#did i mention i love greek fire's top of the world?

[quinsixtridrupled-k]

On top of it all~

Trying to feel invincible~

(Yeah, oh, yeaaah, oh)

Dying on top of the world~

inside the walls of gold, outside of happiness

(it's all been a show, too late to confess)

no room for heart and soul, no room for innocence

i̸̯̚n̷̯͠n̸͓̓o̵̝̎c̵̘̀e̶̛̜n̵̳̆c̶̢͛ȩ̷̒

[shinonome-akito-vbs]

hey there you’re getting ethan nakamura lore from percy jackson and the olympians hot book series written by rick riordan because i need to cope and i have autism and my hyperfixations are so CR詠ZY that once i’m obsessed over something i will be obsessed until i turn thirtyseven years old and also because i quite like you and ethan nakamura and i would very much like it if my favorite pjsk character knew about my favorite percy jackson character

so where do i start. okay. let’s start on ethan nakamura right guys? yeah. so i have been hyperfixating on this stupid guy for years. it started when i was like nine or ten. when i read the first book he appeared in (the battle of the labyrinth fyi.) i was like “wow, what a silly dude. i quite like him.” boy oh boy was that just the beginning. hot diggity dog have i become an ethan nakamura superfan. keep in mind this boy had like atleast thirteen mentions in the series, tops. i was living off CRUMBS.

ethan first came to camp half-blood (the place where demigods [half god half human] go to train) with a satyr, those ugly half goat half human things. except grover. he’s not ugly. he was left unclaimed, meaning his godly parent, nemesis (goddess of retribution), did not claim him as her son. ethan felt like he was being ignored, and felt irritated because of this. this was what fueled him to join the titan army, aka kronos’ army (kronos is the evil titan dude who wants to kill the greek gods.) one day, ethan met his mother nemesis, who told him that in exchange for his left eye, he would some day balance the world’s power. ethan willingly gave her his left eye and covered it up with a black eyepatch.

!!!spoilers after this part perchance….!!!

ethan first appears in the battle of the labyrinth, the fourth book. percy (main character obviously), annabeth (percy’s stupid girlfriend i love her), grover, and tyson all travelled to the labyrinth (the labyrinth is a maze if you can remember) with a mortal girl named rachel elizabeth dare who could see through the mist (a spell thing that makes it so that humans are unable to see what demigods can see; monsters, swords, etc.) rachel accidentally leads the four into antaeus’ arena, where percy was forced to fight a dracaena. after defeating it, he then moved on to fight ethan nakamura. this is when he is first introduced. who cheered. i did. i cheered. ethan, despite lacking a left eye, had good swordsmanship and was able to attack well. however, his heavy greek armor tired him out quickly, and percy ended up defeating him. though, he spares his life. okay blah blah blah percy fights antaeus then percy, rachel, annabeth, grover, tyson, and ethan run away from the arena. ethan refuses their help like the boyboss he is and returns to the arena, where the titan army was. in a later chapter, ethan is seen resurrecting the titan lord, kronos. percy thinks of ethan as a traitor because of this. during the fifth and final book, the last olympian, ethan on the princess andromeda, a ship where the titan army stays. percy, accompanied by charles beckendorf (a hephaestus kid [greek god of fire and inventing.] y’know rui kamishiro would totally be a hephaestus son), board the ship and set off bombs in an attempt to temporarily set back the army. they both get captured, but charles sacrifices himself by detonating the bombs whilst percy jumps off board. i miss charles, but that’s another lore dump for another day. did you know…. ethan nakamura survives the explosion…. no? yeah, he did!!!!!!!!! who cheered!!! i did!!! ethan is then seen again when manhattan (new york, olympus is located in the empire state building in the book) is under attack by kronos’ army and the demigods are left to defend the camp. at the time, percy had bathed in the river styx, the same river that achilles bathed in to gain his strength, but percy’s weak spot was his lower back. ethan had somehow known percy’s weak spot and attempted to stab him there, but PERCY’S STUPID GIRLFRIEND ANNABETH decided to block it and take the strike herself. later on, when kronos was destroying the olympian throne room, percy begged ethan to change ways and proved that kronos was evil. in a moment of reflection, ethan rebelled against kronos and attempted to stab him with his blade. however, the knife shatters against kronos and a piece of the blade cuts through ethan’s stomach, making him the last person kronos killed. before his death, he told percy that the minor gods such as his mother nemesis needed to be respected and needed a throne as well, because they were thought of lowly. percy made a shrine for ethan after the battle and chose to remember him by his good deeds instead of his bad ones.

not spoilers! ethan is of half-greek and half-japanese descent, being the son of nemesis and another unspoken father figure who was never mentioned in the books. he is impulsive and very brave, and according to percy, was a very skilled fighter. he is driven towards his goals and determined to achieve them, despite the consequences such as betrayal. since his mother was quite literally the goddess of retribution, he always had a strong sense of balancing things, and eventually repaid the favor of percy saving him. like most demigods, he was born with adhd, which gave him the ability to last long in battle, and dyslexia, which allows him to read ancient greek rather than regular english.

ethan nakamura is my favorite character in the entire percy jackson series. thalia might be a close favorite BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT, ETHAN NAKAMURA IS THE MAIN FOCUS HERE!!! okay. so i’ve seen a lot of people legitimately hate or dislike ethan nakamura, which really makes me mad. like what did this boy do to you. what could this silly guy have possibly done to make you dislike him. not every titan army member is bad! except luke, i hate luke. back to our lord and savior ethan nakamura! he actually wasn’t that bad, but a lot of you HATERS are not ready for this conversation… he had a reason to join the titan army. he was ignored by his godly parent for, like, EVER. most demigods would’ve been claimed by now. this man is probably in the underworld  watching the kids in the other cabins sleep on beds while he had to sleep on the wooden floor of the packed hermes cabin. and that cabin probably smelled like body odor or something. okay, anyways. nemesis, his mom, ignored him for ages until she randomly pulls up, saying he’ll balance the worlds power. and since the gods are like the most powerful and he saw them AS powerful, he thought that maybe y’know…. getting rid of the gods would work. maybe that would balance the worlds power and make his mom finally give him some recognition. SEE HERE. CHARACTER DETAILS!! HE DID IT FOR RETRIBUTION!!! HE DID IT IN THE NAME OF HIS MOM!!! HE WANTED RECOGNITION!!! i cannot stress this enough. ethan wanted to be acknowledged by his mom. that was all he wanted. i don’t even KNOW if he got that in the end. he also had his character development. he tried to stab kronos, but that stupid blade shattered and straight up stabs him in the stomach. he dies!!! he sacrifices himself. and guess what!!!!! nemesis!!! is!!! associated!!! with!!! SACRIFICE!!! he died in his mom’s name! wowza!!!!!! no idea if his mom even cared, but wow i’d be really proud of my son if he died trying to save the world y’know… and in MY name too. if that’s not enough to satisfy nemesis, then i don’t know what is. then again, she’s a greek god. greek gods treat their children like crap. so i can’t really expect anything from them, much less nemesis. okay hi thank you for coming to be ted talk all my opps hate ethan nakamura

guess my favorite percy jackson character mode: impossible!!!

thats

a lot

of text

I did actually read the lightning thief several years ago

[aoyagi-vbs]

hey there you’re getting ethan nakamura lore from percy jackson and the olympians hit book series written by rick riordan because i need to cope and i have autism and my hyperfixations are so CR詠ZY that once i’m obsessed over something i will be obsessed until i turn thirtyseven years old and also because i quite like you and ethan nakamura and i would very much like it if one of my favorite pjsk character knew about my favorite percy jackson character

so where do i start. okay. let’s start on ethan nakamura right guys? yeah. so i have been hyperfixating on this stupid guy for years. it started when i was like nine or ten. when i read the first book he appeared in (the battle of the labyrinth fyi.) i was like “wow, what a silly dude. i quite like him.” boy oh boy was that just the beginning. hot diggity dog have i become an ethan nakamura superfan. keep in mind this boy had like atleast thirteen mentions in the series, tops. i was living off CRUMBS.

ethan first came to camp half-blood (the place where demigods [half god half human] go to train) with a satyr, those ugly half goat half human things. except grover. he’s not ugly. he was left unclaimed, meaning his godly parent, nemesis (goddess of retribution), did not claim him as her son. ethan felt like he was being ignored, and felt irritated because of this. this was what fueled him to join the titan army, aka kronos’ army (kronos is the evil titan dude who wants to kill the greek gods.) one day, ethan met his mother nemesis, who told him that in exchange for his left eye, he would some day balance the world’s power. ethan willingly gave her his left eye and covered it up with a black eyepatch.

!!!spoilers after this part perchance….!!!

ethan first appears in the battle of the labyrinth, the fourth book. percy (main character obviously), annabeth (percy’s stupid girlfriend i love her), grover, and tyson all travelled to the labyrinth (the labyrinth is a maze if you can remember) with a mortal girl named rachel elizabeth dare who could see through the mist (a spell thing that makes it so that humans are unable to see what demigods can see; monsters, swords, etc.) rachel accidentally leads the four into antaeus’ arena, where percy was forced to fight a dracaena. after defeating it, he then moved on to fight ethan nakamura. this is when he is first introduced. who cheered. i did. i cheered. ethan, despite lacking a left eye, had good swordsmanship and was able to attack well. however, his heavy greek armor tired him out quickly, and percy ended up defeating him. though, he spares his life. okay blah blah blah percy fights antaeus then percy, rachel, annabeth, grover, tyson, and ethan run away from the arena. ethan refuses their help like the boyboss he is and returns to the arena, where the titan army was. in a later chapter, ethan is seen resurrecting the titan lord, kronos. percy thinks of ethan as a traitor because of this. during the fifth and final book, the last olympian, ethan on the princess andromeda, a ship where the titan army stays. percy, accompanied by charles beckendorf (a hephaestus kid [greek god of fire and inventing.] y’know rui kamishiro would totally be a hephaestus son), board the ship and set off bombs in an attempt to temporarily set back the army. they both get captured, but charles sacrifices himself by detonating the bombs whilst percy jumps off board. i miss charles, but that’s another lore dump for another day. did you know…. ethan nakamura survives the explosion…. no? yeah, he did!!!!!!!!! who cheered!!! i did!!! ethan is then seen again when manhattan (new york, olympus is located in the empire state building in the book) is under attack by kronos’ army and the demigods are left to defend the camp. at the time, percy had bathed in the river styx, the same river that achilles bathed in to gain his strength, but percy’s weak spot was his lower back. ethan had somehow known percy’s weak spot and attempted to stab him there, but PERCY’S STUPID GIRLFRIEND ANNABETH decided to block it and take the strike herself. later on, when kronos was destroying the olympian throne room, percy begged ethan to change ways and proved that kronos was evil. in a moment of reflection, ethan rebelled against kronos and attempted to stab him with his blade. however, the knife shatters against kronos and a piece of the blade cuts through ethan’s stomach, making him the last person kronos killed. before his death, he told percy that the minor gods such as his mother nemesis needed to be respected and needed a throne as well, because they were thought of lowly. percy made a shrine for ethan after the battle and chose to remember him by his good deeds instead of his bad ones.

not spoilers! ethan is of half-greek and half-japanese descent, being the son of nemesis and another unspoken father figure who was never mentioned in the books. he is impulsive and very brave, and according to percy, was a very skilled fighter. he is driven towards his goals and determined to achieve them, despite the consequences such as betrayal. since his mother was quite literally the goddess of retribution, he always had a strong sense of balancing things, and eventually repaid the favor of percy saving him. like most demigods, he was born with adhd, which gave him the ability to last long in battle, and dyslexia, which allows him to read ancient greek rather than regular english.

ethan nakamura is my favorite character in the entire percy jackson series. thalia might be a close favorite BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT, ETHAN NAKAMURA IS THE MAIN FOCUS HERE!!! okay. so i’ve seen a lot of people legitimately hate or dislike ethan nakamura, which really makes me mad. like what did this boy do to you. what could this silly guy have possibly done to make you dislike him. not every titan army member is bad! except luke, i hate luke. back to our lord and savior ethan nakamura! he actually wasn’t that bad, but a lot of you HATERS are not ready for this conversation… he had a reason to join the titan army. he was ignored by his godly parent for, like, EVER. most demigods would’ve been claimed by now. this man is probably in the underworld  watching the kids in the other cabins sleep on beds while he had to sleep on the wooden floor of the packed hermes cabin. and that cabin probably smelled like body odor or something. okay, anyways. nemesis, his mom, ignored him for ages until she randomly pulls up, saying he’ll balance the worlds power. and since the gods are like the most powerful and he saw them AS powerful, he thought that maybe y’know…. getting rid of the gods would work. maybe that would balance the worlds power and make his mom finally give him some recognition. SEE HERE. CHARACTER DETAILS!! HE DID IT FOR RETRIBUTION!!! HE DID IT IN THE NAME OF HIS MOM!!! HE WANTED RECOGNITION!!! i cannot stress this enough. ethan wanted to be acknowledged by his mom. that was all he wanted. i don’t even KNOW if he got that in the end. he also had his character development. he tried to stab kronos, but that stupid blade shattered and straight up stabs him in the stomach. he dies!!! he sacrifices himself. and guess what!!!!! nemesis!!! is!!! associated!!! with!!! SACRIFICE!!! he died in his mom’s name! wowza!!!!!! no idea if his mom even cared, but wow i’d be really proud of my son if he died trying to save the world y’know… and in MY name too. if that’s not enough to satisfy nemesis, then i don’t know what is. then again, she’s a greek god. greek gods treat their children like crap. so i can’t really expect anything from them, much less nemesis. okay hi thank you for coming to my ted talk all my opps hate ethan nakamura

The tidbits of general lore here are....a wild ride, as someone who hasn't associated with Percy Jackson in general.

(See: "Like most demigods, he was born with ADHD," or, "Greek gods treat their children badly," and especially, "Olympus is located in the empire state building in the book,")

Nakamura himself has solid motivations, even if his initial alliances were questionable. I don't understand why some people bother spend their energy bashing characters for doing bad things, primarily when they're written to be antagonistic in order to drive the plot forward. It irks me in cases where the characters' reasons are explained and understandable (even if their actions are not), yet people choose to ignore them still.

Ah, he ended up acting in the name of redemption. Good for him, good for him.

