#they are passing ships in the night there for two entirely different reasons

[plumbogs]

After work, I sent the girls (Heather and Tiffany) out on the town to get Heather a silly new look and also let them have fun.

Also a great time to get some alumni together at the bar.

The actual alcohol mod is fun, but unfortunately the action times out by the time they reach the person they're doing impulsive nonsense with. Which happened to be Tiffany trying to kiss Castor again, so I'm almost grateful that it timed out by the time he stopped doing whatever she was interrupting.

Then she missed work because I didn't realize her promotion was going to have her coming back to work that same night. Whatever

[oleanderflower]

Awkward Bonds: An Alien’s Guide to Human Behavior

Summary: On a spaceship, human Y/N and their alien roommate Orven navigate the complexities of their growing bond. As Orven seeks to understand human ways of affection, their connection deepens, leaving both of them questioning what comes next.

a/n: This was supposed to be something else entirely but I couldn’t stop writing and now it’s this, unbetaed, mistakes made are my own! please let me know what you think and if i should continue with Orvens story or move on !

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You and your companion, Orven, quickly became close friends after the start of the space mission you were both assigned to. While you were human, he belonged to a social species that thrived on interaction, finding comfort in companionship.

The captain had decided that pairing the two of you—despite being of different genders—wouldn’t cause any issues like in any other species. Orven’s kind didn’t rely on intercourse for reproduction and where pretty docile, and frankly, the captain was certain that nothing was going to happen between a human and his kind. Of course...

As the days passed on the ship, the bond between you both deepened, forming an unspoken understanding. His curious nature led to countless late-night conversations about humanity’s quirks and habits, while you found comfort in having a companion who wasn’t wary of humans. He found you fascinating, and you found him simply enjoyable to be around.

It wasn’t long before the two of you became inseparable.

The crew often remarked on how naturally you both complemented each other—your so-called “human-ness” and Orven’s species’ innate need for companionship forming an oddly perfect balance.

-Which is why that one question completely threw everything off balance.

It was another late night in your shared quarters. You were lounging on your raised bed, absorbed in a book on your portable reader, while Orven rested on his lower bed beneath you and across on the opposite wall. The atmosphere was peaceful, the quiet hum of the ship in the background.

Then, he turned to looked up at you.

“Miss Y/N… I may have another strange question about humanity.”

You immediately perked up, setting your reader aside. Orven’s questions were always so interesting—half the time they led to deep philosophical discussions, and the other half… well, they were just funny. He never dropped the Miss thing, despite your repeated attempts to convince him it wasn’t necessary. Apparently, it was a sign of respect. Oh well.

“Yes! What’s up?” You scooted closer to the edge of your bed so you could look down towards him.

His expression was alight with curiosity, his equivalent of excitement evident. “I’ve recently read that humans require two individuals to reproduce, unlike my species that is able to do so asexually if chosen, which we can do independently making the need for a partner unnecessary. How exactly does your process work, what are the differences?”

You froze.

Your face heated up instantly as your brain short-circuited.

It’s fine. It’s okay. It’s just a biology question.

No reason to panic. Absolutely no reason at all.

Except for the fact that your very sweet, very curious, and very cute alien roommate had just asked you to explain human reproduction while looking at you with that eager, innocent expression.

Oh god. Answer him.

Your mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again. No words came out.

Orven’s head tilted slightly, his species’ version of a curious frown crossing his face. “Are you alright, Miss Y/N? Your face has changed color.”

Great. Fantastic. Now he’s concerned.

You cleared your throat, willing yourself to focus. This was a perfectly normal question. A scientific question. It wasn’t his fault that humans had such an incredibly embarrassing way of continuing their species.

“Well,” you started, then immediately regretted it because you had no idea where to go from there. “Human reproduction is… uh… complicated.”

Orven’s eyes—lit up with intrigue. “Complicated how?”

Oh no.

You couldn’t back out now. Taking a deep breath, you clasped your hands together, adopting the most academic tone you could manage. “Humans require two individuals to contribute genetic material. One provides an egg, the other provides… uh… genetic material that fertilizes the egg.”

Orven nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Ah, like pollination?”

You blinked. “What?”

“Like with plants.” He gestured vaguely. “One spreads genetic material to another, and then the offspring grows?”

“Uh…” You supposed that was the most PG way to describe it. “Sort of?”

Orven hummed thoughtfully. “But how does the genetic material get from one human to another?”

Your soul may have just left your body.

“Uh.” You hesitated, scrambling for a way to say this without saying it. “Well, there’s more of a… direct transfer.”

Orven perked up. “Oh! Like an exchange? A secretion process?”

Why does that make it sound worse?

“I—um—yes, technically,” you stammered. “There’s a… uh… physical connection involved.”

Orven tilted his head again. “How so?”

You stared at him, praying to whatever cosmic forces existed that he would magically drop this conversation.

No such luck.

He was still looking at you, blinking expectantly, completely oblivious to your internal suffering.

“…I’m gonna need a diagram.”

Orven brightened. “Oh! I enjoy diagrams!”

Why me?

You hesitated, already regretting your choice of words. He looked so excited—his version of excitement, at least—like you’d just promised him the best lesson of his life. It was kind of adorable.

Which only made this situation worse.

You sighed, pulling out your portable reader and tapping through the library of information stored onboard. There had to be a basic, non-graphic explanation somewhere. Preferably one that didn’t involve words like secretion process.

Meanwhile, Orven continued musing to himself. “I imagine there must be a strong biological drive, given the inefficiency of requiring two individuals to align at the right time. Do you just ask someone, or—” He paused, glancing up at you. “Oh. Wait.”

You didn’t say anything, but your burning face probably said enough.

His expression shifted.

It wasn’t easy to read the emotions of his species, but over time, you’d learned to recognize the subtle ways he expressed himself. Right now, his posture stiffened ever so slightly, his usual enthusiasm dimming.

“Ah.” He tilted his head in the other direction, slower this time. “This is… an awkward topic for humans, isn’t it?”

You let out a long, suffering sigh of relief. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

Orven blinked a few times, processing. Then, with what you could only describe as realization, he straightened up. “Oh. Oh.”

You nodded.

“…And I have been making it worse.”

“You have been making it worse,” you confirmed.

He immediately clasped his hands together—his species’ equivalent of an apologetic gesture. “I sincerely regret this.”

“It’s fine,” you mumbled, still recovering from your near-death experience.

A brief silence passed between you. Then, hesitantly, Orven spoke again. “Would it help if I offered an equally embarrassing fact about my species?”

You raised a brow. “…That depends on what it is.”

He thought for a moment before nodding to himself. “Alright. In my culture, prolonged eye contact is considered a pre-mating behavior.”

You stared at him. “Wait, what?”

“Which means,” Orven continued, a bit too calmly, “that I have been accidentally flirting with you this entire time.”

Your brain promptly shut down.

Orven observed your stunned silence, then let out a soft hum, looking pleased with himself. “There. Now we are both uncomfortable.”

…Yeah, ok. That was fair.

You sat in stunned silence, your heart still pounding from Orven’s unexpected admission.

Flirting.

“Wait… you’ve been flirting with me?” The words were a little breathless, your chest tightening. This is fine. Totally fine.

Orven didn’t seem to notice your nervousness as he casually nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t realize it was problematic for your species. If I had known—” He paused, his voice softening. “I would have adjusted my behavior to be better understood.”

He said it so sincerely, like it was just another piece of information he was processing, that you couldn’t help but find it endearing even if you where a bit (very) surprised.

“Flirting isn’t bad, Orven,” you said, your voice quiet now. “It’s just… complicated for humans, certainly more complicated then just prolonged eye contact.”

Orven tilted his head, still intrigued. “Complicated how?”

You sighed, a mixture of frustration and fondness swirling within you. He was so sweet—so honest in his curiosity. It made everything feel lighter, even in the awkwardness of the moment.

“I don’t know,” you muttered, “we don’t really do the eye-contact thing, that’s more of a respect kinda deal I guess. It’s just that there are other… ways humans show affection.”

Orven’s expression shifted to one of deep concentration. He looked at you like he was trying to work out a puzzle. “Other ways?”

You nodded slowly, a little unsure where this conversation was going but somehow not wanting it to stop. “Yeah. Like holding hands, or… or maybe a touch on the arm. You know, something gentle. Something that says I’m interested and I want to know if you are too. You know? Well, I guess not difference species and stuff-”

Orven was quiet for a moment, then took a small step closer to you on your bed, his 7’1/2 ft frame easily letting him be near you even if you where sitting on a raised bed, his usual casualness replaced by something more deliberate, more intimate. “I think…” He paused, then slowly reached out, his hand resting softly on your arm, his fingers brushing lightly across your skin. “I think I understand.”

Your breath hitched at the touch, warmth spreading from your arm to your chest. It was subtle, but the way he looked at you—so open, so sincere—was almost enough to make your heart skip a beat.

He took another small step, his hand still gently resting on your arm, his gaze never leaving yours. The way he looked at you made you feel like the only thing that mattered in the galaxy at that moment was the space between the two of you.

“I care about you, Miss Y/N,” he said softly, his voice quieter now, almost like a confession. “And I want to understand the human ways of bonding. I would like to try them, if you would accept me.”

It was your turn to shuffle forward now, still sitting on your bed letting you be just a bit taller than him. Your heartbeat quickened, your breath shallow, unsure of where this was heading but so very ready for it. “I—” You stopped, then looked at him, your heart in your throat. “I’d like that too.”

For a long moment, neither of you moved, simply standing there, the connection between you two so strong, so felt, it was as if it was pulling you toward him. Slowly, tentatively, you reached up, your fingers grazing his cheek. The warmth of his skin under your touch sent a shiver down your spine.

And then, without a word, Orven closed the gap between you. His lips were smooth, tentative at first, as if testing the waters, before he pressed just a little harder, the kiss deepening with an undeniable sweetness.

For a moment, everything else faded away. The hum of the ship, the lingering awkwardness, even the question of species—it all melted into the warmth of his touch, the quiet certainty that this, this connection between you, was something real.

When you finally pulled away, your faces were only inches apart, breaths mingling in the soft silence.

“That… that was different,” you said breathlessly, your heart still racing.

Orven smiled, a quiet, contented smile. “It was. But I believe I could get used to it, with you.”

You smiled back, warmth flooding through you. “Yeah… me too.”

a/n: the end?? if yall want ? i was gonna have a smutty ending but i wanted to leave it fluffy, lmk if you want a part 2 with more Orven!

[justaparsec94]

Arrival

Summary: When Echo and his crew rush off on a rescue mission you're left behind to wait, hoping to be reunited with the one person in the galaxy that you want to see most.

Pairing: Howzer x Reader

Word Count: 4,812

Author's Note: Inspired by those airport arrival videos and the haircut that Howzer was somehow able to maintain during his time in prison.

****************

You shifted nervously from one foot to the other as you stood on the landing platform, heart racing in your chest. There was a cold, nervous sweat running down your back but at least you had finally stopped pacing. But that was only because you’d realized that you might have been drawing unwanted attention with the pacing, not because you’d felt any less settled. Every few moments you looked up, trying to spot any signs of the familiar ship as your stomach rolled with anxiety. You weren’t sure if you were going to throw up or pass out, but currently, neither option was out of the question. 

They’d been gone for what felt like ages and with each passing moment, despite knowing that these things took time, your anxiety only got worse. Every single horrible ‘what-if’ scenario that had kept you up the night before was now running through your head with nothing to do but wait.

You took a deep breath, trying to distract your mind by counting back from 100 under your breath as you kept your eyes peeled, looking for any sign of The Remora. If everything had gone according to plan, they should be returning any moment. Hopefully, with the one person you wanted to see most in the galaxy on board. 

You’d met Howzer during the war on Ryloth. There had been an instant connection between the two of you but during the war and even after it had ended the two of you had really only ever had a handful of stolen moments together. It hadn’t taken you long though to realize that he was unlike any man you’d ever met before. What you felt for him was different than anything you’d ever felt. He was kind, brave, and loyal to a fault. When you were with him you felt so completely safe, a feeling you had been searching for most of your life. The list of reasons why you’d fallen head over heels for him so quickly was endless. 

The day you found out he’d been arrested was something straight out of one of your nightmares. It had taken you months to find a way off of Ryloth and get in contact with Rex and his crew of rogue clones. With each passing day your fear had grown, the thoughts of all the horrible things The Empire might be doing to him kept you up at night. But even worse was the thought that you might have already been too late to save him. 

You knew Rex and his crew were competent though, you’d seen them in action enough times over the past few weeks to know that if anyone could rescue Howzer it was them. 

As if summoned by your thoughts, Rex suddenly appeared at your side. He didn’t say anything at first but you could see him looking up at the sky out of your peripheral vision. You let out another breath that you’d been holding. You hadn’t known Rex for long but you had instantly liked the former clone Captain. He was stalwart and steady, he rolled with the punches in a way you admired. His calm presence at your side had the anxiety in your stomach settling, but only just. 

