#brotp: a bright new sky

[the-blue-fairie]

for character asks I'll say Ariel, and if you've seen Strange World, Searcher? :3

I'll discuss Ariel! :)

Favorite thing about them: Favorite things about them, you mean? It's hard to confine my thoughts to just one with a character who means this much to me. I deeply relate to her sense of restless longing in Part of Your World, that sense in your life that something is off even as the world tells you otherwise, that yearning for a change even when it seems impossible. Big trans feelings there. I love her defiance, and I love that the film sympathizes with that defiance even when she makes mistakes. I love her curiosity and adventurous spirit. I love her excitement when Eric shows her around his kingdom.

Least favorite thing about them: I have an affection for Return to the Sea, even if that is largely nostalgia, and I want to say immediately that I still like the concept, but... her and Eric's handling of the whole Morgana wants to kill Melody plotline. Again, I love the basic concept of "now Ariel is in the parental role clashing with her daughter" and I feel that concept beautifully builds off her clashing with her father in the first film and I love the way Jodi Benson can convey such a sense of conflictedness and love from her tone of voice, but the basic concept gets dragged down by Disney direct to video sequel clunkiness in terms of plotting, so it makes Ariel, Eric, Triton, and everyone feel written in a contrived way.

Three things i have in common with them:

I've had a restless longing for change in my life - not because I'm literally a mermaid yearning to join the human world, but you know where I'm going here, I'm sure. :)

I have a complicated relationship with my family because of that.

I am incredibly passionate about and defensive of the things I love.

Three things i don’t have in common with them:

I cannot sing.

My hair is not as fabulous as hers.

I have never been a mermaid.

Favorite line: Ooh, this is difficult How about a few of them?

"What would I give if I could live out of these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?"

In two lines, they are able to set up so much, and do so in a way that truly and compassionately conveys a sense of desperation. God, I feel those words, and the way Jodi Benson sings "if I could live" and "what would I pay" is haunting, aching, beautiful.

And immediately afterward:

"Bet'cha on land they understand Bet they don't reprimand their daughters Bright young women, sick of swimmin' Ready to stand"

People can cringe at this line all they want, but they are wrong and making jokes like "oh honey I have some news for you about the surface world" MISSES THE WHOLE POINT OF WHAT THE LYRICS ARE TRYING TO CONVEY.

I also want to say, I love the dialogue that opens Part of your World ("I just don't see things the way he does.") Both versions are great. The film has it as "If only I could make him understand," but I prefer the version you hear on audio recordings that goes, "Maybe he's right. Maybe there is something the matter with me." Because... oh, that hits a little to close to home in terms of self-hatred internalized by closeted queer folks and it hurts, but it's able to so truthfully convey the feeling.

And... "Flounder, don't be such a guppy." I just love the playful energy of her introduction and her and Flounder's rapport.

brOTP: her and Flounder, her and Urchin

OTP: her and Eric

nOTP: her and [insert any particularly incongruous character here]

Random Headcanon: With Disney characters, I sometimes weave old storybooks and games into my personal headcanons about them, so. When I was little, we had this storybook that included a bunch of different stories from Disney characters and one of them was Ariel going up to the surface and seeing the night sky for the first time. I like to think something like that happened in movie canon.

Unpopular Opinion: I don't know how unpopular it is, but considering the general public's jokes at the character's expense... my opinion is people who blame Ariel for her naivete regarding humans and do CinemaSins style "illogic" counters should point out the illogic of Triton not laying down the law to the humans about fishing, especially considering canon shows us that, with his trident, he could have done like Ursula and visited his wrath upon them, OR, if he didn't want to go full Orm, he could just make clear that there are sentient creatures within the sea. I'm just saying, you can call out the individual with way more power in this situation, as well.

And if you're going to say, well, both he and Ariel are at a disadvantage as merpeople, then maybe turn your critique to a larger discussion of why media with these hidden underwater worlds like TLM, like Aquaman, etc., all operate on this assumption that these worlds should be invisible or hidden, and what that says about filmmakers privileging the human race etc. THERE IS a compelling critique there... but people just make cheap and lazy jokes about Ariel, when Ariel is actually the one striving to engage and do something, at least.

Song i associate with them: Part of Your World and its reprise

Favorite picture of them: This picture, from the Part of Your World reprise. It's iconic for a reason. Everything building to this moment, this whole sequence, is SUBLIME. Possibly the greatest moment in Disney animation history:

This art, by winderly:

The picture on the Ariel's Story Studio CD-ROM because it holds a ton of nostalgia:

Ariel on the cover of that storybook I mentioned above. I love how she and Flounder are right in the center, I love her smile and pose:

This art from dim-draws of Halle Bailley as Ariel:

[normal-thoughts-official]

Who gave u the right to make me emo about raphael smiling so bright while seeing magnus throwing flowers I like to think that he kept teasing him pre wedding while Magnus was dressing up and Cat kept shushing them lest the chaos ensues but when Magnus was full ready Raphael gave him the biggest hug and they both be teary eyed :") Also cat and Raphael gave Alec the shovel talk Also it's a shame Maia was not in the wedding

GOD gave me the right, fuck you bitch. also idk what you mean, of course maia was in the wedding, she was sitting beside raphael and had her head resting on his shoulder during the vows and they also had their hands clasped. they also danced softly together and brushed their noses in between, happy and giddy. it was all canon

also YES you're correct, raphael just portals in a second after he gets the invitation like "you're getting married today? and i'm only hearing about it now?" (the random warlock he paid to portal him there: what is going on) and magnus is like "you were the first one to get the invitation" "magnus i got it today" "yes" "dios mio"

also not to acknowledge the terrible canon that alec didn't help plan their wedding (bullshit!! bullshit a thousand times over!!) but raphael being like "you won't have the time to do all that" and offering to help him because he can help with shit like cake tasting and suits and shit, especially because he already knows what magnus likes. so now he's going all around the city with a warlock on his tail portalling him around cuz no time to lose, figuring out stuff for his father's wedding. diuahdsauh

also maybe he has the ring bearer madzie idea?? i'm just saying, very soft images of raphael kneeling and talking to her and telling her about how their wedding is gonna work and that alec and magnus would both love to have her as ring bearer.... bruh

but just daiuhsaiuh and raphael teases him for doing everything so quickly and what happened to “we have infinite time, my boy, there's no need to rush"? and they're bickering the whole time and catarina is rolling her eyes, but she lets them because she knows magnus well enough to be able to tell that this is helping with his nervousness, both as a distraction and a reminder that raphael is there with him, you know? and every time he voices an insecurity raphael is like "yes magnus, everyone will care if there is one flower with a petal missing in this specific bouquet on your wedding that you planned in less than 24 hoursr" you know lol

and just being there for him?? and when he is getting ready to go to the altar, raphael hugs him and goes all "alec won't get cold feet, you know. he wants this as much as you do" because he knows at least part of the reason magnus was in such a rush was that he was scared alec would grow tired of the constant drama that magnus seems to bring and like not to get angsty but maybe that's why magnus had alec go in first haha i'm fine, and magnus takes a deep breath and holds him close and says "thank you, my boy" and holds his face for a second and raphael gives him a kiss on the forehead and wishes him good luck!!! and yeah aaaaaa

[mythvoiced]

⭐️ (any or all pairings whatever you’d like!)

@intergalacticxmisfits | — for each “⭐️” i get, i’ll write a headcanon about our muses.

---

Any... or... all you say? <w< Guess I must... settle for one of these options <W< Of course, brotps included ♥ AND please absolutely tell me if you do not agree with any of these, I need to hear your thoughts ♥

-. Mariah & Saeyoung There’s so much to work with in the terms of both canon info and all the awesome stuff you did/do for Mariah, so I shall try to come up with something New, something that might potentially open new doors for even more of that sweet, sweet headcanoning >:3 I think Mariah and Saeyoung might be a couple who does anniversaries and notes down special things. I don’t mean too classic things like ‘our 100th day’ or the likes (although, absolutely welcoming those too) but rather simply things that were so important to them when they happened that the tradition to remember it in some way just kind of became a thing on itself. Without real planning, without real strategising or perhaps even officially discussing it, they remember and sort of ‘celebrate’, in their own way, the Big Things, like their first party as a couple, or the date of their first official casual domestic date, or the first time they call each other ‘honey’ or ‘sweetheart’, the first time they cook together and eat in their own home, all these things, that are some gigantic and some a little smaller and perhaps more private as a result. I simply feel like these two really cherish what they have and the other and can’t help but want to cherish it as often as they can.

-. Minjae & Hyeongjong Lots of camping trips. Minjae loves space & Hyeongjong loves bugs, it’s honestly the ideal hang-out session whenever they’re in the same place at the same time and neither of their schedules can’t be arranged to fit in this Bro Moment. They can pack their favourite snacks - all the guilty pleasures - and find a hill, maybe even take the time to drive out into the countryside, where light pollution isn’t as strong, and they can see the sky better. They stop to watch ants work hard and then check what constellations they can see from the spot they’d chosen. And every time Minjae comes back from an adventure, the first time they get together is a dinner under the stars, so that Minjae can point at the sky and show him where he’s been.

-. Minjae & Yoshino Yoshino loves Minjae dearly and she’s extremely proud of her student but, let’s face it, she’s probably not the best of teachers out there. With how often she gets distracted by innocent statements he may make or fun adventures she spontaneously thought of, he probably hasn’t learnt too much from her. But she still wants him to learn. So here the idea: Sudden Lesson Break! Yoshino would absolutely take Minjae on a trip across all of Tokyo, outside of Tokyo, honestly, anywhere her train ticket will take her, and anywhere she actually has something to recount. So they’re bound to cross many depictions of Japanese folklore, creatures of all kind and imagery of famous tales, and here is the rule that generates from that: every time either Minjae or Yoshino sees something she hasn’t told him about, whoever gets to it first, might call Lesson Break and Yoshino will on the spot give him an impromptu - usually biased - lesson of whatever they’re facing. And the second time they see it or something like it, it’s Mini Exam Break, where she’ll be asking him what he remembers. Maybe this way, she might actually do her job!

-. Kailee & Hoon Kailee lives a dangerous life, and Hoon has made the oath to treat the ones simple bandages and painkillers won’t heal. They both see their fair share of violence and I doubt either of them are particularly fond of the sight. But what they are *winkwonk* fond of, is the other. So, whenever they manage to step over that tiny line that might still be holding either of them back, they could perhaps start having casual movie nights date, moments where they can both relax from the stressful lives they’re living, and there’s only one condition: no blood, no death. May they rest their eyes from such sore sights at least when they’re together.

-. Theo & Patrick/Fenris Mature people require mature get-togethers, although that isn’t really a necessity, it seems to be the sort of meetings that these two prefer. After living existences that haunt them to this day, put extra weight onto their bones and make their steps feel heavier at times, I can imagine that these two, besides enjoying such things individually, like settings that are mayhaps a little calmer. We’ve seen them both enjoy museums, for example. So how about... a park bench? It’s not much, I know, but perhaps it’s near a lake, where people usually stop to talk and feed ducks and don’t mind the others around them too much. It’s a little chilly in winter but absolutely stunning no matter the season, it’s open with nothing suffocating, and no one stops to care and notice them, demand something from them. Perhaps they’re used to meeting up there whenever the mood for a little chat strikes, and perhaps they take turns in buying their favourite teas and coffees on the way there, where they can be and exchange a few words.

-. En’nala & Yoshino Two stars burn in different galaxies, yet they vibrate and shine in manners so similar, that perhaps some might wonder if there is such a thing as intergalactic family, where you’re not bound by blood, but by the way the universe sparkles in you. En’nala and Yoshino have a bound that doesn’t need words, they can tell the mischief and the thrill from simple glances, follow along with plans spoken without uttering sentences, and just play off one another’s ideas as if trained to do so for years. But no. They’re just bright souls who laugh alike, and as such, when one thinks A, the other jumps in instantly with B.

[raging-violets]

Two Against One

Ship: Peter Parker x Brady Nash (brotp: Shadow Spider)

Rating: E for Everyone

Words: 1871

Warning: Posted under a read more and marked because spoilers for Far From Home. There ARE spoilers in all of this ficlet as it’s heavily influenced by a scene int he movie. You’ve been warned.

Tag: @captdnvrs

“You should take your suit.”

“I’m not taking my suit.”

“You should take your suit,” Brady insisted.

“I’m not taking my suit,” Peter also insisted, his teeth practically grinding together as he flew across his room, grabbing everything he could take to put into his suitcase. He stood back, pressing a hand to his chin, covering his mouth to survey the room. To survey the room…

“You should probably answer that.”

..and to ignore the incessant ringing of his phone. It wasn’t like Fury couldn’t find someone else to harass. There had to be some other Avenger he could find that he wanted to use to stop whatever was happening. He must’ve been desperate if Fury was looking for him.

Peter suddenly flinched and whirled around, glancing over his shoulder. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight and tall. His eyes shifted back and forth, working to find what had set off his spidey-sense. Did the air conditioning kick on or was Fury finding some way to scale the wall of his building to get to him? Was there a sniper trained onto him, ready to knock him out with a tranquilizer dart? Was Maria Hill watching him through some sort of hi-tech binoculars ready to—

Bzz bzz bzz.

Peter looked to Brady, who nodded to the phone as it continued to ring, then looked away. Then looked back once more, following Brady’s movements as he hovered above the floor. It was still so weird for him to see Brady’s powers in action; being able to phase through the atoms in the air to fly. And Peter thought being able to web swing was cool.

Bzz bzz bzz.

“So, are you going to get it or--?” Brady was cut off by Peter shooting out his hand and web-slinging a giant web onto the face of his cell phone, effortlessly silencing it. Brady let out a bark of laughter, eyes lighting up with mirth. “I’d love to see you do that to Fury for real.”

“I’m just trying to go on our trip, man. I don’t have a death wish,” Peter replied. He held out his wrist mounted web shooter toward Brady at the same time he opened his mouth to speak. “You got something else to say?”

“I don’t know.” Brady held up his own hand, a shadow ball slowly forming around his fist, like an eclipse blotting out the sun. “Do you?” Peter lowered his hand, prompting Brady to do the same. Finally, he lowered his feet to the ground. Peter expected him to quickly sink into the apartment below them, shoulders tensing as he anticipated the screams of terror.

First those that experienced the undoing of “The Snap” and then suddenly having a teenage boy drop through their ceiling like some sort of a poltergeist. Luckily, Shadowhunter had a good name spreading across the city, but that would be a nasty shock to anyone’s system. Let alone anyone finding out Peter was Spider-Man.

The corner of Peter’s mouth turned up. He sighed, unfastening the web shooter from his wrist before tossing it to his bed. He turned away, stopping when he caught sight of his old suit hanging in his closet. Staring at him. Taunting him as much as his consistently ringing phone was. Though, Peter thought, he also wouldn’t be surprised if Fury was somehow hiding in his suit.

