#i fell back to just lining this year... again ;A; maybe one day i'll actually paint sth

[wwsans]

uploading some favs from art fight!

[witchygagirlwrites]

Can't Cross

Jay Halstead x Kevin's sister Reader

@nevaehstreater18 request

Jay knows there's some lines you don't cross. Like dating yet another partner, especially when she's your friend's little sister. The longer he works at your side the less he cares about those lines.

There were a few benefits to being so close in age to your older brother. With barely eighteen months between you and Kevin it meant that he was your best friend growing up. He went to hang out with his friends? He was bringing you. He got his license? He’s sneaking to teach you how to drive because you were getting yours the next year.

When he went into the academy, you went into the academy. When he fell on Hank Voight’s radar for intelligence, so did you. You were bought up a couple months after Kevin.

The day you walked in Voight took you to the front of the room “All of you know the younger Atwater. She’s the newest member of the team. Make her feel welcome. Jay, you’re her partner”

Jay Halstead, well that man was a freaking menace. Six foot, broad shoulders, gorgeous smile, seafoam blue eyes and completely off limits even before you had the title of his partner.

“Jay, man we know your history with partners. Don't be flirting with my sister” Kevin warned and you saw a blush grace Jay's cheeks as he cut his eyes at you with a small smile “I'll try not to”

You shook your head at Kevin's teasing “Kev, he's known me for years. Being his partner isn't going to flip a switch” Al slid his chair back from his desk and winked at you “Tell em sweetheart”

“Kev! Dammit you drained the coffee!” you had to stop yourself from slamming the pot down. You’d had one cup. He grimaced from where he stood at the sink, sipping out of his mug “Sorry? I’ll buy you a cup on the way in?”

You shook your head with a sigh “I don’t have time. I have to meet Jay at the freaking D.A.’s office to give our testimonies” “That’s the last go around though, isn’t it?” You grabbed your jacket and threw it over your shoulders “Yeah, thank god. One more day stuck in an office filled with lawyers asking me the same question over and over I may very well need a lawyer”

“Yeah I already told Jay if you tried to go over the conference table to tackle ya” he laughed and you raised an eyebrow so he added “I told him to make sure not to hurt you if he had to”

“You two act like my temper is so bad” you scoffed, looking around for your phone. Kevin held it up and grinned “Says the girl who knocked a six foot three suspect flat last week” you glared at him before saying “In my defense he said I was short and asked what I was gonna do. I simply showed him”

He shook his head “I’m glad Jay has the training he does. Makes it easier to handle having you for a partner” you grinned “I feel bad for Kim having to deal with you all day” he laughed “Love ya too”

_______________

You pulled up to the D.A. office and spotted Jay leaning against his truck, holding two cups of coffee. You parked in the empty spot next to him and climbed out before pocketing your keys “Please tell me one of those are mine. I won’t hide your pens for the next week”

A smirk slipped onto his face “Damn and here I was just being nice but I get something in return for it too” he held one out and you took it, taking a sip and smiling when it was just how you liked it. “You’re a good man Jay Halstead. I don’t care what everyone says” he shook his head “Let’s get this done so we can go do some actual work. This crap makes me miss getting shot at”

“I actually agree with you for once! Look what this is doing to our relationship Jay!” you gasped before laughing. He waved towards the building so the two of you headed inside.

Jay watched you move around the bullpen and once again found himself wishing he wasn’t your partner, wasn’t friends with your brother. Well maybe not the friends with Kevin part, he loved Kev but if you weren’t his partner it may be worth the risk of Kevin kicking his ass.

He’d always found you gorgeous. Long before you were pulled up to intelligence. Even when you were sporting the blues. His eyes would find you out of the entire precinct. When you would be tasked to help the unit he always stuck close to your side, when that ex of yours made you cry he’d been tempted to go with Kevin instead of talking Kevin out of violence.

Now? He knew you so much better. Your sense of humor was so freaking dorky but never failed to make him laugh. Your temper had a long fuse, you’d take so much but when it went off you could take out a city block. You were so damn smart, it made his head spin how fast you could figure stuff out. You never backed down from anyone or anything and god help a perp that thought they were getting through you to get to a victim.

He knew how you laughed when you thought someone expected it (like Adam’s jokes) versus when you actually found something funny. He knew your favorite flower, coffee drink, color and holiday. He hadn’t meant to fall for another partner, definitely not a friend’s sister yet here he was. Head over heels and helpless to do anything about it.

“Halstead!” you called Jay’s name again and he shook his head “What?” you grinned “You were staring at me” a blush graced his cheeks before he reached a hand out and gently brushed his knuckles over where you’d caught a punch from a suspect “Just looking at this”

You shook your head “I’m fine. I told you and Kev, I don’t break that easily” he smiled softly “Oh I know sweetheart. Doesn’t mean we don’t reserve the right to want to take care of you” you raised an eyebrow “Sweetheart?”

He ducked his head and let his hand fall away from you “I’m just saying, you can’t blame me and Kev for wanting you in one piece. You mean too much to both of us” you felt your heart flip at his words because they felt like he was saying something without saying it.

“You mean a lot to me too Jay” you all but whispered and a broad smile split his face “Yeah? As a partner though right?” you shrugged “Maybe not just as a partner”

This time he was the one to raise an eyebrow “Your brother would kill me” you leaned closer to him leaving just inches between your lips “Are you saying I’m not worth the risk?” he swallowed hard, eyes going from yours down to your lips then back up before he said “Fuck it” and crashed his lips against yours.

One of his hands gripped your chin, holding you in place while the other went down to your hip, damn near pulling you off your barstool and onto his lap. You could’ve cared less because damn could that man kiss. When he pulled away he pressed his forehead against yours and a soft smile slipped onto his face before he said “I think I can take Kev in a fight” you shook your head with a laugh “I will kick both of your asses if you fight” his smile turned into a grin “Yes ma’am. No fighting”

You pressed another kiss to his lips then spoke with your mouth against his “I could get used to this” “Kissing me?” he asked and you shook your head “No, you saying yes ma’am”

He grinned “You’re so mean to me” you raised your eyes to his and smiled “You must like it” he nodded “Oh I love it”

[lavenderlyncis]

Join me in reviewing Olivia Rodrigo's album GUTS. I've waited years for this!!

all-american bitch - 9/10, big fan. I love it when she screams because the world is unfair. same girl, same

bad idea right? - 10/10. I know this one is controversial but I LOVE her more punky songs, I think that's when she's best

vampire - 10/10. I'm not always a fan of piano ballads, but the bridge and outro really make it for me. The hurt turning into anger and despair is just so cathartic. And the video is one of my faves of all time

lacy - 1000/10. What the hell. Did not expect to feel this much emotion from that title. Uhhh... yeah, same. I super relate to that. Whether or not lacy is supposed to be a real person or a manifestation of the beauty standard, this hits. Also, idk if I'm making this up but I dig the romantic undertones, they sell it

ballad of a homeschooled girl - "I made it weird, I made it worse"/10. OLIVIA HOW DID YOU KNOW that I lie awake thinking about all the weird things I did and said, Olivia, did you write this for me specifically??? Every day I am alive IS social suicide. I'm sorry, this is my song, actually. "Can't think of a third line", she's so real

making the bed - "I'm playing the victim so well in my head"/10. How. Does. She. Do. It? I could write an entire essay about this song. Maybe THIS is my song?? She's so good at saying exactly how I feel. I already know that this song will play a million times on my phone. Also I love the drivers license references. Big fan of the making the bed metaphor

logical - 9/10. favourite crime vibes. She's good with these songs about bad relationships. Used to be my favourite thing she did, but now I'm more invested in the songs that are about her/other experiences. That being said this song is really fucking good. This is the Olivia I fell in love with and she's still amazing at doing piano ballads

get him back! - 9/10. Olivia having ANOTHER song with speak-singing where she wants to get back with her ex?? Yes, PLEASE. Bad idea right 2.0. Fucking obsessed

love is embarrassing - 10/10. I said it before I'll say it again, angry Olivia is the best. And she's right, love IS embarrassing as hell

the grudges - 10/10. She does the paino ballads SO WELL. I think this is my favourite one on here. Because, wow, yeah, that is how it is

pretty isn't pretty - i can't rate this/10. GOD, I love it when she talks about insecurities. And don't think I don't see that skipping lunch line. It's sp hard to articulate how this song makes me feel. Especially since I've been low key comparing myself to her, even though we have entirely different bodies and faces. It's nice to know she also struggles with this. And she's right, you could do literally anything to change your appearance and you'd still be unhappy

teenage dream - 100000/10. "Is it recording? Of course it is.", the way I gasped. Okay, I love the interpretation of it ending with a child to be about growing up and childhood innocence. But the line she says?? Especially combined with the meaning of the song it feels a lot like it's about taking away youth by recording it and putting it out there just like she was supposed to be everyone's teenage dream as a child actor and young musician. This feels so personal to her while also being relatable to others. I'm 19 too, Olivia and I are born in the same year. And this is exactly how I feel about growing up. I hope it gets better, my teenage years were crap, I'm tired of being young, but it's also the only thing I can hold onto. I'm honestly terrified of turning 20. But hey, Olivia did it, so... it'll get better, right?

[randomwritingsnips]

"What are you talking about?" Grandmamah seemed taken aback.

"Nerissa never had a daughter!"

In the moment, Agatha froze, a chill running through her tentacles and possibilities began to aline.