“They’ll be fine,” He said finally, breaking the relative silence on the landing platform. You weren’t entirely sure if he meant to reassure you or himself, but you appreciated it either way. 

Your own words were stuck in your throat, so you simply nodded in return, heart beating so quickly that you could feel your pulse racing beneath your skin. 

Finally, the familiar sight of The Remora broke through the hundreds of ships up above. It seemed impossible but your heart rate picked up even more as you watched it slowly lower towards the landing platform. 

Rex gave you a meaningful and reassuring look before he moved away from you, heading towards the ship as its landing gear touched the ground. You stood rooted to the spot, frozen in fear and anticipation of what might be awaiting you when the ramp lowered. If they had failed… if he was already… no, you couldn’t go there. Not right now. The hydraulics of the ship hissed as the door to the ship opened, the ramp lowering as it began to power down. 

You suddenly moved a few steps forward, unconscious of the movement, as Echo came down first. You only just registered him clapping Rex on the shoulder before your gaze returned to the ship. You stopped, fear making your limbs seize once more as Fireball and Nemec exited the ship followed by three other clones dressed in grey and navy prison garb. Your breath caught in your throat at the familiar sight that followed them. Dressed in the same navy prison uniform, was Howzer. 

Your heart was pounding painfully against your rib cage as you watched him walk down the ramp. You couldn’t believe that he was actually here. You’d hoped every single day that you would see him again but now that it was happening it felt like it was all a dream. Even from this distance, you could see he looked different, paler and slimmer than he had been before but still undeniably Howzer. You took a few more steps forward, almost in a daze before another thought had you freezing in place. Would he be happy to see you? You might be undeniably in love with him but you’d never actually said that out loud to him. Maybe you’d over-estimated the depth of the bond you had, misread the words and intimate moments the two of you had shared…

Suddenly, every worried thought that had flooded your mind faded as you watched Howzer’s steps falter on the ramp as his gaze found you. A jolt of electricity shot through you as your eyes connected, every emotion you felt for him rushing up inside of you as he seemed to freeze in place. His warm eyes widened in shock, even from this distance you could see the disbelief on his face. Time seemed to stand still as you looked at him, joy bubbling up inside of you, replacing your earlier disbelief. He was here. He was safe. You hadn’t been too late. 

Howzer finally seemed to unfreeze but you stayed rooted to your spot, everything else that was happening around you faded away as he made his way straight towards you, covering the ground between the two of you in a few purposeful strides. There was only him. There had always only been him. Before you could even think of uttering a greeting his arms were around you, crushing you to his chest so tightly you felt the air leave your lungs. Your eyes burned with tears as you held him back, melting into his embrace. 

“You’re ok,” your voice croaked with emotion, eyes squeezing shut as you held him tightly. You weren’t sure if it was a question or a reassurance to yourself that he was actually there. Tears slid down your face as he cupped the back of your head, pulling you in even closer to him. Everything about him was the same, the lines of his body that had always fit so perfectly with your own, his gentle but reassuring touch, the soft rise and fall of his even breaths. Even his smell was the same, clean with the faintest hint of blaster fire. It was overwhelming to be so close to him after having spent so many nights dreaming of him. You had missed him so much. The ache had been unbearable. Being in his arms again was like coming home, you’d never felt safer. 

“I’m ok,” he finally replied, voice a soft whisper against your ear as his hold on you tightened even more. He swayed slightly, rocking the two of you back in forth as you continued to hold on tightly to one another. You squeezed your eyes shut tightly, burying your face into his neck as a soft sob escaped your mouth. You never wanted to let him go again. He turned his head, planting a soft kiss on your hair, your cheek, anywhere he could reach with how close you were. Your eyes continued to burn with tears as you basked in the feeling of being held and loved by him once more. 

Eventually, he did pull away, but only just enough that he could look at you fully. His hands remained on your waist, a warm and comforting weight. His eyes were wet as they traced your face, the same disbelief that had been present earlier was still there. 

“How are you here?” His voice was rougher than normal, as though he hadn’t used it in ages. 

“Well, someone had to find a way to rescue you,” You teased softly as you lifted your own hands to gently grasp the underside of his forearms. It felt good to touch him, a physical reminder that he was here and not about to disappear at any moment. 

“Without Y/N we wouldn’t have known to look for you specifically on the prisoner lists,” Rex’s voice sounded suddenly, causing both of you to jump slightly. You’d both been so lost in one another that you hadn’t noticed the rest of the clones gathering around. You felt your face flush slightly at the realization that they’d probably witnessed your entire emotional reunion but that feeling was gone in an instant as you looked back at Howzer who was looking at you in astonishment.

“And here I was spending my days in prison planning how I was going to get back to you on Ryloth,” He said with a chuckle. He shook his head slightly in disbelief but the pure joy you could see on his face filled you with happiness. 

“Saved you the trip,” You replied before closing the distance between the two of you once more, wrapping your arms around his waist as you gazed up at him. 

He laughed again, squeezing you tightly, “How did you pull this off?” He looked away from you for a moment to survey the space around them and the small group of clones that had rescued him.

“Well, first I feel like I should say I’m sorry that it took so long,” You said, a wave of guilt washing over you at the thought of all that might have happened while he’d been imprisoned. 

He pulled back slightly, brow furrowing but you continued before he could protest, “It took me a while to find a way off Ryloth. After you were arrested everything became so chaotic, there was so much civil unrest,” Howzer frowned at that, which wasn’t surprising. He loved Ryloth and its people, something that you loved so much about him, and he had worked so hard to protect it. To hear that all of that had essentially been for nothing would be heartbreaking.

“I eventually managed to stow away on an Imperial supply transport. After that I was able to meet up with the clones that helped rescue Cham and Eleni, they put me in contact with Rex,” You explained. You’d lived through a war and most of your life had been spent in conflict, but the last few months had been some of the most stressful you had ever experienced. The stress of not knowing if Howzer was still alive had eaten away at you. 

Sensing your distress, Howzer pulled you close once more, wrapping his arms around you tightly as he pressed his face into your hair, “Thank you,” His voice was so quiet that only you would have been able to hear his words. 

Howzer pulled away from you again after a moment but he seemed unwilling to go far, you could feel the heat radiating off of him, his hand still on your waist. You both finally looked away from one another as Rex and Echo stepped closer. 

“We’ll let you give him the tour,” Rex said to you before he raised a hand to rest it on Howzer’s shoulder, “We’re happy to have you, brother.”

Howzer smiled, “Thanks for the rescue boys.”

Rex clapped him on the shoulder once more before he and Echo moved off, likely to help the other three clones that had been rescued get settled as Gregor, Nemec, and Fireball moved the Remora into the hanger. 

“Come on,” You finally said, reaching down to grab Howzer’s hand with your own, “I’ll give you the grand tour.”

Howzer’s smile widened as he followed along behind you willingly, the weight of his large hand in your own was reassuring as you showed him around the Martez sisters’ garage.

“It’s not much, but it does the job. At least, for now,” You explained to him as you headed back towards where the bunks and the single refresher were. Rex and the others had been talking about finding a new base for a while but so far they didn’t have any leads.  

“It’s definitely an upgrade from an Imperial prison,” he said lightly, but you didn’t miss the dark flash of his eyes. You squeezed his hand in comfortingly as you pointed out the door to the refresher. 

“All we’ve got is a sonic but I figured you might want to use that…” 

He chuckled, “The hair could use a refresh for sure.”

You laughed as he leaned forward to press a quick kiss to your cheek. He was notoriously meticulous about his hair. 

When he leaned back his gaze swept over you once more from head to toe, a mix of both disbelief and relief on his face, “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” He said softly, hazel gaze warm as he squeezed the hand that he was still holding. 

“I can’t believe it either,” You said just as softly, heart thrumming in your chest as you looked up at him. You lifted your free hand to trace the lines of the scar on his face, as you had done what felt like hundreds of times before. He closed his eyes, leaning into your embrace for a moment. 

“Go shower,” You said after a long moment, smiling softly at him as you let your hand fall away from his face, “I’ll wait.”

He took a few steps back, pulling your hand along with him until just the tips of your fingers were still touching. The gesture made you laugh softly before he spoke again, “Don’t disappear on me.”

“Never,” You assured him, giving his fingers one last squeeze before you separated. You watched him until the door of the refresher slid shut behind him before you turned back and headed toward your bunk. It was slightly away from the rest, tucked behind a half wall to give you some sense of privacy. The clones were used to sleeping in close quarters but it had been an adjustment for you after having spent so much of your life alone, so you had appreciated their effort to make you feel more comfortable. Now though, as you sat down on your slightly lumpy mattress, you wondered if you should move it closer to the rest. The idea of being away from Howzer, even if he was just across the room, didn’t sit well in your stomach. You frowned though as the earlier doubtful thoughts that had plagued you returned. Maybe he would prefer the space…

You shook your head, trying to clear your mind of any unwanted insecurities. You sighed as you leaned back against the wall, suddenly feeling so very tired. It was as if all of the worry and sleepless nights had finally caught up to you now that he was safe. A massive weight had lifted off of your shoulders, the relief you felt was astronomical, but the fatigue was an ache deep within your bones. You closed your eyes, tipping your head back against the wall as you took a few deep breaths, trying to rid yourself of any remaining tension. Howzer was safe. You were safe. Tomorrow might bring a whole new set of problems, but for today you were together again and that was all that mattered. 

“Bored already?” Your eyes popped open once more as the mattress dipped and Howzer’s voice broke through the sleepy fog you had been quickly falling into. 

You smiled at him softly as he climbed onto the bed, leaning against the wall as he angled himself towards you. Somehow he looked better already. The prison uniform was gone, replaced by a standard set of blacks that highlighted the weight he’d lost. But his warm eyes seemed brighter, his skin less pale. His hair was clean and meticulous as always. Your memory hadn’t served him fully, he was so handsome. Your heart ached just looking at him. 

You shook your head, focusing on his earlier teasing question, “No, it’s just…It’s been a….” You paused though, completely unsure of how to describe the last few months. Honestly, the last few years. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d truly felt at peace. Likely long before the war had begun. 

Howzer’s answering chuckle was soft, “Yeah, you can say that again.” 

You turned yourself slightly so that you were facing him, knees bumping against his own as you instinctually reached out to place a hand on his arm. Anyone else might have missed the dark undercurrent in his tone, but you knew him better than that. 

“Are you ok?” You asked softly. You didn’t want to push him, but at the same time, you wanted him to know that you were there for him. No matter how dark things may be.

Howzer chuckled again before shrugging his shoulders, “It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

You raised a brow at him questioningly as you gently squeezed his bicep, "You don’t have to lie to me.”

“I’m not,” He smiled slightly, the warmth from earlier returning to his eyes, “It wasn’t fun but I swear I’m ok." 

You looked at him for a long moment, studying the lines on his face and trying to find any sign that he was hiding something from you. But his expression was relaxed once more, if there was anything it was buried deep. 

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it…” You started. 

“I know exactly who to go to,” He finished before he lifted his hand to wrap around your wrist, “C’mere.” 

He didn’t even leave you a moment to protest before he was tugging you towards him, pulling you both down onto the mattress. His warmth immediately seeped into you as he wrapped his arms around you, your body lining up perfectly with the lines of his own as you laid on top of him. The list of things you loved about him was endless, but moments like this one, being wrapped up safely in his arms were definitely near the top of the list. 

You let your head rest against his chest, the steady sound of his heart in your ear as you tipped your chin up slightly so you could still see his face. He’d closed his eyes but the soft smile from earlier was still present on his face. Your own heart fluttered at the sight and unable to resist anymore you stretched your neck slightly to plant a soft kiss on the scar on his jawline. As you pulled away you didn’t miss the way his smile grew even wider. 

Smiling, you closed your eyes and snuggled further into him, relishing in his warmth even though there was still a part of you that couldn’t fully believe he was there with you. You were afraid that you were suddenly going to wake up and discover that this was just another one of your dreams. The warm weight of his hands on your back, his fingers tightening just slightly in the fabric of your shirt, reassured you. 

The two of you were quiet for a long moment, simply basking in the presence of one another. You could tell though, by the way his breathing had slowed and evened out, that he was beginning to fall asleep. Your thoughts from earlier resurfaced and a wave of anxiety quickly washed through you. You pushed it aside though, you knew that it likely wouldn’t be long before the rest of his brothers started to filter into their makeshift barracks. Howzer had always been fairly private so you weren’t sure how he’d feel about his brothers seeing the two of you snuggled up in your bunk. 

Your eyes popped open at the thought and you lifted your head just slightly to be able to get a better look at him, “Your brothers set up a bunk for you over with the others if you’re tired and want to get some actual rest…” You hated how unsure you sounded but it was too late now to do anything about it. 

