#The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller

[ninzied]

where ground meets light

alex and henry go on a double date. modern au. based on the prompt: a kiss to distract, for @caressthosecheekbones. ~1.2k.

They’ve only been dating a few weeks when he suggests it.

“Sorry.” Henry has to take this all in for a moment. Surely he must have misheard. “You want to go on a double date? With Alex?”

“Is that weird?” Gregory asks, in the manner of one who’s merely being rhetorical. “He’s your best friend. I want to get to know him better.”

“Well. Sure,” Henry says, because he cannot think of a single reasonable objection that a normal person would make. A normal person who’s not been harboring an ill-advised torch for his best friend for years. “Though,” he hedges, as if the thought’s just occurring to him, “I’m not sure he’s dating anyone at the moment.”

Henry would know if he is. In fact, according to Pez, the whole world would be hard-pressed not to notice because of the moods Henry gets in when it happens.

But it’s been well over a month now since his latest “little London fog,” as Pez calls it, so Henry mentions the idea to Alex as an afterthought, thinking there’s no real danger of him saying yes.

“Great!” says Alex brightly. “I’ll bring Yvette.”

He’ll bring fucking whom?

.

Yvette is a bloody knockout, of course.

Henry expects nothing less. Alex is only the most beautiful man who’s ever walked the planet, so it stands to reason that his date should look as she does.

The more unfortunate thing is that Yvette is also supremely likable. She’s warm, and funny, and seems to share Alex’s knack for livening up the conversation as though they’ve all been friends for years.

By all counts, the date should be a success. Henry laughs more than he thought he would and drinks far less than he thought he would need to. Alex is impressed by the food, which makes Henry feel absurdly pleased to have chosen this particular restaurant.

And, perhaps most importantly: because they’re seated at a round table with Alex angled off to his left, Henry hasn’t caught himself staring at him even once.

Perhaps he’s not so at risk of giving himself away as he’d thought.

.

The trouble, turns out, starts elsewhere.

The trouble is that Henry doesn’t have to be looking at Alex to be attuned to his every feeling and movement.

The way Alex’s knee keeps jittering under the table. The tic in his finger as he taps, then stills. Taps, then stills. The fact that he’s hardly stopped for a breath since they sat down.

He’s antsy, and miserable, but he’s trying so hard and his smile’s so vibrant that not a single person can tell. Not a one but Henry, and he needs to do something, needs Alex to know that he’s seen.

“Darling,” says Henry, without even thinking, and puts his hand on Alex’s wrist. Christ. Fuck. What did he say? What is he doing? But none of that seems to matter right now. “Are you all right?”

He feels Alex relax as though instantly calmed by that one simple touch, and Henry knows that if Alex hadn’t been all right before, he is more so now, somehow.

“Another round of drinks?” Henry asks the table, not even waiting, not even looking, before pulling Alex to his feet. “We’ll be right back.”

.

This is the difference between them. They both have their moods, but Henry wears his on his sleeve and has to shut himself away until it’s passed.

Alex, meanwhile, hides his in plain sight from most people, but Henry likes to think he’s not most people, and as soon as they’re at the bar out of earshot he looks Alex in the eye and says, “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Was it that obvious? Fuck.” Alex shakes his head. “It’s nothing, Hen, just—want to make a good first impression, you know?”

Henry’s brow furrows. He tells that jealous little twinge in his chest that now is not the time. “Is this your first date with Yvette or something?” No wonder he’s not heard of her earlier. “Christ, Alex, why didn’t you say so sooner? You didn’t have to come if you didn’t—”

Alex laughs under his breath for some reason. “We’re not dating.”

“You’re—what?”

“She’s a friend,” says Alex. “She’s helping me out. And if the lov—I mean, if my best friend’s boyfriend wants to meet me, I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

Henry’s chest is positively aching now. “He’s not my boyfriend,” he says, firmly despite how breathless he feels. “It’s not that dire, trust me. We’ve only been on, like, three dates before this one.”

“Oh.” Alex seems to process this. His expression looks lighter for just a split second before it gets all heavy again. “Well, if you’re wanting there to be a fifth, you should probably talk to him before it’s too late. Looks like he’s about to leave.”

Henry glances over his shoulder, and sighs. “I should probably talk to him, yeah.”

.

Gregory is putting his coat on as Henry walks over. They both muster up a small smile, Henry’s more rueful, Gregory’s resigned.

“I’m really sorry,” Henry says, and means it.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to make it into a thing,” Gregory says. “Unless you’re about to tell me to stay. That would be pushing it.”

“I’m not,” Henry admits. “What I did want to say is that—well, I haven’t been entirely honest with myself about what I want. Which means I haven’t been honest with you, and that’s not fair to you at all.”

Gregory nods. “I do like you, Henry. You deserve to be happy. And I deserve to not be the guy that you use as an excuse to keep standing in your own way.” He glances at Alex back at the bar. Yvette is there now too, flirting up a storm with the bartender.

“I wanted to get to know your best friend,” Gregory continues. “And now that I have, I can say that he’s a really lucky guy.” He gives Henry a meaningful look. “Even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

.

Alex straightens as Henry approaches the bar, an untouched whiskey in one hand. “What are you doing? I thought you were going to go talk to him.”

“I did.” Henry shrugs, and helps himself to Alex’s drink.

Alex is looking as though he’ll never again know happiness in this world. “I fucked things up for you, didn’t I. Fuck.”

“What? No,” says Henry, but Alex doesn’t seem to be listening. “Alex. Alex.”

