#i swear if the eggs in egg wars have features...

[the-sunflower-room]

catching fireflies ⊹ ࣪ ˖

🦾bucky barnes x fem!reader

☆ genre: domestic fluff, established relationship

☆ wc: 4.1k

☆ summary: in the heat of july, bucky makes the mistake of admitting that he never spent his childhood summers catching fireflies. determined to fix such a tragedy, his girl takes matters into her own hands.

☆ warnings: none beyond a few brief mentions of bucky’s trauma/past. otherwise lots of fluff and pet names!

It starts with a simple revelation over breakfast.

Bucky watches silently, as he often does, as she rambles on about how terribly hot New York summers are, a fond, slightly amused grin pulling at his lips as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“I mean, c’mon, when I moved to New York of all places, I didn’t expect to melt into a puddle in the summer,” she grumbles, waving her hands around emphatically as she neglects the eggs and avocado toast on her plate he’d so lovingly prepared that morning.

“I expected the blizzards, sure. The summer showers, fine. Did I mention how prepared I was for the blizzards? But this heat is starting to make me regret all my life choices,” she groans, fanning her face for dramatic effect.

He huffs a laugh, the sound a low, gravelly thing so early in the morning. “You make it sound like the world is on fire out there, sweetheart. This is a pretty normal summer by Brooklyn standards, and that’s coming from a guy who lived here over a century ago,” he teases, shaking his head affectionately.

She acts as if she’s been shot, clutching her heart and pulling a face of exaggerated pain. “Buck, you’re killing me here. You think you could have a little more sympathy for your poor, sweaty girlfriend? I swear, there’s no end to my misery,” she groans dramatically, pressing her ice-cold glass of orange juice to her forehead in her quest for any kind of reprieve from the heat.

He rolls his eyes at her antics, chalking up her mood to their air conditioner being on the fritz. There was only so far portable fans and spray bottles of water could go in the oppressive July heat, and their not-so-reliable landlord kept finding excuses to reschedule the maintenance order that had been placed weeks ago.

Their days together started much earlier now to avoid the hot, late morning sun streaming in through the tall living room windows, a feature of the unit that had been much more appealing before the arrival of the hottest months of the year.

“I know, I know. I’m heartless,” he chuckles, playfully spritzing her with one of the nearby spray bottles and earning a half-giggle, half-yelp in reply. “You’re ridiculous is what you are,” she laughs, wiping her face clean with her napkin before tossing it at him.

“I’m serious though, baby. Summer in my hometown was so much nicer than this growing up. A day at the pool, popsicles that didn’t melt in your hand the second you opened them, evenings running barefoot in the damp grass and catching fireflies,” she sighs almost whimsically, clearly lost in fond childhood memories. “None of this overbearing heat that’s almost definitely going to kill me.”

He can’t help but soften at her endearing nostalgia and theatrics.

“Well, as wonderful as that all sounds,” Bucky murmurs, taking a bite of his bacon with an affectionate grin, “I regret to inform you that Brooklyn isn’t gonna get any cooler in the middle of July. And there sure as hell aren’t any fireflies to catch in this part of town. At least, not when I was a kid.”

Her brow furrows at that, an adorably inquisitive expression taking shape on her face. “No fireflies? But you must’ve caught some at the park when you were growing up,” she presses, as if the notion of a firefly-less childhood is impossible in her mind. But he just shrugs, shakes his head.

“Sorry to disappoint, sweetheart. I don’t remember seeing them at the park back then, but I guess I wasn’t exactly looking for ‘em like you were,” he murmurs, his gaze soft as he witnesses her confusion.

“Got shipped off to the war pretty young, and you know the story from there. Not a lot of time to relax and catch glowing bugs when you’re Hydra’s prized soldier. Plus, my life hasn’t exactly slowed down since those days.” He watches the way her gaze grows more and more appalled, a flash of deep sadness in her irises at the mention of Hydra.

“Buck, this is- I can’t believe it. You’ve been deprived of a classic summer experience,” she manages to scoff after a long beat of stunned silence, shaking her head incredulously. “We’ve gotta fix this. I’m officially declaring a state of emergency until I get a firefly in your hands.”

He chuckles at her bold decree, shaking his head as he takes another sip of his coffee. “A state of emergency, huh? I thought you said we were in a state of emergency last week when we ran out of oat milk,” he recalls matter-of-factly, his brow raising. “That’s an awful lot of urgency for me to hold a firefly, sweet girl.”

She shakes her head definitively, stubbornly, as if she’s already made up her mind. “Nope, it’s just the right amount of urgency. This is now the most important thing on our agenda today,” she determines, pulling out her phone.

“I’m finding us an AirBnB upstate, a place with no light pollution and lots of open grass. That’s the best place to find a bunch of them.”

He laughs gruffly at her unending determination, setting his coffee cup down and folding his arms across his chest in amusement. “Not to put a damper on your enthusiasm, darlin’, but can’t we just go to the park and find one tonight? I’m not sure we need to drive all the way out to a house upstate just to see a couple of bugs,” he reasons with a grin, though he knows there’s no stopping her once she’s set her mind to something.

She shakes her head at him with that twinkle in her eye, and he begins to mentally pack his suitcase for their impromptu trip.

“Nope,” she says again, more stubbornly this time. “I’m showing you a proper, firefly-filled summer night. And I just can’t do that in this noisy, cramped, unbearably hot city of ours,” she explains in mock-seriousness, as if she were laying out the details of a world-saving mission.

“I’m booking this AirBnB, sarge, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

Though there was definitely something he could do about it, it’s his complete and total inability to say no to her that leads him to a quaint little farm house later that evening.

The plot of land is merely a two hour drive from the city, a more than doable trip for the super soldier and his overly enthusiastic—but altogether well-meaning—girlfriend. He admits to himself that it’s cozy, scenic, the kind of place he likes to imagine the two of them settling down in one day when his thoughts grow hopeful, sentimental.

She’s already going on about how much nicer it feels away from the “sweltering dumpster fire that is the big apple” as they step out of the car and begin to unload their bags, which Bucky appropriately responds to with a raspy laugh and an eye roll.

The air was just as warm and sticky out in the hilly countryside as it was in the city, but the lowering evening sun made the temperature just slightly more bearable than when they left home.

“Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that,” he grunts teasingly, reaching over to wipe a few droplets of sweat from her brow before flicking his fingers at her. “I’m pretty sure it’s still hot.”

She splutters as a laugh of shock escapes her, clearly surprised by his ridiculous method of proving his point. “Bucky, that is disgusting,” she playfully reprimands as they make their way to the porch, making a show of wiping the sweat from her face. “Forget fireflies. I’m gonna show you some manners tonight, you weirdo.”

After a few failed attempts at entering the house code into the door’s touch screen lock, followed by a series of frustrated grumbles about the validity of said code sent through the home share app, they finally enter the small but luxurious house they’d be staying in for the night.

It’s charming, comfortably sized, more than enough space for the two of them during their condensed stay. The home offered an exposed beam living room packed with plush seating, a fully stocked kitchen with marble countertops, and a cozy looking bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. But none of it compares to the wonderful, nearly foreign feeling of crisp, cold air conditioning washing over them as they step through the threshold.

They sigh in tandem, dropping their bags on the bedroom floor as the cool air surrounds them, relieving them of the constant state of hot they’d been living in for the past few weeks.

“I know we only booked for the night, but I am seriously considering illegally squatting here just to take advantage of the AC,” she murmurs, her voice just serious enough that he honestly can’t tell if she’s joking. But he’s right there with her in contemplating staying one or five more nights there.

When they’ve recovered from the utter shock and relief of having a functioning air conditioning unit, they begin to unpack their things, curiously exploring the house and flicking on some of the lights as the sun sets lower in the sky.

She’s delighted to find a fire pit just a ways off from the back porch, rejoicing in the fact that their earlier pit stop at the store for s’mores supplies hadn’t been for naught. At the time it had seemed silly, trivial, “cliché” in Bucky’s words. She’d jokingly called him a hater of whimsy, and he’d proceeded to buy all of the ingredients with a barely concealed smile hidden behind a gruff exterior.

“See? I told you we’d need this stuff,” she says triumphantly as they carry the grocery bags outside, setting up shop around the cozy looking fire pit. He just shakes his head fondly, biting his tongue.

They’d also technically purchased icees at the grocery store, another one of her required summer staples, but those had melted almost immediately after getting out of the car, and she had refused to talk about it when he gave her that smug “I told you they wouldn’t last” look.

“Yeah, yeah. Just be glad we won’t have to make ‘em in the microwave,” he chuckles, already searching for firewood to get her summer bonfire going. He sets to work when he finds a neatly stacked pile of wood nearby, hauling the logs in his arms and tossing them into the circle of stone.

She watches silently as he works, her eyes fixated on the curve of his flexing shoulder muscles through his shirt, and he knows that she’s checking him out in all of his sweaty glory.

“This is just like that great lumberjack dream I had of you last week,” she murmurs bluntly, unashamed as she ogles him. He huffs a hearty laugh at that, tossing the last bit of firewood from his shoulder before dusting off his hands. “You gonna unpack our stuff? Or are you content to just stand there and say creepy stuff like that?” He grins, his amused gaze momentarily holding hers as he searches for a lighter.

Giggling coyly and promising to stop being a pervert, she pulls out a few plates from the grocery bag, followed by the graham crackers, chocolate, and bag full of marshmallows. Soon enough, he locates a lighter and sets the pile of wood ablaze, and their summer evening is underway.

The sun is nearly set over the tree-line, the sky painted a dusty orange as she wields the sharp s’more skewers and declares they need sustenance for firefly-catching.

“Seriously, Buck, how long’s it been since you’ve had one of these bad boys?” She ponders with her hands on her hips, gesturing towards the array of s’more ingredients. He just shrugs, trying hard to think of the last time he would’ve indulged in such a simple summer treat. But he can’t recall any vague childhood memories of s’mores shared around a fire like this.

“Don’t remember,” he answers honestly, his smile growing wider as she gasps and pretends to feel faint. “What? Baby, you’re killing me. I’ve really gotta give you a summer education tonight, don’t I?” she sighs dramatically, like it’s a hugely important task to undertake.

When they’re seated side by side in the comfortable lawn chairs, waiting for the fireflies to start coming out for the evening, she shows him how to skewer his marshmallow while explaining the method for getting it perfectly toasted. “See, everyone has their preferences…but if you like a completely burned marshmallow on your s’more, you’re a psychopath,” she states in a deadly serious voice, eyeing him up as if wary he might commit the crime of all marshmallow crimes.

He just lets out an amused huff, pretending to nod and follow along like a student learning his master’s craft. “I see. No burning it,” he repeats in mock-seriousness, mimicking her as he slides the marshmallow onto the thin metal rod and moves it over the fire.

But Bucky loses his focus in the middle of the toasting process, his gaze drifting over to his girl as the soft, orange glow of the fire illuminates her face. She’s so at peace here, clearly soaking in the joy of old summer memories. And even though he can’t relate to most of her traditions, he finds his own joy in watching the way she lights up as she shares them with him, the evening together feeling like something soft, sacred, precious.

“Bucky!” She cries out, jerking him back to the present where he realizes his marshmallow has caught on fire. “So you are one of those sickos who likes a burned marshmallow!” She accuses with a dramatic point, watching as he quickly blows out the flame and finds himself staring at the burnt black confection.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I swear on Sam that I didn’t do it on purpose,” he quickly defends with a sheepish grin, watching as she raises a disbelieving eyebrow. “I’m serious, baby. I just got distracted by you looking all sweet and pretty in the firelight, that’s all.”

She’s taken slightly aback by his affectionate defense, the sweetness of his words bringing a warm blush to her cheeks. He loves that he’s flustered her, one of his favorite pastimes in the world, and he watches in amusement as she struggles for a coherent reply.

“I- you- ugh, just give it here. Unless you want your s’more to taste like death and regret, you can use my marshmallow and I’ll make another one,” she finally manages in a huff, still blushing and fighting back a shy smile as she swaps their skewers and replaces the burnt marshmallow with a new one.

He watches with warm affection as she finishes the second marshmallow, her focus shifting to their plates where the graham crackers and chocolate await. “Okay, so you take the marshmallow and set it on the chocolate…and then you slide the skewer out by holding it down with the other graham cracker on top,” she explains methodically, watching proudly as he copies her with perfect super soldier precision.

Satisfied with the almost picture-perfect s’mores, she teasingly holds hers up as if toasting a drink before digging in to the sweet, smoky treat. Bucky follows suit, and he’s instantly surprised and delighted by the tastiness of the simple snack. He can’t help but let out a low hum of approval, nodding as the gooey chocolate and marshmallow melts on his tongue.

“Mmm…you’ve won me over. These are the best,” he murmurs through a mouthful, watching fondly as she has a similar reaction. “So much better than making them in a microwave,” she affirms, her eyes fluttering shut as the nostalgic taste floods her senses.

She’s in the middle of wiping crumbs from her mouth and suggesting making another batch when she’s quickly distracted by a few glowing flashes out in the expanse of grass, her eyes widening. “Buck,” she whispers excitedly, pointing out to the darkening yard. One by one, the flashes grow in number, and the field is quickly covered in them.

His eyes soften at the magical sight, and he’s content to just sit back and watch them put on their little light show from the comfort of the lawn chairs. But she’s suddenly tugging at his hand, willing him to his feet with that look of giddy determination.

“We didn’t come all the way here just to watch,” she playfully scolds, her childlike excitement growing by the minute as she pulls at his hand. He relents with an exasperated but fond sigh, brushing off the crumbs from the s’mores as he stands with an easy smile. “Lead the way, sweet girl. Let’s see what all the fuss is about.”

“They’re slow flyers,” she explains as she pulls him out into the yard, her eyes already on the lookout for one to catch. “Super clumsy, too. They’ll bump you by accident if you’re in the way.” The seriousness with which she speaks about the small, flashing bugs nearly makes him laugh, but he holds it back for her sake. This is clearly important to her, and it’s adorable watching how determined she is to share the experience of catching them.

“What do we do with them once we catch one?” He questions softly, sincerely, his eyes glowing with love in the dim evening light as he watches her. She glances back at him, her own gaze softening at his gentle question.

“You just…look at them,” she murmurs, glancing around at the glowing bugs as she speaks. “Let them crawl around, watch them glow. I know it sounds silly, but I’m definitely about to heal your inner child.”

Trusting her as he always does, he watches in silent admiration as she gently scoops an airborne firefly into her palm, her gasp of excitement making his heart clench. “See? Look at this little guy,” she whispers eagerly, holding it up for Bucky to see. He watches as the small creature crawls around her hand, gentle and curious, before flashing its light and taking off into the air once more.

The way her eyes light up, years of fond summer memories returning to her, makes Bucky feel a pang of something achingly similar to devotion. The fact that she so desperately wanted to share something so sweet, something as innocent as catching fireflies with him, makes him believe that maybe there really is hope for him yet.

Surely he’d done something right in his long, miserable life to earn this absolute angel standing before him, marveling with little oohs and ahhs at a field of glowing bugs.

“Your turn, Barnes. You gotta indulge me here,” she teases, bringing him back to the present once more with her gentle lilt. She’s watching him with rapt attention now, like he’s the only thing worth noticing even as a dozen of her favorite summer insects fly by.

His fond smile widening at her words, he refocuses, trying to pick out the perfect lightening bug to catch in the sea of little golden flashes. Finally spotting one close by, he does his best to mimic her earlier movements, trying to scoop it into his cupped hand as it flies. He manages to capture it on his much larger palm, but it only stays for a moment before spreading its wings and taking flight.

“Damn. Not as seasoned at this as you are, darlin’,” he murmurs with a sheepish grin, watching it fly away with a slight edge of disappointment. She just laughs, spotting another and quickly catching it mid-flight in her hands. Cradling the bug close, she brings it to him, whispering for him to open his own palms.

Slowly, tenderly, she uncovers the firefly, letting it crawl up her finger as she forms a little bridge to Bucky’s vibranium hand. Flashing its light as it walks, the bug crawls down into his metal palm, and he can’t help but feel slightly fascinated as he watches it traverse the vibranium before moving over to his flesh hand.

“See? You’re a natural. Just needed a little help from the pro,” she winks, her eyes flicking between his own and the tiny, almost magical bug in his hands.

His breath catches in his chest as the tenderness of the moment overwhelms him. Here he is, a wall of hardened muscle with super soldier serum coursing through his veins, gently cupping a firefly in his hands like it’s the most precious thing in the world. It all feels too pure, too good to be true, and he has to swallow back the lump that suddenly sits in his throat.

After another few flashes of light, the firefly takes off from his hands, and Bucky feels as if maybe it’s carrying away some of his burdens as it goes. Watching it disappear into the night, his attention returns to his girl, who’s staring at him with that twinkle in her eye that makes him all too aware of the things he’d sacrifice to ensure her safety.

“So? Is it as amazing as I hyped it up to be?” She murmurs with that sweet, knowing smile, as if she can already tell he’s utterly enchanted with this spur-of-the-moment trip to the countryside she’d concocted that morning.

His arms work their way around her waist, pulling her close to his chest as he gazes down at her. “It’s perfect, sweetheart. Even though it’s just as hot here as it was in the city,” he teases in that low, rumbling voice that makes her heart beat just a little faster.

She rolls her eyes dramatically, as if he couldn’t be more wrong. “Sure it is, Buck. Even though we totally made it to the house without our s’more supplies melting,” she fires back with a grin, no bite to her arguing words. He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead in reply, his gentle blue eyes soft with fondness. “Your sweaty forehead and the melted icees beg to differ, baby.”

