#they can signify something sure but if you haven't seen one used in a way you don't like then you should be fine

[stapliy]

hey guys. they're just emojis! i hope this helps

[ask-crimson-weaver]

Give and Take

Just a few hours into the night, Melly was stirred awake as she felt Hannah began to toss and turn beside her. She was awake as well, shaking as she once again felt that hunger for blood start to creep into her mind.

Groggily, Melly pushed herself to sit upright in the bed.

"Come on," Melly said, gently putting a hand on Hannah's shoulder. "Go ahead and take some. You need it."

Hannah turned, arms wrapped around herself as her eyes met Melly's. She shook her head.

"No," she said shakily. "No, I... I'm taking too much from you, Mels. I can't. I just have to wait... until morning, at least. Strange will be here to help."

"You'll be starved by the morning, Han," Melly replied. "Just... take some to last until then, okay? We can figure something else out then."

Hannah turned her gaze away from Melly, reluctantly considering the options. She was reluctant to take from Melly again so soon, but her hunger nagged at her to take the opportunity. Melly, in turn, knew that giving up more blood would only make her feel more unwell, yet the urge to help Hannah-- partly her own, but partly a compulsion she felt pulling at her within her veins-- was enough for her to offer herself again without much question. Whatever magic was at work compelled them to give and to take. To maintain the bond.

A bond drawn from blood.

When Melly came to once more, everything seemed... foggy. While her head felt light, the rest of her body felt heavy, as if her blood itself was slowing her down, keeping her still. Her spider-sense felt distance, but she could still recognize the pitch from it that signified something dangerous was nearby. No... not just one.

Melly opened her eyes halfway-- about as much as she could manage under whatever hold she had been placed under-- and her head drifted to Hannah's side of the bed. Hannah was standing there, an entranced stillness hanging over her. Her eyes seemed... distant. Less bright, with a glossed-over stare that looked at Melly, but didn't see her. The woman beside Hannah, in contrast, seemed very focused, a smile crossing her face as she gave Hannah a pat on the shoulder. Melly could smell the stench of Clearlee products seeping off of her to fill the room.

"Wonderful!" the woman-- Mrs. Clearlee, it had to be-- congratulated Hannah. "I must say, Miss Alba, I haven't seen a Clearlee lady keep up a bond quite like this since... well, my own work I've done with the Clearlee cohort, I suppose. You and her, practically brimming with all that stored magic built by the bond... what better candidates to help roll out the latest Clearlee Cosmetics loyalty reward? For a trial run, at least-- have to do product testing before you put a product on the market."

Mrs. Clearlee turned, walking towards a corner of the room and beckoning Hannah to follow.

"Bring her with us-- won't you, Miss Alba?" Mrs. Clearlee called back, voice dripping with a cheery-sounding authority. "We'll be ready to start soon-- just need to check the book to make sure all is in order."

Melly heard and comprehended everything, yet her thoughts felt like they were being pulled through molasses as they waded through the mire in an attempt to push her to act. This was more than just a lack of blood making her dizzy; it was the blood magic itself that had come down to weigh on her body and mind.

Hannah reached over, her eyes keeping their glazed look ash she scooped Melly off the bed, one arm under her knees and another at her back, and turned to follow Mrs. Clearlee. The shadows in the corner of the room deepened into a blood-red darkness, and as Mrs. Clearlee led the way the trio passed through the veil effortlessly, leaving the bedroom empty behind them.

[calware]

(splatoon post) i'll never stop thinking about agent 3 even though the way i think of them is only supported by like. 2% of canon.

you're just some 14-year-old living in the same country you've lived in your entire life but you dream of the big city. your parents are pretty aloof (a trait you inherited) so it's no huge ceremony when you leave behind both them and your childhood to live on your own. you happen to wander into some sliver of a government sector that's been long unused, recruited to do some field work, sure it's strange and unfamiliar but maybe that's what you were looking for in the first place and you sure as hell already know how to hold a gun. so, you put your life on the line, beating back the uprising of a race that was beaten underground over a century ago. you save the world and nobody knows it, but it's fine, you don't like attention and prefer to do more scouting missions with your boss than go back to your old life (you get the feeling you couldn't return even if you tried).

you're 16 now. you wear a cape emblazoned with the number 3, your number, because you're the third agent and you saved the world (by being a weapon, something you're better at than being a person) so maybe it's better to assume that as your namesake too. while underground, you find yourself faced with an enemy soldier and you do what you always do. they put up a decent fight. they're dangerous. you have to protect... your family? you haven't seen them in years (which you made no effort to remedy). your friends? you always had trouble making those (and the other two agents can hardly be called your friends. they only talk to you because they have to). your home? (have you ever really had one?) you press on, until suddenly you both stumble and fall into the depths of a facility nobody leaves.

your boss is missing and isn't answering your messages, so you wander around for hours, days, weeks, who even knows anymore. you steal some sort of communication device from an employee who seems more dead than alive and, eventually, you receive a distress call and that's when you see them, they know they're going to die, and you don't even think before rushing down to save them, your last thought being the odd feeling that this is the one time your job has had you doing something right. you wake up days later with a scar on your face and the reality that you tried to kill them again. no matter how much they forgive you, "you were under mind control after all," it doesn't stick because you know you were lucid the first time you put their life in danger. you learn they're 14.

you're 21 and you're doing badly. you're in charge now, having assumed your boss's role. you do your job and it doesn't occur to you how you were a young teen with identity issues snapped up by the military to be used as a tool with no identity. you don't think about your contribution to hastening the death of people that are starting to look more and more like you. you don his hat and responsibilities (and war crimes, if such a concept existed in your society) but your wardrobe isn't any better. ratty sweatpants with holes in them paired with flip flops, yeah, you're the pinnacle of mental health. doesn't help that you have two celebrities in your entourage that only hang around because you're coworkers. you would want to be friends if you thought you could, but after what you did to 8 you can't fully trust yourself around others anymore.

you have battle scars now. they don't act like badges of honor signifying your bravery or skill. they're a warning to others, a reminder to yourself of who you are. you still wear your cape for the same reason.

[ayyaaa101]

🎃HALLOWEEN NATAL ASTRO OBSERVARIONS🎃

🕷Scorpio along with Capricorns have the most intimidating stares and aura. Example

-JUYEON From The Boyz (Capricorn Sun) This man has such an intimidating stare it was hard only choosing one Gif/Photo.

🕷Gemini placements, Aquarius placements, and sometimes Sagittarius placements have a thing for hands and especially when they long and thin hands and well kept that's really attractive to them and it sets something off🙃😶.

🕷I'm not sure why but I've heard of a little observation from a couple of astrologers both from tumbler and from YouTube that Pisces are the sign most likely to be overweight or gain weight easily. Even though Taurus is known as the sign of food it seems that picese gain weight the easiest.

🕷The placements most likely to become alcoholic or drug addicted is Pisces and Virgo since both of them are sister signs, both are likely, but I've heard from a YouTube astrologer and psychic that Pisces placements are most likely to die from it 🩸rather than virgos because virgos are moderate and specific Pisces do it more emotionally since they are a water sign.

🕷Cancer placements and just water placements in general tend to have the prettiest eyes and they always have such soft features at least from the women I've seen them have this. Also men who have water in their big 3 especially Cancers and Pisces in their big 3 tend to have more feminine software features along with libra.

-Sunoo from Enhypen (Cancer sun)

🕷Earth signs in Venus is the least flirty placements. You will never see these people flirt but they will flirt but it will be more physical friendly flirting like touching. Some people may say Scorpios are cold when in love and while this is true they still have an intensity towards the way they show their love language, like intense staring, and they will be more emotional with it because they are a water sign.

🕷 The reason why people aren't as devoted to astrology and instead believing in themselves and being helpful towards earth and out community's is because this is the age of Aquarius and the age before ours was the Picean age where people lived blinded and where the vaile hadn't been lifted. Things are slowly being revealed in this day and age because of it being the Aquarian age.

🕷 I've read in many posts that Aries placements are the least patient sign and.... I've never agreed more to something in my life!! I have Aries siblings and they are living proof of impatience 🥲🤣.

🕷The most flirty placements from my observation are 100% Libra, Gemini, and sometimes Sagittarius and Aries placements. Aries are more aggressive flirts than natural flirts, and Sagittarius don't even have to flirt for you to fall in love lol, it's just their aura.

🕷Majority of good dancers have Aquarius, Virgo, Gemini, and Scorpio placements from what I've seen .

🕷Leo placements are bosses at making people feel appreciated and confident because they know how it feels like to be neglected of those things.

🕷 The most stubborn placements of the fixed signs are Scorpios and Tauruses.

🕷I feel like Leo's either hate Scorpio or love e'm but either way there's an attraction but most times it ends up being toxic because they both want control and possession over one another since they are both fixed.

🕷 The more trines a person has in their natal things get handed to them easier.

🕷Having many planets in retrograde can signify not being able to fully finish your karmic past life lessons which is what you're here to do now.

🕷 Do you know why there's always more focus on space than on the infinite ocean, as above so below which means that our focus is always on "is there aliens in space", but what if they are below us? Look at the ugly things that have been found in the deep sea but we've only discovered 5%??. Like for example we went to space!! But somehow we haven't found out the mysteries of what's going on in the Bermuda Triangle which is much closer to us than landing on the moon but somehow we did that?? (Anyways, off topic but how interesting 🤔).

🕷Earth and water placements have such an ethereal look and such ethereal eyes as well. Example-

Heeseung From Enhypen(I think you can tell from my last post and from this post that I use the group enhypen a lot🤣).

🕷In my opinion people talk about how scary Scorpio placements are and powerful but the true powerful signs that are scary are Capricorns, Scorpios, and Cancers.

🕷Fire placements and Virgos have the best top notch jokes.Fight me.They are the funniest zodiac sign.

🕷I've observed that virgo placements tend to space out easily. Like you talk to them and you talk to them again and it's like they don't even hear you, like they're in their own little world inside their heads.

🕷The 6th house tells you about your pets and your 5th house tells you about you children. For example my 5th house is in Capricorn so my future 1st child and maybe my following children will have Capricorn or 10th house placements. I have Aquarius in my 6th house so my pet is most likely going to show Aquarius characteristics or they will influence in an Aquarius manner.

🕷I've noticed that the moon sign is much more influential than the sun sign when looking at appearance. I always try guessing somebody's sun sign based off their appearance and it always ends up being their moon sign!!.

🕷Aries are the most athletic looking sign.

🕷Cancer placements either loveee children or absolutely hate them. My ex friend hated them she said it was because they whine and cry a lot🤣.

🕷In my opinion I think that Leo's enjoy children more than Cancer placements. The reason why is because Cancer rules fertility but Leo rules childhood and creativity so I think they have a deeper connection to children because children make them feel young again and it takes the adult responsibility off their mind. Leo's are also really childish so they get along with children well.

🕷The signs that let themselves get walked over the most are Picese, Virgo, Leo, and Libra placements. The signs that won't take any crap from anybody are Aries (their patience isn't made for that loll), Gemini (roast tf out of you infront of everyone), and Capricorns (The sign who's stare itself demands respect).

🕷Scorpio and Aries always end up with each other even though they bump heads and argue a lot 😶.

🕷I have a theory that the sign on you 5th house represents the characteristics that you like to show off to other people. For example I have a Scorpio in the 5th house and I have a friend that has Scorpio/8th house placements or they just embody the sign Scorpio, I might feel the need or want to show them off because it's the traits that make you prideful of them and the traits that make you feel they need to be shown to other people.

🕷Virgo and Pisces are the most psychic of the zodiac signs.You can fight me on this as well🙃.

The best piano music ever!!. Recommend listening 100%!!

CREDITS TO THE OWNER OF THE DRAWINGS⚠️ DO NOT STEAL OR REPOST MY OBSERVATIONS⚠️ ❤LIKE AND REBLOG ❤

Give love to this post, thank you❤❤

Also thank u to my followers and viewers for reading , enjoyyyyyy!!!!❤❤

[thedelusionreaderbitch]

Kanej x gn! Reader - Falling

A/n: So I know I haven't been posting lately and I'm so sorry! I have like 11 drafts (in my Tumblr alone) and I couldn't get any of them done and I don't know why! I also used the Dear Evan Hansen seen Did you fall? As an inspiration!

Warnings: TRIGGER WARNING!!! Suicidal reader, falling, heights, suicidal thoughts, mentions of death, language, I think that's it? You have been warned!

Summary: In a heist, you decided to let go

I do not own shadow and bone six of crows or its characters! I also do not own dear Evan Hansen because some of the dialogue came from that! On another note, I also did not make/do not own this image!

Your hand slipped from the ledge and then you were was falling.

Your know Inej had fallen many times, it's practically part of her job description. You had to make mistakes to get better so falling and tumbling was just how it worked, of course, she hadn't any more. Any of the stories she's told you have all been from the past. Kaz had fallen too, he jumped off a building and that's how he injured his leg, but you don't think any of their stories have lived up to this.

Your hair is flung back behind you, and you really have no control over your body. It should seem like your going down but that's not what it looks like, it looks like your floating up. You try and spread out your body so you would slow the speed you were falling at but it's no use.

You try and scream but at the rate that your falling it gets caught in the air and even that ability is taken away from you like so much air fills your lungs.

You don't close your eyes and try to imagine what your life could have been. After all, the only reason you weren't on the ground, safe with your friends was that you had just robbed and gotten Nikolai back Strumhond's ships. You might as well enjoy the view.

Luckily for you, there was a beautiful sunrise in the distance and the clouds seemed to be placed in all the right places like the framing around a picture.

Though it was ironic because it showed that life would go on after you died because death was inevitable for you wasn't it? Your life was just another spec in the universe barely even making a dent in anything.

A bitter thought comes to mind; at least you wouldn't have to deal with all the shit trauma you would have had to go through. The reason you had 'slipped' from the ledge was no coincidence.

The air around you started to get heavy and you could see the bottom of the earth coming closer and closer. It's then where you close your eyes and your mind forms two people - Kaz and Inej.

Your girlfriend and boyfriend would... Gosh, they would probably wreck the world till they found out who made you fall. Only their search would end up empty.

You didn't want to leave them like this, not really yet they had each other. Would good were you? You were always just an extra understudy, you were never good at something you were just... Average.

And why would you want to live in this saint's forsaken world any longer?

Mentally you brace yourself for the impact; you probably wouldn't even feel a thing. You were so high up that the force of you hitting the ground would make it so you would die on impact.

You don't. You don't end up hitting the ground the rough and welcoming grass and dirt of the earth signifying your end. Your freedom, no you find yourself face-first into a ginormous cushion on a flying boat.

Groaning you look around only to find that this is definitely Nikolai's (or Strumhond's) ship. And there were some frazzled-looking Crows coming right towards you.

Fuck. Fucking shit- Nope, nope you were not going to talk about this. No one needed to know! It was only a little high...

You had almost taken your own life.

The facts come full force at you and you have to calm your breathing so you don't have a full-on panic attack.

