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nobodycallsmerae · 3 years

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Hello, Hello!

Soo, a few days back, I had shared a post asking for some BBRae AU fanfiction recommendations, so, let's put the fact aside that it didn't really help... but now, I'm here to share some stories that I've read, and I recommend reading!

So, this list only consists of AU (Alternate Universe) stories where they aren't superheroes, so you can skip it if you want ^^

So... I won't rank them, because I think every story is amazing, (and I'm pretty easy to please,) so, I'm just assorting them as I keep collecting the links :) Also, I'll try my best to review the stories without giving away any spoilers...

Firstly, there are too many good fics to count, but here I am mentioning the ones which stood up in my mental folder. (Also, it only includes completed stories.)

This list includes all types of stories, high school, co-workers, roommates and all... the ratings are between T-M.

(Links lead to stories on Fanfiction.net.)

The Butterfly Effect -by Light NS | Rated M for semi-sexually explicit material and topics of depression and suicide.

This story definitely comes in my top-5 list blindly, and it deserves so much more! The story is about Gar and Raven, who are adults now... and let's just say there are far too many coincidences in this one! It's a lovely story with also a healthy amount of tension... because, I personally believe it can't be BBRae without some arguments *shruggs*. You should definitely check it out if you haven't already!!

Broken -by LightNS | Rated T

Oofff... okay, so this story is actually one of the first BBRae stories I've read and it's really close to my heart...

First of all, I want to say that the characters in this story are freakishly accurate. I mean, the personalities are on-point. In this story, the Titans are high schoolers, but this isn't exactly a high school romance kinda book. To be honest, this isn't exactly a romance book..(?) It's more like an action/thriller... And... it isn't heavily a BBRae book... I mean, yeah, it is based on those two characters, and Gar spends most of his time crushing on her... but, y'know, it's a book that shows both of them growing... and learning about each other -and themselves.

The writer does an amazing job to portray the character's feelings and personalities, and I'm sure her writing won't disappoint you.

The only drawback this story has is... well, it has a discontinued sequel named "Glass", so, it's kinda sad that, I mean, I've fallen in love with those characters... but, they don't really have a happy ending soo…

This writer is also on Tumblr, @lightns881 , so you can also visit her blog and support her!

By the way, there're also really great BBRae communities to be found on Fanfiction.net and you can check them out for more fun stuff to read. The ones I thoroughly recommend are:

"Best Of BBRae" which basically has all the goodness, IU and AU (but, it's a bit old so... you might not see newer fics there.); and

"Best Of BBRae AU's" which is a collection of one of the best AU stories.

Moving on...

Everything Has Changed -by Chibi 1309 | Rated M for Mature themes and language.

This story also comes in my beloved top-5 list!!

I don't really know what to say about this story without ruining it, but if you're on the lookout for an adult Titans BBRae fic, this is definitely your stop. Well, let me just say that, Gar and Rachel are best friends, a troupe I personally adore, and they live together in an apartment in Jump City.

This story has a lot... I mean, A LOT of feels, and the writer... *chef kiss* She really knows what she's doing. May it be the setting, the characters, the emotions... the author could deliver it wonderfully.

It also has a lot of other Titan members, so I like the fact that it also gives us an insight on what's going on in their lives too, rather than just Gar and Rachel.

Hands up in surrender, I won't say anything else, because I don't trust my mouth (or fingers), but this work is definitely a must read.

"Spy vs Spy" by Caitastrophe8499 | Rated M for mature themes, violence, and adult situations.

This... is a masterpiece people. You should definitely read it... like RIGHT NOW!

In this story, Gar and Rae are from rival agencies, Doom Patrol and Titans, and as fate has it, they're forced to work together. Neither of them are happy about it, because of each other's cocky and standoffish attitude and as both of them work best solo... and also... both of them hate each other... at first. This book, it includes lots of action, and if you knew me, you'll know that I am a sucker for crime and thriller. I mean, this story in itself is so great, it could be adapted into an ACTION MOVIE!! Or maybe a graphic novel to start with. :)

And what's best about it is, it doesn't only show two people romance each other, it shows a group of people working together to catch a deadly villain. I won't say much more to build suspense, but all I'll say is, it's entertaining, spicy, and the character dynamic fit perfectly with their relationship and situation, and if you haven't read it, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!! CHECK IT OUT NOW!! This will probably be one of the best recommendations of your life.

Assuming -by magisterquinn | Rated T

This is a feel good, light-hearted BBRae story that I very much enjoyed. So, basically, it's about Raven (or is it Rachel, I forget), and how the (dashingly handsome and) annoying employee won't leave her alone. She also gets a series of mail that sparks her interest, and I don't trust myself to say more without spoiling it.

Magisterquinn, the author, has an amazing collection of the BBRae (AU) stories they've written, "Chivalry Isn't Dead", "Making Mr.Right" (a must read) and "In Paris" to name a few, so, I definitely recommend checking out their profile for amazing and clever reads.

The Malchior Widow -by beautifulpurpleflame | Rated M

...this story...all I wanna say is... if you haven't read it, you're missing out on something wonderful in your fangirl(/boy) life.

This story is based on my favorite troupe, which is where all Gar wants is for Raven to open up to him. It's like, Raven is a reserved, "untouchable" person, and Gar, being Gar... feels an urge to talk to her. After many, many attempts, when Gar finally talks to her, his friends are like, "How'd you get her to talk?" or "How's she open up to you?" and the response is, "No one's ever even tried before."

"The Malchior Widow" goes at a satisfying, feel-good pace... and it's one hell of a journey. I mean, as the title suggests, Raven's a widow, and she isn't exactly open to the possibility of loving... or trusting someone else yet. It shows not only both of them falling in love... but also understanding, knowing, and learning to trust each other.

Another good AU story by Beautifulpurpleflame is "The Beach House", so you can also read that.

Honorary mention::

"How To Save Her Life" (Rated T) by "Beautifulpurpleflame"

If you're looking for a wholesome, toe-curling good, filled with feels, amazing, awesome, family Titans BBRae story... this book will give you everything... or any of Beautifulpurpleflame's stories really...

I mean, that girl... is a legend... Her stories are so great.. just... I'm speechless

Don't forget to check 'em out.

You can also follow this amazing writer on Tumblr, @beautifulpurpleflame , and show her some love and support.

Okay, another story... Now this may be considered cheating, as I'm only including completed stories... but I couldn't stop myself from not mentioning this story...

Nevermore Records -by LilyTimbers | Rated T

According to the author, only one chapter and an epilogue is left... so, I guess we could wave it off with a yellow flag?

I, myself, can't go on a single day without music. And the idea of my favorite team of superheroes... being a Rock Band..? Boy, ya' don't gotta tell me twice!

This is a slow burn story, which includes Gar in his mid-twenties, along with the other Titans (except Raven), being a part of a Rock Band, which plays gigs at different places just as a side hobby. But, as they have real talent, they get a once in a life-time chance to be an officially labeled band, they're ought to be super hit. Here, we also see some other Titans, which is a real sight for sore eyes sometimes... But, just being good doesn't mean that everything's out for them in a gold platter. The team itself faces lots of challenges which is, truth be told, really entertaining. And the fact that Gar's love interest is his own manager? Oooh... you're up for a real good ride...

I'll keep the rest of the reading to you... and believe me, the story is waaay better than my small review.

The author is also an amazing artist, and has many beautiful BBRae fanarts on her Tumblr profile @lilytimbers , so you can follow her for updates! (though tbh I think you already do... but I felt like saying it, soo...)

If you're also a sucker for musical band based BBRae story, don't forget to check out

Harmony -by Kid Walker | Rated M

Here, Raven joins a singing group which does covers, and quite willingly, she can't seem to keep her eyes off of their leader/director, Gar Logan... and looks like he can't either. It's an amazing story, and I believe you'll really enjoy reading it!

(The story itself is complete, just some extra bonus chapters that the Author posts are yet to be updated, so I guess this story qualifies.)

There is also a huge collection of amazing BBRae AU stories on Wattpad, too many to count, but here are two stories that I remember... and had a good time reading...

(On Wattpad only: (and only completed ones.))

High School -by anssoftball94

Soo... as you might've guessed from the title, here Gar and Rae are high schoolers. They live together with Rick (Dick/Robin), Kory and Vic in the Tower. I guess we could call it a slow burn, and what I enjoy is it also has the other Titans in a satisfying amount.

What I love about this story is that Gar and Rae don't just jump into a romantic relationship (like most teens do, I'm just sayin'!) and start a romance, no. In this story, first, they understand each other... and in a subtle manner, fall for each other. It's a really sweet and practical story, and I really enjoyed it... (even though I had to wait for the ending for decades!!)

Just one thing that makes this story a bit weird is that instead of "Gar" or "Garfield", Beast Boy is mentioned as "Logan" throughout the whole story... so... it was a bit... y'know? *shruggs*. But otherwise it's a must read.

A+ -by NikolaDabrowska

This story, to be honest, will definitely qualify as a cliché high school romance, "popular basketball kid falls for introverted bookworm nerd", but I really enjoyed reading it.

I mean like, you know what they say about Disney Classics, right? Even though we've read Beauty and The Beast or Snow White, we still like to watch the movies..? This story's like that.

Even though the troupe is kinda cliché, the story itself is executed in a very engaging manner, with interesting character dynamics and some original plots, so, I would definitely recommend reading it. (I, myself, have read it more than five times...)

So, that was a list of the BBRae AU stories that I highly recommend! There are more amazing (and incomplete) stories out there to read, but these are just the ones I've thoroughly enjoyed (and remembered.)

Also, feel free to share your BBRae story, if you have written any, and I'll happily read and support your story!!

Happy Reading!

Quick endnote, if you've read this post till here, do me a favor and check out my stories too! ;)

On Fanfiction.net and Wattpad.

All of my stories are complete, instead of "Tease Is Just The Cover" on FF.net (which I don't think I'm gonna work on any time soon), so feel free to check 'em out!

Sorry for the advertising, but I also want an audience y'know?

THANK YOU! And I hope you have a good day/evening/night ahead!

#bbrae #garchel #garrae #teen titans #fanfiction #au #alternate universe #recommendations #fanfic recommendation #titans #raven #rachel roth #raven roth #beast boy #changeling #gar logan #garfield logan

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slasherbastard · 4 years

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How would the slashers act if there s/o had a musical talent? Like amazing singing or plays an instrument? Just curious. Love your blog

thank you so much! You have no idea how excited I’ve been to post this, also I didn’t know what slashers to do so I threw together some random ones who I haven’t written for much (and Brahms, you can’t forget Brahms)

(gif credit: macmillanestate)

Poly!Billy and Stu

You're in a band as the electric guitarist/lead vocalist, probably a pop punk band

Billy and Stu always come to your shows

Even if they have murder plans, they will 100% show up to support their favourite person and their band afterwards (but mostly you)

Supportive boyfriends™

Back when you were practicing with your band in your parent's garage, Billy and Stu were the walking definition of happy heckling

It was either you kick them out of the garage or practice at someone else's place

Long story short, the drummer's house is pretty cool

They get to hear your band's songs early, no exceptions

They will want to help you with song writing

Stu: "Okay okay what about you just start screaming at this part?"

Billy: "Ooh wait, you should sing this part then go into the chorus"

Stu: "Will I be credited on the album as a co-songwriter?"

"Yeah, definitely Stu."

When your band goes on tour they will miss you like crazy, Stu will cry and beg you not to go

One of them - if not both - have probably tried hiding in your suitcases

If you’re performing at a show that isn’t too far, there’s a chance that Billy and Stu will show up and surprise you

Your band either hates or loves them

You may or may not have had to replace one of the ruder members after their mysterious disappearance, your boyfriends definitely didn’t have anything to do with it

Okay he was getting on your nerves and Billy caught him flirting with you- oh, you guys weren’t flirting? You were just showing him your new guitar? Oof

They’ve definitely been kicked out of multiple venues for being happy hecklers

"That's my Y/N! Wooh!"

"We love you, babe!"

(gif credit: boodalinski-gifs)

Brahms Heelshire

Before taking the job as a babysitter, you were a pianist

When Mrs. Heelshire first showed you the “classroom” you were so happy to see that they owned a piano

You wanted to ask if you could play it but you did arrive later than you’d expected so you’s expected

So you waited until your first day with Brahms

Brahms didn’t expect his nanny to know how to play the piano so when you sat down and started playing one of your favourite pieces, he was hooked

The human Brahms started leaving you notes and sheets of music that he wanted you to learn, bonus points if you already knew them

It confused you, but you weren’t complaining. You love playing piano and it was one way to stop you from dying of boredom

When you’re doing chores you gently sing along to whatever song is playing on your phone

You found out about the real Brahms in the middle of the night when you heard someone playing a lullaby on the piano

You followed the music and saw him sitting there, lost in the music

When Brahms saw you he expected you to run, but instead you sat next to him and watched him play

But knowing Brahms, he’d probably stop and make you play a piece for him

This happens everytime you catch him playing

So you’ve started pretending not to hear it, when you’re actually standing just outside the room

Brahms caught you once, you sing a lot louder than you think you do

(gif credit: vork---m)

Bubba Sawyer

Texas in the mid 1970s? You’re probably an acoustic guitarist who knows a few country songs

But your musical expertise isn’t shortened to just country songs, you also know how to play some blues and a few older songs from the 30s-50s (think Diamond City Radio from Fallout 4?)

When Bubba found out you could play the guitar he begged you to play him something

You probably played him Johnny Cash, maybe Betty Hutton

Sometimes you put on concerts for him, his cousins, and sometimes his grandpa

Hell, sometimes Drayton will even listen - he won’t admit that he likes hearing you play but you’ve caught him singing and dancing along to you playing the guitar more times than either of you would like to admit

When Bubba isn’t busy dealing with victims he’ll definitely sit with you and watch you practice

If a song comes on the radio that he knows that you can play, he’ll ask you to play it on your guitar

When you sing he also tries to sing - well, babbles but it’s still adorable

Bubba would encourage you to perform in public at a nearby bar - although he can’t come and see you for obvious reasons

Or he’ll beg you to record yourself playing and send it to a radio station

If you did and they decided to play it, Bubba would be more excited than you

He’d babble so much, roughly translating to something along the lines of-

"I'm so proud of you! My baby Y/N is famous!"

Would Bubba cry? Yes

Bubba’s always gonna be your biggest fan, no matter if you get famous or only play for him and his family in the living room

If he could, he’d brag about you to everyone

Sometimes when he’s dealing with victims he’ll babble to them as if he’s trying to tell them that his Y/N is one of the most talented humans he’d ever me

"They're amazing - stop screaming i'm trying to tell you about the love of my life - sigh, okay fine *chainsaw noises*

(gif credit: theghostbeaters)

Amanda Young

Amanda LOVES hearing you sing

She idolises you, although she’s a tiny bit jealous about your voice

It makes her wonder how she was so lucky to score someone like you

If you write a song about her, she will be obsessed

She’ll hum it while she’s setting up the next games and while preparing the next victims

When she first introduces you to John, he’ll tell you that Amanda is beyond obsessed with you

You won’t see it, but she’ll be making faces and hand gestures at John trying to shut him up and stop embarrassing her

"This one does not shut up about you"

"Did you write her a song? She sings it constantly!"

