#waste minimisation

[agaselectronicmaterials]

Learn essential waste management practices for chemical manufacturing from A-Gas Electronic Materials. This guide covers waste minimisation, segregation, recycling, safe storage, and compliance. Enhance sustainability and efficiency in your operations.

[katoska]

The Doctor's theory that the Dots developed sentience and came to hate their classist, vapid users makes no sense and sounds imo like projection.

We know what happens when an AI gets exposed to a lot of bigoted speech. It starts spewing bigotry itself, because it doesn't know better. Not that our current AIs are truly intelligent or sentient, but they do share the human trait that they are a product of the society they exist in. Same would go for more advanced, truly sentient AI. It would get it's opinions from it's programmers and users.

The Dots didn't seem to be ever intended to even mimick sentience like our AIs are. They are higher tech smart phones. You don't talk with them, just at them. And no one seems worried about saying something bad that an AI might pick up on, about pissing off the algorithm, eg about the "I'm going to buy 100" thing, which'd go against the city's Avoid Waste policy. If they were expected to moderate, it would give the Dots something concrete to base their annoyance on. It would have been so easy to put in a "You can't SAY that word in the bubble. Do you want to get suspended? You gotta say [euphemism for the same word]. God, you're so stupid and offensive."

Like, our AIs and content algorithms have more Robot Overlord forshadowing than their Dots do. The Dots show them exactly what they ask to see, and most of their relationships are still live, albeit over a screen, with a real person, some parasocial stuff with celebs (one celeb. whom Lindy wasn't obsessed with enough to not throw him under the bus) notwithstanding. Even their ads are only word-of-mouth influencer-type stuff rather than interrupting them every 5 minutes (it's cause they have a premium Bubble subscription, isn't it?) Their virtual bubble doesn't actually matter, because it's roughly made up of the same people that exist in their very much physical bubble that is their gated community.

Since their Dots don't seem to be set up to encourage or discourage any particular type of behavior at all - what to say, what to buy, how much to buy, or suggesting eco-fascist vids bc that person looked into veganism - why, if it became sentient, would it get annoyed? Esp about people using it for plain chatter, the thing it was intended for.

[exopelagic]

yeah I have more to say

[mihotose]

unfortunately i can never truly get on with my mother's husband due to a terrible disease called Leftist Infighting

[edenesth]

The Captain's Favourite

Pairing: captain!Hongjoong x doctor!reader

Word Count: 1.1k

'Crazy Form' Comeback Special Series | Hongjoong | Seonghwa | Yunho | Yeosang | San | Mingi | Wooyoung | Jongho |

ATEEZ Masterlist

Struggling to steady your laboured breath, you pressed a trembling hand against the stab wound beneath your chest. Blinking rapidly, you attempted to regain clarity in your vision. From what you could discern, it seemed like the injury might not involve a vital organ, offering a glimmer of reassurance.

However, the stark reality hit hard – you were the sole medical professional on board.

You were always the one attending to the health of your fellow crewmates and never the one in need of medical attention. That all changed abruptly during the unexpected ambush launched by a rival pirate crew.

They strategically targeted a crucial member of the crew before escalating the assault further. The rationale was clear – if the ship's only medical personnel was incapacitated, who would attend to the wounded? Save for the captain, you were the next most important person on the vessel.

But the enemy was also aware you were so much more than just a doctor, "There she is, Captain Hongjoong's favourite. Get her," were the chilling words that you heard before feeling the sharp pain of a dagger piercing your abdomen.

The duration of the battle became a haze, with moments of consciousness slipping in and out as you observed, through blurred vision, your crewmates fighting back fiercely to defend your ship and all the treasures within.

The fight finally ended when your captain impaled the rival leader directly in the heart. Hongjoong, visibly exhausted, let out a weary exhale as he dropped his sword, "Take him and go, the rest of you. If you don't wish to join him in the afterlife." He commanded.

The rival pirates hastily moved to remove their leader's lifeless form from your ship without having to be told twice. It took no time for Captain Hongjoong to scan the surroundings anxiously, his heart racing as he searched for you.

"Wh-where is she—"

Before he could finish the sentence, he noticed what seemed to be your boots tucked away in a corner, cleverly concealed behind barrels. The enemy had evidently gone to great lengths to ensure you wouldn't be discovered until it was too late.

