#[ on the bright side! the weather is super pretty and the snow and ice is melting ]

[despairforme]

[mainstream-deviant]

Secret Santa 2023!

Hello hello -

Well, it's the 11th hour on xmas eve (possibly literally, depending on your time zone), but I'm here, very technically on time! :P

My giftee for the @super-secret-conspiracy secret santa event was @kitsunefaux, who gave me a pretty wide-open request for Ryou and/or Bakura by preference, with a few shipping options. Tendershipping was first on that list, so here we are. I hope you enjoy me subjecting poor sweet Bakura to the joy of winter weather for your amusement. ;)

Fic Rating: G (or I guess T if a couple of F bombs count)

Fic is below, or on A03 here

-------------------------

“Come on!” 

“No.” There was a pause. “Oh, fuck right off with the pouting.” 

“Is it working, though?” 

“...No.” 

“Pleeeeeeaaaaase? It’s so nice out!” 

“Not it’s not, it’s fucking cold.” Another pause. A judgemental look down. “That’s the only reason you even got me into this monstrosity. It ends there.” 

“Except it doesn’t. People need to see!” 

“Lies.” A pause, then a deep, soul weary sigh.  

“I’ll get your scarf!” A beaming smile. 

“....I hate you so much.” 

---------- 

Even though Halloween was clearly the superior holiday, Ryou always appreciated a nice fresh snow right before the winter holidays. And he was rapidly discovering that it was all twice as entertaining when you have a boyfriend with no concept at all of winter to lovingly torture with it all. 

He still couldn’t quite believe he’d managed to convince Bakura into coordinating ugly christmas sweaters for the day. It was good to know just how far Bakura was willing to go in the quest for winter warmth; that would probably come in handy someday. But for now, he‘d take his small victory. Here they were, all bundled up – Bakura in a scarf and a hat and mittens, goodness it was only barely below freezing, what were they going to do when it got properly cold – and out to enjoy the lovely winter’s day. 

Despite his earlier grumbling, Ryou could tell that Bakura was enjoying himself. Bakura’s gaze was darting around, eyes suspiciously wide and sparkly for a man who was supposed to be annoyed. A thick fog had rolled through the day before, leaving a thick layer of hoarfrost clinging to every available surface in its wake. The frost glittered now against the bright blue sky, turning the world to crystal. Ryou tucked his hands around Bakura’s arm and leaned into his side.  

“See, it’s not so bad, is it? It’s beautiful out here.” 

“I admit nothing.” Bakura glanced over at Ryou with what was probably supposed to be a stern look, but he didn’t quite manage to hide a tiny grin. 

Ryou couldn’t help but roll his eyes a bit at that, though he gamely tried to hide it. “Of course you don’t.” He smiled. “Fine then. Just enjoy the scenery, you grouch. I should have found you a grinch sweater to match the sparkling holiday cheer.” 

“A tribute to the best thief of the holidays? I’d take it.” Bakura made no effort at all to hide his smirk this time. 

Ryou now rolled his eyes quite a lot, and enjoyed Bakura’s laugher at his side. They fell into silence as they walked down the path together, just enjoying the fresh winter air and sparkling frost for a while. Suddenly, Ryou tugged on Bakura’s arm.  

“Oh, look!” He pointed up the path. “It looks like someone’s been flooding a little ice patch. Let’s go slide around a bit!” 

Bakura went stiff beside him. “Not a chance.” 

“Oh, but it’ll be fun.” 

“Nope.” Bakura planted his feet. “It’s bad enough walking in snow, there’s no way you’re getting me sliding around like an idiot. You’re on your own.” 

“Even if moving around a bit more would help you stay warm?” 

Bakura squeezed his arm to his side, tugging Ryou’s hands more firmly into his side in the process, and smiled. “You’re doing a good enough job of that already, thanks.”  

“I see.” Ryou gave Bakura’s arm a squeeze and considered his options for a moment before smiling up at Bakura with an exaggeratedly angelic look.  

“Well, I’m glad to be of service and all, but your heater needs a break.” Fast as a viper, he snatched the hat off of Bakura’s head and bolted towards the ice, gliding smoothly across it to hop into the snow on the other side. “Your precious warmth is right here whenever you’d like it.” 

“What the fuck!” 

Ryou burst out laughing. Bakura looked so deeply offended.  

“Come and get it!” Ryou grinned and shook the hat as though trying to tempt a bull. “Surely the greatest thief of the last few millennia can steal back a hat? All that’s in the way is a teeny tiny patch of i-” The next words were cut off by a burst of hysterical laugher. “What was that?!” 

Bakura looked up from the ground, where he’d splayed himself out the moment he set foot on the ice. “Shut your f-AH!”  

Ryou had to bend right over he was laughing so hard. Bakura kept trying to get to his feet, but he couldn’t seem to manage more than half a second of traction before ending right back on the ground in a heap of awkward limbs. Eventually, he lay still on the ice, despondently spread-eagle, and turned pleading eyes on Ryou. That was about as close to a plea for help as he was ever likely to give, and Ryou managed to calm himself down enough to take pity on the poor man.  

“Ok, ok, let me show you how it’s don- eep!” 

Ryou blinked up at the sky, which was suddenly straight ahead. He lay on the ground for a few seconds of stunned silence before turning his head to look at Bakura, who was lying still next to him, stunned expression on his face. They stared at each other for a moment, before bursting into laughter again.  

“It serves you right! Justice!” Bakura punched a fist at the sky, but wisely didn’t try to get up again.  

“Yes yes, me and my big mouth.” Ryou reached over to stuff the hat back on Bakura’s head. “I think that’s our sign to head home and warm up.” 

“About time. Let’s get the hell out of here.”  

Ryou shimmied awkwardly off the ice, dragging Bakura along in his wake as best as he could. It wasn’t graceful, but they got there. They always did.  

---------- 

Ryou returned to the couch with hot chocolates in hand, and gratefully sank into Bakura’s side when he held the blanket open for him.  

“Here. Chocolate mint for me, and a dash of chili pepper for you. Only the best. Better?” 

“Yeah. Better.” Bakura shifted to help Ryou settle in, and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Remember this the next time you think it’s a good idea to go outside and freeze our asses off. We can skip straight to the good stuff next time.” 

“Oh, but you had a fun. I saw how you were staring at all the frost. Wasn’t it beautiful?” 

“And cold.” 

“Well yes, that’s how frost works.” Ryou took a sip of his drink with a happy sigh. “But it was a good day.” Ryou smiled up at Bakura, warm and content.  

“Yeah. A good day.” Bakura leaned his head over Ryou’s, and they let the warmth sink in.  

[arizonatea-and-nikolatesla]

Tips for new drivers

As someone who has seen so many people not know how to drive- and watched people get in wrecks for doing stupid things

1. Do NOT fuck with semi-trucks

I don’t care how Savvy of a driver you think you are, or if they’re driving like an ass

Do not drive next to them (this is annoying for people trying to pass, and dangerous. You ever see those big chunks of rubber on the side of the road? Yeah that’s because sometimes semi truck tires blow out.)

Do not break check them

Do not ride super close behind them

They are much bigger than your car or truck or van, they have massive blind spots- If you get onto an accident with one YOU are going to be the one injured or dead. Pass them quickly.

2. Use your turning signal

Even if you don’t think any one is close enough to you for it to matter- use it. All it takes is one car to come flying up from nowhere and if you try to get over and they don’t know, they will hit you.

3. Give motorcycles some space

this is the opposite of the semis- I don’t care how much of a dick that guy on a bike is being. Give him space- because if you get into a collision, you could kill them. Even if it’s not your fault- you will feel HORRIBLE about it for the rest of your life. Give them space, do not try and cut them off, do not break check them, etc.

4. Slow DOWN in bad weather

I know people who thought they were safe in their big four wheel drive trucks who then spun out on the ice and smashed into a railing.

If it’s pouring, if it’s icy, if it’s snowing- SLOW DOWN! Put your hazards on if you have to and stay to the right. Hell- pull over if you feel like you need to.

Let people honk their horns at you and flip you off. Getting home safe is more important than anything else. It’s not uncommon for people to go pretty slow in bad weather- just stay out of the passing lane

5. Assume everyone else is the world’s worst driver

You need to be ready for people being horrible drivers. Always. Check to make sure someone isn’t going to run that red light before you go, give that car ahead of you some extra space in case they don’t use their turning signal or suddenly break, do not ride next to other cars in case they swerve.

I do not care if the accident wouldn’t be your fault- you may think

“Oh I’ll let them hit me- their insurance might just pay for me to get a new car!”

You could die. You could get seriously injured. That irresponsible driver might have kids in their car that could get hurt. And yeah- that’s not your fault, but why wouldn’t you want to try and avoid that from happening if you can?

6. Get off your phone

Even if you think you’re the best person in the world at texting and driving- all it takes is one little thing. One kid darting across the road, one car slamming on their breaks, one especially deep puddle, or something in the road- and suddenly you’re driving headfirst into a tree or ditch.

7. Driver to driver communication

Sometimes- people will make gestures. They mean different things in different situations

-flashing your brights or hazards, this could indicate a ‘thank you’ for letting someone get over or merge. Or it could be someone trying to let you know of an animal crossing the road- and or other hazards

-waving at stop signs or intersections etc, this usually means someone is giving you the right away. This also applies to pedestrians at crosswalks. It’s a simple ‘go right ahead’, but if you take too long they might go anyway.

-Horns. Horns don’t always mean ‘Fuck you’, although they might! They might also be someone trying to alert you of an imminent hazard- especially during the day. If you think you’re doing everything right and someone honks at you- take a look around. There might be something they see that you don’t

-revving engines. This could either be them showing off- or if they seem to be looking and trying to talk or gesture to you- especially at a stop light, they might be trying to race you. Do not race people. This is in fact- illegal and dangerous

8. Don’t slow down on the highway to exit UNTIL you enter the exit lane/ramp

This is more of a personal thing than anything- but this was also told to me by both my drivers instructor and the class I took.

If you are getting off the highway- don’t slow down ON the highway. There are people BEHIND YOU, a lot of which will probably have cruise control on. Wait until you enter the Exit lane and then slow down.

Ideally you wait until all four tires are in the lane- if the lane is too short for you to slow down fast enough- at least get over quickly and try not to slow down too far ahead. If you must, make sure you have that turning signal on so people know you might slow down.

[lilbabycee]

daybreak // steve rogers ✨

hi! i decided to make a tumblr so that i can write here too, not just on AO3 - please be nice to me i’m nervous 🥺 enjoy! xx

↳ summary: an insight into the relationship between steve rogers and his little ray of sunshine. 

↳ relationship: steve rogers x reader

↳ warnings: a lot of cute domestic fluff and some dom/sub undertones bc steve is a closet freak and that’s that

READ SUNDOWN

Steve learned from a young age not to stare directly at the sun but that was becoming an increasingly difficult task when he has a clingy little everyone seemed little to him ray of sunshine sprawled out in his bed most mornings. She carries a certain wonder about her and he is sure that she must be aware of it to some extent for in his eyes, it is impossible for somebody to entrance and captivate the people around her as much as she does without even knowing it.

She isn’t perfect - she snores - loud - and is clumsy and speaks too fast and too loud sometimes. But she can be quiet - like in her refusal to burden him on any of the days when she is feeling more akin to the color of the sky against the New York skyline outside their massive apartment windows than the sunflowers that she insists on keeping on the dining table during the whole year. Or the way she draws in on herself when she’s being heavily criticized, diamond eyes shining in a way that makes his heart freefall to his stomach. The way she can get insecure about her work despite the way people laud it. She is too hard on herself, doesn’t know when to stop even when she is dead on her feet and cries often and quick if she fails to achieve whatever her little fighting heart is set on.

But she is his. Her bright and youthful spirit chose his old and weary one, painting over the tainted black and grey with vibrant yellows and reds and greens and golds using the fine sable brushes that he has tucked away in the lower drawer of his bedside table. Years ago he had come out of the ice, but he had never truly unfrozen until she came and melted him, his own personal sunlight with her arms wrapped around his neck and with him wrapped around her little finger.

Steve had never considered himself a poet. An artist, yes, but even that was a modest affirmation. But then she came into his life, all breezy skirts and pouty lips and he knew that he would have to find a new way to articulate his feelings because he failed to find a way to express how she made him feel. Like eating cool orange slices outside in the summer, the juice running down your chin but you don’t care because the weather’s hot and you’re in love. Like stepping into a warm department store when it’s snowing, knowing full well that you won’t buy anything but it doesn’t matter because you’re warm and you’re in love. Like laying surrounded by loved ones but your arm is cramping because your cousin has been laying on it for hours, but that’s not important because they’re comfortable and you’re in love.

In love. It doesn’t seem like enough to describe what he feels for you, the way that heat blooms in his chest every time you lock eyes or how your smile makes the steady beating of his super soldier heart stutter. Even now, looking down at your sleeping form, he can’t help the boyish smile that grows on his face. His right hand rests on your waist and your head rests right over his heart, the pulsing of it lulling you to sleep the night before. His left hand comes up, thumb gently caressing the bottom lip of your wide-open mouth.

He can feel the magic buzzing in the air in moments like these, the subtle beauty of it all, the life he thought he would never have. You shift on his chest, throwing a leg over his and then settling. Steve exhales, watching the sunlight stream through the crack in the blinds and reflect off of your bare shoulder that his t-shirt has fallen off of, shrouded in the white cotton of the sheets. You were-

His thought process is interrupted by a loud snore and some quiet muttering before you bury your face deeper into his chest. A deep chuckle vibrates through his chest, causing you to shift some more and a quiet groan to escape your lips. He presses a kiss to your forehead and you half-open your eyes as he looks down at you in a way that you can only describe as reverently.

“Good mornin’, doll,” he rasps, voice deeper from sleep and it caresses your ears, making you coo.

“Hi, baby,” you whisper, blinking sleepily up at him, kissing his bare chest right over his heart. “How long have you been up?”

Steve hesitates, contemplating lying for a split second but then he remembers who he’s talking to. He needs not feel embarrassed when you’re around, your accepting nature allowing him to express himself while avoiding judgement.

“A couple of hours now,” he replies, tracing patterns on your bare shoulder absent-mindedly. He glances over at the clock - 8:44 a.m   - and exhales deeply, pushing your head deeper into his chest. You wouldn’t need to be up until around 10, because after that, Tony would surely be up to disrupt your peace with incessant teasing. Today you had offered to help Bruce in the lab with some undisclosed - but “very safe, I can assure you” - project, but that was supposed to be for early in the afternoon.

“Time really flies when you’re being a creep, huh, old man?” You tease, eyes full of mirth as you stare up at the love of your life.

He smirks, digging his fingers into your sides making you giggle and squirm on top of him.

“Watch your mouth there, young lady,” he calls you out in his captain voice, making your stomach flutter and your eyes lower in submission. He knows what that voice does to you, how it melts your resolve. His smirk only grows when he realizes how your eyes have dropped and how quiet you’ve become. “Don’t worry, baby, I know you have work to do. I won’t spank you today. You can find a way to thank me later.”

He follows his last sentence up with a wink and you giggle, always content about how soft he makes you in the morning. Later you may find the time to exhibit your bratty behaviour, but for now, everything was soft and sweet and quiet. You nuzzle your face into his neck and his hands slip down to grip your ass.

“I’m sure I will find a way later, Captain,” you mutter, yawning. His hands start to move in slow, languid circles, as both of you know that you have some time left in your little safe haven bathed in golden light and wrapped up in each other’s body heat. “What are you gonna do today, super soldier?”

He sighs, licking his lips and your eyes can’t help but follow the movement of his pink tongue peeking out between those perfectly pink lips. Instinctively, you bring a hand up to trace their outline, fully appreciating the beauty of the man that you hold captive beneath you.

His pretty blue eyes stare contemplatively at the ceiling and you notice how in this light, they look greener than they do blue. It was as if God himself poured a vat of molten gold into the ocean of his eyes, letting it sit and reflect the sun on this early morning. His cheekbones are pronounced and his jaw is strong, giving his face such a classically beautiful structure. The spun flaxen strands of his golden mane are unruly, but the time that the angels had spent slaving away and spinning it does not go unappreciated. You have a sudden urge to run your fingers through it, but instead your eyes are drawn to his moles and his freckles. They make constellations across his unblemished skin you’re jealous and reassure you that this perfect man that lays beneath you is still indeed human.

“You’re so damn pretty , baby,” you sigh, interrupting whatever response he was about to provide to your question. He smiles up at you and you return it easily, leaning down to place a soft kiss right on top of his lips. He grips your ass slightly tighter pulling you deeper into it. You make a noise of surprise that he quickly swallows, then moving his lips to nip and suck at your neck. Last night was long and he made love to you slowly and lazily, bringing you right to the edge again and again. Keeping up with his elevated libido was a constant but extremely enjoyable workout for you, one that he always found amusing.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he says once he relinquishes your lips from his hold, pecking you one more time. “But I don’t think I’m the pretty one in this relationship.”

He kisses you again before you can protest but then sits up abruptly, taking you with him and making you squeal. Your arms are still wound around his neck while your legs cling desperately onto his waist. His hands still rest on your ass and he wears a bright smile on his face.

“I don’t know about you, doll,” he starts, walking through your shared apartment towards the kitchen. You’re only wearing his t-shirt - one of the bigger ones because why are his shirts always so small - and he can’t help but admire how pretty you look in his clothing. He thinks that he wants to keep you like this forever. “But I’m a little hungry.”

You side-eye him at the potential double entendre - the abused flesh between your legs is already screaming in protest. He doesn’t look at you, but continues looking straight ahead with that naughty little fucking smile on his face, the picture of innocence.

“For food though, sweetheart, I swear it,” he finally cracks, laughing shortly while placing you on the kitchen counter. He deposits another kiss on the tip of your nose, looking at your bratty little pout causing his hand to twitch. He knows that he wouldn’t - can’t spank his best girl before breakfast - and you really are too sore from last night to go again for at least a few more hours. Because, if Steve’s being honest to himself, it never just stops at spanking.

But you’re clingy in the mornings so as soon as he turns to grab a pan from one of the cupboards, you clench your legs tighter around his waist. Turning to you once more, he raises an eyebrow and your pout only intensifies. He doesn’t do anything but kiss it once more before unwrapping your legs from his waist with those strong big ass motherfucking hands .

“What you do want for breakfast, babydoll?” He asks, successfully grabbing the pan this time. You chew on your lip, thinking hard.

“Pancakes?” You question, looking up at him for confirmation. He nods, a smile on his face.

“Go put on your music or something, baby - we can make them together.”

And that’s how you ended up dancing around the kitchen to one of the songs on your playlist, shaking your ass and singing obnoxiously loud as Steve watched you humorously, flipping a pancake here and a piece of bacon there. Soon, you both have glasses full of juice and about three dozen chocolate chip pancakes, as well as multiple pieces of bacon.

When you shove a piece of pancake into your mouth, Steve catches your eye across the jar of sunflowers on the table, light glinting off of the fork that you’re holding and the white plates adorning the table. He dwarfs his hand in yours and plays idly with your fingers.

“I love you,” he states definitively, as if he is stating his name and what color the sky is.

A mouth full of pancake, you grin at him. Quickly swallowing, you lean over the table and kiss him soundly on the lips. He tastes like orange juice and maple syrup and Steve .

“I love you too,” you reply, a small smile on your lips. His smile grows until you snort the last word, your own grin spreading.

“Dork.”

[selinakidreams]

year six at hogsmeade

ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! This fic is for the @haikyuucreationsadm​ secret santa event! dedicated to @ichorizaki ! sol, I hope this gives you the warm fuzzies! 

genre: fluff

warnings: none!

tags: harry potter au!, gn! reader, friends to lovers, yams is a lil over protective, fake dating (if you squint really really hard), yamaguchi’s pov !

a/n: no i do not hate the character i put as the slytherin (i’m not gonna spoil anything <3 teehee) i did it almost as an easter egg ...? like if you remember how yams reacted when he heard a certian thing come from his mouth,,,,,,, you’ll understand why- the clip was playing in my head on repeat while writing it lmao (super vauge ik but ah ha haa)

Both of your school capes sashae across the cold stoned floor as you two head to the one class you had together. The air was nippy; delicate flakes of snow danced around the sky until they landed on the ground.  Yamaguchi hugged his books closer to his chest in hopes to ease the lack of warmth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw you nuzzle into your silver and green scarf that was already bundled up to your nose. 

‘Cute,’ he thought to himself- and when it comes to you, that word comes up in his head quite a lot.