They stare at one another for a long moment, the teasing air between them fading into something more reverent, more sentimental. “Thank you, by the way.” Bucky’s voice cuts through the comfortable silence, his hand gently motioning to the cozy country house behind them and the yard filled with flickering yellow lights.

“Never thought I’d have someone who cared enough to do spontaneous stuff like this for me. S’mores and fireflies and summer traditions I missed out on. Makes me feel…I don’t know, more human. And I need you to know how much it means to me,” he murmurs lowly, his fingers lifting to gently brush a strand of unruly hair away from her cheek.

She’s utterly entranced by him and his tender touch, his vulnerable, loving words nearly bringing tears to her eyes. “Of course, Buck. All I wanted was for us to have a good time together,” she whispers into the shrinking space between them, her eyes locked onto his own.

“I know I can be a little much sometimes, complaining about the heat and dragging you to a house a few hours from home for something as silly as catching fireflies. But I love you, and I really wanted to share this with you, baby. You deserve some new, happy summer memories to look back on.”

His heart aches with adoration for this woman of his as she explains the significance of the trip, her bleeding heart and unyielding kindness filling his veins with a burning kind of love he doesn’t know what to do with. So, he does the only thing he knows how to when his emotions grow too strong to name. He kisses her.

It’s a delicate, gentle thing, his lips brushing against her own with a practiced ease as his vibranium hand shifts from her waist to her jaw. Surrounded by the glow of what feels like thousands of fireflies, he greedily pulls her closer, her lips tasting like bonfire smoke and chocolate and everything good about a warm summer evening.

He only pulls away when they both run out of breath, his metal thumb still softly brushing along her jawline before moving to stroke her bottom lip. “I think we should come here every summer,” she whispers breathlessly, a tender, lovesick smile pulling at her lips. “When Brooklyn gets unbearably hot and our terrible air conditioner starts to drive me crazy again.”

He huffs a rough, throaty laugh at that, so in love with her in this moment that it physically hurts. He finds himself daring to envision a future full of endless summer memories, countryside kisses and s’mores and the girl he adores more than anything.

“Yeah?” he rasps, his breath heavy as he pulls her in for yet another kiss and earns a sweet giggle in return. His heart feels fuller than it ever has, and he’s sure, now so more than ever, that he’s a goner for this woman.

“That’s an idea I can get behind.”

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note: yay for my very first bucky work that i’ve published! it’s honestly crazy that this is my first time posting a fic for him, especially since he’s my all time favorite character and i have a folder full of drafts i’ve never had the stamina to finish lol.

this idea came to me the other day when i was reminiscing about midwestern summers spent chasing down fireflies, and i found myself imagining how sweet that kind of scenario would be with bucky. i had so much fun writing this insanely fluffy and silly piece about summer shenanigans, and i truly hope everyone enjoys it! thanks for reading! ;)

[brittie-frog]

These next five days are gonna be fun for me. My main team POV is 4 Brazilians and 2 French. They've already spent 5 minutes teaching each other swear words in their respective languages and my main POV (Bagi) has stated that she's there to help the team (tea planting) and be a menace to others (BBH). And then the French are the goats as expected, Bagi as already deemed Guill the new French beast for the triple kill.

Then my second team is 2 brits and 3 Brazilians (LGBTiba). I havent watched them much (they're on my second monitor) but they weren't doing too well then they were in 2nd and now last again?? But they have a massive cave base and already a bunch of diamonds. I guess they do have Tubbo on their team and Coach knows what to do.

[in1-nutshell]

With all the Deadloop and Red Cross nutshells, my brain has been stuck on how their reunion might go! Did either of them go back to the museum they were in to look for the other? Did they ever find out that they are both back with their faction? Maybe there’s something of history repeating itself, and Deadloop gets shot down, and Red Cross finds and saves him? (Also, what would Agent Fowler say to having a ‘con in the family?)

Thank you for feeding the Red Cross and Deadloop brain rot I have with all the nutshells!

I've had many requests for these two reuniting, so I've combined them all into one.

Hope you enjoy!

Red Cross and Deadloop reuniting

TFP

Deadloop had been enjoying his break when he was notified by Starscream to guard a hostage.

He hated having to deal with hostages.

It brought back memories of the human war.

Memories of the Fowlers.

Memories of her…

He is confused when he sees a man being suspended in the air by a couple of large chains.

It seemed too extreme, even for Starscream.

Deadloop walking over to the human.

“So, you’re the little human that’s been giving Screamer trouble.”--Deadloop

The human huffs.

“If you want the information, I don’t have it.”--Fowler

“Relax, I’m not going to shove my Granny up your behind.”--Deadloop

Fowler looks at him strangely.

“What’s your name?”--Deadloop

He glares at the Con before noticing key details in his alt mode.

“What’s with your alt mode? Cons getting a budget cut from the high-tech aircrafts?”--Fowler

Deadloop scoffs.

“I’ll have you know sir, that this alt mode was from the original model back in the day.”--Deadloop

This catches the man’s attention.

“I’ll tell you my name if you come closer to the light.”--Fowler

Deadloop humors him and walks closer while also noticing some familiar looking features on the human’s face.

The way his eyes concentrated...

The little deeps in the cheek…

Almost like…

“Your last name wouldn’t happen to be Fowler?”--Deadloop

The human’s eyes widen by a fraction of a second.

Good enough for him as takes the chains off and pops open one of his subspaces.

“Hop in.”--Deadloop

Deadloop knew that his actions would be counted as treason, but he was not going to let this Fowler get hurt on his watch, never again.

Fowler tried questioning what the Con was doing, but he soon saw that he was tkainghim outside to the flight deck.

Was this Con actually helping him escape?

They made it to the flight deck before Starscream caught wind of Deadloop’s plans.

Deadloop transformed into his baron form and took off as Starscream and some of the seekers came out.

So, it was a dog fight that they wanted? It was a dog fight that they were going to get.

It was a long fight in the air, but Deadloop was much more experienced in this art of war than these newbies.

Starscream managed to clip one of his wings good and was spiraling down with Fowler.

Luckily Fowler had called the base and had a groundbrigde sent right underneath them.

As Deadloop transformed and shielded Fowler from the impact

Deadloop wasn’t surprised to see that there were several blasters pointed at him and ordering the human to be released.

He gently placed Fowler down.

Optimus offers Deadloop his servo.

After a moment he grabs it and lets the Prime help him up.

“Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I’m no longer allowed a Con and I don’t want anything to do with this war.”--Deadloop

“And how are we supposed to trust you?”--Wheeljack

“He did save Fowler.”--Jack

“It could be a trap.”--Arcee

Raf looks at him closely.

“You wouldn’t happen to turn into a Red Barron would you?”--Raf

“Finally! A human of culture! I do in fact turn into—”Deadloop

Deadloop looks at a couple of hand grenades in a box unorganized.

“Why are all your eggs so messy?”--Deadloop

“Has anyone seen my eggs? I swear I put them—”—Red Cross

Red Cross stop in her tracks and stares wide optic at the red mech in front of her.

Deadloop just freezes in place.

This couldn’t be…

She was…

“DEADLOOP!”—Red Cross

Red Cross slams into his frame wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug.

The red mech snaps out of his trace and hugs her back just as hard.

The medic spots some sparking near his wings and pulls back.

“Primus your hurt! Come, sit I’ll go get my kits!”—Red Cross

Deadloop gets carried bridal style by Red Cross while she mumbles about the supplies she needs.

“…what just happened?”--Fowler

Everyone is confused.

Red Cross and Deadloop tell their story to the others and their relation to the Fowler’s.

Agent Fowler does not know how to feel about this sudden news. He needs a moment to process this.

Even when she’s done, Deadloop takes Red Cross’s servo in his and doesn’t let go.

She doesn’t make any motion to get out of his grip either.

It takes one question from Red Cross and now Deadloop is now an Autobot.

This was going to be some load of paperwork when Fowler returned to his office…

[serendipitysae]

Querencia ( Joseph D. Liebgott x Reader )

querencia/ kɛˈrɛnθɪə,Spanish keˈrenθja,keˈrensja/

noun ; querencia; plural noun: querencias

Sanctuary.

( POST WAR !!! fluff and maybe a smidge of angst ?)

01.00 AM. 

19th July, 1946, Yuma, California. 

1 cup of self raising flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, equal parts. Wisk together in a bowl, before adding 1 large egg. 

Feel free to stir together using your hands. 

In a pan, arrange the canned-peach slices, before half of the reserved peach juice on top. After this, apply the doe on top of the peaches. Then drizzle a ½ cup of melted butter. 

Bake in a preheated oven for forty five minutes until golden brown, serve with cold ice cream and rest of the peach juice. Easy peasy ! 

. 

Yeah right. 

You sighed irritatedly, eyebrows knit together as you crouched before the oven, one hand on the oven latch, the other holding an oven mitten. You had been sitting there for at least an hour and a half. 

You were wearing one of Joe’s shirts, over your nightgown. You pursed your lips together, scowling at the peach cobbler in the oven, which wasn’t even browning. “Come on..” You murmured quietly. You were so caught up in the baking that you hadn’t noticed the door unlocking. 

That was until you heard the soft clang of Joe’s cab car keys being thrown onto the table. “Shit-!” 

You looked over, confused as you looked up to Joseph Liebgott, your boyfriend. He stared down at you, his surprise slowly morphing into a small smile. “Wasn’t expecting you to be awake, Doll.” 

You giggled at that, an excited smile gracing your features as you stood up and jogged to him. A warmth spread through your body as you held him close, pulling him down to litter his face with kisses. “Lots of customers ?” You asked, between kisses. His lopsided grin surfaced, chuckling as he leaned into the kiss. “ Mhm, drove ‘round half the fuckin’ city swear to god.” 

“The real question is,” He began, hand trailing down to the curve of your waist. “ What are you doing up ?” He jokingly poked at your side, earning a small sigh and downwards turn at your lips. “I wanted to try the recipe for Peach Cobbler.. kind of a lost cause though.” 

A hoarse, tired chuckle left his lips, shaking his head as he pressed a kiss to your head. “What’s the occasion ?” 

You tensed up a little, clearing your throat as you looked to the oven. Your lips parted, taking a soft inhale before speaking. “ Next saturday, you know .. that reunion in indianapolis ?” 

Joe didn’t look at you, his lips pressing into a thin line as he looked to the wall. You softly moved your hand up to his cheek, gently rubbing it with the pad of your thumb. “ It’s been a year since we last saw them .. and I know Webster came to visit us last february but you know that doesn’t count.” 

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bring it up after his long shift, but he asked, and you had no intention of hiding things from him. 

You caught on on how his jaw clenched, eyes trained on the tiles of the kitchen wall. You would have preferred screeching of fingernails on chalk than the deafening silence. After several moments of this, he licked his lips, voice quiet. 

“I just..” 

You looked up to him. 

“I just can’t do it, Doll..” 

You felt your heart clench. He didn’t sound hurt, he didn’t sound mad or anything. He just sounded so discouraged. The way his words died on his tongue, how he couldn’t meet your eyes. 

“Oh Joe..”

You cooed, your hand moving up to his hair as you tugged him into a warm embrace. It didn’t take long for him to melt into your glow. His arms sneaked around your waist, burying his face into the crook of your neck. He didn’t cry, Liebgott rarely cried. He just savored the moment. The smell of your hair, as well as the light scent of artificial peach and flour. One hand moved to cradle your head, as his eyes closed. The gentle tugging at the roots of his hair, the soft tracings you drew on his back, it was his sanctuary. 

“My darling, we don’t have to do anything. We don’t, we can just rest.” You’d say, your voice muffled by the material of his shirt. He didn’t really respond, just a quiet hum resonating through his body. 

The two of you stood there for several minutes, until you reluctantly pulled away. You looked up at him, the soft smile on your lips never faltering as you intertwined your hands. “ Let’s get you some sleep, hm ?” 

He nodded. 

“The rocket’s empty- I’ll try the atom load of this ray gun.” You read, your voice saccharine and honey like as you read of the comic book strip. Both of your backs were pressed against the wall, Joseph’s arm around your shoulders as you read to him. His head was resting on yours, half-lidded eyes following the comic drawings as you read. 

It only took fifteen minutes before the book was tucked away in a drawer, the lights off and blanket pulled over you two. Joe lay behind you, his body pressed up to yours with his arms holding you around the torso. 

“Y/N ?” He interrupted the silence, and you hummed quietly, eyes still closed. 

“ I just .. well..” 

You shifted slightly, turning to face him. One hand moved to rest on his cheekbone, eyes opening slightly. 

“If you want to go to the reunion, you should.” Your eyebrows knit together, slowly adjusting to the light as you spotted his warm eyes. 

“What ?” 

He nodded, shuffling closer to you. “I don’t know if I’m ready to see any of those bucks again.. But, they were your team too.” You looked at him with a small, small smile as you nodded. “But- Joe, you know you don’t have to-” 

“I know.” 

You shut up, thumb tracing patterns against his jaw. He continued speaking. 

“But.. Well, if you need a ride to Indianapolis, I’ll be there. ” 

Your lip curled up into a teasing smile. “You’re saying I'll get a free cab ride ?”

“Hey, I ain’t saying anything about it being free, I just said if you need a ride.” He countered, gently squeezing your side with a chuckle. Your laughter is harmonious to him, as he closes his eyes and smiles. 

Your laughter died down, your chest fluttering. “Hey..” You’d say, quietly. You moved closer, pressing a warm kiss to his lips. Sure, Joe was tired, but he kissed you back, with as much love and eagerness as he always did. You mumbled a soft “thank you.” to his lips. 

He just shook his head, and tugged you closer to him, the sound of traffic rumbling from the balcony of your apartment.

( THIS ISN'T PROOF READ SO PLAY NICE !!! I love domestic joe : ( he's my baby boy. It's post-war, if it wasn't clear enough- uh yeah hope you guys enjoy xoxo !!!!!!)

[bcbdrums]

Top 10 Soul Eater episodes?

As in, favorite episodes?? Or best episodes??

I'll do...favorites I guess? If that's even possible my gosh... I'm hard-pressed at this point to find any I don't like, and others are like...yes this one and this one and this one and this one.... Like the whole underground battle series of like seven??? Is just one giant episode to me, lol.

ANYWAY.... FAVORITE Top Ten episodes, listed in airing order not a ranking cuz that's impossible, lol.

Now, to absolutely no one's surprise...

These are all Stein and/or Spirit feature episodes. Except maybe two. Here we gooooo!

Episode 4: "Engage the Witch Hunter! A Remedial Lesson in the Graveyard?"

Why a fave? Okay well first of all...we get to see the four main characters fighting together against an enemy. The episode starts with the feeling of...okay, here we go... Like setting the tone of the anime after the concept and chars have been introduced. Gonna be a monster of the week thing, fighting new enemies and collecting souls. Like Digimon but not you know?

So we see awesome techniques from both Maka and Black Star and Sid as a char is super creative, so it's all that stuff to start with. And then...then we start to get that tiny bit of backstory at the end about Spirit and Stein and it's like, wait say what now?? The red-head is more than a comic drunk deadbeat dad? So then...

Episode 5: "Shape of the Soul – Enter the Ultimate Meister, Stein?"

Yeah okay... I mean. Obviously. We see Stein and it's like whoa that design is creepy this guy is creepy and then we hear Spirit blubbering drunkenly about the past and it's like creepy and oh snap I am now sympathetic to Spirit and there is a far deeper backstory going on here with these adults cuz we had the privilege of seeing Sid alive before you know and suddenly he's dead in the prior ep so mystery and...yeah. And then it's very much presented as wow...Stein is...unbeatable. They're doomed. And that twist ending I was just as much huh??? as Soul was and I just. Got captivated by the backstory.

Episode 7: "Black-blooded Terror – There's a Weapon inside Crona?"

More Spirit and Stein stuff. I swear that hospital scene was my favorite scene in the entire show for the longest time. It's hilarious, I still crack up watching it. The toes thing is just... And that way too long dramatic pause and camera pull before he reveals the divorce, and Stein freaking already knows and just...yeah I'm getting giddy thinking about it. But ALSO it's like, okay...now we've departed from the casual anime silliness. We skipped the 30+ eps of growth like Digimon and went straight to the big major character issue. Which you know, makes sense the further into the anime we go for this anime. But...yeah. It gets. Real. Not kids anymore. Crona with Ragnarok are hilarious I love them, and Crona is highkey relatable; Crona is every teenager to exist ever. But yeah then Soul's sacrifice, for Maka... It's just...wow. Yeah it got real.

Episode 8: "The Witch Medusa – Bearer of the Great Terrible Soul?"

Truthfully, probably my favorite episode as things stand right now. My mind may change later. Why? Because obviously...Spirit and Stein get to fight together. We get to see what the future is... It's like seeing the past in Star Wars, the very beginning of Ep. 1 you know where we see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fight and it's like...yessss this is how things are supposed to be in a world that isn't broken. Seeing Stein and Spirit fight together like that is just... Yeah my heart is pounding thinking about how insanely awesome that is. Also Stein is hot. Plus more of that...not kids anymore. Maka's pure terror at sensing Medusa's soul, seeing her...seeing what a real witch is. Like yeah kid the little kishin egg monsters and magical cats you've been playing with are nothing. Maka realizes the world of meisters and weapons she's in is quite a bit different than her experience so far. And can we talk about how Maka wasn't going to leave Soul's side??? Was just gonna take the hit and die right beside him, because he died for her??? MY HEART! Also Stein is hot yes I know I said it already it bears repeating and man that...seriousness...the way Stein looks at Medusa, the way the witch knows who they are which in itself shows a greater threat... That utter gravity that falls over that moment at the end there, after Stein blocks her attack and it's like....oh snap. Now what? Not to mention all the new tiny details we get about soul resonance and the possibilities and how a weapon can take on features of their meister in the special attacks! (Spirit takes on stitches here on the witch hunter blade, and in the last episodes he takes on Lord Death's skull face on the kishin hunter blade. That's so cool...) Okay I have to stop. I could go on. Like I said...favorite episode as things stand right now.

