#school is taking up 98% of my life

[eiikyuu]

hope everyone’s been good, miss y’all 💕

[whimsyfinny]

He’s a Winchester

Chapter 1

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: It's been a long time since (Y/n) and Dean's paths have crossed. Last time they saw each other it was ‘98 and they were young and living in the moment. Nine years down the Line, their paths cross again, but (Y/n)s longest kept secret is about to become Deans reality.

Slow burn (ish), mom!reader, eventual smut

Warnings: language, mention of drugs

Chapter Word Count: 2330

—-MDNI—-

A/N: wooooop new series! I'm trying something new with this one! As a mom myself I loooove reading mom!reader fics, so I wanted to write my own. It's a slightly shorter first chapter, but the following ones should be longer. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, reading your comments makes my day ❤️ and of course, this is proofread only by myself so pls pls let me know of any errors! I really hope you enjoy it. I also didn’t write this at 2am for once so brownie points to me hahaha

Photos from Pinterest

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Chapter 1

“Come on, (Y/n)! You have to tell me all about it! What was he like? Did you kiss? Hold hands? Where did he take you?”

I couldn’t help but smile at the rapidfire questions spewing from Kats mouth. Kat, the stunner sat opposite me with perfect dark skin and the inability to have a bad hair day, was my closest friend. We lived on the same street, drank at the same bar and both hated this small, slightly judgemental town equally. We bonded over the similarities in our lives - like both of us having fallen pregnant at a young age and being dealt the hand of having to raise our kids as single parents. Life was fucking hard sometimes (well, nearly all the time), but my son, Levi, and Kat, made this life worth living.

“Jesus Christ, ok! The date was ok.”

“Uh oh. ‘Ok’? That means it was awful, right?” she raised an eyebrow.

I took a gulp of my coffee.

“The date was ok. But he was…. Seriously not my type. He was too…perfect?” I winced as the words left my mouth, fully aware of how utterly ridiculous that sounded.

“Girl, ‘too perfect’? What the fuck kind of excuse is that?” Kat snorted slightly into her latte.

“I know, I know. But he reminded me of a Ken doll, ya’know? With his white jeans and his Armani sweater over his shoulders - that’s not really… me. The dude gets more manicures than I do. Plus he drives a Fiat Panda. Levi wouldn’t be caught dead getting in and out of one of those.”

“You can’t use your sons taste in cars to dictate the men in your life. That’s a low blow and you know it.”

“Ok then, you go out with Robert and tell me about all the kale facts that you never wanted to learn.” I leant back on the couch, clutching my coffee with both hands to bring some warmth to my fingertips. Kat did the same opposite me, leaning back in the plush armchair as we both took a second to glance out of the large café windows. This was our happy place, right here. It was the place we would come to when we first met and the boys were still in diapers. It was our happy place for the last nine years, and we would come here for every situation: be it a breakup, a catch-up, to discuss terrible sexual encounters or dire situations that need insane back-up plans. But we mostly came here to people-watch. Being the young, single moms that we were, we were constantly under the scrutiny of the small town, having every decision judged by the perfect Jeep-driving soccer moms and the old ladies from church. When we came here, to sit by this window in these comfy-as-fuck couches, it was our turn to do a little judging.

“Vicki Priestley isn't fooling anyone with those sunglasses,” I said, taking another sip of coffee as I watched the thin peroxide blonde across the street repeatedly wipe her nose with the back of her hand.

“Right? We get shunned for…well… fuck all, yet that Paris wannabe can snort coke on a Tuesday school run and everyone turns a blind eye? What a joke.”

“Amen to that,” we watched her for a few more seconds as she climbed behind the wheel of some monstrous four by four and sped off down the road.

“Did you hear that Mrs. Harris caught Mr. Harris with a young mistress? Apparently she works at the bank.”

“Oh my GOD yes I heard!” Kat exclaimed, leaning forward, “and as revenge she put Nair in his shampoo - he's completely hairless, even his eyebrows are gone.”

We both snickered as we raised our mugs.

“To Mrs. H for taking no shit.”

Conversation flowed as topics ranged from the new dessert parlour that opened last week down the road to the extortionate price of kids' Motocross gear.

“I mean the bikes are so tiny, why do they have to cost that much?”

“You're preaching to the choir babes, Toby just outgrew his boots for the third time this year,” Kat grimaced at the thought of how much money she'd spent already.

“Ouch, they're like what? Eighty bucks a pair?”

“Yup.”

“Yeah well, I had to get Levi a new helmet after that little dickhead from the tournament last month crashed into the side of him. That boy was more upset about the stickers he lost than the bruises he got,” I shook my head with a smile on my lips. Kat did the same.

“That's a tough kid you've got there.”

I sighed.

“Yeah I know. Despite never having met him, he's so much like his dad. It's a little concerning actually,” I laughed nervously, instantly regretting bringing up Levi’s father in front of Kat. I glanced up at her, taking a sip of my coffee in an attempt to hide behind the mug. The wiggling of her eyebrows being an indicator of her impending wrath.

“That man is the reason why you’re never satisfied with your dates. He set that bar waaaay too high.”

I scoffed. “He did not. We were young and he just swept me off my feet a bit, that’s all; with that ‘give ‘em Hell’ attitude and handsome face. Plus he had a great car.”

“Last time you said his face was ‘gorgeous’,” Kat cupped her face and fluttered her eyelashes, puckering her lips. I threw a sugar packet at her which she batted right back at me.

There was a moment of quiet as we both looked out the window again, my mind unable to stop itself from racing through old memories.

“Do you think he’ll ever come calling?” Kat asked, some sincerity to her tone. I sighed and slumped back further on the couch.

“I highly doubt it. He doesn’t even know that Levi exists. I tried calling him a few years back but some guy John W. had that number instead. I gave up after that. Plus, he had this kinda dangerous job, and normally if he showed up it was because something was going to go down,” I paused, looking into the dark liquid in my cup, “It’s probably a good thing that he hasn’t just shown up.”

“You say that, but you still have that photo you took together on your vanity.”

I shot her a look, pursing my lips and pinching my brows as she laughed, knowing she'd stumped me there. I quickly downed my coffee and checked my watch before standing and grabbing my bag.

“Come on, let's stop interrogating me and go pick up the boys before all Hell breaks loose at the track.”

“Mom it wasn't my fault, I swear.”

I slammed the car door closed and turned to the boy who stood close enough to be my shadow.

I turned around to face him with a stern expression, “so you did do it? After I called that boys mom a liar? LEVI.”

Levi, my son, looked close to tears, his bottom lip trembling.

“Mom, I'm so sorry! I'll never do it again!”

I narrowed my eyes at him before sighing, already exasperated, throwing the car keys into my bag.

“Did you at least stick to the golden rule?”

His answer was a vigorous nod, the tremble in his lip disappearing.

“‘Never throw the first punch; throw the second and finish the fight,’” he recited the words like a prayer.

“And…?”

“‘Always claim self defence.’”

I smiled and ruffled his soft brown hair.

“Good boy. What started the fight anyway?” I asked, guiding him to walk through the parking lot towards that new dessert parlour.

“He said I was weird for not having a dad.”

I looked down at him, eyes softening and I lifted a hand to rub his shoulder. It wasn't the first time he'd had this argument, and it likely won't be the last. Kids can be assholes. “And then he hit me when I said ‘at least my mom's boobs are real.’”

“Levi!” I stopped in my tracks and looked at him, mortified. I didn't even know where to start with that one. “Where-”

“Jamie from math class told me what ‘implants’ were… and he said that Brad's mom had them.”

He looked up at me innocently, and I knew then that he didn't fully grasp what he'd said to Brad - the kid he'd just punched between the eyes. I sighed for the umpteenth time and started walking again.

“Whatever, just… don't say that to anyone again, ok? You're gonna make me look like a terrible parent.”

“Ok mo- whoa! Look at that car!” It was Levi's turn to stop dead in his tracks as he stood in awe of the sleek black car parked by the sidewalk.

A black Chevy Impala.

“Oh wow,” my words came out slightly breathless, my mind suddenly racing to him and the conversation I'd had with Kat earlier that afternoon.

“So cool!” Levi gushed, walking up close to it but not close enough to touch.

“Yes, very cool. Now let's go inside before they run out of ice cream,” I ushered him to the door, reflexively looking over my shoulder, not knowing if I even wanted to see who could possibly be in the area.

The bell jingled as we walked in and Levi ran up to the counter, pressing his forehead to the glass. My eyes scanned the menu and I was pleasantly surprised to see they served coffee.

“What do you fancy kiddo?” I ruffled his hair again and waited for him to decide, and it wasn't long before he'd made up his mind. After ordering, we headed towards a small table-for-two at the edge of the room, and as Levi slumped down in his chair something familiar caught my attention.

A voice.

My heart quickly became erratic in my chest and my palms grew sweaty. I looked in the direction the voice had come from and was met with a slap in the face from memory lane.

There he was; the same wicked grin and mischievous eyes that had burned themselves into my memory. He dressed the same as he did nine years ago - right down to the necklace and leather jacket. He was engrossed in a conversation with another man, who looked slightly younger than himself, all whilst digging into a stack of waffles.

“Mom?”

The sound of Levi's voice snapped me out of the stunned fog I was caught up in and I quickly sat down, trying my best to focus on my son and not the man who was sitting only a few feet behind him. Levi looked like he was about to ask another question when a giant chocolate sundae and a coffee appeared at the table. I heard the waitress challenge Levi to finish the whole thing, but it was like I was listening to the world through water. My mind wouldn't stop racing. He's here. Do I talk to him? Will he remember me? Do I tell him about Levi? I hurriedly pulled my phone from my bag and sent her a hasty message before turning back to the boy in front of me, convincing a smile to appear on my lips.

“If you have room in that black-hole stomach of yours then you definitely could've finished your veggies earlier at dinner.”

He smirked slightly, like he always did when he knew he was getting away with murder, and it almost took my breath away. I saw the same smirk grace the lips of the man in the booth behind him. The mans gaze shifted to the side and when his eyes met mine - the same vibrant twists of green and gold that I have tattooed on my memory - I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart leaping in my chest as I tore my eyes away. I clutched my coffee cup, staring intently at the dark swirling liquid, praying to anyone or anything that I'd find the answers to my troubles in the bottom of this mug. The prickling on my skin was unshakable, like his eyes were on me and I was trapped under his intense observation, unable to breath. Minutes felt like hours, and eventually he and his companion stood before heading to the door. The moment they were gone with the bell signalling their departure, the air gushed from my lungs as I dropped my head into my hands, earning myself a confused look from my son. I offered him a reassuring smile which he accepted before returning to shovelling ice-cream into his face.

Just when I thought I was safe, I looked up and locked eyes with him. Our eyes locked through the window just as he opened the car door, leaning on it. It was like time froze, and for a few moments, despite my earlier urgency to not make eye contact, I was now unable to look away. My breath caught in my throat as a smirk pulled at his lips before he ducked down into the driver's seat, slamming the car door closed. I found myself chewing on my bottom lip as he tore out of the parking lol, that familiar rumble of the engine practically rattling the windows and, despite the noise, it was a comforting sound.

Once they were out of sight and the impala could no longer be heard, I sighed, pushing my hair off my face and running my hands through my hair. As Levi polished off the last of his ice-cream, my phone buzzed on the table. Opening it and reading the message, a small wave of relief washed over me as Kat confirmed that Toby would be at his dad's for once so she could come over to drink wine and discuss very important topics. She hasn't got a clue what I need to vent about yet, but I feel like tonight is going to be a very long night.

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@suckitands33 @jackles010378 @megara0224 @libby99hb @roseblue373 @hobby27 @calibootsgirl @lyarr24 @autistic-gothic @wattpaduser200 @spndeanwinchesterlvr @mxtansy @magssteenkamp @redmaro86 @slut-for-evans-stan @spookyysinsanity @localjisung @king-of-milf-lovers @xshortputax @jerksbitch @multifandoms-saidwhat @deans-baby-momma @writersxxx

[princesserica84]

As a Jewish Canadian, I'm scared.

For anyone who may not know, today at the Toronto Metropolitan University, a number of Pro-Palestine (antisemitic) protestors set up outside the Hillel Centre (which is a centre for Jewish campus life) and were screaming things like "shame". They were verbally aggressive and yelling at the students. They chose this spot because they are blaming these Jewish students for a war they had zero involvement in, for a war on the other side of the world. They are blaming them simply because they are Jewish. This is the definition of antisemitism. And if you are not Jewish, shut the fuck up because you do not get to decide if I am offended as a Jewish person.

If this was towards people of color, or LGBTQ+ people, everyone would be talking about it. But they aren't, and yet it's the same. Let me be perfectly clear:

BLAMING PEOPLE FOR THE WAR IN GAZA SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE JEWISH IS ANTISEMITIC

And yet, this is what those Pro-PalestineHamas protestors are doing. They are just students going to school. What is wrong with people that they think this is okay? Why is it that only Jewish people seem to be talking about this?! Jewish people take up less than 2% of the Canadian population. Why is it that the other 98% is not saying anything?

I'm scared because this country is my home. I'm scared because I know there are people here that hate me because I am Jewish.

I'm scared because the last time Jewish people started being treated this way, 6 million of us were tortured, starved, and gassed to death.

This post is not about Palestine or the war, so please don't yell at me about that. This post is about antisemitism in Canada. This post is to inform you that Jewish people are scared and we are angry that so few Canadians seem to care.

[reblive]

An except from Eric’s journal that i’ve thought about often as of lately. I have no place to put my thought so I will speak on here. No intent for discourse, I just have no outlet to speak on this matter. If this is not the space for you, just don’t read it. I don’t really care to hear anything.

