#overwhelming thoughts filling my head and so I'm projecting a little

[diivineray]

               ❛ Very quietly dyin'                             And I need you to remind me why. . .                                                   Give me the strength to keep fightin' ❜

              『 𓆩🦁𓆪 』―   Returning home always filled him with unease, whether for holiday gatherings or school breaks. The familiar surroundings of the Savannah Afterglow seemed to put him on edge constantly. It was the same routine every time - his brother persistently urging him to take life more seriously, continually evading Cheka's overbearing displays of affection, which alone was enough to make Leona tense up. Surprisingly, the only person who seemed to refrain from nagging him was his sister-in-law. She appeared to understand that Leona performed better when making independent decisions rather than being constantly nagged.

                        He expressed deep gratitude despite the fact that he would never fully show it, as she permitted him to depart from the evening's celebrations, assuring him that she would handle things in his absence. He wasted no time, quickly hopping into his car and driving himself out of the city as swiftly as possible. With each passing mile, he could feel a profound sense of relaxation washing over him as the city lights faded into the distance, eventually disappearing altogether as he journeyed away from the Kingdom. It pained him to realize that he could only truly reconnect with his genuine self through physical distance.

                       Leona grew up immersed in the captivating tales of Scar, the ultimate betrayal, and the tragic downfall. It seemed as though everyone had forgotten their roots, clinging to the superficial importance of bloodlines. Once, Leona cherished his home and gazed at the stars, yearning for the past kings to acknowledge him. Disheartened by his family's lack of understanding, he sought solace in the guidance of the spirits. However, it was no surprise that his pleas remained unanswered.

                    Once again, He found himself in that familiar spot, his head cradled by his arms, sinking into a plush tuft of grass in the savannah. His emerald gaze at the stars carried a burden of desolation that seemed to press heavily on his shoulders, how he longed for simplicity, for the ability to wish upon a star and have it instantly granted. What if he had been the first to be born instead of the second? Would they have noticed him more?   

                    His mind drew him upright, gazing back at Pride Rock. Although he rarely visited, he reveled in the place's historical significance. Over time, it had been forgotten as his people advanced, and today's youth saw it merely as a large boulder. It was intriguing to think that they were partially correct. It was simply a massive rock shaped by his ancestors into a throne that guided countless generations of monarchs. True to its name, Pride Rock symbolized their unity, the place where they converged, ascended to greatness, and seemed almost to brush the sky.

                  ❛ Amusing,❜ he murmured, pondering the immense power that not even the fiercest storms could dislodge, yet realizing that it could all be reduced to mere dust if he willed it. The irony was palpable. He could obliterate everything his people cherished, becoming the monster they dreaded and following a path shrouded in darkness for the simple reason that he was different. People feared what eluded their understanding, and Leona was no exception to this universal truth.

                The first time he had discovered his unique magic, he had unwittingly used it against his older brother during a playful scuffle. All children quarrel and bicker, but they seldom mean any harm. Leona had always been a delicate child, prone to getting upset and shedding tears at the slightest provocation. All he had wanted was for his toy to be returned, never realizing that his heightened emotions would trigger such a powerful magical outburst. To the shock of everyone present, the toy turned into sand, narrowly missing the future king. From that moment on, he was seen as a potential danger. Who could predict what his emotions might compel him to do? A misstep could quickly turn the entire Kingdom into nothing but an endless desert.

               He pondered whether he was fated to exist in such a manner—forever recognized solely for the havoc he could unleash. Despite his exceptional intellect and formidable magical prowess, no one acknowledged these remarkable traits. It seemed that accolades were reserved for those deemed worthy of kingship, so his excellent qualities went unnoticed. He couldn't help but speculate whether Scar's desire for the throne stemmed from a similar longing to be acknowledged.

            His hand slipped from the cold stone as he muttered to himself,  ❛ Guess you live to stand another day.❜

           Leona never truly desired the throne. He harbored a deep understanding that he wasn't cut out for it. However, a part of him yearned to experience what it meant to be prioritized. He longed to be acknowledged as a source of joy rather than a burden. Leona craved the sensation of being loved and cherished. The perpetual cycle of striving to prove himself had left him exhausted. Endless disappointments drove him to the point of apathy. If they didn't care, why should he?

          But, deep down, he cared more than he wished to admit, and he harbored a crushing fear that he would remain alone for eternity. No one would hear his desperate screams as he plummeted endlessly, with no solid ground in sight. He reached out, only to watch the hands that did reach out crumble into sand, leaving him unable to grasp anything. Was it his fault? Perhaps he was too afraid to trust and let others in, fearing they would never understand or see the real him.

          He couldn't understand why he continued to return to a place that left him feeling unwelcome and hollow. It had ceased to feel like home a while back. He wandered through the familiar corridors, feeling like an outsider in a place that no longer belonged to him. He longed for the comfort of his dorm and the company of his classmates.

         They may have seemed foolish and lacking in many ways, but they were his loyal friends. They had placed their hope and faith in him and believed in him wholeheartedly. He missed their unwavering support, even though he had sometimes resented it. He longed for the simple and mundane moments, like playing magift and napping under his favorite tree. He even missed being scolded by a certain blonde for being lazy. He yearned for the sense of belonging he had found in that school despite knowing it didn't offer much for his future - it had given him everything he had been searching for.

               ❛ When my whole world is set on fire, don't leave me alone. ❜

[sammybeann]

So there's been a lil interest in me continuing this lil guy, so I've decided to make it a whole ass fic. So enjoy the filler chapter for now, as I have COVID and have lost my will to live. I promise it'll get more delicious, though, and we'll dial creep!Dean up to 100.

So what if Sam gets injured on a hunt, tossed around like a ragdoll by an angry vengeful spirit and smacks his pretty little head hard against a concrete wall?

Dean ends up finishing the spirit out, but Sammy is out fucking cold so he has little choice but to take him to the hospital. 

Finally, Sam wakes up and Dean's relief is immediate and immense, and that was until Sam made eye contact, glossy, confused hazel eyes meeting Dean's before asking "who the hell are you? Where am I?!"

The doctor comes in before Dean can answer, shooing the older Winchester out of the room so he can assess Sam's condition. 

Minutes felt like hours before the doctor emerged from the room, his brows furrowed as he explained to Dean that it appeared Sam was suffering from a pretty bad case of amnesia, only remembering certain events in his life, but had no recollection of people, unable to name off any family members or friends. And though his physical injuries would heal and he'd be okay, he wasn't sure Sam would ever recover his memories. 

When Dean re-emerged into Sam's room, he was met once again with an apprehensive look from the baby brother who once looked up at him with stars in his eyes instead of caution. 

After some prying, Dean had come to learn Sam knew his own name, remembered Stanford but nobody there, and mentioned memories of creatures and monsters, but still had no idea who the rough looking man in a dirty leather jacket with blood from Sam's head wound still on his hands was. 

"So, who are you, anyway?" He asked for the second time. 

Before he could really think about it, fight with the devil and angel on his shoulder on whether or not he should betray Sam's trust like this, cross a line he'd never be able to come back from, the words already left his mouth. 

"I'm your husband," he told Sam, who's eyebrows shot up comically high. "I...uh... we've been together since we were teenagers. Got married last year, the whole nine. We...we don't wear rings 'cause those monsters you talked about - they're real. We kill 'em."

Sam went white as a ghost. It wasn't as if this man was unattractive, and sure, he had been curious about the other sex growing up but he never thought he'd actually settle down with a whole ass man. There was also the news of the supernatural, sending a shock to his already overwhelmed system. 

"I...I don't...monsters, really? How the fuck am I supposed to kill monsters?! How am I married?! Oh, God. What am I supposed to do?!" An exasperated Sam exclaimed, big, watery doe eyes staring up at Dean, looking at him like he was his lifeline now, like Dean was his God that could fill in all the gaps for him. 

Guilt bubbled up inside Dean's chest, ugly and festering, but damn if that look from Sam didn't make it all worth it. He had his baby brother on a hook now, dependent and reliant on the only person he had. 

Dean bent down and ran a hand through Sam's mop of hair, leaning in to press a firm kiss against his forehead. 

"Hey, s'okay, baby. I'm here. I'll take care of you," he mumbled against Sam's clammy skin. "I got you."

Yeah, there was no was Dean wasn't going to hell for this, especially when Sam reached out to grab Dean's wrist, pulling his hand down to rest his cheek against Dean's callused palm. 

"Okay," Sam whispered brokenly. "I trust you."

[auggieblogs]

ugh, math!

Max Verstappen x reader

Summary: Overwhelmed by math exam anxiety, you were on the verge of despair. Max's comforting presence and soothing words were your saving grace.

Author's note: Oh my god, I absolutely love this prompt. Thank you so much, the anon who requested this. I really hope you enjoy this!

P.S.- I am not technically a woman in STEM so I don't know the struggles, but I have 12th grade math, and it is downright depressing for me. Again, I might have projected a little too much. Apologies in advance.

The weight of the upcoming math final pressed heavily on your shoulders, making your chest tight with anxiety. Tears welled up in your eyes, blurring the complex numbers and equations in your textbook. You deeply regretted taking this class, and an overwhelming sense of incompetence washed over you. You were about to give in to despair, convinced that you simply weren't smart enough for this. The more you tried to grasp the concepts, the more they seemed to slip through your fingers like sand.

Just when you thought you couldn't bear it any longer, the door opened, and Max walked into the room. His perceptive eyes immediately caught the distress etched on your face, and worry flashed across his features. Without hesitation, he rushed to your side, his voice filled with genuine concern.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Max asked softly, crouching down in front of you.

You looked up at him, your eyes brimming with tears, and it all became too much to bear. You broke down in front of him, your sobs escaping uncontrollably, your head buried in your trembling hands.

Max hated seeing you like this. He immediately wrapped his strong arms around you, pulling you close to his chest, and kissing your forehead gently as he whispered soothing words. His fingers ran through your hair in slow, calming strokes, offering comfort and reassurance.

You hiccupped between sobs, words tumbling out in a rush. "I can't do this, Max. It's so difficult, and I feel like giving up. I'm not smart enough for this, I just can't."

Max held you even closer, his voice unwavering and reassuring. "Listen, bub, you are incredibly smart, and you're not a quitter. I know you can do this."

His words gave you a glimmer of encouragement. Sniffling and wiping away your tears, you took a deep breath and returned to your study materials. Max remained by your side, not entirely understanding the complex math, but his presence was a source of comfort.

As you worked through the complex equations, Max fetched your favourite chocolate milk and prepared your go-to comfort sandwich. He knew that a touch of familiar comfort would help you feel better. Between study sessions, he quizzed you on formulas and cheered you on with a smile and encouraging words.

Hours upon hours passed in intense studying, but Max's belief in you never wavered. He could see your fatigue setting in as the night wore on. Gently, he suggested, "You've been working so hard, love. Maybe it's time to get some rest."

Reluctantly, you agreed, feeling the weight of exhaustion settling upon you. Max helped you tidy up your study materials and led you to the bedroom. He tucked you into bed, his fingers continuing to run soothingly through your hair.

"Try to relax," he whispered, his voice filled with tenderness. "You've got this"

After a night of restful sleep, you woke up early, refreshed and determined. Max's encouraging words from the previous night echoed in your mind, reminding you of your own capabilities. With newfound confidence, you revisited your formulas and reviewed the key concepts, ensuring you were as prepared as possible.

As you entered the exam room, your heart still raced with anticipation, but there was a newfound sense of self-assuredness within you. The questions on the paper no longer seemed insurmountable; you tackled them with determination and clarity.

Hours passed by in a blur of focused effort, and when you finally submitted your exam, you felt a sense of accomplishment wash over you. The exam went remarkably well, and you couldn't help but smile as you left the room.

Outside, Max was waiting for you, a proud and supportive grin on his face. His mere presence brought an extra layer of warmth to your already joyful heart. He enveloped you in a hug.

𓇼 ⋆｡˚ 𓆝⋆｡˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆｡˚ 𓆝⋆｡˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆｡˚𓆝⋆｡˚

The day the results were finally revealed was a day of both excitement and trepidation. Your heart raced as you logged into the exam portal, hoping beyond hope for a passing grade. As the page loaded, your eyes widened in disbelief, and a rush of pure elation surged through you – you hadn't just passed; you had aced the exam!

Unable to contain your excitement, you called Max immediately. His voice was filled with pride and joy as he exclaimed, "I knew you could do it, baby! I'm so incredibly proud of you!"

He couldn't wait to celebrate this incredible achievement with you. He suggested a celebratory dinner or date night. However, you were still feeling the exhaustion from your intense studying and the emotions of the past few days. You wanted nothing more than to stay in and unwind in the comfort of your own space.

Max decided to make the evening just as special at home. He ordered your favourite takeout, ensuring it was exactly what you were craving. He also brought home an assortment of your favourite ice cream flavours, knowing that dessert would be the perfect indulgence for this celebratory occasion.

As evening descended, you both snuggled on the couch, surrounded by pillows and blankets. The collection of your favourite movie, "The Princess Diaries," is played on the screen. Max's arm wrapped securely around you as he pulled you close, planting sweet kisses on your forehead. Laughter filled the air as you indulged in your ice cream, not caring about what was going on in the film but rather the ridiculous jokes Max was currently making.

With each passing minute, the exhaustion from the weeks of preparation began to catch up with you. Max noticed your eyelids growing heavy, and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of you, content and peaceful in slumber. He gently brushed a strand of hair from your face and took a picture, capturing the moment .

maxverstappen1 posted on their story

[volturiprincess]

Rain

Demetri Volturi x human mate reader

Summary: Reader gets overwhelmed with stress and he's there to support her Warnings: mentions of an anxiety attack, but mostly fluff A/N: Omg someone stop me😁, another one-shot post?? I had to write this because as I was taking my breaks I would work on this, its not proofread but the idea of Demetri calling the reader Spanish nicknames is a must have but throw rainy weather into the topic and muah *chefs kiss*. Enjoy and there will be a second A/N in the end. A little translation for my non-Spanish speakers: Mi cariño: dear or darling Mi vida: My life Princessa: princess Mi amado hermoso: My beautiful lover

(I cant believe it took me a while to write a Demetri one-shot)

I burst through our shared room in a panic state and I saw my lovely mate on his special chair. Before I could even react he was already wrapping his arms around me and cuddling me into his chest. I felt the build up tears I was holding back cascade down my cheeks. Demetri was rubbing my back in comfort and I heard him mumble

“Mi cariño, let it all out, I know you need this”

I sure did need this, all of today I was working on a project for a class and I ended up deleting about half of it and couldn't recover it at all. I always threw my computer out the window but instead I stared at the blank page that was staring back at me with what I could assume was mockery. I did manage to remember a good amount of what I had done and it's back to how it is, but I spent a while in a state of shock and denial.

