#also sorry for being so absent with this blog i just keep forgetting to update it and also i only play violet occasionally

[rosie-in-paldea]

I made a new friend! Her name is Gem and we met while making our way to Artazon! We had a picnic and made a sandwich together and we may have added too many ingredients, haha! But it was surprisingly good and we had lots of fun!

Mod Mad-D Nix (changed my name recently): My sister @soulguana and I played together a bit and she created a new character too! Gem is the descendent of Palina and Iscan and is taking some time abroad from Sinnoh. She knows a bit about her ancestors and the clans, but when she mentioned her ancestry offhandedly when getting to know each other, Rosie very eagerly explained that her dad knew them. My sister and I just thought it'd be fun to have these two interact and give them both a new friend!

[wordsablaze]

9. it’s always lose-lose

your beauty hides the pain Lost on the mountain, Jaskier accidentally angers a mage who decides to curse Yennefer with his company and for once, it might actually be a blessing in disguise…

A/N: sorry it took a month to update but it be like that sometimes- @random-nerd-3 @surreal-static @10moonymhrivertam @bicount-de-lettenhove @i-need-blog-ideas

previous chapter

-

The innkeeper is much friendlier after Jaskier’s second performance.

Of course, that’s probably on account of him managing to get through actual requests this time because Yennefer is in the room and his skin isn’t on fire, but still.

Unfortunately, that means he ends up singing toss a coin twice, after which his mood sours enough for his scowl to match Yennefer’s when he flops into the seat opposite her and leans against the wall so he can rest his feet.

“I was under the impression you enjoyed these ridiculous performances,” Yennefer says and although Jaskier’s eyes are closed, he can practically see her raising a perfect eyebrow.

He shrugs. “Rather difficult with the whole Geralt thing.”

Yennefer hums her agreement, neither of them saying anything more in favour of appreciating the food that’s quickly brought to their table. It’s decent but pales in comparison to their makeshift meal earlier and Jaskier hopes he’s not imagining the way they share a look over the table that suggests they both feel the same.

“Well, where do we go now?” Jaskier asks once they’re done.

Yennefer sighs. “We’ll just have to hope Triss isn’t busy.”

Jaskier frowns. “Triss? Do I know her?”

“Can’t imagine you would,” Yennefer replies, clearly not intending to provide him with an explanation of any kind.

“Don’t discredit me, darling, I know plenty of people all over the continent!” Jaskier argues.

Yennefer just rolls her eyes. “And unfortunately, I’m one of them.”

Before he can stop it, Jaskier flinches. It’s not even nearly the worst thing they’ve said to one another but he’s becoming increasingly more aware that he was probably only stuck with Yennefer as some sort of revenge on her, making him no less than the curse Geralt had implied he was.

“We should get going,” Yennefer announces, standing and brushing crumbs that probably aren’t there from her dress.

Jaskier nods, grateful for any excuse not to question his worth, especially since he’s way too sober for such thoughts yet. “Where are we going?” he asks.

“Temeria,” Yennefer tells him, “I’ve been before so I can portal us there.”

With a groan, Jaskier follows her out of the inn. “You couldn’t have warned me of how you planned to travel before we ate?”

Yennefer looks a little guilty but neither of them can prevent Jaskier’s stomach from attempting to twist itself inside out as they step through Yennefer’s portal. As it is, the first thing Jaskier does after setting foot in Temeria is fall to his knees, gagging but mercifully keeping his meal inside his body.

“Thanks,” he mutters once his knees feel solid once again and he can pull himself upright.

“Pleasure,” Yennefer replies absently, though she seems far more concerned with looking around to check where they are, visibly relaxing when she spots their destination and starts to walk.

Jaskier curses under his breath but follows, his fingers gripping the strap of his lute hard enough to ache. Yennefer doesn’t bother knocking on the door to what smells like an apothecary shop when they reach it. Unfortunately, she forgets that mages usually have wards against strangers on the places they dwell in, meaning that although she can get through easily enough, Jaskier crashes into an invisible barrier and ends up thrown backwards, sprawled on the ground.

“Yennefer!” someone exclaims.

Jaskier’s too busy groaning to notice who, though. He forgets how to think until he’s being manoeuvred inside and pressed to Yennefer’s side, both of them exhaling slowly as they recover.  

“Sorry,” Yennefer mumbles with far less reluctance than before.

“Hardly felt a thing,” Jaskier breathes, letting himself flop backwards so he’s lying entirely on the floor, at which point he notices the other woman frowning down at the two of them and waves a hand, grinning. “Hello! You have such gorgeous hair, would you allow me to write it into song?”

The other woman - Triss, judging by how relaxed Yennefer is - laughs softly. “Was that your attempt at flirting?”

Yennefer snorts as she rises to her feet. “You got the best of it, he’s usually far worse.”

Jaskier shrugs. “There are plenty of people who would disagree with you there.”

“What are you doing here, Yennefer?” Triss asks, seemingly unfazed by Jaskier keeping his spot on the floor.

Yennefer sighs. “The bard got us stuck with each other and the mage who did it knows how to cover her tracks so I was hoping you’d help me break whatever the curse is.”

It’s possibly the most straightforward thing Yennefer has said in all the time that Jaskier has known her and he can’t help his mouth falling open; It seems he’d somehow even more severely underestimated how much she hates their predicament.

Triss seems equally as shocked because she glances between the two of them thrice before nodding slowly. “I’ll see what I can do to help. I assume you’ve already tried?”

“Within seconds,” Yennefer confirms.

Finally sitting up, Jaskier rubs the back of his head. “So am I to merely loiter in the background until you magically figure things out or…?”

“I suppose you could write that song,” Triss says, barely holding in her laugh.

Jaskier narrows his eyes at her, but there’s no real animosity in it. “I certainly will, thank you very much.”

Yennefer rolls her eyes at him, which he’s beginning to think is just her instinctive response to him opening his mouth at this point. “Just don’t think so loud this time. “

“Stay out of my head, then!” Jaskier retorts, then stands up so he feels less like he’s about to be stepped on or something. It’s not exactly as though he’s unfamiliar with being around powerful people but two mages who seem incapable of taking him seriously is a little much for the moment.

“I have a room the two of you can stay in while you’re here,” Triss interjects, clearly amused, and although Yennefer looks as if she wants to reject the offer, she nods.

Jaskier beams at her. “Your kindness is just as plentiful as your beauty, it seems!”

He doesn’t miss the way Yennefer and Triss share an undecipherable look but he pointedly ignores it, keeping his attention on his lute as he tries to think of suitable rhymes for curls and mage and forest so he can prove his point. He just hopes he can sing it as a song of gratitude and celebration rather than one of bittersweet appreciation.

-

this chapter was chaos to write,,, i filled it with yen’s thoughts and then realised the fic was jaskier’s pov so had to rewrite the whole thing, and also wrote in trissefer out of habit before remembering the plot is legit just yennskier *sighs*

-

thanks for reading! | masterlist | witcher blog: @itsjaskier | next chapter

[if-found-return-to-gusu]

We’re Back and it’s Time for a STORY

Sooooooooooooo…..

I’ve been a bit uh… let’s say absent lately. Haha. 

I hope you’ve been enjoying the queue and not missing my rapier wit too much. 

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

To all my rabid (3?) fans, I say…. 

My bad. :D

I haven’t forgotten you, my beautiful followers. And I haven’t cast this blog away by any means. I may have gotten hitched in a scandalous runaway marriage with the love of my life but I will still have time for you! I promise!

I’ve just been… Busy. 

With… stuff…

I’d tell you with what stuff….

But I’m not gonna. 

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

BUT I decided it was high past time for me to take a moment out of my busy schedule to give y’all a little update. 

Besides Lan Zhan decided that since I’m actually home tonight that it was pampering time.

Man sat me down in front of him and is rubbing my shoulders as we speak so if I seem a little nadfj;kjfl;sjf at points blame him.

Anyway

Lan Zhan I know you can read this with your eagle vision.

On to the gossip.

Lan Zhan, I know your family said gossip isn’t allowed but we’re in this family now and Imma gossip. No matter how much you huff through your nose at me.

So Lan Zhan (yes you) gave me a little bit of a heart attack with his last update. But only for like 5 seconds.

-ahem-

NGL for a second I thought HE thought that I was being unfaithful. Nearly died.

Anyway. >w>

Fortunately while I refused to read past even with my heart attack because I will never break the bonds of Peru, Nie Huaisang who was next to me has no qualms in doing so. I wouldn’t let him tell me what Lan Zhan said but he did reassure me that my fears were for naught. Lan Zhan wasn’t upset about me cheating on him because he trusts me and loves me and knows I would never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever  (continue indefinitely) break that trust.

…..

Okay sorry.

Oh yeah. 

Thanks Lan Zhan. I probably woulda got stuck on that loop for a while. But anyway yes. I love you, Lan Zhan, and you love me and we’re happy and there’s no way I’ll ever cheat on you and I know you’d never cheat on me!

