#really getting there so that I can fully enjoy it during the summer without it stressing me out too much

[kt1018]

Not Looking for a Hero.

This is an unravel as I go story. A SLOW BURN. My first dip into the Rafe/OBX world and my first direct to Tumblr story. I’ve only ever written for Dramione and I only put out 2 of those stories so… *shrugs*. I’m not sure how long this will be or 100% how I’ll get to where I want to go.

But if people enjoy it I’ll keep going. :)

Warnings : Language and references to cheating. The warnings might change by chapter but I can say there will be language, violence and sexual content in the future. Just not sure when yet, but I’ll do my best to update as I put it out. So don’t get invested if that isn’t something you will want in the future.

This is Rafe Cameron x Y/N (female) Reader 18+

It’s late now.

Or early you suppose?

Close to 2am at this point.

It’s quiet and so are you, walking down the night covered street.

You’re holding yourself tight while an index finger grasps the heels you foolishly chose to wear.

But you don’t mind the feeling of the gravel pushing into the soles of your feet. Growing up in OBX you spent most of your younger days barefoot running around.

That’s not where the pain is sitting anyway.

It’s in your head.

Your head is practically exploding. You can’t believe you’re going through the exact thing everyone warned you about.

Your piece of shit boyfriend, Elliot Coin, cheated on you at his cousin Topper’s “Summer Kick Off” party and you walked right in on it. You arrived not even knowing he was back in town. School ended so you knew he was coming back soon, but he didn’t tell you he’d be here tonight. You were blissfully unaware of how foolish you would feel in just a few short moments.

You showed up late. Walking through the open front door, you received some off glances here and there, but nothing that fully registered enough to pause. At least not until you arrived at the back door to the patio.

Ruthie, Topper’s ex girlfriend, swung in front of you with the most infuriating grin plastered on her face like always.

“I wouldn’t go out there right now if I were you.” Ruthie spat out so matter of fact.

You roll your eyes and step to the side of her, moving back onto your intended path. The beers up for grabs were usually kept by the pool and you needed one ASAP. You weren’t going to engage with Ruthie of all people before having a drink in hand.

That’s when you saw him.

Across the pool.

Elliot positioned in between the legs of some random girl, perched up on the garden wall.

She was running her hands through his now repulsive to you blonde hair. He was rubbing his now vile fingers up her thigh and below her skirt. Faces so close they were practically welded together.

You were so unfortunately sober, everything hit you fully and all at once.

You have been with Elliot for a year. He lived up in Boston during the school year and you met at the start of last summer. At Topper’s kick off party actually. Fitting. Full circle moment.

It was the definition of a perfect summer fling. Beach days followed by pool evenings. Weekends on the yacht, partying with the whole group. Exactly what anyone would dream for the break before senior year. Living like a Kook 101.

You weren’t technically a Kook, but you definitely weren’t what the Pouges would consider on their level. You had friends on both sides of OBX and never really fell too far into one crowd or another. Your family sat somewhere in the middle. Never went without, you just weren’t inherently wealthy.

Not like the Thorton family.

Elliot loved to flaunt his privileges for everyone around to see. Topper was full blown Kook, he was just less in your face about it day to day. They would invite their girls, you and Ruthie, along with a handful of friends out on the water. Spending hours on end drinking and partying, until the sun started to set. Then you’d take the party back to someone’s home until it was time to rest before it all began again the next day.

It was never deep with Elliot in the beginning. During the break you guys would party and hook up. Nothing substantial. You weren’t expecting anything serious from someone who didn’t live there year round anyway. To your surprise though, he asked to keep it going the night before he flew back home.

You agreed.

For awhile you would fall asleep on the phone with him a few nights a week. He would visit when he could, long weekends or breaks. You even went to spend a weekend with his family in Boston. Your textbook long distance arrangement.

It all appeared simple on your end. You didn’t mind him not being around all the time. It allowed you to keep things pretty normal. Focusing on school and your friendships. Not allowing a relationship to engulf your entire world.

Seemed pretty perfect.

Then the week before New Year’s he let you know that he wasn’t able to come down. You were disappointed, but you understood.

You understood in February and April and all the other long weekends that followed.

You understood that the calls became less and less frequent.

Chalking it up to him taking the end of senior year seriously and buckling down. Or just him living in his world, you in yours and how far apart they were. You didn’t want to overthink anything because you had no reason to. Even though it spread over a few months the relationship was still new, so you didn’t want to stress over what was possibly nothing.

Now you’re here. Finding out that it was clearly something and you feel like an idiot. An idiot that was just slapped with her lack of self respect with a force.

You felt like you just let this happen. You ignored all the signs and chose to stay quiet. That led to you getting a front row view of Elliot, clearly forgetting or maybe just not caring that you could show up at any moment.

You stumbled back a few steps bumping Ruthie’s arm with your shoulder. You look towards her, finding that same smirk looking back down on you.

“I tried to tell you�� she shrugged with a dry laugh as she walked away, probably to her next victim.

It took everything in you to not snap, taking your new sudden fury out on her. Instead you continue to back up the way you came.

Through the patio door.

Back past all the stares that you now fully recognize.

Right out the front door.

You got to the end of the driveway and leaned against a random car. Taking your first breath, you feel, since you saw Elliot all over that poor girl.

“Fuck!” You choke out partly furious at him and the rest disappointed in yourself.

You pull out your phone to order a car and immediately remember your phone died on the ride there. You had added grab a charger to your to do list, but things clearly spun out before you did.

With another sigh you start to unhook your heels in preparation for the hour ish walk home. You don’t even know what more you need other than that right now. Home. Your bed. Then maybe you can dabble into processing what just happened.

You just needed to get away from this party immediately.

That’s how you find yourself 20 minutes in, barefoot, cold, sober and more tired than you would’ve been had you actually attended this party.

You feel foolish for not paying attention to any of the warnings about Elliot. Foolish for letting his behavior or lack of attention slide. Foolish about ignoring the fact he hadn’t even texted or called. Foolish for not noticing your phone needed to be charged before leaving the house so you weren’t stranded walking home at almost 2am.

You trudge on. What else are you going to do at this point?

Suddenly you hear the sound of a vehicle approaching over the hum of whatever bugs were hiding in the tall grass. You glance behind you and see headlights gaining fast. You move off the road to avoid getting hit and feel the rush of wind whip around you as the truck speeds past.

Just as fast as it went by, the brake lights lit, shift to reverse lights and back up towards you.

Great. Now you’re going to be a roadside victim from one of those made for TV movies your brother falls asleep to on the couch every night.

You shift your grip on your heels so you have one in each hand, ready to take a swing if needed.

The truck meets you before going into the park.

Then the passenger side window rolls down and the cabin light gets flicked on.

“Hi. Y/N… You good?” Comes from the driver's side in the familiar voice of The Rafe Cameron.

Again, your eyes roll. “Yeah Rafe, I’m fine.” You step back out onto the road and continue on towards home.

Rafe Cameron is the biggest player in OBX. The party boy. The Kook Prince, which you always assumed was self titled. You don’t have anything really against him, but you also don’t have anything really for him either. You hangout in the same group and had your basic sarcastic comment here followed by a snappy response there, relationship. He’s not the worst person you know. Especially not today.

There wasn’t much more to like or dislike beyond that.

Besides, you don’t need to be around anyone right now. A long self destructive walk home is better than any company right now. So you walk on.

You hear a click and the sound of tires rolling across the ground as the truck pulls back up onto your left side.

“Not to disagree here but, you don’t look like you’re fine… even if you were, it’s 2 in the morning and you’re strolling barefoot down a dark road in a party dress?” He says with his usual mixture of sarcasm and cockiness.

You stop to face the window and Rafe puts on the brakes to idle by your side. You sigh, shifting your weight to your left leg followed by an annoyed head tilt. You hope this is projecting a casual stance and not even a sliver of the impending stress explosion bubbling so close to the surface.

“I really am fine. Thank you for your concern but you can go now.” You swipe your hand to the side for direction, as if he wasn’t the one just headed that way.

Rafe contorts his face in his typical I call bullshit look. “Right. How about you and I pretend you’re fine” he throws up air quotes to really set in stone that he doesn’t believe you “But you get in the truck anyway and I drive you home so you don’t end up on a milk carton?”

You go to throw a witty retort back and pause. A second attempt that again is followed with just you standing there at a loss.

“Fuck.” You groan.

His offer is the quickest way you can get home. You’ll also avoid any other possible passersby, good or bad.

“Okay. Fine. Thanks” You go to open the door but it’s locked. Your eyes instantly snap up to meet his and to find he has a smirk plastered across his face.

“Sorry.” His tongue lightly swipes his bottom lip and he reaches back to hit the unlock button without losing eye contact with you.

You throw another eyeroll and open the door. As you settle into the passenger seat you adjust your dress so it doesn’t rise up too far.

“Thank you.” You say quietly.

“Hey. I see a damsel. I save a damsel.” He was definitely joking, but you weren’t in the mood.

“Look I appreciate the ride, but there is no saving going on.” You place your shoes next to you and cross your arms to keep yourself warm or protected. You’re not sure which.

Rafe nodded with a light chuckle and took off towards your house.

The windows were all open letting in the summer air. There was a slight chill so you held yourself a little tighter in the breeze.

Rafe must have noticed and absent mindedly grabbed a sweatshirt that was draped over the seat, placing it in your lap.

“Thanks… again.” You say as you throw it over your head. Immediately feeling the warmth cover you.

“No worries.” He says keeping his eyes ahead.

“If you take this right here…” You start.

“I know the way.” Rafe states off hand.

Another quiet nod from you and the rest of the ride is pure silence. You leaned on edge of the window letting the breeze swirl your hair around.

After 20 minutes Rafe pulls into your driveway and puts the car in park. ���Well not damsel. Your non-chariot has arrived at your destination.” Then turned to you to see your reaction, resting his elbow on the back of the seat.

You had a slight smirk on your face. “Well thank you anti-hero. I appreciate your service.” You gather your things and step out of the truck. “Oh.” You turn back around and start to remove his sweatshirt.

“Nah. I’ll get it back another time.” He waved you off.

“Okay thanks. If you’re sure.” You pulled the sweatshirt back down.

Rafe nodded with a grin.

You close the door with another barely there smile and walk towards the house.

Rafe backs out and starts to pull away. As he goes by he leans out the window one more time. “Sleep tight Y/N. See ya around.” With a wink he waits for you to get inside, before he takes off.

Finally you’re home and you clean up. Reaching your room you change into a large shirt and crawl into bed.

Then the reality starts to hit after you were able to briefly forget. “FUCK” you whisper louder this time and roll face first into your pillow. You now have to fight for sleep in between the revisiting visions of Elliot and that girl.

It was a hard battle, but eventually sleep started to take over. There was nothing more you could do about it tonight.

Tomorrow you’d put more effort into cleaning up this mess.

Part Two (I will start working on finishing pt. 2 soon)

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

ily i hope ur okay <3

hi! i am okay today, thank you for checking in ♡ hope you're okay as well

i was actually very big and brave today, went in not just one, but two different stores, PLUS I just came in from spending some time out on the balcony, a whole chapter of an audiobook, so I'm pretty proud.

