#Fuck chai-/-chai he’s golden-/-golden to me

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t4t goldenghostpunkflower icons

artist links - 🐟

[nhlclover]

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 | 𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐒

— cozytober masterlist !

summary: you convince luke to bake with you despite his ineptitude in the kitchen.

warnings: sweet fluff! mentions of food + baking, also a joke about a diet

word count: 0.96k

notes: fic number two in cozytober! love my sweet boy luke, so i hope you guys enjoy this as well

The kitchen was filled with the warm scent of spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves all blending together as you gathered the ingredients for your latest baking project: chai pumpkin spice cupcakes. The golden afternoon light streamed through the window, casting a cozy glow over the countertops. Luke stood beside you, his brow furrowed as he eyed the stand mixer with a wary expression.

“Alright, babe, this is gonna be easy,” you said, splitting the ingredients into the wet and dry. “You’ll be handling the wet stuff—eggs, milk, oil. I’ll take care of the dry ingredients.”

Luke let out a small laugh, running a hand through his hair in that endearing, slightly self-conscious way you loved. “I still don’t know why you trust me near anything that requires precise measurements.”

You laughed. “Because everyone can learn, and besides, you’ve got me here to make sure nothing catches on fire.”

You handed him the recipe card, nudging him towards the eggs. Luke cracked an egg into a bowl, watching it slide down with a satisfying plop. But as he went for the second, you saw his eyes widen in panic. “Uh, I think I got some shell in there.”

Sure enough, tiny shards floated in the mixture. Luke fumbled to fish them out, his fingers hovering over the bowl with intense concentration. You couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him so focused.

“You’ve got this,” you encouraged, watching as he managed to extract the last piece. He breathed out in relief, grinning at his victory.

“Crisis averted,” he said, clearly pleased with himself.

“Good job, babe,” you said, giving him a playful nudge. “Now just measure the milk and oil, and we’re good to go.”

Luke nodded, his expression serious as he measured with the precision of someone about to perform surgery. Meanwhile, you whisked together the dry ingredients — flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices. The excitement bubbled inside you as you worked; there was something magical about baking in the fall, and sharing it with Luke, even with his shaky kitchen skills, made it even better.

Once Luke had his wet ingredients ready, he looked over at you, a proud gleam in his eye. “What’s next?”

“Just pour the wet stuff into the stand mixer and then add the dry ingredients,” you said, moving to line the cupcake tins. “Oh, and make sure to turn the mixer off before—”

Before you could finish, Luke, with a little too much enthusiasm, dumped the dry ingredients into the running mixer. A cloud of flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg exploded into the air, enveloping everything like a powdery storm. You gasped as the flour coated the countertops, the floor — and, of course, Luke.

Luke scrambled to shut off the mixer, the cloud of flour settling around him. Luke slowly turned to you, his face a comical mix of shock and regret. “Fuck…”

For a split second, you stood there in stunned silence, and then a laugh bubbled up, uncontrollable. Luke’s startled face, combined with the mess, was just too much. He started to laugh too, shaking his head as he wiped flour off his nose.

“Babe, I’m so sorry. I-I’m hopeless,” he groaned, though his grin betrayed him. “You should just take over before I somehow set off the smoke alarm.”

“No way,” you said, still giggling as you grabbed a spatula. “We’ll scoop up what we can, and it’ll be fine. Besides, you’re not getting out of this that easily.” Luke sighed dramatically, but the playful spark in his eyes told you he wasn’t really defeated. Together, you salvaged what you could from the countertop, adding the flour back to the mixer with no further disasters.

“See? Easy fix,” you said, brushing off your hands.

“Easy for you,” he mumbled, though there was something soft in his expression—an unspoken warmth that made your heart skip. Moments like this, the small messes and shared laughs, were what you loved most.

You handed Luke the cupcake tin, insisting that he scoop the batter into the liners. “This part is foolproof,” you said, “Just fill each one halfway.”

Luke took the task with the utmost seriousness, carefully spooning batter into each tin. To his credit, not a drop was wasted, and soon the cupcakes were in the oven, the kitchen returning to a peaceful calm as the scent of spiced cake filled the air. When the timer dinged, you both glanced into the over, and Luke grinned as the perfect golden cupcakes came into view.

"Not bad, huh?" you said, proud of the teamwork.

Luke nodded, partially surprised that something he had made turned out so good. “They look amazing.”

With the cupcakes cooling, you worked on the icing — cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and more spices, blending together in a sweet, velvety mixture. Together, you spread the spiced cream cheese frosting over each cupcake, the final touch to your masterpiece. Once the cupcakes were frosted, you both sat down to taste your handiwork.

You took a bite, closing your eyes as the flavors hit. “Oh wow,” you mumbled, “These are so good.”

Luke took a bite, and for a moment, you saw his eyes light up, the deliciousness taking him by surprise. But then he frowned, feigning seriousness. “Oh man, these are so sweet…I think just destroyed my diet with one bite.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing. “Please, like one cupcake is going to ruin you.”

He grinned, licking some frosting off his thumb. “Yeah, but I blame you if I can't skate as fast tomorrow.”

You reached over, brushing a bit of flour from his cheek. “Well, if cupcakes are your downfall, I’ll gladly take the blame.”

Luke laughed, his hand finding yours by your side. “As long as you're there to bake more.”

[mentally-retired]

fellas we gotta come up with a better ship abbreviation for pavitr that isn't fucking chai

guys we can do better please like i saw a tiktok comment that made me think and its true i hadnt thought about it but chai? likes he so much nore than chai

like the flower abbreviation for 1610 miles cus the song sunflower is his favorite song

punk abbreviation for hobie because hes spiderpunk

and etc they all make sense because either a part of their character or something they like

however chai? why chai. oh because there was a funny moment where he corrected miles for saying tea tea? yes nice but his character is more than just chai and labeling as just the person who made a chai joke feels off

we can do better

i challenge for the fandom to be creative, come up with something that isnt just stereotyping

until then, i will at least being pavflower, pavpunk, etc

and i think you should too

he is more than chai

edit: i post this as a reblog but ill add it to my main post too!

I am seeing that golden is being used as an abbreviation instead and I think that works much better :)

[absolutefilthimsosorry]

Spoilers for DnP Incohearent!!!!

I’m having so much fun trying to solve these that I made a list to keep track! Message if you can help me fill in any I’m missing or if I’ve got any wrong!!!

Also lmk if you see any I’ve missed!! I’m going to keep updating this and have it unrebloggable but you can reblog this post to have a link to it!

These are all gathered from this post and this post so check the notes on those first to try to solve them then look here if you need answers!

Sow march cheer ray = so much cherry

Wee nay urn for uke oye yer tub = we’ve never fucked on youtube?

Ta fold in fig = the golden pig

Feed hay hid eho = vday video

Tat he won ape hit morse him he = daddy want a bit more simmy

Watt ken ice hay = what can I say

North key bus teabag king = naughty busty baking

Fool tie enter nit hobo / fall tie mint her nepo moe / fault aye mint earn are ohm owe/ foul thyme inch hermit hole mold = full time internet homo

Cumin mile aid deed or = come in my ladydoor

Hum hay zinc tan = amazingdan

Elven ower fug sedge own = eleven hour fuck session

An berry moth ribeye adam stir = and every month we buy a hamster

March rest array = Manchester eye

Cyst herding yell = sister daniel

Add a ding teps = editing tips

Cop dubai khaki luna = topped by kakuna

Late eat tore = ladydoor

Half tugger etch two eggs cyst = have the courage to exist

Perish she end wink = Parisian twink

Coal ten big/ goal then pick = golden pig

Cyst ordain yell = sister daniel

Train youth inks = try new things

Gay mean moss/ gain ink mass = gamingmas

Soften need = soft and neat

A wools lied = owl slide

Topper bought them hill = top or bottom Phil

Coat fit firenze = golf with friends???

Few ours pig meow fits = viewers pick my outfits

Read less tar = red lester

Eye eight soup igloo = I ate super glue

Insight youth era too walls = inside you there are two wolves

Mine amy stan = my name is Dan

Clap hella = glabella

Hiss teeth rent = hits different

Eel eyes apron kay kiss = Eliza pancakes

See pram haze ink bra jet = super amazing project

Feels lie yawn = phils lion

Fuel ease snot dawn fair = Phil is not on fire

Jaw shush ear son = josh hutcherson

Ball bull him tour food = bauble in your foot?

