#it saddens me so much that a show as wonderful as this got cancelled :(((

[lewkwoodnco]

while I was skimming through ep 4 I stopped and rewatched the bit where lucy's pulling out the marissa fittes interview tape from the stack and just felt so overwhelmed/SEEN by the terribly anxious and devastated vibe of the scene through the camera work, the visual composition of the scene and ofc the brilliant acting by ruby stokes in her slightly jerky/unstable actions conveying the tremor, both literal and figurative, in lucy. especially cuz of how lucy's generally not one to display these kinds of emotions (or 'weakness') which just goes to show how badly shaken up she is by that fight w lockwood. and it just reminds the audience once again that yes she is so brave and so tough but she's still just a teenage girl and here she is having a very average teenage girl experience.....while shouldering burdens she is far too young for.

[brigoesrahhh]

"Oh no please, call me Jonathan."

Jonathan Ohnn / The Spot x f!Reader.

Part one, Part two, Part three.

1k+ words.

Summary: You worked at Alchemax for a small part-time job. You had planned a date with someone you met online, but they didn’t show. Saddened and with the day not going great, you sat alone at your table, scrolling on your phone. That was until Dr. Ohnn, the big scientist behind the experiments at Alchemax, who was secretly dying to talk to you, sat at your table. 

A/N: the POV occasionally switches between jonathan and the reader. i hope its not confusing <3

You just got the text you’d expected from your date: 

“Sorry, I can’t make it tonight.”

You sighed and closed your eyes, resting your elbows on the small cafe table. What did you think was going to happen when you had planned the date online? Certainly not that you were going to meet the love of your life. Nope, definitely not. But you wished it was that easy. They were attractive, but canceling a date at the last minute isn’t exactly the best reflection of someone’s personality.

You looked around at the view of the cafe from your seat, taking in all of the little details in its decor. This was your favorite place to go, and the baristas knew you pretty well, immediately assuming your signature order and bringing it to your table.

“You have a date? You look nice,” she complimented, teasing you with a wink. You hummed in response, laughing a little at yourself. 

You smiled at her sadly when she wished you good luck, before she quickly ran off back to work. Today had been a busy day for the cafe, with a surprising influx of customers throughout the afternoon. She hadn’t noticed the disappointment hidden behind your kind smile.

The bell hanging from the door bounced around as more people came in, smiling and greeting each other. It had become a common sound to you at this point, and your brain began to muffle out the ringing bells and indistinct chatter. After taking a sip of your beverage, you opened your phone and started mindlessly scrolling.

~

“Mm.. hm-hm-hmm~ Quick coffee then run, quick coffee then run~” he mumbled to himself merrily as he opened the door, ringing its bell once more. He strolled in, walking straight to the counter of the cafe. His focused expression quickly changed to a calculating one, realizing the size of the lineup ahead of him. He was going to be here for longer than he thought.

He sighed, finally taking a moment to look around the cafe. Unlike you, he didn’t come here often… So he didn’t exactly expect to see you in such a rush.

And you looked good. Beautiful, truly. You appeared to be dressed for a date, with delicate makeup adorning your features and a cute dress making you look your best. He couldn't help but wonder who you were meeting and if they were in the line with him. As he continued to observe, he noticed a slight hint of nervousness in your demeanor, causing him to feel a pang of sympathy. 

His lips parted slightly at the sight, and especially the thought of you on a date that wasn't with him. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was pining over you. He would change his path to his office for you just to see your face. Sometimes he would think of you while he was doing his experiments. Hell — he would even scribble little doodles on his lab papers daydreaming about you, and then he’d have to reprint them to keep his work ‘professional’.

Growing impatient in line, he tapped the tips of his fingers together, looking in your direction. He thought for a moment. You looked unoccupied, taking a sip of your drink and scrolling on your phone. “She probably doesn’t want anyone bothering her," he thought to himself. But his urge to talk to you outweighed his anxiety.

A rare surge of confidence came over him, and he found his legs leaving the line of customers and walking over to you as his brain screamed at him not to move.

He cleared his throat, and sat in the seat in front of you. A nervous smile peaked through his lips, and you looked up from your phone in surprise. Why was such an important scientist sitting in front of you while you weren’t working? And more importantly… Why with you? 

His sudden presence made you freeze up for a second. You came back and scrambled to think of what to say, when he filled the silence.

“Hey! I was just stoppin’ by for a quick coffee and I wanted to say hi, uh-” He awkwardly extended his hand for you to shake it. “Damn it, why did I do that? This is casual, not business!” he thought.

He was relieved when you looked back up at him, smiling, and shaking his hand. Noticing a little confusion on your face made him nervous, as he obviously didn’t want to explain the whole “I have a crush on you” and that he had impulsively gotten himself sitting in front of you.

He quickly changed the subject and asked how you were doing, hoping to steer the conversation away from his moment of awkwardness. If it was any other day, you would've responded with the typical "I'm good, how are you?" But today was different.

"Kinda shit," you said bluntly, forgetting who he was and a tad surprised at your own response. Although he was worried, he was amused by your frankness. "You?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. But what's up? Did something happen?" He asked, not realizing how worried he had come off, and not really caring.

"Well," you said, trying to be as honest as possible without sounding like an ass.

"I planned a date with someone, but they didn't show." You explained briefly, a little embarrassed.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" He said, placing a hand on your arm. "They probably didn't deserve you anyway…" He mumbled, a trace of anger in his voice at how someone could make you feel bad about yourself.

 "I appreciate that," you said with a small smile. "But it's okay, I'll just move on and find someone better." You were grateful for his support, but you didn't want to dwell on the disappointment. 

 "You deserve someone who will appreciate and respect your time," he continued, offering a reassuring smile. "But hey, if you're up for it, we could grab some drinks and make the most of the night." 

Your mouth opened partially in shock, but with pleasant surprise. You grin when you see a faint blush spread over his cheeks as he realizes what he had offered.

"I'd like that Dr. Ohnn," You say grinning.

"Oh no please, call me Jonathan." He says, awkwardly.

"Okay," You say, giggling softly. He responds with a smile, his blush deepening.

As you continued chatting, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous around you, wondering if you could sense his attraction. Despite his nerves, he was grateful for the opportunity to finally catch up with you. 

[faulty-writes]

heyhey how are you doing ? I was super excited to see someone writing so much for Tenya. So if it's okay...Can you write hc of him with a romantic partner (gn or fem if you feel more comfortable writing fem) who tries to bond with his family, like someone who would befriend Tensei, help him with his recovery maybe, would get along with his parents etc ⸜( ´ ꒳ ` )⸝

[ I'm doing okay, thank you for asking. Been busy with schoolwork, Abnormal Psychology is kicking my ass this term but so far I've gotten A's so, hooray for me. Also got a new job. Honestly, he's very popular on my blog because I write him well. At least that's what everyone tells me, hah. Anywho, this sounds adorable. Plus Tensei is mentioned! I love him very dearly as well. ]

"This is Y/n. She is my fellow student and romantic partner. She is rather admirable for the way she so victoriously displays her heroic skills during our assigned training sessions as well as the way she articulates her quirk!" You weren't sure if you were more embarrassed that those were his first words when introducing you to his family or that his mother immediately took a liking to you, going as far as to thank you for your interest in her son.

It was an honor to meet Tensei since Tenya continuously spoke of his admiration for the now-retired pro hero. Although it saddened you to see him in a wheelchair, it didn't dampen his spirits. "Hey! It's awesome to meet the girl my little brother keeps talking about!" He said, happily shaking your hand. "Brother! I ask you not to go into such details regarding that," Tenya insisted, flushing softly.

"Apologies, my family has requested my assistance." You understood that family was a priority for Tenya, especially considering he bragged about the Iida name. Because of this, he canceled your date plans on occasion, and you tried to remain supportive considering family bonds were precious.

On more than one occasion, you had dinner with the Iida family. "It is quite an honor to share this family bonding moment with you! I do hope the Iida family has made you feel welcome!" Tenya would always try to break the ice and unlike his mother, his father was less impressed by you but regardless, you tried your best to connect with him.

"You can pull harder, it's totally okay!" Tensei said. Sometimes you'd help him with his physical therapy exercises when Tenya was busy studying or just provide him with companionship, all of which Tenya would thank you for. "To show such noble attributes to fallen heroes is a wonderful characteristic! I hope that I may be able to display true hero qualities such as yours one day!" Sometimes his praise was too much.

His mother would invite you to go shopping or out to eat. Of course, you weren't used to the fine taste the Iida family was known for. However, you genuinely enjoyed your time and when you returned, Tenya was eager to hear what had happened.

The basis of your relationship was honesty and open communication, and you extended this courtesy to his family. Especially with his father who asked you specific questions regarding your dreams and goals for the future. He also asked you about your romantic life both with his son and any past partners you had.

The two of you managed to keep each other in balance and more importantly, worked around your busy schedules. Between your academic and personal lives, it was tricky to maintain your romantic life. But Tenya always made time to show you how much he and, to an extent, his family cared and loved you.

[grandsonoflightike]

Grey Three Houses/Hopes P7: The Grey Seiros Snare

Background Song Announcement: The Maker's Guardian from The Darksiders 2

Shadow Shez: There you are, Shadow Hubert. So what's going on? This couldn't wait for a more reasonable hour?

Shadow Jeritza: Hmph.

Shadow Petra: ...

Shadow Hubert: You are the last to arrive—but better late than never, I suppose.

Shadow Shez: Yeah, well, you know it's not a real party until I decide to show. So what's the deal?

Shadow Hubert: As unflappable as ever, I see. Can I take it from your lackadaisical attitude that you know why I have summoned you here?

Shadow Shez: Not even a little bit. But judging from the company, you clearly rounded up the toughest people you could find. Just thought I should play the part. Because I'm standing here with Shadow Jeritza on one side and Shadow Petra on the other—and you don't invite people like them along unless you need serious muscle.

Shadow Hubert: It saddens me than I am not included in this "toughness" calculation of yours.

Shadow Petra: Neither fighting or hunting have toughness for me. I am fighting and others are falling. It is a thing of ease.

Shadow Jeritza: Get on with it.

Shadow Hubert: Yes, well, setting the question of "toughness" aside, your task remains the same.

Shadow Shez: Can you please just get to the point already? I'm gonna doze off if you stretch this intro out any longer.

Shadow Hubert: Then I will do just that. I have received information regarding a small-scale raid on Grey Garreg Mach. The raiders in question are the Knights of Grey Seiros— but judging by their low numbers, they are not attempting to reclaim the monastery. Rather, their goal is assassination. Specifically, they seek to eliminate Count Shadow Varley, the current head of the Southern Grey Church.

Shadow Jeritza: The knights? Good. I'll enjoy this.

Shadow Petra: I have knowledge of stopping assassins. Let us be going with all haste.

Shadow Shez: I see why you brought the three of us along now. But still, you've got an entire army at your disposal. Why use so small a force?

Shadow Hubert: If we suddenly increase our presence at Grey Garreg Mach, the knights will realize they have been found out and cancel the raid. But I need them to carry out their plan to the letter, so they might walk right into my trap.

Shadow Petra: They will be like flies to the flame.

Shadow Shez: Not sure that's right, but I get what you're going for.

Shadow Jeritza: Even if the flies are strong, it all ends the same.

Shadow Hubert: You both remain as inspiring as ever. Now then, as we will be heading out tomorrow, we had best get our preparations settled quickly. Seeing as you are a long-tenured mercenary of some renown, I will leave the guarding of Count Shadow Varley's person to you. I hope it goes without saying that this is not a job which calls for improvisation on your part. Keep him safe and whole, and do it well.

Shadow Shez: No worries, Shadow Hubert. Those knights won't touch even a single hair on your guy's head.

Shadow Hubert: That is precisely what I wanted to hear. No wonder Lady Shadow Edelgard puts so much faith in you.

Shadow Shez: Seems like a lot of weight to throw on my shoulders.

Shadow Petra: If you fight with confidence, you will never be losing. I will do what I must.

Shadow Jeritza: Again. Get on with it.

Shadow Hubert: Yes, yes, very well. Now, as far as Garreg Mach's current military capability...

*At the start of battle*

Count Shadow Varley: Why bring me from the monastery and into the outer courtyard? Is this really safe?

Shadow Hubert: Perfectly so—provided you remain close.

*The Knights of Grey Seiros deploy soldiers in the Middle Passageway and the Mid-Central Checkpoint.*

Count Shadow Varley: Wait, what's happening? It's the church... They've come for me!

*When Count Shadow Varley reaches the Middle Passageway*

Grey Fortress Knight: Strange. We had no reports of any excursions. Well, no matter. Our target is Count Shadow Varley!

*A group of Grey Fortress Knights appears and attacks Count Shadow Varley.*

Count Shadow Varley: Hurry up and deal with them! The future of the Shadow Empire itself depends on my survival!

Shadow Hubert: It should go without saying, but for now we need Count Shadow Varley. Do not let any harm come to the man.

*After the ambushing Fortress Knights are defeated*

Shadow Jeritza: Mere vermin. No thrill to hunt.

Shadow Petra: Why do they pursue Count Shadow Varley with such fierceness?

Shadow Hubert: He played a rather large role in Her Shadow Majesty's banishment of the Grey Central Church. As bishop, he gave legitimacy to her course of action—an action that carried great weight with adherents of the faith.

*When Count Shadow Varley reaches the Mid-Central Checkpoint*

Grey Sniper: This is our best chance to eliminate the false bishop! We must succeed!

*After the ambushing Snipers are defeated*

Shadow Petra: To fight an angry enemy is a simple thing, but we must also be having caution.

Shadow Shez: You're pretty good at this, Shadow Petra. You've really never been a bodyguard before?

Shadow Petra: I have only ever guarded my own body. In Shadow Brigid, we had raids and assassins every day. I had to be learning with much quickness.

*When Count Shadow Varley reaches the Middle City Checkpoint*

Grey Fortress Knight: As the goddess is my witness, this is as far as you go!

Grey Swordmaster: Our lives matter not! Crush them in the name of the archbishop!

*When the second wave of Fortress Knights is defeated*

Shadow Hubert: You have proved a most efficacious lure, dear count.

Shadow Jeritza: I feel nothing. Is this all the knights could muster?

Shadow Hubert: It is a small raiding party—likely they sent only what they could afford to lose. Still, I doubt that was the last of them.

*When Count Shadow Varley reaches the Middle Residential Area*

Count Shadow Varley: I... I should be safe here, I hope...

Grey Swordmaster: There's the dog! Don't let him escape!

Count Shadow Varley: Oh, not again... I can't take another step! You'll have to stop them here!

*When two of the Swordmasters and Snipers attacking the city are defeated*

Grey Sniper: The Southern Church's bishop is an enemy of the goddess and must be destroyed!

*When all of the Swordmasters and Snipers attacking the city are defeated*

Shadow Petra: They are not finished. Remain on guard!

Grey Shamir: They're few in number, but well prepared. News of our raid must've leaked.

Grey Catherine: They make me sick. Still, looks like the two of us will have to pull this one out!

*When Shadow Petra approaches Grey Shamir*

Grey Shamir: Aren't you the princess of Shadow Brigid? You serve the Shadow Empire?

Shadow Petra: I am serving Shadow Brigid, and Shadow Brigid is standing with the Shadow Empire!

*When Shadow Jeritza approaches Grey Catherine*

Grey Catherine: You know what? I'm glad for this. We've never really had a chance to go at each other before.

Shadow Jeritza: Thunder Grey Catherine, hm? Today is improving.

*When Grey Catherine's HP reach <= 50%*

Grey Catherine: You really willing to die for this guy?

*When Grey Catherine is defeated*

Grey Catherine: I know when I'm bested. Time to retreat!

*When Grey Shamir's HP reach <= 50%*

Grey Shamir: If the Shadow Empire's always this tough, we've got some road ahead.

