#and i went on such a tangent about how the book is better than the movie that the owner let me hold it and do a photoshoot with it

[laurapetrie]

She was on her way out — white satin dancing pumps and quantities of perfume announced gala intentions.

Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958)

[thevirtualvalentine]

002. ONE PIECE, TRAFALGAR LAW.

content warnings: nsfw, med student!law, riding, perv!law, dick sucking, roles switch part way through, college au, maybe more.

plot: oh no! you’ve come down with the common cold and luffy suggest you visit his friend.. traffy? at the on-campus med clinic. seems simple enough till you’re fucking his brains out.

word count: 3.3k

It was just a simple cold, a quick trip in and out of the health clinic is all it would take. Get your decongestant, maybe a cough drop or two and lickity split you’d be better in no time. It’s not that you’re scared of the doctors office, just a bit wary of them whilst the process is long, arduous, and usually results in a headache. That’s why you thought the smaller on campus clinic would be quicker than scheduling an appointment, your friend Luffy said he knew the guy that worked there and added that he was, ‘grumpy but pretty practical.’ Went on a long tangent saying they’d known each other forever, yada yada, “go see him, he’d like you.”

It wasn’t a far walk from your dorm, plus it was a nice day out, the weather didn’t seem to make you feel any worse. When you walked into the small health center, you were shocked to see that no one else was there. The lights were dim in the main office and you would have sworn it was closed if a deep voice didn’t call out to you from another room, “Back here, what can I do for ya?”

You pull your jacket over yourself from the below sub temperatures when you make your way down the hallway. “Um… Traffy? Luffy said you’re studying pre-med. I just feel pretty congested is all..” You eye over the note Luffy had given you to double check the pronunciation, he knows you get pretty nervous at new places with people you don’t know. Annoyance shrouds his voice when he speaks again.

“Traffy? Of course that idiot told you to say that,” you can hear him sigh as you come up to the door. You shove the crumpled up piece of paper into your pocket simultaneously as you enter his office, shuffling awkwardly because he doesn’t look up from the paper work in his hand.

“Sorry bout that, what should I call you?” You can't see his face but he has short black hair that’s a bit messy, his hands show that he has vitiligo and tattoos? A bit built for a doctor, but the white lab coat makes him pop out amongst the pristine and dim space.

“La-” he finally looks up from his stack of miscellaneous books and papers but stutters over his words, “Traffy is fine.” He’s quick to clear his throat while giving a light awkward smile, all annoyance in his tone suddenly gone in thin air. You give a small wave as you pass your weight back and forth on the balls of your feet. The handsome man shakes his head in the act of doing a double take before he asks for your name. “Where are my manners, you are?”

“No no, it’s ok! y/n is fine,” your nerves cause you to mimic his verbiage as you stand planted in the middle of the room. He has these deep yellow eyes that stare you down while he asks you about your symptoms, asking when they first appeared and how long you’ve been feeling unwell.

He tsks which makes you gulp, worried that you’ve come down with a life threatening disease that seemingly has no cure. The snap of latex gloves against his tattooed hands snaps you out of your panic, “Well now, that just won’t do. No worries, doctor Law is here to help.” His low voice eases your nerves. As he stands up you realize how tall he is, and as his face comes into light you’re taken aback at just how handsome he really is. You’re almost annoyed at Luffy for hiding his hot friend from you, scruff that seems to suit him so well across his speckled features. Gold earrings with splotches of white hair scattered across his hairline. You’re praying your fever can explain why you feel so hot all of a sudden in such a cold room.

“Say ‘ahh’ for me.” His large hand rests underneath your chin, subtly tilting your head up to face him. Now you’re certain it’s not the fever that’s making you feel hot, it’s definitely him.

“Ahhh,” you stick your tongue out timidly, trying to avoid his almost predatory gaze while averting your eyes. All of a sudden his free hand enters your field of vision as two thick gloved fingers slide against your tongue, pushing the pads along the slimy surface. “Good,” he remarks monotonously, bright eyes never leaving your face.

Your mouth instinctively closes around his digits and you swear a light smile tugs at his lips before he retracts his fingers slowly. “Shit, sorry about that,” you say nervously, god you could jump off a bridge right now. How embarrassing, or so you think.

“Mhm, no gag reflex?” With his back turned to you he discards the gloves in a waste bin, ushering you to sit down on the examination table with a point of his finger.

You’re confused by his question, does he mean this in a medical sense or a practical one? The man is a doctor you suppose, it’s always best to be honest with your doctor, right? “Only when I’m brushing my teeth, why?” Those butterflies are back, causing you to swing your feet absentmindedly as you tell him the truth.

He returns to you with a stethoscope in hand as he places the ends in his ears. “Nothing, can you remove your jacket for me?” His demeanor makes your heart thump wildly in your chest, words that come out so smooth like he’s a practiced professional. You’re sure there’s something wrong with you because you’re getting turned on from a simple check up in the schools minute clinic.

You try to calm your heart as you take off your jacket, leaving you in a simple flimsy tank top. Hopefully he won’t be able to hear it’s [your heart’s] erratic beat. You curse yourself for not wearing a bra, you didn’t expect your ‘check up’ to go this way when you dressed yourself for the day, it was supposed to be a quick trip.

The cold air chills your nipples, making them visible through the thin fabric as they pebble up. Another pang of embarrassment stabs at your pride when he leans down to press the diaphragm over your chest.“Am I making you nervous?” It’s in the way he doesn’t even look at you as he presses the cold material over your blazing skin. “Your heart is beating so fast.”

“No…” you do your best to lie, hopefully that can save you or else you’ll have to hide in your dorm for the rest of your days while Luffy harasses you over embarrassing yourself in front of his friend.

“Your body doesn’t lie sweetness,” you can feel his stare drilling holes into your forehead now. “Ah, there it goes again.” You think you’re going to melt on top of his exam table if he doesn’t stop revealing things you don’t want to tell him. Your grip on the doctor roll makes it crackle beneath your hands as you try to calm down before you speak.

“What kind of examination is this anyway, I told you I’m just congested.” Defensiveness consumes you as you lean away from his touch, brain too rattled by his other worldly looks and words. You cross your arms and snub your head to the side, unbeknownst to you but most definitely to his own enjoyment it pushes your breasts together. You sigh, feeling bad for raising your voice at him. Maybe a bit of honesty will lessen the tension between you both.

“Look, I’m sorry for yelling, it’s just you’re really attractive and it’s making me nervous.” You drop your guard as you look up at him earnestly, apologizing isn’t always your strong suit.

He could be wrong, but he feels you want him in the way he wants you too. Luffy was right, his friend was hot. He’d heard about you in fleeting conversations, but was always curious to know what you looked like. There was just no way any normal person would want to be around that guy for more than a few minutes at a time. He could kill that guy for hiding such a beauty from him.

“I can help with that.” He turns his back to you once again, setting down his stethoscope. You’re gagged from the fact he blatantly ignored your confession. Your eyes that had drifted to the side now meet his as you stare at him wide eyed in disbelief. He leans over you, slotting his knee between your legs while his hands rest on either side of your head. You blink at him a few times dumbfounded because a few seconds ago you were sitting up but now lay flat on your back as he cages you in. Desire swirls deep in your stomach as you clench your fists.

He doesn’t make any sort of move on you till he has your consent. Sure he’s definitely already used some of his medical practice to his advantage, but he’s not here to hurt you. He won’t do anything to you unless he's sure you feel the same way.

You’re so turned on by it all that your legs squeeze together, interrupted by the knee slotted between them. “Please?” It comes out as more of a whine than anything while you place your hands on his shoulders, dragging him down to kiss you. It's sloppy and rushed at best, filled with mutual hunger as your tongues collide. His knee slides further and further upwards till it makes contact with your cunt that’s slowly becoming needier for more of his touch.

The swap of saliva is anything but sanitary and you almost feel bad for the fact you’ll get him sick after this. When he pulls away a string of spit connects you both, glimmering under the dimmed fluorescent lights, “here, lemme get that.” Traffy, or rather Law, swipes the pad of his thumb across your bottom lip trying to clean up the mess he’s made, a shame, you like it dirty. You catch the digit with your tongue before sucking it into your mouth, working your warm muscle all over whatever’s available to you. His eyes darken a shade as they gloss over when you release his finger with a loud pop sound.

“Is this still part of the ‘check up’” you tease, a coy smile tugs at your lips as you try to rock your hips against his knee. “Cause if so, I think I’m a little sick Doc.” He likes this flirtier side of you, what happened to the girl who walked into his office 30 minutes ago that couldn’t look him in the eye? Who knew such a shitty job with inadequate pay could be so fun.

Law lets his speckled hands run along your sides, groping whatever free skin he can. “Yeah? Think the only cure’s suckin me off. It’s terminal. Better work fast, doctor's orders.” His words send shivers of excitement coasting through you like waves. You’re entranced by that smirk of his, what other kinds of faces can a stoic man like him make?

You sit up to undo his belt hastily while he pulls your tank top off from over your head. It’s a flurry of items being removed till you’re sinking to your knees in front of him. Every part of him is beautiful, dark hair that stands out against lighter skin on his abdomen, additional tattoos that trail down his body that aren’t just on his hands. You could eat him alive and not spare a single bite, he’s tantalizing.

Those same bright eyes watch you now as you admire him, drinking you in. After you’ve finished checking him out you place your hands on his thighs, kissing the tip of his cock which makes him tense beneath your hands. “What, are you nervous, doctor?” He hisses in response, twitching tentatively right before your eyes. You lick from the underside of his base to the tip, running your tongue along his veins.

Law’s more of a pervert in theory rather than in practice, watching you eagerly suck him off like candy brings down all his resolve. His cock slipping in and out of your lips makes his toes curl. He’s trying to suppress whimpers by biting down on the back of his hand. Heat rises to his face as he melts like putty with each jerk of your wrist. “You’re so cute like this Traffy, feel so big in my hands.” He groans at your praise, eyebrows knitting together while sweat builds at his hairline. Those med school types are always such sluts for praise, you should have known.

