#this took so lonnggg

[everybodyloveshippos]

i think one of my favoutire parts of the nevewinter quartet was drizzt asking artemis to come with him on an unspecified adventure, and artemis demanding drizzt give him a tangible, beneficial-to artemis reason for him to come along and not go back to calimport. 

so drizzt says he knows where his dagger is, it works, etc. BUT THEN?? drizzt turns around and is like. ‘can you please say you would have come anyway? please? for me?’ like. i dont even remember if artemis admits it but drizzt is so pleased w himself. he’s so sure he’s got artemis all figured out. and that he would have come but just needs the excuse. im obsessed  w him. i love drizzt 

[puwella]

no context, some stuff i drew for my final spanish class

[kiidcosmic]

some thoughts. thinks if you will

[mooooonnnzz]

here’s a tlok request 😉 how about mako and bolin helping nervous reader ask korra out🤭🤭 i’ve been thinking about this scenario for a whileeeeee

Korra x fem!reader

✮ sorry this took soo lonnggg was busy with finalsss

✮ nothing much!! bolin being a good wingman

✮ mako is trying his best 😞

✮ ENJOYY + REQUEST R OPEN

✮ not proofread 💔

You burst through the doors, anxiety swirling through you like a windy storm. Your mind was racing with so many possibilities and what if’s you were near exploding. Korra has been a little too friendly lately. Her lingering touches and longing looks has made you assume that maybe, just maybe she likes you more than a friend. How could you think otherwise? Just the day before she was blushing when you hugged her goodbye. She’s never done that before, then again, you’ve never been all that touchy with her. Hugging her is new for you and her. Maybe she was flushed with embarrassment? But what if there’s a slight chance she might like you the same way you do? You need to take advantage of that slim possibility, even if it does seem a little crazy.

Bolin’s attention switches from the earth plates he was practicing on throwing on to you. Your name slips past his lips, curiously he takes in your rigid form. “You okay?” He asks, straighten in his posture and wiping the sweat that trickled down his forehead.

“Korra,” Was all you said. Bolin rasied a brow, cocking his head to the side confused. “What about Korra?”

You nervously bite your lip, peeling away at the dry skin that was flaking off. “Ineedhelpaskingherout.” You said in a hurried mush, your eyes staring down at your shoes.

“You need what?” Bolin angles his head slightly to the side, attempting to hear your jumbled mess of words better. “I need help…askingkorra out…”

You can see the cogs turn in Bolin’s head as he tries to make sense of what you said. When it finally clicks, he gasped so loudly that you could’ve swore anyone around would have heard him.

“You want to ask Korra out?!” Bolin excitedly said, his eyes sparkling brightly. “Finally!” He cheers.

“Finally?” You repeat, eyebrows furrowing with confusion tracing your face. “What do you mean finally?”

Has your attraction to Korra been painfully obvious to others except you and her?

“It was so obvious that you and her had something for each other! It’s about time you do something about it.” Bolin grins from ear to ear. “Mako owes me so much money.” He whispers to himself. “Imagine how many bowls of noodles I can buy with that much money!”

You could see the blissful look take over his face the minute he starts imagining how much he can get for him and Pabu to share.

The doors open and for a second your heart drops to your stomach at the thought of Korra being the one coming inside. You were proven wrong when Bolin loudly calls Mako over.

Begrudgingly he comes over, annoyance written across his face. “Yes?” Mako says when he nears you and Bolin.

“Guess who’s asking Korra out!”

Mako’s eyes immediately went to look at you. His whole demeanor shrinks as he realizes he lost his bet with Bolin.

“How much do you want?” Mako sighs, a visible frown taking over his lips. “80 yuan?” Mako’s eyes widen. “80 yuan? You’re crazy. Lower it.”

“Hey man! You lost the bet, not me.” Bolin lazily shrugs, placing his palm up right in front of him and Mako. “Pay up big brother!”

Mako ends up giving him the money that was owed. He’s left 80 yuan short and with a large scowl on his face. “What now?” He huffs out, grumpily crossing his arms across his chest.

“We’re going to help someone ask Korra out.” Bolin looks at you while cheekily smiling. Mako sighs and soon enough you’re being told a step by step plan by mostly Bolin on how to “woo” Korra. Mako added his input occasionally. He’s not the best at asking someone out or giving advice but the effort was sweet.

The walk to Korra after spotting her was genuinely the most stressful part. Watching her lips upturn into her infamous crooked smile upon seeing you was all it took for your heart to burst. You send a worried look over to Bolin and Mako who were sitting on a bench. A newspaper covered Bolin’s face while Mako had sunglasses. Lowering the newspaper, Bolin shot you a thumbs up before covering his face with the newspaper. His eyes peeping through the peep holes he created to spy on you and Korra.

“Hi Korra,” You greet with a nervous smile. She greets you back, your name slipping past her lips so smoothly it made your skin erupt in goosebumps. “What’s up? Wanna hang out or something?” Korra asks.

“Yeah, yeah. I just want to get something out of the way first,” You clear your throat, hearing a soft cheer of Bolin.

Korra looks over to who made the sound and rose a brow when she was met with a pair of eyes that was shrouded behind newspaper. “Do you see that guy over—“

“—I like you Korra!”

Silence.

Korra shakes her head. “Wait, what?” Her brows knit together in confusion. Her cheeks are blooming into a light blush. “What did you say?” A small smile fights its way to her lips.

“I…I like you. More than like, really. I just don’t know if you liked me like that and I didn’t want to make you feel—“ Your rambling was cut short by Korra’s lips pressing against yours.

She pulls back, smiling crookedly. “I do like you like that,” She says, interlocking her hand with yours. “I thought it was a pretty obvious.”

“It was pretty obvious!” Bolin shoots up from the bench, discarding the newspaper aside. The wind pushes the newspaper onto Mako’s face, who lurched forward in surprise. He must’ve fallen asleep during the whole ordeal.

“Bolin?” A confused expression was plastered onto Korra’s face.

To the newspapers dismay, Mako was able to rip it off his face. Korra’s eyes widen upon seeing Mako.

“What are they doing here?” Korra asks you, watching bow Bolin approached you and her. “We’re here for moral support.” Bolin puts his hands on his waist, puffing his chest out triumphantly.

“Did it work?” Mako asks from the bench.

“Obviously!” Bolin retorted.

“Did they help you ask me out?” Korra softly laughs, her eyes meeting yours. “Yeah…I couldn’t do it alone so they offered to help me.” You confess, twisting your foot on the ground nervously.

“I think you did pretty well.” Korra’s thumb caresses your hand. “At least Bolin didn’t tell me that you liked me.”

You smile at Korra, feeling your cheeks tingle with happiness. “So we’re together together?” You ask giddily.

Korra answers your question with another kiss. Wrapping her arms around your waist, she mumbles a quiet “yes” into the kiss.

Bolin’s loud cheering could be heard from across nations.

[fogboundxelian]

two more nbc hannibal paintings!! these took so lonnggg xD

please do not use or repost my art anywhere

[floweramongstthecold]

FFXIV OC List

Okay! SO! I decided to make an OC list! Cause I have too many and I needa talk about them more somehow and write about them. I just never know what to talk or write about. XS All of my ocs are dating someone too so I'll probably add who they're with too. Except one.

Which meaans this might be a bit long with the added info sooo, I'll put it under the cut! I MIGHT make another list for their Ancients but I dunno....

My first main that I actually finished all expansions with first is Yayashi Yashi. She's half Dunesfolk and half Plainsfolk. She's the main WoL of the group and she's married to both Ysayle and Estinien. She has two kids with them. She has a son with Estinien named Heliox and a daughter she's co-parenting with Ysayle who's Ysayle and Estinien's kid named Elianne who she also technically adopted.

After the final days, Yaya took a lonnggg break from adventuring and opened up a botany and flower arrangement shop in Gridania until a new adventure comes calling.

~~~

Khulgana Goro is a Xaela who travels Eorzea with her horse husband Ganzorig and her husband Dzhambul Olkund.

~~~

Nekaia Gentrique is a Half Moonkeeper/Half Sunseeker Miqo'te who was born in Gridania but got adopted by a family in Ul'dah, who taught her about prostitution, which she didn't partake in until she moved Thavnair, before she kind of quit. While living in Ul'dah she ran a soup kitchen out of her house for the refuges and delivered food to them. She's married to Alphinaud and has a few minions as her pets. Living in Thavnair she also has a soup kitchen.

~~~

Saechen Olkund is a Xaela who was captured by the Garlean Empire with her older brother. She was abused to the point that she eventually killed her abusers but it took an emotional toll on her for a while due to it. Saechen and her brother were both WoLs until she suddenly betrayed the Scions after falling in love with Zenos. Wanting to save him from death, she "disappeared" and began to work with the Ascians to keep Zenos safe. Her and Zenos have a tradition to spar each other to death a lot until they eventually cut back and turned into sparring every other month.

~~~

Sophia is a Dwarf from The First who ended up on The Source after she and her brother managed to open the door to the crystal tower before G'raha arrived. Before arriving in The Source she and her family were attacked by Sin Eaters and she barely survived the Light Sickness. She was found by a Viera living with the Night's Blessed by the name of Zekir, who decided to adopt and take her in. She was in the hospital on The Source for a longg time until Alisaie returned with the cure. Sophia is also mute and knows Eorzean Sign Language. She has a Moogle named Mogli helping as her translator. While living in Sharlayan with Zekir, she met and befriended Erenville and they eventually started dating after The Last Days

~~~

Zekir is a Viera who lived in Rak'Tika then left and ended up living among the Night's Blessed because it offered him more freedom to be himself. While living in Rak'Tika he was a hunter who led his own hunting party. Upon joining the Night's Blessed that didn't change. While living among them he ran into Sophia and adopted her. When he and Sophia reached The Source, he did everything in his power to try and save her, even attending the Studium in Sharlayan in hopes that they might know a cure or at least a way to stabilize Sophia's condition. Even after Sophia was cured by Alisaie, he didn't stop studying.

~~~

Hachiko Taisho is a Raen who's traveling Eorzea with her boyfriend as a way to sightsee and learn about all the other cultures that are out there. She was born and raised in Hingan where she attended public school. After she graduated she became a priestess and geisha. She's gonna be another main who I'm gonna go through the expacs with and she might be fantasiaed into a FemHroth so she's kind of... pending at the moment but this is what I got so far.

~~~

Ilar is a Rava Viera who left his home and clan after he came of age because he didn't want to have to live his life as a warden forever. He's a very big flirt and kind of suave when it comes to people he's in a relationship with. He ran into Hachiko when he found himself in Hingan. He hasn't picked up a job there yet.