Without wasting a moment, he sprinted towards you, pushing all the obstacles out of his way with newfound strength fueled by desperation. His eyes widened, feeling his heart lurch at the sight of the red staining your shirt and your pale complexion.

"No, no, no, no, no, don't you dare leave me!" Hongjoong screamed, gently pulling you into his arms, "Hey, look at me. I'm your captain, and I order you not to close your eyes."

However, no amount of commanding could mend your injuries, and he was acutely aware of that fact. Time blurred as he urgently directed his crew to transport you to the nearest town without delay. Losing you was not an option he was willing to entertain.

Drawing on his experience from observing you tend to injured crewmates countless times, the captain applied pressure and bandaged your wound to minimise the bleeding until you could receive proper medical treatment.

Upon arriving at the closest town, you were swiftly taken to a medical facility, where Hongjoong fought to catch his breath as they gently took you from his arms, "Don't worry, we'll take care of her," He gave the medical staff a firm glare, "You better."

The nurse nodded nervously, motioning for him to wait by the available bench. Everyone in the facility recognised him; it was the very place he had taken you away from many years ago. As a woman, you had been denied the chance to prove yourself despite being an apprentice there.

That changed the day Hongjoong arrived, bloodied and in need of help.

With all the doctors unavailable, you, the only trainee present, seized the opportunity to showcase your skills by treating the pirate captain.

While he rested after you tended to his injury, Hongjoong overheard a conversation between you and your superior. Rather than receiving praise for your competent work, you were berated for not adhering to the rules and taking matters into your own hands.

Enraged by what he heard, he proposed taking you in as the crew doctor. Despite being aware of his pirate status, you agreed because no one had recognised and acknowledged your skills the way he did.

As time passed, you'd grown to harbour feelings for one another. Though neither of you openly admitted to them, the entire crew was well aware of the captain's undeniable affection for you. They often wondered when Hongjoong would muster the courage to confess.

You were used to him always watching out for you; he would go to great lengths, even pretending to be unwell just to stay near you. He'd reprimand other crewmates for inconveniencing you with their minor issues; a total hypocrite himself. It was hard for you to not realise the fact that he was clearly favouring you, especially when everyone aboard has been calling you 'the captain's favourite' since day one.

Except he would always be in denial whenever teased about it, despite his actions proving completely otherwise.

Now, waiting anxiously, he regretted not revealing his feelings sooner. The thought of you potentially dying without knowing his love haunted him. Reflecting on missed opportunities, he questioned why he hadn't uttered those three words earlier. What was holding him back? What was he so afraid of?

After what felt like an eternity, he was finally allowed to see you. Entering the room where you rested, he held his breath until relief flooded over him at the sight of your chest rising and falling steadily. He sat beside you, gently holding your hand to his face and pressing his lips against your palm, "Oh, thank god, you're okay."

Tears streamed down his face silently, oblivious to the fact that you'd awakened to his sobs. You smiled weakly, moving your fingers to wipe his wet cheeks, "Who would've thought? The mighty Captain Hongjoong is crying for me."

His head shot up immediately, a tearful chuckle escaping him and he nodded, "That's right. Do you see the power you have over me?" Taking a deep breath, he decided it was now or never, "I love you so much, you know that? You mean the world to me."

You nodded, "I love you too, captain. Thought you'd never admit it."

Leaning in, he kissed your lips softly, "I'll tell you I love you every day now if I have to. And I refuse to let anything like this happen again. You're moving to my quarters at once."

If you thought he was joking, you were mistaken. Things were about to change drastically. Consider yourself promoted from crew doctor to the captain's most valuable treasure, as if you weren't already.

Now that we have Prince San, General Seonghwa, and Captain Hongjoong, I'm still contemplating what other roles to assign to the rest of the members.

Anyway, really hope you're all enjoying these imagines. Thanks for reading, and as always, let me know your thoughts! <3

Tag list: @aurasblue @marievllr-abg @itsvxlentine @minghaoslatina

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

[helloalycia]

𝐀 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐕𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐆𝐄 [𝐓𝐖𝐎] — 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐓

one / masterlist / wattpad

summary: after managing to escape Yamatai, you’re left to deal with the aftermath of emotions it brings for you, whilst also trying to be there for Sam and Lara.

warning/s: same as last time, with the additional mention of nightmares.

author's note: here’s part two! hope the Lara enthusiasts liked this one :)

also just a reminder, Y/M/N = your mum’s name

"She'll be here, I know it," Jonah said with certainty, but it was looking more and more hopeless as him, Reyes and I stared into the distance at the colourful arrays coming from the monastery.