You slide your tongue along his sensitive slit while your hand twists around his base. “Such a pretty boy, you’d let anyone who walks in suck your dick like this huh?” The role reversal makes him delirious, he’s whining for you like his life depends on it.

“N-no. Just you, swear.” His voice is trembling as he struggles to look you in the eye. He doesn’t want to cum yet but if you keep talking to him like he’s some kind of slut he just might. He can’t remember the last time someone’s sucked him off like this, treating his dick like a prized commodity, it’s too much for him.

You take all of him in your throat while breathing through your nose, grasping at his bare thighs with your well manicured nails. He’s so thick it surprisingly makes you gag around him, tears well up in your vision but you push through, bobbing your head along his length. Spit dribbles down your chin and he’s convinced you’re trying to suck him dry. “Fuck please, do-don’t stop,” he’s never felt this out of control in his life and for once it feels nice to let go. He cums down your throat with no verbal warnings but his body said everything, orgasm ripping through him with a guttural moan.

But you don’t stop, continuing to suck him through his climax till he’s doubled over whining. “You even taste good,” you say while licking the corners of your mouth and then your fingers, letting your tongue slide between the webs of your hands. It makes his jaw drop and he can’t even say anything, his dick gets hard all over again from feeling so desired. Seems he’s found a new favorite patient.

Law can’t just leave you like this, not after you swallowed his load like you’d done it a million times before. He drags your kneeling form up to sit in his lap, letting you settle on him. He finds the placement of your hands on his chest endearing, your fingertips trail his inked skin and it feels intimate for someone who just caused him to break plenty of OSHA laws upon their first meeting. “I want you to use me, show me how to make you feel good,” the tip of his nose grazes your cheek as he speaks low in your ear.

Oh god, he doesn’t even know. It’s like he’s just opened Pandora’s box without a care in the world, and worst of all he personally asked for it. You can only smile sweetly, “this time let me hear you.” He nods like a dog just given orders, resting back against his palms as he waits for instructions. Your hands continue to feel him up, raking your nails across his pecks or squeezing at his biceps while you praise his figure. Law continuously gets harder beneath you, not even he was aware of this newfound kink for praise. Precum leaks from his tip in globs, please for the love of god just fuck him already.

You take him with no prep, usually you’d make sure to stretch yourself but with how wet he’s made you it’s honestly unnecessary. “Aah— fuck wait wait. You’re so tight.” He tries bracing himself when you sheath him, hands come flying to your hips as he grips you in place. “Can’t.. you feel s’good,” he’s breathing heavily trying to ground himself. Maybe he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

“But you’re taking me so well baby, your cock’s perfect.” And again he moans, it’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard, he tries biting his bottom lip to silence himself but you roll your hips forwards. “I said, let me hear you.” You wrap your arms around his neck as you push yourself up by your thighs to drop back down again. Continuing the motion while he struggles to keep up beneath you. Law attempts to keep his eyes open but with his previous orgasm it’s borderline impossible, the rhythmic slam of your hips on his dick sends his mind somewhere hazy.

He’s too cute, falling apart like this. Zero composure left to his name as you bounce up and down. The veins on his cock rub so deliciously within your heat, every time they throb you’re sent into ecstasy. The table creaks and gives as you ride him, if anyone walked in right now they could hear it or him whimpering helplessly.

You lean forward trying to position yourself so your clit grazes his pelvis with each grind of your hips. “Touch me Traffy, anywhere please just touch me.” Your close, so close that you can feel the pressure building in your cunt. His mouth latches onto your nipple, kneading the soft flesh with practiced hands. The added sensation sends your head rolling back, tapered pants of how good he is at this and how you don’t want him to stop escape you.

The view is impeccable, delicate tits in his face while your slick pussy engulfs him. He watches the way your mouth moves when you say his name and saves the memory for later use when he’s all alone. It almost feels like a movie to him, but he knows a film couldn’t be as good as this. Even that stupid nickname he’s gotten over the years sounds so sultry coming from you right now.

Your hand comes down from his shoulder to push him off you and he’s startled, figuring he must have done something wrong, but then you’re touching yourself as you fuck him and he’s trying to keep the floodgates from pouring over. You twist and tug at your own breast before trailing it down your body, trying to relieve that desperate ache that’s built up throughout your trip to his clinic. His eyes are blown wide, pupils dilated as he watches your fingers drag through your folds and then your puffy clit. “Said you wanted to watch me, so watch pervert.”

Oh fuckkkk. His hips jerk, biting his own lip hard enough to draw blood as he coats your insides white. He can’t do anything but whimper and shake noisily, gravelly voice failing him because of how hard this second orgasm rips through him. “Yes yes yes! Fuck, you’re so hot.” You must be trying to kill him, he can’t take anymore of your praise or he’s going to have to come back for more.

“Such a slutty face, gonna make me cum all over this dick.” Your fingers work faster and faster over your nub bringing you closer to that euphoria. It’s licking your insides like wildfire and it truly feels like it might be the cure to any disease. Finally it crashes over you, the back of your thighs slap against his for the final time as you cream all around him. Hands shooting for his hair as you grind out the remainder of your high.

It felt so dirty to be used as a cock to fuck but dear god did it look so good. Your heavy breath hitting him in warm fans as your body calms down. “So..” you huff while laying down on top of him, “think I’m cured?”

“No, I think you’ll have to visit for regular check ups.” Those same hands that you first noticed when you walked in rub circles on the dimples of your lower back, another cheeky smirk from the med student following suit.

[sailorholly]

Strictly Business Pt 1

Summary: Spencer wants to gain sexual experience before asking his out his dream date. You just want a way to release stress. What could go wrong?

Pairing: Spencer Reid x F. BAU Reader

Warnings: Descriptions of crime scenes/cases. Friends with benefits. Eventual smut.

W/C: 1.5K

You roll your eyes at Officer Brewer. The handsome cop came on pretty strong with his cheesy pickup lines. Each one was more inappropriate than the last. It’s not that you didn’t find him attractive, but in your five years at the BAU, you had learned not to hook up with the officers you were assisting.

You had only been with the team three months when you were called in to help Portland’s local police on a case. Deputy Julian Lopez had been assigned to assist you on the field and you quickly fell for him. It took six weeks to catch the unsub. During that time, you and Julian were sneaking around, having a secret relationship.

You were heartbroken to learn he had been using you for information he fed to the media to make himself look like the sole hero on the case. What made it worse was the scolding Hotch gave you. You should have known better.

You and your favorite coworker, Spencer were on your way out of the small police station to see the medical examiner. A jogger had stumbled across two bodies in the woods on their daily route. The two of you were going to see if you could find any similarities between them.

“Hey beanpole, take care of my girl for me.” Brewer called out to Reid, winking at you in a way that made bile rise in your throat. “You don’t actually like that guy, do you?” Spencer asked once you left. “No way! I just flirt with him to make sure he cooperates with us.”

Spencer took his plump bottom lip between his teeth. You watched the innocent act wondering what it would feel like to have his teeth sink into your lip like that. You were attracted to Spencer, there was no denying that. It was purely sexual though. You knew the kind of hectic life JJ and Will had. You wanted no part of that.

You didn’t understand why there wasn’t a pile of women at his feet at all times. But so many thought he was too awkward or talked too much. You found it endearing when he shared the information his brain retained from reading something only once.

The two of you were closest to each other out of everyone on the team. You read together on the way home from cases. You would let him look at the latest book you were reading. He would finish it in three minutes, then continue with his own. Once you had finished, he would discuss it with you. You loved that about him.

You mostly read smutty romance, and you looked forward to the blush that would flood his cheeks when he read a particularly spicy scene. Sometimes he would clear his throat and shift in his seat. Those were your favorite moments. You spent most of your spare time together watching movies, you were teaching him how to cook and he taught you how to play chess. You paled in comparison to his skills, but he enjoyed playing with you.

When you returned to the police station, Spencer started giving statistics about the unsub. You watched as he scrunched his nose when he got to a part he found particularly interesting. You were practically drooling when he started talking with his hands. You couldn’t help thinking of what they would feel like against your skin.

You squeeze your thighs together trying to suppress the throb in your panties. Most everyone hated when he went off on a tangent, spilling every detail he knew about something, but not you. You never interrupted him once he started. You thought it was incredibly sexy how much endless information was stored in that brilliant mind under his messy curls.

After four long days, the case was finally solved. Morgan had captured the unsub when he went back to visit the crime scene. The whole team and the local police went out to the closest dive bar to celebrate. You were three shots in when Officer Brewer asked you to dance.

You decided it wouldn’t hurt, and you felt a little bad for shamelessly flirting with him all week. To your surprise, he was a great dancer. He spun and dipped you like a professional. When the song ended, you both walked over to the large booth both of your coworkers had settled in. Brewer placed his hands on your hips pulling you tightly against his body. He pointed at Spencer. “That’s how you woo a lady, Einstein. I’ve seen how you look at her. Just know she’s in good hands. She will be sleeping with a real man. She’ll be screaming my name tonight.”

You quickly remove his hands from your body. One glance at Spencer was enough for you to know that the jab had hurt him. Luckily, Brewer wouldn’t be able to tell. But you could read Spencer like a book. You grabbed the nearest drink off the table, splashing it in his face.

“You pompous ass! I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on Earth. For your information, Spencer is more of a man than you’ll ever be. He’s the perfect lover. He knows the female anatomy like you know your ABC’s. He can spell out Webster’s Dictionary in its entirety with his tongue when he goes down on me. He’s incredible.”