~~~

Alagh Yid Haragin is a Xaela who found herself in Ishgard, where her family was murdered during the Au Ra raids. She was saved by Haurchefant who she's now dating. After the Vault Incident, she got him to retire and they moved away from Ishgard and somewhere secluded in Coerthas.

~~~

Tonemi is a Seeker of the Sun who's been born and raised in Thavnair, where she works as a Jewelry Maker. When she was old enough, she attended the Studium to become a Gleaner and that's where she first met and befriended G'raha Tia. The two hit it off and after they graduated they started dating. While G'raha was asleep in the Crystal Tower, a few days later she found out she was pregnant with her first child. So, she was a single parent for a while until the Scions brought Raha back.

[seasonal-shifts-au-fanartfunart]

How did they become seasons?

(context)

Dee: To be entirely clear- As they are quite literally physical representations of their season, they are borne out of the weather and situation of which they became.

Dee: It’s why I wasn’t able to predict the presence of Winter at first. He... just appeared one day.

[dasirunrunrun]

Good Grief - Chapter One

Jungkook makes a habit of showing up drunk to a nearby flower shop. Bad puns and fluffy pining ensue.

Or, a college!au in which BTS are all frat boys, Namjoon is a science club president,Jimin just wants a good party, and Jungkook is hopelessly fascinated by the girl who takes care of flowers in her free time. author’s note:  hiiiiiii!! so this is my first ever fanfiction, and to be completely honest- it’s a long ride. so strap in, and get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions. Also there is a soundtrack/playlist for this fic! If you enjoy listening and reading (or, if you just want to have a g list of songs) you can find it here ! disclaimer: All mentions of the university in this fic are purely pulled from my ass— I don’t claim to know anything on a deep, spiritual level about university clubs, classes or frat parties. Side characters, that aren’t specifically Bangtan Members™, are all made up and therefor fictional .

If you’d prefer reading on AO3 the link is here

chapter warnings: mentions of alcohol (and drunkenness) chapter notes: this chapter is all for getting things rolling and introducing characters! it’ll pick up for sure after this! 

words: 4.2k

Chapter One

track: do i wanna know? - arctic monkeys

There are loads of things you can expect while working in a flower shop- Like, for one, an abundance of bees, butterflies, and other bugs that enjoy the flowers just as much as humans. Or, the knowledge that your bouquet will go to a receiving, flustered, significant other. Those things are expected. Those things are welcome, even.

But, hearing an obnoxious, loud knocking at the backside shop door, at 21:30, is definitely not on that list.

It wasn’t like the gentle knock from the delivery guy in the middle of the day— No, this was a banging, brutish sound coming from the other side of the Hibiscus green house. At 21:30.

With my vast experience of watching horror movies, I thought I was well prepared for this kind of situation. I had convinced myself that i’d be a badass main character— with double pistols and a sick ass soundtrack in the background. Now though, with a probable axe murderer on the other side of the door, I couldn’t bring myself to move, let alone play something like Highway To Hell in the background.

So here I am, at 21:30, staring at the door shake with every rap from the lunatics’ hand.

They say panic brings on hysteria, and maybe hysteria is what brought a surge of curiosity to my head in that very moment. Who even comes to a flower shop this late? For a robbery? Maybe. But there’s barely any money to be made from selling flowers. My family and house is a clear example of that.

Fortunately, my thoughts were interrupted by a voice cutting through the silence— coming from the very door that was, just a moment ago, victim of a massive beating. “Hiiiiii- I’m sorry for disturbing so late,” came a very slurred, very sugary yell from behind the door.

I held my breath, trying to decipher what age of male could be the host to that scratchy, rough voice. When another intrusion of thought, this time: “Excuuuuusseeee me” came. His voice picked up, louder — echoing off the walls of the shops, which had me ducking a bit behind the counter for useless cover.

I stared at the screen door, faintly able to make out the shape of the “knocker.” He didn’t look so huge, maybe taller than me, but not in a way that screamed “old man.” I counted to three, allowing myself to gain the composure that was needed.

With newfound courage, that was promptly pulled straight out of my ass, I cleared my throat, and moved to the door. The walk there felt like eternities, and my heart was beating so loudly there was a good chance that he probably heard it. I took a deep breath, hand on the doorknob, wondering just how I could make an escape if this turned out to be a terrible idea. Giving a three second prayer to a God I wasn’t sure I even believed in, I pulled open the door.

I was met with a very drunk, as expected, very attractive boy- looking around the same age as me. His black hair fell evenly into his eyes, as he moved to tilt his head to the side in obvious curiosity. The boy’s lips broke into a grin— making him look like a sort of soft, inebriated bunny. “Hi ther-”

“We’re closed,” was the first thing out of my mouth, cutting off his dreamy sigh. He stood straight up, looking put off- in that drunk kind of way. I tried to clear my throat, hoping that it would give me the authoritative image I was going for.

“If you’re closed then why are you answering the door?” Was the unhesitating, sloppy, strung together sentence that was returned back to me. Although his face remained the very description of amused humor, I could only be reminded of a five year old boy- immaturely sticking his tongue out.

I didn’t respond, too stunned with the quip to try and reply. My thoughts were running wild; trying to think of an escape plan (incase things went south), and at the same time, trying to find a way to roast the kid back. It was a very conflicting, and telling, moment for me as a person.

“Haha, caught.” The boy sung back to my lack of response, bringing up both of his hands in the ‘finger gun’ pose. His voice sounded lazy, like he had lost the energy to keep up this conversation. “Yah, are you a perpetual liar?”

I found myself bristling at his accusation. It took all the willpower I possessed to not shoot something snappy back. “You need to leave.” I informed, trying not to let the  irritation I was feeling seep into my voice. I had to look up to meet his eye directly, and that, besides being held up from going home, was the most annoying thing. “If you don't— i’ll, i”ll probably call the police, or something.” The threat was weak and held little to no truth. That much was obvious, even to my own ears.

Drunk- door knocker gave an almost smug chuckle- the sound airy in the silence of the shop. “Alright, alright. Fair enough,” this time the response was definitely toned down, but still holding the same causal flow of someone who was undoubtedly inebriated. “I’ll go.” A pause. “Don’t want you ‘probably’ calling the police or something.” The last comment was, beyond any doubt, snark. And for the second time that night I felt the urge to slap him.

I blinked, trying not to let the shock show on my face, as he saluted me before turning to walk back down the road.

I leaned my back against the nearest wall, waiting to see if another sudden knock was to erupt from behind the locked door. To my absolute relief; there was none. The moments after seemed to pass like hours; silence encapturing the room like a net.

Letting out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding, I slowly allowed my body to slide down — using my back against the wall as a prop and comfort. The situation, in reality, was terrifying. The strangers ease of words, and light smile had brought most of the tension to leave my body. But with silence as my only companion, the question of: What would have happened had it not just been a random drunk passing by? rose to my head. A shiver climbed up my body— urging me to wrap my arms carefully around my torso.

A buzz from my phone sent me jumping to the side— immediately feeling the panic sneak back up my bones. Illuminating light flooded from my phone, indicating a message from “Mom” with the following text of: ’lock up quickly, you’ll need to eat before sleeping xx’

Sending back a short “okay x” in response and quickly gathering my things, I made my way out of the shop— careful to lock everything up, and double check the security alarm.

The walk home wasn’t far; ten minutes by foot, notably shorter by vehicle. The air was crisp, but still warm enough for only a light jacket. Spring was approaching faster than expected, which meant the flower shop was also attracting business. The image of the boy floated back into my head at that moment, making me puff out a breath in indignance.

What was that about? The situation was too bizarre to even try and normalize. Though, after much pondering, it made a bit of sense. Our flower shop was down the street from a major frat neighborhood. Drunk college students should’ve been expected to be roaming by every now and then. Even so, adrenaline continued to pulse through my bloodstream. Nearly five years of closing up shop for mom, and nothing like this had ever happened. I made a quick promise to myself to never mention this to her. She’d just get worried, and then insist that she should be the one closing up shop again.

But she had enough on her hands. What with trying to raise two twin boys. I mean, Dad was there, but working night shifts at the factory didn’t leave much room for “family bonding.”

I let out a soft sigh into the night air, nearing up on our small house in the process. The warm glow of light filtered out through the blinded windows, and just the sight brought a welcome feeling of comfort. Feeling my face give way to a soft smile, I brought myself to move into the house. Immediately, the smell of home cooked food, and familiarity fell on me.

“Mackkiiiee!” The pet name, usually put to use by my little brothers, rung in the air. Turning my face to the left, I was met with the scene of Max and Jamie- sitting on the ground with, what looked to be a drone, in between the two of them.

“Look at what we did!!” Max squealed excitedly, motioning to the black drone with over enthusiastic flicks of his arms.

“Your brothers are at it again.” The voice came from behind me, my mom, somewhere at the kitchen table. “Doing their little tinkering.” She clarified, as if that wasn’t clear to me.

“Oh,” Was all I could manage to push out of my throat. It’s ridiculous to be jealous of two 10 year olds, but honestly sometimes life was unfair. Here I was, 19 years old, working as hard as possible just to land B’s in school. While my brothers were already crafting their own devices. I watched the boys, seeing their eyes flicker back to me with obvious expectancy. “It’s awesome, kiddos.” I smiled, forcing all of the petty immaturity out of my body. “You guys are modern geniuses,” I grinned “Einstein would be soooo jealous.”

This proved to be the correct response, because moments later, the perfect image of joy was captured in the smiles that broke out on their faces. The two boys clapped hands together, then moved onto trying to take the device apart and give me an explanation of their expertise.

I let out a fond scoff, before moving to the kitchen and talk with my mom. She was sitting at the table, having already made a plate for me, with a newspaper clasped between her fingers. “Was everything in order at the shop?” She questioned lightly, raising her brown eyes to look over at me.

I pulled out my chair, taking a seat as memories of the situation from earlier replayed over in my head. “Yep, all good.” I lied smoothly, forking a piece of almost burnt chicken into my mouth.

“And for school tomorrow? Should I ask your father to give you a ride-”

“No,no,no” I rushed out, voice muffled by the chicken stuffed in my mouth. “I’ll take the bus.” I amended, after taking a sip of water,watching the shock leave her face and dawn into realization.Guilt flashed in her eyes like a warning. I let out a soft sigh and sat back in my chair, “it’s no big deal mom. Thursday’s are my free days, remember? I only have News Club, anyways.”

She didn’t look convinced, if anything even more discouraged. “I know, I know,” She murmured. “I just- you must be the only college kid without a license-”

“Ma’-” I cut her off for my own sake, really. I’d heard her complain over the “supposed sob story” that was my driving education (i.e nada) for years. It wasn’t like it was anyone’s fault but my own. My mom had always offered to pay for my driving classes, and then, of course, the payments to a car. But, that always felt selfish to me. Plus, with perfectly usable public transportation- why was that necessary?

“Well at least-” I stood up then, not wanting to hear her attempts at trying to “make up for it” when it wasn’t necessary.

“I’m going to bed now, ma” I said lightly after shoving my dishes into the dishwasher. “Thanks for the food- it was great.”

《                                               》

track: seeing stars - børns

The thing about university is: it’s not highschool. There is absolutely no comparison between the two. In university, if you chose to be “out of the loop,” it works. Because you aren’t forced to have everyone’s life shoved down your throat.

And that’s pretty legendary.

But unfortunately, as president of the newspaper club, it is my genuine job to have everyone’s life in my throat. Or, more accurately, in my computer.

“Nora,” The use of my name meant things were getting serious. “I’m telling you, the biggest story at the moment is the binge drinking epidemic in the frat houses.” Mary’s hesitant voice made me look up from my computer- pen in hand. “It’s absolutely revolting-” Her lispy voice was cut off by Jona’s laughter from another cubicle-like desk across the room.

“Mary, nobody cares about a little drinking from the school’s “infamous party house.” That’s old news.” Jona’s argument was accompanied by a signature eyebrow raise. Jona, our best journalist, had a lot of opinions; and he never chose to be quiet with them.