I never even felt real attraction before I met you, did I ever tell you that? You were the first person I ever wanted. <3 

Oh… Oh yeah. I did say that. Lol I forgot. :D

Is it bad if I forget what I say in therapy? 

Guess I should ask my therapist :D :D :D

Anyway…. Tangent…. Um…

OH yeah heart attack.

Eventually Lan Zhan did let me read the Peru. Lan Zhan is there a point to the Peru if you just wait for me to get home and shove the lap top in my face and tell me to read it the same day you sent the Peru????

(Yes. I know there is a point. But like you can tell me anything. You don’t have to write it down first if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to ever feel afraid to talk to me. <3 ) 

Okay fine fine. Organize your thoughts first. I get it I get it. 

I guess that’s kinda what I’m doing here too. 

Oooooohhhhh you know what that spot does to me! Not now Lan Zhan I’m busy!!!!

Okay Okay so we talked afterwards. About what he wrote. About how it wasn’t me but Nie Huaisang who felt the bitter wrathful sting of his wild unrestrained jealousy. 

EEK Sorry! I’m kidding! Kidding!

…. Mostly

But you were! You were jealous that I was spending time with him or rather him with me and not you! You said so!

Okay fine! Lonely. 

LONELY BECAUSE YOU WERE JEALLASDF09ADSF 

Okay fine fine! I’ll stop! If only for the sake of THIS WILL MAKE NO SENSE ONCE IT’S TYPED UP BECAUSE IT’S HALF OF A CONVERSATION AND THEY CAN’T HEAR YOU BECAUSE I’M NOT TYPING WHAT YOU SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

YES I KNOW IT’S MY FAULT

Okay 

OKAY!!!! 

SO 

Easy solution.

Lan Zhan and Nie Huaisang have a buddy date! 

That I was dragged along to.

And by that

You know what you did don’t deny it!

I mean I was trying to back off to let them spend time together because I thought that’s what they wanted. I figured they would want to see each other one on one like SangSang and I were doing.

So I caved in like .2 seconds. Because of course I did. And honestly I wanted to go. I was planning on spending the night alone with Suibian waiting for my husband to come home in a sort of lonely penitence for my sins. I’ve been leaving Lan Zhan alone so much lately.

(He kissed my forehead <3 <3 <3 <3 )

Lan Zhan, I promise this won’t keep happening. It’s just… really important okay? I promise.

;asldkjfsa;lkjf

I love you too, Lan Zhan!!!!! Lan Er-Gege! <3 

Eep! 

Okay! I’ll keep writing so stop trying to distract me or this’ll never get done!

;aldkjsf;j

;alksdjf;lkasdjf

You can do whatever you like the moment this is posted I promise.

Ahem.

Jiang Cheng hope you’re still reading. >:D

Where was I… Oh yeah!  Thanks Lan Zhan. 

So we had a buddy date all together! 

It wasn’t much but we all went over to Nie Huaisang’s house. Apparently DaGe was over at the de--- My beloved brother in law’s house on a date of their own so we had the place to ourselves. 

OMG They should get hitched and then we’ll be brothers for REAL. OMg!

So I wanna say that… well in the past few months Nie Huaisang and I have really patched things up. I’m really happy he’s a part of our lives and I do not revoke the previously instated “family” status.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

We. willtalkaboutthatlater 

Ahem

Okay. 

But anyway, Nie Huaisang and I have talked. A lot. About all the things I said and the things he did and the things I did. We’ve come to an understanding. And well…

He forgave me. 

I’m not sure I deserved it. I was really terrible to him. For a long time after the RE wore off. 

I’d talked in therapy about it. I’m slowly learning that I’m maybe not to blame for all that’s wrong in the world but once I started to stop blaming myself I still had this need to blame… someone. 

And I blamed the wrong person. 

I mean I’m not saying that what I said didn’t have any truth with it. And we talked about that too. I had some points. But he did NOT deserve me going off like that. Not even a little. 

But he started flicking my forehead every time I say sorry about it so I’m stopping

(SangSang did you take lessons from Wen Qing? Because fuck those snaps feel familiar) 

Oh dear goodness. I forgot how disjointed these posts always are. Still following along? Yes? Good!

Okay back to the story.

Meeting at Nie Huaisang’s place for super fun hangout bros night for bros. (except Lan Zhan and I aren’t bros.)

Yes yes you’re right Lan Zhan we didn’t make SangSang a third wheel. Mostly because it was his house and hanging with him was the point but also because very time we started “being gross” he started whining.

And then I’d kick him and tell him that he wanted us to get together so badly before and now he gets to deal with the consequences. 

And then we would be more gross just to spite him.

Okay maybe we third-wheeled him a little BUT IT WAS WITH PURPOSE. 

I can’t help it Lan Zhan! Every time you kiss me I forget what I’m doing!

………………………..

Wait…. What was I… LAN ZHAN YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!!!!

A;LDKJFA;DLSKF

…………….

I can feel you smirking but I’m not gonna look

Because if I look I’m gonna kiss you again and as I’ve said MORE THAN ONCE THIS NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN AND IT AIN’T GONNA WRITE ITSELF 

A;lkdsjfla;ksdjf;lsdakjfl;skdajfl;aj;lfkdjsa;lkfj THAT’S A;LKJA;FLAKDJF LAN ZHAN I TOLD YOU LATER

YOU HAVE TO BE GOOD OR I’M NOT GIVING YOU ANYTHING! I’LL GO STRAIGHT TO BED AND YOU’LL BE LEFT WANTING 

………….

I’LL GO BI BI BI TO BED BED BED AND YOU WON’T BE ALLOWED IN IN IN.

Fuck and I spent all that time thinking /I/ was the goblin in this relationship. 

DO NOT GET INTO A SEMANTICS BATTLE WITH ME IT WILL NEVER END

…………………………….

-ahem-

To which I maintain Nie Huaisang doesn’t count as people. 

We arrived at Nie Huaisang’s house at the appointed time on the appointed day. Many nights were left behind in anticipation of this grand reunion.

(I mean that in the best sense.)

Anyway I rang the doorbell because Lan Zhan’s arms were full of snacks and wine. And we sat there and waited. 

I think I thought it was gonna rain and was just thinking that we should have gotten an umbrella, though of course if there was any risk of rain my ever on top of his shit husband would have brought one so we were good, when the door opened to reveal Lord Goblin SangSang in all his lounge pants glory. 

I didn’t know that sweats came in designer. 

Nie Huaisang told me that they were a gift from Jin ZiXuan for a birthday or something and defensively states that they’re just “Super comfy okay???” but I know he likes the glam. 

SangSang you know you’re a dramatic bitch don’t deny it. 

Anyway. We were waved inside rather quickly because while the sweats were designer, they were still sweats and he would rather die than be caught dead by someone other than his “chosen few” in something like sweats. 

As I said

Dramatic bitch. 

We were ushered away to the other side of the manor where the home theater was. You remember the one? From Christmas? Where I almost avoided all the damn PROBLEMS by kissing Lan Zhan right then and there? 

Except

CHILDRENNNN who I love dearly interrupted us.

Oh.. and that was the night I kept having FEELINGS about Lan Zhan and kids and just… aldsf;sjlfkj

Lan Zhan we need to have that conversation again. 

A;dslkjfsal;dfj

Yes? Yes. Okay

BUT THAT’S NOT THIS STORY! Anyway, that home theater. 

Ah Memories. 

Ignorance is bliss and I want to maintain my innocence. 

Anyway. So like there’s lots of space in that room that isn’t just chairs and screen because it’s an entertaining space.

BUT so long as it’s been thoroughly disinfected it’s still a great place to hang! :D

Nie Huaisang had set up the place with nice lights and a table for snacks and all that good stuff. We deposited the snacks that Lan Zhan was holding and I promptly filled the now vacant space with the me. :D And then looked at the goodies.

So Nie Huaisang is either really thoughtful or a  little shitstain. Because apparently he had read about our New Years experiments with alcohol and had gotten a bunch of light alcohol and mixers and stuff so that Lan Zhan could drink with us!

BUT he also made a point of telling Lan Zhan that he doesn’t need to feel pressured to drink. They’re there so he CAN not so he has to. 

Lan Zhan looked really touched at that and I felt so warm.

I love my family. 

So we decided to pick out some snacks and drinks (starting with non-alcoholic first because we’re adults or some shit) and sat down. 

Now one would naturally think, home theater. Snacks. Comfy chairs. We’re watching a movie, right? 

WRONG

GIANT MARIO KART. 

Nie Huaisang just dumped controllers on our laps and told us to strap in. 

Have I ever mentioned

How

Fucking

Adorable

Lan

Zhan’s

Face

Is 

When

He’s

Confused????

BECAUSEHE’SSOFUCKINGADORABLE

Don’t you hide from me!!

Hold on I gotta kiss my husband a million times. One moment please.

Okay. That’s better. <3 

=w= ahhhh

Where was I…. 

YOU CAN’T DISTRACT ME BECAUSE I CAN READ AND I KNOW WHERE I WAS NOW BECAUSE I READ IT SO YOU CANNOT FIGHT THE FACT THAT YOU’RE FUCKING ADORABLE. 