Sam had been taken again by the island natives and Lara had gone after her whilst Jonah, Reyes and I bought her some time, but we'd all promised to regroup on the beach and Lara hadn't returned with Sam yet. The storm that had been ravaging the island since we got here had cleared up, which could have only meant she'd succeeded in stopping the Sun Queen – but where were they?

After what felt like a lifetime, we spotted Lara approaching through the trees, bloody and battered, carrying an unconscious Sam in her arms. Jonah immediately leapt into action to help her, taking Sam from her arms, whilst I joined Lara's side and led her back to the boat. Reyes was quick to prepare the boat for our departure.

"What happened?" Jonah asked Lara what we were all thinking, setting Sam down in the boat.

Exhausted, Lara answered, "It's over. We can leave now."

Jonah and I exchanged worried glances as Reyes wasted no more time in setting off. Everybody was as tired as they looked, so we sat in silence, looking out at the water as Reyes steered us back to civilisation.

Thankfully, after a few hours, a passing freighter spotted us and took us in, giving us food, drink and first aid supplies to keep us going until we reached land. So much had happened in the past few days that seeing real people who actually wanted to help us felt impossible.

After getting some help with bandaging my arm up by one of the crewman, I noticed Lara approaching me on the lower deck.

"Thanks," I said appreciatively to the crewman, who nodded with a smile before leaving me be.

"Hey," Lara said softly, taking a seat beside me.

"Hey," I replied, offering a small smile. I noticed she'd had chance to clean up a little, but her skin was still littered with bruises and scrapes, and her shirt was soaked with dried blood. "How's Sam?"

"Resting," she said with a sigh. "Jonah is watching her."

I hummed, worried for my friend. She'd been kidnapped, tortured and possessed by an evil spirit – I could only hope she'd get the help she needed to recover when we returned home.

"I wanted to check on you earlier, but I was distracted," Lara admitted, finding my eyes. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, Lara," I assured her gently, before resting a hand on hers. "How are you doing?”

"I'll be okay," she said dismissively, making me exhale sadly. She was always minimising her own feelings, now more than ever.

"You really did it," I said after a moment, knowing now was the right time. "You stopped Himiko. Saved Sam. Defeated the Solarii. You saved us all, Lara. And I can't express how grateful I am for that."

She shook her head, pulling her hand back and sinking her face into her hands with defeat. "I didn't do anything. This was all my fault, Y/N. I shouldn't have insisted we come here."

I furrowed my brows, resting a hand on her back comfortingly. "You didn't know. And you got us out of it. We wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you."

She frowned, eyes staring ahead, glazed over and lost in thought. It was obvious she was beating herself up about everything, but I refused to let her soak in self-pity.

Relieved she'd made it out alive and somewhat safely, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. She relaxed after a moment, tucking her head in my shoulder as if hiding from the truth, but I'd keep reminding her every day if it meant she'd listen.

"You're capable of a hell of a lot," I muttered, squeezing her gently. "I've said it once before and I was right."

She pulled back, cheeks tinged pink and eyes avoiding mine, though the tiniest of smiles was on her lips. I smiled at the sight, pushing a loose strand of hair from her eyes and admiring the view.

"I'm really glad you're here," she said quietly, dark eyes darting to mine briefly before she pulled back. "Obviously, I'd rather you hadn't experienced any of this at all, but–"

"I understand," I cut off the start of her probable never ending ramble. "Me too."

She pressed her lips together, looking down at the wooden floorboards of the deck. Despite all of the amazing things she'd done to keep us safe these past few days, she was still her awkward, adorable self. It was refreshing to see some things hadn't changed her completely.

Of course, that didn't mean the events at Yamatai hadn't taken their toll on us in other ways.

We were still a couple of days out from land, so the freighter crew were kind enough to give us all rooms to sleep in below deck. The second night was admittedly the hardest. I found myself reliving the horrors of the island all over again once my eyes closed, but it was worse than the previous night. Between murdering crazy cultists in self defence, being kidnapped, held captive and watching our friends die, my night was riddled with nightmares.