“He has a point.” Seokjin chimed in, to the left of me, looking much like a secretary: with a clipboard in hand, and coffee in the other. Seokjin was our vice president, and my best friend- to add. We’ve been attached at the hip for almost my entire life. Every memory I possess: he’s apart of.

“Yeah- you’d say that. What with being apart of the same frat.” This time the interjection came from Finn— sitting on top of his desk with a soccer ball in his hands. He gave it a toss, catching it moments later as he added: “you probably just want to avoid the bad press for Sigma Butter Alimony, or whatever it is”

Seokjin tilted his head to the side “it’s actually Sigma-”

“Pause.” Jona’s loud voice came across the room, causing all heads to swivel his direction. “Jin’s in a frat? Scratch that, the frat?” His face was the epitome of disbelief— eyes wide, mouth slightly agape as he stared at Seokjin. “My mans skinny as a twig, how is he out here with those guys?!”

Seokjin shrugged, unable to keep a smile from playing on his own lips. Mary let out an exasperated sigh, flopping into her office chair with a short grumble of words.

“So,” I started, glancing around the room to see all of their eyes had been averted back to me. “What i’m hearing is: we don’t have a cover story.” I let my words fall over the silence of the room— gauging everyone’s reaction.

The spring semester had just started, which meant stories were basically nonexistent. There was no interesting news to be told, because there was nothing interesting happening. Clubs were just getting started, most scandals were tamed or too old to even be considered news. Sport season was only just starting again, so that cut out all athletic stories. It was the great depression of Newspapers. A news article drought.

A chorus of agreements went around the room, making my shoulders sag with disappointment.

“What about the science club? Apparently they’ve been accepted into a famous science fair competition.” Finn suggested from across the room— his blonde hair was disheveled, probably from running his hands through it so much. “We could interview the president, Namjoon, and the star student Ju—”

I adjusted my glasses, flicking my eyes back to the white, blank screen of my word document. “We should wait until the competition is completed for that one. That way we can touch on the results- make a real story.” I kept my voice neutral, leaning back in my chair as silence, once again, filled the room. “We’ll keep that on the back burner.”

Mary threw her hands up, her curls bouncing with the movement.

“Then i’ve got nothing.” Finn shrugged, his face looking as blank as the current “article.”

I stayed quiet for a moment, mentally holding myself back from smashing my head against my desk. “Mary,” I kept my eyes glued to the computer screen “what all do you have on the frat story?”

I faintly heard a scoff coming from Jona, probably, and a low whistle from Seokjin.

I knew, just as everyone else, that the story wasn’t too complex- or even intriguing. But with no cover story there was no article, and this needed to be out by next week: at the latest. I looked up just as Mary bounced out of her chair, curls flinging wildly around her face.

“I’ll send all of my writing to you by the end of today!” She lisped out the words, voice full of excitement with a lower undertone of pride. In all fairness, this was her first cover story.

“Good, do that.” I watched as she moved around in a little dance— a smile tugging on the corners of my lips from the sight. “I’ll be heading out then, make sure to clean and lock up before you all leave.” I informed the crew, trying not to laugh at the scene of Mary attempting to rub her victory in the other two boys’ face.

“See ya’ boss.” Came Finn’s reply, flicking me a peace sign as I turned away.

Seokjin, as expected, followed me out only moments later. The air was warm, the beginning of spring manifesting itself in the weather. As expected, almost everyone was taking advantage of the sun: studying in the grass, unpacking picnics, while others had games of frisbee and soccer going.

As Seokjin and I walked, I ran over the previous conversation back and forth in my head. Despite the positive outcome, I couldn’t help myself from feeling a surge of disappointment at the lack of stories. A story like the one we were planning on writing, the one about the frat boys, was simply gossip.

“It’ll be okay.” Seokjin was staring at me— his face the perfect picture of calm and collected. He didn’t specify what he was talking about, but I knew right away. It always seemed like he could read my mind.

“I know,” The confidence in my voice was stronger than I was feeling. I clasped my hands loosely together, behind my back, as we walked. “You’re not mad, are you?” I was hesitant to ask: not really wanting to hear the answer. “I mean, this is about your frat house- your friends.”

He gave a light shrug— “A story is a story,” a pause was given in lieu to him bumping his side against mine. “Especially if it’s true. And who knows,” we passed a group of people playing guitar— having a jam session “maybe the story could help some of those who go too hard.”

I nodded along, shoving my hands deep into my pockets. I hadn’t thought of it like that, but then again— i’m not sure anyone besides Seokjin would think of it like that. He always looked at the world as if it were infinitely good— and everything was able to be fixed.

“So, your frat-” My attempt at pulling some details out of him was interrupted two boys from behind us.

A chorus of “Seokjin!”s rang in the air, pulling both me and the boy in question to a halt. We swiveled, almost in unison, to the duo walking behind us. A boy with striking orange hair, and a friendly face— accompanied by a hauntingly familiar mop of black hair, and a soft bunny smile.

I felt the air punch out of my lungs— eyes widening at the same moment that the boy, himself, glanced over at me. I watched his eyebrows knit together, an intense concentration flooding into his expression as he stared me down.

Seokjin was the first to speak, smiling lightly at the other two boys. “Jimin, Jungkook,” his voice held only amusement “‘m surprised to see you two up and moving after that party last night.”

The party last night. I flicked my gaze between Seokjin and Jungkook, the latter of the two still looking like he was trying answer the mysteries of the universe with every passing second.

The orange haired boy, the one who Seokjin nodded to first, Jimin- let out a laugh that held nothing but sunshine and friendliness. “It’s what we do, Jin-” His words were interrupted by the boy next to him.

“Do I know you?” The question had me blinking, and taking a step back all at once.

“No, you don’t.” I kept my voice firm— seeing the confusion in Seokjin’s face and the raise of eyebrow Jimin sported out of the corner of my eye.

“Are you sur-”

“Yes.” I interrupted, nodding my head along with the word.

“How sure?” He questioned again, looking utterly stumped.

“Pretty sure.” I squeaked out.

There was a long pause, no one daring to speak.

“Like what percentage of ‘sure’ are you at?”

“What?” I glanced over at Seokjin— watching him shrug back at me in response. He looked just about as miffed as Jungkook.

Jimin, once again, let out a loud laugh, clapping Jungkook on the shoulder as he did so. “Kook, you aren’t going to pull any girls with those lines.”

I flicked my eyes back to Jungkook who was biting his lip in obvious concentration, his head slightly tilted. The similarities from the previous night came so vividly that I found myself taking another step back. “I-I probably should get going…” I put lightly, bumping Seokjin’s side as a wordless goodbye.

Jungkook’s mouth dropped open— in either realization or protest, I couldn’t tell which. And, honestly, I wasn’t interested in staying to find out.

Seokjin nodded in response, mumbling something along the lines of ‘text me’ but i was too busy getting the hell out of there to take any real notice.

《                                        》

track: if you wanna stay - the griswolds

The walk to the bus stop felt much longer with the newest set of revelations on my mind. Jungkook. So that was his name. He was cute— in the way that, i’m sure, every girl recognizes.

I pushed my hands roughly through my hair— trying to simultaneously push the thoughts out as well. “Stupid Jungkook, stupid drunk knocking, stupi–”

My little rant was cut off by the doors of the bus opening in front of me— revealing a very bored looking bus driver staring at me expectantly. I hadn’t even heard the vehicle pull up, too lost in my own reverie. I nodded to the driver, pushing myself into the bus and picking the most familiar seat in the back corner.

It was a short bus ride, only 10 minutes, but enough time to finally stop thinking about that night. I made my way to the Flower Shop— walking in to be greeted by the soft smell of blooming flowers, and my mom, sitting behind the counter in deep conversation with a customer. I moved to the back storage room, grabbing a green apron and tying it around myself before starting with the plants.

Making my rounds around the shop, checking on flower pots and the progress of new blooms— it was a calming job. Easy to see why my mom loved it so much. There was also something so satisfying in being aide to the growth of something.

An hour or two passed, and my mom was yelling out a goodbye– giving me instructions like any normal day. I waved to her leaving figure, taking the spot behind the counter as more customers began to enter.

It was a busier day today, giving me a distraction that was well appreciated— and by closing time, I had almost forgotten completely about last night and the odd encounter with Jungkook today. As expected, no drunken knocks, or bunny smiles were thrown at me tonight. And locking up went as easy as it usually proved to be.

Replacing the relief I should’ve been feeling, there was another set of emotions. Too many to describe, though the familiar pull of disappointment hit me like a brick: surprising me more than anything else. I wasn’t sure what the disappointment was directed at anymore, but the feeling of it followed me the whole way home.

[karahalloway]

Sorry for the seriously delayed response!! Work and life have been manic for the past weeks, so I haven't been on Tumblr as much as I normally am... But! Better late than never!

i m so so so glad drake got his outta his ass and apologised to her!! it was lonnggg overdue ...

Agreed - Drake may get hot and bothered in the moment, and say a lot of things, but once he's had a chance to cool off, he will admit that he was out of line and apologise.

and now it makes sense why he was so worried...! like honestly if i were him I'd act the same way...my sister is the same way always keeping her phone on silent and all and it genuinely drives us all crazy!! 😂

Hahaha - I try to keep things relatable in these interactions, and use real-life experiences as a baseline, but you are the second person to say this exact same thing for this sequence, and it made me giggle because I think everyone's been in this situation, so you know exactly how frustrating it is trying to reach someone when they won't pick up the damn phone!

this chapter was jussst🤌🤌so needed!! conversation definitely if the key to a healthy relationship

the necklace was beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you!! I was so excited when I stumbled across it - I had to use it for this story!

and i am again glad that drake is leaving the guard...cuz it genuinely doesnt leave any time for family :(

This is why this chapter took as long as it did to finish - Drake dropped this bombshell on me, and I was like ...'kay? But, his decision (and his angst about it) makes sense - it is definitely not an easy choice, as he still feels some measure of obligation towards Chris, but he also recognises that he is very much part of the problem.

great chapter!! let's see how chris would react to drake's newss..

So, this is not 100% decided yet - part of me is thinking that maybe Drake will wait until after the tour to tell Chris (things will happen quite fast moving forward, so he may not actually have time to sit down and have a man-to-man with Chris)... Or he will tell him, but I honestly don't know how Chris is going to take it lol - I'm sure he'll tell me when we get to that point 😆

Thanks so much for reading, liking and reblogging! 🤗

(Less Than) Noble Intentions: Chapter 21 - You Give Me Reason

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale’s problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: (Less Than) Noble Intentions

Chapter Summary: Harper and Drake have lunch... and a heart-to-heart...

Word Count: 5,800

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, PDA, references to sex)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: Apologies for taking so long to get this out! This chapter ended up being quite a bit lengthier (and emotionally heavier) than planned, so it took longer than expected to wrangle into shape. Hope it's worth the wait!

A/N2: Translations for the Italian at the end.

Chapter 21 - You Give Me Reason

Grabbing my hand, Drake pulls me beneath a nondescript archway that I would've walked right past had I been on my own.

Passing through the relative coolness of the shadowy recess, we pop out into a small, eclectic-looking courtyard.

"Wow," I breathe, taking in the ivy-covered walls and the little Gorgon-headed fountain that is burbling merrily away in the far corner. "You never would've guessed that something like this is hidden in here!"

"Never judge a book by its cover, Gale..." he reminds me wryly, leading me across the well-worn cobblestones to a sunken doorway. "Watch your head."

Ducking down to avoid the low-hanging lintel, I follow Drake into the restaurant.

"Buongirono," greets a man wearing a black shirt and slacks, who I presume is the maître-d'. "Tavolo per due?"

"Sì," affirms Drake.

"Avete una prenotazione?"

"No," replies Drake. "Ma spero che non sia un problema. Zio Bruno mi ha assicurato che avresti avuto un tavolo per noi nel retro."

The maître-d' eyes up Drake for a long moment. "Certo," the man nods, grabbing a pair of menus and spreading his arm towards the back. "Da questa parte."

"Everything okay?" I ask as unobtrusively as I can.

"Just making sure they have a table for us," he assures me, laying a hand on my back. "Ladies first."

I quirk a brow at him as I move past. But Drake has an impeccable poker face, and doesn't offer up anything further by way of an explanation for the critical up-and-down the maître-d' subjected him to just now.

