#I hold kiwi near and dear to my heart

[kiwiorcore]

sending another link again (sorry!!) but he's so cute it's actually sickening i love him sm 🫶🏽🫶🏽https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzYXduwo7WW/?igshid=N2ViNmM2MDRjNw==

also i'm glad you and him talked things out!! for now i will trust that he's good enough for you but he'd better watch himself lmao hope you're doing well!! 🫶🏽

he’s so cute i think i need to be revived after watching that video. he seems a little more confident in this video we may be entering an all time high for kiwi content

i have no idea why j was being so dramatic it took like one conversation to sort it all out.

[domesticblisss]

Nice to Meet You

Jay White x Female Reader Requested Prompt: “Hello! Thank you for opening requests. How about one with Jay White where he’s in New Japan and reader is in WWE and they end up following each other on ig or something and after awhile of messages and such they finally meet and get together? You can change things up if you want I just love the idea of 2 people from separate companies getting together lol ❤️ ” Rating: PG-13 Word Count: 1306 Warnings: Nothing, fluff as fuck with a tiny little bit of angst and some between the lines pinning and a little cursing. Summary: Mutual friends aren't enough for you to meet, but the internet is. A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post it, work has been crazy, then writer's block hit and when the inspirations finally got back to me, I had the shittiest week ever so I couldn't bring myself to write it. I hope it's at least a little bit good, and that my dear requester and you all like it. 💕

He always heard about her and she always heard about him. Only good things.

Shelley always gushed about how their styles were similar, Sabin went off countless times on how they should wrestle as a duo, and against each other, and Candice kept mentioning how they would look cute together.

But the friends in common weren't enough to make them meet each other and their hectic schedule never coincided. Soon, Jay shipped off to Japan full time and she finally got her NXT contract signed.

Jay was the one to take the first step. It was on a late saturday night, one of his few days off, when he finally decided to watch her debut match against Asuka after seeing it trending across social media and different news outlets.

She lost the match, but she gave the NXT Women’s Champion a run for her money. Hard kicks after hard kicks, asuka locks being countered several times, and the most incredibly performed top rope DDT he had ever seen. It was the hardest hitting women’s match he had seen in a while and he was amused with her talent, so amused he had to let the world know.

“@thisisfuryWWE nxt debut match was the best one I’ve seen in a long time. Can’t wait to see more of you 😉”

The message made her smile, the recognition from someone she always thought so highly of warming her heart.

“@JayWhiteNZ thank you! this means a lot coming from the #switchblade 🔪❤️”

With that came the mutual following on social media, then the likes, the casual comments turned into dm’s, turned into phone number exchanges, and soon, they didn’t know a life without each other.

Every day a “good morning” text would be sent by whoever woke up first and “sleep well” texts closed off the night. The time zone was messy, but they always found a way to talk to each other, losing count of how many nights were poorly slept and the amount of coffee they drank on the morning after.

Little “this made me think of you” messages were sent whenever a dog picture or a meme came their way, friends' dinner/lunch dates through FaceTime became a thing and every Instagram post got commented with an inside joke. Friends and fans started to notice the change in their relationship and soon their mentions were bombarded with speculating questions.

“Are you guys together?”

“When are the two of you getting married?”

“@thisisfuryWWE and @JayWhiteNZ get a fucking room already”

“I would if she was near me 🙄”

She was the one who took the second step. After a lot of talk with Candice, she finally realised her true feelings towards the kiwi. It wasn’t easy accepting them at first, she took longer to respond to his messages, the “good morning” texts were no more, and her answers were always short, until the fateful day where she completely stopped answering him.

→ I don’t know if I did something wrong, and I am so sorry if I did, but please talk to me.

She knew that ghosting him was wrong and that she needed to tell him the truth, even if her anxiety got the best of her.

The clock on her phone announced that it was 12:45pm, meaning it was almost 2 in the morning for him and that he probably had just gotten back from the monday tapings, tired and wanting to sleep. “Fuck it, he texted me. It’s now or never.”

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

He picked up on the third ring, his long, dyed black hair wet, sticking to his forehead, the droplets of water running down his chest.

“Hey! Sorry it took me a while to pick it up, I was just taking a shower. How are you?” He panted like he had just ran a marathon to pick up the phone. “I missed you.”

She had never seen him so vulnerable, the small tone of his voice shot a tinge of pain to her heart. “Can we talk? I need to talk to you.”

“Sure, just let me put some pants on.” Jay laughed.

He sat the phone down on the nightstand and she kept staring at the cream ceiling of his hotel room, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time.

“Is everything okay, I was worried about you.” Noises of shuffling fabric were noticeable in the background, paired with a string of curses after what she was pretty sure was him bumping his pinky on some furniture.

“Everything is fine. Is your toe still alive?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

She looked at him, really looked at him. The dark hair dryer, messy and no longer sticking to his forehead, probably the work of him aggressively running the towel over it. His fair skin pink after a hot shower, blue eyes shy, almost anxiety ridden with anticipation of what could happen next. She let out a modest smile, running the words she had thought about telling him countless times in her head.

“What is it, honey?”

“Jay, I- I need to tell you something. I don’t know how to say it but just let me finish first or I’ll die.”

He only nodded.

“I like you. Really, really like you. That’s why I’ve been off these past few days, I’ve been trying to understand my feelings and I ended up scaring myself because I’ve never felt this way for anyone.” she stopped for a few seconds, hands running over face and hair, taking a moment to breath. “Jay, I– fuck, I appreciate our friendship so, so much and I don’t want to ruin it, but I get it if this makes you uncomfortable and if you want to cut ties.”

Jay kept quiet, staring at her through the small screen, smile getting bigger and until it turned into full, hearty laughter.

“Jay, this is not funny. I’m not–“

“This is why you vanished? God, can’t you see I fucking love you too, you idiot?!”

Silence engulfed the pair again as they looked at each other, not believing what had finally happened. They exchanged smiles and lingering stares before continuing the conversation.

“I’m crazy about you, honey.”

“And how are we going to do this, Jay?”

“I am constantly going back home, you can come over when you have some free time. We will figure it out, baby.”

Three weeks of messages and video calls, three weeks of “I love yous” and “can’t wait to see you”, three of the longest weeks of their lives until they finally meet each other.

Jay opens instagram, her story bubble being the first one to show up. He clicks on it and is met with a picture of her in a red envelope dress and white converse, the same one he was wearing, and a caption that said “today is going to be a great day! ❤️🔪”.

🔥 reaction and a “see you in forty, love” reply sent, her phone vibrated in her purse just a few meters away from him. Little did he know she was waiting for him in the landing room, holding a small poster with “Mr. White” written and little switchblades drawn all over it.

She grew anxious as everyone but Jay left the plane, checking the time and if she was on the right gate constantly.

Five minutes passed, five minutes that felt like hours, and Jay finally came out, with sunglasses covering his eyes and his denim jacket in hand. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her, a smile growing on his face as she ran to him. He engulfed her in a tight hug, kissing her lips in small pecks that grew into one big slow kiss.

They touched foreheads after, smiling and laughing, not believing they were finally in each other’s arms.

“Hey, stranger.”

[nightshadedawn]

Writing prompts!!

Select one of the prompts and a ship and I'll write 300 words for it! I'll keep this open for a week!

Prompts are broken up into categories and further numbered within those categories to help everyone quickly find prompts, so please either give me the category and number of prompt or the prompt itself.

Fuck

"Fuck you." "You know what, [name], I've been trying but you haven't been cooperating." "What."

"I don't hate you." "You bought an entire fucking island to avoid me so we wouldn't be roommates our second year of college." "It obviously didn't work out well because we still ended up in Art History together."

"I'm fucked, I'm screwed. I'm gonna faaaaiillll."

"Well, fuck me and leave me to bleed."

"You're crazy." "Yeah, I'm fucking insane!"

"I have fucking questions!"

"You sir- are fucking hilarious."

"I love you but you're a fucking idiot."

"Love- fuck off."

"I'm cute as all fuck, but I'm an asshole if you piss me off."

"Insomnia's a real fucker, you know?"

"Fuck it- just- breathe! Breathe, damnit!"

"You and your bisexual ass can get the fuck out of here."

"Let's fuck the world over, 'cause that's all we're good for."

"Fuck it. We're not done yet."

"Occasionally I tell people to go fuck themselves just to mess with their puny lives."

"I didn't want anyone else. Fuck it, I just wanted YOU."

"You're a fucking bisexual disaster. Don't at me, brah."

"I'm just a sad, mostly human being that doesn't know what they're doing with their life." "Only mostly?" "Granny honestly got it on so who knows what the fuck Mom is."

"I don't mind if you call me a freak, just don't say it to my face. That's really rather rude." "You're a fucking idiot." "Yes, I've been told."

"I'm DONE! I'm done acting happy, I'm done pretending to be okay, I'm DONE playing this game. I am so. Fucking. DONE. With shits like you! Don't ever come near me again."

"The only reason I kept fighting was because of the people I cared about! And you took them all away from me! I'm not done fighting yet! I'm not done fucking fighting until your body is rotting in the fucking ground!"

"Giving a fuck what other people think about you is like giving them control of your life."

"Please don't pretend to give a fuck about me. I know better now."

"They said I can't." "Well, fuck 'em." "What?" "You're not weak. It's your life. Fuck 'em. Do what you want."

"I trust you about as far as I can throw you. Which is to say I don't. I can't. I'm weak as all fuck."

"I'm as cute as a cucumber. Wait, fuck, that's a kiwi."

Shit

"When you're a sarcastic piece of shit but people keep falling in love with you anyway."

"My sister is a huge piece of shit." "Awe, that's not nice. What'd the shit ever do to you?"

"Shit aside, this isn't the worst plan put into motion."

"Literally no one cares about that shit."

"I'm not a bitch, I'm an asshole. Guys still want to screw me even if all I spew is shit."

"Congratulations! You're in deep shit."

"You've shown great aptitude for bullshitting."

"Shit... I don't... I don't know why I'm crying... Just please don't leave me alone..." "Never."

"I'm one of those people that people regularly tell me not to do stupid shit and I do it anyway."

"I've lived my life watching through windows. I'm ready to go break shit now."

"I promise, I'm okay."

"You expect me to believe that bullshit!?"

"I'm just getting a little tired of having to deal with this shit!"

"Hey, I'm kinda feeling like shit tonight. You think you could... come cuddle me?"

"I don't see myself as someone who breaks promises, spills secrets, or tells lies. I'm not a great person like that statement would suggest. I just don't talk to people enough, and when I do, I don't give enough of a shit to care."

Asshole

"'Cause sometimes, people are just assholes no one else cares about."

"It was an accident! I didn't mean to-" "Now why don't I believe you?" "Because I'm an arrogant prick and an asshole." "At least you're aware of your short comings."

"No, I'm not getting high off lemonade. What are you drinking, bitch?"

"If you're not sucking cock for the fun of it, I don't know what you're doing with your life."

"Ten out of ten. Would bang again." "Please stop." "Love you, babe."

Forget

"I haven't quite forgiven you for that." "No, I don't expect you did."