It became too much and I woke with a start, drenched in sweat and trembling with confusion as I couldn't make out my cabin in the dark. Realisation dawned on me – including all the events that led up to this moment – and I suddenly felt nauseous, bile rising in my throat. Without a second thought, I clambered out of bed and raced down the hall for the shared bathroom, just about making it to the toilet before I vomited all of last night's dinner up.

It burned my throat, but it wouldn't stop coming until I was eventually vomiting nothing but my stomach acid. A moment passed when I heard footsteps behind me and then hands held my hair back.

"It's okay," a familiar voice soothed, their other hand rubbing my back, and it took me a second to realise it was Lara.

Once I was finished, I sat back with exhaustion, my body aching from my bent over position, and gladly accepted the tissue Lara handed me.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked with concern, her face lit up from the sliver of artificial light coming through the porthole.

I didn't even realise I'd been crying until her thumb wiped beneath my eyes, and the touch suddenly reminded me where I was and how I looked right now, no doubt a mess before her.

Swallowing hard, I straightened up. "Sorry, I–"

"Don't apologise," she said, returning her hand to my back to comfort me, but the way she was watching me so delicately made my cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

"I'm okay, I–" I started, pushing her hand away and moving back slightly, but I was acutely aware of my dishevelled appearance and the stench of vomit.

"Hey, stop it–" she tried to reassure me, ever so generously, but I couldn't meet her gaze.

"I didn't mean to wake you," I mumbled, moving to stand up.

Pressing my lips together, I flushed the toilet before moving to wash my hands and rinse my mouth in the sink.

"You didn't. I was up already."

I tensed my jaw slightly, splashing my face with cold water before straightening up again, avoiding her eyes in the reflection of the mirror.

"What happened?" she asked gently. "Was it a nightmare?"

It felt so silly to admit that, but I was still in fight or flight mode and the thought of being alone right now was horrible. Instead, I nodded weakly, busying myself with the hand towel.

"Me too," she muttered, making me finally look to her, though with a mutual concern. "C'mon. I know what'll help."

I soon found myself following her down the hall, past our cabins and to the small, deserted kitchen area. She merely motioned to the booth in the corner before moving to fill the kettle. It turned out the simplicity of watching her make us both cups of teas in silence was more comforting than I could have guessed.

She joined me with our teas shortly after, pulling her legs up on the seat beside me and holding her mug for warmth. I mirrored her action, the two of basking in the silence and each other's presence. Though, despite Lara initially trying to be there for me, I was worried about her too.

"Are you okay?" I asked stupidly, glancing at her.

She chewed on her lip, eyes glued to her mug. "Honestly, I've been having these nightmares since we left the island."

I frowned, hand resting on her forearm. "You should have told me. You could have woken me up."

Her eyes lifted to mine. "So could you."

I sighed, knowing neither of us would ever burden the other like that. But I wished she would.

"It's over now though," she reminded me, her hand resting atop mine on her forearm.

"It is," I agreed halfheartedly. "But it won't go away. Not now."

"But it will eventually," she said with certainty, and I wondered how she still remained positive despite everything we'd endured.

I yawned tiredly. "I can't wait to go home."

"Same."

Quiet fell upon us once again, only the creaking of the ship and the distant lull of the waves to keep us company. Periodically sipping on my tea, I found myself laying my head on Lara's shoulder comfortably. Though, with that and the swaying of the ship and my general fatigue, my eyes were slowly closing.

"You're falling asleep," Lara whispered from beside me.

"Mmnot," I mumbled, hoping she'd drop it so I could actually fall asleep.

Unfortunately for me, she found this amusing and began to chuckle, making her shoulders move. "C'mon, let's get you to bed."

"Or we could just stay here," I said tiredly.

"You'll be comfier in your own bed, Y/N," she promised.

"I'm pretty comfy here."

She snickered once more, before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head. "C'mon, love."

I sighed disappointedly before forcing myself up, sliding out the booth. She was lovely enough to take me back to my cabin, leading my half asleep self to bed and even tucking me in.

"Goodnight, Y/N," she said, squeezing my hand and smiling down at me with amusement. "You'll be home soon, I promise."

