#their titles in all caps stresses me out

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

A Hold On You 1

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, bullying, depression, controlling and abusive behaviour, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: you try to look on the bright side of life but a man comes along to blot out the sun.

Characters: Bucky Barnes

Note: Thank you all for feeding into this.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

It’s a nice day to get out. One of the last sunny days of autumn. You can smell the soil and leaves and hear the call of pumpkin spice. Maybe on your way back. 

You can’t spend another day inside. Not after the week you’ve had. Besides, once the winter hits, you’ll have more than enough reason not to go past your front door. You’re going to make the most of your day off. More so, you’re going to keep your mind busy so it doesn’t fall back into the pit. 

It feels good to move around. Between hunching at your cubicle desk and squinting over your dining room table, that crick in your neck needs to be ironed out. You have to remind yourself to stand up straight as the muscles tug between your shoulder blades. 

You stop and turn to face the record shop. As you do, you’re nearly bowled over by another pedestrian. You hadn’t realised they were so close behind you. You back up and apologise but the man doesn’t even look at you as he veers toward the front door. The bell jingle as he enters with a huff, the back of his dark jacket a vague splotch in your vision. 

Oop. You’re in the way. Again. You do your best not to do that. You never want to stir the waters or be a bump in the road but somehow you always find a way to do that. No good comes from wallowing in it. As stressful as it can be to brave the public and its unpredictability, a smile keeps you from falling apart. 

You approach the shop and swing open the door. Oof, it’s much heavier than that man made it look. You greet the associate behind the counter with a beaming morning and ‘hello?’ He asks how you are and you give the easy answer; ‘good, how are you?’ He responds with the same empty courtesy. 

You look around the covers and the little signs that delineate every genre. Before you can get into all that, you need the most important piece of all. A record player. For as long as you’ve been waiting to set foot in the shop, you’ve been saving up for the player. 

You near the table stacked with varying shades of suitcase players. You read up on each brand and style. It will be best to tuck away when you’re not using it. Your small apartment is already too cluttered. 

You pick a lilac player with little white roses stamped over the cover. It’s on sale. A sign above proclaims that you can get twenty percent off three or more records when you by a player. Well, how about that? It isn’t all doom and gloom. 

You hug the player under your arm and near the shelves mounted to the walls. You peruse the titles intently. Something new? Something you know? You definitely don’t want to get just one genre.  

As you sidle along, the corner of the box knocks against something. You look back and another ‘sorry’ bubbles from your lips. It’s that man again. He’s browsing the end cap behind you and growls at your apology. You stare at him for a moment, he seems at home in a place like this. 

“Um, excuse me, sir,” you say, “do you have any recommendations?” 

He grumbles and puts the album back in its slot. He looks over his shoulder with detest curled into his lip. The stone chiseled into his jaw makes you gulp. 

“What?” He scowls. 

“Sorry, I didn’t... I was only... curious. Have a good day, sir.” 

“Good? What’s good about it?” He hisses. You wince and move to the next section. Not far enough as he sighs, “you know, you wouldn’t like my taste anyway. Stick to your girly pop.” 

You resist a frown. You’re not going to let someone like that bring you down. You can tell that he looks for the worst in everything and everyone. You wouldn’t judge someone by their appearance but his demeanour says as much as his words. You won’t add to his cynicism but bothering him further. 

You pick out an Etta James album that you recognise. Your grandmother had the same one. You think your mother snatched it up after she passed. You didn’t get much from the inheritance. As it is, you’d rather have your grandma back. Someone to talk to. 

You move on to the rock section. There’s hair metal and classic rock and grunge and all sorts. You’re not unfamiliar with the genre but you don’t want to be too obvious.  

A scuff startles you and you glance over at the man in the dark jacket. He seems familiar. His short brown hair, his stubbly jaw, and his intensity trigger something in your head. You definitely don’t know him. Everyone you know is too busy for you. 

“Probably don’t even know how to use the damn thing,” he snips under his breath as he gets closer. 

You realise he’s talking about you. It’s no good arguing. You’ve met his kind before. Back when your friends had the time of day for you, you met that type at their parties. You avoided them. 

You leave the aisle. You don’t want to be in his way, though it seems no matter what you do, you are. You find yourself exactly where he predicted. Well, who cares? It’s all a matter of brain chemistry, right? You don’t get to choose what you like, you just like it. It makes your brain happy and heaven knows you need more of that. 

You pick out another favourite then head over to new release. You’ve never heard Sabrina Carpenter. You’ll give it a try. 

You approach the counter and as you do, another sigh storms through the shop. The man’s behind you. Oh no, had you cut him off? 

“You want to go ahead of me?” You ask as you keep your haul in your arms. 

He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, a single record in his hand; The Boswell Sisters. You’ve never heard of them but it really doesn’t look like heavy metal. You turn back to the cashier and smile, “hello, um, this is it.” 

You put your things up as the man returns your smile. He asks if you want a bag and you say, ‘yes, please’. Things might not be perfect but it doesn’t mean you can’t try to make them better. And if a smile and manners can brighten someone else’s day, that alone makes yours a little sunnier. 

🪢

The box for the player has a little plastic handle. You’re happy for that as it makes your journey to cafe a little easier. You stand in line with your paper bag and bulky box and move along until it’s your turn. You order the pumpkin spice but think better of double up with the pumpkin cream muffin; you instead opt for the apple cinnamon with the chunks you can see through the top. 

Patiently, you stand by the wall until your order comes up. You crinkle around the other customers and claim it, balancing it all delicately toward an empty table. You tuck the box underneath and lean the bag against it. 

You tear apart the muffin, dividing the bottom from the top. You peel back the liner and eat the former first, pinching morsels between your fingers. You don’t know why you do it that way, you just always have.  

You taste the pumpkin spice. It’s good. Not too spicy at all. It tastes like real pumpkin. Considering the place is local, it might very well be. You pop the lid off to reveal the mostly melted cream and have another sip. 

You wipe the dairy mustache from your upper lip with a napkin and your eyes flick up to meet another pair. Not far from you, that man stands with his hands in his pockets. He’s waiting by the order window for his own delight. Well, that’s great. Maybe it will cheer him up. 

He glowers until you look through the window. Or not. The baristas call out a black coffee as you chew on the brim of the paper cup. You stare out into New York traffic and feel yourself getting smaller. It’s easy to feel lost in the city. 

As you watch through the window, a dark figure passes before it. You lift your gaze and again find yourself at the mercy of that man’s grim snarl. You quickly turn back to your latte. He must’ve had that black coffee. He might do with a bit of sugar. 

You try not to think about it. You don’t know him. You don’t know his problems. Just like anyone else. People don’t know that you feel heavy when you wake up or that you spend your hours keeping your hands busy so you don’t have to think. They only know the woman with the smile and the chipper voice and just as swiftly forget about her. 

You pick away at the muffin, savouring in each bite. You’re thankful for that. For that moment. You have coffee and a nice dessert and you got your record player. It's best not to think about all the existential stuff you can’t change. It will come back later when you’re alone. It can wait until then. 

🪢

Your walk home sees the sun hiding behind the clouds. The downpour begins a block away from your building and soaks you through. You keep your head down against the sheets of rain and hurry up the walk as the front door comes in sight. 

The elevator is out of order. Again. You climb the stairs in your squeaky soles and finally reach your apartment. You push inside and kick off your sodden shoes and peel away your jacket. The turtleneck beneath is just as drenched. 

You don’t strip down right away. You’re more concerned with your prizes. The records are fine, the covers just a bit damp, and the player doesn’t seem to have taken too much water. You leave it all on the counter and go to change into your favourite fuzzy pajamas. 

You come back out to the front room and stop to admire the slake of rain pelleting against the large windows. It might be dreary but it’s beautiful in its own way. You let the tempo lull you as you unpack the player and set it up on the book shelf.  

You slide the Etta James record from its sleeve and lay it on the player, moving the needle into place. You let it play as you back up, the boisterous tones of the legend melding perfectly with the raindrops. You smile; not the put-upon smile you wear for strangers but a smile of nostalgia and calm. You miss your grandma terribly but the music doesn’t make you sad. 

You go to the table, still messy from last night’s work. It never is clear. You always have scraps and bits littered over it, your sewing machine a permanent fixture on the worn wood. You sit and pick up the felt clump and go back to needling it to a discernible shape. 

Your brows nearly meet in the middle for your focus and it isn’t until the record begins to skip that you sit up. That damn kink is back. Your own fault. Can’t be mad at anyone but yourself. 

You flip the record and let it play out. When it’s over, you shut off the player. You eat the leftovers you’ve been parsing out for the week and settle in for your favourite romcom. It’s cheesy and a little lame but you only have to keep yourself happy. Or try to. 

You leave your plate on the coffee table and hunker down to finish the movie. You’re tired when it’s over but know you won’t sleep. So you go back to the table and work as the rain slows to a lazy rhythm. Your eyelids droop, your shoulders too, but you persist. 

The windows grow dark and there is only the distant shine of streetlights and few windows in the neighbouring buildings. You stare out at the blurring haze and it fades to a deep grey. You wake leaning back in the chair, your head hanging off your neck. You groan as you sit up and curse your carelessness. 

It won’t make work any less intolerable. You check the time ticking away on the clock that came with the apartment. You can get another hour or two. You get up and trod off to bed, not bothering to shut off the lights. You don’t sleep well in the pitch black. 

You fall into bed and just as quickly find yourself unbearable awake. All those little doubts and fears rise up to the surface and have you drowning just below. This is why you end up sleeping upright or folded over. Trying never works for you. Not at anything. 

[ad1thi]

stevetony recs you won't see on other rec lists

I've (surprisingly) been reading a lot of stevetony lately, and have come across a couple of gems that i feel are vastly under-appreciated, and wanted to show them some love. Obviously, the title is a misnomer because maybe you have seen these on other rec lists, but it's clickbait okay !! Don't forget to leave kudos and comments, if you like what you've read !!

No Trait As Much As This : @kandisheek-art

Tony gets hit with truth serum. It's a terrible time for everyone.

the year you were mine : @areiton

The night that changes his life forever, Steve is on a date with another man. Or: Steve is a pricy escort and Tony buys him for a year. Neither of them are doing this for love.

Meant : @ardett

What Steve meant when he asked out Tony was very different than what Tony meant when he said yes.

One Last Second Chance : @/Muccamukk

Tony Stark, second newest engineer at Rhodes Labs International, is just trying to rebuild from the ruins of his failed company, vanished fortune, and struggles with alcoholism. His goals include keeping his head down, avoiding stress and convincing Dr. Rhodes to let him build a really cool robot, so why does the universe keep throwing Avengers in his path?

Not just a river in Egypt (Tony is most certainly not in denial) : @lilgideon

"You are most definitely not in love with me, Cap, what you are experiencing is called cabin pressure," Tony explains, because he has a rational train of thought and he's met enough shrinks to have figured out their tactics by now. "And possibly, you know, sexual frustration, because it doesn't matter at all that you're, like, America's national icon, Fury still won't let you out. I know that, I see that, I acknowledge your pain, I feel with you, Cap, believe me, I do. And I get it, because I am a very good-looking fellow and we spend a lot of time together, stuck in this tower, and it's easy to--" "I am," Steve cuts off, equal parts amused and frustrated and concerned. "In love. With you. Tony, I'm in love with you."

then sirens, then bells (the broadcast remix) : @isozyme

“I tire of this,” Amora says, and with a casual gesture the entire team is pinned in place, frozen in mid-air. Steve has the unsettling, half-familiar feeling of someone rifling through his head like it’s a card catalogue. A mind-reader as well as a witch, then. A female voice whispers into his mind’s ear. It’s very tragic in here, dearheart, but I think your armored friend is, somehow, more psychically toxic than even you. What’s wrong with Tony? Steve thinks, but the presence is gone, leaving his memories of war stirred up like flying insects rising off a lake in at dawn.