"Y/n!" Inej comes full force basically flying towards you as she leaps through the air as graceful as a cat and lands right beside you. Suddenly she pulls you into her arms and you have to remind yourself to embrace her because you feel so numb.

"I'm okay." You croak and it comes out a little teary but to everyone else, it had sounded like you were afraid of what might have happened but what you really were afraid of was what did happen.

Inej helps you off the cushion even though you are pretty sure you sustained little to no injuries. That thing was fucking soft.

"Y/n." It comes out shaky and your eyes meet Kaz's and they aren't lined with tears like Inej's but his voice wavers and holds the fear of the man who would do anything not to be scared like that ever again.

He limps over to you both and surprisingly pulls you both into his embrace.

This time you don't feel numb no - you feel fucking guilty.

Finally, all three of you pull away and when you meet Kaz's eyes again you know he knows.

By the Saints, this is just your luck today, isn't it?

"What happened," Kaz says slowly like he's talking to a child.

Okay, and that's why you didn't want to tell anyone because you weren't a child and you weren't making this shit up! He couldn't just undermine you because he thought you need some support 'that way!' That's not what you need!

It's not going to make it any better.

"I fell." You say crossing your arms taking a few steps back from Inej and Kaz.

"Kaz let it go." Inej's voice isn't light it's that commanding tone she uses to the people on her ship. She's never used that tone on us, sure maybe that mother tone but not that tone.

What's happening to us?

Kaz sets his hard gaze on Inej willing her to take a step back but she stands her ground of course she does.

Am I the reason we'll fall apart?

"Really? Is that what really happened?" Kaz utters and he turns his gaze towards you. It's hard and angry and he isn't Kaz Brekker or Kaz Rietveld anymore, he's Dirtyhands. And your just another opposing gang member he's trying to get information out of.

"Yes!" You shrink away from him becoming smaller and smaller till you hit the wall of the ship.

Inej seems to have caught on to what Kaz is assuming and she looks at you in surprise and shock.

"Y/n... No, no you can't have..."

"Why don't I believe you?"

You are pressed up against the wall now with Kaz and Inej in front of you, keeping you in your place so you don't or can't run away.

It was always meant to be Dirtyhands and the Wraith wasn't it? You were a fool for thinking they could ever love you. They would leave you wouldn't they? If you told them the truth.

Everything would be lost.

"I was... I was holding on!" You nearly yell like your trying to convince yourself that you didn't let go of that ship. That you almost won the war within yourself.

"Then I lost my grip on the ledge and I just... I was falling."

It's Inej this time who speaks and she gently places a hand on your shoulder.

"Did you fall or did you let go?"

The question hangs in the air and you see now that they weren't Dirtyhands and the Wraith, no. They were concerned, worried, and afraid they were going to lose you to yourself.

"I let go." You whisper looking down at the floor of the ship not bearing to be able to look them in the eyes.

You shove them out of the way but you couldn't just run away, it was a fucking flying ship for fucks shake! There was no getting away, and you didn't feel like flinging yourself off Nikolai's ship.

So you just stand by the railing as silent tears slowly roll down your face the only thing that recognized your suffering.

Out of the corner of your vision, you see two people come up beside you on each side. You don't say anything you don't even look at them, you just look on at the sunrise and how it's almost forming into a beautiful sunny day.

"I'm sorry." Inej whispers and you hesitantly takes your hand and you can't help but let her.

You look over to Kaz and for once in your life, all his guards are down and you can tell he's also sorry. But you could also tell that he was so, so afraid.

"Please don't leave us."

Its barely said yet you can hear it clear as day and he takes your other hand looking at you with pleading eyes.

Looking over to Inej her eyes held the same beg, the beg of forgiveness, and the beg of safety.

Your beautiful Crows.

"I'll try."

"That's all we ask." Inej states as she and Kaz move closer to you and you all look at the sun. And what's beyond.

Words 1463

-thedelusionreaderbitch

Shadow and bone taglist: @kaqua @rika90 @thefandomplace @musical-theatre-obsessed-dumbass @gallysonegoodlung @navs-bhat @sumsebien @dontjudgeabookbythecover @brekker-zenik @alohastitch0626

[moririki]

⤷ AN EIGHT-LEGGED PROBLEM

OIKAWA TOORU & SAKUSA KIYOOMI & HAIBA LEV & MIYA ATSUMU X READER -> 1.8K
you save your boyfriend from a massive problem which is currently in the corner of your bathroom )

REQUEST -> n/a
CONTAINS -> spiders, bugs, you picking up said creepy crawlies, hq boys being no! help! at! all! (but that's ok bc we love them for it), fanon-ish sakusa cos i haven't read the manga and he had like 5 seconds of screen time so i'm just going off of what i've read + seen, clear favouritism despite the fact that i know basically nothing about sakusa, manga timeskip spoilers in sakusa's
MORI'S THOUGHTS -> haven't seen one where the reader is the one in the relationship who takes care of bugs so since i'm a #girlboss who throws spiders out of my room whenever i see them without breaking a sweat i'm writing that into a fun lil thing with the haikyuu boys that i strongly believe are scared of bugs. also besides the point but look at the pretty colour palette that their banners make fjfjfjdj will go back to writing the requests after this! inspiration just struck

❍ OIKAWA TOORU

-> omg this fucking guy

-> don't let his pride fool you this man HATES bugs with a burning passion

-> he'll never admit it though

-> between you and the aoba johsai team he would never hear the end of how the great king oikawa would cower at the sight of a moth doing laps around a lightbulb

-> so when you pretended not to hear the shriek that left your boyfriend when he saw something flying around the bathroom light and he declined your offer to get rid of the moth for him, this left oikawa in a pretty difficult situation

-> it was just him alone in the bathroom, trying to brush his teeth while eyeing the bug warily

-> you came in a few minutes later, getting ready to go to bed as well

-> "you know, babe, that moth's been there for quite a while," you teased him

-> oikawa hummed in response, his eyes never leaving it as it continued its circumnavigation of the light fixture

-> "oh, you know. who am i to kick someone out of their home? i'm no monster"

-> you almost snorted at how poor of an excuse that was, but ruffled your boyfriend's hair anyway

-> "i'll take care of it, ru, you just finish getting ready"

-> "but y/n-chan, that moth has feelings! don't be mean to it!"

-> you gave tooru a very blank stare at that

-> "so do you want me to leave you alone with your new friend?"

-> "......no"

-> "that's what i thought"

-> you went up to the moth, managing to trap it in your hands before releasing it from a window

-> oikawa shuddered as you came back to the sink, giving your hands a quick rinse before resuming with brushing your teeth like nothing had happened

-> "you're so brave, my love"

-> "anything for you, babe"

❍ SAKUSA KIYOOMI

-> bless this poor boy

-> so it's no secret that sakusa isn't the fondest of germs

-> and that extends to bugs and spiders too

-> besides a normal amount of disgust that he held for them, the thought of where the insects had been or placed one of their many feet on never failed to make his skin crawl

-> that's where you, his wonderful significant other, comes in

-> as much as he loves you, he just can't understand how you always stared at bugs with wonder in your eyes

-> you'd even pick them up, cooing at the way they crawled up your arm while sakusa just stared at you in disbelief with a can of bug spray in hand

-> tonight was one of those swelteringly hot summer nights

-> you know, the ones where the air seems to be still no matter how many windows you open and every insect in a mile radius is actively trying to enter your home

-> you were spending the night at your boyfriend's apartment, ready to have a relaxing night in with him since your schedules had finally synced up and allowed you both to enjoy a day off at the same time

-> it took months of trust before sakusa finally admitted to you how much he enjoyed doing skincare

-> so whenever you two spent the night together, you decided to start the evening with some face masks and idle binging of a tv show

-> against his half-hearted protests, you had insisted that sakusa wore a headband while this happened (one that had a very cute duck face printed on it)

-> just to keep the curls out of his face, of course

-> whenever he caught you sneaking a candid of him with facemask and duck headband on, he just shot you a halfhearted glare and threatened you to never send that to atsumu or the rest of the msby team

-> (you set it as your home screen instead)

-> anyways, i digress

-> so tonight you decided to cool down from the heat with a few facemasks and cuddling in your boyfriend's heavily air conditioned living room

-> but he kept all his skincare stuff in the bathroom, so you went to go get them as he set up a show to watch along with some snacks

-> you flicked on the light, going to his cabinet when something in the corner of the room caught your eye

-> there was a fairly large spider, desperately trying to crawl up the smooth tile wall

-> you decided to take pity on it and release it

-> but when you had it cupped safely in your hands, you decided to terrorise your poor boyfriend just a little

-> "hey, omi, look what i found!"

-> your boyfriend perked up at your signature nickname for him, though his eyes narrowed as he saw your clasped hands held in front of you

-> "no"

-> "but baby, you haven't even seen-"

-> "no"

-> you giggled at how defensive he had become

-> "come on, don't you want to name it? it's very cute"

-> "i want you to throw it out, y/n"

-> "alright, alright"

-> you took the spider to a window, releasing it back outside before heading back to the bathroom and grabbing a few masks for real this time

-> sakusa gave you the cold shoulder as you sat down next to him, humming as you gave him a face mask and putting it on without a word

-> "aww, baby, i'm sorry"

-> "..."

-> "i'll give you a head massage if you stop ignoring me?"

-> sakusa turned to you, his eyes narrowed in thought as he stared you down

-> the act soon broke, though, and he smiled against the sheet mask that was on his face

-> "it better be a good one," he huffed as he tugged the duck headband off, already sighing at the sensation of your fingers against his scalp

-> "omi, come on, what do you take me for?"

❍ HAIBA LEV

-> ngl lev gives off equal amounts of being terrified of like the tiniest spider or just finding bugs insanely cool vibes

-> it's funnier to imagine this 6-foot-something guy scramble away from a fucking crane fly in terror though so this is how it's going to play out

-> when you invited your giant of a boyfriend to your flat, you didn't anticipate just how small he made everything appear

-> he even towered in your doorway, having to stoop to step through into your hall

-> "woahh, i love your place!"

-> it was his first time staying over for the night, and lev was making sure to drink in every aspect of your interior design

-> you found it sweet of him, and watched as he stared in wide-eyed wonder at the little trinkets you had collected over the years to make your small apartment seem more like a home

-> you didn't expect him to scream at the top of his lungs and practically run back to you, though

-> you jumped at the sound, watching as he scrambled away from your lamp and pointed back at it with a shaking finger

-> you squinted at it, making out the very menacing form of a crane fly as it bumped into the lampshade and continued on its path

-> "lev, you big baby," you giggled, heading to the kitchen to grab a glass and trap it

-> "y/n, don't leave me alone with it!" he yelped, and you rolled your eyes at his antics

-> you came back, smoothly capturing the insect and throwing it out of a nearby window

-> lev was sat on your couch the whole time, hands covering his eyes as he curled in a ball

-> "is it gone?" he asked, and you you giggled at how childlike he was acting at the moment

-> "it's all good, baby" you smoothed his hair and lev gratefully leaned into your touch, a sigh of relief leaving him

-> "thank you, y/n"

-> "i'll get rid of all the bugs in the world for you, lev"

❍ MIYA ATSUMU

-> gives off the vibes that he used to eat bugs as a child i'm sorry but

-> have mercy on his soul lmao

-> so twins are supposed to be identical right?

-> anyone who spends more than a few minutes around the miya twins know that that's a complete fucking lie

-> and you've had the misfortune of being friends with them for a very long time

-> like your mums were friends and you were all born around the same time

-> you've been pulled into their shit before you could walk or talk

-> so you're well aware of just how different these mfs are

-> even though they were both absolute bastards, osamu always had a slightly more mellowed out approach which would always end up with atsumu getting the blame for what they got up to

-> especially as a child, osamu loved to terrorise his twin with the unwilling help of you

-> one of the ways was through osamu exploiting one of his twins' fears

-> that being bugs and spiders

-> he always cackled at the sight of atsumu screaming and trying to run away from him due to the spider he was holding

-> as they both grew up, this became less of a frequent thing for osamu to do

-> you also somehow started dating atsumu, but nobody could exactly pinpoint a moment that signified a beginning to your relationship

-> but since you're dating the world's biggest manchild in disguise, and osamu gets annoyed with atsumu quite easily, you would have to swoop in to rescue him from time to time

-> recently the twins had been getting a little snappy with each other, and it had yet to sort itself out

-> from what you had heard your boyfriend was in the wrong this time, but you still listened to him whine and rant about it

-> you were going to the inarizaki school gym to say hi to your boyfriend and best friend before practice started, only to see absolute chaos unfolding

-> with kita yet to arrive, the twins were effectively unleashed and that much was clear with the way atsumu was practically screaming his head off as he ran around the gym

-> your eyes took in the rest of the players- aran had his head in his hands, suna was snickering with his phone out to record the newest miya twin fight, and osamu's deranged laugh could be heard above everything else as he chased his brother, hand held out in front of him

-> only one thing was capable of making atsumu scream like that, so you already knew what was happening

-> atsumu quickly spotted you hovering in the doorway, and made a beeline to where you were

-> his eyes were panicked, and you were quick to wrap him in a hug as you shot osamu a nasty glare over his shoulder

-> literally this lmfao

-> "that's enough, 'samu"

-> your best friend paused, before a smile spread across his face as he dangled the centipede in front of him

-> "you know it was rubber, right?"

-> you felt your boyfriend tense in your arms and you bit your lip to stifle a small giggle

-> but at least they would be back to normal by the end of today

back to the menu - ,, 🕷 ·˚ ༘ ꒱

[kojoty]

Haven't seen much analysis in the OFMD fandom other than 'wow ed and stede are so cute and perfect for each other <3 stede is the only person who has ever listened to/seen ed'. And like sure, yes, to a big extent, Stede is the only man who's made the effort and absolutely sees Ed in a way no one else has attempted before, and most importantly, the 'real' Ed that Stede sees is an Ed that isn't a monster, but a man, but--

I really think it'd be remiss to the writing of the show to avoid the elephant in the room, which is that Stede fundamentally does not understand, at least until the end of the show when he himself has the British government down upon his head, where Ed's anger and trauma sources from. The show mostly plays it coy-- Stede being kind of naive/ignorant of the colonialist implications of some of what he says, and the script/Taika keeping it at just Ed giving this Look into the middle distance to signify that something is off but Ed knows better than to make a scene-- but there is very much textual evidence that the show wants us to look at Stede Bonnet and pull apart his colonialist facade, even more than the second episode when they breach land on that island.

I mean, in a lot of ways, the show does that-- the interplay between the 'gentleman' and the 'pirate' is very much just the text of the show. But I think a lot of people are just kind of taking that at face value, not acknowledging where a man like Stede Bonnet-- A wealthy white commonwealth citizen who lives in Barbados and owns land there-- would have gotten his wealth from. Where the very real gentleman pirate that the show has based its fictional and farcical account of Stede Bonnet on got his landed wealth from. The legacy of what money made his ship and his expeditions possible.

