#studies them closely to see if i can find a common thread

[fanarchoslashivist]

What were your last five major interests, media-wise?

D.Gray-Man

How to Train Your Dragon

Danny Phantom

District 9

Rise of the Guardians

[brights-place]

Hello!! I read some of your Trolls stuff and I really really like them! May I request Trollex, Branch, and Floyd with a super supportive s/o who’s experienced in a lot of genres of music and dance? They have a TON of instruments and they know how to play every last one like girl where did you get these???

Sheet music and music theory knowledge is through the roof like you’d think they teach it as a profession, and if they give them physical affection and compliments and actually just normal relationship stuff??? They are a puddle on the ground they are NOT used to someone close actively caring so much about them besides like family they love that shit, giving AND receiving 😎 (they can be shy about it sometimes tho it’s adorable)

Uhhh tldr local music nerd is smitten with their amazing s/o, they down bad tbh /j

If this is too much in a single request, don’t hesitate to message me in case this is too long!

Them Dating an Music Theory! Troll

Pairing: Trollex X S/O, Floyd X S/O, and Branch X S/O

Warnings: Lots of Fluff, Mild cursing

A/N: OOOOH I LOVE THIS REQUEST! this is so good okay okay! plus I do music theory myself so this is fun! >:D

Trollex

- Trollex loves the way you explain music theory in a way that is easy to understand and engaging

- He enjoys listening to them talk passionately about music.

- He enjoys watching you play music for you and analyze the pieces in depth

- He listens when you rant and explain Music theory to him explaining that music theory covers things such as pitches and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, form, meter and time signatures, phrases and cadences, and basic harmony for music which he nods his head listening to you - Trollex loves how you play many instruments and stares at how you play it with ease - Trollex listens to you rant about it and is very patient with you even with his short attention span and endless energy.

- loves the way you light up when you talks about things that are about music

- He asks so many questions and forgets since his brain is re-setting sometimes - He can't help but admire your dedication to studying and refining your endless knowledge of music - He loves that they challenge your preconceived ideas about music and open you up to new perspectives of different musical styles and genres.

- He loves your creative ideas and imagination for how to explore and experiment with music.

- He values your willingness to share your knowledge and experience with you.

- He loves the way you express yourself through music and many genres not sticking to one and enjoys how you dance with him to techno music

Floyd

- Floyd loves to encourage you to express yourself creatively and explore your musical side more around him which you obviously do

- He appreciates how you share music tastes with him and discover new songs to listen to together

- He finds your knowledge of music history fascinating and enjoy learning new facts about the origins of different musical styles.

- Floyd is fascinated by your ability to deconstruct a piece of music and understand how the different elements interact to create a cohesive whole

- Floyd can’t help be impressed by the way you can find common threads between seemingly disparate pieces of music and make connections that he had never noticed before and would ask more

- You love the way your shy emo partner aka Floyd opens up to you and shares his emotions through music with you

-You two enjoy discussing the deeper meanings of songs and analysing the lyrics together though he mainly stared at your face to see your focused face

- He loves to play you a song that relates to your current emotional state and makes you feel understood and comforted.

- He can’t help but be drawn to how your musical knowledge and understanding of music theory can shed light on your personality in ways that you may not have been aware of but he was aware of it

- He finds it amazing how you can deconstruct your emotions using music theory and communicate with you on a deeper level which he also does I mean he is the sensitive one and knows about emotions

- He can’t help but be amazed by how much you can learn through many genres of music and their musical knowledge… I mean he’s Pop Rock but he can’t help but be shocked how you know ALL the genres

- He can’t help but be charmed by the way you approach music with pure enthusiasm and wonder as he stared at you lovingly.

Branch

- You both feel a strong connection with each other through music and can tell that you're both on the same wavelength even though he doesn't show it much,

- He can't help but admire the way you are fine with how branch can effortlessly switch between serious discussion and playful banter

- He finds it adorable when you become shy and blushes after realizing you have been rambling on about music for too long.

- He loves when you start sharing your favorite songs and artists with each other and discovering new music together

- He loves to support your creativity and encourages you to express yourself through music. - Branch can’t help be impressed by the way you can find common threads between seemingly disparate pieces of music and make connections that he had never noticed before and would ask more about it towards you

- He's impressed by your intelligence and knowledge of music theory.

- He finds himself admiring at your musical skills and wishing he could play or compose music the way you do.

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact!

[marvelmusing]

Mirror Image

From the Our Souls AU

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova x Fem!Reader

Summary: Aleksander finds you at another gala, and the two of you learn you have more in common than you realised.

My Masterlist

»»---------------------►

Fabian shifts nervously by your side, his claws clicking against the marble floor as he adjusts his weight from paw to paw. Zoya’s presence always makes him uneasy, ever since you were a student at the Little Palace, when she and her friends would torment you between classes.

Fabian had been one of the first dæmons among your school peers to settle into his adult form, meaning it was much easier for them to subject him to their harassment, dropping books and throwing crumpled up papers on your dæmon.

It isn’t often that Zoya manages to trap you into a conversation. But at public events like this you don’t have any means of escaping her, which means you’re subjected to her boasting about her travels and all her successes. As always, she turns her nose up at any mention of your own studies, so you stay quiet and let her talk whilst keeping a close eye on her snake dæmon, Dreki.

A sense of calm reassurance fills your chest and some of the tension loosens from your shoulders. Confused by your sudden shift in mood, you glance down at Fabian only to spot a familiar flash of dark grey fur as Andromeda nuzzles affectionately into his side.

Her cool slate eyes peer up at you questioningly and you nod with a small smile so that she knows you’re alright. Like Aleksander himself, his dæmon is very protective of you. Zoya’s words have faltered at the appearance of Aleksander’s dæmon but you’re too busy looking around the room for a glimpse of him to pay Zoya any more attention.

His eyes meet yours through the crowd of people, where he appears to also be trapped in the midst of a dull conversation. His gaze is assessing with a touch of concern in his eyes and you give him the same smile you had given Andromeda. He smiles softly and seems to excuse himself from the people around him.

Turning back to face Zoya, anticipation runs up your spine as you await Aleksander’s arrival.

“Is that Lord Morozova’s dæmon?” she asks.

Glancing down at Andromeda, you lift your brows casually as you nod.

“Yes it is.”

He settles his hand at the small of your back, saying your name quietly in greeting. Tilting your head so that you can see his face, you smile up at him.

“Lord Morozova.”

There’s a softness in his eyes as he gazes down at you, then he turns his attention to Zoya and something shifts.

“Miss Nazyalensky.”

She smiles widely, her fingers playing with the blue jewel at the centre of her necklace where it hangs perfectly between her breasts, drawing your eyes down to the low cut of her dress. Aleksander’s expression remains unimpressed, a polite smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. Then he ducks his head down, his attention returning to you.

“I believe we have a number of matters to discuss,” he murmurs low against your ear. Then he gestures towards the nearest hallway, no doubt intending for the two of you to find somewhere quiet. “Shall we?”

Taking his hand, you allow him to lead you away from the rest of the people gathered in the main hall. Aleksander knows the best hiding spots in the majority of the buildings in Os Alta.

As soon as the door is closed behind you, Aleksander moves towards the leather armchair beside the crackling fireplace. Fabian follows him instantly, bounding up into Aleksander’s lap with ease. A pleasure sweeps through your body as he threads his fingers carefully through Fabian’s glossy fur, scratching affectionately under his chin.

“What’s troubling you?” he asks your dæmon quietly. “I could see how tense you were from across the room.”

The idea of someone speaking so casually to your dæmon was an unfathomable concept to you around a month ago - before you met Aleksander.

“Dreki had his eyes on me,” Fabian explains.

Aleksander frowns.

“Who?”

“Zoya’s dæmon,” you clarify, crossing the room to settle in the armchair opposite him. “Once he settled, he started biting quite often.”

Something dark enters Aleksander’s eyes.

“Biting?” he repeats, his voice hard as steel.

Looking down to escape the intensity of his gaze, you end up looking at Andromeda who looks as equally troubled by your words. She appears to struggle deciding between comforting you or your dæmon. When she settles her chin on your knee, your heart melts and you give her a soft pet behind the ears.

“We were children,” you say quietly in an attempt at justifying what happened.

Disapproval rumbles low in Andromeda’s chest.

“Her dæmon bit Fabian?” she repeats.

Her voice is as soft as always, a soothing tone despite the anger threaded through her words, and you can’t imagine Aleksander’s dæmon ever raising her voice.

Fabian himself ducks his head down, burying his face into Aleksander’s stomach to hide beneath the fabric of his kefta. Aleksander continues to provide some reassuring petting despite the darkness in his expression.

“Often?” Aleksander adds.

Sometimes the two of them are far too perceptive. Withdrawing into yourself, you begin to fidget with your fingers. Andromeda lifts her front legs up, settling her body onto your lap and nuzzling her face against your stomach, almost mirroring Aleksander and Fabian’s position.

Petting her head, your fingers thread through the fur at the base of her ears. Some of the tension leaves Aleksander’s shoulders as you touch his dæmon affectionately but his mind still seems to be focused on your words.

“Fabian settled when we were twelve,” you admit softly. Aleksander’s response is a quiet murmur.

“So young.”

You nod.

“Dreki liked to sneak under the tables during class. Being a fox meant Fabian was an easy target for the other dæmons.”

There’s a pause between you both. Aleksander scratches behind Fabian’s ear, blunt nails dragging through the fine hair there which sends a shiver down your spine.

“Andromeda settled when we were eleven.”

His gaze has lowered to look at his dæmon as she turns her head aside, resting her chin on your thighs so that her cool slate eyes can seek out her human counterpart. Aleksander’s expression is distant as he continues to speak.

“I’m not sure if she was meant to find her adult form then, or if we were forced to settle too soon due to my mother’s meddling but…”

His words trail off for a moment, until Fabian licks his fingers gently, drawing him back from his memories. Aleksander smiles softly at your dæmon’s efforts to comfort him, giving Fabian an affectionate pat on the head in gratitude. Then he lifts his dark eyes up to lock onto yours.

“But I know how you feel.”

The two of you hold one another’s gaze for a long moment.

“Thank you,” you whisper.

He nods.

“Come here,” he murmurs softly, extending his fingers lightly towards you to beckon you to him. There’s no hesitation, though you take care not to harm Andromeda as you stand and move across the room to settle in his lap once Fabian has bounded down onto the floor.

Almost immediately, your dæmon curls up on the rug in front of the fire, nuzzling his nose against Andromeda’s fur. They talk quietly amongst themselves as she licks at his ears affectionately. A small hum of pleasure warms in your throat while you observe your dæmons.

Aleksander traces his fingers over your cheek and when you turn your attention back to him, you find his dark eyes already watching you intently. He nudges his nose against yours softly, not unlike how your dæmons enjoy touching one another, which brings a smile to your face.

His finger hooks casually under your jawline, keeping your gaze on his. He leans closer, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of your nose which makes your smile widen as warmth spreads over your cheeks.

“Aleksander,” you whisper breathlessly.

He tilts his head aside, an amused glimmer in his dark eyes as they flicker down to your lips.

“Yes?”

“Would- would you kiss me?”

“Would you like me to?”

A small huff escapes your lungs and laughter sparkles in his gaze at your exasperation.

“Yes,” you say pointedly. He raises a brow at you and you voice softens as you add, “Please?”

He leans closer, capturing your lips with his.

