Look I understand that skin-color is an issue in many books and especially SJM books, but diversity is not reduced to skin-color and I wish that was talked about more.
I think one of the most prominent issues that her books have is the representation of culture and ethnicity. If Cassian, Azriel, and Rhys are suppose to belong to a specific race/ethnicity, then there’s something inherently wrong with how that culture is represented. That the men in this culture are militaristic and archaic in their beliefs. The women are traditional and have no rights… and that’s it. There is no difference in religion in the text. No different language. No different foods, except not having spices. Social rules. No community roles or values. The values have been reduced to criticism in “our way is better than yours.” Think past skin-color for a second here, the way the characters look at Illyrians, while being Illyrians is such a discriminatory perspective that no way would exist if they belonged and grew up in that culture. They want to change their culture, the culture that only exists by being traditional, antifeminist, and militaristic. That’s the whitest shit I’ve ever heard.
That’s how that culture is represented. If you have ever read or studied anything about westernization, which I’m sure everyone has at some point, this is the epitome of the West looking at the East, the South, the North, and minorities who move into the West. That’s the problem that she has with diversity. It is not enough to have a dark-skinned person, a light-skinned person, an ambiguous tan-skinned person and we slap a label on it and say that’s diversity. It’s not enough to have one character who is canonically bi/lesbian (unsure at this point) and then have that character have no narrative function, unrelated to her not being “out” yet. WTF.
All of this!! It’s extremely tiring to keep seeing so much of this fandom just keeps ignoring this. Yes, there is te in this book but it is bad rep that is done carelessly, with visibly little effort, and actively plays into harmful stereotypes and tropes. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the books, but just please acknowledge that it’s not done well and that we should encourage authors who actually want to write diversely to make an effort to do it well and respectfully.
Summary: Cassian knows Nesta is supposed to dance with Eris and lure him into a stronger alliance with the Night Court. He knows he’s been forbidden from getting close to her during the whole event. He knows she loves to dance. He knows he wants to be the one swinging with her.
A/N: angst because Cassian got very little character development in the book for someone who had that much family drama to deal with. It’s not that big of a change as other chapters, but I thought it made sense to add this here with how these three acted in the ball.
Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list in the upcoming chapters!!
Cassian stood firmly on his feet as he made Mor spin once again. The House was playing music for them, and in some strange way, he felt it getting annoyed at how many times he had demanded to go- “Again”. The waltz had just finished, and he was already positioning himself to start all over.
“Cass, you already know the moves, you’ve been dancing these for centuries” she laughed it off “I honestly don’t think you need any more practice for tomorrow.”
“Again” he insisted.
With a sigh, his friend went back to first position, seven feet away from him. The sound the House played for them was more like a trumpet with a shoe stuck in it than the beautiful harmonies they had been practicing with.
“Please, I want to make sure I get it right before we leave for the ball” Cassian gave her his best pout face, which made Mor roll her eyes.
“You are not going to dance with her, Cass. You got clear instructions from Rhys about that. I don’t even know why I’m helping you with this, we both heard you are not allowed near her.” The House probably felt like Mor was doing a good enough job at remprimanding him for his stubbornnes, because the melody of the waltz started playing again, and they moved to the sound of it. “Gods, you two are already making this way harder than it needs to be with your non-stop fucking” Cassian laughed, but Mor was not in the mood for joking, “This is serious. I heard Rhys complain about how long it took to hide your scent on her.” With their palms in the air almost touching, they turned and gave two steps back “Behave.” she reminded him of what his role was tomorrow night, and how important it was that he didn’t ruin Nesta’s mission by approaching her at all.
Cassian smiled again. “I’ll try my best”.
“Cassian” her tone made clear that she was not amused by the idea of what he may do with with all this dance practice.
“I know, I know. I’ll be a good General Commander and stand by my High Lord’s side the entire night, while she dances with Eris Vanserra” the lightness with which he spoke did very little to hide the feelings behind it. The jealousy.
Mor let him guide the dance, shadows in her eyes. Their imminent visit to Hewn City must be disturbing her, specially knowing both his father and Eris would be there. The stress of the negotiations with Vallahan was wearing her down as well.
“Why do you insist on going after her?” The sudden dryness she spoke with took him by surprise, and so did the question itself. Nesta and whatever the nature of his relationship with her was, wasn’t a topic they ever talked about. For the last couple of years, they avoided the subject, pretending it didn’t exist. That’s why it felt so odd how mad she seemed to be now without any previous warning that the matter was present in her thoughts at all. That it could disturb her so much, was the most unexpected part of it.
It rubbed him the wrong way, but Cassian kept on moving, the smile in his eyes not fading one bit as he looked into hers to answer.
“Jealous that I’m spending my time with her and not you lately?”
The blonde’s gaze pierced through him with a cold disdain he hadn’t prepared himself for either. “Not at all. Unlike you, I understand what an order is.” Ouch. “I don’t blame you for following Rhys’ command and babysitting her when he asked you to. She’s your job, I guess.”
ahem... cassian taking nesta to that bookstore (fluff, don’t try making shit sad aight?)
Our First Non-Date
SURPRISE I GUESS!!
Nessian Archeron x Cassian
You can find the first part here.
A/N: this month has been really nice on me. I finally feel better, not crying every day for literally nothing and I wanna dedicate this to my fren Sim (@perseusannabeth) cause homegirl just finished the offcampus series and she's grieving. I know she is. So yep. Take some Nessian fluff
And Nina, I had to add some angsty parts, but they're not Irene Angst Level, okay?
Word count: 6,833
When Cassian had called her back the night after their outing with Amren and Varian, she'd stared at the phone for a full minute until it had stopped ringing and she could go back to reading the article on poisonous plants that Elain had sent her.
It hadn't even been five minutes before the words had been obscured from the call screen again and the name "Cassian Navarro" appeared.
When she had ignored the call for the second time as well, he had decided to change tactics.
Hi Nes, I was thinking about when you'd be free to go to the library. I need a couple of manuals because I'm building a little gazebo in Rhys and Feyre's garden and your sister is putting a lot of pressure on me, so I was wondering if you had the day off tomorrow.
Nesta was stunned at the amount of useless information he had given her, but managed to reply with a simple, Working tomorrow, day off on Wednesday. Sending you the address later.
She certainly hadn't anticipated how hard it would be to get up that day, her will to live must have been hiding somewhere under her bed and Nesta didn't know if it was directly related to their going out or just her stupid brain not being able to connect to real life.