 Far from being his favorite class, Yamaguchi Tadashi had to get used to the defense against the dark arts course. It was very… out there for him in the beginning. By pushing his limits, it created a wave of self-consciousness that would wash over him, resulting in the feeling of incompetence. Thankfully you were there to encourage and support him, just as you had been since the day you guys met. It was something about your strength and determination- he learned that through the years when you had an idea, a goal, or a project in mind, you would see it through. It was so inspiring to young Yamaguchi, the little boy constantly cowering away from anything that seemed too much. He would constantly be picked on and could never speak the words that clogged his throat but then you came along with a single snarky remark to end all of theirs. There was no time between the moment he words left your lips and when your hand slipped into his- pulling him away from any sense of loneliness he would ever feel again. You were there for all the big moments, from when he first got his letter to him getting sorted into Gryffindor to him trying out for their quidditch team. You two had been absolutely inseparable and neither of you would change a thing.

Yamaguchi cherished walking to class with you- the way you fit so well in the environment… he just couldn't take his eyes off of you. His favorite version of you was in the winter because you just looked so much cozier. The dark colors of your house heavily contrasted against the bright sparkling snow that reflected natural light into the corridor. The pink that tinted the tips of your ears made his heart skip a beat. If it hadn't been for you stopping by the opened door way, he would have completely missed the entrance to the classroom because of his… observations. He motioned you go in first, your eyes crinkled in thanks as you stepped inside and he swears that you caused a heart palpitation. 

It was your guy’s sixth year at Hogwarts and by far Tadashi's favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts course yet. The teacher, Remus Lupin, had such a way of teaching that it was not only fun and interactive, but also incredibly informative- the prime way for him to learn. He was so happy that Lupin’s tactics were sticking, this meant he didn't have to cling to you for help as he had previously; He was able to show you that he was capable of being strong on his own. Whenever you showed your delight at Tadashi’s progress, he only wanted to work harder.

“Hey so… after class, did you want to go to Hogsmeade and get something to drink from Honeyduke’s? It’s all snowy out and it’s the perfect weather for something warm and comforting.” You grinned as the both of you took your seats, conveniently across from each other, the only thing that separated you two was a slim isle way. Yamaguchi turned to you with a small smile curving his lips, “Yea, sounds good but just remember I have practice later so I can't be out too la-“ his last word was cut off by an obnoxious scoff from the keeper from the Slytherin quidditch team. 

“That was supposed to be our practice, you know. Daichi snatched up our usual practice time.” Koganegawa Kanji said snottily, judgmentally eyeing Tadashi up and down before turning his gaze to you. Suddenly there was a different type of look in his eyes, a bright one that showed that he believed he could secure all sorts of things… including you. “Those Gryffindors think they can take whatever they want, but I know what we're going to be taking. The win at our next game… which just so happens to be against Gryffindor. You’re going to be there, right y/n?” He practically beamed to you as he kept side-eyeing Yamaguchi. 

Before you could even answer- before he could even realize what was coming out of his mouth- your shy, kind hearted, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly Tadashi rolled his eyes and said, “Yea they’re going, they’re going to be screaming out my name when I catch that snitch.” 

Your eyes widened as you turned to him with your jaw slack, the sexual innuendo in the forefront of your mind but when facing your freckled best friend, it looked like he couldn't believe he was able to even speak up. Yamaguchi is not one for confrontation or someone who initiates fights… but when things come down to you, he acts in ways he doesn’t recognize- for painfully obvious reasons.

“You better watch that mouth of yours, Yamaguchi, or else i might just have to zip it up.” The Slytherin hissed, getting ready to reach for his want but stopped in his tracks when his gaze caught sight of a scruffy man in his mid 30’s standing behind the frozen Gryffindor, hands in his pockets and a brow raised. 

“Now… I know you were not about to hex mister Yamaguchi inside of my class, right Mister Koganegawa?” Professor Lupin tempted, a small smirk danced on his lips with the unmissable glint of entertainment that twinkled in his warm eyes. 

The professor didn’t give the boy a chance to answer, instead turned around and headed to the front of the classroom while saying, “Return to your seat Koganegawa, I expect whatever hex you were going to cast was going to be a naughty one. Well ironically, today’s lesson is focused on learning to reflect those nasty curses…” The whole class settled in for the lecture as Tadashi sneaked a peak at the reaction that had been plastered on your face- boy, was it a cute one. Both of your lips curled in with saucer eyes, cheeks tinted a faint red, as if you were holding back a laugh that was forcing its way out. 

<♥︎>

After Lupin bid the class adue for the day, everyone went their separate ways; Tadashi held you close as you both headed to Hogsmeade, his arm draped over your shoulder as you leaned into him for warmth. The walk had been a comfortable silence until you spoke out your curiosity to break the ice, hitting him with the million dollar question.

“Hey, what happened back in Lupin’s class? That was.. odd.. of you to say.” You inquired. Normally when you catch Tadashi off guard or in a vulnerable state, a cute blush dusts along the apple of his cheeks and the tips of his ears. You knew you were robbed of the sight, the cold had beat you to it, a violent scarlet already bared his skin. 

He let out a sigh, the breath showing itself in the cold, before he muttered, “I’m just tired of him openly ogling at you like you’re some toy. It’s not cool.” 

You responded with a slight hum, the real reply bouncing off the walls of your brain: I can't believe we’re not together by now.

“Oh yams,” you chuckle as you huddle closer into his side.

<♥︎>

Passing under the grand Hogsmeade archway, he was grateful that there were barely any students about- this meant you guys could get your drinks faster and walk around the shops easier. With the antique green and pink building in sight, the beeline to the shop’s entrance was determined.

“Okay okay, let me guess…” you started as Yamaguchi held open the door for you to walk in, already eyeing the colorful treats that decorated the room, “you want a hot chocolate.” 

“And you want a hot strawberry tea.” Tadashi retorted with a smile.

“It’s almost like… we’ve known each other for years.” You say, your tone dripping in sarcasm as he watches your finger trace over the newest candy they sold. 

Sol, a sweet that’ll brighten your day! The container said, with a picture of what looked to be an edible ball of light. Supposedly, once it hits your tongue, it melts into the flavor you're craving most.

After inspecting the shelves around the store for any new and exciting treats, you both headed to the register where Tadashi placed the drinks order and fished out two golden galeons and five silver sickles. He snuck a glance at you admiring the brightly colored walls to make sure you weren't looking as he slipped the cashier the two packets of sol he stealthily grabbed and handed them three extra sickles. A sweet surprise for later.

Leaving the store, Yamaguchi watched the way your hands slipped around the warm cup, the tips of your fingers slightly intertwined. He wanted nothing more than to take your cup out of your hands and intermingle his fingers with yours…but he couldn’t, it would be crossing a line, wouldn’t it? Nevertheless, the image of holding your- probably- freezing hand was on his mind the whole time you two were walking around the village you knew all too well.

Deciding that it was pretty late you guys began to head back to the castle. The snow crunched underneath your boots with almost empty cups in your hands, you knew it wasn't going to take long before you’d be greeted by the back entrance of the castle. “‘Dashi… do you have to go to practice? I… i need help with Lupin’s coursework.” you stutter out, causing Yamaguchi to pause and turn toward you.

This took him by surprise, normally you were really good with your coursework, so for the roles to switch… something had to be off.  

“ y/n... You know I can't. The team said they really need me there.  Daichi would have my head if I missed practice. The game against Slytherin is so close and I really need to-” he cut himself off before he could reveal too much or get too annoyed, the flash of Koganegawa smirking flashed in the back of his mind. 

“you need to… what? I saw your last game and the way you soared through the air was incredible, it didn't seem like you needed to work on anything!” you pouted with damn wide eyes.

Tadashi tried to ignore the slight increase in his heart's beating pace, “aha well..” he said as he lifted his arm to scratch the back of his head, “we’re a team and they need me as much as i need them!” you stopped walking so he turned to face you.

He watched the small sad smile creep onto your face before hearing you mutter, “Jeez, when did my Tadashi become so popular?”

For Yamaguchi to not lean in and plant a kiss on your lips, something had to be holding him back... but there was nothing- if anything, you seemed to slightly lean in. 

He figured that you'd assume that the first move was going to be on your part, as it normally was when something serious would happen between the two of you but he wanted to prove to you that he's changed. He's not scared anymore. He has no reason to be. He’s learned so much about himself  throughout the years because of you. You're the reason he was the social person he was today. And he was the one that finally connects your lips with his. 

Due to the cold and dry winter, both lips are not as smooth as wanted but it doesn't stop him from deepening the long awaited kiss. He placed his open palms on your waist and his fingers gave you a small squeeze when he heard you sigh into the kiss.

When Yamaguchi felt your arms around his neck, he swore the world stopped turning for a second. The warmth that he was feeling was unmatched- this was warmer than any other winter coat had made him. 

When he pulled away, your arms stayed around his neck and he refused to let his hands leave your waist. 

“I uh-“ at this point Yamaguchi’s face was bright pink, yours being no different, “um I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” You said, cutting him off. 

Tadashi had to blink a few times, as if he was clearing his vision because what he just heard wasn’t possible. 

“N-no way…” he mumbled, looking at the ground next to you. Tadashi almost felt overwhelmed but one thing's for certain, the weight of needing to properly confess was only getting heavier so he gulped down his anxiety- as you had taught him so many times before- and brought his eyes to meet yours. 

“Y/n… I’m so in love with you. I have been for so long-”

Something red wizzed before your guys’ eyes, cutting off his huge confession. His eyes became wide at the hovering letter facing him. 

A howler. 

Before you could even raise an eyebrow, the letter opened itself in the shape of an origami mouth. 

“Yamaguchi, YOU ARE LATE FOR PRACTICE! WHY? WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT THAT IT’S CAUSING YOU TO MISS PRACTICE?” the letter with daichi’s deep voice boomed around the empty of the woods. It began to look around, as if it could see the surrounding area- which was weird because typically howlers were only used to relay a (very loud and disappointed) message. When the envelope eventually faced you, the bottom of the mouth dropped and seemed to gulp.

“Ah.. i see.. Hi y/n… um,” the letter turned to face Yamaguchi before reminding him to go to practice and ripping itself apart. 

It was silent for a second, neither of you knew what to say. 

“I dunno but it almost sounded like Daichi wanted me to go to practice.” was the first thing he said. He watched your face contort from a small smile to a full out grin joined with a hearty laugh. 

“Let's get you to class ‘Dashi.” you said as you wound down from your laughing fit. Holding out your hand, the expression you gave him was one that he never saw from you before. The corner of his eyes crinkled with how genuine he was smiling as he took your hand, finally getting to entwine your fingers together as you guys headed to the quidditch field.

Ps. yes you did scream out his name when he caught the snitch- it didn't go unnoticed...

[the-power-of-stuff]

sukka modern AU road trip drabble #2

I am actually working on regular fic-sized fics, but whenever I get blocked, this road trip universe is a fun prompt for me. I’ve been on a few cross-country road trips, and apparently those experiences have given me a bunch of Suki x Sokka fodder... 

Also, uh, I don’t have a backstory for this or anything, since it’s just drabbles, so please forgive the fact that evidently in this universe Sokka does not come from a place with tons of snow. 😅

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright, maestro,” Suki said, smacking a kiss on Sokka’s cheek before burrowing herself under the covers. Sokka absently kissed the air where her face had been, distracted by the weather forecast on his phone. “What time do we have to leave in the morning?”

���Crap…” Sokka replied after scrolling frantically through the article he was reading. 

“What is it?”

“The forecast… Ten to fourteen inches of snow in the higher elevations, and this storm is passing right through our route.” He swiped quickly to another news report, then to a live traffic camera feed of the main highway. It looked clear now, but the snow wasn’t supposed to start until the next day. “Dammit, how could I have missed this?” 

He should’ve known. It was late October, in the mountains, of course there would be snow during this trip. They’d even gone out of their way to buy tire chains for the car just in case, but those were supposed to be more of an emergency situation kind of thing. He certainly hadn’t intended to drive through a huge snow storm. He didn’t even know how to use tire chains. It just felt like they’d be inviting disaster if they didn’t have them. 

Suki placed her hand on Sokka’s knee and squeezed. 

“Babe, it’s okay. Why don’t we just stay here an extra day? We’ll just skip whatever we had planned for tomorrow to make up the time.”

He whimpered a little thinking about it. They’d been planning to stop at this amazing donut shop in a city about an hour away the next morning, and he’d had his eye on a giant chocolate-glazed Oreo donut filled with Bavarian cream as well as these things called 8-hour fritters. He wasn’t sure how a regular fritter became an 8-hour fritter, but they were covered in a crackly sugar glaze and came in cherry-pineapple and that was all he’d needed to know. 

But there would be no donuts. Frowning, he turned his phone screen towards Suki so she could see the seven straight days of snowfall indicated on the weather app.

“If we stay, we might get stuck here, for who knows how long.”

“Okay, well...we’ll leave super early in the morning, try to beat the storm.”

It was the only thing that made sense. They’d have to leave hours earlier than they’d planned, and skip everything they’d been hoping to do in the mountains -- no donuts, no hiking, no hot springs. Then they’d be in the next city well in advance of check-in time at the next hotel, but-- 

“And if you’re going to be up all night worrying about this, I can do the drive,” Suki offered, interrupting his thoughts.

His frown deepened. He was pretty sure she hadn’t meant that as a dig, but when he replied, it was with indignation.

“I am not worrying, I’m planning. They are very different things.” 

*

The next morning, Sokka groggily handed the car keys over to Suki.

“Turns out staying up all night planning and staying up all night worrying have the same outcome,” was his grumpy surrender. But at least he’d found several options for killing time once they arrived at their next destination. 

Suki held his face between her hands when she kissed him and studied him for a moment after she pulled back. 

“Thank you for planning for us so well and taking such good care of us.”

The kiss and her words soothed some of his ragged edges, and he bumped her nose with his before getting into the passenger seat.

An hour into the drive, the snow started. They’d climbed a few thousand feet in elevation since their departure, and Sokka was anxiously -- no, prudently -- watching the shoulders of the highway for accumulation and ice. There was barely a dusting on the grass off the shoulder, but they kept passing electronic signs proclaiming that tire traction and chain laws were in effect, so the way he saw it, one could never be too careful.

And Suki’s driving was perfectly fine, at least when she wasn’t flooring the gas to accelerate past trucks that had slowed in the weather.

“Suk, don’t you think maybe, given all these flashing warning signs out here, that you should pass those trucks a little more...gingerly?”

“Sokka, it’s fine. The roads are no worse than driving through some light rain.”

“But we’re gaining, like, two-hundred feet in elevation every minute, which makes the state of the roads unpredictable-”

“Yes, but you can tell they’ve been salted-”

“They’re still slick-”

“Sokka, I know how to drive!”

The car suddenly jerked to one side.

“Suki!”

“That was the wind! We got buffeted by that truck’s slipstream!”

Sokka saw Suki’s shoulders tighten as she took a deep breath and held. When she exhaled, her mouth scrunched to one side of her face, and he watched as her grip flexed a couple times on the steering wheel.

“Sokka,” she finally said, voice pointedly even. “I’ll slow down, but you should have just told me you were uncomfortable, instead of doubting my awareness of the risks.”

He nodded, too chastened to say anything, and shifted his gaze back out the passenger side window. The next time they passed a truck, it was by creeping degrees, and even though his anxiety had lessened, his stomach felt a little sour.

*

That night, Suki sat watching the snow from the safety of their hotel room, and Sokka watched her from where he was lounging on the bed. They’d managed to beat the worst of the storm, and although the drive had been mostly uneventful, Sokka was relieved to have the riskiest part of their journey well behind them. 

Suki was cradling a mug of cinnamon-flavored hot toddy, courtesy of the hotel bar, and had curled up in a chair by the window. Sokka could see her face in the window’s reflection, a soft and dreamy expression cast in the orange glow of the overhead light. After taking a shower, she’d put her hair up and changed into a loose, oversized sweatshirt, and she looked so cozy and beautiful his heart felt like it could burst. 

“It’s so pretty out. Like a snow globe. You should come see.”

She turned to look at him. Her cheeks were a little rosy from her drink, which made her eyes look somehow both darker and more vibrant, and how was it possible that she was causing him physical pain right now?

“I can see how nice it is from here,” he said, giving her what he thought of as his Extra Charming grin. She smiled back at him warmly and only rolled her eyes a little bit, so he considered the gesture a success. “Want to come watch scary movies with me?”

Seriously, if she kept looking at him like that, all glowy and earnest, he was going to combust. He figured part of it was the beer he’d been nursing since they’d settled into their room, and part of it was the euphoria brought on by the catharsis he’d experienced after getting through the mountains, but mostly it was just the fact that he was so utterly, completely gone for this girl.

“Let’s watch Dream Warriors,” she suggested, eyes bright as she made her way over to the bed.

Once she was snuggled up against him, Sokka pressed his nose to the crown of her head and whispered into her hair, “I’m sorry.”

Suki pulled away with a look of surprise.

“For what?”

“For yelling at you in the car. For doubting you.”

“Sokka…” she smiled that warm smile again. Without the eye roll this time. “It’s okay.” Then she leaned up to kiss him, and he tasted cinnamon and bourbon on her lips. She tasted like comfort. “It was a stressful day. And you were sleep deprived. And you can’t stand not being in control.”

“Hey!” 

“So, I forgive you. But only because you’re going to do all the driving tomorrow.” Her smile was broad and innocent.

He sighed. “Fair.” And then he kissed her forehead. “Thank you. For driving the whole way today. And for taking such good care of us.”

Suki brushed her nose against his, mimicking his response to the same words she’d given him that morning.

“Okay,” he said, getting the movie ready after a few moments of simply basking in her. “Let’s get this show on the road. Or should I say, on Elm Street.”

He grinned cheekily when Suki slid a narrow sideways glance his way, one of her eyebrows arched.

“Hey, Freddy Krueger? I hardly know her!”

“Sokka! Oh my god, just start the movie!” 

*

sukka modern au road trip drabble #1

[etherealwaifgoddess]

Toy Soldiers

Main Character(s): Steve Rogers

Summary: Steve pushes himself to limit taking night watch while the rest of the Howling Commandos rest. 

Warnings/Content: This one is pretty dark, well for me at least. Perhaps the word bleak is more appropriate. Either way, don’t expect a happy ending. No one dies or is injured, it’s just freaking sad. 

Word Count: 1,010

Authors Note: Hello lovelies! I’m so sorry for all the sad feels ya’ll are about to have. This is what happens when ya girl picks a sad song prompt and writes while PMS’ing. Such is life! This prompt was the song Toy Soldiers by Martika for the amazing @captain-rogers-beard‘s One Hit Wonder Challenge. Lyrics pulled directly from the song are in bold. This song just screamed Steve to me; he went through so much in his life going from a boy eager to serve to a jaded hero. I have to think he had his moments when it was all just too much. Nights when he really felt the weight of always doing the “right” thing taking its toll on him. And so, I give you a glimpse into one of those nights....

Toy Soldiers

All is quiet on the western front. The moon is bright in the sky, making night watch easier for the tired soldier. Steve sips at the tin cup of coffee in his hands, eyes scanning the hills methodically. It’s almost 2am and he’s running on the scant few hours sleep he got three days ago. Even super soldiers have their limits and Steve is approaching his. His men sleep deeply in their tents, the kind of sleep that only comes after bone deep exhaustion.

Just a little longer. Steve thinks to himself. Your men need rest more than you do, Rogers.

The wicked February wind is whipping up again as Steve drains the last of his cup in one long gulp. It’s bitter cold but thanks to the serum Steve knows it won’t affect him all that much. They have been on the road for two weeks moving to their new base. It shouldn’t be more than two more days away but the Commandos are starting to lag. Two weeks of constant movement, walking endlessly through ice and snow, it wears on them. Steve had put on his bravest face, the one he thinks of as his patriotic face, telling his men they’ll be to Champe Jaune before they know it. They’ll be warm, in real beds, with a strong drink in each hand and beautiful women all around them. Bucky can see right through his bravado but doesn’t call Steve on his bullshit. The rest of the Commandos need hope, they need something to cling to when their feet are aching and they’re so cold they can’t feel their noses or fingertips. 

The reality of the situation is, Steve doesn’t know. They were given the coordinates and the map to get to the northern town of Champe Jaune but they should have been there three days ago. Steve wants to think it was because they are moving slower through the rough weather they hit but there’s a gnawing feeling in his gut that they were given bad intel, that they’re wandering aimlessly through the merciless wilderness, dwindling down their rations with no sign of life on the horizon. Steve shakes himself at the catastrophic turn of his thoughts, they have the map and his compass has kept them on course. They just need a few more days and they’ll be there. 

It’s hard not to let his thoughts turn maudlin as he watches out in the distance for any threats that may come their way. He feels like he’s been running on empty since Azzano. They got their men back but none were quite the same. Bucky hasn’t been the same and it eats at Steve every time he catches the other man’s eyes. Where a bright, lively young man once was, a tired, jaded soldier now resides. Only emptiness remains. And Steve hopes for Bucky’s sake it replaces all the pain.

