#kinda assumed nobody was really searching these out anymore

[domesticmail]

did you take down ur nhl fics?!

nope! everything is still up i promise anon lol. for those who don't remember: i used to write under the username @kempe, and mostly wrote hockey fic. all my previous masterlists no longer work since i changed my user, so here's one for you now :)

please lmk if there's a link missing, or a fic you're trying to find but can't, i'm happy to help. enjoy your reading anon! <3

Brock Boeser

One of Them Girls

Am I Worthy? || One || Two ||

Erik Johnson

feeling insecure (halfway between blurb and fic)

Mat Barzal

The One Where You and Mat Become Parents

playing games blurb

everything's fine blurb

beautiful mornings blurb

baby's first hockey game

Mathew Tkachuk

dad!Matty

finding out you're pregnant + kid's first day at school

Pierre-Luc Dubois

yoga blurb

"if you keep kissing my face like that i'll have to retaliate" blurb

fly me to the moon blurb

pet names blurb

"what do you see in her?" blurb

Hero

Tito Beauvillier

unexpected consequences blurb

Vince Dunn

Happy New Year

[sebfreak]

Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon or My happy marriage Ep4:

M gosh this episode was a rollercoaster. First crying because of sadness, then because of anger and then because of happiness. IT´S ENOUGH!!! No more crying ( i say but I know i will cry again)

I really love how they play with the colors in this anime. <3 It´s always so perfect and shows us Miyos emotions in another way without many words.

I love that she tries to come out more and now she wants to gift him something back for his comb he gave to her. It takes courage and self confidence to take this step and I´m so proud of her. <3

XD I really love how he worries about her. And he doesn´t see her as a child, more like... she is important to him, so he doesn´t wanna see her getting hurt anymore.

It´s nothing important here but I really love his clothes. Like really. <3

Okay, tbh I had a lot of screenshots of this scene but I decided to use only one. Because first I do not wanna infect my post with her character. (my posts should be more positive lol) Her meeting in the manga raged me so much but seeing it in the anime was on another level. Do you know the feeling when you are so angry that you feel relaxed and tired but in your head you think: "Omg she should just..."???? Because this was my reaction. She is such a poor damn bitch. Poor, you asked. Well... her entire life revolves around Miyo although she doesn´t like her... more like she hates her, so she wishes her every bad thing. Then she doesn´t wanna have her in her life but then all she can think about is, how Miyo is and what bad things she witnessed in her new home. So she is obsessed with her big sister and this is so sick. Her fucking ugly smile while she talks to her sister and assumes, because Miyo has her used clothes on, that nobody cares about her and she is abandoned again. Her face says it all. Like girl... you are a damn psychopath. It´s always so surprising to me that people can hate a person so much, run around and say: "Oh I don´t care what happens to them!" and then they care so much about it. XD I don´t get this logic tbh. But you need to have a really boring life if your entire hobby revolves around a person you hate so much. (yeah yeah it´s a fictional story and I know it) but the sad thing is (and oh boy this is why I love this story so much) these characters are not exaggerated. They are out there and I love to see them in a story. Btw (because I really do not wanna talk about these bitches anymore in this post) I do not care when people will use her as a puppet to get Miyo. I will not feel sad about it. Maybe all these people will bite each other off, that would be the best solution tbh.

And also the scene in which she sees Miyos finance (Koudou-san) the first time is so ugly. Yes, she is right "he is beautiful" but this is the only thing she sees about him, so she is head over heels. This is another difference between her and Miyo. Miyo doesn´t see only the beauty in humans or things. She likes to have deep connection to them. While this bitch only sees the beauty in it and is only searching for her own advantage. This is her life, this is how she was raised and this her only goal because she likes to play this kinda role.

YES!!! This my man. Okay no... he is Miyos man, I´m sorry. XD But I like him so much. Go and tell them. He is so brave and it´s so good that he visited them and showed them how much he cares about Miyo. It was about time if you ask me. They really thought they could throw her out of the house like trash and she would be out of their life for eternity. But naaahhhhh at the end of the day we can all say "Thank you" to them that they abandoned her because she found a new warm home. On the other hand they should get punished for everything they did to her. So it was a wonderful move of him to point out that he knows everything what they did to Miyo. He knows about her abusement, he knows it and he won´t be silent about it. Because in the end he isn´t a cold and brutal man. He stands for respect and justice.

It´s the last thing they can do and yet they have to think about it. I really wanna puke on this shitty family. But in their eyes they did nothing wrong and everything was for a reason. It´s always the case that these type of people do not see the crimes they did.

The thing I said in the last post about self hatred (or was the post before that? I don´t know but I pointed it out somewhere). This is the perfect example. Everybody is giving her the fault for everything, so she starts believing it and hates herself for being like that. Psychological abusement and it´s not easy to come out of it. It´s important to have people around her who give her back her self confidence she has lost, but it will take some time. And little situations like that can throw her back in her black dark room in which she sits and can´t escape. I really really like how they pictured it and described it because this is one of the many things how you behave and feel if you have self hatred. There are many more and every human is experiencing another situation but we can all agree that they feel trapped and lost.

I love it that many more people are coming to Miyo and try to help her. Also her present for Kudou is so beautiful. <3 Also it was a very good move to invite the maid who was on Miyos side while had to live in this abusing family.

JUST SAY YOU LOVE HER!!!!! XDDDD Nah it´s okay, I can wait a little bit longer. And I love that they take small steps instead of one big step. It´s totally okay for me that they take their time. <3 Because I can appreciate every warm feeling they share, no matter how small they seem. So to ask her to stay with him in this big house, is really wonderful. A person is opening their arms to invite Miyo and say: "It´s okay if you don´t have powers. You are more than that and I really like you with or without it." (aawwww I love it so much <3)

And to end my long post, I will show you these two blushing. Awwwww ... I´m too single for this anime, but It´s so wonderful. :D GIVE ME MORE!!!!

[sir-klauz]

Reading list for this month!

(Rb or like if you decide to read one of these titles after seeing this, I love knowing if I’ve inspired anyone to read things I have! It’s fun)

Pond Snail Robber

“The delightful and brutal life of living with a robber! Ji Ho ends up missing the deadline to apply for a dorm due to a slip of carelessness but luckily a sunbae from his major helps him get a room nearby. Unfortunately, not even half a day after moving in he gets attacked by a robber. After managing to get away, Ji Ho later comes back home to see the robber shedding tears over the novel he wrote in high school...But this robber, with the reason of wanting to continue reading his unfinished novel, asks to live with him in exchange for taking care of the house?! The sweet and fierce life of these two has started!”

(I wouldn’t say the description is totally great at describing what’s actually happening but it’s good at hiding spoilers of what the actual circumstances ended up being and it’s kinda a funny joke about the “robber” part once you read it. Also, it has the cutest unique font design ever, a snail!”)

Boyfriends.

“Want a boyfriend? How about 4?! Meet Prep, Jock, Goth and Nerd -four boys with a lot of love to share!

A comic about getting yourself a boyfriend... or multiple boyfriends! Four college students begin a polyamorous relationship and navigate the adventure that is their dating life!”

(I freaking love this, it’s really smooth and fun, and wholesome. As someone who’s poly you don’t get a lot of kind depictions of poly relationships, or there’s only threesome, foursome, or more being writing about for kinks or open relationships that aren’t poly or about polycules. The graphics are great on the eyes with lots of pastels, and each character has their fun personalities, not to mention actually including a trans guy within a gay relationship! It’s grand. 10/10 love Goth or wanna be Goth ahaa. Nerd is too adorable. Really recommend.)

Minmotion Syndrome

"The 600 million that was left to you, I’ll pay it off for you." Seo Taeyoon, who was dragged into the situation because of his father's debt, got angry and sneers at Park Jaein for being an omega after the latter made a sarcastic remark. Although Taeyoon detected Jaein's faint pheromone scent, he was able to identify him as an Omega. Jaein found Taeyoon interesting, as nobody else can really detect his smell, so he offered to pay off his debt in exchange for buying him...! Thus, Taeyoon now wears a leash designed for dogs. How would their dangerous relationship begin and end?”

(So this whole thing is so tongue in cheek so far, and absolutely not digestible for everyone, though I’m only at chapter 9. but the art, is phenomenal and I adore the styles for both characters. And well, it’s nice to see omegas which are characters designed to always submit and be mindless totally being the top dog. I like it when things don’t fit into boxes, it’s kinda like in any nsfw circumstances where someone typically assumed as having to be subservient, isn’t, because it’s not as cut and dry as that nor has to for, for instant when people are like big macho bois can’t “bottom”… if you catch my drift.~ Park Jaein is pretty mentally whomped aha, his “crazy eyes” are spooky hot. I’m so bad. Taeyoon is an omega hating alpha son of a poor drug addicted male omega SW (adult worker). It goes into their stories about why they’re the way they are, and I guess I’m hoping it works out and they don’t hate each other anymore.)

The Pizza Delivery Man and The Gold Palace

“Woowon has spent his entire life repaying debts with his mother as a result of his father's irrational business investments and gambling. When his mother falls unwell, she retreats to the countryside, where she struggles by herself. One day, Woowon is fired from his part-time job, and while searching for a new job, he is introduced to one as a delivery man at a pizza shop in a wealthy area by a friend. Not only was the food delicious, but the staff was also known for being attractive. Woowon, who had a dashing appearance, goes to an interview and immediately passes. Seo-an has spent his entire life being swayed by his father's greed, who would not tolerate even the smallest flaw. That was how he lived, chewing at himself with bursting panic and constant avoidance of people. One day, everything came to a halt and Seo-an locked himself up at home. Then, a person who had done him a tiny favor appeared. After a long time, he was no longer afraid of others. A young love story in which two people who are tired of life fall in love.”

Lover Boy (Jeky)

(I really adore the art here and that a moan character is an artist, it’s a trialing story for both of them!)

Ongoing reading list still reading from month prior:

-

What's with this strange dream?!

“Jungoh was just expecting to take on a part-time job as an assistant. What he didn’t expect was working inside people’s dreams with a cute, but grumpy shaman named Ibeom. And he certainly didn’t expect Ibeom to be cursed by a nightmare seedling!”

(Sorry I had to use this image, it’s hilarious.)

Night by the sea

“Kim Euihyun, who had given up everything due to reaching his limits, ran towards the sea with a child in his arms and was caught by an alpha, Yeo Taejoo. Euihyun, who is left with only debt by his father running away, was given money, a house, by Taejoo and even a job if he gives his body..."

Intoxicated

“Omega Shen Tingwei wakes up after a traffic accident and soon realizes something is very wrong. The people around him have no idea what an omega is, the local pharmacy doesn't carry his heat suppressants, and no one - including the doctor at the nearest hospital - seems to understand the reason he is feverish is because he's going into heat. Enter Lian Jue, a wealthy man with Emotional Deprivation Disorder who is struggling to balance running his company, appeasing his difficult family, and caring for his adopted son, Kangtong. When he encounters the heat-drunk Shen Tingwei staggering around the city and saves him from getting hit by yet another vehicle, the two men soon become entangled in each other's lives. Shen Tingwei is lost and helpless in a world not his own, and Lian Jue can't help but be drawn to the unusual stranger...”

“Shen lived in a place as a lawyer where there are three gender known: alpha, beta and omega however an incident caused him to be transported in a society where there are only two gender recognized: male and female.”

Is there a love at first sight in e-sport

“The Asian champion is free to take the girl to score points in the game. Finally, he brings a girl to Kaimai but finds that the other party is a boy. Mr. Champion left behind the online dating that ended before it started. When he went to train with the club, he accidentally had a little friction with another team. When the opponent's deputy captain showed up, Mr. Champion was instantly tempted to doubt life. When the opponent spoke, it was the "girl" he personally brought that day. Is there love at first sight in e-sports? Exists.”

[seijorhi]

asks :)

i’m sorry i’m bad at answering these i love you guys

I just adore fics like these, outside characters seeing through yandere facades and putting the pieces together. Atsumu’s frustration at knowing something is wrong but not being able to convey it without sounding crazy or jealous (and then exactly that happens), and then his mental agony at realizing he’s right but powerless. Ugh and the piece de resistance was his own inner turmoil at his attraction, it was just *chef’s kiss*. Do you think Atsumu became a bit of a lowkey yandere in his own way just obscured with a savior complex? Poor reader if she ever ends up his clutches, swapping one crazed man for another only Atsumu will never see himself as the bad guy. Thanks for the time and effort you put into such amazing writing!!

poor atsumu, i really put him through the wringer on this one :(( he starts with good intentions, but you know what they say about those haha. i honestly think he’s kinda fucked, because on the one hand he has everybody telling him he’s being a creeper, making mountains out of molehills, because how could hinata possibly do anything like that? and on the other he’s got hinata who’s not only aware of his suspicions but kinda pushing him to snap but dangling the reader in front of him. which way he falls is kinda up to you, but i think the fact he jerked off to a blowjob she clearly didn’t want says a lot about what he’s willing to (temporarily at least) overlook.

(English is not my first language so if I make grammar mistakes i'm sorry :( )

I got chills while reading insidious! It was so amazing. I really appreciated how you wrote that in Atsumu's perspective and made him an unreliable narrator.

It reminds me of the old drabble that you did with BokuAka where they kidnapped their manager and wrote it in Konoha's perspective. In that drabble, while Konoha did act selfishly, I still felt that he was a good person overall.

But in this fic, despite Atsumu claiming that Hinata and y/n's relationship was toxic and wrong, he still felt jealous. He wanted to be in Hinata's place. He wanted what Hinata had with y/n. I don't think his issue with them was because their relationship was toxic (maybe it was in the beginning), he just wanted it to be him who's with her. And that's the brilliance of this fic, seeing not only how unsettling Hinata's relationship was but also seeing Atsumu also slowly becoming obssessed.

first of all, never apologise for your english or any language for that matter. you’re doing great bby! but i’m glad you liked the fic!! <33 i can’t resist morally corrupting a character with good intentions. poor tsumu. poor konoha :((

Oof Hinata is terrifying and you wrote him so so so in character, like damn. He’s so happy like he’s just not a dark person which makes it so jarring bc he himself might not even register his actions as bad. I would love to see more content with him bc you got a girl scared and horny! But just wow I was on the edge of my seat!

ahh thank you my love!!

this is kinda random but i’m happy that i finally don’t have to type your full @ on the search bar to get to your blog anymore!!!!! also your new hinata ft atsumu fic literally sent chills down my spine. it kinda disturbed me how nobody (except atsumu) is questioning hinata’s character because hinata the always positive bundle of joy and sunshine can’t be capable of doing such things right? and how hinata is aware of atsumu’s suspicions ANDattraction towards his girl so he plays these little mind games with atsumu while maintaining that happy go lucky smile on his face acting like everything is normal. i just love your writing so much i literally visit your blog often for new updates😭

ahh i wished i had more updates for you haha! it’s really the worst when nobody believes something you think is painfully obvious. and hinata’s sunshine and sweet and super adoring, so why would anyone think twice about his relationship with the reader? and it doesn’t help that he’s toeing the line (before jumping right across it) between genuine concern and a little bit of attraction, but that’s half the fun haha. thanks for the ask bby!