“Society may not realize what is happening but I have; you go to school, to get used to studying and learning how youre "supposed to" so that drains or filters out a little bit of human nature. but thats after your parents taught you whats right and wrong even though you may think differently, you still must to have more of your human nature blown out of your ass. society trys to make everyone act the same by burying all human nature and instincts. Thats what school, laws, jobs, and parents do If they realize it or not and them, the few who stick to their natural instincts are casted out as psychos or lunatics or strangers or just plain different. crazy, strange, weird, wild, these words are not bad or degrading.. if humans were let to live how we would naturaly it would be chaos and anarchy and the human race wouldnt probably last that long, but hey guess what, thats how its supposed to be!!!!! society and goverments are only created to have order and calmness, which is exactly the opposite of pure human nature. take away all your laws and morals and just see what you can do. if the goverment was one entity it would be thinking "hey, lets make some order here and calm these crazy fucks down so we can be constructive and fight other goverments in our own little so called self created "civilizied world" and get rid of all those damn insticts everyone has" well shit I'm to tired wright anymor tonight, so until next time, fuck you all”

In some way in pains me to see the way he felt about the world and the wrong doings of those around him. If you take a second to sit and read what he’s saying it’s like part of his authenticity comes out and then transitions back to switching to speak to the audience and how he wanted to be seen. I can’t always articulate in words the feelings I get when I think about him but it’s genuinely always painful. He was so hurt, and described his pain, but still shadowed his true feelings of distress for the audience. He cared about what other people thought about him even in his writings, and it’s so disheartening that he was that broken and plague by the environment he was in. I take time to consider how people cannot feel empathy for him and I understand it due to the situation at hand (obviously) however, considering how he was 17 years old writing this, he was just a kid. He was once how we all once were, innocent and compelled to continue on the paths of our lives the way that the nature of society intended us to. It really goes to show how fucked up he had it. This draws me back to the butterfly effect, was there one decision by himself, or inflicted upon him by others that brought him to where he ended his life? Empathy is a theme he seems to disregard in his journal entries, and quite frankly, all of media and the world deems him as un empathetic because of his writings. We didn’t know how he thought of himself in his head, we didn’t know the guilt, destruction, and true pain he went through that was genuine. I find this a reason why there is much more weight put onto him within his person. “It’s only a tragedy if you think it is, and then it’s only a tragedy in your own mind.” (7/29/98) I suppose this is how we all (who empathize with E&D) feel and can relate to.

Thinking too much about his pain these days and what he once was and how he became what he was. Being truthful and honest are two different things. Being truthful, factual, what he did was terrible. Being honest, feelings, I have so much pain in my heart for how he was feeling. There’s nothing anyone can do now (whom empathize)

[tkwrites]

Summer Decisions - Quinn Hughes x ofc

gif from gabelandeskog

Title: Summer Decisions - Quinn Hughes x ofc

Author: Tory / @tkwrites 

Relationship: Quinn Hughes x Sarah Roberts

Warnings: Highly emotional, angst. mild fighting, lots of anxiety, swearing, crying, fluff. If I missed anything, please let me know. 

Summary: An invitation to his family reunion over the fourth of July has Quinn and Sarah tumbling into a long conversation about their future in the off-season and beyond. Though the ensuing fight is resolved, the reality of their commitments vs. their love for each other is put to the test.

Word Count: 4,600

Comments: I’m back with some highly emotional goodness. This fic was halfway done for a long time until your overwhelming reactions to my WIP ask game really got me in gear to start writing again. I really like the way this turned out, and I hope you do, too. It's, like, 98% dialogue. So if that's not your thing, I won't be offended if you skip this one. But it is setting up all of our off-season fics.

If you enjoyed this, please let me know by commenting, reblogging, or sending in an ask. Your encouragement and comments truly inspire me to keep writing. 

I love Quinn and Sarah, and I’m constantly blown away that so many of you love them, too.

Summer Decisions

A Quinn & Sarah Snapshot

“My parents want to know if you want to come to our family reunion over the 4th of July. It’s in New Hampshire.”

“Oh,” she said, voice quiet. 

“Is that not okay?” 

“It’s just a big step,” she said, “meeting your whole family.” 

“I’m meeting your family in June, aren’t I?” he asked.

They’d discussed him coming to visit when she went home for a few weeks after school. Were it not for the Canucks making it into the playoffs, she would have bought a ticket for the Monday after her classes would be done. Instead, she pushed her visit back until mid-June, wanting to be in Vancouver to support him through the entirety of their run, however long it may be.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” 

It was a little strange to her how comfortably serious they were, but she couldn’t imagine life with Quinn any other way. It was that fated belonging she’d talked about so much when they first met. Even still, it was a little jarring to think about him meeting her family or meeting his before they even hit the six month mark. 

The phrase, ‘when you know, you know,’ never made sense until she met him. She knew, and even though it felt too fast and scary sometimes, she knew it would all turn out okay. 

“So we’ll fly out from Van, what? The night before?”

“I’ll have to fly out from Michigan.” 

“Michigan? Why?” 

“I thought I told you we train in Michigan in the summer.”

“You did, but I thought… I thought maybe that changed?” 

“Why?” 

“Because of us?” she gestured between them. 

“I mean, I’d love for you to come with me.” 

“I can’t do that, Quinn.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t just pack up and move to Michigan. I still have my research work, and if I’m not working or in school for more than 6 weeks in a quarter, it violates my education visa. Not only will I have to move back to the States, I won’t be able to finish my degree.” 

“Then I’ll fly you out every weekend.” 

Pricked, the old wound split open, and she couldn’t quite hide the annoyance in her voice, “so it’s up to me to fly to you?” 

Shit. He hadn’t taken her schedule into account again. “Sorry, no. Of course I’d come here, too.”

The annoyance still fresh in her mind she found herself asking, “why do I have to remind you my time matters for you to take it into account?”

Quinn winced. “I know your time matters. I’m sorry, it’s not fair for me to assume you could just pack up and move or fly out every weekend.”

“Then don’t bring it up again,” she said. 

Okay then. 

“I’m trying here, Sarah. This is all new to me, too.” He’d never felt close enough with June to figure out a summer situation. They saw each other once or twice when he was gone, and that was enough. Looking back, that should have been a huge sign about the trajectory of their relationship.

“And yet, I assume because I have a vagina, I was raised to take other people into account.” 

“That’s not fair,” he said. 

“No? Then why do you always jump into me coming to you? Into me changing my plans? Into me inconveniencing my life before you do?” 

Fuck. This wasn’t supposed to go this way. This was supposed to be a nice, light conversation about how he wanted her to meet everyone he loved. 

“Maybe we should just break up for the summer,” she said when he didn’t say anything.  

“What? No!” Quinn sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, hurt and disgruntled she would even suggest such a thing. 

“What would you suggest, then?”

Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. “Do you want to date someone else?” His voice was hesitant as he braced himself for the blow. 

“No. Of course not.” 

“Then why do you want to break up?” he asked through the relief easing his mind. “Why would you even say that?” 

“Because we won’t be together.”

“That doesn’t mean we should just call it off. Why do you always jump into ‘we should break up’ or ‘I should go’ when something hard comes up?” 

“I…” Sarah broke off, caught. “I don’t know.” 

“Maybe you should figure that out because I’m willing to put in the work here,” he said, gesturing between them. 

“That’s not fair.”

He raised his eyebrows instead of throwing her words back in her face. 

“I’m sorry, Quinn. I am trying, and I know you’re trying.” Tears pricked at her eyes, “I’ve just…” her mind whirred, trying to find the right explanation. In the end, as it always did with Quinn, the truth won out. “I’m scared I’m going to fuck it up and I don’t want to lose you.” 

Bridging the space between them with one big step, he pulled her against him. When they boiled down to the heart of the problem, they were both scared of the same thing. 

Tucking his nose into her hair, he breathed in the calming, smokey scent that was uniquely hers. “I don’t want to lose you, either,” he said. “We can still be together. Just separately.”

A laugh snorted from her nose, and she pulled back, “what?” 

“Long distance?”

It was Sarah's turn to suck on her lip. “I’ve never done that before.”

“I have. It's not easy. But I think we're both committed enough to make it work. Plus, we'll see each other pretty often.”

She had her thinking face on as a pregnant pause passed, so Quinn didn’t interrupt.

“What would that look like?” she asked, finally. 

“We’d talk on the phone and video chat a lot. I can come see you every weekend.”

“That doesn't make sense, Quinn. You go to Michigan to train and be with family. If you're flying back here every weekend, won't that mess with those things?”

“Probably, but —”

“Then it's out of the question. You need to do what you need to do.” 

He felt whiplashed. “I thought you wanted me to come here.” 

“Only in equal measure to me coming to you. I won’t let you give up your summer training for me.” 

It stuck him how much care and understanding were laid out in that statement. 

“Just like I know you wouldn’t want me to give up my research for you. It wouldn’t be fair.” 

Still wrapped in each others arms, Sarah rested her head on his shoulder as they thought. 

Tucking his face into her hair again, Quinn breathed deeply. As always, that smokey, vanilla scent was so calming to him. He couldn’t ever get it out of his mind. 

“This fucking sucks,” he said, voice muffled.

“I know,” she agreed. “I wish it could be different."

It couldn’t. They both had commitments that needed to be fulfilled, and they just didn’t match up.

“I wish I’d known. I would have made different plans.” 

“How would you have known?” she asked. “We only met four months ago.” 

“Has it only been that long?” he asked. The reality of the swiftness of their relationship hit him full force. “I feel like I’ve known you forever.” 

“I know. I do too.” 

“I don’t want to go the summer without you,” he said, caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers. 

“I don’t either,” she agreed, “but it’s not like it’ll be five months where we just don’t see each other.” 

“Four,” he corrected. 

“What?” 

“Four months, I come back in September.” 

Well, that was a relief. 

“Okay, four months. I mean, we already have stuff planned. Let’s talk through what we do have,” she suggested, breaking away from him all together and pulling her planner from her bag. Flipping to the summer months, she lay it on top of her comparative physiology textbook and sat at the table. The urge to make a plan itched beneath her skin. 

He sat next to her, leaning in.

“So we have my family in June,” she said, pointing out the 10 days she had blocked out for her visit, “I sort of expected you’d come on the weekend?”  

“Yeah, that sounds good. And our reunion over the forth,” he said, flipping the page. “Then, we’re going to Hawaii at the end of July. You can come. I’ll get you a ticket.” 

“Hold on, have you talked to your family about this?” 

“No, but it’ll be fine.” 

She shook her head. 

He couldn’t believe she was turning down the option to spend two more weeks together. 

“That’s your family vacation, Quinn. I’d love to come, but I don’t want to go inserting myself —”

“You’re not inserting yourself, I’m inviting you.” 

“And I’m telling you I won’t come unless all your family is okay with it. Including Jack.” 

Even though Quinn had assured her Jack was a good guy and very devoted to his family and would come around once they met, he was still aloof anytime she happened to be around when he and Quinn were talking. Even Ellen had said as much, but Sarah still felt hesitant. Until she saw it from Jack himself, she wasn’t about to jump into an already planned vacation. She knew what it was like having a new person join the family. She didn’t want to make it any harder than it had to be. 

Quinn huffed. 

“The last thing I want is to come between you and your brothers,” she said gently.

His expression softened. “Okay. I’ll talk to them about it when they’re here.”

“So, it looks like we’ll see each other every three weeks or so, depending on when you come to Nevada and what Hawaii looks like. At least until August.”

Every three weeks felt like too long. He could hardly stand a week on the road, and they weren’t even living together. Yet. 

“I’d like you to come out to Michigan,” he said, “meet the guys. See the house.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “And you can come back here sometime here,” she said, her finger circling over a few weeks in August. 

Quinn nodded. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy, but it did feel better to have a plan.

“Are you renting this place out for the summer,” she asked, “while you’re gone?”

“I kind of thought you might move in here.”

“What?” 

“I mean, it’s just going to be empty, and I’d really like to live with you when I move back.” 

She couldn’t believe he could drop such a huge bomb so easily. As she tried to reconcile what he was saying, she repeated, “what?” 

“I mean…” he paused, voice and expression suddenly hesitant, “only if you want to.” 

Her brain finally caught up, “it’s not that. It’s just…we haven’t even talked about living together, and now you have this whole plan about how I should live here over the summer.” 

“I just thought there’s no real need for you to pay for rent anymore, since you spend so much time here anyway.” 

“I…” she was struck with the care in that statement, “that’s really sweet, Quinn.” 

He beamed.

“But I can’t live here alone all summer.” 

Expression falling, he opened his mouth.

“I just —” she interrupted before she lost her nerve. What was one more in a series of already vulnerable conversations? “I’d love to live here with you, but I can’t…I don’t know how my depression will act up if I live alone for that long. I’ve never lived on my own before, and I don’t think a summer where I’m missing my boyfriend is the best time to start.” 

The thought that she’d be here alone hadn’t crossed his mind. Not in a concrete way. Like, he knew she’d be here, and he knew he’d be in Michigan, but he never thought about it like she would be the only one in the apartment.

“Oh,” he whispered, taking her hands in his, “then of course not.” 

His immediate acceptance made tears rush to her eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked as she took a hand back to wipe her face. 

Smiling despite the tears on her cheeks, she shook her head. “I just really love you.” Her voice sounded full, almost like she had a cold.

“I love you, too,” he said, feeling a little confused, “but I don’t know why you’re crying.” 

“Just…” How could she explain something like this? “The way you accept and trust my needs. It’s really nice.”