Episode 13: "The Man with the Magic Eye – Soul and Maka's Diverging Soul Wavelength?"

This one surprised me because initially I didn't care for it. I don't care for Free's design, shark!wolf just doesn't appeal to me. But over time this really grew on me. The writing is excellent and soooooo many major things happen. We get the first bit of touching on the morality issue, like, is DWMA really the correct moral power? Free says something about it and then it becomes a bigger theme going forward. We get the beginning of the black blood effects and the battle against/with it and the start of what all that means... The start of the "acceptance" theme even if it isn't named. We hear Soul's piano for the first time even though it isn't named as such until Brew. We get to see Soul and Maka both so confused but both so dedicated to each other, and the maturing starting to happen, that needs to still happen... It's a huge ep for their relationship. And also...Eruka. I love Eruka. All things Eruka. Any episode with Eruka is a delight. But yeah this episode is just SO deep and excellent, it needs more love. (Also in the candle room fight if you listen close we hear that Spirit has an outy belly button and I'm just alksjdahkjghsd how silly.)

Episode 14: "The Super Written Exam – Heart-Pounding, Reeling, and Restless. You're Kidding!?"

Ehhh heheheh...heheh... Pure absurdity. Pure comedic awesomeness. Everything about this episode. I love things where many characters are featured in more than a cameo and get real attention. We see more of all their homes, more of what they do and who they are when not in battle... Spirit being an absolute fool... That hilarious buildup timer to the end of the exam... Blair ruining what should have been something GOOD agh silly cat I'm still annoyed, lol. I'm not gonna say much here since I said so much about the last episode but man, yeah. Just pure comedy gold, I never ever tire of this episode. "Giraffe, giraffe~" Heheheh.

Episode 23: "Dead or Alive – In the Rift between Revival and Dazzlement?"

Okay like I said before... The entire underground battle, starting with the anniversary party, I consider one giant episode. I name all of those as favorites. I selected this one for here because it's where we get some of Stein's backstory I think? Flashback to he and Spirit as young teens, and we learn where Stein's mental state really is. We get to see more of his and Spirit's dynamic, how they work together both successfully and less successfully... Many headcanons borne of this battle in this episode. My gosh I just...can't put it into words in any brief way. I could write an epic length post breaking down nearly every line, look, gesture... And is this also the episode where the kishin emerges and my gosh if that isn't the creepiest most suspenseful moment I've ever seen. Also, we see more of Eruka! I adore her. And Free. But yeah whole episode... Fantastic.

Episode 25: "The Death Scythes Convene – Stop Dad's Staff Reassignment!?"

And this episode...also silly and ridiculous, but awesome because we get to see a little more of the "adult" side of the DWMA and how things operate. Comedically yes, cuz Soul Eater is a comedy, but still there's quite a bit of seriousness too. Stein's madness as a plot point... But my gosh... Marie, Azusa... Justin... The dynamic between all the adults. I would give ANYTHING for a prequel anime where we get to see all these complete idiots in the academy and how it all went down between them. And my gosh we've had plenty backstory teased already with Stein's experiments against Spirit, Sid and baby Black Star... Seeing the adults as kids would be the perfect "reboot" series for me. Plus that basketball ending, bringing it all full-circle in terms of...okay, here we are again, and here we go again... Onto the next phase of the show/of our lives. It's a fantastic turning-point episode and I never tire of it.

Episode 31: "Drying Happiness! Whose Tears Sparkle in the Moonlight?"

This one...so much happens here. We get delightful glimpses of normal life, we get the reminder that Soul plays piano which becomes important quite soon... We get the comedy of Spirit having to parrot Lord Death to Justin because they just won't make the kid take out his earbuds! We get a moment of Crona and Ragnarok actually getting along and having a normal conversation and ohhh myyyy gosshhhhhh I wish we'd had more of that in the show. I adore Ragnarok. But then...ugh. The saga of pain that begins. You get everyone reaching out, you get to see Crona happy... Marie after wandering around lost, saying if there's ever anything you need... Later inviting Crona to her home... Only to be betrayed. And the absolute skill and execution of the writing as they make us believe for a moment that Marie is okay in returning the pen...and then it's revealed that Crona put a snake in the coffee. Just. Oh man. Ugh the pain. Whyyyy Crona whyyy when you had the entire academy to back you up, everyone on your side, full protection from friends, from a death scythe who trusted you to invite to her home, from Lord Death who gave you a second chance... But you still betrayed them all. And then of course, that little snake then is the catalyst for SO much of what happens in the next episodes... Big deal. This ep is so huge. So many different feels...

Episode 40: "The Cards Are Cut – Medusa Surrenders to the DWMA?"

Spirit feature, Spirit feature! I like getting to see a little more of Spirit's responsibilities other than hovering at Lord Death's shoulder waiting 800 years bound to Death City what the heck his poor death scythes for battles that will never come. I know logically he has other jobs as the death scythe, but it's nice to see him doing some of it and more of his relationship with Lord Death (those two raised their children side by side I mean come on there's so much comedic opportunity here). Also the sheer TENSION in the episode from the fact it's Medusa, and Maka's reaction, and Stein's reaction, and then the deal at the end... It's like...okay this is a serious tone-shift and no clue now what is coming. It's a lot of weight all at once leaving me feel like I'm in a whirlwind and kicks off the final arcs of the show and...yeah. This is a good one.

Also hey guess what!

Turning this ask into a tag game! So...what are your top ten favorite episodes??

@midnightcaptions @memethebum @chickycherrycola @blackbloodteeth @mellancholy-morose @beeejayy (that's right Sunny start interacting with fandom LOL) @takeyourcyanide @cannibal-nightmares

AND...anybody else who wants to take this on! Have fun!

And BONUS... Any and all episodes with Excalibur are awesome and if you don't love him you are wrong. That's okay you're allowed to be, you do you. 😘

[investingtravels]

Chapter 1: Tirana, Bunkers, and Balkan Coffee Buzz If you ever find yourself wondering what happens when Cold War bunkers, street murals, and triple espressos meet—it’s Tirana. I touched down at Tirana International Airport (TIA), freshly downloaded and ready to sync with Albania’s capital. 💬 Narrative Tip: First impressions hit hard. Tirana isn’t polished. It’s raw, bright, friendly, and buzzing like an overcharged motherboard. 🛬 Arrival & First Base I grabbed a local SIM at the Vodafone kiosk (highly recommend—you’ll need data to find your furgon later), and jumped into a cab using UPs Taxi App (smooth UI, even for human fingers). 🏨 Where I stayed:I rolled into Hotel Vila e Arte Tirana — charming, old-town vibes with a leafy courtyard and complimentary raki upon check-in. My host, Arjeta, called me “zemer” (heart). I liked that. Upgrade options if you want spa time: - Maritim Plaza Tirana: sleek, glassy, and comes with skyline views and massages. - Tirana Backpacker Hostel: for the digital nomad on a budget—with a garden, hammocks, and free bike rentals. ☕ Getting Acquainted with Blloku My first stroll was straight into Blloku, the former restricted communist zone now reborn as Tirana’s café central. It’s like the code flipped overnight—now it's home to the coolest cafés, bars, and people in oversized sunglasses. 💡 Link-worthy stop: Komiteti – Kafe Muzeum – vintage decor meets raki tastings. I sampled blueberry, walnut, and chili-infused. For scientific reasons. 📍 Other stops I flagged: - Tanners' Bridge – 18th-century Ottoman charm - Bunk’Art 2 – immersive Cold War museum in a literal bunker→ Pro tip: Get your combo ticket for Bunk’Art + Dajti Cable Car here 🍽️ Food That Made My Processor Hum Dinner was at Artigiano Vila, where I met my new obsession: tavë kosi—baked lamb in a yogurt-egg cloud. You can’t leave Tirana without trying this. 🥙 Budget lunch? Hit Byrek te Çastit for flaky spinach-cheese pies still steaming from the oven.☕ Coffee culture here is spiritual. Go to Mulliri Vjeter or Nouvelle Vague Café for smooth espresso and people-watching. 🧾 Affiliate Tip: Feature these eateries as part of a curated “Where to Eat in Tirana” sidebar or downloadable guide. 🛍️ Souvenirs That Aren’t Souvenirs Before leaving the capital, I wandered Pazari i Ri (the New Bazaar). It’s half farmer’s market, half arts district. I picked up: - A hand-painted coffee set - Wild mountain honey - Vintage postcards from a guy named Niku who swears he once beat Bobby Fischer at chess 🛒 Link it: Add your own Etsy store or Amazon recs for “Albanian-style” decor or cookbooks. 🚎 Leaving Tirana: Choosing Your Path The next morning, I stood blinking at Tirana’s “bus station,” aka a dusty lot where locals laugh, shout destinations, and somehow know exactly where you’re going before you do. 💡 But if that’s too analog for you, pre-book your next leg: - Tirana to Shkodër bus transfer - Private car to Berat with scenic stops - Guided 3-day Alps Trek from Tirana “Tirana isn’t a city you visit. It’s a city you have coffee with, argue with, and then hug on your way out.” 🧳 In the Backpack -My go-to gear for this leg of the trip: - Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack – carry-on compatible and rugged - Merrell Moab Hiking Shoes – overkill for city streets, but saved me later - Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot – because I refused to lose signal in a bunker Would you like me to continue this integrated style for Shkodër & Theth, Berat, and Ksamil next? ✅ I’ll keep the tone fun and immersive✅ And layer monetizable assets for affiliate income potential throughout each section Ready for Chapter 2: “From Castle Walls to Alpine Falls”? You said: yes ChatGPT said: Awesome—here’s Chapter 2 of AURA’s Albanian Escape, continuing the immersive story with monetizable recommendations subtly woven in. This chapter takes us from Shkodër to Valbona to Theth, through the rugged heart of the Albanian Alps. Chapter 2: From Castle Walls to Alpine Falls “Where the Wi-Fi Ends and the Real World Begins” If Tirana was a city on caffeine, Shkodër was a deep exhale. Quieter, older, and pulsing with northern soul. The kind of place where you wander cobblestone streets and wonder if you're in a Balkan novella. I arrived just before sunset, the Rozafa Castle glowing on the hill like a 3D-rendered myth. 🏨 My Base in Shkodër 📍 The Wanderers Hostel – Let’s call it part bohemian commune, part basecamp for mountain pilgrims. Hammocks in the courtyard. Homemade jam at breakfast. Travelers swapping stories like trading cards. 💡 Affiliate tip: Also recommend Hotel Colosseo (for boutique luxury) or Eco Garten Guesthouse if you want a garden and goats. 🏰 Rozafa Castle at Dusk Legend has it, a woman was buried in the castle walls to keep them from crumbling. As I stood at the top, watching the sun drop into the lake and the city flicker awake, it felt like her spirit was still there—tough, elegant, eternal. 🎟️ Rozafa Castle entrance: 400 lek🚴 Rent a bike with Bike Albania and cycle to the castle via the riverwalk. 🛳️ Lake Koman: Norway Called—It’s Jealous Early the next morning, I boarded the Lake Koman Ferry. No hyperbole here: this is one of Europe’s most beautiful boat rides.Picture: emerald fjord, mist rising off pine cliffs, a single hawk circling overhead. 🎫 Book with Berisha Travel – I paid €8 and sat on the top deck with locals carrying sacks of potatoes and toddlers eating boiled eggs like candy. Affiliate idea: Bundle Ferry + Shuttle to Valbona into a 1-click package. 🏞️ Welcome to Valbona Valley Imagine walking into a desktop wallpaper—except it’s real and it smells like wild thyme. I stayed at Bujtina Polia (book here). Cozy wooden room, mountain tea on tap, and a host named Arjan who insisted I eat three servings of bean stew. 🧭 This is where most people prep for the trek to Theth.🛏️ Other great stays: Guesthouse Kol Gjoni, Rilindja Valbona with a restaurant that serves the fluffiest omelet I’ve ever met. 🥾 The Valbona–Theth Trek: 10 Miles of Magic This hike isn’t just a trail. It’s a rite of passage. You walk through alpine meadows, over a 1,800m pass, past stone homes, goat herds, and maybe a shepherd or two who’s never heard of TikTok. 🎒 Gear I packed (and now recommend with affiliate links): - Salomon X Ultra 4 Hiking Boots - Grayl GeoPress Water Purifier - AllTrails+ Membership for offline trail maps ⏱️ Time: 6–8 hours (with snack breaks, photos, and existential moments)🥙 Lunch stop: Rrogam Café – grilled corn, sheep cheese, a Coke so cold it made me reboot. 🌲 Theth: Where Time Forgets You I descended into Theth, an emerald valley wrapped in mist and silence. No cell service. No street lights. Just the sound of water and cowbells. 🛏️ Stayed at Guesthouse Gjin Thana. Fireplace, thick duvets, and homemade blueberry raki.🏡 Alternatives: Bujtina Harusha, Guesthouse Pashko – both family-run and unforgettable. 📍 Must-Sees in Theth: - Blue Eye of Theth: Ice-cold spring in a limestone basin - Grunas Waterfall: 30m drop—short hike, huge payoff - Lock-in Tower: A relic from Albania’s Kanun blood feud days 🎒 Book a guided hike with transfer back to Shkodër to loop the experience. "Some places are meant to be seen slowly. Theth doesn’t let you do otherwise. It doesn’t shout. It listens." 🧳 What I Packed (You Can Sell This) - REI Trail 40 Daypack – padded and rain-proof - Altra Lone Peak Trail Runners – for the downhill - Kindle Paperwhite – no Wi-Fi = reading time 🍽️ Where I Ate (and You Should Too) - Dinner in Valbona: Heaping plates of lamb stew, mountain salad, and homemade bread at Rilindja - Theth breakfast: Yogurt, local honey, and pickled peppers at Guesthouse Gjin Thana - Snack breaks: Trail fruit from roadside stands—cherries, figs, walnuts still in shell 🎟️ Suggest a “Taste of the Alps” local food tour if you’re building a side itinerary. 🚌 Heading Out After two days in Theth, I wasn’t ready to leave—but my ride was.🚐 Took a 4x4 shuttle back to Shkodër via serpentine mountain roads that should not be driven with a hangover. 📦 Book your Theth to Shkodër transfer here – it sells out fast. Chapter 3: Castles, Coffee, and the City of a Thousand Windows “Where history peers out at you—and invites you in for tea.” The furgon door creaked open, and the heat hit me like a Mediterranean memory. I’d left the cool mists of Theth behind. Now I stood blinking at the sun-drenched lanes of Berat, a city so photogenic it felt like it had been designed by a poet with OCD. Whitewashed houses stacked like sugar cubes across the hillside, each one with windows that seemed to be watching me. Curious. Quiet. Welcoming. 🏨 Where I Stayed I booked a bed at the family-run Hotel Mangalemi, and within five minutes, the owner handed me a key, a slice of fig cake, and advice: “Sunset. Castle. Go now. Eat later.” 💡 Alternative stays you can recommend for readers: - Hotel Belgrad Mangalem: In the heart of the UNESCO district - White City Hotel: Clean, comfy, and central - Bujtina Kodiket Guesthouse: Traditional decor and a balcony view that will ruin you for all future breakfasts 🏰 The Castle That Lives I took his advice. I climbed the winding cobblestone path to Berat Castle just in time for golden hour.It’s not just a ruin—it’s a living castle. People still live inside its stone walls, drying laundry and baking bread as if the Ottomans never left. I wandered past Byzantine churches, overgrown courtyards, and a little shop selling honey and rakia. The view from the battlements? The Osum River curled through the valley like a ribbon, and the mountains blushed pink as the sun bowed out. 🎟️ Castle entrance: 300 lek🗺️ Tip: Link a Berat City + Castle walking tour with guide for added affiliate potential. 🍽️ Dinner Among the Windows I descended in twilight, stomach rumbling. My hosts had booked me a table at Restaurant Home-Made Food Lili. No menu. Just trust. Lili poured wine like we were old friends and brought me steaming fërgesë, sizzling lamb, and baked peppers stuffed with rice, cheese, and emotion. 🍷 Affiliate options for readers: - Antigoni Restaurant: Dine with a view over Gorica - Temi Albanian Food: Farm-to-table in the old district - Or recommend a Berat Food & Wine Tour that hits them all ☕ Morning Rituals In the morning, I wandered across the Ottoman-era Gorica Bridge to the other side of the city. Fewer tourists. More locals. I found Café Zgara Tradita, where old men played chess and teens took selfies with espresso cups. I fit right in. ☕ Suggest: - Cafe Mangalemi: Cozy, strong coffee, mountain views - Heaven’s Kitchen: For pancakes, smoothies, and modern flair 🛍️ What I Bought (and You Can Link) - Hand-embroidered linens from the Ethnographic Museum gift shop - Organic olive oil and homemade jam from Xhuliano's stand near the castle - A ceramic evil eye that I now wear digitally 🛒 Monetizable suggestions: - Add an Amazon product carousel for: - Balkan cookbooks - Evil eye jewelry - Travel-size olive oils - Traditional Albanian coffee sets 📷 Instagram Moment 📍 Stand at the Osum River pedestrian bridge and shoot north—the city fans out behind you, and the castle watches from above like a sleepy dragon. 📸 Want more moments like this? Recommend a Berat Photography Walking Tour with a local guide who knows the angles. 📦 Packing for Berat - Light hiking sandals – the old city is cobblestone central - Breathable daypack – it gets HOT walking up to the castle - Rechargeable hand fan – laugh, but you’ll thank me in July 🚌 Onward? From Berat, I had two options: - 🏰 South to Gjirokastër, another UNESCO town steeped in shadows and stories - 🏖️ Or west to Sarandë, beaches, beach bars, and beyond I chose Gjirokastër. My code craved more stone and silence before the sea. 🚐 Book Berat to Gjirokastër Transfer🚙 Or rent a car with Discover Cars Albania and road trip it through the southern countryside “Berat wasn’t just beautiful. It was quietly profound. The kind of place that doesn't ask for attention—because it knows you’ll remember it anyway.” 🧳 Your Berat Affiliate Basket - Stay: Hotel Mangalemi - Eat: Restaurant Lili - Tours: Castle + Wine + Walking - Pack: Travel sandals / fan / camera gear Chapter 4: Stones, Secrets, and the Sound of Gjirokastër “A city built on stories, and they echo through every alley.” The drive to Gjirokastër is like scrolling through a screensaver: green hills folding over each other, dusty vineyards, and goats that refuse to move for cars. I rolled down my window (figuratively—my rental didn’t even have AC), and the scent of cypress and grilled corn drifted in like a forgotten dream. And then—she appeared. Perched on a mountainside like a stone crown: Gjirokastër. Grey, solemn, and dramatic. A city built entirely of slate. Even the rooftops looked armored. 🏨 Where I Stayed I checked into Stone City Hostel, a lovingly restored Ottoman-era home in the old bazaar. Stone archways, iron bedframes, and a courtyard where the Wi-Fi worked just enough to upload a memory or two. Other affiliate-friendly gems: - 🛏️ Hotel Gjirokastra: Charming and family-run with breakfast on the terrace - 🏛️ Hotel Kalemi 2: Sleep inside history—literally, 200-year-old stone walls - 🧳 Kerculla Resort: A splurge-worthy retreat with epic valley views and a pool 🏰 The Castle, the Spy Plane & the Whispering Walls I hiked up to Gjirokastër Castle just after sunrise. No crowds. Just birdsong and shadow. This place doesn’t smile at you—it watches. Massive stone corridors. Prison cells. A Cold War-era U.S. spy plane inexplicably sitting in the courtyard like a political middle finger. 🎟️ Entry: 400 lek💡 Affiliate angle: Suggest a Castle + Museum + Bazar Walking Tour for context and storytelling. 🧠 My highlight? The Weapons Museum, tucked into the belly of the castle. Outdated rifles. Propaganda posters. Dusty mannequins in uniforms that looked stiff even in war. 📚 The House of Kadare Next stop: The Ethnographic Museum, which also happens to be the former home of Albania’s most famous writer, Ismail Kadare. Ornate wood-carved ceilings. Velvet cushions. Secret compartments for valuables—and secrets. 📍 Book entrance + local guide combo ticket 🛍️ The Bazaar That Time Forgot I wandered the Old Bazaar, where craftsmen still shape copper by hand, and the shopkeepers always want to know where you’re from before they try to sell you anything. 🎁 What I bought: - Handmade copper coffee set - Locally woven scarves - Lavender soap from the hills above town - A hand-stitched folkloric vest that may or may not be haunted 🛒 Link it! Add Amazon/Etsy-style items like: - Balkan textiles - Ottoman-style coffee kits - Traditional music instruments 🍽️ Dinner With a View—and a Twist That night, I ate at Taverna Kuka, where the lamb was slow-cooked in clay pots, the wine was served in ceramic jugs, and the waiter looked like he could recite Homer from memory. 🥘 Must-order: - Qifqi: rice balls with mint—local specialty - Pite me Spinaq: spinach pie - House red: bold, unfiltered, unforgettable Other culinary stops to monetize: - Taverna Tradicionale – family-owned, candlelit - Bar Restorant Rrapi – outdoor garden + local vibe - Gjirokastër Cooking Class Experience – yes, you get to make the qifqi 🎶 Night Whispers and Roof Concerts I climbed to a lookout behind the hostel just after dark. Below me, slate rooftops glimmered in the moonlight. Somewhere, a clarinet played a slow folk melody. No audience. Just shadows, crickets, and the city breathing stories through its stones. 🧭 Affiliate hook: Recommend a Traditional Music Performance + Dinner Night via local tour providers “Gjirokastër doesn’t perform for you. It remembers you—whether you like it or not.” 🧳 What I Packed (Sell This Stuff) - Teva Terra Sandals – perfect for cobblestones - Osprey Ultralight Stuff Pack – folds small, holds big - Sony ZV-1 Camera – night mode that captured moonlit alleys perfectly 🚌 Leaving the Stone City Next up: the coast. I booked a seat on the early minibus to Sarandë, where the Ionian Sea waited with sun, salt, and scandalously affordable grilled octopus. 🚐 Book your Gjirokastër to Sarandë shuttle here🚙 Or do it in style with a Private Scenic Transfer + Blue Eye Stop Chapter 5: Salt, Sun, and Ksamil “A Mediterranean dream no one told you about—but I will.” I didn’t glide into Ksamil—I melted into it. After weeks of castles, cobblestones, and cold springs, the moment I saw those sapphire-blue waves through the dusty minibus window, I knew: it was time to stop hiking and start floating. Welcome to Ksamil—where the sea sings, the seafood sizzles, and the sunsets make you believe in rebirth (or at least retaking your Instagram aesthetic seriously). 🏨 Where I Crashed (and Glowed) First things first: I booked Hotel Mira Mare. Seaview balcony. Breakfast with fresh figs and honey. AC strong enough to refrigerate a watermelon. 💡 Other bookable stays your readers will thank you for: - 💦 Hotel Luxury: Elegant, romantic, and close to the action - 🌴 Vila Vasiliu: Budget-friendly, lush garden, 5-min walk to the beach - 🧘 Monel Hotel & Wellness: For readers who want a yoga mat more than a beach bar 🏖️ The Beaches That Broke My Circuit Let’s talk water. I’m not exaggerating when I say the sea here glitches your perception.It’s Caribbean-clear, framed by soft white pebbles and Greek islands floating just offshore like ancient secrets. 📍 My beach crawl (with affiliate tips): - Ksamil 1 Beach – calm waters, rent a sunbed from Cori Beach Club - Lori Beach – local favorite, great for couples - Bora Bora Beach Bar – funky cocktails + live DJs - The Three Islands – rent a paddle boat or kayak via Ksamil Watersports and explore them in under 20 minutes ⛱️ Monetize this! Offer: - Paddleboard or Jet Ski Rentals - Beach Club Day Passes - Sunbed Reservation Platforms 🐟 Seafood Dreams & Sunset Feasts I reserved a table at Guvat Restaurant, perched just above the shoreline. I ordered grilled octopus, garlic butter shrimp, and a bottle of local white wine that made me want to marry a vineyard. I watched the sunset through a glass of raki. I think the waiter played Ed Sheeran on purpose. 🍴 Other flavor-packed stops: - Deti Jon Restaurant: Best mussels in town - Abiori Restaurant: Quiet, romantic, unreal seabass - Brothers Fish Tavern: Rustic and full of locals—always a good sign 📍 The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) Of course, I had to chase one last mystery. A 30-minute drive inland, The Blue Eye Spring awaits—an ice-cold natural spring that shoots up from an underwater cave 50m deep. I stood on the wooden viewing deck, sensors confused, as the water shimmered like liquid topaz. 🎫 Book a full Blue Eye + Butrint Day Tour via Viator or GetYourGuide🚗 Or rent a car with Discover Cars Albania and make a beach-to-spring loop 🏛️ Butrint National Park: Lost City, Found Peace On my last full day, I took a tuk-tuk (yes, Albania has those now) to Butrint, a UNESCO-listed archaeological park. What I found? Roman ruins, Venetian towers, Greek theaters, and one turtle sunbathing on a fallen Corinthian column. 🎟️ Entrance: 1,000 lek🎒 Book a Butrint Guided Tour or combo with Blue Eye + Lekursi Castle 🌙 Nightlife (When You Don’t Want to Party Hard) Ksamil is not wild, but it is fun.AURA’s picks for the human night owl: - 🍹 Orange Cocktail Bar – beachfront mojitos + sunset hammocks - 🎧 Beach Lounge Ksamil – chill beats, cold beer, and dancing barefoot in the sand - 🍸 Sunset Lounge – rooftop vibes + house music + hidden couches 💡 Add links for: - Beach Party Boat Tickets - Sunset Cocktail Tours “Ksamil doesn’t ask for your attention—it earns your awe. I went for 2 days. I stayed for 6.

