#rivershores | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

niallhorxns · 3 months

Text

Niall Horan x Reader: Panicked

Prompt: You have a panic attack while you're on tour with him, he helps you through it.

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: anxiety, panic attack

A/N: hello!!! i recently discovered there's a painfully limited amount of niall x reader fics out there, so i'm adding to the pot. feel free to send requests / prompts if anyone has ideas they want me to write :) (i especially love angst, so give it to me).

Niall’s laugh fills the air as he leans forward and chats back and forth with the driver. If you weren’t so busy gazing at the views around you, you would’ve held onto the sound of it longer– reminded yourself it’s still your favorite sound in the entire world.

Tonight is night… forty five? No, forty six. Hell, you can’t remember. All you know is that as far as cities go, this one is small– but it has a certain charm to it that you’ve been admiring the entire ride to and from breakfast.

“Oh, take a look at that,” Niall says, reaching over your lap to point out the window. He’s motioning towards the river, sparkling blue underneath the clear sky, and lined with a cobblestone walkway. “That’s gorgeous.”

He says it longingly– like he wishes he could get out of the car and walk along the path. But of course he doesn’t suggest that. In fact, Niall rarely suggests outings when you’re with him on tour– because he knows how anxious it makes you. Not the outing itself, but the likelihood of him being spotted. You could handle a walk along the river, but you’d have a hard time handling a swarm of people bombarding you on a walk along the river.

It must drive him crazy– the way you always prefer sticking to the venue or hotel. And while he always claims to understand each and every time you say no to a public dinner, or whatever adventure is planned for the day, you can’t help but wonder if there will come a time that he gets sick of you always anxiously hanging back.

Your anxiety has ruined so much for you. It’s ruined school events and trips, it’s ruined friendships and opportunities. You don’t want it to ruin your relationship with Niall, too.

For the last year and a half, you’ve been attending therapy consistently– learning breathing techniques and grounding skills to cope with anxiety.

You wonder if now was a good time to test if it was working.

“Do we have time before soundcheck?” You ask.

Niall checks his watch. “It’s only eleven thirty. We don’t have to be back at the venue until one. You want to walk around?” He asks, a hint of surprise in his tone.

“Yeah, let’s do it,” you agree.

Niall grins before asking the driver to pull over.

Hand in hand, the pair of you stroll along the river casually, admiring the views around you. Summer is in full bloom– all the trees a brilliant shade of green, the sky stunningly blue.

“Look there–” Niall uses his free hand to gesture at a family of ducks swimming along the rivershore. You both stop in your tracks and watch for a moment, a smile spreading widely across your face.

“This is so nice,” you say. It’s so rare that you actually got quality time with Niall when he was on tour. Sure, you accompanied him to most shows, but you rarely got any shred of privacy.

This is what life might look like if Niall wasn’t… well, if he wasn’t Niall. You could take quiet walks in the morning along a riverbend. You could sit on park benches and drink your coffee without being swarmed. You’d be free to live your lives– unbothered, undisturbed.

But that wasn’t reality. And through the years, you learned that the only thing about your situation that you had control over changing was yourself. You couldn’t change the fact that Niall was adored and loved by people wherever you went. But you could try to change how anxious that made you.

You’d accepted the fact that you would always be introverted. People, present company aside, were draining. You’d never get energized from crowds like Niall did, and you’d never like being the center of attention. All you wanted was to be able to handle yourself when Niall inevitably was surrounded by crowds– that way you weren’t always restricted to what you could and couldn’t do whenever he was on tour.

“It is nice,” Niall agrees.

“And to think I’d never even heard of this town before,” you add.

Niall chuckles while you lean further into his side. “I think we’re actually really close to the venue, too,” he says, tilting his head towards the direction of the road.

The road, which is parallel to the path, curled around a corner and sure enough, in the distance, you could see the faint outline of the venue Niall would perform in tonight.

“Oh wow, I didn’t realize–” you begin. But before you can finish your sentence, your heart clenches in your chest. Because as soon as you’re far enough along the path to see the road leading to the entrance of the venue, the line of fans waiting to get in appears.