»»---------------------►

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur @ilikefictionmen @budugu @watersquirtpewpewboomm @mysweetlittledesire @dhampiravidi

S&B Tag List: @motheroffae @daddymaster21

Aleksander M Tag List: @nyctophiliiiiaaa @jazmin2211 @wooya1224 @seronsalk @veescorneroftheworld

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia @weallhaveadestiny @two-unbeatable-beaters

[kaeyapilled]

I’m pretty new to kaeya ships and I want to know how Kaebedo appeals to you!! /This isn't a sarcastic question I promise 😭

So far, the only ship I get is Rosakae because haha bi couple/girl that says bruhh x guy that says hiii

Do you have any recommended kaebedo fanfics? Thank you <33

i think the biggest appeal of kaebedo to me is the parallels between them. both are from khaenri'ah and were abandoned by a parent figure with an unclear mission on their shoulders and ended up finding a home in a place they fear they will have to betray one day. even without a romantic lens there is SO much potential here!!! they must know of each other's secret to some degree, there's no way they don't. they could form such a deep connection based on these shared origins. let them bond hoyoverse!!!!

its insane to me that kaeya and albedo have never exchanged more than five words in game when theres so much material to work with here.. especially because they DO know each other! the game tells us that! kaeya has an "about albedo" voiceline (Albedo, eh? Calm, collected, and incredibly talented. He's the type everybody likes, some even more so than others. What, you into him as well?), albedo doesnt have an "about kaeya" voiceline but he does mention him in one of his "more about albedo" ones (The time required to sketch portraits closely correlates with one's mood. I could spend half a day sketching Huffman, while I might only need three strokes of the pencil to sketch Kaeya — one for the face, one for the eyepatch string... and one for the eyepatch.) and, actually, pairing that with this

from a past event i think we can say it's implied that albedo draws kaeya fairly often. kaeya seems to babysit klee frequently, which is all the more chance for them to get to know each other more..... they live in the same region and have so many themes in common LET THEM TALK! LET THEM TALK!! kaebedo as a ship is kind of built from the ground up with just minimal canon content and our wild imaginations but hey. the potential is right there. also i think they look cute together. anyway, fanfic recs, you say? i have some<3

Calcium, Carbonate, and Other Things That Run Bone-Deep by Princeliest

Albedo comes knocking at Kaeya's office door, and asks Kaeya to kill him. All in all, it's the worst falling-in-love experience that Kaeya has ever had. (Albedo fears a lot of things. He's never reached out for help with any of them, but he's also never had anyone see him and reach out first.)

this is genuinely one of the best fics ive ever read in my life it's SO good. i kept rotating it inside my mind for days afterwards. and the kaebedo dynamic here is one of my favorite renditions of it too!!!!! like they cannot live through a normal love story it has to be weird when they are both involved. and this fic executes the brand of weirdness i expect from kaebedo perfectly. the characterization for both of them was really good. warning for some body horror but if you're okay with that it's part of the charm in this fic i really enjoyed reading those parts

this wordless dance, in the night by untunedviola

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Kaeya mutters into Albedo’s chest. Albedo pulls him closer. Gentle fingers thread through his hair. “You don’t have to.” He sighs. “I know.” Kaeya’s relationship with his mother tongue, his family, and Albedo develops in fits in starts.

i just reread this while searching through recs on my bookmarks and!!!!!!!!! this is THE kaebedo relationship study EVER. it's so good. its more focused on kaeya since it's from his point of view but albedo is a central crucial part of it. it explores their connection to khaenri'ah and the connection they could have with each other because of it SO well it's really amazing! the angst is delightful i love this one.

and you should check out this author's other works!! seriously the way they write kaebedo is like the best ever. i havent read all of them but the ones i have read were immediate favorites. untunedviola if youre out there

The Curious Investigation on the Investigation Captain by evesbeve

“This is not an invitation to spoil me,” Albedo says through a bite, a hand over his mouth. “As you have with Klee.” “I have no idea what you are talking about," Kaeya laughs. “Although… would it really be that bad, if I wanted to take care of you?” (Or: When Sucrose mentions that she's been worried about Albedo and his constant cases of zoning out, Kaeya takes it upon himself to investigate the situation.)

a lighter, fluffier work to make up for the angst of the previous recs. so sweet youll get cavities honestly. works to read while giggling about how much you love these silly little characters. bonus ragbros and other mond characters. really nice read!!!!

i wish i had more recs but i really dont. i need to read more about them honestly.

im deeply sorry for taking like three months to answer!! many such cases im afraid. i hope my kaebedo propaganda has worked on you or anyone else reading this

[darkrpfinders]

Hello! I’m 25+, she/her, looking to rp with people who are 22+, plotting and brainstorming heavy and getting to threads as we have the time/capacity for them. Prefer paragraph style writing. Usually play m/m, may be willing to do m/f.

I have soulmates on the mind and would love to do a plot involving that. Below are some concepts I have in mind, but I am open to suggestions or brainstorming something together instead if you’d prefer. Open to different kinds of plots in anything from fluff, angst, to dead dove 🕊️. If any of the ideas below sound good to you, like this post and I’ll reach out. 

Idea #1: Futuristic type world where the government keeps people's DNA on file and is able to trace matches of who peoples' soulmates are. It's not a perfect system and some bonds are much stronger than others, but the government does require that if someone is marrying someone that is not their soulmate they have to spend a designated amount of time (we can hash out the specifics of the time) with the soulmate first to try to prevent future divorces if they find their soulmate in life. I'd love to play a man engaged to a woman he is convinced is the love of his life, but is having to go through the government process of spending the mandated time with his soulmate so he can get married and finds out his soulmate is a man- which is something he never even considered. Super flexible on the tone of this one. Some possible avenues:

Slower burn or even platonic, with it being deeply introspective as the characters spend time together has them learning about who they are, their sexuality, etc. Maybe falling in love or just becoming close and supporting each other but deciding not to be together romantically

I'm also okay with it being much darker with a lot of anger and big feelings of being forced to spend time together and upset about the attraction that does seem to come up even when they don't want it. Okay with it going into toxic and controlling, even things like your character trying to break off my character's marriage or force them to stay in this relationship now that the soulmate bond has been activated

Maybe a very angsty cheating plot. They have their time together and my character is convinced he still wants to marry the other person but when things are difficult in his relationship he is constantly still thinking about his soulmate and can't help but drifting back to them.

Idea #2: Another futuristic type world where scientist are discovering soulmate bonds but it is not known about in common society and they actually work pretty hard to keep it on the down low because from the few cases they have been able to study it seems like sometimes things can go wrong and soulmate bonds may also trigger some more feral/aggressive behavior from humans that is not a great fit for our modern society. Scientist really have not been able to study in depth about this bonds, but an unethical science group has been able to gather DNA samples from some groups of people and believe they have some potential soulmate matches that they want to study. In order to bring these potential soulmates to an isolated place to study the group creates a ruse of some people winning a “destination vacation” to an island (very vaguely inspired by the movie Old by M. Night Shyamalan, but trapping people together to study soulmate bonds instead of their health conditions. Do not have to see the movie to understand what I'm wanting to do with this and we could very much do our own thing.)

Idea #3: This one could work with a more realistic or fantasy setting. Basically, different lands have different beliefs and laws related to soulmates. My character comes from a place that does not put a lot of value on soulmates and while people may encounter their soulmate at some point in their life there are no laws around it and people can choose to be with their soulmate or not. My character is traveling to the area where your character lives and they meet and pretty instantly discover they are soulmates. This land has a culture that places A TON of value on soulmates and mandates their bond and believes that separating soulmates is a disgrace and could cause future harm to either of the bonded partners so they've made it illegal. We could hash out the specifics from here and how dark we'd like it to be.

.

[just-antithings]

Threads like these throw me off because this always comes from people who refuse to listen to therapists or inform themselves about psychology in general cause it’s been studied already that fiction is a great tool to let out fantasies in ways that hurt no one

all the problems they have stems from the fact that they think fiction someone makes or likes is responsible for grooming but anything can be used for grooming, it can be chocolate, books, etc, it doesn’t have to be fiction even!

That they’re not believed that they’re groomed is horrible of course, but I can think of two reasons this is happening:

Parental or Guardian neglect. Cause if they had someomd to guide them and teach them internet safety, they wouldn’t see all the stuff they find on Twitter

they watered down the meaning of the word “grooming” so much that they’re not believed anymore when it really happens

And “educate the child”? Educate about what, that fiction is not reality? That you have to differentiate the two? If they were educated about that, they wouldn’t make posts like these!

what’s funnier is that someone in the comments said someone made an account on TikTok which “made it their mission” to doxx proshippers, then they went “thank god someone had common sense and told them to stop, just block people holy shit!”

thsy are so close! But anyway posts like these just promote communities that are full of unnecessary paranoia and abuse. These kids are not all right 😓

[abusabat]

cindy  moon:  her  hero  alias  is  silk,  is  there  anything  else  that's  needed?  to  clarify  though,  he's  not  the  most  social  of  half  gods  and  can  use  a  little  work  when  it  comes  to  charisma.  he's  trying  to  use  this  as  a  way  to  branch  out.  his  powers  are  also  similar  to  her  and  he's  trying  to  mix  his  intelligence  with  it,  to  give  himself  some  boost.

zatara  zatanna:  his  love  for  magic  and  the  arcane  world  around  him  is  a  lot  like  zatara.  while  he's  not  a  magician  or  has  the  ability  to  wield  magic  like  some  of  the  other  half  gods,  he's  still  going  to  stay  as  close  to  it  as  possible.  his  highest  skill  is  arcana,  for  now,  and  that  means  that  he's  going  to  tap  into  that  world  whenever  he  can.

allison  argent:  aside  from  the  fact  that  he  chose  a  heavy  crossbow  as  his  main  weapon,  they  have  other  things  in  common  as  well.  she's  pretty  flexible  and  so  is  he,  agile  like  there's  no  tomorrow.  she  also  has  a  willingness  to  fight  that  he  does.  when  she's  knocked  down,  she  gets  back  even  faster.  he's  going  to  fight  or  die  trying.

joe  goldberg:  an  odd  character  to  use  in  a  comparison/analysis,  but  there's  a  reason.  he  enjoys  studying  people  and  getting  lost  in  his  story.  so  much  that  he  might  get  lost  in  them.  joe  normally  hyper  fixates  on  people,  but  waaiz  does  so  when  it  comes  to  anything.  he'll  latch  onto  a  project  and  never  want  to  let  it  go.

eleazar:  on  top  of  him  trying  to  absorb  the  knowledge  from  books  or  the  magical  world  around  him,  he  also  tries  to  mix  that  with  people  too.  eleazar  had  the  ability  to  be  able  to  tell  everyone's  power,  but  he  also  had  knowledge  to  help  them  through  it.  while  waaiz  can't  tell  what  people's  powers  are,  he  certainly  tries  to  study  them  long  enough  to  find  out.

bran  stark:  neith  is  connected  to  the  threads  of  destiny  and  at  some  point,  i  can  picture  him  being  connected  to  that  too.  even  season  one  bran  before  he  became  the  raven,  he  was  always  getting  a  lot  of  information.  climbing  up  walls  he  had  no  business  climbing  up  on  and  seeing  things  he  had  no  business  seeing.

[agentsquirrelsgotrobots]

I decided that the future looked too bleak for the Starstrike incident au, so here's so fluff as I work on the pain. Then, it's a downward spiral from here

Kade wasn't expecting to scare them.

He had just wanted to say hi, that's all.

He took a left and found the staircase hidden in a corner, the Not An Exit sign. The only indicator class 2 of the Rescue Bots Academy was even there. Kade thought it was odd that the children were always so quiet when they were brought into town. No one ever tried to sneak away or talk to anyone outside their minders, and the occasional hushed whisper to the bot next to them.