The Enchantress opens Tony's mind to anyone and everyone near him. Steve knows he should let Tony keep his secrets, but he's not noble enough to stay away

The Twice-Told Tale : @arysteia

For someone he'd hero-worshipped for so long, Steve Rogers in the flesh is a pretty big disappointment. For one thing, he keeps looking at Tony as though he reminds him of someone else, and even if he never says anything, Tony's pretty sure it's his father. A lifetime of not measuring up to Howard's expectations is more than enough, thank you very much, and he's certainly not going to make an effort to live up to any of Steve's. Steve's pretty clearly failed to live up to his expectations, in any case, and that's not hypocritical at all.

i'm going too far (just to have you near) : @/zaynerpaner

“Rhodey, why did you leave me here?” Tony demands. The voice on the other line doesn't sound exactly like Rhodey’s – in fact, it sounds like he’d woken somebody up, which couldn’t be right since Rhodey had been here with him earlier. “Who is this?” the voice speaks again, and – it’s too deep. Rhodey’s voice isn’t that deep. “Rhodey? It’s Tony, m’phone’s dead and I need you to pick me up,” he tries again, frowning as he leans against the bar. “Uh, I think you have the wrong number.” OR the one where Tony drunk calls the wrong number looking for a ride home from the bar, and Steve comes to pick him up.

Living In The Future : @/Closer

Eighteen-year-old Tony Stark is the boy genius who woke Captain America, and now he's stuck with him. That's not a bad thing, but between Steve's wide-eyed wonder at the new world and Tony's little fanboy crush, the awkwardness just keeps happening.

if we ever meet again : @/anonymous

"It’s been two months," Steve says, voice low. "Rhodey- Colonel. It’s been two months.”

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

Let’s Start The Day! Version 2. 

Previous Tape:

Riley sticks the tape into the VCR and it begins to play. The tape opens with a glitchy title card saying: “Let’s Start The Day!” Riley sees Wooly in his bedroom, laying in his bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. It is completely dark outside. He’s just laying there, in dead silence for a couple minutes.

“I think… I’m gonna get a snack.” he says to himself, getting out of bed. Then he notices us. 

“Oh… um hi there! Morning already?” he says nervously, “I’m Wooly, Let’s start the day!” he gets out of bed. “First… let’s make the bed-” the tape glitches, the book on his nightstand falls on the floor. It’s the same smiley flower book from the library. “Oh!” Wooly notices and picks it up. He stares at the bed for a couple seconds. “I gotta make the bed… I should probably make the bed right?” Riley types in yes. “But I don’t want to make the bed…” he groans. He stands there staring at the bed for a bit longer. “You know what? Who cares! Nobody cares. And when I wake up in the morning I’ll have to do it all over again and again and again and- forget it! I’m not making the bed.” he pouts. He takes his night-cap off his head. “I need to put my nighty-night cap away. Can you tell me where it goes?” Wooly’s room is a bit different from Amanda’s. Next to the nightstand is a dresser, with a photo of him and Amanda on it. Next to that is a chair with a stuffed rabbit in it, and next to that is a small shelf of books and toys. Riley selects the toy shelf. “No… not in there.” he smiles, shaking his head. Then Riley selects the dresser. “You are right… but… I think I’m gonna put it on… the bunny! Haha now it’s Bunny's turn to go to bed!” he laughs. “Are you hungry? I think you’re hungry. Guess what? I am too! Let’s go to the kitchen! Huh? Where’s Amanda… looks like she’s sleeping in. Silly Amanda…” Wooly chuckles, before letting out a big yawn. The tape zooms in on Wooly’s alarm clock, which shows that it’s 2am. Wooly looks extremely embarrassed. 

“Okay you got me… I just couldn’t sleep…” he sighs. “Becaaaaause I was just soooooo excited thinking about what adventure Amanda will come up with today!” The window keeps glitching back and forth between day and night. “Oh? Morning already? I better go make breakfast!” the tape glitches into the kitchen. 

“You know sometimes Amanda and I eat breakfast together… or at least… we used to…” he says sadly. Static starts to appear on the tape but quickly disappears. “Maybe we should make breakfast for Amanda too.” Wooly suggests. “You know, Amanda made breakfast for me once! It was very good! Until… I passed out and woke up in the darkest part of the woods… mmm… What’s that? You think we should prank her back?” Wooly asks. Riley did not say that. “Ooooh. It’s tempting… but no. You should always be nice to your friends and family, even when they aren’t nice to you!” Riley thinks this is a bad message to be teaching kids. “You shouldn’t fight back, you're never gonna win. There’s no point asking for help, no one will listen… no one cares…” red static starts to cover the tape. “Whoopsie! I started thinking some really sad thoughts there. Sorry about that! Heh heh… I hope morning comes soon so we can go on an adventure! You know, doing fun things is a really good way to get your mind off of things that scare you, stress you out, and make you sad! Let’s make some breakfast so when Amanda wakes up we can go on our adventure right away! Let’s make some bacon and toast!” 

Wooly goes over to the cupboard. “Can you grab me some bread? I’m too short to reach…” he says. The options are bread, cereal, and muffins. Riley clicks the muffins. “No these aren’t right.” Then the cereal. “Amanda’s gonna wake up if you don’t hurry.” Then the muffins again. “We can’t put this in the toaster!” he snaps. Now only the bread remains. Riley clicks it. The bread lands in Wooly’s hands. “I don’t know how Amanda puts up with you.” He puts the toast into the toaster and walks over to the fridge. He opens the door and looks inside. “Can you tell me where the bacon is?” But there is no bacon. Riley clicks on the apple juice. “Hmm… Amanda might like that, but she can probably pour her own." Then Riley clicks on some chicken. “That’s not a breakfast food, silly.” he laughs. Then they click on the eggs. “That could go pretty good with the bacon, can you help me find it?” Riley selects the jam. “We’ll need that for the toast… which goes with the bacon we’re gonna cook. Where is it?” Riley clicks on some milk. “Seriously?! Why do you have to mess with us all the time? The bacon is right-” Wooly into the fridge. “There… oh… oh… oh no! We’re out of bacon?! What do we do?” a text box appears and starts typing on its own. Meatman. “No, I don't wanna go there.” Butcher. “I’m not going there.” The tape starts glitching and the butcher shop starts to appear. “WE’RE NOT GOING IN THERE!” Wooly screams. Suddenly he’s back in the kitchen. Wooly starts to hyperventilate a bit. Riley notices some smoke coming from the toaster. 

“Wait… what’s that smell…? Oh no oh no!” Wooly runs over and pulls the toast out of the toaster. “No no no! It’s burnt!” he looks at the ground in defeat. The smoke alarm goes off.  “We’re out of bacon… the toast is burnt… breakfast is ruined… I can’t do anything right…” he takes a bite out of the burnt toast. Riley hears footsteps stomping down some stairs. 

“Wooly- What the heck are you doing?!” Amanda snaps, completely annoyed. Just then, the sprinklers go off. “Ugh! Just great! Now I’m all wet!” 

“Amanda…” Wooly whimpers. 

“Wooly…” Amanda sighs, “what happened? Do I… do I even want to know?”

“I was hungry so I thought I’d make breakfast because the book fell and the sky was having a rave… and the bunny looked so silly in the hat and then we were out of bacon… and the butcher showed up and the toast burnt and I… I… I actually have no idea… am I even making sense?” 

“Yeah no. I’m not even going to begin to try and unpack all that. You need to go to bed. Let’s just dry you off and get you to sleep.” Amanda replies. The alarms and sprinklers suddenly turn off. 

“I don’t need sleep… I need to clean up the kitchen…” Wooly mumbles.

“Come on Wooly.” Amanda sighs. They go into the bathroom and Amanda whips out the hair dryer.

“Hehe this is fun.” Wooly giggles. Amanda rolls her eyes. 

“Alright, all dry. Now go to bed.” 

“But I’m still hungry. Ah… Achoo!” 

“Go. To. Bed.” 

“Okay…” Wooly whimpers and sulks off. Amanda shakes her head. She dries her hair and goes back into the kitchen. 

“What a mess.” Amanda sighs. “Both Wooly and the kitchen.” she looks perplexed for a bit, staring at the kitchen. “It’s not like him to go off script like this...” she notices that Riley is still here. “Oh… I guess I should end the episode huh?” she says then she thinks about it. “Actually, you can help me.” The tape glitches and the kitchen is all clean, the toaster is fixed, and everything is back how it was at the beginning of the episode. “I need to write a list of all the things I need to do. Can you help me?” Riley types in yes. “Thank you!” Amanda pulls out some paper and a pad. 

“Let’s see… I know we need to go shopping.” Amanda looks around the kitchen. “How about this, I’ll tell you what I need and you write it down! Hmm… well we’ll need to get bacon from the butchers… I don’t really like that place but I really like bacon… as long as you’re with us it should be fine! We need apples and peaches from the store… eventually we’ll have to return our library books too…” Amanda lets out a big sigh. “Aww none of this is fun. But… I guess you grownups have to do this all the time right? I kinda like that… it makes me feel like… I could be a grown up too…” Amanda pauses and thinks for a bit. “ We’re probably not going to be able to do it tomorrow if Wooly really is sick… but we’ve got adventures planned out for the rest of this week. I guess it’ll have to wait till next week. Haha… I really feel like an adult now!” she laughs. The tape ends and the credits roll. It glitches straight to:

Amanda the Adventurer 

2001 Hameln Entertainment

Then the jingle plays and the tape falls out. If not for Hameln… Amanda really would be an adult right now. Riley thought.

POV: Wooly wanted a midnight snack but didn't want to admit it.

Next tape:

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 23-26 author notes

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

Obligatory ShB spoiler warning.

The general status quo hasn't changed since Vivi's arrival to the First: he still doesn't feel any land under his feet, Exarch still doesn't inspire trust, although there's no reason to distrust him either. Vivi isn't in a rush to meet the Scions because usually their perspectives don't help him at all. Hence he fucks around in the Crystarium instead of doing the msq.

You can hear the sound of Exarch failing the dating sim once again.

Talking about a mystel. Bumping into a mystel. They could get run over by a stampede of cats at this point and Vivi would still think this guy's probably a hume. He genuinely has No Idea. Had he had an idea, he would be actually more tactful. Maybe.

Me: no graphic violence Also me: murder onscreen

I hope the reference to episode 11 is clear, but here's a refresher: that's what ARRRaha is mostly remembered as. For multiple reasons. Mostly for magically killing himself and giving Vivi some mild stress and an even milder blow to his ego.

Exarch's fate was to choke on his coffee there and then, he kept his composure by a miracle no less. Vivi doesn't know the meaning of what he just blurted out, he simply rolls the letters in his mouth, still struggling to remember "G'raha".

HE MANAGED! The embodiment of intelligence.

Vivi reflects on the events of previous episodes and the dangers of the fae folk, and decides to do a massive handwave at that. He's walking a fine line, but he legit doesn't care.

Canon emoji user 🖤

Exarch has a hate-hate relationship with sleep, however, when he feels like unwinding or resetting his mind, he turns to memories of moments when he felt safe enough to drift away.

He must've felt the most warm and human when the young Lyna stayed with him all the time.

I sat on this self-contained story for a year. Officially the most wholesome episode ever. There's a bit of One Piece influence, if you remember Nami's backstory. Gen-san wore a pinwheel on his cap to appear less scary to the little Nami, and cheer her up.

Someone read this as "crap glue", which brings me infinitely more joy than my original "craft glue" x'D

There's a super subtle smile. He knows. He probably sensed Lyna approaching him, but remained still to see where this goes.

Back to the present, where they refer to each other by titles.

He's g'oogling.

G'oogle results: 1 fae, 1 slacking idiot.