In the quiet moments of the too long night, Steve wishes he was a lesser man. Someone who could put himself and his friends first and not feel so guilty and honor bound. He wishes he could just take Bucky and run. Run away from the war and violence, back to Brooklyn where they could live out normal, quiet lives. But that’s not their fate. They’ve lost themselves to the grinding machine that is the army. They’re just numbers now, more toy soldiers on the conveyor belt shipping off to fight the good fight. Bit by bit, torn apart. They never win but the battle wages on, for toy soldiers. 

Steve pulls himself up from his perch, wanting to take a run around the perimeter of their makeshift campsite in hopes of burning off his mood. The activity will help him keep sharp longer too. He’s going to crash soon, he knows. The longest he’s gone without sleep was four days and that was with far more rest beforehand than he’s had. Two more hours, he promises himself. Two more hours and he’ll wake up Dugan to take over watch until the rest of the men wake. That should buy him four hours of rest until they’re all up and ready to mobilize again. 

The icy wind bites at his face but he pushes farther, faster. It won’t cause any lasting damage thanks to the serum so Steve pushes the discomfort and pain out his mind. That was the thing they didn’t warn him about the serum. Sure he’s bulletproof and can heal from almost anything, but it still hurts when it happens. A bullet to the leg is still a bullet to leg. 

Steve all but falls back onto his perch after the run. He can feel the burning in his calves all the way up to his thighs. It’s comforting in a twisted way, his body aching along with his mind. The moon is sinking lower in the sky, Steve watches for a while, losing track of time. It’s almost dawn when he finally shuffles off to wake Dugan. The older soldier grumbles at Steve for letting him sleep so long and assures Steve they’ll wake him before they’re ready to move out.

Back in his tent on the poor excuse for a pallet bed with its threadbare blanket, Steve finally lets his body rest. The tension slowly dissipating from his shoulders and the tense clench of his jaw. His mind is rebelling still, an endless stream of anxiety fluttering past. If only I had gotten there sooner. If I had run a little faster. I shouldn’t be in charge. I’ve already lost too many good men. The next one’s gonna be me. Steve scrubs at his face, futilely trying to clear the anxious thoughts from his mind. His body and mind still at war he rolls over on his side, arms wrapped around himself as if he was still a ninety pound boy back in Brooklyn, trying to comfort himself quietly in the dark. 

The night wears on and finally, as the first rays of dawn break on the horizon, the tired soldier rests.

[gloriousprofessorhan]

muffin

in which you’re bestfriend with Kyungsoo, and he called you muffin

(re-upload, ‘Muffin’, on AFF 2018)

“Have a nice day.” You said.

“I won’t.” he coldly replied.

You rolled your eyes and left his side to walk with Chen. “If only he could be nicer.” You mumbled and Chen chuckling beside you.

“Then what? You gonna date him if he’s nicer to you, muffin?” Chen teased you with the nickname you got from him.

“Shut up.”

“Ah, sorry, you have a boyfriend.”

Chen continue laughing while you grumbling. You’re waving your hand to your friend, “Wendy! Wait!”

You semi run towards Wendy leaving Chen and your grumpy childhood bestfriend, Kyungsoo.

“How’s the exam?” Wendy asked while sipping her slushie.

“Surprisingly good!” you grabbed her slushie and sip it. “Can’t believe I answered all the question.”

“Hey, ladies.” Wendy’s classmate, Suji greet you and her. You’re not very close to Suji but she’s a pretty and nice girl, “wanna go grab lunch?”

You remember you promised Kyungsoo to have lunch with him after he handed the paper, “I’ll skip, I’m going to have lunch with Kyungsoo later.”

“He’s your boyfriend? I’m in the same science class with him.” Suji said.

“No, no,” you gestured your hands like an X, “we’re just childhood friends.”

“She has a boyfriend.” Wendy pointed at you, “Lay, from Art major.”

“Oh, I see… and Lay’s gonna join you for lunch later?” Suji asked.

“Uhm, no… he got another paperworks… so…”

“And he’s fine with your relationship with Kyungsoo?” 

“Of course,” you laughs, “they’re friends… I know Lay from Kyungsoo.”

-

You’re waiting for Kyungsoo at the College park and you saw him walking with Chen and Kai, “Dyo!” you called him by the nickname you gave him, it’s from his surename, Doh.

He turned to see you and nod, “what?”

“So what are we having for lunch?”

He raised his eyebrows a bit, “lunch? I just had lunch with them.” He pointed the two other boys.

“What???”

“Well, I’m hungry after finishing the paper.” He said it calmly, “you haven’t eat? It’s almost 3 pm.” 

“Because you—“ you harshly inhaled air and finally said, “yeah I haven’t eat, I’m just gonna grab whatever in the convinience store and eat it while walking home.”

You turned around and fished your cellphone from your bag and call your boyfriend.

“Hey, babe.” He answered.

“Where are you? I’m hungry, wanna go grab lunch?”

“I had one, you haven’t eat?”

“Not yet…” you sighs.

“I can’t go anywhere now, I’m still working on my final project.” He said. “You good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine… bye…” you hung up and walking towards your house, it’s not close from the Campus but you feel like enjoying the nice weather.

“Muffin!!”

You knew who’s voice it was but you keep walking.

“Where’s your lunch?” Kyungsoo jabbed your shoulders while panting after he ran after you.

“I haven’t buy one.”

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?” he pull you to a small market and next thing you know you’re sitting in front of bibimbap stall and Kyungsoo already order one for you.

“Even tho I told you to have lunch with me, if you’re hungry then go eat by yourself first.” He said while mixing the rice for you.

“I’m unlike you,” you said, “if I promised something to someone, I’ll keep it.”

He laughs, showing his cute gummy, “good girl,” he patted you head, “now eat.” 

You shove the spoon to your mouth and you know he’s watching you.

“Where’s Lay?” he asked.

“Busy with final project.” You shortly replied.

“Neglected again~” he sang the last part just to make you pout.

You scoffed while busy chewing your food.

“Hey, I saw you talked to Suji before.”

You turned to see him with squinting eyes. Kyungsoo never asked about a girl like this before. “Yeah.”

“She’s pretty like cupcakes.” He said.

You rolled your eyes, you have a history about you nickname that related to Kyungsoo and cupcake.

“We’re at a same class.” He murmured.

“Yeah, she told me that—“

“What if you set me up with her?’

You almost choked on your food, “you… w-what? You like her??”

“Well,” he shrugged his shoulders, “she’s cute.”

“You don’t like cute girls!”

“And who are you deciding what kind of girls I like?” he mocked.

You munch your food slower, “so… you like Suji?”

“I don’t know yet… but I think she’s cute.” Kyungsoo chuckles.

-

it wasn’t a double date since you were on a date with Lay and you told Suji if she wants to join, and you saw a brighter smile when you mentioned that Kyungsoo might be there too.

Lay and Kyungsoo talked about games they were playing and Suji seems to enjoying the conversation and you can’t help but observing how Kyungsoo being gentle to Suji. He likes the girl. You knew.

Moreover when Kyungsoo offering to walk her home.

He likes her.

You knew.

-

“How is it with her?” you asked Kyungsoo when you met him in front of your Campus gate.

“Huh?”

“Come onn… you know whom I was talking about.” You took the cola from his hand.

“We talked a lot on the way home.”

“And?”

He’s turning to see you, “I like her.”

You stop walking.

“Muffin?” he stopped and turned his heels and stretched his arms out, “my cola.”

-

The following week you saw Suji’s social media when he posted her picture with Kyungsoo and the caption was: love.

“Oohh~ my Kyungsoo have a girlfriend~” you teased him when you met him later on at the subway station.

He smiles widely, something he rarely done. “we went out just us few more times before I told her if she wants to be my girl.”

“Tell me the details!!” you asked when he pull you to the train and he found you both seats.

“What details? We went out for a meal and on the way home I told her that I like her, she said yes.” He plug the earphones on his phone and scroll the music directory, press play to a song and offer the other end of the earphone to you.

You took it without saying anything, “you happy?”

He nodded, “told you, I like her.”

-

“Valentine’s coming, do we have plans?” you asked Lay.

“Of course.” He kissed your hair, “dinner?”

You nodded while looking at him designing something on his computer tablet, “I hate your projects.” You murmured.

Lay laughing, “why?”

“I’m jealous that you put more attention to them than to me.”

Lay clicked ‘save’ and put it down on the table, then he joined you on the bed, his bed, “you missed me, aren’t you?”

“I’ve told you that million times but you always said: my final project this, my final project that.” You pouts and he kiss the pout away.

“Let’s go on a date on val’s day. I’ll book a place for us.”

-

He said that but he was the one coming to you asking, “have you book a restaurant for us?”

You can’t  help but furrowing your eyebrows.

“Hey, Soo.” Lay greets Kyungsoo who walks with you towards your class together.

“Me? Do I have to book it for us?” You raised your voice.

Lay looks confused, “yeah, no?”

“No.” You replied, “you said you’re gonna book a place for us, you told me that! Oh my God, Lay, I can’t believe—“

“You guys can join me and Suji.” Kyungso cuts you before you explode.

“Why would us??” you shout at him.

“Hey, babe, come on, we can join Kyungsoo and Suji… come on…” Lay tried to hug you.

“Yeah, me and Suji is gonna celebrate val’s day at the french restaurant down the street, it’s new, the place’s nice and the price is good, not gonna robbed us as student.” Kyungsoo explained.

“Let me go!” you escaped yourself from Lay and left them.

“Book another table for us, please.” Lay said to Kyungsoo and go after you.

-

You know you should’ve been mad to your boyfriend when he called you saying that he couldn’t make it to the val’s day dinner, but you really can’t because he said he’s stuck on train from Seokchon to Seoul due to heavy snow.

Then Kyungsoo came to your house. Alone.

“Where’s Suji?”

“She has to go to the hospital.” He said.

“Everything’s okay??”

He nods, “her little sister fell from bike and she has to be with her mom because her father is out of town.”

“Why don’t you come with her?” you asked.

Kyungsoo shook his head, “I haven’t being introduced formally to her parents.”

“Isn’t it the good time to be introduced to her mom at least?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “she said otherwise.”

You didn’t say anything for a while, looking at the bright winter afternoon, you two just sitting side by side on your house’s patio.

“Cold.” Kyungsoo murmured.

“Let’s get inside.” 

“Let’s just go to the restaurant.” Kyungsoo suggested, “I already made reservation, my reputation is at stake.”

You crinkle your nose, “you made two reservations, right?”

“Yeah, but the other one is under Lay’s name… just let the restaurant thinks that guy is irresponsible.”

-

It’s a set menu you got, pretty appetizers for each, steaks as the main course and one nice vanilla cake and ice cream as dessert for both of you to share.

Kyungsoo read a table tent that said something about special menu.

“Have you ever tried caviar?” he asked.

“Not yet, but I really want to try one… people said it’s amazing.”

“Who’s that people?” Kyungsoo raised one eyebrow.

“Uhm, some people on TV.”

He scoffed, “they give it for free as special val’s day menu.”

“Realllyy??”

Kyungsoo showed you the promotion then you raised your hand to call a waiter.

“Can I help you, miss?”

“Yes, uhm, can I have one sweet potato crème fraiche caviar?” you said, and Kyungsoo silently cooing at how you pronounce a hard name.

“Oh that special menu?”

“Yes,” You said, “it’s free, right?”

“Correct! It only have one super easy requirement to get that menu.”

You both raised your eyebrows, “requirement?”

“Just kiss your partner.”

“You don’t really want that caviar…” he said.

“I’m curious, and this actually a good chance I can taste that expensive shit…” you murmured, “but… well, damn you Lay Zhang!!” you cursed your MIA boyfriend, “where are you when I need you.”

“Okay let’s call that waiter and claim the caviar.” Kyungsoo said.

“What??” You saw him staring at you. “but the req—“

“Don’t act like we’re not each other’s first kiss.” He said just above whispers, and you’ll lie to yourself if you said you didn’t feel that bubble inside your chest.

“But that was…” you didn’t continue because hell, you were friends for ever with him and there’s no way you feel this way, and there’s no way he’s involving any extended feeling when he pick up that first kiss topic again.

Yes, you were each other’s first kiss, but that was because the 12 years old you and him were curious about how it feels when lips meet other lips, and it happened after you two watching a foreign TV series where the heroine kissing the love of her life.

“Have you ever kissed someone?” Kyungsoo asked one day when you both walked home after a piano lesson.

“Yeah.” You murmured.

“Liar.”

“Okay, never, but I know how to kiss.” You said.

Kyungsoo scoffed. “how?”

You gestured your fingers, putting it together, “pout your lips and go forward and stick it to—“

“Stick it???” Kyungsoo flinched, “stick??”

You sulked and walked away while he was laughing.

“Muffin!”

“Stop calling me that!” you walked faster.

He ran after you and pull your shoulder, “let’s try.”

“Try what?”

“Kissing.” He said.

“Gross!!”

“Okay then be a lip-virgin forever.” Kyungsoo walked passing you.

“Huh?” you started to worry, will someone kissed you later? or you will be a lip-virgin forever. “Dyo! Wait!”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Kiss me!”

he turned around, “huh…?”

you stood right in front of him, and your height was similar to him, it was years before he suddenly grew much taller than you. 

He was staring at you, and you can’t help but lowering your gaze. And when you’re looking at him again, he immediately avoiding you.

“So, w-what should I do first?” he asked.

“Just… uh…” you really can’t lift your gaze, suddenly he put his palm on your shoulder, and his feet move forward.

“look at me…” he said.

You lift your face and realised how close you were. Then you saw him started to close his eyes, and so do you, and after a long excruciating second, you’re finally feel something soft touching your lips.

His lips stayed there for another few second before detached them from yours. It was just a long innocent peck. But you and him were walking home in silence after that.

And no one talking about it again.

Until today.

“Are we really… gonna…” you search for Kyungsoo’s ‘I’m just kidding’ but you saw his flat face.

“Yeah, why not.” He shrugged, “I never had caviar, you too, and the requirement is only kissing you… easy.”

“Easy?” you scoffed, “kissing me is easy?”

“Lay knew better I bet, but, come on, nothing to lose, we would only gain two crème fraiche caviar in roasted sweet potato.” He made a yummy gesture by kissing his thumb and index finger together.

Yeah, what would be so hard with kissing him, right?

“Okay.” You said and Kyungsoo casually raised his hand to call a waiter.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“Can we get the caviar?”

“Of course, just show me your love to your girl, sir.” The waiter smiles.

And Kyungsoo reached out to palmed your jaw, briefly caressing your cheek before lift his gaze to meet yours, and your brain start telling you that this isn’t right. You should stop him, you shouls say no, you should—

His face is getting closer, and closer, and he tilt his head.

You hold your breath.

He stop for one milisecond before capture your lips.

You gulp when he touches your lips.

And he kissed you.

And you kissed him back.

And he move his lips between yours.

And you don’t know when and how but your hand is on his nape.

Shit.

You pulled away and he’s startled. The waiter didn’t seem to notice because he’s smiling happily while preparing the caviar for both of you.

You couldn’t focus on whatever happened after the kiss. And the caviar that served tasted bland.

-

“You haven’t forgive me.” Lay sat across you in a fast food stall near your college.

“For?”

“For stuck inside the train in the middle of the snow storm that made me unable to spent val’s day with you.”

“That was two weeks a go.” You continue your meal.

“Yeah, and you act so cold since then.” He tried to get you feed him.

“I’m fine, I’m always fine… even if you’re never there for me, I’m fine.” You fake a smile.

“See… you’re mad at me.” He sighs.

“Do you love me?” you stopped eating.

“Uh-hum.”

“Uh-hum?”

Lay stop trying to steal your food and looking at you instead, “that’s another way to say yes.”

“A lazy way to say yes.” You corrected him.

Lay shrugged his shoulder.

“You never said you love me, you choose lazy way to answer me when I asked if you ever love me. God…”

“Are you on period?”

“This has nothing to do with my period, Lay, you’ve been so insensitive and deserting me a lot! And I’m tired of trying to understand you!”

“Whoa-whoa… wait, babe, when did I—“

“When? When, huh? It was when you always put you final project whatsoever first.”

“But that’s for my future!” he said.

You stopped.

“You’re being selfish.” Lay said.

“Oh…” you paused, “am I?”

Lay nodded.

“Okay, let’s put your future first…” you said, “go focus on your future first… and if we meant to be together, let’s meet in the future.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Let’s not see each other again as couple… let’s just be friends.”

“You break up with me?”

You nodded, “I’m sorry for disturbing you from focusing on your future.”

“But babe…”

“Stop calling me that.”

“You’re just mad, babe…”

You stood up and Lay also standing up, “I’m not kidding, Lay, I’m tired of this relationship where I was the only one trying to hold on the thin thread that connect us… I’m sorry, but I really can’t continue this.”

-

You didn’t cry on the first day you broke up with him, but cried the day after. However, it was a year full of him. Something is definitely missing.

And Kyungsoo, someone who suppose to be your bestfriend is busy with his girl, you knew they’re get along well when Wendy told you that Suji introduced Kyungsoo to her family.

“So… now the family already know you?” you match Kyungsoo’s pace on the way to subway station.

He was a little startled but then he look straight ahead again without giving you any answer.

“I texted you yesterday.” You said.

“Oh, I haven’t replied?”

he hasn’t even read it.

“I called you few days a go.”

“I saw the missed call but I was out with Suji.”

You just nodded while glue your lips together. There was stung in your heart to find out that Kyungsoo doesn’t even know that you broke up with Lay. He didn’t even give you a chance to tell him.

He stepped inside the train. Without pulling you in.

He stand in the corner, the train wasn’t packed but he didn’t go finding a seat either. So you stand beside him.

“Sit there if you want.” He said pointing at an empty seat.

“No, i—uh, I wanna talk to you.”

He pull out his cellphone and plug the earphone. You were lowkey waiting for him to give you one earphone but the hope crumbled when he said,

“Hello, hey, I’m at the train right now… you’re already at campus?”

He’s calling Suji and left you awkwardly standing next to him.

Two stops later you find an empty seat near you, and you left Kyungsoo to sit down, didn’t realised that Kyungsoo finished the phonecall and staring at your sad face.

Next day kyungsoo waited for the subway but he didn’t find you, and the next day, also the day after. You weren’t avoiding him, you just went to Pohang because one of your older cousin’s getting married.

At the fourth day, you were already at the station waiting for the train when Kyungsoo appear beside you.

“Where were you?” he asked but the train coming and the pulled you inside and found seats for you, then he pulled his cellphone, you looked away, trying not to care if he’s going to call Suji again, but then you feel him slip the earphone into your ear.

“Listen, new song I discovered.” He said.

You didn’t say anything, keep your face away of him, and slowly release took the earphone off and give it back to him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.” You stood up and standing near the door even tho your destination is still three stops away.

Somehow you couldn’t understand what you feel about him, is it about the kiss? Or your disappointment towards him because he wasn’t there when you’re down after broke up with Lay.

“Why you’re sulking?” he asked when you both get off at your stop and walking towards the campus.

“Me? When?”

“Now.” He said.

“Oh, since when you know me that well till you know that I’m sulking?”

“Well, it doesn’t need to be genius to see how you fold that face into an ugly frown.” He shrugged.

“Don’t talk to me as if we’re close.” You walk faster.

“Huh? What do you mean? We are close.”

“You think so?” you turned to him, “are we still close now? Because as far as I remember, I didn’t neglect you when I have a boyfriend but look at you! You didn’t even reply my messages, you didn’t pick up my calls, you didn’t talk to me!”

“I didn’t ask you to do all of that to me while you have boyfriend.”

“Oh, so you think if you’re dating someone, you could just throw away your friends??” you raised your voice.

“I never threw you away! I’m just being a normal me, and I’m sorry if my girlfriend is actually paying attention to me, unlike your—“

“I broke up with Lay.” You said, “more than a week a go. And I’m trying to tell you this, I need you but you’re busy with your life!”

Kyungsoo called you but you runaway.

-

“Muffin…” 

you murmured the nickname he gave you. Muffin. It was from the incident of your birthday years a go, when you had your 11 birthday, when you specifically asking for a cupcake for your birthday and Kyungsoo gave you muffin instead, telling you that they looked similar. You sulked for day and he teased you by calling you that, until now.

And as the courtesy of how Kyungsoo love to get you on the edge, he always giving you muffin in your birthday and told you to eat the cupcake.

You told him it’s a fake cupcake, muffin is not pretty like cupcake, muffin is ugly and by him calling you muffin, you knew he lowkey telling you that you’re ugly like muffin.

“Kyungsoo’s here.” Your mom knocked on your door.

You sat on your bed when he’s get into your room.

“Hey muffin…” he said.

“Stop calling me that!”

he smiles and gave you a cute box.

“If you dare buying me another dozen of muffin, I’m gonna hit y—“ you opened the box and found cupcakes inside.