They’re across the street from the two of you, less than a football field away. Hundreds of fans sit– in their pretty clothes and outfits on the concrete, waiting in the hot sun for your boyfriend’s show. You are simultaneously proud that he is so adored, and terrified that you’ll be spotted.

“Shit,” Niall mutters under his breath. “Let’s turn back.”

“We can keep going,” you say, trying desperately to prove to him that you really are getting better– that you don’t have to be coddled all the time.

“We don’t have to–”

“The venue’s closer than the car,” you reply. “It’s fine, let’s just go.”

“You’re right. Maybe we can just sneak by. Go in the side gate there,” he suggests, nodding towards a side entrance to the venue. “I’m pretty covered up today. You up for that?”

You nod slowly, although you aren’t sure how true that really was. But at least Niall looked pleased– maybe even a little impressed.

Following his lead, you keep your head down and just focus on taking one step after another. Your gaze remains fixated on the stone beneath your feet, hoping to evade detection. You breathe in, forcing the air to your stomach– just like your therapist taught you, hold it, and out.

And slowly, the two of you get closer and closer to the venue, just enough so that you actually start to feel hopeful that maybe you’ll pull it off.

Until the screaming starts.

It starts off slow– one person shrieks.

And then it becomes hysterical– the kind of screams you let out when there’s a snake in the pool or a spider in the shower. Except you know these girls aren’t screaming because of snakes or spiders. They’re screaming because of your boyfriend– who is currently pressed to your side.

“Oh shit,” he says quietly. “Here they come.”

“Ni–” you whisper, already feeling the panic creeping up your throat. And suddenly, everything you’ve been taught– all the breathing techniques and grounding skills, go out the window. Your mind is blank– frozen.

“It’s okay,” he encourages you, giving your hand a tight squeeze. “Stand on this side of me.”

He shuffles you so that you’re on his other side– furthest from the group of fans currently running your way while you continue walking towards the venue. You aren’t going to make it in time, you realize– they’re going to catch you first.

“It’ll be okay,” he repeats to you. “We’re close to the venue, it’ll be okay.”

All you can manage is a weak nod.

As soon as the group approaches, the warmth from their bodies engulf you like a blanket– slow and suffocating. Niall, of course, handles everything beautifully. “Hello, hello,” he says kindly, remaining so calm. “Afraid we can’t do photos this morning, I’m late for soundcheck… Gotta get inside.”

There are bodies in front of you– there are bodies pressing behind you, bodies around you… everywhere. You lean into Niall’s touch, your clammy hand clinging to his like your life depends on it. In the vague distance, you feel him squeeze back, but it doesn’t feel real.

“Move please!” A firm voice suddenly shouts above the noise. Instantly, you recognize the voice as one from Niall’s security teaam. Relief floods through you as he makes his way through the group to collect the pair of you. He grabs Niall’s shoulders firmly and guides him forward. In the haste to try and keep up, your sweaty palm slips from his. Desperately, you try to latch back on, but as soon as it parts, bodies slip between you. In an instant, you’re separated from the one person in the entire world that can make you feel safe.

“Niall—” you try to say, but of course your meek voice is drowned out by the crowd.

You think you saw a flash of his hair ahead of you, but then a body slams into yours and you stumble, losing track of where it goes. People are pushing forward– to get closer to him. And then suddenly, you can’t breathe at all. Hot bodies all around you, the beating sun above– skin and clothing touching your bare arms. You can’t take it– you’re going to suffocate in here.

And all you can do is continue to push forward– closer to the gate, hoping that eventually, the crowd will break.

Everything is simultaneously moving too fast and too slow as the edges of your vision blur, like you’re getting sucked deeper and deeper into a dark tunnel. Chest tightening, you struggle to inhale.

Until suddenly, someone grabs your elbow, tugging you to your left. You don’t even have the energy to fight it. Instead, you let them pull you sideways until you’re out of the thickest part of the crowd.

Another one of Niall’s security team that you recognize gave you a concerned look. “You alright?”

You can’t get the words out, so instead you just nod. It’s a lie, though.

With that, he helps you the rest of the way to the venue. “Move aside!” The security guard yells, his grip on your shoulders tightening as he tries to maneuver his way through. “Move!”

