#his recovery is phenomenal

[warpedwings]

[nerdyqueerr]

even tho im technically a 5e perma-dm i havent been doing it for long enough to get truly fed up, especially since i still want to run the one big 5e fantasy game i never had the chance to do. Plus I have some engaged 5e players who help me keep the ones who dont even understand game rules on track. Having a second play group where i dont gm (hi owen!) also helps. My 5e players were down to try new systems and although they don't seem to share my excitment for finding new games, they're clearly down to follow me when I do - which raises the issue that I'd like some of them to gm stuff sometimes, mostly bc ive never been on the other side of the table with this specific group and I'd like to try.

[joeburrowshaircurl]

Victory Sunday

paring: Joe Burrow x reader

words: 1,223

warnings: mention of sex twice but not written out, & fluff

a/n: Wanted to get this out yesterday on actual victory Sunday, but things happened that delayed it. Here is a lazy day with Joe on victory Sunday after the nail biting win against the Broncos!

Your eyes opened slowly, a small groan falling from your lips as you stirred slightly, shifting your position to lie on your back and stretch. The room was dark, the early morning sky just barely turning blue through the curtains in front of the bedroom windows. Your phone said 5:00am which was your normal wake up time. But after all of the emotions that had been experienced at last nights over time win against the Broncos, you had stayed up late and your body craved more sleep. But it wasn't happening.

The victory sex with Joe had been phenomenal, your body ached in all the right ways and your mind was clear with contentment. Joe was facing away from you, having moved from his position with his arm around you at some point in the night. Carefully, you got out of bed. The last thing you wanted to do was wake Joe so early after he had long day.

After getting dressed into some leggings and one of Joe's shirts and sweatshirts, you made your way downstairs, clipping your hair up out of the way. It was time to make some breakfast. You cooked for Joe whenever you got the chance, it made you happy and brought you two closer together. It was also one of your love languages.

You hooked up your phone to the bluetooth speaker and picked out a playlist from the 1940s and 1950s that had old radio commercials mixed in with the songs. It was the perfect playlist for a relaxing morning while you got busy cooking.

You were in the middle of stirring the home fries you had cut and seasoned, gasping softly in surprise when you felt arms wrap around you and lips on your neck. "Mornin'" Joe's voice was heavy with sleep in your ear.

"Good morning." You set your wooden spoon down to be able to turn around, get on your tippy toes and wrap your arms around Joe to give him a big hug. "I was hoping you'd sleep longer." You frowned with concern as you looked up at Joe.

"I know, but you know I'm up early with you. " He caressed your side gently. Thank you for breakfast."

"You're welcome, and I know." You repeated with a small smile, touching his cheek before you turned back around to stir the potato bits more so they wouldn't burn. You also turned off your speaker. "Breakfast is almost ready."

You didn't fail to notice the stiff walk that Joe made on his way over the fridge. He had been sacked 7 times last night, and had been hurting last night. But this morning it seemed on another level. "Are you going to take a bath today?" You asked as you grabbed a couple plates from the cabinet.

"Mmm maybe." Joe poured some water for you two. "I already took one last night. Could use a massage." A grin tugged at the edge of his lips as he put the water pitcher back in the fridge.

You pretended to be upset and roll your eyes but the smile didn't fade from your face as you plated all of the breakfast food you had cooked. "I'll keep that in mind, maybe later." You wanted to tease him and keep him guessing. He knew exactly what you were doing. If he let you be there to help with his recovery, you would always eagerly help. And he knew that too.

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

The day had been slow and relaxing with light work outs and catching up on movies. Joe had also gotten his massage to ease his stiffness, and Joe had treated you with sex afterwards as a thank you. Then it was time for football watching in the afternoon with snacks. You and Joe were curled up on the couch with a blanket over both your laps as you watched the days games, his fingers running through your hair as you stayed close to him. Once in a while one, or both of you would sit up suddenly or exclaim after a play or a flag. Football was something that had brought you together when you were friends in the beginning.

The Colts lost their game against the Giants which gave you more hope that the Bengals would make it to the playoffs. But there was still the Steelers game and the Dolphins and Broncos needing to lose. The Steelers game was going to particularly stress you out, but you wanted to enjoy this slow day with Joe before the madness started.

"What do you want for dinner?" You asked after you checked the time.

"What about take out from Jeff's?" His favorite steakhouse, usually reserved for special occasions but you weren't going to turn down the opportunity.

"Sounds good to me." You grabbed your phone off the side table to bring up the online ordering. Once you picked what you wanted, you handed it to Joe and got up to grab your wallet so you pay at the restaurant when you picked the food up. What you didn't know was that he was already paying for dinner with his card and was having it delivered instead.

"Can you grab my ipad please on the way back?" Joe called out to you to stall you. He was able to order in time and get rid of the tab on your phone before he sat back, happy with himself.

"Did you get what you want?" You asked as you handed him is iPad, not even thinking to check your phone. You had nothing to hide and trusted Joe to complete the check out since it wasn't the first time you had done this.

"Yep, I'll set." He watched you as you went to grab your shoes, it would take some time to get to the restaurant downtown. "I'll come with you, let me just change." He called out before he ran upstairs. He wasn't actually going to change but he needed to pretend to, and he took his sweet time too, which annoyed you even more.

"Joe come on, the food is going to be cold by the time we get there!" You yelled up the stairs after he hadn't come back down in a while. Then you spotted lights outside the driveway which made you nervous. "Was Ja'Marr or Tee supposed to come and you didn't tell me?" it wasn't abnormal for them to come over and talk about work.

"Yeah should be them!" He called back before he grinned and made his way out of the bedroom while you answered the door, surprised to see a delivery driver from Jeff Ruby's.

"Oh! I l must have chosen delivary by mistake instead of pick up. Let me pay you." You opened your wallet that you had been holding since you had gotten it while Joe had been ordering.

"All taken care of." The driver smiled as he handed the bag over. "Have a great night, enjoy!" You were baffled as the driver turned to walk back to their van.

"T-thank you!" You called you hurriedly, not wanting to forget your manners before you shut the door, wondering if you had paid but thought you hadn't. Then you saw Joe with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face as he made his way over to you to take the bag.

"I paid." He kissed your cheek as he pried the bag gently out of your grip, the shock still on your face. "Felt like treating my girl."

His girl.

The words made your legs feel like jello. No one had treated you like this before. "Now let's get our food and get back to football watching." You were sucked back into reality by Joe's words as you slowly followed him into the kitchen, your brain still spinning. What had you done to deserve all this?

[sibillascribbles08]

Big Ol' Rottmnt Fic Rec List

Hi, I've needed to do this for a while, so here's a big bundle of fic recs from me !

I've broken it down between one shots, chaptered fics, and series. I'll try to mention what the character focus is along with a brief summary and some personal thoughts. If you need more details I encourage you to check the fics summary and tags for yourself! I will only include an author's tumblr account if it's easy for me to find haha

One Shots

Mama's Boy - ashtreelane: Technically two chapters but it feels like a one shot. Casey Jr. angst, involving him finding out that maybe you can fix kraang infections and that he failed to save his mother. I love when people really pile the grief on Junior after all the fighting is over and the fic does it so well.

Forget-Me-Nots - GibbousLunation (AKA @klunkcat ): Hi, oh my god??? Leo and Mikey centric angst, in which saving Leo from the prison dimension has an insane ripple effect. Mikey dying? Nah he's going to start getting erased from every timeline and Leo slowly watches it happen (and refuses to do nothing about it). I utterly adore how this fic handles this concept. You see almost all of it from Leo's POV, noticing the little changes but writing them off as memory failures, because of how subtle some of it is.

Fight or Flight - pickledcarrotsandradish: Leo centric, post movie, Leo keeps waiting for his family to start lecturing him about all the dumb stuff he did during the invasion, and they aren't, so it's getting to him. A very neat narrative about how self loathing can warp our perception of how others see us. A++++

The Friend Zone Sounds Pretty Good, Actually - Cryptvokeeper: Eating this, eating this. You probably already know I love aroace Leo and this fic is an INCREDIBLE exploration of that. Even as just an ace person it hit SO many notes where I was just like "Oh god... I've been there buddy". And as a bonus the dynamic between Leo and Yuichi is v sweet. Love this a lot I've read it like five times.