Brady moved to stand next to Peter, flicking his hair form his face with a quick jolt of his head, and studied the suit for his own. “So? What are you going to do?”

Peter only hummed in response. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he stared at his suit, willing it to move. Trying to figure out if the slight forward and backward movement was from the air conditioning or—”

“—Hungry?”

Thwack!

Peter cried out as he was struck on the side of the head, flinching horribly. “Ow! What the--?” He pressed a hand to his ear the same time he heard Brady laugh hysterically, practically falling to the side while he tried to hold himself up.  It took Peter a few seconds to realize that, not only had he been struck in the side of the head with a banana, but that Brady had managed to make it phase through him just before it could hit him.

May, on the other hand, couldn’t quite control her giggles as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “I’m sorry,” She quickly apologized. But continued to laugh quietly, barely using her finertips to cover her mouth. Brady, on the other hand, continued to laugh. “I thought that you could sense that with your…” she snapped her fingers, trying to come up with the phrase. “Peter Tingle.”

Brady snorted.

Peter closed his eyes.  He had no idea what was worse; Nick Fury chasing after him, or his Aunt not seeming to understand how embarrassing her faux pas was. “Please, do not start calling it my peter tingle.”

“Please, keep calling it that,” Brady said. He grinned, looking back and forth between aunt and nephew. “That just made my day, seriously.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than make fun of me right now?”

Eyebrows rising in thought, Brady brought his wrist up to his face, looking down at the blackened face of what looked like a wrist-watch but was actually the housing for his suit. “Not for another hour or so. Until then you’re all mine.” He threw his arm around Peter’s shoulder and pulled Peter’s head down, patting him on the cheek. Peter rolled his eyes and ducked from beneath Brady’s grasp, shoving him hard on the side.

‘So, you can dodge bullets but not bananas,” May continued.

“No.” Peter briefly closed his eyes, tilting his head back. He took in a deep breath and let it out, feeling the tension wash away form his shoulders. “I just really need this vacation. I need a break.” His voice came out softer than he’d intended, startling him with just how tired he really was.

“You deserve it,” May quickly agreed. She moved toward her nephew and enveloped him in a tight hug. Peter wrapped his arms around her, holding her just as tightly, suddenly feeling very…empty. He was excited to be going on trip but…May pulled back and Peter leveled his eyes at her.

His breath caught in his throat, practically making him choke for her dark eyes swam with a cloudy storm of concern and fear. He’d seen it every day since he’d moved in with her, but the storm seemed to grow into a hurricane the longer he looked at her. As much as she wanted him to leave…

“I’ll be fine, May,” he murmured, grasping her shoulders, tried to sound as confident as he could. “Everything will be fine.”

“You’re right.” May nodded. “I know you’re right.” She backed away, pressing a finger to the corner of her eye, turning away quickly. “Everything will be fine.” She ran a hand through her hair. “You know what? You should pack your suit, just in case.”

“I’m not bringing my suit,” Peter groaned, really starting to hate how often he had to repeat himself.

This time, instead of insisting, May turned to Brady and asked. “You’re bringing your suit, aren’t, you?”

At that, Brady held up his right arm, showing off the suit-watch attached to his wrist. “Never leave home without it,” he said. He tilted his head, flashing a cocky smile that Peter was suspicious looked more charming than cocky.

“Bring your suit,” May insisted.

Peter’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you taking his side?”

“Because she’s right,” Brady said.

“I can’t believe you’re taking his side right now.”

Brady gave a thumbs up. “Thanks for the backup, May.”

May pointed at Peter, giving him one of her almost seldom ‘no nonsense’ looks, leaving the boys alone. “I have a tingle about it,” she declared.

Peter groaned. “Please stop saying ‘tingle’, May.” His words fell on deaf ears as she left the room. There was a brief moment of silence before Peter abruptly turned to Brady, who opened his mouth, and said, “I’m not bringing my suit.” Brady folded his arms. “Dude, I have a plan, remember? For MJ? In Paris? How’ll I explain it to her if I have my suit around?”

“I know you’ve got that spider-leg thing going on, but I don’t think a giant fly-swatter is going to come out of nowhere and smack you against the Eiffel Tower.” He bobbed his head then spread his hands in the air as if reading off a tabloid cover. “Though that’d be headline news for the Daily Bugle: Menace Mashed Like Bug!”

“I don’t have to worry about that, be-because that’s not going to happen.” Peter started to shake his head. First a quick shake, then he couldn’t help himself but continued to shake like a bobble head. An image of a giant fly-swatter smacking him out of the sky came to mind. It was the less ridiculous of the thigs he’d had to deal with…like sprinting through the backyards of the suburbs because there were no trees to swing from.

“But what if something does? And you have to save her from certain death?”

“Then I’ll just…swing down and save her.” Peter shrugged. He started to pace, continuing to shrug and shake his head. “No problem.”

“How are you going to do that without people seeing you?”

“It’ll be dark! The Eiffel Tower isn’t that bright is it? And, besides, people will get that I’m trying to save her.”

“Yeah.” Brady paused. “Or that you’re kidnapping her.”

“What?!” Peter’s voice cracked in his protest. “I’m not...I’m not kidnapping her.”

“Well, you’re not.” Peter sighed in relief. It only lasted a second. “Spider-Man is.”

“Spider-Man isn’t kidnapping anyone!”

Brady lifted an eyebrow. “Well, what do you call it when you randomly grab someone and fling them around the city?” He thought for a minute. “Besides, how do you plan on getting her there if you can’t even talk to her. You’re so introverted you don’t even like to talk to yourself.”

Peter bit back a surprised laugh before he started to stammer out a response. “That’s, that’s what the plan’s for. Nothing goes wrong with a plan, right? It’s why they’re plans. And why you always have a backup.” He motioned to Bray. “You’re my backup. And…and everything’s going to go well.” He waved a hand beside his mouth. “Besides the whole…talking thing. It’s just…you know, putting a string of words together so that I can tell her how I feel. When I figure out what I want to say, the words will come. “I mean, I can change right?” He rubbed his arms. “Change is inevitable.”

“Except from vending machines.”

“Brade.”

“Sorry, man. You know I’ve got your back, no matter what. I just don’t want you to get hurt, you know. After what happened—”

“—I don’t want to talk about it,” Peter interrupted.

“—I’m just saying…it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Peter wasn’t quite sure he believed that. Because Tony always worked to keep him safe, but Peter was sorry he was gone.

[lazywriter7]

on your left

This one’s dedicated to @suitofhumour , who often inflicts angst on people with a cheerful gusto I’ve always admired. I get the feeling that you’ve also often bemoaned the lack of SamSteve brotp content in the world, and so I have delivered... angstily.

warnings: canon death and grieving

The sunrise peeked through the darkened blinds, casting light-slivers high up on the wall opposite the window.

Lying in his bed, Steve watched the slivers grow – lengthen across the plaster as the minutes ticked by and the sun got higher and stronger in the sky outside. There was no other movement in the room: the temperature-controlled air perfectly still, the blinds hanging straight and undisturbed, even his own chest barely rising and falling with his breaths. His eyes burned from the watching, but he didn’t blink; the spots in his vision and the white-bright patches on the wall mingling together indelibly.

(Click to keep reading)

He didn’t remember the last time he’d been indoors when the sun came up. Dawn after dawn, his feet had pounded down along sidewalks, and gravel lanes, and dirt-packed running tracks. Sprinting up and down the Watergate Steps, the Potomac’s waters tinted pink by the lightening sky; weaving through the golden streets of Birnin Zana, trains whizzing overhead even at four am. It was familiar and addictive. The bunch and release of the muscles in his legs, lungs expanding and contracting in his chest, oxygen rushing in and the world brightening minute by minute. Running at the horizon, full tilt, as the streets stripped by and one day tipped into the next.

The slivers of light, unchecked by the blinds, had reached the middle of the wall now – about halfway up from the floor. Steve curled his toes in. Something itched at the balls of his feet, tension coiled in the forced stillness of his limbs.

He didn’t remember the last time he’d been indoors when the sun came up. Except today. And the day before that, and the day before that. And all the days since that one day – one morning when the world woke up different.

Halved.

 “Your bed, it's too soft. When I was over there I'd sleep on the ground and use rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and it's like...”

“Lying on a marshmallow. Feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor.”

 Steve turned on his side, and closed his eyes.

 ~

 The next day was worse.

He did not sleep, which wasn’t out of the ordinary. He stayed still in bed, watching cracks in the ceiling, arms and legs perfectly parallel to the sides of the bed. Like being locked in a coffin of his making.

He jerked out of bed at three thirty, and went down to the gym in his sleeping pants. He punched out bags till his bare feet were caked and crackling with spilled sand, the split seams and torn remains of the bags heaped on the floor where they fell, or were absently kicked out of the way. No one was there to raise a judging eyebrow – the place was absolutely desolate. He hadn’t exercised alone, in a gym facility empty of Dora Milaje or SHIELD agents or Avengers since… since the first time he’d been out of the ice.

The bag still strung up was swinging around noisily – Steve stilled it with his hands, split knuckles stinging with the motion. He rested his forehead on the cool canvas.

Maybe this is how it would’ve been, if he’d never driven the Valkyrie into the ice. All this time, his fantasies of post-war peace had fixated on Peggy, on dance halls filled to the brim with celebrating people, on growing old with friends. But war didn’t only live in the fighting of it – it lived on in bombed out streets, in neighbourhoods that weren’t half as populated, in closed businesses and families that would always have empty spots at the table. It lived on in fear: of more enemies, of the next war, in crueller weapons and larger stockpiles, until entire cities were wiped off the face of the planet in the name of peace.

Maybe the ice had done him a favour. Maybe he’d been the lucky one who got to skip over the aftermath.

 “What unit you with?”

“58, Pararescue. But now I'm working down at the VA.”

 When he came up to his room, after a brief, scouring shower – his closet door was cracked open by an inch, the sleeve of a shirt caught in the hinge. He extricated it roughly, a too-firm tug causing a button to go flying off. It pinged and landed somewhere in the darkness of the closet floor, obscured by the line of running shoes set neatly along the back.

The first two or three were forty-dollar pairs, black or white with a plasticky gloss. It got better as one moved down to the right – flex grooves and EVA cushioning, a couple foam soles here and there. The furthest one, shoved right into the corner, was a brand new pair still in the box. Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo, in a peat-grey colour scheme. Steve remembered researching it carefully, and ordering a pair under a false ID.

He’d never gotten around to wrapping it. Christmas had been so far away, and at the time with everything else going on, it’d seemed like the least of his priorities.

He’d probably have included a card, along with the gift. A little something to make up for all the pairs you left behind in your flat stateside. Then, in a postscript – thanks for always having my back.

Steve closed the closet door, the tiny click resounding in the silence.

 ~

The day after that, he went to the common area to sit with Nat.

Nat sat with folded knees and elbows on the couch, dulled and pallid strands of hair swinging to the fore of her face. She had a laptop open on her thighs, fingers tapping across the keys too fast to sometimes follow. Her lips flickered minutely, chapped and dry, mouthing along to whatever she was bringing up on the screen – a tell there was no longer any point hiding.

The cushions dipped as he lowered himself down next to her. Her eyes didn’t lift from the screen. Steve squeezed her gently by the shoulder; she pressed back into the touch.

You’re still here.

He didn’t ask for any updates – Nat would’ve told him if there had been any developments. She’d been working on this for weeks. Ever since it’d been reported that Cooper and Lila Barton were among the many registered as ‘long-term absent’ in their school’s attendance records. Laura had stopped turning up for local garage sales. The farmhouse was deserted, the upstairs crib empty. It all pointed to the obvious, but it wasn’t…wasn’t confirmed yet, with eyewitnesses. Not like Nick, and Maria, and Wanda, and Vision and T’Challa and Shuri and–  

Steve exhaled, letting the air scrape out of his throat inch by burning inch. It wasn’t confirmed, so he sat by Nat while she ransacked every corner of the intelligence community, shadowy underbellies and seedy hiding-holes, rooting through scores of copycat archers and blonde white men, looking. Just looking, while her fingers clasped and unclasped, unendingly, at the arrow necklace still strung around her neck.

After thirty minutes of this, Nat’s fingers grew slack again. She lowered the lid of the laptop by a fraction, baggy eyes staring above the rim.

“Didn’t know I still had it in me, to become complacent.”

“I know.” Steve said, quietly sufficient. He probably wouldn’t have phrased it that way, but the point stood. After the life he’d had, he wouldn’t have thought himself to be the kind of person who took things for granted. He could be affected by loss, but not surprised by it – or so he’d thought.

It was in the nature of such things, wasn’t it? To worm themselves into your safe, secure places, to irrefutably become a part of them. To be so…solid, so wholly dependable, that you could be the most jaded person on the planet, and still find a best friend in a smiling stranger on the street.

Steve had taken his gut punches. The ones that robbed him of breath, that made the world white out at the edges. Till the end of the line, pal. I will miss you Tony.

And he’d staggered, and he’d fallen – only to find nothing to put his back against. No wall to lean on, no easy smile waiting in the wings to support his strength.

“It’s fight or flight,” Sam said, without sounding like he was explaining. More than anything, he sounded slightly amused. “We always knew you liked punching out your problems. Turns out, you also like running through the streets if there’s nothing to be done, till it feels like you’ve gotten somewhere. Coping mechanisms – everyone’s got them.”

“I,” Steve said. It stuck strangely in his throat, though he’d swallowed so much worse. Lived through so much worse. This one stuck. “I can’t go running anymore.”

[spartanguard]

we cannot choose our fate (1/?)

Yesterday’s discussion of where Alice would fit in at Hogwarts—and subsequent headcannoning—became this. Not sure when I’ll get back to it, or if it’ll actually have a plot or just be a universe I play in, but I couldn’t resist. 

Summary: Alice Jones is off to Hogwarts, and neither she nor her father are confident they’re ready for the separation it will bring. But maybe some new faces—and some old ones—will help.

2.2k words | Rated PG | Knightrook, CS, Alice & Henry brotp | AO3

Everything was just like Papa had described, but even better: she’d completely expected to hit the wall as she ran at it, but passed through like it was nothing, and here she was in front of the shiniest, reddest, most beautiful train she’d ever seen—nothing like those dingy passenger trains they’d taken into London from their seaside home.

Even the tiny new owl they’d bought (named Mr. Rabbit) hooted appreciatively from its cage, perched on top of her worn old (but still sturdy) trunk, emblazoned with the seal of Her Majesty’s Navy. It had been her papa’s in another life—a life he didn’t tell her much about, but said he would someday, when she was old enough.

His warm hand was on her shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “Are you ready for this, Starfish?” She looked up over her shoulder at him, where the blue eyes she’d inherited were smiling down at her.