Using his arm, he sweeps the remainder of the mob from your way and ushers you through the gate. Except, even once you’re inside– separated from the crowd, you’re too far gone to even appreciate it. Instead, you feel the familiar sensation of panic creeping across every inch of your skin, like it has already taken over your entire body. You know you have to get somewhere private, and fast– before you completely fall apart.

Without even realizing it, your feet start moving. Luckily the attention shifts to the mob of people outside, so no one even notices your attempt to slip away. Or maybe you’re just too engrossed in your own panic to notice anyone noticing you. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting somewhere quiet– somewhere safe.

You’ve never been to this venue before– but throughout the tour, you’ve learned that most of the layouts are the same. This was an amphitheater– outdoors, minimal options for private breakdowns. Your best bet is going to be the backstage room where you and Niall left your stuff earlier in the day. If you could remember how to get there…

Even though you have no idea where you are going, your body continues to move. It leads you around a couple of corners, past the merch booth and concessions and towards the stage… You’re going to lose it if you don't get somewhere safe fast.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grip your shoulders, causing your entire body to seize.

“It’s me,” a gentle voice murmurs. "I got you."

Through your foggy haze, you recognize Niall’s touch– except you still can’t breathe.

One look– that’s all it takes for him to know what was going on. Because he’s the one person on this planet that you’d willingly ever let get close to you during a panic attack.

“One to five?” he asks, indicating the rating scale the two of you had created for moments like this– so you could communicate just how bad you were feeling. One meant you could stay where you were, maybe take some breaths. Two meant he’d guide you through the grounding skills he knew about, maybe rub your back. Three was on the cusp, probably needed to go to a quiet corner to take some space. Four meant getting somewhere quiet and safe– and fast. Five meant you were probably dying.

You hold up four fingers. It feels bad– scary. Maybe you’re dying… but you also don’t want to be dramatic.

“Tell me what you need,” he says.

You try– honestly, you do. You open your mouth, but all that comes out is a gasp– a plea for help.

“Okay, it’s okay– c’mon,” he grips your shoulders and begins walking. You have no idea where– honestly you don’t have the capacity to care. All of your energy is focused on not passing out.

Niall flashes his badge to an employee who lets you backstage. You vaguely recognize the halls he leads you down as the ones where you dropped your stuff earlier. He’s bringing you to his dressing room… because of course he knows exactly what you need.

Once you’re inside, Niall shuts the door behind you as you stagger inside. Then, he spins around, his hands cupping the sides of your face.

“Look at me, baby,” he says. “It’s okay– you’re okay.”

“I– can’t–” you gasp, your own hands flying up to grip his forearms for some sort of lifeline to reality. “I can’t– breathe–”

“Okay, okay, okay,” he says. He’s trying to stay calm, but you can hear the uneasiness in his voice. “With me.”

He gives a deep, methodical inhale before letting out a slow, intentional exhale. “Just do it with me. Slow, like this.”

He continues, and you try to match his pace– to breathe with him, but it feels like someone is gripping your windpipe– squeezing so hard you just can’t get enough air–

“Niall–” you beg, your voice hoarse. “I can’t–”

“C’mon, with me,” he repeats earnestly. He’s looking at you with terror in his eyes, but you find comfort in their familiarity just the same. “We’ve done this a hundred times before, you know how to do this.”

“I– I–” you stammer, but the words won’t form.

“Shh, with me. Everything’s okay. I’m here. We’re both okay,” he assures you. His gaze is just so tender and soft and careful while his thumb grazes your cheek.

“I- I can’t-” you choke again, “Please-”

“Shh-” he soothes. “Look at me, nothing else, just me.”

Your wide, desperate eyes meet his. You don’t say anything, just shudder and gasp frantically.

“With me,” he repeats.

Niall produces loud and deliberate, slow and calming, in and out breathes. After a few seconds, you latch onto the sound, mimicking it, and then finally follow along.

“There you go,” he whispers.

Your facial features slowly start to relax as you’re able to breathe properly. Without your loud, choking sobs, you’re able to hear your heartbeat pounding in your chest frantically.

