#not sure if i've done this before haha it seems familiar

[kaiser-author-san-iii]

Star Light, Star Bright | Fatui Harbingers x (Fem) Creator!Reader

A/N: okay okay. I'm very sorry for this overdue chapter. I've been busy farming for primogems and playing Stardew Valley. I have joined many other fandoms, especially with the release of the Spider-Man Across the Spiderverse movie, and have been collecting the comics. Sue me /j. I have a lot of stories that need updating haha. But anyway, thank you so much for the support you guys have given me. It's fantastic! I'll be sure to continue with the updates whenever possible! Any questions, please DM. Any suggestions, DM me!

Summary: Caring for children is hard, but it's especially harder when around the Fatui. Getting isekaied was the last thing on your mind after landing in the icy tundra of Snezhnaya all while your nephew is with you. What will happen when you encounter not only the Fatui Skirmishers but the Fatui Harbingers?

Tags/Warnings: female reader, Creator!reader, Cult Au, contains spoilers of the Archon Quests and World Quests (read at your own risk)

Not edited or beta read, we die like Signora

Chapter 3 | To Be Aware and Be Prepared

<<<First <<<Last Next>>>

MASTERLIST

OPERA EPICLESE, FONTAINE

It had started as a normal day. As normal as it could possibly get with the centrism of Lady Furina and the citizens of Fontaine. There was a pause before it then burst. At first, it was seemingly unnoticeable, but then the forests and the landscape became livelier. It seemed brighter and adventurers saw a decrease in Hilichurls, and slimes, and even the Abyss Order stopped whatever they were doing to... dance? It was certainly a strange sight, but at least there was less activity where civilians were being harmed. In fact, this was being seen all around Teyvat thanks to the Adventure's Guild insight and informing each nation's current ruling governments and Archons.

The archons themselves felt a different presence. A presence they have felt once upon a time ago. The same could be said with a certain Court Judge of Fontaine, a certain fellow dressed in blue, his long platinum blond hair and stoic expressions, he definitely felt a power he thought wouldn't be seen again in all of Fontaine.

A being almost as old as Teyvat themselves, but nowhere as powerful as the one that gave them life.

Before he could even make a decision as tremendous as the one all nations must follow, he needed more information.

He needed to send out anyone to locate their Beloved Creator.

Neuvilette felt to go himself and search for Them, but he had his duties. He simply couldn't abandon them. He is a powerful figure in Fontaine and everyone would be suspicious of his actions if he were to leave his office. They would be asking questions.

No.

This needed to be done in an orderly fashion.

If they were indeed in Teyvat, they would appreciate a calm and happy welcome instead of chaotic and frantic for their faithful followers.

Himself included as he needed to prove he, and Fontaine, would welcome Them with open hearts.

The Divine Creator... has finally descended onto Teyvat once again.

---

LIYUE HARBOR, LIYUE

The trembling of the mountains. The color in front of him wherever he faced. The weather the past few days was beautiful and the people, especially merchants who traveled through treacherous waters to make it to Liyue were grateful for calm waters.

But he knew of the reason why everything seemed so... calm, so perfect as if Teyvat themselves was behaving its absolute best. Especially with word from other nations that the monsters and even the Abyss Order had ceased their attacks on villages and cities. They had seen these beings celebrate nonstop and were quite stumped about what was happening. But the former Geo Archon knew all too well...

Zhongli, better known as Morax or Rex Lapis, had felt it within the very rocks around him. As a devout believer and follower of the Divine Creator, he was quite familiar with the power and aura They possessed.

It's said that the Sovereign Dragons were the very first to proclaim their loyalty to the Divine Creator and when their time of rule ended, the Archons and Gods followed in their footsteps. As an Adepti in the form of a great Dragon, or Exuvia, he would be loyal to his beloved Creator, a form he greatly prided in thanks to the words of the Divine Creator many centuries ago.

But now they were here.

They have descended at long last like they promised.

His many years of patience and loyalty were finally being rewarded with the very presence of They themselves.

Zhongli, the devout follower he is, must find them. Were they alright? Yes, they were an all-powerful being, but recalling correctly, even the mighty have weaknesses and with the importance of the Divine Creator, there's always a danger no matter how beloved you are. He had to go himself to find him.

No.

He could ask the other Adepti to relentlessly search through all of Liyue, to leave no rock unturned and locate where their Grace may be.

---

ZAPOLYARNY PALACE, SNEZHNAYA

The days have gotten warmer and brighter in Snezhnaya.

What with the presence of the Divine Creator that is. It was all that the Fatui and even the citizens of Snezhnaya were talking about. There was nonstop activity in the palace as everyone scrambled to perfect it all for the Divine Creator.

You.

Though it wasn't as overwhelming since your nephew was right beside you, who happily took everything with stride and awe.

He even became attached to the very people that he spoke with on the first day here. And there was no way to separate them or to even have the heart to tell him not to speak with them since he took after his parents and family. Stubborn little nugget.

He especially favored Childe and Scaramouche. He was quite heartbroken when he left and never came back. But, he has been receiving gifts 'anonymously' once in a while.

Meanwhile, you spoke more with the rest to know more about this world. They all unanimously agreed that the mortal body you and your nephew both have currently is due to the fact of the long absence from Teyvat you had. Since your nephew hasn't set foot in Teyvat until now, it might take him longer to adjust to his birthright powers and titles. But he was nonetheless Heir of Teyvat.

The Little Prince.

"They're working really hard, aren't they?" His voice echoed in the halls as you and him were on their way to play outside yet again. He was still a child and with no video games around, it was good for him to be active. Childe once made comment about how strong he was and what a potential warrior your nephew could be with proper training. However, you had the last say and it was not yet time to think about that.

Snezhnaya is still a cold nation so even with Teyvat making it slightly less cold, you and your nephew had to bundle up. This is where Pantalone's gifts came in handy. While you were still bedridden due to your injuries, he called in all the tailors of Teyvat to create a wardrobe fit for you and your nephew: The Divine Creator and the Heir of Teyvat.

It was a sight to behold all the boxes and bags that arrived at the palace - clothing made from rare beasts and cloth. All for you and your nephew.

"If there's one thing you don't question about other people, Nugget. It's their beliefs. It has a certain power that a lot of people have yet to understand." You commented, stopping to adjust his personal Harbinger Coat. It was one of the few items Pantalone commissioned - with the Heir of Teyvat present, might as well commission a child-sized Harbinger Coat.

"I think Mister Pierro and Mister Pulcinella said something about that. I don't know... it's not our birthdays though. We're just people, aren't we?"

"I'm not certain either. We're a long way from home and it might be a while before we can go back. But don't worry, we're together and that's all that matters. All we have to do is-"

"Go with the flow?"

"Ah. I taught you so well." You laughed, quickly moving to playfully pinch his cheeks before resuming your brief walk outside. Everyone else had their duties and you didn't want to disturb them. They all seemed to be important in the political and military worlds.

That was something that kinda threw you off. Something like this world seemed like in the past. Like maybe 1800's innovative past since there were snipers and even giant mechanical machines that can move on their own or by being piloted. It was definitely fantasy - like a dream.

But even in a fantasy world, with aspects aimed at child entertainment, there is danger. Arlecchino and Columbina were telling you all about it with a brief history lesson and a bit of current information about Teyvat today. It was definitely something to think about if you plan to travel Teyvat with or without the Harbingers, especially with your nephew.

"Your Grace. What a pleasant surprise." The voice was ahead and looking up, you could see the masked man, the Doctor. Dottore was the one who ended up healing you from your injuries from the accident. They never did find the person responsible for your accident. Though they never will.

The healing process went smoothly and tended to you alongside your nephew.

"My nephew wanted to play outside again. He saw everyone was occupied and didn't wish to intrude so we thought we could walk for a bit."

"The Heir has no worries. If he or your Grace has a request, we're bound to stop and fulfill your wishes."

Your nephew didn't need to be told twice and quickly marched his way over to the blue-haired man, took his hand, and started walking to the exit to face another cold day.

"Doctor, please play with Auntie and I."

Dottore was quite the character. The others filled you in on what they have done and their opinions of each other. Dottore was the one with the most negative background but no one could deny the intelligence or genius in his mind. But to think this wasn't even his true form. The man was quite the genius that he made a number of clones of himself of each stage of his life. As a scientist, as a pursuer of knowledge, even the kind that's better left alone, he thirsted for it.

"Of course, Your Highness. Your Grace, would it be troubling to accompany you two?"

He also performed...some experiments that in this world were unethical, from what you heard. But...they weren't the worst. No, there was definitely worse. You weren't justifying what he had done, you weren't one to stand on a higher moral ground than anyone else, you at least attempted to understand why. That is exactly what you concluded when you decided to speak and interact with Dottore.

"Not at all. My nephew has grown attached to you and the others."

The walk outside didn't take long. It was short and slow to appreciate the snowfall and the area around. Various Cryo Crystalflies quickly flew their way to your nephew and he gave chase all while a variety of animals appeared and decided to play with the Heir. Teyvat knew the little Prince's love for animals. You made sure he didn't stray too far, your eyes never leaving his form while Dottore kept the same pace as you, taking a few glimpses at you every now and then. There was a small silence - but it was comfortable.

"Why?" You broke the silence and Dottore turned his head, his mask hiding any expression he could have made.

"Pardon?"

"The Fatui. Why was it formed? I want the truth." Your eyes still focused on your nephew who danced along with the Crystalflies, laughing and happily throwing snow in the air before then falling and making snow angels.

Your reason for asking is with who you two have been identified as, and with a seemingly unknown way of going back home, you two will probably be dragged into this world's politics. Before you get involved, you have to see what it is all about. Would it be worth it? Are you currently with evil people? Misunderstood people? What is their goal?

Would it be dangerous to involve your nephew?

"There is quite a lot that a mere moment is not enough to disclose the Tsaristas and our organization's goal."

"Then I shall listen. I hear talk and before I pass 'judgment', I want to understand. I hear talk of other gods, but the mere mention of them besides the Tsarista, it's with contempt."

Dottore, like many of his colleagues and subordinates, has heard the stories, the creation of Teyvat that was retold by the very dragons they created and had them oversee Teyvat. And then Celestia arrived. They had become power-hungry, drunk from the love and attention the Divine Creator gave to them before. When the creator left, Celestia took over and everything changed. Teyvat became different, peace wasn't an option.

Wars started, innocents perished...

Nations demolished.