Exarch isn't just jealous or yearning, he's also kindaaaaa in the middle of his grand plan, yet his hero isn't keen of jumping into action? And he doesn't know how to confront him about that. Luckily, Urianger also happens to be in Il Mheg.

Vivi smacks a like on Urianger's outfit. Rated S for peak sluttiness.

Nobody talks about Feo Ul's snot bubble so I will x'D

Urianger doesn't wanna leave his comfy place for an adventure, he visually demonstrates that while telling a polite lie, trusting Vivi to interpret that as intended.

They have a special vibe of quiet, maskless understanding, even if they don't interact much. They've got nothing to butt heads over. Vivi's fond of people who don't "fit in" and go against the grain. Being smart and observant as he is, Urianger knows that Vivi's rather hopeless, and doesn't waste his energy on trying to debate, direct, or, gods forbid, fix him.

Just a closeup because he looks cute here :> To keep your expectations grounded, though: this's one of the veeeeeery few Urianger episodes. He has little overall "screentime". This comic isn't trying to be a fanservice for every character, even if I personally like them. Gotta keep things focused.

This one's kinda important: Vivi acknowledges how nice and quiet it feels (in the moment? In Il Mheg? On the First?), but the realization doesn't fully bloom in his mind yet.

"Mmyeah there are definitely better cracks to ponder out there".

Another closeup because *clutches at heart*

Two things: his own, genuine excitement to reunite with fren, followed by self-reminder that she's no fren and that he has to maintain distance (Vivi who are you trying to fool you're bad at this).

Also mirroring. He sees Alisaie's face and drops his own.

You peek inside Alisaie's brain and find a coin loudly rolling around, one side says "omg it's HIM!!!!!", the other "beat this mf up". Why? Because she can. And probably because the word of Vivi's arrival had already reached her. He spent a good week doing nothing in the Crystarium (and even Il Mheg) instead of rushing to meet her.

The new tumblr post editor (that wasn't forced on me until ~2 months ago) won't let me add anymore pics. I was thinking of making meatier but less frequent posts of this type, because they'll massively add up over time. Imagine a new reader looking at 300 episodes and 100 recaps. I'd feel overwhelmed. But I guess I'm left with no choice but to keep these recaps relatively short and frequent.

Anyway! Thanks for reading!!!!! I'm blessed to have people invested enough to interact with my work on this level.

[transparentlyfallingasleep]

7. How do you choose which POV to write from? (Especially for starbucks)

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

aw wow! People never ask me questions on here.

let’s see number 7. Honestly I tried to come up with a better answer than this but it’s just the vibe of the thing. The first story was really just a response to “Clint Barton shows up 15 minutes late with Starbucks” insert Troy with the pizza meme that was out in the ether post his absence in Winter Soldier. I decided to try making myself write from Natasha’s perspective after the Clint heaviness in marketplace etc but in the Starbucks sequel I just wanted to imagine/ write down the Robert Downey jr voice in my head reacting to spy kid 3D. And then they all joined in. Clint’s voice is my most comfortable place to be Natasha, Cap, Maria, Jarvis the least but I think that’s because being that fucking competent seems heptapod level alien.

25: I wish people read unfinished business more… it was my first story in the marvel space and my second fanfic ever. And I still kinda like imagining it’s running in the background of the avengers… and it could have too if not for that pesky Joss Whedon. I also I’m proud of my Game of thrones fic. It was an attempt to self sooth and I think it turned out rather well all things considered.

26. I’m not sure I do wild rides I’m definitely not much of a plot writer. I tend to focus on small intimate character moments. Probably because I suck even more at the other stuff, possibly because being a speech pathologist I’m better at getting voices of characters ‘right’ than I am at making things happen. But I am proud at how I salvaged age of ultron for the rewriting in Market Place and how much I was able to reuse, reduce, recycle might be surprising to readers.

39. So my clinic shut down suddenly in September. If you are Australian I will just say this about it. The NDIS and in particular the Government have been making it harder and harder to work as a paediatric disability clinician and hell bent on telling our clients that it’s because we are rorting the system. I didn’t want my clients to loose their therapeutic alliance and a speechie that has known them most of their lives so I started my own sole trading. It’s long hours, crazy stress and I don’t even know if I will be able to afford the audit come 2025 but for now my kiddos are safe and getting therapy. All the govt has managed to do is privatise the old block grant system and lie about choice and control and that’s all I have to say about that. As a result I’ve got no real WIPs but I have this… you can see that I write dialogue first.

If you’ve come to tell me I’ve besmirched my honour, that the castle is in an uproar… I care not. 

Your grace. 

Ser Davos I am no princess. 

The laws of the realm say

So Tyrion Lannister crowns my brother and frees the north for my sister and now I am smothered by titles? I knew I should have killed that-

Id never really thought about it like that Milady. Allow an old man a small courtesy? I accepted my title for services to Stannis Baratheon. Plenty of times I thought better of it but I did it for those who came after me. Lord Gendry well he doesn’t say, quiet sort that he is -

Surly 

As you say, but i think I’m right in saying he had similar thoughts. I don’t think either of us thought that there might be others on the other side of it. Born to the titles and the power and wanting none of it, wanting to be rid of it. 

He is a good lad lady Arya. Give him longer. He can’t stay this angry for long. 

I can’t stay ser Davos

Forgive me but I’ve lived longer on decking than I have on dry land or had till your brother made me hand. The tides they come again. Like circles they are. Why not tarry even if he’s determined to make himself unpleasant. 

He doesn’t have to put effort into that. He’s had it mastered for years. You are married Ser, children? 

Aye My Lady

[ryuichirou]

Replies

One serious one and a bunch of kind of silly shorter ones.

Anonymous asked:

Hi!  I hope you don't mind me asking this but I had a question about fandom stuff since this is my first time in an active fandom.  Almost every time there's fanworks, mostly fanart, of the TWST first and seconds years in sexual positions/sexualized, there's a lot of people dramatically freaking out because they're "minors/16/17!" and "you're not allowed to do that/it's illegal so stop that!" (Sometimes in all caps too). Are these people common in fandoms with younger casts?  Sorry for sounding anxious, I just keep running into people like this and anti-shippers and they really bring my mood down...

Hi Anon! Sure, I don’t mind talking about fandom stuff.

I think it’s not a matter of titles having younger casts, but a matter of fandoms having younger people in them. There are some shows that aren’t very popular/have fandoms that mostly consist of people that are older than 25, and you’d see less of this type of attitude there. Like, drastically less. I don’t think there are a lot of people complaining about characters of Prince of Tennis being 14-16 year olds, for example.

But if a show is popular with teens or younger people in general, chances are, there are going to be quite a number of antis. For example, SK8 got a big chunk of its popularity on tiktok and boy is it obvious lol

I want to stress that this doesn’t mean that all the anti-shippers are young: this absolutely isn’t the case, and unfortunately a lot of pretty much adult people participate in harassment, write call-outs and do this type of crap in general. Also obviously, not every teenager is an anti (not that it matters to us of course, all of our blogs are 18+ so the majority of teens shouldn’t even be here).

So yeah. I think of it as a subculture, albeit a very aggressive one. There are people who are legitimately uncomfortable with this type of content, but I’m pretty sure the majority of antis just love using their non-existent high moral ground to harass and try to control people and their art. They either don’t understand the magnitude of their actions or don’t care if they hurt real people over fictional minors.

I am very sorry that you stumble upon this type of people and that they make you feel bad. I always say this, but: block everyone. Even if a person is just mildly uncomfortable to you or you don’t like their vibes, block them just so you see less of this type of stuff.

Your art and any art that you enjoy doesn’t hurt anyone as long as people are being responsible about posting and interacting with it. So absolutely don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong just because someone doesn’t understand how fiction works. I hope this type of crap disappears as soon as fandoms become less popular, like they’ve been before things got out of hand. Some people should’ve never been here in the first place – sorry for gate-keeping, but they don’t get it and don’t care about getting it or at least being respectful to others, so why should we be better people.

Anonymous asked:

Idia: Yay, crotch view!

(related to our Lilidia drawing from yesterday hehe)

Lucky boy! Got to see Heavens right before his demise…

Anonymous asked:

What do you think about Neige x Epel?

Replied! Also talked about them a bit in this reply + some other replies that I can’t find…

Anonymous asked:

thoughts on liliaxepel?

Definitely replied before, but I can’t find that reply, so: they’re cute, gotta love two short feisty cuties together; we really liked that one vignette in which Lilia shows Epel that you don’t have to be tall or big to be scary and strong. It teases a very interesting potential dynamic both in a shippy and in a platonic sense: Epel has a lot to learn from Lilia, and it would be fun if they interacted more often.

It isn’t a ship that we’re massively passionate about, but they’re fun together! Could be very hot.

[blurryfce300]

i had several thoughts while driving so here those are:

blurryface and ned’s connection

this started with me noticing a weird pattern in my blurry glasses (official merch btw) and it reminded me of another character, ned. it looks like green and purple waves or almøst glitchy? anyways it reminded me of what we saw ned’s vision look like in chlorine.

(legitimately the only place i could see the pattern was in a bathroom stall i have no idea why)

ned’s vision is blurred arøund the edges, which isn’t all that interesting but what is intriguing is how ned’s vision has a chromatic abberation filter on it (its kinda glitchy.) blurry’s glasses even løøk like ned’s eyes, or i guess ned’s eyes look like blurry’s glasses, with the white rim and huge black circular lenses.

visual similarities aside, ned and blurry have deeper ties to one anøther. firstly, what they were born out øf.

blurryface is a being created as a physical manifestation of things such as depression, anxiety, self-døubt, negativity, and møst importantly to this discussion, insecurities. the areas øf blurry that are painted black have meaning, and his hands specifically are representative of the insecurity related to things that tyler creates. ned on the øther hand is a being made to represent creativity and the ups and downs of the creative process. ned stands for neuro expansion device, too.

blurry and ned are created from the same things, but from opposite ends of the spectrum when it cømes to those things.

lore-wise, they’ve got søme connections tøø. there are nine bishops and nine neds. we’ve seen 8 of them, with keons holding the antlers of the ninth one. with keons’ death, there are 8 bishops too. however, with the disappearance of the ned who gave tyler his antlers in the outside, there’s once again øne fewer ned than bishøp. but initially, there were an even amount øf neds and bishops.

bøth blurry and ned have somewhat similar writing/typing styles, with blurry’s all caps and weird spacing and ned’s all caps writing and incorrect spelling/missing letters.

they were also introduced in similar ways. we met one first (one singular blurryface entity in his era and one ned in chlorine) and then were introduced to eight more in the following era (the nine bishops in trench and the øther eight neds in the outside.)

———————————————————————————

this is where i get into more theory-ish territory. we never see blurry use antlers to control anyone. now maybe they just hadn’t created ned or laid out the specifics of psychokinesis at that point, or maybe blurry døesn’t need the antlers to use psychokinesis. maybe that’s just sømething he can do naturally without any help. the bishops need the antlers. they cannot use psychokinesis on their own.

given the connections blurry and ned have, is it possible that they came from the same place? or that they were once part of the same being? when trench was created, and when blurry was put into that world and split, was he split even further than i had previously thought? was he not just split into nine bishops who hold the title of blurryface and represent the same things he døes, but also split to create nine neds?

or were the neds created as a respønse to blurry’s split into the bishops, taking some of his abilities (namely his ability to use psychokinesis without antlers) and giving them to a new type øf entity to keep the power out of their hands? this clearly didn’t wørk as intended, and wøuld that be yet anøther instance of a bishop or the bishops as a whole trying to regain sømething they lost from when they were blurryface?