Ok but you write Atsumu pining for the reader in a relationship so well. Inescapable Atsumu vs Oikawa is so good, the desperation, the crying *chefs kiss* Insidious is a diff Atsumu, more caring but thirsty all the same. Bokuto and co.s reaction is so funny 😭 they literally said you need to chill a little Atsumu

(Maybe we need to make this a full circle and make Atsumu pine for Osamus S.O. eye-)

i’m so mean to atsumu in both of those fics. dw i’ll make it up to him haha <33

It’s been said before but your Hinata fic was AMAZING and just so scarily in character. Hinata is definitely one of the scariest yanderes because he’s so unsuspecting and who would believe such a cheerful person is capable?!? It was just so well-written, I loved how you wrote Atsumu’s rising suspicions (especially how he can’t really prove anything bc it’s Hinata of all ppl) and his own descent into obsession and everyone’s reaction to him. It was so deliciously twisted and you can’t help but pity reader in what we can assume is her little sliver of hope that she can be saved bc someone finally noticed. Just chills.

thank you so much, bby! hinata does give off those vibes, and who would suspect him because he’s so attentive and bright and bubbly. i’m glad you liked it!! <33

Rhi RHHHHIIII Insidious was spot on. Rabid was just 👌👌 mmm and I've just realized how good you are at capturing a character's pov, like Atsumu's was on the money for capturing the confusion and unsettling feeling and it was so effective i feel like 👀😳 @ hinata now lmaoo

I WAS THE LAST ASK TALKING ABOUT POVS BUT I FORGOT SOMETHIIINGG. DAICHI'S POV. DAICHI'S POVVVV 👏👏👏 I could feel myself feeling his frustration and anger (I wanted him to whip oikawa's ass so bad fr) and his piecing together of things made me feel so awful and anxious, but like in a good way!! Writing is suppose to make you feel things and your fics always, always accomplish that 🤍

ahh nonnie, thank you so much! i like to get inside of the character’s head and fuck with their emotions and stuff, it’s super fun so i’m glad you guys enjoy it!! ily!! <3

oo Hinata as a yandere is so scary bc he's so sweet and caring. BUt he's also sincere and earnest about everything and who's to say that passion won't carry into darker activities 👀

you get it anon haha. he’s honestly a little terrifying but i still want him to spit in my mouth y’know??

i just finished reading insidiuous--it was FANTASGTIC SHDFJDSHFJ the way that atsumu crossed a line he couldn't come back from and was just,,,, rightfully consumed with shame for it?? that was great. also loved reading how hinata knew what he was doing and was doing it purposely, but poor reader. my heart goes out to reader.

thank you so much, bby!! i’m glad you liked it <33 

God, you have no idea how much I loved Rabid. I read it probably like 5 times in a row the first time. How do you imagine what happens to reader afterwards? I wonder if he’d end up taking her back to his place, or how does he interact with her afterwards? I’m sorry if this is annoying, I’m just so in love with the story 🥺💕

ahh thank you so much! as for what happens afterwards, you’re definitely kyoutani’s girl. if you think he’s just gonna let you go back to your place, keep working your job, you’ve got another thing coming. he tries to be gentle. a good boyfriend. he’ll definitely pick up on you shaking after he’s finished up; but he’ll misinterpret it as you being cold and make you wear his jacket haha.

Have u permanently closed commissions?

not necessarily, just taking a break :))

[mysewingadventures]

Historical Accuracy of Costumes in Period TV Shows - Anne With An E

I was very surprised at how well my historical accuracy post about The Aeronauts did, so I decided to write about another one! This time I’ll be talking about the fashion in Anne with an E, but I’ll be mainly focusing on the kids’ clothing because kids’ period fashion is something that’s very rarely talked about and we know very little about.

First of all, if you haven’t seen Anne with an E, please do, it’s an amazing adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables novels which I adored reading as a kid, but unfortunately I barely remember anything from the books so watching the show was kinda cool going into it without knowing what exactly was going to happen. But anyways, enough about the show, let’s get to the fashion. A little disclaimer: some of the fashion choices made by the department are very closely tied to the plot so I might be spoiling a little bit, but I won’t be talking about any big spoilers or plot points!

So, the story takes place from 1896 (season 1) to 1899 (season 2), so we’re in the late Victorian time period.

First up, we have this dress that Anne wears at the beginning of season 1. It’s obviously way too small, very simple and plain.

It was very typical for girls to wear aprons as an outer layer so they wouldn’t get their dresses dirty, we can see that all throughout the show with all characters. But here we have something that looks odd to someone who might not know the story and Anne’s upbringing. She’s an orphaned girl, this is the only dress she has and has had for years, hence why she grew out of it. It’s plain, simple, she’s a poor girl who goes from one family to another and has to work to earn her stay. In her surroundings, nobody would have given her a new dress, or even an older but fashionable one. I’m assuming she got it at some point just because she didn’t have anything to wear and "as long as it would do the job, it was good enough."

Now, let’s fast forward a little bit until Marilla decides to finally make Anne a new dress. She mentions having some fabric laying around, so she uses that to sew the new garment.

It’s still very plain and not fashionable for the time, but it’s a garment that fits her, which was Marilla’s top (and arguably only) priority at the time. Marilla is one of a kind, she’s the direct opposite of pretty much everyone else in Avonlea. I won’t get too deep into her characterization, but Anne’s fashion reflects Marilla’s mindset that I just have to mention how she’s a woman who lives in a classist society without really becoming a part of it. She’s old fashioned at first, sure, but her priorities are different from all the other families. While everyone else cares about how they present themselves to others and how they are viewed and their reputation, Marilla stays true to herself and doesn’t change for anyone. They’re not poor, meaning they could afford pretty clothing if they wanted to but to Marilla, this is clearly a waste of money and she values other things more in life. Okay, sorry about this little ramble about her but it’s important to know to understand why Anne doesn’t have the most fashionable dresses aside from the Cuthberts being “poorer” (despite still being middle class).

When Marilla announced she wanted to make a dress for Anne, Anne immediately requested puff sleeves, which is understandable considering they were very fashionable in 1896. Anne has never had puff sleeves before and all of her friends probably did, so it’s just natural for her to want her new dress to have them.

So, puff sleeves... Enter Matthew who has a soft spot for his daughter and doesn’t share the same strict world views as Marilla. He goes out to Charlottetown to get a dress custom made for Anne, which has... *drum roll* puff sleeves!

It’s this beautiful blue dress which Anne falls in love with and wears on every special occasion. With the lace and the frills it almost feels a little too much for a child, as girls’ dresses were usually similar to adults’ but less decorated and more simple. Anne does stand out a little when she wears it to school, but the dress was clearly not made for everyday wear, she was just too excited about it not to wear it.

Here’s a cast photo (I couldn’t find any other ones where you can properly see other girls’ dresses without the aprons) and you can see that they’re generally less embellished than adults’ clothing of that time and just a little frilly.

Unless I am missing something, this was the only puff sleeve dress that Anne owns up to the end of the show, and that is because puff sleeves suddenly aren’t as fashionable anymore in the following years. The dresses still have a wider sleeve at the top but nothing that comes close to a puff sleeve.

Let’s move on with my favorite Anne dress.

I love this dress so much because it’s quite simple but still has that elegance of the Victorian era. So maybe I’m biased but I’d say it’s absolutely accurate! I’ve definitely not been thinking about making a replica and wearing it just for the heck of it. It definitely seems child-appropriate and more like an everyday dress than the previous one.

I’d also love to talk about Diana’s dresses for a moment as she is the richest girl in town (I believe? It could be Josie I’m not sure) but her dresses are always on point and beautiful and just a prime example of rich girls’ dresses of that era. Here’s one of her and her sister Minnie May wearing the same white Sunday dress.

You had to be rich to give your kids white dresses with not even an apron. Sure, you wouldn’t wear an apron on a Sunday dress, but you had to be either rich enough so your kids were used to having the best manners and wouldn’t get dirty or you had to be able to afford to get a white dress dirty. The Barry’s are both of those things.

There are many more dresses that were shown in the show but if I mentioned all of them, I’d still be writing tomorrow! Maybe I’ll make a part 2 someday. However, I couldn’t finish this post without mentioning the iconic... Just see for yourself.

And... I have contemplated for a long time whether I should say this or not as all I’ve ever seen about this dress was pure adoration but from a personal point of view, I... don’t like it. I’m sorry. And that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not historically accurate, it’s just not my favorite personally. But I’ll get into the historical accuracy.

I had to rewatch almost the entire episode to see the dress in its full length, and after searching through a lot of fashion plates I have only found one that resembles it kind of.

But I’m still not 100% satisfied. The bodice almost feels a little outdated? If I had to guess I’d say this dress was more 1889 than 99. The skirt is historically accurate, though, as well as the sleeves. The blouse is laying a little too flat for 1899 and so is the bodice, it would have been more pigeon-breasted, just like the dresses you can see in this previous scene.

Granted, not all dresses in this scene have that silhouette and not all dresses in 1899 had that silhouette, but it just looks a little wrong with that particular style. A reason for that could be the fact that Marilla made it and maybe she just wasn’t completely up to date with the latest fashion trends and/or recycled an older dress, which is both something I could totally see her do. But then again, it could totally be something worn in 1899 and no one would bat an eyelash. Just because something isn’t common doesn’t mean it’s wrong! Actually, the more I look at it the more it looks right.

This brings me to another point I wanted to mention, which is the length of the kids’ skirts.

This is a photo I found in which they are approximately 14/15 years old.

According to a guideline I found from 1900 that I can’t include because of the 10 photos per post limitation but will link here, the hemline for that age should fall right above the uppper edge of the boot. The length we see them wear is appropriate for 4-8 year olds!

But that’s really the only thing I have to criticize. There’s not a lot of info we have on kids’ clothing so it’s hard to make a general statement but these are the things I noticed while watching the show and afterwards while doing research.

PS. The hats are all very cool and accurate! So many hats! After the lack of bonnets in some other movies seeing hats in a period film just make me happy ��

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/78193232

Chapter 64

Left alone, Nick made his way to Sally while the town was dawning. At her door, he forced himself to make a happy face, before he rang the bell. “Delivery!”, Nick announced through her speaker. “A bottle of cod liver oil, fresh and native, directly from the sunny climes of Uskglass!” Sally couldn't have sounded more relieved. “You got it! Come in!” The opener buzzed and shortly after, Nick entered Sally's much more organized lab. She hurried down from the upper floor. “You two are life saviours...”, she began. At the bottom of the stairs she stopped, looking at Nick and afterwards searching the room. “Did Arthur not come?” “Er...he really needed a rest. He was doing almost all the work in Haworth and...it's already late so...I told him he didn't have to...” “Is he...?” “He's okay. Only tired...” “I'm glad...” Sally struggled not to look too disappointed. After all, did she really expect him to come? He still hated her, and of course a journey through Haworth's madness didn't change that.

She was deep in thoughts when she suddenly realized Nick held out the bottle to her, so she curled her fingers around it. “Cod liver oil...”, she whispered, palpating the label. “It might be the only bottle in the entire town...” She even hugged it and a smile flashed over her face. “Really?”, Nick wondered. “Well, it was a quite funny adventure. If you need any other hidden treasure...”. What stood out to Sally was that he didn't sound sarcastic. She looked back at him, as if she noticed him for the first time. “You...would help me out again? Just like that? I mean...”. She wished she bit her tongue. “Of course I'll make it up to you.” She forced her lips to smile. Feeling the precious bottle under her fingers, she knew she had all she could hope for. It wouldn't hurt to do one last favour. Nick held up his hands. “Hey, you don't have to. We're friends, right? You and me go a long way, we were even more than friends once. Of course I'll help you out!” Sally eyed him. “You're not...I mean...You still have good memories..?” “Sure”. Nick laughed. “You know I fucked up my memory pretty badly and you're not quite innocent of that”. He grinned and she chuckled a little, waiting for where that was going. “But my memories are kinda coming back and I can see it all again. It was fun. Don't you think?” “Yeah.” She breathed in and out. “Good times.” “See?,” Nick smiled. “And even though I...uh...I'm not a customer anymore I still admire your stuff...Yeah, that's what you could do for me, actually...Would you mind not holding a grudge against me because of that? We can still be friends.” Sally was staggered “That's all?” “Yeah...” Nick crossed his arms and then felt a sting. “Oh...actually...there's another thing...” Of course there is, Sally thought. “What is it?”, she asked, making a few steps towards him. “Do you have a plaster?” Nick rolled up his sleeve and showed the wound on his upper arm. Sally's eyed widened.

Later, they stood in Sally's kitchen where she disinfected the would and applied and ointment. “Would you believe me if I told you I got that from a furious giant wielding a torch?”, Nick asked her, watching how she eased his pain. She chuckled. “From what I've seen inside the Labs so far I wouldn't be surprised.” She took a bandage out of a drawer. “I think I've seen the giant before. In a white suit?” “Yeah...”, Nick sighed. “That guy.” Sally shook her head. “I wish you didn't have to go through this...” “Aww, it's fine, we made it. And I'm sure nobody in Haworth will ever try to mess with us again.” He laughed and Sally joined. “We're the last reporters they'll ever let in.” “Did you see Verloc himself?” “Yeah, actually. I wish you saw his face when Arthur told him all we wanted was cod liver oil.” They laughed again. “Sadly, he didn't cooperate.” Sally locked gazes with him. “Did you...?” “No, he got away...I should have a popper in my house, too. For whenever the fans break in...” “You're right. That sounds quite practical.” Sally imagined escaping all the intrusive customers and Bobbies. “Do you have fanatic fans too? I bet you have.” “Yeah...” She put the bandages away. Done with her work, she leaned against the counter and took a breath. “Someone broke into my lab a few days ago...” “I'm sorry...” Nick turned serious again. “I hope he didn't take anything?” “No, no...I think he wanted Blackberry Joy and I was out of stock, so he couldn't find any...” Great Sally, you're the best company, she scolded herself, You could just as well start to cry here and now. “But that's over. I guess it won't happen again”, she waved herself off.

“Is that why you need the oil? Because you're out of supplies?” “Well...kind of...” She eyed the floor. “You know, you did me a great favour. It actually means a lot to me...”, she tried to express what she felt since the moment Nick came back from his journey. “Aww, it was nothing”, Nick said with a wave of his hand. “Don't beat yourself up about it. After all, I wanted to do it.” Sally assumed that Nick couldn't estimate the danger in the same way a Downer could and therefore didn't know what he was doing, but his whole attitude made her say: “I had no idea you were such a good friend.” Nick lifted his eyebrows. “Sorry, that came out wrong”, Sally quickly corrected herself. Why was it so hard to have a decent conversation without Joy? “I wanted to say...We didn't see each other for a long time and I stopped coming by without an explanation and, and...” Great. You meet the only man in town who doesn't hold a grudge against you and you remind him of all the reasons why he should. “And what?”, Nick asked with a clueless look. Sally returned the gaze. Nick slipped from the counter he had been sitting on. Coming closer, he took her hands. “Look, when I recall the past few years right, then I wasn't...quite all there myself...I could just as well be the one who stopped to let you in. I don't know. But does it matter? I'm not dwelling on this, not because I'm such a good Wellie, but because I believe we both did our best”, Nick said in a soft voice. “I'm just happy to see you again.” Sally had the urge to wipe her eyes. Instead she blinked and squeezed Nick's hands. “Well, I'm really glad I needed that record.” She giggled helplessly and he laughed with her. “Who knows when I would've had the guts to visit you.” “Or me...” Nick shook his head. “I was afraid...that I did something to you...” “Nothing besides the usual”, she replied and he grinned. Their laugh was very intimate. The whole placability of this moment made Sally let her guard go hug and squeeze the man, certain that he wouldn't draw the wrong conclusions.

If only she didn’t have such a bad luck. Just in this moment when she enjoyed the first comforting embrace in years, Arthur showed up. “Sally?“, she heard him call and her heart jumped. Tired, right. Also Nick was surprised, uncomfortably. They both let go of each other and quickly made a few steps backwards. Sally had the feeling that he gave Nick a more intense look. Did he really blame him for this? Was today her lucky day? “Arthur, Im glad to see you“, she said hopefully not too awkwardly. “Yeah, well…“ Arthur fell silent. An indeed awkward silence broke out while Nick seemed to try telling Arthur something with his glance. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Sally“, Nick said as if he had no idea what tone he should use. Polite, reserved, friendly but not too friendly? What was up with him? “But I er…have to go now…You know…business…maybe you’ll come by another time…er…er well, only if you can…I bet you’re busy too…good luck with whatever you’re gonna do with the oil…“ Sally assisted him with polite phrases until he was out, just like that. She couldn’t help but feel cheated of a tranquil moment.