Sure eck = shrek

High ate dust = hiatus

Add a dink deps = editing tips

Ga hay shoom air age = gay shoe marriage

Pope eat plate aim = poppy playtime

Eat aches stu = it takes two

Goo gal few ed = google feud

Baze ick lee eye meg ay = basically I’m gay

Ko min yout ti ew = coming out to you

Ender knit subvert grew oop = internet support group

Phylis turn yar a sheen yes = PHIL LESTER YOU’RE A GENIUS

With Audi intern yet wean ed brr wood halve mat = without the internet we never would have met

Gum ban yins drool I’ve = companions through life

Reed sons wide answer flail = reasons why dans a fail

Ewan dam ah some are reed = you and Dan are so married

Denver sis fill/ Denver cis full = Dan vs Phil

Or lawn huffing = all or nothing

Dunk rye core raft = don’t cry craft

Mortal jester roam and thick/ Morph adjust row antic = more than just romantic

So wall how debris poll light = swallow to be polite???

Oar hinge art = orange heart

Foray virgo em = forever home

Chai reel loop/ share real oob = cherry lube

Cad boyd anne = cat boy dan

Far turf ill lip = father philip

Tess lit hen ink = the slittening

Forth house indie rolled or touches = four thousand year old tortoises

Hey moth swish roundup floating = a month without uploading

Jam march let pet tea an farms = Je mange les petit enfants

Day lion howl tour = Dalien Howlter

Ima let all kit = I’m a little kit

Feel pearl lays shell ter = Phil plays shelter

Fewer blue key app ending = viewer spooky happenings

Hell low iam tour reel = hello I am Toriel

Laugh tuh gey mile kuh = left to get milk

Villas eek wreck why vuh = Phil’s secret wife

Footy strain gin said dent = ___ strange incident????

Snow core play sum = snokoplasm

Nope puts cereal sleeping mage innit = no but seriously imagine it

Tear rip pulling flu hence = terrible influence

Jeff why eye aisle hike vague liner = fyi I like vagina

Eggs intense all cry cis = existential crisis

List of contributors

@fletthewreck @dandp @deadandphilgames @manchesterau @thephouseplants @awrfhi @jonsaremembers @rachosaurusrex @dapgolf @dan-whoell @dnphobe @dreamingalto @steveandscraggy @phanbeats @danandfuckingjonlmao @pepper-pastry @yonpote @un-interactive-introvert @spaniel-trowel @sisterdanieldyke @queerdnp @morganadelacour @amid-fandoms @spectral-kitkat @goingpheral @angelzonearth @wdapteo @2009phan @dansevilpianotea

[chaifootsteps]

Chai you can fight me. Sam Haft is so fucking bad at writing I feel like I lose brain cells listening to any songs he wrote. Idk what he has on Viv, but I'm pretty sure when she finds a golden goose of a poet she's going to dump him in the woods and throw a stick telling him to fetch.

He'll probably spend the rest of his life sitting on the side of the road with the stick in his hand, tweeting about how great Viv is and how she's totally coming back for him someday.

[twobirdsflytogether]

Bagi and Baghera chainsawing each other, Bagi calling for Jaiden when she was alone and scared, Tina and Bagi getting engaged.

Last day was a pancake polycube win for me. Wouldn't be a interisting dynamic if like Bagi and Tina are the only one getting married because they are both the only ones that believe in marriage as a institution? But like, everything in the wedding has something about the other girls. Tina and Bagi use blue and golden feathers in their clothes, there are crowns in most of the weeding decorations, as well as cat motifies.

(Of course, Em is the flower girl)

First dance was not even them, Richas dragged Mouse to the dance floor, he danced putting his feet on Mouse's.

Anon- anon i could kiss you /j

But seriously, yeah. Last day was some Bagina/teaduo wins, pancake polycule wins, lovebird wins, just all around yuri wins (this statement is said with hints of delusions)

For their wedding, their other partners are part of the bridesmaids/groomsmen.

Fair warning I just woke up and am spouting random things

Their 'bestmen' however are Cellbit(Bagi) and Foolish(Tina), Bagi almost went with Bbh as bestman but decided to have him sit upfront as a compromise.

Em, Lullah, and Pomme are flower eggs, walking in a triangle (Em in the center 'leading' them, with Lullah and Pomme following) then stand with their moms(or Lullahs case, her godmother)

Richas and Leo carry the rings up, then stand on either side of the now marrying couple.

Dapper sitting with Bad, and got inventive for the 'dove release' with a stange mix of different exotic birds that they just have for some reason.

Chay sittinf with Phil and Missa, but during the party literally forced everyone to get the fuck out the kitchen cause they kept burning stuff so he'll just take over.

Pepito is simply being baby™ and sitting with Pepito's parents.

And Ramon is happily sitting between Fit and Pac.

Obviously RadioEgg playing during the party for at least a few songs.

Cucurucho shows up at somepoint, silently dropping off a gift and leaving, talking breifly to Jaiden simply giving congratulations to her partners union.

[limetimo]

RAB fics i read (Feb 24)

you do it naturally (move me, baby) by Anonymous James/Reglus/BArty smut (kinky)

At The Library(english version) - (Bartylus Oneshot) ABO by Fanfiqueiro__00 Bartylus ABO smut (sweet)

i must sin by Anonymous james/regulus/barty smut (vampire barty)

Heart of the Lion by PhantomGrimalkin Remus/regulus, plot and smut, trans regulus, v nice

Pavane for a Dead Prince by redsuit Regulus died when he was 9 and then again when he was 18. I'm assuming his debt to Death will be paid when he destroys horcruxes? Bartylus but im suspecting Jegulus endgame (no, i did not look at the tags too closely). we stan Pandora

PS. I Hate You by SnarkyMagpie ♥♥♥ the best friend' brother trope we know and love, beautiful execution

Mortal Once More by SheOfTheBookAndSong regulus takes snape's place in the narrative

So Determined to Drag Him Back by KrisKikstorky part of Regulus/Voldemort ABO series, Regulus isn't in this one chapter but im screaming none the less. smut

Pillow Talk by cywscross soft post-war regulus with owen from fast and furious

The Wolf and the Woodsman by PhantomGrimalkin little red rding hood retelling with Prince!Regulus and werewolf/woodsman remus

Harry Potter and the Year That Should Have Been Normal by 3andaHalfGayWizardsinaTrenchcoat in 1995 harry died by voldemort as per mysterious penpal's instructions and got his godfather back from the veil thank to the mysterious RAB panpal

Stop Worrying And Hold Me Again by adore_via0 soft bartylus sleepover

Best Part of Waking Up by starling011, TemieTem remus/sirius/ragulus smut with plot

The Campaign by Wouldntyouliketoknowweatherboy04 This is super interesting! In bull-headed attempt at proving his parents wrond about him, Sirius is running for the Mayor of London. Regulus somehow ended up disowned and living with his boyfriend James, James' ex gf Lily and their son Harry, Lily's gf Mary, and their friend Remus and Remus' son Teddy. When Sirius gets cornered by the papparazzis in front of the polycule's house it somehow leads to the 7 scroundels moving into Sirius' house for publicity. Will the forced proximity help the brothers recconect? Will Sirius heed Snape's advice and date Remus for clout? really excited for this one

Blue Bird (bluebird) by LoonyHarr1son jegulus with good slytherins, the gryffindors forget about james' b-day

Crazy Ex-Boyfriend by AmethystHeart2421 This was really good! Remus stalks his long-time crush Sirius (and ends up sleeping with the little brother instead)

the golden king by maladaptivewriting needs no itroduction, regulus dies then goes to school with golden trio and then and then and then

Past Zero Hour by anonymsly !!!! ♥♥♥♥♥ !!!!!

all I want by Zazzander Regulus is an alpha with a bg heart and a bigger pack

Twisting Fate by Anonymous time travellig sirius

unremarkable days. by sadgorl sirius si fighting custody battle for regulus and falling apart at the seams

Why You Should Run Away To Brazil (A “Guide?” By James Potter) by Charliemaraudersfan86 james finds out he's bipolar and doesn't handle it really well. but its ok his boyfriends are willing to wait

More than Magic by Hometown_Nerd squib-ified regulus takes custody of harry ect very good very nice

Gods Under Broken Skies by IndigoIrisis regulus dies and goes back in time with no fucks to give

Contractual Courtship by Killaurey I'M HYPED regulus/lily

White lies take all of the color from you by strawberrywinedrunk regulus got preggo, lived, and now his daughter is causing mischief at hogwarts and voldemort is back and oh well. Very good

The ache of knowing everything was gonna change by strawberrywinedrunk carna accidentally time travels to marauders era and accidentally pulls her dad along. oh well they'll just kick voldy's ass sooner

Don't go Icarus, don't forget your father by White_marigold unlce barty explains to harry that he can't be adopted because nobody would give a baby to a transitioning teenage single mother already struggling with one baby

Pegasus and chai by White_marigold james finds out he's a dad... to twins....