He sat beside you and took one of the prettiest cupcake and feed you.

“How’s it?” he asked while you munch.

You only responds with a hum.

“Do you like this better?”

you never care about how it taste but actually it tastes like a birthday cake, a classic vanilla with overly sweet icing.

“Do you know why I prefer to call you muffin than cupcake?” he asked.

“Because I’m not pretty enough like cupcake?”

He shook his head, “because muffin tastes a lot better than cupcake.”

You didn’t say anything, just let him continue.

“muffins has various flavour inside, could be banana muffin, choco chips mufin, blueberry… and all flavour is inside the cake… unlike cupcake, cupcake is just a vanilla cake with icing. A plain cake with over decorating outside. And for me, you’re pretty inside, not outside.”

“So, I’m not pretty?”

“Hm, of course you’re gonna take it wrong.” He sighs, “who says muffin is not pretty? Muffin is honest… do you think cupcake is pretty without all the icings?”

“You mean cupcake is like girls with thick make up?”

“Exactly.”

You tried to hold your smile. “I’m gonna tell Suji you said her make up is too thick.”

“When did I said that?”

“Hey! Remember you told me Suji is cute like cupcake?”

“When did I??”

“You did!”

Kyungsoo waved at you in dismissal. “Anyway, I’m sorry about you and Lay…” he caress your back.

“It’s fine… it’s time… I’ve been very patient for too long.” You said, “and you’re right, my boyfriend is not paying attention to me like your girl…”

He chuckled, “you’ll find someone who deserves you soon, muffin.”

You talked to him for another hour before he bid himself goodbye, and when you walked him outside, you realised you want to see him longer.

“Kyungsoo.”

 He startled when he heard you calling him with that name, not Dyo.

“Have you ever think of not being friends with me anymore?” you asked.

He shook his head, “when you were mad at me yesterday, I thought I lost you as my friend, and I don’t want that.”

And that brought you back to your place. He doesn’t want you and him to be more than this. “w-what about something else… other than being enemy.”

He stopped, but his gaze linger, he was staring at you and from his eyes, you knew he get what you mean. You saw the complication in his eyes.

“Sorry, I mean—“

“I have a girlfriend.” He said.

-

And so time flies, spring’s here, the flowers bloom and the weather getting warmer. Kyungsoo still remind friends with you, only he’s few feet farther than before. Many things changed after the whole blurry confession you told him, and you never blame him.

Lay finished his final project and he called you, he even went to see you several times, telling you that he’s sorry and if there’s another chance for him but you haven’t give him answer.

It’s still breezy but you decided to drive yourself to the beach at the city side. Suddenly you saw someone walked towards you, someone very familiar.

“Muffin…” he smiles.

“How did you know I’m here?”

“Your mom.”

You made an ‘O’ with your mouth.

“All good?” he asked.

“Lay wants to reconcile.” You told him.

“Oh…” he walks beside you, “and?”

You just shrugged your shoulders.

“You don’t love him anymore?” he asked.

“I don’t know if I could love him again when I have someone else occupied my mind…” at this point, you don’t care. You knew you like Kyungsoo and if he can’t like you back, and he feels disturbed by your confession, he can leave and you two can stop being friends.

“Oh…” he still walking beside you. “I broke up with Suji.”

You stops, letting him leaving you behind. But after few steps he turned around, “I can’t stay being his boyfriend while my mind is occupied by someone else.”

You can’t help but asking, “who?”

“A friend a kissed on valentine’s day.” He murmured.

“You choose a muffin instead of a cupcake?”

He nodded, “always choose a muffin, because it tastes better.” He smiles.

You scoffed.

“Soo…” he stepped closer, “instead of just thinking about each other… why don’t we date each other?”

“Since when did you like me?” you asked when he come even closer to you.

“Since I called you muffin for the first time.” He put a strain of your hair behind your ear.

“That long?”

“Hmm… but I’m afraid to ruin what we had…” he whispers.

“What about now? You’re not afraid to ruin what we have?”

Kyungsoo pull you into a hug, “being with or without you ruining me in different ways, and I choose to live the present, to show you how much I want you more than a friends do…” he kissed your hair, “muffin… I want to be with you for the longest time.”

You snugged deeper in his chest, “me too…”

He pull away a bit just to tild his head, “be my girl…” he said before leaned down to kiss you before you could say yes.

But you knew, he knew you’d say yes, because you kissed him back.

-end-

[imagine-organization-xiii]

can I request the org with a s/o who has never seen snow? They go on a mission to Arendelle and there's snow EVERYWHERE and their s/o is just getting distracted wanting to play in the snow instead? I, like Sora, am an islander and have never seen snow xD

I didn’t really do a mission to Arendelle - it was just their reactions to seeing snow in general, because I thought it would be cute to make it a little different since Vexen can literally make snow and ice out of nothing

Also, I’ve never seen snow before either because I live in the south where it’s pretty hot all year round - BUT WE’VE BEEN HAVING A BIT OF COLD WEATHER SO HALLELUJAH THE WINTER MONTHS ARE HERE

Masterlist 1 - Masterlist 2 - Masterlist 3 - Holiday and Vacation Masterlist

Buy me a coffee here!

oOoOoOoOo

Xemnas - Doesn’t see what the appeal is because it’s cold and wet and ugh, he’d rather be somewhere where it’s warm and cozy, but he can’t deny that there’s something amusing and satisfying at seeing the childlike glee on your face as you pick up a pile of snow in your gloved hands and toss it above you into the air.

Xigbar - “Oh, my God, is that snow?” Tries not to get exasperated with you the moment you disappear from his side and he has to search for you through the snowy forest, but he finds you pretty quickly when a rather powerful snowball hits the back of his head. He isn’t going to take that sitting down, of course, so a mission to Arendelle quickly turns into a snowball fight that neither of you are willing to lose. Later, when you’re warming up back in front of a fire in your own bedroom, you sighed happily and leaned against his shoulder, and he’s glad that he went along with your games instead of rushing you along to get out of the cold.

Xaldin - Has no idea how you went from standing at his side at one moment to flopped face first on the snowy ground the next, and has to resist the urge to haul you up over his shoulder to prevent you from getting frostbite. DOesn’t want to dim your excitement, though, because he knows that seeing snow for the first time is a wonderful experience that not many get to have. He vows to one day drag you on a nice, snowy vacation somewhere, maybe deep in a cabin somewhere in the mountains where the two of you won’t be disturbed.

Vexen - Vexen had no idea what to say when he realized that you had never seen snow. After all, ice and snow were things that were so naturally ingrained into his life, so it didn’t take much energy to make a few snowflakes fall from the ceiling above your head. The wide, almost tearful eyes you gave him made him upset that he never thought to do that for you earlier.

Lexaeus - thinks that there’s nothing cuter than the sight of you curled up in your earmuffs and winter coat, cheeks and nose red from the brisk iciness in the air. Had no idea that you had never seen snow before and he vows to find out anything else that you’ve yet to experience and show it to you.

Zexion - Zexion doesn’t like to go outside no matter what the weather is like, but he’s never really seen snow before, either, so even the novelty of seeing it for the first time makes him let you pull him outside to enjoy the weather. Somehow, you even convince him to make a snowman with you because you insist that it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, and he finds that he doesn’t really mind the cold weather as much as he thought he would.

Saix - Saix is okay with snow, within reason. He’s happy to look at snow through his window while relaxing in his warm bedroom, but he allows you to drag him out into the cold night air to watch you catch snowflakes on your tongue. Besides, he’s the one who gets to warm you up when you decide to go back inside, so he really can’t be mad about it.

Axel - Axel is like… everything that snow isn’t. He’s not a fan of cold things unless that cold thing is ice cream, but you like to have him around in cold weather because he’s basically a furnace. Whenever you want to play in the snow and decide that you’re a little too cold, you press your hands somewhere on his skin and immediately you feel 1000% better. He wishes that the two of you would be doing something else, but he really doesn’t care what you’re doing as long as he gets to spend time with you.

Demyx - would rather be on a beach, but damn if your excitement isn’t completely contagious. You drag him down onto the ground, forcing him to make some snow angels with you. “I’ve never done this before - it’s so much fun!” you exclaim, and he’s super happy to be able to have witnessed this joy on you that no one has ever seen before.

Luxord - Luxord grew up in a place that had consistently cold and wet weather, so he’s fairly used to seeing snow and it’s long since lost its appeal. He knows that you grew up in a place that was fairly tropical all year round, and seeing your bright eyes filled with wonder at the sight of the first snow of the year is one of the greatest things in the world. He has a new love of snow again after seeing you.

Marluxia - There are only a few plants that will grow when it snows, and Marluxia will teach you about them all. There’s something about the smell of the iciness tingling your nose, along with the smell of poinsettias and holly in the air, that makes Christmas feel all the more real with him. He loves seeing you eager to learn more about snowy weather even if he isn’t exactly a fan of this time of year - there’s something about your happiness that makes it all worthwhile.

Larxene - doesn’t see the point but will happily watch in amusement as you run wildly through the snow, cheering and whooping in excitement. She has to rush you on a bit to continue your mission after a while, but promises to let you come back and enjoy yourself later when you both have more time.

Roxas - Roxas may have experienced snow once in his life, but he was too young to remember it, so he’s equally as excited as you to enjoy the cold weather! You both vow to do all the things you’ve always dreamed of - snowball fights, snow angels, building an adorable snowman, and ice skating if the two of you can find a frozen lake (or convince Vexen to freeze the lake outside.)

Xion - good news - this is the first time that Xion is seeing snow, too! So it doesn’t take long for the two of you to glance at each other for a few long seconds before you both run forward and dive almost headfirst into the piles of beautiful, white snow.

[chiclet-go-boom]

point of impact 7: always

/shyly pushes to @linguini17 who seems to like these

_______

The outpost they’ve reached is large; larger than he’s ever seen and better organized as well. Somewhere he feels like he ought to be offended by the regimented officiousness of the whole thing but he can’t summon up the energy to feel more than a numb gratefulness to the Orlesian need to coordinate the ass end of everywhere. The fact that the place isn’t even remotely defensible hasn’t stopped them from pretending that it is, and if that doesn’t pretty much say everything that anyone ever needs to know about the collective mindset that is Orlais, he doesn’t know what does.

There are even guard rotations, of all things, moving back and forth with a determined sort of purpose as if there weren’t more gap than enclosure left of the original structure. The camp itself is tidily placed within what was probably a keep courtyard at some point in the long distant past, the cracked remnants of the walls providing at least some wind break in the steadily falling snow. Braziers have been placed every so often so maybe there’s a shot that nobody freezes to death before they can exchange the proper passwords at the cross over points. He knows there have to be passwords; the whole blighted nation lives on coded messages and clandestine behaviour. If they’re here long enough he might even rouse himself to make the effort to learn them.

Over his left shoulder the tents march solemnly in formation, little ice-ward runes on their ridge poles twinkling like tiny stars. It’s a pretty effect, especially when a rush of wind curls up along the ground, throwing even more loose white stuff into the air like an excited child. Emprise du Lion is a magical wonderland and Varric hunkers closer to his chosen bonfire, rubbing his chapped hands over and over pretending to get some feeling back into his fingers.

Problem is that there just isn’t enough usable wood to keep the fires going properly and the heat thrown off by the veilfire woven into the actual flames isn’t enough to write home about. Assuming he’ll ever write again. Assuming he gets out of here with his mind intact enough to want to.

He shifts his shoulders, trying to settle his fleece lined duster a little closer to his skin. The crunching of the snow behind him is enough warning that he doesn’t flinch when somebody sits next to him on the rough hewn bench, settling with a creak of protesting leather. The warrior peels her gloves off and pale hands stretch out to the fire, chasing the same thing he is.  

“I hate this place already.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

The Inquisitor sighs, breath puffing out. “Don’t know about that, Varric. You’ve usually got much better insults tucked up your sleeve for these kinds of occasions.”

“Not this time. I pretty much just hate this place too.”

“I’d ask you again why we’re here but that’s even more depressing than being here at all.”

He has a grin for that, enough to crack the skin of his face at least. “Hey, look on the bright side. We could still be bivouacked ten miles from here, hugging a mountain like we’re about to propose marriage.”

The Herald groans. “Hey, it was a good spot.”

“If you’re into hugging mountains, sure.”

“The captain here says they can have us provisioned by tomorrow and as much as I’d like to stay and enjoy the last bit of civilization we’re going to see for awhile, I think we’d better take them up on the not so subtle offer.” The warrior switches subjects easily, as she often does, and Varric nods. “He hasn’t said it exactly but I get the impression they’re stretched pretty thin and we’re enough of a dent into the supplies that he’s already counting on his fingers when the next supply caravan is likely to make it.”

“Yeah. Any army marches on its stomach and for a skinny human, you sure eat a bunch.”

“Thanks, Varric.”

“Anytime, Inquisitor.”

“Anytime what?”

He blames the cold and the exhaustion but he hadn’t heard Cassandra walk up and her appearance across the fire is startling. Her face looks as pinched as he feels, dark skin contrasting with the drifting snowflakes. Not for the first time he wonders if she appreciates the cold as much as he does, what with Nevarra being on the edge of the the Silent Plains and all. He’s heard rumors that things just lay down and die in the shade there to get some relief. She never complains though. Not at Skyhold and not even here, where even the snow complains about the snow, so far by sliding down rock faces on top of them.

Still, if he was the descriptive sort and the Seeker not equipped with a spine of pure dragonbone, he might say she collapses on the seat like a sack of potatoes. As it is she merely settles herself across from them both, one eyebrow tilting up.

The Inquisitor waves her unmarked hand. “Varric says I eat too much.”

“Now, now, I didn’t say that. Exactly.”

“You implied. You know how much energy it takes to swing this axe overhand and not miss?” The weapon in question is close to four feet of haft alone and he’d shudder if he could.

“More than I want to think about at the moment. I retract the implication I didn’t make.”

“Apology accepted. Cassandra, I’d like to get started after whatever passes for first meal around here. They can feed us at least once more before we set off again.” Her lips thin but whatever she’s thinking, she doesn’t voice it. Her voice becomes brisk again. “Everyone make sure to check your packs before we leave, I don’t want to start out shorted on anything essential this time.”

Cassandra nods and makes a noise of, if not acceptance, at least acknowledgement. For a few minutes they all stare into the not-warm-enough fire. Varric rubs his palms together again, feeling the calluses catch on each other in a far-away feeling. Whatever the Inquisitor and Seeker are thinking in turn, they aren’t sharing either.

Finally the Inquisitor sighs and stands, hauling her gloves back on with a deliberate sort of grace. “I’m going to check on Dorian and see if he’s had any luck adapting that fire spell before I turn in. It would be great if just one thing went super right before we’re deep into things, you know?” She drops a hand on Varric’s shoulder as she turns although he can barely feel it through the layers. “See you both tomorrow. Try and get some sleep.”

Silence descends again and he thinks he should break it somehow, only he doesn’t know what to say. He’s all out of his own jokes at the moment and the easy camaraderie brought by the Herald has disappeared with her.

“Varric.”

He looks up without realizing he’d dropped his gaze to look at the Seeker. “Yes?”

“I.. apologize if this is abrupt. Can you really tell where the nearest red lyrium is? I hope you can appreciate that I do not wish us to flounder without direction out here.”

He rubs a hand over his face and considers his options. Then he simply points. “There.” He swings his arm and points again, thick finger stabbing. “And there, but farther.” And he points again for a third time, opening his hand and wiggling his fingers in a vague motion. “And somewhere over there too but it’s not super specific.”

“How do you know?” Her voice is honestly curious and that alone keeps him from snapping at her. It’s not her fault, he reminds himself. It’s probably not even his fault.

“I just do.” Regardless of his intentions, it comes out as a growl. He shifts his feet a little wider and sighs, before trying again. “Sorry. Stuff has me on edge. Yes, I know exactly where it is. No, I don’t know why, not really, but it’s why I invited myself along. As much as I seriously regret it right now.”

“Do all dwarves…?”

“Don’t know that either, Seeker.” He shakes his head, thinks better of it, and then just shrugs. “We’re naturally resistant to the regular stuff, everybody knows that. But the Orzammar clans that mine it still swear they can hear it right through the stone. It’s how they know which direction to start digging. But Bianca...” He hesitates, then curses himself for tripping over the name. His control really isn’t the best at the moment. He starts again. “Bianca doesn’t react to the red stuff like I do, even though it’s scary piled on top of stupid on top of just plain horribly bad. Said it was an annoying buzz, kind of like a mosquito just out of swatting range when she was close. That’s not what I’m hearing. I know for a fact that she can’t pinpoint it like I can.”  

“What is it to you then? What do you hear?”

He knew this question was coming but his shoulders still tighten and he can’t seem to convince them to straighten out. “It sings, Seeker. Constantly. It won’t shut up." He drops his elbows to his knees, leaning forward. He watches himself rub his palms together, slower and slower. "It's a rash I can’t even scratch because it's inside my head. The closer I am, the sweeter it sounds. I swear there are words in it too, like somebody is whispering in another language that if I just… that I could understand if I just convinced myself I could.”

“That must be difficult.” Her voice is measured but for Cassandra it’s dripping with concern and it strikes him oddly, unexpectedly close to the heart. He shrugs that off as well because there’s nothing there beyond what she’d feel for any of the others. The Seeker has a tendency to mother hen everybody in her immediate vicinity, himself included when she’s not busy being mad at him for all his various infractions, both real and imagined.

“You have no idea. Is it me? Is it something to do with being a Tethras? Maker knows Bartrand took to it like a duck to water.” He hears the bitterness creeping into his voice, realizes he’s dropped his gaze again and forces himself to look up across the fire. “Don’t worry so much, Seeker. There's no way I’ll lose track of it, trust me. You can just consider me your personal crow for the duration; I’ll take us right to the stuff and we’re going to smash it all into so much dust.”

---------------------

The weather hasn’t gotten any better over the last couple of weeks but it hasn’t gotten all that much worse either. A couple of small storms that laid down yet more snow since you can never have too much of a good thing, a few days with enough wind to scour his face of several layers of skin that he probably didn’t need anyways but that’s been about it. Small blessings from above, right? Varric does his level best to follow directly in the footprints of the Seeker and the Herald as they choose a path leading along the base of the latest ridge, forging ahead of both him and Dorian. Stumbling off the path they’re making will have him hip deep in the drifts again and that he doesn’t need right now, or ever quite frankly.

But damn them for having such long strides. His thighs are never going to stop burning, he’s sure of it.

He doesn’t realize he’s spoken out loud until Dorian laughs. He shoots a sour glance over his shoulder.

“Laugh it up, Sparkler. Don’t see you swanning through this stuff like you’re dancing the remigold on marble floors either.”

The mage waves a casual hand. “I’m allergic to excessive effort. I’m perfectly content to let our two heroes do the hard work since they’re so beautifully suited for it.” In deference to the relatively mild weather at the moment, his fur lined hood is down and he can see the smile on the man’s face. Dorian’s stride is confident, if slow.  “And admit it, Varric, the view is quite aesthetically pleasing from this angle.”

Varric looks ahead and suppresses a sigh. Because when Dorian’s right, he’s right.

The Herald is in the lead at the moment, indefatigably moving through the drifts even as she probes ahead with a long pole to check for deeper pockets that could hang everyone up. Her overcoat has been messily rolled to hang from her hip by straps hooked to her weapons belt. Through the patchy tree line they’re generally skirting, the sunlight catches on her honey hair to spark little glories and her breath and exposed skin steam with exertion. If this was a painting, she’d be some sort of pale avenging demon descending upon the hapless mortals from above, wreathed in white smoke. Her hips and thighs are definitely doing some interesting things beneath the muted jingle of her scale mail tunic.

In contrast, Cassandra has kept her dark cloak on but like Dorian has dropped the hood. She ghosts precisely behind the Inquisitor, dark on black on implacable, her armored weight helping to pack the snow into something traversable. If the pace is bothering her, nothing in her movements betrays it. Varric can only imagine what her hips are doing and that’s the worst part of it. His imagination has a tendency to run away with him when he can’t see things.

As if aware of his thoughts on her, the Seeker picks that moment to look back at both of them. He raises a hand in greeting, trying to move a little faster.

She frowns at something she sees though and stops, turning to call back the Herald. A few minutes later, they’re all standing together and Varric stamps his feet a few times, swinging his arms. Wouldn’t do to cool down too fast.

“We have to be close. Varric?”

He nods at the Seeker, keeping his face impassive. “Nearly on top of it, really. If we go up right here, we can probably fall on top of it on the other side.”

Everybody looks of course, but the ridge of stone they’re traveling along still isn’t showing any signs of a path they can actually use to get over the blocking hump of rock.

The first three deposits had been deceptively easy, pretty much out in the open after a bit of effort and they’d shattered beautifully under the pressure of his explosive bolts and Dorian’s casually impressive destruction. They hadn’t even had to get that close for which he is profoundly grateful. This one however is more than making up for it though in pretty much every way possible.