She had felled the Queen, hadn't she? She had slain Nerissa, but then how would she have…

"I did it!" Ruby exclaimed in joy as she seam back to Chelseas' side, landing as she opened up her hand, showing the Trident of Oceanus, a smile spreading across her face.

Chelsea moved closer, staring at the Trident in awe and wonder.

"Mothers' Trident…" Chelsea muttered in awe, her eyes appearing to redden as she thought back what little memories she had of that Day.

Hidden away at her mothers' side, hidden within an Egg, nearly ready to burst open. She had seen it all. The Battle, the turn, her fall…

"I never thought that I'd really see it…" The Mermaid muttered as she reached out to grasp the Trident.

In a moment, something resonated within Chelseas' mind as her expression twisted, her giving out a cry as she erupted with steam all around her.

Ruby pulled back, protecting herself with her body Armor out of Instinct.

Once the steam subsided, the Kraken called out in a panic, "Chelsea! Are you okay!?"

As the steam cooled and a much larger form showed itself, a Scaley Form of a mermaid, flowing red hair turning to lines of foam.

As Chelsea opened her eyes, something felt…off…

"Krystal, Kraken…" She grimaced while staring at Ruby, as if she was a complete stranger.

-------

This is just a small piece of what I liked to think about after that reveal in the movie. I sorta like the idea of this a bit more. Maybe the Trident can have a memory of its Wielders by Species, leading to some sort of memory event. And of course there is the change of Chelsea being her own. What a depressing conclusion. Should have just made Chelsea her own character. Would be a more interesting suprise Twist for Agatha and her mother to discover this.

I watched the movie out of curiosity and to unwind, only to be so disappointed at this part that I've rewritten it as a fragment and revived this blog that laid dormant since I had heatstroke Last year and then 2023s' punches as an end result.

Here are my concepts of what can be done though. Instead Chelsea should have been her own character, indeed Nerissas' daughter, most likely still in her egg and having witnesses her own mothers' death.

Perhaps She is indeed Genuine as well, actually being friends with Ruby. Perhaps there are species based effects of the Trident of Oceanus. Maybe it brings up the memories of its past weilders, and with a trauma of having witnessed her mother having been slain, it can give just the right weakness for Chelsea to be over taken and almost possessed by the Trident, representing the past itself.

"A Kraken always answers the Call."

"A Mermaid remains true to her roots."

Perhaps she gets Ruby Early on into a bind and is about to slay her, only for tears to form as she tries to restain herself, not wanting to do it.

A Villian still, but an unintended one, making the real villain maybe the sins of the past.

Dunno if I'll update this one again, As I'd need to rewatch the movie again as I went to theaters, but here is this fragment and some of my ideas.

I wonder if people can ignore a companys' vision with enough audacity that they just retcon it in a sequel.

As a final piece, Maybe she does meet Agatha, and is holding onto Ruby in a way for comfort, as she is technically meeting then the Kraken that had killed her mother.

Maybe There is an argument in private where she demands Chelsea stay away from Ruby, as Mermaids can't be trusted, not even one.

This can also have a side effect of weakening Chelseas' resolve for an actual Peace, but memory of Ruby brings it all back, especially after Ruby picks her up and they leave.

Interesting if Also Chelsea gets called a monster by Agatha during that scene.

Suggest tags. I'm off to shower before the Infernal Meatball in the sky decides to fry me again.

[fairy-writes]

Warmly Greet! I found you through a request for Morbius...hey, I saw the movie for the first time yesterday and fell in love with the movie and the character Michael right away! Can I leave a request for Michael? Where the reader (female) is also a vampire, but a slightly different kind - she is irritated by light, so she wears sunglasses during the day. Garlic irritates her and crosses are also a problem. However, she tries to keep Michael from finding out the truth about her true self...I'll leave the rest up to you, but please, something cuteeeee!

FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE SUN

Reblogs and Comments are greatly appreciated!!

__________________________________________________________________________

Fandom(s): Morbius (2022)

Pairing(s): Michael Morbius x Reader

Word Count: 2k

Genre(s)/Tag(s): Female!Reader, Vampire!Reader, Post-Morbius events, mild power imbalance (Morbius is Reader’s boss), a bit of an age gap (Reader is older than Morbius by an unspecified amount of time)

Notes: The title is inspired by the song “Vampire” by Shane Calvert

Also, I haven’t seen Morbius since it came out in theaters, so forgive me if I get anything wrong!

I will most likely do part two if people send in requests for it. 

__________________________________________________________________________

You didn’t remember when you were turned. It had been decades at this point. You would age throughout the years, but it was slowly. At a fraction of the speed at which regular humans would get older.

Part of you missed it. You missed aging regularly with those you loved. You missed being close to others without them knowing about your… problem. Any time anyone gathered even the slightest hint of your vampiric nature, you would have to up and leave. Uproot any semblance of normalcy you had and move somewhere far away. 

But, it did mean you were well-to-do and well-traveled. After all, years and years of living meant you could do practically whatever you wanted. You excelled in the medical field. Money wasn’t a problem. You lived frugally and saved every penny you could in case you had to move again. 

But you can’t help but fall in love with New York. 

The bustling streets.

The honking of cars.

The acrid scent of smog.

You love it all.

You fit right in in “The City that Never Sleeps” and quickly fall into a routine. You’re initially hired as a nurse at Horizon Labs and quickly climb the ranks due to your expertise until you are the assistant to the one and only Doctor Michael Morbius.

“Working late again?” You yelp and drop your pen as your boss’s voice echoes in your office. You look up to see him leaning in your doorway, an amused grin on his face.

Ever since he found a cure, he looked good.

Like… really good…

You liked Michael before he was cured, but now it was just plain inconvenient to have a boss this good-looking.

You hoped this wasn’t going to turn into one of those trashy romance novels.

You averted your eyes back to your work but laughed nonetheless.

“Someone has to finish all this paperwork.” You tease and flip a page. You hear him straighten and approach your desk, taking a seat in front of you in one of two empty chairs. You look at him through your lashes and find him watching you expectantly.

“Can I help you?” You muse as you pick up your pen, scan the document, sign some lines, and set it aside for Michael to look at tomorrow.

“Maybe.” He says cryptically, and you look at him fully. He’s lounging like a large cat in the sun. He oozes power and commands the room, not at all like he used to be before he got better.

“Pray tell.” You say, and he offers a charming smile,

“Might I take you out for dinner?” He says finally, and you actually snap your pen with your vampiric strength in surprise. 

Ink splatters up and down your front, and you let out a surprised shriek. Michael is on his feet in an instant, pulling out his handkerchief and handing it over as apologies spill like sweet honey from his lips. You use the cloth to wipe your face and you’re sure you only succeed in smearing it across your face. Your ears burn as you positively steam in embarrassment. 

This wasn’t how you imagined him asking you out to dinner would go. 

You scrub for the fourth time with soap and water, ignoring the sting of the soap in your eyes as you try to remove the ink staining your face. Your blouse and blazer were a lost cause, but your black slacks might be salvageable. 

The bathroom that was initially closest to your office was three floors down. Still, Michael had insisted you use his private bathroom adjacent to his office. It was large and equipped for someone who needed a wheelchair or crutches like he used to need. 

There was a quiet knock on the door, and you hurriedly buttoned your blazer over your wet shirt. The paper towels were rough against your skin, but you scrubbed your face until it was as clean as possible, and the skin felt raw. 

Michael waited outside the door, an apologetic look on his handsome face. However, his expression brightened when you opened the door. 

“What’s the damage?” He asks, and you cross your arms to hide the ink-stained blouse further. 

“Well, my shirt and blazer are a lost cause. But my trousers might be saved.” You say, more embarrassed at yourself than anything. It wasn’t like he did anything wrong. In fact, he did nothing wrong entirely. It was all because of your stupid blunder that you were in this mess. 

“Are you sure I can’t get your clothes dry-cleaned? It might get the stains out.” He offers for the umpteenth time, and you laugh awkwardly, 

“I’m not paying for dry cleaning for a shirt I got at the thrift store.” You say, and he holds his hands up in defeat. 

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try.” 

The two of you fall into step as you head toward the elevator to go down to the parking garage so you can go home and change. It isn’t until you’re in the elevator that Michael speaks again. 

“You know, you never answered my question. About dinner, I mean.” He says, and you swallow a surprised noise. Part of you hoped that he would’ve forgotten. Or maybe thought you would’ve said no. 

But why?

Was it because of your massive and embarrassing crush on your boss? He was still supposedly grieving his fiancée Martine’s death! You never got the details, but you knew she had been murdered, and the case went cold after a few months. 

Sure, it had been over a year since her death, but everyone’s grief looked different!

You realize abruptly that you haven’t answered his statement and swallow. 

“Sure?” You squeak, and your heart almost stops when he grins a bright, brilliant smile. 

“How about tomorrow after work? Assuming you don’t stay late again?” He near teases and you rub at the back of your neck and smile. 

“I won’t. Text me the details, will you? This is my stop.” You say as the elevator comes to a halt and dings as the doors open. 

You wait until you’re in your car before letting out a panicked shriek. 

You had just agreed to dinner with your boss! 

Something was bound to go horribly wrong. 

Tomorrow can’t come soon enough, yet it comes faster than you’re prepared for. You dress in “something nice,” as Michael asked. A simple black dress with a gold necklace from your late mother that was worth more than your rent each month in your dinky little New York apartment. 

As you stated above, you lived frugally. But that didn’t mean you didn’t have expensive things. 