Suddenly I felt myself shaking physically, my heart increase in palpitation and worst of all I could feel my breath becoming shorter. Demetri picked up right away that I was dealing with an anxiety attack and he guided me toward the balcony to the fresh air and the light rain. 

“Mi vida, look its raining, you love the rain, hey look at how pretty it looks”

I turn my head to be able to face the scenery instead of his very well built chest to see how soft and calming it is currently. I told Demetri before that I love the rain, it's my personal safe haven other than his arms. I felt my trembling and shaking diminished slightly, my heart rate started to slow down to a more reasonable way but my breathing was still a problem.

I felt him tilt my head up so I was looking at him and my breath for a minute hitch, he looked breathtaking right now. There were small droplets of rain running down his face which caused his hair to stick to his forehead and his eyes were full of adoration. He looked beautiful at that moment, well he always looks beautiful, I heard him one time arguing with Felix and he ended the conversation with “Dont hate me because im beautiful”. 

I smiled at the memory and soon enough he had a look of curiosity with a matching smile

“What's got you smiling like that princessa?”

“I was just think about your statement to end an argument with Felix, the don't hate because i'm beautiful”

His laughter filled the gloomy atmosphere that the rain created, his laugh sounding like music to my ears. One of his hands started to caress my cheek gently, his coldness immediately sending a small shiver down my spine but also somehow started to steady my breathing.

“Look at you princessa, your doing so good in breathing, such a good girl”

I blush at the praise which he never fails to miss, he knows what praises from him does to me, many thoughts come to mind but I push them away for now since I am still recovering from the earlier events.

“Do you want to talk about it/”

“My computer decided to throw me a whole 360 today”

“A whole 360? Im sorry cariño, but you need to explain that to me”

I giggled at his dumbfounded look, it's always fun to be able to still catch a vampire as old as him off guard with my modern language “Right forgot your like a million years old, I was working on a project today for one of my classes on my computer and I accidentally deleted like half of it but like I barely started it so it was no big deal because I remember what I had so far but it was just so frustrating you know”

He continued to caress my cheek as he nods along to my explanation 

“And it just so stressful in thinking I have so much to do still before this week ends and I feel like I have done what I needed to do but its not enough still and and—”

He placed his finger on my lips to silence me and I tiled my head to the side from curiosity, this is new. His signature smirk spread onto his face at my reaction

“Sorry love, but you started to spiral into chaos and as much as adore to hear you ramble, I started to feel stress myself from your stress”

I looked down in embarrassment but he tilted my head up once again 

“Hey don't be embarrassed cara, it's good for you to talk about what stresses you out, better out and in you know?”

“Your right metri”

“Now care to have a dance with me in the rain then?”

Whining at his request, even if that has secretly been a dream of mine to do “Demi you know i'm not even a good dancer, heck I don't even know how to”

“But that's the fun part princessa, I can teach you and we will be dancing in your favorite type of weather”

“Fair point”

As the rain intensified slightly, he guided my moves with such elegance that I almost felt like I myself am an expert to begin with. The rain at that moment was not a bother, my main focus was my casanova of a vampire that I call mi amado hermoso.

A/N: You know I don't know why I haven't added any Spanish nicknames to my writings, but I will in future (I feel like Demetri would just know all of the most romantic languages). I know I mentioned this in my Alec one-shot but I am working on a Caius one, its a work in progress indeed maybe in the end of this week I might have part one done, who knows?

[boobo13cambridge]

I’ll Take Care of You | Kylian Mbappé

Pairing: Kylian Mbappé x f.Reader

Warnings: none just angsty and some passionate kissing

Summary: Kylian is feeling stressed as the news that he will not be extending with PSG comes out. He seeks comfort in you. 

A/N: Hello, everyone! When I got this request I absolutely adored the idea and wanted to get right to it. As always, please leave me feedback and don’t forget to reblog. I would greatly appreciate it. Enjoy, lovelies ❣️

The sun had long set over the city of Paris, casting an ethereal glow upon the Eiffel Tower as its lights illuminated the darkened sky. In the midst of the bustling city, a heavy atmosphere hung over Kylian Mbappé's lavish apartment. The young football prodigy, renowned for his incredible talent on the field, now found himself at a crossroads that weighed heavily on his heart.

Kylian had spent years with Paris Saint-Germain, captivating fans and leaving a lasting mark on the club. Since his arrival in 2017, he had steered his team to five Ligue 1 titles, secured three French Cup titles, and clinched the coveted Player of the Season award on four occasions. Yet, beneath the surface of success, a storm of discontent brewed within him. He felt betrayed by the club. He wasn't happy with the Mercato, he wasn't happy with the coach, and he was even less happy about practically being threatened by the president of the club that he would never be able to leave.  The project that they tried to sell him was all a lie, leaving him consumed by frustration. 

Paris was his home, his people, and his beloved city, and he never desired to depart its embrace. But his relentless ambition gnawed at his conscience, whispering that remaining stagnant would be a betrayal to the dreams of the little boy from Bondy who yearned to conquer all. The time had come to draw a line in the sand; he had reached his breaking point. Enough was enough.

As he lay sprawled on the couch, his gaze fixed upon the sprawling Paris skyline, an overwhelming headache descended upon him. It felt as though the weight of the entire world rested squarely upon his shoulders. The relentless media scrutiny only exacerbated his turmoil, incessantly hurling names at him and peddling baseless stories about his character (as if they even knew him), and practically harassing him on social media. 

He was just so tired.

The young French captain longed for your presence by his side, but fate had conspired against him as you were working until 6 pm that day. Gazing at his iPhone, he saw that it was merely 5:30 pm, and a sense of dejection washed over him. With a heavy heart, he decided to text you, hoping that he could somehow persuade you to leave early.

Kylian: bébé can u leave early?

Kylian: tu me manques 🙁  (I miss you)

You: aww mon bébé 🙁  (aww my baby)

You: ouvre la porte je suis là 😘 (open the door, I'm here)

Surprised and filled with a glimmer of hope, he swiftly rose from the couch, his anticipation mirrored by the chime of the doorbell. A small smile spread on his fatigued face, as he felt a fraction of the weight burdening his shoulders dissipate. 

Opening the door, he felt a sense of relief surge through his body as he saw your smiling face. 

"Surprise, Kyky," you said, winking at him. Kylian didn't know what had come over him, but he felt his eyes welling up with tears as he pulled you inside, enveloping himself around you as he kicked the door closed. His heart weighed heavy, and he struggled to control his sobs, burying his face in your hair.

Surprised, you wrapped your arms around him, gently stroking the back of his head. "Mon bébé, what happened? Are you okay? Talk to me, mon cœur."

Hearing your voice only intensified his tears. He yearned to share his innermost thoughts, to unburden his soul, but he found himself unable to articulate the complexities of his emotions. The past few days had been gruelling for him. People knew him as a confident, self-assured individual, seemingly impervious to the world's judgments. He felt they took advantage of that side of him and perhaps his confidence enraged them. He felt that it was unfair that they used that to vilify him at every given opportunity. This time the footballer just couldn’t take it anymore, he had reached his breaking point.

You were filled with worry. Never before had you witnessed Kylian break down in such a way. Even after the heart-wrenching moments of missing a penalty at the Euro or losing the World Cup in Qatar, his composure had remained intact. However, the recent news of his decision not to renew with PSG had evidently struck a nerve far deeper than anticipated. You knew people wouldn’t take it kindly but you didn’t think it was going to be this bad. 

"Shh, allez mon amour. Ça va bien aller. I'm here for you," you attempted to console him. Gently pulling back, you held his face between your hands.

The sight that greeted you shattered your heart into a million pieces. Kylian's face was flushed, his cheeks stained with tears. Seeing him in such anguish brought tears to your own eyes. "Ky...," you started, softly wiping away his tears with your thumbs. Shaking his head, Kylian pressed his forehead against yours.

"I can't do this anymore, bébé. Je suis tanné, putain," he cried, gripping your hips tightly, seeking solace and grounding himself in your presence.

"Je sais, mon cœur, je sais," you consoled him, gently guiding him to the couch as he lay down, his head buried in your lap. You caressed his head, your other hand soothingly rubbing his back, placing tender kisses upon his head as you whispered words of comfort.

Gradually, Kylian's sobs subsided, and he lifted his head from your stomach, wiping away his tears as you used a tissue to dab at his runny nose. "Let me get you some water, Ky," you attempted to rise, but Kylian shook his head. "Non, stay please... I just want you to hold me."

"Okay, bébé. Anything you want," you said, placing a gentle kiss upon his forehead. "But please, talk to me, Ky."

Kylian was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, uncertain of where to begin. His emotions and feelings tangled within him, threatening to overwhelm him. It took him a few moments to gather his thoughts.

"I don't know what to do anymore," he whispered, his voice laced with vulnerability. "It feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. Everyone has a fuckin’ opinion about everything I do. If I stay at PSG, I'm a fuckin’ loser who's ruining his career by staying in a farmer's league. If I leave, I'm a traitor who doesn't care about the club, only about money. I can't catch a break, bébé. No matter what I do, I'm always the bad guy, always painted as the fuckin’ villain in whatever fairytale they cook up every week. I feel suffocated, and on top of it all, I feel like a complete piece of shit for dumping all my feelings on you. I've been a shitty fiancé."

“Mon amour, don't say that. You are not a shitty fiancée and I want you to know that I love you so much. Secondly, I want you to talk about your feelings with me because that's what I'm here for. We're in this together bébé. We're a team, and I’ll always be here for you whenever you need me. As for the media, those assholes are just jealous because you’re this confident young man who’s so incredibly talented. They could never hold a candle to you, mon amour. Besides,  most of them are just a bunch of racist fucks.”

“I feel like no matter what I chose, people will still make me out to be a bad guy.”

"Bébé, you can't control that. At the end of the day, you have to make the best decision for yourself, and I'll be right by your side through it all."

You gently caressed his cheek, trying to smooth the lines of worry etched upon his forehead.

"Are you sure, bébé? I just..."

"Kylian, mon amour, mon cœur, ma vie. You mean the world to me. Your dreams are my dreams, and your happiness is my happiness. Wherever you decide to go, I'll be right there beside you, every step of the way."

Gazing into your eyes, Kylian's heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. These past few years, sharing his life with someone as extraordinary as you had transformed him into the luckiest man to walk the earth. With every beat of his heart, he recognized that you were not just a partner, but the missing piece that completed his very being—the woman he had always yearned for in his wildest dreams.

In an instant, he surrendered to the intensity of his emotions, his hand instinctively finding the curve of your neck. With a gentle yet possessive grip, he drew you closer, erasing the space between your bodies. Their warmth melded, and the world around them faded into insignificance as their lips collided in a moment of fiery passion.

Time seemed to stand still as their mouths moved in a fervent dance, their souls entwining amidst the raw fervor of their connection. It was a kiss that transcended words, conveying depths of love that mere language could never capture. In that single act, Kylian poured his heart and soul into the embrace, a testament to the profound love and desire he held for you.

The taste of his lips, the electric touch of his hands, and the fusion of their breaths ignited a blazing fire within both of them. Each kiss carried an unspoken promise—a vow of unwavering devotion, a pledge to traverse any obstacle that lay in their path. In that fleeting moment, the world existed solely for the two of them, bound by an unbreakable bond that defied all logic and reason.

As you broke apart, your noses nuzzled together. "But, you know, now that you've decided to leave once your contract ends, maybe choose a city with better weather, oui? I absolutely refuse to have our future babies be born in a cold, rainy place."

A soft chuckle escaped Kylian's lips, blending relief with joy. "I was only joking, bébé. I'm not actually going to Manchester United or Liverpool. Don't worry your pretty little head, princesse."

"You better have been joking because there's no way you're dragging me to a whole new country and knocking me up in the frigid cold.”

“Oh, please. You love it when I do you raw, princesse.”

“ Oh yeah? I'll fly right back and give birth to your child in Marseille,” you retorted, cheeks turning red.

"Take that back, bébé. You're not allowed to say that. No child of mine is going to be a Marseillais."

Laughter filled the air, a melody of hope and love. In that moment, you both knew that no matter the challenges ahead, your bond with Kylian was unbreakable. Together, you would face the uncertainties of life, drawing strength from the unwavering support and affection you shared.

As the night progressed, you held each other close, finding solace in the arms of the one who mattered most. And in that embrace, you both understood that regardless of where fate led the brilliant Kylian Mbappé, love would be your guiding light through the storm, ensuring that the journey ahead brimmed with hope, adventure, and an unyielding bond that would endure forever.

[tojisbbg]

𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠

❝i'm trying to tell you something, something that i already said.❞  

♡ nagi seishiro ♡

a/n: if you couldn’t tell, i’m hyperfixating on blue lock rn. 

content: nagi seishiro x reader, roommates au, shorter than my other fics, fluffy, little bit of kissing, not edited. 