They’ve been tracking it for days now, working their way closer and closer, switching and backtracking as various approaches had dead ended into impassable terrain or steep ravines or some combination of both. Emprise du Lion, he’d decided awhile back, was obviously designed by the sadistic hand of a maniac god. Which pretty much described most of them when you got down to it but the subtleties of his observation appears to have made little impression on his travelling companions.

More to the point, they’re uselessly close enough set his teeth on shivering edge and after four long days and even longer nights, they still haven’t actually found the Maker blasted thing. He’s just given up on sleeping until they get to it. Standing here doing nothing but talking isn’t helping either. He can feel the lyrium thrumming at him right through the stone, dancing along every one of his bones.

Varric shifts his weight and re-settles his crossbow, trying to distract himself. He swings his arms a few more times. The Inquisitor scratches the back of her oblivious neck, still looking up the ridge before squinting over at the weak, diffused sun. “Okay, then,” she says finally. “We’re going to go for another… two fingers of light I think, and if we still haven’t found a good way up, we’re going back to the last camp and we’ll try around the other way tomorrow.”

It’s not like that’s a different plan than they were already doing but the small rest is something at least. This time when they set off again, Cassandra takes the lead, letting the other woman take a break from path stomping. They travel in single file for an hour, barely speaking. The snow crunches, the world glitters and Varric does his best to keep imagining what’s happening under the Seeker’s clothes. It’s almost enough.

Her shout pulls his attention up from the place it’s drifted into. He stumbles and realises after a few seconds that he’d nearly been in fugue state. She’s staring up and as they all close the distance they’d straggled along, he can see what she’s seeing.

At some point in the past a portion of the ridge ahead had collapsed, leaving behind a sloping pile of scree along the path of travel. Instead of rising stone and no footholds, it was a reasonable, if steep incline. Better yet, it was overgrown with small saplings taking advantage of the loosened soil and dirt and even scrub brush digging its own footholds into the bounty. It was damned near perfect - with some careful footwork, they could probably get up this. He looks over at the Herald but she’s already shaking out her jacket and putting it back on. Right. She obviously doesn’t want to be overbalanced as they climb.

“Varric, you go first,” the Inquisitor is saying. “Then Dorian, Cass and then me.”

“Why does he get to go first?” Dorian’s voice sounds rusty with disuse, and the man coughs and tries again. “I’m as light as a halla in comparison to you burly brontos. I could be there and back before you know it.”

She grins and not for the first time Varric wonders if the Herald is sweet on the Tevinter altus. There’s just something about the way her smile slides onto her face when she talks to him, that tiny edge of ever so eager sweetness. “Because, you darling thing, you might be a golden halla of air and clouds but Varric knows how to move on treacherous terrain pretty much anywhere. Right, Varric?”

“You know it.” He’s already picked up how he’s going to get up most of the way, eyes skipping from spot to spot. “But how come nobody ever calls me a golden halla?”

“You don’t have the wardrobe for it, my dear dwarf. Or the legs.”

“You got me there, Sparkler.”

“So our resident sneak goes first,” interrupts the Inquisitor, “then you, Dorian, since you are so damned graceful I can’t stand it, then Cassandra. I’ll bring up the rear because I’m quite frankly the one most likely to slip and I’m not taking out anybody with me if I’m dead last. If Cass slips, I’m also the one most likely to survive the impact.” She makes a point of flexing in her armor and even Varric finds a chuckle for that, as weak as it is. Cassandra looks over at him with a frown on her face but he ignores it, already starting to move.

He wants this over with bad enough to taste it. He starts to climb.

It’s difficult but not beyond him. City dwarf he might be but he knows how to walk, how to test his steps before committing them, feeling the ground beneath his feet as if it’s a living creature which, with the wrong footstep, it will be. It’s not the same as negotiating a trade dispute or slipping around a column to line up a back shot on an unsuspecting target but he has indeed learned to walk wherever he needs to.

Below, Dorian climbs lightly, obviously trying to follow the line he’s picked out across the slope. The two heavily armored women labour upwards below him in a staggered line. Varric keeps going, and when he finally looks up, he realises they’re nearly there. He reaches for another grip on a sapling tree to test its strength as an anchor.

He hears the curse a half second before anything else. He looks down just to time to see Dorian slip, and he’s helpless to do anything as the mage slides under the crumbling pressure of a weak foothold, scrabbling to get a stable handful of anything as he falls. The sound of shifting stone and earth is frightening and for a heartbeat all he can see is what will happen if the entire slip face goes, burying all of them at the bottom.

But luck is with them. Cassandra has her feet planted, one hand sunk into the root system of the nearby scrubs and she gets her other hand on the Tevinter as he slides past her in a shower of pebbles and dirt. She holds on somehow and miraculously nothing further gives. The small landslide slows and then trickles to a pattering stop. Varric can see the white oval face of the Inquisitor far below, staring up.

“Everybody okay?” he shouts down.

“Dorian?” In answer to the Seeker, the mage sets his knee on the slope and attempts to rise slowly. Varric can’t hear the hiss of pain but he can imagine it as Dorian appears to be unable to get both feet under him properly.

The Inquisitor climbs up with exaggerated carefulness and finally reaches the level of the other two. There is conversation he can’t hear but he’s pretty sure he knows what it is. The warrior is running her hands over Dorian’s leg and Varric curses under his breath, staring up. So close to the top. He can keep going, crest the ridge and backtrack to the lyrium. Blast it into so much quivering dust and make it stop crying out to him. Then, then he can sleep for a thousand years before they go after the next one.

He wets his lips, looking back down the slope.

Cassandra is climbing again, methodically grasping and reaching. The Herald and Dorian however are going back down at a snail’s pace, the one braced against the other. Varric blinks.

“Keep going,” the Seekers calls out as she gets close enough.

His mind dangerously blank, he turns back and keeps climbing.

-------------------

Walking along the top of the ridge is much easier going than slogging through the snow at the foot of it and in easy time they have retraced their steps. They stand together for a moment, pretending to catch their breath.

At some point a relatively shallow bowl formed here, perhaps sixty feet across, somewhat less than half of that again deep. Clustered on the other side, the lyrium has shoved itself through the stone and snow. The crystalline spikes thrust outwards in mass confusion like obscenely hard entrails spilling out from a wound and Varric swallows.

The worst thing is it’s pulsing in rhythm. It feels like it’s driving his blood.  

Varric forces himself to look away.

“Can you destroy it from here?” she asks. Her words steam in the air even as her hand is wrapped around the hilt of the sword, tight enough to be noticeable. He sees it but isn’t sure if he should ask if she’s starting to hear it too.

He shakes his head once and then again, harder, trying to reform his thoughts into something coherent. He delays by scooping up a small handful of snow to swallow it, trying to taste water for a moment instead of lyrium. “Sorry, Seeker. Bad angle and I’m not risking it. I only have so many bolts on me and this one… well, it’s kinda big, isn’t it?”

“Only a little big,” she says calmly enough.

“Right.” He stares down across the depression and disguises a hard shudder with a shrug. He starts picking out his footholds, trying to judge when closer will be close enough. “Okay. I’m going to. Going work my way there.” He points down and right to where his target is, a small ledge jutting out where some piece of the stone split to provide a rough shelf. “Better shot from there, can do this properly. Wait here.”

“I am not waiting here, dwarf.”

“And why the hell not?” he snaps back. “You can’t do anything with that sword except crowd my shooting arm.”

She shifts on her feet and he hates the closed, tight expression on her face. “I am worried for you,” she says unexpectedly. “Do not think I have not noticed what it is happening.”

He grunts in surprise. “Doesn’t matter,” he replies after a moment, fumbling, cursing the noticeable delay between thought and sound. “Just… stay here and I’ll take care of it. If you want, you can carry me back out if you need something to do. Maybe there’ll be a bear or something.”

Her lips tighten but he hopes it’s because she’s trying not to smile. He moves away and starts to pick his way down.

It’s difficult, more than difficult. The slope here is more stable at least than the way up, the stone older and less disturbed but the lyrium wails in previously unknown octaves, distracting. The snow that has drifted into crevices makes things hard to judge, the shifting red light casting wavering shadows that don’t help at all. More than once he nearly puts a foot wrong. He starts, stops, starts again.

But he makes it after what seems like a year and forever, bracing himself along the exposed face. Varric hauls in a painful lungful of air, trying to stay centered and focused. As he thought, the angle here is as close to perfect as he’s going to get, the twisting spires of lyrium all but reaching out to him. He can see right into the center of the mass and for a second the song aching along his bones makes beautiful, incandescent sense.

Varric shudders and drags his eyes away. He starts to pull Bianca off his shoulder, fumbling awkwardly.

Afterwards he has no idea what he did wrong. Did the ledge collapse, some unseen fault with his weight on it? Did his foot slip with his shattered un-attention? Or did, Maker preserve all fools, did he actually step forward? All of those things, none of those things.

He’s somehow on his hands and knees in the snow at the bottom of the basin, spitting shock and blood. He’s bitten through his tongue but doesn’t have time to care about it. His hands are scraped and bleeding. Those are the only two things he actually feels.

He looks up.

He’s fallen nearly on top of it. Twenty feet, maybe less or something more because it’s impossible to judge, only that it fills his sight like a horizon. This close he can all but see his reflection in the crystalline planes, see himself endlessly reflected. His heart twists with sudden panicked horror.

Then it’s gone. All of it is gone, torn away and lost. The surging thrill under his skin is nothing short of a lover’s caress, something he almost has a name for. He staggers to his feet, somewhere dimly amazed that he can.

Somebody is yelling faintly. He shakes his head and that falls away too.

Everywhere he looks is red and it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

He takes a step. Then another and another, faster. His flesh blackens with exultation, heat and promise and the shrieking edge of understanding. Fingers of it thread through his hair, touch his shoulders with power. Red coils wrap tight around his neck until he can barely breathe for how good they feel. A knowing hand snakes down his hip.

He could have it. He could take it. It could be his.

And oh, it wants to be his.

His bloodied fingers twitch. He reaches to touch the nearest spire. A few more steps.

He's grabbed from behind and he howls, fighting.

It’s a woman with dark hair and darker, wilder eyes. She drags him a half dozen steps before he digs in and then there is a tense, straining stalemate. She’s got a hold of him by a strap and she yanks again, stronger than she looks with her whipcord length. He loses yet another lurching step. It’s his harness, he realizes dimly. She has him by the harness.

He claws at the buckles and the useless weight at his shoulder drops and he sheds both burden and jacket all in a piece like a snake. She reaches for him again.

“Varric. Varric.”

There’s red dancing in her eyes. The lyrium over his shoulder screams through its reflection and he shudders. He flexes his shoulders in inarticulate want, panting.

She hesitates, scanning his face, her hand hovering between them.

She crouches, slowly enough that it seems a dream or a drug fever until she’s before him with one knee in the snow. He can see flakes of white in her dark, tousled hair. Something in her eyes is confusing enough to hold him there.

“Varric. Do you know me?”

He takes a breath. No. Yes. No?

“Varric.” Her voice pleads. Her fingertips raise as if to touch his face, brushing instead the hollow of his throat.

He sets his jaw against it. Her cheek is scarred and he finds himself touching it with a finger without intending any such thing, tracing the heavy line. Blood smears like it’s reopening.

He’s always meant to touch her. He’s always wanted to do that. Yes. Run his mouth over her, taste himself on her skin.

“Seeker.” That’s all he has but it seems to be enough. She smiles, her eyes still frightened. That’s it. That’s the confusing thing. The Seeker should never be frightened.

Her hand is burning hot as it curls around the chain at his throat.

His thumb brushes over her face again. Taste her, touch her. Have her. His.

“Varric, come away. Come away from it.” Her other hand hesitates, then moves to his arm. She tugs once and then again, more strongly.

He growls his answer, rocking on his heels.

She stands, rising like a furious thundercloud, gaining sudden leverage. She yanks viciously and he stumbles one more step, her hand torqued around the metal at his neck, the other fisted into his shirt. Something rips. “Maker, help me! Varric, we must go!"

She should never be frightened. Once she hears it properly, she’ll never be frightened again. And he wants.

He sinks his fingers into her upper arm, deep as mountains and it takes nothing at all to drag her back down.

She loses her grip, collapsing to both knees with a harsh sound. Her free hand starts to fumble at her waist.

“No. Come,” he pants. “Come here, Seeker.”

“Varric, no!”

A step backwards. He’s stronger than she is, he always has been. “Be here with me. Seeker. Seeker. Always.”

He pulls again, inexorable and she cries out in sharp pain, starting to struggle. Her free hand drops from the hilt, scrabbling in the snow.

She tries then, tries to lean back, to pull away and she’s strong, he loves that, he’s always loved that about her but she is only human and he’s not letting go. He tightens his grip into a cage and half turns, dragging her across the ground even as she screams yet again. Back towards the song, back towards the safety of the howling crystals. Red in her eyes, red in her hair, the taste of lyrium in her mouth under his, always, always, always.

“Varric! Varric, no! Don’t do this, don’t do this!”

He’s never seen her tears before.

She’s crying. Cassandra is crying.

He’s hurting Cassandra.

He snatches his hand back as if it’s burning.

Maybe he is.

“...Varric?”

He closes his eyes. He inhales, a breath so deep his entire body freezes with the intense, bitter cold. “Yes.”

She swallows, a wet sound. “Varric, come away. Come away with me. We have to leave this place. Now.”

Lyrium screams again but this time he has something to hang onto.

“Can’t. Can’t, Seeker. Have to… have to…” He gropes after it. “Can’t come back here again.”

“Someone else can do this. Come with me now.”

“No.” He opens his eyes. The wet smear of her face accuses, his blood on her cheek, but her eyes are dark again, the red only a reflection. “No.”

He can’t find any more words but he doesn’t need to. Varric turns and finds Bianca half buried in the snow. It is the work of moments to free her from the tangle and his fingers leave wet, dark streaks on her blond wood as he loads her.

He walks back and finds the angle again, looks into the tangled mess of lyrium, the beating, pulsing, crying heart of it.

He doesn’t remember pulling the trigger, reloading, doing it again and yet again until there’s nothing left that sings at all. But he knows he did it because the next thing he remembers, they’re stumbling into camp together.

[tynct]

Snow day

masterlist

summary: things with jungwoo weren’t official, and neither of you would admit that your relationship was a step past friends

genre: fluff

words: 1.6k

warnings: none

a/n: requests are open!

At the first sight of snow, people usually groan and wish for warmer weather, but when Jungwoo peers out of the window and spots the ground below covered in white, he springs up from the bed in excitement. You jerk awake at the sudden movement, tangling yourself in the sheets and shriek when you slide off the mattress.

“I’m sorry,” Jungwoo whispers, laughing softly as he appears at your side and you sleepily glare at him.

He presses a kiss to your cheek, and you can’t bring yourself to do anything but smile as he helps you up. He wraps you in a hug, and you sigh at the warmth, but it doesn’t last long as he slips away and heads for the door.

“C’mon, it’s snowing!” he tugs you along, only letting go once you step into the living room and Taeil glances up from the tv.

“Oh, hey,” Taeil says in surprise. “Did you sleep over? In Jungwoos room?”

“They were too tired to go home,” Jungwoo nonchalantly answers, all the while you panic over the knowing look Taeil gives you.

Things with Jungwoo weren’t official, and neither of you would admit that your relationship was a step past friends. You don’t remember when things had started to escalate, but you never brought it up in fear of him rejecting you. You’ve told yourself that if he didn’t feel the same way, then why’d he treat you different from everyone else? It doesn’t stop you from imagining the worst though, and you turn away from Taeil to take the cup of coffee Jungwoo holds out for you.

“You’re finally up?” Lucas pokes his head out of his room, and he shuffles over to the counter to grab a banana. “I guess we know why Jungwoo slept all day, then.”

Jungwoo stares for a moment, and when it clicks he quickly shakes his head. “We didn’t do anything!”

“Then explain the shriek I heard from your room earlier,” Jaehyun mumbles from beside Taeil, not realizing he was there because of the mountain of blankets he’s hiding under.

“I fell of the bed,” you huff. “Nothing happened.”

“It’s literally eight in the morning,” comes a gravelly voice, and Yuta groans when he picks up the empty coffee pot. “You drank it all?”

“It’s past noon, Yuta,” Taeil informs him boredly.

Yuta sadly glances at your cup, and you roll your eyes as you hand it over. He pinches your cheek on the way to the couch, sipping on the coffee and scoots next to Taeil, grabbing the remote and him and Jaehyun make a sound of protest when he changes the channel.

“We should get out of here before they start fighting,” Jungwoo murmurs, and you soundlessly slip on your coats.

You almost make it out when Lucas lets out a loud, “are you going to play in the snow?”

“Yes..?” Jungwoo says uncertainty.

Lucas immediately rushes over to the others on the couch, ignoring their groans as he pushes them to their feet. You and Jungwoo watch as they rummage around for their hats and scarves, Lucas the first one to run out the door with Jaehyun being the last to exit.

“How much do you want to bet Lucas is going to start a snowball fight?” You grin, and before Jungwoo can answer, a snowball hits him in the back of the head.

“Snowball fight!” Lucas shouts at the top of his lungs, followed by a yelp as he pelts Jaehyun with the snow.

Jungwoo shakes off his hat, and you can’t stop yourself from laughing at the wounded look he’s giving you. “That hurt, Y/n.”

“I know; you did that to me last winter.”

“It’s literally been a year, and it was an accident.”

You threateningly bend down to pick up some snow, and he backs away slowly, but you don’t even get a chance to throw it when you’re suddenly falling, losing your balance when a snowball explodes against your shoulder.

The culprit laughs at the sour expression you’re giving him, and it doesn’t last long before you land a hit, followed by another, and now you’re the one laughing as Taeil tries stumbling away from your line of fire.

The reminder of Jungwoo being there strikes you in the leg, and you turn him just as he throws another one, and you gasp when it hits you directly in the face. Before you can reach up to wipe the snow out of your eyes, Jungwoo slides over and does it for you, apologies slipping from his lips as you shake off the rest of the snow.

“I swear I didn’t mean to hit your face,” he nervously rubs your arms as you blink away the cold.

“I know; you’re too nice to.”

“I could totally hit someone in the face with a snowball,” he scoffs.

“Yeah? Then throw one at Jaehyun over there,” He glances over at Jaehyun watching Lucas and Yuta, and he gives you a nervous look. “See? Too nice.”

“You like me because I’m too nice though, right?” he asks, and you pause for a moment.

“I mean, uh,” you sputter. “I like you more than because you’re nice.”

Jungwoo hums. “What would those things be?”

“You’re funny? And you don’t get mad when I drop your things- like that vase, remember?”

“The one my mom bought me,” he snorts, and you cringe.

“I thought you’d be pissed, but you helped me pick it up because you didn’t want me to cut myself. You’re an amazing singer too; when we first met, you were singing for Taeyong at his party, and it kind of made me f-” you swallow your words, realizing with a start that you had almost admitted to falling in love with him at first sight.

It had been at last years Christmas party, and you had been a little late because of the weather, and walked in right as it was Jungwoos part in the song him and Taeil had prepared. It was like the rest of the world faded away as you watched him from the doorway, too hypnotized with his voice to move.

At the same time, when Jungwoo had been in the center of the room, he was sure he was visibly trembling in his seat. He didn’t know why he was so nervous to sing in front of his friends; he had done it plenty of times before him, but he wasn’t used to all of the attention on him, and as Taeil’s part was soon to end and his begin, he was growing less and less sure of himself by each note. That had been until you entered, and he felt his heart jump and suddenly he was smoothly singing the first of his line, unable to take his eyes off of you until the song ended and a roar of applause ripped his attention back to his friends.

At your pause, Jungwoo tilts his head and you nervously glance away. “Made you what?”

“Nothing,” you cough, trying to rephrase your sentence when he brings his hand to your cheek, and you bite down when he swipes his finger along your jaw.

“I think I know what you were about to say,” he murmurs, and your heart leaps to your throat.

“Yeah?”

He nods, leaning in and you close your eyes. The feeling of his lips against yours sends a chill up your spine, but he’s gone a second later when Yuta throws a snowball at the back of his head and you jump when he whips around and shouts, “what was that for!”

“We all know you’re in love with them, but there’s a child present,” Yuta shouts back, gesturing to Lucas slipping on a patch of ice.

The two of you stiffen, and he slowly turns to you with a blush that makes you smile softly. “I know this is like, super awkward, but you look adorable right now.”

He lets out a nervous laugh, followed by his cheeks darkening two shades, and you reach out to brush the snow off of his hair. Jungwoo stares as you card through his hair, and you grin when you meet his eyes.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that,” he says quietly.

“What? To get hit with a snowball?”

