#Thank you sweetie for asking!

[demaparbat-hp]

I didn't know Katara also had silver marks on the Kintsugi AU. How did you come up with that idea? Is it an in-universe cultural thing? If it is, is it exactly the same as Zuko's or does the Water Tribe have their own beliefs around it?

Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I just really love how your mind works when it comes to these AUs 💖

Hello, and thanks for asking!

Initially, Kintsugi was a strictly Fire Nation tradition. Something to hold over the rest of the nations, and deepen their own belief of cultural superiority. Zuko hiding his scars played into that idea, since having gold inlaid in your body is a clear sign of Fire Nation blood—furthermore, High Fire Nation blood.

That being said, one lovely anon gave the suggestion that perhaps the other nations also have their own kinds of Kintsugi, and I fell in love with the idea. @ican-fixitbooks went even deeper into the particular philosophies of each nation regarding Kintsugi. I'll be using some quotes from them—watch for the italics.

It was during said brainstorming session that I thought of Katara having a silver Kintsugi scar, and how could it be used to enhance the themes of ATLA, Katara's arc, and this AU as a whole.

But a little background is necessary, I believe.

Kintsugi is a tradition practiced worldwide, with minor differences in philosophy/technique according to each nation.

The Earth Kingdom seal their scars with a substance that resembles bronze, as the mentality of breaking yourself down to build yourself back up better than you were is very central to their culture. It is used as a way to celebrate one's victories, made all the better if damage was taken to achieve it.

The elite have rather different views on this practice. They believe themselves to be above such things. That which is broken must be hidden away, which has interesting connotations when thinking about a certain blind earthbender.

The Air Nomad philosophy leans towards a naturalist approach. Anything natural doesn't need to be "improved" in their eyes. If a scar is there, it is there. Let it be there as a part of you, no different than any other, no need to be "made better", but in fact better to just "be".

Kintsugi is a cultural practice meant to celebrate making something beautiful out of something broken, arguably even making it better than it was. During Sozin's reign and forward, Kintsugi became a way to show the Fire Nation's superiority. Especially as that is essentially their philosophy for war: "Breaking the rest of the world so it can be reforged in fire, made a better, more perfect place."

As for the Water Tribes, there's the healing factor to take into account. The Northern Water Tribe isolated itself from the rest of the world once the war began, so they hold tight to their traditions and beliefs. If something is not broken, then why attempt to fix it? Kintsugi is scoffed at in the North—it is a foreign practice, one that is not necessary when all your wounds can be healed with bending.

However, the Southern Water Tribe has been exposed to the world. They have seen war. They have lived through it. They have suffered, but they are also free because of it, if only in spirit. The South is strong and proud and bold, so it comes as no surprise that silver Kintsugi becomes the mark of their warriors, their hunters, their people.

Katara was wounded during the last Southern Raid. After losing Kya in such a terrible way, Hakoda made sure to seal Katara's wound with the silver of their warriors, so that she would always remember that despite having been broken, she is still strong, beautiful, and proud.

The scar itself is long and thin, going from her right shoulder up to her jaw. It loosely resembles lightning.

And despite how she got it, despite all the things she lost on that day, despite it being a constant reminder of her mother's death—Katara loves her scar.

It grounds her. It pushes her forward. You are a warrior, it tells her. You are a survivor.

When Katara arrives at the North, her scar becomes yet another thing the Northerners hold against her. They use it to demean her, just as they do her gender and out-spoken personality.

The North believes a lot of things that Katara always considered natural to be a problem. What does it matter that she is a woman? What is wrong about being passionate? Why should having a scar mean she's broken?

This scar is something they cannot touch. The Northerners try to use it to demean her. To make her small. Self-conscious. Worthless.

They're scoffing at her mother's death.

Her strength.

Her beauty.

Her pride.

Her story.

And she will not allow it.

[hedwig221b]

you just killed me i am dead i am actually writing this from hell because you have killed me omg

have been refreshing tumblr since yesterday and im thinking wow i miss hedwig221b AND BAM I OPEN TUMBLR AND DAMN

your fics are always like top tier like i would NEVER EVER EVER DOUBT HEDWIG221B LIKE i genuinely think no one can do obsessive crazy cocky derek like you

your 2nd fic i think, the one where gerard forces stiles to marry him actually pulled me into this fandom and gave birth to me hyperfixation so thank you for that

i respect you sm like wow you really wrote a fic that quick like wow that dedication i am in actual awe

once again thank you for this fic i hope ypu get whatever your heart desires

sending you lots of love and hugs and kisses

NOT ME PULLING PEOPLE INTO THIS FANDOM LIKE

You made me so happy this evening, I'm so thrilled and grateful to receive this, so truly blessed 💖

GOD but that prompt came out of nowhere and it shocked me out of my writer's block (which I refuse to acknowledge) and I typed 6k of Derek being insane and Stiles being an indulgent meow-meow just like that *snaps fingers*

I am truly nothing without your support, like, literally

ANYWAY THANK YOU AGAIN SWEETHEART HONEY PIE FLOWER PETAL SUNSHINE KITTEN 💖 have a giant kiss from me on your forehead MWAH!