"The most unforgettable stories are also the most unbelievable, don't you know?"

"I don't need you to hold me like it's okay to forget. I need you to hold me like it's okay to remember, to hold on, and then to let go."

"Sometimes people forget... I'm not normal."

"The world is a wonderful, beautiful, amazing place. That's why it doesn't matter if in thirty years, no one remembers us."

"I want you to remember what it felt like to fight against me."

"Do you remember what it was like when we were young and alright?"

"Do you remember what I promised? That we'd always be together. I don't break promises. Not to anyone, but never to you. As long as you'll have me, I'll be right here. So please, let me stay."

"I want you to remember this feeling; it will follow you all your life."

"Why don't you remember ANYTHING I said!?"

Pain

"Don't you ever wish we could ever be something different? Like, I don't know. Something less hellish?" "I don't know. Sometimes I welcome the pain."

"I just get so restless, and I can't stop moving, and when I have to sit down and focus... it's really hard because I just want to be up. It's genuinely painful when it strikes in the middle of class or something."

"Pain is what made me human."

"You don't understand all the pain we went through to get where we are now."

"I will break, I will burn, but I will not let you hurt me."

"Listen to me and this broken heart of mine."

"It's not your fault you've been hurt before."

"I don't enjoy hurting people." "Could'a fooled me."

"Does it hurt?" "Always."

“It’s not me you have to worry about killing you if you hurt our daughter, it’s my wife.” “Oh, honey, you know me so well.”

"I knew from the beginning I'd never be able to hurt you."

"I shouldn't care. Caring only hurts."

"Sometimes when people get hurt, they shut themselves away. They push away people and the things that hurt them. But I think it's more interesting when they fight back. Revenge is a bitter tale, but it's a more interesting story told."

"I don't want to fall in love. Falling means you get hurt. I want to grow. I want to grow to love someone, see them at their smallest and grow into their mightiest. I want to grow to love, because when something grows, it never stops growing."

"My head feels heavy and my heart just hurts."

"Don't stress the small stuff. It only makes your brain hurt."

"In the end, we were made of blood that could be spilt and bones that could be broken."

"'Broken,' he'd promised. And 'broken' he'd become."

Death

"I have been scared of many things. Surprisingly, my death has never been one of them."

"They're both very strong willed, bull headed, "death to all those who defy me" kind of people."

"Even the bravest close their eyes when facing Death."

"Death seems like the best option right now." "No. No, it does not."

"Touch my phone and you accept Death as your new best friend."

"You tend to just find death everywhere you go. Isn't that a problem?"

"Death is not a good look on you, honey."

"I've got about a hundred years worth of death on my hands and isn't that great?"

"Death comes to all those who wait for it."

"Murder, death, and mayhem are my favorite things to write about."

"You are an angel of death by association. This is your duty."

"I hope you've got some kind of special armor under that dress, 'cause with the way you're surrounded, if you don't, you're gonna die."

"We're gonna die." "That's the plan."

"How many times must she die before you're satisfied?!"

"This time, I'm not letting you die for me."

"Someone's gonna die tonight, but it ain't gonna be me."

"Fine. I'll let you die. I'll just have to bring you back to life."

"But why'd you have to die?"

"If I die, it's officially Your Fault."

"Welp. time to die again,"

"No! No! You don't get to die! You don't get to die and leave me alone!"

"Don't ask me that! Don't do that!" "Why?" "Because everyone knows that when you talk about the future right before a big battle, you're gonna die!"

"When it comes down to it, I want you to make sure I die."

"How did you save them?" "Easy- I died."

"I would live and die for you, but I'd never kill."

"We are not gods. But I shall die like one anyway."

"There was a time when I swear I was just waiting to die."

"I'd rather destroy myself than let her die for me."

"The truth is- I'm just tired of watching you die."

"I've died so many times, and I'm still falling for you."

"I am so done with children." "You have nine." "And I would die for each and every one of them."

"It's a miracle in itself that you haven't died yet."

"The explosion killed thousands. How are you alive?"

"You bother me." "I can't imagine why." "Surely it has nothing to do with the fact you've killed hundreds of people including my family. That couldn't possibly be it."

"I trust you, but the question is, do you trust me?" "I trust you not to get yourself killed." "I think you might be asking a little too much."

"How are you going to tell your sister you killed her best friend?" "I'm not." "That's no way to start a relationship."

"You are legit trying to kill me." "Oh darling, if I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't be trying. You'd be dead already."

"I'm pretty sure I killed someone. But then again, I could be wrong."

"I'm going to kill someone." "Oh dear god, please be me."

"Ohhhhh, my sister's gonna kill me for this one."

"One time my sister tried to tell me I wasn't right. Valid, I wasn't. But I still tried to kill her anyway."

"Do what you will. But don't come crying to me if it kills you."

"Oh god, just kill me now." "As you wish."

"The next time somebody tries to kill, me, I'm gonna scream." "I should hope so?"

"This child threatened to kill me." "She threatened to burn the entire city to the ground. I don't see what your point is."

"We are all dead and it’s your fault!"

"Oh look. The sun is shining, nobody is dead- today's gonna be a good day."

"I swore I wouldn't do it again. But here I am. Wishing all of them dead."

"I guess being dead wasn't good enough for you. You wanted to erase me from history too."

"Who even knows if we'll be alive tomorrow?"

"What story did they tell you?" "That'd I'd never make it out alive."

"And if I refuse?" "Well, *chuckle* don't suppose you'll get out of this alive."

"You just need to survive."

"The world is a cruel, unfair place. But it's the one we live in, so we gotta do what we can to survive."

"You've done your best to destroy me, but I survived all along."

"I survive because there is nothing else I could do."

"The world didn't want me. But I survived anyway."

"I think I'm more surprised that you're telling me this than the fact that you survived it."

"We exist in this time and place. This isn't the end."

"You hide it in the corners of your mind like it doesn't exist."

"Once upon a time, there was a girl. A regular, ordinary type of girl. The kind of girl... that no longer exists."

"In any other world, we would not exist."

"Hell exists in ways you don't expect it to."

"I exist in your eyes, but not in your life."

"You weren't supposed to exist."

"I suppose that magic exists. In some way or another."

"Time is inconsequential. Unreal. It doesn't exist. All that exists is the here and now."

"The world only exists the way we want it to."

"The world need not know you exist. More importantly, the world need not know you exist as you do."

"Who's dying this time?"

"I've existed long enough to know this is a very bad idea."

"We only sort of exis

"There's something beautiful in the way you look at the world like nothing else exists."

"We exist to be tempered into impossible weapons."

"I am aware of worlds and things that should not exist."

"The difference you have to learn about the past and future is that the future gives us a reason to keep living... the past only exists to hold us back."

"You are the bane of my existence." "I'm the bane of existence in general."

"How many times have I thought about dying? Too many."

My entire life you've made me cry. All you're doing now is making me cry again.

"My room's a mess. Kinda like my life. But nobody's complaining about that."

"My life was wonderful. But it was better without you in it."

When life gives ya lemons, we find someone who has vodka and makes martinis.

"She's living her life in monochrome."

"There are some things in life that just get you down. And then there's her."

"I've been wrong all my life. This is just another instance, isn't it?

"Home is not a place. It's a feeling. Feeling of contentment, life, respect, safety. That is home."

"I live off of two things: spite and validation. I live to spite those who say I can't, but I need validation from those who say I can."

"Please don't live for tomorrow. Live for today."

"My favorite kind of people are the ones who live for themselves, and not for anyone else."

I knew we'd live forever.

"There's not enough time on Earth to see everything. We could go back a billion years and live every moment up to now, and even then we wouldn't see everything." "Nah. But with you, I'd like to try. I feel like I could do anything with you by my side."

[maymyheartbmyguidingkey]

aren’t we a nice pear

you can blame @duelistkingdom​ for this, not me

Yugi was quickly learning that certain fruits may have been tough to come by during the 18th dynasty - if not non-existent.

His first clue was when he brought a coconut back to the apartment, intending to make his famous coconut curry and sticky rice.

Atem had peeked into his grocery bags, adorably curious (Sugoroku had always done the grocery shopping, and rarely did he ever obtain fresh fruits), and had gasped dramatically, startling Yugi so badly he nearly jumped out of his own skin.

"What? What's wrong? I swear to god, if I broke the eggs -"

But when Yugi swivelled to survey the damage, he found instead Atem holding a coconut aloft, reverently.

His shoulders fell.

"A coconut," Atem hissed. "When father would return from his diplomatic travels he would near always bring coconuts. The juice was divine."

Yugi rolled his eyes good-naturedly and returned to putting away their groceries. "You almost gave me a heart attack over a coconut. What, were they not very popular in your time?"

Atem was silent for long enough that Yugi knew: if he looked back at him right now, he'd be met with an unfairly incredulous stare.

So Yugi turned to him, face resolutely deadpan, finding his prediction entirely correct.

"Yugi, my partner, light of my life -"

Yugi's eyebrows climbed into his hairline.

"- coconuts were an import," Atem said, like it was especially important, clutching the coconut to his chest as if it were a wounded animal. "Only the fabulously wealthy -" he pantomimed tossing hair over his shoulder, "could possibly afford such a luxury good."

Yugi snorted, finding the eggs (thankfully, in good shape) and placing them delicately in their designated spot in the fridge.

"Well you were fabulously wealthy, O dearest Pharaoh, so why are you clinging to it like a starving man?"

"Because coconuts are - what is it Jou always says? It is the most ridiculous - oh yes - lit."

Yugi froze, eyes squeezed shut. "Atem. My world. Dearest heart. Never say that again."

But then his brain buffered. Wait a damn minute -

Eyes comically wide, Yugi said, "Wait. Atem. What kind of fruit did you have?"

Atem pursed his lips, tossing the coconut from hand to hand, resting his elbows on the quartz island between them. "Grapes. I rather liked those. Oh - figs, though I found them too sweet. Nabk -"

“Atem,” Yugi pressed, suddenly desperate, “what’s a strawberry?”

Atem blinked, confused as to how and why the tone of their conversation shifted. “I... suppose I'm not quite sure? When you say the word, an image crops up, but I have not the faintest -”

Yugi was already grabbing his keys. “I'm going back to the store.”

“What on Earth -”

“I’ve been craving cherries anyway. Oh my god, and pomegran - no, wait, you guys had those, right? Pretty sure that was an 8th dynasty thing. Peaches! Pineapple? Holy - I need to learn how to slice a pineapple -”

“Yugi, my love, what is happening right now?”

“Oh, I’m so stupid,” Yugi scoffed, taking Atem by the hand, who squawked indignantly at his self-insult. He dragged Atem hurriedly to the front door, fumbling to slip on his shoes with only one hand. “You can just come with me.”

“Call yourself stupid one more time. I have hands now, Yugi. I can smack you.”

“Why, what better for me to kiss, my dear?” Yugi said, throwing his pharaoh a sly smirk, raising Atem’s knuckles to his lips. Atem’s face flushed a pretty red, and he stared pointedly down at his own backless loafers, grumpily slipping them on.

“Cheeky,” he mumbled, sounding secretly pleased.