“I think so, Papa, but...I am a bit nervous.”

He chuckled—a deep, warm thing that always made her feel better. “Aye, I was too on my first day.” He knelt next to her, placing him a bit shorter than her but at an easier height for conversing. “But just think of all the incredible things you’ll learn, all the friends you’ll make, and all the fun you’ll have,” he assured her, tucking a wayward lock of hair behind her ear (with its pointed tips, also just like his) and giving her a big grin that deepened the wrinkles around his eyes.

“I know; I’m just...worried. What if I don’t make any friends?” There weren’t a ton of children her age in their quaint little village; just a couple rude boys and one quiet girl, all Muggles. She’d tried to befriend the girl, but in her excitement, her magic started making things float around her, and the girl had ran off, frightened.

“Trust me, love—you’ll have no problem there; you’ve definitely inherited the Jones charm,” he said, winking badly and making her giggle. “And you’ve also got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met; they’d have to be a fool not to see that.”

She nodded, but that wasn’t all that had her concerned, and Papa could tell.

“What else, love?”

“I’m just...I’m going to miss you,” she said quietly, then bit her lip to staunch the flow of tears she could feel starting.

“Oh, my Alice,” her papa said, and immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight, his hand cradling her head like it had done since she was a babe. “I’ll miss you, too, my darling.”

She hugged him as tight as she could and buried her head in his neck, unable to hold the tears anymore and likely soaking his jumper. All her life, it had just been the two of them; what was she to do without him? “Can’t you come, too, Papa?”

He laughed again, but it was watery this time. “No, my darling, I cannot; you don’t want your silly old dad around anyways.”

“Yes, I do!” she insisted.

He pulled back so he could look at her again, and used his thumb to wipe the tears from her eyes. “You’ll be having so many adventures, you won’t even notice I’m not there.”

“Of course I will! How can you even say that, Papa? And who’s going to look out for you if I’m not there?”

“I’ll be just fine, lass. But, if it helps, I brought this along.” He reached into an inner pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out his old scarf. Its bright gold and black had faded a bit with time, but he still wore it every winter. “Take this with you, and you’ll always have a piece of me nearby.”

“Papa, I couldn’t…” She knew that was a gift from her uncle Liam to her papa many years ago, long before he died; that was why her father took such care with it.

He ignored her protest and placed it in her hands. “You’ll have this, and whenever you look out at the sky at night, just remember that I’ll be seeing the same stars. We’ll never be far from each other then, not in our hearts.”

She sniffled and nodded, squeezing the scarf tight. But then another worry jumped in her head. “But what if I’m not a Hufflepuff? What if I end up in Slytherin, like Uncle Liam?”

Papa laughed again. “All these questions, one would think you’d be in Ravenclaw,” he teased. “Whatever house you end up in will be very lucky to have you. But,” he leaned in conspiratorially, “I have it on good authority that the Hat takes your choice into consideration.”

She sighed; that did make her feel a bit better. Then the train whistled, letting everyone know they only had a few minutes to board. Her papa stood, pulled his wand from the left-side pocket of his jeans, and with a quick flick made her luggage disappear.

“Where’d you put it?” she asked, shocked.

“That compartment right there,” he said, pointing to one that looked like it only had one person in it. “Now go on board, say hi, and then have so many amazing adventures.”

“I’ll write you every day, Papa,” she promised, wrapping her arms around his midsection for one last bruising hug.

“I can’t wait, Starfish,” he answered, hugging back. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She pulled back to look up at him again, but he cupped the back of her head, rested his blunted left wrist on her shoulder, and placed a tender kiss on the crown of her head.

The train whistled again, making them jump apart. “Off you go, my darling,” he said, gesturing toward the train. “Be good. And remember, talk to Prof. Nolan if you need anything; he told me he’d keep an eye on you.”

“I will!” She said. “I really do love you, Papa.” She wanted to make sure she said it enough times so that he wouldn’t forget.

“I know, my love; and I you. Now go!” He gently shoved her toward the train, and she realized she needed to get on it quickly lest it leave without her. She hopped up on the entrance to the car, but only took one step before turning around to wave at her Papa. “Bye!”

He just smiled and waved back, and she finished boarding so she could find her compartment—which wasn’t hard once she saw Mr. Rabbit in his cage above the bench.

There was still only one other person in there—another first-year, she guessed, with a mop of dark hair and his nose in a book.

“Hi!” She greeted, flopping down on the seat across from him. “I’m Alice, Alice Jones.”

He looked up and gave her a grin. “I’m Henry Swan-Cassidy; nice to meet you!” He replied, extending his hand, which she shook perhaps a bit too vigorously but he didn’t seem to mind. “Are you a first-year, too?” He asked.

“Aye.”

“Are you excited or nervous or both?”

“Definitely both.” The train gave a lurch just then as it began to pull away from the station. Oh, goodness—where was Papa? She looked out the window, searching the crowd for his dark hair (well, not all dark anymore, but he was still quite dashing if she said so herself). And there he was, smiling and waving at her from the edge of the throng of families. She enthusiastically waved back, keeping her eyes on him as the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled out of King’s Cross station.

Her arm was tired by the time he was out of sight, but she waved a bit longer for good measure—and so did Henry.

“Is this your first time away from home?” she asked.

“Yeah. You?”

“Mhmm. I’ve never been away from my papa before, but he says I’ll have fun. And I am excited to learn. But I’ll miss him.”

“Yeah, same here. I worry about my mum; she gets lonely.”

“So does my papa,” she agreed. “Isn’t your papa there?”

“No; he died when I was a baby. So it’s just me and her.”

“Well, I’ll gladly share mine with you, if you want! He’s the best,” she boasted. “He always taught me to share with people who don’t have the same things you do, and he’s got a heart filled with love—sometimes overflowing. So there’s definitely plenty to spare.”

Henry smiled. “I’d like that! I can share my mum with you, too, unless…”

“Oh, that would be splendid! I never met mine either,” she shrugged. “Papa says she didn’t want to be a mum, but he did want to be a dad, so it was an easy decision.”

“Sounds like we’ve got a deal, then!”

“Indeed we do!” she grinned back at her new friend. “Oh, is that the sweets trolley I hear?”

Killian Jones could see his reflection in the gleaming red sides of the train, even as far away as he was. It was hard to believe it had been so many years—nearly 30—since his first trip to Hogwarts. He wondered just how much of that small, gangly, hopeful little boy was left in the man he saw staring back at him—graying, weathered, lean, and tired.

But then he saw Alice through the window, and he knew that lost sense of optimism lived on in her. In so many ways, she was the best thing to ever happen to him, even if she only came as a result of some of his darkest days (the darkest days anyone had known, really).

She was talking animatedly to the other boy in her compartment, and it filled his heart with glee to see her connecting to someone finally; as much as he wanted to keep her close and safe in their home, he knew she needed this—and maybe he did, too.

“Jones, is that you?” A feminine voice approached, one he hadn’t heard in years. And he wasn’t sure from her tone if she was happy or not to see him.

He turned and there she was: Emma Swan, a bit older than he’d last seen her but no less beautiful or confident. “Aye, Swan; long time, no see,” he offered, with a tentative smile.

“I wondered if I’d run into you here,” she said, standing next to him and then tilting her head toward the train. “Is that your Alice?”

“Yeah, that’s her,” he answered, unable to keep the pride out of his voice. “Where’s your lad?”

“Sitting across from her.”

Killian’s eyes flew back to the window, looking at and assessing the boy. “I see the resemblance,” he concluded, a bit sadly. “He looks a lot like his dad.”

“He does,” Emma agreed. “Your daughter looks just like you, too.”

“Thank goodness,” he added, almost bitterly. He didn’t like to spend any time thinking on Alice’s mother, or the circumstances of her conception—and their consequences.

“Does she know?” Emma asked quietly.

“No,” Killian shook his head. “Does Henry?”

“No.”

An uneasy silence settled over them as the both fought off the memories of the events of 11 or so years ago, none of them pleasant and all with lasting consequences that much of the wizarding world was still recovering from in one way or another.

“Why are you even talking to me, Swan? You know what people will say,” he protested weakly, hanging his head and shoving his hand and wrist into his pockets.

“I stopped caring about that ages ago,” she answered. “And sometimes, it takes time to see things clearly, and realize you made some rash judgments.”

He looked back up at her, and the apologetic look on her face; she’d never been great with words, but he knew what she was saying nonetheless. “I...appreciate that, Emma,” he slowly thanked her.

“Plus, if I know anything about my son—and can guess anything about your daughter—it’s that we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other over the next few years,” she continued with a smirk.

“Oh, yeah?” He looked back at the train, and indeed, the two seemed awfully close. He grinned proudly at the scene.

Then the train shook as it began its departure, and once Alice’s eyes found his, he held her gaze and waved as long as possible—until his arm was tired and the train had long since disappeared into the fog of its own exhaust.

“They’ll be okay,” Emma assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He sneakily tried to wipe a tear from his eye, until he noticed the ones brimming on her own.

“I know,” he agreed. “It’s just…”

“I know,” she too agreed.

The crowd was beginning to disperse from the platform, families regrouping and heading off together, leaving Killian, and probably Emma, feeling extra alone without his constant sidekick of these last years.

“I guess that’s the cue to leave,” she said, but he could tell she was a bit reluctant to.

“Aye, probably.” He was, too, but he wasn’t quite sure what to do next—what would be seen as proper for someone who’d been generally outcast from wizarding society.

Leave it to Emma to know what to do, though. “If you’ve got the time, would you want to grab a drink? Maybe do some catching up?”

“I...I’d love that,” he stammered. “Leaky Cauldron, or somewhere else?”

“That stuffy old place? No way. There’s a cute little Muggle diner not far from here, though.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Thanks for reading! If you liked this, you should also check out Ad Astra by @killianmesmalls (another product of yesterday’s headcannoning).

tagging @cocohook38 @snowbellewells and I’m not sure who else... @kat2609 @optomisticgirl @xpumpkindumplingx @fergus80 @thesschesthair @mryddinwilt @wingedlioness @sherlockianwhovian @queen-mabs-revenge @pirateherokillian (feel free to ignore!)

[hakuyamazakisensei]

Moon....and some sun....

Just a very SMALL ditty for HijiWeek! This is more a reflection...brotp thing, but I’m posting it anyway. :P 

Hijikata sat on the edge of the engawa and looked up at the night sky. The moon, its bright light filling the courtyard, used to be something that lifted his spirits when his mind was troubled, but now... Now it was just another reminder of what used to be and what could never be again.

It had started with Sannan taking the ochimizu; that, and its immediate aftermath, had been bad. Hijikata was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he hadn’t seen it coming soon enough. Sure he had...considered the possibility that Sannan would attempt it, but never seriously. Hijikata had thought the man too smart to take such a risk with his own sanity, but he had been very mistaken.

And then there was Heisuke, and as horrible as the change had been with Sannan, it seemed so much worse with the youngest captain. Heisuke was a vibrant young man, full of life and vigor. Or at least, he had been. That was dampened now. He was still Heisuke, but less bright—less vital.

Now, with his own body changed forever, Hijikata better understood what the others had gone through—what they dealt with on a day to day basis. It was something he should have prevented, but as the Oni no Fukuchō, he hadn’t had that choice. And he couldn’t possibly allow his men to do something that he wouldn’t do. All that mattered was the Shinsengumi and its commander.

A noise to his left caught his attention, and he let his eyes sweep across the courtyard in search of its source. Gen-san was heading toward him with a tray, and Hijikata had to smile. Tea would be a welcome distraction from his thoughts, and he hadn’t had time to simply enjoy his friend’s company for some time. Company that he had very nearly lost, were it not for Yukimura and Yamazaki.

“Toshi-san, I thought I might find you out here.”

Gen took a seat and set the tray between them. He poured tea into each cup and then brought one to his lips, letting the silence of the night wrap around him. Hijikata picked up the second cup and blew on it before taking a small sip. A soft sigh escaped him, and let the soothing liquid work its magic.

Only months earlier, Hijikata thought they had lost Gen forever; attacked by traitors and left bleeding in the middle of a dusty road. But Yukimura had been quick to act, and Yamazaki arrived shortly after, the pair of them working in tandem to save the captain of the sixth division. Toshi smiled into his tea. Through all his dark thoughts came the small light at the end of a very long tunnel. Yes, his comrades —his friends— had been changed forever, but they were alive. They were with him still.

“The sun will be rising soon, Gen-san. A new day...perhaps this will be the day we’re sent to fulfill our purpose.”

“Aa, wouldn’t Isami-san be pleased with that news?” Gen said, a soft chuckle escaping him.

They sipped their drinks and let the quiet of the night slowly slip away to reveal the beauty of a new morning. Neither thought about loss of sleep. They were rejuvenated—not by rest, but by hope. As the sky began to glow with pinks and yellows, their minds were at ease. Today was a new day, and it was their day.

[whereisthefood123]

Home

Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy this little piece I wrote for Gajeel’s day! I totally didn’t forget about Gajeel’s day *nervous laugh*

Characters: Gajeel Redfox, Pantherlily, Levy McGarden

Pairing: Brotp Gajeel and Lily

Word count: 1.3k (I’m getting better at keeping the stories short)

Ffnet

For a long time, Gajeel never felt like he belonged anywhere. After Metalicana up and left him, Gajeel truly believed there was something wrong with him that made him unable to fit anywhere he went. Unable to feel at home anywhere.

When he joined Phantom Lord, the feeling never left him. The barely legal guild was less home-like than the streets Gajeel haunted or the roofs where he perched on to hunt his next victims. So, when the fairies defeated Porla, Gajeel didn’t feel as lost as when Metalicana left. Phantom Lord had been just a roof above his head that he could easily replace with a rundown garage full of scrap metal to munch on.

Fairy Tail had been different though. Even just being inside the guildhall, the atmosphere felt different. Warm. Welcoming. Even for someone like him who had done terrible things to the fairies. They were odd, Gajeel had decided, for letting him in so easily and even forgiving him for his past sins. Still, Gajeel didn’t let his guard down. This was just another building. Another fleeting structure that could crumble to the ground as easily as the leaves at Fall. No need to feel at home when it was that fragile.

Lily changed that a bit. His rundown house suddenly became a bit more comfortable with him. Gajeel thought that it might be because of how similar the Exceed and the dragon slayer’s lives were before meeting. There was blood on each other’s hands, but they held a mutual respect about not prying into the other’s past. He definitely liked sharing his house with Lily. It suddenly felt fuller somehow.

With time, Gajeel grew more comfortable at Fairy Tail too. He even chose to hang out at the guildhall instead of going to the mountains to train all by himself or with Lily. It might have had something to do with the fact that he felt a bit more connected with some fairies. With the likes of Levy and Wendy and Juvia. They were alright to hang around, he guessed. And others like Cana and Titania and even Salamander were not as bad either. Gajeel had started to feel at home in Fairy Tail. Something he had never felt ever since Metalicana disappeared.