Howzer didn’t open his eyes but you knew by the way his breathing picked up just slightly that he was still awake. It was a long moment before he spoke, eyes still closed but one eyebrow rose questioningly, “Across the room?”

Too far, you wanted to say but stopped yourself, “Yeah, next to Fireball, I think.” You had appreciated their optimism at the time, setting up a bunk before they were even sure he was still alive but now you very much regretted agreeing to both let them set up his bunk there and for having your own across the room.

Howzer’s eyes popped open and he tilted his head slightly to meet your gaze. His eyes were warm with a hint of amusement flashing in them, “Why would I go across the room when I’ve got everything I need right here?”

Your heart was suddenly racing in your chest and you could feel your face growing warm, “You don’t want your own bunk?”

His face suddenly turned serious once more and you could see the tips of his ears turn red just slightly, “Well, unless you want your own space…”

“No!” You cut him off so quickly that you felt your face grow even warmer with embarrassment, “Erm, well, no it’s ok. You can stay here if you want to. I’d like you to,” You added the last part shyly. 

Howzer was quiet for a long moment, a soft but contemplative look on his face as his hand drew soothing circles on your back. 

“What is it?” You asked after another few moments, unable to ignore the look he was giving you. Your heart was fluttering in your chest and you could feel your face growing red. He had always had a way of looking at you that felt as if he could see exactly what was going on inside your head. 

“I don’t want to move across the room,” He repeated softly, lifting one hand to cup your jaw gently. The touch set your skin aflame, just as it always did. You wanted nothing more than to simply melt into his touch, it had been so long. 

Your brow furrowed in confusion slightly though at his words, you’d already told him he didn’t have to, “I don’t want you to either.” 

The corners of his mouth flicked up just slightly in a smile but his gaze remained intense, his touch soft as he cradled your face, “I thought of you every moment we were apart.”

The words you had been about to say were suddenly stuck in your throat, your eyes began to burn at his admission as your heart pounded against your ribcage. 

Howzer continued, his thumb stroking gently against your cheek, "Thinking of seeing you again was the only thing that kept me going,” He paused for a moment, his tone suddenly mournful, “The regret kept me awake at night.”

You lifted your head even more to be able to see his face better, “Regret?”

He was quiet for another moment, his thumb stilling on your face. His gaze was suddenly so intense that you felt as if you would melt under the weight of it, “That I never told you how much I’m in love with you.” 

Your breath caught in your lungs at his words and it felt as if your heart was swelling in your chest. You lifted a hand to cradle his face on instinct, suddenly overcome with emotions. Your eyes were stinging but your gaze was sure as you looked up at him, “I love you too,” You replied softly, watching as his expression lit up, a smile forming on his face, "Being apart from you felt as if I was missing a piece of myself,” You continued as you let your other hand move to rest over his heart. The steady pound of it beneath your fingers anchored you in that moment.  

He let his free hand fall to rest overtop of yours on his chest, fingers squeezing your own reassuringly as he smirked at you, "Well good because you’re stuck with me forever. Even if I die I’ll haunt you.” 

You laughed softly, tilting your head further into his hand, eyes narrowing playfully “How… romantic?” 

He laughed but before either of you could say anything else he closed the distance between the two of you, his kiss stealing the breath from your lungs. He moaned softly as your lips parted for him, his tongue brushing along your bottom lip. The heat of him was searing as he used the hand on your face to angle you up and deepen the kiss. Everything completely faded in that moment, there was only him. The absolute love of your life. 

When he finally pulled away, both of your chests were heaving and your entire body felt as if it was on fire as he rested his forehead against your own. You let your eyes fall closed, focusing on synching your breathing with his own. 

He was still so close, his nose brushing against your own as he spoke again, his voice a soft, gentle murmur, “Thank you for coming back for me.” 

You opened your eyes again and met his gaze, the hand you had resting over his heart fisting gently in his blacks. Your voice was sure and steady when you spoke, every ounce of emotion that you were feeling present in your tone, “There is nothing in the galaxy that could keep me away from you. I will come for you every time, Howzer.” 

He was quiet for another long moment, his expression one of mild disbelief, “Did I mention how much I love you?”

“Yes, but I’m not opposed to hearing it again," You laughed softly, stroking his jaw with your hand gently.  

This time when he kissed you it was slow and gentle, as though you had all the time in the galaxy. His hand slid from your face, back into your hair as his tongue slipped into your mouth, tangling with your own. A thrill shot up your spine as his other hand moved to the small of your back, pressing you further into him with a gentle touch.  You want nothing more than to stay in that moment with him forever. 

Eventually, you pulled back slowly as you felt his kisses begin to change. They were soft and sleepy, like the ones he used to give you in the mornings back on Ryloth after you’d spent the night together. Your own eyes felt heavy as you brushed your nose against his, giving him one last lingering kiss before fully pulling away. 

His eyelids were heavy when you looked up at him, but he was smiling so brightly it made your heart skip a beat. Sometimes, you didn't fully understand how you could love someone else so much. 

“Get some rest,” You said gently, stroking the scar on his face once more as his eyelids dipped. 

He let out a deep sigh, both arms moving to wrap around your back once more, pulling you in close as you rest your head against his chest. From this spot, you felt his next words more than you heared them. 

“I’m afraid if I go to sleep this will all be a dream,” He murmured, arms tightening around you instinctively. 

“I’m here Howzer,” You reassured him, resting your hand over his heart once more as you moved to press your face into the junction between his shoulder and neck, “We’re safe.”

He hummed slightly in response as he tipped his head to rest against your own, “You’ll still be here when I wake up?” 

“Always,” you replied as you closed your eyes, drifting away as his breathing evened out. Of that you were certain, you would do everything in your power to stay with him, forever. You didn’t know what tomorrow would bring but you knew that as long as you were together you would make it through. 

[demaparbat-hp]

I can definitely see a version of katara, a couple years after sokka goes off with their dad, watching her tribe struggle for resources, first being overjoyed to welcome this air nomad, somebody around her age and also trying to save whats left of their culture in the fire nation’s wake, and then so betrayed when he’s (in her eyes) suddenly the reason they’ve all been suffering for so long, the reason she doesn’t know whether her brother and father are alive or not.

And then zuko coming along, not only with a tangible plan to stop the war and help her family, but also a way *out*. She loves her tribe and would do anything for them, but she’s also a teenager that feels so angry, so alone and helpless, and can only see a future where she lives and dies on this small patch of ice, feeling the pull of the moon but being too busy, too tired, too ignorant to heed its call. Of course its the scariest thing she’s ever done. I bet she deals with nightmares after the righteousness wears off and it sinks in what shes signed up for, the last waterbender of the southern water tribe on a metal fire nation boat. But if katara does anything its buckle down and commit.

I would love to know how zuko even gets into a position to have a conversation with katara and tell her his plan. What is their first meeting like, to not only divulge that, but want her on his crew? Do the two of them do their best to teach her waterbending; does uncle iroh help? I can only imagine watching katara struggle but keep on getting up to try the forms again and again brings back some of his own memories learning bending (i love your art, i love all the details about this au and all the others youve dropped, thank you for sharing even when people are dicks)

You have put this into words much better than I ever could. Her journey, her development and what drove her to make the decision to leave it all behind.

Zuko is a different person in this AU, and has had different experiences. He respects their village's boundaries, and comes in a small ship with two unmasked members of his crew, a man and a woman. He introduces himself in the way of the Water Tribe (I am Zuko, son of Ursa—no father, only his mother's name when it should have come last), and asks for permission to stay in their lands as his ship is repaired. Away from the village, where their presence wouldn't be a burden or a threat, and they could be easily forgotten or watched.

Katara is the only person to look him directly in the eye and, when she goes to where his ship is docked late at night and threatens to end his life if he so much as lights a fire in the direction of the village, he doesn't dismiss her fury or her capabilities. He smiles instead, eyes old and tired. I can end you, right here, right now, she says. I know, he answers. I know.

Days pass, Aang has been making himself scarce and the Prince has kept to his word. He doesn't ask for anything, he isn't seen unless someone from the village goes to stand watch, and he looks at her with something akin to respect.

Then, a few days after his arrival, Zuko asks for an audience with the village's mathriach and her family. He isn't surprised when Katara is there, and he addresses her directly, as if her opinion is something to value.

He hasn't been entirely honest, he says, with the countenance of someone about to play it all in a move that could earn him either victory or defeat. His ship needed repairs and he was closer to their shores than Earth Kingdom land, this is true. But it was so because the person he was chasing after had damaged his ship and, according to maps and calculations and sheer dumb luck, the only place they could have run to was here, in the Southern Water Tribe.

But why would he chase someone like that?

To return home. To earn back the rights to challenge his father for the throne, and end the war.

Why do such a thing?

For his mother. For his sister and uncle. For the world.

Why tell them this?

Because they had a right to know, since the person he was after was right here, right now.

Who?

The Avatar.

Who?

The airbender.

(Later, after Aang abandoned them again, Katara approached the Prince and offered herself to him. She knew the Avatar, she said. She was a waterbender and could help them in the seas. She was the Sea Wolf's daughter, and could ensure an alliance. She needed a way out. He accepted.)

[luna0713hunter]

hii young!luffy x young!reader fluff inspired by the kiss scene in my girl? honestly u don't don't have to know the film you can just search up the scene! also it doesn't even have to be fully accurate all I'm really asking for is their first kiss

Author's note : hello there!so abt this request;i havent watched my girl ,but I've searched abt it and gosh they're so adorable?!?!maybe I'll watch it this week!

My Girl

Monkey d. Luffy x reader

Warnings : lots of fluff,young!Luffy x young!reader, you're both 10 btw

*.✧∘˚˳°*.✧∘˚˳°*.✧∘˚˳°*.✧∘˚˳°*.✧∘˚˳°*.✧∘˚˳°*.✧∘˚˳°*.✧∘

Your mother always used to tell you that you'll find your true love when you grew up.

But you found love a little bit too early.

It was a sunny summer day. Those days where the weather is both too hot to go outside but staying inside is not an option either. So with small hands interlocked,you and your long time best friend,Luffy,go to your usual hanging spot : Shanks' ship.

The crew were all outside, perhaps that was the reason why the two of you had entered without anyone telling you that you're too young for being on a pirate ship. But when you sit down on the wooden surface and spread your small picnic basket that Makino had packed,you give Luffy a blinding smile and offer him a small sandwich.

And true to his fashion ,Luffy swallows whole the entire piece in one go.

You huff and smack his hand away from your share,and glare at him, "dont eat so fast or you'll get an stomachache!"

"nuh uh!i can eat the whole basket and still be hungry!"

"well too bad!!Makino packed this lunch for both of us!so you have to share!"

Luffy pouts but complies, choosing to grab an apple instead and munch on it slower this time.

There's a moment of silence before Luffy opens his mouth and the world stops.

"hey,y/n?'

"yeah?"

"have you ever kissed anyone?"

You loudly choke on your food.

Luffy jumps up and gives you a bottle of water,and with concerned eyes,rubs your back.

"you alright?!"

You cough and try to wipe your eyes from the tears that had formed.

"w-why would you ask that?"

Luffy sits across you crossed leg and shrugs.

"i saw some couple kissing in the bar last night,and it got me thinking," he then looks at you and grins, "so?have you?"

You shake your head furiously as you feel your cheeks heating up with each passing second, "of course not! I'm only ten!"

"but Makino says love has no age."

Your eyes widen and your mouth hangs open, "L-love?" You swallow and your voice suddenly drops;like you're scared somebody will hear you, "who do you love,Luffy?"

And he answers without missing a bit that it gives you whiplash.

"you of course!who else!?"

His answer makes you shut your mouth so fast,that you cringe upon the sound of your teeth clattering. You cant speak;what can you say to his confession? But when you see him staring at you expectedly,you swallow and gather your courage to speak again.

"Luffy," you wet your lips before continuing, "i think loving someone romantically is different than... loving your parents or..Shanks and Makino."

Luffy tilts his head,and you smile upon seeing his adorable puppy like eyes.

"but y/n,i know i love you. Why would i mistake it?"

"how do you know it's different?"

Luffy folds his arms against his chest and takes a moment to consider your question.

"its like," he wonders aloud, "when i see you its different from when i see Shanks or Makino. My heart gets all..mushy mushy,"

"mushy mushy?!"

"Yeah!" He grins and nods rapidly, " it beats really hard,and i want to share my foods with you!!i never want to do that with Shanks or others!!"

And to Luffy, sharing food is a big deal.

You shyly glance away and start fidgeting with your fingers, "so... you've been thinking about kissing..." You swallow, "me?"

Luffy nods again and skootched toward your until your knees are pressing together.

"do you...want to try it?"

"kissing?"

"mhm."

You give him a shy smile and with a final nod,Luffy leans forward with his eyes squeezed shut,and presses his lips clumsily against yours.