"The Tsarista fell in love with the idea of how Teyvat was before you left. A Teyvat where all lived in peace. Then Celestia came. Thousands of years ago, they proclaimed that seven gods would be chosen to rule over one of the seven nations. From the thousands of Gods that fought, along with mortals who fought to survive another day, Seven were indeed chosen to represent their following element. But even for Celestia that was not enough. Your Grace was fond of a nation, Khan'ri'ah. Khan'ri'ah was a nation that ruled without the intervention of a God, an Archon. So.. one day, Celestia proclaimed Khan'ri'ah to be sinners, a nation that went against the Divine Creator and was thus destroyed. The Tsarista understood, her eyes opened to what was being done, and isolated herself, to find people who shared her opinions on Celestia and the Divine besides you, Your Grace."

That was just a brief summary that you recreated after your talk with Dottore. He was quite honest and with a few words, you were able to piece together everything. And to think he was kicked out of the Akademiya because of his practices and the murder of a fellow scholar.

This was clearly a case of the black-white-gray morality.

Things aren't always what they seem.

"Several weeks ago, I thought I was human. A mortal who lived a mundane life who loves her nephew like her own. I'm here and I'm told I'm the God that created your world, but I somehow have no recollection of it."

The walk continued as your nephew seemed to head further away from you and Dottore. Dottore was listening. He knew you weren't done talking and he couldn't wait to hear. Would he hear criticism of the divine from the very being who created it in the first place? What kind of wisdom would she bestow that may rival the God of Wisdom herself.

"Pierro and the Tsarista mentioned that my memories of such events and my divinity would come back to me slowly. Especially for my nephew. He's still young, curious but young."

"Your Grace, you need not fear. The Fatui, us, the Harbingers, will be by your side for we and The Tsarista are loyal to no other than you and the Heir."

"But what if I am not who you think I am?" You asked, looking down at your arms, remembering the injuries and the blood that oozed. You remembered the color and thought it wasn't proof enough, but the gold blood was there. You even requested to see the bloodied gauze that had a clear gold color. The sparkle it held, the amount of power that it had.

"Highly unlikely. Every man, woman, and child knows firsthand that the Divine Creator's blood is unlike any living being in Teyvat. Eyewitnesses from your first time here have written quite a bit of information of you. There is no mistake. The Tsarista would have been the first to know."

"Auntie! Doctor! Look!" Your nephew shouted and quickly ran to you, the heavy atmosphere dissipating as your nephew smiled, his hands cupped to hide what it was that he was bound to show you two. Slowly, he opened his hands and a small light blue glow appeared and in the blink of an eye, a small Cryo Crystalfly appeared and took flight, joining the other Cryo crystalflies that surrounded the three.

Creation of new life.

A power only found in the Divine.

What kind of world did she find herself in?

TAGLIST:

@lizzhearthz, @yoshikuno, @anonclyde, @khalhaimdad, @ellenoir

@yunsblog030, @lsleepysimpl, @potol0ver, @kitty-chan33, @nasidibakar, @yoriichi-second-wife, @lilybythevalley, @esthelily, @liansh3ng, @bubbles-lounge, @chidouna, @okecaiditmemay, @angelofdarkness2, @emmbny, @vxsire, @mmeatt, @fybfjn, @nickey-diano, @reende-29,

If I missed anyone, let me know! I tried tagging some people, but tumblr must be weird. I probably will be posting this on Ao3 too. Thank you so much for your kind words, everyone! I hope to write more!

[mysewingadventures]

Making the ✨Lioncourt Gown✨ (Part 1/4)

Shoot, it's been like two years since I last posted, apologies! I’ve been incredibly busy with uni and life in general, taking care of my mental health, it’s just been a very stressful time lately. I haven't really worked on anything worthy of posting in the meantime, only minor things and one dress I rushed and it didn't turn out well anyway. But, since Halloween is coming up and I don’t feel like wearing the same thing for the third time in a row, I thought it was the perfect excuse to try and make something new and the other day at 2am I fell down a rabbit hole and came up with an idea I’m completely obsessed with.

So recently, (in case you couldn't tell by the title haha) I’ve been really into Interview with the Vampire (the TV show), and there’s this one costume that’s so iconic it immediately caught my attention: This Lestat outfit.

I feel like since this blog isn't fandom related I need to explain myself to those of you who are just semi-familiar with IWTV. Maybe you know Lestat as essentially the villain of the story and are wondering why on earth I'd want to make an outfit inspired by him. The answer is quite simple and not actually deep at all: I just thought it'd be a fun project. I'm very well aware of his personality and would not want to be in the same room as him in real life haha. But he's such an interesting character to watch on screen (they all are, in my opinion). Anyways-

This outfit is from a scene that takes place in the 1790s and now, I’m unfortunately not too versed in men’s fashion so I can’t quite comment on its historical accuracy (and also it’s worn in the context of a theater performance so it’s bound to be more flashy than what people would have worn on the streets), but the way the lapel is shaped just screams redingote to me, and since I've always wanted to make a redingote I'm going to make a redingote version of the costume!

For reference, here's what a c. 1790 redingote looks like:

This one has a normal button closure but redingotes were also often double-breasted (which is what I'm going for), taking inspiration from men's fashion. These were often worn to ride in - hence the name, redingote - riding coat.

Maybe this is the point where I should mention that I'm not going for perfect historical accuracy for this project. It really is just a fun project to try to approximate something as seen on a show to an actual historical piece of clothing.

Here’s a super quick sketch I drew to check if the colors looked good together, and I have to say, I’m sold 1000%.

I am so excited to wear this when it’s done, but also a bit anxious because for starters, I’ve never made a redingote before, and the dresses that I have made all have issues with the sleeves because apparently, I can’t sew sleeves correctly. So this time, I really want to make sure it all fits properly before I sew it and take my time with it to make sure it ends up being something that I love as much as I love the idea of it.

This time, I tried something a little different with my mockup - usually, I’ll draft a pattern on paper, then cut out my mockup and sew it, but this time I decided to make the mockup by draping the fabric directly on the mannequin that I dressed in my stays and a bumroll, making sure I had the correct measurments, and it was a complete gamechanger. It fit right away with minimal adjustments, and I was also immediately able to check how the fabric falls, if it needed to be on the bias or not, etc. I ended up doing everything on straight grain which is technically not 100% correct as the front piece needs to be on a slight bias but it seems to work for this piece so let’s hope the fabric doesn’t wrinkle! I’ll also be adding boning so I’m hoping that’ll additionally keep it all straight and even in the front.

Once the mockup was completed, I went on the search for the right fabrics and got these (the skirt fabric, the buttons and the tape I ordered online and they've yet to arrive!):

The black base fabric and the blue one are cotton, as will be the skirt. The details are satin! I spent a long time at the fabric store trying to think of the best way to do this and it does look like the details on Lestat's outfit are maybe velvet, but I was afraid it would look a little too costume-y and cheap, so I ended up going with satin in the end.

I pinned the fabric mock-up onto the lining fabric (just a white Ikea bedsheet), added 1,5cm seam allowances where needed cut out the lining first, then placed the lining onto the black base fabric and cut that out as well.

I needed to lay the pieces down this way because I bought 2,5 meters, and I'll need 2m for the outer skirt alone so there's not a lot of space left, as I'll also have to cut out the sleeves from that fabric. I then sewed everything together.

And then I noticed I'd made a mistake - the lining for the front panel was supposed to be blue. Welp, now it's white, and I also realized I didn't have enough blue fabric to do the collar AND the lining, so I went for a fake lining for which I cut out two blue triangles to be slightly bigger than the lapel

and stitched them to the lining layer so the seams wouldn't be visible on the black outer layer. This was the result:

Pretty happy with it! Next up, even though I don't have the beige tape yet, I decided to cut out the color panels in the front and already pin them down. After some trial and error, I decided to go for 15x4,5cm triangles and calculated the size needed for the shorter ones (9x7,5cm), cut them out of the satin (which, let me tell you, was so finicky it ended up being the most difficult part of it all) laid them down and fastened with pins.

This is what I have so far:

Looking at it in the picture, I'm worried that the color panels take up too much space in the front. It looks like that in the original picture, but in my sketch I made everything a little narrower. But I was also scared of pulling on it too much because the panels are just pinned to the fabric. Some parts are sticking out over the black base layer which maybe also makes it look wider than it really is, I'll cut it to shape once I have the tape and have a better visual understanding of what it's going to look like.

Next up will be the collar/yoke and the dreaded sleeves and possibly the boning. I should do the boning before I attach the beige tape. I am realizing as I’m writing this that I should’ve done the boning before pinning down the colored panels as they’re supposed to cover it. Oh well. It’s fine. Either way, I think it already looks super cool and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4|

[havendance]

New Comics Time!

Shazam! #17 -- So the green lightning bolt that gave Freddy powers is exerting a sinister influence on him. Who could've seen this coming? Anyway, this was another fun issue. I enjoyed the conflict between Billy and Freddy and I loved Hephaestus' design--it worked really well with the art style. I think my one complaint is that Mary's subplot got a little confusing at the end. She was clearly getting into a bit of a pinch, but the how was unclear from the art. Hopefully that'll be cleared up next issue though.

Batgirl #1 -- Cass! This was really fun. I'm having trouble articulating my thoughts than I was for comics I was less excited about reading. I loved both Cass and Shiva in it. There's a couple moments for Shiva that really reminded me of O'Neil's Shiva, and there's a lot of great moments for Cass with all of her attitude and skill. (I love her little 'Good Luck' and 'I am an orphan by choice'--an elegant way of tying together her past with her present and her attitude toward Shiva with whom she is currently fighting) I'm not sure how invested in this whole 'Unburied' thing for now, but we'll see where it goes because the relationship between Cass and Shiva very much is interesting here. Cass' internal monologue did feel a bit much at points, but I understand the necessity of setting things up and introuducing her in the first new solo she's had in like, decades. Art and colors were both very good and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes next!

Absolute Batman #1 -- The best part of this comic was Julia telling Alfred to never contact her again (haha joking, unless...) Overall, this was a good Batman comic. Not necessarily my favorite and I don't think it really feels revolutionary in the way that DC is trying to hype these absolute titles, but I can appreciate. I think all of the fake-outs that Snyder put into this before Bruce finally showed up is well done, as well as the moments where he brings a character in and then re-contextualizes them by introducing them like he did with Barbara and Martha. I know I'm not the target audience for this, but at the same time, I do very much appreciate the bat ear-knives and bat-symbol ax in the same way that I appreciate some of the crazier stunts that Batman pulls in the first arc of Tom King's Batman. I'll keep reading for now and we'll see where it goes from here.

Action Comics #1070 -- This was very much an issue that was laying the foundation for both stories. I am admittedly not as familiar with the Superman side of comics, but I do think it's kind of funny that Superman's like 'If something's happening to the Phantom Zone,I can't let people suffer in my prison void dimension.' Like, I get that it's a matter of degrees and there's a prison vs torture prison dimension to it all, but also. You're locking up your enemies in the prison void dimension. There's a certain level of not-fun that entails. Anyway, the Supergirl backup had very pretty art and is certainly intriguing, but it did leave me wanting a couple more answers rather than feeling like one giant cliffhanger.