When Fairy Tail disbanded, Gajeel was reminded of the cruel reality that buildings could crumble to the ground any second and that those you considered close to you could leave you behind in order to move on with their lives. Gajeel had been angry as hell when it happened. If it hadn’t been for Lily and Levy who stayed with him for the following weeks, Gajeel was sure he would have turned back to his old habits and joined a dark guild or something.

He had just started to feel a bit at ease with Fairy Tail disbandment when Levy threw out the news during lunch.

She was joining the Magic Council. And she wanted them to go with her.

Gajeel didn’t even care that he had split up his dinner table or almost ripped the door off its hinges when he stormed out of his house. He felt the strong need to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Because she was leaving. Another friend leaving him behind not caring about him. And why would he follow her? They would probably never let someone like Gajeel join the Magic Council. And even if they did, it was just another place where he would never belong. Where he would never feel at home.

He sat by the rumbles that had been once the Fairy Tail guildhall. He lost track of time, too deep in his own thoughts for several hours. The sky darkened and the moon shone brightly as the dragon slayer stayed there trying to will the guildhall to return to his previous state. He tried to will it to be as loud as he had grown used for it to be. But the night stayed quiet as he finally allowed himself to mourn the loss of what had been his home since Metalicana.

Though Gajeel had been ignoring everything around him, he did notice when Lily sat down beside him in his small form and stared at the remains of the guildhall without uttering a word. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, but Gajeel’s mind was racing with a million thoughts on what to do now. And he knew if someone could help him sort out his ideas it was Lily.

“Oi, Lil’,” Gajeel said but didn’t turn to look at his partner. He glared at the debris when the bitter taste of the next words hit his tongue. “Are you going with the Shrimp?”

“That depends,” Lily stated calmly with his eyes fixed in the same direction as the dragon slayer’s.

“On what?”

“On whether you’re coming with us or not.”

A pause settled between them. A sudden calm washed over Gajeel at knowing his cat cared about him. Considered him for his decision. But he knew it was stupid of Lily to miss an opportunity like this one for Gajeel’s own insecurities.

“Tch. If ya wanna go, just go cat. Wha’d’aya need me for?” His own words stung worse than the chill of the night.

“We’re partners, Gajeel. Remember?” Lily’s composed response soothed Gajeel’s mind again. His cat was more loyal than anyone he had ever met.

Gajeel stopped glaring at the rumbles of the guildhall but he still didn’t look Lily’s way. “They’d never let me join the Council. They would arrest me first-”

“That’s not what’s stopping you, isn’t it?” For the first time that night, Lily raised his voice to cut off Gajeel. The dragon slayer felt a growl rumble in his chest in annoyance.

Fucking cat knew him so well.

His glare returned to the remains of the guildhall and he tightened his fists in anger.

“Why move away? We have our place here. Or had…” Gajeel’s sentence trailed off as his expression turned softer. Sadder even.

Lily chuckled quietly and shook his head. “Gajeel, do you feel at home?” He spared a glance at his partner by the corner of his eye.

“Huh?” Gajeel’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his friend’s question.

“It’s really a subjective term, don’t you think?” The Exceed looked up to the bright moon as he continued, “Levy has told me she believes home to be where her friends and family are. I think home is where I can be useful to others with the things I do.”  Lily looked at Gajeel and waited for the dragon slayer to meet his gaze. “Home is not a building, Gajeel. And it’s not a guildhall or the cave where you grew up in. But its definition is entirely up to you.” He winked at his partner as he let his last sentence echoed through the lonely night.

Gajeel closed his eyes letting Lily’s words sink in his heart. He looked back again at the debris of the guildhall and sighed as he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He stood up and started walking towards his house.

“Let’s go cat.” He called over his shoulder. His voice was stronger and more energetic than it had been in the last weeks.

Lily caught up to him easily, flying next to him before perching on Gajeel’s shoulder. “May I ask, where to?”

“Tch. To pack up, idiot. Can’t have you and the Shrimp leaving me behind, can I?” Gajeel smirked at Lily and he mimicked his expression.  

For the longest time, Gajeel never felt like he belonged anywhere after Metalicana disappeared. But it was mainly because he had looked for a physical place, like a guildhall or a house. Now, he realized that neither Levy nor Lily’s description of home worked for him. It was a combination of both. Gajeel felt at home in Fairy Tail because the people he cared about were there and because he felt useful protecting the guild from every crazy bastard that decided to declare war on Fairy Tail.

By joining the Council, he would use his abilities for the better and he would have friends he cared about, at least Lily and Levy, with him to enjoy his time there.

He was ready to make the Magic Council his new home.

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! I felt awful for not having anything prepared for Gajeel’s day and suddenly this popped up in my head. I’m still debating on whether to use this for my Magic Council multi-chapter story (which will happen... eventually... once I’m done with some other WIPs) 

If you liked the story please leave a comment, reblog or like :) I go through every little tag you guys use for reblogs and I adore it even more when you use gifs on your reblogs; it gives me good feedback on what you guys like and encourage me to write more often (even when I don’t answer back as frequently as I should, you need to know that your words/tags/gifs make me squeal, cry and turn around in my bed thinking about how wonderful all of you are for commenting on my writing)

Thanks again for reading!

WTF (Where’s The Food?)

[sethnakht]

For the character meme: Rey

do I like them: from her very first establishing montage I adored her - her goggles and scarves, the grit and sweat, the shot where she makeshift-sleighs down a sand dune - lonely but practiced, utterly without fear - accompanied by William’s bells. The desert is an empty stage and she has enlivened it with metal trees - her staff is metal, her home is metal, the forest where she collects crumbs for her evil stepfather of sorts is metal. Another way of seeing it: of the ruins of the past she has made a present and a life. She’s at home with machines and she dreams of flight and - more intriguingly - the sea. If she isn’t related to Anakin - or made like Anakin - I would be surprised, although I’m open to her being anyone.

5 “good” qualities: she’s quickwitted and quick on her feet, warmhearted and generous to strangers, observant as a gimlet-eyed bird, uncowed by the domineering men who lie to her and try to use her (the scene where Kylo puppeteers her says quite a bit), and fiercely loyal

3 “bad” qualities: being quickwitted and quick on her feet mean she also jumps to conclusions, and although this doesn’t have to be a problem, once she sets her mind on something (beating up Finn because BB8 says to, insisting on going back to Jakku) it can be hard to persuade her otherwise. I don’t see this as “bad” - she’s had to rely on her own wits and judgment for most of her life and those instincts kept her alive and fed - rather as a trait that can be source of conflict, especially since she’s quick to run or take (violent) action. She’s a bit gullible (here I’m actually thinking of how she doesn’t seem to see through Plutt’s various manipulations), which is a related point - she acts before she has all the facts and tends to trust in a gut instinct. For better or for worse, I see in her many parallels to Anakin.

favourite episode/etc: too early to say, but the camera work with her swinging her lightsaber against a bright sky - putting her in shadow - in the trailer for TLJ was pretty exciting

otp: Rey/Finn - the mutual respect and care they show each other, the parallel-contrast of two orphans coming to terms with grief and choice and the new life they’ve chosen/been thrown into by destiny, their screen presences and chemistry together, it all adds up to make me love them

brotp: Rey & Chewie - we haven’t seen them much together yet but I expect great things

ot3: This is probably where I should admit that I’ve only actually read Rey genfic - Rey speaking to Anakin’s ghost and/or scavenging, that sort of thing. I have a lot of love for Rey/Finn, but haven’t put much thought into pairings otherwise. So a threesome is hard for me to imagine. A dysfunctional, ambiguous triangle would interest me more - this is also where I could see Kylo coming into play, if under very specific circumstances (mental bleeding or projection mainly). If carefully done, I could see him playing off Rey and Finn in really interesting, disturbing, unexpected ways.

notp: even if Luke isn’t her father, I wouldn’t want to read Rey/Luke. This is just me, but I’m also unable to muster interest in any iteration of Rey/Generic British Asshole

best quote: “You. You’re afraid. That you will never be as strong as Darth Vader.” - for a lot of reasons; because she’s managed to turn the tables on Kylo much like his mother once did on Vader (an implicit irony in the descriptor “strong”), but also because of what it implies about Vader’s legacy and the general state of knowledge in the ST. That is to say, I’m guessing Rey saw an image of Vader in Kylo’s head and was nonetheless able to identify him. Much like Luke, he’s still a legend ghosting around in people’s minds even in remote places like Jakku - at the price of a lot of other knowledge, it seems

head canon: I have a lot of interest in her life on Jakku (the first time she comes across a skeleton, scavenger funerals, how she learns to live alongside ghosts), but these qualify more as poetic ideas than headcanons. So other than that she’s related to Anakin or made like him? I guess I think her name combines the destiny aspect of Anakin’s (a geometric ray that points) and the light aspect of Luke’s (a ray of light)…

[sandcvstles]

【 𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ! 】

*✧·˚. –  so i hit 400 followers, & i just want to make this to celebrate ! this is just one gigantic tag masterlist, separated by categories ! there will be otp, family/brotp, vanity & misc tags. under the cut, you’ll find them all. i might make a second part to this if i feel like it, but for now: here we are ! they are lyrics from a variety of songs. — please reblog/like if you found this helpful !

ᴏᴛᴘ:

i’ve been thinking about you

you got me going crazy

fuck your white horse and your carriage

you needed me

how deep is your love ?

the place to lose your fears

treasure that is what you are

i’ve got you in my space

i’d like to be everything you want

you hit me with lightning !

you’re out of line

do things when you want me to

i got fake people showing fake love to me

tryna fix your inner issues with a bad bitch

good on the love for a faded fuck

like dreaming of angels

i think about you all the time

you see it in my dreams

take it easy on my heart

the times we had

your touch got me looking so crazy right now

i’ve been thinking about forever

all that matters to me

i don’t wanna be living in vain

please have mercy on me

i see quiet nights poured over ice & tanqueray

everything is shattering & it’s my mistake

only fools fall for you

you are surrounding all my surroundings

twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes

i don’t keep love around

you’re driving me wild

his hands so cold they shake

those thoughts of past lovers

we will stumble through heaven

i keep a close watch on this heart of mine

beacause you’re mine; i walk the line

all i need is you

send my love to your new lover

you still think about the times we had

would you believe me if i said i was in love

ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ / ʙʀᴏᴛᴘ:

i couldn’t wait to get you off my chest

i think i’d die for you

the kids aren’t alright

you tell me that i’m alright

we’ll kick it when i hit the ground

your bridges are burning

they look up to me

somebody to lean on

would you lie with me ?

you’re never there for me

no matter how dark it is i know i’m not alone

friends can break your heart too

you don’t own me

skinny dipping in rabbit holes for fun

will you remember me in the same way ?

so what if i’m crazy ? all the best people are

it’s probably the reason we get along

the craziest friend you’ve ever had

we built this house on memories

i’m best friends with my doubt

wish we could turn back time to the good ole days

we don’t talk anymore like we used to do

lean on me when you’re not strong

i just need to be at home

fuck fake friends

nobody messing with my motherfucking clique

we’ve come a long way from where we began

how can we not talk about family when family’s all that we got?

everything i went through you were standing by my side

i’ll tell you all about it when i see you again

‘cause you feel like home

this reminds me of when we were young

let me photograph you in this light

we were scared of getting old

i’m sorry brother / forgive me father / i love you mother

it’s crazy what you’d do for a friend

i’d run away & hide with you

i’m in paradise with dad

i was broken from a young age

i’m tired of the way things have been

ᴠᴀɴɪᴛʏ

watch you waste away

i don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight

i love cheap thrills

i feel like i’m always dreaming

destiny is calling me

just forget the world

gonna shine bright under the starry sky

i want this world in my hands

what i create is chaos

the blood on my hands scares me to death

for all the times i never could

 a daydream spills over from my corked head

left a nod over sleeping waves

crybaby; crybaby

i asked forgiveness three times; same amount that i denied

i’m a pro at imperfections

it’s our hearts that make a beat

it’s just the sun in your eyes

i know you want to go to heaven but you’re human tonight

i keep my eyes wide open all the time

do you feel like a young god?

think i got myself in trouble

we’ll never be worlds apart

i wanna be a billionaire

i could really use a wish right now

i wanna swing from the chandelier

i don’t really care what people say

oops ! i did it again

solo ride until i die ‘cause i got me for life

i don’t need a hand to hold

i got that fire in my soul

this hunger is driving me

everybody here is watching you

i was so scared to face my fears

the hearts i have touched will be the proof i leave

i wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time

i wanna say i lived each day until i died

i’m scared to get close & i hate being alone

i can’t drown my demons

the higher i get; the lower i’ll sink

you deserve what you’ve been missing

ᴍɪsᴄ:

all i want is a hole in the ground

hard times gonna make you wonder why you even try

i still don’t know how i even survived

i gotta get to rock bottom !

hard to find life in something that’s already died

i’ve been down so long it look like up to me

whole time they wanna take my place

didn’t they tell you i was a savage ?

buried yourself alive & expect it to be fine 

choking on your own dirt 

you’re digging your own grave 

had some fun on the run

just the price i pay

getting high off helium

night falls with gravity

the earth turns from sanity

a salutation & a farewell

i don’t have much time

i know i won’t die scared of dying

build your home brick by boring brick

the wolf’s gonna blow it down

that make pandora’s box’s contents look non violent

it’s much better to face these kinds of things

with a sense of poise & rationality

when i leave this world; i leave no regrets

everything that i wanted & it was more than i thought it would be

i will leave my mark so everyone will know i was here

i meant something in somebody’s life

can you hear the silence ?

can you fix the broken ?

i know it’s dire my time today

can you help the hopeless ?

i long for that feeling to not feel at all

you could call this my funeral

might go to hell & there ain’t no stopping

might be a sinner & i might be a saint

if i really want to i can change it

i was naive & hopeful & lost

don’t wanna leave this place without a doubt

when will your kingdom come

now i just sit in silence

sometimes quiet is violent

[normal-thoughts-official]

Ur post made me recall dia del niño and how It can be a huge deal in Mexico depending on where you live. Anyways Magnus believing it's a "celebrate your son day" because that's what he believes it is and every year on that date he either buys a gift for Raphael or invites him for dinner etc. And Raphael is endeared even though the day has always been intended for children, but he cant remember much when he was child or how his parents celebrated so he's secretly endeared when Magnus remembers.

okay so this ask shocked me because like, is día del niño not a thing in the US? because its huge in Brazil, everyone celebrates and gets all the children in their family gifts, schools have a special celebration for it, many many places have a special events schedule for it that lasts the whole month. and it's called dia mundial das crianças (world children's day. i mean we call it just dia das crianças/children's day for short but all official government stuff and etc says world children's day so i just assumed it was a thing everywhere?)