The kiss is sweet and short;the taste of the apple that he had earlier lingering on your lips even when he pulls away.

You wish you could taste it once again.

"so," Luffy nervously bounces his knee, "how was it?"

You giggle and leave a small peck on his nose,making him scrunch it up.

"it was...sweet."

"sweet?"

"yeah. I liked it."

The words seemed to make Luffy beam,as his grin becomes impossibly wider.

"I'm glad!!!"

Before either of you can say another word, there's the sound of another pair of footsteps and soon, Shanks' playful voice calls out for the two of you.

"you kids better not be here again!!"

And when Luffy takes your hand and with giggles ,runaway from the ship,you cant help but to feel your heart beating loud,and being warm just like the summer sun.

-

"hey," a snap of finger in front of your face brings you back from your daydreaming, "whatcha thinking about?"

You smile at the boy in front of you;his taller form and muscular arms and shake your head.

"just remembering some good memories."

"oh?am i in any of them?"

You glance at him and when you see his warm chocolate brown eyes,you close your own and sigh contently.

"yeah. You're the main character in all of my dreams and memories."

[thewhitewitch-bitch]

In Astris Supra (Chapter I: Viam Quaeris ad Omnia Foeda et Pulchra)

Agatha Harkness x F!OC (Aislin Stuart)

Read it on AO3

Summary: "No new horror can be more terrible than the daily torture of the commonplace." - H.P. Lovecraft Agatha Harkness is certainly not commonplace. Nor is the witch who came to Salem one cold night in the autumn of 1691. And when the two of them collide, the world will certainly never be the same. But will it be for better or for worse?

Salem, Massachusetts 1691

The stars were different in Salem. They weren't as dim as they were over Shrewsbury, though they still seemed restrained, like they couldn't shine as bright as they wanted to when the children of the Divine Mother were so restrained themselves. And the air, it hung heavy like a woolen cloak upon my shoulders as I stepped off that wretched ship and onto the fog-laden dock. There was no greeting from local folk, no word of welcome as I and a handful of others passed the harbor master and carried on to the small cluster of homes and shops. Smoke wafted from chimneys and the scent of roasting meat caught my nose as I followed the trodden path through the town. Children were nowhere in sight, contained within the confines of their homes, and with good reason, I could wager that anyone caught wandering after dark met a rather sticky end. 

No one dared meet my eye as I walked through the town, though that could have easily been attributed to the attire that I wore which had passed me off well enough as a man to sail to the New World without hinderance. I'd be a fool to say that I didn't prefer breeches to corsets, though if any onlookers got too close of a glimpse they would have tried to see me hanged by first light. 

"Return to your homes! Seek not the devil within the cover of night!" A voice called over the ringing of a crier's bell from somewhere within the rows of houses. One by one, men and women vanished as the night grew darker and the moon in its waning cast its silvery light down upon the path before me. I planted my feet, feeling the light of the moon bathe my skin as I felt raw, natural power wash over me. 

"Divine Mother, give me strength." I whispered, feeling as though pure starlight coursed through my veins. A gentle breeze kissed my cheeks as my eyes fluttered shut. The quiet that settled in Salem after the doors were all closed, and the windows were shuttered was welcome after the sloshing of the sea and roaring of the breakers for the last three months. It was grounding, solidifying, peaceful. Until it wasn't. The breeze grew into a gust then into a small gale, before it finally ceased. A knowing smirk twitched at the corner of my mouth as I opened my eyes to see that I was completely surrounded by women dressed entirely in black. 

"Bold of you to venture into a town such as Salem... sisters." I greeted, "From what I hear you're all on the verge of being burned at the stake." 

"Mind your tongue, girl." a veiled woman snapped, "You stand in the presence of the most powerful coven in the New World." 

I bit back a laugh, "Good. That means I ended up in the right place." 

"Just who do you think you are, whelp?" 

"A covenless witch of the stars," I replied with a shrug, "seeking solitude and safety." 

The veiled woman scoffed at me, "Ha! You will find neither here. Leave this land and do not return."

"Or what?" I dared to ask, sauntering up to her with a darkened expression, "You'll kill me? Because I would love to see you try."

The witch drew back her veil and revealed an older, graying woman with a pointed, stalwart face. I met her eye with a fierce gaze, my natural power flowing off me in silver wisps. To my surprise, this woman, this leader of the Salem coven, seemed to shrink beneath my glare. A flicker of fear flashed in cold, unkind eyes. I stepped away and turned to address the rest of the coven. 

"I came here to seek solitude, and I will have it. So, let's make a deal. I'll retreat into the expanse of the wood and remain there without issue. I shall not venture to Salem again, so long as you leave me in peace. And in exchange, you can go about your business as you always have, unhindered by any intervention of mine." I scanned every witch's face for any sense of doubt, any inkling of waver and found none until my hazel gaze settled upon the deep blue eyes of a girl no older than myself. She was stood beside the old crone, but her eyes were not filled with fear or indignation like the others. Instead, they gleamed with fascination and intrigue, shining bright in the darkness against her pristine pale skin, like sapphires freshly polished. I lingered on her for a moment too long, finding that my cold exterior began to crack beneath her gaze and I was willing to allow it. 

"Do we have a deal?" I asked with a far too gentle tone, my eyes still locked on her. Beside her, the crone set her veil back upon her face and nodded. 

"The terms of your agreement are acceptable. Go now and do not cross our path again." 

I allowed myself a final second to look upon the girl beside this wicked witch before tearing my eyes away to fix them on the path that would carry me into the forest beyond. My feet led themselves away from the coven, pushing through their ranks and past the array of homes and hovels. As I walked on, the chill of the night finally began to sink in past the thin white wool shirt I wore and against my will, I shivered. That shudder was accompanied by the sound of footsteps behind me, fast approaching. I paused and glanced over my shoulder to see the girl that had caught my eye chasing after me, her dark hair following behind her in long, illustrious waves. 

"Wait!" she called to me, holding up a bundle of cloth in her hands. I was almost inclined to keep walking, but my feet remained glued to the ground as she stopped mere inches from me and caught her breath. 

"You should not be here." I told her, daring to glance back at the town in the distance, "Your coven mother is not too keen on having me here. Nor am I one to be caught associating with witches who are supposed to keep their distance from me."

"My mother is a cruel and unkind woman," she answered rather harshly, "And I've never been one to follow her rules to the letter." 

I scoffed, "Well, then you and I are rather alike, it would seem." 

I turned fully to face her and found myself captivated once more, not wanting to move an inch. There was something about this girl that was... enthralling to say the least. It was as though I were coming face to face with pure, untapped power and I had no way to contain or control it, though I had the feeling that I did not want to do either. 

"What do they call you, stranger?" she asked me, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly, a delightful smile spreading across her face. 

"Aislin Stuart." I replied with a smile of my own and little bow which loosened a few strands of my brown hair from the tie at the back of my neck, "Daughter of Dorcas Topsfield, the Scourge of Shrewsbury."

Her smile grew wider and wilder. I took a slow step forward, getting within a heartbeat from her, whispering into her ear, "And what do they call you, pet?" 

Her breath hitched, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. A chuckle rose from deep in my chest as I pulled away. Her mouth hung slightly agape as I took a step back to get a good look at her again. It took a minute for her to recollect her thoughts and reply. 

"A-Agatha. Agatha Harkness." 

"Hmm," I hummed with a softened expression, "Well, Agatha, I suppose I won't see you again. Ta." 

I started to move away, but she stretched out her hand and caught my arm with surprising deftness. 

"Wait, I, uh, wanted to give you this." she offered up the bundle of black, heavy cloth in her arms, which upon quick inspection was a warm, winter cloak, "Winter is nigh upon us, and it would seem you don't possess the proper clothing for the cold months ahead."

I took hold of the rough wool, my hand brushing against hers as I did, sending a spark up my arm and into my chest. The air became heavy again, though not due to the fear of the Salemites behind me. This was a comfortable heavy, one that shielded me from the cold for only a split second before the chill of the autumn air came rushing back. 

"Thank you." I said softly. Taking the cloak into my arms, I tossed over my shoulders and immediately felt the cut of the wind come to an end. "I suppose I should be off."

"Can I see you again?" Agatha asked me quickly. Looking back into her brilliant blue eyes, I felt a flutter in my chest. I had come here to escape other witches, only to end up being entranced by one as soon as I arrived. I took hold of a ring on my right hand, crafted from fine silver bearing a gleaming white pearl.

Holding it up to my lips, I whispered, "Invenias quod petis apud me in manu tua."

Stepping back toward her, I pressed the ring into her palm and closed her fingers around it, "When you wish to find me, simply put on the ring and it will show you your path. When you wear it, all roads shall lead to me."

I released her hand and stepped away, vanishing from sight before she lifted her eyes from the ring back to the road.

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

She sought me out three days later. It had given me enough time to venture far enough into the wood that I would remain untouched by any who dared to seek me out, while also granting me the opportunity to make use of a summoning spell to establish a sturdy enough shelter until I was able to conjure something permanent. A heavy frost coated the leaf litter on the floor that morning, casting an ethereal shimmer across the wood as I sat upon a rotting oak stump and took in my surroundings.

The protection circle had continued to do its job, I had remained undisturbed during the night. The small fire that I had built was steadily growing as I continued to feed it, heating up the kettle I had hung on an iron hook. Freshly snared rabbit was roasting on a small wire spit, the scent of its roasting flesh making my mouth water as I readied a cup for morning tea. The forest was quiet, save for the rustling of leaves when a squirrel skittered past, or a deer came by to investigate. Glancing up at the sky, I could see that it was going to a clear day, a good day. It had been a long time since I had had one of those. 

The kettle began to whistle, I grasped hold of the rag-wrapped handle and filled my cup. The calming scent of black tea, calendula, and cornflower wafted up to my nose, the heat radiating from the cup warming my hands as I raised it to my lips and took a careful sip. 

"I hope you have enough to share." 

My head whipped around to see Agatha Harkness standing at the edge of my circle, a gentle, innocent smile on her face as she stood with a deep violet shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She was entrancing in the dark of night, but in the light of day, she was as radiant as the sun. Her dark brown hair shone brightly in the pale autumn light, her porcelain skin pristinely white. The shawl meant to stave off the morning chill covered most of her, though I could see the intricate black lacework of her gown's bodice peeking through it. 

"Transite in sacrarium meum, et estote suscipite." I said, gesturing to the space next to me on the stump, "I have plenty to share. Come, sit." 

With a snap of my fingers, a second cup floated up from its place amongst the personal effects I had summoned over to where the kettle was. Without lifting a finger, the kettle filled the cup and returned to its place. Agatha cautiously stepped past the ring of white stones and found no resistance upon passing fully through. Taking the cup from its place in midair she lowered herself next to me and took a sip, letting the warm liquid bring some life back into her chilled bones.

"You know I wasn't completely convinced that your little spell would work but," she glanced down at the ring nestled perfectly upon her right middle finger, "as soon as I put it on, I felt a pull in my chest, and it led me here."

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to lie to you. I only lie to those who deserve to be lied to." I replied simply, "I haven't known you very long, but I see no reason why you shouldn't be told the truth."

"Ah, then you and my mother would be quite at odds. She refuses to teach me." 

I arched a curious brow, "What witch would refuse to teach her child the craft?" 

Agatha's grip on her teacup became tense, her eyes remained downcast. She was withholding something, though what it was I couldn't be sure. I watched her sit in abject silence for a while, until she finally worked up the courage to speak again.

"My magic is dark. It aligns with evil, and because of this my mother will not teach me."

I had heard an eerily similar story many years ago. My own mother's tale of how she came to acquire her power was one of turmoil, anguish, and death. Over the centuries, she had become known to lure witches into her thrall, tell them she was establishing a coven, then like a leech to an ill man's neck drew every drop of magic from them and absorbed it for herself. The corpses piled high outside the cottage where I was born. I'm sure if I were to return to that place tucked within the forests outside Shrewsbury, they would have grown higher still. 

"My mother refused to teach me as well." I confessed, " She is a proponent of the dark arts, using power to gain more power. But my magic is rare, volatile, more in tune with the eldritch magic of sorcerers. It's as ever changing as the phases of the moon and it takes a great deal of self-discipline to master, something my mother disregards entirely. I had to spend some time studying with the Ancient One in Kamar-Taj to truly understand it myself. But... in time you could learn to master yourself as well." 

"You would teach me?" Agatha's tone suddenly became hopeful, excited even as her eyes met mine. I nearly choked on the sip of tea I had just taken, coughing up my drink onto the frost-laden ground at my feet. My gaze fixed on my shoes, drifted back up once I had regained my ability to breathe again. 

"I... apologize." I said with a hoarse tone. "But I'm not much of a teacher, Agatha Harkness." 

"Well, I'm not much of a student, Aislin Stuart," she answered smartly, a smirk dressed upon her face, "but I'd be willing to walk this unknown path if you walk it with me." 

