#just know that i've enjoyed all 6 years that i've spent in this corner of hell whether on discord or not <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[sansaorgana]

Hi! Please take your time with everything's that's going on for you at the moment and if you don't want to write this that's absolutely fine!!

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of me getting out of an abusive relationship that lasted 6 years so it's been ups and downs today with celebrating and grief. If it's okay, can you maybe write a Buck fic where he's there for the reader (his girlfriend) whose in a similar situation? I've spent the day binge watching MOTA and I just want a cuddle from Buck aha

I completely get it if you don't want to write this because I know its pretty heavy stuff and I hope everything gets better for you soon! Enjoy that bottle of wine!!!

hi, darling! thank you for your request and I'm terribly sorry you had to wait so long because I have just checked and you sent it to me in the beginning of April 🤧 it is a quite heavy topic indeed and I hope I did it justice... Buck and Reader are married here but she had a husband before – I thought this sort of situation would suit this time period the most 💝

my requests are currently closed 🙅🏻‍♀️

Buck’s day started as usual – getting ready for work in the morning as he shaved his face, combed his hair and put the clothes on that you had ironed for him on the evening before. He walked downstairs to have breakfast and spotted a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon and a toast already waiting for him with a cup of coffee. He smiled to himself and approached you standing by the window to give you a kiss on the cheek before sitting down by the table to eat. From the corner of his eye he noticed that you were quite nostalgic and sad this morning but he didn’t want to push you into telling him what was wrong because perhaps the answer was “nothing” and you were just tired.

However, you were unusually quiet, staring out of the window with a cup of your own coffee in your hand as you watched the birds outside on the tree’s benches but the beverage was long forgotten in your hand. Buck hadn’t seen you sipping on it at all and he was sure it was cold now.

“Is everything alright, love?” He asked as he raised his eyebrows at you.

“Yeah, yeah,” you nodded your head with a shy smile but the look you gave him was brief and unusually unfocused as if you were trying to avoid his gaze.

Buck decided not to push you, especially now when he was before work. He decided to ask you more in the evening if your mood would still be so odd. However, when he was finishing his scrambled eggs, you suddenly opened your mouth again.

“You know, today’s the day… It’s the anniversary of my divorce with… With him,” you sighed and finally took a sip of your cold coffee.

Buck’s shoulders stiffened at those words. He had no idea about the anniversary taking place today out of all days and every mention of your ex-husband felt like a punch in the guts. Not because he was jealous or something – he had no reasons to be and he knew that – but because he was aware what that man had been like and how he had been treating you.

You had been already divorced when you had met Buck and some people had been warning him about getting into a relationship with a woman “with the past” but Buck had known better. He had known you and he had known “your past” from you. He couldn’t blame you for falling in love and he couldn’t blame you for leaving a man like that son of a bitch. He hadn’t known how to appreciate a woman like you, he had been taking advantage of your love and devotion.

Buck was not like that. He was patient with you, he was understanding, he was protective. He had promised to take care of you, to help you heal as you were helping him to heal after the war. It was a peaceful and cosy marriage that had lasted about a year now but he knew that the demons of your past would sometimes show up. Just like his did – they liked to come back in sudden anxiety attacks or unreasonable fear of loud things like the fireworks on the Fourth of July. They liked to come back in dreams, too – nightmares, actually.

You always knew how to comfort him, how to calm him down, to make him feel safe again. But now he felt awkward and helpless when it was his time to do the same for you. He didn’t know how to react properly. Should he congratulate you? Or tell you to forget about it? Both options seemed kind of wrong.

“I see,” he only cleared his throat awkwardly before taking the last sip of coffee and standing up to approach you. He kissed your cheek again and rubbed your shoulder in a comforting manner. “I gotta go now… Do you want to go out somewhere nice in the evening?” He furrowed his brow. “Like a restaurant? You wouldn’t have to cook today.”

“I…” You hesitated. “I don’t know. It would feel like celebrating and even though I have reasons to… I don’t want to think of him at all. I want this day to be normal,” you looked at him and he nodded before pecking your lips and wishing you a good day as he left for work.

However, he knew that it was easier said than done. You would still think of your ex-husband all day long. It was inevitable and only natural. Buck felt bad for you and on his way back from work he stopped by the store and contemplated on getting you flowers. Once again he had a dilemma because it would be a nice gesture that would make you smile but on the other hand it would feel like a symbol of congratulations and a celebration. You wanted this day to be usual but you were unusually sad and quiet so he wanted to bring a smile to your face…

Walking back to the store’s entrance door, frustrated, he walked past the alley with the toys and then he stopped at the sight of an adorable teddy bear as he suddenly got an idea. He bought it and took it home, a little nervous of how you would react.

In the meantime, you were growing impatient because he was late and the dinner was getting cold. Staring out of the window, you finally spotted your husband’s car and you went to the hall to greet him.

“You’re late!” You pointed out and Buck smiled at you.

“I’m sorry. I stopped by the store,” he leaned in to kiss your cheek and handed you a teddy bear.

“What is it?” You furrowed your brows at the soft toy in your hands. “It’s adorable but… Why?”

“I was thinking… I mean, it reminded me of you because it’s adorable, let’s start with that,” Buck chuckled. “But also, I thought… I want you to have it so he’s watching over you when I’m out at work or something, you know. And when you’re sad, you can look at him and smile, yeah?” He scratched himself behind his neck awkwardly.

Your heart swelled in your chest at his words as the corners of your eyes pricked with tears. Despite your words from the morning that you didn’t want to think of your abusive ex-husband, he had been occupying your thoughts all day long. And you wished you had asked Buck to call his work and tell them he was sick, just to stay with you. But you would feel guilty if you did that. So, you spent most of the day dwelling on the past and trying to fight back the bad memories. And now, your husband’s sweet gesture meant the world to you.

You wiped your wet cheeks and threw your arms around his neck to hold him close.

“Thank you…” You whispered. “Thank you so much, I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart. The most in the whole world,” Buck rubbed your back and kissed your temple.

“Go wash your hands and eat dinner now because it’s getting cold,” you took a step back and caressed his hair to fix the reckless hair strand.

You went to the kitchen, too and you sat the teddy bear on the window sill by the kitchen sink. He would watch over you every day as you cooked, baked or washed the dishes. You couldn’t stop smiling widely at it and Buck’s heart was growing in his chest out of happiness at the sight.

Sometimes he fantasised about finding your ex-husband – wherever he was now – and teaching him a lesson or two. Not even about killing him, no; dying would be too easy for that bastard. But he knew it was not worth it. He knew you wanted to let go of the past and your ex-husband was not worth going to jail for either. But seeing you, Buck couldn’t believe that someone had wanted to hurt something so lovely and pure. He just couldn’t comprehend how anyone could want to cause pain to his wife.

When he was done with his dinner, he washed the dishes in silence, not even letting you know that he had already finished because you’d insist on cleaning since he was “tired after work”. He didn’t want to interrupt you reading a magazine in the living room, so he washed the dishes himself and only then he joined you on the sofa.

“You’re done now, baby?” You looked up at him and put the magazine away to stand up.

“Stay,” Buck put his hand on your thigh. “I’ve already washed the dishes.”

“Oh, baby, you shouldn’t have! You’re so tired after work,” you pointed out with a pout.

“I’m completely fine,” he chuckled. “Come here,” he invited you to sit on his lap, so you happily did as you crossed your hands behind his neck and he pulled you closer. “Are you happy, darling?” He asked, more seriously now.

The question left you speechless for a moment but you knew where he was coming from. The bittersweet anniversary of your divorce had been occupying his mind as well for the whole day – not only yours.

“I am,” you nodded your head and bit on your lower lip. “The happiest,” you assured him. “Being your wife makes me feel happy, safe, proud and fulfilled. And I would tell you if something was wrong. Like we have promised each other to be honest and open,” you caressed his hair and leaned in to rub your nose with his. “And one day I’m going to have more wedding anniversaries with you than I have ever had with him and I’m going to forget his face and his voice completely and I can’t wait for that day. But perhaps I had to survive him to be able to meet you,” you shrugged your arms. “And just because of that, I can’t regret anything from my past because everything has been leading me to you.”

Buck only nodded at that before joining your lips together in a sweet kiss. He knew what you were talking about because he would go to ten more wars and survive ten more captive camps if it meant that he would end up as your husband.

MASTERLIST || BUCK MASTERLIST

[askthefamous8]

Even if I haven't been very active lately, 9 years is still pretty significant- happy birthday to the blog!

So like Percy up there I'm gonna do so dome reflecting. This blog's where I've often done that for some reason, but here's the tl'dr for blog related stuff.

• I would like to keep drawing stuff but feeling generally unsure in myself, and I'm wondering if all the years of fandom harrassment have caught up with me • I have one big project in mind, I've been dipping my toe into what I'd need to do it. No spoilers but it was one of the first things I played around with this series, so do with that what you will • If I can keep myself drawing, I want to use more of the original source material since I'm struggling with original ideas. So stuff like redraws, hOpEfULlY even animatics, just like what originally got me so into trains yknow? Because that's fun and sparks joy. And that always goes down a treat with you guys so bonus • As always I appreciate you guys not coming after me for being so inconsistent

The rest of this is me doing what Percy's doing in the drawing and reflecting, as there is indeed much 2 think about. It's also a little sad and venty so, there's your warning there.

.

Ok so obviously a busy year, we moved into our new house that we actually own, I spent most of the year planning our wedding, and then got married. Big stuff. Also! I came off antidepressants in the summer. I've been on them for...basically as long as this blog, 6 months after I started it I think. Which also means I'd been on antidepressants my entire adult life. Feels like a big deal and I guess I'm still adjusting.

Another big thing, but sad, is that my dog died about two weeks ago. If you follow me on twitter you'll have seen her but she did make an appearance here a few Halloweens ago

I got her when she was 13 and had her 8 years after that. So that's been difficult. Unrelated to that (probably), but I just feel...really mediocre. And before you point out the obvious, this has been present even before I came off antidepressants. But yeah just... mediocrity. In myself as a person, how I look, what I draw, my whole life really (barring my marriage thankfully). What have I achieved? I'm 26, I'm not working, I don't feel well, my art isn't good (I don't think so anyway- like yeah it's technically fine I guess but it's not, and has never been, very stand-out or impressive). And lately art doesn't bring me the same joy it once did, and I'm wondering if all the years of harrassment from this fandom (mostly the twitter side, tumblr's been pretty good to me) has finally caught up with me and put me off the whole thing. Or worse, that I just don't have as much of an interest in it anymore. I don't think I'll ever be like "ok yep I'm officially done with this blog" because I'm so stubborn but idk. I want to make things and be creative, I want to make more train art, but it doesn't feel the same. I don't know what's wrong. What do you listen to? What you want vs what you feel? I still enjoy train stuff, I love going to Awdry Ex every year. It's been like this for awhile. It's not even like I have a strong feeling of what I'd rather be doing as far as careers go. And even if I did, oh yeah I'm sure my two degrees in animation will be very relevant in another field (sarcasm). I feel adrift. My sails are open but there is just no wind. Planning my wedding gave me something to do and work on and just, feel useful but now that that's over I feel lost again. Losing my dog, who had become the center of my life because of how vulnerable she had become, hasn't helped.

On the more creative side of things, I also don't really know what to do with this blog's story either. The show's ended as far as most people are concerned, and I kiiinda wrote myself into a corner because once Thomas turns 18 he's going to leave for university, and that sets off this whole arc with James but basically the problem is it involves characters leaving and for some reason that feels like a no-no here. Don't get me started on the timeline lol. But Thomas works on a railway on Sodor, that's how it has to be...right? I guess I'm sort of at a crossroads of, ok do I want this to be close to the source material, and thus easily digestible to newcombers? Or do I want to make it more and more my thing and distanced from the source material? I doubt there's many new people coming since the series ended. And even then, there's a lot more humanization artists around now than when I started, so it's not like I'm filling a niche anymore. Just to be clear it's fine and also good that there's more humanization artists, variety is good, I just don't feel as "needed" anymore (which is 100% in my head and not an actual role that belongs to me or something). I started this blog when I was 17, so my interests and what I relate to have changed obviously. The character designs certainly have. It's never followed a super rigid story plan, but the core of it has always been the central cast doing things on Sodor. I however have always had a scene/project/animatic/whatEver in mind for when this 'series' would '''officially''' ''''end''''. But then what comes after that? I've always tried to run this blog like they are Real People that You interact with. But in real life there is no ending to the story, there's always more stuff to come. You get married, and it's wonderful, and then life goes on. The credits never roll. So maybe that's what I'm having trouble coping with...the progression of time. Ah, my old nemesis. I've always had trouble with letting go of things. There's nothing to say that I couldn't still draw stuff after the series "ends". I guess any story after Thomas leaves could be like... a sequel series or a spin off or something. Spin-off of a spin-off. Famous 8 All Grown Up. Famous 8 Qurter Life Crisis. Who knows. I certainly don't.

I've also been really into an original project unrelated to this but those don't get as much attention and while I'd like to do something with it one day, I don't feel very confident in being able to make that happen right now. But you know... as far my as art not being super spectacular goes... I think my individual talent has always been is my ideas, like the writing side of things. And then brought to life with my art, which normally isn't anything to write home about but is good enough to convey the idea and be not-awful to look at, lifts both of them beyond what they were individually. Maybe that's what I should focus on. Maybe that's wishful thinking.

So....idk. Idk what I'm doing but I'm trying to be gentle on myself and just let myself continue to drift, to heal from this heavy loss, and then in the New Year I'll try and pick myself up. Then there will be no more big once-in-a-lifetime events coming up, no more just-moved-into-a-house-and-oh-no-there's-a-bunch-of-things-that-need-attention-NOW scenarios, and no more big holidays for awhile. I guess we'll see.