"I swear I should invent a trap to shut her up"

It’s like a father-daughter relationship between those two, it’s amusing

Sometimes you try to get Amanda to sing with you as well

Amanda’s more of a listener than a singer - unless she’s singing one of your songs

But she tries to sing with you as it makes you happy

She mostly enjoys your voice, though, especially when she’s not feeling the best mentally, it calms her

(gif credit: stabhappyslashers)

Vincent Sinclair

Vincent didn’t know you could sing until he caught you singing along to one his brother’s CDs, so you know it’s gonna be either heavy, edgy, or both

Spoiler alert: it was a Deftones album

You were upstairs doing who knows what when he heard loud music, and he doesn’t like being disturbed especially when he’s working

He came upstairs to tell you to turn your music down but was stunned when he heard you singing those harsh vocals almost entirely at the same level as the vocalist

When you realised Vincent was watching you you nearly passed out from shock

He’s really quiet

You’d quickly pause your music and apologise

"Oh- Uh sorry Vincent. I didn't see you there"

"Were you working? Shit, you were working. I am so sorry"

Although you were embarrassed, Vincent thought it was cute

He’d sign at you not to be embarrassed and he’d leave you to finish whatever you were previously doing

He listens to you sing more often, he’s a sucker for your voice

If you’re in the studio with him and you start softly humming he won’t stop you

Although it might distract him and cause him to take too much wax off of one of his works (sorry Vincent)

Bonus: (aka, sort of shitposts)

Poly!Billy and Stu - Billy and Stu were never huge fans of Alice Cooper but after you forced them to watch Monster Dog, they have not shut up about Identity Crisises

Brahms Heelshire - As much as Brahms loves you and your musical talent, he really wants you to stop playing “meme songs” on the piano. He can’t stand whatever a “wii shop theme” is

Bubba Sawyer - three words. Friends Without Faces

Amanda Young - Amanda’s guilty pleasure? Musicals - Just don’t mention Repo! The Genetic Opera, though

Vincent Sinclair - He’ll record you singing - with your permission, of course - for an exhibition in the House of Wax

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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Dead, broke

Of all the moving, wrenching accounts of death during the pandemic, Molly McGhee’s “America’s Dead Souls,” for The Paris Review stands out: haunting, furious and sad, an rude awakening of the status quo that denies any possibility of inaction.

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2021/05/17/americas-dead-souls/

I’ve known McGhee a long time, since she worked on my book INFORMATION DOESN’T WANT TO BE FREE from McSweeneys, a professional association we renewed when she landed at Tor.

During the pandemic crisis, I’ve had two different connections to her: on the one hand, the consummate professionalism of her emails as we published my novel ATTACK SURFACE in the middle of the lockdown.

On the other hand, I knew her through her wrenching and deeply personal Twitter account of the personal tragedies she’s endured over the same period. Her Paris Review essay brings those tragedies into sharp focus and uses them to pin a huge and heretofore ill-defined feeling.

McGhee’s mother died during the crisis, but the death was the culmination of years of hardship: “[earning] less than $10,000 a year. Suffering from debilitating depression while caring for her aging parents…chronically unemployed, undermedicated, and overstressed.”

Her mother’s debts were on public display through searchable databases, and her life was haunted by both con artists and bill collectors who carpet-bombed her with calls, letters and emails.

She was too poor to fight back: her wages were garnished by the IRS “for back taxes calculated from a years-old misfiling they refused to correct.” McGhee sent her months of her salary, but it wasn’t enough.

She had no answer for her mother’s rhetorical questions, “Why are these people harassing me? What good does it do them?”

Because the answer is obvious and insufficient: “The people in power don’t care if we live or die, as long as they get paid.”

It only took two days after McGhee’s mother died for her creditors to begin harassing her for her mother’s debts. The state of Tennessee seized the house, but Wells Fargo expected her to make good on the mortgage.

The hospital where McGhee’s mother died wanted a quarter of a million dollars. McGhee, not even 26, was staring down the barrel of the weapon that had been trained on her mother, the inheritor of nothing but debt.

The debt-machine is efficient. Bill collectors found out about McGhee’s mother’s death before McGhee’s own family got word. And they’re remorseless, immune to McGhee’s “pleading, bargaining, reasoning, denying, uploading, scanning, begging, faxing, and crying.”

McGhee compares it to Gogol’s “Dead Souls,” a surreal tale of a grifter named Chichikov who buys dead serfs’ souls to sell for profit.

It’s only surreal if you’ve never been in the debt system’s crosshairs, “where one day of lost wages can compound into houselessness.”

We live in a system of winners and losers. The winners’ winnings come from debt, shielded from the system’s cruelty by “professionalism and bureaucracy” that insulate them — and their functionaries — from “feelings of culpability, not to mention empathy or curiosity.”

Poor people have less money, but the system is firmly focused poor people, because people with money can defend themselves. When McGhee went into debt to hire a lawyer, a single letter on official letterhead instantly reduced all that debt by 90% — more than $250k, poof.

It’s expensive to be poor. Take Community Health Systems, one of the largest hospital chains in America. It sues the shit out of poor people. When those people can afford lawyers, CHS loses, because it is chasing debts it is not entitled to collect.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/18/unhealthy-balance-sheet/#health-usury

CHS itself owes $7.6 billion. It turned its first profit in 2020, thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal subsidies, and its executives pocketed millions in “performance bonuses” for a performance that consisted of getting bailed out by the public.

The Trump stimulus handed trillions to the richest people and biggest companies in America. Those companies “leveraged up” their handouts to raise trillions more and went on spending sprees, buying up struggling businesses.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/17/divi-recaps/#graebers-ghost

They loaded these companies up with debt, declared “divi recaps” (where you take out a loan on a company you bought on credit and put that money in your own pocket as a “special dividend”) and crashed the companies, destroying jobs and communities.

Plutes know there are three kinds of debt: workers’ debts (which must be repaid), owners’ debts (to be “restructured” away) and government debt (not debt at all, but still handy for terrifying normies with stories of “mortgaging our kids’ futures”).

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/17/disgracenote/#false-consciousness

Forty years of this approach has turned the economy into a shambling zombie, dependent on the fiction that “consumer” debts — repackaged as bonds through financialization — will be repaid, somehow.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/02/innovation-unlocks-markets/#digital-arm-breakers

As an ever-larger share of the world’s wealth has shifted from the workers’ side of the balance sheet to the owners’, the ability of workers to buy things to keep businesses afloat as vehicles for debt-leveraging has only declined.

Wage-theft and stagnation, unions in retreat, monopoly, monopsony, tax-preferencing for home-owners over renters, for capital gains over wages, spiraling housing, health and education costs, worker misclassification — wages are annihilated before they’re even deposited.

With no wages left over to fund consumption, there’s only debt, and as Michael Hudson says, “Debts that can’t be repaid, won’t be repaid.” CHS can comfortably carry billions in debts, but the sick people it sues for $201 have to choose between rent and medical debt.

Every loan-shark knows how this works. The chump with $500 who owes you $500 and owes the bank $500 needs an incentive to pay you ahead of the bank. To assert the primacy of your claims, you need an arm-breaker.

The digital world has given us all kinds of fantastic new arm-breakers: digital repo men who can brick your car or your phone. It’s automated the once rare practice of evictions, creating eviction mills that run with devastating efficiency.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/02/innovation-unlocks-markets/#digital-arm-breakers

Creating a debt-instrument — a bond grounded in the payments from other peoples’ debts — requires that you convince investors and bond-rating agencies that your arm-breaker will terrorize the debtors into paying you instead of child-support or grocery bills.

“The cruelty is the point” isn’t ideology, it’s pure description. The system — an artificial life-form constituted as immortal colony organism that uses us as gut flora — runs on competing claims to your debt, and victory consists of terrorizing you more than any rival.

The financiers who practice leveraged buyouts destroy real businesses, ruin lives and hollow out communities. They are feted as “job creators.” The workers who must borrow to close the gap they leave are “deadbeats.” Leveraged buyouts are back, baby.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/14/billionaire-class-solidarity/#club-deals

If you fret that forgiving student loans and making college free will “saddle our kids with debt,” then you’ve been suckered.

Look. Replacing a system that starts all but the richest children with unserviceable debt with one that doesn’t is liberation, not bondage.

Since Reagan, we’ve been hiking tuition, killing deductions for interest, and shielding student debt from bankruptcy.That’s how you can borrow $79k, pay $190k, still owe $236k, and have 25% taken from every paycheck AND Social Security until you die.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/04/kawaski-trawick/#strike-debt

Debts that can’t be paid, won’t be paid. Student debts do get forgiven, but only for those highly educated, (potentially) highly productive people who can prove that they have been so thoroughly destroyed by debt that they have no future.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/20/sovkitsch/#student-debt

And as McGhee reminds us, the tragedy isn’t merely that we educate people on the pretense of betting on America’s future, but really, the principle use that the system makes of the educated is as collateral for securitized loans.

If the arm-breakers who chased her mother wanted to understand that woman’s humanity, McGhee says they should start here:

“Her humor and her rage were unmatched. In the evenings, against the setting Tennessee sun, she liked to drink red can Cokes in the garden while snuffing cigarettes out against the yard’s ant colonies. She could reckon with anyone just by looking them in the eye. Men were terrified of her, rightfully so. She was sweet. In the last week of her life, when she couldn’t understand where she was or who she was talking to, she greeted everyone the same: ‘Hi, pal. Hope you’re doing okay. When can you come pick me up?’”

Take a second. Re-read that.

#pluralistic

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mountaindcw · 3 years

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hello ! just your friendly maeve here to advertise some of my wanted connections ! they can all be found at https://chromosome23hq.tumblr.com/ pls give them to me & in exchange you will receive my undying love

ciaran o’connell (miguel bernardeau) is looking for their older brother who is 34 (give or take a couple of years). the relationship between them would look like (younger by roughly ten years, ciaran has always felt pressure to live up to his older sibling. this has only been fueled by the fact that their parents have always viewed ciaran as a disappointment, a failure to live up to the ridiculously high standards they placed on him. his sibling, on the other hand, has always lived up to their expectations. despite this, the two siblings are fairly close to one another. i don’t think they’d be a mutant, but i won’t say no to the possibility - it could be cool to see them hiding their mutation from the family, where as ciaran can’t keep his mutation hidden. he also works as a lawyer in the family law firm, most likely holding some position of authority over his younger brother. i’m asking to be contacted just so we can go over more specifics!) maeve could see them looking like (daniel sharman, bill skarsgard, aaron tveit, andrew garfield, grant gustin, paul wesley, utp)! you should message the mun at han solo lo lo lo lo#8494 or instant message me on my blog combustiibles

cleopatra zhao (gemma chan) is looking for their child who’s around the ages of utp. the relationship between them would look like (let me start by saying the sheer number of ways for this wanted connection to go, is why i’ve requested that you contact me! as an immortal, cleopatra has had her fair share of relationships and one of those led to the birth of her only child. and in true cleopatra fashion, she fucking ran. needless to say, her relationship with her child is pretty non-existent, but she does still care for them. i would like to think she’s even keeping an eye out for them. the rest of the details are pretty much up to you ! though depending on when they were born, they’d need some sort of immortality power or say self-resurrection?). maeve could see them looking like (natasha liu bordizzo**, jessie mei li, adrianne ho, fernanda ly, fan bing bing, leah lewis, lucy liu, philippa soo, thaddea graham, ross butler, ben levin, chella man, harry shum jr., lewis tan, remy hii, simu liu, yang yang, anyone at least ½ chinese/utp)! you should message the mun at @immcrtaliis or han solo lo lo lo lo#8494

noah sanouk (bright vachirawit) is looking for their paternal cousins who’re around the ages of 23-35. the relationship between them would look like (related to noah through his father, chareon “charles” sanouk an american born thai actor and most importantly, a mutant. i’d like to think that most members of the sanouk family are mutants, but that’s not a requirement ! as for a family dynamic, i imagine the sanouk’s being a close knit family but not without their share of drama ! because who doesn’t love family drama ?? i don’t have like a specific number of cousins, but i don’t think its a huge family ! charles would have maybe 1-2 siblings, meaning there is a possibility for a set of cousins who are siblings, or they’re just all cousins to each other ! i won’t bog you down with details, nor will i require that you contact me but i think this could be fun !). maeve could see them looking like (any thai fc (at least ½))! you don’t have to message the mun!

noah sanouk (bright vachirawit) is looking for their love interest (future partner) who’s around the ages of 23-26. the relationship between them would look like (to put this connection into simple words, i just think that literal sunshine noah pham deserves some love ! and i am an absolute sucker for romantic connections - especially when i get the opportunity to build up to their relationship ! i have a lot of ideas for how this connection could come about - which is mainly why i’d like to be contacted ! i do imagine they’d start of as friends or perhaps friendly is a better description and then what i’d imagine to be an obvious connection just sort of blossoms from there ! noah is a very loving, very affectionate person - i’d love to see him with someone who’s maybe not as open with their affection ? think along the lines of soft bf, tough bf/gf ! but again i am very flexible!!!). maeve could see them looking like (froy gutierrez, mason gooding, dieco tinoco, embre bey, omar ayuso, michael cimino, archie renaux, kaylee bryant, jessie mei li, aslihan malbora, anya chalotra, banita sandu, sydney park, utp+ but poc are preferred)! you should have to message the mun at @lumiiniferous or han solo lo lo lo lo#8494

#wanted connections #m: wanted connections #xmen rp #period rp #chromosome23hq

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thegracelessfaceless · 3 years

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If you are still doing matchups,, I'd be interested in a creepypasta one. I'm coming over from Elise blog.

So my name is Shay, I go by Whiskey because it's a preference in liquor on my end. I go by they/them pronouns, AFAB and I'm bi and omniromantic, I do have an mild preference for men or masc aligned people. I'm a Libra sun, Virgo moon and Aquarius rising. I'm also introvert (INFJ-A) and I'm constantly sleeply. I do have C-PSTD, Bipolar II and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder).

I'm Caucasian/White and I stand at 5'9. I have celtic and Danish heritage, My family where vikings. I'm really tall and legs double the size of my torso, as in my thighs are as big as my torso in length, same with my calves. I call myself spider legs because of that. I have this natural like wolf cut going on that is this dark green with my roots be my natural dark chocolate brown hair. My eyes are hazel with gold flecks that shift in color which I found out is normal for people with hazel eyes. I paint my nails black a lot because I find the color pleasing. My build wise is like a rectangle like shape with broad shoulders. I'm pretty strong and I'm proud of my strength. I'm currently starting to get into shape and lose weight so I have fit shape but not like over for. Just the right amount of fat over my muscles. I have a lot of stretch marks,, mostly around my waist and my biceps. I call them my stripes or lighting marks. I have plans to get snake bite piercings and wear like the ring ones in them. I'm getting an tattoo soon that is like this and then I want a burning match tattoo on my color bone. My ears are piercing and I like wearing fake gauges, spirals and then the ratings that have the dangly stuff and cuffs with them. I also wear like those stereotypical hot topic chokers. I wear a lot of long sleeves and skinny jeans, I do like ripped skinny jeans. I also love flannels and black boots like doc martins or converse.

I think you can assume by the statement of me liking whiskey I am the rebellious sort which is true. I have drank a bit and tried weed, I don't do it anymore tho.I have been told if people don't know me and see me from afar I'm intimidating to approach. Even being spooky and intimidating, I promise I'm just a big softie. I usually assume the mom friend of the group with my friends. I always worry about them and make sure they take care of themselves. Sometimes I do it so much I forget to take care of myself. I'm really gentle and compassionate, along with being extremely empathetic. I can be stubborn and bit judgemental at times, mostly working off first impressions myself when getting to know each other. I have an hard time being insertive and putting my foot down with my boundaries, scared to lose people even if the hurt me. I'm an introvert through and through, liking to watch from the back and observe the way things go on around me. I do my best to be an optimist because I can't see the point in see everything wrong in this world, it helps me to see the good. I love going on adventures with my close friends and love being a chaotic bastard with them. My dnd alignment is chaotic neutral and I'm Hufflepuff. I do live by the saying do no harm but take no shit. But I won't hesitate to fight someone for the right causes.