Maybe because we don't exactly look like a pair of politicians...?

The man leads us across the more-or-less empty dining room, which, in real terms, is little more than a cellar, with a low, curved ceiling and exposed brick for its walls. But the darkly varnished sheen of the square tables and the tea lights glowing in their glass lanterns give the place a cozy, intimate feel.

In short, it's exactly what I would've imagined a hole-in-the wall Italian place to look like in the heart of Rome. And it's definitely a welcome reprieve from the almost choking heat outside.

The maître-d' stops by a secluded table in the corner, and pulls one of the chairs out for me.

"Grazie," I acknowledge with a smile, settling down.

"Piacere," he replies, slotting a menu into my hands. "Gradite qualcosa da bare per comincare?"

"Erm..."

Drake quickly saves me from my lack of Italian. "Vorremmo due bicchieri di aqua con ghoaccio e limone."

"Ottimo," nods the maître-d' before retreating.

"What did he want to know?" I ask once he's out of earshot.

"Our drinks order," Drake replies, opening up his menu. "Given the heat, I told him to grab some water."

"Good call," I approve, following suit. I haven't had a sip of anything since we landed, so I'm definitely overdue for some rehydration.

"But there's a whole drinks menu as well," he adds, handing over a separate booklet that is noticeably thicker than the first one. "Most of it's gonna be wine, but there'll be options for beer and soft drinks at the back."

"Thanks," I acknowledge, taking the menu from him.

Flipping to the back, I am confronted with a sea of Italian, but with a bit of perseverance, I am able to pick out some familiar words like Pepsi, café and aqua.

"I'm guessing limonata is 'lemonade'?" I query.

"Yeah, but it's different from what you'd get in the States," Drake replies, flicking through his menu. "It'll be carbonated and not as sweet."

"I'm willing to be adventurous," I reply with a coy shrug, passing the drinks booklet back to him.

Drake's gaze meets mine across the candlelight, and I feel my heart skip a familiar beat at the sudden intensity of his gaze.

I open my mouth...

...but at that moment, a maître-d' reappears with our water, and the spell is broken.

"Ecco le bavande," the man declares, setting down a jug together with a pair of glasses. "Siete pronti per le ordinazione?"

"Sì," affirms Drake, flipping his menu shut. "Noi vorremmo..."

What follows is a rapid-fire back and forth that sounds more akin to an argument — complete with bombastic gesticulations on the part of the maître-d' — rather than any kind of civilised conversation.

Luckily, Drake seems to take the apparent interrogation in his stride, and responds every so often with a question, or a counterpoint, referencing the pages of the menu like a sergeant would a tactical ordnance survey.

After about five minutes, the maître-d' snaps the menus back into his possession and disappears towards the kitchen.

"What the heck was that about?" I ask in bewilderment once we're alone again.

"Making sure he got our order down."

"Sounded like he was on the verge of throwing us out..."

Drake scoffs as he reaches for his glass. "Italians are opinionated. Especially when it comes to food and wine pairings."

My jaw drops. "You ordered wine? I thought you hated that stuff."

He slants me a look over the rim of his glass. "We're in Italy. Had I not ordered wine, they damn sure would've kicked us to the curb. Plus, this isn't the kind of place that stocks whiskey."

"Fair point," I concede, taking a sip of my own water... and draining half the glass in the process. Reaching for a refill, I ask, "So, what did the intrepid Capitano Walker order?"

Drake rolls his eyes at me. "A standard four-course lunch."

I nearly drop the decanter. "Four courses!"

"When in Rome..." he says with a shrug, leaning back in his chair. "Plus, you said you were hungry."

"Not that hungry..."

Drake shakes his head with a wry smirk. "Again. We're not in the States, Gale. They're not trying to feed a whole family from one plate. Portions are smaller, so I mixed and matched a few different options."

"Such as...?"

He shrugs an impassive shoulder. "You'll see."

I let out an exasperated breath. "You're impossible..."

"Hey," he counters, meeting my eye again. "D'you trust me or not?"

"I—"

Once again, the reappearance of the maître-d' — this time with a decanter of wine — scuttles our conversation.

"Chianti Rùfina Riserva, 2020."

Placing the wine glasses on the table, he pours out a finger's worth and steps back, waiting for Drake's assessment.

With a finesse that would've made Bertrand swoon, Drake lifts the glass to give it an expert swirl, before closing his eyes to take in the aroma, and only then tasting it.

I eye him curiously, wondering if he had any other high-society life hacks hidden up his sleeve as a result of his years spent growing up at court.

After a second or two of contemplation, Drake gives the maître-d' a nod.

The man steps back up to the table to pour me half a glass as well, before placing the decanter between us and withdrawing again, only to be replaced by a pair of waiters, bearing a basket of bread, olive oil, a plate of razor-thin slices of prosciutto, as well as grilled artichoke hearts.

My mouth starts to water in anticipation. "Wow. This already looks like a feast!"

"Ain't gonna get fed looking at it," Drake prompts, sliding the starters towards me. "Dig in."

"What about you?" I ask, reaching for my fork to spear up servings of both dishes.

"If you want it all, have it," he assures me, picking up his wine again. "There's three more courses coming."

"Yeah, but—"

"Harper, I'm fine," he insists, locking me down with his mocha gaze. "Just eat already."

My mouth parts in protest, but he shuts me down with an uncompromising look.

Heaving a resigned sigh, I return my attention to my plate. Drake is right — I am hungry — and the sight and smell of the food before me very much reinforces that fact...

...especially since everything tastes like pure ambrosia.

The ham melts in my mouth, the lemony aioli coating the artichokes elevates the somewhat humble greens to a whole new level, and the bread manages to be both fluffy and flaky all at the same time.

In short, it's one of the best meals I've ever had, and I haven't even set sight on the main course yet. So, before I know it, I've cleared both plates.

"Hit the spot?"

Glancing up sheepishly, I see Drake looking at me from across the table with a knowing smirk.

"Sorry..." I mutter, laying my cutlery back down. "I—"

"Gale, like I said, it's fine. You—"

"Yeah, but—"

"If anyone needs to apologise, it's me."

His words catch me off-guard. "What for?"

"For being an ass," he gripes, looking away.

I drop my hands in my lap in consternation. "Drake, I didn't mean—"

"You did. But that's not the point." He rakes his hand through his hair. "The point is you were right. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that earlier... I just..."

"What?"

He heaves a low breath, not quite meeting my eye. "I was honestly expecting the worst."

I stiffen. "What do you mean?"

"Nobody knew where you were," he grits, expression tight. "Chris and Max said you left with Maddy to go the bridal shop... Livy swore on her parents' graves that she left you there with Hana... Only for Hana to turn around and say that you went back to the embassy because you weren't feeling well... Except you weren't there either. And when you didn't answer your phone, I—"

"But I had my phone with me the whole time," I protest, reaching into my bag. "And I didn't—"

Pulling the device out, my eyes land on the still-open camera app, which I must have forgotten to close after taking the photos at the fountain... and which I had apparently opened right from my bag without stopping to look at my lock screen.

"Oh."

"The volume up button is on the left," Drake advises dryly.

"Point taken," I tell him sheepishly as I swipe out of the camera app and come face to face with the multitude of missed calls and text alerts that had accumulated in the background.

"At least you kept your phone on you..."

"Is that how you found me?" I ask, swiping across the screen to clear the notifications.

"No," he corrects. "I called Allard. Who knew better than to lie to me."

"Sorry..." I say again, slotting my phone away again. "I didn't mean to freak you — or anyone else — out. I honestly thought I could get to the fountain and back before anyone noticed."

"And any other time, any other place, it'd've been fine," he accedes, reaching across the table by way of a tacit truce. "Hell, I'd've taken you myself! But we're not in Cordonia anymore, and this isn't the social season. You can't just—"

"I know..." I sigh, meeting his hand halfway. "But Madeleine was being such a bitchy bridezilla, and after the run-in with the Applewood photographer, I—"

"Wait," Drake interjects, leaning forward. "You found the photographer?"

"Yeah," I confirm distractedly. "He was at the boutique."

"And you talked to him?"

"Olivia did... mostly," I admit. "Though 'interrogated' might be a better word..."

Drake takes a moment to digest this. "And he had nothing useful to say."

"Not really," I say with a sigh. "But worse than that, he didn't care. Not about what Tariq did to me, not about the fact that I had obviously been set up, nor about how the photos he took turned my life upside down. And I just—"

"—had to get away from it all."

I nod tightly. "Yeah..."

"Hey. I get it," he says, tightening his hold on my hand. "This freak show? It's enough to drive anyone insane. But I—"

"Tutto bene?" asks the waiter, swooping in from out of the blue at the worst possible moment.

"Sì," grunts Drake, dropping my hand like a burning match. "Grazie."

Probably catching onto the slightly tense atmosphere 'round our table, the waiter beats a hasty retreat with the empty plates.

"But what?" I prompt, once we're alone again.

Drake lifts his gaze to mine. "I can't have you get hurt again."

My shoulders slump. "Drake, I told you, that wasn't your—"

"It was," he insists. "Every time you've gotten hurt, it's been because of me. Either I wasn't there when I should've been, or I lost my cool and I—"

I shake my head insistently. "That's not—"

"I gave you fucking bruises, Harper!" he snaps. "On your neck! How the hell can you sit there and—?"

Plates of steaming pasta suddenly appear between us. "Ecco il primo piatto."

Drake flops back into his chair. "Oh, for fuck's s—!"

"Grazie," I say quickly, hoping the simple acknowledgment is enough to send the waiter on his way again, so Drake doesn't explode in front of me.

But I have no such luck.

"Vuoi del pepe o del parmigiano grattugiato?"

"Err..."

"No," replies Drake somewhat testily, as irked by the constant interruptions as I am. "Stiamo bene."

The waiter bobs his head before retreating. "Buon appetito."

A heavy silence descends on the table, interrupted only by the occasional fizz of wax dripping off the candle between us.

I extend my hand again. "Drake, I'm not angry with you for—"

His darkened gaze meets mine. "Don't make excuses for me, Harper. I don't deserve it."

"But—"

"Dammit, girl!" he snaps, slamming a fist onto the table, and making me jump. "I can't fucking think straight when it comes to you... Let alone act in any way even that's even close to being rational! I'm nothing but a goddamn liability..."

"Wh-what are you saying?" I whisper, feeling the food I've just eaten turn to lead in the pit of my stomach.

He's not... is he?

"I'm saying..." He rakes his hand agitatedly through his hair. "I... I had a lot of time to think on the plane. And I realised this whole thing... It isn't working. And I—"

"Are..." I gulp past the burn of the acid that's suddenly choking my throat. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Drake jerks back as if I'd stabbed him. "What! No! That's the last thing that I—!"

"Then why the hell are you trying to scare the bejesus out of me!"

"I—" He swallows thickly. "Shit. I'm sorry, Harper. I've fucked this beyond recognition..."

"Fucked what?" I demand, loud enough for the patrons of the occupied tables to turn their heads.

"That I'm thinking of quitting the Guard."

I nearly fall off my chair. "What!"

"It's past overdue," he huffs ruefully, folding his arms over the top of the table. "And I should've handed in my resignation months ago."

My head is still reeling from his unexpected announcement. "You... You don't want to look out for me anymore?"

"I'll always look out for you, Harper," he corrects, reaching for my hand again. "But in hindsight, I was an idiot to agree to head up your Guard detail."

"Why?" I whisper.

His fingers wrap around mine. "Because I love you."

"And I love you," I affirm confusedly. "But why is that—?"

"It's a conflict of interest," he expounds. "A fucking big one. And it's compromising my judgment."

"Because of Christian..." I murmur with sudden clarity as my mind falls back to the flashpoint of Valtoria... and its aftermath.

Drake nods. "I may be assigned to you, but because of the oath I took, my ultimate loyalty is to him. At least... it's supposed to be. But I can't pretend that's true anymore."

"But you said at the gun range—"

"And I stand by that. But if it came down to choosing between him and you...?" His grip on my hand tightens. "I ain't choosing him."

My throat constricts. "You don't know that..."

"Actually, I do," he insists, mocha gaze meeting mine solemnly across the candlelight. "Because I've been making the same choice every day for the past three months."

"But he's your best friend..."

"Like I said... Things change..."

I glance away uncomfortably. All because of me...

Drake heaves a low breath. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Harper. I never expected to find myself in this position, because I never expected to meet anyone like you. But if I'm being brutally honest with myself, I'd throw Chris to the wolves if it meant keeping you safe."

I swallow tightly. "Let's hope it never comes to that..."

"Agreed," he concedes. "But the fact remains that I'm stuck in a Catch-22. I can't abide by my oath to Chris and still put you first. At least not in any way that's fair on either of you. Which means something's gotta give."

"And that something is you?"

"It's the cleanest solution," he admits. "If I resign, I'm no longer being pulled in two directions. Just one."

"And you think that will make a difference?"