Kade brought a duffle bag with a few big stuffed toys in vacuum sealed bag inside it. He knew they didn't have much, and class 1 seemed to like having something to hold when studying. Kade ended up so wrapped up in what he might have to say to get them to understand what the toy's were, that he forgot to be careful, swinging open the hydraulic assisted door with a carefree push.

Kade immediately felt at least six pairs of piercing eyes cut through the common room, pining him to where he stood.

This wasn't class 1.

They were scared of him.

Kade took the bag off his shoulder, not looking away as the young bots shook off the urge to freeze for dropping whatever they were doing and staring a Kade. At least two of them looked about ready to bolt.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't think this through, waltzing into your safe space without knocking or at least talking with Heatwave first. I'm Kade, I am a firefighter who has worked on the island for almost ten years. I moved away to train more human firefighters, and when I heard you guys have been through a lot, and you aren't the first set of kids I have known that's lost everything, so, I had some bot friends of mine make you something to hold onto. They are in bags currently, and they will fluff up once you take them out. They are very durable and soft. I am gonna go now, I can see that I am making you guys uncomfortable. Again, I am so, so sorry forehat happened. See you around." Kade left, closing the door behind him softly.

Starstrike grabbed a book off the coffee table and poked the bag. When it wasn't, in fact, a hidden grenade, she opened it up and took out flattened, clear plastic wrapped packages, the contents a pastel rainbow, with a few different tans thrown in there. She opened the first one, finding a yellow bunny, its fur softer than anything she had felt before. She hugged it, then remembered not only her doll, but the other students. She dragged the bag over, a nagging feeling in her spark whispering that the bag could still explode, still infect, still -

The bunny was big enough that she could unpick the seam on its belly and have a romper for when winter comes.

A little, ancient part of Starstrike hated the inevitable change of seasons.

Then, keeping her baby the doll warm will be more and more tiresome. Is that what they wanted? Her to be so busy with her baby school that she couldn't argue or help her flock?

It was working.

Now, the rest of the week will be devoted to stealing thread and hiding removed fluff.

At least her flock family was happy.

[gladstones-corner]

Another Personal Aside

I noticed that I often touch on appropriation. It's primarily with respect to Kabbalah, but today I'm going to go in a different direction. 

Generally speaking, I try to remain aware of appropriation in my practice. When I find it, I make an effort to stop and replace it with non-appropriative substitutes. 

So today, I'd like to walk through what such a process looks like. 

Let's focus on an object I like to call the Magician's Purse. Here's the definition: a small pouch that contains objects of magical significance—including (but not limited to) items from the natural world, charms, and tools. 

Keen eyes will likely recognize the parallels between the Purse and the Medicine Bag of many indigenous cultures. 

Before we go any further, let me stress that the Purse does not hold the same complexity nor significance as the Medicine Bag. I am not a member of any Indigenous Peoples and cannot lay claim to any of their traditions. 

But there's the rub: at what point does it become appropriation to carry such a pouch? I'll try to answer by starting with the contents of my own Purse. 

I have a strong belief in crystals, so I carry three specific ones that I tap into on occasion. I have made or obtained several charms over the years, so I carry them with the crystals. Finally, I carry some pocket tools—a wand, a pentacle, and several forms of divination. 

So, why can't I just keep everything loose inside my daily bag? 

The answer is that I carry different bags, depending on the day. It's a hassle to pull everything out of one bag and into a second one, only to do it again soon after. 

The solution? I have a large dice bag that I put everything into—a nice, neat package that I can simply swap between bags as needed. 

That's all well and good, except it still sounds like a Medicine Bag. So let's look at some definitions and alternatives to see if we can find any. 

I'm not going to lie. A quick online search of "Indigenous Medicine Bag Definition" nets hundreds of websites from people claiming to be shamans without understanding the cultural context of the term. As a result, most information we get from these sites is dubious at best. 

That being said, there are enough common threads that I think I'll take a stab at a general definition here: a pouch or bag—typically made from natural materials—that houses items critical to the tradition and practice of the owner. It includes (but is not limited to) feathers, herbs, crystals, and bones. Its purpose is to serve as a repository of wisdom, knowledge, and power for magic and healing. Bags are highly personal and often have rituals associated with opening, using, and repacking them. 

I'm sure I'm not doing the Medicine Bag justice with this definition. That being said, it's the best I can do with my limited knowledge and experience. 

Alright, so with that definition let's compare. The Magician's Purse comes dangerously close to appropriation, and here's why: any catch-all bag of magically significant items would, by default, be considered an extension of its owner. Using any items contained therein would make the bag a repository of magical power and knowledge. 

So what makes it not appropriation? I'm not sure; but I believe there's something to be said for intent. 

In an earlier post I asked about studying as a function of appropriation. The conversation it sparked brought an interesting point to light: if your intention is to remove something appropriative, then understanding the thing you're meant to remove is not always considered appropriation in and of itself. 

But does that apply here, where we're not so much replacing a practice as accidentally emulating it? And does the practicality of such a bag, when used under the right intention, circumvent appropriation? And if so, at what point does intention become a bulwark against any and all claims of appropriation in one's practice? 

I'm going to digress for a moment and point out that these are questions that plague the entire New Age movement. From Chakras to Tarot to even Angels, we are constantly faced with watered-down versions of what would be deep, enriching pieces of our practice. But no matter how much we sanitize these concepts, we are still appropriating. 

So what, then, is this exercise futile? Am I resigned to appropriating with my Purse? 

No, I don't think so. I think a level of nuance is required here. I think in this instance, you have to view it for what it is: a catch-all for the things I'd alternatively have loose in my backpacks. 

It would be different if I was going to consecrate the bag with the express intent of using it as a magical object. I'm not filling it with specific items to mimic the Medicine Bag. If anything, it's more like...a magic fanny pack. 

But at the end of the day, it's not for me to say. It's for the communities that legitimately use items like Medicine Bags in their practice. I'm eager to hear their opinions on the matter—and would love to hear alternatives from them, if they're available. And if not, I can make peace with loose items in my bag.

[sideprince]

We don't see wizards celebrating Easter beyond having chocolate eggs. We don't see them go to church on Christmas. Christmas, by the way, is a ubiquitous holiday in most of Europe, certainly in Britain, and is celebrated by a lot of people who don't go to church and don't associate it with religious Christianity. Because of the widespread nature of Christianity its various elements have become ingrained in Western cultural without the direct association of religious meaning, let alone direct inferences to Jesus Christ, and many of the people who celebrate them are not churchgoers nor do they have much to say about Jesus. Schools throughout Europe have Christmas and Easter breaks, by name, even though not all of their students are Christians. This is because the line between religiosity and secular culture has been blurred by the cultural influence of primarily Christian countries whose populations have largely abandoned active religious practice and theological study.

If you ask the average Brit what their thoughts are on Jesus, they wouldn't have particularly detailed ones - so why would wizards be different? Why would they have thoughts on the Christian canon about Jesus and feelings about their own devoutness, even as a possible head canon or whatever you want to call it, when nothing in the text indicates their religiosity and even the average British muggle has little to say on the subject?

I understand that your hypothesis was not stated as canon, but there is literally nothing in canon to support it, not even remotely. It makes no sense to hypothesize a culture's specific religiosity when there is nothing to support the idea that they're religiously observant in the first place. There are people who name godparents without their child being baptized (and the similar practices in other religions you mentioned don't necessarily need the ceremony of a religious figurehead). There are people who call someone a godparent the same way someone calls their good friend "Aunty So-and-So" to their child, ie. in reference to someone who's not a blood relative but a close enough friend to be considered essentially family. There are people who celebrate Christmas with their families who don't consider themselves Christian, because it's just what's done in their country/culture.

What British people call "Easter holidays" is the same thing that Americans call "Spring break" - schools will give students the week off, but that doesn't mean every student, or the school itself, are religiously observant. The reason it's called Spring Break in the US is that (at least on paper) there is a constitutional separation between church and state. In Britain, where there's no such separation, it's still called Easter Break because it was established in a time when church and religion played a much more significant role in national culture and which is no longer the case. The name itself doesn't imply religious practice or the prevalence of theological discourse, though. Hogwarts doesn't have Easter Mass or Midnight Mass on Christmas. There is zero religious practice shown and zero theological discussions had. Christianity may be referenced by the author, but there is no reason to assume wizards have specific thoughts on the life of Jesus.

The thing I'm saying is problematic is the assumption that elements with Christian roots, that can also be seen through a more secular lens nowadays, are intrinsically and directly connected to overt Christian beliefs such as thoughts on Jesus, or that the existence of a godparent implies that wizards have baptisms. These assumptions are not based on canon and appear in a thread about Watsonian explanations, and presume that despite the culturally Christian landscape of the West, there is an inseparability of using a common term with Christian roots or referencing a Christian holiday and active churchgoing Christian practices like theological discussions of Jesus or holding baptisms.

If I were to try to find an in-universe explanation for a practice like naming godparents in HP, it would make more sense for me to refer to other forms of bonding magic that do appear in the text, such as an Unbreakable Vow, or the Fidelius Charm, which exist in-universe and involve a kind of magic that relies on trust and obligation. There is no in-universe explanation that reasonably includes baptism as a practice wizards have. In addition, we also see James and Lily buried in a churchyard, yet that doesn't imply they're religious - small British towns tend not to have any kind of secular burial ground, and we see in the same chapter this churchyard is mentioned in that a local war memorial transfigures into a statue of Harry and his parents, and the gate of their ruined house transfigures as well.

We can therefore infer, as we are told repeatedly in the books, that wizards live alongside muggles, but transform muggle spaces to meet their own needs in ways only wizards can perceive, so a couple of wizard graves in a muggle churchyard is more likely a use of an available local space to a wizard's own end than a sign of religious practice. The parallel I'm drawing here is that while the term godparent may be used in the books, there is no reason given in-universe to assume it has religious significance or religious practice behind it, because we see the muggle influences in wizard culture, whether by osmosis or necessity, and are given no reasons in the text to assume that church practices, figureheads, or theological perspectives (such as the existence of Christ, which your theory takes for granted as fact) are a relevant factor, let alone assumptions of devoutness.

As someone who is not Christian, I would assume you would understand as much as anyone that people who go home in December to celebrate Christmas with their family don't necessarily consider themselves devout or even believe in Christ. It makes no sense to me why you would assume that this is something wizards might do en masse when there is nothing in the text to indicate such a thing even remotely, and it's not something that's a ubiquitous perspective even in the general population we ourselves live in.

The only explanation I can see is bias coming through in your interpretation, specifically in the assumption that culturally Christian elements imply active religious practice in this specific context. This assumption is based on information drawn from outside of the text and takes for granted a specific personal perspective that these elements are inseparable from religious practice. It shows an unchecked bias of thought and while there's a discussion to be had about the Doylist critical analysis of the role of Christian themes and culture in the text as a projection of the author, that is not what this conversation is supposedly about.

If I haven't explained all this in great enough detail, for the third time now, for it to be clear then we will have to agree to disagree. For my part, I've at least tried to stick with canon and the Watsonian perspective even though this meta stopped being fun about two tone deaf responses ago.

question to the void: what watsonian explanation is there for wizards celebrating christmas?

[sxlver-sweet]

HEY BABE!! How are you ? Just wanted to speak cause I'm feeling ✨ romantic ✨

Imagine reader crushing on Mitsuya but being scared of confessing because the whole school crush already on him? So reader who saw that he was really close to a tall guy approach this guy ?? And like she ask "hum... You're hakkai right?" And Hakkai freeze the hell out of his life just for reader to say that she actually has a crush on Mitsuya because he's "perfect" and Hakkai beating the number one fanboy of ✨taka-chan✨ just finded his new bro ?? Because he has nobody to fanboy over mitsuya with all day and they become best friends and he tries to help reader with her crush.