It looked as if Arthur had chased Nick out without saying anything. And even though deep inside her she was happy that Arthur had changed his mind and came to visit her, her merciless sense made her doubt that she was prepared for this. Couldn’t they just dwell in good memories for once? “Arthur…I…I…“ She sighed. “Thank you. I know Nick couldn’t have done it without you…“ “If you knew that, why did you ask him?“ Arthur sounded bitter. “I didn’t come for for cod liver oil, I asked him for a record. Then he asked me if I needed more and since I can’t go to Haworth, I brought it up. I wondered it he had some in his storage. With Nick, you never know…“ She shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to be a big deal.“ “It never is, right? It was only another Sally whim!“, Arthur let his anger out. “For you, it’s nothing, but for everyone else it means trouble! You always have your good friends that do everything for you! You knew very well that Nick would go, that’s why you asked!“ “How would I know that?“ Sally was hurt. “Because you know Nick! You know he’s easy to charm, just play the damsel in distress and he’ll do everything for you!“ “But I didn’t mean for him to go into Haworth!“ “Then why did you bring it up?“ “I don’t know…because I started to chat? Because I hoped you’d have a better idea? Some things just happen, Arthur! I can’t explain it!“ “But I can! Because you knew I could do it and you knew that Nick would make me go! He was already so delighted to see you!“ “We are only friends!“ “Huh, very good friends, I bet. Just like you and the general! Or you and that crazy shit Verloc!“ “No, it’s not like that! I haven’t seen him for years! I didn’t know if he even let me in!“ “Why not? He’s just too nice of a guy, he wouldn’t mind. You could you know Nick and not know that?“ “Because people change! I don’t just walk into houses and expect people to bring out the red carpet! I’m thankful for every help I get, believe it or not! I don’t think anyone would’ve done what Nick did for me!“ “You should’ve stopped him! It was too dangerous and I think you knew that he wouldn’t see the danger! He’s naive like that! He’d never believe you’d send him to a suicide mission!“

Sally’s expression saddened. “He had you…“, she said quietly. “Right…but I’m not a superhero! I didn’t have this under control.“ “Sorry that I thought you were…“ Her tone changed and she looked up to him. “The way you survive without any help…I guess it made me dream…you even have a letter of transit now…how did you do that?“ Unwillingly, Arthur’s anger melted at an alarming rate. “Er…it was actually easy…but I rather not change the topic now…“ Sally gave him a cheeky smile. “You brought it up…“ “Is it so hard to say sorry?“, Arthur fought back. “Even though it doesn’t change anything.“ Sally’s face fell. “If you think I’m such a bad person, why did you do this for me?“ “Because Nick was about to go alone! You don’t even understand what you did to him! He could’ve died in there! All for some fucking cod liver oil! How could you do this to him?“ She eyed him. “So…this is about Nick…“ “Of course it’s about him! That’s what I’m trying to tell you!“ “I mean…you two…are very close…“ Arthur got the hint. He hesitated before he said: “Don’t ever ask him for a favor again.“ His voice was about to shiver. “Don’t…touch him! Sally’s mouth opened but no sound came out.

Arthur caught his breath. Now that this was finally out, he felt like a massive weight was taken off his chest. He was still angry at Sally, yet he felt a sting in his heart, seeing her crestfallen like that. Her feelings forced themselves on him. He simply sensed what she felt. Or he hoped, that was. Even if that kind of hope wasn’t due to him anymore. The main point was that she wouldn’t use Nick for her complicated whims anymore. “I’m sorry“, Sally finally whispered. “Look, I call others my friends even when they aren’t really. I know they’d let me fall the moment I stopped making Blackberry Joy or stop taking Joy or break the rules in another way…“. She bit her lip. “I guess most of them would’ve killed me already. I don’t have a lot of true friends…I just found out that Nick is one of them…Sometimes you just need a hug, Arthur, without any obligations.“ Arthur felt sorry, even though his mind refused to believe her. The Salamander always found her way around things. She always found people to help her out, friends or not. She got what she wanted. She ran off with nothing and now she was the it-girl of Wellington Wells and also a brilliant chemist, a star just like Nick Lightbearer. Could she be that lonely?

“I’m sorry“, he still said. “I don’t have anyone except Nick and he’s so…trusting…“ Sally made a few steps towards him. “You can trust me“, she said. “I’m not an evil witch or something, even though I kinda make potions…“ “Sure, sure, I didn’t mean to…act like you’re evil or something…I guess you’re just trying to get along, just like me…“ She cracked a smile that shouldn’t send such a shiver down his spine. Her eyes had no right to touch his heart like that. “See, I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you anything in return. Do you really have a letter of transit or do you just want to keep the general away from me?“ Her eyes squinted a little. She was making a joke. “It’s more like I have the letter of transit…“ Sally mused. “I’m trying to get out myself….I know where a boat is…I think I could squeeze in two more people if they behave.“ Arthur’s heart jumped. A boat? He saw the beautiful, endless ocean right before his eyes. Freedom. But then he saw Sally and Nick, together in a boat…finding out how much they had missed each other…Sally being oh so thankful and Nick melting away under her charms.

“You don’t have to do anything for me, Sal. It’s okay.“ “But it’s no trouble at all! If anything, it’d make it easier to escape, with two fighters like you and my wits. We would be the three musketeers for once!“ Arthur gulped. “I…I think I’m fine with two musketeers… No hard feelings, Sally.“ Sally let out a breath. “Okay…if you need something else…“ “Take care, Sally…“, Arthur said quietly. He had no right to feel so sad. “You too, Arthur…“, she replied, and now that it was final, all the things Arthur had wanted to say to her span in his head. “Hey…when you’re out, pay me a visit, okay? I wanna know what kind of amazing story you have to tell.“ “Yeah…“, he said, wondering how he’d find her in the big world outside. “And if you find me first, don’t hesitate to say hi.“ “Sure thing“, she answered. “Say goodbye to Nick for me…“ “Sure…see you around, Salamander…“ “Goodbye, Sparky.“ When he left her home, he was certain he had seen for the last time. He had a feeling that he couldn’t describe, neither with a word nor a gesture. It made him helpless, even though he should be happy now that was over. For once, he would be the one cuddling and not saying a word.

He found Nick in his bedroom, accompanied by his iconic blue guitar. Arthur convinced him to put the instrument aside and hold him instead. He kissed a little trail from Nick’s cheek down to his neck and then remained wrapped around his lover, wordless. “Arthur, are you okay?“, Nick whispered. “I hope you didn’t have a fight with her, because of me…“ Arthur shook his head. Nick twirled a black hair strand around his finger. “I didn’t mean to anger you even more. I know it’s lame to blame the girl but she hugged me, only in a friendly way. I had no reason to push her away.“ “She told me already.“ It came out rougher than planned. Arthur really didn’t want to talk about such a delicate topic. His own feelings for Sally weren’t quite acceptable. „Oh…“, Nick said and fell quiet. He now focused on stroking and rubbing Arthur’s back and shoulders. Then Arthur recalled something. Well, get it over with, then. “Sally is leaving the town. She told me to say goodbye to you…“ “She’s leaving?“ “Yeah…She would’ve told you if I didn’t show up I guess…“ Nick’s hands stopped for a while. “It’s strange to imagine Wellington Wells without her…She was like…the town’s soul…at least to me…I mean…“ “I know“, Arthur quickly said before Nick could let out another trail of apologies. Silence ensued and Arthur closed his eyes.

“You like her“, Nick unfortunately said. “Wha…why?“ “You wear your heart on your sleeve, King. It’s not hard to read you.“ Arthur’s face began to burn. “Nick, I love you. I don’t know what it is with Sally, it’s never easy with her.“ “Well, we don’t have to let her go“, Nick said and Arthur steadied himself on his elbows to look at him. “Nick, believe me, this is over. Sally and I are no longer a thing.“ “But it makes you sad. I don’t want you to be sad.“ “You want me to leave you for her or what?“ “No, I hope you can’t leave me so easily“, he chuckled even. “Then what are you…?“ “Bear with me, okay? I thought, if I had the same problem…of loving two people at once, I’d wish they understood…I’m trying to tell you that I do. And I don’t think Sally would mind. She’s quite open minded and she and I come along just fine…“ Arthur stared at him with an open mouth. “Are you making fun of me?“ “No, I’m serious! I…I think I know how you feel…“ “Because you love Sally?“ “No, no, I don’t love her…I just understand you.“ “Be honest with me, Nick! It makes sense: Why did you insist to got on this mission so badly? Why do you not want her to leave? You love her, right? You saw her again and…“ “No, no, no, Arthur…“ Nick slightly shook him. “Now you’re being ridiculous. I. Love. You. Not Sally. I’m only saying…you don’t need to suffer. I’m okay with it.“

Arthur looked at him in disbelief. “Wouldn't you be jealous? I know I would. I think everyone would.” “Arthur, I trust you.” Arthur shook his head. “I don't know...” “What?” “Aren’t you afraid I’d end up with her and abandon you?” Nick sat up. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he gave his lover a meaningful look. “Why would you do that to me?” Arthur winced again, shortly closing his eyes. “It's not that I'd do it! But...why are you not even afraid? Is it because you're such a wanted star that you never think people could leave you? And what about me? What if you leave me for her?” “I wouldn't do that either!”, Nick said eagerly, shaking his head. Arthur didn't look like his answer cheered him up. He granted him a rather gloomy glance. “Don't you believe me?”, Nick asked quietly, his eyes searching for an answer in his lover's expression.

Arthur sighed. “First this Debbie-person, and now Sally...I wonder, would you easily invite a third person to our relationship?” Nick looked at the blanket under his feet, avoiding the other man's look. He felt that his character was rejected once more. Morrie had done it first. And well, what did he really expect Arthur to do? Morrie had been a sensible person, Arthur was too. He was sorry he had brought it up. “Hey...”, he began, opening the grip around his legs and trying to get comfortable again. “Let's forget about it, okay? I wanted to help, but...I guess it was a bad idea.” He let out a sigh after that. A rather disappointed one.

“Help...” Arthur shook his head again. “I don't know if I should be shocked...or...” “Shocked? Come on, it was only a question. Not that I already invited her or something.” Arthur had to think of the three musketeers for some ominous reason. Did she also...? “Did Sally...give you this idea?” He and Nick locked gazes. “No...she thought you had enough of her.” Arthur averted his gaze again, helplessly looking around the room. “You came back...”, Nick said. Arthur frowned at that. “Why can't you stop talking about her?”, he almost yelled at the other man. “I'm glad she's leaving and don't you dare bring any random girl into our relationship!” Nick curled up again. “I didn't mean to...” His voice was meek. Arthur began to crawl out of the bed. “Where are you going?”, Nick asked, worried. “I need some time for myself”, his lover answered gloomily. Before he left the room he turned around again to add: “I'm at the bar!”, as if it was Nick's fault that he went especially there. But now it was no time to blame his imprudence, Arthur decided. Nick got the message.

The rockstar felt abandoned in his big fabulous bed that suddenly felt oversized. Staring at his wallpaper for a while, he tried to cope with the outcome of what had been a both a try to assist and a confession. So much for telling the truth...even if only a little bit of that... 'What kind of a person are you, Nick?', he asked himself. 'Do you even deserve to be loved?' Now it became too self-loathing for him and he left the room himself. If he wanted to complain about what a horrible person he was, he would at least not talk to himself.

Glad that he didn't meet anyone, he made his way to the first spot his brain came up with. He chose it because he felt that he wasn't done with it. He didn't know if he'd ever be done. Sitting down at the brim of the fountain, he eyed the water again that seemed to happily dance about, accompanied with a little splashing sound that he had always enjoyed when he had been in the park near school. His own reflection didn't look much better today. If Virgil was here, he would've scolded him because of the giant blue rings under his eyes. Thinking about it, he smiled, and a tear ran down his cheek.

'Hello Morrie', he thought. 'It's been three days now. How are you? I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, but...you know me...I needed a little adventure...something to keep me going after all this. You wouldn't have liked it I guess...but perhaps, now that everything came out alright, you could laugh about it now. Imagine me as a fighter...oh, no...' He shook his head and smiled again. 'At least I was helpful...' His finger drew a circle into the water surface. He watched the little waves roll and vanish. 'I wish I did help you.' More tears came. 'I still miss you. Now that I know what Arthur thinks about all this, I guess I don't know what I would've done...I wish I asked you.' Nick took a deep breath. 'This is all confusing and you seemed to see sense in everything. I guess I'll ask James again...You never met him, but he's good to me. Even though he can't magically turn me into a better person, I feel like I have a guide.' He put his hand back on the brim and wiped it dry on his jacket. 'I'll come back. I think I'll bring you flowers, be a gentleman for once...I love you...'

He got up and looked back to the fountain a few times when he went away. Saying goodbye was hard even if it was only in his imagination.

James would understand, Nick was sure.

[gamerwoo]

[Tales from the Pack] Minghao: Find Our Way (Part Ten)

Characters: Minghao x female reader

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, fantasy, kinda angst??? but not really?????? idk what to call it lmao

Word count: 2,123

Summary: You already knew who you were meant to be with and how your life was supposed to go. The only thing keeping you and the life you were destined to lead apart was the fact you were blind. At least, for now, you could meet him in your dreams.

Tag list: @choiminjae0325 @heolykpop @fullsun-donghyuck @yoonbabe-d @exuwu @lets-get-1t @vintageot5 @sehunnies-hunnie96 @childfmoonn @wobwobkpop @henloimawierdobye @dirinast @joshwoah @wreckedbytae @salty-for-suga @janellxu​ @xu-miseo @uglyratlmao @sakura-uji @littleheartsays @onewoowonderboy @kesmonster (if you wanna be added please send a dm!!)

Unable to tag: @birthday-prinxess @sooooofrench

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Yeji spent the better half of three days trying to get somebody in your stupid pack to follow her. The closest she could get was intriguing Jihoon, who apparently wasn’t supposed to be fond of animals. But no matter how hard she tried, nobody seemed to want to listen to her. So she resorted to trying to get things done on your end. If she could figure out how to break the barrier or undo what the witch had done to block the pack from finding you, then she wouldn’t need to get the wolves’ attention. She could just sit back and wait for you to be rescued. It was just a matter of figuring out what exactly that old hag had done to get rid of the pull.

You were surprised that Yeji stuck around the cottage with you. She normally went off elsewhere, though you never could quite figure out where she had gone. You still weren’t even sure what happened to the witch, but she never showed up. You weren’t entirely sure if she was something you had to worry about still, but you figured that was something you’d only know if she showed up.

Meow.

You looked up from one of the spell books you were reading on the couch to see Yeji perched on one of the shelves of the many bookshelves, her tail flicking off the side.

“What?” you asked.

Over the last few days, you’ve started talking to her more like a regular human rather than in a strange voice that you typically spoke to animals in. You didn’t know it, but Yeji appreciated it.

She stood up and pawed one of the books off the shelf, the book falling to the floor with a thud.

“You want me to read that book instead?” you guessed.

Then she hit off another book. And a third.

“Do you...want me to read all of them?”

She gave a single nod as she sat back down.

“Are we looking for something?”

Yeji jumped down from the shelf and flipped one of the books on the floor over with her paw before she began flipping pages until she reached the front of the book. Then she sat down and began scanning the pages with her eyes.

You got up from the couch with your book that you were only half through reading -- you were very slow with it because you hadn’t read anything since you were a child. You sat on the floor beside her and opened the book in your lap.

“How am I supposed to know what I’m looking for?” you asked.

Yeji could only glance up at you before going back to her book, flipping the page with her paw.

-

The pack was so sure it must’ve been some sort of coincidence that the black cat with green eyes led them to the witch. It couldn’t have been the familiar because they couldn’t figure out why a familiar would want to kill its owner. The familiar was there to help its witch, so it made no sense for the familiar to want her dead.

So they paid it no attention.

While Minghao refused to stop his searches, Soomin was flipping through the large book she’d managed to get back from her old cottage after it burned down. She was desperate for answers for the poor wolf, but the book was big and she was unfamiliar with it. Beom could easily flip to the exact page she needed, but Soomin had to scan every single page to make sure she didn’t miss anything.

“Oh!” she gasped as she read something that seemed like it might be the answer to why Minghao couldn’t feel the pull to you anymore.

“What, love?” Wonwoo asked from beside her.

She pointed to the page, “Would an item to keep werewolves away be able to keep a werewolf away from its mate?”

Wonwoo scanned the page as he hummed in thought, “I’m not sure... Since the pull is strong, I’m not sure what exactly would be able to overpower it.”

“This might be it,” she insisted. “This might be why Minghao can’t sense _____ anymore. Unfortunately, even if it is, we have no way of getting the item she cast the spell on.”

