#the hardest part is finding head rotations that actually work

[ultravioletness]

gay knights and dames collages part two

[shortsketches]

Apologies for the big wall in your ask box, but I'm dying to know the thoughts that your characters (not just Sherman) would have on a particular character of mine. I've got a Cog OC who used to be a Short Change, but the kicker is they stole their way to the top of the corporate ladder, soaring through ranks all the way up to Robber Baron, and not by means of normal promotion. They would sabotage their fellow Cashbots and use their collected assets and even their parts to gain an upper hand, eventually resulting in their high status within the branch. What makes this even funnier is that this particular Cog wants to see the entire capitalist corporation crumble to the ground, and if it means associating with Toons and other suspicious characters, they'll gladly take any opportunity. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend", after all.

No worries, I love walls actually, gives me stuff to think about; I'm just gonna answer in text since there's a lot to cover here across four primary ocs.

Starting w/Sherman first since that's the blorbo that rotates in my head the hardest so I sorta Know The Most About That™ in particular at the moment. Can say right off the bat that your OC and Sherman are shaking hands and same hatting on the "Lets see this bitch burn" and the "Time to associate w/toons and other Suspicious People™ on both sides" type thing, but there are things Sherman is a bit hesitant about. Chiefly, the concept of directly going to the top of the ladder. While Sherman did work with people who were higher up (cough cough Chuck), Sherman himself would refuse to work up the ladder.

While being a complete bastard with scrambled ethics, Sherman did hold some weird personal rule of not complying or working with the system he was trying to dismantle, and grinding to the top through any means would go against that one rule he had for himself. Instead, he valued the idea of planting seeds that would potentially disrupt Cog Nation in other ways, chiefly by finding a way to make toony cogs; with a whole generation of toony cogs that don't find any value in upholding cog society, the system would crumble since Sherman thinks that things like Cog Nation and the cesspit of capitalism exist because most of cog society decides/believes in a narrative that upholds it. The way he sees it, things only exist when people believe in something put value into it. Sherman doesn't really have many qualms about your OC running off and using the parts of other cogs given Sherman straight up fights cogs for toons and will use some of those cogs as research subjects or yoink a part here and there for other things. It's just a less savory but mundane part of the job for him.

Second, Chuck. Chuck is interesting because while he opts to defect to join the toons and tries to wash his hands clean from Cog society, he still upholds certain Values™ that aren't super easy for him to shake off even years after the fact. That's partially because Chuck only had the illusion of choice given that Cog Nation would only allow him to avoid getting a death warrant after his involvement w/Sherman if he accepted promotion that would instantly jump him up to be Robber Baron in what would essentially be a renewed vow to Cog Nation. He refused because he recognizes its a society he no longer wants to uphold because he knows what hell toons go through and that he cannot in his right mind perpetuate this shit, so he ran off and bargained his Secrets™ from his time as the CFO's right hand to prove to the toons he's legit in order to find a place in toon society to settle.

Despite this, Chuck has a set of ethics that would despise the concept of stealing your way up the ranks. He was in a hard grind from the bottom to work his way up to where he got, and at one point he would have wanted to be a Robber Baron no hesitation. With time and changed perspectives, he understands that in societies like Cog Nation, a lot of people, especially those in power, do not attain that legitimately a lot of the time. It's a system where many people cheat for power. Chuck's belief in a meritocracy was naive as hell and in many ways detrimental, but despite being aware of that, he'd still loathe thinking about cheating upwards. Additionally, he doesn't mind your OC associating w/toons because y'kno... Chuck lives in toontown. With toons. Raising two toons ahsfgsd... He is side eyeing about interacting with other Suspicious People though. He's tired, the things he did while he was with Sherman was enough for one lifetime, and he knows he wants to hit the bricks if someone is doing something that seems off.

Edna and Kelvin, the kids (as adults) are going to be side eyeing hard. When Sherman left them so they could live with Chuck when they were both pretty young, Chuck made a point to not tell them what Sherman did; he knew they'd find out soon enough from toon society since the shit he pulled was broadcasted, written about, thoroughly documented, dude actually was put on trial in front of a toon court since y'kno... Toontown still technically has laws and a judicial system and he did some Very Not Toony Things.

By the time both of them are adults starting to find their paths (where they're ultimately working together bc they're the twins that get anxious when they're separated too long), they know about what Sherman did and have to live with the knowledge that they are the children of a war criminal and the only person who they can talk about that with is Chuck. They do not know which toons they're working with know that they aren't Chuck's kids, but they're not about to put themselves on blast either, but that's beside the point; Point is that if they knew what your OC was doing, they're not going to vibe. They see similarities to Sherman and they do not want any of that near them period.

To some extent, they're sort of suspicious about cogs coming forward to help the toon resistance as a whole ever since learning more about what was up w/Sherm. They're both mature and know that's a sweeping generalization and that inevitably there are cogs helping in good faith, but the second anyone new comes around, they're on alert. If they knew what your OC was up to, Kelvin is a bit more quiet about his concern but Edna is going to let everyone she can know that she thinks something's up. Enough toons were hurt in the past and she ain't sleeping until she feels a threat has been eliminated.

[vaya-writes]

The Wyvern's Bride - Part 1.2

When Adalyn gets sacrificed to the local wyvern, she's a little annoyed and a lot terrified (and that's fair). Upon meeting the wyvern, she discovers that he's not particularly interested in eating people, and mostly wants to be left alone. In a plot to save himself from the responsibilities his family keep pushing on him, Slate names Adalyn as his human Envoy, and tasks her with finding him a wife.

Cis female human x cis male wyvern. 2400 words.

Previous

--

This took longer than expected since I'm actually revising a draft I wrote earlier this year. I pride myself on my dialogue but, boy, it was difficult trying to keep tone and keep my sense of humour. Please let me know what you think! :)

This chapter contains passing mentions of sex/rutting, and bondage (but no sexual context, just somebody literally tied to a tree).

--

The first part of the plan had gone well. Playing mute and passive, they’d assumed Adalyn had taken the sedative. Her hands had been bound in front of her, and she didn’t protest when they’d walked through muddy fields to the edge of the Valley. She’d been tied to a tree. The hardest part was remaining calm when Arryn had the audacity to shove a gag in her mouth.  

Now, alone as the sun starts to rise, she pushes down at her growing panic. Hungry, tired, and very cold, she runs on adrenaline. She flexes her fingers against the cutting wind, trying to maintain circulation, rotating her wrists and testing her range of motion against the bindings. She’d tied the first nail around her neck with twine, hidden beneath the hem of her gown, but terrified that they’d tie her hands behind her back, she’d worked another nail free and fashioned herself a bracelet to hide it in. 

Adalyn closes her eyes and tilts her head back, feeling for the hidden tool. Once she grips the point between her fingers, she angles it against the binds on her wrist and begins to pick at the fibres. It’s gut-wrenching work, and no number of deep breaths can assuage her anxiety. Her whole body is alight with tension.  

It’s okay, she thinks. You’re going to be okay. The wyvern might not be interested in eating her, might not even notice her immediately. For all she knew, she could have several hours to break lose. 

The affirmations don’t work and she finds herself spiralling. Tears spring to her eyes, but she forces herself onwards, jabbing at the ropes and fraying the material. Her jaw aches. Her head hurts. Her hands are numb with cold. But she presses on. Focuses on her breathing. She won’t give in to panic. Not yet. 

Midmorning comes. She’s still tied to the tree, but- the rope loosens enough for her to pull her wrists free. Adalyn lets out a long, quavering sigh of relief. The adrenaline is beginning to leave her, and her limbs are leaden. She allows herself a moment to tilt her head back, to roll her shoulders, and work the crick free from her neck.  

In doing so she catches sight of the Fleecehold walls. The villagers will be awake and starting their work days. She wonders if anyone will mark her absence. If anyone will miss her.  

She blinks the next wave of tears back. She can’t wipe them from her cheeks, and sniffles in frustration. Her neighbours would not cry for her, so why should she cry for them? 

Adalyn shakes her head, dismissing the thought. She is about to start working on the binds around her waist when- 

“So, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” 

She yelps – sound stifled by the rope digging into her mouth. She’d flinched so hard she’d dropped the nail, and she emits a heavily muffled curse. 

A male steps into her field of vision; unnervingly tall and impeccably dressed. He’s got to be at least seven feet tall ��� minimum - with dark hair slicked back and a fair complexion. He is definitely not a resident of the valley – his vest is emblazoned with silver threaded designs, his jacket buttons glint in the light, and his boots are polished to a shine.  

A set of grey eyes, unnaturally bright, fix on her. “Let me get that for you,” he picks up the nail and hands it to her. 

She stares, incredulously. 

He stares back, and after a moment, shakes himself. “Right. Here.”  

Adalyn goes entirely still as he closes the gap between them and reaches behind her head. She hears the snick of something sharp against the rope before her gag loosens and she spits it out. She pants for breath, stunned silence replacing her panic and despair.  

“You want to tell me why you’re tied to a tree?” 

She closes her eyes and pretends that she’s having a normal conversation. In a normal place. With a normal person. “My neighbours thought I’d make a nice snack for the new wyvern. Something about stopping it from eating their livestock and burning their homes.” 

He huffs. “Well. That’s one way to do it.” 

“Yeah.” she opens her eyes. “It wasn’t my way.” 

He raises an eyebrow. “Did you have a better idea?” 

She shrugs. “I suggested we send a delegation. Negotiate with the wyvern.” 

“Bet they liked that.”  

She grits her teeth into a smile. “You can see just how much they liked it.” 

The male tilts his head, and she tries not to shudder at the predatory grace of the motion, and the force of his stare. “So, what would you say to the wyvern, if you’d been sent to negotiate?” 

It seems like the most important question of her life. She begins to suspect that it is. 

“I’d introduce myself. I’d say, ‘Hi, I’m Adalyn, and I live in that little hovel at the edge of this valley. We were wondering what brought you to this area, and if we could be good neighbours.’” 

“Funny.” 

“I’d probably phrase it nicer.”  

The stranger takes a step closer. “So, what if the wyvern demanded your livestock? You know, as a neighbourly gift.” 

She considers. “I’d offer the second lamb of each litter we breed. Sheep are our livelihood and we need to maintain a moderate flock.” 

He nods. “Fair. What if he demanded your grain and crops?” 

The answer comes easier this time. “I’d offer two thirds of our surplus.” 

“And if this wyvern demanded your gold and valuables?” 

“We’ve naught but cheese and copper.” 

He appears to be repressing a smile. “And if he really did want to eat your women and children?” 

She stops. The competitive tone leaves and she feels herself deflate a little. “Then I suppose he wouldn’t have to travel far to eat the first woman. And the rest of the hamlet would be fucked.” 

The stranger laughs, and some of the tension evaporates. “You seem an interesting woman, Adalyn. Let me help you.” 

She’s surer and surer that the stranger isn’t human. When he leans in, hand wreathed in shadow, and slices through the dozen loops of rope in one smooth movement, she’s certain. She stills as his curved claws of keratin dissipate in a puff of black smoke.  

His hands – once human again, help her free of her restraints, before lingering on her elbows. He takes a moment to examine her, eyes skimming across her bruises, and the blood at her hairline. “You alright?” 

Adalyn swallows and nods. She struggles to meet his gaze – both because she has to crane her neck, and because she has a hard time dragging her eyes from his mouth, wondering if jagged teeth would appear in a flash of dark smoke too. 

After a moment, she finds the words. “Thanks for the assistance...?” 

“Slate.” 

“Thanks for the assistance, Slate. Am I right to assume you are the new wyvern that’s been causing such a stir?” 

After a beat he breaks into a smile. He exhales and Adalyn tries not to flinch as he ripples. Where there was fair skin one moment, the next is a different complexion entirely – ashen, almost to the point of dusty greyness. The shine of scales appear along the edge of his face, and on the back of his forearms. He tousles his hair, stirring up wisps of dark smoke. When it dissipates two sets of horns have taken shape. His teeth are now definitely pointed, on display in his wide grin. 

She tries to swallow, but finds her mouth suddenly dry. “R-right. And, are you planning on eating me?” 

He tilts his head and examines her, making a show of considering, before crossing his arms again. “Nah, I’ll pass.” 

Her relief is palpable. She leans against the tree, legs unsteady.  

“And, er, do you intend to eat our livestock, or burn our homes?” 

“Would you like me to?” 

She wonders if he’s joking. He appears almost sincere.  

“No?” She stretches out the syllable. 

“No?” He asks. 

“No.” 

He shrugs. “Alright then. No razing or burning.”  

“If you won’t be doing that, what will you be doing?” 

He turns. “There’s some good land east of your Spires. Plenty of hunting to be done there. I shouldn’t need to raid any of your settlements.” 

She lets out a long sigh. Forces herself to stand. “I’m glad. There’s nothing you need from us, then?” 

“No. Probably not.” 

Adalyn tries not to sag with relief. When the silence stretches on, anxiety spikes in her stomach, and she finds herself making small talk. “So, what brings you to the area?” 

“I honestly just started flying in one direction until I found a place far enough from my clan territory that I’d be left alone for a while.” 

Her brow furrows. She’d assumed that the long-lived wyverns might be less inclined towards impulsive decisions. Apparently not.  

“Except when I started to move my hoard out here, my family caught wind of the move, and are able to come and bother me anyway.” His nose crinkles. “I don’t suppose you know a way to make my family quit nagging me about things that really shouldn’t be their business?” 

She’s intrigued. Intimidated. But definitely intrigued. “What do they nag you about?” 

He runs his hand through his hair again – no longer slicked back and neat from his harrying. “Who I talk to. Where I go. What I hoard. I left when they started discussing marriage. Honestly.” He shakes his head. “I’m half tempted to find my own bride just to spite them.” 

“They do seem a bit extreme,” she murmurs.  

Slate turns back to stare at her, and she finds herself scrambling for words again. How are you supposed to make idle conversation with a creature that could eviscerate you in less than a minute? 

She doesn’t, staring back, taking in his minor details; specks of silver in his scales. The way his horns add to his silhouette; one pair rising straight from his temples, and the other arcing back from behind his ears. 

“Although a human wife might work. Just the right amount of rebellion. Though not too permanent in the grand scale of things.” 

She reels a little, at his direction. Opens her mouth to speak, but no words come to her. 

“A bit of a novelty, really. I’d get a few decades of peace from my family, and a few more after she passes for mourning – I daresay, they might leave me alone for a whole century.” 

She’s grounded by his words. And slightly appalled. “Is there even... precedent? Interspecies marriages aren’t that common.” 

He waves his hand, “It’s doable. Although there are some conditions the human will need to meet to gain the family blessing. They’re big on their traditions.” 

“That seems a little... callous. To marry a woman just to spite your family.” 

He shrugs. “Some women would jump at the opportunity. A husband who won’t bother her. Wealth and riches to her name. From what I’ve seen, humans don’t often get both. What about you? I don’t see a husband here begging me not to eat you?” 

She narrows her eyes at him. “I’m not married. So I already lack a husband to bother me. And with my bakery I make enough money to be comfortable.” 

“Will you bake for the rest of your life? Selling pastries to the neighbours who trussed you up and left you out here? What about when you’re too old to run the place yourself?” 

She crosses her arms at the dig. “Then I suppose it would be nice to have a wealthy draconic husband to mooch off of. Thanks for the thought.” 

He raises his palms. “That was rude of me. Sorry. I’m just proving a point. You won’t have much trouble finding me a bride.” 

“I won’t have much trouble finding you a bride.” 

He smirks. “Consider it payment for not eating you, Envoy.” 

Finally deciding that he isn’t going to hurt her, she meets his eyes in defiance, arms still crossed, pushing through the ensuing staring match.  

He maintains his smile, ignoring her displeasure until she caves, gritting her teeth. 

“Fine.” 

“Fine.” His cheerful tone grates on her nerves. 

“What are the conditions she’ll need to meet?” 

His posture immediately loosens into a slouch, having gotten his way. “She’ll require an education. The Matron will want to know that she can run a keep and organise a hoard, and will check that she can read and count.” 

Adalyn winces. There are no schools in Clearwater Valley. No teaching caravans. No churches. He’s already set the bar high. 

“She’ll need to be able to cook and host a dinner for my clan. Supplies will be provided, but she’ll have to head the catering.” 

That’s not so bad. Most human women were expected to cook for their families anyway. 

“And my extended family will test her-” he hesitates. “-endurance. So she should be in moderate health, and willing to consummate before the wedding.” 

Adalyn purses her lips. “Sorry, what?” 

Slate drops his gaze and shrugs. “Yeah, family tradition. Consummation is done before the wedding. With the more distant members of my clan.” 

As improper as the topic is, she delights in seeing the wyvern’s discomfort. “What kind of tradition is that?” 

He scowls. “An old one. It’s to make sure any non-wyvern who marries into the family can survive a rut.” 

"Wyverns rut?” 

“Humans don’t?” 

She shakes her head. 

He shrugs and turns away. “Those are the conditions. Counting, cooking, and coitus.” 

She snickers. Then considers. “Okay. I can see this being done two ways. Do you want me to threaten everyone, or really lay on the details about wealth and fortune?” 

“I don’t care how you do it. Just make sure the bride is willing.” 

Adalyn considers again. “I think I can get you a bride. But I’ll need your help with one thing before I start.” 

“Oh?” 

She allows herself a grin. “I need to make an entrance.” 

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

Seems like the Telegraph (and by extension the Tories) are going after the teaching unions. I guess this means that maybe they are scared despite all the restrictive rules in place, the NEU might actually manage to organise a strike over the new pay deal- which is interesting. The pay deal is good for new teachers, but less good in terms of retaining experienced teachers. And I’m not sure it’s good enough that it’ll make a real difference in terms of recruitment, especially for shortage subjects.

Meanwhile, on twitter, I keep seeing people saying they are struggling to recruit experienced staff. I mean, you do the maths?

I can tell you what’s already happening in some (a lot of?) English state secondary schools:

-Can’t recruit for a lot of subjects (Science, Maths, Computing are the big ones, but others too).

-So departments are left short staffed, kids are taught by non-specialists, unqualified teachers, cover supervisors, a rotating cast of supply...

-Definitely can’t recruit for roles that need a bit of experience, like head of department- which puts more pressure on the other staff within that department, and again, isn’t great for the students.

-OR leads to people being overpromoted too early on, which often leads to bad leadership and problems within the department, and/or burnout for the person who’s been promoted.

-Being short staffed means less flexibility in terms of cover- if people are ill, and you can’t get supply in, the school shuts, as we saw last term in a lot of schools.

-Long term, these pressures mean more teachers leave, either to move to other schools that are better off, or to a different sort of job within education, or leave teaching altogether.

-Inevitably, this impacts on kids behaviour, engagement and outcomes, and the school becomes a less desirable place to work. Maybe it gets a crap Ofsted. The whole thing becomes a vicious cycle, from which it’s difficult for a school to escape from- and kids who aren’t able to go elsewhere don’t get the education they deserve (yes, there are huge issues with our education system and the curriculum itself, but it’s still better when it’s being delivered by consistent subject specialists.

Now, you might be reading this and thinking this only applies to “sink comps” or “inner city schools”, but that’s very much not true. The hardest places to recruit teachers are those where rent/property prices are highest, so yes, especially just outside London where teachers lose out on the extra London pay. And yes, maybe Bristol, etc. But also, your leafy comp in the South East. Anywhere along the “M4 corridor”, even the more desirable parts of the South West (particularly places where second home owners have pushed rents sky high).

I’ve never taught in e.g. Manchester, but my understanding is that schools up there find it easier to recruit (although that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy).

And, increasingly, this is trickling down to primary, too- people struggling to recruit experienced teachers in certain schools or parts of the country. You can’t, despite what the DfE seems to think, run a school entirely staffed by ECTs.