I do always constantly look like I am going to funeral of some sort because I own nothing but black. The color makes me feel really comfortable but it's not my favorite color. My favorite color is green but I like sage green, forest green, mossy green, etc. The earthy greens are my favorites. I have a love for the forest and woodlands, finding a sense of home in the woods. I do love archery and something I'm definitely going to be picking up along with playing the drums. I also smoke herbal cigarettes as well as alternative to smoking.

I often get called a cryptid and at this point, I am just one. Cryptidcore, Midwest Gothic, and Pacific Northwest Gothic are my favorite aesthetics. I have a huge love for cryptozoology (the study of cryptids), parapsychology (the psychic phenomena and other paranormal claims), original creepypasta stories and to be honest anything like spooky and creepy. I want to be a mortician and I'm attending school for that. I also really love the dark, especially if I have some good music blasting through my earbuds. I am a sucker for long road trips and seeing things, filling the adventure heart I have. My favorite animals are coyotes and I also like horses. I like to write a lot as well.

Okay, first off, you sound so cool?! Like we should talk more 😃.

I match you with...

Hₑᄂₑ𝚗 ₒ𝚝ᵢ𝘴/ Bᄂₒₒ𝚍y Pₐᵢ𝚗𝚝ₑᵣ

(Not my art, unknown artist. Contact me with credit info!)

Helen gets the they/them pronouns. For the longest, the thought he was a weird girl. Then he had body dysphoria for a long time, and then he came to terms with his identity.

Helen is a Virgo to your Libra. Virgos admire Libra's clear mindedness and their drive for balance in all areas.

However, Virgos can have some trust issues. Just be there and patient with Helen. He'll get over those hurdles eventually.

Helen gets being an introvert, being one himself. He never had many friends growing up, his only close one being killed by bullies who then tried to blame it on him. Helen would be perfectly content if you two were the last people on Earth.

Helen loves how you look, like you're just 'classical' beautiful? He loves painting your eyes, trying to get that perfect mix of green and gold.

He recites Robert Frost to you because your eyes remind him of this poem:

"Nature's first green is gold/ Her hardest hue to hold/ Her early leaf's a-flower;/ but only so an hour./ Then leaf subsides to leaf/ So Eden sank to grief/ So dawn goes down to day/ Nothing gold can stay"- Robert Frost "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

Helen would enjoy painting your nails for you, maybe even painting little designs on them if you'd like

Helen would be so supportive in your fitness journey. He just doesn't want you to feel like you have to lose weight to please him or anyone else. He thinks you're perfect just how you are, just like he'd think you're perfect 50 pounds overweight or 50 pounds underweight.

Helen loves your stripes. Whenever you feel self conscious about them, he reminds you that the things that make a person attractive are groupings of flaws that work well with each other to make a beautiful face

He tells you how the Chinese fill in cracked china and pottery with molten gold because the cracks make the piece more beautiful since it has more character.

Helen would love to design tattoos for you

He thinks it's sweet that you're Mom Friend™, but he's not going to let you drive yourself into the ground taking care of everyone else. So, now, you can't lift a finger around Helen. He waits on you hand and foot

He'll help you learn to be more assertive and stand up for yourself and what you believe in. He'll help you set boundaries and limits and he'll help you enforce them. One of his more important lessons is that you have no room in your life for people who hurt you, use you, or make you miserable.

Anyone that hurts you will be subjected to The Wrath of Helen Otis™

I feel like Helen wasn't a huge outside person before meeting you.

But between pictures on your camera roll of you and your friends' adventures and just listening to the way you speak about the Great Outdoors? He's intrigued as hell now and goes on a nature walk with you on an easy forest mountain trail, nothing too challenging or taxing.

And suddenly he just understood everything you'd been talking about.

A special activity he likes to do just the two of you is this: you think of and describe to him a cryptid and he paints it following your description. Then he listens to any stories or folklore for that cryptid.

Its normally exactly the way you pictured it in your head (it's actually pretty uncanny).

Thinks it's cool that you're going to mortician's school. He's always been interested in medicine, but can't tolerate all the patients. But a mortician... They do medical things and have the quietest patient that are just so agreeable! What a genius career path (seriously, I'm on a wait list for an interview with the coroners office (Low turnover rates 😑)

Helen also likes playing in paint worn you (but I'm thinking that deserves a whole post of its own)

Helen also likes to paint while you write (sometimes he paints you writing about him painting). Its beautiful, really. Just two people who love each other enjoying their hobbies together in companionable silence 😍

#creepypasta #creepypasta matchups #helen otis #bloody painter #bloody painter x Reader

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life-with-lo · 3 years

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About Me!

Hey there! I’m Lola Balli! What’s up? How are you? Hope you’re well! It’s nice to meet you! ♥️

A little quick thing about me and my name: I’m hispanic, my family comes from Spain so my last name is pronounced “Bi-Yee”, but it’s commonly mistaken for “Bay-lee” or “Ball-ee”. My Dad had a different First Name in mind for me, but then one day he listened to the song “The CopaCabana” by: Barry Manilow and decided Lola would be a better fit for me. I’ll admit, I am quite nervous about putting myself out there, but I hope this can be the start of a wonderful thing! 😁

I am a granddaughter/daughter, I’m a sister, I’m a niece/cousin, I’m a friend, I’m a proud Texan, and I’m an aspiring entrepreneur following in the steps of my Father.

My story, just like anyone else’s, is a wild rollercoaster ride! Ups, downs— highs, lows, but in short? I was born in Austin, Texas and moved around a lot around the Lone-Star state with my biological Mother as a little kid, never really having much of a permanent address. I had tough times in school, having ADHD and unsure of how to really make friends, but around 14 I started to figure out who I was as a person and found out what I was passionate about. I enjoyed Theatre in school and took the elective from 6th grade all the way till my Freshman year in high school. I also had a passion for Dance in high school and met a lot of amazing girls and guys because of the department, I am a huge classic movie fan, I love musicals, I love a good tvshow on Netflix, I’m always down to read a good Self-Help book, and what can I say? I’m a sucker for animals! I live in Austin, Texas with my Father, Stepmother, and Brother and our dog, 7! Yes as in the number, there is a whole story to that and if you wanna know more about it, maybe I’ll share it 🤔😉!

As for my occupation currently, I work alongside my Father at our family owned company: CryoFit!

I am passionate about my job as a tech at CryoFit [a full recovery and wellness center] because of the amazing people I see and care for everyday! I learn so much about healing, recovery, ways to improve one’s self. Because if CryoFit, I am always thinking of ways to improve myself and find ways to be better everyday. I began working full time right when COVID-19 struck and we were a bit understaffed. I stepped up, wanting nothing more than to help and learn and become independent as I had just graduated with the Class of 2020! During Quarantine, during the lockdowns and going stir crazy like everybody else, I became a freak about skincare. I did so much research on what I should be using for my skin, for my hair (and it helps my Stepmom owns her own hair salon) and after talking with clients at CryoFit, friends online, and more, I’ve wanted to share the little things I’ve learned this far on this planet — which isn’t much, but I hope it’s enough.

I try to live my life as happy and as carefree as I can. I would like to consider myself an optimist, a goofball, a hardworker, a fun loving person, but truly? I’m a wild, animated mess and there isn’t much more to it and I hope I can at least give helpful insight once in a while and share things that make me smile in hopes of making you smile!

I wanted to start this blog, or whatever you want to call it, as a way to connect with others and share experiences. On Instagram I have gotten DM’s from people asking me questions about life, skincare, how to handle tough heartbreaking situations, people asking for advice. I figured why not create a safe place to talk about it with others.

I want to make Mental Health a topic of discussion and share what I have learned from others throughout growing up. I want to talk about things that make YOU happy and what can help those who read and maybe be an outlet for them to talk about hardships. I want to make this account a place for people to feel comfortable, or talk anonymously, about whatever is on your mind and however I can be of some sort of help.

With what I have learned with people like my Uncle, my Father, Close Friends, my coworkers, my Aunt, my Grandmother, my InstaFriends, I would like to share a bit of what I have been taught and hopefully share those important lessons or messages with those who want it. ♥️

So on that note: please feel free to leave me messages in my inbox, ask me questions (please be appropriate and kind) and I will do my best to answer! I’m new to this, but saw a friend do it and thought I could give this a try! Hopefully this will all work out and we can all learn together!

Xx,

— 𝐿𝑜𝓁𝒶

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secret-engima · 5 years

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What's the Little Nox universe? Hi, I'm new and I found you through your HZD x FFXV crossover which has a too long for me to write in this ask. I know the barest minimum of FFXV -- let alone the FF universe on its which is close enough to zero -- but I started the game the other day because I'm almost done with HZD... and I stumble upon this Little Nox thing that is the cutest stuff ever even if I don't know half of what I should about FFXV or FF in general. Hence this ask XD

Hi! Welcome aboard my crazy! Can I just say real quick that I ... ADORE the fact that you found me through my crossover? That thing gets barely any reviews on my Ao3 and FF accounts so knowing someone reads it (and knows the HZD side of it) makes me smile.

Really quick, ineffective summary of FF: don’t worry about playing FFXV before anything else because all but a handful are stand-alone games. Final Fantasy is just a Brand and all Final Fantasy games thus share some world-building traits such as the name of currency (gil), the use of potions and phoenix downs, the existence of chocobos (think Giant Adorable Ridable Chickens), some flora and fauna and some reaccuring minor characters (there are two characters named Bigs and Wedge after the Star Wars pilots who always pop up SOMEWHERE in an FF game as something of a running gag/cameo for example). But when it comes to overarching PLOT and major characters, each game is a new thing unless it’s popular enough to spawn spin-offs (such as FF7′s expanded universe, which had several spin-off games and a movie).

Hopefully Non-Spoiler summary of FFXV: Evil Technological Empire of Evil offers a supposed peace treaty with the Magical Kingdom Of the Good Guys after about 100+ of intermittent war, with one of the conditions being that the MC, Prince Noctis, marries their Oracle Princess, Lunafreya. Insomnia (the magical kingdom of good guys) accepts the treaty because it’s that or continue to slowly loose ground to the empire’s superior technological might and thus four bros consisting of the Husband-to-Be, his buff bodyguard Gladio, his faithful Team Mom advisor Ignis, and his civilian photography loving friend Prompto head off on a road trip to go to a neutral city to get Noctis married.

OBVIOUSLY things go Sideways stupid fast because Evil Empire of Evil™.

Also no one dares travel at night because of a plague of creatures called daemons that are slowly getting stronger and eviler and more of a threat to the world. Noctis is going to have to Deal With This at some point but that falls under spoilers so if you haven’t already been horribly spoiled by my blog or want to AVOID spoilers than I shall stop there.

Also if you want to avoid spoilers ... read my blog with caution. I have tagged literally nothing as spoilers even though I talk about late game meta and lore A LOT because I honestly never expected to drag newbies into my fandom.

If you DON’T mind spoilers or are just curious, feel free to drop me an ask! Or read my blog, the spoilers are all in there somewhere. Anyway-

My Little Nox verse is ... sorta complicated? Okay so- I have a HUGE weakness for time-travel shenanigans, so I have multiple AUs for FFXV where Noctis (the MC) time-travels either alone, with his three bros, or with Ardyn who you may or may not have met yet depending on where you are in the game. ANYWAY, the AU where Noctis and Ardyn go back in time together is called Nox verse because Noctis can’t exactly parade around with the name of the young Crown Prince who ALSO exists. Since Noctis is terrible at thinking up cover names and needs something similar enough to his old name that he’ll respond, he calls himself Nox.

Now, in Nox verse Prime, Nox is 7 years older than his non-time-travel counterpart, which leads everyone to believe that Nox is a royal Oops baby from back when his dad was traveling the world. Because Nox and Ardyn travel together and Nox is always jokingly calling him Uncle, everyone thinks that Ardyn is Nox’s mother’s brother who is taking care of the teenling Oops Prince. They later get discovered by Regis, who takes in his son and ... sort of brother-in-law.

Of course, SOMEBODY yote the brilliant idea of an AU of my AU where instead of coming back in time OLDER than his counterpart, Nox was YOUNGER. Way younger. So young that his body couldn’t handle his adult magic/memories and so he kinda mentally regressed to a kid, even if he still has his adult memories in something of a dreamlike state. Ardyn, who never once took a childcare class or raised a kid, promptly panic-rampages his way across the local timeline, trying to figure out how to CARE FOR SMOL CHILD and ends up making everyone believe that the Evil Empire of Evil attempted to clone the royal good guy family and that the teeny clone is Nox. Regis, upon discovering a supposed clone child, immediately takes him in and raises him as his own because Regis is the Dadliest Dad to Ever Dad (his official in-game Epithet is the Father I’m not even joking).

Being a sucker for Fluff and Drama that I am, I immediately took the idea and ran with it, thus spawning the Little Nox verse spinoff of my Nox verse.

I ... hope that ramble was helpful?

#SE asks #spectrumcrovn asks #Little Nox verse #Nox verse #Secret Engima Rambles #ffxv #final fantasy

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velkynkarma · 5 years

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Why Brandon Sanderson Is an Amazing Writer (and Why You Should Read His Novels)

Last week I was recommending some novels to @bosstoaster and was really struggling to not fan squeal all over the place about just how incredible Sanderson’s novels are. Usually, when this happens, I try to pick 1-2 things I like about his writing to talk about, so I don’t talk a person’s ear off...but that usually means so much gets left out.

But I’ve been thinking about it since, so you know what? I can do whatever I want on my blog. So here’s my full, unadulterated breakdown of all the things that are so damned incredible (and consistent) about Brandon Sanderson’s novels (as well as his writing methodology).

Does contain minor spoilers, but not for anything huge, and I tried to keep even the minor spoilers vague.

PLOT

Incredible world-building—that isn’t generic medieval fantasy-land

I love fantasy as much as the next person, and I enjoy most generic medieval fantasy stories if the plot or characters are great. But Sanderson’s always exploring different kinds of worlds, and entering them is always engaging. Magical cowboy western? A world continually buffeted by enormous hurricanes on a regular basis, so everything evolved to survive them, including the flora and fauna? A world where ash constantly falls? A world that is literally the embodiment of thought and concept? There’s always something exciting to discover.

Incredible magic systems

Like the generic medieval fantasy world-building, I’m used to the D&D style magic systems with energies and fireballs. Sanderson doesn’t touch these kinds of magic systems, though, and I’m continually stunned at just how creative the ones he does use are. Ingest metal, and use it to activate a latent power of yours? Bonding with the literal living embodiment of a concept in order to gain abilities? Re-writing the history of an item so it believes it can be different, and it changes? Using color as payment for a system based entirely around souls and soul coding? The list is long and always entertaining. He’s even written a whole article about how to design magic systems, which is also worth a read.

Really good at the ‘good’ kind of plot twists that leave you genuinely satisfied

I know we’ve all been frustrated by the recent trend that media seems to have these days: viewers or readers guess the direction the plot is heading in, and creators, in a panic, throw in a completely unrelated plot twist (changing the whodunnit, killing off a character, adding a resolution that makes no sense). Those suck. Let’s be real.