If you read all of this I am so sorry but also thank you for reading my ramblings. And thank you for being around, whether that's been for a few months or for several years, but especially if it's been several years

[melanieph321]

SEVEN DAYS OF REQUESTS 4.0

(DAY 6)

Ruben Dias x Reader - The Divorce Part 2/3

Part 1 Part 3

Ruben dias cheats on his girlfriend and she leaves him and takes their child with her and he is left in shambles.

Enjoy!

It was worse than the walk of shame after a night out with your girlfriends. The walk from your office to the garage parking lot equaled a humiliating traverse, where you thought of all of the choices in your life that led up to this moment.

"Love." You chuckled. To hell with it. No matter how much love you once shared with Ruben, you had to put on a mask and show him that it didn't matter now. That this rendezvous between you was neither a goodbye nor hello. It was strictly business.

"Where the hell are you?" You muttered to yourself while the sound of your heels echoed beneath you. In your  hand, you held the envelope containing the divorce papers, clutching it tightly out of sheer angst.

Amongst the sea of vehicles, you searched for Ruben's Porsche. The last time you saw him in it, he had already gotten rid of the baby seat. Then again, picking up his mistress with a baby in the back was perhaps not ideal. You wondered, how many times had he fucked her by now? You bet he couldn't run fast enough to tell her about the news of your divorce. Now Ruben and his teenager of a girlfriend could live happily ever after fucking each other until the crack of dawn.

"Y/N?"

You jumped in surprise with the movement that appeared in the corner of your eye. "Ruben?" You flattened your skirt at the sight of him. Whatever compelled you to wear your tightest pencil skirt was beyond reason. Perhaps you wanted Ruben to see what he would miss now that the two of you were over. Or perhaps you wanted to tempt him into trying something? A last quicky in the backseat of his Porsche. Lord knows that used to get you going every morning when Ruben dropped you off at work. However, that too, eventually stopped. 

"How have you been?" He said, rounding his car that you so clumsily missed. He appeared before you like a jack in a box, uncut and unshaved. "You look good."

"I do?" Such an ignorant reply, you thought. Of course you looked good. You had spent the past year after the birth of your daughter trying to get back in shape, with the knowledge that your husband was losing interest in you. This was your revenge body, nothing else.

"Do you wanna get outta here. Perhaps grab a coffee somewhere?"

"What? No." You hissed. Why was he being like this? So nice and so calm about the worst moment in your life. "I came here to give you this Ruben, nothing else." He stumbled backward as you shoved the envelope against his chest. It nearly knocked you over, Ruben being built like a brick wall.

"I see." He mumbled, peering down at the yellow piece of paper. He unfolded it slowly, extracting the papers within. "I guess you want me to sign these." He said, raising his head to meet your eyes. It was intimate, the way they yearned for you. Nevertheless, it didn't matter now. 

"Yes, sign them, please. I have an appointment at the courthouse before I have to pick up Luna."

"Isn't she supposed to stay with your parents tonight?"

Fuck. He caught your bluff. "You've spoken to them?"

Ruben nodded, a sly smile on his lips. "They called me, actually. They wanted to borrow the baby seat again. Apparently, your dad is taking Luna fishing by the lake."

"I…I didn't know that."

"Yeah, so if you wanna go somewhere so we can talk—."

"There's nothing for us to talk about, Ruben. I've made up my mind."

"Well, I haven't." He said, his demanding voice bouncing off the garage walls. "I'm sorry." He sighed. But it was too late. Things were getting too emotional. "Please just get in the car, I don't want to argue."

"Fine." You said through clenched teeth. "I'll get in the car with you if, and only if, you agree to take me straight to the courthouse."

He approached the Porsche and held up the door to the passenger's seat. "Of course."

You regretted every step you took towards that car. It was surely a trap. But something compelled you. The desperation in his voice and the way he struggled to meet your eyes. If this altercation was causing him pain, then you wanted to continue to make him feel that way.

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

Ruben wasn't a fool, but neither were you. "Why are we taking the long way to the courthouse?"

"Because…" He said, turning down the volume to the radio. Perhaps he thought that the soft tunes would distract you from the fact that he was taking you further and further away from where you needed to be. "I said that I wanted to talk."

"Then talk."

Ruben threw you a furrowed glance, the frustration evident in his body language. Not to mention the firm way that he was gripping the steering wheel. "Y/N, I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen to you, to us."

"Oh, so you're telling me that you slipped and fell. Is that's how your dick ended up buried in that woman's cunt. Is that what you're telling me Ruben?"

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Answer me!"

"Of course not!"

"Then why did you do it? Why did you break up our family by cheating on me with that….that…whore!"

The wheels of the car swerved beneath you as Ruben took it off the road. He turned into the nearest alley and turned off the engine. The silence that followed could cut a thread, but you sure as hell was not faltering at the hands of someone who acted selfishly and expected you to forgive him, just like that.

"Y/N, if I could go back in time and change what I did…"

"Welp, you can't. If that's all—." You made the motion of getting out of the car, but just as you raised yourself from your seat, your back got knocked right into it again. "Ruben?"

His grip around your wrist loosened. However, he did not let you go. The terror in his eyes was something new. Something that frightened even you. "Please, don't go."

"Ruben."

"Please." He begged, a slight tremble in his voice. "I love you."

You sighed, a sense of hopelessness coming down on you. "I know you do." You raised your head, meeting his eyes. "Because I love you too."

He exhaled in pure relief. But as his face leaned forward, you couldn't bear to follow through. "I'm sorry."

"No." He squeezed your arm. "I know that this...I know that it will take time."

You nodded your head, unwanted tears running down your cheeks. "It just…it hurts too much right now."

His hand fell into your lap, stroking slowly across your thigh. "I fucked up. I know."

"Then why did you do it? Why did you cheat on me?"

His breath caresses the side of your face, his voice whispering in your ear. "I don't know."

Your eyes shut in defeat. However, Ruben's thumb went to wipe away the falling tears. "Don't cry." He pressed a kiss to your temple. "Please, I love you. Don't cry."

You shrugged him away. "Love isn't alway enough. You made that very clear when you cheated on me, Ruben."

The air he exhaled surpassed your face. It was a sigh of defeat. However, if he wanted you to heal, he would start by telling you the truth.

Another soft kiss was pressed against your cheek. Ruben then created distance between you by leaning back in his carseat. His eyes were at the ceiling, shifting from right to left as if he didn't know where to begin. However, he needed to begin.

Part 1

Part 3

[noona-clock]

The Love Playlist - Part 1

As Got7 have just comeback could I request something with Jaebeom please? I haven't fully recovered from the excitment of yesterday

i know the comeback was a while ago, but i hope you're still excited for this @lostfictionalbee !! thank you so much for your request!

Genre: AU, Fluff, Slice of Life

Pairing: Jaebeom x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: None

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Words: 2,496

Growing up, nobody ever told you just how exhausting and overwhelming it was being an adult. Your parents had certainly made it look easy; in fact, they'd made it look so easy that your dream as a child had been to grow up and get an office job. The idea of dressing in business casual clothes, taking the train into the city, having your own desk, typing away on a laptop, getting coffee at a quaint cafe just around the corner -- it had all just held so much appeal for you in your younger years. Your most played make-believe game had been one with you as the receptionist for a very high-powered law firm. You'd typed away at an old keyboard, taken calls on a disconnected phone, and filed scribbled-on papers in an empty drawer of the coffee table in your living room.

It had taken almost no time at all after going off to university, majoring in business administration, graduating with honors, and getting a job in HR to realize that your childhood dreams had been highly glamorized and romanticized -- to say the least.

Yes, you enjoyed building a business casual wardrobe and becoming a regular at a locally-owned coffee shop next to your office and making friends with your co-workers.

But the actual work part of it was draining, stressful, and taxing on your mental and emotional health.

Yes, you now made adult money and could afford to buy all the things you'd wanted as a kid.

But after paying for rent, utilities, and groceries every month, it seemed like you hadn't even received a paycheck at all! Where did all your money go?! And how had your parents managed to not only buy a house but also raise children?! It must've helped to have two incomes, but still. If they'd ever been worried about finances, they'd done a great job of hiding it because you'd never known.

When you'd brought all of your woes up to them shortly after admitting to yourself that being an adult wasn't nearly as fun as you'd thought it would be, your mom had answered with a lilting laugh and said, "Of course, it's not fun. It's work. That's why you have to make your own fun."

You'd spent every day since trying to do just that.

After some trial and error (and a bit too much extra money down the drain), you found comfort in a YouTube channel called "Soul Tracks." It was almost like a radio show; the host would go live just about every night to create custom playlists based on listener requests. While you weren't musically gifted in any way, shape, or form, you'd always loved listening to it. Music had the ability to soothe and relax your frayed mind in a way nothing else really could. One night, the Soul Tracks live stream had popped up in your recommended feed, and something about it had drawn you to click on it.

You'd felt a connection to the show almost instantly, and from then on, you tuned in every chance you got -- which was basically every single night.

A few months after becoming a regular listener, you'd even sent in a message to the host -- someone you only knew as DefSoul -- to request your own custom playlist.

Hi DefSoul 😊

I've been listening to Soul Tracks for a few months now, and really, I have to start off by thanking you for sharing your time and talents with us. Your show is so calming to me, and I don't think I've missed an episode since I found your channel.

But the reason I'm writing in is the same reason everyone else writes in: I'm looking for a playlist.

I'm kind of new to this 'adult' thing -- I graduated from university a while ago, and have been working an HR job for a few years, but I still feel like I just became a grown-up. To be honest, I still don't actually feel like a grown-up, but apparently I am.

Anyway. As weird as it sounds, my dream growing up was to work in an office building, and now that I've achieved that dream... it kind of sucks. Not at all what I thought it would be! I guess I'm just feeling lost. Hopeless. Unsure of what life is really all about and who I really am.

Gee, is that all? 😂

You've proven yourself to be a musical genius, so I know whatever you come up with will solve all of my life problems and answer all of my life questions. (Or at least keep me entertained for months on end, which is just as good.)

Feel free to read this on your show -- I'm crossing my fingers that I'm not the only "adult" out there who feels this way.

Thanks 💜

-[Your Username]

Since his livestreams regularly had thousands of viewers, you told yourself that sending in a request was a long shot. He probably got so many messages each day and only had time to read a handful of them. It was very unlikely yours would be one of them.

Lo and behold, just a few days later, you heard the soothing, deep voice you'd come to know so well reading your words for all to hear -- well, for all twelve thousand people who were currently listening.

"I can assure you, you're not the only adult who feels this way," DefSoul said after finishing your letter. "I certainly feel that way. Not even sometimes, but most of the time. And I don't know about the whole 'musical genius' thing, but I put together a playlist that I think -- I hope -- will help you settle into those feelings and make a little peace with them."

Your heart was thudding inside your chest as you listened, and as the first song on the playlist -- your playlist!! The playlist DefSoul had made especially for you!! -- began to play, a voice in the back of your head wondered if this is exactly what your mom had meant about finding ways to make your own fun. You felt as giddy as a child right now, so surely it was!

But the giddiness you felt as you'd listened to your personal playlist had been nothing when, the very next day, you'd received an email reply from DefSoul himself.

Hi Y/UN--

I'm hoping you heard that I read your message during my show last night. You mentioned that you hadn't missed an episode since you found my channel, so I think there is a good chance you did. In case you didn't, though, I'm including a link to the replay.

Thanks for sending in your request, and a huge thanks for listening and supporting my channel. It's hard to put into words how much it means to have people actually enjoy what I do. I know I'm lucky to have found my passion and get to do that for a living -- I hope you can find that, too, if that's what you want.

In all honesty, I don't usually reply to messages because I figure that creating a playlist is reply enough. But there was just something about your message that stuck with me. Sure, I've turned my passion into a career, but that doesn't mean I know the answer to all of life's questions. I still feel lost and meaningless, like you said. I really connected with your words, and your playlist feels pretty special to me. (I hope that's not weird.)

I guess I just wanted to reach out and assure you that you're not alone, not by far. And if you ever need someone to talk to and ponder what life is all about, I'm here.

-DefSoul

You couldn't quite believe this was happening. And, worst of all, you had no one to talk to about this! Your closest friends and family knew about your favorite daily livestream, but they didn't really know. Nobody else listened to it or truly understood how much it meant to you.

The fact that you had no one to tell this to didn't stop you from writing him back, though. And you did so almost immediately.

Hi!!!! 💜

OMG I'm sorry, but I have to be a fangirl for a second. (To steal your own words: I hope that's not weird.) I just love your show so much, and I was already so thrilled when you made a playlist for me. But getting your reply just now is definitely going to be the highlight of my month! Thank you so so so much for taking the time to read my message, put together a playlist for me, AND write me back.

All right, now that I've gotten that out of my system!

It really is comforting to know that someone who does what you do -- has a passion, shares it with other people, can earn a living from it, and seems to have it all together -- feels lost just like I do. I mean, it's not comforting because if YOU also feel lost, then is there any hope that we ever won't feel lost? But it's comforting simply because it means I'm not alone. And one thing about me (that you didn't ask for) is that I've never felt lonely in my entire life, but I sure am scared of being alone.

Does that make any sense?

Well, even if it doesn't, that's how I feel.

Is it okay if I completely pivot and ask a somewhat personal question? You can totally ignore this -- in fact, if it's too much, and you don't feel comfortable, just don't reply to me at all, and I will get the message! But how did music become your passion? How did you start Soul Tracks? As someone whose only ever thought about growing up and working in an office, I'm incredibly intrigued to hear about how people who do really cool things started their journey to do the really cool things.

Again, you don't have to answer that if you don't want. Just call it me pondering what life is all about.