[oranpo]

What particular genre of Clancy Brown do you enjoy most? 😁

Haha the one where he's old. I mean, not to out myself as an old man fucker here (although given my interests... and the circumstances... you can see it coming from miles away) but Clancy, in my opinion, just ages like fine wine😔💕💕💕

Actually I lied. The one where he's an evil priest

He's gorgeous, He's delicious. Please watch Carnivale.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hey love! So, I know you already have the proposal au, but I was wondering if you could do an arranged marriage au. And basically, Gilgamesh is in the mafia and Thena's horrible abusive father (Arishem) steals money or drugs from him that Thena doesn't know anything about. And Gilgamesh and his men just show up to her home while Thena's not there and when she comes back she finds out that she's being forced to marry Gilgamesh (which she's not that mad about bc Gil is fine asf🤭). But Thena is basically just shocked and she has to get used to being treated how she should and with princess treatment (like opening her door, giving her gifts just because, etc) Maybe a little age gap like Thena's in her early 20s, Gil is in his Early 30s👀. Also maybe like Gil gives her princess treatment but disrespectful in bed vibes😜.

But anyways I love you and your whole existence and when I found your Tumblr acc it quite literally the happiest day of my life and I literally would kill for you. You're my whole world I live for all your posts and sit waiting everyday for you to post. You are the best thing that happened to me and I'm so grateful you're alive. I love you so much!😘❤️

"Thena?"

She startled, but a warm yet gentle hand touched her shoulder, "hey, it's okay. It's me--I'm sorry to startle you."

She looked around her. She wasn't at home--well, she was. She was no longer in her father's home, where falling asleep out in the open could lead to her getting her hair pulled if he was feeling particularly inebriated and particularly mean spirited.

She was home, in her home with Gilgamesh. It was a massive, modern and sprawling house. She had her own room, despite sharing the house with her husband. It had its own walk-in closet and full bathroom suite. He had installed a library having found out that she liked to read (that was all the incentive he needed, apparently). The only thing her room didn't have was a kitchen, and Gilgamesh did all the cooking anyway.

The first two weeks, when she wouldn't emerge from her room at all, he would leave trays out for her to take inside where she felt safe.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, speaking softly and moving so she could see him, showing her his hands. "I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that. I wanted to see if you were hungry, or if you wanted to move into your room."

A gangster for a husband, and he made sure her room was always open for her, that only she was allowed in it, unless there was any house keeping she wanted done. He had even hired a female cleaner, specifically in hopes of making her feel more comfortable.

"Thank you," she smiled at him, hoping to assuage his fears of scaring her. She let the book on her lap fall closed and curled her legs up under the blanket thrown over her. "Sorry, dozed off between chapters."

"You don't have to apologise," he assured her, moving slowly as he took a seat on the sofa. He wasn't at the far end of it, but it was more than enough space for her to feel separate from him. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Are you okay? You seemed to be having a bad dream."

She was. Even removed as she was from that place, sometimes she would think was waking in her room, her desperate attempts to start a real career crammed into the corner of her room where her father wouldn't know to go digging for money.

The crinkle of her clothes in plastic bags so that he couldn't get them all wreaking of alcohol before a job interview. The way she would walk on the balls of her feet so as not to wake him when he was passed out on the couch in the middle of the day. The fear that every knock on the door would be another debt collector.

"Hey," Gilgamesh said as softly as he could again, "what do you need?"

If she hadn't woken from such a terrible dream she might swoon. It was almost a shame their relationship was one of contract. Gilgamesh was very good at seeming romantic.

She inhaled, putting on a braver face. "Some food sounds good."

"Okay," he nodded. His hand hovered, as if he would pat her knee under her blanket. But he stood instead, pulling himself away from her. "I can do that."

Thena stood, nearly slipping on the stairs of the elevated seating area to follow him into the kitchen. "Do you need any help?"

He did let his surprise show on his face, and instances like these she was reminded of the menacing - as well as cocky - gangster who had first appeared in her home and informed her of their marriage. "Setting a fire?--no, sweetheart, thank you."

She huffed, and she even managed to get a chuckle out of him. Laughing suited him more. "You must have had a hard day."

He immediately looked at her, trying to tell how any clue of how his work had gone could have slipped through the cracks. He worked very hard to keep all aspects of his business out of their home life.

She leaned against the spotless granite island/sink. "You seem more tense than usual."

He didn't rise to her bait, focusing on putting together a meal for her--for them.

But she was in the mood to poke the bear, as it were--the big grizzly teddybear in the pinstripe suit. "I figured I would get a 'no need, princess', at least."

He shook his head at her, pulling out a clay pot and retrieving the ingredients necessary. For a man living outside the law, he really was a great cook. "No need for a house fire--that's true."

"I am not that bad," she insisted, rising to her own bait if need be.