Sanderson does the opposite. He leaves the clues in his stories—they’re always there, and you can figure it out with the context clues, if you’re clever. If you’re not, he’s real good at throwing in twists that are hinted at, but still feel incredibly impactful and really satisfying. The end of The Emperor’s Soul still gives me chills, and I still love the twists regarding the big bads in Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive.

Also? He genuinely will catch you by surprise, sometimes. I consider myself to be a pretty experienced reader, and a decent writer. I can usually tell where plots are going for most stories. That’s satisfying, of course. But Sanderson has a way of still managing to sucker-punch me with a plot twist or reveal that feels shocking in a good way. I don’t see a lot of these coming, but the result isn’t disappointment, it’s a “holy crap—wow, how cool!” followed by an intense desire to reread half the story to pick out the clues that were sitting in front of me the whole time, now that I know what they’re actually for.

Really interesting meta-level stories

Depending on how invested you want to get, there’s a meta-level of interconnected story with the Cosmere. All of Sanderson’s stories are enjoyable on their own, and you’re never required to go deeper. But if you want to, you can, and suddenly there’s a whole second layer of information and characters in the background that you never really noticed, because most of his stories are actually connected to each other too. You don’t have to know who Hoid is or how he contributes to each separate story, you don’t have to be able to find the crossover characters that have literally crossed over from other books, and you don’t have to understand the whole Shards angle, and you can still enjoy all those books on an individual basis. But when you do know how to spot them in the narratives, it’s really fun, and you feel like you’re in on a great secret.

CHARACTER

Only male author I’ve ever read that actually writes GOOD female characters

Brandon Sanderson seems to have hit on the not-so-secret secret that most male authors—who dominate the fantasy genre—haven’t seemed to figure out yet: women are people too.

Consequently, Sanderson writes incredible varieties of female characters, each with their own personalities and quirks, who don’t necessarily fall into the “damsel in distress” or “masculine-coded action lady” stereotypes. See the politically savvy Sarene, the scholarly Shallan, the clever and artistic Shai, rebellious and somewhat childish Siri, the formal and analytical Steris. (These are literally just the ladies with names that start with S).

But it gets better. Because even with action-hero ladies, they still have characterizations outside of ‘being a lady that beats people up like a man and strives to be as unlady-like as possible to prove she can beat people up like a man.’ Vin might be an action heroine, but she’s also a young woman who’s learning how to have a family, who’s scared of opening up to people, and who’s insecure about her place in the world. Marasi wants to be part of law enforcement, but admits to another character that she also likes the make-up and dresses and looking pretty—and she hates that people expect her to be a masculine action-lady that wears pants and starts fights, because she feels like she won’t even be seen in her field if she doesn’t, and like she has to represent all women.

But I think the biggest example of this comes from his short story Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, which (despite its edge-tastic title), is about a mother trying to protect her daughter. Sanderson wrote it as a part of the anthology Dangerous Women, and in his post-script on the story in Arcanum Unbounded, he writes:

“I thought for a long time about the nature of an anthology called Dangerous Women. I worried that the stories submitted to it might fall into the trope of making women dangerous all in the same way....I didn’t want to write just another cliched story about a femme fatale, or a woman soldier who was basically a man with breasts.

What other ways could someone be dangerous? I knew early on that I wanted my protagonist to be a middle-aged mother.”

In short, Sanderson actually understands how women work and writes actual, believable, likable female characters, who are just people and not sexual objects or prizes for men to receive at the end of the novel. It’s something we need, and it’s refreshing to see.

But on that note—he’s not afraid to let his male characters be softer either

In the same way that most female characters in fantasy are forced to be masculine-like action ladies, most male characters are also forced into the same role. There’s this misunderstanding that male characters have to all be sword-swinging barbarians who can’t have emotions.

Sanderson punts this misunderstanding out the window and will have none of it.

There are so many good male characters in this series too that don’t immediately make you want to cringe. Look at Elend, who’s an intellectual doing his best but genuinely screws up a lot, and is all but useless for the first half of the series as a combatant. Look at Wayne, and his heartbreaking moment at the end of Bands of Mourning, who grieves for a person who’d been family to him and isn’t afraid to show how much he cares. Look at Adolin, who seems like the quintessential sword-swinging action-oriented jock, but then completely subverts all expectations by patiently and carefully helping characters with mental illnesses deal with them on their bad days, and being unhesitatingly supportive of his autistic brother. Look at Gaotona, who spends the whole book trying to educate someone on how they’re wrong—only to learn from them instead, and realize he was wrong, and to admit to it.

Men have their soft moments, written by a male author who’s not afraid to put those moments into his works. And that’s really good, too.

In general, just really good characterization

Sanderson’s characters feel like people. They have oddball quirks, realistic-sounding conversations, and occasionally do things that make no sense. Just like friends, family, coworkers, etc that you and I all no doubt know. Hammond’s philosophical rambling (and Breeze’s frustrated bickering over it), Lift making it her life goal to steal dinners, Wayne’s justification for his kleptomania since he ‘trades’ items instead, David’s weird speech patterns and idioms—these characters are just fun to read, and have extra layers that just make them feel more real.

His books have a strong non-romantic relationship focus

Media in general is inundated with romantic and sexual relationships, and doubly so for fantasy novels—especially when fantasy novels often have a ‘prize’ romance at the end of the epic journey. Save the girl, get the girl. It can be frustrating, especially for people who aren’t interested in romance as a genre (there is a reason a lot of us are reading fantasy novels, and not romance ones).

Sanderson loves focusing on all kinds of relationships though, not just romantic ones. Found family, real family, strong platonic friendships, mentorships, interesting rivals, bonds out of duty—they’re all in here, and Sanderson’s not shy about making it clear. Look at Kelsier openly telling Vin he wishes he and his wife had a daughter like her and admitting he sees her as one, or the way the rest of the team turns her into their little sister that they all teach and protect. Look at Wax taking in Wayne, a scared kid who’d gotten in over his head and didn’t know what to do. Look at Kaladin looking at an entire band of slaves and going, ‘yeah, you’re all mine now and I protect you all,’ and how he forms a whole family out of Bridge Four that ultimately turns around and takes care of him, too (and of course, a lot of Kaladin’s story is driven by his own relationship with his actual family, specifically his younger brother). Look at Shallan doing all that she does at the start of the series to protect her brothers. Look at Prof struggling so hard to protect his little band of Reckoners even as he struggles to protect them from himself. Look at Shai and Gaotona, how they’re set up as prisoner and jailer, and yet they grow to ultimately respect each other.

I could go on and on, but the point is, these non-romantic relationships are everywhere, and they are considered to be just as important as—and sometimes more important than—romantic relationships.

But on the flip-side, his romantic relationships are very well handled

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a big fan of romance or shipping. It generally doesn’t hold my interest. In most books, I skim or skip the romance parts, because I’m just not invested in those relationships. They feel flimsy.

I don’t do that with Sanderson’s works. They’re the only books I’ve ever read where I genuinely feel invested in the characters’ romantic relationships.

Because here’s the thing: all of these characters that are romantically involved, are also good friends, and that’s the basis of their entire relationship to begin with. And that means these relationships are accessible to everyone, regardless of romantic inclinations or interests.

Adolin and Shallan just joking around and bantering, with him teaching her how to use swords, with her rattling off witty repartee to defend him in verbal spars? When they just genuinely enjoy each others’ company, without having to constantly make out or have sex to indicate why they like being around each other? That’s genuinely fun. It’s some lovely character interaction. Maybe I don’t “get” the parts where they want to do more romantically inclined things, but I can enjoy that they legitimately enjoy being around each other, that they’re good friends as well as romantic partners, and that they trust each other. And that means I can still be engaged in their relationship instead of yawning and skipping ahead a few pages.

Which brings me to:

He also takes common romantic tropes...and throws them in the garbage bin

Sanderson has other ways of handling romantic relationships that I (as a person who doesn’t like romance) finds so impressive it deserves its own section. Because he takes common romantic tropes, and subverts them, and makes the characters all the more healthy for it.

On at least two occasions (in Stormlight Archive, and in the sequel Mistborn series), Sanderson has set up a classic love triangle...and then immediately broken it. In one novel, one of the male love interests graciously offers to back out if it will mean the female love interest is happy, because he really just wants her to be happy even if that means he’s not around, and she chooses him anyway...whereupon he makes it clear he’ll definitely help her with her mental health and he wants to be supportive of her. Holy shit, what a wild notion, an actual supportive character in a love triangle. In the second series, the love triangle gets set up, but ultimately broken when the man ultimately chooses the arranged marriage over the ‘true love’ angle, and then realizes he actually, legitimately enjoys the company of the lady in the arranged marriage, and the ‘true love’ love interest realizes that actually, that would have been a terrible idea and she wants to pursue her career. Again, a refreshing and ultimately all-around healthy take for all the characters on something that normally has some nasty fallout.

In Mistborn, my first introduction to one of Sanderson’s series, I remember being genuinely floored and in awe of Elend’s and Vin’s relationship...because Vin is still really nervous about opening up to people and not comfortable with intimacy, and Elend is completely okay with that. He takes it slow with her, lets her set the pace, and doesn’t force her to do anything before she’s ready. Vin is most comfortable just being around/near him without doing anything inherently romantic, just being in his presence, and he is completely cool with that. And that’s such a healthy thing to see in a romantic story, because it’s really important for readers to see that yes, it’s totally OK to not rush into things, and yes, it’s totally OK for people to take it slower or easier for an uneasy partner.

I could go on and on, but basically, romantic relationships in Sanderson’s novels are also engaging because a lot of the time? They’re healthy, and friendly, and toss most dramatic romantic subplots out on their ass.

While on that note?

He doesn’t do sex scenes

This one might be a loss for some, but it’s a win for me. Depending on how I feel on a given day, I’m either ‘irritated by’ to ‘really uncomfortable by’ sex scenes in novels...and unfortunately they’re prevalent, especially in fantasy novels. I usually end up uncomfortably flipping through these pages, trying to figure out where the scene ends so I can get back to the actual story.

I honestly can’t think of a sex scene in any of his novels though. In fantasy, it’s stunningly refreshing, and I feel super safe and comfortable reading his novels because I don’t have to worry about uncomfortable surprises. Plus, circling back to the above points, it’s kind of nice to see characters having established relationships without it having to be solely reliant on them having a good or bad sex life.

Has LGBT+ relationships

Yup, they’re there, and edge past ‘strongly implied’ to ‘blatantly stated’ in some cases too. Offhand, I can think of a pair of men in the Stormlight Archive who are noted to be in a relationship with each other, and a lesbian gunsmith in the second Mistborn series.

What I find important is not just the inclusion of these blatant relationships, but also how it’s treated as completely normal and not taboo in the context of these worlds, too. Non-straight relationships aren’t treated like a scourge or a difficulty these characters have to deal with; it’s just normal in these realities.

Additionally, what I really like about them is the way other characters will get called out about it if they do cross a line (usually accidentally). In the above cases, Kaladin makes an ignorant off-hand remark about his gay Bridge Four soldier and is immediately called out about it by the rest of the Bridge Four gang, whereupon he realizes he’d crossed a line and apologizes right away. In the Mistborn series, Wayne repeatedly makes passes at lesbian gunsmith Ranette, who spurns his advances. But when he realizes she’s actually into girls, he backs off and respects that, rather than insisting on her dating him. These are some nice little lessons on how straight people actually should react regarding their non-straight friends and family, and normalizes non-straight people existing in society.

Sanderson has also been openly responsive to and cool about people interpreting his characters in non-straight relationships or reading “implied” relationships/romantic subtext, even if he hadn’t originally intended to put them there. Offhand, I can think of one situation where a reader told him he probably didn’t realize “just how bi” he’d written Shallan in regards to her interactions with Jasnah, to which Sanderson’s response was basically, “Well that wasn’t on purpose, but alright, cool, cool.”

Also very good about inclusivity for mental illnesses and disabilities

While we’re on the topic of inclusivity, let’s talk mental illnesses and disabilities as well, because Sanderson is great about including these too. In Stormlight Archive alone, we have:

Renarin, who in addition to having some physically disabilities (specifically, seizures and being physically weak), is confirmed by Word of God to be on the autistic spectrum. And he’s treated with respect and support by his family members and friends. His father shows up to meetings or events he wants to go to, just so he can feel comfortable going to them to show interest in things men typically aren’t supposed to. His brother protects him fiercely in combat but also does his best to give him space to grow, and understands that his brother is incredibly intelligent but sometimes just needs a little time to organize his thoughts or figure out how to communicate. Kaladin understands his physical disabilities immediately and is able to give advice on how to deal with them. The entirety of Bridge Four adopts him as another brother. Jasnah finds another way. I could go on, but basically, Renarin is great

Kaladin has clinical depression, and possibly some form of PTSD, even if they don’t have the technical words for this in-universe. He really struggles with this a lot in the series. Despite that, other characters look out for him a lot, and this creates some genuinely tender moments.

Shallan rapidly developing some identity disorders. Actually breaks down and admits this to another character. The other character is fiercely supportive of her despite that and doesn’t give up on her so easily

Lopen doesn’t have an arm, but despite being physically disabled, Kaladin still immediately values him and he finds a place on the team. He’s also just...legitimately chill about being an amputee, makes missing arm jokes all the time, and doesn’t seem terribly bothered by it. I believe Sanderson even stated that there’s no real tragic story behind the missing arm...it’s just Lopen. That’s it.

Teft struggles with substance abuse and insecurity, but the entirety of Bridge Four is super supportive in helping him break it

There’s a character who ends up paralyzed from the waist down over the course of the series. She thinks she’s done for and her life is over, but her mentor keeps encouraging her to try things anyway.

Honestly, this series is enormous—there’s probably a ton more I’m not even remembering off-hand.

All of this is usually handled pretty tactfully and often brings in some really heartwarming character interactions when characters struggle with issues and other characters help them overcome them. Do you like hurt/comfort and whump in fanfiction? Sanderson does this in actual fiction. It’s great.

WRITING METHODOLOGY

He actually takes the time to write good stories

Sometimes a long-awaited book in a series coughDeathlyHallowscough comes out and you just know it was rushed. You can see it in the way the plot threads are resolved, in the way some threads are just never resolved and end up hanging there open-ended, in the way the epilogues are short and empty.

Sanderson doesn’t do this. He’s pretty transparent about it on his Twitter, where he’ll post updates on his writing progress percentages. Sometimes he apologizes for a delay on a book, because he wants to make sure it’s done right or he works out a plot point just so, or he needs to go back and re-read some old material to make sure there’s no hanging plot points.

This is good. This is great. This means he genuinely cares about his work, and he wants to produce good content. I will happily wait an extra couple months if it means the book that’s going to sit on my shelf for years to come has a satisfactory start, middle and end.

He’s always ready to give advice to up-and-coming writers, and he’s great about fandoms

Sanderson has a whole segment on his blog devoted to answering questions about writing. He also has a whole series of lectures available for free online. I’ve even heard him in podcasts and blogs in other things. He’s not shy about giving advice and encouraging up and coming writers, and he’s always so encouraging about it too. He’s also totally cool with fanfiction, unlike some big name authors out there who get very elitist about fandoms and the comparative “worthlessness” of fanfiction.

Some of his novels are available for free, right now, on his website

A bunch of his novels and novellas are available totally for free on his website, which means additional accessibility for people who don’t have the cash for books, ebooks, or audio books, and don’t have time to get to a library.

Many of them are also available as audiobooks, which means you can probably snag them through your local library’s audio book checkout system as well.

In conclusion

Brandon Sanderson rocks, his stories rock, and everyone who likes fantasy should really give them a shot, for all of the above reasons.