[puck-bunnies]

behind closed doors

umich!luke hughes x fem!reader

warnings: nsfw 18+, fingering, praising, choking, not proof read

word count: 2.3k

me and luke were never much of friends, never even talked much. at least, that’s what everyone thought. no one ever knows what happens behind closed doors.

i have not used this app in forever, meaning i haven’t written a fic in quite a long time so this is me trying to get back into writing. sorry if this is not great and a little rushed, i just haven’t written anything in like five months. anyways, try to enjoy this fic and ill try to write more as soon as i can.

i sit in the living room of my best friends boyfriends house, she sits beside me as all of ethan’s roommates take up every other seat. the lightning vs islanders game plays on the tv, having all of our eyes glued to it.

the boys are in a constant state of yelling, wether is celebrating, yelling at how stupid the refs are, or booing the other team. i’m not as invested as usual, my teams aren’t playing, but ill never miss an opportunity to a hockey game.

my mind also focuses on the close proximity as luke sits beside me, our thighs lightly rubbing against each other ever so softly. the warm summer weather left me wearing shorts and a tank top, causing luke’s hand to glide across my bare skin as he secretly places his hand on my thigh.

i never intended on sneaking around with luke, it all just happened one day, the house was empty and quiet. we got to talking, venturing from subjects like our classes, plans for our future, and somehow turning into our sex life.

he learned that i’ve never really gotten quite what i need, never feeling that spark with any guy that i’ve been with. them never wanting to try anything i’ve wanted to, i’ve never been fully satisfied.

he continued to tell me how he has slept around quite a bit. nearly almost always leaving the rink with some new blonde puck bunny stuck to his arm. he didn’t wear it as a trophy, or say that he regretted any of it, all just saying it’s apart of his past. his history he can’t and won’t change.

one thing led to another, his hands roaming my body as my lips bit down on his. my hands squeezing the mattress tightly with every moan escaping my lips.

we didn’t even stop there, whenever we could find a time to be alone, we were tangled in each others arms.

here we are now, not even able to keep our hands to ourselves in sight of one another. i try to shake his hand off, not wanting any of the surrounding eyes to see his intimate gesture. he doesn’t move, squeezing my skin harder. i softly pierce my bottom lip with my teeth, try to calm my nerves. i can feel heat bubbling up to my face, painting my cheeks with a faint blush.

my eyes peer over to him, giving him a pleading look to start behaving. he doesn’t budge, giving me a side smirk before returning his eyes on the game.

rutger groans loudly as the 2nd period finishes, “fuck the lightning.” he swears as they’re pulling a 4-1 lead. he chugs back the rest of his beer, throwing the can on the ground in some grown man temper tantrum.

the ads run during the commercial break, leaving the rest of us to disregard the television for the time being. my heart starts to quicken, without their distraction of the game they’re eyes could fall upon luke’s hand on me.

my mind tries to work fast, but the only thing i can think of doing is grabbing the blanket next to me and covering myself with it, concealing us from the wandering eyes. luke’s lips curl into a smirk, proud of me not forcing him off, knowing that i want it. that i want him.

his hand becomes bolder, rubbing up and down my inner thigh. i bite my bottom lip again, trying to stabilize myself from this new feeling. his fingers become more adventurous, going to the hem of my shorts.

“fuck.” i softly mumble to myself, luke’s soft chuckle tells me that he hears my light groans. his fingers don’t stop there, rubbing up to the bottom of my shirt, toying with the cotton material.

the pads of his fingers brush against my sensitive skin, right across the bottom of my stomach. fire engulfs my stomach, my breath hitches as he rubs softly back and forth, tickling my skin.

the game comes back for the final period, my eyes keep trained on the hockey game, but my mind can only focus on his touch as it drives me insane.

he feels my stomach hitch with my breath, he knows i want him so badly, he knows what he does to me. i squeeze my thighs together, trying to cause some type of sensation in my growing wetness.

i can’t take his teasing fingers anymore, “meet me in my room.” i whisper to him. rising from the couch and walking away from the crowded living room. i head for the direction of the bathroom, making them hear my footsteps as i lead their ears to the door closing. i stay outside the bathroom, tiptoeing to my room in an unsteady waiting of luke.

the door finally opens, luke quickly closing the door silently behind him. a deep breath is all i can hear from him, turning around to look at me patiently sitting on the foot of my bed. he takes a seat beside me, quickly gripping my hips and pulling me onto his lap.

“it’s been awhile since we’ve been alone,” my fingers rake up the back of his head, through his soft brown hair, my finger swirling around a curly lock. “too long.” a soft sigh parts from his lips as my fingers lightly scratch at his scalp.

he keeps his hands on my hips, roughly gripping at my denim shorts. “i missed your hands all over me. you can’t tease me out there and not expect me to want more.”

our bodies come closer, our lips so close together, our hearts syncing their beats. i can barely hold myself back from making up that final inch. “tell me how badly you want me.”

“i want you..” he shyly gives into my need. it’s not enough for me, i feed off of hearing how badly he wants me, his hands rubbing up and down my body, the feeling of his cock being buried deep inside me.

“oh yeah…” my lips attach to his neck, softly kissing down from his jaw.

finally he gives in, “i want to feel you against me, your lips on mine, every inch of your beautiful body baby.”

a devilish smirk spreads on my face, “mmm, is that right?” i mumble against his neck, softly sinking my teeth into his sensitive skin, sucking the spot to soothe it after.

“oh god yes.” luke practically moans out. his hands become adventurous, slowly going down to hold my ass in his hands, gripping at my clothed skin. they make their way down farther, gripping at my exposed thighs while my kisses go back up his jaw.

i crave for his taste, forcefully pressing my lips against his in a hungry state. my tongue quickly sliding into his mouth, hands combing through his messy curls, pushing him closer into me. he guides my hips back and forth on him, i can feel him hardening underneath me.

breaking the kiss to catch my breath, i drop my head onto his shoulders as i feel his hands press against my pussy. my hips still grind on him, but instead of just on his hard cock, it’s on his fingers. “mmm, you want me that bad?” he chuckles, i nod against his shoulder.

he undoes my shorts, exposing the top of my pink lacy panties, his fingers drag down them, going farther into my pants. they settle on my wetness, my hips stop rocking, focusing on the closer touch. “god you’re soaked.”

my lip sticks to my teeth in a harsh lip bite, my walls clench around nothing, begging to be filled by him. his fingers work slow and teasingly, rubbing circles around my clothed clit, watching me squirm on top of him. my back slightly arches, legs slowly opening wider for him to have better access to my aching pussy. “needy, are we?”

i softly whimper, my hips start to grind again, craving more attention from his teasingly slow hands. his fingers move the crotch of my panties aside, touching my wetness with his bare fingers, feeling my folds and them dripping for him. my head lifts off his shoulder, taking a glance down at his hand stuffed down my pants, looking back deep into his eyes.

i take a deep breath out, without a single warning he thrusts a finger in my pussy. making me loudly squeal with surprise. he quickly covers my mouth, stopping his finger in me. “you have to be quiet princess, you don’t want us getting caught, now do you?” he asks. i shake my head no, he hums at my obedience. “good girl.” his voice is in a whisper, softly praising me.

he begins to move his finger once again, letting me adjust to the new sensation before adding another, stretching me out for him. curling his fingers up to my g-spot. finally trusting me enough not to scream, he moves his hand off of my face, settling it down on my hip to keep me steady.

my hands grasp at his curly locks, trying to compose myself. as he adds another finger i bite down on my bottom lip, trying to keep the wanting moans from escaping my lips. a smirk spreads across luke’s face, watching what he can do to me with just his hands. i curse under my breath, dropping my head down to keep my brain straight, the pleasure slowly becoming less bearable.

his fingers quicken, hand comes off my hip and to my chin, lifting my head to force me to stare back into his eyes. “look at me while i’m finger fucking you baby.” my teeth puncture my bottom lip harder, my chest heaving with all the moans i keep to myself. i slip up and let on me out, hard hands hit my throat, softly squeezing. “i thought i told you to keep quiet?”

his grip loosens to allow me to take a breath, closing back up as soon as my chest rises. another finger slips in my cunt, my legs start to squirm, toes curling and hands squeezing his hair. his fingers losen from my throat, falling down to the straps of my tank top. he pulls one strap off each shoulder, one at a time. hooking two fingers at the neckline and pulling down, my tits falling out from my lack of wearing a bra.

he wastes no time before gripping my breast, rubbing his thumb over the sensitive bud. i clench around his fingers, my senses overloading with pleasure. he lowers his head, kitty licking my other nipple. i softly moan, not loud enough for luke to get me in trouble again, but enough for him to know the things he’s doing to me.

my stomach clenches, the feeling i know very well as my head starts to feel light. “i’m so close.” i whimper out. luke doesn’t let up, switching to my other breast, sucking on the nipple before softly biting the skin.

my whole body clenches as i feel my climax, luke’s quick fingers curling inside me quickly. it all comes raining down, my pussy clenching around him as i coat his fingers with myself. he backs up, letting me heave and fall down on his chest to catch my breath.

i quietly curse under my breath, squeezing my eyes shut to recover from my high. i life my head back up to look luke in the eyes. he removes his fingers from my folds, fingers coated with my cum. he slides his fingers into his mouth, licking them clean. my breath catches in my throat again, god damn he makes me want more.

“you’re such a good girl Y/N.” he pops his fingers out of his mouth, “i wish i could fuck you silly right now. but i want to keep all those precious moans to myself, when we can be completely alone.”

before i can even react to his words he puts his lips back onto mine, slipping his tongue in my mouth to let me taste myself. his fingers plant back onto my hips, helping me up to my feet so he can get out from underneath me.

“you go get yourself cleaned up and meet me back in the living room. i pray we weren’t gone too long for anyone to notice.” he whispers, fixing my hair from the sweat that beads on my forehead.

i nod to his words, giving him one last little kiss before he silently slips out of my bedroom. my try to regain my normal breathing patterns, my brain still fuzzy from my previous orgasm.

i obey luke’s wishes, tiptoeing to the bathroom to clean myself off. splashing water into my face to try to remove my blushing red cheeks. i walk back out to the bathroom, seeing everyone engrossed in the final minutes of the third period. i thankfully sigh, slipping back between the guys to sit back down beside luke. he offers me a light smirk, we both then back to the television, watching the game unfold.

[daydream-cement]

maybe reader x larissa where reader is also a teacher and has a fainting disorder but hides it from larissa until she faints in her office and scares larissa?? + a love confession at the end ;)

Fainting Spells

Larissa Weems x Reader

Authors Note: I changed the prompt a lil bit because others have requested this prompt as well 🥰

“You know, Y/n, you really don’t have to bring me my lunch all the time. I can come down and pick it up from you.” Larissa softly chided you even though she didn’t truly want you to stop bringing her lunch. She leaned against the edge of her desk, arms folded in front of her chest as she stared down at you with the most affectionate of smiles.

She loved when you would come up to her office so the two of you could visit as she enjoyed a summer salad or sandwich. Larissa had been adoring your presence for weeks, but was struggling to find the gumption to ask you out. 

You offer a jest in response, not needing to let the pretty shapeshifter know your presence was fueled by your own crush on her. “Oh, don’t even worry about it, Ms. Weems. It’s probably best if I get out from behind that counter every once in a while.” 

“Larissa, please.” She corrected with a wink before turning back to her own thoughts. “How has business been? Your shop has been officially open, for what? Six weeks?” 

During Larissa’s inquiry, you felt the familiar dizziness of a fainting spell approaching. Without a word, you lean forward towards Larissa and grip the edge of her desk, attempting to stabilize yourself on something. You misjudged the distance to the desk and found yourself stumbling and tripping onto the floor. 

Larissa’s panicked voice was calling to you as she dropped to the floor. Her hands cradled your face and then shook your arms, trying many different methods in an attempt to coax you back into consciousness. In the moments you were not conscious of the world around you, Larissa had fully panicked, pulling your form into her lap as she wildly searched you for signs you were still breathing.

Minutes later, your eyes flickered back open to see a wide eyed Larissa with one hand on your cheek as she cradled your face against her chest. She had been rocking you back and forth, but all of her movements stilled completely when she saw your eyes open, “Y/n!”

You first offer a faint smile and a slow nod to acknowledge her saying your name. This wasn’t the exact way you were hoping for Larissa to come to know about your fainting spells.

“What happened? Do you need anything? I can get you water or- Do you need me to call for an ambulance?” Larissa’s mind was working a mile a minute and you could see her wild thought processes by the way her eyes frantically moved back and forth.