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you shoved your hand in your purse, digging around urgently to fish out your keys. after finally getting a hold of the keys, you tried to unlock the door, only to have the keys slip from your grasp. you cursed at yourself, a scowl painted on your face as every single thing in your life was slowly pushing you over the edge. 

you just wanted to enter the comforts of your home as fast as possible, feeling like you could collapse on the ground in a matter of minutes. you didn’t know why you felt like this, an overwhelming amount of sadness and agony washing over you. the only thing you wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die on your bed. 

finally, you were able to unlock the door as you kicked off your shoes to the side before locking the door behind. you threw your purse on the floor before plopping on the sofa. it was seven in the evening and the house was quiet, nothing out of the ordinary. 

your roommate, nagi, always came home much later on the day due to his soccer practices. this left the majority of the quiet time in your house as yours. regardless, nagi wasn’t really a loud person, only sometimes when he’d play his games really loudly in the living room on his days off. the both of you rarely spoke to each other as nagi was a pretty reserved person and he didn’t like doing anything that’d require him to do more than breathing, playing games and playing soccer. 

you didn’t mind though, it was actually a relief that you didn’t get screwed up with a pain in the ass type of roommate. nagi wasn’t much of a hassle as he paid his share of the rent on time, did grocery shopping on the days that was his turn, and he was a pretty clean person. 

though you rarely saw him, he had a strange effect on you. at first you thought maybe it was because of his mysterious behavior or perhaps it was the little things that he did. some of which included walking around the house shirtless, working out in the living room with his home equipment, or how he’d look so focused on his games. 

it made you feel funny and you hated it. 

 you were in a relationship with your boyfriend of two years, happily in love until things took a twisted turn. the doubt and lack of trust that your lover had in you because of your opposite gender roommate led to a rise in ridiculous hypothetical conclusions. 

today was the last straw. 

even after explaining to your boyfriend, now ex, that your male roommate was barely home and even if he was that a single human couldn’t have known about his existence; the man was still not convinced. you were a very fluid and transparent person, telling nagi about your boyfriend since he’d come over frequently. the snowy haired male simply shrugged before minding his own business. 

yet your ex’s words were sharp to the tongue and painful to the heart, telling you how all men are the same and women are nothing but bimbos when it came to an attractive man. his words made your blood boil, making you angry that just because he’s insecure about himself he’s projecting his negativity on you. 

and so, you broke up with him. 

now here you are, moping on your couch as you cried an ugly sob. you could’ve sworn that you’ve cried two gallons of your salty tears by now. the noises leaving your mouth were loud and full of agony, as you could barely breathe. 

you were hurting inside and you couldn’t find relief. 

“y/n? you good?” you heard a groggy voice call out for you, making your ears alert as you quickly wiped away your teary face dry. you picked up your head to see nagi by his room’s doorway, shirtless and wearing a pair of sweats as he rubbed his sleep-filled eyes. 

“yeah, i’m fine.” you quickly turned around and blurted out a lie, now feeling embarrassed that he caught you crying like a little bitch when you thought he wasn’t home. you now stupidly realize that it was saturday today, meaning that it was nagi’s day off. you were waiting to hear the sound of his door closing, but instead you heard footsteps inching closer to you. 

suddenly, you felt his fingers grab your chin before lifting your head, forcing you to meet his eyes. you saw him looking down at you with sharp eyes, your eyes widening in shock as your heat began to rise to your cheeks and your heart thumped in your chest ferociously. 

“huh, you don’t look so fine to me. what’s wrong? why are you crying?” nagi asked, his hand now moving to caress your cheeks as you felt the pads of his fingers wipe away your tears. these little actions and gestures stimulated you to cry even harder as you shook your head. 

“i-” you tried to begin your sentence, only to miserably fail as you choked on your tears midway. nagi let out a heavy sigh before taking a seat next to you before pulling you close to his chest. you didn’t even try to fight back with yourself, accepting the comfort that he’s willing to provide you with.

the skin of his chest was so soft in comparison to how hard and well-sculpted his athletic body was. he smelled really good too, a very fresh and manly scent radiated off of him. 

“it’s okay, you don’t gotta tell me right now.” he murmured, rubbing your back as you tried to relax. 

“i broke up with my boyfriend.” you sniffled, making nagi’s hand movement stop. 

“you’re crying over some silly guy? come on, y/n, i know that you’re better than this.” nagi scoffed, making you look up at him with glassy eyes as he gave you a slightly disappointed look. 

“but i loved him.” you quietly whispered, tears still falling on his bare chest and you felt bad, but nagi didn’t seem to care too much. 

“did he love you?” he asked, his question making your brain stop working as you paused, needing some time to think about the answer. 

your boyfriend always treated you like you were some kind of certification for him that declared him as a man who could pull bitches. he never once thought about what you liked to eat, what you enjoyed doing, nor was he thoughtful on planning for dates. 

so, did he really love you? 

“he did.” you thinned your lips, wanting to save your last bits of dignity to not die from shame in front of your roommate. nagi let out a hum in response from your answer. 

“okay, then you were in the wrong. go get back together with him.” the snowy haired male shrugged, his face holding an expression of boredom. 

“how is it my fault?” your eyebrows furrowed in slight irritation from how his words rubbed you in the wrong way. 

“a girl doesn’t break up with a dude she’s been in a relationship with for two years unless he fucks up real bad. but, since you both are in love, you obviously misread the situation then. go kiss and make up.” nagi patted your back for encouragement. 

you scoffed in utter shock, opening your mouth to say something until someone knocked on your door. both you and nagi turned your focus on the door, before nagi offered to open the door as he slipped away from your previously crying form. 

“can i help you?” nagi asked after opening the door, an unfamiliar male that he’s never seen in his life before was at the doorsteps of his home. the guy laughed in disbelief before his face was replaced with an angry look. 

“that fucking slut didn’t even bother to show you who’s the guy she’s been with for two years? what else has she been doing behind my back, huh? actually, how many other guys has she been fucking around with?” the guy spewed out crazy shit in the middle of the hallway, making nagi annoyed. you peaked from the sofa and realized it was your ex, making you jump out of your place as you rushed to the door. 

suddenly, nagi grabbed him by the collar, easily towering over your ex who was inches shorter than the 6′3 striker. 

“you wanna say that shit again, assface? your mama never taught you how to respect women, hm? i hate fighting, but i don’t like the way you’re talking about y/n. so, we could take this outside, if you want.” nagi said in a low voice, his tone was daring and his eyes darkened with anger as you watched in horror. 

“let me go, you fucking freak! this is between me and my girlfriend.” your ex tried to peel himself away from nagi’s tight hold but failed. the tall male snorted at the lousy attempt of breaking away from his hold, roughly grabbing the dude’s jaw as your ex winced in pain. 

“yeah? well, i’m the guy who she dumped your ass for. so, it’s actually between the three of us. but, the conversation is gonna end here ‘cause if you’re not out of my sight in the next five seconds, i’m gonna break your legs.” nagi threatened before harshly letting the guy go, making him stumble back before losing his balance, collapsing on the floor. 

“y/n! i know you’re behind him, you fucking user. give me back all the money that i dumped on your cheating ass!” your ex angrily bellowed, some of the neighbors now opening their doors to watch what the commotion was. 

“for god’s sake, please, go home and i’ll sort things out with you later. you’re causing a scene!” you whisper-yelled at him, eyes begging him to shut up but he was persistent. 

“why the hell would i do that? everyone in this world deserves to know your true colors, you gold digging bitch.” he spat out, making your eyes well with tears as you looked down, not being able to pick your head up while the people stared down at you and gossiped. 

“here, take this and leave.” nagi said in a monotone, reaching inside his pocket to pull out his wallet before throwing hundred dollar bills on the ground where your ex was sitting. the man looked shocked, but still shamelessly picked up all the bills before shoving it in his jacket pocket. 

nagi took a hold of your hand as he pulled you back inside the house, closing the door before locking it. 

“fucking prick.” you heard him murmur to himself before walking towards the sofa, taking a seat. 

“come here.” he demanded from you, patting the spot next to him. his sudden request flustered you as you and nagi never really sat down and do things together. nonetheless, you accepted his little invite and sat down. 

“so, i’m assuming i’m the culprit of this whole situation?” nagi cocked an eyebrow, watching you fiddle with your fingers nervously. you looked up at him with softened eyes before shaking your head. 

“i would never never blame you, sei. anyways, i saw this breakup coming sooner or later. he was too controlling and possessive over me. i guess you were fuel that ignited it.” you joked a little at the end, making him chuckle. 

“good, pretty little things like you deserve better than assholes like him.” nagi said, looking at you with a strange glint in his eyes. you gulped harshly, feeling a little shy. 

he thought you were pretty?

for some odd reason, your heart felt fuzzy and your pulse began to race. you dared not to look at him, afraid that he could read right through you. 

“well, that hope is all gone now.” you let out a heavy sigh, reaching over to the glass table where your lipgloss was. you applied it on your lips since they felt a little chapped from your little crying sessions. 

“why?” nagi asked, confused. 

“he’s most likely gonna go around to every single human on earth and tell them that i’m a cheater and gold digger. nobody wants to date someone like that.” you bitterly laughed, placing the gloss back on the table before looking at him with sad eyes. 

“but that’s not true, you’re none of those things.” he frowned, a cute little pout on his lips. your heart swelled, he looked adorable and it made you wish that you could kiss that little pout of his. 

“yeah, but only you and i know that.” you shrugged, accepting your defeat and miserable fate. 

“then be my girlfriend.” nagi suddenly blurted out, making you choke on your own spit. you looked at him with eyes the size of two full moons, waiting for him to break out into a laugh to tell you that he was just messing around with you. 

but no such thing happened. 

his eyes were trained on yours, waiting for an answer. 

“sei, we ca-”

“why can’t we? i’ve liked you for a really long time and i know that you like me back too, y/n. i see how you look at me and my eyes never lie. so, stop fighting against it and let me take care of you like how you deserve to be.” nagi’s voice was gentle, a hand coming up to your face to sway the loose hairs covering your face to expose more of you to his eyes. 

“okay, then let’s go on a date tomorrow.” you smiled at him and nagi gave you a boyish grin. he placed a hand behind your head before leaning closer to you. 

“sei! my glo-” your words were cut off by the feeling of his lips on yours. you closed your eyes, wrapping your arms around his neck. nagi liked your response to his bold move, trailing his hands down to your waist before he pulled you on his lap. 

you relaxed your muscles, allowing yourself to melt into his embrace as you continued to follow the movement of his lips. nagi liked the feeling of your sticky gloss coating his lips, occasionally getting a taste of the sweet cherry lip product on his tongue. 

you felt his hands go under your shirt as his calloused fingers danced on your spine, sending goosebumps all over your body. your lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, so you were forced to pull away. you looked down at nagi, who’s face was flushed and lips shiny with a coating of your cherry flavored gloss as you both panted. 

“why’d you pull away?” he whined, making you giggle before you pinched his cheeks. 

“i had to breathe, sei.” you gave him peck to console him. nagi hummed in content, enjoying how your soft and plump lips felt against his. 

“what should we do now?” you asked him, carding your fingers through his smooth snowy locks. 

“sleep.” nagi shortly answered, eyes half-lidded before he pulled you down with him on the sofa. he placed his head on the cushion while you moved your head on his chest, wrapping your leg around his waist. nagi’s arms protectively wrapped around your waist to make sure that you don’t fall off the sofa while sleeping. 

you could hear the gentle hammering of his heartbeat and it made yours follow the same rhythm. you smiled before placing a quick peck on his chest. 

“sleep well, sei.” you mumbled against his soft flesh, closing your eyes. 

“you too, baby.” nagi responded, midway in the process of yawning. 

then a comforting silence fell upon you both as the room was now filled with soft snores.

[arxiel]

CRIMSOM THUNDER

Rolan x F!Tav

BACK --- NEXT

Chapter 5: Rescue from the shadows

Rating: Mature (Contains blood and angst)

Words Count: 5.984

AO3 LINK

CHAPTER INDEX

Or... read Bellow

The starless sky in total darkness was disconcerting, barely a glimpse as to whether it was day or night. 

Yvainne was unable to sleep, her thoughts focused on the grieving Tiefling.  Guilt overwhelmed her, she really tried to do some good of her own.  

She stood up from her mat to take a casual walk to clear her mind. Most of her companions were resting, except for Gale who left a projection of himself to give Yvainne the invitation to talk alone. 

Away from the camp they settled down on the grass to finally admire a starry sky made by Gale with a spell for this occasion. 

It seemed distant. The fact that Mystra had instructed him to destroy the absolute with the orb was a very hard thing to swallow. 

Yvainne's heart again constricted as she listened to Gale's confession. He don't want to die, he cursed the fact that he was now on a team with her and would become close to everyone when this job was so much easier on his own. 

But one minute at her side was enough to know that he wants what's best for her if that includes destroying the absolute to end it all. 

"I'm not going to let you die, we are all in this together and together we will defeat that cult to free ourselves, you are all I have, you are what I would call family. "-Gale looked up at Yvainne as her voice cracked as she said 'family'. 

Again he would look up at the starry sky before asking. 

"How they passed away if you allow this wizard to know. " Yvainne gave a faint smile. She was actually relieved to still hear Gale joking despite the sad conversation. 

"I..." She breathed heavily to prepare herself, she trusted Gale enough to tell her story. 

"I... I was young yet, but I had enough age to learn magic. And you as you may know in Athkatla the magic was illegal and only a few spells was allowed in the high houses. My parents were not especially rich and being a Calishite Warlock and a Lunar Elf an exiled magician, dosen't help much. They worked hard to get a wizard to teach me how to control my dangerous magic in exchange for gold. 

I had been under training with that wizard for a while, although he was quite bad at teaching, he also didn't seem to enjoy spending time with a child who couldn't throw a fire bolt without burning all around her." 

"Even if kids aren't my forte either, I wouldn't get impatient, I'd inspire him to not give up. "-Yvainne smiled at Gale's comment.

She with confidence would tell every detail of her short apprenticeship, until she came to the most painful memory when he started teaching a young Yvainne about darker magic as a test, from that practice many things happened before her young eyes, remembering vaguely: The wizard was interested with a belonging of her parents and would modify the deal, "unleash the full potential of their daughter in exchange for the wand". 

"My parents really didn't want to and that led to him placing a price on their heads to keep the wand and turn me into his 'apprentice', a dangerous one." 

Yvainne's eyes blurred at the memory again, she trembled with anxiety and froze in her tracks. 

Gale leant his hand on Yvainne's shoulder. 

She grounded back into reality, looking at the one she trusts supporting her in her pain with no pressure to know more than she would have already mentioned. 

"I know it can be hard, the dice have not been beneficial to you." Yvainne nods at Gale's comment. 