“The last thing I want is for you to be unhappy, Sarah.” 

This brought on a new wave of tears, and she tucked her head into his shoulder, trying to pull herself together. 

Quinn still felt a little whiplashed but tried to roll with it, running a soothing hand over her back. 

“What?” he asked when she mumbled something into his shirt. 

Pulling back, she wiped her nose before repeating, “I’ll have to sign a new lease. It comes up in July.” 

“I’ll buy you out of it,” he said as if it was the simplest, easiest solution to any of the problems they’d discussed that day. 

“I can’t let you do that, Quinn. That’s a lot of money.” 

He hated having this conversation, but it needed to be had. It was actually a little surprising to him that it’d taken this long for it to come up. June had asked him about it a month into dating.

“Sarah, I make eight million dollars a year. I can buy out your lease.” 

Her eyes went wide. They’d never discussed money so concretely. She knew he made big bucks. All pro athletes did, but, “eight million?” she asked. “What do you do with it?” 

“I have a financial advisor who’s helped me invest most of it,” he said, “and I don’t really have all eight million available all the time. But I paid off my parents and some of our families’ houses, and I give quite a bit to charity.” 

She’d seen the way he was with money. He never worried about it, but he certainly didn’t throw it at anything and everything. He wasn’t irresponsible. 

Opening her mouth to say something, she found her mind still reeling and closed it again. 

The annoyed look he would give her when she paid the dinner bill flashed in her mind. No wonder. He made so much more than she did. All the same, she wasn’t about to become some sugar baby. That went against nearly everything her parents had taught her.

“I still want to pull my weight,” she said.

Quinn was a little taken aback by the fierceness in her voice, “what?” 

“If we move in together, I still want to pull my weight.” 

His lips pursed, and he held back his initial response in favor of gathering more information. “What do you mean?” 

“Like, if I make $80,000 a year, I want to pay whatever percentage that is of what you make.”

“You only make $80,000 a year?” he asked. 

“No. Right now, I make $50,000 a year from my research stipend. It pays for my schooling, too, so it’s technically more, but $80,000 is a general base salary for a marine zoologist.” 

“You’ve been living on $50,000 a year?” 

“Yes, and I’ve been fine,” she said, giving him a look that stifled any follow-up questions he may have had. “My point is that if —” she paused to correct herself, “when we live together,” he beamed and she lost her thought for a moment before continuing, “I want to pull my weight, even if it is just a small percentage of the household. I don’t want to be some beholden trophy wife.” 

“Beholden?” he repeated, an amused smile playing on his lips.

“Yes, I don’t want to be some kept woman. A lot of financial advisors that I listen to say you should split the household and each pay the percentage compared to your salaries. How much do you pay here a month? Do you rent? Is it a mortgage?” 

“It’s a rental. It’s not really smart for me to buy a place when there’s a chance I may get traded in three years. It’s not enough time to build adequate equity on a home.” 

Sarah stuck a mental pin in that to come back to, “and how much is your rent?” 

“12,000.” 

“A year?” she found herself asking, even though she knew that couldn’t possibly be the answer.  

“A month,” he said with an indulgent smile, knowing it was her shock speaking more than anything else.

She wasn’t quite sure why, but this fact struck Sarah harder than anything else they’d talked about. She knew she’d never be able to afford an apartment like this on her own, but this was insane. More than a fifth of her yearly salary went to Quinn’s rent each month. She counted herself lucky to find a private room for under $2000.

“Okay, so if I make,” she paused, doing mental calculations - moving decimal points. Her voice was flat when she spoke again, “one percent of what you do…” She trailed off, looking into his face, “Quinn, this is insane.” 

“I know,” he agreed. “I’m happy to just pay, but if you would feel better paying whatever, I’m happy for you to do that, too.” 

 “So, I’d pay one percent of the household expenses.” Saying it out loud, it sounded so silly. One percent? That seemed minuscule, too insignificant to matter. “Maybe I could pay ten percent? One feels too tiny.”

“Sure,” Quinn said, knowing this was important to her. Unless she was storming in, trying to take over all the bills, he was happy to have her contribute in whatever way she wanted. “If you want to do that, let’s do that. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

They sat quietly for a moment, and he gathered his thoughts.

“I know it’s important to you to contribute,” Quinn said gently, “and I’m not saying you shouldn’t - but I just want you to know I’m happy to pay for things. I know I’m insanely blessed to make the kind of money I do to play a sport that I love. I’d really, really like to live together once I move back. So if that means I need to buy out your lease, I’m happy to do it if you’re comfortable with that.”

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she thought. If Quinn paid off her lease, she wouldn’t have to put off moving in with him or live on her own in this giant apartment or find a place to live for the two months between when he was home and when her lease was up. 

She wondered if this was one of those instances her grandmother often talked about. “Sometimes,” she would say while they were cleaning the basement or kneading dough, or working in the garden, “life showers you with blessings. And it’s up to you to catch them.” 

She always accompanied this wisdom by shaping her hands into a bowl as if to fill them with water. 

Sarah did the same now, pulling her other hand out of Quinns to cup them together. 

Eyebrows knitted together, he glanced from her hands to her face. 

She giggled and told him the story. 

“I should start doing that every morning,” he said, cupping his own hands together. 

“Every morning?” she repeated. 

“Well, every morning that you’re here. When I wake up next to you, I feel like the luckiest guy alive.” 

Despite it being incredibly cheesy, Sarah couldn’t help feeling moved. “Quinn that’s really sweet,” she said. “I feel like that, too,” she paused, feeling like she needed to add a caveat. “And I want you to know your money isn’t part of that. I would love you no matter how much money you were making.” 

“I know,” he said, leaning in to brush his lips over hers, “I’ve known that from the start.” 

His hands found her waist as their lips connected. 

A while later, that pin she’d stuck in for later snapped back into her mind, and Sarah pulled away. “What did you mean about getting traded?”

Well, they might as well have all the hard conversations all at once. “I’m in contract for the next three years, but after that, or even before, there’s always a chance I could get traded.” 

The trade deadline had already passed for the season, and Sarah had watched, fascinated, as players were moved around from club to club, like pieces on a chess board as organizations tried to build the best teams possible. Now, she had a new level of understanding, knowing lives and families were being uprooted in the process.

“But they love you here.”

His smile was wide and genuine, “I love it here, too. I don’t really expect I’d be traded anytime soon, but I can’t say never with what I do. I could get seriously injured, or my game could crash.” 

She gave him an incredulous look. 

“Its happened before.” 

“To you?” 

“No, but it has to people I know. I really like it here, but I can’t guarantee I’ll play here forever, or even for the next three years. I think I will, but I can’t say for certain.”

“What happens if you get traded while I’m still finishing my degree?”

“I don’t think that will happen, but I guess we’d make it work apart until you were done. Most players get traded right at the end of their contract, so we’d be apart for the rest of the season, and then we’d decide what to do moving forward. If I was moving clubs by choice, we’d decide where to go together. ”

She nodded. “Do you get any say in trades?” 

“I think I probably would, but it doesn’t always work out that way. I mean, Bo had a monster year last season, but they couldn’t come to an agreement, and so he got traded, and I know he would have liked to stay. It’s just never guaranteed.” 

“How do you live your life like this?” she asked. 

He shrugged, “you just kind of have to get used to the idea that things could change tomorrow.” 

“That sucks.”

“Yeah.” 

The concerns his parents had expressed when they were here snapped into place, and a sudden, consuming worry that she might not want this kind of life overwhelmed him.

“Are you,” he paused to lick his lips, trying to find the right phrasing, “I mean, do you think you could be okay with that?” 

Even as it was racing with anxiety, the worried look on his face melted Sarah’s heart. It was difficult to reconcile the fact that while it felt steady now, his life had the possibility of being in flux all the time, and that where he chose to work was only partially up to him. At the same time, she didn’t want to be without him. The pull between them was too strong, too fated in a way she couldn’t deny. She was too in love with him to be scared of the reality of his life. 

There was only one thing for it. “It’ll take some getting used to, but I think I can,” she said. Perhaps this wasn’t even something she needed to be worried about. Thoughts buzzing, she tried to think of players on Quinn’s level who’d been traded recently. She couldn’t remember any off the top of her head. She’d have to look it up. 

He gave her a relieved smile, and she saw moisture shining in his eyes. 

“Oh, Quinn,” she said, her hands coming up to cup his face. The course hairs of his beard tickled her palms. “I think I’d probably move to the ends of the earth with you.” The words just fell out of her mouth, and once they were out there, spoken aloud for everyone to hear, she realized how true they were. For someone so practical, it was strange for her to have such a frivolous thought mean so much. 

His face split into a beaming smile, and he pulled her into a hug. Tucking his nose into her hair again, he let a few grateful tears fall. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you,” he said. 

“I don’t know either.” 

A sudden, surprised laugh barked from his chest, and he pulled back with a raised brow.

“Oh no,” her hand went to her mouth as a blush blazed over her cheeks. “I meant that I feel the same way.” Shaking her head, she wondered if she had ever said something so stupid. “You’re the most understanding, accepting man I’ve ever met, Quinn. I’m so glad the Universe brought us together.” 

He nodded, “me too.” 

Looking into his eyes, which seemed more hazel than usual to the point that she could almost see a ring of green near the iris, the reality of what was coming hit her square in the chest, “this summer is gonna fucking suck.” 

“I know,” he said, pulling her into his lap. 

Arms around his shoulders to bring herself closer, her feet hung awkwardly off the sides of the chair. Though she knew her toes would be tingling from lack of blood flow within a matter of minutes, she didn’t readjust, savoring the feeling of his solid chest against hers. 

The deep breath she sighed out moved her whole body against his. “We’ll get through it together, right?” 

Tightening his grip, Quinn agreed. 

As the minutes passed, his hands traveled over her back in slow, calming waves that put her totally at ease. 

“Do you have homework?” he asked quietly, almost as if he didn’t want to hear the question himself. 

“Yeah, but it can wait a while.”

A pleased little hum filtered up his throat, and he pulled her tighter against him. 

“Can we move to the couch, though?” she asked. “My feet are falling asleep.” 

Laughing, he stood, hands cradling her butt to keep her wrapped around him. When she hooked her ankles around his back, Quinn filed the position away to try later. 

Halfway up the stairs, Sarah unwound herself from him. Sure, he was an athlete, but carrying her up the stairs was still taking a toll. 

She lay down on the suede couch and held her arms open for him. He gratefully lay on top of her, his head on her chest. 

Running her fingers through his hair, Sarah replayed their relationship in her mind. Knowing what she knew now, both about Quinn’s celebrity status and his quiet nature, the fact that he came up to her at all was a miracle. He could have any woman in the city, and he’d stuck his neck out for her. It was overwhelming to think about sometimes. She hoped she was living up to his expectations. 

Half an hour later, Quinns phone chirped with a notification, bringing them out of their sleepy reverie. By that time, they’d switched places, and Sarah was draped over him. 

“It’s 6,” he whispered into her hair. “I’ve got to get up to make dinner.”

Even as she whined, Sarah pushed herself up. This soft, caring version of Quinn was always her favorite, and she didn’t want to let him go. “I love you,” she said, looking down at him.

“I love you, too,” he said, standing and hugging her to him again before they had to get back to real life.

Her arms tightened around him. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, Quinn Hughes, but I’m so glad you’re mine.” 

Tucking his face into her neck, he pressed a few soft kisses there before telling her, “Sarah Roberts, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Want more Quinn & Sarah? Check out the Snapshots Masterlist

To read all my fics, check out the Fanfiction Masterlist

[tiramisuwithmascarpone]

Hello! I'm a 15-year-old devotee of both Lord Hermes and Lady Aphrodite who is raised in an extremely Orthodox Christian household, and I would like to share my story with you ⋆˚ʚɞ

Hi! for safety reasons I will not use the name I usually use online for this account, but you can call me Jellyfish. I live in Eastern Europe, more exactly Romania, a country whose population is 98% devoted to Christianity at the time of speaking. My mother is a perfect example. She wholeheartedly believes in God, I grew up with pictures of him and the Holy Mary all over the walls, which I wouldn't escape even at my grandparent's houses. My house always smelled of myrrh, I would carry a picture of God everywhere I went, I would pray to him before bed, go to church on every holiday, but I never felt fulfilled or connected to him in any way. I didn't truly know what I believed in. My mother was telling me all about how should I praise God, but I don't think I ever did it because I wanted to or felt connected to what she was telling me or felt like it was the life I wanted to live. When she would fight with my father, even now, she would threaten that she would run away to a monastery and become a nun. She thinks you cannot change your religion and you can not be Christian if you were born with Christian parents and raised in that environment. I did not have faith in God because I wanted to and felt connected to his message and wanted to worship his divine being, I did it because my mother felt that way. And that destroyed me.

As I grew older, I started believing less and less in God. I was struggling with going through teenagehood, fighting my own inner battles, and dealing with friendship that slowly felt like they were taking away my lifespan, and it wasn't just that I didn't have faith in a divine being (which is completely alright. Please do not believe this monologue is Anti-Christian, I believe everyone is allowed to believe and worship the one who they feel most connected and inclined towards.) I didn't have faith in anything anymore. When my brother reached 15, he hated my parents for their beliefs. I will not get much I detail since his story is not mine to tell, but he had battled with alcohol and substance abuse. And I was his only shoulder for him and my parents to lean and cry on. My mother told me to pray for our family, she would pray to god every day, light up myrrh, take me to churches, and I would feel miserable. I felt like an imposter in that church. I truly wanted to have faith in a god, anyone, but I felt like my only choice was God since that's what my mother taught me. Both my parents trust God so I cannot be different, can I?