☆

“Yugi. Where... what is this place?”

Yugi sent him a bright grin, squeezing Atem's hand where he held it in his jacket pocket. “This, O mighty Pharaoh, is the grocery store.”

Atem gawked at the various signage as Yugi dragged him to the cart well, snatching up a handbasket and promptly making a beeline for the produce section.

“Wait, wait, was that - was that a massive cart to wheel your groceries about in?” Atem asked, incredulous. “How affluent must you be to fill one of those?”

Yugi snorted. “I can't believe I never once brought you to a grocery store. Goes to show how often those lunches from 7/11 saved my life in high school.”

“Oh,” Atem said, staring at the wall of colorful greeting cards as they passed. “Well, this is delightful. It's much like the market, just. Indoors. And with fluorescent lighting.”

“Yeah, you get it,” Yugi encouraged, leaning over to kiss Atem’s temple firmly. “C'mon, this way.”

The produce section was lush today, what with it being a random Thursday afternoon, and Atem was already spotting things he had never seen before but knew the names of (thanks to the brain of a certain now-adult who he had often possessed when he was nothing but a no-name disembodied spirit).

“There! The - what was the word? - strawberries,” he chirped. “What kind of name is that, by the way?”

Yugi squeezed his hand twice, their mutual sign for it’s okay, grab it, holding the basket within Atem’s reach. “Says the guy with nabk. Throw ‘em in there, hot stuff.”

“The -” Atem blanched, holding up a packet of strawberries, confused. “All of them?”

Yugi raised his eyebrows. “Yes? What, you want me to open it and pluck out a single strawberry?”

“Well - wouldn’t - isn’t the whole thing expensive? They seem like they would be expensive.”

“Oh, no,” Yugi slid the basket to the crook of his elbow, swiping up a packet himself and giving the label a read. “Strawberries are one of Japan's biggest exports. Oooh, and I love amaou variety. Perfect for your first try.”

He gently took the packet from a stunned Atem’s hand and dropped both into the basket. Atem sputtered.

“That is - you can just, buy fruit en masse? Affordably?”

Yugi laughed quietly, spotting the pineapples and leading Atem toward them. “Maybe not as cheaply as in other places - we kind of have a thing for designer fruit here. But these packs are only ¥500 each.”

“Only how mu - oh my land, those are horrifying.”

“Yeah, if you’re not used to them, they’re pretty freaky,” Yugi acquiesced, reaching for a piece of the spiky fruit - only for Atem to slap his hand away.

Yugi whipped around to stare at him, bewildered. The look on Atem’s face wouldn’t be out of place beside the dictionary definition of appalled.

“My Yugi will most certainly not be touching the pointy death fruit!” he hissed, gesturing violently toward the pineapples, like his reaction was obvious. “I used to inhabit that body, you know.”

Yugi pressed his lips into a firm line, trying desperately not to burst into laughter.

“Atem. Pharaoh of my heart. My angel,” he whispered, taking a deep breath. “I love you so much. Just - watch this.”

And Yugi - while giving Atem a pointed, amused look - reached again for a pineapple, easily picking one from its perch by its uninviting body.

Atem, perplexed, brows raised in astonishment, stammered. “But - it - you -”

Yugi offered it to him. “It's not a cactus. Its bark is worse than its bite.”

Atem hesitated, but Yugi patiently held the pineapple toward him, nodding encouragingly when Atem met his eyes doubtfully.

And so Atem took it in his elegant, princely hands, brows furrowed in confusion when it did not, in fact, slice him to ribbons.

“But... it looks so evil.”

“Right? But it’s only poke-y. Honestly I just wanna meet the guy who saw one for the first time and immediately thought, “hey, I’m gonna crack this shit open and give it a taste”.”

☆

Yugi created a monster.

They had picked out a few more things for Atem to try, including the promised cherries and peaches (Atem giving a smug “now that is more like it” when he saw the peaches priced at two for ¥1990), but also some things that yugi had realized he took completely for granted: blueberries, kiwis - bananas. God, bananas.

Atem had also discovered that coconut water was sold by itself, in convenient single portions, and had happily trotted off to the self-checkout counter with a case of six, an endeared Yugi in tow.

It had been a week since that fateful day.

Atem sat on their cute little cream loveseat, newly-acquired and much-needed reading glasses on his nose and feet propped up on the matching ottoman, his current read in his lap. He held one of Yugi's many reusable water bottles in his hand, half-full with coconut water, blueberries, strawberries and ice floating prettily at the top. His bottle-holding arm was curled protectively around a bowl precariously perched on the arm rest, where he kept his (perfectly sliced) pineapple rings.

"Living in the lap of luxury, I see," Yugi said, plopping down beside Atem and draping himself directly atop the open book. He gazed up at his boyfriend, mischievous. "Lavish attention upon me as you do your precious books and fruits, O great Pharaoh."

Atem rolled his eyes, plucking a ring of pineapple from the bowl and tearing it in half. Yugi opened his mouth expectantly.

"Who said this was for you?" Atem snorted, popping one half in his mouth. "This is the last of it and you are a brat."

Yugi, as per usual, pouted to get his way. Atem, as per usual, was unable to resist said pout, huffing and presenting Yugi with the other half.

"A brat maybe, but loved by you nonetheless," he cheeked as he chewed.

"Exhibit A. Eat with your mouth closed; you are in the presence of royalty," atem said. "And sit properly, for goodness sake - you'll choke, and I refuse to have that on my conscience."

And sit properly Yugi did - mostly. He slung himself over Atem's shoulders, muttering into his neck, "You know, that's the third pineapple you've -"

"Ananas."

Yugi scoffed. Ever since Atem had Googled the Arabic name for the fruit (an adventure in it's own right), he refused to use anything else.

"Yes, ananas, yet somehow I’m the brat here," Yugi continued, "point being: it's the third one you've decimated this week. We just ran out of bananas, and I think that was the last pack of strawberries, too. I'm gonna go broke."

"This is fine. We can subsist off of fruit alone."

Yugi leaned back and stared into Atem's face, who had gone back to reading his book, unfazed. "You can subsist off of fruit alone. I need meat. Protein."

Atem pulled off his glasses and slapped the book shut, giving Yugi the most skeptical look he’d ever seen. "Yugi. You are a waif."

"Hey! No body-shaming here!" Yugi protested, pulling his legs up and into Atem's lap, again smothering the book. "All the more reason for me to have meat in my diet! I won't survive."

"You know, I used that miraculous thing - Google - and it told me that meat is actually quite bad for you. Did you know that humans only evolved to eat it because -"

Yugi groaned, stuffing his face back into the crook of Atem's neck, his next words muffled. "Google made my boyfriend health-conscious and now I can't have bacon. I'm sending corporate a strongly-worded email."

Atem's quiet laughter was like warm sunshine, and Yugi basked in it, the tell tale thunk of his water bottle being set on the side table music to his ears, as Atem could only be freeing his hand for one reason. He began to stroke Yugi's hair, and if Yugi could purr, the sound of it would reverberate through the entire apartment building.

They fell into a comfortable silence, only broken by the soft sounds of their chewing as they polish off the pineapple rings, Atem more than happy to continue feeding Yugi pieces.

"I may joke around," Yugi finally whispered, like they were the only two who existed in the universe, "but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'd sell my kidney to buy you whatever you wanted."

Yugi felt a puff of a laugh against the crown of his head; the press of Atem's lips. "No need to go to such extremities, precious one. You are all I would ever wish for."

[stars-on-fyre]

who is a mutual you don’t talk to but you hold near and dear to your heart? @them and maybe start a conversation!

Anon telling me I need friends akskakksnksnakxs /j

I want to talk to all of my mutuals, so if we’re mutuals please DM me!!! 💜 These are just a few I named that I can name from the top of my head!!! @i-am-the-quintessential-queer , @belovedbeetles , @chaoticconstellation , @sweet-as-kiwis , and @emiteawithleaves !!! Y’all are too cool and I’d love to be friends!!! 🥺💜

Also, @red-hot-boy is a mutual I talk to a lot and they’re so cool!!! 🥺💜

[butterflytvttoo]

# 1 and # 80

Here is the first prompt imagine! I hope its everything you expected and more also i’m sorry its so long!

#80 He’s your neighbor and he holds a package for you

#1 Attending the listening party and getting noticed.

word count; 1403

Prompt list

It’s finally time! I’ve just moved to London got myself a really cool loft just outside the city and whew chile the relief of it all, as if all the stars aligned Harry Styles just announced a secret show in London. I might actually faint of excitement.

I got my tickets and the show is in a few days, I went out and got myself a brand-new outfit. I’m hoping its subtle, but I KNOW it screams “harry”. I literally have no friends here yet but sis stan twitter has got my back and I already have people to que with, so I don’t look like a total loner.

The next few days fly by and my loft is starting to feel like home a little more every day with subtle hints of fangirl in it, I found this really cute poster of a kiwi that’s hanging just above my fake fireplace in the living room only to be described in one word AMAZING.

There’s a new neighbor in the loft above mine this week who’s being pretty mysterious like, I have not seen them once, but I guess we might cross paths eventually. Who knows they might be cute lol a little romance never killed anyone.

Its concert day and I AM FREAKING OUT like I need to pull it together sis but how could I when the LA show looked so amazing and was literally EVERYTHING. I’ve done a cute makeup look and my hair is in a cute messy bun, but I have never looked this goof, let’s be real I’ve waited on this moment since forever an intimate show of ANY of the OT5 is a dream come true!

I take the subway to the koko and I’m met by a reasonable line. I can tell I’m definitely going to have a good spot!

It’s time to good inside and I have a perfect view of the stage, I am loving life right now. It’s almost showtime and I just know I’m not mentally prepared for the outfits, the live songs but most all just harry in general.

The moment he’s about to hit the stage the whole mood in the room changes, I can smell his dominant aura coming and there he is in all his glory, the crowd goes wild and in the mids of the hysteria I can’t help but stay calm. I can imagine how weird I looked to others, but I’ve never felt so calm, how does he do that?

I think I’ve been going crazy cause I swear I saw Harry glance in my direction a few times, but I hear the opening note of Falling and I lose it like I’m singing along holding my heart with tears streaming down my face. Harry looks over at me and I can’t help but smile even though I look a mess, but he looks at me and winks. He mouths something but I couldn’t tell you if I tried.

The girls around me freak out and honestly so am I on the INSIDE, I can’t seem like a crazy fangirl, now can I? The concert is nearing the end and I never want to lose this feeling!

It’s been a week since the concert, and I’ve been through severe PCD. After the concert the girls I met there, and I went out for a late coffee. Turns out I wasn’t the only person noticing Harry’s continuous glance in our/my direction, so I am not going crazy.

I’ve been expecting a package for over a month right and apparently my mysterious neighbor has had it for the past 3 days and every time I go up to get it, they’re not home. Honestly why take a package if you knew you weren’t going to be home? What sense does that make?

It’s been a week without my package and I’ve honestly had enough, I am over it.

Honestly, I’m on my way up and if I don’t get my package, they can keep it. The books were expensive and I’m looking forward to reading but, sheesh.