[meltotheany]

Goodreads | Amazon US | B&N | Blackwell’s | Bookshop this is a really beautiful collection of short stories, all having the ebb and flow of the sea crafted seamlessly into them. i enjoyed this so much, that i actually think this solidifies that julie armfield is my newest favorite author, and i just hope she keeps giving the world (and me) her stories. down below i breakdown each individual story in this anthology collection, with the trigger and content warnings that i wrote down while reading! ━━♡ Mantis ★★★★ “I choose Greek myths and ghost stories, tales that come in under fourteen pages and culminate in violent lessons. I read aloud and let her stop me when she wants to – stories of swans and spiders, bay trees, narcissi, girls transformed into monsters by rivals playing dirty.” this was a very strong start to the anthology, and there is just something so insanely lulling about this author’s writing to me. it for sure reminded me of how much i loved our wives under the sea and it has really similar vibes at first, too! but this is a story about those transformative years, of being a girl and growing up surrounded by people and things that are also transforming you and the way you think and feel (about yourself and the world). shedding your childhood and growing into a body that is being dictated by others while you’re still in metamorphosis and learning what your truly want to transform into. and the ending was just great. plus, you all know i’m also going to love a growing up catholic backdrop on top of a really compelling story. cw/tw: this short story has a lot of talk of body image and parents and friends talking about the mc’s body image, also talk of weight and diet and starvation and food, talk of menstruation, blood, drinking, threat of sa, and i would also say just sickness in general with some body horror ━━♡ The Great Sleep ★★★★ “You don’t notice the way a city breathes until it changes its sleeping habits.” this is the type of story crafting where i am just impressively saying “wow, this is so cool, how did you think this up?” and then upon finishing my mind is going wild with metaphor meanings. but this is a tale of a wave of sleeplessness hits the world, and the people impacted now have a personification of their sleep that just kind of hangs out with them and makes life more annoying while they are more and more sleep deprived. and our mc finds comfort in her dreamlessness with someone in her apartment complex who is still able to sleep, even if she is constantly questioning why she hasn’t stopped along with most people. i feel like this instantly made me think of vegas, my current city, and how there is a magic to the restlessness that is pretty indescribable, even if you know it’s not the healthiest. but i think this story could be a metaphor for mental health, i think it could maybe be touching on abuse, or maybe how loneliness can feel all consuming. i think this might be about health and people saying wild shit as reasonings for serious things, or if could just be a cool story that i know will stick with me. i really enjoyed this one. cw/tw: things with sleep and the miserableness of being sleep deprived ━━♡ The Collectables ★★ “That’s the problem with kissing. In theory, when someone’s good at it, you should be able to keep kissing forever. But of course, forever is too long to do anything without getting bored.” three women living together, all friends trying to get their phds, who all have been hurt by men. and we get to see one of the women spiraling more and more with her line-drawn paper doll that she is adding bits slowly to. this wasn’t my favorite, sadly, but maybe that’s because my american ass has to google princess anne and then that really just set the tone for picturing the rest of the story in my mind lol. cw/tw: fire, drinking, smoking, suicide mention, heart attack mention ━━♡ Formally Feral ★★★ “The house opened around her the way you crack a chest cavity,...

[wylanzahn]

Lmao I feel like I always try to introduce interesting pets and mounts (at least worthwhile to keep around) but they always get lost at some stable because the party got ambushed by their foe, the BBEG’s underlings, or they fully just were like “you know what, what if we just walked the rest of the way to Foegnear Tower!” And for whatever reason I’m just like… “yes guys! This is a great idea, let us walk the rest of the way to Foegnear,” which then makes me forget all about the talking horse who’s actually a prince who’s been cursed into a horse by an evil Hag.

But from those I remember we have:

- Zepher, a giant fire beetle mount in a current mini-arc set in the Underdark. He wasn’t telepathic or anything but he is basically just giant dog-coded, loves to use his fire breath to cook small rodents and critters. Just a very fun mount, hopefully we see more of Zepher throughout this arc. Fun Fact: he is named after the Greek god Zepherus.

- Chirp, a long-tailed tit bird, who is the familiar of the Gnome Wizard Arlo, who was a detective-coded wizard and is my partner’s most used “oneshot character.” He spoke telepathically with a British accent, was a graduate of the “Wizarding Familiars’ Royal Academy” at the top of his class. Fun Fact: whenever my players and I sat down to play, they would constantly make me say “long-tailed tit bird.”

- Zuup the Griffon, familiar to the Archmage Uraz the Purple, Zuup was a giant talking griffon which accompanied the Archmage wherever they went. The story goes that the Archmage herself rescued Zuup from a young age from a band of orcs who wish to do his nest harm. Zuup was raised as a member of the Archmage Society’s familiars, although specifically as Uraz’s constant companion and friend. Fun Fact: his favorite food is sardines.

- Bran the Raven, very similar to Zuup we have Bran, however, whereas Zuup is the normal size for his species… Bran is not, Bran has a 12 feet wingspan and a head-to-tail length of about 4.5 feet. Otherwise he seems like a completely normal Raven… oh and he speaks! He is the “pet” of the mercenary and shadowy assassin Angus O’Nathair, a Yuan-Ti member of the Ring of Masks. Bran was not known to be heartless like his master, but could at time be known as cruel. I didn’t get to flesh him out as much so maybe someday he’ll make a guest appearance elsewhere in one of my worlds! Fun Fact: he is the thing that goes bump in the night Bran loves dad jokes!

Honorable Mention:

- Prince Belnur, okay so… remember when I mentioned the horse who wasn’t really a horse but a man who was cursed into being a horse? Okay so replace that random guy with a Dwarven Prince and replace horse with a mimic… and you get Belnur. So I loved Belnur, he was one of my favorite random NPCs but he did *not* vibe with everyone in the party. Plus he’s a mimic so he’d constantly try and eat people— but he was funny!! I loved him so much, again did not have nearly enough time to flesh him out but hopefully we come back or I plop him into another world of mine. Fun Fact: he is currently pretending to be a bunch of luggage before his party (the players) went to do battle with a wizard.

Aaaaaand yeah that’s all the familiars/pets/mounts I remember off the top of my head, but hopefully yall enjoy! Please feel free to steal any ideas I had here, I just hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Calling all ttrpg players — I neeed to know what your party named your pets/mounts

Our party for instance, after some back and forth, gave our two new horses The Names ever:

Cookie chuckle and Crumble nuts

[omegalomania]

I think tumblr ate my ask or it just didn't sent but what are your favorite Bastille songs / what are some songs you recommend?

i did NOT get this ask im very sorry anon.

it's genuinely hard for me to narrow down cause bastille is pretty up there in terms of favorite artists. i love all their shit, but a special mention goes out to their second studio album wild world since it's the one that made me a Fan

uh so here's a primer i guess i spent too much time on this lmao.

if you wanna listen to their big hits:

flaws - their first single in the uk. if you ever listened to ship playlists on 8tracks in like 2013-2015 then you've probably heard this song or a variant on it at some point.

pompeii - this is the song that really put them on the map and you definitely know it. it dominated the charts all over the place.

happier - the marshmello song that you've definitely heard before too. i think bastille wrote this for justin bieber or some shit but then decided they liked it too much to give it to him? lmao. anyway if you're not digging the version you hear on the radio all the time i recommend trying the stripped down version

good grief - their big hit off their second album. big in the uk, didn't really make as many waves elsewhere, but it's a really solid song anyway. one of those "upbeat tunes that's actually really fucking sad" ones

things we lost in the fire - another one off their first album. if you live in a wildfire area this might not be one to turn to. or maybe you'll find it cathartic idk i certainly do!!

quarter past midnight - a song about escapism, as was fitting when it was released in 2018 and equally fitting now. running away for a night of fucking around with friends, craving any kind of brief departure from the chaos of the modern world

skulls - this one was not a hit or a single and is technically a bonus track but i'm including it because once again if you ever clicked on a ship playlist on 8tracks in like 2013-2015 you've heard this one. and you know what that was justified this one is also good

if you wanna feel existentially depressed:

their whole discography. i mean i kid but i also don't. that's just kind of how bastille does it. BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS ones that hit me in particular would beeee

two evils - kind of a grim, haunting one introspecting about morality of the self.

oblivion - musing about the afterlife, love, and how time changes all of us.

those nights - contemplating what it is we seek when we plunge into reckless escapism, and the inherent loneliness of it; how even when surrounded by people there's still the pressure of the world outside, continuously coming to pieces

the draw - this one was written about the pull of pursuing a career in music vs. staying home with family and friends. in a broader sense, it can apply to a lot of things. i always felt it resonated with feelings of paranoia and displacement

winter of our youth - discusses childhood, nostalgia, and regret. if it feels like everything's slipping away, is it easier to relive the past, especially if the past is tinted rose?

sleepsong - loneliness, desperation, and the cyclical, abyss-like nature of all it encapsulates

if you want discussion of serious topics:

final hour - a bonus track off their second album that also became a bonus track off their third album? anyway this song talks about climate change and gun control. happy stuff

doom days - this one talks about, uh, everything! doomscrolling, political divides, escalating national tensions, climate change again, etc.

the currents - a song centered on political rhetoric and the power that figureheads have over the masses, the way they can orchestrate hate. basically it's not so subtly aimed at donald trump lmao, dan's literally sung it as much in a few live settings

WHAT YOU GONNA DO??? - social media addiction and the way capitalism and corporate interests have annexed our online experiences, fighting desperately for our attention as they seek to monetize every available aspect of our lives

four walls (the ballad of perry smith) - well this one is about uh. perry smith. who was charged with the death penalty for killing 4 people in the late 50's. but it's less directly about him and more a discussion of the morality of the death penalty and capital punishment

snakes - burgeoning anxieties and the impulse to turn to easy outs, like ignorance or alcoholism, to escape the world's global problems

if you want some pop culture sprinkled on top:

icarus - greek mythology. i like this one because it addresses something that i feel isn't addressed enough in discussions of this myth, which is that icarus is a very young lad. less about the pride of the fall, and more about the inherent tragedy of that.

laura palmer - the whole song is a david lynch shoutout. i've never seen twin peaks myself but the song still slaps.

daniel in the den - christian mythology. discusses the biblical tale of daniel in the lion's den and links that up to themes of betrayal and family.

poet - this one's a double feature, referencing both william shakespeare's sonnet 18 and edmund spencer's sonnet 75. also one of my favorites.

send them off! - this is another one of my favorites of theirs. it's also been described by dan as "othello meets the exorcist" and it very much delivers there

if you want something uplifting:

joy - while bastille (understandably) has a bit of reputation as a band that makes sad music about sad things, they've definitely got some happier songs in their catalogue. pun intended cha ching. this one's one of their more straightforwardly happy tunes

survivin' - this was a song they wrote while they were touring and then felt weird about releasing once the panini hit because it felt a bit on the nose. they ended up releasing it anyway and i am so glad they did cause it's a mood

act of kindness - the "happy" part here is debatable but i'm gonna include it anyway. it’s when someone does something nice for you and that impulse Changes you way down deep you know???

warmth - one of those "the world's going to shit but at least we have each other" kinds of tunes

the anchor - one of those "the world's going to shit but you're the one fucking thing that's still keeping me here" kinds of tunes

give me the future - their latest single as of this writing and one of the more optimistic tracks in their catalogue imo! it's yearning, but it's also with a genuine hope for the future.

and LASTLY. because im going to take every chance i can to plug this band. im going to throw some collabs and covers at you because there's one thing this band does SUPER well and it's collabs and covers.

of the night - this is the big one. it mashes up rhythm of the night by corona and rhythm is a dancer by SNAP! and it's so good they still do this one live and it goes off every time.

no angels - a mashup of "no scrubs" by TLC and "angels" by the xx, poured into a strangely mournful tune with clips from the hitchcock movie psycho. doesn't sound like it should work but it does. kinda really does.

torn apart - with GRADES and lizzo no less!!! it's got two parts but they're both excellent listen to them both

weapon - collab with angel haze, dan priddy, and F*U*G*Z and one of my absolute favorites

remains - remix of their song "skulls" but featuring rag'n'bone man and skunk anansie that adds an entire new dimension to the song, really fucking excellent

old town road mashup - lil nas x's old town road meets lizzo's good as hell meets radiohead's talk show host meets talking heads' road to nowhere meets the osmond's crazy horse. "what the fuck that shouldn't work" i KNOW and yet here it is!! BLATANTLY BANGING!!!

we can't stop - one of the few times dan smith subtly changes the lyrics of the song he's covering (most of the time he opts to keep the original pronouns and the like, which is very nice to see). anyway this one mixes miley cyrus's we can't stop with eminem's lose yourself and billy ray cyrus's achy breaky heart. and also the lion king's i just can't wait to be king is there. yes i know it sounds batshit especially because the whole thing is surprisingly melodic and heartfelt and you know what it works.

anyone but me x nightmares - mashing up joy crookes' anyone but me with easy life's nightmares and absolutely one of my favorites.

bad guy mashup - how many songs can they include with the word "bad" in the title? we've got bad guy (billie eilish), bad decisions (bastille), bad romance (lady gaga), and bad blood (taylor swift). bastille even has a song called bad blood and they didnt use it. they used taylor swift's version. also the distinctive guitar riff from dick dale's misirlou is there.

somebody mashup - how many songs can they include with the word "some" in the title? someone like you (adele), somebody told me (the killers), somebody to love (queen), use somebody (kings of leon), and someone you loved (lewis capaldi). seriously these guys take mashups to a new level.

final song - this is a cover of MØ's final song. it also adds in craig david's 7 days and, impossibly enough, europe's final countdown. how does it work. how.

ALL RIGHT. THATS ALL IVE GOT IN ME. HOPE THIS HELPED ANON AND IM SORRY IF THIS IS TOO MUCH

[risfics]

title: silent nights in trost 

character(s): mikasa ackerman, female reader, POC reader

word count: 649

rating: 15+ (one mention of sex, but nothing graphic happens).

tags: fluff, wlw, comfort, romance

summary: you and Mikasa are in love and you’re spending a quiet night together in your small apartment in Trost. 

important things to note: 

This is season 4 Mikasa.  

I made reader a brown female because I am a person of color myself, and this was very much written for my own comfort, and then I realized maybe other women of color could benefit from this. <3

This is set within the AoT universe, but there will be references to greek gods. 

Reader has knowledge of Ymir being the creator of titans, don’t know how, but let’s pretend like that’s public knowledge for the sake of this piece, haha. 

Mikasa header credit: @blckasta on here, @moodyfingerz on twitter

You and Mikasa laid on your bed, the window was left open, with the moon beaming through it. The sound of street vendors packing for the night filled the air, as well as the soft whistle of the timid wind. You stared into your lover’s eyes in blissful silence. Her pale skin seemed to glow under the moonlight, as if she were a being from a different dimension, like those goddess’s people prayed to at their altars. Your hand against her soft cheek was a lovely contrast, a shade of brown so deep and rich, that against her it seemed like you resembled warmth. It was the contrast of Apollo and Artemis; sun and moon, and the love you felt for one another was as cosmic as the concept of religion, of stars and god sitting on Olympus-existence itself hung on a thread each time your lips locked-like the earth and sky collided the moment the both of you laid eyes on each other the first time.

Mikasa leaned into your touch and you rubbed your thumb across her cheek. She let out a small smile, and reached for your other hand, placing it against her other cheek; her hands laid on top of yours. It was always such a pleasant surprise that a woman so feared by many would be so compliant when alone with you; a soft edge to her sharp exterior only preserved for you to see. You moved one hand to stroke her short hair, she kept hers on top of it, following you like she always did with Eren; it was habit, as if one of you strayed too far, she might lose you both and never see you again. With you, though, it seemed different, as if tinged with a desperation or a need for you to be as real as the pain she felt the moment she lost her parents.

In her mind, you were unreal; like the universe had made a mistake in allowing for you to meet-something told her she was not deserving of your love, or of your kindness-and she never expressed any of this, but you knew. Ever the observant person, you would reassure her in the subtlest ways possible; every time she slept over, you would make sure to stay by her side until she woke up. You made her ridiculous knick-knacks for good luck before big missions, and she had carried them all-at least once-into battle, later she would place them in a small chest as a safekeep. Those good luck charms were reminders, marks of your existence, and they grounded her in dire moments, kept her alive.