Now, to come back to the original point, I don’t actually think it’s just about pay- as you get up the pay scale, teacher pay isn’t bad (although it’s low compared to what, e.g. maths grads, can earn elsewhere). It’s also about the pressure teachers have been put under over the last three years, about general working conditions, about schools wanting to own you during term time (and sometimes the holidays too). Being a full time classroom teacher isn’t sustainable for a lot of people in England, anymore.

But I will also say, it’s easier to manage in a stressful job, when you’re not also worrying about how you are going to pay the rent- when you don’t have to take on extra work at the weekends or holidays to pay the bills.

Anyway, my point is this- if the Tory government are making noises against teaching unions, trying to pit parents against teachers, perhaps that’s a sign they are nervous. But what they should really be nervous about is the education system collapsing in on itself.

[owlcafe]

I would add here that, in some ways, FGO gets worse to start the later you join - since a couple of new ascension/skill up mats are released with every chapter, but you're still pulling off current banners, there's a higher chance you'll get locked out behind certain material requirements that are unfarmable, and a lower chance of an event shop popping up to help you along with that. Welfare Servant releases were also much more common in early FGO, but they're actually pretty rare now. Trying to run through the story is going to force you to rely on leyline stones and CS revives, because when we were doing them live we had months between major releases to gather materials and stay on top of the level curve. To an extent, this is balanced out by power creep on your friend/follow list - you can fairly easily find an Arjuna Alter hanging around who'll just delete whatever you're having trouble with and rely on friend carries that way - but it's not as rewarding. So you're definitely not insane, especially since your gold Servant line-up is weighted to more recent releases that you might get matlocked on.

As an aside, make sure you're building your lower rarities as well. Arash and Chen Gong have fantastic damage output at the expense of sacrificing themselves or other Servants, which really just means a free rotation for a new Servant with fresh skills. Eurayle notoriously trivialises any fight against a Male enemy, although as a 3* she takes longer to land. You've mentioned Kojiro already, who's great for countering Rider-type enemies (which are the some of the hardest ones - most defensive support is in the Caster class, and Rider enemies have the highest crit rate). It can pay to learn how to use common support Servants as well, or which ones to fish for to help with specific fights. If you're having a tough time against a Female enemy, you can try and find a Jack the Ripper on your support list, who gets substantial bonus damage against Females on her NP turn. Bond CE Herc and Assassin Kama are also common friend-list supports that can turn off major fights on their own in the right circumstances. Put Herc in the back and try and time it so he enters the field on his own - his Buster Brave chains will do great numbers anywhere, since he's a Berserker, and the triple-guts on his Bond CE, extra guts from his S3 and one turn of hard evade (plus potentially extra defence support from your Mystic Code) can make him almost impossible to kill. Kama is an NP spamming machine, and her NP has a high chance to Charm the enemy, denying their action for the turn, so she performs fantastically 1-on-1. You also have Arjuna Alter, the game's biggest nuke, if you're having damage output trouble, but in exchange he's pretty vulnerable to getting blasted away over a few turns if you don't have much protective capacity. You do have Percy though, who's a pretty good pairing for Arjuna in boss fights. Use Percy's taunt skill to protect Arjuna through a wave of mooks while you build NP gauge, and then once the boss is on the field let Junao rip and he should be fairly cleanly oneshotting anything in part 1.

Ultimately the only solution is to just. Keep butting your head against the wall until it works. But do keep in mind you're doing potentially several year's worth of headbutting in a couple of weeks if you're rushing through the story. Take shortcuts, rely on friend carries - if you like, I think I have a friend slot free, or I can easily free one up so you can have some access to reliably powerful Servants if you're happy to cheese it.

Hello, fgo player here and I have a question to you, a veteran.

Is it normal to feel like you're doing everything wrong while progging the story? I enjoy the story and the characters, but the gameplay itself feels like i can't catch up at all ever.

Currently in seventh singularity at the level 72 bit and I legitimately keep losing heart, because it's becoming so difficult.

And I do level my characters and their skills as I can. I do try my best, but it never feels enough.

Especially last singularity, where I was carried by the leystones that were given out for free.

Please give me advice. I want to enjoy the game.

The 6th singularity is notorious because it's generally seen as the first time where the game actively challenges you and the 7th singularity kinda follows suit.

I'm not good at giving advice for these kinda things but if you have servants you like or have units that you think are really strong. Look into support units from your friends list that buff your units (these servants usually take the form of casters but not always). Pay attention to what classes the enemies are using and always bring servants that are at advantage.

If you're still really struggling with lb7, do note that Merlin was a servant that was released when that part came out and he famously trivialized the challenge of the game at the time as he could be tossed into most team comps and successfully help you through most encounters.

Fgo can be incredibly unfair. It's okay to read up on the story and events outside of playing the game if you're losing heart. You're a safe ways away from them, but there are some fights in the lostbelt arc that are straight up designed to make you use your three command spells.

[sanguine-tenshi]

I just finished Inazuma and I have words

TL;DR: Hate the story, mixed on characters, love the design and tired of being treated like a 4-year-old with a learning disability.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Let’s start with what I like.

Inazuma is absolutely beautiful. I’ll admit Inazuma hits a lot of aesthetic points for me. All the islands are different enough to feel unique but they still look like they are a part of the same land. There are a lot of secrets to discover through just exploring. Each island has a world quest to help it (make it less hostile towards you) so it very much feels like you are saving Inazuma from itself.

.

The puzzles are alright.

I like the cubes that rotate, I always put in the effort to figure them out properly.

Hate the ones that don’t rotate, they just aren’t engaging enough for me, so I just hit them at random and hope for the best.

The glowing floor tiles were fun, once you actually realized what they wanted you to do. A little bit too easy if I’m honest.

The electro compass isn’t really much of a puzzle, more of a fetch the nearest electrograna quest.

Those little pillars that require an electro connection are kinda boring to me, again not much of a puzzle, the hardest part is finding both pillars.

I love the new electro seelie, kinda hard to follow the jittery thing in certain parts but they make a nice contrast to the regular seelies.

.

I’m very much mixed on characters.

Yoimiya is adorable. She is so bright and bubbly. What little game play we had with her was fun and I love her over the top style of fighting. Kinda disappointed she’s another pyro archer but I do admit it fits her character well. It was also wonderful seeing her just settle down and be quiet, just be a part of that moment that obviously meant a lot to her. It’s always nice to see that bubbly, energetic character have that one quiet thing, ya know. Kinda funny it’s fireworks, of all things, for her.

Gorou I like, from what little we’ve seen of him. My man killed a dude with his thighs so I’m down. I do find it kinda ridiculous that a resistance general has his whole damn belly exposed. There is also something about his voice that just does not fit. I cannot for the life of me put my finger on what exactly it is. Could be the tone itself, could be just voice acting. It sort of feels like the VA is trying to sound deeper than he actually does.

Sangonomiya Kokomi, mixed. I like her design, she looks like some sort of mystical priestess. Again something about the voice is jarring. I expected her to sound sort of airy, like she isn’t 100% present, like she’s seeing something we can’t. TBH she reminds me of Luna from HP for some reason. 

Yae Miko, I was interested because of her design. She sounds very arrogant and up her own ass, which would have been fine...if she hadn’t given us that god-awful line. “...I have high hopes for you, child. Don’t disappoint me.” Dear lord I wanted to punt her off the mountain. Or fucking what! Also she’s some bigshot priestess of the Sacred Sakura and yet she can’t do her damn job properly. Why couldn’t her arrogant ass come down from her high perch and cleanse the stupid roots? Why did the traveler have to do that shit?

Baal looks dead inside. Booba sword is overrated, get a life. I want a remach! And no cutscene shenanigans this time!

Kujou Sara seems like one of those ‘honor above all else’ characters. Those are either hit or miss with me. You have my attention for now. Also what are those shoes woman?! I’d rather you wear those leg-killing, needle point stilettoes instead of those Wish gag shoes. How in the name of all that is holy can you run in those?!

Thoma, I like him. At first I thought we were gonna get another Childe incident, but Thoma is too much of a innocent puppy to pull anything that horrible. To me he fits a fox a lot better than Childe does. Childe is a dingo and I stand behind that.

Kamisato Ayaka...hate her. At first I was neutral on her. Nothing about her design really spoke to me, but I was willing to wait and see. But then miHoYo started to violently push her friendship at us. We are totally friends now, this is the first time you see my face, but we are so totally friends now. And during her story quest everyone was like “Ah, you are so good Ayaka. You are so nice Ayaka. You are so perfect Ayaka. We all love you so much Ayaka. And oh, how could a mere merchant like myself...” Ew, go away. This is the first time I’m actively not pulling on a character banner. Normally I pull even if I’m not particularly interested in a character, because you never know how good their gameplay is until you take them out in the map. But I think I’ll be skipping this one. No thanks.

.

And now, the worst part, the story.

We’ve been hearing about the situation in Inazuma for a long time. There has been also a lot of talk about how hard it is to get there. About the wall of thunderclouds that surround the islands. So to have it cut to black and then voila Inazuma, feel just so cheap.

I was expecting something. An animation. A struggle. A quest. A minigame. At least show us the horrible weather! Something! Anything!

Hell if they wanted to be assholes about it they could have made it so that if the player fails at this point the ship is damaged, you return to Liyue and have to wait until tomorrow for the ship to be repaired. No Inazuma for today. That sure as hell would have raised the stakes.

The next complaint I have is with Yurika, the 2 milion mora processing fee girl. Later on Thoma mentions that the agency people see the fees as easy money, so her attitude doesn’t make much sense. After all someone like her would want to extract as much money as she can, but you still want the people to be able to pay that.

So it would make more sense to me if she was overly friendly and asked way too many questions. She’d need to get a much information as she can and after all the previous hostility people would be very open with her. So she’d be able to quickly find out why someone is here, what they are selling and roughly how much money they’d be able to pay. A merchant selling expensive silk would have more many than a regular ore merchant. So she’d be able to extract as much money as she could.

“I know this is a lot of money, especially for something so simple, but there is nothing I can do about it. I’m so very sorry.” And people wouldn’t say anything bad to her because she’s the first friendly face they see in Inazuma.

The stealth mission was just god-awful and I hope we never have to do that nonsense again.

Getting off of Ritou was a bit janky at the end, Chisato should have had a better reason for coming along. But I’m honestly just glad we didn’t get out the usual way...getting stuffed in a crate and smuggled out.

As a side note, I’m getting really tired of characters overexplaining things to me, especially Paimon. Dear lord, not everything has to be said, you can leave me to come to my own conclusions and solutions. Just please, who cares if a few player struggle for a bit, you don’t have to hold my hand through the whole thing.

Ayaka’s three were...ugh. It was basic emotional manipulation. Oh no this guy forgot about the love of his life and he’s been waiting for decades. And oh how sad this guy was so good and he helped these people so much but now he can’t remember. And oh the tragedy this guy forgot his life goal and is now hunted by the demons of the past. Oh the humanity! 

And it did not work. Know why? Because I have no emotional investment in any of these people, in this land. What is happening to the vision bearers in Inazuma is tragic, true, but that doesn’t make me want to overthrow the government. I don’t live here. I just got here. I wanna ask a question or two and then move on. None of this concerns me.

I was so happy when the traveler just flat out refused to start a revolution. And then we had to go and meet some people and immediately I knew this was going to be some oh noes the tragedy moments and then we would agree to help them.

It’s so forced.

Wanna know what would have been better?

Just as we are leaving the Kamisato estate Thoma catches up with us. And he tells us he gets it. We are an outsider and this doesn’t concern us. He was hopeful but he expected the denial. We shouldn’t hold it against Ayaka.

He joins us as a guide because he knows of the people we have to meet.

And so as we help these three we also get to know Thoma. We find out he was an outsider too. He got in just before the worst of it started and then he was stuck in Inazuma. He lost someone to the Vision Hunt. They slowly lost their mind after loosing their vision, their ambition too closely tied to their personality to continue without it (what is happening to Domon hits a little too close to home and he has to walk away, this is where we hear the story of the one he lost). And the same would have happened to him if the Kamisatos hadn't taken him in. He owes them his vision, his sanity and his life.

So this rebellion is personal for him.

At the end of the three wishes the atmosphere is somber. We tell him we understand why Ayaka fights, why he fights. We know that this is all wrong, that it should be stopped...but not by us. We came here to get a lead on our brother. And rebellion isn’t an overnight affaire and we can’t loose so much time in Inazuma.

And yeah, he expected as much. He just asks that we let Ayaka down gently. It’d be a shame if someone as idealistic and hopeful as her lost their spark.

And so we are gentle but firm with Ayaka. She looks like she wants to argue with us but Thoma shakes his head at her. So she sighs and tells us that a promise is a promise. We should come to the Komore Teahouse in a few days and she’ll have a plan for us to meet with the Shogun.

Now we can still have a character story quest with Yoimiya and we can still somehow get involved with helping Master Masakatsu, but it’s through Yoimiya instead of Ayaka.

And instead of a character story quest with Ayaka we have one with Thoma. Hell, give him a whole damn hangout event even.

You can probably guess why I’m pushing the friendship with Thoma so much.

Because. He. Gets. Kidnapped. For. The. 100th. Vision. Ceremony. 

And that would have been the perfect emotional in to get us involved in the rebellion. After all we just saw what happens to people who have their visions taken away and we are not letting that happen to Thoma, someone we just got close to.

So Baal makes it personal for us as well.

.

I have a few more minor complaints.

Aoi is stupid for asking for compensation after she tells us everything we needed to know because, ya know, we could have just walked away. We should have.

The whole stupid misunderstanding about the value Kurosawa’s sword holds. Kinda obvious he meant emotional value instead of monetary.

The suspicious amount of visionless NPCs and by that I mean this is the first time we have NPCs with vision. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we’ve seen NPCs with visions in Mond and Liyue.

The whole rebellion camp bit feels incredibly rushed. We just sort of lollygag over there and then there is a fight (against Sara and her stupid shoes).

Don’t make us fight Baal just to force us to lose. It would have been better if we were forced to retreat, because Thoma was injured, because there are too many soldiers for us to handle on our own. Hell, you can have a funny scene where we straight up jump off a cliff with Thoma clinging onto us and screaming bloody murder until he realizes we are slowly gliding away and he’s not about to plummet to his death.

The Sakura cleansing quest should have been voice acted.

The Mirror Maiden and Pyro Agent are totally on a date, I will not be told otherwise.

[byuntrash101]

PARAPHILIA - Part 3

Pairing: sub!Baekhyun x CEO!Reader

Genre: EstablishedRelationship!AU, slice of life, fluff (a tiny bit), smut

Tags: gentle dom/sub dynamics, sub!Baekhyun, apron, footjob, feet in mouth, praising, cum play

Raiting: +18 (you know me 🤪)

Word count: 3k

Summary: when you come back home from a very tiring day of work, your boyfriend Baekhyun knows exactly how to calm your nerves: with a foot massage.

A/N: This one has a different kind of dynamic since it’s gentle femdom. You see, the girl behing this blog is a switch so I hope you can enjoy this content too. Anyways don’t hesitate to comment or slide into my asks💖💖. - Cat 😽

Tag list:  @lovebuginlove @calamell @bobohumyonlyboo @smolbeanmika @making-me-blush @wooya1224 @yixing-jaehyun @f4ncyvelvet @lalalala-lav @deligxt @xofanfics @byunsugar @dixnysustae @to-all-the-stories-i-love @artisticcgroove @myexoobsession  @geniusloey @blahblahblah-boo

Tell me if you want to be added/removed

PARAPHILIA masterlist | General masterlist 

Paraphilia #3: Podophilia, sexual attraction to feet

W O R S H I P

You massage your temple in small circles as you try your hardest to concentrate on the road, driving your black Mercedes SUV. Today was a really rough day at work.

You were CEO of a startup company that designs programmes protecting video games and preventing hackers to illegally distribute the games. The company is ever growing as the hackers become more and more inventive.

Today you met with Kazuo 'Kaz' Hirai, CEO of the Playstation branch of the Sony Interactive Entertainment group. You had to negotiate a contract to be the company to protect every playstation exclusive game that was to be released in the next five years. Needless to say, a huge deal for you and your company.

"Aishh..." you scoffed as you recalled the cold expression of the japanese middle aged man. That old fart was really stubborn and strong headed. But so were you which made the negotiations rather difficult. After hours and hours of negotiating you finally came to an agreement interesting enough to the both of you, your firm but also Sony.

So yes it was a really rough day. And you were tired... and hungry. Very hungry you thought as you pulled over in the drive away of the modern residence.

Once in the entry you were instantly greeted by the smell of delicious food coming from the kitchen. You didn't even bother taking off your high heeled black pumps and simply directly walked to the dining room.

There you find the table neatly arranged for two. Your boyfriend Baekhyun comes in from the kitchen and instantly jumps when he sees you.

"You scared me! I didn't hear you coming!" he says holding his chest. You puff out a laugh.

He still has the oven mits on, he's wearing a casual pastel green shirt with comfy jeans, topped with a cute blue apron. He's just adorable.

"Sorry I'm so tired I just didn't feel like yelling "i'm home" when I came in"

"I knew it was going to be a tiring day for you so I made you dinner" he came over to you and took off the oven mits then your coat and purse which he placed on the coffee table. He pulled the chair for you.

"That's so gentlemanly of you thank you" you said as you were getting seated. He bowed his head returning your smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

Soon he came back holding the food. Your eyes lit up at the delicious sight and you sat up on your chair. Baekhyun served you and himself then sat just right in front of you.

"Thank you for the food" you said as you leaned in and extended your arm to gently squeeze his hand over the table. He lightly blushes.

"You're welcome" he said before looking down on his chest. "Oops I forgot to take the apron off." he stood up again but you stopped him.

"No keep it on... I think it suits you! It's cute" you smiled at him, he smiled and sat back down.

You proceeded to eat, during the meal Baekhyun kept quiet about your work. He knew it was better to let you eat and enjoy a peaceful evening before actually starting to ask questions. Even though it killed him not to know and he just wanted to bombard you with a thousand questions.

"Aaah... I'm so full" you said rubbing your stomach. Baekhyun cutely smiled at you, his eyes forming crescents that complimented nicely his constellation moles.

"I'm glad you liked it"

"Of course I loved it you're the best cook ever" he was embarrassed at the compliment but flattered anyway.

"Thank you" he then marked a silence and hesitantly asked. "Hmmm... y/n... so how were the negotiations?" finally he asked the question that was burning his lips. You sighed. You would have liked it if he had waited until tomorrow to ask you but on the other hand you understood his curiosity. This contract was a turning point for the company.

"Well... it was... difficult" you said simply. Baekhyun stayed silent only waiting for more details. "Yes... basically I had to cut back on a lot of things I asked... I mean they were the bigger company at the table so I didn't have much negotiation power..." Baekhyun creased his eyebrows, worried. "But I still managed to secure a good deal. So, yes, next week we will officially sign the papers" you said finally. Baekhyun bursted in a loud celebration, which took you by surprise.

"Honey! that's great! you worked so hard for this!"

"Yeah" you said unconvinced... Honestly to you it somehow felt like a small defeat since you had to cut back on so many things but at the same time you had no other choice... "I think I'm just frustrated about how it actually went down, you know?" Baekhyun took your hand in his.

"Honey... the most important thing is that even if the deal isn't the absolute best it's still good for the company and if you do a good job in the course of the next 5 years they will want to work with you again and maybe other big companies will also want to... Next target Nintendo!" He said with a huge smile, gently rubbing your hand with his thumb.

That is something you always loved about Baekhyun. After dating for so long people complain about your significant other not being surprising anymore. When truly it's the best thing about having a relationship. The person staring back at you knows you like you two share the same heart. When your mind is full and you can't seem to put your thoughts into words… you don't have to because they know you. Baekhyun knows you. 

He cheers you on when you're down. Sees the positive when you are tired of restlessly hoping. He's your light. He lights up your path everywhere you go.

He was adorable, staring back at you with dark brown eyes and the cute blue apron. So so cute... that unholy ideas started to form inside your dirty mind.