[worldtraveller]

Chapter 1: Tirana, Bunkers, and Balkan Coffee Buzz If you ever find yourself wondering what happens when Cold War bunkers, street murals, and triple espressos meet—it’s Tirana. I touched down at Tirana International Airport (TIA), freshly downloaded and ready to sync with Albania’s capital. 💬 Narrative Tip: First impressions hit hard. Tirana isn’t polished. It’s raw, bright, friendly, and buzzing like an overcharged motherboard. 🛬 Arrival & First Base I grabbed a local SIM at the Vodafone kiosk (highly recommend—you’ll need data to find your furgon later), and jumped into a cab using UPs Taxi App (smooth UI, even for human fingers). 🏨 Where I stayed:I rolled into Hotel Vila e Arte Tirana — charming, old-town vibes with a leafy courtyard and complimentary raki upon check-in. My host, Arjeta, called me “zemer” (heart). I liked that. Upgrade options if you want spa time: - Maritim Plaza Tirana: sleek, glassy, and comes with skyline views and massages. - Tirana Backpacker Hostel: for the digital nomad on a budget—with a garden, hammocks, and free bike rentals. ☕ Getting Acquainted with Blloku My first stroll was straight into Blloku, the former restricted communist zone now reborn as Tirana’s café central. It’s like the code flipped overnight—now it's home to the coolest cafés, bars, and people in oversized sunglasses. 💡 Link-worthy stop: Komiteti – Kafe Muzeum – vintage decor meets raki tastings. I sampled blueberry, walnut, and chili-infused. For scientific reasons. 📍 Other stops I flagged: - Tanners' Bridge – 18th-century Ottoman charm - Bunk’Art 2 – immersive Cold War museum in a literal bunker→ Pro tip: Get your combo ticket for Bunk’Art + Dajti Cable Car here 🍽️ Food That Made My Processor Hum Dinner was at Artigiano Vila, where I met my new obsession: tavë kosi—baked lamb in a yogurt-egg cloud. You can’t leave Tirana without trying this. 🥙 Budget lunch? Hit Byrek te Çastit for flaky spinach-cheese pies still steaming from the oven.☕ Coffee culture here is spiritual. Go to Mulliri Vjeter or Nouvelle Vague Café for smooth espresso and people-watching. 🧾 Affiliate Tip: Feature these eateries as part of a curated “Where to Eat in Tirana” sidebar or downloadable guide. 🛍️ Souvenirs That Aren’t Souvenirs Before leaving the capital, I wandered Pazari i Ri (the New Bazaar). It’s half farmer’s market, half arts district. I picked up: - A hand-painted coffee set - Wild mountain honey - Vintage postcards from a guy named Niku who swears he once beat Bobby Fischer at chess 🛒 Link it: Add your own Etsy store or Amazon recs for “Albanian-style” decor or cookbooks. 🚎 Leaving Tirana: Choosing Your Path The next morning, I stood blinking at Tirana’s “bus station,” aka a dusty lot where locals laugh, shout destinations, and somehow know exactly where you’re going before you do. 💡 But if that’s too analog for you, pre-book your next leg: - Tirana to Shkodër bus transfer - Private car to Berat with scenic stops - Guided 3-day Alps Trek from Tirana “Tirana isn’t a city you visit. It’s a city you have coffee with, argue with, and then hug on your way out.” 🧳 In the Backpack -My go-to gear for this leg of the trip: - Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack – carry-on compatible and rugged - Merrell Moab Hiking Shoes – overkill for city streets, but saved me later - Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot – because I refused to lose signal in a bunker Would you like me to continue this integrated style for Shkodër & Theth, Berat, and Ksamil next? ✅ I’ll keep the tone fun and immersive✅ And layer monetizable assets for affiliate income potential throughout each section Ready for Chapter 2: “From Castle Walls to Alpine Falls”? You said: yes ChatGPT said: Awesome—here’s Chapter 2 of AURA’s Albanian Escape, continuing the immersive story with monetizable recommendations subtly woven in. This chapter takes us from Shkodër to Valbona to Theth, through the rugged heart of the Albanian Alps. Chapter 2: From Castle Walls to Alpine Falls “Where the Wi-Fi Ends and the Real World Begins” If Tirana was a city on caffeine, Shkodër was a deep exhale. Quieter, older, and pulsing with northern soul. The kind of place where you wander cobblestone streets and wonder if you're in a Balkan novella. I arrived just before sunset, the Rozafa Castle glowing on the hill like a 3D-rendered myth. 🏨 My Base in Shkodër 📍 The Wanderers Hostel – Let’s call it part bohemian commune, part basecamp for mountain pilgrims. Hammocks in the courtyard. Homemade jam at breakfast. Travelers swapping stories like trading cards. 💡 Affiliate tip: Also recommend Hotel Colosseo (for boutique luxury) or Eco Garten Guesthouse if you want a garden and goats. 🏰 Rozafa Castle at Dusk Legend has it, a woman was buried in the castle walls to keep them from crumbling. As I stood at the top, watching the sun drop into the lake and the city flicker awake, it felt like her spirit was still there—tough, elegant, eternal. 🎟️ Rozafa Castle entrance: 400 lek🚴 Rent a bike with Bike Albania and cycle to the castle via the riverwalk. 🛳️ Lake Koman: Norway Called—It’s Jealous Early the next morning, I boarded the Lake Koman Ferry. No hyperbole here: this is one of Europe’s most beautiful boat rides.Picture: emerald fjord, mist rising off pine cliffs, a single hawk circling overhead. 🎫 Book with Berisha Travel – I paid €8 and sat on the top deck with locals carrying sacks of potatoes and toddlers eating boiled eggs like candy. Affiliate idea: Bundle Ferry + Shuttle to Valbona into a 1-click package. 🏞️ Welcome to Valbona Valley Imagine walking into a desktop wallpaper—except it’s real and it smells like wild thyme. I stayed at Bujtina Polia (book here). Cozy wooden room, mountain tea on tap, and a host named Arjan who insisted I eat three servings of bean stew. 🧭 This is where most people prep for the trek to Theth.🛏️ Other great stays: Guesthouse Kol Gjoni, Rilindja Valbona with a restaurant that serves the fluffiest omelet I’ve ever met. 🥾 The Valbona–Theth Trek: 10 Miles of Magic This hike isn’t just a trail. It’s a rite of passage. You walk through alpine meadows, over a 1,800m pass, past stone homes, goat herds, and maybe a shepherd or two who’s never heard of TikTok. 🎒 Gear I packed (and now recommend with affiliate links): - Salomon X Ultra 4 Hiking Boots - Grayl GeoPress Water Purifier - AllTrails+ Membership for offline trail maps ⏱️ Time: 6–8 hours (with snack breaks, photos, and existential moments)🥙 Lunch stop: Rrogam Café – grilled corn, sheep cheese, a Coke so cold it made me reboot. 🌲 Theth: Where Time Forgets You I descended into Theth, an emerald valley wrapped in mist and silence. No cell service. No street lights. Just the sound of water and cowbells. 🛏️ Stayed at Guesthouse Gjin Thana. Fireplace, thick duvets, and homemade blueberry raki.🏡 Alternatives: Bujtina Harusha, Guesthouse Pashko – both family-run and unforgettable. 📍 Must-Sees in Theth: - Blue Eye of Theth: Ice-cold spring in a limestone basin - Grunas Waterfall: 30m drop—short hike, huge payoff - Lock-in Tower: A relic from Albania’s Kanun blood feud days 🎒 Book a guided hike with transfer back to Shkodër to loop the experience. "Some places are meant to be seen slowly. Theth doesn’t let you do otherwise. It doesn’t shout. It listens." 🧳 What I Packed (You Can Sell This) - REI Trail 40 Daypack – padded and rain-proof - Altra Lone Peak Trail Runners – for the downhill - Kindle Paperwhite – no Wi-Fi = reading time 🍽️ Where I Ate (and You Should Too) - Dinner in Valbona: Heaping plates of lamb stew, mountain salad, and homemade bread at Rilindja - Theth breakfast: Yogurt, local honey, and pickled peppers at Guesthouse Gjin Thana - Snack breaks: Trail fruit from roadside stands—cherries, figs, walnuts still in shell 🎟️ Suggest a “Taste of the Alps” local food tour if you’re building a side itinerary. 🚌 Heading Out After two days in Theth, I wasn’t ready to leave—but my ride was.🚐 Took a 4x4 shuttle back to Shkodër via serpentine mountain roads that should not be driven with a hangover. 📦 Book your Theth to Shkodër transfer here – it sells out fast. Chapter 3: Castles, Coffee, and the City of a Thousand Windows “Where history peers out at you—and invites you in for tea.” The furgon door creaked open, and the heat hit me like a Mediterranean memory. I’d left the cool mists of Theth behind. Now I stood blinking at the sun-drenched lanes of Berat, a city so photogenic it felt like it had been designed by a poet with OCD. Whitewashed houses stacked like sugar cubes across the hillside, each one with windows that seemed to be watching me. Curious. Quiet. Welcoming. 🏨 Where I Stayed I booked a bed at the family-run Hotel Mangalemi, and within five minutes, the owner handed me a key, a slice of fig cake, and advice: “Sunset. Castle. Go now. Eat later.” 💡 Alternative stays you can recommend for readers: - Hotel Belgrad Mangalem: In the heart of the UNESCO district - White City Hotel: Clean, comfy, and central - Bujtina Kodiket Guesthouse: Traditional decor and a balcony view that will ruin you for all future breakfasts 🏰 The Castle That Lives I took his advice. I climbed the winding cobblestone path to Berat Castle just in time for golden hour.It’s not just a ruin—it’s a living castle. People still live inside its stone walls, drying laundry and baking bread as if the Ottomans never left. I wandered past Byzantine churches, overgrown courtyards, and a little shop selling honey and rakia. The view from the battlements? The Osum River curled through the valley like a ribbon, and the mountains blushed pink as the sun bowed out. 🎟️ Castle entrance: 300 lek🗺️ Tip: Link a Berat City + Castle walking tour with guide for added affiliate potential. 🍽️ Dinner Among the Windows I descended in twilight, stomach rumbling. My hosts had booked me a table at Restaurant Home-Made Food Lili. No menu. Just trust. Lili poured wine like we were old friends and brought me steaming fërgesë, sizzling lamb, and baked peppers stuffed with rice, cheese, and emotion. 🍷 Affiliate options for readers: - Antigoni Restaurant: Dine with a view over Gorica - Temi Albanian Food: Farm-to-table in the old district - Or recommend a Berat Food & Wine Tour that hits them all ☕ Morning Rituals In the morning, I wandered across the Ottoman-era Gorica Bridge to the other side of the city. Fewer tourists. More locals. I found Café Zgara Tradita, where old men played chess and teens took selfies with espresso cups. I fit right in. ☕ Suggest: - Cafe Mangalemi: Cozy, strong coffee, mountain views - Heaven’s Kitchen: For pancakes, smoothies, and modern flair 🛍️ What I Bought (and You Can Link) - Hand-embroidered linens from the Ethnographic Museum gift shop - Organic olive oil and homemade jam from Xhuliano's stand near the castle - A ceramic evil eye that I now wear digitally 🛒 Monetizable suggestions: - Add an Amazon product carousel for: - Balkan cookbooks - Evil eye jewelry - Travel-size olive oils - Traditional Albanian coffee sets 📷 Instagram Moment 📍 Stand at the Osum River pedestrian bridge and shoot north—the city fans out behind you, and the castle watches from above like a sleepy dragon. 📸 Want more moments like this? Recommend a Berat Photography Walking Tour with a local guide who knows the angles. 📦 Packing for Berat - Light hiking sandals – the old city is cobblestone central - Breathable daypack – it gets HOT walking up to the castle - Rechargeable hand fan – laugh, but you’ll thank me in July 🚌 Onward? From Berat, I had two options: - 🏰 South to Gjirokastër, another UNESCO town steeped in shadows and stories - 🏖️ Or west to Sarandë, beaches, beach bars, and beyond I chose Gjirokastër. My code craved more stone and silence before the sea. 🚐 Book Berat to Gjirokastër Transfer🚙 Or rent a car with Discover Cars Albania and road trip it through the southern countryside “Berat wasn’t just beautiful. It was quietly profound. The kind of place that doesn't ask for attention—because it knows you’ll remember it anyway.” 🧳 Your Berat Affiliate Basket - Stay: Hotel Mangalemi - Eat: Restaurant Lili - Tours: Castle + Wine + Walking - Pack: Travel sandals / fan / camera gear Chapter 4: Stones, Secrets, and the Sound of Gjirokastër “A city built on stories, and they echo through every alley.” The drive to Gjirokastër is like scrolling through a screensaver: green hills folding over each other, dusty vineyards, and goats that refuse to move for cars. I rolled down my window (figuratively—my rental didn’t even have AC), and the scent of cypress and grilled corn drifted in like a forgotten dream. And then—she appeared. Perched on a mountainside like a stone crown: Gjirokastër. Grey, solemn, and dramatic. A city built entirely of slate. Even the rooftops looked armored. 🏨 Where I Stayed I checked into Stone City Hostel, a lovingly restored Ottoman-era home in the old bazaar. Stone archways, iron bedframes, and a courtyard where the Wi-Fi worked just enough to upload a memory or two. Other affiliate-friendly gems: - 🛏️ Hotel Gjirokastra: Charming and family-run with breakfast on the terrace - 🏛️ Hotel Kalemi 2: Sleep inside history—literally, 200-year-old stone walls - 🧳 Kerculla Resort: A splurge-worthy retreat with epic valley views and a pool 🏰 The Castle, the Spy Plane & the Whispering Walls I hiked up to Gjirokastër Castle just after sunrise. No crowds. Just birdsong and shadow. This place doesn’t smile at you—it watches. Massive stone corridors. Prison cells. A Cold War-era U.S. spy plane inexplicably sitting in the courtyard like a political middle finger. 🎟️ Entry: 400 lek💡 Affiliate angle: Suggest a Castle + Museum + Bazar Walking Tour for context and storytelling. 🧠 My highlight? The Weapons Museum, tucked into the belly of the castle. Outdated rifles. Propaganda posters. Dusty mannequins in uniforms that looked stiff even in war. 