He doesn’t acknowledge the joke you had made the cover up the growing panic building up in your chest, and you uncomfortably shift away, only for him to latch onto your wrist and you glance at him with wide eyes.

“To kiss you.”

The confidence in his voice has your stomach erupting in butterflies; he’s never been this straightforward with you before, and you’re left completely unsure of how to react other than to blink at him owlishly.

“But you did kiss me,” you reply meekly. “This morning-”

“You know what I mean, Y/n,” he murmurs, and you gulp when he takes your hand and intertwine your fingers, ignoring the cold of the snow beginning to seep through both of your clothes. “Yuta was right, you know.”

You’re confused for a second, and when you understand, Jungwoo nervously watches as you try to process. You’re pretty sure you’re bright red, having gone through at least two mini mental breakdowns and a pep talk when Jungwoos facade shatters and the beginning of tears begin sitting on his waterline.

“I’m sorry, I just thought-”

“Wait! Jungwoo!” you leap after him, nearly slipping and manage to grab his arm just in time for you to drag him down. He winces as he lands hard on his butt, and you jerk up to keep him from trying to get away again, grabbing at his scarf and blurting out, “I love you! I love you, I’m sorry, please don’t cry.”

His head snaps and he gasps when you kiss him, and he nearly melts despite the snow pressed against the exposed skin on his back.

“Do that again,” he breathes against your lips when you pull away, and you grin at the lovestruck gaze on his face.

[ahnmakes]

devlog # 8 // mapmaking, part 2 (plants, blender modeling + refining map visuals)

welcome back to the world of Gamedév!

okay, so, it’s been a couple weeks since the last devlog, but honestly, it feels like years have passed.  to let you know a bit of what i’ve been up to, i’ve mainly been reflecting on pursuing further education in a formal setting.  for close to a year now, i’ve already been studying computer science and game development pretty intentionally on my own - with the abundant resources available online, it is more than possible to receive a full and competent education without university studies. however, there are a few things that self-studying does not always make easy or accessible, namely: a) tangible, structured evidence of the skills you’re learning, in a format others (employers) feel they understand, b) opportunities to collaborate and build with other people around your skill levels, and c) in-person connections, leading to further interpersonal and career potentials

these are things that i think university education does tend to provide more consistently, and they are the reason that i am nearly certain i’ll be pursuing more formal education in the coming months.  i am mainly waiting to hear back on a funding opportunity, so more details on my plan in the next devlog ..

as far as progress on zodaia, the main thing i worked on this week was getting some new models into the game.  as you may remember, in the previous devlog, i had made a number of environmental models .. pretty much entirely out of cubes.  the first model, a tree, allowed me to render a stunningly realistic and artistically compelling forest:

it may be difficult to tell, but this is a digitally-rendered forest scene, not a photo; hard to believe, but if you zoom in close, you might see subtle indications that these models were created from geometric shapes.  while i did not imagine i could improve upon the flowing asymmetry of the grass or the bold sharpness of the rock faces, i thought i would give it a shot.

putting these placeholder assets temporarily aside, i decided to start with a sort of leafy plant because it seemed like something i couldn’t fuck up too much.

i opened blender, deleted the initial cube, and started with a flat plane, just the default one provided.  i then extruded it a couple of times, making a longer, flat plane - it seemed easier to work with the leaf as a flat piece before bringing it more into 3d.  i next curved the shape by selecting loop cuts and scaling them down as made sense to me; i didn’t follow any guide, just went along adjusting the shape into something pleasing to me.  once i had a flat leaf that looked nice, i put a loop cut down the length of the leaf, and i rotated the whole leaf up, keeping its base close to the center, where the axes meet.  i then pulled this center loop of vertices down, creating an indent in the leaf, then individually adjusted the side vertices up and down to create more depth, as if the leaf were rotated or growing differently along its edges.

and that brought me to this:

i know that is a lot of blender/3d-modeling talk, already, so let me know if you’d like a more in-depth blender introduction; if you support me on patreon, i will definitely make a tutorial so you can know more about the modeling process!

anyhow, once i had this one leaf, i just duplicated it and started manually positioning the leaves to make something that looked decent.  i’m sure there is a more perfomant or efficient way to do things, but my goal right now is simply to make - i have spent years trying to conceptualise an ideal way to do everything, which often led to me not making anything at all, but the intention of this blog is for ahn to make.  so, this is what i made:

obviously, as this was the first model i’ve made for the game (aside from the hex model, which will also soon get a rework), i couldn’t wait to see the model actually in the game.  i made a basic green material, imported the model (as an fbx file) into unity, and simply replaced this with the model in one of the original InteractableObjects - i think i replaced the bush?

here’s how it looked:

already stunning!  sincerely, this time.  i am in love with the simplicity of this effect - and though i might feel differently later, right now, i love how this plant looks.

next, i continued swiftly on with a tree, since i imagined that is the thing that would be most engaging and also most visually rewarding.  in the past, i have created low-poly trees before and absolutely loved the effect, so i also decided i would go for something similar this time.

skipping most of the modeling details, i basically just started with a cylinder and extruded, extruded, extruded and repositioned vertices until i got this shape - it took probably 5 minutes (including the part where i needed to bond the duplicated tree branch by manually creating faces between the central and duplicated branch vertices).

i then added in some icospheres, which i just pulled around and contorted into these shapes, which i (again) duplicated.

after creating materials for the tree bark and the tree top and putting a light in the scene, this was the quick render result.

and now, in the game..

the difference is absurd, especially considering how little energy it took to make these trees.  i created a dark and a light variation once i had the models imported into unity, and will certainly make variations with many more shapes - however, right now, there is only that one tree model in this scene.  could you tell?  without studying the trees too hard, i think the automatic rotation (included in the procedural generation) gives a convincing effect, as if there are many tree models there.

and since i was coasting on the excitement of having these models complete nearly immediately, i decided to go ahead and do the grass and rock models, too.

again, start with one shape ..

then duplicate and make material ..

et voilà.  also featuring the rocks i made.

actually, the first time i imported the model and pressed play, it crashed unity and looked like this:

why? i initially thought it was because i had made the noob mistake of making 3d grass (which i did) instead of using 2d images, but actually, it was because i had also imported a light and camera for each grass model; remember to delete them from the scene in blender before exporting!

with that, i was pretty in love with how everything was going.  the environments are starting to look more organic and how i dream of them being.

updated glacier: (not much going on here yet; needs more water effects, snow falling .. but i did update the ice color and transparency to be more distinct from the snow)

desert scene with a very bright weather:

ash biome looking almost exactly the same:

gardens at night with an ambient light:

and two new biomes: the tundra, a mostly frozen, rocky landscape with some plant-growth:

and the cove, dark because it’s inside/a cave:

overall, i am super pleased with these developments and *so* thrilled for the next changes to come.

look out for the next devlog, where i’ll probably be working on a couple more models (or texturing/modeling the hexes?) and especially the more weather-y environmental effects: lighting, post processing, clouds, rain, lightning, water, the sky -- much to come.  until then..

with love and hopefully a low poly count,

ahn

// support me on patreon?  click here to join my party and help me keep making content like this <3

[beneathtreemomo]

LTT Q&A Answers!

Q: Yoru, was Fubuki your first crush? If not, who?/ Who was Yoru’s first love?

            A: “Well, I think Shirou was my first crush?" Yoru admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously while a blush rosied his cheeks. "I’d never felt like that with anyone before him, but I’m also still trying to figure out just how crushes and being in love feels like. Sometimes it feels like I don’t feel it right, even now. But I do know that I love Shirou more than anything, and that’s what matters. So… yeah, Shirou was my first crush.”

 Q: YORU, MY BOY, what movie can you watch over and over without ever getting tired of? AND what’s wrong but sounds right?

            A: He blinked, staring at the question. “Uhhhh, that’s actually a really good question and I don’t have a single clue. I tend to get tired of a lot of things if I watch or listen to them too often, so I try to keep my favorites out of the ‘Frequently Watch’ list. But if I had to guess, I’d say the movie I’d watch over and over would be The Pacifier. It’s silly and a really good story all in one, so I feel like I'll always be able to enjoy it.”

                       With the first half answered, he reread the second half of the message, “Something wrong that sounds right? I guess…" He tapped his chin in thought, letting out a hum as he tried to think of something. "Trying to please everyone as your source of happiness. It’s not that aiming for that goal is bad, per say, but there are people who you just can’t please, and if you focus only on pleasing others without focusing on yourself, you’re only going to get hurt. And at that point, unless you change how you're thinking, you may never be happy because each failure will be plaguing you.”

 Q: Since Coach Kudou is now in the story, a question for him: what’s the most epic way you’ve seen someone quit or be fired?

            A: For a few minutes, Kudou was silent, thinking about how to answer the question. When he started talking, there was a small smile on his face. "I don’t necessarily think it qualifies as “epic”, but when I worked at Sakurazaki Junior High, there was this one kid very few of us could stand. He was constantly talking back to the teachers and correcting “mistakes” that we’d make, or point out things we already knew and either dumbed down for the kids or were on the way to getting to. He actually got one of the teachers so mad she stormed into the principal’s office and started shouting at him about it. Somehow, they got the PA system started and their argument rang loud and clear through the air. Of course, it ended with her shouting "I QUIT!" and the door to his office was shut so hard it made the PA system screech."

 Q: For one of the best girls, Matoro, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve broken?

            A: Matoro laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "I once broke a family heirloom. It was this old pocket watch, and I took it with me to skating practice. When I landed on my butt after failing to do a trick, I ended up, uh, crushing it. Glass shattered, hands stopped moving, it almost sounded like the pocket watch the Mad Hatter and March Hare ruined in Alice in Wonderland by stuffing it with sugar and jam! ….. Oh yeah, I panicked and thought it’d work again if I did that, so…. That didn’t help. But we got it restored, and they fixed it up perfectly! I wasn’t allowed to touch it again until recently, though.”

 Q: Shirou, share some stupid stories and tell me when was the last time you got to tell someone “I told you so.” after a ridiculous situation?

           A: "The last time I got to tell someone 'I told you so' after something ridiculous was actually pretty recent! The Hakuren team, Yoru, and I were all hanging out at Yoru’s place and they built a little pool-like area that we can use as a skating rink, so it’s pretty big. We were all doing whatever we wanted in the snow when Matoro suggested we try having a match on the ‘ice rink’. I and a few others actually opted out of it, mostly because even though the pool is big, it’s not going to hold all twelve of us. 

          “I told them to be careful, because the ice was probably a bit thin due to the weather starting to warm up a little, and while they said they were going to be fine Yoru and I just kind of… knew that it was about to be a disaster. So before the match started we said not to fall through; at most they would have gotten damp calves but, still, there’s a reason there’s ice and snow.

         “Long story short, we were having a blast but on one collision the ice broke underneath Matoro and Kitami and they fell in. That’s the most recent silly ‘I told you so’ that’s happened!”

 Q: Watanabe, because I don't get your mind at all, what are you interested in that most people aren’t - and no, murder isn't a proper answer?

           A: Watanabe gave a charming smile, laughing a little. “I’m interested in lots of popular things! If it’s not popular, then—"

           A teammate of his popped up beside him after overhearing the conversation, crossing his arms and giving the questioner an annoyed look. Watanabe glared at the teammate. “He enjoys throwing rocks at birds. And from his track record, there are worse things I could mention.”

           Watanabe hissed, shoving the teammate away as he growled, “Would you shut up?!” He turned back to the questioner, smiling politely. “Ignore him, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about! I love anything popular, I don’t think there’s really anything I like that isn’t something most people enjoy!”

 Q: Haruka, what was cool when you were young but isn’t cool now? AND what songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them? AND because the Angst is real, when was the last time you immediately regretted something you said?

           A: “Oh!!” She gasped, grinning and clapping her hands together, “I lived in America for a few years and I fell in love with Alf and Mr. Rogers. I thought they were so cool! But nowadays it feels like you’re lucky if someone even remembers Alf, and the generations that really seem to remember Mr. Rogers have come to a close after they stopped airing the show. I think Hyouga’s generation might be the last.”

           At the question about what songs make her nostalgic, she hummed thoughtfully and looked up at the sky. Coming up with an answer, she snapped her fingers and looked back at the questioner. “Maybe I’m Amazed by Paul McCartney. That song was probably the first one Natsume and I danced to as a couple, and then as husband and wife. It’s a special song that I wouldn’t trade for the world, and each time I listen to it, it reminds me of those days.” As she spoke a bright blush began to cover her cheeks and she looked away, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “Other than that… I don’t really know. A lot of songs, I guess, but none really stick out like that one.”

           For the third question her blush only deepened, her smile slipping and being replaced with sad regret. “Oh gosh, there are plenty of things I wish I hadn’t said.” She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “The most recent… I think it was back after Yoru got injured. We were all pretty wound up because of it, and all of us said and did things we regret. But I remember snapping at Natsume that Yoru should just “Get over it” or… something along those lines. The words weren’t near as blunt or sharp, but the intent was clear, and I regretted it immediately. It took me over a month before I could look Yoru in the eye again even after I apologized then and there. I’m really lucky it didn’t sour my relationship with either of them completely.”

 Q: And last one for Yoru! What’s the most awkward thing that happens to you on a regular basis?

           A: Yoru groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands. “Natsume refuses to let me bathe in peace and I wish I was joking.” He sighed, glancing uneasily at the questioner. “If you want one that still makes me feel awkward, though… it’s whenever I snap at people. There’s just something in the air, you know? Like you know you screwed up but you can’t apologize or you did and it just makes things more awkward. I’ve also caught people staring at my eyes before, that happens pretty often. Can’t really say which is more awkward though. They’re all pretty high up there.”

 Q: What’s Natsume’s job?

           A: “Oh, oh! I’ve got this one!!!” Araya cheered, waving her hand enthusiastically. “Natsume’s a baker/patisserie! He owns a cute little bakery in town, near some ice cream parlors and cafés. He’s actually super popular, too! One of the town’s best, hands down. His specialty in the store is castella cakes and melonpan! Yoru told us he loves experimenting with the recipes and coming up with new flavors along with ones that already exist.” Her eyes twinkled with excitement, “But if he’s got a booth at festivals or wants to help make something for a party? Expect the best sata andagi and/or amanattō you may have ever tasted!”

 Q: Was Yoru always this fluffy?

           A: Yoru frowned, biting his lip. “Sorry, I don’t think I understand the question? Fluffy how?”

           Natsume cleared his throat, holding up a hand. “I can answer this! Just give me a second.” He ran out of the room, coming back with a rather large photo album and opening the pages to show pictures of a toddler with familiar mismatched eyes.

           He pointed to one where the boy, slightly older than in the pictures before it, was on a surfboard in the sand with an instructor to side, encouraging him. “Here’s a picture where 6-year-old Yoru is learning to surf.”

            At the sound of his name Yoru’s eyes widened, a yelp escaping him as he tried to cover the picture with his hands. “No, don’t show them that!” He cried, even as Natsume moved the book out of the way and above his head. Yoru jumped as high as he could, growling under his breath as he tried to grab the book, “You are so lucky I don’t like using hissatsus outside of matches.”

             Natsume grinned, pointing to the picture again as he leaned away from his brother, “Look at how wild his hair is! He looked like an adorable kitten, and it didn’t help that we lived right along the beach; sea air can affect your hair in many ways, you know, and for him the extra waviness added more volume and made him even more fluffy than he is now!”

             “Natsume!!”

Q: Did he (Yoru) ever have problems with heterochromia? (ie, other people making fun of him for it?)

          A: Natsume sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away from the questioner. “He did, actually. When he was little, some jerks used to call him strange or creepy and make fun of it since it was scary to them. He ended up getting really reclusive, and hid his gold eye behind his hair. It stayed like that until he was like, ten.”

 Q: What’s Yoru’s favorite color?

           A: Yoru hummed in thought, answering a moment later. “I like purples and greens, so I guess maybe a dark forest green or some sort of dark purple?”

 Q: Has he (Yoru) ever tried sports that aren’t soccer?

           A: Yoru nodded, smiling brightly. “I used to surf back in Okinawa! That’s actually how I met Tsunami, aside from being in the same class. I also do all the winter sports Hakuren has to offer, but some of them weren’t really me doing “sports” so much as just… messing around, I guess?” His eyebrows furrowed in thought, smile turning into a curious pout. “Is it still a sport if you don’t treat it as such?”

 Q: Does Yoru watch babyTV with Hyouga?

           A: Yoru shook his head “We don’t watch babyTV; honestly we mostly just watch random videos on youtube or whatever kid friendly things are on Netflix. So lots of animated movies.” Behind him, Hyouga started playing something on the tv. The Digimon theme song started playing and Yoru sighed, smile turning a little strained. “And Digimon. Lots of Digimon.”

Q: If Yoru, Watanbe, Haruka and Natsume were paladins, what lions would they command?

           A: Watanabe would operate Sincline, but if he HAD to have a lion it’d probably end up being Black, and only because none of the other lions fit him (sorry black sweetie you deserve better). Yoru would either be Green or Blue, Haruka would be Yellow, and Natsume would be Red!

 Q: Will Tsunami ever call Watanabe a wet paper shark?

           A: Tsunami’s jaw dropped. “That…. Is the best nickname EVER,” He cried, leaping to his feet and pumping a fist into the air as he grinned, “And you bet the next time I see that jerk’s face I’m calling him it!”

           Color drained from Yoru’s face at the thought, letting out a nervous laugh. “Please, don’t.”

 Q: Is Yoru ticklish (and does Shirou know/exploit this)?

           A: Shirou smirked, eyes ringed with gold. He crept over to the couch where Yoru was sitting and reading a book, ducking behind it when Yoru glanced over his shoulder. When he was sure Yoru’s attention was back on the book he sprung onto Yoru, grinning as he started to mercilessly tickle Yoru’s sides. Yoru shrieked, laughter filling the air as he tried to push Shirou away and wriggle away from his fingers. “Yep,” Shirou laughed, stopping after a few minutes to hug Yoru and nuzzle his cheek. “Definitely ticklish.”

 Q: Did Natsume and Yoru ever have a Naruto phase?

           A: Haruka giggled, hiding a smile with a hand. “One time in college, Natsume was trying to impress me and I was stressing out during a time crunch for fashion class, so he pretended to use “shadow clone jutsu” and ran around the room pretending like he was a ton of different versions of himself helping me pin down patterns or sew on details to things! Then when I was smiling he pretended to use Naruto’s coveted “sexy jutsu” and did a silly little shimmy that had me crying from laughter.”

          Natsume blushed, laughing weakly and holding up his pointer finger, “I’d just like to say my actual Naruto phase was back when I was ten. I just really didn’t want to see her so stressed.”

           Yoru snickered from beside them, rolling his eyes at Natsume’s correction. He glanced at the questioner, smiling apologetically. “I’m not a fan of Naruto, to be honest.”

 Q: How tall is everyone?

           A: I actually made a height chart once for the Yukimuras! As of FFI, Shirou is 5’0 (152cm), Yoru is 5’1 (154cm), Hyouga is 3’1 (94cm), Haruka is 5’8 (172.7cm) and Natsume is 5’10 (177.8cm) though I’ve accidentally been saying he’s over 6ft/180cm for like, three or four months now.

 Q: Is Yoru your first IE OC?

           A: Yep, he is! I created him in I think August of 2017, maybe earlier. I just felt like Shirou needed someone who understood a little, you know? Not even romantically, just… in general. And my sweet little shipper heart couldn’t help but make it gay so I did xD Originally, he was going to be from a random school Raimon stopped at before getting to Hokkaido, and even when he was in Hokkaido he was just going to be someone with a secret who insisted he come along! Things changed of course, and I’m actually really happy with the “fallen star” persona I’ve given him!

 Q: What do you think there’s not enough of in the IE fandom (Male!OC, underrated canon characters, etc.)?

           A: Well, to be frank, I wouldn’t even really notice what’s missing/not enough because I simply just don’t read a lot of IE fanfic or leave my bubble of select few content creators. I read it from my friends or writers I like if it’s topics I can stomach, of course, but other than that I just stick to my small corner and support everyone w/o having actually read their stuff xD But something that’s usually severely lacking in ALL fandoms is Male OC stuff. It’s like Nessie the Loch-ness monster sometimes! I mean, I also get WHY it’s not that popular, and I’m actually fine with Male OCs not being popular, but I’ve always noticed that there’s usually one male OC fic to at least 10 female OC fics in just about every fandom that has OC fics.

Q: How did Yoru realize his sexuality?

           A: Honestly, if he hadn’t gotten a crush on Shirou, he might not have put two and two together until he was in his 20s because he honestly would have just… kept subconsciously waiting for a switch that wouldn’t have come until he found The One.

