that last part, i didn't say that. ned did." there was a pause as you processed what he said and peter waited for your reaction. he continued to talk to help soften his prior words. "i actually think that if we weren't so pinned against each other, we'd probably work really well together and i think mr. stark saw that in us so he decided to bring us both on. we make a good team when we want to."

"you think so?" you asked, finally looking up at him.

he smiled and you didn't get the urge to diminish him with harsh words. "yeah, we're both smart, passionate, and incredibly stubborn, and if we put that together, i think we can work pretty well."

"did peter parker just compliment me?" you teased and for the first time, it was light-hearted.

his smile widened. "there's plenty more where that came from."

a blush scattered on his cheeks after he let that slip and you decided to save bringing that up for later. but, you couldn't help yourself and further his flustered nature.

"you're cute, parker." it wasn't malicious, only genuine, and you stood after your words. reaching a hand down to help him up, he took it and you pulled to aid him in standing. "so if we work together as good as you assume, we should be able to get out of here."

"should be, yeah," he agreed, hands on his hips as he examined the confined space some more.

"you know what i think?" you asked peter while you eyed the camera in the corner. he hummed in response. "i think stark trapped us in here to get us to settle our differences."

"no, he wouldn-" peter was cut off by tony stark himself.

"you can't say i'm not always right." his chuckle sounded over the speaker while you rolled your eyes. "alright friday, let them out."

remember to support writers & reblog :)

turn on notifications for @annab-library to be notified when i post something new!

[autogyne-redacted]

@loving-n0t-heyting hope you don't mind a bit of a longpost. I was gonna reblog one of your posts but this became A Whole Thing and I just decided to let it be its own post.

I've been thinking since you posted about it a little while back, and I do think (as an abolitionist) that the classic sources like Are Prisons Obsolete do stop short of making the case that no form of incarceration ever makes sense in any circumstance.

I think they make compelling cases that prisons cause more harm than they prevent. And I think there's a ton we can say about the limitations of viewing some ppl as just inherently Bad/Dangerous (or of acting like the majority of ppl incarcerated are in any way exceptionally "dangerous").

But I have the impression you're probably on board with at least most of that, and that's different from actually making the argument you're asking for.

///

At the end of the day, there are and will continue to be situations people who have crossed lines and caused major harm and made clear that they would or likely would do so again if given the liberty to do so.

And I don't feel the need to shy away from talking about that just because it gets messy.

And so our options are:

-refuse to infringe on their liberty.

-kill them.

-or in some lesser way limit their liberty.

And while I wouldn't want to totally write off options 1 and 2, I think it would be foolish to hardline and refuse to consider options in category 3 as part of what ideal solutions might look like.

As for what that looks like, I think it varies a ton depending on what context we're talking about and what kind of individual / situation we're talking about.And I think fundamentally in any context I'd advocate for a more case by case approach, which unfortunately means my answer is still somewhat vague (tho if you want to propose specific hypotheticals or talk about specific historic court cases I'm open to that).

But my general principles are:

-try and find a solution that minimizes the risk of them cashing more major harm in the future while not infringing on the their liberty more than necessary.

-reject punishment for the sake of punishment, or for the gratification of the victim.

Prison is a one size fits all solution and a fairly comprehensive denial of someone's liberty and I would (thinking about solutions that could be implemented without changing more than the criminal justice system)* advocate asking lots of separate questions:

-can the person in question continue to live at their home? If no, why not?

-can they continue to work a (non-prison) job. Or hell, work a bit al remote job from inside a prison?

-can they attend specific events / otherwise go to specific places they want to?

-can they keep their possessions?

Etc.

Requiring that any reduction in freedom be actively justified.

A lot of the logics that justify prisons act as if some ppl are Inherently Dangerous and the only way to mitigate that is total separation between them and law abiding citizens because if they were allowed to walk thru a grocery store or go to a football game they'd manage to kill someone. And it's like ... that's 100% media super villain logic and not a real threat model.

Generally the capacity to cause major harm is dependent on specific things (having a weapon, having an established relationship, an institutional hierarchy, an isolated space, etc).

And none of this says that we could never decide that the best course is for someone to be confined to a specific location or otherwise be under close supervision long term. But I think there's a real paradigm break we can make from that being the default to something that has to be justified piece by piece, case by case.

//

Also, I'm gonna include this link as the only specific historic anarchist examples I know of:

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/augustin-souchy-with-the-peasants-of-aragon#toc7

Is it abolitionist? Is it trustworthy source? I think lots of ppl would say no to both, but it paints a specific kind of picture that seems like the result of ppl using similar principles to mine. And like, how do you handle a large group of fascist soldiers seems like one of the harder challenges you could pose to prison abolitionism (tho tbf my understanding is lots of them were drafted and actual ideological commitment wasn't super high)

*this is a weird thought experiment for me to do because my relationship to the prison system as it exists is so fundamentally one of antagonism and I see the kinds of cases where I would see ~ongoing control or supervision~ as justified as so limited, but they're not non existent and I hate seeing abolitionists in your threads just refuse this conversation so I'm trying.