A tightness formed in my chest. My heart pounded against my ribcage. I couldn't turn away from her, and she knew it.

"Very well then. Down the road we'll go. Our own secret coven of two." 

Part of me wished that I had leaned toward divination in that time, perhaps then I would have seen what was to come. The passion, the anger, the heartache that would certainly arise from it all... but knowing it wouldn't have made a difference. There was truly no way to predict what Agatha Harkness would do.

I only wish I had known it sooner. 

[teecupangel]

So this idea has been bouncing in my head like an excited rabbit on caffeine. (I also don't know if anyone else thought of this but I thought it would be cool) so you remember the reblog chain where the players are all in Desmond head talking like a twitch chat, and the other reblog chain of Desmond's ancestor data gaining sentience because isu bstm, right? Well I had a thought, what if we combined the two, like maybe something like the part of the main group + Desmond are trying to get to the others who are in another part of Abstergo or the assassin's network and Desmond, let's say that while he was split he couldn't hear us until they passed through this really corrupted part of an ocean map (let's say it's in Edward's time) then all of a sudden Desmond hears one of us. (Sorry if this doesn't make sense. I hope you have a heath day/night)

I think this is the AC characters data in Abstergo’s database regaining sentience AU reblog chain with @piratekenway you’re talking about?

The Ratatouille AU where the ancestors can hear Desmond while ‘playing’, its more unhinged cousin, the Ratatouille AU where Desmond can hear us and the outside POV of Al Mualim thinking the Apple broke Altaïr and the sidestory of Altaïr accidentally connecting with Ezio while looking for Desmond (I hope I didn’t forget anything else)

Okay, so the idea is that we’re using the setup for the character data gaining sentience and we’re setting this as sorta like the ‘epilogue’ to the Ratatouille AU.

Instead of letting the world burn (“As a treat!” one of the voices chirped), he sacrifices himself. When he wakes up, he’s in Abstergo’s database, chained as a digital copy of Sample 17.

He can’t hear any voices anymore.

Are they disappointed with him?

Did they think they wasted their time trying to help him?

Did he… make the right choice?

He doesn’t know how much time has passed… when the virus started taking over the database and servers.

.

In this one, the virus isn’t made by Erudito + Assassins. It’s of ‘unknown origin’.

All they know is the name of the virus is “for desmond!” and it is targeting Desmond. Of course, Sample 17 is in one of the more secured encrypted ‘part’ of the database so it mutated to wake other data up.

Data that has connection with Desmond.

Along the way, the virus inside them starts waking up other data nearby, creating a strange team to rescue Desmond.

We can sorta play with this a bit and make Arno, Evie and Jacob become part of Abstergo’s database because they do have data of Arno’s descendants and it makes sense that the reason why the Templars knew where the Shroud is because they can access the twins’ memories as well and the Assassins just stole their DNA for their own Animus instead.

So they get to Desmond who is staying in the Grand Temple, just sitting there, staring at the devices, doubting and double-doubting himself if he should have activated the device when the people who care for him the most asked him not to.

Of course, Abstergo’s anti-virus and probably the entire security system is chasing after them so they don’t have time to actually talk.

They just run.

Well, they sailed using a fusion of the Jackdaw and Aquila…

… into a corrupted part of the West Indies.

The idea was… the virus didn’t harm them but it definitely fucks with Abstergo’s anti-virus and security system.

At the very least, they were hoping it would slow them down.

What they did not expect was for the entire thing to collapse under them…

And drop their modified ship into a different unfamiliar ocean.

“Holy shit!”

Desmond blinked.

“That scared the crap out of me. Goddamn it, Ubisoft. I know this is still being betatesting but Jesus Christ, loading the entire ship and dropping it from above??? What kind of programming does this game have???”

“Lollol. Dude, chill.”

“Is it an enemy ship? Like… can you shoot it?”

“Should you shoot it? Check its level first.”

They were all familiar voices.

“You don’t want a repeat of-”

“Guys?” Desmond asked, his voice a bit too quiet.

Hesitant.

He didn’t dare hope that it was them.

Not all of them.

But some of the ones he was most familiar with.

The ones who stayed with him the most.

“Holy shit.”

“Oh my god, Desmond?!”

“What’s Desmond doing in this game?!”

“Is it our Desmond???”

Desmond’s lips curved into a smile and his voice croaked as he said, “Yeah, I’m your Desmond.”

“Oh my god.”

“Desmond!!! You’re okay!!! We were sooo worried!”

“You think this is [Bored Anonymous]’s work??? Did their plan to use all our computers to try and connect with Desmond’s world and send our gift work?”

“Gift?” Desmond tilted his head.

Did they mean the virus?

He felt someone nudged his arm and he turned to look at Ezio. Everyone else seemed confused but Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton seemed to have an idea on who he was talking to.

Wait.

They can hear them!

Before Desmond could tell the voices that everyone could hear them now, one of them said hurriedly, “Oh fuck! Someone get [Bored Anonymous] quickly!”

“Why?”

“I only have 1 more hour to play this beta! What happens to Desmond if he stays in this beta server after the time is up?!! We can’t lose him!”

“Ohshitohshitohshit!”

“I’ll alert the discord server!”

“I’ll try to message them in Tumblr! They’re always online there!”

“Pretty sure that’s their queue…”

“We can still try!”

Desmond simply laughed.

Sure, the time limit they’re talking about was worrying but hearing all of them worrying about him…

It felt like he was finally home.

[bipolarman2022]

On the coast of Rabat, Morocco, stands an imposing lighthouse that has guided ships to safe harbor for decades. Its light is a constant beacon in the darkness of the Atlantic, a symbol of hope for those venturing into deep waters. But this lighthouse, like so many others, is also a silent witness to a tragic love story, marked by the ocean and the secrets it holds.

### The Encounter

Amar, the lighthouse keeper, had lived his entire life in the tower, having inherited the position from his father, who had inherited it from his father before him. He was a middle-aged man, solitary, whose only companions were the light of the lighthouse and the constant roar of the sea. His routine was methodical: turning on the light at dusk, ensuring everything was working properly, and turning it off at dawn. His life was simple, but it was also imbued with a profound sadness that even he couldn't explain.

One day, amidst a particularly fierce storm, Amar saw from the tower a small boat struggling against the waves. Without a second thought, he ran down the stone stairs and rushed to the shore. There, he found Said, a young fisherman, exhausted but alive, who had managed to reach the beach with great difficulty.

Amar helped him to his feet and took him to the lighthouse. That night, as the storm raged outside, the two men talked for hours by the fire. Said was cheerful, with an energy that contrasted with Amar's calm demeanor. He had jet-black hair and eyes that shone with a vitality that seemed capable of illuminating even the darkest nights.

### The Love Born in the Storm

As days passed, Said began to visit the lighthouse more often. He did so under the pretext of thanking Amar for saving his life, but both knew there was something more. Slowly, their friendship turned into something deeper. The two men, so different, found themselves in a shared solitude, in a connection that needed no words.

Love blossomed between them in the tranquility of the lighthouse, away from the curious eyes of the outside world. Amar, who had spent most of his life in solitude, discovered in Said a reason to live beyond his duty. Said, in turn, found in Amar a peace that the sea had never offered him.

For months, their love remained hidden, a secret shared by the waves crashing against the coast. But like all beautiful and fragile things, their relationship was destined to face the harsh blows of reality.

### The Tragedy

One night, in the depths of winter, Amar noticed that the lighthouse's light was flickering unusually. Something was wrong with the mechanism. Worried about the ships that might be in danger, he went out to check the lamp. While he was working on the repair, a huge wave struck the tower, shaking it with unexpected violence.

Amar managed to stabilize the light just in time, but upon returning, he found Said waiting for him at the base of the tower. The young fisherman, drenched by the rain, had a look of terror on his face.

"Said, what's wrong?" Amar asked, though in his heart, he already knew the answer.

Said, his voice trembling, confessed that his boat was missing. In a desperate attempt to save what little he had, Said had gone out that night to secure it, but the sea had swallowed it. Without his boat, Said would lose everything: his livelihood, his future.

Amar tried to console him, but Said, consumed by despair, ran towards the shore, where the waves were crashing furiously. Amar followed, shouting his name, but the wind drowned out his words.

Said, in a final act of desperation, waded into the raging sea, as if the ocean could return what he had lost. Amar ran after him, but the waves were relentless. Despite all his efforts, he could not reach him. Said was swallowed by the waters, and his body never resurfaced.

### The Lighthouse and the Fisherman

Amar could never recover from the loss of Said. The light he had found in that young fisherman was extinguished along with him. From then on, he continued his work at the lighthouse, but the sparkle in his eyes had faded. The people of Rabat noticed the change in him, how his figure became more hunched, his face darker.

The lighthouse continued to light the coast as it always had, but for Amar, its light had become a constant reminder of what he had lost. He spent sleepless nights staring at the horizon, hoping to see Said's return, even knowing it was impossible.

Over time, the fishermen began to tell a legend. They said that on the darkest nights, when the sea is calm, one can see the figure of a young fisherman walking along the shore, looking for someone. And at the top of the lighthouse, a solitary figure watches, waiting for a return that will never come.

Amar, the lighthouse keeper, lived the rest of his days in the lighthouse, clinging to the hope that one day the sea would return Said. But the ocean keeps its secrets, and he never saw the man who had filled his life with love again, even if only for a brief and tragic time.

Thus, the light of the Rabat lighthouse continues to guide ships, but within its walls lies the story of a love that, like the waves of the sea, was born in the storm and was swept away by the tide.

[stargirlie25]

Elain Archeron AND Elucien is next.

Why i say this is because we clearly have canon text about how Nesta feyre and the whole entire inner circle see Elain. It is not difficult for me to think that Elain may un-stiffle herself and break free of the stereotypical innocent girl thingy.

Is this her forever home though? Where her alleged people view her like this? How one of them can agree everyone has spent so long assuming Elain belongs to those two words and that is her whole worth?

Yes i think with time and safety we will see a different Elain emerge. I mean its been over a year in the night court and i can just simply tell that Elains story perhaps started there but will continue elsewhere...

And the topic of ships, its the rosebush that pierced her hands and torn the skin and Azriels rose necklace that left Elain confused and hurt. The rose that her father carved for her, the father that passed away and caused lots of emotional pain.

Enter Elains mate, Lucien who gifted the gloves for reason. If Elain had worn the gloves nothing would have pierced her hands at all. Not even a rosebush.

Now Elain can explore her sexual desires and make choices whenever she feels like it. Now instead if she chose to give in to the bond earlier, Azriel who left her confused and hurt would never have happened. She was hurt and she knew deep down that her and him were not going anywhere so she returned the rose necklace.

With her father. We all know just how dear papa archeron is to Elain. She visits every month and feyre even painted her with him. The last reminder of the good papa archeron brought into the world was the rose carving. Then there is Lucien who has memories of papa Archerons last moments.

My point? Elain is compared with roses multiple times. Some of those times, she has been left pierced, hurt and confused, and obviously emotionally wounded.

Then theres Lucien who CAN be connected to all of these situations only there to make things brighter.

Also coming back to the gloves conversation. Why on earth did everyone perceive Lucien to see Elain as some docile precious flower. Because im pretty sure in canon there is another man who does exactly that but gets away with it...Anyway what is canon is that Feyre told him when he asked about her that Elain would put on gloves and garden. This is him paying attention to his mate in hopes she would like the gift. Its not restraining her for god sake.

In my opinion, this is lucien thinking that Elain should have her free will to garden all she wants without hurting herself. That with the enchanted gloves, she can do even heavier work. The rosebush got through Elains normal gloves.

Anyways i was doing so good and now im too lazy to write more but moral of the story Elain (according to the frigin books) is getting the next book and lulu is the solulu to everything.

[beezusvreeland]

dear reader - chapter 3

summary: Miguel took the reader’s love and friendship for granted. Something he learns reading her column, when it’s too late…Or is it?

ship: miguel o'hara x f!reader // matt murdock x reader

______________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

Two weeks passed, but it might as well be an entire lifetime. Edinburgh suited you very well. The cold early mornings that turned into very nice afternoons and ended with you making sure the heater was on for the night. You woke up at the dorms provided by the school, made yourself a nice Earl Grey tea, got ready and walked your way to class. 

You picked a different path every day, but there was no denying that walking by Victoria Street in the Grassmarket area was your favorite way to get to university. It was just so charming: bright colored walls, cobblestones and unique shops. You had even read somewhere that it was the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books. There really was something magical about that city.

A couple of mornings a week, you had a writing workshop titled “The Self and Others: translating feelings into words”, which you couldn’t even believe was a real thing. There were a few familiar faces in the class, but you were drawn to Jessica Drew, the girl you met on your first day, and a younger kid who she took under her wings called Miles Morales. The three of you would always sit next to each other. It was kind of nice.