           Before Yoru got a crush on Shirou, he figured he was gay at the very least—he didn’t like girls so he figured he liked boys but he still hadn’t… felt like it fit? Like everyone else seemed so certain about who they liked and while he didn’t care he noticed that he didn’t really get it, either. Then when the crush on Shirou hit, he assumed he was homoromantic, demisexual. But then as they get older Yoru realizes that, wow, he really doesn’t see anyone else in the same light he does Shirou? Like not even a little baby tickle of it.

            And he’s perfectly fine with Shirou touching him in certain ways but the idea of it with anyone else? Skin crawling (SIDE NOTE: You don’t have to be sex repulsed to be ace/demi. Being ace/demi involves feeling little to no sexual attraction. Quite a few on the ace spectrum just happen to be sex repulsed as well) Heck, sometimes with Shirou it’s not a comfy feeling (don’t worry whenever they do something it’s consensual) So he throws terms around in his head until he comes to the conclusion he’s demiromantic and asexual and after that he just stopped caring about labeling it.

Q: What’s Haruka’s job and how did she meet Natsume?

           A: Haruka grinned, pulling open the door to her studio. The room was filled with an organized mess of fabric rolls and mannequins of all shapes and sizes, some of which had either completed, half-finished, or barely started outfits, the tables covered in just as much mess. “I’m a fashion designer/tailor!” She chirped, closing the door as she continued to explain. “I mostly do freelance jobs like making costumes for plays and ballets, music videos, movie shoots, or parties. I also do small mending jobs that people in town need, like taking a dress in or out. But I also have my own lines of clothes that I sell online in batches with the help of my darling family as well as Yoru’s friends Araya and Matoro as models!”

                       Natsume took over for the second half, eyes bright with nostalgia and laughter. “We met in high school, became friends our first year thanks to being in the same group in the cooking club. At the time I was actually crushing on someone else and Haruka wasn’t bothering with dating, but my dad was constantly trying to prove we were dating— which, in hindsight, was hilarious. When we entered college, we started dating about halfway through our first year! It just kinda happened, y’know?”

 Q: Shirou lives in an orphanage in LTT right? Will he move in with the Yukimuras one day? :3

           A: In a way! He’s kinda already living there, but hasn’t really “moved in” because, well, Natsume and Haruka aren’t sure they have time to take the training required to become legal foster parents—even if it is inadequate. By the time high school comes to a close though, Shirou will have pretty much moved into the Yukimura household, though not officially. He’s still listed as living in the orphanage. During college, Yoru and Shirou get an apartment in town!

 Q: Watanabe, why are you a grumpy old man?

           A: Watanabe sputtered, letting out a dramatic, offended gasp. “WH—I AM NOT A GRUMPY OLD MAN.” He cried, clearing his throat and crossing his arms as he straightened his back. “I’ll have you know I’m quite distinguished and I deserve every right I have to be bitter about Yukimura’s bought—” He froze, catching sight of his teammates. He smiled, eyes flashing for a moment as he backtracked on the remark he was about to make. “I mean!!  I just tend to have anger issues, is all. Nothing major, of course!” He laughed, holding out an arm as if to make a point as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, “And really, it isn’t fair what happened with Yuki, right?”

           One of his teammates shrugged, “I don’t know, I think it’s alright. He’s a competent manager, I’d say he earned a place on the national team.”

           Watanabe laughed, his eye twitching and smile sharp. “Yes…. Of course, you make a valid point!”

 Q: How did Natsume react to the news he was going to be a dad? Was Haruka worried? How did YORU react? XD

           A: Haruka giggled, amusement glinting in her eyes. “Natsume fainted.”

           “NO I DIDN’T!”

           She rolled her eyes, her smile wide. “It wasn’t exactly planned for us to have a kid, even though we’d both been talking about it. But the moment he woke up he had the hugest grin on his face and kissed me over and over. It was so cute! Yoru’s reaction wasn’t really amazing or anything—he got wide-eyed and super happy and with Tsunami’s help threw a super small party over it. Nothing fancy, just a little “congratulations” and some cupcakes and movies.”

            “And yeah, I was actually really worried—about being pregnant, not Natsume’s reaction, although the fainting startled me.” Haruka admitted, ignoring how Natsume shouted again that he didn’t faint. “We were both still in college at the time, and college is stressful enough without having to worry about being pregnant, too.

            “We talked about it and Natsume, the absolute sweetheart, decided he’d just quit school and become a full-time employee at the restaurant he was working at. I took a year off of school, worked via my online store a little bit leading up to the final term, and once Hyouga was ok to leave with Yoru, Miyu, and Hayato, I went back to school for a little while. Natsume’s still on the fence about whether or not he wants to go back, now that he’s got his own bakery.”

[eorzeasntm]

ENTM Tumblr Cycle 11  Round One Winner

Hi everyone!  For our first week’s challenge, I asked the models to go out and play in the snow and show us a scenic Winter Wonderland.  Our chilly models took us to all sorts of frosty places, but the model with the coolest shot this week was:

Adam Evershot

Congratulations!  The picture frame around this shot made it feel like a post card, and the judges and I all loved that your character was looking at the small light.  Eureka may hurt, but it sure can be pretty. 

Our guest judge this week was Cullen Dionysion of Mateus, the winner of ENTM Forum Cycle 2.  For all the models, the judges have prepared critiques below the fold.  

Host’s Notes on Judging:  The judges were asked to critique a minimum of three or four models this week.  However, they were allowed to critique as many as they wished, so some judges have provided extra critiques.  Our guest judge Cullen was asked to critique all nine models, since he will rotate out with a different judge next week.

Judge Cullen

Yomu: I love the colors in this shot! The background is well-chosen to the theme but bright enough to appreciate the details. The lines created by the sparkling crystals that direct attention to you is well done too! I think your pose is cute as well though I think directing your body just slightly away from the camera would have felt more like a truly candid shot - regardless it was one of my favorites this week. 

 Yojimbo: This is a really interesting monochromatic shot, it’s very striking to the eye. I think of the sky just had a bit more blue to help contrast the background and foreground it would have been a much stronger shot. I love your choice of glamour in this shot as it’s very theme appropriate and strong, and I can still see you apart from the background but your pose is a tad confusing. Is it mid-walk? Mid-frolic? I would recommend really thinking about the frame of the emote you capture a bit more, but you’ve got a lot of great elements! 

 Luma: The background here is gorgeous. Excellent amount of light and really does match the theme. I can see your story both in your caption, glamour, and pose-so excellent consistency! My only tip would be to consider additional lighting for your face so that your expression comes across more clearly, but I can appreciate the natural light you’ve chosen as well. Ni’ko: This shot has a lot of wonderful elements. I love the choice of weapon to try to act a focal point, so even with the bright sky the viewer is drawn to you as well. The glamour certainly conjurers a God of ice/snow vibe and the aurora is a really creative element with the sky to think of! I was slightly torn with part of the background fading slightly and not as much visible snow but I think this shot is an excellent take on the theme!

Adam: This shot was my favorite for the week. The composition with the diagonal line separating the snow and sky and running to your character draws so much focus especially with your more subtle pose and slight turn from the camera. But it feels like a natural, candid expression of winter wonderland, and the framing is a cute accent to what really could be a poster/framed shot. Well done! 

 Haila: The glamour choice is very cute, very ‘Alice in Winterwonderland’ which I’m sure is no coincidence. I love the colors in the background and the illumination of the crystal, and your pose with the slight camera certainly sells me on the unease of your surroundings. I like the bit of contrast with the green on the foreground though I the lighting is a tad on the too/bright/unnatural side, I think tweaking it slightly would have made it a stronger shot. Still overall great job! 

Peaceful Ursa: I love the glamour choice for this shot! Not obvious snow-related but a creative take with the same tones and colors. I love a good action pose with the snowball throw, but I do think this would have been slightly stronger with just a change of angle to not directly face toward the camera. Also consider the rule of thirds to help draw focus without having to be directly in the middle. Some really great elements though! 

 Kota: I really love the perspective in this shot-facing down a path with the angle really helps unite the foreground and background. I love the snow and the moon as an additional focal point too! It’s a nice adventurous take on a winter-wonderland shot. The pose is a nice mid-motion one but I do think the shot would have been stronger with a specific expression/emotion you wanted to convey on your face, as yours does appear a little static.

Bria: I do appreciate that you made a shot with as the model as the strong focal point. Your glamour looks lovely and I can see some snow on the tree in the background, however, there isn’t much to the story here and I think the shot would have been a lot stronger if you hadn’t cropped out so much with the black circling effect. Think about scene setting more then think about what you as the model can add to stand out without physically cutting it out.

Judge Kusuh

ADAM EVERSHOT I was super excited to hear that this was the first round, because I honestly love every single area that is snowy and cold. With that in mind, I really enjoy how your picture captures a beautiful cold landscape and really fits the definition of “scenic” in my mind. My major critique for this picture is that there is a bit of a lighting imbalance in this picture, with the sparkly star off in the distance (I’m not sure what it is but boy is it bright!) pulling my attention a lot more than your character is. You’re looking at the bright spot, so I’m assuming that this is intentional, but the contrast between yourself and the bright spot means that I look at the shiny thing first, not your character and the line-of-sight to the shiny. I’m a major fan of the lighting/mood overall, because the cold weather along with the twilight lighting make for a really atmospheric scene! For the future, I’d either look into balancing your lighting overall, or making sure the contrast draws my attention to you, not away.  Looking forward to your next shot!  

HAILA WETYIOS: For a scenic shot, going with a vertical camera shot is a risky move that isn’t usually considered, but in this case, I think it works. Your outfit and pose give me some very Alice in (Winter?) Wonderland vibes. I get the feeling that you are lost out here, and the dark and spooky background really reflect that! The one possible issue I see is that the dark background combined with your face so close to the bright snow crystal really starts to wash out your face. Your face doesn’t look to ghostly this time around, but I’d be careful in the future. Other than that I think is is a very strong start to this cycle, and I’m excited to see what you come up with this time!

NI’KO SHAE: I’m getting some major Sailor Moon crossed with Ice Queen vibes from this image! You did an excellent job catching the night sky and all the beautiful lights! Your placement in the image is also excellent; standing over a cliff gives a wonderful scenic view alongside the WHM cane leading my eye up to the night sky above. My one thing to lookout for in regards to this image is that you are a pale character with an equally pastel hairstyle and outfit. In a snowy environment such as this you’ve got to look out for being washed out with the white and cool blue lights you used. You’re starting to fade away into the snow! My main suggestion for this would be to try messing with some warmer lights, you can still get the cold effect without washing out your complexion! Overall this is a great start to this cycle, and I can’t wait to see where you go! 

 YOJIMBO KASAI: Where is this? I ask because you’ve done a great jobs finding a spot that really activates some memories for me; this area actually looks a lot like the winters of where I grew up! The trees are my favorite part of this image because of the way the branches split and break up the background of the image. Here’s the main thing I notice, though: your image is bright. The background is very overexposed, which makes the light become almost blinding. This can have a great effect if used right! With your mostly-totally white outfit though, you very much run into the problem of fading into the bright background. This can be easily fixed by either wearing a color that contrasts better against the very bright background, or but finding a way to have your background be less bright. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Judge Ona

Bria – Although I think your background has “snow”, it is difficult to see the scenic snow that is a requirement of the round. I love the use of particle to highlight the idea of sparkling snow, however this would have had a stronger effect with more to see. The vignette is very large and chokes out the background. Although this helps to focus on you, the scenic element is missing. Remember that all aspects of the round description matter. If the round calls for scenic, find a gorgeous background and have yourself go and enjoy it. If it calls for Battle, make sure you are fighting some monster for your life.

I have always liked this outfit and I definitely love that shade of blue, however I am unsure of the outfit’s connection to the story of this image. It is lacking a theme due to the loss of other elements in the image to influence the viewer to feel a connection to the image. If we were able to see what else was going on, we could connect to the emotions of the image.

I like how at this angle, your hair falling across your face does not fully obscure your face and we can see emotion; however, your face does not show emotion and since you are not focused on the camera, or on an element that the viewer can see, we lose another level of connection.

I would work next week on making sure your images follow the theme and have an element that connects the viewer to the feelings of the image.

Luma Lee - I would have loved to see more of this village! Look at those lights, they are so cozy and inviting! I would try to pan out a little more and add some more of the background to the image. Let me see the darkened night sky!

You are certainly dressed for this cold weather; however, the drab color of the coat tends to blend with the overall earth-tone of the village. My eye tends to be drawn to the gold on your plume because it is different from the rest of the color palate. If possible, try to add a varying color to your image so that one area pops. If this image had been taken at night, and most of the image was a darker blue, then the glow from the windows would have drawn my eye towards the scenery, instead of your plume.

I can definitely feel your theme from this image. Adventurer in Pyros seeing snow instead of what they heard! I am wondering, however, why you are allowing your book to get ruined by all of that falling snow! I would have liked to see you under the porch of a building, writing in your book looking out over the village, almost reflecting on the day. Work on adding some subtle lighting onto your face for next week, as your features are hidden by your hair and glasses, and a little light may have helped to sharpen them up!

Ni’ko - The silhouette of the mountain range in the background is a wonderful way to show scenery especially with the stars tucking in behind it. I love how there is some definition with the trees and the building directly behind you almost insinuating that you walked directly out of that building to cast the borealis into the night’s sky.

Speaking of which, the green of the borealis seamlessly blends into your staff, definitely creating the feeling that you, Ni’ko, are the summoner of the northern lights. Although I would have loved to see more of your signature pink, I love how you intentionally chose to mute the colors in an effort to make the green of the lights pop and bring the viewer’s eyes from you, directly to the scenery and the gorgeous view.

The lighting from the staff, and direction of your gaze, allows for a clear view of your face, allowing the viewer to identify the focus you are taking on your staff and the spell you are casting. Although I am generally concerned for you freezing to death in that outfit, I do love this image overall.

Yumo - You look like you are enjoying that snowfall for sure! Almost breathing in the crisp winter air! I love the intricacies of the scene. Snow covered spires litter the background and are clearly a different approach to “wonderland” than trees and mountains. It is an interesting choice to add ice sprites to the image as well. I am just not sure that they are assisting with the feel or the story. Also, their color is the same as the background causing them to blend a little too much.

You look very warm in your outfit.  I do love that hat too! I am concerned, however, that you are so sharpened and the rest of the image is very soft, and due to the darker shades in your clothes being a strong contrast to the background, that you seem almost photoshopped into the image. If the sharpness was a little softer on you, these harder lines would not make it seem as though you are not part of the image. However, I do LOVE your expression, and the fact that I can clearly see your facial features! Your light source is spot on! I look forward to seeing more images from you!

Kota - I love the angle of this image, the upward shot from your feet while you walk away from the castle, tells a story and asks questions to the viewer. It is the middle of the night, where are you going Kota? The composition is great! The angle of the trees and castle form a valley to the road, and your position takes up the space where the sky would have been empty. I also love that low hanging branch on the left side, obscuring the castle just a bit, it adds another dimension to the image.

I like how your outfit contrasts to the background. The white top against the blue/grey sky, and the boots against the brown road, however, I would have liked to see another color added to this image to help you pop. Maybe playing off the reds/pinks in the items on your belt, however the contrast to the background works here.

One thing I would definitely have liked to see more, however, was your face. Although a spotlight directly on your face would have ruined the feel of the image, a subtle light source above your face to the front (think sun/moon minion) would have cast enough glow that your features would not have been drowned out in shadow.

I would love to know what the story is for your image. I look forward to seeing more images from you!

Judge Terrini

Adam: This is such a peaceful landscape, very tranquil and I love the composition of the icy slopes on the diagonal between sky and forest. It really feels like a postcard, particularly with the white frame. And that Sprite manages to look like the star atop a Christmas tree. The choice of cool blue and purple for your glamor has you match your setting nicely, but I might suggest that you add some more lighting on you to make you pop a bit more because the bright sprite is more striking than you are.. 

 Bria: The bright white sparks with the blue star shimmer makes this shot really look magical and the limb darkening to make you in a little Christmas Ornament or Snow Globe is a nice touch! However, your treescape in the background is rather unfocused and your pose isn't particularly strong. It's like a faint memory of a pretty lady looking back at me at a party, but I can't remember what happened before or after and the glimpse in my head isn't telling me anything. .

Haila: It looks like Alice got a little lost in this Wonderland. It's a really pretty shot and your image composition is great! But that ice sprite seems to be shining so brightly as to be blinding and you're looking right at it! It leaves me a bit unnerved. Your lightling also highlights the green ground you're standing on more than the winter wonderland behind you so I am a bit underwhelmed. It's kinda like you were in Arendelle and suddenly Elsa made the summer into snow. Very interesting concept, but I feel it's a bit weak for the theme. . 

Kota: Such a nice peaceful stroll at night down a well worn path. It has a lovely sense of purpose and it showcases this area beautifully! Your outfit is very practical and brings to mind a certain hero in a certain land known as "Hoth". The angle unnerves me a little... probably because I'm a Lalafell and you're looking up into the sky and not where you're going. Careful not to run me down! .

Luma: You could have framed this shot a bit better. I like your position in the frame, but you have a very plain field of snow stretching out next to you and it would have been stronger to have one of the cabins closer to fill more of the frame. Also, while I love the Scholar poses, they do suffer from the question of what are you documenting? Up close like this, we don't get to see and it can weaken any story that you're trying to tell without you being engaged within the tableau of your image. . 

Ni'ko: Now let me present the new embodiment of Shiva calling up the Aurora Borealis on a crystal clear night. The concept of this shot is great, the setting and timing spot on. I do think that the choice of light on yourself is a bit too washed out and cool. Maybe if you had offered more contrast with a more red tinted purple or even a green like the lights in the sky. . 

Peaceful: I love the individual elements I see in this shot, but your composition leaves me wondering where to focus. You have all these interesting elements to the right half but with you right in the middle of the shot, it just becomes too much. And I like the icicles to the left but the imbalance makes me wonder why you have them there at all? If you had been positioned to the far left I would have been able to naturally take in the picture from you, to the icicles, the trees and then the ice crystal in the foreground to the right for a much stronger image. 

Yojimbo: I actually love how you've managed to get these starkly contreasted pine needles in this picture. It is beautiful and striking. The color of your glamor, however, is not, particularly with the fact that you are particularly dark featured. You get lost in the greater picture and it would have been a lot nicer to have seen you in red to really pop and also de-emphasize that bush behind you that is  the only color and ends up drawing more attention than you. 

Yomu: I somehow feel like you just jumped across all those floating ice crystals and are going "See? I told you, I could do it!" I think that this is a great composition and I love your background. I kinda wish it was more in focus, but I think what you've pulled off is lovely and with you and your shadow being the only things with crisp detail, you stand out wonderfully in your ice blue outfit, that otherwise would blend in quite a bit.

Judge Nadede 

Bria Rirsa:  While these appears to be a nice image of your character, however, I honestly do not know what is going on here at all. It appears that the trees in the background have snow on them but it is so hard to tell with how dark the background appears. I also feel that whatever is causing the blue “burst” (?) off the left shoulder is distracting. My eyes keep drawing towards it than your character just because of how it radiates out from that one point. If you are going to use an effect of sorts, pose the question to yourself “Will this help draw attention to my character or detract from it?” Also keep in mind of body parts that are cut off, like how your left hand is here in your image. It can detract from what could potentially be a nice image. Your image is really a good start, just keep some of the things I’ve mentioned in mind and you’ll do just fine.

Luma Lee:  Not too bad of a start, but I feel that the caption you used for your image does not really suit what is going on in the background. Feels that if going to go with the caption you used, a more scenic shot of Pyros would have been ideal. If you feel like a caption for an image is needed, try to keep in mind that it should make sense with the overall image. The same goes when using the facial expressions when using an emote. It should make sense with the overall image. What I see for an expression is not one of confusion but one of you’re trying to concentrate on something. Before going into gpose, you can do an emote that you are wanting and then you can select an expression to use. After that, go into gpose and see if it is something you are trying to go for or not. It is all trial and error. Another thing that will help you out with your image is how your character is lit up. Right now, you are off to the side and in a shadow while the background is a bit brighter. I suggest playing around with the lighting to help make you stand out from the rest of your image a little bit more, while again, having it make sense with the overall image. I do look forward to what you do with your image next week with the suggestions given. Good luck!

Peaceful Ursa:  Yay it is nice to see a male Roe for a change participating this cycle! That said, I’m trying to figure out what is going on in your image. In your image, your toon feels like it is almost too centered for my liking. Try to play around with what is called “the rule of thirds” a bit more to make your composition even more interesting. I am also a bit distracted with how your feet are clipping into the snow. If where you took your image is where I think it is, it is one of my favorite spots to go to when I play with gpose but same time have a field day where my feet will not be clipped from the snow. Lighting will also be your friend as well. As of right now you almost blend in with the background with just the color of your skin and hair alone. I tend to have that same problem as well when taking gpose shots. Play around with the lighting and also look into using complimentary colors to help make you pop out more. I can’t wait to see what you will come up with next week.