“Do you want me to go talk to him? I can explain.” Alex runs a hand through his hair, sending his curls all breathtakingly askew.

He doesn’t even know, Henry marvels. He doesn’t even know.

“I mean, it’s not your fault that I—” Alex breaks off with a frustrated sigh before starting back up again. “I’ll tell him that you don’t feel the same way, and that I’m really fucking sorry I ruined your night with my—you know—feelings, and—”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Henry says.

Then he leans in and kisses him, because Alex is an unstoppable force, and this is the one place where Henry has not been brave enough to meet him, until now.

Alex goes quiet at last, save for the sigh he lets out as their lips part and his hands find Henry’s waist and pull in.

“Whoa,” he breathes after a moment. “Yeah, we gotta do that again.”

“Shh,” Henry murmurs, “we were doing so well.” He puts his hand on Alex’s nape, drawing him back in.

Alex kisses him back like it’s the only thing that centers him, the only thing that keeps him grounded, and Henry—well.

Henry can’t help but think that it feels a bit like flying, too.

[techtow]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart- Helen Keller

[multidimensionalguidance]

🌫️🌷Venus Observations #2 🌷🌫️

Venus and Neptune have a really interesting interaction when in aspect to each other, particularly with the conjunction, opposition, and square. It’s not that sextiles and trines are not important, but since they are softer, the energies tend to flow with more ease and therefore, less difficulties.

Venus is exalted in Pisces, so it would bring no surprise that individuals with this planetary aspect would display similar traits to the sign, if not maybe even stronger.

Natives with the strong aspects (preferably less that 6 orbs) are perceived as distinctively beautiful in some way. Not necessarily in a conventional way, but more so in their aura field, which then translates to the physical on some level. When Venus makes a strong aspect to the angles (specially ASC or MC) the native can be seen as classic beauties or it simply just draws a lot of judgment from others when it comes to their appearance or mannerisms. Venus with any other planet in general enhances and beautifies it. Pleasure becomes associated with the traits of the planet that its touching it.

When Venus meets Neptune, the planet that represents inspiration, spirituality, illusions, healing, and loss it causes the same effect but much stronger.

Therefore, these natives can find joy, pleasure or become enamored with the Neptunian topics mentioned above. Since Venus thrives the most in relationships that are inherently spiritual, “rose-colored”, or somewhat obscured from the public it encourages to only feel that inner harmony when love comes from a source that isn’t material or seen at all.

In essence we understand love to be a non-physical experience, even if we’re used to being brainwashed by the notion of pursuing this experience through physical or material experiences. The media tries to lead us to filling a void, that simply cannot ever feel complete without spiritual consciousness.

Venus in Pisces or Venus-Neptune natives despite being seen as those who foolishly and innocently love others almost to a detrimental level, understand this the most. They feel as if love can only be found in the moments that are filled with emotions and spiritual connections. A moment where the love they feel seems to be connected with everything, which it is, since the universe thrives when its in energetic harmony.

Does it mean these placements have an easy time simply because of its exaltation? Yes and no. They are given the blessing of finding beauty in everything, but that is exactly the same reason why they are prone to looking for love and beauty in all the “wrong” places. To them, there’s no such thing as an experience that can’t be filled with love and beauty. They will romanticize and beautify absolutely everything, including those who only wish to use them for their own benefit.

For example, if Neptune squares or opposes Venus, the person might choose the wrong partners in life and will tend to idealize them/not see them for who they really are.

At their most difficult moments they become victims of a lot of traumatic experience in love and struggle with understanding feminine energy (which is not exclusively related to gender), which can only be restored by recognizing that love truly lies within them, and in that which is the most connected to the universe, like nature. Many who have a harsh time with recognizing this can end up trying to transform themselves into a version they’ll love or others will, without noticing that they already embody that beautiful version they so desperately seek. They forget that their beauty truly comes from their own inner world and the amazing gifts that lie in there. They are creative geniuses, in every sense of the word. Similarly to Venus-Ketu/South Node natives.

I’ve personally noticed they tend to succumb to enhancing their bodies wether permanently or temporarily, as they initially may try to pursue their best outward self. They crave for others to see them, as they feel within.

It is advised for these natives to be extra careful when involved in romantic scenarios and with the uses of substances that can make them feel more connected to their inner world or the spiritual realm. You are already tied to the universe’s waves by nature, and without much effort. Instead of pouring the oceans of love you have to others all the time, do it instead consciously towards your passion, creativity, and those who are truly interested in your well being.

Note: Venus in the 12th house can also apply to this post to a certain extend.

[perfectfeelings]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

[cajon-desastre]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart

Helen Keller

[abiatackerman]

Saviour

Event: @levievent "Levi month 24"

⚔️ Day 8: Royalty AU ⚔️

Alternative Universe! Knight Levi X Earl Daughter Levi! Childhood sweethearts! First love! Fluff! Flashbacks! Several time slips! 2K words!

🎨 Artist: @rodio_se_mis on twitter! 🎨

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

It's cold.... So cold that if the sharp wind somehow touches your skin directly, it will freeze your blood circulation. Due to this horrible weather, everyone is staying inside their houses, warming themselves up and chattering with their families.

Except for one kid.....

A kid, who looks like he's probably six years old, is walking pathetically against the angry wind, wearing nothing but a dirty cloth and blanket. Nothing is coming out of his mouth other than "Save my mum". He desperately tries to walk but the wind gets angrier and crushes against him with full force making his weak slender frame fall on the snow covered road.

