#realization of feelings

[elmundodeflor]

And just like that, she’d fallen for him.

Spring. Summer. Autumn. The world had its cycles. There had been peace before war, and peace would come after bloodsheds and battles.

Katara looks at Zuko, at how he stares out to the width in the horizons. The curves of his nose and lips are soft, much like the colors of the leaves around them. The lines of his jaw and cheeks are sharp, in contrast.

He’s a beautiful man; she’s always thought so, even when they were enemies and he’d sworn he’d kill them. She likes it better this way, though— being friends, confidants, long-time companions. Kindness suits him more, either way. She likes how his face looks when he’s calm, — when there’s no rage to contort his scar, no scowl furrowing his brow.

She also likes that he knows her. That they can stand, silence pending between them, and it’s never too tense or uncomfortable. Zuko is just that good to her. He never puts too much pressure on her shoulders, — she’s had enough of that already. Instead, he soothes the rough edges. Lets her make her own choices and never judges her for them.

He looks back at her. An easy smile grazes his features; baffling, tortuous, beautiful. Katara has to fight the urge to freeze some water from her bottle and smash it across her searing face.

“Do you wanna…”, his voice cuts through the wind, raspy as it ever was. When he talks, it’s evident that he’s nervous. That he’s been circling around his thoughts and can’t seem to find the words. “I mean…”, he tries again. “Do you wanna stay here until you decide what to do?”

She hums, then turns her gaze back to the gardens. Aang had asked her to travel the world along with him, — to be by his side and help other people, from other nations and villages. She had yet to give him a proper answer.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to— go on missions, hear the masses’ suffering and be present in whatever way she could. Maybe, it was that she simply had pictured something different for herself. She could be so much more than just the “Avatar’s girl”! She could go home, lend a useful hand to Sokka and her dad advocating for their tribe. She could be an ambassador.

She could be with Zuko.

She can imagine the whole thing all too well, actually, — being on the palace, with him, until she could confront Aang about what to do. They could go for an evening stroll, feed turtleducks by the lake. Zuko’d make tea way past dinner time, and she’d laugh along with Suki when he’d burn his tongue by the first sip.

“There’s nothing I’d like more.”, she tells him, then. They are in one of the many balconies, staring out at the sun. The last scraps of summer have flushed with the breeze, and now the trees look all kinds of reds, yellows, oranges. Almost like they’ve caught on fire.

Zuko smiles at her again. A shy, wonderful thing that makes his eyes glint. His hair’s shaggy and overgrown, and falls limp between the honey of his irises. His cheeks burn a bright pink that, Katara deduces, might be from the gentle light warming up their faces.

“Okay.”, he says. He likes this, as well, — having her around. That he can open up to someone he can share his scars with, both the physical and the ones that lay underneath.

Katara inches close to him, just enough so that their elbows nudge together. The world has its cycles, she believes. Blue skies bleed into the darkness of the night. Ice defrosts when heated-up. And just like that, she’d fall for Zuko— delicate, and raw, and over and over. Helpless, like the moon that carries down the tides. Hopeless, like the autumn leaves that fall, ever so slow, and now gather at their feet like sea-foam.

“Okay.”

[as8bakwthesage]

Andante, Andante

Medic realises he's developing some feelings for the Witch...

Also on AO3

*

“Aw come on! I could run circles around that guy!” Scout exclaimed, throwing his arms up and accidentally spilling his popcorn all over, which he scrambled to save. The mercs were sitting around in their living room, eyes locked on the TV which was playing some old horror flick. Most of the mercs were invested in the movie at least while others downright gave commentary. 

It was here where Medic found himself in a rather curious position. He had been swayed to watch the movie after some light convincing from Heavy, who promised the macabre doctor violence and gore in it. While this turned out to be the case, what he was not expecting was to be seated beside the only woman in the base – Witch. 

Thus far, the Witch and himself had a rather… scrupulous relationship to say the least. She wanted him dead, he wanted to dissect her, it was a rather straightforward arrangement. However, between their bickering and near constant threats of mutual violence, Medic couldn’t help but admit that he found the woman enticing to be around. She radiated power and confidence, traits he found extremely appealing. 

At first, Witch almost got up and moved away from him, but Engie had been quick to stop her and start some small talk. She was forced to stay where she was as Medic sat down beside her and retained some distance. While he was a madman, he was certainly no creep. If she wanted nothing to do with him in terms of physical proximity, that he could respect for the time being.

So it was midway through the movie when Witch started chuckling at Scout’s antics that alerted the Medic to her. He had previously been ignoring her and focusing strictly on the film. But hearing her laugh was a surprise. He had never really heard her laugh, and quite frankly, it was a pleasant sound. He didn’t focus too much on it, nor on the feeling of his heart skipping a beat. 