The heels you picked out clacked against the lobby of your apartment complex as you waited for Michael to pick you up. You offered to drive yourself—you had a car, for goodness sake!— but he insisted on driving you to the restaurant. You pace back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and—

Your phone buzzes in your clutch purse, and you nearly drop it in an attempt to get it out quickly. 

Michael’s name lights up your screen with a text. 

“I’m out front.”

Short and sweet, not an emoji in sight. It was as if he was texting you a question about work, not taking you out on a date. 

This was a date, wasn’t it? Dinner was typically reserved for dates, right?

Oh heavens, you were so anxious.

Michael drives some sort of fancy car that you don’t bother to look too closely at. He gets out, opens your door, and shuts it behind you once you’re situated. He’s dressed in a simple and informal suit. He doesn’t have a tie, the top button of his button-up is undone, and he leaves his blazer open. His hair is tied back out of his face, and overall, he just looks… really good.

You immediately feel your mouth go dry. 

You feel very under dressed. 

“You look beautiful.” He says as he pulls out into New York traffic, and you feel your ears burn. When was the last time someone made your heart race like this? 

Years?

Decades?

“You do, too. Handsome, I mean! You look very handsome!” You all but sputter, and he laughs. A rich, heartwarming sound that has you smiling involuntarily.

The restaurant is more expensive than anything you could’ve hoped to afford. Well… You could if you splurged your savings, but there was a point to you living the way you did. Michael opened your door before you could’ve even thought of getting out yourself and offered you a hand. He then gives the keys to the valet, and you head inside.

His hand is warm and, if you had to assume, just the slightest bit clammy?

Was he just as nervous as you? 

The host welcomes you both with a smile, and when Michael gives the name of the reservation, you’re seated at a table sequestered in the corner. You both take a moment to look at the menu before ordering. 

“Does this entree have garlic in it?” You ask the server when he looks at you to take your order. The man nods his head,

“Yes, ma’am. But we can remove it if you like.” You nod happily at the idea,

“Yes, please, will you let the kitchen know I have a severe garlic allergy?” He lets you know he will and scurries away with your order. 

Michael looks vaguely surprised,

“I didn’t know you were allergic to garlic.” He commented, and you shrug,

“It never came up in conversation?” You say awkwardly, and he offers a kind smile,

“Well, thank you for telling me. Do you have an EpiPen in case something goes wrong?” You nod and pull out said EpiPen. Of course, it wouldn’t really do anything, seeing as it wasn’t made of silver and couldn’t pierce your skin, but it was mostly to keep up appearances. 

Dinner was served after a while of small talk. It was little things. But you liked the little things. But that didn’t stop you from lying about your life. Because what could you do? Tell the whole truth? Ha! That would get you burned at the stake.

It was things like, what brought you to New York? (You said you needed a change of pace.)

What were your hobbies outside of work? (Sleeping and reading.)

It wasn’t long before you turned the attention back to Michael. Because you realized that after almost a year of working for Horizon Labs, you knew barely anything about your boss.

Where was he born? (Greece.)

What did he do outside of work? (Go for walks around the city.)

What was his favorite color? (Red.)

Like you said, you liked the little things. 

The dinner ended all too soon. The restaurant was closing, and you realized you had been there for hours. But it felt as if the time had flown. You felt like you were talking to an old friend, not your boss. 

You just had one more question as he dropped you off, insisting on walking you back to your apartment door. 

“Why me?” You mumbled as you unlocked the front door. Michael’s handsome face twisted in confusion. 

“What do you mean?” He asks genuinely, and you chew on the inside of your cheek.

“I mean… After Martine… Why pick me? I mean, look at you! You could date anyone! So… I guess I just want a straight answer from you. Why pick me?” You say, keeping your eyes averted in case he lashes out.

But he wouldn’t… Would he?

A hand grasps yours, and you look up to see Michael looking at you with such a tender expression that you almost cry.

“I picked you because you’re kind and sweet and honest. You cared for the patients you worked with when you were a regular nurse, and now that you’re my assistant, you keep me sane.” He replies, and you huff out a watery laugh.

Honest? Ha!

If only he knew.

[fandomworld9728]

Do you have a Staticapple-centric AU? I just thought of one, In many AU fics Human Alastor summons Lucifer but what if Vox did summon him just to get his dream career? Hold on! There's a twist! Vox was like a completely different person before death as he always had a cold-hearted and quiet personality so... Let me say Lucifer was the one who helped Vox on his personality shift and maybe... They fell in love in the process? (Maybe have Charlie as a staticapple child as a bonus in the end but that's up to you) and then after death, they met again? Maybe after Alastor rejected his offer just to save his old dead Vox personality Luci knows and loves or maybe follow the canon timeline and Luci would go and bring his Voxxy back to he once was. I dunno that's up to you

(Ooo~ That's a good one! No, I actually haven't made any StaticApple-centric AUs. Which is odd because there's a lot of potential there)

Victor couldn't believe he was so desperate to advance his career to the point where he was even considering what he was doing now. He must have lost his mind! Summoning a demon. Selling his soul. Was it worth it?

He could ask himself that later if this worked. Which he doubted it would. Thought, he supposed it couldn't hurt to try. He was going to Hell anyways…

Finishing drawing the circle and symbols, Victor lit the candles and waited. And waited. And waited- How long was this supposed to take?!

"This is so stupid! Why did I get my hopes up? I knew it wasn't going to work." Walking away and leaving the ness for someone else to find, Victor tossed the book behind him. What a waste of his time.

"Son of a bitch. That fucking bullshit book gave me a papercut." Sucking the blood off his finger, he almost left until the room was cast in a red and gold glow.

"Oh fuck."

~

Victor was freaking out. He had Lucifer, the first fallen angel and the King of Hell, in his apartment. He had not only managed to summon a demon, but the most powerful one in existence.

"I've been thinking. You should change your name to something unique. Something that stands out."

"I-I'm sorry?"

"You sold your soul to me for help in advancing your career, did you not? I'm doing my job."

Right. Victor had been so lost in his disbelief and panic that he already forgot. Shaking his head, he got back on track and tried to ignore that amused smile the devil wore.

"If you believe that a change in name would help, I supposed I could consider it. What did you have in mind?"

"Vox."

". . . What?"

~

It had been a week and already had soared in the rank thanks to Lucifer. The ridiculous name got him attention and opened the door to conversation. Also, the suggestion on covering the cult like set up from his summoning with a made-up story really sealed the deal.

There was only one thing that seemed to be stopping him from getting where he wanted to be.

"It's your shitty personality."

"Excuse me? You want to fucking repeat that?" Lucifer just cooed at him as if he were an angry kitten, which did not improve his mood.

"Vox. You've got to face the facts. You're a cold-hearted asshole who keeps to himself. You need to at least pretend to be a charmer in this line of work."

"Oh please. What would you know about faking charm?"

"I'm the least charismatic personal you'll ever meet, but I sure as hell can fake it. You know who I actually am? I'm an awkward man obsessed with ducks and who locks himself away for days. Weeks, months... sometimes even years at a time because he has no concept of the passing of time."

Vox was silent for a moment. Trying to process what the fallen angel had just told him. "That's just sad."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up you dick. When you're ready, I'll teach you how to charm the pants off of anyone you come across."

~

Vox didn't like this. Not one bit. Over the past couple of months, Lucifer's lessons had paid off. He had gotten a promotion that came with a nice pay raise and decided to move the two of them into a nice house closer to his job.

The hours had become longer though, what with meetings and late nights out with his coworkers. Though, no matter what, Vox always came home to a hot meal and Lucifer there to greet him.

Sometimes he'd come home to the demon fast asleep on the couch, trying and failing to wait up for him. Every time he'd wake him up, he was greeted with a sleepy smile and a welcome home.

They spend so much time together, learning about each other and growing closer. Vox is the one who earned those soft, beautiful smiles and those tinkling laughs. He did. Not those useless wannabes surrounding his angel and trying to touch him.

It wasn't even the women piss him off. It was the men. They thought that they were being sneaky. But the more those bastards had to drink, the ballsier they became.

Hands on Lucifer's hip or lower back, lips too close to his ears, and he put up with it for Vox. To help him with is career, get him connections. Not only because of their deal either. The demon had confessed to him one night that he had grown to care for him.

It had been a pleasant surprise to know that someone, especially someone like Lucifer, cared about him. That he wasn't alone.

A growl slipped passed Vox's lips as he saw a hand go to his angel's ass and squeeze it. That paired with the look on Lucifer's face had him downing his drink and slamming it down hard enough he was surprised it hadn't shattered. Making his way over, he grabbed Lucifer's hand and dragged him away without a single word.

"Whoa! Vox? What's wrong? I-If it's about that guy, don't worry. I can protect myself. It was just harmless flirting on his part."

"Oh? So, you just let any man grab you like that? Do you enjoy it? Having their disgusting, unworthy hands all over you."

"What? Where is this- wait. Are you jealous?"

Once in private, Vox crowded the other man against a wall. He wanted to keep him close, make sure he couldn't just run away.

"Jealous? Jealous?! Of course I'm jealous! How can you just let some nobody like him touch you that way so freely?! He doesn't deserve the honor... all he wants from you is your body. He doesn't care about you or love you like I- ..."

Ah fuck. Vox had gotten so worked up that he let his feelings for the fallen angel slip out. Vox waited and braced himself for the rejection. After all, even if they were separated, Lucifer was still very much devoted to his wife when it came to his heart.