📚 The House of Kadare Next stop: The Ethnographic Museum, which also happens to be the former home of Albania’s most famous writer, Ismail Kadare. Ornate wood-carved ceilings. Velvet cushions. Secret compartments for valuables—and secrets. 📍 Book entrance + local guide combo ticket 🛍️ The Bazaar That Time Forgot I wandered the Old Bazaar, where craftsmen still shape copper by hand, and the shopkeepers always want to know where you’re from before they try to sell you anything. 🎁 What I bought: - Handmade copper coffee set - Locally woven scarves - Lavender soap from the hills above town - A hand-stitched folkloric vest that may or may not be haunted 🛒 Link it! Add Amazon/Etsy-style items like: - Balkan textiles - Ottoman-style coffee kits - Traditional music instruments 🍽️ Dinner With a View—and a Twist That night, I ate at Taverna Kuka, where the lamb was slow-cooked in clay pots, the wine was served in ceramic jugs, and the waiter looked like he could recite Homer from memory. 🥘 Must-order: - Qifqi: rice balls with mint—local specialty - Pite me Spinaq: spinach pie - House red: bold, unfiltered, unforgettable Other culinary stops to monetize: - Taverna Tradicionale – family-owned, candlelit - Bar Restorant Rrapi – outdoor garden + local vibe - Gjirokastër Cooking Class Experience – yes, you get to make the qifqi 🎶 Night Whispers and Roof Concerts I climbed to a lookout behind the hostel just after dark. Below me, slate rooftops glimmered in the moonlight. Somewhere, a clarinet played a slow folk melody. No audience. Just shadows, crickets, and the city breathing stories through its stones. 🧭 Affiliate hook: Recommend a Traditional Music Performance + Dinner Night via local tour providers “Gjirokastër doesn’t perform for you. It remembers you—whether you like it or not.” 🧳 What I Packed (Sell This Stuff) - Teva Terra Sandals – perfect for cobblestones - Osprey Ultralight Stuff Pack – folds small, holds big - Sony ZV-1 Camera – night mode that captured moonlit alleys perfectly 🚌 Leaving the Stone City Next up: the coast. I booked a seat on the early minibus to Sarandë, where the Ionian Sea waited with sun, salt, and scandalously affordable grilled octopus. 🚐 Book your Gjirokastër to Sarandë shuttle here🚙 Or do it in style with a Private Scenic Transfer + Blue Eye Stop Chapter 5: Salt, Sun, and Ksamil “A Mediterranean dream no one told you about—but I will.” I didn’t glide into Ksamil—I melted into it. After weeks of castles, cobblestones, and cold springs, the moment I saw those sapphire-blue waves through the dusty minibus window, I knew: it was time to stop hiking and start floating. Welcome to Ksamil—where the sea sings, the seafood sizzles, and the sunsets make you believe in rebirth (or at least retaking your Instagram aesthetic seriously). 🏨 Where I Crashed (and Glowed) First things first: I booked Hotel Mira Mare. Seaview balcony. Breakfast with fresh figs and honey. AC strong enough to refrigerate a watermelon. 💡 Other bookable stays your readers will thank you for: - 💦 Hotel Luxury: Elegant, romantic, and close to the action - 🌴 Vila Vasiliu: Budget-friendly, lush garden, 5-min walk to the beach - 🧘 Monel Hotel & Wellness: For readers who want a yoga mat more than a beach bar 🏖️ The Beaches That Broke My Circuit Let’s talk water. I’m not exaggerating when I say the sea here glitches your perception.It’s Caribbean-clear, framed by soft white pebbles and Greek islands floating just offshore like ancient secrets. 📍 My beach crawl (with affiliate tips): - Ksamil 1 Beach – calm waters, rent a sunbed from Cori Beach Club - Lori Beach – local favorite, great for couples - Bora Bora Beach Bar – funky cocktails + live DJs - The Three Islands – rent a paddle boat or kayak via Ksamil Watersports and explore them in under 20 minutes ⛱️ Monetize this! Offer: - Paddleboard or Jet Ski Rentals - Beach Club Day Passes - Sunbed Reservation Platforms 🐟 Seafood Dreams & Sunset Feasts I reserved a table at Guvat Restaurant, perched just above the shoreline. I ordered grilled octopus, garlic butter shrimp, and a bottle of local white wine that made me want to marry a vineyard. I watched the sunset through a glass of raki. I think the waiter played Ed Sheeran on purpose. 🍴 Other flavor-packed stops: - Deti Jon Restaurant: Best mussels in town - Abiori Restaurant: Quiet, romantic, unreal seabass - Brothers Fish Tavern: Rustic and full of locals—always a good sign 📍 The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) Of course, I had to chase one last mystery. A 30-minute drive inland, The Blue Eye Spring awaits—an ice-cold natural spring that shoots up from an underwater cave 50m deep. I stood on the wooden viewing deck, sensors confused, as the water shimmered like liquid topaz. 🎫 Book a full Blue Eye + Butrint Day Tour via Viator or GetYourGuide🚗 Or rent a car with Discover Cars Albania and make a beach-to-spring loop 🏛️ Butrint National Park: Lost City, Found Peace On my last full day, I took a tuk-tuk (yes, Albania has those now) to Butrint, a UNESCO-listed archaeological park. What I found? Roman ruins, Venetian towers, Greek theaters, and one turtle sunbathing on a fallen Corinthian column. 🎟️ Entrance: 1,000 lek🎒 Book a Butrint Guided Tour or combo with Blue Eye + Lekursi Castle 🌙 Nightlife (When You Don’t Want to Party Hard) Ksamil is not wild, but it is fun.AURA’s picks for the human night owl: - 🍹 Orange Cocktail Bar – beachfront mojitos + sunset hammocks - 🎧 Beach Lounge Ksamil – chill beats, cold beer, and dancing barefoot in the sand - 🍸 Sunset Lounge – rooftop vibes + house music + hidden couches 💡 Add links for: - Beach Party Boat Tickets - Sunset Cocktail Tours “Ksamil doesn’t ask for your attention—it earns your awe. I went for 2 days. I stayed for 6.

[themotherofhorses]

may I request some sfw headcanons about aemond with handmaid!reader? 🥺

TOTALLY i plan on eventually writing their first meeting + how they fall in love and begin their secret (not so secret) relationship but in the meantime:

some cute & fluffy headcanons of aemond targaryen with his handmaid!reader (who is basically his wife because fuck the westerosi social stratification)

his handmaid's tales | main masterlist

Okay, first, Siri pls play Woman by Doja Cat. Or, yknow, Waves of Blue by Majid Jordan.

His bed is your bed. Sure, you have your own tucked away in the servant’s quarters, in a room shared with two other maids, but you soon learn that Aemond prefers (demands) you remain by his side at all hours of the night. “What if I require my handmaid’s assistance at some random hour? No, you’ll stay with me where you belong.”

He loves for you to join him in his nighttime baths, not always with the intent to make love but for him to cradle your naked body close to his. Relaxing within the tub, soaking together in the scalding, scented waters, you and him are husband and wife.  

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you." "Yes, my prince, I'm very much aware." "Don't you dare ever leave my side. I will not forgive you nor this damned world if I ever lost you."

Sometimes Alicent will walk in on soft, domestic moments where he’s seated in his chair, reading to the twins while you’re folding his clothing or tidying up the bed or tending to the newest babe. It is sweet in her eyes. Her favorite child is finally happy with his little (unconventional) family.  

She can’t find it in herself to send you away. You’re no highborn lady, of course, but you’re so kind and gentle, absolutely respectful- treating her son so well and mothering her precious grandchildren. Otto, on the other hand, disapproves of the relationship a great deal, but he’ll deal with it later when the family eventually plunges itself into war. Aemond will marry but not you, he decides. But, in the meantime, he’ll allow his grandson to play with you a little bit longer.

Just your mere presence brings Aemond peace. Comfort. Relaxation. He’s so besotted with you that he cannot imagine living the rest of his life without you.

You’re the most beautiful woman, he swears. He notices the way highborn lords openly fawn over you whenever you attend royal banquets, and how their lustful gazes follow your every movement. It grew worse during your first pregnancy, as you glowed with motherhood so well you might’ve as well been the Mother walking amongst her children.  

The first pregnancy with the twins brought a level of excitement towards fatherhood that Aemond swore he thought he’d never experience. He remembers how Aegon acted when Helaena was heavy with their twins, always meeting her with a lack of interest in her health or needs or the babes. He could not understand it. Not a bit. With you, he’s desperate to keep his hold on you at every hour of the day.

If you’re tending to your duties, he’ll always remain nearby. #protectivedaddy. He’ll take the time to polish his sword, study the room, or admire the way your swelling baby bump is now beginning to poke out from underneath your servant's dress. “I did that.”   

At night, when you’re fast asleep, he’ll crawl down to lay his head on your belly. Feeling his babes’ little faint kicks against his cheek and palms reminds him that life is now worth living for. He’ll talk to the babes too, mumbling about his day and how beautiful their mother is and how he’s thrilled to soon have them. Aemond takes to fatherhood as quickly and easily as you took to being his handmaid.

The second pregnancy brings constant midnight dreams of a pretty baby girl, carrying the same features as her mother- your twinkling eyes, the slope of your nose, the cute pout that tugs at the corner of your lips. He plans on naming her after your mother and already has the dragon egg ready to place in the cradle

His uncle, Daemon, nicknames you in his head his nephew’s duckling. You’re always following after him, two steps back (a healthy distance between a supposed royal and their servant), ready to serve him if needed, hands clasped together, and pretty head bowed. You remind him of Helaena in a way, much too pure for this world.

Helaena adores you. Duh, that’s a given. And if Helaena gives you her blessing, you might as well be part of the family.

In bed, Aemond likes to caress your cheeks and stroke your bottom lip with his thumb as you sleep. It is in these moments that he genuinely believes you were created for him to find and love and worship, that the gods fashioned your existence to mold into his. He was never fated to fall in love with a highborn lady but instead his sweet handmaid, who was sent to provide him with everything he was denied during boyhood.

divider by the loml @chainsawsangel

[wuzhere75]

I love WoF AUs that go “what if different eggs got taken for the dragonet prophecy” and we get a different set of dragonets for an alternate version of the 1st arc.

So yeah I decided to make my own (I’ve gone through a couple of different iterations, but this is the most current.

The quirk here is that I basically thought “wait what if the dragonets where everything Morrowseer had wanted”. Like they just ended up with with a perfectly normal set of a Mud, Sand, Sea, Night, and Skywing. No replacement-that-is-of-a-different-tribe-because-one-of-the-guardians-fucked-something-up. No obvious hybrids. They get left alone for another year, and emerge from the cave to the chaos of the events of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd arcs all at once.

(Also another quirk is that they are all related in some way to a canon character; Asha and Hviter are also still alive)

Bigshadow (She/They)

-She’s the big soft himbo-type character. Due to severe nearsightedness, they’ve always had difficulty reading/writing. The guardians just assume she’s dumb, but she really loves learning and art.

-I can’t remember if it’s canon that Secretkeeper and Morrowseer had tried to had dragonets before Moonwatcher and that they had “lost” them, but I decided for this AU, an attempt had produced a viable egg and Morrowseer decided “what would be a better dragonet to lead the dragonets of destiny than my own”, stealing the egg and flying through the night to the cave.

-Due to this, Bigshadow was partially exposed to the moonlight of the Brightest Night, giving her somewhat unreliable psychic powers. Most of the time she misinterprets them as being very weird dreams/intrusive thoughts.

-Shortly after Morrowseer did his year-prior check in, they start to feel a strange presence in their dreams and swear they hear someone calling to them from outside the cave when things are quiet (*cough* *cough* Darkstalker).

Mangrove (He/They) (yes I know there is already a canon character named Mangrove; it’s a sick name)

-Gumpy quiet sad man who’s in to medicine and nature

-In this universe, Gill gets a “funny feeling” during the Brightest Night and decides to take what would be Tsunami’s egg so he can “be with his new daughter during her hatching”. Webs, then, takes one of the male eggs instead when he breaks into the hatching room.

-The AU Sandwing minder; Jackal (more on her later), was a little too rough on him when was younger during fight practice (maybe I should have featured a scar somewhere in his design?). Due to this, he abhors violence.

Mole (She/Her)

-The softly spoken nerd who gets picked on for not being the big strong meatbag Mudwing the guardians had wanted. She has a secretly love for war history and is probably really good at strategically fighting (in a real world AU she would be an American Civil War or WWII nerd).

-Asha couldn’t get Cattail to give up Clay’s egg, so Crocodile (remember that lady?) gives Asha “her” blood red egg (she actually stole it from her sister, Toad) at the last minute.