And genuinely, they do a good job of showing that Stede is a fair man who does believe in equality, and the fact that he pays a very multi-ethnic crew a living wage, and in the context of his ship everyone is equal most definitely gives him points, and is probably why Blackbeard-- A non-white, non-landed gentry who only has money because of his theft-- can stand to look past some of the privileged remarks/actions Stede makes sometimes. But I think it'd do a disservice, for instance, to ignore just who Stede automatically is comfortable with being the servants and cooks and waitstaff when the white British soldiers come onto his ship. Certainly even Stede would have been uncomfortable with that, but nonetheless, that is a position of power that Stede has. And it's a position of power that I don't think he has spent a lot of S1 really pulling apart.

Which is why I'm hopeful in s2 (pls tptb pls pls pls) that Stede being forced to confront that anger, that hatred, that Blackbeard is now encompassing as his role will allow him to start textually dismantling some of that, to understand that yes, Stede saw Ed, but Stede really, really didn't see Blackbeard. Doesn't understand why Blackbeard has prospered and existed for so many years. And if they want to have a relationship in the future, Stede really needs to do the hard work of understanding why a non-white man on the run from the British government can turn into the legend known as Blackbeard. What's that Captain Flint quote from Black Sails? "Everyone is a monster to someone. Since you are so convinced that I am yours. I will be it." It's important for Stede to understand that Blackbeard isn't just fiction, he's Ed's reality.

[finalvortex]

Green (Part 2)

As I said in the first part of this post, there aren't many scenes that use green heavily, because Marcy tends to stand behind other characters rather than getting focus on her own.

Marcy at the Gates is a good example of this. It starts out cyan for Anne and Marcy's reunion, but as they descend into the barbariant cave, green becomes gradually more and more predominant.

By the time Marcy and Anne have their confrontation, and Marcy proves that she really has grown in Amphibia and is capable and clever, the scene is completely green.

The halls of Newtopia U are also a rich, dark green. That makes sense, because it's an institution dedicated to learning. But this is also the episode where Sprig realizes that ultimately, college isn't for everyone - that the atmosphere can be stifling and oppressive. Especially because of the way that the university looks all its students in at night, effectively trapping them there.

Unsurprisingly, the most green episode of Amphibia is The First Temple. Just look at the place:

The puzzle tests are all in these incredibly green rooms... except for the last one.

There's still some green in the room with the flipwart board, but by and large, the predominant color is brown. The temple is no longer testing for intelligence. This is no longer about Marcy's strength.

Amphibia almost never uses a primarily brown color palette unless it's to signify that the scene is set on Earth. The flashback in Best Fronds, for example:

The third test is essentially a reality check for Marcy. She's made to realize that she's not going to be able to solve every problem with her strategy and wit. What's always fascinated me about the episode is that Marcy never realizes that you're not meant to be able to pass the test until it's explicitly spelled out for her. She gives up because she realizes people are going to get hurt if she keeps going, and it's the right thing to do. She realizes that there are going to be consequences.

In Maddie and Marcy, this happens.

This is the only time in the entire show that we see one of Maddie's spells be green rather than purple (although the spell the triplets attempt to use later in the episode is also green).

Unlike the other pale green scenes we've seen, in this episode, Maddie is so caught up in her work and her interests that she starts to leave the people she cares about behind - the same mistake that Marcy almost made in The First Temple. Interestingly, pale green doesn't seem to be a representation of humility, but pride - specifically, the idea that you know better than others.

Dark green on the other hand, is something that we haven't seen a lot of, but we can assume that it works the same way as for Anne and Sasha - if pale green is Marcy's best traits take to a logical extreme, dark green is her worst traits. Humility, to the point of codependency.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I had a solid read on the color green before Beginning of the End aired earlier this week. See, here's something to consider: Anne's gem is cyan. Sasha's is magenta. Marcy's is green.

Anne and Sasha's gems are two of the primary colors of light. If Marcy's was going to follow this pattern, it would be yellow. Maybe the writers made this decision because pastel yellows are hideous to look at. But perhaps it's because green is a secondary color. It cannot exist on its own.

There is almost no green, at all, in season 3. I bet you can guess why.

[jungleslang]

I'm sorry, but I cannot understand people who say that Elriel shippers hate Lucien and want to cause him pain or are advocating for him to experience pain and ultimately be unhappy. I understand that the mating bond is a huge deal in fae culture, and that it's more difficult to deal with for the male than for the female. But shipping Elain with Azriel despite this does NOT mean that I hate him. The opposite is actually true. It literally makes zero sense.

I've seen this argument too many times throughout the years, and I saw it again today, so I've decided to address it. I'm going to discuss why Elriel doesn't equal Lucien being unhappy, as well as some Elriel and Vucien foreshadowing, and why this could lead to Lucien's happiness. Be aware that I'm obviously biased, and this is in no way meant to hate on Elucien or Elucien shippers. I'm just addressing this specific argument. All ships are valid, and we don't ship shame in this house. This is just my personal opinion, and I know that what I ship might not be endgame.

Also this is gonna be pretty long, don't say I didn't warn you.

I want to start off by saying that a big reason why I don't ship Elucien is honestly BECAUSE I love Lucien. Elain has consistently shown not even an ounce of interest in him for the past three books. Lucien himself also says that Elain was "thrown at him," while Jesminda, his past love, chose him. Elain has never used or shown her appreciation for any of the gifts Lucien gave her (which is her right). She has clearly stated that she does not want a mate. She also currently has feelings for Azriel, and it's been said that Elain "shrinks" in Lucien's presence, her newfound boldness suddenly gone. I'm sorry, but why would I want this for Lucien?? Why would I want Lucien to be with a woman who does not love him and currently has feelings for another male? A woman who literally shrivels up when he is near her? Lucien deserves to love and be loved wholeheartedly. And of course, Elain does, too.

Additionally, Lucien's words about Jesminda highlight that having a choice and being truly chosen are things that matter to him. And who are the people that Lucien has actively chosen to be with? Jurian and Vassa. Lucien is a centuries old fae male, with experience in multiple courts, and he's chosen to shack up with two humans in the human lands. That means something, and it shows that Vassa and Jurian are the people he feels comfortable with, the people he trusts, and most importantly, the people who make him feel wanted. Wanted enough to literally live with them after all of his trauma, after being barred from his home in the Spring Court by Tamlin, a person he loved cherished more than anyone else. And Jurian and Vassa have also chosen him.

As someone who absolutely loves Lucien, THIS is what I want for him. For him to be with people he chose and who in turn chose him. I want what's best for him, and so far, the text has indicated that Jurian and Vassa are what's best for him. I mean come on, the three of them literally created a name for themselves, the Band Of Exiles. The one time we saw Lucien actually laugh in ACOWAR was when he was with Vassa at the end. He blushes at the mention of her and has a "spark" in his eyes when he talks about her. Let's also not forget about this part in ACOFAS:

Lucien says that he's not living with them, the manor belongs to all of them. And even Feyre remarks how he's more comfortable around them, two humans, than people of his own race. I feel like this part is so overlooked. To me, it really demonstrates that Lucien has indeed found a home with these people, a home that belongs to all of them, and that he feels he truly does belong with them.

Additionally, it bothers me when people imply that rejecting the mating bond automatically equals unhappiness while accepting it guarantees love and happiness. Elain and Lucien rejecting their mating bond does not mean that Lucien is doomed to be unhappy and in pain for the rest of his life. And accepting it does not mean they'll be happy, either. We literally have proof of this in the books, and it comes in the form of Rhysand's parents. Rhys says that his parents were wrong for each other, and that his mother eventually came to hate his father, only staying with him because she was grateful to him for saving her wings. That is not a happy relationship.

Also, something that is one of the biggest hints toward Elriel for me, is the fact that every single mated couple we see in the books that actually ended up together had feelings for each other BEFORE the mating bond snapped into place. Rhys had feelings for Feyre while they were under the mountain, and Feyre fell in love with Rhys before she knew they were mates. Nessian's mating bond also didn't snap into place until after they already loved each other. And we also have Kallias and Viviane, who were in love before they discovered they were mates. These relationships all had solid foundations before the mate bond came came into play. Romantic feelings were established before the bond. For Elucien, this was not the case. Their mate bond snapped into the place the day they met each other, which directly mirrors Rhys' parents, whose mate bond snapped into place the moment they met and who also weren't right for each other. (Coincidence? I think not.)

We also have to remember that we have never been inside Lucien's head, with the exception of that one scene where Feyre infiltrates his mind while he's talking to Elain. That one glimpse alone mainly deals with the feelings he has for Elain due to his instincts because of the mate bond. It's also where he says Elain had been thrown at him. We don't actually know the extent of what he feels or doesn't feel for Elain. We don't know if he has romantic feelings for her outside of his instincts because of the bond, which we know is important based on what we discussed above. Yes, Lucien gives her gifts and clearly wants to get to know her, but we don't know whether he's just doing this out of obligation because the bond is so important in fae culture. Which might also be the reason Elain hasn't formally rejected him yet.

I think that there is a decent chance that this is the case based on what we've seen in the books. I also get the feeling that Lucien might be pursuing Elain out of obligation because Elain hasn't given him the time of day, and they've had no meaningful moments/conversations up until now. He doesn't really know her. How can you have feelings for someone you don't know and haven't spent any real time with? There are also these scenes from ACOFAS and ACOSF:

In ACOFAS, Feyre says that Lucien doesn't seem to have a real interest in bridging gap between him and Elain. In ACOSF, Cassian says the words "my mate" drip with discomfort when Lucien says them. This indicates that he's not so comfortable with calling Elain his mate / having her as his mate.

I also think this part is important because the level of comfort the characters have with each other is a distinguishing factor of the ships. Lucien is more comfortable around Vassa than Elain, while Elain is more comfortable around Azriel than Lucien.

As I stated before, this is the only time we see Lucien laughing in ACOWAR. Additionally, his shoulders are loose, indicating that he is not only comfortable but also relaxed, which is a rare thing for Lucien in the recent books with all the shit he has going on. In contrast, there's always a tension underlying his and Elain's interactions. Based on the fact that Vassa is chatting with him "animatedly," I would say she's likely comfortable around him, too.

There are also these two passages from ACOMAF, which I'm sure every Elriel shipper already knows lol.

We can also see that Elain has been at least somewhat comfortable around Azriel from the start, even when she was afraid of the fae and engaged to a fae-hating man. She even engaged him in a genuine conversation about flying. These two excerpts also show that Elain is somewhat attuned to Azriel as well. She notes his body language and uses it to gauge the situation. This also indicates a certain level of trust in him. And this has only increased as the story progressed. He's content to just sit beside her in the garden, she tells him about her plans for the garden, and they stay up late talking to each other. Their interactions signify how at ease they are with each other, which I think is big thing for Azriel, who's always described as cold and filled with an icy rage. Rhys says it took Mor centuries to get Az to loosen up, but he eased up around Elain in a remarkably short amount of time for someone usually so closed-off.

So, the conclusion here is that Elucien is not the only ship that guarantees all characters' happiness as some people say. Lucien is completely capable of being happy and finding a home without Elain accepting the bond, and the evidence is in the books. The fact that Lucien actively chooses to live together with Jurian and Vassa, and that Elain has constantly chosen to be around Az while showing no interest in Lucien is the reason while I will always stan Vucien and Elriel over Elucien. It's all about choice for me, which is something that's also emphasized in the books and seems to be important for both Elain's and Lucien's arcs.

And all Elriel shippers absolutely don't hate Lucien. If I'm being honest, I actually like Lucien as a character more than Azriel. While I am a diehard Elriel stan and I adore Az, Lucien is a more interesting character to me. He was raised in the Autumn Court, lived in the Spring Court, and ended up becoming part of the Night Court, as well. Then we find out he's the heir to the Day Court, and now he lives in the human lands with Jurian and Vassa. He has connections to so many places, and yet struggles to belong. He was lost, and found a home with two other lost people. The Lost Queen Vassa, and a human who was resurrected in a world that moved on without him.

This is also why, in my opinion, Vucien / The Band of Exiles has so much more potential than Elucien. I don't want another story about mates ending up with each other. Give me the found family trope that is the Band of Exiles.

If you've made it through this whole thing, thank you. As always, I'd love to hear your opinions!

[canmom]

i am pretty sure i have deployed this metaphor before but ok, art right. we can imagine the artworks we create exist in some sort of vast space of aesthetic possibility. in the era of digital media we can say quite definitively that, for example, a fullscreen picture with 8 bits per channel takes up 1920x1080x24 bits, so there are exactly 2^(1920x1080x24) possible states for a computer to be in. but we could also imagine more abstract spaces: spaces of shape and colour and particular signifiers we might include in a picture. the details don't really matter.

i think of making artworks then as something like exploring this space. we start somewhere fairly similar with our initial introduction to artworks and first attempts at writing or drawing or making music. and then the role of certain teachable techniques like perspective drawing or the visual conventions of anime faces or a musical genre from a given era are essentially paths out into the aesthetic space that have been paved and laid out to allow you to go somewhere a lot more quickly than if you had to invent these devices from scratch. there are many different routes like this, and different areas of the space will evoke different effects in different people.

but ultimately we have to leave this well trodden path. you can do it from many different points and in many different directions. the goal of writing a series of articles on perspective or some other method is to help people reach the possibilities that open up when you arrive in the land of illusionistic 3D drawing, but that's certainly not the best place in the aesthetic world by some objective measure, just one many people are - by nature or more likely acculturation - quite find of.

a particularly novel artwork shines a light in the vast void of aesthetic space and says like hey, i think there might be something over here. that will attract more people who explore the zone around it, and gradually they will find more interesting spots, and procede in jumps to somewhere that couldn't be seen from "where we started".

this metaphor has its limitations. turning an abstract mathematical space of possibility into a land being explored has something of a colonial connotation, but not sure what to do with that. more concretely, this might go too far into treating artworks as a grand collective project and ignore how they're connected to our actual lives and experiences. we can enumerate every possible png, but not so much the myriad ways the contents of that png can become meaningful, or the different contexts we see them. nevertheless i think this is a useful - if maybe kinda obvious! - way to try to think of art methods that can avoid a rigid orthodoxy along the lines of "'good drawing' is photorealistic figure drawing" or indeed "'good animation' is Disney style full animation on 1s and 2s".

the challenge for us artists is to take advantage of an the discoveries that have been made in aesthetic space to get a leg up, but ultimately head out somewhere new... the reassuring part is that this will happen somewhat inevitably if we keep at it, as it's almost impossible to not have a personal style reflecting your particular opinions and interests and habits even if you haven't consciously worked out some sort of artistic project. people who can truly convincingly imitate other artists... get a career in art forgery, and there's only a handful on the planet who can pull that off ;)

so someone like Yoshinori Kanada is celebrated not just because he created a lot of vivid and enjoyable animation, but because he opened up a whole new zone of expressive possibility where others could follow and develop further. someone like Shinya Ohira who's widely recognised as one of the best animators but has a very personal and unique approach which is a lot harder to pursue, though perhaps ultimately very rewarding if you can make it down that road and land somewhere nearby.

and the really bold and confident will take the equivalent of a poorly maintained road out into the less well travelled parts of aesthetic space, or notice the possibilities of some disregarded corner, the underside of bridges say, and, with a bit of luck, reveal something unexpected and amazing. that's what someone like charity or vewn does lol.

so i wonder what path I'm going to find, between these various poles that influence me of like, trans woman trauma art here, sakuga there, ero-guro back this way, posthuman sci fi and impassioned fantasy novels about colonialism and long essays in communisation theory on the hilltops, and whatever other influences i care to absorb... and give it enough years, and i might yet find something really interesting.

