Absorbed

Obsession in all of it's forms. Current: ACOTAR, ACOMAF Feyrhys

[andiamburdenedwithgloriousfeels]

[arandomthot]

I feel attacked

[buggaboorenegade]

[theforcekeepers]

DO NOT DO THIS.

This makes me so angry.

If you work in a movie theater and you do this I have no respect for you.

My younger brother is Type 1 Diabetic.

When we go to a movie theater, we always get him diet soda. If he were to get regular when we asked for diet, we would not give him the insulin he would need for it. If that happens, his blood sugar level could go so high he could go into a coma, go blind, or even die.

If somebody gave him regular soda instead of diet without telling us, that person could be responsible for a nine-year-old being killed or blinded.

Just thinking about that makes me so angry. I get scared every time we take him to a movie in case the people working there saw this picture and decide to do the same thing.

Please signal boost this so people know.

[wreckedupbarnes]

This also applies to baristas

[kimchicutie-deactivated20180618]

Fun story about the baristas doing this kind of shit. 

I am very sensitive to lactose, not Lactose intolerant but because of stomach ulcers that are still healing. A couple years ago I went to Starbucks right after my classes with some friends and asked for a green tea latte with soy milk. The barista, for some reason out of malice and/or hate for her life so she took it out on me, gave me whole milk in my latte.

5 minutes after my first sip of latte, my stomach cramped BAD. Not the “Oh! time to poop!” kind of cramp but it felt like someone had stabbed me with a knife and twisted it. Now I’ve had this happen before so I knew the cause of it. I went up to the barista clutching my gut screaming at her that she put dairy in my latte rather than soy LIKE I REQUESTED. She denied it and called me a “pretentious white girl for wanting soy”and so my friends got the manager. I had to explain that I had stomach ulcers that were still healing and if I were to go to the hospital for this incident, they would be responsible for it.

Manager flipped his shit and the barista was terrified out of her mind. Pretty sure both thought i was gonna sue. Manager actually fired her on the spot because of the negligence. My friends managed to get me home in one piece while I stayed home for 3 days in absolute agony and missed my midterm.

So remember kiddies, if someone is asking for Diet or “Skinny” or “soy” or anything that is not regular, give them what they requested because it may not be them being healthy, but a dietary need that can possibly be life or death

[housebuiltbyghosts-deactivated2]

also if they ARE trying to be healthy you should give it to them to!! Its not your decision to police or question others food choices!!! 

also im lactose intolerant AND ive had stomach infections/ulcers so i feel this. 

[cartoonkatelyn]

I have Celiac Disease, so I’m very gluten intolerant. When I go out to eat at restaurants a lot of people just assume that I asked for my food gluten free because of the gluten free diet fad (which is usually a bullshit diet btw). 

Last month I went out to dinner with a friend at an italian restaurant that had a small gluten free menu. I had been there once before and had their gluten free pasta and it was great! I think one of the managers had been there and was super helpful when taking my order to make sure that everything was gluten free for me. When I ordered the gluten free pasta again this time though, the waitress who took my order all but rolled her eyes at me. I didn’t think much of it at the time, because the restaurant was so accommodating before, I just assumed it would be the same this time.

But sure enough, they brought out my pasta, I ate it, and about an hour later I had extreme stomach pains and was throwing up (in a movie theater no less).

Barfing and agonizing pain aside, eating gluten when you have celiac causes a lot of internal damage that’s hard to notice. The biggest thing is that it damages your intestines, preventing your body from absorbing nutrients properly, which can take months to heal.

So PLEASE, if you work at a restaurant or anything with food and someone asks for something a certain way, please listen to them and don’t just disregard someone’s order. It’s not funny and it can have serious consequences.

[somethingnottooclever]

I will reblog this with every single story about someone getting sick because of an asshole giving them the opposite of what they ordered until it sinks in for everyone.

[sailornightfury]

Recently on the news a 16 year old boy with a dairy allergy had gone to eat at IHOP with his family. The specifically asked if they could make dairy free pancakes and they said yes. Not too long after he had a reaction and was rushed to the hospital. This kid died because the was dairy in his pancakes that they asked for no dairy. His epi pen that his mother had wasn’t enough to help him. I know working in fast food or any job that’s serves food and beverage sucks but not as much as causing someone to get sick over negligence.