*When Grey Shamir is defeated*

Grey Shamir: I failed.

*When Grey Catherine and Grey Shamir are defeated*

Count Shadow Varley: That's it! I'm going back inside and never setting foot outside the grey monastery again!

Shadow Shez: I see where Shadow Bernadetta gets it from. Still, at least the guy's safe now.

*Main Hall, Grey Garreg Mach Monastery*

Baron Shadow Barnabas: We've finished the cleanup and inspection of the walls, sir. We also cleared out the Knights of Grey Seiros's base at the foot of Grey Garreg Mach. The enemy has been routed, and is now engaged in a full retreat.

Shadow Hubert: Well done. That should keep us secure for the time being. Still, you will want to remain vigilant, Count.

Count Shadow Varley: But you just said we are secure!

Shadow Hubert: True, I do not expect our enemy to launch any military offenses in the near future.

Count Shadow Varley: But if not military... Ah, of course!

Shadow Shez: I get it. They'll be sneaking through the back door instead of trying to knock down the front gates. I imagine another assassination attempt is already in the works. Probably something cowardly like poison or a dagger in the ribs.

Count Shadow Varley: I shudder to think of those zealots out for my blood. I entreat you to protect me, Baron Shadow Barnabas! After all, I won't always have the Minister of the Imperial Household here to save me. The war has reached a critical stage, and his wisdom will soon be needed elsewhere. As steward of Grey Garreg Mach, my life is in your hands!

Baron Shadow Barnabas: I will do what I can, of course.

Count Shadow Varley: To start, I want you to confirm the identity of every single person entering and leaving the monastery. Also, the gatekeeper must hear of these new attempts on my life, and ensure he keeps his watch most keen! That one is far too casual for my liking... Yes, well, enough of this. I must be off.

Baron Shadow Barnabas: Of course, Count Shadow Varley.

*Count Shadow Varley, Baron Shadow Barnabas, and their attendants leave.*

Shadow Shez: Weird guy, huh?

Shadow Jeritza: Stronger than he looks—though not inclined to fight.

Shadow Petra: He is reminding me of certain woodland creatures. Though he is a fighter of much weakness, he has a talent for remaining alive.

Shadow Shez: When you put it like that, he comes off like some sort of mastermind. But I guess all Imperial nobles are crafty in some way or another.

Shadow Hubert: Crafty, is it? Hm.

Shadow Jeritza: ...

Shadow Shez: Sure. I mean, the two of you are nobles, and I'd say you're as cunning as they come.

Shadow Petra: Yes. Hubert and Jeritza are both nobles full of cleverness.

Shadow Hubert: Don't forget to include yourself among that number. After all, I specifically selected the craftiest soldiers I could think of for this mission. When the enemy is neck-deep in skulduggery, I need soldiers who are adept at thinking on their feet.

Shadow Shez: You think I'm like you? Really? That's great!

Shadow Hubert: Only a jest, I assure you. But since it clearly pleases you so, I must admit there was some truth behind it.

Shadow Shez: Good. Glad we got that settled.

Shadow Jeritza: I tire of this. Farewell.

*Shadow Jeritza leaves.*

Shadow Shez: He sure knows how to make an exit.

Shadow Petra: We should be going as well. It lacks wisdom to be far from the base for too long. But if you wish to be joining me for a small hunt, we will be passing through woodlands on the way back.

Shadow Shez: Sure, if it's on the way.

Shadow Petra: This is filling me with happiness. We will be landing a nice catch, then return home. Maybe a bear or a boar!

Shadow Shez: Yeah, that's not really what I'd call a "small" hunt. Shadow Petra? Hey, wait up!

Shadow Hubert: Heh. It seems we truly are a crafty group after all. ... Still, facing Grey Catherine and Grey Shamir time and again is a great burden to bear. But I must shoulder it if I am to protect Her Shadow Majesty.

[soul-dwelling]

MHA is probably the main reason I won't ever start reading an ongoing series again lol

I think one has to have a one in a billion talent to be able to commit to a plan while avoiding cancelation, navigating editor pressure and demands, yet also being able to improvise and keep once stamina.

Maybe DragonBall is one of the truely great examples of managing it, but that is because Toriyama both doesnt care about his story being consistent, yet also is so talented that he makes everything work, the enjoyment coming from each chapter.

But maybe I just dont have enough experience with manga, yet I dont really want to get taken for a ride again and again, Im getting to old for that - especially after even One Piece crashing like it does since after the time skip, or atleast the Wano arc

Question received June 30, 2024, answered August 4, 2024--the official publication date of the last My Hero Academia chapter. 

I’m not that sour--about My Hero Academia or One Piece. Granted, I haven’t read as much of One Piece (and the paneling is getting too grid-based for my preferences). 

But it is part of the debate I’m having with myself and have talked about with a friend: is it better to let an entire story be planned out and published all at once, or is it better to serialize it over time? Horikoshi already wrecked his health keeping up this serialization schedule, and while letting him take all the time he wants to make the story he wants at the pace he wants and publish it only when he’s done, that is not the reality of the publishing industry (which needs to change) and has the disadvantages of having the franchise be out of the public eye and hence lose popularity, as well as not getting more immediate reactions to new chapters to course correct when something is egregiously bad (not “oh no, people don’t like the League of Villains, change everything because my editor said so” but “oh, okay, this characterization isn’t working with the audience, but here’s a small modification that’ll make it work better with the audience”). 

Toriyama likely also had opportunities later creators did not get. A lot of serialized stories are going to take a lot of time to find their footing, their intended audience, their genre, their tone. It saddens me how that opportunity was not given to some wild worlds that could have hosted memorable stories with appealing characters: Ginka and Gluna is one that comes to mind, not because it would ever be as iconic as Dragon Ball but because it had so much potential and never got enough time to reach it. 

I do wonder whether there are currently published ongoing manga or other comics that people could recommend (especially ones outside of Jump), or that I could recommend. These are some I have enjoyed, although their genres and tones are not necessarily the same as My Hero Academia: 

Akane-banashi and Show-ha Shoten: Two series that easily transition the shonen battle tournament format towards public performance, rakugo in Akane-banashi, and stand-up comedy in Show-ha Shoten. Artwork is really good, characters are varied in personalities and back stories. 

Blue Box: I’m not following the sports angle very closely, the romantic development is good. 

Spy x Family: The story is finally paying off some details about Twilight’s mission, and doing so while also giving an unexpected and not asked for but also not unwelcome backstory for Henderson and Martha. 

Dandadan: I don’t think the tone and comedy is going to be for everyone, and there are enough of those details that bother me. But when the story gets serious, it knows how to hurt, and the action panels and two-page spreads are so detailed yet easy to follow the action. 

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun: I do think the story is spinning its wheels, with most arcs covering a lot of the same ground each time, especially as a lot of the mystery has been uncovered or undermined by later revelations. But the artwork is captivating, the tone is creepy, the character dynamics keep me engaged in the story, and the quandaries about whether you should try to fix earlier mistakes even if it means you forget the lesson is a lot better than whatever that most recent Flash movie was going for. 

RuriDragon: Some chapters are less engaging than others, but the relaxed tone is comfort reading. 

[littlestarxmilkyway]

And there it is. I didn't expect Square Enix to release information like this so soon, but that timing is interesting. Between the cancelled titles, and Nintendo saying when they're going to announce the Switch's successor. (And the timeline that they'll be implementing these plans...)

Multi-platform being highlighted in this would be a given. Fresher hardware on the next Nintendo console means the games will keep up a little better and have more ~fidelity~. I know how important that is to SQEX. But I also can't help but think they realized how well their own multi-plat and exclusive Switch titles were doing. It would be silly and remiss to neglect the successor. And while I don't think X-box sales are going to have any kind of impact on software in any region, it really doesn't hurt to include them more often. (Presumably? Maybe it is that expensive.)

"focusing its development efforts and investments on titles with substantial potential to be loved by customers for years" This may be fluff and amount to nothing, but I dearly hope they mean it. I hope they deliver. One thing that saddens me the most about the changes in SQEX and Bandai Namco lately, is simply how boring they've become. Bandai treating the Namco titles how they do is one thing, but Square Enix is so baffling. FF has been drained of identity, SaGa struggles for scraps, Mana and Star Ocean are in a wayward space. Anything else pre-PS2 and not those titles really doesn't get any acknowledgement. But each of those properties is so beloved now because of a robust legacy of beloved titles. Even the least beloved games along them still has a sizable and devout fanbase. But newer FF entires don't do anything to build on the franchise in a meaningful way. I don't think XV and XVI are worthless, but they also just fall short of really delivering what keeps FF going strong in my mind. I have to wonder if they've really sat down and thought about the longevity of their older titles and characters. The only exception lately is Asano's works. He's somehow managed to use nostalgia to create something fresh with the Bravely and Octopath series, and has created two new brands and franchises with it that already show enduring love of customers for years.

"First, mindful of the need to launch HD titles that help attract additional fans to the Group, the Group will regularly release AAA titles in its major franchises to maintain and build upon its fan base. In addition, the Group will strive to increase its success rate in SD games by launching a carefully curated selection of titles. It will additionally explore ways to leverage its rich library of IP." Yeah, I bet! The HD stuff will be there. But their mobile/social games sector is hitting the big decline. I think it's a combination of trying to force some games out and probable mismanaging, but it's also just a shame that they have all this potential to be doing more when they're realizing all these new titles. (And celebrating old stuff in some ways.) I sincerely hope we see them also use their backlog of other titles and IPs. I'm super elated Chrono Cross got a remaster, but where in the world is Chrono Trigger? That should have had some sort of port at the height of Another Eden's popularity and a tie-in. I'd love for Dewprism to come back! Some things won't move much now probably, but they really are sitting on a potential treasure trove.

"The Group will retire its business unit-based organizational design and strive to establish an operationally integrated organization with the goal of revamping its internal title development footprint and bringing more capabilities in-house. In addition, while keeping balance between the creativity of its individual employees and the management centered on the organization, the Group will transition to a project management structure. To that end, the Group will redefine the mission for producers and other related employees and organize its internal supporting structure. Also, the Group will improve its development investment efficiency, by reviewing the overall management process of title development." If it's true that they've kept most of their team from Remake and Rebirth to cut costs on "Reunion," then they probably realized how smart that is financially, but also for how well that works for dev cycles. And if that's what they're alluding to a little more here, that's only wise. Hard to say completely, but I am curious what internal shifts will happen and what consumers will be able to see of it.

" The Group will build its flat organization by increasing opportunities of promotion by selection in order to pursue a new talent at our company and streamlining the process of decision-making. Specifically, it will roll out a new human resources system in line with integrated management of development functions, building a new system for hiring, promotion, and appointment of management. Moreover, the Group will rebuild training system for new graduates and introduce internal education programs to enhance capabilities of junior and mid-level employees." That sounds amazing on paper, and I hope it's carried out well. It's not as though everything sounded perfect all the time under Sakaguchi's management, but I do think their philosophy at the time (and in a way, the whimsy) helped them cultivate their incredible library to what it is now. Back in the day, people were given a lot of freedom to create, even while being forced on a project. But they also had so much room to grow and were being allowed to do things while also being taught things. It just doesn't sound like Square Enix does that anymore. Even Nomura said they have a hard time keeping (new) talent. I think part of that is probably the Rock Star Syndrome that always plagued the company, but was amplified after people like Sakaguchi kept leaving and leaving. Not enough people were reigned in. But Square back in the day was on a roll, and I think if they bother to nurture and cultivate some good in-house talent now, and especially do so on the creative front as much as the technical (and let them bleed over into each other!), they'd be able to repliate their previous success.

[wtflife01]

I am speechless over Bella Hadid's latest interview with Vogue, it broke my heart. she's so strong. I really like her, and for years for her catwalk and her shootings, but I never really cared about her private life or her family, but I always wondered why she became a model, because as Gigi's sister, she would always be compared to her in a bad way, and it didn't fail, sadly. she's been through so much abuse and hate on social medias, and for no reason. this interview really saddened me. at the end of the day, she's just a human being who was thrown under the bus by her mother and her agency at such a young age. I still have no words for her mother, father and the surgeons who agreed to do a rhinoplasty on a lost and suffering fourteen-year-old girl, how can you, as an adult, even think that this will solve your child's problems? she's really courageous to speak about this. I remember her post from November, some people recognised themselves in what she said. it's great that nowadays some people can be listened to, she's far from being the only one in this situation, and I'm sure it will help others knowing they are not alone.

some extract from the article:

“I was the uglier sister. I was the brunette. I wasn’t as cool as Gigi, not as outgoing,” she recalls. “That’s really what people said about me. And unfortunately when you get told things so many times, you do just believe it. I always ask myself, how did a girl with incredible insecurities, anxiety, depression, body-image issues, eating issues, who hates to be touched, who has intense social anxiety—what was I doing getting into this business? But over the years I became a good actress. I put on a very smiley face, or a very strong face. I always felt like I had something to prove. People can say anything about how I look, about how I talk, about how I act. But in seven years I never missed a job, canceled a job, was late to a job. No one can ever say that I don’t work my ass off.”

"At 14, she got a job at SunLife, a juice shop in Point Dume, paying $7 an hour. “It’s not to say that I didn’t have a very privileged upbringing,” she explains. “But my parents are immigrants who came here and worked for everything they had. I always knew the value of a dollar.” 

"[About her mom's TV show] Bella says that she never watched the show: “My sister and I would hide upstairs every time they were filming.”

"The next time I see Bella, it’s early January in Los Angeles, and she is in bright spirits. She celebrated a low-key New Year’s Eve at home with her boyfriend of nearly two years, Marc Kalman, a New York–based art director. Bella made them gyros, and they watched the ball drop on TV. She has worked hard to keep her relationship private. “I think that’s why things have been able to last,” she says, implicitly contrasting it with her highly public but doomed relationship with The Weeknd. “When you give other people room to have opinions on things that are so personal to you, it poisons it.”

"When Bella was 14, she had a nose job. It’s a decision she regrets. “I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors,” she says. “I think I would have grown into it.”

"[...] I’ve had this impostor syndrome where people made me feel like I didn’t deserve any of this. People always have something to say, but what I have to say is, I’ve always been misunderstood in my industry and by the people around me"

"In January 2021, Bella had what she calls a burnout. Her mood changed. She wasn’t herself. “My immediate trauma response is people-pleasing,” she explains. “It literally makes me sick to my stomach if I leave somewhere and someone is unhappy with me, so I always go above and beyond, but the issue with that is that I get home and I don’t have enough for myself. I became manic. I bleached my hair. I looked like a troll doll. Then I dyed it—it looked like a sunrise. That should have been the first sign.” Under a great deal of professional pressure and after weeks of waking up in nearly suicidal despair, she spent two and a half weeks at a treatment program in Tennessee."

"Therapy, she says, is the biggest gift she has ever given herself. “For so long, I didn’t know what I was crying about. I always felt so lucky, and that would get me even more down on myself. There were people online saying, You live this amazing life. So then how can I complain? I always felt that I didn’t have the right to complain, which meant that I didn’t have the right to get help, which was my first problem.”

"For much of last year, Bella had been feeling better. And then, on the first morning of New York Fashion Week last September, she woke up and began to cry before her eyes even opened. She had already been working 15 days straight and, by her estimate, 350 days a year for the past seven years, and on that day she had eight fittings and three shows. For the first time in her career, she backed out of her commitments. And once again, people had things to say. Though she believes that she had no choice—that her ragged nervous system could not have survived another fashion cycle—she was tormented with guilt. She deleted her Instagram"

“When you are forced to be perfect every day, in every picture, you start to look at yourself and need to see perfection at all times, and it’s just not possible,” Bella says."

 “So now everything that I do in my personal life is literally to make sure that my mental state stays above water. Fashion can make you or break you. And if it makes you, you have to make a conscious effort every day for it not to break you. There’s always a bit of grief in love.”