(the first instance being nico calling himself blurryface i made a whole post about that already so tldr nico wants to høld øntø the past by using the name blurryface because thats what his song, stressed øut, is abøut)

[riacte]

rria . ria dont convert the timestamp of receiving this ask to est but i finished false episodes and i get it i understand the devotion and the homies and the protectiveness hoyljjy fuck save me 🦅🐕save me. beware of dog reapers watch out rendogss about false false false you won💥💥💥😺💥💥💥💥💥💥

RIGHT. THEY ARE SO SWEET IT MAKES ME WANT TO EXPLODE.

When I was watching the first part I was like ohhh she sounds SO soggy when he’s not talking to her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this soggy. And then it was slowly building and oh we’re really in it now.

BUT THE REUNION SCENE IS SO!!!!!! They’re so happy for each other 😭😭😭 False saying he deserves the win even though it’s her who won 😭😭 Ren coming in like YOU WON!! YOU WON!! :DDDDD

And I was already screaming and dying. But you can really tell how fond they are of each other. And False being more excited for the cool hat than the Demise prize and he literally promised to give it to her tomorrow when things had calmed down— and she won!! All the dots are connected.

And the end. MAN. “Watch out, Rendog is about” in all caps. Her putting his name and head on her build. And the giggle before the cut. And I’m left sitting here like OKAY THAT JUST HAPPENED. WOW.

I feel slightly insane because it’s like …??? It’s so obvious how core and special their friendship is to both of their contents on HC. Take a quick scroll through their thumbnails and they pop up every now and then. All the collabs. AND STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER IN GROUP RECORDINGS (this always happens). We even have major standout events like Blue9 and BRR and S6 neighbours. And now Demise because DUDE. THAT WAS CRAZY.

And still Tumblr (and both of their Twitch chats) seems to be the only site in which people majorly care about their bond? Does that make sense. Tumblrinas screaming and crying and filling up the main tags. Actually Twitch chat is the mvp here because I feel like every single stream of theirs has a mention of the other and chat is like :DDD we love you and the other person :DD. They’re invisible on blue bird site and THANK GOD and STAY AWAY. Orange app is a bit better bc at least the Mc Championship guys recognise them but you know when there was a post back in HC Reddit then asking for “underrated” duos and we had to post FalseRen because other people weren’t. Are they underrated? Do other people think they’re popular. Like Ren isn’t usually paired with False in fanon but I think most people have the awareness to include bits about their friendship? But still? I would’ve expected more… why aren’t they more popular like some other duos even after the five million obvious / dramatic / cute / wholesome stuff 😭 Ren’s favouritism gets worse every time I check in 😭

(I know. It’s because fandoms tend to like same gender pairs. But it does notttt explain why everyone happily pairs up Stress+Iskall and Joe+Cleo and it’s all recognised and these two are like …? oh yeah they’re friends. Right. They’re friends.)

Anyways this got long. That vid makes me soooo happy and it’s sooo good. I know Ren is probably going to make his next ep thumbnail his really cute hut but if False is also on there or it’s titled after something like “WE DID IT FALSE” I would further explode into millions of pieces. 🥺

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

A light shower of spring rain for the sprigs of lavender lotuses and night sorrel

The Misty Range Woodlands is a planet, though many see it as a giant greenhouse - and they’re not wrong. It’s home to all kinds of rare and unusual plants that seem to only exist here, and so great care is taken to ensure that they remain as bountiful as ever.

Not surprisingly, it’s one of those places where you have to make reservations far in advance in order to visit. Thankfully, I have connections, so we got a good deal on one of their resorts thanks to the Epiphany since they’re here on a mission. What I didn’t expect was to also run into Jamie, Aislinn, and the Linnea squad, so that was nice. Jamie had been hoping to meet up with the Epiphany crew, especially since she hadn’t met Meiying and Hongxia in person yet.

As for why we’re all here, it’s to take a hands-on class on how to take care of lavender lotuses and night sorrel. Not too long ago, those two plants have been discovered outside of the Misty Range Woodlands, most which are native to those areas but were considered unknown until recently. And it turns out that there’s some growing near the camp, which is a pretty big deal.

Even if it wasn’t required, I still would’ve signed up for this class out of curiosity if someone suggested it to me. I think it’s fun to take random classes to learn something new without the pressure of having to be good or worry about grades - sometimes you’re just curious and want to try something out because it looks interesting.

Who knows, maybe you’ll find yourself enjoying the experience far more than you expected, which then leads you to wanting to take a deeper dive into it. That’s how I got into things like mechanical keyboard building, which I knew nothing about until I got one of my own and wanted to customize it after seeing a bunch of pretty and aesthetic pics on social media. Sometimes you just see something that looks pretty and you’re like I want that.

But really, making your workspace pretty while still functional helps a lot with your productivity. I mean, who wouldn’t want a nice looking desk that sparks joy when you look at it? Why must everything look so plain under the guise of professionalism? What’s wrong with having some color or design to show a bit of personality and make things a bit more visually interesting?

Maybe it’s just me, but having a mechanical keyboard makes me more motivated to get work done. They’re just so satisfying to type with, especially with the right key caps that look and sound nice - basically, it’s a sensory thing. A flat keyboard just doesn’t hit the same anymore.

Anyway, so learning about lavender lotuses and night sorrel’s kinda like that in terms of starting out with little to no knowledge about it, to now wanting to take a deep dive after learning a bit about the basics. I’m no plant expert by any means - I know a lot of people who deserve that title far more, though expert doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of their expertise - but I have picked up a lot of interesting tidbits over the years.

It helps to know someone who’s not only well versed, but also passionate about the subject. I find that they’re the ones who are more than happy to talk about it, teach about it, and just share their enthusiasm in general. Meiying and Nabil are two plant experts - though for very different reasons/fields - who easily fall into that category, so it’s no surprise that people often turn to them for advice.

In fact, Meiying was invited as a guest lecturer for this course since night sorrel - and moon sorrel, which is kinda related/under the same plant family - is native to Qiangshou. Both are used for its medicinal qualities related to improving sleep and reducing headaches induced by stress and anxiety. Along with having studied the plants extensively, Meiying also has firsthand experience on the medicinal effects. Over there, they use it in herbal teas, usually one whole sprig if taken before bed, or a handful of petals if taken for headaches.

Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing some night sorrel growing along the Crimson Maple River - she even pointed it out to us along with a million other unique plants that grow there. There were even a few sprigs hanging on one of the windows of her place, probably something they usually have on hand when needed.

So that was fun learning about, as well as a much needed break from an informative, though just as interesting, series of classes. Plus, Meiying’s good at explaining things as well as keeping the audience engaged, even when she sometimes goes off tangents, which I think adds to the charm.

Even though she never intended to be a lecturer, people back at home just assumed she’d be good at it because she knows so much about topics that most would consider niche - not to mention how clearly and thoroughly she explains things. Her first go at teaching a class kinda came out of nowhere - personal recommendations, one which happened to come from Hongxia’s sister-in-law.

What was the subject? Sex education. Because a lot of adults are lacking in that, which isn’t really surprising. Why Meiying specifically? Because she gets quite a few customers who are looking for some natural or herbal thing to increase their sex drive. Also, on the opposite end with people trying to suppress their sex drive, and maybe even induce abortions. Then there’s some who think they can treat STDs without having to see a doctor, probably because they’re ashamed and assume they can hide it.

Being an apothecary sure brings a lot of unusual cases, so it’s no wonder that Meiying picked up on a lot of different things. Although her official title’s an apothecary, people have referred to her as a detective, medical assistant, IT person, secretary, pharmacist, teacher, botanist, consultant, just to name a few. Still, even though she’s considered a jack of all trades, she considers herself first and foremost an apothecary, someone who just happens to be fascinated with medicine - not just in terms of treating an ailment, but also the process of making it and the pharmacology behind it.

Seeing Aislinn again was a nice surprise - same for the Linnea Squad too. Aislinn and Jamie are here to visit a friend and the Linnea Squad tagged along at almost the last minute. Basically, there’s shot going down with Linnea’s family, so Jamie’s taking them under her wing again until that drama dies down. Linnea already blocked at least 20 calls since we got here, which is a lot. Like, don’t they have anything better to do than to harass someone who’s not even involved?

She already made her stance clear by standing up against them and she absolutely doesn’t regret her decision. The other members - Florina, Nash, and Shirin - stood with her in solidarity, not just because she’s their leader, but because they had their own reasons for becoming disillusioned with the International Sanguine Watchdogs Army. Many have accused them of biting the hands that fed them, especially since they’re the reason why they’re still alive today, but that’s obviously their way of saving face.

In short, it’s a fucking mess that they’re lucky to get out of relatively unscathed, mainly because Linnea has one sympathetic family member who was willing to put their neck out for them. Linnea’s able to keep in contact with him, which is how she got the heads up about the current situation. She doesn’t know too much about the specifics other than it’s another one of those things that kept being swept under the rug until it piles up and now it’s blowing up in their faces. The older she got, the more she noticed that stuff like that was a regular occurrence, which is very problematic.

However, she did learn something that might be a bit of hopeful news from her adoptive brother Lauge regarding someone the squad assumed was dead. The squad broke ties with the International Sanguine Watchdogs Army for various reasons, and the annihilation - yes, that’s the word they used - of their comrade Altti’s squad along with countless others proved to be the last straw. Linnea and Altti were assigned to work together on an ill fated mission, resulting in him being the only survivor of a failed retreat.

The Linnea Squad barely escaped themselves, and Altti would’ve been killed too if Jet hadn’t insisted on saving him. By then, Linnea and Florina had grown fed up with the higher ups and their questionable decisions. Sure, things can get unpredictable and go from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye, but straight up sacrificing your own people just to send a message and then playing them up to be martyrs is taking things way too far.

Like, damn, it’s basically an extreme case of if I can’t have this, then no one can. It’s like someone throwing a fit when they lose a game, except instead of flipping the game board, they just bombed the hell out of it. Then they declare it a victory because everyone’s dead, therefore, no one can object. No wonder Linnea and the others bailed out - I too would be like fuck this shit, I’m out, bye.

So for a time, Altti accompanied the Linnea Squad. He initially butted heads with them, mainly because he was older and wasn’t too happy with having to work with a bunch of kids, especially two who technically outranked him. Jet was the one who managed to get him and his squad to cooperate and see them as equals. When the higher ups brushed the tragedy aside like some cold statistic, the Linnea Squad stood in solidarity with Altti when he protested against their indifference. They didn’t expect a domino effect to follow afterwards, though they now know that it was bound to happen eventually.

Then in the span of a few weeks, the Linnea Squad lost three comrades - Altti, Jet, and Gabe. However, Altti didn’t walk out like the other two, and his status remains unknown, but presumed dead. Linnea was warned by her brother that the Sanguine Watchdogs was planning to seize the entire Sanguine Jurisdiction, which meant that the squad had to flee the country if they want to survive. For context, the main city is right in the center, so the closest border is about a 6 hour drive - even longer and more treacherous when you’re most likely traveling on foot most of the time, as well as trying to evade the military.

They were almost at the border when disaster struck, forcing the squad to split up in order to improve their chances of escaping. Linnea and Florina went north, Jet and Gabe east, Altti, Nash, and Shirin west. The westbound group was caught in a crossfire when riots broke out in the surrounding cities, forcing the higher ups to resort to extreme measures similar to what happened with Altti’s squad.

Nash and Shirin got separated and they barely escaped thanks to a civilian who was believed to be the last person who saw Altti before he disappeared in the chaos. As the riots escalated, the guys realized they had to make a difficult decision with Nash insisting that they not leave until they find Altti because it’s what Jet would have done while Shirin felt that they were wasting valuable time, even if he agreed that it wouldn’t be right to leave without him.