The elevator opens and It’s a hall with one door, so I ring the doorbell. Color me surprised cause I see Jeff Azoff in front of me and I’m star struck! When I catch myself, I muster up my most confident voice and say “um hi I’m looking for my package it was delivered here. I’m y/n from the loft a floor down” And an all too familiar voice goes “Jeff who is it” and then there he is once again in front of me. Someone catch me I’m going to faint.

Just kidding he looks at me and goes “Hi I’m Harry weren’t you at the concert last week?” HE KNOWS WHO I AM “ um hi yeah great show by the way” and I look over at jeff with a raised eyebrow cause um  MY PACKAGE and he goes “oh yeah H she’s looking for a package that was delivered here” like being in his presence is so demanding and he hasn’t done anything lol.

“Oh, you’re y/n then?” HE KNOWS MY NAME “yeah that’s me I’ve come by a few times to collect it, but no one was here” I said scratching my neck. Like a dear caught in headlights I hear Harry go “Yeah sorry about that things got kind of crazy for a little bit after the show” “It’s fine honestly It’s just a few paperback books I’ve been waiting to read” he gives the cutest little chuckle and tells Jeff where to locate the package before turning to me and going “ You caught my eye during the show you looked so wrecked during falling I was genuinely worried” I couldn’t held but laugh “Let’s just say the song hit home haha but I had the time of my life, don’t worry” he looks at me with the most amazing smile I’ve ever seen and I feel a slight blush making it’s way to my face as he replies “Well seeing as you live a floor under me does this mean I’ll be seeing you more?” I chuckle “If you want to, I can always leave a piece of me in the way you dress” and we both started laughing “I might actually like that especially if it’s the shirt you wore to the concert” what can I say ladies gentlemen and everything in between and far outside those norms a good outfit always does the trick. “It was cute wasn’t it? haha I was worried it would’ve been a bit too much if I’m honest” “You looked amazing.”

Before I got the chance to freak myself out over the fact that I am actually flirting with Harry Styles, there comes Jeff with the box of books. “Those are heavy what did you order bricks y/n?” I laugh “They’re books haha” Jeff puts down the box and Harry picks it up the box and offers to help me bring it down to my loft. We head towards the elevator and got in when Harry says, “So how about we have coffee this week?” I look up at him and see him smiling down on me “I’d really like that; we can have coffee at my place if you’d like?”

I open the front door and tell him to place the box on the couch while leading him to the living room. I can see him scoping out the loft before his eyes land on the framed kiwi photo “Don’t tell me you’ve got a lyric letter sticker somewhere with the lyrics to Kiwi as well” he says laughing “haha Harold I just might put up the ‘Holland tunnel for a nose it’s always backed up’ lyric” I said while winking.

After 20 more minutes of casual flirting he announces he must leave so I walk him to the door and give a peck on the cheek thanking him for helping me with the package.

As I close the door and turn to the mirror to freak out, I see what I look like and freak out for a whole other reason I LOOK LIKE A MESS.

Harry styles is my insanely hot and talented neighbor and I met him looking like a whole MESS.

[merlinhurricane]

Oo! I finally got a prompt idea! first I was thinking a basic coffee shop au for shiniida (since you made me ship them) but then I thought iida probably wouldn’t work in a coffee shop (“somethin somethin *waves hand around* coffee health somethin”) so he probably ACTUALLY works in one of those juice places that are all natural and put kale in your drinks and sleep deprived shinsou stumbled inside and asked for a black coffee and couldn’t understand why the cute barista was giving him that look

oooooh, yes!! thank you, luv. please keep em coming!!

(tags: shiniida, college au, no quirks au, swearing, iida is no mere barista—he’s a fckin Manager check yoself, multiple POVs bc i Can’t Not)

***

Hitoshi didn’t understand what was happening. Why was this man staring at him like he had a third head? Second head, whatever. Jesus, he was tired.

“Sir, we don’t serve coffee,” came the insistent voice behind the counter.

“Why the fuck not?” Hitoshi’s glared blearily at him, eyes burning. What kind of place didn’t serve coffee? Especially a place called “Pep Up”. What was peppier than fucking coffee?

His outrage and confusion must have shown in his eyes because the hapless employee rattled off an explanation about natural and organic juices and healthy body supplements. Hitoshi didn’t need any of that. Rubbing his temples and trying to get the world to come into better focus, he groaned. “Okay, you’re my last resort. Can you just, like, talk to your manager and see if you can rustle up some caffeine for me? I’ll pay extra. Please,” he begged. The prospect of walking further away from campus in search of actual coffee was a daunting one.

“I am the manager.” The man before him affirmed. “And I can assure you we do not have anything caffeinated. Not only does caffeine create a mild dependancy but it is also a diuretic and can have lasting consequences if imbibed on a daily basis.”

“Mm-hm, delicious consequences,” Hitoshi murmured, causing the manager to stiffen in what Hitoshi assumed was disapproval.

“Indeed.” The manager sighed. “I suspect more than caffeine or any kind of energy supplement—” Hitoshi brightened at the word “energy”—“you simply need sleep.”

Hitoshi forced out a hollow laugh and attempted once more to bring the broad shop manager into focus. The lights in here were too harsh, the colors too bright. He should have known it wasn’t a coffee shop. Just about ready to give up on this place and try elsewhere, he turned toward the door.

Somewhere between the decision to leave and the execution, however, there was a disconnect. Instead, he found himself staring at a display right next to the door. It was full of oddly shaped bottles in an eye-searing shade of orange. He suspected he would’ve stayed in that exact spot for even longer if something cold hadn’t been pressed into his hand, nearly giving him a heart attack.

“Wha?” He instinctively shoved away the cold, despite it actually being a bit of a relief to his warm, probably dehydrated skin.

To his surprise the cold lingered, along with an amused huff of air against his cheek. Hitoshi looked up to see Mr. Manager. Dear god, he was pretty. Shoulders for miles, square jaw, baby blues, an undercut—he would have been too overtly gorgeous for Hitoshi to even consider if it weren’t for the glasses (he had a weakness for them) softening his look and the fact that the guy was literally holding Hitoshi’s hand wrapped around a plastic cup of smoothie to keep him from dropping it. “Uhh.”

The smoothie was bright green. Why did everything have to be so bright?

“Kale-kiwi mix.” The manager explained, dropping his hand once he was sure Hitoshi had a good grasp of the thing. “With some other stuff. It’ll help you sleep.”

Hitoshi snorted. Sure, this guy was hot, but Ryan friggin Gosling could’ve handed him this smoothie, and he still would’ve been skeptical about the results. Still... “How much do I owe you?”

The man smiled, a sharp, bright slice of white in his ridiculously handsome face. Oh no. “Free of charge. That’s not even on the menu, so it doesn’t have a price. Just, do me a favor and recycle the cup, okay?” He paused for a moment, mouth curling into an enchanting moue of consideration. Oh no. “Maybe after you get some sleep.”

Dazed, exhausted, and utterly smitten, Hitoshi nodded and wobbled out the door into the night, sipping on his definitely-not-coffee.

***

Hitoshi made it home...somehow. He remembered the streetlights stringing long squiggling tails of illumination across his vision, and that was his Stage 3 sleep deprivation indicator. He was sincerely lucky he hadn’t passed out on the walk back to his place.

On the counter sat his nearly finished smoothie. It had been surprisingly tasty, though the thickness made it feel necessary to drink water before he brushed his teeth and collapsed into bed. He was feeling surprisingly well-rested. At least, he assumed this is what “well-rested” felt like, since he couldn’t recall ever experiencing it before.

Snorting at his sardonic thoughts, he moved to throw away the cup before remembering what the hot manager had said. Technically, he didn’t have to acquiesce to his request—Hitoshi didn’t even have a recycling bin in his apartment. Still, the guy had put up with Hitoshi at Stage 3 and hadn’t even charged him for the damn drink. The least he could do was not fuck up the earth with one damn plastic cup.

Campus probably had some recycling bins, and he had to hit the library to finish his project anyway. Tucking the near-empty cup into the elastic cupholder on his bag, he began the trek to campus.

About halfway there, he realized he’d forgotten to make cis morning coffee. Him. Forgetting coffee. What was the world coming to?

Already mourning the lack of caffeine buzz he’d have later, he stopped in front of the library bins. A list of accepted recyclables and their corresponding numbers wwas posted above the special recycling receptacle. Sighing, Hitoshi pulled out the smoothie cup and checked the bottom for a number, then immediately got distracted.

On the bottom of the cup, written in fine black sharpie was a phone number along with “Pep Up and call me. :)”

***

Tenya had evening shift again, and as he walked in that afternoon, he couldn’t help but be apprehensive. It had been a long time since he’d given out his number, and the few times he had done it this way in the past year, none had used it. Whether that was because they were heathens who didn’t recycle or check the recycling number before they did or if they simply weren’t interested, he didn—couldn’t know. And that was the way he liked it.

The stunned and exhausted man from yesterday had caught his eye first because he was acting...odd. Tenya had watched him standing outside the glass double doors, staring up at the shop’s sign as if it was the best thing he’d ever seen. As if it were a candle and he were the moth. When he’d finally gotten inside, he’d continued to watch as the man’s eyes flitted around the room, intelligence and exhaustion shining there in roughly equal measure. He was built like a rock-climber—slim, tall, long arms and legs, and a bit hungry-looking. Tenya had a history with that look. Tenya would be willing to rewrite history for that look.

Going by the bulging bag and air of stress coming off him in waves, he was likely a student at the local university. When he finally approached the counter, Tenya met a set of pale, violet eyes and lost his train of thought entirely. Thankfully, the man was definitely too out-of-it to notice. He smelled like a combination of moss and coffee, so it was no surprise that he was looking to obtain some of the latter.

Despite his clearly tired state and the shortness of the conversation, he’d managed to make Tenya laugh more than once. What would he be like when he was firing on all cylinders? Tenya wanted to find out.

“You’re a cheeky bastard, aren’t you?” A voice shook him from his reverie, drawing his gaze to the front doors, propped open at the moment to let in both the afternoon breeze and the very man who had been occupying Tenya’s thoughts. A pity his words weren’t more...encouraging, though. He sighed.

The man was shaking a grimy plastic cup in his fist even as he walked up to the counter to confront Tenya. He was amused to see that the guy’s hair stood on end just as much now as it had when he’d first appeared in the shop—which was mostly empty right now, thankfully. He was manning the counter while the current barista was on break. He met those lovely, startling eyes head-on. Time to get this over with then. “I apologize for having offended you.” Why couldn’t he have just ignored his advance and moved on like everyone else? Tenya thought sourly.

“The only thing I’m offended by is your lack of faith in me.” The man’s face was still adorned with dark smears beneath his eyes that nearly matched the irises in color, but his face was more mobile, his voice and gestures more lively. “Telling me to sleep before attempting to throw something away doesn’t show a lot of confidence in my cognitive abilities. Kind of a slap in the face.”

Tenya knew the feeling. “And yet here you are, presumably having slept and still holding a dirty cup,” he commented, voice dry and throat drier. Had he not seen the number then? “You do know you’re supposed to wash them before recycling, right?”