-Y/UN

As soon as you clicked 'Send,' you regretted asking such a personal question. DefSoul had told you in no uncertain terms that he was here if you ever needed someone to talk to, but... still. There was a reason he used a pseudonym from his show. Maybe divulging more about that part of his life was taking it one step too far.

To your surprise, an email arrived in your inbox just a couple of hours later:

Y/UN --

Just wanted to let you know I saw your reply, and I'll get back to you soon. I want to take some time to answer your question thoughtfully (but truthfully, I promise). I didn't want you to think I was blowing you off. Honestly, it may take a few days.

-DefSoul

Of course, you hit 'reply' immediately.

Take your time! I completely understand. 💜

And then you had to take a seat and take a breath. Was this really happening? Were you becoming internet pen pals with the host of your favorite livestreaming music channel?

True to his word, DefSoul sent you another email a few days later. You'd been on tenterhooks for those few days -- barely able to concentrate on work and looking forward to Soul Tracks more than usual -- but as soon as you opened his email, you found the wait had been worth it. You were immediately faced with a wall of text, and it almost took your breath away that he'd felt comfortable opening up to you this much.

You read his email slowly and thoroughly... and then you read it again three more times, for good measure.

Long story short: DefSoul had worked in a music store as a teenager because he'd always loved listening to music, singing, writing songs, and he'd taught himself to play the guitar from a very young age. When it came time to start making his own money, he'd applied to his favorite music store in less than a heartbeat. The owner had been a former local musician who'd retired to become a shopkeeper. During the several years DefSoul had worked there, the owner (who had remained unnamed all throughout the email) had instilled into him the idea that music is not just music. It's so much more. It's a language that can connect people of any age, race, gender, and more. Anyone. It's a way to speak to people you've never met. It's about creating moments that resonate with people. And because the owner believed this so wholeheartedly, he developed a habit of creating mixtapes for customers.

You can see where this is going, right?

The first time DefSoul had ever followed in his boss/mentor's footsteps had been when one of his close friends went through a breakup. He hadn't known any other way to comfort her, so he'd made her a playlist with songs that could help her both release her sadness and heal from it.

After DefSoul went to University and, eventually, stopped working at the music store, he found himself in much the same position as yours currently: lost. He'd wanted to become a professional musician, but his career hadn't taken off, and he'd needed some way to pay the bills. After working a desk job for just a couple of months, he'd received a message from that friend out of the blue.

She had told him that she wasn't sure if she'd ever thanked him properly for the playlist he'd made for her. She'd been scrolling through her music library earlier that day, seen it, and the thought to reach out to him about it hadn't left her since. Apparently, the songs had been a huge help to her, and she'd been able to move on more quickly than she'd ever thought.

An idea had popped up in DefSoul's head almost immediately, and that very night, he had created his Soul Tracks channel.

The rest, as they say, is history.

At the very end of his email, he'd written this:

I know this was long, so I'm sorry if it was way more than you ever wanted to know. I've never actually told the whole story to anyone before. I think taking the time to write it all out was more for my sake than anything, so thank you for letting me do that.

Obviously, the invitation to spill all the details of your story is always open. I'm all ears.

-DefSoul

P.S. At risk of being too forward, I think maybe we've become pen pals? I'm up for it if you are.

But if you're not, pretend I never said that.

You knew that it would take a while to reply -- just as it had taken him a few days. But you knew at least one thing you wanted to say to him.

First things first: Hi, Pen Pal 😊

Part 2

[thecoffeelovingfreak]

𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕

character: aventurine

genre: angst

word count: 1.4k

warnings: spoilers for aventurine's past and the penacony quest, released pre-2.1

notes: i was thinking about him over breakfast and spent the entire day writing this! I will say that my writing may be a little rusty since I've been on a 6-month hiatus. I wanted to create a character snapshot to speculate and give a look at what we know about him so far, so I hope you enjoy it!