Gil - not Gilgamesh but Gil - finally looked at her with a little more mirth. He even chuckled, "Need I remind you of the eggs?"

She rolled her eyes at him. He had this big, beautiful kitchen, and she was home alone all the time. And sometimes she didn't want to wait for delivery to make it all the way to the house (and past security) while Gil was at work. She had figured making herself some eggs couldn't possibly go wrong.

"The hob at our-" she paused and moved on like it was nothing- "at my old place would take ages to heat up. I could never have known that this monstrosity can boil water in under a minute."

Gil glanced towards his very fancy oven on the other counter and then back to her. "Who turns the heat up all the way to make eggs in a pan?"

She shrugged, "they cook faster."

Gil let out a real laugh now, finally relaxing some as he finally started preparing the veggies. She could tell he was enjoying it when he slid them onto an angle to slice them. If it were strictly business he would cut them into little cubes instead. He shook his head. "I told you not to lift a finger while you're here."

That was true. After the fire had been put out, her housekeeping companion had insisted she simply ask if she wanted a meal. It was part of her requirements for the job and everything! Which was a little insulting, no matter how aware of her own cooking habits Thena was.

"I thought men wanted a wife who would cook for them as soon as they got home."

But Gil didn't latch onto her joke. He put down his knife, slowly and gently. He dried his hands on the hand towel below. Then he moved towards her, holding his hands out and asking for hers.

She watched as he did, curious enough to give her hands over to him. He held them so gently, even as he brought them up to his lips to kiss the back of each. She shivered.

He opened his eyes, peering down at her as he stroked her hand with his thumb. "Those aren't men. And you are not just 'a wife', Thena."

Did he want her to fall in love with him or not? The times when he was at work, and then completely secretive about it at home really seemed that he didn't. It seemed that he was upholding his end of the agreement with her father, and his vow to respect her and not to allow any harm to come to her.

But then other times he would say things like this, and she wouldn't know what to think.

She blushed as he left one last kiss on the tip of her finger. Then he was back to chopping, as if he hadn't nearly swept her off her feet (metaphorically speaking).

"Why don't you go sit down, sweetie? I'll come up and join you once this is on the heat." Back to that respectful distance.

She pursed her lips, moving away from the kitchen island as he started rinsing the rice and mixing sauces. That was just like Gilgamesh, to say something so breathtaking and sweet one moment and be a husband in name only the next.

She glanced at her book, although she couldn't even remember what she was reading in it before she had dozed off. Throwing herself back on the couch did seem to catch his attention somewhat; she could tell by the tilt of his head only vaguely in her direction. She also pulled the blanket over her again, with a little more force than the light cashmere needed.

If he only wanted to be half a husband then fine, but he didn't have to be a full time flirt to do it.

She peeked up from her phone as Gilgamesh walked up the three small steps to join her. He had a bad knee but wouldn't admit to it, maybe that was adding to the pressure of his day today.

"Okay," he groaned as he too threw himself onto the couch. He looked over at her, at her safe and respectful distance. "So?"

"So?" she asked in return, bristling at the grin on his face. It suited him a little too much.

He nodded, as if he had been thinking something to himself and had the affirmation he needed. She didn't know what he thought he knew, but she almost didn't want to. He leaned back on the couch, relaxing his posture. This was how a gangster would sit, she imagined. "Well."

"Well?" she prompted him again. But all he did was lazily wave his hand at her. She raised her shoulders, "you want me to...?"

He shrugged, even turning his head away from her. "If you want, I mean. You seem like you want the company."

He was calling her out on her wanting his attention, he meant. And he was right, but she didn't appreciate it. She turned her nose up at it.

"If you wanna sit in my lap, you can say so."

She shivered again, turning and half expecting him to be nose to nose with her. But whens he did look, he was back to pretending like he was halfheartedly watching something on the obscenely large tv mounted on the wall.

To his credit, he didn't say anything as she quietly shifted her position. She didn't tuck herself into his embrace or anything. They weren't actually married.

Gil lowered his arm from the back of the couch to her shoulder, letting her lean partially on him but not so close that she would feel trapped. "Put on that show you like."

"The one that puts you to sleep?" she smirked, even as she picked up the remote.

"It does not put me to sleep."

"It does," she corrected him, and it was moments like these when the marriage did feel less like a business agreement and more like...well, like something. "What about the food?"

"It has a timer, just take it off the heat when it's done."

It was he who was on the verge of nodding off, now. He really had endured a truly terrible day to be so exhausted. And she wouldn't be the one waking him.

She did put on her show, a historical drama she liked. And he really did nod off, the clay pot dinner simmering in the background silently. And only because he was dead asleep did she take the liberty of tucking herself against his chest. Just this once.

[yanderemommabean]

TAKE MY LOVE❤️❤️❤️if you want to not forcing u 🥺

Thank you! <3 Ill hold onto this love tenderly ❤

-Mommabean

[hotmessmaxpress]

Hello!