“Good job,” Niall sighs. “Look, it’s just you and me, we’re okay–”

But he can’t even finish his sentence before you lean forward and wind your arms around his neck– desperate and longing for some sort of comfort. Strong, sturdy arms wrap around you as you burrow your face into the nape of his neck. You breathe him in, letting his familiar scent wash over you.

“It’s okay,” Niall soothes. Upon feeling your shaky body pressed against his, he squeezes tighter. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here, I got you.”

You melt against him in response, bunching the fabric of his shirt into your fist, trying to communicate just how badly you need him to hold you right now.

And that’s exactly what he does— until you can finally breathe on your own again.

And then the wave of guilt comes.

Suddenly the realization of everything hit you– what a basketcase you’d been, running off like that, having a meltdown– you probably scared the shit out of him, or at the very least made a fool of yourself in front of the entire venue. Slowly, you pull back.

“Are you okay?” Niall says before you can even open your mouth.

You exhale a deep, shuddering breath that you can feel down your entire body. “I’m okay,” you say, your voice raw. “I’m so sorry– I didn’t mean to freak out.”

“Shh. Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay,” Niall says. His hands grip the outside of your shoulders gently. “Don’t apologize– I’m the sorry one, making you go through a crowd like that. That was a horrible idea.”

“It wasn’t even your idea– and I should be able to go through a crowd like that. I don’t know why I always freak out–” you stammer, feeling so upset with yourself. “It’s so stupid.”

“We talked about this, love. Remember? Anxiety doesn’t always make sense. Right? It’s not rational.”

“I just—” you start, but you stop when you notice how choked up your voice sounds. You take a slow breath. “I wanted to prove to you that I was doing better– that I wasn’t going to freak out every time we went out. But I guess I haven’t made progress, after all.”

As soon as you feel the tears burning behind your eyes, you dig the heels of your palms into them frustratedly, like you were physically trying to push them away.

“It’s getting so much better though, baby,” Niall says encouragingly. “This is the first panic attack you’ve had all tour. Unless you’ve been hiding them from me,” he says with a hint of playfulness to his tone. “First one in forty-five shows. That’s incredible. Last tour you were havin’ em every other night it seemed. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but that’s huge.”

You lower your arms and nod pathetically, gaze fixated on the floor.

“What is it?” he whispers gently. “Talk to me.”

“I’m so scared,” you choke out, “that one day you’re going to get sick of me–”

“Baby,” Niall interrupts.

“Maybe not me, but all of this,” you say instead. “I mean, you realize you could have anyone, right? But you could especially have someone who didn’t have a meltdown every time they had to face a crowd– Or someone who could actually handle going out in public with you once and a while.”

“Please look at me,” Niall says, voice gently serious. Pathetically, you do– your lip quivering as tears threaten to spill. “I need you to listen to me when I tell you this, okay?”

Slowly, you nod.

“I don’t want anyone else. Not in a million years, okay? I don’t want someone who loves crowds or going out, because they wouldn’t be you. Baby, honestly, I don’t like getting swarmed or photographed, either. If it bothered me that we didn’t go out much– I’d tell you. But it doesn’t. What does bother me is you changin’ things about yourself because you think it’ll make me happy. You make me happy. You. As you are, no changin’ things.”

You let his words sink in and try to believe them. “I’m just sorry you have to deal with me all the time. You have enough on your plate,” you groan, rubbing your tired eyes.

Niall sighs. “Baby, I sing and play the guitar– do a little dance or two if I’m really feelin’ it. I think I can handle being there for my girlfriend on top of that,” he says. “I love you. And I want you to be okay, always. That’s all I’ll ever want.”

With all your energy seemingly zapped, you lean forward and rest your forehead on Niall’s shoulder. His arms wrap around you again, anchoring you to him.

“I love you,” you murmur into his shirt. It’s muffled by the fabric, but it's there just the same.

You feel his hand cradle the back of your neck while he chuckles softly. “Good, because we still have about forty more shows to go.”