The kid sighs and looks up at the sky which cannot be seen anymore due to the snow. The kid's been so scared from the moment when he noticed his mother wasn't responding to him. He couldn't even think that she has died. She can't because she knows he has no one in this world without him.

The kid has tried, tried to call for help but it seems like no one could even hear his weak knocks or sobs due to the intense blow of the sharp-cold wind. But he tried his best, ignoring his hunger because saving his mum was the most important thing.

But now, he has given up.

He sighs again, closing his eyes. Losing all his strength, he just lets the cold wind and snow devour him until......

"Wake up... Please wake up...."

A gentle melodic voice tries to wake him up and something warm wraps around him, pulling him out of his fainted state. He opens his eyes and stares at someone unknown who's crying but smiles immediately when he opens his eyes.

She's a kid, just like him.

But prettier, wealthier, healthier. Her clothes and face tells that......

"Down to earth, knight Levi!"

Levi blinks to push away the traumatising memory and smiles at the beautiful girl who runs towards him and hugs him tightly.

The girl, who saved him that night. An Earl's daughter who is as kind as an angel and luckily was passing by Levi and noticed him from her carriage. She was only four years old back then but still she stopped the carriage and jumped out of it, ran towards Levi and hugged him tightly. She was crying and trying desperately to save Levi.

Well, he was saved but his mother wasn't. She was gone long before Levi could even realise....

"Your mother is probably so proud of you! You have awarded as the best knight of the kingdom! I'm so proud of you too!"

Your eyes tear up with happiness and you hug Levi tightly, burying your face in his neck. Levi chuckles and caresses your hair.

You were always like this, kind and soft. Levi remembers how you cried when the doctor of your family declared that Levi's mother was gone. How you begged your dad to adopt Levi. And luckily your dad was a kind Earl. He took Levi under his wings, made arrangements for his studies and sword training. The results? He has become the best knight of the kingdom.

"It's all because of you."

Levi says softly as you wipe your tears and look at him.

"Right, I taught you how to use swords... So funny, Levi."

Levi smiles softly as he cups your face in his hands.

"Because you saved me that day."

You smile widely and hug Levi again.

"Do you know what it means? You'll be working for the king from now on. You won't stay with us anymore."

You sigh and remove his hands from your cheeks.

"I'll miss you so damn much."

You mumble and Levi sighs. Of course, now that he has been selected as the strongest knight, he has to work for the king's safety. In other words he'll become the king's bodyguard.

He doesn't want that! He doesn't want to leave your side. You're his saviour, his first friend, his angel, his one and only love.....

"I can deny the king's invitation if you...."

Before he can even finish his sentence you stop him by placing your hands on his mouth. You smile.

"No way! I want you to become the best knight ever. You'll make me proud, right?"

You remove your hand from his mouth and he smiles softly.

"Is that even a question?"

⚔️Time skip⚔️

"Congratulations, Levi. You've done a great job again. Your fighting skills are amazing, we have won this battle too."

The king pats Levi's shoulder proudly as Levi kneels down in front of him. The king smiles.

"Rise, my knight. I have something to discuss with you."

Levi stands up and waits for the king to speak.

"Well, it's been almost five years, right? You've been away from the earl's territory? Why don't you go and visit them?"

Levi's heart thumps with excitement. Going back means he'll be able to see you. God, it's been so long.

"If that's what you want, your highness."

Levi speaks in his usual calm voice and the king nods. He sits one of the royal chairs made for him and sips his wine.

"Also, I want you to deliver a news to that family. I want their daughter as my brother's wife, they'll be a great match."

Levi blinks. The king wants you to marry the crown prince. Levi has spent a lot of time with the crown prince since they're both share same age so he knows that the crown prince is a nice person. Though he's a bit rude and dominating, he respects women and moreover Levi knows he'll treat you well. And knowing both of you, he can't help but agree with the king that you both will make a great couple. You both will like each other.

But why is his heart aching? Why does he want it not to happen? He's not a person who has anything to say here. After all it means you're well. Then why?

Only because he's selfish. Because he loves you. Because he doesn't want anyone else to take you away from him. But he also knows that he has no rights to keep you to himself. He should egarly let you marry the crown prince. He should let you be happy and safe. He should return the favour of you saving him.

He smiles bitterly in his mind.

"As you wish, your majesty."

⚔️ Time skip ⚔️

The more steps Levi's horse takes towards your mansion, the faster Levi's heart beats. It's been so long since he last saw you... He can't wait to see you again. You're probably prettier than before, smarter than before, sweeter than before!

But the question is do you still share the same friendly feeling you used to back then? His heart aches with uncertainty as he rides his horse faster.

Doesn't matter, you'll get married to someone else anyway.

The huge gate of the mansion opens as the guards bow respectfully at him. Some of the maids look at him secretly and drool over his handsome features. He gets off his horse and hands it to one of the guards as he walks towards the main entrance of the palace. His steps are firm, his aura is clearly showing off his confidence and strength. But everything vanishes when he sees you.

You've gotten taller, so is your hair. You have become more womanly, your curves are more attractive than before but that doesn't matter.....

He stopped in his tracks because you're currently running towards him, with tears in your eyes, smiling sweetly as ever as you jump on him and hug his neck tightly.

"Levi!"

You breathe heavily, burying your face in his neck not caring about the pain you're feeling because of crashing with his armour.

Levi's arms instinctively wrap around you as he breaths heavily, filling his nostrils with your scent. He chuckles, after such a long time.

"Don't hurt yourself, doll. I'm dangerous."

He says and pulls away from you. You chuckle widely.

"I don't care. Anyways, let's go inside. You must be tired."

