#she looks kind of like an older dell this way

[bulgariansumo]

Girlhood Idols

[undeadorion]

It's so damn frustrating when someone activates trauma you thought you'd gotten over.

I work as the assistant to the IT manager at a mid-sized non profit company. The sort of company that has a C-suite. The IT manager is considered an executive. Most people are pretty chill and very considerate. Like I chat with the CEO periodically and when she asks me to do things, she's respectful of my time and I don't feel pressured.

But one of the other higher ups is a complete and total Karen. Her time matters more than anyone else's. She used to oversee IT before the CEO took over that role, so Karen still acts like she's in charge of us. She also thinks she can joke around with us at the same time.

The problem is she has this really overbearing energy and always sounds angry. Today she was trying to joke because I was walking in front of her and she said "Move, get out of the way already!" and logically I know she was joking, but it made me want to dive out of the way and maybe cry.

This isn't just cause she's so far above me and could get me fired. It's because she behaves exactly like my mother, and looks a bit like her as well. Mostly in that she's a 60+ year old woman of large size. And that's enough for my brain to be primed to think of my mom.

Well, after that little joke she came into the office saying "I need something." And because of past trauma, I immediately slip into fawn mode. That "do what you're told to get out of the situation as fast as possible." I think if my mom was physically abusive it would've been easier to separate this person from what my mom did. But my mom used threats like "I brought you into this world, I can take you out of it." Or the fact that she bought all my stuff so she could take it away. She did that shit to my older sister until all my sister had was a bare mattress in an empty room at one point. Which translates too easily to "Do what I say and you won't get fired."

The thing Karen needed this time was just a keyboard. We don't asset track the wired ones because we have too many. Of the standard shit Dell kind. She demanded one of the special ones, saying she needed one with a wrist wrest. So I was pulling out what we had and she just said "I'll take that one!" I handed it to her to LOOK at. It make sure it's the one she meant. And she just walked out of the office with it before I could even double check it was one we were allowed to give out. Because that thought didn't even occur to me until she was out of my line of sight. It's like I wasn't in control of myself. Just do the thing. Get it over with. Don't worry about policy, just hold it together and it will be over.

I don't think she even HAS the power to fire me. Yet here I am.

It doesn't help that my supervisor had to send an email saying "Hey, why did you come in and just take that? You need to put in a request." Then Karen showed up in the office insisting she ASKED. She very much did not. She demanded. Plus we need a FORMAL request for special equipment. Not just asking to have something. And suddenly she needed it because her wrists hurt. Which she'd never mentioned to me.

Even when you think you've overcome trauma, you'll encounter someone that will put you right back into that headspace. And you won't realize it until after its passed. Because it's doesn't feel like fear or anxiety anymore. It's more of a spiteful "survive" feeling. I don't know how to describe it, but I hate that it happens.

[anonanimal]

more witch from mercury thoughts post ep 18

what if all the stuff people have projected onto suletta comes true: if she's really an enhanced person, if she's really an orphan, if she's the thing sophie felt in the data storm. all this could become true depending on how the plot goes, e.g. if prospera dies, well, she'll be an orphan then

i concur with what others have said that it makes sense for them to explore having multiple pilots in one mobile suit as a way to dilute the physical load of piloting, pacrim style

this redditor is right...words i hate to say... if the show is leading us toward the conclusion that delling rembran is a good guy somehow i'm going to kill. jk there's no way we're getting "delling actually good guy" reveal because even the best possible version of delling is still a man who was president of a huge quasi-governmental coalition of weapons manufacturers that have been actively, directly engaged with destroying the earth and oppressing its inhabitants. also on the personal level there's the whole dueling game arranged marriage thing. delling redemption arc maybe. he and guel can start a redeemed character support group

ep 18 was more suletta suffering + setup and oooooh my god this trip to earth is going to go so bad. the way prospera said "take aerial?" not even trying to pretend she doesn't want miorine to take aerial. it's gonna be so bad. no miorine you can't show up to this conflict that's older than you and just ask everyone to get along without bringing something material to the table. miorine has been shown to be smarter than expected so maybe she's actually winning at 5d chess against prospera but let's be honest. i doubt it. she's still just a kid. the very position she's in right now, she was manipulated into. prospera scheming with shaddiq who wants to be president of the group + this trip is going to be sabotaged to tank miorine's chances. but that's not the only motivation, polling or early voting or whatever those numbers were showed shaddiq was going to win anyway. he doesn't need to ruin this just to win, he needs to inflame the earth-space conflict as part of his overall plan which is apparently to destroy the benerit group. not sure how this peace talk turning into a bloodbath will help prospera with quiet zero but i'm sure we'll find out

i really thought whatever was left of eri's consciousness loved suletta, this ep raises so many questions. was she also doing a shoo the dog to suletta or...what? WHAT IS GOING ON. the way prospera asked eri for her opinion on what to do with suletta was s c a r y don't tell me eri is calling some or all of the shots. or is prospera manipulating her by letting her think she has a say

secelia being behind the haro confessional pffffffft utena black rose arc anyone?

oh and el5n just telling nika and norea everything lmfaooo i'm so looking forward to whatever the house arrest three do next

i'm gonna revise my idea that eri died soon after the vanadis incident and say based on her appearing a bit older than four in some instances like the opening or ending (can't remember which), and most tellingly the flashback where prospera is slumped over comatose eri while apparently-suletta is in a bassinet, she'd lived for a few years after. and there was a brief time suletta was alive while eri was. which means prospera started the cloning shit before eri had even died. so it wasn't just prospera going crazy with grief trying to bring her back, but maybe anticipating her death and getting started on some kind of replacement body / key to raise the mobile suit's permet score. since it's confirmed all the gund-bits are clones, and there was not enough time for prospera to give birth to 13 children, prospera had access to sufficiently advanced cloning tech to grow them in fishtanks or whatever. it's possible suletta wasn't a clone and prospera artificially inseminated herself with nadim's frozen sperm...somehow...but come on. eri did say "you're all repli-humans" with no buts

prospera got help with the cloning from notrette right...suletta a clone just like those tomatoes...miorine's dead mother continues to haunt the narrative

oh god suletta please don't take "you were a key and we don't need you anymore now that the door is open" to heart and decide to find a way to...close the door

miorine's so good at keeping her business face on i almost forgot delling is still in a coma. mio do not make this ill-advised trip to earth, go sit by delling's side and cry or something. please. anything but what's about to happen

[coffeecat22]

While Farah was always my favorite character by far, I was also very interested in the golden trio, Rosalind and Andreas as well. Their past, their personalities, the relationships between all of them (and between Sky and his 2 dads) were fascinating to me.

Season 2 didn't really deliver on those fronts; I never let myself forget that the adults were not the focus of the show but I'd say they still had a fair amount of screentime in s1, and what we got of them was very good. S2 was focused on the teens a lot more than s1 imo and it's a pity because the older characters had a lot of potential. Maybe they didn't have enough time to explore them while trying to tell the story, after all 7 episodes isn't much, but I'm still sad about it.

Random thoughts and takeaways after just finishing the season:

Ben: I expected him to do Rosalind's bidding for the sake of his kids but something about the way he alerted her of Saul being at the school felt weird to me. IIRC Roz didn't know that Saul was there at all, could he have gotten in and out without her knowing if it wasn't for Ben? Did Ben help Saul get inside the school just to turn him over to Roz? It felt more like a betrayal than a situation where Ben had no choice but it also seemed like Saul understood 🤷🏻‍♀️ and then Ben left, even though it meant leaving Terra behind with a headmistress he'd been trying to protect her from.

Andreas: he was as much of an asshole as I thought he'd be lol. Dissapointed we didn't see a confrontation between him and Saul. I saw people theorizing Sky would kill his dad in s2, maybe in a fit of rage, maybe to protect Silva, maybe because mind control was involved... they were right for the most part 😂 I didn't feel like much happened between Andreas and Sky before they killed Andreas off. Sky said a couple of times that he was getting somewhere with his dad but all I saw was a proud look ONCE and that was it. Andreas definitely cared for Beatrix, but he seemed to have no interest in Sky. I think he knew the people of Aster Dell were BW but maybe he thought it wouldn't make a difference if he told Saul because he'd still try to stop Roz. Was Bea really from AD? Or did Andreas lie to her about it?

Rosalind: so she was a total zealot trying to start a war with the BW by stealing the Dragon Flame and destroying AD. I liked this Rosalind more than s1 Roz, idk if it was the writing or the actress but it worked better for me. The scene in front of Andreas' grave was interesting and at first I thought she really cared for him but by the end of the scene I had the impression she cared in the way she would for a possesion, something that was of use to her. And was obviously sorry when she lost it before she was done with it, which is how she feels about Bloom. It was a shock to see her die so soon, but I loved that Luna used her death to justify going to war and getting people to agree with it. There's probably more to say about her but after 7 hours of staring at a screen, is all I can remember now

Saul: funnily enough this is how the show disappointed me the most I think? He just didn't feel like an actual character to me. He's the only one of the adults who is still alive and around at the end but he feels almost 2dimensional. He wasn't allowed to react to anything or it felt a bit superficial. I was laughing by the end of the season: 1) no resolution with Andreas, 2) loved the conflict with Sky but it was kind of forgotten after Andreas' death (it would've been nice to see the immediate aftermath of that for Saul and Sky) and the one scene where they discuss it Saul says some things that sounded weird, but I can't explain why, 3) Saul and Farah seemed close in s1 and yet if you told me that s2 Saul didn't know her I'd have believed it. It was hilarious to see that Saul never asked about her, probably thought she was actually on the run, didn't seem slightly concerned that Sebastian might be telling the truth about her death, etc. I love silrah no matter the nature of their relationship so maybe I'm biased? it seems Bloom told him she saw Farah again, yet it didn't seem to affect him at all. He seems unaffected after losing both Andreas and Farah. I guess it was weird to see him like that all season, almost like he was going through the motions.

Farah: I was fully prepared for anything the writers decided to do with her, so I'm not surprised. I thought I might feel sad but it actually felt like a hole opened up in my chest and sucked in all emotions. So I guess it's a good thing in a way but it also feels empty. The way she died just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, it was really stupid. While I agree that the rules of life and death can't be broken at all or at least not without consequences, this show is not known for making sensible choices in terms of storytelling, but they had to pick this hill to die on 🙄 I'd have happily waited until s3 to bring her back if it meant she could stay but whatever. There's also the possibility that Eve couldn't or didn't want to come back.

I'm kind of mad that they gave us these characters and then took them away like this but I've always enjoyed fanfic and fan theories more than the show itself anyway. This is what I get for getting attached to the adult (side) characters on a show about teenagers 🤦🏻‍♀️

[waywardsunlight]

I GOTTA SAY THIS but the way The Owl House deals with nostalgia is so interesting to me because it definitely buys into nostalgia but it also actively criticizes it. Eda’s nostalgia for her childhood, which she kind of misremembers and idealizes at times (not being aware of Lily’s struggle, seeing herself as always winning and having a great time, the idea that the facist government wasn’t a problem back then, and her relationship with Raine that she idealizes despite Raine breaking up with her because she wasn’t willing to be open with her emotions) is really interesting because there are elements of it actually being a better time in her life before Everything Went Wrong in her mind, but also she forgets that Dell wasn’t always around, that bad stuff was happening when she was a kid.

Philip is very similar but farther into that concept of Everything Was Good And Something Ruined It. In reality, he just got older and Caleb had other things he had to do and interests like starting a family so Philip just… shut down and even regressed later on because he couldn’t deal with the fact that Caleb would ‘ruin’ their lives by just growing apart due to age. Philip finds himself trying to stop Caleb from growing up which is why he always kills the Hunters when they’re teenagers/preteens. They’re just about to grow up and “betray him”, ruin that childhood nostalgia. The Hunters never work because Caleb was never who Belos wanted him to be; Caleb always grows up, always leaves.

Hunter has a bit of this with his perception of his own childhood. He views traumatic experiences and his own abuse as something he enjoys to look back on and he still loves Belos at the end of Kings Tide because he hasn’t let go of that idealized version of Belos and his own emotions where he was really happy. He copes with that trauma by remembering it fondly until he finally has to confront that Belos is just an abuser.

Finally and most important, Luz has a major amount of nostalgia for a time and place that has never existed. She has an idealized view of magic and witches, because she uses this world and these concepts to cope with the reality of late 2010s-early 2020s America, the struggle to conform to the American school system, the loss of her dad, and her struggles with her mom kind of inspire her to cope with her own fantasy which she slowly realizes isn’t an escape like she thought it was. Because no matter how many times Belos tries again with Caleb, no matter if Eda and Raine start over, no matter how much Luz wants to be in a fantasy world, nostalgia isn’t real. Everything is complicated, people don’t fit your expectations or ideal of them. There will always be struggles.

Luz realizes this and slowly lets go of the fantasy of being a hero and focuses on her love of Eda, King, and everybody else around her because that’s real, it’s now, and it’s real. Messy and complicated, but real. Raine confirms that they still love Eda, and maybe in the future they can try again, and this time Eda is going to be emotionally ready for it because she’s not in love with the fantasy of Raine, she just loves Raine. And nostalgia isn’t bad. It’s nice to think of times you felt happier but you have to understand that you’ll be happy again if you’re able to open yourself up for it.

[laladellakang]

dake

masterlist | wattpad | requests / ask enhypen

— sjy — italics dialogue = english

della and jake

! this isn't as long as dehoon's (and only has one media thing) so i apologise !

!! i JUST realised that i should've done one where della goes to jake's house and i already wrote 8 scenarios (same as dehoon's).. oh well next time ig !!

FIRST

Della's crush on Jake during I-Land has long been revealed by the members. It was what Della deemed as one of their most 'truly evil' acts.

When referring back to the clips, everyone could see that their infatuation was clear as day, even during the first episode. Della couldn't stop blushing and Jake kept staring at the intimidating girl.

At the time, he figured that it was her strong presence, seeing as a lot of the boys were doing the same. He felt sad that she seemed to avoid him at all costs, he didn't notice the effect he had on her.

It only took one action of kindness for Jake to catch feelings- when she sacrificed her time to help Youngbin and him. He thought that it would water down as their friendship blossomed, but it only got worse.

Della fell first, but Jake fell harder.

THE MARRIED COUPLE

"You did squats with Jungwon on your back the other day, right?" Della asked Jake. They were the first two to show up to practice.