The only other worst thing she'd been able to think of at that moment was having to explain to Cassian what was going on, so, pulled out of bed by the future embarrassment they'd feel in such a situation, she'd managed to dress, wash and style her hair so that she had a braid crowning her head.
She hadn't put too much effort into deciding what to wear, after all, it wasn't a date and Cassian had seen her many times before in far more outrageous and scruffy clothes than the comfortable black jeans and grey jumper she was wearing right now.
The silence had made her uncomfortable at first, only because Cassian seemed to be really stressed - about what, she certainly wouldn't ask - but after about ten minutes, he'd turned on the radio and popped a CD into the player and the melody of a Verve song had filled the cabin.
She'd started humming under her breath and he'd looked at her with a faint smile on his lips and his eyes sparkling. She hadn't mulled over that look too much, but she'd started eyeing him more closely and noticed the way he narrowed his eyes at every street sign and how he ran a hand over his face every time a strand of hair landed in front of his eyes.
When Cassian had to blow the hair out of his face for the millionth time, Nesta pulled a rubber band off her wrist and handed it to him abruptly.
Cassian looked surprised, but took it almost immediately, brushing her fingers. Nesta immediately withdrew her hand, feeling how warm and calloused his were.
"Thanks, my hair is killing me today," he finally spoke.
Nesta continued to look ahead, noticing that they were about to enter the highway. "Well, it wasn't very wise of you not to tie it up before you got in the car. I never drive with my hair down."
He nodded slowly, still with the band clutched between his fingers. And then, suddenly he let go of the steering wheel, "Hold that for me for a second." and Nesta's eyes went wide, launching herself at him to grab it and keep the car in their lane.
"Are you nuts?" she almost shrieked, keeping her gaze fixed on the road and feeling every nerve ending vibrate with anger.
"Relax." he said in a calm tone, shifting her hands and gently pushing her back into her seat one more time. "It wasn't even five seconds."
Nesta huffed out a laugh that lacked amusement, "You do something like that again without warning me first and I'm getting out of the car."
Cassian looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "A bit dramatic, but alright."
She sighed, shaking her head slightly and resting it on her hand propped against the window.
That awkward silence fell again and Nesta couldn't figure out what the problem was. She hadn't felt any kind of unease three days before, but after all, they'd been with friends and busy walking, not stuck in a car for two hours with no chance of walking away or splitting up.
And in that moment, the reality of their situation overwhelmed her.
She forced herself to steady her breathing, opening the window slightly so that more air could get in. She forced herself to think about all the things she would see today at the library and how beautiful and spectacular it had looked from mere pictures. She wasn't going to let her twisted mind stop her from having fun with someone who was desperately trying to be her friend.
She took a deep breath and a surprising calm enveloped her. She looked to her left to see if Cassian had noticed that temporal change in her behaviour, but it seemed to her that he was just as fidgety.
She was about to ask him if he was okay, because the knee that kept bouncing and the fingers opening and closing on the steering wheel were obvious nervous tics, when he did the eye thing again, this time leaning forward over the dashboard as well, and the sharp turn he took to the right caused her to shift in her seat so much that she bumped her shoulder against his.
Cassian grimaced, "I'm sorry," he murmured.
"What's wrong?" she asked, readjusting in her seat.
"Sorry?"
"What's the matter? With your eyes, I mean."
"Oh." he seemed surprised by the question, almost as if he hadn't realised she'd been observing him for the last twenty minutes. He cast her a curious glance immediately returning to the road. "I wear glasses when I drive, but I couldn't find them this morning and these contacts are the wrong shade and I can't see very well."
Nesta nodded thoughtfully, "Where do you normally keep them?"
"In the glove box. But I already checked," he replied, rolling his shoulders. Another nervous tic.
Nesta had to suppress a smile. There was no way he could be so worked up just because they were talking. She looked down at the phone in her hand to check the time, and a flash of light momentarily dazzled her. She blinked a couple of times and then scoffed, "Found them."
She reached a hand towards the hatch compartment and pulled out a pair of very plain black glasses, handing them to him. Cassian seemed to finally relax since she'd gotten into the car.
"Thank fuck." then he pulled into a lay-by and without turning off the car, slipped two fingers in his eye, removing one contact and then the other, leaving Nesta stunned. He put the glasses on his nose and flashed her a smile that went from ear to ear. And Nesta was stunned for other reasons.
She couldn't deny that Cassian was an attractive man. She wasn't stupid or blind, but the man next to her should have come with a warning sign or a bell.
Attention, hot stuff coming your way.
Nesta forgot the comment she had wanted to make about how antigenic and risky it had been to remove his contacts without first cleaning his hands and in such a dirty environment.
His hair tied back in a messy bun, with the hint of a beard he was letting grow, and now his glasses on, Cassian looked like a model on the cover of a newspaper about sexy carpenters. The short-sleeved black shirt he wore that pulled on his huge biceps every time he moved in the slightest was just one more point to add to the list of things that made him appealing.
"So," he began, getting back on the road, "what's your favourite colour?"
Nesta snorted, "Are you serious?"
Cassian seemed to blanch, "What?"
"Have you ever been out with a girl?" she asked him sarcastically, knowing full well what the answer would be.
He clenched his jaw so hard that a muscle popped out on his face, "Only on dates."
"And this isn't a date." pointed out Nesta, holding back a laugh at how tortured he sounded.
"It's not."
Nesta touched the tip of her nose, thoughtful, "Shouldn't this be easier for you then?"
Cassian released a breath through his nose, "I'm under a lot of pressure right now."
"Yeah?" she asked, looking away and smiling.
"Yeah, and stop looking like you're enjoying it." he retorted.
She feigned innocence, "Enjoying what?"
"My pain." he sheeted.
Nesta laughed, unable to contain herself any longer and when he glared at her, she covered her mouth with one hand, laughing harder. Only when he snapped his fingers against the steering wheel did she stop, laying a hand on his arm, just for a few seconds, "I'm so sorry." she wheezed, "I just don't understand. When you're hanging out with my sisters or Amren, or Mor, I don't know, you don't seem to be in this much discomfort."
Cassian sighed again and Nesta chuckled one last time, stopping when he smiled slightly. "I'm just trying not to make you uncomfortable. You accepted I take you on this non-date, and I'm doing my best not to flirt badly with you every chance I get." he confessed, nodding slowly, as if to convince himself that he was doing the right thing and not wasting their time.
Nesta was genuinely surprised at his answer and decided to offer him an olive branch.
"My favourite colour is blue."
"Nice." he smiled, showing a hint of a dimple, "Mine is red."
"It's too bright of a colour," she said lightheartedly.
Cassian chuckled, "I'm pretty sure it reflects my peppy personality."