If Marc were to ever get pregnant in the omegaverse, how would that impact his abandonment issues regarding Vale? Since a whole child is the most certain way of actually never ever separating (forever bound by the antichrist child of motorcycles racing).

Also how do the pack dynamics change?

🎤

(your writing is absolutely delightful and as addictive as crack cocaine, got me hooked and following you)

okay so this is hard to answer because there are sooo many good rosquez baby au's. (@its-always-silly-season has a rosquez baby au that lives rent-free in my head, @shooters4yuki has Baby Boots and Riding Suits where Vale is the mother-- an absolute must-read) Also as a child of divorce I must say a child does not prevent two insane people from separating lmaoooo

I think that in this specific au marc being pregnant would give him some amount of anxiety. It's the totally irrational feeling of 'now that vale will have a baby what if he doesn't need me anymore? what happens when I'm not the center of attention?' which is actually a super normal fear with new parents on both sides!!

On the other hand the pack and vale are so so insanely supportive. vale has never been more in love with marc and he has more than enough love for marc and their baby. Vale will not shut up about marc being pregnant and how he's going to be a dad and how he got marc pregnant (*pervy old man eyebrow wiggle*) and how hot marc looks pregnant. Vale is one of those guys. If it wasn't so adorable and exciting for everyone then it would be sort of gross.

The pack are out of their minds supportive. Bezz is the one who maybe has the most emotional crisis about it because he's the other omega and suddenly he's learning about how much marc and vale are happy about his pregnancy and marc is glowing and bezz is like "well fuck who is gonna knock me up now??? I want one". (obviously Bezz is still racing and isn't mated yet so getting pregnant is still pretty far off for him but that doesn't mean he doesn't start fantasizing just a little).

The pack are fully preparing to spoil this baby. They love her before she's even born (I love girl dad vale so I have decided they have a girl). She's going to have so many uncles ready to spoil the fuck out of her and take her on rides and generally endanger her life in cute and lovable ways.

Even with marc's anxiety it's sort of hard for him to ignore the support of his pack and his mate and his family throughout the pregnancy. By the time he has the baby he's sort of chilled out about his feeling of being replaced and he's soooo happy to have their itty bitty little baby that he doesn't even know what to do with himself. He loves getting to see vale be a dad and see the rest of the pack step up and help out.

[moonchild-in-blue]

did I tell you about the time I nearly physically ran into Mr adamross

He smelled like sandalwood and shampoo

Piss off.

WHAT DO YOU MEAAAAAN BABE?? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU RAN INTO???? THE ADAMROSS HIMSELF ?????? AND HE SMELLED LIKE I ALWAYS IMAGINED AND OF LOVE AND MAN AND SUNLIGHT???????????? HELLOOOO?????

Bitch I am listening to my silly little playlist and trying to sleep. You can't put Adam on my notifications and expect me not to go feral 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[girlofthemoon33]

What would you rank all the Epic songs?

Oh and the sagas?

This is difficult (for the songs anyway) but I'll try answer!

Sagas:

1. Ocean Saga - all the songs are great

2. Circe Saga - I like Circe, I'm reading the Circe book by Madeline Miller rn and it's pretty good

3. Thunder Saga - It's dark and very much different but i like that due to how it reflects Odysseus's new mindset

4. Troy Saga - It's the first saga and all the songs are good, it sets up the very important "when does a man become a monster" motif but it suffers from the fact that as time goes on everything after it becomes better and better due to it being the first one.

5. Underworld Saga - Short but good, i enjoy the themes but i (as someone unfamiliar with the source material) am confused why Hades doesnt make an appearance. It's still good though

6. Cyclops Saga - Rip Polites, goodbye Athena, Cyclops exists ig. Itd not bad but everything else is better

Songs! This isn't easy to figure out but here i go:

1. Open Arms

2. Monster

3. Ruthlessness

4. Done For

5. Keep Your Friends Close

6. Luck Runs Out

7. Suffering

8. Mutiny

9. Storm

10. Scylla

11. Puppeteer

12. Wouldn't You Like

13. Full Speed Ahead

14. The Underworld

15. Just a Man

16. Different Beast

17. Warrior of the Mind

18. No Longer You

19. My Goodbye

20. The Horse and the Infant

21. Thunder Bringer

22. Remember Them

23. Polyphemus

24. There Are Other Ways

25. Survive

[dayurno]

could we get anymore snippets from the kerejean fic your writing

I’m literally so excited, I love niknak22’s take on their relationship and can’t wait for yours

no pressure of course but do you have an idea of when you’ll start posing?

YES ABSOLUTELY YOU CAN i love talking about it so! i don't know when i'll start posting but probably a little later this year, hopefully july/august but i won't give out a due date because life gets in the way and such. and i love niknak22's take on it too! between you and i only but we're working together on something and i hope it's as fun to the people who read it as it is to us as we write it!!!

anyway i think i already posted a lot of my fav moments from the first chapters finished so here's some of the funnier/cuter scenes planned out in my notes!!!