Spencer looks at you in disbelief. His brown eyes widen as he takes in what just happened. You take his hand in yours. “I’m ready to go.” He stands and walks out with you. You go back to the hotel spending the rest of the night watching rom coms on TV.

When you were back home, everyone was talking about what you said at the bar. Most importantly, you had to explain to Hotch that you and Spencer were not involved. He didn’t want to deal with all of the paperwork or the drama if it didn’t work out.

Penelope, Emily, and JJ cornered you by the coffee wanting every dirty detail of your hookup with Spencer. They were understanding when you explained you made it all up to defend him. Rossi seemed amused by the gossip. When you tried to set the record straight, he said “What you kids do behind closed doors is your business.”

Morgan was a different story entirely. He greeted Spencer with a high five. “My man! You could have told me. You and Y/N, huh? I’ve seen you two all cuddled up after cases. I should’ve guessed.” Despite Spencer denying anything between you, Derek couldn’t be convinced otherwise.

A few weeks passed, the gossip had been long forgotten with all the cases you had been working on. Your first free weekend, Rossi invited everyone to his house for a cooking lesson. The wine was flowing, even Spencer had a few glasses.

He was chatting with Derek about some girl he met through his Dr Who fan club. Spencer described her as his dream girl, but he was nervous to ask her out. Derek slapped him playfully on the back. “At least you’re not a virgin anymore, Pretty Boy. You should have plenty of confidence with the ladies now.”

Spencer’s face fell. He stormed out of the house. You followed after him, concerned for your friend. “Hey, what’s wrong?” You catch up to him, sitting on the step beside him. “I’m just tired of all the comments on my personal life. Just because I don’t have a different girl in my bed every night doesn’t mean I’m a virgin. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, anything.” You reply laying your head on his shoulder. “Why did you say all that stuff at the bar?” He places his head on top of yours. His mop of messy brown hair flowing down your cheek. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just trying to stand up for you. I wasn’t going to let anyone talk to you like that.”

“I know that. I meant… Never mind.” He lifts his head and scoots over, distancing himself from you. “What is it? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” He sighs looking everywhere but at you. “Why did you say I was a perfect lover and that thing about the dictionary?”

“It just kinda came out. I guess I said it because that’s what I always imagined it would be like.” Finally he looks at you. “You’ve imagined doing that with me?” His voice raises several octaves when he asks. You nod your head in response. You could tell the conversation was taking an awkward turn so you change the subject.

“So tell me about this dream girl. You’ve been keeping secrets!” He smiles sheepishly. “Her name’s Chloe. She’s brilliant. We like a lot of the same things. She speaks three languages. I want to ask her out on a date, but all that stuff Morgan said is messing with my head. What if I’m not enough for her? I’ve only been with one woman. I’m not exactly skilled in that department.”

He swallows hard, self doubt sketched all over his soft features. “I would like to have more experience before I take her out. So I can be more confident.” “I have a crazy idea. You can say no if you want. But what if we slept together? You want more experience and I haven’t been with anyone in a long time. It would be great practice for you since we are comfortable with each other. I would tell you what you need to improve on. And it would be a good stress reliever for me. What do you think?”

Spencer studies your face carefully looking for any signs of this being a cruel joke. When he is certain you meant it, he answers. “What about our friendship? I don’t want to mess this up.” He gestures between you.

“Of course we will still be friends. It’s not like we are going to fall in love. Think of it as a business transaction. We won’t let emotions get in the way. It will be strictly business.”

“No feelings?” He asks reaching his outstretched pinky towards you. “No feelings.” You confirm hooking your pinky with his.

Part Two

Tags (if you want to be added let me know)

@cindylynn @potter-puff007 @multifandom-worlds @mochie85

[intergalacticfop]

Minoan Heanos

The distinctive open-front dresses worn by Minoan women are probably even more iconic than the multi-layered kilts. Over time, there's dispute whether the garment is one piece or a separate bodice and skirt, but currently the one-piece theory is in ascendance.

The word heanos is derived from the Linear B logogram *146, wehanos. The wes- prefix, which is the squiggle in the middle, indicates a garment. Bernice Jones believes that this logogram represents the garment worn by Minoan men and women.

Marie-Louise B. Nosch, The Textile Logograms in the Linear B Tablets, pp 133-138

More research and construction below the cut:

The theory that the garment is a full-length tunic is further supported from imagery from the time, like these figures from the c. 1400 BCE Hagia Triada Sarcophagus. This detail from the sarcophagus shows three figures in some kind of procession, 2 women and 1 man. The woman at left wears a tunic with some kind of pelt as a skirt, and the other 2 figures wear tunics without anything over them, showing that they are one continuous, ankle-length garment.

Some of the most important resources for interpreting how the heanos was constructed comes from the two women depicted in the House of the Ladies in Akrotiri, wherein the side seams of the tunic are clearly visible running along the side of the body and under the arm.

details of figures from the House of the Ladies, Akrotiri, via Wikimedia Commons

advadbsvasb

Diagrams from Bernice Jones' book Ariadne's Threads, p. 82, via Gorgeous Tangents

The heanos itself is made of 3 pieces of fabric: 1 back and 2 fronts. These diagrams show a concave hem like on the labrys-shaped kilt but I went with a straight hem, which is an equally valid option. The end of the sleeves are level with the edge of the hem at the widest point. This would probably be the width selvage-to-selvage on the fabric, being narrower than fabric widths commonly are today. There are 4 seams: the shoulder seam, the two side seams, and a front seam (optional, but recommended if you would prefer not being arrested.) It may be tempting to fold the fabric across the shoulder, so the only sewing is side seams and a neck hole, but this makes a weaker garment overall. I used this as a shortcut in my fitting muslin and it caused tears and weak points at the three points of the front opening.

my fabric was a lightweight, moderately loose-woven cotton with a supplementary weave pattern in squares and diamonds. Linen or wool would have been more accurate but also? much harder to find from online quilting stores selling fabric for affordable prices. The main fabric is dark orange and the pattern is made out of pink/lilac threads. This weaving technique resulted in a LOT of long floats (unsecured expenses of thread) on the back--you can see how the wrong side of the fabric is much pinker than the right side. These floats could snag easily if I wasn't careful, so while it made a very effective visual for this tunic, I do not think that this fabric type would be viable for everyday wear. I'll leave it to people who actually know about weaving to ponder what more accurate weaving techniques would be.

Construction

The overall pattern is basically a T-shaped tunic, and the most important measurements are shoulder circumference, shoulder width, bust circumference, and the shoulder-waist length. In addition, you need measurements for the bicep, waist, shoulder-navel length, and hip circumference. After working out the fit with a muslin, I ended up with this pattern, 1 of 4 identical quarters.

Your first impulse may be to make the tunic very close-fitting, since the depictions in frescoes are skin-tight, but since the pattern has no added gusset this is a recipe for Cannot Move Arm. So I gave a very generous curve under the arm, which also made the dress look better when my arms were down, avoiding armpit wrinkles. I continued that ease into about an extra 2 inches added on to my waist measurement and plenty of extra space around my hips so that I could do exciting things like Sit Down.

I sewed the shoulder and side seams using the machine, and felled the raw edges on each side of the seam by hand with a whipstitch. I foided back the front edges of the v-neck instead of cutting them, which was a tip I got from the Gorgeous Tangents blog. This strengthens the neckline and keeps it from stretching, and also means that everything can be readjusted if you have size fluctuations or just want to modify the tunic into something more or less modest.

I whipstitched the front edges together by hand--the contrasting selvage didn't matter because it would be covered up by trim. I ended up cutting the tunic a liiiittle shorter than I wanted, so I finished it with some leftover bias binding instead of hemming it to conserve as much length as possible.

Trim

I custom-ordered the woven tape trim from Long Creek Mercantile. Both are made of wool--the "header band" and the hem trim are 1 1/4" wide and the center-front and cuff trim are 3/8" wide. I observed that most images of the Minoan heanos show trim with two colors at most, in a simple geometric or linear pattern, so I consciously restrained myself from ordering anything more elaborate. The clothing on Minoan frescoes is characterized by strongly contrasting colors, so blue trim was the most obvious, and best-looking option. Orange tunics with blue trim appear multiple time in art like the "Dancing Lady" fresco from Knossos:

Dr. Jones suggests that the band across the shoulder would historically have been a header band--a band of threads woven at the beginning of a project in order to properly space the warp bands (see her diagram at the beginning). That may be a reason why the shoulder trim often depicted under the front or sleeve trim, as shown above. Regardless, the trim almost always coordinates.

I sewed on the shoulder trim by hand, the sleeve and hem trim by machine, and the center-front trim with a combination of both.

Tassels

Many frescoes from Akrotiri and Hagia Triada show the ends of the supposed header band turned into tassels. This embellishment is not universal among heanoi, as you can see from the "Dancing Lady" above, but it does add a fun little something!

(yes, my Lounging Pants are very fashionable)

I turned the excess ends of the shoulder "header band" trim into fringes, knotting the yellow ones into a lattice and turning the blue yarns into tassels. The lattice-tassel appears on a fresco from Hagia Triada:

Reproduction of fragmentary fresco from Room 14 at Hagia Triada, Crete

The saffron gatherers from Akrotiri shown below have clearly displayed fringes at the ends of their sleeves. The one on the left has red fringes that appear knotted or ravelled/unravelled in an undulating pattern, and the one on the right has fringes that may be either beaded with papyrus-shaped leaves or cut into short tassels.

Another option is leaving the fringes loose, as seen in the Akrotiri frescoes from Xeste, room 3:

The final garment was super comfy, actually! It's much simpler to create than I thought it would be based on the frescoes, which made it all feel pretty magical when everything came together. I did think it was a little unusual how tailored this garment is, and the potential waste of fabric that comes from a shaped garment, especially compared to how later ancient greek clothing was mainly rectangles. I don't know enough about bronze-age and earlier clothing to have any idea how typical this was, since I'm extremely Not an expert on this subject, but am always open to learning more!