#i made a new blog so this is a shameless repost!!!!#niall horan #niall horan fic #niall horan imagine #niall horan x reader imagine #niall horan x reader #niall horan x reader fic #niall horan fanfic #niall horan x reader fanfic #niall horan angst #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan x reader angst

88 notes · View notes

rivershorerp · 4 months

Text

RAY CALHOUN (matthew mcconaughey) is looking for HIS SON/DAUGHTER/CHILD. You NEED TO contact MALBORO at @raycalhoun before applying for this connection.

To find out more about this connection please click below:

CONNECTION BASICS

Suggested Name: UTP

Age Range: 31-33

Suggested Faceclaims: Any FC that is at least 1/2 White, UTP

Connection Dynamic: They're definitely pretty distant in a sense. However, this character has come to Rivershore to attempt to over see Ray and likely reforge a connection with their father.

CONNECTION DETAILS/BACKGROUND

This connection can be for a child of any gender!

As it comes to being a father, Ray was as involved as most fathers who ran a practice and wrote a very popular teen fiction series were. He was there for their hobbies, and a lot of the important things, but the child was definitely raised by their mother.

Their mother, Ray's ex-wife, is definitely a society lady. I headcanon she married into old money shortly after the divorce from Ray. Their kid was either in college or close to high school graduation when they split and filed for divorce.

There was some fighting between the couple before their split. However, it was nothing that was ugly and didn't seem able to be overcome. Their divorce was likely a shock since Ray and his wife seemed very devoted to each other.

Their kid went on to college, lived a life, and recently the news of Ray's menace (plus the campaign against his novels) has had this character worried for their now very eccentric father.

As for their dynamic now, we can plot it out, but I'd imagine that Ray is probably deeply embarrassing — especially to their mother, his ex-wife. However, I do think the character wants to know their father more deeply since he's been mostly absent except for large events (like a college graduation). He always takes their calls, but he's always doing things.

Ray has a plotted connection with Julie Kim in that he's something like a grandfather/uncle for her child Kip. Ray's made a whole life in Rivershore that is very layered but very different from the life they grew up with. There are similarities, however, with how Ray treats Kip that they see.

I have other headcanons that I would be happy to share: such as, they tend to call Ray when something is broken or they need relationship advice, and he's excellent at both of those things.

THE FOLLOWING DETAILS ARE NOT FLEXIBLE FOR THIS CONNECTION:

The age range, given Ray's timeline. The character must be from Lexington, KY, and hasn't spent a ton of time in Rivershore until they moved here some years (or months!) ago.

The relationship they have with their mother is lot closer than with their father (Ray). The background outlined being a relatively trauma free and stress free environment until the divorce. I am not interested in a super traumatic character for their child.

#wanted

4 notes · View notes

raycalhoun · 4 months

Text

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒

Full Name: Raymond Dean Calhoun

Nickname(s): Ray

Age: 54

Birthday: July 16, 1970

Hometown: Rivershore, WV

Length of Time in town: Born here, left for college and some years later

Gender: Male

Pronouns: he/him

Orientation: Heterosexual

Relationship Status: Divorced and weird

Occupation: Apiarist and Advice Columnist

Accent: Very southern accent

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

tw divorce

Raymond, affectionately known as Ray, grew up in a two bedroom dirt shack off the grid of Rivershore. His family were a small, mining family. They never really had much, and Ray remembers when his father was injured and couldn’t work. He remembers being hungry.

Being poor meant you had to have a work ethic. So, Ray studied hard and developed his skills. He was accepted into college and then medical school to be a psychiatrist. His mother wanted him to be a doctor, but the on call hours didn’t really call to him, so a doctor of the mind was something that could interest him.

In all honesty, Ray considered school a chore. He loves to learn, he loved to research and study, but the act of classrooms and other students was a chore. He met his wife to be in undergraduate, their romance was a whirlwind and before a year was up they were married. Their family went from two to three before Ray graduated his undergraduate.

Medical school was a whirlwind of long hours and a toddler and many sleepless nights. He was poor again, and god he hated it. There were a lot of nights that he claimed he wasn’t hungry so that his wife and child were full. A quiet desperation set in, only the light at the end of the tunnel was graduation and his own practice.

Finally, he made it. He was able to open his own practice. His clinical practice was mindnumbingly boring — however, the money was excellent. His claim to fame and money was notonly his clinical prowess but also the series of teen fiction that he wrote and became a popular novel series in the early 2000s. The series went on to become a famous multi-movie franchise that he helped produce.