If We Have Each Other by aithusarosekiller Regulus has a bad day and a bit of a public meltdown and outs his secret relationship with james to sirius

Thinking Of You by aithusarosekiller remus/regulus, cute

The Ice Feels Colder Without You by FlowerLikeLotus teenage regulus faceplants on ice, gets disowned, moves in with his also disowned brother, dates teh brother's best friend, goes back to ice skating

i love to wake up next to you (i love to hold you close) by CanYouHearMyFear jegulus smut (watersports)

on behalf of the good dark by FiresFromOurHearts the series where draco is reincarnated regulus

Fated to Fall by ouzell soulmates jegulus au

Darker than Black by mariesanasz

Little Stars Server Birthday & Holiday Fics smut on top of smut on top of smut ft black bros incest

so give me all you've got (i can take it) by JohnnysLittleMonster, Sagiko_AKA_RegulusBlackKinnieBITFW james survived voldemort, regulus and pandora took care of teh horcruxes

‘Cause Boy We’re Gold by Disco_serpant fare dating bartylus

Late by cassiopeiablack1994 way too late sirisu and james realise that they're totally in romantic and sexual love with each other, hurting their spouses in the process. future regulily

Creamy Italian by starling011 bartylus smut

Hot for Teacher by starling011, TemieTem regulus has a really bad divorce, moves to wales colose with his brother, and starts falling in love with the local adorable teacher james

Death is an Art - I am an Artist by Narratiuncula regulus dies but death thinks he was cool doing it, and sends him to another universe to be reborn as a child of Hades. Regulus is now a diAngelo, the older brother to Nico and Bianca (PJO)

When the sun sets by northernnovel regulus and james fake date so that james would notice regulus§

I Wish You Would by earthmoonstars musicians au fake dating to real dating regulus

How to live (when you've long been dead) by DisorganizedKitten Danny Fenton crossover (regulus adopts danny)

Seven Months Away by DisorganizedKitten for AnOceanOfQuietThoughts It'd be nice if Regulus could just kill Voldemort and go home to his (doubtiously aquired) children instead of sitting in endless meetings... Barty is here to make sure that Voldemort never stands between a Regulus and a baby.

you flower, you feast. by Salviaqueer T4T regulily smut

Uncharted by bonafake Reg and lily meet on the way to prongsfoot wedding

[because-she-goes]

bare boned

warnings: swearing, enemies to lovers, banter. Enjoy!

The coffeeshop quietly buzzed as she sipped her iced peppermint tea. Servers collecting delicate plates, people typing in their computers, teenagers whispering over their oatmilk-chai cold foam lattes about who was going out with who, and ofcourse the various hipsters who were simply looking at pages of Ralph Waldo Emerson as opposed to actually ingesting the beautiful literature.

Rooney exhaled, blowing her auburn bangs out of her face, and checked her watch sharply. 15 minutes late and counting. Typical rockstar fucking asshole. Some golden-rust leaves blew in from the breeze of someone entering the coffeehouse.

“Sorry, love. Couldn’t decide what outfit made me look more pretentious - figured if I am going to be interviewed for NME to may as well look the part, yeah?” Gray curls and cigarette smoke was the first thing she noticed. Then the deep, Manchester soaked voice, then came the eyes. Fuck, his eyes - chocolate brown and ocean deep.

She cleared her throat and reached out a manicured hand, “Matty, is it?” Voice silky smooth, an equally Northern accent noticeable by anyone within feet of her.

“Yes, and you’d be Rooney Atkinson if I’m not mistaken.” He shook her hand, eyes piercing her blue ones.

“In the flesh. Now, take a seat I don’t have all day, Rockstar.”

“Yes, Ma’am”

“Don’t call me that, I’m not my mother. Just call me Ms. Atkinson.”

“Deal!” His hands flew up in surrender. She looked at her yellow legal pad filled with pre-set questions… all ones he’s been asked millions of times and answerable with a google. Luckily, she’s a good reporter and had watched everything there was about him.

“So, can you enlighten me as to how you landed yourself in America, specifically New York, for this album? Jack Antanoff can travel to any studio in the world and produce the album from Zoom. You guys have made records in the UK and LA before so why New York?”

“Well, for my own self I wanted to make something unique - outside of where we had gone before. We went to the english countryside for our previous album Notes on a Con-“

“Yes, I’ve listened to it. And I’ve heard this answer before I believe, so please… an original answer, not something you’ve recycled and said hundreds of times. I’ll give you the time to think further.”

A silence falls. He takes a drag of his cigarette and leans back into his chair, wiping a hand over his face in thought. Gold cartier love bracelet, rumpled gray trench coat slung over the back of his chair, dark green button up with a hole in the collar, pressed black striped slacks she lists off in her head - fashionable and casual she internally compliments. She adjusts her posture, back straightening and shoulders squaring. Her black sweater, cream scarf and adorning necklaces complimenting the color of her not-quite-maroon hair wonderfully. He takes a quick once over at her and mentally notes how her chest rises and falls with each breath. A sideways smirk falls on his lips, she clocks the cocky “bet i could shag her” attitude a mile off.

“I thought you were in a hurry… Rooney” He dares, dark eyes piercing her - she shivers in her seat and shakes her head to knock herself back into reality. “And if you must know, I was going to move to the city after the pandemic… I looked at apartments with a girl. Fell even more in love with the city after that broke apart so figured if I was already there - why not have George join me for a bit. Adam and Ross could fly there to record their bits when the lyrical shit was done.” She jots the answer down and takes a sip of the tea that had left a pool of condensation on the table near her. This was gonna be a long day, she texted her assistant and asked to cancel her appointments for the afternoon.

“Not anymore, hot shot. Keep talking.” She practically spit back at him.

“About myself? I’d love nothing more.” He fucking winks. Fuck him.

Matty was running late, he pulled a hand anxiously through his hair. Fuck, where was this coffee spot? There were a million in London that all looked identical. He stumbles upon a sign that reads “Rise Up” with a little sunrise cartoon and mug of coffee. Finally, he yanks the heavy door open, golden leaves spin around his ankles. Autumn in London is something unlike anything else in the world. His favorite season: the season of socks with sandals, scented candles and knit sweaters. He breezes in and the smell of roasted coffee beans hits his nose like a tidal wave, looking around like a lost puppy for the redhead Jamie had mentioned. What magazine was this for again? Rolling Stone? Pitchfork? No, it was NME wasn’t it? And her name fuck what was her name… “Rooney Atkinson” he remembers reading on an email.

Like he manifests her into existence at the mere thought of her name, he sees the ginger checking a watch. Oh he’s fucked, he thinks. Both for being late and because she is simply ethereal looking. It was as Persephone herself had come down and landed on Earth to inspect her mother’s harvest. God, he runs another hand through his curls.

He walks up to her and quickly apologizes for the tardiness - like a schoolboy walking in late to homeroom. He feels her eyes rake over him, he smirks. They exchange introductions and remarks - she makes a comment about not being her mother.

He hears her equally northern accent ask him a question he knows he has answered at least 1000 times in this promotional cycle. He offers the staple answer in response, but hears her voice interrupt him halfway through his shpeel. He lights a cigarette and makes a point of looking extra handsome while taking a drag of it. He, once again, notices her eyes glazing over him and admiring his outfit. Matty takes the opportunity of her eyes being averted to scan over her - the sweater and scarf combination contrasting against her burgundy hair. He smiles at her fashion sense and how she looks so comfortable and warm in the tad-bit oversized long sleeve .