I hope that she will heal and learn to listen to herself first, because heath is the most important thing.

The nose job at 14 is crazy, that’s so young to do things like that especially because her face was most likely to change with age, and the worst part is her parents allowing it and Yolanda probably even suggested it herself 😑

[xlovelyyoongix]

how about... me? | myg

↳summary: After your neighbor Yoongi finds out your date canceled on you, the shy male takes the opportunity to ask you out. 

↳paring: yoongi x (p.o.c) foreign reader

↳genre: fluff 

↳w/c: 1k (one-shot)  

↳a/n: This one-shot is part of the, The girl you like just got dumped and is crying, what would you do? series, and how I think Yoongi would react in this situation.  Enjoy!   

♡

The day you moved into the apartment across the hall from Yoongi, he immediately noticed you were a foreigner. With the way your hair naturally curled in ways he hadn't seen before, smooth skin that reminded him of his favorite caramel candy and plump pink lips that caused his body to stiffen shyly whenever you directed a neighborly smile in his direction.  

Yoongi didn't run into you often, but when he did, He'd make it a habit to sprint past you to open the building door for you or help you up the stairs with your heavy bags of groceries. Sure, Yoongi was quite the chivalrous guy, but he used that to his advantage, finding any excuse to have the smallest of encounters with you as his modest infatuation grew stronger.  

Stepping into the apartment complex after checking his mail, Yoongi's head perks up at the sound of your keys jiggling, locking your apartment door. Your luscious hair suited in a curly half-up, half-down style, thick lashes painted with a few coats of mascara, along with lips highlighted with the prettiest shade of pink. Distracted by your beauty, Yoongi blinks observantly upon gazing at you.

It was then you noticed your handsome neighbor's onyx eyes on you, a kind smile stretching across your honey cheeks. "Does this look okay?" You ask, turning to give Yoongi, full view of your outfit. An attire consisting of a black leather jacket, white blouse, skinny jeans that hugged around your curves followed by your favorite pair of brown autumn boots. "This will be my first date here in Korea, and I wasn't trying to overdo it, but now I'm worried this is too casual." Your brows furrow together nervously.  

"Uh..." Yoongi catches himself staring at you a little too long, releasing an awkward cough in attempts to play it cool. "Y-yeah," He nods, self-consciously unable to keep eye contact. "You look great. He'll like it." He gulps down the anxiousness scratching at the back of his throat.  

Yoongi's compliment causes your heart to flutter and cheeks to grow warm. Even though you hadn't known your neighbor for long, you find yourself noticing the little things about him, and you're desperate to ask him over for coffee and a conversation, but for some reason, you could never manage the words.  "Thanks." You bashfully place a stray curl behind your ear.

"You're welcome," Yoongi answers back too quickly, and he mentally wants to slap himself for sounding so eager to respond.

Even though you'd much rather spend your time having a conversation with Yoongi than going on a date with a guy you met online, you were in a bit of a time crunch and didn't want to be late. "I better get going." You speak unenthusiastically, shoving your phone and keys into your back pocket.

Brisking past Yoongi, he gets an enchanting whiff of your vanilla-scented perfume, wishing he was fortunate enough, being the one to date you. "Good luck, __." His tone, a bit weak with emotion but still wanting to cheer you on.  

Before disappearing down the stairwell, you gaze up at Yoongi, taking in the delicate features of his ivory skin, jet hooded eyes, soft lips, and button nose. "Thanks, Yoongi." You speak softly with a smile before exiting the building.

♡

 With nothing better to do on a Friday evening, Yoongi thought it best he'd spend his time cleaning. In doing so, he managed to tidy up the bathroom, unload the laundry, and start the dishwasher. The only thing left was the growing pile of trash that may or may not have been sitting unattended for a few more days than normal. "Alright, let's go." Yoongi pre-talks himself as he gathers the bags together.

When he steps into the hallways to take out the garbage, he notices something out the corner of his eye, you. Your once cheerful smile now shaped into a frown, head cast down with shoulders dropped in defeat.

Only an hour had passed since you left for your date, leaving no possible way you could be returning so quickly. "What happened?" A trickle of concern for your anguish state, hiding behind Yoongi's question.  

You look up and notice Yoongi, hooded eyes widened with worry.  You didn't want to admit it since you were embarrassed, but it was Yoongi of all people, a neighbor you could trust to be honest with. "He canceled." You confessed, sorrow in your tone. "I guess I wasn't so lucky." You manage to pull yourself up the stairs, taking out your keys to escape into the comfort of your apartment.

Yoongi felt his chest tighten upon observing your saddened state. What man in their right mind would cancel on a girl like you? If it were him, Yoongi would show up 30 minutes early just to make sure you wouldn't be waiting long. If it were him, Yoongi would take you to his favorite restaurant for takeout and take you to a quiet place in the park to eat. If it were him, Yoongi would give you his jacket, just to make sure you didn't get cold on the walk back home. "H-How about...me?" finally managing to overcome his insecurities, Yoongi knew it was now or never.

Your heart jumps in your chest, almost causing you to drop your keys. With lashes fluttering, you turn around to face Yoongi, wondering if you even heard him correctly. "W-what?" Your question with a bit of hesitation in your tone.

"I mean..."  Feeling a buildup of nerves; Yoongi rubs at the back of his neck, preparing his body for your possible rejection. "How about you go on a date with me?" Onyx eyes shyly fixated on the floor.

You're silent for a moment, processing the situation; never thinking your timid neighbor -you just so happened to have a crush on-, would ask you out. A smile pulls across your lips, and the distress of your canceled date vanishes as if it were never there. "I'd love to go on a date with you, Yoongi." You respond sweetly.

Yoongi's head pokes up, eyes large from shock with thick eyebrows arched. "Really?" he hates that he even questions your reply, but he had to truly make sure you meant what you said.

"Mhm." You nod with a blooming blush across your cheeks. "We can go now if you want."

The male felt a jolt of warm electricity spike throughout his body at your eagerness to want to be with him. "Yeah, we can go now..." Only to realize Yoongi asked you out while a bag of smelly trash was in his hand. "Oh, a-ah..." He chuckles embarrassedly with a stutter. "I um, have to take this to the dumpster, and then we can go," Scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

You giggle at Yoongi's sheepish demeanor, finding him endearing as always. "We can take the trash out together." You put your keys back in your pocket and start down the stairs. "And then we can go on our date." Your smile, as bright as the sun.  

Yoongi felt a warmth spread across his chest as you gazed at your glowing aura, almost unable to believe this was even real. You wave for him to hurry down the stairs, and dumpling cheeks breakout into a gummy smile. "Coming." He responds, happy to be the one taking you out on your first date in Korea.

♡

[padfootagain]

A Very Rose Mistake (V)

Part 5 : How Jealousy Gets Denied

 Here we go with a new chapter! I am back, people! Sorry for the long pause, but depression is kicking my arse these days, so writing is a little hard at times. Plus, this turned out longer than I thought it would be.

No warning to be applied here, except for a little bit of jealousy **demonical laughter**

Troubles are starting. It's coming folks!

I hope you like this part! Please, tell me what you think about it!

Also, if you want to explore more the area where the hike described in this chapter takes place in the Trossachs, here is a very nice website where you have a view from Ben A'an!

Word count: 4686

Holmes Chapel

2008

 Harry was late.

Again.

Third time in a week, and it was beginning to seriously get on your nerves. You repeatedly tapped your pen on your desk, while looking outside your window towards Harry's in the house next to yours. His curtains were closed, you hesitated to use the red piece of glass to signal him that you needed him, but neither of you had used it in a long time. So, you didn't really dare to reach for the drawer of your desk.

You didn't want to seem childish in front of him these days. And maybe it was because of his girlfriend. Maybe it was because he had a girlfriend when you had never had a boyfriend yourself. And maybe you were also getting more and more pissed because Harry was ignoring you these days.

You didn't want to be that friend, the one who called on him and acted clingy and asked for time to be spent with. You understood that Harry was infatuated. You understood that he liked his girlfriend and wanted to spend time with her, and it was normal. But that didn't mean that he had the right to simply cancel all your plans. You were okay with the fact that you couldn't just drop by to his house anymore unannounced, in case Felicia would be there with him. But you had planned this evening to work on your essay for your English class. You had checked with him if he was free, and he had promised to come by 5 pm. It was almost 6 now.

You checked your cellphone one more time, but once again, were met with no text messages or missed calls. He hadn't even warned you that he'd be late, which he used to do before Felicia got into the picture.

You didn't want to be that kind of friend who acted almost possessive, and couldn't manage to accept the arrival of his girlfriend in your inner circle of friends. But on the other hand, you reckoned that Harry was being that kind of friend too. The kind who abandoned his friends to spend all his time with his girlfriend. The kind who got so engulfed in his relationship that he simply dropped everything else the second she asked for him. It was excessive, you reckoned, but then, you weren't altogether surprised. Harry was passionate, and loyal to a fault. He was forgiving and too kind for his own good sometimes. You didn't doubt that in a relationship, he would be a huge romantic. Maybe he had an idea of love that was a little too idealistic, a little too naïve, with too many rainbows and unicorns involved and not enough heartbreak, but you couldn't really hold it against him. You could, however, hold against him that it was the third time in five days that he wasn't meeting you when you planned to spend a couple of hours working together, and it was driving you crazy.

It was a strange mixture of feelings that you experienced, between anger and aching and something a little cold that you couldn't really describe. It felt painful, that was for sure, but more than sad, it was painted red with annoyance and fear. A little voice in your head that screamed 'danger'. You weren't sure of what the feeling meant, but you knew for certain that you didn't like it all the same.

Lost in your thought, you jumped as your mother's voice rang through the house, calling for you.

"Y/N! Harry's here!"

You barely had the time to turn to your door before Harry was stumbling in the room, clearly out of breath.

"Hi, Y/N!" he grinned, staggering in the room and throwing his backpack on your bed.

"Hi," you tried to give him a smile, but it was hard to brush the irritating feeling away as it lingered despite Harry's presence.

"Okay, so… what do we start with?"

You tried to answer his question, you really did. But you were too angry at him for behaving like this for weeks now. So, instead, you answered his question with one of your own.

"Where were you?"

"What?" he asked back with a perplexed frown.

"I've been waiting for you for more than an hour. Where were you?"

He heaved a sigh, letting himself fall onto your bed.

"I know, I'm sorry I'm late. Felicia wanted to hang out a little after my shift at the bakery."

You stared at him for a moment, before standing up to go close the door. Harry watched you with an eyebrow raised in surprise, but he didn't speak nor did he try to interrupt you.

You heaved a sigh, nervously twisting your hands together.

"Harry… You've got to stop doing that," you told him, your voice slow yet he could hear in the way it trembled that you were angry and were trying to keep your voice down. "You can't just… tell me you're gonna study with me and then disappear to go snog your girlfriend instead."

"Y/N…"

"No, let me finish! You're not being fair! I haven't seen you outside of school in weeks. You're either late or you don't show at all."

"What do you want me to do? She's my girlfriend…"

"And I'm your best friend."

"I've got to make time for her."

"I get that. I'm not blaming you for seeing her."

"That's exactly what you're doing though."

Your expression saddened, the crease between your brows fading to reveal a fragility that wasn't there before instead.

"I get it that you want to spend time with her, but we had planned to study together. You can't just cancel everything for her either, you need a balance between the two. It can't be all about her. I get it that you want to spend time with her, and that's alright. But when we agree on a time to spend with each other, you can't bail out."

"I'm not making it all about her."

"You are though."

"If you had a boyfriend, you'd understand."

You cringed at that, wincing and glowering at him. You weren't good either at hiding how his words hurt you.

"What? I'm right," he shrugged.

"You're being a dick."

"You're overreacting."

"If I promised you that I would do something for you, and I didn't do it to spend some time with my boyfriend, wouldn't you be mad at me?"

Harry tried to deny your statement, but he would have been lying. And he didn't want to lie to you. So, instead, he heaved a sigh, and it was his time to wince.

"I guess…"

"Well, that's what you've been doing ever since you started being with her!"

You were starting to raise your voice, and Harry hated it. Not only was he annoyed, but he also simply hated seeing you upset, no matter the reason behind your emotion.

He felt his own anger rising, a mere reflex to hearing your acidic tone. But he knew that it wouldn't do anything good, and he didn't mean to upset you even more. He couldn’t deny either that you were right. He had been neglecting your friendship lately, and he could see now that it was hurting you. So, he heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled under his breath, pushing the words out reluctantly. "I guess you're right."

He reached in his backpack, grabbing a bag of pastries he had gotten from the bakery he worked at.

"I bought these for you, by the way."

You cautiously took the bag he was handing you, as if it were a trick of his. You peered inside to reveal a couple of chocolate muffins.

"These are my favourite," you breathed, hating the way your anger simply melted away.

He always had this effect on you. Harry always managed to do something so kind, no matter how big the gesture, that you couldn't stay mad at him.

Because you had never asked him for these cakes. He just saw them and thought of you.

For a moment, you were envious, almost, of his girlfriend. Because it had to be wonderful to be with someone who truly paid attention to people and wanted to make them happy as a reflex.

You knew that he hadn't bought the cakes for any particular reason. That he hadn't thought of anything besides the fact that you liked this flavour and it would make you happy to munch on these as you studied with him.

Your heart was beating faster, and you weren't sure why. You knew though that, as you thought of Harry's girlfriend again, you were bitter, and not only because how annoyed you were at Harry for being late.

"I know," he answered with the ghost of a smile, as if you had said the dumbest and most obvious thing.

You heaved a sigh, sitting by his side on your bed.

"Thanks."

"I'll make sure not to be late next time."

"Thank you."

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his embrace.

"Are we good?"

"Yeah… we're good," you nodded, relaxing in his arms.

"Good, cause you need to help me with this history thing. It's so boring!"

"History is not boring! You're boring," you replied, your voice shushed by his jumper as you pressed your face in his shoulder.

Loud footsteps echoed throughout the hallway by your door, but you didn't pay much attention to them, way too comfortable in your best friend's arms to be bothered.

Until your door was swung opened, making both you and Harry jump and break away in a hurry. Your father appeared, seeming infuriated, and when he spoke, his voice was shaking with wrath.

"I told both of you to always keep this door open!"

Loch Lomond

2020

 For the first day with the entire family in Loch Lomond, Cassie and Amy took a day without any planning and proposed to go explore the shores and the wilderness around the lodge. Some members of your family were eager for a quiet day along the shores, but you wanted to go explore other parts of the region, which was why you were now sitting around the breakfast table with a guide book and your phone set on your laps, focused on finding the perfect spot for a hike.

"You've spent half an hour looking at maps, darling… just… choose a path and go there," your mother sighed, annoyed.

"What do you care? You're gonna stay here all day anyway. I want a nice spot. I want to climb and have a nice view, but I also want some forest."

Your mother rolled her eyes at you again, but chose to not say a word this time.

"I think I'm gonna go to the Trossachs and try to go to… Ben A'an. It has a nice spot, it should give us a nice view," you mumbled under your breath, talking more to yourself than to anyone else in particular. "But it's not too high so it shouldn't be too hard."

By your side, Harry was finishing to eat his pancake and drinking his cup of coffee, reading the newspaper. If he was attending your cousin's wedding, he also took this week as a well-deserved holiday. He had been particularly busy these past few months, and would enjoy to spend a calmer week. And if he usually never refused a hike or any activity outdoor, he longed for a good nap. So, when asked, he had chosen to stay around the loch for the day. Amy's grandfather was organizing an expedition to go fishing, and Harry was most likely going to join the activity. Cassie was up for the hike and was on her way to convincing Amy to join her (after all, a lot of kisses always go a long way and are hard to resist), so you wouldn't be going on your own, he could sit this one out and just enjoy a lazy day.