However, instead of rejecting him, all Lucifer did was give Vox that soft small smile he loved so much. A golden blush settled on his cheeks as he reached up to hold his face.

"You love me?"

~

Why was he remembering all of this now? Remembering all that he had lost the day he died? Vox hadn't been able to find Lucifer and the king never reached out to him.

So, of course, at his lowest the sinner was reminded of the only other man he had ever loved. Right after he had been rejected and almost died in a fight with the man who had broken his heart.

Sitting up in a bed he'd never seen before, Vox took a moment to gather himself before he went back to Valentino. He had no desire to go back to the moth demon, but he was the only one he had left.

"Yay! You're awake!"

Lifting his head, Vox was surprised to see the most adorable little girl climbing into his bed. She reminded him of someone.

Like, if Lucifer had strikes of black in his hair and swirls of blue in his red eyes. Was... was this girl his daughter? Did the king not wait for him and that's why he never reached out or tried to find him? If so, why was his kid smiling at him like this?

"Daddy! He's awake!"

"Okay Charlie. Let's not yell, duckie. He's still recovering."

Walking into the room was a worried looking but smiling Lucifer. It was that soft smile he loved so much, the one he hadn't seen in so many years... He looked the same as when they last saw each other, only with exhaustion clear on his face. Though, he was still the most beautiful creature Vox had ever seen.

"Well, look who it is. I finally found you. Actually, Charlie did."

A proud smile on her lips, Charlie stood on the bed and put her hands on her hips. "Yes! Charlie is amazing! She found papa!"

". . . Papa?!"

[lovusopp]

hi!! i love your layout it’s so cute!!

may i request usopp reuniting with his s/o on sabaody after the 2 yr time skip?

please and thank you!! <33

a/n ahhhhh thank you!! im so glad someone requested usopp content! congrats on being the first request i ever completed! my writing feels clusmy tbh but i'll get better eventually :') i hope you enjoy it <333

— REUNITING W/ USOPP, TWO YEARS LATER

summary after training on their own for two years, the straw hats reunite on the sabaody archipelago, eager to see each other again. among them, two members looked abnormally nervous. seeing your significant other for the first time in two years is a nerve racking situation, indeed.

✰ cw none, except the sabaody reunion being romanticised maybe?? (they actually get time to party before leaving for their next adventure) ✰ wc 1.3k ✰ gn!reader

so today is the day... you thought to yourself, unusually anxious. sabaody looked just how it did when the whole crew was forced to leave it, two years earlier. yet, something had changed. you changed. you welcomed this new beginning with a sense of courage and renewed ambition. and it seemed like the rest of the crew shared the same state of mind.

the first crewmate you came across was robin. your initial reflex was to jump into her arms ; what a relief it was to come across another straw hat a few minutes after setting foot on the island! you couldn't help but gasp seeing how much she had changed. had everyone changed so much in only two years? had you changed too? your archeologist friend assured you did, and for the better.

you both walked enthusiastically to the sunny, only to stumble upon franky nami and chopper, who apparently got there before you. it didn't took you long to realise that there was no use in dreading this reunion. everything stayed as it was before your separation. as soon as sanji arrived, he started making drinks for everyone. brook was playing music and singing as passionately as before, and luffy and chopper were both running around, impressed by franky's new gadgets ; a familiar scene.

as happy as you were, one question could not leave your mind. "has anyone met usopp on their way there?" you finally asked, not concealing your concern.

you heard luffy's iconic chuckle, which slightly swept away your worry. "he'll probably arrive shortly!" he said, before biting into a piece of meat sanji had given him.

"maybe he sank trying to get here." you choked on your drink, struggling to breathe in again. why did robin have to say such bleak lines every time? and how could she say that with such a straight face? you shook your head, trying to chase any thoughts of your loved one getting hurt.

going two years without seeing your boyfriend was hard, and worrisome. first, because usopp was usopp, and you could easily imagine him ending up in situations he did not want to get into in the first place. you knew he could be stronger than what he seemed, but you also knew the poor man lacked confidence, and that kept him from unleashing his true potential.

then, you couldn't help but wonder if he fell out of love. what if he had met someone else? these thoughts were irrational, and you knew it. but on some lonely nights, you couldn't help but let these anxieties get to you. and now was not the time for said anxieties to come back!

your drink now finished, — half of it ended up on the floor after you spit it out — you got up and walked around the sunny, looking out for any signs of usopp arriving.

instead of seeing anyone, you heard someone. "h-hey y/n ! it's been a long time right? haha..." the voice paused for a second, "no no, it sounds too cliché-"

you had to cover your mouth to stay quiet, not knowing exactly if you were holding in a gasp or a laugh. was usopp rehearsing your encounter this whole time?

the sniper cleared his throat, before trying again : "y/n !! i hope you didn't miss me too much!"

now it was clear ; you were holding in a laugh. you could picture exactly the face your stupid lover was making as he was reciting his lines. you had to see that.

approaching the stern, you leaned on a fence, trying to cautiously look over the ship. your eyes opened wide as you finally got to see your boyfriend. he changed a lot. he was probably the one who changed the most among the straw hat pirates — franky aside, obviously.

usopp kept walking in circles, scratching the back of his head, and you couldn't help but admire how long his hair got. it looked like he didn't cut them at all while you were separated. you looked forward to the time you will be able to play with it, like back in the days. he also grew a goatee! you didn't think it would look good on him, but he proved you wrong.

what was the most striking was how muscular he had become. what had happened to the little guy you unwillingly left behind two years ago? he really did train a lot. just like everyone. a feel of pride traveled through you, making you smile foolishly.

when you finally decided it would be time for you to call your boyfriend's name, your eyes met, and locked. both of you looked ashamed. you felt guilty about spying on him, and he was embarrassed after realising you had probably heard him overthink your reunion.

"oh." usopp remained silent for a few more seconds, before tensing up suddenly. he tried to blurt out one of his pre-made lines ; "o-OH HEY Y/N !! it's been a long miss me right? UH NO i meant—"

you did not wait for him to make a bigger fool of himself, and jumped off deck carefully right into his arms, making sure you won't fall over. tears threatened to spill out your eyes. "yes, it's been a long time," you said, pulling back from usopp's tight grip, "and yes, i missed you. a lot."

you placed a hand on one of his rosy cheeks, his beam almost turning you blind. "yellow suits you!" out of all the things you wanted to tell him, this is what you chose to say. "i knew you would like it." luckily, usopp did not seem disappointed at your reaction. you could have said anything, and he would have willingly played along.

"there are so many things i need to tell you about! like that time when—" you gently flicked his forehead, stopping him mid sentence. you also wanted to talk with him for hours, catching up on each other's lives, but you had to stop him, for now. "get on board and say hello to the crewmates you've been ghosting for the past hours!!"

"please don't tell them you caught me talking to myself." you gave usopp the silence treatment as you both walked towards your friends. "please!" he added, looking overly worried. "i won't." you finally answered, relieving the poor young man. everyone greeted him warmly. the straw hats were finally reunited, and all the worries that anteriorly occupied your thoughts were now gone. nothing had changed at all. . . .

as expected, the reunion party lasted a long time and, as tired as the both of you were, usopp and you volunteered to be on night watch. you needed sleep, but you needed to spend alone time together even more.

you tried to muffle your giggles as usopp was telling you about one of his great adventures, but his way of telling stories always had you laughing a lot.

"and then the island threatened to swallow the poor heracles!! he's lucky i was there to save him!" the professional liar looked so proud as he was annunciating his stories, you couldn't help but look at him with admirative eyes. he had missed this stare a lot. back on the bowin islands, there was no one to make him feel so warm, so cared for, so loved.

you did not know how much of this story was true, and you did not care. scooting usopp closer, you finally pressed your lips softly against his. you had missed this simple gesture of intimacy so much, and now that you got to feel his lips again you wondered how you managed to survive two whole years without him.

"i'm proud of you, usopp." you said, greeting him for the exploit he had just told you about. he adored the way you never questioned his stories. the way you seemed to understand him so well, like no one ever could. in a way that felt less hesitant than before, he rested his arm on your waist, pulling you closer to him. the air was chilly, but in this embrace, you both felt warm.

"thank you, y/n." he paused, before adding : "i love you."

[tgr-2x5-roleswap-au]

You've Got Mail - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Pen Pals (April 1964)

Goodbye Fat Controller - Season 19 Episode 25

Word Count: 933

:D

~

He wrote back.

James didn't think Emily's idea would work. Sure, it had worked fine for her but that was her sister. It was someone she knew. Edward was, in the end, a foreign stranger. Yet—

"He actually wrote back!" James exclaimed, seeing the closed envelope Fred, his driver, waved in front of him with a smile. "What did he say? Can you read it, please? Please?"

James' driver chuckled at the ecstatic engine as he looked around. The engine and his crew were in a siding, with a brake van and guard in hand, awaiting clearance. There was a disturbance up the branch line. "I don't see why not, chap. We have plenty of time."

"Open it, then!"

"Calm down!" he scolded. "Not that long ago, you were brooding about."

With a snort, James retorted, "No, I wasn't!"

"We nearly missed the boat."

James huffed, letting his cheeks burn. "Ok, maybe a little."