"Yeah, I did fifty," Jake said proudly. "Wanna try?"

"Let's go," she prepped for a piggyback but he lifted her up bridal-style instead. "Woah! Good luck," she pursed her lips as a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Dun dun dun duuuuun," Daniel entered the room with Sunghoon, singing the Wedding March.

"Eyy," Sunghoon smirked.

"Ahh!" Jake dropped to the floor but didn't let go of the girl so her legs were laid over his lap.

"Wahh! You did ten!" Della jostled him. "That's so cool!"

"Lala- sorry, you promised to help Hanbin-hyung and I-" Daniel was cut off by Della's 'ahh.'

"I'll be right back guys," she got up and left the room with the younger.

"You two... I swear you guys are like a married couple," Sunghoon chuckled.

'A married couple huh?' Jake thought. 'That's an odd way to refer to your crush and best friends.. but I'm definitely not complaining.'

Most of the occurrence made it into the show's behind the scenes, and that was where the 'married couple' nickname started.

DWIGHTZ

"Is Kang Della here?" Della could hear Jake's voice from outside the class.

"Ah yes- Delle! It's Jake!" her friend called out.

"Hm?" she stood by the doorframe with raised eyebrows.

"I have P.E before lunch so I'll just meet you in the parking lot, 'kay?" he stepped a bit closer to her.

"You could've told me through text, Jaeyun," she gave him a knowing smile.

"No phones during school hours, Miss Kang," he kicked her foot lightly. "See ya, baby," he smirked at her blush before walking away.

Della could feel several eyes on her but she was surprised to see a great deal of people (mostly girls) from her grade peeping to look at the older member.

Some of them immediately returned to their classes while some greeted Della with a scared look.

"I still can't believe we're friends with someone who is Sim Jaeyun's bandmate," one of her friends said.

"No, are you kidding me? I still can't believe we can even see Della Kang this close."

❅◦❆◦❅◦❆◦❅◦❆◦❅◦❆

"Guys! It's Kang Della!" a group of seniors rushed to go outside of the class. "Kang Della, hi!" the poor girl jumped from the sudden noise.

"Hello!" she waved at them back with a sweet smile. "Have you seen Jake?"

"Jake?!" some of them went to look inside his classroom, some said that they didn't know, but three replied that he's in the bathroom- which is where he actually is.

"Oh okay- is it okay if you hand this to him? I forgot to give it this morning," she gave one of them a small pouch.

"Holy shit," the guy muttered. "Will do!" he grinned and held the pouch close to him.

"Thank you! Bye sunbaes!" she waved again before walking back to her class.

"LUCKYY!" cue the jostles and hits.

"Ey eyy, that's my girl!" Jake's voice boomed through the hallway.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

ARGUMENTS

Out of all the boys, Della would say that Jake and Jay are the two who she argues the least with, with Jake a little less than Jay.

Since both Jake and Della easily feel bad, they both tend to give up quick. So their arguments are rather.. interesting.

"But Jaeyun! I was just complaining! I didn't mean for you to buy me!" Della held up her new uniform shirt. "Wait- lemme get my wallet."

"What? No! I bought it for you!" he held her back.

"But you'll be wasting your-"

"No I'm not! You're not a waste, Delle. I got it 'cause I love yo-"

"But you don't have to show it through money! I can pay for it!"

"And so can I! Just let me, it's okay!"

"It's a whole ass uniform po-"

"Della. Jaeyun," Heeseung interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Delle," "I'm sorry, Jake," the two apologised while hugging each other.

And that's just how it goes. Practically every single time.

OUR SONG

"There's this one song... I really wanna make a cover of it! I always listen to it," Jake said during his solo V-Live. "It's a reallyy sweet song, really."

"It's called Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran," he showed the viewers a small bit of the song. "It's really slow and low toned," he kept smiling and his eyes were shining as he explained.

"I might have to learn the guitar chords for the cover, I think it'll be nicer if I did the instrumentals myself," he paused the music just after the chorus. "So I have a lot to prep- actually! Let me search for the instrumentals."

"Settle down with me. Cuddle me up, cuddle me in," he started singing. "Lie down with me and hold me in your arms," he couldn't hold back the smile. He pretended that he forgot the next lyrics and tried his best suppress a cheeky grin.

"And with a feeling I'll forget- I'm in love now," he smiled widely before pausing the music. "Yup, that's it for now," he blushed thinking about the next part he's supposed to sing.

'Wait- if I actually record a full cover then I'm asking everyone (NOT JUST DELLA) to kiss me...'

So he ended up not releasing that cover.

(T)ALL GUYS

"Guys Della is not taller than me," Jungwon chuckled during Jakewon's V-Live. Jake couldn't hold the laugh at his 'clarification.'

"But seriously- Della is reallyy tall, really," Jake said with wide eyes.

"She's the- she's the tallest girl I've ever met. I don't think she's 171 anymore," Jungwon said in between laughs.

"No no, there's no way," Jake agreed. "At least 173 'cause sometimes she looks as tall as me-"

"Sometimes she looks as tall as Jay-hyung!"

"That's right! That's right!" Jake pointed. "And her legs are soo long like they can wrap around-" he stopped in his sentence to think of an alternative. "What's it called? There's an equipment in the gym."

"Ahh, I don't know," 'thank God this hyung played it off well.'

"Yeah- in conclusion, she's really tall. That's why I thought she was only into tall guys at first," the look on his eye showed one of panic and regret but he tried his best to keep a straight face.

"Mmm," 'I JUST SAID-'

WALK OF SHAME (NOT)

"Can't believe you fucking locked Jay out of his own room," Della giggled against his lips.

"I missed you, okay? The last time we snogged was over a week ago, I think," Jake pulled away to explain before diving back in. "As much as I love having you as my best friend, I love you as my girlfriend heaps more."

Because of their busy schedules, Enha hasn't been doing much couple stuff lately. Sure they cuddled, kissed and slept together but of course, they craved more.

Jake volunteered to have his alone-time last, meaning he has been itching for this moment.

"Mm- babe- I'm really sorry but we've been going at this for a long while. Can I get a drink?" Della chuckled as she pulled away.

"Let's go, I'm thirsty too," Jake got off her and helped her up.

"Is this what you call 'the walk of shame?'" Sunghoon smirked when the two left the room. Everyone but Heeseung and Jungwon was present in the living room.

"Hm?" Dake said in unison.

"Had fun?" Sunoo asked with raised eyebrows.

"Of.. course?"

"Wait- do you not know what 'walk of shame' means?" Jay noticed their genuine confusion. "'Walk of shame?'"

"OHH!" they finally understood.

"Even I know what it means," Niki chuckled. He didn't want to mention that his hyungs literally just taught him the new slang.

"But we didn't.. do anything," Della snickered.

"You didn't?!" the members' eyes widened.

"Then why'd you kick me out?! And locked the door?! And look like.. that?!" Jay questioned. Dake looked at each other and noticed their disheveled appearance.

"We were just enjoying each other in more... appropriate ways," the four members all snorted.

"That is such a lie," Sunghoon muttered.

"I don't need it when I've had my fill of quicki- ack! Noo!" Jake covered himself when the boys started throwing pillows, blankets, towels- anything that was soft and near them, to his direction.

LITTLE TREAT

Sneak-outs on set are a regular for Enha, but the couple who originated it was Dake. So it's no wonder that they do it the most often.

"You look absolutely adorable today," Della was sitting on Jake's lap, hugging him tightly. "You look all cuddly."

"Stopp- you look absolutely adorable. I love the hair so much," he fiddled with her half space bun - half down hair. "You're like a cuddly teddy bear, so cute."

"We better go out soon. Fix your hair, wipe your lips," she got off of him to fix her own appearance.

As Jake was fixing his hair, he suddenly thought of something.

Right before they came to the room, he came across an Engene posting about Nilla being 'too obvious.'

"Babe, the lipgloss," Della reminded just as Jake grabbed the door handle.

"Little treat for Dake shippers," he winked.

[ okay- jake's lips don't look THAT glossy in the screenshot but y'all i'm shit at editing these stuff ]

requests: — more headcanons like dehoon's (2/7) — more dake moments — what went through the guys' heads when they first met (2/7) — dwightz in dwight moments — jake covering ed sheeran's kiss me (dake's song) — more sus moments — the members thinking that dake did it but actually didn't

taglist! @afiaaaa19 @riikiblr @one16core @4sahii @toriluvsfics @i90snoo @danyxthirstae01 @seulgifted @clar-iii @hiqhkey​ @nichmeddar @jiwlys @duolingofanaccount [@studioreader @sarang-wonie @fairydosii @hoonstrology @jaetint]

[pdaliceliveblogs]

Wow.

Tons of cute sandwiched in pain but also hope.

I went back and checked, and Raine whistled softly over their tea before drinking it back in Follies, too. Which means... either it took a while to work properly, or they were putting on an act with Eda in the alley? To try not to hurt her by getting her involved again? You beautiful dingus she is already involved. Eda better pop them one when that comes out. (I meant smack them but she should also kiss them.) God, I’m so proud of them, though. They���re fighting, they’re fighting. It’s incredibly encouraging-- and it looks like Darius might be working with them as well, now? He seemed pretty on board with tormenting them back in Requiem, but maybe he’s come around since then?

...or maybe that’s why Raine was able to escape from the goo back then, though that leads to the question of why Darius acted as pissed off as he did when there was no audience... except Eberwolf? Would he have been putting on an act for Eber? Was he seriously just pissed off at his co-conspirator for soiling his cloak? No, that makes no sense, Raine was genuinely trying to kill him and Eberwolf. They weren’t working together then. But they are now?

All these coven heads are playing 4D chess and Eda needs to pop them all one.

(and then kiss Raine.)

Okay so most of this episode was just adorable as hell, Eda and Raine as kids immediately hitting it off, being each other’s anchors through a bullshit school activity, being both a little on the outside in different ways. Eda saying Lily was her only friend... oof ow fuck ow. And she’s already losing her to the EC, but she found Raine, so at least she’ll have them for... the last bit of her time in school.

I was trying to hash out a timeline for my fic, actually (which will now require some significant rewrites but I’m excited), and I think Eda’s in her sophomore year here-- well, third from last year, as it looks like Hexside isn’t really separated in an elementary/middle/high kind of way. Lilith is two years older and she’s still in school, but also we know that she was still at home for at least some time after her coven acceptance because she was there when Eda attacked her father. We also know that Hexside doesn’t seem to have a summer vacation-- or if it does, it’s at a different time of year, since Luz’s ‘new semester’ started up while she was already in the B.I. for camp. So maybe this is near the beginning of Eda’s sophomore/Lily’s senior year, Eda gets cursed at the coven tryouts in seven months, Lily is accepted into the coven like a college acceptance and has to finish out her senior year first so she has a couple more months? During that period, Eda’s attacks continue to get worse, she puts out Dell’s eye, and she runs away from home for good, ditching school. (Maybe there was a cushion between the attack and her running away if Dell was in the hospital for a while, but she says she hasn’t seen him since it happened.) Obviously she stayed in contact with Raine, since they were together as young adults, but that still means they had... maybe a year at school together. Ow.

Seeing young versions of adult characters is always fun-- it’s been pointed out to me that the Hexside oracle kid whose design I was admiring might well be Perry, Gus’s dad, and I can kinda see it, since oracle makes sense for television/news and entertainment. I have a lot of Thoughts about young Darius because of course I do (look... listen... muck monster good) and am absolutely wrapping several of them up into this fic I’m working on--

man. Lilith said she was going off to an EC study group. Study group. That’s the kind of place you make friends.

The only things that bugged me this episode were Raine’s head being too dang big at several points and Terra pulling the exact same “I’m impressed you disobeyed me” thing that Darius did two episodes ago. I want to believe that means something, like it’s a quality Belos looks for in his minions somehow (though it doesn’t seem his style) but there’s a part of me worried it’s just uncharacteristically non-fabulous writing. This show is so good, you guys, it’s wild something like that sticks out so much. 

I am 100% gonna watch this one again soon for all the delightful Eda and Raine cheese.

[samcat0925]

So the au I was thinking would have had Eda as Hunter's mom and it all started out as a joke I wanted to make about Lilith later and because I wanted Hunter to learn how to carve wood and palismen from Dell. But I feel before I can get into that I have to talk about what Hunter's like in this au.

He's still a prodigy but he doesn't go to school (Eda taught him) though he would sit in a few lessons because he's eager to learn more stuff; Bump allows it and the two probably sit in his office where they talk about stuff or work. If someone messes with him or people he cares about, he's likely to retaliate in karmic retribution (ex. pranks, etc). He does suffer from insomnia. He has his own friends or mainly friend I guess: it's Edric. (this will be goldric) Sometimes, he waits for Hexside to let out so he and Edric can hang out (and I want to say that they get together months before Luz and Amity do). I want to say he's interacted regularly with the rest of the BATs. I kinda want Hunter to do his own thing where he's encountered a few of the Coven Heads.

Before he has Flapjack or discovers glyphs, Hunter uses a training wand or Owlbert if he wants to cast spells. He doesn't care what anybody has to think about his lack of magic, but does care about feeling less of a witch if he thinks Eda (and Edric later on) feels that way too.

And that's most of what I have for this au.

This is interesting as an au where maybe Lilith overhears Belos's plan and takes baby Hunter with her to go stay with Eda to keep him safe from Belos. After a while they, along with King and Luz, become their own little family.

Maybe before Luz shows up, Hunter is on friendly terms with Willow and Gus since he, like Willow, is seen as a lesser witch aka a half-a-witch by Boscha and her group though he isn't afraid of telling them off when they're being mean to him or his friends as I like to image that he acts as the group's big brother (though he is older than them so he kind of is like their older brother).

I like to think that when it's Hunter's turn to be paired with a palisman during the Palisman Pairing Day, he would say something like "I want to learn more about myself while also being able to protect the people that I love from harm." or something like that. I also like to image that Hunter just says that he wants to learn more about himself and Flapjack, without hesitation, goes up to him.

He probably always gets roped into Luz's shenanigans since Hunter feels like he has to keep Luz from getting herself or others into trouble. I personally like to think that when Luz first comes to the Boiling Isles, Eda askes Hunter to keep an eye on her which Hunter was not happy about at first but after a while, Hunter starts to make sure that Luz is safe, not because Eda or someone had asked him to but because he cares about her and doesn't want to see her get hurt, though he'd probably never outright admit it when asked.