#Brandon Sanderson #honestly this writer's work is what I aspire to one day achieve #and I will unapologetically spend two hours writing up this hugeass post about all the good points of his works #because they are so good #give them a shot guys for real

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rena-rain · 5 years

Text

The Shortcut Home ch. 7

Chapter 6

Ladybug waited at the top of the Eiffel Tower for Chat Noir for patrol. She’d decided to tell him tonight.

Marinette had asked Tikki how Chat Noir could possibly have not noticed she was pregnant - sure, the bump was hideable with civilian clothes, but the suit was skin-tight! None of the public had caught on either, even the meticulous Ladyblogger. Tikki’d explained the suit’s magic warped how people saw her. Even if her belly did get bigger and people saw it, for a while no one would register its presence or what it implied. It was the same principle of how no one recognized her face even though the mask did nothing to hide her bone structure.

However, the magic had limits and so did her body. Tikki could compensate for the baby interfering with Ladybug’s range of motion for now, but she wouldn’t be able to keep her pregnancy secret once the baby got too big.

Hawk Moth stopped sending out akumas a few years ago. But whoever he was, he still had the butterfly miraculous and Nooroo kept captive. There was no telling when he might become active again. And if that happened while Ladybug was out of commission…

Chat Noir needed to know. And after this, she had to convince Master Fu to let her tell Adrien. It was hard enough to hide her identity from her parents. She couldn’t, in good conscience, keep a secret so big from her baby’s father, too.

Ladybug heard a soft landing behind her. “Evening, Bugaboo.”

“Hey, Kitty.”

“Ready to bounce around some rooftops?” Chat Noir extended his baton, getting ready to vault off the building. Ladybug stopped him with a hand on his bicep.

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“If you’re about to profess your undying love for me, I’m afraid I’ve quite moved on, M’lady. Not that I’d ever blame you for falling for a tomcat.”

“Chat Noir, this is important.”

“Do we have a lead on Hawk Moth?”

“Unfortunately no. I’m pregnant.”

He stared at her with big dopey eyes, taking some time to process. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. Or husband?”

Ladybug laughed nervously. “Nope, not married,” she obfuscated.

He shook his head. “Wow.”

“Wow?”

“It feels like everyone around me is having babies right now. A couple of my co-workers are on maternity leave. One of my friends is expecting, too.”

“I guess we’re at that age. I’m just worried about Hawk Moth.”

“That’s a good thing to worry about in general but why specifically?”

“I won’t be able to fight with you in a couple months. My kwami’s been protecting the baby so far, but there’s only so much she can do eventually.”

Chat Noir’s eyebrows furrowed. “And if Hawk Moth resurfaces while you’re gone...oh, God.”

“Exactly. I’ve been thinking that maybe someone should step in as Ladybug temporarily.”

“You have someone in mind?”

“I want to give the miraculous to Rena Rouge but I’ll need to talk to Master Fu first.”

“You know Rena Rouge in real life right?”

“Yeah. I trust her.”

“What if Master Fu makes her the new Ladybug because you’re on maternity leave, and she puts two and two together and figures out who you are?”

Marinette hadn’t thought of that. She sighed. “We might have to take that risk. Chat Noir, you have to promise me you’ll protect her like you protect me.”

“Of course, my lady.”

“There’s one other thing.” She wrung her hands. She didn’t know how Chat Noir would react to this idea. He’s never been fond of keeping their secret identities from each other and this may just add salt to the wound. “Out of necessity, I think I’ll need to tell the father that I’m Ladybug.”

He looked shocked. “It’s too dangerous, LB! What if he gets akumatized?”

“He should know where I’m disappearing to! I can’t let him think I’m randomly abandoning my kid and he should understand the stakes here.”

Chat Noir went very quiet. Ladybug looked over at him and noticed his face had gone very pale.

“Chat Noir? Are you mad?”

“No. No, Ladybug, I...I understand. Better than you might think.” He gave her a smile, but it was a weak echo of his regular confident smirk. He stood up and spun out his baton. “There’s something I should also talk to Master Fu about, though.”

“What’s going on?”

He winked. “It’s a secret.” With that cryptic response he leapt off the Eiffel Tower and vaulted over the city skyline.

Ladybug couldn’t help but feel miffed. She’d been as honest as she possibly could with her partner tonight; why couldn’t he extend the same courtesy? Didn’t he trust her? She felt tears well up in her eyes and glared down at her stomach. Curse you, hormones.

Looked like she was doing patrol on her own tonight.

Adrien de-transformed in the alley beside Master Fu’s flat. Plagg snatched some Camembert from his shirt pocket and downed it in a single gulp. “Dang. Babies left and right. Think Miss Ladyblogger is next?”

“Don’t even joke about that, Plagg. Nino would cry for a week.” Adrien went inside and got in the elevator. His head spun the whole ride up.

“Kid, if you chew any harder on your hand you’ll lose all your fingers.”

“Bite me.” The doors dinged open. “Hide, Plagg.”

Master Fu called him in seconds after he knocked on the door. “Ah, Adrien. What can I do for you?”

“Master Fu.” Adrien took a seat in front of the guardian. “I was talking to Ladybug, and she said something that made me think.”

“What are you worried about?”

“I’m kind of...expecting a baby?”

A huge smile broke across Fu’s face. “Oh congratulations!”

“Let him finish,” Plagg said through a mouthful of cheese.

Adrien tapped his knee nervously. “Anyways, I realized that it’s going to be really hard being Chat Noir and a father at the same time. Especially if Hawk Moth shows himself again. I think it’s important that I tell my - the baby’s mom.”

Fu said nothing for several moments. Adrien couldn’t make himself meet his eyes.

Finally he spoke, “Revealing your identity, to anyone, could endanger her and your child. No one in Paris is safe from Hawk Moth, but your family may become specific targets if he ever finds out who you are.”

“But, but if I tell her then she’ll know how important it is not to get akumatized! And I need her to trust me if I’m going to be a good father. She won’t if I’m disappearing for patrols and akuma attacks with bad explanations.”

“I take it you trust her?”

“Other than Ladybug, more than anyone.”

“You’re right, in that knowledge may be power in this case. Although I urge you not to make any rash decisions. Sleep on this for a few nights then come speak with me again. It is very important that you’re careful about this.”

Adrien figured that was as far as he was going to get tonight, and he was feeling tired and strung-out. Better to think about telling Marinette his identity for a while, make sure it was the right choice. He bowed his head and stood to leave. “Thank you, Master Fu. Have a good night.”

“You as well, Adrien.”

The next day found Fu graced with the presence another visitor.

“Good morning, Marinette. What brings you by today?”

“I have a couple things to talk to you about, Master Fu.” Marinette hesitantly came in, Tikki trailing behind her.

He raised an eyebrow at her, amused. “Please, have a seat. What is on your mind?”

“Well, I’m essentially going to need a...maternity leave from being Ladybug soon.”

Fu’s eyes flicked to her abdomen, where Tikki had taken to hovering. Her bump was barely visible, but only if you were looking for it. “Indeed, carrying a baby complicates superhero work. Why haven’t you come to me about this sooner?”

“Master,” Tikki spoke up. “I am able to protect both of them when she’s transformed at the moment. The suit shields them from view and damage. But in one or two months there won’t be much I can do anymore.”

“It’s still very dangerous, Tikki. That must be draining your power immensely and no matter what you do, it still puts stress on Marinette’s body.”

Marinette realized Tikki had been eating way more cookies than usual lately. She’d also developed a taste for cheese danishes, which she thought was odd.

“I understand this will be very difficult - God knows I struggle letting go of Wayzz - but you should pass on the ladybug miraculous for the time being.”

The words sucker-punched Marinette in the gut. Tikki let out a little gasp and flew up to hug her cheek. It was one thing to think, theoretically, in the future, to temporarily give up her miraculous. But she was unprepared for the thought of being separated from Tikki now .

Marinette stared sadly at the floor. “That’s what I came here to suggest. Just...so soon?”

“You shouldn’t be fighting while you’re pregnant, Marinette. It’s never happened to a Ladybug, but I have seen miraculous holders lose their babies before.”

“Tikki?”

Tikki’s huge eyes had gone shiny and ever bigger with contrition. “I’m sorry, Marinette. I didn’t know. I really thought I could protect you both.”

“You said a Ladybug has never miscarried before. Tikki’s the kwami of creation,” Marinette said. “Doesn’t that mean she has more power over this than other kwamis?”

Master Fu put a hand on her shoulder. “Possibly. But I do not want to risk that. Do you?”

Marinette looked at Tikki sitting in her hands. An understanding passed between them. She kissed her kwami’s tiny head. “I’m going to miss you, Tikki.”

She hugged her cheek again. “I’ll miss you too, Marinette.”

Marinette blinked back tears. “I know who I want to give the earrings to, Master Fu. Alya Cesaire, Rena Rouge.”

Fu nodded. “A wise choice. She has proven herself a worthy hero.”

“Before I give you the earrings back, I want to talk to Chat Noir one more time. I don’t want to disappear without saying goodbye.”

Fu looked like he was going to object, but Tikki flew up to his face with crossed arms in an unusual display of blatant defiance. After a brief stare-off, he conceded. “Very well.”

Adrien got an alert from the Ladyblog on his phone. He may not be a pining, lovestruck fool obsessively stalking the blog anymore, but Alya knew if her friends didn’t read her posts. He swiped it open.

The headline read: LOOK WHO SWUNG BY MY WINDOW, FAM! Underneath it was a picture of Ladybug in all her spotted glory perched on a building he recognized as the one beside their apartment building.

What’s Ladybug doing out?

Adrien found Plagg in his trashcan and poked him awake.

“Hnnnng. Whaaaat?”

“Wake up, time to transform.”

“Uuuuuuuggghhhh.”

“Claws out!”

Chat Noir carefully crawled out his window, up the outside wall, and onto the roof. He didn’t need anyone seeing him coming out of one of the flats. He jumped from roof to roof in a horseshoe to throw anybody off and stuck a landing in front of Ladybug, who appeared to be waiting for something.

“Is there an akuma?”

She looked startled. “What? No, not that I’ve heard.”

“Then what’s got you out in broad daylight, M’Lady?”

Ladybug twisted her hands together. “I have to return my miraculous sooner than I thought.”

Chat Noir’s throat went dry. “Permanently or temporarily?”

“Until after I recover from having the baby. Master Fu says it’s too dangerous for me to be Ladybug while I’m pregnant at all. He’s not confident that Tikki can protect me and…” Her hand drifted to her lower abdomen, which he now saw was getting round. How had he missed that before?

Chat Noir held Ladybug’s upper arms. “Hey. It’s okay. Do what you need to do. I’d never ask you to put your kid in danger.”

Ladybug looked down at her belly. “I just thought I’d have more time before giving this up.”

“But hey, it’s not forever! You’ll be back in no time. You won’t be able to resist my animal magnetism.”

She giggled. Then she gazed at his face. “What was it that was bothering you out last night?”

“You, you noticed that?”

“I noticed. What aren’t you telling me?”

“I don’t want to put any more stress on your shoulders, LB. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“You’re my best friend, kitty, I’ll worry anyways. And I won’t see you for a few months.”

He sighed dramatically. “This is one hell of a coincidence, but we’re actually in similar boats. My - my girlfriend is pregnant, too.”

Ladybug blinked. “Oh. Oh, that’s wonderful! Wait...are you excited?”

“Thrilled. I’m just worried. It’s what I talked to Master Fu about last night. After what you said, I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if I tell her who I am, too.”

She didn’t say anything for a minute. He wished, not for the first time, that he could tell what she’s feeling from looking at her face. Finally she smiled. “It’s not an easy choice, is it?”

Chat Noir laughed. “Nope.”

“Well. Good luck with your baby. I don’t want to say goodbye, but...I should give the earrings to Master Fu.”

“Yeah. I’ll miss you, Bugaboo.” He wrapped her up in a long, warm hug.

When she eventually pulled away she gave him her best smile. “See you in six months, Chat Noir. And hey, by then we’ll both be parents!”

Chat Noir grinned and saluted her as she yoyo-ed in the direction of Master Fu’s flat.

Tears streamed down Marinette’s face as she took out her earrings, her eyes locked on Tikki. She handed them to Master Fu. “It’s going to be really hard being in the same apartment and not being able to talk to you.”

“I know, Marinette. But at least I’ll be close by.”

Marinette wiped her eyes. Fu took her hands and squeezed comfortingly. “You must remember why you are doing this.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes. “Master Fu, there’s something else I wanted to ask you. Regarding my secret identity.”

He sighed. “Do you wish to tell Mlle. Cesaire? That would be very dangerous.”

She shook her head. “No, I want to tell the baby’s father. He’s going to be a permanent part of my life after they’re born, and I don’t think I can keep lying to him about where I vanish to when I’m Ladybug.”

Master Fu gave her a look. A squinty-eyed, not-quite scrutable look. “May I ask, who is this young man? I should know whom you’re trusting your identity with.”

That’s not a no. “An old friend of mine, Adrien Agreste.”

His eyebrows shot valiantly toward his receding hairline and his eyes widened. “Adrien Agreste...the fashion model, no?”

“That’s him.”

He bowed his head and his shoulders started shaking. Wayzz hovered oh-so-nonchalantly over his shoulder. Marinette bent over him, concerned. “Master? Are you all right?”

Fu straightened to reveal a red face and a big smile, and he was chuckling like a maniac. Marinette frowned at him.

“Why is that funny?” she demanded.

The guardian coughed and got a hold of himself. “Nothing, nothing. I suppose I should have figured a girl such as yourself would catch the eye of a celebrity.”

Marinette blushed furiously. “It’s not like that - I’ve known him since we were thirteen.”

“He’s only teasing, Marinette,” Tikki said. Wayzz opened his mouth and she slapped a little nub-hand over his mouth.

“If you’re sure you trust him,” Master Fu continued, “Then I agree sharing your identity with him is in your best interests.”

Despite her annoyance she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Master.” She turned to leave, but with her hand on the door handle, she looked back sharply and said, “I’m not a groupie!” before darting into the hallway.

Alya knocked on her best friend’s door. She heard sobbing through the thin wood and plaster. “Mari? Marinette, what’s wrong?” She cautiously opened the door.

Marinette was curled around a throw pillow on her bed, crying and hiccuping into the fabric. Alya sat next to her and gently put Marinette’s head in her lap, stroking her dark hair.

“Just - just stupid horm - ormones.”

“I agree hormones are stupid. But did something happen?”

“I lost my earrings,” she gasped.

“The black ones you’ve worn for a decade? Oh Mari, I’m so sorry.” Alya kept running her fingers through her best friend’s hair while she cried into her jeans. She expected the volatile emotions; she remembered what her mom was like, pregnant with the twins. On a normal day, getting upset over lost beloved jewelry was totally valid; in Marinette’s state it must feel devastating.

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diveronarpg · 5 years

Photo

Congratulations, CHARLIE! You’ve been accepted for the role of DESDEMONA. Admin Rosey: There was a certain shrewdness that seemed to be underlying Delilah’s interview. A certain breath of life was given to her that showed in your writing. It was a little bit more romantic, a little bit more cynical, but still very frank with the voice that you gave her. Like you said, she has a different direction and tone to her that seemed very unique to Delilah. I am honestly so excited to how you will develop her. And I’m even more excited to watch the wreckage of Othello and Desdemona on the dash. Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | Charlie

Age | 21

Preferred Pronouns | she/her

Activity Level | 5-6/10. I’m a law student with a side job so my rl can be pretty stressful from time to time. In addition, I tend to write a lot and like to take my time with my replies so that I can actually be satisfied with how they turned out. I’ve learned in the past months that I’ve been in DV now that it works best for me to queue my replies so that one will be posted at least every few days so that I’m not struggling to keep up with your activity requirements but also don’t stress myself out too much.