Pink in The Night - unnamedmystery: Incredible April/Sunita fic. Like seriously this author wrote April's crush so well I think I was starting to fall in love with Sunita. Just incredibly cute all the way through, and great April writing, adore it.

《 until then, matriarch 》 - chiangyorange: HI OH MY GOD A nice chunky oneshot about Karai, about her being a leader, and it's phenomenal. It hits and hits and does not miss, really going in depth about her emotions involving her father turning into something wicked and having to destroy him, and how it ruins all of her good memories.

The Kindness of Collision - SpoonerizedSwiftness (AKA @splickedylit ): Hi I still remember the fic and the art suddenly showing up in the tag and then I was thinking about it for the next like five weeks aslkdjf A very interesting idea that when the turtles reach the age they were in the doomed timeline before things got reset, all the memories of their other life more or less hit them like a train. All of them have to comb through that information and it's a wonderful and emotional ride.

Chaptered Fics

Hamartia - Punable (in progress): Hi this is one of my all time favorite rise fics, mainly because in a way, it helped me come to terms with my chronic pain. It's Donnie centric and smack full of angst in all the best ways. Shorthand summary, an explosion in Donnie's lab almost takes him out (or kind of DOES take him out) and the recovery is not only long and agonizing, it may only go so far, and Donnie doesn't cope well with that.

Kick It Up a Notch - Brokenpitchpipe (completed): Hi this is my other all time fav rise fic. Donnie centric separated AU in which Donnie is raised by Draxum. My love for it stems a lot from the characterization of Donnie though, and even Draxum in this case. Not to mention that in a lot of cases it matches the vibes of the show. And in spite of all the humor, there's a few really gut wrenching moments. 10/10 will re-read.

Lightning in Our Fingertips Today - DaFlangsLairde (AKA @daflangstlairde-art) (completed): Leo and Donnie centric, mostly angst, with body swapping between the twins which results in Donnie finding out that Leo's ninpo hurts him. Love love love the character writing in this, and also how the swap is written.

Under Pressure - ParvumAutomaton (completed): Not sure this is a single character focused fic, but basically April goes cave diving and is out for a while, and the turtles get worried and go looking for her. This might be personal bias but as someone who gets really into caving stories, this fic hits the spot for so many reasons. A really great emotional ride, and if you wanna see April go through it then I super recommend it.

Nothing Haunts Us (like the things we don't say) - mad_and_thick_as_theives (completed): A lot of great fics by this author btw, but this one personally stood out to me. It starts of silly and light only to sweep in with the emotional weight. Turtles are all cursed with a truth spell, basically, but I think my favorite bit is who gets out of it first (and why). V sweet.

Creation of a Philospher's Stone - IgnisCanis (completed): Whoooo boy, if you want some Draxum centric character exploration this is a great one. It really fleshes him out as a morally grey character and also does a fantastic job at writing Mikey when he finds out.

The Ol Switcheroo - radishhqueen (AKA @radishhqueen) (completed): Haha not going to lie I have a few by this author (so I'll only tag them once) but MAN. Hands down my favorite take on future leo coming to the past, and maybe I'm biased because I like when those fics actually explore Junior's character in the process buuuuut I love it. Junior's already struggling to adapt himself to the present, and after getting caught up in a foot clan spell which summons his sensei to the present too it really doesn't get any easier.

Vigilantism for Fun and Profit - radishhqueen (completed): The Cassandra Jones fic ever. Zero contest. If you're uncertain about writing Cassandra because she had so little development in the show I encourage you to read this for inspiration (I know it inspired me a lot). It does such a great deep dive into her character post show and a bit of the movie too. Honestly anytime radishh has a Cassandra fic I am clicking.

Tried to Grow Up Good - Sroloc_Elbisivni (AKA @sroloc--elbisivni )(completed): The Casey Jr. fic ever. CRAZY in love with this post movie take on him. It's messy, it's fun, it's so so real and you get a good chunk of Casey Sr. in here too. Adore it.

Hold On (Or Three Times Donatello's Soft Shell Almost Killed Him, and One Time it Saved His Life) - dunk_on_em (AKA @spockazilla )(completed): If you ever want a bit of angst involving Donnie's shell this is my go to. Every chapter has an emotional swing, even the positive ones. And shows something most people might see as a disadvantage as a good thing, actually.

Atlas, My Brother - swampcryptid (AKA @the-name-is-rizzotherat)(in progress): Get your Raph angst, specifically involving him always shielding his siblings, this time via a curse. My guy is already going through it and I think it'll get worse if a solution isn't found.

I've Got You Under My Skin - Cass_Phoenix (in progress): More Raph angst, and some Donnie, a truly chilling exploration of the possible consequences to connecting with the kraang. This fic constantly has me on the edge of my seat, and constantly stressing for Raph.

What We Leave Behind (How We Start Anew) - iam57311 (AKA @iam-57311)(in progress): Any Baronjitsu fans here? An alternate take on canon in which Draxum and Splinter co-parent the kids since they're first born (made?) Hilariously while I love the Baronjitsu content in here, I think some of my favorite parts are actually with the sisters, Big Mama, and Draxum's sister who is so so cool I love her.

Proof of Redemption - iam57311 (complete): Another one of theirs! A short and sweet lil close to canon fic about Draxum steadily gaining the trust and affection of the Hamatos, with each chapter focused on a different character. I love how they're all paced out from each other, really hits how some are much slower than others to trust Draxum hehe.

No Crime* Only Brooches - OllieTheScribe (AKA @olliethescribe) (in progress): Well I have to get THE HypnoWarren fic in here. Such a fun take on these characters, I love love love the backstory they built up for Warren too, plus the dynamic between these two and the turtles after (eventually) become friends haha.

Minor Interference - bambiraptorx (AKA @bambiraptorx) (in progress): What can I say? This fic is delightful. Between the hilarity of the turtles going with Draxum just to mess with him, the lore additions for yokai and the Hidden City, HoH Donnie, and their slowly building dynamic, always eager for a new chapter with this one.

Series

A Butterfly with a Mechanical Wing - Amethyst_Goldenwind (AKA @amethystgoldenwind ): Donnie centric series about being a non-verbal autistic. I'm always fond of non-verbal/mute explorations of characters, and so far I really like how, because his family has grown up with it, all of it is very normal for them. The various forms of communication are delightful. Excited to see further entries.

Analogous Hues - alwerakoo (AKA @alwerakoo): It's a separated AU with similar titling themes as my own, needed to check it out. The titles are just about all they have in common though! This AU focuses a lot on the turtles (Raph and Leo with Splinter and Donnie and Mikey with Draxum). I love how this explores not only the dynamics of the two groups and how different they are, but also the dynamics between each of the siblings, also how some magic sibling connections can influence that. Not to mention the different home life in more ways than one. If you're into separated AUs that really dig into the turtles dynamics try this one out !

[court-jobi]

Hi, is there any Headcanon of a Married relationship between Izuku Midoriya and the reader? Could you write based on the Canon? Although the Reader, besides being a heroine (Izuku the teacher), is a model for clothing brands, cosmetics, etc! like any celebrity.

The reader is female!

ooooo~ how fun, anon! Let's see what I got... first headcanon request, here we go!!

A/N: I've gotten several fun asks recently, and am moving those larger works to the top of my WIPs as time allows. This is so fun, and you all suggesting prompts like these make it a joy!

For my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Pairing: Izuku Midoriya x Fem!reader (SFW)

MARRIED HEADCANONS!

Married!Izuku who -even though you're coming up on your third wedding anniversary- still crams love notes on index cards into your e-reader before he leaves for the day. You have it plugged into the side table of the living room and will pick it up as soon as you come home from work to wind down; so even though he will have a later arrival home than you, you'll hardly feel alone with Izuku's words of affirmation pouring out their surprise greeting.

Izuku writes in the middle of the night when he wakes before you- whether by an overactive mind or a nightmare he'd sooner forget. Rather than disturb your much needed rest, will channel reflective thoughts towards you onto paper- and sneaks their secrets around the house where you'll least expect them. Just when you think you know all his hiding spots, he picks a new one to surprise you. Once satisfied with his "journaling" tactic, he'll scoop you back up against him and settle into sleep.