In the end, Lauge came in and practically dragged them out of the city despite their protests. He managed to reunite the rest of the squad at the border of Sanguine. Despite the risks, he wanted to see them off since it’ll probably be the last time he’ll ever see them face to face. Of course, the Linnea Squad was reluctant to leave when one of them’s missing, but Lauge told them that there was no turning back. If they refuse, their days will be numbered - no exaggeration, this is what happens when you live in a war zone.

Linnea had no choice but to do as he said, though she made him promise to do whatever he can to find Altti and help him out in any way he can. She says Lauge always keeps his word, which is why he’s the only family member she can trust at this point. A lot of people went missing and are presumed dead, so there’s a high chance that Altti is one of them, as much as she hates to admit it. Even so, he and all the other victims deserved better than to just be some “unfortunate casualty”, a term the army likes to throw around that Linnea’s grown to despise.

So there is finally a bit of hopeful intel coming from Lauge that suggests Altti survived the riots. He had heard some rumors here and there, but it wasn’t until recently when he came across concrete evidence that finally settled that matter. It’s still not much to go on since Altti’s current status remains unknown, but at least they now know that he escaped the riots and retreated south. Lauge plans to search the areas where he might have gone and hopefully uncover more information.

While the squad remains realistic, they really hope that they’ll be able to reunite with Altti. It’s bad enough having Jet and Gabe walk out on them - and that whole thing is just a mess. All Florina can say is that it’s for the best if they keep out of each other’s way, though they can’t keep that up forever. They agree that Jet means well, but he often fails to consider the bigger picture, which they fear will lead to his downfall. It’s still a bit of a sensitive subject for Linnea, but sooner or later, she and Jet will have to face each other and work things out.

The classes have provided a welcome distraction for the Linnea Squad - good thing there were enough open spots to squeeze them in. Nash isn’t certain, but he’s pretty sure he’s seen night sorrel in his hometown, or maybe it was moon sorrel, which looks similar. Meiying and the instructors don’t think he’s mistaken since both flowers have distinctive colors - shades of blue and purple, kinda like a galaxy. Yeah, that’s something that would leave an impression. Even though Nash’s hometown is in ruins and likely occupied by the Sanguine Watchdogs, it’s likely that there might be some night or moon sorrel growing in the ruins, so it’s worth looking into. Looks like getting into the class was meant to be.

Then there’s lavender lotuses, which are native to the Misty Range Woodlands. So far, there’s no known sightings of them outside of the planet. They have many uses - potions, perfumes, vitamin supplements, kombucha, and soups. Along with being a good source of vitamin C, they also help relieve stomachaches and reduce anxiety. While lavender lotus products are relatively common in these parts, they’re pretty much unknown outside of the Arrowroot Orbit - meaning, places like planet Earth. So they’re using this course to introduce the outside world to this otherworldly flower that’s basically their version of a dandelion.

Even though there’s a lot to learn about night sorrel and lavender lotuses, I don’t feel that overwhelmed. I mean, it’s a lot of information, though the hands-on stuff and Meiying’s interlude kept things engaging while also breaking up the monotony of just sitting through a bunch of lectures and video modules.

Read on AO3

[babybulls15]

I have to be honest, I've been STRUGGLING for the past week, both life-wise and to get something on paper I don't despise. On top of that it's already pretty late, but I promised myself I'd keep doing this and it's actually really motivating to just share this stuff with you. So I'm hoping I'll get back into the flow by putting stuff out there. Keep pushing or smth idk lol

Anyways, we're moving on to my prompt-fill for day 2 of the Ship Week, which is hopefully gonna be a short and sweet Lestappen piece! I'm capping it at 500 words (which I've never done, making it very interesting to see how that affects my writing process), so I'll hopefully get it done on time!

It's a pretty drastic tonal shift from the others, bc it's just supposed to be something light-hearted and fluffy, which hasn't been easy to write, what with me stressed and shit, but it's starting to take shape somewhat. So yeah, I'm very excited to share these sentences with you!!

-

Yes, Max is usually very good at staying calm under stress. At going with the flow and reacting appropriately to sudden - sometimes pretty drastic - changes in high-pressure situations. Usually. But these skills are normally restricted to work. To race weekends. To circumstances where he is prepared to expect the unexpected. And, if anyone even cares (Charles doesn’t really) at least to Max, a sunny Saturday afternoon during summer break, sitting in his mother’s garden, drinking coffee, does not immediately spring to mind as a similar setting. But maybe that’s on him.

✨Stats✨

working title: (almost) everything is better with glitter

currently standing at 255 (out of 500) words

prompt-fill for day 2 of the All-Ships-Ship-Week (“Who did this to you?”)

it started it's life as a Maxiel piece, but I decided I liked the idea better for Lestappen

As always, if you read any of this I want you to know that I’m very grateful for you!! Thank you for giving me the time of day, I’m so glad you exist!! 💗💗💗

[melit0n]

EUCLID ANALYSIS.

Part one -> Title and meaning

Part two -> Line by line analysis part one

Part three -> Line by line analysis part two

Part four -> You're already here!

Part five -> The Night in Sleep Token

Part six -> Conclusion

I’m no music major, so most of these have been brought about to me by my lovely moot @kkarmatic ! Full credit to them for pointing these out to me.

Euclid is played in an A# // Bb major mode, tones of which are typically associated with a form of a cleared conscience; a head empty at peace with it all feeling. However TNDNBTG, which is referenced multiple times in Euclid, is played in the same root key, except it’s moved a step down into G# // Ab. Once again, this is played in the major mode, but, with the step shift, TNDNBTG plays in a key that commonly conveys discontent and uneasiness; the notes deliver tunes that portray expansive viewpoints on a doomed/darkened existence. But, because the keys are only a step away, from a musician’s standpoint, Euclid is written as a reprise to TNDNBTG, even if we were to disregard the blatant nods to older tracks.

Euclid is the last track of TMBTE as TNDNBTG is the first track on Sundowning, therefore capping off the produced album trilogy since it works as a loop. Plus, it references the second farthest part of the past in Sleep Token’s music production; WTBB. It finalises past, present and (at least, possibly lore-wise) future.

Furthermore, there are also similarities between Euclid and WTBB from One. Although the keys are completely different (Euclid’s A# // Bb major versus WTBB’s D major), they’re played in very similar BPM. Euclid is played at a BMP of 135 and WTBB is played at two clicks off at 137, both of which are very close to stressed heartbeats. Quite often, with the main sound of the drums, Sleep Token is fond of mimicking (panicked) heartbeats, so, this adds to the underlying stress and contradicts the tone of the keys.

There are also a couple more references to their previous songs as well; the most even compared to the title song itself. At 0:15, a vocal melody very similar to that of Aqua Regia’s appears. At 0:43, the ambience effects sound very similar to those of Fall For Me’s. Lastly, at 2:05, the drum part that starts is directly from TNDNGTG.

[hopetorun]

“it’s almost just like how it was before” for the made-up fic title meme!

my first thought for this was actually leon goes to tampa futurefic but the @msmargaretmurry did this in a response for the same meme so i'm going to take this in a different direction.

our story starts in buffalo, new york, on june 24, 2016. draft day. auston matthew goes first overall to toronto, and patrik laine goes second overall to winnipeg. and then, instead of what actually happened that day, it goes the way people thought it would: jesse puljujarvi goes third, to columbus. and edmonton, picking fourth, takes the guy whose nameplate they already have velcroed to an oilers jersey: matthew tkachuk.

so matthew trucks his way up to edmonton, with aspirations of adding "winger for connor mcdavid" to his resume. now i'm gonna level with y'all: the oilers made me very, very mad in the summer of 2016 and hockey in general made me very, very made in the fall of 2016, so i've memory holed a lot of the details of the next couple of years. but luckily i'm not writing this story for real, so i can fudge and slur my way through that part!

matthew's career trajectory in edmonton isn't all that different from in calgary -- he's good pretty much from the jump, and with some ups and downs improves as he gets older (and a little calmer). he does get to add winger for connor mcdavid to his resume, but he ends up sticking mostly on the second line, as one of leon's wingers. there's a lot of reasons for it, but in part it's because it just drives the other teams bananas. annoyingness/60 off the charts. and matthew and leon are both having a blast the whole time.

i don't think they click instantly when matthew shows up in edmonton in 2016, because matthew's a hotshot, high draft pick, legacy, the whole nine yards, and leon's still feeling a little insecure about his place with the oilers. at least matthew's not a center.

so they don't click instantly, but it comes pretty quickly. matthew's a friendly guy, when he's not antagonizing every flames player on the ice (which frankly leon thinks is very funny), and he's smart about hockey, and a fun guy to hang out with.

and so we get a few years of the mcdavid-draisaitl-tkachuk era in edmonton. a lot of goals, and maybe not as much defensive responsibility as everyone wishes, a lot of people on twitter and capfriendly's gm tool getting stressed about the contract math. and they're right to be stressed about the contract math -- that's a lot of high-end offensive talent to have stored up, and it's gonna get pricey.

and then it's the 2021 offseason. matthew's already been a holdout, and he got his deal but everyone knows the next one won't be any easier, and mcdavid and draisaitl have their long-term deals but they're only going to get more expensive. they've been swept two years in a row in the playoffs. the front office wants results, and cap flexibility (that flat cap is already hurting). so matthew gets traded.

now, i don't think he and leon ever dated or anything at this point, but they were kind of dancing around the possibility for a while. another few years, or maybe one good solid playoff run, and it would've happened. (and by it i do mean falling into bed without actually talking about anything, but they would've talked eventually. both of them are too soft and serious about important things.) so for leon, matthew is this possibility. someone he almost got to have. it haunts him a little, when he lets it. and he misses the camaraderie he had with matthew, and how well they clicked on the ice. but that's just the business. he makes new friends and finds new guys to click with on the ice, and sure none of them make his heart beat too fast in the same way but he shouldn't be looking for boyfriends amongst his teammates anyway.

they keep in touch, a bit. it's hard with the grind of the season, and the time difference (matthew's on the east coast now) that doesn't even get any easier in the summers. leon fills up the space matthew took up in his life with other friends. more time with connor. other teammates. a dog. (it's a hassle, without someone living with him, but he's got a very generous neighbor and a big backyard and money to burn on fancy kennels if he wants.)

leon dates someone else, eventually. pretty seriously, living together kind of stuff. it is easier to deal with the dog this way. he learns just how annoying it is to play against matthew, and he tries not to laugh when matthew stares him down. the two of them get dinner with connor when the oilers are in raleigh (hey, we're playing the it almost happened game here anyway) and talk about the oilers circa 2017 experience. none of them win cups, but matthew gets the closest. leon determinedly isn't jealous, and sends him a nice text when the canes wash out in the conference final. again. but you know, it's not like leon misses him daily or anything. just at odd moments, when a play breaks down and he ends up with the puck, and he spins to find matthew on the ice, because matthew would've seen the same thing he did. and matthew's not there. matthew hasn't been there for years.

he doesn't ever ask if matthew's dating anyone, and matthew doesn't volunteer the information. he thinks it'll sting too much to find out, even though he is dating someone, and he hasn't told matthew about it.

matthew finds out, though, at an all-star game down the road. they're both there, and leon's boyfriend is too, and leon doesn't even introduce them. matthew's just saying hi to everyone, the way he does, and leon's boyfriend says leon invited him, and from the look on matthew's face, he doesn't even have to say boyfriend because matthew's got it all figured out. that shouldn't bother leon, and it bothers him a hell of a lot. (matthew's dated people too, but no one seriously enough to do something like this, and leon is right that he'd be hurt if he found out.)

leon signs a contract extension in edmonton. thinks about the possibility of retiring as an oiler. gets dumped, because his boyfriend gets tired of the late nights at home alone. the core of players he was striving for a cup with in edmonton is slowly breaking up. early-ish retirements. trades. the usual stuff. and leon wants to win, and he's starting to think that isn't going to happen in edmonton.