Timezone | CET

Current/Past RP Accounts | may I introduce you to https://ofduvals.tumblr.com/ and https://ofdupont.tumblr.com/

In Character

Character | Delilah Bello aka Desdemona

What drew you to this character? | My interest in Delilah goes way back to a time long before I even applied for Katherine for the first time. I originally felt drawn to her because she’s one of my favorite Shakespearean characters and Othello is kind of my favorite play and the only one I actually knew a whole monologue from cause it was part of the House of Night books lmao. Anyways, a lot has changed since then and somehow I still feel drawn to her. In the beginning, I was a bit skeptical about whether I should really apply for her or not because at first glance she does have some similarities to Celeste. However, the more I thought about it and the longer I wrote this app, the more I came to realize how different they truly are. Whereas Celeste thrives on revenge and ‘hate’ to some extent, Delilah thrives on love. Love for others, but mostly love for herself. She doesn’t feel the need to make anybody pay. Does she want everybody, who’s currently doubting her, to realize that they’re wrong and that she’s never been anything but faithful and loyal? Definitely, but she doesn’t wish them any bad because they can’t see it yet. She’ll just continue proving herself until they’ll have no other choice but to see her for who she really is. I feel like Delilah will make it possible for me to approach the war and the characters from another perspective than Celeste and Katarina allow me to. Both of the characters I’m playing so far have found their place in the mob and life (even if Celeste isn’t necessarily as happy with it as she could be, she still has a place she’s comfortable) whereas Delilah finds herself at the beginning of a new episode in her life. This struggle really intrigues me and, to be honest, I can’t wait to see where she ends up? Not to mention that I’m always a HUGE sucker for characters who are misunderstood. The desperation she feels to finally make them see that betrayal isn’t in her nature is something that makes me so emotional and so eager to delve deeper into that and the overall situation she currently finds herself in. I feel like there are a lot of possible ways her development could go and I really want to be the one leading her through that. Delilah is capable of greatness even if most of Verona doesn’t see it just yet.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? | PLOT 01 - Another person might have turned bitter after everything that happened to her. After everything that is still happening to her. And yet, she tries to remain positive and focus on the good things in life. Tries not to accept the blame everybody is trying to put on her, tries to leave his insecurities in his responsibility. It’s not her fault how everything turned out, she’s never done anything to deserve his jealousness and hate, has never been anything but a faithful, loving wife. It’s not always easy, however. As much as she tries to focus on the fact that she was a woman worth loving before him and has to be a woman worth loving after him, it’s hard not to let the mean comments and gossip get to her. I want to delve deeper into that, maybe see her breakdown after one terribly tough day. How does she build herself up again after that? How does she continuously focus on the good things in life, in herself?

PLOT 02 - I want to test and play with her loyalties. Neither Delilah nor her family has ever been involved with neither mob before she met Odin and even nowadays her family does their best to stay out of this war. She’s married into the Capulets and ever since her marriage came to an end they’ve let her feel how little she truly belongs with them on her own. I think it could be really interesting if somebody from the other side of the Adige would take an interest in her and promise her the acceptance and feeling of belonging that she doesn’t get from the Capulets. Right now she wouldn’t even consider turning her back on the Capulets and thus, proving them all right. However, she’s only human, after all, and if everything seems so much better on the Montague side of the Adige, she’ll definitely face a struggle of doing what is right and proving her loyalty and doing what feels easy and good.

PLOT 03 - Delilah is a woman with a big heart and a soft nature. The type of person who puts the well-being of others ahead of her own, somebody who wouldn’t ever dream about hurting another person for real if it’s not in self-defense. A trait that won’t get her far in the mob. I want to explore how she deals with the violence she’s confronted on a daily basis. Does she have a bad conscience because of it? Does she find a way to justify it for herself? And how does she deal with being the attacker and not just a more or less innocent bystander? I feel that would be something worth exploring in flashback threads, but I also think that it has become quite relevant again because now that she doesn’t have Odin’s support anymore, she has to prove herself once more. Maybe more than she ever has before. I’d love to throw her into situations that wouldn’t leave any sensible person unimpressed, that make her struggle with the values she’s grown up with. In short, I want to explore the struggle she certainly has between doing what’s ‘right’ and expected of her and what her conscience tells her. How far is she willing to go to earn her place in the Capulet ranks?

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Yes.

In Depth

What is your favorite place in Verona? At this question, a sad smile sneaks onto her lips. The only right response to the question is on top of her tongue immediately, she can’t bring herself to say it, though. She can’t risk the memories of her happiest day being questioned and torn to shreds like her loyalty and her whole marry. She won’t risk it. The sad truth is that the Cathedral has been her favorite place for years and still is because it reminds of better days. It reminds her of her wedding day, the day she was the happiest woman in at least all of Verona if not the whole world. Whenever she’s in the Capulet headquarters she’s reminded of that day, some days it gives her strength, some days it makes here melancholic as well as nostalgic, yearning for past days when life seemed easier and better. These are the days she tries to forget about the location completely and tries to focus simply on the reason why she’s there nowadays, for professional reasons only. “I’m afraid I’ll sound rather boring”, she responds finally responds after a moment of thought, forcing the smile to take on a happier note, a slightly more playful one, “but my favorite place in Verona is my flat.” It used to be our flat, it still feels weird to say ‘my’ flat to her, but that’s simply how things are these days. “I mean they always say there’s no place like home, right?” It’s the one place she can truly be herself, where she can block out all the noises and voices doubting her loyalty completely. Even if it still feels off in some ways, simply because he’s still there and not there at the same time, his presence still lurking everywhere even when he’s long gone. She’s started to redesign the flat slowly but surely after work and on the weekends, but still, it still feels like theirs and not hers.

What does your typical day look like? “I’m afraid that once again the answer is going to be rather boring.” Opposed to what one might assume after all the rumors and gossip about her, she wouldn’t exactly describe her daily life as the most exciting one. As big as her thirst for adventure is, ever since he left her, she’s stuck in a rut, trying to figure out how to live on her own again. So she prefers a daily routine. Too much has already changed in the past months so any sort of new stability she can get is calming. “Usually I wake up way before dawn.” She doesn’t sleep as well anymore as she used to be, the bed feels too cold and empty without his warm body next to her. She’s thought about buying a new bed, but she can’t for that would mean accepting that her marriage is well and truly over. And she can’t do that, not yet at least. “I always try to do some yoga first thing in the morning to start the day right.” It’s something she’s started to do in college, but quit doing during her marriage because she always wanted to stay in bed with him for as long as she could, not wanting to leave his side before she had to. “Then I make myself some breakfast. Personally, I think it’s very important to start your day with a solid foundation so I like to take my time with it. Also, what’s really important to me is a no screen rule before I’ve finished breakfast. I neither check my phone nor my emails nor anything else really before I’ve finished breakfast and cleaned the dishes.” This is a fairly new development, she doesn’t want to hear anything about what’s going on in Verona anymore before she’s had some time completely to herself. “I leave for work at 7:30 am sharp. It’s always nice to be the first one in the office and get already started before the rest arrive.” Lips curled up into a soft smile, she shrugs. Her work as a paralegal is one of the few things that have stayed the same in the light of the recent changes. It was always important to her to earn her own income, especially after she’s seen what it had done to her mother to never have worked a day in her life. However, she planned on quitting her job the moment she got pregnant, wanting to stay home to raise and take care of the children. But alas, these children would never see the light of day now. “Another thing that is really important to me is having a freshly cooked dinner each night. It’s something I’ve grown up with and a tradition I’ve always wanted to keep for my own household. There’s nothing quite similar to having some nice, filling dinner with your loved ones sharing stories about the day, wouldn’t you agree?” Only that nowadays there was nobody sitting at the table next to her, it was just her, the food and a glass of wine. Quite depressing really. To be honest, she probably would have started to eat outside as a new tradition if cooking wasn’t something that calmed her down and helped her cope with things.

What has been your biggest mistake thus far? She knows what they want her to say, what they’re expecting to hear. She knows that they want to hear is that marrying Odin is her biggest mistake and it might as well be. They want to hear that she regrets deeply not having listened to her father. That she wished she left him sooner. But she can’t bring herself to say that. She just can’t. Even after everything she’s been through thanks to him, despite everything she’s still going through, she doesn’t hate him. If anybody believed her story, she knows they’d tell her that’s perfectly acceptable to hate him and that’s not what she struggles with. She knows she’s allowed to hate him, she just can’t. How could she hate the person who looks just like the love of her life even if he condemns her and is so much crueler than the man she fell in love with? She knows there’s still that man inside him, she just knows it. Even if it’s buried deep under the facade of the monster that he shows the world nowadays. Hearing the interviewer clear their throat brings her back into reality and a soft redness sneaks into her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I was lost in thought”, a sheepish smile accompanying her words she tugs a silky strand of her hair behind her left ear, “I can’t think of anything right now, however. I’m not going to say I haven’t made mistakes, everybody does it. It’s only human. After all, Seneca already said ‘errare humanum est’.” Having taking Ancient History in college as a class definitely has some advantages. “I just like to think that every mistake gives you the opportunity to learn something. Sure, sometimes it’s more painful than other times, but the tougher it is, the more you can learn? So I’m afraid there is no such thing as ‘the biggest mistake’ to me?”

What has been the most difficult task asked of you? “I guess the hardest thing is to move on when you don’t want to move on but have no other choice but to accept that sometimes things are simply out of your control.” A soft smile follows her words. “Something I still struggle with, to be completely honest.” It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what and who she’s talking about. “Another thing that isn’t always easy is unconditional self-love and yet, I don’t think there is anything that is more important?” She shrugs howsoever slightly. “I mean if we don’t love ourselves, how can we expect anybody else to love us? I know, I know, it sounds really cheesy, but the one person who’s always been and always be by your side is yourself. So you can either be your biggest enemy or you can choose to be the one who always has your back, the one who sees the good in you, even if nobody else sees it.” A short pause follows her words as a hint of defiance finds its way into her dark eyes. “And I plan to be that person for myself, even if I’m still working on it.”

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues? Only with quite some effort, she manages to bite back a dry chuckle. It’s a question she finds herself confronted with on what feels like a daily basis. Everybody seems to question her loyalty to the Capulets, seems to assume that she doesn’t give a shit about them, isn’t as involved and dedicated as they are. They all seem to assume that now that Odin turned is back on her, she’ll turn her back on them at the next best chance she gets. That she’s the snake in their rows patiently waiting to poison them all before she sells them out. The thought alone makes her angry and incredibly sad at the same time. Angry because what has she ever done to earn that suspicion? Even if she did cheat on Odin - which she didn’t, not that anybody gives a damn -, why should that automatically mean she’ll betray the Capulets as well? Has she ever done anything but her best to earn her place with them? Sad because it seems like there’s nothing she can do to make them listen, to make them believe her. It’s like she’s screaming from the top of her lungs, but no words come out. However, she just knows they’ll finally see the truth, eventually. She knows she can make them see that she’s on their side for good. “I think that war is never good, for anybody”, Delilah begins carefully, choosing every word with attentive precision, “however, I think that we should hope for a quick and soon win by the Capulets. A win and thus end of the war can’t come soon enough, I mean we all see what the war is doing to our beloved Verona. And quite frankly, even though some might say that choosing between the mobs is like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, I think that the Capulets take care of the city like the Montagues never could.” Maybe it’s stupid to support the Capulets so outspokenly and publicly, yet, she doesn’t feel like she has another choice, to be completely honest. She needs to show her support and loyalty at every chance she gets if she wants them to realize the error of their ways.

Extras: A Pinterest Board.

#accepted #accepted: desdemona

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btssavedmylifeblr · 6 years

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Hi! I was just wondering if you’d be able to tell us how you found a beta reader? I write fics as well and I feel like I could benefit from having someone read over my stuff before I publish or even sound off ideas with someone, but I don’t know how to go about finding a beta reader.

Absolutely! I love my beta readers. They have made a huge difference in my stories and in my writing. I have never had an occasion where I regretted asking their opinion.

Tips for finding beta readers:

Recruit friends or family - Two of my beta readers are my best friend and my brother. My brother actually dared me to write my first piece of fiction and I’ve been forcing him to read my stuff every since. In-real-life beta readers have a few big things going for them: 1. It is much easier to receive feedback in person or in a phone call. You can hear them laugh and hear their tone of voice and it makes the whole thing more pleasant. It is also easier to question them and get their precise meaning in person instead of in a comment on a google doc. 2. Because they are so close to me and we have a relationship beyond beta reading, I can trust them to be honest with me and to be kind in their feedback. 3. I can nag them to read it with less shame because I know they will still love me. Not all friends of family will give good feedback though. I am lucky that my brother is a writer and my best friend knows BTS really well and loves reading fiction. My husband is not a great beta reader because he really only cares about the smut. Although he does give me the most honest feedback about if the smut is hot.

Send lots of feedback to writers you admire - Writers are suckers for feedback. If someone leaves me detailed and descriptive feedback on a story, I can guarantee that I am at least going to check out their blog, reblog, or send them a thank you message. Not all authors do that, but I’ve never met one who has told me “please give me less feedback”. And I leave extensive feedback on the stories I really love. Most of my closest writer friends I made by talking about their work with them. And if someone is able to articulately explain the things they enjoyed about my story, it makes me suspect that they might write well too and I am more likely to read their stuff.

Ask your readers - Occasionally I get a diamond, premium, extra-special reader that all writers dream about that will leave paragraph long comments going through their reactions to the whole story. Or will send me a chain of messages as they read through the story. Sometimes if I am working on the next chapter of a series they really like or if I am writing a story that I think they will particularly like, I’ll ask them to beta for me. They get a sneak peek and I get feedback. You just have to be careful that they are comfortable enough with you to give you negative feedback in addition to positive.

Offer to beta reader for other people - Put it out on your blog or in messages that you would be happy to beta for other people. Or put it out there that you’re looking for someone to exchange works with. If you aren’t already friends, it can be better if you exchange works so that way you are both giving and receiving criticism. Often, if you are a good beta reader for others, they will offer to reciprocate.

Keep in mind that beta reading is neither editing nor obsequious praising - Good beta reading is really just a series of reactions to the story. Thoughts they had while reading, jokes that made them laugh, jokes that didn’t work, parts they skipped over, parts that were suspenseful, parts that were sexy, questions they had or parts they didn’t understand etc. It is important as a beta reader that you help the author tell the story they want to tell, don’t tell them the way you would write it. Good feedback: “I am confused about what your character is thinking here.” Bad feedback: “I would have him say _________ here.” Don’t expect your beta readers to fix all of your mistakes or proofread your story because you can’t be bothered to proofread for yourself. And don’t feel like you have to take every suggestion your beta readers give you. My beta readers frequently disagree with each other. Everything that goes into your story should in the end be yours.

I really can’t beta read for anyone else right now. I am already drowning in works from mutuals to read. If anyone wants to just discuss fic ideas with me though, I am always here for that!

#Anonymous #sorry for being so slow with this ask #hope it was helpful #on writing

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louis-sottficrec · 6 years

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Fluff

Just A Flower Boy by Larryruinedme, 70k.

CUTE, FLUFF, YES.