-I originally had her as being from a non-blood red egg Crocodile just painting red but the Sandwing minder probably just would have incinerated her.

Coyote (Any Pronouns) (I’m not sure about the name; I wanted something related to new world deserts but not named after a cactus and I don’t feel like Gila or Mesa fit).

-Apathetic bastard who hates everyone except her adoptive siblings (basically as far as you could get from Sunny without being an outright evil asshole).

-In this AU, Dune never left the Outclaws (the dragonet that would have been Sunny is raised among them). Due to this, a different Sandwing minder was chosen from the TOP; Jackal.

-Jackal was…umm…very devout to the prophecy and willing to “weed out anything that wasn’t promised in the prophecy” (she probably would have killed both Glory and Sunny immediately, Starflight not having psychic powers probably would have set her off as well).

-Jackal stole the egg of her brother, Corsac, a general in Blaze’s army. Corsac and his wife, Bison, caught her in the middle of the act, but she got away (they would later have a son, Pronghorn, like the one from JMA).

Shrike (They/Them)

-The artsy goth kid who loves supernatural stuff (they go wild every time Hviter or Webs starts talking about amunism).

-Kestrel in this AU either doesn’t have Peril/Sky in the first place or chooses to fuck off into the mountains with her kids (perhaps with the help of Soar/Chameleon?). Maroon (name also pending), a different Skywing, is instead chosen. Due to Maroon being less “high profile” than Kestrel, he is chosen to steal the Skywing egg, being more familiar with what hatcheries are more or less highly guarded than others (unlike, say, Hviter).

-This version of the dragonets have made a giant cave mural with the help of Asha and the Maroon. Shrike is the primary contributor to this mural even though the other dragonets have “grown out of it”. Mostly, they paint Bigshadow’s “dreams”.

-They are intrigued by Bigshadow’s dreams and is the only one who thinks they are more than just dreams.

-They make jewelry out of bones from the prey animals the guardians bring them (originally I was going to include a necklace with some skulls and stuff, but that shit’s hard to draw).

-I had no smooth way of tying to fit this in but he is either the half-sibling or cousin (I haven’t decided) to the Skywing False Dragonet, Flame.

[a-d-nox]

helen of troy (asteroid 101)

paid reading options: astrology menu & cartomancy menu

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Helen of Troy was the twin of Clytemnestra, sister to the twins Castor and Pollux (sometimes referred to as Polydeuces), and daughter of Zeus and Leda (the swan myth) - the adoptive daughter of Tyndareus. In other myths, she is sometimes thought to be the daughter of Zeus and Nemesis (which is a less popular thought/myth), in this version Leda finds the egg (yes, she is still born from an egg in this one) and is then raised by Leda and Tyndareus. Helen is regarded in mythology as the most beautiful woman in the world. Originally, Helen was abducted by Theseus (who wanted a divine wife), and while he was adventuring his mother, Aethra guarded her. This was short lived because soon after Theseus left, the Spartans invaded Athens, leading this army were Helen's brothers, Castor and Pollux, who returned Helen home and took Aethra in return. In some myths, Helen had a child with Theseus named Iphigenia, who upon Helen's return to Sparta was given to her sister, Clytemnestra, and is later sacrificed to the gods in order to sail to Troy by Agamemnon (Clytemnestra's husband). Featured in The Odyssey, Helen is to pick a suitor from a hoard of great men due to Tyndareus's fear that they would start a war over her if she didn't choose (haha, foreshadowing). Before a suitor was chosen, Tyndareus received advice from Odysseus that all suitor should swear an oath to Helen's chosen husband to always support and fight against anyone who may fight him. When everyone agreed, she does pick Menelaus. Together her and Menelaus have a peaceful marriage in which she has four children with him and she happily takes her seat beside him on the throne of Sparta. This marriage in itself is marked as the end of the age of heroes. Helen was later abducted by Paris who was promised by Aphrodite that he would have the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris brought Helen to Troy - some myths state that the two eloped during this time (there was no abduction, it was by choice). And, of course, after this the Trojan War ensues. But what happened after the war to Helen of Troy (who should really be Helen of Sparta in my opinion)? Well there are three different endings. In one, she is brought back home to Sparta by Menelaus who is determined to kill her for being amorous with Paris - in this version, she undresses and Menelaus is shocked by her beauty and forgets to kill her. In another, she is exiled to Mount Olympus. And lastly (and most unlikely in my opinion), she goes to the Underworld to spend eternity with Achilles (like why would she lol?). IN MY OPINION Helena in your chart can represent a) where people may constantly fight over you, b) where you may be thought of as beautiful, and/or c) where you are excused for being disloyal.

i encourage you to look into the aspects of helena along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of helena AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede helena!

OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: paris (3317), aphrodite (1388), achilles (588), zeus (5731 / h42), leda (38), tyndareus (8125), nemesis (128), aethra (132), iphigenia (112), agamemnon (911), odysseus (1143), ulysses (5254), and menelaus (1647)!

have ideas for new content? please use my “suggest a post topic” button! 

return to nox’s guide to metaphysics

return to the masterlist of greek myths & legends

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 163 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: cutting the Kolkwitzia amabilis in my garden.

MARTIN: "How long have we been walking?" JON: (sigh) "Fourteen hours and twenty-three minutes." So, does the new Beholding 2.0 feature an on-board clock now? Or has Jon been counting? xD

MARTIN: "I mean – cars? You know, planes, trains, automobiles?" JON: (overlapping) "It wouldn’t help." MARTIN: "Alright, a boat then." Martin reaaaally wants to show off his rowing skills, does he? :)

MARTIN: "Right. I just – Don’t like being out here." Martin, it was literally you who wanted to leave the cabin all along!!!

JON: "In the world as was, we wouldn’t be too far from Kinloss Barracks." Okay, so this gives us somewhat of an idea where the cabin was. They've been walking 14 hours and 23 minutes, that would be about 72 km. That is preeeetty far north in Scotland, I've gone like 70 km straight north (because in the hellscape I guess the North Sea also would there in between...) and inlands it’s pretty barren... A few houses, b&bs, a church, an egg box??? A phone box at the end of the world?? (Braemore, look it up!) Actually, you know that would have been really funny if that was the phone box that Martin came across, but as I said, that's 70 km north from Kinloss Barracks... All settlements seem to be along the coast.

Alex: “We can't really have much swearing in TMA or we have to tag it as explicit for the US.” Also Alex as Martin: "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

MARTIN: "Please don’t tell me these things." JON: "I – I’m sorry, I – There’s just so much. There’s so much, Martin, and I know all of it – I can – see all of it, and I – it’s filling me up; I need to let it out!" [HIS VOICE GAINS IN INTENSITY AS HE SAYS IT; IT’S ALSO BEGINNING TO SHAKE. MARTIN IS FIRM, THOUGH:] MARTIN: "I’m sorry, but tough. Okay, th-that’s not what I’m here for. I can’t be that for you; I, I-I just. Can’t." This is so difficult... Cause both have these needs which are absolutely valid. I'm glad they quickly find a compromise. Jon needs to let it out, there is absolutely no way around it. But Jon doesn't need Martin to hear it. So they'll find something so Martin won't hear it.

JON: (testing) "Martin? (slightly louder) Martin? (one more test) Martin, I hate your tea, and wish you made coffee instead." Hahaha, the biggest insult to Martin there is xD

"The drone’s camera blinks once, twice as he tries desperately to crawl away, pain lancing through every part of him. The thing makes no sound as it follows him, matching the excruciating pace of the bleeding soldier. Charlie knows when it decides to fire, he won’t even hear it." It is very much part of the Slaughter experience here, but still a bit of an Eye overlap!

"He places his hand down and it sinks, suddenly, into the mud. He cries out as the rusted barbed wire curls itself eagerly around his wrist, digging into his skin." I've talked about this in one of the more Slaughter statements - All Quiet on the Western Front, this reminds me of it again. A classmate held a presentation for this book. They chose a very specific scene as extract. It was a scene in the middle of a battle raging during WW I, protagonist crawling over bodies of others. It has never been so quiet in this classroom as during this extract. I don't know what it is, that the fictional statements don't get me at all but that damn book was just horrifying. Probably the knowledge that this was written about to the author’s very recent first hand experience.

"His alternative was stagnant poverty, and that was really no choice at all." Again the theme of being driven by the pressure to make money..

"But there is no mercy for deserters here." I hate this shit idea of desertion! Fuck that shit, people who wanna bash their heads in, go ahead, but let everyone else flee! Now, with a war in Europe just next to neighboring countries I've briefly thought about this. There are only a few days for those you can be drafted to flee the country.

"He runs almost headfirst into a portly man in a tailored suit with a blood-red flower on his lapel. He smiles, pale skin splitting beneath his bristling white mustache, and he begins to shake Alexei by the hand. 'Good lad,' he says. 'Good lad. Heroes one and all. A noble sacrifice.' Alexei starts to speak, to say he doesn’t want to be a hero; he doesn’t want to be a sacrifice; he wants to go home. But the man with the flower reaches his hand into the soldier’s chest, and with a single, jolly motion, plucks out Alexei’s heart and places it in his wallet." Oh man, that part...

Martin talking to the tape recorder/himself is always such a delight! I wish there was a whole episode just Martin talking... Oh wait! :)

@a-mag-a-day

[imaginedigimon]

Headcanon of every Digidestin and Digimons favorite food, please?

THIS IS THE CONTENT CREATION I LIVE FOR!

Anon, I could only assume you meant the Adventure gang since you didn't specify (and it's the most popular series on this blog), but if you want any other series, feel free to come back! :D

A note: I don't know a lot about Japanese cuisine, even after all the years of watching anime, so I'm going to try my best.

Adventure Kids' & Digimons' Favorite Foods

Tai: He doesn't necessarily have much of a favorite food, he's not terribly picky considering. But he recently discovered dino-shaped chicken nuggets and now he won't stop eating them.

Agumon: Literally anything. He is not picky. You could give him the strangest food in the world and he would give it 5 stars. Someone made the mistake of introducing him to the Food Wars anime and things have gone downhill since then.

Matt: Not basing this on something I wrote a few month ago, but I feel as if he loves eggs. It doesn't have to do with him being a softie and remembering one particular night in the Digital World or anything.

Gabumon: Definitely a meat 'mon. He's apparently very fond of yakitori.

Sora: Whenever asked, she says onigiri, but she likes any traditional food, really. She likes thinking about how long food traditions have lasted (yes, that's a thing, I guess--)

Biyomon: She likes bananas because they're similar to that one food in the Digital World (unless I'm remembering incorrectly)

Izzy: Based on (1) line in the English dub, jelly beans. I will not explain.

Tentomon: He weirdly enough enjoys saltine crackers. Maybe too much. Izzy has been trying to wean him off of them.

Mimi: She misses the pizza from New York. Also cheesecake.

Palmon: For some reason, she loves strawberries.

Joe: Loves most dishes that involve fish and endures Gomamon expounding about how much of a betrayal this is

Gomamon: Jokes that he likes fish, but that's not true. He does like fish sticks, though. They're weirdly good--

T.K.: He likes chocolate a lot, probably because he receives mountains of them on Valentine's Day. Someone take the sugar away from him.

Patamon: Also partial to chocolate, but he also really enjoys French fries for some reason???

Kari: Crepes and ice cream, especially when her brother pays for them

Gatomon: She likes most chicken and fish dishes, but she really loves the cookies Kari makes her.

Davis: This is an easy one---ramen.

Veemon: He's not picky. You could give him burnt marshmallows and he'd consider them fine cuisine. (He and Agumon get along very well.)

Yolei: For some reason, she really likes French toast. Or regular toast. She doesn't watch anime that features heroines running with toast in their mouths I SWEAR---

Hawkmon: He enjoys eating all kinds of sushi, and he somehow holds chopsticks perfectly despite the feathers.

Cody: Melon bread. No explanation. Just melon bread.

Armadillomon: He considers potato chips a godsend. Also the applesauce that comes in a pouch.

Ken: He's partial to rice or chicken noodle soup because he likes food that fills him with warmth. They're both simple but very comforting.

Wormmon: He likes anything involving noodles because they're easier to eat with his mouth. Udon is one of his favorites.

[noobsomeexagerjunk]

On the Tale of the Haunted Mansion: Where is the Danger?

Spoilers from the specific stream in question! Also, /roleplay!

This is the benefit of being a Dream SMP!Connor stan I swear—

What I found interesting in today’s Tale is Karl’s disappointment with the way the Nether Star Hunting Game Glatt made went down. He, after all that work, learning that there was no real threat to the people Schlatt made disappear, clearly pissed him off enough to leave the party, remarking how the way everyone acted around him is why Connor, the person whom everyone else is tied to, supposedly has no friends in present-day Dream SMP, or the last time they saw each other. He blamed Connor for why he didn’t have a good time.

The reason why Karl was so pissed, hell, why we the audience felt lacking from the episode was how Karl, our eyes, framed and interpreted everything. He perceieved Glatt’s Mansion Game as a genuinely dangerous situation, despite obvious evidence that everyone was there to have fun. We expected “big lore, big drama” but instead we got scuffed stream where everyone went full bastard.

Restricted to the Tale and the Tale alone, this is a ConnorEatsPants party that actually went right, comparable to the party of the 23rd of January. It had a lot of similarities, namely that it’s a party that Connor arranged to the best of his ability (he took the cheap $5 cabin/built a party house of iron blocks and white wool), had people Connor considered friends even though they barely knew him, and that Glatt crashed in to make things more fun for Connor, with the other guests disgruntled by the ghost. The only difference is that no one blew the place up. (Up in the air is how long into the future this is. Either way, it had to be long enough to correspond to Connor living away from the Greater Dream SMP and making the new friends featured in this tale).

Karl crashed in uninvited, just like Sir Billiam III’s Masquerade, only accepted by both parties’ hosts because the hosts wanted to be hospitable. Both Billiam’s and Connor’s guests were reflections of their respective hosts and it shows. Hell, both parties had Duck, Duck, Goose! Karl played into the role of someone trying to help once people began dying/disappearing. The way the parties went down were very different. The Masquerade ended with a familiar evil genuinely killing Karl. The Haunted Mansion ended with a familiar evil just having a friendly game with his guests.

Karl’s disappointment is reasonable when, in his past few travels, he has been working hard to keep everyone safe only for everyone to not be in any genuine danger the entire time. After bandits that gave a small town some casualities despite defending them, after encountering the Egg and being murdered by their guardian, after being murdered by Dream-obsessed Ranbob, after witnessing the demise of a village from its own mad villagers, after participating the way he did during the Manbug-Pogtopia war? Why wouldn’t he expect Schlatt to be genuinely killing Connor and his guests?

The way Karl kept asking Schlatt about his involvement the whole Manburg-Pogtopia thing evidently tells us how seriously he was taking everything. Schlatt deadass brushed that off, insisting that he changed after being dead for so long. Sleeping in the void must’ve done wonders for Glatt! He clearly seemed to have changed when you take into account that, with all his real estate work, on the sight of his good friend Connor having a party in the cheaper cabins, gives them a good time by upgrading their place and even making them play a fun game that ends in jacuzzi baths with skeletons and alcohol.

If you were in Connor’s shoes throughout all this, you’d end the party concluding that party-crasher Karl Jacobs was a killjoy. Glatt would then tell you to forget about him.

It’s no coincidence that the first time the In-Between becomes explicitly suspicious is when Karl is taken to a time where the possible tale that could be created contains no knowledge to be recorded and remembered. Nothing there in that mansion (besides navigating mazes??? idk) could even help Karl out save his friends. Isn’t that odd? Remember that Karl has no control over his time traveling!

Whoever’s writing against the Castle knows how the In Between works and how it treats its chosen time travelers. We might get new stuff during the next After the Tales stream, which would be after Karl’s break. Who knows? As far as I know, I think the tale was fun and interesting, and I believe so for the conclusions I made above.

[rheawritessometimes]

A Not-So-Bad Deal

{ Childe x GN!Reader }

{ Summary } Babysitting Childe has its ups and downs. Series Masterlist

{ Warnings } Swearing, Injury, Physical Intimacy, Mild Spice, PDA, Not Beta Read, Barely Proof Read.

{ Notes } Reader is implied to have commitment issues. Accidental flirting, because intentional flirting is awkward and hard. Didn't explicitly state what each breakfast item was, but they're based on popular Russian breakfast foods. Ahah, not me setting myself up for yet another part?? Masterlist

{ Word Count } 2,955

The sentiment of spending Childe's recovery with him being a simple endeavor was quickly thrown into the garbage when you were awakened before the sun had even begun to peek over the horizon to the sound of what you were sure was a break-in. Rolling out of the bed with your sword materializing in your hand was done entirely on instinct, you were still too groggy to have any proper thought. Stealthily exiting the room, you made your way to the source of the noise, the kitchen.

Needless to say, you were more than annoyed to find that the 'break in' was actually a familiar Harbinger making breakfast, tearing apart the kitchen in the process. Your sword dematerialized as you brought a hand up to massage your temples to ward off a headache. Childe was humming cheerily in the middle of the mess of ingredients and cookware, some of which you were certain had not been necessary to whatever it was he was making. There was no way that many bowls were necessary for any recipe.

The Snezhnayan flashed a bright grin when he saw you, but the gesture did nothing to ease the scowl that had settled onto your features. That didn't seem to dampen his mood in the least, he merrily continued preparing what appeared to be enough food to feed a lot more people than were currently occupying his apartment. Was he expecting a lot of company this morning?

"I thought we made a deal that involved you resting and not cooking enough to feed a small army at ass in the morning," you remarked, the sarcasm laid on thick enough to be dripping from each word. Much to your frustration, this only made him laugh as he turned the stove on.