[silkjade-archived]

maybe we're a forest fire

Featuring— alhaitham x reader ⤀ warnings: gn!reader, hurt/comfort fic, reader has a pyro vision, slightly suggestive at the end if you squint ⤀ summary: when a love divination claims your relationship is doomed to fail, alhaitham is there to soothe your overthinking | w.c. 1k+ ⤀ a/n: alhaitham strikes me as someone who's intelligent but doesn't overthink, so as an overthinker, this is a bit self indulgent

“You’re overthinking things again,” al-haitham states matter of factly. He continues to read despite the soft thudding of your footsteps as you pace the room.

“I’m not.” You argue, stopping in your tracks. “It makes sense. I just think… what if we…” your words trail off as you hesitate, biting your lip, wondering if you should continue your train of thought. 

“...what if we… end things now. Before things get worse…” you falter, wringing your hands, your voice as small as you feel under the watchful eyes of the heavens. Al-haitham’s shoulders visibly stiffen, pausing for just a moment to look up from his book, before slamming it shut in his hand.

“And where’s all this coming from?” he inquires, a quizzical brow arched in skepticism. Your boyfriend leans back in his seat, arms crossed, waiting for an explanation; you weren’t one to make rash decisions like this.

“Where’s this coming from… al-haitham were you even listening to me?” you throw your hands up in frustration and continue pacing the room. The two of you had taken a stroll this afternoon through sumeru city and you had thought it a good idea to have your fortunes read; your colleague at the akademiya, setaria, had sworn by nabiya and the accuracy of her readings, claiming that this relationship you had with the scribe should undergo the young fortune teller’s divination before proceeding foward: “Lest you waste your time on a doomed love prospect,” your friend had warned. Besides, it wasn’t that you necessarily believed in divination, but it didn’t hurt to have a little bit of fun… right? How wrong you were.

As you once again begin to pace to and fro, you miss the way al-haitham rolls his eyes from across you. “Don’t tell me this is all because of what that fortune teller said. You know they’re almost never accurate right? And you’re telling me you want to end things because… her cats recommended it?” Nabiya had read that your relationship would burn up, like a dying star, that it’d be better to save the trouble before everything went up in flames.

“No,” you continue, ignoring him, “she said the gods spoke through her. But anyways, I’ve been thinking ever since and I mean… just looking at our visions should be proof enough that maybe we shouldn’t be together at all.” 

“And pray tell, what do our visions have to do with our relationship? If anything, I’d say it’s a good omen that our elements react so well together.” Ever the rational insight. Usually, al-haitham quite enjoyed listening to your theories, but this was getting absurd, making him wonder if perhaps, there was more troubling you beneath the surface than you let on. Because even he couldn’t predict the tangent you were about to go on when your pyro and his dendro vision worked wonders together, especially when encountering enemies during your investigations in the forest and beyond. 

“Yes, they do react well don’t they,” you chuckle, cynical. “Burning. In our forest nation.”

“Well actually only half forest,” he interjects, as a poor attempt at lightening the mood. In his quiet observation, al-haitham hears the slight shift in your tone, hears you struggling to choke back your true feelings in your tirade. And yet the more you processed your own reasoning, the more it made sense. Your lover is rational if nothing else, so he’s sure to see your point. The nails of your clenched fists dig into the flesh of your palms, your heart starts beating faster, the voices of a hundred different thoughts swirling in your head. Here in the knowledge driven nation of sumeru, it was a rare occasion that the head would agree with the heart, so when it came down to it, most chose to follow their head. You were no exception.

“Al-haitham I’m being serious.” As if your large, pleading eyes weren’t already enough to break his cool persona, your next words do. You turn around, unable to face him as you begin to speak.

“Pyro is destructive. When it spreads, it burns everything in its path, and what if I burn you. Maybe not literally but I’m sure you know the sages aren’t exactly happy their scribe is getting distracted lately. And the grand sage is rtawahist— he’s bound to connect the dots and say the same… I don’t want to be a liability to you al-haitham, or cost you-” 

Ah. There it was. Dating the infamous grand scribe had thrown both you and your relationship into the public eye, and the scrutiny of the akademiya itself was no exception. You felt the air escape from your lungs before you could continue any further. Al-haitham had all but jumped out of his seat, tackling your person and enveloping you from behind, in a rare embrace.

“Hey. Hey, it’s okay. We’re going to be okay,” he murmurs, “having a pyro vision doesn’t make you the fire itself. And the sages have no say in my personal life, so even if you do ever burn me, well, forests need fire to renew and regrow.” He turns your body around to face him, fingers lifting up your chin so he could look into your eyes.

“I don’t care about any sort of destiny the gods or stars want to show me. I-”

“-plan to discredit the entire rtawahist darshan?” Al-haitham ignores your interruption and continues,

“And? I’d go against celestia as well if they think the element of our visions is enough of a reason to seperate us. You know I’m no zealot.” When the only response he gets from you is the fact that you shift your eyes away from his, he opts to pull you into himself, a hand on your back, the other behind your head. At this proximity, you’re able to pick up the steady sounds of his heartbeat. It was calming; it settled the rapid pace of your own heart to match his. Slowly, you bring your arms to wrap around his waist and press a soft smile into his chiseled chest.

“I fight for what I believe in, and I believe in us. It’s going to take more than just some fortune teller to change my mind, so let’s not discuss this anymore… unless you’d like other ways to keep your thoughts at bay?”

“You know… despite the robot allegations, you’re actually quite romantic,” you tease, looking up. 

“And you’re strangely impulsive for an overthinker.”

“...shut up.”

© silkjade — do not steal, plagiarize, translate or repost any content onto any other platform

[nnnyxie]

I‘m bAaAaAck

One other thing I’m an absolute sucker for is comfort🫶🏻 So imagine jealous!izu x reader

jealous!Itzu would probably just become quiet and insecure and withdraw himself from reader if it‘s extremely bad…in the begingen he‘d step closer…hold reader just a little bit tighter

Poor boy gets so nervous he just starts spewing random facts about reader to prove he knows reader better, like

„Did you know when you smile you have a dimple on your right but not on your left cheek?? And your nose crinkles right there *he taps readers face* and and your eyes squint and your cheeks go all rosy and-„

poor baby is just a stammering mess :(

reassure and love him :c

#𖢥 izuku anon

JEALOUS IZU!!!!!!!!!!

thank you izuku anon omg

i feel like izuku isn’t the type to get jealous easily, yk??

not unless he feels ‘threatened’

he’s not the type to like,,, ‘puff out his chest’ and ‘mean mug’ the person but— he is the type to hold some part of you. maybe your hip?? or put an arm around your shoulder??

though— there are times where he gets a bit insecure,,, so he just leaves.

he only stops when you say his name and ask where he’s going. he mumbles an ‘i don’t feel good’ and you cut the conversation with the person.

“you didn’t have to do that. you can go keep talking to them.” “no, you said you didn’t feel good so we’re going home.”

he sighed, now he felt guilty. he let his jealousy get in the way of your conversation.

when you reach home, he airs it all out. he tells you that he felt jealous, and that he feels guilty for making you leave when you were having fun. he told you how he felt like he was being a bad boyfriend for acting and feeling like that.

you tell him you were glad he told you the truth instead of keeping that lie and that you’re happy he’s able to communicate this all to you!! (we are all abt communication here folks!!)

“jealousy is a natural emotion and it’s something everyone experiences. i’m glad you told me. do you want to assess the situation?” he gives a nod. “okay, could you tell me why you felt jealous?” “i guess i just thought that they were… you know… more interesting and… i dunno, better? than me… and i got insecure about it…” you gave an understanding nod, “it’s okay that you felt that way izuku, your feelings are valid. but, please, never think that for one second, there’s someone better or more interesting than you.”

you laughed a little, “after all, you had to eat hair to get to where you’re at. i believe that’s the most interesting thing i’ve heard in my life.”

the talk went on for a bit, you discussed the times you had gotten jealous as well, and discussed any insecurities you both felt.

it was a very relieving and reassuring conversation, on both ends.

but yk he’s still gonna feel jealous from time to time.

again, it’s a natural emotion! even animals get jealous!!! especially house pets, they’re very territorial.

with that reassuring talk, he’s doesn’t really withdraw anymore. instead, he makes direct eye contact with the person. not necessarily trying to intimidate them but,,, more so to show he’s very aware of the conversation and what the person is trying to get at.

the only times he’ll ever get like,,, overly(???) jealous is when the person brings up old stuff about you that doesn’t really… align(??) with you anymore. to him, it feels like they’re tryna one up him. ykwim???

so then he’ll go on a cute tangent about how you don’t really like that kind of stuff anymore or you aren’t like that anymore. he’ll go on a rant about your new favorite things/activities and how you are now.

he’ll wave his hands around to emphasize his points, and when he’s trying to remember a thing you told him about a show/book/movie— he’ll begin to mumble into his hand. it’s very sweet but, you’ll have to stop him because, the person just ends up excusing themself— they were kinda off-put by him.

but, it’s okay!! that’s just another reason to love him!!

IZUKU <3

[beebopboom]

The Angel behind the Curtain

The Metatron. A character we don’t know a lot about in the show but has become public enemy number 1 - funny isn’t it.

I’ve been putting off doing this for a while because I wanted to dedicate proper time and research into this character - who he is, what he is doing, and how he is being used. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past week or so and boy is it long. So consider this an introduction post to a series - the main parts are still under construction and review.

But here is a shorter part that didn’t really fit anywhere cleanly and was kinda just a side tangent my brain went on - so now it’s its own part. I know some of it has been discussed before but have some new additions with a sneak peak into what is to come

and for that we are going back into the Title sequence - yes I know I talk about it way too much.