“Who has time for that?” He complained.

“Who carries an empty cup around with them all day just for the sake of argument?” Tenya countered.

The man was just as quick to respond. “Who writes their number on the bottom of the cup? How’s that strategy been working out for you?”

Tenya remained silent for a moment. So he’d definitely seen the number. “...what is this about?”

“Mostly wanted to apologize for probably acting crazy last night. And to thank you. For this.” He held up the cup. It was still frustratingly unclear whether he meant the drink or the number.

Tenya took a chance. “You could’ve just called me.”

He was rewarded with a crooked smile. “Truth be told, I also wanted to make sure I hadn’t hallucinated you.” He leaned against the counter. “You seem like the kind of guy that only exists in my imagination.”

Tenya flushed and looked away to hide how pleased he was. “You’re ridiculous.”

The man just grinned wider and bent over the counter to read his name tag. “Tenya, huh? I’m Hitoshi. Can I buy you a drink?”

—End—

***

[monsta-sextories]

Poolside- 11

Son Hyunwoo

word count: 1931

🎧 Kiwi- Harry Styles

The night had fallen silent, tense and awkward. Your parents both seemed to close up, their eyes making their way anywhere but to meet yours. It was without a doubt the most uneasy predicament, sitting in the aftermath waiting for any response. Any at all.

Eventually you felt the tears begin to well, and before anyone could see them roll free, you picked yourself up, and with a noise of disgust you ran into the house, taking sanctuary in the only place you could.

The library was dark, and the bit of light that shined through came straight from the balcony doors. You could barely bring yourself to open them- in need of air but sensing the longing you might feel if you so much as glanced in direction of the guest house. There was a bubbling in your stomach as you considered what this could mean for Hyunwoo.

You must have fallen asleep, because when your eyes fluttered open you immediately noticed the hushed sounds of voices. They came from outside the library doors, close by, and near hisses. It didn’t take long for you to piece things together. Your parents clearly, not realizing you were not in your room, were attempting a quiet argument over what had unfolded not hours before.

“He definitely doesn’t seem like the brightest,” it began. Your father’s deep grumble still sounded ashamed if not shy. “If it's money hes after we can just give him a couple thousand to stay away from her.”

You could imagine your mothers face. Bewildered by the suggestion as your father continued his explanation.

“… a couple thousand, to keep him away from her and her inheritance.”

By now you had shifted as close to the door as possible. They must be standing in the hallway, far from the guest house, the kitchen, and your bedroom.

“Honestly dear,” you hear the chime of your mother, “he doesn’t seem like the type, he might not even be aware of her little infatuation, shes’ so delusional-“

“I don’t want to take any chances,” your father interrupts.

You catch bits and pieces as the heat in your body rises. You can feel the eruption building, your stomach, throat, eyes all building with pressure.

“-- relax, this is probably just one of her phases, I can call up Dr. Carlton, have her go in and talk it out-“

“She’s not a child anymore this rebellion needs to stop… "

“what if she really does like him, you can't be so hard on her-"

“Like him? Like what? He has no personality, I’ve seen his resume… he’s a work horse, people don’t just choose to live like that….dim-witted… after easy money…. Seen it before- “

With each word you over hear you can feel your heart shattering into a million pieces. Each word sends your hand gripping the knob and rushing out of the library, not bothering to see the precise location of their bicker, but knowing as the voices halt that they see you. You march your way down to the armory, the sound of footsteps following hesitant, and a voice echoing from afar belonging to Betsy maybe.

You don’t notice if they call after you, or if they're in any hurry to follow. You simply carry on, finding your way into the room wallpapered with useless antiques. It’s fitting that the easiest thing to reach for is a medieval looking halberd with a chip in the blade. It removes from the wall easy, and you’re not really thinking much at all.

You can hear their voices, your parents, as they approach and in an instant there is molten lava flooding your veins. Before a single coherent thought enters your mind your winding back your arm, weapon in hand, and with full force you plunge the blade deep into the wood center of the pool table.

You hear the gasp somewhere form behind you, but it’s all in your peripheral. You can feel the heat and moisture running down your cheeks, but there's something freeing about the wreckage that moves you to continue.

“Dim-witted!?” you holler loud enough for your parents to hear where they’re stopped in the doorway. Your father is looking stiff as usual, sighing as he takes in the hatchet lodged into his pool table. You reach for a nearby vase and your mother’s hand comes up to cover her mouth as she holds back a squeal.

“Work horse?” you scream as you smash it down on the ground. The sound of the crash, and the shattered pieces on the ground almost seem like shackles finally broken.

You kick one of the knight armors over, and quickly reach for one of the pool sticks hanging high on the wall.

“Delusional!” you finally roar and you can’t hold back as you start to swing at everything in sight. You probably could have continued until every last thing in that room was turned to rubble, but only seconds later you're interrupted.

Your father’s voice finally cuts in, “that’s enough!” he says, fighting the urge to maintain his image. Your mother is tucked close trying to hide against him.

“Has this boy really lead you to go mad?!” he asks.

“No, father! That would be you, and you mother. After so many years I never expected you to start understanding me now, or anything important for that matter, but I think I’ve finally reached my limit” you say as you take a couple steps towards them. You still have the pool stick in hand which your mother and father both seem to look at as if they think you’d actually hurt them.

“Let me tell you something that your “friends” never had the courage to tell you,” you say as you poke the stick towards your father’s face. Frozen in place as his eyes focus on the tip of the stick.

“You’re an awful man,” you say and give him a small jab to the gut bumping him out of the way for you to get past them.

You immediately run to your room with the intention of packing a bag and leaving. but the second you close the door behind you, you feel that freeness begin to fade as if your trapped all over. As if the realization hits you that this is indeed your reality, your life, your parents... and you have nowhere else to go.

You crumble into your mattress and allow the sobs to cascade through your body one at a time. You almost miss the small knock on your door as it open and a soft, but stern voice catches your attention.

“Miss,” you hear as you lift your head. It's Betsy, with a look on your face you wouldn't expect to see at the moment. It's something of fierce proudness, a grin so subtle but clear and a light in her eyes. "that wasn't very lady like of you."

You roll your eyes a bit, the tightness in your chest subsiding at the appearance of a friend.

"You're father is still trying to pry out that fancy ax you lodged into his table," she says with a small giggle. You do your best to wipe your face, smearing tears and goo around.

"I don't feel bad yet, but I suppose I will later," you say avoiding eye contact.

You feel her warm hand come up to your cheek as she looks down at you.

"That kind of courage isn't something to feel bad about," she says with a tenderness that you let lift you and break you again as you fall forward into the most welcomed embrace you've ever had.

"When you were a girl, you had so much of that. You were truly fearless," Betsy coos as she wraps her arms around you tightly. "I remember thinking, I can't wait to meet the woman you become."

You feel the tears stream your cheeks, and they soak into the fabric of Betsy's apron.

"I always saw you running off with someone who made you think, made you feel. Someone who showed you a piece of the word that you were missing. When you were little you told me you wanted to fall in love with a cowboy, not a prince charming."

At this you let out a small laugh, and you feel Betsy's hands move to cup your cheeks. She lifts your head to look at you with an expression of love that's always been there.

"I never told you this, I didn’t think you'd believe me… but you're the reason i'm still here. I've watched you grow, I love you like you're my own," she says stroking your hair. You think about this, and the warmth in your heart is something unexplainable. It's not the feeling you get from Hyunwoo, or from reading about romance... it's the feeling you get form diving into a pool and reaching the bottom. Its the feeling of driving a blade into a wood table, and gardening from sun up till sundown.

You quickly remove Betsy's hands from your cheeks and reach into your bedside drawer. Inside, you've kept a priceless heirlum that fits into an old sock that you've kept for years.

"Do you remember the mermaid stone?" you ask sniffling as you pull out the lump.

Betsy quirks a brow, and looks down as you pull out the worn fabric. When you were a child, you used to make up games during the summer. When you first learned to swim you had taken a special rock that had been given to you by your grandmother. It was beautiful, and you loved it so much she gave it to you with the request that you not tell your parents and you keep it safe. She told you it was magical. You didn't realize it then, but it was very valuable and she had entrusted it to you as a child.

You would sneak it out when you were alone, and throw it into the pool and search for it. You called it the mermaid stone, and sometimes Betsy would play along, searching for this magical stone that lay at the bottom of the pool.

"Here, it's Taaffeite," you say handing it to her. She looks at it perplexed as she reaches into the sock, words not meaning much to her. "I think it's quite ugly, don't you?"

Betsy eyes widen as she looks at the stone, turning it around in her hand. It's far from ugly, and Betsy smiles softly as her hand curls around it tightly.

"It's worth a shit ton of money," you add. She reaches a free hand out to you and you see the slight quiver of her lip through her widening smile. You think about her depositing this last check, getting that stone appraised and finally being able to spend time with her family.

"You're fired, Betsy," you say with the most joy you've felt in your entire life.

"You know," she says through a shaky breath, "my daughter reminds me of you when you were little. Now, I can't tell you what to do, miss..." Betsy says as she stuffs the stone in her apron pocket and straightens herself up. "But, I can tell you what I should have told you all those years ago."

She reaches out a hand, and you latch onto it as she pulls you out of bed. The room has lightened it seems, and there s a freeness in your chest. You stare into Betsy's eyes, and with a wink she says...

"Cowboys are much better with their hands"

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Read on AO3

[fyrapartnersearch]

On the hunt!

Hi, hello! How are ya? Just call me Kiwi!!

  Let me tell ya a bit about myself before we get into the nitty gritty: I’m a 23 year old female that has been on the RP scene for about 11 years now. I’m a fan of all kinds of genres and plots and fandoms alike. I reside in the US in that sweet Central Time zone currently. Currently I’m a part time teacher Mon-Friday, but the schedule is so flexible and simple I have more time on my hands than I know what to do with! Most times I will be busy in the afternoons during the week for a few hours, but before and after that I’ve got all the time in the world. If things aren’t looking like I will be able to get something to you, I always make sure I let you know in advance c: so let’s get to the important details!

  I enjoy working in third person and am a fan of multi-paragraphs. I’m not really expectant of anyone to match my word length exactly as it does fluctuate, but I try to get 2-4 paragraphs at least, 5-6 being my max on a really creative day. 

Plotting is so important so please give your input too! It’s no fun if it’s just one of us doing all of the work. 

Communication! Besides looking for a writing partner I would really love to make a friend too to talk to OOC and such! I love making new friends

Please have a basic grasp on grammar ;3; 

Please be 20+! I’m more comfortable with people closer to my age range. 

I am VERY oc friendly, please tell me about your awesome kiddos!

I am a big fan of OCxCanon Character ships as well so don’t fear!

I don’t really have any limits except for like, bathroom things and extreme gore. 

I love smut but I don’t really want a whole plot centered around it lol. If you’re not comfy with it, just let me know and we’ll do something!