and so i looked it up and apparently día del niño is a thing in most if not all of Latin America, but every country celebrates it on a different date jdbdidndisnsi idk why but that's so funny to me, like. did we all separately decide that we should have a day to celebrate children? by accident? like

also why does Brazil calls it world children's day if it's the only country that celebrates it in october. what is going on. kdjdidndidndkdndkd

but anyway the point is, i love this hc and it's very sweet. like Magnus finds out about día del niño one day and he's like "why did you never tell me? we could have celebrated" and Raphael is like "uh-" and Magnus snaps his fingers and takes Raphael on an impromptu trip somewhere and treats him and Raphael just doesnt have the heart to tell him that its not what he thinks it is, because Magnus is all excited like "this is nice, we always gather on father's day but now we have two different days and i can treat you something nice and we can celebrate. you know i always want to treat my boy. why didnt you tell me? did you think i wouldnt want to celebrate? or- oh, do you not want to?"

and Raphael is like "no, no, its not that, i just. i guess it didnt cross my mind" and Magnus is like "trust you to want to celebrate me on father's day but not want me to celebrate you on sons' day. come on dear, i have something i want to show you"

so Raphael is not about to ruin this for Magnus when hes clearly excited about it and would probably feel rejected if Raphael didn't want to celebrate. so he rolls with it

and from then on its a tradition. like, every April 30th Magnus gets Raphael something or takes him somewhere. Magnus always tries very hard to clear his schedule for it like he does on Father's Day and it's very sweet. but sometimes when neither of them manages he'll just come by the dumort and bring him a little gift and tell him "feliz día del niño," and other latino vampires snicker at it because Raphael is 90 but Raphael shoots them dirty looks like "dont you DARE ruin this for him" so no one says anything rudndidndidndidndidndi

(he's teased mercilessly about it and everyone follows him around saying "feliz día del niño, Raphael" because they are ridiculous, but Raphael doesn't mind. later he tells them the full story and they think its cute. they still tease him though)

it's like, the most well-kept secret in the vampire/shadow world - no one is to tell Magnus Bane that día del niño is for small children. but eventually he finds out about it, after like, a really long time, when Raphael is over 100 already or something. Raphael went to ridiculous lengths over it too, like getting Madzie gifts secretly and telling her that she should never, ever tell Magnus about it. or Alec because Alec is a terrible liar. and he tells Cat the same too. every year. Cat is like "yes Raphael, i know, Ive known since the first year that Magnus got you a gift"

but it does reach his ears at some point and he's very embarrassed and it's super cute tbh and Alec laughs about it and makes fun of him and kisses his face because Magnus is so cute when he's flustered/embarrassed. and Alec tells him "dont worry too much, if Raphael didn't tell you about it, it's probably because he liked that you took him out to celebrate"

so they talk and Raphael is kinda like "i mean. well. i liked it" and he tells Magnus about the bits and pieces he remembers from when he was a kid, and about how he got Rosa a gift every year even after she was an adult just to tease her and tell her that she'd "always be his little sister". how it turned into a tradition of its own, and how it was nice to have it again with Magnus

so they keep celebrating it and every April 30th Magnus is still religiously at the dumort with a gift and a hug for Raphael and he tells him "feliz día del niño" and it's adorable and I'm melting tbh

[stringofhearts]

Hall of Mirrors

Pairing: Onho (Minho x Jinki)

Word Count: 1060

Inspired by xxx-Holic. Watanuki x Doumeki BROTP/OTP <3<3<3

Rating: Fluffiest fluff ever.

“Minho, where are you?!”

“Jinki, stay where you are. I’ll find you.” Jinki turned around, his panic growing. He could hear the echo of Minho’s voice, but didn’t know where the sound was coming from.

Their evening was not supposed to go this way.

They had been on a date at the carnival when they walked into the Hall of Mirrors, holding hands and smiling. They laughed, pointing at their reflections in the funny mirrors.

“Jinki, look!” Minho yelled as the mirror made his reflection all long and squiggly.

Jinki looked over.

“That’s kinda how you really look.” Jinki teased.

Minho swatted Jinki’s arm and then pulled Jinki into a soft kiss, his hands on his back, pulling him in close. Jinki’s surprise left his lips pliant against Minho’s, his eyes fluttered closed.

“Minho, what are you doing?” Jinki said, opening his eyes as Minho’s face pulled away. A look of panic flashed across Jinki’s face and he turned around to look behind them, sighing when he saw no one was there.

“Kissing you.” Minho said matter-of-factly with a grin. He grabbed Jinki’s hand and lead them further down the corridor.

A man appeared from behind two mirrors, his face covered with a top hat.

Minho and Jinki gasped from the sudden shock of running into another person. They hadn’t seen a single other person since they entered an hour ago.

Jinki clutched Minho’s arm tightly, pulling him back, but Minho’s feet were planted and he only moved back slightly.

The man tipped a purple top hat with black lace detail back, exposing his face. The man's face is made up to look like a skull, thick white costume paint covering his skin, black make-up rimming his eyes, black lines drawn all the way up his cheeks to made up the skull’s teeth.

“What do we have here? Lovers, perhaps?” The man drawled, his make-up cracking to show his real mouth.

“Uhh…” Jinki started slowly, turning red, shuffling his feet.

Minho simply nodded.

The man looked at Jinki slowly and then addressed them both.

“How sweet. I am the proprietor of the Hall of Mirrors. I am pleased to meet you.”

“We’re pleased to meet you.” Jinki and Minho said automatically, polite to a fault.

“The mirrors here are not what they seem.” The man turned a round medallion on the edge of the mirror like a dial and tapped the mirror. Instead of a reflection, it showed a beach, the moon hanging in the sky, lighting the white sand and water below. The man reached just next to Minho, Jinki’s grip tightened, and did the same to the other mirror. There were bright lights and billboards high into the sky, sounds of taxi’s honking and people, it was Times Square. “These are teleportation portals. They can take you wherever you want. But be careful, only your heart can lead the way.”

On a whim, they decided to go through a mirror. Minho went first, taking a step into the mirror when the building shook and Minho fell forward, Jinki and Minho’s hands separated.

Jinki rushed forward after Minho, but when he landed, Minho wasn’t there.

They were stuck now, playing a never-ending game of chase within the mirrors for the last three hours.

No matter what they did, Jinki and Minho were never in the same place at the same time, seeming to just miss each other.

“Minho, where are you?!”

“Jinki, stay where you are. I’ll find you.” Jinki turned around, his panic growing. He could hear the echo of Minho’s voice, but didn’t know where the sound was coming from.

They would find each other in the mirrors, look at each other’s reflections, but they couldn’t reach each other.

“Minho!”

“Jinki, I’m here.”

Jinki reached his hand out, but the mirror is cold and hard.

“How do I reach you?”

Jinki started to cry. The image of the mirror shimmered and Minho disappeared. Jinki started to cry harder.

Where they going to be stuck here forever?

Would he ever find Minho?

On the other side of the mirror, Minho slammed his hand against the mirror as Jinki disappeared. He scowled. He hated seeing Jinki cry.

Jinki was tired and he was frustrated. He wished they had never come to this place, staying in their dorm far from others instead.

Jinki then remembered what the man said. He stopped crying. He looked at the mirror again and he took a deep breath.

Will it work?

“Show me my heart.”

The mirror shimmered and it was a portal. Jinki just knew that this was different than the last time. He pushed himself through the mirror.

Minho saw a flash of light as a mirror in the corner of the room crackled. The light was warm and it felt like sunshine. He didn’t know why or how, but he felt like he could trust it. Minho walked towards the light.

“Jinki!”

Jinki walked out of a mirror and Minho crushed him into a bear hug immediately. They were back in the Hall of Mirrors. Minho let go and touched Jinki all over, checking his body over for any injuries.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I'm okay. Are you okay?”

“I'm better now that I found you.” Minho said, the relief evident on his face. “Let's get out of here.” Minho grabbed Jinki’s arm, leading him past the mirrors.

“Yea, let's go.” Jinki took one last lingering look at the mirrors over his shoulder as Minho lead them outside.

Jinki and Minho can be heard talking in the distance as they walked outside and down the stairs.

“How did we get out of there?”

“I asked to see you.”

“I did that too! But it didn’t work.”

Their voices begin to fade as they move farther away from the building.

“I... asked to see my heart.”

“Really?... I’m your heart?”

The man in the top hat leaned against the wall and smiled.

“Good for them.”

Jinki and Minho had figured out the solution and realized what they meant to each other. Other people spent much more time figuring out the same and some never did.

The door chimed as another couple entered the Hall of Mirrors.

“Ah, new customers.”

The man broke out in a slight smile as he walked down the hall, whistling, as he disappeared into the darkness.

[keysoflight]

DigiOTP Week 2017 - Superhero AU

Prompt 2 - Superhero AU Pairing - Marcus Damon/Takato Matsuki (BROTP) Rating: General Audience, slight angst, hurt and comfort   Digimon Savers/Data Squad, Digimon Tamers

Because I see Marcus/Masaru as the ultimate big brother, and I recently got into my hero academia since February, I came up with superhero fic, I love relationship between All Might and Midoriya so I thought these two would a perfect fit, anyway I hope you enjoy reading this.

Side notes: Takato’s costume is based on Gallantmon’s appearance

He was standing alone in his room, facing his mirror, dressed in an armour based costume, aside from his head, the suit was very much like a knight, it colours were chrome white and crimson red, with yellow lining and symbol on his chest. He looked nervous before he then sighed, looking over at his bed where a white helmet rested, the final piece to his superhero attire.

Takato Matsuki, aged 18, a hero in training and sidekick to the legendary hero ‘Daimon’. That was name he known to by the public but Takato and those closest to him knew as Marcus Damon, aged 28, a martial arts instructor, and street fighter with a kind heart. His secret identity was discovered by the young boy three years when he saved from raging monster.

Takato always wanted to be a superhero like Marcus, he was one true fan to the hero, but he was also a shy, very emotional, and gentle boy. In comparison to Marcus who was a strong willed, hot-headed, and somewhat arrogant. When he pleaded with his hero to take him on as his apprentice, he was going to say no right there and then, but he saw and heard his determination that he couldn’t refuse him.

The training over those 3 years was intense, Marcus held nothing back, he shaped his body into one of a hero’s, giving a boost in confidence, and becoming a surrogate brother to him, which was good for Takato. He wasn’t born with powers like Marcus and a lot of heroes, but he was gonna make up for it by helping anyone and everyone who needed a hero. And Marcus respected that, he was proud to call Takato his partner.

Marcus under his superhero title was one of top hero around the world possessing a multiple abilities, from superhuman strength and speed, flight, and energy manipulation. The masses admired him, other heroes found inspiration from, and others envied and fear his powers. He had rivals, and made enemies, he was going to be the world’s beacon of hope, but being hero meant you were willing to sacrifice anything for the people...

The legendary hero was dead.

In a battle against a villain, on Takato official debut as his partner, he used his body to shield Takato from a fatal blow, but not before he was able to strike the villain down saving the city one last time. He died in his brother arms, blood pouring out of him, a weak smile on his face as the life left his body. 

Months had passed since Marcus’s death, and all Takato could do was blame himself for his mentor’s death, that he wasn’t strong enough, and that Marcus had saved him again. He felt guilty for robbing the world, the people, his loved ones of their hero. He stared at his reflection, a look of shame, and disappointment, clenching his fist as he began to removed his costume...

‘You really just gonna quit? Seriously? Come on I thought you stronger than that?’

He sighed as a spiritual manifestation of Marcus appeared on his mind, standing beside him in the mirror. He knew it was his mind playing tricks on him, just his guilt...

‘This wasn’t your fault little brother... I knew the risks, and I had to protect you...’

“Stop it...” He said looking away from the mirror as ‘Marcus’ just shook his head.

‘Come on, no more mopping around... I gave my powers and will for a reason.’

He paused as he looked at his palm, slowly it started to glow a bright orange aura. In his final moments Marcus and transferred his powers into Takato, passing his mantle onto his student so that could carry on his legacy and do what’s right. 

“I... I’m not you Marcus. I could never be you, I’m not the Daimon... I’m just me.” He placed his hand over his chest, as the aura slowly faded away.

“I’m not fit to have this power... I’m not worthy to-” He turned to face the spectre only to be see his fist rushing towards, he flinched expecting a punch when he Marcus’s fist was gently pressed on his forehead.

‘Enough of you're whining and self loathing... You’re gonna make me regret giving you my powers you know?’

He looked at him, this was same thing he always use to do him to snap him out of his daze or reassure him that he was doing well. Marcus looked at him, a serious expression on his face as it was soon replaced with bright smile.

‘I will always be with you, you carry in you my powers, my will, my strength, and my honour.’ 

‘No one can take those from you... Though it’s true that you’re not me, and you may not be the hero I was... So instead, be the hero that I always saw you as, protect the things that matter to you.’

‘Be their protector, be their shining hero. Keep them safe, and never show weakness!’

‘I have faith you Takato Matsuki... The Gallant Knight. Yeah that has a nice ring to it huh?’

He just looked at him, he knew deep down that he wasn’t real but it felt like Marcus was here in front of him, giving him encouragement. He couldn’t help it... He smile formed as tears ran down his face, he tightly clenched his chest. That just what he needed to hear, those words from his teacher, his brother, his hero. Wiping his tears away he looked back to say something but he was gone...

Takato just stood there in silence looking in the spot where Marcus was standing. A smile on his face as was ready to continue on, after his brother would always be with him. He returned to his hero costume, completing it with the helmet, stretching out to get a good feel of the suit. The young man then closed his eyes as the same orange aura radiated throughout his entire body. 

“I won’t ever be the hero you were brother... So for now I’ll myself. I’ll be your legacy.” Takato smiled before he rushed to his window, jumping out as he soon took flight into the sky. 

One chapter of the legend had ended, and now a new chapter would begin. From the ashes of the fiery Daimon, a gallant knight would rise up to be the symbol of peace.

[shadowtsukiyo]

Gajevy Week: Prompt: Longing Missed Glances

Gajevy

Smidgen Gruvia

JuviaxLevy BrOTP

Rated:

Prompt: Longing

One-Shot

Missed Glances

Post Eclipse Celestial Spirits Arc

Levy goes to Juvia for some advice, it turns out, while she may be smart, she missed a lot more than she ever did.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Juvia glanced at her bedroom door, it had been a couple days since she and everyone else returned from the Spirit World. Outside of everyone who went, no one had memories of what had transpired.

It left a lot of people in a weary state, especially those that had been transformed into constellations.

“Juvia, can I talk to you?” Levy’s voice came through the door, and Juvia tilted her head. While she and Levy were friends, they didn’t hang out too much.

It was disappointing when she thought about it. But, she noticed Levy was a very quiet girl when it came to things like that. Outside her small social ring or Jet, Droy, Lily, Gajeel, Cana, Wendy, and Lisanna. Even then, she spent most of her time with the first four, and that was mainly because them men all hovered around her.