Gently, you reach up and grasp Larissa’s wrist to reassure her of your health. “No... No, no. I just need a second… I’m prone to fainting spells… I’ll be alright, I promise.”

“I thought- I don’t even know what I thought. Oh, honey. I- I was worried I had lost you and never had the opportunity to tell you-”

“Tell me? Tell me what?” You felt your heart swelling in your chest. Hope filled your entire being as you were sure Larissa would admit long standing feelings for you, so you could return the notion with a fervent kiss.

“I- Well, I guess-” Larissa took a long pause, her eyes searching yours for a confirmation that you would return her affections. When she was left unsure by your wide-eyed expression, her face turned downcast, “It’s not that important right now. Do you need anything?”

You could have sworn you saw admiration in Larissa’s eyes. You saw a spark there that could only mean she was in love with you too. 

Gingerly, you move your hand from around her wrist to the back of her neck. You chose to move slow enough that she could have moved away or stopped you at any point, but the shapeshifter only bit at her bottom lip, awaiting your lips to touch as butterflies swirled in her stomach.

“I need…” Once your hand was planted on the back of her neck, you gave her a light tug towards your face and she moved without hesitation. Her eyes flickered between your eyes and lips, her breathing starting to quicken when she realized what was about to happen. “I need you to kiss me.”

When the last of your sentence had been spoken, the shapeshifter was quick to oblige you, pressing her hand to your cheek and pushing her lips to yours. She hadn’t intended for the kiss to become hungry quickly, but she had been dreaming of this moment for weeks so it was hard to contain herself. 

Her lips felt incredible against yours. Midway through the kiss, you sat up slightly, causing Larissa to

immediately readjust her grip. She now had both of her hands on either of your cheeks, kissing you with all of her might. The kiss was everything you had dreamed of and more. 

When you parted, Larissa giggled slightly at the messy lipstick marks around your mouth and the dazed expression in your eyes. The shapeshifter hesitated for a moment before spilling all of her feelings, “Oh, I was so worried you wouldn’t feel the same. Y/n, I think you are so… charming and I wouldn’t want to ruin our professional relationship. I’m not-”

You held up a hand to interrupt her rambling, knowing she was trying to deliver her entire thought process on why she hadn’t decided to share her feelings sooner. “Larissa… It’s okay. You are witty, kind, and- God, you are so attractive…”

When the compliments left your mouth, Larissa’s lips were back on yours in a flash. Not often did she receive compliments such as those from people she admired so greatly.

And there you both remained for a good long while, admitting your long standing feelings, caressing one another’s faces, and kissing like fools. 

[linawritesficsies]

s.h. | there goes the strangest girl Hawkins has ever seen (one shot)

a/n: soooo, yeah. i came back to writing fanfics. i haven't done this in years so I hope i'm not rusty. you'll let me know if that's the case.

warnings: halloween themes, language, femicide. english is not my first language. some stuff may not be accurate. i wrote this at night. please don't blame me.

summary: while steve is working at family video, a mysterious girl comes to the store and he can't help to be intrigued by her so he asks her out.

steve harrington x occ.

Steve knew Hawkins was not a normal place to live in. Understatement of the century. Much to his dismay, he found out about the existence of demogorgons, the Mind Flyer and Vecna as well as the crazy scientist who used little kids for wicked experiments in a secret laboratory. 

Although…he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that deep deep deep down a part of himself somehow enjoyed fighting against those monsters, and also the unusual excitement that they brought to the small boring town. 

He had been working at Family Video for a couple of months now, waiting for “shit to hit the fan” as the kids said, but he had seen nothing out of the ordinary. He was secretly wishing that Vecna would have given up on destroying the world. As if, Steve thought, rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to get too into his head on that matter. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

One warm afternoon in the last week of October while he was at work, the doorbell rang and when he turned his head to look at the person entering the shop, he couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. There was a blond girl around his age and slightly shorter than him. She was wearing a white summer dress that had little flowers in different shades of pink on it and white sandals on her feet. She looked beautifully angelic. 

“Good afternoon, my name’s Steve. How can I help you?”, he introduced himself as he got closer to her.

“Hi, Steve”, she greeted him with a sweet shy voice and gave him a little smile. “I’m looking for a horror film. My family and I have this tradition of watching horror films during the Halloween week nights and for once they are letting me choose”, she mentioned while shaking her head and then smiling again.

“We shall not disappoint them then”, Steve retorted. Shall? Who on Earth says shall nowadays, you idiot? He pushed that thought into the back of his brain and directed her towards the ‘Horror and Thrillers’ section. “So, what type of horror are you looking for? Monsters, psychological, supernatural or ghosts?” he asked, looking at the different rows of shelves.

“Oh, no ghost stories, please. I know them all too well”, she replied while clearing her throat. He looked up to him. “Which one would you recommend?”

“Well, I’d suggest ‘Rosemary’s baby’ or ‘Evil Dead’”, he said, turning his head to look at her as well.

“Have you seen those?”

“Nah, I’ve got enough horror in my life”, he answered without letting his brain process first what his mouth has just blurted out.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, long story.” He raised his eyebrows, and scratched the back of his neck, fully ready to avoid that topic. “But a lot of clients said they were both really good so…”

“Ok, then I’ll take ‘Evil Dead’. It looks interesting but kinda gross as well’”, she grabbed the film from the shelf and gave it to Steve. Their hands accidentally touched and they both felt a rush of electricity. They looked at each other with surprise mixed with curiosity.

“How much do I owe you?”, she asked rather quickly, wanting to ignore what just happened, but also screaming inside.

Steve directed her to the register counter to tell her the price and the date of return of the film and while she was looking for her wallet on her bag, he couldn’t help noticing a subtle mark around her neck. It looked like a birthmark. It was subtle but the natural light coming from the huge windows allowed him to see it.

“Goodbye Steve, thank you for the recommendation”, she uttered after paying him and grabbing the bag with the film inside.

“My pleasure.”, he said as he watched her exit the store.

Later in the afternoon, Robin joined him at work. She had noticed the lovey dovey look he had on his face. The reason was a mystery to her, so she decided to question him about it while they were organizing the piles of films that people had rented and brought back during the last couple of weeks.

“What’s that look on your face, dingus?”

“You know? I’m still not fond of that nickname”

“But you know I won’t stop calling you that, don’t you?” Robin retorted and Steve moved his mouth, mocking Robin. “Now, talk.”.

“It’s nothing really”

Robin looked at him with her eyebrows raised so he had no more excuses to keep dodging the question.

“A really cute girl came earlier to the store to rent a film.”

“A lot of cute girls come here to rent films, Steve.”

“Yeah, but she was different, I don’t know. She had this really chill vibe and she was really beautiful.” The images of this girl came back to his head and he sighed.

“You should ask her out when she comes back to return the film”, Robin suggested.

“I’m not doing that. Keith said we shouldn’t hit on clients”

“Steve, come on! Are you really obeying Keith’s rule on that? You? King Steve?”

“I’m not King Steve anymore.”

“He makes little appearances sometimes though”.

“Shut up, Buckley.”

––––––––––––––

Steve certainly wasn’t expecting to see that girl the next day. What’s more, he wasn’t waiting to see her every day that week leading up to the actual Halloween day. She rented a different film – all horror films of course – every day to watch with her family and came back to the store to give it back the following day. She wore similar cute dresses every time and Steve couldn’t be more smitten. 

On October 31st, while she was paying for the film, he felt a sudden rush of adrenaline and decided to ask her out. He didn’t like proving Robin right but he felt he couldn’t miss the opportunity of getting to know her. He only knew her name because he saw it on the credit card she gave him multiple times to rent the film. Olivia Anderson.

“Uhm, Olivia”, he shyly called her attention while she was looking for her wallet inside her purse.

“Yeah?”, she looked at him with curiosity. “And you can call me Liv, by the way.”

“Well, Liv, I don’t want this to sound creepy, but I’d like to get to know you better. You seem really nice and I think you’re beautiful. Would you like to go out for some drinks tonight?” Steve could feel his whole body trembling. Robin’s voice popped into his brain: Since when King Steve gets this nervous while asking a girl out?

“Steve…”, she replied and he could notice some nervousness in her voice too. “I’d love that, but my parents have a very strict curfew. I have to be at home before it gets dark. I’m sorry”

“Oh, all right. We could have a coffee then? My shift is about to end and my coworker must be arriving. I won't keep you long.” In fact, he did wish to do that. A lot.

Olivia thought about it for a minute. She could hear his father’s voice in her head saying she couldn’t interact with anyone, let alone a boy, but her heart said otherwise. Especially because it was Steve asking. And she wasn’t coming to this video store and probably getting into a lot of trouble for nothing. She was really attracted to him. 

“Ok, let’s go for coffee”, she finally said with a smirk on her face.

Steve could truly jump on one foot out of the happiness he was feeling but he refrained. He also telepathically urged Robin to get here so he could finally go with Liv to their coffee date. He handed her a chair so she could sit while they waited and he took the time to organize the counter.

Robin arrived 10 minutes later and greeted both of them. She wasn’t expecting to see Steve’s mysterious girl.

“So this is the girl you haven’t shut up about?”, she remarked looking at Steve. He could feel all his blood rush to his cheeks. Liv let out a laugh. She was screaming inside at the thought of Steve talking about her to his friend.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Liv.”

“Same thing. I’m Robin.”

“And Liv and I have to go.” Steve wanted to get out of there as soon as possible so Robin wouldn’t keep embarrassing him in front of his date anymore. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fact she was going on a date with him. He waved Robin goodbye and rushed Liv to the door of Family Video. 

––––––––––––––

Once they were seated at the coffee shop, they ordered two espressos. Steve couldn’t wait to grill her with questions about her life. She seemed like the type of person that has a lot of interesting stories. However, he didn’t want to come off as desperate or nosey, so he started with a simple question.

“So, do you live nearby?”

“Uhm, yeah.. I live a couple of blocks away from here”, she replied as she toyed with her hair. She didn’t want to give away too many details about her place. “What about you?”

“My house is a bit further but I have a car so it doesn’t take me much time to get to work.”

And just like that, the afternoon has passed by, with conversations about various topics. Olivia learned a lot about Steve. Before working at Family Video, he worked at Scoops Ahoy, where he met Robin and before that, he befriended a group of kids because apparently “they needed someone to take care of them when their parents were not watching.” He also dated one of the boy’s sister, but that didn’t end up well, sadly. He didn’t have a good relationship with his parents since they were never home. And now that he has finished high school, he’s trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life. She could tell that Steve was really sweet and that he truly wanted to take care of the people he loved.

Disobeying her parents to get closer to this boy was totally worth it.

Oh no.

My parents.

It was getting dark and Olivia needed to get home immediately.

“Uh, Steve, I’m really sorry but I have to go. My parents are going to kill me if I don’t get home before it gets dark.” she uttered quickly as she rose from her seat.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Do you need a ride?” He couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed that she had to leave.

“No, no, that’s all right. Thank you for everything!” She practically screamed since she was already at the coffee shop’s door.

Just as he was about to ask the waiter for the check, he realized that Olivia had left her bag on her chair. So he hurriedly paid the bill and rushed to the door to see if he had any chance of spotting her.

And he did. He saw her around the corner so he followed her and called her name a few times but she seemed not to hear him. Steve started getting suspicious about the amount of blocks she was walking. She said she lived nearby.

Where is she going?

Wait, why is she entering the woods?

Steve stopped himself on his tracks. Should he follow her? He did have her bag and had to return it but was that a valid reason to follow her to something that seemed private? He also could take the bag with him and wait for her to come back to Family Video to get it back. That would be the right thing to do.

But you know how the saying goes: curiosity killed the cat.