But little did they know Mitsuya already crush on reader and see reader and Hakkai becoming closer and closer and he start to become jealous and like when he is with Hakkai he's like "oh that's new this when can you talk to a girl beside yuzuha?" Reader is just always with him but he doesn't know and it's starting to pissed him off 😩 but she's just talking about him with his best friend. And one day reader is with Hakkai on top of the rooftop during lunch talking about him and reader slips and Hakkai catch her but mitsuya only see them like hugging and that's when he has enough so he come and takes reader's wrist and drag her to reveal his feeling.

and Hakkai being the clueless clumsy person he is just "huh?"

I'm sorryyyyyy babe it's too long I just wanted to have your thoughts but I got excited😩😩

I'M SO LATE I'M SO SORRY FDSKLFSND THIS GOT LOST IN MY INBOX i hope you still want to talk 👉🏽👈🏽

but kdflskmdfl that's such a cute idea wait—

i can absolutely see hakkai finding it easier to bond with another girl over a common interest that they both feel so strongly about. it would still take him some time to get used to interacting with another girl, but i feel that more progress would be made faster. when you shyly admit to him that you actually have a crush on mitsuya and aren't just admiring him as a person like he is, i feel like hakkai would gape at you, eyes wide with shock and lips parted in a shouted, "seriously?" you latch onto his wrist, shaking his arm desperately and hissing at him to quit being so loud about it. i can imagine this being the point where mitsuya notices your close bond with hakkai, courtesy of hakkai's tall ass having summoned the attention of everyone in a two-mile radius with his screech.

at that point, all mitsuya sees is you clinging to hakkai's arm and feverishly whispering something to him, clearly flustered by his outburst. he examines the pout gracing your glossed lips as you stand there, all cute and sugar-sweet with your short uniform skirt swirling around your thighs and eyes vibrant with a sense of excitement that he can't quite decipher the source of—or, maybe, he just doesn't want to admit that the sight of you hovering around hakkai causes a flicker of irritation to stir in the pit of his stomach. maybe, he doesn't want to entertain the possibility of hakkai—who, before now, has never been able to so much as greet another girl—sharing a romantic interest in you. he'll proceed to examine you from afar, the tick in his jaw and white-knuckled fingers digging into his knees betraying the faux-unbothered expression adorning his face as a member from the sewing club grills him about fixing a button on their uniform. truth be told, he hasn't heard a word they've said.

he likely won't go out of his way to disrupt the bond he thinks you and hakkai have. he'll immerse himself in his other responsibilities as a method of distracting himself, and you'll probably end up seeing less of him. he really doesn't want to distance himself from you, but, seeing as how hakkai appears to have finally found himself a suitable partner, he deems it the only solution to handling the crush he developed on you somewhere along the way. when hakkai visits the sewing club after school, mitsuya will likely thread his burning inquiry into casual conversation so that he won’t run the risk of deterring hakkai from pursuing you. he chuckles, "ah, yeah, i've seen you around with (name). i didn't know there was a girl here you actually felt comfortable talking to."

then, when hakkai answers, "oh, yeah... she's nice," mitsuya's deft fingers twitch involuntarily and he promptly stabs his finger with a sewing needle.

the cycle of mitsuya running himself ragged trying to forget his feelings for you won't be broken until he spots you and hakkai embracing on the rooftop from the sliver of space between the ajar doors. he doesn’t even register how awkward you two looked, you clutching onto the railing for dear life and hakkai stooped over you with one arm tightened around your waist. all he noticed was that you two were close enough for this moment of be classified as intimate, and neither of you seemed uncomfortable. actually, knowing his dumbass, mitsuya will most likely just accept this as his new reality and decide to resign himself to merely watching from the sidelines—watching as fate intertwines his and hakkai's fates together in the most heart-wrenching way possible. he doesn’t want to stir up any kind of conflict, especially when he’s positive that his feelings for you would be unrequited, anyway. he would be prepared to turn his back and walk away, only to pause when he hears your voice ring out.

"thanks for catching me!" you chirp to hakkai, who immediately releases you and steps away, "that fall would've been pretty bad. anyway, about mitsuya... i was thinking of inviting him on like... a study date. is that weird?" when hakkai simply answers with a thoughtful hum, you scramble to explain yourself, "look, i just want to go on a date with him! and, i thought this would be the least awkward way to do it—whatever. the point is, i need your help with this. i'm planning on asking him after lunch tomorrow, but i was hoping that you would... kind of... ask him for me."

pls, the way your heart sinks when the rooftop doors creak open and mitsuya strolls through with a small smile curving his lips.

"why not just ask me yourself right now?"

[malfoysstilinski]

flower crowns | draco malfoy

draco malfoy x fem!reader

summary: it’s the first sunny day of the year and you want to spend it outside with draco. he wants to make you a flower crown.

a/n: shout out to everybody else in the uk rn that’s had to deal with this shitty weather since september and is now in a third lockdown :))) these are the vibes we all need rn i think

It felt as though it hadn’t been sunny in years. You were used to the bleak weather that Britain provided nearly all year round, but it didn’t stop you from jumping out of your bed as soon as you saw nothing but sunshine peeking through the high windows of your dorm room.

“It’s sunny!” You gasped, “Oh, Merlin— Hannah, please tell me it’s as warm as it looks outside!”

Hannah Abbott glanced up from her book where she’d risen early. “I think so. It’s been getting warmer all week.”

You squealed, your roommates exchanging glances with each other as you rushed into the bathroom to get ready for your Saturday off from classes. You did have homework that needed to be done, but it could wait. You were not wasting the first nice day cooped up in the castle.

After showering and changing into one of your favourite summer dresses, you bounded back into the dormitory room and found your friends all slowly starting to get ready for the day.

“Anyone fancy going down to the Black Lake?” Susan Bones asked, “I heard a bunch of the Gryffindors are going down if the weather turned out nice today and Ernie mentioned joining them.”

A chorus of excited replies came from everybody else, but you smiled politely.

“I’ll have to ask Draco what he wants to do. He doesn’t really get along much with some of the Gryffindors,” you said, applying some makeup and then slipping on your shoes.

Hannah huffed. “Fine. I don’t know what you see in him, Y/N. You’re way too soft for someone like Draco Malfoy.”

Raising your eyebrows, you smiled. “There are many sides to Draco you’ve never met. I can assure you that there are billions of reasons why I’m with him.”

None of the girls said anything as you bid them a farewell before pulling open the door to your dorm. Wandering through the bright common room, which seemed to thrive with the sunshine pouring through it, you waved and greeted some of your peers, the smell of sunscreen filling your nose and making you excited.

You bounded through the corridors of the castle, saying ‘hi’ to Ron, Harry, and Hermione as you passed them. They seemed slightly taken aback by the bounce in your step, Hermione hitting Ron before he could make some sort of sarcastic comment.

You made it down into the dungeons, finding the bare wall you’d come used to staring at. Whilst a huge majority of the school would never be able to catch a glimpse of the Slytherin common room, as the girlfriend of Draco Malfoy, you’d been given the password and was updated of the change fortnightly.

Whispering the new one, you were thrilled when it opened to reveal the green and silver room. It was much darker and drearier than the Hufflepuff common room, perfect for when you were in a cozy mood, but today wasn’t one of those days.

“Hey, Y/N,” Blaise greeted you as he looked up from the leather couch. “Draco’s in the dorm room.”

“Thanks, Blaise!” You replied, waving to Pansy and Theo as you walked by them, making your way to the fifth year boys’ dorm.

You knocked once before you entered, finding it empty. You frowned as the door closed softly behind you, but your ears pricked upon hearing the steady rushing of water coming from the attached bathroom.

You settled down onto Draco’s bed, eager for him to hurry up in the shower so you didn’t have to waste anymore time inside. Who knew how long the good weather was going to last for? British spring was unpredictable— tomorrow it could go back to jumper weather and stay like that for weeks, with nothing to do but watch the rain drip drip drip.

Water dripped from Draco’s broad shoulders as he finally left the bathroom, a white towel wrapped around his torso. He looked gorgeous— in platinum hair soaked and pale skin slightly flushed from the temperature of the water. His face lit up when he saw you on his bed.

“Let me guess,” Draco hummed, “You want to spend the day outside?”

“Please?” You sent him the same very pout that always allowed you to get your way with him.

Outsiders often believed that Draco was as cold as ice and as hard as steel, that, even for you, he would never be soft. However, it seemed like only you, him, and his friends knew the truth-- all you had to do was breathe and Draco was putty in your hands. You could probably ask him to jump off of the Astronomy Tower and he’d just ask if you wanted him to do a run-up or not. 

He tried to keep up his tough exterior around you at first, but with every laugh that escaped your lips, every excited gasp you gave when you learned something new, Draco felt his walls crumbling and he had to admit that he was hopelessly in love with you. Soft Draco was your favourite Draco, and it was the one he had reserved for you and you only. 

When people teased you, whether it be for your naive nature or because they were taking your kindness for granted, Draco was always the first to defend you. He’d ended up in countless detentions for hexing multiple other students who even looked at you wrong. You were his sunshine and he swore to preserve you and keep you safe from any harm. Even if he was your opposite.

“Fine,” he sighed as if it was a chore, but the corner of his lips twitched up at the idea of spending the entire day whilst you were out in your favourite weather.

“Hurry up and get dressed then,” you said, bending down to reach into his trunk and chucking him some clothes.

Draco caught them, sending you a look. “You sure? We could just stay here all day, I could just wear this...”

He watched you blush and shake your head. “Another time. Right now, it’s sunny-- so we have to go outside.”

Draco didn’t bother delaying you anymore. He knew you’d been hoping for good weather for a long time now. It felt like you hadn’t seen sunshine since the very start of September, and now it was early April. The cold, dark evenings always got you down a little unless you were wrapped up warm in the arms of Draco.

Within a few minutes, he’d dried off and chucked on the clothes that you’d thrown at him, slipping his shoes whilst you practically bounced up and down on your heels by the door. As soon as he was done, you grasped his hand and tugged him away. 

“Can we pick somewhere with a bit of shade?” Draco asked once you’d made it out onto the fields, finding multiple other students who had the same idea as you two. “I don’t want to burn.”

A group of first year Gryffindors ran by, nearly knocking Draco over. He let go of your hand and went tug out his wand, his nose scrunched up in disgust, when you grabbed his wrist.

“Draco!” You scolded him, “You don’t need to hex the eleven-year-olds for nearly knocking you over.”

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “They should watch where they’re going. I would have only done a tripping hex, anyway.”

Shaking your head at your boyfriend, you felt his slender fingers intertwine with yours once again and he led the way this time. It felt surreal to be outside without having to stuff your hands in your pockets or complaining about rain water seeping through the small hole in the sole of your school shoes.

“Here.” Draco stopped beneath a tree and settled down, his back against the trunk. 

“I’m going to sit in the sun,” you said, moving a few feet away so you were no longer under the shade.

Draco knew you wanted to make the most of it on your skin. He saw it glow on your shoulders, light up your hair and relax your mind as you lay down on the grass, nose pointing towards the sky. He smiled, simply watching you from the shade. 

He grabbed the book he’d managed to pick up before you’d forced him out of his dorm room, burying his face in it for a few moments as you sighed happily, sunbathing nearby. He’d glance up every now and then and become distracted by your beauty, his brain having to force his eyes back down to the pages in front of him. 