DOUBLING!!! I am more than happy to play a character for you in return. If you’re not for doubling, then I suggest you skip my ad ^^;;

I am comfortable playing m x f pairings the most, and would be happy to play a male character of your choice! I just ask for the same in return! I am also comfortable with other pairings as well, just ask and we can discuss!

All in all, i’m open to a lot of things and ideas!!

Okay so let’s talk about what I’m looking for at this given point in time! Right now I am looking for fandom oriented things only, maybe adding an original twist or something to it. I love combining a new plot into a pre-existing plots and such if that makes sense? Complete original plots are also welcomed and we can see what we can come up with yeah? My biggest craving right now is Pokemon as I just finished playing sword and shield, but I would be happy to explore other generations as well!

  Fandoms I’m really into right now  (from most wanted to least)

MY HERO ACADEMIA: I’m not completely caught up with the manga, but would like to get back into this and play around with it!

Dragon Age: I miss it. I would love to play around with the Origins portion of this series, or Inquisition!

 Pokemon: either gen 8 or Gen 5, though I’m very open to exploring other generations too!!

Final Fantasy VII: one of my favorite games. With the remake coming I’ve been itching to get back into this series a little more and revive a few old OC’s I had.

Kingdom Hearts: This series is near and dear to my heart, and I would love to explore it again and come up with something fun.

How to contact me!

  Okay so Discord is really the best way to get a hold of me and how I like to keep in touch over email (since I often forget to check my email tbh). I prefer to use Google Docs for the rp portion of things, but OOC on discord is prefered. When contacting me please let me know if you found me here through tumblr, otherwise I might not get back to you ;3; 

My discord is CosmicKiwii #3774

I’m looking forward to hearing from you. If you have questions, please just ask away. See you soon!

[ironsguilt]

ive probably sent this already but im gonna throw my url at u bc i demand validation and also ily

send me a url and i’ll answer the following!  //  no longer accepting .

Do I Follow Them?:   yes Bitch

Why Did I Follow Them?:  followed me first, but i saw some of my mutuals inting w kiwi first so i was like Oh ok

Do We Role Play?:  bitch YES

Do I Want To Role Play With Them:  BITCH YES

An AU Idea For Our Muses:  first idea that came to mind was fuckin, smth involving the soul stone. bc i have an au where he was put inside of it. Wig

A Song For Our Muses:  rory - foxing (if we’re following my canon verse)

Do I Ship Our Muses?: in multiple ways yes

What I Think About The Mun:  kiwi is cursed but i love them Very much we talk like, daily, about random shit and yell over rdj. BUT LIKE,. first actual friend i’ve made on this blog??? wwhich is smth i always hold near and dear to my heart so like, i’m secretly sentimental i just never talk about it HSLDGJ

Overall Opinion:  *chefs kiss* follow or die

Blog Rate: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

[halcyonnhood]

Congrats and Condolences [Ashton Irwin]

Summary: Ashton and his girlfriend Mia discover that they are expecting and all of their friends are extremely excited about it. Until the boys leave for tour and are called to come home for the unimaginable. 

Rating: PG-13 (?)

Warnings: Angst, Miscarriage, and mentions of blood. Lightly talks about religion and praying.

Word Count: 2.2k (oops?)

Authors Note: This topic is a very sensitive topic, this is something very near and dear to my heart. I’m not honestly a very good writer and I’m not sure this will get very many notes, but as I said, this is very important to me. I did mention religion, because it’s something that got me through some rough patches, but it isn’t overpowering or anything. Also, Calum is mentioned a lot, because he’s an important piece of this, I mean, he’s Ashton and Mia’s best friend :) Leave some feedback. (also unedited cause I finished this at 7am with no sleep) 

Mia can remember the exact day that she found out she was pregnant, she had been sitting on a hotel toilet and looking at the florescent pink stick held securely in her hand. She had to look at the box twice to make sure that what she was looking at was correct and after staring at it she realized that, indeed, two lines meant it was positive. Being both shocked and ecstatic was an understatement, she just knew she had to show Ashton immediately. Later that night, the second he unlocks the door, she is holding the pink stick towards him. 

“Two lines..” Ashton looks up at Mia with a raised eyebrow. “That means..”

“It’s positive, Ash!” Mia beams at him with excitement. 

“Seriously? This isn’t a joke?” Ashton asks cautiously.

“Seriously.” She nods enthusiastically. 

“This is such good news babe!” Ashton swiftly pulls her in to kiss her forehead and hug her close. “We’re going to have a baby!”

Ashton could never quite contain his excitement and joy for the family they were creating. He was more than ready to have a family with Mia, he loves her more than he ever thought was possible and now that she’s carrying his child? He just can’t wrap his mind around how insanely lucky he is. It only took a few days for the two to tell the boys and their parents, everyone was emotional and happy for the young couple. Mia still particularly favors Calums reaction, he was absolutely floored by the news. 

“You’re actually having a baby?” Calum questions. He stares at Mia carefully with a small smile. 

“An actual baby” Mia responds with a silly grin and nodding. 

“No way” Calum says, even though he breaks out in an enormous smile and instinctively goes for a hug. “That’s so amazing! Congratulations!”

It only took a mere few weeks to have every single boy whipped for the unborn child. Ashton was absolutely beside himself with the love he holds for this kidney bean sized human, all he ever wanted was being handed to him. A beautiful girlfriend that he loves dearly and a precious baby on the way, he was on cloud nine. It was soon discovered that all of the boys held their own fondness as well. Calum was absolutely enamored with the baby. He would ask almost daily to touch the small, growing bump and other times would lay his head across Mias lap and talk directly to the fetus. He had fondly nicknamed it “small kiwi” because he said that is the size of the fetus, despite Michael arguing the nickname should be “cool bean”. Luke managed to end the argument with saying that Kiwi was by far the superior nickname. 

When it was time for the boys to go on tour, Ashton was apprehensive about leaving Mia all alone. He wants to be there for the entire pregnancy, but with the album already being dropped, he couldn’t call off an entire tour, especially when her due date is long after tours end. Mia didn’t mind him leaving, she enjoyed seeing all the videos and pictures of him doing what hes passionate about and of him meeting the adoring fans. 

Even after they left, he would facetime her every time he had free time. They talked about everything from nursery ideas to names and they had successfully decided that the nursery would be pale purple. They had narrowed the names down to Charlotte May Irwin for a girl and Owen Fletcher Irwin for a boy. Even a million worlds apart, they had a love and connection that wouldn’t be broken for anything. 

Calum would send Mia pictures from tour, pictures of Ash, scenery, and even food. In exchange Mia would send him pictures of the bump and even showed him the new sonogram picture of Kiwi. Somewhere along the line, Calum had been named the godparent and it couldn’t have been a better choice. Luke and Michael were going to be amazing uncles, but Calum loved and adored the baby like no other. He loved the baby so much that it was as if Kiwi hung the stars and moon in his sky. 

Mia finds it shocking how smoothly the pregnancy is going, she hardly has any morning sickness and so far she hasn't had the typical back pain that other women whine about. That is until one night while laying down, her back starts cramping up and she can hardly move with the blinding pain. Her first instinct is to call Ashton and when he doesn’t answer, she dials Calum and he answers within the first few rings. She wanted to think that she was paranoid, but with the anxiety building in her chest, she can’t shake off the pain. 

“Hey, Mia” Calum greets happily across the line. 

“Wheres Ash?” She questions. 

“Beside me, his phone died. Why, are you alright?” Concern laces through his voice instantly. 

“I just really need to talk to Ash," She insists.  

“Whats wrong?” Ashton now questions. 

“My back is cramping badly" Mia holds her breath, close to tears "It's just scaring me,"

"Has it not gone away?" Ashton also now sounds concerned.

"No," Mia stammers. "I think I'm just paranoid, but I just, it's not normal...I don't think."

"I can be home in a couple hours" Ashton says quickly. "Just try to stay in bed and relax"

Mia does what Ashton advises and stays propped up in bed, attempting to keep busy instead of thinking of the absolute worst. She watches friends and then bobs burgers, the laughing easing her fears slightly. Despite ignoring all the precautionary warnings, Mia refuses to believe that miscarriage or still birth is a possible outcome in her pregnancy. As she sits up, pain shooting through her lower back, she remembers that there's still a chance of miscarriage even after thirteen weeks. She is only sixteen weeks along, not nearly enough time spent with kiwi. She want to spend years with her own flesh and blood, not a few weeks. But just as soon as the thought appears, it disappears with her bedroom door opening to reveal Ashton rushing in.

"Are you okay?" Ashton immediately questions, glancing over her figure hidden in the blankets.

"My back is still burning" Mia answers quietly. Ashton is quick to be by her side and places an arm around her shoulders. "It's never been like this"

"We'll g-" Ashtons words fall short when he pulls the cover away from her body.

Blood soaked through her shorts and seeps onto the sheets under her, making Ashtons chest tighten and breathing faulter. When Mia follows his gaze, it's as though her heart stops and all of her dreams shatter to the ground, falling in pieces around her. Ashton just breathes in deeply and closes his eyes, before moving to get her a change of clothes.

"Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" Ashtons voice is steady and even. "Then we'll get you to the hospital"

Ashton is careful and gentle the entire way to the hospital. Calum, Michael, and Luke are in the back seat, expressions sullen after seeing the bloody mess left behind in her bed. Mia completely zones out, just clocks out of her entire existence and instead stares out the window. Calum wants to say something comforting seeing as Ashton is focused on driving and Luke looks too mortified to do anything.

Calum can't find any appropriate words though, he's still stricken with fear at the idea of loosing kiwi. Calum doesn't want to know how broken Ashton and Mia would be if something happened to Kiwi, they were both so thrilled and prepared to be parents. He’s never seen Ash so happy all the time, never heard him gush about something the way he talks about his family, and to have the taken away? He’d be destroyed. So, he just opts for silent prayers and the tense silence filling the car.

At the hospital, she lays in the bed silent and her mind stays somewhere far away in outer space. Ashton can see her eyes glassy, glazed over, and unresponsive to everything anyone says. He wishes he could say or do something more to show her that he’s here with her and that he’s in pain too, but all he can do his hold her small hand between his own. He answers most of the questions, but when the nurse starts to question about pain levels, he has no other option but to try and coax the words out of her. Mia just glances over to him, with her knees drawn to her chest, and blinks at him as he pleads. She’s supposed to rate this kind of pain out of ten? It’s beyond ten. 

“Eight” Mia says. She just simply grips onto his hand and prays for some kind of peaceful outcome, she knows better though. 

All of the people helping the couple are kind and supportive, they bring Mia warm blankets and extra pillows to try and soothe her. One of the nurses keeps bringing Ash hot chocolate with cute doodles scribbled onto the side of the paper cup and brings him warm blankets. She tells him that it’ll do his soul some good to be wrapped in warmth. The second nurse noticed their matching cross necklaces and dived into a comforting conversation about religion, love, and the beauty of praying. With soft words, she tells them that they can visit the hospital chapel or have a chaplain come pray with them. The thoughtfulness nearly makes Mia sob all over again. They keep the boys in the waiting room updated, offering warm hugs and telling them that the duo was doing just fine. 