[igotsnothing]

📩 Simblr question of the day: What is the *one* most important feature you believe should be part of the next iteration of the sims at the core (on launch day)? @simblr-question-of-the-day

Hmmm! By iteration, are we talking about Sims 5/Project Renee? If so, I would say versatility. I know I'd love a storyteller mode, where I could control the time of the day, the seasons, and pose my sims without the aid of a million mods (all of which I am *very* grateful for) and in-game interruptions (lemme tell you about the time I put this scene together and just as I was about to start posing my sims, freaking gnomes started popping up everywhere and then there were ghosts and everyone was running around scared and while not a big deal, it was so annoying). Also, it would be nice if we could resize (like, using the cursor to expand and shrink instead of the current option that goes from tiny to gigantic with no real in-between) and place items wherever and however we want (like, easy cluttering- I don't want my items snapping to counters with some unnatural spaces between them- let me -alt move them the way I want without summoning TOOL or pulling tables and counters out of the way), and perhaps, even recolor (because there are some cute items that I don't use because they look like a clown threw up on them).

There you have it!

(And thanks for sending me this ask! ❤️)

[roach-master]

You are a damn idiot. Some people deserve death threats like bullies and child molesters. They deserve to have their heads cut off and their throats slit out. If you don't think that, then you are defending them.

[spaceratprodigy]

For the ship asks: 3 and 36, your choice!

@kyberinfinitygems — [ OTP Prompts ]

More Cybill/Iris for the soul! >:]

@grimreapersbutt answered these with me 🖤✨ thank u again bestie mwah

–

3. Are they into PDA? Who initiates most?

At first it's Iris! She is a very physical person, very lovey and very expressive about it. By the time they have their first kiss and it hits very hard that they are in love with each other, once she can have him it's all over. That man is going to be spoiled rotten with her love every chance she gets.

Cybill matches her energy very well, he is just as mushy gushy as she is, but it takes him a while to realize he's allowed to be that way.

From being in his vault, he has some preconceptions of what is socially acceptable, and being with Iris pulls him out of that. He becomes just as expressive as she is and much less worried about what other people think.

I cannot stress enough that once they are together, the jaws of life cannot pry them apart. Literally a package deal, do not separate. They may or may not become a bit shameless over just how affectionate they're willing to be anywhere and everywhere. Hoo boy. But they very much enjoy so much soft intimacy as well. Catch them standing around holding hands, being all close, Cybill resting his head on Iris's shoulder, whispering sweet nothings to each other, finding so so much comfort in each other.

Being together genuinely helps both of them so much. Obvs there is so much to get into there regarding their stories before they meet and once their paths becomes one. But plenty of friends have read what we have of their PDF so far and can attest to just how deeply their love for each other runs and the lengths they are always willing to go to to take care of each other.

–

36. Who is more protective?

That's the million dollar question isn't it? They are both really fucking protective of each other, not to mention how protective they are of June and Henry.

Realistically, Iris is the stronger one of the two of them and is more capable of doing the defending. But, to revisit what was mentioned above, Cybill's time in the vault has left him with a certain mindset regarding traditional gender roles within a marriage. He'll feel like it's his job to be The Man Of The House, and is likely to throw himself into danger to protect his family.

As protective as he is, it still doesn't change the fact that my sweet baby boy isn't the strongest lad and is a popsicle stick of a man ✌️😔 and, such is often the way, he needs Iris to help protect him. Which she does, and always will. She loves him, she would do anything to keep him safe. If he gets hurt, she will always be there to take care of him, patch him up, kiss him better.

That isn't to say he should ever be underestimated. In both of their cases, they can be pushed hard enough to the point you'll find out just how fucking vicious they can be. Yes, for each other, absolutely. If their sweetie is in immediate danger, there will be no hesitation to keep them safe at whatever the cost. But when it comes to the babies, if June and Henry are threatened in any way, you aren't living to see the light of day. Would you rather be torn apart by the lifetime's worth of pent up blind rage mama bear or her feral little rat husband who will probably tear you to shreds with his bare teeth and eat you 🔍🤨 either way, they're probably going to have both Overreacted™️ and walk away drenched in blood.

[yanderemommabean]

Sending you love and flowers 💐💛

Only if you accept the love and flowers I send you!

❀⋆˚✿˖°ꕤ⋆.˚ ❀⋆˚✿˖°ꕤ⋆.˚ ❀⋆˚✿˖°ꕤ⋆.˚ ❀⋆˚✿˖°ꕤ⋆.˚ ❀⋆˚✿˖°ꕤ⋆.˚

-Mommabean

[softquietsteadylove]

Hiii darling, how are you?

I had a promt idea and i wanted to share it with you.

What about thenamesh being broken up 😈.

Like i know thats basically imposible because they can not be apart from each other for a long time ( but relationships are hard you know).

So they haven't seen each other in a very long time, and they completely over one another, they even dated other people, but both are currently single.