How foolish I was. I can only look back to my past self and wish to embrace and hold her till she cries all her sorrow out. She was so confused.

Back in 2022, I had first heard of Aphrodite. My brother was sent to a mental hospital for his substance abuse when they caught him on the verge of overdosing. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder after a suicide attempt, autism and ADHD, but my father (who already couldn't accept the fact that my brother has ADHD) fought with them saying they ,,don't know me well enough" and,,there's nothing wrong with me". And he's right, there's nothing wrong with me. Not even If I am neurodivergent. I was at my lowest, I felt disgusting, I fought with my parents and was their therapist every single day, I stopped going to school, I was a mess. But, I was heavily active on social media because I had tons of online friends. While scrolling on tiktok, I found a video of an Aphrodite devotee. My interest was piqued. I heard about Greek Mythology before but never actually researched it. I liked the video and commented, talking about how gorgeous their faith sounds, and that's when it all started. I started getting more info about Aphrodite, the swans swum by me every time I would go to the lake with my family so we could ,,get some fresh air". I started getting lots of pins on Pinterest with her. I always had a desire for water and the beach was my safe place, where I felt fulfilled and free from all I'm feeling. I had a Dove make itself a nest on a tree next to the window of my classroom which I would always sit by while having lunch (on the rare occasions I would drop by to school). I started researching more about Lady Aphrodite, loving her story, beliefs, ways of worshipping, how it felt like silence was washing over me when I would make a non-physical offering to her. Her tales. The way it felt like she was always there to give me a warm hug and squeeze me while I was crying. I also felt a boost in my confidence! I started loving my features, taking care of myself again, etc. It wasn't always just sun and rainbows, I would still have breakdowns and wish it would all just end and all that, but it was more bearable with her. She made my life more bearable. I love, worship, and adore Lady Aphrodite for that. I worshipped her till this year when I officially felt strong enough to devote myself to her.

This year, actually, I started noticing my strong connection to Hermes. I was always attracted to the kind-hearted, mischievous, kind-hearted, highly intelligent and funny thieves. I always idolized them and wished to be like them. That's how I feel about Lord Hermes. I feel like he was reaching out to me all my life. Everything he is associated with I had an inexplicable obsession with for pretty much all my life. Turtles, golden or silver, travel, learning new languages, astronomy, astrology, everything you could think of. I have been devoted to him since last month, that's when I officially started labeling myself as a Hellenic Pagan, but I am still a beginner, and I need to hide all of this from my mother since I am afraid of what she would do if she were to find out I have another belief since she reacted super badly back when I was an atheist :( I set up the first altar for Lady Aphrodite, and the second one for Lord Hermes. I always had been an artistic soul and loved making my room all pretty randomly so I told my mother this is one of those cases and she believed it. She does not know english and is not at all cultured about any beliefs besides Christians, Muslims, and Jews. They are both hidden in my closet. I feel very bad for not being able to make them a bigger and more obvious altar, I hope I'll have that chance when I move out from my parent's house..

I wanted to ask if Lord Hermes would be mad if my mom kept setting random things on his altar? she even put a picture of the Holy Mary. I moved it to the other side of the closet and made a DIY necklace for him out of orange garnet or beads to apologize to him, and he didn't seem mad, but I'm not sure...I sketched drawings of both of them and rested them on their altars. Everything you see are either offerings I heard they may like or things that reminded me of them! the little notebook on Hermes's altar is specifically made for learning new languages and thought he would enjoy it. Do you guys think any of my offerings are disrespectful? or should be removed? I'm open to any advice! Thank you for listening to my story <3

[inkskinned]

accidents happen. accidents particularly happen around children.

we make scissors designed for children because we know they can hurt themselves on it. we cut their food up smaller so they are less likely to choke. we "babyproof" our houses, make sure our medications are all closed and locked, close all the outlets.

we are told to just carry a gun.

at some point a kid is going to get hurt. everyone with or around kids knows this. often adults (who shouldn't work with kids) are a little-too-okay-with-this. they sneer that in their time, kids just got hurt. which is great for them, but i don't feel it's particularly necessary to willfully allow children to break bones just to "build character". the kids do just fine when i do my job right. i make sure, to the best of my ability, that they don't break the bone. it turns out you can still learn life lessons without trauma. yes, at some point they'll get hurt. that's the nature of it. but i like to try to keep it to a minimum of bloodshed.

about five years ago, in the middle of my summer training, the cop that came in to prepare us for mass shootings actually happened to be the same cop that used to be my DARE officer. what a small world! his hair had gone grey.

before working with children, i had no idea how many things a child can hurt themselves on. i had never thought about the possibility that a child could climb a bookshelf, only for that bookshelf to topple over. everything has to be screwed down. nothing can have particularly sharp corners - what if a child falls backwards onto it? - or be particularly breakable. no plastic bags or choking hazards. watch out for allergens, do your best to clean your super-gross classroom with all-natural (and expensive) fragrance-free products. there's a million other considerations, most of which are difficult on a public school budget. i hate the calculation - either the kids get a new playground 5 years from now OR they get new books now and just risk the tetanus.

the gun is not included in the paycheck.

we do our best, you know? but like, there's the rest of the actual job to do. we're neither trained, paid, or aided in our one-person quest to somehow get jason to stop giving himself splinters. and besides, we have the 98 other things to consider for our 30 other students. one of which is, you know, teaching them.

the children aren't prisoners. we need to walk this incredibly fine line of "chaotic exploration" and "reckless endangerment." to be frank - they're gonna do stupid shit and get hurt while they do the stupid shit. it's my job to at least try to predict the stupid shit, and minimize the risk. and before you judge the kids - i'm going to remind you that adults die every year from shaking vending machines. people just do stupid shit.

did you know that the leading cause of childhood deaths in america is to guns? we're the only country in the world with that statistic. it used to be motor vehicles, which is why there are so many laws about seatbelts, air bags, babyseats, and other protections against accidents. 1 in 5 childhood deaths will be a result of guns. of these deaths, 65% are the result of an intentional attack.

my brother often takes me to archery. i fucking suck at archery, because i have no aim, bad eyesight, and no grip strength. it's fun, though! as a teacher, archery at my school is super banned, because kids could get hurt. no throwing rocks or sticks. no impromptu self-made bows or arrows, oh my god, why do we keep having to have this conversation.

i remember this one conversation with a parent. he was chatting with me during pick-up and mentioned that kinder eggs being banned is so stupid, because, like, if a kid is gonna choke - they kind of "deserved it" for being so stupid. without thinking, my response was, "we don't typically practice darwinism at school, but you can encourage that at home if you wish!" which did result in me getting written up - for "talking back", i guess.

but his idea isn't unusual, is the thing. there's this sense that there's somehow almost an "expendable" child trauma rate. that it weeds out the weak or whatever, which is categorically cruel & dehumanizing. children should be able to mess up and have fun and - again - do stupid shit. they might get hurt, yes. but the job of the adult is to just go help the kid.

i had to quit teaching. i was really, really good at my job - 15 years of practice. but i would wake up at night, coating in sweat. trying to figure out how to bullet-proof my public school classroom with a public school budget.

bad things happen. in every other category: we try to prevent them.

[pixiedustjellicle]

I have such a difficult time connecting with the Cats community now. Part of me feels like maybe I'm too old for the current fandom(I don't feel old, but I'm certainly not 19 anymore). Or that perhaps it's because I don't much care about ships. Sometimes I worry that I intimidate people, and I'd hate that. Let me introduce myself and how Cats has shaped my life, and maybe I can find my people?

I first saw Cats at a tiny local theatre when I was eight. I fell in love with it, and even though I didn't have the movie yet, I spent months afterwards with just the poem book and highlights album. Eventually I got the 98 VHS too- and then another local theatre put it on when I was ten! I got to see it twice there. And afterwards, I made up my own attempt at a costume, turned our spare room into my attempt at the set, and put some chairs in there to put on the highlights show for some friends of my mother. The CD was worn out, I went on with the show, and they even gave me a card and a new CD afterwards- the London 2 disc set! Looking back, I think how embarrassing it probably was, but I was so happy and proud of myself in the moment. Two more years later, US Tour 5 came through Nashville, and I got to go and stagedoor for the first time. I wore a tail I made and one of the actresses told me I had a perfect Bombalurina tail twirl. For all those years, I worked Cats into school projects, I drew nothing else. My mom put up with it for so long, and I still thank her to this day.

And then I went into middle school. New school, new students, and I started getting bullied for it. I found other musicals I didn't get bullied for- Phantom, Wicked, and Sweeney- to latch onto, and I kinda put Cats in the back of my head. I still loved it, but my hyperfixation had waned thanks to mean kids, and other than occasionally watching the 1998 movie, I didn't think much of it for years.

But the US Tour 6 announced a date in Nashville. I hadn't seen the show in eight years, and I wasn't about to miss it. I had already started taking an interest in cosplay, but I'd never made a costume like that. I remembered admiring the CCDB as a kid though, and I told myself I was totally capable of making my own, just to go see the show in costume. And I did.

And the cast were SO sweet, and I started finding Cats fans on Instagram. I thought I could do better on the costume, so when the show stopped in Chattanooga a couple months later... I did it again.

The pandemic hit and I lost my job. Immediately I started getting work making Cats cosplays for others, and I haven't stopped since. And when the show resumed, I made an overnight trip to Memphis to dress up again!

And then, I saved until I could finally go see the Royal Caribbean production (front row all three performances), and got to cosplay on the cruise and get a picture on stage with the cast! This was absolutely everything to me, especially seeing the original choreography as opposed to the revival. I definitely cried. (I'm in the middle bottom row!)

I've gotten to make some costume pieces for three regional productions of Cats, in the Dominican Republic, Atlanta Georgia, and most recently Georgetown Texas. I've won some local cosplay contest with my costumes, too! And I'm lucky enough to own a few original pieces- though I've had to part with some too.

My love for this show has spanned just over 17 years now. I adore the story, the costumes, the choreography, the sets, and the characters. It's part of how I learned I am autistic. It's given me confidence I didn't know I could find. And every time I get to see it live, I feel like I'm where I belong. The fandom has felt quiet. And I'm not sure if that's just because I don't know where I fit in? So here's hoping I can find my tribe.

Favorite productions: Original Broadway, Moscow, and Mexico 2013/2018

Favorite Cats: Jemima/Sillabub, Bombalurina, Demeter, Munkustrap, Tumblebrutus, Jellylorum

Favorite songs: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats, The Song of the Jellicles and the Jellicle Ball, Macavity

Favorite cats to cosplay: Etcetera and Victoria

[wonamour]

Jungwon’s Diary

pairing .. Yang Jungwon x F!Reader

Genre .. smut, friends to lovers, yandere!jungwon

warnings .. degrading such as calling the reader a “ stupid little girl, stalking, obsession, kinda violent at times, rough sex.. some fluff at the end

wrd count .. 2k

Every hour, every minute, every second, Jungwon was practically glued to his diary. Mindlessly and irrevocably scribbling every inch of his thoughts throughout the day. He always held the diary close to him and was highly possessive over it when anybody would even get remotely close to it. The fact that Jungwon always held the diary close to him isn’t even a good enough description of how much time he spends away from it which is like 1% of the time, he has even brought it with him in the bathroom when he showers.

However,

Today was a different day. Y/N and Jungwon have been friends for many, many years and got an apartment together after high school, becoming roommates. Jungwon had left the house to run some errands but Y/N was stuck alone with no plans for today so she ended up going around the apartment and cleaning. As she was fixing up and cleaning the dining room table, Y/N grabbed Jungwon’s jacket intending to put it back in his room of course but as she lifted the jacket, his diary fell out of a pocket and tumbled to the floor.

For someone to be so possessive over their diary the way that he was, what kind of outrageous and obscene things were written on those pages?

With her very curious wondering mind, Y/N grabbed the book off the floor with eager hands and flipped to a page that had a sorta recent date on the top of the page from two months ago.

“ Living with Y/N was the best idea in all of eternity. It’s like I wake up and I’m living in a dream every fucking day it’s amazing truly. I watch as she eats her breakfast, watching the way her eyes are when she first sits down and looks down at her food with hunger but happiness. The way her eyes flutter close for a second when she’s about to take a bite of her food and god when her lips part and her mouth takes in the mouthful of cereal drives me crazy-”

Y/N could feel her stomach drop the more she read. She flipped through a couple of the pages that were before that and every.single.page was 98% about her, he was practically her stalker, he followed her in secret and watched her run errands because “ I just can't bear to think all the fucking things that could happen to her when she's away from me, nobody should hurt her, nobody should touch her, and I just can't have anybody look at her the way I do.”

She should be terrified, she should’ve packed her shit and ran away. However, she kinda.. very much loved the idea and enjoyed every part of this. The way her scent drives him into a frenzy, the way he watches her sleep and sometimes catches Y/N touching herself “ I couldn’t help it today, I heard her moans when I came back from the market and I just opened her door a tad and just watched her lay back on the bed groping her breast with one hand, the other hand rubbing circles onto her clit as she had her head thrown back on the mattress, I touched myself while watching her fuck it was the best orgasm I’ve had, best day.”

She stood there in a daze with Jungwon’s diary in hand, daydreaming about Jungwon and the things he does for her and could even do to her when suddenly she flinched at the sound of something crashing onto the counter. She looked up as she saw an upset Jungwon who threw all his belongings he had there, fear rushed into her veins when her eyes met his, she was never more scared of anything or anyone in her life than in this moment, his eyebrows furrowed in and his eyes were full of anger and pure darkness.