I smiled tiredly, though my eyes were drooping shut. I wanted to ask her to stay, appreciating the comfort her presence gave me, but I didn't want to overstep. So, I had to settle for the moment I had with her before letting her leave for the night.

—

I'd never missed home more than I had now. As soon as I stepped foot in my family home, still living with my parents, I almost cried at the familiarity of it all.

I could never truly tell my parents what I'd endured, but they must have sensed something had gone terribly wrong because they were as supportive as they could be. Still, it wasn't the same as being with people who had gone through the same thing.

Lara and Sam didn't live far, only a tube ride away, so I visited them a few times whilst we were back. The only good thing to come out of this whole mess was my friendship strengthening with Sam and forming with Lara. They were the only ones who understood how I was feeling, though Sam was less reluctant to talk about it than Lara was.

I stopped by their flat a week after returning, with the intention of checking in on them but also bringing a bunch of leftovers my mum had made for dinner and insisted I shared with them. Lara was a terrible cook and Sam hadn't been herself lately, understandably so, so I was happy to make it a little easier on them if I could.

Once I knocked on the door to their flat, I heard someone on the other side before it opened to reveal Lara. She smiled softly when she saw me, eliciting a smile of my own.

"Y/N, hey," she spoke with surprise, before pulling me in for a quick hug. "I didn't know you were coming."

I returned her hug, admittedly already comforted by the subtle scent of her perfume. "Sorry, I should have called really. It was a last minute thing. My mum made some food for you and Sam and I just wanted to drop it off. If you're busy or it's a bad time, I can just leave you with the food."

"No, no, it's not a bad time at all," she assured me, tugging me into her flat and closing the door behind me. "I'm glad to see you. And gosh, your mum is just the sweetest. She really didn't have to."

I chuckled, holding out the bag of food. "Good luck telling her that."

Lara accepted the bag with a snicker before taking a peek inside. "It looks delicious, Y/N, thank you. I really need to meet the chef behind all this great food."

I followed her into the kitchen as she put the bag in the fridge, before glancing around the place. "Sam not in?"

At the mention of Sam, Lara sighed quietly, her smile fading. "No, sorry. She actually just left. We... we got into an argument."

I frowned. "What about?"

We both took a seat on the couch as Lara collected her thoughts, clearly still upset about their argument.

"Sam's been having nightmares," she said guiltily. "I know she has. I've even had to wake her from a few. But she won't talk about it with me. She's outright denying there's anything wrong. It's not right."

It was true that Sam was in denial about what she'd experienced, but I had at least hoped she'd been confiding in Lara about it, if not me. This definitely wasn't what I expected to hear.

"That's a lot to deal with," I sympathised, feeling a little guilty myself, and I wasn't even sure what for. That I had it easier? That I hadn't been possessed like she has? I didn't know. "But Lara, I'm sure she'll open up to you when she's ready. Everybody deals with trauma in different ways."

Lara frowned, jaw tensing. "But it's me! She's supposed to tell me what she's thinking! We're best friends, Y/N. She's never acted like this before."

"I know, but–"

"This is all my fault," she reminded me, voice breaking slightly. "I just want to help her."

I rested a hand on her knee, squeezing gently. "She knows you're here for her, but this is all frustrating. She's processing it on her own first, okay? You can't rush it. You have to go at her pace."

Lara hummed, eyes staring past me and into the distance thoughtfully. Whether she would listen was beyond me, but I hoped she knew I would be here for them both.

"Aside from that, how have things been with you?" I asked, speaking when she didn't.

Her eyes flickered to mine. "Not good. Not bad. I... Jonah checks in every other day. Reyes won't speak to me."

I frowned at this, though it was expected. She still blamed Lara for the whole trip.

"I spoke to Grim and Alex's families the other day," she continued halfheartedly. "Broke the news."

"That must've been hard.”

She smiled sadly. "Wasn't easy. But someone had to do it. Only felt right it was me."

I leaned on my elbow on the back of the couch, facing her sideways. "I would've sat with you if you'd asked. You shouldn't have had to do it alone."

She exhaled through her nose, eyes twinkling slightly. "That's sweet of you to say, but I wouldn't have asked that of you, love."

I gave her a disapproving look, but she brushed it off as she always did.

"How have things with your parents been since you got home?" she changed the subject. "Sam and I appreciate you always coming to check on us, but we would love to do the same."