You leaned in, leaving a soft kiss on her nose, which caused her to crinkle it. You let out a soft laugh, and immediately her cheeks became rose tinted. You’ve been together for almost two years now, but there were still moments like this between you, as if you’d never left the honeymoon phase. She leaned in slowly, your lips barely brushing together; you felt as if your mouth was on fire, a sign that you yearned for her kiss, for that moment when you both connected and there was nothing separating you from her. She moved her face side to side, rubbing your noses together, but also knowingly teasing you. You moved with her, hiding your innocent frustration; your lips still touching.

She kissed you.

When Mikasa finally brought her lips to yours, you felt as if the world tipped over and folded in on itself; when she kissed you, touched you, whispered “I love you.” to you, you could swear that the world was listening to you both, like every person in existence held their breath at the same time as a show of respect for the two women that had met and loved under unlikely circumstances. Each time you had sex, Mikasa was certain that nature moved with you both, like a flower finally bloomed once you were finished; or that every time you cried for her safe return from battle, you’re sure even Ymir would repent on her decision to bore the titans for the sake of your love.

You kissed her back.

[boytoykevinday]

best stucky fic recs pwease

Okay, disclaimer, these are all like five+ years old (which is the best Stucky era, imo) and definitely not the only ones I enjoy; these are just a few in my bookmarks on ao3.

In no particular order besides the order I bookmarked them and under a read more because there's a shit ton of them (really, it's a lot):

- hold me until we crumble; Not Rated, 23k

“Sam told me you were watching Antiques Roadshow,” Natasha says, shaking out her hair. “I assumed it was a national emergency.”

- despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained); Explicit, 72k

“They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.

Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—

“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”

Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.”

- family means no one gets left behind or forgotten; Teen, 11k

“Why did you think I wouldn’t like you for being gay?” Steve asks gently.

“You’re Captain America.” Eli’s got his teeth clenched and is resolutely looking ahead. “You stand for truth and justice and the American way. You stand for American morals. You stand for…” he shrugs awkwardly. “Not people like me.”

Steve blows the air out of his cheeks slowly, trying to figure out how to keep the anger out of his voice so Eli doesn’t think it’s at him.

Or, Steve comes to terms with his new world, and gains some children in the process.

- Mistake on the Part of Nature; Teen, 1.3k

Steve takes in Bucky's betrayed look and Sam's confusion, follows Sam's gaze to the pile of mangled fruit in the trash can. Sudden comprehension fills his face.

"Oh," he says. "Bucky found out about bananas."

In which an American icon is mourned. But probably not the one you're thinking of.

- Swear Jar; Teen, 1.5k

Bucky isn't the only troll in the future.

OR

Steve has a Swear Jar and he makes the Avengers pay up every time they cuss.

- Barnes & Rogers and the Goddamn Truth; Not Rated, 19k

There are three well-known facts at Shield High:

1. The history teacher Mr. Barnes is a stone-cold terror, and it’s not even because he only has one arm. 2. The other history teacher, Mr. Rogers, is a mysterious enigma, and it’s something to do with the body of a Greek God and contradicting stories of his past. (They’re all rumours, anyway.) 3. Mr Barnes and Mr Rogers hate each other.

Bucky wouldn’t have it any other way.

- perfectly right wrong number; Teen, 32k

It all starts because Steve is too dumb to handle his smartphone.

A wrong number AU in which Bucky Barnes doesn't enter Steve's life (meaning: Bucky wasn't born until the eighties, but Steve is still Captain America) until Steve accidentally dials the wrong number. Wherein there is a lot of texting, some advice via Natasha and Darcy, a bit of pining, and a first date in an amusement park. Oh, and on top of being a disabled veteran, Bucky is a professional catwalker. Literally.

- The power of the right shirt (a.k.a. God bless America); Teen, 1.2k

"He just…" Phil trails off, mouth gaping. He is staring at the field outside the house, eyes glazed.

Clint sighs. "Yeah, he just ripped a log in two with his bare hands."

- To fill it up with something; Teen, 21k

A fateful encounter with Dr. Strange leaves the Winter Soldier transformed, and Bucky Barnes reunites with Steve Rogers in a most unexpected way.

“Steve brings the puppy inside, into the apartment that doesn't quite feel like home no matter how much he's been trying. He isn't used to being alone. Before the war, he always had Bucky, and his mother until her death. During the war, Bucky was there, too—and the rest of the Howlers, of course—but Bucky always meant home. (And well, maybe Steve's already got a name for the puppy in mind)."

- build it bigger than the sun; Teen, 10k

“Yeah, because nothing says heteronormative like living in Dupont Circle for two years and wearing skin-tight shirts to hit on hot airmen when you go running in the morning.”

“Look, I know you’re being sarcastic but I really don’t get how no one picked up on that.”

Steve and Bucky try to work out their relationship. The Avengers keep getting in the way.

- Memories Circle (Like Birds of Prey), Teen, 32k

Everything seems to be going right, Steve's fighting with his Commandos, they've saving lives-- until Steve falls from a train, is taken prisoner, and turned into the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile, Bucky takes up Steve's mantle as Captain America, and thanks to Zola's experiments, he gets dropped into a whole new time, only to cross paths with a Steve who doesn't know who he is anymore.

Essentially, the events of CA:TFA, mild mentioning of Avengers, and CA:TWS but with Steve as the Winter Soldier and Bucky as Captain America

- The Gentleness That Comes; Mature, 9k

Steve Rogers never really views the things he had to do to get by before the War with any sort of shame or embarrassment. People ask him for his opinions on modern issues in interviews, but Steve has gotten good at talking around those types of questions. Fury insists that there's no way to answer them without casting a shadow of controversy across the reputation of the Avengers, and that's the last thing Steve wants.

But then a sex tape is released featuring Tony Stark in bed with another man, and Steve can't stay quiet any longer.

- salt for the sea; Mature, 7.5k

Natasha comes home with intel regarding the fate of the Winter Soldier; Steve leaves to go and avenge Bucky Barnes.

“It's a list of everyone who was involved in his death, and a rough timeline of everything that happened beforehand,” she tells him.

“And the notebook?”

“I explained what they did,” Natasha says, “The blank pages are for you to explain what you do to them.”

- Lone Cat and Samurai; Teen, 8.4k

"We lost Kitten America sir!" Junior Agent blurted out. Then turned an unlovely shade of purple. "I mean, Captain America. Who’s a kitten. Because magic. Sir."

- Waiting To Prove You're Not Alone; Explicit, 41k

Months after he woke up on the banks of the Potomac, when a reporter mistakenly assumes Steve would disapprove of homosexuality being as accepted as it is in the modern day, Steve accidentally snaps and unleashes his real opinion on the matter... and with that, a secret he's hidden for over eighty years.

When that secret comes looking for him in New York, Steve can only hope that he can get a second chance at saving his best friend, even if it means keeping his heart in check.

“Yeah, back in my day it wasn't tolerated, and because of that I knew from the minute I figured it out, that I’d never get to tell my best friend that I loved him, and sure enough, he died without knowing that I’d been in love with him for a decade."

- I'm Not Sick (But I'm Not Well); Mature, 30k

Steve Rogers doesn’t meet Bucky Barnes in the 1930’s. Instead, Steve meets him April 17th, 2012.

Well…sort of meets him.

In actuality, Bucky had almost hit him with his truck.

Or: The fic where millennial Bucky Barnes nearly runs over a freshly thawed national treasure, and what Steve Rogers did to adjust to modern NYC during those two weeks before the events of The Avengers.

- pure as the driven slush; Explicit, 11k

He should have worked it out sooner. But then, Steve always was a sneaky little bastard—had to have been, just to survive this long.

For the SteveBucky Fest prompt, "Steve is quite experienced while Bucky's never gone beyond second base with anyone".

- Let's Be Exposed and Unprotected, Explicit, 5k

Bucky’s pretty sure he should be into getting fucked through the floor while walls explode around him like in that Mr and Mrs Smith movie that Clint loves. But he likes it like this. He likes being on his back with Steve looming above him, big and naked, blocking out the rest of the world.

- Man of Steel; Explicit, 6.7k

It’s like Steve looked at his metal arm and thought ‘Challenge Accepted.’

- 5 Times Steve Got Arrested and 1 Time They All Did; Teen, 4.9k

What it says, 5 times Steve Rogers ended up in jail (with and without Bucky) + 1 time all of the Avengers got arrested with him.

- the best of you; Teen, 16k

Bucky is on a mission when he gets the call.

They tell him that Steve has been compromised.

[The story wherein Hydra captures Steve to create a new weapon. Bucky, alongside the rest of the Avengers, come together and work through the fallout.]

- pull apart the dark; Teen, 79k

Steve's unending faith in his best friend was beginning to look less like hope and more like fantasy. When they'd caught the Soldier – in a fire fight that still gave Sam nightmares – the only thing the man seemed to recall was how to hit exactly where it hurt.

Four months later, Barnes still refused to speak English. Refused to heed anything but Steve's voice.

So, all in all, it was not a great time for Hydra to attack New York. All in all, Sam really wished they'd just killed him, instead of turning Captain America into a baby.

- Not Another Supersoldier Fantasy; Explicit, 8.9k

Bucky finds a popular sex toy modeled on Captain America's own anatomy. Well, isn't this just perfect? Because even after all this time, he still hasn’t seen Steve’s supersoldier cock. But apparently in this day and age anyone with $29.95 can get a decent replica. The unfairness of this is of galactic proportions.

- the blood of the covenant; Teen, 7.5k

Steve has a "thing" for hot water.

Or, Sam Wilson adopts Steve Rogers.

- Mighty like Love, Mighty like Sorrow; Teen, 19k

After freeing himself from the Russians' mind control, Bucky is left at loose ends, drifting through the decades. Still, he's in no hurry to take up Nick Fury's offer to once again fight the good fight -- especially not when Fury has the nerve to put some imposter in his best friend's old suit and send him out to fight against Chitauri.

- Read Me Like a Book; Gen, 1.5k

In which Bucky accidentally becomes a book collector, because when the universe gives you a million biographies about your boyfriend, you go bookcase shopping. And then he finds out about The Grenade Incident, and the boys actually talk about it like actual adults. (Somewhere, Sam sheds a proud tear.)

- the broadest stroke of color; Gen, 16k

Sarah Rogers always loved Steve's hands.

"Your hands will do a lifetime's work," she'd say. "Remember to do the work you can for those you love."

Almost a century later, Steve does just that.

[The story wherein Steve draws comics for Bucky to help him recover his memory. Through a series of events, the issues are leaked, and Steve finds himself reviving the Captain America comics. He still isn't sure how that happened.]

- If You're Loved By Someone (You're Never Rejected); Teen, 9.4k

You’re fifteen when you realize why you stare at Bucky’s lips more than normal when he laughs and when he says your name. You lean into his shoulder when you walk next to him and when you’re sick you don’t fight off his soft hands. You tease him, he teases back and being around him is so easy you forget what it was like to live without him. You can’t remember life pre-Bucky and it scares you.

- Unusual Weather; Explicit, 8.7k

Bucky’s been at the Avengers Tower for three weeks before he finally gives in to Steve’s gentle coaxing and Stark’s cheerful waving of fistfuls of circuits, and lets them scan the arm.

It doesn’t go well.

- this city bleeds its aching heart; Explicit, 35k

The one where Steve and Bucky pose as a happily married couple while on a mission for SHIELD, to catch an international arms dealer hiding in a suburban neighbourhood.

- Good Boy; Explicit, 13k

Bucky is still adjusting to life with the Avengers, and Steve is willing to do whatever it takes to make him feel comfortable. Increasingly, though, what seems to make him comfortable is strangely intimate.

Surprise, Steve! You're a gentle dom and Bucky wants to be your pretty pet!

- Brooklyn; Teen, 8.8k

"Captain America, what's your stance on gay marriage?"

Everyone knows that, by now. Everyone but Bucky.

[lol-q]

There’s so many things I love about the show that I haven’t seen people give enough credit for and I want to go on a little ramble because people are focusing so much on what they don’t like vs. what they do. So here’s my list. Sorry for the grammatical errors 😬

I love that the lesbian main character is this sweet, innocent, big hearted young woman and not portrayed as a overly sexual fuckboi that hits on every woman. I love that Fatou is soft and gentle. More lesbian rep like that please

I love the soundtrack. It’s exactly the type of stuff I imagine Fatou would listen to and it’s not just the top 100 hit songs.

I love that they use the soundtrack as a way to connect to the plot line, like the lyrics to the song Fatou was listening to when she was on the rooftop said “And I hate to leave you feeling all alone.But your story cannot start until you've grown. You can find how to be OK on your own. I just can't be the one that makes you feel at home” which was a hint as to where the plot was going

^^ also the song playing during Kieu My and Fatou’s museum date

I love the little mannerisms Nhungi chooses to show as Kieu My. The happy little bounce she did in ep 1 when she called out Fatou’s name and when she subtly checked Fatou out by looking her up and down.

I love how their rooms show their individual personality so well. Like Fatou’s room in the beginning of the season was normal and then it became increasingly messy as the episodes moved forward, showing her stress and chaos in her life

I love the height difference between Fatou and her brother lol

I love when her brother and her were thinking of what to get their parents so they split the bill on a gift - a very subtle way of showing siblings interacting

I love when Fatou and Ismail interact cuz it’s so funny

I love the physics teachers speaking voice, he sounds like kermit the frog

I love fatou’s eyebrows. Idk it’s just so perfect. Give me tips plz

I love that the characters rewear clothing. And it’s not a show where every episode is a new outfit with new clothes. Very realistic and it always bothered me when teens on highschool on tv have new clothes every episode

I love that Fatou’s original bio on tinder was “wanna cuddle?”. I feel like that girl would rather cuddle with someone than win the lottery. She’s so soft (also why did it say she was 24 in ep 2 when she was on tinder lol)

I love that the show showed the struggles of coming from a bilingual family and being the only one that struggles to speak it. When fatou was talking to her grandparents with her brother and her brother had to translate for her and it was awkward af, I felt that. I’m the youngest in my family and I struggle to speak Tagalog so people have to translate for me sometimes and it sucks.

^^ I relate to fatou so much in that scene cuz the dynamic in my family is the same as Fatou’s. My parents lay off and let me and my brother do our thing unless there’s an indication we need their help. The only time I ever spoke about school with my family was when report cards would come and they would see my grades weren’t that good. I remember my mom seeing I had a D in middle school and automatically jumping to conclusiosn without letting me speak. My brother is academically successful and he would also try and get me to do more school stuff when I was younger. Like he would make me do math problems to help with my grades. So it’s all very relatable for me

I love when Fatou sings, her voice is so soft and smooth.

I love whenever Kieu My and fatou are flirting both so blatantly and yet so subtly. Like the tension is there but it’s still awkward despite how smooth they both try to be it’s so adorable

I love how Fatou and Kieu My are so confident flirting and talking to eachother through texting but when it’s irl it’s still awkward and new. It shows the reality of an actual relationship in the making. It’s not just a full head dive into “I love you”.

I love when they were at the table tennis bar place and Fatou was hyping up Ava when there were dudes looking at them and Ava did a fancy ass turn and smile. She’s so pretty

I love that Fatou’s problems were shown in subtle ways in the beginning with money. Counting money at her job and when she wa trying to pay for the drink at the bar. It was a small interaction but in real life it would cause a lot of stress and anxiety if money counting problems kept happening over and over again

I love Yara and Josh’s friendship. More platonic friendship between a male and a female please. Also more Yara in general please.