“But we know she might be okay,” Wonwoo shrugged, trying to find the bright side in this. “That’s definitely useful.”

Soomin offered a small smile, “Yeah. I’m sure Minghao will be somewhat happy to hear we might have an answer, even if we don’t have a solution.”

“You did well, love,” Wonwoo smiled before placing a small kiss to her temple.

-

It took the better portion of the day for you to get toward the end of the large book you had been reading. You were concentrating extra hard since Yeji had already gone through three books on her own. She had yet to make any sound, so you assumed she didn’t find anything of use.

Your eyes followed your finger as you tried to read the words, your brows furrowed in concentration. You couldn’t even be worried about Yeji judging you for taking so long -- not that she was -- because you were too focused on trying to find whatever it was that the cat was sure you would find.

“Wait,” you spoke up as you flipped back between the last three pages you’d read, making Yeji’s head snap up, “this section seems to be about werewolves. Is that useful?”

Yeji softly meowed as she wormed her way into your lap. She pressed her front paws on the book, making you drop it to the floor on the page it was on. She began flipping through pages, her green eyes scanning words quickly before she stopped on something and meowed loudly. You leaned forward to read the page she left her paw on.

“How to ward off werewolves,” you read slowly, your head tilting to one side. You continued to read, taking in the information given before the actual ingredients and spell were listed. “So you essentially make some sort of object made out of silver and wolfs bane, place a spell on it to ward them off, and place them all around the place you want protected. So...we have to find all of the ‘talismans’ and destroy them.”

Meow.

Yeji seemed to be confirming your suspicions. She looked up at you with a new look in her eyes that you couldn’t quite read since she was, well, a cat. But you gave her head a pat and smiled.

“We’re getting closer,” you told her, though it was mostly reassurance for yourself. “Let’s get to it, then. This place is small so it can’t be too hard, right?”

But it was very hard. You knew what to look for thanks to the instructions in the book, but the small cottage was still cluttered with things, and it could’ve been hidden anywhere. So after a quick sweep of the place -- in which you came up empty handed -- you began desperately tearing the place apart. Yeji was knocking vases and jars and books off of shelves while you were ripping cushions off the couch and undoing the bedding on the bed in the bedroom. 

But still, you found nothing.

“It can’t be this hard to find wolfs bane encased in silver, can it?” you asked as you looked around at the mess you’d made in the den. From where you stood, you could see that the kitchen was no better with broken plates and silverware all over the floor. As you realized you’d looked literally everywhere in the house, you let out a defeated sigh and sat on the floor. “God, what’re we gonna do? I’m never getting home!”

Meow!

Yeji rushed over to you and began headbutting your side. But it wasn’t like she wanted attention, it was a forceful push like she wanted you to get up, but you weren’t sure why.

“What?” you wondered.

Meeeow!

You shifted over, hearing a slight creak when you got off of your spot on the floor. It was where the large area rug once was, but that had long since been removed and shoved in a heap in the corner of the room when you began looking.

Yeji stepped on the space you had been sitting, hearing the floor creak like she did the first time you sat down on it. But since you weren’t speaking, you heard it this time. She moved her weight off of it and heard it creak before stepping on it again and hearing the same squeak as before.

Meow!

She began pawing at the loose floorboards, looking up at you intently.

You nodded, knowing what she wanted you to do. You scrambled to your feet and went to the kitchen, grabbing a knife off of the floor before rushing back to the room and getting on your knees by the cat. You jammed the knife in between the boards and wiggled it while also trying to push it upward. After a few tries, the board came loose enough that you were able to lift it out of place. Then you managed to pry a few more before Yeji dove into the space, going under the floor of the house.

“Yeji?” you called as she disappeared into darkness.

You tried to peer in but it was far too dark for you to see anything. So you sat back and waited for the cat to appear, your heart hammering in your chest. You hoped this was it because you couldn’t find anything anywhere else and this was your last--

Her tiny head popped up, her teeth holding a wad of melted silver that was holding a few stems of wolfs bane together. She dropped it on the floor in front of you before she ducked back under the house.

“Yeji!” you squealed in praise as you picked the small thing up and examined it. You leaned down to put your head in the hole, asking, “How do we destroy it?”

Her face was suddenly right in front of yours with another tiny talisman in her mouth. You quickly sat up so she could leap up from under the floorboards, watching her trot over to the fireplace and toss it in. Then she walked back to the hole and jumped in again.

You stared at the makeshift talisman, turning it around in your fingers. You weren’t sure why you wanted to examine it before getting rid of it, but you observed it for a few seconds before tossing it into the fire and waiting for Yeji to bring the rest.

-

It wasn’t that Minghao wasn’t grateful for Soomin’s research, he was just bummed that he was no closer to getting you back. Sure, he knew what was causing the problem, but it didn’t mean he had a solution. All he could do was hopelessly try to find you even though he had no leads or hints as to where the witch had taken you.

“Jihoon, have you been outside all day?” Chan asked as he sat down at the table for dinner, the rest of the pack having already taken their seats.

“You should take after me, pup,” Jihoon told him with a dry tone. “Some fresh air might do you some good.”

“It’s not fun if I can only stay in the backyard,” the youngest mumbled.

“He was looking for that cat again,” Danbi ratted him out with a giggle.

“I was not!” he insisted. “It’s just some cat.”

“I wish it would come back,” Junhui frowned. “I bet Jihoon scared it off.”

“It wouldn’t even come close to me or Hansol,” Seungkwan told them as scooped food onto his plate now that the mates had theirs. “It just kept meowing and walking further into the woods whenever we got closer.”

Minghao had drowned out the conversation, much like he had been doing since you went missing. He couldn’t concentrate on anything else anyway, and the pack stopped calling his name to get him to focus because they knew it wouldn’t do any good. They just let him stay in his own little bubble.

But this time, he snapped himself out of his own thoughts as he abruptly stood up, his chair falling back on the floor with a loud crash. The pack looked up at him as he stared wide-eyed at nothing, his mouth slightly open.

“What?” Soonyoung wondered.

“I can feel her,” he said barely above a whisper before he locked eyes with his alpha. “The pull is back!”

And before anybody could say anything, he had turned and run toward the nearest exit and out of the house.

[citadelspires]

Finally Following Through On Explaining That MP100 Lumity AU

Aight so a few days ago I promised to describe the basic layout for this Mob Psycho 100 Lumity AU I’ve been thinking about. This is that.

A marginal bit of context up front. You don’t need to have watched MP100 in order to understand any of the things I’m about to say, but I do recommend watching it anyway because it’s a wonderful show and an absolutely essential experience. Anyway, for those who haven’t watched MP100 this is all the context you need, for those who have you can just skip to the next paragraph. All y’all need to know is that MP100 features people called espers and they all have these vaguely defined "psychic powers." The actual abilities tied to these powers vary from person to person, some people just have telekinesis, some people have special moves and abilities they've trained, there are people with fire, people who are really fast, a dude who's psychically reinforced a plastic sword to be infinitely sharp and durable, just, loads of stuff. All espers have the ability to see spirits, which are, ya know, the spirits of people who have died, though the level at which their humanity is still intact varies. As a general rule the more powerful you were in life (particularly in the psychic capacity) the more powerful your spirit is. Aight now to the actual stuff.

We’re gonna start with the Blight family cause they were the first people I really got figured out for this thing so it’s just fitting.  The Blight family has had at least one powerful esper per generation as far back as anyone can remember. They're an overwhelming presence in the esper community of the city they live in, though most people without psychic powers aren't really aware of their existence, as the Blights have always viewed themselves as above regular humans. For this reason a long time ago the Blight family gathered with a group of other powerful esper families to found a school exclusively for young espers so their children would not have to associated with "the ungifted." In the time since the family has relinquished a good deal of its hold over the school, having deemed directly running it a waste of their resources, as long it sticks around they don't really care. That being said they still hold a large amount of authority in the community. 

 Edric and Emira are both naturally gifted espers who've never had trouble demonstrating their powers and the 'superiority over the rest of the humans' that their parents desired. The only setback they've faced is that they trained and developed their powers together a bit too much. See, Edric has trained his whole life in using his psychic powers to create projections aka illusions, and Emira has power-based abilities, in which she can give Edric's illusions the full force of their imagined attacks. Separately neither of them can make or do anything worthwhile but together they're top students. Fortunately they've been able to hide that drawback from everybody so far.

Amity, on the other hand, has never displayed any sign of even the potential for psychic powers. Her parents consider her to be both a failure to the entire family and their greatest embarrassment. That didn't stop them from enrolling her in a school exclusively for people with psychic powers though, cause they would much rather force Amity to find some way to lie and cheat around her entire life than reveal to the world they have a talentless daughter. They force Amity to become friends with children of their choosing, who will help her cover up her 'failure' and they assign Ed and Em to watch out for her and make sure she doesn't 'destroy the Blight family name.'

That’s about all the background for her thing, and I’ll get to what Luz is up to in a moment, but first I’m gonna make a momentary stop to talk about Willow (and kind of Gus). Willow is also an esper, though she honestly would rather not be. She enjoys the affinity with plants that she's built up over the years but she'd trade it in a heartbeat if it meant she would get to go back to normal school instead  of this fancy esper school with all these stuck up superpowered narcist teenagers who hate her. The only reason she even goes anymore is because she doesn't want to disappoint her parents, who were just so proud of her when her powers developed. Though one day she did ditch school to go visit a normal high school, just to see what it was like. There she met Gus, who happened to be the only member of a fanclub for espers, on account of everyone else in the school doesn't believe in espers and think he's crazy. Well, there was this other girl but... She’s not around anymore. Anyway so Willow befriends Gus and shows him some of her plant affinity thing and he thinks it's amazing, and Willow has a pretty terrible lack of people her age who think anything she does is remotely notable, much less amazing, so she and Gus develop a friendship pretty quickly.

Aight, now finally onto the main event, Luz and Lumity. So Spotlight on our girl Luz, who just so happens to be a spirit at the moment. I'm not sure what actually happened to her to, ya know, unalive her, but it sure did happen. Still, she managed to hold on to the world long enough to form as a spirit, just through sheer willpower and certainty that she wasn't done yet. Essentially she dies and starts to drift off but like right before everything fades to black she just like, jolts back up like 'hey no absolutely not I had dreams and a family and there is so much going on here that I am going to see and do and nobody can stop me.' And, as Luz do, she decides to focus on the positive bits of this instead. 

 See, cause back when she was alive our girl happened to be something of an esper enthusiast. And the thing about being a huge nerd about espers is that she managed to do some digging on the notable espers of the area. So, naturally, she found out about the Blight family. And she just so happened to find out about Amity specifically while she was at it, and perhaps she had discovered this information about a girl her age belonging to the most important esper family of the city and decided that this girl would be her rival in the field of becoming the best esper she could be, despite, admittedly, not knowing how to make the esper part even happen in the first place.

So, now with a spirit body not bound by the laws of physics and other such inconvenient matters, she searches out the Blight manor, intent on finding Amity, this whole preconceived notion in her head about how this is all going to go, some fanficitony plot unfolding in her imagination about how once they were bitter rivals but now Luz will have to convince her to work with her so she can achieve her dream still.

But when she gets to the manor she finds it warded against spirits. Not to be deterred, she waits outside the gates for Amity and latches onto her backpack, waiting for a good time to reveal herself to Amity, though she questions a bit why the girl doesn't see her in the first place. She hides with Amity all day, surviving a whole day in a school full of espers who could exorcise her with a flick of their finger, solely because she was with The Amity Blight, and anyone who noticed her energy just assumed Amity knew what she was doing and left her alone. The drawback to this, though, was that Luz kinda got directly smacked in the face by her preconceived notions of what Amity would be like, and while initially she had intended to reveal herself to Amity in order to ask for help, after seeing her be rude and pretentious to literally everyone all day she instead reveals herself to basically just yell at Amity and get really mad. Fortunately for Amity she's not an esper so she can't see spirits anyway.

Except the thing is. She's walking home by herself, like she always does, and then she starts to hear this whispering coming from nowhere, getting louder and louder, until eventually she just hears someone yell her name out of nowhere. See, Amity had never seen a spirit before, but also, a spirit had never gone out of its way to appear to her before. Essentially Luz accidentally reached out to her and lit the spark of her dormant psychic powers (everyone has at least some level of psychic powers sleeping within them it's kind of a whole thing). So Amity spends the entire time Luz is yelling at her just, staring open mouthed at this spirit that appeared for her out of nowhere after 14 years of hell. She doesn't even acknowledge any of the stuff Luz said about her, she was far too overwhelmed by just the fact that after being a failure her whole life she suddenly wasn't, at least, not entirely.

Luz eventually notices that she is getting far from the anticipated reaction and she quiets down. At that point the two talk things out and, while Luz is still seriously disappointed in the person Amity turned out to be, she doesn't have any better ideas of who to talk to, she kind of needs someone to be her communication piece to the real world at this point, and Amity finally has something she can use to actually do things with her 'psychic powers.' Cause they've been awakened now, yeah, but she quickly realizes she can see Luz and Only Luz. So the two of them begrudgingly work together, each kind of starting off mutually aware that they're just using the other for their own goals, and being perfectly okay with that.

So that's the general relationship dynamic between the two of them at the start, and eventually they get to know each other better. Amity stops viewing Luz as a spirit and starts learning more about the person she was before she died. (Amity just calls her "spirit" for like, at least the first week. The first time she uses Luz' name is a whole thing). Meanwhile Luz learns more about what Amity's life is like behind the scenes and everything that's happened to her.

[imaginingsoftly]

Wedding Date Pt. 5 - Tyler Seguin

Type: strangers-enemies-lovers, series

Requested: no

Warnings: swearing, mentions of emotional manipulation and shitty exes

A/N: Sorry about forgetting to post last week! Here’s part 5, and there should be two more parts after this one.

Tyler was already at the Benn house when Melissa arrived the next afternoon. Jordie had promised he would be, and it appeared the middle Benn kept his promises. Tyler was actually the one who met Melissa at the door, and his jaw clenching gave away that he was still mad. For just a second, she wondered if he would shut the front door in his face. The baby on his hip seemed like the only reason that he didn’t. Billie reached out for Melissa as soon as Tyler opened the door, and just like that she was in. Melissa made a note to get Billie a book or something as a thank you, even if the kid wouldn’t understand what it was for. 

He stepped back as soon as Melissa crossed the threshold and began walking away. Melissa followed him down the hallway towards the kitchen much like she’d followed Jordie the day before. “So am I never going to be able to visit Jordie without you being here now?” Melissa glared at Tyler as he walked in front of her, though it was mostly as she tried not to look at his ass. It was hard, especially considering how tight his board shorts were. 

Jordie frowned at Tyler as the two of them and Billie appeared in the kitchen. He’d more than likely heard what Tyler said to her. “Hey, Lissa,” Jordie said, “how’s it going?” His face changed when he looked at her, and the brotherly smile he flashed at her was incredibly reassuring. 

The baby sitting on Melissa’s hip started babbling and clutching at her hair before she could respond. Clearly, she hadn’t been paying Billie enough attention. “Yeah, babe, I see you. You wanna tell me all about your day?” Billie continued to babble at her animatedly, and Melissa tried to ignore Tyler’s quiet huff as he stalked out of the kitchen and into the backyard. She stared after him as he began to help Jessie set up some lights around the deck. He hip-checked her out of the way, and Melissa’s heart tugged at the laughter that filtered in through the open door. 

“You’re really good with her.” Melissa turned her attention to Jordie. He leaned back against the counter and jerked his chin at Billie. “You look like you’ve done this before.”

Melissa smiled and squeezed Billie gently. “My younger sister has two. She married her high school sweetheart right out of college, and they had their first kid right after she turned 23.” She bounced Billie until she started to belly laugh. “I’m the cool aunt.” Jordie laughed, and Melissa chuckled along with him. Sarah’s boys were the toughest part of moving out of the DC area. She had been the go-to babysitter from the time the oldest was born, and now she’d be lucky to see them a few times a year. 

She looked out at the deck again, and Jordie gestured for her to make her way outside. Jessie gave Melissa a hug when she saw her, and Billie started reaching for her mom. Tyler looked like he was doing his best impression of a statue until Jordie punched him on the shoulder and ordered him into the yard to haul chairs in front of the firepit. 