Summary: Harry Styles is a clumsy, flower crown-wearing, openly gay junior with only two true friends, Niall and Zayn. Louis Tomlinson is the school's attractive, straight football captain, with a small body and a big personality. As fate will have it, Harry has a huge, unrequited, utterly hopeless crush on Louis. Fate is thrown out the window the day that Harry and Louis find themselves partnered up for a history project. Harry starts to receive notes from a secret admirer, Louis starts to get jealous of Harry's budding friendship with senior Nick Grimshaw, Zayn and Liam develop a thing for each other, and Niall is the best mate anyone could have asked for. And suddenly, Harry's crush on Louis doesn't seem so utterly hopeless anymore.

You’ll Never Know by inmyrosegarden, 56k.

Again, the fluffiest of fluffiest fics. You might want to select ‘entire work’ as I felt that it read a bit smoother that way.

Summary: Louis is the overachiever who’s too shy to approach the boy he likes. Harry is the popular athlete who tries to help him get the attention of said boy. Little does Harry know that he’s the one Louis is crushing on.

Before I Fall Too Fast by xxSterre, 6k.

Summary: ‘Hey Lou, want to hang out after work? Order in some curry?’ He’s slightly surprised, because, well. “Didn’t you just say you had plans?” Harry’s cheeks flush as he shrugs it off. ‘I just wanted them off my back. Truth is I’m gonna be terribly single and alone, but I thought we could be single and alone together - maybe we could make a proper night off of it? Play some FIFA, watch Grease...’ He trails off with an impish grin, and Louis is pretty sure that his own face shows just how easy he is for his favourite musical. “Fine, I can’t say no to Danny and Sandy. That’d be mean of me.” It’s probably a really bad idea to spend Valentine’s Day with the guy that you’re actually crushing on, Louis knows that. However, it’s also really hard to say no to spending the most romantic day of the year - supposedly - with the one guy you’ve been crushing on for almost a year.

Shy Eyes by isthatyoularry, 2k.

I’m a sucker for coffee shop au’s, so this is just 2k of pure fluff, it’s cute.

Summary: Coffee Shop AU where Harry is 21 and famous and he has been in love since the moment he saw those cerulean blue eyes.

Four Letters, Seven Points by LibbyWrites, 20k.

Coffee shop and scrabble makes for the perfect fluff fic!

Summary: Louis was pretty sure that a nerd who plays Scrabble as a hobby could only be boredom personified. Harry proved him utterly wrong.

Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) by rainbowsandgucci, 54k.

This has created even higher reaching expectations of the dream life. I want to live on this apple orchard and fall in love now.

Summary: ”Due to unforeseen circumstances, help is needed here at the orchard for the impending apple season. Looking for someone able to start within the next week or two at the most, is willing to do whatever miscellaneous tasks are needed, such as picking & packing apples, running the cash register, and other handywork that may need to be done. Must be good with customers, and able to lift up to 50lbs. Help will be needed until at the least the end of October. Please contact the number found on this page, or come out to the orchard and ask for Harry. All the love xx” Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles. Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn. He also starts to fall in love with Harry. Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

Make It Everlasting So Nothing’s Incomplete by supernope, 9k.

Flowershop and lots of Valentine’s fluff, what more can a person ask for..

Summary: Trying to be conspicuous so he doesn’t startle him, Harry sidles up to Louis and asks, “How’s it going?” “Alright,” Louis muses, turning his head so he can smile at Harry. “I wish there were explanations about what each of the flowers mean on labels or something, though.” A thrill runs up Harry’s spine, and he can’t quite temper the grin that spreads across his face as he asks, “Well, I could tell you, if you’d like?” “Oh, only if you have time, I don’t want to keep you away from your work -” “Louis,” Harry laughs, gesturing around the empty shop. “There is nobody here and, as luck would have it, there is literally nothing I would like more than to talk to you about flowers.”

i’ll bring the bread because boy, you’re the jam by snagnetism, 8k.

Summary: Just when he’s about to stop clicking the next button and claim defeat, maybe put some posters up around town, he’s met with a picture of white cardstock lying on a table, words written in black Sharpie with careful, deliberate strokes. “Hiiii,” it reads, “if you’re reading this, you’ve found my camera! I’d love it if you could contact me so I can get it back. It’d be the nice thing to do.” Or the AU where Harry loses his camera. Louis finds it. They fall for each other via email.

Blend into my favourite colour by rainbowninja167, 19k.

Very fluffy and lots of pining between two (or four) oblivious boys.

Summary: Harry often wonders if they’ll ever meet in real life. And if Harry will recognize Tommo the instant they see each other, like somehow their souls will just know. Or maybe Harry’s soul is shouting “Louis!” too loudly for any other signals to go through. Harry is a barista with a secret Werewolf High fan blog, a desperate crush on a customer named Louis, and a best friend on Tumblr who always makes him laugh. Louis can't figure out why the barista at his favorite coffee shop keeps creepily staring at him, and to make matters worse, he may be slightly in love with a friend he met online. A love square involving two boys, one TV fandom, and one food fight.

Found My Missing Piece by styleandsin, 16k.

Very cute and fluffy bloggers AU. Lots of pining, ergo lots of goodness.

Summary: ‘“@harrystyles followed you.” “@harrystyles liked your tweet.” “What?” He whispers in astonishment, because there’s no way. But he clicks on Harry’s profile and sure enough, the little grey “follows you” appears by his name. After taking a second to just stare at the screen, he quickly takes a screenshot and sends it to his sister. Lottie is one of the few people who would understand his shock. Niall would certainly just make fun of him for it.’ Louis and Harry are both fashion bloggers. Louis' been following Harry for years. Harry and his blog really gave him the confidence and the push to make his own. His sister and best friend have been making fun of his silly little crush on him ever since. But that's all it is, a silly, harmless crush because there is no way Harry knows who he is. Or does he?

Both Sides by louiesunshine, 10k.

Two oblivious friends = a lot of pining.

Summary: ‘“What’s one thing that Harry doesn’t know about you and that you wish to tell him?” Oh, fuck. This is just fantastic, if Louis learns that Niall and Liam purposely threw this question for him, they are going to wish they never met him. Because of course there is something he wishes to tell Harry, but he can’t. He can’t because he’d run the chance of ruining their friendship and that cannot happen.’ Or, the one where Louis has been in love with Harry for years and hasn't told him. However, his friends Liam and Niall maybe provide the little push that he needs.

Not the Desperate Type by lululawrence, 6k.

Summary: “First of all, I’d like to tell you how disturbing it is that you’re this familiar with your neighbor’s sex life,” Liam said, amusement lacing his tone. “Fuck off,” Louis said, laughing. “Second, that is really very sad. How bad is the stomping? Are you sure your neighbor doesn’t like it fast like that?” “With the amount of cleaning the guy does, I think he’s taking out his sexual frustration on the cleanliness of his apartment. I can’t imagine the guy makes enough mess to require daily vacuuming.” It sounded like the guy was actually moving furniture above him as he was sweeping now. Damn. Did Louis miss the seven minutes in heaven or was the guy angry because he didn’t even get that much pleasure today? “I’m kinda afraid with the amount of noise he produces while cleaning that one day I’m gonna look up through my ceiling and be able to see him.” “Tell him we wish him a better sex life and that we’re rooting for him if you do.” Or the one where Louis' neighbor has a series of unfortunately short sexual experiences and Louis can hear every. Single. One.

Slow Hands (Slow Days) by LadeLondonderry, 9k.

So much fluff and animals and oblivious boys!

Summary: Louis Tomlinson is the new vet hired on at Payne Veterinary Practice, in the middle of the Yorkshire countryside with nothing but rolling hills and farms for miles. Harry Styles is a resident farmer, with pigs and sheep and beautiful green pasture and a, confusingly, completely empty milking parlour. Maybe Louis is putting too much thought into this, but he really, really thinks Harry should have cows. And Harry really, really seems to disagree.

In the end I started thinking about the beginning by infinitelymint, 21k.

I had tears filling my eyes at the end of this.

Summary: When Louis returned from Malaysia to attend his best mate Zayn's wedding, he hadn't expected their wedding planner to be Harry Styles. Over the next two weeks Louis learns that maybe staying in one place permanently isn't so bad, as long as you have someone to stay with.

Warm Me Like Sunshine by rainbowslovehl, 45k.

Not strictly, but it was very cute and warmed me up inside. Recommendation: read with a good cup of tea and a cozy blanket (extra: include fairy lights).

Summary: The pictures weren’t as surprising since Louis had seen him around with a giant camera hanging off his neck, and occasionally clicking passersby. What surprised him were the written parts, occasionally spread out between his photos. They ranged from random song lyrics, a few of which he recognised, mixed in with quotes, that he claimed he wrote himself. They were haikus or poems, mainly about love and longing for someone. And of course he wrote poetry, Louis shouldn’t be surprised. He did seem to be the type of person who are just perfect in every aspect. Or alternatively, Louis accidentally discovers that Harry, the boy who he likes, has a tumblr account. He thinks it’s a chance to talk to him online without actually talking, getting to know him before they converse in real life. But things don’t go according to the plan when he finds that Harry is pining over someone who seems to be perfect. It gets worse when Harry starts talking to him in real life as well, since now he has to hide from him that his online friend (Tommo) is the same as his real life friend (Louis).

Force of Nature by Holdmyhalo, 25k.

Cue the tears people, this will have you sobbing when the applause starts.

Summary:Louis is a shy, young musician who doesn't want to go to Harvard. Harry is a confident, second year athlete who likes to have a good time. When their paths cross while their families are vacationing at the same lake resort, what begins as a summer of fun becomes a defining journey that might just change everything.

Check Please by zedi, 2k.

Sugary sweet.

Summary: Louis has a shit date. Harry offers to cover the bill. They maybe fall in love.

Whether Clouds or Clear Skies by onewasturning, 25k.

Summary: “You, young Harold, are a baker among curry houses and vintage clothing stores,” Louis says, and it forces a bark of surprised laughter out of Harry. “I’m a— sorry, what?” “Harry,” Louis says, “last night I had an experience bordering on profound.” “You’re making it sound like you did something sexual with my muffin,” Harry says. Or, Louis gets into the habit of stealing baked goods while Harry’s busy keeping tabs on the weather.

Tis The Season For… Love? by AFangirlFantasy, 27k.

Summary: Harry seems to have it all: A successful career as a pastry chef, a Victorian home in London, and a dedicated boyfriend who he's been with for years. One day he stops by his boyfriend's apartment to surprise him and finds out that he's not so dedicated to Harry after all. Shocked and too depressed to celebrate, he decides to skip Christmas and on a whim leaves on a plane to New York. In New York he meets Louis… Or...Louis might just be what Harry's needed all along. (cheating, not HL)

Learning To Eat by photo41, 28k.

A lot of fun and cheekiness.

Summary: Celebrity chef Louis Tomlinson has a problem. He’s opening his first restaurant in 9 weeks, and he has yet to hire a pastry chef- apparently people think he’s ‘standoffish’ and ‘rude’ and ‘quick to temper’. Whatever. He ends up saddled with an annoying, happy-go lucky rookie who also happens to be obnoxiously good looking. His tv presenter and pop star best friends only add to the drama, and for fucks sake would everyone please stop quoting Julia Child?! Kitchen AU where Harry helps Louis re-learn how to eat. (METAPHORICALLY)

This Wicked Game by cherrystreet, 70k.

I’m not sure where to put this fic, category-wise, but it is pretty fluffy with a little ‘angst’. You’ll understand what I mean if you read it.

Summary: An AU in which The Bachelor is gay, Louis is a contestant, Harry is the bachelor, everyone drinks a lot of champagne, the entire world gets to watch them fall in love, and no one plays by the rules.

Don’t Unplug Me Or Shut Me Down by slashter, 7k.

Summary: Louis scowls. "He's a photography student. He works with gorgeous models and probably breaks hearts with his smile. I'm a nerd. I earn my money fixing broken crap, and for some stupid reason, I like it. He wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts, he's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers, et cetera, et cetera." Louis sighs. "I swear, the coolest thing I've ever done is wear contacts." Basically, Louis is a self-proclaimed nerd who fixes things and Harry seems too perfect to keep breaking as many things as he does.

#fic rec #my fic rec list #larry fic rec #fluff #larry fluff #hl fluff

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ladycollegeguide-blog · 6 years

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Expecting the Unexpected

Change in life is both unpredictable and inevitable. Although we cannot stop change from occurring, we can plan for some unexpected events in college. On this week’s blog, we’ll be discussing some closing tips while you prep for your new and refreshing university move. We’ll be touching base on homesickness, dorm room preparation, roommate cohabitation, packing and gearing up for your shot at a new and improved life! There is a lot to touch base on, so let’s dive in gals.

Firstly, let’s discuss homesickness. This too, is inevitable. You’ll miss the relationships you’ve worked so hard to grow and cherish. From that, I strongly advise you hold onto these relationships. College is a phenomenal time to expand your horizons, to meet new people and to build more relationships. This should not discredit the relationships you have built in the past. It just allows you more room to grow with other like-minded individuals. As we’re in the midst of June, you should plan to spend a significant amount of time with those in your hometown. Your parents that are overbearing and pesty- you’ll miss them after week one in the dorms. Your siblings that you fight with so very much, you’ll grow to miss their bothersome characteristics. Therefore, take the time to cherish the rest of this summer with those family members and friends. Before you know it, you’re on limited time and you’ll never get those missed opportunities back.

To help minimize missing these people so deeply, I recommend making tons of plans. Invite your family members to come visit and allow time for other visitors as well. Make sure to schedule time home for the holidays! If you’ve gotten tired of family craziness during the holidays, you’ll learn to love these holidays even more once you start college. The holidays allow you to spend time with everyone you’ve missed dearly and that is convenience at its finest! Also, if you can preplan and start your holiday breaks a few days early- do it. Work with your professors and push yourself to work harder in school. Everyone enjoys a little extra vacation time, so work hard to fit in extended time back home! Don’t be upset if you have a tough semester and you just can’t swing an extended stay. Your family will understand that you’re doing your best with what you have going on.

Additionally, I’m sure you’ve got some pictures printed off to decorate your room with. Start hanging these sooner than later! The quicker you can hang those good memories up around your room, the more comfortable you’ll be during your moving transition. This is going to be a huge and drastic change in your life, so make it as comfortable and positive as possible as quickly as you can. This will definitely help you adapt to a new setting as well, because establishing a secure home-base provides you with a comfort blanket to fall back on during the tough times you may endure away from everyone.

Now, I want to reassure you on this move. You may be starting over in a new city with new people, but this is going to be such a phenomenal experience for you!! That sounds cliché, but by the time year two of college hits, you’ll understand just how much the world is at your fingertips. The new people you will meet will help you develop into an extraordinarily powerful and able person. Do not fear this change with new people, rather embrace it and cherish the knowledge offered to you. This applies to you on both an educational level and a networking/relationship building level. You have a remarkable journey in front of you! Aim high and conquer all because you CAN!

Secondly, I realize it is only June. But also, holy cow, it’s already June. You’ll be moving in the blink of an eye, so the preparation and organization should start pretty quick here. I would strongly advise you begin researching dorm-room ideas on Pinterest, like yesterday. It’ll give you a strong push to get the ball rolling on how you want to make your room as homey as possible. When I started planning my move I couldn’t get out of magazines. Of course, that feels a little old school now, but hey, to each their own. Adding Christmas lights is a perfect way to perfect your dorm room vibe. The lights are calming and less obnoxious that the dorm lighting. They also set the mood for reading, wine nights, or Netflix binging with the girls. Perfect for any setting, Christmas lights 24/7 are ALWAYS the way to go! You simply just can’t go wrong here.