[obstinate-nocturna]

My youngest cousin – who is now five, he just started kindergarten – has Celiac’s disease. You would not BELEIVE the amount of times I’ve heard my aunt say she’s ordered something gluten free, only to watch the waiter or waitress’s eyes go huge when she gives it to my cousin – my cousin with the medical id band on his tiny five year old wrist proclaiming I HAVE CELIACS and have to take it back. Shit like this could kill my cousin. Knock it the fuck off.

[iopele]

I cannot tolerate caffeine–it makes me have chest pain and a racing pulse, and also gives me horrible body pain, so I always ask for decaf if I order coffee when I’m out, and doublecheck with the waiter/ress when they bring it. but instead of saying “is this decaf like I asked for?” I always say “oh, did I remember to order decaf?” I shouldn’t have to act like I’m the forgetful one (because I know damn well I asked for decaf) but it seems to work better than implying that they screwed up when I take the blame on myself like that. and if there’s any hesitation when they answer, I tell them, “if there’s any doubt, please get another one, or just give me water–if this is regular, it’ll mess up my heart” and lots of times when I say that, they look alarmed and go change it or get another one. 

but I shouldn’t HAVE to share my personal medical history with strangers just to get my order right! no one should! how is it their business? it makes me really uncomfortable to have to do that. JUST GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY ORDER!

[minnigem]

I’ve reblogged this maaaany times before but there’s a few new stories on here so i’m doing it again.

cut this shit out

[willowfae82]

don’t be that kind of asshole.

[untapdtreasure]

As a diabetic, this would make me so beyond angry. Skinny doesn’t mean they don’t have a life threatening illness. Skinny doesn’t mean they can process sugar the way you do. People that do this are the worst kinds of people. DO NOT DO THIS!

[forgetsuperman]

Me and my family went to a restaurant a few years back and one of the dishes we ordered was made with wine vinegar, which I am allergic to, so we asked the waiter to skip it, and he said sure, no problem, that’s fine. So my food gets to the table, and I start eating and then my throat closes and I can’t breathe and then I start coughing and throwing up right there in the middle of the restaurant and it was very fortunate that I was with my family and they knew what was happening to me. I had to be rushed to the hospital, and admitted, and I came damn near close to having my throat cut open so I could breathe through a whole on my neck. Because they put wine vinegar in my food when I explicitly told them not to, because they were assholes, and I could have died. They probably didn’t mean to hurt me but they did. I missed class, and work, and, again, I COULD HAVE DIED.

[cowthropologist]

i have cyclic vomiting syndrome and can’t tolerate dairy or red meat. violating my dietary restrictions triggers an acute episode, and i have to be hospitalized and given iv saline, ativan, and anti-emetics to stop the (extremely painful and incapacitating) vomiting. if somebody put regular milk instead of soy milk in my latte and i didn’t notice the taste immediately, i could wind up in the er and then spend several days in bed recovering, eating nothing but saltines and dry toast and clear liquids until my body was able to tolerate food again, unable to work or go out or do anything besides rest. whenever i go to starbucks, i WATCH them make my drink. cvs episodes are horrible and i hate them, and i can prevent them if i do everything right, but that means my damn barista has to cooperate. if somebody decided i was a stuck up white girl and gave me whole milk instead of soy they could put me in the hospital and cost me days of income. give ppl the food they fuckin order. it’s not that hard.

[voltspice]

Reblogging because it’s so important. I’m “lucky” I don’t have any food allergies or intolerence, but it makes me mad when people take them not seriously, think you are picky or just following a “white girl diet fad”.

90% of people don’t take my cats and dog allergies seriously when I tell them I’m allergic and wondering if a cat or a dog is present at X place. They think it’s just watery eyes. Nope. Well yeah, watery and itchy eyes, but I start wo wheeze and have trouble breathing. They don’t give epi-pen for those (anyway you have to go to the hospital after) just inhaler. It’s no miracle, specially if I didn’t take other meds before.

When people tell you about their allergies or restriction, trust them!

[40yodater]

Reblogging for all the stories here because this is sooo important! 

I have a severe allergy to gluten and relate to MANY of the stories above. My daughter has a severe allergy to milk fat, and I have had to hold her hair many times while she vomits on the side of the road because we couldn’t even make it home from the “accidental” whole milk instead of skim. 