The doctor returns to the room after three hours of tests, ultrasounds, and nervous waiting. The doctor already has that face. The sympathetic and pained looking expression written across every line and wrinkle on his face. Ashton just holds onto Mia’s hand and prepares for the absolute worst news he’ll face in his lifetime. She just watches him expectantly, waiting for the inevitable to be said. 

“I’m so sorry to inform you that your baby has passed away.” The doctor says softly. “When we did the ultrasound, the fetus had no heartbeat. Since the first ultrasound when you arrived, it seems as though all the tissue has passed.” 

“Why?” Ashton questions, his voice cracking with the weight of his tears. “I mean, is there a reason this happened?”

“The fetus had chromosomal abnormalities. These abnormalities can go undetected until it’s too late to prevent miscarriage.” He says. “Even if the pregnancy had continued, this could have caused genetic diseases and birth defects. They wouldn’t have survived long after birth.”

The doctor is kind and sits with them, explaining every last bit of the situation, and telling them softly that it wasn’t their fault. The two parents sit crying as he tells them that no matter what they did, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Ashton brushes the hair away from Mia’s sticky face as she watches the doctor through bleary eyes. 

“So, even if I gave birth...” Mia chokes out a cry. “They would’ve been suffering until they died?”

“I’m afraid so, Mia” The doctor nods sadly. 

“We wanted to keep the gender a secret until birth...But, uh,” She says. “Is there anyway you could tell us what we were having?”

“You both were having a stunning daughter,” He smiles lightly. “Again, my condolences.” 

When they’re left alone in the room, Ashton climbs into the bed with Mia and holds her tightly against his chest. Time seems to slow down as the two of them fall apart in each others arms. Every hope and dream seems to fall away, piece by piece, leaving them with nothing but pain and sorrow. Nothing could have ever prepared them for the unbearable heartbreak that they’re plagued with now. 

After awhile, both of the nurses return looking sympathetic and disappointed. They offer nothing but love and support, even when Mia breaks down crying again. Mia tries to tame her emotions, but the tears are still streaming and she isn’t sure if they’ll ever stop. Ashton eventually has the boys come back and before he comes back into the room, he discreetly requests for the chaplain to meet with them. Ashton knows that his girlfriend holds religion close to her heart, as does he and it’s the only thing that can offer any kind of ease for them. 

The chaplain is a soft spoken, middle aged man, who requests that everyone hold hands. Mia can feel the pain rippling through her chest, but as she connects her hands with Ash and Calum, she feels comforted and strong. As they all pray, the nurses included, everything is a little more peaceful and calm despite all of the tears and sniffling. It’s only after the chaplain leaves, that the nurse sets down a paper in front of them, Mia and Ashton look up at her confused.

“It’s a birth certificate” The nurse smiles softly. “A nonviable birth, but a birth certificate. What are you going to name her?”

Ashton and Mia just look at each other for a moment, then at Calum and the boys with teary eyes. They all held so much love for the couple and kiwi. The pair couldn’t be more thankful for this family. 

Charlotte May “Kiwi” Irwin. 

[thickcrskiin]

🥝🥝🥝🥝🥝 (5 kiwis)

for every 🥝 i get, i’ll recommend a blog i love

@tragedyplagued ( which is technically a sideblog to @theoffbranded , so two in one shhh ) -- entei has been one of my best friends for nearing seven years now. their writing is A M A Z I N G, and i always love their characterizations right off the bat. even if i know aBSOLUTELY NOTHING about the character starting off if it’s a canon, i end up going and finding the source material, and i still honestly end up liking entei’s portrayals a whole lot more. anyway tho, the people on tragedyplagued are gr10000 and i love them and entei is always worth a follow.

@loyaltysworn -- mimikyu is also another one of my best friends. they’re the reason i’m slowly getting into r.esident e.vil things. they’re also part of a reason why i momentarily got into F.NAF for a little bit. we’re writing entire universe-based ocs together, and fuck, they made me a fursona for crying out loud. mimikyu is a blessing whose writing is something i’m always in awe of, and i’m legit gonna cry like a little bitch when they show up in six weeks.

@celestialsunglasses -- cecil is one of the OG group bc i met them around the same time i met entei back on fb. we hang out together, we ate an entire pizza together--- and honestly, cecil’s version of nick is my favorite beyond canon and beyond anything else that the writers could pull out of their asses. i know anxiety gets to a lot of us about our portrayals of various muses, BUT GODDAMMIT, CECIL IS SUCH A GOOD. I HOLD THEIR PORTRAYAL OF NICK NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART.

@xsurvivedthecage -- yes, bro, i’m throwing you in the mix too. sA M. ilysm okay. you’ve been my internet big brother for y E A RS. i wanna say probably since close to the start of my time on this site, if not a year after. still a significant amount of time, though. i always always ALWAYS adore your portrayals of various characters, no matter what fandom ( even if i might be new to them, like new macgyver, brave, etc ). you are an incredible person, and i look up to you so damn much.

@headcolored -- opia/sarah. she may not see this for a while due to school and life getting in the way, but this-- this is my own flesh and blood sister. she’s still new to the tumblr rp scene, but i do genuinely like her muses and her portrayals ( from what i’ve seen and what she’s told me ). we go through a lot of things just like any siblings, but-- she’s learning. and deserves a chance to get out there and meet new writing partners around here ( again, even if she doesn’t see this particular post, this is still a thing ).

[roseonhissleeve]

ROSE ;) violet and sunflower!!

rose: which of your works is your favorite? why?

My favorite multipart fic is Kiwi. I think that it’s my best writing and she’s my favorite OFC I’ve created.

My favorite oneshot is Supermarket Flowers, because it has a really important meaning to me and I personally hold it near and dear to my heart.

sunflower: what is the best feedback/compliment you’ve ever received regarding your writing?

A few days ago I received an ask from an anon telling me that Supermarket Flowers helped them cope a little bit with their recent friend’s death. It meant a lot to me because I’ve had a similar experience to them in my past and I was touched that I could help them.

Other than that, @dirtystyles​ probably gives me the best feedback just in general. She’s one of my favorite people to talk to and ask questions because I know she’ll answer them honestly and she reads very critically so her opinion is always so well thought out! I have so much respect and love for her. 

violet: do you read a lot?

I do! I’m always in the process of reading a book. Currently I’m reading a book called And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard.

THANK YOU LOVER I LOVE YOU SO MUCH TO THE SKY AND CLOUDS AND MOON AND BACK. 💛

[gyrlversion]

Theresa May says Britain stands with New Zealand after Mosque attacks

The Royal Family today expressed their grief after white supremacists stormed mosques in New Zealand to murder dozens of Muslims.

The horrifying attacks in Christchurch today which were live-streamed online left at least 49 people dead, causing grief and consternation across the world.  

The Queen – head of state for the Commonwealth of Nations, which includes New Zealand – has today led the outpouring of grief in the wake of the sickening attacks. 

She was joined by the Prince of Wales, Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, who all rallied to express their support.  

Prince Charles said he and Camilla were ‘utterly horrified’ by the ‘barbaric attacks’, adding that it was ‘beyond belief that so many should have been killed and injured.’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Abel Tasman in New Zealand last October

Prince Charles and Camilla meet with locals in New Plymouth, New Zealand in November 2015

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet people in Christchurch, New Zealand, in April 2014

The Queen wears a kiwi feather korowai cloak while visiting Christchurch in February 2002

In a message to the Governor-General of New Zealand, the Queen said she was ‘deeply saddened by the appalling events’. 

She also wrote: ‘Prince Philip and I send our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.

‘I also pay tribute to the emergency services and volunteers who are providing support to those who have been injured. At this tragic time, my thoughts and prayers are with all New Zealanders.’

In a message to the people of New Zealand, the Prince of Wales today said the ‘appalling atrocity is an assault on all of us who cherish religious freedom.’

In a letter, he wrote: ‘Both my wife and I were utterly horrified to hear of the most barbaric attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, which resulted in the cruel and tragic loss of so many people’s lives. 

The Dukes and Duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge expressed their sadness at the deaths

The Queen said she had been ‘deeply saddened by the appalling events in Christchurch today’

The Prince of Wales said it was ‘beyond belief that so many should have been killed and injured’

‘It is beyond all belief that so many should have been killed and injured at their place of worship and our most special and heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives.

What did the royals say in their tributes today?

The Queen

‘I have been deeply saddened by the appalling events in Christchurch today. Prince Philip and I send our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.

‘I also pay tribute to the emergency services and volunteers who are providing support to those who have been injured.

‘At this tragic time, my thoughts and prayers are with all New Zealanders.’

Prince of Wales

‘Both my wife and I were utterly horrified to hear of the most barbaric attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, which resulted in the cruel and tragic loss of so many people’s lives.

‘It is beyond all belief that so many should have been killed and injured at their place of worship and our most special and heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives.

‘This appalling atrocity is an assault on all of us who cherish religious freedom, tolerance, compassion and community. I know that the people of New Zealand will never allow hate and division to triumph over these things they hold dear.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families, the first responders, the people of Christchurch and all New Zealanders at this most heartbreaking of times.’

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

‘Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the people who lost their lives in the devastating attack in Christchurch.

‘We have all been fortunate to spend time in Christchurch and have felt the warm, open-hearted and generous spirit that is core to its remarkable people.

‘No person should ever have to fear attending a sacred place of worship.

‘This senseless attack is an affront to the people of Christchurch and New Zealand, and the broader Muslim community. It is a horrifying assault on a way of life that embodies decency, community and friendship.

‘We know that, from this devastation and deep mourning, the people of New Zealand will unite to show that such evil can never defeat compassion and tolerance.

‘We send our thoughts and prayers to everyone in New Zealand today.’

‘This appalling atrocity is an assault on all of us who cherish religious freedom, tolerance, compassion and community. I know that the people of New Zealand will never allow hate and division to triumph over these things they hold dear.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families, the first responders, the people of Christchurch and all New Zealanders at this most heartbreaking of times.’ 

Meanwhile Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted: ‘On behalf of the UK, my deepest condolences to the people of New Zealand after the horrifying terrorist attack in Christchurch. 

‘My thoughts are with all of those affected by this sickening act of violence.’ 

The House of Commons held a minute’s silence at 11am in solidarity with the victims.  Mrs May’s ministers have also reacted with shock. 

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: ‘Our hearts go out to the people of New Zealand following the news of this terrible act in Christchurch.

‘New Zealand is one of the most peaceful, peace-loving and generous nations in the world. Your friends in the UK stand with you today in deepest sympathy.’

Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted he was ‘absolutely heartbroken to hear about this attack on peaceful worshippers’.

Mr Javid added: ‘We stand with New Zealand and Muslims across the world against all forms of racism and anti-Muslim hatred. We will not let extremists divide us.’ 

European Council President Donald Tusk described the attack as ‘harrowing news’ and said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern can ‘count on our solidarity’.

He tweeted: ‘Harrowing news from New Zealand overnight. The brutal attack in Christchurch will never diminish the tolerance and decency that New Zealand is famous for.

‘Our thoughts in Europe are with the victims and their families. PM @jacindaardern can count on our solidarity.’