Read it on ao3!

~~~

A pensive sigh filled the hotel room, blending into the wistful and heavy melody streaming soft and delicate from the phonograph horn. Unrealistically chilled bottles of SoulGlad rest in the niche beside it, an orange that contrasted well with the deep blue traversing the walls. A deck of playing cards rests on the wooden table, a tool for the idle hands of a certain guest to use as he attempts to pass the time. His focused gaze was targeted on the array of triangles built in line before him.

A house of cards required many elements that Aventurine held dear – ones that rested on the back of his gloved hand.

Patience, time, attention to detail, and confidence. All of which reinforce the plans simmering in his mind, and in turn, contribute to the air of pure self-assurance he carried. Some may call it arrogance, but to him it is a manifestation of the simple fact that everything will work out in his favor. One way or another, for better or for worse.

Deft fingers grasped two more cards, setting them meticulously over the flat backs beginning his next level. His hands would never shake as they approached the slowly growing tower, even when he first learned how to construct a steadfast house many years ago. He never hesitated – at least not since he became an asset of the IPC. There was no room for any sort of weakness in their ranks, plain and simple. If you wanted the money and power to become impenetrable, you first needed to learn strategy.

Entertain me for a moment, will you?

What do you want, Diamond?

To give you a hypothetical, and see how you respond. Think of it as an impromptu assessment of your current skills.

Alright.

Walk with me first.

Another pair of cards joined the house, gradually building up a wall between the rest of the room and where he stood.

There is a planet on the outer recesses of our galaxy. It is in proximity of several meteors. Only three are on a path towards said planet. This has occurred many times over the last 350 Amber Eras. They are nearing the end of their resources, and have a chance to be erased completely without intervention. They have had no prior dealings with the IPC and are reluctant to seek aid as they are in development of a plan to exterminate all of the surrounding meteors. However, there is no set date for when their plan will be completed, much less enacted. The meteors will be hitting them in just one and a half months. Tell me, Aventurine, what would you do?

What we always do. Offer them our aid and see if they take it. Use force if necessary, and ensure that they end up in our hands.

Spoken like a true Stoneheart. Yet I still wonder if you truly believe your own words?

He held the king of spades in between his index and middle finger, gazing at it intently. His ego likened himself to that image, but there was always doubt lingering in the corners of his mind. Beneath all of the glamour, possessions, lies, and silver-tongue tactics there was a hurting man. A scared and tired boy. One with an array of scars, apparent yet hidden. A person that existed within him, yet was increasingly out of reach. A part of him wanted to forget that side of him, cast it away and never have to face his perceived weaknesses. But another part of him wanted to keep it – cherish it. To wait until his vulnerable moments and allow himself to feel. One half was Aventurine, and the other half was…

No. Now was not the time for remembrance.

He placed the king of spades with the jack of hearts next, smoothly placing them down and moving onto the next pair.

Excuse me?

You heard me, don’t attempt games. I was there for your recruitment, and I’ve witnessed your progress. I have to ask: do you want to help them for the IPC, or for your own conscience?

Come now, you know it would be my honor to provide them with our benefits.

Hmm. I have to disagree. It would serve you better to forsake those sentiments. Our conversation is over, I have reports to catch up on. You are dismissed.

“Recruitment”. He had no choice in that. But that was their ploy, right? Prey on the vulnerable and use them for their own gain. It was a trick used against him, and it was one he had used on others. Though he always made sure never to deal them as cruel a hand as he was given, somewhere in the murky depths of his heart, regret swam. It was heavy and engulfing, threatening to burst forth when he was alone in the middle of the night. The feeling of being nothing but a tool was sickening – he understood that well. It was one of the many things he would never want other people to experience. But he would make them anyway. That was survival. An unfortunate “game” of risk and reward, the ultimate gamble. What do you wager in order to be gifted with more time? How much are you willing to bet that your strategy will work?

Aventurine had many maneuvers. Methods that he had honed with time and experience.

An intricately crafted front can get you far. Wrap your walls in affability that can draw people closer or push them further away. Use it to catch them in your tricks. Assess what both parties are willing to stake for what they can possibly gain. Befriend them, although it's often superficial. Take what they give with a smile, and do small favors where you can. They'll owe you, after all. Just enjoy the game, you'll win at the end no matter the cost.

The view from the Strategic Investment Department’s building displayed a vibrant cityscape of Pier Point. A bustling environment that completely contrasted with what he was used to beforehand. He was the last Sigonian now, and he had no room for mourning in this place. Despite that, a festering wound sat in his chest, wanting to be acknowledged and no longer denied. It ached and burned, filling him with an overwhelming sadness and frustration at his circumstances, and himself. He was all that remained – all that he could rely on. His eyes began to glaze over. He swallowed thickly, willing it all back down. You can’t be weak here. There’s no one left to comfort you.

The cards were built to the third row now, and a sense of satisfaction and content fell upon him. It was a similar feeling to seeing a mission through successfully. With a small flourish, the jack of spades and ace of hearts arrived in his hands, ready to be crowned at the top of the house. As he placed them down, a light smile appeared on his face. Stepping back, he stretched his fingers and observed his work.

Grabbing a simply mixed white grape soda, took a sip, and reached for the token in his pocket. He turned it horizontally and prepared to balance it at the very top, a quick test – a gamble in its own way – to see if it could rest at the peak. Setting his drink down to the left, he leaned down and watched the chip with intent. He perched it carefully on top of the cards, leaving it perfectly centered. It rested well for a moment, before collapsing through the cards and sending each row into disarray.

His stare turned sour. What outcome did he expect? Naturally the chip would be far too heavy for the cards to support. That didn’t matter however. He would rebuild it again and ensure that the token could rest on top, disregarding the almost inherent impossibility. If he wanted a specific outcome, he would see it through to the end, taking the required measures to get there.

The consequences of a failed mission always linger, a potentially fatal result in repose on his shoulders, creating a pernicious sting. This was just an illustrative trial of his purpose here, and on every other planet he had visited.

When it was all said and done, the absolute truth of his work would remain the same: he had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

[manabombs]

billy bones blogging

I was Flint's first mate that voyage... three days east of Tortola in the Caribie. Flint knew an island. That's where we buried the treasure. Gold and blood, they were Flint's trademarks. He'd leave both behind him that day.

Muppet Treasure Island, 1996

As I was working on the art piece I just posted the other day, it occurred to me that it might have actually been my first time drawing Billy Bones. Which seemed Wrong, considering that he is, in fact, one of the main reasons that I fell in love with this show you know other than the vanerackham brain worms.

And I've spent a long time thinking that I should make a post articulating exactly why I'm so attached to him (I usually just keep my thoughts confined to the tags over on @benjaminagunn but this is just that important) Muppet Treasure Island came out when I was like 6 years old and was one of my favorite movies growing up. I watched it enough times to have most of the songs memorized, along with large chunks of dialogue. In particular, the opening scene. The film opens with a musical number that presents the backstory of Flint's treasure-- then cuts to a scene at a busy inn, where we are introduced to the narrator of the aforementioned tale: Billy Bones.

"Oh, aye. Fifteen men went ashore that day... and only Flint, his own self, returned. Oh, aye, and then old Flinty... up and died afore they could get back to that cursed island... and dig up the treasure. No one knows to this day who has old Flint's map. Now, isn't that a story worth the hearing?" "It was the first dozen times we heard it."

A couples scenes & a musical number later, it's revealed that Billy had the map the whole time, and he passes it to our protagonist Jim Hawkins before promptly dying. His job is to set the plot in motion and then be completely absent from the rest of the story.

In high school, I decided that since I enjoyed this movie so much, I should read the full unabridged version of the book. And the first thing that really struck me about it was the description of Billy Bones. Obviously, I was expecting there to be differences between this 19th century novel and the adaptation that involves Muppets. And the I do think that the character of Billy Bones, as portrayed by Billy Connolly, is a great adaptation of the character!

But the novel paints a more complete image of him: The boisterous side of him that we see in Muppet Treasure Island is only how he behaves on the nights he gets incredibly drunk; most of the time he is quiet and brooding.

He was a very silent man by custom. All day he hung round the cove or upon the cliffs with a brass telescope; all evening he sat in a corner of the parlour next the fire and drank rum and water very strong. Mostly he would not speak when spoken to, only look up sudden and fierce and blow through his nose like a fog-horn; and we and the people who came about our house soon learned to let him be. Every day when he came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road. At first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him ask this question, but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them. When a seaman did put up at the Admiral Benbow (as now and then some did, making by the coast road for Bristol) he would look in at him through the curtained door before he entered the parlour; and he was always sure to be as silent as a mouse when any such was present. For me, at least, there was no secret about the matter, for I was, in a way, a sharer in his alarms. He had taken me aside one day and promised me a silver fourpenny on the first of every month if I would only keep my “weather-eye open for a seafaring man with one leg” and let him know the moment he appeared. Often enough when the first of the month came round and I applied to him for my wage, he would only blow through his nose at me and stare me down, but before the week was out he was sure to think better of it, bring me my four-penny piece, and repeat his orders to look out for “the seafaring man with one leg.”

When I read the book, I got a greater sense that Billy Bones was a man suffering from a great deal of trauma-- which is very significant for the character, considering that he literally gets Scared To Death.

So! Years later when I heard "Starz is making a pirate drama that's a prequel to Treasure Island", I was stoked! So much so that I felt like I couldn't actually watch it until I was Emotionally Ready... which wasn't until 2019.

I watched the first episode, and I cradled Billy Bones in my hands, and I said "oh my sweet summer child.... you're going to have some serious Long John Silver related PTSD by the time this is over..... you're going to become a husk of the man you are now..... you are Unkillable because your death is already written in stone baby!"

[dwarf-vader-of-middle-earth]

My two best IRL friends, they're a couple, and today the boyfriend flew out to meet his girlfriend here in this state, and they went to prom together for her college.

And idk… I just keep thinking… I never got a college prom, and I doubt I ever will. My high school prom, I had a boyfriend who said constantly multiple times that he was going to come fly out to NJ and be my date.

I wound up, that prom night, going to the celebration with a good friend of mine who also had no date. But then… my abuser went as well. I'd been apart from her for months for the first time in my life after being stuck with her for 5 years straight. And when she found me, she literally ditched her own date to force me to dance with her the entire time. She ruined me, that woman. She made me lose my entire sense of self completely, to the point I forgot what I enjoyed, what my hobbies were, what shows and comics I loved, what music I liked listening to. And the entire celebration, I didn't have any fun. I was with her the whole way, and was scared shitless during afterprom that she'd find me and force me to do more things with her. So I just hid. I went to enclosed videogames, I hid in dark corners of the arcade, I went on rides with short lines and constantly looked over my shoulder to make sure she wasn't there.

And all that time, my boyfriend of a full year, he wasn't there like he said he was going to be.

It bothered me for all this time ever since. It was more than 6 years ago that this happened. But I'm seeing and feeling it now, and I'm actually sobbing as I write this. I'm at my computer outright sobbing. I fucking hate this. I hate myself. I hate my life.

I know. I shouldn't. But so much of my life has been spent ruined. 13 years of public school were spent hiding, remaining silent, going DAYS without speaking aloud to anyone to the point my teachers were concerned about me. But if ever I spoke up, I had at least a dozen students jumping on me and yelling at me, calling me names, screaming at me, pulling my hair and throwing food at me in the lunch room.

I'm so many years out of school now, and it still hurts. It's salt on a fresh wound. I'm a fucking mess rn. I just hate this. I hate me. I am a fucking mistake of a human being that's just a walking sack of trauma and survivor's regret.

I was never happy in school. Never. And now that I'm an adult I've spent all this time trying to make up for that loss of joy. And it just feels like it's all in vain. I am vain, and selfish, and I'm living for nothing. Fuck.

[futuresconnected]

Welcome to my Blog!

Thanks for being here! I'm going to start off this blog with a bit of info about me, my history with games, and my plans for this blog. Come in and see!

Meet The Blogger

You can call me Wham, I've been playing games since i was child with a Gameboy Advance and a well-loved copy of Pokemon crystal, but its really only in the last five years that I've come into any sort of gaming community and had the desire to explore gaming as a hobby and video games as an art form.

Let's start with the kind of games I've enjoyed (and you can check out my Backloggd link in my profile for more)

JRPGs are the big one, and a perennial favorite of mine. Heavy hitters here include the Final Fantasy franchise (X,XII, and XIV especially), the Xenoblade games (especially 3), and the Persona series. I'm currently trying to explore more series that I've missed over the years, like Star Ocean, Trails in the Sky, Tales of, etc.

Rougelikes! Not quite as much these days, but ever since The Binding of Isaac came out, I rode the wave of the indie roguelike scene for a good seven or eight years and have a deep love for where this genre has gone over the years. Notable games for me here are Isaac, FTL, Risk of Rain, Hades, Inscryption, and Darkest Dungeon.

Diablo-style loot RPGs, I've had a long history with these games starting back when I would play Diablo II LAN games with my friend and his dad back in middle school, and games like this have always had a soft spot in my heart. I spent years playing Path of Exile, and I routinely come back to games like Titan Quest and Grim Dawn as well.

Fighting games! This one is pretty new for me, back in 2020 one of my good friends decided he was gonna try to get into Street Fighter, and that caused a small revolution in my friend group that has led to me playing a whole hell of a lot of Guilty Gear Strive, Street Fighter 6, and other assorted games. I'm by no means good at them, but I've been committed to learning and improving at them bit by bit (you'll see in the weekly FGC Corner :) )

Visual Novels/Narrative Games. This one is very much a less cogent genre space, but some of my absolute favorite games can all be loosely put together around these terms. Games like 13 Sentinels, 999, Virtue's Last Reward, Umineko, Misericorde, Perfect Tides, things of that nature.

There are many others out there, so I'll end this section by listing off a bunch of other games that are classics for me: Outer Wilds, Neon White, Just Cause 2, Devil May Cry 5, Blasphemous, Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Elden Ring, Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Rimworld, Disco Elysium, Monster Hunter, and many many others!

The Big Idea

What I mostly want from this blog is to be a space where I can get together at the end of a week and think back about what I've been playing, what I think about it, and whatever else is connected to those feelings. Over the years I've enjoyed seeing other folks thinking and writing critically about the media that they enjoy, and while I hold no aspirations of turning this into anything quite as specific as that, I want to give myself space to spend more time thinking about this hobby which means so much to me. I have no idea how its going to go, if I'm going to like it, or how consistent I will be able to be, but for the time being this is my plan all laid out!

If you've read all this and it sounds interesting to you, or you think you might have tastes that align with mine, feel free to follow along! I'd love to have more people to talk shop with, or even just knowing that some other folks out there might think my words are interesting.

So let's get into it!

[monalamonala]

Bad feelings