He decided to go after her. He continued walking the same straight line as she had done and came to a stop when he saw the place he arrived at.

The cemetery?

Maybe she’s visiting someone that passed away.

Steve couldn’t deny that his heart skipped a beat as he was entering the rundown place. There weren’t many people that kept burying their beloved here nowadays. A new cemetery was built nearer the center of the town so this one started to decay. 

He started looking for her around the cemetery but he couldn’t see her anywhere. In fact, it seemed that the only two people in the cemetery were the caretaker that he encountered at the entrance and himself. 

This is too weird, even for a town like Hawkins. 

Steve gave up looking for Liv after trying for a couple of more minutes. Well, she’ll have to return to the video store. He started walking towards the front entrance, but he stopped quite abruptively as one of the names on the graves called his attention.

Olivia Anderson.

This has to be a coincidence, right?

There has to be a lot of Olivia Andersons in the world. 

The girl he met at the beginning of the week couldn’t be the same. She was pretty much alive. Robin had seen her as well. He hasn’t been imagining her.

This is definitely a coincidence.

However, curiosity killed the cat twice this afternoon. Steve decided to ask the cemetery caretaker about that.

“Good evening, sir”

“Hi, kid”, the man greeted him with a smile. “Are you visiting someone?”

“Yeah, kinda. Do you know what happened to Olivia Anderson? She’s right there. I knew her from primary school but then we fell out of touch. I didn’t know she passed away.” Of course Steve had to twist the truth a bit in order to get answers. He didn’t want to seem weird.

“Yeah, I was already working here when she was brought. It was about 5 years ago.”

What. The. Fuck?!

“She died so young… Do you know what happened to her?”

“She was strangled by one of her old male neighbors. Apparently he had an obsession with her. He had been watching her every move." Steve looked at the man with fear in his eyes. The man interpreted his look as fear of how he knew about all this… Little did he know…

“My wife was friends with her aunt”, the man continued talking. “Olivia was living with her because her parents had died when she was a little girl because of an accident."

“Oh, what a tragedy. I’m really sorry for her.”

“Yeah, me too. She seemed nice.”

“Well, uh, I have to get going. Thank you, man. Take care.”

“You too, kid”

Steve started walking slowly but in reality he wanted to run away as fast as he could.

What the fuck happened today?

I met a girl ghost and had a date with her? It?

Certainly none of the weirdest shit that has happened to him before would ever compare to this.

He would also have to lie to Robin when she asks him about his date. Steve knew Robin loved him, but she would definitely make fun of him until the end of his days.

He got to his car that was left parked around the corner of Family Video and went home. When he arrived, he removed his clothes and went to sleep. He didn’t even bother to make dinner for himself. His parents weren’t home (shocker, right?) and the events that occurred during the day left him exhausted. Surprisingly, he slept like a log that night, better than he had been sleeping regularly.

He woke up the next day due to the sunlight hitting his face. He had forgotten to close the blinds last night. He checked the clock. 9 am. He felt lucky that he didn’t have to rush to work just like most mornings. He took a quick shower and after getting dressed, he went down the stairs to the kitchen in order to make himself some coffee.

He saw a box on the table with a note by its side. What could that be? Maybe his parents left him something to eat. He could feel grateful at the gesture but the fact that they didn’t even say hello or goodbye tasted bitter in his mouth. He decided to read the note. This handwriting didn’t seem like his mom’s let alone his dad’s.

Steve,

I’m sorry if I scared you off yesterday. I couldn’t give away my little secret, but on the other hand, I was dying to meet you (pun intended). I mean the following in the least creepy way possible: I’ve been watching you for some time and saw how sweet and caring you are. Could you blame me for wanting to confirm it myself?

I guess you must be wondering how I did it. Well, you’re not foreign to the fact that Hawkins is a special town, right? And also, you must know the origins of Halloween, but in case you don’t, here it is: During the last week of October, the boundaries between life and death get blurrier and blurrier so us the dead can visit our loved ones in the land of the living and make sure they are okay. We spend the night chatting and dancing. On my visit last year, I saw you. I couldn’t help being curious about you and your life, so I started observing you, even after I returned to my world. I saw how you defended your friends and ‘your little nuggets’ as you like to call them and even how you risked your life for Hawkins. So, I knew that I had to meet you on my next visit.

Again, I’m sorry if I scared you. I know this situation is abnormal, but it’s real. I promise. You’re not being delusional. I truly hope you’re not mad at me or too frightened because I hope that next year we can meet again and catch up. I will completely understand if you don’t. I’ll keep looking after you from here regardless.

Please take care.

Lots of love,

Liv.

Ps. I bought you some chocolate-chip cookies from my favorite place when I was a kid. Kinda like an apology gift for any disturbances I may have caused and also as a thank you for the coffee and for making me feel like a normal breathing girl again even if it was for only one day.

Steve sighed when he finished reading the letter. He didn’t have any other choice than to believe all that had happened.

Once the coffee was ready, he sat at the kitchen table and opened the box of cookies. They looked amazing and they were warm as well.

“I also look forward to seeing you again, Liv”, he said as if she was right there with him. He gave the cookie a bite. “Till next year.”

––––––––––––––

the end!!! were you expecting all that? this is loosely based on a myth that goes around my town, about a famous cementery.

i hope you had enjoyed it ♡

i'd highly appreciate it if you could reblog it or leave a comment saying if you liked it and what's your favorite part! :)

love,

nina.

[crowsandturtlesandbatsohmy]

Tani and Miura

(note: For a portion of this post, Miura will be referred to by his first name, Fuku.)

Here’s a bit more info on Tani’s storyline and why he and Miura are a set (do not separate)

Tani has had a rough family life. I’m not certain of the specifics other than his parents argued all the time and really only cared about their kids at a superficial “make us look good” level, and that he has an older brother who was amazing at volleyball and got terrible grades. Said older brother is currently living at home and only just scraping together enough money to afford college (while also barely passing his classes because he couldn’t care less). They used to get along, but they don’t really anymore. Tani still has the Nekoma hand-me-downs anyway, but because they’re Nekoma, not because they’re his older brother’s. Tani’s expected to be better than his brother and be amazing at volleyball while also getting good grades. Something happens, I’m still not sure what yet, and they decide it’d be for the best if Tani goes to stay with his grandparents for a bit. This is what lands him at Karasuno instead of the Nekoma (his dream school (‘cuz he’s a nerd) and also the school most of his family lineage went to, including his parents and brother) His Grandparents aren’t warm and fuzzy either. Matter of fact, they’re pretty detached and almost absent if not for the fact that they still live in the same house as him. But at least they aren’t always at each other’s throats.

Miura, in contrast, has grown up in a large, loving, happy family as the eldest of six kids. He’s never known anything but unconditional love and care and support, and so that’s how he treats others.

Miura pretty quickly decides Tani needs a friend, and then becomes determined to be that friend. Tani doesn’t want friends, because he doesn’t even want to be at Karasuno in the first place. He’s hoping things will fix themselves back home so he can go back to Tokyo and transfer to Nekoma. But Miura is incredibly stubborn and just keeps hanging around Tani during practice, and Tani slowly starts coming around to this routine, and by extension, Miura himself. He loosens up just a little. Enough that he’s willing to tease Miura or initiate little arguments. Jokes on him though, Miura has siblings and is very used to “insults and arguments as affection”, so he just rolls with it and it kind of becomes their thing. They bicker most of the time, but it’s all in good fun. They start doing homework together and meeting up for lunch during school, and eventually even meeting up at a park to practice over the weekend or going to get snacks or something. Tani finally realizes about this time that “oh. I guess I have a friend now. Huh.”

By the end of their first year, it’s pretty uncommon to see one of them without the other, and Tani’s realized he doesn’t want to go home anymore. He wants to stay at Karasuno because he’s got friends now in the team and Kōsuke and Igarashi, and he’s got a best friend in Miura. He winds up being made to go home over the summer anyway. By their second year, Miura has fully adopted Tani as his newest brother and finally convinces Tani to come over to his house to hang out, instead of always meeting somewhere out and about or at Tani’s place. Tani’s nervous the entire day leading up to it because his track record with adults isn’t great and he doesn’t want to do something to cause Mr. and Mrs. Miura to say he can’t hang out with their son anymore. (This is also why he hasn’t gone over before) But when he gets there the rest of the Miura family are super welcoming. He finds himself relaxing and enjoying not just hanging out with Miura Fuku, but all of the Miuras. So then he winds up going over more often and basically the entire Miura family adopts him. Mrs. Miura steps up as a Mom-figure (“Did you eat today?” “Why don’t you stay over tonight? No, nonsense, we’ve got clothes here that will fit you. I’ve already called your Grandparents and they’re okay with it.” “Hey, hun, could you wipe off the table for me?” “How was school today?”) and will usually send an extra lunch with Miura for Tani. Mr. Miura steps up as a Dad-figure and teaches him how to be a gentleman and plays volleyball with him and Fuku and ruffles his hair and stuff, and Fuku’s little siblings treat him just like another big brother. He’s family to them in every way but blood and legally, and he’s come to see them all as his family too.

So, when Tani graduates high school and is legally an adult, he just moves in with the Miura family for the summer. He tries to pay rent, but they won’t let him. The Miura parents both tell him that as long as he doesn’t mind helping out with the housework and the chores and running the little ones places, they don’t mind. He does all of the above, but picks up a summer job anyway. They still won’t take his money, so he puts what he would’ve put towards rent towards spoiling his un-official younger siblings and going out to do stuff with Fuku and Igarashi and Kōsuke.

I like to think he and Fuku wind up going to college together, and then afterwards they both are able to go Pro with volleyball. Ideally for the same team, but I’m not 100% settled on that yet. Even if they aren’t, they keep in touch and are still best friends and get together to hang out whenever they can.

Last detail that I think is fun: In their third year, Miura is captain and Tani is his vice-captain, as well as the team’s ace.

There you have it :) The basic rundown of Tani’s storyline.

[sparkling-ariaria]

Only you | Sirius Black x fem!Reader

Fandom: Harry Potter (set during Hogwarts, house of reader not specified)

Genre: Pure fluff

A/N: While feeling sentimental and listening to Only you by The Platters I somehow got inspired to write a little fluffy something for Sirius. Maybe there’s someone out there who’s gonna enjoy reading it~ (English isn't my first language, so if you find any mistakes feel free to let me know please!)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was one of those slow days, where everything and everyone seemed to be in the same state of calmness. Even the rain pitter-patters unhurriedly against the open window wich lets the warm summer breeze stream into his room. You both spent the afternoon there laying on his bed, talking and enjoying each others presence. In the background soft music can be heard coming from Remus‘ record-player. The vinyl you put on consists of some of the main hits from the 50’s and 60‘s, because you like those so much.

Only you can make all this world seem right

The moment the first notes start playing he is looking at you. An delighted smile is spreading on your face and you turn your head to look at him too. Listening to the words while looking back into your eyes he feels himself overcome with a wave of emotions.

He gets up from the bed and holds his hand out for you. With a happy little giggle you put your hand in his and let him help you up till you stand in front of each other in the middle of the room. He lifts one of your hands up to rest on his shoulder before bringing one of his to your waist and interlocking your other hands in the air. Then he starts slowly swaying the both of you from side to side, making little steps.

Only you can make the darkness bright

He knows a lot of people are referring to their partners as „the light of their life“ without putting much thought into these words and actually meaning them. To him you really are pure light, a ray of sunshine that managed to creep it’s way into his dark and lonely life. Giving him warmth and hope and the feeling of belonging. Whenever he had to leave to Grimmauld Place during his first summers at Hogwarts before he got taken in by the Potters, his friends of course wrote him letters regularly and met up with him as often as possible. But you where there too to help him cope with the long stay at this godforesaken place. It touched him how you always gave him especially long hugs before departing at the train station and wrote to him even in the middle of the nights when he couldn’t fall asleep due to the heavy atmosphere that seemed to be constantly clinging to the house of the Blacks. Just the thought of your smile and being able to see you again soon helped him go through the days. It was also you who immediately invited him to spend the christmas breaks at your place so he wouldn’t have to stay alone in Hogwarts.