Eventually, he gave up, settling the novel beside his legs and moving over. He found you lying on your stomach, plucking daisies out of the grass and arranging them into a pile next to you. 

“What are you doing?” Draco asked, lying beside you, facing the sky. 

“You’ll burn,” you protested, “You wanted to be underneath the shade, Draco--”

“I don’t care,” he murmured, “Just let me be next to you for a bit, yeah?”

You smiled softly, shaking your head a little as you blushed. Draco turned his head to continue watching what you were doing. He saw that once you had a pile of maybe twenty or so daisies, you began to pick them up one by one before piercing a hole through the long stems with your thumbnail. 

He watched with furrowed brows, studying the way your hands delicately began to thread each daisy through another, tying a knot on the end so they couldn’t slip back through. He realised you were making a daisy chain, and quite a large one at that. Eventually, you closed it off and tied it back around to the first daisy. 

“What is it?” He stared at the circle of plants.

“A daisy crown,” you chirped, moving across and straddling him, his hands moving to your hips as you placed it on top of his head. “For my Prince of Slytherin.”

Draco grinned, reaching up to adjust it on his head. “How does it look?”

You beamed as you peered down at him. “You look like a dashingly handsome young prince.”

You leaned down and kissed his nose, watching his own cheeks blush a little. He managed to sit up, your body moving back a little so you were sat in his lap with your legs around his waist, one hand on you to adjust you and the other to keep his daisy chain on his head. 

You decided your words were nothing but the truth. He looked adorable with the white and yellow daisies in his platinum hair, which was fluffy from the shower he’d just had. He looked like the epitome of soft, his silver eyes melting as he stared at you in a mixture of complete adoration and love. 

His hands circled your waist and he managed to pull you even closer. Your sunscreen filled his nose, as well as the shampoo you wore, the sun beating down on the two of you as he moved to meet your lips in the middle. He hummed against you, enjoying the taste of your lip balm and the way you felt against him. 

One hand reached to stroke your cheek, the slightly calloused pad of his thumb brushing at your jaw. His lips worked against yours softly in an attempt to pour every inch of love and appreciation into you, his touch feeling like fire on your warming skin. You wished you could stay like this forever; just you, Draco, and the sun in the sky.

“If I’m the prince, I want to crown you my princess,” Draco murmured against your lips when he pulled away. 

“Do you know how to make a crown?” You asked.

“I can try,” Draco offered, “I watched you.”

Smiling, you climbed off of his lap and watched as he turned to look at the grass. He plucked a few more from the ground until he estimated that he had enough. Draco’s face scrunched up for a second. The boy was clearly deep in thought. 

“You pierce the stems next,” you whispered in his ear.

“I know, I know,” he played it off, grabbing one.

He inspected it for a few moments before trying to stab a hole through it with his thumbnail like you did. He groaned when it ripped all the way through, leaving him with half a stem. Draco tried again three more times before throwing his latest destroyed daisy to the grass in a fit. 

“I can’t make the holes!” Draco complained. 

“I’ll pierce them for you,” you suggested gently, “You pass them to me, and I’ll make the holes. Then you can tie them up as you go along.”

Draco didn’t reply but handed you your first daisy, watching intently as you made a hole with your nail and passed it to him. He grabbed another daisy and handed it to you and you did the same thing, and then he looped it through. 

“Good, now you need to tie it up,” you reminded him. 

Tongue poking out slightly, Draco did as you had said, creating a knot in the stem of the daisy. He grinned when it worked, his pearly whites on display as he practically threw it in your face.

“Look!” 

“Good-- you have one chain. Here’s your next daisy,” you beamed, passing him another with a hole in it.

Draco took longer than you had, his eyes focused and his nose scrunched in concentration as he created you your very own daisy crown to match his. When he was done, he sighed in relief but, overall, looked quite pleased with himself.

“Here you are, my love,” he murmured, placing it on top of your head. 

His fingers adjusted it and moved some of your hair out of the way so it sat perfectly. Draco moved backwards a little and smiled at the sight.

“How do I look?” You teased.

“Like the most gorgeous girl I have ever laid eyes on,” Draco promised breathlessly, kissing you hard on the lips again. 

You kissed him back. Maybe your roommates would never understand because they never saw this side of him, but this was one of the million reasons you loved Draco Malfoy.

[earlgreydream]

traveler.

| loki x reader | fluff | 

summary: you and loki cross paths on a rainy day

warnings: only the slightest bit of steam if you squint

a/n: I needed something sweet and soft, and I miss the rain

You were walking along the cobblestone path to the tiny coffee shop you loved. The town you lived in was small, but you loved it and had lived there your entire life. It was quaint, with a vintage feel and sweet little cottages. 

Clouds hung heavy overhead, and the air smelled like rain. You pushed open the shop’s door, hearing the familiar chimes of his bell. 

“Hi, Y/N! Your usual?” The barista called. 

“Please!” You said with a smile, leaving your card on the counter. She grabbed it and nodded, taking the order of a customer who walked in behind you. 

You sat down on the faded yellow couch in the corner, opening the novel you’d brought along, soothed by the smell of coffee. The barista placed a steaming london fog on the small table beside you, setting your card down with it. Soon, your novel was forgotten as you sipped the tea, watching customers come and go. 

A man walked in that you didn’t recognize, catching your attention. Bright blue eyes stood out on nearly white skin, and he was wearing black jeans with a dark green shirt. He definitely stood out against the locals, but he didn’t pay any attention to the girls and guys who turned to watch him walk. 

The shop had gotten busy, all the tables full. He looked around, and you sat up, pulling your legs off the couch and pointed to the other side. He smiled and walked over, setting his bag down. 

“May I sit?” He asked politely, and you nodded. 

“Of course. I’m Y/N,” you introduced yourself, sticking your hand out. He shook it, a bright smile crossing his face that made your insides erupt in butterflies.

“Y/N,” he repeated, “that’s a beautiful name. I’m Loki.” 

You blushed, laughing shyly at his unexpected compliment. 

“It’s lovely to meet you. I’ve never seen you around here before,” you commented, curious as to where he came from.

“No, I’m traveling through. I, my car, broke down on the edge of town, and I had to leave it at the shop. I walked here for a drink.” He explained with a defeated chuckle.

“Oh, that’s terrible, I’m so sorry.” 

“Having coffee with a stunning girl isn’t exactly the worst detour.” 

You bit your lip and looked up at him, warmth spreading through your face. He was incredibly charming and by far the most attractive man you had ever met. You shook your head, hiding the warmth in your cheeks. 

“So, where did you come from, Loki?”

“New York.”

“New York? You’re a city boy,” you giggled, earning a soft smile from you. 

Loki thought that your laughter was the prettiest thing he’d ever heard, and he found himself wanting to be the cause of it.

“I guess so. And you? Are you from here?” He sipped on his black coffee, leaning back against the couch and looking at you, studying the way your nose squeezed as you smiled, trying to bite back the giggle he wanted to hear.

“Born and raised. I love it here.”

“I hear the girls in this town are charming.” He teased you and you grinned at him before sipping your tea. The two of you kept talking, and he learned that you liked to read, just like him. You both loved poetry and classics, and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as you passionately talked about the novels you loved. He quickly discovered the two of you had quite a bit in common, and he could’ve sworn he was dreaming. 

“I’m so sorry, it’s the auto shop,” he smiled apologetically as he answered the call he received on his phone. 

“Mr. Laufeyson, we won’t be able to fix your car until tomorrow. The radiator is blasted, and we need to get the piece from the next town over. We’re so sorry for the inconvenience.” The owner apologized, and he sighed.

“It’s alright. Thank you.” He sighed before hanging up.

You took note of the frown on his face.

“Bad news?”

“I’m stuck here for the night, my car isn’t an easy fix. Is there accommodations here?” He asked you, and you nodded before a thought occurred to you. 

“There is, it’s a bed and breakfast, but it’s right on the other end of town. It’s nearly three miles, and the weather is bad. I live close and I have a guest bedroom. Why don’t you stay with me?” You asked, surprising you.

“I could be a serial killer.” He pointed out, making you burst into laughter.

“Serial killers don’t read poetry about love.” You pointed out, making him smile.

“Fair enough. At least let me cook you dinner, for the trouble.” He begged, and you smiled with a nod. 

“Come on, we can run to the market.” You stood, slipping your book into your bag. The patrons of the shop watched the two of you leave together, and he followed you out and across the street to the market. He bought ingredients to make a fancy pasta that you struggled to pronounce the name of as you tried to repeat it after him. 

As the two of you walked back to your house, the sky cut loose, rain pouring down from the clouds. You shrieked at the cold rain, making him grin. You grabbed his hand and broke into a run toward your house, thankful the ingredients were in a waterproof bag. The two of you were soaked by the time you pushed open the door of your small yellow house. 

“It’s so cold!” You squealed, laughing as you kicked off your shoes inside and dropped your bag. Your hair stuck to your face, and his once-perfect hair had now fallen in dark waves. He set the ingredients on your table, and you tried to speak through your uncontrollable giggles.

“Give me your clothes, I can toss them in the dryer.”

“I haven’t got anything to change into,” He admitted and you shrugged.

“It’s fine, you’ll never dry like that, though.” You pointed out, pulling your own dress over your head, leaving you in tight black boy shorts and a matching bra. He admired your confidence, and you reached your hand out for his own clothes, a blush creeping across your face as you caught him looking at you for an extra moment. He kicked off his jeans and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing toned abs, and making you bite your lip. 

You took your clothes and tossed them in the dryer before lighting a fire in the fireplace. You grabbed a towel for him, and wrapped one around you, squeezing the moisture from your hair. 

“Your home is cute,” Loki said as he began to boil water for the pasta and he turned on the stove, making the sauce from scratch.

“Thank you!” you said proudly, earning a smile from him. You sat on the counter beside where he was cooking, watching the way his muscles moved as he expertly cooked. 

“Where’d you learn to cook?”

“I went to culinary school for a year.”

“Why’d you leave? Are you secretly a terrible cook?” You teased, kicking your feet and bringing a smile to his face.

“No, I wanted to study literature.”

You opened a bottle of wine, pouring two glasses that you drank prematurely while he cooked. You had returned to your place on the counter, watching in fascination as he made the meal. He described the process of making the dish as he did it, and you were enamoured by the gorgeous man. 

“Dinner, darling?” Loki inquired, serving two plates of the elaborate dish.

“Please!” You slipped off the counter, following him to the table. 

“Loki, this is incredible.” 

He thanked you, and you ate and he recalled horror stories that led to him leaving culinary school. He listened to your sweet laughter at his stories, finding himself laughing along with you. It was impossible not to with your contagious giggles. 

“I’ve never eaten a fancy dinner in a towel.”

“I’ve never cooked and eaten in a stranger’s home.” He confessed, making you grin at him.

You insisted on doing the dishes since he cooked, but he protested, not wanting you to feel like he was making you. You promised that you were happy to, and you turned to see him watching you with stunning blue eyes that you could drown in. 

“Y/N,” he said your name, taking your hand and pulling you closer to him. You smiled, biting your lip as you blushed. He leaned down and gently kissed you, and you melted into his touch. His touch was like electricity, and you reached up and threaded your fingers into his dark hair, deepening the kiss. 

He gently tugged at your towel and his, letting them fall from your bodies. He lifted you onto the counter, moving to stand between your legs as the two of you made out. 

You were blushing wildly as you finally broke away for air, and you gazed up into his blue eyes. 