Juvia had taken a bit to realize, Levy was extremely friendly, but also extremely introverted. While Lucy could be seen as the blunette’s best friend, the two rarely hung out outside of the Guild, and here at Fairy Hills, the smaller blunette hung out with Wendy because the youngest female spent a lot of time with Levy, reading and learning about different types of magic.

Outside of a more familial bond with Wendy, Jet, and Droy and outside the affectionate and friendship type relations she had with Gajeel and Lily, respectively, she didn’t open up very much.  

“Of course, Levy. Juvia is always willing to talk.” Juvia replied as she opened the door. She wasn’t greeted by the usual warm smile that screamed Levy. She was met with a nervous look that made Juvia want to hug the girl and never let go.

“I-I know you and I don’t talk much. And I know that’s mainly my fault. I… I’m sorry. But… can I ask for your advice?”

Her slow stutters made Juvia worry.

“Of course, come in.” When the door opened wider, the cornflower haired girl slowly entered the room, a small smile playing on the Script Mage’s lips when she saw the handmade Gray plushy.

“You’re very talented.” She said gently, making Juvia smile.

“Juvia thanks you!” The elder bluentte chirped. The thought made Juvia pause. Was she actually older than Levy?

If she remembered right… Levy and Lisanna were the same age. Thus, Juvia was a year older… or at least several months older than the script mage.

“How can Juvia help?”

“I… I wanted to talk about Gajeel.”

This line terrified Juvia for a moment, while she adored Gajeel, he was her best friend. Her big brother. He was the only person that had accepted her, rain and all. While he was all of these things, she knew the male had hurt Levy… that Jose had wanted him to kill her and her team. Juvia also knew how easily he could have.

“Did Gajeel hurt Levy…?”

Levy gasped and her eyes went wide. “NO! He’d never!” Suddenly her face flushed and her loud cry turned into nearly a whisper. “Juvia, Gajeel… he’d never hurt me… Not after… He’d never do that again…” The Script Mage paused. “You didn’t see how it broke him… how… when he apologized.”

Juvia actually didn’t know he apologized, but from the worried, lost look in her eyes. Gajeel had been broken apart when he had apologized.

Juvia knew he regretted it. Especially after he saw that to some degree, Levy was like a little sister to Natsu. Juvia recognized that Natsu was to Levy as Gajeel was to Juvia.

“Juvia is glad… Juvia never wanted to think…”

“I know Juvia. It’s not something he did… I just…” Levy blushed and looked down at her feet. “I love him.” Her voice was just above a whisper. “I realized it… when I thought I was going to lose him… when I jumped and pushed him out of the way of that blast from the Eclipse Spirit King…”

Levy’s confession made Juvia’s mouth turn into a massive smile. Arms wrapped around the small female, and the ameonna noted her small flinch. Levy didn’t like being touched unexpectedly, she noted.

Juvia slowly released the smaller girl, gently grabbing her hand to guide her to the bed. Juvia sat down, gesturing for Levy to join her.

When both blunettes were comfortable, Juvia leaned back, having Levy lean into her.

Levy was hesitant, but slowly leaned down into Juvia’s warm embrace. It took her a moment, but Juvia’s embrace made her feel safe. Reminding her of Mira’s embrace, or even Elfman’s embrace when she was younger.

“I was ready to die for him… Just as you would for Gray.” She whispered softly, holding onto Juvia. Once she got comfortable, she was practically clinging to the girl.

“When you love someone… Your life is meaningless if they’re in danger. Juvia realized that on Tenrou. Meredy was ready to kill Gray… She was going to use Juvia to do that.” Juvia closed her eyes and held Levy close.

“When did Levy realize she loved Gajeel?” Juvia smiled and stroked Levy’s hair, gently removing the ribbon as she held her in a sisterly embrace.

Levy closed her eyes and let her body relax under the motions. “I realized it on Tenrou, but I didn’t…didn’t understand the extent until I pushed him out of the way of that attack. It’s hard… why would he want someone like me?”

Those words made Juvia freeze and frown, she knew Levy had a bit of self-confidence issues, but she didn’t realize it was to this extent. It was an inferiority complex.

Levy felt like she was less than people.

That she didn’t deserve love. That maybe she didn’t deserve friends.

“No.” Juvia said firmly. “Levy is amazing and wonderful. Levy deserves the sun and moon and all the stars in the sky. Levy is not weak, is not stupid, is not worthless…” Her voice was softening as she felt Levy stiffen. “Levy misses the looks Gajeel gives her. How he watches her with a ghost of a smile. How he’s never wanted to protect anyone as he wants to protect Levy.” Juvia stated, looking down as Levy looked up at her with tearful eyes.

“Levy is beautiful. Maybe small, but that doesn’t mean anything other than that Levy is a different kind of beautiful. Levy has perfect breasts, and a butt even better than Erza’s!” She smiled, earning a watery laugh from Levy. “Levy is Levy, and that makes her perfect.”

“R-really?”

That whisper and question of near disbelief made Juvia sad. She knew people joked with Levy about her height and breast size, she also saw Levy join in the laughter, but it was now that Juvia noticed in her memories, the laughter never met her eyes. That those bright smiles dimmed.

Cana teased her. Lucy teased her. Erza pushed her to flaunt herself as the redhead would. Mira would dress her in more childish outfits.

Juvia realized it made Levy feel like a child. Not a woman. It made her feel inadequate.

“Really.” She moved to help Levy sit up. The ameonna moving to her closet and she grabbed her sewing set. “Levy should stand in front of the mirror.” She commented, moving to grab a long, sea green dress.

“Levy is going to tell Gajeel, and Levy will dress nice and feel as beautiful as Juvia knows she is.” The taller woman said firmly.

“Y-you don’t need to.” Levy stuttered after moving in front of the tall mirror.

“Levy.” Juvia looked at her. “I didn’t know you felt this way. I didn’t know the jokes and comments hurt you. If I had… I’m sorry. Because you… you’re better than me. Better than anyone I know. Gajeel feels the same ways as you.” It was rare she spoke in third person, but she knew she had to get her point across.

“Just as Levy struggles to see her worth. Gajeel struggles to see why someone would love him. Gajeel feels like he doesn’t deserve love. Juvia sees it. While Levy doesn’t need to go today. Levy will go when she is ready, but Juvia will still get this for Levy.”

Juvia quietly draped it over Levy’s body. It was obviously fitting a bit loose because it was one of Juvia’s dresses new dresses. Bought in the taller woman’s size.

“Would Levy…?” She motioned to Levy’s dress under the green one.

Levy quietly undid the white bow, letting it loosen the halter straps. Soon her dress fell to the floor as it loosened. Her cheeks aflame. She wore just a simple white strapless bra under the dress.

She didn’t argue or say no, because in the end, Levy trusted Juvia as much as she did the other women of Fairy Tail… if not more, actually. The Water Mage just apologized and she said something that made Levy think.

“Gajeel doesn’t know how to show love. Juvia saw that when he joined Phantom Lords.” The woman mumbled, some pins in her mouth as she tightened the dress at Levy’s waist, pinning it with a couple pins she had between her lips. “Juvia thinks he feared they’d leave like Metalicana did.”

“I understand.”

Juvia had a feeling Levy had a deeper understanding then just understanding what Juvia was saying.

“My parents are gone.” Levy confessed quietly. “I think it’s obvious since I’ve been at Fairy Tail for nearly as long as Gray and Cana.”

Juvia hadn’t known that. She did know Cana was the first of their generation to join Fairy Tail, and that Gray joined after Ur died.

She hadn’t known Levy had been so young.

“Laxus actually found me. He would have taken me to Mermaid Heel, but I clung to him. Since I wouldn’t speak back then…” Levy trailed off.

Laxus.

Juvia remembered Gajeel muttering that he took a bolt of lightning for the Script Mage when she had been a, likely, unintentional target for the Lightning Mage’s rage.

“Gajeel told you, huh?” Levy noticed the look.

“Yes. Gajeel told Juvia.” She said lightly. “Gajeel doesn’t protect people unless he likes them. Juvia was the exception in Phantom Lords, even then Gajeel usually let Juvia fend for herself.” She pulled the last of the pins from her mouth. “Levy is special. Because Gajeel could have considered his debt repaid…”

“Before Tenrou?” The smaller blunette questioned lightly, earning a smile from the mage behind her.

“Yes.” Juvia nodded, her cerulean hair bouncing. “Gajeel choose Levy. Even if Gajeel was a jerk about it. He wanted to protect Levy. Like… Like Natsu does for Love Rival.”

Juvia giggled, Levy let out a small snort and laughter as she heard Juvia once again call Lucy, Love Rival.

“You know she doesn’t want Gray, right?”

“Of course! Juvia likes to tease Lucy. She gets so flustered.”

Levy nodded, another snort escaping the girl. “Must have been the reason you and her enjoyed the Love, Love slide.” Levy teased with an arched brow, watching Juvia’s cheeks turn a nice shade of red in her reflection.

“Like Levy did with Gajeel?” Juvia shot back.

Levy sighed at the memory. “It would have been amazing, until he got sick.” She commented lightly. She remembered screaming in fear, but soon she was just weakly crying out, peeking her eye open in hope as he clutched her closer.

Levy’s heart had skipped a beat. She had hoped he would have kissed her, or promised to protect her. Sadly, when she looked up, she had seen his face, cheeks puffed out, trying to fight the urge to vomit. It made her sigh sadly.

“Dragon Slayer motion sickness ruined the moment?” The ameonna asked with a light giggle.

Silence fell upon the two for a while.

The comfortable silence fell apart after a while, Juvia pulling away with a proud smile. “There, Levy looks beautiful.” She paused. “And her age.”

Levy was in awe, smiling happily. The sea green fabric cut around in a sweetheart neckline, the straps thin on her shoulders, and a loose amount of fabric hanging just above her knees. If the girl spun, she knew it would lift up playfully. She noticed a light bit of lace that Juvia started putting on the dress.

Juvia had fixed the looseness of the dress, hemming it until it fit the small blunette beautifully. The cut top allowing a small bit of cleavage, working well with her bra that was fit under it.

Even though they spent more time talking to each other about missed opportunities and teasing, Juvia had given her much insight into the man she was falling for. It was the small things.

To Levy, the most important knowledge was: Gajeel wasn’t much different from her.

She believed herself not to be enough for Gajeel, as he did to her.

“Hey, Juvia.” Levy said softly, her fingers moving to smooth the dress down.

“Yes?” She asked, blinking as she moved to pick up the scraps of cloth. The ameonna adored how the dress looked on Levy.

“Thank you for everything.” Juvia dropped the cloth in shock as Levy was suddenly hugging her. Her arms quickly wound around the younger woman, holding her tightly.

“Juvia is glad she could help.” She whispered and kissed her temple in a sisterly manner, smiling against the girl’s skin. “Juvia hope one day… Levy can see her as close as Levy sees Lucy or the others.”

Levy paused and looked up at Juvia. “I do. I just, I admire you so much, so very, very much. I felt intimidated, but I see that… you’re not just powerful, but you’re amazing.” Levy confessed.

Juvia flushed deeply and tightened and hugged her more.

Levy and Juvia were soon laughing.

“I’m going to go see Gajeel… I’m tired of missing those glances, Juvia.” The script mage whispered and closed her eyes. “It is thanks to you, that I finally realize what I’m missing.”

Soon, Juvia pulled away with a smile. “Go, Levy.” She whispered, encouraging the girl.

Levy moved to bite her lower lip. “Gray loves that new shaved ice shop by the park, yet he hasn’t been able to go in a while.” The younger blunette was inching towards the door. A small smirk played on her lips, “And he has a crush on you, but he doesn’t now know to explain it since his past.”

The male had talked to Levy about it, explaining his situation. How he felt for Juvia, but how it left him so confused.

“Start small. Let him get comfortable. He doesn’t know how to process this… he’s afraid. Aside from that, it would be a nice place for a small date.” Levy smiled, offering a small bit of advice to the older blunette.

“Similar to Gajeel…” The water mage had a bright red face, a hand cupped over her mouth. “Thank you, Levy!” The ameonna squealed, turning around to go grab some supplies as she let Levy go.

Levy moved to leave Fairy Hills.

She was tired of missed glances.

“Gajeel Redfox, you better be prepared. I’m coming for you.” She had a small smirk before sighing happily. “I want this. I’m done missing what I want… so long as you want it too.”

She repeated the mantra in her head until she moved to the other side of Magnolia, towards the forested area that his home was. Where she had been during her training with him before they went to Tenrou Island.

She hadn’t even realized she got there and knocked on his door.

“Oi, what do ya wa—nt…?” Gajeel’s yell broke into a soft tone. His eyes were still, locked on the small blunette clad in a small, darker toned dress.

She usually wore bright, cheery colors, not a deep seafoam green shade... and her hair was often pinned back with a colorful ribbon.

Levy had been so distracted to go off, she had her hair left free. Cornflower locks falling into her eyes, wild curls framing her head and face.

Gajeel recognized Levy looked older, not by much, but she looked like an adult, no longer like a young teen.

“Can we talk?” She asked quietly, a blush staining her cheeks, one of her sandal clad feet swinging to scuff against the porch.

“U-uh.. yeah. Course, Shorty.” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, moving to step back, allowing her into the small home.

Levy quietly strolled into the room, her eyes surveying the area. It seemed that Lily wasn’t there.

“Sorry ‘bout the mess. I was kinda sleepin’ I got back from that mission later then I thought I would.”

“No, no. It’s fine. If I had known that you were sleeping I would have waited.” It explained his disheveled appearance. Wrinkled T-shirt pulled over him in almost a haphazard fashion, from the look of it, now that she saw him clearly, it seemed to be inside out. A pair of sweatpants on his legs.

“Naw, it’s fine. Whadda need?’

Levy swallowed, almost losing her never.

“Levy misses the looks Gajeel gives her. How he watches her with a ghost of a smile. How he’s never wanted to protect anyone as he wants to protect Levy.” Juvia’s words crashed back in her mind.

“I like you!” she blurted out when he started opening his mouth to ask her again. Her face turned to a flushed grimace at how she said that.

“I… like ya too?” He questioned, very confused by the ordeal.

“I… I mean. I like you Gajeel… more than a friend. I… love you.” Her voice was soft, just a touch above a whisper.

Gajeel’s hands shook as his eyes widened a fraction.

He had to be dreaming. He had to be. There was no way in hell that Levy could feel for him like this. Not after what he had done.

“Stop that.” She mumbled, still flushed. “You do deserve love… and I do love you…” She felt bolder, Juvia’s words bouncing around in her head, giving her courage. “I took that shot from the Eclipse Spirit King for a reason, Gajeel.”

She had been utterly terrified, but she had been willing to die for him.