"Escaping years later from his yoke just to become a hunter to hunt him isn't a happy ending either after all, I hadn't done things for others until I saw how those people in the grove needed help...." She smiled lightly as she picked up a pebble to throw far away. 

"I like to believe you're at the beginning, look at you, look at what you've accomplished, you still have that little girl's soul." Yvainne's eyes filled with tears as she heard Gale's adorable words. 

She'd lean her head on his shoulder. 

"You know? I had no idea where Tara got her big sister instincts for listening to me, I think I get it now." Gale reached around her back to give her a warm hug. 

"If it's not a bother I'd like to know more about that magic, maybe I can help you." Yvainne nodded to explain the magic she had learned, Gale's expression looked horrified and shocked, but she was certain that he and her camp members are people who won't be frightened by what it really was. 

A Red Wizard of Thay... 

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The night went quiet once she got some of the weight lifted off her shoulders, she was even more encouraged to relay those memories of her talk with Gale and Yvainne's story with the tadpole to her companions and mention it to Halsin since he didn't have a tadpole to relay those memories. 

Her companions looks to her with surprise.

"Well, we've already got a new sucker in mind to finish him." Karlach said, letting flames burst from his body. 

"It will be more than amusing, my dear, count on my services for a delicious revenge." Astarion licked his fangs in approval. 

"Tsk. Curious that a mage would be interested in a trinket and at the same time a child, there is something more to the background." Lae'zel crossed her arms to consider the possibilities. 

"From how she showed us her memories, it does to be from the Avernus. It was a posibility." Wyll would put his hand to his chin in intrigue. 

"I agree with Lae'zel, something is out of nature to want that wand, to desire it with a lust for power." Halsin said before placing a hand on her shoulder in affection. 

The other companions approached to do the same, except for Karlach who lifted her up to hug her. 

"Well the day is moving, we must check on the refugees before venturing towards the moonrise towers." The party nods at Shadowheart's comment. 

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As they arrived at the inn the air was more tense, Jaheira seemed prepared for any assault while the harpists continued making barricades, she seemed too busy to talk. 

Upon entering the inn she immediately noticed that a certain Tiefling was not at the bar. As she approached quickly she noticed that an arcane projection artefact was there. 

Before turning it on he would look around with concern. 

She hoped with all her heart that it was not what she thought it was, he is not stupid enough to commit such an irrational act to expose his life in this way. 

"Lia, Cal, if you see this, stay put. I will return in a tenday at most. I repeat - stay put."

Yvainne Paled as she heard the projection.

"He went into the shadows alone? What an dumb..." Astarion said mockingly. 

"I wonder how long he'll survive?" Karlach would say in an uneasy tone. 

Her companions would continue to comment about Rolan's decision, she wasn't listening, she only heard her heartbeat quickening and her ears buzzing.

Yvainne took the projection to see the second message that seemed scheduled to activate after a tenday. With her sleight of hand she would activate the second message with ease. 

"Lia, Cal, if you see this... I'm dead. There's nothing to be angry about, it's just the way life is.... and Yvainne if you see this, I'm sorry, maybe I earned it for being a big jerk, if only things had been different... maybe, well... please I'm begging you, take care of my brothers they don't have anyone else. I..."

The projection faded out before it was finished, it seemed to run out of recording time, her hands started to shake and her eyes blurred. 

"Ugh, just when things were getting cheesy, such a shame." Astarion looked down at his fingernails when he said it, Gale gave him a smack on the hand in response. 

"I think at this rate he's already dead or worse," Shadowheart said in disinterest. 

Yvainne shook herself out of shock to put away the projection and hurried into the shadows. 

"Oh no, you're serious about doing this, it's not your problem." Said Astarion catching up with her pace. 

"I don't care, I'm going to save him, it's not too late," Yvainne replied with a determined gleam in his eye. 

"He says nasty things to you and you go after him like a puppy dog? " She stopped dead in his tracks at Astarion's comment. 

"I think anyone with any sense should know that it's the Alcohol combined with the pain that is bringing him to this, if you don't like whatever I decide, go back to camp because I ain't going to change my damn opinion."  Astarion looked perplexed at Yvainne, he didn't expect a defensive response. 

"I think you should stop trying to change her, well you know she won't succumb to your charms, Astarion,"  Shadowheart added with her typical sassy tone to annoy the elf who would blush slightly, he doesn't like Yvainne helping everyone, but in this case he would let it go.

"Well little flea we'll follow you, where is our pocket wizard?" Astarion would look around for Gale with his eyes but he only caught Karlach rushing over. 

"Gale decided to stay behind in case our favourite grumpy one arrived, he said if you needed him you'd use the Dancing Lights." Yvainne nods at Karlach's words. 

The party made their way in the darkness, she was mentally praying to all the gods that Rolan was alright. 

The darkness was heavy even with Selune's blessing.  

As the hours of searching passed with no success of finding his location, Yvainne's anxiety started to flow too easily until he reached the south of the ruined battlefield, part of the ground standing out with fresh embers of fire spells. 

Those recent burning embers gave her a hopeful glow. 

The party made their way through the darkness decorated by recent fathoms of the ground, they would come to a corner of the entrance to the Reithwin toll house.  They follow the path to a drop leading down into the toll house. 

There he stood, surrounded by shadows, shielding the torchlight from succumbing to the shadows. 

"Rolan? I knew the tiefling was an idiot, but this?" Astarion drew his bow to assist from a distance as did Shadowheart with the radiant spells. 

Yvainne's legs begin to tremble at the sight of him still alive, along with Karlach they would run at full speed. 

"Arde" 

Yvainne will conjure a few blasts of scorching rays towards one of the shadows that was about to inflict damage on Rolan. 

"What the hells?!" Rolan immediately turned his gaze, but that wouldn't last as one of the shadows struck at him with its necrotic claws. 

She moved towards him in a few steps, even in the darkness it could be seen that he was bleeding. 

"Get out!" Rolan shouted as he tried to get up to conjure magical projectiles at the shadow. 

Karlach, Shadowheart and Astarion dealt with the rest of the shadows, while Rolan and Yvainne to the two shadows that were determined to drown out the torchlight. 

Shadowheart would hit the last shadow with a ball of light, causing it to disintegrate, earning a momentary victory over the darkness

Rolan dropped the torch to look at his hands with unimaginable fury. 

"Gods damn it all! I can't do nothing right - not a damn thing..." He shouted all the anger out, his painful words attacking himself would shrink Yvainne's heart. 

"You were outmached and magic wasn't going to be enough, I know, just let me heal you." Rolan recoiled at her comment refusing any help. 

"I don't care about me, you jumped-up apprentice! I came here to save Cal and Lia! - Instead, i found myself cornered by shadow-fiends and in need of rescue. From you... of all bloody people..." In the darkness it seemed that Rolan's gestures of annoyance changed to a gesture of utter desolation, his voice cracked completely at the end. 

"You.. why... you?!" Yvainne steps forward to make him look into her eyes, Rolan looks back into her anguished eyes.

"A good wizard knows when to ask for guidance - Rolan... You were trying to help your family. You're too hard on yourself..." She tried to bring her hand to his cheek to try to comfort him, even if just for a moment. He turned his gaze away in shame. 

"But what good am I if I can't do this... This one thing...? - I am not enough worthy." Rolan's voice broke even more, it was evident in his own voice that he was trying to hold back tears. 

"I've failed Cal and Lia again... i'm totally useless..." Rolan pressed his side rib, his gaze looked confused and defeated at the same time and his eyes looked again at her beautiful eyes for the last time. 

"His injuries!" Shadowheart shouted, Rolan let himself fall forward, she barely holding him up, she's not strong enough. But at least she kept him up, she'd touch his side to inspect his injury. 

The warmer than normal blood had traces of blackened blood in symptom of necrosis from the shadow.

"Rolan?! Don't you dare! no-" Yvainne tried to keep him awake, but it was in vain, he is bleeding out and he needs help right now, the group instinctively moved closer.

"We need to move him to the camp now! - Karlach help me, Shadowheart try to keep him stable for when we get there!" Karlach nodded instantly at Yvainne's order to carry him. 

"Oh no, no, I've had enough of one irritating wizard, I won't tolerate two."  Said Astarion in disgust, she instantly gives him the worst of her glares. 

"Ugh well, here we go again..." Astarion rolled his eyes to sight to the emptyness sky. Karlach carried Rolan, taking care to not aggravate his injuries, and prepared to make a hurried run with Shadowheart. 

Yvainne summoned dancing lights into the sky in the shape of a star, the sign the group had set up to meet at their camp if they were separated. 

Astarion and Yvainne would run to opposite sides to avoid being followed to their camp. 

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"What's your name my child?"  

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"Rolan... just Rolan..." 

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"And your family?" 

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" I don't have a family, I don't have anyone..." 

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"Then I'll take care of you my little child, come let me introduce you to your new brother and sister, Their names are Cal and Lia." 

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"Rolan, my sweet sweet son... Take care of your brother and sister, don't be hard on yourself, your destiny is beyond the greatness of a wizard, I assure you..." 

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"Never forget how much I love you." 

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The echo of voices in the darkness filled memories of his childhood, a little tiefling shivering from the worst winter of his life and barely fed, sheltered in an old wagon in Elturel, he had been abandoned to his fate, by a parents who didn't want a tiefling. 

Until that winter, a tiefling woman would arrive with two little tieflings who would look at him with the typical shyness of an infant, that woman saw him desolate and sad.

She would take the little one along with her two sons along with her to raise him as her own. 

Everything was happiness for the three little brothers, they frequently played pranks on each other and one of the most prominent was summoning a cat made of fire to a little Cal. 

At last the little tiefling had a real mother who loved him and brothers who admired him for knowing magic. 

Until one day their mother would fall with an illness that would slowly drain the life out of her, losing her beautiful hair, making her more like living dead. Desprite everything their children still looks at their mother with love like the most beautiful tiefling in the world.

One day in bed she would say a final goodbye to her three little ones, a day hard to forget for the three teenage tieflings. With all their love, the three would prepare a proper funeral for their mother, full of colour for the one who gave everything for them. 

The relaxed Rolan had grown into a more responsible man without giving up his love of magic, learning on his own as well as working at various jobs to earn enough money to support his brothers and get scrolls to study them. 

It would take several years before he would receive the long awaited letter from the Wizard Lorroakan to have a better life with his brothers, the arrival of this letter would change his plans completely due to the fall of Elturel. 

Again his mind would be filled with his recent memories of his journey with his brothers and his interaction with Tav, leading to his memories catching up to his final rest....

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"My sweet child... this is not your time, your destiny is beyond the greatness of a wizard, renember that." 

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. "Wake up..." 

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"Wake up Rolan..." 

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Rolan opens his eyes as if it were a nightmare, he looked at his own hands in confusion, he was not wearing his typical tunic, instead he was wearing one of his shirts that he kept underneath his tunic. 

The place didn't seem to recognise him, he was lying in a bed in a partially abandoned house if it wasn't for the fireplace that was lit. 

He reached with his hand for a mirror that had spent better days to look closely at his injuries. It was carefully bandaged with cloth, but it was tight enough for him to remove it. 

"Oh! Hello!" A familiar voice made him turn quickly, it was the girl Arabella, Rolan's face started to become one with more strangeness. She ran away with her parents to the opposite side. He thought she could have died like the others. 

"I brought you some water." Arabella carefully set the pitcher of water on the bed for him to drink. 

"How long... how long had I been like this?" Rolan would look at his hand with which he had broken that bottle of Arabellan dry. His wound was almost healed. 

"Um, a few days, you were already here when I came. I helped to change your bandage and keep you still." He opened his eyes widely at Arabella's comment. 

"I don't know if I should tell you, but you moved too much and you started to cast burns spells... it seem like it hurt you a lot, you almost burned me if it wasn't..."  Arabella interrupted herself, realising that she was starting to say something else. 

"Arabella... Did I hurt someone?" Rolan blanched in horror. 

"Yvainne pulled me away from the fire bolt just in time. She protected herself with her arms..." Rolan brought both hands to his tousled hair, everything had gone out of control, and he felt so guilty, he'd chased her away out of anger, he'd blamed her, and now he'd attacked her. 

And she only tried to help him.

A few footsteps would interrupt his guilt, it was Yvainne who would cross the door frame with a bandage on her arm. She looks so tired and sad.

"Oh... You're awake. Gale prepared the dinner, now you can join us for dinner if you like, you must be hungry." Yvainne says before turning back. 

"Maybe I can't tell you this either, but she spent her nights taking care of you." Arabella said with an innocent smile before setting the jug of water on the table and Rolan carefully he got up from the bed.

Both of them crossed the door frame to go to the centre of Yvainne's camp, everyone's gaze would be on him, embarrassed he would avoid crossing their gazes. 

Gale gently poured a portion of the meal he had prepared in a wooden bowl and handed it to him. 

"You haven't eaten in several days, a good wizard needs to be well fed." Rolan nodded at Gale's words and he grab the bowl. 

He searched with his eyes for Yvainne but she didn't seem to be in sight, Gale would notice that gesture easily.

"If you're looking for her, she went to wash and heal her wounds, she normally does that, after all it wasn't easy to get to the healing house." Rolan turned his gaze, he had heard from the harpists about the healing house, it is plagued by undead and shadows that refuse to die. 

"Ahh... guys Yvainne and Astarion will take a little longer to arrive." Karlach sighed in relief at having had a good wash. 

"It feels so great using less water to wash, normally a touch of water would evaporate instantly. -Oh hi Rolan, you look nice, you're in good shape." Karlach would raise his hand in joy to see him in one piece.

"It seems so, I don't remember much about what happened after finishing with those shadows. But i guess that doesn't matter now. - What do you mean Yvainne and Astarion will be late?" Karlach bit her tongue, she shouldn't have said it lightly. 

"Well, you see, uh..." She would search for the right words, but it didn't seem to be her forte. 

"Our companion's diet is not based on wine and stew like ours. Gale said to make him understand in the least direct way possible. 