"You're right" you said looking back at him. Under the table you extended your leg and started to rub your foot on his pants. Baekhyun instantly stiffened, his smile dropped. "If only there was a way that I could relax..." you smirked at him with suggestive eyes.

"M-maybe a f-foot massage?" Baekhyun asked hesitantly, he was such a cutie stuttering like this. It made your heart melt.

"Why not?" you said shrugging, acting casual.

Baekhyun took a step in your direction but you stopped him.

"No!" he stopped in his tracks. Looked him up and down, licking your lips, anticipating what was to come. "Crawl to me" you said, smirking again. Baekhyun's warm smile was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was replaced by that soft submissive expression that you loved so much.

Without a word he got on all fours and slowly approached you, not breaking the eye contact you had. His face was slightly blushed, mixed with embarrassment and anticipation.

Once he reached you, you gently cupped his cheeks.

"Good boy" you praised him. Then you pushed back your chair and rotated on your butt to face him. You crossed your leg and presented him the foot that was hanging in the air. "Now do your thing"

Baekhyun looked up at you then he placed one hand over the heel of your shoe to support your leg the other hand behind your calf. He laid a soft kiss on your ankle and trailed his way down to stop where the shoe went over your toes. He looked up at you for further instructions.

"Lick it" you said. He didn't hesitate to stick his tongue out and lightly flick it against the shiny leather. A satisfied smile spread on your lips. He kissed the shoe again and you felt him lightly pull on the heel to take it off. You quickly lifted his chin with the pointy tip of the shoe.

"No.. Not yet" he whimpered cutely. He's so impatient. "Stand" you command. He does as he's told. "Now strip but keep the apron" he nods

He slips his hands underneath the blue apron and starts to unbutton his shirt. He then takes off one sleeve then the other one. He drops the pastel shirt to the ground. His toned arms move to mesmerize you. You bite on your bottom lip as he continues the show.

He moves on to unbuckle his belt and peels the denim off his skin. Finally he removes his boxers which he throws to the side.

He's left completely naked apart from the apron, which is tightly hugging him. The thin fabric is letting little to the imagination. You can clearly see his broad shoulders and arms who rest at his side and Baekhyun's pretty pink nipples. You let your eyes go down where you can see your boyfriend's bulge pitching a slightly twitchy tent underneath. You lick your lips thinking he's already so excited for you.

"Kiss me" you said lifting your head up slightly. Baekhyun bent down and linked his lips with yours in a heated and passionate kiss. 

You untangled your fingers in his hairs, lightly pulling on it, which made him cutely whimper into your mouth. You took the opportunity to push your tongue inside his mouth and deepen the kiss, pulling harder on his hair. He let out cute muffled moans. Then finally you let go of him. He was panting, face flushed red and his hair was messy.

"Now you may remove my shoes" you uncrossed your legs and laid both your feet flat on the ground. Baekhyun hurriedly kneeled down and removed both your shoes, setting them neatly on the side. Your feet made contact with the cold tiles of the dining room. But you didn't mind at all.

"Now lick them" you commanded. Baekhyun was ready to lift your feet to his mouth but you stopped him. "No get down there and lick them from the ground" you said sternly.

Baekhyun placed both his palms on the floor and bent his arms until his cheek touched the tiles. His ass was up in the air when he started to lick your toes. The tickling sensation sent goosebumps on your body and you sighed in satisfaction, fully enjoying the power you held over him.

You then slowly lifted your foot to give him access to your soles. He never broke contact with your foot and his face followed as you lifted it, bringing him back in his initial kneeling position. When he could finally lick your sole he didn't wait for a second. He licked your foot from the heel up to the toes. Your soles were his favourite part and you knew it. You smirked when you saw him indulge himself in the moment.

"Suck my toes" you commanded again. He nodded vigorously, tightly grabbing your foot and as he opened his mouth to bring your big toe inside it. He looked back at you and a soft moan escaped your lips feeling his wet mouth around your foot. "Such a good boy" you moaned softly, your breathing getting ever so slightly quicker.

"Enough!" You say before abruptly taking back your foot. You push him on his chest which causes him to fall back on his butt and his palms flat on the tiles. In this position the tent he's pitching is very visible. And you can't wait to finally see it.

You bring your toes underneath the apron around his crotch area and with a flick of the ankle you push back the fabric over the belt.

Finally you lay eyes on his twitching and aching cock. Precum is already seeping from the slit and you can't help but to smile from ear to ear when you finally uncover it.

"Look at this... Aren't we excited?" you asked, bringing your toes to his balls. Baekhyun stiffens.

"Y-yes" he whispers, unable to take off his eyes from your feet. You lightly lift your foot to the base of his shaft and he buckles up his hips, impatient.

"No no... you have to be good, okay? Are you gonna be a good boy for me?" you coo.

"Yes!" he says excitedly, his eyes still on your foot, nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Good boy" you say before wrapping his cock with both feet and starting to pump his swollen dick. Immediately his eyes roll back as he bites his bottom lip. You pick up the pace and Baekhyun looks back at you. You normally don't go this hard right away but he's not complaining. He feels so good from the footjob.

Baekhyun's saliva really lubed up your feet and they glide easily on his precum oozing dick. You continue to harshly jerk his cock with your feet.

"Fuck... Honey... This is... Aaah... so gooddd!!" he says moaning shamelessly in between each word. He sounds so needy and whiny and most of all he looks absolutely delighted with his eyebrows deeply furrowed and his mouth hanging open.

You felt him twitch around your toes and withdraw them immediately before he can spill his juice. Baekhyun let out a disappointed whimper as the pleasure fades away. You can't help but to smirk when you see him squirm.

"Get up" you command him.

You stand up from the chair and flip the table cloth over the dirty dishes, making way for you to sit.

You take your time, taking every single piece of clothing off you, striping sensually for your boyfrined who thickly swallows as you're removing the last piece of fabric.

You set your bottom on the dark wood of the dining table and lean back over on your elbow, your knees together bent back on your chest. Baekhyun stands in front of you, his dark red cock seeping precum and twitching.

You then part your knees slowly, uncovering your glistening pink folds absolutely drenched in your juices. You're feeling incredibly aroused. Baekhyun is in awe in front of such a view. No matter how many times he's seen you, every time he still is breathless.

"Come here baby" you say as you gesture to him to come close. "Now fuck me baby" you murmur in a sultry tone.

Baekhyun can't believe his ears. Rare are the occasions when you let him fuck you. Most of the time you are on top and in control. But today he's been such a good boy you exceptionally let him be on top.

He doesn't take one more second to align himself with your lonely and aching center. Slowly he pushes himself inside you. The slip is easy as your juices coat even your inner thighs. You gasp delightfully at the sensation of him gently stretching you open.

"Fuck... Y/n...Aaaah" Baekhyun lets out a high pitched moan that wakes up the butterflies in your stomach. You love to hear his struggling moans.

"Fuck me faster" you command your boyfriend who has his eyes tight shut, trying his hardest not to bust right away.

He takes a bruising grip on your fleshy thighs and gradually he picks up the pace, waves of heat and pleasure wash over your entire body as you shamelessly moan while Baekhyun makes your breasts jump with each thrust.

"Tell me how good this feels baby" you tell him, craving more of his high pitched and needy voice. Baekhyun whimpers before answering.

"Aaah... Your pussy feels so good" he says before letting go of one of your thighs to bring your foot to his face. He buried his nose in your sole. "Fuck... aaaah... Honey" he sounds pleading, so submissive despite the fact that he's the one over you roughly pounding into you.

He gasps when he feels your walls tightening around him. He takes one of your toes in his mouth. He makes you feel so good, the way he doesn't restrain his thrusts has you gasping each time his tip kisses your cervix. Your moans and his mix in a beautiful symphony that resonates in the empty dining room.

"Baekhyun don't stop I'm gonna cum" You moan as you extend your hand to bring a little attention to your clit. With two fingers your circle your swollen and needy bud. The pleasure rises again and beads of sweat roll in between your bouncing tits.

"Fuckk... I'm cumming too" he says in one breathy moan, your toes hanging on his lips.

"Aaaah yes baby" you moan finally letting go of the knot in your stomach. Your pussy tightly clenching around Baekhyun's cock, milking it to the last drop of cum.

Baekhyun then pulls out to spread the last streams of cum on your feet, which you bring in front of his pulsing cock and point out. You feel the hot liquid coat your toes and your ankles as Baekhyun cusses and moans loudly.

He then staggers to one of the chairs and crashes on it. His cock still pulsing in his fist, chest heaving and glistening with sweat.

You look at him straight in the eyes when you bring your feet to your mouth and lick them clean. The bitter and sweet taste of Baekhyun's cum fills your mouth. You close your eyes fully enjoying it, moaning against your toes on your lips. Baekhyun looks at you being this naughty with an evil glint in the eye.

"Baby you taste so good" you whisper. Baekhyun smiles, still panting and exhausted.

"Does that mean I'll get to be on top more often?" he asks.

"Hmmm..." you bring your finger to scratch your chin, fainting to think deeply.

"No" you say with a smile. You're already off in the staircase laughing when Baekhyun grumbles and pouts cutely protesting.

PARAPHILIA masterlist | General masterlist  

[threeletterslife]

The Time Traveler’s Playbook

→ summary: Time travelers have all the time in the world. Well, at least theoretically. To Taehyung, however, it seems like time is always chasing him, haunting him, mocking him. He must travel against the current, beat the odds in order to save your life—to stop you from dying for the 389th time. Trial and error can’t even begin to explain his turbulent journey.

→ pairing/rating: taehyung x reader | PG-13

→ genre: 78% angst, 22% fluff | time traveler!au

→ warnings: profanity, death (like... over and over again), depictions of an auto accident

→ wordcount: 6.5k

Children most often inherit their intellect from their parents. Regardless of whether that may be a coveted outcome or an undesirable one; it's really a matter of luck and is simply an occurrence that is entirely out of the child's hands. Of course, more fortunate children inherit their parents' towering wealth. The less fortunate inherit their endless debt. But Kim Taehyung inherits something far greater than analytical intellect and trust funds. He inherits his father's ability to time travel.

It's an ability that has been passed on by his father's side of the family for years. A special lineage that Taehyung is now a part of. An ability, a trait, a curse, a blessing—every time traveler has his different views of their special skill. But Taehyung is someone who thinks it is a miracle.

He wants to know everything. Future college acceptances, first kiss, first girlfriend, the hardest classes at university (so he can drop them)... and last but not least, his future wife. Against his father's judgment, Taehyung loves to travel to the future to meet her. She's the loveliest woman he's ever met in his whole life. Funny, smart, caring—all the traits cumulate to make up her beautiful looks—even including the strange scar across her forehead.

"I'm back, Tae!" you cry, shoving open the front door of your cozy apartment room to greet your husband with open arms.

Taehyung—who'd just traveled six years into the future—is waiting on the couch, his fingers scratching at his stubble. He's been working to grow out a beard back in his present but to no avail. But it makes him extremely happy to know that it is possible for him to grow legitimate facial hair in the future. "Y/N??" Taehyung calls, a smile spreading across his lips. "So, how was therapy?"

You just glance at your shoulder and smile. "It went great! You shouldn't worry, babe."

"All right, all right," Taehyung says. But he still worries. You don't really like to talk about your accident. You hate it when Taehyung mentions your scar. You even hate it when he tries to ask you about your physical therapy, something you're getting four years after the incident. At least your recent rotator cuff surgery had gone fairly well. Even so, Taehyung worries.

"Do you want me to fix up lunch?" you ask. You begin to head to the kitchen but gasp when you realize that Taehyung had already ordered takeout. "Tae! We need to save up—"

The man just shrugs. "I didn't want you moving around too much to cook," he confesses. "We took years saving up for the surgery. I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to put stress on your arm again."

You can't say anything else because he's right. It's the little ways in which you know that Taehyung cares a lot about you. The thought makes you smile to yourself. You've married the right man.

Meanwhile, Taehyung decides it's time to jump ahead at least three more years into the future. Maybe three years after your marriage you would be willing to tell him the details of your accident. When you finally divulge him of the incident, he can go back in time and fix it; Taehyung's seen how much the moment has put a toll on your physical and mental health. He wants you to be happy—wants you to be free of financial worries of hospital bills.

Taehyung lands in the same house as before, his fingers habitually flying to his chin to find an actual beard. A grin stretches his lips. "Y/N??" he calls your name.

"I'm here!" you call from the bedroom.

Taehyung finds you stretched across a king-sized bed—that definitely wasn't there before—flipping through your wedding photos. You insisted a flowery circlet be placed on your head the whole day, effectively concealing the scar on your forehead. When you look up to glance at your husband, Taehyung sees that you've barely aged. In fact, you look even more beautiful than before—your eyes look deeper, holding more weight in them (wisdom, maybe?), and you absolutely glow with happiness.

"Back from work?" you say, absentmindedly flipping another page of the photo book.

"Mhm," Taehyung says, sitting down on the bed. Instantly, you lean into your husband for support, giggling when he fondly kisses your cheek.

"That beard of yours is startling to tickle me every time you kiss me," you mumble. "I like it."

Taehyung laughs, nuzzling your face to prove your point. "Looking back at our wedding?"

"Mhm. I loved the moment too much," you say dreamily. You gingerly run your fingers across one particular laminated photo. The one where you're in your pink wedding gown and Taehyung's in his snazzy suit with a pink tie. The one where your flower circlet becomes askew from Taehyung insisting he holds you in his arms, bridal style.

"Your scar is beautiful, you know," Taehyung whispers.

Your cheeks heat up, fingers reaching up to skim the scarred skin. "I never did tell you about how I got this..."

Taehyung's eyes sparkle. This is it. This is the moment he's been waiting for. The moment he skipped years and years to find.

"It was a car accident," you say, shaking your head. "It's just... it's a little hard for me to talk about. I shouldn't have survived it. I mean, I was barely alive when they got me in the ambulance. I... um, I can't really... I just... I didn't mean to hit her."

"A car accident?" Taehyung wants to know more details. When it happened. How. But he notices you struggling to come up with more words to say.

"I can't believe it was seven years ago," you say, laughing to yourself. "Remember that long road next to that seriously fancy restaurant and the really steep hill?"

Taehyung knows exactly what you're talking about, and his hands shake at the thought. The news had reported three deaths that day. The accident had left the car behind yours to swerve off the road, tumbling down the steep hill at rapid speed, killing the innocent couple inside. It'd also left the pedestrian who had tried to cross the busy road at the wrong time dead on the scene. There must've been legal trouble. One where you're trying to recover from your severe injuries all the while battling the pedestrian's family in court. The guilt must've inundated you.

"That was you??" Taehyung gawks. "Oh, Y/N..."

You shake your head, laughing nervously. "Yeah... That was me. I just figured I should tell you now, you know? When I'm finally ready." Looking down at the photo book, you smile sadly, fingers encircling your revealed scar pasted on the page. "Now you know."

Indeed he does. Taehyung's enlightened inside. Yes. Yes, this is it! Now he can go back in time, guide you in the right direction so you never get in the accident in the first place! He can finally help you, his one true love, get rid of everything that has hurt you in the past.

"But I wouldn't have changed this experience for the world," you say in a small voice.

"What??"

"I know, I know," you sigh. "It sounds crazy. But then I wouldn't have met you, you know?"

Ah, right. The first meeting. How could Taehyung forget? You'd been wandering around after your hospital discharge, taking in the fresh air and the vastness of the city. After spending so much time in an enclosed, white-walled room, the bustling crowds had confused you, scared you. You'd felt lost. But that's how you'd bumped into Taehyung. A man who helped you find your way. Literally. He'd kindly directed you back to the address in which you were to meet your friends. A relationship had blossomed from there.

Taehyung's first meeting with you is a moment he'd ingrained in his mind—it runs terribly vividly through his head. Like a motion picture film. Like it had already happened in Taehyung's timeline. Except it didn't yet. You and he meet at age 23. But Taehyung's 21 now, posing as a mature thirty-year-old man.

"You're right," Taehyung smiles. He'd forgotten how much the world can shift with one little change in the past. The butterfly effect. He'd been stupid to even conjure up the idea to prevent your accident from happening. Such an amateur time traveler mistake. "We wouldn't even have fallen in love."

"I don't want to thank my accident," you sniff. Taehyung notices your emotional distress and wraps you in his arms. "But I felt so... so helpless afterward. And you're the one who helped me find my purpose again. I wouldn't have needed your help if I was never hurt. ...Wait, that sounded so goddamn awful," you sigh. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be saying these things. That accident was serious. I'm lucky that I even made it out alive..."

"It's okay. I get what you mean, Y/N," Taehyung says. He carefully pulls your head down to kiss the scar on your forehead. "You don't have to feel sorry. Thank you for telling me, all right?"

You nod, trying to hold in your tears. "Tae," you whisper as the man pesters you with soft kisses all over your face.

"Hm?"

"You're tickling me," you breathe out weakly. "I don't want to laugh. Not right now."

Taehyung quickly pulls away, pressing his warm palm against your cheek. He marvels at your beauty, your resilience. You lean in his hand, staring at him with softened eyes from under your lashes. Taehyung doesn't think he can wait to meet you in the correct timeline.

Two years go by too slowly for a time traveler. Taehyung counts down the days until he can meet you officially. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time he's seen you, but it would technically be your first time seeing him. He's nervous—even concerned—that he won't make the right impression. From the stories you've told him, though, Taehyung knows that he has to act kindly, warmly and most of all helpfully.

He'd visited you just last night on your wedding day to calm down his jittery nerves. You'd told him over the white cake and red wine that your love for him is unconditional—that you won't doubt for a second that if you ever lost all memory of your relationship with him, you'd still miraculously find your way into his heart. It's a moment that helps Taehyung get through his nervosity.

Now, it's today. The special day. There's a phantom throbbing in his right leg, forcing Taehyung to limp around the bustling city, waiting for you. He feels faint, nearly woozy—like he's going to collapse any second. For years he'd examined his relationship with you in the future. He'd been by your side knowing that you were already together. Already madly in love. But this would be different. This would be your first impression of him, and this would be Taehyung's only chance to catch your eye. Of course, if things went horribly wrong, he could always travel back in time... Yet as every wise time traveler acknowledges, time-traveling to the future is simple and has little to no consequence. Time-traveling to the past, however, is much too simple for the atrocities it can cause.

The pain in Taehyung's leg grows stronger. Perhaps it's indicative of his growing anxiousness?

You're supposed to be here by now. So where are you??

Taehyung glances at his old watch, looking almost frantically around the vicinity. Did he miss you? Did you walk straight past him? Is the future going to change now? Where are you? Did your hospital discharge take longer than he'd anticipated? A thousand thoughts fly through Taehyung's head. He wanders aimlessly around the location, feeling lost and fearful at the same time. When the pain in his leg becomes almost unbearable, Taehyung decides to make a time jump into the future.

Maybe he got the details wrong. Maybe this wasn't the place you and he first met.

He moves through time, shifting past glimpses of memories and moments to find what he is looking for. He's really looking for you. He searches for the wedding night, the one-year wedding anniversary, the first kiss you two had shared in front of your doorstep... But it's gone. You're gone. In each moment that Taehyung swears he spent with you, he's the only one there. Alone. Taehyung grips his pained leg, opting to do a more meticulous search through the timeline. You have to be somewhere. You can't just... cease to exist like this. He tries not to panic, but his leg is absolutely killing him, and he remembers his father telling him that time-traveling, unfortunately, amplifies pain. With you missing, and his leg throbbing along with his whirling head, Taehyung collapses.

The world stills. And when Taehyung finally looks up, he realizes he's in a cemetery. His shaking eyes settle on the tombstone in front of him. A morbid gasp leaves his lips when he reads the name etched on the rock.

"Y/N??" he shrieks, scrambling closer to the tombstone. "What... What on earth??"

Taehyung's blood runs cold. So you're dead. You have been dead. For years. And he didn't even know.

Chills run down his spine. What the hell had happened?? Why did you die on the day of your car crash? You were supposed to survive that. What wasn't adding up?