Recently I got a few days off of my work which got me very overjoyed.

I needed a bit extra free time for my hobbies, some things that I wanted to keep up with.

I'm quite an early bird, usually I'm up by 5 am latest, which gives me that relaxing feeling in a way knowing most people around me are sleeping. Almost some sort of mental relief in a way, as if I have a corner where I can be myself for a few hours. It's my freedom.

The day began quite nice, did some chores, some cleaning, eventually it turned to early noon.

And I received an upsetting message. I've been in a overly friendly relationship with her all my life, kept no secrets, shared absolutely everything with her for 26 years.

Yet the realization never hit me, until one day my at the time friend took me out and blatantly said 'She's manipulating you'.

Right after that my mind rewired itself, trying to connect the dots.

She was right, I have never had childhood, acting as an adult from age 6.

Acting mature, silent, well behaved was always normal when I was small, seemed like she was proud of it too. I almost never had any tantrums, as much as I remember, never asked for anything, it was always there in my mind that we could never afford it.

As a teenager rebellion was never much of an option for me, other than wearing dark clothes trying to belong to some sort of circle. That didn't work much either as I've been bullied for many years none of people my age wanted to be my friends, it's always been lonely, and it was always only her and emptiness in my heart.

Eventually switching schools was the best thing, it took a while, now in the end of my teenage years, some kind people said I have talent. It made me make friends, suddenly feeling of emptiness was replaced with feeling of rising self worth, charisma, personality that I never realized I had.

It lasted for a while, eventually got a job, but still spent my free time with people that enjoyed being with me, of course she didn't like that. Repeating how childish it is, it's time for me to grow up, and it planted a seed of doubt in my mind.

It grew, it bloomed and in one hand movement all was lost, it was only work, only home and her for years, that was the feeling of growing up. Doubt that she was wrong never occurred to me...

Eventually at age of 26 I left. Feeling like chance to truly discover myself was thrown out of my hands, yet the right person showed up in my life that wants to put me up together.

Feeling in my heart never came back, neither did the loneliness, but it was replaced with love and respect for him. It makes me feel like not all is lost, there is a chance, there is a way, just need to keep going and not give up, if not for me then for us.

It's us now, and the thought of it brings a joyful tear to my eye.

Never again HER.

blocked.

[writerartistdreamer]

@whumptober @whumptober-archive

Hello! This is my story for day 6 of Whumptober. Enjoy!

Fair disclaimer, TW, this fanfiction has a character that is locked up in a cell and there might be mentions/threats of violence (a few, but it's good to know).

Posting day: 6

Prompt day 6: Made to watch

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Characters: Belle, the Evil Queen, Rumplestiltskin (mentioned)

Belle had been locked up in the Evil Queen's tower for the past three years. In vain, she had tried to escape multiple times, leaving guards unconscious or wounded, climbing to grated windows lr running to the back gates, as well as using the hidden tunnels throughout the palace. Each time, she was so very close, and still each time, the queen found her and threw her back in her cell, bringing more guards, as well as casting spells to make her chances of escaping close to none. Years had passed and nobody had come to look for her. Oh, she didn't doubt the queen's vicious, manipulative and traitorous nature, but she had hoped, despite it all, that she would eventually escape her clutches, or that someone would find her locked up in the tower and take her away.

Not even her- not even Rumplestiltskin had come in search of the girl, to maybe rescue her or at least make sure she was safe while away, which shredded her last glint of hope. He made it clear enough that his power was the only thing that truly mattered to him and, even if he did attempt to rescue her, he had probably been tricked by Regina herself, knowing just how capable she was of hurting those around her to further her own power. Hope had only lasted so long, before she simply gave up and spent most of her time curled up in the corner of her cell, scraping tally marks in the stone and slowly losing her sanity and her liveliness.

One day, the cell door could be heard screeching open and Belle did not even bother to turn around and look at who might be coming in. There was no way for anyone to be coming to her aid, for many were probably no longer aware of her disappearance and either supposed her to still be working as Rumplestiltskin caretaker, or supposed her to be dead. The Evil Queen's heels could be heard clanking as she advanced in the girl's cell and tugged on the chain locked around her ankle to catch the girl's attention (another precaution to ensure her escape would be impossible, although Belle was known to be able to open such locks with no effort). Belle turned around, sneering angrily, not losing her rebelious spirit just yet, yet the Queen smiled in her face, knowing that all the mere mortal of a girl could do was bark and not actually cause any harm. "Such lack of manners...perhaps I should educate you once more with a few whippings" Regina spoke, smirking victoriously.

"You won, alright? You have me here, locked up, unable to escape, away from everyone I love. What more do you want?" Belle spoke, such sadness laced in her voice, which barely carried out anymore. The only person she could speak to was herself, the sound of her voice going to waste in between the stone walls surrounding her. At most, she could try to shoo the rats away from her cell, a feat that almost never worked in her favour. "I've never done anything to you..." she whispered, defeated, barely looking i her direction, her face almost fully hidden by her mop of her, overly grown while in captivity.

"And here I was, thinking I could offer you a gift. Perhaps not" Regina sneered, pretending to walk away, before returning and bending down to Belle's level with a savage grin. "You're lucky you're still here, little girl, and not six feet deep or with your ashes in an urn" she addressed the prisoner, before standing back up and asking her men to drag in a mirror, barely any taller than her. Belle looked on with a frown, trying to stand up and move away from the large object.

"A mirror? What do you want me to look for, the state of decay I'm in? The bruises adding up on me?" Belle replied back, anger seething within her. What kind of mockery or humiliation was this? Bringing her a mirror to constantly spy on her, to feel more joy at the sight of another prisoner's suffering? Letting the girl see just how drained and pathetic she now looked, how the sight of her no longer matched the name that had been bestowed upon her at birth?

"Not quite, although you may be smarter than I've given you credit" the Evil Queen spoke maliciously and flicked her hand, letting an image slowly appear in the frame of the mirror. Another cage, presumably in another palace, dark and damp and full of dirt, holding yet another prisoner. Belle couldn't understand, was she supposed to watch another person go through what she endured, as if misery loved company? What kind of cruel joke was being played upon her. Still, the image revealed that, within the cage, a person or a creature, she couldn't be too sure because of the darkness, was being held in that cage. After a few moments, a figure was revealed: curled hair, now tangled and greasy, ripped up leather clothing, visible wounds on his hands and cheeks and an amber gaze she would recognize anywhere. She let out a pained sob, reaching for the mirror and touching it, as if trying to reach out for the man. "Rumple!" She shouted, a few tears pouring down his cheeks when she saw the state he was in. A malevolent cackle was heard from the doorway of her cell, the impeccable red lips forming a pleased smirk at the girl's reaction.

"Master AND lover indeed. And now where have you both landed? Powerless, locked up where not even the gods can look upon you, miserable and alone" Regina threw the words in her face, laughing as she watched Belle struggle to reach for Rumplestiltskin, to soothe his pain, to do something, though all she could really do was watch him through the magical mirror.

"What have you done to him?? You monster!" Belle screamed, lunging for her, but being stopped by the chain tugging at her ankle. Tears of anger and frustration pooled down her cheeks as she once again returned to the mirror, seeing him crouched in the corner of his cell, just as miserable as she felt.

"Oh, me, dearie?" The Evil Queen mocked, before continuing. "Why nothing. The heroes, as they called themselves, took your beloved beast and threw him away into a jail cell, for one of his tricky little deals. And now all you can do is sit and watch as the two of you fade into obscurity. The mirror will remain here in your cell and you'll be forced to watch as he decays and you lose your sanity. Quite a gift, I'd say, being able to see your beloved, isn't it?" The Evil Queen finally said, malice coating her voice. Before Belle could say anything else, the cell door was slammed shut, and the girl fell to her knees, tears staining her dusty cheeks as she watched Rumplestiltskin suffer with nobody coming to his rescue, just as she did.

[laurencodyblog]

Re-posted from 11/12/11

Fingerprints

I have no fingerprints left.

It all started a few weeks back on a Saturday when Alex and I went to hang out with his Papaw at an empty house he was working on by the lake. So Big Al and I went exploring in the back yard. That's where he made the discovery. Inside an old abandoned shed were lots of fishing poles and tackle, old rusted tools and empty gas cans. Over in a dark corner, Alex spotted something shiny sticking out of an old 5-gallon paint bucket.

His eyes got big as he went in for a closer look. I of course (being the watchful grandmother that I am) , gave the standard cautionary warnings of bugs, snakes and cobwebs. Alex wasn't even the slightest bit phased. The next thing I knew, he was pulling and tugging with all his might – the bucket out into the sunlight and dumped its contents on the ground for our inspection.

It was filled to overflowing of old, rusted out and tarnished pieces of brass and copper – that had no doubt spent the last many years tucked away in this dank, leaky shed. He and I took off on imaginary tales of how and who had collected these 'valuable treasures' (his words, certainly not mine). We were convinced that we had accidentally stumbled upon a pirates booty – or the remnants of a robber's art gallery heist – for sure. We had so much fun inventing possible scenarios and likely plots that the time got away from us. Before long, Papaw had finished his work and was ready to go. The truck was loaded and as Alex raced to re-pack his treasures and drag them to the truck, I knew he would have to convince Papaw that they were worth the effort to try and make room. I worried that all his begging and pleading would probably do no good because the truck was packed.

But as he presented his closing arguments to a hot and tired grandfather – we both saw the gleam in his eyes as he explained that he has always wanted to find something just like this. These were valuable and could be cleaned and polished up and be worth a lot of money. (So far, we weren't convinced). Then he explained holding up a bent copper fondue pot – “I've always wanted to give something like this to my mom. Something I got on my own – that no one else bought for me to give her. She collects copper, and I know she would just love this!”

He was right. She would love this. She would love that he would bravely search a dark spider-filled shed on the slight possibility that he could find something nice for her. And she would love that when he did find 'treasure' his very first thought was how much his mother would enjoy it. She would love and cherish that pot to her last breath...

So fast forward a few weeks to a copper / brass cleaning and polishing Saturday appointment with Alex and Nonna. Of course, I couldn't let him do it, because of the chemicals – so I agreed to do my best. About 6 hours later – a back aching, nails ruined – fingerprints missing Nonna presented a shiny, copper fondue pot. It is still bent, and of course still has some bad spots on it, but when he sees it, his eyes light up and a snaggle toothed grin explodes across his face.

“I knew it would be beautiful!” He says, looking it over.

“All my life, I've wanted to give her something like this.....”

Well, now he finally gets to.

I'm still a little nauseous and completely exhausted. I'm not sure my fingers will recover – and I'm entirely sure my fingernails won't. My whole Saturday is gone, my back hurts and I had so many other things that needed tending to today...

But nothing quite as important as looking at his beaming face and hearing the excitement in his voice when he told me he's found a treasure he's been looking for all his life.

Now that's ironic.

Because I've spent the last half hour telling you about the treasure I've been looking for all my life.

He has blue eyes and a snaggle toothed grin.

Lauren Cody

11/12/11

[pankomako]

6 years ago today i joined the failboat discord server and effectively joined the community. contrary to what you may think i have no regrets

i think that's officially like. more than half the channel's existence. and about a third of my life. which is crazy to me. wish i could do more to celebrate but ig im just stuck here on tumblr for now

[anonymityisfunwriter]

Two Sides of The Same Coin - Chapter 2: "State of Grace"

"And I never saw you coming, and I'll never be the same..."

6 Months Later…

“Alright, you’re meeting a new person today. You ready?” Sam claps, rounding the corner into the kitchen where you were currently tending to your plant.

You only had this one small plant inside, but most days you spent outside in your small garden enjoying the sun for the first time in your life. 

You'd enjoyed a lot of firsts living with Sam in this small two-flat that was typically used as housing for SHIELD agents not living on the Avengers Compound. It was a small, but nice house and the two of you had found a nice routine living together. Daily walks to take in all New York had to offer, movie nights filled with every modern day classic, and catching up on everything else a twenty-something year old should know. 

The caveat was other than in passing, your interactions with other people were few and far in between. Still it was good- better than anything you could have ever hoped for. 

“New people?” you remark in awe, turning away from your houseplant. “You never let me meet new people!”

“I know,” Sam chuckles. “But today is a special occasion- your very first mission.”

“I’m so excited: my first mission!” you squeal. "Do I get to meet one of your friends?"

“Your first mission,” he confirms. “And yes, you'll meet one of my friends, Bucky, he’s going to help us with the mission.”

“Bucky? That’s a funny name,” you quip, turning back around to finish pruning one of your plants.

“Well, it’s more of a nickname, like what your friends call you instead of saying your full name. Like you call me Sam even though my name is Samuel?” Sam explains.

“Oh…” you nod in understanding. “Well, what’s his real name?”

“James. James Buchanan Barnes.”

“He has three names?” 

“Which reminds me, I need to talk to Nick about that. He swears they're working on it, but apparently I need to light a fire under their ass to get you any type of documents.”

“So when do I meet the new people?” you ask, brimming with excitement.

“The new person,” Sam corrects. “It’s one person.”

“When do I meet the new person?” you amend, sighing another of Sam's corrections to your grammar.

“He should be here soon," he says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I’m going to call Nick about that and you can wait here for Bucky. He’s got clearance, so he can just walk in, but I shouldn’t be too long. Okay?”

“Got it,” you chirp.

And then you’re anxiously sitting at the front window sill watching the pedestrians pass on the street wondering which of the many strangers will be the first person you actually meet. 

It's only been about 20 minutes when you hear the door knob turn. Despite your excitement at finally getting to interact with another person besides Sam, you freeze on the opposite side of the door, standing off to the side just out of sight.

You certainly don’t mean to sneak up on him- though Sam’s always told you your footsteps were eerily quiet.

"Oh," you marvel, taking in the new person in front of you. You can only see the back of his head and the glint of his metal arm, both of which completely capture your attention. "I've never seen a metal arm before- it's very cool."

"Jesus," Bucky jumps back, startled. "Who the hell are you? And how long have you been standing there?"

“Which question do you want me to answer first?” you ask with a large grin.

“Who are you?” Bucky demands.

You stick out your hand, still brimming with excitement, and simply give him your name, while you take in the sight of the stranger in front of you.

"That's great," he says sarcastically, ignoring your outstretched hand. "Now who are you? And how the hell did you sneak up on me?"

"I already told you," you insist, slightly frowning in confusion, reluctantly dropping your hand. "My name is-"

Sam cuts you off by walking in. "Oh, good. The two of you already met."

"Yeah, not really," Bucky grunts, turning to Sam and whispering, "Who the hell is this? And why is she here?"

"I can still hear you," you playfully whisper back. "And I’m here because I live here."

Bucky's eyes flicker between the two of you, trying to figure out how any of this makes any sense. The attractive stranger with absolutely zero social skills living with his friend that has hardly contacted him in 6 months, who called him completely out of the blue for help with a mission that he couldn't say anything about. There was no other word for it except confusing. "You two live together?" 

Sam sighs, turning to you first. "Do you remember what I told about little white lies? That you don't always need to tell everyone everything?" You nod definitively, remembering the exact conversation very well. "This is one of those times."

Then he turns back to Bucky. "And do you remember the assignment I was going on? Why I moved out of the compound? The secret assignment ?"

