#a song for winter's night

[thewatcher0nthewall]

"Dance with me then"

[thingsmk1120sayz]

Home - Goo Goo Dolls

[queen-helaenas-pet-spider]

TWOW Jon Snow @ The Night’s Watch If He Wakes Up And Can't Instantly Spot His Femboy Steward/Squire And Their Puppy:

[barnesafterglow]

night shift

summary: your growing fame becomes too much for bucky

pairing: actor!bucky barnes x singer!reader

word count: 2k

warnings: fame au, dual pov, unreliable narrators, idk how the grammys work (clearly), angst angst angst, steve is a good friend, bucky is Going Thru It, if you think this is joe + taylor coded you're prob right, directly inspired by night shift by lucy dacus

a/n: yearly fic, dedicated to new lovers

masterlist - i no longer have a tag list but you can follow @theafterglowlibrary to get updates! 🤍

You shoved him off of you, heart racing, breaths coming fast. You had said Bucky’s name, had whispered it in your most intimate moment, and now you needed to leave.

You said nothing else, gathering up your clothes and pulling them on as quickly as you could.

“Wha-”

The door slammed behind you, cold winter winds whipping around you as you realized you’d left your jacket on the hook by the door. It was your favorite, but one you were okay sacrificing as long as you didn’t have to face your embarrassment anymore.

Huffing a breath you could see in front of your face, you called an Uber - at least you had remembered your phone - and paced anxiously a block away from his building, hoping and praying he wouldn’t follow you out.

The entire ride home your mind spiraled until you turned off your phone, terrified this would make headlines already and, let’s be honest, no one would be surprised if it did. You hated that was the life you lived. As if your breakup with Bucky hadn’t already been tabloid fodder for weeks now, the public speculating every detail and warping every comment and photo posted. You had taken to keeping off social media altogether in the time since, trying to disguise your outings as much as possible and take back alleys to recordings and friends’ houses.

Your biggest supporter through all of this, surprisingly, had been Steve - Bucky’s best friend. He hadn’t been your friend first, sure, but he had become like a brother to you nonetheless, and he knew the situation better than anyone. You knew he still talked to Bucky just the same and, while that stung a little, you couldn’t fault him for being there for his childhood best friend too.

Which is how you ended up outside his apartment the very next morning, clad in your typical-as-of-late attire of a hoodie and a hat and sunglasses. It was also how you came face to face with Bucky for the first time since that fateful night.

“I didn’t come to sit here and watch you stare at your feet, James.” You stood from his couch, starting to seethe with pent up anger from your gradually failing relationship, all to end up here. What did he want? To absolve his guilt and shake hands and everything would be fine?

No. You had been the victim of his petty remarks and anxious jealousy for so long. You wouldn’t let him think he deserved your time when he didn’t respect the person you had become. 

Your anger flashed back to the week before, the last time you had been seen out in public together as he was breaking up with you at your favorite coffee shop, where he had paid for your drink and you gave him a hesitant kiss, even though you knew it was inevitably coming. He had led you to a table in the corner and proceeded to tell you that he was sorry but he couldn’t do this anymore, it was too much for him - you were too much for him. Okay. That’s all you said was “okay” before you pushed out of the chair and walked around the city until the sun went down.

By the time you got home that night, the headlines were already speculating your breakup, though neither of you had yet to shed a single tear.

-

Bucky blinked as you shuffled on Steve’s doorstep, eyes wide and contemplating the quickest escape. He didn’t blame you.

He had admittedly not handled your breakup the best; in fact, he regretted it almost immediately at the stricken look on your face, clearly not expecting it. He didn’t blame you for that, either, seeing as it had slipped out in a moment of panic.

You had gained a lot of fame over the course of your relationship, even more than him, and he didn’t quite know how to cope with it. And so the words had poured out, unable to be taken back, and here you were, weeks later, still at odds.

He thought every night of how to make it up to you. Public displays weren’t your thing and you had blocked his number the night of your big fight, so that was out of the question, and he didn’t fancy showing up to your house only to have the door slammed in his face either.