Remembering the interruption, he gives the real answer to the question - the answer he’s been hiding from the press for ages out of respect to his ex-girlfriend. Once he’s finished he recalls her saying she had other places to be… he double checks and the point is shot down immediately.

As if he was imagining her saying that, she brushes it off without giving him a minute to deny her earlier plans. The singer is asked to keep talking… he thinks of a comment that might fit will in her article and in with his whole Truman Black persona and throws in a dashing wink. He sees her visibly shudder. Fuck him, he’s a goner, but he knew that the minute he layed his eyes on her.

[ignitedfms]

[ froy gutierrez, cis-man, he/they ] Look who just landed! APOLLO LADRÓN, I sure hope you packed all you need. Perhaps you’re not worried as UNDERBOSS of THE GOLDEN TEARS. The city has plenty of spots for a 26 year old CYBORG like you. You’ll be known in the city soon enough as THE PARADOX, being EMPATHETIC and CONNIVING. ( 1anc3a10t, 25, PST, removed for discretion )

00000 - - INTERVIEW INCOMING - - - 001

001101 1- - ARE you A LOCAL OF MARS OR HAVE you LANDED HERE RECENTLY? WHAT IS your OPINION OF THE CITY OF NEW JAKARTA? - 00011011

This was the issue with the MAWAR DISTRICT. He couldn’t have a peaceful brunch without the threat of the OVERSEERS invading his personal space. This would never happen in the Slums, there were so many cracks and crevices he could squirm into and be completely out of sight from wandering eyes…But, no one could beat Café Marco’s Chai and he wasn’t willing to settle for the one credit tea bags the boss so graciously bought for him. 

To: Big Man 

Sun God: Fucking Shit. The Seers are up my ass. Tell the Tears to watch their backs while I fend off these assholes. 

Sun God: You know. Maybe if you weren’t a cheap ass and bought me real loose-leaf tea this wouldn’t happen.

Sun God: 😘

“Please. Sit.”

They weakly gestured towards the chair infront of them, not particularly caring whether or not the Overseer took their offer. It was better to open with an act of hospitality rather than assuming aggression from the get go, even if they were rather pissed the officers were eating up their alone time. “I was born in NEW JAKARTA- specifically in Jakarta general- and was raised here in the MAWAR DISTRICT. My mothers immigrated from Earth, they had sought asylum on Mars as they were escaping a domestic violence situation involving my birth father.  I have spent my life flitting around from neighborhood to neighborhood experiencing each of their unique pleasures.” They paused for a moment, leaning forward to rest their arms on the table. “My mothers own a bakery. They bring in good profit. They are happy, they are healthy. New Jakarta is perfect and nothing needs to change.”

0101022 - - ARE you AWARE OF THE CRIMINAL CIRCUIT OF NEW JAKARTA? WOULD you BE WILLING TO INFORM THE OVERSEERS IF you SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY? - 001200

He feigned a sip of his now lukewarm tea, hiding a scoff behind the rim of the mug. Focused more on the credits they wasted on a now stale croissant they only tuned in to half of the question, “You have such interesting inquiries. Some may venture to say they are even a bit…intrusive. But, do you mind repeating yourself? I found myself lost in thought, wondering how unobservant a person would have to be to not notice the criminal activity buzzing around our city.”

They hummed with a slight nod of their head, “Yes, I’m aware. I spend much of my time roaming the slums, gathering stories and whatever else catches my interest. It’s hard not to run into a criminal or two when you’re sticking your nose into places you don’t belong,” they laughed short and sweet, “Or at least that’s what my friends tell me. Now in regard to being a snitch, you know what they say?-“ He paused, shooting the Overseer an expecting look. He hoped an act of innocence would get them to play along with his game, it wasn’t everyday he got the delight of making a fool of someone of their status. “Under the Revised Code of NEW JAKARTA title 9.A, chapter 25- and please do bear with me, I’m summarizing here- I don’t have to tell you anything until I’m under arrest. Am I under arrest?- I didn’t think so.”

000111311 - - HAVE you BEEN TESTED FOR ANY TRACES OF SIGHIR? HAVE your TESTS ON THE VIRUSES COME BACK CLEAN? - 0012133

“No,” They raised a finger to silence the onslaught of any further questioning, “I have not been purposefully avoiding it, I have simply just not had time to be tested.” If they got their way, they would find a way to avoid testing all together. They hadn’t felt a strong spiritual bond with Mars, nor had they woken up one day with the ability to conjure fire in the palm of their hand - but if there was a possibility that the magic was lying dormant they didn’t want a group of faceless BOARD members to be the first to know. 

They nodded their head, a bit offended that these strangers would even begin to believe they weren’t clean. “I take the utmost care in ensuring my body is in perfect shape. That includes keeping a close eye on my mental health to catch any early signs Cyberpsychosis. I am perfectly fine in every way.”

0113114 - - DO you HAVE ANYTHING TO DECLARE? WEAPONS, AUGMENTATIONS, MECHANICAL PARTS OR AI-RELATED APERTURE? - 0012444

Their smile turned sour and they took on an expression that was much more fit for the Underboss of one of the major criminal organizations. It was almost sinister the way they looked at the Overseer, their gaze scanning the officer for any hint of weakness. When he was content with what he found he began to tap the table impatiently, clearly not interested in dealing with this conversation any further.

“My left arm is a cybernetic implant. When I was sixteen I was caught in the aftermath of a street racing crash. Gasoline is highly flammable and my little legs just couldn’t run fast enough. The doctors said I was truly lucky to have survived, being in the slums the emergency response wasn’t as quick as someone like you would normally receive. I don’t remember much from the incident other than feeling wet, which I can only assume was from the massive amount of blood loss.” He stretched his arm out and turned it side to side letting the Overseer run a cursory glance over the limb. “The augmentation gives me the strength that I lost when my nerves were, quite literally, fried. Other than that it’s simply a prosthetic limb.” Not all of it was a lie. They were sixteen when their arm was blown off, but it was the result of a hit gone bad. An explosion from a plasma grenade took it right off. Luckily, X ACADEMY was more than willing to gift an experimental cybernetic to Apollo. They took well to it with only some minor swelling and sores but unfortunately for them that meant they were the perfect test subject. 

They crossed their arms against their chest and leaned back, their expression perked up as they remembered, “I have a stunner but I do not believe they are a regulated good.- Now, I do hope we’re done.” 

[fitpacs]

hi i hope this is okay

you mentioned in your reply to bee anon that this has really hurt, including for a lot of the people who distanced themselves when things began coming out. and that hit home for me because i’m one of those people? the situation at the beginning of the year was really difficult for me; i took a short break, and then i came back, because i loved this server so so much.

and then it was never really the same, and i kept drifting away—it really sucks, to see what was going on behind-the-scenes for all those months of ‘have hope! trust the admins to have a plan!’ i do appreciate them and all their work—i wish their time with the server had been a good one. i also wish there really had been a plan and a purpose.

and then… i don’t know. eventually i knew the spark was gone, for me. i hadn’t watched a stream or kept up with lore in months when i heard the news, but i’d had hope for qsmp. that things could slowly work out, and someday i could see other people being happy about it, and be happy for them. someday i could be mildly confused and entertained by snippets of the lore happening outside my perception.

and it hurt so badly anyway. to hear the recent news, especially about chay and lullah’s admins leaving. i’ve cried very much in these past two days—i didn’t realize how much this server felt like home until now, even though i haven’t been back in a while.

watching phil’s last vod today helped, i think. he and the kids get their peaceful ending—there could have been so much more. but at least this is something on their own terms. they got to say how much they meant to each other, both in-and out-of character, and go home to the wall again, and go /home/ to rose’s sanctuary.

it hurts that we won’t see them together again but i’m grateful for the time we had. i didn’t expect this server to make me cry /again/ after everything, but it’s fitting i suppose.

of course it’s okay!

i’m always here for people to share their opinions on our silly server whatever they may be :)

i think it’s hitting people in very different ways and at very different points in time - for some people it’s just confirmation as to what they already thought and it’s a ‘that’s a shame but i saw it coming’ moment, for some people it’s surprising, for others it’s really fucking sad… all of them and everything else is so valid

we ARE allowed to grieve a server that isn’t ’technically dead’. we ARE allowed to grieve the times when qsmp was bursting with life, all the ccs, eggs and npcs interacting and providing us with so much entertainment across so many timezones, countries and languages. those times are gone, and we are allowed to feel how we feel about that.