I also think that in the episode, "Through The Looking Glass Ruins", it would actually start with Luz about to leave to go see Amity at the library but not before she asks Hunter if he wants to come with her while teasingly saying that Edric would be there which makes the witch blush before saying that he can't go with her since he already has plans. Then when Luz meets up with the Blight siblings, she tells Ed that Hunter couldn't come because he said that he had plans to which Em would take the opportunity to tease Ed and ask him what plans he thinks that Hunter is getting up to, knowing full well that Edric and Hunter are going on a date later. 

After their date, Hunter walks Edric back to his place and gives him a small kiss(either on the cheek or on the lips), little do they know that Em saw it and took a picture of it so she could tease Edric later as well as send it to Amity and the others aka Luz, Willow and Gus. Then when the Lumity cheek kiss happens, Edric takes a picture and sends it to Hunter since as Luz's (unofficial) older brother, he should be the first to know about how Lumity's development is going. 

Also, Emira, Edric and Hunter are the first to figure out about Amity and Luz's feelings for each other and are huge supporters of it(at least Hunter is after Amity shows that she can be a good person and the episode, "Understanding Willow").

[king-xineohp]

Between Two Worlds

Happy father's day to my favorite dilf

Main Masterlist Ghibli Masterlist

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Roland Crane x reader

Roland turned to his door as he heard a gentle knock.

“Come in,” he said, an expert at hiding confusion. It was far too early for anyone else but Bracken to be awake, and even if it were anyone else in the castle, everyone was busy planning a celebration in the square- Khunbish had finally won a race against Tani, and ‘the kingdom of smiles’ would dive headfirst at any opportunity for a party.

The door didn’t creak as it opened like the office door at home, and he realized then that there was far more he missed than just Will.

Y/n stuck her head in the room as the door was hardly open.

“Come in ‘come in’, or just stand-in-the-doorway ‘come in’?” She asked.

“You can come into the room, Y/n,” Roland said with a half-playful sigh. “What brings you to my room so early in the morning?”

“Bracken asked Zip for a favor-”

“Oh no.”

“And he ended up extending that favor to everyone else in Broadleaf-”

“Oh no. What did Bracken have them all doing?” Roland asked, concerned that Zip was involved in the reason Y/n was visiting him.

“Looking for this!” Y/n said happily, revealing a book she’d been hiding behind the door. Finally, she came into the room, quietly closing the door behind herself. “It’s an ancient-ancient tome. Like, Allegoria ancient. Ancient as Mornstar.”

“Why was Bracken looking for an ancient tome? And why are you bringing it to me?” Roland asked, professional composure withering away as it usually did when he was confronted with magic.

“I asked Bracken and Leander if they knew of any ways I could learn about your world,” Y/n said softly, padding across the room in slippered feet to sit on the edge of Roland’s bed. “Leander’s still doing what he can, but he’s just one man. Bracken had all of Broadleaf doing research, and you know how good they all are at research.”

“Yeah… Makes sense they’d find something quick,” Roland agreed, nodding. “Why are you interested in my world?”

Y/n was silent for a moment, absentmindedly tracing the cover of the book with one of her fingers.

“I had a dream,” she said softly. Roland could be very stick-up-the-ass-ish at times, and she didn’t know his thoughts on weird dreams. “You were there. You were older, though. About Batu’s age, maybe, but it didn’t seem odd at all. You were in an odd office, though. The walls looked like the kind in Ding Dong Dell, but the floor seemed very Goldpaw-esque, and all the furniture was like Broadleaf with more wood and less metal. You looked so natural and comfortable there, I thought it had to be a place from your world. And that made me curious.”

Roland’s brow furrowed as he grimaced, and Y/n watched silently as he reached up and stroked his ponytail thoughtlessly.

“That sounds just like my office at home,” he said quietly, nodding as he let his hand fall into his lap. “I used to hate that place, but now I miss it.”

“Oh, Roland,” Y/n said sympathetically, setting the book down next to her. Roland just looked at her and smiled.

Will.

“Sorry. I get sentimental when I’m alone,” he said reassuringly. “It’s not so bad when I’m with you. It makes me happy that you’re interested in my home.”

“…I once heard you mention someone named William,” Y/n said hesitantly. He’d been in quite the mood when she’d overheard him, and she didn’t know if she was pushing a boundary. “Is William someone from your world, too?”

Roland’s heart caught in his throat and he looked around the room in a daze, half-panicked. He only calmed when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He set his over hers and took a deep-yet-shaky breath. The nightmare he’d had before fighting Doloran still crossed his mind every now and then.

“Yes,” he answered simply. Y/n could hear a certain sadness in his voice.

“Do you miss him, too?”

“Every day,” Roland said softly.

Y/n took Roland’s hand gently, leading him to stand from his desk. She tugged him over to the bed, letting him sit on the edge next to the book. She circled the bed as Roland clearly drowned himself in sad thoughts. 

“Can you tell me who he is?” Y/n asked quietly as she clambered onto the bed behind the chief consul. Soft as ever, a gentleness Roland loved about her, she reached out and undid his ponytail, combing through his hair with her fingers.

“He’s my son,” Roland said, surprising Y/n. “In my world, I am around Batu’s age. I don’t know how or why I’m so young here. He’s about Evan’s age. I didn’t see him very often. He practically lived in the hospital.”

“I didn’t know you were a father,” Y/n said, trying to comb a knot out of Roland’s hair without hurting him. “It must be hard being away from him. You hide it pretty well that you miss your home.”

Roland moaned contently as Y/n’s fingers brushed against his neck and his cheeks flushed red at Y/n’s quiet giggle. He realized then that he hadn’t had the company of a woman he loved in years.

“It’s a skill you have to learn when you’re a politician,” he explained awkwardly. “I essentially held the same position as Zip back in my world.”

“And yet you have a certain disdain for him,” Y/n mused. “Not that that’s uncalled for, I think we all do.”

“Except Bracken,” Roland pointed out, letting out a satisfied hum as Y/n tied his now-smoother hair back into its usual ponytail.

“Except Bracken,” she repeated. “I’m sure Evan reminds you of William, doesn’t he? Isn’t that hard on you?”

“He does, in a way, but they’re very different,” Roland said, turning on his bed to face Y/n. “It’s not as hard as it should be, I think, probably because they’re so different from one another. But I think both of them could manage without me- That’s the worst part.”

“It may be the worst part, but it’s also the most untrue,” Y/n said, grinning smugly. “Without you, Evan would’ve lost to Mausinger a long time ago. Think of all the things you’ve done both for him and with him. If you left, he’d be crushed, and I’m sure it’s the same for Will. You may not see him much, but you love him, right? I’m sure he loves you, too.”

“Yeah… He’s one of my main reasons to keep living,” Roland admitted, smiling sadly to himself. “Sure, I have a country to run, but I also have a child to raise.”

“If he’s part you, I’m sure he's a great kid,” Y/n said. “You’re certainly a good father figure to Evan. If I could, I think I’d like to meet Will. You smile when you talk about him.”

“I can’t wait to see him again,” Roland said quietly. “Whether that means when I go back to my world or when I die, I don’t know.”

“I’m sure you’ll make it back to your world someday,” Y/n said reassuringly. “But, not to be selfish, I hope that’s not too soon. I’d miss you.”

“I’d miss you, too,” Roland said. “If you ever get lost in my world, come find me, okay?”

“I will,” Y/n said, smiling. “If I get lost in your world, you’re the only person -I think- who could help.”

“Not to be selfish,” Roland started, grinning knowingly at Y/n, “but if I’m home with Will again, I hope you do get lost in my world. I realized today I even miss the things I hate, but I already know how much I miss the things I love.”

[ramp-it-up]

Fresh Squeeze Ch. 13

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x OFC Linden Marshall (You)

Set in 2023, post-pandemic

Warnings: Minors DNI, 18 + ONLY, RPF, drinking, dancing, singing, cursing, lots of plot and fluff and sad with some Smut as well. This has everything. Daddy kink, oral sex (m recieving), cum play, drunken confessions/rambling, Love, y’all.

“As” x Stevie Wonder

Word Count: 5.7 K 

Plot: Lindy reacts to her gifts, gets another one from the group, and TURNS UP. They finally get back to NYC and deal with having to be apart (or not).

“Well, what do you think?”  Daveed was looking at you expectantly.

“I…….” 

You really didn’t know what to say.  You were surprised, intrigued, curious, and a little frightened. Your mind was trying to take it all in.

Daveed’s heart dropped as he watched your face. He closed the photo app on his phone.

“It’s cool. It’s a lot to think about...”  He could kick himself. He’d gotten carried away and ruined a perfect thing. He wished he could rewind time.

“I, I’ll meet you out at the bar. Go have some fun. We’ll talk later.” 

He might as well begin getting wasted for when you ended it between you two.  It had been a great day and a half. He turned around and headed for the door.

“Diggs, where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

Daveed stopped and turned around, bracing for it. He saw the flash your eyes.

“Look, Linden.  I’m sorry.  I took it too far. Forget I even showed you that picture.” He leaned on the wall and looked everywhere but at you. 

Your heart twisted in your chest. Daveed really did love you. And he was wearing his anxiety all over him. It hurt your heart that he felt that way. It was on you to communicate now.

You approached him slowly and put your hands on his arms as he looked at the floor. You bent your knees to get a glimpse of his eyes and to force him to look at you.  

Daveed smiled when he saw you peeking at him.  Maybe you weren’t pissed at him.

“I’m so pissed at you,” you breathed. 

Oh, well.

“How are you going to lecture me about running away all the time when that’s what you were about to do?”

Daveed opened and closed his mouth. Then he looked at you. You were right.

You slid into his arms and he looked down at you.  So fucking beautiful.

“Thank you for my presents, Daveed. I’m not mad that you got them. But you’re right, it is a lot to think about.” You sighed and lay your head on his chest.  

“This weekend has been amazing, and I’m happy you got carried away…It means….”

“It means I love you, Lindy.” He kissed the top of your head. “But I get it, you need time to think about… taking that step.” 

Daveed realized that you were just nervous.

You bit your lip and nodded. “Yeah.”  

Daveed leaned down and kissed your lips. It was slow and sensual.

“Anything I can do to help with your thinking process?”  

His lips were at your cheek, moving to your jaw, your earlobe and then your neck.  You moaned as he found the spot he’d memorized so quickly, like a verse.

You moaned, heating up again as his hand smoothed your dress over your ass and his fingers reached for the hem. Again.

You felt yourself begin to tumble down the hill of your desire for Daveed, which you tried to snap yourself out of by clearing your throat, to which Daveed smiled at against the skin of your collarbone.

“We should really get back out there.”

You fully expected him to object, but instead he agreed.

“You’re right.”  He planted another kiss on your spot.  “The crew is working on a gift for you out there.” He nuzzled your neck and then kissed below your earlobe. 

“What?” You were curious as to what they were up to. Daveed just stared at you. “W-what do you mean they're working on a present?” 

Daveed chuckled and smiled at you, grabbing you by the hand. “I don't know. Let’s go see.”

--------

Craig happened to be passing by when you and Daveed came out of the bathroom. You were caught.

“OOOOOOOOOh. I’m gonna call Monalinda on your ass.” You were swole, and about to cuss Craig out and then instantly deflated.

“Oh shit.” You looked at him. “My mom.” 

You dropped Daveed’s hand and dug in your purse for your phone, which you had basically ignored all weekend. 

It was lit up with birthday messages, one from Mark, which you deleted, and plenty from other friends and acquaintances on social media.

You looked up at Daveed. “I’m have to call my mom.  I’m going to step outside.”

“I’ll go with you.” Craig, your protector.

Daveed didn’t want to let you go, but he didn’t want to crowd you. You went downstairs and out of the door, Craig with you.

You scrolled for the call from your mom, and like clockwork, she’d called at 8:43 am, the time you were born. It was well over 12 hours since she’d called. You cringed and dialed her back.

She picked up immediately.

“Linden? Happy Birthday, Baby.”

“Hey Mama. Thank you. Sorry I missed your call.”

“That’s ok, baby. I figured you’d be busy having fun. Craig watching out for you?”

You laughed and looked over at Craig.  “Hey Auntie Mona!” He yelled and all three of you laughed.

“Hey Craig! Take care of Linden for me.”

“Mama, I’m 30 years old now. I can watch out for myself.” 

Now she was laughing at you. Sometimes it was like you were her twin, brash and independent.

“Ok, you’re right. Is that Daveed boy there with you?  Craig told his father that you had a crush on him.”

“Oh, did he now?” You were gonna tap Craig in his jaw. You made a cutting motion against your throat to him. He just laughed at you and flipped you off. 

“Yes, mom, he’s here,” you sighed.

Mona knew that tone. And she laughed at you again.

“Linden, just be open to love, Baby. You deserve it.” 

You loved your mom so much, but It was when you were talking to her that you were reminded of Dell. That’s why you tried to avoid it. Because when you thought about Dell, you felt like you didn’t deserve anything.

You thought about how you should be on a three-way call with her and Dell, her wishing you both a happy birthday.

“Mama…. I’m sorry. I…”

“Linden. Stop it. Just stop it.  It wasn’t your fault. You can’t live your life blaming yourself. He’d want you to move on.  And he’d be so proud of you now. I’m so proud of you.”

“I love you Mama.” You smiled through your tears. 

“I love you too, Baby.  Now get off the phone with me and go have some fun with that tall, fine man. And tell me all about him when you get back, maybe bring him to meet me if you realize you should snag him.  Have a safe flight.”

You laughed at her read. “Ok, Mama. Goodbye.”

“Bye, Lindy.”

You took out your phone and scrolled through your pictures of Dell.  You picked one and made your annual post for your birthdays. Craig moved toward you and took you in his arms.

“You okay, cousin?”

You looked up at him, and the tears came harder because he was crying too. He was the only one who missed Dell almost as much as you.  Except your mom, who probably missed him more. You hugged Craig and let yourself cry.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine after I kick your ass for telling Uncle Lindron about Daveed. You know he and Mona talk every day.” You started to walk back into the club, where Daveed was watching for you to return.

“Lindy, this ain’t Jersey, and I’m not one of those little hoodrats you used to fight all the time. I’ll fuck you up, just like I did in the 7th grade.”

“Shut up, Craig!” you laughed and pushed him, lightening up a little, especially when you saw Daveed’s concerned look as he came for you.

“You okay?”  You looked up at him and smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips.  “I’m good.”