So Mr. Floating Head

Obviously this has been linked to the floating head of The Wizard of Oz before

But I want to dive in a little further now that we have more instances of this in season two

Now I’ll admit it’s been a while since I have revisited the story so there might be more parallels I missed but for now I just want to focus on the wizard - with some light parallels

We get the Metatron as a floating head up in heaven during the trial -which would have been before/during episode one - where he task the archangels with finding Gabriel - and he almost seems amused about it.

When Dorothy and the others first meet the Great Oz he will only grant their wishes upon the defeat of The Wicked Witch of the West. Once they return back after succeeding they demand the Great Oz to fulfill his promises but Toto knocks down the curtain to reveal that the Great Oz is just some man. He then uses “humbug” to grant their wishes - kinda. Dorothy though is meant to join him on a hot air balloon so they can both go home - which she misses because she was chasing Toto. But enough of that

After Gabriel is found - then fucks off - the Metatron arrives in the bookshop with most not recognizing him until he prompts Crowley to “reveal” him. He then sends the archangels away with a “wait and see” about if they had done anything wrong - kinda granting their wish with them not getting in trouble. He then goes on to offer the Supreme Archangel position to Aziraphale and says to join him in going up to Heaven.

The Metatron is admittedly a better wizard than Oz - he for the most part removes his own curtain and makes sure Aziraphale is coming with him.

But you said we were going into the title sequence and you have just rambled about some old story parallels? Okok I’m going

I've talked before (here) about how those rickety walkways represent Heaven's plans/timeline for their version of Armageddon- but for this we are going to focus on the one in the theatre

Curtains are drawn - screen is burned - the way to the Second Coming revealed

I'm comparing this moment to the Metatron finally appearing in a corporation in front of the angels and revealing his name - the curtain pulled back.

At the last second the film is burned - right before they enter the lift the Metatron finally drops the act a little and reveals the name, The Second Coming.

And now on to the sneak peak for one of the things I will be doing a deep dive into - The Book of Enoch

I know Neil has said the Metatron has always been an angel but can’t throw the whole book away when he himself pulls from it

When we go through the burnt screen we see these mountains of junk and it is revealed they are walking up one that has a throne room on top.

In Enoch 1 he is given an angel guided tour of the cosmos and sees seven glorious mountains - three to the east, three to the south, one that was taller than the rest and like the seat of a throne with trees encircling it, one of which is identified as the Tree of Life - which is said to be given back to humans after judgement

I’m sensing some parallels but for now that is it - tune in later for some more Enoch and diving into the occult

Part 2 is up!!

[no-where-new-hero]

Chapter Three: A Hop Out of Kin

"He makes a better-looking corpse than I thought he would, what with being so wasted and all. He was always a pretty man, though too thin."

I'm so sorry, this is the FUNNIEST possible thing Ellen Greene could say to an 11 year old girl who just lost her father. Did she have an unrequited crush on her eccentric employer? Or is this just a way that Maud can tell us that Emily has staggeringly good genes, despite all the protestations that she's not pretty?

Emily, with an eloquent glance at Ellen's hands, went and got a dish-towel. "Your hands are fat and pudgy," she said. "The bones don't show at all."

Emily does the dishes at last!

"The fact is, Emily Starr, you're queer, and folks don't care for queer children. You talk queer--and you act queer--and at times you look queer."

It probably doesn't say much that Ellen Greene is the one to call Emily queer but hey! Here's the word!

"Why didn't you scrub the floor when Father was alive?" asked Emily. "He liked things to be clean. You hardly ever scrubbed it then. Why do you do it now?"

Emily begins to learn about the evils of doing things for the sake of societal appearances and not for the sake of personal wishes. And now the charms of Eden (the flowering apple tree, the daffodils, the Wind Woman) can't touch her. The fall has begun.

The introduction to all the Murrays is fantastically written--not only do we get searing portraits of them, but we also get a great portrait of Emily through her little rebellions. The fanciful and somewhat soppy child from the first two chapters is brimming over with spunk now, and here's where things start getting very interesting because we also get to hear thoughts from a new character: Aunt Elizabeth: "Though Elizabeth Murray would never have admitted it, she did not want to be snubbed as Wallace and Ruth had been." Though Aunt Ruth is clearly marked as a villainess and Aunt Laura and Cousin Jimmy jump out as sympathetic, Elizabeth remains ambiguous and presents a sliver of vulnerability that is the hallmark of all provocative characters. (I intend to pay a lot more attention to Aunt Elizabeth this go around.)

I remember very little of the 90s show, but I always hated this scene in it, when it shows Emily performing a ritual for her father or some shit when the Murrays arrive. Like?? What the heck is that supposed to be?? It loses Emily's vulnerability and subversiveness and makes her out to be weird without subtlety or pathos. Also Cousin Jimmy was very very poorly handled in that. It always amazed me how much the producers and writers of that fucked up the series because the book has such cinematic clarity from scene to scene, it shouldn't have been that hard. Anyway. Tangent.

[holymolyineedtherapy]

My Strawhat Headcanons Part Four:

Usopp

Taught himself how to read and write. He would practice by sitting outside the school and listening in on lessons then would read the names of the boats and other things he worked on.

Got his love of art from his mom. I feel like she used to paint with Usopp and she taught him about different types of techniques and stuff.

He has a true passion for art but feels like it hurts his masculinity so he tends to call himself a shipwright instead.

Starts to embrace his artsy side more after joining the crew. Once he painted the Jolly Roger, Nami asked him about his skills and he went on a two hour tangent to talk about his mom.

Nami said, "Wow, what a nice way to keep her memory alive." And after that, he started making a lot more art.

He makes a lot of portraits of the crew, all of which get hung up around the ship.

Has a book club with Robin, Nami, Brook, and Chopper. They each take turns picking out books with Usopp usually choosing more heroic stories.

He originally started just talking about it with Nami after seeing her reading a book he used to.

Is the person everyone goes to for when they want to calm down.

Whether they want to chill or hear a story to distract them, Usopp has the chill Big Brother vibe that just let's everyone relax.

He doesn't understand why he's called the big brother if the ship because he's younger than most of the crew but he was a big brother to the three boys back at Syrup Village and he just has that vibe.

Writes letter to Kaya weekly! He also draws her pictures of their adventures, of course always making himself look better.

He also sends her little souvenirs from every island they travel to whether it be a bottle filled with sand and ocean water, or a recipe that Sanji got from the locals.

Always helps Franky out when he can and is always down to learn new things for the Sunny!!

[vyrid]

Hermione does not, in any way, overpower Tom Riddle, in any field. 

For evidence purposes, I'll use all of their achievements from book one to book 7. Instead of going on a long, disorganized tangent, we'll cut them down into 3 categories: studies, wit, and talent/strength. (I swear theres a difference between wit + studies.)

Studies --

During school, Hermione:

Was referred to as the brightest witch of her school year by Lupin

Got 10 OWLS (2 less than Bill and Charlie)

Prefect

She did get Slughorn's favour to an extent

During school, Tom Riddle:

Was referred to as the brightest kid to step into Hogwarts (possibly ever) by Albus Dumbledore

His grades are never revealed, but it is implied time and time again that he was a model student with a spotless record

Prefect and Headboy

Got a Special Award For Services to the School (hes a rat 😭)

Slughorn's favorite despite being Muggleborn and broke

There is not much I can work on in the studies department, because there isn't much text to support their performances involving the school directly, but it's obvious that Tom Riddle takes the cake. With every bullet point presented, Riddle's side of achievments is always 3x more impressive. I would like to add that he thrived in DADA and didn't shy away from any dark subjects, while Hermione was too scared to put thought into DADA + was too impatient with Divination (which I don't blame her for.)

If I had to compare them involving other characters, I would say that Tom Riddle is right up there with Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, while Hermione falls below tier near James Potter and Severus Snape.

If Severus Snape is no match for Tom Riddle (atleast when he was sane), then Hermione isn't a match for Severus. Snape was the BEST potions boy to go to Hogwarts -- it could be argued that Lily was also up there but yk shes dead so we don't care about that -- and he wasn't scared to apply his studies in the Dark Arts to real life. He was a smart kid, and even though he was below Tom Riddle in terms of brilliance, he was pretty darn smart. If Hermione cannot even reach his level, it's kind of silly to compare her to Tom Riddle.

Wit --

This one is a no brainer. The thing that sets them apart is their ability to think outside of the box.

Tom Riddle believed in a world of magic. He believed there was not a limit in which magic could be stopped. He achieved GREAT things simply by letting his trust in his own magic and the wonders of the Wizarding World lead him to his goals.

Hermione is close minded. She believes what she wants to believe, and most of her information comes from her precious, reliable books. She was too close minded to believe in divination. She was too close minded to sit back and think that, perhaps, house elves were made a certain way in which they ENJOYED labour (which is a whole other discussion), she was too close minded to believe in the Death Hallows. She was too close minded to think that there could possibly be a better, alternative recipe to a potion that didn't come straight from the school book. Her refusal to simply believe held her back from many opportunities.

Hermione is studious. Tom Riddle is BRILLIANT. Most of Hermione's knowledge comes from what she's been taught at school, but Tom Riddle went out and learned his own knowledge. And that's not a bad thing. Being studious and smart already sets her apart from many, many people.

But Tom Riddle wasn't just a studious guy. He was a genius, a prodigy, kind of a psychopath. He learned at a young age how and exactly when to use his strengths to get what he wants. He carried himself up as social ladder reserved solely for purebloods before even finding out his heritage as the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. He made a grown adult women scared of him as a child. He didn't use his wit for good, no, but was he pretty damn smart? Yeah.

Talent and Strength --

When Hermione was a kid, she learned to utilize what she had around her to catch up with other kids. She taught herself the syllabus before even getting into school and even learned spells without being taught by Professors! She was always the first one to get the spell right and was quick on her feet in an argument. She had a lot of brewing talent in her. It is not easy to be thrown into a whole new world but she took all of it with grace.