[theambitiouswoman]

I’m new to being back on Tumblr after a lot of years. Your page is everything I used to aspire to do on a platform. I really admire your take on things.

The last year has really put me through a lot. I had a baby in December, my partner and I have both been battling our mental health (he’s bipolar and I have BPD), and in May after 27 years, I found my birth family. This was great for all of 5 seconds, but soon unraveled a very deeply traumatized line of ancestors on both sides- including my dad being unalived by my grandfather before he unalived himself 20 years ago next month.

There’s a lot of other daily nuances I could go into but essentially- I just feel totally taken over by depression, anxiety and a never-ending feeling of being overwhelmed.. and as many times as I feel like I’ve gotten myself out of a bad headspace, this time just feels so overpowering and it’s really ruining my relationship and my family in the process. My boyfriend doesn’t often have the capacity to be emotionally supportive because he’s got his own stuff going on, and I’m in a state with no friends or family around to feel like I can turn to anyone else. We both work full time, don’t have off days together and on all of my off days I have the baby by myself.

Do you have any suggestions based off what I’ve shared as to what I could do to find my way back to myself and a more positive place? I feel like I wake up most days and immediately start complaining and by the evening I’m isolating myself to the bedroom and crying myself to sleep. I just don’t want to be this version of myself anymore.

Thank you so much! I am very humbled 💗

Congratulations on your baby!!!

All of your experiences this past year, good or bad can take a toll on anyone emotionally. That was a lot to hit you with after the other. Any person would be drained especially when we do not have the opportunity to process them.

With that, I want to say that from the outside, it seems like your life revolves around everyone else but you. Like you lost yourself a bit. And that is not really fair for you. But that is okay. Happens to the best of us <3 All of these things aside from i'm sure daily problems and nuisances can alone exhaust us and take a toll on our mental health. Remember that, for us to give the best to others, we have to first give it to ourselves. I know we want and need support. You are not wrong for it. Unfortunately a lot of times we won't get it. The truth is, we need to learn how to be our own support system too. This might sound unfair and hard, totally. It probably is. But it helps build you up. And I think this is where you are currently at with yourself?

These negative thoughts and feelings are going to continue to live there until you decide to take an active role in your life. Not making it about everyone else, and the feelings they provoke in you. If you truly want to change your current reality, you need to decide to and commit. You need to reframe the story you are currently telling yourself. Even if you feel like you are lying to yourself in the beginning. if you know you wake up complaining then that tells me you are already aware of it. Your position would be to realize when you are about to do it, stop yourself, and change your thought pattern into something positive. Start practicing this with every negative thought or action you have through out the day. Start by accustoming yourself to become aware of it all. Even if we mess up, auto correct yourself immediately. Seriously. Remember that the more negativity we project, even valid, is what we will continue to get back. Nothing changes if we do not change. I would recommend finding healthier ways for you to express your negative emotions. Journaling is great honestly because not only can you vent, but you can analyze and create possible solutions. It is very good to let our feelings out, especially understand them past the problem at hand, but it is not good to make them our whole life.

You can regain control of your life and this narrative you are living in the second you decide and commit to. Sounds easy, and it is. It is easy to understand, but hard to implement. It is also very worth it.

Sometimes things do not happen to us, they happen for us. Changing your life starts with you. Do not let these feelings, people, experiences turn you into someone you are not. It is literally YOUR LIFE. Remember how amazing you are, it is time.

[mimisempai]

If it's not love, then what is it? Chap 2

Chapter Summary

Hob tells Dream about the beginning of his rather unorthodox relationship with Lou. However, both Hob and Dream might not be ready for more surprises.

Notes

Thanks for the welcome to the first chapter! I don't know where this story is taking me, but I hope you'll continue the journey with me...

On Ao3

June 8th, 1889

White Horse Inn

"Lou, I think we should get married."

In retrospect, Hob probably should have phrased his request a little differently first, and especially made sure that Lou wasn't drinking when he asked the question. Because now he found himself wiping his face that Lou had splashed with beer as she burst out laughing at his question.

A slight chuckle brought him out of his memories.

Dream asked him, looking totally amused, "You asked her just like that, out of the blue, to marry you. Oh Hob..."

Hob shook his head, also realizing how ludicrous his story sounded.

"I know... but I hadn't stopped thinking about it all night and for me the idea was crystal clear. The solution to our respective issues. I had the possibility to live with someone, to have a family life, without the sword of Damocles of having to hide, or leave so as not to reveal my secret. And on the other hand, I was offering Lou a healthy environment to raise her child and the opportunity to get out of her condition."

Dream nodded with understanding and asked softly, still looking amused, "And how did she react?"

"Oh that... We're talking about Lou..." sighed Hob who couldn't hide the amusement the memory evoked.

Lou couldn't stop laughing. Hob wiped his face as best he could and waited for her to calm down. This took some time, because every time he tried to explain, Lou would start laughing again.

After a few minutes, Lou calmed down and, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye, she said as she caught her breath, "Go ahead and explain to me, where did you get this crazy idea, Hob."

Hob explained, showing her the reasons why his idea was good.