[icedthoma]

Can you do hcs for how fantasy au Bakugou would progress through his relationship with the reader? I understand if you cant do this request because its too vague or something, I just don't really know what I want because all I know is I want fantasy bakugou but I haven't read very many fics of him.

I’m making this take place in the same universe as this fic from my 1 year event to make it easier on myself! And bc i liked that fic too much to let it end there. I strongly suggest reading that fic first, as these hcs are entirely based upon it! Let’s get some backstory goingggg~

Also oop this got rlly long lmao

FANTASY!BAKUGOU KATSUKI

As a magic user, you were proud of how self-sufficient you were. Living in the woods alone wasn’t too bad. You had your cottage, your garden, and enough animals in the forest to keep you company whenever you were bored. You had spells casted all around your house to ward off any unwanted visitors. 

It wasn’t the worst life, but some days you found yourself wondering if you could do something more with your life. You were blessed with the ability to use magic, after all. Was it wrong for you to keep your talents all to yourself, using them for menial tasks like enchanting your kitchenware to assist you with cooking, or catching fish with a simple wave of your hand? 

There wasn’t exactly anyone around to tell you otherwise. 

Loud noises were a rarity where you lived, which was why you were startled out of your mind when a loud crash came from somewhere outside. You sighed. You really didn’t want to have to do any mind-wiping this early in the morning. 

Trudging through the woods, you squinted through the trees in the direction of the noise, casting an invisibility spell over yourself as you left the border of the spells cloaking the area around your house and garden. 

You didn’t know what it was you expected to see. Maybe a lost squad of knights from a nearby kingdom. Maybe a rogue animal new to this land. 

You didn’t expect a red, fire breathing dragon. 

“Haven’t seen one of those in a while,” you murmured, edging forward to get a closer look. Something about this dragon was...off. Not completely a dragon, but... “Ah. A shifter? I haven’t seen one...ever.”

Your invisibility spell on yourself couldn’t hide you completely, proven by how the dragon sniffed the air in your general direction, occasionally shifting around from its spot on the ground. You didn’t really care, your main concern being the safety of the forest if this shifter decided to light something on fire. 

The small clearing the dragon was in was small, way too small for their large body. Why didn’t they change back? 

Another turn of the dragon and you spotted it. A large gaping wound along the dragon’s forearm and side that would for sure prove fatal if they shifted back into their human form. Cloth was messily wrapped around part of the injury, but it was on the verge of falling apart by the dragon’s constant movement in the tight space. 

You were okay at healing magic, having taken pity on birds, deer, and one time a mountain cat that needed help, but you had never tried to heal anything as large as a dragon. 

Resolving yourself as to what you were about to do, you released the invisibility spell and crept forward through the trees. The dragon’s gaze immediately snapped to you as you appeared, eyes narrowing as you held your hands up to signify you meant no harm. 

You cast a quick side glance at those rather sharp claws you were sure would be utilized in an instant if you messed up. “You’re a shifter, right?” you asked in an attempt to loosen the situation. “That’s quite a nasty wound you have, there. I can stop the bleeding, just enough so you can transform back without dying. I’m a magic user, you see.”

You had just begun to work your magic on the dragon, focusing so hard you didn’t notice the entrance of a second figure through the trees. 

“What are you doing to Kirishima?”

You yelped and looked over with wide eyes at where a man with spiky blond hair and a warm-looking red cloak was glowering at you, sword pointed menacingly at you. “W-wait, hold on, I’m not--”

The shifter, Kirishima, turned his head toward the newcomer and made a reassuring noise in the back of his throat, nodding towards where you were trying to multitask with healing him and wondering if you could run away fast enough before this angry looking blond could reach you with that sword. 

Luckily, his friend (you were assuming they were friends) seemed to relax, and marched over to stand behind you. “Are you healing him?”

“Um, yes,” you said, a little off-put at how aggressive his voice was. “I’m stopping the bleeding for now, just so he can change back where it’ll be easier for me to help him.”

It was hard, trying to use your magic well while someone was breathing down your neck, but in the end you managed it, and Kirishima the dragon transformed into an unconscious red-haired man on the forest floor. 

You led the blond, (you learned his name was Bakugou) to your home, holding the door open for him so he could carry his friend inside. You had never had visitors before. It was an odd feeling, letting two people you had just met into your most protected area. 

“So...what happened to you two?” 

“Tch. It’s none of your business. Just heal my friend and we’ll be out of your hair.”

So rude. He could at least give you something interesting to think about while you tried to heal him. However, you had exhausted your magic for that day, not used to straining yourself to this extent. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had used up this much of your magic. 

Bakugou did not look happy about that, and you winced under the force of his glare. You suggested he get some rest and you could continue healing his friend in the morning, but despite your reassurances about the protective spells around your house, he ignored your offer of making him a room in your house (quite literally, as making extra rooms for fun only to remove them later was one of your favorite pastimes. You don’t talk about the goose room, though.) and stomped out your door to “keep watch.”

Over the next couple of days, you watched happily as Kirishima regained consciousness, his wound improving steadily. You got along quite well with the shifter, who was always willing to talk to fill the silence while you worked on his side. How could someone as cheerful as him be friends with such a grump like Bakugou?

“Ehh, you get used to it,” he laughed once you had asked him that. “But he’s really protective of his friends, and cares for them a lot! I bet he’ll open up to you, soon.”

Hah. You wish. Bakugou was rarely in the house, always eating whatever you had prepared for them in the morning quickly despite your hard work at making it look aesthetic and nice. 

You learned that the two of them traveled the world together, stopping raids from demons attacking several villages. “You would think that they would turn tail and run at the sight of me,” Kirishima huffed. “But no. I get a spear to the side instead. That’s not manly at all.”

“Did you mean, dragon-ly?”

“Oh, yeah!”

He also listened to you with sympathy at how you had been living here alone for a majority of your life, living off your magically sustained garden. “You live alone? Doesn’t that get boring?”

You shrugged. “You get used to it.”

Kirishima got a shiny glint in his eye you didn’t like. “Hey, Bakugou! What if we take Y/n with us!”

“No way.”

“Come on...they’re a magic user! Think about how helpful that would be to have on our side!”

“Yeah, and one more I have to worry about keeping alive.” Katsuki rolled his eyes. “No thanks.”

The two of them bickered for a while while you wrapped new bandages around Kirishima’s arm and torso. The thing was, when Kirishima had suggested you go with them, your heart had leaped with joy. Seeing the world beyond your little cottage and forest? That didn’t sound too bad. After all, making random rooms in your house could only be a sufficient change of scenery for so long. Wasn’t this the chance you had been dreaming of? A chance to make a difference and actually help people?

“I’d love to go with you,” you blurted out, blushing at Bakugou’s crimson eyes now fixed on you instead of your patient. “I’ll be useful, I swear.”

He bet you’d be begging to go back home within the first week of traveling with them, and that only made you want to go even more. 

In what seemed like no time at all Kirishima was fully healed, and you were seated atop his dragon form’s back behind Bakugou, who had practically snarled at you when you tried to sit in front of him. You were honestly scared to try to hold on to him as Kirishima prepared for takeoff. A part of you couldn’t believe this was happening. This had got to be the most impulsive decision you had ever made in your entire life. You were finally going to see the world!

Adjusting to the nomadic life was probably the hardest part, even harder than having to deal with Bakugou 24/7. However, you proved yourself to be reliable in a pinch, always watching out for your two comrades whenever a demon raid occurred. You had never thought about using your magic to attack before, as you had really only needed it to grow your plants and protect your house. But...you adapted quickly enough, and the grateful smiles of the villagers as they eagerly thanked you made it all worth it. 

You weren’t sure when exactly the barrier between you and Bakugou broke. You had always seen him watching you out of the corner of your eye whenever you laughed with Kirishima or indulged little kids from villages with your magic. Only the elders of the villages dared to approach Bakugou himself, his rugged appearance and constant leer driving all of the younger folk away. 

But if you had to take a wild guess at when he began to warm up to you, it would have probably been after a rather intense demon attack that Kirishima had managed to track just in time. You were dead tired after the whole ordeal, exhausted from using so much of your magic over a long period of time. You wanted to sleep so badly, but you were afraid if you did, you’d slip off Kirishima’s scaly back and plummet to the ground before either of them noticed. 

“If you’re that tired, you can hold onto me. Or whatever,” Bakugou had unexpectedly scoffed from his position in front of you, not bothering to turn around to acknowledge you fully. 

“Oh my God. Thank you so much,” you mumbled, collapsing forward to wrap your arms around his warm torso, head resting on his back and his steady heartbeat lulling you to sleep. Sure, part of you was aware that your fingers were brushing over his bare stomach, but you were too tired to care. 

After that, he thankfully allowed you to rest on him more often. His body heat was better than any blanket, and you honestly sometimes wished Kirishima would just keep flying forever, just so you could cuddle up against Bakugou and that caramel scent you never knew he emanated just a little longer. 

“You’re really something, you know that?” Kirishima joked one day while Bakugou left to retrieve some firewood (despite your offers, he always refused to let you use your magic to get it). “He wouldn’t let just anyone rest on him like that. Didn’t I tell you you’d grow on him?”

You smiled sheepishly down at your lap from where you sat cross-legged on the grass. “I hope you’re right.”

“Hey, hey, what’s up with that smile?” Eyes widening, Ejirou plopped down in front of you to further interrogate you. 

“What? Can’t I be happy that Bakugou doesn’t hate me?”

“We’ve been friends for two years, Y/n. He’s way past hating you at this point. No...it’s something else.” He tapped his fingers together contemplatively. 

“What are you two losers talking about?” Katsuki growled as he emerged from the trees.

“Nothing!” you and Kirishima exclaimed at the same time. 

Something else? What else was there besides your friendship with Bakugou you had worked so hard to create? So what if you found yourself overthinking every conversation you had with him despite the fact you’d known each other for so long? So what if your heart skipped a beat whenever he would raise his elbows slightly before Kirishima would take flight, a silent invitation that you could hold onto him even if you weren’t that tired? 

What else was there besides...romantic love?

...

Crap. 

Fine, say you did admit you liked him, maybe more than a friend should. What if your confession just made things weird? You wouldn’t be able to bear always being around him. What if you had to go back home to your small forest? After seeing all the wonders of the world atop Kirishima, how could you return to a life of solitude? 

For the sake of your friendship with Bakugou and Kirishima, which you wouldn’t give up for anything, you decided it would be better for everyone if you said nothing and continued on like normal. 

Then you got injured during a raid. 

Better you than him, you reasoned before deciding to take the blow meant for him. You had never seen Bakugou that angry before, not when Kirishima had gotten hurt, not even when he got hurt himself. 

He had quite literally exploded all over you once the three of you were out of harm’s way, berating you for not being more careful, didn’t you know that you could have gotten killed? 

Bakugou stormed off into the woods, leaving you and Kirishima to set up camp by yourselves. 

If you’ve read the fic, you know what happened next ;)

After that kiss, the two of you finally acknowledged how important the two of you were to each other. Sure, he still was an annoying prick who scarfed whatever food you made down quick no matter how much effort you put into making it look nice, but he was your annoying prick. 

The three of you looked after each other like always...just many more kisses were exchanged between you and Bakugou. The two of you slept side by side each night, you cuddling up against his warm frame whether you were on the ground or in the air. 

He even let you sit in front of him atop Kirishima one time, opting to have his arms protectively around you and his face buried in your hair. 

“Now that’s true love right there,” Kirishima had commented later on, only to receive a smack on his head by Katsuki himself. 

You never regretted leaving your old home in the forest. You had a new home with Bakugou and Kirishima, after all. 

And that was better than any kind of magic you could produce. 

[sakuric]

study dates -> akaashi keiji

synopsis!the love you felt for keiji was growing bigger and bigger, suffocating you more and more each day, but you still didn't let yourself confess. all it took was rejection to finally word how you feel about him.

pairing!keiji akaashi x gn!reader

genre!fluff

warnings!slight cursing

wc!1886

gen taglist! @graykageyama @elixhirs @soranihimawari @admiringlove @softieynnie

a/n!hello babes :3 this is a short? not rly drabble dedicated to my dear sam @admiringlove , and every akaashi stan reading !! this wasn't proof read, but i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it :)

you were in love. in love with a boy whose presence made your heart skip a beat. in love with a boy whose hands are gorgeous, but he hides them everytime someone, who isn’t you, around him. he's a boy you've been in love with for a long time now, yet you can't gather the courage to let yourself tell him.

"hello, y/n. are you ready to study?" akaashi asked, sitting down opposite of you at the table. you were doing your study session in the library, as you do every week. although bokuto, akaashi's friend, once joked that you two go out on study "dates", but neither of you found it funny. and it made you worry, why akaashi didn't find it funny. of course, he doesn't usually laugh at bokuto's jokes, and he usually answers with a snarky remark, but he stayed quiet that time.

"l/n?" akaashi waved a hand in front of your face, causing you to flinch out of your daydream. "oh, uh, yes i'm ready." you smiled softly, opening your biology book, but akaashi noticed something wrong.

"you sure? we can skip today if you want."

"oh, no, akaashi, it's okay. i'm okay." you gave him a soft smile before continuing to read. "so what i'm thinking is-"

"what i'm thinking..." akaashi interrupted, a hand slid across the table to close your book, his deep emerald eyes gazing back at your own. you gulped, swallowing any sign of anxiety that could be visible. but it didn't help, akaashi knew you well, and he knew how fidgety you get when you’re anxious for something, so when he saw you anxiously play with your nails while waiting for him, he knew something was up. "is that we can continue this later. do you want to go out with me, y/n?"

as the words left his mouth, your body stiffened, your breath came to a halt for just a moment, and your palms started sweating heavily. "like- like on a date...?"

"yes, y/n, like on a date." akaashi let out a laugh, mumbling "cutie" before sitting back in his chair. "i'll let you think about it, and if you say yes, i'll see you tomorrow at eight pm, by the crooked tree in the campus park, deal?"

"deal."

—

the next evening came faster than expected. and you weren’t really confident with your choice to go on the date akaashi suggested. what did you have to wear? did you have to bring anything? was it a friendly date? the answers to these questions were too unknown to you, but nonetheless, you couldn’t disappoint your best friend, right?

“i was thinking you forgot about the date.” akaashi’s voice ringed in your ear, your body shifting immediately towards the origin of the sound. your eyes scanned his body; a university hoodie, a pair of black, skinny jeans, and his beloved converse shoes. you swooned over how he dressed, for the study sessions he’d wear a beige button up with a sweater-vest on top and some formal, checkered pants. but for afterschool chats and hanging out, he dressed nearly opposite.