However, it didn’t stop there.

A few days later, during one of the team’s game nights, Medic found himself in a karaoke battle with Witch. They had gotten to that point because Demo had bluntly pointed out that Witch was a very good singer (much to her evident modesty), only for Heavy to defend Medic’s honour as the best singer on the team. Even as Medic and Witch protested heavily against it, the team forced them into their places. Everyone was curious to see who took that honour as Medic and Witch waited with bated breaths for the song to come on.

As the melody came on, both parties' eyes widened in recognition as Witch took to be the one to start.

Take it easy with me, please Touch me gently like a summer evening breeze Take your time, make it slow Andante, Andante Just let the feeling grow

Medic’s eyes widened in surprise to hear her sing. And dear God, she could sing. She practically had perfect pitch! He was enchanted by her singing as she met his eyes as she sang some of her lines, and he could almost swear she was singing it to him. However, he knew it would be his turn soon.

There's a shimmer in your eyes Like the feelin' of a thousand butterflies Please don't talk, go on, play Andante, Andante And let me float away

He could tell she was equally surprised by his own voice as he continued singing. His range was higher but he liked that. And it seemed Witch did too as he caught her smiling with fondness up at him. His heart skipped yet again as the conclusion of their duet was coming to an end.

Make me sing, make me sound (You make me sing and you make me) Andante, Andante Tread lightly on my ground Andante, Andante Oh please, don't let me down Andante, Andante Oh please, don't let me down

They sang the last chorus together, and by the time they were done the others burst into applause. As Medic and Witch scanned the room, they were both equally surprised and more than a little flustered at their teammates’ praise. Medic found himself rubbing the back of his neck as Witch tried to hide her blush. And the feeling of seeing her so open was… wonderful. 

When he finally asked himself the question he had been avoiding since he first saw her smile, Medic was in the infirmary with Witch. She had gotten hurt and was bleeding from a knife slice. She accidentally cut herself it would seem. And while Medic could have used his Medigun to just heal her up quickly, for some reason he felt compelled to keep her there longer. So he opted to instead sew up her wound before healing it.

“There! All done,” he cheered when he was finished. Witch stood up and flexed her hand to see if everything was truly all good. When she found no fault in it, she nodded approvingly.

“Thank you,” she replied. Medic smiled without a care in the world as he stepped away to clean some of his supplies.

“Not at all,” he said. “Now, obviously you should be fine, but please do try to avoid cutting yourself in the future.”

His tone was lighthearted as he was genuinely in a rather jovial mood. However, when Witch didn’t respond, he grew curious. He assumed she had simply left, but when he turned around, he was greeted by the most heartwarming sight.

There was Witch sitting on a cot and cooing at his doves. They all had gathered around her and were peering up at her curiously. She was the pinnacle of an adoring mother as she carefully lifted one of them up and nuzzled it, gently murmuring as she did so. The bird cooed in her hold as she relaxed fully. The other birds found spots to sit on her where they could while the others rested against her or sat by. 

Medic was positively delighted by the sight, having never seen his birds be so openly affectionate with another human before. She was so happy and at peace around his doves and it made his stomach flutter. Seeing her so vulnerable and happy was a sight he was sure he’d never get tired of. Sure, it was fun to tease her and watch her get all frustrated and angry at him, but that didn’t top this. It didn’t help that he wondered what she’d be like as a mother if she was this gentle and loving towards mere birds. 

He shooed the thoughts away as he carefully approached her, making sure she wasn’t surprised by him as he smiled down at her. “You seem to have made some friends,” he teased, but made sure to convey no ill intent in it. She turned to face him and in that moment, her expression turned cold and neutral. 

“Birds are beautiful creatures, as I’m sure you know.” Witch replied, not conveying any emotion. However, despite Medic’s own pride and need to have control, he figured he’d give a bit away to allow himself to get closer to the illusive woman. 

“That they are. They’re quite taken with you, and it seems for good reason.” He commented, allowing himself to fall into that lull of vulnerability. Witch’s eyes met his with surprise and intrigue. He continued. “They must see something special within you.”

“Perhaps so,” Witch replied, her own voice softer than before as she looked away and down at the birds. After a moment, her eyes returned to him. “When… When did you start raising them?”

“Oh, I’ve had doves since I could remember. I suppose you could blame my mother for that.” He recounted with a wistful chuckle. “She taught me how to take care of them. Archimedes himself is a descendant of my mother’s first dove, in fact.” 

“She taught you very well,” Witch praised with an emerging smile. Medic stared at her, as blush creeped up on him. Her smile was one he treasured dearly and it seemed the story about his past touched her. He often hated feeling vulnerable, but at this moment, it felt right.