⚔️ Time skip ⚔️

Levi keeps laying on the bed silently as he keeps looking up at the ceiling blankly. He has already informed your parents about the king's proposal and as expected they're happy about it. Levi doesn't know if you're happy or not because he didn't see your reaction, he just talked to your parents.

He sighs and sits up on the bed. His body is bare and he absent-mindedly caresses the scar on his chest. Suddenly he freezes as he hears his room's door opening.

Well normally Levi would have been attacked the person by now but it's your footsteps. He's very familiar with this sound because when you guys were younger it was a regular thing for you two to sneak into each other's room. He chuckles.

You enter his room with a sweet smile and close the door. Levi's breath hitches as he notices how sexy you look in the nightgown. The last time he saw you, you were sixteen. And now you're 21. Youth has done a terrifying beautiful thing to you, giving you a dangerous body which every man craves.

Levi notices you eyeing his bare body as your cheeks flush a little. And his own intense stare isn't helping either. He can tell it's rising your hormones up.

"You shouldn't be here."

Levi says calmly as you glare at him.

"Oh yes I can be! It's my mansion. You're the guest!"

You say in a firm tone and sit on the bed. You wrap your arms around your legs and place your jaw on your knees.

"What's wrong?"

Levi asks worriedly. He hasn't forgotten, it's a pose you make when you're sad.

"I don't wanna marry the crown prince."

You reply weakly.

"I wanna marry you."

Levi freezes. His heart starts to beat fast and his brain goes blank. He never expected you to have feelings for him so he doesn't know how to respond.

Though this is the only thing he ever wanted.

"Hey Levi...."

Levi blinks as you call his name softly. You smile and lean towards him.

"I've always liked you, you know.... You're my first love but... I didn't stop you back then because I didn't wanna be selfish. I have always wanted your well but...."

You take a deep breath and look into his eyes.

"I can't marry someone else when I love you. How can I be that unfaithful? But I'll totally understand if you don't have the same feelings......"

Before you can finish your sentence Levi presses his lips against yours, suddenly but gently. He grips your neck softly, tugging you towards him. He whispers against your lips as he keeps kissing you softly.

"I fell in love with you at the first sight, y/n. But since I was young it took me some time to understand the feeling. I'm only alive because of you, and I worked hard only because I wanted to be perfect for you."

He pulls away as he tucks your hair behind your ear and smiles.

"I didn't say anything because I thought I'm not worthy enough. Also I never imagined you would share the same feelings. I always wanted your well too. That's why I thought about burying my love for you and letting you get married to the crown prince but....."

Levi leans forward and whispers in your ear.

"Now that I know you love me, there's no going back. I've always fought throughout my life and I'll fight for you."

He says and presses a soft kiss on your neck making you shiver.

"Then let's run away.... Save me from this situation."

You whisper and hug his bare body.

"My family will understand. The crown prince is nice so I hope he'll understand too.... I'll write them letters. But for now.... Be my saviour, take me away from here!"

You plead, cupping his face and he kisses your palm. A smile creeps up on his face making you shiver in anticipation.

"As you order, my princess."

[becasworldsstuff]

Can i please request a romantic Simon Basset x OC/reader fic? Simon being completely in love with her since they were young, but since his father told him to go away, they separated. They met again.

-> Pairings: Simon basset x reader

-> warnings: none

Simon basset and miss l/n had always been friends, thing caused by her bubbly nature that could outshine the sun even in an August day. She was the only one with whom he could talk without stuttering, he felt at ease and nothing could really make him sad if she was near him. Her presence as a reminder that not all in life was sad and angry at him, that not everyone was disappointed in him, on the contrary she never made him feel bad about himself.

When the old duke of Hastings sent his son away due to the problems he was causing to his own mental health, the two were separated, nothing in means of letters or visits between the two for years if not the memories captured together and the burning sensations in the part of their body that the other touched, or the single pink flower dried out inside Skmon's favorite book that she gifted him as a reminder of the beauty hidden behind fragilness. Both the young hearts were left shattered thinking they would never see each other ever again.

But in his drawer were piled up letters written in his best calligraphy and on the best paper money could buy, for his best friend and little piece of heaven, who had been his own safe place in the mess his childhood had been.

It was her who motivated him enough to return to his old house when the man died, and he found her on the steps of his big place, with glimmering eyes and the brightest smile that ever existed. He stopped in front of her with his mouth that had gone dry, she had grown into the most exquisite young lady he had ever seen or imagined to lay eyes on, his eyes widened and his hands were begging for something to grasp onto to not loose balance while she watched him, she took one step forward and his heart skipped a beat. Even if he only realized now he could pinpoint her as the only woman in his life to which he could ever truly love, but he stayed silent, catching up with her like old times, not stuttering like when they were just little kids playing in the garden not caring about duties.

The days passed and the season started, now miss l/n obviously came from a very wealthy family and her kindness and beauty were known upon the society, but this was her first season, and her older brother and father refused to give away such a perfect girl to anyone so, when they catched up with the Duke longing stares they decided to talk to him, a man of honor, well bred, wealthy. Simon never in his life thought that he deserved for his dreams to become reality but he knew he was a duke and her best solution to this world of strange couples, so he was the one to go talk to her father, asking him her hand in marriage and bowing down on one knee with watering eyes as he proclaimed his love to her:

" never had I ever experienced such strong emotions nor strange feelings, my stomach flutters and my troath goes dry as if I was denying myself with water for you, you make my heart stop and the dream of seeing you walk down the aisle to me has been my favorite image for my life. So please accept my undying love for you because I cannot breathe if I'm not near you, neither I can eat or drink or sleep away from you, you are my sun and my moon and every single star in the sky, my whole body was created to match yours and my core only exists to love you and adore you, you make me burn like I was in a fire that cannot die. So please do me the honor and let me make you the duchess of Hastings "

Her response was awaited from the ball room that had just seen him pacing in front of the doors before barging in and stopping the dance that was occurring at the time, she held her breath and nodded slowly while forcing herself to blink as I'd to make herself realize that that moment was true.