Married!Izuku who chooses a travel tumbler for you every morning and fills it every time it's empty. Car ride ahead? It's crafted with your homebrewed coffee to keep you awake. Got a photoshoot ahead? Water it is, keeping his love hydrated. You are his beloved beverage goblin and though he finds your car to be a tervis graveyard, what's one more dish to wash if it makes you happy?

This man, who will hiss when your hands are too cold against his, getting ramped up far too easily when it comes to worrying over your health... meanwhile Izuku toughs through the worst of allergies himself with a hundred sniffles (and an aversion to cough medicine.) It's one of the first big arguments you had as a couple: you forcing him to take better care of himself when his self-preservation streak peeks through and nearly wears him into the ground during grad school. He'll start to defend himself, only to be caught by flashbacks to the last time he tried managing things on his own, and rightfully apologize. You are a team, and Izuku tries his hardest to let you step in and give him the same care and caution he gives you. It's a hard lesson, managing pride when it comes to taking care of someone so selflessly, and Izuku is still unused to this treatment when turned to himself. You're doing your best, armed with a world of grace to set him straight.~

Married!Izuku who is a phenomenal teacher. One of the most patient souls you've ever met, which is a large draw that led you to date him! You're encouraged to stretch your ways of thinking, listening to his alternative points of view... and find yourself marveling that a man who's so closely engrossed with training the next generation of heroes is still so happy to watch the news at the end of the day in hopes of learning more!

You've gifted him a notetaking tablet that's meant to replace his waning supply of favorite notebooks, but if you find that blue Campus brand in a shop that's selling your brand deals somewhere, you are absolutely picking it up for him. He cries every time you make him close his eyes and hold out his hands, producing your surprise in giddy silence. "They don't make this edition anymore!! H-HONEY!!"

^^^After a day of sparring with his students -giving them a run for their money- you'll be the one patching him up out of sight of Recovery Girl, everything from a lightly busted lip to each blooming bruise he's gonna feel in the morning. You're surprised he's getting hit as much as he is when he's still renowned as one of the heartiest teachers at UA- quirk or not, he is no lightweight. You may worry over him just as much, but with your honorary brother-in-law 'Kacchan' running drills on him on the weekends, you know Izuku is in tip-top shape. No one is invincible, after all.

Will gladly talk to your mom on the phone~ welcomes it, actually! Izuku wants to learn every little tidbit and creature comfort he can about you, so any nerves he had about meeting your family when you began dating dissolved once he kept that goal in mind. (This mentality won your father over well, to a comical degree once Izuku showed him the notes folder on his phone with your die-hard favorite secret pleasures only a loved one would know...) Allmight makes his trip to your dinner table every other week or so, becoming a ready and available father figure to you while yours lives hours away. It does your heart a world of good sitting in his nurturing company.

Married!Izuku will carry your luggage to and from the airport without a single grunt or complaint (That's what he continues to work out for, even as a teacher!) A few tears upon departure and arrival, sure, but will always ground himself steady in his pride over the hard work you're putting in. He's the one who calls to wish you a goodnight when you're on location for hero support, and a sends a text for every morning and lunch break. Regardless of timezone, he's going to make sure you are part of his routine like nothing's changed. You rely on this consistancy more than life. Living apart -even short term- is expected at this stage of your career where you're needed more than ever to help fund your hero ventures through sponsorships... but Izuku will forever be your biggest supporter.

///Little does he know, you are cramming in twice as many roles to help fund a certain someone's hero suit development, per Bakugou's discretion. It's the one, solitary lie of omission you keep from your husband, but one you trust is going to be worth it in the end to see him shine where he wants to once again. He'll always be your hero, but you'll help him see that realized self any way you can.///

Married!Izuku will be flooding the groupchat with every single advertisement that features your face. Every last one. And there are many. The girls will share you on each of their socials in support of whatever you are sporting, while the boys will... look respectfully and congratulate Izuku on his absolute knockout of a girl. Izuku is just insanely proud of his wife and will make it everyone's problem~

He may be operating on a teacher's salary, but is the most thoughtful gift-giver. Married!Izuku will choose experiences over 'things' when it comes to you, like vacationing to the largest library in the world where you can spend hours holed up on a loveseat somewhere, taking notes on all the old tomes you find, using those classic academia desks as if you were still at the 'study abroad' college where you met... Trip planning gives you both something to look forward to amidst your busy schedules, and takes the financial pressure off you both as well. Not that he won't still treat you to just about anything you ask for when you're giving him that sweet, small 'please' standing in the checkout line at the corner store...

Married!Izuku, who misses you adorably when you're not home. He runs a fairly typical working schedule that lines up with yours for the most part-- makes him the happiest, coming home to you! You adhere to a few sacred rules in your shared home: you always go to bed together, you can occasionally go to bed angry- but always remain in each other's corners, and you know giving him head scritches is the easiest way to make Izuku pliant enough to sleep. He'll nurse your migraines that aren't so pretty, you'll give his hands massages when the phantom pains make them ache. Whatever you can do to give your man some ease into his life, you give wholeheartedly.

You'll kiss Izuku's every trouble away; and the ones that linger, you'll tend to as gently as you can until you can replace the thoughts with something sweeter, kinder, delicately on his still-healing heart when the embers remind him of old hurts you weren't around to see. You care for Deku just as you do your darling Izuku- as they are two sides of the same coin. You polish and affirm them both, strengthening all the parts that have made your life partner the man he is today. That made him him.

Married!Izuku: your darling husband with eyes that light up when you enter a room, mist up when they see you down, and stare eternally grateful on you as you listen and take in every word he has to give and through every promise shared-- just like your vows.

[rwrbficrecs]

A combined rec list for July & August ❤️

Before This, After That by @orchidscript (book-verse)

@dot524: Henry has a serious horse-riding injury and is in a downward spiral with his recovery until Therapist Alex pulls him out of it. I liked the sharp-edges interaction between them as they fall for each other. I actually read this one a while ago and it was just as good as a reread!

The darkest part of the forest by @everwitch-magiks (book-verse)

@suseagull04: I've loved this entire series, but this was my favorite by far so far! The way the author does world building in her fics is incomparable, even in a fic this short! I would love if she decided to make this a multichapter someday!

Count The Stars and Constellations by @everwitch-magiks (book-verse)

@suseagull04: I've said it once already this month, but it bears repeating: the way the author does world building in her fics is absolutely phenomenal! This one's an outer space saga for the ages, plus it's a multichapter, so we get to see Alex and Henry fall in love over the span of several years, and it's a bit angsty, but absolutely worth it!

An Exquisite Temptation by @tinyarmedtrex (book-verse)

@na-dineee: Henry became a Catholic priest to escape his homophobic family. Never did he expect to meet a stunningly attractive and equally charming, mouthy Texan who would seriously challenge his devout faith. Y'all can guess where this is headed, right? Delicious in so many ways: emotional, full of ‘80s vibes, angsty, smutty—an absolute masterpiece! Chef’s kiss!

How to get over Henry Fox: A list by dazedandconfused (book-verse)

@na-dineee: This AU is set in 2002, and Alex breaks up with the love of his life Henry. Even though it's clear they’d only be apart for a year, the story is still so gut-wrenching. The hurt and angst really got to me—reading that fic is a challenge, but it's absolutely worth it.

late night devil (put your hands on me) by @nine-butterflies (book-verse)

@suseagull04: The way this author took a 4 chapter fic and gave the world so much history and lore is absolutely incredible! Plus there are so many moments of Alex and Henry's relationship that're reminiscent of the book. Everything about this fic is amazing- and it's also definitely a good fic if you're looking for something for Halloween when it arrives soon!

right there beside him (all summer long) by @theprinceandagcd (book-verse)

@daisymae-12: The winter in Australia had me craving a story with summer vibes and this fic was perfect for that. Loved everything about this fic!!

Interrupted (series) by RadioFriday (book-verse)

@dot524: Henry is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, just like his dad was. This story follows him and Alex through their painful journey, including the end of it and beyond. Read this if you’re in the mood to have your heart broken, over and over.

the very essence of love by dollarstoreannabethchase (book-verse)

@suseagull04: It's RWRB, but from Henry's POV. The angst of the original is heightened in this (believe it or not, it can be done), but that makes the ending that much sweeter, and I loved the insight into Henry's thoughts!

somewhere in your world by @callmevenji (book-verse)

@na-dineee: Prince Henry, student at Oxford, tries to reach a hook-up gone wrong – and ends up texting someone else entirely: Alex. A deep chat friendship unfolds, while simultaneously Henry begins to fall for the charismatic FSOTUS. Whether it’s the universe at work, coincidence, or fate, the pleasure of reading this heartfelt fic is indescribably beautiful !!