"Lou, it's not about sudden passion or love at first sight and-"

He stopped when he saw the smile disappear from her face and asked, "What? What did I say?" 

With a disillusioned look on her face, Lou replied, "I know I'm not the kind of woman one loves and marries."

Hob moved his hand forward and placed it gently on Lou's, "Lou, please, that wasn't what I was saying at all. I know we're not particularly friends, or at least we weren't, at most acquaintances who hang out at the same tavern. But last night you came to offer me comfort and a listening ear without asking for anything in return. If that doesn't make you a woman to love and marry, I don't know."

He squeezed her hand in his and continued, "Lou, I told you about my stranger yesterday, about my... my condition. But there's something I didn't tell you."

He took a sip of wine and continued softly, his voice lower, "I know. I know who you are and what you've been through."

Lou's face hardened and she wanted to withdraw her hand, but Hob's grip remained firm.

"I know. And I want you to know that this marriage comes with no conditions, no quid pro quo. I'm single, I'm rich, even if I hide it, and I can give you and your son a good life. Where you won't have to do what you don't want to do, or drink to forget you did it. Where you won't have to wonder if you and your son will make it through the winter, if next month you will have a roof over your head."

He let go of Lou's hand and held his open for her, saying, "I'm offering you a loyal, faithful, and sincere partner. Someone you can lean on and who will respect you and all I ask in return is the same."

Lou didn't grab Hob’s hand right away and thought for a moment. She took a sip of beer and looking into Hob's eyes, she asked seriously, "But you, Hob, what do you really get out of this, and what if you ever fall in love with someone, or your stranger comes back?

Hob laughed, as if to mock himself, "Honestly I'm not even sure my stranger will come back in a hundred years, and as for falling in love with someone else, I'd have to want to meet someone else. Lou, look, I don't want to hide anything from you, I can't promise you anything more than my friendship either."

Lou nodded and said softly, "That's already a lot and more than anyone else has offered me."

Hob continued, "I can't offer you anything more because my heart already belongs to someone else."

"Your stranger."

It wasn't a question or an accusation, just an observation. She turned her piercing gaze on Hob and continued, "There's more to it than that, isn't there? It's more than just infatuation isn't it?"

Hob replied, his throat tight, "Much more." He took a deep breath and his voice was barely a whisper as he replied, "Do you know what a soulmate is?"

Lou couldn't help but chuckle softly and replied, "You mean this crazy theory that you're connected in some special, deep way to someone, red thread and all?"

Hob gave a self-deprecating little smile and replied, "I'm not talking about anything invisible, or extraordinary, but just a feeling. The feeling that something deep connects you to the other person. So, you may scoff or think it's completely crazy, but I know that's what it is, deep inside me since 1789 when an instinct much stronger than fear made me defend him."

He took a sip of wine and continued, "You want to know what's hardest about the moment you realize it? It's not the separation at first, or the endless nights of lying awake hoping he feels that connection too. It's... it's the love. It's too strong, and you can't fight it. I've tried. Believe me, I've tried... but I've known since last night that I can't fight this love. Even after what happened last night, I know I'll always love him."

Lou stared at him in silence for long minutes and then grabbed the hand Hob had held out earlier and said simply, "I agree. I will marry you."  Hob was about to thank her when she continued, her expression serious and determined, "I accept on one condition, that we both be perfectly honest with each other. Whatever happens."

Hob slowly nodded and said in a firm voice as he squeezed Lou's hand, "I promise."

"That's how it all began." said Hob, staring at the finger that had worn the ring of his union with Lou for many years, then at Dream's silence, he looked up at him.

The lord of dreams stared at him with a shocked expression. 

Hob thought about what he had just said and wondered what could have put this expression on his lover's face.

He asked in a puzzled voice, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is it the fact that I married Lou that shocks you like that?"

Dream seemed to snap out of his daze and shook his head, "No, no, it's... what you said, about me being your soulmate. Is that really how you felt?"

Lost in his story, Hob had not realized all that he had revealed. But at the same time, he didn't have much to hide from Dream, and the strength of his feelings was not one of those things.

He corrected gently, "That's how I feel even now, Dream. That connection hasn't disappeared, it's only gotten stronger. The difference is that now that this love is shared, the pain is gone, even when we are apart."

Dream's shocked expression turned into a kind of admiration, and despite being in a public place, he leaned over and tenderly kissed Hob. Then, moving back, he brushed away one of the long brown locks that had fallen on his lover's forehead. He let his hand linger on Hob's cheek who instinctively leaned on it. 

Dream said softly, "You'd think after all this time I'd know you, and yet I'm still discovering new things."

Hob chuckled softly and asked teasingly, "Good things at least?"

Dream leaned toward him again and whispered against his lips, "Absolutely."

He was about to press his lips to Hob's when they were interrupted by a female voice, "Oh my god! You're Robert Gadling!"

They both turned their heads at the same time toward the source of the voice.

It was the young woman who had greeted them at the gallery entrance. With an expression mixed with shock and delight, she continued, "It is you! You are Lou's secret!"

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Dreamling Masterlist here (to find the next chapters)