Batman and Robin #14 -- I have not been following this book previously, so I can't comment on the Damian characterization discourse I've been seeing, but this was enjoyable enough. I liked the villain, he seems cool. The art was nice and I wanted to like the coloring, but it felt, hmmm, a little washed out to me. I can see what it's going for, but I'm not sure if it's working for me.

[marbleboa]

Hiii sorry but lately I've been hyperfixated on the 7th division and Takeuchi ended up being my fav... And I saw your art of him and I loved it, I wanted to know if you had any headcanons about him ;3

Absolutely delighted to see a Takeuchi guy here, take my hand op. I do indeed have Many Thoughts, a lot of these more character musings than straightforward headcanons but! I hope these rambles interest you!

-I made this post a bit ago talking about how his whole Battle Mode deal changes his body, and further building on that— I imagine the frequent use of this has taken its toll, similar to Shibata: issues with his back, joints, etc. Projecting my TMJ on him as well, though I think all of this does ease somewhat as he uses his powers less and starts taking better care of himself.

-The power of his energy blasts is somewhat dampened by comparatively long charge up times and the way he always announces his attacks to enemies. He’s very particular about making sure all of his battle moves have impressive names—often several-words long.

-He and Mob are on a similar wavelength to me. Something something Ishiguro talking about how hard to read Takeuchi is, the way he skirts on the edge of the rest of the Scars’ circle, the way his powers seemed to be the only part of him valued by others…it’s like a different, lonelier path Mob could’ve gone on. I think he has similar difficulties figuring out what he wants from his future, like we see from Mob at the start of season 3.

-I think he’s close with Tsuchiya. Granted this is an anime only thing, but I really liked the detail where when Tsuchiya tackles Shimazaki off a building she calls out for Takeuchi by name and he immediately moves to help. It feels like a maneuver they’ve done before, like they know each other well enough to know what the other needs in a fight. It makes sense that they’d train together with both their powers being classified as qigong too.

-Post-Claw I feel like a few of the Scars go through this phase but Takeuchi especially, he gets in this mindset of like. I must now use my powers against Evil™️ so I can make up for what I’ve done. Because…fighting with powers, black/white ideologies, that’s a lot more familiar to the Scars than writing resumes or apartment-hunting or dealing with other people. Once Claw falls he does this vigilante stuff aimlessly for a while(maybe even runs into Teru again doing the same thing, haha).

-Following from that, I think eventually he gets back in touch with Tsuchiya and stays with her and Mukai for a while as he figures out what he wants to do. (I’m. Not quite sure what that is myself. I’m working on it)

-After Claw, he, Muraki and Sakurai have a book club every other Saturday. Takeuchi enjoys mystery novels.

-There’s more I’d like to research on the particulars re: ethnicities especially so I can improve on how I draw his features, but thus far I’ve been imagining at least part of his ancestry being somewhere from southern India.

-I’ve dabbled with the idea that his name is actually a tsūshōmei, or legal alias, something long-term residents of Japan from other countries can get for various reasons. One thought I had was that Toichiro picked him up in his global search for espers, and he was given another name by Claw to cover up any connection to his family. Or, someone in his family made that change after they started living in Japan, and he was born there under that name. Not sure if I’ll commit to this though, more to look into there too.

-I definitely think he was kidnapped by the organization some way or another— his powers were likely very strong at a young age so they probably got to him under the guise of mentorship. I’d like to think he eventually tries to get back in touch with his family once Claw’s gone.

-Really likes birds. He and Muraki are in close competition for Pigeons of Seasoning City’s Favorite

-He’s ambidextrous!

[ghostxrose]

𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑨𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 | 𝑩𝒂𝒌𝒖𝒈𝒐 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒌𝒊 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five (final)

Note ~ Happy holidays, Lovelies! I'm sorry that it has taken a few days for me to post the final part, I've been busy with work and adulting, haha! Anyway, I hope that you all are excited for this finale to this fic and love it as much as I do! It will be the shortest part yet at barely 900 words but in my opinion it came out so adorable, though I am biased, haha! Well, enough with my rambling, enjoy the read My Wonderful Lovelies! <3

Tags/Warnings ~ Fem!Reader, Reincarnation, Soulmates, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff, Emotional, Temporary Character Deaths, Depictions of Injuries, Potentially Triggering Content, No Use of Y/N, Hurts So Good (let me know if I should tag anything else <3)

You were nervously playing with the end of your long dark braided hair as you walked up to the door of the classroom. You still couldn’t believe that you had gotten into U.A., let alone the Hero Course. You smoothed over your uniform then slid the door to Class 1-A open.

Your eyes swept over the few students already in the classroom then you looked up at the board for the seating chart. When you looked back to the sea of desks and located where yours was, you saw a tall blue-haired boy sternly lecturing an ash-blonde boy sitting at the desk behind yours.

You quietly made your way over to your desk and slid into the seat, making the blue-haired boy halt his lecture towards the blonde behind you. You turned in your seat to face them and gave them a shy smile when you saw that both were staring at you.

The blue-haired boy was staring at you in what seemed to be recognition but you weren’t quite sure since you had no idea who he was. But the ash-blonde boy was glaring at you intently and you couldn’t figure out what you had done wrong.

“Hi, I’m..” You introduced yourself shyly, your violet eyes darting between the two nervously.

The blue-haired boy gave an.. enthusiastic.. greeting while the blonde just made some sort of dismissive noise and turned his head to look out the window. You felt a pang of something hit you in the chest briefly before turning around to face the front of the classroom again.

After the teacher had come in and introduced himself, he had your class change into P.E. uniforms and then meet out on a baseball field. You listened as he explained what you would be doing and what the purpose of the test was before he called up a student to demonstrate one of the exercises.

“Bakugo..” Was all you heard your teacher say before your ears tuned out the rest.

You watched the crimson-eyed ash-blonde walk up to the teacher and grab the ball before moving to the pitching mound. It was like everything happened in slow motion as you watched Bakugo wind up his arm and throw the ball.

Not even the explosion from the boy’s hand could pull you out of the daze that you had apparently gone into. Your eyes met his as he walked back to stand with the rest of your classmates and you found something so familiar within all of the crimson.

You went through the series of Quirk tests completely absent from reality. It’s like you were on autopilot and out of your body until you heard Aizawa Sensei’s words dismissing your class. The other girls from your class had picked up on your strange behavior and tried to make sure that you were feeling okay. They wore worried looks on their faces as you all changed in the locker room and made your way back to the classroom.

By the end of the day, you had still felt like you weren’t back in your body. Or rather, you felt like something was missing, maybe? You couldn’t pinpoint what was going on, you just knew that you had felt off.

As you walked towards the school gates to leave, you spotted a familiar head of ash-blonde hair. You moved faster to catch up to him, unsure of why your brain thought that he would have any answers as to what was wrong with you.

“Bakugo, hey, wait a sec-” You called out as you reached for his hand.

As soon as your skin made contact with his it was like a movie started playing on fast-forward in front of your eyes, right in your mind. Flashes of different worlds, and different realities, different settings filled your vision and made you feel unsteady on your feet. Along with the flashes came feelings; unthinkable heartbreak, overwhelming joy, unimaginable physical and emotional pain, peace.

Finally, your vision cleared and you felt tears dripping down your face. You looked up at Bakugo and saw his wide shiny eyes and almost unreadable face. You felt his warm hand gripping yours almost too tightly.

Suddenly, Katsuki’s arms were wrapped tightly around you and you automatically reciprocated the action.

“My Love.” You murmured into his shoulder.

“My Violet.” His raspy voice whispered into the crook of your neck.

…

…

…

Every lifetime after that one began like that; forgetting your past lives, finding each other, remembering, then living out your lives until you died of old age.

You always passed away peacefully and always in each others’ arms.

And every time, the Goddess of Fate smiled with pride for the both of you.

You and him would never know it but the Goddess of Fate had never laughed at your shortcomings, had never found joy in taking you away from each other so early within your past lives.

The Goddess of Fate had just done what she does best; tied your souls to each other, put you through as many trials as you needed to prove your compatibility, then gave you both the peace you deserved.

You and him were never star-crossed lovers tied together as a joke, you were always meant to be true soulmates.

You and he were always meant to be Eternal Lovers...

One life after another, forevermore.

Author's Note ~ And we have reached the end of this fic *wipes tears* I loved writing this fic so much. The amount of emotion that I poured into this fic is something that I have trouble with doing again now. It was a special kind of inspiration that I had felt when writing this fic and I crave to have it back to be honest.

Even though they won't compare to how this fic turned out, let me know if I should post my other fics here! I would love to get some tips or comments about what I could do better! I don't want to be a one hit wonder, you know? I want to share my works and have them be good enough for people to really enjoy. So, please let me know what you think!

I love and appreciate every single one of you, Lovelies! <3

Tag List ~ @damnirina @queenpiranhadon

Divider Credit ~ @archonfurina

[olderthannetfic]

I've done some reading challenges before and I think they can be fun if they have a purpose: for instance, something like the Read Harder challenge, ones that encourage you to read from different genres or read more diverse books, etc. I have a sort of evergreen challenge where I encourage myself to read more books written by authors from different countries, and keep a spreadsheet of which countries I've "read." (I also do this with other kinds of entertainment like movies.) But it's definitely true that some of them just seem to be for the gimmick and aesthetic, and for people who prize quantity over quality of reading in a sort of commodity-fetishism (as they're prizing books as markers of intelligence over the actual experience of learning and expanding your world via reading). Like when the challenges start to be things like "read a book with an orange cover" that's where I start to roll my eyes a bit, haha.

I will say that while I try not to be a snob about reading, it does drive me nuts when I've had people lord over how many more books they've read or how many more pages when they're reading beach reads and YA and other easily digestible stuff whereas I'm reading stuff that is heavier. One time when I was working some crappy minimum-wage job in college, I was reading this big omnibus of all Jane Austen's works (because I was taking a class on her where I was required to read those, not that I wouldn't read Austen otherwise lol) on my break, and one of the other employees asked me how many pages it was and I answered and he was like "pfft, that's nothing, I read all the Harry Potter books in a week and they're more than that!" And I wanted to be like.... yeah, me too, dipshit. I mean, I didn't literally read them in one week, but when each one came out, I devoured it within a day or two like a lot of people did, despite it being 800 pages. Because Rowling's prose is really easy to gobble up like that. Not that Austen is impenetrable or anything (I don't think she is and I think that's precisely why she remains so evergreen popular), but she does require more effort than *that*, particularly when you're reading her work for a literature class where you're expected to write a paper analyzing it, so you want to linger to make sure you really deeply understand it.