They are completely over each other, Gilgamesh is NOT constantly thinking about Thena's beautiful sunshine hair, or how smarth she was or her gorgeous long legs he could stare at all day long of course not, and is not like Thena everyday thinks about how charming Gilgamesh was, or how he could make her feel better just saying something dumb or how she got distracted just by looking at those big and strong arms of his, not at all they are soo over each other and they don't even wanna meet again.

But when they do see each other again it goes like this:

- Thena and Gil walking directly to each other whitout realising.

They make eyecontact and fully stop

They stare at each other intensely

Gil : Thena hello ! - dumb smile

Thena : Hello - small blush

The tension in the air can be cut with a butter knife

"Mamma mia" by ABBA starst playing in the background

And thats about it 😊, sorry for any mistakes english is not my first language, and thank you for sharing your works with us they are so beautiful, i love them all, they make my days better 🩷🤍.

"Come on, Gil, don't get all emo on us now!"

But he'd had enough--more than enough. He had only agreed to a night out with the boys because he had dodged them ten times for every one, and tonight was the eleventh hour. Even with all that, it wasn't enough to keep him in the pub with pounding music and the stink of smoke.

Thena hated the smell of smoke.

His friends would tell him not to think that way. For all the times he had sworn to them that he was over her, here he was thinking of her again?

But of course he was! Thinking about Thena was as natural to him as breathing, and the breakup had done nothing to change that. It still felt almost surreal sometimes, as if the last year and a half of his life was still in the haze of post-breakup blues. All the months spent moping around his apartment, the weeks after of being set up with blank face after blank face. He had even maintained a relationship eventually, only to have called her 'Thena' one time (entirely by accident).

He had omitted that part of the story to his friends when they asked 'what happened to what's-her-name?'.

Gil had tried the dating thing, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that it wasn't working for him. If it wasn't Thena, it wasn't for him. And that didn't bode well, considering they had parted ways with the stark promise that there would be no getting back together.

No regrets, they had said. He was going to put the hours into the kitchen that he needed to as the new head chef of a long established restaurant. Thena was going to focus her razor sharp intellect into pursuing her PHD while working at the museum. He had once called her the 'rock star' of the historical world. She hadn't appreciated it at the time.

For their shared declaration of no regrets, there were plenty. He had lamented to his friends how he hadn't expressed enough interest in Thena's work. He didn't watch the historical programs she liked to watch in bed; he fell asleep to them. Although in his defense, Thena never could get through a boxing match without checking a work email or swearing she was paying attention while she read something on her phone.

Thena was on the other side of town, in Sersi's old flat after she and Dane had decided to finally move in together. She had always done best with her own space, after all. Yet another regret; their half-assed compromise - which made neither of them happy - on how to use the second bedroom. Gil wanted a home gym and Thena wanted a home office. It ended up housing his exercise equipment cramped in with all the books she couldn't fit onto the living room shelves.

It was the truest compromise, in the sense that they were both left frustrated and unsatisfied by the results.

Really, it was them making old fights into new ones. He knew she liked having her own space. Anyone would, after growing up with an annoying twin brother like Ikaris their whole life, he could admit. But he hadn't really appreciated her bringing up that he was an only child as a reason for him not sympathising with her more.

It was little things, really. Little things that had just...piled up on them. Him kicking his shoes off hastily, forgetting that Thena had grown up in a preparatory school and liked everything arranged neatly. Her leaving her teabags piled up in the garbage instead of in the organic waste container he kept in the fridge, specifically because the kitchen was his domain and he didn't like unwanted smells hovering around.

Little things piling up; it was for the best, they had agreed.

And now, a year and a half later, here he was, outside a pub, in the snow. He checked his phone; the night was young, but his friends were enough pints in that maybe they wouldn't notice if he decided to just...leave. If they asked, he could say it was way later, they just weren't remembering it right.

He walked slowly, still staring at his phone. It was the blank, default phone background. He hadn't settled on a new one after needing to take down the picture of him and Thena on their trip to Australia. It wasn't any more pathetic than the rest of his life.

"Sorry," a soft voice uttered, scuffling feet in snow filling the air as they narrowly avoided one another.

Her eyes rose to meet his, still a sparkling green that contrasted the hair that was the colour of pure sunshine. She was dressed in all white, as she always was. He had always said it was her colour. "Hey."

The one word was like the cavalry call. Memories flowed through him. Some of the bad times. But the happy ones far, far outweighed them. There were so many happy ones it was a wonder they had ever decided they weren't worth the bad.

Thena was still the most beautiful woman Gil had ever seen. Her edges were so sharp, and yet she still possessed a softness--a fragility to her delicate frame. It was hard to tell under her long white coat if she looked different, but he remembered those long legs entwined with his in the hammock on their balcony. Her lips were still full and succulent like a berry.

"Hey." He smiled, and she smiled as well. There was a lightness to it that hadn't been there when she had left her key with him and closed the door behind her. "How are you?"

"Good," she answered plainly, as she always had. Her eyes darted down to the ground and she tucked some hair behind her ear, still a clear tell of when she was nervous. His heart skipped a beat as he caught a blush in her cheeks. "And you?"