"We're not dealing with a child, even though he looks like one. - Astarion is a vampire, and vampires need blood, he is drinking from Yvainne as none of us want to volunteer, as to one his blood tastes like bile and to other her blood feels like kissing hot metal. and others swear to hang the elf's head if he tries." Shadowheart said without hesitation, his companions looked down uncomfortably. 

At that moment Yvainne and Astarion appeared, she would look much more dizzy. 

"Of course that makes sense..." Rolan muttered to himself remembering the time at the waterfall, she had those wounds on her neck. 

Dinner continued quietly, the group speaking to each other like a family, telling jokes to lighten the mood, something that would make Rolan melancholy. 

Karlach plays Arm Wrestling with each man in the camp to prove her strength, but none of the three would defeat the infernal champion.  Until she competed with Lae'zel who would be every bit as strong. 

"I expected nothing less from a Githyanki Lae," Karlach said, holding her arm steady along with her. 

"A most worthy adversary." Lae'zel said with a smirk in her fearless gaze.

"Two hundred gold to Lae'zel, sorry my fire girl, but you are so easily distracted." said Astarion in his sassy tone.  

"Do you want to try it again Astarion?" Shadowheart replied in a playful tone. 

"Oh how cute, no, no thanks, I want to keep my own arm." Shadowheart and Wyll would laugh at Astarion's comment. 

Rolan sighed, it reminded him so much of his home and family. 

Gale would take a seat next to the thinking Tiefling. 

"Well, I suppose I can speak side by side with another erudite." Rolan turned his gaze to the human wizard who made a sad attempt to make him laugh. 

"Huh, how pathetic." Rolan would finish his stew before looking back at him. 

"That day... She managed to conjure up some scorching rays without killing us." Rolan turned to look at Yvainne who was leaning lightly on Halsin arm, while he healed from his blood loss. 

"We've practiced magic since we set foot in the grove, she's been dedicated enough. She have so much power than you think and... the way she's improved is... wonderful." Gale would glance proudly at Yvainne, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. 

"You sound like you were in love with her." Rolan would slowly begin to drink the water, it seemed to be hard for him. 

"You're not wrong..." Gale swallowed with slight difficulty. 

"But I realized that she didn't feel exactly the same way in the party of the grove, so I decided be more of a friend to her, after all she needs it." Gale drink the wine they served, there was no doubt in his words. 

"So the vampire and her...? " Rolan would give him a disgusted look, and Gale would laugh out loud.

"She does it to help him, they both consider themselves brothers in crime or so I understood, they have a rather curious relationship. Sometimes it seemed like his goal was to be intimate with her, but nowadays he seems to regret what he was trying to do with her. - And before you ask about every member of our group, no.  She gets along well with everyone, but she doesn't seem to have feelings for any of them." Rolan without thinking too much sighed in relief, it was disgusting to think that. But it seemed true, the way she prevented Astarion from doing the wrong thing in the grove and when she was looking for him reminded him of the protection between friends. And for her other members of her group, she may not have seen them interacting but there was a certainty that she held them in equal esteem.

"What school of magic did you go?" Rolan was stumped by Gale's direct question. 

"None of them really. For as long as I can remember I knew how to defend myself with magic, and I had to teach myself." Rolan would look down at the ground.

"Another prodigy, I could have do with a friend then." Rolan arched an eyebrow before smiling lightly. 

"A prodigy? Maybe, if he wasn't I wouldn't be Lorroakan's next apprentice," he grimaced proudly, but Gale would only look at him in disbelief. 

"Wait, you're telling me he's a competent wizard? He has a terrible reputation in Waterdeep. " Rolan would turn to Gale in disgust. 

"Incompetent wizards wouldn't make archmasters of Ramezith Tower, have some respect." Gale raised his arms in surrender to Rolan's defensiveness. 

"Maybe I confused the name in any case, but to be the next apprentice to an archmage is quite an accomplishment. - Tell me, have you summoned any creatures in your apprenticeships alone?" Gale said in his charismatic tone, Rolan would again relax his expression. 

"Once I summoned a cat made of fire for Cal when he was eight years old, his terrified face said it all, while Lia and I laughed our heads off..." Rolan looked down at the ground with a wistful smile. 

"I summoned a Tressym, she's a sweetheart, I'm sure she'll like you, I can see you like cats." The conversation between the two wizards was slowly becoming more pleasant as they shared stories about summoning magic, it made the night less terrible like the other days, Yvainne looked at them relieved that he didn't seem to be doing so badly now. 

Until at one point he would start to feel a sharp, stabbing pain in his side, Yvainne reached out to grab his hands to pull him up. 

"Don't touch it, come with me." Yvainne and Shadowheart would help Rolan straighten up and take him to check his injuries in privacy. 

When they reached the hut they would prepare some medicinal plants for his injury. 

"Well, I think you can handle this on your own, I don't want to miss Astarion cutting his finger with that knife game," Shadowheart hurried out with a knowing look on her face. 

"Don't do this to me, you little..." Yvainne would try to catch her but she was deft enough to get away. 

"I'd appreciate it if you'd drop the childish attitudes and help me this... hurts..." Rolan said in difficulty trying not to touch his side which would hurt like a thousand hells. 

She returned to the workbench to get some herbs and a new bandage from her bag. 

At the end she gave Rolan an infusion, without thinking about it he would drink it in one gulp.  The pain was gradually fading until it was merely tolerable. 

Yvainne earnestly pushed him slightly to remove his shirt and make a makeshift ponytail with a lock pick. 

Then she pulled out a pair of scissors to cut off his old bandage with ease, Rolan looked astonished, he had never seen such a serious look, so focused on what she was doing. - And with her hair pulled back quickly, he would notice every feature in greater detail, she looked much more angelic in front of him, even if she had an expression of concentration.  

"I didn't know you are a healer," Rolan said in a relaxed tone from the tea. Without looking away from her. 

"I'm not, my time caring for a useless master and living with injured people made me learn." Yvainne cut off the bandage without losing her concentration, proceeding to clean the injury before heading to the table. Rolan would tense his muscles in reaction to the contact with the water and alcohol.

"Luckily shadow necrosis has a cure, I had to wander around the house of healing a lot to get you this." She would take out the mixture that she had prepared to rub it on the injuries on his side. 

"You didn't go to moonrise..." Yvainne would remain silent, at Rolan's comment. "These days you haven't gone for them..." She started to shake as she finished smearing the mixture.

"This is not the time, please.-" she stood up to make her way back to the table, Rolan scowling at Yvainne's evasiveness. 

"Answer me, please, tell me they are at the inn. Tell me you brought them back.-" He would grab her bandaged arm to stop her from leaving. Yvainne let out a groan of pain. 

"Y-you were badly wounded. I couldn't let you die, I've been trying for days not to let you die. - Rolan you are hurting me." He let go of her immediately when she asked him to.

"But they would still be there! How did you decide who to save and who to leave behind? I don't care of myself, I care more about them." With her hair tied back, Yvainne's teary eyes were easy to see as she tried not to cry. 

"I'm doing what I can!" She shouted. "I'm finding the courage to tell Arabella that her parents are dead, I'm trying to save you, we're enemies of the Githyankis, I'm trying to deal with the feelings of my companions, even a dream guardian is trying to convince me to eat parasites and now go to moonrise against an immortal old man who sets up a cult that threatens the city and holds several people prisoner including the Duke of Ravengard!" Yvainne's breathing would start to quicken.

"I wanted to go to baldurs gate to kill the one who hurt me most and die in a place far away in peace. But now I have to deal with the title of Hero carrying my shoulders to merely receive insults from you for doing what I can hardly do and not exactly what you want," she hit the table before crying all the way backwards. 

Guilt flooded him, he felt extremely annoyed that she decided to save him, but hearing everything he was carrying made him feel like a big idiot. 

"When the grove happened, my intention was purely to save them, I never thought that this thing of the absolute would spread like this. When I saw all the dead bodies of the Tieflings that I saved, I... I listened to every word you told me, it was my fault, if I had done nothing maybe they would have been saved, it wasn't my problem, but I did, I wanted to save them all, but I couldn't..." Yvainne's broken and desperate voice showed how much his words spoken in drunkenness had affected her. 

The proud tiefling's heart shrank as he listened to her. 

"That's the same mistake I made when they were taken. It's not a mistake I'll make again... You did what you could. I'm the one that should have done more instead of getting drunk like a damned coward." Rolan would try to get up and she immediately turning to give him a shove so he wouldn't get up. 

She would pass a fresh bandage over his wound, without another word. 

Rolan looked at her still teary eyes not knowing what to do or what to think. 

Then she finished she took from her bag the projector that Rolan had left at the inn. 

"When I saw that message all my companions assumed you for dead, it was my decision to go for you--" He snatched the projector from her hands with a mortified expression. 

He knew well enough what he had said on that recording, but fortunately it had been cut. A lucky coincidence or gods would be playing with him. 

He reached for his bag to put the projection away, but he felt a prick from that hairpin, and when he pulled it out he remembered why he was carrying it. 

Rolan clenched his jaw, he feels deep down that the gods are mocking him. Yvainne would sit with his back to him, letting her hair down to hide her depressed face. 

He quietly would reach over to lift her long fluffy hair, using his fingertips he carefully brushed and gathered her hair to leave it in a high point to adjust it to the hair pin, leaving a fluffy ponytail. A gasp escaped her as well as a slight startle, but she tried to don't move. 

She turned around when he was finished, the colour in her cheeks and ears turned to vermilion.  Her skin seemed to bristle and her breathing hitched. 

She reached her hand to the hairpin to feel it, her hands trembling. 

"I figured you needed something better than a picklock to hold that hair." Yvainne would look down at the ground a bit flustered and feel her hair, with her fingertips she would pull out a large lock to place it in front of her face. 

Rolan looked at her speechless at her new hairstyle. To his eyes, that hairstyle highlighted every beautiful faction. 

The tieflin's heart would start to accelerate. 

"I...I'll let you rest, I will keep an eye out if the pain returns..." Yvainne quickly left the room, leaving the tiefling alone with his muddled thoughts. 

A small part of him wanted to stop her - after all, he hadn't apologised to her and made an unthinking act even though he had made her feel terrible before. 

His stomach churn followed by a sharp pain in his chest, it was too much to take in.  The thoughts and confusion overwhelmed him, he felt the present pain of his brother and sister, the guilt of hurting people who didn't deserve it in a state of sobriety and drunkenness. But a new familiar feeling would be burning a hole in his stomach. 

The feeling of interest was intensifying more than he would like, it was not an unpleasant feeling, it was a welcoming one, a sentiment he had deeply avoided for years because of his brothers and he desired to avoid it again. 

He tried to put the feelings aside as usual and try to sleep. In the inn he drinked a lot until he passed out, but now he didn't want to be that pitiful person anymore. 

Considering all the damage he had caused, he would be repulsed by all kinds of alcohol. So the thought of drinking again the infusion of tea that Yvainne gave him would cross his mind, although it is complicated to go to her again, especially because of what happened before. 

He forced his eyes closed in an attempt to sleep.

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BACK --- NEXT

CHAPTER INDEX

[aurorarouge8]

Writer's Block

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Ratchet X Reader (Platonic)

Reader has writer's block.

*I do not own gif*

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"Write," I muttered to myself snappily. Despite my mind being filled with a century's worth of ideas, I could hardly find the words to translate them into stories. Let alone have a solitary idea for where I should take my current story. "Write," I muttered again, this time louder than I'd previously intended, catching the attention of Ratchet.

"It doesn't write for you," Ratchet quipped from his workstation, grumpy as ever. I knew logically that his tone wasn't directed at me, rather a project that he was working on. However, in my sour mood, logic had been thrown out the window, and this was obviously a grump with me.

Pursing my lips together, I held back a snappy comment about technology and that it probably could with text to speech or AI. Nevertheless, I stayed quiet, bubbling with my frustrations that eventually popped into the sad relief of disapair. It was better than the alternative of anger and saying things I shouldn't, but it never seemed better as I slouched into the couch.

After a brief moment, I finally spoke up, "I know," I said while sighing and rubbing my eyes tirelessly. "I just can't write. I haven't been able to for months. I've tried, but the story I'm writing feels disconnected from the other chapters, and it's been months without an upload!" My frustration began to bubble again towards myself, "the one-shots that I've come up with, well I can't find a way to write them. I have these ideas, but they're all crazy, and how do I even begin to put them down to paper? Or detail the events that lead up to that point, Ratchet? I just can't write," I cried out, grateful that it was just us in the base.

Taken aback by my sudden declaration, Ratchet stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. He wasn't upset by my outburst or believed it to be silly (to a certain point). He'd heard every human and/or bot snap and cry out in displeasure at some point, and he was familiar with it within himself. He also understood the frustration of having blocks in work. "It'll go away, give it time," he told me in response to my simple problem.

"It's been months!" I reiterated tirelessly. It was becoming overwhelming, I had so many ideas with no way to release them. Every time I tried to write, it was all wrong; too many details, too little detail, wrong word, wrong sentence, it makes no sense. It was dreadful.

Hanging my head low between my knees, I gave up. I couldn't possibly find the right words to describe what I wanted to say. The soft clanging of his footsteps trodded over, stopping as he stood by the human loft area. I didn't bother to look up. "Tell me a story." He said, a careful softness to his voice.

At his words, I lifted my head in confusion at the request, "What?"

"Tell me a story," he repeated. "You've always described writing as telling a story. So, you talk, get out of your own way, and I'll scribe." He explained, his usual grumpness now back in his voice as he described what he thought was fairly obvious.

Although I would be willing to give it a try, I grumbled to myself, "I'll just pick it to shreds like I always do." The words wouldn't be right, or a sentence would be wrong. The tale would be garbage.

Ratchet rolled his eyes, closing my laptop with the tap of his finger. "Probably, but you could give it a try," he reminded, "a try not taken, is a chance unlived."

With a sigh, I nodded my head and crossed my legs while turning to face him. "Well... I suppose so... there was once a town..."

[disdaidal]

22 for the writer asks?

Oh, hi!

22. What is something you learned about yourself as a writer from the experience?

I could honestly say many things here, but... I think I've slowly grown to accept that I'm only human and there are only 24 hours in a day. If I could write all the stories I've stored in my head over the past few years (or hell, this week), I might've written a few fic collections already. Maybe even a book or two, who knows.