I've read academic monographs that were 150 pages long that took me weeks to get through, and I've read 800-page bestsellers that I ripped through in a few days. Pure page length does not determine how long it takes to actually read something. I mean.... in fandom we should all be aware of this, how many of us have devoured some 100k fic in a night or two? As someone who has written some of those academic monographs myself and therefore is familiar with how word count tends to relate to book page length, I can verify for you that that is the equivalent of devouring a novel in the same time frame. But it's a lot easier to do that when you're reading relatively invisible prose and are invested in your OTP getting together (or whatever) vs. if you're trying to digest someone's very dry and convoluted argument about Foucault.

--

I just read all of Scum Villain in about five minutes, yeah. And it was great, but nothing to brag about as an achievement.

I've got this friend who goes on about reading sooooo fast but then admits to often rereading to catch things that she missed the first time. It came up when I was explaining how seldom I reread or rewatch anything. I tend to remember it far, far too keenly after one time through, and it just doesn't hit the same a second time. I still read pretty fast, but not that fast.

I don't think it's snobby to roll your eyes at people who clearly don't grasp the difference between different difficulties of reading and—this is key—who are trying to wave their dick at you about how great they are. They started it!

The time I do roll my eyes is when people think you should read mega hard prose in order to learn, especially in order to learn vocabulary or get faster at reading. That's not what the science says. (Apparently, the fastest way to improve on that kind of thing is to read mass quantities of faintly hard-for-you stuff, not stuff that's hard hard.) But to learn how to decode confusing arguments? Yes, absolutely.

I do wish people would put a little more effort into unwinding their own tortured syntax on Foucault though.

[diazsdimples]

WIP Wednesday!

This fic is eating me alive. We're at 22k words and I'm probably 2/3 of the way done? Maybe a bit more lmao. I'm still hoping to have it done by the end of the week but my husband has had a bit of a backwards step in his recovery and I've come down with the most evil flu alive haha. Please enjoy a small snippet from their final day of rehearsals before the concert!

Eddie files into the auditorium, sending Buck a quick grin as he catches his eye, and settles himself down next to Terry and the other members of his section. “Slept better last night?” Terry asks as he sits down, “You seem perkier.” Eddie smiles. “Much better”. They start tuning as Bobby steps up to the podium, Riko the first oboist leading with their A, and Bobby taps the music stand when they’re all finished. “Well, everyone, seems we’ve reached the final rehearsal of yet another programme. Now, as usual, we’ll go through the pieces we’re playing until lunchtime, at which point our regularly scheduled team building exercises will begin. I must say, I’m glad to see that we all seem to have remembered the dress code this year. I was half expecting the trumpet section to arrive in assless chaps this year, but Chimney seems to have restrained himself.” There’s a bunch of cheers and Chimney sends Bobby some finger guns across the room, yelling “There’s still time!” Bobby rolls his eyes playfully and continues. “Instrument swap will happen after lunch so please, make sure you’ve found yourself a partner and take a few minutes before we start to show them the ropes. This will be filmed and sent out to your families so please, take this as a threat to try your hardest. After the swap, we’ll go over the concerto one last time so Buck doesn’t feel obliged to hang around all afternoon and do nothing. We’ll finish early so you can all go home to your families and get some rest before the concert. Dress rehearsal tomorrow starts at noon, please arrive by 11:45 at the latest so we have time to set up. Concerts are at 3 and 7. Now, happy playing.” With that, they all flick to the front of the cello concerto and begin to play. Eddie will never get over how passionate Buck is when he plays. This piece is perfect for him, really. It’s quick and full of energy and truly shows off Buck’s prowess. He sways back and forth with the music, his bow flying across the strings and fingers trotting along the fingerboard as he manages to elicit the most incredible noise from his cello. After a masterclass at what those hands can do last night, Eddie can’t say he’s surprised Buck’s such a good player. When it’s time for Eddie to play, he notices Buck lean back in his chair, closing his eyes and properly appreciating the music. Eddie notices Buck plays with his eyes closed most of the time, as if he’s picturing the music in his head. Eddie does the same thing when it’s a piece he’s familiar with. He hasn’t got Buck’s ability to memorise sheets and sheets of music.

No pressure tagging all my faves @thewolvesof1998 @theotherbuckley @disasterbuckdiaz @hippolotamus @watchyourbuck @fionaswhvre @wikiangela @eddiebabygirldiaz @eddie---diaz @evanbegins @wildlife4life @callmenewbie @cal-daisies-and-briars @daffi-990 @malewifediaz @spagheddiediaz @fortheloveofbuddie @fruitandbubbles @incorrect9-1-1 @monsterrae1 @loserdiaz @buckbuckgoose @weewootruck @jeeyuns @smilingbuckley @jesuisici33 @housewifebuck

[roguerambles]

Unexpected Arrivals

Baldur's Gate III - Halsin x Tav x Gale

Warnings - 18+Only. Adult Situations.

So BG3 has had my heart since it's release (seriously, I've been playing it consistently haha) and I wanted to try something using my Tav's. Just a quick something fluffy and silly and a little sexy. I'm not thrilled with how it turned out but I'm trying to beat writer's block.

Also since finding that Gale/Halsin isn't ENTIRELY off the table, my heart is even more set on Gale/Aelia/Halsin, the benefit of fanfiction I suppose haha.

Anyway, my Tavs are Aelia, Half High Elf Storm Sorcerer, and Krios, Tiefling Circle of the Land Druid.

Enjoy the Rambles!

-

Gale's tower was surprisingly homey.

Krios practically jogged up the stone steps, his heavy boots echoing dully, the torches bursting to life as he continued to ascend. He and Astarion had arrived in Waterdeep earlier than expected, and truthfully the druid was too excited to wait until morning to send word to Gale and Aelia. It had been months since they had seen any of their companions, after all.

Astarion had rolled his eyes at him, but sniffed that he supposed Gale's tower was better accommodation than the local inns (and Gale was far less likely to wonder why Astarion would need to be hidden in a rented room all day) but Krios knew he was looking forward to seeing their friends again.

Not enough to take the stairs, even though the lift was taking far too long in Krios's opinion. So the tiefling immediately took off up the staircase, determined to reach the top before the vampire did.

"Ha!"

He grinned to himself as he reached the top landing, the gentle churning of the lift indicating Astarion was still slowly ascending. I win.

The druid debated waiting, before taking note of the sweet smell of fresh soil and flowers that tickled his nose, combined with the gentle spice of cinnamon and fire, and felt a flicker of excitement. In her last letter Aelia had mentioned starting a garden within the tower not long after moving in with Gale, and Krios was eager to see what she had done with it. Surely Astarion would not mind if he knocked and--

"Ahhhhhhhh....."

Krios's large hand froze at the door handle, his ears perking like Scratch's at dinner time. Oh. It was late at night, and Aelia and Gale weren't expecting them. He hadn't considered they would be--

"Ah...! Ohhhhh...Halsin...!"

Wait, what--?

Unable to stop himself, Krios pushed the door slightly - it slowly swung open - so much for those magical defences Gale - and the first thing his eyes landed on where a familiar set of druidic robes, crumbled and abandoned on the floor. Just beyond them, a pair of boots, a half torn tunic, some lacy lingerie--

"Oh....! Yes...Halsin...yes--!"

A woman cried out, voiced laced with pleasure, and Krios's gaze snapped upwards. Aelia, eyes squeezed tight, threw her head back, long raven hair spilling across her shoulders and back. Her naked breasts bounced slightly as she gripped the table beneath her, her thighs clenched around impossibly broad shoulders, fingers tangled in long, messy brown hair. "Yes....ahhhhhhh....!"

Sweet Silvanus--

"Hah....come here to me--!"

Halsin lifted his head from between Aelia's thighs, voice thick with lust. The muscles in his broad back flexed and contracted as he rose, his large hands grasping her hips as he pulled her flush against him. His mouth crushed against hers, capturing her sinful moan as they writhed against each other, falling back into the table, knocking bowls of fruit and chalices of wine to the floor in their haste.

The sweet, heavy scent tickled Krios's nose once again and he swallowed thickly, mind foggy with shock and awe at the naked display of carnality in front of him. Halsin and Aelia? Here? Gale would be crushed. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The druid wanted to say something, but as he opened his mouth words seemed to fade on his tongue. His eyes trailed over the flexing of Halsin's powerful hips, the lovely shape of Aelia's strong thighs, and suddenly Krios did not know whether he would barge in and reprimand them or ask if they wanted company--

"Honestly, you two are incorrigible."

Gale tutted in vague disapproval, appearing from an opposite doorway, a tray of seemed to be water and fruit in his hands. He was draped in a fluffy, dark blue robe, open to expose his surprisingly toned torso. Krios watched as he walked around the table, setting the tray down. "Come on, we must pace ourselves or you'll end up exhausted. We should eat."

Krios was beginning to wonder if he had passed out on the stairs and was dreaming.

“I’d rather devour you.”

Halsin growled, his voice low and playful, reaching out to grasp Gale’s waist and tug him towards himself and Aelia. Gale huffed out a laugh, rolling his eyes slightly, his hand bracing on the elf’s thick bicep.

“Halsin—”

Aelia laughed breathlessly, stopping Gale’s words by leaning up and pressing her lips to his, her arms loosely draping around his neck. Gale mumbled something incomprehensible to Krios’s ears, his mouth moving eagerly against hers as Halsin’s hand roamed down his side, slipping underneath his robe. “Gale, stop talking and get in here—”

“Aelia—” Gale huffed, a warm chuckle melting into a soft moan. “We…we should at least go back to bed—my word—"

Gale apparently needed little encouragement after that, his fingers gently caressing Aelia’s jawline as Halsin leaned against his shoulder, pressing open mouthed kisses along Gale’s neck and shoulder. The three began to move together, bodies sliding and grinding and tangling together, and heat blossomed deep in Krios’s belly, thick roots slowly spreading as his fingers tightly coiled around the door handle still in his grasp. Confusion was being rapidly replaced with arousal and he wet his lower lip with his tongue, the mysteriously sweet scent seeming to engulf his senses as he began to push the door open. He wanted to join them, to feel their naked bodies against his own, writhing and rutting and stroking in pleasure—

“I didn’t realise you liked to watch, darling.”

Krios yelped and whirled around, nearly colliding with Astarion, the fog banished from his mind like smoke in the breeze. Astarion peered up at him, fangs flashing in sharp amusement. “Astarion!” Words stumbled together in his mouth, tumbling out into the air uselessly. “I—I—I was…I just—”

“Krios?”

“Oh! Gracious—!”

The door swung open as Astarion peeked around Krios, eyebrow quirked. “Dinner and a show, Gale? Really, you shouldn’t have.”