[greenteamoon]

I’m super lactose intolerant so accidental milk is always fun. Severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, bloating, and gas like you wouldn’t believe. Better than death you might say but, I have other medical conditions, so that diarrhea could lead to vomiting(it’s so bad the vomit comes out my mouth AND nose) and dehydration that in turn becomes low cortisol and adrenal crisis. A bitchy barista can land me in the hospital with an intramuscular shot and saline iv. Hun, it takes no time to listen and follow my order. It takes me at least 24 hours to get out of the hospital. Be nice.

[cleverclovers]

I’m allergic to pork. Legit allergic. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to ask it off my food only to receive it with bacon or ham or something on it.

Please respect peoples food requests. It costs 0.00$ to not be a dick.

[prismatic-bell]

I actually have customers who say they’ll only eat at my restaurant when I’m there, because they know I require all policy to be followed, as in “I will kick you the fuck off your shift if you skimp,” if someone says the words “I have an allergy.” I developed our allergy policies, for that matter, because what we had in place before was “I guess you shouldn’t change your gloves … . ?” On my shifts your gloves get changed, that line gets wiped down with a new cloth, paper under EVERY ITEM for the person with the allergy, bag their food separately to prevent contact. If there’s a risk of cross-contamination with an allergen, like tomatoes in the guac because stuff spills when you’re moving as fast as we do, I’ll open a new bag of food. I learned the ingredients in every item we serve so I could advise people on hidden allergens (e.g., there’s a small amount of wheat in our beef as a thickener; we fry with safflower oil). We have a grease pencil to mark special builds and I use it liberally on allergy orders. If all of this sounds like overkill, you’ve never watched a child suffer from anaphylaxis. I don’t play around.

Like, I bitch about my job a lot, but food allergies and special needs are not something I will ever bitch about. Even if you’re a complete asshole I won’t risk contaminating your food. (Although people with allergies seem to be way nicer than the general population, I gotta say.) Don’t do it. If someone’s a petty asshole to you, give them too much ice in their drink. Don’t play with their health.

[tired-philosopher]

DO NOT FUCKING SCROLL PAST THIS P L E A S E

[iambloggingthat]

Reblogging this again because it is important. Doing the right thing has no cost but doing the wrong thing can cost a person’s life. Don’t be a dick, give the person what they ordered

[angelofchaos9800]

Reblogging always. I especially hate that things that are legitimate concerns for people, EVEN LIFE AND DEATH SERIOUS, are taken as some kind of “fad” or “trend.” The benefit of a something becoming a trend is that it becomes more readily accessible.

The downside is when you actually need it, people assume it just for the trend.

Please don’t be this person. I beg you. Don’t sink to that level. Please.

[roseyturtles]

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD P L E A S E DON’T BE THIS PERSON.

[psychopomp-enthusiast]

I used to have a milk and eggs allergy as a child (as a baby to about kindergarten age). Both resulted in my having breathing issues and fainting. My parents had to always be watching what the hell went near me so that I wouldn’t have to go to the hospital because they weren’t sure what would happen when I fainted.

I don’t think you would want to be the one responsible for a toddler being sent to the ER, because a) you’d probably feel bad and b) the parents might sue.

Luckily I’ve grown out of it. But as a white bitch I don’t want to know what could’ve happened if I hadn’t grown out of them and had a negligent server at at restaurant…

Don’t question people when they order. It’ll save everybody the energy.

[sarcasticcatinatacoshell]

My dad has a celiac disease and was trying to buy gluten free bread at I think a Kroger we don’t usually go to. Pretty sure this was around the gluten free diet trends (not sure), so whoever gave him the bread chose the not gluten free one. So he got his bread but didn’t realize it wasn’t gluten free and ate it. Thankfully, he realized soon enough and didn’t suffer that much of a reaction. The person who gave him the bread could’ve killed my dad if he didn’t realize earlier, though. So even if there’s a fad going on that you don’t agree with, please just give them the product. You could kill someone if you think it’s just a fad they’re following.

[slumberinggirl-deactivated20210]

It literally costs 0 dollars to respect people’s orders. Like ffs is it really that hard to take down someone’s order properly? You could end up hurting or even killing someone.

Just don’t be a dick. It’s really not that hard

[debate-babe]

My mom can ONLY deink diet soda. Shes not diabetic but the sugar in the soda can irritate her throat and make her already severe copd worse.

People constantly “accidentally” use normal because they think its just her on a diet. Its gotten to the point where she has to lie about being diabetic just for people to take her seriously.

Drinking normal soda could block her airway and even lead to her being forced on bed rest for days.