Nesta nodded, "I read an article once about how a person's favourite colour says a lot about the person themselves," she said annoyed, "It sounded like one of those quizzes you find in gossip magazines, like it was written by a third grader. I hate those things, like horoscopes."
He grunted, "God, Mor's obsessed with horoscopes..."
The conversation continued without any more awkward silences for the remainder of the ride, and when Cassian turned onto a bumpy road, Nesta knew they were close. Of course, even if she hadn't looked at the directions from her house to the place, the myriad cars parked along the road would have been an indication.
They parked in the first vacant spot they could find and as soon as Nesta was out of the car, an icy gust of wind hit her face, making her shiver with cold. She looked over the bonnet at Cassian and found him staring at her with a half smile on his face. He'd left his glasses in the car and had let his hair down again, her hair band on his wrist, and he looked even prettier than before.
"Do you want my jacket?" he asked her, with a conflicted look on his face, as if he didn't want to. Nesta narrowed her brows and he hurried to add, "There's no hidden agenda to my offer, just a friend lending a jacket to another friend."
Nesta watched him for a moment, trying to really understand his intentions, but then remembered reading in one of the reviews that the library was heated inside and shook her head.
Cassian gave a small nod of assent and then pointed down the street, "Shall we?"
From where they had parked to the library it would have been about a ten minute walk and Nesta couldn't help but notice the way Cassian kept his distance between them as if he was afraid she would get scared and run away.
He was back to fidgeting nervously with his fingers and when he realised she was looking at him, he put them in his pockets, smiling tensely at her. He took a deep breath and then said, "So, what do you know about this library?"
Nesta looked ahead, hoping to catch a glimpse of the building, but the foliage of the trees was still too thick and they were still too far away for it to see anything. She brought her hands to her stomach, crossing her fingers, "I actually did a bit of research before I came. Did you know that the Peace Treaty between Prythian and Hybern of 1864 was signed here?" she asked in an excited voice.
Cassian smiled at her so naturally that she felt herself blush. He had an expression she couldn't decipher, but Nesta had never been good at cracking people in general, so she didn't venture to continue until he said, "Tell me more."
And Nesta launched into a detailed description of the events that had taken place inside the building, which only a hundred years before had become a bookstore. Only one wing of the building had been furnished in such a way as to become a real shop, the rest had been set up to be visited as a museum, one of the oldest libraries. She talked about the architecture and how it was obvious that the palace had been built long before it became an important meeting place for scholars and researchers.
"And in 1932 a fire destroyed the science wing, burning more than a hundred textbooks." Nesta sighed, thinking how devastating that loss had been. She lit up with happiness when she remembered what happened next. "But luckily, one of the most important literary clubs in the city got together and they managed to recover a small portion of the books. It took them years to rewrite every manual, but they got help from one of the local researchers, a certain Mr. Hawthorn, I can't remember the name or details of the research, only that he's mentioned often in the article I read."
When she paused to catch her breath, Nesta realised with immense horror what had just happened. Cassian had not spoken a word after asking her if she knew anything about the place and she had monopolised the conversation without even acknowledging him once. She felt herself flare up and knew in that moment that any hope they had of becoming real friends was gone.
Sometimes she would get lost in thought and ramble on about the things she was passionate about. Quite often people had stopped her, letting her know they weren't interested in the subject, but Cassian had never interrupted her and she was afraid to look at him, convinced she would only find boredom and disgust on his face.
That was why, when he spoke, she was struck dumb.
"I'm impressed." he breathed, chuckling immediately afterwards.
Nesta pushed herself to look at him and he stood admiring her with his mouth slightly open, as if he couldn't find the words. She felt her heart clench in her chest so tightly that she didn't know if she could survive the pain. Who knows how many times he'd tried to stop her and she'd gone on and on about windows and arches and treaties of peace.
But when she got a better look at him, stopping in front of him, Cassian looked... happy.
He let out a laugh, running a hand through his hair, and Nesta was distracted for a moment by the sway of his arms before she was brought violently back down to earth when he said, "You surprise me more and more every time, Nesta."
And the way he said her name - Ne-sta - made her toes curl.
"Why?" she managed to throw out in a weak voice.
Cassian laughed again, raising his eyebrows so high they ended under the hair on his forehead, locking his eyes to hers. "I have a degree in history and my final thesis happened to be on this very library." Nesta felt the ground open up beneath her feet and hoped it swallowed her alive. "I came out of university with top marks and various accolades for finishing my studies on time and you, dreadful creature that you are, have just taught me at least three new things about this place."
His gaze was so intense that Nesta had to lower her head to hide the satisfied and surprised smirk that popped up on her lips.
"You're amazing." huffed Cassian, "Perfect in every way."
She shrugged.
"Although," he clicked his tongue against his palate, "You made a mistake."
Nesta looked up at him, frowning, "Oh, yeah?"
Cassian nodded, smirking fiercely, "Why don't you turn around and admire the palace, and once we're inside, I'll explain what it is?"
She must have been so lost in her chatter that she hadn't noticed that they had arrived in the large entrance forecourt, because when she turned, her back to Cassian, the building stood among the forest trees, as imposing and splendid as ever. The photos had not done it justice in the slightest and Nesta was left speechless.
Living in a country with a history going back millennia, it wasn't hard to stumble upon historic streets with old buildings and monuments, but this was completely different.
She was still admiring the way the stone around the windows had been carved to look like trees trying to get into the building when she felt something settle on the small of her back. A hand.
Nesta stiffened slightly, before closing her eyes and relaxing.
Cassian must have noticed her discomfort because a moment later his hand was no longer touching her.
They entered the museum part of the building in silence and Nesta paid the entrance fees, reminding him of the tea he'd offered her last Sunday and Cassian hadn't been able to argue with that.
They had just passed the doors to the first room, the smallest in the entire palace, when he leaned towards her, to the point of touching her ear with his lips.
The fact that he was whispering as if they had been in a sacred place did things to her little icy heart, "Mr. Hawthorn was not a man."
Shocked by that information, Nesta's head snapped in his direction and she realised too late that she had miscalculated the space.
Her lips brushed against his cheek, the corner of his lips, before Cassian reacted so quickly he startled her, but avoiding them both an involuntary first kiss. His sudden movement caused him to lose his balance and he reached out his hands towards her, straightening as he held on to her shoulders.
Both of them were holding their breath.
Cassian cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to the wall of books, but returning to look at her soon after, "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, you just surprised me," she said when she had recovered. "I must have read the article wrong."