Gale looked painfully flustered, hastily grabbing some discarded clothing from the floor to try and preserve some modesty. Aelia stared at them, wide-eyed, while Halsin made absolutely no attempt to cover up, simply looking pleased to see them.

“Krios! Astarion!” Halsin’s face lit up, a bright smile forming on his ruggedly handsome features. “What a wonderful surprise.” His large hand slowly rubbed up and down Aelia’s thigh slung across his hip, and Krios found himself watching the gesture with fascination, his gut tightening as Halsin’s voice seemed to drop an octave. “Please. Join us.”

“Halsin!” Gale hissed, reaching across Aelia to lightly shove Halsin’s shoulder. “Please!”

Halsin coughed, an expression of mild embarrassment flashing across his face, before he offered a sheepish grin as next to Krios, Astarion began to cackle. “Apologies. Aelia’s new blooms have had…interesting effects.”

Finally, Krios realised where the scent was coming from. Just beyond the room, he could see what appeared to be a small garden, perfuming the air with nature and magic. He cleared his throat, shaking his head to try and clear the mist from his thoughts. "You...you exposed Halsin to an aphrodisiac...?"

Halsin laughed, a self-deprecating smile on his face, as Aelia smothered a laugh behind her hand. A nervous chuckle escaped Gale, who waved his hand vaguely in the air as though he suddenly had no idea what to do with it. "Well, we were a little surprised ourselves! Really, druidic magic isn't my area of expertise, but it is quite fascinating the intersecting nature of--"

"Gale, handsome--" Aelia leaned against his shoulder, hiding a smile against his skin. "Perhaps save the lecture for when we are all wearing clothes."

"That...might be a good idea, my love." Gale laughed, a note of mild hysteria in his voice as he shrugged apologetically in Krios's direction. Krios for his part was suddenly distracted by the image of a naked Gale lecturing him on plants and felt blood begin slowly journeying south of his body. What the fuck--

The half high elf sorcerer smiled slightly, sitting up from her position roughly between Gale and Halsin. “Besides…I would have thought a certain Archdruid would have noticed what we were planting…”

“They are exceptionally rare plants!” Halsin laughed slightly, lightly squeezing her thigh, still laid out across the table, body on shameless, delicious display. Krios was beginning to feel flushed. “Truthfully, I am amazed you even found them at all.”

“Still, you’ve been here for months. I am surprised—”

“Halsin is living here?” Krios blinked, briefly seizing onto clarity. Gale looked slightly flushed as Aelia smiled, hands catching Gale’s and Halsin’s own. “You…the three of you—?”

“Yes, well—” Gale cleared his throat loudly, looking very intently at something vaguely above Krios’s head. “It’s…we’re…exploring the possibility of….we are exploring—"

“Gale and Aelia have honoured me by allowing me to share in their relationship.” Halsin interrupted, catching Gale’s hand and lifting it to his lips, pressing a light kiss against his knuckles. The wizard stuttered, looking even more flustered, while Aelia grinned fondly at the two men on either side of her. “We are allowing our roots to grow together.”

Astarion looked bemused for a moment, before shaking his head. “Well, good for you three, I suppose.” He flashed Gale a coy grin. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“We are very happy for you.” Krios nudged Astarion slightly. “We…we are sorry to have interrupted—”

“We?” Astarion gave him a mockingly non-plussed look. “You were the one lurking at the door, darling.”

Krios could feel his cheeks burning. “I…apologies, I…those plants are really something.” He finished lamely, contemplating fleeing the tower, stripping down and diving into the harbour fuck it was hot in here.

“Indeed they are.” Halsin’s eyes slowly trailed over him, lips curving into a soft smirk. “Perhaps we could—”

Aelia smacked Halsin’s shoulder this time. “Down boy.” She chided playfully, allowing the playful smile she shot Krios way – her body angling to show off her delightful curves – told him she wasn’t opposed to the idea. “I’m sure Krios and Astarion are tired from their journey.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Astarion laughed, eyes lit up with clear amusement as he turned to grin at Krios. “This one looks raring to go.”

He was, embarrassingly enough. The botanist in him made a mental note to inquire after those plants later, when he was at least fairly certain he wasn’t at risk of jumping his hosts bones. “We…should give you all some privacy…” He cleared his throat, the absurdity of the situation causing a nervous, sheepish grin to bloom on his lips. “But, at the moment, a cold bath suddenly sounds lovely.”

Gale gasped suddenly, and practically leapt from the table, magic briefly flashing around him, and suddenly he stood in a loose blue tunic and black pants. “Gods, your room isn’t ready! Give me just a moment, and I’ll have it prepared at once—"

“Oh, Gale, please, we arrived unexpectedly.” Krios protested as the wizard rushed past him, turning to hurry after him. “Please, do not trouble yourself on our account—”

“Speak for yourself, darling.” Astarion scoffed, exchanging amused glances with Aelia and Halsin. With a playful bow, he turned and followed Krios out, listening to he and Gale’s voices down the hallway. Apparently, manners overpowered embarrassment.

At least breakfast tomorrow would have interesting conversation.

[turtletimewriting]

Same Hands, Different Time

Summary: Two moments when Donny was tickled by an older brother.

Note: First 03 tickle fic let's gooooo! Hell's yeah I'm taking SAINW and making it mildly silly. As literally stated in the other sentence, this is a tickle fic. Not your thing then don't worry dude!

._._.

"You should be resting."

Donny startled badly. He whipped round at the unfamiliar voice and was once again struck by the sight of this universe's Leo.

It was such a contrast to everything he kenw Leo to be. It had been days Donny had been stuck in this nightmare world and yet seeing these aproximations of his brothers still chilled him. This Leo was huge. He stood inches above him and the apocalpyse had done wonders for making him even more muscled. The big dramatic coat made him seem even bigger. The looming presence complete with his dark glasses perched on his snout.

Despite that being a sentence that he had heard a million times from his brothers, as familiar as his own voice at this point, it registered as completely foreign. Donny dropped the wrench and stepped away from the tunneler. It was like being told off by your parents rather than an annoying older brother who didn't listen to his own advice.

Donny couldn't think what to say so he threw out the first thing that came to his mind. "You should be too."

If this was his own world with his own brothers, Leo would've had some remark prepared and sauntered into the room to physically drag him to bed. But it wasn't. This Leo stared at him with an expression unreadable from his glasses. Like it was genuinely stunning that Donny had resisted going to bed.

All his brothers, his family… they had been so twisted and torn that they barely ressembled his family.

The only solace was seeing that it seemed just as hard on them to see him.

Leo walked into the room stiffly and sat next to him on the floor. His movement was stilted. "I thought you said the Tunneler was ready for the plan." Huh, no chasing to go to bed. Donny allowed the conversation to change. "Yeah but it's not going to hurt to make sure. Just a quick service… maybe change the oil, never hurts to look at break fluid, tyre pressure… then I'll head to bed," Donny sighed as he gestured to the vehicle in front of him. Leo unexpectedly snorted. Donny snapped to him and smiled himself. "What?" "Nothing, nothing. It's just… you haven't changed. Always overthinking. Always hiding your nerves underneath science talk."

Leo slugged an arm over him and jokingly jostled him. The most physical affection he had received since being thrown into this world. "Just head to sleep. The others here are more than capable of finishing what you started."

Leo went to stand up and grabbed his waist to pull him up too. But feeling two hands grab on to his sides had Donny flinching away with a humiliating squeak.

"Leheo! Easy! I can stand on my own," Donny waved him off. He would've stood up but he caught Leo staring at him incredulously.

His jaw hanging open and everything. His face lifted with amazed joy and timid trepidation.

"Leo?" "It's been so long since I've heard…" Donny stood up and grabbed the uncanny version of his older brother. "Are you okaAAY!" Leo, despite being frozen in shock, overcame that quickly.

His hands latched on his sides again and started squeezing. Donny stumbled back in reflex, his shell colliding with the tunneler's side. Leo snorted again in amusement and playfulness overtook him again. Quick as a bullet, he used Donny's weakness against the tickling to pull him into his chest and trap him in a tight hug. Donny tried to wiggle free before he could be fully trapped but Leo easily overpowered his flailing limbs.

Donny's shell was soon cushioned by the plastron of his older brother. With his hands squeezing up and down his sides.

"Hahaha! HAHA! HAHAHA! LEO HAHA!" Donny burst out. "I have extra time to catch up on, Don! Hold still," Leo giggled himself as he wrestled to keep control of Donny thrashing around.

The entire adventure had been so stressful and scary. Donny hadn't relaxed for a single second since he woke up in the destroyed Lair.

But now he was laughing. For the first time, he could finally see his older brother in the grown turtle standing before him. His hands were calloused and rough against his bare sides but the squeezing jolts of ticklishness felt the exact same.

Maybe it was the stress of everything but Donny couldn't help but lean into the physical affection. It was maddening as his nerves kept him wiggling away and trying to escape Leo's hug.

Yet his brain latched on to the normal silliness after days of fear and anxiety.

"What the shell are ya doin'?" Both him and Leo startled and whipped around to see Mikey and Raph standing there.

They were stood awkwardly caught between laughing along with them and feeling uncomfortable at the tense plans for the day ahead.

"Tickling Donny!" Leo chirped back, just radiating absolute childish joy. "He's still so ticklish. I almost forgot…" His voice wavered but his hand quickly moved to scratch lightly at the front of his plastron.

The tickling sensation was slightly muted through his plastron but his stomach was ticklish enough that his knees buckled and giggles exploded from him anyway. He flinched backwards deeper into Leo's tickle hug.

"Well, I ain't gonna get this chance again." Donny barely heard him before Raph literally ran up to join the fray. "This is so stupid," Mikey sighed but stepped into the room too.

Raph's hands scooped up one of his arms and scribbling fingers soon touched down to his pit. Donny stumbled to the side against the attack but threw his head back with laughter. "Tag team," Leo muttered as he tickled along his stomach. Both sensations were destroying Donny's sanity. But yet his heart sang out joyously. He let himself indulge in the affection and ticklish sensation. No matter how he weakly he squirmed, those tickling hands never left him.

"C'mon Mikey!" Raph gestured over, "It ain't a proper tickling if it's not three against one." Mikey shifted his weight nervously. "There's a lot going on right now. It's the middle of the night. Guys, let him up." But Mikey's uncertain halting words did nothing. "Hey Leo. You remember that death spot on Don? I think we only discovered it later in life. We should educate this younger Donny." Leo gasped. "I do! It was somewhere, right?" Donny felt his fast and furious tickling hands slow to curious probing. Squeezes that explored his soft sides cautiously. It was somehow much much worse. "It was above his hips, right? A little higher," Leo mumbled. His hands copied his words. "LEHEHEO! LEO! HAHAHA! STAHAP!" "Wait, no. I remember. It's here," Leo announced before latching on to right above his hips.