In the Grand Scheme of Things by @itsmaybitheway (book/movie-verse)

@suseagull04: Meet cute at a wedding, instant attraction, intellectual banter- this fic has it all! Plus this is the best AU characterization of firstprince I've seen in a while, it's fantastic!

marked by rizcriz (book/movie-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: a soulmate AU with some extra drama - Henry learns that the reason he hasn't met his soulmate was his grandmother's plotting. Extremely well executed - my heart was breaking and then singing when it all turned out well.

Someday Soon I’ll See You (But Now You’re Out of Sight) by MaryaDmitrievnaLikesSundays (book-verse)

@dot524: In the mood for some intense angst? I needed like two business days to recover from reading this one. The story is a devastating view of complex grief as different characters deal with Alex’s death. I thought that the odd and asynchronous ways the grief manifests for different people was raw, real, and well done.

peace by @raysletters (book-verse)

@suseagull04: This is the Sky High AU I didn't know I needed! I love how this isn't a carbon copy of the movie but uses each character's strengths and weaknesses- and it's also just a very cute magic high school AU, which is just the cherry on top!

Son of a Gun by foux_dogue (book-verse)

@na-dineee: I hope you’ve all read 'It's not a secret' by now? I wasn't aware until it was published, but I needed that follow-up so badly! In this fic, which can be read as a standalone, Alex cuts down his work as a tattoo artist to take care of the kids (good thing Henry is loaded) and inevitably has to deal with the Milton-Saylor Academy Mom Squad. Absolutely wholesome, full of domesticity—just like, excellent!

You Set The Tone by @iboatedhere (book-verse)

@na-dineee: Alex is an emergency room doctor and Henry a pediatrician in the same hospital, and their animosity (read: infatuation) with each other began just as unfortunate as in canon. Their gradual coming together, intertwined with the medical emergencies, is wonderfully crafted. The tension is effortlessly maintained over 70k words, never feeling contrived. I was so moved while reading, it hurt phenomenally good, and I cried more than I have in a long time.

pick your poison babe (im poison either way) by sheWritesToLiveVicariously (book-verse)

@na-dineee: Co-workers to lovers with lots of emotion and a touch of angst—it never gets old, right? This 5+1 story is part of the "little moments that pass us by" series, and like all the stories in it, it's rather short, but full of feeling, very soft, and so touching. I'm already looking forward to hopefully many more fics in this series.

Down In The Valley by @aforgottennymph (book-verse)

@daisymae-12: This Stardew Valley AU was such a lovely read and as an avid stardew valley player, I thoroughly enjoyed all the little easter eggs and references to the game. Even if you’ve never played Stardew, this is still such a sweet and delightful read!!

[bullet-prooflove]

Wes Mitchell + letter 💌 dancing🕺full moon 🌚

Tagging: @kmc1989 @toasted-stiletto @crusoe2000 @vivekaspencer @fanny-123456

Companion piece to:

Budapest

Zserbo

Wes shouldn’t have left the letter, he realises that as he sits at a table in a club called The Full Moon in Madrid, sipping a coke and surveilling their suspect. The idiot has been dancing with a blonde for the past hour and it’s starting to get pornographic. So much so that even Wes is averting his gaze because his idea of a fun night is not watching a drug dealer fingerfuck a stranger on the dancefloor.

He turns his attention back to his phone, to the message you’d text him earlier today.

Sorry Wes, I think it’s time for you to start looking for your own place.

He pushed you too hard, he thinks, trying to get you on board with the flight team. And this is you pushing back. You think he doesn’t know the extent of your psychological issues but you have no idea how deeply familiar he is with PTSD,  the insidiousness of it. He went through 12 foster homes before he found his forever family, he was seven shades of fucked up long before he hit 18.

The thing is you’re a phenomenal investigator, one of the best he’s worked with. The way you work with victims, it’s almost an art form. You have an appreciation for people, a deep emotional intelligence that you just can’t teach back at the academy and Wes wants that on his team. He wants you to be out in the world using your superpower for good.

And that’s the problem, he’s been thinking about his needs and not about yours. He didn’t consider the fact you might not be ready yet, that you’re still coming to terms with what was the most harrowing case of your career. It’s the reason you left the US, why you took up a teaching position at the International Training Academy.

Recovery takes time, his adopted father had told him one night as they sat together drinking chocolate milk. It was something they always did when Wes woke up from the nightmares. A way of turning something negative into a positive. Everyone has to go at their own pace, you can’t force it.

He needs to remember that in the future, that just because he can’t see the struggle  doesn’t mean that it’s not going on.  

His fingertips hover over the keys. It’s hard for him to find the right words for what he wants to say because this should be an actual conversation, not an exchange of messages through the ether.

I pushed you,  he responds, and I’m sorry for that. I should have been more respectful of your boundaries. If you still want me to move out by the time I get back, consider it done.

He sees the three dots appear and then disappear, then reappear before the message comes through.

We’ll talk when you get back.

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[aimbutmiss]

It didn't take Mihawk long to catch up to whatever was going on between Shanks and Buggy.

And no, it wasn't because he used to listen to Shanks sob about the clown at dirty bars on random nights back in the day. His previous knowledge of their relationship was not needed with how obvious the red head was being at the moment.

Shanks watched Buggy's every move, listened to his every word as if they were sacred—as if he'd be punished by God if he missed a single thing.

His eyes moved down, to the red lips.

He licked his own in hunger.

He looked away, biting his lips.

So, Mihawk was no genius, but you didn't need to be one to see the desperate need and want in the man's every move.

Buggy saw it too, he was certain—but he ignored it like his life depended on it. He went out of his way to act like everything was normal between them, as much as he could. But the clown's phenomenal act had its limits too. You could see it crack in the way his breath hitched when their eyes accidentally locked, or when their knees bumped under the table. The recovery was fast after those single seconds, but Mihawk's eyes were faster. He watched, he saw, he knew.

The meeting was (thankfully) over, and Buggy was the first one to rush away despite Shanks' proposal to share a drink, leaving them behind. The man in front of him was clearly down in the dumps, but Mihawk had no intention of consoling him. He had done that on many nights in their youth with nothing in return, so he had learned his lesson the hard way. It was better to let the man drink away his worries on his own, as he usually did.

He was more worried about Crocodile, who had looked on the verge of killing Red Hair the entirety of the meeting. And even now, after everything was over, he was still fuming in the seat beside his. The two men didn't like each other, that was another obvious take away from the night. This meeting was a stupid idea from the beginning—Mihawk was surprised Crocodile agreed in the first place. Maybe it was curiosity that pushed him towards that decision, maybe something else—the man was certainly harder to read than the other two. But now, on his cigar number-God-knows-what, Crocodile probably regretted that decision.

He gently laid a hand on the man's thigh in reassurance, shifting his focus away from Shanks. "We should go home now. Let's not keep Buggy waiting."

Crocodile slowly came to his senses, calming down. He put out his cigar with a smirk, staring at Shanks head on. "You're right." He wasn't acknowledging what Mihawk said, but what he meant. No matter what the red head did it was them who got to go home to Buggy, not him. The frustration was unnecessary.

"It's always nice seeing you, Red Hair." Not necessarily a lie, but said to console Shanks nonetheless. He ended up doing it again... He still did have a soft spot for the sad man after all. With that, Mihawk got up to leave and walked side by side with his "business partner" to where Buggy was waiting for them. He was probably gonna be a lot more silent than usual, lost in his thoughts of the past, but that was okay. He wasn't alone— Mihawk would make sure of that. Because, unlike with Shanks, when he consoled the clown he actually got love in return. It felt nice, being loved after loving your whole life. He was glad he met Buggy, and ended up where they are somehow.

Mihawk was a man who didn't like leaving things to luck, but when it came to this—to them, he was grateful for it.

[alice-after-dark]

Some Quick Author Recs to Spread Some Positivity!

Hey guys! I know things are tough out there right now, so I wanted to take a minute to recommend some awesome authors I know! Take a peek and you won't be disappointed!