He was still watching her and shook his head, "Oh no, I don't think it's that. They only found out a few months ago that it was Georgina and not George Hawthorn. They found letters in the house of what was thought to be Hawthorn's wife. Some people think they were just friends, but anyone who has read the letters they exchanged knows full well that they were lovers. Anyone who says otherwise is either homophobic or stupid."
Nesta realised that she could have listened to this for hours on end. And so it was.
The visit continued relatively quietly, Cassian explaining every detail to her, expanding on things she already knew and when he forgot something, she would step in and have her say, commenting on every little aspect.
She'd noticed how Cassian hadn't tried to touch her anymore and how whenever someone was about to bump into her, he'd vocally warn her instead of wrapping an arm around her shoulders to move her out of their way like he had on Sunday.
The visit to the museum lasted less than expected unfortunately, because Nesta hadn't had this much fun in too long. It was becoming easier to smile at him or tease him when he said dumb things and even he seemed to finally be more at ease when he had to make jokes that smacked of him.
When they finally got to the shop, Nesta couldn't stand on her feet anymore, she just wanted to buy all the books she saw and go home and arrange them on her shelves.
"Which section do you want to see first?" she asked him, even though she had started hopping impatiently about the place.
Cassian gave her a smug look, "Why don't you go wherever you want and I'll look for the manuals for the gazebo in the meantime? That way you don't waste time keeping up with me. I'll be right there."
Nesta let out an excited squeal and ran off, hearing only the echo of laughter that shook Cassian from head to toe.
***
As Cassian flipped through the various books to find a picture of a gazebo that looked similar to the one Feyre had requested, he kept casting glances at Nesta.
Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed book after book without even reading the synopses. She was in the romance novels section, from what he could see from where he stood, but soon ended up in the classics, where she grabbed just as many books. She moved to the mystery books section, this time stopping to read the plots and putting most of them back on the shelves.
Then, surprising Cassian, she walked over to where the historical novels were and turned to face him. He bent his head to the side, raising an eyebrow to ask her what she was doing there. Nesta seemed at a loss, trying to move all the books from one arm to the other to point him to join her, but Cassian was already halfway there and when she looked back up at him and found him standing in front of her, she gave him a bright smile.
"Hello." she exclaimed.
Cassian's breath caught for a second before he too sighed a greeting.
"I was thinking," Nesta began, running her eyes over the titles in front of them, "that you could recommend something about..." she wiggled her fingers as much as she could, trying to point to the shelf, and Cassian leaned forward, cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner.
"Here," he removed the first stack of books from her arms and she sagged a little, giving him a thankful look. "I can go get a bag so you can put them all in there and you don't have to carry them like this," he said taking all the books and having her help him arrange them so they wouldn't fall out.
He smiled at her over all the books, looking down at her and she smiled back just as happily.
Hell, if she looked at him like that every time he took her to a bookstore he should do it more often.
He had just turned to go towards the entrance, where he had seen special bags for carrying books, but Nesta stopped him by putting a hand on his arm.
"Wait!" she exclaimed almost impishly.
Cassian turned his head, genuinely worried that something had happened to her in the mere seconds he had been shot. He must have moved too fast, because one of the smaller classics flew off the top of the stack and landed right in her face.
Nesta groaned at the impact and brought her hands to her face, rubbing her forehead where it hurt.
"Oh my God, are you okay?!" he asked with wide eyes. And then Nesta laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she stared at him and he visibly relaxed. "Christ, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw a book at you."
She waved a hand in mid-air, to let him know it was nothing, and bent down to pick up what he realised was A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Of course Nesta was reading feminist classics.
She turned back to the books as if nothing had happened and Cassian had the urge to look for a list of all the bookstores in the world to take her to if it meant having her in such a good mood by his side, it didn't matter if she would never agree to go on a real date with him, he realised. As long as he could see her smile like that, he didn't need anything else.
"So, I was saying, before you battered me with a book-" she cast an amused glance over one shoulder at him.
He frowned, muttering, "I said sorry."
Nesta ignored him, "What do you recommend?"
Cassian blinked.
"You said you read historical novels right?" she asked, looking for confirmation, "You could recommend your favourites. But not the English or Russian classics. Or French ones. Chances are I've already read those."
Cassian was stunned. Nesta wanted advice on books. From him.
They were silent for too long as she turned around impatiently, "You lied?"
He looked surprised, "When?"
"When you said you were reading. Were you just doing it to impress me or were you serious?" she asked and maybe Cassian imagined it, but she looked disappointed.
He was quick to reply, "The Black Coat, by Neamat Imam. It's pretty recent, but set in the 1970s in Bangladesh. It's about a man who needs help and seeks it from a journalist he asks for work and one of the main themes is the famine that hit the country after it became independent. It's not my absolute favourite, but it certainly gives you something to think about."
Nesta nodded, searching through the titles and finding it almost immediately, "Anything else?"
Cassian felt his neck heat up and coughed a little before resuming speaking. "The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson. Set in the tenth century, it's about a Viking who is called Red because of his hair and focuses on the European political outlook in the late Viking Age. Again, it's not as good as the historical classics, but it's nice and shows a way of life that we're definitely not used to. It's different."
After looking for a few minutes, Nesta gave up reading and turned to him, crossing her arms. She tilted her head to the side, watching him closely, "What's your favourite book?"
Cassian shrugged, settling the books against his chest, "I think at the moment it's The King Must Die by Mary Renault. But I change my mind every month when I find something more interesting or captivating."
She nodded thoughtfully, "I'll take that one then."
And Cassian wished he could change the title immediately because... what if she didn't like it? Or if she thought it was a stupid book? What would she think of him then?
But Nesta had already found a copy a few shelves down and there was no turning back.
He could counterattack, though, "What about yours? You're not going to give me any advice on feminist classics or blatantly trashy romance novels?"
Nesta opened her mouth wide, looking outraged as she placed the latest addition on the pile, settling the book under her chin, "How can you say they're trashy if you don't even know what they're about?"
Cassian chuckled, "On the cover of You Came," he said as he gave her a sly look, "there's something called a 'spicymeter'. How am I supposed to take you seriously?"
Nesta blushed, "I read erotic novels, so what? I have to keep myself busy in my spare time somehow."
And then he challenged her, "Get me the hottest book you've ever read," he said in a joking tone, "I'll go get the bag in the meantime."
She had already left for the section when he had an idea that would surely doom him depending on how Nesta would react.
He walked up to the cashier's desk, making sure she didn't notice, and begging the clerk behind the counter to be quick, paid for all her books, gently placing them back in the bags.
When he reached her again, she seemed not to have noticed anything.