“Finally.” you teased, and he laughed, kissing you again before moving down your jaw and your neck. His lips ghosted the column of your throat, and down to your chest, and you tangled your fingers back into his hair. You shivered at his touch, chills erupting on your skin at his light, erotic touches.

A soft whimper escaped your lips and he slid your bra straps down your arms, unclasping the back and letting it fall from your body.

“Gorgeous.” He murmured, making warmth spread through your chest. You wrapped your legs around his waist and let him carry you to bed, kissing him deeply.

| + |

Thunder rolled through the dark sky, and you stirred beside Loki. Opening your eyes, you saw it was early, too early to be out of bed. You studied the man beside you, who was still sleeping peacefully through the storm. Your hand rested on his chest, tracing light patterns against his skin. 

You leaned over him and lightly kissed his chest before slipping out of bed, pulling his now-dry t-shirt over your head. You went to the kitchen, making pancakes for breakfast, listening to the rain and thunder outside. 

You jumped with a small squeal as arms wrapped around my waist from behind. You back against his chest, and he buried his face in your shoulder, leaving gentle kisses up your neck.

“Thought you’d want breakfast to wait out the storm a bit before going back for your car.” You explained, and he kissed the back of your head, nodding. 

The two of you ate, and once the rain lifted, you walked him to get his car. He held your hand as you walked through the town, your fingers intertwined. You found yourself wishing he wouldn’t leave. 

You stood on the tarmac and watched him pull his car into the parking lot.

“You’re going, then? Off to your next adventure?” You asked, tears threatening to fall. 

“What if I stayed?”

You were shocked, and your eyes grew wide.

“If you’d have me.”  He spoke, getting out of the car. You ran to him and threw your arms around his neck, nodding fiercely. 

[heliads]

Sudden Changes (Part Two)

When you, an Erudite, accidentally stumble upon Jeanine Matthew’s plans, she forces you to transfer to Dauntless. Your only hope is to blend in, although Four seems less willing to let that happen.

part one / masterlist / part three

This first encounter sets you on edge. You hate to admit it, that barely a few minutes into your tenure at Dauntless you’re already convincing yourself it’s all a mistake, but that’s the way it is. This is probably how your life will be until the day you die- terrified over the smallest of incidents, sure that any small happening means that Jeanine Matthews will be sending an assassin your way. This is no way to live, but you’re not sure that you have a choice about it. No, you have no choices left at all.

It was either this or die outright, you remind yourself. Even this nerve-strained way of life is better than that initial bullet. At least now you have time to grow and at least pretend that you got the easy way out, right? However, you’re not sure where to go from now. Jeanine included no terms of service in her deal. In fact, the only thing she said was that you would have to choose Dauntless. Then again, you’re fairly sure that if this man, Four, found out what you’d seen, you’d be back in that same scared place where you started.

That’s why you were sent to Dauntless in the first place, isn’t it? Jeanine wanted you to keep your mouth shut. You’d either learn to live as a mindless, brainless soldier, seamlessly fitting into the ranks, or you’d die and be stuck as a washed-out factionless roaming the streets, with nothing to do and no one to listen to you. However, you’re fairly sure that she hadn’t counted on one of her own Dauntless leaders questioning your presence here. Apparently Jeanine’s agenda only extends so far as herself, although that’s no surprise to anyone who’s ever known her.

This man, Four, however, you don’t know him as well. You may know Jeanine, or at least you thought you had, but he is a complete blank to you. You could swear that he looks familiar, like you’ve seen his face before, but every time you comb your memories, searching for a name to put to the face, you can’t remember a thing. This is unfortunate, especially since remembering who Four is could mean the difference between coming face to face with another one of Jeanine’s guards or accidentally discovering someone who could be an ally to you.

Regardless of who Four is or what his intentions are, you can be sure of one thing: he knows you, or must recognize you from somewhere, and he’s not going to leave you alone anytime soon. Ever since that first meeting, when he’d stared at you like you were someone he had pushed to the farthest corners of his mind, sure that he’d never see you again, it was as if he had sworn to himself that he’d never leave you alone. Wherever you look, he is there: down the table in the mess hall, watching you spar in training, eyes locked onto your knives and targets as you throw. His presence is silent, and he’s about as likely to say anything to you as any of the other initiates, but it’s there nonetheless. You can’t help but feel unnerved. You had hoped to blend into the crowds of trainees, but Four is making that impossible.

So, you throw yourself into your training with additional fervor. If he’s going to keep watching you, you might as well make sure that everyone else is watching you as well. Target practice, both with a knife and a gun, comes surprisingly easy to you. Maybe it’s because they both rely on taking careful aim, having perfect balance between what the eye sees and what the mind knows to be true. It’s about as close as you’ll ever get to Erudite in this dark corner of the city that the madmen call Dauntless.

Hand-to-hand combat, on the other hand, is not your forte. Not at all. You get the drills, sure, and it’s a good workout, but every time you’re put up against another opponent it’s like you’re missing some key part of a melody, repeating the same choppy chords while everyone else is improvising an entire symphony. Your punches are solid and sure, exactly what you’d practiced, but you can’t seem to quite put the pieces together the way the other initiates can.

Maybe it’s because you’re not used to this, the abandonment of all rational thought. As you watch your opponents, you notice one common thread among all those who win: they seem to run on pure adrenaline, and even when they study their opponent’s thought patterns, they don’t get lost in their heads, moving only with the speed of their fists. That’s where you’re lacking, you suppose, you’re still trying to cling to your past. If you let yourself truly fall, you might find something other than just the rocks at the bottom.

It’s after one of these days, when you just managed to eke out a victory over a girl who’s one place away from the bottom of the rankings, that Four finally approaches you. He walks next to you, arms folded across his chest. “You know, I figured that for someone who’s so good at rifles and knives, you’d be a little better in actual fighting.” You scoff. “Thanks for the kind words. I’ll cherish them always.”

Four chuckles. “Oh, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m just wondering why someone who’s supposed to be the best of the best back in Erudite would transfer away, and especially to a place that she doesn’t even seem to like.” You freeze slightly, then keep walking, hoping to cover up your slight lapse. Judging by the sharp look in Four’s eyes, though, he hasn’t missed a thing. “Maybe I wanted a challenge.”

Four raises his eyebrows. “I can’t help but doubt that. Why are you really here?” You weren’t expecting him to confront you like this, not here and not now. He isn’t dancing around the issue, not at all. You weren’t anticipating such a direct question, and you don’t have a solid alibi lined up. Instead, you deflect, hoping he’ll leave well enough alone, although you doubt you’ll be that lucky. “Why are you so interested in my motives? Don’t you have an entire other group of initiates to question?”

Four shrugs. “All of them make sense. All of them look like they’re happy to be here. You, though, you keep backing down. You’ll be in the middle of a fight, about to win, and then something comes over you, like you regret being here at all. You’re holding yourself back, and I want to know why.” This takes you by surprise. You knew he was trying to figure you out, but you weren’t expecting such an accurate appraisal. “We all have our bad habits. I still can’t figure out why mine is worth your trouble.”

Four stops walking, forcing you to stop next to him. “You’re interesting, Y/N. I saw you before, back in Erudite. I don’t think you would have left there for a second, and you don’t like you entirely want to be here now. You could have made a last minute switch, but that doesn’t seem like you. Either you’re making a point of trying to never be true to yourself, or there’s something going wrong.”

He walks away now, leaving you stunned and staring after him. You can’t help but flash back to the look in Jeanine’s eyes when she’d watched you walk away, remembering the cold glare of a woman who would be willing to kill anyone who got in her way. If you confess everything to Four now, if you tell him what truly went down, what would happen to you? Would Jeanine find out? Would she let you live?

As it turns out, you’re not sure that you’re going to have much of a choice. You manage to scrape through the first stage of training, especially due to your skill with a gun and a knife. You were able to improve your physical fighting skills after you picked up on Four’s silent hint to be more aggressive and just go for it, and you find yourself comfortably within the upper half of the initiates. Not bad for someone who’s not supposed to be here at all.

The next stage of training, on the other hand, seems even worse than the first one. When Eric and Four explain what your fear landscape is and how you’ll be traversing it, a silent storm of dread rises up inside of you. You know what your worst fear is- being found out, watching one of Jeanine’s guards place the barrel of a guard in front of your skull. You have no doubt that it will show up in your fear landscape, and you have no idea how to explain it away without revealing yourself. You’ve been thinking of potential alibis for days, but none of them make sense.

So, when you walk in the door to your first fear landscape training session and see Four waiting for you, you can’t help but groan inwardly. There’s no getting out of this, is there? Four will know the truth, you’ll be in even worse danger than before. When Four places the needle in your neck, he must sense the tension radiating out from your every movement, because he reaches down and takes your hand. “You’ll be fine, honestly. This entire stage of training will take place in your head. From what I’ve heard, that’s your strongest suit.” Then you’re pulled under the tow of the drug, and you can spare no more thoughts towards the comforting look in his eyes as he looks down at you.

You progress through your first few fears without too much difficulty. The last one, the most difficult one to face, is the one you’d been dreading all along. The scene shifts into a familiar hall at Erudite, the one where the windows progressively disappear, as do the cameras. If only you’d noticed the way that the building practically called out for you to turn around and run. Maybe then you’d have made it out without all of this. Maybe then you’d still be at Erudite, with no idea of the thrills of life at Dauntless.

A new thought flies into your head, one calling for you to run. If you turn around now, you won’t have to see the scene over again. You wouldn’t have to know any of this, you could make it out. However, your footsteps continue down the hall, carrying towards the open door that you know will lead to the large room full of Jeanine’s plans. You’re already here, you might as well see the whole thing through.

So, you keep walking, and when the ceiling opens up before you to reveal the room you’ve seen so many times before, whenever you close your eyes, you don’t run. When the guards come over, pointing guns at your head, you don’t back down for a second. Instead, you let your fists fly out as you’ve been taught, and you take them down without another thought towards the matter. This is what you’ve been learning all along- not to regret what might have been, but to fight. You’ve always been fighting, you realize. Maybe Dauntless provided you with the opportunity to make it all count for something.

You grab one of the guards’ guns, and when you turn back around, Jeanine is in front of you. Her voice is cajoling, as if you’re one of her students again. “Y/N, what is this? Don’t be ridiculous, put the gun down.” You shake your head. “You can’t scare me any longer. You might have forced my path, but I’ve made it my own. You won’t control my thoughts any longer.” You know the simulation, you know what you’re expected to do. All the same, when your finger closes on the trigger, you can’t help but look away, unable to stare your mentor in the face as you point the gun her way.

You wake back up in the Dauntless room, gunshot echoing in your ears. Four is staring at you with unabashed horror. “That’s why you left? You found out something that Jeanine Matthews wanted to cover up?” You nod, wrapping your arms around you as if the meager warmth can stave off everything that you’d seen. “I wasn’t supposed to be there that day. She gave me a choice: I could either transfer here or die by the end of the night.”

You’re not sure why you’re telling Four everything, not now. You’ve been so afraid of letting anyone know anything about you, and here you are, spilling your entire heart out to Four like he’ll be willing to watch over it for you. However, he doesn’t look like he’s about to rat you out to the Erudite guards. Instead, he’s shaking his head softly, his face wrought with something almost like guilt. “I just- do you regret leaving? You were meant to have a strong future in Erudite, to do things that no one else had even dreamed about. Now you’re here, a soldier for the rest of your life. If you could set things right, would you?”

Your attention snaps back to him. Those are dangerous words, and he knows that. Even entertaining that thought would mean rising up against Jeanine, against Erudite and the other factions. So, you stand up to face him, unwilling to commit to anything until you know Four’s true motives. “It depends on what setting things right would mean. This is a tricky city, you know. Anything anyone says could be taken the other way.”