Siren_scales - If you've read my work or been on this blog for a bit, you've definitely heard me mention her before. Truly a delightful human who writes the most amazing historical AUs. Cannot recommend enough. You'll find a variety of ships here.

Mangotangerine - I know for a fact some of my followers will recognize this fabulous human. If you don't know who they are, they write some killer RadioStatic (pun intended; there's other ships too but we all know why I'm reading lol). You will laugh, cry, get horny, and question your life choices all in the span of a single chapter!

vixensheart - An absolute sweetie with always a kind word to say. That being said, you wanna cry? She's got you covered. The way she explores characters and their traumas is phenomenal and fascinating. Top flavors are HuskerDust and Stolitz.

suits_n_sours - I'm not usually an Mpreg person, but it's impossible not to love this man's work, especially with such a clever and funny human at the helm! His larger works tackle heartbreaking issues, buuuuuuut if you're looking for something spicier, he's got you covered there too! HuskerDust ahoy!

Braulio - Come ye fluff lovers and rejoice! Braulio is funny and a total sweetheart and it shows in their work. Probably one of the more lighthearted writers on this list, but that doesn't make them any less talented. Might I interest you in a HuskerDust coffee shop AU?

Transparent_Existence - This wonderful human writes some deliciously dark HuskerDust content that showcases just how much of an impact abuse can have on someone and how recovery is not always cut and dry. Feelings are hard and brains are mean, but at least there's love and some spicy treats to get through it.

Go forth and enjoy, my pretties!

[ballsbalb]

i know this is off topic for this blog, but i really think the fallout from this whole ‘defund x, y, and z’ bullshit that trump and his goons are so obsessed with is gonna be so bizarre.

because most institutions, organizations, and individuals who receive a lot of funding from the federal government are rural, right-leaning areas.

“DEFUND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION!”— the DoE is almost purely a financial distribution agency. congress authorizes funds, such as saying ‘x amount of money for arts programs,’ and they distribute that money. most schools receive a vast majority of their funding from local/state agencies/entities, so getting rid of federal funding for schools would disproportionately affect rural communities & schools who don’t get as much from local/state programs, and thus rely heavily on federal funding.

“DEFUND NPR”— that means defunding the federal communications commission, which gives out grants & funding to radio and tv stations. NPR receives less than 1% of their funding from the federal government, and most stations in cities, which tend to be more left-leaning, have similar budgets, with very little of their funding coming from the federal government or the FCC. you know who DOES rely on those federal grants? rural radio stations who talk about shit like crop rotation and tractor prices, which rural communities love. their budgets are often made up of upwards of 80% from federal grants, and will be completely destroyed by defunding of the FCC.

the CDC does vital work with infectious diseases, which disproportionately impact rural communities with minimal access to healthcare.

western NC, which republicans love using as a political tool & which a lot of my family comes from, has been consistently screwed over by the republican-led NC state legislature, who refuse to authorize money for rebuilding, simply because it shifts blame onto the democratic governor & serves their political interests. trump defunding FEMA will greatly harm rebuilding & recovery efforts.

rural areas rely heavily on financial services like social security & medicaid, which the current administration wants to desecrate.

the decreasing max allowable percent of overhead costs from NIH research grants that was announced yesterday will disproportionately impact smaller universities that serve less affluent areas, who rely on overhead money to sustain their infrastructure. it will also harm university-based research hospitals that many people from rural areas travel to & rely on.

i can go on, but it’s just mental to me how incredibly uneducated and ignorant trump supporters are. they’re just dumb. i’m sorry, im not gonna pull the “they’re misguided! they’re uneducated!” yeah, sure. but they’re also just. kind of dumb.

they’ve voted against their own interests because their blind hatred of minorities across the board & their own stupidity is more important to them than actual, meaningful change that helps their communities.

no, i’m not saying that “rural communities deserve bad things.” i’m from the south, trust me, i know how this goes. i’m also not saying all people from rural communities are trumpy morons. again, i’m from the south, i understand this kind of thing. but those who did vote for trump, or didn’t vote at all, and live in rural areas, are absolutely going to get what they voted for & it’ll completely fuck them over, and i’m absolutely done giving them any sympathy. but i absolutely do feel for those who are stuck in rural areas and who aren’t blind hateful assholes. i know many people currently/formerly in that situation, and so many people in rural areas/communities are phenomenal people. i know there are a lot of you guys out there, and this isn’t some kind of ‘well you deserve it for living in a red state’ bullshit, because that’s stupid and illogical.

[newtonsheffield]

Wait... he moves out of the palace after his recovery? Why though? I mean, I guess I know why, but still... why? 😭

Yeah, he moves back out for a little while. Honestly barely 12 weeks when all’s said and done. Basically, Anthony is just… he is trying to adjust to his new situation without Kate and all the help living with her provides.

In the end though Anthony realises that he absolutely can’t sleep anymore without Kate’s hair tickling his nose and her light snoring in his ear. He can’t sleep without her head resting on his chest. And they don’t have to be apart any more. He can stay with Kate and accept her help in his life and that’s fine. Plus Kate’s mattress is way more comfortable than his and the shower pressure is phenomenal 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[apple-and-berry]

My thoughts on the Saudi Arabian GP 24

I am in complete awe of Max Verstappen and seeing him race makes me think why didn't I get into f1 earlier so I could have watched his whole journey. He was phenomenal. Those who called the race boring, I just want to tell them the race wasn't boring Max is just that good. Also when he was asked how does he feels with his 100th podium and he replied saying it's also 88 missed podiums, I wasn't expecting that answer but I understand. I just want to say Max I only have one heart how many times are you're going to win it.

Charles Leclerc started P2 and I was hoping for him to maintain that, don't know what happened there but nonetheless happy for him.

I was shocked with the reveal of Carlos appendicitis and was sad to not see him in the race. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Also apparently this also goes back to Alex Albon's appendicitis. I need someone to explain me that. I was hoping for a double podium for Ferrari but okay next time.

Also Ollie Bearman did a great job considering his hasty entry to f1. I am looking forward to what he does in future because he's got potential. Well deserved driver of the day.

Special mention to McLaren boys, Lando and Oscar were so good. They were amazing and I am hoping podiums for them.

Alpine or Al-pain, they are not looking good.

The best part of the race was Kevin Magnussen's big brain energy to get Haas points. It was weirdly funny to watch.

[waytooinvested]

Forgotten, Not Forgiven - Chapter 30

This and previous chapters are also on AO3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘Here, taste this, tell me what it needs.’

Kara accepted the offered spoon and blew on it before taking the sauce onto her tongue with the considering look of a connoisseur.

‘Hmm… a tiny bit more oregano I think. And a couple of squares of that super intense dark chocolate you think I haven’t discovered yet.’

Lena chuckled, going to fetch the ingredients Kara had suggested.

‘That’ll teach me to think I can hide chocolate from you. I only bought it yesterday, you’re like a blood hound.’

‘What can I say, I take a healthy interest in my snack options. Your chocolate is pretty safe though – I maintain that candy really shouldn’t be bitter. Well, except when you’re adding it to a savoury recipe, then that 90% cocoa stuff is perfect.’

‘I’ll take your word for it.’

Lena knew that the idea of adding cocoa to savoury dishes was hardly a new one, but it still felt instinctively wrong to be dropping squares of chocolate into her marinara, the smell of it as it melted mingling with the tomato and herbs in a blend that was frankly confusing to her senses. It was not a choice she would have made on her own, but she had come to trust Kara’s instincts when it came to flavour.

After a few days of take out and easy freezer-to-oven dinners, Lena had insisted on cooking proper meals (because pot stickers and pizza alone were not nutritionally balanced enough to aid a speedy recovery, even if they did technically contain vegetables), and over time cooking together had become a welcome part of their evening routine. To begin with Kara just sat nearby while Lena cooked, reading aloud to her from whatever book Lena had on the go at the time, or else exchanging stories about what they had each been up to during the day; but as her pain diminished and she started to regain more use of her wrist, Kara had begun to take an interest in the cooking process itself.