"'So, what did you get me? Ride Me? Fucked You Good? Last Night I Gave You A Thousand Orgasms?" he teased her with an annoyed grin on his lips.
Nesta gave him a fiery glance before noticing the bags, quite different from those you put the things you wanna buy in, and closed her mouth tightly. She frowned and looked at them for so long before speaking that Cassian began to feel self-conscious.
"You paid for my books?" she whispered, looking at him.
He nodded.
"It's not a date, Cassian," she reminded him for the umpteenth time.
"I know, but-"
"So why would you pay for things that are mine?"
He couldn't read her. She wasn't hinting at anything.
She didn't look angry but she didn't look impressed or grateful either.
Cassian placed the bags on the ground between them and Nesta followed his every movement with her eyes.
He ran a hand through his hair, sighing, "My adoptive family is filthy rich. I have a trust fund that I never get to spend on things I really want to do, the only way I get to use it is by giving gifts to my friends, so just accept these as my first gift - friend to friend - and call it a day."
Nesta continued to be impassive as she kept her eyes fixed on the books.
Perhaps he had gone too far. After all, she had taken more than a hundred and fifty euros worth of stuff, but he really didn't mind.
He was about to apologise, tell her she could give the money back if it made her feel better. Cassian would find a way to spend it back on her at other times anyway.
Then she raised her head, handing him two books with hilarious covers to say the least, "These two have storylines full of plot twists. You won't be able to put them down, but don't expect big epic battles or Viking warriors. It's just two college kids trying to survive in the modern world while finding solace in each other."
He didn't even have time to thank her that she was already across the room and waiting in line so she could pay them.
He scoffed, shaking his head.
"I guess you'll be paying for these two," he said as he caught up with her.
Nesta didn't even look at him, pulling out her wallet, "A gift from a friend to a friend."
As they walked back to the car, Cassian offered to carry the bags, but she didn't want to hear one more word so they had managed to compromise and had split the load equally.
They'd been on the road for about thirty minutes now and Nesta had gone through every book he'd bought her, talking about all the previous works by the authors she was holding in her hand at the moment.
Cassian could have died like that. Happy, relaxed, listening to the plots of those dirty books with no moral lessons to teach the reader, just pure entertainment.
He wondered at that moment if he would make it through the first few chapters of the books she had offered him and let out a heavy breath through his nose as he turned right towards the coast.
Nesta looked at him wide-eyed, stopping her rant about the headmaster's son getting the occasional model student to fall in love with him. She brought a hand to her mouth, "Oh dear, sorry, I'm boring you. I'm sorry."
He gave her a confused look ready to tell her she didn't have to apologise, but she continued.
"Sometimes I do and I don't even realize it. And I realize they're not challenging plots where you have to apply some hidden lobe of the brain to understand them, but they distract me from everyday problems, you know? It's fun to be able to unplug a few hours after I get home from work and-"
"Jesus, Nesta, stop!" he laughed, placing a hand on her thigh. She sighed. "You don't have to apologise. Not when you're so excited about something." he looked at her slyly, offering her a reassuring smile, "In fact, I'm glad you're talking so much today. Normally I have to pull the words out of your mouth."
She blushed slightly and then grew sullen soon after, sitting up straighter, "This isn't the way to Velaris, where are we going?"
Cassian didn't answer.
"You're taking me into the woods aren't you?"
"We literally just came out of a forest."
She ignored him.
"I knew it. You're a serial killer."
"Nes-"
"You're a little dense though. Why would you spend so much on someone if you're going to murder them?"
He decided to ignore her, chuckling, "I'm taking you to the beach."
"Why?" she asked, somewhat unconvinced.
Cassian shrugged, "I wanted to see the sunset."
"You didn't ask."
He sighed, gripping the steering wheel, "Okay," he whispered, then louder, "You want to go to the beach and watch the sunset?"
She nodded in assent and then continued to read the plots aloud.
And Cassian could have sworn he was in heaven.
***
Nesta gathered more sand, making a small ball out of it and placing it on the top of one of the towers she had made so far.
"Where did you learn to make such good sandcastles?" asked Cassian suddenly from behind her, startling her.
She jumped in the air, turning to face him and noticing the satisfied smile on his face for having taken her by surprise.
Nesta didn't answer him immediately, but allowed herself to admire him a bit.
Since they had arrived at the beach, they had taken off their shoes and were now both barefoot and then Cassian had bent down and started to roll his trousers around his ankles, offering to do it to her jeans as well, but Nesta had refused. She had sat down, looking at the sea for a while, while he walked along the shore and collected stones and shells.
When he had come back to her and shown them to her, asking her to make a sandcastle, she had laughed at first, but faced with his serious expression, she had been unable to do anything but get up and roll up her sleeves, moving to where the sand was a little more workable.
She looked away from that heavenly vision and made another ball, placing it next to the one she had just made. "When I was little my mum never let me do these, she said I'd get too much sun and forced me and Elain to stay under the umbrella all day," she replied truthfully, remembering the cruel bite of jealousy watching the children on the shore.
"And Feyre?"
Cassian had joined her, kneeling beside her and had begun to place the shells so that they served as windows to the towers.
Nesta sighed, "Feyre was still too little when Mini Me wanted to build sandcastles, but as soon as I became 'too old to play like a kid'," she gave him a knowing look, mimicking her mother's voice, "and Feyre started to figure out she was an actual being, Mama let her do whatever she wanted. Even stand in the sun for hours on end." she shrugged. "Whether it was out of indifference or love, I never understood."
Cassian had been silent the whole time and now he watched her, hands on his thighs as he waited for her to give him more. For her to tell him another little piece of her soul.
So she offered him a forced smile, "So to answer your question, it's all pent-up creativity."
"Well, you're very good at it," he granted her. "I can imagine what you could have done if your mother hadn't been so strict."
Well, yeah.
"What about you?" she asked him.
"What about me?"
"Did you go to the beach a lot?"
Cassian smiled weakly, getting up and heading towards the water to collect more shells. He nodded a couple of times and then said, "My mum and I loved coming to the beach and she loved making castles. And she always put so many 'windows' on the towers-"
Nesta turned to look at their work, realising how many shells he had placed on the piles of sand. She smiled softly, covering her eyes from the sun and watching him walk towards her.
"We always came when she was free from work."
A charged silence settled between them until Cassian chuckled, drawing her attention, "What?"
"You said this wasn't a date. And that we're just friends. Right?"
Shifting her gaze to him, she noticed how he kept his hands hidden behind his back and the mischievous glint in his eyes didn't reassure her at all. Slowly she stood up, nodding.