I love that Zoe owned up to her actions last year to the entire group (minus Ismail Constantine and Kieu my) on New Years. I see her owning up to the role as Nora’s big sister.

I love when Josh was drinking a lot during New Years and Fatou was trying to get him to slow down. It shows how big her heart is for her friends. Also I think Josh and Fatou could be great friends

I love that Kieu My looks at Fatou like she hung the stars. When Fatou mentioned she knew Kieu My was a Scorpio, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen that girl smiled so big (before episode 5 of course)

I love that whenever they kiss Kieu my is smiling.

I love Sira’s side profile. There I said it. Girl has the jawline of a Greek goddess.

I love that they change Fatou’s hair. She looks good in every hair style but it’s always nice to see her in different styles.

I love that they showed the struggles of being a passive and gentle person. Because we’re not assertive in regular everyday life we are easily looked over. And it’s hard for us to muster the gusto to be assertive and take what we need because we prefer shying away from conflict and just letting things flow. I relate to fatou’s character so much in that sense. I lowkey think this is the universe’s way of telling me to stop being so passive about life and to take charge idk.

I love that the topic of white savior and performative activism was touched on. And I love that it was between two friends because it’s very realistic to how dynamics work between young people these days. The way they handle it differs in opinion but the fact that they even spoke about it was great.

I love that moment when Kieu My wrapped the vietnamese pancake in the lettuce snd handed it to Fatou. Its so sweet. If I was Fatou I would have forgiven her right then and there lol

I LOVE THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWo. YES MORE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE.

Episode 6. Just all of it. Even the angsty part. I want more of that. Episode 6 yes. I’ll marry episode 6

Kieu My wearing Fatou’s cardigan. 💕💕💕💕💕💕✨✨✨✨✨😫😫💕✨✨🥺

^^ but also as a person that tried bangs before, you can’t tell me that girl woke up with her bangs perfectly in place lol. This girl probably bought a mini straightener or something too

Fatou telling Kieu My it doesn’t matter if she wears make up or not rather than going off on how she looks prettier without it. She’s just like “it doesn’t matter. You’re pretty no matter what, my little space nerd”

Pissed off fatou is a hot fatou. Js

I love Sira’s acting in general. But the way she shows Fatou’s sadness is great. It’s not just tears and that’s it. When she got fired it was a build up of tears but she wasn’t sobbing, same thing with the cashqueens argument. But she broke when her and Kieu My got in a fight.

Finn being socially awkward. It’s so funny cuz Zoe is this bubbly party girl and her boyfriend is so awkward. Nice balance.

^^also his hair makes me laugh idk why

Ismail opening up to Fatou shows how so many people feel at ease with her. Girl has a calming presence for everybody, she doesn’t even realize how much she’s helped others.

I love that Constantine wears the same jacket over and over again. Idk it seems to fit his character.

^^also kudos to the actor who plays him, he’s doing an amazing job

Love Fatou. Love her dimples and her soft voice. She gets all high pitched when she’s normally speaking but when she was fighting with Kieu My her voice became lower. Just love the way Sira’s voice sounds. Also Nhungi’s speaking voice.

Love the shaky camera movements. The fast pans and the slow motion dance scenes.

Love the aesthetic of Kieu My smoking but PLEASE DONT SMOKE, CHILDREN. ITS BAD FOR YOU.

Love the different aesthetics of the cashqueens

Love maike. Great actress. Give this turtle an Oscar.

Love Kieu My climbing the roof to help her Fatou. Softie to her girlfriend but an ice queen to the world lol.

Love the actors. Love the characters. It just makes me so happy.

This is so well written, i might actually cry no but really it was really nice to read your positive and cuteee facts after the tag check :/ and it really helped because i get mad and sad when i see bad takes. Everything you said was so true and i think im fangirling over this essay. And it made me emotional 👉👈.  Represantation does really matter.

This season is so important for so many people and i don’t think some people realize that when they’re ‘’criticizing’’ some things. Not only we have a lesbian main, we have a black lesbian main who is the softest person in the world and she has LD and/or ADHD. I sometimes can’t believe we got to the point of skamverse where we get rep instead of hurtful,problematic seasons and plots, some might interpret that as shade but it really isn’t, careless storylines really does hurt ppl and why would you want to hurt people when you can give 8 min of sapphic museum date instead 👭🌌 :)

i love this season, i love this gen and i love this essay

[sparklygoblin]

okay so I've been gone for a minute because I was writing my first fic on ao3 but I'm back with more trash than ever! I really love crack fics and my friend and I thought up this absolutely GREASY premise and I just couldn't help myself. I only included a few of my ideas in this post but let me know if yall like it and maybe I'll do a part 2

Haikyuu!! Frat House AU

Bokubro is obviously a member of the frat, he's also a minor drug dealer with Kuroo, and his room is L I T E R A L L Y DISGUSTANG, like Kuroo actually has a fear of Bokuto's side of their room. People are baffled, BAFFLED when they find out that his boyfriend is non other than Akaashi, president of the most prestigious fraternity on campus. But what can akaashi say? he believes any guy who can drink his weight in vodka, take at least three different unnameable drugs, and still smile at him the morning after, deserves his attention.

Kuroo took one for the team when he rushed, and roomed with Bokuto. Needless to say, his quiet gamer boyfriend, Kenma, refuses to stay over. When they first met at one of the frat's infamous ragers, they'd stumbled into Kuroo's shared room, heading toward a drunk hook up. Then Kenma put his hand in something wet. And very much alive. That was the first and last time. Bokuto and him irritate everyone by constantly referring to themselves as "businessmen", only to be immediately informed by Iwaizumi and Daichi that "selling drugs to high schoolers doesn't make you business men"

Daichi didn't want to be in charge, but duty calls and when you and Iwaizumi are the only sane ones in the house, well a man has to step up. Plus, it totally gains him brownie points with all of the trashy college girls that show up to their notorious parties. because he was totally interested in that, and definetly not in the chaotic silver haired boy from the competing fraternity. no he wanted nothing to do with Sugawara. It's not like he catches himself openly fantasizing about him, and the whole house made it into a running joke.

Iwaizumi is also in charge, to no one's surprise. he and daichi have the cleanest room in the house, not only that but he's the only one who will do dishes. he's exhausted. he's also sleeping with Oikawa Tooru the single most irritating member of the prestigious fraternity suga and akaashi are in. but don't mention it, don't talk about the way he blushes when oikawa throws it back, and DEFINETLY don't bring up the time Oikawa broke his knee sneaking out of Iwaizumi's room, and spent an entire semester harassing iwaizumi on a bright pink motorized scooter.

Ushijima doesn't really care enough to be in charge. Mans is a FARMER if you catch my drift, and he makes fat stacks off of his "business" with Kuroo and Bokuto. once spent the entirety of his rush week in a maid's costume. but hey he's not complaining, it did get him the attention of that really weird dude from his leisure cooking class. he and Tendou are possibly the only couple that have it all figured out so kudos to them, three years strong

the miya twins are living frat legends, and they have been since their first party, at which Osamu got wasted and punched an equally wasted atsumu in the face for "breathing too loud". Atsumu seems like he sleeps around a lot, and maybe he did, but the guy won't stop simping for a very reserved chem major named Sakusa. sakusa gave into atsumu's begging once and woke up on a stained mattress in Vegas for his trouble.

Terushima is also there, making each party a little bit more chaotic and sleeping his way through ever girl on campus, except for kiyoko and yachi, the other guys were oddly protective of them. make no mistake though, terushima was a loveable himbo, who made extra sure that safe, sane , and consensual relations were his top priority. during hell week, he had to poop in a target dumpster, but daichi and iwaizumi didn't keep a good look out for him, he narrowly avoided getting arrested. NARROWLY.

Nishinoya and Tanaka rushed together. it went exactly how you think it did. Daichi and iwaizumi swore up and down that if they weren't desperate for new pledges, they would've never let those two in after they set the toilet on fire. Tanaka got really smacked one night and took a vow to abstain from any hook ups until he and Kiyoko (the hot girl from that one sorority) were engaged. Noya holds him to it and it's actually really wholesome. Noya on the other hand is battling a low grade obsession with the anxious design major from Akaashi's fraternity. everytime Asahi gets inebriated he's instantly the life of the party, and if Noya wasn't already in love, that time drunk Asahi took his clothes off and swam in the city fountain with him really cemented it.

kyoutani hates that little snot from the other fraternity....what was his name? mini oikawa, super prissy and whiny....YaHAbA. Kyoutani won Iwazumi's admiration when he took his rush like a champ, obliterating keg stands and hair removal alike. everyone thinks it's really funny because they're basically the same person down to the snotty, prissy, irritating boyfriends they won't admit they have.

Ennoshita is the mini daichi, and he's a simp for Tanaka. constantly pulling him back from fights, and rubbing his back when he throws up. maybe someday Tanaka might notice....

Lev is possibly the dumbest rush they have ever received and also the most fun. his natural talent for shotgunning and dangerous drunken adventures, makes him a favorite. he ripped his pants in front of the entire student body during his rush, on purpose. like he wanted it to happen. still to this day, no one understands why. he's been simping for yaku as long as he's been in college, so two whole months. to the outside world, it looks like the angry little man wouldn't think twice about the lowly freshman, but lev's been in enough closets with him to know that that's just not true.

kindaichi just adds to the madness, he's an anxious peacemaker with an epic talent as a lightweight, and a massive crush on his apathetic roommate, kunimi. Kunimi regretted joining the frat the first time he watched Bokuto peel string cheese with his toes.

Hinata and Kageyama are rushing at the same time. Tobio Swageyama is made for Greek life, but Hinata can barely do a keg stand. So naturally they are paired together through the rush callenges. This results in the loss of no less than six pairs of pants, a completely bald (no eyebrows) Kageyama, and an upside down lower back tattoo reading "boke", sometimes they get a little too spicy at parties and take the whole "kiss the homies goodnight" thing to a whole other level

[bisexualcrowley]

Girls do it better

Kinktober day 12: Fingering

Pairing: Donna Sheridan x Fem!Reader

Summary: You meet Donna when she first arrives at the island, and you show her the ropes

Content/warnings: Fluff, smut/nsfw, porn with plot, light cursing, one night stand

Word count: 2,302

Donna’s eyes widened, almost choking on her drink at the sight of the woman who had just entered the little café. You walked with an air of confidence while still giving off a humble vibe, the two balancing each other perfectly to create what Donna could only describe as an angel and she couldn’t stop herself from staring as you made your way into the building.

 Strappy leather sandals clicked quietly against the uneven floorboards as you walked up to the counter and leaned your forearms against it, saying a few words in greek to the woman washing glasses with a warm smile that made the blonde’s chest flutter, now having a proper view of the woman who stood a few table-lengths away.

You were tall, or at least taller than Donna, with h/l h/c hair and warm e/c eyes that reflected the sea outside beautifully, your tanned figure wrapped in a short blue and white dress with golden trim that ended just above your knees. 

Donna must have made a noise, because moments later you had looked over your shoulder to meet Donna’s eyes and she quickly looked back down at her book, blushing madly as the you let out a good natured laugh. 

Donna allowed herself a sheepish glance upward and was surprised to see you nod your head back in her direction, speaking again in greek to the woman behind the counter before turning and making your way over to where Donna sat.

You grinned, leaning a hand on the back of the chair opposite the blushing woman and tilting your head to try and get a look at the novel laid out on the table.

“Whatcha’ readin’ there?”

Your voice was upbeat and friendly, and despite her embarrassment from before Donna found it soothing, looking up to meet you with a shy smile.  “The Hobbit. I know, kinda nerdy, but I've always loved it”

You felt your already content appearance split into a huge smile and Donna felt her face heat up again, nodding towards the empty chair in invitation which you happily accepted, pulling the seat around so you would be directly beside the young woman before dropping smoothly into it.

“I’ve always loved it too! It’s so easy to get roped into the world, isn't it.” You grinned at Donna’s nod of agreement, and after a short pause stuck out a hand, which she shook without hesitation.

“I’m Y/n, glad to meet you!”

You spoke happily, shooting Donna another megawatt smile that had her stomach doing flips all over again. Dammit Sheridan, get it together, she silently cursed as your fingers wrapped around her own.

“Donna Sheridan, good to meet you too!” She returned, breaking off the handshake to mark her page and close the book, her focus now entirely on you.

“Well then Donna, what brings you to a place like this? Or more specifically, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” You winked, leaning forward and resting her forearms on the table the way you had at the counter, and despite her efforts, Donna found her eyes momentarily drawn to them, watching the sun glint off the bracelets lining your wrists. 

You weren’t exactly sure what it was that had given you such a flare of confidence, maybe it was how adorable the woman beside you was, maybe the whole island was intoxicating, or maybe it had just been too long since you had felt attracted to anyone like this.  Either way, it wasn’t important, the only thing that mattered right now was the way Donna grinned at your question, her face burning beet red and eyebrows shooting up as she giggled.

“I wanted a fresh start, to travel, see the world, that kind of thing, y’know?” She replied as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What about you? You seem to fit in well with the crowd, are you from around here?”

“I wish! I’ve just been traveling, been on this island for a month and take off tomorrow. My parents didn’t take too well to my coming out, so what better time to get out and see the world, right?” You chuckled, jokingly striking a pose when you mentioned your sexuality. 

Donna’s ears perked up at your words, and masking her excitement with a giggle, she continued along the topic. “Ha! I feel you, my mother’s already pretty disappointed in my choices, I can’t imagine how she’d feel if she knew I swung both ways.”

You shot a friendly smile to the woman from behind the counter as she set two drinks down in front of you on the table, and without hesitation you raised a glass, winking at Donna who replied with a tip of her head and a raise of her own drink.

“To being a raging homosexual” You toasted with a laugh, bringing your hand forward to clink your glasses together.

“To being a raging homosexual.” Donna replied, pretending not to notice the way your fingers brushed as your cups touched, the way yours lingered briefly overtop of her own.

The two of you laughed, enjoying the moment as your fingers brushed together again as you set your cups down. You didn’t miss the way Donna’s eyes flicked to your lips as you took one between your teeth, and you were sure she didn’t miss it when your eyes did the same to her. 

Donna, immediately flustered, was the first one to look away, clearing her throat sheepishly and smiling at the floor. It made you giggle, it was clear she didn’t have much experience flirting with women, maybe none at all, and you found it adorable.  You didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable though, and hoping to ease her nerves you leaned forward slightly, resting your fingers softly over her own.

“Hey, since you’re new here, why don’t I show you around the island? Lots of hidden treasures you wouldn’t want to miss” You smiled, your voice holding an air of comfort for the other woman. 

To your delight, your proposition had Donna beaming and responding with an enthusiastic nod, leaving you giggling happily once again. Dropping a tip on the table, you stood up and made your way towards the exit, Donna trailing behind happily. 

The hours flew by as the two of you wandered around the island, first to a little shop selling brightly colored jewelry, then to a run down building that Donna climbed up onto, dancing goofily as if it was a stage and leaving you both doubled over in laughter. 

Next you showed her around the little town, introducing her happily to friendly shopkeepers, Donna’s eyes wide with excitement as you wandered between buildings.

Neither of you knew exactly when you had taken each others hand, but there were no questions towards the action. Donna’s fingers threaded between yours and you squeezed, looking to the side to grin at the blonde who’s face was frozen in an enthralled smile.