“ What the fuck are you doing with my journal, Y/N.” He asked with a low tone in his voice that sent shivers down her spine, making her eyes immediately shoot down to look at her feet as she started playing with her hands anxiously.

“ I-I grabbed y-your jacket because I was cleaning a-and your diary fell o-out of i-it-” She sputtered out, Jungwon shook his head and scoffed at her answer. He quickly walked towards her and wrapped his hand around her neck, pushing her up against the all, and tightened his grip just a little to have Y/N grab at his hand and gasp.

“ Wrong fucking answer.” He whispered against her ear followed by a chuckle. He looked into her eyes as they fluttered, her cheeks growing a tinted red and her breathing getting heavier, she wouldn’t lie and say she was freaked out right now because in reality, seeing this side of Jungwon turned her on. She could feel her stomach heating a bit as her pussy started to get wet, staining her panties and as for Jungwon he was feeling the same, it was starting to get difficult trying to contain himself but the pressure in his pants drove his mind in a different direction.

Jungwon observed her every move, scanning her body up and down, when he finally realized she was not at all frightened by him but craving him, a grin slowly appeared on his lips. His other hand slipped down, lifting her skirt and grazing his finger against her clothed wet pussy causing her to let out a choked whimper and flinch at the sudden touch.” I’m fucking angry at you and all your thinking about is how my big dick would feel inside that pretty little pussy of yours, aren't you..? Fucking naughty girl..” He mumbled the last part under his breath but still loud enough to hear.

He released his grip from her neck, grabbing her wrist and dragging her down the hall and into his bedroom. “ J-Jungwon! W-What are you doing-!?” She asked as she stumbled behind Jungwon before he pushed her body onto the bed, climbing on top of her. “ What does it look like I’m doing, naughty girls like you who don’t fucking listen get punished.” He spat out before looking away to the side, his face getting heated up and a smile grew on his lips at the fact he was in this position with her was making him go insane but he also would never want to actually harm her, being a mean dominant was something he could do to a certain extent.

“ that’s.. alright though..right..?” he mumbled wanting to ask for consent before looking back at her, his hand softly grazing her waist. She smiled to herself, watching him for a second knowing and seeing how much he truly cared for her and liked her, she nodded her head and Jungwon smiled. His hands grabbed at her waist like he was hungry animal, his tight grip on her would definitely leave bruises, he leaned in as their lips crashed against one another so needily while their tongues danced in perfect harmony, their bodies moved in sync as they eagerly took off every article of clothing that was on each other's bodies and tossed them onto the ground.

Jungwon’s mind was racing at the speed of light, his lips traveled down from her lips onto the innocent nape of her neck, he took a moment before doing anything and took in her scent making him roll his eyes back and moan lowly to himself as he gripped tightly on her body like she was a golden prize and went down her body slowly taking in more of her scent as she squirmed under his touch, actively blushing, watching him go into a frenzy while getting a catch of her scent all along her body. She whined and tapped Jungwon to motion him to stop , growing more shy as she continued to watch him all over her body. He grabbed her hand roughly and pinned them above her head as he went back up to her neck, marking every centimeter and inch that was available with dark purplish-red hickeys. Y/N tilted her head back making room for the male as he bit all along her neck, making her slip out soft moans like he had written about before and rub her thighs together as the heat between her legs grew, with precum leaking from his tip, his mind and cock desired for more. He kissed down her body and kissed along her breast and frame down to her cunt. He kissed along her inner thighs and up onto her clit, his lips stuck themselves onto her clit as he licked and sucked on it while inserting two fingers causing her to let out a such a lewd moan at the sudden cold contact of his cold fingers on her pussy that quickly drove her mad, she wanted more.

“ J-Just fuck me already I can’t take this.” She breathed out between moans with bucked hips and her hands gripping onto his hair. Jungwon scoffed once again and nodded his head quickly “ Fuck, you don’t gotta tell me twice love” He replied as he sat up, situating himself, grabbing her hips, and aligning his tip at her entrance. His tip stroking her clit over and over again making her more aroused than she was before while her hole clenched around nothing, throwing his head back and moaning at the feeling of her. She looked up at him, biting her lower lip and watching him in admiration before he slid himself inside her finally making her gasp at this new feeling and stretching her out. He groaned, gripping her hips even tighter, throwing his head back feeling how her walls tightened and wrapped around his cock so perfectly, he stood for a second enjoying this feeling of pure ecstasy, feeling how his size made her so full. He let out soft breathy moans as she dug her nails into his biceps, wrapping her legs around his waist before letting out a relieved moan as he deepened himself inside her, stretching her out even more. She could feel how big he was inside her and it felt fucking amazing like no other.

He leaned forward, his body pressed against hers as he kissed her lips softly for a moment before hiding his face into the nape of her neck moaning into her skin. He could already feel his orgasm coming already at this point by the way her sweet, gummy walls kept tightening around his cock but he wanted more than just a quick fuck. He looked up into her face as her eyes shimmered with lust and from here he lost all control he was trying to maintain. His thrust became rough, deep, hard passionate and quite fast. His breathing changes in a matter of seconds as he starts to breathe heavily, only staying on her and keeping himself aware of how her body reacted to him. She threw her head back, her hands immediately grabbing at his hair pulling him close as her moans were spilling out of her mouth uncontrollably, her eyes shut tightly as she felt this big amount of pleasure inside her body the harder and faster he went.

“ J-Jungwon-! T-Too m-much!” She choked out and he shook his head, letting out a slight chuckle as he leaned in while one of his hands grabbed her throat and forced her to look at him. “ I-I say if it’s too much, okay? This is your punishment, stupid little girl..” He responded harshly through moans. He pulled out for a second before slamming himself back inside, her body started to shake as she arched her back and moaned louder. The sound of skin slapping and moans was the only thing you could hear on their apartment floor. His movements never stuttered for a second as he kept ramming himself into her harder and harder, especially when he found her spot he never slowed down in this moment as she practically screamed his name for the neighbors to hear.

She opened her eyes for a second and caught a glimpse of Jungwon with his hair sticking to his forehead and his body glistening from sweat while he grunted, his eyes that were glued to her, were only filled with pure infatuation and lust, drove her over the edge and that became evident to him. Watching her lose herself to him, made his orgasm quickly start approaching as well, his strokes became more sloppy as his moans turned into whines. He watched the way her pussy took in his cock, the way it disappeared deep inside her, seeing as his cock made a protruding bulge under her navel. He held her close and tight in his embrace as his orgasm hit him like a truck, finally emptying his load inside her as he groans loudly, she wrapped her arms around his body tightly and dug her nails into his skin as she came right after him onto his cock, her intense orgasm left her with her body shaking and gripping her arms around him tightly, tears steaming down her face as she buried her head into the nook of his neck with followed streams of cries, moans and cuss words.

He didn't even wait a second either one of them to catch their breath afterwards as his hands reached out, cupping her face and kissed her lips passionately, her eyes widened for a second at the sudden move but she interlocked her fingers into his hair and she connected her lips with his. The warmth traveled between their bodies as they kissed and he pumped himself inside her a few times, getting over their high before finally pulling out. She whimpered at the empty feeling inside her as her hole clenched around nothing. He tries catching his breath for a second before quickly grabbing a towel nearby and cleaning her body from the sweat that accumulated from the both of them and the cum that was pouring out of her cunt, He laid down next to her body, wrapping his arms around her and held her close to his body. He kissed her forehead softly, mumbling sweet nothings with every little kiss along her face, telling her how he loves her and how great she did, before landing another kiss on her lips, she smiled, kissing his lips back and rested her head on his chest.

“ I love you, Y/N.”

“ I love you too..”

[tlouxx]

Electromagnetism

~ ellie williams x reader

——————————————————————————

part two <3

synopsis: you and ellie williams have been long time rivals. you are a physics majors at wellesley college, and you’re competing for the same spot in the prestigious dr. ramsey’s lab as ellie. suddenly neither of you can escape the other as you’re both trying to navigate your final year of college.

content: college!ellie, modern au, mean!ellie, academic rivals to lovers, slow burn, forced proximity, eventual smut, swearing, banter, just trying to intro ellie and reader rn

an: this is the first fic i've written! i hope you enjoy :) pls be kind

——————————————————————————

I want this year to be better. To achieve more. To get everything I have wanted. Well.. I want this to be the year I best Ellie Williams. It has been so frustrating to get second best to her no matter how hard I try. I study 15 hours for the exam. She studies for 20. I get a 98 on the lab report. She gets a 100. I can’t stand this girl. This year I have a fire under my ass. I’ll do whatever it takes to get the lab position with Dr. Ramsey, and I know Ellie is gunning for it too… 

...

Day One  - PHYS 302: Quantum Mechanics 

Fuck. I know I'm going to be late. I had been up until 2:00 a.m. devising a plan for how I was going to handle all of the stress of senior year. Between tutoring, a full class load, and working on my thesis, I am going to have no life outside of school. Although, I’m kind of fucking it up already by waking up late for the first day of class. 

…

I am sprinting through campus trying to navigate through the thick of the freshman class wandering aimlessly around. I have 1 minute and 39 seconds to make it on time before Dr. L locks the door. (She’s a bit famous for doing that). It’s mid august and hot. I can feel the sweat dripping down my back, and my bangs are clinging to my forehead. I see a shortcut to the physics building through the freshly landscaped garden. Dirt and mulch kicks up my jeans, but I don’t care. Behind me, I hear yelling. “Move out of my way!!” I look momentarily to see none other than Ellie Williams. Suddenly I don’t feel as bad about being late. She’s in her typical wardrobe of converse and a jacket too big for her, and she’s running toward me. 

…

“Don’t you know she’s going to lock the door on us!” 

“I know Ellie!” I scoff back. I book it knowing we only have 45 seconds left to make it on time. We’re both charging up the stairs. Ellie shoves me aside. I yell  “Are you kidding me!” She simply laughs at me. 

… 

I’m following right behind her. I can feel the anger flood through my body. My cheeks are flushed, and I can feel my rage nearly leave my mouth. I know I’d only be stooping to her level. I see the door in my line of sight and feel the tension dissipate knowing we made it. We rush through the door with seconds to spare. All eyes are on us. I suddenly feel the anger leave and be replaced by embarrassment. I look around for somewhere to sit. PHYS 302 is a popular class with a majority of the seats being full. Ellie and I look at each other realizing there are only two seats left. Right next to each other. 

…

We both glare at the other, but sit down knowing we’ve already caused a commotion by busting through the door at the last second. I’m angry. I’m irritated. This is exactly why I have to do better this semester. I know what I want, and I won’t stop until I see that smirk wiped off her face. 

…

As class continues on, I glance over at Ellie. She’s diligently taking notes and hanging on to every word Dr. L says. I should be doing the same. This class is important to me, and doing well can help me guarantee my spot in Dr. Ramsey’s lab. I’ve been dreaming of doing my thesis with her help since freshman year. Right now though, I need to stop daydreaming about beating Ellie and actually do it. 

…

I’ve always loved the atmosphere here at Wellesley. The campus is gorgeous and almost looks otherworldly at times. The blossoming pinks of the spring and the rich reds and yellows of the fall makes it look like a daydream. I have studied at nearly every picnic table out here. The sun is shining down on my face through the clouds.  I look up and start to reminisce about the good times I’ve had here, but the heat is getting to me. I peel off my jacket before I enter my next lecture. I open the door to see Ellie Williams smirking at me. 

…

PHYS 208: Intermediate Electromagnetism

“I didn’t think you’d be brave enough to take this class. Seems a little too… difficult for you.” 

“Fuck off Ellie. You know I’m just as smart as you.” 

“And I know how much it kills you that you have to work twice as hard to come close to me” 

I laugh. “What kills me is that you think that’s true. I already know you studied for days for Dr. Ramsey’s final when I studied for a couple hours and got practically the same grade” I can feel myself getting flustered. I’ve been wanting to dedicate this semester to kicking her ass, and she can see it. I watch as her cheeks turn red. She knows I see her too. She turns back around in her seat. 

…

The weight of the day feels heavy on my shoulders. I shouldn’t have said that to Ellie. Dina told me in confidence how much time she was dedicating to studying for the exam. I shouldn’t have betrayed her trust just to get back at Ellie. I don’t have much time to waste ruminating on actions. I have work in 20 minutes and a 15 minute walk there. 

…

I work at the tutoring center on campus. I mainly help the underclassmen with the major prerequisite courses like MATH 205 and PHYS 100/107/108. It gives me a sense of fulfillment helping others. I know firsthand how hard these classes are. I probably wouldn’t have survived the first year without the help of the tutoring department. It’s part of the reason why I decided to work here making minimum wage. Plus it’ll make my application to work at Dr. Ramsey’s lab look better. I glance through the windows to get a glimpse of who I'll be working with this semester. I hope Dina and I get the same shifts like last semester. I’m sure you can guess who I see though. Ellie. Fucking. Williams. 

…

I can feel my eyes rolling. I can’t escape her! Everywhere I turn she’s there. First both our classes are together and now she’s working at the tutoring center? This has to be some sick joke. I look up at her and smile. She looks away and sits in a nearby chair. I sit across from her waiting for someone to instruct us on what to do next. I do regret embarrassing her, but she started it. She nearly pushed me down the stairs just to get ahead of me on top of that too. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad, but my heart is still pounding as I look up at her again. 

…

The tutoring center supervisor sees us sitting in silence together. She’s nice enough, but her wardrobe is stuck in 2013. I catch myself staring at her oddly patterned top. Ellie notices me staring and gives me a knowing smile. 