But now, now maybe that you were here on the most neutral ground you could stand on, maybe he could keep his foot out of his mouth and apologize. Words stirred in his hindsight, unable to string together a coherent sentence as your face morphed through the stages of grief in record time. Then, just as he was about to speak, Steve placed a hand on his shoulder and gently guided him back into the house. Relief flooded your face as you drifted out of his sight, and he realized this probably wasn’t going to be as easy to take back as he thought.

“Buck,” Steve said as the two of them turned around the corner. “You need to leave.”

Bucky felt his face do something awful, a mixture of confusion and guilt, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. He simply nodded and kept his head down as he shrugged on his jacket and passed by you in the doorway.

He could hear the soft sound of your sobs as the front door clicked shut.

-

Songwriting could be as easy as breathing and as hard as climbing a mountain. Right now, the words flooded out of you like a tap of water.

And so did the tears, staining your notebook paper and smearing ink, but still in your heart you knew you would never forget these lyrics - these words that so painstakingly came from your soul and laid it bare.

As you finished the last verse, you took a deep breath, sucked up the tears, and called Natasha. 

-

“Steve, I need to talk to her,” Bucky whined over a beer in a rundown bar in Brooklyn.

“No, you don’t.”

“I can fix it, I know I can.”

“I don’t think you can, Buck.” Steve ran a hand through his hair, a deep sigh leaving his lips. “She’s trying to move on. Don’t ruin that for her.”

“But-”

“No.”

Bucky mimicked Steve’s sigh and leaned back in his chair. It had been increasingly hard to justify his decision to end things with you. He didn’t know what he was thinking and he regretted every moment of it since then. 

“Do you think she misses me?” Bucky looked so hopeful, but he could see the sorrow in Steve’s eyes.

“I don’t know.”

-

The Grammys, the fucking Grammys, and you were performing. You were nominated for a couple, and the Academy had asked you to sing - preferably a new song - in honor of that.

Natasha wrapped you in a hug, twirled you around, and announced you were going out to celebrate. You hesitantly said yes, knowing the press would be everywhere and there was always the possibility of seeing Bucky.

But fuck him. This was your moment.

Which is how you ended up at your favorite dive bar in Brooklyn. Your first mistake.

It was your favorite because Bucky had taken you there so many times. But you couldn’t think of another place you would celebrate than the place where so much inspiration and so many lyrics had come from.

You didn’t scan the room as you walked in with your hand clutching Nat’s, the rest of your small circle of friends following close behind. Your second mistake.

Walking straight to the bar, you didn’t notice Bucky in the far corner, watching your every move. It wasn’t until you were a few drinks in, feeling the celebration kick in, that you spotted him.

At first, you intended to ignore him. This was your time, your night, your moment. He didn’t get the spoil that.

That is, until you went to the bathroom and he trailed you into the dimly lit hallway.

“Baby,” he whispered, his voice a harsh rasp of beer and no sleep. “I’ve missed you.”

Your heart stopped beating in your chest.

You weren’t prepared to see him tonight, not that you ever were these days. But tonight of all nights, the one that should have been carefree and fun and a glittery memory for years to come, was smeared with anger and heartbreak as you spun to face him.

“What the fuck,” you snapped as his fingers grazed your bare arm. Immediately you felt bad, seeing the hurt on his face, and your expression softened. “Sorry.”

“I-it’s okay.” The catch in his voice broke your heart, your own watery eyes matching his. For just a moment.

It took you too long to come to your senses - this was the man who had shattered your heart without a second thought - but he was already so close to you. His body only inches from your own, his hot breath fanning your face, and goddamnit you missed him. You missed him so much that your heart broke all over again.

Your mind cycled through a thousand different thoughts all at once: get away, come closer, touch me, keep your hands off. You couldn’t decide what you wanted in the moment.

You were so, so angry, and yet you couldn’t stop yourself from reaching out to him. His hands settled on your waist as the lights overhead flickered. Your hand pressed gently to his cheek, completely of its own volition. Suddenly, you were tracing the planes of the face you had once known so well. He looked older now, like your time apart had aged him, yet his was still as handsome as the day you had first laid eyes on him.