The sun was just beginning to set when you reached a small dock overlooking the ocean, which was now glistening orange and pink with the colors of the sky. You had seen a lot of wonderful things during your stay on Kalokairi, but you had to admit the sun sinking below the horizon as the waves lapped against the shore was one of the most beautiful. 

It was clear that Donna felt the same way as you looked over to find her staring awestruck at the landscape, her mouth hanging open slightly with a smile ghosting at the corners.

You smiled too, finding yourself unable to tear your eyes away from your new friend. She really was gorgeous, both by personality and by appearance. The light reflected in her eyes like the warm glow of a fire, glinted off her lips like the perfect shade of lipgloss.

You caught yourself staring when Donna turned to face you, but you didn’t turn away the way you normally would. Instead your eyes locked with hers, and you slid your hand from its place clasped with hers and moved upwards, slowly and smoothly until you were brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes, behind her ear.

No words were needed when Donna leaned into the touch, tilted her head towards your own, allowed her lips to land gently on hers. The kiss was warm, sweet, your connection deepening even more as you cupped her jaw in one hand, tangled the other in her loose curls.

Surprisingly to you she was the one to deepen the kiss, sighing against your mouth and pressing her chest against your own before nipping softly at your lower lip. 

Your breath hitched at the action but you didn’t protest. Quite the contrary, you reached down, pulled her hips flush with your own as the two of you made out.

Donna moaned quietly as you moved against her and took the leap again, nudging your thighs open and sliding her leg between, pressing her own thigh against your clothed sex.

You let out a moan of your own at the sudden pressure, allowing yourself to pull out of the kiss, chest heaving as you caught your breath.

“There's... An empty beach house, just past those trees... Wanna move this over there?” You panted, staring at the lust blown eyes of the shorter woman, who nodded rapidly before grabbing your hand.

You took quick steps across the pier back to the beach, the two of you giggling all the way, Donna squealing when you swatted jokingly at her ass.

The moment you were inside the  run down building you had Donna pressed against a wall, hands tangled in her hair again as your mouths smashed together in a heated kiss. There was no hesitation when Donna’s thigh nudged between yours this time, immediately pressing upwards and making you groan against her mouth as you ground against it.

Your head dipped to press butterfly kisses across her jaw, down her neck and settling at the dip where her neck met her shoulders, and Donna let out a pleased sigh at the sensation. Her fingers flew to the ties holding your dress on, undoing the strings in quick motions that left the fabric pooling around your ankles and revealing a lace bralette and matching panties.

You sighed when the cooling air hit your skin, smiling against Donna’s collarbone before pulling off to tug at her own clothes, fingers slipping her loose top over her shoulders and deftly undoing the fastenings on her jeans.

You hadn’t realized until the moment Donna’s clothes dropped to the ground just how desperate you were, and your mouth crashed against hers again, kissing with a newly found fervor that had her gasping against your mouth.

You couldn’t hold yourself off for any longer and reached down, stroking two fingers along the shorter woman’s clothed sex, finding her panties already slick with her arousal. No longer having the self control to be a tease, you nudged the thin fabric to the side and plunged your digits into her dripping cunt, to which Donna let out a wrecked moan.

You smirked at the sounds she made, taking it as an invitation to keep going, so at that you thrust in again. Donna’s lips clashed with your own desperately with each time you impaled her on your fingers, curling to brush her g-spot with each thrust as your thumb rubbed circles on her throbbing clit.

Feeling her release building embarrassingly fast, Donna quickly removed her hands from their clutch on your hips and shoved your panties down, plunging two fingers into you without hesitation

You writhed against her at the intrusion, whimpering softly as you fucked into each other without abandon.

It only took a few more thrusts to push Donna over the edge. One final slam of your fingers into her g spot and a flick of her clit sent her spiraling into an orgasm, her hand tightening and stilling inside you as the pleasure overcame her.

Your motions slowed but didn’t stop as Donna rode out her orgasm, stroking her walls gently as her cunt clenched around your fingers. When she finally pulled back she was panting, face flushed and lips swollen from making out so roughly. 

You were about to open your mouth to speak, but before you could think of what to say Donna had dropped to her knees in front of you and before you realized it, her mouth was attached to your dripping cunt, fingers thrusting rapidly again as her tongue made contact with your clit.

She lapped hungrily at your arousal as she slammed into you, and it took no time at all for you to be thrown into your own orgasm, coming with a cry of Donna���s name as her mouth replaced her fingers, impaling you on her tongue again and again as the waves washed through you.

When she pulled off you were sure you looked as wrecked as she did, with messed hair, smeared makeup and face flushed red. 

For a moment the room was silent aside from the crash of waves from outside, the two of you letting the moment sink in before you started snickering. Nothing about the moment was funny, but it still had the two of you laughing, Donna’s face bright with a smile once again.

“So, are you glad you came here?” You spoke first, biting your lip to hold back a giggle as you gave her a mockingly suggestive look, to which Donna replied with a howl of laughter.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I am”

[anika-ann]

Hell Froze Over - Pt.1

The Good (and Fast) Samaritan

Type: mini-series to a series (part 1 & part 2 & part 3 & part 4),  Avenger!reader AU.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader       Word count: 2750

Summary: There’s a new enhanced on a scene, showing up at places of the Avengers’ fights. She’s fast. Really, really fast. And Wanda can’t read her mind.

So far, she has been helping. But surely it’s only a matter of time before she switches switch sides – otherwise she would have approached you instead of speeding away.

You had a problem. And you needed a solution.

Warnings: violence and blood, mention of multiple characters’ death (the Snap), a bit of inuendo and language… oh and extreme fluff

A/N: This part of Melting Hearts’ verse follows after everyone was brought after the Snap. The majority of the story was written after A:IW, soooo, there are no references to Endgame and there’s canon divergence. They somehow saved them all, without building a damn time machine and all that. Just run with it ;)

Previous part of the series II Story masterlist

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Aliens. 

Why was it always aliens?

And extremely annoying ones on top of that.

They had freaking tentacles – or multiple limbs, whatever they called it. The thing was, they had four ‘arms’, which made them incredibly handful, pun definitely intended. And what was making it worse? Once you cut off one limb, two grew in its place.

More than once during the fight, in which New Yorkers were being terrorized again, you wondered if these particular creatures, aka Tentacles, had been on Earth before, possibly meeting Hydra. You couldn’t imagine the Nazis’ organization getting the inspiration for their motto anywhere else, Greek myths be damned.

Apparently, these aliens loved going after Captain America too. Then again, they generally didn’t seem to be fond of the group of superhumans standing in their way of invading this planet, so perhaps Steve was not special in that respect.

Pinning two Tentacles to a wall by spray of thick icicles, you allowed yourself to breathe in after a long time. If you were being honest, you wouldn’t mind if Tentacles were the ones whose population would stay with the half of them erased from existence by Thanos. Seriously. They were obviously dickheads.

Taking few more breaths, indulging the feeling of having time to do so, you scanned your surroundings; the fight was definitely going your way, the aliens falling one after another, but the damage to the area was immense. It was a miracle no building had collapsed yet, but you had a hunch it wouldn’t take long. Wanda was helping with removing the civilians out of the harm’s way with her mental powers, but several blocks had been hit. You hadn’t had your eyes on her for a while now.

Hearing a roar by your right, you were immediately back to the highest alert. Tentacle no.39 was not coming your way though; it went after Natasha. You sent an icicle right through the creature’s belly, killing it at instant. Nat just nodded your way and threw herself back into the fight. You did the same.

Your whole body hurt, burning with exhaustion, but you knew you had to keep going. Even when a warning pinch bit the base of your spine; you were getting really fed up with this whole fail-safe trigger, because in moments like this, you simply couldn’t allow yourself to stop fighting in order to be fine. You were supposed to push yourself to your very limits, because lives were at stake.

Unfortunately, you didn’t have a choice.

You slowed down a little, trying to stay closer to Steve who was the nearest. He must have caught up on you pulling back, because he stated fighting with more ferocity – one you weren’t sure where he got from.

You noticed he didn’t have his helmet anymore and it made you bite the bullet and throw yourself back into the fight despite knowing the pain would only grow with time and at one point, it would paralyze you. But Steve had lost his fucking helmet again and he had the armour for reason goddammit!

And then, all of sudden, the battle was over. Car alarms blared all around you, smoke rising to the sky, flames licking anything they reached; you did your best to put the fire out. It was why you didn’t notice it at first – the loud creak of metal tens feet away, but then the concrete started screaming, just like the people.

You snapped your head that way, only to see a restaurant collapsing onto itself.

With people still in it.

You acted on instinct, sending the thickest layer of ice you could summon to slow down the falling debris, seeing a flush of red energy heading the same way. You felt the crushing weight of the building almost on your shoulders.

And the very same moment, you could also see that in a blink, there were no people underneath it.

They were gone; more specifically, several feet nearby, staring as incredulously as you were. Feeling unbearable sting in your back, you allowed yourself to let go, Wanda following your example.

Unlike the civilians, you knew all too well what happened. But your eyelids felt too heavy and you were too tired to be annoyed; in fact, you were grateful, because you didn’t know how long you would have been able to hold the improvised barrier.

You mentally thanked the girl who got all the people out in what seemed like a split second.

Dark spots danced in front of your eyes, your knees getting wobbly. The world threated to sway out of its place and you knew you were about to fold like a house of cards, only to wake up seconds later. It wouldn’t be the first time.

But you didn’t hit the ground. Strong arms enwrapped you securely, pulling you to your Captain’s chest, supporting you as much as you needed. You closed your eyes and breathed through the dizziness.

“Hey, it’s okay, I got you. It’s over, you can rest. But stay with me, alright?” Steve’s voice reached you from a terrible distance, slowly getting closer as you were gradually regaining your strength. The vibrations of his words caressed your own torso and you blinked your eyes open. “There you go, Snowflake. Let’s wrap it up here, okay?”

You just nodded, looking up to his face gratefully. He gave you a small smile in acknowledgement of your wordless ‘thank you for not letting me fall’.

“She was here again,” you mumbled and Steve grimaced as he cautiously let you off his embrace.

“Yeah. I know.”

────── ·❆· ──────  

You all entered the conference room slowly, some of you barely standing on your feet. It was a miracle you didn’t have to drag each other in here. After a long time of scrunching your nose at it, you reached for the energizing drink specially designed for you just like everyone else.

While no one had suffered a serious injury – serious on the Avengers’ scale, things like the cut on Steve’s forehead didn’t count –, you were all ready to just have a shower and go to bed. But no. Being an Avenger meant you couldn’t. It meant that if the work wasn’t finished, you couldn’t get rest.

You dropped into one of the comfy chairs, Steve’s body making a muffled thud as he chose the one next to you. If even Captain America was dead on his feet, things were bad.

You pushed yourself up, sitting up straight to inspect the gash on his smooth skin. It was already healing and you knew he had it treated (by you, at least), but the drying bloody line on his head just wouldn’t let you relax.

Your fingertips carefully brushed alongside it, wary of not applying any pressure. Steve smiled at you faintly.

“Snowflake, it’s okay.”

His hand caught your wrist tenderly, pulling it away.

“How did you manage to get it anyway? How did you lose your helmet again?” you questioned. He bit his lip and looked almost apologetically. Naturally, that had you frowning. “Steve-“

“He was getting too close to--- to them, alright? I admit I didn’t quite see the other three coming-“

You gritted your teeth, torn between admiring his heroics as he defended the civilians and clipping round his ear for having a tunnel-like vision and not looking around properly before jumping to the rescue.

In the end, you just huffed, letting your hand slip from his grasp.

You carefully eyed the rest of the team, glad you found Wanda mothering Vision and Bruce checking Natasha once again, while Tony, Sam and Clint were on the phone. It put a smile on your face as you saw Bucky fumbling with his phone as well – you knew he had started seeing a woman from accounting here and now he was probably wondering if he should let her know he was fine.

“We make a good team. Taking minor risks is worth it,” Steve whispered, straightening in his chair in favour of dropping a kiss to your forehead. You closed your eyes contentedly at the pure and innocent display of affection.

When his lips lingered, his hand brushing your jaw and he inhaled the smell of your shampoo – if there was any smell left after the fight and debris flying around –, his breath faltering, a realization dawned to you.

He hadn’t lost his helmet when defending some civilians, had he?

Steve wouldn’t let himself to be distracted enough to be jumped when protecting civilians. Never. He only lost his focus when protecting the people he loved. Mainly the ones he had lost before, in the Snap or otherwise; if he could help it, his gaze never left you on the battlefield, simply too scared you would disappear in a blink of an eye. He might be getting less anxious about it lately, but it was always in the back of his mind; having your loved ones wiped off by a snap of fingers and seeing them fall to ashes did that to a person.

Not that you would know – you were among the ones who disappeared.

But Steve knew. He saw it happen to you, Bucky, Sam…. And he could only watch. Nothing he could do stop it. You still remembered the burn of in the base of your spine as your powers fought to freeze the process of your body disintegrating, watching in horror as many of your friends did – and that you were about to meet the same fate. Just as helpless as Steve was.

“…I’m just stalling, Steve. I know it and you know it too. I should— I should let go-“

“No! No, Snowflake, you stay and fight-“ he practically growled, gripping your wrists with enough strength to bruise them.  

“I love you, Steve,” you whispered in response, feeling your whole body trembling in both exertion and fear. You didn’t want to leave. You didn’t want this to be your end.

The wild haunted look in Steve’s eye only made you shudder further, a painful twist to your gut.

“No-“

“Please, say it back,” you pleaded, swallowing your tears and the scream that was threatening to erupt from your throat. The burn, fuck, the burn… you couldn’t hold it any longer.

“NO! You fight this!”

Lips trembling, you understood you wouldn’t get the last love declaration you craved. You closed your eyes.

“Goodbye, Steve.”

“NO!” he yelled, pulling you to him, bodies aligned as he wrapped an arm around you, holding you impossibly close. “You--- sweetheart, please. I love you. I can’t-“

“Thank you,” you sobbed, breathing in his scent, feeling the coarse material of his worn uniform, revelling in the warmth of his touch… and you let go.

The last thing you heard was him, choking on a desperate shriek of your name.

The memory and the sheer wonder about what it must have been like for him almost brought tears into your eyes. Again.

Could you really be mad at him for being reckless?

“Thank you for saving me,” you whispered, hearing his breath hitch. You opened your eyes, only to see his resigned ones as he guesses you figured out the truth.

“No ‘you idiot’, huh?”

“No. Not this time. I can see you’re fine. You’re allowed to look out for me as long as you walk away relatively unharmed.”

“Lucky me,” he murmured and kissed you lightly on your lips, tasting after the sickeningly sweet energy drink. You couldn’t say you minded.

“I love you, Steve. I care for you too. Nothing wrong with that,” you hummed lovingly, gazing into his eyes, the rest of the world be damned. “So yeah. Thank you.”

His blues got their vivid spark back, the corners of his lips rising inconspicuously. “Always. And I love you too.”

“You two are sickening,” Bucky noted close to your ear and you honest to god yelped, almost falling off your chair.

Bucky receded with silent laugh and while you clutched at your chest, your heart too frantic in your ribcage, you noticed Steve rolled his eyes at his friend fondly.

“Lefty here has a point,” Tony hummed, making you huff and turn to the big screen as it lit up with news feed.

There were already so many images and videos on the internet that it was scary. Why people hunted down good shots instead of running away?