"So, I must treat you as I would treat my friends. Correct?"
"Cassian, I swear to god that-"
She didn't have time to finish her sentence that something wet and sticky landed in her face with a resounding splash, making her jump back.
She took a deep breath and immediately regretted it when a strong smell of stale water and seaweed flooded her nostrils.
When she opened her eyes again, wiping the seaweed from her face, Cassian was doubled over in laughter.
She didn't even give him time to get up when she started to run towards him - to do what, she had no idea - but he started to run away too and soon they were chasing each other all around the beach, not noticing the sweet looks they were getting from the people around them.
At that moment, Nesta was running so fast that she could feel the wind in her hair and the smell and sound of the sea, together with the laughter of the man who was chasing her, mixed with her own and the continuous tapping of her feet on the sand, made her feel alive.
She felt Cassian come closer every few metres until two strong arms wrapped around her waist and she was pulled up and spun around in the air.
A surprised yelp escaped her as Cassian laughed in her ear, "Gotcha!"
It wasn't until he stopped spinning with her in his arms that they realised the position they were in and immediately broke away, laughing embarrassed.
Nesta turned to face him, her face red from running and her breathing laboured. He was in no better condition. His hair was pointing in all directions and his sculpted chest was rising and falling with haste under the black fabric of his shirt.
He looked away first, scratching the back of his neck and fixing his eyes on the sunset, and offered her his arm as they returned to where they had left theirs things unattended.
Nesta shook her head, laughing one last time and started to run, " Last to reach the castle is stupid!"
Cassian burst out laughing, but he caught up to her in the blink of an eye and they both knew that she had doomed herself to lose. That's why, when he fell tripping over his feet, Nesta knew he had done it on purpose.
She helped him up and they sat back as in silence they watched the sun go down, disappearing past the horizon and the blending lights of the sky created a breathtaking spectacle.
Nesta couldn't have noticed, too busy admiring the clouds, but Cassian had been watching her the whole time, trying to understand how something as sombre and secretive as her could look so bright just by being.
The journey back was silent, but this time the silence was not awkward. They both welcomed it with open arms, a new awareness that there was no need for it to be filled with chatter and that gave Nesta the opportunity to close her eyes for a moment and doze off.
When the car stopped outside her flat, Nesta was surprised to find that she didn't want to get out.
She turned to Cassian after she had gathered her things and nodded, "I had fun today."
He gave her a genuine smile, looking surprised, "Me too."
And then she permanently shocked him, adding, "I'm not working on Saturday, we could do it again. Changing location."
He blinked once. Twice. Then he nodded, "Sure."
He didn't seem to want to say anything more, so Nesta waved goodbye to him and then got out, not waiting for an answer from him.
Cassian stood motionless in the car park of her flat for another half hour, trying to figure out what had just happened, and when the reality of things finally dawned on him, he smiled, "Fuck yeah."
acotar tag list (if you wanna be added or removed just dm me or send me an ask)
he paid for her books?? MULTIPLE books?? all of them?? you know how expensive books are???
also i love how they are both history nerds
and are you sure you wrote this bc this was a lot of fluff with very little angst and i honestly didn’t know that you could do this
NOT NESTA READING A BOOK CALLED YOU CAME
that has the same energy as justin bieber calling one of his songs ‘come around me’
i cant believe they didn’t figure out that they are soulmates yet ugh 🙄
now i need a bonus scene of cassian reading one of the smut scenes dramatically to nesta
with sound effects and stuff too
lastly, heyyy long time no see sorry im bad at staying consistent on this app bc ever since acosf ive been trying to forget acotar was a thing that ever happened to me. i missed youuuuu. you’re amazing
"Nesta was two chapters away from my favourite part of the novel when the red winged guy came to her room. The blue one is okay I guess, but the one Nesta likes picks the worst times to come see her. Anyway, the thing is that they did the deed and she went to bed after WITHOUT READING THE NEXT CHAPTERS... We'lll see how they like their cold showers in the morning"
I have decided to completely block out my vision when it comes to Azriel’s room because he’s very strange. He does some very unsavory things while looking at the medicine bottle. I’m not sure what he’s thinking about, and although he is the prettiest man that has ever walked in my halls, his actions disturb me nonetheless and I feel like he should be seeing professional. I will be replacing the knives in his room with therapy books on his nightstand.
I am also thinking about creating a system where Nesta and Cassian are not allowed within five feet of each other when in the dining room.
I'm so tired of this. It's like they don't understand that everytime they mess around, I'm the one that has to clean them up. And they never pick one spot! Her bed. Then his bed. Then the floor. Against the wall like heathens. I'm the inanimate object and even I understand proper courtesy to at least clean up the walls after I'm done messing with them. We don't have time for another paint job! And my kitchen table- it is mahogany and they treat it like cedarwood. Disgusting. PICK ONE AND COMMIT DAMN IT!!! I'm going to lock one of them out tomorrow so they just have to share the room and stick to one spot for their extracurricular activities. Nesta wants him to stay anyways she's just not saying anything. It's a good thing I'm actually being proactive in this relationship and doing what's best for them. Maybe I'll withhold chocolate cake for a week so she can stop being so stubborn.
I thought that I had gone through that hypersexual phase with this Cassian when he rhys and azriel occupied me but noooo! This bunny just doesnt stop and he's pulled Nesta into his shenanigans too. Now, I'm not one to shy away from a good smut scene, im not a prude I'm a lover of romance. But these two fuckin kids are characters if an erotica. An erotica I never intended on witnessing might I add. I love romance with a plot, romance with some build up. Not sex right from chapter one with no breaks. If it's not the dining room, it's the wall. If it's not the wall, it's their bedrooms. If it's not the bedroom it's the foyer. The other day they barely made it up the stairs before they tore their clothes off like hormonal adolescent illyrian boys. I've considered locking their bedroom doors and setting a curfew but distance seems to provoke them more. I cant take that risk.
What's going on? Are they in heat? Did I slip an aphrodisiac in their meals by mistake? Are they trying to set a record? I just can't.
I’ve ran out of pages in my book that Ive had to start writing in the novel Nesta gave me in the margins. Don’t even get me started on this week.
Nesta had a nightmare, my poor baby. I was so scared that I cracked the door so the boys could hear. But you know what happened? That bitch of a high lord- oh wait I shouldn’t say that, technically, since he built me. Oops. He barged in!!! Knock, sir, after all you are literally coming into me.