Dont be a dick

[what-even-is-thiss]

Also if someone is vegan or on a gluten free diet and has been for a while suddenly getting a large amount of meat or gluten can seriously mess with them. My dad is gluten free because it moderately helps with his migraines and a couple times he’s accidentally eaten gluten and it messed him up. Painful, painful stomach stuff.

And someone might have a different ideology than you? I don’t eat fish for a variety of moral/political reasons and my best friend is vegetarian and let me tell you, finding out you just ate something you’re against eating is the absolute worst. Complete guilt and shame even if the other people around you don’t get it and for some people it can mess them up mentally for a while.

Also I just like soy milk in my coffee better than whole milk or cream. I think it tastes better. My brother likes Coke Zero better than regular coke just because of the taste. I’ve got a friend that just really thinks dairy products are gross. Sometimes the gluten free or vegan version of something genuinely tastes better. Sometimes people actually just prefer what they’re ordering and have no weird diet fad motives behind it. What a concept!

[fangirltothefullest]

When I was a barista I used to get a few of the “skinny” (which is only based on fucking perspective by the way) girls shyly asking for soy and I gave them what they ordered because it’s not my job to police them, it’s my job to give them what they literally paid for. You would not believe how many times they lean in to make sure it’s soy or almond milk and I’d happily tell them “yes of course that’s what you ordered!” And they’d look at me relieved because people are constantly fucking up their orders onbpurpose.

And you know what? Who gives a shit if they are on a diet or if it’s an allergy? You are not responsible for maintaining their health and you’re being an asshole if you do. It’s their life and their choices and whether those choices are dictated by allergy or preference or medical reasons or anything else doesn’t matter. You give them what they’ve asked for, what they’ve paid for because that’s how a job works. You’re not being paid to be a judgemental asshole and make assumptions.

You’re there to give them what they paid for and if they asked for soy you charge them for soy and you give them soy.

It literally takes more time and energy to be an asshole than to just do the right thing- the job you’re being paid to do.

Like- fuck it, how would you like to not be paid for a week because your boss decided you didn’t need money to buy food cause they thought you eat too much? Sounds fucked up right? Same fucking principal.

You want to be a judge? Go to fucking law school. Leave these poor folks alone who just want to eat without constantly being afraid of the first bite!

[akingsfool]

I’m lactose intolerant and even so much as a cup of milk can cause me to stay in bed most of my day

I was visiting my aunt and she was making me a bowl of cereal

Her own daughter is lactose intolerant, which meant she had an alternative to milk, which I kindly asked her to use

So when I ate the bowl of cereal, and I ate a few bowls, I drank the entire bowl of milk

I couldn’t get out of bed for two days

[captain-ak]

Reblogging again because I have food allergies, milk sensitivity, irregular heartbeats, severe acid reflux, and no tolerance for red meats.  Going out to eat is already enough of a nightmare without someone purposely trying to screw with me, so please, please don’t add to my health concerns, or to the anxiety I already have ABOUT those health concerns

[blahdidah3]

Reblogging because insulin is fucking expensive and you give my husband the wrong drink and the smallest expense goes through the roof. He's had high blood sugar for hours because the amount of insulin he takes just won't tackle the sugar. It's insane. Everyone makes mistakes, just don't be an asshole on purpose.

[xsunnyeclipse]

[blahdidah3]

I've never laughed so hard.

[tanzanitedepths]

Fanfiction Club: The Rules

This idea came to me when I woke up first thing this morning.

[madlori]

This is gold.

[jumpingjacktrash]

i do not see a flaw

[iamcalmdammit-deactivated202504]

I need this perfection in my blog.

[maxkirin]

[wordpainting-deactivated2023071]

Excellent!

[smouldered]

self care is creating a life you don’t routinely have to escape from

[blahdidah3]

Actually this is bullshit. You can be living your best life and have all your wildest dreams and still need self care. I am there. Self care is taking time and space for yourself when you need it and accepting that you will and do need it. It's being tough and making yourself do uncomfortable things. This post is bullshit othering saying that if you were living a better life you wouldn't have stress or need to invest in yourself. The life they describe has self care built into it, but just because someone isn't calling it that doesn't mean they aren't doing it.

[acowtf]

☕️🐸

[thebibliosphere]

I’ll never not be amused by the fact that I can drop the words “crucifix nail nipples” into a conversation and some of you who have been with me since the livejournal days will join me in the flashbacks, screaming and crying all the way.