He was sitting next to you around the long table. He had been eyeing your hand for the past ten minutes, but hadn't dared to reach for it. Giving his usually affectionate way to display friendship, it shouldn't have been a worry for him to add a sprinkle of touches here and there for your family to better buy your dating alibi.

But the thing was, it was you. And things were different with you. And touching your hand wasn't the same as reaching for any other of his friends' or acquaintances'. He couldn't say why, didn't dare to, but it wasn't the same, so he read for the third time in a row the same line of his article while he silently weighed the pros and the cons of reaching out and taking your hand in his.

Meanwhile, Patrick was listening to your conversation while munching on his eggs.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked, studying the picture on the guide book of the spot you had found from across the table, craning his neck a little to see the picture better. "It really does look like it has an incredible view."

"Sure!" you answered with an enthusiastic smile. "The more the merrier!"

You didn't notice the frown that settled on Harry's brow. You didn't notice his gaze abandoning the article to settle on you.

"Great! That sounds like a lot of fun. I love hiking. It's soothing, to be closer to nature."

"Yeah, me too. I try to go out as much as I can to take long walks or go hiking around L.A."

"I've joined a group actually last year. We organize hikes almost every weekend. It's nice to have people to walk with."

"Oh, that's so nice! Where do you go hiking?"

Harry studied the way you leaned towards Patrick, and the way he reciprocated your gesture, the open conversation closing around only the two of you. And he wished you were leaning towards him instead.

He shook himself out of this thought, though. What was wrong with him? You were just talking about hiking…

"Just around Glasgow, but I don't think we've been to this spot yet, I'd really like to try this trail."

"Well, then, you're welcome to join us!"

You reached across the table to take a piece of bread, and Patrick accidentally did the same thing as you at the same time, your hands meeting across the table.

You pulled away in a hurry, shying away and mumbling an apology under your breath. And Harry didn't miss a bit of the interaction. He didn't miss the way you wiggled on your chair, and the way you looked away, and the way your fingers struggled a little to wrap around your cup of tea.

And he didn't miss the way Patrick struggled to hide a smile, and the way he stared at you too intensely, and the way his eyes stopped on your lips for a moment before settling on his plate again.

Harry rolled his eyes in response, annoyed. He didn't sign up to play third wheel…

"Who else is supposed to come?" Patrick asked, bringing the conversation back to life.

"Cassie and Amy! I reckon that everybody else is having a lazy day today."

"Your boyfriend isn't coming either?" he asked, turning to Harry, who was still mostly hidden behind his newspaper.

"No, he said he'd go fishing…"

"Actually, I think I've changed my mind," your fake boyfriend jumped into the conversation, folding his newspaper to place it on the table next to his plate. "A hike sounds great!"

"You're sure? You said you were tired," you asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Breakfast gave me a boost, actually. I'd love to go hiking."

This time, he didn't hesitate, and he did reach for your hand that rested on the white tablecloth, wrapping his long fingers around yours and giving them a gentle squeeze. You gave him a grin.

"Great! Then, it'll be just the five of us! It's gonna be amazing!"

You turned towards your food to hurry to finish so you could get ready. Meanwhile, Harry and Patrick's gazes met, and if no words were exchanged, the way that Patrick looked down at his plate after only a handful of seconds spoke volumes all the same.

"Okay, you said it would not be too hard…"

You couldn't answer to Cassie through your panting. You had barely started and you were already out of breath, a sharp jolt of pain stinging your side. The path was steep, making your muscles ache already and your breath catch in your throat. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all…

"Well, it didn't seem so hard on the internet…" you replied, stopping to catch your breath.

The sky was clear and blue, with only a handful of lazy clouds drifting before the sun once in a while. Bosquets around the path clothed the high grass on each sides, while evergreen pine trees mingled their green foliage with the orange, red and yellow ones of deciduous trees. It created a strange and yet beautiful mix of colours that painted the slopes of the mountains, forming a forest across the lower parts of the rocky sides. The path in itself was clear and there was no fear of getting lost, and for as long as you were careful to not twist your ankle on a random piece of rock, you reckoned that the road was quite safe. Except for its slope, that was much steeper than what you had anticipated. You expected an easy hike, and were met with a pretty difficult one instead so far.

By your side, Harry was panting as well, and you were suddenly worried about his asthma.

"You alright?" you asked him with concern painted all over your features.

But Harry gave you a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. Not ever trusting… you again with… planning a hike… but… besides that… I'm fine," he answered, his words cut by deep breaths he was forced to take in an attempt to calm his burning lungs.

"It'll get easier soon, look," you reassured him, nodding towards the path that stretched before you, and seemed to be less steep further on.

Patrick seemed to struggle less than the rest of your party, and he turned to you as he visibly held back on his speed to stay with the group instead of going further on his own.

"I'll take your bag if you want," he offered you, nodding at your little backpack where you had your bottle of water and some cookies that would be your prize for when you would reach the top.

But you shook your head.

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? It's no bother. I'm used to hiking in this kind of terrain, it's easier for me."

Harry rolled his eyes at the comment, but remained silent, merely trying to catch his breath himself.

Despite having some steep moments, the path was pleasant and the fresh air was doing wonders on your moral. For once, you were able to forget about the stress of your PhD, and spending some time with your friends put an unwavering smile on your lips.

The wind of autumn was chilly and on the less protected spots of the trail, it bit down on your cheeks, but it was vivifying too, in a way that gave you energy to go on and continue further up the path. Without your parents around, both you and Harry were more relaxed, and you fell back into your usual banter, acting more like friends than fake lovers again. And it was comfortable. A known territory you had been exploring for decades, familiar and safe. You were in a comfort zone that the two of you had built along the years, and it felt reassuring to fall back in this old safe area of your relationship for a few hours.

As you finally reached the top after more than an hour of climbing up the rocky path, your breath was taken away not only by the physical effort you had been through, but by the sight before your eyes. The top of Ben A'an offered almost a 360°C sight over the loch and the mountains all around, a perfect mix of peaceful water, blue sky, rocky mountains and slopes painted in green, orange, yellow and red by trees in fall. A couple of ravens croaked a few meters away, perched on mossy rocks and breaking the quiet of the place. The wind, strong and howling, seemed to punch your cheeks with each ghast of air. Facing you, Ben Venue stood taller, its sloops colourful, as if the work of a painter more than of nature. Loch Katrine stretched as a long patch of water, glimmering under the vivid sun, on your right. On the other side of a forest, laid the calm waters of Loch Achray, situated on your left. You rested your back against one of the rocks behind you as you took in the view, your feet safely set against the pebbles and dirt on the ground, the grassy area, punctuated with bushes, only starting close to the edge of the slope. The top of Ben A'an, that you had now reached, was rather levelled, and all over a perfect spot for a break.

"It's gorgeous," you breathed.

"Yeah," Harry nodded by your side, still out of breath after the last push that had been needed to reach the top.

You turned a worried face towards him.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're breathing funny."

He coughed a couple of times, but rolled his eyes at you.

"I'm fine, mum. Just out of breath because I've finished climbing up a mountain just now, you know?"

It was your time to roll your eyes at him.

"Well, sorry to get worried about your malfunctioning lungs."

"They're not malfunctioning!"

"You're asthmatic! They are malfunctioning."

"You're out of breath too."

"I don't sound like I'm about to die."

"I don't either. You've clearly never heard someone dying. That's not how it sounds."

You exchanged a playful smile, while he joined you, resting his back against the rock and enjoying the view.

"In all seriousness though," he went on, still struggling to ease out his breathing. "I might let you choose another hike after this one. It's a very nice view."

"Ha! I knew it!" you cheered, giggling.

Cassie and Amy were admiring the view over the loch as well, holding onto each other. Patrick was drinking some water a couple of steps away from you. But as you felt your body cooling down, you decided to use the last remnants of adrenaline of your long walk to climb on top of the rock you were resting upon, thus reaching the true top of the mountain. There would truly be nothing above you then but the blue sky and the occasional crows flying by. It wasn't a very elegant endeavour, as you struggled to climb up the rock. Harry hurried to grab your waist to steady you, scolding you as you slipped.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a deep frown, worry oozing from his deep voice.

"Climbing!"

"Y/N, it's not a good idea, it's slippery."

"Shut up and help me up!"

He rolled his eyes but helped you anyway. Because he could never say no to you anyway. Never had been able to since you were five years old and you asked to play with his favourite toy. So, he secured his hold on your waist, helping your movements to secure your climb, ready to catch you if you were to fall. But you didn't fall, instead reaching the top of the last rock to climb. You took a couple of steps on the top, to reach the highest part, now enjoying a view of both sides of the mountain, water and forests and steep sloops of mountains seeming to lay at your feet just for you. The wind was even more violent at the top, almost deafening, but you didn't mind. You felt so confident for some reason, your usual problems seeming millions of miles away. Standing there, at the top of Ben A'an, it felt like you had reached the top of the world itself. You let out a laugh as you opened your arms wide, letting the wind blow against you with all its strength, turning your face up towards the sun to let its warmth bloom across your cheeks.

And down the rock, still on the path, Harry was looking up at you, listening to your laugh carried across the sky by the strong wind. He took in your dishevelled looks after your climb, and the way the wind caught in your jacket, blowing it away from your body. The way the sun got caught on your skin, and the way your lips split in a glowing smile. A thin layer of sweat glistened on your face, illuminated by the sun. And your carefree stance made you look absolutely unreal.

There was a deep rumble in his heart. A bright, luminous kind of aching that he had been trying hard to forget for years. And he had succeeded. After years of trying, he had made the feeling go away.

So why did he feel like this again now?

Looking at you with arms spread, embracing the world, it seemed, with a happy and free expression written on your features, he just couldn't stop the feeling from settling in his heart once more.

You were beautiful. Radiant. Something about you made him unable to look away. And he hated it. He hated the fact that he felt like this about you. But he couldn't help it. So, he stared at you as you laughed away in the wind, an uncontrollable yet fond smile on his face.

Sometimes he wondered how you could even be real.

And for a moment, he was so entranced in you that he didn't notice that Patrick was staring at you as well.

Harry helped you climb back down, a safe hold securing your movements, and you held onto his shoulders too for leverage. Landing in his arms, so close to him, made him fiercely blush, but he reckoned that if anyone noticed, he could always blame the wind.

But then he was your fake boyfriend for this week. Which meant that he was allowed to be this close to you. He was allowed to hold you for a moment longer than what was needed, and he could always claim that it was to keep up appearances, instead of him simply longing to have you close. And if he repeated this excuse enough times in his head, maybe, just maybe, he might believe in it himself too.

As your gazes met though, it was impossible for him to pretend, and reflexes came rushing back as Harry stepped away from you, an embarrassed blush blooming all the way up to the tip of his ears. You were distracted from his reaction though as Patrick handed you a bottle of water.

This time though, Harry didn't miss the way Patrick looked at you as you thanked him, accepting the water bottle. He didn't miss the way his gaze lingered for too long on your fingers wrapping around the plastic, nor the way he glimpsed at your lips as you brought the bottle to your lips.

When he felt his blood boiling in his veins, Harry attributed the symptom to mere annoyance. Because he hadn't travelled all the way from LA to Scotland for a week, lied to your parents, gotten dragged in all that mess, taken the risk to face his own mother's judgement about the whole ordeal too as your parents were close friends… to end up playing third wheel for you and Patrick. And that was all there was to it.

Maybe the way his heart stomped in his chest was a bit too violent for mere annoyance, but it wasn't a safe choice to call the feeling jealousy, after all.

**********************************************************************

Taglist :  @emcchi​​​ @fishstick-knows​​​​ @eldahae​​​​​ @just-damn-bored​​​ @retrouvailessx​​​​ @marvelstudies2020​​​​ @boxofteenageideas​​​@ponycake27​​​​​​​​ @horsesreign​​​​​​​ @xinyourdreamsx​​​​​​ @jbluevelvet​​​​​@notkeppeki @daynigt-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss​​​​​ @stuckupstucky​​​​​​@snek-shit​​​​​​ @suchatinyinfinity​​​​​​@i-padfootblack-things​  @buckybsarmy @heyohheyitsgabi​​​​​​​@jigsawlover10​​​​​​ @emyyjemyy​​​​ @addictedtofictionalcharacters​​​​​​​​ @staringmoony​​​​​​​@madamrogers​​​ @cronias13​​​​ @stylesfics-xx​​​​​ @mellamolayla​​​​​ @mariaenchanted​

[lordoffiction]

Thor’s Lightning: Chapter Two. ☁

☞: Finally! Here it is, I hope you all enjoy this considering I had about three mental breakdowns whilst writing it. The beginning is very dark, so there will be a trigger warning for it. But I make up for it at the end. 

Please make sure to give feedback! It would mean a lot to me.♡

WORD COUNT: 4,530. maybe more. 

WARNINGS: Blood, gore, death, swearing, slight sexual tension, Ivar’s sexy eyes, mention of cheating. 

gif isn’t mine. all credits to the owner. 

____________________

“Mama, how long till we’re there?” You asked, looking up from the endless scrolling on your phone to see your mother look back at you with a soft smile on her face. She was the most beautiful woman you knew, you’d often tell her how she should have gotten into modeling when she was younger.

“Soon, baby. I know you’re bored but once we get there, you’ll be able to see our new home.”

You had just turned eighteen when your parents dropped the bomb on you that you’d be moving to Denmark. You had your tantrum about it, saying that you ‘won’t go’ and using the argument that you couldn't even speak danish. But your parents still made the decision to go forth with the move. Your mother had told you that most people in Denmark spoke English anyway, and after a while of living there and being surrounded by the language, you’d be fluent soon enough.

She said it would be a good change, a fresh start. You’d just roll your eyes at her and sigh. It wasn’t a fresh start for you. It was a fresh start for them.

You’d been in the car with your parents for hours, your ass was numb and your legs kept getting cramp and god, did you need to use the bathroom.

“Ma, I need to piss.” You said, earning a glare from her eyes. You had always been told that you had your mother's eye colour, the most beautiful colour there was.

“Langauge. And really? Again?” She sighed, looking at the map again. “Wait, Honey, you missed the turn back there.” She pointed out to your father, who cursed in return.

You had never had a great relationship with your dad, he was always busy travelling with work so he wasn’t there much to see you grow up. He had missed most of your birthdays, including the one that just passed.

He was the reason you were all moving to Denmark since he got a promotion from work. Your mother only agreed because she knew your dad was sleeping with his apprentice at his office, you knew too.

You were the one that caught them fucking on his desk when you went to see him at work to surprise him when he had returned from a long business trip.

“We’re doing a U-turn, I'm not waiting for the next roundabout to come for us to turn around. It takes too much time.”

“Are you sure, Honey?” Your mother asked, looking at the road beside you. “These roads are dangerous, cars come by so quickly-”

“Yes! God, would you just shut up and let me do the fucking driving?” He snapped at her, causing her to look down at her hands.

“Don’t talk to her like that, you asshole.” You barked at him from the back. You hated it when he spoke to her like she was shit. He had no right.

“You can be quiet too, all you’ve done since we said we were moving here is fucking whine. I’ve had it up to fucking here!” He shouted back at you, looking back at you whilst doing a U-turn, his holding his hand up in the air.

You opened your mouth to say something back but your mothers' shriek cut you off.  

“Dave!” You heard her scream, the blur of a car speeding into the side of your car was the last thing you saw.

The impact caused your car to tip over onto your side, making you thrash around in the back. Your eyes gripped shut tightly as you braced yourself. The sound of metal scratching along the concrete floor, the sound of screaming and glass shattering echoed around you. Your vehicle flipped over again once or twice before landing upright again.

You opened your eyes, a black hue blocking your vision.

“Mama?” You called out. No answer.

Your hands reached up to your eyes, trying to rub the black hue from your vision.

Why are you wet?