It was like the sensation exploded through him. Laughter erupted from him. The rough hands of his older brother carefully destroyed him with meticulous care. Experienced and knowing.

Maybe this universe's Donny would have been teased a lot more by the build up of finding this worst spot. But Donny literally didn't know there was a particular spot on his sides that wass more ticklish than the rest. He had watched Leo's hands in just as much curiosity. It made the uncomfortable reality of this world bleed back in. This world's Donny isn't here to experience this instead of him.

Mikey wasn't joining in at all either. His baby brother not caring about joining the fray of a tickle war.

The pit in his stomach overpowered the butterflies fluttering in his stomach from the playful tickling.

Leo and Raph must've noticed as well because they pulled away at the same time.

All four of them stood in the room hollowly. The lack of the laughter made it seem somehow colder than before they all walked in.

Leo stared off into nothing from his dark glasses. Raph shurgged off the excitement and his face hardened into worry for the next day. Mikey continued standing there, his expression not changing this whole time.

"I'll go to bed," Donny excused and walked away.

…

Donny jolted up as someone shook him awake. He must've fallen asleep at his lab desk again, from the crick in his neck and face all smooshed up. The memory slowly fizzled through him before fading away like a dream. It left a sudden punch of meloncholy.

"Don. You need to go to bed," Leo chastised gently. "Yeah, yeah." He didn't bother fighting. Exhaustion clung to him. "Just let me finish this." "Yeah, I don't think so," Leo rolled his eyes. "You won't drag me to bed," Donny quipped back. "No I have other means," Leo responded simply before two fingers jabbed into his side.

Donny leapt up high enough to practically reach the ceiling. But, to Donny's surprise, the ticklish jab turned into frantic scratching. He threw himself forward into the desk to escape Leo's ticklish scribbling. But his hands followed flawlessly. His laughter easily exploded from him. His voice slightly creaky from his nap.

This Leo giggled along too. He had always been the kind of dweeb who laughed along whenever tickling.

He didn't go for the spot above his hips, because he didn't really know it existed. Leo simply tickled and laughed easily.

It was those same hands that tickled expertly across his sides again.

[quirrelfan]

Foreshadowing

haha get it he probably died so his final resting place is the resting grou-

The foreshadowing throughout Quirrel's dialogue is so perfectly done that I just have to talk about it. (Below the cut. This is a long one.)

As seen in the above image and below quote, an instance of such foreshadowing.

"The city looks to be built into an enormous cavern, and the rain pours down from cracks in the stone above.

There must be a lot of water up there somewhere. I suppose, if the cave roof stayed strong this long, it should hold for us.

Before I leave this Kingdom, I'd like to see where all that water comes from. What a sight it must be!"

As we know, the rain comes from Blue Lake. And I must agree, what a sight it is!

Circled location is Quirrel

It is also proved by a quote I obtained [here], where Ari Gibson himself states:

"The only area that I can think of that exists purely for narrative reasons is the Blue Lake, which is above the raining city. And it's only there because there's all this rain falling on the city, and I just couldn't bear the idea that we didn't explain where this rain was coming from. So we put this big lake above it."

Quirrel's final location he is seen at is Blue Lake, without Monomon's mask atop his head, sat down on the ground and gazing out over the gorgeous lake.

The final location before his implied death, his second and final departure of hallownest, fulfilling his wish to see the source of the rain before he leaves.

"To persevere in this ruin, that old nail alone just won't be enough. Though that's no problem! One only has to look around.

Plenty have come before us and most have met their grisly end, many more equipped than you and I.

I'm sure they wouldn't mind were a fellow explorer to relieve them of their tools. It's a kindness really. The dead shouldn't be burdened with such things."

Quirrel's death (although uncertain if he truly died as stated by one of the devs themselves, saying "we don't know," but that is a topic for another time), or rather, his nail in the ground, is foreshadowed by the above dialogue.

Quirrel believes that a weapon is a burden to oneself when dead, encouraging the Knight to pick up a stronger weapon they may find.

Upon the re-entry of Blue Lake after the Knight has spoken to Quirrel, they will discover that he seems to have left the area, the remaining evidence of his existence there being his nail, which looks intentionally stuck into the ground, tempting one to grab it and use it to its fullest potential. After all, Quirrel would not want to be burdened by his own weapon much like past explorers have been. Whether he drowned himself, withered away of old age, or had been killed by enemies, it must have been intentional due to his nail's placement.

Free from the burdens of his weapon. Of surviving. Of life. He had lived life to the fullest and had seen all that the world has offered him, his mind freed from the awful events in between.

"All tragedy erased. I see only wonders..."

That is not the end, by the way. Although it is the perfect quote to end on, I still have the random tidbits of info he remembers to cover.

"What is this feeling?... So familiar. Drawn forward yet repelled.

And those shapes upon the door...To gaze directly at them turns my mind to fog."

"That lake... a revered presence once slept deep within...

Did it? What would make me think such things?"

"There is a city nearby, the old capital of Hallownest. I've heard a Nailsmith resides there. Seek the old bug out and you may find progress that much easier."

"...Who was it that told me of the Nailsmith? I can't even remember, yet I can almost picture the smith himself..."

For someone who is exploring Hallownest along a similar path to your own journey, he seems to know some pieces of knowledge in regards to the kingdom, whether he tells the Knight of the nailsmith, or the thought of Unn being locked within his mind.

The Knight later discovers that Quirrel has been in Hallownest before, although his memory of the place is mostly blank.

"Did she call you too then? I realise it's no coincidence we arrive together.

Though much of my memory is blank, this place I recall."

Quirrel had taken part in the Teacher's sacrifice to become a seal upon the Black Egg Temple, although he cannot recall the event, thus showing he has lived in Hallownest once, but remembers nothing but small fragments of information, the tragedy of the infection blocked from his memory upon departure.

"Twice I've seen this world and though my service may have stripped the first experience from me, I'm thankful I could witness its beauty again."

ok NOW I will end with the line.

"To live an age, yet remember so little... Perhaps I should be thankful?

All tragedy erased. I see only wonders..."

Ah, foreshadowing. A beautiful thing.

[welp-back-on-my-bs]

Their first week's in the past were quite chaotic and fast. Their health being quite poor didn't help them in that regard.

Sauske was adapting easily to life in the past. 'Figues. He loves this period...' Morgan sighed as they laied down in their bed, resting from the training Kenshin had put them through.

He had cut them up quire badly, "Be glad you aren't dead" is all he said before leaving them to rest and heal.

They were happy that they weren't ignored. Despite being born a woman, he treated them like one of his men.

Whenever they rested and healed, Yoshimoto helped them learn the language, and they both did different arts together. This also improved them surviving Kenshin's training.

Sauske even helped them with different things to help their poor health to be at least more tolerable to survive their time in the past.

While training against Kenshin, the arm of their outfit was cut to show a butterfly semicolon tatto. People stopped and started at it and them. Muttering about the possible crime that they had done.

"Awnser. Why do you have that mark?" Kenshin demanded from them.

"Where I'm from tattoos are seen as a form of art and expression on the behalf of the tattoo artist and the person."

Somw of the people muttered in shock and amazement, others still gave them dirty looks. That was okay, though. They already got those in any time period.

They were a freak, and they accepted that.

Then, Kenshin and Shengen met up to forge an alliance.

More new people was hard for Morgan, so they tried to stay in the background, helping Yoshimoto when they could or doing some setup with Sauske.

Shengen was the first to approach them. I mean, they were feminine and masculine and was able to survive Kenshin. It was all quite fascinating to him. So he needed to get to know them, and flirting wasn't a bad start.

Or so he thought.

"What did someone like Kenshin do to earn an angel like you?"

"Nearly die in the middle of a storm"

"Well, i hope the storm brewing in my heart for you c-"

A thud was heard, and Yukimura ran into the room where Shengen entered to see him punched square in the face, with a pissed off Morgan sitting there calmly and getting back to work.

Yukimura was shocked, unable to decide what what the best reaction laughter, reprimand Shengen, or reprimand this other person.

Shengen burst out laughing, so that just added to Yukis confusion.

"Ah- well- if you like the hunt-"

"I'm not interested in dateing someone like you. Do your business with Kenshin, not me." They quickly shrugged him off, and the two men left Morgan, dazed, and a little confused. So the duo went to the man of the hour for an explanation. Luckily for them, Kantesugu, Sauske, and Yoshimoto were also there.

"What happened to you, Shengen?" Kenshin looked at his new ally, confused that his nose was bleeding already.

"Morgan."

"Why would you flirt with them?"

"Because they are cute."

"Thats it. Really?"

"What? Does it have to be held against me?"

"Yes. I've managed to scare off those who have proposed to both them and Sauske. I'll have to kill you aswell."

"Haha, alright, I'm sorry- you seem to care about them. I'll apologize when I see them next, okay?-"

"Good."

The next time Shengen saw Morgan was when they were in the kitchens bakeing. He was a little surprised, but shrugged it off.

"Good Evening Morgan"

"Good Evening." They coldly replied as they continued to put together the sweets they were making.

"I should get this out first- I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable." He bowed in apology.

Morgan looked at him, then sighed "It's fine. You didn't realize, and I'm sorry I punched you." They awkwardly bowed aswell before going back to their baking.

"What are you makeing?"

"Wagashi, I haven't made these recipes before, I'm more familiar with Western ones. Can you try some to be sure that they are good?"

Shengen lit up like fireworks, "That sounds good to me. I'll prepare some tea to go with it."

Once Morgan finished shapeing the Wagashi, they gave it to Shengen to try. They looked nervoious but determined.

"Wow- that's actually really good- this is really your first try??"

"Uh- yeah- heh-" They smiled awkwardly, but proudly.

[lutawolf]

The 8th Sense ep 9

I'm going to hang on to the image above by bl-bam-beyond to get me through what I'm sure is to be a roller coaster.

Deep Breath... Okay Lets Do This!!!

I FUCKING LOVE THIS THERAPIST!!! That deep sigh when she says, "okay, work on yourself first." Because she knows there is no other choice. Because emotional fucking damage. I get this so much. I love you, lady.

"And when you're ready, think about what you want to do next." "I want to protect him." Sometimes love is selfless, and sometimes it's selfish. Sometimes they are a little bit of both. Here, we have someone who just wants the person they love to be safe. Not comprehending that sometimes it's better to have love than be safe.

I love bestie so much. Even though I feel an overwhelming need to smack that food out of his mouth, so I can hear him. Even if I'm just reading subtitles. I make no damn sense but there ya go.

I will say that Jae Won makes sense to Ji Hyun which is why they are simply meant to be. Even if I feel the urge to knock some mother fucking sense into everyone.