“are you alright? why are you not saying anything…”

“you.. look nice.” you mumbled, stepping closer to him, in hopes that your anxiety will calm and let you speak the words you wished to say.

“thank you, y/n. you look nice too.” he smiled softly, his emerald orbs scanning your face for any discomfort. akaashi was good - he was good at identifying different emotions of people, even if there was the slightest change in a person's body language, he could already identify why and what they felt. he was also good for you, and you knew if he’d reject you, he’d try his best to continue being friends without it being awkward for you.

“akaashi, why did you ask me to come here?”

“i wanted to tell you something.” keiji extended his hand towards you, waiting for you to grasp it. he loved when you held his hands, and you’d do it quite often. akaashi never let anyone hold or look at his hands for too long, and he had opened up about how he’s insecure about his hands, their shape and form. that time, you comforted him by planting a small kiss on each of his fingers, saying his hands were perfect the way they were. you intertwined your fingers with his and started walking.

you wondered what it was that he wanted to tell you, what was on his mind this exact moment. you sometimes wished to be able to read people’s minds, just so you could figure out what goes on in that pretty head of his. and maybe, for your own good, what he thinks about you. these emotions flooded your mind like a flood after a rainstorm, and akaashi noticed. he stopped in his tracks, covered your eyes and mumbled ‘were almost here’ as he stood behind you. you two walked for a while, akaashi mumbling a few words into your hair as he led you further. your mind started racing with a million thoughts an hour as you wondered where he had taken you.

“okay we’re here,” keiji announced, removing his hands from your eyes. you turned around to see him smiling softly at you, as he stood in front of the object he wished to show you. you tried to get a look at it, but akaashi forbid you from it. “remember when you showed me that flower, in our biology textbook?” you nodded your head, anticipating what the boy had planned.

“i did some research and i found out that the flower is right next to our main campus,” akaashi moved so you could finally see what he brought you here for. and then you saw it… the bright lilac flower staring back at you. a laugh mixed gasp left your lips as you walked closer to the delicate flower, your fingers carefully tracing the petals. “and i also found out that it was planted here on exactly your birthday. so i think i’d like to call it the y/n flower.” you giggled and turned to him with a smile painted on your face. as your arms embraced keiji in a warm hug, you mumbled a small ‘thank you’ against his warm skin.

—

a week had passed and akaashi wasn’t seen, to you at least. you saw him in the halls and tried to catch up to him, but he’d walk away without letting you even say hello. you’ve had enough. what did you even do wrong? you two just hung out later after the date, he gave you a book he really liked and said there was something special in it for you- wait. the book… you haven't opened it yet, and maybe the important thing was why he was ignoring you.

as soon as the class bell rang you ran out of the school building and jogged across your campus. thankfully, it was your last class of the day, so you didn't need to rush. except you did, you wanted to fix this, you wanted to find out what went wrong.

you attempted to unlock and open the door to your dorm, but the door seemed to give you a middle finger and decide to not unlock. fuck it’s the wrong key, you thought and clumsily fumbled with the multiple keys you had. as if the day hadn't been horrible already, you dropped the keys.

“fuck!” you exclaimed, feeling tears prick your eyes. you quickly grabbed -hopefully- the right key and unlocked the door. you had never gotten in your dormitory as fast as you did now. without taking any notice, you quickly speed-walked to your bookshelf.

The picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde. was the name of the book Akaashi Keiji gave you. it was one of your favourite books when you had read it in highschool, yet you haven't picked up a copy of it ever since. you flipped over to the page where a small blue sticky note marked. you opened it to find a highlighted quote, and another sticky note writing something underneath it.

“You are a wonderful creation. You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know.” y/n, have i not been obvious enough? I have tried to show you that I love you. maybe my cheeks weren't a bright enough shade of crimson when you kissed each pad of my finger on both my hands, maybe i didn't use my body language enough. Bokuto says that for a genius I am truly stupid. and I cannot help but agree. i hope, that instead of study sessions, we could go on real study dates, as a couple. but i’ll ask you this later. I love you, l/n y/n. please tell me you do too.

that was it. that was enough to make you realise what you had done and why he was ignoring you. you hadn’t told him.

—

“hey, y/n.” spoke akaashi, seeing you the next day after your date. you smiled softly at him and greeted him with a hug.

“hi, keiji. are we going to study today?” you asked, tightening your grasp on the straps of your black backpack. you noticed how akaashi’s hands twitched, he was going to hug you, or maybe hold your hand, but he restrained himself.

“i.. uh.. i have to go, y/n. see you around.”

—

he had expected you to open the book as soon as you got home, and didn't think about the fact that you wanted to give all your time and attention to it. it didn't make sense. it didn't make sense how all this time you expected to be rejected by akaashi when you’d confess (which you thought about never doing), but you unknowingly rejected him.

once again, your body worked faster than your brain could register and you were right out the door, on your way to akaashi’s dorm.

“y/n? what are you doing here?” keiji asked, his head slightly tilted to the side, signifying that he was confused. he was wearing that gray university hoodie of his and some black sweatpants, and you swore you had never wanted to embrace someone in a hug as much as you did now.

without even saying anything, you embraced his lips in a passionate kiss. akaashi’s mind raced with multiple thoughts, but nonetheless his warm hands travelled to the groove of your waist. you two made out with the open door for about two minutes until either of you realised it was even open. akaashi thanked the gods that no one saw and that bokuto wasn't over at that time, because he would've made funny remarks, that neither you or akaashi would've found funny.

“i love you too, akaashi keiji. i’ve always loved you.” you smiled after you two caught your breath. “i read the highlighted page, and i’m sorry that it took me so long. we could've avoided the whole… ignoring that went on if i had opened it sooner and i- i love you, akaashi.”

“i know you do, y/n. i love you too.” akaashi smiled, placing a kiss on your forehead. ���how about a study date at the library?”

© all work written by sakuric is not to be posted on any other writing app or website without notice. if it is found to be reposted without consent, rightful action will be taken.

[thatsgay-writes]

Waverly Earp x Reader

Summary: You’re part of a werewolf community in Purgatory and your mate is Waverly.

Warnings: Light cursing?

(Your wolf form and jacket that everyone in your pack wears. I made Waverly and Champ break up earlier, like before episode 1, because I've only watched 5 episodes so far and don't know when they break up.)

Being mated to a human wasn't an impossible thing, uncommon at most, but being a wolf with the alpha gene being mated to a human was never heard of. When your a pup, for the first 5 years of your life you go to the pack hospital to look at the newborns in hope of imprinting. You never imprinted on any of the wolfs and that scared your parents into thinking you were mate less. Which was not a good thing considering that you were next in line to lead the pack and needed to continue the bloodline, alpha's never birth the heirs no matter the gender. It wasn't til you went out into town the first time that you imprinted, on Waverly Earp. Your parents had no idea what to do, you had a mate now but they were human and wolves weren't supposed to reveal themselves unless absolutely needed. Of course, there were whispers all through Purgatory about your pack and how they all thought you were a cult or something, some even thought you were wolfs. The leather jackets and walking into town to get food and beer in groups of three probably didn't help. The only people who knew about werewolves were Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Against your parents wishes, you did befriend Waverly in high school and had been acquaintances since you graduated. Giving each other the occasional nod or quick hi in passing or when you went to Shorty's with your friends to get a drink.

You had just heard that Waverly's Uncle died, of course only three days after Champ breaks up with her, and that Wynonna might be coming back to town. So after alpha training, you snuck out. You went to Shorty's when you knew Waverly had a break and went up to the room that was now just hers. You knock on the door, quietly but firmly. "Waverly?" You say, hoping she hears you or maybe she's asleep. You knock again before putting your hand on the door knob, which is unlocked. Your eyes widen in surprise that the door is unlocked and against your better judgement slowly turn the handle to open the door. You frown at the sight of Waverly curled up in her bed, tear stains covering her face. You knew that you should probably leave, so she didn't wake up to see you in her room staring at her but your wolf would kick you if you did that. You walked towards the small bathroom in the room and wet a face cloth. You walk back over to Waverly and softly start wiping the tear stains away. Waverly does end up waking up, slowly, but you focus on your work instead of freaking out. "Y/n?" You give her a small smile before finishing up wiping her face and laying the face cloth out to dry. You go back to where you were before and crouch down again. "Yeah?" "Why are you here?" You let out a sigh at her question. "Well I heard about Champ, an absolute idiot by the way, and your Uncle, and that Wynonna might be coming back to town. I thought you could use a friend right now." Waverly gives you a smile and grabs your hand, causing your wolf to go crazy. "Come on, I know crouching like that isn't comfy." Waverly says motioning to her bed. You raise your eyebrow in surprise and confusion. Waverly rolls her eyes, "What your here and I haven't had anyone to cuddle with in a while and I'm grieving." You roll your eyes but get into the bed with her, making sure there was a obvious amount of space between the two of you. Waverly, of course, completely ignores the space you tried to leave and rolls over onto you and lays her head on your chest. You feel like your heart is beating out of your chest and your wolf is yelling at you to mark her. When you wake up the next day, still in bed with Waverly, you know your screwed. You swiftly but quietly get out of bed and put pillows down to take your place. You try to sneak back into camp but get caught by one of the guards on duty. "Y/n? Where have you been? I have to take you to your parents." You groan, knowing your about to be in a whole ton of trouble.

You did get in trouble, it would have been better if you had spent the night with a random person but spending it with Waverly made it worse. You weren't allowed out the house for the whole day. To say you were bored was an understatement. The next day, when your finally free, you immediately go to find Waverly to apologize for just disappearing. But when you get to the room, it looks ransacked and Waverly was no where to be seen. You run out of the room and run to Gus's house and see blood on the floor. "Shit." You mumble, trying to think of where the Earps could be. The Homestead, you thought before running out the house again. You have no idea why they would go there but it was the only place you could think of. You make sure no one is around before changing into your wolf form. You take off in a sprint and almost trip when you see whats going on. Wynonna is sitting in front of Waverly in a protective manner, Peacemaker no where to be see, and a revenant aiming a gun at them. You also see a black van coming but it's going to take too long. You decide that this is one of those life or death moments when your allowed to reveal yourself and you figure it's okay since the Earp's know about revenants anyways, so they should be able to handle the idea of werewolves.

So you dart forwards towards the revenant and right before he can fire a shot, you tackle him. You and the revenant roll around some in the dirt fighting and by that time the black van had fully pulled up with Dolls getting out with his gun drawn. "Don't shoot!" Waverly yells at him, she doesn't know why but something about the wolf is familiar to her. You are finally able to get your mouth around the revenants throat and "kill" him. You step off of and away from the body once your completely sure the revenant is taken out. You look over at Waverly and Wynonna to see that Waverly got the rope off of her neck and that Wynonna had retrieved Peacemaker and was pointing it at you. You looked behind you to see a guy who was also pointing a gun at you. You walked away from the body slowly, making sure to stay in the middle of the three people, and nudge your head towards the revenant looking at Wynonna. She seems to get what your saying and moves forwards slowly, still not fully trusting you. You would have bowed your head to show that you meant no harm but it was not known of alpha's to bow to anyone except elders or the previous alpha. You also would have transformed back to human form too but your wolf was experiencing too much adrenaline from fighting after so long. You let out a howl of pure adrenaline and one that signified that there needed to be a meeting after Wynonna shot the revenant. Your howl caused the man behind you to tense, like he expected something to happen.

You finally felt your self calm down and didn't know if you should super reveal yourself or not. You decided that if you did, you would be in trouble but at the same time you could finally be completely honest to Waverly about what she was to you and how you had actually developed feelings for her over the years. You felt your bones start to shift and slowly felt yourself stand back up to normal height. "Y/n?" Waverly said in confusion. Wynonna and Dolls looked at Waverly confused, guns still drawn. "Umm, surprise?" You say chuckling nervously. "How? Who? What?" Waverly says walking up to you and doing a few laps around you before stopping and standing right in front of you. By now, Wynonna and Dolls had put their guns away and were watching the scene before them unfold. "You're a... wolf?" "Werewolf, technically." You correct her, rubbing the back of your neck. "And I thought revenants were the only thing different in Purgatory. Damn, was I wrong." "I know you have questions, which I can totally answer but I feel like there is one more thing I should tell you." Waverly looks up at you confused, causing you to feel even more nervous. "Well besides the fact that I am in love with you and have been since junior year..." You say causing everyone's mouths to drop in shock. "Your in...?" You interrupt Waverly, "Please let me finish. But yes, yes I am. You are also my mate." Waverly, having common knowledge about wolfs, mouth drops even more. "Mate!?"

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Bridges

Pairing: Dr. Toshiki Kasumi x OC (Anna)

Fandom: Voltage, RomanceMD

Genre: Fluff and a little angst

Word count: 2,945

Disclaimer: I do not own Voltage or any of its characters, but I own the idea of this fic. Also, CG borrowed from Voltage.

A/N: I wrote this for my good friend @imoonlit-river as a Valentine's Day present. I hope you enjoy this.

It started one afternoon. One terrible afternoon, just after you'd clocked out of a long and grueling shift at the Seimei University Hospital. You sighed. You were used to long shifts, but covering two shifts on your first week on the job was one for the books. 

You squinted as you stepped out of the main entrance, the afternoon sunlight shone directly at you. As you trudged to your apartment, you mentally deliberated if taking this temporary assignment was a mistake. Lost in thought, you allowed your feet to carry you through the busy crowd. 

'Maybe I should've just stayed home,' you thought silently. It has only been a week since you started, but you have been passed on from one IT department to another, told off twice for misunderstanding instructions,  had no one else on the same shift as you, and no one to talk to. 

You stopped on your tracks and found yourself on a bridge - the same one you pass every single day on your way to work and back. The vivid hues of the sky caught your attention, and you gasped as you admired the pretty pink palette in front of you. Leaning at the railing, you stared at the horizon, drinking in its beauty, and allowing it to refresh your tired soul. 

"Long day?"

A voice beside you made you jump. You hadn't expected anyone to be there - more so, notice you standing there. As you shifted your gaze to the person next to you, you felt your eyes widen in surprise. 

"Did I guess right then?"

Your heart hammered in your chest, as the beautiful man standing beside you continued to speak. You shook your head and blinked your eyes a few times to make sure you weren't dreaming. You haven't slept in twenty-four hours, you reminded yourself. Maybe this was all a dream. 

Yes, it must be a dream. There was no way that the Seimei University Hospital's Chief of Medicine, and top Cardiologist, Toshiki Kasumi, was beside you looking so cool in his grey hoodie under a crisp blue jacket, and jeans. 

"Uh, are you okay?" 

"C-c-chief Kasumi!" You blurted out louder than you had intended when you saw his face coming nearer to check on you. "It's you! You're here!"

"Yes, I have been for several minutes now, but you seem to have noticed just now. Are you feeling okay?." He raised his eyebrows to study you, before leaning back. 

"I'm sorry, Chief Kasumi," you bowed a lot lower than necessary. "I worked two shifts today to cover for Sena-san. I didn't mean to be out-of-sorts today."

He looked at you quietly before turning his attention to the view in front of you. 