I win. :D

So my adorable husband blinked his adorable eyes in an adorable way in adorable confusion at the… moderately-adorable-when-he-wants-to-be Nie Huaisang. 

Who just grinned at us and pressed a magic button on his magic remote to make the magic things happen. The lights dimmed enough that we could still see but the screen was brighter too…

Does that make sense? I don’t care.

The lights were half dimmed. And the screen lit up

And suddenly we were playing a game.  

This time at least you didn’t go around trying to obey the non-existent road laws. 

And okay. So Like I think we played that on new years too, right? Yeah.

You can’t stop at stoplights that aren’t there Lan Zhan. I don’t care if the intersection would be dangerous without it. 

Well how do I put this politely….

Y’all know how I always gush about how Lan Zhan is perfect and can do no wrong? And ask quite frequently “Is there nothing this man can’t do???”

So First I hold to my first statement. Lan Zhan is perfect and can do no wrong. 

That. Being. Said.

The man sucks at Mario Kart. 

Okay I said it. It’s out there. No take backs.

I’m sorry, Lan Zhan. I love you and you’re perfect but oh my god. 

Nie Huaisang ordered some like pizza and wings and shit and we decided to crack open the wine. 

But seriously it was so much fun. We played for.. Oh fuck it must have been hours.

Oh yeah! That’s why we didn’t at first. We were cooling it down right? Yeah because the stuff we brought was warm….

Wait no but Nie Huaisang’s wasn’t warm… WHATEVER we started drinking with the pizza.

Oh oh speaking of the pizza, Lan Zhan was that the first time you ate really shitty store bought pizza? Because you looked at it like it was the scum of the earth. 

You didn’t have to force yourself to eat it. D: Did you hate the whole of it? You didn’t like it even a little? D: 

D: D: D: D:

THE POINT WASN’T TO FORCE YOU TO EAT FOOD YOU HATED D; D; D; D; 

OTL

Okay you didn’t HATE it but that doesn’t mean you liked it. D: You really don’t have to push yourself. I mean we could have ordered something else for you or gotten more snacks or something.

…. Myuh okay fine. D: But next time if you don’t wanna eat something don’t, okay? It’s not wasteful. Leftovers are allowed. 

Okay well we can talk about that later more if we have to 

Pizza reheates just fine.

For now 

ON WITH THE STORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAKSDJF;ASLDJFK;SAKJFD;ALKJD F;KJDON’T POKE ME THERERERERERE

oKAY

Ahem. 

So long story short we started drinking and eating shitty food while playing Mario Kart. And so okay.

There’s a point to this. 

So Lan Zhan as I stated before is… not the greatest at the game. :D

BUT turns out neither are SangSang and I. 

Especially after knocking back a few. 

So when Lan Zhan gets drunk, not only is he the cutest thing in the world, but he starts following imaginary traffic laws as I said before. 

Now the thing IS 

That when SangSang and I have had a few too many

We are much more likely to go the… entirely wrong way on the track. 

And fall off. 

And I think at one point we just kept playing bumper cars.

My point is, that Lan Zhan is following these traffic laws right? Like the Toad patrol is gonna like arrest him or something if he doesn’t.  But this works to his advantage once we start getting stupid because he’s careful! So he doesn’t fall off! So he just chugs along. 

And at one point finally he managed to come in 2nd by beating Huaisang. 

So Nie Huaisang starts throwing a tantrum to the point that I almost missed it. 

But I didn’t.

I heard you Lan Zhan.

With this self-satisfied expression on his smug, adorable face. Flushed from the liquor and high off a fresh mostly win. 

“Fuck yeah.”

Oh my god. It was so quiet! But 

Lan Zhan

That was the funniest shit. 

Seriously he just said it under his breath. So smug and pleased to hell with himself 

“Fuck yeah.” 

Oh I coulda kissed him.

…. Well I did

A lot actually

We made a bit of a mess because I knocked something over to do it. 

But like how could I resist? Lan Zhan says something like that and he’s so precious and cute and “fuck yeah” how could I not throw myself at him?

I think Nie Huaisang had to actually pry me off of him before things got a bit more… ‘entertaining’ in the entertainment room. 

Sorrrryyyyyyyyy

:D :D :D

Ahem

Lan Zhan we should get our own theater room. ;w; 

Anyway

So We were punished by having to sit on either side of Nie Huaisang for a while until we could learn to ‘keep our hands to ourselves’. 

In the end we calmed down enough to cuddle without a chaperone.

WE’RE MARRIED YOU CAN’T KEEP US APART

;alskdjf

Anwyay

We played a bit more and drank a bit more and then started to watch a movie. 

Nie Huaisang brought in some pillows and blankets because the chairs like apparently convert into a futon? Like they can be chairs, a couch, a futon. Like ?????

It was nice though. 

It was really nice though because we all ended up falling asleep together in a cuddle pile. It was so comfy! It reminded me a bit of living with the Wens. We would end up cuddled a lot the whole family. Partially because there wasn’t much room and sometimes because the furnace would go out so we needed to be warm.

And so was this. Nie Huaisang and I both ended up snuggled to Lan Zhan. I was going to ask him if he was okay with it - I know he’s picky about being touched- but I could see when I looked how happy he was. He must have felt as cozy as me.

I noticed lately that he’s been more… receptive to touch. Especially with Lan Xichen. 

Lan Zhan, I’m glad you’re opening up more. I don’t want you to push yourself if it makes you uncomfortable. It’s okay to prefer not to touch others. But if it’s something you want I’ll support you. <3

I remember being very confused when I woke up but I think it’s because my favorite body pillow got replaced by Nie Huaisang who is all elbows. 

Oof.

Also, SangSang, no offense but omg you are a hot mess in the morning. How long does it take you to make yourself presentable every day? I mean respect. Y’all know I just accept the goblin look and hope for the best but you go from that to that every DAY? Fuck. 

Now I didn’t have to look around long to find my husband. 

Mmmmm……. 

Have I ever told you how fucking amazing he is?

Oh oh likely story mister. You accidentally timed THAT pose for when I was looking? Uh-huh. Sure. You’ve got 45 different pose options in your regular routine and you just HAPPEN to choose that one RIGHT then huh?

Yeah you know the one Lan Zhan. Did you do that on purpose because you noticed me waking up?

Uh-huh that’s what I thought.

I’m on to you mister.

;alksjdf;alsdkjfas;jf

You can’t distract me with more kisses!!!

Noooooo

I’m almost done!

At least let me finish the Huaisang story!!

Asdkfj;asdjf;kalsjf

Oh. MY. GOD!!!! LAN ZHAAAAAAAAN

Okay I”m wrapping this up because my husband is about to---

A;kdfj;asdjf

Okay

So anyway we woke up and had breakfast and went home and then it was my turn to be pressed against a wall and it was all a very nice time with Nie Huaisang and then later with just the two of us because Nie Huaisang had NO PART in that wall adventure after we got home and honestly Lan Zhan I can see why you like it so much when I do that because mmmmph 

Okay thanks for tuning in I’m gonna go fuck my husband now bye.

[nightglider124]

Update

Hey y’all! <3

I’m just writing a quick update for you since I’ve been really quiet and not posting or updating a ton recently.

Sorry for being so awol in the last few months; I feel like I’m normally quite present online and stuff and I feel I reply to stuff pretty fast and all that jazz but I know I’ve really lacked in being that version of Night for a while. I’ve got a bunch of messages in my inbox that are real simple asks but I just... haven’t gotten around to answering... so yeah, it hasn’t been intentional. I just... haven’t.

There’s no actual reason or anything for my inactivity. I suppose I have been fairly busy at work but no more than usual tbh. Mostly, I have had a bit of writer’s block and have just been doing other things and not forcing myself to write when the creative mood isn’t there which I have a habit of doing. But, I have just been taking some time for myself and being way more relaxed with posting and stuff. I know there are some people who have asked about my current fics and I hope this little post helps to set y’all at ease.

And it’s not even just from the writing aspect. I haven’t been regularly updating my dickkory blog either which I want to change as well. I see great stuff pop up in the dickkory tag and I keep forgetting to reblog it to the dk blog so fingers crossed, I’ll start RBing stuff as soon as I see it.

Also, it’s not just a tumblr thing btw. I have been a bit vacant on here, yea but I haven’t been like... making up for it on discord or anything. I’ve been pretty absent on there too, rarely jumping into the server conversations I am apart of. I only really tend to reply to individual DM’s lately. 

As for specifics, I’m really blocked with Subscribe atm. I’ve just got to a bit in the chapter and I’m just... stumped. Not because Idk what I’m writing but because my brain just cant compute so I’ve just paused on it until I feel a bit more creative. I know that I’m technically really behind on updates for Subscribe since the last time I posted a chapter was like... September time? Maybe? Oops. 

I’m feeling more in tune with my writing side in the last couple weeks so I really hope to start getting more of that posted, once I get past this weird hurdle in Subscribe.