As their influence grew with their wealth, Ray could only see more and more loss of what he valued: privacy. His wife, however, loved the parties, loved the influence, loved the culture. And in Lexington, Kentucky, there was plenty of it. Soon they were invited to all the old money parties, and derby parties. Ray, however, couldn’t stand it. He stopped attending too much of the society parties much to the chagrin of his wife.

When the divorce was served, Ray was almost relieved. Granted, she got half of his wealth and his practice. However, that gave him license to sell the practice. He moved back to Rivershore where he bought in a very modest home in the Valley that he still lives in today.

The obsession with bees was always there. He something of jumped into the idea of being an apiarist with both feet. It was full of trial and error, but he loved having something new. From there, he built a small honey and bee business where he rescues bee colonies and relocates them to his hives and then sells the honey at local markets. It makes just enough to sustain him.

About five years ago, the franchise of books that he built into an empire has come under fire from critics. Around the same time, the internet did what they did best and dug up dirt on him. Since then, he’s moved to being something of a recluse outside Rivershore. He has no online presence, but given his love for the written word, he writes an advice column where the townies of Rivershore send him letters, and he selects one letter a week to respond to and give advice. This column is, of course, written under a pen name.

He’s something of a menace to the people of Rivershore - Ray has gotten his license taken away three times, and doesn’t have one, but he still drives. On Friday nights you can find him either hustling a game of pool or betting on the local high school game.

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄

1970: Born

1988: Graduated High School

1992: Graduated College (likely met wife in college, they got married and had a kid in these 4 years)

1996: Graduated medical school

1998: Opened his own clinical practice / started writing book series

2001: First book went best seller

2009: Books into movies

2011: Divorce / moved back to Rivershore / started bees

2020: Started the advice column which is well known in the town

#about #biography

1 note · View note

fitness-trending-content · 11 months

Video

youtube

Walking Tour 4K: Rivershore Walk to Perth City Centre feat. Blue Boat House #citywalkthrough Walking along the popular walking/cycling trail along the Swan River, from the Rivershore in Nedlands area, until reaching Perth City CBD near Elizabeth Quay. This trail has a nice picturesque view all along the way, including the very insta famou […] https://newsinfitness.com/walking-tour-4k-rivershore-walk-to-perth-city-centre-feat-blue-boat-house-citywalkthrough/

#citywalkthrough #tourperth

0 notes

davidsparcks · 1 year

Text

An impressive full home renovation in Ada I photographed for Rivershores Hardwood Flooring & Cabinetry Company and Candice Stavale - Realtor!

0 notes

marinette-edhel · 11 months

Text

Episode 8

'Tale by the Rivershore' on Webtoon Canvas.

(Instagram : @marinette_s_cup_of_tea)

#my art #my art stuff #merman story #webtoon #webcomic #tale by the rivershore #mermay

526 notes · View notes

mim70 · 8 months

Text

Vasilyovo village, Torzhok, Tver’ rg., Russia

76 notes · View notes

blithers · 3 years

Text

Dear Yuletide Writer 2021

Hello Yuletide writer! I love Yuletide every year, and I’m so happy you’re here, writing for me. I’m active here on tumblr, somewhat active on twitter, and I’m blithers on AO3.

Things I Like: Characters who yearn for something better. Intense romantic longing. Humor. Jokes. Flirting. Really blatant flirting. First times. Sex! Porn! Codependency, all the way to its unhealthy extremes. Sarcasm. Arguments as foreplay. Forced marriages. Pretending to be in a relationship. Bittersweet endings. Happy endings. Things that are left unsaid. Phone sex. Tropes. Soulmate AUs. Awkward make outs. Awkward sex. Kissing. Cunnilingus. Guys who are virgins. Sharing a bed/sleeping together without having sex. Truth or dare. Secret identities, and their reveal. Sex pollen. Desperation. Epistolary narratives. People who are extremely competent at their work. Found families. Road trips.

Do Not Want (DNW): Major character death. Pregnancy/babies.