"It's fancy seeing you here, Chief Kasumi. Do you cross this bridge, too?" You asked awkwardly. 

The silence between you stretched for a few minutes, and you suddenly wished you hadn't asked him a silly question. You kept your gaze low, looking around for a hole you can crawl into and hide. 

"Bridges aren't for crossing," he finally spoke, as he tucked his hands in his pocket, and you looked up to see the pink hues had turned purple. "They're for stopping."

"Stopping?"

He simply nodded. "Who knows, maybe we'll stop by the same spot again sometime," he said, and just before he turned to leave, he added, "but only if you stop calling me Chief Kasumi."

***

"You know, you haven't introduced yourself to me properly."

You glanced sideways to see him looking at the same blessed view you admired with him four weeks back. Today was an uneventful Wednesday and you managed to clock out on time. 

"Oh, I haven't? I'm sorry. My name is Anna," you replied, smiling. 

"And you're here on a temporary assignment?" He asked as he handed you one of the cans of coffee he bought from the vending machine just before. 

"For four more months, yes," you said cheerily.

"I see. What's it been like for you so far?"

"The first week was hell," you recalled, sighing. "But lately, Sena-san has been a lot nicer to me. I now have two other teammates on the same shift, so the workload is more manageable. They're also teaching me the ropes so I don't get in trouble."

He simply nodded, keeping his gaze towards the sky, while you secretly stole glances at his picture-perfect profile. Until now, you still couldn't believe you've managed not only to talk to but also to 'hang out' with Seimei University Hospital's most sought-after doctor.

Him. The guy beside you. Cardio surgery's rockstar, EICU's fearless department head - the guy loved and loathed by many because of his top-notch skills and his dazzlingly good looks. Your teammates told you that the most difficult cases always get sent his way, and big shots always requested for him to attend to them. You've seen him in action a few times in the hospital, too, and his intense energy was nothing like the soothing aura he exuded now 

"If you have something to say, speak up," he said, snapping you out of your reverie, and you blushed. Just how long has he noticed you staring at him, you wondered, slightly mortified. As the sky turned a darker shade of purple, he cleared his throat and looked your way. "Anyway, I have to go back to the hospital. Are you on your way home?"

"Yes," you managed to reply as he turned to leave. "I hope to cross this bridge and see you here again sometime."

He paused for a moment and turned around. "Bridges aren't for crossing, you know. Did I ever tell you that?"

"Oh. Yes, you did," you suddenly remembered, as your face turned redder. "Well, maybe we can stop by again another time."

"Maybe we will, Anna."

Maybe it was the way he stopped on his tracks to remind you about what he said about bridges or the casual way he called your name that kept rooted on the spot to watch his figure disappear into the crowd, with an unopened can of coffee in hand, and a goofy smile on your face. 

***

"I'm glad you were able to restore the files in Kyogoku's computer the other day."

The two of you stood side-by-side at the bridge once again, looking at the pink sky. You had met quite a few times in between, but today, you decided to linger a while longer so you could talk a little bit more. 

"It wasn't that hard. All I did was search the servers for the backup of his data. No biggie," you shrugged, as you handed him the sandwich you bought at the convenience store for him while he opened your can of warm coffee for you. 

You don't know when this whole thing started, and neither of you seemed to have taken notice, but somewhere between the first time you've met and today, you've made up so many unspoken rules with each other. Rules such as who's turn it is to buy snacks, or which topics are safe to discuss with each other. 

But today, you were feeling more daring than usual, so you stared at him again as he was appreciating the beauty of the sky before him. 

"You've got something to say?" He finally asked. 

"You must love the sky so much, no?" 

"I like this one in particular," he said coolly. "This particular view is called the Belt of Venus."

"Belt of Venus…," you mouthed. 

"It only lasts for about 15 minutes before the sky turns dark. It's associated with the Greek goddess, of course, and it signifies…" he said before catching himself. 

"It signifies what, Dr. Kasumi?" You asked curiously. 

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "It signifies a lot of different things to different people."

"What does that signify to you though?" You press earnestly. 

"A passing," he said quietly. 

Something in his voice pulled at your heartstrings and as you gazed into his grey eyes, you knew there was more to the man beside you than he let on. 

Before you could press any further, he moved his hand to tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear and you froze on the spot. He felt you tense up and smiled. 

"I have to go back to the hospital, Anna. Take care on your way home, alright?" 

All you could do was nod at him as he smiled tenderly and went on his way, leaving behind his uneaten sandwich and your half-finished can of coffee. 

He didn't promise you'd stop by together again soon, but something in you knew you would. Soon. 

***

"I can't believe the time's flown by so fast!"

You threw your hands in the air excitedly and looked to the sky with a big smile on your face. You're only a month away from ending your assignment in Tokyo, and you couldn't be happier. 

He stood beside you, armed with a paper bag filled with sandwiches and chips, and your favorite can of coffee. He smiled silently as you beamed like a child who has just been allowed to go outside and play. It was sunset again, and his calendar was surprisingly clear, so he texted you to ask if you wanted to meet. It was, of course, an offer you'd never say no to. 

"Someone's happy," he said as he leaned by the railing, once again staring at the sky. 

"Well, duh. Of course, I'm happy. I miss home," you replied, finally settling in beside him. "I can't wait to eat home-cooked meals once again, and talking to people who speak the same Language - no offense meant!"

He snickered softly as you leaned on him, your arm against his while admiring the view in front of you. With you, he seemed less like the dark emperor of the lord of death his colleagues made him out to be - he was simply Dr. Kasumi, a guy who loved the sunset and who loved to listen to your endless - often nonsensical - stories, and humor you with his own. 

As you fell into silence, you began to wonder what your days would be like when you went back home. Days without Dr. Kasumi. 

Your heart began to hurt at the thought that in a few more weeks, you would have to say goodbye - to put an end to the sunset stops along the bridge to watch this beautiful view, bid farewell to the conversations you've exchanged over convenience store snacks sometimes until late into the night, and say goodbye to the kindest soul you've never even had the chance to know deeper. The thought made you freeze. What's wrong with me?

"Are you okay?" He asked, peering into your face, as you stared listlessly into space. 

"That was what you first asked me," you replied, recovering quickly. He smiled. 

"Yes, it was," he chuckled, facing you. "Back then, I knew exactly what was going on in your little head after Sena asked you to work overnight."

"And now?"

He sighed. "And now, I'm not sure if your reason is the same as mine," he said, as he backed you up against the railing and trapped you in his arms. "You wanted to know what the Belt of Venus meant to me, right?"

You nodded nervously. 

"My dad died when I was little, and my mom always said you could send off your departed loved ones when the goddess appeared. I watched it every day since," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving yours. "And when my mom and my best friend died, I watched the sunset even more. The Belt of Venus means to send someone off - at least that's what it means to me. And I always felt sad when it's over. At least I did until lately…"

"What changed?" You asked, waiting on his answer with bated breath. 

"You. You happened," he replied, leaning closer to you until your lips touched his. "You came and saw the sunset with me. And for a time, I forgot to be scared. But now, I need to send you off."

"Dr. Kasumi -," you gasped, as he pulled away from you and straightened up. 

"I'm sorry to burden you, confessing as I did," he said, as he reached out to wipe the tears you hadn't realized had stained your face. "Please think nothing of it. I want you to go home and be happy - as happy as you made me in these four months we've watched the sunset together."

He sighed, releasing you from his grip. "And for your sake, I won't stop by anymore. But don't be a stranger when you see me at work."

His image was a blur behind your tears, as he walked away from you, just as he's always done whenever you watched the sunset. Only this time, you had a feeling he was never coming back. 

You scolded yourself right there and then. He was just a friendly face, someone who wanted you to feel you weren't alone in this strange place, you reasoned out. You aren't even supposed to cry over him. 

But as the night grew darker, the realization of your feelings for him came into light. 

You loved him. You were in love with Dr. Kasumi. And you needed to see him one more time. 

***

The days leading to your departure went by like a blur, and in the flurry of it all, you had not caught sight of the dark-haired doctor that stole your heart. You passed by his office but were often told he was in surgery or teaching at a conference somewhere. He never stopped by your usual bridge, too. 

This isn't fair at all, you thought angrily. How come he gets to confess his feelings and you don't? 

Today was your last day at the Seimei University Hospital, and you've made arrangements to stay two more days in Tokyo before flying back home. 

This was it, you thought. Your last chance to confront the elusive heart thief they call Chief of Medicine at the EICU. As you peered into the exclusive department, a grumpy looking Orthopedic surgeon looked your way and sighed. 

"He ain't here," Dr. Takado said, exasperated. Not that you blame him - he's been in the receiving end of all your inquiries after all. 

"I see. Well, thank you, Dr. Takado," you said, bowing politely, much to his surprise.

"Why do you want to see him so badly anyway?" 

"It's my last day at work today," you explained, trying your best not to melt under his icy glare. "I- I only wanted to thank him for making me feel like I wasn't a stranger around here."

Something in Dr. Takado's eyes flickered, and his lips stretched into a lazy smile. "Is that so?" He said. "I may be able to help you then, but you gotta tell me something first, got it?"

Relief washed over you as you realized you may have gained an ally in his squad. Smiling, you looked at the kind-hearted doctor in front of you and said, "I'm at your mercy, Dr. Takado."

***

The lovely pink hue tinged the afternoon sky once again, signaling that the day was about to come to a close. Filled with determination, you sprinted towards the bridge at the far end of the river bank. Standing there, just as Dr. Takado promised, was Dr. Kasumi, in casual clothes - the same one he wore when you first met. He stared quietly at the Belt of Venus, his expression solemn, as though he were sending someone off in prayer. 

You paused to catch your breath and to calm your beating heart. You wanted nothing more but to run over to him and tell him off, but that wouldn't do you any good, and you knew it. 

"Fancy seeing you here," you said, feigning nonchalance. 

"Anna?"

"You look like you've just seen a ghost." You walked closer until you stood right in front of him. "What's wrong with our old bridge?"

He looked at you with a scowl on his face. "I said I wasn't stopping by there anymore, didn't I?" 

"You also said I shouldn't be a stranger if I saw you at work, but you never showed yourself to me," you retorted. "Don't you think it's cruel to confess your feelings to me and not hear me confess back?"

"What's the point if you're just crossing  -," he asked, turning his gaze back to the Belt of Venus as it was starting to disappear. 

"Well, what if I said I wasn't crossing anymore?"

He paused and held his breath. And you took it as an opportunity to approach him. Cradling his face in your hands, you forced him to look at you. 

"I don't want to just cross the bridge anymore, Dr. Kasumi," you said earnestly, as you gazed into his eyes. "I want to stop. With you."

His breath hitched, but at the same time, you felt his arms around you holding you close. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"I thought it was your last day…"

"Someone may have worked some magic to make me miraculously extend my stay," you respond cryptically, as you returned his hug. 

"So, you mean it - you're not going away."

"I said it before and I'll say it again - I won't. I'm staying," you said, pulling away from his hug so you can look at him. "And depending on how this works out, maybe I'll be staying for the long run."

He smiled and touched your cheeks. "Oh, you'll be happy here alright. I'll make sure of it. This is the only place you're stopping - right by my side."

The end. 

[monsoonblooms12]

Christmas with the Waverleys ❄️: Part II

Summary: How do things turn out when Alex and Pooja are teleported to the 19th century for a Victorian Christmas🎄?

A/N: Hi, how is everyone doing💫💛? Firstly, wishing a very happy Christmas Eve to everyone🎄! TBH I still cannot believe this year is about to end. Anywho, I wish everyone’s life is filled with joy, wonder and happiness and the new year brings you loads of new possibilities and new memories. Love you all!💛

If you enjoyed the story, please like, leave a comment or reblog. Your feedback keeps me going 💕

Thank you so very much @caseyvalentineramsey for prereading and @jamespotterthefirst for prereading and helping me up with the editing. You guys are life-savers and I love you💛💛

Characters: For this part, the characters are my OH f!MC(Dr. Pooja Sharma) and OH F!OC (Dr. Alexandra Walton), Eleanor Waverley, Thomas Waverley, Clarissa Waverley, Simon Waverley, Rose Waverley and William Waverley

Word Count: around 3.2K

Rating: General

Prompts :-

CFWC(@choicesficwriterscreations ) Winter Season Prompt #6: Character A doesn’t like the holidays. B loves it. Will B try to find out why or convince A to celebrate it?

@choicesmonthlychallenge ​~Sibling Appreciation: The Waverley Siblings

@choicesdecemberchallenge ​ Day 24: Eve

December 24th (contd.)

Suddenly it felt as if the world was spinning very, very rapidly around them. They felt dizzy, nauseous. Just when bearing everything was becoming too much, a chilly air went past them.

They slowly opened their eyes. And the sight in front of them had them holding their breath without their knowledge.

A huge medieval mansion, covered in snow, appeared before them. It was majestic, beautiful and warm.

They looked around. As far as the eye could see, No other house was visible.

Is this the place they were supposed to reach? Or did something go wrong?

Pooja and Alex looked around in utter awe. Both due to the mansion and the wonder if they had been teleported to 19th century London.

"There you are!" A deep, humble, feminine voice called out.

Turning around they saw a young girl either approaching 20 or in her very early 20s coming out from the mansion towards them. She wore a medieval red gown, the upper half of which was covered by a shawl, and only the lower half with minute patterns of red silk was visible.

Not knowing what else to do, Pooja and Alex, too started walking through the snow towards her.

After a few minutes, they stood face to face. The girl had a small, faint smile, but her eyes expressed the happiness she felt on meeting her visitors.

She bowed slightly.

"I am Eleanor Waverley."

"You both must be Pooja and Alexandra!"

Confused, both of them bowed similarly as Eleanor had. Confirming her words, Pooja spoke, "Yes! I am Pooja, and she" She pointed towards Alex, " is Alexandra."

"Great! Oh! I haven't even invited you in. Please follow me."

"This is our house, The Braidwood Manor." 

Eleanor added as she opened the brown panelled glass door and led them in.

The interiors of the Manor gave a majestic vibe. A huge golden chandelier with 7 ornate lamps hung down from the high ceiling. The floor had decorated tiles of various shades of orange and brown. 

On entering, Pooja and Alex were mesmerized with the beautiful inside. It also provided them with the warmth which they were craving since the time they teleported to the Victorian Era of Britain.

When the two were taking in all the details, Eleanor's voice jolted them out of their thoughts.

"From the time Mrs Ainsworth informed us that some guests were going to join us for Christmas, we were excited. Especially my sister and my little brother." A smile lightened up her face as Eleanor gazed gratefully at her guests.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining us this year. I promise you will not regret anything about all this. We rarely have visitors on Christmas. Your presence is like a light in our dark, solitary winter nights. Thank you, thank you very much!"

 A little tear slipped down her eye as the smile remained still on her face, signifying her happiness.

Pooja stepped forward. 

"Eleanor, It is not you but us who should be thankful. Thank you for letting us celebrate this Christmas with you. Maybe, finally, my best friend—" She pointed towards Alex "—will warm up to the idea of holidays. We are very excited for the celebrations" 

She finished with a smile as Alex joined her. Alex's face, too, bore a smile, but it didn't quite crinkle the corners of her eye. It was a pleasantry.