She was amazing at spells. When the trio ran away during the 7th book, she was their rock to lean on--for strength, for protection, for guidance. She knew every spell in the book to hide them away from Voldemort.

Her duelling skills, while not on par with Harry's, were pretty darn good, too. She could hold her own in a duel if she really needed to get out of their alive, using her quick thinking and sometimes, deception. Ex. (When she changed Harry's face to not resemble him when they got caught by snatchers.)

I give Hermione a lot of credit in the book. She was stronger than she needed to be at a young age, and she handled it better than most people did.

Tom Riddle on the other hand...

His talent is unmatched when it comes to anybody else.

He learned to get a hold on his magic and command it like the king that he is at the baby age of one digits. Because of all the instances at Wool's Orphanage, it isn't crazy to assume that this wasn't just a case of accidental magic. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew exactly how to call onto his magic to do his bidding. I don't think even Dumbledore could have said he was able to do that.

He was a parselmouth. It's less a talent and more a skill, but he used his hereditary trait to manipulate and use another type of magic to do what he wanted. Speaking to snakes is one thing--getting them to actually listen to you has to count for something.

He made horcruxes at the age of 16. That is a type of deadly, deadly magic. It is so forbidden it doesn't even fall under Forbidden magic because it's blasphemous to even think to do it. The fact that his magic was so strong that he could go through that process and come our alive is actually crazy.

He made a whole persona for himself, under Lord Voldemort, and got a whole race of people to follow him blindly. He wasn't even a pureblood and he still had them down on their knees. That's talent.

He could perform all forbidden curses with ease and not get drained. Moody says that you have to mean your intent and that nobody can *just* cast the curses. You have to have the willpower and strength to cast them--the fact that Voldemort could cast dozens of them at a time without thinking about it already sets him apart in strength from Hermione. I doubt even Snape, as he brilliant as he is, would dare push his limits like that.

I don't want this to get SUPER long, but here are some things I left out about Riddle and didn't know how to add on the list.

He found the long lost Chamber of Secrets during his time at Hogwarts. It was there for millions of years--he can't have been the ONLY descendant. It's safe to say he was one of the first people to open it and actually use it for his own gain.

He acquired the Elder Wand. I mean, so did Harry and Dumbledore, but it doesn't change the fact that he did. He was kind of dumb when he grew up and became all insane but that's impressive, too.

It is implied that he was at the brink of winning the war before Harry killed him on Halloween. If he hadn't taken the bait, maybe we'd see a world overrun by his power.

He didn't inspire fear in just Britain. He inspired fear across the world. Harry Potter was known across every wizarding community, such as Bulgaria. That means they must've known Voldemort too. There was lots of foreign people at the world cup, but every single one of them ran at the sight of the Death Eaters--which means they recognize his sign in some sort of way. The Gregrovitch family recognizes him, as does the German witch does when she sees him in folds in fear.

Sorry, this became a long rant of Voldemort's powers and not just a comparison, but it does go to show that Hermione being even near his level. It's just not plausible.

You're welcome to argue with me or correct me on my oversights! I haven't fact checked everything and I won't be offended if you correct some points. (Also there is a lot of typos and I have a cut on my finger so please dont kill me for my grammar 😭)

[literaryspinster]

Skills

One of the easiest ways to endear me to a character is to give them a skill (another reason Tiana, Mulan, Esmeralda and Rapunzel are a few of my favorite Disney Heroines, they all have/gain skills that are at least somewhat valuable to the plot and their character development). Ariel too but since everyone in the Disneyverse has an amazing voice it's hard for her to stand out in that way. But I'm not sure why I went on a tangent about Disney heroines when this post is actually about Gen V. For fanfic and meta purposes I've been thinking of what skills the characters should have that don't inherently pertain to being superheroes.

Marie: Medicine. This is a popular one and for a reason. I'd love it if in the coming seasons we see her going even beyond the instincts of her powers to understand how bodies work and how to fix them, and the healing properties of certain drugs, herbs and plants. This would make her powers even more efficient and would come in clutch if she was ever unable to use them for whatever reason. She's already expressed interest in learning CPR (in the funniest way possible), and is generally invested in saving lives rather than merely fighting, so let's see where that goes. Jordan: Music. I'll admit that this was mostly spawned by the shot of a guitar in their room and the fact that listening to music is the first thing we see them doing, but having musical abilities is also considered a plus in Vought world. However, I don't think performing at award shows and telethons is going to make them happy. For Jordan I see playing instruments as something they do as a very personal, stress-relieving activity that they just happen to be very good at. They do open mics out of costume and write melodies in a journal and give their friends little concerts. It's what centers them.

Emma: Sewing, costume design. I headcanon that she makes her own tiny outfits (although they are just as likely doll clothes). After embracing her growth abilities she will probably also have to learn to make giant clothes, or garments with a lot of stretch and versatility. She has a fairly quirky and dynamic sense of fashion so I'd imagine she'd get a lot out of this creatively as well.

Cate: Event planning, hospitality. Cate, with all of her many many flaws, has a very warm and friendly demeanor, and a way of making people feel comfortable. She also has that confident popular girl quality and just wants everyone around her to have a good time. I bet she throws a bitching party.

Sam: Painting, drawing. Sam sees the world in an unconventional way to say the least, and he has a lot of troubles that he could use a peaceful outlet for. The idea of him getting inspiration from his comic books and learning to draw and paint is a solid one in my opinion.

Andre/Luke: Athletics. It's difficult to talk about Andre right now, and Luke left before I got to know him better, but they both have athlete vibes to me. I see Andre being really into a rowdier sport like hockey or soccer, and Luke gravitating more toward something preppy like lacrosse or rowing. But if they were on the same team I think their sport would be baseball.

[randomthefox]

So, I agree with your logic that Silver comes from a good future. It’s not like the future can be good but suddenly become bad without the interference of another time traveller. That’s not how time travel works.

But I do have to wonder. If the future was good and no other time travellers were involved, then why do you think Silver showed up in Sonic Forces? I can’t think of a reason other than him trying to make the future better than it already was. Like, maybe the resistance won maybe a lot more people died. So he went back to make sure more people made it out okay. But that’s just headcanon.

Given we have absolutely no information to go off of whatsoever, I can imagine a handful of different scenarios.

Possibility the first: Silver read in a history book about that time Eggman took over 99% of the planet and everyone thought he killed Sonic, went "OH HECK NO >=o " and went back in time to help out, without actually bothering to finish reading the book.

Possibility the second: Silver was just still back in Sonic's time after being at his birthday party in Generations, and hadn't actually gone back home yet by the time Forces happened

Possibility the third: the chaos emeralds andor the master emerald gave him a vision that some shit was about to go down so he went back in time to go deal with it based on the information he had.

Possibility the fourth: they have some kind of timeline monitoring detection system in the future, like the timeline police in Star Trek, and he got dispatched to the past when the world started getting Marty McFly'ed out of existence by Eggman conquering the planet in their distant past.

Possibility the fifth: it was a coincidence and Silver just decided to go visit Sonic's time on a lark and he happened to come around right when the six months war was taking place.

Pick your poison. It's not ever explained in the game so the answer is whatever you want it to be lol.

I completely disregard the webcomics made before the release of the game because they're stupid and paratextual. The only reason I would ever reference their existence is if someone tried to insist that the IDW Sonic comics are canon, because the Forces prequel comics actively contradict them =P

In the Forces prequel comic, Silver chose to send himself back in time to deliver a warning, based on sparse historical records.

In the IDW Sonic comic

Silver gets flung back in time willy nilly without having any notion as to why, and he just puts together what the reason is based on context clues! He is "sent" back in time.

Which is ACTIVELY CONTRADICTORY to what Silver says in the Forces prequel comic.

So which is it? x3 either the prequel comic isn't canon, or the IDW Sonic comic isn't canon. They are MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. They cannot BOTH be canon. Silver describes two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT time travel mechanics. In Flynn's comic, Silver has agency and decision making over his time travel. In Stanley's comic, Silver gets magiced back in time for no reason. This discrepancy cannot be compromised.

The Forces Prequel comic was produced and posted officially BY SEGA on their social media and the sonic channel website. So while I discount them for being paratext, they are still MORE canon than the IDW Sonic comic. Which is another notch in the IDW Sonic isn't canon board. sssssssuckkkk ittttttt.

anyway. tangent. Silver's in Sonic Forces because he's a cooooooooooooool guyyyyyyyyy.

[typically-untypical]

Mr. & Mr. Murray

AU: Writer AU

CW: None that I can think of

WC: 871

Date: 12/21/2023

Patton felt the buzzing energy in the room after the last question he answered, people were curious about the next book in the series and he was happy to give out what details he was allowed to talk about. It left everything on a high, but as the next attendee walked up to the microphone, Patton had a feeling they were going to be entering the questions he hated hearing. "Mr. Murray? How do you feel about the darker subject matter of your husband's books?" The man by the microphone was a reporter, his press badge shining in the light. He should know better than to stand that close to the microphone and shout, it reverberated through the room and Patton fought not to grimace. How many of the fans here had sensory issues? That feedback was certainly a nightmare for them. He played with the hem of his skirt before looking over at  one of the event coordinators. Thankfully they knew and went to go turn down the microphone, just in case.

"I love all of Remus' stories," Patton answered with a smile. "I am proud of everything he's ever written and I would never judge him for the content of his books." It was actually more than that. Patton genuinely loved Remus, not just for who he was as a person but also for the things that he wrote. It was interesting that so many people thought the main problem in their relationship would come from a difference in opinion in regards to writing styles. Patton had Remus' books memorized, front to back, cover to cover. He was just that enamored with his husband's creativity.