Oh no that sounded wrong. But speaking of that- I love Nesta dont get me wrong but hearing her scream that is getting just a *little* tiring it’s like that’s all they do at this point, they eat together and then fu-
Oh the MOTHER. They’re mates aren’t they??? Oh my gods the TEA I’m serving is piping HOT! Oh my gods do they even know? They don’t I’m guessing, or maybe they do. That being said I’m going to force them to be around each other all the time.
And Azriel, dearest, if you get in my way I will personally throw a gust of wind your way when you stand on my balcony.
Zoyalai Howl’s Moving Castle AU!! Inspired by @dregstrash ‘s genius idea from this post. She also has written a fic of it for this years GVBB mini bang here!
Disclaimer: All the characters are over 18 (I know people only go to Hogwarts until they’re 17 but it’s my headcanon and I can do what I want lol)
- Nesta is a Slytherin (same as Rhysand and Eris)
- Cassian is a Gryffindor (same as Feyre and Mor)
- Nesta and Cassian have a very James/Lily dynamic.
-They argue all the time and Cassian shamelessly flirts with her.
-In this au, when the students are sorted into houses they’re also told which house would have been the hat’s second choice.
-It’s basically your ascendant/rising house.
-Nesta is a Ravenclaw rising. Cassian is a Hufflepuff rising
-Students must spend a certain amount of time/do some activities with their rising house
-This is how Nesta and Gwyn became friends. (Gwyn is a Ravenclaw, same as Azriel and Lucien)
-Cassian is super popular. Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, heartbreaker, troublemaker, but also incredibly kind and protective of his friends. A mix between James Potter and Cedric Diggory. He aced his GUFO and MAGO.
-Nesta is the girl everyone has a crush on but no one dares to approach, mostly because she’s terrifying. Top marks in all subjects, but particularly skilled in potions, divination and care of magical creatures. The scariest, most terrifying creatures love her. Hippogriffs bow to her.
-Cassian loves watching Nesta when she’s working on a particularly complicated potion, hunched over a cauldron with her face scrunched up in concentration, muttering under her breath to calculate the exact amount of ingredients. He gets too distracted watching her and messes up his own potion.
-Nesta loves watching Cassian when he’s dueling someone during defense against the dark arts, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up and his hair in a bun. He always anticipates the moves of his opponent. Whenever he wins (and he almost always does), he turns his head towars Nesta and winks at her, as if he knows exactly what seeing him duel does to her.
-Cassian asks her to the Yule ball but she says no, so he goes with Mor and she goes with Eris.
-When Cassian sees Nesta walking down the stairs he almost chokes on his drink.
-They spend the whole night dancing with their respective partners while looking at each other. There’s a scene in Grey’s Anatomy where Meredith dances with her bf and Derek dances with Addison but Meredith and Derek keep looking at each ohter until they find themselves in an empty room and have reeeeally passionate sex. The same thing happens with nessian, but instead of having sex they make out until Cassian recluctantly pulls away because Nesta is drunk and he doesn’t want to take advantage of her.
-Nesta rarely attends parties in the Gryffindor common room, and when she does it’s only to make Feyre happy. Nesta says she doesn’t want to go because of the rivalrly between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but the real reason is that she usually arrives just in time to see Cassian flirting or making out with someone. She doesn’t care, of course. She’s not jealous, not at all.
-One time she stayed at the party longer than usual. She was chatting with Emerie when suddenly the room fell silent and and a guitar started playing. Nesta followed the sound of the music until she saw where it was coming from.
-Cassian was sitting on the couch, playing guitar. His friends surrounded him, inlcuding Feyre and Mor, and no one seemed surprised by the sight of Cassian performing for them. Apparently it was a common occourrence.
-Nesta watched him from afar, mesmerized by the movements of his hands on the cords. She had no idea he was so talented.
-And then he started singing, and his eyes found hers.
-He held her stare until the end of the song.
-Maybe the next time he asks her out she’ll say yes.
someone tell me how deciding to watch ONE bts interview today which was on my recommended led to me falling down a rabbit hole and becoming obsessed with every single one of them
I want to live by myself when I move out of my parent's place but I'm really afraid of money problems? I'm afraid that the only place I can afford will be in the ghetto and it'll all be torn apart and I'll only be allowed to eat one granola bar a week. I'm really stressing out about this. I don't know anything about after school life. I don't know anything about paying bills or how to buy an apartment and it's really scaring me. is there anything you know that can help me?
HI darling,
I’ve actually got a super wonderful masterpost for you to check out:
Home
what the hell is a mortgage?
first apartment essentials checklist
how to care for cacti and succulents
the care and keeping of plants
Getting an apartment
Money
earn rewards by taking polls
how to coupon
what to do when you can’t pay your bills
see if you’re paying too much for your cell phone bill
how to save money
How to Balance a Check Book
How to do Your Own Taxes
Health
how to take care of yourself when you’re sick
things to bring to a doctor’s appointment
how to get free therapy
what to expect from your first gynecologist appointment
how to make a doctor’s appointment
how to pick a health insurance plan
how to avoid a hangover
a list of stress relievers
how to remove a splinter
Emergency
what to do if you get pulled over by a cop
a list of hotlines in a crisis
things to keep in your car in case of an emergency
how to do the heimlich maneuver
Job
time management
create a resume
find the right career
how to pick a major
how to avoid a hangover
how to interview for a job
how to stop procrastinating
How to write cover letters
Travel
ULTIMATE PACKING LIST
Traveling for Cheap
Travel Accessories
The Best Way to Pack a Suitcase
How To Read A Map
How to Apply For A Passport
How to Make A Travel Budget
Better You
read the news
leave your childhood traumas behind
how to quit smoking
how to knit
how to stop biting your nails
how to stop procrastinating
how to stop skipping breakfast
how to stop micromanaging
how to stop avoiding asking for help
how to stop swearing constantly
how to stop being a pushover
learn another language
how to improve your self-esteem
how to sew
learn how to embroider
how to love yourself
100 tips for life
Apartments/Houses/Moving
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 1: Are You Sure? (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 2: Finding the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 3: Questions to Ask about the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 4: Packing and Moving All of Your Shit (The Responsible One)
How to Protect Your Home Against Break-Ins (The Responsible One)
Education
How to Find a Fucking College (The Sudden Adult)
How to Find Some Fucking Money for College (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do When You Can’t Afford Your #1 Post-Secondary School (The Sudden Adult)
Stop Shitting on Community College Kids (Why Community College is Fucking Awesome) (The Responsible One)
How to Ask for a Recommendation Letter (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a College Major (The Sudden Adult)
Finances
How to Write a Goddamn Check (The Responsible One)
How to Convince Credit Companies You’re Not a Worthless Bag of Shit (The Responsible One)
Debit vs Credit (The Responsible One)
What to Do if Your Wallet is Stolen/Lost (The Sudden Adult)