there’s no right way or wrong way to feel when something you loved so dearly is gone - sure, some characters got to KIND OF leave on their own terms as best they could with the rushed endings they were allowed, and for other characters it’s now up to us to do their stories justice.

the server represents so much more than the silly block game, it’s reflected in the friendships between the ccs that otherwise wouldn’t have met, the community and friendships that have flourished in the too-short time we had with the server’s golden days, and the content that will continue to still be created by the community to keep these characters and their stories alive

i’m sorry you’re hurting, anon, i’m hurting too! but we’ll be okay, eventually x

[imaginarianisms]

bc of the new upcoming animated show on yi ti called the golden empire & later the nine voyages on young corlys velaryon & also nymeria's 1000 ships prequel (all of which i'm super excited for btw lmao), i suspect that these may be the god-emperor dynasties of yi ti ranging from valyria to the present day:

Scarlet Emperors - perhaps the most infamous dynasty. They greatly expanded the empire and strengthened central power. Some were great statesmen, others ruthless but competent, and still others ruthless and incompetent. They moved the capital from Yin to Si Qo (which was left in ruins after their dynasty ended). Many members of the dynasty were wicked and cruel and practiced the dark arts and sorcery and cannibalism like Lo Tho, though Lo Doq ruled wisely and well for more than thirty years. He survived the numerous assassinations within the imperial family by supposedly pretending to be a lackwit struck with an affliction that made him jerk and stagger when he tried to walk limp and drools when he tried to speak while others believe that the true ruler was his formidable wife, Bathi Ma Lo. A famous historical drama recounts his unlikely rise to the throne. The Scarlet Emperors reigned about 2,000 years ago and warred against the Jogos Nhai to the north, the dynasty fell when Emperor Lo Bu, known as the Boy Too Bold By Half was killed in battle by Zhea (who btw is a canonical trans man or at the very least a woman who lived & dressed as a man, so, like, I don't wanna hear ppl in the a.soiaf rpc go all like "bUt I cAnT hAvE a TrAnS cHaRaCtEr!!!!" yes you fucking can that's a canon example right there dont give me that transphobic bs), a jhatar of the Jogos Nhai. Yellow Emperors - died out 1,000 years ago. Traded with the Valyrians, who were then also at the height of their power. Chai Duq, the fourth emperor of the dynasty, took to wife a Valyrian noblewoman and kept a dragon at his court. (in my personal interpretation, House Celtigar descends from this dynasty in the paternal line.) Sea-Green emperors - at least eight emperors under which Yi Ti is said to have achieved the height of its power. They also ruled from Yin. At the apex of its power, they conquered the large island of Leng and Great Moraq off the coast in the Jade Sea, and lands as far away as Qarth, Old Ghis and Asshai paid them tribute. They traded with Valyria. Azure Emperors - the current dynasty, who ruled from Yin in a palace larger than all of King's Landing. The seventeenth azure emperor Bu Gai's rule, however, is being defied by general Pol Qo, who has named himself first of the orange emperors, and by a sorcerer lord who is exiled to the city of Carcosa far to the east of Yi Ti, claims to be the sixty ninth of the yellow emperors, a dynasty fallen for a thousand years. Relatively weak, with the regional princedoms rising in power. Leng broke free from their control about four hundred years ago (which is exactly when the Doom of Valyria happened), so this is what the current dynasty is during the Century of Blood and the Targaryen dynasty and now the Baratheon Era to the present day.

[perfectprettypisces]

Thank God For Hometowns • J.H.S • Sneak Peek

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Fem!OC

Synopsis: A country boy from Texas who left home to get away from his asshole of a father meets a city girl from Boston who just inherited everything from a grandmother she never knew existed. Partially inspired by this Carrie Underwood song of the same name.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of car accidents, mentions of cheating, mentions of unrequited feelings, fake town and some inaccuracies cause my only knowledge of ranches comes from watching Yellowstone lol

WC: 2.2k

a/n: a new Jake series! i had two versions of this story but i felt like i could do more with this one :) i might still write the other one, so let me know what you think! gotta love me a city girl x country boy lol also reposting this to make up for taking so long with the chapter of TPATP

Series Masterlist • Top Gun Masterlist

Next Part

Jake never felt more at home than he did at that very moment. Sitting in a rundown bar in his hometown, his childhood friends crowded around a small table near the back corner. Multiple people had come by their table to say ‘hello’, ranging from old high school classmates to his dad’s golf buddies. Almost all of them wanted to hear about the mission that deemed him a hero and all of them wanted to know about why he was taking leave. He laughed it off every single time and used his charm to divert the conversation elsewhere before the person got bored and walked away. Every one of them patted him on the back before leaving and said: “Good to have you home, Seresin”.

“I’d like to make a toast,” his friend, Ethan, declares from beside him. He slaps a hand on Jake’s shoulder and jostles it back and forth. “To Jake Seresin and the return of Ridgewood’s golden boy.”

“And to Mrs. Alden,” his other friend, Libby, adds from across the table next to her husband, Dom. “A hell of a woman with a heart of gold and a mouth like a sailor, may she rest in peace."

“Here, here,” they chorus, clinking their shot glasses together. Each of them make sure they’ve clinked all of the others’ glasses before downing their shots. All the boys slam their glasses down on the bar once they’ve finished while the two girls at the table grimace at the burn of the alcohol.

“God, I’ll never get used to that,” Dylan coughs from her seat on the other side of Jake. She pushes her shot glass as far away from her as possible, like it was going to burn her again if it was too close.

“Yeah, you always were a lightweight,” Jake says, nudging her shoulder with his.

Dylan’s face heats up under Jake’s gaze, a shy smile adorning her face as she avoids eye contact.

It was no secret that Dylan’s had a crush on ever since high school, even after they’d broken up. To him, dating her was the typical childhood friends to lovers pipeline; they were already so comfortable with each other that it seemed worth it to give it a try. He felt terrible breaking it off with her all those years ago, but he couldn’t keep stringing her along when it was obvious her feelings for him were stronger than his feelings for her.

Luckily, they’d been able to keep their friendship, but even after all these years, Dylan never seemed to lose feelings. Libby tells him it’s partially his fault; the flirty banter and physical affection that was practically hardwired into his systems sent quite the mixed messages. It also didn’t help that they’d hooked up the past few times he was home, but Libby didn’t know that as far as he knew. He was conscious enough to dial down the banter when they were out with their friends, but it would slip out on occasion when he wasn’t thinking.

He knows he fucked up when he catches Libby eying him with a pointed look from across the table. He shifts nervously and tries to subtly move his chair an inch or two to the right to show her he didn’t mean it.

“So, any idea what’s gonna happen with the ranch?” Dom asks, blissfully unaware of the silent exchange between his wife and his best friend as he extends his arm across the back of her chair.

All eyes turn to Jake given that his father and the Seresin’s were one of the two families in charge of running it.

“Gotta wait for the new owner,” Jake shrugs, ensuing wide-eyed looks from his friends.

“‘The new owner’?” Libby asks incredulously as her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. “You mean you don’t know who it is?”

“Nope, not a clue,” he shrugs again, trying to retain a neutral face.

Unfortunately, these people have known him almost as long as he’s been alive and they catch on all too quickly when he lies.

“Bullshit,” Ethan exclaims, slamming his hand on the table and making it wobble. He’d only had a single beer and a shot, but he was just as much of a lightweight as Dylan. “You know something.”

“You’re right, he does.”

Before Jake can turn toward the new voice, he feels an arm wrap around his shoulders. He turns to the right to see his older sister, Cassidy.

“See? I knew it,” Ethan exclaims again, standing and gesturing for her to take his seat. “C’mon, Cass, what is it?”

“Cass…” Jake trails off in warning. This was not the time nor the place and they weren’t the people to be telling. He was never a fan of gossiping, which had been one of the main reasons why he felt like leaving was the best option for him. Information spread like wildfire in Ridgewood and he never wanted to be the one holding the matches.

Unfortunately for him, his sister was the exact opposite. She gossiped just as much as the next person.

“Alright, so y’all remember Mr. & Mrs. Alden’s son, Grant? The one that died in the car accident all those years ago?” Cassidy starts, completely ignoring her younger brother’s warning.

“The one that went to Harvard?” Libby asks.

“Yup, that’s the one.”