Only you and you alone can thrill me like you do

Not one day goes by without him feeling greatful for having you by his side. You’re the main reason he wakes up with a smile on his face in the mornings. He doesn’t even know anymore what it feels like to be bored. There’s simply no chance with you around. You share the same type of humour and often your conversations turn to witty banters between you two that have your friends looking on in amusement. You both know how to be active together, and you know how to be quiet too. Even in quietness the sparks between you can be felt. You don’t have to be doing anything, you don’t even have to talk. Simply being around each other makes him feel happy and his body and soul feel recharged and energised.

And fill my heart with love for only you

Even before he was old enough to fully grasp the meaning of romatic feelings you already had a special spot in his heart. Over time this spot just grew bigger till it filled his whole being with the wonderful and indescribable emotion named love he felt only for you.

Only you can make all this change in me

Whenever the arrogance he so loathed in his family tried to arise in him, you were there to bring his true self back to the surface. Or when he was about to take one of his pranks too far, letting his recklessness take over, you put a stop to it. You were never afraid to call him out, but you did it gently. Took the time to talk to him about it in a calm and serious manner. That's what you always did, being gentle with him and treating him like something precious that deserves to be valued. You help guide him to be the best version of himself. Someone others can confidently call acquaintance, friend, family. For the right reasons.

And he feels honoured, that only you get to call him boyfriend and show not a trace of hesitance when doing that.

For it's true, you are my destiny

It for sure was destiny, when you sat in the same compartment as him and the others on your first ride to Hogwarts. Little you who was clearly uncomfortable with the rising tension between him, James and Snape and managed to somewhat dissolve it by changing the topic to your excitement for learning all kinds of magic. Even managed to do some small talk with Snape about potions. He now feels ashamed to admit that he mainly acted like that towards Snape to get noticed by you, show you that he knew how to talk back. But by now he long realized that he doesn't have to act a certain way to get your attention. You're always focused on him, listening to every thought he has, no matter how big or small. Letting him be himself, wanting him to stay true to his own ideals and never losing sight of what kind of person he really wants to be.

When you hold my hand, I understand the magic that you do

At this part he gives your hand in his hold a gentle squeeze and takes it up to his lips to give it a kiss while keeping his loving gaze fixed on your eyes. The gesture makes your smile even brighter and a small giggle escape before you let your head lie on his shoulder. All the while still looking up to him with your beautiful eyes that never looked at him with anything but pure love and affection...and more often than not also amusement of course.

His favourite feature of you besides your eyes must be your hands. There’s just something about the act of holding them that makes him feel connected to you in a special way. From day one when he took your hand to help you down the steps of the Hogwarts Express, making you smile shyly up at him. Those hands that spread warmth to him so many times. Holding his cheeks gently between them when you are reassuring him of something, listening to him after a nightmare or shaking his head softly from side to side when you’re gushing about how adorable he is. And just holding his hand like this while slowly dancing through the room. Once again showing him that you will always be there for him, with him.

You're my dream come true, my one and only you

You sing the last part together with him, making his smile turn even softer. Just as the last notes play out, your lips touch for a sweet kiss and you embrace each other tightly.

For you two there’s no one else when it comes to now and forever. For you have found your only love in each other.

[seafoamreadings]

week of july 16th, 2023

aries: not the best news for your sign this week with your ruling planet opposing saturn and the sun squaring the nodes. you'll feel almost certainly held back in some way, or several ways, and slow going is not known to be an aries favorite. just try to relax into it. things speed back up later.

taurus: your ruling planet goes retrograde this week. it can be hard for natural venusians such as yourself, especially during the first and last few days. but it can also be exciting, and you can make it a relaxing self care event if you insist on putting yourself first, which is only right for such an earthly incarnation of aphrodite herself.

gemini: naturally you have an ability, actually a gift, for being able to enjoy small and flirtatious things even in heavy and weird times. actually you can turn chaos into magic, without even trying. it's great, but others will find it grating at this time, so don't be too flamboyant about it until the sun is well into leo (where it ingresses later on this week).

cancerians: this week has a new moon in your sign and then boom, leo season begins. the spotlight is off of you, which will suit many cancerian people who like to be quietly at home, and now your finances get a cool stroke of luck somehow.

leo: while cancer season tends to be relaxing and calm and restorative, the end of this one was a bit tough if not downright harrowing. after the cancer new moon this week, your own leo season begins, and things get both more fun and more glamorous.

virgo: i almost hate to break it to you but this week is either chaotic or painful (or both?) in your close and committed relationships. i say "almost" hate because ultimately the outcome is FREAKISHLY productive/constructive and all in your highest good, and that of your partner or whomever else is included in this construction.

libra: what does venus retrograde in leo bring for you? most likely your aesthetics and partnerships that are already sealed are pretty solid, although if they've been tumultuous they may take the opportunity to disintegrate. what's shifting really is your social scene, the acquaintances around you and your network at large. evaluate the status of these things in your life and mine them for insight.

scorpio: the whole week has a watery and ominous tone. the best advice right now for you is to recede from the limelight. sometimes the sultry air benefits you but for now and the rest of the summer (winter in the southern hemisphere) it functions much better in private.

sagittarius: you may need to go farther out of your way than some others to make sure venus retrograde doesn't get you down. that's ok, do what it takes. try to focus on yourself even when that advice gets to be its most annoying, and as much as possible also work on quietly expanding your mind.

capricorn: your yearly partnership new moon is incoming. you can find a business partner if that's what you really want, or the lustier capricorns ruled more by the god pan find long term lusty companions. or at least they're seeking them. the finding depends on personal factors, but as this moon waxes it's a great time to start looking.

aquarius: for good reason, venus retrograde is associated with love stuff. but for you in particular the focus is on committed relationships - and it doesn't fully let up until october. what partnerships (do or would) bring you pleasure? which are more of a ball and chain? what can be done about it all? start asking now, and hopefully in a couple months your answers are settled.

pisces: there's much to affect you all week so watch the transits closely. in many ways it affects you in muted tones. meanwhile the retrograde of venus does get your daily routines and may have you feeling that the magic has receded from the mundane. in truth it has not, and no one is better at seeing the spirit within the seemingly inanimate than you are.

[regaliasonata]

Also character ask ZIGGY

Character Ask: Ziggy Grover

First Impression

-Definitely falling under the average green ranger stereotype of being the silly but less engaged member of the team, though that is quite alright cause he'll probably give some positivity to the team due to the state they are in via the season

How I Feel About The Character/Impression Now

-.....I love this twink and honestly me and everyone else should love him, the fact that he was in a mafia, managed to escape, gave medicine and supplies from said group to orphans in needed AND GOT OFF SCOT FREE WITH HIS TOASTER BOYFRIEND speaks volumes.

Favorite Moment

-So far has to be that scene between him and the cartel where he's got that serious face, I'll have to go back and fully complete RPM but seeing Ziggy look so cold is amazing.

Idea For A Story

-okay think of this....Ziggy as a Peter Pan type character who was reborn in another world that raises orphans or children who've passed early and they live in this alternate world with magic, at the same time he's an assassin that's teaming up with Dillon and Tenaya(who also have powers based on fairy tales) to steal ancient treasure from a tyrant king in order to rule the rule, Once Upon A Time walked so this can run.

Relationships

OTPs

-Ziggy/Dillon....obviously, can't have a happy twig without his grumpy muscular emo boyfriend.

-Ziggy/Scott, Ziggy/Flynn. Both these work really well in my opinion.

-Crackship idea if this crossover was ever a thing...Ziggy/Jarrod/Dillon/Casey, imagine all that chaos together with those four like(I'd pay to see a one shot of this tbh). Heck not even a crossover needed because JKP exists in the RPMverse and assuming the entire team is alive then this could fly, crazy twinks and the emo duo.

BROTPs

-Ziggy/Dr.K, honestly feel like he understands Dr.K and they are really close when it comes to hearing each other out, plus Ziggy might actually get her to enjoy some hobbies.

-Ziggy/Casey...seriously Disney fucked us over from ever getting this interaction, be happy with marvel I guess but imagine the send off you could've had.

-Ziggy/Tenaya, she needs earplugs every time he talks about Dillon...

Unpopular Opinion

-Kinda wish we got even more of a backstory for him or seen Ziggy encountering other green rangers. I feel like both him and Trip would get along quite well to be honest.

One thing I wish would/had happened in the show

-....We serious? That Jungle Fury/RPM crossover obviously because ALL THOSE INTERACTIONS AND SUCH WOULD'VE BE LEGENDARY.

-Even if he didn't end up with Dillon we should've had Ziggy kissing some guy.

-Imagine a scene of Ziggy hacking Venjix down with his axe after he found out the program's intention for Dillon, or if Venjix succeeded and Dillon died...it would've been brutal like Ziggy would be shown Venjix why the cartel kept him around🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡

Headcanons

-The RPM team technically has sentient zords because in reality they hold secret Engine Souls like their Go-Onger counterparts. This is actually a result of humanity evolving and without the vitality from Earth's nature so their animal spirits evolved into Engine Souls, thing is the team hasn't unlocked them but when they do the zords will be able to talk(a little fib of my JFAU movie arc idea with RPM cause we deserve that crossover).

-Ziggy's fingernails can turn dark green because of Venjix exposure, some humans after being exposed to the virus during their apocalypse developed small traits via their survival(Scott having sharper canines, Summer being able to detect metals for tools, Flynn when growing out his hair has white highlights and can absorb radiation, Gem and Gemma can see people's dreams and Dillon can purify dirty food and water).

-Ziggy sleeps with a huge dolphin as a pillow or just something to hold whenever he's sad. If he can't morph then he'll fill it with rocks and beat down venjix monsters with it.

-Sometimes when he would leave the dome(before the world began to return to normal) he'd walk miles until making it to the ocean since it wasn't fully destroyed and enjoyed watching the waves. Plus that spot is the only one in the world where the stars in the sky are still viewable.

-After RPM Dillon, Tenaya and Ziggy ventured out into the world to see what needed to be fixed, they built a railroad and it oddly began to glow with energy. This led to the team getting powers via trains and soul power with imagination, humanity's will to keep going(ToQger adaption), villains born from the deceased malice of humanity aim to take advantage of this world and others leading to the team having bigger stakes than last time.

[abitofboth]

okay fuck it I’m gonna write detailed thoughts about cinderella’s castle even though I never usually do cuz like who am I to review something

first of all: PUPPETS!!!!! god, I am SO glad starkid puppets are back in action. I fully believe puppets should be used in theatre way more than they are now (the joey puppet in war horse is extraordinary) and the puppetry in cc was so reminiscent of starship to me- I’ve been craving the high of pincer and bug for YEARS lmao. when hop-a-lot came on stage I audibly went “oh shit”, crumb is a fuckin delightful little guy and I desperately need to hug him, and the troll puppets brought so much life to characters that I think wouldn’t have been as fun without them. the love that went into crafting every puppet is so easy to see and I really hope we get more of it from starkid in the future!!

I’m really happy to see bryce in a main role, she is a fuckin powerhouse!!! her voice is incredible and she brought such a fun spin to ella. I was lowkey worried it was gonna give off alw bad cinderella vibes but I shoulda had more faith, her character charms you as soon as she walks on stage!!