"Yeah," he answered, not that it was much of an answer. He had yet to stop smiling, but she was still smiling too. "Restaurant's doing well--same old."

Thena nodded, some of her hair tumbling from her scarf wound loosely around her. "I read a review of it. Your praises were sung most eloquently."

She had such a poetry to her language. Some found it odd, but Gil had always admired her more elegant word choice in comparison to his easy and casual phrases. He had tried writing poetry, but he was no match for her simply describing how her day was.

"Yeah?" he grinned. The idea of her checking a review of his work was more than he could have hoped for. It felt like hearing that she had asked if he was seeing anyone.

"I'm not surprised," she stated more than confessed. "You have always been an excellent chef. I wouldn't have needed some culinary reporter to tell me that."

Emboldened by her olive branch, Gil stepped closer. "And how's the doctorate?"

Her pleased smile returned, her scarf even picking up in the wind and brushing the front of his army green jacket. She used to always put her hand on his chest for no good reason, whenever she wanted. "I'll be submitting by the end of this year. Nothing is signed yet, but I'm told things look promising."

His grin stretched wider. The word 'rock star' was on his tongue again but he inhaled, drawing up his shouldering instead of wrapping his arms around her and picking her up off the ground. "Hey, that's great! I mean, I knew you'd get it. You're way too good not to."

Thena's eyes drifted downward again. Her smile turned shaky and her hands went to the buttons of her coat. She swayed on the spot, as if unsure of which direction to lean. "Thanks, Gil."

The snow filled in the silence between them, Mamma Mia positively blaring from inside the pub. The flashing, coloured lights inside proved stronger than the tint of the windows, reflecting on the snow already fallen.

Thena broke the silence first. "I'm surprised you're out this late."

Once, that might have been a barb about how he always had to sleep early to get into the restaurant early (especially on nights when she had a work social at the museum). But that was years ago, and now it was a casual - if nervous - question asked in a playful tone.

Gil smiled. "Well, usually I wouldn't. But the guys have really started giving me a hard time about-"

He clamped his mouth shut, suddenly terrified of uttering the truth of his dismal life since her exit. Surely it was pathetic of him to tell his ex-girlfriend about how all he did was lie around watching the same five shows and living almost completely off of leftovers from work.

But Thena laughed. It was gentle, and light, and he still found it really cute. "So, you came out tonight just to appease them?"

Her laughter drew out his as well. His shoulders lowered and his hands shuffled around in his pockets. "Guess so."

Thena looked towards the dark glass of the windows. It took her a few minutes to build up to what she had to say. But rather than eagerly rush her, he waited, happy to admire her. "I have become even less social than before, if you can believe it."

"Wow," he commented outright, earning the mildest form of her glare possible. He chuckled, though. "I can't believe it."

She could have left it there if she wanted. But she kept holding her scarf at the ends, braving on. "It seems I've been a bit reclusive since..."

It was Thena to bridge the unspoken gap, utter those completely forbidden words. But in that way, it was also her extending her hand, asking him to take it.

Gil turned soft, as he always did with her. His voice lowered to nearly a whisper, like it would after she'd had a night terror and needed comforting. "I guess I have too."

She had closed the distance as much as she could. She needed more from him, going quiet again and staring into his chest.

Gil eagerly met her halfway, pulling his hands from his pockets and crushing her against him. It was just a hug, something friends could do (if she decided she would regret this, too). "I missed you."

But she slid her arms around him. She buried her nose in his jacket and he leaned over her, practically engulfing her in his arms. She inhaled, drinking in the scent of him.

"Sorry, I probably smell like fryer oil," he excused. She had always hated that smell.

She shook her head, still buried in him. "I missed it."

How was he not supposed to fall in love with her all over again?

"Hey," he said gently, only encouraging her to pull away enough to look at him. He brushed some hair from the crown of her head. "Would you wanna grab something? We could get a decaf...something--you still don't drink, right?"

Thena beamed as if he had asked her something so much more than just terrible coffee. But small things - like remembering that she didn't really enjoy drinking - always meant the most to her. "I'd love to."

Just hearing the word from her lips made his heart leap in joy. It remembered hearing that word so often from her. It wanted to hear it again.

"So, uh," Gil began, leading her away from the pub with her hand in his. Maybe it was too much to hold hands with someone he had just asked out, but Thena's hand held onto his just as firmly. "That 24 hour place is still open. I heard they have daily specials now."

"Sounds lovely." She hadn't become a conversationalist. But she held onto his hand, letting him go on about the pastries in the window and how it was under new ownership. He didn't mention how he couldn't even look at the place for the first two months after their breakup.

Gil looked at her but didn't stop walking as she leaned against him. "You okay? We don't have to go out, if you're tired. You can just come over and I can make you some tea."

She buried her face in his sleeve. "You think I'm the type to go home with you on the first night we've met?"