"We are excited too! Let me introduce you to my famil- Oh!" Eleanor abruptly stopped. "I nearly forgot! Let me first show you your rooms. And-" 

She seemed awkward, as if searching for words. She looked down at their dresses.

And Alex, understanding what she was trying to signify, relieved her from her awkwardness.

"Eleanor, I guess it has something to do with our dresses, right?"

Not knowing what to say, She nodded her head slightly.

Pooja said, "Ohh Yes! Eleanor, please help us with them?"

Eleanor was relieved for not having to say it herself. She was pleased with their intuition and understanding nature.

"Please follow me. I will provide you with everything."

She led the two of them up the Grand stairs to their rooms. As the two slowly took in their surroundings, Eleanor came and provided them both with a beautiful Victorian gown. Pooja's was teal and white, while Alex's was hunter green and Congo red.

Once ready and all decked up, Eleanor took them for introductions.

The three of them entered the dining area of the Manor, and slowly the big family of three young children and their parents came into view, seated on the dining table, behind which, the wall bore an intricately decorated mural and a magnificent fireplace along with some painting of the family.

The sound of the footsteps caused five heads to turn their way, each accompanied by a gentle smile and warmth in their eyes. Each, except one. The boy's face did turn towards them, but it remained hostile and indifferent.

"Seems like he doesn't prefer our company"

"Mmm-hmm. It's okay, We are just here for a day"

Pooja and Alex went up to the friendly members who had now got up from their chairs and stood to welcome them. 

Eleanor, went to the elder lady, and spoke to her, "Mum, they are our guests for Christmas." She went up to Pooja. "This is Pooja" and then to Alex "and this is Alexandra"

Her mother stepped forward and the two girls bowed like they had seen Eleanor do when she met them. She was pleased and warmly welcomed them.

"Ahh! So happy to have two golden girls joining us. I am Rose Waverley." She kindly gestured them to get seated at the table along with everyone else.

Once everyone settled down, Eleanor finished up the rest of the introductions. Her father William Waverley, her sister Clarissa Waverley and her two brothers, Thomas and Simon.

After chatting a bit more, they finally delved into the Celebration plans.

"My dears, we haven't started putting the decorations yet, because I very strongly believe that decorations are a very essential part of igniting the holiday spirit." Mrs. Waverley informed.

Alex nearly scoffed at the 'Holiday Spirit' but realizing the circumstances they were in, she stopped herself.

Holiday spirit, ugh! Why Poo Why?

But Pooja was genuinely excited. She always wanted to visit a Victorian house and celebrate Holidays the Victorian way.

And all this? It felt like a dream come true.

She excitedly said, "Very True, Mrs. Waverley! And please don't worry! We will help in every way we can."

"Great then! We can start working then. Ellie, and our guests can put up the decorations, while Clarissa helps me in the kitchen. Thomas can put up everyone's stockings, and two more for our guests, at the fireplace, while Simon and Dad finish the book they were reading."

Everyone happily nodded and went on to carry out their assigned jobs.

Pooja, Alex and Eleanor, headed towards the Parlour. It was grand. 

Two huge bay windows brought in the faint light of the exteriors. By one of the window, an elegant piano sat peacefully and on the other side was a large, comfortable couch, perfect for family seating.

And just beside the couch, was a beautiful, delicately manicured, fir tree stood as the symbolism of the Festivals.

Pooja and Alex were so immersed in viewing everything that they didn't notice that Eleanor was not there with them. They realized the same when she came with a huge box in her hand.

"Here are the decorations that are to be placed" 

She set down the box that she was carrying. It was filled to the rim with glass ornaments, crackers, lights, red paper strips and various other decors of tin and leather.

"But I am really confused about which pieces to put up and which to skip out?" 

Eleanor sighed, staring at the plethora of ornaments. 

Pooja nudged Alex, "Don't worry! When Alexandra Walton is here, nothing can go wrong!"

What in the world? Poo has lost her mind. Oh, No!! Now what?

"Uh... Huh. Ya, I mean, sure. I will help."

"Help, Lex? Nah. You will lead, we will follow."

Eleanor let out a gentle chortle as Pooja continued to tease Alex. She was in awe of both of their friendships.

Suddenly she remembered that soon, very soon, they will take their leave.

She sighed as she thought. Even though they had come in her life for an hour or so at most, it felt like they knew each other since forever.

"Eleanor?" She was brought back to the Braidwood Manor by the sublimely worried voice of Pooja. She looked at them to see both the girls looking at her with a concerned look.

"Eleanor? Is everything alright? If there is any trouble troubling you, you can share it. We will help any way we can!" Pooja and Alex assured.

"No! No worries, as such. Just..." A pause. "I have never had anyone like both of you in my life. Although my family is loving, and I will forever be grateful for them, but... I have, never had friends like you both are."

"Oh, Ellie!" Pooja calling her by her nickname caught her off guard for a moment, but she soon got her grip and smiled at her. "You are our friend. Good friend," 

"Great friend" Alex inserted.

"No matter, we are here tomorrow or not, you will always be our friend,"

"Always?" Eleanor sought for a confirmation.

"Always." The two assured while placing a hand on Ellie's shoulder. Their hearts were full of the feelings of a freshly sprouted planting of friendship.

"Oh-kay! So let's start creating a masterpiece out of this tree, shall we?" Pooja shot an excited look towards her friends.

"Yaa, Happy Holidays." Alex groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Alexandra, you won't regret it! Let's get going!"

"If you say so." Alex gave her a tiny smile. She was not the one to turn down a good friend.

"And, it's Alex" she added as the three went up to look through the ornament.

Time passed, like a gushing stream flowing down a rocky hill, as the three meticulously put each glass ornament, each cracker and the fairy lights, one by one, with extreme care and perfection. 

Pooja was hyped, Eleanor excited, and Alex, very strangely, was Happy. 

Was it because of the company, or had she finally begun to enjoy holidays? That will forever remain a mystery. 

But will it be so bad to see Alexandra Walton opening up to the idea of festivals? Not a mince!

An unknown number of hours later, they were finally done. They stepped back to admire their handiwork.

And didn't it reflect their hard work! 

Each delicately placed ornament, each strand of fairy light, each funfilled cracker made the tree look heavenly. 

Their placements complemented each other and their collaboration was splendid. 

If they weren't friends made for each other, who were?

As Pooja, Alex and Ellie stood admiring the bejewelled fir, a soft aroma filled the room. It was then they realized, how hungry they had been! As soon as the thoughts crossed their mind, Clarissa came into the parlour. The power of telepathy!

"The food had been served! Mom invited you all to the dining room." She almost left when her eyes fell on the tree.

"Woooow! This is so pretty! Mom and Dad will be so happy."

She went to where Pooja and Alex stood.

"Thank you soo much for this. I have never seen our tree looking soo beautiful! You two are angels."

The little girl's happiness reflected in her eyes.

Alex lightly placed her hand on her shoulder. "We enjoyed decorating it too! But you should thank your sister first. Without her, this wouldn't have been able to do it so perfectly."

Clarissa went to her sister and gave her a big hug. "You know you're the best Eleanor. You're the best big sister." 

Eleanor shed a tear as she hugged her little sister back. "You are precious too, Clarissa! You, Thomas, Simon, you all are!"

After staying in the hug for a bit longer, Clarissa escorted them to the dining room. As soon as they entered, the delicious aroma of several lavish and extravagant delicacies overpowered their senses. Their mouths watered. 

At the table, they say a perfectly roasted stuffed turkey sat at the centre. Mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables were placed in sparkly silver. There was cranberry sauce. Oysters, Yorkshire Pudding and tender Chicken looked delightful.

"Please take a seat my dears" Mrs Waverley urged as she placed two decorative plates in front of them along with all the additional pieces of cutlery.

"This is a traditional English Christmas Feast. Enjoy yourselves!" She said as she whole-heartedly served her guests.

After they finished the huge servings of the main course, dessert was served. A beautifully made Christmas pudding and a piece of fruitcake.

If not before, Alex had definitely melted by now. As she finished the last crumb of the delicacies served, she thought to herself, "Maybe Holidays aren't so bad. Food, Friends, Happiness. I don't think I could ask for more." 

What a growth!

After the dinner, as Pooja went to see the Christmas tree one last time, she heard a soft melody touching her ears, which came from the Parlour. As Pooja went in, she saw the silhouette of a boy playing the Grand Piano. As she went in, she realized that it was Thomas.

Without disturbing him, she stood a little closer. Thomas must have realized that someone was there. He abruptly turned back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I remembered a tune that I learnt some while ago. Is it okay if I play?" Pooja enquired.

"Fine. Go On." 

Thomas remained Stoic, but he was definitely intrigued.

Pooja slowly took a seat at the piano. She played the gentle notes of a Parlour music tune she had picked up from Alekhya. Thomas closed his head as he lightly swayed his head with the soft tune.

Once finished, He looked up to Pooja at awe.

"Where did he you learn that from? That was melodious!"

Not answering his question, Pooja offered, "Do want to learn it?"

Thomas let out an excited Yes. And the duo spent the rest of the evening teaching each other tunes and talking a bit here & there.

All this while Alex went to Simon. The little boy was so excited to see her. Mr Waverley left him with her as he went to have a stroll.

Simon sat on her lap and Alex, told him colourful stories, of fairies, of dragons and even of the future. Her storytelling won his heart and his demands for One More! never diminished.

 At last, as he fell in a sweet slumber, the long evening of stories ended.

A little while later, Pooja came searching her. She told her about her evening with Thomas and Alex softly told about how she spent her evening with Little Simon.

As they chatted, they did not take notice of Mr Waverley coming back in the room. When he slowly called for Simon, that's when they got aware of his presence.

As Alex handed Simon back to him and the two took their leave, Mr Waverley stopped them. They turned to see the man having a smile of gratitude on his lightly wrinkled face.

"I can not thank the both of you enough for coming here today. Our Christmas, Holidays have always been just the family. My kids always wanted to have someone over for the occasion, but living in a solitary area like this didn't make it easy for people to come over. Having you here, I can undoubtedly say that this was the Best Christmas Eve we have ever had!"

At his words, both Pooja and Alex had tiny droplets at the corner of their eyes. They thanked him and chatted with him for a little while before finally retiring for the night.

December 25th

The Christmas morning began when Eleanor came waking the two sleepyheads and asking them to come and see the gifts they had received.

They got dressed and as they entered the Parlour, were greeted with excited squeals and heartfelt laughter, that rubbed away any reminiscences of sleep that remained.

They saw the family opening their gifts and the floor all covered with handkerchiefs, pieces of jewellery, board games books, mufflers, embroidered suspenders and even larger articles like a theatrophone and a dishwasher.

Pooja and Alex too got sweets, nuts, little handmade trinkets, jewellery, reading books, watch case and scarves. 

The unique article that Pooja got was a vintage board game while for Alex it was an Indian work humidor. 

Both of them also received a box of home-made cookies each. Everything was too precious for them, the bonding that they had formed with this happy family was all they needed for a great time.

A lot of talks, food and smiles later, all of them dressed up for the Church.

However, Pooja and Alex realized they didn't have much time left. They asked Eleanor about the time.

It was still early. Perhaps they would be able to listen to the carols before they had to take their leave.

"Ellie, I don't think we will be able to stay for longer. We will get to hear the carols but, we don't much time left."

"Can't you stay here with us?" Eleanor said as sadness spread over her features.

"We are sorry Eleanor, but there are some circumstances not in our hand. When time comes, one has to bid Adieu! But the feeling is definitely mutual." Alex softly replied.

Their heart broke at the thought that they would never be able to see each other again. But what is the use of denying the inevitable.

Eleanor was one determined girl. She wouldn't let them miss the carols!

"You came this time, you will come again. You know the right person who can bring you back. Promise me, Promise me you will come back!" Eleanor requested.

Then it dawned upon them. If the lady brought them here once, she could bring them back again!

Happily, they promised, "Promise."

And with that, the three hurried down to join the family on their way to the Church.

Carol singers and musicians played and sang the five melodious and popular carols of the era. Beginning their performance with O Come all ye Faithful, and the symphony continued with Once in Royal David’s City, moving on to See Amid the Winters Snow, O Little Town of Bethlehem.

At last came the majestic music of Away in a Manger.

Each of the performance was a musical gem, and if they could, they would have recorded each of the pieces and take them with them.

But just as the ending notes of the Carol began playing, Pooja and Alex, started feeling slightly light-headed.

Their time, here, was coming to an end.

Quietly whispering their hurried goodbyes, they picked the bag of their gifts.

As they went last notes of the Carols faded, they faded from the 19th century with the pieces of love they had garnered from the Era of Victoria.

Only one thought crossed their mind as their senses finally gave out.

This was a Christmas well spent.

PS: Lots of hearty thank yous to you for reading💖! I hope you have a great day ahead💖, and wishing you a Very Merry Christmas is Advance🎄!

Fic Tags (please let me know if you want to be added or removed!) : @bbrandy2002 @whimsicallywayward15 @ohramsey  @hopelessromanticmonie @trrfanaddict @nervoussaladsludgeopera @imonlybibecauseofethanramsey @lovablegranny @bellcat2010 @gkittylove99 @starrystarrytrouble @3riche @chetachisblog @arcticriver @aylaramseycarrera  @drariellevalentine @mvalentine ​ @aestheticartsx ​@angela8754 ​ @schnitzelbutterfingers ​ @ao719 ​ @choicesstan1 @nikki-2406 ​ @neotericthemis ​ @anotherbeingsworld @maurine07 @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @zoehanji

[itsbenedict]

Two-Faced Jewel: Session 11.5

What Does a Moth Sound Like?

A half-elf conwoman (and the moth tasked with keeping her out of trouble) travel the Jewel in search of, uh, whatever a fashionable accessory is pointing them at. [Campaign log]

Last time: the party returned to Barley to deal with a few loose ends while their hired muscle dealt with the biggest, scaliest loose end. Between that session and the next, we had a brief mini-session to wrap up one of said ends we'd left unwrapped- what exactly is up with the Kanthalga family?

(Also included: a conversational omake between Looseleaf and Saelhen, pictured courtesy of @drazelic, Looseleaf's player.)

After their encounter with Kensa, Oyobi tries to talk the party into going to the tower and helping the Deathseekers kill the dragon. Her brilliant plan of "stab it in the brain before it can cast any spells" has some flaws, though, and they patiently explain the plan's many flaws and strike a blow against Oyobi's sense of invincibility.