I’m also kind of a little obsessed with tadius?? curt in any role is guaranteed to take my heart but god, make him a lover boy and throw in a sprinkle of sass and I’ll just lay down my life for him. wish there’d been some more of the romance between him and ella!!

the trolls were also some incredibly fun characters. lauren and mariah killed it and like let’s be real, we were all rooting for them and their hot girl summer. what’s a little murder between friends?? angela was great and I loved the twist on the stepmother character that was way more interesting than the usual “she’s just kind of a bitch”.

jeff as the narrator was perfect but we all knew that was gonna be the case anyway. give him his cunty eyeliner and the man’s unstoppable.

joey’s voice work also deserves a special shout out!! every time he opens his mouth I’m giving him a standing ovation. what can’t the man do??

I didn’t love the character of the prince but ig that’s the point of him!! james played him so well and I really do think he’s so underrated as an actor. the physicality and comedy that he brings really makes him stand out, but I will say that the sex jokes got old pretty quickly for me lmao. it made him feel a lot more one-beat than I think they were going for

I reeeaally enjoyed the set and lighting of this one!! literally as soon as we pressed play, my sister and I were like oh shit okay I see your bigger budget mr lang!! and the COSTUMES!! loved loved loved them. Ella’s dress was beautiful and I’m really glad they went with something of their own design rather than try to replicate something disney-ish. it looks like they had a load of fun with the wigs in this one too which I always love to see!!

I thought kim, jon, and joey were, despite shining in whatever stage time they had, WOEFULLY underused. only one scene for kim, and I wish we’d have been able to spend more time with hop-a-lot and crumb- considering they were main characters it felt like we barely saw them. they had like, at most three lines in a song too? let them sing!!!

the music was also not what I expected! I didn’t expect it to be so synth-y, maybe more of a rock vibe from the small hints we had during production? I saw another review say it gave them 80s fantasy film vibes and I think that’s the perf description!! I really enjoyed all the songs and I always love being able to take in whatever jeff has cooked up. everyone was on their a-game as always with their voices too- bryce and kim were real stand outs for me. I do feel like the soundtrack is kind of forgettable though? usually after watching a starkid show I’ll find at least a few songs have earwormed their way into my head but right now I can only recall the opening/closing song. maybe that’s just on me though!

I also thought the general pacing was a little off and the story was maybe not quite ready. some parts felt rushed and some parts dragged a little, and at the end I was left still feeling a little hungry for something more.

overall I really enjoyed it!! I’ve been a huge fan of starkid for well over a decade and with each new show I’m blown away by their creativity and obvious love for the craft. I was so excited to see them move away from hatchetfield for now and jump into a different sandbox to play around with, and I’m SOOOO looking forward to the proshot version because I just know it’s gonna blow everyone away. I’m so glad they make such incredible theatre and do it in such an accessible way, and not to sound super cheesy but god is it great to be alive at the same time as them

(and really, nick lang I am begging you to make a crumb plushie)

[thirstyforcharacters]

Healing

Part 3 of the Mistakes Series

Part 1: Mistakes. Part 2: Reconnection

Summary: The past repeats itself, but Joel refuses to make the same mistake twice.

Warnings: angst!! canon typical violence, brief description of gunshot wound, Joel is finally getting good at emotions :)

WC: 1279

Notes: Hellooooo! I wasn’t sure if I was going to write a part 3, but I was inspired, so I wrote the entire thing this morning! Finally, we get to the fluffy stuff, but of course I still had to sprinkle in some angst! This is definitely the last full installment of the series, but I wouldn’t mind writing some blurbs and whatnot about these two, so if you still want to see this pairing, you can totally send me some requests for that :) or if you just want to send requests in general, feel free to do that as well! thank you all so much for reading this series: I’ve never written this much angst before, so I was afraid it wouldn’t turn out well, but I’m super thankful that you all enjoyed Mistakes!!!

PS: anything in italics is a flashback :)

Things were awkward for a while.

You didn’t feel as though you could fully trust him yet. You were too afraid of him hurting you again. But you adored Ellie, and because Ellie insisted upon you coming over and sharing her stack of comic books, Joel slowly became a more consistent figure in your life again. As spring became summer, you learned to trust him more. You told him about your solo travels, how you had taken out a raiding party single handedly and survived more than one encounter with Infected. He opened up to you as well, telling you the tale of how he and Ellie came to Jackson just a few months ago. You really felt for him: the things they had been through were terrifying, and you could see how much the two had grown to care for each other throughout their journey. And seeing the way Joel loved Ellie gave you hope. That maybe he could love you and not shut you out.

Little did you know that that theory would be tested sooner than you expected.

The two of you were paired up for patrol often (which Tommy said was because “you’re one of the only people he tolerates in this town, and I need a break sometimes.”), and today was no different. You were trudging along the craggy mountain path, stepping over long, broken branches, dodging wildlife, and trying not to make too much noise. During this part of the patrol, you always walked in silence, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. There would be time for talking once you got to the safehouse, a cabin that you were now about halfway to.

The silence was broken by a gunshot. You barely remembered what happened next.

You collapsed to the ground, pressing your hand to your stomach as it became coated with red.

Joel couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe as he saw you fall. He could only think of the first time.

“Sweetheart, please.”

His pleas fell upon deaf ears. Your eyes had fluttered shut as you lost consciousness, unable to reply.

“JOEL!”

Tess’s shout was the only thing that pulled him from his own head. He had never moved so fast, scooping you up without a second thought and sprinting after Tess, carrying you the entire way to Bill and Frank’s without rest.

“Y/n will be okay, Joel,” Tess assured him, “Frank will take care of things.”

Joel nodded, barely hearing as he ran. He needed you. Holy shit, he needed you. More than he needed anyone else in this god-forsaken hellscape. He loved you too much.

He shook it off, seeing the concealed figures through the bushes. He saw red, going after the raiders with a rage he had only felt a few times. When Sarah was shot. When he killed an entire warehouse of Fireflies for Ellie. And now, for you.

The raiders had no chance. They dropped like flies under Joel’s thunderous fury, with knives sunk into their stomachs, gunshots to their hearts, and fists breaking in their faces until they could speak no more. When they were all dead, the threat of any danger to you taken care of, he ran to your side, seeing your eyes were already closed.

“Shit,” he hissed, quickly tearing off strips of his shirt to tie around you and attempt to staunch the bleeding, “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Not fuckin dying on my watch.”

He picked you up, not unlike the first time, as he ran to Jackson. The year and a half between the first time he did this and now was affecting him: his legs burned and his breaths were ragged. But he didn’t stop. Not for a goddamn minute. He needed you.

It felt far too long before he saw the towering, wooden gates to the town, which swung open almost immediately as the gatekeepers saw the scene before them. Joel sprinted down the streets, carrying your limp body to the infirmary.

The doors burst open as Dr. Casey and two nurses saw Joel, frantically looking around with you in his arms.

“Raiders,” was all he could get out, but they understood.

“Here,” the doctor said as calmly as she could, gesturing toward a table, “we’ll get the bullet out and stitch Y/n up. Don’t worry.”

Joel grit his teeth. Don’t worry? How in the absolute hell was he supposed to do that? But he didn’t say a thing as Dr. Casey got to work. He trusted the doctor fully: she was one of the few people who actually was a doctor before everything went to shit, so she knew what she was doing. But he was terrified. He just got you back, and he could lose you again.

One of the nurses, Allen, who had been there when you were first brought to Jackson, looked at him and said, “Joel. Y/n will be okay. We promise.”

He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat as the door swung open again.

It was Ellie, who for once, didn’t speak. She just gently took Joel’s hand and led him to their home. And he broke down, holding one of his girls as he cried for the other.

It was a few hours before a knock sounded as his door.

It was Allen, who had a soft smile on his face.

“Y/n’s fine. Lost a decent bit of blood, so she’s still weak. But she’s okay. Do you want to se-”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence as Joel bolted past him in the direction of the clinic.

Ellie giggled, “Sorry, he’s just excited. So I’ll thank you for the both of us.”

Allen nodded, smiling a little wider, “Whole town thought he’d be a grump forever. But having both of you in his life seems like it’s helping.”

She smiled, “It’s not just helping him.”

The door to the infirmary burst open again, but with a much different purpose. You were in the corner. You were bandaged and pretty beat up, but you were alive. You and Dr. Casey looked up at the sound of the wooden doors banging against the wall. You couldn’t help the fond smile that made its way onto your features as a blur of a black flannel and blue jeans burst onto the scene, wrapping you up into his tight embrace.

“I’ll leave you alone,” the doctor whispered before disappearing into a back room.

“‘M okay, Joel,” you murmured, your voice muffled into the fabric of his shirt, “you saved me. I’m okay.”

Hearing your voice confirm the very words he needed to hear allowed him to catch his breath.

“Thought I lost you again,” he said, gripping your shirt with calloused hands.

You shook your head, “Didn’t lose me.”

He pulled away, gently cupping your face in his hands. You could see the wetness beginning to gather in his eyes.

“I-” he swallowed hard, “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” you assured him, “I won’t leave you.”

There was still a bit of fear in you. There was still a chance of him pushing you away as soon as you were healed. You were terrified of that possibility.

But any fear you had immediately washed away as his lips pressed to yours. It was years in the making, and the way you felt when you connected made you wish it had happened years ago. He cupped your face so delicately, and his lips mirrored the softness of his hands, kissing you so tenderly you could cry.

It ended too soon, Joel pulling away to whisper, “I’m not leaving you, either. Ever again.”

And you knew it was safe to believe him.

[strugglingclassicist]

would you share some of the things you like about winter and darkness? i would like to become a winter enjoyer given that i now live somewhere that gets a lot of it

I love how everything slows down. Where I live there's great fluctuation in light throughout the year, to the extent that for me at least, the changes in the light is what defines the changes of the yearly cycle. The year mirrors the cycle of day and night (and dusk and dawn), and in winter we are in the night of the year. It is a time for rest. I can feel my heartbeat slow down, my breath is calmer. I find winter and the darkness comforting, I feel more grounded in a way.

I love how the sun shines when it is below freezing, pale, without really warming unless you stay completely quiet with your face turned towards her. But I can go weeks without seeing the sun at all, and I love how important smaller sources of light becomes, like from peoples' apartments, the passing tram, the strange light the sky sometimes can have when it is about to snow, how much light there is in fallen snow. The snow also accentuates the quiet of winter. I love how it absorbs all sound, and sometimes when it snows it is so quiet that you hear the rustle of snowflakes against bare twigs and the ground and everything around you.

It probably helps that I've always been a bit of a night owl, but I don't mind how dark it constantly is. It feels a bit like a blanket. Again it is this feeling of everything calming down a bit, people are quieter of both sound and movement around me. Like many others I need a lot more sleep during winter, and I don't have the same capacity for socialization as I do in summer. The evening starts earlier, and I turn a bit more contemplative. It is not as if I don't want to be with people at all (well maybe a little bit sometimes), but I want to see fewer people, and I want us to be calm and present with each other when we do meet up. I crave different foods, heartier and warmer, and I do really enjoy making a good soup or stew.

winter is maybe not the time of great inspiration, but one where I want to chip away slowly and steadily at the things I want to do, at my own pace.

winter is a season where contrasts are so present and important. light and dark and the light that shines in the dark. the cold and harshness is contrasted with warmth from clothes, fire, homes, food, people. I find that I am more mindful of my surroundings and what I make of them. The conditions of winter makes all these things a lot more impactful.

But I do also really appreciate the cold. My bedroom window is constantly ajar, and I love sleeping in a cool room (under a heavy and warm duvet). I like feeling cold on my nose and on my cheeks when outside. And I actually really enjoy swimming between October and April, especially when paired with a sauna.

winter gives me a certain quiet joy, but I think I am also of a particular temperament where I feel very touched by the change of seasons, and especially winter. Winter is like the quiet between great movement, and I feel like it is fully necessary for me. I don't know what you mean by "a lot of winter", I hope you also get to experience and appreciate the changes of the light. Or I think I've heard it used to describe having a lot of snow, maybe storm, and coldness. Wear wool. Nothing is better than wool. A thin layer against your skin, and woolen socks is the most important investment you can make if you're cold or miserable. Nature around you is resting before the bloom of spring, you should see if you can do that as well. If there's something about the winter that you struggle to appreciate, see if you can find something to contrast it with. Also if it is very icy and slippery on the ground and you're not used to that the trick is to lower your center of gravity as you walk over the ice.