As for Bound, it’s taken a bit of a back burner since I am meticulous with that fic. It’s my literary child and I don’t want to rush a chapter just for the sake of posting something. I want to get the next chapter done and feel proud of it.

I have so many fic ideas in my head and jotted down in like 12 different notebooks around my room lmao. It’s so hard because I want to write it all like NOW but obvs cannot. XD

But, starting from the new year, I am gonna be trying to update regularly on a schedule again because I feel sad when I don’t post and when I don’t write because that’s like... my main hobby. 

As I say, recently, I have just felt burnt out with a serious writers block. This week, I took a step away and wrote something entirely new just for me, to be able to have a blank canvas before inevitably going back to the fics I am working on.

I feel refreshed and I really want to write again because I miss it.

Lastly, thanks to followers, friends and readers who are still seemingly very interested in my fics, despite me being such a lazy bum with them.

Anywho - Thought I would just write an update so you guys know where I’m at!

Thanks for reading this and I hope you all have a great Christmas!! <3

~ Night 

[youcantundothepast]

javid headcanons

hey so I haven’t updated in forever (I have reasons just not good ones ngl) (also I’ve been absent on all of my blogs so don’t think y’all are special ;))

but for now here are some wholesome Javid (modern) headcanons that aren’t really supposed to be anything in particular they’re just kind of cute

they skip around from high school to married life and everything in between

also this is so long because I love imagining my two pure boys in love

tw: idk why but there’s more cussing than usual (but I wouldn’t consider it excessive)

———————

- okay so first off, Davey is a mess

- like how does one date??? like he can barely stand his own life how can he share it with someone else????

- especially someone so perfect nice like Jack

- but this isn’t Jack’s first rodeo and God bless him he just smiles when Davey’s awkward and will kiss his cheek or something and Davey will never be sure how he landed someone so nice perfect

- they don’t like the hassle of splitting the bill on dates so they alternate on who pays for the date

- Davey brought Jack sunflowers once for his designated date day and on Jack’s next designated date day, Davey received a painting of said flowers

- as they continuously date, though, they begin learning each other’s favorite flowers

- like Jack loves stargazer lilies but Davey can’t have lilies because of Sarah’s cat, Cheerio (never forget Cheerio)

- Davey favorite flowers are baby’s breath

- on prom night, Sarah and Katherine surprise the two with matching stargazer/baby’s breath boutonniere and they just go soft

- OKAY BUT DAVEY GETS SO SAD AT THE END OF PROM NIGHT BECAUSE HE’LL HAVE TO THROW IT AWAY BECAUSE CHEERIO GETS INTO EVERYTHING SO HE JUST THROWS IT IN THE TRASH AND THEN ON HIS

- AND JACK’S WEDDING DAY, JACK SURPRISES HIM BY SHOWING THE TWO MATCHING BOUTONNIERES now pressed and dead BUT HE CAN’T HELP BUT BE SPEECHLESS BY HIS NOW HUSBAND AND AHHHH

- “wait... oh my God I kissed you that night after you went dumpster diving!”

- also real quick, Sarah is Davey’s “best man” and he’s all like Sarah, you can wear a dress, you don’t have to wear a suit like Jack’s best man (Crutchie)

- and Sarah just glared and is like “bitch don’t take this from me”

- she was the best looking in the wedding photos rocking her amazing suit btw

- but back to when they’re just bfs

- when they first start being together Davey isn’t really sure what to think because they’re more than friends, but is it right to say Jack’s his boyfriend yet? (they hadn’t even had their first kiss yet)

- so he goes for a few weeks with them just have a few dates (are they dates though???) until Jack calls him his boyfriend in front of the other newsies (because he can register Davey’s apprehensiveness so he makes the first move)

- and Davey is just like ???!!?!!

- “you- you just called me the-the” and he can’t even register at the moment because the heart eyes are strong

- and Jack is just grinning and is just like “yeah, I just called you the b word. That’s okay with you right?”

- And Davey could just melt into a puddle and is internally like “HOLY SHIT WTF WHAT IS GOING ON I AM GOING TO IMPLODE BEFORE I DESERVE THIS NERD” but he just holds Jack’s hand and kisses the top of it and is like “yeah, I consider you my b word too”

- then Race says whispers “my bitch” to Spot and ruins the whole moment

(okay that sounded so awkward with the whole b word thing but I really wanted to make that joke because I love that meme(?) so allow me)

- their first kiss took a lot of time to build up to, but they both wanted to make sure it’d be perfect so it was on their last day of Junior year and they just spend thirty seconds afterwards just staring into each other’s eyes with their foreheads touching while holding the other’s hands

- Katherine takes a picture of the “first kiss aftermath” posts it to instagram (with their permission) with the caption “FINALLY!!!” with a billion heart emojis

- everyone who didn’t know the two were together scream in the comments

- Jack has to make a follow up post of Davey kissing his cheek and him winking with a huge smile of his face with the caption “my boyfriend ❤️”

- Race, ofc, comments “I thought he was your bitch”

- they’re not really into PDA except simple hand holding and small pecks on lips/face every so often

- Jack’s favorite sign of affection is rubbing his thumb along the top of Davey’s hand especially when Davey gets really anxious because it helps him calm down and remember to breathe

- Davey loves to run his hands through Jack’s hair because it is so soft and sometimes Jack won’t cut it for a while and it’ll curl at the ends and Davey loves playing with them

- they usually only do this though when in private or around close friends because they feel like they’re shoving their relationship down people’s throats with obvious actions

- sometimes someone like Finch will fake gag and Katherine will punch him and he won’t do it again because damn Katherine punches hard

- Jack’s favorite dates are when they just order take out and sit on the couch all night to watch movies

- Jack has made Davey’s watch Brother Bear probably 300 times, but while Jack loves every second of the movie, Davey just smiles and powers through

- it is a good movie though (go watch it if you haven’t you are going to cry your eyes out)

- Davey likes to watch the action movies and superhero movies like Marvel

- (they totally went to see Infinity War and Davey was so broken after like he just stayed in bed cuddling with Jack for hours balling his eyes out)

- (then they went to see Ant-man and the Wasp and the cycle repeated)

- Davey’s favorite dates though are packing some sandwiches and apples/chips and just going to the park and having a picnic or going stargazing

- in NYC, they don’t see many stars so for Davey’s birthday, Jack picked him up in the middle of the night once and drove them to the middle of nowhere to stargaze

- for Jack’s birthday, Davey wants to do something special, but isn’t really sure what to do until Sarah gives him an idea

- it’s Jack’s 18th birthday so he gets a big box and fills it up with “18 things I love about you” and Jack cries reading the little notes Davey writes

- it’s things like a box of new color pencils with a note saying “you add so much color to the lives of everyone you meet” and also a fidget spinner with a note taped on saying “once start something, you won’t quit until it’s finished. but you also get annoying pretty quick ;)” so it’s just a bunch of useless junk but the sentiment and thoughtfulness of it is what makes it special

- did I say Jack cried? I meant to say Jack BAWLED

- like some of the little tear marks never came out of the pieces of paper

- when they decide they want to get married, they just kind of propose to each other

- like one night they are just like “hey, here’s a wild idea, but I love you like a lot and want to spend the rest of my days with you so let’s get married”

- and a month later, they surprise each other with rings so they both have engagement rings

- (low key inspired by AKB/Scott Bixby because that shit is adorable)

- but every relationship has to have some turbulence but it took me a while to come up with something because I don’t want these boys to be mad at each other :(

- so first off, they don’t argue long about the stupid stuff because they realized early that none of that is worth it because they make each other happy and that’s rare to come by these days

- but there are some persistent things they argue about ike Davey never taking care of himself (especially during their college days)

- poor boy doesn’t get enough sleep :(

- Jack’s hamartia is the fact that he can’t stand injustice/assholes

- so he’s often come home with a bloody lip or black eye

- Davey understands, but he wishes Jack wouldn’t get himself hurt so much

- (so they basically both have the same problem they just experience it in different ways)

- it’s when Jack calls Davey from jail when they have a big fight

tw: vague attempted sexual assault

- “A bar fight? What the hell, Jack?!”

- it was the worse Davey had ever seen him with his jaw swollen and bruises littering his whole body

- “Not my fault that motherfucker-“

- “You can’t just fight anyone who is rude or is racist! I hate people like that too, but you can’t punch them a few times and expect them to change in an instant. Some fights you just shouldn’t pick!”

- Jack had never seen Davey so mad so he takes a deep breath and reaches through the bars of the holding cell and grabs Davey’s shoulder calmly

- “Dave... the drink was drugged. I saw the guy put somethin in the woman’s drink when I was passin by the bar. I warned her, but then he came up and started makin a scene. Started making him the victim. He practically demanded that I let him take the girl home as if I could give him permission. Poor girl was so shocked and scared, and he wasn’t backin off. It was just me and him for a while and then his buddies showed up. Some other people tried to help me, and then the cops showed up. Fuckers pinned it all on me and I was in here before I could even let a word out.”