His eyes locked with yours, and neither of you said a word - not him to ask, not you to stop him - as he leaned in to kiss you.

-

It should have felt like a victory - it did feel like a victory - but there was something else there. Something dark and twisted and Bucky couldn’t figure out if it was coming from you or him.

The kiss could have lasted moments or a lifetime, he didn’t really know. All he knew was one second you were holding him close to you and the next you were shoving him off.

“Fuck fuck fuck,” your voice came out in a whisper, like you didn’t want to draw attention from the steadily growing crowd of the bar. He supposed you didn’t.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” You nodded at his words, your fingers pressed to your lips like you could still feel him there. “I’ll just go.”

You nodded again, your eyes vacant, and he made his way back to the main room of the bar. He looked back in time to see you slump against the wall, and he knew that you were thinking of a way to erase any trace of him on you.

-

The stage lights came on, you strummed your guitar and started to sing.

The first time I tasted somebody else’s spit, I had a coughing fit.

You let the lyrics you poured your heart into spill out across the stage. Still, somehow - in the crowd of hundreds of faces - you spotted Bucky.

This time, it didn’t make your heart clench. Didn’t make you shed a tear or run away.

No. This time, it empowered you. Let him hear the lyrics he inspired. Let him feel that pain of your words and feel the hole in your heart where he had broken it. Where you were now healing.

-

Bucky watched as you sang, and you were mesmerizing. He could feel the echoes of hurt in your words, the hole in your heart he had put there. He knew, despite the last time he saw you, that there was no making up. There was no fixing what was well beyond broken. No chance for him.

In five years I hope the songs feel like covers,

Dedicated to new lovers.

[starry-bi-sky]

realizing i have. a lot of untapped trauma potential for clone^2 danny because i just Fully Processed Four Months Late the fact that his parents were capturing and torturing ghosts in the basement before he became Phantom. and the fact that he was on house rest for 2 weeks. during that time period. and he wasn't really leaving the house. he could hear their screaming through the floorboards

*points at clone danny* i can give you suuuuuuch a bad time babe ahaha. i've got two untouched years before you meet damian what fucks you up before then

[jelloholic]

Jon x Satin drawing

I will forever and always be a steadfast believer in bisexual Jon Snow. If GRRM wants to claim otherwise, he'll just have to say so in TWOW, and release it 🤷🏻‍♂️

(PLEAAAASE GRRM IT'S BEEN SO LONG 😭)

[egesizizmir]

ŞİMDİYE KADAR NELER atlattınız, bu da geçecek. Dönüşeceğiniz insan için hayatta kalın. Siz kötü bir günden, haftadan, aydan, yıldan hatta bir on yıldan daha fazlasısınız. Farklı olasılıklar içeren bir geleceksiniz. Gelecekteki bir anda şu an tutunduğunuz bu yolunu kaybetmiş eski halinize minnet duyarak bakacak olan başka birisiniz. Dayanın.

[tamrielf]

𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 🐺⚔️❄️

[imjustapoorwayfaringgeek]

The King and The Hand

two charming old men

it was really fun to draw mance

and i made qhorin's long heavy braid a VERY LONG heavy braid

[patrickelvinart]

Song for a winter night

GORDON LIGHTFOOT

If I could only have you near To breathe a sigh or two I would be happy just to hold the hands I love And to be once again with you To be once again with you

Gordon Lightfoot

.

[ballntines]

͏͏ ͏͏͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ㅤㅤ ͏𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗇𝖽𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗇𝖾 ͏͏ ͏͏͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏⸺ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏͏͏𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘦

[thewatcher0nthewall]

"Who are You? "

The Black Gate at Nightfort

[blxkstar]

"The Night's Watch is the only thing standing between the realm and what lies beyond"

I made a playlist for the Night's Watch. Please check it out!

We've been guarding the Kingdoms for eight thousand years.

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.

[lunaatthezoo]

This took me so long lmao. I made this playlist of random niche indie/alt songs that I associate with acotar characters/couples.