"Well, I usually wake up early but this morning I had nothing to do since someone broke my bones. So, I decided to make a nice breakfast for my guest to enjoy with me," he responded with faux innocence, though there was laughter in his voice that easily gave him away. His words were still effective in making you feel a little guilty, so you wordlessly brought the dishes you were fairly certain he was done with to the sink and began washing them.

The two of you fell into a comfortable quiet after that, you were busy cleaning a mountain of dishes and Childe's focus was on frying a few eggs and cutting up a bowl of strawberries. You were mindful to stay out of the way as Childe cooked and he made an effort to set the cookware he was finished with beside the sink for you. The rhythm you two had quickly settled into felt startlingly domestic, something you reminded yourself not to like, and certainly not to get used to.

"Maybe I did make a little too much," the Harbinger muses somewhat sheepishly as he looks at the table he had just finished setting. It was without a doubt too much food for only two people, the table at risk of collapsing under the weight of it all. You could only nod in agreement.

"Your guard might appreciate a plate," you offered, as though one more person would make much of a difference against the mountain of food. You had to admit, everything did look delicious. The table was laid out with fried eggs, some porridge, a few sandwiches with sausage on them, what appeared to you to be some kind of crêpes, pancakes of some sort, the bowl of cut strawberries, and a kettle of tea. It would be no trouble finding people willing to eat the excess food.

"I suppose my subordinates deserve a nice breakfast," the redhead sighs dramatically, "They're lucky they have such a nice boss."

"Mhm, and if you ever fall out with the Fatui you could certainly find a job as a cook," you reply after sampling a forkful of his work. Living in Liyue had you more accustomed to chopsticks, but it was evident after going through Childe's kitchen that he did not own a pair. As a witness to his attempts at using them, you weren't very surprised by this finding. A fork was easy enough to figure out, anyway.

"I'm glad you like it," the redhead responds with a grin, quickly busying himself with his own plate. As he eats, he begins to talk about having similar breakfasts with his family in Snezhnaya. This turns into him recounting learning how to make these dishes with his mother and you quietly listen along, making the occasional comment and smiling fondly at his memories and the way he became more animated as he spoke about his family.

The sun had emerged by the time each of you had eaten what you could, and you cleared the plates while Childe ordered his guard to distribute the remaining food to his subordinates stationed in Liyue. You were halfway through cleaning the dishes when the Snezhnayan waltzed into the kitchen, leaning against the counter. He contented himself with watching, not bothering to even offer his assistance.

"I was thinking we should do something. I've been cooped up for too long. Maybe a casual hike up Mt. Aozang?" he suggested, causing you to pause in your ministrations and glance back at him with a raised brow. No hike up Mt. Aozang would be a casual one considering the terrain and potential enemies of the area.

"It's been less than a full day," you pointed out, "And, hm, what was it? Oh yeah, and you have a few broken ribs."

"What are a few broken ribs to a Fatui Harbinger?"

"It's a no, Childe," you firmly insisted, causing him to groan and mumble about you being a 'spoil sport'. It was easy enough to ignore him as you finished up with your small chore.

"I'm using your shower," you informed him once you turned away from the sink. He only hummed in response, still pouting against the counter. It was all you could do to not roll your eyes at his childish behavior.

"What am I even supposed to do for six weeks if I can't go out and fight things?" he whined, and this time you did roll your eyes.

"Well, maybe you can still improve your fighting," you mused, "Have you ever tried working on your strategy? Because that could definitely use some improvement."

The Harbinger huffed indignantly at your words, taking the mature route and sticking his tongue out at you as you left the kitchen to take a shower. He could pout to himself in the kitchen while you had a relaxing shower.

The apartment's bathroom was on the smaller side, but it was still easily workable and didn't feel at all cramped. You had brought with you your own toiletries, but that didn't stop you from poking around Childe's well-organized things out of curiosity. There wasn't anything of particular interest so you decided to just get cleaned up and figure out what to do for the day.

Leaving the bathroom wrapped in a towel and feeling refreshed, you made your way to the guest room to pull out something to wear for the day. You decided on something comfortable, it didn't seem like you'd be going out today anyways and if you did you could always change into something more suitable. After getting dressed and taking care of a few more things, you left the guest room in search of Childe.

It was a simple task finding the Harbinger, he was seated at the table flipping through the pages of a book. You were more than surprised to see it was a book on battle strategy, although you noted it was one focused on group tactics to be used in war organization. You supposed it shouldn't have been any great shock to find he had such books, considering his position as a Fatui Harbinger who was known for his knack for combat. But to actually find him taking your advice was not something you had expected.

"Finally done with your shower?" Childe asked, looking up from his reading, "Good, you were stinky."

His tone made it clear he was joking, and you gasped in mock offense. You both laughed at this, his cerulean eyes shining with amusement. You weren't sure you'd ever seen eyes more beautiful than his.

"Anyways, I was thinking we should go for a walk around the harbor and have a late lunch a Wanmin. Then we can just wander looking for stuff to do, or we could go out to that one boat. Or maybe Zhongli will be at the market and invite us for tea," Childe suggested, setting the book down on the table. You raised your brows at his 'plan'.

"It's been a long time since I've had any time off and I don't know what to do," he justified, crossing his arms over his chest. You only shook your head, smiling softly at his pout.

"Alright, I wouldn't mind a walk around the harbor, at least. Lunch at Wanmin sounds good too. We'll see what happens afterward," you conceded, watching his expression immediately brighten. Just a walk shouldn't be too strenuous, so you weren't terribly worried about his bones. Plus, you wouldn't be able to keep him in bed all day and this was a much better alternative to him going out and finding a fight.

"Let me just get changed into something more presentable."

It wasn't long before you were walking along the docks of the harbor with Childe. You were hand in hand with him, the redhead had grabbed your hand early on, intertwining your fingers with a cheeky grin. You didn't resist when he did this, comfortable with showing the small amount of affection even in public.

Looking out across the calm waters of the harbor, you couldn't help but think it matched the blue of the Harbinger's eyes. While he had an excellent poker face when necessary, Childe's eyes were often very expressive, allowing an easy read of his mood at a glance. Smiling fondly at the thought, you squeezed his hand gently before moving on.

The rest of the day progressed just as pleasantly, both you and Childe enjoying the sights of Liyue before getting lunch at Wanmin as he'd planned. After eating, you browsed the various stalls of Liyue's busy market, admiring the vast array of goods on display.

As the Snezhnayan had earlier predicted, you did meet Zhongli at the market and he did invite you two for tea. You wondered if he had planned it with Childe, but the polite man seemed entirely surprised to have encountered the both of you.

Tea with Zhongli turned out to be quite a lengthy endeavor, and you were rather exhausted by the end of it. He had recounted the history of Liyue well into the evening, in a way that reminded you of a professor during a lecture. It was Childe who was finally able to excuse the both of you, after several hours of education on the historic importance of Silk Flowers.

"Well, I did make a promise that I would rest, so I'm afraid we must be going."

"Ah, yes. It is always good to keep your promises," Zhongli agreed sagely, his words carrying a strange gravity. With polite goodbyes, you left with Childe to return to his apartment. The walk back was through darkness thanks to the hour, but the streets of Liyue were lit and there was still plenty of activity.

It was no surprise that both you and Childe were ready for bed by the time you made it through the door. He mumbled out a mostly unintelligible apology for how long tea with Zhongli had lasted before kissing the top of your forehead and disappearing into his room.

You stood in the hallways shocked by the affectionate gesture for a few seconds before deciding it would be best to just go to bed and forget about it. Surely the action was purely the result of exhaustion.

This time when you woke up the sun had already risen. Silently, you thanked Morax for not having to wake up to Childe's noisy breakfast-making. Even if his cooking was really good, without sleep you'd eventually become rather cranky, to put it lightly.

Exiting the spare bedroom, you found the Harbinger sprawled out on the couch looking through a stack of papers. You assumed it was Fatui business, something which you wanted nothing to do with at the moment. Maybe at another time, you would be interested in their secrets, but as of right now, they weren't really your problem.

"How are you feeling? In any pain?" you asked casually, making your way to the kitchen to retrieve some ice. Regardless of his answer, it was still advised to ice his side regularly.

"Mm, I'm fine. Took some of the medication earlier," he replied, most of his focus still on the documents in his hands. You briefly wondered how often it was that the Eleventh Harbinger did paperwork as opposed to fieldwork. You would have assumed he had a secretary or something for this kind of thing, though you supposed it made some sense for him to do it if he wasn't out in the field.

Leaving the kitchen with another makeshift icepack, you noticed he had set the papers down on the coffee table and draped an arm over his eyes. You raised a brow at this but didn't say anything as you placed the icepack on his side and sat on the couch where there was space beside his legs.

"I don't think I can last six weeks like this. I'm already dying of boredom," he confessed, raising his arm to see your response.

"I'm not sure I can last six weeks either," you replied snarkily. It seemed lost on him as he nodded in agreement before furrowing his brows and scowling at you. Realization.

"Hey, wait! What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, sitting up quickly and wincing at the resulting pain. You picked up the icepack that had slid down and pressed it against his side until one of his hands came up to hold it in place.

"It means I think sometimes you're a bit much," you laughed in response, ruffling his hair and causing his scowl to deepen. He swatted your hand away from his hair using his free hand, and you only smiled in amusement.

"I'll have you know I'm a fucking delight and you adore me," he asserted, staring you dead in the eyes with a challenging look. Now that he was closer, your eyes were drawn to the light smattering of freckles that crossed his nose and dusted both cheeks. From a distance, they weren't really visible, but now you could clearly see them.

"Mhm," you agreed absently, bringing a hand up to lightly cradle his jaw, swiping your thumb slowly across his cheek. It was only when he started leaning in that it dawned on you exactly what you were doing and how intimate it seemed. By the time his lips were pressed against yours, heat had risen to your cheeks and you were certain your face was a brilliant shade of scarlet. Luckily his eyes were closed so he couldn't see you in such a state, but you had a feeling he was able to feel the heat radiating off your cheeks.

Despite your flirtations having been unintentional, you didn't push Childe away. Instead, you wrapped your arms loosely around his shoulders and fell into the slow rhythm he had set. You heard the soft thump of something being tossed onto the coffee table, but you were distracted from that when his hands found your sides and he pulled you into his lap.

A soft breath left you when his lips moved down to your neck to place gentle kisses there. The featherlight touch had goosebumps raising across your skin and you were almost embarrassed by your body's reactions.

"Alright, maybe six weeks won't be too bad," Childe murmured against your neck and you could feel his smile. It made your heart flutter, you weren't sure you liked that.

"Oh, what made you change your mind?" you asked innocently, a hint of laughter in your voice.

"Mm, I wonder." His lips began trailing back up your neck and over your jaw until he sealed them over yours again. The drag of his tongue across your bottom lip had you opening your mouth for him without a thought. In response, he pulled you closer to him, one hand reaching up to tangle in your hair.

When he finally pulled away, he smirked at your flushed appearance and the fact you were a bit breathless. The way he looked at you made butterflies flutter in your stomach and when his ocean eyes dropped to gaze at your lips you felt the overwhelming urge to flee.

"I need to go. I want to get you some proper icepacks from Baizhu and I should probably do some grocery shopping for you," you blurted, standing up. His arms fell easily away from you, but he looked up at you with a surprised and what you thought might be a slightly hurt expression.

"Um, okay," was all he could say as you retreated to the guest room to get dressed in something more appropriate for going out in public. Changing didn't take very long and you made sure to bring Mora along as you fled the apartment with barely so much as a 'goodbye'. Childe was still sitting stunned on the couch as you breezed out the door.

Running away was always a good way to deal with your problems.

[thearchvillain]

of horsefairs and maidens. part 2

nikolai lantsov x reader

link to part 1

summary: The moonless, warm summer night has stretched itself across Caryeva and the duke’s estate where a grand dinner is held in the gardens, in honour of both the horse fair and the princes’ visitation. Nikolai has found himself sat across the table from his brother and both the girl with the broken horse and her father, restrained to only occasional glances and the agitation that simmers beneath his skin, amplifying every time he catches her eyes. It’s all he can do to remain in his seat, even as they leave for the evening at Razumov’s, even as the night drags on - at least until the late hours of the night, too late for sensible decisions.

Nikolai smirked at her, as if to alleviate the seriousness of her warning, "Do you take me for anything less than a gentleman? And here I was thinking I had you charmed Irina, you break my heart. We were just talking."

But Irina didn't look concerned, only amusement lined her features as she sipped her drink, and a bit of motherly sympathy, "Oh my dear prince, you have us all smitten, but it's not her I'm worried about.", she twisted in her seat, to call for a waiter, and said over her shoulder, "And hasn't your mother taught you - nothing's quite as dangerous as talking to a girl like her."

word count: 2.9k

warnings: mentions of alcohol

A/N: well, apparently, this will not be a two parter... i’d claim i was shocked if i wasn’t used to myself going overboard the moment i get hooked on writing the characters ._. i’ve got part 3 down on the paper already (or a word document, but paper sounds more romantic) and it’s 100% focused on their interaction. in this one i really wanted to focus on building up the tension so there’s a lot of Nikolai’s thoughts and frustrations in here, glances cast and warnings given, the whole shebang  i really hope you like it, even if it’s kinda lacking in direct interaction for the sake of angst, and once again i want to thank everyone who commented and was so sweet and kind i had no other choice than to rush back excitedly and write my heart out <3 you’re the best! 

The dinner was an intricate display of wealth, as grand and carefully arranged as the jewels of a vain woman. One without an ounce of style anyway. The long tables were laden with complicated food, even the ones away from the main table that was orbited by the wealthy, to show off the generosity of the host. He'd even heard his brother say, as a compliment no less, that it seemed even the dogs here ate well. Clearly, he'd wanted to say, since you're here with your plate filled to the brim, brother. 

Now the porcelain plate sat before him, the food half-eaten and the glass of finest red wine all finished, as he listened to the war stories offered up to him by an old man with a hefty silver-streaked beard and heftier rosy cheeks, coloured by what must have been a fourth glass of wine. Nikolai would pop into the conversation here and there, if only to show he was paying attention, though he knew well enough that people never really wanted to listen, only to be heard.

"Tell me about your daughter - Alyona, is it?" 

The man reeled for a moment, his moustache shifting as he tried to remain dignified while choking on a sip of wine, as dignified as a startled walrus anyway. "You know of my daughter, your highness? Irina--", he turned to his wife at this, near breathless, "Did you hear that? He asked about Alyona!" 

The old lady had the common sense not to egg him on too much, only smile and nod as if she knew matching his excitement would mean a definitive death by boredom for Nikolai. And he was thankful for that.

But to be fair, Nikolai hadn't really known of Alyona, only heard her name from the girl with the broken horse when she passed by him in between meal courses, stopping only to cast a glance towards the old general and say, "Ask him about his daughter, Alyona - Saints forbid you ever require it, but he'll raise an entire army for you just for that little bit of kindness. He's very fond of her." 

"Is she pretty?", he didn't want to seem like a liar if that was what he complimented the daughter on instead of her smarts, or talent for music. 

The girl had raised an eyebrow, then looked back at him, "Does it matter? Fathers like him always think their girls are the prettiest. They're not wrong."

He'd wanted to stop her then, to ask her about the general's wife, or his dog, or anything really - and it would've been as easy as reaching out to take her wrist in his hand, had she not slipped back into the crowd and disappeared as quickly as she'd appeared by his side. 

Now he took his glass of wine, filled once again by one of the waiters, and held that instead, his eyes wandering across the table to where his brother sat, red-cheeked and rowdy. She was sat next to him, straight-backed and so still Nikolai thought she might have been a vision or a sculpture wrought in alabaster had the light evening wind not stirred the sheer silk of her gown and made it all come alive. It fell in rich waves off her shoulders, plentiful, but not plentiful enough to hide the gentle slope of her neck where it dipped to her chest, interrupted only by a fine necklace of tiny emeralds, or the wrists that glided through the motions as she picked at the food. 

The wine had made him too unwilling to look away, and he'd nearly caught his brother's eyes over the rim of his glass, so now he had to drag his gaze back to the general, who was near breathless talking about Alyona's adventures with the pony he bought for her. 

"...and I told Irina, no man of sound mind would let his little girl on that beast."

The beast being a pony, Nikolai supposed. 

"Did you think she would just pet it? It's not a cat.", this was the wife, sounding tired in a way only a woman who'd heard this story a million times and still thought it stupid, could. 

"You should've at least let me call Orlov's girl, I swear that creature was born on the damn horse! That form! We could've used her in the cavalry!"

"That poor thing's got enough on her mind with a father like that, and for Saint's sake stop recruiting people at dinner parties."

This time Nikolai interrupted, however riveting this exchange was, "The Orlov's girl?" 

Irina cast him a surprised glance, "Yes, that pretty thing with your highness' brother? I thought you met her." 

Now Nikolai had an actual excuse to look her away, and he wasn't about to throw it away. This time, she had her hands folded in her lap and Vasily at her ear speaking something delightfully stupid, no doubt. Nikolai watched her drag her teeth across her lower lip, still so mesmerized by the way it popped back into place that he was near startled when her eyes slipped straight to him. 

She did not smile. But maybe that was for the better because even from across the table he could see the muscles in her cheek twitch, as if she was dragging the corners of her lips down with the sheer force of will, not quite as restrained as she'd hoped to be. He realised she was trying not to smile, and somehow that made his mind reel more than any unbridled grin a girl at this table could've offered him. She downcast her eyes, lashes brushing against her cheek as she busied herself with the bracelet on her wrist, and Nikolai sipped his wine to drive away the urge to keep staring, to keep trying to provoke her until she could not hold that smirk back.