Craig and Daveed led you to where Rafael, Anthony, and Jasmine were standing.  Daveed planted you on the stool and looked you in the eyes.

“Stay here.”

“OK?”  You looked around to see everyone smiling at you.  Rafa winked as Daveed approached a mic stand. You got a feeling of dread in your stomach. 

Oh no-

Daveed looked at you as the crew gathered around.  

“Hey everybody. This is Lindy.” He held his hand out to you. “And it’s Lindy’s birthday today. And I bet she thinks we’re about to embarrass her and have you sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her.” He looked over to you. “But she’d be wrong.”

You breathed a sigh of relief.

“We were wondering what to give the woman who has everything.” 

You called out to him. “Are you included in ‘everything?’”

“You are correct, madam.” Daveed smirked in response. You shook your head as everyone laughed.

“But we decided to use what we have and that is talent. And we picked a song to perform that her cousin Craig said was a family favorite and is really really true for all of us, especially me. 

We’re going to perform a song that lets you know that you got new family members for life.”

Rafa cued the DJ to start the track. As you heard the opening cords, you brought your hands to your mouth, emotional.

Jasmine was first up.

As around the sun the earth knows she's revolving/ And the rosebuds know to bloom in early May/ just as hate knows loves the cure/ You can rest your mind assured/ That I'll be loving you always/ As now can't reveal the mystery of tomorrow/ But in passing will grow older every day/ Just as all is born is new/ Do know what I say is true/That I'll be loving you always

Jasmine came over and gave you a hug as she sung the last line.

Everyone started dancing this choreographed routine of 70’s dance moves, the hustle, the hand jive, and the bump during the refrain as they sang. Even Craig joined in the chorus.

Anthony sang next.

Did you know that true love asks for nothing./ Her acceptance is the way we pay Did you know that life has given love a guarantee/ To last through forever and another day/ Just as time knew to move on since the beginning/ And the seasons know exactly when to change/ Just as kindness knows no shame/ Know through all your joy and pain/ That I'll be loving you always

Ant handed Rafael the mic next.

As today I know I'm living but tomorrow/ Could make me the past but that I mustn't fear/ For I'll know deep in my mind/ The love of me I've left behind/ Cause I'll be loving you always

 More dancing, and you had to get up out of your seat.

Daveed had the bridge:

We all know sometimes life's hates and troubles/ Can make you wish you were born in another time and space/ …...And maybe our children's grandchildren/ And their great-great grandchildren will tell/ I'll be loving you

Everyone in the club joined in the chorus by the end, including you. It went on and on and was the best time you’d had on your birthday in a long time.

You ended up in Daveed’s arms with everyone dancing around you.  It was big love and it was perfect.

You danced and drank shots until you were exhausted and wasted. You and everybody sang all the way back to the beach house, and  Daveed had to practically carry you in when you arrived.

---------------

“THAT WAS THE BEST BIRTHDAY OF ALLL TIMEEEEEE!”  You looked around the great room of the beach house and saw everyone staring at you.  

“YOU’RE SO LOUD! BE QUIET! SHHHHHHH!”

“That’s you. You’re yelling Lindy.”  Daveed was cracking up at you.

Jasmine and Anthony laughed at you on the way to the master suite. 

“G’night mom and dad!” You waved at them as they retired for the night.

“Are you going to flog me, General?” 

You heard Jasmine say, “Oh my god, she’s wasted,” as she and Anthony went in their room. Anthony replied. “Oh, fo sho.”

Daveed chuckled and shook his head as he led you into your room. 

“General, hunh? No, I’m not going to flog you. I’m gonna put your ass to bed.” 

You sat down on the bed and looked up at him adoringly.

 “You know, I went with ‘he who must not be named’ to see Hamilton in 2015. When I saw you in that uniformmmmmmmmmm….” 

You shook your head and closed your eyes, remembering. ”I had a flash of a thought to run up on stage and suck your soul out.”

Daveed smiled his shy smile again, embarrassed.  

“I’m sorry, I’m fangirling right now. But sign my tits.” You tried to pull the collar of your dress down, and when it wouldn’t stretch, you started fighting with it, trying to get it off.

“Easy, easy.” Daveed was highly amused. He helped you to stand up so you could get out of your clothes. 

He looked down and stroked your cleavage.   “I already marked them up good. And when those fade I’m coming back for more.” 

He leaned down and kissed the tops of each breast and then stopped himself to help you out of the dress. Now was not the time to start something.

“Oh shit, Daveed.”  You squirmed. “You got me wet. Damn, boy. You keep me wet.” 

You started singing WAP as you twerked in front of him. Daveed was enjoying seeing the carefree side of you. You could be so free and he was glad that tonight got you there.

You flopped back down on the bed. “Damn, I would let you fuck me in that uniform tho. A dream. And that sword? The hilt of that mutha fucking sword. Fuck. Do you still have it? I mean...”  

You opened your legs and ran your hands up your thighs. 

Daveed grabbed them and pulled you back up so that he could slip your dress off. You were out of your mind, but you still got him there.  

He’d have to see what he could do about that costume when you were sober. He wanted to fulfill your every fantasy, and he hoped that you would let him.

When you came out from under your dress you looked about to cry. He frowned a bit. 

“What happened?”  When you looked up at him with your drunk, teary eyes, he remembered. Tequila.

“I don’t deserve you. You’re so fucking sweet. And nerdy, and cute, and so fucking talented. I mean you’re such a great actor, and writer, and rapper, and you can rap so fast, I mean damn that tongue.”  

You opened your eyes wide. “Is that why you’re so good at head?”  You covered your mouth at the realization and started crying harder.  “I don’t deserve you!”  Daveed helped you as you cried, and he tried to get you in the bed.

“Yes, you do Lindy.  We all deserve love. Now calm down. It’s ok. We can talk about it in the morning.”

You stopped and stood still, adamant, naked for Daveed to take in and save for later. “You wanna know a secret?”  You looked around the room to see if anyone was listening, even though you were alone with Daveed. “I forgot what I was talking about.”

Daveed laughed and went into the bathroom to get one of your makeup wipes. When he handed it to you is when you started crying again. 

“No one ever wanted me to take off my makeup before...no one cared about my skin… and no one sang to me in Puerto Rico...”  

You were still crying as you wiped the tears and makeup away.  “Tell me why you love me in the morning.”

“I will. Lay down and I’ll get you some water.”  Daveed got you under the covers and tucked you in.

“It’s gonna be hard when we get back to New York, cause I’m a bitch in New York. In Isabella I’m a queen…”

“Yes you are. You’re MY queen. Anywhere you go. You’re not gonna get rid of me in New York. Now try to center yourself and calm down okay?”  You smiled weakly up at him and nodded, holding your arms out to him.

Daveed hugged you, kissed your forehead and then went to the kitchen to get some bottles of water. Rafa was in there, eating cereal and on his phone.

“Ya girl is wasted.”

“Yeah, she’s gone, man gone.” Daveed smiled.  “Thanks for tonight, man. The arrangement was tight.”

“No problem at all. We all really love Lindy. She’s special, man.”

Daveed smiled as he gathered about four bottles of water and set them on the counter. He had a faraway look. Rafa could read him like a book.

 “Oh shit, Diggs.”

Daveed looked at him.

“Yeah, this is it.”  He’d made a decision.

“Happy for you, man.”

Daveed gave Rafa a smile and elbow dap as he went back to your room.

You were singing “As” and smiling when he returned.  “I’m tore up. Sorry.”

Daveed blinded you with his smile.  “No worries, Baby Girl. Here, drink this. It will go better when you wake up if you do.”  

You returned his smile and drank the entire bottle of water.  It helped clear your head a bit and the exhaustion got to you. Your eyes were drawn to him like a magnet as he headed toward the shower and took off his shirt. Damn, why did his back get you hot?

“I’ll be waiting for you when you get out.”

Daveed smiled back at you. “Get some rest Lindy. I know we’re leaving Isabela tomorrow, but we have time to spend together beyond that. I’m not going anywhere, Baby Girl.”

You smiled and nodded, hazily realizing something and resolving to stay up before you knocked out into a deep sleep.

-----

Daveed had stayed up a little while longer than you and wrote some things, editing a verse for a track that he and Rafael were producing and also adding to his Linden notes.  Then, he took you into his arms and fell asleep.  

He wondered how he would do it without you in New York, or how he would go back to the West Coast without you.  He was thinking about the same things you were, but he was more confident that you two would find a way.

The Monday morning sun greeted him and he rolled over to see that it was 10 am. The flight back to New York left at 3 pm.  Just a couple of hours before everyone needed to head to the airport. 

You were still knocked out, snoring a little, but so adorably.  He kissed your forehead and got out of bed with a bottle of water, padding to his room.

He marveled at the fact that he’d spent very little time there this weekend. It was basically a glorified closet and he was glad for it.  

He was grateful to Jasmine and Anthony who offered to plan this weekend for you.  They knew that you and he together on a tropical island would do the trick.  

He shook his head that it actually worked as he put on his running shoes and shorts and packing up a little before he went running.

Daveed sent you a text before he got started, then headed west on the beach and did a lot of thinking, planning how to soothe the fears that you’d expressed last night.

----

You woke up 20 minutes after Daveed left with only a slight headache and fuzzy memories of the night before. You instantly missed Daveed and grabbed your phone.

Good morning my Queen. Going running.  Be back soon. Love you.

You smiled like a schoolgirl at your phone, and your heart immediately lifted. You lay back on your pillow and thought of how lucky you were. 

Then, memories of your drunken ramblings came back and you buried your head under your pillow.

You hopped in the shower and tried to forget what you’d said, hoping that Daveed did too. It was the first time in a minute you gotten to shower alone, so you took your time. 

When you came out in your towel, your hair wet and conditioned, you met Daveed who was trying to sneak back in and see you wake up.

Seeing you all wet and sexy in just a towel did something to Daveed. You were surprised, your mouth in that sexy o shape, just like in the fitting room of H & M.

“Hey.” Daveed smiled at you.

“Hey yourself.” 

You smiled back and shifted your weight as water droplets tumbled down your shoulders into the valley between your breasts.  Daveed couldn’t help but stare.  “How was your run?”

“Damn.” Daveed realized too late that you had asked him a question. “I mean…” he chuckled. “It was good.”  He noticed you eying him and realized that he was all sweaty.

‘Damn’ is right you thought, the sweat was running down Daveed’s torso like the water from your shower. He smelled like his cologne mixed with the sea air and more musk. You needed that. Right now.

“I’m all sweaty, can I borrow your shower?”

You walked nearer to him, stopping behind him him in front of the bed. “No.”

Daveed turned his head to question you. “No? You mean I can’t borrow your shower?  You want me to go back to my…”

“No.” You traced your finger in the sweat on his lat muscle and then put it in your mouth. 

“I don’t want you to use my shower, and I don’t want you to go back to yours. At least not right now.”

Daveed turned around and faced you and when he did, you dropped your towel on the bed.  His eyes went where you wanted them to.

“I want to lick the sweat off your abs, your dick and your balls before you do that.”

“Holy shit, Lindy.” Daveed groaned,  grabbed you by the throat and pulled you in for a kiss. “You’re so fucking nasty.”  He kissed you as his cock swelled. “I love it. I love you.”

You sat on the bed and pulled him toward you, getting started on your mission.  You put your tongue in the happy trail of black hair below his navel, flat and wide, and licked a long stripe up and around his belly button. 

The tangy essence of his perspiration contained some kind of aphrodisiac, because you went crazy and would have licked him clean if he hadn’t stopped you to take off his running shorts and shoes.

You watched his dick, thick from desire, spring free and slap his stomach.  You immediately grabbed for it and Daveed stepped out of your reach. You looked up at him, and he returned your gaze. 

Unspoken communication flowed that this was going to be as equals.  You grabbed for it again and he stepped closer, allowing you to palm him as you licked and sucked his sack.

He leaned his head back in ecstasy as you took care of the boys and jacked him off.  Then he looked down at you and you kept eye contact as you licked the tip of his dick, circled it with your tongue and then opened your mouth and deep throated it like a champ.

“Fuuuuuuucckkkkk, Lindy.” Daveed reached for your breasts and squeezed them, pinching and rolling your nipples. You arched your back, and your ass looked amazing on the bed.  Daveed needed to hit that. 

He pulsed at the thought of breaking your back and realized that he was buried deep in your throat at the moment. His eyes came back to yours, which were watering with the effort to breathe around him.  

He didn’t hold you there, but you kept your nose nestled in the wiry hairs at the base of his cock.  Damn.  He wanted to be both places at once. 

He brought his hand up to your wet hair, gently massaging your scalp as you did what you wanted with him.  He had the irrational desire to tattoo your name on it, because nothing would ever compare to you.

You came off of him, sputtering and gasping for breath, a proud smile on your face.  Daveed smiled down at you and wiped your mouth with his hand as you smiled back up at him.  He leaned down and gave you a filthy kiss.

“I want you to pound me from behind.” Your voice was a sexy whisper, making tingles go up his spine.  

“Just what I was thinking. We’re made for each other, Lindy.” He kissed you again.

You quickly pulled away and got on the bed on all fours, ass presented to Daveed.  He just stood there admiring you as he stroked himself for a minute.  

He was trying to meditate, pray, something, because what you’d already done to him and just looking at you was going to make him bust.

You looked back at him, and bit your lip, watching him.  Then, you brought your hand up to your mouth, licked your fingers, and brought it down to start steady, tight circles on your clit, arching your back and giving him a good view of exactly what was happening. 

“Shit.”  

Daveed grabbed your hip and lined up with your cunt, feeling with his tip that you were fluttering around nothing but that.  He whined in the back of this throat as he made himself sink into you slowly, your pussy grabbing him with each millimeter.  He bottomed out. You were stretched out wonderfully.

“You good? How’s that feel?”

You could only whine. “So good. So, so, so good Daveed.  Please.”  You were begging, his dick was pulsing. “Please, please, please Daddy.”  

Daveed groaned again. “Fuck, yeah. You want it?”

“Yeah!”

He started moving.  He thought he was going to pass out it felt so good.

“This shit feels so good, Linden.  You need it?”

“Fuck, yeah, Daddy.  Oh!”  Your arms had collapsed, and your cheek was getting pounded into the mattress as Daveed pistoned into you harder and harder. “Thank you thank you thank you.”