"Yes," he affirms, running his thumb over the back of my hand. "Because what I'll gain is space... and agency. Not to mention time. With you. I won't be yanked away on other tasks, I won't have to deal with the bureaucratic bullshit and paperwork. And I won't have to answer to anyone else but you."

A flush creeps up my cheeks. "You saying that I'd be your boss?"

"I already do things for you against my better judgement, mon coeur..." he replies with a sardonic smirk."So, in real terms, it wouldn't really be that big a shake-up. Except for the fact that Chris won't be able to court martial me for insubordination the next time I flip him the proverbial bird."

"But you'll lose your diplomatic immunity," I remind him. "And your access to the Guard's systems."

"True," he concedes. "But we got Tariq now. Which makes both those things a moot point."

"Not necessarily," I counter. "We still don't know who he's working with... or whether he'll even give up that information."

"He will," comes the stone-faced assurance. "Grade-A assholes like him — they're all about self-preservation. He'll crack under the right pressure."

I gulp uncomfortably. "Wh-where is he now?"

"Nursing a broken jaw in the Palace dungeons."

My eyes widen. "You broke his jaw, too!"

"He's lucky I didn't castrate him for what he tried to do to you..."

A shiver runs down my spine at the memory of that horrible day...

...but also a welcome sense of relief.

"Thank you," I say sincerely. "For finding him. And bringing him back."

"No need to thank me, girl," he murmurs. "I made you a promise. I'm just keepin' it."

"I still appreciate it," I reply. "Not many things have been going right lately..."

"I know," he huffs ruefully. "But hopefully we're past the worst of it now. And I know it's past overdue, but I meant what I said. I'm sorry I was such a dick before. I just—"

"—got caught off guard by the bruises and the signet ring," I finish wryly. "I know. And then everything else happened so fast that we didn't get a chance to talk about it, and—"

"It's not just that," he grumbles. "I... I know I was the one who talked you into coming back — to fight your corner... But if we're being honest, I've done a piss-poor job of backing you up. If anything, I've only been adding my own insecure shit to the rest of the steaming pile that you've got to deal with, and—"

Leaning across the table, I press my fingers to his lips. "No. You're the only one keeping me going, Drake."

His shoulders drop. "Harp—"

"I mean it," I insist, brushing my hand away from his mouth to coast down his jaw. "Everyone at court — Christian, Madeleine... even the Beaumonts — only care about themselves and the furtherance of their own schemes. You are the only person — in addition to Hana — who has been completely honest with me from day one, and who has consistently been there for me without expecting anything in return. So, I'm not going to let you brow-beat yourself when it gets all too much for you... when you get overwhelmed by it all. Because like me, you're only human, Drake. And there's only so much we can cope with on the best of days, let alone when we're constantly having to swim against the tide. But what keeps me going... what gives me the strength to get out of bed each day and face whatever it is that the press and the aristos decide to throw at me, is the knowledge that somewhere — at the end of it all — lies a little haven of normalcy. Where we don't have to sneak around, where I no longer have to pretend to be the Royal Consort, and where I can hold your hand without it becoming front-page news. Because that's what I want — those real, everyday moments with you that keep being denied by this stupid scandal hanging over my head."

His mocha gaze searches mine for a long moment. "We got a lot to make up for..."

"You can say that again," I agree with a roll of my eyes. "But you're worth the wait, Drake. You always have been."

The last of his resistance crumbles. "Christ, Harper..."

Before I have a chance to blink, he's surged out of his seat to clasp my face between his palms, tugging me across the table so that he can meet my lips with barely restrained passion.

The front of my dress dips over the top of the steaming plates of pasta, but in that moment, as his lips part mine and I catch the faint aftertaste of black coffee on his tongue, I honestly can't care less.

God, I missed him...!

Grabbing onto his shoulders in a bid to keep myself upright in the face of his demands, I kiss him feverishly back, glad that he's back, glad that we're rowing in sync once more, despite the choppiness of the waves surrounding us.

He groans against my mouth. "Have I mentioned you drive me to the edge of reason, girl?"

"Once... or twice..." I gasp, feeling the heat pool between my legs in response to the scrape of his stubble across my skin.

"Good," he smirks. "Can't have you forgettin' it."

"No danger of that, cowboy," I assure him with a nip of his lips. "You're all I think about."

A low sound rattles his throat as he presses me to him once more. "Sweet Jesus, you have no idea..."

I melt against him, savouring this sweet moment of calm before we're forced to head back out into the inevitable storm.

Which reminds me...

"I have... something for... you," I manage to squeeze out between our compressed lips.

His eyes snap open. "Whaddaya mean?"

"It's nothing big," I admit with a final peck as I sink back into my seat and reach for my bag. "But since you got me the bracelet, I thought—"

His hands fall down to clasp either side of the table in consternation. "Gale, I told you—"

"—you don't expect anything in return," I finish, locating the jewellery box and pulling it out. "I know. And I wasn't really planning on getting you anything, because I know how you feel about presents and surprises. But I saw this, so I'm hoping you'll make an exception."

He stares back at me unconvincedly as he too takes his seat again. "That's kind of a tall order, girl..."

I punt him under the table. "Shut up! You secretly loved the surprise party I threw you for your birthday!"

"I said it wasn't terrible," he corrects, managing to dodge out of the way. "Which is a far cry from saying that I loved it."

"Tell yourself what you want, Walker," I grin back, holding the box out to him. "Because I've got you down pat."

His eyes drop down to my hand as of it were cradling a stick of dynamite. "You sound mighty sure of yourself..."

"If it helps, you can think of it as a late birthday present," I prompt. "Or a retirement gift."

He flicks his gaze back up to mine. "So, you're good with me pulling the trigger on that?"

I shrug back at him. "It's your job. You don't need my permission to—"

"But I want it anyway."

The naked sincerity behind his words catches me off guard. "Why?"

"Because you asked me to let you in more," he reminds me. "And this is what that looks like."

I feel a flush creep up my cheeks again. "Oh."

"But also because this impacts you as well," he continues, reaching out to pluck the box out of my hand so he could entwine our fingers together once more. "And I don't want to make a one-sided decision without your buy-in. Especially not when it comes to your safety."

"What about Christian?" I ask, searching his gaze.

Drake heaves a low breath. "Honestly? This isn't up to him. This is between me and you. Because you're the one who asked me to head your Guard detail. So, if I'm going to do this, I need you to be okay with the fact that Allard and Schweitzer — not the mention the six other guys you have in your detail — will no longer report to me."

"Thought you were going to fire the two of them anyway..."

He slants me a side-long look. "You ain't letting this go, are you?"

"Nope," I confirm. "Because neither of them did anything wrong. They stayed with me the whole time I was out, helped me buy a change of clothes and shoes so I wouldn't stand out so much, took me through the side-streets and—"

"Christ, you're like a dog with a goddamn bone..." he huffs. "Fine. I won't fire them. But one more screw up, and they'll be spending the next year in the Palace basement, backing up CCTV footage."

"That... does not sound fun..."

"Wouldn't be much of a demotion if it was..."

I shake my head wryly. "You really are a hardass boss, aren't you?"

"Kind have to be," he admits. "Got a pain-in-the-ass principal to deal with."

I kick out at him again. "You're the one to talk!"

He somehow manages to trap my foot between his shins. "Hey. I'm just sayin'... Looking after you is a helluva lot of work."

I roll my eyes at him. "Who will they report to instead?"

"Depends on what Chris decides to do," he shrugs. "He could assign a new CO to the team, or he could pick up the reigns himself."

"And you would be okay with that?" I query skeptically.

"What Chris chooses to do — or not do — with his own men is up to him," he replies flatly. "My priority is you. It always has been. And the less that gets in the way of that, the better. At least in my mind. But the final decision is yours, mon coeur."

"I can't say I'm completely at ease with it," I admit. "Not because I don't trust you. I do. And I know this whole thing has been hard on you. So, if you think that quitting the Guard is the best solution — for everyone — then I'm going to support you in what you decide to do. I just feel guilty that it has had to come to this at all — you having to choose between me and your best friend."

"Honestly?" he murmurs with a heavy exhale. "It's not a choice. At least not for me. I've given up the past five years of my life for Chris. And I don't say that to be shitty or bitter. It's just a fact. But it's time to move on. Because being a Guard? It ain't just a job. It's your entire goddamn life. And there's no room for anything else next to it. Hell, I learnt that the hard way."

"Because of what happened with your Dad?" I ask quietly.

He nods, jaw clenching with emotion. "I've always looked up to him, y'know? Thought he had the most kick-ass job in the world, getting to wear a suit, to carry a gun... like a real-life James Bond. But I wasn't stupid. I saw first-hand the toll the obligations of the job took on both him and Mom. Because apart from the occasional holiday, or the odd camping trip, we barely got to spend any time together as a family. Mom practically raised me and Savs by herself — all while holding down an equally demanding job of her own. And I was okay with that. Because I knew what Dad did was important. But I never planned to follow in his footsteps."

"Is that why you decided to go to college in Texas?"

"In part, yeah," he admits. "Also to be closer to Mom and Aunt Lee. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. But I knew that whatever it was, I wasn't gonna find it at court."

"But you came back anyway..."

"In hindsight, the best damn decision I never wanted to be forced to make," he says, raising our clasped hands up to his lips. "But that's exactly why I don't want to screw this up... And make the same mistakes Dad made. I'd rather go back to shovelling shit in the stables for less than minimum wage than shoot what we have in the foot because I'm not able to be there when you need me to be."

"What will you do instead?"

"No clue," he admits. "But I owe you a holiday, so I figure we start there. Everything else? We can hammer out later."

"Are you sure?" I ask, searching his gaze.

"More sure than I've ever been about anything else in my life," he affirms. "Because ultimately, a job's a job. I can always get another one. But a girl like you? That's as rare as rocking horse shit. So, I know which one I'd prefer to keep..."

I can't help but snort at his unconventional metaphor... even as my heart swells with emotion. Because I feel exactly the same way about him.

"You got yourself a deal, cowboy," I tell him with a smile. "Now open your present."

"Dammit," he cusses under his breath. "Thought I managed to throw you off that."

"No chance of that, bud," I reply, pushing the box firmly towards him. "I'm not so easily distracted."

"That's not the way I remember it..." he counters, dropping his free hand under the table to circle my bare ankle — which I still have raised — and slide my foot into his lap.

My skin erupts into goosebumps at his touch.

"...'cause if memory serves," he murmurs, coasting the warmth of his palm up the back of my calf, "it's just a matter of finding the right distraction..."

A needy moan slips past my lips as his fingers reach the sensitive skin of my knee. "Kind of like this?" I ask breathlessly, twisting my ankle slightly.

His mocha gaze darkens as the bridge of my foot brushes across the growing protrusion in the front of his jeans. "Don't make me throw you across the table, girl."

"Better hurry up and open your present, then," I prompt, sliding my foot down across the inside of his thigh meaningfully.

He exhales sharply. "Christ, you're impossible..."

"I learnt from the best."

He drops his hand with a snort. "Touché, baby. Fine. I'll make an exception. But you owe me."

"Always a catch..." I mutter with a roll of my eyes as I pick up the box and toss it at him.

His hand shoots out to intercept it with a smirk. "Hey. I learnt from the best."

A genuine laugh bursts out of me. "Guess we're just as bad as each other, huh, Walker?"

"Guess so," he agrees, peeling the paper back. "On which note... This isn't a set of handcuffs, is it?"

"No," I tell him. "But I can get some for you for Christmas, if you want."

He cocks a brow at me as he drops the last of the wrapping. "So much for not getting off on all that BDSM crap..."

"Maybe I'm slowly coming 'round to the idea..." I return with a coy smile, trailing the arch of my foot up the inside of his leg.

The liquid fire of his espresso gaze burns into me. "You're definitely kinkier than you let on, girl..."

"Gotta keep you on your toes somehow, cowboy."

A low scoff escapes him. "My heels haven't touched solid ground since you walked up to our table in that New York dive, mon coeur."

An inadvertent flush rises up my cheeks. "You've been a bundle of surprises, too, Drake."

"Yeah. Well," he shrugs, flipping the lid up. "Gotta keep some sus—" He trails off as his eyes fall on the contents of the box.

"Do... you like it?" I ask hesitantly, trying to gauge his reaction, admittedly without much success.

He stares at the necklace nestled on its black velvet cushioning, barely even breathing. "I— I don't fucking know what to say..."

I feel the heat rise up my throat. "I can take it back if—"

His eyes jerk up to mine. "Why the hell would you—?"

"You obviously don't like it, so—"