Requests for: Tale by the Riverside (Webcomic), Run (TV 2020), The Folk of the Air - Holly Black

---

Tale by the Rivershore (Webcomic)

Blanche, Merman

This little webcomic is so dang charming, and I’ve been enjoying reading the slowly-unfolding story all this year. If you haven’t seen it already, it’s a short read, still a WIP, and can be found on webtoons. I feel both platonic and gently shippy about the two main characters, so anything exploring that relationship in either direction, or where the story might conceivably go next, would be wonderful. One thing I enjoy about the comic is the combination of Blanche’s understated melancholy and ennui about her day-to-day life, contrasted with her refreshingly practical solutions to very unusual problems (housing a merman in her washing basin!), so anything more of her clever, pragmatic way of approaching life would be fantastic. How do Blanche and the merman learn to communicate with each other? Can they figure out how to communicate with gestures or words, or does the merman actually understand humans and isn’t sharing that knowledge yet (I feel like there’s a hint or two that might be the case).

Or what sort of cultural misunderstandings might arise as they do get to know each other? I love tropes where one character doesn’t realize what the action of another actually means - that they are being wooed in a way they don’t understand, or they don’t fully realize the gravity of something the other tells them. Any worldbuilding you might want to do around the merman, where he might be from or what his society is like, would be fun here. This story is so wide open, you could really take this request in a variety of ways, and I would be thrilled.

Here’s the link to the comic if you’re interested: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/tale-by-the-rivershore/list?title_no=602142&page=1

---

The Folk of the Air - Holly Black

Jude Duarte, Cardan Greenbriar

There’s such an intensity to their relationship - on Jude’s side, and especially on Cardan’s side - I would love to read so much more about these two. I’d absolutely love to read more about their wedding night: they got married, they are husband and wife now, and it happens so suddenly. It seems like they’d have so much to talk about, and a lot of heady feelings about belonging to another person that might bubble up in intense, possessive, strange sorts of ways - and that Cardan in particular must have been extremely pleased and triumphant that Jude accepted his proposal.

Or I’d love to read more about them making out/doing sexual stuff together while still hating each other (late first book/earlier second book-era), and it just keeps happening and they’re each other’s greatest allies but they also still don’t trust each other yet. What if they come to an arrangement where they decide that Jude will start sleeping in Cardan’s room to protect him from random assassination and seduction attempts in the middle of the night, post-Nicasia’s failed crossbow attempt? Or, I’d love to read more of Cardan corresponding with Jude while she’s in exile (and her actually receiving any letters he writes) - both of them working through their feelings and situation via letters and having what I can only assume is the equivalent of a horribly torrid already-married affair with words and lots of complicated emotions.

---

Run (TV 2020)

Billy Johnson, Ruby Richardson

I just flipped for the chemistry between the two leads in this show, and I’d love to read literally anything more for them. I (like many people, it seems) struggled with where the show eventually went, and how the first season ended before being cancelled - so, fix-it fic! You could tackle the first season cliffhanger-esque ending - for example, what if Billy and Ruby kept in touch after that, and continued their relationship or worked things out in their lives via texting or email before seeing each other again? I’d also love to read more of the relationship between Billy and Ruby as established in the first couple episodes without the thriller aspects that the show eventually pivoted to - just more of the two of them on a train, figuring out their past and future together, bantering and talking, perhaps having a lot of sex.

This show is also a perfect opportunity to go AU - for example, what about a soulmates or a soulbond universe (giving a lot of poignancy to their decision in college to break up, if they were soulmates), or a band AU (the reason they’re back together after years is for a reunion tour!). I’ll also note that there’s a lot of complicated stuff in the relationship between Billy and Ruby, and I’m comfortable with however you’re like to deal with Ruby’s infidelity, from outright ignoring it to grappling with it as the show itself does (although I’d prefer for infidelity to not be the entire focus of the fic, please). I’d also be perfectly thrilled with anything from a perfectly happy to bittersweet to a cuttingly sad ending for a story. I just really enjoy these two characters together, and I’d love to read anything more about them.

#yuletide 2021 #yuletide #the folk of the air #tale by the rivershore #run hbo #run

2 notes · View notes