Grant Alden hadn’t been much older than Cassidy was now when he died. A tragic accident that ended with his car wrapped around a telephone pole about a mile away from the airport.

Everyone knew the story, even those who weren’t even born yet when it happened. The Alden name was synonymous with Ridgewood just as much as the Seresin’s. Before Jake was crowned the golden boy of their town, Grant had held that title for a solid three decades. He was the typical high school stereotype: star quarterback of the high school football team, academic honors and heart-stopping good looks. No one had been surprised when he accepted a full ride scholarship to Harvard because if anyone was going to make something of their life outside of Ridgewood, it was going to be Grant.

No one expected him to come back after he graduated, let alone discard his degree completely to devote his entire life to the family ranch. As always, people came up with crazy ideas and rumors, but no one dwelled on it for long. He was a damn good rancher and most people were just happy to have the golden boy back in town.

A privilege Jake was all too lucky to have for himself now.

“Well, apparently the reason he left after college was because he knocked up the daughter of some big-shot, old money Boston businessman. They weren’t a fan of some country boy shackin’ up with their daughter, so they basically drove him out of the city,” Cassidy confesses. “He started working on the ranch again to get back on his feet and the rest is history. Mr. & Mrs. Alden never told a soul until after Grant died in order protect him.”

No one speaks for a hot minute as they try to process Cassidy’s words, all except Jake who had heard the story from his father earlier that day.

They all used to think of Grant as the cool, young uncle that was all about fun. He’d been the one to teach them all how to ride and the one who let them set up camp on his family’s land when they got older. The Grant they knew never seemed like the type to settle down and have kids. Apparently only one of those was true.

“How do we even know that’s true?” Dom was skeptical. He knew just as much as Jake did about how unreliable certain information that came out of Ridgewood was. One could never be too sure and Cassidy had a reputation of just taking whatever information she could get and running with it.

“If it is, that baby should be about our age right now,” Libby says.

Cassidy holds up her hands in surrender and does an 'x' motion over her heart with her pointer finger. “Our dad and Mr. Everett were the ones Mr. & Mrs. Alden told Grant’s secret to after he died. They made them promise not to tell anyone."

“A promise they had no problem breaking when they found out that neither one of them was inheriting the ranch at the will reading,” Jake adds bitterly.

John Seresin and Dale Everett were business partners in everything, which made absolutely no sense to anyone since they outwardly hated each other. Mr. Alden had brought them on as teenagers to help around the ranch and despite going off and starting their own business, they were still a key part of running it. Neither one of them had been a fan of Grant returning, accusing him of being too young and irresponsible. They say he forced his way back onto the ranch despite it being owned by his parents.

If he hadn’t known his father’s true intentions behind keeping the Aldens’ secret, he almost would’ve been impressed by his willingness to keep their secret. Unfortunately, knowing the type of person his father is/was, it was all part of a bigger ploy of gaining the Aldens’ trust and wiggling his way into the will.

As much as he would’ve loved to have that ranch in his family, watching his father not get something he wanted for once in his life was so fucking satisfying.

“Okay, pause,” Dylan says, holding her hand up to stop Cassidy before she explains further. “That was–Wow, I was not expecting that, but what does Grant’s illegitimate child have to do with any of this?”

“Oh, Dylan. Sweet, sweet, Dylan,” Cassidy chides, leaning forward for dramatic effect. “That ‘illegitimate child’ is now the proud owner of the largest ranch in Ridgewood.”

Vanessa never felt as lost as she does when she looks around at all the packed boxes scattered about her soon-to-be former bedroom. Every trace of her was gone and packed away in various sized cardboard cubes. She gets déjà vu from the week prior where she’d done the exact same thing to her office after she’d gotten laid off. It doesn’t hurt as much as she thought it would, but it still sucked to lose that sense of comfort she became so accustomed to.

No job, no fiancée, no friends. If she wasn't this close to spiraling down a dark hole, she almost could've laughed at how horrible her life was going.

She sighs as she places the last of her things in the final box. The movers were supposed to be coming any minute to take all of her stuff to her parents’ house and she had half a mind to tell them to take her anywhere but there, but her options were limited at the moment.

Move back in with her overly critical and condescending parents or stay in the house where (ex) fiancée fucked her (ex) best friend on more than one occasion?

Unfortunately, neither was not an option.

She just finishes taping the box closed when her phone rings. She wants to ignore it; anyone that had her number was someone she didn’t want to talk to, but she picks it up anyway.

There’s just a phone number with no caller ID and an area code she doesn’t recognize. It’s not from Boston or Massachusetts for that matter and her suspicions are confirmed when the text underneath says the call is coming from somewhere in Texas.

It was probably a scam. She’s never been to Texas, let alone know anyone that lives or lived in Texas at any point in their lives. She contemplates for a moment and her curiosity gets the better of her. If it was a scam, so be it. There wasn’t much left that they could take from her anyway.

“Hello?” she answers, balancing the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she picks up the last box and walks toward the door.

“Hi! My name is Carolyn Fisher and I’m looking for Ms. Vanessa Manning?”

The first thing Vanessa notices is how perky this woman’s voice is. The second thing is the slight southern twang laced beneath her words. This woman sounded like every stereotypical Southern belle in a Hollywood movie. The third was the pang in her chest when she says her name. No more future Mrs. Vanessa Montgomery. 

Vanessa places the box on the floor and dusts her hands off, readjusting the phone in her grip. “This is she,” she says.

This definitely wasn’t a scam, but it still had her wondering what the hell this woman from Texas could want with her.

“Oh! Ms. Manning, it’s so nice to finally get into contact with you,” the woman says rather excitedly. “Like I said, my name is Carolyn Fisher. I’m an attorney and current executor of the will of one Mrs. Mary Frances Alden, your grandmother. It looks like you're listed as the sole beneficiary of all of her assets, both liquid and fixed.”

Okay, maybe this was a scam, because that definitely wasn’t right. Mary wasn’t the name of either of her grandmothers and the last time she checked, they were both very much alive and living in Nantucket. Granted, she only ever saw them maybe once a year, but she thinks she’d know if something happened to either of them. 

“I’m sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong Vanessa Manning,” she says apologetically. She did feel kind of bad that this woman had obviously gone through an awful lot of trouble to find her and she wasn’t who she was looking for. “I don’t have a grandmother named Mary Alden or know anyone by that name, for that matter.”

To her surprise, the woman doesn’t seem deterred. “It’s a lot to explain,” she chuckles. “Do you have a few minutes? I would love to talk and possibly set up an in-person meeting to go over everything.”

*(also anyone from Texas or in the South, please don't roast me, i'm literally from Hawai‘i and have no idea how any of this works and everything i write is coming from research on Google lol)

[blossom-hwa]

(IM GOING TO EAT MY TOES THIS IS MY THIRD ATTEMPT TO SEND AN ASK PLS DISREGARD THE FRUSTRATION)

anw 5 years of slaying and EVEN JOINING A WRITING CAMP IM SO HAPPY AND PROUD FOR YOU YOU ABSOLUTE DEVIL (teary-eyed emoji but the one with a fond smile) !!!!!!

i'm gonna have to ask for some skater san and writer mc shenanigans please :'))) preferably with their cat please please love u lina please never stop giving me excuses to enable you 💖

CHAIIIIIIIIII FIRST OF ALL PLEASE DON’T EAT YOUR TOES IT WILL ALL BE OKAY SKDJH BUT ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS LIKE LEGITIMATELY HALF THE SHIT ON THIS BLOG WOULDN’T EXIST WITHOUT YOU BEING MY ENABLER/RUBBER-DUCK-THAT-I-SCREAM-ABOUT-IDEAS-WITH SO. I ADORE YOU I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

5 year anniversary drabble game: send me a Stray Kids/TXT/Golden Child/Ateez/The Boyz member + a prompt (check out the post for ideas) and I’ll write a drabble for you!

(not as much cat antics as I’d like in here chai I'm so sorry but it came out like this and... well. I’ll leave you to read it for yourself :D)

REQUESTS OPEN!!

~

Title: Words For You

Pairing: San x gender neutral!reader

Word count: 1.3k

Warnings: n/a

~

One of San’s favorite things to do is watch you read. Not the whole time, because it can get quite boring (akin to the time he watched paint dry on a wall for over an hour), but the air seems to... shift, somehow, when you get to a climax or a twist. If he’s awake in the room, he’ll automatically turn to find you fixated on the book in your hand, eyes burning wide with a ferocious intensity that both scares him, slightly, and lures him in. 