Unsurprisingly, Tony froze the frame in which a blur of dark blue could be seen. Hint: it was neither you nor Steve in his stealth suit.

No. It was the enhanced girl. The fast one. The one you knew too little about to your comfort.

“Hate to say it, but things could have got ugly without the Rush-girl rushing in,” Tony announced and you scoffed, mainly because you felt like he was nudging your conscience.

It felt like he was blaming you, seeing you wouldn’t have been able to hold the falling debris for long enough. You were sure Tony wouldn’t blame you, since he knew all too well you simply couldn’t beat it; after all he had been the one to install your fail-safe, preventing you hurting yourself. But you also knew he didn’t like the thought of anyone else getting hurt because of it either.

The thing was it always went like this with this enhanced girl. She would show up, help the Avengers and then puff, she was gone. No trace. Except for the people she saved. The ones you might have failed to save unless she had come.

You forced yourself to drift away from the dark thoughts.

“Tony, your nicknames are getting more ridiculous with each try,” you remarked, earning a few hums in agreement from around the table.

“I can go back to naming you if you want… Popsicle. I bet Cap here got the memo and he loves to lick and s-”

“Stark!” Steve lashed out at him, his cheeks getting an unhealthy shade of red. You choked on your own spit.

You were pretty happy with Tony somewhat reconciling with Steve (and you and others), okay, but his jokes were sometimes too much. He really was pushing it.

“Go to hell, Metalbrain,” you muttered under your breath, feeling your ears burning.

Also, yes. Yes, Steve got the memo. So did you. But you didn’t need to talk about it in front of everyone, thank you very much.

“Cute blush you have here. I hit the nail on the head, eh?” Tony continued, earning a murderous glare from Steve, who certainly was sporting a remarkable blush.

“Tony!” you called out, not less horrified than your significant other.

“Trust the advice of the elder – biologically older anyway. Hate to break it to you, but that’s not how you make a kid. Then again maybe that’s the point-“

“Tony, shut your metal mouth or I swear to god I will tell Pepper you’re being a pervert.”

A look of pure horror appeared on his face and you couldn’t help but smile smugly. This always worked.

The thing was Tony would know how to get a girl pregnant; Pepper Potts lived to tell the tale. She was in her twenty-seventh week, after all; and her hormones were misbehaving. Big time. Her emotions were like on a roller-coaster lately and no one with a shred of brain wanted to be on her bad side, ever, let alone now.

Needless to mention Pepper Potts was a strong woman, capable of handling herself, being in control. She wasn’t quite in control of herself now and what was even worse, she always had been the more rational part of the Stark and Potts-Stark duo, keeping Tony’s impulsiveness in check. Once again, not now. And it was driving her insane.

So yeah, threatening Tony with snitching him to Pepper always worked these days. It was even mean of you. Then again, Tony was being extremely pervert today, venting his frustration on you and you did not like it at all.

“Ouch. Low blow, Popsicle, low blow,” Tony said darkly, before his expression turned gleeful again. “See what I did there with the blow--- never mind, I have a place to be. Bye, kids!”

Tony took his abrupt escape, disappearing from the room, and you sighed heavily. You massaged the bridge of your nose, feeling your face burning with embarrassment. The rest of the team pretended not to watch you highly amused.

“He’s an actual infant— no, he’s worse,” you stated, your voice a little too high-pitched.

“That’s hardly any news. Now, can we pay attention to the actual problem?” Natasha interjected, switching back to professional mood.

“Sure. Let’s talk more about the Rush-girl,” Clint hummed, a smirk on his lips.

A collective groan was the answer, but you did start working.

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Part 2

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There we go! 

The first chapter of the last part of Melting Hearts. Hopefully, I will make it worth it your attention ;)

Thank you for reading! Happy Sunday :-*

[veliseraptor]

got tagged for two fic writer memes yesterday! the one from @ameliarating first:

How many works do you have on AO3?

509.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

3,432,24. dang! that’s a lot of words

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I have written for...counting the MCU as one fandom, on AO3 I have written for 32 fandoms, including at least one work in:

MCU, The Sillmarillion, Caliban Leandros, both DC and Marvel Comics, the book Barebacked by Kit Whitfield, Doctrine of Labyrinths, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Black Jewels, Dragon Age, Lucifer, Dexter, Temeraire, Gentleman Bastard Sequence, Supernatural, A Song of Ice and Fire, Greek Mythology, Lymond Chronicles, Merlin BBC, Code Geass, Good Omens,  Death Note, and White Collar.

this is not a comprehensive list of every fandom I’ve ever written for, because it is not including ones that live only on FFN or Livejournal.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Life In Reverse tops the list (11066), aka my 200k Loki-centric post-Thor AU fic that I wrote between 2012 and 2018 and with which I have a decidedly complex relationship at this point. I love it but also I no longer think it’s my best work but also I credit it with teaching me a fuck of a lot about writing and writing longer projects in general.

With Absolute Splendor is rapidly catching up, to my astonishment (6559), despite having been posted for less than half as long. Aka the wedding planning fic that’s really just me mucking about in my Jiang Cheng and my Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian feelings, at length.

some good mistakes (4618) was my first foray into the Untamed version of “characters who hate each other going on resentful roadtrips together, feat. Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng.” I have gone on to write others and will continue to write more.

Unraveling (3069) is a little bit of a surprise but also not - it was originally just sort of WWP stuff for my ‘what if people remembered that blunt force trauma is a really bad thing actually’ problem that pops up sometimes, re: Loki at the end of The Avengers, and then it kind of turned into a whole thing. I personally think it’s the weakest of the installments of the series it belongs to, but it is the first one and also the one that gets least into the broader family dysfunction and depression stuff that probably is less everyone’s thing (but is what came out this fic that mattered more to me, personally).

I am a little surprised to see Steve Rogers’ Halfway House for Notorious Supervillains (3068) here too! I was expecting one of the more...idk, mainstream concepts from the MCU to win out? But I also wasn’t expecting two Untamed fics to make it here, either. But I am stupid proud of this fic even if it is very extraordinarily unfinished. This is one of those unfinished fics that will nag at me unless and until I finish it, at least a little, because the concept - if I do say so myself - is so goddamn good and I think I was executing it pretty well, too.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Pretty much never. I was never very good at it and now I’d feel like I had to go back and reply to all of them and I just. I can’t do that. and when I do try to just start at the beginning I get overwhelmed very fast and start avoiding it.

Basically I decided that if it’s a decision between wrestling with myself to reply to comments versus actually doing more writing I’m going to end up landing on the latter as feeling both more doable and more productive.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

probably it’s The Worlds Forgotten, the Words Forbidden for sheer level of “so then what was the point” of it all. but like. I’ve definitely written a few extraordinarily miserable fics, and by “a few” I kind of mean “a lot.” Other nominees I’d put down might be nor autumn falter (for currently personally making me suffer most), once there was a way to get back home (for I think having the ouchiest summary), and Waiting for the Summer Rain (which remains one of my personal favorite Supernatural fics I wrote).

but like. there are 43 fics I have marked with Major Character Death warnings and every single one of those, pretty much, has a downer ending.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have written several though not in a long time! My craziest probably remains the Morgoth/Cthulhu short I wrote that actually got sporked because someone took it seriously (???) enough to do that. But the craziest that actually has any merit, (I’d argue) is probably the Maeglin/Viserys one.

not linking to either, if you want to go find them I don’t think it’ll be that hard.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yeah, a few times on a few different things. More if you count “people who seem to like the fic but love telling you how much they hate the female characters you’re writing about in it” as ‘hate’ which I would but isn’t, you know, quite as straightforward. If I had a nickel for every time someone bitched about Jane in Life in Reverse, though...lots of nickels.

Do you write smut? if so what kind?

Sure do! But what does ‘what kind’ mean, I don’t know how to answer that question. I feel tempted to just put in my “Mike’s Hard Kinks” image edit in this space.

I guess usually I tend to write smut that at least involves a little bit of a kink? I don’t think I’d feel comfortable writing entirely kinkless smut. I think I’d feel weird about it, the same way I do when I write really nice fic, generally.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I think I did back when but I don’t remember anything about it. I feel like it was one of those mass data scraping things where my fic happened to be among those caught up in it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! several actually, mostly into Russian and Chinese. every time it happens I’m immensely flattered that someone wants to put in that kind of work on something I wrote.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I think I’d be very, very bad at it.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Depends on when you ask me! I could probably give you a top five but then I’d remember six that I forgot to mention five minutes later. I guess if I were to think about ships that feel like they hold very special particular places in my heart... Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen, Steve Rogers/Loki, and Min/Rand come to mind.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

oh god do you want the whole list cause honestly I could just like. screencap the entirety of my “in progress” folder with a crying emoji watermarked over it. and that’s not getting into the fics that are like...half formed babies in my consciousness but not anywhere on paper.

and also I just hate to admit that I might not finish something.

you know what? the Lucifer/Good Omens crossover I started would’ve been a lot of fun. I’m probably never going to finish it, but it would’ve been great if I had. I know other people did it too but my contribution could’ve been amazing.

I can say this very boldly with the near certainty that I’m not going to finish the fic so no one will be able to disagree.

(...also the Last Herald-Mage fix it. that was going to be a good fic too, and also will probably languish unfinished forever.)

What are your writing strengths?

I’m pretty sure dialogue is my strongest point. Dialogue and emotions, which is why I always end up just wanting to write about characters talking and having feelings at each other.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing action sequences throws me into conniptions every time I have to do it and I will take drastic actions sometimes to avoid doing it at all, which probably weakens the work as a whole.

Also, I don’t plan ahead and this means I write myself into corners kind of a lot. If I wasn’t writing long, dense fic it wouldn’t be a problem but here we are.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I tend to avoid it unless it’s in the context of, as in CQL/MDZS fic, leaving certain terminology untranslated. I’m pretty sure I almost never write full exchanges of dialogue in a different language than I’m using for the narration within a fic, and generally speaking my reaction to other people doing it is at least mildly negative.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter was technically the first fandom I wrote for, but it was a crack fic I wrote to make my friends laugh more than anything; I tend to count Wheel of Time as my first actual fandom for which I wrote my first actual fic.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

some days the answer is “all of them” and some day the answer is “I don’t like anything I’ve written in my entire life” and I never like giving this a definitive answer. yesterday I reread efforts in a common cause (the bound copy!! thanks @spockandawe) and you know what, that was a good fic and I’m proud of it, so I’m going with that one, for this meme, today.

tagging: @mostfacinorous, @jaggedcliffs, @silvysartfulness, @mikkeneko, @kasasagi-eye, @curiosity-killed, how many people am I supposed to tag for this one anyway

[ssaltbending]

Ok, guys, hear me out: Zuko is a Capricorn, Katara is a Cancer —and here’s why (it would be so poetic).

Part 1: Zuko

TW: explicit mentions of child abuse.

I know this statement might seem weird and out of place, but in the last couple weeks I’ve been digging a lot into astrology and, in order not to forget my roots, I thoroughly felt the need to combine both of my most recent obsessions in one post, given that this headcanon hasn’t been able to leave my mind ever since I came up with it: if we applied astrology to the Avatar world, I’m sure Cancer and Capricorn would be Katara and Zuko’s signs, respectively. And I don’t say this in a superficial way, just by looking at zodiac memes and associating Katara with the crybabies Cancers are portrayed as or saying Zuko is a Capricorn buzzkill as people who know astrology on a surface level would assume they are —those are some of the most common stereotypes about the signs. No, I’m saying that they embody those signs on an archetypal leve: in the way their stories, especially Zuko’s, resemble the myths that originate the zodiac signs and their respective traits.

Therefore, without further ado, let me explain.

The Capricorn archetype: the sins of the father...

As any casual astrology enthusiast may probably know, the sign of Capricorn is connected to qualities such as perseverance, integrity, resilience and ambition, typically treated as the CEO or boss of the zodiac. However, the sign itself has a richer and much more complex story as we look at the deities it is associated with as well as the planet that rules it: Saturn, linked to the Roman god of the same name and the greek gods Cronus, Zeus, Hestia and Pan. Some astrologers choose Cronus as Capricorn’s patron god and others prefer his children, but that can be explained very easily.

The myth goes like this: Cronus, a giant and father of what we would know as some of the main greek gods (Hestia, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus), was actually the son of Uranos, who he subverted thanks to the advice of his mother Gaia to use an agricultural tool to kill him. But as time went by and Cronus had started having children with his partner, Rhea, the fear of his descendants becoming stronger than him and doing the same thing he had done to his father took over him, which led to his decision of swallowing them all whole. He started with Hestia all the way back to Zeus, whom he couldn’t swallow right after he was born, unlike his other children, because this time Rhea had hid him in the island of Crete to protect him from his father. To deceive him, Rhea then covered a rock in cloth to make it resemble a baby for Cronus to eat it, thinking that it was a newborn Zeus.

Time passed and Zeus grew stronger until he was ready to confront his father and save his siblings from his womb, and when he finally did it, he managed to force Cronus into disgorge them one by one, in the reverse order they had been swallowed —which left Hestia as the last sibling to be disgorged.

After that, Zeus was left with a prophecy, where he would also be possibly overthrown by a son of his. And after Métis, the woman he was told would bear said child, gave birth he swallowed the newborn whole just like Cronus had done with his brothers and sisters. The child in question, however, started giving him headaches as it grew older and bigger inside of him and would become the goddess we know as Athena. What Zeus did with her was the repetition of a cycle perpetuated by his forefathers, a cycle of abuse and trauma that seems inescapable. What this part of the duality of the Capricorn archetype shows one of the ways in which those ideas of tradition and legacy can be carried on (a very negative one, to be honest), but that’s not the only way they can manifest, which gives the archetype this… almost cinematic quality, in my opinion. (And if we take this into account, I might headcanon Azula as a Capricorn rising due not only to the archetypal coincidences but the overall mastermind outlook she has and how much of a natural, domineering and calculating leader she is, but that’s besides the point.)

Now, let’s talk about the other side of the archetype, which gives it this incredible dual quality: Hestia’s path. Unlike her brother Zeus, Hestia was the one who not only had been devoured by her father, but she had spent the most time inside him as well. This is often associated with the emotional isolation many Capricorns experience in their youth, the lack of warmth and love by one of their parents, along with the desire not to become the abusive parent they were exposed to. Hestia is the other side of the story, the unspoken leader of the Olympians, the one who broke the toxic cycle running in her family for generations, vowing to become an eternal virgin and protector of the earth. Besides, Hestia means “hearth”: the inner fire, the one that is never allowed to go out.

(art by @elisebrave​)

That is the soul of the Capricorn archetype: the crossroads of destiny, the moment when the child decides whether to become like their parents, or forge their own path like Hestia did. Do you guys see what I see now? Are the similarities clear enough?

As my dear friend @persephobeee​ points out in her Capricorn essay (a crucial source for this one): “The Capricorn archetype is a cycle of stuck parents putting stress on their children at such a young age so then their kid ends up making money in retaliation, but then treat their kids the same as well due to the lack of warmth and freedom they had in their own childhood. The intense pressure put onto them as a child [then] leads to isolation and depression. It’s a cycle. ‘I don’t want to be my parent, but also… how they have ruined me’. The chain can continue with Zeus (projecting sorrows and nightmares onto their own children) or it could break with Hestia (the path of love, light and protection).”