Satisfied, the elderly raven head pulled out his pocket knife and cut the envelope open from its side. He grabbed it from the opposite end and tapped it against the palm of his hand, getting the letter out. It took a bit but it eventually slipped out and into his hands. The Englishman was about to unfold it, only to see another letter slip out. With a quick reflex, he was able to catch it before it fell onto the tracks and under James. Unlike the first one, there was writing on the outside.

Curious, Fred cleared his throat. "From Quinn Burns, a volunteer of the Furness Railway Trust," his driver read aloud, just as George, James’ fireman, quietly approached them. "I'll read this one first."

"But-!" James began.

"It could be context for what Edward has to say," interrupted his driver. "Might as well know who wrote it for him."

James hummed impatiently, receiving an eye roll from his fireman.

The driver quickly tucked the first letter and the envelope into his pockets. He opened the second letter, pinched the opposite corners between his fingers, as if it were a scroll, cleared his throat, just to get a kick out of James, and read what was written with ink on the thin sheet of paper…

.

.

.

"Greetings to James' crew! 

When the Furness Railway Trust received your engine's letter, we were quite surprised, especially with whom it was addressed. While we were aware of the mishap that led to FR 21 being on the North Western Railway by accident, we were unaware that he had made a friend. And for that, we are very grateful for!

For one, Edward didn’t have, shall we say, stable relationships in the past. When Old Coppernob was around for the Great Railway Show, Edward didn't get along with him. He ignored him the moment they met, so he's been a loner since. Considering what little he's told me about his "prime" days, I can see why.

And two, I don't think I and the rest of my colleagues have ever seen him this happy before, compared to how he reacted when we told him he'd partake in the Great Railway Show once again. Edward told me everything that happened while he was in the NWR. He was initially apprehensive about James but with the little time he spent on the island, he enjoyed his company. We're glad that he's made a friend.

Sincerely,

Quinn Burns"

.

.

.

Fred chuckled at seeing James’ face scrunch up, curious by one piece of information, joined by George.

“‘Once again’?” repeated James. “He's been to the show before?”

“Sure seems like it, old chap,” replied his driver, folding the letter back up and tucking it back into the envelope. He proceeded to do the same to the other with no writing on the outside. “Let's see what your friend's got to say,” he continued as he opened the letter, the paper audibly wrinkling.

.

.

.

“Hello there!

In all my years, I didn't expect a letter. Much less from another engine, so I would like to thank you for that, James.

I would love to be ‘pen pals.’ And I have managed to find a way, as you can tell. Mr. Burns is a very nice man. I talk to him the most and he was there when the letter came in.

How have things been? I know not much time has passed but still. We might as well start somewhere, should we not?

By the time this letter reaches you, I’ll be at the British Transport Museum. I'll be there until May. Then I'll go back to Derby for a short while. Until then, I won’t be able to answer. I’m truly sorry. I will try to respond as soon as I get back.

Sincerely,

FR 21 Edward

.

.

.

James huffed out steam in a heavy sigh. Of course, something was going on, he thought.

His "Day 1” crew picked up on the disgruntled engine. “Cheer up, old boy,” whispered his fireman, ignoring James’ “I'm not old!” “At least we know when he's going back.”

Knowing Mr. Turner was right, James snorted, eliciting a chuckle from his elderly crew. While this behavior bothered others immensely, this was the norm for the trio. No other crew knew how to handle this particular iron horse.

“We can write back later,” noted Mr. Quill as he heard a nearby shrill. He looked at the source of the sound to see their guard waving his flag. “The line's cleared.”

Satisfied with the suggestion, James agreed. Once his crew settled in, Mr. Quill opened James’ regulator with practiced ease, beginning their journey to the next job.

~

Alternatively: James and his "should've retired by now Day 1" crew.

They have tried recruiting a new crew for years by this point (Fred + George have been working with James since their late 20s) but previous candidates just couldn't get along with James, and the NWR wasn't about to risk an accident from happening because of that. The NWR will take accidents caused by the engines over the ones caused by the crews ANY DAY.

Notes:

The way Edward speaks in his letters versus his actual dialogue will be different (but progressively will be the same) since someone is writing for him, as well as guiding him with what he is trying to say.

Correcting myself with this one because I didn't say what I meant to say: Edward DOES know how to speak but the reason why he's speech is broken is due to the sudden change in his life. He did not have to deal with socializing for 4 decades (1923 - 1963), losing that practice. Now that he does interact with others, its become overwhelming. Times have changed, and so has the world around him. He has a lot to adapt to, such as social standards.

[taylor-swift-bracket]

Okay, so I actually have a notes document with my favorite lyrics of hers organized by the age she was when she wrote them. It includes unreleased tracks from the 2003 Demo CD, which you can skip if you want? I think it would be neat to keep track of her age when she wrote a given song… But maybe that’s just me. 😅

Looks like my notes only go as far as Speak Now, oops. I guess I got distracted halfway through. Well, I’ll send what I’ve got, I guess! I might come back later with more, if that’s okay. :) The ‘…’ type breaks mean other lines come between those, so idk if they should be counted as separate lines. Up to you!

______

She was an archangel, sweet danger

…

Here, our love was a beauty unseen

- “Baby Blue” (2003 Demo CD)

I think you fell off of your cloud today

You didn't see it coming or did you

You tried to please everybody

But the sweet breeze swept you away

…

Somebody blows your candle out

You wore a mask, now that's broken too

Everybody else was everything to you

…

Don't count the days as they leave you

Count them as you find a day new

- “Never Fade” (2003 Demo CD)

Your flames, oh they're putting me out

The smoke, can't see my way out

The heat, the heartaches

The fog, the blindness

The eyes of cries and shattered lies

- “Fire” (2003 Demo CD)

Answered whys are like moonlit skies

And loving eyes are like fireflies

- “Kid in the Crowd” (2003 Demo CD)

Lavender pillows and weeping willows

Things I would never have known

- “Mary Jo” (2003 Demo CD)

Maybe she'll bring you up to the skies.

- “Lucky You” (first complete song written by Taylor Swift, 12 years old)

But I say the old could be newer

And love still counts when it doesn't stay

- “Point of View” (2003 Demo CD)

Hearts fall like a broken angel

- “Why Do You Tell Me?” (2003 Demo CD)

I'm counting every second like time in a jar

And these words are just words, that's not what you are

- “A Little More Like You” (2003 Demo CD)

As far as we know, we only live once

And this could be your masterpiece

And you never know what lies ahead

Life is made of falling down and getting back up again

The sun falls down every night and gets back up at dawn

Ride on

- “Ride On” (2003 Demo CD)

Let's watch the tide chase the waves onto the sand

I wonder if a broken heart can feel the warmth of my hand

…

So walk with me as the sweet wind dances

- “Smokey Black Nights” (2003 Demo CD)

I've been waiting for that sweet second that never was

- “Beautiful Days” (2003 Demo CD)

(Debut takes things as far as 15yo but several songs are from 12-13 too)

So watch me strike a match

On all my wasted time

- “Picture to Burn” (Debut)

He's the time taken up, but there's never enough

And he's all that I need to fall into

- “Teardrops on My Guitar” (Debut)

You have a way of coming easily to me

And when you take, you take the very best of me

…

And you come away with a great little story

Of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you

- “Cold As You” (Debut)

When I went looking for a reason

I know I didn't read between the lines

…

You saw me there, but never knew

That I would give it all up to be

A part of this, a part of you

- “The Outside” (Debut) [written at 12]

You might not be the golden one

And you're tied together with a smile

But you're coming undone

- “Tied Together with a Smile” (Debut)

Cory’s eyes are like a jungle

…

He whispers songs into my window

In words that nobody knows

…

If you and I are a story

That never gets told

If what you are is a daydream

I'll never get to hold

- “Stay Beautiful” (Debut)

Friday night beneath the stars

In a field behind your yard

You and I are paintin' pictures in the sky

And sometimes we don't say a thing

Just listen to the crickets sing

Everything I need is right here by my side

- “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” (Debut)

There's a fire inside of you

That can't help but shine through

…

Like shadows in a faded light

Oh, we're invisible

- “Invisible” (Debut)

Realized by the distance in your eyes that I would be the one to fall

- “Perfectly Good Heart” (Debut)

(Now for Fearless, age 16-18!)

So here's to everything coming down to nothing

Here's to silence that cuts me to the core

- “Forever and Always” (Fearless)

Talk to the wind, talk to the sky

Talk to the man with the reasons why

And let me know what you find

I'll leave my window open

'Cause I'm too tired at night to call your name

Just know I'm right here hopin'

That you'll come in with the rain

…

Talk to yourself, talk to the tears

Talk to the man who put you here

And don't wait for the sky to clear

- “Come In With The Rain” (Fearless)

Morning loneliness, comes around when I'm not

Dreaming about you

When my world wakes up today

- “Superstar” (Fearless)

And the conversation with the little white lies

And the faded picture of a beautiful night

- “Other Side of the Door” (Fearless)

There's somethin' 'bout the way

The street looks when it's just rained

There's a glow off the pavement

- “Fearless” (Fearless)

Don't forget to look before you fall

I've found time can heal most anything

And you just might find who you're supposed to be

- “Fifteen” (Fearless)

So we've been outnumbered

Raided and now cornered

…

Tonight we stand, get off our knees

Fight for what we've worked for all these years

And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives

But we'll stand up champions tonight

- “Change” (Fearless)

The best and worst day of June

Was the one that I met you

- “You All Over Me” (Fearless Vault)

Lost in the gray and I try to grab at the fray

- “Bye Bye Baby” (Fearless Vault)

(And now we’re on to Speak Now, solo written at 19)

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

- “Mine” (Speak Now)

Your guard is up and I know why

Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind

You gave me roses and I left them there to die

…

And then the cold came, the dark days when fear crept into my mind

- “Back to December” (Speak Now)

There's the silence, there's my last chance

I stand up with shaky hands, all eyes on me

- “Speak Now” (Speak Now)

Long were the nights

When my days once revolved around you

Counting my footsteps

Praying the floor won't fall through again

…

All the girls that you've run dry

Have tired lifeless eyes

'Cause you've burned them out

But I took your matches

Before fire could catch me

So don’t look now

I’m shining like fireworks

Over your sad, empty town

- “Dear John” (Speak Now)

You, with your switching sides

And your wildfire lies and your humiliation

- “Mean” (Speak Now)

But you held your pride like you should've held me

…

The battle's in your hands now

But I would lay my armour down

If you said you'd rather love than fight

- “The Story of Us” (Speak Now)

Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?"