"Like it?" he scoffs, carefully lifting the harp-shaped pendant out of its box. "Harper. You couldn't top this even if you tried."

I still. "Really?"

"It's hands-down the best thing I've ever been given. By anyone. And that includes the limited edition, 18-year-old bottle of Willett single-barrel Kentucky bourbon Chris got me for my 18th birthday."

I look up at him in genuine surprise. "Didn't think anything could beat out whiskey in your book."

"Trust me," he assures me, slipping the length of silver rope chain over his head. "You do."

My blush creeps higher. "Hopefully it's long enough. But if it isn't, I can always—"

"It's perfect," he interjects, scooping the pendant up to press it against his lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I reply with a smile as he tucks the chain behind the security of his shirt.

"I kinda hate to admit this," he drawls sardonically, "but you really do have me down pat..."

"Don't worry, Walker," I assure him with a wink. "Your secret's safe with me."

The warmth of his mocha gaze meets mine across the now very melted-down candle sitting between us. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I breathe, settling my foot between his under the table as I allow myself to drift off on the lazy currents of the moment.

The story continues in Chapter 22 - Coming soon!

A/N: Translations for the Italian below:

Buongirono. Tavolo per due? - Good day. Table for two?

Sì - Yes.

Avete una prenotazione? - Do you have a reservation?

No. Ma spero che non sia un problema. Zio Bruno mi ha assicurato che avresti avuto un tavolo per noi nel retro. - No. But I hope that's not a problem. Uncle Bruno advised that he would always have a table for us at the back.

Certo. Da questa parte. - Of course. This way, please.

Grazie - Thanks.

Piacere. Gradite qualcosa da bare per comincare? - My pleasure. Would you like to start with something to drink?

Vorremmo due bicchieri di aqua con ghoaccio e limone. - We'll have two glasses of water with ice and lemon.

Ottimo - Perfect.

Ecco le bavande. Siete pronti per le ordinazione? - Here are the drinks. Are you ready to order?

Sì. Noi vorremmo... - Yes. We'll have...

Tutto bene? - Is everything okay?

Vuoi del pepe o del parmigiano grattugiato? - Would you like some pepper, or grated parmigiano?

No. Stiamo bene. - No. We're good.

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(Less Than) Noble Intentions only (let me know if you want to be added!)

@thetruthisthatiloveyou @anakjaybon-blog

[silverkrahe]

It’s been a lonnggg time since I’ve read ToG but...

I never really hated Chaol that much in ToG.

He was so flawed and self-righteous, in the same way many of the characters were, but it actually made sense and seemed realistic for him to think those things. He was proud, something which took him a  verrry long time to get over. He was dutiful and loyal to a (very literal) fault, and it crashed him to rebel even though it was the right thing. He was very flawed - and realistic.

He was also completely in the right to not trust Aelin after she got her powers. His main concern is that she’d go on and become unstoppable, and she literally considers colonising the world with her powers. And she still thinks he’s ridiculous for thinking that... and then you realise it’s because SJM romanticises fucking colonisation of all things.

And I was always so confused when Aelin was mad at him for running when Dorian, who sacrificed himself for Chaol, Adarlan, the whole continent in general, gets trapped by ... HAHA I can’t even remember the villain’s name - his “dad”. Like if Chaol didn’t run he’d just be dead too and you’d have no one to relay all of this information to you to fix things. Tf

I know a lot of people didn’t like him from the very first book, but I definitely think he suffered the ol’ SJM ruining-her-side-characters-to-make-her-main ones-look-better because she’d bad at writing. Regardless, I’m happy how he turned out, and I liked Yrene too. If I had to choose a favourite book it would be Tower of Dawn.

[thebestoftimes]

Fascinating things that come to light in The Goldfinch (2019) movie and just things I liked

The most distinct thing to me was all of the parallels between characters in Theo’s life (mostly Boris and everyone else)

Theo wakes up alone in a nightmare both at his stay with the Barbours and during his engagement to Kitsey, paralleled with the scene where Boris comforts him and urges him back to sleep (a scene that is actually much longer than I would have expected Cr*wley to do)

Blurring Kitsey and focusing on Boris in the background at his engagement party

Theo finding out about Kitsey cheating on him, only to come to terms with the fact that neither of them loved each other and their relationship is a relationship of convenience, only to run into Boris-- someone he actually loves and knows that he does. Kitsey proposes they stay together to make other people (like her mother) happy. In the car that night with Boris, Boris can only focus on what would make Theo happy. 

“I have no family, no friends-” vs. “I took conversational Russian. Because of you. It made me think of you.”

Pippa crying about how they can’t lean on each other and then Theo going off to Amsterdam with Boris based on pure trust, followed by literally being supported by Boris during his attempted suicide.

Ansel acting his goddamn HEART out for two and a half hours because book Theo is so fucking closed off  and always internally monologuing but the movie needs a way to indicate reactions to things, unlike book Theo who’s go-to is the this is fine meme

It’s much easier to see how Theo would get hooked on drugs when you watch the movie compared to the spaced-out incidents in the book. The morphine lollipop, the pill from Ms. Barbour, and the pills from Xandra. Boris’ encouragement was just icing on a cake that was already there.

I’m sorry but Finn Wolfhard’s little “ha!” is so cute and there’s a scene where Aneurin does it too lmao

Finn’s accent isn’t even bad lmao the movie even mentions that Boris comes from all over. He’s gotta fucked up accent anyways. 

John Cr*wley said boreo is reductive yet left out all the straightest parts about Boris??? No kotku, talks about sleeping with girls, or the weird ass scene about his “wife and kids” (put in quotes because there’s discourse about whether Boris was lying or not. Just a half-assed scene of Boris staring at Xandra and commenting how hot she is. Finn Wolfhard really tried with that one but boy was that awkward to watch. 

In the movie the only people that kiss Theo are the people he actually loves and that’s Mrs. Barbour (on the cheek) and Boris send tweet

This is something that other people have already talked about on here in regards to book analysis but the parallels between all of the dead things, old things, lifeless things (antiques, the barbours, engagement to kitsey) and Boris being a feral yet tender force of motion is oof. Book Theo speaks about how he loves Boris because of how alive he really is, and how he doesn’t feel defined by his surroundings or his actions. Ansel Elgort's shy yet excited expressions really show the awe that Theo feels surrounded by so much life (Aneurin’s Boris). 

“Theo. Swim.”

“Theo. Stand.”

Finn Wolfhard and Aneurin Barnard’s lonnggg looks at Theo bye Alexa play Codex by Radiohead

The hand touching by the pool. 

Boris rubbing Theo’s back when he made him throw up.

Vibe check (the really long forehead touch thing)

Boris and Theo holding hands and crying during Boris’ good vs bad speech at the end. Ansel and Aneurin really said fuck John Cr*wley huh.

Playing Apocalypse by Cigarettes After Sex during the Pippa and Theo dinner scene is homophobic

Phenomenal casting. They all fucking killed it. But here are the scenes I felt everyone did the best in

Oakes: “It was my fault” scene by the pool

Finn: “I need to tell you something” and his trying to beg Theo to stay. Honorable mention from the strong switch from relaxed boy watching movies to angsty child facing his dad. That scene kicked my ass I wanted to throw up when his dad started literally kicking the crap out of him. God.

Ansel: He was truly great, I can’t imagine how hard it must be playing Theo fucking Decker. But he shined in the Civics Textbook reveal scene.

Aneurin: The car scene. Talking about how guilty he is then going from devastated to disbelief to anger to devastated again. Jesus christ. Also his little smiles in the movie? The small one that he uses only half his mouth for. Welsh excellence.

Ashleigh: The dinner date. Of course. Girl had me wanting to cry in the club.

The book talks about this in a way that might seem odd or strange for someone to hear, but the movie actually makes it make more sense

After the death of his mother, everyone treats Theo with a light touch and kid gloves and hushed voices. Like he is very fragile. You can tell he wants to pretend things are normal with the conversation he strikes up with  Tom Cable-- like nothing has happened. The way Boris responds to hearing about the death of Theo’s mother is very relaxed. He cares, sure, but Boris’ life is so equally fucked up that he’s like eh that’s life. He doesn’t think Theo is weaker for what has happened to him. He takes Theo’s trauma in stride-- seeing it as a way they’re connected rather than separated. In the book, Theo is grateful for Boris’ blasé way of handling the news and the movie really highlights that scene well, with Boris’ little “ha!” and subject change followed with Oakes’ little smile of relief.

I hope this doesn’t suggest that Boris doesn’t care about what happened to Theo, that is blatantly untrue and counteracted by Boris’careful listening of Theo’s “secret”, his gentle inquiring if Theo misses his Mom at their Thanksgiving, and of course with his patience and physical comfort regarding Theo’s nightmares.

I could talk even longer about the nuances that are missed in the movie without the book but I wanted to be positive :)

[iaintyourbro]

I really don’t understand Aer/ith character in the OG we she fell for Cloud but my question is how she fell for him if she didn’t know the real him ❓ i mean for 4 years she didn’t move one from Zack but then came a guy who she knew nothing about esp the real him she was interested in him because he reminded her of Zack but she came to love when she barely knew him and didn’t know the real him not to mention that crappy fanfiction Maiden novel stating she loves Cloud more than Zack wtaf⁉️❗️1/2

I mean seeing how things changed in the remake i wonder if the devs are going down that road again with Aer/th falling for the not real Cloud again esp after all that Aerti friendship build up like i know Cloud is the protagonist but they don’t have to make every girl in the game fall for him ,opposite sex can have beautiful friendship without forcing romance into it,even if it fan service do they know it this fan service that many people got their story wrong and twisted it 23 years ago 2/2

Hey there! Thanks for the ask. 

So everything I’m going to write is my opinion on the matter and how I perceived the game (OG and Remake, mainly). Many moons ago when all this LTD stuff started, there were comments made by the devs about there being a love triangle. This was meant to enforce the illusion of Cloud’s persona. So, it did exist in OG. It wasn’t the main point of the story, and it was very subtle, especially to western audiences. I’d say OG’s makeup was maybe 5% romance, 95% other crazy shit. 

The problem is, people took it to be the ENTIRE game. So here we are, 23 years later... 

First, OG Talk

In any case, my view on Aerith, Cloud, and Tifa... I think when people say that Cloud was in love with Aerith or Aerith was in love with Cloud, they’re using too strong of a word. Love is a really strong word for what they may have had. I’d say it was infatuation at best.

Cloud wasn’t even aware that Aerith was interested. This is canon that he was oblivious to both Aerith and Tifa’s feelings.

I do not think that Aerith was “in love” with Cloud at any point. I do think she was very interested in him at first because she saw Zack in him - he had the same sword, wore the same clothes, and in OG, he had some of his mannerisms, like the squatting. 

In Remake, Aerith is more interested in finding out about Zack. She even tells Cloud UP FRONT once they sit down to talk about this, that Zack was her first love. In the OG, she says it wasn’t serious (then later admits she loved him). Zack and Aerith were together for quite a while prior to his departure for Nibelheim, she then wrote 89 letters to him. 

To say Aerith didn’t care about Zack like MWTtP does always blows my mind and makes me a bit angry. For one, it makes Aerith look like a total asshole towards Zack. This guy could have run out of Nibelheim undetected and left Cloud there to rot, but he made sure to get him out and then made his way back to Midgar. Of course Cloud was slowing him down. He could barely walk, couldn’t talk, couldn’t feed himself, and this guy TOOK CARE OF HIM.

And the whole point was to go back to Aerith. That’s the reason he was going to Midgar. They could have stopped in Gongaga, Cosmo Canyon, take your pick of town, but it was right to Midgar. 

Problem is, most of the stuff I just wrote wasn’t known until Crisis Core came out, almost 10 years after OG. So people assumed that Zack was a ladies man, since that was said in the OG, and that he didn’t care about Aerith. MWTtP was written before Crisis Core. MWTtP also is NOT canon. 

In the OG, Aerith’s date is more to give the player the foreshadowing that Cloud isn’t who he says he is. Now, most of us that played this game back in the day were kids or teens. A lot of these things went over our heads.

This is long as hell, so here’s a Keep Reading

In my opinion of OG Romance Piece: Cloud was a bit infatuated with Aerith, but didn’t forget about Tifa, they’re just terrible at showing it. We remembered the game WRONG in many cases (that’s a whole other post). It’s important to note, you CAN be flat out mean to Aerith based on player choice in OG, but CANNOT be MEAN to Tifa. You can be neutral with her, but not flat out mean. 

I mean, let’s look at the GS dates. Aerith’s date ends and she asks you if you don’t like spending time with her. You can tell her you don’t or you can tell her you do, but Cloud follows up with “It’s not that..” 

Tifa’s date ends and Cloud wants to know what she was trying to say, but she clams up and can’t. You do not get a choice on whether Cloud had fun with Tifa or not - he apparently had fun.