This is why Capricorn’s planetary ruler, Saturn, is also associated with ideas found in this myth: restriction, limitation, order, boundaries, leadership, responsibility… pretty much dad vibes, to be honest. Do you guys see what I see or do I have to dig deeper?

“But isn’t zuko a firebender?? Why would he be an earth sign??”, you may ask.

The way that I might be making headcanons about the Gaang’s western zodiac signs isn’t gonna be based on which element they bend, because that would be quite reductive and restrictive for me as an astrology junkie, but their similarities to each sign’s archetype and overall characteristics. And yes, I do see Zuko as an earth sun, but that wouldn’t be his only sign, there is also the moon and the rising sign, which also have an important impact on the individual. In my opinion, Zuko’s personality embodies the qualities of fire signs as well: competitiveness, drive, passion, impulsiveness and loyalty. But to me those qualities are better shown in his character through his moon sign: an Aries moon, to be specific. See those anger outbursts? The “I don’t need any [fucking] calming tea!!”? The “you never think these things through”? Aries moon behavior, right there. But I’m not going to focus on moon signs right now. Let’s get back to the behavior I am the most well-versed at: Capricorn behavior.

So, the sign of Capricorn is also a cardinal sign, a leader, since they are the ones that begin each season. In the Northern Hemisphere, Capricorn season starts right on the winter solstice, and the opposite happens in the South. However, since all the astrology lore comes from the North thanks to the Greeks, Babylonians and more, the seasonal connections are related to the seasons there. As a consequence, Capricorn is the cardinal sign that brings the coldest, darkest season of the year: winter. And incorporating that into Zuko’s character would be incredibly fitting, in my opinion, because of some stuff I’ve read here on Tumblr saying that making him being born during the coldest time of the year would make it a terrible omen for a firebender, worse in this case due to him being born into the royal family, symbols of the power and “supremacy” of the Fire Nation. The fact that he would be born in winter, if we follow this reasoning, would have made him seem as a disappointment to his father ever since birth. 

… or maybe I’m just cruel, guys.

Moreover, I think Zuko embodies many of the Capricorn qualities in the way he carries himself (because no, not all Capricorns are confident managers with the world in our hands) and how hard he has to work to earn everything he gets. A key part of what this sign represents is “the path of hardships the goat has to overcome in order to reach the top of the mountain”, which along with the myth I have described before, could easily be applied to Zuko. It describes values of endurance, hard work, discipline and drive in order to achieve your goals, something that can be seen in Zuko all throughout the series, but changes its focus as the seasons go by. Besides, uhm… have you guys seen “The Day of Black Sun, Part 2”? That is literally the positive outcome of the Capricorn myth made into animation: the confrontation between an abusive father figure and his abused child who has decided to part ways with him in order to become a better person.

On another note, I think it is important to highlight how the Capricorn in Zuko could be seen based on how the rest of the Gaang treats him as well when he changes sides and he’s accepted into the group. How?, you may be wondering: as a father figure, but in a positive way. In many scenes it can be noticed how he naturally takes a position of leadership within the group as well as he takes care of the younger members such as Aang and Toph but, especially in Aang’s case, tries to ground them and teach them. As examples, take the following: Zuko reminding Aang that soon he will have to face the fact that he might have to kill Ozai, him trying to get everyone to train when the comet is about to arrive; how when Aang gets lost, it is him the one people look to in order to lead the group, etc.

Another thing that is well-known in Capricorns is our resilience and perseverance and, honestly: do I even need to explain that? When it comes to the guy who would get his ass beaten again and again and again for one season straight in order to get what he wanted which would also give him the approval of his father, what he craved most? It screams earth sign behavior to me, but with a heavy saturnian influence due to Zuko’s background which, to me, can be quite an interesting reflection of the Saturn/Cronus myth with his children. Said tenacity could also be exacerbated by the willpower and energy brought by the possibility of him having a fire moon, I don’t know, think about it. I stick to that headcanon.

That perseverance can also be seen when it comes to Zuko’s firebending, given how much he’s always trying to improve his skills. Although it could be argued that in reality he’s doing so due to the expectations put on him to be a proficient bender just like his sister in order to be accepted by his father, and his constant training to the point of exhaustion is just a manifestation of that toxic behavior. I am sorry to tell you, but that’s textbook Capricorn behavior, associated with the symbolism of the hardworking goat in general: working the hardest in order to get what you want is always on-brand when it comes to important Capricorn placements, and in my opinion Zuko is no exception.

Final thoughts.

Anyway, what I think would be most relevant is what I mentioned before about the Capricorn archetype and how it could tie in nicely to Zuko’s character arc with him as a representation of Hestia, who could grow out of the abuse she experienced and got a chance not to make her father’s mistakes and break that horrendous cycle she had been a victim of. I would go into this more deeply, but I think it has been enough for now. However, I’ll be back soon with a part two, talking about my water queen Katara. What do you think about this headcanon? Do you agree? If not, why? 

Thanks for coming to my weird-ass TedTalk at 1am. I needed to vent and I haven’t been able to put the computer down since 9pm, I literally only stopped to eat, lol.

See you soon, 

a Capricorn sun.

[pomegranates-and-blood]

ἀλήθεια (Chapter 6, Vοσταλγία AU)

ἀλήθεια Masterlist

Pairing: Freydis/Reader, Ivar/Reader (past)

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: The usual, plus mentions/descriptions of war/battle. My endless swooning over Freydis.

A/N: So yeah, another one of these. It’s on the shorter side, and it doesn’t have much Freydis/Reader; but it is the last setup for the epilogue, so I needed to get plot stuff out of the way before we get to the good part lol. Hope you like it!

She loses count of all the months that go by, of all the flavors and scents she discovers, of all the stories you share and hear, of the vibrant and new colors she sees, of the people she meets and names she now remembers.

And she learns to speak your language of strange consonants and odd verbs, and you learn to speak hers of silent glances and smiles that feel secret. You learn to say the name of the man that you left without pain, and she learns to say the name of the man that you loved without resentment.

Oddly enough, these months teach Freydis to be almost thankful for Ivar.

Doesn’t mean she doesn’t still feel the ridiculous envy for a phantom, and that each time you and her argue about something regarding the past, she feels his mocking glare on her, as if reminding her it wasn’t him the reason she lost; doesn’t mean she doesn’t see him in every man in power she meets, especially those that linger too close to you, those that lose themselves in the curve of your smile.

She doesn’t blame them, but she hates them all the same.

But the ones she hates the most are the softer ones, the ones that are so unlike him that they make you laugh freely and don’t make you think twice about the easy affection you give away, the ones that are so unlike her that they don’t make you think of secrets and can offer you the world in a way only a man can.

But once again, Freydis is thankful for Ivar. For many things, because he taught her many things, because he brought you to her, because he freed her once. Most of all, she is thankful for what he taught the both of you about men in power.

Because when a prince in some cold land -colder than Kattegat, though she isn’t sure if distance is clouding her memories- presses a reverent kiss to your knuckles and looks at you with hunger in dark eyes, you smile with the same thing written in your own gaze; she is able to understand that your hunger isn’t for him, nor for all the worlds he offers you.

Because when she meets the last remaining man of your blood and he greets Freydis roughly in her own tongue -unaware she speaks Greek, but it is better that way, it is better they don’t know she knows many things- with a smile warmer than yours but eyes just as calculating; she can smile back and accept the warmth for a truth instead of searching for a lie.

Almost a year goes by and she finds herself enthralled in the way you make Sparta your own, the same way you did Kattegat: by letting the world around you change you just enough that you can force it to bend to your will.

And now there’s more definition in your shoulders, the lines of your back stronger, more defined; from a year training with bows and arrows alongside Lysander and Galla.

And now your anger is more subdued, the chaos kept at bay with cruel and well-placed words, but the fire is the same that makes her think of spring storms; from a year a woman free of everything except your ambition.

Freydis has changed too, she knows this. She finds herself standing taller on ground not her own; she finds herself just as aware as she always was of how they look at her, only now able and willing to use it against them; she finds herself finding certainty not in the Gods but in herself; she finds herself accepting that pain was never a gift from the Gods, and it may have marked her, body and soul, but she made herself.

And now here she sits by your side, trying not to let her thoughts linger on how you both said goodbye to Galla knowing she would return to him, to the man she supposedly loves, but here he is greeting you with a Spartan woman by his arm, a wife that isn’t the strong-willed and secretive woman Freydis came to care for in those months travelling together.

Your cousin eyes you with a teasing smile, “You are itching to return home, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know where my home is,” You correct, a tilt of your head, “But I do want what is mine to be returned to me, yes.”

“Some still say lands in Scandinavia are yours. To think you left Greece promised to a Thebesian and now you have returned, the wife to a Varangian King.”

You shrug one shoulder.

“Twists of Fate.”

“I’m still expecting him to storm our coasts to get you back.”

“You put a lot of value on my hand, Lysander.”

“Humility doesn’t suit you,” The man shrugs broad shoulders, and in the way he offers a side glance Freydis sees so much of you. “Regardless, if they do, we will be ready.”

“Of course you will be. I would hope you would ready for another battle, though.” You state, tone growing serious.

“We will retake Eleusis when the time comes.” Lysander reassures you, but you shake your head, and in your gaze all Freydis can see is…hunger.

“I am not speaking of Eleusis,” You promise, and when you smile your cousin returns the same mad kind of smile. She remembers Ivar and Hvitserk talking and boasting over the table during a feast after a victory, she remembers the mad smiles they shared with one another, and she understands seeing you and Lysander now, that there truly is a special kind of song to be heard only by those who share blood. You raise your chin, and offer, “Thebes is weakened, Lysander. And you know better than I do that to retake Eleusis we need to strike through land.”

Realization dawns on the man, who leans back and studies you in silence for a few breaths. You never lose the confident stance, though, staring him down as he considers your words.

Finally, he says, “We take over Thebes, settle your army there, and we can attack Eleusis from the North with the brunt of Attic forces, while Spartans choke their coasts.”

“And in controlling Thebes we control most of the silk trade in the Empire,” You finish, proud as you straighten in your seat, “Those priests are sure to miss their Byzantine Silk, are they not?”

Freydis is aware, in some part of her mind, that she is probably staring at you like a lovesick fool. Wide and lost smile, the faint warmth she feels on the top of her cheeks, eyes giving away every secret, if there ever was one.

You have eyes for the man across from you, gaze defiant in a way she knows well, in a way that her heart knows well too, for each skipped beat that gaze is responsible for.

Lysander tilts his head to the side, much like you do, and presses, “And who would rule? You?”

“Who else?” You retort, shrugging one shoulder, “You were never the conquering type, the Gods know you are Anax because you have no choice.”

He ignores the jab you throw his way, instead insisting,

“But you are Anassa of Attica, and I don’t think Boetians would take kindly to an Athenian woman ruling over them.”

Your mouth curves downwards, a nonchalant gesture that speaks of anything but that.

“They will, because we will be saving them. Attic or not, I am still Greek. Tis better than the alternative.”

“The Empire is not the enemy you thi-…”

“I’m not talking of the Empire. I’m talking of the Kievan Rus.”

“Oleg.” You start, and she lifts her gaze with a frown.

“What of him?”

“Do you trust him?”

Freydis scoffs, “No. And neither do you.”

Pressing your lips together, you look away for a moment, considering your next words. Freydis watches in silence, though her hands still follow the familiar motions of picking apart the flowers, stems, and leaves from the dried batch of yarrow.

“I think I do,” You start, voice quiet. “I think…I think that if nothing else, he is…direct. Reliable, in his own way.”

“He is unpredictable.”

You reach forward to correct a mistake she made, picking off a dried flower she left alongside the leaves, and say, “So was Ivar.”

“Not the same, and you know that.” She argues, leaning forward. For all the times she argued that you should have manipulated Ivar into doing your bidding, she never expected you to find the one man that outshines your husband in volatility, in chaos; and try doing so to him instead.

“He is smart, and he has ambitions that…align themselves with mine,” You insist, and Freydis accepts your words with a sigh. She doesn’t like where this is going one bit, but she will concede that this prince is a piece in the board that you shouldn’t rule out as a useful. “Do you think…?”

The words hang in the air between you, and her gaze meets yours, her answer unspoken.

“We will see,” She promises, and the smile that slowly curves at her lips is mirrored in yours. “Lust loosens a man’s tongue much more than wine, after all.”

The moment the words leave your lips silence reigns in between the people in the room, but Freydis doesn’t fail to notice how Galla is undisturbed by the mention, continuing her craving of a wooden block to make a building to add to the detailed stereographic map Lysander keeps of Eleusis. She isn’t sure if it is an act, if it is part of her pretense that she knows everything, or if she truly does.

Lysander’s broad arms are crossed over his chest, and he frowns as he looks at you.

“What are you talking about?”

Your smile is a secret in itself, but it speaks of something she knows well. Arrogance.

“A Prince from Novgorod will send an army to Thebes soon, they will be razing through Macedonia when spring comes.”

“How exactly do you know that?”

“I am a witch, I know things?” You tease with a smile, before sharing a look with Freydis and explaining, “There’s a man, a powerful man, interested in Constantinople, much in the way I am interested in Greece. He has agreed to send weak enough forces that we can overtake them and conquer Thebes, as long as we weaken the Empire for him.”

“Impressive woman as you might be, you cannot give the Rus Constantinople.”

You don’t miss a beat, answering, “But I can weaken it by taking Thebes, Athens, and Eleusis from them; and I can give the Rus standing ground on Athens when the time comes for them to invade.”

A sigh, and Lysander tries, voice strangely calming, “How are you certain you are not setting up the invasion of your own land?”

“I have other…safeguards.”

“Marriage?”

You shake your head with a scoff, “Nothing as fickle as that, no.”

“What, then?”

“Fear, awe. There are many things you can call it,” You state. When you speak next, there is a purposely false tone of innocence in your voice, and you shrug your shoulders, “You ought to remember, Lysander, that I am married to a Viking. And a famous one at that.”

“You divorced him.”

“But that is not a tale people will tell. Not there, for they fear his wrath too much to imply his wife has left him; and not here, for they fear the indecency of a woman capable and willing of ruling alone. As far as anyone knows, Ivar the Boneless has his eye set on the Mediterranean, and it is just a matter of time before his army gets here.”

“You cannot-…” Lysander starts, only to be interrupted.

“We courtesans are good at sharing secrets, you know?” Galla pips from her seat, dark eyes still focused on her project. “I can make sure my people spread the right secrets.”

Lysander’s eyes go slowly from the former courtesan to you, and he takes a deep breath.

“How much time will that buy you?”

“Enough,” You promise, unfaltering. “One like me never outlives a lie.”

____

The war takes a toll even on you. She sees it in the tired eyes as you offer a smile across a war table before returning your attention to the movements of the troops your commanders speak of, feels it in the loose hold of your hand in hers as you promise your goodnight wordlessly and slip away in the quiet of the night, hears it in the quiet prayers that leave your lips as you cut off a piece of your hair and let it flow with the wind that carries the ashes of those who perish in the battles.

But war, war like this, it is invigorating as much as it is debilitating. Freydis feels it, feels it in every victory that makes her smile a little wilder, feels it in every successful trick that makes Galla’s dark eyes shine with pride, feels it in every piece of land you claim for yourself that makes you a little more goddess than woman.