You were so fucking sweet that Daveed was about to paint your insides with his children. But he stopped, causing both of you to curse and pant into the silence. 

The throbbing of his dick and the clenching of your pussy pushed him over the edge, making him lose control and start pumping again. 

You knew he was trying to hold out and the thought that he couldn’t triggered your orgasm and you came, tears coursing out of your shut eyes as you moaned.

Daveed felt you cum with relief, because he was able to make sure you got yours; watching you cum was magnificent. But now it was his turn

“Where do you want it Linden?”

“On my ass Daddy.” You smiled back at him with glazed over eyes, still lost in sex land.

“Fuck!” He pulled out and fisted his cock, spurting all over your beautiful cheeks as he reached around for your sensitive clit. 

He relentlessly held you fast with his arm as you tried to run from the second orgasm that was triggered by his fingers and the feel of his cum dripping down your folds.

“Shit, Daveed!”  He chuckled evilly as you came apart again, leaning down to put his drenched fingers in your mouth.  You made eye contact with him as you sucked his cum off them, and he was almost hard again. Damn.

He collapsed on his back and watched as you lay on your stomach and closed your eyes.

“Looks like we both need a shower now…”

You opened your eyes, and his heart clenched. You were so pretty. So purely Linden.

“Damn, I Love you girl.”  

“I love you too, Daveed.”  You bit your lip at the emotion. “We probably need to shower separately because….. we'll miss our flight.” He knew what you meant.

Daveed frowned.  “You’re not wrong, but we can save time and water if we shower together. I promise I won’t try anything but get squeaky clean.”  He was not trying to have this togetherness end so soon.

You couldn’t help but smile.  You were doomed.  You sighed, gave him a peck and made your way to the shower, him hot on your heels.

----

You boarded the flight back to NYC the same way you boarded the 3 and a half hour flight to PR, with you and Daveed running to the gate to board just in time.

You settled into first class, this time eagerly snuggling up to him in the blanket from jump.  You were whispering and giggling together.  Daveed looked at you and knew what you were thinking.

“Before you say it, let’s wait and join the mile-high club for when we’re not with our friends.”  You peeked through the divide in your seats to find Craig and Rafael behind you. Craig stuck his tongue out at you.

“Yeah, you right. I don’t wanna hear it from this crew.”  

You cuddled happily, on your phones and taking selfies, posting them separately to IG.  Even though you didn’t post the pics of you two together, the fact that Rafael photobombed both of the ones you posted gave the connection away. 

When you deboarded at JFK about 8 o’clock, you and Daveed brought up the rear of the group, not walking slowly, not wanting the weekend to end.  By the time you got to baggage claim, Rafa and Jas and Ant were walking out to the cars that were waiting for them. 

“See you later guys! Thank you again for everything.”  You hugged the Martinez coupled as they went back to Brooklyn.

“Catch you tomorrow Cash.”  Daveed gave Rafael dap and you gave him a hug as he departed.

Craig was at the baggage carousel, just waiting to order the uber for you and he to go back to his place. You were very quiet, lost in your thoughts.

“.....Rafa and I have a late lunch meeting at 1 tomorrow and then rehearsals start Wednesday through Friday at the new venue. Then we have the weekend off and shows start up again next Tuesday. What does your week look like Lindy?”  Daveed wasn’t going to let you slip away from him, physically or mentally.

“Well, I have this Bar exam study session tomorrow afternoon, and I really need to cram for the exam next month. And… oh shit, I have this event  for the law firm I’m clerking at in the fall on Saturday. It’s sort of like an introductory mandatory thing. Black tie.”

Daveed looked at you. “So, I guess you already have a date for that.”

You snapped out of your funk and caught the tone.  “Yeah, I do.” You fought a smile and Craig started shaking his head as he looked at his phone.

“Oh.”  Daveed rocked on his heels and watched for his bag on the carousel.

You tapped his arm and smiled at him, nodding your head toward your cousin. “It’s him.”

Daveed made eye contact with Craig who laughed at him.  

“Sounds dope.” He was very relieved.

“Well, about that Lindy…..” Craig had some news.  “Brian is coming to visit next weekend.  Imma fly my baby out!”  He took in your shocked face.  “What?” 

“Nothing. You grown. And you’re ditching me. That’s always cool.”

Craig shrugged.  “What you won’t do for love.”

Daveed agreed. “So it sounds like you need a date.”

You turned back towards him, a smile on your lips.

“Yeah, sounds like it. You think Rafael is free?”

Daveed bent his head and shook it.  “What time do I need to pick you up, Linden.”

You perked up at the dom voice, and replied immediately. “8 pm.”

“Done.”

“Perfect, and pack a bag, you can stay with Daveed so Brian and I can have the place to ourselves.”

“What makes you think that I want to stay with him, or if he even wants that? You can’t just…”

Daveed interrupted you.  “You’re welcome anytime, Baby Girl.”

You shivered. “Okay…” you almost said, ‘Daddy,’ but you didn’t. Not in front of Craig.

“It’s settled then.” Craig grabbed his bag and you reached for yours, but Daveed grabbed it before you could take it.

You walked out to where you and Craig’s uber waited and the car the Daveed had ordered waited.  Daveed loaded your suitcase after Craig put his in the trunk and got in, giving you two some privacy.

“Text me when you get home.  I’ll call you later, maybe facetime.”  Daveed felt something crazy in his chest at the thought of leaving you.

You nodded and tried to smile up at him, tears pricking your eyes. “I will. I might text you in the uber?”  You didn’t want to be away from him yet.

“Yeah, yeah. Do that. I’ll see you in four days.”

“Just four.” You searched his eyes.  “Ugh! I love you Daveed.”

“I love you too, Lindy.”  You reached up for a kiss and he picked you up to meet him. He put you down and you swallowed the lump in your throat.

“Bye.”

“Bye.”  You waved as he walked toward the black SUV.  You opened the door and then you saw him look back at you, eyes in full puppy dog mode.

You got in the uber, and Daveed got his bag situated and entered the back of the car.  He looked back and saw your uber pull out, his driver waiting for it to pass.  Then, he heard a knock on the other window.

The window rolled down and Daveed peered out at you, smiling.

“Did you mean it when you said I was welcome anytime?” Your smile was irresistible.

“Get that ass in this car, Baby Girl.” 

“Yes, Daddy.”

--------

Will Lindy and Daveed ever be able to be apart?  Is this a healthy relationship or are they going to fast?  Let me know. Please like, comment, and reblog!

Tagging:

@braidedchallah  @einfachniemand @sillyteecup  @ohsoverykeri @theselilwonders @theatrenerd86 @sebastianabucknettastan @riiyy @lonelydance  @biafbunny @summerofsnowflakes @delaber @honeysucklechocolatedrippin @wreakhavoconmacroissantdiggs @janthonystan @elocinnicole @anh1020 @curtainremote

[imkylotrash]

Honesty Is Such A Lonely Word

Pairing: Saul Silva x reader

Requests: Reader and her friends do something stupid and reckless like exit the barrier and get drunk outside or go swimming in the river or anything kinda dangerous like that and then they get caught by Silva and he is angry. Anonymous And Could you do a of age student reader secretly dating silva oneshot where: instead of Bloom, its the reader that goes to Aster Dell with beatrix and learns what happened and confronts silva when they get captured on their way back?  Anonymous

Tagging: @grey-girl @intoanothermind @anreeixcobra @kingunder221b @lflores2008 @alexiapayne12 @quuenofblacks @quarterback-5 @estelmei @bitchwhytho @music-of-melody @artsyle​ @baueoud @glowingatdawn @shadowhuntyi 

A/N It’s currently 3:30 am and I’m trying to stay awake to watch the Oscars but I can very much feel that I’m getting older 😂👵🏻

“It was just a joy ride. Nothing to worry about,” you say making sure to keep your face neutral. You watch as they put the runic handcuffs on Beatrix trying not to vomit.

“Those are barbaric,” you burst out not understanding how they could treat a student like that no matter what they think she’s done. Saul pulls you aside in the middle of the drama giving him the perfect cover to talk to you on his own. 

“What happened?” You try to swallow but a lump in your throat is preventing you from doing anything other than keeping quiet. You stare right into his eyes with all the defiance you can muster. 

“I already told you it was a joy ride. You’re going to handcuff me to?” you ask holding out your arms. He pushes them away with a hushed “of course not!” but you don’t see the difference between you and Beatrix. 

“I’ll drive Y/N back,” Saul informs Dowling and you’re positive it’s because he’s thinking he can get you to talk once you’re alone but you clam up like a seashell refusing to say another word. 

“You have to talk to me. It’s better than Dowling searching through your mind,” Saul says appalling you further. He’d let Dowling tear through your mind just to find out what you and Beatrix talked about?

“Nice to know you’ll protect me,” you mumble picking at a thread in your shirt. You’re beyond upset that he so willingly allows Dowling to take this over and follow her around like a lost puppy. 

“I am trying to protect you. But I need you to help me if I’m going to succeed.” You don’t utter another word impatiently waiting for you to reach the school. Saul sighs knowing this isn’t the time to push you. But it’s the threat of everything that convinces you to join the party held by the students and a promise of alcohol. You sneak out as soon as Saul has dropped you off at your room. It’s just on the other side of the border which definitely should scare you considering the amount of problems there’s been with Burned Ones lately but several beers drown your worries. 

“You up for cliff jumping?” a random guy yells and it sounds like the perfect idea. It’s straight into a lake and the thrill of jumping is like nothing you can describe. It’s the part about breaking through the water surface and looking eyes with him immediately because how could you ever be close to him without noticing him? 

“Shit.” You turn sober in seconds watching him yell at the top of his lungs as everyone to go back to school. He keeps staring at you with fire in his eyes. Normally, you’d be sheepish but right now you’re staring back with as much fire as him. You’re not backing down on this one and he knows that too. He doesn’t speak as he leads you back to school but he keeps a very tight grip on your arm that kind of hurts but you refuse to let him know that. 

“What the hell were you thinking!” he yells once you’re finally back in private. But he hasn’t got a leg to stand on. You’re just as pissed as he is. 

“I’m not doing this. You want to talk then bring Dowling so she can go through my head.” The threat of her invasion of your mind is still living inside of you. She doesn’t stand a chance to enter your mind seeing as you’re a mind fairy yourself but even the idea of this invasion of privacy is enough to make you cry. You’re not the enemy. 

“You’re acting like a child,” he accuses you but you see the hurt in his eyes. 

“I’m acting like someone who just found out that their mentors are ruthless killers!” you yell. The cat is out the bag now. 

“What did you just say?” He deflates turning into a tiny man rather than the overpowering force of anger he was just seconds ago. 

“You heard me. Aster Dell. You killed all those people. And then you made a victory round,” you cry feeling the pain of losing the parents you never knew all over again. 

“We- I di- H-how do you know that?” he stammers already proving to you that Beatrix wasn’t lying. 

“Please, you have to believe me. I tried to stop it. Dowling and Harvey had no idea what they were doing. They thought...” You act as though you don’t care but you’re hanging on to every word he says. You want to believe that he’s telling the truth but how can you ever trust him again? 

“I killed my best friend in an attempt to stop Rosalind.” You could drop a needle and you’d hear it hit the floor in the silence that follows. Saul explains the fight between him and Andreas as he tried to stop it and you’re thinking just how sick he’d have to be to make this up. 

“I lost him that day and I’ve living with the guilt ever since. But I promise you, we didn’t kill them because we were careless or ruthless. Rosalind lied to us.” 

“Why weren’t you honest with me?” you whisper feeling torn between what story to believe. 

“I wasn’t exactly keen on reliving my worst moment in life. I had no idea you were one of the babies from Aster Dell. I swear on my life that I would’ve told you if I ever suspected even the slightest.” You want to believe him. Your heart is begging you to give in and believe his version because it’s a much better reality to live in than the one Beatrix has created.

“Let’s say I believe you. Where does that leave me? I’m nowhere closer to finding out who my parents were. Rosalind is the only one with the answers,” you argue. 

“I promise you, I will do whatever I can to help you find out the truth. I'll go talk to Farah right now and figure out how to proceed. I’ll go anywhere with you to find the truth,” he promises and you decide he’s being earnest. You know those beautiful eyes and you see nothing but the truth in them. 

“But in return, you have to promise me not to put yourself in danger like that. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt out there. The barrier is there to protect you,” he adds and you get him. It was stupid and impulsive to go out there. You’d been driven by anger and hurt when you decided to join that party. 

“Okay.” He’s standing in front of you as soon as he hears you agree. He cups your cheeks crashing his lips against yours. There’s no time to breath or think. You kiss him back feeling the events of today hit you like a ton of bricks. It’ll be a long walk to establish the trust between you and Saul but you know it’s possible. You believe him when he says they didn’t know but you hate that you had to find out this way. 

“No more secrets. Honesty is the key to get through this, okay?” you ask when you break apart at last. 

“No secrets.” He kisses you again. This time you believe him. 

[cutesilyo]

Notes and References for i know your eyes in the morning sun

Hi! These are notes and references for my IndoPhil fic i know your eyes in the morning sun, so please check it out before reading this!

Title: i know your eyes in the morning sun Summary: When a homesick Indonesia is unexpectedly taken out of his meeting for a day trip in Rome with Philippines, he isn't expecting much more than exhaustion ahead of him. Instead, what happens is a whirlwind of food, fun, and a surprising amount of reflection on their histories and differences as nations. And as he looks deeper and deeper in the other nation's bright eyes, he learns to come to terms with the feelings he's been ignoring for far, far too long. Alternatively: a nation who's too attached to the past goes on a date with a nation whose entire philosophy is built on trying to live in the moment. Yes, there is kissing involved. Read on: AO3 | FF.net

Scene 1: Pizza al taglio

As coincidence would have it, the G20 2021 Summit actually will be held in Rome, Italy. However, it’ll be on the end of October rather than the end of September like how its depicted in the fic. I’m also very much ignoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Pretend it never happened.

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, found in the island of Java, Indonesia. It was built way back in the 7th Century and it's probably Indonesia's top most visited site.

Terang bulan is basically like a really large, fluffy, folded pancake. It also has a variety of different names and is also eaten in Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore.

If you could have a convenience store dedicated solely to pizza, that's what pizza al taglio establishments are like. Its literal translation is pizza by the cut, and since it's a lot more common to find in Rome than in other places in Italy, it's also called Roman-style pizza. The layout for the al taglio shop that Indonesia and Philippines go to is inspired from the shop that me and my family went to: a small family establishment just a short walk away from the Vatican.