I did NOT see anything honestly in OG early on. The romance for me wasn’t there until way later, when it’s slammed in your face in Mideel when Tifa is like “I’m gonna stay by his side.” I remember being like “ohhhhhhhhh....” (Still did not really ship or see much romance in FF7 OG, though, as a kid).

As an adult, it’s easier for me to see it and pick up on things, but I still actively looked for CA stuff and it’s really not as extreme as it’s made out to be.

For me, the Love Triangle died when Aerith died. In the OG, after Aerith dies, she’s not mentioned again for a lonnggg time. It had forgotten about it by time they mention her again. Some people were very attached to her and had a hard time playing past this point, it seems...

My Thoughts on Remake and the Future Parts

Okay, so Remake blew me away. As somebody who came in to it with no shipping preference, I was like “okay I don’t remember this stuff...” 

Remake is definitely HEAVY HANDED with sexual tension and romance... but only really with Tifa and Cloud.

Aerith HERSELF ended the LTD. Her resolution, her side comments, how she completely stops flirting with Cloud, SHE ended it. However, I don’t think she would have had to. Cloud didn’t seem to really enjoy Sector 5 all that much. I was pretty surprised when I played it and Elmyra said “Don’t talk to Aerith again.” and he’s like “No problem, see ya.” I was like oh okay.... so... what is going on with this? (I also did ALL of Aerith’s quests including Language of Flowers, so it’s not that I didn’t see all of it.)

Aerith also immediately starts to attach to Tifa, and as time goes on, moves to trusting Tifa more (so it seems). And I’m really happy about that.

I do not think Aerith will even try to pursue anything with Cloud, nor will Cloud try to do anything with Aerith. 

The line was drawn in Part 1. Cloud is almost borderline obsessed with Tifa - when Tifa is sad he says her name, when Tifa isn’t in his view, he’s looking for her, he touches her constantly. 

If Aerith suddenly was like “fuck Tifa, I’m going to try to get with Cloud” it would really just... screw up all that buildup in Part 1. I think that Zack was shown as well to really just keep adding nails in the coffin for this. It also would be BOTH Cloud and Aerith completely pulling 180s on how they’ve been acting. 

I’d be absolutely shocked if they do that. If anything, I think you’ll see Tifa and Aerith’s relationship get a lot stronger. 

I would say that they showed great improvement with his relationships with Barret, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. They showed him getting more comfortable with Tifa (even though that went quick compared to the others). The one relationship I didn’t see much focus on improvement or him being more open with long term was Aerith. 

We rescue Aerith in Chapter 16 and he’s like “cool, let’s go.” He barely says anything to her. It’s the one person that is just “around”. Their interactions past Chapter 12 are almost just a way to drive the plot. The exception is her resolution if you get it, but her resolution also is packed full of OG references and foreshadowing. Everything Aerith says and does is important for the overall plot. 

In Chapter 17 and 18 he only talks to Aerith directly regarding what’s next and what’s going on. 

Hopefully that answered your question. I like talking about this stuff!

[sodasyrup]

I love,,,,, domestic lava au... You should do more of it. I'd love to know more about reka and monty too!

BWAAA...

Okay as I said it’s an au with kittie (6kuro) so I’m gonna grab the things it said and I said lmao

warning its a LONG disjointed post bc im too tired to make. a good post fdhghdf

lovelypeaches08/28/2019cole and kai would settle down real late like....in their late thirties because they want to keep their children as safe as possible, being elemental masters and having enemies and all

at first wu wants them to fight longer and shit but hes OLD so who cares and theres probably conflict on thatbut kai and cole are old enough to realized they dont have to be controlled

so they get married, symbolically if anything, because they've been dating for probably a little over a decade now and known each other even longer, AND been living together for the same amount of time

theyre the first of the ninja to settle down, and they buy a small house in a village thats maybe an hour away from ninjago city

the tininess of the house is made up for by the largeness of the yard, where cole likes to garden, especially fruits and vegetables

cole works as a stay at home free lance artist, doing stuff like commissions, book covers, comics, etc for moneykai does something that puts his charisma to use, probably something in business that lets him advertise and talk a lot..he could never settle down for a stay at home job or anything, even with all his thrilling ninja stories

they have enough money from donations and awards to thrive off these jobs, and ninjago probably pays them kind of like retirement

cole cooks for kai so he always has a meal ready when hes home, so then kai cooks on the weekend

anyways, they have two kids, about 3 years aparti haven't figured them much out yet, but kai and cole cook and bake with themcoles parenting style is very protective and rather spoils them, while kai lets them do whatever as long as its not immediately dangerousthey balance each other out well, so their kids grow up loved and well rounded

lovelypeaches08/28/2019coles always buying them sweets and treats and Kai pretends to be annoyed but thinks its really cute

the kids go to a small school on the outskirts of ninjago city, and get asked about their parents a LOT. they kind of like the attention but it gets irritating

moving on to the other ninja who also start to settle down,jay doesnt really want kids, so he passes on his powers with ~science~ or something, but only when hes a lot olderhe does engineering at borg industries or something, and he messes around a lot but gets away with it bc hes the blue ninjahes like kai and coles kids Fun Uncle, since he lives in a big apartment in downtown ninjago city, with a bunch of cool techkai and coles family often take elongated road trips therejay thinks hes a cool relative but besides being super lenient hea actually kind of embarrassing lol

nya settles down a bit later than the rest of them, because she wants to live her ninja days to the fullesti could go on about my domestic samurai au but her and pixal have a kid who gets nyas water powersnya is much more eager to train her kid than cole and Kai are (they want to start properly training thwir children when theyre like 16, much to wus disappointment)nya doesn't force anyrhing on her kid but she doesnt protect her kid from the fact they'll have to train sooner or latershes determined on still changing the world, so she's a strong political leader, with innovative ideas who doesnt approve of ninjagos government and wants to change it for the betterShe also lives in downtown, but isn't as fun as jayher kid is younger than kai and coles, but kai and coles kids look up to them because they're very independent and skilled! their mom is also super cool, but not in a silly way. she rocks leather jackets and drives her kid around on a motorcycle

lovelypeaches08/28/2019zane is tricky for me...i like to imagine him sticking with lloyd to being a ninja or whatever, since hes going to be alive a lonnggg timehe also wants to respect wus wishes, so he teaches students and fights alongside lloydhe does so much less however, and finds a lot of time to visit his friends

kai and coles kids are shy around him at first, him being a nindroid whose still a ninja, but hes so much nicer and softer than expectedhe always brings them presenrs and enjoys quality time with them, so he's basically their favorite uncle

now lloyd continues his master training, to become the next master after wu dies. hed be the one to guide the next generation of elemental masters as well as their parents in training thembut don't worry, he gets a break too, since the other ninja help him out. hes much less burdened then wu was in the later years of his lifeok thats all i think

My commentary now

little boy whos like 3 and super wide eyed and excited and loves pink (when he foudn out zane at one point had a pink gi he asked if he could get one too)older girl around 6 whos a big daddys girl and loves to garden with cole and make mud piez

the little girl is the fire em - she had temper issues linked to autismz which they worked through her with early and never thought of it but she has a big passion for gardening they mistook for elemental connection when rly she just LUVS IT

little boy is em of earth - hes a natural born leader and stubborn, wide eyed and excitable. again bc they worked w both their kids about their tempers and such they never realized he was just naturally good at keeping his composure. also a lot like jay keeping morals upnaturally strong but both their kids are and i hc the super strength doesnt come in until peubertyz

shes a bit of a late bloomer with em powers but one day their little boy accidentally makes a pot hole inside the kitchen bc he was excited over zane cookingthey took too good of care of their kids and his true potential was simple bc he was a litol kid which was im going to live my best fcuking life with friends and family *rips a hole in the ground

kai and cole are the gross sappy parents that trade kisses n their kids are like thats DISGUSTING youre DISGUSTINGLY IN LOVE

Kittie pointslovelypeaches08/28/2019YEAYEYAYAYYEYAYAYEoh god the little boy is part scenecorelikenot full on scene but like punk y2kwhich is a part of scenealso at first cole and kai are super concerned being a ninja will be as mentally damaging and ack as it was for them at times, but lloyd and zane are genuinely good mastersbutnot to get sadbutwhen tragedy does happen somehow, since neither Lloyd nor zane can ease that, cole and kai are so good at helping their kids e thatthey help them recover from it without downplaying their kids concerns and feelings amd give good advice and loveand make being elemental masters a lot easier for their kids than it ever was for them

me again.....

they always get so fucking scared thokai custom makes weapons for themarmor too he spends hours upon hours making sure its perfect and even prays over them to keep their kids safe

anyway when kai n cole visit w them (idk if theyr just adopted at their current age or like.... adopted as babies or surrogate or?? idk but) they visit lloyd and kai softly says "Look! its uncle lloyd" and lloyd starts SOBBING hes just fucking bawlinghis eyes out and when kai offers to for lloyd to hold him lloyds just like are you suure arre eyyuuu thherye so smsmm all kaiii are yoruur suureee thheyrey babbeises

nya is hesitant but ends up being a really good aunt, i meanshe took care of kai /j

zane is a fav uncle and hes always making sweets for them jay is. also sorta a fav bc where zane comes jay follows and jay has a sweet tooth and also makes Cool Toys + hey wanna prank your dadsalso im dramatic and likekai and cole sitting down and having a convo about master wubc he was sorta a shitty mentor and they really REALLY dont want their kids going through any self confident issues nor over stressing bc theyr KDISeventually kai and cole talk to master wu and actually has wu face his terrible practice towards kids and wu accepting he was.............................a bad 'parent' in a senseblebleblelelelelelellekai works but cole absolutely watches over any training when wu is there at first but lloyd is the master now and lloyd is like..........................i dont want kids to go through what i went through kai is like i trust you but also i will murder every single one of you in this dojo if you ever hurt my little girlim doing what i do and taking an au and running im sorry ghdghdfhJACK RAMBLES....their son refuses to wear shoes he lieks dirt on his feet they never really think much of it but its actually really comforting for him to feel the earth under his feet and feel stablethey think its just a stim thing maybe? theyr unsurebut! turns out him Element(also a fear of heights)lloyd tries to be a serious master but hes a big ol goof and can easily be manipulated

ironically.......its the lil boy who often is like HEY!!!!!!!!!!! WE GOTTA TRAIN!

kai and cole agree not to tell anyone what theyre thinking of naming their little boy until he arrives so when the day comes kais holding this tiny little boy and holds him out gentlyand lloyd is already EMOTIONAL because this is a BABY and lloyd softly asks his name n cole cuts in like "hes named after a really brave dude, montgomery. but we're thinking monty as a nickname"lloyd, choking up:(hc garmadons first name is montgomery)

the girl is Reka which means sweet in maori (a personal headcanon for cole) and shes their sweetheart

lovelypeaches09/04/2019bhrnrng this is in domestic au but col and kai teachign their kids instrumentscole and reka wud play piano duets togetherand monty doesnt like instruments much but he likes to singlike a LOT he belts out a song for everythinghe just lieks his own voice

burdletutt09/04/2019HNGGG HFHMONTY LOVS BEING LOUD

lovelypeaches09/04/2019YEAAAHhes like the type who makes a song for everythingmonty voice we rr goinggg to the parkkkkk and the grass isss.........GREEENNNNNNN and there are LOOK THERE ARE SQUIRRRELSSSS and a playground and the skyyyyy isssssssssssss...*deep inhale* BLUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE1E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!kai and cole: you are literally so talented

jay tries really hard to be the Cool Uncle at firstbut Monty just :^TReka gives him an awkward chucklewhen jay stops being Cool ™ hes goofy and thats when they start giggling and liking him more

[hvzardly]

Loans

My family sucks so badly at financials. We were never taught or trained to save etc. But me not gonna blame them old folks tho, cus when we're all grown ups, we should be anle to tell which is bad and not kan, and change accordingly kan.

After Abah died, we contemplated whether to keep his old d.o.a car, or sell. But none of us was eligible to buy new car aka make new loan. Abang still has two car loans pending under his name (one his, one he did for Mama's car few years back). Not sure if Mama was eligible, but she's already got the mortgage under her. Neither was I; me just a freelancer still back then. Luckily I wasn't, or else my name would've been blacklisted lonnggg before that. Huhuu.