British police are providing ‘reassurance patrols’ around mosques following the deadly gun rampage in New Zealand.

London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan and Britain’s top counter-terror officer said the police presence would be stepped up as people went to Friday prayers.

Mr Khan said: ‘I want to reassure the Muslim communities in London. I have been in touch with the Met Police. There will be highly visible policing around mosques today, as well as armed response officers, as Londoners go to pray.’

Prime Minister Theresa May described the New Zealand attack as a ‘sickening act of violence’

The Prime Minister is pictured leaving the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday evening

Neil Basu, the Met’s national policing chief for counter-terrorism, added: ‘We will be stepping up reassurance patrols around mosques and increasing engagement with communities of all faith, giving advice on how people and places can protect themselves.

‘Together with our intelligence partners we continually monitor the varied threats we face, including to and around places of worship and specific communities across the country,’ he said.

Harun Khan, head of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said British Muslims preparing for Friday prayers ‘do so with the anxiety as to whether our mosques and communities are safe in the face of unabated Islamophobia and hostility against Muslims’.

The MCB said two mosques in Newcastle and Manchester had been targeted by vandals who spray-painted Nazi swastika symbols in the past two months.

Police officers outside Finsbury Park Mosque in North London today, ahead of the Friday prayer service, following the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand

A man collects flowers left outside Finsbury Park Mosque in North London today

London has previously heightened security measures around mosques following terror attacks.

Extra patrols were deployed after the Finsbury Park attack on June 19, 2017 which saw Darren Osborne drive a van into pedestrians leaving a Muslim welfare centre near the well-known Finsbury Park Mosque in north London.

One person was killed and several others were injured. Osborne was arrested at the scene and sentenced to life imprisonment. 

The gunman, who identified himself as Brenton Tarrant from Grafton, NSW, Australia, stormed the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on the country’s South Island about 1.30pm, opening fire with a semi-automatic shotgun and a rifle on hundreds of worshippers attending Friday prayers.

A sickening 17-minute video of the unfolding horror shows the self-confessed white supremacist dressed in army fatigues firing mercilessly at people scrambling to flee, and calmly re-loading when he runs out of bullets.  

A man who identified himself as Brenton Tarrant (pictured) live-streamed the massacre

  At about the same time, there was a second shooting at Masjid mosque in Linwood, where seven more were killed. 

In the aftermath of the bloody attacks, three men and one woman were arrested, with police charging ‘one man in his late 20s’ with murder.

One of them was arrested while wearing a suicide vest, while a man wearing military fatigues was arrested outside Papanui High School.  

Of the 49 fatalities, 41 were killed at the Al Noor Mosque and seven at the Linwood Avenue mosque. Three were outside the mosque itself. A 49th died in hospital.

A further 48 people were rushed to Christchurch Hospital with gunshot wounds, 20 in a critical condition.  New Zealand was placed on ‘high alert’ following the attacks. 

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[tongueincheekywrites-blog]

make kiwi the next single

Harry Styles since day one has wanted “Kiwi” as the next single off his debut album. After a record label meeting to try and make that happen doesn’t go too well, Harry walks back to his car to find his dear boyfriend Louis Tomlinson in their car, jamming out to the same song rejected to be a single, which leads to an interesting topic of conversation on the ride home. 

“The song is very... out there.”

Harry is sitting in an office room with an executive from Columbia Records. He came here with a mission--to make “Kiwi” the next single. It’s a song he’s so passionate about, and so damn proud of. It has all of that rock and roll essence Harry’s wanted his songs to have since being a 16-year-old boy auditioning in front of the biggest name in music. That same name, Simon Cowell, put him into a poppy, puppy love type of music boy band which became smashing and successful. And don’t get him wrong, Harry loves that type of music and all that he’s created with One Direction. But that wasn’t completely him. This song, however, was. And frankly, he didn’t really understand why there was so much debate on it being the next single.

“I see,” Harry says calmly. He won’t be upset if it’s a for sure no. The album's very successful, and he’s finally gotten to put himself into his music. If he doesn’t get to have “Kiwi” as the single, then no big deal. He’ll just promote it and belt it out for all to hear in concert, even if he really does want that radio exposure of a song he’s so proud of.

“It’s a fantastic song Mr. Styles, really it’s mind blowing,” the executive nervously says, not wanting to upset the pop star in front of him. Harry’s a very humble, calm, and understanding guy, but these days you just never know what’s a facade and what not.

“But...” Harry says with a light chuckle, urging the man to continue on.

“But... it’s not really what’s current with today. It’s very much a rock anthem. Although rock will always be legendary, and you’ve certainly proven that with bringing it back in a modern day way, a total rock song like that might not do as well with today’s top hits.”

Harry can’t help but frown a bit at the man’s words. Why should that matter? If it’s a good song, despite the genre, people will listen to it. Today’s top hits are all over the place. You have rap, pop, country, dance, so why can’t his full on rock and roll song squeeze it’s way in there?

“I guess I’m sort of confused,” Harry trails on. “I mean, what makes “Sign of the Times” and “Two Ghosts” so different that they get to be singles? Is it because they’re slower?”

“Sort of,” the man continues. “They sound more pop-like and fit more with what is current today. I don’t necessarily think that it’s because they’re slower. Moreso they’re not so out there with being a specific genre like rock.”

“So... is it a no for now?” Harry asks, bluntly but with kindness in his voice.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Styles, for now it’s just not the best choice for a single.”

Harry sighs. It’s alright, truly. He’ll just be sure to make a show of it come tour time.

“Okay. Thank you for you time,” Harry stands up, a sincere smile on his face, extending his hand for the executive to shake.

“My apologies once again, Mr. Styles. Hopefully sometime in the future it can happen. But for now...” The executive main trails on, shaking Harry’s hand and just simply trying to say anything to make the lad feel better.

“No, please don’t apologize. No hard feelings at all. I get it. Just not the right time,” He smiles once again, brushing off his jacket before walking toward the door. Before he exists, he gives the man a sweet look one last time before saying, “Also, please, call me Harry. We’re all working together, right? No need to be so formal.”

The man smiles, a light laugh escaping him before waving at Harry as he walks out.

---

Here Louis is, in the car parked outside Columbia Records, his love’s rock ballad “Kiwi” on repeat and blasting through the vehicle. He can’t help but jam along in the driver's seat as he waits for his boyfriend. Louis has no doubt in his mind, this will be the next single. How could it not? It’s legendary.

Louis sees Harry coming near the passenger seat and he grins, turning down the volume a bit on the stereo so they could still make conversation while listening to the tune. Before Harry can even open the door, a big dimpled grin appears on his face, shaking his head as he hears his song, one of his proudest songs, being blasted in his boyfriend’s car as he sings along. He opens the door, sitting down and buckling his seatbelt.

“Louis, I swear, if only the world truly knew how much of a dork you are.”

“Nah, only for you love,” Louis says with a wink, causing Harry to shake his head with a smile once again. “Soooo, tell me! When is the world going to hear this sick song on the radio?!”

Upon hearing his question, Harry’s smile couldn’t help but fall. He sighs.

“They said no. It’s just not the right time.”

“What?! They said no?!” Louis speaks angrily, pausing the song.

“Yeah. Apparently it’s just not fitting with what’s current right now, so they’re afraid it wouldn’t do as well. I guess with my other singles and just my name in general, those fit enough to be singles. But don’t worry, it’s alright. I’m gonna just give a hell of a performance of it on tour. Maybe I’ll do a few encores of it and- Lou what are you doing?” Harry’s suddenly confused, seeing his boyfriend unbuckle his seatbelt and ready to get out of the car.

“I’ll tell you what I’m doing! Going in those shit’s office and demanding to the fucked in the head executive to make “Kiwi” the next single! That’s what I’m doing, this shit’s ridiculous! Doesn’t fit with today’s hits my fucking ass.”

“Woah, woah, hey, Louis, please take a breath,” Harry can’t help but smile a bit, even if he was concerned over his boyfriend’s rage. The fact one of Harry’s problems could make Louis so angry really showed he cared, and it was flattering.

“I’m fine baby, really. It’s no big deal. Things like this happen. I’ll get over it. If anything, it’ll just make “Kiwi” even better on tour.”

“No, you know what, it’s not fine! You love that song, and you worked so hard on it! I remember back in Jamaica, you told me you wanted that to be the song that blows people’s minds. Everyone deserves to hear it!” Louis was angry. How could some record label be so stupid? Honestly. What a bunch of asshats.

“And people will. On tour, and if they buy the album. It’s on streaming services too. Lou, my darling, please,” Harry scoots over in his seat, taking Louis’s face in his hands and placing a gentle kiss to his lips, rubbing his thumbs over his cheeks and holding the kiss for a few long moments before pulling away. “I’m okay, really.”

And okay, Louis couldn’t stay angry anymore. Not when Harry does that shit to him. He just really cares, but Harry really has this effect on him that makes him shut up.

“Fine. But I’m not happy about it.”

Harry can’t help but laugh, “And you don’t have to be. But remember...” he trails on, pulling up his sleeve and putting his arm next to Louis’s so their “Oops!” and “Hi!” tattoos--the first thing they both said to each other the day they met in The X Factor bathrooms--were next to each other.

“Everything happens for a reason.”

“Yeah...” Louis laughs, smiling at the sappiness of what Harry did. “Alright, alright. I’ll calm down. But you can’t stop me from vaguely and angrily tweeting with no context about it.”

Harry laughs, “Go for it, love. Maybe the record label will see it, and see how big and badass my boyfriend is on Twitter and change their minds.”

“Damn right!” Louis says cheekily, sliding over and giving Harry a peck on the cheek before taking his phone, and doing just what he said he would.

First he tweets a middle finger emoji and just that. And of course his fans, the caring little shits he loves that they are, immediately become concerned. He can’t help but smile at their concern. They love him so much, and god does he love them back. He picks a random follower asking what’s wrong, and replies.

@Louis_Tomlinson: just some industry shit pissing me off.

And as he glances over at the boy that’s stolen his heart, he presses play on the stereo again, playing the song once again just to see Harry smile again. And in that moment, he thinks to himself, those idiots... if they only knew.

[wereotter]

Wean

A fruit upon a branch

Your mouth upon my breast

We’ve swayed and swooned since spring

I’ve watched you swell and pink

My moonly milk you drink

Aglow, with eyes so sweet

My weathered bark has held

Your crimson heart and tail

I’ve soflty felt the beat

of my roots within your feet

from that first hiccupped latch

like a sailor home from sea

With fuzz above your eyes

Kiwi, you are ripe

With teeth for nibbling prize

of the earth we hold so dear

Yes I want you near

The place you will always thirst

But now comes weather and thrust  

To the sun I must entrust

And to the rain I must endow

The extension of your life that I made for you

This branch will be a shade

For all the taste you cast

For all the sweet and sour, bruised and wild

I was but a mold

For the rest that you will hold

I was but the moon

To a sun you have yet to find

And so, I write this Valentine

From a branch to its young fruit

Of a moony milk that filled your toes

Of a sweetness I will always taste

That was your mouth upon my breast