there's two years left on his contract and, well. he's looking, a bit. eyeballing other teams, looking at where he thinks he might be able to help the most. he has a full NTC, now, and the oilers won't be happy if he asks to be moved, but he thinks they'll make it happen. he can be flexible, a bit. he's good enough to command a decent return. connor will forgive him. he'll resent it, the freedom that his presence has given leon to do things like bail on the oilers when the going starts getting tough again, but he'll get over it. the deadline is creeping up now, and the oilers could still make the playoffs but it's looking more and more like they won't, and on the other side of the continent matthew's still -- well, he's not tearing it up like he used to, but he's putting together a decent season on a competitive team. and leon's jealous.

so he finally puts in the request. feels a little guilty but not enough to not do it. this is a business. he wants to win. he's won everything else, individually. maybe they've even won the president's trophy once or twice. but he wants a cup. the cup isn't the first thing he thinks about when all the chips are down and he's going to be matthew's teammate again.

it takes some getting used to, when it actually happens. matthew doesn't just plop back onto leon's wing and learn to read his mind all over again. matthew's an established guy on the team, he's already got a line. leon's playing a bit of wing, a bit of center. leon knows better than to have expected everything to just slot back into place but there was a stupid part of him that kind of wanted it anyway. it was so easy before! and now matthew's got a whole life here and leon's the interloper.

i think from here leon spends a while being in his feelings about it. not wanting to push too hard and upset the balance of this team, because they're winning. they're playing well. it feels good. but then the team's 2c gets hurt and he ends up slotting in, matthew on his wing again and oh, oh, that's the thing they used to have. leon is totally swept up in it, and along with it the crush he used to have on matthew. the thing that always felt like it could happen is still there, simmering under the surface. leon feels it when matthew slams him into the boards in a hug, and he feels it when matthew compliments him in a scrum and he feels it at the bar after the game, drink in hand and matthew leaning in close and grinning too wide.

it's not the same, exactly. they're both comfortably into their thirties now. older. more settled. matthew has a house in raleigh, which he never did in edmonton. even leon, uprooted midseason and in a new area, feels older and more stable than he ever did at 22.

they still don't act on it. matthew thinks leon got over it. leon doesn't want to rock the boat. but leon can't stop himself from pushing a little. touching when they don't need to. knees pressed together on the plane.

matthew does realize leon isn't over it somewhere in here. he's not an idiot. he knew what the vibes were back in edmonton, and he knows that leon's hand on his back at the bar isn't platonic. but leon doesn't push, and matthew's careful about these things. and they're winning, winning so much. winning in a way they weren't when they played together before, and it feels incredible.

gonna go big romance here and say this one ends when they win the cup. neither of them's on the ice but they pile off the bench together when the buzzer sounds, and after they've had their turns with the cup -- it feels even better than leon thought it would -- and after the night has finally wound down, leon grabs matthew by the wrist the way he's wanted to since matthew was 20 years old and so transparently trying to make everyone like him.

matthew comes toward him easily, until they're nearly touching, and leon finally, finally kisses him.

[cryiling]

what do we think about kpop idol au revalink where revali is from a big 3 company (i feel like he gives sm or yg but idk) and link is from a smaller company, but they get into a dating scandal because of dispatch's stupid dating dump at the end of the year or whatever

revali is appalled to have dating rumors with this little runt from a nugu group (he's lying, link is totally his type), meanwhile link is losing his shit bc it's his idol it's THE revali 🫣

im gonna use this ask as an excuse to talk about idols!link and revali bc I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS

first of all revali is def giving agust d vibes, that fuck capitalism and the government sorta songs, and he definitely writes his own music (he thinks that artists who don't write their own music aren't real artists). no wait like genuinely. have u guys seen the lyrics for all the songs on d-day?? and like the mv for amygdala?? totally breaking kpop industry norms and I can totally see revali doing that, like yes babes talk abt your mental health and traumatic experiences, pop off king !

I bet revali prefers doing hip hop style dances, like you're never gonna catch him doing those rlly simple trendy dances. nah he out here doing flips and bboying and stuff 😭 hmm like think back down or halazia level dances (bye not me finding a way to bring halazia into any conversation SJDHSJF)

also he definitely only sings live, no lip syncing for him. one day he gets sick and loses his voice but he still has a performance that day, and his manager is like PLS just lipsync to the track, literally no one will get mad I promise, and he's like bitch no and just has his fans sing the whole song (he goes viral for this, his fans bragging abt how revali would never stoop to the level of lip syncing while his antis are calling him lazy for having his fans do all the singing, then revali's fans clap back at those ppl and pull up the receipts of all the times their faves lip synced)

ok we need stage name and fandom for revali. hm tbh I feel like he would just keep his name as his stage name, like he probably thinks the idea of stage names is cringy 💀 help I need fandom name ideas. like, vale or something BYE. his company probably came up with a whole list of possible fandom names and he said no to all of them, atp his manager just picked one for him 😭

u mentioned revali is from a big 3 company, hmm yeah I'm getting sm vibes from him. how long do u think he trained for? probably a couple years, like 6? so he's very insistent that all his accomplishments are from his hard work

OK let's talk abt link! idk many small companies but ummm let's say like, gf or something (they have kingdom, slay!). do u guys know that one idol from loona I think? and she was a trainee for only one day? yeah that's link 😭 he auditioned for the company and they're like you're great! debut asap pls

link is just here to have a good time honestly, like he's going live at 3am to do drunk karaoke like jungkook fr 😭 he really has a passion for singing and performing, and at the end of the day he's just doing this for funsies, he doesn't let the stress get to his head too much, which, king behavior honestly

ik u said he's from a nugu group but honestly I'm seriously loving the soloist vibe from him, like if he was in a group he'd probably end up as the wonyoung of the group bc he just has that main character energy 😭

I can see link doing more upbeat/poppy songs, but he does the occasional ballad + contemporary dance combo that his fans go FERAL for. or,, omg. imagine him doing criminal by taeyang... 😊

his stage name.. L!NK bc he's quirky and not like other girls 😧 I bet his song titles are either in all caps or all lowercase too, he insists "it's for the aesthetic 🥺"

hm what sort of situation are they in where dispatch makes a dating scandal for them? OUHH MAYBE theyre both mcs for a music show (ignore that it's usually one guy and one girl) and they do one of those performances together and ppl are like 🤨⁉️ like imagine them doing the iconic dolphin dance together ✋ fans go CRAYZEEE the fancams hit like 20m views because their chemistry together really shines, even with such a simple song

their companies see how good they are for each other's publicities, so they really push for more of their schedules to be together.. which ofc comes at the cost of the dating scandal. they're hanging out together at some cafe idk, their managers told them to go hang out in the hopes that they would get some more publicity. what they WEREN'T expecting is for dispatch to declare that they're dating??? (that's a lie, link's manager (zelda) definitely knew smth like that would happen and she's the biggest revalink supporter 🤞)

when revali hears about this, he has a freaking meltdown to his manager teba, like 😭 lying facedown on the couch screaming into a pillow, "they think we're DATING?$:$;&2!;@/@ they really think a senior idol would go out with a rookie!!???!: SHUT UP TEBA HE IS NOT MY TYPE-"

meanwhile link has the BIGGEST celebrity crush on revali, like you know how jungkook is with namjoon? yeah 😭 so when the dating scandal comes out, link is just so flattered that people would think that he's worthy to be with revali- he's going around to anyone who will listen and is like "people think I'm with revali 😦🥰🥰" zelda is like girl calm down you're not actually together

[justanotherpersonsuniverse]

CAP CHAPTER 74 ROCKED

AND I WROTE THINGS HERE YA GO

SPOILERS BELOW!!!

Yknow i had to do it to em (play eye of the tiger based off of the chapter title, i think I’ll play gonna fly too, training montage music) 

EXCELLENT START. 

Love the dialogue already, Rena I love you dearly. 

I know you made the massive time skip because of your break from Panthera while writing, But i do actually quite like how it means they’ve been at this for almost a full year by now

Insane for this. “Yes and no, that was Ladybug’s training” 

The fuck will she do to them. I am so ready to find out

SHE’S SO INTENSE I LOVE HER LOVE THIS SIDE OF HER

I hope LB doesn’t interfere too much, I want to see how everyone deals with this side of Panthera

It’s hard to be fast at falling- hHA i am actually wheezing, i love this

Help this is awesome

I’m terrible at commenting on action, but this flows really smoothly and I’m loving how Panthera is explaining shit to them while they are flailing 

I feel like LB will be pulled in to make a point about team work

How is she wearing a hat with the cat ears

Awww Anarka tips cute

I love this

I enjoy Panthera beating hte three of their asses

I’m really waiting for the moment the tension between LB and Panthera explodes, because the push and pull between them can’t keep up like this! Especially because you have hinted at the Akuma becoming more dangerous 

Thats an argument / conversation I can’t wait to read.

Well i can wait, I would rather things are appropriately set up and you were happy with writing them Cap. does that make sense?

Help not Chloe hating Nadia, tbh she gives me bad vibes considering how ready she was to use children to boost her own show rating. 

Also, stealing a reporters microphone is such a funny idea.

JULEKA YOU THICK HEADED IDIOT NOTICE WHO RENA IS PELASE I BEG OF THEE

I still find it funny that Juleka is so bothered by not knowing who rena is. 

I love the alya appreciation, she’s a really really fun character especially in this, Chloe buying her an expensive camera is so funny though

Help- 

“They only ask me why I’m a boy on an all girl’s team and if I’m dating you guys.” Carapace huffed, tugging at his hood. “I’m also bi but I’m thinking of aiming for dating a dude next time I’m looking to date just so I can spite them.”

I’M OBSSESSED WITH NINO HERE HELP

Mainly because i was just thinking that “huh, i forgot that without Adrien as Cn team miraculous really seems like a girls thing

OOOO 

“They’re not my rules” 

Juleka saying this to them really forces them all to see that the partnership is unbalanced

This is like the different expectations of my divorced parents this sounds stressful to be in a team with 

Interesting to see Juleka’s rules though

I like this team conversation, I’m very curious about how much we’ll see with the five of them

The talk about dreams is fun, I am curious about what Chloe will end up wanating to do 

The whole “Oh was that an implication thing?” was cute

Juleka thinking the fact that we all end up dying is a reassuring thing is so funny help

leaving the three to a long moment without their two leaders. Or.. was it leader and her second in command.

THAT SHWTA I’M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!! POWB YEAH UNBALANCED SYSTEM AND SHE NOTICED WOOO

It is very interesting that they never thought of it like that before though, I’m pretty sure the media had implied that Juleka was second in command, or that might have been Juleka bias working 

Cap you have no idea how insane i am for the inevitable LB and Panthera disagreement on how to run things, like I feel like there will have to be a big push because Juleka is unlikely to challenge it without them even though she feels really strongly for it

But Alya’s observation has just made me more interested

I do need it to be known that I’m not trying to vilify Marinette! I love her character in this! She’s so interesting with how she sees things and how dedicated she is, and she is a good hero!

I’m just.. Really interested to see what happens when Panthera and her are actively opposing each other

The fact that Panthera fights like she’s dancing has me feeling wild 

And actually helps me visualise how she fights a lot more, not that it was hard before but this makes a lot of details click

YAY THEY BEAT HER!!!

Ooo, Fu talk. And. wait. PROGRESS ON THE PERMANENT HEROS THING WOOHOO

We all know LB has just not asked Fu about it at all

I’ve never really stopped to wonder why

I think I assumed it was because she didn’t want to maybe go against Fu, but I don’t think that really fits…

Huh. 

More to think about, though I do apologise if you’ve made that particular motivation clear and I’ve accidentally blanked it!