Budgeting 101 (The Responsible One)
Important Tax Links to Know (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a Bank Without Screwing Yourself (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting
How to Write a Resume Like a Boss (The Responsible One)
How to Write a Cover Letter Someone Will Actually Read (The Responsible One)
How to Handle a Phone Interview without Fucking Up (The Responsible One)
10 Sites to Start Your Job Search (The Responsible One)
Life Skills
Staying in Touch with Friends/Family (The Sudden Adult)
Bar Etiquette (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do After a Car Accident (The Sudden Adult)
Grow Up and Buy Your Own Groceries (The Responsible One)
How to Survive Plane Trips (The Sudden Adult)
How to Make a List of Goals (The Responsible One)
How to Stop Whining and Make a Damn Appointment (The Responsible One)
Miscellaneous
What to Expect from the Hell that is Jury Duty (The Responsible One)
Relationships
Marriage: What the Fuck Does It Mean and How the Hell Do I Know When I’m Ready? (Guest post - The Northwest Adult)
How Fucked Are You for Moving In with Your Significant Other: An Interview with an Actual Real-Life Couple Living Together™ (mintypineapple and catastrofries)
Travel & Vehicles
How to Winterize Your Piece of Shit Vehicle (The Responsible One)
How to Make Public Transportation Your Bitch (The Responsible One)
Other Blog Features
Apps for Asshats
Harsh Truths & Bitter Reminders
Asks I’ll Probably Need to Refer People to Later
Apartments (or Life Skills) - How Not to Live in Filth (The Sudden Adult)
Finances - Tax Basics (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Copy of Your Birth Certificate (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Replacement ID (The Responsible One)
Health - How to Deal with a Chemical Burn (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - List of Jobs Based on Social Interaction Levels (The Sudden Adult)
Job Hunting - How to Avoid Falling into a Pit of Despair While Job Hunting (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - Questions to Ask in an Interview (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - First-Time Flying Tips (The Sudden Adult)
Life Skills - How to Ask a Good Question (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Reasons to Take a Foreign Language (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Opening a Bar Tab (The Sudden Adult)
Relationships - Long Distance Relationships: How to Stay in Contact (The Responsible One)
Adult Cheat Sheet:
what to do if your pet gets lost
removing stains from your carpet
how to know if you’re eligible for food stamps
throwing a dinner party
i’m pregnant, now what?
first aid tools to keep in your house
how to keep a clean kitchen
learning how to become independent from your parents
job interview tips
opening your first bank account
what to do if you lose your wallet
tips for cheap furniture
easy ways to cut your spending
selecting the right tires for your car
taking out your first loan
picking out the right credit card
how to get out of parking tickets
how to fix a leaky faucet
get all of your news in one place
getting rid of mice & rats in your house
when to go to the e.r.
buying your first home
how to buy your first stocks
guide to brewing coffee
first apartment essentials checklist
coping with a job you hate
30 books to read before you’re 30
what’s the deal with retirement?
difference between insurances
Once you’ve looked over all those cool links, I have some general advice for you on how you can have some sort of support system going for you:
Reasons to move out of home
You may decide to leave home for many different reasons, including:
wishing to live independently
location difficulties – for example, the need to move closer to university
conflict with your parents
being asked to leave by your parents.
Issues to consider when moving out of home
It’s common to be a little unsure when you make a decision like leaving home. You may choose to move, but find that you face problems you didn’t anticipate, such as:
Unreadiness – you may find you are not quite ready to handle all the responsibilities.
Money worries – bills including rent, utilities like gas and electricity and the cost of groceries may catch you by surprise, especially if you are used to your parents providing for everything. Debt may become an issue.
Flatmate problems – issues such as paying bills on time, sharing housework equally, friends who never pay board, but stay anyway, and lifestyle incompatibilities (such as a non-drug-user flatting with a drug user) may result in hostilities and arguments.
Your parents may be worried
Think about how your parents may be feeling and talk with them if they are worried about you. Most parents want their children to be happy and independent, but they might be concerned about a lot of different things. For example:
They may worry that you are not ready.
They may be sad because they will miss you.
They may think you shouldn’t leave home until you are married or have bought a house.
They may be concerned about the people you have chosen to live with.
Reassure your parents that you will keep in touch and visit regularly. Try to leave on a positive note. Hopefully, they are happy about your plans and support your decision.
Tips for a successful move
Tips include:
Don’t make a rash decision – consider the situation carefully. Are you ready to live independently? Do you make enough money to support yourself? Are you moving out for the right reasons?
Draw up a realistic budget – don’t forget to include ‘hidden’ expenses such as the property’s security deposit or bond (usually four weeks’ rent), connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Communicate – avoid misunderstandings, hostilities and arguments by talking openly and respectfully about your concerns with flatmates and parents. Make sure you’re open to their point of view too – getting along is a two-way street.
Keep in touch – talk to your parents about regular home visits: for example, having Sunday night dinner together every week.
Work out acceptable behaviour – if your parents don’t like your flatmate(s), find out why. It is usually the behaviour rather than the person that causes offence (for example, swearing or smoking). Out of respect for your parents, ask your flatmate(s) to be on their best behaviour when your parents visit and do the same for them.
Ask for help – if things are becoming difficult, don’t be too proud to ask your parents for help. They have a lot of life experience.
If your family home does not provide support
Not everyone who leaves home can return home or ask their parents for help in times of trouble. If you have been thrown out of home or left home to escape abuse or conflict, you may be too young or unprepared to cope.
If you are a fostered child, you will have to leave the state-care system when you turn 18, but you may not be ready to make the sudden transition to independence.
If you need support, help is available from a range of community and government organisations. Assistance includes emergency accommodation and food vouchers. If you can’t call your parents or foster parents, call one of the associations below for information, advice and assistance.
Where to get help
Your doctor
Kids Helpline Tel. 1800 55 1800
Lifeline Tel. 13 11 44
Home Ground Services Tel. 1800 048 325
Relationships Australia Tel. 1300 364 277
Centrelink Crisis or Special Help Tel. 13 28 50
Tenants Union of Victoria Tel. (03) 9416 2577
Things to remember
Try to solve any problems before you leave home. Don’t leave because of a fight or other family difficulty if you can possibly avoid it.
Draw up a realistic budget that includes ‘hidden’ expenses, such as bond, connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Remember that you can get help from a range of community and government organizations.
tangentwithtanner
blakekathryn
andulkaphoto
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