After the pancake disaster Lena had (not unreasonably, she thought) felt some trepidation the first time Kara had offered to help make dinner, but they quickly discovered that, as long as Lena took over all charge of the process, they actually made an amazing team. Lena had always enjoyed cooking for herself when she could find the time (she found great satisfaction in taking unrelated parts and bringing them together to make something new and better, whether it was an image inducer or a mushroom and stilton tarte tatin), but it was Kara that was the real surprise. She made short work of anything that needed chopping, grating or mashing and acted as an enthusiastic sous chef for any dish Lena suggested they try, but she really came into her own when it came to flavour combinations, and was inevitably the one to suggest the exact missing ingredient to elevate whatever dish they were making from mere ordinary week night filler to something that could be served with pride at any dinner party.

As usual, once the chocolate was fully stirred in and the sauce had had a few more minutes to combine, Lena found that Kara’s recommendation had been spot on. Her additions added a depth and richness that had been missing before, and nicely balanced out the acidity of the tomatoes to create something that tasted truly phenomenal.

‘Okay, that’s amazing. How did you know that would work?’

Kara grinned and shrugged, half smug, half bashfully pleased with the compliment.

‘I guess there have to be some advantages to basically being a walking stomach. I’ve tried a lot of different flavours, and I pay attention to what makes things go well together.’

‘Well, I’m impressed. I grew up in a house with a professional chef on staff, and some of your dishes could rival his.’

‘Not without you they couldn’t. I get too distracted when I’m cooking, and either eat half the ingredients as I go or else mess up my timings and end up with a burned crust at the bottom of the pan.’

‘We’re the dream team.’

‘Yup!’

Lena couldn’t help thinking how many other things that applied to in their new shared experience beyond simple meal prep. Now they had settled in and Kara was able to do more for herself, living together was becoming comfortable in a way she had never imagined cohabiting with another person could be. Even with Jack, who she really had loved, sharing their space had felt like an ongoing negotiation to maintain a balance between her comfort and his, both of them having constantly to give ground in order to maintain domestic harmony.

It wasn’t like that with Kara. There was compromise of course, but it never felt like a fight. It felt more as though the two of them were a team, working together to solve whatever the problem was rather than just trying to get their own way. Like when Kara had started feeling homesick for her own apartment around about the two week mark, and they talked it through and then Lena brought over a whole load of her things to make the penthouse feel more like home. It could have been a disaster of clashing taste and excess clutter, but it wasn’t. They had spent a happy afternoon decorating together, Kara sitting on the couch with her injured leg propped up while Lena followed her suggestions for where to put things: a painting Kara had done here, some bright throw pillows there, a couple of cosy woven blankets draped over the back of the sofa where they could be grabbed and snuggled under while watching a movie.

What they ended up with was a blend of both their styles that shouldn’t have worked, but somehow did. Lena had always thought that she preferred her spaces to be clear and modern, as far removed from the dark, old money clutter of the Luthor Mansion as she could get, but she found now that she liked this so much better. It was cosy and friendly, and it reminded her of how safe and happy she had always felt in Kara’s apartment. Having her things here side by side with Lena’s own felt right, like this was their home, not just hers.

She didn’t like to dwell on just how much she loved that feeling, because if she did she would be forced to remember how fleeting it was. Kara was getting stronger every day, and was already well enough to have started working from home, though she was yet to return to the office. And her recovery was a good thing, of course. A wonderful thing. But Lena couldn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach when she remembered how soon the time would come when all this would be over, and she would have to go back to living alone in a place that would feel too big, too sterile, too unnaturally quiet without Kara and all her things to breath life and warmth into it.

And of course when Kara moved back to her own apartment Lena would have no more excuses to put off fulfilling her unspoken promise to track down Lex, and however that played out, it was bound to change things. Even with her best case scenario, where she successfully killed Lex before he could kill her and made it out with the cure, restoring Kara’s memories would bring an end to this cosy domestic bubble they had made for themselves. And if somehow they managed to work through all of their history and found they still loved each other on the other side of that, Kara would go back to juggling her work at Catco with saving the city while Lena returned to being a proper full time CEO. They would both have much less time for just hanging out together, learning to make their own pot stickers and practising Singstar duets, especially when they no longer lived under the same roof.

But, she reminded herself, they weren’t there yet.

Kara might be well enough to write articles from her nest on the couch and hobble to and from the bathroom with the assistance of crutches now, but her leg was going to be in plaster for a few more weeks, and she wasn’t done recovering yet.

She still needed Lena.

They still had time.

‘Are you okay love? You look a million miles away.’

Lena turned to meet Kara’s gently concerned look with a smile, letting her spiralling thoughts fade into the background to be replaced by the much more tangible presence of their evening plans.

‘I’m good. Just pondering what movie we should watch after we eat. I think I’m in the mood for something cheerful tonight.’

‘How about Singin’ in the rain?’

‘Again?’

‘Well, how could you not feel cheerful listening to those songs? But I’m open to other options. Actually I was looking for movie night ideas online yesterday and thought it might be nice to watch Imagine Me & You some time… would you be up for giving it a try? I think it’s mostly cheerful. There’s a happy ending for definite.’

Lena had never heard of ‘Imagine Me & You’, but mostly cheerful with a happy ending and something other than the musical they had watched four times since Kara moved in was okay with her.

‘Sure, sounds great.’

They ate their (excellent) meal and then Kara loaded the dishwasher while Lena brought the crockery over to her and wiped down the surfaces. They could have left it for the cleaners to take care of in the morning, but the shared chore felt easy, natural, a routine they had performed over and over and could gladly perform a thousand times more, if given the chance.

When the kitchen was back to rights they grabbed a bottle of wine and a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, and settled down on the couch. They were long past the point of sitting cautiously apart on the more-than-big-enough-not-to-touch sofa, and Kara’s shoulder was pressed up against Lena’s before she had even managed to work the lid free from the ice cream.

‘How many tubs do we still have left?’

‘About eight.’

‘And we’ve eaten…?’

‘… about eight.’

Kara laughed, bopping her head gently against Lena’s as she dug her spoon into the banana-nut-fudge that was tonight’s flavour of choice.

‘I can’t believe you bought sixteen flavours of ice cream just to cheer me up.’

‘Well, you were sad and in pain and I wanted to make you feel better – I’d have bought more, except I also needed room for all the frozen potstickers and oven-ready pastries.’

‘Ohhh those were so good. I felt like I’d just walked into a Parisian bakery on our croissant mornings.’

‘Now we’ve got into the swing of cooking we should try making some from scratch. I bet you could come up with some really interesting breakfast pastry flavour combinations’ Lena suggested.

‘Yes, lets do that on Saturday! First flavour possibility, banana, walnut and fudge. What do you think?’

Kara held out the ice cream tub to Lena, and she dug her spoon in to sample.

‘Hm… banana – not my usual go to, but I could be convinced as long as we used real ones, and could be paired with a custard base. Walnuts would add a nice crunch and flavour. Fudge… pretty good in the ice cream, but I’m not sure about the pastry.’

‘You’re right, semi-sweet chocolate would probably be better for balance. I like the ice cream though, solid six out of ten. Remind me what it’s up against?’

‘New York Super Fudge Chunk.’

Kara winced and patted the tub in her hand sympathetically.

‘Oof. Poor thing never stood a chance.’

‘Agreed. I’ll update the spreadsheet.’

Given the sheer quantity of ice cream flavours they had had to choose from and the need to find novel ways to fill their time during the first couple of weeks, Kara had started what she called the “ice cream play offs” in a bid to find the ultimate ice cream flavour. And Lena, being ever the scientist, had been unable to resist the temptation to record their results properly, which had led to the creation of their unofficial official Ben and Jerry’s world rankings spreadsheet, which they updated meticulously each time they picked a new pint to sample. It brought together Kara’s enthusiasm for food and Lena’s inherent nerdiness in a glorious shared investment in their unserious contest, and cumulatively they had spent at least a couple of hours arguing companionably over whether Cherry Garcia or Chocolate fudge brownie should make it to the next round, or if Netflix and Chill’d should gain or lose points for being called that.

Now the serious matter of ice cream ranking had been decided they at last pressed play on the movie and settled down to enjoy the story, each occasionally dipping their spoon for another bite as they watched.

It started with a bride getting ready for her wedding day, and Lena mentally prepared herself for a couple of hours of cheesy rom com.