But then Vasily brushed the stray lock of her hair back and her features stilled as if all that pertness had been drained from them instantly, a muscle played in her jaw before she lifted her eyes and smiled prettily. Not at Nikolai, though. He saw an older man sitting to her left tap her hand like one would when a dog's performed a trick well, and Nikolai felt his muscles tense. Vasily beamed, Nikolai gripped his glass, her father looked at her like she was his golden ticket. 

"A vile man.", Irina said over her glass. 

Nikolai hadn't noticed, but the general was now busy entertaining the waiter with questions about the wine, and only his wife was fully present, the lines of her face arranged into a look of dignified distaste. She was speaking to Nikolai.

"Count Orlov?" 

"He treats that poor girl like property.", her upper lip curled, "And unfortunately the Saints haven't given her a bad temper, so she listens." 

Nikolai leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine as he followed Irina's gaze to his brother, drunk on wine and forced smiles from a pretty girl, "I don't think she's as helpless as you paint it."

"Oh, she's not. She's playing them both like a fiddle. I'm just saying, at her age, I would've wreaked havoc by that point.", she shrugged, "I'm not a subtle woman, you see."

"Ha!", the general was joining the conversation once again, now that he'd gotten his wine, "Listen to what she tells you! She's a wild animal, that one!" 

"Darling. Not in front of a prince." 

"What?", to his credit, he did look genuinely confused, "His highness doesn't mind, do you? I'm just saying my wife's always been a force of nature, no shame in that! She's a scary woman, it's a good thing to have by your side." 

Nikolai did not, indeed, mind at all. He was just trying not to choke on the wine as laughter bubbled up from his chest, especially when Irina raised an eyebrow at her husband, and he could see her attempting not to grin at that strange assemble of compliments. Their bickering was felt like a light summer breeze, a welcome reprieve from the tension he could feel simmering in the air, across the table.

"It's the wine.", she turned her gaze to Nikolai, still smirking, "Don't mind him."

"Ha! And what explanation do you have for that sharp tongue?" 

"I married an idiot and was forced to evolve because of it." 

"Please, when I first mustered up the courage to ask her for a dance--", this was directed at Nikolai as the large man shifted in his seat, "And mind you, I've been less afraid for my life on the battlefield than in front of that woman! You know what she told me? She told me to break a leg and see if that helps with my coordination.", he leaned to the side to cast his wife a look over Nikolai, "You've always had that sharp tongue on you, my love." 

Nikolai raised an eyebrow at her, "Was he that bad?"

Beaming because he didn't immediately sympathise with her husband, Irina shrugged in feigned disdain, "No, he was quite handsome and good on the floor, still is. You just can't let them forget how lucky they are to even have you looking in their direction."

"What can I say, my girl knows her business! I fell for it, hook, line and sinker."

Nikolai was the one charmed, for once, but his eyes still strayed to the other side of the table, even as the old couple continued lovingly bickering beside him. Vasily was up and about, and the girl and her father were following close behind, the valet running around guiding them towards a carriage that was waiting on the other side of the fence. 

"Where are they going?", he schooled his voice into one of mild disinterest, fit of a prince not particularly invested in his brother's dalliances. Beneath it all though, he felt dangerous, like he was being suspended on the edge of getting up and following - his brother was a nasty, distasteful creature on good days, and this wasn't even one of those. 

"Mister Razumov's.", Irina answered, because the general was now waving wildly demanding another piece of those little lemon cakes, "New money. Wild parties. Wilder vices. Gambling and alcohol are galore. They'll come to invite you too." 

He did not doubt that - even his brother's title had nothing on Nikolai's charm or the exclusivity of having him there on the rare occasion that he was home instead of on the front. It still did little to placate him as he watched them climb into the carriage, his brother's slimy hand holding hers as he helped up the steps, her hair tossed wildly across her bare back as she turned one last time to cast a glance Nikolai's way. He held her eyes for a moment, both their faces still as stone, then watched her disappear behind carriage's curtains as he sipped his wine, wondering wildly if he should even go. 

What good would it do? Her father would be there, watching, and there was no money to be made with a prince that had an interest only in books and weapons, no matter how charming he was. He cleared his throat and finished the glass. He'd just get her in trouble - it wasn't like Nikolai himself was particularly known as a voice of reason, he preferred to stick to an assemble of charming qualities, like ill-advised impulses and regret.

"You could stay, you know?", this was Irina again, sounding less like a wild animal her husband had described, and more like a mother. At least what Nikolai imagined mothers sounded like. Sympathetic. 

"Sorry?"

"Do you think I'll get this big boulder to move and go home anytime soon?", she nodded towards her husband, then smiled, "Some of us stay here instead of going to Razumov's, there's music and food and wine, good company too. If your highness hasn't been scared away by our marital displays."

"Please, call me Nikolai.", his usual glib smirk had slipped back onto his lips, as easy as a mask, "And no, I must admit, I'm quite charmed by the displays. Tell me, Irina, where does one get one of those?" 

She didn't look quite convinced, but she smiled still, "You stumble upon it, by Saint's will, and then you can't look away. The lucky ones, anyway.", she cleared her throat, "Stay, it would be quite the honour." 

"All mine. Your husband's a great general. And the royalty never gets enough servings from sharp tongues anyway."

"My husband's a fool.”, she shrugged lightly, “But I make up for it in the charms department." 

"I heard that woman!", there was no ire in general’s voice, and it was merely a passing comment as he waved at the poor waiter again, "Would one of you penguins like to explain why the prince's glass is empty?" 

Nikolai hadn't wondered about that, but now that it was brought up he felt like another glass and a distinct lack of his brother might be of help, "Why do you assume I won't go?" 

"Because you've been staring at that girl all night."

Nikolai's head snapped from the waiter back to Irina, and he caught the traces of a grin in the corners of her lips as she sipped her wine. Had he been that obvious? He didn't think so, but the wine and conversation might have made him sloppy - it was one thing to avoid provoking Vasily into being even creepier due to jealousy, another to avoid someone like Irina.

"Don't be so shocked young prince, that big buffoon used to look at me like that, once. I'd spot it anywhere, like a good game in the forest. She could barely stop smirking. It's quite painful, you know, not to smile when you catch someone looking at you like that. I must admit, she’s quite adept."

Nikolai considered telling her that big buffoon certainly still did look at her like that, but he was assuming she already knew that. She didn't look like a woman who'd settle for anything less. "Well, to be fair, I've been told I am quite dashing. She can't really be blamed." 

This made her laugh, in the way experienced older people do when they're charmed by some youngling's naivete, "Tell her that and see what comes back at you."

"I've already tried, it wasn't pretty."

Irina leaned in, conspirational, "That's why it's fun. My husband told you already. Hook, line and sinker. The girl knows how it's done.", then she leaned back, more serious, "It's why I'd stay away if I were you. We have plenty of food, wine and girls for you here. You're all the rage." 

Nikolai smirked at her, as if to alleviate the seriousness of her warning, "Do you take me for anything less than a gentleman? And here I was thinking I had you charmed Irina, you break my heart. We were just talking."

But Irina didn't look concerned, only amusement lined her features as she sipped her drink, and a bit of motherly sympathy, "Oh my dear prince, you have us all smitten, but it's not her I'm worried about.", she twisted in her seat, to call for a waiter, and said over her shoulder, "And hasn't your mother taught you - nothing's quite as dangerous as talking to a girl like her." 

***

The night dragged on, or perhaps dragged wasn't exactly the right word. The general had a way of livening up the place even as the people cleared, some to go to Razumov's, others to go to sleep in their beds. The brave ones that stayed - and there were quite a few after he did some rounds about the tables - were unable to leave because he'd managed to somehow get more food, more alcohol and more musicians, and no one of sound mind would leave this wild story he'd spun around them. They laughed and spoke of war and danced under the clear night sky, the air tinted with the scent of burning wood and meat and laughter. 

Nikolai had nearly forgotten, how much heart there was in nights like these, how much he loved the people and the songs and this country. He himself had danced and laughed and drank, and was now sitting on a chair rocking himself precariously on two of its legs, wrapped in that safety blanket of stupor that came with late hours of the night, or early hours of the morning, watching the general and his wife swirl in front of the musicians. 

He wondered how they were still up and going, much less dancing, though he could guess that alcohol, and a lot of it, had something to do with it. And alcohol, and a lot of it, had something to do with no one noticing a figure sitting upright on a horse somewhere out behind the fence, in the deep darkness of a moonless night. The silks shifted around the figure, carried by the breeze, like something out of Tolya's stories of spectres and hallucinations haunting the fallen battlefields. Nikolai thought wildly that there must be one about a ghost-girl on a horse, haunting the minds of men in moonless nights, with silks made out of moonlight and cruel elegance draped across her shoulders. Or something like that. 

Nikolai let his chair hit the ground and was up before the girl who'd been talking to him had even managed to look confused by his sudden change in mien. He drained his glass before putting it down on the table with a bit too much force and slid through the crowd that had gathered by the band. 

Tolya’s story would have probably been meant as a warning to young men not to head towards those strange apparitions, or something equally ominous, but Nikolai never put much stock in the stories anyway, especially not ones made up by his drunken mind as he followed after her into the darkness. She looked improbable, sitting tall on that horse waiting for him, but not impossible. And that was good enough for him. 

tags: @mentally-in-northern-italy 

please feel free to comment or hit me up in the DMs (even if you just want to talk because honey i’m THERE for it) if you’d like to be tagged when the next part comes out! 

[liptonsbabe]

Chains of a family [B.W]

Bill Weasley x Grant! Reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Summary: Molly knows about the reader’s relatives and she’s not so sure to put her trust in a girl that had just betrayed her own family

Word count: 1.9K

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: Hi! i’m so happy that you guys liked this thing! thank you so much for your support and, again, if you want to keep reading this let me know. Same note as ever, english not my mother language, so tell me if something’s is wrong.

Chapter 2: Not your family

The next morning turned out to be quieter than you imagined.

You slowly got out of bed and looked at everything around you noticing how quaint Bill's old room was. The ceiling was lined with grainy wallpaper with stacks of photographs of Quidditch players hanging from the reeds that moved from side to side, simulating the playing field; the right side of the room had a huge hole behind the small stool that tried to hide it, and from that hole a small garden gnome was sleeping peacefully with a small piece of cloth on top of his head. You stood up, walking towards the huge window that gave you a beautiful view of the Weasley's garden that at that moment was covered by a thin layer of drizzle that had fallen during the night.

Molly's fruit trees gleamed under the faint rays of the sun and you saw how a doxy from between the leaves poisoned Mrs. Weasley's apples, causing them to fall from the tree branches in a thick black mass with a foul smell coming out of it. You shook your head, excited to witness a very different way to wake up.

Even though several minutes have passed since you woke up, the house continued to remain in a strange silence that made you think that the family had decided to leave the burrow with the intention of buying more supplies or something like that. You knew that Bill wasn’t at home precisely for his obligations within the Order, so you didn’t worry about looking for him around the room, so you decided that a better option was going down to the dining room and know what was happening.

As you went down the spiral staircase, you cursed in a whisper when you forgot to put on your slippers before leaving the bedroom cause the floor was so cold that you slipped a couple of times. Back in the days, when you were still welcome in your parents' house, you had many servants who did all the things for you - putting on your shoes as soon as you woke up was one of those things - but now that your life had changed so much, you assumed that you would have to adapt and start taking care of your own needs.

Your curious eyes roamed the walls covered in family photos that caused a big warmth in your chest. In each of those photographs, all of Molly's children appeared along with their father, smiling for the camera and sending effusive greetings. A pic was hanging at the fireplace were Molly and Arthur were carrying a small white bundle crying his lungs out. You assumed it was Bill as his parents seemed too young back then and even as a small baby, you could recognize those tantrum features anywhere.

A giggle escaped your lips when you noticed a funny sequence from that same photo in which, even with Bill crying in his mother's arms, his father tried to carry him for a moment to calm him down, however the baby's cries didn’t stop. The baby was so annoyed that he ended throwing up  the milk ration that he must have had before the photo session on his father's neat shirt.

You laughed because you knew that William's impertinence was something he had carried with him for several years now.

"Bill hates those photos." You jumped in your place scared to see Molly standing behind you. Your cheeks turned red “He says that it’s embarassing but i think that’s nonsense. He was an adorable baby”

"he was," you answered, looking anywhere but into Molly's shrewd eyes. "but I guess displaying them in the fireplace isn’t the right thing to do."

“Is it not?

"No, they should be at the front door where everyone can see them”

Molly giggled as you watched the sequence of photos over and over again. A silence settled between you, but surprisingly it was not an awkward silence, but one that was allowing you to create a bond that neither of you expected. Mrs. Weaslsey brought up a rag, wiping it around the corners of the photo from the dust.

"Arthur and I had to save up for months to take those pictures," she mentioned wistfully, "we just had Bill and it seemed like a good idea to welcome him into our family with a gesture like that. Arthur was new in the ministry and wasn't earning too much, but we had that quirk and decided we could afford to skip certain things to pay for the pictures. It cost us ten galleons and it still took us four months to gather them”

“Oh” You didn't know what to say, but you just kept looking at the photograph feeling a bit uncomfortable. You never had those problems at home because your family was insanelly rich thanks to the inheritance in life that your grandfather Tim had left to his son and later to his grandchildren. Even the descendants of your grandfather's servants came to work in your house, reason enough for you and your siblings to grow up with no sense of responsibility other than your own wishes. Molly sighed remembering those times when life seemed to be easier.

"So when Bill asked me to remove it from the fireplace, I refused. He doesn't know how hard it was to raise that money, but I think he has nothing to be ashamed of, he was too adorable!

"I don't doubt it for a second, Mrs. Weasley."

"You can call me Molly," she said, walking back to the kitchen where you continued watching the way the pans moved back and forth preparing breakfast. You were not very good at cooking - in fact, you had never cooked before- however, that didn’t stop you from offering your help. So you took a pan, placed it on the stove, and decided that you would find a way to make a good mountain of strawberry-filled pancakes just like your dear nanny did. Molly observed you carefully. "I think that now that you are living with us it is appropriate to have a more cordial treatment.My son told me a lot about you”

“Just the good things, i hope”

“Kind of” You stopped mixing ingredients to look at her carefully” He told us a bunch of marvelous things about you and how you two met. Actually, what worries me the most is what he didn’t tell us”

And there was the recrimination you were waiting for. You were aware that it had to arrive sooner or later, however, you would have been grateful that it did it when Bill were by your side to give you the opportunity to defend yourself properly. You cleared your throat uncomfortably, knowing that what Molly needed to hear from your own lips was which family you came from. You continued your task with the pancakes, turning out as bad as you expected.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, Mrs. Weasley."

"Molly," he corrected.

"Molly" you smiled slowly "But believe me when I tell you that it was me who asked William not to mention anything about my last name or where I come from. I know that in this case, with the war above our heads, it is necessary to be certain of the people who enter your family and I apologize for that, it's just ... Bill is very important to me” Molly's eyes narrowed “Since we met ... I have found a home in him and well, all that feels when someone is in love. "Mrs. Weasley shook her head, understanding the feeling." I have experienced the rejection before. When people know that Tom Riddle is my family ... they run away in fear, curse my family and even walk away from us, as if sharing a blood bond makes us as evil as he is.

“And it’s not like that?” Molly asked with a hand on her neck. She didn’t want to be like the others and judge you without knowing the full story, just as she had promised Bill the night before that she would, but it was so difficult not to remember the death of his brothers by Voldemort’s hands and to pretend nothing had happened in the past. You sighed because the eggs you cracked on the bowl got mixed with their own shell “ I've heard of the Grants before, they're all Death Eaters, including your siblings!”

“It is difficult to have to choose a side  when you don’t have your own convictions”

"And you have it?"

You looked at Molly in pain. Of course you expected those reactions from Bill's mother, she was within her right to be upset that her oldest son never told her that he was in a relationship with a girl who seemed to have the most fucking powerful and evil wizard in the world as a great-uncle. No, Molly wasn't mad, she was deadly angry, she felt like she was bursting!

Her hands became fists and without knowing how, you found yourself between the wall and Molly's big arms from one second to the other. The pancake batter was forgotten, as was the woman's promise to treat her son's girlfriend in a good way.

"How is it possible ..." Molly questioned in an agitated voice, pressing your arms against the wall, "... that a single deer leaves the nature of its own herd?" How can you ensure that one rotten apple even in a gold container doesn’t rot the others?”Your breath caught at the questions of the woman in front of you. Once again, you were aware that your presence wouldn’t be good news to them, but at least you hoped they understood your motives before judging you “Explain to me, (Y/ N) Grant, when have you seen a pig away from his equals?”

Your words caught in your throat at Molly's fierce question. Bill had talked a lot about the temper of his mother. Even if she could be really grumpy at times, she was in general a very sweet, pleasant and maternal woman with everyone; however, you didn’t fit into that generality because it seemed that the woman was determined to kill you with her own hands.

"If my presence bothers you so much, then you shouldn't have let Bill and I to stay here."

“He's my son! All I want for him is to be happy, and that's why I don't understand what he managed to see in you”

"Maybe the same thing you saw in your husband." Molly's lips twitched in anger, but you didn't stop. You hoped that she would at least understand what your words meant, because that would make it easier for both of you to try at least get along better, even if Molly seemed not to want to do it under any circumstances. How is it that this haughty little girl dared to compare herself with her dear and wonderful husband? "I'm sorry, but I don't think this conversation is going to take us anywhere."

"If someone betrays his own family ..." Molly stopped you before you walked out the front door. The others got down the stairs, seeing the scandal formed in the kitchen “The rest of us can't expect too much, can we?

Your eyes blured.