“Thank you,” Medic thanked, feeling his own smile appear. And not one of his smug and evil smiles, no, this one was genuine. Soft. The two fell into a comfortable silence as Witch continued to tend to his birds. 

As his heart beat in his chest, his stomach tied itself into pleasant knots, and his eyes lingered on her a touch too long, he couldn’t help but wonder ‘what is this feeling?’ Even as Witch reluctantly forced herself to retire for the evening, wishing Medic a goodnight with a warm smile, he wondered. It was such a lovely and floaty feeling, intense and heavenly. He couldn’t believe how he felt so utterly soft and warm for that woman. 

He exhaled heavily, having realised he had been staring at the door for a few minutes as he turned away. Archimedes cooed in response as Medic composed himself. The doctor chuckled. 

“Yes, Archimedes,” he replied, “She’s giving me a lot to think about.”

[ghost-oftheriver]

work all night on a drink of rum

daylight come and me wan go home

stack banana til the morning come

daylight come and me wan go home

come mr tallyman tally me banana

daylight come and me wan go home

come mr tallyman tally me banana

daylight come and me wan go home

lift six foot seven foot eight foot bunch

daylight come and me wan go home

six foot seven foot eight foot bunch

daylight come and me wan go home

day

me say dayo

daylight come and me wan go home

day

me say day

me say day

me say dayo

daylight come and me wan go home

a beautiful bunch of ripe banana

daylight come and me wan go home

hide the deadly black tarantula

daylight come and me wan go home

lift six foot seven foot eight foot bunch

daylight come and me wan go home

six foot seven foot eight foot bunch

daylight come and me wan go home

day

me say dayo

daylight come and me wan go home

day

me say day

me say day

me say dayo

daylight come and me wan go home

come mr tallyman tally me banana

daylight come and me wan go home

come mr tallyman tally me banana

daylight come and me wan go home

dayo

dayo

daylight come and me wan go home

day

me say day

me say day

me say dayo

daylight come and me wan go home

[inkskinned]

it's extremely critical that you see the photo of the perp walk for luigi mangione as being propaganda. i've seen so many people wave it off and instead fawn over his looks. and trust me, i know it ended up being kind of pathetic and weird - but please don't brush it off as a "modelling opportunity" for him. it's a fucking terrifying message the police are sending.

i want to make a few comparisons here, in case you're not from the US or familiar with why the perp walk thing is something to pay attention to. just to set the groundwork for why this is a purposeful, unusual, and cruel act by the nyc police - for why this is not a common occurrence and for why that matters.

the prosecution alleges the show of force is due to the charge of "terrorism." for comparison, in june 2015, tsarnaev was found guilty for the boston marathon bombing, which killed 3 people and injured hundreds. his actions are considered to be an act of domestic terrorism. i have spent the last hour looking through google for pictures of similar to mangione's perp walk - and so far, i have found zero. i also just do not personally remember a moment like that, despite living in boston at the time.

they allege that luigi is a stone-cold killer who carried out a longterm plan, making him particularly dangerous. again for comparison: in nyc, recently cory martin was found guilty of the killing of brandy odom. the murder was planned and premeditated to steal insurance money. and yet no staged perp walk. why didn't her life matter enough for a "show of force"?

but mangione gets paraded by a veritable army of police officers as if he is a rabid animal. for a single citizen who allegedly killed one other single citizen, the "largest perp walk ever" occurs.

so what is the "strong message" that the mayor and the police were trying to send here? the mayor speaks as if mangione is already convicted of terrorism. there is a very thin number of people who feel threatened by the CEO's death. none of us felt like mangione needs to be under massive armed guard.

the message is that you shouldn't resist. they are trying to "make an example" of him - that if you behave badly and kill a single rich person, you'll be treated as if you killed hundreds of people. you will be treated worse than a man who was found guilty of terrorism. you will be considered guilty without trial. the message is that the rich are a protected class, and you cannot touch them without massive punishment. they are trying to prevent a revolution by showing dominance and force against you.

the message is that the police are a puppet of the wealthy and that the law is not equally applied across class disparity. it is "some are more equal than others." it is "one life is more precious than another."

the show of force wasn't for luigi. it was for us. it was a warning. they are trying to remind us who is really in control.

[doccywhomst]

[gibbearish]

love when ppl defend the aggressive monetization of the internet with "what, do you just expect it to be free and them not make a profit???" like. yeah that would be really nice actually i would love that:)! thanks for asking

[uncanny-tranny]

I think so many people are so deeply alienated from themselves that they have no clue how to exercise their free will and autonomy. For some, this alienation runs so deep that they are afraid of their own autonomy and humanity. It is completely understandable why one would have those feelings, but it can be worrisome.