So Keklin stepped forward. As she always did, since we were kids. Huhuu. We sold le old car and bought a new one. Le Silver Fox, remember? It was supposed to be for Abang and Mama's usage (Abang stayed with Mama in Kulim), but when Abang made his very first M.I.A circa 2009, me took over. Both using and paying for it.

Until it started to show off his breakdown talents, and had to be sold. This was where I fucked up. We were supposed to get a black and white from the used car dealer who bought it, and only once the deal was done should I take Po. But we were so naive so we didn't. Huhuu. At first the dealer was quite sincere, paying for it diligently. But after few years and he still couldn't sell it, he together with the car went M.I.A. We could only afford to pay a few months before being late again and again, until finally Keklin took up another loan to cover for that. Huhuu.

Other than that, Keklin also made another personal loan for my wedding. 10k. Huhuu. Not only that; she also helped Abang make another loan a year after the first car for his wedding. 30k. Huhuu. And if you think that that's already a lot, she has another loan herself, for a multilevel business she joined around those years too.

The reason why she could take up so many loans at once without much hassles is because she's a government servant. All the loans combined, were debited directly from her monthly pay. And we, the actual loaners, didn't even bother helping her pay back; enjoying our lives like nobody's business. Me only did for the first few years, then me got drowned in my own life and commitments. Huhuu. Me couldn't even tell this without getting teary a tiny bit.

Abang's debt is already cleared, I think. Mama helped. And so is my wedding debt. Allahu. I kept wanting to pay her back tho, but I guess I didn't try hard enough. How could I kan. Plus my never stable pays, certainly didn't help.

Until when Abang left. I guess, that has been a game-changer in sooo many things. I've been too laid back, knowing that I've got a super strong backup to care for le fam, Mama and Keklin particularly. But when that happened, I got no choice but to step up. I felt the pain of not having cars to go to work with. And the pain of having to go thru all this alone, all by myself.

But at least I don't have to care for anyone else but me kan, with such a tiny unstable money I've been getting from Astro. But how about Keklin, with such tiny pay after so many cuts, having to care for her two kids, with her hubby acting up and seldom coming home and providing for them anymore?

I asked for her pay slip to know the amount of loans, and her real salary. She was posta get more than 2k a month; now she's bearly getting 1k. Me was really at lost tho. How could I have done what I've been doing all these years! Me felt like the worst and useless person on earth; showing off all my quality sides to the world, while neglecting the closest person to me since forever!

So I made a vow. I wanted to pay her RM500 a month. I know I couldn't help her pay off all the loans, but at least I can pay my part kan. But I had to wait for my Sashimi pay to be able to do so. And so I waited.

Me drive a quite fancy national car, paying a handsome RM800 a month. While my poor sister, the only sister I have, drives a 20 year old cheapest used car that breaks down even more than Po. Huhuu. Such a sinful person I am. Then last two weeks, her Kelisa broke down at a traffic light, and she had to wait for hours there until her officemate could come and help. No hubby, nope.

Only then it finally triggered my mind; and I knew how I could help tho. In a way that my help could mean the world to her. So I texted her, and proposed the plan to her. I know my Kakak, and I know she was crying as she replied. She's been wanting her own new car for so long, but others in the family seem to have much more important thing that needs her help, so she just kept her dream inside. For God knows how long. So she didn't wait for long to agree.

I told her not to tell Mama, cause Abang used to make such promises but never delivered them. So it's time to prove by deeds instead of words now. We planned and planned, me taught her how to approach car dealer etc, and let Abang Aidil know cus le Kelisa was under his name (Keklin didn't dare taking any more loans) tho Keklin was the one paying for it cus we needed his signature to sell the old car. She even finished paying last March! Allahu.

Sorry that my words are all over the place, but yah. That's a dream achieved. Aka a nightmare put to end. You might wanna ask me to know further cus I think there must be some parts that are redundant or don't make much sense or needing more explanations. Feel free tau.

If you ask me about dreams and wishes, it would take another long post to tell. But one thing for sure, last Valentine certainly changed quite a lot of it.

Nevertheless, one thing for sure, is that you were and are still, and will always be in it.

Luviu.

[doesntfollowrules-blog]

@mattalips liked.

┈ ▒█ ♛

“so cheryl, how’s your mother doing?” the redhead had already been through so much and now her mother was suffering from severe burns. yes, her mother was horrible and abusive, but she was the last family that cheryl had left. “i heard she’s back home now.”

[gilrlikegirl]

Thoughts

Buckle up y'all this is gonna be a lonnggg one.

I know that I truly love her because she hurt me on a whole another level and I still love her. I have a right to be mad at her, but I’m not. I “should be” speaking poorly of her, but I’m not, I only speak positively about her. I could have flipped out on her, but I didn’t, I don’t want to, I see no need to. I could be the most bitter thing towards her, but I’m not, I don’t want to be, I let her go knowing that I love her and I always will, she will always have someone to turn to. I could have left her before she got the chance to leave me, but I didn’t, I gave her the decision, because if it was up to me we would be in each other’s lives forever. I want her to be free, I want her to be happy, I want her to know that she matters, I want her to know she is so dearly loved, I want her to know she is so incredibly unique and special, I want her to know I will always love her, I want her to know that my arms will always be wide open for her, I want her to know that I have yet to find anything that compares to her, I want her to know that she is so valued, I want her to know that there will always be a spark of love in my heart for her, I want her to know that I love all of her, even though I don’t know every single detail of her life, I see who she is because of it, she is strong and beautiful and so gentile and she has been hurt, I can see those parts of her and I love her. I don’t only love her because she is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, I loved her because she was raw, she had such spark about certain things, she understood, she listened, she was patient, she had a way with words, she could make me melt in a single sentence, she worked so hard, she made me feel like I mattered to someone, to at least her and that is all I needed in life, she gave purpose to life, she saw the beauty of things and the sad side of things, her mind took a while to learn, but once I got a drift of how it worked I fell in love, she has so much genuine love for her pets, she was true, she was the definition of cuteness, she was such a goofball, she had sass, she changed me, she made me happy, she made me smile, she made me cry, she made me sad. She was the only person I let my walls down for. I gave her my heart and forever I think she will have it, maybe one day it won’t be all of it, but she will always have the majority of it. I wanted to know all of her. I wanted to know her full story of life. I wanted to know why she is the person she is, I wanted to understand her in a way that no one had before, I wanted to be the one for her, I wanted to know all major events of her life, all the little ones too, I wanted to know the little things that she loved, the tiny facts that no one pays attention to, I wanted to truly know her, I wanted to feel her pain and joy, I wanted to know her favorite memories and her least favorite, I wanted to know her favorite thing about herself, I wanted to know her least favorite thing about herself. I wanted her to know I would love her no matter what. I wanted to spoil her, I wanted to take her on dates, I wanted to love her in her best and worst moments, I wanted to take her places, I wanted to finish that game of 20 questions, I wanted to love her through every mood and phase, I wanted to take her to the movies and leave not even knowing what the movie was about, I wanted to hold her hand, I wanted to give her my jacket when she got cold, I wanted to hug her, I wanted to kiss her forehead just because I could, I wanted to stare into her beautiful eyes and just think “wow”, I wanted to take her out to dinner, I wanted to stargaze with her by my side, I wanted to give her a massage after a long day at work, I wanted to dance in the rain with her, I wanted to hold her at night when she got frightened because of a nightmare, I wanted to fall asleep next to her, I wanted to wake up next to her, I wanted to see her do something she loved and watch how she would light up, I wanted to go on deep conversation walks, I wanted to be with her, I just wanted to be in her presence, I wanted to do that cute little run hug thing and then fall on our butts because it’s not a movie, I wanted to show her everything, I wanted to take her to New York City and Paris, I wanted to love her forever, I wanted to wake up every day just feeling so happy because I got to be with my love, I wanted to take her to that place she dreamed about, where we could love each other endlessly, where we could be ourselves without worries, where we would shiver from closeness, where nothing would stand in our way, where it would be every thing that she dreamed of and so much more, I want to take her there and be with her. I wanted to fall asleep listening to her voice, I wanted to show up at her work and order breakfast, only paying in change, because I know it annoys the crap out of her, I wanted to look at her, I mean just look at her, take in her beauty, I wanted to know every scar on her body and where it came from, I wanted to give her some of my own clothes, so that she would think of me every time she wore them, I wanted to buy her everything that her little heart desired, I wanted to give my little girl a kiss whenever she was down, I wanted to be a brat whenever she would try to kiss me and turn my head so that she would end up kissing my cheek, then she would get upset and she would make me kiss her, I wanted to tell her all of my useless knowledge, I wanted to tell her all of my stupid thoughts and ideas, I wanted to horribly sing love songs to her, I wanted her to meet my puppy, I wanted to meet her little bunny, I wanted to do all stupid cheesy sappy stuff with her, I wanted to teach her how to play soccer, I wanted to watch the sunset with her, I wanted to wake up early and see the sunrise with her, I wanted to enjoy her favorite month (October) together, I wanted to tackle her into a pile of leaves and then run away from her chasing me trying to tackle me, I wanted to carve a pumpkin with her, I wanted to just sit with her watching the leaves fall, enjoying the silence that we rarely ever have, I wanted to wake up extra early to make her breakfast, I wanted to get all bundled up with her go to the beach and watch the way the waves crash onto the shore, and see how the fall waves differ from the summer time waves, I wanted to catch lightning bugs with her and then let them go because we want them to be free, I wanted to take her to Starbucks and get the cliche seasonal drinks, I wanted to go through a flipping corn maze holding her hand, and I wanted to get lost doing so because we were being such morons, I wanted to watch her kick ass on the court, I wanted to kiss her in the moonlight on a night time fall walk, because I can’t resist kissing my little cutie, I wanted to be with her while the seasons changed and we had to deal with the terrible winters that we get up here, I wanted to play in the snow with her, because we truly are children at heart, I wanted to tackle her into pile of snow and again have to run away from her chasing me, I wanted to catch snow flakes on our tongues, I wanted to have snowball fights with her, I wanted to go ice skating for my first time with her, and you know of course fall on my ass and have her laugh at me, I wanted to go around looking at Christmas lights with her, and a cup of hot chocolate of course, then I wanted to kiss her when the ball drops and we start a New Year, after that I wanted to give her the absolute best birthday and birthday present ever, whatever that would have been, I would have made it happen. I wanted her to be my cheesy valentine I wanted to buy her a teddy bear and all of that stuff, I wanted to take her out on a ton of dates, whether that be dinner, a movie, stargazing, napping, breakfast, watching the sunset, dancing at 4 in the morning, watching the sun rise, cuddling, going to a carnival, or anything really. I wanted to get to know her in a way that I have never known anyone else before, I wanted to know all about her, I wanted to know all of her thoughts, I wanted to know all of her ideas, I wanted to bring her flowers, I wanted to give her everything, I wanted to be there when she gets sick so that I could give her soup and medicine and make sure that she rests and gets better, I wanted to be there when she gets a tummy ache and just needs to relax, I wanted to do all of this and soooooo much more. She will always be my 11:11 wish, my birthday wish, and my wish upon a star. I truly do think that I love her, I can’t say for sure because love never really was my forte. I believe that I am, because if I’m not in love with her, then what the hell does actually falling in love feel like?!?! Like that must be some crazy shit! I mean this is some crazy shit that I’m feeling to begin with soo….

Thank you for reading my “rant”. If anyone is hurting, I’ve heard that it gets better eventually. I feel your pain, we are all hurting together. Try listening to some Halsey she understands pain. Huge thank you to you guys too! Thank you for letting me air out my thoughts, feelings, and pain, it has helped me so much!