Bucky scoffs, "This is your 'super-top-secret' assignment?"

Sam gently claps a hand over your shoulder. "This is our newest member of the team."

"Team?" Bucky asks in disbelief. "Her?"

"You have pretty eyes," you comment, leaning over the kitchen island and watching Bucky intently. You hold out your closed palm to Bucky, the same way you did to Sam when you first met. When you open your palm, you hold out a blue flower- the same shade of blue as his eyes.

"See? She likes you," Sam grins.

Bucky completely turns away from your open palm and focuses on Sam. "Yeah, I don't care. So she lives here, but why is she here?" Bucky emphasizes, pointing to the surrounding area.

"She's going to help us, duh. Now don't be rude," Sam says, nudging his head to your still outstretched hand.

"You're kidding me, right?"

Sam's eyes flicker more forcefully. "No. I'm not." 

"Fine," he says, taking the flower in his hand. "There, you happy?"

Sam turns to you with a warm smile. "Can you give us a minute? I just need to talk to Bucky real quick."

"Sure," you nod, turning to walk around then almost immediately turning back. "Wait, how long do you need?"

"I'll come get you. How about you turn on a movie or something?" Sam suggests, ignoring the way Bucky rolls his eyes and crosses his arms in impatience.

"Alright," you nod again, then head out to the living room.

As soon as you're out the door, Sam's smile drops, looking particularly unimpressed by Bucky's behavior. "I need you to be nice."

"Well you could have given me a warning. She scared the hell out of me. Who just sneaks up on a trained assassin?"

"In her defense, she doesn’t know you’re a trained assassin. And I'm pretty sure she can hold her own."

"Whatever,” Bucky grouses, rolling his eyes. “Are you going to tell me what's going on? Or what kind of assignment requires you two to live together?"

"Long story short: Fury asked me to be her handler and here I am."

“And you agreed to that?”

Sam shrugs. “It was kind of hard to say no.”

"So what's her deal?"

"'Her deal' is getting acclimated- that's all you need to know. Anything else you can go ask her yourself."

"So you’ve got a mission?” Bucky impatiently prompts, hating the half truths and cryptic answers Sam keeps giving him.

“Yes, pretty cut and dry,” Sam says, sliding the file over to Bucky. 

“It’s a simple recovery. We could take care of this just the two of us,” Bucky grumbles, quickly reading over the mission.

“But we’re not going to,” Sam corrects. “She’s coming with us.”

“Why? What aren’t you telling me?”

“There’s a lot I’m not telling you,” Sam admits. “You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.”

“You’re going to have to give me more than that.”

Sam begrudgingly huffs. “It’s her first mission, but-”

“Clearly,” Bucky snarks, his arms still crossed and clearly equally unimpressed with the whole situation. “And you know I don’t work with rookies.”

“But I think she’s ready. I know for a fact that she could easily handle herself out there.”

Bucky scoffs. “By handing everyone flowers?”

“I’ll have you know that she can do that with fruits and vegetables too. Small ones, mostly. Some herbs too.”

“You’re not really instilling any confidence in me, Sam.”

“Look, she’s powerful enough to catch Nick Fury’s attention and to get him to devote a whole person into working with her 24/7. Do you honestly think I would’ve agreed to that if I didn’t think she was worth it?” Sam rhetorically asks. “Just give her a chance.”

“Fine,” Bucky reluctantly groans.

“And be nice,” Sam warns again, then turns to walk back to the living room. When they walk in, you’re watching a movie like Sam asked you to, but that's not what catches Bucky's attention, it's the small flame you're rolling in between your fingers. 

"What the hell?" 

“Cool, right?” Sam smirks to a stunned Bucky. “You ready to go?”

“Yes,” you nod eagerly. “I’m so excited!”

“Like that?” Bucky asks, gesturing to your outfit- a simple sundress and a light jacket. “Shouldn’t she be wearing more…I don’t know protection or something?”

You point to your jean jacket. “That’s what the jacket is for.”

“No, Bucky’s right. Can you put on some pants, please? Something you can move around in,” Sam asks. You wordlessly nod, walking back to your room to find something else to wear. “And no leggings!”

You sigh, calling back to him, “Fine.”

“This is a terrible idea,” Bucky sighs. "I want it on the record that this is a terrible idea- one of your worst really."

"Or possibly one of my best."

This time Bucky doesn't reply, letting the silence hang in the air as they wait for you to come back. When you return, you’re wearing your favorite yellow shirt paired with some jeans- along with the same jean jacket. “Okay! Now I’m ready.”

Bucky pinches the bridge of his nose, looking at Sam with an incredulous expression. “Anything to say about this?”

“No, not really, but I’m sure you do,” Sam retorts.

“No, it’s okay,” you quickly assure Bucky. “This is my lucky shirt, that way we’ll have good luck.”

“You’ll be lucky if you get spotted from a mile away,” Bucky snarks. “Sam, she’s wearing a bright yellow shirt.”

“So what? You need to focus on the positive: It’s a lucky shirt.”

“We’re banking on a lucky shirt, Sam? Have you lost your mind?” Bucky asks, fighting the urge to pull out his own hair at the strange- downright weird situation he's just found himself in. 

“You said it yourself, it’s an easy mission. We got this,” Sam assures. 

Bucky takes a large deep breath. “I’m going to kill you.”

On the ride there, Sam watches the way Bucky interacts with you- carefully watching you the entire time, but avoiding any actual interaction with you. From the rearview mirror, he sees Bucky staring at you. And it takes you a few seconds before you feel the glare at the side of your head. Instead of asking Bucky why he’s staring or telling him to stop staring, you immediately begin partaking in this strange staring contest. 

“Will you two cut it out?” Sam complains, momentarily turning away from the wheel.

“Shh…Sam I’m winning,” you mumble, leaning forward a little bit more.

Sam fully turns around this time, snapping his fingers in front of the two of you. “We’re here. Stop it.”

“Ha, I win!” you boast, opening the car door.

“No you didn’t.”

“I totally did.”

“Sam?” Bucky prompts.

“You’re asking me who won a staring contest between two adults?”

“Whatever,” Bucky grumbles, stepping out of the car. 

“The garage isn’t far from here,” Sam informs the two of you. “We’re going to cut through the alley.”

-

“Alright, you see the bad guys. Now what?” Sam whispers, the three of you standing behind a large truck just out of sight.

“We go get the stuff back?” you reply.

“Exactly! Now, it’s important to look around before you do anything else. How many bad guys there are. Anything that could be useful. You need to get a good look at the big picture before you swoop in there, okay?”

“Alright,” you nod. “There’s those guys right there. And the ones on the truck, but we can’t see inside the back of the truck.”

“Good! Anything else?”

“Yes, James is breathing down my neck. And you’re right next to me.”

“Funny, very funny,” Bucky hisses. “Sam, this-”

But he’s cut off by the sight of your yellow shirt in his peripheral. His head snaps in your direction, and he’s about to go and intervene when Sam sticks his arm out to stop him. “Let’s just give her a second. Maybe she’ll surprise you.”

“Doubt it,” Bucky snarks.

“Hi,” you chirp, approaching the three men, sticking your hand out to greet them.

“Is introducing herself to international arms dealers?” Bucky mutters in disbelief.

“What are you doing?” one of the men bark at you.

“Oh, this is a handshake. It’s another way of saying hello,” you explain.

“That’s great, sweetie, but what are you doing here?” another man demands, gesturing to the area around you.

“Well, I need the things in the back of your truck. According to my friend, you’re not supposed to have it,” you calmly explain, still grinning at the men. 

“Well in that case,” the man scoffs, lifting his gun to point it at you.

“Would it make a difference if I said please?” you audibly wonder and Sam has to stick his arm out in front of Bucky to stop him from intervening once more.

“Sam, she’s going to get herself killed!” Bucky insists.

“Just give her a second,” Sam repeats.

“No,” the man snarls, the gun still pointed in your direction.

“Okay,” you shrug. Then the ground underneath the large semi-trucks begins rumbling then cracking and separating, making it impossible for them to drive off.

“Why didn’t she do that earlier?” Bucky exhales, clenching his jaw in unbridled irritation.

“Well not everyone is ‘shoot first, ask questions later’, Bucky.”

“I ask questions when it’s a good time to ask questions, not when there’s guns being pointed in my face.”

“Well, it’s working out pretty well for her. Isn’t it?”

“Speaking of which, we should probably help her,” Bucky says, gesturing to you who is now being openly fired at.

“Look at you wanting to be a helpful teammate!”

“We’re not a team,” Bucky grunts, jumping into the action. And he’s got to give it to you, you’re pretty agile for someone without any training. 

He’s got one eye on you the entire time the three of you are fighting, you’re tearing the guns out of the bad guys hands making it a lot easier for Sam and Bucky to stop them. Only half paying attention to what he’s doing, another gun goes off, the bullet heading right for Bucky. There is no conscious action on your part, but the bullet stops just short of Bucky. 

“Thanks,” Bucky sighs, looking around the bullet frozen in mid-air.

“You’re welcome. Didn’t even know I could do that,” you admit, an anxious laugh leaving your mouth.

“Do you think Redwing caught that? That was like the freaking Matrix!”

And as quickly as it started, it’s over.

SHIELD came and collected the arms dealers along with the various contraband in the back of their several large trucks. Or so Sam told you, you were still being kept a well-hidden secret, so you had to wait in the car while they properly finished the mission.

“Well, I think we can call that a successful mission,” Sam says as he enters the car. “No one died, no one was hurt. Got the weapons back. And you - you were great,” Sam praises you, holding a hand up for a high five.

You eagerly slap his hand from the front passenger seat. “Since I did a good job, can we get pizza for dinner?”

“Can we get pizza?” Sam playfully scoffs. “Heck yeah, we can get pizza! You were awesome.”

“Wait, where’s James?”

“Bucky?” Sam asks. “I think he’s going to take off from here. He’s not much of a people person, don’t take it personally.”

But you don’t quite get that, being in isolation your entire life, seeing anyone, meeting anyone was cause for celebration. “James?” you call, cracking your window open as you see him start to walk away. His head snaps up, clearly not expecting to hear from you. “Aren’t you coming? We’re getting pizza!”

“Erm…” he starts, looking for an excuse not to go. But the second he looks at your pleading eyes, the excuse dies right on his lips. “Uh, yeah. I guess I can come.”

-

“Hm…just under a day with her. You didn’t last as long as Fury did,” Sam quietly remarks as you’re in your room changing out of your dirty clothes leaving the two men to wait downstairs for the food. 

“What?” 

“I lasted about an hour,” Sam explains, opening the fridge to grab himself and Bucky a beer. “It took me one hour with her before I agreed to be her handler. It took Fury about a week before he got attached. It took you almost an entire day.”

“I’m not attached,” Bucky vehemently objects, grabbing the beer from Sam's hand.

“Oh, yes you are,” Sam knowingly chuckles. “It’s impossible not to be. Maybe that’s part of her thing, but you almost can’t help but want to be near her.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Oh, trust me, I’m right about this. You’re two sides of the same coin.”

“Sam,” Bucky interjects. “I could not think of another person that’s more different than I am.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Besides, opposites attract,” Sam continues, nudging Bucky with his elbow. The doorbell rings and Bucky’s immediately thankful for the disruption. 

“Can you stop using generic ass phrases like we’re suddenly going to be best friends?” Bucky calls as Sam walks over to the door to get the pizza.

“Your defensiveness is only proving my point!” he laughs. 

“There’s nothing to prove. You both equally aggravate me,” Bucky counters as Sam walks back with a pizza box in hand. 

“But I’m your friend,” Sam smirks. “No reason she can’t be your friend too.”

“We’re acquaintances at best.”

“And yet, you’re still here,” Sam points out. 

“I’m here because you have pizza and beer,” Bucky says, gesturing to the food in front of him. 

“And a pretty girl?” Sam teases.

“If you think she’s pretty, why don’t you go for it?” Bucky counters, ignoring the fact that he does actually find you attractive.

“Ew,” Sam immediately cringes. Bucky raises an eyebrow at the visceral reaction. “Not, ew, like ew , but ew all the same. She’s like- I just know her too well. I don’t see her like that, but I did see the way you were watching her.”

“To make sure she didn’t get us killed!”

“Face it, Bucky." Sam smugly smiles. "You’ve met your match.”

Previous Chapter⏐Next Chapter

"Two Sides Of The Same Coin" Chapter List AnonymityIsFun Masterlist

[moririki]

⤷ AN EIGHT-LEGGED PROBLEM

OIKAWA TOORU & SAKUSA KIYOOMI & HAIBA LEV & MIYA ATSUMU X READER -> 1.8K
you save your boyfriend from a massive problem which is currently in the corner of your bathroom )

REQUEST -> n/a
CONTAINS -> spiders, bugs, you picking up said creepy crawlies, hq boys being no! help! at! all! (but that's ok bc we love them for it), fanon-ish sakusa cos i haven't read the manga and he had like 5 seconds of screen time so i'm just going off of what i've read + seen, clear favouritism despite the fact that i know basically nothing about sakusa, manga timeskip spoilers in sakusa's
MORI'S THOUGHTS -> haven't seen one where the reader is the one in the relationship who takes care of bugs so since i'm a #girlboss who throws spiders out of my room whenever i see them without breaking a sweat i'm writing that into a fun lil thing with the haikyuu boys that i strongly believe are scared of bugs. also besides the point but look at the pretty colour palette that their banners make fjfjfjdj will go back to writing the requests after this! inspiration just struck

❍ OIKAWA TOORU

-> omg this fucking guy

-> don't let his pride fool you this man HATES bugs with a burning passion

-> he'll never admit it though

-> between you and the aoba johsai team he would never hear the end of how the great king oikawa would cower at the sight of a moth doing laps around a lightbulb

-> so when you pretended not to hear the shriek that left your boyfriend when he saw something flying around the bathroom light and he declined your offer to get rid of the moth for him, this left oikawa in a pretty difficult situation

-> it was just him alone in the bathroom, trying to brush his teeth while eyeing the bug warily

-> you came in a few minutes later, getting ready to go to bed as well

-> "you know, babe, that moth's been there for quite a while," you teased him

-> oikawa hummed in response, his eyes never leaving it as it continued its circumnavigation of the light fixture

-> "oh, you know. who am i to kick someone out of their home? i'm no monster"

-> you almost snorted at how poor of an excuse that was, but ruffled your boyfriend's hair anyway

-> "i'll take care of it, ru, you just finish getting ready"

-> "but y/n-chan, that moth has feelings! don't be mean to it!"

-> you gave tooru a very blank stare at that

-> "so do you want me to leave you alone with your new friend?"

-> "......no"

-> "that's what i thought"

-> you went up to the moth, managing to trap it in your hands before releasing it from a window

-> oikawa shuddered as you came back to the sink, giving your hands a quick rinse before resuming with brushing your teeth like nothing had happened

-> "you're so brave, my love"

-> "anything for you, babe"

❍ SAKUSA KIYOOMI

-> bless this poor boy

-> so it's no secret that sakusa isn't the fondest of germs

-> and that extends to bugs and spiders too

-> besides a normal amount of disgust that he held for them, the thought of where the insects had been or placed one of their many feet on never failed to make his skin crawl

-> that's where you, his wonderful significant other, comes in

-> as much as he loves you, he just can't understand how you always stared at bugs with wonder in your eyes

-> you'd even pick them up, cooing at the way they crawled up your arm while sakusa just stared at you in disbelief with a can of bug spray in hand

-> tonight was one of those swelteringly hot summer nights

-> you know, the ones where the air seems to be still no matter how many windows you open and every insect in a mile radius is actively trying to enter your home

-> you were spending the night at your boyfriend's apartment, ready to have a relaxing night in with him since your schedules had finally synced up and allowed you both to enjoy a day off at the same time

-> it took months of trust before sakusa finally admitted to you how much he enjoyed doing skincare

-> so whenever you two spent the night together, you decided to start the evening with some face masks and idle binging of a tv show

-> against his half-hearted protests, you had insisted that sakusa wore a headband while this happened (one that had a very cute duck face printed on it)

-> just to keep the curls out of his face, of course

-> whenever he caught you sneaking a candid of him with facemask and duck headband on, he just shot you a halfhearted glare and threatened you to never send that to atsumu or the rest of the msby team

-> (you set it as your home screen instead)

-> anyways, i digress

-> so tonight you decided to cool down from the heat with a few facemasks and cuddling in your boyfriend's heavily air conditioned living room

-> but he kept all his skincare stuff in the bathroom, so you went to go get them as he set up a show to watch along with some snacks

-> you flicked on the light, going to his cabinet when something in the corner of the room caught your eye

-> there was a fairly large spider, desperately trying to crawl up the smooth tile wall

-> you decided to take pity on it and release it

-> but when you had it cupped safely in your hands, you decided to terrorise your poor boyfriend just a little

-> "hey, omi, look what i found!"

-> your boyfriend perked up at your signature nickname for him, though his eyes narrowed as he saw your clasped hands held in front of you

-> "no"

-> "but baby, you haven't even seen-"