I am so scared to admit this on the Internet but I am just not a Swifty or Lana girly please don't hate me 😭 I have absolutely nothing against them it's just not my vibes! Please don't cancel me lol.

Here is a playlist for my alt friends?? With a lyric from each song below. Absolutely not exhaustive, just random brain wiggles.

Wings/Teeth Playlist

✨ Calm Down aka I Should not Be Alone (Ezra Furman)/Marigold (WHY?) - Tamlin 😬 after Feyre leaves him (yikes)

~Panic-stricken, sweating in my bed/could someone help me down/So I catch a ride instead/Never ending movie playing in my head/Of the dress you wore and all the shit you said

~She dyed this coat with marigold/But the stain is still visible/This mess is not repairable/And the aftertaste is terrible

✨ Reason feat. Lala Lala (WHY?)/Wait So Long (Trampled by Turtles)- Cassian when he's pining after Nesta

~I've been carving my elbows/I might just take flight/Give me a reason to go there/Give me a reason, I'll leave right now

~I could never pretend that I don't love you/You could never pretend that I'm your man

✨ Dark Bird is Home (Tallest Man on Earth)- Rhysand after he is taken and pre-mating bond

~And suddenly the day gets you down/But this is not the end, no, this is fine/We're still the towers in the valley/Still winds down this dream/Still we're in the light of day/With our ghosts within

✨ Metamorphosis (Infinity Song)/Every Feeling (Ezra Furman)- Nesta

~ And sometimes I don't like myself, can I be someone else?/Someone who makes their dreams come true and drinks from wishing wells

✨ Two Lovers (Delicate Steve)- Feysand

~instrumental (also the song I walked down the aisle to 😭)

✨ Atreyu (WHY?) - Feysand

~ In health or disease/You're here with me/My salty eyes/You kiss them dry

✨ Seven Devils (Florence + The Machine)- Feyre Under the Mountain

~Holy water cannot help you now/See, I've come to burn your kingdom down

✨ Into The Shadows Of My Embrace (WHY?)- emo Azriel (😭)

~oh, am I clean?/lord, please, why me?/I wish I could feel close to somebody but I don't feel nothing

✨ I Wanna Destroy Myself (Ezra Furman)- Nesta after the war (😭)

~I wanna destroy something/I wanna destroy myself

✨ Can I Sleep In Your Brain (Ezra Furman)- Nesta and Azriel (separately)

~Can I sleep in your brain tonight, stranger?/Can I spend just one night on your mind?/I can't live with this pain, with this anger/And I need some place else to go

✨ Cosmic Love (Florence + The Machine)- Elriel

~Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too/So I stayed in the darkness with you

✨ Wild Rosemarie (Ezra Furman)- Elain post-cauldron

~And I thought about Wild Rosemarie/How that was who you used to be/How the wilderness sprang up around us/This dry desert heat

✨ The Gardener (The Tallest Man On Earth)- Elain (it's literally about a gardener who grows flowers over the dead bodies of his enemies and listen if that's not our girly in her book idk what is)

~So now we're dancing through the garden/And what a garden I have made/And now that death will grow my jasmine/I find it soothing, I'm afraid

✨ Soon It Will Be Cold Enough (the entire album, Emancipator)- Winter Court

~mostly instrumental

✨ The Letters, Etc. (WHY?)- Elriel when they inevitably have drama before they get back together

~How strange to be strangers after what we was/In a soft separate life with heart we held the center part of us

✨ Bangarang (Doomtree)- Night Court IC

~Wings, fan the flames/Teeth, with the fangs

[withasideofshakespeare]

Do you remember The Great Shakespeare Playlist?

Well, I've finally caught up with submissions, now with a new playlist on a Shakespeare-specific YouTube channel (also withasideofshakespeare) and individual playlists for each play!

Find out more (and listen to the main playlist or the playlists for your favorite plays) here:

[blusical]

like, i know i complain about hockey fans being picky about wanting "personality" in the NHL, but also if the national fucking anthem is the only good music performance over the *actual* band/artist performances... then yeah you might have a problem when it comes to appealing with audiences.