[hadanelith]

I require context. Because this is a very interesting start of a story, and now I need the rest of it. Could I get a link, or a summary, or something? Pretty please?

[thebibliosphere]

All right buckle the fuck up kids, it’s the year 2012 and I’ve just been handed what should be an easy editing gig by my senior editor. It’s a vampire erotica story because one of the final Twilight movies is about to come out, and everything is vampires. Everything. I haven’t edited a single thing in months which isn’t about vampires. I am ready, I can do this. So I open the file and notice there’s a typo in the title, which really should have been my first inkling that something horrendous was about to go down, but you see I’m not quite dead inside yet so I carry on, bushy tailed and bright eyed with my faith in humanity intact. It’ll be dead by page 24, but I don’t know that yet. I’m just editing one more vampire boner fest.

The MC is a girl who we’ll call Sue. Sue is a Good Girl™, Sue is Not Like Other Girls™, she is pale and awkward and a virgin and has somehow managed to find herself a Bad Boy™ for a boyfriend. We’ll call him Dickhead.

Now Dickhead as previously stated is a bit of dick, he tries to pressure Sue into sex because he knows she is The One™ but he loves her really so it’s okay. Except it’s not okay because Sue is a Good Girl™ and holding out till marriage which he’s fine with except he’s got such a bad case of blue balls that one night walking home an attractive stranger lures him into an alley with the words “hey stud” and he follows, dick out before she’s even finished her sentence. Well turns out that was a mistake for Dickhead because she’s a vampire, but not just any vampire, a Dick Biting Vampire. So what started out as a skeevy blow job behind a club that he’ll feel bad about in the morning, turns into him being bitten on the dick and drained of his life essence and left for dead. Except DBV fucked up and now he’s a vampire. Are you still with me? Good, cause it’s about to get weirder.

Realizing he is now an abomination, Dickhead flees, becoming a creature of the night and feeding on animals rather than humans to repent for being such an asshole in life. Sue meanwhile is heartbroken, but carries on valiantly with her life and goes to bed each night crying for the loss of her One True Love™ who she would do anything to bring back. Well guess what Sue, Dickhead never really left you! He’s been “instinctively protecting her from rapists” by hiding out on her roof and fighting hobos who try to get to her open window via the fire escape for months now. Because that’s not fucking terrifying at all.

Upon learning of his predicament and how it happened, Sue can do nothing but blame herself. Oh if only she’d let him touch her secret places, then perhaps all of this could be avoided! Meanwhile Dickhead is having another dilemma of his own, realizing too late that his vampire powers have given him super senses and now he can smell her blood and he can’t decide whether he wants to get with her or eat her. And I don’t mean in the French sense. But he is strong! And over comes his base manly vampire instincts and neither rapes not kills her. Hurrah! And this is so romantic that Sue gives it up, but not before she launches into a theory about how in all fairy tales, True Love saves the day, so maybe her magical pure vagina that has never been touched by anyone, not even her, can bring him back to life. So Dickhead being a dickhead agrees and rips her clothes off, but not before he takes one last moment to marvel at the beauty of her purity, because he will never again look on her again and know she is Pure.

If you’ve only vomited once by now, I applaud your resolve.

So they hop on the good foot and do the nasty, except she is literally so pure in spirit, her flesh burns his. And I quote you from memory because these words are burned into my soul: “her breasts bit into his hands, like crucifix nail nipples tearing at his flesh, but he did not care because he loved her so and couldn’t stop”

This phrase haunts me. I dread that it will be the last thing I think about on my death bed and my last words will literally be “god fucking dammit” as I die, carrying that mental image with me into the afterlife. My own solace is in knowing that I inflicted it on other people too, like @ahzuri who is somehow still with me after all these years.

When the magical burning sex fails to heal him and leaves her bruised, battered and broken with “a dainty blue bells of bruises around her secret flower” (I am genuinely quoting this, I could never make something as horrendous as this up without being on acid) Dickhead leaves. Yeah. Off he fucks, leaving her to the mercy of the hobos at her window, and into the night to be the true monster he really is. But wait, there’s more. Remember the dick biting vampire? Well turns out she has figured out she made him into a vampire and has also been stalking HIM and is totally jealous of Sue, so tries to kill her. But again Sues Purity saves her, because sex before marriage which was done out of True Love is not a sin, so she is still a spiritual virgin and I’ll be honest, I started drinking heavily at this point and it’s all a bit of a blur.