It also doesn’t hurt to stock up on a couple boxes of these lights because unfortunately these suckers have a tendency to burn out easily. Quick side note related to other things “burning”, POPCORN. Popcorn is the most cherished prize during your college years. It’s the perfect snack, meal, and wine companion known to man. You can never have enough popcorn, so, make sure to always stock up. Oh, and keep an eye on the bag when you’re microwaving it. When someone burns a bag of popcorn, the whole dorm floor suffers from the stench. Don’t be “that guy.” Sorry ladies, don’t be “that girl.”

Alright. After that quick tip, we’ll head back onto more relevant and general topics. LISTS. Lists are the best tool for success when packing up for your move. You need to jot down all personal care items, the variety of clothing items you’ll need and so much more. Here’s a quick list of items you may have not thought of, but will certainly come in handy once you transition into dorm room living.

· First aid kit

· Bottle opener

· Screwdriver

· Duct tape

· Power strip

· Microwave

· Slippers and sandals (especially shower shoes)

· Eating utensils

· Shower Caddy

· Music speaker

· Headphones

· Additional shelving

· Swimsuits

· A nice, presentable suit for Business Professional events

This list is not exhaustible, merely included to generate ideas of your own personal necessities that you may have not thought of previously. I’ll admit it, a few of these items are things I forgot and desperately needed but hadn’t thought of them prior to my crossing of state borders. A little bit of brainstorming never hurts when it comes to these things! When more random necessities pop into your mind, ensure that you jot them down immediately. This will help you prepare better for your move and keep you under a well-organized blanket during your transition! I love making notes on my iPhone, but if you appreciate the paper/pen aspect of lists, utilize that as well. The important part in all of this is to begin preparing you for how much you’ll need to take with you when you go. You’ll want to get most of these things in order before you take off, because obtaining random items in a different region can be quite stressful. Especially when a majority of campuses do not allow freshman to have a vehicle during their first year. Yes, many campuses offer bussing options, and you may be able to make friends with cars, but set yourself up for success ladies.

Another quick tip when packing your life up: invest in some sturdy travel bags if you do not already have some. These come in handy for the following reasons:

1. They can carry a lot of beer at one time

2. Several bottles of wine at one time will fit in there

3. They can hold a lot of clothes when you’re packing for holidays

4. They travel well when you need to get gussied-up or stay at another friend’s place

5. You have quality bags for your Aldi grocery store runs!

Quality, sturdy traveling gear is quite useful, believe me! Also, they’re so versatile for all of your needs, so investing is a must!

On another note, make sure you’re keeping in touch with your soon-to-be roommate(s). If you could coordinate a theme or color scheme for your room, you should absolutely try to. If you sense a slight disconnect here, that’s fine! You’ll each have your own space to decorate as you please. However, staying in touch can get you connected with these people sooner than later. The better you can get along with your roommates, the easier your life will be. Conflict is bound to happen once or twice when you start living with another person, but if you can get more information on your roommates earlier, you can hopefully start building a bond earlier. Us ladies tend to get a little snippy at times, so be understanding when your roommates get a little snippy too. Do not take things personal when a bad day comes around and the people within your room aren’t the most pleasant. As much as you should always expect respect from others when you’re respectful, it is important to understand that other people are doing their best during these times as well and nobody is perfect. Understanding this and getting in touch with your roommate combined will make your move so much easier. My first roommate my freshman year was the complete opposite of me in several ways, and yet we still chat frequently. We came from completely different backgrounds, had differing habits, morals, hobbies, etc. and we still found several ways to love living together. You don’t have to be the same person, per say, you just have to coexist at minimum. Establishing a relationship like this is so important because we all need a support system and you never want to live in an uncomfortable environment. Make sure you’re doing your best to build healthy, friendly relationships with those you live with because it will make your year so much easier if you do.

There was a lot of content in this week’s blog, but I hope everyone who chimed in was able to take something valuable from our time together. Do your best to always stay positive, caring, compassionate and hardworking and good things are bound to happen. This is the time for you to aim to be the best version of yourself possible, so do not take this time for granted. With all of the hard work you are sure to put into these college years, always remember how to have fun in your own way. Stay focused, and stay loving. Positivity goes a long way in life, so always try to add that same great energy onto other. Peace and love ladies, see you next time!

#MKT400UWL

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captaindamnron · 7 years

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Accidental Matchmake

So Tumblr has decided to delete my blog and here I'm reposting this. As I said this is my first time writing after a long time, so I really do appreciate your review and feedback :)

Accidental Matchmake

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M

Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey

“Come on, Chewie! Time to come inside!”

Poe rolled over, groaning when he opened his eyes and saw the time. It was early, way too early for someone who had just gotten to bed a couple of hours ago.

“Come on, buddy. I have to get to work.”

The voice pierced through his sleepy fog and Poe found himself smiling despite the fatigue. The voice belonged to his neighbor. He usually worked at night and she was gone all day.

Because of his strange routine, he never really met his neighbor, but he felt like he knew her from listening to her talk to her dog, Chewie. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but her voice tended to carry through his always open windows.

He would hear her telling the dog about work, her mother, her friends, and her dates. Poe didn’t particularly care for those conversations.

“Chewie, buddy?”

Poe sat up at her voice again. She sounded worried. He knew that she didn’t usually have to call for the dog so many times. He could hear her moving around in her yard, probably trying to find her dog. He wondered if he should go out and offer to help.

Throwing back the cover on his bed, he stood and looked around for the jeans he’d discarded before collapsing into his bed a few hours ago. Finding them crumpled in a corner he stepped into them. He was just about to throw on a shirt when he heard a scratching noise. Pausing with the shirt in his hands, he stopped and listened. There it was again.

Pulling the t-shirt over his head, Poe made his way to the back door. He opened it and promptly stepped back in surprise. Just like his owner, Poe had never seen Chewie before. He was not expecting something so... furry.

“Chewie?” Poe asked. Maybe this was a different dog?

Nope, he decided when the little guy bounced up at the sound of his name, running over to Poe and raised up on his hind legs. Automatically he bent down and scooped the tiny animal into his arms. Chewie started licking Poe’s chin, obviously delighted to have made a new friend. Poe laughed and scratched Chewie behind his ears.

“Come on, pal,” Poe told him. “Let’s go find your mom.”

Walking carefully in his bare feet, Poe made his way over to the fence that separated the yards. It was still tightly closed.

“How did you get over here?” Poe asked, looking down at the little dog in his arms. Chewie just stared up at him, tongue hanging out of his mouth so it looked like he was smiling. Poe huffed out a laugh at the dog’s goofy face and unlatched the gate.

Stepping into his neighbor’s yard, Poe got his second surprise of the morning. He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been expecting, but a brunette crouching at the corner of her yard wasn’t it. Her back was to him, presumably searching for her tiny dog, and Poe couldn’t stop staring at her ass. It was by far one of the best asses he’d ever seen. The tight material of her trouser hugged it just right and he suddenly found himself grateful he’d put on jeans instead of sweats.

“Um, hi,” he called out, his voice cracking slightly. Smooth, he thought to himself.

The brunette straightened up, whipped around and Poe felt like he’d been sucker punched in the stomach. Holy hell she was gorgeous. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help himself. Her big brown eyes were wide with surprise and a little panic, her mouth open just little. Poe realized she was staring at him too.

He barely stopped himself from preening a little under her gaze. “I think I found your dog,” he told her finally, lifting Chewie in his arms just a little.

“Oh, thank God,” she exclaimed, rushing over and scooping the little fur ball out of his arms. The dog seemed happy to see her, peppering her face with swipes of his tiny pink tongue.

“Where did you go, buddy?” she asked Chewie, kissing his furry little face. The dog gave a little yip as if he was trying to answer her.

“He was in my backyard,” Poe interpreted for the dog.

“Your backyard?” she asked, confused.

That’s right, he thought, they didn’t actually know each other.

“Hi, I’m Poe. Your next door neighbor,” he told her, sticking out his hand.

“Hi. I’m Rey and this is Chewie,” she said, putting her hand in his and she shifted the dog to her left hand.

Warmth spread through his hand from her touch. It made him want to pull her into his arms and hold her there forever. It took him a moment to realize she’d asked him a question and he was still holding her hand.

“I know.”

Her face lit up in a huge smile and Poe knew he was done for. He knew, with absolute certainty, he wanted to see her smile at him like that for the rest of his life.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” he asked, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

“I asked how Chewie got into your yard,” she repeated with a small smile.

“I have no idea. I woke up when we you were looking for him and then I heard him scratching at my back door.”

“I woke you up with my yelling?” she asked, her eyes wide with humiliation. It made him want to kiss and cuddle her.

“Don’t worry about it,” he reassured her with a soft smile. “I work from home so I have a weird sleep schedule. I’m just glad the little guy wasn’t lost.” He reached over to scratch under Chewie’s chin and was rewarded with a lick to his hand and cheerful bark. Poe looked stunned.

“He likes you,” she stated incredulously.

“I’m a pretty nice person,” Poe said, shrugging. The dog had begun to squirm in her arms so he reached over and took him from her. Chewie seemed happy with the situation and settled into his arms as he’d been there hundreds of times before.

“No, I mean, I’m sure you are a nice guy. I like you so far, but that’s not what I mean,” Poe stammered out staring at her little dog in the arms of a strange man. “Chewie doesn’t go along with strangers.”

“What do you mean?” Poe asked, confused and trying to ignore her statement about liking him. Man, he was so far gone already.

“My uncle Han gave me Chewie when I moved here, my family did not want me to be all by myself, even if we live in the same city. Long story short, Chewie gets along with my family, but whenever I took him to a public places he would either start barking or be very scared and even shake.”

“Really?” Poe said looking at the puffy goofy ball infront of him.

“I better take him in,” she said, reluctantly. “I have to get him in his kennel so I can go to work.” Poe frowned.

“He’s in a kennel all day while you’re at work?”

“I know,” she replied. “I hate it, but I can’t leave him out or he gets into trouble and I can’t find a doggie daycare that can tame him long enough.” She seemed so upset by the situation.

“He could stay with me,” Poe heard himself saying. Wait, what? Did he just offer to baby-sit a miniature dog for his beautiful neighbor?

“What?” Poe asked him, her tone full of doubt.

He should take it back, but somehow he didn’t want to do that. Chewie liked him and Poe didn’t like the idea of the little guy stuck in a kennel all day. It had nothing to do with the fact that he’d get to see Rey at the of the day.

“Why not?” he asked her. “I’m home most of the time anyway. We could just hang out.”

“What if you need to leave?” Rey asked, still not sure about this.

“Bring his kennel over. I can put him in it if I need to go out,” he told her, finding he liked the idea more and more.

“What is it that you do?”

“I’m a song writer,” he answered, somewhat reluctantly. “and when I feel like it, singer.” People tended to have mixed reactions when he told them what he did.

“Oh no. No, no, no!” she said, shaking her head emphatically.

That was not one of the reactions he was used to, however.

“Excuse me?” Poe’s brows furrowed. What did she have against composers?

“No way. You cannot keep Chewie if you’re a composer,” she told him. “You’ll never get anything done! He may look sweet and innocent, but he can be terror when he wants to be.”

Poe looked down at the tiny ball of fur sleeping in his arms and then looked back at the worried face of his gorgeous neighbor.

“I think I can handle him.” She still looked unsure. “Come on, Rey,” he coaxed. “Let me help you, both of you. We’ll just try it today and see how it goes.”

Rey was silent for a long moment, he could practically see her brain working. Processing all the things that could go wrong. Poe widened his eyes and tilted his head in what his sister called his best “puppy dog face.” He heard her sigh and knew it had worked.

“Ok,” she said. “Just for today.”

Poe grinned, happy in the knowledge that he would get to see her again that evening.

“Why don’t I just take him over to my place now?” he asked, not wanting her to change her mind.

Rey bit her bottom lip and Poe barely managed to repress a groan at the sight. He could see that she was still uncertain about the situation. He stayed silent though, letting her work through it.

“That’ll work,” she finally agreed with a smile. “I’ll go get his stuff together and bring it over, is that ok?”

Poe nodded, trying not to appear too excited. Rey turned and headed into her house. He watched her go before realizing he was staring at her ass again. He shook his head and turned toward his own house.

By the time he entered his back door, Chewie was awake again and squirming to be let down. Poe bent down and gently set the dog on the floor. Chewie took off exploring and instantly Poe realized a problem. The dog was so little he was going to get lost. Poe tried to follow him, but Chewie was crawling around at sniffing in places that were definitely not made for a man his size.

“Hello?”

Poe’s head shot up at the sound of Rey’s voice and cracked against the end table he was currently wedged under.

“Shit!” he swore before he could stop himself.

“Poe?” she called, her voice filled with concern.

“Yeah,” he called back, trying to sound like he wasn’t stuck between his couch and the wall. “I’ll be right there.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

Her voice sounded closer that time. He had to get out of there before she saw him. He reached for Chewie, but the little troublemaker had a different idea. He darted past Poe’s outstretched hand, jumped onto his head and crawled across his back.

Chewie gave a little bark when he saw Rey and ran straight for her. Poe closed his eyes in defeat before wiggling his way backwards. There was just no way to look cool doing that, he thought.

Once he was clear of the end table, Poe stood up slowly, brushing his pants off as he went. Looking up he saw Rey holding Chewie, the little traitor, and biting her lips together. Her eyes were twinkling with laughter and she looked so adorable it took everything in him not to reach over and pull her to him.

“I told you he was trouble,” she said laughingly.

“I didn’t realize just how small he was until I got him in here. I was afraid I was going to lose him.” Poe admitted.

Rey nodded holding up the canvas tote bag she had brought with her.

“I brought you a few of his things, they’ll help,” she told him, setting the bag on the coffee table and handing the dog to him. Poe cradled Chewie in one arm and watched Rey pull out more stuff than one tiny dog should have.

“This is probably the most important thing you’ll need,” she told him, holding up what looked to be a tiny clip with a bell attached.

Poe watched as Rey attached the bell to Chewie’s collar. “You can put him down now,” she told him.

Poe obediently set the dog down who immediately began to run around the couch again, the bell jingling as he went.

“Now, you’ll know where he is all the time,” Rey told him as they both watched Chewie. “The rest is his water dish, a few treats and a couple of his toys.” A bit of apprehension was visible in her eyes.

“Hey,” he said, reaching out before he could stop himself and placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. “I’ll take good care of him, I promise.”

Their eyes met and Poe tried to convey reassurance to her in his gaze. He must have succeed because she smiled back.

“I’d better get going. I called my boss to tell him I’d be late, but I have a meeting this morning I can’t miss,” she told him reluctantly.

“We’ll be fine,” he reassured her again.

“Call or text me with any questions or problems. I left his kennel by your back door, just put him in there if you need to leave,” she was firing off instructions and reminders as he walked her toward the back door.

“Poe,” he interrupted. “We’ll be fine. Go to work. We’ll see you later tonight.” She took a deep breath before turning back to him.

“I should be home around 6,” she informed him, reaching behind her for the door knob. “Thank you for doing this.”

“Don’t mention it. Now go to work!” he nudged her gently out the door. He could hear her laughing as she left.

Closing the door behind him, Poe leaned back against it for a moment. The jingling coming from another room in his house reminded him that he wasn’t alone. Smiling, Poe pushed himself back from the door and went in search of the little ball of fluff that was responsible for one of the best mornings he could remember.

#damerey #damereyedit #jedipilot #jedipilotedit #rey x poe #poe x rey #mine #fanfic

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