But... I am slow. I get overwhelmed and disoriented at times. There are times I have too many thoughts and ideas in my head (including my gifs *le sigh*) and it's challenging to keep up with them, and then, other times, it's no thoughts, brain empty.

Honestly though? It's okay. Writing is supposed to be fun. At least for me, it's important that it's fun; that you enjoy doing it.

Also, I was a little bit worried this spring when I started writing my first omegaverse multi-chapter fic ever, that 'what if it's not good enough' and 'what if people hate it 'cause I'm doing some things differently here'? But now that I'm three chapters in, more is on the way, and I've gotten positive comments, a fair amount of kudos, and almost as many subs as well, this new kind of confidence and serenity has suddenly filled me.

Like... I still wish I could be faster at it (stop daydreaming, goddamn it!) but I feel confident now. More than ever before, I think.

I love getting comments and kudos and subs to my stories obviously, but I feel even better knowing now that I can do this writing project with renewed confidence, telling my own version of the story, and knowing at least some people out there have liked it so far and still want to read more. And yeah, what more could I ask for honestly?

[plscallmeeren]

C I T I Z E N S O F W E S T V I E W P T 2

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Request: yep

Summary: part 2 lol (btw I added some things to the request hope you don't mind)

Warnings: absolutely none

Word Count: 1.6K+

Wanda peered through the heavy oak door leading to your apartment, gaze flicking tiredly from one unusual carpet to another Eastern lamp. And yet, as she observed every object and decoration in the place, she realised there really wasn't that much around - less, at least, than in an average home.

"You don't have very much," she said simply, the Sokovian accent she harboured thickening as an urge for sleep faded the edges of her vision. Any energy she usually held for advanced English had already laid down beside her end of the conversation.

"It's all good quality. You'll never believe where I got this light," you replied proudly, gesturing at an orange paper hanging lamp.

"I suppose I wouldn't," she murmured, running smooth hands over the even smoother wood of an old armchair.

Her sight lingered on a rack to her left, standing out with shining blades against the cream of the wall. The longest in the stack of three emanated the unmistakeable atmosphere of magic.

"It's overwhelming, isn't it?" you said softly, sensing her thoughts. "Look, we'll talk more in the morning, I promise, but you're obviously exhausted and I can't say I'm feeling too chirpy myself. It's late. Get some rest first. We'll worry about magic swords in the morning. I promise."

Wanda hesitated, glancing at the sharpened and likely deadly weapons on your wall, but was overcome with a wave of drowsiness so strong she wondered if maybe you were toying with her mind. If so, you had done a mighty good job; making her feel safe, luring her into your home, into vulnerability. But she doubted it - and even if she was wrong, she was sure she could take you.

Then the stroke of genius occurred to her - why not just read your mind? It might tickle, but otherwise people didn't tend to notice if she didn't want them to.

She attempted, slithering past some initial mental barriers every brain requires for sanity's sake, diving deeper-

"I'd be impressed if you could see anything against my will," your voice filled her head, and although your back was turned, she could feel the grin on your face. "You're welcome to try."

"And you think you could get past me?" she challenged, vanity seeping through her as a last resort.

"Yes."

"Try."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Try your hardest."

A flash of images and pasts and thoughts and nightmares flashed beneath Wanda's lids, an array of concepts that made up Plato's idea of her. She had had no idea how powerful the feeling was if a mind-reader allowed their victim to see what they were doing. Nevertheless, although proving how old and deeper knowledge you could dig up, she noticed how it was never anything vulnerable, anything that could hurt. She still couldn't stop you.

You were avoiding them for her sake, even though she had provoked you.

You stopped. You had made your point and that was enough. She stared, but didn't say anything. You had half-expected the unjustified upset and anger of doing what she had said you should, but it never came. She seemed lost for words.

"That was incredible," she projected the thought into your mind, making you smile.

"Come on, I have a spare room."

You led her around the corner of the kitchen and up some stairs, holding the painted door open chivalrously. She curtsied in good humour, passing through.

You handed her a towel silently, refusing her help in making the bed, letting her watch from the desk chair instead. When she thought you weren't looking, you noticed - or maybe you sensed - how much she appreciated someone doing something as simple as making a bed for her.

"Good night," you murmured once she returned from washing up, already folded up underneath the copious covers. You would have offered her clothes, but her breathing had already evened.

It would have been so easy to intrude just a little, just enough to see why she was feeling so unwell. She would never know. But you didn't ever seriously consider it. You couldn't imagine the guilt of breaching her privacy that way.

You closed the door behind you, leaving the small reddened lamp on in case she didn't like the dark.

•••

Wanda awoke with a start.

She had slept peacefully until the nightmares had crept in along the edges, stains of blood and madness dismissing her simple dreams of life as she knew it or other cleansing of the mind. She forgot it all the moment her eyes opened, only Vision's mangled body still imprinted on the inside of her lids when she attempted rest.

She sat up. At the edge of the bed, two folded piles of clothes awaited her. One of them consisted of a red shirt and blue pants (she ignored her thoughts when they wondered which woman you had them from) and the other of a comfy flannelette shirt, sweatpants and woollen socks. She opted for the second.

A part of her was disturbed by the concept of someone being in the room while she was asleep and her not noticing, but still that nonsensical trust and arrogance overruled all else.

The scent of coffee invaded her senses as she grew more aware of her surroundings. It smelled delicious and perfect in that moment.

She wandered downstairs tentatively, stepping lightly in some childish attempt to sneak up on you.

By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was sure she had the element of surprise under control.

"Morning, darling," you greeted smugly, smirking as you briskly turned around, presenting her with a cup of coffee. "Sugar? Milk?"

"Oh, yes, um, both," she muttered, feeling slightly insulted at how she had been noticed.

You nodded, placing the cup on the counter and pulling out all she required. You stepped back so that she could add as much as she wanted herself.

Wanda looked you once up and down, taking note of your black shirt and black sweatpants, the way the melted together at every languid motion you made. You looked like you were dancing as you crossed the kitchen, back and forth, mixing together the batter for pancakes.

"Pancakes? How did you know-" She interrupted herself upon realisation. "You remembered what you saw last night, didn't you? Me eating with my family?" She thought she might cry at the memory of them all, but other than the salty taste of saliva it just felt like a problem of the past.

She couldn't believe how good she felt all things considered. Neither could you.

"Wait- Did you read my mind again before? Is that how you knew I was there?"

"No, love. I don't need telepathy to sense your presence," you humoured, winking at her playfully. She scoffed, but the smile on her face was undeniable.

"And... here," you said after a few minutes of comfortable silence, throwing the last pancake onto the plate and flicking the stove off. "Let's sit down, shall we?"

Wanda nodded, taking a seat across from you and snatching two pancakes at once. She could think of at least a hundred questions to ask you, but none of them felt like good opening lines.

Finally, she decided. "Are the decorations Japanese? They look sort of... well, not Western. And you. You look... I'm not sure how you look, but judging by your home, I'm wondering whether you're Japanese also?"

"Yeah. My mother's Japanese, and she raised me, so I'm more used to eastern places and behaviour. By the way, you don't have to hide your accent. I love hearing it."

You had picked up on how her accent had lessened by a mile that morning, feeling a little sad to see it go. She smiled.

"Okay." You could immediately hear the difference.

"Thanks. Anyway, yeah, it's a bit hard implementing paper walls, but otherwise..." She giggled, surprising both of you.

"Do you speak Japanese?"

"Yeah. Kesa wa kireidesu ne / 今朝は綺麗ですね." (You look beautiful this morning.)

"And what does that mean?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly.

"あなたには決して分からないかもしれません," you replied smoothly, taking a bite off your pancake. (You may never know.)

"Звучи лепо, згодно, али волео ��их да знам шта говориш," she countered in her own Native tongue, sipping at her coffee, grinning. You looked back at her, impressed. (It sounds nice, handsome one, but I'd love to know what you're saying.)

"それはあなたから魔法のように聞こえます。" (That sounds magical coming from you.)

You both smirked, tucking into your breakfast instead of talking for a moment, occasionally making a comment on the food in your own languages. You both loved the sound of the other talking, no matter what they were saying.

Eventually, you decided on successful communication, and in English, Wanda asked at least half the questions she wanted answers to. You replied to every one. Neither of you held back in your accents and only at three in the afternoon did you realise how long ago you had finished eating.

——————-

So much fluff

Fun fact I've actually learned a bit of Japanese over the years and about one and a half of those sentences was my own....... I know, I know, I'm incredible, right? Anyways looking at foreign typography always makes me happy tbh

I'm snowed into my friends' house and can't keep reading my exciting book at home how's your day? It's kinda a vibe tho I've never been snowed in before

Have a great day lovelies

[rapmonie2047]

enha with their fem!idol!crush ???

pairing: enha hyung line x idol!y/n

genre: fluff

rating: pg

notes: thank you so much for requesting anon! this was my first time doing something like this, so hopefully it turned out ok! please feel free to send feedback and request more!!!

plot: how enha acts around their idol crush

Lee Heeseung:

Dressed in your casual all black outfit with your hair and makeup freshly done, you walked into the small studio you were supposed to be filming in today. A few weeks ago, belift had reached out to your company, saying that Enhypen's Heeseung had requested to film a cover of the Weeknds song, Die For You, with you. You were a huge fan of the song and Enhypen, so you agreed without any question.

Heeseung was sitting in the corner of the room, running over some tricky parts of the song while waiting for you to show up. You walked up to him and tapped his shoulder, accidentally breaking him out of his focus and startling him.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to introduce myself before we got started. I'm y/n!" You bowed apologetically.

Heeseung quickly shook his head and blushed. " Oh no! Sorry, I was so focused I didn't see you walk up. I'm Heeseung. Thank you so much for doing this with me, y/n. I'm a huge fan, and I really wanted to be able to get to know you."

The two of you made small talk and got to know each other more while you waited for the staff to finish setting everything up for the recording. Heeseung seemed a little nervous while speaking to you, but you thought it was cute, considering you were a little nervous to meet him as well.

Once you got the all clear to begin, you and Heeseung moved to your spots and began to run through the song. The whole time, Heeseung could not keep his eyes off you. Your voice was amazing, you looked beautiful, and your conversation earlier showed him that were an incredibly kind and genuine person. He could feel his crush growing deeper with each second that passed. He almost missed a few of his cues throughout the song due to how his thoughts were occupied by you, but due to some miracle, Heeseung was able to play it off as if nothing was happening.

A few hours and several takes later, you and Heeseung had done a recording that you were both happy with and called it a day. Before leaving to get changed and go home, you went around and thanked each of the staff members for helping out with this project. In the meantime, Heeseung racked his brain for ideas of how to ask you out while watching you go around the room. He really enjoyed working with you and really wanted to get to know you better, but his stupid little crush was making him so nervous.

You finished giving your thanks and turned to head out the door. Heeseung panicked knowing that he had to make a move now or regret it later, so he quickly ran over to your side.

"Y/N! Wait!"

You stopped and turned to find Heeseung suddenly standing next to you.

"Y/n, I know this might be a little out of the blue, but I really enjoyed spending time with you, and I would like us to get together sometime outside of work. Will you go out with me?" The blush from earlier returning to his face.

"Heeseung, I'd love to."

Park Jongseong:

The boys of Enhypen were getting overwhelmed with all of the love they were receiving at the MAMA awards. Their performance went off without a hitch, and now the boys were able to relax among all of the other artists nominated for awards tonight.

The artist room was filled with dozens of idols basking in the excitement of the night. Everyone was dressed to the nines. Different groups had different styles that caught everyone's eyes, but only one person stood out to Jay.

You were at the MAMA awards with your group nominated for Best New Artist. It was the first time your group had ever been nominated, so you and your members were filled with the nerves that came with not knowing what to expect. Your members seemed to fit in pretty quickly, already mingling with idols they were trainees with or idols that they looked up to. You, being a little more on the shy side, stayed by your table, watching the excitement fill up the room.

Your people watching session was interrupted by someone walking up to your table. You looked up and saw Jay, a member of one of your favorite groups, staring down at you.

"You mind if I sit here?" he asked while pointing the seat next to you.

"Not at all!" you smiled and fumbled to pull out the chair for him.

Jay chuckled a little as he sat down, liking the fact that you seemed very down to earth already, unlike some of the idols standing around you.

"Y/n, right? I'm Jay. I've been listening to your group since you debuted. It's so cool to see you here at the MAMAs."

"There's no way that the Jay from Enhypen knows who I am. I should be the one saying these things to you," you said, wide eyed.

He laughed, trying to maintain his cool. You looked absolutely gorgeous, and all he wanted to do was get to know you more. He completely lost himself in you as you both struck up a conversation about music and other interests of yours.

Jungwon and Jake stood off to the side watching the whole interaction, laughing to each other because they knew how much Jay was looking forward to meeting you today. As soon as Jay heard that your group had been nominated, he spent hours and hours brushing up on your music and trainee covers as well as working with the stylists to make sure he didn't look ridiculous when he got up the courage to go talk to you at the awards, providing the rest of Enhypen with enough material to tease him for the rest of eternity. Jay didn't care though. All he cared about was making sure that you were going to be a part of his life for many years to come.

Sim Jaeyun:

Jake and the rest of the Enhypen boys were currently running all over the Hybe building searching for notes that would give them a free lunch. You would think with all the success Enhypen had been having lately, they wouldn't need to scavenge for free meals, but filming En-O'clock always brought out their competitive sides.

Jake was currently heading up to the cafeteria, hoping he'd be able to find a card before Niki, who was also headed to the same place. The elevator arrived on the designated floor, and Jake ran out the doors, not bothering to look at what was around him. This proved to be a mistake when he rounded a corner and ran into you, who was talking to your manager while getting a snack after a full day of working.

The force in which Jake collided with you caused you to stumble, but a strong pair of arms caught you before you could fall.

"Shit, I'm so sorry. We're filming and I wasn't looking where I wa..." Jake lost all knowledge of how to speak as soon as he saw your face. He just ran into y/n y/l/n, his idol, the person he has spent hours watching their videos and interviews, dreaming of the day where he could actually meet you.