It seemed like Jordie and Jessie were doing their best to keep Melissa and Tyler separate during the entirety of setup, though they were making Melissa do things that involved her being in front of Tyler. If she had to wager a guess, Melissa would say they were trying to get him used to having her in his presence before they talked. 

The party was well underway by the time Melissa finally caught Tyler alone. He was inside making himself a mixed drink when she went for another beer. Much like he had done all night when she tried to get him alone, Tyler immediately made a beeline for the back door. 

“Tyler.” He kept walking, and Melissa hurried after him. “Tyler please just listen for a second.” He stopped, mercifully, and she hurried to catch up to him. “I’m sorry for almost all of the things you mentioned yesterday.” His body was stiff, shoulders tight and angry as she stepped around to look in his face. “I’m not sorry that I hooked up with you though. It’s the stuff afterwards that was the issue. I didn’t plan on sleeping with you, just sex, and when I woke up and felt comfortable I panicked.” It had taken Melissa until she saw Tyler again to realize it, too. She could easily imagine waking up next to him all the time, and it felt wrong to be that comfortable with someone she’d just met. Especially someone she imagined didn’t do relationships. 

It felt like progress when she grabbed his hand and he didn’t pull it away. “I really really like you, Tyler, and it scared the shit out of me. I’ve never been the type of person to make friends easily, and I’ve sure as hell never been the type of person to fall for someone I’d just met, and both of those things happened with you.” Melissa squeezed Tyler’s fingers in an attempt to really make him understand. Brown eyes met hers, and they weren’t as angry anymore. He still looked hurt, but he wasn’t really angry. 

Someone shouted for Tyler, and he jerked his hands back. “I’ll talk to you later.” His shoulders lowered slightly as he walked away, though his steps were still short. Melissa bit her lip. She had no right to expect him to forgive her easily. Ghosting him had been pretty shitty, and appearing in his friend’s backyard had been even shittier. 

In an effort to save her heart from another rejection from Tyler, Melissa found Jessie and did her best to pretend he didn’t exist. Jessie seemed more than happy to be a distraction, shoving cookie dough and a scoop into her hands and instructing her to fill the cookie sheets. Jessie stood on the other side of the kitchen island scooping out of her own giant batch of cookie dough, and Billie stared at them from her seat in her high chair. Melissa made faces at the baby every few minutes, and at one point threw some cookie dough in Jessie’s direction. Billie screeched in excitement, and the pair of women laughed as they continued to do everything they could to make Billie laugh. 

Later, Melissa was sitting by herself near the fire when a large body dropped into the chair beside her. “Why did you ghost me?” Tyler stared out into the fire when he spoke, and he wouldn’t meet Melissa’s eyes when she turned her head in his direction. “I thought we at least had enough of a connection to be friends.” 

Rather than anger, Tyler looked hurt. She hadn’t even considered that he would be upset about losing a potential friend. Honestly, she’d assumed it was embarrassment over being rejected that was bugging him more than anything else. “I panicked.” Tyler scoffed, and she placed a hand on his thigh so he didn’t try to get up. “Kirsten convinced me that a hookup would be good for me, and I agreed. I thought we could hookup, maybe more than once, and be friends.” Melissa squeezed Tyler’s leg to get his attention, waiting until he looked into her eyes before he continued. “I woke up the morning after the wedding and realized that I liked you way too much for this to be a casual hookup. My last relationship ended really badly, kinda messed me up, and I told you about that, which is crazy. Nobody except Kirsten knew that whole story.”

Tyler was melting, she could see it in his eyes. Somehow, Melissa was lucky enough that he understood. He leaned into Melissa’s space as he spoke again. “We didn’t have to be a hookup. Maybe I would have been interested in a relationship, especially if I knew you were here in Dallas.” 

He met Melissa’s eyes with a fiery intensity. She found herself getting lost in them again, just like she had the morning after the wedding. “I don’t know if I can handle another relationship right now. Liam messed with my head pretty badly, stuff I didn’t realize he was doing until we were over.” She looked down at her lap because meeting Tyler’s eyes was out of the question. It was hard for her to admit, but it was the truth. Liam was a master emotional manipulator, good enough that she didn’t realize he was doing it. Looking at language in emotional manipulation was one of her damn areas of research, for fucks sake, and she still hadn’t figured it out until after.

The fire crackled a few feet away. A large hand snaked into Melissa’s lap to cover her hands, and another hand pushed her hair out of her face and gently tilted her head up. Tyler’s eyes, so incredibly expressive, had changed yet again. There was none of the sympathy she’d expected. Just sheer determination that took her breath away. “Let me try.” Melissa opened her mouth to speak, but Tyler shook his head. “Let me chase you. I’ll gain your trust. Be my date to events. Let me show you how incredible you are, and when you feel comfortable moving us forward you tell me. Okay?” Tyler gently rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone, and Melissa sank into the touch. This was what she missed about being in a relationship. She craved physical intimacy.

“Okay.” Melissa whispered the words, and could hardly believe they were coming out of her mouth.

“Okay?” She nodded at Tyler’s repetition, and he grinned cheekily at her. “We’ll start Saturday. There’s a donor event before the draft, and I need a date. We had a bit of fun the last time we went to an event together, yeah?” Tyler winked, and Melissa couldn’t help but laugh. 

Tyler’s face turned serious again as he searched her face. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, baby, and I damn sure don’t want you to run away again.” Melissa’s heart tugged. She would never stop feeling bad for that, no matter the reason why she’d done it. 

She nodded. Tyler kissed her forehead gently, and she leaned into his touch. “I’m gonna make this worth your while, I promise.” Despite herself and lingering reservations, Melissa believed him.

[teamsarawatshusband]

Word Of Honor - 1st watch insta thoughts - Episode 1

K, before I get started, here's what I know about "Word of Honor" prior to watching it, based on random unexplained gifsets on my dash: Not much tbh. I know there's this one guy that is a bit more tanned and has a beard. And there's some smirky guy. No idea what else he does, but he seems important. There's also swords cutting fabric, i'm thinking sleeves, because cut-sleeve? Way to be subtle. Oh, and there's two girl assassins. I have no idea who they kill or what their motives are. But they look fierce. That's literally all. Oh, and it's on my dash so much that I just HAVE TO assume it's BL. Because... my dash has tendencies.

Okay, here we go.

Episode 1

I'm skipping the intro, because I don't wanna be spoilered.

Oh, somebody explains the background story. That's nice. I have no idea, because the subtitles are going by so fast, but something about 5 lakes and an armory which is like a treasure. K, Glazed armor is important for... whatever reason.

Wow, they have nice trees.

Ninja people on roofs. Magic lanterns. Oh no, they broke the paper windows :( Lots of fighting. Why on earth are they going back and forth between fast movements and slow-mo? That looks so weird. Ah, yes, fighting on rooftops. I've seen better. Just saying. Probably gonna make so many enemies saying that. Oh, already the first fabric cutting. Was it a sleeve?

K, so the one guy is the leader of the window of heaven, whatever that is. And people are shocked to see him. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?

He looks sad. Does he even wanna be there? Oh, he's helping the bad guys? Is he our tragic hero? Now I didn't catch his name.

Oh, girl, there is no way you sat down alone in that room and your robe fell all pretty around you like that.

She brought back somebody's body to tragic hero roof guy. And now he wants her to kill herself. This makes no sense, wth. And she actually goes and drinks the poison. Hm, and now they're talking about the dead guy, so he must have been important too. He's burried at the Four Seasons.... Hotel? Probably not hotel, I didn't catch that right, I guess.

She has some wooded thing in her hand.

Oh, flashback to a pretty guy carving it. Is he the dead guy?

And the other guy in the flashback is tragic hero guy, just younger. Are they the lovers??? :O Wait, was the dead guy in love with poison girl?

Tragic hero guy is visiting some older guy at some place. Ah it's four seasons MANOR. Ok. And tragic hero guy is some sort of lord. WTH is this window of heaven thing? Is it like a magical place? Is tragic hero lord poisoned or something? Oh, and the old guy is kinda pissed at him for some reason, they don't say why. He wants his nails done or something. That's... probably not right.

Eww, no, he wants nails stuck into him. And they’re not nails, they’re actually screws, but okay. Anyway, weird. I really don't get it. Were they friends before? But then why does the old guy not wanna serve tragic hero lord guy anymore? And why is tragic hero lord guy going around dooming everybody to die?

K, so the nails make you lose your senses and mind and then kill you after 3 years. Got it. I like how they give little explanations in between the story.

Everybody's dead except for tragic hero lord guy. Is he staying alive to suffer on purpose or something?

Some palace, looks a bit like Koi Tower to me. Some guys talking about somebody spitting blood. Tragic hero lord guy maybe? (who else is left alive anyway?)

:O He's got the nails himself? WHY??? Ok, he's definitely a masochist. Who on earth puts nails in sloooooowly in order to not lose all their senses at once?!

Wait who's the mirror guy? Was that pretty flashback guy? Seems like it. (Sorry, I'm faceblind - not even joking, I really am and utterly bad at recognizing people) Oh no, and now tragic hero lord guy is crying. We're only in episode 1... why are there tears already?

And why are they all talking about 7 nails, and he only has 6 nails showing. Where on earth did he put the 7th nail? Do I even wanna know?

It's constantly snowing in the outdoor scenes, that must have been annoying. At least all the extras get to wear hats or helmets.

Okay, tragic hero guy goes to the palace. Talks to the... guy there. Whoever he is. Ooh. Tragic hero lord guy is getting naked. In front of... ah just to show off the nails. And palace guy is shocked. Oh, tragic hero lord guy gave himself ONLY SIX nails. K, no search party needed, whew. And now palace guy is super pissed. Because he... doesn't want him to die? So... he threatens to kill him? What?

Does tragic hero lord guy want to be killed right away or want to be given that 7th nail? I don't understand. Also, side note, what's up with those other scars that he has?

Now that other random side guy gets promoted and gets to take tragic hero lord guy's job. Did tragic hero lord guy get the 7th nail or not? What? None of this makes any sense.

Oh, it stopped snowing.

And he went... somewhere.

And is doing arts and crafts.

Oh, he's putting on a mask. Wait, is he the tanned beard guy? :O Oh. But why? He’s going into hiding?

Whoa, those statue mountains look AWESOME. 10/10 for scenery!

Wait, who are all those people fighting now? Some red guys with masks. And they're falling off the edge like lemmings. And some giggly guy on wires.

He's a ghost? What? And he stole something.

If he's a ghost, why is he bleeding?

WHOAH, what a cool film set with the stone statues holding up the stone ceiling. Is this a cave? or just a valley? Is this some magical place? Anyway 10/10 again!

Some guy playing with nuts. Hehe.

And lots of people with lots of make-up. Ah, more ghosts, okay. Why is nut guy in red not showing his face to the camera?

Oh, they're talking about glazed armor again. Like in the intro story. Did they steal it? Who are the ten devils? Are they all ghosts? I'm so confused.

Okay, new location.

Wait, did they film this at The Untamed's Caiyi Town? :o Sure looks just like it.

(not my gif, I googled and found this on @elvencantation​’s tumblr.)

Ok, tanned tragic hero lord guy is an alcoholic. Seems faintly familiar.

Oh, and there's smirky guy that I know from the gifs on my dash. With a very prejudiced and talkative purple girl.

Everybody who's wearing white also carries a fan. Both smirky guy and the kid that just walked in. Who is he?

Ooooh, purple girl can fly jump. Is she a cultivator? ARE there cultivators in this series? So far, nobody has flown on any swords.

And how did smirky fan guy know that tanned tragic hero lord guy is not a beggar? Does he know him? Does he recognize him? I bet he gets a kick out of being so mysterious.

Oh no, purple girl broke the rice sack. What a waste. :( And now she kicked tanned tragic hero lord guy right into the salad bar.

At least the kid is trying to stop her. Yeah, somebody has to. Ooooh, she's got a whip. Niiiiiiice! But now she BROKE the salad bar, that is just WRONG!

Ok, so... if alcoholic tanned tragic hero lord guy made that mask in order to go into hiding, he maaaaybe shouldn't be fighting so well in front of EVERYBODY to see. Just saying. :O Somebody stopped the whip before it hit alcoholic tanned tragic hero lord guy.

Oh, end of episode. Ok. So what have I learned? I still don't know who is who. Or why they do the things they do. I don't know how they're connected either. Hmm. But I wanna know who stopped the whip. Probably smirky guy, I guess. But, in any case, the last shot makes me wanna continue watching. Cheap trick, but it works. Yes, definitely gonna keep watching!

[luxurystark-jackson]

So, I was watching some YouTube videos on Peter Parker, and I noticed a comment:

This got me thinking (and yes, Tuffnut is the best), what if there was a crossover like that?

(The absolute adorkableness of these two combined omg)

Now, a few days later (aka today) I was watching a HTTYD video and noting the similarities between Hiccup and Peter, and I realised that I’d already made a comparison before. Percy Jackson and Hiccup.

(This is really cool I found it on Instagram :D)

And then I thought ‘what if there was a crossover in some way between these guys?’

I mean, if you think about it, Percy and Hiccup have a similar sort of shade of eye colour (in a way) and Hiccup and Peter (we’re focusing on Tom Holland’s version here if you didn’t realise) have a similar sort of hairstyle and hair colour (again, in a way).

So, I started thinking ‘what if they’re brothers?’

Now, at this point, you probably think I’m crazy, but hear me out. Peter Parker and Hiccup aren’t actually kids of their respective fathers (this is going into fanfic storyline mode but keep reading). They’re both sons of Poseidon. To be clearer, they’re the other two of the Jackson Triplets (really getting into fanfic mode here :D). And if you’re wondering, ‘then why don’t they have the powers of Poseidon like Percy?’, well, I have a theory for that too :D

Let’s start off with Hiccup. My theory is that he’s a time traveller, sent back to the Viking times when he was a baby because it wasn’t safe for him to be in his time period. Say if Hiccup and Peter were born about 10 minutes after Percy, then it would be so that since there was the prophecy and stuff, only one of the trio could be utilised by Kronos if that time came. So if Percy was born first, that would ultimately make him 16 first, and therefore the first possible dangerous prophecy child. Since we know that in the end he is the prophecy child, this kinda makes sense.

Because of the time travel stuff, Hiccup loses the ability to use the powers he inherits as a son of Poseidon, and he isn’t able to use them at all, and would live out his life as a normal Viking would. This sort of explains why we have the sudden growth spurt between HTTYD 1 and HTTYD 2. Yes, I know there’s a five year gap, but no normal human being grows an entire foot in the course of five years. Speaking of the growth spurt, if you search into Google for Hiccup’s height, you’ll find out that in the first movie, he’s approximately 5’1, and in the second movie, he ends up at 6’1. That a ridiculously huge growth spurt, and none of the other characters have such a sudden growth spurt (they all grow a few inches I guess, that’s pretty much it). The only plausible explanation is some sort of special power, or perhaps god genes? As we know from Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods, Apollo and Artemis grow to average adult age in DAYS, and if their kids (not that Artemis has kids) have their genes, then it would make sense for such a growth in such a short time.

Now to explain Peter Parker. You see, in the movies, they never mention how often Aunt May and Uncle Ben saw Peter before his parents passed. Most people assume that they saw each other on a day to day basis (I think), but that doesn’t nessecarily have to be the case, as we’ve seen with other people in the past (*cough* dursleys *cough cough*) and in general, it’s not that often that people visit nieces and nephews or vice versa. Sure, they probably knew he existed, but we don’t know when they found out he existed. At this point, you must be questioning ‘But if they adopted him why wouldn’t they tell them?’

See, this is where truth and lies come in. Peter’s supposed parents could’ve easily lied to Ben and May. Or even better, we know that there is magic in the PJO universe. Gods can easily use the Mist or modify their memories to make it seem like Peter was their son, hiding the weird stuff that he does like his brother, Percy, does. I have a slightly darker theory if we were to go to the lying to Ben and May option.

Say if Peter’s supposed mum (I’m British sorry) was actually pregnant. In the last few weeks, she goes into labour way too early and a miscarriage happens. Of course, the parents are depressed. Losing a child isn’t easy, especially your first child. They find out from the doctors that a baby that sorta has their features was left at the hospital last night, and he seems to be a little premature, and that maybe they could adopt the little guy. They don’t want Ben and May to know, so they lie and say that he’s just a bit premature and that he’s their son (like I said, dark).