"Thank you everyone!" The publicist called, "That's all we have time for today." Clearing the hall early would mean anyone who was struggling could find a quiet place to calm down. Also, Patton hated these questions, the ones about him and Remus that seemed to want to pit them against each other. "If you have any further questions please feel free to leave them on the cards in the back. Mr. Murray will do his best to answer what he can."

Patton was led off the stage toward the back area where Remus was waiting, playing a game on his phone with his tongue sticking out. He was so cute. "Hey good lookin, whatcha got cookin?" Remus looked up, his broad smile crossing his face as he immediately put down his phone and opened his arms.

"Somethin hot for you!"

Patton fell into Remus' embrace with a giggle, hiding his face in Remus' neck. "I hate when they ask about 'your books'," He muttered, closing his eyes and letting out a slow sigh. "I don't want to talk about the horror novels. I don't write them to think about them!" Patton and Remus each had very distinct styles of dress and personalities which was why no one would believe that the children's fantasy books were actually written by Remus and the horror books were written by Patton, so they swapped.

"I know Mr. Murray Eel, but you handled the question so well. You deflected like the best of them and found a way to not talk about it. Though I did notice how you were ready to go on one of your 'my husband is so great' tangents." 

"Well it's true," Patton whined, scooting closer to Remus so he could hide from the world. "You're so awesome, and smart, and eccentric, and eclectic, and other big words." 

Remus laughed, pulling Patton in closer and looping his arm behind his back to hold him close. "I think my husband is pretty awesome too," Remus retorted, kissing Patton's neck gently. "He's sweet and kind and caring and compassionate. He uses his fear to write the best horror novels and he bakes the best cobbler."

Patton giggled as Remus' mustache tickled his neck, rubbing in just a way that it made him squirm. "Stooop," He whined pulling away from Remus who stopped immediately, smiling up at Patton. "I'm so lucky to have you."

There was a softness in Patton's voice, something that couldn't be matched by any affection from book lovers or crowds.

"I'm lucky to have you," Remus responded, standing up and taking Patton with him. "I'm going to have to go on soon. Do you want me to take you with me?"

"That's not really appropriate," Patton responded, but didn't remove his arms from around Remus' neck.

"When have I ever cared about being appropriate around your fans."

Patton laughed a little, Remus did have a point, but no, he had his own image to keep up. Everyone seemed to like the smiling dad figure as a staple in the children's literature community. Patton had to keep up his image, because he was helping to sell Remus' books. He wasn't going to betray his husband by giving into the temptation of being carried around the convention. "Maybe next time."

He finally let go and Remus slowly put him down, hesitating in each of his movements. Patton could already tell that they were going to be all cuddled up tonight.

"Next time," Remus whispered, kissing Patton's cheek, lingering for a moment before he took Patton's hand.

@tsspromptmonth

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Insinuation 2.3 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

It was stuff like this that made Mr. Gladly my least favorite teacher.  I got the impression he’d be surprised to hear he was anyone’s least favorite teacher, but that was just one more point against him in my book.  I don’t think he comprehended why people might not like him, or how miserable group work was when you didn’t identify with any of the groups or cliques in the school.  He just figured people liked doing group work because it let them talk and hang out with their friends in class.

I'm not sure if I'm gonna say this a lot (probably not) but I agree wholeheartedly with Taylor Hebert here.

Greg was just the opposite.  He was smarter than average, but he had a way of saying every thought that came into his head – his train of thought didn’t have any brakes.  Or tracks.  It would have been easier to be in a group with just Sparky and essentially do the work by myself than it would be to work with Greg.

I know almost nothing about this character except that he's a poorly social nerd that a weird percentage of the SB/SV/QQ side of the fandom is really into.

I sighed as Mr. Gladly picked Greg to do our group’s presentation, and was forced to watch Greg botch it badly enough that Mr. Gladly asked him to sit down before he was finished.  Greg was one of those kids I always figured made teachers groan inwardly when they raised their hands in class.  The sort of kid that took twice as long to answer as anyone else, and was often only half-right or so off-tangent that it derailed the discussion.  I couldn’t imagine what had possessed Mr. Gladly to pick Greg to do our group’s presentation.

On the other hand, given the average userbase of those sites... I can see exactly why they glom onto Greg. Teenage me might have done the same, but by the time I heard of Worm, I was past that...ish

I'm still not sure what purpose any of this extended bit serves. We already know how much the Trio sucks.

I gave a rueful chuckle, feeling the frustration welling up, “Great.  So they might miss a few days of school, and only if I can prove they were behind it all… and whether they get suspended or not, they feel a hundred percent justified in whatever else they do to the rat for revenge.” “If you want things to get better, Taylor, you have to start somewhere.” “That isn’t a starting point.  It’s shooting myself in the foot,” I said, pulling my bag over my shoulder.  When he didn’t immediately respond, I left the classroom.

How much of Taylor's belief there's no way to get justice (which then translates into the fandom) is real? Obviously she has tried to complain and it went nowhere, but I would never have expected Mr. Gladly to actually make this approach at all, honestly.

This feels like another filler chapter, tbh. Feels like 2.1 and 2.3 didn't really need to be there.

Like, all six parts of Gestation felt like they needed to be there, as they were. 2.1 and 2.3... not as much. But I suppose even Wildbow can't knock it out of the park every time, and stuff does need set up and such like that.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Tell us weird theories/speculation among Insomnia's population about What Happened When The Conqueror Went To Galahd.

Hello and welcome to another episode of Historia Antiqua. A podcast where we dissect anecdotes, happenings and people from ancient history. The grotesque, the mysterious, the mundane, the well known and the unknown. Everything goes.

My name is Falco and today I have something very special prepared for you.

Maybe some of you listeners - depending on when you are listening to this - have already heard of this. If so, welcome! I hope you will learn something new from this as well.

So what are we talking about today? Well, we are going to talk about a man named Firmus Lucis Caelum. You may better know him as the Conqueror and 10th King of Lucis.

'But hold on', I can hear you say, 'we already know everything about this man' - well, you're wong. What I will talk about today currently has near every scholar of antique history up in a tizzy. I think one of the old scolars got so upset his wig fell off. It was great.

But before we get into the meat of things, let's first talk about what we know about dear old Firmus. A refresher, if you will. And maybe you will learn something new as well. You never know.

Who was Firmus Lucis Caelum? We all know him for his epithet. The Conqueror. So let's start there. What did he conquer? The answer to that is most of the Lucian continent.

Before his reign, Lucis was barely more than all of Cavaugh and a few territories along the Leidean coast. After he died, his son inherited a Kingdom that stretched from Cavaugh all the way to Ravatogh. The land north of the mountain was still its own kingdom by that point, but that's not important right now.

What is important is that a single man's ambition more than tripled the size of a kingdom in about a generation's time. Which is very impressive. According to anecdotal history, the moment Firmus brought Ravatogh under his rule, the Draconian gave him his epithet The Conqueror. Before that he was actually known as The Elementrist.

Side tangent: If you ever come across a certain consirancy theory telling you that The Elementrist is a missing King of Lucis that we erased from history, no, there wasn't. It's just Firmus. I cannot stress enough how that is just Firmus's first epithet. Yes, I'm talking to you, Constantia.

*ahem*

Where were we? Ah, yes. Firmus came very close to giving Lucis its modern borders. Which begs the question: Why? Why conquer nigh on a whole continent? No one just wakes up one morning and chooses violence on that scale.

The answer to that question is 'A Divine Decree'. For all that don't know: the Devine Decree is a document written by the Conqueror himself, detailing that his conquest is in accord with the Devine Will of the Astrals. It's a very... interesting read. Sadly, not all of it survived to this day. Part of it got burned when the Old Palace burnt down during the time of The Rogue.

Some people were very upset back then about women being Kings. Let me tell you.

If you are interested in the finer details of what we do have from the Divine Decree, I'll leave a link on my mog-page along with all other sources I have consulted for this episode.

What else we have on written record of the Conqueror is very sparce. Most of what we do know, comes from a man named An Inarim - a Leidean historian who lived around that time - and he wasn't exactly Firmus's biggest fan. For very good reasons as well. According to what we have of his books, Firmus had a very salt-the-earth mentality when a town didn't surrender before he killed their leaders. Among varuous other things. An Inarim also called Firmus a religious fanatic, which was a very bold claim to make at the time.

By now some of you might be wondering what the point of all of this is. Well, that's simple: Some weeks ago a young man named Ianus Veter walked into the Grand University of Insomnia with an old diary he found in his grandparents' attic. The contents of which are so monumental that they will change how we write history.

Yes, you heard that right. A nearly 2000 year old diary is the reason you have seen that funny little picture of old Scolar Lampas loosing his wig circling around the net.

In all seriouslness though, this diary is a milestone in researching ancient history and how we think about it. Especially wen it comes to one tiny detail. A hint to answering the qustion of what happened to the Black Fleet.

Through the tenth book of the Lucis Caelum Cycle - which is what the bools of An Inarim are called - we know that the Black Fleet was built as a part of the Divine Decree, though that part of the document has been lost to time and flame. It was completed somewhen around 427 AS, though some sources also mention the years 424 and 429. We know for sure however, that it set sail in 431 AS. Inarim is quite insistent on that detail.

What we don't know what happened to the fleet after that. All we know through the Lucis Caelum Cycle and a few surviving written pieces in Insomnia, is that only three ships returned, maybe around the year 433 AS. No one can say for sure.

What happened to the fleet has been a mystery ever since. Firmus himself hasn't been very vocal about it. As far as we know, at least. He must have said something, since the vanishing of a whole fleet, ships and crew and all, cannot have been without consequences. Sadly, no sources survived to this day.