You can actually find a recipe for Indonesia’s arugula and mozzarella pizza here: https://shared.publicmediaconnect.org/docs/atk/Pizza_Taglio_Cooks_Illustrated.pdf

Scene 2: Souvenir store + Bus stop

Indonesian rupiahs are notoriously hyperinflated, so the 15 euros that Philippines uses to buy the keychains convert to 250k+ rupiahs. That's around 50k short for actually being able to buy a local economy flight on Lion Air. For comparison, the same amount of euros convert to approximately 900 Philippine pesos. It’s also a few hundred pesos short of buying a local economy flight on Cebu Pacific.

There actually was a point when a G20 meeting was held in the Coliseum. It was the G20 culture ministers meeting just a few months ago, in July 2021.

Yes, on top of the thousands of festivals we already have, Filipinos also celebrate Oktoberfest! It's more of an excuse for local beer companies to shamelessly promote their product and encourage drinking fests on a massive scale, but a more legitimate Oktoberfest celebration is organized by the German Club in Manila. Lucky Philippines gets to celebrate it authentically in Munich with the German brothers, who historically aimed to conquer the Philippines before America managed to stake his claim. So if you sense that Germany is being oddly shy towards Philippines here, that's just Germany being embarrassed because of their history.

Italy's major international airport in Rome is Aeroporto Internazionale di Roma–Fiumicino "Leonardo da Vinci", so you generally just call it Fiumicino for short. A possible travel route for flying from the Philippines to Italy is Clark-Dubai-Rome, and another is Manila-Hong Kong-Rome.

Scene 3: Gianicolo

Bali, Boracay, and El Nido are beaches that serve as major tourist destinations.

Vietnam has already been mentioned to be a menace when she's drunk in her most recent character introduction. Laos is at the top of ASEAN when it comes to alcohol consumption, with the average Laotian drinking seven liters of pure alcohol every year.

Indonesia is sometimes known as the Invisible Nation. What this means to say is that there have not been many things that Indonesia has done that made massive waves on the global scale. From what I’ve read, this seems to have been an especially popular sentiment among Western analysts during the Cold War.

Australia's awkward attempt at an apology is a reference to when the Australian government had allegedly monitored and spied on the phone calls of several Indonesian officials. Indonesia and Australia have a history that goes far deeper than that though.

Monas is a common abbreviation for Indonesia's Monumen Nasional, proudly standing tall in the middle of Merdeka Square as a commemoration of the fight for Indonesian independence. Taman Surapati is a large, chill public park; it also has a monument dedicated to commemorating ASEAN there. Both are located in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. Meanwhile, Philippines' mention of Luneta refers to Luneta Park. It's also known as Rizal Park, as it's the place where the national hero Jose Rizal was executed for the influence he had in encouraging the fight for Philippine independence.

In Rome, there are seven major hills: they formed the geographical heart of Ancient Rome, with Palatino and Campidoglio as the most significant given how connected they were to Rome's founding and Rome's religion. Gianicolo is outside the boundaries of Ancient Rome, and as such, it isn't counted among the seven hills. It is dedicated to the Roman god Janus and was a place for the augurs to divine the will of the gods — kind of like a prophecy, if a prophecy could be divined from bird entrails. Now it's a great spot for a scenic view of modern Rome which features, among other things, a large statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Garibaldi was a major figure in the Italian Reunification.

Nusantara means many different things, but in the era of the Majapahit empire, it referred to the vassal kingdoms in what is now modern-day Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Timor Leste, and the southern parts of modern-day Thailand and Philippines. Modern usage of the word in Indonesia generally refers to the Indonesian archipelago, but it can also be used to refer to the entirety of maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and historically, Southeast Asia is divided into the mainland region (the countries connected to the Asian continent: Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) and maritime (the countries that are islands and archipelagos: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines).

Italy, together with the United Kingdom, is the largest European migration destination for Filipinos. The largest migration destination for Filipinos in general is America.

Shout-out to Ro-na for this wonderful headcanon of Philippines being sickly in his early days as a Spanish colony! The galleon ships used to facilitate trade between the Philippines and Mexico (perhaps the Philippines' most major contribution to the Spanish crown) would often be attacked by pirates or destroyed in typhoons, especially in the first few decades.

Majapahit and Srivijaya are only two of pre-colonial Indonesia's many powerful empires. A lot of the pre-colonial stuff has been simplified for brevity's sake, but a brief summary of it all basically goes like this: pre-colonial Indonesia was involved with everyone in maritime SEA, where everyone traded with each other; and mainland SEA was non-stop fighting where the major powers were the empires that would later become Vietnam and the Khmer empire that would influence everyone else in mainland SEA. You can find a more detailed look into mainland SEA history by Gemu in her posts here, who is my main influence for everything mainland SEA-related.

A young Brunei picking flowers for a young Philippines is a reference to all the marriages that had occurred between their nobility during the pre-colonial era.

Scene 4: Apartment

The turtle fountain in Rome is a real thing: Fontana delle Tartarughe was originally designed with dolphins in mind, but the dolphins were removed and replaced by turtles. In fandom, you usually see Philippines calling Indonesia kuya, which is Tagalog for older brother. In at least one Indonesian language (I can't remember which one at the moment, sorry!), kuya means turtle.

Tondo, Seludong, Butuan, Sulu, Sugbu, and Panay are all polities in pre-colonial Philippines, two for each of the main island groups in the country: Luzon in the north, Mindanao in the south, and Visayas in the middle. Unlike pre-colonial Indonesia, the societies in the Philippines were never united by a single kingdom or empire; the Philippine islands were only united through the efforts of Spanish and American colonization.

Filipinos tend to sing a lot. Many of us are really good at it. Karaoke is really popular here.

Philippines' PIN code of 8862 is a reference to when ASEAN was founded: August 8, 1962. The founding members were Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

This might be as good of a time as ever for me to mention that I am depicting Philippines and Indonesia as Catholic and Muslim respectively. Filipinos are predominantly Catholic and the Philippines is the largest Catholic country in Asia, while Indonesia has a number of official religions and is the largest Muslim nation in the world.

Special thanks to Desa for helping me with Indonesia's prayer times! Normally, Muslims pray five times a day, but when travelling Muslims are allowed to pray only three times. This is called Qasr salah, or Qasr sholat in Indonesia. What is usually Fajr (called Subuh in Indonesia), Zuhr, Asr, Magrib, and Isha becomes only Fajr, Zuhr-Asr, and Mahgrib-Isha; essentially, without getting into the specifics of time, a prayer for sunrise, afternoon, and night. The mosques will remind everyone when it's prayer time with adhan (called adzan in Indonesia), but in non-Muslim countries abroad, many Muslims have to use websites and apps to keep track. Something I didn't mention in the fic is that Rome actually has the largest mosque in the Western world, Moschea di Roma, so Indonesia could have potentially prayed there. 

Scene 5: Apartment dinner table

Sholat wouldn’t take Indonesia more than a few minutes, so imagine that he did something else while waiting for Philippines to finish cooking.

Baked fish with sliced lemons is a meal that got served to me a lot in Italy. Chop suey is Chinese, but China has had a significant cultural influence for most of Southeast Asia throughout history; the Indonesian version is known as kap cay. Indomie Mi Goreng is a particularly tasty and famous kind of instant noodles from Indonesia. It's very popular in many Asian countries. Indonesia doesn’t drink, but Philippines is drinking white wine because that’s what you’re supposed to do when eating fish. Red wine goes with meat.

Admittedly, this is my own personal headcanon, but I like to think of Philippines living in Spain with the other Spanish colonies while everyone else in maritime SEA were left behind to live in their own countries. It's my own neat Hetalia universe explanation for how much Spanish influence there is in Filipino culture, and how isolated Filipinos can sometimes feel among their neighbors.

I do think that Philippines would have a Hispanic-sounding human name, but I've never really settled on what name actually would be: in fandom, Felipe, Lorenzo, and Jaime get thrown around a lot. In contrast, it seems like most people have settled on Dirga (short for Dirgantara) for Indonesia.

Philippines is sometimes called as la colonia abandonada in Spanish sources: the abandoned colony. Because the Philippines was so far away, Spain couldn't manage the colony directly and had to rely on Mexico/Nueva España to do the dirty work until Mexico became independent. This led to a more relaxed manner in how the country was managed for most of its Spanish colonial life; some scholars even go as far as saying that Spain's treatment of the Philippines was kinder than Spain's treatment of Latin America. I don't really agree — it was different, sure, but it wasn't kind in the least.

Contrast that with Indonesia as the largest and most important colony of the Dutch empire. Aside from all the money and economic prosperity that Indonesia gave to the empire, you'll also find many Dutch songs and hymns that are all praises to Indonesia. Much of the research in Indonesian history, ethnography, and archeology was made possible because of Dutch interest and support; until now, the Netherlands remains to be Europe's leader when it comes to Indonesian studies. This isn't to say that Netherlands treated Indonesia well, however.

After the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in WW2, Netherlands fought to keep power over the archipelago. Needless to say, the Netherlands failed. Indonesia was recognized as an independent country soon after.

Indië is the Dutch colonial name for Indonesia.

APEC is the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, of which Philippines and Indonesia (and Thailand!) are members.

Scene 6 + 7: Apartment bedroom

What was Philippines doing in the 1920s, you ask? Being an American colony and trying to lobby for laws that would hasten his independence. Indonesia was in the middle of what’s called the Indonesian National Awakening; all the different peoples under Indonesia were beginning to come together and unite to fight for a single independent nation.

As a tarsier, Pien is actually supposed to be nocturnal; he shouldn't be sleeping at night at all. Maybe he just got jet lagged? Who knows.

BL stands for the boy's love genre of TV series. For years, Thailand had been the lead when it came to BL production with shows like TharnType and SOTUS. Recently, the Philippines has also been developing BL series — Gameboys specifically had achieved worldwide acclaim and is distributed globally through Netflix.

Filipino languages tend to have more complex verb conjugation and sentence structure compared to Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia. The linguistic explanation for this is that most of the Filipino languages are based on the older Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language while Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia are based on the newer, more simplified descendants of Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer was an Indonesian author that focused a lot of his work on nationalistic sentiments. He has a quote on bravery that I really like: Dalam hidup kita, cuma satu yang kita punya, yaitu keberanian. Kalau tidak punya itu, lantas apa harga hidup kita ini? Loosely translated, this reads as: In our life, we only have one thing, which is bravery. If it’s not, what is the value of our life?

Indonesia, as a large archipelago in the Pacific Ring of Fire, has a lot of active volcanoes. In contrast, the Philippines is regularly hit by tens of typhoons annually.

There are an estimated 12 million Filipinos overseas, and this number consistently rises through the years. It's one of the largest diaspora populations: name a country, you'll probably find a Filipino working there somewhere. OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) account for 10% of the country's population and the remittances they send back to their families account for 10% of the country's GDP. Indonesia has a similar phenomenon with TKIs (Tenaga Kerja Indonesia), of which there are 4.5 million worldwide.

Post-independence, Indonesia was very paranoid over Western influence in Southeast Asia. In that same time period, Philippine delegates to international conferences would always speak of democracy and the looming threat of Communism; even though most of the Asian delegates would prefer to move past Western problems and disputes to focus on a united Asia.

Telenovelas are soap operas produced in Latin America. They became popular in Southeast Asia as they were distributed and remade here. The Indonesian equivalent is the sinetron, and the Filipino equivalent is the teleserye.

Additionally, I cannot stress enough how much this fic is built on the foundations laid by others. I’ve already mentioned how much I took inspiration from Gemu’s depiction of mainland SEA, but I also credit Indonesia’s thing for temples to Desa; the passive-aggressive energy between Thailand and Philippines to Hali; amnesiac Piri to Koko, Kopi, and Sopas (among the many). There are a dozen other things I can attribute to a huge assortment of writers and artists: that Singapore has trouble remembering his pre-colonial roots as well, that Piri might have had a good relationship with Romano, Piri’s general flirty and flighty attitude, Indonesia’s awkwardness and big brother aura, etcetera, etcetera. If you’re someone that has been contributing to the SEA fandom these past few months, thank you. Thank you so much. 

[siriuslyblackblog]

Professor 》 Remus Lupin (18+)

《 (4) 》

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Rose spent the whole day preparing for the task. Or that's what she was telling her roommates and the twins. In reality, she was thinking about the man. The man who looked so good in that white shirt with his sleeves rolled up. Something nobody knew about her is that she had a wild imagination. Her roommates and twins saw her as a distant but shy person. In reality, she spent many nights touching herself and keeping her mouth shut. But she would rarely bring herself release. There was nobody to fill out those fantasises. Now she finally had someone. Right now, her mind was filled with her professor taking that shirt off and revealing his body. She wondered how skilled his tongue was. She always wanted to feel so much more than just her fingers down there. She wanted to feel his tongue. Oh, how good that would feel. She needed professor Lupin so bad that her clit was aching.

Rose slowly worked her fingers on her clit, driving herself to an orgasm for what seemed like an eternity. She simply couldn't reach it. Her other hand held onto the headboard and her had was thrown back. It felt good, but not good enough. Her clit was now so sensitive that each touch became painful. It wasn't pleasure anymore. It was just pain and frustration. Her body was covered in sweat, her hair was sticking to her face and her mouth was dry. Rose finally moved her fingers from her clit and relaxed her body on the bed, letting out a frustrated huff. She couldn't do it.

Looking out through the window, she noticed that the sun was already setting. Her roommates will be back any minute and she was still laying naked on the bed. She put on her clothes, then picked new ones and headed towards the showers. As the cold water relaxed her tense muscles and washed off her sweat, she started thinking. She caught her roommates pleasuring themselves many times during the night, and they all seemed to reach their orgasm fast. So why couldn't Rose do it? Her fingers slid down to try one more time, but pain took over her body and she immediately pulled them away. That's it for today, she thought.

Casting a spell to dry her hair and dress up, she gathered her books and made her way towards her new favorite classroom. A big sigh fell from her lips and she closed her eyes. She was finally going to be alone with him. But what did she expect? He won't jump on her as soon as he sees her. She wasn't dressed the way he seemed to like. Even though it was only September, the rainy days made most students pull out their jumpers. At least her stomach was hidden under the white shirt and the grey jumper. She decided to wear the robe today too. It was buttoned up so that her legs were hidden too. It was quite cold and she didn't want to play with her health. Not tonight while it was raining and the sky was lighting up every few seconds.