- Davey is speechless by Jack’s story and he was pretty sure he fell in love all over again

- “I jus hope that girl’s okay. She was cryin when I was being put into car in handcuffs. The other guy was only brought in for questioning. Said I was the one who started it and they believed me, saying only kids my age would start trouble like that. Apparently he’s a mechanic at the building down the road. Probably gives these cops discounts or somethin. It’s a load of shit if you ask me.”

- “I know, Jack. Let’s just get you out of here so you can heal up. Knowing you, you’ll probably have another black eye soon enough. Have to heal this one up so you don’t keep the next one waiting.”

- when they’re in their car, Davey reaches across and kisses his swollen jaw

- “I’m sorry about yelling at you, I didn’t know. You’re an amazing person, I should’ve known you wouldn’t just get in a random fight.”

tw over

- ahhh they’re so in love!!!!

- the best thing though is that they’re each other’s support systems

- like every night they go to bed and just cuddle and whenever one has had a bad day, the other will just open their arms and hug them and kiss them for as long as they need

- there’s just so much reassurance and small little compliments between the two

- a lot of stuff has happened during their lives and sometimes it just catches up to them, but the other is always there to catch him

- it’s just full of all-rounded, pure-hearted goodness

[toasty-coconut]

Well, after a very long two weeks I am finally ready to give you all an update post on my life and my family’s current situation.

For those of you who are unaware, on June 12th, 2017, my 15-year-old cousin, Reid, unexpectedly lost his life while on a Boy Scout hiking trip. I don’t want to get too far into the details of the situation for personal reasons, but he suffered heat stroke a few hours into the trip up the mountain and collapsed. Paramedics were unable to reach him in time with a chopper due to electrical storms on the mountain. When the EMT (a truly wonderful woman) finally reached him by horseback, she and the other scouts who he was with performed CPR on him for an hour and a half before he passed.

My family received the news of his passing a few hours later, and it broke each and every one of us. My cousin was an amazingly wonderful boy with so much love in his heart. He hated no one, and accepted everyone of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, and personalities. He loved music and being a part of the Boy Scouts. The trip he was on was going to be his final merit badge that he needed in order to become an Eagle Scout. He performed in the men’s choir and show choir at his school and loved every second of it. He was an immensely talented and kind-hearted boy with so much to offer to the world. Losing him took a toll on every single one of us, in part because he was so young, but more so because of what an amazing and loving person he was. None of us could understand why it had to be him (and we still can’t).

22 members of my family (including myself) flew out to Texas last Sunday in order to be with my aunt, uncle, and cousin (his older sister) for Reid’s wake and funeral. Going out there and seeing the total anguish that my aunt and uncle were feeling, along with seeing my cousin’s body at the wake and saying goodbye to him at his funeral, were probably the hardest things I have ever needed to do in my life. Things like this should never happen—especially not to a child who did not want to die and who still had so much to offer to the world. That is what has been hardest for all us of to wrap our heads around. But being surrounded by my family gave me strength through that very difficult time. We were all able to cry together and lean on each other when we needed it. My family was already very close-knit to begin with (I have 14 cousins on my mother’s side and we are all relatively close in age—we basically grew up together), but through this we’ve ultimately all grown even closer, I think.

Reid’s wake and funeral were both very lovely memorial of his life—as hard as they were to be a part of. The Boy Scouts did a wonderful tribute to him at both services, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow was sung at his funeral, as it was his favorite song. To boot, everyone wore orange since it was his favorite color. His life may have been short, but it was clear how many people he impacted in that time. The church and funeral home were packed with friends and family, all of whom were shedding tears for him. His life may be over now, but he will certainly never be forgotten.

From all of this, I think the most important thing that I’ve taken away is to cherish every moment that you have with the people you love, because you can lose them at any second. I wish I had gotten to know Reid better. I wish he and I had watched The Lion King together like he wanted to while he was here for Thanksgiving. I wish I had talked to him more on the phone whenever my aunt and uncle called my house. I wish I had talked to him more about Pokemon since I know that was one of our shared interests. These are all things that I’ll never be able to get back. Even if I know that Reid is still with me in spirit, it’s still difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I’ll never see him again in this life. I’ll never get to see his graduation pictures or enjoy his funny personality at Thanksgiving or see him at a family wedding. So just cherish all of those small moments that you have with the people you care about—because it doesn’t matter how old or healthy they are, they can still disappear from your life in a second.

To go with that, I’m also learning not to sweat the small stuff so much and let petty arguments and dumb things get in the way of relationships. My aunt, uncle, and I have always had some level of tension between us as they are fairly conservative and I am fairly liberal. But at the end of the day I was hugging them both in tears and telling them how much I loved them. I wish this had never happened to them. Never again do I want to have a petty Facebook fight with them or anyone else for that matter. Don’t waste time being pointlessly angry when you can be loving someone instead. Reid always hated hate, so I want to live by his example and have a bigger heart and let go of the things that bother me. It’s what he would have wanted.

With all of that being said, I would also like to mention that through this all my friends have been so amazingly supportive of me. Carly, Dimitri, Cait, and Audrey (I apologize for not using their Tumblr names in this post, but this post is so personal to me that I want to address them personally) came to visit Kelly and I during the time that this happened. Actually, I received the news that Reid had passed only an hour after we picked up Carly from the airport. I was supposed to be spending ten days with them, but unfortunately my time with them was cut short since I needed to go to Texas for almost five of those days. They were very understanding of me and let me talk or cry or get angry or depressed. They distracted me when I needed it and made me laugh when I needed it. Carly even went as far as to rebook tickets that we had purchased to go and see the musical Wicked in Boston, covering all the charges herself. And Audrey purchased me some really wonderful Love Live gifts even though she definitely did not need to. There’s so much that my friends did for me that I can’t even begin to explain it all.

I knew it before, but all of this made me realize that I truly have the greatest friends in the entire world. I know I complain about Tumblr a lot, but if it hadn’t been for this website than I would have never met any of them. I’m grateful for that, because they’ve become such a huge and essential part of my life now. In just two weeks they’ve done more for me than most people ever have. Someday I really want to pay it forward and do the same for all of them. I know you guys are probably reading this now, so seriously, thank you. You all saved me in a time where I needed it more than ever. I thought it was just bad timing that Reid passing happened right as you were all visiting, but maybe it was meant to happen that way because of how incredible you all were for me and my family. I promise you all from here on out I’m going to be the best friend I can be for you all. I love you all so, so much.

As for where I’m going from here, well, I have a long road ahead of me. Reid’s death has taken an enormous toll on me emotionally—so much so that I saw my psychiatrist again for the first time in years. I’ve needed to discuss my problems with depression and anxiety for a long time, and now I’m finally taking the steps to do that. I’m on the medications that I need to be on in order to assure that I start to walk down the road of recovery, but I know that it’s going to be a long one. But I’m hoping that the help I’m getting, combined with the support of my friends and family, will guide me into living a better and happier life. I want to be able to write more, I want to have fun on this blog again, I want to work on my characters again, I want to talk to my friends more. All of these things are things that will come with my depression getting more manageable, I hope. So please keep me in your thoughts and bear with me as I face this new path ahead.

That being said, I’m actually going to be leaving with Kelly to go to LA on Tuesday morning in order to visit our friend Emily. We’re going to be going to Anime Expo and seeing Aqours in concert together, along with doing some sight-seeing and general hanging out. I’ve never been to the American west coast before, so I’m really excited for it. This is going to be a much needed vacation after a very long two weeks (and an even longer six months if you include other things that have been happening in my life that have contributed to this final mental breakdown). Please pray for our safe travels and a safe trip.

All of that pretty much concludes this very long post. I’m sure I’m forgetting things, but I just wanted to get this all out there to give you an update on my life. I’m sorry for being so absent lately—a large factor of it has been my depression. But I’m serious when I say this time that I want to start using this blog more and interacting with all of you again. I miss Tumblr as a creative platform, because it really is a wonderful one. I’ve mentioned it before, but I am fairly social on Twitter. If any of you wish to interact with me, I suggest following me there as well.

Please continue to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as we struggle to cope with the loss of a very precious family member. I’ve also mentioned this before, but if you still wish to donate to Reid’s memorial fund, the link is here. All proceeds will benefit Reid’s Boy Scout troop 336 and the Voices of Central Show Choir. Reid loved both of these activities very much, and there are many children who would love to participate in them, but do not have the money to do so. The money earned here will allow for them to do that. It’s what Reid would have wanted, as he was such a giving boy. If you wish to learn more about Reid’s story, please consider viewing the wonderful story done on him by NBC Dallas Fort Worth. It captures who Reid was beautifully, and I wish for more people to know about what an amazing person he was.

As a final note, always remember: Be safe, don’t sweat the small things, and tell the ones you care about that you love them.

[helplesslyfictional]

Loki Fanfiction - Remember the Old Ways, Chapter 7 - “Disorder”

Author’s Note: I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, since I've been trying to update every week. Since I haven't written in a considerable amount of time, I had difficulty with the structure of this and the subsequent chapters. Any input is always appreciated, since creators don't like to create in a vacuum!