[thoughtkick]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

[harmoonix]

Quotes for your Moon Sign ❣️

╚════•| ✿ |•════╝

Scorpio Moon, Gemini Moon, Leo Moon, Taurus Moon/ Moon in the 8th/3rd/5th/2nd houses

Your Quote is:

1. "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart"

2. "You need to value your emotions and give yourself the gift of being emotionally alive"

Virgo Moon, Cancer Moon, Sagittarius Moon, Aquarius Moon/ Moon in the 6th/4th/9th/11th houses:

Your Quote is:

1 ."Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

2. "Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion."

Libra Moon, Capricorn Moon, Aries Moon, Pisces Moon/Moon in the 7th/10th/1st/12th houses

Your Quote is:

1. "The universe will respond more to what you are feeling than what you are thinking"

2. "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”

╚════•| ✿ |•════╝

~ Harmoonix❤️

[embeccy]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.

- Helen Keller

[allykatsart]

(In your mortal radi au) Does pk miss the white lady, did he go to the garden to see/serch her ?

I know that she isn't the most important character but still....

Does he even love her anymore ?

Mortal Radiance AU

These are some good questions, and they actually got me thinking a lot. I didn't really include the White Lady in my story or touch on her much. I did have one comic idea with her but it got cut to keep the story from veering off track.

Now that I'm done, though.... This is a very fascinating question.

(5 days later)

Slams paper on table

HEY SO I WROTE A THING

I am ill for weeks after I am pulled back into reality. Something about all my pieces not quite being together means I take longer to recover than She did. She tells me that it is fine, that I need to recover my strength so I can work. We still have many graves yet to dig. She will shoulder the burden for this little while.

I am told my children are informed of my new existence, though none have visited. And I do not leave to visit them. Two of them terrify me, though for vastly different reasons, and the thought of meeting again with my daughter troubles me.

When I can finally get out of bed without assistance, I do not go see her, however. I go see my Lady.

It is hard navigating without being everywhere at once. I know the path to my Lady's garden intimately, but the path is far more difficult than I recall. Greenpath, surely, has had no caretakers, so runs rampant with overgrowth. The thorns catch on my robe and tear at my skin.

I bleed something dark and smokey.

I try not to think about it too much.

My Lady's branches spill out above the entrance to her hideaway. The corpse of brave Dryya. Once a friend, now only a carcass decorating my Lady's garden. Old blood coats her blade and shell. Even in death, she seems stalwart.

I am stalling.

The White Lady stirs as I enter her chamber. Her eyes, once the purest blue eyes I have ever seen, are clouded now. She wears age like a shawl, it weighs on her shoulders and bunches up around her neck. Her face, once pale and youthful, now is tired and wrinkled. Yet, there is a beauty there of which I could never seem to word. A thousand poets could never do her justice. I should know, I have had them try.

"Child? Is that you again?" Her voice is as I recalled, and a sharp pain creases my soul. I will never again be able to call back to her.

She has bound herself, so I move forward until I am right under her. Still, her cloudy eyes do not recognize me at first, and I cannot blame her for it. Not for the first time, I wish the vessel had left me my voice. There are so many things I could say to her, so many words that now I will never be able to reach.

My Lady's eyes finally find my hollow sockets, and she gasps. It is a small thing, barely audible, but in the silence of our meeting I know to look for it. There is a moment between us of unspeakable agony.

"You." The Pale Queen finally breathes the world, and it breaks the aching quiet.

I put a hand on her bindings, 'Me' I wish I could say.

There are so many words I wish I could say. There is so much between us. Good and bad in equal measure. It has been years since we have been face to face, and I thought it would never again happen. I find myself unprepared for this moment.

She does not need my reply. My Lady knows me better than I know myself sometimes. She smiles, though it never quite reaches her eyes.

"You are smaller than I remember."

I laugh, as best I can laugh anyways. I point to her, and gesture that it is perhaps she who has grown taller. It takes her a moment to understand, but the chuckle I earn fills what is left of my soul with joy.

"Perhaps." She concedes, "I have grown much, and still have much to grow still."

Her eyes dim suddenly at that, and she looks around.

"Where is our child?" She asks at last, voice soft and weathered.

I tell her, as best I can, that I do not know. That I came to see her. I expect this to lift her spirits. It does not.

"Did you see this outcome?" She asks.

I pause for a moment. There is much to that question that I do not know. In part, it is hard to remember what it was like. How did I describe it to my daughter? Like a great root that I scuttled across, observing paths unseen to most.

I shake my head. It is too slow and uncertain for my own liking. But it is as much of the truth as I can muster.

There is a long silence that follows. I have gotten used to those, especially with Her. She rarely talks to me at all. So I wait for my Lady's response with all the patience that I have learned.

"Was it worth it?"

Her voice is so soft when she speaks, like it could crack under the gentlest of touches. Delicate, and heartbroken. With four words I can feel what little ground we shared start to shatter.

"Was any of this worth it, I wonder?" She continues, "I do not think I know anymore."