Merlin, she hated thunder. Every time the hallways and her room lit up, she would wince. It was truly beautiful to watch, but her ears were sensitive and she disliked the sounds of it. That's why she begged the twins to leave her out of any pranks that involved fireworks, firecrackers or anything similar that makes loud noises and explodes. After making fun of her and receiving a few shoulder hits, they finally made a promise. Speaking of pranks, the chocolate was now forgotten deep in her drawer. She didn't want that kind of trouble with the new professor. She needed to impress him.

Roseanne entered the classroom with a smile on her face, ready to greet her professor. Her smile faded once she realised nobody was in the classroom. The room lit up once again, making her squeeze the books against her chest as she waited for the loud noise to pass. She sat down in the place where Nancy would usually sit: right in front of him. Like usual, she placed her books in the corner of the desk and took her quill. It was old and barely functioning, but she didn't have money for more. She couldn't tell her parents that she needed it. She just got it. How was she supposed to tell them that Draco Malfoy stole it from her and convinced everyone that she was actually the one to steal from him? The Malfoys and Periculums were already in a complicated... let's all it friendship. They didn't need more drama. Besides, she would still suffer awful words from Mr Malfoy and his son. Although, Narcissa and Dottie grew up together and were almost like sisters, Lucius and Vernon were enemies since day one of schooling. Vernon was just as spoiled as Lucius and the fight about popularity was still active, just with less violence and more words.

Dottie and Vernon were very young when they got married. Dottie came from a rich family and was the perfect fit for Vernon. Her hair was similar to Narcissa's. Her poliosis didn't just make her hair different. She also had different eye colours, making her stunning. That's mostly what made boys approach her when she was younger. She was always showered with presents, but she still kept her humble side. That's what she wanted for her daughter too. Both of them.

Yes, both. There were two. Roseanne and Leta. Leta was the older sister. The daughter they made a mistake with. Vernon spoiled her, showered her with love and presents and Leta grew up to be rude to her mother. Dottie didn't want to let her child drown in the materialistic world and lose herself. She wanted her to learn true values such as friendship and love. Vernon was always against Dottie's mindset and continued to make every Leta's wish come true. When Roseanne was born, the older sister was blinded by jealousy. She hated the younger one, continously hit her when nobody was watching and kept saying mean words to her. Even though the baby couldn't understand her, Leta felt better when she let out all her anger. Roseanne grew up in her mother's shadow and Leta continued to take whatever was given to her. On Leta's eighteenth birthday, Vernon gave her a single present. It was a wand. A special powerful wand and Merlin knew where the man got it. It was gold with a diamond handle, shining and almost blinding even in dimmed rooms. A few days later, it was Rose's birthday. Rose got a big cake, her own big room and a pet, her beautiful barn owl Eris. She also got a single necklace from her mother. It was a silver necklace with an owl pendant. The owl had two rubies instead of normal eyes. Scared that she might lose it, she attached the pendant to her bracelet and hid it under the sleeves.

One night, Rose heard screams and loud thuds. Outside of her window, she could see Leta on her knees, crying her soul out and holding onto Vernon's leg. The black haired man pushed his daughter away, then entered the Manor with an angry look on his face. Dottie stayed behind, wiping off the tears and placing a kiss on Leta's forehead. Then, she pulled out her wand and cast a spell through tears. In a second, Leta was gone. No, she couldn't have killed her. Her body would still be there. The sister simply vanished. Rose never really had a good relationship with her sister, but she often thought about her. Leta was somewhere alone, without a family. Was it her decision to stay away or she couldn't find the way back? Rose also noticed the big change in her parent's behaviour. They became cold and distant. They were very strict with Rose, allowed her to eat just twice a day and with limited amounts of food, which is why she used all the chances she had to eat properly at Hogwarts. Lamb and potatoes were much more appealing than carrots and cauliflower.

Her thoughts were interrupted when something soft touched her leg, making her jump. She pulled out her wand, ready to cast a spell at whatever just touched her. The creature moved towards her and Rose could finally recognise the brown ears. Coco had escaped and followed her to the classroom because she was scared of the thunder. Usually it was Dell who took care of her, but she must've had plans with Fred.

"Coco!" The girl whispered as she tried to get her pet. "Bad girl. What are you doing here?"

The small creature escaped her hands, then started hopping towards the stairs which led to professor Lupin's room. Rose gasped in horror and rushed up the stairs, trying to grab the brown ball of fluff. Coco was faster than her and reached the top immediately. Rose tried the tongue clicking sounds to call her, even pulled out a few leftover treats. But the bunny only looked back at her once, then disappeared inside the room. The door wasn't fully closed. It was opened just enough for the pet to get inside. Rose sighed in defeat, then carefully and quietly climbed up. Professor Lupin still wasn't around and she hoped he wouldn't be until she got her naughty pet out.

The brown haired girl gulped as she finally reached the door. She crawled on the floor, careful not to make any loud noises. She still had the treats in her hand, hoping that the bunny would smell them and get back. Sometimes she just wished she never got it. Coco often liked to sneak into the kitchen and steal vegetables. Once they found her in the fridge, laying on her back and just staring in front of her. She had eaten so much that she couldn't move. Rose could yell as much as she wanted, but Coco got it her way. It was late now. The damage was done. The animal was smarter than you'd think. Never underestimate them.

"Coco, I'm going to leave you here and pretend I don't know you. I'll find a different bunny. A good bunny. Not a bad girl like you."

The words and the treats seemed to have worked because Coco was back at the entrance again. Rose was still on the floor, her hands in front of her as she held the delicious treats for Coco. The bunny was soon in her hands, drowning in the sweet taste and wiggling her ears. Rose finally sighed with relief, then gave her a few pets.

"You're in big trouble, little one," she said with a smile. As much as the pet got on her nerves, she adored it. Rose pushed herself off the ground so that she was kneeling. She was still waiting for the bunny to finish eating so she could hide him under her robes during this class. Just as she was finished and Rose got ready to get up, the door opened. Professor Lupin stood in front of her, his eyebrow raised in amusement.

"May I know what you are doing, Miss Periculum?"

Rose felt her body freeze. She slowly raised her head, her eyes meeting the soft hazel ones. She couldn't move or speak. She could only watch. Her professor wore a white shirt which wasn't properly buttoned up, his hair was a bit wet and his chest was slowly rising and falling. A small smile was on his lips as he watched his student struggle to form a sentence. He looked like a hot mess. He looked incredibly good. She wanted him so bad. She wanted to pull those wet strands of hair, make him sweat and make him want her at every time of the day. She wanted him to be obsessed with her just like she was becoming obsessed with him.

Remus let out a chuckle, then stepped closer towards the girl. He hated that he was enjoying the sight of her on her knees. She looked so small, so innocent and so sweet. He wondered what that bottom lip tasted like. He wanted to make both her lips plump with kisses. He also wondered how beautifully her already red face would look covered in sweat, her hair sticking to it because of certain activities. He just adored how she currently looked on her knees. Clouds of lust hovered over his mind, his sense disappearing somewhere in the back of his head. The man got so close to her now and noticed that her head was in the perfect height as his crotch.

Rose gulped, then brought her bunny closer to her chest. Her legs almost betrayed her when her professor put his hand under her chin, slowly raising her head up and making her stand up. She could feel her skin burning as he kept his hand there. His thumb moved up and gently touched her bottom lip. Merlin, that had to be the softest thing he had ever touched. Rose relaxed into his touch and looked at him completely enchanted. He allowed himself to step even closer, closing the distance between the two of them. His head was only inches away from hers and she closed her eyes, enjoying his warm breath on her lips. If only he would kiss her. If only he would press her against the nearest wall and touched her the way he knew.

"Roseanne Periculum!"

"Rose, we know what you did! Come out, now!"

The voices were loud in the hallways, making her wince and move away. Her eyes had become glossy with lust and she could barely breathe. Remus removed his hand from her face, then moved her hair aside and moved just in time. Elisaveta and Priya entered the room, followed by professor Sprout. The blonde haired girl looked furious. Her hands were squeezed in fists and she was almost flying towards Rose. Priya followed behind, her face similar to Elisaveta's. Rose stumbled backwards, hitting the chest of her professor with her back. If there wasn't two very angry people in front of her, she would be on cloud nine.

Remus stepped in front of his student just in time and held his arm out in front of her so the blonde girl wouldn't do anything. Elisaveta angrily tried to grab Roseanne again, but Remus stood in front of her with his whole body now. The brown haired girl held her bunny against her chest, fear taking over her body. Why was her House Head here and why were the girls angry?

"What seems to be the problem, Pomona?"

The lady pulled the girls back, then stood in front of the professor.

"Miss Periculum did a prank on the girls. Or so I've been told. Is that true, Rose?"

Before she could answer, Remus put his hands in his pockets and looked at the girls. "Roseanne was here for a long time. She couldn't be the one to do it."

"She did it and she knows it."

This time, Priya rushed towards her and almost got her, but was stopped by the professor again. He simply stood in front of Rose, protecting her from their angry grips and stares. Meanwhile, Rose got a clear look on his toned back. She wished she could drag her nails all over them and mark him. That way everyone would know that he was making her feel good and he belonged to her only.

Roseanne, you hopeless, horny virgin.

"That chocolate was your idea. It was the creation of you and those filthy Weasleys!"

"Oh, no."

Remus turned around towards her with a confused look on his face.

"Oh no? What does that mean, Miss Periculum?"

Rose bit her lip and looked at him apologetically. "It is the creation of the Weasleys, professor. But it wasn't meant for them. They took it from my drawer."

"Who was the chocolate for?" Remus asked, even though he knew the answer.

"You, professor."

He looked over at the blonde haired student, then back at his favorite one. She was biting her lip and nervously petting her bunny. Oh, how he wished he could be the one biting that lip. He would gently suck it, then sink his teeth into it just enough to hear her whine and beg for more.

"And what was the chocolate supposed to do to me?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that."

"Not sure?! Fireworks were coming out of my ears, nose, mouth and–"

"That's enough information, Yakusheva."

Remus was lucky that he had his back turned towards them. He let out a chuckle, knowing how the sentence would end. Seeing that Rose was still nervously looking at him, he sent her a wink and gently took the bunny from her.

"Well, Pomona, there's only one way to solve this."

"What is that, Remus?"

"I say detention. From me."

Finally, something good came out of Weasley's pranks. Remus knew what he was doing. As soon as the girls left the class, he say in his chair and placed the bunny on the desk, giving it pets.

"Have a seat, Miss Periculum. It's going to be a long night if you don't start."

"Yes, professor."

The man let out a quiet hum at her words, enjoying the way she called him. He just couldn't wait for the detention. Will she let him touch her? Will she let him show her how good she can feel? Little did he know that Rose had wilder fantasies than that about him. Fantasies about his tongue, his fingers and his...

"The task is on the blackboard. Good luck, Roseanne."

"Thank you, professor."

[hankwritten]

If You Hit Me With Lighting, Maybe I’ll Come Alive

Gen, 1k

Part of the DontNeedADiscord Pride Week, Day 5: Euphoria

Sometimes when Dad wasn’t tired, wasn’t working, had been home from The Job for a few days and wasn’t rubbing his eyes in the weak light of the workshop, he’d let me sit with him while he was making the machines. I’d set my own drawings down next to him, and we’d work together in warm silence while my legs dangled so much shorter next to his.

His were in black ink, and mine were in crayon, but at the end of the night he’d lean over and grin, “that’s some fine work, Dell.”

I’d light up, both inside and out, hit by a shock so hard it’d leave my hair standing on end.

As I got older, and when I promised to be real, extra careful, Dad would let me borrow his fine pens to work on my own designs. I wasn’t allowed at the blueprint paper, (that’s for The Job and just The Job darling, I’m sorry), but I learned how to make my lines smooth and precise, never letting it bleed onto the worktable below.

“Whatcha got there?” he asked me, watching me finish the curve on a spring lock.

“My kite got stuck in the live oak yesterday,” I explained. “I’m fixin’ a way to get it down.”

He chuckled. “You need a catapult and a jetpack for that?”

“Redundancy’s very important,” I reminded him.

“A’course,” he laughed, ruffling my hair. It was short, and blonde, and still sticking up since I’d taken to going at it with kitchen scissors whenever Mom wasn’t looking. She’d always find me later of course, have a good laugh, and fix it up with her trimmers. “How could I forget? You gotta a wild imagination darling, just like your Mom.”

“I ain’t wild,” I complained. “Just thinking outside the box.”

“Creative then,” he said. “Like your Granddaddy.”

I don’t want to like either of them, I thought to myself. I want to be like you.

For some reason, I stopped just short of saying it.

When I was eight, Dad let me help work on the truck.

It was simple stuff, holding the flashlight and handing him the right wrench every now and again, but my chest puffed up so big to actually be helping with something. Doing work. Dad slipped some protective goggles over my head and laughed when they kept sliding down my nose.

“Oh, ain’t you the cutest ‘lil engie,” Mom said when she came to check on us, pinching my check until I laughed. “Hang on, hang on, let me get the camera.”

When she came back, it was with three glasses of lemonade and the Polaroid, telling us to get close together until there was a snap.

“Wait,” Dad said. “Almost forgot.” With that, he lifted the hardhat off his own head and slung it on mine.

Every inch of skin prickled, delight and pride welling up strongly inside that I felt like I was going to burst. Mom and Dad were saying how grown up I looked and my body was filled with static—not head static after a long day with no sleep, but electrostatic, the bubbling before a storm, the kind that makes the hairs on your arms prickle.

“Oh that’s just too sweet,” Mom said, glancing at the photograph. “But I’ve kept you two from working long enough. Enjoy your truck fun!”

“Truck fun!” I repeated.

I was still so high on elation, I almost didn’t register when Dad came over and said, “suppose I’ll be needing that back then.”

I don’t know what came over me. Only, in that moment, suddenly losing Dad’s helmet seemed like the worst thing in the world. I swung both arms over the hardhat and yelled, “no!”

Dad pulled back in surprise. Mom, who’d only had one foot out the workshop door, turned back quickly, alarm on her round features.

“You alright there, sweetie?” Dad asked me, concern clear without the goggles to hide his furrow.

“I…” Big tears were rolling down my cheeks and suddenly I felt so stupid. I was eight for Christ’s sake, I couldn’t be crying like a big dumb baby. “I wanna keep it on…”

“That’s fine Dell, if that’s what you want,” Dad said, but exchanged a look with Mom as he did. “You hold on to it for now.”