[bookishjules]

any sizzy headcanons revolving around simons band?

i have this really bad habit of imagining simon's band either sticking around and simon stepping in for features, or just competely reforming to allow simon to rejoin at some point in the future (even shadowhunters need hobbies right?), and i think it's important to keep that in mind for context. also, when i say EKM, know i'm referring to eric, kirk, and matt <3

during the whole "will they won't they" sizzy era, at least one of the boys definitely begins a "bro if you don't get with her, i will" running joke. i mean.. EKM start teasing simon as soon as he starts mentioning izzy--before she ever shows up to a show or practice, before even he and clary try and fail to have a relationship

i think EKM are fully aware of simon's forever crush on clary and are ready for him to move on, want him to move on and get over his best friend bc they know it would be the best for him. "plus, from what you're telling us about this isabelle chick, she must be smokin" bc dudes will be dudes. and these dudes are the most dudes

yeah there are songs that start popping up about her. if we're talking quantity of lyrics written, eric takes the cake, but the others have written quality lyrics before too, some of which even end up fitting into a rift they've been fiddling with. and the aforementioned jokes and teasing do find their way into lyrics, in the most fun and unserious way ofc

when simon himself first starts writing about isabelle, it's while he's alone in his room pretending to have the flu but actually hiding the fact that he's a vampire. he sits there in the dark, playing around with his guitar just for something to do, and finds his thoughts being drawn back to isabelle. words start coming to his head to match the tune he's strumming, but it takes him an hour after he finishes the song to actually write it down. good material is good material, even if it's embarrassing, even if he can't tell whether the lyrics are actually representative of his feelings..

speaking of embarrassing.. simon never once allows a song written about izzy to be played at a show she attends (nor, for that matter, did he allow them to be played when maia attended a show during his idiot era)

(and if you're wondering.. no, he never wrote a song about maia)

some of the songs that izzy never heard are too specific to make it through the memory wipe, but others find their way onto the set list of shows isabelle attends in secret. she's alone on those nights.. alone in a way that hurts, but also in the sense that she never told anyone where she was going.. not even clary, bc she knew clary wouldn't be able to stand being this close to simon enjoying himself onstage, enjoying his life and his friends without her.. izzy can stand it tho. or, she tells herself she can stand it. but still she's extra grateful for her glamour when the tears begin to escape because they start playing a song she can tell was once about her.. and it feels like so long since she looked at simon and saw herself reflected in his eyes, even metaphorically.

izzy reintroduces herself to EKM after reconnecting with simon as a move toward staking her claim, and they're too scared of her to not talk simon out of going on any dates during that summer before leaving for the academy.

simon stays friends with his bandmates, even after he leaves the band and then leaves the country for the majority of two years. sometimes they'll meet up and goof around with their instruments. sometimes they'll have a video game or dnd night

izzy knows how important it is for simon to keep these people in his life, so she encourages it and even hangs out with the crew more often than not.

and by crew, i do mean crew, as it begins to grow once EKM start finding partners, once their band adopts a new member or two

after simon asks izzy to marry him, EKM insist on throwing a bachelor party for him. simon tells them they plan on eloping so he doesn't have to give a reason why they aren't invited to the (very shadowhunter) wedding, which only gives them more reason to go all out with the bach.

while sizzy is traveling and working on recruitment etc. EKM will occasionally reach out and ask for an extra opinion on some piece of music or another. sometimes izzy will cut in and offer an idea that helps them get through whatever block they were facing, which, really, how could she not have developed a sense for the process after being around it for so long.

sometimes when simon performs with the band, they'll even have izzy come up and sing with them to add another layer

when sizzy kids start appearing and then getting old enough to appreciate music, izzy will bring them along with her to watch simon perform . they'll run up and hug him after the show when he's all sweaty from the spotlights, but he'll lift them up anyway and ask if they liked the show. one of them has a baby crush on matt and hides when he passes by with pieces of his drum set. another says this song or that was stupid or that daddy should have smashed his guitar at the end like a real rockstar. simon just laughs and leans over the little one's head to kiss isabelle.

[token-08]

Battalia Bendetta Chapter 1 - Seeds of the Future

It was 7:14 AM, August 26th in SouthEast Yoyo City. Sunday Simms woke up with a yawn, before breaking into a wide grin. Today they finally were going to begin High School, and they were ecstatic to say the least. They got dressed, brushed their teeth, made some breakfast and left the house fully ready and in High-Schooler Mode™. They left in a run to try to get on campus in time. They hummed to themself as they dashed, mentally making plans to join clubs and make friends and- 

Suddenly they were grabbed by their hood, jolting them backwards, nearly dropping them to the ground. “Ack-!” Before they can react to the tug a large truck whizzed past, blaring its horn at them loudly. It surely would have hit them had it not been for whoever pulled them back. They quickly spun around to see who their rescuer was. It was a girl, slightly shorter than them, sporting short, dark navy colored hair cut into a short bob that was longer in the front and shorter in the back. She wore a black graphic tee with a white sweater beneath. She wouldn’t have looked out of place at a punk concert. Sunday had surely never seen this girl before, but something about her face seemed so familiar. Could it be…?

“Hey Sunny. Sorry for the scare, but I couldn’t let you die before the first day even started.”

“Erika! You look so different now, I didn't even recognize you!”

Sunday wrapped their arms tightly around Erika, both in thanks for saving their life, and in joy of seeing their best friend again. Sunday and Erika had met in the fourth grade, and have been stuck like glue ever since, though they hadn’t seen each other at all during the latter half of their summer vacation as Sunday had been on a trip visiting their dad. If you were to ask them, they’d say they were made for each other. They had shared interests in going to parks and cafés, they both enjoyed hiking and playing video games together, and they shared a massive love for their favorite series, ‘Maiden Senshi.’ The two even supplemented the weak points that each other had. Sunday was the most friendly person you could ever meet, but they had a frequent tendency to do things without thinking about them all the way through (They had a ‘heart of gold but head of air,’ as Erika often remarked.) Erika, however, was extremely clever, especially academically, but her cold and blunt personality made making friends extremely difficult for her. Compounded with her struggle to understand what people were feeling, socialization was a struggle for Erika. Sunday would be helpless if not for Erika’s quick thinking getting them out of jams time and time again, and Erika likely would be all on her own without Sunny’s camaraderie and warmth. Together, they were a complementary pair.

Sunday finally released the prisoner from their Alcatrazean embrace and they began to idly chat on their way to school.

“So! What made you change up your style? It looks amazing!” 

Erika enjoyed the sweet words before making her response. “I think I just wanted to wear something more unique. Something a bit more… like me, y’know?” 

“Hehe, well it definitely suits you!” 

Erika then suddenly remembered something that she was waiting to mention to her friend while she had the chance.

“I want to try to join the photography club.”

“Photography? Oh! That’s awesome! Remember back at the zoo when you took that really good hippo photo? That one that got featured on the Nature Channel!”

“You really remembered that? That was back in like fifth grade wasn’t it?” 

“Of course I remember! It was awesome!” Sunday beamed at Erika, who couldn’t help but smile back. 

Finally, the duo had arrived at the school. The building that they would be attending for the next three years. Up close, the building seemed so much larger and more intimidating than they could imagine. It was in part that they’d never been so close, with the other part being the fact that they were really here now. In high school. Sunday was about to make a remark to Erika, but when they turned to her she was already walking off.

“I can't be late, I’ll be seeing you.” 

“Hey! You can’t just walk off like that!” Wailed Sunday, but Erika seemingly didn’t hear or didn’t care, leaving them alone and destitute in the large courtyard. They mourned for a moment, but figured that their clever friend did probably have a point about not being late. It was the first day after all, and they couldn't live with that kind of reputation for the rest of the year. Reluctantly, they entered the building and went in the direction of their class.

Sunday was placed in Class C, which was located on the second floor, as were the rest of the first years. The class stood fourth door down from the start of the hallway and was taught under the careful guidance of Ms. Leason. Sunday made sure to memorize all of this information so that they didn’t risk getting completely lost in the massive expanse of the building, something that happened to them more times in past schools than they would like to admit. 

The first class was a relatively standard first-day-of-the-year protocol. The teacher introduced herself and then started calling students up alphabetically to do the same. Sunday listened attentively, trying to make a mental note of every person’s name and face. A stranger was just a friend you haven't met, after all! When it was finally their own turn they eagerly piped up and stood. 

“My name is Sunday Simms! I went to Mela Junior High before I went here! I hope to make friends with you all!” 

Ms. Leason nodded. “Thank you, Sunday. Next, Falon Spiel, please.”

A boy situated one desk forward and two desks left from Sunday rose. He dressed nicer than most other students, wearing a white dress shirt and a tie. His hair was dreaded and parted down the middle. These, by themselves, would be pretty average features. Maybe it was slightly strange that he was so dressed up compared to the rest of the student body, but Sunday figured that everyone had their own style. However,  it wasn’t those traits that stood out; it was the white eyepatch he had wrapped around his head, covering his right eye. Immediately, Sunday’s mind went wild. What could have happened to him? Arrow? Acid? Axe attack? Probably not that last one, as there would probably be some kind of scar left. No scar left… Maybe it was fake? Although possible, that theory didn’t feel quite right either. Lost in thought, they almost completely missed him actually introducing himself. They shook themself from their wild imagination to listen. Perhaps he’d say something about his strange accessory. 

“Hello everyone. My name is Falon Spiel. I also come from Mela Junior High. I’m pleased to make everyone’s acquaintance.” He bowed and closed his eye with a grin. Maybe he was winking? It was unclear, but obviously meant to appear playful, which was an odd contrast to his overly formal introduction. Sunday had already grown even more suspicious of their bizarre classmate. He also went to Mela? They didn't remember anyone like him, eye patch or not. He seemed completely unfamiliar. They really were trying to just pass over it, but they just couldn’t shake the strange feeling they got about him. He just seemed so… off. Eyepatch? ‘From the same school’ yet they didn’t know him? Was this guy a time traveler or something? No matter how hard they tried to eject the thoughts they just couldn’t get that weird guy out of their mind. 

The rest of school went by in a flash. Or at least it felt like a flash to Sunday, who operated distractedly throughout the day. They had made several attempts to try to speak with their fishy classmate but it felt as if he had a posse doting on him at all times. Seemingly everyone in Class C wanted a piece of the mysterious Falon Spiel. Sunday walked out of the building at the end of the day, defeated and more focused on their classmate than their surroundings. They were preparing to wait for Erika, yet hadn’t realized that she was already waiting right in front of them. Their friend waved her hand in front of their face to break their daze.

“Sunny? You’re thinking. What's going on?” Sunday found the comment slightly funny, but they knew Erika well enough to know that she was being completely genuine with the inquiry. The two began their walk as Sunday responded. 

“Nothing… Well, mostly nothing. Was there ever anyone at our old school named Falon Spiel? Black kid, dreads, about yay high?” They held their hand a couple inches above their head, as it was the best estimate they could give of his height without being able to get any closer to him.

“No, I don’t remember anyone named or looking like that. Why do you ask?”

“Because he was there today in class.. He was dressed up all fancy and was wearing an eyepatch. According to him, he also went to Mela.”

“An eyepatch? Why?”

“That’s what I was thinking! This guy has been on my mind all day but I didn’t have a chance to ask him anything because it’s like he has his own fan club!” 

“That is all pretty strange… I suppose you just need to ask him when you get a chance, right?”

“Well, that’s what I was thinking today. But then I thought that it would be super weird if I just went up to this guy I’d never met and said ‘Hi! My name is Sunday! What’s the deal with the eye patch and why did you lie about going to my school?’”