“I’m so glad you’re both here! You and Ellie will be our main tutors on Monday, Wednesday, Friday for the core physics class. I think you two are already acquainted” 

“Oh. I thought Dina and I would be doing that again.” 

“Right. I thought you might say that, but with her new course load she’ll be doing Tuesday and Thursday instead.” 

“I see.” 

“You and Ellie are both top of the class! I feel so lucky to have you guys here.” 

I smile and head down to the physics portion of the building. 

…

Ellie is following behind me closely. I’m wondering if maybe she’ll apologize, but I doubt she’d ever do that. We both sit down at our respective desks. I look up at her again. I must’ve hit close to home with my comment. She’s helping someone with their MATH 205 homework. Ellie tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. She always wears it half up/half down. Despite our rivalry, I admit to myself that it looks good on her. Her complexion is soft and a spread of freckles paints her nose. She gives them a thumbs up as they leave, and they yell to Ellie, “You’re a life-saver!” 

…

After a few hours of no students, I’m getting bored. I can sense the tension between me and Ellie. I think I should say something. 

“Hey Ellie, I think I should apologize for earlier.” 

“Honestly, it’s fine. I’m glad you finally are stepping up in this little game of ours. I needed a little extra motivation to step up my game so I can get the spot in Dr. Ramsey’s lab” 

“God, I knew you were gunning for it too.” 

Ellie gets out of her chair and steps closer to me. She creeps in closely. My heart skips a beat for a second. Fuck this girl will be the death of me. 

She is only inches from my face. My cheeks begin to flush. The anxiety is bubbling up in my chest. My heart is beating so loud I think Ellie might hear it too.

“May the best win” 

…

Oh its fucking on Ellie.

[mediocreanomaly]

Vashwood X Reader Soulmate Au Pt. 2

Authors Note: Hello hello! I’m so glad everyone liked pt.1 so much! On my hands and knees thanking you guys fr. This part is focusing on reader and what your life has been like, because you yes you are the real star of the show 

 Other Parts Here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 3 (Alt. End)

•You were cursed.

•At least, that’s what every one always said and to be honest sometimes it was hard not to agree

•You aren’t sure you could put your finger on when exactly you had first learned about soulmates. It was one of those things people just knew about. In fact by the time people could first speak it seemed like their words were already filled with fantasies of meeting their “destined other half”, the one person who could understand your pain in both a metaphorical and literal sense

•Not that you weren’t guilty of the same daydreams once upon a time. In fact if you thought real hard about it you could remember on first day of school you had joined in on a popular children's game where you’d sit in a circle while taking turns poking and pinching each other to see if anyone else in the room felt it.

•Almost 98% of the time nothing happened but when you’re that young you don’t really stop to consider how vast the world is, and you certainly don’t stop to think about the fact that your cosmically destined other is most likely not at the same preschool as you

•Your parents were one of the lucky ones, they had grown up in the same town and found out they were soulmates when, on your dads seventh birthday, he burned his lips blowing out the candles. When your mother had realized he had burnt both of them she had scolded him only interrupted when he ask her to marry him (when they were older of course) and the rest was history

•So it was ironic then, that your seventh birthday party was the day your soulmate had begun to drag your life down hill

•You could remember it as vividly as the day it happened. Your class had been invited to a small party at your house and your mother had spent a good portion of the day slaving over the stove to make your favorite cake. When the adults had called the kids in for gifts and cake you had eagerly come to sit down while your father lit the candles

•The birthday song had just come to and end and your mother has happily whispered “Make a wish y/n!” when you felt a sharp pain pierce through your abdomen 

•You were shot. Despite being young you were sure of it. Someone had shot you in the side and your small hands had desperately clung to your side as you sobbed scared that you were dying

•The party had ended early as your parents tried to console you after giving you a once over to make sure it wasn’t a medical condition they realized it must be your soulmate. There was nothing they could do but hold you until you cried yourself to sleep. In fact...you never did get to make that wish

•After that you were sure your soulmate was trying to kill you. It never seemed to go away. Day in and day out, cuts, gashes, and burns phantom pained their way through your body. Your parents had to pull you out of school since you disrupted class too much due to your random yelps, whimpers and sobs as your weakly cradled whatever part of your body your soulmate had managed to injure for the day

•It was around then the gossip on who your soulmate could possibly be began to spread. Rumors ranging from “a kid bounty hunter” all the way down to unmentionable ideas were whispered as you walked through town.

•There were days you didn’t leave the house, laying curled up as you tried to breath through whatever pain was currently wracking through your body. It was then you started to hate your soulmate

•How could they be so careless? The most you had ever done to hurt them was when you stubbed your toe when you were six. Why you? Why did you get the soulmate who seemed hell bent on destroying themselves?

•Then a couple years later the rest of the pain began. Blinding, gut wrecking, agonizing pain. 

•You couldn’t even get out of your bed most the time, half delirious with the feelings of being ripped apart piece by piece and then put back together again. Your parents had to take care of you most the time, trying to get you to eat in between screaming fits, and helping you out of bed when your body was too weak to walk

•Your parents hated your soulmate, whoever they were. They hated them for taking away their child, for dragging you into their pain. It began to be the cause of tension in the family, they didn’t know what to do, seeing your body writhe in pain every day, having to listen to you scream yourself horse every night, it became to much for your father. So he left.

•No one knows where he went, all he left was a note apologizing, but he couldn’t keep facing you in this state. So your care fell onto your mother. Your mother who had began praying that your soulmate would die. Begging god to let you have relief and to strike your soulmate out of the world so long as you would have peace

 •When that didn’t work...she began to pray that you would die so that’d you’d finally be put out of your misery.

•Surprisingly the pain eventually lessens...after awhile it goes back to the occasional feeling of being stabbed or shot, but at this point you’ll take anything that isn’t your entire body feeling like it’s on fire.  

•After going through that your perspective actually changes a little bit. Now don’t get it twisted you aren’t thrilled about the continued pain your life is littered with but you’d be surprised how much time you have to think when your immobilized in bed. There's no way your soulmate wants to be shot, just as much as you don’t want to feel being shot

•Whatever's happening, whatever awful life they have that causes them this pain...the two of you are in it together, like it or not. So you have a new philosophy. Your soulmate is experiencing enough pain for the two of you, why add more? 

•It’s with this mindset you actually begin to train as a medical professional. You take care of yourself, not wanting your soulmate to be in anymore pain than they already are and you want to help others do the same. Maybe you can’t stop your soul mate from hurting but you can stop others from hurting, and for every one person helped there’s a thankful soulmate somewhere out there too right?

•You’re a pretty well respected person around the town. Not many people would do what you do after what you’ve been through, you’re some what of a local legend. Although you are known for giving people a good scolding when they end up in front of you due to negligence 

“Are you stupid? You broke your leg because you were dared to jump off the roof? Was your soulmate dared to jump off the roof? No? Didn’t think so, and yet they payed for your idiocy too-” “Can I please leave now?” “no I’m not done yet, and another thing-”

•You’ve made a good life for yourself despite everything and you honestly don’t expect to ever meet your soulmate, it’s actually pretty rare to ever find them anyways. Pain isn’t the best way to track people and you aren’t sure how’d you even react to finding the person who’s made your life a living nightmare so you’re content with running a small clinic out of your house. In fact you aren’t even curious about them any more...and then you feel a pinch on your arm

•and then another...and another and another and- you get the picture. you’re honestly a bit baffled. Were they trying to get your attention? If so why now? Also this pinching was really getting on your nerves. So exasperated you reach up and pinch your shoulder back, hoping that will get them to quit whatever their doing and luckily it does

•...For five minutes. The pinching comes back but in a more concentrated area now and at this point you’re almost sure they must be doing it to get on your nerves. They drag you through the gutter for your entire life then have the audacity to get a kick out of annoying you? You reach up and harshly pinch your shoulder and to your relief...everything stops

•It’s a bit weird. After that day your life is fairly painless. It’s almost like they hadn’t realized someone else was feeling their pain until you pinched them back but for whatever reason they seem to be a lot more carful with your shared feelings. In fact you were finally able to pretty much forget you even had a soulmate! 

•Or you almost did until...

You sigh as you clean up for the night. It’s been a long day, one of the towns children had gotten a toy stuck up their nose and two of the local boys had ridden makeshift sleds down the largest sand hill in town which had resulted in a couple broken bones and bruised egos. You shake your head, laughing a bit to yourself as you remember their guilty bowed heads as you scolded them for doing something stupid. You softly hum as you sweep, ready to finish and turn in for the night when you hear the door open. 

You mentally curse yourself for forgetting to lock the door and look up to see the two oddest men you’ve ever seen in your life. The first one is tall, his spiked blonde hair reminding you vaguely of the hay you’d seen farmers feed Thomas’s. He was staring at you all wide eyed behind a pair of tinted yellow glasses and you commended him for his interesting choice of fashion, you weren’t sure you’d ever seen anyone wear such a brightly colored red coat in the heat of Gunsmoke. You begrudging shift your eyes to the man standing next to him, he’s a bit shorter than his friend but much less expressive, resting bitchface that's only amplified by big dark shades that hide his eyes. His dark clothing would make you say he blended in better than the blonde if it weren’t for the large gaudy cross he was currently carrying on his back. Great. They were freaks.  

“Uh...I’m sorry we’re actually closed unless it’s a medical emergency, and also you can’t smoke in here” You try, grimacing as you look at the dark haired man who lets smoke curl into the air of your precious clinic.

 “Are you y/n?” the blondie ask quickly ignoring your statement all together, “Yes? I’m sorry do I know you?” he shakes his head but continues “The bartender told us all about you, how you used to get choric pains because of your soulmate and-” You mentally groan listening to the man, who vaguely reminded you of a golden retriever, babble on about you. You weren’t 100% sure where he was going with this but you did have the occasional person interested in your story, although usually not to this extent. You make a note to chew out Gary for running his mouth to strangers about you again.

 “-now we’ve been to a lot of towns and never heard of anything like that so when we heard about you we thought-” “Look, it’s been a pleasure meeting you but I’m unfortunately very busy but I’m sure Gary can tell you all the stories you want to know!” you interrupt pushing the two lightly towards to door while the blonde protest “H-hey wait! I’m trying to tell you-” “I’m really not interested! thank you anyways though!” you say still trying to shoo them out and you’re almost successful when the man who’s yet to say anything drops the large cross onto his partners toe. 

Both of you yelp and then you freeze, head snapping up to look at the man currently clutching his foot, the same foot that you can feel pulsing with pain. There’s no way in hell. Your worries are only amplified when the dark haired man holds up his hands like his about to do a magic trick, then he reaches in his pocket for a lighter and holds it up to his finger only for you to hiss and pull your own hand to your chest when you feel it burn. There’s no way in hell.

 “Nick you could’ve done it nicer!” the blonde pouts still rubbing his foot, Nick shrugs and finally stubs out his cigarette against the door frame. “They weren’t listening to you” he turns his head to peer at you over his sunglasses, dark eyes finally on display, “but you’re listening now aren’t you sweetheart? So-” he says as he claps his hands together “Let’s try this again.”

[iprefertheterminsane]

All this talk of a wedding and the perryshmirtz era revival (which im sure is at least 98% attributed by the boycott and queerbait again) is making me want to churn out a perryshmirtz wedding AU ficlet. So hear me out;

Perryshmirtz Fake Wedding AU

Not least inspired by @echoes-of-the-unknown 's fanart taking the cake for most reblogged recent post by the perryshmirtz tag featuring a confused Heinz; a panicking, blushing Perry; and the kids doing what they do best: inciting chaos.

---

It's hardly the first time human!Perry has had to juggle the discretion of his two halves; keeping Heinz and the consequent violence and political dangers of the agency and undergeound villainy AWAY from the already PRESENT continuous dangers of his boys' adventures. Despite Perry's white knuckled grip on control, the tri state area is TINY, and the damn things overlap whether he wants to or not. This isn't even the first time he's caught smack bang in the middle of it, but he's usually brighter than this.

The tight knit group of middle schoolers looks at him expectantly, covered in grease (likely attributed to their latest technical contraption of the day) and leaves (likely attributed that they are in middle of a pollen infested Danville Central Park in the middle of spring.) As fate would have it, he has Heinz in a headlock, which is not so unexplainable even if neither Phineas nor Ferb would have ever expected their mellow behaved Uncle could ever be brought to incite such violence on a stranger, much less had expected him to leave the house. The picnic blanket, flowers and food (it's thematically related to Heinz's scheme today, and a backstory related to his first high school date) is much less easily dismissed.

I'm-

-Think fast think fast think fast think fast-

On a date.

Isabella's eyebrow twitches up sharply. Perry barely holds in a wince as Phineas and Ferb shares an equal look of surprise, if perhaps kinder.

Heinz has gotten still in his arms, and it is a silent blessing. Perry readjusts so his grip looks like he's attempting to choke the life out of the man, much more like a white knuckled hug from behind.

"We didn't know you were dating, Uncle P," Phineas says, politely. Suspicious, but yes, polite, because Linda had raised him right, of course. "How did you meet? How long have you been together? Does mom and dad know?"

The idea of the kids getting this news back to Lawrence and Linda somehow, adults who are less likely to react unpredicatably and blow it somewhere out of his control sends a splash of ice water down his back, and he's practically sputtering without second thought.

You can't tell them, Perry signs urgently. Because-

The kids wait patiently, which makes things worse. Perry is stuttering through his signs as he attempts to make something on the spot.

You can't tell them because he's not my...boyfriend.

Their brows furrow in confusion, almost in sync.

He's my- Perry winces. -Fiance (?)