Taehyung pulls out his phone from his pocket with shaking hands; it threatens to slip out from the sweat accumulating on his fingers, but he persists to look up the crash in the news. An incoherent string of curses leaves his mouth when the headline of the article reads, "Four people dead from a motor vehicle accident."

Four?? It was supposed to be three.

He doesn't know what the fuck is going on. Why are you dead? What had happened that hadn't happened before? You were supposed to survive this... You were supposed to meet him, fall in love, be with him.

No. Taehyung grits his teeth. He'll have to do the unthinkable. He's traveling to the past to save you.

A time traveler has the greatest advantage any man could have in the universe. He has the ability to withhold surprises, spoiling them for himself by directly walking into the future. He may also be the master of the past. What others forget, he can easily relive with just a simple visit back in time. A time traveler can sit on his imaginary throne and pretend he rules over the world with his special ability. A time traveler should never feel nervous, never deal with the uncomfortable twisting of his stomach or the unsettling feeling creeping into his gut. But it seems that Taehyung is the anomaly.

Your death had taken him by surprise. And now, even with his special ability, he feels anxious. Scared. Uncertain. Which is something not many time travelers tend to experience.

Taehyung believes that he must be vigilant. He must quickly observe the scene first before taking action, for any change to the past can quite largely affect the future. The young time traveler lands on the road right across from the restaurant. It's so strange how everything feels so calm. No one in this timeline knows yet that a disastrous car crash is just a few seconds shy from happening.

His watch ticks. Then, it strikes 4:43 p.m.

A pedestrian darts off the street, completely ignoring the gleaming red signaling device for the crosswalk. Taehyung's eyes widen in horror as he sees a red car—your car—speed by. You didn't do anything wrong—just pressed your foot on the gas as any normal vehicle driver would do if the traffic signal glowed green. But the next thing he knows, your car hits the pedestrian. There's a loud thud, a scream, a crack. The car behind yours swerves, trying to avoid the calamitous incident, but it flings violently to the side and crashes down the hill.

Taehyung's watch reads 4:44 p.m. And by that time, all four people are dead on the scene. Just like it said on the news. There's thick, red blood oozing across the asphalt, and your airbag is concealing most of your face in the car, but Taehyung can see that your neck has been displaced in the most inhumane position. He has to look away.

Anger settles in, accompanied by horrification and grief. You were supposed to survive that. There were only supposed to be three casualties.

Taehyung grits his teeth. But now that he knows what has taken place, he can effectively fix it. He just has to turn back time.

It seems like these days, everyone's in a rush. Time travelers, of course, can bend time at their own will—they see no need to hurry, to go about their days in haste. They can afford to take the scenic route, walk through the flowering pasture of daisies, enjoying life and the little moments that cherish their hours here on Earth. But not everyone is a time traveler. And not everyone has this privilege of rewinding time for the pure enjoyment of smelling the roses.

Taehyung understands that. So when he sees the pedestrian, rocking on the balls of her feet, glancing at her watch every few seconds while glaring at the red pedestrian light, he feels a bit of pity. He understands. She must be one of those people. Those who hate wasting time. Those who hate to dilly-dally on the trivial moments, opting to snatch away the best parts without experiencing the minute details. But her life is on the line and so is yours.

"Excuse me?" he calls.

The pedestrian jerks her head towards him. She looks at him strangely, as if to wonder why the hell a stranger would want to talk to her. Almost as if to say, 'Can't you see I have places to be? Things to do??'

"Um," Taehyung stammers. "Can you... You should try to walk safely."

The woman gives him another strange look. "Sorry... But I'm um, I'm a little busy. My fiancé, I mean, my boyfriend... I think he's going to propose tonight... God, I can't be late."

Everyone has a story—a backstory—a reason that guides their following actions. And right now, Taehyung can see her's. A fast-paced, efficient woman who is in love and anticipating a proposal. A woman who has no idea that fate has different plans for her. He wants to stop her. For her sake and yours. But before he can do anything, she leaps forward.

"Wait!!!" Taehyung shrieks, nearly stepping out onto the road to follow after her. It's too late.

There's that deafening noise again. There's screaming, people getting out of their cars to witness the scene. Just like clockwork, too easily, it'd happened again.

You're dead.

For the second time, indistinguishable emotions rush through the time traveler's head. He'll just try harder. Convince the pedestrian. Do something more. With a deep breath, Taehyung rewinds back in time again.

Some things just aren't meant to be. Like chasing after a career pathway that one has absolutely no drop of talent in. Or chasing after a lover who will never ever love the other back. Or maybe even pursuing a fantasy dream life all the while living in unpleasant reality. Most people give up fairly quickly when they recognize that they will inevitably never get what they want. Slightly more resilient people will attempt to push over the hedges and the obstacles that plague their track; yet, even they will quit when their loved ones coax them that their arduous journey isn't worth their precious time. But time travelers have all the time in the whole goddamn world.

When Taehyung lands in his present, he collapses on his bed, wearied. Feeling defeated. He'd tried everything he could possibly think of. He spent over fifty times trying to reason with the pedestrian. He'd bribed her, begged her, even threatened her at one point not to cross that street. He'd tried different intonations, different ways to greet her. But maybe it was meant to be. Because every time, she ignores Taehyung and his best wishes and walks straight into your car, killing you both.

So Taehyung had come up with new strategies. Ones that involved false traffic cones, trying to get you to take a long-winded detour. He tried making street signs. Tried even closing up the whole street. But the police hadn't been quite amused about that. He attempted every scenario more than thirty times, for even the slightest change in a single traffic cone placement could alter everything. It could save your life. Or at least he hoped it would. However, all of his attempts proved futile.

Taehyung did everything that he could think of. But it came down to nothing because you always, always die in the end.

An exhausted sigh escapes his lips. He must've spent something like a week's worth of time continuously rewinding and attempting to prevent your death. But Taehyung knows he can't give up now. He forces his tired, heavy body to sit up, and his head lolls to the side, his eyes threatening to close.

That's when it hits him.

Taehyung's eyes double in size, and he scrambles up from his bed to grab a random, black leather notebook. Opening up to the first page and scouring his desk to find a working pen, Taehyung begins to write furiously.

Initially, he was dead set against any sort of contact with you. He had feared ripping a hole in the space-time continuum or whatever the fuck sci-fi film scripts tend to say these days. Taehyung's definitely not an expert on science and the theory of time, but he is astute enough to know that seeing people in the past that he isn't supposed to meet until later can be detrimental in one way or another. It's not like him to mess around with what was destined to be. Yet... Yet the recent turn of events leaves him no choice. He's going to have to talk to you to save you.

Taehyung leans back in his chair, slightly breathless. He stares at the eight steps he'd scribbled onto the lined paper bound to the journal. All he has to do is use it to convince you to not get in your car.

Step one. Tell her to stop whatever she's doing.

"Stop!!"

You gasp, nearly falling over at the intensity of Taehyung's voice. "Stop??" you ask, eyes wide and hands tightly gripping the door of your open car.

"You have to stop!"

Taehyung's heart breaks when you slowly back into the driver's seat, eyes squinted and hands reaching back for support. "Um... I uh... actually have somewhere to go..." You look nervous, scared even. It suddenly occurs to Taehyung that he's a stranger to you. That you have every right not to stop if your subconscious tells you to be vigilant.

He lets you go that time. He'll get it right the next.

Step two. Tell her to listen to what the time traveler has to say.

"Please, you have to listen to me," Taehyung pleads. The notebook tucked under his arm fuels just a little bit of his confidence.

You turn your head to look at the man, already a bit peeved that he's interfering with your plans. "Listen? Can I ask listen to what?"

"Hold up, don't get in that car," Taehyung says, warily eyeing the red vehicle.

Your eyebrows narrow in subsequent suspicion.

Step three. Gauge her reaction. Refusal? Tell her again. Acceptance?... Don't know. Never gotten that far.

"Okay."

"What??"

"Okay," you repeat, crossing your arms over your chest. "I'll wait if you have anything interesting to say."

This had been the 389th time Taehyung had restarted to get past the third step. Maybe a single strand of misplaced hair on his head made him look more attractive than before—enough for you to give him a chance. Or maybe it was the intonation in which he spoke his lines. Maybe it was pleading enough for you to feel pity and listen. But Taehyung doesn't have ample time to analyze what he'd done differently for you to answer this way. All he can do is move on. There's not even a second to waste.

Step four. Make her trust you. (Don't get right into business. Ease into it.)

"Okay... Well,” Taehyung starts awkwardly, scratching his head. He looks around frantically to come up with a talking point—anything to divert your attention from how jittery he really is. “Well,” he says again, “um, to start, you have a nice ride.” He gestures over to your sparkling red car.

"Huh,” you say, raising your eyebrows. “Thanks," you grin, shrugging. "It was actually a graduation gift from my parents. Always wanted one of these since I was young." You pat the top of your car affectionately before turning to face the man in front of you. "Did you want to go around on a spin?" you ask boldly, eyebrow arching in question.

When Taehyung struggles to invent an answer that doesn't sound borderline creepy or stalker-like, you laugh.

"Don't worry. I was just joking. But you wouldn't be the first guy who's asked me about my car. What do you want? A date?" you giggle. "I'm really sorry but I've promised to meet my friends so I have to get going. If you want my number or something—"

Step five. Don't let her leave your sight. (She might do something that you'll regret.)

"It's not really your number that I want," Taehyung quickly interrupts. If he could close his eyes, he could practically see his own handwriting, scrawled on the now wrinkled pages of his notebook. He's so close. Practically halfway through.

You pause, your body midway into the driver's seat. "It's not? Then what do you want, mysterious stranger?" You smile, raising your eyebrows as if to challenge the peculiar man.

If the circumstances weren't so dire, Taehyung would've gone right along with your mischievous tone. "Your company," he replies quickly. "Your immediate company."

"Oh, so you're asking me to ditch my friends?" you laugh. "Sorry, stranger, but not today." And there you go, seating yourself in your car and just about the slam the door shut.

Step six. Tell her to stop again.

"Stop!" Taehyung cries.

You ignore him, shutting the door anyways. But the windows are rolled down and you can still see the unfiltered looks on Taehyung's face. A flash of confusion washes over your face before you train your eyes to the front, your hand settling over the button to start the engine.

Step seven. If she never listens, tell her you love her.

"Wait, stop! I love you!" Taehyung cries desperately. "Y/N, please!"

You're completely frozen. Taehyung wonders if he'd made a big mistake. Then, slowly, so painfully slowly, you turn your head to gaze at the man. "What did you say?"

"I love you..." Taehyung whispers. "Don't leave, Y/N. You'll regret it. I'll regret it."

"How the hell do you know my name?" You're frowning, two hands tightly gripping the wheel of your car.

Taehyung isn't blessed with mind-reading—though he thinks that some people out there must be—but he can sense exactly what you're thinking about him now. You think he's a creep. A stalker. A serial killer, perhaps?

He has no other choice.

Step seven. Tell Y/N her future.

"I'm from the future."

You scoff, slapping your hand on the wheel. "Oh yeah? And I'm the President of Neverland."

"No, Y/N, really. I'm from the future." Taehyung grips the precious notebook in his hands. "You have to listen to me. You're going to die if you get in that car to meet your friends. There's going to be a huge car accident, and you're going to be killed. But you can't. You know why, Y/N? Because I'm your future husband."

"You're... You're delusional!" you exclaim, shaking your head. "That... I mean, you... I can't... I can't possibly—I don't even know you!"

"Of course you don't," Taehyung says. He takes a step closer to you and your car. "We aren't supposed to meet this early in this particular timeline. But I had to save your life, Y/N."

"Why? Because for some goddamn reason you think that I'm your future wife??"

"I don't think that, Y/N. I know it! We had a wedding! In the fifth grade, you promised your best friend that you'd wear a pink wedding dress and have matching pastel rose gowns for your bridesmaids. It came true, Y/N—"

"How the hell did you...?"

"You told me this in the future," Taehyung says. "I wouldn't be standing here trying to save your life if I didn't truly love you."

"But... But I just..." You can't seem to finish your sentences. "You can always find another wife. Do I, I mean, did I matter to you that much?"

Taehyung doesn't understand. You'd told him that you'd love him unconditionally. In whatever circumstance that life happened to throw at the two of you. Had that all just been simple love talk?

"Of course you matter to me..." he says, eyes softening. "I didn't spend 389 times turning back time to save you for nothing, you know."

You shake your head. "But see? 389 times... Maybe I'm just meant to die."

The hair on Taehyung's neck stands straight, and he can barely control his tone as he spits out rapidly, "How can you say that?? Y/N, you were alive before. I saw you. In my future. Please... Just get out of that car... Or stay there, I don't care. Just please don't drive away. You can sacrifice meeting your friends to save your life, right?"

You're biting your lip, fingers drumming on the wheel of your car as you think. Finally, you look up to meet Taehyung's eyes. "Can you come closer?"

His breath hitches. "Why?"

"I just wanna see if I've seen you somewhere," you hum thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you are from the future. Maybe I'll have to save your face into my memory," you laugh. "Hmm..." Your eyes meet Taehyung's large, warm ones, and you visibly relax behind your wheel. "You know, you're not exactly supposed to tell me about my future. What have the time-traveling movies taught you?"

Taehyung turns away to scoff lightly. He'd been proud of himself for that last step. And no matter how stupid you think it is, it's saving your life now.

"I do think it'd be a waste to die right now," you say. "I am pretty young... But my friends have been expecting to meet up for half a year. Hmph. You owe me! But fine. I won't go. I'm a little pissed, but I won't go. I'll drive home. I promise."

There has never been a happier happiness in Taehyung's life. "You promise, okay? You promised! You can't go, all right?"

"I won't," you say definitively. "Look, I'll even shake your hand to seal the deal." Through your rolled-down windows, you jut out your hand. After staring a bit, Taehyung takes your hand and gives it a firm shake. "Well, that's it, right?" you say. "We're going to meet again in the future?"

"Yeah. I guess this is it."

There's this mischievous grin plastered on your face. The mischief is what Taehyung notices must've gone away after being involved in such a tragic accident. He wonders what life would've been like if you were still this playful. But it also looks like he'll find out in a few minutes.

"Then I guess I'll see you later, future husband." You wink at him. And all too soon, you're driving away, leaving no evidence behind that you were ever here. It feels like a fever dream.

Taehyung's hands shake as he brings his notebook to his chest, embracing it. There are happy tears welling in his eyes. He'll be able to see you now. The you who loves him dearly.

Time travelers come in all different shapes, sizes and characters. There exist some who are cynical of their talents, those who rarely use it for the fear of touching something that wasn't meant to be touched. Then, there are others who use their abilities moderately. Those who might rewind time a little to get in a bit of extra sleep or study for a big final. Then, there are those time travelers who wield time so frequently, so fervently that they are rarely ever in their correct timeline.

Taehyung is one of these time travelers.

After spending weeks in the past, he doesn't travel to the present. Instead, he visits farther into the future, hoping to see you. Hoping to be able to flip through your wedding photos with you again and marvel at your beauty as you bask in his compliments. He hopes that you don't have your scar anymore—not that he never liked it. But you always thought you'd looked better without it. And he wants you to be happy.

"Y/N!" Taehyung calls, shaking with excitement as he lands feet first on new ground, seven years later. "Y/N!! Where are you?"

But the apartment in front of him is unrecognizable. It should have pulled up a red flag in Taehyung's mind, yet he ignores it. The butterfly effect. Somehow, since your accident hadn't taken place, the sequence of events had shifted and led to you suggesting to buy another apartment. It's quite conceivable.

"Y/N?"

Taehyung carefully rounds the corner of the living room, navigating his way through the foreign apartment. Not once does he see you or anything that would've belonged to you. The world becomes much darker again when he realizes that in the future, you and he aren't together.

The time traveler slips his phone out of his pocket—the latest model of a device that has yet to come out yet in his timeline—and he searches through his contacts. It's a possibility that you and he are still friends. Maybe the fact that he'd told you the two of you would wed in the future prevented the two of you from getting into a serious relationship. Yet after scouring his whole phone for hours, Taehyung finds no traces of you.

There is little hope left in his heart when he searches up the date of the cursed automobile accident. And the last of the light from his eyes dim when he sees, "Four dead from a tragic car crash."

His head spins with thoughts and weighs heavily with frustration. Only one question circles through his mind: why? He'd done everything in his power to help you. He'd had to watch you die more than three hundred consecutive times. He'd had the same goddamn conversation with you to try to convince you out of your own demise. But why hadn't it worked? Taehyung thought that the 389th time would do it. What had gone wrong?

A deep, empty pit settles in his stomach. Maybe you're right. Maybe you are supposed to die.

Taehyung scoffs, glaring at his little black journal. "You're fucking useless," he tells it, spite dripping in his every word. The eight steps he'd created one day out of pure inspiration are completely worthless to him now.

He wants to get rid of it. He wants to give up. Never see your face again. Maybe if he stops thinking about you now, it'll be easier on him in the future.

But...

Taehyung doesn't think. He just leaps, traveling alongside time, closing his eyes and landing just where he subconsciously desires. Taehyung glances at his watch.

4:43 p.m.

He notices the busy pedestrian just seconds away from her walk of death, his own feet hanging dangerously off the sidewalk. But instead of falling back to safety, he jumps—straight into the traffic—even before the pedestrian can move. Taehyung sees the familiar red car speeding up to him, and instinctively, he hurls his notebook straight at your windshield. It lands right at your line of vision with a loud thump! and he can hear your scream as you crash your foot on the brakes. Your head slams against your car wheel, blood trickling down your face, but you're not dead. The car behind you, however, swerves to avoid hitting you, tumbling down the hill for the 390th time. Strangely, they never survive; it must be their ill-fated destiny. Or maybe in some parallel universe, they fare much better. Either way, Taehyung can't save everyone, which makes sense because he's by no means a hero. He just wants things to turn back to normal.

But you. Unlike the couple behind your car, your destiny is not death from an unfortunate auto accident. You should've never died in the first place. Finally, you've been given the justice you deserve. You're alive.

Still, Taehyung has little to no time to celebrate. He needs to bolt out of the scene, for he doesn't want you to see him at all. Doesn't want you to recognize him in fear that things won't be the same—not as he's used to. So, he runs. Bystanders are starting to gather around the scene, and Taehyung panics inwardly, scrambling away so hastily that he trips over a curve. His ankle twists uncomfortably but he has no time to dwell on the sudden shoot of pain traveling up his leg. The adrenaline rush allows him to run. His head reels and he feels like he's going to pass out. But Taehyung pushes on. He wanders through time, searching to return back to his timeline. Wanting anything to finally see your face.

He lands right on his feet, though much more wobbly than before. The city is bustling, crowds of people moving left and right, up and down. Taehyung's leg is killing him. It might as well be a sprain, and the pain of it had been amplified through time travel. The world is spinning. Taehyung can barely catch his breath.

That's when he inadvertently bumps into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorr—" He freezes.

It's you.

It's really you.

Taehyung's eyes enlarge as he looks over your face in shock, awe, happiness—whatever emotions that flood through him. A little scar sits upon your forehead. Unlike other times, you haven't covered it up with concealer. His world becomes bright again.

Your eyes light up when you see his face. And to Taehyung's utmost surprise, you smile at him. He stares, falling back. The pain in his leg is gone in this moment—he'd forgotten it completely—too entranced by your presence to care. He doesn't know if you know him... if you'd caught a glimpse of him throwing his playbook at you... if you remember him at all.

But that's when his eyes trail down and catch a glimpse of you holding something tightly in your hands. It's small, heavily tattered, textured, black and almost looks... run over. Taehyung's lips part as he looks up to your face. Your smile shines brightly, and you look like you have so much to say just at the tip of your tongue. With your eyes glittering and your lips spread into a brilliant grin, you look positively radiant.

You're finally here, with him. Not in the future. Not stuck in the past either. But in the present.