There was a moment pretty early on where Rachel (the bride) made eye contact with the florist as she walked down the aisle that made Lena raise an eyebrow, but it wasn’t until the way they looked at each other during the first visit to Luce’s shop that she was certain beyond doubt of what sort of movie Kara had picked for them to watch.

Oh.

Lena had imagined watching a queer love story together many times before – had even considered suggesting one in their previous life, as another hint to the intentions that Kara never seemed to pick up on, but she had never actually done it. Now Kara was the one making the move, and fuck, it was as if she was taking a sledgehammer to the foundations of Lena’s good intentions to maintain this last bit of distance between them.

They took another blow when, during a tension-loaded scene in a darkened classroom while Rachel fantasised about reaching out to touch Luce, Kara pulled her legs up to stretch out on the couch, moving her head from Lena’s shoulder to lie in her lap with a contented, kittenish sigh.

She did her best to keep her hands to herself, but by the time Luce was wrapping her arms around Rachel to teach her how to project at a soccer game she found she was, without quite knowing how it happened, idly playing with Kara’s hair. As soon as she realised what she was doing she froze, and made to move her arm back to the safe distance of the back of the couch, but Kara made a little grumbling noise of protest.

‘Don’t stop. I love having my hair played with, it makes me feel all floppy and relaxed, like a cat being petted.’

So Lena went back to running her fingers through the soft golden waves, her nails scratching lightly over Kara’s scalp in a way that made her give a little shiver of pleasure.

‘Mmm, it’s so nice, I could fall asleep.’

‘You probably shouldn’t, you’ll have a terrible crick in your neck if you sleep like this... Maybe we should call it a night and go to bed?’

‘Noo, I want to see the end of the movie. And I don’t want to stop hanging out yet. I don’t mind a cricked neck.’

Lena knew she absolutely shouldn’t say what she was about to say, but Luce was telling Rachel that the lily means ‘I dare you to love me’, and Kara was soft and relaxed against her knees, and right at that moment she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything else.

‘I have a TV in my room. We could finish watching in there if you like, then it wouldn’t matter if you fall asleep before the end.’

Kara looked up at her, and her expression said she was aware of how much more could be read into that offer than mere practicality, but she didn’t say so. She smiled and nodded against Lena’s thigh.

‘Mmkay. I’ll change and brush my teeth now then, just in case.’

‘Good idea. Just in case.’

Lena changed too, opting without quite knowing why to put on the marshmallow pajamas she had just ‘happened’ to pick up from Kara’s apartment when she’d gone round to collect her things. They weren’t hers to put on, technically, but she didn’t think Kara would mind, and though she still didn’t feel much like her usual put together self in them, she felt like Kara’s Lena, and that was all she wanted to be right now.

Kara gave her the softest smile when she saw what Lena was wearing.

‘Aw, my marshmallow Lena is back. You look so cute in those, I think I’m going to have to officially give them to you.’

‘Don’t. I like that they’re yours.’

Lena felt herself blushing at the confession, and looked away quickly before it could turn into anything more.

‘Lets finish watching the movie before we really do get too sleepy.’

Once Kara was settled in beside her Lena pressed play, but she couldn’t focus on what was happening on the screen. All she was aware of was Kara in the bed beside her, no longer actually touching her but somehow feeling even more intimately near than when her head had been resting in Lena’s lap on the couch.

This was a terrible idea. It was a terrible idea...

She slid further down against the mound of pillows at her back, and, hidden beneath the covers where she couldn’t see and could therefore pretend it didn’t count, she laced her fingers through Kara’s.

Kara squeezed her hand in return, and the movie played on.

They did not let go.

[rayllurn]

Okay, so now that I’ve had a chance to slightly recover from the rayllum brain rot (i’ll never make a full recovery) here are some of my (mostly) non-rayllum related thoughts on s6:

-I’m actually shocked the age rating is as low as it is…there was a lot of really emotional and shocking stuff (I’m looking at you, Viren’s death scene, Claudia screaming and crying over Viren’s body, Sol Regem eating Pharos, Soren offering to sacrifice his literal heart, the entire first half of episode eight, the startouch elves murdering a literal child).

-I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show where the relationships feel so intimate to the point of making me feel like I’m invading on a personal moment (before remembering that the characters aren’t real lol). Specifically, Terry bathing Claudia (I’m so soft for this) and Callum and Rayla sharing a blanket (and a very sweet and intimate moment) on the frozen ship. Idk man it’s just so fucking good. It all feels so sincere and mature. Also whatever the heck happened between the end of 06x06 and the beginning 06x07…y’all know what I’m talking about.

-I haven’t seen enough people talking about the music because oh my god, it’s phenomenal!! The standouts for me are the end of 06x06 (aka rayllum kiss scene) and when Viren is casting the “hearts of cinder” spell in 06x08. Score release when????

-On the topic of 06x08, it’s objectively the best episode of the season, maybe even the entire series (although on a personal level, 06x06 is my favorite for *reasons*).

-The Janaya vows were spectacular. 10/10 no notes.

-I REALLY loved Ezran and Soren this season. Ezran was so grown up and showed tremendous leadership and strength when negotiating with Karim, who was incredibly disrespectful and arrogant towards him (also, that dude was plastered lmao). Soren taking control and making the choice to evacuate the castle (which is 100% what Ezran would have done), and then begging Viren to sacrifice him to cast the “hearts of cinder” spell and save lives?? HELLO?? That was so emotional and made me love Soren that much more (which I didn’t even think was possible).

-All of the voice acting was A++. Racquel’s sobbing and screaming gives me CHILLS. Jason’s acting during Viren’s sacrifice scene? Outstanding. Sasha lowering her voice as Ezran gets older? So talented. They are all so good holy crap. They really have the A Team.

-The scene of Rayla with her mom and dad is devastating, but also bittersweet. I’m glad Rayla has a sense of closure here.

-Ruthari reunion when??

-Sorvus and Sorpeli are REAL and I’m not mad about it.

[deathbxnny]

YQ's Mother Requestor Anon here! [Figured it's probably time I say that...]

Since people want a happy ending/alternate for the JY executes YQ's Mother request, I'm here to deliver! So the happy ending is that an older version of YQ makes a deal with the Aeon of Finality Terminus [Who theoretically can travel though and back in time] and becomes Terminus' Emanator in exchange of saving his mother/placing her body in hibernation to heal and regenerate.

But where exactly? Well, none other than Mr. Luocha's coffin! Older!YQ happens to be the person that Luocha promised so he has to run this errand and delivered the coffin to the Luofu, quite the plot twist don't you think?

How YQ's Mother!Reader awakens is at the Stellaron crisis, thanks to the overflowing power of the Stellaron that sped her recovery.

And oh yeah, they don't know it was Future!YQ that made it all happen until the Current!YQ does so, effectively a time loop/paradox.

[I hope ppl like this ending ^w^]

-----♡

A/N: Hello anon! Thank you for this phenomenal request! I love it! Also I'm sorry for the wait, I'm admittedly kinda burnt out with hsr haha, but anyhow, I hope this will be okay!

(OG Post to this here.)

Content: Angst, mentions of reincarnation, time travel, good ending, hurt/comfort, mentions of past death of reader, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns, but is reffered to as Yanqing's mother!

((Not fully proofread))

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Yanqing found out about what happened to his mother on complete accident. He had overheard it one night on his birthday, where Jing Yuan drunkenly told his brother how much he regretted everything he had done to them. And especially to poor Yanqing, who had to grow up without his dear mother. What made it even worse, was the realisation, that his mentor was his father all along.

Yanqing wasn't the same afterwards, as he began looking for any information he could find on what happened. He quickly learned that his entire life was a lie and it hurt. It hurt so much, that it nearly killed him from the heartbreak. And the trust he had in his mentor, or father to be exact, was completely gone.

When he confronted Jing Yuan about this, the man only sunk deeper into his depression, his fears finally becoming his reality. He explained everything to Yanqing and didn't stop him from leaving afterwards, as he knew he deserved to be left by his own son as punishment. Jing Yuan knew it would happen and eventually just accepted his fate, until he resigned from his duties altogether due to the heartbreak.

Yanqing on the other hand, was determined to find a way to bring his family back together. And after making a deal with the Aeon of Finality and becoming an Emanator, he was finally able to achieve his goals and turn back time. He didn't know if it would work, but he also just wanted to see his mother and father happy again. So he accepted his fate, as time turned back and everything went into action.