Then the whole car crash incident happens and Peter is left with his supposed Aunt and Uncle, who he’s kinda close to. They’re the only family he has left as well, and they happily take him in. Peter doesn’t understand the weird stuff that happens to him, and nobody understands when he tells them about it. 14 year old Peter Parker lives this confused life, not knowing that one of his triplet brothers only lives a few towns away from him (idk if this is right. Like I said, I’m British, and I have no clue how far Manhattan is from Queens). Then one day, he gets bitten by a radioactive spider. Suddenly, he can’t seem to talk to sea animals anymore, he doesn’t have strange water powers. Instead, he can climb walls, has increased strength and he can shoot webs. He’s now a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

You might be wondering, ‘if that’s the case, why don’t they ever mention this Spider-Man in the PJO books?’

Well, (here we go again) I have an explanation. Percy just is never there when the headlines are blaring about Spider-Man. He’s at camp and going through multiple schools. He’s too busy to notice stuff about a guy who can shoot webs and climb walls. And his best friend (soon to be girlfriend 😏) hates spiders (the whole Athena and Arachne stuff). She won’t be wanting to know about a guy who has the powers of a spider. And the camp won’t mention that sort of stuff because A) they probably don’t have access to daily news channels from Queens, and B) this is a camp where the Athena cabin are a valued part of the camp. They (sorta) have some respect, and probably don’t have the guts to mention someone that meant to have spider powers where any Athena child could hear them. And at this camp, word travels fast (*cough* Minotaur *cough cough*).

Gosh, I’ve been ranting for a while. Anyways, there’s my (fan) theory on how Peter Parker, Hiccup Haddock and Percy Jackson are related, feel free to add on as you wish, and thank you for coming to my Ted Talk :D. Bye!

[obiyuki-beebs]

I found this in chapter 56 and I thought it was kinda interesting. While Zen is comforting Shirayuki as she's crying, Mitsuhide says,"But this is about Zen and Shirayuki. I don't think this sudden distance is a big problem. It's not like being apart would cause their existence to become smaller in each other's lives." Maybe it's foreshadowing they will separate? What are your thoughts on this? Do you think ObiYuki still has a chance or is it just the author toying with us?

hi anon!!  (￣ω￣)

Short answer:

Yes, Whoaboy get ready I have some THOUGHTS, YESS!! and No.

I have been sitting on this ask for a long time sorry for le wait

The vast majority of this post is below the cut. I hope it is not too much / addresses what you meant. 

Here are some notes before I subject whoever reads this to my madness:

These little moments of “It’s okay to do what you want to do” always strike me, and I think about them when I’m considering Zen v Obi endgame because it opens up the possibility that things can change.

Yes it’s a shojo and shojo protagonists tend to stick with their initial love interest... blah blah blah. I don’t think this preconceived notion of how shojo manga ‘always goes’ is a valid point anymore.

So .... I think the comments we are both thinking of usually refer to Shirayuki’s Path and how she must be able to Stand By Zen’s Side as an Ally, etc. So I’ll kind of be thinking of this from the angle of a Journey. 

Everything discussed is also after The Play We Believe is Foreshadowing (except for the panels pulled from ch 9 and 20) which I think should be considered for the context of the plot. 

If it is actually foreshadowing for an eventual Obi & Shirayuki story arc -- which tbh we might be in the midst of (currently) at ch 117 without realizing it -- then it’s relevant to how we frame the comments made afterwards. At the end of the day, Akizuki-sensei is an author. She is telling us a story. I think it’s reasonable to seek out clues to foreshadowing in fictional stories. So I’m operating under a 90% certainty that the play is foreshadowing.

I have found that the best (fictional) stories are ones that have been planned carefully. I have no way of verifying if AnS has been so precisely crafted to weave in so much foreshadowing that we speculate over, but damn it sure feels like it was. 

The manga was originally just the first chapter, so we can assume that after writing that chapter and deciding to make it into a series, there was some planning done.

ANyway............... strong speculation ahead. I think I was ~60% thorough in my search to find material relevant to Foreshadowing of a Separation.

Please enjoy! 

1) So we’ll start with a panel from ch 9, 

where Zen is considering his relationship with Shirayuki and his growing crush. 

This panel is, as stated above, part of the story that Akizuki expanded on after the original one-shot. In the first chapter, we get a lot of cute fate-chitchat between Zen and Shirayuki, but I think -- after deciding to continue the story -- Akizuki changed the tone to allow for more character development, and to challenge the Fate tropes often seen in romance. 

Thus, the statement above from Zen that they may not always be together.

foreshadowing ?!   ( ˙▿˙ )

___________________________ 

2) In Chapter 28,

we have the crew essentially saying they are all growing stronger for the sake of each other, and lending their strength as needed.

Within the story, Akizuki-sensei has established a theme of moving forward and changing as needed as a way to get stronger.

Mitsuhide says this to Shirayuki, also in Ch 28:

Why .... does Mitsuhide look so serious as he says this to her? Is he reconciling the fact that Shirayuki and Zens paths may diverge at some point, as they do for the Lyrias arc?

He follows up the above statement with:

He goes on to say, 

“I want you to follow your heart so you can stand on your own wherever Zen takes you.” 

So... maybe that context takes away some of the significance for fellow lovers of AnS. But I don’t think we should just ignore the statement.

I think she’s being given permission to change her mind; that it’s okay for her to have feelings for Zen, but it’s also okay if she chooses to end things. Mitsuhide will support her either way.

Even though the the full remark still has to do with Zen, she is being encouraged to stand on her own. She is her own person. She has friends who will still be there even if she chooses something different from what people expect of her.

In this case -- pertaining to AnS as a whole, from the perspective of everyone who ‘knows’ about ZenYuki in-story and also (meta!) the manga readers -- Shirayuki is expected to someday marry Zen. 

After this, in Chapter 29, Izana is a bit derisive to Shirayuki after she gets the title from Tanbarun. I think his comments are intentionally made to make her uncomfortable. He says,

“Hahahaha! What an unusual title! Amazing!”

- cue confusion from Zen and Shirayuki -

“I wasn’t poking fun at it, it’s just a bit strange. Hmm... before, I said a nobody like her at your side would sully your name, Zen, but with this you can be friends without any such worry, right?

“Shirayuki, I’ve never asked what kind of relationship you want to have with Zen. And I don’t know if it’s something that can be said.”

Alrighty. So. Izana says in front of Shirayuki that he had described her as a nobody. This seems like something said meant to disquiet her, and her initial reaction is, “taken aback,” so we can safely say it was at least temporarily disconcerting for her to hear. I imagine it’s hurtful to hear you were once thought of as someone unworthy of notice.

Don’t get me wrong, I think most of what Izana says and does is in relatively good faith. I think the fandom has come to a general conclusion that he’s testing their relationship. 

Obi finds her in the early morning and he notices that she’s upset, commenting that she’s making a strange face. She is still thinking about what Izana said, and Obi asks,

“Is it about the path you want to take?”

“....No. It’s that I haven’t given it any thought.”

Zen already wishes (though I don’t think he’s explicitly stated it the way he does later in ch 33) to marry Shirayuki, and we see her here facing emotional turmoil because that part of her future isn’t something she has thought about yet. Interesting, to say the least.

I’m not really sure about this, but it seems like she either means where Zen is taking her and / or where she can stand on her own.

And then .......

“Obi, will you lend me a hand?”

“Didn’t I tell you before that I’ll take you wherever you want to go?”

This part of the story is still heavy ZenYuki, but I think Obi saying this to her right now is significant. Akizuki has repeatedly weaved Shirayuki’s path into the themes of the story so far, while contrasting that Zen will meet her at her destination, while Obi will be at her side for the journey. 

Zen and Shirayuki meet and talk. They basically address that Shirayuki doesn’t really know what the future holds, but that she still wants to stand by his side, and says that even though he’s a prince she wants to think it’s okay for her to feel that way. 

You almost forget about the significance of Obi and Shirayuki’s relationship when it’s followed up by this ZenYuki scene. I wonder about the aforementioned nature-of-planning involved in the story and the future of the characters at this point.

gnah how did this post get so long already

___________________________

3) Zen has presumably given his blessing for Obi to be happy in love

In chapter 31, while the group is stranded outside Wistal due to rain, Zen and Obi are in the bath talking about the possibility of Kiki and Mitsuhide getting married.

“It’s fine with me as long as they can say that they’re happy. I intend to make sure of that.”

“You’ll make sure of that?”

“The same applies to you too, Obi.”

More foreshadowing? Presently it seems that the MitsuKiki ship has sunk, so contrasting this conversation to current-manga-events is titillating to me. ESPECIALLY because Zen says that he wants to make sure Obi is happy when Zen knows how Obi feels about Shirayuki. So it’s established that they will support one another as friends.

Later, Kiki and Mitsuhide are talking after dinner and discuss how the nature of Zen and Shirauki’s friendship never changes (that’s the impression I got from it). Mitsuhide recalls when he and Zen talked about the same thing:

I think what Kiki and Mitsuhide are referring to is that Zen and Shirayuki have made a conscious effort to become friends despite the barriers they’ve encountered so far, by way of them showing the strength of their mutual respect and desire to aid one another. I get a similar feel from the conversation between Zen and Mitsuhide. 

And then .....

“The two of us will always be friends.”

ahem

Zen saying this -- in context to everything from the past four chapters -- implies that Zen is okay if their relationship is not romantic. If it is true that the mangas plot was deliberately planned out, these chapters will become increasingly interesting to look back on as the plot progresses. 

The direction of the story has changed since then if we are only looking at the big turning point of Mitsuhide rejecting Kiki.

And despite that rejection, the group is still a group despite their physical distance. 

___________________________ 

Brief note to say that in Ch 33 Izana says to Zen,

“Let me be an ally as you and Shirayuki follow your own path.”

While this is a ZenYuki comment, I see it as Akizuki reinforcing that each character is following their own path and they will be supported as they do.

___________________________

3.5) After this point is the first Lyrias arc, 

where obiyuki shippers are starting to salivate over how much is packed in just for their relationship. I mean .... remember when she pushed him to the ground because she thought he would get hit by snow? And he gives her those moony eyes just like it didn’t stop ... my heart

UGH JUST SAYING IT BECAUSE context! Shirayuki’s path is changing slowly, and Obi is still by her side.

___________________________

4) A period of transition

I think this is around the time the Bergatt arc is actually beginning, leading up even to current-manga-events.

In Chapter 53

And thus, they head towards the path that a new wind blows upon.

The times are changing.

While Shirayuki is preparing for her and Ryuu’s move to Lyrias, Zen and co. are at Wilant meeting with Haruto, who describes fools aiming to throw the country into turmoil. This is a seed for the plot that develops, ie, the Bergatt arc that was not actually resolved when Touka gets taken down at Sereg in ch (?) 86. I bring this up because I think it shows the level of planning that Akizuki has put into the story at this point.

In chapter 55, after Shirayuki has finally been able to tell Zen she’ll be away from Wistal for 2 years, and they have this conversation (slightly paraphrased) after he’s processed for a short time:

Zen -

“Sorry. The fact that you would be leaving the castle was something that I’d never considered. So my reaction was a little slow.

“I’ll hear it. I’m sure there was more you wanted to say.”

Shirayuki -

“I’m really glad that I got to meet you and come to the castle! I’m where I am now because I wanted to become Zen’s ally; and i achieved that by coming to the castle and becoming a royal pharmacist.

“I’m sure that, like how it’s always been, there’s something ahead connecting to my path now. That’s why, because there’s a place I have yet to go, I want to be there.”

This is Zen’s face after she says the above:

What is he thinking? Is he worried about their romantic relationship? I interpret it as preemptive disappointment that they may not stay together.

Shortly after we get to the point you made in your ask (sweet anon) re ch 56 with Mitsuhides comment. This adds to the reinforced theme that change is okay and they will all still be friends and allies regardless of where life takes them.

BUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER Mitsuhide says that in reference to Zen and Shirayuki, Obi responds:

Is Akizuki drawing a parallel between MitsuKiki and ZenYuki? No idea. maybe. But somehow I do not find it coincidental.

This seems like a MitsuKiki hint, meant to fuel the ultra-shippable pair that we all loved... but after the rejected proposal, it’s hard not to see the whole situation differently re: zenyuki / obiyuki and mitsukiki / hisakiki.

Then the first true ObiYuki hug, and this:

“It feels as though Obi might suddenly appear in Lyrias!”

girl you already knew. Shirayuki knows that Obi will follow her.

Obi deliberately postpones going to Lyrias, though, in order to consider his feelings for Shirayuki and how to tell Zen.

Then!! in 58-59 we get long-awaited confirmation from Obi that he has feelings for Shirayuki, and after this beautiful moment Obi goes to Lyrias to be at Shirayuki’s side, and after everything that has happened so far that is a clincher for me regarding our beloved Foreshadowing.

While discussing Obi’s crush on Shirayuki, Obi asks Zen

“Aren’t you going to propose?”

“.......................Well, I’m.. making her .. wait.”

“Master ... I don’t recommend postponing it, you know.”

I wonder about this comment. Is this a clue for us that Zen postponing engagement is going to be a negative thing in the future? 

idk maybe ╮(￣ω￣)╭

Either way ........ This transition period, in between Lyrias 1 and 2, shows us that the story is changing.

___________________________ 

I have definitely not covered all of the possible moments of foreshadowing and am actually going to leave off on that topic for the time being. I might do a part 2 as its own post. 

But for now I will switch to previously mentioned point that...

5) Obi and Shirayuki’s paths are walked together

I think the following two panels are a great way to frame their relationship. Chapter 20 in early Tanbarun arc:  

And then, much later in chapter 106 as they stand by the fire and Shirayuki tells Obi he’s handsome in the light:

“... because you come with me.” ( ╥ω╥ )

And then more delightful talk from chapter 104 that I think is ... gasp 

foreshadowing !!!!!

They are having this discussion after they’ve found out about Kiki becoming engaged to Hisame.

“It’s necessary to have the courage to make a decision and take a step down that path, isn’t it?”

Shirayuki is possibly saying this due to the implications of Kiki’s letter. Kiki has made the choice to take a new path from the one she had been on by marrying Hisame. 

So what about Shirayuki’s journey? Has her growth led her to a path she didn’t expect, and now it will take courage to step down it?

In recent chapters Shirayuki is shown to be seeing Obi differently and as a man:

overhearing him calling her beautiful and being surprised that he is embarrassed she heard

witnessing him going to a marriage meeting

that little moment where he is holding her wrist as a Lyrias knight tells him that the knights sister wishes him luck in love

the firelight comment oh my god

realizing she lost the pin Obi gave her and tearing up as she literally stared at him; upset that the gift she cherished is now missing and potentially realizing how very dear to her Obi actually is

fake dating and the 10 seconds of ... just... I still cant even 

Obi is the one who is by Shirayuki’s side. They developed a bond through years friendship that is now being reframed by Akizuki. The nature of their relationship has been slowly changing and I think we approaching a time in the manga where Shirayuki will realize it.

___________________________

To answer your last question ... I do think ObiYuki has a chance and I do not think the author is just toying with us. I’ve talked a lot about my ObiYuki Endgame feels in previous posts/asks. I could probably talk about it forever but this post is absurdly long .... sorry

Thank you so much for the ask! and wow thank you so much if you actually read this whole thing! 