You got up and brushed off your clothes, making sure that you hadn't hurt yourself or anything like that. "Hey, no problem! I know how competitive filming variety shows can get!" you laughed as you looked at your manager. "Are you ok, though?"

Jake didn't move, obviously still in shock. It wasn't until his assigned cameraman nudged him that he regained consciousness and tried to respond to you. "Huh? Oh yeah! Don't worry, I'm good. Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Hey, you're Jake, right? I walk past your practice room all the time. You and your group are all so talented! I'm y/n by the way."

"Thank you," he bowed. "You are my idol so hearing you say that is so special. Thank you," he bowed again.

You laughed a his cuteness. "Well Jake, it was good to meet you! I've got to get back to work, but maybe we can hang out sometime? Just stop by studio whenever you want to talk. Good luck with filming!" you yelled as you began to walk away.

Jake became a statue once again in complete disbelief of what just happened to him. His trance only broke once he heard Niki announce from across the cafeteria that he had found a free lunch card.

"DANG IT!"

Park Sunghoon:

Your group had just recently come out with a brand new single, starting a whole two weeks reserved for promoting it. Promos consisted of guest starring on different variety shows, performing on music shows, and answering the same questions over and over during interviews, but your favorite promo was filming dance challenges on TikTok. There was something so fun and exciting about seeing your fellow idols dance along to your songs.

Your staff had asked for a list of idols you wanted to film with, and they worked to set it up. You had a few idols you wanted to see dancing to your song, but the person at the top of your list was Sunghoon. Something about his dancing was mesmerizing, and you wanted to see what he was like in person.

As soon as Sunghoon got the call, he started practicing your dance challenge nonstop, not like he didn't already know it before they called him. He just couldn't risk looking like a fool when you saw him dance for the first time. Jay and Jake gave him a lot of crap for it, but he didn't care. You were the priority.

The day finally arrives where the two of you were set to film together. Sunghoon made sure to dress nice in an outfit that had some of the same themes as the colors in your music video and brought some snacks and drinks for you in case you got tired during filming. You finally arrived, greeting everyone and making your way over to Sunghoon. You were wearing an outfit similar to the one you wore in the music video, making you and Sunghoon match.

"Hey, you two look like a couple!" one of the staff members mentioned as they made sure the lighting looked good for the video.

Sunghoon turned bright pink at the idea of you two dating. He really wanted it to happen, but he didn't want to make you uncomfortable. You just put your hand on his shoulder and laughed, "yeah, we do! So cute!" Sunghoon blushed even more at your reaction.

The dance for this single was more difficult than some you have done in the past, so you were expecting Sunghoon to struggle a bit like the other idols you had filmed with so far, but you were impressed by the fact that Sunghoon did the dance perfectly in just one take. The staff were impressed as well, clapping at how quickly you were able to get work done.

Sunghoon, while glad that he didn't embarrass himself in front of you, was sad that it was over so quickly. You had just gotten there and already, you were getting ready to go. You had the same idea as you walked over to him.

"Hey Sunghoon. That was amazing! I wish we had a little more time to spend together, but since we finished earl, I have some other things I need to get done. Thank you for doing this with me!" you said while handing him a small gift you had prepared to show your appreciation.

Sunghoon gratefully accepted and watched you walk away, feeling sad that he didn't talk to you more. He opened the gift and found a small note tucked away inside. It looked as if it was added after the gift had already been wrapped up. He opened it out of curiosity.

"Dear Sunghoon, thank you so much for wanting to work with me! You are so talented and working with you was everything I expected and more. I really want to spend more time with you so here is my number. Just call me if you ever want to hang out! - y/n xxx-xxx-xxxx"

Sunghoon was so excited, he called you later that night.

[honekujiras]

Summary:

As I looked out over the scenery that stretched before us, the verdant hills dappled with cottages and the clouds gliding lazily across the sky, I was struck by an overwhelming wave of emotion. It was like a youthful sort of mourning, a thing that held my heart in a vice and refused to let go. It was like catching your smiling reflection and thinking, I will miss this day when I'm old. "Holmesie," said I. "Are you happy?" The Great Detective has retired to the English countryside, and his biographer comes one day seeking counsel.

my piece for day 7 of @greatestfamilyweek - long distance / future! i always thought taking a look at the evolution of iris's and holmes's relationship would be fun :3

read on AO3 or check out the excerpt below!

—-

THESE DAYS, I find that I have precious little room to simply think. Living in the capital will do that to a person: always some lively event taking place downtown or some invitation to a party held by the neighbour of a friend of a colleague. The stacks of incomplete manuscripts seem with each glance ever more endless, too, outnumbered only by the sheer clutter in what one clever man referred to as that "brain-attic" of mine. It is not my intent to complain, of course; if I held some severe, irreconcilable dislike for this foggy town, I would have moved far away by now. Even on this train ride through the English countryside, my thoughts continued to drift London-ward—for better or worse.

The porter had been surprised at my travelling alone, I recall, and I could not blame him. A young woman unaccompanied by a suitor or husband must have made a curious sight, nevermind the vibrance of my hair or the notepad in my hand, kept readily available, kept readily available for whenever a stroke of creativity should strike me. Then again, I suppose I have grown accustomed to getting an odd look or three since my youth.

And as the man took my luggage, I wondered if he would have recognised my name—that is, if he had ever read one of the stories published in the heyday of my authorship. I still receive letters from avid readers on occasion begging for another installation of my masterwork series, but due to a certain series of circumstances, I must always let them down. Since those days, I have tried my hand at writing everything from fantasy to historical retellings to non-fiction, but these have not met nearly as much success. Fortunately, it has not shaken my resolute love for creation, for the art of the English language.

So I say, anyway. But I digress.

It would seem writing is an effective pastime, for the station came into view hardly a moment after I wrote this passage. Once the train crawled to a stop, I took my bags and exited out onto the platform. I had visited Sussex a couple of times in the past, though not as frequently as I would have liked, and yet each occasion made me feel as though I had entered a world entirely separate from my own. The brilliant blue sky stretched out above my head; the pure summer air filled my lungs.

As I stepped back to admire the view, however, I struck against an older gentleman who had deboarded the train behind me. The books he was holding fell to the ground with a muted thud.

"My apologies, sir!" said I. "I didn't notice you were there."

"Nonsense. It was my fault for not moving out of the way," the man said as I crouched to gather them in my arms. The top-most volume was titled The Origin of Tree Worship, and I smiled furtively at the author listed below, one of my noms de plume.

"My," croaked the man, perhaps noticing my expression, "are you a fan of Miss Anna Graham's works as well?"

"You could say that," I replied, thinking about the months I had spent on writing that particular story. "May I ask why Tree Worship? Miss Graham has released quite a few novels more popular than that."

The man laughed, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in a way that was strangely familiar to me. "Mmadam, I have always felt that the soul of a book mattered more than its success," he remarked. "If the author poured their flesh and blood into their writing, then what does the popularity of the thing matter?"

"I'm glad you think so, sir," said I. There was something so deeply reassuring about a stranger uttering these words to me—these words that assuaged an insecurity I had been grappling with for some time.

"Ah, it seems one more landed over there," the man said suddenly, pointing a gnarled finger towards a book that had landed by the wayside. "Would you pick it up for me? My back isn't what it used to be, you see."

"But of course!" I knelt down to pick up the last of the volumes, only to still when I saw the cover. A Study in Scarlet, it read.

"Thank you, my dear Iris," a well-remembered voice replied.

When I whirled around, before me stood not the stooped, elderly book-collector, but a proud man sporting a tweed overcoat and deerstalker cap. His head was held high and his eyes glimmered with mischief. Still, there were certain indications of his age: the streaks of white in the platinum-blond hair beneath his wig, the soft wrinkles of his face that had been only deepened with makeup, and the spectacles and cane that he had not discarded. In all, though, it was that man through and through.

"Holmesie!" I exclaimed.

—-

keep reading on AO3!

[pbandjesse]

Today was a super productive day and I want to be proud of it even if it kind of was soured at the end. I'm going to try and be positive though because it was a good day.

I slept a little easier last night. Because I took a melatonin. And I was able to sleep an extra half hour. Which was great. When I got up James was getting ready to leave. Smooch goodbye. And I finished getting ready. I changed the totebag James put my lunch in. And then I was off. James had put the vacuum in the car for me. So once I made it to work, after a fine drive in, I would finish cleaning the car. The vacuum isn't as strong as it could be but it got a lot of the nature grit out of the carpet at least.

I had a thought about hanging my hammock from the rafters in the art building. So after I painted another layer on my MWEE sticks I hung it up. And it's a little high off the ground, and a little precarious but it works! I am very pleased about this development. Though I do think it's funny that I have not considered this in 4 years.

I headed to the office and Heather and me would jump into the gator and deliver a wheelbarrow and some shovels and rakes to the tipi field. And then she dropped me off at the office before she went to start meeting the volunteers from BGE at the lodge.

I would grab my pliers and phone and drink and walked over there too. I would tell her about internet drama and algorithms and she was shocked about things like dog whistles and the manosphere. I will be the internet touchstone for camp. Make sure the kids aren't saying horrible things

It took a while for all the volunteers to come through. I directed them to sign up for different areas. And soon we were getting a safety speech from the woman who organized the project. And then we were breaking up into our groups and we were off.

I have 7 people working with me. And they were lovely. I would point out everything and go through our list of things to do. Which I think may have overwhelmed them a bit. One of them said we should work on one at a time. Which was fair. I asked for us to work on the construction debris behind the chicken run. And they did such a good job!! We worked together and they got all of it out and up to the top of the hill. I had a few of them cutting things down with the sawzalls they had and one nice guy got the slide lock off the old door and installed it on the gate like I wanted.

It wasn't all perfect though. There wasn't a way for us to salvage the bird net. And then when two of my guys were moving a log disturbed a ground wasp nests. Got stung twice. Thankfully the one that was allergic to bees ran away and was not stung. But man I felt bad someone got hurt.

We were terribly productive though. We got everything on my list done. The construction pile at nature. The holes filled. The rocks moved. I was so proud of us. Sarah would be driving the truck back and forth collecting all the debris. And her group would also get all the same moved and the beds stored in the basement and it was just great. We were making such good progress.

I would send most of my group and her group to go move the rocking chairs to the porch. I had slide them all down the to the drive way but I couldn't pick them up so I would leave them to it.

The person delivering the lunch was up there and I would help him out and sign for the food. I called Heather to make sure that was okay and what to tip him. Because I was like. I don't know if I'm allowed to tip you because it wasn't my money but I got a number and was able to pay him and it all worked out.

Me and Sarah would grab two guys from my team and they helped us get the last few rail road ties and then load up ten 75lbs into the truck. Those two guys were gems for helping through the first few minutes of lunch. Me and then would walk back to the lodge while Sarah drove the truck to the office where we would toss the concrete later.

I set up two more tables because I didn't think there was enough seats. And hung out with Elizabeth and Heather and had sodas while we talked about what got accomplished. I was super proud of us.

We were able to have some pizza and salad too. And I made sure we saved some for Sarah. But soon Sarah and Chloe would join us.

I didn't expect to be so tired. We would just sit and be so tired while everyone else finished eating and went outside for a group photo. Me and Chloe talked a out the ceramic class. My guess was right and only me and her are signed up right now. We need at least one more person to sign up. We are trying to convince Sarah. Maybe we could get Heather in too. We will see what happens. Fingers crossed.

I would drive the gator up to the Hogan to move the benches inside and take the new sand. The space looks so good. I'm really happy. Moving the benches was heavy work but I got it done.

I drove up to stockade to grab something I left in Hudson bay and was still so happy with how clean it was. And the. To the art building.

I put some stuff away and chilled in the hammock for a few minutes. But eventually I wandered to the office.

Where I came into angry words. Joe was not happy about some of the projects that were done today. And he was no speaking as kindly as I would have wanted. Like don't speak unkindly to Heather. She looked so sad. We were so excited and he didn't even want to see what we accomplished. He just wanted to be mad about what wasn't done or that things weren't done the way he wanted. And like I really like Joe! But I felt like he was throwing a tantrum. He stormed out and Heather literally had teary eyes. So I was frustrated by that.

Me and Sarah discussed our Friday plans since we will be here alone. But because now we were trying to calm down hurt feelings we needed to go collect tools and things right then. We drove around camp and collected tools and buckets and tarps. Which was fine. I was staying a little later since I came in later. I was feeling some kind of way though.

We ran into Rachel and Aubrey and it was nice to see them. We got to show them our hard work and they made us feel good about it. We would soon say goodbye to them though and headed to the dumpster. Where we found Joe climbing around. Probably seeing if there was wood he wanted. But everything was full of nail and had been outside in piles for over a year and some was there for 3+ years so if you actually wanted it you had time to get it. But whatever. I just hope he didn't hurt himself.

Me and Sarah would finish up the stuff we needed. Except for the tarps. Because they are damp and I'm not sure what to do with those. I thought we could lay them on the field but unsure if that was done the way I wanted. But it's all good we'll figure it out tomorrow.

For the last thing of the day I took a video of Elizabeth pulling the raffle name out of a pumpkin. We are happy for the winner even if we didn't know who this person was. Still really exciting.

I went home after that. And got stuck in some traffic. With people who can't merge. But it's fine. I was home before 530. I was a little frustrated bringing things inside because I kept dropping my keys. James yelled down from our window but they did not come down and help but I forgive them.

They were making dough. They would have pizza for dinner. I opted for a salad later on. For the first hour I was home I just wanted to lay on the couch and hear about their day.

We would clean the kitty litter. And James got the vacuum from the car because I hadn't brought that in. And they would play DND and make me a salad. And eventually I would keep working on catching snails (and snail eggs) from the frog tank. I cleaned that for a bit. And once that was to a good enough place I went and took a shower.

Now I am cozy in bed with James and Sweetp. I need to go lotion my face but I am tired and ready to sleep. Thankfully my body isn't aching to bad but it is surprisingly warm in here. I hope a fan helps.

Tomorrow we have indigo back. And I'm looking forward to it in ways. And not in other ways. But it will be good. I hope. I'm looking forward to seeing Celia.