Haha, bestie over here throwing out words like narcissistic. I won't even correct him because he is funny. Apparently it's not common sense, cause you used it wrong. Still love you though boo.

I freaking love the trio so much! They are adorable. And you can't convince me otherwise. Oh lawd, he just now thought about his painful past.

Well... At least he is pretty, and he gets it now. So. 👀👀👀 And he has solid friends. Fighting! Then bestie goes and thrusts the dagger in. Damn.

Oh, this is going to be a tough scene to watch, isn't it. Those sitting next to each other talking about the incident.

Noooo!!! Him reaching out to hold his hand is gutting me.

Guys!!! Not gonna lie, I was literally holding my breath while I waited for him to go to her. Damn, that was painful. I mean, he isn't so good at it, but he is trying right. That's what matters. Ji Hyun come back and show this clueless boy how it's done!

Fuck, I hate her. She makes me want to gag every time I see her. I want to punch her in the face every time she says Oppa.

Nooooooooooo SHE DIDN'T!

Nope... I'm not okay. Everyone else can forgive. I am not in the forgiveness business. Guess I'll be the odd one out. He wanted to protect him, and then he does that. Yeah… Did that look like protection to you, do, and then you have the ability to be nice to her afterward. To not immediately go after that baby boy. Yeah, fuck this. Guess I'm gonna be the unpopular opinion here.

I love his bestie so much. Ji Hyun, you have the best bestie ever. I have mixed feelings on seeing Jae Won. I'm petty and I don't like to see him happy when he hurt Ji Hyun yet on the other side, maybe it means he is taking his fucking meds and getting his head on straight.

Oh, the look in his eyes when Ji Hyun just left. Then a deep swallow. You deserved that bitch. You really did.

Now that's unselfish love. Even believing that it's all ended. That the cunt won. He doesn't push but lets him know he supports him.

I mean... Didn't you do the same thing to Ji Hyun minus the sex. You didn't even break up officially before being back with her. Shit, I don't even know why I'm bothering to type anymore. I'm sure people have stopped reading at this point.

Shit, doesn't that sound familiar. "I apologize, I was out of my mind." I swear to god if I don't see some growth in this boy.

Oh, the boss knows. Dude, I love her. Okay, I'm pissed at you dude, but that was funny. "I'm here to eat, not listen to a fortune-teller."

OMG! I FUCKING LOVE HER!

"I can't seem to organize my life." "Then organize it." I don't know how many times I've said this. You know what the problem is, now start working towards a solution instead of sitting there and not doing anything about it. I can only help so much, eventually you've got to help yourself. "I feel like things got screwed up big time and I don't know where to begin to fix it."

Shit hit him! Oh, thank you baby Jezebel she hit him! I knew I was in love with her! Oh, I really love her. Knock some motherfucking sense into him!

There ya go. You only live once. Are you finally hearing people, asshole.

Oh! My little button nose. Isn't that just love. Love is forgiveness. For the people who deserve, who support you, and you want to be beside you. Love is forgiveness.

gif by @bl-bam-beyond

I love the song playing in the background of the kiss. Life is complicated and messy, grab your happiness where you can.

For those who read this. Thank you! 💜💜💜

[wackulart]

The job's not as stressful as a horror movie thankfully haha. I usually find I have a lot of downtime. I've done a lot of exploring over the past couple months. You could probably say I know every inch of this place as good as the back of my hand, but I don't know how well anyone really knows the back of their hand, so I'd say I know it better. I can show you around the place when you start and you'll probably get familiar with it pretty quick. The mall's not really as big as it seems. Our job's pretty easy for the most part. Just shining your flashlight at teenagers every once in awhile and yelling at them about trespassing. The most important place to keep an eye on is that old family diner right by the front of the mall. They tend to break in there and all the old animatronics are still lying around the place so I guess there's a certain amount of intrigue. Ah well I can tell you all about it on your first shift... Again, feel free to call if you have any questions and I'll see you tomorrow! [click]

I'm sure it'll be a breeze, I am very skilled at flashing lights at people.

..Diner, huh? Cool, I've never been to a restaurant with animatronics before. I've always been a big fan of them though! I mean who doesn't like walking talking robots.

I'll see you, Dave!

[He lowered his phone and smiled, excited to not only get a job but who knows, perhaps he had found a new friend. Dave seemed rather polite after all. He was sure this new job would be the change he had been looking for.]

[illusionsofdreaming]

hey, it's owhda. how have you been? it's a little bit sad to see no updates on tumblr from you(I mean any, even just a talk) but that just mean there's something else going on in your life and I sincerely hope it's something good. I didn't really know you much but I really thought that you could be a good friend to have. So.. could we get a glimpse into your life? How's your work? What are you interested in right now?

Hello, hello! It's so nice to see some familiar faces still hanging around this dusty blog! I've missed interacting with you both and Tumblr in general, it's very humbling to know people are reminded of me from time to time. I guess now is as good a time as any to post a little update on what's been going on in my life, how that's affected my writing and what I've got planned for the blog in the coming future. For those who wish to skip the chatter, tldr; I'm hanging on, this will blog will remain online and I do have plans to continue writing.

Let’s see… where do I even begin? Shortly after May, I’ve received an exciting notice - I was promoted! It’s a goal I’ve been working on for some time so it was quite satisfying to hear the news. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of activities - trying to juggle my new responsibilities and manage my own team took some time getting used to. I’ve worked solo for so long it was difficult to be the ‘leader’. In fact - I still am uncomfortable being one, but I’m starting to get the grasp of it.

I’ve been traveling for work as well and in these few months have been to Japan and UK. Both trips where I fell severely ill because my weak body can’t cross countries without making complaints and making me feel my age. Oh. And I finally got Covid in November which really laid me low for at least 2 weeks. 

I realise my health’s been taking a hit lately. Perhaps its the stress of having more work on my plate and being in a new position but I’ve been getting sick more easily. I’m currently recovering from a throat infection that I got from my UK trip as I write this - so fun times.

So yeah.. it’s been a lot of paperwork, electronic work, a lot of self reflection and remoulding of myself to my real life that really put writing on the back burner. I always wrote at night after work but nowadays I don’t even have the energy for that. If I’m not dead asleep by the time I’m done with work then some infection, flu or cold will get me. 

…and the longer I don’t touch my writing the less I wish to open my WIPs because I have a silly, irrational fear that I no longer write the same way I use to - either I’ve deteriorated or my style’s changed. It’s silly. 

Good news is that, I think I’ve finally found my pace, my new position is no longer ‘new’ but the norm and I’m slowly finding ways to carve out my own personal time in my new schedule. Which is why I’ve decided to tackle this issue today. To be honest, it’s been a while since I wrote anything fictional, but I’m planning on slowly working through the writing blocks that have built up due to my neglect. I’ve bought 2 new books during my trip in UK so that’s a step in the right direction right?

As some of my older followers would know and recognise by now, I do tend to go through highs and lows when it comes to activity on this blog. It often reflects what’s going on in my personal life haha. But lately, the creative bug that has been out of energy seemed to have been slightly rejuvenated - my habits of hyperfixating on creative mediums is rearing its head again so I know it’ll only be a matter of time before I’m itching to write again. 

About what..? TCF is still on my mind but not as much as before since it’s been some time since I last read its chapters. Lately I’ve been reading Absolute Sword Sense and am keeping up with its chapters so far. I’ve yet to get the newest Fire Emblem game and have been doing great avoiding any and all spoilers so far - but I’m pretty sure it’ll be going on my list of series I’ll write for in the future.

My health issues are to be tackled another day because I’m frankly, quite tired of taking meds. 

As for where I wish to take the blog… hmm.. that’s really a tough decision because I’ve never really had a clear goal in mind when it comes to this blog. It was just a great space to share my thoughts on fandoms and interact with likeminded people. I don’t think I’ll be opening requests for a while since I’ve got a huge backlog of WIPs to work on. I suppose I could attempt to keep the blog less.. dead? Not sure how I’ll go about it though.

Anyways.. that’s about it. Terribly sorry for the word vomit, I hope everyone's been doing well and enjoying your life! If it seems I'm a bit dead without updates, it's usually because there aren't any chatter related inboxes haha. So is this illu's call for random stories to be dropped in their mail? Yes.

[bunchezofroze]

I Have Decided to Start Posting My Short Stories, So here's the First One

"Haunted Computer"

By Rozetta Stone (Prompt from GeneralBug)

Alright, this is getting tiring. I have been watching this girl attempt, and fail, to ask out her crush for like two weeks now. I'm here because I was just passing through her apartment when I saw her giggling at the computer and decided to let my curiosity get the better of me.

I found out from the other person's messages that this girl's name was apparently Carmen, and I learned from Carmen's messages that her correspondent's name is Trea. Now something I know about Carmen, that Trea doesn't, is that Carmen really likes them, like way more than is reasonably expected from "platonic" feelings.

At first, I was really quite amused, watching the girl write out a long winded confession of her oh so eternal love, only for her to fumble with the backspace key as she deleted any trace of it. But after two weeks of it, it's honestly just a bit sad at this point. I mean, she clearly finds this person very dear to her, but just can't get over the hurdle of actually expressing those feelings.

Today she and Trea were talking and joking about some show about paramedics or firefighters or something, and some ship called "Beckie,"or whatever that was never going to happen. I wasn't too worried about it. Then her expression changed in a way I was familiar with at this point, and typed out a string. "we could totally be like them, but like... actually set sail haha. but only if you really want too cause li..." And then she deleted it all while shaking her head.

I'm done. I can only watch this for so long. I decided a bright idea would be to try and help her. Of course, the whole wandering spirit thing makes helping her a bit challenging. Wait, did I mention that? Oh well, suffice to say I needed a way to get her attention. So, I decided that the best plan of action... was to possess her computer and try to talk to her... yeah, not my smartest move.

It was decided though, so I did a couple stretches, and then dove head first into greatness. Of course, saying that you're going to possess and communicate with the living through a computer is one thing, while actually doing it is another. But I was determined, so I decided to take control of the mouse. She seemed a bit startled when all of a sudden her mouse had a mind of its own beneath her hand, but I mean, rightfully so. I went down and opened her sticky notes app - yes people actually use sticky notes don't question me - and started typing.

I've seen enough

I can only take so much of this!!

So now, I'M GOING TO HELP YOU!!!

Adding exclamation marks will surely get my point across. She sat there for a while with her mouth agape, and then finally moved it, "Wh.. who... who are you? An.. and what?" Ah yeah, I should probably explain myself a bit better huh?

My name is Mirriad; I am what they call a ghooooost

Spooky, I know

But honestly, I may or may not have been spying on you for the past two weeks

"Excuse me, YOU WHAT??" Whoops, that was way too forward.