Four sighs. “Right. I should clarify. This city, this faction system, is flawed. You know that. There are people with too much power over everyone else, and the factions don’t account for everyone.” You stare at him. “You’re talking about the Divergents.” Four hesitates, confidence wavering as if he’s about to make the worst decision of his life. “I’m one of them.” You shake your head softly. “Even saying that could get you killed. Why are you trusting me with this?”

Four steps forward, taking your hand. “I want you to remember everything you saw in that room. If Jeanine was willing to kill one of her best students, she must be covering up something big. If you can tell me everything you remember about what was in that room, we might be able to have some leverage. Leverage can get you anywhere in this city.” You nod slowly, realizing what he’s saying. “It could make sure you stay alive, even if your secret comes out.”

Four inclines his head. He looks back to you know, eyes seeming to swallow you whole. “Will you do it? Will you work with me?” You give him a half smile. “I’m not sure that I have a choice. I’ve been running ever since I got here.” Four shakes his head. “That’s not an answer. Y/N, we could both be killed for this. If you want out, I won’t judge you for it.” Your smile broadens. You didn’t expect this generosity, not from him. “I’ll do it, Four. Honestly. I won’t back down now.” Four smiles in return, the expression almost foreign on him. It makes his eyes soften, the hard glares of a soldier gone from him. To be honest, it makes your own gaze stray on him for a little longer, unwilling to put away this picture of him in your head. “When do we begin?”

ty luna once again

divergent tag list: someone who is way too cool to be one of my fears @underc0vercryptid​

[itstheendofthegoddamnworld]

Aarakocra Boyfriend: Enzo

This is for 2,000 of you lovely people following me. Thank you all so much! <3 This took more than a week to write, all thanks to writer’s block and burnout, so I’m thankful that I somehow managed to get this out lol. 

Also, may or may not have gotten inspiration from Revali-- anyway, enjoy!

Part 2

Relationship: male monster x female reader

Burning Heart

Fresh snow. Fresh snow that had fallen a hundred-foot deep, cleansing the land for eternity.

"The last time I saw snow this deep, I was just a little boy, still clutched to my mother, unaware of how big the world was." Your companion marvelled. "My father was smart enough to never go further up north—he reminded me. I did not gain his intellect."

Calder was a man who came from the nearby town of Ravensfell, a few days out from Briar, but he had been more of a cold type when it came to first-time introductions. Eventually, you got to open up more of him, little by little. His olive skin, chiselled features and rugged beard made him every female's focus, but the poor man was either too oblivious or polite to acknowledge their flirtations. You couldn't help but laugh at the failed interactions. Poor man, too preoccupied in his own toil.

He became a well-appreciated acquaintance for you on your long travels from town to town, east to west then south to north, but his company was all good experience. After all, he was the best sellsword for the job, merely a guard for you whilst you continued your researches; the sight you needed when you turned your back.

Your team's campaign had led you and your small faction to head further up north, to a small village of Oakendenn full of proud and efficient warriors, the bird folk that had carried the same customs for centuries, evoking both fear and wonder into those who bumped into them. Granted, their seclusion from the world had been brought down quickly when travellers and researchers intent on learning about them came rushing at the chance, ruining their solitude for good.

Stepping foot into their quaint town was certainly a spectacle, having to meet your guide to finding such remains high up in the mountains of Fallde Slopes– if the slopes didn't kill you, the snowstorms could freeze the group within hours if they didn't take the right precautions or clothing.

"You say there is a guide who will help us?" The small dirk in your hand was smooth and unused, still brand new as the day you had gotten it. You were situated in the town itself, in a cramped yet warm inn that was all opened up to the elements, trying to remain unaware of the cold stares of the innkeepers.

"He's one of the finest warriors, apparently. Familiar to the lands and every speck of snow that litters this land," Calder's laugh was hearty. "Must pity us for our lack of feathers and wings."

"The Aarakocras are fierce, brutal they are with fighting as they are as with foreigners." If there was one thing you learnt, it was that not all the people you ran into would be so welcoming. "Careful you don't offend them. We need their apparent aid."

Calder grumbled something as he tended to the flames of the room, poking them occasionally. "Sooner to be done with this job and we can get out of their feathers, huh?"

"That's it, just think of it like that. And soon, you can be back to the warmth of the south."

"Thank the Gods," Calder smiled sadly. "I don't think I could spend another day away from my little Zerlina." You remembered the girl when you were riding out: a sad, tearful girl the spitting image of her father, tight dark hair so wild and knotted. You had remembered the night before the trip you had brushed them out gently for her the way your mother used to do for you. Just to help Calder out.

The poor man is a good father overall. Even if he doesn't see it.

"She'll be so happy to see you again, Calder. She misses her father dearly." You reassured quietly, watching the man again. He was worn and beaten, littered with scars and thick, burly arms. He longed for home too.

"I hope so too." He stretched, saying his goodnights to you and the others before heading to his cot to sleep. You followed, heading to your own bed before you couldn't find sleep, wishing you had someone to wait for you too.

Even when you remained aloof, you still tried to remain somewhat friendly to strangers, even to the guide who had gone out of his way into helping you. But they certainly what you had been expected.

"It seems I have to be a tour guide for your pesky expedition, hmm?"

The smile from nerves of introducing yourself to him had fallen from your face after hearing the words so sourly come from him. It didn't take much for you to build up the walls high again.

Your hand faltered, just in reach for him to shake, awkwardly pulling away. "So, you're the Enzo we were expecting?"

The first thing you noticed about him was how vivid his feathers were: the brightest compared to his countrymen. Many of reds, oranges and yellows, like red sands of the far south of your home; beaten and threaded like a thousand coppers. It made the winter sun far in the north much more lively. By far the prettiest of the others. You admitted, but only could you wish his personality was as lovely as his appearance.

Another thing you noticed about him was his wings: they were separate from his body, large and tucked behind his back, his hands similar to any humans but with long and curled nails for fingers. His bird body was dressed in what looked like traditional garbs: leather and a basic tunic and pants, his taloned feet poking out and tapping against the ground.

"Your boss was the one who called for me, asking if someone capable of knowing their way around these parts, clearly, you humans don't know much about us Aarakocras," he jeered, eyes a lovely golden colour even when they were staring intimidatingly down at you. "So, you're the one they call the Doctor?"

Clearly too prideful, I've noticed. You scoffed. All too stubborn like the snowstorms. "That is correct."

"So I've noticed," Enzo crossed his arms around his broad chest, the amusement was pooled in those eyes as if he was in on the funniest joke around. "Clearly all of your studies have gone to a degree than in common sense."

You pondered whether it would've been ideal to punch the bird square in the face, or whether provoking him would end with your untimely demise.

Instead, you squared your shoulders, straightening your posture as you pointed just behind him. "You see Fallde Slopes over there? Its hills have been receding in the last 100 years, meaning any day now, your village could be woken up buried under layers and layers of snow. The snow stops here, meaning you and your people could be facing the demolition of this region and its inhabitants." You crossed your arms too, copying him. "I'm just trying to help unless you think my studies had gone elsewhere?"

Enzo scoffed, a puff of feathers that ruffled up. "Let's just resume to what we're good at, hmm?"

-

If travelling anywhere had taught you anything, it was that you shouldn't trust any higher-ups, believing everything will be smooth sailing.

The reports and samples scattered across the slopes, dancing dangerously too low to the cliff edges, some succumbing more than others, and those in your group scrambled to save them. Enzo remained arrogant as ever, doing little to help and rather smugly watching the ordeal, complaining often that your group were "walking too slow" and "we were running out of time for sunlight".

You were situated in the corner, silently taking note of what was around of little life preserved, before the beating of wings perked your ears. Snow crunched delicately when the Aarakocra stooped beside you, watching with soundless intent.

"So, this is what you do?" He grazed at a small patch of dirt you had brought up beneath the heavy snow. "Looking at dirt and grass?"

"All of this hold important information for us to understand how the landscape is changing," Enzo couldn't help but to have his attention piqued when he heard how almost automatic your response was, informing rather than belittling him. When you looked up to meet his eyes, it was hard to gauge his reaction: head tilted, seemingly drawn in from how far leant to you he was beside you.

He quickly dismissed it, pulling back from the noticeable closeness, and the burning feeling in your chest fluttered too quickly for your liking. "Whatever keeps us alive, I suppose."

Another presence came over to the two of you, heavier than of the Aarakocra. "You think you could help me with this?" Calder was looking over at Enzo, who, also was staring with narrowed eyes at the bearded man.

"Yeah sure," you gave an awkward glance to both men, realising something was piercing the silent air. "Is something going on?"

"No," Enzo, puffed his chest out, giving Calder little regard as he turned his head. "You go off with your dog, I'm needed elsewhere."

You watched him walk away before turning back to Calder, head tilted. "I'm going to pretend nothing happened there."

"Agreed," Calder affirmed, pointing you towards the deeper parts of the woods where the treelines met and increased in sizes and numbers. "I think I might've found something."

"Lead the way." You gestured for him to take the lead, directing you through the trees. The snow was freshest in these parts, untouched and light, airy. A wonderland was discovered in a small corner forgotten from the world. Beautiful. You marvelled. I will never get bored of seeing this.

"What's wrong, Calder?" He stopped you when the two of you reached the middle of the area, overwatching the large view, the mountains dipped and the view from the top pointed directing to the Oakendenn, situated right in the opening of the valley. "It's right in target," Calder addressed, thick eyebrows knitted. "And that means a direct hit for the snow to collapse in on it all."

"We could have a day, week or years before this region is completely smothered." You noted wretchedly. All these reports, research and hypothesis, yet you felt like it all went to no use. It seemed like everything was too late, that hard work going down the drain. "I wish we could've done more."

"And we have, do not fret," Calder reassured, patting your shoulder that you needed from a comforting friend. "And we will do so much more. Let's head back to the others, keep all together."

Right, but still, I feel useless. You dusted the remaining snow off your warm clothes, trying to remind yourself of the crunching snow below, your foot sinking with every few steps. Like everyone relies on you all the time. The only sounds that were heard were the distinct soft crunches of the two of you heading back, before one wretched and horrid resounded, echoing along with the trees, some birds fleeing from their branches of homes.

You looked back to Calder, who looked back in confusion, listening closely to the cracking of the earth as if it had split open. Your right felt for a second as if it was sinking lower, taking your body with you as all your body weight brought you down so suddenly, snow following too, making your body crash into it with force as you waded chest-deep through it.

Your voice was sudden and nervous, watching the ledge you once stood at grow taller and taller above you, a weightless feeling take over your body, the scream of your name as unknown darkness settled around you before you could hit the ground.

-

The first time you had seen snow, you had been seven, marvelling in wonder with friends at how magical it all seemed. Never did you worry about the eternal cold, of it encasing your entire body and leaving you worthless and alone. You always had the warmth to rely on: warm blankets and hot cocoa and fire to share stories around. The cold was sore and biting, an eternity of nothingness but yourself.

You didn't know how long you had been trapped in darkness: how long you had gone unnoticed or remembered. Maybe this was it... just oblivion and emptiness. You tried to invasion your limbs, your fingers trying to tread through the snow like it was water; too thick to even pass through, but trying and trying to feel your fingers and toes wiggle again.

You clawed and clawed slowly until the darkness lightened and that bleakness turned to hope. You kicked your body out as you breached the surface, coughing and spluttering weakly, an invasion of pure cold and ice felt trapped in your throat.

You laid there with your head against a block of solid ice and snow, trying to steady your breathing, the cold and winds were never-ending, never giving your body a break as all felt numb.