<3 beebs <3

[ericahacher]

A RIVER THAT WINDS ON FOREVER

     It felt too soon to be going back home. Hours on the back of her bike with the sun beating down on her, and the closer she got to the base – the more familiar the terrain became – the more the feeling grew; like she’d never left in the first place. Approaching the outer perimeter – the path of the patrol routes, the sightline of the nearest lookout point – she slowed down, weaving between gnarled Joshua trees and pale rock formations erupting from the sand, watchful eyes scanning her surroundings through the tinted visor of her helmet.      A trail of dust appeared on the horizon before long, kicked up by an ATV advancing from the left, then another, from the right. Erica slowed to a stop, switching the engine off and kicking the stand down while she waited for them to reach her. Before they came to a full stop in front of her, she pulled her helmet off, breaking into a grin when the first of the drivers recognized her.      “Erica?”    “Josh.” She stepped off her bike, receiving him when he came up to hug her, the pair locked for a moment in an embrace before the woman from the other vehicle took over, flinging her arms around Erica’s neck. “Sadie, good to see you.”      “Your hair! You look so different!”    “Figured a bit of change was in order.” She rubbed at the back of her head, still smiling at them.      “Look at you,” Josh was almost laughing. “Couple months in the city and you’ve got piercings all over. You get any tattoos?”      She shrugged. “Not yet.”      “And the others?” Sadie looked hopeful, grabbing the brim of her cap and wiggling it a little to adjust it. Her dark hair was tied into a bun at the nape of her neck, but a strand loosened with the movement, blowing across her face in the dry breeze.      “Forgotten about us already?” Josh smirked, quirking an eyebrow.    “No; I’m here for work.”      “How long are you staying?”    “I’m not.”      Both their smiles faded, disappointment and something else sapping some of the warmth from their expressions. Erica pretended not to notice.      “Right. Of course.” Sadie returned to her ATV for a comm, freeing it from a small bag placed on the side of the seat. “Gate, this is lookout four. Erica’s here.” She spoke into it, releasing the button on the side while she waited for a response.      “Copy.” There was a pause. “All clear, Sadie. I’ll let Cira know.”      Fuck. Erica closed her eyes, slowly breathing in, then put her helmet back on and straddled her bike. Josh had seen her expression, but thankfully knew better than to ask, returning to his ATV with a nod and a polite but rather unconvincing smile. Helmet back on, Erica mirrored the nod, flipping up the stand with the heel of her boot and starting the engine, leaving the two of them to return to their posts as she traveled on, trying not to clench her jaw too hard, or let her knuckles pale around their grip on the handlebars.

     The base was nestled in a flat between a loose circle of towering bluffs, a high wall wide enough to walk along the top of filling the gaps between the crags. Steel walkways clung to the insides of the steep cliffs, connecting the stretches of wall to form a perimeter around the entire compound, high enough that when walking it, one could see clear to the other side. Coming up on the gate, she saw two figures atop it – one on either side of the barrier, each carrying a rifle – silhouetted against the sun. She didn’t bother trying to see who it was, nor did she get the chance, because before she’d even reached the gate doors, the left one opened, pushed along by Grant and… Erica drew in a breath, rolling in through the opening on momentum alone before pulling to the side and parking her bike out of the way of — but still near — the inside of the gate. She took her sweet time switching off the engine, taking her helmet off, rummaging through her small backpack before hooking the strap over her shoulder, getting off the bike, and only when she couldn’t stall anymore without looking ridiculous, she turned around to face the shadow she’d been keeping an eye on the entire time, stretching across the sand underneath her feet.      Another hug, firmer, longer, but no comment on her hair, or the silver rings in her ears and septum.      “It’s good to see you.”    “You too, Mom.” Erica pulled back, carefully breaking the embrace to look down at her mother’s solemn face. “How is everyone?”      “Surviving.” Her mother began walking, and she followed, throwing a small wave and a halfhearted smile over her shoulder at Grant as she went. “One of the solar panels has lost connection with the inverter; we’ll need new parts for it as soon as Frances and Lionel figure out what the problem is — and we’re low on antibiotics, but otherwise the base is operational.”      Erica opened her mouth, stopped herself from asking if there was anything she could do, and nodded instead. Nobody was dead. Sick. Hurt. At least not badly enough to be worthy of mention in her mother’s eyes. “Listen, I need to talk to Moira. Could you… not tell Allegra and Marcel or Nadir that I’m here? If you see them. I don’t really…” she turned her head, looking around as if Gia and Yousef’s parents would suddenly appear, now that she had mentioned them, “have time to catch up.”      “Will you stay and eat?”    “Maybe. I don’t know.”      “I’ll be in AG.” Her mother peeled off without acknowledging her request. “Find me before you leave.” Stopped in her tracks, Erica drew a quiet sigh, then headed in the opposite direction, towards the building that housed the lab.

     Placed in the shade of one of the crags and thoroughly air-conditioned, the lab and infirmary was the coolest building in the compound, with its own set of generators and additional backup power on top of that again, should anything go wrong. Failsafe upon failsafe. The hallway she stepped into when she came through the door was dark and quiet, void of people; not unusual, so she pressed on, undeterred. Through another door towards the far left end of the hallway, the lab opened in front of her — just as dimly lit, save the blue sheen cast over the wall to her right by the UV-lamps that warmed the rows of various plants there, encased in glass. She still didn’t see anyone, so she continued past an open doorway into the next room, where she finally spotted the back of the woman she was looking for, silhouetted by the monitor at her desk.    “Moira. Why’s it so dark in here?”

     With a start, the brown-haired woman turned around, mouth open about to reply before she saw who had spoken and froze for a second, a blank look of surprise lingering on her face.      “Erica.” She stood up, rubbing her eye as she approached, lab coat swishing around her legs. Her glasses were perched on top of her head, half-tangled into the mess of greying curls she’d piled there and fastened with a tie; a strand clung to them when she tried to pluck them free, and she began impatiently trying to disentangle it, gaze focused on the hinge it’d gotten caught in. “The panels… getting fixed. Generator’s running the important stuff. Lionel said it probably wouldn’t be long, so–” she got her glasses free and hooked them into the pocket on her chest, “–I’m not wasting fuel on lights. What are you doing here?” A sigh heaved her shoulders. The woman’s hands were planted firmly on her hips.    “I need poison. As small a dose as possible, and as fatal as possible in as little time as possible.”      “Okay… I don’t really have that kinda stuff on hand. Method of administration?”    “Oral.” Erica made a face. “I assume.”      “I can make a tincture, but it’s gonna take a couple of days if you want it to be potent.”    “Days? You really don’t have anything else? Some drug that could be lethal in high doses?”      “No guarantee it’d result in death, no. It’s also not what you would define as quick.” Moira paced around, opening a small fridge filled with vials. “The only thing I have is a bit of snake venom, but that needs to be injected. We also need it to make antivenom.”    “Shit.” Erica, about to reach for her phone, remembered that it was packed away on her bike, switched off. No cell traffic in or near the base. No phones. Just radios. A few months in the city, and getting anything arranged without one was already a pain in the ass, where she’d never once minded it before. “Do both. What do you need?”      Moira shrugged. “Nothing I don’t already have. Hey— where are you going?”    “To replace your venom.” She was already through the first doorway.      “Rattlesnake!” Moira called out after her, the clinking of lab equipment sounding between her words, “The Mojave, not the diamondback!”

     In AG, her mother was walking between rows of cabbage with a spray bottle of organic pesticide, a wide-brimmed hat hiding her face from the sun.    “Mom,” she called out, pacing closer along the edge of the square plot, boots never touching the darker soil that had been placed there.      “Yes?” her mother didn’t stop her work; didn’t look up.    “Looks like I’ll be staying for a couple days. Have you seen Locke?”      “If you want to help, go to the panels, Erica.”    “I need to do something for Moira first. Have you seen him?”      “I haven’t — but you know where to look.”      She nodded, a single dip of her chin. “I’ll see you tonight, then.” Two days of living in the past, for a client she’d never worked with before. Money is no object, she thought stubbornly as she headed off in search of the only man she’d trust to wrangle a deadly snake, wondering idly if Josh and Sadie would be too in whatever huff she’d put them in to keep her company later, maybe share some moonshine. She’d need it — especially if she was staying the night with her mother.

[probably-writing-x]

Wake up Call

Ander x Reader

Request by @aronpiperstuff : Heyyyyy love :) I love your ander imagines man 🤭they are so good and addictive so i wanted a request of my own :) one where he and the reader are like childhood/school friends and after like a night of clubbing they get really wasted and somehow end up having sex in the car 😂😂 hope you see this Xxx

Gif is not my own

Requests are OPEN🤍

It was already far too bright as you tried to blink through the overpowering light once your eyes were open and your slumber ended. Your head was already pounding and your muscles felt like they’d been practically squashed into whatever uncomfortable position you’d slept in. But more importantly, where the fuck were you?!

You keep blinking to try to get rid of the confusion and distortion clouding your vision, finally seeing clear enough to recognise a figure sleeping on top of you.

“What the fuck?” You mumble to yourself, now realising your muscles were likely pained so much as a result of this sleeping arrangement, in a place you could only assume was somebody’s car.

How on Earth had you gotten here?

You try to take in a few more of the person’s features, their growing curly hair being the first key sign. Oh shit. There was only one person that it could be. And if your nose wasn’t so clogged with the lingering scent of alcohol, you’d have been able to recognise their cologne too. Ander.

“Ander!” You hiss, trying to nudge him to wake him up, hitting his arm that had fallen down from the back seats of the car and now hung where his legs should rest in the car, “Ander!”

He groans and tries to stretch out a little in his sleep, waking up rapidly when he realises it’s not a possibility.

“What the fuck?” He mutters just as you had, blinking as he tries to push himself up.

His eyes fully open and he processes the image of the person he’d been laying on top of. His arms fail him as his eyes widen in shock and he falls back onto you.

“Fucking hell Ander!” You cough as his abrupt connection winds you, “Get up!”

Slowly, and with tense sore muscles, the two of you sit up in adjacent seats in the back of a car you had to assume belonged to Ander. Otherwise, you’d just woken up with your childhood best friend in a car you could’ve broken into.

Ander scans his surroundings before his eyes fall back onto you, widening further when he notices your lack of any sort of clothing. He glances down at himself and makes a quick move to cover himself with his hands.

“What are we doing here?” He questions through a burning blush.

You groan and press a hand to your throbbing head, “I have no idea. I can’t remember anything from last night.”

“We drank... a lot,” He points out, a fact you figured was obvious in the circumstances, “But we didn’t... I mean we couldn’t have...”

You’re just as uncertain as he is. Unwilling to accept the idea that you’d just drunkenly had sex with your childhood best friend in the back of his far too small car after the two of you had reunited after at least five years without seeing each other. That couldn’t have happened, right?

“I don’t know, I don’t know Ander,” You mumble, “I don’t know how we got here, what happened, how we even managed to find your fucking car...”

“We didn’t... we definitely didn’t have sex...” Ander shakes his head.

The both of you make eye contact and stare at each other for longer than you should, hoping any part of his appearance will give you some sort of clarity about the previous nights antics.

“No, no, definitely not,” You agree, “We just need to retrace our steps and figure out what happened.”

“Right, yeah, no, good idea,” Ander encourages, “We should probably get some clothes on first.”

You glance down at your naked form and his and swallow the lump in your throat, “Yeah, definitely didn’t have sex.”

- - - - - -

Only half an hour later, you find yourselves walking back through the town from Ander’s car. You’d soon realised that he’d had his car parked outside of his house so, somehow, you’d made it all the way from the club to his home and got into his car that way. He had the keys on him but they hadn’t been in the ignition so you’d never actually driven anywhere - thankfully avoiding an inevitable drunk driving charge or worse.

“Weren’t you with that guy last night? The one that started talking to you at the bar?” Ander comments as you turn the corner towards the road leading up to the club.

“Right, yeah! The guy with the shaved head!” You say, excited clearly to have picked up some piece of memory, “I think I gave him my number.”

You both pull out your phones and check, hoping maybe this guy would have sent some sort of message to prove anything. Ander laughs at his screen instantly.

“You gave him my number. Guess you didn’t like him that much then,” He rolls his eyes, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.

Part of you had been praying that this guy would have been the one you’d been with the night before - to avoid it being your best friend instead.

“Okay, but that’s at least something,” You sigh as the two of you reach the club doors on the corner of the empty street.

“I feel like we went to get food, there were takeout boxes in the trash at my place. We must’ve gone to get food or something,” Ander point out, glancing around at the street, “There! That’s the place we always go to after a rough night out.”

You follow him across the road as you try to imagine your drunken self taking the exact same movements only a matter of hours beforehand. Nothing. Damn you, alcohol.

The food joint is closed, unsurprisingly, and you’re just about to turn away when somebody comes walking round from the back - having taken the bins out or something.

“Hey, um, excuse me,” You stop them quickly, “Are you just about to open up?”

They frown at you, “No, I’m just finishing my night shift.”

“Brilliant!” Ander exclaims, coming up beside you close, “Did we happen to come here at any point last night? Probably pretty drunk?”

The young boy blinks, bewildered, as he looks between the two of you, “Yeah, I remember you guys. You started dancing on the table.”

You and Ander look between each other bashfully.

“Was it just the two of us?” You persist, “Sorry, I just think I’ve lost my phone and we’re just trying to retrace our steps from the night.”

The boy glances down at the phone half sticking out of your pocket before looking back up to both of your waiting pairs of eyes, “No, there was another guy. Tall, pretty muscly, kinda moody because we were all out of kebabs.”

You and Ander both turn to each other excitedly before saying in unison, “Guzmán!”

- - - - - -

Hence, the next place you find yourself is the path towards Guzman’s house. Your headache had subsided a bit as the two of you stopped to get some water on the way but you couldn’t possibly stomach the idea of food.

“Alright, hopefully Guzmán can give us some answers,” Ander sighs, knocking on the door as you stand beside him.

You glance him again and wonder what had changed last night to make you see him so differently. How had he no longer been Ander? And suddenly a boy your drunken mind had no history with...

“Hey! I didn’t expect to see you two up so early!” Guzmán laughs as he opens the door, “What’s up?”

“What can you tell us about last night?” You ask quickly before Ander has the chance.

Guzmán frowns, “Fuck! You two must’ve been bad, come in come in.”

You find yourselves sat on Guzmans couch as he sits on the coffee table across from you. This all felt a bit ridiculous to find out the events of one simple night. But you had to try to convince yourselves that you hadn’t compromised your entire friendship over one night.

“Okay, so you got bored of being upstairs but nobody else was fussed so us three all went downstairs into the actual club. And we’d all had a bit too much, and Ander decided it would be a good idea to start undressing in the middle of the dance floor.”

You look down and smirk a little at the idea, the typically introverted boy coming completely out of his shell.

“I got in a taxi to get home and you guys said you’d walk back,” Guzmán runs a hand through his hair, “I was too drunk to tell you it was a bad idea. Where did you guys end up?”

You and Ander exchange a small glance before quickly looking away.

“We just went home, nothing more than that, right (Y/n)?”

“Yeah, yeah, we just walked home,” You agree, swallowing the lump in your throat as you try to believe the words yourself.

Guzmán stands up from the couch, “Whatever you say,” He laughs as he carries his empty mug back to the kitchen, “But you guys seemed like you were about to fuck last night.”

Instantly you turn to Ander with widened eyes, both of you sharing the same expression as you look at each other. There wasn’t much hiding from this anymore. No amount of searching could give you the answer you were looking for. You had well and truly messed up your friendship last night.

- - - - - -

“Well, I don’t think there are many other places we can go to,” Ander laughs as he hands you the coffee from the cafe he’d just stopped off at.

You carry the takeout cup in your hand and walk alongside him, wincing at the hot temperature, “I guess not. Your memory jogger at all?”

Ander scoffs, “I have a faint memory of you telling me you couldn’t keep your eyes off me all nigh...”

“Okayyyy,” You cut him off, “Let’s leave that there, no need to bring up any of that.”

“I know we don’t really remember much of what happened,” Ander begins, scratching at the back of his neck, “But I had a lot of fun last night.”

You glance at him with a small smile tugging at your lips, “Yeah, me too.”

He blushes a little but you blame it on the heat of the coffee in his hand.

“Just remind me to never get in your car again!”