You looked back down at your hands, the black hue slowly clearing from your vision to show your own blood smeared onto your palms and fingers from a wound you didn't know how you got, a small scream escaping past your lips.

You looked around the car in a panic, your father still in the driver's seat. His head rested against the steering wheel, blood pooling onto his lap from the gash that went from his forehead down to his nose. A result of the airbags failing to go off.

“Dad!” You called out to him but he didn't answer, his lifeless body staying still whilst the horn of your car blared out into the silent air.

You only then noticed your mother missing from her chair, looking at the broken and shattered window screen as your heart dropped. No. No, no, no!

Where is she? Did she get out already?

You undid your seat belt with shaking hands, shuffling over to the side door. You tried to open it but the damage to the doors had wedged it shut.

“Fuck!” You yelled out as you repeatedly kicked it open, the sudden movement making your head rush.

“Mama!” You called out again, desperately. The door swung open after one final kick to it, stumbling out of the car, you landed onto your hands and knees, glass on the road from your car embedded itself into your palms. The droplets of blood dripping off of your fingertips, wiping it onto your jeans, staining them.

“Where are you?” You called out again, standing up and looking back to the car that had crashed into you moments ago, people were stopping and getting out their cars. People on their phones calling for help.

Your eyes scanned the road ahead of you, looking for your mother as a man approached you, asking you if you were okay and telling you that help was on the way, placing a hand on your shoulder.

Then you saw her.

A lump formed in your throat, tears trickling down your face as you coughed out a sob, sick rising in the back of your throat at the sight in front of you.

You pulled yourself away from the man's hand, dragging your feet along the road to where she was. You could barely hold yourself up as you approached her.

Your mother's body was laid at the side of the road, motionless, twisted and misshapen. Her limbs were in awkward angles, bones sticking out from her flesh. Her head was facing the wrong way, her back broken into a mangled shape and her own crimson blood surrounded her body like a river, seeping into the cracks of the road and into the material of her floral dress. Her once beautiful skin was now covered in scrapes, pieces of glass had been embedded into it, glistening from the sunlight. Bruises had already formed from internal bleeding, covered in her own blood.

You realised she didn't have her seatbelt on when the car hit yours. She would never wear it because it would rub against her skin and irritate her. She must have been thrown out of the car and through the window.

“Mama,” You croaked out, brittle and broken. “Mama, please, no.”

You stood next to her, dropping to your knees as you couldn't hold yourself up anymore. You knew she was dead, you knew it from the sickening pain in your stomach and soul-breaking feeling in your chest. But you couldn’t, no, you wouldn’t believe it.

Your hand reached out for her, shaking as you grabbed her shoulder, turning her over as a tortured sob left your burning throat, your tear-filled eyes widening.

Her wide eyes stared back at you, captured by the fear she had in her final moments, lifeless and bloodshot. Her eyes, the ones that were identical to yours. The most beautiful eyes you’d ever seen. Your mothers' eyes. They were hollow, the glint that was in them moments ago as she smiled at you was gone and replaced with fear and death.

She was gone.  

You sat up with a shaken gasp, sweat dripping off of your forehead as your limbs were tangled in the furs and covers on your bed. Your hand found its way to your chest, feeling the rapid beating of it, looking over to see Embla fast asleep. It must be the middle of the night. You weren’t back at the crash, you were here.

Fucking nightmares. You cursed, running your fingers through your hair as you attempted to calm your beating heart. The dull ache you would get from the nightmares were almost crippling, making you hunch over in your bed as your hands gripped the material of your nightgown over your heart.

Two years on and you’re still having these stupid nightmares?

Your breathing steadied after a moment, throwing your legs off the side of the bed and standing up.

You needed to go for a walk, get your mind off of your parents. Off of her eyes.

You didn’t bother getting dressed out of your nightgown, putting on your boots and throwing on your wool cape. Trying to be as quiet as possible, you left the small hut, a shiver rippling down your spine as the cold night air hit you.

It was deadly quiet in Kattegat, only a small amount of noise throughout the town of people setting up their stalls or preparing for the day ahead. You headed towards the forest, you found it to be your safe place since you’d been here.

According to your notebooks calendar, you had been here for over a month now. You’d wonder if you were on the news back home, if your friends were looking for you or if now they’d be looking for your “body”. The thought saddened you, making you think about how you’ll never be able to see anyone from your old life again.

The forest was silent, blissful even. The moonlight seeped through the leaves and branches above you, illuminating the muddy pathway. If only you could take a picture of this. You looked up towards the sky, you had never seen so many stars before arriving here, the buildings and street lights would normally cancel out the stars back at home, but here they were the source of light at night. They were breathtaking.

The breeze blew back your hair off of your shoulders softly, you had no braids in it since you'd tale them out every night to avoid them digging into you whilst you slept.

You ended up in the clearing that you would normally go train with the Ragnarssons instinctively. Though this time there wasn’t the sound of clashing swords or the sound of you and Ivar’s bickering. Just silence.

You and the brothers had grown on each other over the past month and a bit. Ubbe acted like he was the big brother you never had, always smiling at you with kind eyes and asking how you were. Hvitserk would flirt with you whenever he got the chance to, making your cheeks flush pink and red under his gaze and the way he smiled towards you. He was someone who made you laugh and cheered you up on your worst days. Ivar... Well. Ivar was someone you couldn’t quite put your finger on. Somedays the two of you would be okay, the next you both would bicker at each other until one of you nearly assaults the other. But he captivated you.

You decided to go and sit on the tree stump Ivar would normally sit on during training, walking over to it when you quickly stopped your movements.

Your skin rose in goosebumps, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up.

Someone was watching you. You felt it.

You turned around on your heel slowly, seeing a shadow in the shadow of the trees. His hooded figure and large staff being illuminated by the moon.

“What do you want?” You asked shakily. If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it by now, right?

“You are from far lands,” He spoke out, stepping forward.

You nearly gasped as you saw his face, he had no eyes. Black painted lips and dressed in rags. You instinctively stepped back from him.

“Lands that do not yet exist, but does.” He spoke again, stopping once he was in front of you. “I have been waiting for you to arrive, for the Gods to finally lead you here.”

“Who are you?” You questioned, reaching for the small dagger around your waist that Ubbe had gifted you one time to make sure you can protect yourself, but felt nothing. Shit. You must have left it at the hut.

“I am no one. I am but the voice and eyes of the Gods. But I know who you are, Y/N.”

Your breath hitched in your throat. How did he know your name?

“How do you know my name?”

“I know many things about you, Y/N.” He said, his hand gesturing to all of you. “I know that you are from the future, that you were struck by lightning and have the mark of it on your chest to prove so.”

You saw his black coloured lips turn up into an eerie smile at the corners, making you grimace and shudder. You thought about making a run for it, but your curiosity held you back. You needed to know how he knew so much about you. Only Embla knew these things and you knew she wouldn't have told anyone else.

“That marking is the show that the Gods chose you. You are here for greatness, for legends and myths. You pay a great and powerful role in the past, the present and the future, Y/N. Your name will go down in history.” He told you, beginning to circle you, making you flinch each time his staff collided with the dirt.

“The Gods have told me to warn you,” the eyeless man stopped in front of you again. Though he didn't have eyes, you were sure he was looking deep into your soul. “Someone intends to kill you.”

“What?” You said, eyes wide as your brows frowned together. Who the fuck wanted to kill you?

“I can say no more than what the Gods have intended me to tell you.” He said plainly, beginning to turn away.

“Wait!” You protested his leaving, stepping forward. “At least tell me who you are?”

He turned his head to look at you, his body being engulfed by the shadows of night.

“I am the Seer. And you, Y/N, are the girl who was struck by Thor’s Mjölnir.”

And with that, he was gone just as quick as he showed up.

Holy fuck.

 ___________________

You woke up to the feeling of someone shaking your shoulder, making you groan and pull the furs closer up to your face, snuggling into them.

“Y/N,” You heard Embla say sternly, pulling off the furs that kept you warm and cozy, causing you to hiss out a curse word as the morning breeze began surrounding your once warm body. “I see you went out on a midnight walk again.”

Your eyes snapped open, looking to see your muddy boots on the floor beside your bed. You thought that was a dream.

“Yeah, I-” you blinked a few times, rubbing your eyes with the side of your index finger. “I had another nightmare and I went to the forest. I didn't want to wake you up, you’ve been so busy lately. You needed your rest, Embla.”

“I can rest when I'm in Valhalla.” She huffed, picking up her basket. “You know you can always wake me when you dream about your parents."

Her wrinkles sunk deeper as she smiled at you, the crows' feet wrinkles scrunching up at the corners of her brown eyes. "I’m going to the market to fetch some things, you need to get going to your training before you’re late again.”

“Oh god.” You groaned, falling back onto your pillow. You had forgotten about training today.

“Up, up!” Embla said as she left the hut, leaving you to get dressed and leave.

Every day you would go train with the Ragnarssons since you bumped into Hvitserk unless they were busy on a raid or didn’t have time to train. You had gotten much better at fighting, Hvitserk said you were a fast learner. You had gotten physically stronger too, some of the weapons were still a little hard for you to swing around but you were getting there.

You put your H/C hair into a side braid, pulling a few loose bits out to frame your face. You put on your clothes, pulling the mustard coloured long-sleeved shirt over your head, followed by a leather corset that covered your entire torso and shoulders, your fingers getting into cramp as you tried to tie the strings at the back.

“Fucking thing.” You muttered, pulling your brown coloured trousers up your legs. You missed your old clothes. You missed your leggings and ugh, your sweatpants. The wool and material these clothes were made from sometimes made your skin itch, it wasn’t the softest material you would have liked. Unlike the Ragnarssons, whose clothes looked as soft as your ones back home.

But Embla wasn’t rich enough to afford such nice clothes and since you didn't work, neither could you. You were grateful for what you were given though.

Unlike last night, the town was now in full effect, people shouting, rushing about and setting up for the day. It reminded you of your old job, the routine of setting up the café for the day and closing it back up again at night.

You’ve always had a job since your parents passed, not having one now is just... weird. You often think that if you didn’t go training every day then you would have lost your mind here.

Your mind drifted back to last night, the image of the Seer stuck in your thoughts. What did he mean someone was out to kill you? You were sure you hadn’t pissed anyone off here yet apart from Ivar.

Oh god. Could Ivar be the one who’s going to kill you?

You had been thinking so much that you hadn’t even realised you’ve reached the training ground, seeing the three brothers practice with each other.

“Good morning,” you said shyly, your hands intertwined with each other in front of you as you stepped into the clearing, all eyes turning to you.

“Morning,” Ivar said simply, his eyes roamed over your body, licking his lips swiftly before going back to throwing his axes at the dead animal carcasses being held up by spikes, his axe landing between the deers' eyes. You guessed today was a good day for the both of you since he acknowledged you were here.

Ubbe smiled softly at you, giving you a nod. “Good morning, Y/N. How did you sleep last night?”

“I slept on the rough side, but nothing that’ll keep me from kicking your asses today.” You joked.

“Oh yeah?” Hvitserk nearly purred out, walking over to you. “Is that a challenge?”

“Is it a challenge if I already know I'll beat you?” You smirked, nudging his arm with your shoulder as you walked past him to get your sword.

______________________

Yourself and the Ragnarssons returned back to the Great Hall, all sitting at the long wooden table that sat in the middle of the room.

“You’ve been a little strange today, Y/N.” Ubbe said to you, making you look up as you fiddled with your hands. You sighed as you leaned back into the chair, looking off to the ceiling as you closed your eyes. Do you tell them about the Seer? About what he said to you?

“I went for a walk last night to where we train,” you paused for a minute. “Someone was following me.”

“Who?” Hvitserk asked, his voice slightly deeper as you began telling them why you were so distracted today. Ivar sat forward in his chair, putting his elbows on the table as he rested his head onto his hands, he watched you intensely as you opened your eyes again and stared back at the brothers.

“I’m not sure. He called himself ‘The Seer’.”

Your words made the brothers exchange a look at each other. Why would the Seer want to see you?

Your eyes fell to Ivar, who stared back at you. His full lips were parted slightly, his brows knotted with interest and slight confusion. His eyes pierced through yours, making your stomach twist.

He was... incredible in your eyes. He was the strongest and smartest of his brothers and most likely the whole of Kattegat, amazing you each time he fought with them or spoke about strategies for their raids. His eyes could make you weaken below him, there was always anger circling around them. You knew his greatest insecurity was his disease, but you couldn’t help but be fascinated by him. He was a work of art, priceless and carefully created. If there were gods, then surely he was their favourite creation.

He had expected you to pity him, like everyone. Or to be disgusted by his condition. But you weren’t. You looked at him the same way you looked at his older brothers, your eyes never faltered when you saw him limp or crawl along the floor when he had decided not to wear his leg brace. He’d often catch you staring at him with those spectacular eyes of yours whilst training. Those eyes that could make him freeze for a second or so. You spoke as if you weren't from here, you turn up out of nowhere and suddenly you’re a part of the Ragnarssons lives? his life? He’d see you by the port some days, in the forest other times. Everywhere he looked, he saw you. He couldn’t read you like he could with other people, he couldn’t tell what you were thinking and in a way, that made him more attracted to you.

“What did he say to you, Y/N?” Hvitserk asked.

“He..” You decided to leave the part out about knowing you’re from a different time and that you were struck by Thor’s hammer. You weren’t ready to tell them about that side of you yet. “He said someone was out to kill me.”

You heard Hvitserk lowly growl next to you, a look of thunder on his face as the words slipped past your lips. Ivar's face twisted in anger for a second before regaining his posture on his chair.

“Who?” Ivar asked, taking you by surprise. “Why would someone want to kill you of all people?”

You had thought about that a lot today. Maybe someone knew you were chosen by the Gods for something and they wanted you dead before you could do whatever it is you were chosen to do? Maybe someone just fancied killing you?

“I’m not sure. The Seer wouldn’t tell me why.” You groaned, letting your head fall forward.

“Would you like some more mead?” A thrall spoke softly to you, making your attention go from the conversation at hand and onto her. You had seen her around the Great Hall many times, giving her a small smile each time you did.

“Oh! Yes, please.” You said politely. You had always been taught to treat people with respect, unlike the Ragnarssons who treated the poor thralls as their own prostitutes.

“What shall we do then? We can’t leave Y/N in danger. We won’t be here tomorrow when we go on the raid. You won't have any protection.” Ubbe stated, making Ivar look over his cup at you as he had a sip.

“Then she should come with us.” He said with a shrug, leaning back into the large wooden chair. “She knows how to fight now, she’s had enough practice. She could help.”  

Hvitserk stayed silent as if he was contemplating the idea of it.

“I-” you stuttered, looking at Ivar. “You want me to come with you on the raid?”

“Why not?” He said, tilting his head to the side, a smirk on his lips. “You can show us everything we’ve taught you.”

Fuck me. You thought. Did he need to look at you like that?

“He’s right, you should come with us. We can keep an eye on you then.” Hvitserk said with his hand on his chin.

“Wait,” Ubbe stared at his younger brothers in disbelief. “You want to take Y/N out of danger by putting her in more danger?”

“But it’ll be a danger where she’s protected by all of us.” Hvitserk lifted his cup, a thrall instantly appearing beside him, pouring more mead into it. You could see his eyes trail after her, making your own ones roll.

“There’s a bit of drool on your chin there, Hvitty.” You smirked, gesturing it onto your own chin with your finger.

Hvitserk quickly used the back of his hand to wipe the ‘drool’ on his chin, only to realise there’s nothing there, causing Ivar and Ubbe to let out a belly laugh. He looked at you with sarcastic eyes, letting out a short brittle laugh.

“You think you’re funny, Y/N?” He said, the change in his voice giving you an indication that he was planning something. A mischievous look glistened over his eyes as he got up slowly, making you shift out of your own seat. You saw his hand reach for his freshly filled cup of mead, making you laugh nervously.