Across the room your silhouette

Starts to make its way to me

The playful conversation starts

Counter all your quick remarks

Like passing notes in secrecy

- “Enchanted” (Speak Now)

She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum

…

He was a moth to the flame

She was holding the matches

- “Better Than Revenge” (Speak Now TV) [I like the changed lyrics…]

Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep

Before the monsters caught up to you?

…

Time turns flames to embers

You'll have new Septembers

- “Innocent” (Speak Now)

Your name, forever the name on my lips

Just like our last kiss

- “Last Kiss” (Speak Now)

May these memories break our fall

- “Long Live” (Speak Now)

They'll judge it like they know about me and you

And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do

…

Your hands are tough

But they are where mine belong and

I'll fight their doubt and give you faith

- “Ours” (Speak Now)

Last night I heard my own heart beating

Sounded like footsteps on my stairs

Six months gone and I'm still reaching

Even though I know you're not there

- “If This Was A Movie” (Speak Now/Fearless TV)

I love this! I am only including released songs in this tournament, but I enjoyed reading the unreleased lyrics! All the released lyrics you included have been added :)

[sunnyy-sunsh1ne]

The Person that Will Guide us Back Again to the Abyss...Probably (TL;DR)

In this topic, I'll talk about how Tartaglia, Wanderer & Skirk could be some of our keys to go back to the Abyss at some point in the story, besides of course, Dainsleif.

When Childe was 14 years old, somehow he fell into the abyss & met a woman named Skirk.

There, during three months, Childe learned his combat skills as also became more confident on himself, but this was not all, because in the abyss he learned about the Foul Legacy.

The Foul Legacy seems to be a technique that doesn't come from his vision nor his delusion, but of whatever he learned during his training in the abyss.

This seems to consists in his 3rd transformation during his boss battle and also in his normal attacks.

He uses his hydro vision during his normal attacks, but it seems that those attacks come from the Foul Legacy technique.

In his constellations we can see that the names refer to the Foul Legacy and the abyss (ex. Foul Legacy & Abyssal Mayhem).

Besides, there's also an odd similarity in his hydro weapons and the weapons we can find around Enkanomiya, which is in the Dark Sea, a large region in the abyss.

Was Skirk from Enkanomiya and taught Childe to fight with the same weapons? Or was she from Teyvat and just happened to be in the Abyss when Childe was also there?

Now, Childe could help us like a guide in the abyss if we some day we need to go there, but personally I think that this posibility is not the case, because even though he can be friendly to the traveler, Childe's loyalty stills lies to the Fatui.

If Childe ever helps us, then the only reason he could help us would be because it is related to some Fatui plan.

About Skirk, the only thing we know about her, is that she taught Childe his combat skills and that she inhabits in the abyss (at least at the time Childe met her). We don't know if she actually comes from there or the outside world; maybe she could be part of the Hexenzirkel or not.

At this point, we cannot consider her an option that could help the traveler while travelling the Abyss because of the lack of information we have about her. We don't know if she will have interest in helping us.

The next and most viable option, is Wanderer.

He's a very interesting character for the main reason of being a "puppet".

Created by Raiden Ei to sustitue her in the role of ruling Inazuma, she used a "mysterious technique" that came before her eyes, "as if by a stroke of fate".

With the last line I mentioned, it is a pretty suspicious thing that Ei obtained this techinque, in a way as if it were fate. Let's not forget that the Wanderer is a living being, and to create life it is no an easy task.

It is too much for it to be a coincidence that there's also another technique to create life, being this one the Art of Khemia, the one which Albedo, Durin & Rifthounds were created by a Khaenri'an woman called Rhinedottir, also known as "Gold".

This fact is of much relevance, because in the character story #4 of Wanderer, we discover that the techniques used in the creation of him, had their roots in Khaenri'ah.

When Dottore & Pierro discovered this when Wanderer joined the Fatui, they used him in various missions in the Abyss. Wanderer was literally sent to the Abyss to do stuff and then come back.

He surely knows ways to enter the abyss, the most safest's paths to use (bc I'm sure that it is not safe at all), what we could encounter there and more!

He's the best candidate to guide us during a trip in the abyss!

In the quest "Act III: Inversion of Genesis" at the final conversation we had with him, he says that he owns us a favor because we helped him with the whole situation of Dottore's plan and manipulation on him.

So if he indeed helps us in the future, he could be a great ally for exploring the abyss. With his combat skills & intel about the region, exploring the abyss could be a not very difficult task.

I speculate that in some point of the traveler's story, we'll to go back to the Abyss as a part of an archon quest, so if Dainsleif isn't near (which surely will be the case), then the traveler will have no other option than relaing in Wanderer.

All the info of this topic was obtained through character stories and voicelines of Childe, Ei & Wanderer.

As also from this very interesting post in reddit about Childe and his Foul Legacy technique:

[the-punforgiven]

Hey, i wanted to ask because you seem to know your stuff, do you have any resources/books/sites you recommend for people who wanna know more about knights?

To be honest I'm really not sure, most of what I know comes from just like, hearing it secondhand and then googling it later tbh

If you're more in the market for dry academia I've heard an effective approach is like, searching for weapons/armor/whatever on wikipedia, and then like, scolling down to their sources for something interesting to read, but idk if that's your speed (Tbh it's usually not mine either, unless I'm having a catastrophic autism moment lol)

To be honest the place I got the majority of my knowledge from is just from like, getting curious about random shit and googling it, I really wish I had better resources I could give but tbh I often just like, don't really keep track about what I'm googling, I just google some shit like "What centuries were people wearing close helms" or whatever and then just read several different pages to make sure the information lines up

Or I'll hear something in passing about like, "The heaviest sword ever used in battle was 7 feet long and weighed 14 pounds" or something and google that one, which opened up a huge rabbit hole for me that was very fun to dig down into

(Admittedly, whenever I'm curious about something related to combat or swordsmanship techniques, I usually end up finding my way back to this wiki specifically though)

I also got a lot of what I know specifically from like, traveling medieval festivals and my SCA friends, so if you can find a festival or a branch of the SCA around wherever you live I'm sure you can find some nerds willing to share weird history facts with you

Because to be honest, basically all my knowledge of knights and such just came from either random idle curiosity or word of mouth + google. Like, Listen to something cool someone says, google it, voraciously consume information on the topic, repeat

That's also why my knowledge is very very spotty, I have a lot of knowledge but it's full of weird gaps that make it difficult to really talk about what I know with other people who like, actually know their shit lol

Alternatively again I know there are plenty of youtubers who like talking history, I know Skallagrim is a popular one (and largely responsible for making End Him Rightly a meme back in the day) but tbh I kinda fell off watching his videos a few years back so I have no idea what kinda content he's making nowadays

If you're more interested in the swordplay than the history I know I got my start on that from the Blood and Iron HEMA channel, but admittedly I fell off from watching their videos a few years back as well lol

That said I also recommend googling the shit out of whatever youtubers say that piques your fancy, since idk I've found youtubers are more likely to get their sources mixed up than anyone else for some reason

I'm sorry I really don't have much in terms of resources to give you tbh, basically everything I know came from me hearing about something cool and falling down a rabbit hole googling it

The only other advice I can give is that if you see a weapon in a videogame that's got a fancy name that sounds like, vaguely european, maybe try googling that too, you might find something neat!