Don't take it like that

Look, I've been watching you chat with Trea, and I think it's all really cute

But you are completely hopeless girl

So I wanted to try and help you out is all

She sat there for quite awhile in thought, hands in her crossed legs, before finally speaking, "I really wanna tell them, but I just can't. Every time I get excited that I'm finally gonna do it, and then... Then I get this gut wrenching feeling that it'll all go wrong, and I chicken out." She turned her head, as if I was actually there looking at her, and then added, "I'm sorry."

Carmen...

You don't have to apologize for being scared

You just have to overcome that fear and do what you know your heart wants

Look, I'm gonna be your wing ghost

With my help, everything will be a-okay

She looked back over, "Alright, but what do I say?"

Tell Trea the truth

What you want them to know

I would say the worst that can happen is a no

But let's be honest, there are way worse things she can say

So good luck!! *thumbs up*

And now she looked mortified, "That doesn't help! What if they think I'm weird? Or gross? Or overwhelming?!" At this point she had her head in her hands and was very clearly panicking.

Listen

Or read I guess, I don't know...

Doesn't matter!

My point is that it'll be okay as long as you're yourself, I promise

"A.. alright, but what do I say, like, specifically? Can you like, type up a love letter or something?"

Sorry, but I'm not a computer

So I can't write anything for you

But just try and keep it simple, alright?

She looked down at the keyboard, "Okay, then here goes nothing I guess." She tentatively moved the mouse over to her chat with Trea, and started typing,

UselessLesbian: |

UselessLesbian:

UselessLesbian: |

UselessLesbian:

UselessLesbian: Do you wanna go out sometime? Like on a date? Like a date-date?|

She looked over it, shook her head, and went for the backspace key. But before she could even reach it... *enter*. Sorry Carmen, but it's for your own good. She let out a little eep, and sat there startled, waiting for something. And then...

BuckIsBae: is typing...

BuckIsBae: Oh... That was unexpected.

BuckIsBae: But yeah! I'd totally be up for that. Just let me know when.

Carmen's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She then launched out of her chair and started jumping up and down, cheering, "Yes! Yes! Eeeeee!"

It seemed that my job was done, so I went ahead and vacated the computer. After calming down, she went back to her computer and started frantically typing, making plans for her newly acquired date.

When the weekend rolled around, Carmen was quickly getting ready. Her and Trea were going to some fancy schmancy cafe in town that seemed nice. She was rushing to the door when she stopped and turned on a dime. She looked around the room a bit before saying, "I don't know if you're still here, but thank you Mirriad." And with that, she turned and left through the door, ready for what was sure to be a time of wonder.

Why did I do it? I mean, I could say I did it because I was sick of seeing her struggle, but if that was really the case, I guess I could've just left. So I don't know. Maybe I did it because I have some pent up emotions about being hurt and losing out, so I did this to hopefully free my soul from this mortal plane. Or, ya know, maybe I'm just a fan of sappy romance.

[notebookmusical]

Hi!!! I missed talking to you! I'm so sorry you're not feeling well. I am happy you had a nice trip though! I forgot to tell you that Boston makes me think of this one song from 5th or 6th grade with the lyric I think I'm going to Boston where no one knows my name..lol and I hadn't thought of that song in years. My brother's bday was good! We just made dinner for him but I got pretty drunk before I could eat cuz I had two drinks and 4 shots. At one point my sister was on the floor laughing so hard haha. I usually just like to have margaritas, or something in a can though. What about you? I'm guessing you don't have any siblings..do you? Your trip sounds fun. What musical and concert did you see? Hope you have more strength and get better soon. I hope I don't become sick during the winter months but I usually do.

Omg how were you 9 in 6th grade? Did you skip grades or is the school system just different internationally? I'm sorry..I really don't know so I'm genuinely asking haha. Was it also the Teardrops on my Guitar video!!! I remember finding it randomly in 5th grade and I never looked back haha. Ooh yes..so usually at the end of the year my sister and I pick out top 10 albums and songs of the year..so maybe I'll share a list when the time comes. I can recommend you a few of my favorites by them if you want just to see if you like it so just let me know..since that is not technically new music to me from this year. I think you recommended Del Water Gap to me once and I finally listened to his album last week and enjoyed it. This week, i am listening to new music from some of my favorite bands..Plain White Ts, Cannons and Bad Suns, which are kinda in a similar genre to Del Water Gap. Although his music almost sort of reminds me of the 1975 too. Tied Together with a Smile was probably really special cuz I think that was one of the only times she has performed it live. Ooh that's awesome! It would be a dream for me to go to the Europe tour to see her and Paramore but it sadly won't happen but I think that's so cool. It will be interesting if there will be any changes to the show by then.

It's literally one of my favorite movie musicals so I hope you can watch it soon. It's a little weird and crazy but also unique and interesting to me and I love it! Ya i think it's just different from the original movie cuz it felt more updated and modern. Idk how I feel about the cast..like Cady and Janis seem off to me but I like Renee so hopefully it's good but I don't have high expectations either. Idk if I will see it or not either. Oh wow cool! I'm not sure what immersive actually means but that's so far away haha. I can't imagine planning anything for then. Every concert I go to is usually so last minute but it seems cool.

I looked up the book and it seems pretty similar to conversations with friends actually so idk if I would like it. I've actually been reading Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cuz the movie came out. I'm actually almost done and only have two chapters left. I was able to read it pretty fast but I basically speed read it and skim read some parts too. I think it was okay but I wasn't sure if I really liked it but I also don't usually read that genre either. It felt too long and was just okay to me. It definitely wasn't as interesting as Hunger Games. I think the movie will be better though and I might see it this weekend and can let you know how it is if I do. But I'm still proud of myself for mostly finishing it..since I never do that. But it has been on my shelf and I knew I wouldn't read it if I just saw the movie, but I also think you could just see the movie and don't have to read it. But you should definitely be familiar with hunger games if you do, but I hadn't read or couldn't remember much of Mockingjay and was fine so it's up to you.

It is pretty! I'm excited for the new Bleachers album and love the Japanese House album too. Sunshine Baby will probably be one of my fav songs of the year. I will listen to Sabrina's EP when it gets closer to Christmas. It seems like you have a lot of vinyls..I don't really play mine as much but just have a collection of old musicals cast recordings I can find and my absolute fav artists.

She sang Slut on the piano and I loved it so much! She also sang Suburban Legends and Stay Beautiful..which goes with my point about how those songs were pretty similar ideas. I always always connected Stay Beautiful and Dorothea since I first heard it and I think Suburban Legends is another layer of that. Also Maisie's song Truth is has a similar lyric to this song. I love the song a lot now and it has really grown on me. But in the song she says I always knew it and used the word ruin as well so I thought that was interesting, even if the songs are still pretty different. Then my sister pointed out that Taylor sings the lyrics truth is in one of the vault songs. I didn't believe her at first but she was right! She sings it in Now that we don't talk! Truth is I can't pretend it's platonic..its just ended, and it just felt like the craziest connection to me. She also sang Me and So it Goes as a pair! Haha well I would say the same for me and my sister..she is like dark and wears black and I'm more like Lover and love to wear pink. But I also love rep which also has a lot of love songs. I am also Red and Folklore haha but my aesthetic is definitely like Lover. So people seem very split on if new music or the other two rerecordings is coming first next year so I guess I'll ask your opinion on that. I kinda think she wants to finish out the rerecordings cuz of the eras tour but I can see an argument for her wanting new music out too I guess. As for rep..I think she will announce it at one of her next shows in February and sing IDSB to announce it since that's the only song left. I also think the karma video hinted at rep being announced around then. I also hope she is taking care of herself..especially after everything that happened this week. It made me so sad but also Taylor shows and music makes me feel better when I feel sad but I always hope she does what's best for her. Thank you. I didn't mean for it to come off that way really but I just wanted to let you know in case things get too busy for me. It was so nice to hear from you and I really hope you're taking care of yourself too!!!

hi hi friend !!! it is okay 🤍 i have laryngitis :( (and i'm still getting over the plague that i picked up in boston) so that's fun! it's funny because i texted my best friend that and she was like "who said that? webmd?" and i was like "no the urgent care doctor" 😭 but it's funny because i am very good at going down a webmd spiral </3

i don't have any siblings! i'm an only child! my drink of choice is usually white wine / rose — i really love trader joe's peach pie wine but that's seasonal (i stock up during the summer though)! i love my drinks sweet, and if i'm drinking something ✨ fun ✨ i'll usually get either a b-52, a lemon drop, strawberry daiquiri, peach bellini or a espresso martini. but not a very big drinker (especially in the last year, with all my health stuff). i hope you don't get sick in the winter either!! 🤍

you're totally fine! they start school earlier in hong kong, which is how i was 9 in 6th grade! it was indeed teardrops!! and then i went down a rabbit hole, found all her music — and her unreleased stuff — at that time, and then just fell in love! i would love to see your top 10 albums + songs of the year — i will do the same and we can chat about our favorites! and yes, i loveeee del water gap! i'm super bummed his seattle concert was when i was in boston, because otherwise i definitely would've gone. speaking of concerts, i had to sell my japanese house concert ticket which i'm really bummed about but ... given laryngitis and everything, it's definitely the right move. i've never heard of bad suns or cannons but i'll give them a listen soon 🤍 and yes, i loveee the 1975-esque sound, that's one of the things that first drew me to DWG!

i wonder if she'll sing castles crumbling instead of long live in europe, or if she'll do both, since hayley will be there? some of my friends are going and i'm really really excited for them — going to make them bracelets too!

i am very bad at doing things super last minute! i am incredibly type a which is something i'm working on! but i just really like knowing what i'll be doing next and all that!

i think i'm going to try to do a hunger games reread and then read TBOSAS in december!! i'm hoping to finish at least reading cleo & frank this month, and then work on night circus, les mis, and hunger games etc. in december? i'm trying to be a bit more realistic with goals and factor in plans and also ... sickness, since that just seems unavoidable at this point! let me know how you find the movie! it's taken over my entire tiktok fyp!

i have a lot of vinyls, yes! but i don't spin them as much as i should (oops)! i have some old musical cast recordings too (and some newer ones), but i actually very rarely listen to cast recordings on vinyl! i think once and sunday in the park with george are the only ones i've listened to? sitpwg was my first vinyl! very special to me 🤍

oh i love the truth is → parallel! and i was SO happy to hear her sing me! although i was manifesting it for my friend who is seeing her in tokyo! i just love how every surprise song pairing is so so so good. just like, a completely unmatched discography. and i also think she'll do reputation soon and then debut last! which would be great for ME! i want her to release debut close to the end of next year so i can bank on a debut vault song haha! i hope she's doing okay too :(

this is what i thought of when i read your message about you and your sister! my friend and i always joke this is us too:

hope you have a good thanksgiving if you celebrate! / long weekend!! 🤍