Yojimbo Kasai:  Hold on for just one second. Where are they? Oh good, here they are *puts on her shades* There much better. Your image is very, umm, bright and the lighting of it needs to be toned down quite a bit. I do wish that you could have added a bit more color in the image just so that everything wasn’t just white or shades of white. That might have helped tone down how bright your image is as well. With how bright everything else is, I do wish that you could have played around with the lights to light up your face some so you could pop out some from the background. Your character also appears to be a bit too centered. Just like I suggested to another model, try playing around with what is called “the rule of thirds” to make your composition more interesting. Also keep in mind if body parts are cut off or not that they do not detract from your image. Here, your feet are cut off, taking away from the image. Try to pull back just a little bit with the camera to where perhaps your feet are just close to touching the edge of the shot. I do not think you’re off to a bad start, just try to work with lighting to where it isn’t so bright, which is the challenge within itself with the given theme. Hopefully you will have better luck with the lighting in your next challenge. Good luck!

Yomu Kazul:  This is one of the images that I actually do like this week. Do wish that your face was a bit more lit up though so I can see it more. I also do wish that there was a way your were facing the ice sprites instead of away from them. Would make it look like you are conversing with them (perhaps) instead of leaving me wondering what you are looking at. They are also, in a sense, being used to help draw my eye towards you and your pose continues that line off the page (if that makes any sense lol). I like it when I see an image that has elements within that can have me move my eyes around it and then go back to the main subject matter. It really is a good start and I can’t wait to see what you come up again for next week.

Ni’ko Shae : Welcome back Ni’ko! Your image is another one that I actually liked for this week. Is that within Eureka??? If so, just the aurora borealis alone makes me want to actually go in and try Eureka just to see that. The only thing that I can point out is make sure your feet is not cut off. It does detract from the image big time. Just pull back with the camera just a lil bit to where your feet are just about to touch the edge of the image. I would also work with how the back half of your character is lit. Try to look up what is called “three point lighting” and especially of examples using what is called rim lighting in photography. It will help make you pop out just a bit more playing with the lighting. Looking forward to see what you come up with next week. Good job.

Adam Evershot:  Welcome back to you as well. You were another whose shot, at least compositionally, I liked for this week. How you are sitting looking at the background  and the way the tree leads you to the other side of the image helps me out with looking at the overall image. Only thing that I suggest is working on your lighting. The main lighting source is from the ice sprite and has me wanting to look at it a bit more than at your character. Just as I had suggest with Ni’ko, look into “three point lighting” and play around with the lighting in gpose. Overall not too bad of a job, just work on lighting some more. Good luck for next week.

Haila Wetyios:  Another former ENTM model to welcome back, so welcome back! While I like your image with the lighting and composition, I felt as if you really missed the mark with this week’s theme. It just did not make any sense to me whatsoever. I’m sure your outfit would work for a cosplay round but it did not help resonate a “winter wonderland” like vibe with me. Have a feeling you focused too much on the “wonderland” aspect and not really on the “winter” part of it. I am all for pushing boundaries but same time make it to where it makes sense with the given theme. While this week might be a nope for me I do look forward to seeing how you interpret the given theme for next week. Good luck.

Kota Tumet:  Your image is a good start for the cycle. While I like it, how your right (forward) foot is cut off in the image detracts from the image for me. Zoom out with the camera just some so that you can actually see it, even if it is just barely touching the edge of the image. I like the fact that you have given me something to help guide my eye around the image with the road and moon behind you. I do wish that you can work on your lighting some so that you can pop out some more like the moon in the background. I also wish that there was a tilt in the head or some other expression on your face than just the basic straight faced look. Personally, I would be looking around taking everything in when walking about, whether with just my eyes or wanting to touch something I see. Keep lighting in mind and good luck with your next image.

[villainsblog97]

Christmas With Stray Kids

Merry Christmas everyone! Here’s a little Christmas Scenario from your 9 favorite boys to put you in the holiday spirit. 

Summary: How do you spend Christmas with JYP’s 9 energetic, crazy boys?

Warnings: Only excessive fangirling, and big UWU Energy!

Scenario: Fluff, X Reader, Christmas.

Bang Chan

Christmas with Chan. Baking Christmas Cookies

Christmas time with Chan would be a gift in itself, I mean... come on. It would involve a lot of cooking, since Chan loves cooking, you two would be in the kitchen making cookies, while blasting Christmas music from your speaker, dancing around and singing Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas at the top of your lungs, you would be cutting cute Christmas shapes into the cookie dough, popping the left over pieces into each other’s mouth. You looked around and saw the Christmas decorations around the dorm, it looked so pretty.  “You did good with the decorations Chan... it’s very festive in here”  “Well I do put the Chris in Christmas!” He smirked. You looked at him with unamused eyes, as you sat there eating cookie dough judging him extra hard. 

Finally you slashed some flour across his face, and then you knew.... it was on. “Now you’re gonna get it missy!” He laughed, you two broke out into a merciless flour fight, you guys were laughing and throwing flour in each other’s faces. After the fight had died down... (or you two ran out of flour) Chan let you shower and get all the flour and cookie dough out of your hair, after you got out you changed into your long fluffy pajama pants and one of Chan’s hoodies, your favorite one.

While Chan showered you finished cleaning up what was left in the kitchen, and started some hot cocoa for the both of you, when he finally came out drying his hair off he saw the kitchen looking back to the way it was.  “How about a movie now?” He smiled.  You nodded. “Say... Nightmare Before Christmas?” 

Woojin

Christmas with Woojin, building a snowman.

You two would wake up bright and early and bundle up for your busy day out in the snow, you had gotten about 3 feet of snow, it was past your ankles.  “Lets do this” Your big bear boyfriend nodded, you guys both started building up your snowball, and finally started rolling the big ball to the front of your house.  “Incoming!” Woojin yelled as he stumbled up carrying a big snowball to set on top of it.  “We need one more ball” He smiled, you two got to work on it.  “It’s too small!” You laughed... “It looks like Han’s head” He laughed back. After adding more snow onto it you finally built up enough to make a snowman head.  “What should we put on him?” He asked fixing it up. “Here...” You took off your scarf and wrapped it around the neck, Woojin took off his hat and sat it on the head, then you guys took some rocks and made the face.  “He looks good” You smiled.  “Here.. let’s get a picture” He took out his phone and you both stood by the snowman and posed. After the snowman was finished and you two had finished your snow day, you came in and snuggled up to each other with a warm thick blanket, and a big cup of a hot cocoa.  “Warming up finally?” He asked as he kissed your head. “I am now” 

Lee Know

Christmas with Minho, Decorating the Christmas tree.  “Come on babe let’s put up the tree!” he whined, shaking you out of bed. “Min... it’s only 8 go back to bed” “No... come on, let’s put up the tree now!”  “Fine...” you drug yourself out of bed and came down to all the boxes downstairs. “How long have you been up?” you looked around. “Since about 6, I got all the stuff and brought it out here”  You finally got enough energy (thanks to some coffee) and sat up the Christmas tree, Minho was a little kid again as he helped you string the lights around the tree and opened the box of ornaments, pointing out how pretty each one looked.  You two spent the say decorating the tree, after it was all done, you only had the tree topper left. “Here... I’ll give you a hand” he said as he picked you up, you giggled and held onto him as you sat your crystal star on the very top of the tree.  “It looks so pretty!” he smiled big, you smiled and watched as the lights danced around his eyes, all the tinsel and ornaments sparkled on the tree, you couldn’t help but smile at your boyfriend. “What do you think?” He smiled. “I think it’s perfect” 

Changbin

Christmas with Changbin, decorating the house / Yard. Better have a step ladder ready! Changbin is the shortest member which means you crack up every time you see him jump to reach something. “Babe... where is the step ladder!” he calls out. “I have it hold on!” you two opened boxes and pulled out garland and lights, and lots of Christmas decorations, you were listening to all the Christmas stuff on your phone and found one of your Santa hats in the box. “Binnie, come here!” you called out, as he entered the living room you put on the hat and took a picture of him. “You look cute Binnie!!” you squealed. “Where is yours?” he looked around.  “Wait!!!” You took off the hat and put on the elf hat that was in the box. “This one suits you better”  He pokes his tongue to his cheek and just laughs a little, then sprays you with a can of fake snow. “BINNIE!” You squeal and grab another one, the fight is on now!

Hyunjin

Christmas with Hyunjin, Christmas parties!

Hyunjin is a cute, sometimes shy little bean, however you were invited to your family’s annual Christmas party, this one was going to be really special because It was the first Christmas you got to spend with your boyfriend Hyunjin, your parents adored him already, and you were going to introduce him to the rest of your family and friends, of course everyone else fell in love with him too, who wouldn't? You introduced him to your little cousins who ranged from 3 to 12 and they all wanted to play games with him. “Is this your boyfriend?” one of the youngest asked.  “Yes he is” You smiled. “Have you kissed him yet?”  “You don’t ask a girl if she’s kissed her boyfriend!” one of your cousins says to the other. “Yes I have want me to right now?” Hyunjin smirks. “NO!” He squeals and runs off. You both laughed and went around talking to everyone, showing off your sweet boyfriend, and the fact that he was all yours. “Here’s to our Christmas, and many more”

Han

Christmas with Jisung, Ice Skating.

Just like Chan, You would blessed to spend Christmas with this crazy boy, Jisung is the energizer bunny himself, so you two would have a super fun and surprising Christmas, but one of your favorite was he took you Ice Skating.  Jisung can be clumsy at times so there was a lot of hand holding to keep you two vertical, but one time Jisung started slipping and took you down with him. “Are you okay!?” You laughed as you laid on top of his chest. “How many people saw that?” He asked looking around, you looked around and everyone was minding their own business. “No one saw it” you giggled, you leaned down and kissed his head and managed to stand up. “Let’s just take it slowly okay?” you laughed. “Yeah.. that’s probably a good idea” He blushed.After a while he finally got the hang of balance, and soon you two were skating circles around the other skaters.  “You got it Jisung! should I let go now?”  “No... Never let go” 

Felix

Christmas with Felix, Watching Christmas classics.

Felix was feeling very home-sick, he couldn’t make it home due to bad weather, and a busy schedule, he had to stay in Korea for Christmas, but at least he had you.  It was a few days before Christmas Day, you had hot cocoa, cookies, popcorn and a big warm blanket on the couch, you and Felix were in some loose PJs and curled up together on the couch watching the all time classic A Christmas Carol. You were in the best arms ever, Felix’s arm laid lazily around you his hand on top of your head playing with little strands of your hair, you went back and forth from watching the movie, to watching the snow fall outside your frosted window.  “Felix... what do you want for Christmas?” You asked him as you played with his small fingers in your hand. “Nothing love” He smiled. “What? You have to want something” “Santa couldn’t bring me anything better than what I have right by me”  You smiled and kissed his cheek, pulling the blanket over your shoulders and snuggling deeper into his side. “I don’t think I could ask for anything better either” You smiled. “I already have the Best Christmas present ever”

Seungmin

Christmas with Seungmin, Christmas Shopping.

Your first Christmas with Seungmin would be of many amazing years, you two were walking around different shops, looking at all the lights and colorful decorated windows, looking for that perfect gift, you each wanted to get something, not just for each other but for the boys too, you were walking together with your cup of coffee to keep your bodies semi-warm, you pulled your scarf around your mouth a little tighter to keep the cold air from your face. “Is my little snowflake frozen?” he joked “Yes I am.. I can’t feel my toes anymore!” you laughed. “Let’s go in to the mall, we’re warm up in there!” he took your hand and you two finally made it into the mall. “Now we should warm up!” he laughed as he took your coat off. “Okay! let’s get down to business!” you both entered and exited shops, it was always busy around this time of year, you held onto his hand so you didn’t get separated from him. “This is gonna be a really good Christmas” he smiled while trying to carry all the shopping bags. 

I.N

Christmas with Jeongin, Writing Christmas Cards. 

Jeongin was super excited for Christmas this year, his first Christmas he got to share with you! You two were at the table making hand crafted Christmas cards. You had ribbons, stickers, and lots and LOTS of Glitter, Jeongin wanted to make some really cute cards with you to give out to his friends and family, and yours too, of course. “Jeonginnie! that’s a lot of glitter” you giggled. “You can never have too much glitter!” he argued, he wasn't wrong. “Whaaa, yours look so pretty!” he awed, he looked at the green glittery tree you had made and topped it all off with a pretty red ribbon. “Yours looks good too!” you smiled, he smiled back and went back to writing.

[withabackpackandcamera]

July 1st, 2021

Day 6: From Puffins to Cool-Looking Mountains: Making Our Way Down The Colorful Eastern Side of Iceland

This morning, my brother woke me up to tell me that our car replacement from Blue Car Rental had arrived to take the place of our dear Lucy, the red Kia Sportage that died on us, and that I needed to deal with whatever needed to be dealt with to finish the car switch. So I had to wake up and go down to accept our new replacement car, which was a green-gray Toyota RAV4 with 65,000 km already on it. A well-used car that was definitely on the other side of the used-ness scale compared to Lucy. 

Once I was done with Blue Car Rental, I went to pack my bags before grabbing a hot breakfast downstairs with Cynthia, as my family had already enjoyed their breakfasts well before we were awake. When we arrived at the serve-yourself breakfast tables downstairs, we were wowed by how many options of hot foods and pastries and other items we had to choose from. What a treat! So, we loaded up with delicious food and chowed it down quickly so that we could get back on the road. 

With yesterday’s leftover schedule melded into today’s original itinerary, our first destination for the day was Borgarfjörður eystri, located pretty far away in the eastern fjords. The whole point of driving out there was to see the famous puffins of Iceland, something that we decided to see out at Borgarfjörður eystri rather than in the Westfjords. After a long drive through changing landscapes and around fjords, we arrived at the Borgarfjörður eystri marina, where we found a shiz ton of puffins standing around and flying everywhere! Everywhere you looked as you climbed up the wooden steps to the puffin nesting area, you saw puffins! And such beautiful and interesting-looking birds! Oh, and there were seagulls too. What a sight! 

For about an hour, we stood around with our smartphones and DSLRs taking photos of the beautiful puffins. And I took a ton of photos. Of puffins standing. Of puffins sitting. Of puffins flying (though those were difficult to predict and capture). Of puffins landing. Of puffins poorly landing. Of puffins with sand eels in their mouths. Of puffins doing a bunch of other things. It was really cool to take photos of these spectacularly-colored birds! Especially because Minh lent me his super telephoto lens, which was clutch in capturing great close-ups of the birds. 

After taking a ton of photos and being happy with a few of them, I headed back to the car to meet up with the family so that we could continue on our way to Seyðisfjörður. The drive there was beautiful, filled with picturesque views of the surrounding fjords as well as the melting ice and snow atop the mountains bordering the fjords. As we neared Seyðisfjörður from the mountains, we were greeted with the beautiful summer landscape surrounding the town. It was so serene and gorgeous. There were pretty cascades of waterfalls winding down the mountain slopes towards the fjordside town of Seyðisfjörður. Wildflowers were in bloom everywhere. And the sun was shining bright with some clouds scattered throughout the skies. 

When we arrived in town, we parked our car and walked straight toward the very Instagram-famous rainbow-bricked road leading to Seyðisfjarðarkirkja, the baby blue-colored church at the end of the rainbow. We spent a few minutes waiting for other people to clear the way before taking group and family photos in front of the picturesque spot. While walking through town, Cynthia and I walked into a couple of boutiques and checked out their products before leaving. After that, I ended up walking by myself around the lake to the other side of Seyðisfjörður before making my way back toward the car. 

By the time we had all gathered up again, it was lunch hour. We grabbed our leftover foods and snacks in the car and brought it out to a nice patch of grass and an open picnic table and enjoyed lunch under the warm sun. After finishing some leftovers, we took a few more photos around town before turning back to the car. 

Due to time constraints and how much ground we had to make up after yesterday’s debacle, we had to cut some of the things I wanted to see, like Hengifoss and Stuðlagil Canyon, out of the schedule in order to get to our evening’s guesthouse with enough time to head back out to photograph Vestrahorn at sunset. Luckily, our drive through the east fjords provided plenty of gorgeous views to see along the way. 

We drove and slowly made our way to lesser-known Eystrahorn. At first, Minh drove. Then it was me. Then Cynthia got her shot at driving, which she thoroughly enjoyed. We arrived at a viewpoint of Eystrahorn mountain somewhere between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. And even though it was ridiculously sunny when we arrived and the conditions were not great for photos, we found a place to park and walked around anyway. We walked down to the black sand beach to view the mountain and the surrounding ocean before driving off to another viewpoint for a brief viewing. From there, it was a straight shot past Höfn to Guesthouse Nypugardar, our basic but nice-looking cabin lodging for the evening.

After checking in, we ate the funniest, cheapest, and most ridiculous-appearing-dinner-while-traveling ever! Which consisted of leftover sandwiches and instant ramen and pho that we had packed for the trip and wanted to get rid of before we flew home. The reason that the dinner was so ridiculously funny was because were missing a ton of kitchen things that would’ve otherwise made things easy and simple, namely a hot plate or stove top to appropriately prepare our ramen, enough boiling hot water to ready the instant noodles, and bowls big enough to fit our food (they actually had NO bowls so my family had to settle for medium-sized coffee cups hahahaha). What a ridiculous sight it was to prepare an instant meal without a well-equipped kitchen or a kitchen at all! Hahahaha!

Once we were done with dinner, Cynthia, Minh, and I quickly got dressed and left for Vestrahorn as the sun started to set in the sky. The drive there took a surprisingly long time but we eventually arrived in good time. Not that it mattered though since it was a dud of a sunset with such dense clouds obscuring the sky and the bland horizon surrounding the Vestrahorn area. Without much to be excited about, Minh and I walked around to check out the black sand beach in front of Vestrahorn mountain to try to make the most of our time there. 

And there wasn’t much to be excited about on the beach either. But with sunrise not too far off (since sunrise and sunset during the summers in Iceland are relatively close together), we decided to stick around and see what photo opportunities sunrise would offer us. With some down time and nothing landscape-photography-worthy, Cynthia and I asked Minh to take some quick, informal, long-overdue engagement photos of us on the black sand beach (which we had planned on doing near Vestrahorn earlier this trip). Because of the dark conditions and very windy and cold weather in the wee hours of the morning, Cynthia and I didn’t stay out too long and tried our best in the very little time we stood outside to get some decent and usable shots before seeking shelter again in the car. After spending about 20 minutes taking engagement photos, I switched with Minh and took some photos of him with his beloved Vestrahorn.

By the time I finished with Minh, which was around 2:30am, sunrise was quickly approaching. With the sun starting to rise somewhere behind the clouds, the background sky behind Vestrahorn started to light up in pink and orange colors, mostly behind the right side of the mountain. With better photo ops this time, I set up for some Vestrahorn sunrise photos and took some photos of the area and then of Minh before we both escaped back to the car for our drive back to the guesthouse. 

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. A quick summary of a puffin’s life based on observation and some info placards. They live in deep holes and burrows dug into the side of sea cliff mounds. When they fly, they don’t really glide… they flutter their wings in a strange way. They go hunting for food in the ocean and their food of choice: sand eels. When they fly back to their home mounds, they don’t necessarily land right at their own doorstep; they sometimes land really far, really close, or crash into some other puffin’s burrow. If they have food and seagulls are around, they are constantly bullied, like a kid being bullied out of his lunch money. Otherwise, they sit around all day and groom themselves while staring out into the ocean or at other puffins. Interestingly enough, whenever the seasons change, they move out and live on the sea. When the warm season arrives at home, they consistently return to the exact same burrow that they’ve lived in and carry on at home until it gets cold again. And lastly, puffins mate with the same mate year after year until one of them dies. Lifelong lovers. That’s sweet! 

2. Seagulls are SO lazy! Too lazy to fish for themselves! Instead, they hang around the puffin mounds and bully the hard-working puffins for the food they diligently caught. Tsk tsk. 

3. Colorful is the best word I can think of to describe Seyðisfjörður. Seyðisfjörður is a beautiful fjord-side town dotted throughout with houses and buildings painted in a wide variety of colors, from red to sky blue. Not only are the buildings colorful, but also the nature around it, especially in the summer, with the colorful wildflowers, the blue color of the waterfalls, streams, and ocean, as well as the green grasses and plants all around. And I haven’t even mentioned the famous rainbow walkway in town! 

4. Eystrahorn really is an unmarked mountain worth photographing and is located about 30-45 minutes from Vestrahorn. Though, to be honest, the best photos of Eystrahorn are probably via drones. It’s much harder to photograph with a DSLR. The vantage point just isn’t there.

5. On the eastern side of Iceland, there is a very very short gap between sunrise and sunset. Literally like 2 hours. I wonder how that interval changes as you move around to different parts of Iceland…