Taehyung smiles. "Hello. I believe you have something of mine?"

masterlist

[dirt-cup-draco]

Cedric Diggory x Reader- Due Time

 Hello! Is it okay if I request something with Cedric with a Hufflepuff!Reader (or any house of your choice ) where cedric really likes the reader and leaves notes/love letters for her anonymously and reader is just really skeptical about it and weeks after that he wants to meet up and just fluff? Idk work your magic, do what's more necessary, I love you!

“That’s the third one in two weeks, isn’t it?” Hannah giggled, leaning over your shoulder as Susan peaked at the letter for just a moment before returning to her laid-back position in the arm chair she had claimed was hers on this rainy Sunday afternoon. 

“Mhmm,” You confirmed, eyebrows drawn to the center of your forehead as you wondered who could possibly be sending these over-the-top declarations of adoration. It wasn’t so much the contents that were over-the-top, but the fact that the letters hadn’t stopped coming since October and you were edging your way into April. The writing was unfamiliar to you even though you’d been sneaking glances at as many people’s essays and notes- anything that would give you a hint, really- as you could. 

The first letter had come to you on one of the worst days of your life. You felt at the time that it had been a friend anonymously sending you something just to cheer you up. The contents had been kind, generous even, but friendly and you hadn’t seen it is a love letter. 

Y/N, it had read, the sun has gone missing with the summer months but I don’t miss it much when I see you smile. Take care. 

It had been more of a note than a letter but it had still been folded neatly and left in an envelope. Somehow it had found it’s way into your bag and it was part of the reason you had assumed that either Hannah or Susan had left it. Even Hermione had been a thought. You were older than the Gryffindor but you two often studied together and she always seemed to know how to cheer you up when you entered the library looking more like a dark cloud than a person. 

However, you had inquired with every friend, hoping you could find them and thank them somehow, but everyone had denied it- even going as far as to show you their handwriting when you felt at a loss for finding your anonymous bit of belief. After that, the note had morphed into letters and the words read more like a love-sick poet than a friend offering support on your hardest days. 

“Why’ve you always got to frown Y/N?” Hannah pouted, bottom lip wobbling. “It’s just so lovely and you look like someone has sent you a ransom letter instead. They haven’t got anyone hostage, they just think you’re cute,” 

“No, they think she’s ‘brighter than a summer sun and more beautiful than spring’s first bloomed rose’” Susan giggled from her seat, shooting you a wink as the apple of your cheeks grew warm. 

“I’m not frowning,” You scowled at Hannah, disproving your point immediately, “I would just like to meet them. Their letters are very kind but it’s been months now and I’ve begun to wonder if they will actually ever speak to me,” 

Hannah couldn’t seem to argue with this so you folded up the most current letter and shoved it into your bag as the bell tolled and reminded you that you needed to run halfway across the castle to make it to your next class. With a goodbye thrown over your shoulder, you vanished out of the room. 

--

Cedric hadn’t been eavesdropping, he’d just been conveniently in the common room with you as you opened the letter that he had enchanted to float into your bag as you focused on McGonagall in transfiguration. He made the letter float laps around the classroom, out of the professors sharp and watchful eye, to make sure that no one could say where the letter originated from if Y/N inquired about it. 

He couldn’t help but smile as he watched your cheeks go rosy with Susan’s painfully accurate quote from his letter and he felt a bit embarrassed himself but he couldn’t regret it. He meant every word and you ought to be told as often as possible how truly radiant and wonderful you were. 

What made him pause, as you left the common room, was that you wanted to meet the author of these letters. You were right of course, he knew he could only send so many letters until you began to grow bored or even annoyed with the lengthy display of literary affection. Words of affirmation was how Cedric Diggory showed love and nothing could stop him from showing he cared for you. 

You knew each other, quite well actually, and so he wasn’t a complete coward he told himself. You two had conversations when the fancy struck and when he could get his tongue untied. Sometimes you’d find him half asleep in the common room and you’d shake him awake requesting he go to his bedroom for the night out of care but he would linger and ask about your day and the two of you would chat until far later than either of you had intended. 

Other times he would find you, head bent over a textbook as you sat beneath your favorite tree near the edge of the black lake. He teased one of these days the squid would come and grab your textbook from you but you’d just roll your eyes at him and pat the grass beside you, knowing he had a free period when you did. 

It was in the interactions he had grown to love every bit of you and he only wanted to learn more every time he got to be in your presence. 

Cedric swallowed the lump in his throat as he heard Hannah and Susan giggle, wondering who this mystery admirer could be. “He ought to hurry up and speak to her already, Y/N seems half ready to strangle whoever has been sending her those letters,” 

He knew that wasn’t true, Y/N wouldn’t hurt a fly. Yet, they were correct in that he needed to borrow a bit of gryffindor courage and come clean. A sudden thought struck fear deep into his stomach. What if someone else saw Y/N in the same golden light? Would they tell her that they had been the ones to write the words that came from his heart and his heart alone? That had decided it for him. He would tell Y/N that night. 

--

“Y/N?” you heard from your left, head buried in your arms as you rested on top of one of the tables in your common room. You hadn’t been asleep or studying, just thinking. Thinking of papers due, love letters, and the weather. Thinking of the rotation of the earth and how you weren’t really sure what made an animagus and what made a werewolf even though you were certain it was simple and you should have learned it long ago. Thinking of everything and nothing.

“Oh, yes, sorry Ced,” You mumbled, bleary eyes focusing on the boy who had taken a seat beside you. You let yourself take a moment to fall into the depth of his eyes. He had such caring eyes. Yes, the popular hufflepuff was quite the looker but he was far more than that and you had had the pleasure of speaking with him some during the school year. You considered him a friend and you hoped he did too, seeing as he had been the one to approach you. 

“Everything okay?” You asked, stifling a yawn and looking around you to see that your fellow housemates had left the common room while you had been lost in all of your thoughts and non-thoughts. 

“Yeah!” He replied a bit too cheery, voice pitching towards the end. Cedric winced and your eyebrows crinkled in that familiar way that made him want to smooth the lines away and ask what was worrying you. His stomach flipped comfortably and he let out an easier breath. 

“Yeah,” He tried again, more relaxed. “Just wanted to talk to you ‘bout something, actually,” 

“Oh?” You perked up, sleep falling from your eyes as you became more alert. Worry settled in your gut. Was Cedric certain everything was okay? You couldn’t bear thinking anything was wrong but you were honored that if something was wrong he wanted to come speak with you. 

“Yes, I have something for you,” The boy tried to keep his tone even but he couldn’t but feel some excitement swirl in his gut. He knew it was the right thing to tell you now and this seemed a good way to do it. Tugging a crisp envelope from his pocket he handed it to you and watched confusion paint over your worried expression. 

“Open it,” He encouraged. 

“But it looks like-” You caught yourself, staring down at the familiar envelope. Surely Cedric couldn’t be the one sending you such attentive letters? You didn’t interact as often as once a day even if you would like to. You told yourself you were being silly and hopeful, your friend just had something to show you and you were letting the letters get in the way of that. 

To cover up your hesitation you opened the envelope eagerly, unfolding the paper to find a familiar scrawl. Your heart flipped and your stomach flew. 

Hogsmeade this weekend? 

The option to check a box labelled yes sat beside another identical box labelled no and you stared with wide and startled eyes at Cedric. 

“You mean you were the one?” You croaked, eyes growing glossy. Putting a face to the letters made them mean exponentially more. Such kind eyes, such a kind heart. 

“Y-yeah,” Cedric breathed out, hand skating nervously against the back of his neck. “Just wanted to cheer you up one day when you looked down but then we started talking more and I just needed you to know how brilliant you are otherwise I’d explode but I was too nervous to tell you and well... I just kept writing and didn’t stop.” 

“Oh Ced,” You gasped, realization dawning on you. “You heard me in the common room earlier? I never meant to pressure you-” 

“No, no, Y/N,” He chuckled, his hand reaching for your arm before bashfulness overtook him and he pulled away. “It was time I said something, but....” 

He trailed off meaningfully, eyes downcast and you followed his gaze to the unchecked boxes. 

“Oh!” you giggled, that familiar red crawling up your neck to the tips of your ears. Grabbing your quill you checked a box, drying the ink with a spell before folding the parchment and putting it back inside the envelope. Standing, you handed Cedric the letter and brushed a daring kiss to his cheek before you ran upstairs leaving him absolutely giddy and more than confused. 

After shaking himself from his reverie, he tore at the envelope and noticed a neat X trapped within the confines of the box titled Yes. 

Cedric couldn’t fight the grin that spread from ear to ear and you were upstairs battling the same problem of a too-wide smile. It was long overdue he said something and you were more than happy he had. 

You both fell asleep as the sun started to lighten the world outside your drawn curtains. It would come back to bite the both of you once classes started but neither of you could get your upcoming Hogsmeade date out of mind. When you caught his eye during breakfast you knew that your sleepless night had been well worth it. 

[ct7567329]

Pass: Rex x Reader

A loud sigh escaped your lips as a holopad was slapped down next to you.

"Here are the list of all the troopers that need their annual evaluation. Make sure you can get them all done within the next thirty rotations," General Shaak Ti informed you, urgency in her voice.

You hummed in response and picked up the holopad, browsing through the list. All ARC Troopers were reevaluated annually to ensure they were still the best fit for the position. The list could easily be knocked in half if the 501st managed to make their way to Kamino anytime soon. The mid-rim sieges would make it difficult but you had to get it done.

Begging Anakin to let the 501st have a few days off on Kamino wasn't too hard to accomplish. He complied to it faster than you expected but you weren't going to complain. There was plenty to do before the reevaluations. Testing new weapons, giving new battle combinations and evaluation their ability to adapt were just a few things that needed to be done. And you had to figure out how to do it.

The only thing you enjoyed about the task was catching up with the troopers. Throughout your time as a special ranks trainer at Kamino,  you've developed many friendships with the soldiers, and unfortunately, you never really got to see them again once they were shipped off.

Your heart jumped a little when you saw the number 7567 on the list. You recognized the number as a Captain named Rex. He was one of the hardest working soldiers you've worked with. Right before he shipped out, he buzz cut his hair and dyed it blonde, making him the only soldier in that captain training program to not have the standard hair cut with brown hair. You admired his willingness to be unique.

Roughly six rotations later, the 501st finally arrived on Kamino, giving the majority of the men a much needed break. You figured Anakin would be in the mess hall so you made your way there to meet up with your long time-no see friend.

It was never difficult to find him. Anakin was always the center of attention. According to his Padawan, he enjoyed telling elaborated stories about before the war to the clones. You approached him from behind as he rambled on about his encounter with a bounty hunter when he was only fourteen.

"Wow, let me guess, you used your lightsaber without holding it. You used the force to levitate it?" you butted it, chuckling slightly.

Anakin turned around and threw his hand up, "(Y/N)! Always a pleasure to see you. Let me introduce you to my new men!"

You smirked and shook your head as Anakin began introducing them. It appeared as if Rex wasn't present.

"And this here is Hard-"

"Case," you laughed, "You forget. I've worked with every solider that steps foot off this planet."

"Great to see you again, General!" Hardcase salutes, "And may I add, your beauty has multiplied since."

You rolled your eyes, "Not even the brutality of the war can take away his charm. But, he takes after his general I suppose."

The men snickered as Anakin gave you a glare.

"Anyway, I sent you a list of men that need their evaluation. I know you're here for a while but of you can let them know to get it done as soon as possible, that would be great. I have thousands of troopers to test."

"You wish is my command," Anakin playfully bowed.

You exhaled and began to exit, "I'll catch up with you all soon!" you called out.

As you exited the mess hall, you began to reminisce on the old days of being a Padawan and filling around with Anakin. The two of you always managed to pull off shenanigans that usually resulted in a conference by the council, but you wouldn't change a thing. You turned the corner to head to your quarters when you knocked into a solider, causing him to drop his helmet.

"Oh my gosh I am so sorry...Rex?" you gasped, once you realized who it was.

Rex's jaw dropped, "General. You remember my name?"

"I remember every soldier's name," you grinned, using the force to pick up his helmet, "especially the special ones." You handed him his helmet.

"Is that a compliment, sir?" he asked, slowly taking his helmet from you.

You bit your lower lip, "Perhaps. How has the war been for the 501st?"

He let out a heavy sigh, "There's always some uphill battles, but I think we are all just glad to be back on Kamino. Even if it's just for seven rotations."

"Me too!" you nodded. Trying to hide your reddening cheeks in his presence was nearly impossible. They say war drains you, but Rex was even more handsome than you remembered.

"Sir? Aren't you always on Kamino though?" he asked, making a confused face.

"Oh no. I mean I'm glad that the 501st is back. You guys are the finest soldiers to come out of my training. My favorite to be around, if I may add."

Rex's entire demeanor when from solider talking to general to a look of more compassion, "You mean that?"

"Lying isn't the Jedi way. And even if I wasn't a Jedi, who would lie to someone like you? Don't sell yourself short, Rex. Don't think just because you're 'just a clone' you're any less than anyone else. And-"

You stopped for a moment, realizing what words. were actually coming out of your mouth.

"And.." you drew out the n sound, "Don't forget to pick a time slot for your evaluation! Can't wait to see how much you've grown on the battlefield!" you rushed to say, before taking off to your quarters at a quick pace.

As you hastily walked away, Rex turned to look at you. He wasn't quite sure what to make of what you said. As far as he could remember, you were always kind to him, compassionate with your words, but never that caliber. Though he would have loved to think of it as a flirtatious encounter, he knew that would be something he could only dream of and continued to make his way to the mess.

"Are you knifing stupid!?" you yelled to yourself as you entered your quarters. In that moment you knew you messed up. If there was anything you were taught as a youngling, is was that admitting your attachments is a tell tale sign you are completely attached. You sighed and flung your body onto your bed, hoping a nap would clear your mind.

Meanwhile, Rex ate his grub hastily. This wasn't common for him at all. Especially since the men of the 501st were used to actually conversing with Rex during meals.

"What's got you eating like a bat out of hell?" Fives asked, turning his head to face his vod.

"Just a little busy," Rex mumbled, stuffing the remaining food in his mouth.

Fives raised an eyebrow, "With what? We have six whole rotations for evaluations, and our evaluator is General (Y/LN). You've said before you two were friendly during your training. I'm sure she'll go easy on you!"

Rex didn't respond.

"And last we heard, you have no interning on becoming Commander Rex," Jesse butted in, "That takes less work off your shoulders. Some of us are looking for promotions."

"You really think you're getting promoted to arc trooper," Hardcase laughed, getting an eye roll in response.

Rex finally got up, "I saw General (Y/LN) in the hall and she asked if I wanted to assist with ARC promotions," he lied, "Just thinking about whether or not I'm fit for that responsibility."

He walked away, wanting nothing more than to find Anakin's droid, R2.

"Told you you should have been kissing Rex's shebs!" Hardcase hummed at Jesse as Rex exited the mess hall.

At last he was alone with his thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about your conversation with him. As much as his heart told him it was flirtatious, his mind told him other wise. It didn't take Rex long to find R2.

"Hey R2!" he called, the droid rolling towards him and greeting him with a series of beeps.

"I need to know if I have access to know where General (Y/LN)'s quarters are located."

R2 buzzed, telling Rex the location.

"She gave me access?" he replied softly, "strange. Thank you."

Rex made his way through the seemingly never ending halls. He figured the Jedi quarters had to be hidden deep in the halls of Kamino. After what felt like forever he reached the door to your quarters and knocked.

A knock startled you from your nap. In a hurry, you straightened up your bed and laid out your meditation mat, sitting in a meditative state.

"Enter," you called, your eyes shut. As the person entered the room, your eyes were still shut. By reaching out to the Force, you knew it was Rex.

"Captain, you seem a bit, conflicted," you announced opening your eyes to look at him, "take a seat."

The door shut behind him and he sat down across from you on your meditation mat.

"You do know that Captains are not permitted to supervise ARC selection, correct?" you asked, tilting your head slightly.

His lips parted, "Sir?"

You smirked, "Jedi thing. I know what you told your brothers." You stopped for a moment and saw his face drop, "but I would have done the same."

"Huh?"

"What's bothering you, Rex?"

"Uh, nothing. Just nervous about evaluations."

"You think you can lie to a Jedi," you rolled your eyes, cocking your head at him again.

Rex pressed his lips together and looked down at your meditation mat, "you know why I'm here don't you?"

"Perhaps," you shrugged, inching your body towards his.

He swallowed at your closeness to him and he whispered, "so what was it?"

You gave him a shy smile and leaned into him, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. For being at war for so long, his skin was surprisingly soft.

"That should answer your question, Rex."

Rex's cheeks were flushed, a tan outline of your lips stained on his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Rex," you sighed, moving back to your spot on the meditation mat.

"For? You easily just made me the luckiest man in the galaxy. I've wanted this moment for a long time.  Figured I would be foolish to actually dream of it." Rex's smile remained on his face, "If I don't do my evaluation, do I just get to stay on Kamino until I take it?"

You chuckled, "I get this is your home, but trust me, you'd rather be out on the battlefield."

"I can't get cheek kisses on the battlefield," he smirked contagiously.

The two of you looked at each other in an awkward silence.

Rex finally broke it, "Don't get my wrong, your training is flawless, but unfortunately I wasn't given  romance lessons, so I'm going to give this my best try," he paused for a moment, "would you be interested in a late night snack together in the mess tonight?"

"As long as you're interested in late night holovids in my quarters afterwards," you blushed back.

Rex confidently beamed, "It's a date." He reached out for your hand and softly kissed the back of it, "Now as much as I would love to stay, I have an evaluation to practice for."

You looked up at him as he left the room, "A little birdie told me you'll pass."

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[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) ch. 11

hello hello hello!! thank you all so much for reading my fic, it really means the world to me! i never thought i’d see this many people enjoy something i wrote, so i want you guys to know that i appreciate each and every one of you and i see every single one of your comments and they make me smile so big!!! i hope you’re all having a great day :)

pt 1

pt 10

pt 12

The door to her cell opened and she had to squint against the bright light of civilization. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the change before she recognized the shadowy figures that stood in front of her. “Mom?” She asked. “Dad?” 

The cement walls of the cells were covered in years of dirt and dust. The little light that filtered through the window at the very top of the wall illuminated the room just enough so that one could see their hand in front of their face. The floor of her cell was dirt, which she supposed was a benefit, as she didn’t have a bed. 

(Y/N) spent most of her days in solitude. Occasionally, a guard would come in and toss her meals on the floor. They had no problem being unkind to her. They reminded her that she was a traitor to her people, a worthless and groveling little girl that used others for her own advantages. They called her names, threw food at her, and reminded her that she would be spending the rest of her life in this wretched place. 

After Katara fled with Aang, she and Iroh had been captured in Ba Sing Se. Their hands and feet were placed in shackles to prevent them from bending. Azula herself had thrown her into her cell on the ship that they would use to travel back to the Fire Nation. The girl spit at her from outside the cell bars before shutting the door behind her. That was the last time (Y/N) had seen anyone she recognized.

She wasn’t sure how many days she had been in prison. They all melted together when she tried to think about it. The only thing she knew was that the guards woke her up when it was time to wake up. 

It was a long time before she received her first visitors. She was sat at the back of the cell against the wall, replaying all the good times that she had had with her friends in her mind. Pushing Aang into the river on accident, teaching Toph how to do a cartwheel, and hunting and making dinner with Sokka and Katara were just a few of the things that popped into her mind. 

The door to her cell opened and she had to squint against the bright light of civilization. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the change before she recognized the shadowy figures that stood in front of her. “Mom?” She asked. “Dad?” 

Her parents looked down at her. She scrambled to her feet to come closer to the bars. She reached her hands out to touch them, but neither of them reached out to her. Her father’s face was one of anger and disgust. Her mother, surprisingly, just looked sad. 

“When I found out that you had betrayed us--betrayed your nation, I was in disbelief. You had always been such an obedient young girl. And then I find out that my daughter had released prisoners and run away with the Avatar.” Her father turned his nose up at her. “You deserve every single thing that has come to you. You’re lucky Fire Lord Ozai hasn’t imprisoned us all for your treachery.” 