Back in the past, a certain merchant doctor was hauling around a coffin through the crowd of scared citizens, researchers and guards. He was mildly annoyed, mainly due to having been stuck somewhere earlier and only getting out through a cloud night and a mysterious man, but alas, he finally made it to his destination. The young man he spoke to regarding the delivery, told him to bring it to the general of the Xianzhou Luofu, something that did confuse Luocha a little at first. But he didn't care enough to question it either.

Setting down the coffin infront of some confused guards and a young blonde boy, who looked equally as baffled, the merchant simply asked for his pay and left. Yanqing asked a couple guards to get his mentor, as he carefully inspected the coffin in thought. He couldn't recall any mention of it and couldn't think of a reason for it's existence either. Jing Yuan seemed to share the same sentiment, as he and Yanqing shared a confused look.

The coffin was brought into a different room away from everyone, so that the two could have a closer look at it without endangering anyone. As Yanqing and Jing Yuan talked about what possibly could be it's purpose, the lid suddenly moved. Both of them jumped at this, a couple guards immideatly drawing their swords alongside Yanqing, who were halted by the general. They were all suspicious of it, as it arrived very closely after the Stellaron incident and were sick of surprises today.

But it seemed like life was in for more drama, when the lid began lifting again and a hand weakly reached out, as a soft voice asked for help. A voice Jing Yuan immideatly recognised. All colour left his face, as he stumbled forward in panic and pushed the entire lid fully off. Yanqing gasped in surprise at his mentors sudden action, quickly reaching his side with his swords to make sure nothing hurts him. But what he saw in the coffin, made him freeze.

It was you, Jing Yuan just knew it was. Especially when he cradled you close to his chest and let his apologies flow out of his mouth endlessly. He didn't know how this was possible or why you were back, but he just wanted to hold you. You were still quite weak and could only weakly hold onto him too, gently telling him that it was okay, before your eyes fell onto Yanqing. You immideatly knew who he was and gave him a smile, gently asking him to come closer. He was confused, asking Jing Yuan who you were, which made you answer for him.

You were his mother. The person he had only heard stories of. Who's death was never explained to him. He didn't know how to feel, just letting you hug him and it somehow felt familiar. Like he just knew you were telling the truth through the hug alone. Jing Yuan then told him the truth about everything. It was the first time Yanqing saw him so weak and emotional, practically begging for you both to forgive him.

The boy was confused and felt even a little betrayed for a moment, but was stopped by you gently telling him that it was okay. That it might take a moment for you to trust him again, but that you're just happy to have your family together again. And Yanqing supposed that for the beginning, he'd accept that too.

It was ultimately unknown how you were able to reincarnate and with time, you three decided to just forget it and live out your life's as the family you deserved to be.

-----♡

A/N: Okay so this was a long one... I hope it was okay, because I'm not only really burnt out, but also horribly sleep deprived, so I can only pray that any of this is coherent. Thank you again for the request Anon!<33

[cafejulii]

How Albert, William, and Louis Reflect The Holy Trinity in Christianity

(a 3 part analysis series that I had made year ago on another social media platform but would like to post here because why not)

P3: Louis

Louis serves as a reference to the Holy Spirit, the final part of the Holy Trinity - the one who continues on the word and mission of the Savior through the Apostles, despite the Savior no longer being present in the world

As William was "dead" the M16 required a leader; a leader who could uphold the values of the Moriarty Plan, however, in a way that worked more in the shadows rather than in a direct way such as the Lord of Crime. Thus, Mycroft offered Louis the lead position as "M" in the M16 so that he may not only be able to atone for his sins, but ensure the security of the "beautiful world that [William] has created" and make sure that it remains "alive and unstained". Louis serves as a phenomenal leader, as he is effectively able to execute his plans with the assistance of the rest of the team, providing them guidance based on the principles taught to him by his older brother, strengthening both the bond and resolve of the Mi6 as a whole.

This reflective of what the Holy Spirit did for the Apostles, as the purpose of the Holy Spirit coming upon them and the rest of the world was "...to bring good news to the poor...to proclaim the release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind [and] to let the oppressed go free." These are all things that Jesus had done throughout his lifetime to create a better world [just as William did] that must be maintained even though both saviors are no longer present. Christ may not be directly on Earth during this time, but the power of the Holy Spirit serves as the driving force of the apostles, for gifts of the Holy Spirit [wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord] ultimately result in the resolve that the Apostles have towards the continuation of Christ's mission, despite knowing that they may perish while completing it.

The interesting thing about Louis,though, is that he was only able to show his full potential the moment that William and Albert were no longer in the picture. This was not because he did not dearly care for his older brothers or did not trust them, of course, but it is simply because both William and Albert took the majority of the lead roles during the era of the Lord of Crime. Since the beginning, it was always intended that Louis was to be the one to live in the New World and maintain it. William even went as far as to shield Louis from the main plan entirely by not allowing him to go on missions for the longest time. Though this was done with the intent that Louis would enter the New World without his hands stained with blood, he did not fully accept the role given to him, as he insisted on being present throughout the plan as it was ultimately their mission, not just William's.

Gradually, Louis was able to secure his spot as a major asset to the Moriarty Plan, for as the series progresses, he is seen more and more on field missions. It is to the point that by the time he can assume the title of M, his brothers were no longer around to hinder his progression as a leader by assuming leadership positions themselves, however, he was around them enough to know the attributes of a good leader. As a result, he was more than capable of directing not only the M16 but the Moriarty Household, as he [alike the Holy Spirit] is now the most present/ influential force of the Trinity.

Just as bits and pieces of the works of the Holy Spirit were seen during Christ's life, the full power of the Holy Spirit was only able to come on the day of Pentecost, as the phenomenon and the operation of the Holy Spirit were able to come solely when the main mission of Christ was completed. [aka William's Mission]. As I mentioned before, the Holy Spirit was then to bestow its power on the Apostles, becoming the most influential being in their lives..."But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 14:26

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Though my last portion of analysis diverts from Louis specifically and onto the Moriarty Brothers as a whole, I must tell you of this theory I have had ever since I formed the connection of them being a reference to the Holy Trinity. Since Part 1 of Yuumori is reflective of Salvation History in the New and Old Testaments (ending with the Apostles carrying on the mission and word of the savior), my thought is that Part two will then be related to the parts of Salvation History that are yet to come, specifically of the prophecies stated in the Book of Revelation. (The last book in the Bible that tells of the apocalypse that will ultimately bring about the New Heaven and the New Earth)

As the Moriarty brothers had reformed British Society and are working to maintain it, my theory is that now they are attempting to reform world society as a whole as the atonement for their sin due to the crimes they committed in England [just as how the eventual goal of Salvation History is the redemption of the entirety of the human race] This reformation will be done not in the killing of those directly in power, though, but through the acquirement of information that will affect the outcome of world events in favor of the ultimate good [as seen in Chapter 57].

I refer to the Apocalypse specifically, as Louis mentioned a feeling of "sensing the sparks that wil embroil the entire world into war", which is possibly may be a reference to The World War. Though WWl started in 1914, a while away from the current setting, Yuumori often strays away from complete historical accuracy so there may be a possibility of the creators starting the war earlier for the sake of continuing the narrative. Such destruction can very well be considered apocalyptic, as the estimated amount of casualties in World War 1 totaled to around 20 million.

Due to this, I believe that The Brothers will work to either stop World War 1 or prevent it from happening entirely by acquiring information that will alter the course of history, and give the entire human race, not just England, the vision of the beautiful world in which William had created.

Though a bit of a stretch, there is also evidence to this theory stated by Sherlock, as he has the feeling that William is planning something big again despite his main mission being completed. (and after all, who is better able to predict William's actions than Sherlock?)

—————

And finally, notice how despite the Moriarty brothers being three separate people while having three separate roles still refer to themselves as The Lord of Crime (Lord being singular)?

This reflects how the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirt are three beings in one despite having different physical forms and different roles in Biblical Scripture!

Anyway that is all for now <3

I hope those who have seen this enjoyed this mini series!

disclaimer: I am an ex-christian, however, I had been raised in the faith and just happened to keep a large interest in scripture despite the fact I have departed from the church. Do correct me if there is any misinformation.