-> "no"

-> you giggled at how defensive he had become

-> "come on, don't you want to name it? it's very cute"

-> "i want you to throw it out, y/n"

-> "alright, alright"

-> you took the spider to a window, releasing it back outside before heading back to the bathroom and grabbing a few masks for real this time

-> sakusa gave you the cold shoulder as you sat down next to him, humming as you gave him a face mask and putting it on without a word

-> "aww, baby, i'm sorry"

-> "..."

-> "i'll give you a head massage if you stop ignoring me?"

-> sakusa turned to you, his eyes narrowed in thought as he stared you down

-> the act soon broke, though, and he smiled against the sheet mask that was on his face

-> "it better be a good one," he huffed as he tugged the duck headband off, already sighing at the sensation of your fingers against his scalp

-> "omi, come on, what do you take me for?"

❍ HAIBA LEV

-> ngl lev gives off equal amounts of being terrified of like the tiniest spider or just finding bugs insanely cool vibes

-> it's funnier to imagine this 6-foot-something guy scramble away from a fucking crane fly in terror though so this is how it's going to play out

-> when you invited your giant of a boyfriend to your flat, you didn't anticipate just how small he made everything appear

-> he even towered in your doorway, having to stoop to step through into your hall

-> "woahh, i love your place!"

-> it was his first time staying over for the night, and lev was making sure to drink in every aspect of your interior design

-> you found it sweet of him, and watched as he stared in wide-eyed wonder at the little trinkets you had collected over the years to make your small apartment seem more like a home

-> you didn't expect him to scream at the top of his lungs and practically run back to you, though

-> you jumped at the sound, watching as he scrambled away from your lamp and pointed back at it with a shaking finger

-> you squinted at it, making out the very menacing form of a crane fly as it bumped into the lampshade and continued on its path

-> "lev, you big baby," you giggled, heading to the kitchen to grab a glass and trap it

-> "y/n, don't leave me alone with it!" he yelped, and you rolled your eyes at his antics

-> you came back, smoothly capturing the insect and throwing it out of a nearby window

-> lev was sat on your couch the whole time, hands covering his eyes as he curled in a ball

-> "is it gone?" he asked, and you you giggled at how childlike he was acting at the moment

-> "it's all good, baby" you smoothed his hair and lev gratefully leaned into your touch, a sigh of relief leaving him

-> "thank you, y/n"

-> "i'll get rid of all the bugs in the world for you, lev"

❍ MIYA ATSUMU

-> gives off the vibes that he used to eat bugs as a child i'm sorry but

-> have mercy on his soul lmao

-> so twins are supposed to be identical right?

-> anyone who spends more than a few minutes around the miya twins know that that's a complete fucking lie

-> and you've had the misfortune of being friends with them for a very long time

-> like your mums were friends and you were all born around the same time

-> you've been pulled into their shit before you could walk or talk

-> so you're well aware of just how different these mfs are

-> even though they were both absolute bastards, osamu always had a slightly more mellowed out approach which would always end up with atsumu getting the blame for what they got up to

-> especially as a child, osamu loved to terrorise his twin with the unwilling help of you

-> one of the ways was through osamu exploiting one of his twins' fears

-> that being bugs and spiders

-> he always cackled at the sight of atsumu screaming and trying to run away from him due to the spider he was holding

-> as they both grew up, this became less of a frequent thing for osamu to do

-> you also somehow started dating atsumu, but nobody could exactly pinpoint a moment that signified a beginning to your relationship

-> but since you're dating the world's biggest manchild in disguise, and osamu gets annoyed with atsumu quite easily, you would have to swoop in to rescue him from time to time

-> recently the twins had been getting a little snappy with each other, and it had yet to sort itself out

-> from what you had heard your boyfriend was in the wrong this time, but you still listened to him whine and rant about it

-> you were going to the inarizaki school gym to say hi to your boyfriend and best friend before practice started, only to see absolute chaos unfolding

-> with kita yet to arrive, the twins were effectively unleashed and that much was clear with the way atsumu was practically screaming his head off as he ran around the gym

-> your eyes took in the rest of the players- aran had his head in his hands, suna was snickering with his phone out to record the newest miya twin fight, and osamu's deranged laugh could be heard above everything else as he chased his brother, hand held out in front of him

-> only one thing was capable of making atsumu scream like that, so you already knew what was happening

-> atsumu quickly spotted you hovering in the doorway, and made a beeline to where you were

-> his eyes were panicked, and you were quick to wrap him in a hug as you shot osamu a nasty glare over his shoulder

-> literally this lmfao

-> "that's enough, 'samu"

-> your best friend paused, before a smile spread across his face as he dangled the centipede in front of him

-> "you know it was rubber, right?"

-> you felt your boyfriend tense in your arms and you bit your lip to stifle a small giggle

-> but at least they would be back to normal by the end of today

back to the menu - ,, 🕷 ·˚ ༘ ꒱

[celestialevie]

Flower Boy // George Weasley x GN! Reader

Summary: AU where y/n is working at the tattoo shop, while their best friend is an owner of a flower shop. What happenes when expecting to see your best friend for lunch, you end up meeting a tall ginger man. Warnings: fluff, mention of food, tattoos, flowers, George being absolute charmer Word count: 1.7k a/n: enjoy this aboslute fluff of a fic!! and again, english is not my first language so if there are any mistakes please do not hestitate to let me know about it!! ' Evangeline ' is an oc of mine, so she might appear in some of my fics as a side charachter. Also credit to @bwbatta for the dividers!!

Being a tattoo artist was one of the things you were proudest of. It wasn't easy to become one after neglecting art for so many years during High School. But after your best friend opened her own flower shop, she helped you get your inspiration for art being constantly surrounded by flowers and stories of why people were getting flowers. You were happy with everything but not knowing that wasn't the end of your happiness. It all started when you were on your lunch break and decided to swing by your best friend's flower shop to visit her. Expecting to see a small blonde girl behind the counter, you were shocked to see a tall ginger man standing there instead. '' Hello, how can I help you today? '' When ginger looked up, he felt as if someone kicked all of the air from his lungs because before him stood a beautiful person with y/h/c hair and y/e/c eyes. Smiling at them as they approached the counter, they were even more beautiful up close. '' Hi, um I'm looking for Evangeline? I didn't know she hired someone new. '' Ginger laughed, nodding his head. '' Ah yes, I'm only here temporarily. Unfortunately, you just missed her, she left to go on a lunch break with my uglier twin. '' You only laughed at that. '' Too bad, but can you please let her know that y/n looked for her? '' He nodded. '' I'll let her know. I'm George by the way. If you ever wanna ask her for me. '' George wiggled his eyebrows, making you shook your head. '' It was nice meeting you, but I have to go now. Please don't break any of her flowers she's not afraid to commit murder if you break something in her shop. '' his eyes widen, making you laugh as you were leaving but his voice stopped you. '' Hey! You come here often? '' he asks '' Considering I use to work here and my best friend owns it, yes. '' and with that, you left the shop, heading back to your workplace.

As the clock turned changed time to 8 pm, you relaxed finally going home after a stressful day. Just as you were open the door, Evangeline barged in. '' Hello, heard you've been looking for me. '' She grinned at her best friend, attacking them with a hug. '' Hello to you too,'' you said returning the hug '' I see the tall ginger you failed to mention to me kept his word. '' smirk appearing in the corner of your mouth as you recall your encounter with him from earlier today. '' It seemed to me you left a trance on Georgie boy. '' Evangeline wiggled her eyebrows, making you laugh '' You can't do that to me, I wanted to have lunch with my best friend only to find she ditched me for and I quote the ginger man '' uglier twin '', leaving me to get almost a heart attack. For a second I thought I walked into a wrong shop. '' Both of you walked out of the shop, heading towards your apartment. '' Speaking of that date, you also failed to mention you were dating someone, and here I thought we tell each other everything, tsk tsk. I'm disappointed. '' you nudged her, blush creeping on her cheeks. '' Oh my god are you blushing? He's making you blush just by thinking of him? You need to tell me about him. '' and so she did. She told you how his name is Fred and along with his twin, he has 6 siblings, making both of them the middle children. It was very interesting to know about a man who took an interest in my best friend. Deciding she'll spend the night at yours, you both got cosy into pyjamas and watched movies until you both crashed. The next morning you went together to work, letting you know she'll come to your work for the lunch break. So when your lunch break came, you didn't expect her to walk in with the same ginger man from yesterday. '' y/n/n, I brought us a bodyguard to keep us safe during our lunch break. '' grin played on her lips, making you shake your head. '' Yeah because we're so in danger that someone is gonna try and kill us while eating Taco Bell. '' George snorted, making you look at him. He looked even cuter than yesterday if that's even possible. Maybe there was something in gingers that you'd yet to discover that makes them so attractive. '' So flower boy, what do you do when you're not being a bodyguard or taking care of Evie's flower shop. '' he was grinning at the nickname. '' I own a joke shop with my brother, but we're currently redecorating inside so we had to close it for a week or two. '' An attractive businessman, that's a first one you snorted to yourself. Spending an hour with two of them, turned into a mostly back and forth conversation between George and you. Soon Evie had to leave, her lunch break coming to an end. To your surprise, George asked you if he could stay for a bit longer, which you said yes to since you had no client for another hour. He asked you about your art style, which, according to George made your eyes sparkle up with happiness, making him chuckle when you started to ramble not even noticing. '' You're rambling. '' he chuckled making you blush a little. '' Sorry, sometimes I can get carried away without even noticing. '' George smiled, taking your hand in his, making you look at him. '' Don't apologise, it's adorable. '' blushing even harder, you looked at the clock making you realise that in 15 minutes your client should be coming. '' Oh shit I didn't even realise how much time has passed already, I have to prepare for the next client. But hey if you ever want a tattoo you know where to come. '' You said and with that, you disappeared somewhere behind in the storage, kind of hiding from flower boy, because he's starting to make you feel things you haven't felt before.

Everything was happening so fast, in the next few days he kept coming either alone or in a company of Evangeline. She knew what she was doing and she was enjoying it. You even got to meet Fred, him wanting to meet the fascinating best friend of his girlfriend and the person who his brother can't seem to stop talking about. So when George asked you out, you said yes having nothing to lose. Deciding on a picnic, both of you packed some food, and he picked you up after work, leading you to a park. He prepared a blanket and put down the baskets where food and drinks were, sitting down and relaxing. '' How was your day? '' you began the conversation. '' It was good, mostly spent the entire day thinking of what to bring for our date tonight. '' a smile appeared on his face. '' How was yours? Any interesting tattoos you did? '' so you told him about this older guy who had half of his back tattooed with some weird game character, which made him laugh. Looking up at the sky, it looked amazing. '' Isn't the view beautiful? '' a grin played on your lips as you looked at the stars. George was only looking at you, and how beautiful you looked under the stars. If he wasn't already falling, he definitely would've now. '' Yeah, it couldn't be more beautiful. '' you looked at him and he was looking at you. '' Stop looking at me like that! '' He grinned at you, placing a hand on your cheek. '' Like what? '' he said softly while looking you in the eyes. '' L-like I've placed all the stars in the sky as if I'm the most unique thing on this planet. '' you were avoiding his eyes, knowing you wouldn't be able to breathe if you do. George had other plans, because he softly placed finger under your chin, making you look up at him. His eyes were filled with so much adoration, making you get lost in them. '' I've been looking at you like that ever since we first met, darling. I've grown quite fond of you from the first time our eyes met. '' a smile was spread on both of your lips '' God how much I love seeing you smile. I like you so much, love. '' placing your hands on both of his cheeks '' Can I tell you something? '' you said quietly almost a whisper. '' You can tell me anything. '' ''I like you too flower boy. '' even bigger smile was on his lips. '' Could you say it again? '' you furrowed your eyebrows. '' Were you not listening? '' he shook his head. ' No, I was, I just like the sound of your voice. '' you shook your head at his goofiness. '' Can you kiss me? '' a grin appeared on his lips '' Thought you'd never ask. '' and with that, he placed his soft lips on top of yours, lips mending with each other. It was like fireworks exploded inside you, from how much happiness you felt in this moment. Everything was perfect.

The next day you decided to visit Evangeline in the shop, expecting to see I guy you've grown s much fond of. And there he was stood with Fred and Evangeline, his beautiful smile playing on his lips. '' Hello, hope I'm not interrupting a big secret meeting. '' you joked as you approached them. George pulled you in his embrace, placing a small kiss on your temple as he sneaked an arm around your shoulder. '' Of course not love. '' you smiled at him, starting a conversation with him, not noticing how Fred and Evangeline were looking at the two of you. '' I haven't seen her smile like that in ages. '' Evie said, '' Hey flower boy, '' Fred began only to be shot by a dirty look by you. '' Hey, only I can call him that,'' you said and with that making everyone laugh including yourself. This is the happiest you've been in forever, and you could only hope it could stay like this forever.

[emma-nation]

The Devil In I - Bela x OC (Resident Evil Village AU)

“Step inside, see the Devil in I”

Summary: Aleena Novak is a 19 years old orphan who desired more than living in a village in the middle of nowhere. A talented artist with a big future ahead, she gets the scholarship of her dreams in United States. But everything changes when her twin brother, Auryk, steals an important artifact from Castle Dimitrescu.

In this adventure, Aleena will find way more than she expected.

“You’ll realize I’m not your Devil anymore”

Pairing: Bela Dimitrescu x OC

Genre: Between T and M (Trigger warning for violence, blood, abuse and eventual smut)

Tag List: @nydeiri

Notes: This is my first RES fic, so I'm sorry if I mess it up a bit. English is also not my main language, so a mistake or two may happen. I hope you enjoy it :)

Trigger Warning: Language, abuse, blood and violence.

Eastern Europe - July, 2009

"If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?"

Mother closed the book, placing it on the bedside table between Auryk's bed and mine. Then, she lowered herself and kissed my forehead like she did every night. Her long, blonde hair tickled my face and left a trace of her sweet lavender fragrance in the air. I giggled.

"Good night, sweetheart," she spoke.

"Good night, momma."

"Cherish your last night as a six years old. Tomorrow you will become a..."

"Princess?!"

"A seven years old girl. The prettiest girl in the village."

"Pffft," Auryk let out a displeased grunt from his bed, covering his head with the pillow to avoid listening another word from the conversation.

"And you too," mother sat by his side on the bed and repeated her nightly ritual of kissing his forehead to wish him a good night too. "You'll become the most handsome and brave warrior in this village. Do you understand?"

"I hope so. Good night, mom."

"Good night, buddy."

Mother left the room, leaving us both in the dark. However, we couldn't sleep. Not because we were thrilled about our incoming birthday party as any regular child, but because we knew our lives were about to change. Seven years old was the age every child from our village was introduced to the truth and started being trained to fight the evil that haunted our lands. Auryk and I spent minutes, or maybe hours, in silence, staring at the ceiling.

"Leena?" He was the first one to speak. "Do you believe a spell can broken? I mean, like a curse?"

"I don't know, Ryk," I answered, feeling my thoughts starting to drift away. "Maybe we're doomed after all. Or... we could learn how to love the beasts."

The birthday parties always happened during the daytime, rules of the village. We could no longer be outside after 6 PM. Mother got help from the other women to prepare the treats and organize the decorations. Auryk was disguised as a pirate and I... I was Belle, from the Beauty and the Beast.

"So, what do you think you will be getting this year?" My best friend Elena asked while we were playing with our dolls. She was about two years older than us.

"I don't know," I shrugged. Being a merchant, my father always returned home with the most unusual gifts: a magical music box, a voodoo doll that had a life on its own or a fragrance that chased away the monsters - and everybody else too. "A new book. I'm hoping for a new book."