“I stay with you… I talk to you like I do. I go on missions with you, that I know are out of my league... You’re a friend, yes… but I love being around you... more than anyone else. Whether we’re talking… fighting… or even just sitting in silence.” She couldn’t stop talking. The blunette ended up rambling about anything and everything that filled her head… until.

“—ke you too…” A finger hesitantly curled under her chin.

“What…?” Her voice was soft, and she realized Gajeel had a shy half smile.

“I like you too… I know I’m fucking nuts for even having feelin’s for ya. After everything…. But I do like ya. A lot.”

Levy couldn’t help the happy giggles that escaped her.

“Juvia was right… I did miss a lot…” She commented as she gently moved his hand away from her chin to embrace him. “I’m sorry I missed all of your glances…” She whispered into his chest, feeling how, with hesitation, his arms wrapped around her. He was afraid of hurting her…

Levy had never felt more powerful and amazing in that instant.

She was happy, and she would try everything she could to make him happy.

This was their start.

[deadsculs]

“How many times do I have to tell you not to knock? Get in here loser.” nadja

( » » BROTP starters. ) + sky’s still blue verse

There was a light cloud cover over the gibbous moon, and the alley was dark and wet — it was well after midnight and the street lights had turned off a minute ago, Alexi wasn’t sure when they would turn back on. He paused in the alcove holding the backdoor to Scavengers Too to set down the box he was carrying. The metal door rung hollowly as he knocked.

The door opened suddenly, and Alexi was forced to take a step back as a sawed off shotgun was shoved into this face. Alexi nearly tripped off the step into the alley as a bright light shone in his face.

“Jesus fucking Christ —”

“Shut up, Misha, it wasn’t like I was going to shoot you. Bad mouth you have on you. Aren’t you a religious man?” The gun dropped and the light disappeared. “How many times do I have to tell you not to knock? Get in here loser.”

“Well, I’ll mention taking the Lord’s name in vain at my next confessional. I knocked because it was dark and I couldn’t find my keys. Got what we needed.” He picked up the box and was grateful to notice the streetlights had come back on as he came inside.

She patted him on the shoulder as he walked through the storage hallway into the back room of the bar. Setting down the box, he waited until she placed the shotgun back into the hidden rack underneath the desk where they counted the day’s cash. Alexi leaned against the desk, counting the bottles off on his fingers.

“Grey Goose, Ciroc, Hennessy, Patrón, Maker’s Mark, and Crown Royal — a bottle each.” He slid the box back towards himself, ready to go put the bottles in their rightful places. “Next time there’s a woman pissed off at you, make sure her fucking heel doesn’t hit the top shelf’s support. I can’t buy you an entire new selection each night.”

There was a crash in the front and a loud grunt as a woman screamed. Nadja sighed and pulled her shotgun back out. Alexi picked up the box, they both traded glances and walked back into the main room of the bar. Two men were fighting, most of the rest of the bar were ignoring them as fights seemed to have a pattern of breaking out nearly every night at Scavengers Too. No one involved themselves until alcohol spilled. Alexi slid the box under the bar, eyeing the other illegal gun hidden there before Nadja tapped him on the back.

“Would you have rather had that fucking stiletto hit me in the eye? An eyepatch is badass but only if its leather, comrade. Were you gonna buy me it, Misha?” She sighed, and gestured over the bar towards the pair. “You wanna kick some asses out now, muscles?”

Alexi shrugged and stood up. He wasn’t as tall as the heavy weight on the winning side of the fight but he was certain he could kick him out. He got his hand wrapped up in the collar of the smaller man, dragging him towards the front door. The man’s waving arm knocked against a chair, sloshing the beer of the another patron. Alexi’s free hand clamped down on the third man’s rising shoulder.

“Sit down buddy, I’ll pay for another when I get these two out. You have a pretty face, would hate to break it.”

He heard a laugh from Nadja behind the bar as a bottle poured. Alexi shoved the man out the door as he pulled the man’s keys from his jacket’s pocket.

“Call a cab. If you drunk enough to scuffle with someone who looks like he’s a MMA fighter, you’re too drunk to drive.”

He ignore the yell of indignation at him and turned back inside. The brick house was all puffed up in the middle of the room, ready to take a run at him. He looked like he was on steroids, a bull ready to charge at a red flag — and Alexi was that red flag. He groaned and looked up at the ceiling.

“I knew tonight was going to fucking suck.”

The click of the shotgun from behind the bar made chuckle under his breath. Nadja’s anger was palpable even halfway across the room. Her voice was like a dagger and the rest of the patrons shuffled out past him.

“Okay, shithead. You have three options. One, walk out right now. Two, go down for assault, I have the police dialed right now. Or three, go to the hospital with a back full of scattershot. Your choice, bucko.”

Alexi could see it happen before Nadja could, the skin around the man’s eyes tightened a moment before the man went into motion. By then Alexi was already moving. He crashed into the man, a modified judo throw mixed with a MMA takedown ( thanks Cheyenne Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ), and Alexi’s breath whooshed out of him as he hit the floor next to the assailant. Shit, he was going to be sore tomorrow. The man’s surprise worked in Alexi’s favor, he must have not expected a bar’s hired muscle to fight back like this, and relied on on his size to lend him the advantage in all his fights. The meathead’s skull thumped against the ground and his body went lax. Luck was on his side tonight then. Footsteps stopped besides him and the maxim ‘the larger they are, the harder they fall’ rung especially true in this instance which prompted a laugh from him.

“Well fuck, Misha. One hit wonder! Less than one hit, more like one tackle.” She knelt down, placing two fingers on the human mountain’s neck. “Man might have a concussion when he wakes up. I’ll call the police.”

Alexi groaned as he got up, prodding his shoulder that was quickly developing into a nice bruise. No pulled muscles, no fractures. Nice. He pulled upright a table that had got knocked over, and gestured to the the broken glass on the floor.

“You got this?”

“Yeah, comrade.”

Patrons were coming back into the bar, resuming their positions they had vacated. Alexi pulled out the ladder in the supply closet and threw the broom in Nadja’s direction. Setting up the step ladder, he placed the box he had brought in through the back door on the top step. Climbing up gingerly, he pulled out the screws and screwdriver he had also picked up on his trip out from his pocket. Repositioning the support arm of the shelf, the one the first fight of the night had knocked out, he screwed it back in as Nadja swept up the glass and disposed of it. Alexi placed his earlier purchases on the shelf, a nice neat line.

The chatter of the patrons resumed, the flow of people moving around the bar made a nice island around the downed body on the floor. Alexi descended down the ladder, with the bottle of Grey Goose in his hand. He could practically feel the eye roll of Nadja at his back as he put away the ladder. Alexi leaned behind the bar, pulling out a shot glass.

“Misha.”

“I think I deserve this tonight. And hey, I’m not drinking it straight from the bottle.” He pulled the crumpled receipt from the liquor store from his pocket and slapped it into Nadja’s hand. “There’s the alcohol total, just —” 

Nadja’s glare made him pause. She really hated when he tried to give her advice on how to run the the bar’s finances. 

“Do whatever you have to do to even it out. Create a tab for me even. I drink here often enough. Start with giving the pretty man at table four another of whatever he had been drinking. I keep my word.”

Nadja sighed and stuck the paper in the lockbox with a small chuckle. He could almost guarantee she was about to ask him if he wanted to ask out the man he had just bought a beer for. Ambulance sirens could be heard coming down the street and Alexi rolled his neck.

“Should I get myself checked out? Does your worker’s comp even cover that?”

Nadja laughed, and walked back into the back room to secret away her sawed off.

“You know I don’t have shit to cover your injuries, good thing you’ve got that nurse friend. I’ll give you off a couple of hours to deal with this, get an ice pack from the back.”

@switchblcdes

[ruleandruinrpg]

CONGRATULATIONS, ALYX!

You have been accepted for the role of LEI YUL-KEUNG  with a faceclaim change to Godfrey Gao. Admin Rosey: Bless you, bless you, bless you. You have brought me the absolute joy of saying that we will be opening our roleplay with my sunshine LEI. Your para sample was what stole the show. It captured the moment so perfectly, so well, that it would’ve be a travesty if I had kept him from your capable hands. You laid out the application so carefully, so methodically, what with the elaborations on the different connections and plot points that I was almost disappointed because I wanted more. Thank you so much for this beautiful application! I am so thrilled to welcome you to Rule & Ruin! You have 24 HOURS to send in your account. Also, remember to look at the CHECKLIST. Welcome to Ravka!

OUT OF CHARACTER

ALIAS:  Alyx

PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/Her

AGE:  19

TIMEZONE & ACTIVITY LEVEL:  CST and 8; I’m currently not in school right now (though I will be starting college in the fall after a gap year) so right now I’m honestly on 24/7 or at the very least lurking on mobile, and if I am gone I always let the main know about it.

TRIGGERS: OMITTED.

CURRENT/PAST ACCOUNTS: OPTIONAL.

http://lilyeldridge.tumblr.com/

http://gracesinclair.tumblr.com/

http://theosgreco.tumblr.com/

http://diemhynson.tumblr.com/

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER:

Lei: “Flower bud”

→ Lei’s home was always a child too cramped. The revelation that another child would be added to the mix was daunting, but the farther along the pregnancy became the more excitement filled the air. Lei’s mother would sing the unborn fetus to rest when she felt the kicks coming on. She would sing him tunes of the flowers that bud open in spring. “Rest, my little flower bud” she would whisper to it, knowing weeks in advance that it would possess the name that meant what it already knew so well: flowers. It was just meant to be that the boy possessed the ability of the thing the flowers needed most: water. It was a sign, a way of telling the family that the boy was a needed addition that would brighten up their lives. He was meant to bloom and grow big and strong. He was meant to bring beauty into their lives. Of course, after the death of his parents, Lei began to resent his name. He was no flower. He was not beautiful and pleasing to those around him. No, he was a weed. He was something that most look at in annoyance and disgust. Something that would be better off dead yet somehow always survives. No, Lei didn’t think he deserved the title of flower bud. Maybe at one point in his life but not anymore.

Shuang: “bright, clear”

→ That was what Lei always was to his family— a brightness, a clarity in the midst of their mundane lives. He was the sunshine child— the only who lit everyone around him up with his genuine happiness and carefree nature. His vision was clear and innocent. His vision was filled with childhood ignorance and a family who fought tooth and nail to preserve that.  He was happy, the human embodiment of a rainbow that appeared across the sky after a violent storm passed through the area, but rainbows don’t last forever. Where a rainbow appears, there’s another storm waiting in the wings, and it engulfed him. The sight of his parents’ dead and bloody bodies. The grip of the Shu Han court as they dragged him away from the parents he didn’t get to mourn properly. The look of pure horror on his siblings’ faces when his water released a flood. The sight of the men who took away his innocence all dead eyed and silent. The realization that he took away their voices, their lives. It all gathered together to form clouds that covered the brightness that once engulfed him. His vision became blurred with images of the monster he was and the shame he felt as he turned away from his family. He could no longer recognize his reflection in the mirror. The boy who shined so bright and clearly felt his light diminish and blur to form something of a shadow.

Yul-Keung: No known name meaning

→ A mismatched pair of people all thrown together. Laughs around the dinner table. Rushing out to go play while the parents and one child goes to clean up. Squeezing too many kids into too few beds. Games of hide and seek that became progressively more crucial as more village children were taken away. Days spent outside watching the water being moved from the crook in the leaves by a force they could hardly comprehend. Ancient stories getting told as the kids all raced over to their respected beds. Kisses on the forehead before the parents also disappeared to sleep. Nights huddle around the fireplace as bad weather terrorizes their garden and other outdoor areas. Fond memories Lei had of the people he cared for the most. Painful memories that Lei now held of the people that were either dead or looked at him like he was a monster who killed their sunshine boy. Arms that once embraced him held onto each other as he stood in the middle of a pile of bodies. Eyes that were once so filled with adoration and love viewed him as a stranger. Bodies he once fell asleep next to shrunk in size as he ran away from them towards a place that would be his reluctant home.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?

I’m not going to lie, when the teasers were coming out the first thing I read was the quotes on the graphics. Quotes are always one of the things I use to really get a feel for a character, so it made it see if this were a type of character I would potentially feel connected to or one I know I wouldn’t do justice so I shouldn’t waste my time filling out an app when there’s someone else that could do this character well. With Lei, I immediately got heart eyes for his quote. I always say that my type of character to play would be cinnamon roll girls and broken boys (and my nonbinary babies bc can’t forget them) and Lei definitely fit my type.

I was definitely brought in by his quote, but I stayed for his bio. I loved the fact that he didn’t grow up tragic. There’s a saying that goes some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them, and I associate that with tragedy as well. For Lei, he definitely had tragedy thrust upon him. He was the heart of his family. He may have been one too many mouths to feed, but he completed their household and he was loved. They didn’t see his grisha abilities as unnatural or weird; they saw it as a gift just like they saw he was a gift. They would bottle his laughter up and save it for a rainy day if it were possible. No, he was not born a tragedy, but he definitely was made into one. Maybe if he had lived in a place that took better care of grisha. Maybe if he had done a better job of hiding his abilities. There were a million possibilities that could’ve changed his story, but I feel like it was fate that he was forced to lose his rose tinted glasses and realize that not everyone saw rain as a good thing. Though some days it could be a light rain fall that allows for the plants to grow and be harvested for food, others days it could be a storm that ravages the town and only leaves destruction in its wake. Lei had only known the former. He didn’t know true struggle until he saw his parents dead and really tapped into his powers and unleashed a side of it no one in his family really expected him to be capable of.

I also adored Lei’s connections and everything else about him. I love that he’s asexual. When I saw him on the list of LGBT+ characters in the rp I couldn’t help but smile a bit. I love his connection with Vera and the fact that it was hinted at to ship them without actually writing down that there’s something there. I love that he remembers Oyun’s face and has this complete loathing of her and she probably doesn’t even know who he is. I love that he and Katya have this similar vengeance and fierceness to them that they just click. Finally, I love the brotp with Aarvas and how they can both see the darkness lurking in the other and how they stick together despite Aarvas being super into religion and Lei not caring that much.

Overall, I feel like Lei is a complex character who I would love to explore. I would love to really be able to get into his mindset and flesh out the connections he has as well as make new ones with people you’d expect him to be drawn to as well as people that no one would expect the two of them to meet and get along. He’s a broken, beautiful boy and I hope I would get to call him mine.

WHAT FUTURE PLOT IDEAS DID YOU HAVE IN MIND?

Self: I don’t see myself in the mirror anymore

→I want to see Lei’s mask breaking. I know there’s only so long you can wear a facade before it becomes too much, and I want Lei to get to that point where the mask becomes more of a burden than a safety net. I want to do all of the self paras where you just see how worn out and exhausted he really is when he strips off the mask of this happy, sunshine boy he once was and reveals this sad, angry man that hid underneath it all. I want days when he forgets to flash a smile where he would normally and his eyes failed to show that same brightness he managed all the other days. I just want to see how much putting on his mask takes out of him and make him wonder if it’s really worth it to continue being someone that died back in Shu Han.