Chapter Summary: Thor adjusts to meeting Sophia. As Loki's future weighs on him, he distracts himself. Pairings: None! These stories are focused on family relationships.

What characters, then?   Loki, Thor, Odin, Frigga, OCs [Sophia]

When? Pre-Thor 2011: From Asgard to Earth, will go through Thor 2011 Warnings: SPOILERS for Avengers Infinity War (under cut), mature themes, emotional trauma and abuse, swearing, anxiety, mentions of mental disorders, medication Taglist: @loki-the-fox; @i-am-loki-and-now-i-speak-up; @trickster-grrrl; @deviantredhead; @mylokabrennauniverse; @leanmeanand-green; @juliabohemian; @latent-thoughts; @lucianalight; @nox-th-lk-sf; @be-a-snake-stab-your-brother; Please let me know if you would like to be added/removed from tags and I’m more than happy to do so! If I added you it’s because I’ve been tracking your blog/work and have noticed you might be interested. :)

AO3 story link; Wattpad

tumblr: Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6

Thor was breathing heavily as he assessed Sophia, his hand at the ready to summon Mjolnir from his side. Loki knew that Thor might call the guards if he didn’t explain quickly. Not taking his eyes off her, Thor asked tensely, “Is this who you were talking to?”

“Yes,” said Loki quickly, stepping toward Thor and placing a hand on his arm cautionarily. “She’s not a threat, Thor, she’s not even here.”

Thor looked at him sharply. “I felt her touch me.”

“Yes, well, I haven’t figured that part out yet.” After everything that had happened, Loki felt worn out. However, he wasn’t going to forget his manners. “Sophia, meet Thor, Crown Prince of Asgard.”

She looked at Loki with uncertainty, pursed her lips, then stiffened and gave a slight bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty.”

Loki was impressed with how easily she slipped into such decorum, particularly with their emotional, casual meetings, and made a mental note to ask about it later.

Thor looked Sophia up and down. She was wearing a simple grey shirt, black trousers, and socks. “What are you doing here? This is a private conversation.”

Loki stepped in front of Sophia. “It was actually our private conversation before you barged in,” he said defensively. “That was why I didn’t let you in the door.”

Crossing his arms, Thor gave a sly smile and drew in a breath. “Oh. I didn’t know you were pursuing a woman, you should have told me.”

Sophia’s eyes widened. “Hey!” Loki heard her say, before he grasped her arm to stop her retort. “You’re mistaken, brother, we were merely trying to understand the communication we’ve been having after Osk’s enchantment flared.”

“Has it been troubling you, Loki?”

“No, brother, it has been extraordinary.” As Loki explained what they had learned earlier, Sophia seemed to relax a little more. Thor’s stance also changed from one ready for combat to one of interest. Outside, the sky-shroud began to gather clouds, softening the noonday sun and spitting out a few snowflakes, which landed on the balcony and promptly melted.

“Why this Midgardian woman?” said Thor, stroking his beard. “Why did Osk connect the two of you?”

“Thor, we talked about the third child in the prophecy with Osk. I think that Sophia is - possibly…” Loki didn’t finish the sentence as he realized he hadn’t told Sophia about any of this. He wasn’t ready to tell her.

But if he only had eight years left, then they needed to find out quickly.

Thor’s eyes darted between them both. “Our sister? But...she is definitely not Asgardian.”

Sophia gave a start, uncrossing her arms. “What? Wait, what? What did you say?”

Loki opened his mouth to answer, but Thor was faster. “He didn’t tell you? A prophecy gives the possibility of us having a sibling.”

“No! Did you say sister?”

“Yes, we - “ Thor started, but Loki was finally able to speak over him.

“I didn’t tell you because we aren’t even sure ourselves,” he said, giving Thor a meaningful glance. Thor caught it and gave a little nod.

“Sure of what? There’s nothing to...look into.” She laughed in disbelief. “There’s absolutely no way that’s possible.”

“She did say she was born of her parents,” Loki said to Thor.

“Right! I mean, my mom has pictures of being pregnant with me. Pictures of me in the hospital as a baby, nail clippings, hair clippings, even, which is - admittedly - a little creepy, but hey, she keeps a baby book? She even tells me about my birth every birthday. Every birthday. Which gets weird, ‘cause I’m like 30 and tell her, just hold on, please, I really don’t want it, but she even does it over the phone…”

Loki snapped his fingers. “Sophia!”

She shook her head, saying, “Sorry. Sorry.”

“Maybe Osk got it wrong,” said Thor. “Since she was near death.” He absent-mindedly stroked his abdomen, a motion Loki hadn’t seen before from his brother. “If she could be wrong then perhaps I am as well.”

Loki sighed, rubbing his temples. “It just doesn’t seem like she would be wrong, Thor. The enchantment didn’t just form this connection, it made me...switch...souls, for lack of a better word. When you were sparring, with Sophia when she was...walking, I suppose.”

Thor closed his eyes. “So that’s what happened. It was disconcerting; I thought I was having another vision.”

“Yes. And while I was speaking with you, Sophia - Sophia swapped with me.”

Thor raised his eyebrows. “When?”

Sophia stirred. “I asked you about your second vision.”

Loki tapped his fingers against his leg as he wished he became impatient. “It’s signs like that which make me think that this is deeper than just...accidental communication.”

“How am I now able to see Sophia now?” asked Thor, frowning and moving closer to her. She stood straighter and raised her chin slightly.

“You’re asking me as though I’m an expert,” said Loki with an ironic laugh. “It seems like it was something Sophia did, to be honest, but I’m unsure.”

Sophia eyed Thor, whose height, similar to Loki’s, was comparatively significant. “I was feeling your emotions, seeing your vision...memory. I don’t understand it, but being around you is...strange.”

“I am very imposing,” Thor said, glancing up at Loki with a smile.

Loki snorted. “Depends on your definition of the word,” he said.

Sophia looked annoyed. “This is not a joke!” she said, going and sitting in a chair. The princes stiffened, and she got up quickly. “Sorry, I forgot about that etiquette. Good to know it’s the same between worlds.” She shook her head. “You are throwing around all these ideas, all these serious things, and I’ve been trying to just listen and absorb. But my body’s been taken over, I’ve been seeing things, and I’m here! On Asgard, meeting literal gods! For a few moments, I was even Loki himself - it’s hard to even comprehend.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Everything I’m feeling is so strange, but in some ways it just feels so - right.”

To Loki’s surprise, Thor nodded. “Though I do not know how to describe it,” he said.

Sophia closed her eyes. “It’s like when you are writing with pen and ink, scratching against the surface of the paper. Or the hum and fluctuation of a bow just after you release the arrow. The tactile clack of machinery or the resonance in your chest when listening to an actual instrument played. Things that just...feel right.”

Thor nodded, looking at Loki. “Like the vibration of a sword,” he said.

Loki considered what they were saying, and knew he’d felt this a few times. “Holding a healing stone,” he said in response, aware that Sophia wouldn’t know what he was talking about.

Sophia suddenly sat up, looking to the side. “I have to go,” she said in a worried tone, then vanished.

Thor gave a start, and Loki looked at him in confusion. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” Thor gave a tired sigh. “These past few days have been difficult, particularly with these visions, that’s probably what it is. I hope that by...sharing them...it will help, somehow.”

Loki pursed his lips, the sadness from before coming forward as he imagined Thor’s vision. “Thank you, brother. Perhaps we can make the best of things before then.”

Thor smiled sadly. “I hope so. Until we find out more, can we make sure this stays between us?”

“As long as you don’t threaten me over it, I think that can be arranged.”

Thor nodded. “Thank you, brother,” he said seriously. With that, he walked to the balcony and flew off with Mjolnir, leaving Loki alone in his room with nothing but his creeping thoughts.

----------------------

After attending a concert in the afternoon, Loki retired once more to his room. Normally he would feel peaceful and relaxed being out of sight from his family and the public, but it felt odd, after the intensity of that morning, to be by himself.

Eight years. Thor’s proclamation hung in the back of his mind. Could his future be changed? It seemed that if it couldn’t, Time would not have attempted to balance out this ‘great wrong’ Thor predicted. There would be no reason to have visions, to be claimed as ‘Children of Time.’

Eight years. Eight years until he no longer existed in the universe. Until there was no Loki. Eight years, then, to try and prevent what Thor had seen.

Thor could see the future. Despite knowing about it for a few days and its dour tidings, the confirmation was exhilarating. Loki was himself a little jealous. Seeing the past would likely be useful, but seeing the future was far more prestigious. Even the Seers seemed to have been renowned for that ability. Knowing the past could come through study and careful observation. Thor generally seemed to get the best of everything anyways, but Loki knew he shouldn’t begrudge his brother such a invaluable gift. Even though it would have lent Loki some measure of usefulness if he were to be an advisor at his brother’s side, as he expected.

Although he couldn’t expect that any more. He and Thor would have to discuss what to do prior to the coronation, if they could. Thor was becoming more busy in preparation, and so was becoming more difficult to pin down.