“Hvitty,” moving around the table, you grinned. “What you gonna do, drool on me?”

“Why are you running, little girl?” He teased, making your stomach flip in excitement.

“I’m not running!” You giggled, going behind Ivars’ chair in hopes he would protect you from his brother's cup of mead.

“Glad to know she knows I'm the one who can protect her out of the three of us.” Ivar’s voice was laced with cockiness as he glanced at you behind him, his eyebrow raised.

Hvitserk moved closer to you, the cup in his hand threatening you.

“Come on, Y/N. Come here and get your punishment.”

His words made you instantly flush red, taking it the completely wrong way than what he meant. You already felt a little twinge in the pit of your stomach when he referred to you as ‘little girl’, now he was saying to come to him for your PUNISHMENT? Good fucking God.

“Oh, I think you may have hit a sensitive spot on her, Hvitserk.” Ubbe laughed, seeing your red face. Ivar looked back at you, something flashed over his eyes when you looked back down on him. Anger?

“Shut up, Ubbe!” The redness on your cheeks only grew darker, tearing your eyes away from the bright azure ones that stared back.

The distraction from Ivar’s eyes gave Hvitserk the chance to sneak over without you noticing, pouring the mead over your head. You inhaled sharply, feeling the cool liquid drip down the back of your neck and forehead, making you screech out as his laugh boomed throughout the Great Hall.

“Hvitserk! I’m gonna kill you!”    

____________________

tags: @youbloodymadgenius​ @greeneyedthief​ @thespottedcreature​ @aproperthottie​ @adreamersince1996​ @tragicmisfits​ @littlelunaticfringe​

[thirsty-x1]

Crush On U | Han Seungwoo

Request:

crush on u is one of my favorite songs !!!! like..... it’s just so good. do you think you could write a smutty / angst sort of thing with seungwoo inspired by it??? i sorta get secret idol relationship from it but that’s just me !! it’s upto you ofc but i’d love to read that ⭐️🥺

↬ Pairing: Seungwoo x fem!reader

↬ Genre: Smut, slight Angst, Fluff, it has all of it

↬ Warnings: explicit language, oral sex, unprotected sex.

↬ Word Count: 2.7k

↬ A/N: please, I beg of you, listen to Crush On U before reading this story. This song was literally written and produced by Seungwoo in 2017 and he dedicated it to Alices. If you read the lyrics, you will notice he is a little teasing shit. I love him.

It wasn’t unusual for you to stare at the screen, smiling at the soft expressions your boyfriend made, answering now and then despite knowing that he couldn’t hear you anyway. You had grown used to it at some point: the cancelled dates, the abruptly ended phone calls, and the lack of messages. Sleeping alone wasn’t something that made you uncomfortable anymore, but there were small things that you couldn’t change. Somehow, you always ended up buying more food than necessary, or setting up the table for two, or playing a movie and turning around to make a comment to the unfilled seat beside you, or knocking on the studio door to ask something before realizing that there wasn’t going to be any reply. It saddened you, but there was nothing that Seungwoo could do to avoid it, either.

Touring, fan meetings, promoting, dance practice, vocal training, song writing, exercising… It was his dream and he was making it become a reality. You loved seeing his expression whenever they got recognized, or watching the fan cams and notice how much he really enjoyed being on the stage. Despite all that, your heart clenched whenever you realized that you weren’t by his side to celebrate his birthday, or his achievements, or any kind of holiday. All you could do was to smile whenever he got the opportunity to video call you, telling you about his whole day, and you had to hide your emotions in order to not make him feel guilty. Because you knew that he would end up blaming himself, even if both were aware of the situation.

Another of his videos started playing, this time a compilation of sweet interactions with his fans, and you melted. He was always so good, not just with you but with everyone surrounding him, and that was probably what you loved the most. Humble, kind, considerate… Those were mere words that couldn’t even start to describe how amazing Seungwoo really was. Up to this point, you had managed to control your jealousy and fear, but the insecurity kicked in every now and then, after all you still were human and couldn’t really help it.

A rush of loneliness washed over your body and you stopped the video, the still image of his gentle eyes almost bringing tears to your own. Sighing, you turned off the phone and started to walk towards the bedroom when a notification popped up, the bright screen distracting you for a bit.

Seungwoo ♥:

21:56 Open up, I have something to show you.

You quirked an eyebrow. Did he mean he had sent you a link or something? There weren’t any other messages though. After a few seconds, noticing that you didn’t reply, he sent another text.

Seungwoo ♥:

21:58 I meant the door. Open the door. I’m waiting.

The beating of your heart suddenly shoot up, an incessant ringing in your ears as you tried to process the words quickly. You read the message over and over again, as if to find something that indicated it was off. Were you asleep? The soft knocking on the door caught your attention and you ran towards it, not even thinking anymore as your hands fidgeted with the keys in hand, making it hard to open it, a tall figure completely covered coming into view. You could recognize it immediately: the scent, the bangs that covered his eyes under the black cap, the soft eyes that stared right back at you over the mask covering half of his face, his broad shoulders… Your arms were around him in a second, your face burying in his chest. He stumbled backwards, giggling as he held you closer, the air escaping your lungs in the tightest embrace ever.

“How are you here? I thought…”

“I haven’t seen you in months. You got even prettier, somehow.” You slapped his arm, knowing pretty well that you looked like a mess: hair tied up, wearing your old pajamas, bare faced. “I like you like this, I mean it.”

“Yes, well, I haven’t seen you all natural in a long time.” He laughed and took off the cap and the mask, showing his no-make up face and hair sticking out. “Not fair, even like this you look fucking gorgeous.”

As he laughed, you stepped aside to let him in, observing as he took off his jacket and left it on one of the chairs, sweat stains barely visible through his black shirt. You closed the door and stared at him incredulously, squinting your eyes and crossing your arms, his eyebrows shooting up when he finally realized your inquiring gaze.

“What?”

“Did you run here again?” He froze on the spot, giving himself away. “Last time you caught a cold because of that! Plus, you will get spotted easily, you aren’t really the kind of guy that goes unnoticed…”

While you kept nagging him, Seungwoo smiled and walked towards you, pinching your cheeks and stopping your blabbering before placing a kiss on your lips, shutting you up completely. Your whole face flushed a thousand colors, a mix of embarrassment and slight annoyance stirring up in your stomach as you controlled yourself and boop his nose lightly, although the touch denoted more.

“I couldn’t help it, the car is way too slow and I get anxious. Besides, they will always give me life lessons on the way.” You chuckled at his comment, giving up.

“You said you had something to show me, right? Your sole presence is enough but I’m still curious…” He brightened up at the mention of it and hurriedly grabbed his phone with one hand as the other took yours, pulling you to the sofa and making you sit on his lap.

“It’s a song… I-I made it. I want to show it to the agency and release it for the public.”

“Really? That’s amazing! Is it any of the ones that you showed me?” He shook his hand, biting his lip as he handed you the phone and snuggled his face on your shoulder.

“Just– Listen to it. I want you to be the first one to listen to it.”

Your chest filled with warmth as you pressed play, the beat being quite groovy. The lyrics didn’t take much time to come and they made your heart jump. Half of the song in, you could sense the knot in your throat and your sight getting blurry. The song drifted to the end, replaying and Seungwoo finally stopped hiding, wondering why you hadn’t said anything, eyes going wide when he saw the trails of tears run down your cheeks. He dried them with the sleeve of his shirt, no words coming out while he did it, not sure of what could he even say.

“I really liked it… I loved it so much.” Your voice broke while you were speaking and he took a deep breath, caressing your hair as you finally started sobbing loudly. “I’m sorry, I don’t… I can’t…”

“Shhh, I know. I know.” He cooed at you, softly swaying your body. “I love you, I really do. I know it’s not the best thing, but I swear I was completely sincere.” His words only made you cry even more.

“I love you too.” You started to recover, facing him. “I m-missed you so much…” He couldn’t help but to giggle at the small pout you were making, your swollen face looking way too adorable in his eyes.

He kept hugging you, waiting for you to stop, although he had to admit that he was also holding back his tears. When he noticed you had stopped crying and now were simply laying against his body, completely still, he realized that there was something else.

“You seem to be in deep thought.” You blinked a few times at his remark.

“Ah, yeah, well… You know… The lyrics are wonderful but the beat…” His expression turned serious, ready to take any criticism. “Isn’t it too suggestive?” Evidently, you had taken him by surprise.

“S-Suggestive?”

“Yes, like… The ‘babygirl’, the almost-moans, the feeling… It seems almost erotic.” He was pressing his lips, trying to not laugh at your furrowed brows. “I’m not sure I want everyone to hear you like this.”

Seungwoo chuckled again, running his nose on the side of your neck, sending chills down your spine as his hand started touching your thigh delicately. You could feel his hot breath against your skin, tickling your nape, his mouth close to your ear as his fingers played with your hair, letting it loose.

“Then how about I let you hear me now? In the way that only you can make me sound.”

His whisper was innocent but the connotation behind his words was the most sinful thing ever. You shifted your body to straddle him, leaving his phone aside, the song still playing as you attached his lips to yours. Melting into the kiss, you felt him massaging the inside of your thighs, and he left a soft sigh as you started to grind against him. The temperature between both of your bodies started to raise, the gentle touch turning into a needier one with each kiss, his hands slipping past the band of your pajamas and grasping your ass.

Tired of the teasing, your fingers tangled in his hair, eliciting a whine from him. That was it. Those were the sounds that only you could hear, that he never showed to anyone but you. You smiled and kissed him again, swallowing his tiny whimpers, biting his bottom lip when you felt his hardness against you. Slowing down, you got off him and kneeled, wasting no time in pulling his erect member out and sucking him off. Usually you would have teased him, but all this time abstaining from each other had been enough. You bobbed your head, making sure to lubricate him enough and his hands came to grip your hair, moving the few strands of your hair and as you ran your tongue along the underside of his shaft, you couldn’t help but to notice that small detail.

“Is this what you meant when you said you fell in love seeing my hair tied up?” He was about to explain when you suddenly engulfed his swollen tip, causing him to throw his head back.

“F-Fuck… Maybe I did.” The view before him was way too erotic, and he thanked the heavens for having you.

Maybe you were feasting yourself a little too much because Seungwoo finally tugged on your hair and pulled you up, changing your positions in a swift motion, his hands already discarding of your clothes. However, after all that and unlike you, he took his time: his fingernails grazing over your skin, stimulating you slowly. He started placing soft kisses on your skin in the lightest way possible, the contact was brief but so sweet that you didn’t dare to ask him to hurry up. You felt like groaning in frustration when he moved the fabric of your underwear aside, the pad of his fingers rubbing on your folders, starting by the outer zone and then drifting to your middle, slipping in his middle and ring fingers as he teased your clit with his thumb. It was so loving, so devoted, and so eternal. The sensation started to become too much as he fingered you, his tongue lapping at your juices.

Just like he had done before, you gripped his hair, but even if you tried to stop him, that only seemed to motivate him even more. He became more passionate, his pace picking up as his eyes fixed on your expression, seeing you in complete bliss almost made him cum on the spot. As you started to tighten around him, he pressed up, smirking when he found your spot and you came unexpectedly. He got up, leaving you empty as he indicated you to open your mouth to suck on his fingers, keeping you busy with your own taste as he aligned and thrust into you, your moan muffled. It wasn’t long until his own sounds started to fill the air, sounding like music to your ears, the song playing for the trillion time as he fucked you to the rhythm. The overstimulation traveled through your body, your nails digging into his back through his shirt, and you had to hold back in order to not paint his whole neck with purple and red. As his hips faltered, he hid his face on the crook of your neck, burying himself deep inside of you each time, your second orgasm ripping through you almost at the same time as he started spilling into you, filling you in the most delicious way.

For a few minutes, he didn’t move, enjoying the closeness and the warmth that both of your bodies exchanged. Both of you hissed when he pulled out, and you couldn’t help but to chuckle as he panicked seeing his seed drip out of you, taking off his shirt as a last resource to try and not make a mess. Maybe it wasn’t the best decision, considering that the sight of his exposed chest and abdomen had you biting your lips, making him get startled and laugh at your reaction.

“Like what you see?” A dumbfounded smile spread on his face, complete innocence and dorkiness taking over in contrast to the hot mess he was just before.

“I have always liked what I see.”

Not too long after that, both were laying down, cuddling on the bed. Suddenly, all the lonely nights evaporated into nothing as you inhaled his scent, your hands drawing nothings on his exposed skin. Your fingers traced his tattoos, the line of his muscles, his jaw… All in the most deliberate way, as if you were trying to engrave every detail into your memory for when he went away again. His eyes tried to do the same, watching every expression you made, the sound of your voice, getting goosebumps at your thoughtful touch. His chest fluttered a little.

“You know… I really meant what I said on the song.” You nodded absent-mindedly. He shook his head, grabbing your chin lightly so you would look at him and focus. “I genuinely want to fill the rest of my future with you. I don’t feel like hiding this anymore.”

No sound left your mouth. Those were the exact words you wanted to hear since so long, but right now, there was something off. Even if he said that, you knew that next morning he wasn’t going to be by your side, nor the day after that. You knew that he wouldn’t be with you on the rainy days, or to hold you when you felt lonely. You also knew that it wasn’t easy to come out to the public, and that his career could get damaged from it. Yet you wanted that, you wanted him all to yourself, and you felt selfish for it.

“Even if I feel the same way, I think it’s better like this. At least for now. I’m happy to just be with you, and to see people love you like I do. You deserve this and I don’t want it to be taken away from you, what if you end up–”

“I won’t regret it.” He cut you off abruptly, sitting down in the bed and stared into your eyes. “I have more than just a crush on you. It’s so much more. Maybe it won’t last a life time, maybe it will, I can’t know that, but I do know that I want to live with you each day from now on.”

“Me too.” There was no use in fighting against him. You believed his words, but you couldn’t do that to him anyway. “The song… The song is enough for me. Each time I listen to it, I’ll remember you and your promises. Let’s make it our own, personal secret.”

“Fine.” He chuckled, surrendering to you. “I will make my huge crush on you public through the song.”

You were thankful that he took it in a good way, your body snuggling against you to enjoy what was left of the night in his tight embrace. Both stayed asleep, not thinking about what was going to happen the next day and just seizing the short moments you shared, making them undying.

I am: soft. I love his song so much so I really hope I made it some justice with this story ㅠㅅㅠ Please, go stream it because he deserves it so fucking much.

~Nani

unedited

[mcbumblesnazzle]

Abandoned stuff online is a relic to explore and its fuckin sad and full of wonder of what it was to be there

like for real, everyone has had that moment where the come across an old thread full of convos and images and people, but its just dead, like it was last active YEARS ago, and it always filled me with sadness and wonder of what happened there, i know others have better explanations of this phenomenon,

but i just like to ramble on stuff and its the late night vibe for tonight, so to continue, maybe im rambling, but like old game communities, and fandom stuff from old seasons or cancelled shows, where there is no grand ending, its just a final message and no mention of a dying community,

YOU KNOW there was one final member, they posted, then left, just abandoned it, the last remnant died, but all the writing and structures remained

its just i also have some communities that i love to be in, but as time passes and relationships change, everything passes and has a chance to fizzle out, thats the part that saddens me sooooo much, like i might be the last man here, who will come across the relics of my friends and i talks, our passions,

I've had a lot of endings in the past few years of shows and things i loved, that is for another time if anyone is interested, just dm and ill make a post, or talk cuz it gets specific, and its just like, wow this ended, thats rad, but what does it leave behind, Unus Annus is the antithesis of this very concept, as they got rid of everything, no past to look at, no memories to look back on, just emptiness that the internet usually never lets exist unless otherwise accidentally patched out or intentionally deleted,

Its just the internet is full of graves and abandoned societies, its a wonder to look thru and it is always saddening to see that this community ended, with one last member giving a post then radio silence forever

Gone but never erased

[feralnumberfive]

I expect no one to read this at all. It’s more of a way to get some feelings off of my chest. This is a look into my personal life and what I went through in 2020. I cried quite a bit while writing this, haha.