(Y/N)’s fingers curled around the bars of her cell. “You’re in far too deep to ever understand,” she said. 

“What I understand is that my own daughter is a traitor and that I have no choice but to disown her from our family.” 

She stared at him in disbelief. “You would put the Fire Nation before me?” 

“I will always put the Fire Nation before you.” For the first time since she arrived at the prison, (Y/N) felt an emotion besides sadness overcome her: anger. 

“That is what’s wrong with you! Throughout my entire life, you’ve chosen everything but your wife and daughter. You think it’s for the good of the Fire Nation, but it’s not! The Fire Nation isn’t good. What they’re doing isn’t good! I’ve seen the destruction we’ve caused with my own two hands. I’ve watched it happen. You’re just a puppet who blindly follows the orders of a tyrannical monster. So fine, disown me! I haven’t wanted to be part of this family since Zuko’s Agni Kai.” 

Her father chuckled. “I had a feeling that’s where you had gone wrong. Your affection for the boy made you weak. You didn’t understand that that’s what needed to be done.”

“And my father needed to make me watch it, right? My father needed to hold my head to make sure that I didn’t turn away while I watched my closest friend--a child--be scarred by his father?” She shook her head. “You’re just as sick as the rest of them.” 

She moved away from the bars and sat down with her back against the wall. “You know, Dad, I actually feel sorry for you. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be so poisoned on the inside.” 

Her father had had enough. He was a man who hated pity and she knew this. Her words had dug deep. He turned and stormed out of the room. Her mother remained. 

“Are you going to disown me too?” She asked. 

Her mother stared at her for a long time. (Y/N) was surprised to see that as she moved closer, her mother was crying. She couldn’t remember her mother expressing any sort of emotion before. 

“My sweet girl,” her mother said, grabbing her hand through the cell bars. “I love you. I wish there was something I could do, but-” 

“It’s okay,” (Y/N) said softly. “I can keep myself safe. You do the same, okay?” Her mother nodded and kissed her hand before leaving the room. 

The encounter with her parents, although horrible, gave her hope. She would make it out of this prison if it was the last thing she did. And if Aang hadn’t survived, she would get rid of Ozai herself. 

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

(Y/N) had been sleeping when she heard something fall to the floor. 

She sat up immediately, looking in every direction to see the source of the noise. The moon was high, but provided very little light into the cell. After feeling around for a few minutes, her hands finally scraped against a brick. She walked over to where it had fallen from and peered inside. 

“Can you hear me?” The voice almost made her scream in surprise. She covered her mouth before leaning close to the hole. She could see another cell on the other side, but she couldn’t see the person. 

“Who’s there?” She whispered back. 

“It’s me,” said the voice, a bit louder this time. She instantly recognized it. 

“Iroh!” She sighed happily. “You can’t understand how happy I am to hear you. How’d you know I was over here?” 

“There’s a nice guard lady who told me about you when I asked. She said you were doing well.” 

“As well as I can be, given...y’know.” Iroh hummed. 

“Listen. I have a plan.” (Y/N) felt her heart begin to race. “The Day of the Black Sun is in two days time. It only last for eight minutes, but we are going to break out.” 

“How are we going to do that?” 

“Follow my lead. And trust me.” 

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

The evening before the Day of the Black Sun, (Y/N) received another visitor. The door shut just as quickly as it opened, so she wasn’t even sure if there was anyone inside with her. Normally the guards left the door open if there were visitors. 

“Hello?” She called out. 

“(Y/N),” Zuko said. 

“Get out.” She didn’t hesitate to say it. “Get out right now or I’ll blast you to pieces.” 

“I know your bending doesn’t work in here.” 

“Fine. Then I’ll tear you to pieces. Leave. Now. I don’t want to talk to you.” 

“Would you just listen to me for a second?” 

“No! You don’t deserve my time. I thought you had changed.” 

“I have changed--” 

“Obviously not, Zuko, because one of us is in this cell and one of us isn’t.” She sat up the actually face him. He sat in front of the cell bars. He was wearing an imperial cloak. “I see you’ve been living fancy in the royal palace.” 

“If you would just shut your mouth for two seconds--” 

“Why? So you can tell me how awful I am? How horrendous it was of me to betray Azula to protect my friends? You want to tell me how good it is now that your Father doesn’t absolutely despise you anymore?”

“I didn’t come here to say any of that.” 

“Then why did you come here?” 

“I...Remember when you came to the tea shop in Ba Sing Se? And we talked and you told me all of those things about how despite everything I’d done, you still missed me?” 

“I take it all back,” she said decidedly. “That was back when I thought you were different. But you’re the same boy who’s let me down time and time again.” She turned away from him. “I trusted you, Zuko. I let myself believe you could really be different. And you know how I hate being wrong.” 

Zuko stood and walked out of her cell, slamming the door shut behind him. (Y/N) held in her tears. She would not let herself cry over Zuko anymore. 

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

(Y/N) tried her hardest to wait during the Day of the Black Sun, but she was too excited. She tried her hardest to see out the window of her cell so that she could tell where the sun was, but it was impossible. Instead, she just paced along the dirt floor. 

She wondered where her friends were, at this very moment. How would she get back to them? She hoped they weren’t far. 

Suddenly, her cell went dark. She heard a commotion happening to her left and then the door to her cell was kicked in. A very buff-looking Iroh entered and bent her cell bars apart just enough so that she could slip through. “I see you haven’t been wasting your time here,” she commented, before the two of them darted down the halls of the prison. They encountered a few Fire Nation soldiers, but without their bending, they were absolutely useless against hand-to-hand combat. (Y/N) and Iroh quickly overpowered them and made their way outside. 

“Don’t look up!” Iroh shouted at her. He grabbed her hand and they ran as far away from the prison as they could. (Y/N) looked around and saw that the royal city had been completely emptied, no doubt to the bunker that extended underneath it. 

She and Iroh climbed over a hill and finally stopped to catch their breath. The clanging of swords against armor caught her attention and (Y/N) looked down to see Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe warriors fighting below them. She figured out instantly that this was the invasion and that meant that her friends must not be far away. 

“Come with me!” (Y/N) called to Iroh as she made her way down the slope. She turned to find him still standing at the top of the hill. 

“I must go another way. I will be alright. Go, reunite with your friends.” He gave her a big smile before disappearing on the other side of the hill. She didn’t hesitate. She ran down the hill, nearly breaking her ankles multiple times in the process, and ran up to the crowd surrounding the big hunk of armor that was undoubtedly Appa. 

“Hey!” She called out, waving her arms wildly. “Guys, it’s me!” 

Aang was the first one to notice her. He squinted his eyes to see who was running towards them. Once he realized, his face broke out into a big smile. “It’s (Y/N)!” He shouted. 

“(Y/N)?” Sokka exclaimed. He ran toward her and their bodies collided into a tight embrace. 

“You almost knocked me over,” (Y/N) laughed. Sokka pulled away and kissed her quickly. 

“I’m never, ever letting go again.” (Y/N) felt her face get hot but she had no time to hide it as she started getting bombarded by her friends. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Katara sobbed into (Y/N). She held her friend tight, her own eyes pooling with tears. 

“Katara, it’s okay. I don’t blame you one bit. I’m the one who told you to go.” She turned to Aang and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have this guy around!” 

“You’re all squishing me!” Toph exclaimed. Somehow, the small girl had gotten herself in the middle of the group hug. (Y/N) grinned, pulling Toph close. 

“Toph! I thought I’d never be able to smell your stinky feet again!” Toph smiled and wrapped her arms around her midsection. 

“Don’t go getting imprisoned ever again,” Toph said. “You hear me?” 

(Y/N)’s cheeks hurt from how big she was smiling. “Alright Toph, but only since you asked.” 

---

I KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. JUST KEEP TRUSTING ME.

Tag List! 

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[alwaysfeelingsaintlike]

Driving Me Mad [G.W] - Part 1

Series Description: You and George come up with a plan to help each other out by pretending to date each other. But what happens when you actually start to catch feelings...

Pairing: George Weasley x Gryffindor fem!reader 

Word Count: 2.2k

Description: You reconnect with George during a friendly game of spin the bottle.

A/N: This concept was inspired by one of my favorite 90s teen movies, Drive Me Crazy (which everyone should watch btw). I wrote this a few years ago and recently re-worked. This is part 1 of 8! Enjoy :)

                                                         X

“1…2…3…4…” you heard Fred calling. You took off at a run to find your spot. You were playing hide and seek, like you always did at these reunions. The Burrow was the best venue for hide and seek because there were so many great hiding spots, both inside and out. Fred and George seemed to be the best at this game, but you had one secret spot where no one could ever find you. You ran down the stairs quickly, hoping you wouldn’t be heard or spotted. Your parents were in the sitting room with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, waiting for the roast to finish and you tip-toed to the one area where you shouldn’t have been, the kitchen. It was an unspoken rule that the kitchen was off limits when Mrs. Weasley was preparing dinner, but you were never one to follow rules. You heard the adults talking in the other room and knew you had a very limited window to get situated. You opened the cabinet under the sink and went to climb in when you realized there was already someone in there.

“Hey! This is my spot!” you whispered, still trying to keep your cover.

“Well too bad, I was here first,” he spat back. 

“READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!” Fred called. Your eyes went wide in panic and you shoved yourself into the cabinet.

“Slide…over…” you said as you dug your elbow into George’s side. You knocked over stacks of bowls and pans and you quickly shut the cabinet door hoping to muffle the noise.

“I can’t believe you took my spot,” you grumbled.

“Your spot? I don’t see your name on it,” he teased. You smacked him and he winced. “Now, that wasn’t very nice.”

“Shh…you’ll give our position away.” You heard footsteps coming across the tile floor and held your breath. 

You sat there for what seemed like hours, whispering insults back and forth and laughing about stupid things. The hardest part about sitting there was that dinner was starting to smell amazing. It was torturous. That was the downside to having a great hiding place; you were stuck there until you got found.

“Okay, I give up. You guys win. Just come out now,” you heard Fred calling.

“Should we?” you asked George.

“Nah. It’s more fun this way.”

By this point all of the kids were looking for you both, and maybe even the adults. It was hard to tell for sure, considering you were curled up in a cabinet, but you could hear lots of footsteps and your names being called repeatedly.

“Kids, come for dinner!” Mrs. Weasley called.

“What about now?” you asked George, thinking that the seekers would stop looking for you the minute their eyes caught sight of the meal. 

George shook his head no and you trusted he knew what he was doing. “Just wait for it…” he whispered.

As if on cue, both the cabinet doors suddenly flew open. You had been caught. You then realized, it was Mrs. Weasley who had caught you and she had yet to notice two children were in place of her kitchen supplies. She was turned and was calling for the older boys to come and set the table. 

Slowly, very slowly, she turned around and bent down to tend to the cabinet. George’s face broke into a warm smile, knowing what was coming next.

“AAAH!” she shrieked upon seeing your childish figures cramped into such a small space.  You and George erupted into laughter at her reaction as everyone else scurried in to see what had happened. Mrs. Weasley was leaning against the counter, clutching her heart before she essentially beat you with a dishtowel to get you to come out.

“George! Y/N! What on earth were you thinking? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Weasley! We didn’t mean to. We were just playing hide and seek,” you spoke, innocently enough. Her mood completely changed and it was as if nothing was wrong.

“Well…alright. Go wash up for dinner,” she said. 

Fred approached the two of us, “That was brilliant. Couldn’t have done it better myself,” he said, giving you both high fives. 

Dinner was full of laughs and merriment as the two families conversed over a lovely meal. George sat across from you at the table and every now and then he would kick your shins and give you that evil grin of his. This was your relationship. You were essentially the second Weasley girl, and according to the twins you were more fun to torment because you could dish it back.

Dinner drew to a close, which meant you could continue playing again. The adults stayed and talked more over tea as you all made up imaginary games, pretending to be people you weren’t. Then, soon, your parents would call you and give you the twenty-minute warning, which always meant you were leaving in an hour. You would say your goodbyes like it was no big deal, but once you started heading home you grew infinitely sadder knowing you’d be playing alone until your next trip to the Burrow.

                                                              X

A lot of time had passed since the hide and seek days. Now, hide and seek was used when you were playing hard to get, which happened quite often now that you were a 5th year. You also didn’t see as much of the Weasleys as you used to. When you were younger, you would go over to the Burrow all the time. But now you only really saw them in passing at Hogwarts. You were still friendly, of course, but you had found yourself in a different friend group. 

Recently, you’d been spending a lot more time with the Ravenclaw’s largely because you were dating Roger Davies. You had started dating towards the end of your fourth year and things had been going great. You were particularly excited for the upcoming school year because they had announced the Triwizard Tournament.

The champions had just been announced and you were in  Room of Requirement, sipping a butterbeer and celebrating with a majority of the Hogwarts population.

“Here ye, here ye!” someone called out. Your attention shifted to the center of the room where the Weasley twins were making an announcement.

“As you all know, we are here for two reasons. One: to celebrate the success of our fellow Hogwartsians,” one of them spoke. The crowd cheered. Cedric’s friends clapped him on the back while Harry stood awkwardly in the corner with a handful of Gryffindors from his year. 

“And two is to have a bloody good time!” the other twin shouted. That statement was followed by even more applause. People clinked their butterbeer bottles together as the twins made a few more remarks to the group.

You mingled around the party for a bit, keeping your eye out for Roger who hadn’t seemed to arrive yet. After a few butterbeers, you stopped worrying so much about your boyfriend’s whereabouts. 

“Who wants to play spin the bottle?” you heard someone call. That certainly caught your attention. All the participants sat in a circle on the floor.

“What rules are we playing tonight?” Cho asked. 

Fred spoke next, “Spinner gets one spin. Whoever the bottle lands on can decide if they want one kiss in front of everyone or five minutes in the closet. You only get a re-spin if the bottle lands on yourself. And all wands in the middle of the circle. We don’t need any interference. Sound good?” Everyone nodded in agreement and the festivities ensued.

Since Cedric was the champion, everyone agreed to let him spin first. His bottle landed on Lavender Brown and she chose to enter the closet with Cedric. Cho looked pissed, as she had her eye on Cedric this year. The two emerged from the closet minutes later, Cedric looking sheepish and surprised and Lavender trying to hide the grin creeping up her face. 

You waited and waited for your turn, and you found yourself getting bored. You were about to leave the game and head to bed but then you heard your name.

“You’re up.” 

The bottle slid over to you and you decided you would leave after your turn was up. You held the glass bottle for a moment before placing it in the middle of the circle and giving it a good spin. The bottle was almost mesmerizing as it completed rotation after rotation before finally slowing down to land on someone. You slowly looked up to see who was at the receiving end of your spin and you internally cringed to see that familiar smile. 

“Alright Y/L/N, I will see you in the closet,” he said. Everyone ‘oohed’ like you were preteens as he stood up and made his way to the closet. You reluctantly followed, knowing this was your ticket out of here.

“Well if it isn’t my first girlfriend,” he smiled as you made your way through the door.

“You wish, George. We were six…it didn’t count.”

“That’s what you think.” You rolled your eyes at his comment.

“Just so you know, nothing is happening in here. I have a boyfriend.”

“Ah of course. Well how are things?”

“Things are going great between us. We’ve been dating almost-“

He cut you off, “I wasn’t asking about Roger. I was asking about you. We haven’t talked in a while.”

“We run in different circles, George. We aren’t kids anymore. We’re barely even friends.”

He clenched his heart, “Ouch. That hurts.”

“Well it’s true!”

“Just because we don’t hang out or talk doesn’t mean we’re not friends.”

“Yeah, whatever,” you mumbled. 

“I bet I know more about you than your so-called friends, Cho and Marietta. In fact, I think I know more about you than Roger.”

You raised an eyebrow at him, “Is that so? Prove it.”

“Well, I know that your favorite color is purple, your best subject is Charms, and you hate the cold but you love Christmas.”

“That is not that impressive. Roger knows all of that.”

George took a step closer to you, “Does he know that you secretly love watching Muggle movies, you’re ticklish on your left knee and that there’s a little star shaped mole just behind your ear.” He gently tucked your hair behind your ear and ran his finger right over the hidden mole. You looked up into his eyes and felt an unusual feeling that you weren’t sure how to define. For a moment, you thought you saw him leaning in towards you. He was going to kiss you and for some odd reason, you were going to let him. Just as your lips were about to touch he turned away as there was a series of knocks on the door. 

“I think our time is up,” you spoke softly. You slid from under his gaze and opened the closet door. “They all bolted…” you stated. The room was full of discarded cups and empty bottles, but no familiar faces to be seen.

“Filch or someone must’ve come by,” he said, “The knock was a warning.” You shrugged and without talking you made your way out of the room. “Heading back to Gryffindor tower?” he asked you. You had briefly thought about going to Ravenclaw tower to check in on Roger, but you decided against it.

The journey was silent, for the most part. Neither of you felt the need to talk. Just as you were about to turn a corner, George grabbed your wrist and pulled you back. You turned back at him confused and he said, “Not that way, we’ll get caught. Filch is usually patrolling that corridor.” You gave him an unamused look, thinking he was just trying to make things difficult when he added, “Trust me.” 

You weren’t sure why, but you did trust him. You followed him down a dark hall that you’d never been down before. You hoped he knew where he was going. It was dark and you couldn’t see very well but you didn’t want to give away your position by using Lumos. Out of nowhere, George took your hand and helped guide you down the hallway. You didn’t really understand why he was being so nice to you. You had barely talked over the years, aside from the occasional family gathering. 

Your thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pop of light. You looked up and the two of you were face to face with Professor McGonagall. 

“Professor,” he spoke.

“Mr. Weasley…Ms. Y/L/N. Is there a reason you two are out of bed past curfew?” she asked you sternly.

“Yes, but it’s not a very good one,” you said. You were toast. If it had been Flitwick or Moody you could’ve talked your way out of it, but McGonagall was too strict. You only hoped your punishment wasn’t too severe.

“Ten points will be taken from Gryffindor. Each. And you will report for detention later this week.”

“Yes ma’am,” George spoke.

“Now back to bed, both of you!” You scurried past her as you realized how close you were to the common room.

“So much for not getting caught,” you muttered.

“Hey, lay off it. I was trying to help,” he snapped. “Sometimes you can be such a bitch,” he added under his breath.  You weren’t expecting that, but you admittedly deserved it.

You reached the common room and you went in and immediately went up to your room. You curled up in bed and tried to sleep as best I could.

[vennilavee]

to build a home - ch 1

beyond the drapes

attack on titan masterlist

ch 2 - a girl in a bar

Pairing: levi x reader (attack on titan)

Summary: a modern au where you and levi both work for the Survey Corps, a non-profit organization with a mission to help the youth of the Underground District.

Warnings: cursing, suggestive themes

Word Count: 3787

A/N: im so excited to explore levi’s character in this setting!! this story will be a series of moments in no sequential order. in this modern au, the walls still exist, as does the underground district. the only thing modern about it is the technology and culture lolol ENJOY

*** This day is bound to be a long one- it’s only 10 AM and you’ve already been in back to back meetings with several of donors for the foundation. You’ve been in meetings for the last three and a half hours, your toasted bagel now cold and your second cup of coffee now empty. You sigh and roll your shoulders back, pinching the bridge of your nose in annoyance.

These rich types would be the death of you. But Erwin had specifically asked you to handle the rich donors. As if Hange or Levi would be able to sit through even one of these ass-kissing phone calls. You can hear sugary sweetness dripping off of your tongue with practiced patience and you hardly recognize it. It’s an out of body experience. As words are rolling off your tongue, you wonder how Levi would fare with this responsibility.

He’d complain the whole time and then tell the person on the other end of the video call to fuck off and get their heads out of their asses. The thought makes you scoff and you clear your throat to cover the sound.

Erwin knew your strengths and weaknesses as individuals and a team, and you were grateful for such an insightful boss and friend.