As the evening set in, Loki became restless, trying to keep his mind off his demise. He kept coming back to the idea of visiting Sophia again, even though he felt it was too soon. They’d all done so much that morning.

But what could it hurt? The worst she could do was say no, or be in a situation where it wasn’t appropriate. Briefly, Loki wondered if Sophia had told her parents. Given her first inclinations that she was insane, he thought that she probably wouldn’t risk a similar reaction.

This time remembering to ward himself, even casting a circle to silence his noise, Loki closed his eyes and remembered what it was like to be with Sophia. Barely a second passed when he appeared next to the ragged, flowered sofa. Sophia was sitting on it, reading.

Loki didn’t want to surprise her. “Sophia,” he said softly.

She looked up and smiled, then grew serious. “I thought maybe you’d take some time to process what you learned.”

“Process?” asked Loki, sitting cautiously on the sofa, “I don’t want to think about it further right now, honestly.”

Sophia studied him, then closed the book, setting it on the coffee table. “I can understand that. Sometimes it’s better to wait until you’re a little more ready to do so.”

“I don’t know as I’ll ever be ready,” Loki said, leaning back. “Aren’t you worried about your parents?”

“They’re not home right now, otherwise I would be.” She turned and put both her legs on the couch, adjusting until she was comfortable. “You’re really just looking for something to do, aren’t you. For a prince, it seems like you should be more busy.”

“I’m the second son,” said Loki nonchalantly, “so I have considerably fewer obligations. Plus I’ve made sure I’m not available to be given commitments in the first place.” Sophia grinned. Loki looked around at the room, aware of how cramped and dark it was. “Why do you live here?” he asked.

“I wondered when I’d have to talk about this,” said Sophia. “I live with my parents because I have no money.” She looked at his eyes, seeming to check for judgment.

“Why are you worried about my reaction?” he asked point-blank.

She hesitated. “I suppose you’re from a different society. I don’t know what your culture values, but mine values wealth, hard work, and independence. All of which I’m not doing at an age when many people are ‘supposed’ to be independent.” She did a strange thing with her fingers when she said the word ‘supposed.’

Loki imitated the motion. “What’s this?” he said, unable to keep back a smile.

She laughed. “It’s used to…” she stopped and thought. “I’m trying to put it into terms for someone who doesn’t use our punctuation. It’s used to separate a word and indicate it’s a name for something that doesn’t fit.”

“Like sarcasm, then.”

“In some ways.”

Loki imitated the motion again, which made her snort with laughter. “Asgardian society prizes valor, strength, and bravery,” he said. “In many ways, I also fall short of those virtues when measured up.”

Sophia cocked her head, thinking. “I think it depends on your definitions of those values. Strength doesn’t have to be physical.”

Loki gave a wry laugh. “True, and hard work doesn’t have to mean labor. But if societies are to judge, it’ll be at face value.” He looked around at the room, somehow disturbed that it was the same as his previous visit. “Do your parents not like windows?”

“Ha, they do, which is why they live upstairs,” Sophia said sarcastically. “No, I chose to live down here so that I didn’t have to spend time in my old bedroom. It works out better anyways since I get my own bathroom down here.”

Loki recalled his experience earlier. “Did your bedroom have scalloped decorations on the walls?”

Sophia’s eyes widened. “Yes. How did you know that? Did you see it in my mind?”

“From when I was connecting with you this morning, yes. I think we may have - we may have had similar experiences as children.”

At this, Sophia shrunk back. “I certainly hope not,” she said softly. “What was it that you experienced?”

Loki shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. He didn’t mean to touch on something so deep. He began to worry he might bring up something that might make Sophia distraught. But he wasn’t going to lie about this. “When I was a child, I felt as though I couldn’t...express my emotions without either angering my father or...well, my mother…” He didn’t want to say it. “My mother seemed not to listen to me. So I would try and deal with my feelings alone, staring at scratches on my tiles.”

Sophia pursed her lips, tears glimmering in her eyes. “Yes,” she said softly, then cleared her throat. “I felt very much the same way. My father would get angry, too, and my mother seemed not to care. It was so frustrating, but if I showed my emotions, I was suddenly…”

“Considered too emotional,” finished Loki.

Sophia nodded. “I was told I was overreacting. So I went to my room instead and tried to figure out how to deal with it. That’s why I didn’t want to spend time in my old room. If I look too closely at that wallpaper, there’s just...too much emotion. It’s overwhelming.”

Loki nodded. “I’ve covered mine with a carpet, but I can never forget they are there.” For a moment they shared a look of understanding.

Sophia stirred. “Want to see outside these boring walls?” she asked, a false cheerfulness behind her voice.

“You mean there’s a world outside of here?” Loki asked acerbically. “I thought this was the entirety of Midgard!”

“Stop it!” Sophia said, laughing.

She led him up a set of stairs, where she slipped her sock-clad feet into a pair of oversized boots before grabbing a coat. “It’s the middle of winter here,” she said, then pulled open the door. A wave of cold air blew in as they stepped out into the evening.

The sun was already past the horizon, tinging the clouds and the snow below with pink. The house was surrounded by forest on a hill, with the road leading to further houses that disappeared into the trees.

Not the most spectacular view, but after the past few days, it was a welcome one.

“Welcome to Midgard,” said Sophia, breathless at the cold. “Not as pretty as Asgard, but hey, it’s got its charm.”

Loki gave a smile. “It’s lovely.” He looked up at the stars instinctively before reminding himself he couldn’t figure out his position as he could on Vanaheim.

“Are you cold?” asked Sophia. “I was wondering if you’d feel it.”

“I feel it, but it’s not a problem for me,” said Loki. “You’re about to ice over, I think.”

Sophia nodded, jumping up and down briskly. “I should’ve put on a hat and gloves!” With that they ran back inside.

As Loki moved back to the couch, Sophia stopped by a side table and took a pill. “I needed to do that before I forgot,” she said, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around herself before sitting down. “Now I’m good.”

“What was that for?” Loki asked curiously. “Sustenance? Pleasure?” Seeing her reaction, he stopped. “I suppose I shouldn’t have asked,” he said, a stab of worry going through him.

She pursed her lips. “It’s medicine.”

He should have guessed that. “I apologize, I’d forgotten that mortals need such things.”

“Yes, of course, it’s just a trivial thing,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, then hesitated. “Although, since you’re connected to my soul - or brain, or mind - you should probably know.”

“Know what?” Loki felt Sophia’s shame conflicting with fear.

“I don’t know if you can feel it or not, but my mind’s not like the majority of humans’. There’s several things going on, but the primary issue is an illness called bipolar disorder. It’s part of the reason I was having such an emotional time when I met you. It’ll take my mind from very, very dark states of mind to blissful ones.”

“I’m trying to understand,” said Loki, frowning. “As you’ve probably surmised, we don’t deal with this issue. I wasn’t even aware there could be illnesses of the brain. If I recall correctly, when you were feeling ill, you believed your mind was playing tricks on you. What you’re describing, however, seems different.”

“Yes, it is different. As you probably know, emotions are chemically created in the brain.” Loki nodded. “This disorder affects your emotions, which influence your thoughts. So even though I don’t want to, my illness makes me feel deep sadness, which can bring up emotional pain. At times though, it can make me feel...ecstatic and I make irrational decisions.”

Loki squinted, crossing his arms. “Interesting. Then the medication cures it?”

Sophia smiled wryly. “I wish. No, it’s supposed to help regulate my emotions. It’s not working, so I think I’ll have to ask my doctor to find a different medication. Each person is different, so we just have to search for what works.” She met Loki’s gaze. “I hope it doesn’t affect you, I’d hate for anyone to feel this way.”

“I’ve just been feeling the emotions,” said Loki, “but they don’t last. I don’t think our connection has changed my perceptions in any way, so I don’t think I’m acting differently.”

“Good,” she said with a sigh.

“Thank you for telling me, though,” said Loki, “It’s important to examine everything possible related to this phenomena.”

“Well, it wasn’t simply for observational purposes,” Sophia said wryly. “I did, you know, want to make sure you were alright.”

Loki pretended to gasp dramatically, clasping his heart. “You...actually care...about me?”

Sophia gave him a playful whack on his arm. While it certainly broke protocol, Loki didn’t care. It was nice to have someone around. “Of course, silly,” Sophia said, laughing.

It felt good to see and feel her brief joys, particularly when he was causing them. She wasn’t afraid to laugh, at least, not in his company, a stark contrast to the seriousness held around his position. The only other person he could really joke with was his brother.

Loki excused himself for a moment, bringing his focus momentarily to Asgard. It had already gotten dark, and he hadn’t lit any lights or braziers in the room, which was ominously stark and still. He wanted to get back to Sophia as quickly as possible, so he forewent lighting anything to grab a pitcher of wine and goblets.

When he returned his focus to her, she was looking at him, amused. “What is that?”

“Asgardian wine,” said Loki simply. “I thought you might enjoy trying it.” He set the goblets on the table and began pouring the rich red-purple liquid out.

“I technically shouldn’t because of my meds,” said Sophia with a sigh.