My farewell letter to 2020:

To you 2020, the year that shook the world. You’re certainly one to go down in the record books. You changed my life as you did to everyone. To you, the month of March. I had hit the lowest part in my life since the shock of my parent's divorce 11 years ago. My beloved cat had died in October of 2019, a few days short of our one year anniversary of fostering him, which soon turned into us adopting him. It was sudden and unexpected. I still can remember clear as day that horrid call I got from my sister from the vet. “Hey, we need you to come up here. It’s kidney failure.” As she spoke through her tears, I instantly began to cry. I had felt sad for months after that. 

In December of 2019, the adoptive dad of one of my closest friends committed suicide. She was torn apart, having had three people she knew died earlier that year. I stood by her side and watched her cry. We colored together in the counseling room, making small talk and doing anything I could to comfort her. 

From late February into March, another one of my closest friends revealed to me a traumatic experience she went through. She had been raped by a classmate of mine, one who I considered to be good acquaintances. She was a grade younger than me, and was practically completely dependent on me and my friend, as she was too scared to tell her parents. She eventually completely relied on my friend as I became shoved out of the problem. Her story and the amount of support required from her, which she never gave back to me throughout our friendship, made me realize at that moment I had hit rock bottom. I was tired and so sick of it all. This sentence that I'm about to say is one I've never admitted to anyone: I didn't want to be around anymore, or at least alive. I needed somewhere to escape. I didn't want to commit suicide due to expectations I held upon myself. I was also too scared to commit suicide. 

I finally admitted I needed help, which was scary for me to do. In March of you, 2020, I was diagnosed with situational depression. I was soon put on an anti-depressant. It felt good to put a name on it, but little did I know I would pay the price for my relief. Preparing to go off to college, I needed to get a First Class Medical Certificate in order to apply to the flight program at the colloege I wanted to go to. I went and got my FAA Medical Certificate done, ticking off the boxes on my journey to fulfill my life long dream of becoming a pilot. 

Spring Break came and after watching schools around me close, it was announced that we wouldn't be returning until mid April, and then the end of April, then until May. I quickly realized it wasn't possible to return and that unbeknownst to me I had already spent the last days of my Senior year at school in March. A frantic question was suddenly formed amongst my classmates and soon the world: Will the class of 2020 graduate? I, being burnt out, didn't care what would happen to me or my class. We soon became a laughing stock and a sight to pity around the world. Class of 2020, Corona Class, The Class that would be telling this story to their kids. It didn't matter to me. As I held up the “Class of 2020″ shirt my uncle got me with the zeros as tp rolls, I sighed. I just wanted to graduate without getting laughed at. Spoiler Alert: That didn't happen. 

Around this time I ended my friendship with the girl who I cherished but didn't cherish me back. I still to this day can’t exactly understand why I did that. I blocked her and left without saying goodbye. That wasn’t the right thing to do at all. She had been raped and needed support, but here I was leaving her. She always needed and wanted my support but never gave it back. It was always “Aw you have a problem? Here, let’s try this minimal effort plan to help you. That didn’t work? Oh well, let’s get back to me.” This is no excuse at all for my actions of cutting her off. I really still don’t know why I did this. I had hung out with her everyday in the summer of 2019. Here I was, easily letting her go. Jackie, I’m so sorry. I hope you are doing well and get into ISU to follow your dreams of being an engineer. 

In May I received news that still hurts and effects me to this day. I had been denied my Medical Certificate. It wasn't due to me being on an antidepressant, is was due to the fact that I was depressed. This was soul crushing news, but there was still a chance I could reapply for the Medical Certificate if I jumped through multiple hoops. May also provided the announcement that my safe haven in Oshkosh, Wisconsin wouldn't be happening this year. It was definitely understandable due to the virus, but still very saddening to me. It’s really the only thing I look forward to each year, but I understood and agreed on why it was canceled for 2020.

In June I got the news that a beloved teacher of my family and I passed away due to a heart attack and complications of Addison’s Disease. She was the best math teacher I had ever had, and the best in my High School. Math is my worst subject, but she never made me feel stupid like the other math teachers. She always made sure I understood what I was doing. Sometimes when she didn’t feel like having class she would have a free day. She would gossip with my classmates and tell us stories of her youth. Sometimes though she would give us free days due to having intense migraines that sometimes hospitalized her due to her disease. It wasn’t fun to see her like that. 

In June she was hospitalized where even her husband and two kids weren’t allowed in to see her. The only person allowed into her before she died was her twin brother. The family decided to have a public funeral, with tons of people in the community and school district socially distancing and wearing masks to pay their respect. I began to cry as I listened to her husband tell everyone that he wasn't ready and was so scared to be a single parent. Their children were both under ten, and were now motherless. Mrs. Johnson it was so hard saying goodbye to you. I loved you so much, and I still do. You gave my friend who had lost her dad food and comfort. You did so much not only for my family and I, but for everyone in the community and school district. I miss you so much. 

Hot days came with hazy skies. Everyday I checked the wildfire smoke map as I watched the sun turn bright pink as the sun became a blazing red when the sun went down. For weeks our sky looked hazy. Some days looked cloudy, but it was actually smoke. As someone who lives the Midwest, this was quite surprising. 

In August I experienced something that will forever be remembered by me and everyone who lives in my state. A Derecho tore through and ravaged my hometown and the state that I dearly love. We watched through the window as trees snapped in half and branches and leaves whirled around everywhere. We watched through the window as water roared down the road, appearing as if a stream had started right next to us. We watched in fear as shingles were torn off and large items were blown through our yard. As the electricity flickered out, we wondered if we would be crushed by either tree that were on two sides of our house. Wet leaves were torn apart and slammed into our window, where they stayed there for a month afterwards. They looked like confetti, torn into thousands of tiny pieces. 

To the branches and trees I still see today in the neighboring towns and cities, broken reminders of the damage done. To you, the metal grain bins that still sit out in the flattened cornfields. Our once tall and proud cornfields that are a proud symbol of my state were now flattened to the ground, completely parallel to the rich farming soil that it stood in. Painting the countryside in flat waves of green with splotches of silver from grain bins and white from barns and houses damaged. Our proud stalks became damaged goods that costed us billions. To the buildings that still show their battle scars from months ago, the houses with the tarps on their roofs and the old wooden barns that couldn't handle the 140 mph. To you, Donald J, Trump, the President of the United States who was supposed to tour Cedar Rapids to exam the damage that still lies there today. You stayed in the airport and immediately left after getting your business done. You didn't care about us, you were there to do business and leave to start your campaigning.

My small town was able to clean up within a month or so, but even still TODAY the bigger cities are littered with damage. There are tree trunks and branches scattered along roads. Thousands of houses still have tarps on their houses and siding missing. 

In August my grandma was also diagnosed with Dementia. I've watched her deteriorate over the past few months. Every time we call she forgets that I’m not in school. Sometimes she forgets my name. When we tell her we’re on our way to visit outside her window, she forgets within 10 minutes. Grandma, I hope you never forget that I love you.

In September I finally met with a therapist. I am so thankful to be working with her. After months of my family getting angry and upset at me for being scared to go to the store, my therapist diagnosed me with Social Anxiety. I was so relieved to be diagnosed with it and to be working out the issues I have with my therapist. We work together weekly to help me become a better and more comfortable version of myself. 

Over the summer months the health of my already diseased cat took a steep decline. She was my cat, and I felt powerless as I slowly watched her die. She could no longer stay inside due to her having constant accidents. As we made our plan to take her to the vet to give her a peaceful death, I received a heartbreaking call from my mother on a cold September night. My little Jill had passed away in her sleep on our porch. I came over to say goodbye to my baby as I pet her cold fur one last time. I love you my little Jilly Bean and I miss you everyday. I miss and love you so so so much. 

September also brought the news that a precious B-25 had a crash landing. It always hurts to hear about a Warbird crashing or getting damaged. I was happy to hear though that they were going to fix it back to airworthiness.

In October I had to make a difficult decision with the FAA. Do I try to visit four different doctors for phycological examinations in order to complete my Medical Certificate or do I wait to get off my medicine and start feeling better on my own? I opted for the second part due to the decline of visiting all of those doctors coming up in November. We had been given that option early in the year, but Covid prevented us from traveling out of state to see those doctors. I sent a letter to the FAA to let them know what I was doing. I received a letter about a month ago that stated that I still needed to visit those doctors or something like that. I honestly didn’t look through it that well because it’s just such a pain in the butt.

Another thing about you 2020 is that you provided me with he opportunity to meet amazing people. I began to watch The Umbrella Academy in September, but I decided to make my account on October 1st. I’ve met tons of funny and talented people on here. The show itself had provided me tons of comfort. It has given me the courage to start writing fanfiction for it along with starting back up on drawing fanart

The end of 2020 has slowed down for me. One of my aviation heroes died this year, Mr. Chuck Yeager. It was heartbreaking for me to hear that. One of the worst days for me was ironically on my birthday in December. I felt really bitter and down and just wanted to sit in my room, but I didn’t. I don’t like celebrating my birthday anymore. As I get older it feels less and less special and in turn I feel sad about it. Another reason why is that I don’t like having a fuss made about it. I don’t like the attention from it haha. It’s okay though because even though this year I felt upset I eventually felt a bit happier as it turned to night. 

This year I witnessed history being made. Let me be clear that history is made every year, but this year was very eventful. I witnessed innocent black lives being slaughtered by the very people who are sworn to protect everyone. It’s so disappointing and soul crushing to see all of this. I don’t know if I’ve made it clear on here, but I strongly stand with the BLM movement. I may not understand what they haven been going through for decades, but I stand with them to make things right. Black Lives Matter, not All Lives. All Lives only matter when it’s actually true and Black Lives are included. If you saw a house on fire in an entire block of houses, you wouldn’t say “All Houses Matter!” No they don’t, that house on fire matters. Black Lives Fucking Matter, and All Cops Are Bastards.

To you, the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyday in elementary school I proudly held my right hand over my heart as I stared up at Old Glory and recited you. This year helped me realize that “With liberty and justice for all.” is total bullshit. The only thing I truly appreciate about my country now is the scenery and nature it provides. 

To you 2020, as I finish writing this letter on December 31st. You’ve made me cry a lot, including right now. You’ve deeply effected my life and brought me lots of sorrow. Despite all of this, I don't feel upset about you. Yes, you gave me some events that will always haunt me but that’s okay. 2020 even though you’ve hurt me, you’ve also shaped me. Yes, you also made my lose faith in my country and humanity, but I can only hope for the best. You’ve pushed me to become a better version of myself. 

So to you 2020, you’ve been a hell of a year. I’ve hated and loved you, but mostly hated you. I went through some shit, but others have gone through worse this year. To those of you who have had a very hard time this year, I love you. I sincerely hope things get better for you. Friend or stranger, you can always rely on me as someone to talk to, to rant or vent to, and to cry to. This year was excruciating, but don’t give up. It has ended and a new year has begun. Sure 2021 may also be bad and we’re all exhausted from 2020, but let’s fight till the end. 

[cyrusgoodboye]

It's very difficult for me to properly convey what this show means to me.  I mean, how does one even begin to express the gratitude and love they possess for a one-in-a-lifetime show like Andi Mack?  

For starters, Andi Mack broke barriers even with its pilot episode, "13".  I, like many others, remember watching the episode and raving about how groundbreaking it was, how different it was from children's television shows that I had grown up watching.  I was in my room after watching the premiere, thinking to myself, "How is this possibly on Disney Channel?"  Now, roughly around two years later, I'm wondering to myself how it isn't.  I've typed long-winded messages and ranted to friends and family and Tumblr about how special this show is, how there's absolutely nothing else like it.  How it's a light to so many kids, an inspiration, a hope, something to model themselves after.  And now it's being taken away before all of the story got to be told.  

I never expected to fall in love with the characters as much as I did, and the same goes for the storylines.  I'll be honest, the show isn't perfect; I remember all of us [the fans] groaning when Walker was revealed to be Buffy's crush in the beginning of season three, and how much we hated the Jonah and Amber storyline that was (re)introduced later on.  But, at the end of the day, that wasn't what mattered.  It didn't matter if Jonah was wearing 'The Bracelet' or not, or if Bex and Bowie were going to finally get married.  We kept chasing that light we saw, the fabric of the show that tried to include every colored thread in the book and still managed to come out beautiful and unique and so, so inclusive.  We all admired how Andi Mack was always bringing up controversial subjects and topics that had been taboo in the years before its premiere, how it managed to leave kids hungry for more instead of the same cookie-cutter sitcoms blasting with laugh tracks and poorly written comedy.  We need more.  It shouldn't be over yet, but it got cancelled anyway, because apparently Disney Channel's most viewed and influential show just wasn't something they wanted to continue.  

Anyway, I know these points have all been made before, by fan after fan, and maybe you don't see the point of me reiterating these same truths again, but I don't know how to move on.  I'm not sure I can.  I can't get over watching Andi Mack realizing her cool older sister Bex is actually her mother.  I can't get over watching Buffy Driscoll struggling to accept her natural hair.  I can't get over watching Cyrus Goodman thinking he's different because he has a crush on a boy.  I can't get over watching Jonah Beck struggling with having anxiety and having a hard time coming to terms with it.  I can't get over watching T.J. Kippen accepting his learning disability and the fact that he's gay.  I can't.  How can you even begin to fill a gap like that, that piece of history?  I don't know how to say goodbye to this amazing, groundbreaking show.  Can you really say goodbye to something that you know will always be a part of you?

Andi Mack was truly lightning in a bottle.  Nothing will ever recapture the same magic it once had.  Nothing will ever be able to recreate the friendship of Andi, Buffy, and Cyrus, or the things they learned about life and the universe together.  Nothing will ever be able to open as many doors as this show, and it saddens me in a way that I cannot express in words.

"These are the moments you remember," Bex Mack said in season one, episode one, "13".  I didn't know it at the time, but yes, these are the moments you remember.  These are the moments that I will always carry with me, no matter where I am or what I'm doing with my life.  These are the moments that helped shape who I am and the way I treat others and how I will continue the fight for change, like Andi Mack taught me to do.  And I will remember them, forever and always. 

[varricmancer]

Can you write something where Varric finds out a female dwarven servant has a crush on him??

Okay, so this one isn’t quite drabble-sized! I began writing and my fingers just started flying and couldn’t stop. I blame the fact that this one was a Varric fic. I just can’t help writing about him getting the loving he deserves. Also, I’m sorry if this wasn’t quite what you had in mind, but Rosie’s been a character in my head for a while and I was pleased to have a chance to do something with her. 

Varric Tethras x OC || Fluff || 1,673 WC

It had taken him a while to realize that something was different. During his tenure as Viscount Tethras he’d of course gotten used to servants being around. He asked for ale and someone rushed to get it. He got blood on one of his favorite jackets and it was gone a day later. 

However, there was someone here paying him special attention. He didn’t really mind much, as no one was standing around while he bathed or trying to press him into a suit with as much give as steel. That was the whole reason he’d forgone the use of the valet they’d tried to give him. No, this person was watching for the little things. 

He always had plenty of his favorite foods around, even the hot cocoa The Iron Bull had gotten him hooked on. That in itself wasn’t odd with servants around, but the fact that most of the servants were ordered to stay until he put away his work and started eating was. Books would appear on his desk with a little note saying they thought he’d like it, usually a mere day after he’d finished the last one. Without ever asking, he somehow always had tea when he was ready for bed, a mug of ice-cold ale when the weather was unbearably hot, and a glass full of liquor when he was stressed. The most telling thing was the few times he’d been feeling sad, lonely, and overworked all of his meetings would suddenly be canceled and one of his friends summoned to the mansion. 