Sorry for the wall of text also, and doubly sorry there's so little substance in it ;-;

@history mutuals please share whatever you've got below, for both anon and me lol

[pissmotif]

hiiiii shan

🐝 title: don't go back to our old place

🐑 hmmm tags (I spun a wheel for this): idiots in love, friends to strangers to lvoers, touch starved

hiiii rose!

for this ask game

🐝 don't go back to our old place

this would be a regulus / black brothers character study. i think different aspects of the fic would correlate to lines in the song and reg's own feelings surrounding them

(i never thought id see the day we wouldn't get along) following his own emotions after sirius ran away and dealing with the fact they're no longer the way they used to be, and wondering if they'll ever be able to be close again w this divide between them

(you think i smoke too much, i think your friends all suck) regulus looking at sirius with his friends, tar rotting his lungs as he tells himself he hates them - not wanting to acknowledge the jealousy that is seeing his brother be happy without him

(so leave my sweater on the porch, i'll leave your bag under the bed) the beginnings of the relationship rekindling, holding space for each other in their lives again; things will never be the same but maybe that's okay

(don't go back to our old place, it's probably locked up anyway ... i'm happy here) finally seeing regulus out of the black manor, and there's still so much to fix and so much to work through, but that acknowledgment he's happy with where he is, even if it isnt perfect

(scott pilgrim vs my gpa was on repeat during this and now i've gotta throw up)

🐑 idiots in love, friends to strangers to lovers, touch starved

started to think abt this plot and it was just i fell hard 2.0... anyway. i'm gonna go w it

james and regulus who actually grew close in james' final years at hogwarts, bc of sirius living with him, and then following regulus' final year without james; there's no big fight, just the rift that comes w seeing someone everyday to suddenly not seeing them at all. communication slows until it just stops, because sirius has moved out by then and there's no real excuse to keep seeing each other, and life is busy so between one moment and the next it's been over a year since they've seen each other.

somehow they end up at the same university, and they don't realise at first until halfway through regulus' first year; so much has changed with them both, as is what happens in your late teens and early 20s, and it's like they're learning who the other is all over again.

i feel like they'd both be touch starved, honestly. james was used to being around his 4 best friends at hogwarts, and now he's alone on a campus and he has friends but they're not affectionate in the way the marauders were. regulus is always touch starved in every universe Ibr, and suddenly they're both around someone who doesn't mind when they just need to cuddle up to someone

cue them both thinking this is platonic on both sides; just two dudes who need a little hug from time to time and very in denial about what that means - partially out of fear for ruining their only constant in person friendship and partially because well. they're fucking stupid

i imagine one day one of them has a date and the other is just so jealous that it finally clicks into place like "oh. oh fuck i'm in love with this idiot” and they live happily ever after

[easily-bullied]

wow I'm back two years later. I wanted to do some writing, get things out of my head and onto the page about the latest things that are bothering me. and then I read that last post and it made me want to laugh because... my mom died like 3 months after I wrote that wow that girl didn't know what was about to hit her.

perspective

hind sight

2 more years. 34 (lol 'im a thirty year old' nah bitch u were about to turn 32) and used to hell. shit I was coddled. I felt strong and I look at her like oh babes! champagne problems. but now I'm also comparing and it's like, well shit, I got some places. we moved. I had 2 semi serious flings (one was supposed to be the thrust of this post, it probably still will be) new job, new friends, new haunts, new furniture new anxieties same anxieties. rediscovering some thing I loved, finding ways to love someone, loving new parts of me.

ok is that enough of a through line? for the no one reading this. I wanna talk about the thing I came here for. let's get some stuff out.

I fell in love

I think I fell in love

I tried to fall in love and it might have worked

I looked at something that I could love and I said 'go and do it'

and that thing was like 'hey this is probably a bad idea' and I said 'yup, I hear you. I know.' and then I said quietly to myself 'love harder and maybe it'll work out. I bet if you just keep running and don't slow down you can fix this.' and I nodded at them and I nodded at my friends as they counseled me and still I whispered to myself 'no we should keep going'

what does that mean?? can that really just mean I'm that desperate to be loved? can it not mean that maybe this love was real and it should be cherished and missed? like it was supposed to happen and it's a cosmic wrong that needs to be righted? wouldn't that explain some of this feeling?

every day I'm white knuckling it. I want to text them even this second. hell I hope I'll convince myself it's a good idea by the time I'm done typing.

is it easier to think of not me? is that why?

at least im starting to forgive myself for my mistakes. or at least im convincing myself that they're being forgiven. and I bet they are! minor shit. shit I apologized for. profusely. and genuinely. real remorse. how do I be accountable? I respect the boundaries. at least the ones that I can assume. a few months they said. it's been 2 weeks. I'm dying

ok so let's say they come back. they say they missed me. they say they love me. what's that look like. what do I want. I want to see them happy and comfortable. I want them to thrive. I want them making art. I want them smiling and laughing. I want me feeling appreciated, I want me feeling adored and supported. I want to feel not alone. I want someone I can lean on. who looks forward to the times I need their strength cause it makes them feel strong and needed. that's who I need.

is that someone they are? it's hard to know I guess. it was only a few months. I feel like they would want to be able to be that person. but maybe just not yet. that would make sense to me. I can see that needing time. I can see that time being helpful. even if it's not for that express purpose. I can see it being the outcome.

would they see it in themselves? trust themselves to be it? I guess that's not up to me and I can't know it.

ok so what if they don't come back. are you going to wallow again? in three months still be sad? why were we sad before the relationship. why were we sad in it? I just don't feel real enough. I don't feel filled in. I feel like a first draft. I am one. I guess it all is. I don't think about it. I don't examine. I'm afraid to look. I don't feel like I have permission??

what would calm me down? knowing what they want? but they don't know. so that can't be what I need

knowing I'll be ok. knowing I won't be alone

ok let's think about that. so you really actually think you're unlovable? no

you know you're kinda great

it's about finding someone that makes you feel it when you can't feel it yourself. that exists. I've seen that. I won't break that next time. I'm better than I was

I'm good enough. I've always been good enough. how I'm better. only 34. 20 years. 20 long years. and I still won't even be 55. that's not bad. lots can happen in a year. boy oh boy lots and lots

where was I last August? I had just moved here. I would been just finished having my birthday. a lot anxious. wow I was looking to have a hot girl summer and have sex and then I realized I was too afraid. it wasn't time yet. ok so now I've had sex a bunch in the last few months. been in a couple dates. found a new type that I like. been with other trans people. felt seen and accepted. it's not a miracle when that happens. it just means it's with other people like me. people who are wonderful and beautiful and different and thought about why.

it's hot that you know who you are. even if you aren't finished. you went further than a lot of others.

the way they looked at you was real. you both know that was real. it doesn't matter what's coming. I can't control that. but it was real back then. that happened. and it felt so good and made everything feel better and it soothed you. and there's people who are dying to look at you that way again. maybe even that same person. but regardless you will have it

and it's with the knowledge that you can love them back in a way that you're proud of. that makes you feel like a whole. see your fullness as a woman, as a lover, as a caretaker, as a pillar, as a mother. all there. in me. swirling around. like how is that not the only thing I can think of? like holy shit look at you Momo. the fullness of you, the person you were SO afraid of being and now I'm it all day every day and like it just all slipped on exactly fitting. a slip, built for your body. all there.

Ollie loves you too. so don't be too worried. and also hey the last blog post was funny!

[badmouthedmama]

Today totally sucks woke up to the most wonderful dream. I squeeze my pillow so tight. Wishing it was my man, I totally fell back asleep until 6:15, and I'm usually out of bed no later than 445. Out door on my walk by 515.

So, I'm trying to get my a** out the door not really wanting to because of the pain level. And I look at the smallest little crack out my window. And there's the big beautiful moon staring at me. The moon to me is like the ocean to Moana. She calls me!! got my a** out the door.

So another s***** moon picture. It was there beautifully as soon as I grabbed my phone the cloud started rolling and faster than I could take the pictures!

so f****** p***** off went to an emergency dentist appointment yesterday. Thinking possible root canal. But the dentist was confident that he could put a Crown and explained all the stuff to me that I didn't understand, pushing my tooth around, which is causing the pain. Well, he's the expert, so I trust him. Of course. Half my face. Is numb yesterday. It looks like I had a stroke. And by the time it finally wears off. I'm thinking to myself. Hit the wrong f****** tooth, but I'm no expert. So I tell myself, just give it a day. You're still just in a lot of had your mouth spread open Like a w****.... and I don't know I'm trying to come up with something funny there, hasn't come to me

So on my walk. Call the emergency line, again. My face hurts so f****** bad. This is so stupid if you want to wish some f*** up s*** on your worst enemies. Wish them some tooth pain. It's the f****** worst.

So now waiting for the office to call ehen they open.

I was thinking about my 2nd day on the new J O B today, and I'm actually really freaking excited. It's kind of funny because I've been a waitress for 25 years. People always ask me, especially from high school. You're still there. Yeah, I'm still there. The money is great, and I f****** love it. But now, this new job, going in on only my 2nd day. I don't think I've been more excited to go into work, you find new loves. Maybe it's just your love changes. I don't know. Maybe it's just a general consensus of my whole body finally at peace. I used to have an anxiety pill that I called my crazy pill that I took 3 times a day. And I'll tell you, yesterday I was driving on the freeway. And this double semi truck was next to me. Pouring down rain mist flying up everywhere, a year ago I would br white knuckles *** my life, and yesterday as I was passing, I caught myself in complete peace and calm. And it was actually f****** beautiful. I had to pause and reflect on the fact that I was driving next to a semi truck going 65 miles an hour in the pouring down rain barely able to see and not an ounce of anxiety that is f****** beautiful. Get your mind right and everything starts to change.

*Pause*

gotta call back from the dentist. I know exactly the lady that called, never really been a fan of her. She's not the most pleasant person. She's my age, maybe a little younger, absolutely beautiful, but she's always got a chip on her shoulder. The old me was always rude back. The new me. I just deal with it and try to remind myself She's probably got something going on in her life. That makes her just be an angry bitter woman. So I'm driving and as you should Do you pray for people. So I pray for that bitch to check her attitude

Thank you, Lord for this beautiful day. And thank you for my sobriety. Thank you for the Doctor's appointment. And hopefully the ability to get this f****** toothpain to go away. I pray for my family. I pray for strength to not freak the f*** out on my stupid F****** co-workers this weekend on my last couple days. And I pray for ****** at the dentist office for whatever she is going thru in her life. Please guide me to lead from my heart, guide my words my hands my feet for your will for me. Amen

***** super looooonnnng pause

One hour later (in my sponge Bob show voice)

But really 10 and a half hours 🤦‍♀️😬🤣

BRB

I'll just leave it at this 😁

#TBGLU ✌️🌙

[wecouldmakediamonds]

Jukebox January: Day 4, and 5, and 6... and 7... and 8 and 9 too...

the original post tag of all my posts

So, I fell victim to the classic "I got distracted and missed one day... so now I'll just do two the next day... but that's overwhelming so maybe I'll wait until the weekend... and then somehow now it's the 9th and I missed doing a whole bunch of days that I really had great songs for." So I'm doing it all now. At once. But in a smaller format: no links, and I'll only write paragraphs for the ones that I have a lot to say about. Then I can feel good about catching up!