I want to help others who feel this way, so here are small things I have done to exercise my free will:

Add "guilty pleasure" songs to playlists and actually listen to them (I have a ton of late 1990s-early 2000s music I listen to now proudly that I never listened to in the past out of shame)

Getting the décor item, bath set, bed spread, ect. in the patterns you like, even if it's "childish" (I got a dinosaur-themed wastebasket from the kids' décor section and I adore it)

Taking a new route to get to a place you go to often

Eat dessert first

Celebrate well, and often

Collect things that are "odd" or don't seem like an "acceptable" thing to collect (somebody on my "for you" page collects dandelion crayola crayons and it was so cool!!!!!!)

Incorporate one new piece in an outfit you wear frequently (e.g., a new chain, a necklace, ribbons, bracelets, ect.). Challenge yourself to add onto the outfits if you feel up for it.

Sing along to songs without worrying that you sound "good" or your intonation is completely accurate

Read a book from a genre you weren't allowed to read as a kid (comics, thrillers, mysteries, anything!)

Walk without having a specific destination or goal

Pick up a new craft without expecting yourself to master it or to ever be "good" enough. Get your hands messy.

I don't want to shame anybody for not feeling as though they have free will or that they are exempt from exercising it. However, I wanted to give ideas so that you might read this list and find your own ways to express your intrinsic autonomy and will. You deserve to be a person, to feel alive, not just living. That is what our lives are for.

[enesl]

Be with someone who makes you happy.

[elmundodeflor]

A Stain the Color of You - An Akihime Story

READ FULL WORK HERE:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/44715286

Summary:

Aki is a man of routine:

He does the laundry on Fridays. Buys the same brand of cigarettes. Thinks of himself as a pretty lonely man, too.

Until one day, where he discovers a stain that unravels an entire rainbow of memories.

And he realizes, then, he might not be so lonely anymore.

Excerpt:

“He inhaled into the warm summer breeze and closed his eyes shut; hands lingering onto the balcony railings for the ignites of a flickering second. He wanted to draw a sparkly universe without beer and ramen and his work-suits. Another landscape without drunken conversations or his designated laundry days.

And yet, he found his brain was utterly incapable of doing so.

As if trying to daydream of another, alternate-lifetime where he never got to know the taste of cigarettes. Where he never got to see the Tokyo streetlights.

Where he never got to meet Himeno.

He looked over at her once more, and his pulse seemed to falter unsteady inside his chest. They had been partners for only three years at most, he was certain. But still, she had taken up every corner of his ever-small apartment: painted every sorrow nightmare into sunsets of cotton-candy sugar.

And so, he was sure, ever as the infinite blues glinting over the night skies: he couldn’t really remember how life was even before her.”

Huuuge thanks to @giuliadrawsstuff​ for making the BEAUTIFUL illustration to accompany this piece. You always know exactly how to bring my words to life and that means more than the entire world to me! <3 <3

Also, this is my first time ever writing Akihime, so if you liked this, pls let me knowww so I can keep creating more content for themm! <3

[suddenlysundayisspnj2fanlw]

Love this!! Such a fun look inside Dean's head and a great first time wincest!

[anna-scribbles]

adrien in my outfit from a few days ago✨ feat. my claws out converse

bonus:

[cardo-de-comer]

10/10 - "all is gone, none is won"

[aluminumneedles]

I'm knitting in the corner at a party

and guys my age stop by to tell me I remind them of their aunt, of their grandmother. This is a compliment and I take it as such. They confess to having tried crochet once, and I smile. They get back in line for the bathroom.

I'm knitting in the corner at a party and a queer woman sits on the floor next to me, arranges her skirt, and smiles up at me. (I try not to blush.) She asks me all the questions on her mind about my craft and I answer them, hands still moving. We swap yarn sources. She doesn't stay, but she knows where to find me.

I'm knitting in the corner at a party and everyone knows where to find me when they need a minute, when socializing is too much and the music is too loud and they need to catch their breath. They pretend to be checking in on me, which is sweet, but I can see the relief in their eyes the moment they stop performing for a house full of people. They sit down and tell me things and all the while they never take their eyes off my hands.

The party has wound down and I'm still knitting and the hosts, two guys in their twenties, thank me for "helping to curate the vibe." I had no idea that's what I was doing. I leave the party having forgotten to drink anything and without that woman's number but with many rows added to my top-down raglan sweater. I call it a night, and a good one.

[ruporas]

dragon meat, you, and me

[overlymetaromantic]

Dungeon Meshi, or as I like to call it, Marcille's-increasingly-difficult-to-ignore-revelations-that-her-endless-devotion-to-Falin-may-in-fact-be-more-rooted-in-lesbianism-than-she-originally-thought

[chloesimaginationthings]

The moment FNAF movie Vanessa knew she fucked up