He paused for a second before letting out a laugh that would wake anyone out of a dead sleep. "Are you flirting with me?"

"You seem much more the flirtatious type."

Thena was happy to play coy about it, but he knew she was flirting because she was terrible at it when they'd first started dating. "Maybe I am."

"You could take a girl to dinner, first." It was light, witty banter, her favourite kind. She was relaxing more and more.

"How's tomorrow?"

He waited for her response, only able to look at the top of her head with her leaning on him. But it made him think of the beach in Australia when he had first told her he loved her. He had thought it plenty of times before, but that was the first time he had spoken the words. Maybe he would get the chance to say them again.

Thena adjusted their arms, linking them at the elbows, still revealing nothing of her expression as she said, "it's a date."

[two-person-job]

💘, ✨, 🍓, 💌, 🐶, 💭 for any 🤍🤍

gasp CUTE PROMPTS THANK U ALEXIS

shroomiya

💘 — what's the closest you've ever gotten to confessing?

during her preparing for the year's summer festival. seeing all her passion for the festival (+ anything else) is one of my favorite things about her, so i was about to abandon all confession plans and tell her right then :)

✨ — describe your crush f/o in your own words!

just.. wowowowowow <3 wow <333 she's so pretty!! and lovely!! and full of beauty and endearing habits!! <333

🍓 — what did they do that first caught your eye?

honestly? i just saw her once and thought she was pretty dhcigcjh (which she is ofc 💖) I spotted her out of the corner of my eye while walking to my home and thought about her the entire way back

💌 — have you ever written love notes/letters to them? what about poetry about them?

oh 100%. I love love love writing letters for her. something that I made that she can keep?? im definitely making her so many she'll have to dedicate a drawer to them. (I'm very much a person of sentimental keepsakes, so I'd also give her more than just letters. like little souvenirs from places we've been together!!)

🐶 — is your crush on them obvious? how do you act around them?

very. but I also act very loving with my close friends so it could be easily covered up by "oh shroom does this with all their friends!!" but if you looked into it, it would be evident that I'm looking too much into how i appear to feel about her so I'd end up being MORE obvious. but yea I'd act very sweet and loving to her and try to cover it up by it just being platonic hcchuchj

💭 — have they ever appeared in your dreams? do you daydream about them often?

irl, I forget most of my dreams so idk xgucguxug. but in universe i would have the occasional dream of her! but yes <3 she does often cross my mind <3 fish and fireworks remind me of her!!!

shroomsym

💘 — what's the closest you've ever gotten to confessing?

ok this requires some context. stress is a part of the game he's from, if you get too much you can't do some things (it goes up to 100). once each time you find sym, eventually you can click an option and he will relieve 5 stress. the way he does this is by putting his forehead on yours. the first time he did this i was so awestruck by him and almost blurted out my feelings (he probably already knew by then fyucguxjgxgj)

✨ — describe your crush f/o in your own words!

he's so.. !!! <3 as dys (another character from the game) would say, "he's more pretty than handsome" he is!! he's very pretty <3

🍓 — what did they do that first caught your eye?

this also requires some context. so you can go exploring in game, and this is how you meet sym. you get a few glimpses of him and I have too much space in my brain for him to fill. he's called a mysterious stranger the first times you see him. how is he supposed to leave my mind after that?

💌 — have you ever written love notes/letters to them? what about poetry about them?

yes but sadly paper to write on is not really a thing in this game hjccvjccjg. HOWEVER!!! it got replaced with digital stuff. 50% of my notes are definitely about him in some way.

🐶 — is your crush on them obvious? how do you act around them?

even more than with yoimiya. he knows. probably before I do. but does he do anything about it? no he'd wait for me to say something, not because he's nervous, but because he'd want to know how I'd confess to him. but I would be VERY flustered around him, especially because there are basically zero times when I'm with sym and someone else (for a while, at least).

💭 — have they ever appeared in your dreams? do you daydream about them often?

irl, same as yoimiya, I forget 99% of my dreams so probably but idk ihccihcuh. but for in universe. being so real. he'd find a way to worm himself into my dreams. which sounds weird but it'd be for us to have a tea party or something fyxguxgux. but yes, I think about him, too <3 purple reminds me of him

[peanutseagle]

☕️ the desmond family... what's up with them?

They are so fucked up ohhhhhh my god. Damian might as well just be the most mentally stable Desmond. Although I fear that might change once it's over with his blissful childish ignorance 🧍‍♀️

I love Demetrius and Melinda. One has basically and empty head and the other's thoughts are going wild 24/7. They both obviously care for Damian, just don't know how, or rather, can't express it clearly enough.

Donovan is an enigma to me. He's supposed to be the Big Bad Boss™ but we know like 0 shit about him??? I think he's quite an interesting character. The scars on his head might be an indicator that he's been experimented on or had a lobotomy. He didn't have those scars when Demmy was at Dami's age!

But it might have been just Damian's imagination 🤷‍♀️

But yeah I'm SO excited for their arc!! Endo's been building lots of tension.