On to D, E, F, G, H, I:

Demoni - Joker Out My soundtrack of 2023. The song that changed my year by making me fall in love with the music of five shagadelic Slovenians. The first Joker Out song I listened to when I wanted to check out more music from Eurovision artists, and I was hooked. Seriously, this song creates such an atmosphere that I had to listen to it over and over and over. I think it's that the beat kind of reminds me of a heartbeat? Like when you're alone and it's very quiet and all you can hear is your own heartbeat. Which does feel a bit like you're alone with your demons...

Democracy - Leonard Cohen Released in 1992, but sounds almost like it could have been written in 2020. I listened to this song a lot that year, and it captures America so well, all about the irony of the struggle for democracy in a country that's theoretically based on democracy. I could say a lot about this song, and maybe I'll come back to this later and write more, because every line has something I could say about the connections between 1992 and 2020.

Dear Dictator - Saint Motel All I have to say here: "It's not too late to say you're sorry, but it's too late to truly mean it" is one of my favorite lyrics ever, never have I heard it said so well, how I feel about people who have done unforgivable things.

Dzeguzes balss - Carnival Youth A cover of a song from a Latvian movie from several decades ago, and while I admit I don't know the whole context of the movie, the song's lyrics are so, so good. No matter what, the voice of the cuckoo can't be stopped: "Mēs to norakām bedrē, sirds stūrī/Bet, kad mazliet atlaidās sals/Tad kā naiva narcise izlīda/Dzeguzes balss!"

Dead Star - Muse

Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys

DESTROYA - My Chemical Romance For one of my favorite lines ever: "with blood they wash in money", and for how much I love the overlapping vocal parts in the end.

Dear Jealousy - MIKA

Dīvainas Parādības - Embark I have to plug this band because I'm one degree of separation away from the ex-drummer. So, check them out!

Eternally Missed - Muse Too good of a song to be buried as a B-side forever, the guitar effects in this building up the tension are amazing, and the emotion just pouring from Matt's voice.

Eve of Agnes - XIXA and Imarhan

Eyes - Sudden Lights

Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode

Ero s onoga svijeta - Let 3 I always love crazy Eurovision acts because they almost always have a serious meaning buried underneath the music. When I got to learn about Let 3's long history of saying "fuck you" to fascism and the background of this song (taken from the most famous Croatian opera), that's what made me love them most of all.

Fifty Years After the Fair - Aimee Mann So, this is again a song of some really specific interest of mine, and this is from a time in my teens when I had a fascination with the 1939 World's Fair. And the song is all about how the fair was showing such a bright future and then--WW2 in Europe broke out while the fair was still going on. "How beautiful it was, tomorrow" is the line that breaks my heart every time.

Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance

Fallout Shelter - Mike and Bernie Winters Another one of those Fallout-game-vibe songs that I love so much.

Figure It Out - Duncan Laurence I don't actually listen to Duncan much, but this one is important to me because it's the one that @sorrelink sends to me when I'm anxious about the future.

Friction - Imagine Dragons I know this band is much-maligned for making empty stomp-clap stadium music, but their second album is really, really good and has some incredible lyrics. This one in particular I remember listening to a lot in my last year of high school when I was feeling a lot of pressure to succeed and stressing about it.

Fitter Happier - Radiohead Less of a song and more of an interlude on the album. I just used to listen to OK Computer a lot in my teens and this is what I always think of with that album.

Gennifer Flowers - Fever Dolls

Give Me The Future - Bastille

God Knows I Tried - Lana Del Rey Another artist I don't listen to much anymore but who I listened to a lot in the past. To me she does satire of America amazingly, but at the same time doesn't seem self-aware of it, but it also might just be an act of her stage persona? Anyway, this song is a favorite of mine just for how this line makes me feel: "Put on that Hotel California, dance around like I'm insane/I feel free when I see no one and nobody knows my name"

Ghost Lights - Woodkid

Gladiator - Jann

Hysteria - Muse One of the best songs ever, and I know I'm biased because I love Muse, but: The legendary bassline. The way the guitar solo builds all this tension and then explodes out. "I'm not breaking down, I'm breaking out." 1000/10, if you don't know this song you need to.

Hooked on Radiation - Atomizer Sometimes Spotify gives you some random song from 2003 and it's really good?

Haemoglobin - Placebo

H.S. - Tom Cardy The most inspirational comedy song ever. Like, it's meant to be funny but it also makes me feel so much better about myself. Also it's about space.

Home - Dotan

In corpore sano - Konstrakta Every single time I look at the lyrics of this song (or someone's analysis of the song) I get more and more layers of meaning. This whole song is literally an art piece, she is so good at seeing social issues and writing about them in a way that packs so much into a 3 minute song. And as someone who has a lot of health related anxiety -- "a sick mind in a healthy body" is all too real of an experience for me.

Izbēgšana - Sudden Lights

I Appear Missing - Queens of the Stone Age

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants Could not resist adding this. If you don't know it, you need to. Why did Constantinople get the works?

In the Year 2525 - Zager and Evans A classic in the "looking at the future from the 1960s" genre I love so much.

I Am Not a Robot - MARINA (Marina and the Diamonds) An important reminder to me, someone who struggles a lot with being a people-pleaser: better to be hated than loved for what I'm not.

[crowleaf]

Talking about cooking and health and stuff.

CW TW for calorie counting, restricting, etc. If anything along the lines of what one may consider 'dieting' (though I don't consider this to be a diet) is triggering for you, skip over this post. Keep yourself safe 💜

I forgot how much better home cooked food is than restaurant food. Even 'nicer' restaurants (like sit-down places, nothing expensive, I'm poor and live in rural Ohio lmao) can't compare to home cooked food (the exception is like, sushi, but I'm not exactly in an area where I can get fresh fish I would feel comfortable consuming raw outside of a restaurant).

I've been in a health slump for almost a year now, since maybe last spring. Some long-time mutuals might remember I made posts sometime in 2021-22 about seeing a doctor about dietary concerns due to my somewhat high cholesterol (because I basically live on cheese and eggs). I was doing well for a while, until the app I used to track my meals started glitching. It just wouldn't save anything I put into it, and I had to go looking for another one that didn't suck and wasn't paywalled. I found one that was alight but still required a lot more effort than the one I had been using (which had also been recommended by my doctor).

So I fell off of tracking for a while. Life stuff got in the way and I didn't have the time, energy, or motivation to keep up with consistently cooking at home, and takeout was just more convenient. Unfortunately it was a boil the frog situation, in which I didn't notice the gradual decline of my mental health during this time. When you hear shit about food having an influence over your mental wellness, it's absolutely true. And you don't really realize it until you start cooking your own food. Even if you aren't cooking the healthiest thing in the world, it's going to make you feel better mentally and physically than any restaurant or takeout food will.

I've been wanting to get back to being healthy because I'm tired of being tired even after 2 cups of coffee and a bottle of dr pepper throughout the day. And because I'm sure my cholesterol is back up to the Shitty Range again, but I'll need to wait until the next blood test to find that out.

I had to wait until after the holidays to restock my kitchen with real food because no fucking way was I shopping around Christmas and New Year's. So now I have real food again, and it's wonderful. I already feel better overall. I haven't had this much energy in like, a year. I actually wanted to clean today and I fucking hate cleaning with every fiber of my being.

And yes, I am restricting calories, because this was what my doctor told me to do. I'm not technically under his supervision anymore, but that's just because he had told me I was doing well and didn't need him to check in on me every month, but I could go back if I wanted, if I had any issues. I'm not making my daily calorie goal/limit public because it's tailored to my height, weight, age, and birth gender, so it won't suit everyone and I also don't want people screaming at me and telling me I'm 'starving' or some shit (I'm all for body positivity, but I really hate the toxic, anti-health side of it).

But I need that restriction and tracking because I probably have undiagnosed BED, and it helps me a lot with that. Without it, I tend to eat absurdly sized meal once a day that is lacking in well-balanced nutrition, and leaves me feeling physically unwell. Or I graze on food all day that has zero nutritional value and also leaves me feeling unwell.

This isn't about weight loss for me, though that is a nice side effect and I won't lie when I say it's exciting fitting into clothes I haven't been able to wear in years. It's about health - physical and mental - and I know I feel best when I'm getting enough protein (something I struggle with when not tracking) and eat a controlled amount of calories.

Anyway it's just nice to feel good and energetic and healthy again after so long and I just wanted to ramble about it I guess.

Also, I know that not everyone can cook for themselves, for whatever reason. Disability, money (I'm on food stamps and it's the only reason I can afford healthy food), time, etc. I am in no way trying to shame anyone for not being able to or not wanting to cook. I don't care what anyone else does. This post is just about me and what makes me feel happy and healthy.