And before winter is upon you, the mark of battle is slowly fading from Eleusis, and you stand before a throne made of stone that they all pretend not to see the Norse runes etched on, and with your head held high, you claim the title you were born to hold.

Anassa of free Greece.

____

It is the sight in the night you offer a feast to honor the first families that are joined in marriage under your rule that Freydis notices something off about you.

Granted, a celebration in your home is almost nothing like the celebrations she participated in while in Kattegat; the games are very different and so is the music, the food is fascinatingly strange and the people less so, but still as fascinating; but she is unable to stop herself from comparing it to a feast in Kattegat, to the nights of music and loud people all around you, to the breathed laughs you’d let out and all the different smiles you would offer in the course of one night.

And while the world around you is familiar once again, and the people are warmer and kinder, and the music is more refined and the food sweeter; you…you remain distant. And your breathed laughs are mere chuckles for the benefit of others, and the smiles you offer do not stray from two varieties she sadly knows well: the false smiles and the wistful ones.

So, she approaches you. Quietly, you both know by now there aren’t words that need to be exchanged, she takes a seat next to you.

As who awakens from a dream, you turn your gaze to Freydis and offer a smile. A warmer one, a truer one, and that fills her hollow chest with something indescribable.

But instead of saying anything, or accepting the impossible calm in the midst of the chaos of the celebrations as you sit side by side, you stand up and extend a hand.

“Walk with me?”

Freydis doesn’t hesitate to take your hand, and when you don’t let go as you start walking through the balconies of the temple, she dares to intertwine her fingers with yours.

“You seem…different tonight.”

“It is strange, sitting there alone,” You tell her, an explanation, an answer to the question she didn’t need voice. “I never knew how to handle power alone. I had Narses, I had Ivar. I was never alone with power, with the decisions, with the…weight.”

“You don’t have to lose yourself because of it.”

“I don’t plan to, I just…if any of them were here, I could…ask them, I could…”

“What would you ask?”

“If hunger like this is to be expected,” You reply instantly, holding her hand just a tad tighter. You stop walking turning to look out at the sea from the stone balcony, and Freydis cannot help but feel you see much further beyond the horizon when you do. “I am not content with Eleusis, I want…more.”

Freydis smiles, proud and maybe a little mad.

“No one ever expected you to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“What is it you truly want, Freydis?” Galla asks, too convoluted of a question for this early in the morning. Though, Freydis has learned in these passing months that to what her is a morning to Galla is the middle of an afternoon.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

The other woman shrugs, full lips almost in a pout, “Everyone has ambitions. I wonder about yours.”

“If you expect me to name kingdoms, you will be disappointed.”

“I don’t.”

She adverts her gaze, pressing her lips together as she tries to come up with an answer, with a truth that doesn’t have the claw marks of her instinct that begs her to lie.

“Control,” She offers, before scrunching her face at her own words. It sounds wrong. So, she tries explaining, “I want to…for too long my life has been dictated by the choices of others.”

“Yet you follow a foreign woman to a world so far from yours, you accept her as your leader even if you aren’t of her people.”

“I need only have myself to have something to control. I’ve...learned that.”

“Will you tell me you truly do not hunger for more?” Galla insists, before being interrupted by the door opening with what seems to be a kick.

“I will kill Lysander. Mark my words, I will kill that man one day.” You complain loudly as you enter the room, shrugging off the himation with a frustrated grunt that just makes the task much more complicated for you, resulting in a little angry dance as you fight the piece of clothing that Galla snickers at.

Freydis watches you with a small smile on her lips, unable to keep herself from it. Quietly, she answers,

“We all want more.”

She searches your gaze for a few moments, before finding her words.

“If they were here, what would they say?”

“Narses would tell me to hold my ground, to wait for them to attack but ward them off by showing my strength,” You say, eyes unable to leave the blue of the sea as you continue, “Ivar would tell me to raze it all, to attack before they have time to realize I am a threat.”

“Would you do what any of them would tell you to?” She questions, even though she knows the answer.

She sees it in the curve of your mouth, feels it in the chuckle you let out as your head drops to her shoulder, hears it in the breath that leaves you.

“No, I wouldn’t,” You voice finally, quietly. “I would…I will lure them into attacking. They won’t think me a threat, no sane man would think a witch that stumbled her way into being a conqueror can protect a kingdom. When they step too close, we will attack, we will…reclaim.”

It isn’t what that fool you tricked into loving you would have done, for you aren’t standing tall like a man would and daring the world to come and stop you, because the world won’t hesitate to strike down a woman that dares do such a thing.

It isn’t what the man that offered you a heart and a kingdom yet lost you when he couldn’t give you freedom would have done, for you aren’t biting anger and bloodthirst at the helm of an army wanting to bring the world to its knees, because the anger that burns away at you is not one you will let turn you to ashes as well.

It is what you would do, with all the lessons those men and many others have left you with, but, more importantly, what all the lessons the women you have met and loved have left you with.

With your mother’s faith, with Sieghild’s resolve, with Valdís resilience, with Galla’s cunning.

Freydis doesn’t know what lessons, if any, she might have left you with. Yet as time goes by, and you both return to this same place, to this same home that isn’t the stone walls of the temple but something more, something more permanent than that; she realizes she never need leave you with any lesson, much like she refuses to acknowledge any lesson you may leave her with.

Because that would imply that one day you won’t be side by side. If Freydis accepts she leaves you with her loyalty, or her perseverance, then that means she leaves you, and she never would. If you leave her with your pride, or your strength, then there is a world possible where you are lost to her, and that simply cannot be.

I never knew how to handle power alone, you told her. But you never were. Alone, that is.

Her fingers intertwined with yours, her presence at your side, her shoulder for you to lean your head on as you both look ahead at the place where the sky meets the sea; and Freydis hopes you know that, just as she prays quietly, to whatever Gods may here, that neither of you ever know what it is like to be alone again.

____ ____ ____

Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it!

I’ll post the epilogue in a week or so, maybe earlier :)

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius​ @heavenly1927​ @toe-vind-ek-jou​ @xbellaxcarolinax​ @angelofthorr​ @samsationalwilson​ @peachyboneless​ @1950schick​ @punkrocknpearls @ietss​​ @itsmysticalmystery​​ @revolution-starter​​ @the-a-word-2214​​ @fae-sedai​​ @crazybunnyladysworld​​   @funmadnessandbadassvikings @stupiddarkkside​​ @aprilivar​​ @msrawog​

[devinescribe]

Can I request something that is related to greek mythology since I very much liked your cupid stories. Where Chishiya is Hades and the reader is Persephone. Idk how it will go but yeah something like that. They were doing their thing in the underworld and one day they lose their powers as gods and they were transported to the borderlands. Thanks!

I- yes, love it, here we go-

I don't think you guys know how obsessed I was with Greek mythology as a kid, and how it translated into my life as of right now. Like... I'm a full blown witch now for the gods' sake. Like, I'm excited-

Love Older Than Time

Chishiya Shuntaro × Reader

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of kidnapping, your mom is kinda sorta psycho

"Y/N? Have you been in the fields of Elysium this whole time?" You heard a voice ask behind you. You recognized who it was almost immediately, even without turning around. It was Chishiya. You turned to face him with a bright smile, nodding. "I'm sorry if I worried you... it's just pretty here," you apologized, standing up. You dusted off your dress of any dirt that might have gotten on it, walking to him. He sighed as you walked over to his side, grabbing his arm. "My dear, you have your personal garden within our palace, you don't need to come out here. You could get hurt, I don't want you getting hurt," he softly repremanded. "I hope you don't plan on becoming like my mother," you joked. He laughed, and shook his head, kissing the top of your head. "No, I won't."

It wasn't that you didn't like your mother, she was just a helicopter parent, never letting you do anything yourself. And ever since the incident with Chishiya, things had become more awkward.

You two walked back inside, the guards greeting you as you made your way through the halls of the palace.

"I mean, it's a ways away from spring my love. I'll still be here for a while more," you said, intertwining your fingers with his. "I'm quite aware, but it still makes me... upset you'll have to leave once more," he explained. You knew that he meant he would be sad when you left. Everyone else had told you. Everyone in the Underworld said the first two weeks, he always asked where you were or looked for you, before realizing you were in the upper world. Others said they caught him in your garden late at night, sleeping in there as it gave him comfort. Sure, he may not have expressed it, but you knew he didn't like it when you left. "Well, I'm glad you miss me when I leave," you whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "You know, there is one person who misses you more than me and that's Cerberus," he said. You laughed, leaning your head onto his shoulder. "I would rather you never leave, but that would be a punishment for you... and I hate seeing you unhappy," he stated. "Now, if I recall, you kidnapped me knowing full well I would be unhappy," you laughed. He looked at you, and back down to the floor. "I did do that, didn't I?" He questioned out loud, not really looking for an answer. "Yes, but you didn't harm me, or force me to do anything. You let me be, and showed me love, patience, and compassion, even when all I did was spit insult after insult... you didn't force me to fall in love with you. You let me be, and let me discover things by myself. Something I'd never been able to do. You didn't treat me like a prisoner. I felt more free with you than I did with my mother," you explained, playing with his hands. He hummed in acknowledgement as the large, dark doors to the thrown room opened. You two ruled over the underworld, there was citizens you two had to hear out. It was basically the same as being a king or queen in the mortal world.

You both sat down, ready for the endless complaints of people. "Chishiya, it's rather dark in here my dear," you said softly, noticing how it could seem intimidating to new and old spirits. He flicked his hand, the room being filled with blue light from the torches. "Is this better for you darling? He asked. You nodded happily, and he noticed the yellow flowers growing around you. He smiled softly, knowing that meant you were happy. He never knew making someone else happy would make him feel good, but it did. But only with you.

"So, we only have one person left?" You questioned the guard. They nodded. "It says they're from... well... fuck," Chishiya cursed. You turned to face him. "What's wrong?" You asked, reaching to grab his hand. "Our last and final person is from Tartarus. Please be on your guard, I don't trust any of the people there,'' Chishiya warned, talking to everyone in the room.

Tartarus was the place were all the bad people went. You would have had to do something extremely wrong to get sent there. Heroes got into the fields of Elysium. That's where all the greatest people went. The common person would go to the Asphodel Fields, where their souls would slowly lose who they were. Few people from Tartarus ever came to see you two. To do that, you had to be on almost perfect behavior for the Furies. Which almost never happened.

He noticed the roses and poison ivy that had grown around you. Those were intentional, he observed, seeing as your hand had softly stretched over your legs. You were ready to create a barrier incase of an emergency. The doors swung open, and a woman limped in. There were bruises that covered her body, and her long gray hair was messy and frazzled. Her eyes were completely white, making you shiver.

"And what may we help you with today?'' Chishiya asked, looking around cautiously. "To ask why I'm suffering, when the so-called 'heroes' get to live an eternal life of glory," she croaked. You looked over at Chishiya, who was studying the woman. "Explain," he stated, willing to hear her out. After all, he didn't decide who went where. The person's own morals were weighed, and they were dragged into whatever place the spirits you'd placed in charge saw fit.

"I didn't do anything wrong, in my opinion. All those heroes, however have killed countless and sacrificed hundreds for their own success," she said, glancing over at you. You gripped onto the edge of your throne, your knuckles turning white. You and Chishiya were both aware of what she was trying to do. She was using the fact that you had more empathy towards people, and using it to her advantage. She somehow knew that Chishiya didn't have the final words in everything, and that you helped decide as well. It was pissing him off that someone would use your kindness against both of you. He snapped his fingers, and a piece of parchment appeared in a puff of blue fire. "Would you like to read this out loud, or should I my dear?" He asked you, a sly smirk finding it's way across his face. "I'll read it," you said. He handed you the parchment, and you began reading it in your head quickly. "It seems you practiced magic? Lady Hecate must be pleased," you commented. She hummed, and you continued on. "Alright. I don't se- oh my... Chishiya, darling... you read this please," you said, reading why the spirits had chosen to put her in Tartarus. "You kidnapped children? For magic?" He questioned. "They were going to turn out evil. The oracle told me so," she said. Your stomach churned in disgust. "Where did you find the Oracle?" You questioned, knowing full well mortals loved to pretend to be the Oracle of Apollo, just to trick others. "In the woods. She was there everyday, and would tell me which ones," she explained. She was obviously lying. She kidnapped them out of her own free will, and you could prove it. Chishiya could see that she was lying. Was she stupid or just that narcissistic that she lied to two gods?

"See, we can both see through your lies. Given the fact that you did horrible things to children, and lied to both of us, I see no mistake with where you were placed. Have a good day," Chishiya said, dismissing her. She began laughing, and you clenched your hand tighter. The roses growing around both of you weaved together even more, the thorns becoming sharper and thicker. She began saying something in a different language, and Chishiya pulled you up with him. "Guards, please take her back," He ordered, holding you protectively. Before the guards could grab her, however, a cloud of purple and blue engulfed both of you. You screamed at the burning sensation it brought, holding onto Chishiya tightly. The pain was to much for you, and the last thing you remembered before passing out was Chishiya yelling something.

You woke up with a stary, sitting up quickly in fear. You looked around, seeing Chishiya besides you. You gasped, shaking him gently. "Chishiya! Chishiya, wake up!" You shouted, scared at the idea he might not. Sure, gods couldn't die, but they could be stuck in comas. And that was a big fear. He groaned, his eyes slowly opening, and you sighed in relief. "Chishiya, where are we?" You asked, hugging him tightly. "I... have not the vaguest idea, (Y/N)," he answered softly. You looked around, noticing abondoned streets, and plastic bags along with other articles of trash getting carried away by the wind. There was not a single soul in sight. "What do we do then?" You asked. "We send ourselves back home," he said. You nodded, and placed your hands down on the floor. Nothing happened. You stared in confusion, trying again. "I-its not... it's not working," you stuttered. You were nervous, and scared. He could tell, even without the flowers that grew around you. That's when it pressed in his head that flowers that showed your emotions always grew around you. You couldn't even control thay, they just did. "(Y/N)... I think that witch sent us to the mortal world... and somehow took our powers," he suggested. Your eyes widened, and you looked at him. "B-but only... only gods can do that to other gods! An-and.... wait.... look Chishi," you stammered, pointing at a piece of paper. This one was different, seeing as it wasn't moving like the other pieces of trash. You crawled over to it, picking it up. "Do forgive me (Y/N), I was only meaning to send Chishiya, but as usual, he finds a way to rope you into his business against your will. You're both stuck here until you complete the deadly games with the other mortals. And yes I say other mortals, because... well, you're mortals until you complete the games. I hope you know I only wanted to send Chishiya away so you and I could be together for a bit, I do miss you so. Love, and Goodluck, mom..." you read, tears filling your eyes. Chishiya held onto you tightly as your tears fell onto the paper. "Your mother is a psychopath. Noted," he whispered. You chuckled through your tears, as he rubbed circles into your back. "What do we now?" You whimpered. "Play the games, I assume. It's the only way to get back," he answered. "But she said they were deadly... we could die!" You exclaimed. He brought you closet to him, placing your head on his chest. He placed a hand protectively behind your head, trying to calm you down. "I won't let you die.... and neither would your mother. And it won't come to that either, because I will do everything in my power to protect you," he said quietly. You took several shaky breaths, grabbing onto him. "You mean we protect each other, right?" You questioned. "I'll that makes you feel better," he answered.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Yay!! This was so much fun to write and I'm so glad I got it done! Also, I apologize for any spelling mistakes I may not have caught!