     →I want him dealing with the fact that he has no contact with his family anymore. Growing up, Lei absolutely adored his family and they adored him, so I would like to see him occasionally daydreaming of long ago memories of before the Shu Han came for him. I want the flashbacks of him first leaving his family and maybe just breaking down at one point because he could see in their eyes that they viewed him as a completely different person. I want him wondering how they were doing and what they were up to because it’s been years since he last saw them and they all talked about dreams that would be nice to have aspired to. Yeah, Lei’s all hardened and broken but I still feel like there’s a piece of his heart that his siblings have buried themselves too far in.

→ I want to see Lei interact with more people. I feel like he leaves himself closed off except for the select few connections he has, but I feel like he could expand his inner circle a bit. Maybe he strikes up a relationship of some sort (definitely more preferred if it was platonic) with a pyro just because who doesn’t like the idea of fire and ice together. I want to see how he interacts with the humans because on one hand his family is human and he deeply cared for them but on the other hand the people who killed his parents and tried to cut him open were also humans so his view on them could go either way. I want to see if he’s a bit nicer to those humans who kind of are more intrigued by his abilities more than anything or if he doesn’t bother with humans in general after that bad experience.

Vera: She was his sunset

→ I love this relationship! I want to explore Lei’s emotions and figure out what exactly he feels for Vera. She’s different than everyone else because he doesn’t have to hide behind his mask because she sees right through it. With her he can get back some of the joy that he’s kind of been missing for a long time. I like the fact that it was left vague in both of their connections that they know there’s something there, but neither one of them know exactly what it is, and I’d love to get at least one of them to actually figure out what it is that they’re feeling.

→ I want those deep conversations between Vera and Lei. I feel like Vera’s the only person Lei opens up to so I would love to explore him talking with Vera about some serious matters and her kind of healing his mental wounds along the way. I feel like Vera tends to bring out the memories that Lei tends to keep tucked away behind lock and key, and I would love to see Lei dealing with those and Vera healing his inner wounds. I want to see Lei genuinely excited to see someone, and I feel like he’d get that way mostly towards Vera.

→ I want to flashback to their first meeting. Did they get along right away? Did it take a while for Lei to warm up to Vera? When did they meet? All question that I would like to answer. I know it mentioned that there were other kids in his village that were grisha, but I want to know if they were only ones that could control elements or if Vera’s kind were also around, and that could be done through exploring that with the Vera rper.

→ This is a short one, but I want a small conversation of Vera and Lei kind of making fun of Oyun? Like I know neither one of them likes her, so I would love to have an interaction where they kind of bond over that and mimic her or something to entertain themselves a bit.

Oyun: He was a tide, but with her he was a hurricane

→ I want a showdown with Oyun and Lei. I know Lei has all of this built up rage in him for anyone associated with the Shu Han court after all of the stuff they put him through, and I want to see it all come out one day. I feel slightly bad for Oyun just because she didn’t necessarily order Lei to be taken and experimented on, but Lei’s targeting her anyways because she was the first name on the list he memorized to appear. I just feel like when Lei finally does release his powers on her that she won’t take it lying down and will have a few tricks up her sleeve, so I’m definitely looking forward to plotting out how that would go down.

→I want to see Lei just doing little things to inconvenience Oyun. While building up to his showdown with her, I would love to just see him maybe send a small wave of water towards her when she’s having a good hair day or pulling the water out of her cup when she’s about to drink from it. I just want Lei to do some little things like that because it would bring him a moment of joy before it was lost again in his sea of sorrow.

Katya: They were woven from the same cloth

→ She was probably the one who understood him best. Where Vera could see the broken bits left over by the storm, Katya was able to see the next big storm that brewed on his horizon. They were both built from the same ruination. They both had this vengeance in their hearts, and it’s evident when they train. She pushes him to be better, and he pushes her to be better as well. It’s nice being with Katya. He doesn’t have to worry about appearances. He doesn’t have to play a part. He can peel off the mask and show the anger that’s tucked behind his eyes. I want all the threads of these two training together. I want to see their powers working together and creating something menacing. I want to flashback to their first session and how his power was and compare it to now to really see how much he’s grown. I feel like his power was fairly weak when he first started out because he didn’t grow up training his ability that it would need to see how well Katya’s training has helped him.

→ I want to see Lei contemplating whether or not to tell her the true reason behind wanting to train her. It’s nice that she doesn’t bother to ask why he wants to turn his gentle waves into a hurricane, but it would also be something he could get off his chest and be able to tell someone who wouldn’t judge him or anything. She’s someone who understands his anger and grief so having a cute interaction of them bonding over their sob stories would be interesting considering the personalities of the two characters.

Aarvas: Darkness blankets them both

→ I want these two bonding over their abilities. I definitely feel like their friendship began on the basis that they’re both tidemakers and the big theme with their connection is that like draws to like, so I would like to explore that aspect of their friendship. I want them kind of being carefree a little bit like maybe they splash each other as a joke or something that takes away from their anger or faith for a little bit. I also want to see them training with each other because I feel like there’s no one better to help you with your powers than someone who also has those powers.

→ I want to see them talking about faith. Everyone is aware of how much into religious Aarvas is, but I want to explore the stark contrast between Aarvas’ big belief in faith and Lei’s lack of belief. I feel when Lei was little he believed in that stuff, but after all of the stuff he’s being through there’s definitely that attitude of if there were someone looking out for me he’s not doing a very good job at it. I just want to see their conversations about stuff like that and have them grow stronger despite the difference in opinion. I like the fact that Lei’s kind of become Aarvas’ apostle despite really wanting the job, so that’s another aspect of it to look into.

→ I want to explore the darkness between them. Again, like draws to like, and they both are aware of their own darkness. I wanted to get them, mainly Lei, to become aware of the darkness they both have haunting them. Maybe Lei shares a bit about his life that he didn’t intend on talking about and Aarvas and him get into a conversation about one another that really extends the already strong bond between them. Honestly, I just want Lei to not be alone in his emotions and to realize dark and light lives in everyone.

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO HAVE YOUR CHARACTER DIE?:  Absolutely!

IN DEPTH

IN CHARACTER PARA SAMPLE(S):  

It had been 1 month since they last came. They had managed to take a little girl a few houses over that liked to watch as the fire danced on her fingertips before Lei had the sense to put it out. They always managed to take someone. Lei thought he was the exception. Lei thought his family was clever enough to be safe from that fate. No, there were no exceptions for the Shu Han.

Dirt and soot rained down as Lei raced out from under his hiding space. It wasn’t that extravagant of a hiding space really— just in a nook of a tree that was conveniently hidden by some shrubbery they planted to spruce the lawn up a bit. No, nothing in Lei’s life was extravagant, but it always seemed to work. He didn’t get buffets of food, but he still found himself going about the day with a satisfied stomach. He didn’t get a room all to himself, but he still slept soundly. His hiding space wasn’t some underground shelter, but he never got found.

Well, not yet.

When days like these rolled around, his family had a schedule: play hide and go seek until the sun disappeared, then go straight home. It seemed easy enough and it always worked. The kids would race out and play their games, completely unaware of the threat that awaited them back near the houses, and then they would come back and settle down for whatever their father would gather for dinner. Yes, it was a bit strange, but the light never left Lei’s eyes for the silly games he was told to play. No, he knew the ending to the story, and he knew this one would end like the last one did.

But it didn’t.

Lei wandered around the back of his home in search of the door that would allow him to quickly slip back into the warm, heated house. He found it rather quickly, but as he turned the door knob he could sense that something was off. It wasn’t the same inviting feeling he usually got during that time. No, it was a much colder feeling that shook him to the bone. He didn’t hear his parents talking around the stove. He didn’t see his siblings around the sink taking turns cleaning up for dinner. He didn’t see anything except two silhouettes near the front door.

Run, run little lamb

He was always a curious young boy, so of course he went over to investigate what was laying at his door step. He stepped over the loose edges of the carpets, and stopped short at the feet of what appeared to be his parents. He could almost make himself believe they were only sleeping, but the scarlet drops that were leaking out of their throats made it so the dream was only that. No, they were not sleeping.

Run away from the slaughter

Tears fell from his eyes as he looked at his parents before his attention became more focused on the two other figures that were now coming into view. He scanned their features, and he didn’t know it then, but those emotionless eyes would haunt him much later on. No, it didn’t immediately click that those were the same features of the men his parents warned him about. He had only seen their backs as he peaked out to see if it was time to come back in. Even then he never noticed the crying child in their arms. He never put the pieces together as they shot out fire or water as a sign for help— a sign Lei never picked up on.

A sign Lei himself would be shooting

After death, the proper thing to do would be to mourn. It showed that someone felt shaken up and upset about the loss. Lei got no time to mourn. He didn’t get to tell his parents goodbye, or to kiss their cheeks one last time. All he could do was let the tears pour out of his eyes, and even then it wasn’t long before the two guards took that away from him too.

They took everything away

“Your powers will be put to good use.”

“You’re going to serve our nation well.”

All veiled attempts to get him to cooperate. No, Lei was often a quiet kid, an obedient kid, but even he couldn’t have prevented the scream that erupted from his mouth as they started dragging him away.  He could barely see his parents’ bodies when it happened.

When the flood came to meet his call

Sweet little Lei. My sunshine boy. The missing piece of the puzzle. All former words to describe him.

Monster. A hidden storm. Murderer. All current words to describe him.

They say water was meant for rejuvenation. Water cleanses, water heals. In some religions water means rebirth, but there was no rebirth as Lei’s waves struck the men down. There was no healing when their laughter was smothered by water, when the air was replaced in their lungs by the liquid. The only thing clean was the water far enough away when it ended to not have been tainted that the blood that came out of the men so freely. Water may have been cleansing and loving in the past, but it was also a weapon that could be used for destruction.

A destruction Lei didn’t even know he was capable of. A destruction no one knew he was capable of. Yet, it didn’t compare to the destruction in Lei’s eyes as he noticed his siblings standing near the house. He was a stranger in their eyes. He stepped towards them, and they took two steps backwards. He had tried to speak, to apologize, to explain himself, but he was at a loss for words. Lei haven’t thought himself the monster until he saw the fear in Xiu’s eyes and the look of utter betrayal on everyone else’s.

And so he ran.

And ran.

And ran.

But he could never escape the life he left behind, the lives he took.

CHARACTER HEADCANONS:

Family: Blood is thicker than water

→ Lei is the youngest of five kids— 3 boys, 2 girls. The oldest was a boy named Hui. They named him that because, like the name meant, they knew he would be clever. He would often lift Lei up on his shoulders and prance around with him during the summer time. He and Lei had a considerable age difference, but that only made their brotherly bond stronger because Hui treated him like his own child. Hui wanted to enlist in the army, but he held off on it because he wanted to help his parents take care of the others. The second child was a girl named Mei. She would often tease Lei by saying that he wanted to be her so much he practically took her name. She was the most attentive one when it came to his powers. She would encourage him to practice it when the Shu Han court was not around because he had a gift and needed to nurture it. She was the most practical sibling. She longed to travel and make a difference in the world, though she knew more than likely she would just be a mother— something she was content with. The middle child was a boy named Shi. He was named that because they wanted him to grow up completely truthful with them. He was the one often lovingly teasing Lei and resulting in Lei calling his face ugly amongst other things brothers do to show their love. He was often the wildcard of the family and changed his mind greatly on what he wanted to do. When Lei last saw him he said he wanted to be a small farmer. The fourth child in the Yul-Keung family was a girl named Xiu. She grew up to be as charming as her name suggested. She was a ditzy, dreamer sort of child who spent more time running around in fields of flowers than inside helping out. Lei and she were known as the sunshine siblings because their smiles could light up even the darkest sky. He knew it was right to turn his back on his family when he saw the terror in her eyes.

2.   Letters: When words remain unspoken

→ Lei has been writing letters to his siblings and parents. He would never send them, but he uses it as a way to get out all of the words he was too shaken up to say when he left that day. The letters are in a stack in the corner of his room.

3.   Zodiac: Day of birth, day of death

→ Lei was born on June 12th, which makes him a Gemini. Gemini seems to fit him seeing as he could be described as two faced as the face he puts on for the public is not the one he wears in private. His parents found it ironic that he held the ability to control water when he was born an air sign. Back in his youth it was a joke that he was meant to be a pisces since he was able to control water and pisces are known to be more pure hearted and kind than some of the other signs, but people who met him now wouldn’t think of that at all.

4.    Kvas: Raise a glass to freedom

→ Lei knows how to hold his own when it comes to kvas. He never used to drink it back in Shu Han, but after all the events he went through he picked up the habit of having a glass or two after a long day of training his power with Katya or by himself. He wished it was stronger, but he deals with the drink as best as he can.

5.    Diet: Food of the soul

→ Lei eats everything but fish. Seeing as fish live in water and Lei controls water, he feels a connection to them and avoids consuming them. He most prefers fruits such as apples and oranges as well as the redder meats such as lamb and beef. He didn’t have a lot to eat growing up because there were so many people in his house and they weren’t the richest of families, so Lei usually only eats a small plate full and makes sure to clean his plate every time because he was always told to do that when he was younger. Lei also doesn’t really talk to people at lunch. He’ll nod and make small talk to seem polite, but overall he likes to focus on his meal then get back to whatever he was doing beforehand.

6.     Language: Lost in translation

→ Lei still finds himself talking in Shu a lot just because he did grow up speaking the language and he didn’t move to Ravka until he was older. He’s gotten good at conversational speak in the Ravka language, but he still mainly writes in Shu and there’s always some words that don’t translate over to Ravkan so he’ll try his best to explain the meaning or just stick to the Shu word.

7.       Pets: Who let the dogs out?

→ Lei doesn’t have any pets nowadays, but he did have a pet growing up. His dog almost exactly resembles a Chow Chow, but in Shu Han they’re called Songshi Quan, which means fluffy lion dog. His dog was named Little Dragon because His older brother Shi kept begging for a dragon for his birthday so his parents bought them the dog instead and merely named it that so technically they got him what he wanted. Lei liked the dog, but it became attached to Xiu more than anyone. Sadly, the day that the Shu Han court finally came for Lei, the dog was killed. It often stood guard outside of the house to alert them when unwanted visitors were coming, and that was an inconvenience to the guards who were hoping to kind of come in by surprise. It was another reason why Lei let his powers take control and killed the guards.

EXTRAS: I have an inspiration tag on my blog of quotes and graphics that I think fit Lei pretty well:

http://octaviablakewrites.tumblr.com/tagged/insp%3A-lei

ANYTHING ELSE? OMITTED.