He doesn’t interrupt you, of course. That would be signing his death warrant. But when he starts to pick up on it, he starts reading your books himself, trying to figure out what exactly has captured your attention so readily. Sometimes he finds what he’s looking for. Other times he has no idea what the fuck he’s reading. But as he flips page after page of the many volumes on your crowded bookshelves, he finds he doesn’t mind all that much. Because these books are a window, of sorts, into your beautiful mind. 

Three nights after the fight, two nights after you made up, you’re dishing up dinner in the kitchen while San sets two places at the table (”No, San, the cats don’t count as kids, you shouldn’t let them around when we eat, and you absolutely should not set places for them either -”). He helps you bring over the few plates and bowls, and when they’re safely settled on the table, you begin to eat. 

There’s silence for a while, but it’s comfortable. Unstrained, devoid of tension. San busies himself with the noodles in his bowl - he’s hungry - until he looks up to see you staring at him. 

Suddenly self-conscious, he swallows a last noodle. “Do I have something on my face?”

You shake your head. “No.”

San blinks. “Then... what?”

For a moment, uncertainty passes through your eyes. A thin line of tension threads through the silence as San waits for you to say something, anything to explain your stare and the reason you, usually so confident and bright and bold in your language, now look so unsure of your words. 

Then Trash Bag hops onto one of the unused chairs. She noses at the table, coming dangerously close to one of the dishes, and you snap out of whatever daze you were in to put her back down. When you come back up, your eyes look warm again. Certain. Or at the very least determined.

“I didn’t know you liked Anne Carson.”

Anne Carson? San furrows his eyebrows. The name sounds familiar, but he’s not quite sure where he remembers it from...

“I’ll take care of you,” you quote quietly.

Oh. Oh. 

“It’s rotten work,” he replies, just as quiet. 

Your eyes don’t leave his as you complete the line. 

“Not to me. Not if it’s you.”

He remembers, now. The translations of the Greek poems and plays that sat on your shelves, books you held with such care despite their well-worn covers, pages you marked with script-like annotations and coded with multicolored tabs. He remembers picking up If Not, Winter a month or so ago and feeling so transfixed by the softness Caron injected into Sappho’s poetry that when he was finished, he pulled Euripides from your shelf to read on the flight to his next skating competition, where he found your quote. 

The same quote he finished for you when you were a crying, laughing haze on the couch two nights ago, the quote that dispersed the smoke clouding your eyes and made you whole in his arms once more. 

“I saw you reading If Not, Winter a while back,” he admits, pushing his empty bowl away. “The title was interesting and you looked so transfixed by it that I thought I should try it. I liked it, so I read Euripides next.”

You lean forward, eyes shining. “How did you like that?”

“Not as much as Sappho,” he admits, which makes you laugh. “But one or two quotes stuck with me.”

You’re both finished eating so you push the dishes away, letting Byeol climb onto your lap. A short silence follows his words as you idly scratch between her ears. 

“I don’t care much for Greek plays,” you eventually say. “For a long time, I only liked Sappho. But one of my mentors in college recommended that I come back to them at some point and see if I could find something new.” You shrug. “And I did. I found that.”

San watches you put Byeol carefully down on the floor, then walk around the table towards him. He knows you well enough to stand, to hold open his arms just before you crash into him, your own arms wrapping around his waist. 

“Thank you,” you murmur into his shirt. “Thank you for dealing with me.”

His hand automatically finds its way to your head, patting softly as you breathe into his chest. “It’s not dealing with you,” he murmurs. “It’s loving you for your strengths and your flaws, for the human being you are to me.”

(When San’s birthday rolls around, after the requisite party where Wooyoung sets of three confetti poppers and San bemoans the mess he’ll have to clean up afterwards, you present him with a small rectangular package. 

He looks at the cheerful wrapping paper printed with smiling cats. “You already gave me a gift.” He’s wearing it now, a designer shirt he’d been eyeing for months but could never find an excuse to actually buy. 

“It’s another one.” You take a deep breath, almost like you’re nervous, but your eyes sparkle. “If anything, it’s like a gift for both you and me.”

Slowly, he unwraps the paper, taking care not to tear it as he picks apart the tape. Two books emerge from the wrappings. The top one he recognizes immediately. The cover is the same as one on your shelf, though this one looks brand new. 

Well, almost brand new. San frowns. A small pencil mark has smudged the corner of the white cover, and the pages...

San sneaks a glance at you. Well, there must be a reason you decided to gift him another copy of If Not, Winter, if you already own one. 

He leafs through the book, and immediately it becomes clear that it is not, in fact, brand new. 

Because - you’ve annotated it. Filled the margins with your crisp handwriting, underlined phrases in light pencil. Things you already loved, things you just noticed, things that reminded you of him...

He looks at the next book before he can start to cry. This is one he doesn’t recognize - Plainwater: Essays and Poetry. But he does recognize the author. 

Anne Carson. 

“I haven’t read it yet,” you say quietly. San looks up to see you holding out a second copy of the very same book. “Sappho was... it was for you. I know she loved women, but I love you, and some of the things she writes... I wanted you to know that they made me think of you.” You swallow. “But I thought we could read Plainwater together, since I haven’t read it and I don’t think you have either, and you said before you wanted to read some more so -”

San hugs you to him, cutting off your rambling speech. Your copy of Plainwater is stuck between you and his books are probably pressing into your back, but he can’t find it in him to let go.

“... San?”

This time, he can’t stop the tears. But he doesn’t try, really, just as he doesn’t try to slow the smile curving across his lips. 

“Thank you,” he whispers, feeling you finally melt into his touch. “Thank you so, so much.”)

[beardyboyzx]

One line, any fic

I was tagged by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed to pick 10 of my fics, scroll somewhere to the mid point, pick a line and share it. I only have 6 fic published as of today in this fandom, so... I owe you 4 fics, Mia! ❤️

From If You Only Knew (aka the very first fic I published that needs rewriting and re-plotting asap - so don't cringe too much reading this)

Those words make the air inside Harry's lungs disappear, making him put too much pressure on the soap dispenser — a stream of soap hits Louis on the wrist that was just next to it.

From Midnight in Paris

Liam takes a step in his direction, in pure disbelief, feeling betrayed. So much for feeling safe and protected. "What the actual fuck? Tommo!" A hand grabs one of his shoulders, pulling him back. He struggles. "Tommo, come the fuck back!"

From Tripping All Over

Harry's heart got stuck in his throat at those words, not even knowing how someone could sound so selflessly sincere in a competition. Louis was hot, and kind, and had taken notice of an uncertainty Harry himself had been trying hard to hide from every one of his family members.

From Grey hair is our forever

Louis didn't know how he could fall even more in love with him. His mouth stretched in a soft smile, and his face just melted at those words. Forever . "That's what it means, huh?" he asked, voice shaking slightly. "We're gonna be together forever, baby? Two 90 years old men, dancing in the kitchen and playing Scrabble?"

From If It Makes You Feel Alive (It's Alright)

"Louis is right," Zayn had said, a fond look on his face that had made Liam's whole soul melt. "You're just a giant overexcited golden retriever puppy sometimes, innit?"

From Twenty-Eight

Harry recoils at the pet name. "Don't you dare call me baby," He leans on the wall right in front of the interrogation table, trying to find a sort of stability, legs weak from the shock. "I'm Agent Styles to you."

I have to tag 10 people, so I'm tagging: @alwaysxlarrie, @chai-hat-tea, @louisandtheaquarian, @panye, @larryatendoftheday, @thinlinez, @laynefaire, @louistomlionson, @uhoh-but-yeah-alright and @onlythesweet

[pocketbelt]

Hi-Fi RUSH (PC/Steam Deck)

A Christmas gift from my friend Evan, who is now 2-for-2 for action/rhythm game hybrids as Christmas gifts. Patterns emerge in my friends

Hi-Fi RUSH existing at all is still surreal, though the nature of its surprise shadow-drop release at the start of the year seemed less like a deliberate surprise and more Microsoft farting out something with no fanfare, which is a shame because this is the sort of thing the AAA space needs. And it's from the one Japanese studio Microsoft owns, funnily enough.