All at once shock overrides their expressions of doubt and confusion, the childish giddiness and appeal of marriage taking hold of their previous suspicions. Marriage was serious business, after all. One does not lie and dither about marriage. It's genius. He's doomed.

Baljeet's gasped and dropped his armful of sheepskin (where on earth would the boys have sourced these things-) for dramatic affect. Isabella has her hands over her mouth, her eyes taken a sheen of romantic yearning. Phineas is apologizing profusely, and Perry is begging to everh merciful Law and Deity listening Heinz does not decide to speak up right then.

Things are complicated on Heinz's side of the family, Perry explains, which is close enough to the truth that he doesn't feel guilty about lying to the boys any further. We're trying to arrange things a bit more carefully before we decide on anything full proof and explain things to your father.

The children clamor with further questions, save for Ferb, who continues to stare with an undicipherable look on his face. Baljeet's question rises above the rest in a brief moment of respite, and it is a simple, sweet enough request that he does not have the heart to refuse: "Can we help with the wedding planning?"

Sure. Perry says helplessly. Maybe once we decide we can follow through and I break the news to Phineas amd Ferb's parents, maybe-

The children are too busy cheering to listen to the rest of his words, their priorities sorted and greenlit as far as they are concerned. They promise to plan for a wedding to be remembered, the best wedding in the history of Danville, and are finally compliant enough to be shoo-ed away, discussing flower arrangements, officiants and-bizzarely, extraterrestrial port arrangements and guest lists.

Perry waits, at least, until they are out of earshot before he allows the weight of his impulsive actions to overcome him, but Heinz finally speaks before he could.

"So," the german-borne scientist cuts in in what Perry assumes he thinks of as a very casual manner. "Fiance, huh?"

Perry faceplants into his cupped hands, and Heinz chuckles where he still hadn't moved, tucked in between Perry's legs in a fascimile of a hug.

I'm really, really doomed

[plastictoyphone]

Attachment Will Bring Me To My Doom

(The long awaited Black backstory)

Peeps the time has come: @kijimha @city-of-c0rpses @joanbarrie @fedya-the-rat-god @myluckymoon @respiratory-kristem

"Our baby boy..... We will love you forever." Those were the first words I ever remember my mother saying to me. I was barely a few months old yet that loving memory is still faint in the back of my mind. Slowly fading away from my subconscious.

I would have been lucky. A loving mother, a proud father, excited and supportive brothers. Yet I was unlucky. For I was stuck with this curse that has taken everything away from me.

It was all an accident too.....

Most parents would be excited and proud when their baby says their first word. Mine was mommy. It was easy to roll off the tongue and that's who I wanted most when it came to attention. Mommy, I wanted mommy to hold me. To feed me, to love me, to speak to me, I wanted her.

"Mommy." I wailed in my crib. I can't remember how old I was or the memory so well. The only thing I can remember was waking up that night in a cold sweat and a bad cough. A poor sick little child wanting his mother to comfort him.

Make it stop.

"Mommy." 96. I cried again when she didn't come.

Make it stop.

"Mommy!" 97

Stop it!

"Mommy!!!" 98

STOP THIS! JUST STOP TALKING! KEEP SILENT!

"MOMMY!!!" 99

I don't remember much, other than the faint sounds of her slippers tapping the floor and the warmth of her arms as she scooped me up. Her soft voice comforting me. "You okay my baby boy?"

I shivered in her arms before closing my eyes. "Cold....." 100.

I never saw my mother from that day forward ever again.

In fact I never saw the rest of my family from that day forward ever again as well. All I know is these 4 white walls and complete utter isolation with no contact from the outside world. I had no name as well. I used to have one before I was taken away by a facility, but I was given a new one. Or multiple I should say.

Rey was the common one. So was child 89, Mute, silent killer, "that kid", and most of all Black. To the facility I wasn't a child to them. In all reality I was some uncontrolled weapon of a monster who would kill anyone by a single touch if I spoke too much.

They tried to "cure me" at this facility. Testing to see if I can be stable enough for the outside world. Yet those moments were nothing but pain.

I would kick and scream every time the "doctors" tried to take me to a examining room. I was scared, I didn't care if my screaming for help or to be let go was going to get someone killed. I didn't want to go through another experiment or examination. I'm tired of the needles, the pills, the electro shocks, or anything that would keep me quiet.

Worst of all the doctors would lock a iron muzzle on my face, locking my jaw shut so I couldn't speak. Those were the worst moments because I felt so powerless in those moments. All I could do is sit in my cell, sitting in a straitjacket with no freedom to move around more utter a single sound.

These 4 walls became my life. And so did that man. The head of the facility. I didn't bother to remember his name or face. Why should I when all he repeated to me was, "Try not to get attached to people, 89. It's for your own good and for the rest of the world as well. Everything that you will love will die by your hand. It's best to keep your distance and stay far away. So no one can ever get hurt."

So I obey those orders.

Because in the end someone did end up getting hurt because of me. For once in my life the facility let me out of my so called home and out into the real world for just a month. To test the waters if I was stable enough.

At the time I was 17, they put me into a high school, yet I was barely given any schooling about the real world or how people act. All I knew to do was to keep quiet and count how many times I spoke a single word. In order to communicate I would pass notes and lie that I was a mute. This would keep most people away from me so no one got hurt. If they ignore me because I'm a mute then they won't get hurt or killed by me.

Yet it still happened. Even when I tried to keep my distance someone had to die by my hand. All because I wanted to help.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Some girl at school invited me to her house party, it's what you would normally expect from any drama show or movie. Lots of people, underage drinking, smoking, drinking games, a couple making out in the back. I only went because I didn't know how to say no.

Though I wish I didn't go. Because that night the girl who invited me was getting harassed by some guys. I wanted to step in, after all she was nice to me. Yet I lost count of how many words I have spoken. And by the graze of her hand on my shoulder, everything fell apart.....

I never saw that girl or that house ever again.

The facility immediately took me back after the incident. After that it was back to every day life within these 4 walls. That was until one night I was sleeping peacefully in my bed, unaware that someone was out for my blood.

There was a hand tight against my neck and I jolt awake to see a guy older than me with a knife, ready to kill me. I panicked of course, how could I not? I seen this guy before. He was the older brother of that girl who invited me to the party. From the piercing look in his eyes, I can tell he was out to get me for the incident.

I don't know how but after a bunch of struggle and bashing our heads against walls and glass, we ended up outside in the deep woods. I was trying to run but he was chasing up behind me. When I got near a river I attempted to leap over it but he tackled me and dunked me underwater, his hands around my throat as I struggle and kick to no avail. I was power less underwater and I was losing air.

This was the end of me.....

That was until the man's hand let go of my throat and somebody else yanked me out of the water when I fell unconscious. Soon before I knew it I was coughing up water and leaning against a tree. Stood before me was a tan guy with glasses and yellow eyes.

His name was Nicholas. I called him my brother once he took me in thay day. Now I'm with this Mafia organization called XY for a couple of years now. It's quite nice. The people here are a little weird but it's my kind of weird.

For once it feels like I have a family to call my own.

Yet I'm scared. I still keep my distance away from everyone else. Standing in the dark shadows while everyone else has fun in the light. Because if I step into the light then I'll get attached. And attachment will bring me to my doom. Keep my distance and no one gets hurt.

That's how it will always be.

[sunofpandora]

So I watched avatar 2 with my native mother.

1. I don't think we've ever cried harder together in our life.

2. First things first, the minute the kids came on screen she said “I'm adopting them all”

3. Said that Neteyam and lo’ak remind her of my brothers. (especially during the fight scene where they defend Kiri)

4. Was pissed bc trudy is still dead.

5. You know that scene in the beginning where Neytiri shoots the RDA ship pilots in the raid?

My mother turned to me and said “you took 6 years of archery in school. Why can't you do that?”

6. Called Rotxo and Ao’nung “Thing 1, and Thing 2.”

7. Was gushing over tsireya and told me she missed when I wore my hair like that (I wear braids most of the time, but when I was 12 I wore my hair like Tsireya’s with cornrows in the front and curls in the back)

8. Didn't recognize Jake at first. She thought the dreads made him look better though.

9. Said that “neteyam reminds me of that one kid on a soccer field who sits in the grass and picks flowers”

10. When Quaritch came back, she said “oh my god its coloniel scar face back to fuck things up”

11. 98% sure Spider has ADHD. (she works with kids who have ADHD and dyslexia)

12. Anytime ronal came on screen at the battle scene “when I was pregnant I wasn'triding winged aligators”

13. Couldn't take the Australian guy seriously (it was probably the accent. No offense to y'all with accents. Me and my mom have accents ourselves)

14. My personal favorite, when Kiri was sad she said “honey your not depressed. You just need to get your hair done”

15. We went through a whole box of tissues when Neteyam was shot.

16. Said, “Jake looks like he drives a ford F150 and has bad road rage”

17. Went on Amazon and ordered the avatar visual dictionary for herself afterwards.

18. Was pissed as spider for saving quaritch. And I quote,

“regardless of whether he kept spider alive or not, he took children away from their families, and placed them in the center of gunfire, in a war that was never theirs to fight. That is unforgivable. I would have let the bastard drown.”

19. Ao’nung was “man bun having, pain in the ass”

20. Her top two favorite characters were Kiri and Tonowari.

21. Kept flinching when Neytiri got on the ship to kill the recoms. Said “that's some shit out of a horror movie. Damn”

22. When she saw spider she said “I bet he smells like actual shit”

23. Z dog pissed her off more than any other character 😭

[batrachised]

"I first read Anne of Green Gables to my grade 3 class in Vernon River. When we got to the chapter in which Matthew dies, we all sat still and quiet until one student said, “I didn’t know a teacher could cry.”'

-Deirdre Kessler, a former Poet Laureate of P.E.I. 

"I recall reading Montgomery at specific times and in particular places. I remember reading Anne of Avonlea with my best friend in her back yard after our grade 5 teacher had read Anne of Green Gables aloud to the class. We were hooked. I reread Anne of Green Gables and Anne’s House of Dreams in a residence room at Carleton University when I was preparing to go to Nigeria as a CUSO teacher. I read Volume I of The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery while watching my young daughter play at a park. In more recent years I have gone directly to those passages that sustain me. I marvel at how deeply the words on the page connect writer and reader."

-Margaret Steffler, Professor Emerita at Trent University

"I grew up 27 kilometres and 98 years from Lucy Maud Montgomery: nearer in space than in time to her life and her creations. Growing up a writer within that circumference, it was hard to say if Maud cast a shadow or a gleam across the literary landscape and Island imagination. In the shadow of saccharine oversimplifications and commercialization, the writer was tempted always to challenge, to write against her legacy. But on an August day by a brook or on a December evening meeting a sharp-tongued character with a sharp eye on Island cultural characteristics, the writer is required to recalibrate: to recognize that we write, here, in her gleam. Happy 150 years since that first glimmer."

-Jane Ledwell, PEI writer

"For the past ten years I have lived in a small town in central Pennsylvania. (You can’t buy twenty pounds of brown sugar at the hardware store, but it’s that kind of place.) It’s nice enough, but it isn’t home. As someone who grew up in Toronto – attended a girls’ school – and then went east, I was probably fated to identify with Jane Stuart, Jane of Lantern Hill. I wasn’t born on the Island; I can’t make jam; and I was born decades too late to take the train from Union Station across on the Tormentine ferry. But I thrill to mornings on the Island and long for its sea winds, and just like Jane, I live through being away by never really being away: “Because in a very real sense Jane was still living on the Island.” I may live here, but I am there.

I’m glad that L.M. Montgomery understood how that feels."

-Claire Campbell is a double expatriate, a Canadian living in the United States and an Upper Canadian-born who misses the Maritimes.

"To me, teaching Anne of Green Gables in Iran was an unexpected journey that brought profound inspiration and hope. Little did I know that this classic tale of Anne Shirley’s resilience and feisty spirit would become a beacon of empowerment for my predominantly female students. Their connection with Anne's unwavering determination and her strong character ignited a spark within them that eventually helped spark an uprising against a relentless dictatorship. Witnessing these remarkable young women, who had once found solace in Anne's story, rise up against four decades of draconian rule in Iran has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. The Iranian women have taken the lessons of Anne’s perseverance to heart and channeled that spirit into a courageous struggle for justice and freedom. This is a testament to the enduring power of literature and the indomitable spirit of those who dare to dream of a better world."

-Sam Roodi, professor of Global Citizenship at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, Canada

"Recollections of childhood reading experiences tend to blur repetitively, but, for me, one memory is categorically singular. I was nine years old, home from school sick. My dad, on his way to work, stuck his head inside my bedroom door and said, “Here, try this.” He handed me a blue hardback of Anne of Green Gables. When he returned that night, I had finished it. For that whole day, I lived inside the skin of a different person. In a blur of astonishment and devastation, I learned that it was possible for a beloved fictional character to die. And I explicitly knew I was a different Margaret from the one who had woken up that morning. I remember my startled recognition, in so many words, that Thornton Burgess’s animal stories – hitherto completely satisfying – would never be quite the same again.  My life as a reader had suddenly and irrevocably expanded."

-Margaret Mackey is Professor Emerita in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta

"You inspired my mother to be a writer, when she was a little girl in Texas; you inspired my father, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, to see beauty all around. My little sister is named for your Anne. Every day I think about or read your work and try to imagine who you were within and between the lines. Thank you, thank you for giving me so many reasons and ways to read, to write, to connect with others, and to be."

-Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

"Maud’s writing first spoke to me when my own world had gone very quiet. I dwelt in a small town in regional Australia and was rarely able to leave my home due to chronic illness. Instead, I lived vicariously through her tales of girls and young women on an equally small island, about as far away from my own as it was possible to be. She showed me that life lived on a domestic scale could be just as vivid as that on the wider horizon. Unable to travel elsewhere, I gained strength from Pat’s decision to remain in a home to which she was so powerfully attached. Later, as a young teacher in a rural boarding school, I found comfort in my isolated state from Emily’s example of writing through her difficult feelings. Later still, when I reached Oxford, it was Anne’s experiences at university and her rich relationships with the kindred spirits she found there that resonated with special force. Maud’s words have been inscribed on each stage of my life, a tapestry of experiences that I have shared with her remarkable heroines, and which I will continue to weave in the decades yet to come."

-Chelsea Wallis

"My Maud testimonial begins with Brenda K Weber's testimonial. At an LMMI conference decades ago, she recalled a stuffy academic party during which a graduate student had approached her to make small talk. The student had a shaved head and a well-known enthusiasm for science fiction, and he wore black sneakers to this department party. When she told him she was about to attend a conference on Montgomery, his eyes lit up. "I love Emily of New Moon!" he exclaimed, and went on to babble about it for the next ten minutes. I love Weber's story as a reminder that we will find kindred spirits in the most unexpected places. I also love it because the graduate student in that story...was me. I discovered Weber's paper years later, and I think it captures me perfectly: a little too extraverted, a little fashion-ignorant, and still completely in love with Emily."

-Joe Sutliff Sanders is a specialist in children’s media in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge

"I open the cocoa-splattered, tatty book. Hand-written – hand-scrawled – memories of sensory pleasure: spicy, sugary, crunchy, hearty, homey. I open my mother’s falling-apart recipe book. In it are generations of recipes, passed on from great-grandmothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, friends, daughters, and daughters-in-law. A whole museum of feminine companionship.

You, too, held such a collection – a testimony to your own experiences of motherhood, of sisterhood, of friendship, of love. And when I open Anne of Green Gables, The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook, and then also Aunt Maud's Recipe Book, I share in these experiences. I find recipes to add to my own cocoa-splattered, tatty, hand-written recipe book. Liniment cake (with vanilla this time) made for birthdays, raspberry tarts for Sunday afternoon fun, ice cream that tastes of clouds … I open these books and I find comfort; I find love; I find motherhood."

-Daniella Dedekind is currently completing her MA at the University of Pretoria, South Africa

"On a recent spring day, I glanced out the window of my fourth-floor apartment and saw a flurry of white crab apple blossoms fluttering gracefully through the air, dancing upward on the wind. The whole urban landscape was transformed, and in that moment, I felt so thankful, not only for this glimpse of the wild nature of my city, but also for Montgomery and her nature-loving heroines, who taught me about Snow Queens and Wind Women and Flashes and how to live each day with eyes and heart and mind open to the beautiful surprises of the world around me. "

-Tara Parmiter is a Clinical Professor of Expository Writing at New York University.

"When I was in the third grade, my mother bought me Anne of Green Gables as a birthday present. I kept asking for sequels every year, and when I was in junior high, I learned that Prince Edward Island was a real place. During my university years, I visited the Island for the first time and stayed for three weeks. After several trips and working with a travel agency, I landed a job as a tour guide on PEI.

At first, I just liked to see the various seasons described in Montgomery’s books; then I wanted to feel the joy of spring after a long winter. Before I knew it, it had been 28 years in PEI.  Again, this spring, I'll go into the woods looking for mayflowers. Gilbert's love, expressed through gathering these small flowers for Anne, still touches my heart after all these years."

-Katsue Masuda 

"Like so many of us, my introduction to L.M. Montgomery came in childhood, at a time when I read voraciously, so hungry for departure. Back then, I had no clear sense of myself as a lesbian, but I knew intuitively that something about me was strange and “different” – or, as Montgomery herself might have put it, “queer.”

Because, at the time, there were so few novels for young readers with LGBTQ+ characters, I learned to find myself in other, less overt mirrors. It was in Montgomery’s books that I saw the clearest echoes of my own unarticulated desires. Emily Byrd Starr’s world is populated by older, unmarried female characters who show no interest in finding male partners. Valancy Stirling casts off the constraints of her disapproving family to pursue the existence she wants for herself. And Montgomery gave me Katherine Brooke in Anne of Windy Poplars, arguably her most overtly queer character.

I know, of course, that Montgomery wasn’t writing for readers who were gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender – and I know her opinions on lesbianism, expressed with such vehemence in her diaries – but she was writing for those of us who were “queer,” in the broader sense of the term. I’d like to think that she’d be able to understand my deep gratitude for the ways her work has always made me feel seen."

-Katharine Slater is an associate professor of children’s and young adult literature at Rowan University

"When my fifth-grade teacher read Anne of Green Gables to my class in the sixties, it was the comedic episodes of Anne dying her hair green and getting Diana drunk that made the book enticing. Throughout the decades since, as I aged and my interests changed, there was something new that appealed to me with each reading: a description of a beautiful garden as I planted one of my own, a reference to a special type of needlework as I learned to quilt, a humorous episode about Anne’s attempts in the kitchen as I also struggled in this regard, the love and bond between Anne and Marilla as I experienced those same emotions with my children and grandchild."

-Joanne Lebold

"L.M. Montgomery has not just inspired my family; she has shaped it. My great-grandma Cora first read the books aloud to her students in a one-room schoolhouse. Her daughter, my grandma Penny, and her daughter, my mother Christy, spent countless family vacations tracking down old copies of Montgomery’s books. It is pretty easy to figure out where my name and my sister’s came from (Emily and Anne, naturally). Montgomery has inspired our travel, showed us the joy in unraveling historical puzzles, supplied countless treasured memories, and connected us to friends all over the world. We have studied, collected, honoured, researched, discussed, savoured and loved Montgomery’s works. And we’ve done it all together. We have learned that Montgomery’s legacy is not just literary; it is intergenerational and personal."

-Emily Woster

#maud150 is a collection of tributes for Maud's 150th birthday. the above are a handful of my favorites.

[didoldacc]

can I request a fic where beom and reader are enemies (secretly in love with each other)but had to do a project work together in beom's house which led to reader accidentally seeing a picture of her beside beom's computer which happened to be playing p0rn......and sub beom begging for reader to help him! also if possible....maybe reader ordering beom to j3rk off infront of her to humiliate him?? if these are too uncomfortable please don't force yourself to write!! I love your works btw🩷

mdni!

warnings: sub!beomgyu, perv!beomgyu, mentions of p0rn, masturbation(m), humiliation(m receiving), cowgirl position, oral(f receiving) if there is any i have missed please let me know!

you would kill your professor, you could. she matched you with beomgyu out of all the people she could choose. what are the odds of you pairing up with beomgyu instead of other 98 people who also take this class. the professor must have a grudge, you think.

"seriously, -------- how would she know you and beomgyu don't get along? stop being paranoid." you huff at your friend's rationale that you don't wanna admit it's true.

"anyways, we agreed to meet up at 6 so i gotta leave." you say before you leave. "you will stonker" she yells with her voice filled with irony.

it doesn't take you long to arrive his house. once your app shows that you are in the location he has sent you, you ring the bell. you hear a stir coming from the apartment. you get impatient and when you lift your hand to ring the bell again, the door opens.

"you are early. you weren't supposed to come here for an another hour." he seems on his toes but you don't mull over much about it. "i thought it would take me longer to get here and i also gave us an extra half an hour to get prepared so that we could start at exactly 6." you say before entering his house without his invitation. you question his manners since he didn't even bother to invite you to enter. he apologizes for that as if he can read your mind and asks for you to give him a minute. you agree and head to his couch while he was heading to bathroom.

once you sit, you start to observe his house unintentionally. yet you tell yourself to stop it since you don't want your mind filled with details of him. you deceive yourself everything about him is redundant information.

you take the laptop close to you so as to prepare essential sources and articles that your professor recommend. it seems like he is going to take long and it will only benefit you two if these things are ready. but you come across with an unexpected scene. you eyes go wide minute you witness one of your cutest photos that you often use in your social media profiles and an adult video playing on his screen starring a woman oddly similar to you. you are supposed to feel disgusted with what you just overeyed but you felt a burning sensation down there.

you think beomgyu is actually a chaldean when you hear his voice calling your name behind you. "you weren't supposed to see that. i am sorry, can you- can you just forget what you just saw?" you don't exactly know what to do. but he cannot seriously expect you to just forget about it.

"no! no, i can't just forget what i just saw. you are such a disgusting pervert, you know that?" you practically shriek. you turn around to see his expression and feel sorry for him once you realize he is panicking.

"please, i beg you. if you can't forget it, can you at least try to forgive me? i can do everything, i swear. please, please, please, plea-" you cut him of by shushing him. "what do you mean by everything? like what can i gain with your abilities? i am already doing good socially and every other aspect in my life. what could you possibly bring to table? you are just afraid that i can use this to ruin your reputation, aren't you? but i will not give you the satisfaction. especially not after your elementary school bully act towards me!"

"i swear it is not it. i don't even care about my reputation. boys will not even see the problematic aspect of this and girls will forgive me no matter what i do because i am pretty. you know that!" you shake with laughter "you seriously cannot be saying these in your position. you are really thinking you are something." you mock him.

"no! please just listen. what i have to say! i wouldn't even care if they hold me accountable and isolate me, even if i have no social life left. i just want your forgiveness. i swear. i was just teasing you with my childish act to get your attention. i never intended to hurt you. i cannot live with the fact you thinking so little about me. i am really sincere. please just forgive me. please i beg-" you cut him of again this time with your acrimonious laughter. he seems more scared than ever your pity towards him grows.

"you sound like a broken record repeating the same part over and over again. but i guess i can find a way for you to make it up to me." his eyes sparkled with hope. "yes, -------. whatever you want." he keeps begging and waiting for your dispensation. you give him a smirk before you lean toward his eyes and whisper "how about we just restart the video and watch the video together? can you do that, hm?" he looks in your eyes with a shocked but pleased expression and nods his head.

he sits down to couch and takes his laptop on his lap. he gives a little pat right next to him implying that he wants you to sit there. you do and he starts to video.

beomgyu kept gulping throughout tho whole very vanilla video. you sighted that he was mostly focusing on your picture than the video itself. and you see a growing dome on his pants. he turns to you and asks for your help nicely but instead you smirk with delight and lean towards his ears once more. "why don't you put on a show for me instead? it is not your place to ask for help, you know?" you rown.

"but it is so humiliating. i-" he tries to protest before you shut him off. "i know it is exactly why i want you to do it. and also didn't you say that you would do anything?" you argue. he nods and takes his laptop to put it on axle stand. he slowly pulls his pants and underwear down and turn his head to face you. he gives a soft smile before starting to jerk off. his hands going up and down as fast as he can while he keeps whimpering.

he slows down to tease himself to give you the best show he can. it doesn't take him long to moan your name. the sensation starts to cloud his thinking. he just stares at you with empty eyes only filled with desire. when you flash a smile at him, he gives the loudest moan yet.

"it feels so good. it feels better than every time i have jerked off or been with someone. thank you." he keeps saying like it is his entreaty. "you can't cum though. so keep edging yourself for me yeah?" he obeys and slows down once more. his movements keep teasing his cock. he flings his head back from pleasure breaking his eye contact. you sense he is about to cum so you take his hand to stop him. he raises his hand to give you a waiful look. you melt in lust with his pretty face looking so voluptuous.

he presumes and suddenly kisses your lips very passionately. you admire his boldness and return to kiss. you hold his waist to pull him closer and he leaves a broken moan.

both of your breathing quickens when the kiss get more passionate. you feel his teeth giving a small bite to your lower lip making you open your mouth. he uses the opportunity and his tongue enters your mouth. his hand reaches to your neck and he gives soft fondles. once you both get out of breath you stop.

as soon as he leaves your lips he takes off the rest off his clothes. and giving you a look implying you to do the same. you give him a smirk and undress yourself. he just stares when he sees your naked body with an obvious admiration.

he sits down again and you get on his lap. giving him a softer kiss before sitting down on his member. he nods implying you to move and you do. he places his hand on your clit to play with it. "wanna make you feel good." he says. it doesn't take him too long to reach his high. once he feels it's coming he places his hands to both of your hips and raises you to cut out your walls from hid dick. you sit next to him while he pumps his manhood a few times and coming undone.

he doesn't even bother to clean his stomach before making you lay down and getting between your legs and helps you to reach your high too. once he is done he gets up kisses you again before taking you to his bathroom to give both of you a nice shower.

he gives you one of his t-shirts for you to cover yourself up. he starts talking to break the awkward atmosphere. "i have always liked you by the way. i acted obnoxious because you kept giving me the cold treatment. i know it was not the right thing to do but i couldn't get your attention otherwise." he confesses.

you feel shocked at his confession yet it gives you courage to confess back. "i did give you the cold treatment i won't deny but it was only to protect myself. i felt this pain in my chest every single time i saw you. i figured that i had feelings for you. i mean you wouldn't wanna hang out a girl like me so i distanced myself to not get hurt. i mean it sound cheesy when i tell this but-" this time you are the one getting cut off middle of your speech. "why would you think that i wouldn't wanna be with a girl like you? do you know how ridiculous you sound?" he questions but you just incline your head. "he pets yor head before asking "so what do you want to do at our first date girlfriend?"

you giggle and say "study, i guess we have an unfinished assignment."

author note: i think you have sent this to several people. please don't do that. if my work has any similarities with anyone else please let me know. i will gladly give credit if someone wrote something similar to this ask. and please do not do this agin and put the writer in an awkward situation. 🕴

i hope you like it~~~~~~~~~~~~~~