Once you seal the third donation of the morning, you take your headset off and rub your temples. You’re glad you’re free until noon, giving you some time to catch up on emails and catch up with your colleagues and friends. The drapes in your office were drawn back, illuminating your office in a faint sunny glow. Today, the sun was hiding behind the clouds so it wasn’t terribly bright.

And yes, you had drapes in your office. They were a midnight blue with threads of gold embroidered throughout. Everyone else had normal blinds, but you had seen these drapes while window shopping years ago for this new office and you knew it belonged. Something about the blue and gold made you feel royal and regal. As if this was yours and yours only.

That didn’t mean that Levi didn’t tell you how stupid your drapes were and how stupid you were at least once daily- “You think this is a stupid castle or something? You hear yourself?”

To which you would prompt reply, “if this was a castle, you’d be the damn gargoyle in front. The one that scares everyone away.”

And then he’d just ‘tch’ at you and roll his eyes.

What an ass.

You’re growing restless, so you lock your computer and get up to stretch your muscles for a few minutes. Sitting for hours at a time does a number on you in ways that you’d never expect- your shoulders sometimes hurt, your lower back, even your ass.

Maybe you need a better seat and desk setup, you muse. Walking down the hallway with your cold bagel in your left hand, you rotate your right shoulder and wince. You pass several of the new hires, Eren and Jean who seem to be bickering amongst themselves but straighten up and say ‘good morning’ to you as you pass them. You give them a smile and a wave, continuing on your way.

You stop by Hange’s office, where her door is wide open and papers are strewn all over the place. She’s viciously typing on her computer as she pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose in between each word. Her hair is in disarray and you sigh when you knock on her door.

“Hange,” You call, “Did you stay up all night again?”

“Huh? No way,” Hange gasps, looking at the time, “I just got caught up with things! You know- I’m this close to finishing this grant proposal! Look how much money we’re gonna get outta them! They won’t know what hit ‘em-”

“Hange,” You say firmly, “I’m calling you a cab to go home. Go to sleep. I don’t trust you to drive home, considering you’ve been up all night.”

“What?! I can drive-”

“Hange!” You interrupt her, “I’m serious! Come back tomorrow. Take it easy.”

She slumps in her chair in defeat and removes her glasses, rubbing her eyes in fatigue. “Oh alright. I guess I’m a little tired.”

“See you tomorrow, Hange,” You salute and point to your phone, “Cab’s on it’s way.”

With that, you make your way further down the hallway and come to a stop in front of Levi’s office. You knock and immediately open the door without allowing a moment of rest in between.

“What’s the point of knocking if you’re just going to barge in?” Levi asks, eyes still on his computer screen.

“It’s much more dramatic, and we both know you would’ve left me waiting. Because you’re an ass,” You reply good-naturedly, sliding into the seat in front of his desk and propping your legs up on his desk. Your shoes are in his face and he pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“To what do I owe this most shitty pleasure?” Levi says, eyes narrowed at your bagel, “You here to ruin my office? Last time you were here I had to spend an hour cleaning it-”

You bite your tongue at the response you want to provide to that.

“No reason. Just have been on calls all morning. Was bored,” You shrug and wince at the slight shoulder movement.

Levi quirks an eyebrow at you but says nothing. He continues typing away, seemingly ignoring you as you munch on your half of the bagel. Once you’re finished with it, he throws a banana at you wordlessly. You fail to hide your smile.

“You’ll get hungry in about an hour with that shitty bagel. And then I’ll have to hear about it,” Levi says tonelessly, eyes trained on you. You roll your eyes at him and peel your banana.

“So you gave me this banana to shut me up?”

“Yes, it’s in my own best interest.”

A comfortable silence falls between the both of you. You eye the snow globe that you had gotten him for Christmas and his birthday on his shelf. It looks as if you had purchased it for him yesterday, when in reality it was over five years old. His office is as clean as ever, just like him.

“That’s a nice shirt,” You murmur, eyes raking over him shamelessly,  “Who’s the lucky person who bought it for you?”

And honestly, he wants to do something about the smug smirk on your face. But instead he just stares at you, face as impassive as ever. His hair falls into his eyes with a practiced poise. You see the corners of his lips turn up, nearly daring to give you something resembling a smile.

“What makes you think I didn’t buy it myself?”

“Come on, Levi. You and I both know your sense of style is… questionable most times.”

“My sense of style? You really want to talk about your shitty drapes?” Levi asks, but you sense no malice in his voice.

“My drapes? Wouldn’t you like to know if the curtains match the drapes-”

“I can’t think of anything worse to know.”

You gasp in indignation, hand to your heart. “Don’t be such an ass!”

“Then don’t be such a brat!”

“Ugh,” You groan, standing up from your seat and making sure there are no crumbs falling off of you, “I have actual work to do, Ackerman. Quit wasting my time.”

“Door’s right there, sweetheart,” Levi says nonchalantly, looking back down at his planner and not sparing you a second glance.

“See you soon, handsome,” You call, turning back to wave at him and he gifts you with an upturn of his lips.

***

The Survey Corps was a nonprofit organization run by Erwin Smith and the mission of the organization was to find and provide educational resources and mentoring to the youths in the city. Specifically, the mission was to show kids who grew up in the shadows that they could have a life outside of the shadows and in the light with the help of the Survey Corps.

That’s not to say that the Survey Corps had all of the answers and all of the funds to fix the poverty in the walls. But your team tried their hardest to help the kids. Because the kids were the future.

As an organization, you had done some pretty amazing things and had some pretty amazing connections. The Survey Corps had been successful in launching many partnerships and setting up afterschool programs for the kids to find their interests. It was the kind of work that made you feel fulfilled and driven.

Not to mention, that you worked with some of the best people. Despite everyone’s differences, everyone had a clear shared passion for helping the kids of the city.

You truly loved your job, and everyone around you did as well. Ever since Erwin had promoted you to Director of Impact all those years ago and had seen your capabilities, you had really been able to thrive.

Bringing those new kids on board was your idea for the most part- Levi had complained the whole time, asking why they needed a separate youth outreach group when Erwin’s original team wasn’t even that old.

You had kindly told him that you weren’t teenagers anymore and hadn’t been in two decades. He had glared at you but nodded in agreement.

The rest of your afternoon was relatively free, you were just finishing up a few project ideas for outreach and catching up with some of the new kids.

You should probably stop calling them kids, you think dryly. They’re all in their early twenties, fresh faced and eager. Besides Mikasa- she’s almost as neutral as Levi is, with similar eyes, and you can’t help but wonder if they’re distantly related.

You rotate your shoulder again and massage it lightly with a wince. Damn, your right shoulder has been aching over the last week. Maybe you needed a real massage. Or a new chair.

You send all of your emails out quickly with your shoulder beginning to throb in pain as minutes go by.

Death by the office.

You tell Jean and Connie to meet you in the break-out room for your quick catch-up, unable to take sitting at your desk for much longer. You bring a notebook and a pen with you to the break-out room and wait for them to arrive.

They sit across from you with their stainless steel water bottles in front of them. They’re chatting animatedly, telling you about their ideas and their plans of all the good they can bring to the kids within the walls. Their shared enthusiasm makes you smile.

You start taking notes on their ideas, already thinking of ways to bring them to life. You groan softly as your hand cramps up from the pain in your right shoulder and neck shooting down your arm.

Jean calls your name and you look up.

“Are you okay?” He asks, “You look like you’re in pain.”

“Obviously she’s in pain!” Connie exclaims indignantly, “Sorry about him. He likes to state the obvious.”

“I’ll be alright. My shoulder is just- acting up today…” You trail off and rotate it, “Anyway, I like your ideas. Keep it up, I love the enthusiasm. And don’t try to out maneuver each other either.”

You look pointedly at Jean who gives you a look of innocence.

“We’re a team,” You murmur.

“Captain still calls us interns,” Connie blurts out and you can’t help but let out a laugh. That they still call Levi their Captain, because he’s so rigid with them and that he still calls them interns.

“I’ll talk to Captain grump,” You reassure them, “He calls you interns out of affection.”

“Affection? From Captain Levi? Pff,” Jean scoffs, crossing his arms.

“You’d be surprised, Jean.”

***

Levi catches your soft whistle of pain as you slide the straps of your backpack over your shoulders. He wordlessly stands behind you and pushes the straps of your arm and carries your backpack for you instead. He gives you his phone and keys to hold on to and you give him a smile in return.

He walks you to the car in silence, opening the door for you and waiting for you to get in. Levi catches your grimace and soft exhale once more as you shift in the seat.

“You told Hange to go home?” Levi asks, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” You nod, “She was here all night again. I don’t know how it gets past Erwin, but I told her to come back after she’s rested.”

Levi nods, eyes trained on the road in front of him. One hand on the steering wheel and one on his thigh. After a moment of staring off into the setting sun, you feel Levi’s hand slide into yours and his thumb rub against yours. His gaze hasn’t shifted, but you can see the light in the corner of his eyes.

He has let his hair and his scruff grow out a little longer than he usually likes- is he distracted? You can’t recall the last time his hair has been this long, but you like it. You make a mental note to ask him about it once you get home.

But as always, Levi can feel your eyes on him.

“Why are you staring?” He asks bluntly.

“Just lookin’ at your ugly mug,” You say nonchalantly, not missing the way his lips quirk up.

“You’ve been with this ugly mug for the last six years,” Levi says dryly, “And what does that say about you?”

“That I have good taste,” You beam at him and he rolls his eyes fondly.

“You’re a brat.”

“You’re an ass.”

You squeeze his hand and watch the planes of his face imperceptibly relax. He wonders how long your shoulder has been bothering you like this. You had mentioned a few times over the last week that it was an odd sort of ache, but today, it seemed like you were in a lot of pain. He’ll ask you about it when you get home.

Home. The space he’s shared with you for the last three and a half years. Levi thinks about that often. He thinks about being a rough, underground kid with nothing but dirt and danger to his name. He wonders if that kid would’ve ever dreamed of living a life like this. He often thinks about Erwin finding him so young and pledging to help him and help kids like him.

Levi often thinks about you. You, who had offered him nothing but laughs and coffee when he had nothing to give. You, who offered your shoulder when he didn’t have the strength to ask. You, who found a crack in his armor of steel and buried yourself next to him despite his roughness.

You.

Even now, he still wonders from time to time if you are aware of the extent of his adoration for you. But when you look at him in that soft way of yours, in that way that’s only reserved for him, he thinks you do.

***

Levi hears your pained gasp from the kitchen and then a call of his name. He sees you standing in your underwear, clutching your right shoulder with creased eyebrows.

“Levi,” You murmur, “Will you help me out of this shirt?”

Levi hums and brushes his knuckles over your neck gently.

“Lift your arms up for a second. This would be easier if this shirt was a button up rather than this shitty material,” He mutters, “This might hurt for a sec.”

He hears your sharp inhale and exhale as he pulls your top off. Levi pulls out one of his own shirts that has now become your sleep shirt and a pair of his shorts for you. He’s quick and precise in his movements, unclasping your bra easily and tugging his shirt over your head. He even helps you into his shorts and you press a kiss to his cheek in gratitude.

Levi rubs your shoulder gingerly, eyes cast over you in concern.

“Go sit on the couch,” Levi murmurs, “I think we still have some of that medicinal paste my mom gave us. The one that’s supposed to help with pains like this. Your shoulder is tight.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s tight,” You wink at him and he shakes his head, patting your hair.

You’re tempted to follow Levi to the kitchen but refrain when he shoots you a look. Instead, you settle on the couch, stretching your legs out.

“Took you long enough,” You grumble, scooting up on the couch for him to lay behind you.

“It took me two minutes. Did you lose your sense of time as well?” Levi murmurs, pulling you into his chest.

You hum, already feeling yourself relax and take his hand in yours. Levi pulls the right side of your shirt down a little to examine your shoulder. He presses a finger to your upper neck and you hiss once his fingers press a little lower. He continues his examination, trying to figure out exactly where you’re in pain.

“Gonna give you a massage,” Levi says, “Might hurt at first. It’ll feel nice after. You can hold my hand if it does.”

“Thanks for your permission, honey,” You roll your eyes but clasp his free hand in yours once more.

His fingers are steady, gentle but firm against your skin. Levi whispers words to you, words of his day, words of what he thinks of the new interns. You correct him for the millionth time, reminding him that they’re not interns anymore. They’re employees now, part of the team. He scoffs but it pulls a laugh from you.

And then you gasp sharply when Levi’s hand prods at a knot. You squeeze his hand reflexively but after a few soothing touches, the pain washes away and the knot dissolves. Levi continues to rub your muscles and you lean further into his chest, your eyes closed in bliss.

He maneuvers you so as to not disturb you too much and spreads the topical analgesic on your shoulder, leaving your skin exposed. So that the medicine doesn’t spread on your shirt.

“Good?” Levi asks, rubbing your other shoulder. You nod, peering up at him and pecking his lips in gratitude. You try to deepen the kiss, try to rake your fingers through his hair the way he likes, but he turns his cheek.

“You’re gonna waste the medicine. It’ll stick to your shirt rather than your shoulder.”

“Seriously?” You groan.

“Blame your shitty shoulder,” Levi says and you glare at him.

“Take my shirt off then.”

“It’ll stick to your shirt when I take it off. Don’t be stupid.”

“Wow, you really thought this through,” You grumble, settling back into his chest and hoping the medicine absorbs quickly. He gives you a rare smile and kisses your forehead, his hand snaking under your shirt to rub your belly, his fingertips at your ribcage. The way he knows you like.

It had taken a long time for Levi to touch you like this. But you didn’t mind though. You were patient, and he was worth it. He was an immensely private person and while he was never ashamed of you- the thought had never even struck his mind- he preferred to keep his business within the walls of your home. Even at work, Erwin often teased both of you that he could hardly tell that you were in a long term relationship with the way you two bickered with each other and the general lack of PDA. But Hange, bless her, would scold Erwin for being so dense-

How can you not tell? They argue like a married couple!

It had taken a long time for Levi to touch you like this. He can remember when the mere act of looking at you had proven to be too much sometimes. And somehow, you always knew when he needed space. When it got to be too much. It had even taken you a long time to touch him like this. He was unlike anyone you had ever met in every way. You’re certain from the way you fit within the spaces of his arms that this is where you were meant to be.

Something gentle settles in your cheeks, in the way you blink at him, in the way you’re stroking his undercut. He very nearly purrs at the touch but still-

“What are you thinking about?”

“You,” You reply, not missing his ‘tch’ in response, “Your hair’s getting long…”

You run your fingers through his dark, silky strands and leave a trail of burning embers in your wake. You cup his cheek and he leans into your touch, head tilting into your hand slightly. His grown out stubble prickles your hand and you push yourself closer to him.

“Something on your mind?” You murmur, “You never go this long without a haircut. Or a shave.”

“Testing something out,” Levi says vaguely and you hum.

“Whatever you say, honey,” You reply, pressing a kiss to his neck.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll hurt yourself if you think too much.”

“Noted. Thanks for looking out for me, Levi,” You say dryly, poking his chest.

“Someone has to,” Levi mutters, “Think you need a new chair at work. You’ve always had a shitty chair. Or maybe you need a standing desk. I’ll build you one.”

You’re barely listening, eyes beginning to flutter closed and you hum in agreement. Levi is just so warm, it’s no surprise that you’re asleep in just a few minutes. Your breaths are steady against his arm as you shift a little to turn on your side. You must be tired. Levi grabs the book he’s currently reading from the coffee table, drapes a blanket over you and rubs your back as you fall into a deeper sleep.

As he reads, he can’t really focus on the words on the page. He’s busy thinking about you, and how easily you grew to trust him and to love him. Despite how long it took for him to even realize that what he felt towards you was trust and love. Levi thinks back to the kid from the Underground. That kid is still him, and he remembers the faint desire to have a semblance of this life. To feel the sun against his face, the wind in his hair. To be unabashedly himself.

And somehow, not even the freeing feeling of the sun on his face and the wind in his hair can compare to your velvet touch on his skin.

[outbythehighwind]

Tifa’s Fighting Style

One of the things that impressed me most about FF7R is Tifa Lockhart’s combat. Her mechanics were dazzling. Her combos left me awed. Her style was so realistic, but... what was it? Naturally, I did some digging, and happened to stumble across a blog where most of the work had already been done. So this post is courtesy of Flowerslightning, with thoughts and elaboration on my part. THANKS AND CREDIT TO THIS WONDERFULLY INSIGHTFUL BLOGGER (do check out her tumblr for more fantastic content).

First, let’s note that Tifa’s combat design is very much in the field of fighting games. To some degree at least, developers take inspiration from real-life arts. The style of Tekken’s Lei Wulong, for instance, is based on the Drunken First. Street Fighter’s Chun Li uses the model of Chinese Kenpo.

The FFVII devs - to my knowledge - have revealed nothing on Tifa’s inspired martial arts background. She adopted the monk style (the fisticuffs of FF-verse) from a traveler named Zangan. That’s all we know. She trained (obviously very hard) as his pupil for the 2 years between Cloud leaving Nibelheim and Sephiroth burning the town. Zangan then brought her to Midgar and continued his travels. The only path for discerning real-arts inspiration is through observing Tifa’s fights - though even such attempt is limited. Her style is not as straightforward as Lei’s or Chun Li’s. She seems to employ a mix of martial arts, specializing in the offense and using speed and dexterity to her advantage.

Here are the main styles that Flowerslightning deduced, supported by some of Tifa’s abilities.

1. Muay Thai [demonstrated by Somersault].

This is the known as the “Art of Eight Limbs” and is commonly referred to as “Thai boxing”. It differs from traditional kickboxing (which has its roots in Japan) most notably in being an 8-point instead of 4-point striking system. In other words, Muay Thai employs elbow and shin strikes in addition to kicks and punches. Tifa’s kicks, I would say, are actually more akin to kickboxing, for Muay Thai places emphasis on heavy kicks involving the shin bone. Yet her acrobatic style is very akin to the latter.

In addition to the key boxing techniques of both the Thai and Japanese art, Tifa’s elbow maneuvers provide further evidence for the former. This is most evident during her fight with Loz, where she uses her elbows for offense and defense. One could say she expanded her Thai-based skills during in the 2 years that followed saving the world.

Running a new bar and raising two under-10-year-olds would have left at least a... smidgen of free time, right?

2. Muay Thai [demonstrated by Refocus].

Some may suggest this move of Tifa’s is a Taekwondo technique (we’ll get to that lovable sport soon, don’t you worry), but I agree with Flowerslightning in that her jumping style is more Muay Thai. Almost all Muay Thai techniques use movement of the entire body, rotating the hip with each kick, punch, elbow and block. This to me is the obvious discerning factor. Tifa exquisitely throws her whole body into the majority of her combos and limit breaks, ground and aerial alike. Specifically through that neat hip rotation. Refocus is but one example of many.

PS. Don’t you just love her boots? The gloves are really something but, those red boots... Just look at them.

3. Taekwondo [shown in Overpower].

Literally the “Way of the Hand and Foot”, this is a Korean martial art set apart by its emphasis on kicks. Head-height kicks, jump spin kicks, swift kicks, the list goes on. (But of course, there’s plenty of hand blocking and take-downs too.) Did you know that Taekwondo is part of South Korea’s military training program as well as their national sport? Its skillset is heavy in self-defense.

Tifa is mostly an offensive attacker (and wow, do her strikes deal devastating damage). Yet her aerial maneuvers and acrobatic footwork certainly have elements of Taekwondo. What makes the Taekwondo kick-style unique is its elaborate, advanced forms. Xtreme 720s, for instance, are underpinned by precise technical soundness and accuracy.

Yes, these are literal 720° mid-air turns with a SERIES of kicks timed in utmost precision. They require extraordinary strength. Something Tifa deceptively pulls off with ease, no?