It was only by the end of the party Adrian Novak made his entrance. That was the mystery about him. Nobody knew when he would show up, or if he would show up at all. He still had that same annoying smirk on his face. The corner of his mouth holding a cigarette. The months away made his beard grow longer, as well as his dark hair. In the sunlight, the scar above his eye was even more visible.

"Auryk," he shouted, "come here, son. I've got something for ya."

My twin brother, who had been climbing trees with his friends stop frozen in spot for a second. I couldn't tell if he hated or feared that man. Maybe both. He slowly followed father's command, approaching him cautiously.

"Hi, dad."

"Happy birthday, son," father ruffled his dark straight hair with his strong and calloused hand. "It's about time you grow up."

He handed my brother a large package. From our experience, we knew exactly what it was, a shotgun.

"T-Thank you, dad."

"I'll be spending some time at home. Tomorrow we'll start practicing."

Auryk consented. He shot me a quick glance. From our twin bond I could tell my brother was far from happy. When he blew his candles that afternoon, he didn't wish for a weapon. We wished to be a normal child.

"What did you get, Leena?" He asked once we were locked in the safety of our bedroom.

"Pencils and a drawing book. Dad thinks I'm talented."

Not really. Adrian Novak would never allow his daughter to hold a shotgun. That was, according to him, 'a man thing'.

"Good, at least one of us got what they wanted. Happy birthday, sister."

"Happy birthday, brother."

4 Years Later - October, 2013

It wasn't easy to be the weakest of the twins. Although he was born first, Auryk was the tinniest. The one who was always getting sick or getting injured. The one who couldn't hit a single fucking target when he had the alcoholic breath of his father on his neck.

He aimed for a crow, sitting still on a fence. How hard could it be? Even the eldest man from the village could do any better than that.

BANG! He shot again. And missed.

"Again?!" Adrian angered, shoving him hard on the shoulder. "What the hell is your problem, kid?"

"I don't know, okay? This gun... it's heavy!"

"Heavy? And why do you think we've been exercising for all these years, huh?! We do not live in Disneyland, Auryk. We need to fight monsters, abominations. Someday I won't be home and you need to be prepared to protect our people. Do you understand?"

Tears started forming in the corners of the boy's blue eyes. He couldn't cry. Not in front of him. Crying was a sign of weakness and he couldn't be weak. Not right now. Auryk started to think about all the things he could be doing. He thought about the ocean, as he had seen on TV and books. He could feel the warmness of the sun on his skin. The sand between his toes. His mom and sister were also there, of course - they'd carry them with him everywhere. And he would study Math and Physics. There would be no guns, no monsters, no blood, only numbers, only formulas, only theories. He smiled. He no longer felt like crying.

"I'm sorry, dad," kindness was always the answer, his mother said. "But this isn't for me, you know? I don't like it. I... Remember that boarding school my teacher mentioned? I thought maybe I..."

His words were interrupted by a hard slap on his face. Auryk could taste a small amount of blood coming out from his lower lip.

"So that's what you want? To become one of those little fancy fags? Maybe you're not my son after all."

Adrian started walking away, leaving his son alone, sitting on the floor.

"I AM!" Auryk yelled, enraged. "I am your son."

"Then prove it."

"You shouldn't take so hard on him," Savannah poured her husband a cup of tea. "He's just a boy."

"He's eleven years old, for god's sake," the husband punched the table strong enough to make it shake. "He needs to man up a bit. You should stop spoiling him."

As I left my bedroom I found my brother sitting on the stairs. He didn't have to be so close to listen to the conversation between our parents, father's voice was loud enough to echo through every wall of our small and cozy home.

I sat down by his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Maybe you should do it, Leena. You'd do it better, I know."

"I'm not so sure. Remember when I tried to shoot a scarecrow and almost shot that old witch?"

"Come on, you aimed on purpose! I know."

Auryk finally let out a small laugh at the memory.

"You're good at everything, Leena," he spoke fondly. "You're an extrovert, you're everybody's friend, you can cook, you can draw and paint... you're a true artist. I'm a mistake."

"You're not a mistake, Ryk," I pulled my brother closer, resting my cheek against the side of his face. "We're only at the wrong place and you know it."

Going back to our bedroom, we pulled from the drawers the postcards our grandma Louise sent us from San Diego. Mom had been born in California and lived there her entire life, until she met father during one of his trips. God knows what made her fall in love with that man. Adventure? Danger? I expected better from myself when I turned eighteen. Otherwise, I'd never want to fall in love. Love could be my ruin, just like my mom's.

"Leena..." Auryk held the postcard tightly, "do you think... if he died... do you think mom would take us to nana's home?"

"I don't know, Ryk," I didn't want to think of my father's possible death. But I also dreamed of a better life. "Maybe."

"What the hell?" Father's voice in the kitchen made me jump in fear. I knew that tone. I grew up used to that. Something was wrong in the village. We had to hide.

"To the basement, now!" He emerged at the bedroom, holding a rifle. "Lycans were seen surrounding the area."

We barely had any time to react, mom came and dragged us both to the basement. Father left, carrying his arsenal of weapons as usual. There were other hunters in the village but we always knew how badly it could end. Somebody could always get seriously hurt. Or worse.

The basement had been carefully prepared for that kind of situation years before. It had a big bed, two armchairs, a heating source, some stored food and a shelf. Mom sighed and forced a smile.

"So," she walked to the shelf, "what is it going to be today?"

"Frankenstein," Auryk suggested. My brother loved mystery and horror. As if his life hadn't enough of it.

"Romeo and Juliet," I spoke. There was something about forbidden romance that always caught my interest.

"Okay. I... I'm gonna say a prayer and you two can read the books you picked by yourselves. What do you think?"

"Great!"

Mom kneeled down by the bed's side, holding a crucifix. I could join her if I wanted to, but I'd rather watch in silence. I grabbed my book, sitting on one of the armchairs and pretending to pay attention, while I tried to distract myself from the fact my father could be the Lycans' next prey. Or all of us, if they managed to break into our house.

"Leena?" I woke up hours later with my mom shaking me. "Leena?! Where's Auryk? Where's your brother, Leena?"

I had no idea. I had fallen asleep and apparently, so did mom. She checked for the basement's door, it had been locked from outside.

"No..." she tried to force it open. "No! I can't be..."

All Auryk had to do was to successfully kill and take a Lycan's carcass as a trophy to his father, right? That was what that old douchebag wanted him to do, to prove his courage, his manhood. We had his shotgun, a binoculars and a knife, that should be enough, but first, he needed a good plan.

Looking down to his hands, he had the most perfect idea. Without thinking twice, he sliced a cut through his palm, letting some blood pour on the ground. Then, he found a tall tree. He climbed it and observed. The smell of blood his trail left behind should be enough to attract a creature.

"Come on... come on..."

From a distance, Auryk could hear the sound of destruction and death. There was a battle going on somewhere nearby. Once again Lycans should have found a family or a group of hunters.

And then, he could hear it. The heavy footsteps, the screeching sounds, the sniffing. The mutant creature was only a few meters away from the tree. He aimed, but it was still too distant. He needed to move to a closer branch.

It all happened in one second. He was almost there, reaching for the spot he had picked, but his weight was too much for the tree's branch. In a blink of an eye, he was lying on the ground. His vision was blurred. His head hurt intensely, as well as his arm. It was broken for sure. He possibly had a concussion too. He tried to stand up and run but his legs wouldn't follow his commands. The Lycan was coming straight at him.

"AURYK!" His mother screamed behind him. "NO!"

Time seemed to freeze in that fraction of second. How did she manage to escape the basement? How could she have found him?

But without hesitation, Savannah threw herself on top of her son, protecting him from the jaws and claws of the monster. Auryk couldn't see much, but he could smell it. He could feel it. Blood. There was blood everywhere. He couldn't tell who it belonged to, he or his mom's.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A fast sequence of shots suggested the hunters had found them. The creature stopped moving, stopped howling. It was finally dead.

"M-Mom... it's dead. We... We're safe."

She didn't answer. Instead, he heard another familiar voice.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" It was from his father. "Savannah! Savannah!"

"D-Dad..." Auryk tried to speak, but the words got lost along the way. "I... I..."

Adrian lifted him by his jacket, holding him inches above the ground.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED YOUR MOM, YOUR STUPID BASTARD!"

"I..." tears streamed down the boy's face, his injured brain trying to process what had just happened. "I'm sorry.'

After he was thrown back to the ground, he was hit with a hard kick on his stomach. He turned his head around to notice a small figure hiding behind a tree, watching the whole scene in pure horror.

"L-Leena..." he muttered.

"This is all your fault, Auryk. You're a disgrace to this family."

And then, he passed out. Rumors said he was unconscious for days or maybe weeks. When he woke up, he wished everything had been a nightmare.

Present Days - July, 2021

Nobody mourned Adrian Novak when he died. Not his children. Not his village mates. No human being would ever feel any sympathy for a man who abused and blamed his eleven years old son for his mother's death. It had been two years since Adrian left this world and I couldn't feel any more free.

"Hey," I left another message on my brother's voicemail, "in case you've forgotten it's our birthday today. I'd like to have my twin home, you know? Call me when you get this message."

It was useless, I knew. Auryk would only pick up his phone when he wanted to. Or when he was too drunk. God knew where that guy would be at that time, probably waking up at some girl's bed or getting some rest from... working.

After grabbing myself a cup of coffee, I checked the door's mat. Bills, bills, newspaper and... California Institute Of Arts? I remember having an argument with Auryk about this matter at some point. He wanted me to fill the application and send them my portfolio. I insisted we had no money, not even to pay for the tuition. I won - I always win every argument by the way.

"Your damn son of a..." I placed the envelope on the kitchen's table. I was a coward, I confess. However, I didn't know which pain was worse - to be sure I wasn't good enough or to be sure I was, indeed, but I'd never have money to leave that hellhole. Anyways, I decided to leave it alone. I had more important things to do.

My morning routine: to go to the middle of the woods and do some training. My father used to say fighting wasn't a girl thing, but I was no regular girl. And never in this life I'd allow someone to tell me what to do.

After running, climbing and doing a set of push-ups, it was time for combat training. Travelers from abroad taught me some different set of moves, I'd like to think I created my own fighting style. I was also very good with knifes, daggers or any kinds of short blades, they were useful during a close distance combat. My shooting was a work in progress, once or twice I'd miss the center of my handmade targets.

Then, like everyday, I'd go back home, shower and follow to my shift at the village's pub.

"Hiya, Leena," Gustav greeted me when I arrived. "I heard today is a special day... the day a little girl..."

"NO!" I stopped him. Gustav was my best friend. We had known each other since we were children and somehow, he liked to make my birthday a special - and embarrassing - event.

He placed a handmade fairytale-like book on the table. There were some edited pictures, mixed with some messed up drawings about my birth and childhood. He called it 'The Princess Who Carried The Light'.

"God, you're soooo stupid..." I rolled my eyes and moaned, before wrapping him into a very tight hug. "I love you, you know that?"

"I know. You'd probably marry me, if you weren't into girls."

We laughed together, as Olga, our boss emerged from the kitchen, bringing a cake with nineteen candles.

"Here's to another year," the older woman opened a wrinkled smile, "make a wish, my darling."

I fell pensive for a moment, besides having my twin brother back home, safe and sound, what else could I wish for? California, that scholarship, a new life... that's for sure.

"I wish for... a new life, a new adventure," I pronounced aloud while blowing the candles.

"Careful," a male voice spoke behind me, "words have power, little sister. You may get what you want."

"Ryk!"

I jumped straight to my brother's arms. I could swear that in only a few weeks he had gotten a little bit taller, and stronger too.

"I wouldn't miss my own birthday, right?" He smirked. "So, where's the cake? Please, chocolate... tell me it's chocolate."

"Your silly boy," Olga spread some icing on his nose. "Of course it's chocolate, as you love. And with cherries too."

Auryk responded with a satisfied smile. Olga and her husband, Kristoff, were those responsible for taking care of him after the Lycan attack, years ago. They sort of adopted him like one of their biological children.

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed taking a closer look at Ryk's forearm. He had gotten a tattoo. I hadn't been informed of those news either. Apparently, my brother had more secrets than I could even start to imagine. "This is... new. It seems like my kids are really growing up."

"And only now you noticed that, Olga?" Gustav joked.

Olga shook her head, grinning at herself and returned to the kitchen. The customers were starting to fill the pub. I stared at Ryk again, wondering what other secrets my brother could be keeping.

"So, what does that mean?" I pointed to his newly gotten tattoo, a strange and ancient symbol it seemed.

"Protection from the evil. This is what we need the most in our lives, especially in a place like this. What reminds me -" we turned around, taking a small box from the pocket of his jacket. "Your gift."

I took the black velvet box from his hands, it contained a golden necklace with a magenta gemstone as pendant. My blue eyes drowned themselves in the stone. It had a mysterious glow. Something hypnotizing. Something magical.

"Whoa..." was everything my mouth could pronounce. "And I bought you an Astronomy book."

Auryk stood up from his chair and went behind me, taking the necklace from my hands to wear it around my neck himself.

"This is supposed to protect you from any supernatural and inhumane beings. I won't lose you to them, Aleena. Not like I lost mom."

"Ryk, I... I can't even thank you enough."

"You don't have to. Just... stay alive."

First, I was overflowing with happiness. It either had to do with the fact my brother was home, alcohol, or both. Also, Olga should thank me. Most of the costumers of the day only stopped by the bar because of me. They absolutely loved me and knowing it was my birthday, they had to come and see me. A few of them even gave me some extra tips or a small gift, which was even greater.

"Okay, party girl..." Auryk helped me to get inside of the house as I tripped over the door mat. "Time to go to bed now. Don't you think?"

"Come on, Ryk! Have some spirit! You're home, Olga gave me the day off tomorrow, I earned some money..."

"You told Mrs. Hansen you secretly had a crush on her daughter during Middle School, you danced on top of a table, you're gonna get a hangover..."

"Party pooper!"

I threw myself at the couch. Auryk stood in front of me with arms crossed, looking like a father about to give his child a lecture.

"What?!" I yelled. "It's not like you've never been drunk before. Remember when you stole Adrian's..." I started to laugh, remembering the episode.

"When you were going to tell me about this, Leena?" He showed me the envelope. The Art Institute envelope. The one I had been struggling to open.

"Oh! I forgot. My bad, I didn't open it myself yet. I probably didn't get in anyways."

"You did."

I did?

"It's not like we have money to pay for my tuition. Also, how are we supposed to move to California, Ryk? I work at a pub and you..."

"I've gotten more than enough for that. You know that getting out of this place has always been the plan, since we were children. Leena, I've done some big jobs those last few months. I have the money to grant us a comfortable life in California."

"Smuggling, Ryk!" I raised my voice, saying aloud the information that was supposed to be a secret or not. "You've been stealing to grant us this life."

My brother stared at me in silence. I couldn't tell if he felt offended or embarrassed about my words.

"I'm getting out of here, whatever it takes," he ran a hand through his dark hair. "And you are coming with me. In two weeks, we move to United States for your enrollment."

"But..."

What I was trying to protest against? Leaving the village and starting a new life with my brother was everything I always dreamed.

"Look, I promise you," Auryk placed both of his firm hands on my shoulders, "once we settle down, no more smuggling."

"Okay," I sighed. "We leave in two weeks then."

There was a loud knock on the door. Being drunk as I was, I figured out I should have forgotten my purse at the pub. Or it could be a neighbor with some very stupid emergency.

Auryk opened the door and there was a strange looking man standing there. We wore sunglasses and a hat, behind his back he was carrying a giant hammer. According to the rumors and stories I heard from my parents, that was one of the Lords of The Four Houses, Karl Heisenberg.

"Auryk Novak?" He asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Come with me, kid. You've gotten yourself in big trouble."