[sonicfrontiers]

OOUGGH IM SO GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE THINKING ABOUT SEA OF THIEVES HLVRAI AU... PLEASE !!!! PLEASE PLEASE SHARE UR IDEAS I WANNA HEAR THEM SO BAD

OHHH ANON YOU HAVE SAVED MY FUCKING LIFE WITH THIS ASK THANK YOU SO MUCH

SO !! i barely have anything yet bc i just had this fucking brain blast like an hour ago but. here are my Thoughts so far:

so the very first thing i tried to think of was like. what everyone is? i did my best w this but i am so fuckin open to ideas..... i don’t know shit! 

the easiest answer right off the bat was who the humans are (or at least the pirates who appear to be human) in this. we got the science team as the pirate crew—gordon, tommy, bubby, and coomer! they are sailing the seas and maybe they are not doing a very good job of it but it’s fine. it’s Fine

the second easiest answer was benrey’s situation. we got skeletons fuck yeah. benrey got some of that curse uh oh! however w benrey’s situation that’s more like... sometimes being a skeleton rather than just steadily turning into one, i thought maybe the curse fucked up on him? maybe it’s like. he’s only half cursed to just sometimes be a skeleton but he can also look human again too. i don’t fucking know. also OH SHIT BENREY HAS TO BE NOT HUMAN UHJHHHHHHHH fuck it guess he’s part ancient now too. i guess. shit i’ll have to spend more time on him but this is.. the gist

next we got uhh forzen babey. i’ll be honest i’m not too confident on this one. i had the vague idea that maybe he’s a mermaid? although whether he’s one of the mermaids that steals sunken pirates and turns them into mermaids or one of the mermaids who was turned into a pirate i can’t really decide. i mean the pirates-turned-mermaids are always helpful in game, and forzen. well. Isn’t, but the mermaid-mermaids live so far deep that they’re never seen? so i don’t know. but he’s out there.... in the ocean....... somewhere....... waiting for me to have more brain power to answer this

it’s darnold time! i’ll be honest i also don’t have many ideas for this guy. i thought maybe he’s got something to do with the order of souls? that’s vaguely related to potions right? sage darnold with the oos eyes curse and he reads the fuckin skull juices to help out the crew with their voyages..... i think? there are other options too but this is the one that jumped out at me the most!

GREGORY MAN. the man himself. SO I GOT TWO POSSIBILITIES HERE FOR THIS GUY. what i can’t decide on is how much of canon sot i want to be canon in this au... mainly, the stuff abt the pirate lord. i got two options here, one of which is that ramsey still exists as the pirate lord and he hangs out doing mostly the same shit he does in canon, and gman is like. an ancient who stuck around the sea of thieves for whatever reason? which would make tommy a descendant of the ancients too, hence why i specified earlier that all the pirates in the crew might not be human..... EITHER THAT OR gman is the pirate lord and ramsey fuckin uh doesn’t exist in the au. and i CANNOT for the life of me decide which i like better. ANY HELP APPRECIATE HERE PLS

OH ALSO I FORGOT SUNKIST HE’S A MONKEY THAT TOMMY HAS AND HE CAN DO COOL TRICKS AND EVERYONE LOVES HIM. HE’S IMMORTAL SOMEHOW. DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT

THEN. it’s tim,e for “how the fuck did everyone get past the shroud into the sot”

i think no matter who the pirate lord is in this au they’d have no problems letting pretty much anyone in honestly. ramsey just kinda says “oh you washed up unconscious on the shores of old sailor’s isle? cool let me just not ask any questions and part the shroud for you real quick ok bye” and honestly i can’t imagine gman would be much different—although he’d probably be more cryptic abt it than ramsey is

SO. GORDOS. i feel like him coming to the sot was a last resort of sorts. he feels lost in life, unsure what his goal is or where he’s going, and he hears of this mystical sea that nobody who enters ever leaves but apparently there’s adventure and treasure and wonder there so he’s like fuck it, i’ve got nothing else to do and goes there hoping to find some sort of purpose. and find it he does :)

tommy time! i feel like whatever brought him here had to be partially related to his dad? either he’s just There bc. well. his dad’s the fuckin pirate lord, or gman’s all cryptid abt being an ancient and left tommy to sort of grow up in the sot on his own while gman kept a distant eye on him, just so tommy wouldn’t find out too much abt being an ancient or whatever. uh. so he’s pretty familiar w the world of sot and all its wacky magic shit! 

(actual sot lore question here bc this is smth i don’t know—does all the magic that happens in sea of thieves happen beyond the shroud? i wonder if the rest of the world also has skeletons and giant sea monsters and magic and shit or if it’s just inside the sea of thieves...... hmmm for this au i’m gonna assume that all magic is something unique to the sea of thieves and doesn’t happen beyond the shroud) 

The Bubby. honestly i like the idea that bubby came to the sot just to like... get away from the outside world? like maybe he’s on the run from something............ this is very very vague in my mind and is extremely subject to change but i like the whole “I’M LEAVING THIS WORLD!” thing as bubby being like fuck the regular world i’m going into the flesh eating devil shroud and nobody can stop me. and then he did

coomer. the man himself. i think coomer came to the sot searching for adventure! and more to learn! he’s always looking to broaden his horizons and where else to go but to the mystical sea of thieves when looking for new experiences? coomer is just here to have a good time :)

UH i think darnold already existed in the sot... he just sorta Lives There... there are npcs who just fucking were born and raised there right. like tasha was in the sot at age 4 so it makes sense right?? darnold just live here and he helps get the crew from the outside world familiar with the sot!

FORZEN has been in the sot for ages—either he’s always been here as a mermaid or he got turned into one so long ago and he’s just been getting angrier and angrier w it every year he’s trapped here. he barely remember why he came anymore but god does he regret it. :(

gman either way just kind of Is There huh..... as the pirate lord i honestly can’t imagine his origin being much different than ramsey’s? like he just makes friends w the ancients like hey what’s up i like this sea. my sea now. or he Is an ancient and just fucking chills there. whatever

OK THAT’S MOSTLY IT FOR WHAT I HAVE FOR TECHNICAL STUFF WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT..... HERE ARE SOME OTHER FUN BITS I THOUGHT OF:

bubby discovers firebombs and Uh Oh. Uh Oh Everyone Watch Out Bubby’s Got Fire Powers Now. he only accidentally sets the ship on fire SOMETIMES it’s FINE. (also his favorite region is the devil’s roar. unsurprisingly. he likes the chaos it brings)

bubby and tommy + coomer as well are agents of chaos in general. they don’t follow the fuckin Rules and it makes gordon’s life a living hell. 

bubby: look gordon i dug up some grubs! gordon: cool man, put those in the barrel and we can use them to fish late- bubby: (shoving the grubs in his mouth) gordon: BUBBY NO WHAT THE FUCK DON’T EAT TH coomer: oh, what a good idea, bubby! i am feeling quite hungry myself! (also starts eating worms) gordon: I’M COOKING DINNER AT THE CAMPFIRE RIGHT NOW PLEASE DON’T tommy: oh are the worms okay to eat? i wonder what they taste like gordon: NO STOP benrey, shoving worms in gordon’s face: eat worms? eat worms now please?

coomer finds out how to launch himself out of a cannon and he becomes unstoppable. the crew is attacked by an enemy ship and everyone’s like “oh fuck everyone get to the cannons!” and they go there to find coomer fucking launching himself directly onto the enemy ship, and he kills their entire crew in seconds. by the time he mermaids back to his ship everyone is fucking stunned silent and coomer is just like “well, that takes care of that! let’s get back on course, gentlemen!” and since then they just fucking fire coomer at people like a weapon whenever they get attacked by other pirates or skeletons. It Always Works

UH AND I THINK THAT’S KIND OF WHAT I HAVE SO FAR? i might be forgetting something but this post is long enough as is...... 

IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD FEEL FREE!!! i love sea of thieves so fuckin much man... and i didn’t even TOUCH on anything like any of the reaper’s bones shit which i would be interested in looking at getting involved in this au somehow...... i will probably come back to this if anyone else is interested !! otherwise that’s all i got for now!!!! thank you so much for asking anon!!!!!

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 12: Follow Me to the Letter

Keith takes a moment to reflect on his first few movements on Altea.

First  Previous  Next

Keith fails to show up to court again. Lance isn’t overly surprised. The man (kit?) seems to struggle with patience, and holding court tends to push him to the very precipice of his self-control.

It’s odd, truth be told, that Keith is so lacking patience when he’s always so reserved. Lance would like to see the Galra open up a bit more. Quiznak, he’d just like to see him a bit more! Keith is almost always wandering around somewhere or hiding in his loft. Lance finds it lonely, but he’s not sure if he’s lonely for himself or for Keith.

He doesn’t have time for others anymore, having thrust himself into his adult duties. The duties that have been neglected since tensions rose between Altea and Daibazaal. His sister is gone. He and his two friends are quite busy, and never free at the same time. He only has Keith and maybe Adam, and Keith has only him and maybe Adam, when the other Altean isn’t running around micromanaging everything. That’s all there is for them.

Lance heads for the only place he’d bother to check before returning to their room. If Keith isn’t in the library, then he’s either in their quarters or wandering about. If he’s wandering about, Lance will never find him. He wouldn’t want to. He’s pretty sure Keith goes out to be alone.

Keith is in the library. He's sitting at a desk, stylus in hand, staring vacantly at his datapad. It looks like he’s been there for a while. “Hey. Finished holding court? How many windows are we replacing?”

“Yes, I am finished. None. However, there’s a missing cobblestone that broke the wheel of a wagon yesterday. So, a legitimate minor concern. I’ve issued a decree to have it fixed. I also performed a marriage.”

“Hm. Was it as dry and lifeless as ours?”

“No, they were passionate and full of joy. I’d never performed a marriage before. It was... nice.”

“Hm.” Keith taps listlessly at his datapad.

“So what have you been doing?”

“I… Nevermind. It’s nothing.”

Pfft. Right. Lance pulls over another chair, sitting backwards with his arms crossed over the back.

“Nonsense! What’s the matter?”

“I wanted to write a letter to my mother and brother.” Keith stares at nothing. Perhaps a dust mote or something. “I just can’t think of anything.”

“I thought you wanted to sever ties with your mother? At least temporarily?”

Keith’s ears droop as his body seems to shrink. “I know… I know I did. But…”

“But you miss her.” Keith nods, and Lance reaches over and rubs that spot Keith himself sometimes does. The one behind his ear that releases soothing hormones. Keith leans into the touch, allowing Lance to comfort him. That’s more proof than anything else that Keith is upset; he’s allowing himself to be cared for. It's nice to know the Galra trusts him, though. “Would you like me to help? I can help you get something down if you want.”

Keith nods. “Thank you.”

Lance smiles. Keith usually comes off as lukewarm thanks to his quiet, reserved ways, but Lance has found that if he says something, he means a lot more than the words he uses. 'Thank you' means 'I deeply appreciate your help and compassion. I could probably use some kind of affection later and definitely need some cheering up.'

“Alright. So first give a general greeting. Talk about how you’re feeling, genuinely, but avoid specific incidents.”

“You want me to tell them-”

“That you miss them so much it hurts? That you’re not happy, but not really unhappy either? That you just feel kinda empty? Yes. Tell them. But don't tell them that nobody will let you do anything and that you feel useless and imprisoned.”

Keith swallows hard. His eyes burn quite suddenly. “How-”

“Allura and Romelle. It’s how I feel when I think of them. And how they felt their first few phoebs on Daibazaal. Well that's how Allura felt. Romelle... That's for another time.” Keith glances up to see that Lance looks as vaguely sad as he himself feels. Keith begins to write as Lance gets up, thumbing through tablets and pulling random volumes from the shelves. Adam hustles in moments later, drops his own datapad, and begins to assist Lance with his work.

Mother, Takashi,

It’s been a little while now since I have seen you, and I have not heard from Daibazaal at all, so I assume you are doing well. Life here is fine. I am not happy, but I am not quite unhappy, either. Crown Prince Lancel is the only person I truly interact with, at least for long periods of time. I believe he understands my situation, given how dearly he misses his sister and her lover. He mentions them often.

I made one friend, and Lance wants me to meet someone else, but he’s been busy lately and Pidge is not always available. The guards won’t talk to me. Adam says it’s because I haven’t proven myself yet. He says they’ll warm up to me if I contribute something. I’m not sure I believe him.

“Lance?”

“Hm? Hey, what is it with Lotor and his aversion to water conservation?”

“I’ve finished. Water conservation? What for?”

“Well it’s not like it falls from the sky, or anything!” Lance whines. Keith frowns. Yes, water does fall from the sky. What is Lance talking about? “Okay, so now write about one thing you dislike and one thing you enjoy. Then ask them a question they can respond to so you set up a correspondence.”

Keith sucks on his lip for a moment, continues writing.

Lance holds court every movement. Sometimes twice, if he runs out of time the first day. I find it tedious and frustrating. Alteans live such comfortable lives, they find the most trivial things to complain about. I find myself at the end of my patience more quickly than even you might believe. I don’t know how Lance puts up with it. I think he’d rather do something more useful. But he also doesn’t wish for Alfor to know he is useful. I don’t understand, but Adam expects me to go along with it.

It’s pretty here. The ground is covered in soft moss. There are trees that sound like windchimes, and the garden has little flying creatures called bumblemoths. I like them. I’ve befriended a few. They keep trying to follow me inside. Lance pretends to be mad about it, but he is fond of them too. He’s named them after their colors. There are six.

Keith glances back to where Lance is sitting at his own desk, glaring down at a few different tablets, searching for keywords, typing furiously on his datapad, leaning to whisper something to Adam every now and them. “What about this? Lotor says that the Stone Forest is rife with predators?”

“We also have predators.”

“But not this many! What the utter quiznak?! They turn their prey inside out before eating them?! ”

“Okay, that I don’t like. That’s just too much. Completely unnecessary.”

“Right?!” Lance mutters something under his breath. Keith smiles, tentatively fond. 

Oddly, the thing I find myself enjoying most is the Prince himself. Lance is kind, understanding, and does not want to touch me. In fact, I believe he is horrified by my age. He does not look at me while I change.

Or perhaps he simply finds me ugly. I do not know. But still, he is funny, and he treats me well. King Alfor gave him a choice, and he chose to marry me. I can’t help but respect him for that. He loves his people and is working to better their lives. It would seem he also works closely with Lotor, perhaps to break down their fathers’ more archaic policies.

He seems smart, too, despite not appearing to know what rain is. He also did not know what taxes were until Adam told him, but caught on very quickly. I think he will make a good king one day. I am curious to see what he may become, if we might become better friends. Speaking of friends, Takashi, have you spoken to Adam? He says no, but that man lies like I take a drink of water. Mother, how are you and Kolivan? I miss you both, and hope you are well. Are the guards in top form yet?

Has the brush begun to bloom yet? What phases are the moons in? Altea doesn’t have a moon and I miss it, though I can sometimes see Kraav’nik’da during the darkest hours of night.

Love,

Crown Prince Yorak (Keith) of the Kingdom of Altea and of House Kogane of Daibazaal

“I make a potion for that,” Adam says, cutting through Keith’s thoughts of home.

“Really?” Lance raises his eyebrows, seeming only mildly surprised.

“Of course. Impotence cures are one of the most common requests I receive. That and contraception.”

“Well, fortunately for us, there is no question of Crown Prince Lotor’s genetics. His heritage is quite apparent.”

“Thank quiznak for that. With all our other problems, paternity is the last thing I want to deal with. It’s good you look so like both of your parents.”

“Given my father’s proclivities, it’s a miracle he managed to procreate at all.”

“Too true. Too true. Honestly, I like my own chances better. And that’s saying something.”

Keith smirks, deciding to make his way into the conversation. “Shiro’s biology is identical to mine. I’m sure you wouldn’t have too much trouble.”

Lance laughs evilly, grinning ear-to-pointed ear. He picks up quickly.

“Oh not this again,” Adam mutters.

“Is that so? Tell us, Adam. Did you send Shiro off with a ‘going away’ present?” Lance is thoroughly unrepentant, moving to lean against the back of Keith’s chair. Keith hides his laughter behind his hand.

“That would be the ugliest quiznaking kid,” Keith snickered.

“You never know. Lotor turned out okay,” Lance countered. “Pity he can’t bear. Or myself...”

“That’s it. I quit. You’re on your own, your Majesties.” The princes protest, still laughing. “No. I draw the line at listening to His Majesty’s sexual fantasies. I’m not that kind of attendant. Good day.”

Keith giggles, watching his spouse double over with laughter, waving as Adam flees the room. He eyes Lance, wonders what it’s like to look at and be physically attracted to any random person. He brings up another form, typing in Shiro’s comms code. He has things to tell his brother.

Alteans are weird.