They also ask Malath a few questions, trying to get to the bottom of her odd discomfort with the idea of the dragon as a culprit and the presence of Deathseekers.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "When we spoke before, you asked us whether the dragon was green. I regret that I still cannot answer, as I have not seen it, or heard any news on the topic from the deathseekers. But you seemed... concerned that it might be a green dragon. Is there any reason that such a dragon might pose a particular threat to your town?" Benedict I. (GM): "Mmm. I don't know if you've heard, but... going on thirty years ago, there was a town to the east called Grain." "It was attacked by a green dragon, and the elders... as the dragon had words with them, they had to be remanded to the custody of their gods." Looseleaf: Oooh, that is harsh. Benedict I. (GM): "In the ensuing chaos, the miscreants who now inhabit Wheat set fire to the town and fled further east." "The survivors of the disaster fled west, and established Barley here." "If that same dragon still has its sights on our people, we could be in grave danger." "We refused to submit once, and it very nearly destroyed us."

As far as they can tell from their questioning, Malath isn't hiding any dark secret- she's just sort of a control freak, who's nervous that her control over the people might slip. Plus she's worried that if the dragon is provoked and comes to town, she- as the current elder in charge- might suffer the same fate as Grain's elders.

Saelhen... isn't satisfied with this. Something seems wrong about Malath Kanthalga- Thalath wouldn't try to enlist their help rescuing Kensa for no reason. She takes the party to the general store, in hopes of catching Kensa on her nightly delivery.

Kensa arrives as expected, but when she sees Saelhen there, she makes her delivery and tries to leave, rather than sit at the loom as is her custom. She seems afraid of Saelhen.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...I don't intend to keep you from your work. Though I did have a question I wanted to ask you, dear. If you'll permit me one." Kensa Kanthalga: "...A question?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Of a sensitive nature, possibly. Something vouchsafed to me by... someone you might know." Kensa Kanthalga: She looks less afraid and more confused, now. And after thinking a moment... "...oh." She actually looks a little angry, now. "That makes sense." "He sent you, didn't he?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: Okay, the conclusions she's reached here... may or may not be correct! "Under what I am starting to think may have been false pretenses." Kensa Kanthalga: "What did he tell you? Did he say I was being brainwashed?" "I don't need to be rescued from my duty by someone who abandoned his!" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "More a very general concern for your person than anything --" Ah, there's the word that raises her hackles, duty.

Having somewhat misread the situation, Saelhen is unpleasantly surprised to find that Kensa seems just as devoted to the teachings of Diamode as Malath is, and has no interest in fleeing. She seems contemptuous of her older brother on the basis that, uh...

Well, the Goddess of Family, who's all about having kids and living a very prescribed sort of life path inside strict gender roles, is- as might be unsurprising- a bit of a homophobe. The party never met Thalath's boyfriend (who works the night shift at Wheatley Inn- they never stayed the night there), but there are several reasons why the place isn't popular with the locals.

Saelhen is caught kind of flat-footed here- she can tell something's still not quite right, but she doesn't have the kind of cultural context to unravel this level of baggage.

Luckily, she brought along an ersatz cleric of Diamode, and so... Orluthe is able to spot the missing piece of the puzzle.

Orluthe Chokorov: Orluthe, in the back, has been looking increasingly uncomfortable. So far, he's had his stole and cap stowed away, so as not to be recognized as a cleric of Diamode. He's now taking them out and putting them on. "Hey, um, miss?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen... legitimately forgot he had those. Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa turns and notices him- possibly for the first time. "Oh, ah- Mr., um..." Orluthe Chokorov: "Chokorov," he says. "I'm..." He holds up a hand, and points at a tiny circular scar around his pinky finger. "You have one of these, right?" Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa looks down at her hand, and you can see- yes, she has a matching scar. Saelhen du Fishercrown: Well. That's novel information about Orluthe. Religion check to... I mean, we know the finger-cutting thing. I guess a "what does this mean, it's not like these two have disowned anyone" check. 13 - RELIGION (2) Benedict I. (GM): With a 13, you know that only a parent needs to cut off their finger- but you're not sure what happens with sibling relationships. This might be something related- like you don't have to cut your finger off all the way? Some sort of signifier that the connection has been severed, though you don't know the finer doctrinal points. Orluthe Chokorov: "My older sister," he says. "Four years ago. We all had to get the mark." Kensa Kanthalga: "Wait, but..." Orluthe Chokorov: "You didn't want that to happen to you, too, right?" "You can't stand up to a power like that. You'd never win, right? If I tried to defend my sister, my parents would have two missing fingers." "You have to pretend, right?" Kensa Kanthalga: "Why... no, it's... I really...!" Orluthe Chokorov: "Feels that way, doesn't it? For a long time." Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa looks terrified- like for the first time, someone's seen right through her. Orluthe Chokorov:"It's not a betrayal of your family- of your duty- to... have love." "There's nothing in Diamode's teachings about the mark, you know? Neither of us had to take it." Saelhen du Fishercrown: ...well. That's a... new consideration. Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa's on the verge of tears, looking like she's about to bolt. "N-no, I- I really... want to... I have to..." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen is right back to Steal This Child Town. "...wait, do you seriously mean that the finger-cutting thing came after the scripture?" Orluthe Chokorov: Orluthe nods. "I mean, the finger-cutting is... it's a punishment. You're not supposed to disown your children. It's not like you can do it and then you lose the finger and then you're all square and it's fine." "And when parents scar their kids' fingers to make them share in a punishment for a sin they didn't commit... Diamode doesn't want that." "I should know," he says, gesturing to his vestments. Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...well. Thank you, Orluthe." Saelhen's face is hard. "I was previously under the impression that I had misunderstood a culture which is strange to me." "But now it sounds as if... I haven't, quite." Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa's makeup is starting to run. "What... what do you know? I- I wanted to... if I could've... I couldn't..." "What do you want with me?!" "I had to, okay? I have to!"

Orluthe having successfully exposed Kensa's fear and dissatisfaction with the situation, Saelhen proceeds to talk her around to trying to leave. It's pretty touch-and-go for a little bit, but Kensa's mind is made up when the party mentions that they're going to be passing through Corolos. Apparently, there's something there she really cares a lot about...?

So they're going to need a few days for Kensa to prepare to, uh, run away with a bunch of strangers. That's- this is technically kidnapping, right? This isn't something you should do in real life? This is kind of bad? Hm. Well.

-

Anyway, they've got some downtime here in Barley while the Deathseekers do their work and Kensa prepares to leave. And- well, later in the campaign, there was a flashback to this time period, so I'm going to cover that scene here.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: So: days in the past (but not many)... It's Cassie Zeishus's inn, and Saelhen is brushing up on her card tricks; she's let herself get rusty, just a bit, ever since she left... Well, since she got to Oyashio, anyway. She's cutting a borrowed deck at one of the inn's tables, downstairs, flicking cards from hand to hand, then up her giant poofy sleeves. Where's Looseleaf? Looseleaf: Probably sitting around outside, doing her whole 'fix-things-up' gimmick! After the early burst of things-to-fix, though, business has dried up a little. There's just not that many broken things left to fix that people need help with after a while! Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen is... bored, she decides, for a reason. She can't evaluate how impressive her card tricks/cheating techniques are without a proper audience! She knows how they work already! So she leans out the door. "How goes the repair work?" Looseleaf: "It isnnnnn't," Looseleaf says back. "I think that there's not much repair work left in Barley at all!" "I've done too good a job and my business has dried up. This is why you never peddle perfect cures, innit." Abruptly, she gets up from the carpet she'd gotten Orluthe to roll out for her- the one from Lumiere's tower. "Boooored." She rolls it up. "I demand entertainment."

Saelhen decides to entertain Looseleaf by performing a card trick... and proceeds to roll a natural 1 on her sleight of hand check. She completely fucks it up, and Looseleaf- who had to be convinced to put money on the wager- earns herself a silver piece.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...I lost the card." "So I'm going to have to replace that for Cassie. On account of her deck being a card short." "Your card, specifically." Looseleaf: "Hhhhokay." "Wow, you're actually serious, aren't you." "I thought this was still part of the bit, but, if you're serious, you know the card's on the underside of your shoe, right?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "I just want to reassure you that I'm good at this, Looseleaf --" Looseleaf: "I thought you'd stepped on it because, y'know, part of the trick." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "No, I already checked there --" Saelhen finds the Hierophant stuck to her instep. There's a beat. Then she blushes furiously, in what looks like actual mortification. "Oh damn it." "I haven't done that since I was sixteen, what the hell..." Looseleaf: Looseleaf laughs. It doesn't sound like her usual laugh, and you can only tell it's a laugh because she's bowled over laughing. The actual sound of the laughter sounds like- trilling chirps with a hint of vibration, a distinctly insectile sound. "Oh gods," she says while somehow still laughing simultaneously, "that was- I'm so sorry about how much I'm laughing, Saelhen-" She's still moth-laughing. "Please understand that your status is no way diminished in my eyes and you are still every bit as much of the cool conwoman you always were in my eyes- oh my gods I'm going to die laughing."

Saelhen, intrigued, attempts to use her preternatural skill at impressions to try and copy the laughter, which Looseleaf finds freaky-deaky.

Looseleaf: "Yeah, if you really want to imitate mothspeech what you actually need are the standard instruments. Your throats are not cut out for the kinds of vibes we naturally talk with." "No offense- your throats are perfectly nice, I mean." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "I'm aware my throat is lovely." "What do you mean, standard instruments? Some kind of... pipe, or flute, or something?" Looseleaf: "The Standard Instruments," she says, this time with an intonation so that Saelhen can tell it's words with Capitalized Letters, "are... sort of like a flute, yeah, except instead of working like a woodwind it's more like, a bunch of little flutes with flaps of springy metal at the end, so when you blow through the flute the flaps vibrate and you get a sound that's way closer to the range of sounds we make, and it doesn't hurt your throat nearly as much. The Standard Instruments for imitation mothspeech." "Alternatively, if you knew spirit magic, we could have just taken you to the Archive of the Ever-Living Voice, but that's not really an option..." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen attempts to imagine this. "So, ten harmonicas glued together." Looseleaf: "Yeah pretty much." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...that last comment sounded alarmingly practical, in its concerns, Looseleaf." "Are you proposing to teach me, here?" Looseleaf: "How dare you imply that I would ever let slip the magical secrets of my people to an outsider who knows nothing of our ways or our culture why I am absolutely offended and ha ha I'm just messing around." "If you want to learn mothspeech," Looseleaf hesitates for a moment. "...Well, we should get started by trying to put together, as you put it, ten harmonicas!" "...Does this town have harmonicas?" Benedict I. (GM): This town totally has harmonicas.

So it looks like Looseleaf is going to be teaching Saelhen the language of the mothfolk!

Looseleaf hesitates, though. "...You know, learning mothspeech is- well, it's not likely to be useful, you know?" "There's, like, no chance you're ever going to get to really put it into use with anybody other than me." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...it is a bit obscure, isn't it?" Saelhen looks contemplative for a moment... then cracks a grin. "Which means that absolutely no one will know when I insult them." "Beyond their range of hearing, even! Oh that'll be such an easy way to blow off steam, dear, I love it."

After a shopping trip to assemble the device that substitutes for having moth mouthparts, they have a nice time bonding over linguistics. Building the thing is tricky, but... Saelhen gets a good roll!

Looseleaf:"...Y'know, trying to reverse-engineer an instrument just from how you saw it once is... more difficult than I thought it would be." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen expertly pulls two pieces together. "This and this, yes?" Looseleaf: "Yeah, make sure you leave extra length on the tubes- I don't know exactly how long they have to be so we might have to cut them down a little to fit... The day continues. Looseleaf teaches Saelhen a whole plethora of fun insults in mothspeech. Things like, "You must have had a hole in your cocoon while you were pupating, because your brain clearly leaked out during your metamorphosis." "Remind me what instar you are again?" And, her favorite of all, a surprisingly terse noun that apparently translates to "immature child who sticks two feathers on their forehead and thinks that means they have the antennae of an adult."

Saelhen manages to nail the pronunciation pretty quickly, and adds Mothfolk to her list of languages.

The conversation turns to Elvish (Looseleaf is shocked to learn that Oyobi has been being rude this entire time!), and Saelhen's upbringing in Kanzentokai.

Looseleaf is shocked by Saelhen's quick mastery of the language- and of Tabaxi, and Halfling, which are apparently languages she speaks.

Eventually, Looseleaf decides to make a wager with Saelhen. The stakes: if Looseleaf can fool Saelhen with a card trick of her own, Saelhen has to teach her Thieves' Cant. If she loses, she'll have to tell Saelhen how she did the trick- a standard "is this your card" situation.

Saelhen gets a 21, and Looseleaf then has to explain that she was able to track the card via... spirit-linking. Which she then has to explain she's been doing to the bracer.

Looseleaf: "I'm trying to use this as a, uh, lighthearted segue, to confess to the fact that I've soooorta actually had a tracking magic thing set on you, like, since we met." "I'm hoping that's not, un- discomforting for you, since you said, you liked the whole suspicion thing I had?" "But, yeah, uh, I was totally suspicious of you the whole time, and my first response to seeing someone I pegged as a conwoman trying to con the university out of a magic item was, to, put a tracker on the magic item." "Which is that bracer. I know the position of that bracer, at all times, as long as it's within ten miles of me; further than that, and I know the direction it is relative to me." "I'm coming clean because- well, I guess, we're friends now actually, and you should know about the fact that I'm technically tracking your movements. And also because I want to give you the option to tell me to fuck off with that shit, if you want to." "I think that keeping the tracker's still a good idea, on a practical level, though, because of the, uh, use-case, where, a scary badguy chops your arm off to take the bracer, like that way we could still get your arm back and get the bracer back and I'm also rambling because I'm nervous that this is the end of our friendship aha." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen has gone very still. Like the hackles-up bristling from earlier, except... a lot less movement. "......" Looseleaf: "Look, if you want me to turn it off I'll turn it off!" Saelhen du Fishercrown: And then she very deliberately settles back into motion, with barely even a little bit of shaking hands! Deep deep breath. "...you make a good point. "About the, bracer tracking." "I am..." "Fine, with it." Looseleaf: "Iiii am not convinced you are fine. You seem like you are in fact very emotionally distraught about it," Looseleaf says with caution. "I could... put a tracker on something that's not the bracer, for you to hold, of your own volition?" "Really, at this point, I'm less scared of you running off with the bracer, and more scared of something happening to you because of the bracer." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...with a condition." "Which is that you do not tell anyone that you can track things, or, if you have to reveal your hand, that you don't tell anyone that you can find me." Looseleaf: "...You don't want to be found, by... something or someone that wants to find you?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "In general, no." "...I'll tie something around the bracer. Or place a coin between my skin and its surface, or something. You can track that." Looseleaf: "Okay. I'll try my best to not tell anybody about my ability to find you. Except unless I have very good reason to believe that, I dunno, a dragon has abducted you and if I don't find help for you then you're dead, or something like that. Is that fine?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "That would be fine, thank you. And I forgive you for... the initial... situation."

It seems... Saelhen really doesn't want to be found, by someone. I wonder who?

Still, the two of them manage to talk the issue over like adults, and grow closer as friends- so that means everything is probably fine, there's no secrets anymore, and absolutely nothing else is going to go wrong in the town of Barley.

NEXT TIME: END OF DAYS!!! HOMICIDAL INTENT!!! THE SINISTER MACHINATIONS OF THE SHADOW-MAYOR OF WHEAT!!!