This is where the diary comes into play. According to the University - and the parts of the diary they have published - it was written by an older noble named Avitas Veneres. He mostly wrote about his day-to-day life, which in and of itself cound't be amazing enough. That man really loved his wife and children. Which is an important detail, because on the 13th day of the 1st Leviathanis 431 AS he writes that, and I shall translate roughly: 'Worry eats me down to my bones, for my youngest son has signed onto the Farsighted. It is a fine vessel and it would be a fine choice, if this ship hadn't been part of the fleet set sail to the savage nation of Galahd.'

He goes into a bit of a rant, which shall not be repeated here, but let that sink in. Part of the fleet set sail to Galahd. If there wasn't any other fleet being built at the time - and the possibility of that is vanishingly low - Veneres here is talking about the Black Fleet.

Which, I don't even know where to start with this. If this is true, then this would mark the first contact between Lucians and Galahdians in history. It was previously thought that the honour of first contact belonged to the Wanderer.

Why is this important? Well, it would at least in part inform about the animosity between our two people. I mean, who would want to deal with a nation that tried to conquer theirs? And I know it has been nearly 2000 years since then, but I think we all have heard about the famous feuds of the Galahdians by now.

My sister hears two of them arguing in the streets one day. Apparently it was about a member of one family slighting another family, which happened at least several hundred years ago, and they were arguing about it as if it had happened just last year.

So I do have to wonder: Do they know about whaat happened to the fleet? And if yes, how accurate is it? In research circles Galahd is famous for keeping to its oral traditions to this day. Which is quite the amazing feat, to be honest.

All we do know for sure is that the Conqueror has forbidden the depiction of his likeness after his desastrous return to Insomnia.

And that's it, dear listeners. We shall take a quick break and then return to discuss some of the finer details of what Avitas Verenes has written about Firmus Lucis Caelum and the whereabouts of the Black Fleet.

See you in a few.

[the-travelling-witch]

Hiiii I'm here for the constellation game!!

2 - Al- Haytham (or pick another genshin character if you're not comfy with him ❤️)

mariii, good to see you!! thank you so much for joining!! finally, writing for al-haitham even though i haven’t finished the archon quest yet ehe~

i went into this thinking everyone would be rolling 3s or 6s but apparently 2 is the choice number jshsh; slow dancing is one of my favourite tropes and i hope i did both the trope and al-haitham justice with this piece ♡

MOONLIT DREAMS

trope: slow dancing [space nr. 4]

pairing: al-haitham x gn!reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none, just floof <3

second constellation event masterlist

Leaning onto the parapet of one of the many raised platforms in Sumeru City, you rested your head in your hand as you let out a dreamy sigh. Before your eyes, one of the most beautiful sunsets you had seen in a long time coloured the sky in the most vibrant shades of pink, red and yellow. It seemed as though nature wanted to celebrate alongside the people of Sumeru, the chatter and music of the festival in the streets below audible even where you were standing.

“It's almost magical, isn't it? Just look at all the pretty colours, Haitham~” you sighed again, melting a little more into the hand supporting your head.

“Actually, there's really nothing magical about it at all. We perceive sunsets and sunrises to be colourful because of a phenomenon called light scattering.” Al-Haitham had closed the book he was reading and came to stand next to you, looking towards the setting sun in time to miss you rolling your eyes. “The scatter is caused by small particles and molecules in the air changing the direction of the incoming light rays. Although, the colour we perceive is determined by the size of the particles and the wavelength of the light. Red has the longest wavelength of all to us visible light, so when the sun is at the horizon and the light has the longest path through the atmosphere, all other colours are blocked out. That's why we deem sunsets to have a reddish colour.”

“You don´t say; I thought it was actual magic and someone painted the sky every evening. Way to kill the mood, nerd,” you deadpanned before bumping your shoulder into his. After all, you didn't mind him going on scientific tangents, otherwise you wouldn't be able to stand being near him all the time. Besides, his voice was delightful to listen to, so he could talk all he wanted. 

Tearing your eyes away from the horizon, you focused it instead on the illuminated streets below. The festival was in full swing now as people ate, drank, chatted and danced. “Looks like it's getting pretty lively down there.”

“You know how people get when there´s something to celebrate, they lose all inhibitions.” Subtly, Al-Haitham shifted to study your expression out of the corner of his eye. “But I guess, it's not a bad thing to let loose every once in a while. Do you want to go down and join them?”

“No, not yet. I´d rather stay up here with you for a little longer.” Shifting your weight to look at him properly, you tried to gauge his reaction but he's always had a pretty impressive poker face. “Unless you don't want to?”

“No, I think you´re far better company than any I could find down there, so I don´t mind at all.”

“That's good to know,” you smiled before your attention was drawn to where a band had started playing. You recognised the song immediately. It was a popular romantic waltz and couples flocked to the centre of the plaza hand in hand. Oh, how you longed to share such a dance with someone one day. Against all your might, the butterflies in your stomach were fluttering towards the man next to you and you tried to shake the feeling by concentrating on the movements on the streets again.

There were a lot of things you could say about Al-Haitham. But not that he was dumb. And he wasn't oblivious either. Naturally, he had noticed the ‘stolen’ glances you had sneaked his way when you thought he wasn't looking. He had also observed how your face lit up when you saw him or when he remembered your favourite flower he ‘just happened to come across’ during his expeditions. But up until now, it had never been the right moment to tell you how he felt. Or, at least, that was what he told himself when he let another chance pass by.

There was something compelling about the way you looked under the festival lights though. And when Al-Haitham saw the dazed look in your eyes as if you observed something magnificent in the far distance, he decided to take a leap that night. Holding out his hand to you, he cleared his throat to bring you back to the present.

“May I have this dance?”

Right off the bat, he knew it had been worth it when the surprise on your face morphed into genuine joy, the smile you offered him, as you placed your hand in his, more vibrant than the past sunset. Guiding you to the centre of your own little dance floor, he did his best to focus on you and not on the pounding of his heart.

Unbeknownst to the man in front of you, you were trying very hard not to trip over your own feet before the dance had even begun. With the way the blood was thumping in your ears, you doubted you´d be able to make out the beat of the music over it. When you came to a halt in front of your dancing partner, your brain had finally caught up with what was happening and that it was actually happening.

Just to have that moment of clarity whisked away from you again the second Al-Haitham placed his hand on your lower back and pulled you closer to his strong chest. With his lips nearly brushing your ear, he lowly whispered “Is this okay?”

You were very proud of yourself for the stammered “Yeah” you managed to breathe, not being under the impression your vocal chords could create a sound at all.

It turned out you needn't worry about hearing the music in the first place. Al-Haitham was an excellent dancer, confidently guiding you through the motions with measured steps and an elegance that was befitting of royalty, yet was also so very him. Needless to say, it didn't take long for you to fall into step with him and forget the world around you. Right now, it was just the two of you.

“I didn't know you could learn how to dance from being surrounded by books all day,” you joked to alleviate your nerves.

“Why so surprised?” he questioned, “I'm hardly the type of scholar to hole myself up in the library all day long.”

“Clearly,” you mumbled. Suddenly, you were hyper-aware of the defined muscle your left hand was resting against.

Despite your nerves being set ablaze by the proximity, you couldn't possibly tear your eyes away from his dual-coloured ones. He seemed to downright glow under the moonlight, his bright hair catching and scattering the gleam in such a way he seemed to be adorned by a halo. And to you, he could´ve very well been ethereal.

The song slowed down and you went from effortless turns and twists to a gentle sway, like two flowers bending in a breeze. At first, you were confused as to why Al-Haitham released your hand. Then, your lips parted in surprise when he slowly laced his fingers through yours, gaze lingering on your now intertwined hands. The way he looked at you was so soft, you thought your knees might have buckled and given out were it not for him holding you upright.

“I haven't dreamt in a long time but if I had, I think this is what my dream would have looked like.” There was such an unfamiliar vulnerability in his voice it might have startled you in any other situation but right in this moment, blanketed by the light of the moon and a million stars, unveiling true emotions seemed the most natural course of action. “(Y/n), there is something I´ve been meaning to tell you and I´ve realised I can't wait any longer. No matter what your answer will be, I will accept it, so long as it is the truth.”

“Al-Haitham..” You gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as you fought hard to keep your hopes from soaring to the sky lest they came crashing down around you should your heart be broken by the one who had held it so carefully up until now.

“I´ve never felt for anyone the way I feel for you. Normally, concentrating on my research is no problem at all but lately I´ve been finding it hard to focus when thoughts of you cloud my mind. Whether it´s debating asking you to join me for lunch or wondering if you'd like one of the pins in the shop display, it's as if I can´t go anywhere without being reminded of you. It´d be maddening if it was anybody else. But because it's you… I don't mind.” He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply before holding your gaze once again. “What I'm trying to say is, I like you, (Y/n). A lot. The only question remaining is whether you feel the same for me?”

“You´re just full of surprises, aren't you?” You couldn't suppress the joyous giggle bubbling out of you but before he could retreat his hand from yours, you tightened your hold. “I guess that's just one of the things I like about you. A lot, I dare say.”

“Just what have I gotten myself into with you?” Despite his words, he couldn´t hide the spark amidst turquoise and orange nor the amusement tugging at his lips.

“You said you'd accept my answer as long as it was the truth and considering I was being very honest just now, you have to live with it. It's too late to backtrack,” you teased.

“Oh, I wasn't trying to take anything back. I'm merely starting to devise counter measures for the brat I seem to have on my hands. I have a few ideas already.” With one swift tug on your still intertwined hands, you collided with his solid chest, the hand on the small of your back making sure you´d also stay there. The fingers of his left hand danced along your jawbone in feather-light motions, leaving goosebumps in their wake. As you watched a smug smirk settle on his handsome face, you wondered just what you had gotten yourself into. Following the movement of his thumb over your bottom lip in a barely-there caress, Al-Haitham contemplated a moment before speaking again.

“It seems to me as if dreams might not be so nonsensical after all.”

tag list: @mccnstruck