I'm going to die out here. You thought. Will my story be told again? You wanted to laugh, to call for help, but your throat was stinging from its frostiness.

There was a distant, soft sound of tree branches moving and swaying, how the dead leaves swayed and moved with long, drawn moans, wings of small birds flying off from the abrupt noises. The flapping of wings never ceased, ringing in your ears, reminding you didn't have wings yourself to fly off from this nightmare. It was only when you could open your eyes was when you saw the blurred large figure descend in front of you, all feathers and intimidating, you wished to cry out in pain for your misery, but once your eyes focused, did you noticed something familiar about it all.

A rush of feathers, brown and red, as pretty as coppers.

"So, there you are." Enzo's voice was merely a whisper among the howling winds, flapping slowly to the snowy plains in front of you, his body inches from you towering easily over your small frame. You made no noise or voiced your frustration for his words, weakly looking up at him as best as you could.

The blowing winds cast a glow behind his silhouette, watching the Aarakocra bend to kneel in front of you. "Hey," his voice surprised you, a feathered hand on your shoulder, shaking you with almost impatience. "Don't die on me, you hear?"

"Shut up," the words came weakly from you, luring you to sleep, his figure blurring again until you saw three of him, vision dotted. "Enzo..."

"Hush." He wasted no time in collecting you in his arms, cuddling you close to him as he carried you. What shocked you most was how incredibly warm he was, unaffected by the vast cold. You instinctively snuggled closer into his chest, shutting your eyes and shuddering. "Let's get you out of here."

You didn't respond, feeling how there was a surge of air moving around you both, your body growing lighter and head more lightheaded as he flapped his wings, the winds more biting against your exposed face and neck.

The harsh winds or the cold went straight to your head, pulling you in and out of consciousness, wrapped tightly in the arms that allowed you to feel a sense of safety to slip beyond the darkness, to rest your eyes for a moment.

-

There was an aching drive for warmth that slowly spread through you, taking over your body, making you want to drink it in greedily. When your eyes opened once more to a flickering flame, dancing and roaring, filling its beauty in the room. Just opposite you in the small room, knelt Enzo, tending to something he was pouring into a bowl.

"Where are we?" Your voice felt worse with wear, hoarse and not tended to. Enzo flinched, his feathers bright and shimmering against the colour of the flames, making him seem like a risen phoenix, an enigma in your eyes.

In his hands, the bowl was passed to you, his own in hand as he watched you gauge your reaction, before answering, "A cave I found, a few days out from Oakendenn."

"And the others? And Calder-"

"For the love of the Gods, can you for once think about yourself?" His words weren't snappy or aloof, more full of weary and strain. He laughed tiredly. "Honestly, little doctor, do you think before you go out so recklessly?"

Your cheeks rouged at the little nickname, ignoring it for the time being until it would nag the part of your brain for answers. "All in the name of science."

"Yes, well there won't be any science if you're frozen to death." He hesitated momentarily, before slipping a warm blanket around your shoulders, securing it carefully. "You're still a valuable asset."

To who exactly though? You questioned, silently snuggling into the blanket further. There was a strong smell of mint that was strong in your nostrils, pleasant and warm, luring you to tranquillity. It smelt a lot like him somehow, and your heartbeat raced with bashfulness.

You watched from your peripheral, the Aarakocra shuffling to sit beside you properly, his gaze never seeming to leave yours. “You’re doing an awful lot for me, Enzo.” For someone who dislikes me, and I, supposedly too.

But even that seemed like a lie. Enzo scoffed, his laugh light and airy like the frozen air. “Seems to me someone is just enjoying the company.” He shuffled closer to you, awkwardly throwing an arm around you for further comfort. “If you manage to not become a human popsicle, maybe—just maybe, will I show you around my hometown.”

Not only had his soft words thrown you off, but the feeling of his arm around you seemed not to be of great surprise. “What do you mean?” You scrambled for the right words.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of humans in my time, taking them up and down these mountains,” he said. “Not one of them had wildly gone down one of the slopes. You think that can go so smoothly with me and my reputation?”

“Your reputation, huh?” You laughed, spluttering into it when it tickled the back of your throat harshly. Enzo had placed a cup of water on your lips hastily, eyeing you with fake disdain you hoped. “You have a great reputation for the ladies or something?”

“Hmph, if that’s what humans like to think of it, then no.” He snorted, his eyes shifting. In this low, dim light, they seemed to be practically glowing. “Gods, that sounds terrible.”

There was a laugh shared between the two of you for a moment, onlooking the fire soundlessly, an unexpectedly calm atmosphere settling. You sighed, resting against his shoulder, resting your head into the bed of warm feathers, the smell of mint intense. “I’ll take that promise if you’re keeping with it.”

Enzo laughed warmly, shutting his eyes, the body growing slack as he hummed quietly to himself. “That’s good to hear.”

-

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[wandsandwheezes]

Pining for you | G. W

can you write a one shot for george that has the line “i think i’d know if my best friend was in love with me” @bury-my-love-inthe-moondust

Taglist - @whiz-bangs78 @hufflepuffgirly @weasleysflowr @witch-and-a-half

A/N - I fell in love with this ask the moment I saw it and I simp so hard for George so to say I was READY is an understatement 👉👈🥺

What was it about him that made it feel like a whole quidditch match was going on inside your stomach. Your head was telling you that the only reason you felt any attraction to him was because you were lonely but your heart was telling you that he was everything you'd always wanted - neither really seemed rational to you. 

Don't look at me like that. You thought, walking through the great hall and over to the table where the twins sat. His eyes locked onto you the second you'd walked through the doors and his face lit up like a kid on Christmas Day. That's my best friend, he thought, watching you smile at other students before taking your seat across from the two redheads. 

"How was potions, boys?" I ask, pulling out my textbook for transfiguration, a gesture that I'm not sure would make me actually study but nevertheless it seemed like a decent effort. "bloody awful, If being in the room with Snape wasn't awful enough, I was sat next to this moping git." Fred laughs, nudging his twin who's smile has now left his lips, a look of sadness and disappointment covering his face. 

"Yeah, thanks for bringing that one up, Fred" George rolled his eyes, burying his head in his hand, "what's got his knickers in a twist then?" you ask Fred, looking away from the boy. 

Fred shook his head, you nodded in response - you'd talk about this later in transfiguration. You place your hand on George's arm, causing him to look up at you, a glint of hope in his eyes, looking at you for a moment before patting your hand reassuringly. Whatever it was, George wasn't happy at all. 

The walk to McGonagall's class was awkward, finding yourself and fred giggling and pushing each other as you walked along, George in tow, following you both like a lost puppy, he looked up to see his brother making you belly laugh at something he said and he had a moment thinking - that should be me. 

He wasn't jealous, because that was his brother but you were his best friend, he pictured you leaning up on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his brother's lips, pulling away and giggling again. He felt a pang, that was definitely jealousy. It was all in his head because to you, the thought of kissing Fred as anything more than a dare was the funniest thought of all, because he was like your brother. However, the thought of George storming over and pressing a rough kiss to your lips made your head spin. 

"What's up with him then?" you whispered quietly to Fred, he jotted down his last few notes, flipping over the page before looking you dead in the eyes. "He got rejected, hard. I feel bad for him, he asked out one of the hufflepuff girls from potions, but it turns out she's seeing someone. He's not heart-broken or anything, I think he's just embarrassed." 

Your heart sank, it felt like it was about to fall out. You tried not to let a tear slip, taking a deep breath."oh, so he's looking to date again?" you feigned a smile at the twin, George had broken up with his girlfriend before returning home for the summer, deciding that being in a relationship just wasn’t for him, but that was 7 months ago and it seemed his priorities had changed. Fred rolled his eyes at you, "I know you're in love with him, Y/N" 

You snorted, causing the pair in-front of you to turn their heads to look at you, you mouth a sorry to them, before picking up your quill to distract you from what Fred had just said, because as much as you didn’t want to admit it, you were in love with George. “Well, If he is dating again, I’m happy for him”

“I’m sure you’d be happier if it was you he was dating,” Fred adds, snatching your quill from your hands, making a note on his own parchment resting his cheek on his hand as he stares at you, taking a moment to look over at his own brother, before looking back at you. “and, I’m not giving this quill back until you admit it.” 

“Fred don’t be a bastard, give it back!” you pinch his arm, holding out your hand for him to give you the quill, he shakes his head, leaning in to whisper in your ear, his breath fanning over your neck, exposed by the hair that is tucked neatly behind your ear. “Just admit it.”

George decided that it was the right moment to look over his shoulder, seeing his brother close enough to kiss you. Surely it was just his mind messing with him again. He blinked once. You were still inches apart. He blinked again. You were giggling and pushing his brother’s chest. That was enough for him, he grabbed his book pushing out of his chair and storming out of the room. 

The loud sound of the chair scraping against the floor, caused the whole class to snap their attention towards the red-haired boy storming out of the room. You look towards Fred, and he towards you, shrugging your shoulders.  “Mr Weasley, would you mind please seeing to the disruption your brother has caused, make sure you let me know how he is after the class, will you?” McGonagall asks, Fred nods at his head of house, collecting his things and following his brother out of the room, not before giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. 

George was already halfway to the black lake before Fred had caught up to him, “George, Wait!” The younger twin spins on his heels, walking toward Fred and grabbing him by the collar, “I suppose you’re here to gloat then?” Fred shoves his brother’s hands off of him, straightening out his robes, he’s never seen George this angry outside quidditch. “What the fuck has gotten into you latley?” 

“Did you ever plan on telling me?” The older boy squints at his sibling quizzically “Tell you about what?” he questions, George rolls his eyes, crossing his arms, his jaw tensing as he pictures his brother close to you. “About how you and Y/N are quite clearly together!” Fred laughs, bending over to rest on his thighs before sighing, “Georgie, you might be the blindest man I’ve ever met, It’s not me she likes you git, It’s you.”

“Yeah right!” George laughs, going to turn away, clearly agitated at his brother’s poor attempt at trying to cover up the relationship that you quite clearly have. “I think I’d know if my best friend was in love with me” Fred rolls his eyes, picking up his books as he shakes his head. “You are so oblivious, she wants it to be her you’re pining for, not your ex, not that Hufflepuff girl - her.”

After making up with his twin, apologising for acting so angrily, he heads back to the common room, partly because he’s embarrassed to walk back into transfiguration, partly because he’s already planning on how he’ll tell you he loves you too. He changes into some comfier clothes and decides to wait in front of the fire for you, he hears the portrait door open, your laugh music to his ears, you spot him sat on the couch, waving your friends goodbye as they head up to the dorms and you join George in front of the fire.

“How’re you feeling, Georgie?” you ask, resting your chin on his knee as you're sat on the floor, his hand rests on your cheek, looking down at you and you feel that pang in your stomach again. You were head over heels. He pats the seat next to him which you gladly take, now resting your head on his shoulder, his arm slinging around you. “I was worried when you walked out of transfiguration like that.” his other hand cups your cheek again forcing you to look at him, you look into each other's eyes, you notice the way his eyes glisten as the fire reflects in them and he notices the way you look at him so longingly and he revels in the way you could have a whole conversation with just a look. He takes a deep breath and leans in, pressing his lips to yours, you feel as if it was a whole fireworks display going on inside you as happiness fills you, you reach up to thread your fingers through his hair at the back of his head, keeping his lips pressed to yours for just a little bit longer. It was like you were dreaming, but you didn’t want to wake up.

You both pull away, resting your foreheads against each other’s, smiling happily, both taking a deep breath, speaking the same words with an exhale. “I love you.”