A fight ensues some pages later after Dickhead returns, realizing the mistake he has made. And he rescues Sue from the Dick Biter, but not before he assaults Dick Biter, and calls her a slut for luring innocent men into alleys cuts her heart out by cutting her breasts off, at which point i screamed “THAT’S NOT HOW YOU REACH THE HEART” and my brain short circuited completely and I have no idea how it ends because I realized there was 30 pages left and my soul couldn’t take it. I emailed the chief editor like ?????!!!!!!????!!!!!! and the book was immediately pulled from the work line and the author dismissed from the publishing house. Turns out she was a friend of a friend and that was how she got the manuscript past our entry levels for requirement.

And that’s the story of how an author sent me death threats for over a month because I stopped her shitty vampire porn from ever seeing the light of day. You’re all fucking WELCOME.

[blahdidah3]

OMG, thank you for your work. ROFL

[invaderxan]

Heard some important information on Twitter today, and thought I’d post it here for anyone who may not have heard it. This is actually a thing, devised by human rights organisation called Karma Nirvana.

Reblog to save a life?

[alexios-ofsparta]

The Suriel, best explained by a series of Rupaul gifs

Suri spilling the tea that Rhys is Feyre’s mate:

The Suriel spilling secrets like:

Also the Suriel spilling secrets about everybody

Everybody about the Suriel

How I imagine The Suriel throwing shade

The Suriel when it found out that Feyre had no idea that Rhys was her mate

Also the Suriel when it found out that Feyre had no fucking clue that Rhysand was her mate

Also everybody’s thoughts on the Suriel

In conclusion, the Suriel.

[mostwonderfulstory]

Book Recommendations - Masterpost  » Fairy Tales

[gamingallnight]

DAMN FRIEND THESE ARE REALLY WELL DONE

[otislibrary-deactivated20190215]

Books based on Fairy Tales.

[snugglebearinc]

[naamahdarling]

I’m losing my fucking mind.

[kittykat8311]

oh my god

[cryptid-sighting]

my favorite part is that the guys just go along with it in spite of confusion/misgivings because they don’t want to miss out on stickers.

[signherepleased]

My favorite post

[blahdidah3]

I'm having a bad 5 minutes. Like I don't know... That if net neutrality is withdrawn that my whole life as it is will be fucked over. I know you could treat me with some God Damn respect for a minute.

[blahdidah3]

I’m in my thirties

I have 3 kids. I have a husband.  I have friends (a few) IRL. I also know and love many people online, and consider them friends. They’ve been there for me, and I them. 

Why is it now that one of my friends is shitting on another do I all of the sudden feel like I”m fucking teleported back to being seven and friends just want to fight, and I feel like a BETRAYER for staying friends with the crappy person. I try to be good. I try to be kind to people cause god knows I need a little kindness from others. LIke Seriously! But Friend A is banning friend B from their chatroom and it’s for no obvious reason. Do I deserve to know? Well I kinda feel like I do. Did they violate a rule of that chat? I don’t get it. I can’t find the infraction, and It feels a little bit like Friend A is banning friend B because his girlfriend wants him to.

And OMG I have to get kids to school in the morning and I”m just ANGRY AS FUCK instead of going to sleep. I”m mad. I’m mad because good people don’t deserve shitty things happening to them.... 

What am I supposed to do? I feel like I’ve been lied to. I feel like I stepped on a lizard that changed colors and it bit me. I feel like detatching myself from everyone and everything and floating in a pool for six years, and just feeling nothing. I’m So MAD. It’s not fair.

[megabadbunny]

Before, she would have jumped at the sudden and unexpected pressure of someone’s hand on her waist, but nearly half a year in an 18th-century French court has taught Rose to adapt, if nothing else. (Her French is as abysmal as it ever was without the help of the TARDIS, but the court is graciously willing to overlook such things on behalf of the savior of their uncrowned queen.)

Still, Rose smiles as she dances, even if her partner can’t see it. “Someone’s awfully familiar today,” she teases (in mutilated French); probably it’s Henri, a little tipsy from the king’s finest wine, but he’s not half-bad to look at. “Feeling a bit grabby, are we?”

“Oh, you know me,” replies a soft voice behind her, in English, and it’s all Rose can do to stop herself tripping over her own feet. “I’m a hands-on learner.”