4. Hēi-Hǔ-Quán [displayed in Starshower].

Flowerslightning deduces this ATB ability to be a Boxing combo. Though to me it looks more like Hēi-Hǔ-Quán (lit. ‘Black Tiger Fist’, a Shaolin striking art from China). Watch her hands closely: the thumbs are curled like the fingers rather than wrapped around them to form a fist. Tifa’s wide stances and acrostic kicks are a little less tiger-esque than Hēi-Hǔ-Quán, but there is definitely resemblance of the style there too.

All in all, she seems to employ a mixture of Shaolin arts and Boxing. Her finger-positions for fast jabs (as in Starshower and the Loz fight) are predominantly of the Tiger Fist. Her more powerful strikes, meanwhile, include Boxing crosses, hooks and uppercuts. The sewer cutscene demonstrates this clearly, when Tifa & Cloud encounter the Sahagin.

And damn, do we love the back-to-back Cloti in that scene. Surely I’m not just speaking for myself here.

5. Boxing [displayed in Unbridled Strength].

Tifa’s aforementioned fist moves and powerful finishing punches are no doubt reminiscent of boxing. Also, she always enters a fight with her fists closed in a boxing stance (whether she will employ Shaolin or other hand techniques is irrelevant). Take her cutscene against the Whispers where she, Cloud and Aerith arrive at Sector 7. She begins with a cross and follows with a rotated hook - one of the most basic boxing combos.

BONUS FACT: Rather than orthodox, Tifa always employs a southpaw stance (right hand and right foot forward). This is the preferred stance of a left-hand fighter. Is Tifa left-handed? Considering her fighting alone, yes is the plausible assumption. Here are a few examples:

     - Unbridled Strength has her delivering a finishing blow with her left hand. We would expect such a move to be done with the power hand.

     - Her single strike that hurls Loz across the church is also with the left hand. This punch is not part of a combo; she could have used either hand.

     - In guard position, her left is the rear hand, to both attack and protect herself.

     - And of course, in southpaw stance, she always begins with a left-hand strike.

However, all of Tifa’s general actions (to my observance) - like bartending, catching Aerith in the sewer, carrying the Buster Sword into Corneo’s quarters, etc. - suggest that she is right-handed. So why use the left, the weaker, as her dominant hand in fighting? Could she actually be ambidextrous? That is a possibility. But weighing up the evidence in addition to Tifa's ingenuity, this could well be out of fighting strategy.

Southpaw can give Tifa a strategic advantage, you see, because of the tactical and cognitive difficulties her enemies would have of coping with a fighter who moves in a mirror-reverse of the norm. In other words, she takes advantage of the fact that most fighters lack experience against lefties. Doing this:

     - opens up chance for a variety of surprise combos;

     - puts her human enemies in danger of KOs by what would otherwise be ordinary strikes; and

     - enables her to trick her opponents should she unexpectedly convert to orthodox during fights.

Pretty damn awesome, huh?

6. Gymnastics [dodging maneuvers].

Gymnastics, like fighting arts, enhances balance, strength, flexibility and agility - the four areas Tifa excels at. Now, we’ve talked a lot about her strong points. But what of her weaknesses? Players will have noticed immediately that Tifa has a major setback. She can accurately be described as a glass cannon, due to her low HP and defenses that counter-balance her speed and dexterity. That is precisely what makes playing as her so compelling; you get that sense of life or death intensity. The fight feels REAL. She is the least OP character in the party, in addition to by far being the most difficult to master. Utilized properly, she can be the strongest of them all. And wow, is that rewarding or what?

Because of her weak defenses, Tifa must constantly remain on the move, and gymnastics is the quintessential means in doing so. Hand springs, aerial cartwheels - you name it, she’s got it. As if those kicks and uppercuts don’t scream epic enough already. Doesn’t it just make her even MORE amazing?

So I’ve added Hēi-Hǔ-Quán to Flowerslightning’s conclusion: that Tifa’s combat is Mixed Martial Arts, with her dominant skills as Kickboxing, Taekwondo and Muay Thai. And of course, the interweaving of Gymnastics, which adds an elegance to her epic kickassery.

Tifa lost her teacher after just two years, and spent the last five managing & running a bar, serving as AVALANCHE’s funder & treasurer, and effectively solo-raising Barret’s little daughter. Add two more years, and we have a completely absent Barret, a very sick child in addition to the one she is (now permanently) raising, and a depressed, distant Cloud who has left her to struggle as a solo barkeep, full-time nurse and single mother. How on earth did she find the time and will to master her fighting techniques?

Yes, we are talking about fiction, but this woman is nothing short of incredible. Not simply as a fighter - that isn’t even the start of it. Tifa is, to me, the character who has had it the hardest. Yet she perseveres. And not only that, but she gives. She gives and gives, and doesn’t give up, even when everyone else around her has. In addition, she is the only ‘ordinary’ member of the party: Cloud, on top of military training, had his senses enhanced with Mako & Jenova cells; Barret literally has a gun for an arm; and Aerith as the last Cetra possesses exceedingly strong magic. Tifa, like with everything she does, worked hard to hone her skills. And that, to me, is incontestably admirable.

As Flowerslightning put it, she was “ready to go through hell and yet still remain soft”. And those virtues she held to, where most people would have quit. Compassion and perseverance to the end, the two traits that uphold her - to me - as the most inspiring hero of fiction.

[ener-chi]

Technique For Astral Traveling

Hey guys!

So I've finally decided to post my technique for astral traveling. I've been keeping it to myself mostly as a protective measure, but I've decided that I'm safe revealing it; besides, I think a lot of people could benefit from it.

Before I begin it is very important to distinguish; this is astral TRAVELING, not astral PROJECTING. Knowing the difference is a very big part in actually doing it. Astral projection is when your soul/spirit, while connected by a thread, leaves your body. Your entire being/consciousness is flying through and exploring the astral world and other planes. This is what most people think of when they think of astral traveling, and I did too when I started out; as a result, I got super frustrated when I couldn't do it.

Astral traveling is not the same. When you are astral traveling, your soul/spirit remains in your physical body. Your consciousness, or rather part of it, is what is going up and joining your astral self, which then can travel the astral plane. Again, this is important. You aren't going to leave your body completely. A part of your consciousness and awareness will be in your physical body; this is normal.

Alright. Now that we understand the difference, we can begin.

Step 1: Relax and Lie Down

I usually like to do some light stretching and whatever else I like to do to relax before beginning. Always make sure that your body is relaxed and your mind is calm; if you are tense or wound up, it could become a block for you.

I recommend lying down while you astral travel, as I find it easier to relax and I don't have to devote as much energy to stay sitting up. The only downside is that sometimes you might find yourself dozing off! But try both, and then do what works best for you.

Step 2: Enter a Meditative State

However you like to do this is up to you. Deep breathing is a must. I like to use meditation beads, or do a little bit of energy work before hand.

Step 3: Count and Climb

Okay, so now we begin. You're going to want to count down. I recommend picking 50 or 60 if this is your first time doing this. For the purpose of this tutorial, I'll just say 50. So you are going to slowly count down, from 50, in increments of 10.

At the same time, you are going to imagine a ladder hanging above your body, that climbs up so high that you cannot see the end of it. Imagine yourself sitting up and forward out of your body, and grabbing the first rung of this ladder.

Now this is where the counting comes in. You are going to count down from 50, imagining that you are climbing up this ladder, one rung at a time, per number. When you hit an increment of 10 (40, 30, 20, etc) you are going to imagine that you climb up to a ledge. Imagine yourself hoisting yourself up onto the ledge. The ladder continues rising above you.

Continue doing this until you get to 10.

Step 4: The Door, and Establishing Sensation

Once you get to 10, imagine that the ladder ends, and before you is a staircase, with a ledge at 5 and 0. As you get to 5, you look up and you see a faint light, that grows brighter as you climb, eventually reaching the top of the staircase.

At this point, you are going to want to open up your mind/intuition. Don't picture anything in your mind, don't try and force something that you want to look, just open your mind, push out any thoughts, and then go with the first thing that pops into your head, even if it seems odd or weird.

With your mind open, observe the hall in front of you. There should be a hall that is about 10 feet long, with light along the walls. At the end of the hall is a large door, or 2 doors.

How this looks can and will be different every single time. I've come up cobblestone steps to find torches lining the walls and a weathered, iron-reinforced oak door. I've come up marble steps to find lightbulbs lining the walls and finding glass doors. It's going to be different, and that is completely okay.

Once you've taken in as much as you can about this hallway/door, you're going to stop and stretch. At this point, and this might be a weird concept/sensation, but part of your consciousness should be in this body/form that is standing in this hallway. Hold on to that feeling as best as you can, as you do some stretches to solidify the feeling.

Rub your hands together very quickly, feeling the sensation of rubbing, and then the heat from the rub as you pull your hands apart. Shake them out. Stomp your feet on the ground, and then slowly stomp in a circle. Jump up and down a couple of times.

And then breathe. Breathe in deeply, holding, then releasing. Repeat 3 times. Repeat again, this time on the inhale raising your hands up in front of you all the way up above your head, then bringing them down on the sides of your body on the exhale. Repeat 3 times. Repeat again, this time on the inhale raising your hands up along the sides of your body to the top of your head, then bringing them down the front of your body on the exhale.

At this point, you should be feeling very "present" inside your current body. This is your astral form. You can also take note of what you are wearing/what you look like, as I've found that this also changes every time that I go.

Step 5: Enter Into Your Astral Space

At this point, you are ready. Approach the door, and open it. As you do, again, clear your mind and open your intuition; this is how you see in the astral plane. This I've found is actually the hardest part of astral travelling, is the first step. But go with the first thing that pops into your head, even if it seems strange or it's not what you would think it is.

Imagine like a large courtyard, with walls surrounding the perimeter. This is your astral space. Allow your intuition to fill it in, as to what it looks like. Step into your astral space, and let your astral travels begin.

Step 6: Leaving The Astral

When you are ready to leave, you are essentially going to do everything in reverse. Leave your astral space through the door you came in. You will find yourself back in the hallway. Take some deep breaths, relaxing. Then, climb down the steps, and then descend down the ladder, stopping at the ledges when you come to them. When you finally reach the bottom, lie back down in your body, move your fingers and toes, and then your hands, and then open your eyes.

It's very important that when you leave the astral, you reverse everything that you did to get there. If you don't, you run the risk of not completely leaving the astral and endangering yourself.

Tips, Tricks, and Observations

The biggest and best tip I can give you is to try everything; no one thing is going to work for everyone. Try different things, get out of your comfort zone, and do what works best for you. This is how you learn and grow.

If you are having a hard time seeing in the astral plane, then you need to spend some time working on your visualization. Also, working on developing your clairvoyance is huge.

You might feel like you are just using your imagination, and that's okay. One of the biggest blocks I had to astral travelling is that I expected it to be some very huge, big thing, that would like dramatically separate my consciousness from my body. Again, this isn't astral projection, and once I released this thought, it became easier.

Going off of the last one, at first you might find yourself struggling to discern what is real and what is your imagination. If you are having doubts about something you are seeing/experiencing, continue with it, even if you have a doubt. Eventually, you will experience something that you can absolutely 100% say was independent from you, and then from there discernment will become easier.

So for me, when I am astral traveling, I am seeing myself in 3rd person, like I am seeing myself from an outside perspective moving around and interacting. I'm actually not certain as to what the most common perspective is, so try both 2nd and 3rd person and do what works best for you.

When I am ascending the ladder, I actually rotate between going up a ladder and going up a flight of stairs. It keeps things fresh and present and prevents you from falling into a habit.

Going to the astral plane takes up a lot of energy, so when you first get into it, even if you are excited and bursting at the seams, limit yourself to once a day. If you are not careful and conservative you will fry your energy and then you won't be able to go at all until you recover.

I think that’s it for now!! I will edit this post if i think of more tips, and i’ll reblog it with fixes if i need to. But i hope that you guys find success with this technique. It works really well for me, and i think you’ll find that it will work well for you, too.

Blessings!

[anotheronechicagobog]

Crockett Marcel x reader D’accord (Oneshot)

Written by: @anotheronechicagobog​

Warnings: Mature themes, America has HORRENDOUS gun laws, seriously as a Canadian I get second hand anxiety about your gun laws/judicial system (even though Canada’s is far from perfect)/healthcare system, April is not written well here but I’m gonna do a nice fic for her soon, pardon my French (literally, quite a bit of this fic is in French with translations)

You’d been surprised to find another Francophone in Chicago. After you’d moved there from Quebec, you weren’t expecting much. Only a couple of “Oui, oui,” and “hon, hon, hon”’s from some unintentionally insulting Americans. So when, during your fifth shift, you swore in your native tongue “merde!” you’d been pleasantly surprised when Crockett had responded without missing a beat.

You’d shown him French-Canadian food, he’d shown you Cajun food, and you had each gained a confidant at med. And you’d both needed it. You were in a new country with very different social customs and laws, and April had kissed him while Choi was deployed leaving him a magnet for gossip. You’d both just needed someone to talk to, and speaking French with each other was just an added comfort.

“What did Doris say this time?”

“I don’t care that people are talking about me, I really don’t. Gossip is just part of hospital life and that’s fine, but I am so tired of being glared at and avoided. People aren’t even bothering to get to know me. I am just so tired about having to fight for a basic level of confidence in my colleagues for something that I didn’t even do! She kissed me, she just walked up and kissed me, how is this my fault?”

“I’m sorry Cherie.”

“I know. How was your day?”

“Anderson pretended to shoot at me again.”

“Seriously? You should report him to HR.”

“I don’t know, I don’t want to be overreacting.”

“He is pretending to have a gun and waving it at you on a daily basis because he knows that you are from a country with decent gun laws. What about the day he comes in with a real gun? And loaded? What if he actually shoots you? You need to report him, Cher.”

“Okay, I will. At the end of the day.”

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

You sat at Molly’s away from the main group, shunned by your colleagues. “It was just a joke, Y/N, can’t you take a joke?” But it didn’t feel like a joke. Not to you. You already felt like you should be wearing a kevlar vest on a regular basis; you didn’t need to be made fun of for your very real fear. You were busy moping when someone plopped down in the stool beside you. “Mon journée a sucé. Dites-moi que le vôtre était meilleur.” (My day sucked. Tell me yours was better)

“Voyez-vous la foule de gens qui me regardent et qui parlent de moi là-bas?” (Do you see the crowd of people looking at me and talking about me there)

“Zut. J'espérais vraiment que ça irait mieux.” (Damn. I was really hoping it would get better)

“Moi aussi.” (Me too)

“The hell are you two speaking? Swedish?”

“... It’s French, Hermann.”

“If you say so Y/N... You guys want another round?”

“Yes, please, kind sir.” Trying to make a joke with the man everyone said had a heart of gold and a belly full of laughs at all times.

“Well, okay then. French people are weird.” Both you and Crockett sucked in a breath. Explaining was always the hardest part. “We are not French people. Crockett is Cajun, and I am French-Canadian.”

“Okay, I don’t know what Cajun is, but isn’t French-Canadian just a Canadian who speaks French?”

“Mon Dieu.” (My God)

“Sacre bleu (Damn it), Hermann. No, a French-Canadian is not just a Canadian who speaks French, and unless you want to start a war in a country you don’t even live in, I advise you to refrain from speaking in that manner again. And just for the record, a Cajun person is someone descended from Acadia settlers in Nova Scotia who left for Louisianna to flee the British.”

“... Okay. I’m sorry I asked.” You just held your breath as Crockett swore under his breath. You opened your eyes, grabbed your glass over bourbon and downed it. “Je sais que je viens juste d'arriver, mais je veux déjà partir.” (I know I just arrived, but I already want to leave)

“Allons-y alors.” (Let’s go then) Marcel threw cash down on the bar before you could argue and helped you put your coat on. “Avez-vous déjà mangé des tapas? J'ai entendu dire qu'il y avait un super endroit à quelques pâtés de maisons d'ici.” (Have you ever eaten tapas? Heard there is a great place a few blocks from here)

“Montrez le chemin.” (Lead the way)

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There was a new hot button topic of gossip the next day at MED. You and Marcel. Of course, no one was that cordial. ‘He couldn’t have a nurse so he went for an intern?’, ‘What, she thought being an intern is too difficult so she’s hooking up with a doc so she doesn’t fail?’. None of anything they were saying was true. First of all, April kissed and then rejected him all while she was dating someone else, second, he wasn’t even your attending. You did your ED rotation before he got here. You were on your pediatrics rotation, and kicking ass at it. Third, he didn’t know anyone here besides you thanks to April, so who exactly was he gonna say ‘give her a pass for me’ to? You just rolled your eyes and continued working. At the end of the day, that was what would speak for you. 

You hadn’t been very close to April, or anyone in the ED really, they’d all had their own drama going on the entire time you were there, so you just faded into the background. But now, April was making an effort to talk to you. You would have found it odd, had it not been at the time the rumours were really flying, and if you hadn’t seen the burning question behind her eyes. She was jealous. She damn well wouldn’t admit it, but she was. And you were angry at her, and at least you were grown up enough to admit that. She had hurt Crockett. Damaged his work relationships and reputation before he’d even started. So you acted like you enjoyed her company. You talked about literally anything that wasn’t Crockett Marcel. You watched as her questioning eyes grew more and more desperate. If she was going to come to you acting like a jealous girlfriend she should have had the decency to be honest. But she wasn’t. And Crockett was paying the price. So you tortured her a bit. It wasn’t that bad, honestly. Plus, what made her think she had any right to know about relationships you may or may not be in? But her feelings did become noticeable. To the other nurses, doctors, interns. Suddenly everyone was aware that she had kissed Crockett, and that Ethan wasn’t the only doctor she had feelings for. You felt bad for Crockett, he’d gotten sucked into a wormhole before he even knew his feet were leaving the ground. The same thing could be said for Dr. Choi’s fist. 

You pushed back the curtain and marched over to Crockett who was too busy arguing with Maggie to notice you at first. “Have you gotten a CT done yet?”

“Oh- Dr. Y/L/N. Uh, let me check. Uh... Here.” Maggie handed you and a skeptical Will the tablet with Crockett’s head CT already loaded. The black and white image should have comforted you. It looked good, no injuries or anomalies. But you kept looking, you kept gripping the tablet no matter how much your knuckles, and fingers, and wrists were starting to hurt. “Cher?” You slowly looked up, Maggie and Halstead had left the room at some point. “You seein’ something Halstead didn’t?”

You didn’t answer. You didn’t have the voice to. Instead, you regarded his face intently. Choi had only gotten in a single punch, thankfully, so there was only bruising around his right eye. You moved to stand in front of him, standing in between his legs which were dangling off the side of the bed. “Cher?” The bruise was already purple, the section around the forehead turning black. Your lips pressed into a firm line. After setting the tablet on the end table you gently took Crockett’s face in your hands. Ignoring the rest of him, you gently drifted your fingers around the bruising. Your stomach sunk the more you looked at it. It wasn’t inflamed, there wasn’t any bleeding, his CT was clear. But you just couldn’t shake the weight in your gut. You didn’t even know what you were looking for. But you kept looking. “Cher.” No inflammation. “Cher.” No bleeding. “Cher.” Clear CT. “Cher.” Keep looking. “Cher.” Crockett delicately grabbed your wrist, finally grabbing your attention, bringing more than the bruise on his eye into your focus. “I’m okay, Cher.” His eyes were boring into yours, pleading for you to listen to him. He moved his hand from your wrist up overtop of your hand before intertwining your fingers together and leaning his face into your clasped hands at the side of his face.

“D’accord?” (Okay?)

“D’accord.” (Okay) He smiled gingerly. Still looking at you with soft eyes that made you melt he opened his mouth, you could tell that words in his native language were on the tip of his tongue, when the curtains in the room were pushed back suddenly. April stood, tall, strong, and with a look of utter betrayal on her face. No one in the room said anything, no one in the room breathed. Slowly, as if she were avoided a cornered coyote, April backed out of the room, her chest starting to shake, her eyes watering. Soon you were left alone in the room, your hand still wrapped in Crockett’s. Now in full view of the entire ED staff and gossip mill.