The workshop was led by professor Otto Octavious, whose passion for writing was infectious. So much so, that your peers affectionately called him “the last romantic” behind his back. 

“Today is a beautiful day to increase your word count”, the teacher joked, making the class erupt in laughter. “Usually we start the day with a discussion, but I’d like to do something a little different today.”

“Always keeping us in our toes, huh, professor?”, Miles teased.

“You know it, mr. Morales”, professor Octavious said, a smile on his face. “Most of you have been writing for a long time, so you probably have already learned about one of the biggest challenges a non fiction writer faces: most times, what happens in real life is so unbelievable, it doesn’t translate well to the page.”

The professor gets up from his chair and writes the name “Dani Shapiro” on the chalkboard. “That’s the name of one of the most prolific non fiction writers today. She has a quote about our craft that I always carry near my heart: ‘Writers are outsiders. Even when we seem like insiders, we’re outsiders. We have to be. Our noses pressed to the glass, we notice everything. We mull and interpret. We store away clues, details that may be useful to us later’.”

The room was quiet, except for professor Octavius’ voice. You could tell, even without looking to your classmates, that what he read had resonated with all of them. It was a perfect description of a sentiment you always had, but were never able to describe. You just thought there was something wrong with you. But there wasn’t. And you were not alone. 

“Let that sink in for a moment”, the teacher smiled. He knew exactly how the students felt the quote deeply. “Today I’d like for us to do something different. For the next hour, I want you to write about a detail you kept to yourself for a long time. The idea is to describe it and explore the reason you shelved it into your minds for so long. It can be about anything, as long as it is meaningful to you and that you allow yourselves to dive into your own vulnerabilities.” 

After the hour passed, you and your peers would share what you wrote with the rest and discuss it.

You opened a new document on your laptop, taking a deep breath. Obviously you had a whole storage of small details inside your head. But you felt uneasy, something you kept shoving to the side slowly creeping back to you. Or rather, someone. 

As if reading your mind, a notification appeared in the corner of your screen. A new email from no one other than Miguel O’Hara. 

Hey there, how are you? How is Scotland treating you? I hope you are drinking as many pints and visiting as many castles as you can. Congrats about the scholarship, by the way. It’s a big deal and you deserve it. I’m sorry about the whole dinner thing, I really fucked up and haven’t been a good friend to you. I’m sorry about that too. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but if you do, I promise I will do better. 

Anyways, enjoy your time there as much as possible — Hobie and Pav have been complaining that you haven’t sent them pictures so far, thought you should know. 

Miguel

PS: Do you remember my roommate from college I told you about? Peter B. He’s back in town and just the other day showed me an interview you did with Mary Jane Watson. It turned out really good. You always ask very thoughtful questions. 

And just like that, the Miguel area of your heart exploded again.

***

Dear reader,

Just the other day I was talking with my girlfriends about the romantic gestures in books, TV and movies that made us create insane expectations about love. The impromptu declarations, the running in the airport, the showing up unannounced — any decent human being knows you have to at least send the other person a text saying you are coming by. 

I have always been more drawn to the caring gestures and the acts of service. Maybe because that is my own love language. There is a scene in Say Anything… (1989) where Lloyd is walking Diane, the girl he has loved throughout high school, home after a party. They are talking and he is paying so much attention to what she has to say. All of the sudden, Lloyds stops her. There were pieces of glass in her way on the floor. He kicks them to the side and keeps walking, as if it was nothing, just the way things are supposed to be. It gets me everytime. 

I love to bring my friends coffee or even bake them food when they are having really intense weeks at work, helping them out with some errand or impossible shore. Sometimes I feel really silly about it. Especially when it comes to the guy . I know I shouldn’t, but when it comes to him, I feel insane. 

I feel insane because I always have his favorite ice cream in my freezer and the drinks he likes in the refrigerator. In my love drunk brain, these can be excuses to ask him to come up to my apartment, to have him stay more, even if it is just for a few minutes. This is not a tip, by the way. If anything, it is a warning: seeing the person you love enjoying their favorite dessert can make you lose your mind. Be aware.

Once I planned a Fast and Furious marathon. But only from the 5th movie on, when things get out of hand and the franchise becomes something else entirely. It was a way to spend a rainy sunday with snacks and drinking games. I spent saturday cleaning the apartment and buying everything the two of us would need. Imagine my face when some of our other friends showed up as well, because he had invited them. And I love all my friends, but only wanted to spend time with him.

There is also another fictional gesture that has been stuck in my head since I was a pre teen. Before the show, the Gossip Girl books were a huge deal, and I read almost all of them. Each chapter was told from a different character's perspective and Blair’s were my favorite. When she is mourning her relationship with Nate, who was in love with Serena, Blair remembers what they had gone through together. Once, wanting to impress him, she sewed a heart pin inside the sleeve of a sweater she gifted him for a special occasion. It was a way to show him that he literally had her heart under sleeve. It was such a simple and meaningful gesture. Except Nate never noticed. Not while they were together, at least. Isn’t that always the way?

Maybe we were supposed to focus some of that energy on ourselves. The hours of disappointment for the retribution that never happens won’t come back to us. 

I wish I had a more uplifting message today, but this is all I could manage. I hope you understand. 

Meet you here next week. And remember: never take advice from someone who’s falling apart.

Love, 

The writer

***

Miguel felt anxious about your lack of response to his email. He kept trying to reason it in his mind: you were probably really busy…or you were still mad at him. He was sure the fact it took him so long to write to you didn’t help. But the constant checking of his emails and all social media and waiting for a life sign from you was exhausting. Is that what addiction felt like?

Miguel tried to distract himself by taking more workloads and secretly reading your columns. It was fascinating getting to know that side of you, and he wondered why it was so new to him. You were more reserved, of course, but never failed to be there or show interest in his life. He couldn’t remember the last conversation you had that wasn’t about him and his work. It felt horrible knowing that maybe there was a lot you wanted to talk about and he never gave you space to or asked questions about you. Miguel asked himself when he had become that person, or if he had always been that way. And what he could do to make things better, because an apology didn’t seem like enough. 

He took a break from his spreadsheets to check his email inbox and social media. Nothing. So he went back to Bliss ’ archive and read another one of your older columns, the one where you wrote about romantic gestures. That last part had him so confused, he decided to ask for help. Miguel was that desperate.

“Lyla”, he called on his office phone.

“Yes, boss.”

“What is Gossip Girl?”

Lyla remained silent. Miguel was about to call the thing of, saying it was a joke, when she answered, her excited and teasing tone coming through:

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s classified.”

Lyla chuckled. She had noticed her boss had been acting weird lately, but couldn’t quite point her finger at why. 

“Is it for an Alchemax project?”, the assistant tried to keep her language professional. 

“It’s for…a personal one”, Miguel regretted everything, his eyes closed in embarrassment, even though Lyla was in another room.

“Okay…What exactly do you want to know about Gossip Girl?”

“Who are these people, Blair, Nate and Serena? What’s the story?”

She laughed. He should’ve known his assistant would have too much fun with it.

“Lyla…”, Miguel complained.

“Okay okay, sorry, boss, it’s just these are names I never thought I’d hear you say.”

“Just tell me the story.”

“It’s a big one, actually. The show has six seasons.”

“Does Blair end up with Nate?”

“Hell no”, Lyla scoffed. “She marries Chuck.”

“Who the hell is Chuck?”

“Nate’s best friend who, in his own twisted way, actually gave a shit about her.”

______________________________________________________________

<< chapter 2

>> chapter 4

all chapters

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dear reader playlist

[cebwrites]

Shenanigans at Sea

a/n: paradise at sea oc rambles bc i have these silly little losers in my brain again- these are in no particular episode order!

oc | taezo mentions word count: 0.7k

Tae is, completely and utterly unsurprised to find out that the Nadeshiko village drama was caused by his father and left for Naruto to clean up. He does, however, raise his eyebrows when Tokiwa extends the offer to him as Jiraiya's next of kin and quickly declines for a myriad of reasons left unsaid.

Yamato, on the other hand, is mildly amused, and thoroughly teases his lover for it once they get a moment to themselves in their lodgings away from prying eyes.

---

While telling scary stories one night to pass the time, the crew urge Tae to speak up because he's—though to be frank, completely in character—been quiet the entire time. He looks to Tenzo, almost for approval, and when he receives a 'go on, join the fun' nod in response, he sighs.

The tall man goes onto recall an incident when he was much younger, not long after he was promoted to chunin during the third war and sent as backup to a camp near the front lines. It wasn't long before people started hearing noises in the middle of the night and even getting violently sick, the medic-nin present were completely stumped at what could possibly cause this.

It was long after Tae's squad moved to a different location but as it turned out, people were dumping bodies into a gorge that had water running close enough to their own supply to pollute it.

A perfectly reasonable explanation for the sickness, the noises were also probably just general sounds of agony from war, if not people's hallucinations from being out there for too long; but many still believed that they were being cursed by the wrath of their enemies and those fallen from their own ranks alike, Tae included.

Naruto was mostly fine at first since it wasn't a technically a paranormal story, but as the older jonin recalled that incident and memories from around that time, the air around them started to feel colder.

Everyone went to bed frigid with sweat that night.

The next time they docked at an island with a river, folks triple checked the source upstream. Though they were met with the actual ghost ship around two days later.

While that was mostly uneventful in comparison to the usual level of tomfoolery everyone on this crew seemed to get up to either willingly or against it, Aoba and Gai did notice that when Yamato was grabbed off the ship by the giant crab's tentacles, Tae's distant act slipped for a second as he called out to Tenzo instead and immediately ran out after him.

He used his flying disc attack to lop off one of the creature's claws and Naruto's rasenshuriken finished it off with the help of the ghost boy's broom.

---

When they were trapped in the harbor of Mokuzu Island, Tae used that attack twice more to destroy the giant rock after Yamato's mokuton overuse strains his arm.

Though it does drain a lot of chakra from him, Tae seemed to fare much better than everyone else, so later on Shikamaru asks him why he'd never seen his senior use this jutsu until now. Naruto overhears him and loudly proclaims how cool it looks, excitedly asking if he could teach it to him.

Their resident jinchuuriki's question alerted way more people than he'd like present on deck to hear, aware that even if they weren't actively looking their way that the jonin were still listening in, though Yamato spared his partner a questioning, soft glance. Tenten pretended like she wasn't eavesdropping too but he saw her scooch a tad bit closer at the loud chime of Naruto's voice.

Tae sighed, eyes honing in on nothing but the cat's cradle that he wove between his fingers, then reminded his juniors that living things were fragile. Their bodies were soft, tender, deserving of respect even in death; and that some jutsu were never meant to be used on other people.

Tenzo's gaze turned sympathetic when they meet for a brief moment, not wanting to stare for too long in front of the kids. Aoba kept to himself though Gai's head did raise as realization washed over Tenten and Shikamaru instantaneously, along with a cold feeling in the bottom of their stomachs. Naruto took a little more time, but when he did put the pieces together; Tae couldn't meet his eyes.

He knew the only thing Naruto would see in his own was regret.

[junk-thrillz]

cody x ed (looks around rapidly...who said that...i didnt say that...) they both are chasing after other people (their approval, their trust, for their protection [[if not for their protection, their trust, if not always their trust, for their protection]]- isabel and jeff) only to find themselves and one another accidentally and incidentally. Ft. ed poorly drawing out spirits for cody to see. ft have they even interacted in canon dont dont ask me that . watching lightning bugs at night. missing and transformed moms. one who is never truly family, and finds freedom without purpose, one who is stuck with family and looses free will. the true perks/punishment of a small town is that one random guy in your middle school class suddenly becoming the guy you always knew in highschool. color palletes that look cool together. Bye

No no come back, I want to hear more-

AND YOU KNOW WHAT!! It doesn't mattered that they've barely interacted in canon!! The world is our oyster!! They're canonically friends!! I think that's part of why they're so appealing to me as a pair. Like, what's their story? How did they become friends? How do they talk to each other? What do they talk about? It feels right to see them next to each other, or even just in the same scene, but there's so little canon material about them to go off of that I wonder why I get that feeling about them. There's so much left unanswered about their dynamic and I WANT TO KNOW!! I want them to have a moment alone together!!

I think it's easy to forget, sometimes, that Ed has an entire friend group separate from the Activity Club, a group with people who they actually have a lot of chemistry with. Because we have very few scenes in comic where we actually get to see that group in action. But they are!! They are friends!! And I want to see Cody and Ed hang out even if it isn't in a romantic context!! (But also it being in a romantic context would be cool too-)

I already shipped them on account of my belief that their entire friend group has something gay going on, but your ask is making me realize how perfect they are as a thematic pair. I can't help but latch onto the comment you made about their families... how neither Cody nor Ed have probably never been to the other's house, because their situations are both less-than-ideal in wildly different ways. The way Cody and Ed have the potential to understand in each other in a unique way, but also have the potential to miss each other like two ships passing in the night.