Loki looked up at her, wide-eyed. “You’re joking.”

“Just because I’m not supposed to doesn’t mean I won’t,” she said, reaching over and taking a goblet. “One can’t just ignore the few pleasures of life we get, especially if they’re pleasures from another world.”

“That’s the spirit,” Loki said jovially, sitting back and savoring the first sip.

He felt a flicker of surprise from Sophia as she looked at her cup. “This tastes different than a typical red wine!” she said, pausing as she rolled the wine in her mouth. “I didn’t start drinking until after I got my master’s, so I’m in no way experienced, but this is...rich? And definitely more alcoholic.”

“It seems you have a low opinion of Midgardian wines.”

“I think it’s more of a lack of experience with any good wine,” Sophia replied. “Even when I was a diplomat, they didn’t serve the expensive wines except at the most prestigious parties. I only got to attend one of those.”

Loki looked at Sophia in surprise. This woman was living in a cellar with no funds; he could barely imagine her in such a prestigious position. “I must’ve heard you wrong, did you say you were a diplomat?”

Sophia nodded and took another sip. “For four years, yes.” She squinted at Loki. “Does Asgard have diplomats?”

“We don’t have formal diplomatic positions,” Loki said, trying to envision Sophia as an envoy. “If you were a diplomat, what are you doing here, with...nothing?”

“I don’t know how diplomacy works in Asgard, but here we serve in appointed positions as a job. I lost my job after - “ she hesitated. A wave of her fear and sorrow coursed through Loki as Sophia looked at her wine. “After some bad experiences in my assignment, I developed a different disorder. I struggled to continue working for another couple years, then I - I gave up and came home to try and get better. It’s not been working, clearly.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Loki. While he didn’t understand these illnesses and disorders, he could understand that the mind had a terrible, powerful sway over one’s experience. It certainly made his theory that she was their sibling more dubious. “A fall of status so significant must have been discouraging.”

Sophia looked at him in confusion. “No, no. Status doesn’t have anything to do with...anything. I don’t care about that. I don’t even really care about not working, or not having money.” She rolled the goblet in her hand, watching the wine shift inside. “I think what was most frustrating was not having the flexibility to keep my job while trying to manage my health. As a result, what was most discouraging was having to fight for myself while not having the strength.”

Loki looked down sadly. He knew too well what that was like, to fight, to lack the strength, to give up and give in to the demands of others. Remaining passive in an effort to preserve his sense of self. “I understand.”

“You do?” Sophia said bitterly. “You’re a prince of Asgard, the god of tricks and magic. With all of that at your disposal, how do you know what it’s like?”

“I fight for myself all the time,” said Loki, his anger rising. “I don’t know if you noticed I have a brother who chooses to do as he will and impose himself on others, and a father who demands what I cannot give. I learned long ago that if I was going to get what I wanted, I had to get it in other ways than asking for it from my family or even from others. I deceive and trick them because I otherwise don’t have respect or even love.” He caught himself before spilling anything further. Careful, Loki, don’t say too much. Information runs the court.

Sophia looked him up and down, undoubtedly feeling his response. “I - I didn’t realize. I’m sorry.”

Loki shook his head. “Don’t apologize, there’s nothing to apologize for. It makes you seem weak.” Immediately he chastised himself. You’re sounding like Father.

Finished, Sophia put the goblet down on the coffee table. “I’m still learning there’s a distinct difference from the stories I’ve heard and the person that you are. The same goes for your brother...and the rest of your family. I suppose I should have realized that earlier.”

As the evening waned onwards, discussed further the subject of the Odinsons’ findings regarding prophecies, Seers, and other topics of relevance. Sophia showed a keen curiosity and put ideas together quickly as he filled in the gaps of her knowledge.

Before long, their conversation was interrupted by the slam of the door and footsteps. Sophia shooed Loki off back to Asgard, where he slept more soundly than he expected that night.

[attract-mode-collective]

Attract Mode’s One & Only Recommendation For Cyber Monday 2017

… was the Sega Saturn prototype that you see above, which one could find on eBay, according to videogamesdensetsu. Yet it was absent when I checked, meaning the auction was either yanked or it had already found a new home. Sorry folks.

Which is why I must refer to my second choice, that being this shirt featuring Sonic laughing, courtesy of RageOn…

Though miki800 is the place to go for serious Christmas gift recommendations. Like these Super Mario Odyssey santa hat ornaments…

Then you have this Kirby shirt (among others), and this coming from someone who isn’t a particularly big fan of the franchise; sorry, but I find the games simply “okay” and am even more indifferent about all related merch, except for this one…

Meanwhile a franchise that I do most certainly dig is R-Type. And given how I’m also fairly stocked up when it comes to shirts, but could definitely use a sweatshirt or sweater now that it’s getting colder, I most certainly wouldn’t mind one of these...

Now, Xmas is mostly for the kids, as are toys. Yet I’m pretty sure you need be around my age (I���m 40 btw/fyi) to want this WinBee toy (to match the recently release TwinBee toy, naturally)...

Speaking of toys that aren’t necessarily for kids, a heads up: Tokyo Otaku Mode has a MegaTen: Devil Survivor 2 figure at a fairly deep discount [UPDATE: and it’s sold out, sorry about that]...

Though if the membership price of $79 is still too much, or if you’re just mostly looking for a stocking stuffer, then how about this tiny cartridge, spotted by Tiny Cartridge!

Speaking of the Super Nintendo, here’s one stuck inside a wall for whatever reason, as spotted on Reddit…

Though let's bring it back to Tumblr, shall we, and on a semi related note is this gorgeous assortment of assorted game controllers, plus a few carts (via dinobot711)...

But if all black is more your thing (via theodorexnicholson)...

Does anyone know what the is being said here? Am assuming it might have something to do with transformation (via hlfat)...

Deep in woods, resting and waiting, is the mighty Dreamcast (via posthumanwanderings)...

Back to videogamesdensetsu, here we have a promotional leaflet to help promote the just launched PC Engine…

And another beneath the hood look, this time for a fictional piece of hardware, is courtesy of Pequeño Capitan (via it8bit)...

Sticking with art, which tribute to Galaga do you prefer? This one from Ben Tolman...

Or this other one from Allie, aka WatermelonAcups…

And here we have JoJo, aka MossMeldoy’s depiction of Fox McCloud, one that is not quite as calm, cool, and collected as Nintendo’s...

Moving from Star Fox to Phantasy Star; here’s Wayne Kubiak , aka wanyo’s slightly more pixelated view of part 4...

crashcarnival observes: “The three essential elements of Shaolin Kung Fu according to Shaolin Campus King”...

From the same source comes snippets from the Sega CD version of Time Gal; I’ve long been a fan of its unique combo of pixels and cel animation (especially its take on depth)...

And time for a complete and total shift in tone, courtesy of the PS2 title Rule of Rose (via asobi-station)...

From geographyofrobots comes something that… I’m not entirely sure is a game or not...

Then you have something else that seems almost too crazy to be an actual game, yet that’s what Hate Punishment! 2, Honwaka Soft is (via mendelpalace)...

My goal in 2018 is to track down a copy of Germs, If only to visit “Long Island Delicatessen” (via fmtownsmarty)...

Hey, speaking of food, behold my fave thread on Tumblr in recent memory (via capcomvssnk)...

And speaking of Pokemon (is something you may have seen ages ago, on Twitter, but it’s my first time seeing it on Tumblr, so there’s that; via lunaticobscurity)...

And speaking of cats (is something I believe I might have shared around here, also ages ago, but once again the function on Tumblr sucks, so; via hiyoushouldcheckmyblog)...

I wonder what sure came first; Game GIrl Advance, a fictional handheld that was clearly inspired by the Game Boy Advance (SP, the Famicom edition to be exact), as seen in the anime Arcade Gamer Fubuki, or Game Girl Advance, the blog belonging to Jane Pinckard from back in the day (via daftpunkyoshi)...

Behold what an arcade looks like in the world of Gundam (via bubblegumcrash)...

Plus what an arcade looks like the world of Archie Comics (via atomic-chronoscaph)...

Apparently building Cuphead arcade cabinets is a thing? Here’s one spotted by drowsypal...

And another made by someone on Reddit...

... may as well share the accompanying video…

I love a good mash-up, and King of Fighters X Fresh Prince hits the spot on numerous levels (via derekstronk)...

Prokopetz’s reaction to this decorated skeleton from Germany is pretty on the money: “This guy is definitely the final boss of something.”

As is werkhvnty’s: “Honey I appreciate you uploading a torrent of Elm Street 4 but I’m not gonna befriend you on WoW”

oomles states: “I work at a GameStop. Someone tried to trade in a contoller with rocks glued to the thumbsticks and got angry when we wouldn’t take it.

I’m so tired.”

Now, as most of you know, the plug was recently pulled on Nintendo’s Miiverse. So here’s a modest reminder of why it was never really long for this world in the first place (via paulthebukkit)...

Finally, and for no particular reason, am going to end things with some Burning Rangers cosplay. Enjoy…

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.