And there is a gap between us. An aching maw of a chasm that threatens to swallow us whole. I want to cross it. I want to reassure her that we had done our best, that we were not to blame.

Yet the words I was once so masterful with are gone now. The voice I would use to soothe and heal her pain now is no more. So there is silence.

Anything I would say to her would be a lie, anyways.

[raguonmynieceandnephew]

I fucking love Shadowlands and I am tired of being silent

This is probably gonna be long. TL;DR at the end.

Look, Shadowlands is the second worst expansion this game has ever shipped, besides WoD. I know this is a WILD opening sentence for a defense argument, but I am a romantic, not fucking delusional. This is a fact. Point blank period. The content drought was absurd, the legendary system was completely fucked, the maw in general, the lore reduced Arthas and Garrosh quite literally to dust, The Jailer as the main villain and FUCKING THORGAST, the overall alt unfriendliness, borrowed power cranked to a million, and I have expressed how much of a fucking joke I think putting Pelagos as the new Arbriter was.

It was bad.

This has been stablished, not just by me, but by the entirety of the wow community.

But even though I agree, all these things made the game worse, I still enjoyed my experience, and I have a positive outlook on the expansion overall, which seems to be the greatest sin a World of Warcraft player can commit: I liked Shadowlands. I dare to say I liked it more than I did Dragonflight, if I think really hard about it.

You simply cannot say you liked Shadowlands in the any circle of the WoW community online, from what I have seen. I remember Kraken Latte put it in first place in a rank she made of all expansions and got shit on for days on twitter, with people failing to see what she saw in the game.

Now, I feel like I have pointlessly yapping till now, so without further ado, here are some of the Shadowlands features i like the most:

1 - THREADS OF FATE

I am a simple man, who likes to do 2 things in wow: Mythic+ and leveling. That is pretty much it. I don't PvP, I rarely raid and I occasionally indulge in RPing as a Tidesage on Moonguard. And let me tell you, this baby right here was lifechanging.

Threads of Fate is by far, the single best feature (before Warbands, lol) in my entire World of Warcraft experience. I loved it. I loved it dearly. I don't think I have ever had so much fun leveling 60-70 through Revendreth and Ardenweald with ToF. I still have the route I took memorized, it was SO good. So many bonus objectives back to back to back, world quests and that goddamn gorgeous blue forest had the FATTEST questing hubs in the game.

I was so excited to play this combined with Chromie Time, like IT WAS ON BETA, until it was ruthlessly taken away from me for no goddamn reason AT ALL. Like, what the actual fuck blizzard. Y'all don't understand how delightful it would have been to level like that in ardenweald in the mid thirty levels, right after clearing Loch Modan (or the Silverspine and Hillsbrad, for horde). I barely touched SL since it got removed.

BRING IT BACK BLIZZARD, I AM BEGGING YOU, JUST DO THIS ONE SOLID FOR ME.

2 - COVENANT CALLINGS

Speaking of features I thoroughly enjoyed that were pried from my hands, we have the best iteration of daily quests this game has ever had. They actually worked as good dailies that gave actual gold, was a good reliable source of reputation and was amazing for anima and cosmetics.

This + the recent nerfs to the Dragonracing WQs make me feel like blizzard doesn't like when players make their gold independently, like, jesus christ not all of us have time to be profession moguls.

3 - THE 4 ZONES

What inspired this post was the fact that SL raids are now on legacy loot (if you didn't know, now you do) and I had to go to Bastion to buy the weapons with the thingy that drops from Nathria and...look at this. Just look at this.

This place is one of the most beautiful things this game has to offer. Like, the entire zone is gorgeous byt seeing this for the first time since DF came out legit moved me bro, LOOK AT IT.

And while the covenants were kind of a shit show gameplay-wise, in EVERY SINGLE OTHER ASPECT, it was a 10/10 feature, argue with your mom. Aesthetics, themes, everything, simply gorgeous. Also, it got bonus points from me bcs i really do not like to use training dummies in current expansions because of the sheer amount of people blasting them at any given time, so each covenant having their own Dummy Room, was a ++++ for me.

4 - THE NECROLORDS OF MALDRAXXUS

The Necrolords were the best covenant, their campaign was the best and their characters were the best. Like, come on now.

Draka? Mother. Vashj? Mother. Emeni? Mother. Sin'dane? Mother Stradama? Grandmother. Like, are you kidding me? I know lore was one of the Weakest points of SL overall, but you are insane if you include anything involving these guys. Even the Korthia campaign was enjoyable when they had the spotlight. And I only listed the female characters lmao, don't forget The Primus, Krexus's meme death, the five houses, Morgraine, Grahmal, Marileth, like C'MON!

5 - THE DUNGEONS

Except for the Theater of Pain, and arguably the De Other Side (I personaly love it), Shadowlands has the best overall roster of dungeons in the entire game.

Sanguine Dephts is, in my opinion the second best dungeon in WoW, period, behind only Freehold, Tazavesh is the best Mega Dungeon they ever made. Mists is a banger, Plaguefall is a banger except for the tentacles, Halls of Atonement, Spires (controversial take, ik), Necrotic Wake is amazing, like, you can say whatever you want about SL, but you cannot talk shit about its dungeon design.

Except ToP.

Fuck ToP.

Now, it's getting late so imma speedrun the rest of the items:

6 - COSMETICS

SL changed the transmog game, and all cosmetics from it (all the mounts and sets from all sources) look phenomenal, and if you disagree you are simply lying to yourself.