I've actually written Cody x Ed fic before. Just for you (and everyone else who ends up seeing this post), I'll post it under a Read More. It was written mere months before the reveal that Cody's heart isn't in his chest, so it's been thoroughly decanonized... but that also makes it funnier to look back on. We really had no idea huh? Anyway, here's some short Cody x Ed.

Cody’s heart beat slower than the others’. Ed knew why. Ed knew why, but they weren’t sure they liked the reason. There was always that fear, that someone like the Cousinhood would come to take Cody away. That Cody’s dad, an example of what a spectral could become, represented what Ed could become. That someday, maybe the Cousinhood would take everyone away. 

Ed sighed, adjusting their legs so that they wouldn’t fall asleep. Strewn out half on top of, half beside Cody, head resting against his chest so that they could hear his slow, rhythmic pulse, Ed had never felt so peaceful and so nervous at the same time.

Cody opened his eyes for a moment, to peer at Ed with stupidly blue eyes. “That can’t be comfortable, with your glasses on like that.”

Ed hummed. Cody was right. It wasn’t. But Ed was in a sort of trance; they didn’t want to stop listening to Cody’s heartbeat. They didn’t want it to peter out, while they weren’t paying attention. It was just too slow.

One of these days, Ed would ask Cody to listen out for their heartbeat, too.

[morgg-g]

masterpost of all my favourite yabusame interactions/moments because im autistic about them

spoilers for. everything.

also. none of this makes any sense my wording is HORRIFIC and my grammar is worse. english is my first language im just insane

anyways enjoy my incoherant ramblings

okay this one is obvious i think. the the the THEY were the sisters quarreling (or. whatever. gender) alice saw him and reko IN sara and kanna and he just wanted them to reconcile. so he tells them, to reconcile if only in appearance because because he wants to reconcile with reko, but. but he cant. not really. alice and kannas dynamic especially in chapter 3 is SO interesting w his "i cant vote for anyones little sister" and his augh. hes just. theyre just. hm.

more under cut ^^

this i think about all the time. in chapter 2 alice tells sara that he cant play any instruments (vv)

which is just obviously a lie. well, not really because he WAS the bands drummer and he. Cannot play the drums. but thats it!!! the band was his and rekos. Thing. when they were kids. it was their (well moreso rekos) dream (it was mainly alices dream to just. be with reko. the band thing was a side of that) and he TAUGHT her how to play the piano. that was HIM. but shes so much better than him? and he watches her improve to more than he could ever do and watches her. i guess just move past from him. their entire relationship is just full of . time moving too quickly. something something slipping through my fingers?? does that song fit here?? whatever. theyre like that "ships passing in the night" thing. except they. came from the same dock. does that metaphor work? whatever!!!!!! but alice teaching reko how to play the piano always makes me so upset because he CAN play intruments. he plays the PIANO. but he doesnt, in samurai yaiba he plays the drums. and does stage managing. two things that are. ig further to the back?? the drummer is usually at the back of the stage, he is literally staying out of rekos way. and the hanging out in the background is shown in the yaiba cg as well

okay on to the next screenshot

THE BONGOS oh my god. the bongos are, obviously, so much more than just an instrument. they ARE their relationship, and the progression of the bongo. Symbol? i guess? is like. a direct parallel to the progression of their relationship. alices minisode, reko MAKES THEM HERSELF and is very happy and excited to show alice, but she still thinks something is missing. and then when it rains, she thinks its SO MUCH BETTER but alice cant notice a difference, he doesnt think its anything special. reko obviously really cares about alice and SHOWS it here, despite in the future when shes all. edgy and whatever. but alice is. hm. idk i dont wanna say indifferent because he obviously does care about reko alot. but i would say he doesnt quite understand the importance of music to her? like the bongos here i would say both symbolise rekos relationship w alice AND her relationship with music. and then when they get thrown in the bin, alice tells reko that theyre probably no where (again, not quite understanding the importance here). and if he goes back to find them and fix them up, he cant. this is very obviously the Moment where they i guess drift apart. alice comesback and rekos playing the piano without him (see above piano analysis) and yeah. flashforward to yaiba days. he gives her the bongos AGAIN and she almost throws them out (like they were when they were kids). but she cant. she keeps them and treasures them ESPECIALLY after alice's arrest. as alice says, shes indifferent about them in the same way shes indifferent about alice. but shes not. not really. as she says, they are precious bongos like none other in the world (something something, "i know theres better brothers but youre the only one thats mine" brother by murder by death) she just never expressed this. she just kept them for some inexplicable reason. it was just.. a feeling. and then after alice's arrest and she changed and developed into a much more caring person she played the bongos in her new band. DRUMS. alice was the drummer. reko is still like a frontman(or whatever. gender.) but she is also a drummer. alice was the drummer and the opposite of a frontman. she is. hm. not trying to REPLACE him but yk. i am horrific at wording things bear with me here (bare? whatever. just hang on) and then flashforward AGAIN to bongo scene in chapter 2 (i love the bongo scene) where reko smashes (THROWS AWAY) the bongos (AGAIN) and this is the reko that alice knows. this is the reko that he GAVE the bongos to in the first place. and that reko is the one who is indifferent, actually. that reko is the one who HATES him. our reko, the real reko, is stronger than that. but alice doesnt know that. he barely knows the real reko because the "real reko" as we know her was. born??? created??? developed??? after alices arrest. he only knows mean harsh reko. which is why hes so ADAMENT that the fake reko was the real reko when nao (who had known her for less than a week) knew something was off immediately. i think ive gone off track. anyways. bongos are them. when reko says that her bongos are "just ordinary" but "like none other in the world" i feel like that directly mirrors alice calling himself just her deadbeat brother. HE is "just ordinary" but "like none other in the world" (SOMETHING SOMETHING. "I KNOW THERE'S BETTER BROTHERS BUT YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THATS MINE" BROTHER. MURDER BY DEATH.) reko does care about alice, but alice didnt quite know that until it was too late. eughhhhhhhh tragedy

yttd discord server has seen this already but im bringingit back. hinako here is just everything that alice was (or was pretending to be) when he was first introduced, like when he was like "hmph... i am not going to help you worthless mortals..." or fucking whatever he was saying. she IS the like. emo edgy kind of mean villian ish (but also not really) figure that alice, or "gonbee" tried to make himself into in order to make himself into a stranger to reko. and now rekos gone and. well gonbee has been gone(bee) since chapter one(bee) (okay ill stop) and alice is. well hes alice again. and hes greiving and hes actually very close to alot of the cast now. and he sees who he tried to make himself in the form of. a Very Small girl and idk. literally i dont know how to word this. no clue what this means or implies. actually i do have a clue but i cannot bring it into words its literally right there in my brain but its on the top shelf and im not tall enough. alice is WATCHING who or what he was trying to be to distance himself from reko. and now hes physically distant from reko he is not that person anymore yk?? i feel like im repeating myself. whatever. we were ROBBED of more hinako alice interactions!!!!! they are character foils frfr. thank you

another yttd discord server moment. chapter 2, alice is watching reko sing from the doorframe. minisode he is watching her play piano (presumably) from the door frame (he had just gotten in so im assuming he was just in the door). hes always watching from a distance. from the doorframe. not actually properly entering. but just sort of hovering. something something "you were always so far away" brother by alice in chains, i am ILL!!! literally it doesnt MATTER how old they get, it doesnt MATTER how much time passes. their relationship stays the same. it stays distant. and it will continue to stay distant because they can NO LONGER BE CLOSE ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY CANT. god they are so tragic.

okay, maybe alice WASNT quite standing in the doorframe just sort of.. far away. but i think thematically the doorframe thing is very interesting and also what i picture everytime i replay these moments

stronghold banger. literally idk what i can say about this one. its. its right there. alice is next to a prodigy like reko and hes losing sight of who he is. hes not a musical guy, like he can play the piano !! he likes music!! but talent wise, especially compared to reko, hes just not quite up there. especially not up there enough to be in a band but he cares about reko so he started the band with her. he PROMISED to start a band with her. he planned out his dreams and his future based off of reko because she was the most important person in his life, shown when reko asks what his dream is and he says "well its the same as yours" or something like that. and then when he does the "you and i are different" moment, reko says "did you forget? (your promise)". to her they are the same. their dreams are the same. but they arent, not really. and this again. is the i guess breaking point? to their relationship? they were never the same, alice knows this. but he was still trying to be the same. aka: losing himself. okay i lied i did know what i can say about this one. also that is ALOT of personal interpretations i wont lie im blurring the line between headcanon and analysis here.

okay. reko as an older sister figure (not sure if this is the best screenshot example, but its the only one i had on hand). again. with the bongos, with the becoming a drummer. she is almost morphing into alice?? or not morphing. shes trying to be what alice couldnt be (due to him. being in jail) shes trying to be the older sibling, while alice changes into very very vaguely what reko was. she gets kinder after his arrest because she doesnt have that older sibling anymore so she. i guess BECOMES that older sibling. while alice in jail gets. well not MEANER, when hes trying to be gonbee hes obviously pretty mean. actually yeah based off of how he was in his minisode he does get meaner. they do a flip. they do a switchy switch. this is all very like simplified its so much more than them just becoming each other. they are adopting parts of each other's personality, intentionally or not , because yes obviously they grew up together so theyre going to have an influence on each other but also. they are growing. i guess. not together. 2 years of change without each other. and they come out on the other end as like frankenstein messes of each others personalities based off of purely their memories of each other. does this make sense?? am i making sense?? honestly im making this up as i go along.

i dont have the game screenshots for these so i stole them from the wiki. okay so genuinely i dont know what to say here its there. its right there. he idolised reko and looked up to her (despite her being younger. and also shorter) and. i will not lie to you. alot of this sounds very parasocial despite them actually being siblings. which i think is evident to how reko behaved when in samurai yaiba, like obviously she was very harsh on the band and was this sort of figurehead?? to them?? like in alices minisode stronghold and ursheen talk about her as if theyre like. fans of her. not just bandmates. dunno what to say about that shes just very. distant, yet again. the gap and distance between alice and reko is shown AGAIN and its shown through every single one of their interactions after the flashback in alices minisode. after that moment every one of their interactions is so awkward? i feel like im just repeating myself at this point. anyways.

alice puts reko up on this. perfect pedestal? to the point where he pushes her away because he doesnt want to hold her back. but like. SHE doesnt want that to happen. like yeah reko is kinda mean but their relationship being so strained is like. partly if not mostly alices doing, albeit unintentionally. while trying to make her happy by fading into the background he actually ended up making everything worse. (something something "but you knew from the start it was us didnt you, it just took me a while till i knew" mitski goodbye my danish sweetheart) (hmm atp maybe i should just share my yabusame playlist)

yet again i lied i did in fact know what to say about this

i dont even know how much of this is accurate and canon, and how much of it is my brain being abnormal. its a mess up there. but i love them, these are my analyses(analsysyses?? analysess?? fucking. those.) if these are wrong and out of character ... dont tell me because youll hurt my feelings (jokes obviously im open to different opinions) anyways have tiny them

thank you for reading if you made it this far i hope i didnt give you a headache

[lotusbloghub]

sapphire roses.

selfshiptober day 5: flowers.

▬�� ship: lucian x senna x seren (s/i)

▬▬ warnings: none!

▬▬ author’s note: it's been like... well over a year since i've written for both of these guys at once. that's scary. i needed to change that.

▬▬ tag list: @dragonselfship @dudefrommywesterns @minkymeatshop @wanderers-wife @fallen-for-them

▬▬ reblogs always appreciated! ♡

Perhaps one of the oldest lessons to ever cement itself into Seren’s mind is the sacrality of nature. It's a balanced creature that will give if you give, and take back what you steal tenfold. One must never cause unnecessary disturbances to the land; do not hunt more than you can eat, do not prune and pick the lush gardens which do not grow for you, do not poison or destroy the precious all-mother or her children. The First Lands are both caretaker and butcher, a welcoming home for some and a graveyard for many.

Seren has roamed these forests for centuries, and in this time, she has been nothing but reverent. She has grown cold and callused toward most living things, but the all-mother? Never. Nature is her home, her temple, the womb which she blossomed from.

She has given selflessly, only taking measured sips in return. While she did live off the land for many, many years, she also fearlessly defended that same land from the humans that infiltrated and ravaged it; there is a very good reason the citizens of Kumangra utter fearful tales about a furred, man-eating beast that stalked the coastal forests.

So, as Seren stands in those very same forests all these years later, smoothing over the soft petals of the famed sapphire roses with a calloused thumb, she wonders what difference just two flowers would make.

Slender fingers curl around the first pale, thorny stem, tugging it free from the frost-kissed bush. She then repeats the action with a second. Both flowers, cradled delicately between her palms, glitter in the moonbeams which filter through the canopy above.