Oh shit

Never mind

Were talking about the metalica moment that’s crazy insane

Never mind fade to black

God I am so curious about what she’ll be able to do with that when it is more controlled

Hang on wasn’t she not transformed? Oh no, nvm plagg can leave the ring now

the end was so cute- help not Chloe buying expensive shit for people, love that for her

I seem to have said less than usual! i'm a bit frantic rn, so sorry about that! I'm not sure how much either of my asks made sense, they really are just stream of conscious so I do apologise for anything that is confusing!

Im glad you liked the time skip- Ive heard some comments expressing their unhappiness or discomfort with it so,, yeah;;

I can't wait for panthera and ladybug's dynamic in season 3. if you guys love ladynoire toxic yuri oh boy season 3+4 will be the seasons for you guys <3

[daegudrama]

Title: Together Tomorrow As Well

Pairing: Yeonbin

Summary: In which Soobin never debuted due family tragedy and is trying to regain the friendship he once had with the other members.

Word Count: 3,045 Words

Soobin 

The pictures of Tomorrow by Together on my twitter are tormenting me right now. I miss them so much, but even if I tried to reach out I doubt they'd want to talk to me after what I did. 

I'm not sure what I thought I was doing when I made a fan account for the band I was supposed to be a part of. Add onto the fact that my username is @yeonjunsexbf and that proves I'm fucking insane. Not even Kai knows I have this account and for some reason I've gained a huge following. Of course, I haven't revealed my face and don't ever plan too. 

Way too many moa know my account but no one has figured out I'm the mysterious fifth member that has been blocked out of all predebut content. No one will recognize me because they re-recorded and reshot everything for debut when I left. They had to push back months and I feel horrible everytime I think about it. It was out of my hands I had to leave and that meant cutting off my closet friends.

Today I want to repair the damage I've caused over the last year and a half. It's a fool's dream to hope they will forgive me. When I had to leave I was in a bad place and at the time I felt like it was best to cut off contact with everyone. I settled my contract, paying an ungodly amount of money, so I could be with my family. 

Yeonjun's serious face appears as I scroll down my timeline. I remember him smiling a lot more when I was there. Kai tells me he isn't the same, but he's okay now. He doesn't talk about me constantly or try to find ways to contact me anymore. The boys have encouraged him to date but it's futile. They are so busy it wouldn't work. We worked because we were together all the time and understood what the other was going through. 

Regret lives in my body every day for breaking up with him like I did. My pride gets in the way of trying to fix it and at this point I'm not sure he'd even speak to me at all. I've asked Kai about it but Yeonjun won't say anything about me. They try not to say my name. Kai makes it seem like the boys try to pretend that I don't exist. I suppose that's what I deserve because I did the same thing to them. 

I click the tweet of Yeonjun to see the replies. One from someone with a Kai layout says, 'is it just me or did juni look happier and smile more predebut?' There is a lot of replies like and a few defending Yeonjun. I'm very careful about what I tweet. The less personal information about me or the boys I say the better. I've jumped in on theories occasionally even made a joke AU once but I try to not give too many opinions. My heart hearts thinking I might be the reason he has less smiles now.

An alarm rings on my phone reminding me I need to leave soon if I want to get the venue on time. Buying tickets to their one year anniversary show was much more stressful than I thought it would be. That makes me proud. They have had so much success that I wonder if it would be the same with me. Maybe it's best I had to leave. 

My twitter followers know I'm going to the show but none of them know what I look like and I'm wearing a mask and cap just in case. I thought about texting my old manger but I'm not sure that's the best idea. I want to have the option to chicken out and if I contact him I won't be able to. 

Yeonjunsexbf: Might do something stupid today pray for me 🤪

I tweet as I walk towards the cab I've called. I'm instantly flooded with replies asking if I'm already at the venue and what I'm going to do. I decide not to answer until one of my closer mutuals says,

CrownTaehoney: This better be about your ex S,,,

I've talked about Yeonjun and the boys, without naming them. Mostly I talk about how much I miss them and wish things could be like they used too. This mutual has reached out and we've spoke about it in more depth. They want me to have closure or to rekindle the friendships. I'm the one that treated them badly because my world was turned upside down.

Yeonjunsexbf: coincidentally it might be. No further questions pls 

In the car Kai texts me asking why I'm in the same city as them. I posted a view from my window with a location tag on it last night wondering if he'd reach out. Kai has been my best friend practically since the moment I met him. When I tried to cut him off he refused and was more persistent than the rest. I let him in because I needed someone, but I wasn't ready to have everyone. He's the only member I've kept contact with. 

Soobin: I'm visiting a friend

Kai: I'm not stupid. Are you coming to the show?

In true post leaving bighit fashion I ignore his texts and go back to twitter. People are already inside and frantically tweeting about the stage setup. Accounts I follow are meeting each other and I wish that was possible for me. 

The staff outside doesn't recognize me and I get into the venue without a hitch. I take my front row seat and hunch over my phone. I don't talk to the people around me while I wait for the show to start. 

Yeonjun is the first to enter the stage and my heart races as my ears are filled with screams. He's just as pretty as the last time I saw him in person. Maybe even more so now. He looks happy and healthy something most pictures of him don't show these days. His hair is still a light blue color and they are wearing matching outfits. 

The other boys look over the moon to be preforming for their moas. I'm so happy to see the people I once called my best friends doing what they love. Each of these boys are so talented and deserve so much. I had to leave and of course I wish what caused me to go away never happened.

I keep my mask on for nearly half the show before lowering it only when I get too hot from jumping around. It's interesting hearing songs I once sang being done without me. It gives Kai more room to shine and my become misty when he sings Our Summer. They move on to another dance and that's when I'm spotted.

One moment they are in synch dancing flawlessly then the last person I would expect stops. Yeonjun freezes staring me dead in the face and I hear my name echo through the venue. In the next second Taehyun has pulled his shoulder and he's back dancing flawlessly with a confused look on his face. 

The fans around me are muttering wondering what the hell just happened. Yeonjun is the last person anyone expects to stop dead in the middle of a performance. He hasn't seen me since I got the news from my mother. I packed up and left the dorm before they could get home from rehearsal. 

Before the song is over a staff member comes to my seat. I recognize him, he often worked security for the building when I was a trainee. His eyes sweep over my face and body confirming that I am in fact Choi Soobin. 

"Would you please come with me?" The staff member asks and I look beside me to see three girls freaking out. They must think I'm lucky but they don't know what I'm about to go through. I'm sure they think I'm about to live a Y/N fantasy but that's probably the furthest thing from the truth.

"Of course. Lead the way." I stand following the staff member through the aisle and back around to get backstage. 

It's darker back here and smells vaguely wet. The walls are concrete and I feel a sort of excitement finally being backstage. I never preformed a real show with them because I left just before our debut.

I wonder where is taking me when we arrive at the green room. He leaves me beside hair and makeup artists. They don't speak to me but I can see surprise on their face. The stylists know me; they dressed me for months.

I open twitter to see my timeline tweeting about Yeonjun stopping and saying my name. People are mentioning me asking if I have a better angle of the video because they know I was in front. Some are accusing me of being the person who made Yeonjun freeze. I think about privating my account but that would look too suspicious. Moa are worried that Yeonjun has taken a secret lover.

After a few minutes of awkward silence Taehyun bursts into the room looking ready to lunge at me. Kai holds him back while I hear Beomgyu yelling in the hallway. 

"Yeonjun no! Come here!"

Taehyun starts shouting at me just like I deserve, but that doesn't make it hurt less. His face is red already covered in sweat from dancing. Taehyun struggles against Kai's grip but he won't let go.

"Why did you do this to him?! To me, to Beomgyu?You could have reached out to us! You have no idea what we've gone through trying to help him get over you. If you're just going to leave again then don't even try talking to us." Taehyun relaxes from his tense stance falling to the floor. He looks up at me with sad eyes. "He's like a shell of a person without you. We all understand you needed to leave but you didn't have to cut us off like we didn't mean anything to you."

"I'm so sorry. Please understand-"

"Taehyun, Kai you have to change." One of the stylists says pulling them away to another room.

I'm sat there waiting for them to come back, watching them from the screen in the room. Yeonjun is putting on his best happy face and if I didn't know any better I'd think it was real. 

"He only looks like that on stage. Moa make him really happy otherwise he's been very moody." The make up artist to my left says like I need more of a guilt trip.

This isn't what I imagined my life would be. I should be on the stage next to my best friends answering questions from Moa. I trained so hard only to have something earth shattering happen so close to debut. I had to go home and help my family, staying here would've been the most selfish thing I could do. 

When my sister died I wasn't thinking straight. I couldn't breathe or form a coherent thought. No one's words could help me or make me feel better. It's been a year and a half and I'm still distraught but my emotions are more stable. I've realized how many people I hurt.

I packed all my things and left without a word to my members. They knew what happened because I was told at dance practice. I didn't have the mental capability to keep my relationships with them alive at the time and I regret that every day. My mother said I should stay but I knew that wasn't what she really wanted. 

We paid off my contract so I could go home and rebuild my family. Yeonjun tried to text me and call me but I couldn't handle picking up the phone. My every thought was filled with my poor sister. I wish I could give her one last hug and tell her how much she inspired me. 

We broke up over text because I refused to answer the phone. I know how horrible that is and I feel like a jerk every time I think about it. They gave me space for awhile before trying to contact me. I changed my number so they'd stop calling. The last thing I wanted was to feel more sadness. 

"Yeonjun is waiting for you in the hall." Kai says sometime later. "Please be careful."

I nod my head hoping I won't hurt anyone more than I already have. Yeonjun is waiting just outside the door. He must have started crying the money he left the stage because his face is covered in tear tracks. 

The first thing he does is unexpected. He pulls me into a hug and cries onto my shoulder. I rub his back trying to pull away to a more private area.

"I'm so sorry for what I did. You didn't deserve any of that. What I was going through is no excuse for how I treated you."

We walk into a small room that has clothes in it and I shut the door behind us. I wipe the tears from his eyes and my heart is threatening to beat out of my chest. 

"I've spent every day since you left hoping that things could go back to normal. All I wanted for so long was our relationship to be the same, but after awhile I want you in our group more. Being a leader is hard and it's not the same without you." Yeonjun slides his back against the wall lowering himself to the floor. "I miss you and it's annoying. I can't get over a guy I dated for less than a year. You broke my heart into a million pieces but I know if I could find all the pieces and put it back together I'd let you do it all over again."

"I'm so sorry I hurt you." I say squatting in front of him. I sweep a piece of hair out of his eyes and realize my hand is shaking. "I miss you too and I know I don't deserve a second chance but all I want is to make amends with you and the other members."

His eyes shine with hope but the remaining tears remind me of the pain I've caused him. I must be careful because I only have one shot to make it right. The last thing I want is to cause anyone more pain. I want my boyfriend back and my best friends. 

"You left us hanging like we meant nothing to you. You changed your phone number and blocked us out. We wanted to be there for you because we thought we were your best friends." He sighs sitting up straighter as he continues, "Then you started talking to Kai and not the rest of us. That hurt so much. How did you tell me you love me when you couldn't even pick up the phone to properly breakup with me." 

"I was in a very bad place mentally but that doesn't excuse how I treated you and I'm sorry. You deserve serenades and thousands of roses spelling out your name not being broken up with through text." I look into his eyes taking a deep breath. "I've thought about every day since I left and lord knows I tried to stop but I can't. You mean too much to me and I know I'll have to earn your trust back, but that's all I want. Just a chance."

We talk for a few more minutes before Beomgyu finds us. Beomgyu doesn’t look as mad as Taehyun did but there is definitely resentment in his eyes. All I want is to fix this.

“Come back to our hotel with us.” Taehyun says moments later when the rest of the members have joined us. “We need to talk.”

And that’s what we do for the rest of the night. I order food for everyone and we have deep discussions about what happened over the last year. Of course, I know what’s happened with them Kai keeps me updated. They don’t know that I’ve been working at a bakery and still writing music. 