Rose’s heart leaps in her chest, hammering madly against her ribcage in time to the music and the steps of her feet below. Over a hundred days since she last heard that voice anywhere but her dreams; of course, she recognizes it instantly. Her grin is so wide now her face could almost split with the size of it. She squeezes her eyes shut, giving silent thanks to any gods that might be listening. <

(The impulse to stop in her tracks pulls at her, demanding her to spin and throw her arms around his neck and maybe never let go, but some part of her is afraid to—maybe she’s wrong, maybe it isn’t him, or it’s a dream, or if she looks at him, she’ll break the spell. So she keeps dancing.)

“And?” Rose prompts, insinuating her hand over his where it rests against her waist. “What have you learned?”

“That your French is atrocious.”

“Rude,” says Rose, but she laughs. She squeezes his other hand, the one leading them around the ballroom along with the rest of the courtiers. “It’s been five and a half months, and that’s all you’ve got to say to me?”

His grip on her waist tightens. “No, actually, it isn’t.”

“Aww, did you miss me?”

“Do you know the kind of trouble you could have gotten into?” he asks, his voice suddenly curt. “The damage you could have caused? Probably caused?”

His sharpness startles her, but Rose shrugs it off. “Don’t worry, I didn’t—”

“You have no idea what you did or didn’t do,” he hisses. “Weakening the integrity of this timeline, exposing everyone to the possibility of Reapers, compromising the safety of everyone here—”

“You mean Reinette,” Rose replies coolly.

“She’s part of everyone here, isn’t she? Or are you so thick that I have to spell that out for you, too?”

Rose laughs again, but the sound is shaky and thin this time, a scoff. “Why, hello, Doctor, it’s nice to see you too! Don’t ask about me, thanks, I’ve been doing just fine in the land of scratchy underwear and no plumbing.”

“I told you what would happen if that time window was smashed, Rose,” he continues as if he didn’t hear her; he’s so quiet Rose can barely hear him over the flutes and harpsichord and drums, but she can still make out the strain in his voice, the bite to it. “I was very explicit. I couldn’t have been clearer. So I’m struggling to understand—and that’s quite a feat, struggling to understand something with a brain as impressive as mine—why the hell you thought jumping through that window was a good idea.”

Twisting in his grasp, Rose cranes her neck to look at him, finally, and there he is, all furrowed brow and tight mouth and eyes glittering with anger, and god, if she wasn’t so irritated with him right now, she just might kiss him.

“That’s what you were going to do, isn’t it?” she asks instead.

***

Next: Part II | Part III

[dalliantthoughts]

Calla Lilies and Hydrangeas: Chapter 3 (Previously: Summer Wine)

Chapter: 1, 2, 3.

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Chapter 3

It had taken the Mortal Queens exactly fifteen minutes to make him regret his attendance, their incessant rambling not allowing for so much as a single coherent thought to form in his mind.

He could feel the pull again, stronger than it was back in Velaris. There it had been easy to ignore, the distance allowing for some much needed reprieve. On the continent, however, beyond the Wall separating the magic, there was nothing to keep the tether at bay.

He knew that should he want to, he would be able to find the person on the other end of it immediately. The pull would lead him to her.

But he wouldn’t let himself be led.

Not because he didn’t want to. Though, at this point, he wasn’t sure he did. The girl had tricked him in a way only very few had ever dared. And none of them had lived to tell the tale.

No. Rhysand was still angry at himself for ever letting himself be vulnerable enough around her for her to even attempt it.

The audacity alone…

Were it anyone else, they would not have spared her. Had he not declared her to be his mate, Cassian wouldn’t have let her take another breath. He and Azriel would have brought down the Wall themselves had it meant they would find her.

The very wall these overgrown children calling themselves rulers of the mortal world were now trying to convince him to bring down instead, the events of the past fifty years having set everyone on edge.

Rhysand sat there silently, eyeing one woman after another. Their ages differed, but their purpose was clear. All but one – absolute devotees to the idea of flooding their world with ancient power, frightful enough to warrant its exile half a millennium ago, yet so coveted, even the ones once oppressed by it desired the feel of its vibration against their skin.

Their ancestors would have been ashamed of them. Blood had been spilt on both sides for the wall to be erected. More men had died than he wished to count. His own blood had seeped into the making of it. Strengthened it. Fed it. Its very essence was part of him, just like it was of every fae creature that had bled on those battlefields, the imposing rumble of its power keeping the real monsters at bay. And now these fools rallied to reverse it. The one thing keeping them alive.

The distance of time really did make feeble minds forget.

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