Erika laughed. “I suppose that would be pretty weird. So, what’s your plan?”

Sunday put their head in their hands. “I have absolutely no idea.”

Erika sighed; she really should have expected that answer. She looked down the street they were walking past and spotted her house. “This is where I leave you to your own. Good luck with that whole Falon thing.” 

It was now Sunday's turn to sigh at their friend. That girl really couldn’t stick around today it felt like. For a second time today, they were walking down the road, alone, lost in thought, though this time under different pretenses (but still making sure to look both ways before crossing). They walked the rest of the way home as fatigue began to set in. They weren’t sure whether to attribute it to the first day of school adrenaline wearing off or to how much they tried to think today, but they were spent. They entered their home expecting to see their mother waiting for them, as had become a usual for when they got home from school, but they didn’t see her anywhere. They did, however, spot a yellow sticky note stuck to the counter, and gave it a read.

“Felt ill and turned in early, ham and cheese in the fridge! - Mom”

They thought about having the sandwich, but decided that they’d save it for later. As for right now: they needed a power nap. After one quick rest they knew they’d be back to their hyper-energized self. They opened the door to their room to quickly nap and their eyes went wide.

Who is that in their room? 

The small girl sat in Sunday’s chair. She didn’t appear fully grown, but also not quite like a child either. If they had to guess she may have been about 13 or 14 years old. Her skin was golden brown and her hair was white and flowing, as was the strangely elegant dress she wore. Her body was wrapped in many contour golden rings: A set on her ankles, a set on her wrists, one wrapped around her waist, and one wrapped around her head like a size-too-small halo. To call her unassuming would be a lie. But even with all the jewelry, nothing about her compared to her eyes. They were colored a bright platinum, and were as splendid as if they were actually glowing. Wait, were her eyes actually glowing? No, they couldn’t be… The eyes, or her face as a whole, rather, appeared unfeeling. The stranger was completely unbothered as the owner of the room she was intruding in analyzed her. Is she waiting for them? Who is this? Why is she here? What in the world is going on?

Finally, Sunday swallowed their fear and spoke to the mystery girl. “You… who are you? What are you doing here?” 

“To give you the gift to protect, Sunday Simms.” The girl spoke very simply. Her voice was flat, as if she belonged here and that this was something they were meant to know. Her mannerisms of speech actually reminded Sunday of a younger Erika, that is to say it was as if she hadn’t quite figured out how to feel yet. On their friend it was quite funny and their parents had even found it cute. But on this stranger it seemed more unnerving than anything else.

“The… what? And you didn’t tell me who you are! Or how you got here!”

“My apologies. My name is Boast. A goddess long forgotten. I am the embodiment of energy, of victory, of adrenaline. When you feel your blood rush, when you get back up, when you punch and kick and give every fight your all, that is you feeling me. I have come here to give you a piece of my power. To give you a way to protect yourself and others from what is to come.”

The answers they received did little but open up a boundless list of new questions. A goddess? What is to come? What the hell is she talking about? Is this real?

“There’s no way… Is this a prank? If it is, it's not funny!”

“If you disbelieve me, then I implore you: try to remove one of my rings.” Boast held out an arm towards Sunday, wrist up, seemingly vulnerable, offering a golden ring. Cautiously, they lightly touched the ring to grab hold. But with only a light grazing of their finger on the jewelry,  a terrible sensation blazed through their hand. The ring wasn’t hot. If anything, the metal was actually slightly cold. The feeling when they gripped it, though, it was as if it were burning. They recoiled from the painful touch before dubiously bracing themself to reach for it again, but Boast put up a hand to signify for them to stop. 

“I advise you to not try that again. These are the Rings of Binding. Forged by the gods to inhibit. I am fortunate to be strong enough to bear the burden, but to a human they could prove themselves fatal.”

“But why did they put them on you? You seem…” They analyzed the goddess’ appearance before finishing the thought. “Harmless.”

For the first time, Boast paused for a moment before responding. She held her finger and thumb to her chin, looked to the ground, and pursed her lips in deep thought. In that moment, and for only that moment, she really did resemble a child. 

Boast raised her head again. “Have you heard the story of Prometheus? It is an ancient tale, originating from Greece. It’s the story of a god who brought fire from the heavens to mankind, and was reprimanded for it with terrible punishment.”

“Are you trying to say that you’re like him? What did you do then?”

“I gave you, humans, a palette for victory. The taste for more. I am why humans summited Everest. Why they crossed the seas, why they placed a flag on the moon. The gods find your ambition blasphemous. I view it as the missing piece you needed to be whole.”

Sunday was taken aback by this. This girl, this small and inconspicuous girl sitting in their desk chair, was the arbiter of drive and want and ambition in all of mankind. As this sunk in, they decided that they finally, finally, were beginning to trust her. They felt that finally, finally, they were ready to listen.

“Okay. What do you need from me?”

“There soon will be monsters that walk this earth. I am going to give you a piece of me. With this piece you will be stronger, faster, and more vigorous. Additionally, there will be an unforeseen side effect.” Sunday made a face of worry at that comment. ‘Unforeseen side effects’ are typically not a good thing. 

Boast noticed their expression and elaborated. “Worry not, they are not harmful. Quite the contrary in fact. My power will reflect in your soul like a prism, and in doing so unlock abilities that represent what you are inside your heart.” 

Sunday’s tension turned to intrigue. Abilities that reflect who they were inside? What would they say about them?

Boast continued, “It is with this very power that you will take on the beasts of corruption, known as Pollutions. As you foster this power, you shall grow stronger. And since the power you hold is a piece of me, as will I. With enough time and growth, I eventually should accumulate enough power to break free of these Binding Rings and finally purify the world completely of the Pollutions. That objective is our ultimate goal.” 

Sunday nodded. Despite the lengthy explanation the plan seemed deceptively simple. Borrow her power, fight the bad guys, give it back, she gets rid of them for good. They could do this. It seemed easy peasy, right? 

“Okay then. I’m ready. How do we do this?”

“It’s quite simple. Lie down.” Sunday did as told, lying down on their bed and Boast, careful not to let Sunday touch any of her Rings, rose from her seat in Sunday’s chair and placed both her hands in the center of Sunday’s abdomen, as if she were about to give the mortal CPR. 

“Now. I am going to channel my energy throughout you. This will take a lot from you. Are you prepared?” 

They nodded and closed their eyes, nerves beginning to rise. They felt the goddess press down and start quietly chanting in a language they were struggling to place. Italian maybe? Likely some grandfather language to it, though that was unimportant.

When Boast said it would take a lot from them, they assumed she meant that it would be strenuous, or painful like when they attempted to touch the Binding Ring, but it resembled neither.ather, it was more like being given anesthesia at the doctor. They forced their eyes open in an attempt to stay awake a second longer during the process, but a second was all they were gifted. The last thing they were able to recall before finally fading into sleep was the glow of the Boast's pale eyes in their fading room. 

And then there was nothing.

[bryan360]

JSAUX Nylon Braided Cords (Micro USB/Lighting) - Part 2 (second half recorded)(final) (April. 6th, 2024)

No need for another “On This Day” throwback post.

Hey guys. Sorry for keeping it waited on this before this month ended. So anyways, welcome back to this continuous topic review of my new braided cables. Last time where I’d covered my long awaited charging test to my Samsung Tab E device, It’s time where I also covered my recent iPad tablet device here. Thankfully at the same day after did with my Samsung device’s charging test, I’d moved quickly to another one with my next device I’d mentioned. Without further ado, onto this final part share.

⬆️ (29th Image; back in 2:41 P.M.)

Switching things right along, I’d now recorded with my recent iPad device to charge up. Since now that with my Samsung Tab E full on battery; all thanks to my new blue braided cables from the first half review, I’m able to use it to take photos with its camera app. It worked fine from years later and the image quality was good. 👍 There’s more photos from during this second half review I’d gotten. Anyways, this here’s after letting my iPad device’s battery life drained about hours later.

⬆️ (30th to 31st Images; from 2:45 to 2:47 P.M.)

It’s a right time to bring my red colored braided cable in good use. I’d took it out to give a good look before plugging with my Apple charger adapter. It was exactly designed from my blue braided cables, but ya know; differently designed lighting type of cable.

⬆️ (32nd and 39th Images; from 2:48 to 2:57 P.M.)

Now I’m plugging to my red colored braided cable into this Apple charger adapter. Good thing now that for the adapter stills functional, but also alongside with its original lighting cable I’d previously used for my recent iPad device in few years or less. I’ll do in comparison post with my normal cables for another time. Now back to this topic review, its charging progress had finally started when checking onto my iPad device. Looks promising that I’m good for having those new charging cables; from my mom’s help we’d ordered from in Amazon.com. 🙂👍

⬆️ (40th to 41st Images; from 2:58 to 7:20 P.M.)

Hours later when checking on my iPad device’s battery, it’s now fully charged at 7:20 P.M. that sure felt this long. That’s my opinion before going to bed during nighttime. 🥱 Nevertheless, at least its get the job done with my red braided charging cable; same goes for my blue braided cable from my first half review. Though looking back its charging time from where the beginning; at 2:53 til 7:20 P.M., it took about less than 4 hours in comparison with my blue braided cable to my android tablet for 5 hours. Doesn’t matter which is charged better or quicker, I’m very glad when going through my new braided cables for the first time.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: ⬇️

Completed through this second/final half review, my red colored braided lighting type cable definitely fits to my recent iPad device. Though having to wait hours later for its charging test to get through before bed regardless. That being said, I did my best to get by when writing this review from it. All in all, I’m very happy for my new cable upgrades to set up. Do wish them last longer for future uses and among with my other tech items I can charge with.

⬆️ (From April 6th, 2024 to May. 19th, 2024)

Before signing off, here’s another close up for both braided cables that includes putting both straps in. As for its length, this is far I can get before photo shoot on my bed. Nevertheless, I’m sure they’re both similar in length beyond their differences.

Hope you guys enjoy this final review topic I’d really wanted to have. I’ll be taking care with my new braided cables as I can, but taking a break before saving some new topics and continuing ones soon. For now, here’s to a final week til June 2024 and to everyone gotten plans for the summer. Good luck! 👋

Also, this. ⬇️

Previously: ⬇️

JSAUX Nylon Braided Cords (Micro USB/Lighting) - Part 1 (first half recorded) (Apr. 6th, 2024) - Link Here

Tagged: @murumokirby360 @shadowredfeline @alexander1301 @rafacaz4lisam2k4 @coda-archive

[yakumo-kin]

Hi Yakumo! I was wondering if you ever start doing snake-y things, like looking for warm places to nap. You’re doing great, friend!

Hello! ‘Snake-y things’, hm..? Well, for one, my hands are always cold due to my cold-bloodedness. Mr. Eiden says this is great in the summer but not so much in the colder months. H-He.. likes to hold hands with me when it’s warm outside. [He smiles shyly.]

And I do enjoy warm places, clothes, foods… p-people.. I also start to get really sleepy when it gets colder!

Serpents do this thing in the winter similar to hibernation, called brumation. I-It’s very similar to hibernation, but we don’t fully fall asleep like mammals do. Instead our heart rate and breathing slow down so we use much less energy, and we can go without eating for a long time! But we do need to drink water.. Oh! Look at me, rambling on.. What I meant to say was, while I haven’t fully brumated since I was a young child, I still have the habit of sleeping much more than usual during winter, and my instincts can start to.. t-take over a little bit. I tend to seek out warm places when that happens, it can get a little embarrassing.. I’ve woken up with Mr. Quincy or Garu beside me more than a few times, with no memory of how they got there..!

Um, I also love to cuddle..! Holding people close to me, wrapping myself around them and feeling their warmth.. it makes me really happy. [He blushes with a soft smile on his face.]