Hi-Fi RUSH follows the trend started by Crypt of the Necrodancer of merging rhythm game with another genre, in this case character action, and like my time with the Metal: Hellsinger demo I don't think I can get a hang of these hybrids entirely. There's a marked difference in learning the timing of parries or when to pause to change the next attack and having to keep to a beat to make things do extra damage or even work, especially as the beat will change with the background music. In truth, if it were a straight action game I think Hi-Fi RUSH would've felt better.

It's a charming and incredibly performant game (RTX3070 and Ryzen 5800 get a flawless 4K60FPS with most settings maxed on my rig, and it's equally flawless though not as high-res on Steam Deck), the cast are great, Chai's a delightful protagonist and its world is super neat, but it also has a lot of annoying bits that speak to me of traces of Western AAA game dev brain. Tango Gameworks are a Japanese studio, sure, but one set up and run by Bethesda, and I feel like that sneaks down more than you'd think (especially when you hear of the horror stories now of former Activision employees talking of Bobby Kotick, then distant CEO of the company, fucking with every project he could).

To wit, I can't imagine why else a studio initially run by Shinji Mikami of all people would put out an action game that abandons lock-on for an auto-targeting system that can, will, and mostly does decide to get distracted by enemies you aren't attacking to swivel Chai 180-degrees or make the camera invert against a wall to follow someone who happened to walk past you mid-combo. It's got a lot of that kind of nuisance, which makes me hope for a Hi-Fi RUSH 2 that chucks it out and puts in a proper lock-on or arena-wide camera view (or both).

Quite a lot of the "rhythm" mix-in just results in glorified quick-time events, which end up not being so quick very quickly. Needing to perfectly time a string of fucking 8 attacks to break open an enemy to finally kill him, where failing once will make him repeat the sequence from the start and he is invincible until you finish it (and this is a normal recurring enemy!) is some PS2-era shit.

But then, at the same time, that is Hi-Fi RUSH's golden charm; this feels like a very Dreamcast/PS2 era game but with modern tech powering it. And for that I want more of it, if Microsoft ever deigns to let them make a game again and doesn't just consign them to purgatory or, now, the Call of Duty Mines.

[mercy-mercie-mercymorn]

agro's oc master list (1/?)

☆ star people ☆

i'll be adding links when/if i remember, as well as finishing this list.....eventually. just ask if u want some reference images for characters i don't have on artfight or need additional info! anyways, the whole character vomit is under the cut :)

angel 

name: angel (formerly, delta) virgo

human?: nope, asteriai (star nymph) 

bday: sep 15

deal: after being born without magic, she became the asteriai vessel of her long-dead titan ancestor, Astraea (Virgo). works as a TA for her friend, an anthropology professor. has more plushies than space on her bed. a pacifist at heart. 

powers: can summon a spear and a pair of golden light wings. can also heal, which she does considerably more. 

likes: animals, sweets, and sleeping. dislikes: bugs, the heat, and christmas music.

songs: Sleep (Conrad Hillis Remix) - Soul Push, Colder Parts - HUNNY, All Will Be Well - Gabe Dixon

rose

name: rose (that’s it) (formerly, demon—not like 😈 but Δήμων, meaning “the people”. it’s important to me that you know that.) 

human?: nope, kimmerian (void spirit) (she’s just here because i couldn’t think of a better place to put her. it makes sense with the lore) 

bday: dec 23

deal: angel’s girlfriend. the last descendant of a long-dead race who spurned fate. an emo shit and a mean lesbian (affectionate). takes no shit. unless it’s from angel. has a dry sense of humor. doesn’t like authority. 

powers: hydromancy! can do a bunch of fuck you magic with water. has weird dream-controlling magic. it’s a long story. 

likes: video games, music, and bodies of water. dislikes: her past, angel’s sister, and rules. 

songs: Ocean’s Deep - Born Ruffians, Talk To Myself - Avicii, Heaven Is Under The Sun - Beta Play 

spica

name: spica virgo

human?: nope, asteriai

bday: sep 23

deal: angel’s older sister/her guardian for the most of her life. impulsive and hot-tempered. loves the people she cares about by being a lil angry about their life choices. a part of the amica ignis—a guild of female pyromancers. would fight you. eltanin’s fiancee! 

powers: pyromancy!!! yeah!!! can also summon a special spear. 

likes: shoes, autumn, and hitting the snooze button. dislikes: paperwork, her alarms, and rose.  

songs: I Don’t Need A Hero - Concrete Blonde, Fake Out - Fall Out Boy, Color Green - New Politics

caph

name: caph cassiopeia

human?: asteriai. 

bday: feb 12

deal: one of apollo’s priestesses. the only surviving cassiopeia clan member. she was a terrible person and now she’s trying to be better. a manic pixie dream girl except she’s just Like That. voted most likely to eat a plant by me. vega and apollo are her best friends. cole’s mom, married to tore. 

powers: has magic henna on her hand (the hand changes because i keep forgetting) that can do some doc ock-esque shit and some other assorted magic. was granted the power of foresight by apollo. 

likes: houseplants, singing, and chai lattes. dislikes: black coffee, snow, and talking about her deep-seated issues.

songs: She’s A Rainbow - The Rolling Stones, Monsters of the North - The National Parks, Riptide - Vance Joy

cole

name: cole cassiopeia

human?: half-human, half-asteriai. descended from a kimmerian on his father’s side.

bday: march 3

deal: cole and tore’s son. genuinely the nicest guy ever. his biggest fault is he thinks swords are cool and owns multiple. a surfer guy majoring in engineering at UCLA. he goes to the beach as much as he can. was taught to swordfight by tore and rose. also rents a room in cynthia’s house. 

powers: inherited his mom’s henna powers and his dad’s dream powers. 

likes: surfing, tea, and being bullied by annoying queers (affectionate). dislikes: having to draw, people who forget sunscreen, and close-toed shoes.

songs: West Coast - Yam Haus, Safe In L.A. - Gold Motel, Verge - Owl City

vega

name: vega lyra

human?: you guessed it, asteriai.

bday: nov 29

deal: one of apollo’s priestesses. her favorite composer is shostakovich. she’s very mean but i think it’s funny. dating apollo, which is definitely a choice. generally has an “overworked and underpaid public servant who has run out of fucks to give” vibe. 

powers: musical magic! the songs she plays/sings can basically do whatever as long as she has the energy and/or an okay instrument. can also pick up instruments in little to no time. 

likes: playing violin, card games, and spicy foods. dislikes: sweets, hot weather, and dogs (nothing personal). 

songs: Nascence - Austin Wintory, Waiting For Love - Avicii, Tender Strength - Yu-Peng Chen

eltanin

name: eltanin draco

human?: asteriai

bday: june 30

deal: i’ll be real…spica’s everything. he’s just ken. he’s very nice, loves his family, and just wants to grill. he has a soft spot for angel because they’re both relatively chill people with intense s/os…who just so happen to hate each other. 

powers: can turn into a (relatively small) dragon. 

likes: DIY projects, weighted blankets, and trying new foods. dislikes: drama, action movies, and wearing shoes in the house.

songs: 3’s - Nodaway, Dance With Me - Ra Ra Riot, Crystal Clear - Opus Orange

sirius

name: sirius canis major

human?: asteriai

bday: april 1 (yes he makes jokes about this) 

deal: a former member of the asteriai island guard who left for earth to find bigger and better things. formed a group of vigilante magic-adjacent people 

powers: can turn into a dog. he has some heightened senses (dog-compliant). 

likes: fast food (the trashier the better), lame puns, and haircare. dislikes: chocolate, reading maps, and rain. 

songs: Wolfdance - The Ceremonies, Don’t Send The Searchlights - Gold Motel, Everyone’s A Guru Now - Saint Motel

virgo

name: astraea (more often known as virgo, the maiden of the zodiac)

human?: a Titan/goddess

bday: she just piggybacks off angel’s

deal: the currently semi-dead deity sharing angel’s body. she’s sleeping rn (always). was kind of seeing apollo. is like 9 ft tall. the former leader of the Zodiac, but everyone else is dead. sees warfare as a necessary evil. 

powers: healing! spears! light constructs! fuck you.

likes: sleeping, sweets, and sightseeing. dislikes: fighting, humanity, and doorways. 

songs: i don’t feel like thinking of any for her rn