“Thank you, Ighilya.” A gentle invocation spoken into the  crisp night air. If you must take, the least you can do is be polite about it.

That is where Seren’s midnight rendezvous ends. With the two flowers resting gently in her satchel, she begins her trek back to Kumangra. As she emerges from the undergrowth and joins the other late-night travelers on the path into the town, the irony of her situation becomes all the more clear to her. She once slaughtered a man—a poacher, pompous and foolish, who thought himself to be larger than life—behind the inn she currently holds a room in. She wonders in passing if the settlers here still fear her. Do they still spin tales about her? Would it be possible for anyone to recognize her? She pulls the velvety cloak (Senna’s cloak, graciously lended to her to as protection from the evening chill) closer to her body as she hurries down the path.

The innkeeper pays her little mind. He’s worn, she can tell; he cares naught for pleasantries or expositions, he simply wants his coin and to be left alone besides. Despite his nonchalance, Seren has trouble detaching herself from his energy. As a matter of fact, she’s having trouble detaching herself from anything that’s happening inside this inn tonight. She passes a dozen locked doors, each of which emits its own unique string of feelings and misplaced thoughts—a small glimpse into what rules within. 

She’s used to getting these little glimpses (it’s not like she can entirely shut them out, anyways) but usually, she can at least control how much attention she lends to each of them. Right now, she feels overwhelmed, which is odd for a night that was going so well. Perhaps she shouldn’t have worked herself up over thoughts of hunters.

Then, she feels it, warm like sunbeams and sweet like honey; two familiar presences emitting from just behind the door ahead. The feeling envelopes her like a welcoming embrace. Without hesitation, she reaches for the rusty  doorknob and twists.

Their room is a small, odd-looking snuggery that’s architecture isn’t quite Ionian but still couldn’t be called anything else. The beds are comfortable enough and the building is very quiet.

Lucian and Senna are still wide awake, just as Seren expected. They were both doing their own things before she entered (Lucian was polishing the intricate metalwork of his guns, Senna was removing her bulky jewelry and setting it neatly on the bedside table in preparation for attempting sleep) but when the door opens, their gazes snap over to her, and everything else forgotten.

“Seren,” Senna speaks first. “You’re back.”

Seren smiles in reply. “Told you I wouldn’t be gone long.”

“That sure as hell felt like a long time,” Lucian’s voice is gruff and tired. His indignant front does not phase her; she can tell that it’s a cover-up for genuine worry.

“Awe. Good to know you still care about me.” She taunts, and Lucian lets out a short huff.

Seren joins the pair of them on the bed they share, placing her satchel in her lap and resting her palms on it. Her tail curls around her body, tucked neatly against her side.

“You’ll be pleased to know that I didn’t get attacked,” Seren says. “Not by animals or humans. Didn’t get lost, either.”

She references the countless times she’s gone out for walks whilst they are staying in foreign territories. The amount of times she’s almost died in Demacian forests is confounding.

“That’s only because this is your home,” Senna responds, prompting Seren to chuckle. 

“I suppose you’re right.” It is also because she was the hunter in these woods for many years, but yes, she’ll allow them to go with that.

A brief pause, and then, Lucian speaks. “Your bag smells like roses.”

Roses, yes. It does. Seren had almost forgotten about the sapphire roses she’d stolen from the forest. She has gotten so used to their aroma that she hadn’t even noticed the way it fills the room. She must’ve turned many heads during her walk back.

“Yeah,” Senna concurs. “What is that?”

“Oh. I got you guys something.” Seren opens her satchel and reaches in, gingerly plucking the cerulean-petaled roses from their resting place. Both of her partners lean over her shoulders, watching intently, captivated by the prospect of a gift.

“One for you,” the first flower is placed gently into Senna’s outstretched hand. Deft fingers curl around its thorny stem. Emerald green eyes glisten with delight. She brings it up to her nose and inhales its ambrosial scent.

“And one for you.” The second flower is offered up to Lucian. For a brief moment, he just stares at it, quietly examining its beauty. Then, almost timidly, he reaches for the stem as well, taking it from Seren’s grasp. His other hand comes up to stroke its silken, iridescent petals.

A proud grin pulls at the corners of Seren’s mouth. They’re both pleased with their gifts, she knows it. She feels it.

“Wow. These are beautiful.” Senna says after a moment, voice raw with wonder.

Lucian continues her line of thought.  “And you just… found these growin’ out in the woods?”

Seren nods in reply. “Yeah. They’re sapphire roses. They grow wild in the forests around here. They’re heavily sought after by merchants and flower collectors due to their unique scent. People usually pick them until there’s no more left to be had. It’s a wonder that I found these.”

Senna tuts disapprovingly. Her face still rests near the flower. “That’s terrible.”

“Isn’t it?” Seren is suddenly filled with vigor; she still harbors her hatred toward those goddamn merchants and collectors, even all these years later. “I used to have to chase them out of the woods, when I was staying around here.”

Senna chuckles, giving Seren a look. “You used to chase people out of the woods?”

Yeah. And hurt them real bad, sometimes. They always deserved it. “I’m scary.” Seren shrugs.

“She’s scary.” Lucian concures. The topic is left there.

“These are beautiful, Seren.” Senna places her flower gently atop her lap. Her (now free) hand comes to rest on Seren’s arm. She wears a kind, grateful smile.  “Thank you.”

Seren feels her face getting hot. “Yeah, of course.”

Lucian doesn’t say very much. He simply leans down and presses a kiss to the crown of Seren’s head. “You’re a sweetheart, thinkin’ of us like that.”

Seren laughs shyly, casting her gaze downward. “I mean, of course. You’re– Yeah… I think about you guys a lot.”

[avenin]

Revali for the fave character list ask game!!!

THANK YOU

I always love giving attention to the boy

*fav thing; His arrogance. He absolutely deserves to have it too! He is the best archer of his time AND he created an entirely new technique of flight simply of his own merit. I think he deserves to be a bit prideful about it! (of course in his annoying teenage boy way).

*least fav thing; His lack of communication. Revali’s inability to be blunt only when it comes to his own feelings drives me up a wall! His emotions control him but he doesn’t/can’t let himself explain himself. It’s not for dramatics either; he shows a deep social awkwardness and isolation from others and I ache thinking of the connection he could have had to the other champion’s of only he could tell them what was wrong with him.

*fav line; I don’t know if I have a favorite line exactly but every time I hear “Revali’s Gale is now ready!” my heart skips a beat. So take what you will with that!

*brOTP; zelvali. I think the two of them would have gotten close. They both have a sense of pettiness to them and an emotional immaturity that would have probably made them clique together really quick but also a deeply ingrained intelligence that I think rivals one another. (you can’t tell me Revali isn’t smart. He created a way to harness the winds to do his bidding; he has at least a basic understanding of aerodynamics and physics!) I think in a way they would bring out the best and worst in one another. Pushing each other to be better, smarter; while also destroying their sleep schedules and dietary habits.

*OTP; revalink, obviously. I am also a fan of miphvali though! I think the reason revalink draws me in so deeply is the tragedy that is losing a love you never really had. Like ships passing in the night of one another. The solidarity and connection they could have had if not only for their pride/fear could have made them an unstoppable team; instead they resented/ignored one another until it was far too late. By the time Revali was willing to acknowledge Link they were already dead and when he gets his second chance, the Link he knew was long gone. It’s heart breaking to think of what could have been.

{though I will say I am quite fond of the concept of them having a secret relationship pre-calamity. Finding comfort and solace in one another’s arms/beds. Even if they don’t know why they feel the pull to one another. I think they could have understood each other in a way not many others could have. They feel like perfect opposites. Both reacting differently to the pressures of life and I think if they had the chance, they could have really brought that other perspective to the other. Given each a sense of freedom. I like to imagine they had that, in some way, before the calamity happened.}

*nOTP; I don’t really have one for him. I don’t find myself having any visceral “no!” reactions to any ship. I’m not a fan of Sidvali (or any iteration of sidvalink). The love-triangle/polyamory solution to the ship war there just isn’t for me. (and is why I actively am writing my modern au to keep away from any of that romantic tension at all). Nothing wrong with the ship, just not my cup of tea.

*random hc; you get two from me! Revali is ridiculously fond of children. A pretty common hc in the fandom but my personal flavor of it is that he doesn’t even pretend he doesn’t like them. He goes full out Big Brother Mode when it comes to the village kids. He absolutely gives them piggyback rides and fixes their clothes/feathers and runs errands for them to make them happy. Also telling them stories and sharing his hammock with them. I think the entire village takes part in raising the fledglings but Revali really enjoys being the older brother to them all. Nice uncle Revali ☺️

another is weaving!! I hc that weaving is a HUGE part of rito culture and that Revali learned how to work a loom at a very young age. He still enjoys using one of the village looms (because he wouldn’t have space for one in his own hut) and using his backstrap loom and lucet fork during the winter months when training isn’t really an option. He probably can’t make the prettiest stuff, but it’s more for practicality than aesthetics. (he also has dozens of blankets and scarves. Some he’s made, some gifts from others. a certain little hylian is never cold when he comes to the village to visit).

*unpopular opinion; idk if it’s unpopular but it’s more of a fanon attitude I deeply disagree with. I don’t think Revali is nearly as stupid, oblivious or tsundere as everyone makes him out to be. I think he’s emotionally stunted and bratty, but not dumb or completely emotionally unaware at all. I like to think he’s cunning and crafty. It takes intelligence to do what he does. and it drives me absolutely INSANE when he’s boiled down to “I just can’t tell anyone about my feelings ever so I’ll just be mean and go hide over here until someone comes looking for me!!” stupid >:/

*song I associate with him; MAN. I’m gonna be honest, the songs I tend to associate with him are so through the lense of my modern au it’s not even funny (also my music taste is everywhere) so I’ll just throw a few on here.

Pride x New Magic Wand (remix)

Daddy Issues - The Neighborhood

mememe - bbn$, lentra

Smother- Daughter

Entertnmnt - Oklou

[and a few revalink ones because I need to:

Stranger Things- Anberlin

my strange addiction - Billie Eilish

Teeth - 5SoS

Bleary - Paper Route

Noticed - Mutemath ]

(if anyone is interested I do have a revalink/mod!revalink playlist on spotify!)

Favorite picture!

(that little bow flip KILLS ME)

[songbirdseung]

never you / lee heeseung

synopsis: strangers who were meant to stay as strangers despite having a need for connection for each other.

In the quiet heart of a bustling city, where the symphony of car horns and the rhythm of hurried footsteps composed the daily soundtrack, there lived a love story that dared not to speak its name. It was a love born in the shadows, unrecruited by fate, yet it burned with an intensity that could rival the most passionate of flames.

Amidst the labyrinthine streets and towering skyscrapers, two souls danced on the precipice of something extraordinary. On one side stood y/n, an aspiring artist and musician with fingers that breathed life into the strings of her old, battered guitar. Her wore her heart on her sleeve, her melodies a haunting serenade to the city's lonely souls. But despite the ardor in her music, her heart harbored a quiet yearning for a love that had eluded her.

On the other side of this love story was Heeseung, a man of mystery who seemed to belong to a different world entirely. He moved through life with an enigmatic grace, a phantom in a crowd, his laughter like a whispered secret. His beauty was both ethereal and untouchable, and it was said that those who dared to look into his eyes were forever ensnared by their depths. Yet, beneath his graceful exterior, Heeseung carried a hidden sorrow, a longing he concealed from the world.

Their paths first crossed one rain-soaked evening beneath the shimmering neon lights of a dimly lit cafe in Seoul. y/n's fingers plucked melancholic notes from her guitar, her voice weaving tales of lost love and unspoken desires. Heeseung, a stranger in this chaotic city, stepped inside seeking refuge from the storm. The moment her eyes met Heeseung's, time seemed to stand still. The music became a hypnotic spell, and for a fleeting instant, their hearts synchronized in a silent symphony of longing.

But like ships passing in the night, they parted ways, their connection unspoken. The days turned into weeks, and their brief encounter remained a haunting memory. Heeseung continued to strum her guitar, pouring her unrecruited love into every note. Heeseung, a phantom once more, continued to drift through the city's labyrinthine streets.

Yet, fate, it seemed, had other plans. The city that had once separated them now conspired to bring them back together. A chance encounter in a crowded subway, a stolen glance across a crowded street, and a series of serendipitous moments began to weave their destinies closer.

Their unrecruited love became a symphony of missed chances, longing glances, and the unspoken words that hung in the air between them. It was a love that defied reason, one that knew no boundaries, and it pulsed through the city like a hidden current, waiting for the perfect moment to surge to the surface.

Little did they know that the city, with all its chaos and noise, was merely a backdrop for the greatest love story it had ever witnessed. A love that had the power to transcend time and space, a love that would defy the odds and rewrite their destinies. The stage was set, the actors were in place, and the world held its breath, eager to witness the epic tale of unrecruited love finally finding its voice.