I took a deep, lump-throated breath, trying to stop the tears that had sprung up so suddenly. The realization that the hat wasn’t going to be taken away lessened the flow, and eventually I stopped clutching my head.

“Okay…” I took another big sniff. “…Sorry for yellin’…”

“Ain’t no thing,” Dad assured.

We worked on the truck. Mom hung around for longer than she should’ve, just standing in the barn doors that separated the workshop from the rest of the farm, eyes darting at me now and again. I guess I know why she was so worried. I wasn’t a fussy child, not by a long shot, and to break down over something so small was wildly out of character, enough that she looked like she wanted to hang around until she got some answer I could give her. But then she was gone, and we kept working, and the nice feeling of being smart ‘n helpful returned to my fingers a bit.

Dad didn’t try to make me take it off again. Not even when we went in for supper, and there weren’t usually any hats allowed at the table. When he tucked me in, he asked, “is it alright if we set it on the nightstand while you sleep? It’ll be real close by.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Okay…”

Gently, he lifted it off, and set it right where he said he would.

“G’night darling,” he said, kissing me on the forehead.

I blurted, “I’m sorry!” as he stood to leave. “I don’t know why I…I just want to be like you.” The last words came out small, and I didn’t know why they felt so bad to say.

There was a beat. Then another. He sat down on the bed again, reaching forward to stroke my hair down flat. It resisted, like always, ever static-filled and springing back to life.

“It’s alright,” Dad said, something off in his voice that said it really wasn’t. “It’s alright. Why don’t I make you a different one, one that's your size? Would you like that?”

Not trusting myself not to burst into tears again, I nodded.

He wrapped his strong arms around me and squeezed, and for a second I was sure nothing bad would ever get me again. “Love you darling.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

[stormwarnings]

i am inspired and ive decided next up is skyara dell

skyara is half human, half twi’lek - her father was a clone trooper and her mother was a refugee of ryloth, but their relationship was brief and far more about comfort than anything (skyara was a surprise)

skyara doesn’t really have any opinion about her dad, just knows the stories her mother tells her, that he was brave and that he died fighting - not anything specific, not when she’s little (when she’s older, of course, that’s something else, because captain keeli is, after all, a fairly famous casualty, at least amongst the twi’leks)

(and this means, of course, that skyara has a far different view of clones than many people, because from when she was little she always knew her dad was good so of course mind control makes sense)

anyway - she/her, brown skin and pale blue splotches, orangeishyellow eyes and blue hair in two braids

she’s kind of an outcast because people aren’t too friendly towards hybrids now, especially not the empire

that gets in the way, actually, when she tries to apply to the imperial flight academy, so instead she lies about her age and signs up to be a pilot in the rebellion

her mother isn’t too happy about that (hypocrite, skyara says, because her mother fought right alongside cham syndulla, even when she was pregnant) but the world is also getting far worse, recently, so when skyara heads for the rebellion, she goes to find her aunt dya (her mother’s best friend) and her mother (reluctantly) trusts they’ll look out for each other

skyara’s x-wing is called the dancer, and skyara gets very good, very quickly, at flying circles around most people (and maybe her mother, her mother who saw the carnage at ryloth but saw the jedi too - maybe her mother knows, then, a glimpse of the truth)

her x-wing is white and rebel orange and pale blue like her hair (painted by sabine wren, who skyara definitely has a small crush on), and her flightsuit is pretty recognizable for the same colors

skyara pretty much wears her flightsuit most of the time once she starts working with the rebellion, partially because she’s proud of it but also mostly because she has a back brace sewn into it

(unfortunately, twi’lek hyperflexible spines in human bodies tend to cause all kinds of problems, and skyara has pretty terrible back pain for most of her childhood and a lot of her adult life, too)

so she’s force-sensitive 

teressu irana becomes her master, though the both of them are initially hesitant, but the both of them have always felt a little out of place - and eventually skyara is blue squadron’s jedi, blaster and ‘saber wielded in tandem, flying side-by-side with fellow padawan luke skywalker in battles against the empire

and every single battle she tells herself the same thing: i can’t die. i promised my mom i’d come home

[curewhimsy]

Symphony Saga Resonate chapter 1

I was inspired!

Notes: This fanfic is like, a middle/high school-centric fic so my OCs are all middle/high school aged here (youngest= 12, oldest= 18)

Also everyone is gonna age by 6 years eventually 

AO3 link

——————

Can a dream change the world?

Can a song awaken the soul?

Does our universe truly have limits?

Why am I asking all of these questions?

We all each have a story.

We all matter.

If we all join together, how big of a miracle can we create?

The story of Resonate unfolds...

———

Queen Rainbow’s Point of View

In a world where color was scarce... wonder was draining from people’s souls, and warmth was fading from their hearts. The warmth in their smiles were waning... And soon enough, they weren’t able to truly smile any longer.

This world... was called Monochrome.

Being the furthest planet in its solar system from the sun, Monochrome was already quite a lonely place. But everything froze over when Obsidian stepped to the throne.

Monochrome was a painfully boring place, filled with progressively more boring people. It got to the point where the most boring, bitter person of all would automatically be crowned as royalty.

Her name was Obsidian, and she became the Queen of Misery. She did not believe in fun, happiness, or love. Her heart was made of coal. When she breathed out, thick black smoke would fill the air, despite her never being a smoker.

Queen Obsidian’s very existence would always pollute the air with negativity and gloom that would make people lose hope. She was so boring, that her presence would transform sugary donuts into regular old bagels with nothing on them. She was so boring, that her royal fanfare was played on a single off-key kazoo. She was so utterly dull, that she even sent Planet Monochrome into a thousand-year-long ice age after telling one terrible joke.

But worse than all that combined, the Queen of Misery was a selfish, spiteful, and joyless person.

Nobody exactly knew why, but Queen Obsidian hated music... Possibly because of how positive and fun it could potentially be, not to mention the sheer raw emotion and vibes it could could convey.

One day, Queen Obsidian heard a song. It was awful. She hated it so much, that she ordered it to be sent to the Nowhere Of Permanent Erasure Void, or “NOPE Void” for short, where it would be deleted from our reality.

Queen Obsidian wanted to erase all the universe’s music from existence this way, and for people to never make or listen to it again. Ever.

Knowing that Monochrome barely had any worthwhile tunes to get rid of, Obsidian began to target the music on other worlds.

And what better place to start than the magical, colorful planet known as Whimsica?

Whimsica, a charming, fittingly whimsical world filled with magic... It may ideally be peaceful, yet we’ve been attacked by Monochrome for years just for being so idyllic. Apparently, our bright, rainbow colors that can be seen from space are an eyesore for them.

This is also where I come in.

My name is Queen Rainbow... and I’m the Queen of Whimsica. I’m only 16 years old, which is... actually pretty old for a monarch of Whimsica, believe it or not!

Whimsica’s monarchs are usually children nowadays! That’s because we have a childish kind of “whimsy” in our hearts and an arcane sort of innocence to see the world through rainbow-tinted lenses.

A long time in the past, Whimsica had a very strict older queen who forbid the royals, even the ones in the future, from ever befriending commoners.

That queen used a spell, so if a royal was caught being friends with a commoner, they would fall into a long slumber. The length of how long they would sleep corresponded to how strong the royal‘s bond was to the commoner.

Recently, the spell was broken, however! So now I can befriend and hang out with all the common folk I want. To be honest, being that kind of queen wasn’t so great, it was a little lonely, and I always hated feeling so unapproachable... and responsible!

Well, to tell the truth, the eldest of the three princess sisters actually does most of the work. 18-year-old Celestine is the responsible and proper eldest sister. Lunette, age 16, is the middle sister, and a bit mischievous. The youngest sister is 14-year-old Stelle, and she... well... is a bit of a problem child.

Anyway. I had proposed a new course of action against what Monochrome is trying to do. The princess sisters and I, along with Celestine’s best friend Nikamowin, and even the two royal anthromorph cats, Sparkle and Twinkle, have been using our magical powers the best we could to fight against Monochrome’s Queen and royal force, and the monsters they use against us.

But I still feel we need more help. We need the help of magical musicians.

I’ve been beginning to practice making music so I could harness its positive energy and make my songs into magic that can defeat Monochrome’s negativity. Nikamowin is also a skilled singer and can use songs to help us, but I still feel we need to power of more music.

So I assigned a job to Sparkle and Twinkle. Their job now is to look for passionate musicians with pure hearts, who are interested in joining our force to help save music for the entire universe...

———

Haku Yowane’s Point of View

Location: Earth

I zipped up my backpack to the faint scent of dust around the house, tied my shoes, wiped my long bangs from my eyes, and got ready to step out the door to go to school. Another gray day.

Even though I didn’t live with her, my world felt so empty now. My heart felt so hollow.

It was the little things.

Rain pattering on the roof... once a cozy and quaint sound... now just a gloomy and sad reminder.

An old notebook... once a source of joy and closeness... now just cold and distant.

A stuffed cat... warm and beloved... now even more well-loved, and irreplaceable.

All these things I saw right before I left my house to go to school reminded me of her.

My grandmother.

She passed away three weeks ago.

Right before I began opening my door, I looked back, and saw Snowbell, the plush cat Grandma gifted me long ago, eyeing me gently from my table.

I decided I couldn’t go to school without Snowbell. I couldn’t leave her alone.

I picked up the well-loved plush and hugged her gently and sadly, and made my way out the door with her.

Snowbell was special to me.

At the age of five, I was quite meek and lonely, with a reddish nose and wobbly knees. I would catch colds often, and constantly be sniffling, which was how I earned the nickname “Sniffles”.

I was a bit odd. I had strange habits such as pretending I were a cat, even lapping milk out of a bowl at snack time. I liked to draw pictures and play make-believe at recess. I didn’t like strangers or crowds.

In school, I was usually scared and overwhelmed. Once during indoor play time, I sat in my own little corner away from everyone and drew on the walls. When my teacher found the drawings I had drawn on the walls, I got scolded. I spent the rest of the day crying and sniffling, not understanding why I was yelled at.

That was when my grandmother decided my imagination was just too big for such a little girl, so she bought me a friend, a stuffed white kitten, to talk to.

My grandma told me that Snowbell was a special friend, and she was always there to listen. So when I was sad, I would hug and talk to Snowbell and felt I wasn’t alone.

Snowbell was there for me through the good days, and the many bad days... She was there when I graduated kindergarten. She was also there shortly after, when I was six years old, when my parents divorced...

Before my parents divorced, my brother Dell and I were very close. He was technically my half-brother. My father, who I was never close with, already divorced a former wife before marrying my mother. Dell was the son of my father and his former wife. His last name was Honne, his father’s last name. My last name is Yowane, my mother’s last name.

Dell and I would always play and sing together. Even though I was clumsy and fail at his games sometimes, he was very patient and would comfort me when I cried. Sometimes my dad would randomly yell at or scold me. When that happened, Dell would always stand up to my dad and protect me. Even when my parents were fighting and yelling so loudly that I got scared, Dell and I would hide together and he would comfort me. He was truly an amazing brother.

However, when my mother and father divorced, my father insisted on taking us with him. My mother refused to let him take us. There was a huge custody battle over us, and eventually, a heartbreaking compromise was made.

Dell was going to go with my father. I was going to stay with my mother.

I just wanted us to stay together. But in the end, we couldn’t.

One morning after sleeping in, I went downstairs to see around half the furniture in the house gone and my father outside in the moving van. My dad was about to leave. He left me without saying goodbye.

But Dell... He waited until I woke up so he could say goodbye before leaving. I cried with such intensity that he turned around. His face right then shocked me. He was seven years old... but had such a grown-up expression on his face... I had never seen such an look on his face before. So much pain... yet so accepting of his fate.

He hugged me one last time without any words, until I stopped crying. Once my tears stopped, he pat my head, and made his way out the door.

I never saw my brother, my best friend, ever again.

Two years passed. I turned eight years old. My mother, now single, talking to her sister, had an idea.

My mother’s sister had a daughter, who would be my cousin. My mom noticed that without Dell, I was very lonely lately. So she proposed to my cousin and I to meet.

My cousin’s name was Miku Hatsune. She was six years old at the time. The same age I was when my parents divorced. The first thing I noticed about Miku was how cheerful she was, and how accepting she was towards me. I quickly became friends with her, and even though she came over only around once a month and I only got to see her those times, we were really close friends.

The day we first met, we played in the backyard. I was still very shy and awkward at the time.

A butterfly landed on a flower nearby, and Miku urged me to try and touch it. I did, and the butterfly flew away.

I instantly burst into tears.

“Why?” I said, through my tears. “Why does everyone leave me? Like Dell? And my dad? Why...?”

“Don’t cry, Haku...” Miku pat my head to try to cheer me up. It reminded me of when Dell pat my head to say goodbye... it kind of calmed me down.

To cheer me up even more, Miku began singing me a song. She taught it to me, and I began to sing it with her.

We began to sing together, and soon enough, we were surrounded by butterflies. We began smiling and laughing. It was a great memory.

“Miku?” I looked at her fondly. “Promise me you won’t ever leave me, okay?”

“Okay!” Miku answered, smiling.

But one day, around three years later...

My mother called her sister as usual... and every single trace of her, her husband, Miku, and even Miku’s little sister Mizu, had vanished without a trace.

When I heard this, I was devastated. I began to wait a little while... but soon it became apparent that Miku and her family were gone... maybe in a freak accident or disappearance... and weren’t ever coming back.

I remember sitting under a tree, and just crying.

After that, I really only had my grandmother. My mom was always kind of distant and neglected me emotionally.

My grandmother, however, was warm and understanding. She was also very fun and always made me smile. She was the most magical person I ever knew, because she always told me amazing stories. Sometimes I wondered how she even thought of them. I always told her perhaps she should become a writer and make them into books.

I was inspired to become a writer myself because of her. I used many of her stories as inspiration, because I thought she needed a lot of recognition. She also always wanted to be a musician, and so did I, but I was always much too shy. My grandmother couldn’t pursue music because of her health condition and age, sadly.

Now that she’s passed, I think I will try to fulfill my grandmother’s dreams in homage to her.

Thinking of these memories may have left me sad... but I’ll at least always have the precious memories of these people in my heart, even though I may never see them again. In memory of them, may I live my every day to my fullest.