We talk about the possibility of me rejoining the group but I don’t think it’d be fair for me to do that. The four of them have worked so hard re-recording and making it through their rookie year, it’d be wrong for me to jump on the success they’ve made. 

“I’ll be real it doesn’t feel complete without you.” Taehyun says quietly looking out the dark window behind me. 

“It’d be hard since I already dropped my contract. I’ll see what I can do, but it feels wrong jumping in on your success.” I rub my hands together nervously.

“We wouldn’t be here without you.” Beomgyu says leaning against the headboard. “You were our glue predebut and after the pain you cause was our main source of motivation.”

I motivated them by leaving? Sadistic. Did they want me to realize how good they could be without me? That would make sense but now they want me back. I doubt I’ll be let back into the company but at least I have my boys.

“Can you guys go in the other room?” Yeonjun asks when it’s nearly 12 a.m.

Kai raises his eyebrow at me but without a word they file out of the room. I’m left alone with my ex boyfriend who I still love dearly.

“I know I’m probably getting annoying at this point but I’m so sorry.” I say standing as I start pacing the room confining my babbling. 

I’m cut short when Yeonjun catches my shoulder turning me around so he can kiss me. Fireworks erupt in my chest and my head feels fuzzy. It’s been so long since I kissed someone I had forgotten how amazing it feels. It’s soft and short when he pulls back he looks surprised like he’s shocked he did that. 

“It’s going to take awhile but I want it all. I miss you so much and I don’t want to spend another day without you.”

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Party Games - Steve Rogers X Loki Odinson

Title: Party Games

Steve Rogers X Loki Odinson ; ft. Tony X Pepper, Eddie X Venom, Sam X Bucky, and Vision X Wanda

Additional Characters: Tony, Wanda, Vision (Mentioned), Pepper (Mentioned, Eddie, Venom, Sam, Bucky, Natasha, Carol, Stephen, Pietro (Mentioned), Thor, and Peter

Requested by Anon!

WC: 1,824

Warnings: Teasing, taunting, Pocky Challenge, flirting, Pietro's alive, Loki never died, slight angst, fluff, and everything is fine

Steve sighed, adjusting his shirt collar in the mirror. Loki slithered into the bathroom, wiggling his eyebrows through the mirror, giving his boyfriend a smile. "Looking good, Captain." Loki complimented, eyeing Steve up and down teasingly.

Steve only sighed again, "Hello, Loki." He ran a hand through his hair.

"What? No 'thank you'?" Loki continued to tease, before his smirk turned into a smile, watching Steve mess around with his hair, seemingly worried or stressed in some way. Loki hummed, stopping Steve from messing up his hair and fixing it for him. "You look fine, love." He sputtered out a small laugh, "It's not like you're meeting someone new, just hanging out with the puny Avengers."

"You know," Steve began, turning to face the God of Mischief, "I am part of the 'Puny Avengers'."

Loki's smirk reappeared once more, "Mmm," He gave Steve another once-over, "You're not puny."

Steve sighed deeply, leaving the bathroom with slightly pink cheeks, Loki following close behind, following all the way out of their shared bedroom, into the elevator, and into the main room where the rest of the Avengers were chilling.

"Ayyyyy! Steve, Brother!" Thor exclaimed, pulling a man both Steve and Loki didn't know into his side. "This is Eddie Brock! And his partner Venom!" Both Steve and Loki furrowed their eyebrows, not seeing another person with Eddie, but nonetheless, Steve gave Eddie a polite smile and went over to shake his hand.

"Steve Rogers, nice to meet you, Eddie." Steve greeted, shaking Eddie's hand. 

"Nice to meet you too, Cap. Love your work." Eddie spoke, before Steve looked down at their shaking hands, seeing a small, black slimy thing slide across his hand. Suddenly, a face appeared from the black goo, giving Steve a wide, toothy smile. "We are Venom."

Steve blinked, before speaking, "Oh, hello." 

Before anything else could be said, Venom went back inside Eddie, and both Steve and Eddie dropped their hands. Eddie chuckled awkwardly, "Uh, normally people freak out when they first meet Venom." Eddie fidgeted, and Steve shrugged.

"We've seen worse." Steve began, side glancing towards Loki, remembering the Chitari of 2012 before looking back at Eddie, watching as Venom moved to appear on his shoulder. "I mean, we've also fought a giant purple alien. It's not like we'd scream or something." Steve chuckled, before glancing around the room, seeing the looks on the other Avengers' faces. "Uh, right, guys?"

Tony looked to the ground, the same went for Clint and Sam. "Uh, I screamed," Sam muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"And I almost fainted," Clint spoke up, as Steve looked at the three dumbfounded.

He sighed, looking at Tony. "What about you, Tony? What did you apparently do?" He asked as Tony shrugged.

"I peed my pants." He confessed, but from the look of his non-stained pants, Steve sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You three just love to prove me wrong," He then turned back to Eddie, giving him an apologetic smile, "Sorry about them."

Eddie just shook his head, "No, it's fine, if they said anything wrong, Venom would eat their brains. We've dealt with worse. Right, V?" He turned to the symbiote on his shoulder.

Venom grinned, nodding, "Right, Eddie, now when is this party starting?" He asked in a deep voice, as the rest of the attendees found a place to sit on the many couches and chairs.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Peter spoke up, "We could play hide-and-seek?" He suggested, only for Tony to point an accusing finger at him.

"No, we are not playing a child's game, you child." He scolded before his frown completely disappeared as if it was never there. "We should play Seven Minutes In Heaven." To that, most of the Avengers facepalmed as Peter looked at Tony in offense.

"We could play Truth or Dare?" Sam spoke up, as Natasha raised an eyebrow, looking at the man.

"What are we? Five?" To that Sam gave her a bright smile, nodding.

"Yep."

Before long most of the team were in a dilemma, fighting over what game to play or not to play. Steve sighed, rubbing his cheeks in annoyance, as Loki looked around the room pleased with the chaos; until a deep voice rang out.

"We should play the Pocky Challenge!"

“Not again…” Eddie muttered.

At that, the room fell silent as everyone turned to each other, nodding and mumbling to one another before agreeing surprisingly.

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Natasha spoke, crossing her arms and legs, and leaning back on the couch beside Bruce. "But I'm not playing." She added, making Tony groan.

"You're no fun."

Thor nodded, "Tony would also call you a 'party pooper.'" As Tony gave the man beside him a smile and nod.

"I would say that." He then turned back to Natasha, frowning once more, "You, my dear, are a party pooper."

Natasha rolled her eyes, "I thought girls didn't poop." She remarked and Tony paused, opening and closing his mouth, multiple times.

"Yeah, girls don't poop." Sam exclaimed, turning to Bruce, "Do they?" He asked in a hushed tone as Steve just sighed, rubbing his face with both hands at this point.

"This conversation is getting nowhere, can we play now?" Wanda asked as Peter nodded rapidly beside her.

“Yeah, I am so confused.”

"Yeah, we can, but we don't have any Pocky," Carol spoke up from on the armrest of Stephen's chair.

"Uh, I do," Eddie spoke up, pulling out a red box of Pocky from his black hoodie pocket. 

Loki raised an eyebrow, "You just have that on you?" To that question, Eddie nodded.

"Yeah, Venom loves chocolate." To that Venom purred happily, staring down at the Pocky box.

"Chocolate!~ Yummy!~"

Eddie nodded, giving Venom a look, “Yeah, my love, chocolate.”

Tony clapped his hands, standing up and walking over to Eddie, who passed over the box. "Well, who wants to play?" Peter immediately raised his hand, and Tony quickly shut him down, "Yeah, no."

"I guess I'll play," Sam spoke, giving Bucky a side glance as Tony handed him a Pocky stick.

Soon enough, Eddie, Sam, Tony, Loki, Wanda, and Pietro all had Pocky sticks, as Eddie began to explain how to play. "Now, uh, you just find a partner, and put one end of the stick in one mouth, and the other end in the partner’s mouth. And then you both nibble on the stick until you get into the middle and whoever, uh, lets go first, loses." He spoke sort of sheepishly, as Eddie put the end of the stick in his mouth, turning to Venom only for the symbiote to just take the entire stick from Eddie's mouth and eat the whole thing, making Eddie sigh. "Venom doesn't usually follow the rules. He just, uh, eats the chocolate."

Sticking one end of the Pocky stick in his mouth, Sam turned to Bucky, wiggling his eyebrows. Bucky stared at Sam and at the stick and back, before shaking his head. Sam frowned, the Pocky stick drooping comically as he stared at Bucky with puppy dog eyes. "No fair," He muttered, before just sighing and breaking the stick in half, handing the other half to Bucky. "Guess chocolate is not a good excuse to kiss me."

"I don't need an excuse to kiss you." Bucky spoke up, nibbling at his half of the Pocky until it was gone, feeling his face flush pink, "Just don't want people looking at me, is all, bird."

Sam sighed dreamily, eating his Pocky, "He calls me his bird."

Wanda and Vision were already halfway through their game, both freezing in the middle as the intense stare-down started. But Vision broke it off not before long, his own robo-self feeling a bit flustered as Wanda ate the rest of the Pocky happily before she pressed a quick kiss to Vision’s cheek. Pietro zipped over in a blue light, stopping beside Natasha, wiggling his eyebrows, only for her to turn away with a roll of her eyes. Pietro frowned, glancing at Stephen as he raised his hands in defense, "Nope." He simply spoke up as Pietro sighed once more, before eating his Pocky alone.

Tony snickered evilly, holding his Pocky stick in the air before he jumped up from the couch and ran out of the room in search of Pepper. Loki twisted the stick between his fingers, staring at the chocolate before turning to Steve. Steve stared at the stick, then at Loki and back. "Stevie, darling, it'll be fun." Loki teased, waving the Pocky in front of Steve's face.

Steve sputtered a laugh, “You have an odd definition of the word ‘fun’.”

"Just one game."

Steve sighed, taking the stick from Loki's grip, "Fine, but one game." He muttered as Loki smirked, "Only because you'll hold this against me or prank me or... Something." He muttered as he placed one end of the Pocky stick in his mouth, waiting for Loki to bite off the other end. 

"Or something." Loki teased, before biting on the other end, staring intensely at Steve as he cockily took the first bite.

Steve chewed slowly, staring at Loki with narrowed eyes. Once he swallowed, Loki took another small bite, before finally swallowing, cheekily then taking a larger bite, slowly moving each other's faces closer to each other. Steve, now in competition and determination mode, also took a large bite. They both continued until Steve's face was inches from Loki's, making the God's eyes widen and slightly go crossed before he smirked at Steve who glared at him. The two of them were so concentrated on each other that they didn't notice when Tony rushed back into the room, defeated and sad, his non-eaten Pocky stick in his hands.

Before the two of them knew it, they were just centimeters from their lips touching. Their breaths mingled together as they closed their eyes, both of their noses brushing against each other. As if in slow motion, Steve felt himself lean forward and pressed his lips gently against Loki's, his free hand sliding behind the god's neck, deepening the kiss by tilting his head to the side slightly. The chocolate was completely eaten, only the taste of it remained on their lips. Loki smirked into the kiss, while Steve, after a few moments, pulled back, looking slightly breathless and blushing fiercely before smiling sheepishly at Loki. It was silent in the room for a second before everybody exploded in a fit of applause and cheers. 

Steve rubbed the back of his neck, bashful and embarrassed as Tony nudged the Captain on his shoulder, Loki just smirked, raising his hand to teasingly ruffle Steve's hair. "Flustered are we, dear Captain?" Loki continued to taunt, causing Steve to blush even more. "Adorable."

As Thor grinned, slapping Steve on the back, "That's the spirit!" The blonde God announced, grinning. "I'm starving! Let us feast!" 

And to that, the team cheered.