7 - ZERETH MORTIS

The zone was good and had tons of stuff to do and collect, plus, the introduction to the Catalysts was a plus.

also, nothing will be funnier than Taelia fucking Fordragon being the talking quest bubble for WQs in THE REALM OF ULTRA DEATH

8 - RAIDS

CN: Vibes? Immaculate. SoD: Horrible systems, cool mechanics SoFO: Cool systems, mid mechanics overall a positive for me

9 - CHARACTERS

Already mentioned a lot of characters from Maldraxxus, here are my other faves: Lady Moonberry, the gay unicorm, Denathrius, Theothar, basically ever steward, The Accuser, Kael'thas, General Draven, Remornia and many more.

There are probably more reasons to list to justify my love for SL despite all the bad it has in it, but I simply do not have the mental fuel to keep going rn, i need sleep.

TL;DR: I like Shadowlands despite it being bad and would appreciate it if ppl didn't throw a fit everytime someone talks about it in any sort of positive light. I then listed Threads of Fate, Callings, the first 4 zones, dungeon design, the fuckton of collectibles, characters and the beginning of the shift in game philosophy as positive and valid reasons to be a SL enjoyer.

[stay-close]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

[queenrs23love]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

[petaltexturedskies]

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

[dia-souls]

DIABOLIK LOVERS DAYLIGHT Analyzes [ Vol. 5 Sakamaki Kanato]

Original title: ワガママ

Source: Diabolik Lovers Daylight Vol. 5 Sakamaki Kanato

Seiyuu: Kaji Yuki

Analyze by: Admin Afra

Admin's note: I'm not a big Kanato fan so I wasn't too excited about this CD. With all due respect to all Kanato fans, I never expected much character development from this guy. I mean, you can't expect much from a boy who screams and shouts all the time. But I congratulate you. Despite being creepy, Kanato appeared really well at the end of this CD, and at least he can express his true feelings, which should be appreciated. Because there is this Kanato in every sort. Right?

What could be more beautiful with Kanato than a tea party with dolls? To be one of the dolls.

I think this can be expected from Kanato. I mean, Kanato has turned a lot of brides of previous victims into dolls and he's happy with that, but playing and drinking tea with Yui's corpse is different for him.

Why doesn't Yui show him any reaction? Why doesn't he smile or say thank you? The answer is very simple, a doll or a dead body cannot smile and say thanks.

This is something that bothers Kanato. Why is Kanato upset about this? Wasn't Yui's blood the only important thing for him? So what does it matter if Yui dies and doesn't smile at him?

I like to think of these flashbacks as a Yui-less life experience for the boys. We can clearly see how Yui's absence bothers them.

The flashback ends and Kanato and Yui's daily life begins with Kanato's bad mood. Are you surprised?

For Kanato, Yui's ruling is an asset. The property that belongs to him completely and no one should touch her. So if Kanato sees Yui with one of his brothers, even if nothing special happened between them and it was just a simple conversation, it means the end of the world.

This small issue makes Kanato angry and I must warn that this boy's anger is playing with fire. He can simply express his anger in the most brutal way possible and I really wonder how Yui handles this. You have to be very smart and brave to deal with a nervous Kanato because there is a 90% chance of death.

It's not really surprising that Kanato punishes Yui after seeing her talking to Reiji. The first thing that comes to his mind is that Reiji has sucked her blood.

Therefore, it is natural that if Yui says that she is feeling sick, Kanato will think that it is due to anemia and think that Reiji has sucked her blood. He likes to make Yui look guilty all the time. Or rather, Kanato cannot believe Yui's innocence. Maybe he doesn't trust her, and this is understandable for him and all his brothers. Their past has made them see all women as the same and cannot trust them. Even if Yui screams that she is innocent, Kanato doesn't want to believe her. Maybe even Kanato himself knows that Yui is innocent but he is afraid of making her look innocent. In my opinion he is not a simple character and it is impossible to understand what is going on in his mind. While he can act like a spoiled child, he can also be extremely clever and cunning.

Somehow I'm sure Kanato knows Yui is innocent, that's why he forgave Yui with just a simple apology. Well, if you want my opinion, I would say that if Kanato is sure that Yui is doing something against his will, he will punish her severely. This is Kanato's way of mastering Yui. Kanato just wants Yui's attention and he used this issue as an excuse so that Yui would pay more attention to him to make up for a sin she did not commit.

Something Kanato had never seen from his mother was motherly love. That is why he asks Yui for this love. He asks Yui to hug him and pat his head like a mother and bake him sweets. This is exactly what Kanato wished to experience with Cordelia. But he could not, for this reason, he returns his harshness and mistrust to Yui and asks for her love.

So we understand that all this is an excuse for Kanato to experience with Yui what he wished to experience as a child.

Poor Yui. She certainly tried her best to please Kanato, but surely she cannot please him all the time with the bad situation she is in. Yui is so strong that despite her illness, she decided to make sweets for Kanato.

But in the end, illness is something that, unlike Kanato's anger, Yui cannot overcome, and in the end it kills het. But does Kanato understand this? Of course not. It's as if Kanato didn't care what happened to Yui, he just wants whatever he wants to be prepared as soon as possible and doesn't care about Yui's bad condition at all.

Kanato doesn't want to believe Yui's illness and wants to blame her anyway even for getting sick. For this reason, he again relates her illness to anemia and sucking her blood to others.

But how will Kanato react when he finds out that Yui will die soon? Like the rest of his brother, Kanato is not mature enough to look for a solution and tries to just deny it. Well, we can analyze this as Kanato is afraid of Yui's death and doesn't want to believe it. It's a simple solution to deal with something that you're terribly afraid of.