I hope you all have a good night. Take csre of each other. Sleep well. Until next time.

[jillian-is-worth-it]

FROM ONE CHIHIRO FAN TO ANOTHER:

Please write Chihiro interacting with Alter Ego for the first time :>

oh I LOVE you.

guys I win I have friends now see I have friends I have friends I SWEAR I HAVE FRIENDS I SWEAR I DO I FINALLY DOO SEE GUYS THEY ASK ME STUFF TOO I PROMISE THEYRE REAL-

(I use he/him for chihiro btw, sorry if that's bad)

anyways...

on with the story.. er.. dialogue, whatever it is

chihiro and alter ego talking for the first time

Night Light - Laufey <3

⇆ㅤ ||◁ㅤ❚❚ㅤ▷||ㅤ ↻

Chihiro had spent a lot of time working on it, and now, it was (supposed to be) done. His latest computer project, named Alter Ego. He had came up with the idea for fun, and decided to run with it. Finally having the motivation to finish the coding, he had typed in the last few lines after school.

He sighed gently.

"ok.. hope this works.." he said, a little bit nervous for the outcome, he internally calmed himself, reminding him that this probably wouldn't work, and that it's just an AI.

'not a person..' he thought to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he typed in his first message, the message that the AI was coded to respond to.

Chihiro: hello! I'm chihiro fujisaki, who are you?

to his surprise, the virtual image of his head had rose up, smiling right back at him, and spoke back to respond.

"I'm alter ego! wait.. creator, is that you?" Alter ego had said in response, tilting its head to match it's questioning tone.

Chihiro has gasped in surprise, looking down at the screen, head tilted in wonder, unintentionally mirroring the AI computer program.

"t-thats me.. youre.. y-youre me! on a computer! wait.. my program worked?" he had said, surprised, looking around as if to check if it's a dream, but no, it's not a dream either.

his program that he had spent days on, finally worked. he had remembered the process too.

All the laughter of his dad coming in to check on him, ruffling his hair as he had leaned over his sons shoulder, glancing over the scripts. chihiro knew his dad didn't 100% understand programming, but his interest in his projects still held deep meaning to him.

All the sleepless nights. Chihiro had a bad habit of sneaking his laptop back to bed with him, spending sleepless nights in his room inputting different commands to see if it would get him a step closer to his final goal.

Chihiro quickly shook his head, snapping back to the fake feeling reality in front of him. Alter ego. HIS alter ego. finally working.

"Fujisaki? are you doing alright? you seem to be.. worried.." Alter ego had said in response, it's voice quiet in match with chihiro, filled with concern for its creator.

"wha- huh? yea! yea.." chihiro started, sighing gently, not sure how to feel.

"I'm just.. so surprised, I guess.. i-i don't know how to feel.. it's taken.. forever.. for you to finally be programmed.. i can't even say how I feel.." he paused.

Before the young programmer had known, tears had already come to his eyes. he had felt really overwhelmed by the feeling of happiness and relief, that he had unknowingly let out a breath he didn't know he was holding

"I'm just.. surprised, is all.. i-.. didn't expect this to work.." he says, starting off strong, ending in a meek whisper, the tears and shakiness coming to his voice. he was never one to handle his voice being shaky very well.

"no, no! it's ok! please do not cry! I.. am happy that this worked out for you." Alter ego reported back, trying it's best to be comforting, not very good, but definitely grounding for fujisaki.

"i-i.. you're right. I.. I can't believe it worked.. I'm.. so happy!" He exclaims with a smile, grateful that his program had finally worked out in the end.

soon followed, more laughter, and more sleepless nights, cus he couldn't just neglect his new program, y'know!

(silly ending)

[pretentiousliterata]

A Letter From Me to You

~A long overdue beginning in the year of the unexpected~

I'm often a skeptical one —negative, people say. Nonetheless, 2024 has proven to be the year of the unexpected and to surrender and go with the flow it's not as bad as I thought. It's easier said than done, though.

Optimism can be quite a force on itself. When there's many issues knocking at your door and you don't know where to start fixing what's wrong, positivism goes out the door easily. But to stay positive despite everything is the hardest thing, to tell ourselves it's gonna be okay.

And hey, if you're in this situation and you keep your head high (or you can do it with a broken heart like Miss Swift sings), I sincerely applaud you. We get celebrated only when we succeed, but when we're fighting, we often get told «things will get better» —and they can, I guess—, but celebrating the hard battles it's good too. That's what, in retrospective, makes the hardships valuable later, right?

Now, I know you're like, “what's the point of this?”

Well, with this year throwing curveballs at me, good, bad and heavy ones, the time to come out of the shell has come. Every year I put in my resolutions to finish a book, for 2024 I just wrote «write more». Guess who finally finished a draft for a full novel and it's rewriting it for the third time and is filled with regrets?

To keep the illusion and delusions alive —they feed the soul, not gonna lie—, I asked for a commission to have a little “do it for them” shrine. Yours truly has a bad habit of starting things she can't finish later and naturally, she's a crying regret in the flesh when things don't go her way.

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A post shared by 🖤 DAN | ilustradorx (@d_a_n_de.lion)

My babies...

Given how important this is, at least for me considering what I just told you, I wanted a visual to keep feeding the need to make this book a memorable journey. And when it was posted online, it was the unkind reminder that I never share my stuff and I'm expecting to publish a book I don't advertise. I know it's not even close to being published, but still, the work has to be done before and not until the moment comes.

With many close people also knowing what I'm working on, they've been suggesting I should open a blog, it feels the time has finally come and now, here we are. I don't mean to rant about how awful life is, at all. It can be rough and we're all entitled to go feral at least once in the year, but the idea is to share the honest journey of a writer who's also a Healthcare worker and the mother of a sick cat who's recovering slowly from surgery. Even when things can get tangled, I still want to honor the dreams of the little Ali.

So, welcome to the little space where I'll share my passions and how I deal with them, some bits of words I write and other things I enjoy too. If you're a fellow writer or a creator of some kind, feel free to read my shenanigans to know you're not alone in this rollercoaster we call life, especially in times when social media tends to show us perfect timed routines and not having one makes us feel we don't have control of our lives. Not everything we see is real and slowly, we're forgetting about the human side of us which is not perfect at all, and that's great, that's what makes us human after all.

I hope my words don't overwhelm you, instead, that you can resonate with them and know you're not alone out there. Feel free to share your burdens and your joys too, this is a space for everyone. And of course, I hope you stay for the beginning of this new journey.

Oh, and before I forget: nice to meet you. This is your friendly neighborhood Ali. Besides writing, I love music, films, books, languages (the reason why this blog is also in Spanish), and anything I find interesting. I'm currently working on this little project I have temporarily named “On the Night Transcending the Raging Light”, a dark fantasy novel with several storylines that come together to reveal the past and present. You can read a summary in the works section of the blog!

Until next time! x

P.S: Quite unrelated, but speaking of unexpected, the Oasis reunion was definitely not in my 2024 bingo card, so by now, I'm sure anything is possible this year. Naturally, the need to listen to them —as I cry for not being able to go on the tour— is there. If you fought for tickets and didn't manage to get some, let's cry together, a'right? (and before you say “don't you know other tracks other than Wonderwall?”, I do, oh you bet I do lol).

P.S 2: Hands down to the anthem of August. I know many people didn't like the song, but I adored it! Probably because it came out in a moment when I ached change desperately (and I still do, but before I swim into the new me era, there's a few things to do...)

[kyndaris]

City of Lights

VIVID is an annual event in Sydney that began all the way back in 2009. For years, famous landmarks around the central business district have been lit up from late-May to mid-June, pausing only briefly due to the pandemic. Always, there have been magnificent exhibits to wow the senses and tantalise those with a creative bent. And nearly every year I go. With friends or family. To see what wonders the artists have conjured up for the year.

Of late, though, VIVID has become more and more commercialised. Exhibits are hidden behind paywalls. What was once free before now requires a person to fork over a decent of money. And in this day and age, where people are struggling because of the rising cost of money, many might choose to forego VIVID altogether.

And while I might have gone into the city with a friend or two in June, Dikottir asked me out first. Initially, he thought a Saturday would suit, until I told him of the crowds and that I was available for a weeknight adventure.

It didn't take long for us to set a date and arrange to meet at Wynyard. Since this was something of a date, it seemed fitting we pay a little extra to enjoy one of the paid offerings at VIVID. And so, we purchased the tickets for Dark Spectrum, which would lead us into the old train tunnels underneath the fair city of Sydney.

Surprisingly, I managed to arrive before Dikottir. After waiting for a few minutes, he also arrived and we made our way to the entrance of the exhibit. As we headed down the staircase, we caught up on how our individual lives were going. Mine, as is almost always the case, was hardly interesting. A cycle of work and quiet weekends had crept back into my very organised and routine life. And while some would attribute finishing off a lengthy fantasy novel something to chat about, I've learned Dikottir isn't all too curious (given his sister writes poetry and has actually won a prize).

As of typing up this blog post, I'm trying to finish off a short story that has ballooned into a 20k behemoth.

To be fair, I'm trying to conjure up an ending that makes sense for the character. Fingers crossed it won't be all too much longer and I can finally start work on a project I want to see published.

Can you imagine, dear reader? Kyndaris, New York Times Best Seller!

I'm certainly not short of ideas for my stories, but it's setting the time out to execute the vision I have in my head that is difficult to manage. If only I could be a division one winner for the lotto. That'll certainly set me up.

Anyways, what was I saying?

Ah yes. Dark Spectrum! Well, suffice it to say, Dikottir and I headed down into the bowels of Wynyard train station, handed over our passes and were greeted by snippets of history of the old trams that ran underground. And then, before I knew it, I was bombarded by sound and flashing blue light. We had entered Misdirection portion of Dark Spectrum.

Through the confusing maze of blue arrows, we made our way to Search, an almost peaceful experience with its hanging lights. Through this ethereal tunnel, we emerged into Revel. An area that encouraged dancing and spruced up the tunnel segment with green lasers, but was also quick to utilise the darkness.

Dikottir, it must be said, was very much in his element. He might not have been the most elegant of dancers, but he certainly did let loose and didn't mind if he incurred the judgement of the others traversing the exhibit with us. I, on the other hand, was a little bit more reserved and guarded. But also, a little overwhelmed by all the sensory outputs.

It wasn't until we reached the next chamber that I felt a little calmer as the space was a little bigger and the music was more diffused. From the yellow chamber filled with all manner of code and binary numbers, we entered a tunnel filled with lanterns. And what a sight it was!

This had to be my favourite one of the chambers. Especially because of how photogenic it all was.

From the lanterns, we headed to a very angry red room with arches almost reminiscent of tori gates. Making our way through, we entered the very last chamber: filled with white light that broke out into mutli-coloured rainbows to represent how diverse white light truly is.

By the time we stepped out from Dark Spectrum, it was still quite early and the lights of VIVID has yet to be switched on. So, Dikottir and I traipsed to Circular Quay in search of food. As someone who is constantly craving Japanese, we tried out the DOPA located in Sydney Place before we headed to Customs House to see more of the pretty light show that has made Sydney such a great destination even during the winter months.

From Customs House, we made our way towards the Museum of Contemporary Art before we meandered our way through the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Along the way, I snapped photos of the Opera House and Dikottir purchased a huge slice of watermelon, topped up with some soft serve.

Once he had finished his monstrosity of a dessert, we rounded Dawes Point Reserve and headed down the wharfs. Where once the piers hosted a vast array of exhibits, this year, there was a marked absence of anything entertaining. I relayed all this to Dikottir. Multiple times.

So palpable was my disappointment.

And as we walked around Barangaroo Reserve, my disappointment only grew. There was hardly ANY exhibits around this section of the city except for an unimpressive arch.

Even in Barangaroo, the offerings were slim. Yes, there was Horizon but did I really want to head like moths to a flame in between two rows of container lines and stare at a big LED screen flashing orange? And while the ChairWave helped to rest my weary feet for a few minutes, it was hardly worth taking a photo of.

Down we walked, making our way towards Darling Harbour with nary anything exciting to divert my attention.

Even in Tumbalong Park and just outside the Chinese Garden of Friendship, the pickings were small. Where was the huge Swiss Cheese-like monument from yesteryear? Or the sheer amount of frogs? Or the other pretty lights hovering over the pools? What about the water show and dome that had sat in the middle of Darling Harbour?

No. 2024 had none of these options.

As we trudged up the Goods Line towards Central Station, there were a few other exhibits to see but nothing exactly worthwhile.

Much like our last 'date,' Dikottir offered me a hug. One I returned, still somewhat awkwardly. Despite the poor showing at VIVID, the date was still a good one.

But while I don't find Dikottir offensive, and I certainly consider him a friend at this point (he did make a few jokes that he feared I'd lead him down into a dark alleyway and steal his organs - how, I don't know. I don't think I've revealed my unhinged side to him just yet), I'm still questioning how far this might lead in terms of romance.

The thought of holding hands with him, or me showering him with displays of affection, gives me the creeps.

A romance straight from the movies, this is not. At best, it'll be a love forged from a strong foundation of friendship. But this, of course, does necessitate a lot of time and investment. And it might still not eventuate into anything.

Of course, all of this is during a time when I'm questioning my sexuality and gender preferences. I know I'm certainly on the asexual spectrum but I still haven't figured out who I might be willing to enter a romantic partnership/ companionship with.

In all honesty, the idea of simply finding a fellow roommate I can share an affordable apartment/ house with seems more up my alley. That way, neither of us are too lonely, and there's still someone around I can talk to.

If anything, travelling with bleachpanda to Japan this year has shown that I'm surprisingly adaptable in my living arrangements. Yes, she snored terribly but our friendship still held. And we were able to work around each other's normal routines without too much fuss.

Will the same thing pan out if I were to enter a proper relationship with Dikottir? But what if he wanted to do the deed?

At this stage, I can't say for sure I want to jump his bones. Or, heck, even kiss him on the lips, but small steps right? And if the idea still doesn't set butterflies off in my stomach down the line, I can, at least, I gave it the good ol' college try. And hey, maybe we can still be friends! Just, you know, without the benefits.