He had a feeling it was the new housekeeper, as most of the changes hadn’t happened until she took over. Before, the servants had been happily making him keep the same schedule and habits as the previous Viscount. He could barely even remember the day he’d hired her, as he’d been ass-deep in the reports and demands that were now the bane of his existence. He was fairly certain all he’d done was grunt, wave, and sign his name on the paper. It wasn’t until a month later that he realized he was steadily growing less overwhelmed and he owed someone a great debt. 

Once he realized that, he began to notice her all around the manor. She was dwarven - surface dwarf most likely, as she didn’t hold herself like a noble or have the grim air of casteless. It was perhaps a bit off to have a dwarven servant actually in charge of all the others, but hey, he was the damned Viscount of all Kirkwall, so why not? The servants seemed to accept her authority easily enough, he noticed, with her walking around like she was the one that owned the place. She was quick to berate someone for slacking off, but just as easily put everything on hold if someone was hurt or needed help. 

Varric felt like a creep once he realized how much he’d actually been paying attention to her without her knowledge. Why would he find it so fascinating to watch her marching through his halls with her curls bouncing along behind her? To see her bring cookies to his office with flour smeared on her cheek? Or to watch her laughing and playing with the other servant’s children in the garden?

Honestly, he had a pretty good idea what his issue was, but he was such a good liar he could even convince himself that the feelings slowly bubbling to the surface were nothing important.

He was particularly grateful for her influence around the manor today, as he already had enough to worry about. It was the first “anniversary” without any word or quick visit from Bianca. He finally has accepted that whatever crazy relationship they had was now over. He was free, and it was both saddening and a little exhilarating. It was weird to think of the possibility of moving on without the shadow of her tainting it. It was also really insane that when he considered moving on he thought of a specific face. 

He sighed wearily as he trudged up the neverending steps to his suite. It was days like this, when he was bone-tired and emotionally exhausted, that he missed his old rooms at The Hanged Man the most. But ultimately it was worth it, since he knew his firecracker of a housekeeper would have the bed turned down, the fire blazing, and a glass of something warm waiting for him. 

As he reached the last step, he heard the rumble of voices coming from the direction of his room. His hand instinctively reached back to touch his bow, breathing a sigh of relief when he heard the familiar giggle of Mistress Housekeeper herself. He grinned and leaned against the wall near the door, listening in. 

“All I’m saying is that you should think about it, Rosie!” one of the elven servants said, the rustle of fabric giving away that they were probably changing his sheets. 

“Why, because we are both dwarves?” Rosie laughed, “That’s a horrible reason.”

“No, because you have a huge thing for him. You pine. There are sighs and sweet little smiles and blushing. I see it!” 

Rosie is stuttering enough that Varric thinks the elf might have hit a sore point. He smirks as his chest suddenly feels lighter. So she might feel the same way, huh? 

“It’s…not like that. He’s the damned Viscount and a ton of other titles combined. I’m not blind - obviously, he’s handsome.  And I admire how he stepped up to care for the city. And he treats everyone around him thoughtfully. He tells the kids wonderful stories in the garden. And when he laughs it’s so warm. And his smile is - oh Maker I’m in love with Varric Tethras.” 

Her stunned tone sent her companion in a peal of laughter, Varric himself so amused he almost joined her. He suddenly felt fifteen years younger. 

He silently stalked back towards the stairs to act like he’d just walked up them, making a big show of stomping his feet and yawning loudly as he got closer towards the door. 

Rosie and the elven servant - he believed her name was Seraya - were just finishing up putting his bed back together. The fire was indeed already warming the room and a steaming cup of tea was waiting for him on a little table. Rosie could barely maintain eye contact with him and her cheeks were still blushing brightly. 

She shooed Seraya away and gestured towards the tea. 

“Everything is ready for you. I had heard you had a tiring day, so I only prepared the tea, but if you’re still hungry I can fetch something quickly.” 

He shook his head, staring at her as he grabbed the cup and chugged it down in a few seconds. 

“Too tired to eat,” he grunts, setting down the cup and dropping onto the edge of the massive bed. 

Rosie hums sympathetically and pats him on the shoulder. 

“Sleep well, then, sir.” 

Varric’s hand takes on a mind of its own and reaches up to swiftly grab hers before she can take it away. He threads their fingers together, staring at them as she gasps in surprise. 

“Rosie…I…uh…me too.” 

Her shocked expression morphs as he watches her internal battle. Shock, confusion, embarrassment, until finally…

Rosie snorts and narrows her eyes, a slight grin lighting her face. 

“I should have known not to try having conversations with a sneaky dwarf around, no matter how high he’s risen.” 

“Sorry,” he shrugs, smirking up at her. “Habit.” 

“Uh-huh,” she murmurs, her blush belying how confident she’s trying to act. “So…you heard that. And…you too?” 

“Yeah,” he answers, voice low with promise - and not a little exhaustion. He tries to hide his yawn because this is a very important discussion. 

“You’re not still seeing that woman?” 

“Nope,” he responds with a tired grin, a little surprised that she knew about Bianca. But he guessed he’d never really made it that much of a secret. 

“You’re rather short on words today, I see,” she chuckles, letting him pull her closer and wrap his arms around her waist. He tucked his head into her stomach, breathing in her scent freely for the first time. 

“Too tired to make the words go,” he mumbled against her dress as she tugged his hair free from the tie. 

“Mmmm, then go to sleep. We can talk more about this tomorrow.” 

“Sleep with me,” he blurted. 

“What?”

He glanced up, grinning at her sheepishly as she quirks an eyebrow. 

“I mean just sleep. Lay down with me. Please?” Varric Tethras was begging? Shit, he was more tired than he thought. 

He realized it was worth it though when it seemed like she softened before his eyes, lips turned up in a fond grin. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

He kicked off his boots and threw his jacket onto the floor as she laid her shoes neatly nearby and took off her apron. Varric watched as she tugged a couple of plain combs out of her hair, letting the curls tumble freely down her back. He wanted to just sit there and watch her like some Darktown creep, but his eyes were watering and burning with exhaustion. 

He slumped into the covers, sighing as his body was finally happy with him enough to stop hurting so much. His eyes barely opened as she slid in next to him, just as clothed. Her stuttered breathing gave away how nervous she was, but she wrapped herself around his back anyhow. 

“G’night, Rosie. Remind me to kiss you in the morning.” 

Her muffled laughter vibrated against his back, earning a sleepy grin. 

“Alright, now sleep.”

And for the first time in ages, Varric Tethras fell into the black void that was a dwarves lot excited and hopeful for the future. 

[sea-side-scribbles]

Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/63552727

Chapter 29

Nick had tried to resist the scotch but he was already in a tipsy state when his band came back, looking like they were in the same state as him.

"Hi Nickie, have you been a good boy?", they greeted him, who was relaxing on the couch.

"And you?," he replied. "You spent a lot of time on this too."

"Well, this Hastings guy was surprisingly hard-drinking," Chris said smirking, making Nick shoot up.

"What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. We just had a good time," Brad assured him with an innocent tone. "Just like you had yesterday." 

Matt, who sat down on the armrest of the couch, added: "You know very well that you can't trust reporters as long as they are sober."

That made the others laugh.

"But he's alright," Nick insisted.

"Oh yeah, very alright", Chris agreed. "He's adorable, right Morrie?"

Morrie rolled his eyes.

"I'm delighted," he said dryly.

Nick pouted.

"Great. I'm giving you the chance to be in the press and you have no better idea than to scare the reporter away."

„Nah, I think we've been exceptionally nice to him.", Brad replied.

"No offense, but I think your judgement in the matter of kindness is a bit unreliable," Nick said dryly, but he didn't ruin Brad's mood at all.

"Perhaps. But this time there's three gentlemen who agree with me."

Morrie launched himself on the couch and added: "He's right. Could've been worse."

"This pessimist wanted to say that it's gonna be a great article. Just wait until you see it," Chris assured him again.

Nick sighed.

"Did you tell him anything about me?"

"Only the good things," Brad answered and then pointed at Nick, almost touching the tip of his nose. "As you did too, right? You're living with us now, so you should be nice."

Nick backed away.

"Why are you living in my house anyway? Are you all homeless?", he asked playfully.

"No, but I remember that you begged us to come back and keep you company.  Am I right?"

The others agreed.

Nick gave them a sheepish grin.

"Okay, okay, you're right. I don't want you to leave, you're my friends and I love you."

He received shoulder pats and sympathy.

Then Morrie linked arms with him and said: "Would you mind if I borrow this sweetheart for a bit?"

"A bit," Chris repeated grinning. "Sure, we'll see you next week."

"Very funny."

"Why? It's Sunday."

Morrie slapped his forehead and left with Nick, who waved the others goodbye.

Outside Nick said: "You must've missed me a lot, being in such a hurry."

As an answer Morrie gave him an eager kiss.

"I'm just so happy right now", he sighed. "I wanna go outside with you, watch the sunset, anything we did in the past!"

"But I thought you wanted to be careful...", Nick asked and immediately regretted it because Morrie's expression saddened.

"Is there nowhere safe we can go?", his lover asked with begging eyes.

Nick pondered.

"Yes," he decided. "The way is a bit rough though..."

"I don't care," Morrie said with emphasis. "I'll go wherever you want."

Happily, Nick led him upstairs and opened the door to his bedroom. 

Morrie leaned at the doorframe while his lover went inside.

"This is not what you meant, right?", he said with furrowed brows.

Pulling off the blanked from the bed Nick answered: "No, but we might need this."

Nick neatly folded it and went out again, with a curious Morrie following him.

He went into a smaller room and opened the window. Before Morrie guessed what he was planning, he had climbed out and vanished.

"Norbert!", Morrie cried and ran for the window. 

Outside he saw his lover smirking at him, standing on a scaffold.

"Did you really think I'd jump out there?"

Morrie caught his breath.

"Don't scare me like this again! I don't deserve this!"

"Come on, don't be mad, better get out there and get some fresh air!"

Morrie gave the scaffold a doubtful look.

"And then what?"

"Don't be afraid, my dear, I'll hold you," Nick promised and held out a hand to help him out.

Morrie hesitated, wondering if he should cancel this dangerous adventure, but then again he wanted to know what Nick had planned for them. He put his hand in Nick's and climbed out. Then he clutched to his lover and his voice was a tiny bit higher than usual when he asked: "And now?"

"Now we turn the corner over there,", Nick explained and led him along the narrow board they were standing on.

"Don't worry, just hold my hands, we're almost there."

"You have some ideas...", Morrie sighed but anyway obeyed, staring at the board that separated him from the abyss.

"Good, and now look up there," Nick commanded and Morrie slowly moved his head.

"I only see the roof," he stated.

"Yep, that's where we're getting up now," he heard his lover say.

"Really? What do we do up there?"

"Trust me."

Morrie gulped, but Nick was giving him such a warm smile he couldn't resist.

Nick showed him where he could place his foot to climb up safely. When he had reached the roof he knelt down to help his lover up. They got up together while Morrie clung onto him again. 

"Are you okay, Morrie?", Nick whispered, wiping a hair strand from the other man's forehead.

"Yeah...I think so..."

They made a few steps forward and the more they absented themselves from the abyss, the safer Morrie felt. Looking around, he took in the fresh air and started to realize what a beautiful view they had. From here, they could see entire Hamlyn Village, all the roofs that gathered around Nick's, and the horizon with it's clear sky. He saw a wide landscape in the distance that must've been Lud's Holm and taller houses that must've been from the Parade District. Above all this, the sun was setting in glowing red. Morrie stared at it like he was enchanted, then he began to sob.

"Oh my...this is so beautiful..."

He rubbed his eyes.

"I'm crying again."

Nick gently kissed a tear from his cheek.

"Cry my love, cry as much as you want. I'll hold you," he whispered.

They kissed tenderly. Then Nick spread the blanked over the roof, where they could lie down in a comfortable position and watch the sunset turn the town bright red, until the sky became dark blue and the first stars came out. Morrie lied on Nick's chest.

"And I was worried you'd only take revenge for the cold water this morning."

Nick kissed Morrie's hair.

"I won't play such a cruel prank on you, especially not when you're in a cuddly mood."

"You're so good to me again, Norrie. Just like the old days. Will it last?"

Morrie looked him in the eyes.

Nick returned the gaze.

"Yes, it will."

And he meant it. How could he not mean it, cuddling with the most handsome man in town under the starry sky?

Their kiss was soft, their tongues carefully touched, as if they kissed for the first time. Morrie rolled on Nick and felt is lover embrace him, gently squeezing him. Nick widened his legs and let Morrie's hands stroke over their insides. His delicate skin turned into goosebumps under the other man's hands and a shiver ran down his spine. Getting hard, he greedily rubbed against his lover. Morrie started to move his hips too, then he suddenly bent down and kissed the tip of Nick's length, making him gasp. Then he pulled down his lover's pants. Nick returned the favor with shivering fingers. He was already starving when his lover softly slid into him. Finally they merged into one, finding their rhythm, gradually getting faster. Nick bit Morrie's shoulder when he came. 

When he saw what he had done, he ruefully licked his lover's wound. Morrie however petted his cheek with a finger. 

"It's okay...", he said "I like it."

Then he grabbed the blanked on both ends and wrapped it over them, so they could warm each other while the night turned cold.

"I didn't look at the stars for ages," Morrie whispered.

"Me neither. I didn't give a damn," Nick admitted.

Morrie chuckled.

"It was a wonderful idea to come here."

They began to hold hands under the blanket.

"Wasn't it? Sometimes I have good ideas."

"Absolutely, Nick Lightbearer."

"Why thank you, Morrie Memento."

They laughed quietly.

"Norbert, even if the new record is a bummer...we'll stay together."

"It's not a bummer! It's a hit! You all brought together so many great ideas, it can't go wrong!," Nick fiercely replied.

Morrie silenced for a while before he whispered: "But if it is, will you leave me?"

Nick felt a pang in his chest.

"I guess I've been the biggest asshole in the universe."

"Hmm," Morrie nodded, "and the prettiest."

Nick burst out in laughter.

"That's quite a compliment."

He sighed.

"No, I won't leave you."

He kissed Morrie's cheek. 

"Never."

For another while they entangled, kissing lips and touching skin, before they calmed down to look at the stars again.

Later, Morrie started to whistle a melody that Nick knew. 

Together with the night and the slight smell of Motilene it created a mixture that made his hair stand on end. 

He shivered.

"What's wrong?", his lover asked. "Don't you like it?"

"It's a bit...eerie," Nick admitted.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"I played it the day we met again, remember?"

"Yeah." It came back into Nick's mind. "Where did you hear it?"

"Someone hummed it from up a roof."

"How fitting," Nick commented.

Morrie nudged him.

"It could be our song. Somehow, it brought us back together, right?"

"Right."

Nick smiled at the thought of having a song with Morrie.

"I'd like that."

They stayed under their comfy blanked until they fell asleep. 

Nick was awakened by a soft nudge.

„Norrie," he heard his lover whisper. "Just look."

First, the light blinded him when he opened his eyes. Then he saw the sun rise, painting everything around them in a bright golden color. It was the moment Nick usually kept missing by oversleeping.

"Wonderful," Nick sighed. "What a shame that there's no room service up here, I would've ordered us champagne."

They laughed.

"It's  pretty enough without it," Morrie said, then he covered Nick in kisses while they were swimming in liquid gold. 

They stayed on the roof until their protesting stomachs drove them back into the house and into the kitchen. There they found the others, already enjoying their coffee.

"Look who's back," Chris greeted them. "Are you suddenly anxious about us or just too exhausted to go on?"

"Spare your breath for singing," Nick replied. "And give us a coffee."

"Alright, boss," his friend said smirking.

Strengthened with coffee and toast, they got to work once again.