Kanato has realized that he needs Yui and he can't live without her, but he doesn't want to accept this, so instead of showing how much he needs Yui, he tries to pull Yui to a path where Yui admits that she needs Kanato. This is what Kanato fears. He is afraid of being dependent on another person. That's why he doesn't even allow Yui to talk about death. Because it is easy to understand that this is a truth about Yui. Even if the disease doesn't kill Yui, she will die one day because she is human and not immortal like vampires.

So when Yui says she's going to die soon, Kanato yells that Yui has no right to talk about that.

But will Kanato find a solution to cure Yui? Of course not. Kanato goes on a new hunt to prove to both Yui and himself that Yui is not special to him. Neither she nor her blood therefore seeks someone whose blood is as sweet as Yui's and Kanato makes sure that he is not even dependent on Yui's sweet blood.

It is clear that Kanato has accepted the truth without realizing it and is now trying to deny it. Kanato is not honest with himself.

As Kanato himself admitted, he closed his eyes and ears to the truth and imprisoned him so that Yui would surrender and deny the truth.

Kanato asks himself why did I do this? Why didn't I try to do something despite the abnormal condition of her heart? Because even he did not want to accept the truth.

Kanato also asks Yui to lie. He asks her to say that she is not going to die. Kanato simply asks her to pay attention to no one and nothing but him. He wants Yui to tell him that she is by her side forever, even though he knows it's a lie.

Yui could never have imagined that Kanato's love for her is so great, and honestly, I give her the right. Because if someone keeps telling me that your value is only in your blood and not more, I will come to the conclusion that my only value is for my partner is only blood, not myself.

That's why Yui said that Kanato can easily replace her. Yui has no idea how much Kanato hates the idea. She simply wants Kanato to be happy and not worry about losing her prized prey.

It bothers Kanato why Yui thinks Kanato wants to replace her. Kanato is mostly annoyed by the fact that he thinks Yui doesn't need him at all. He wants Yui to be in need and love him and even jealous of the thought that she is going to be replaced. Kanato doesn't want to show Yui that he is the one who needs Yui. That's why he decides to stay away from Yui for a while so that Yui pleads to him that she needs him even if it means that he himself will suffer from this separation.

Kanato's restlessness after leaving Yui is completely understandable. He left her without his heart's desire and just to deny his need for Yui, but he can't bear to be away from her.

Yui only cares about his partner's happiness. That's why she's not afraid of her own death and her only concern is Kanato's happiness, that's why Yui smiles instead of being jealous when Kanato tells her there are many alternatives for you. Yui's heart seems to have calmed down and she is relieved that her loved one is happy. Because this is the only thing that matters to her.

But that doesn't make Kanato happy. He can now clearly see that Yui doesn't need him at all, but that he is dependent on her, and he can't bear to live without Yui.

This might be the hardest thing Kanato has to do, but this distance doesn't make Yui turn to him or admit she needs him, it only makes Kanato more mad. Because as he said, Yui is the only thing he has. Yui is the only burden left in this world for him.

The tea party was for Kanato to finally confess to Yui. He admits that he needs her and doesn't want to live without her, but it was too late because Yui had decided to end her life with poison.

It is understandable why Yui decided to commit suicide. It means Yui was alive with love for Kanato. But she only wanted Kanato's happiness and when she was sure about this, she must have come to the conclusion that she has no more duties and responsibilities in this world and it is better to end her life as soon as possible.

But this was not what Kanato wanted. Kanato wanted Yui to admit that she loved Kanato as much as Kanato loved her. There are thousands of people like Yui, but none of them are Yui. Kanato can't imagine a world without Yui and that's what he finally admits.

Cordelia's heart brought Yui back to life and now it took her life. Many people say that Cordelia's heart kept Yui alive but let's be honest. If Yui's special personality and kind and golden heart, none of these boys, especially Kanato, would have ever admitted that I can't bear the world without you. Preys can be replaced, but not Yui. Because Yui is not prey for them. She is their love and life.

We can see why Kanato never turned Yui into a doll. Yui was a sacrificial bride and the prey was worthless to them just like the previous sacrificial brides. None of the previously sacrificed brides were important to Kanato, so Kanato turned them into dolls.

But why didn't Kanato do this to Yui? Yui was also a sacrificial bride and a worthless prey. Why didn't Kanato do that?

You can clearly see it in this section. Kanato is playing with Yui's motionless corpse just like a doll. But this doll does not smile at him. She does not speak his name and cannot make him happy with the warmth of her love and caress him in her warm arms.

Yui always smiled at him no matter how hard she was but this doll couldn't smile and make Kanato happy. The only one who could do that was Yui.

This is the karma that Kanato received. The girl who always begged him and he never listened and now it's Yui who doesn't listen to him.

Kanato apologizes to Yui because now he can understand how much she's been in pain, although it's too late and I doubt Yui can forgive him, but he hopes for Yui's kind heart.

Yui's return to life is a miracle for Kanato. He no longer wants to lose the reason for his life.

I'm glad to see a mature behavior from Kanato at the end. This brat boy has really improved and I am very proud of him. I'm sure Yui is a very special person who was able to change even Kanato.

And finally we hear Kanato's confession that Yui and her life are precious to Kanato and Kanato doesn't want to lose Yui.

Yui used to be a prey for him, but now this prey has become his most valuable possession. Kanato and she both lived in the same world, a world that Kanato used to see as ordinary, but thanks to Yui, he now sees it as beautiful. Because Yui is with him and as long as Yui is with him, his life and the world he lives in are beautiful.