"You're always welcome," I said lightheartedly, though I meant it. "My parents would love to meet you. Especially my mum."

She half-scoffed, frowning to herself. "I almost got you killed on an expedition. They wouldn't want to meet me. If they knew the truth, they'd hate me."

I quirked a brow. "Okay, firstly, my mum literally forced me to bring you all that food. You really think she does that for everyone?" Lara opened her mouth to speak, but I continued, "Secondly, they know the truth. Well, most of it. And they don't hate you for any of it. They'd love to meet you."

She pressed her lips together uncomfortably, looking down.

I tried to find her gaze as I said gently, "Thirdly, what happened in Yamatai wasn't your fault. How many times do I have to tell you?"

She didn't say anything, so I took her hand between mine, finally earning her attention.

"It wasn't," I repeated, needing her to believe me.

Her dark eyes softened as they held my gaze and I could have stared into them forever, but then she looked to my hand before slowly pulling hers back. I cleared my throat awkwardly, wondering what I'd said to make her so uncomfortable. I considered apologising, but Lara was quick to change the subject.

"Maybe I'll stop by soon," she said, referring to my house. "It's the least I can do for your mum."

"How about this weekend?" I asked hopefully. "You and Sam can come over for dinner."

"Oh," she said, surprised, and definitely not expecting me to ask so soon. "Erm, I–"

"Please?"

She blinked, glancing at me, before wincing. "I suppose we can."

I began to smile, excited. "Great. I can't wait."

—

"...nothing, not even a hint about it," I pleaded with my parents as they moved around the kitchen, prepping the last few bits for Sam and Lara's visit. "As far as this household knows, Yamatai didn't happen. I don't want to upset them. Or make it awkward. Or–"

"Y/N, we understand," my dad cut me off, squeezing my shoulder. "We won't bring it up."

"It's not you I'm worried about," I mumbled, glancing at my mum.

She only ever meant the best, but I worried bringing up Yamatai might set a bad tone for the evening, especially with Sam's reluctance to acknowledge everything that went down.

"I'll stay quiet, love, I promise," she assured me, though I couldn't be sure she would.

Just on cue, the doorbell rang and I was both delighted and a tad nervous, mainly in case my mum said the wrong thing. Still, I shot both my parents a warning look before going to answer the door.

"Sam, Lara!" I exclaimed with a smile when I opened the door. "So glad to see you."

"Y/N!" Sam returned with excitement, before immediately pulling me in for a hug. "God, it's good to be here after so long. I'm so looking forward to your mum's cooking."

"Wow. And here's me thinking you came to see me," I joked, making her chuckle as she pulled back.

"I think I see you enough," she played along. "I'm here for Y/M/N and Y/D/N."

I scoffed jokingly as she stepped inside, moving my attention to an uneasy-looking Lara, still stood in the doorway. Naturally, it brought a smile to my face and I quirked a brow.

"You coming in today?" I teased, stepping to the side.

She cleared her throat, nervous smile on her lips and some flowers in her hand. "I– yes. Sorry. It's good to see you, Y/N."

I chuckled as she stepped inside, closing the door behind them both.

"We bought some flowers and chocolates for your parents," she added, and I noticed Sam was holding the box of chocolates.

"That's sweet of you both, but you didn't have to," I told them knowingly. "Just you coming was enough."

They exchanged looks, making me laugh, and then footsteps were heard and my mum appeared in the hallway.

"Ladies, welcome!" she said brightly, before looking to Sam first. "Sam, it's so good to see you. It's been too long!"

"It has, Y/M/N, I'm sorry I haven't visited sooner," Sam returned with a laugh, before holding out the chocolates. "Hopefully these make up for it."

My mum looked at the chocolates with a cheeky smile. "My favourite. Of course it does."

Sam winked at me playfully, making me roll my eyes.

"And you must be Lara," my mum continued, expression softening. "I've been very excited to meet you, dear! Y/N has only said great things about you."

"Mu-um," I whined, cheeks flushing.

Lara smiled with amusement, nerves dissipating slightly, which I suppose was worth a joke at my expense.

"What? It's true!" she defended.

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Mrs. Y/L/N," Lara said politely, before holding out the flowers. "These are for you and your husband."

"Call me Y/M/N," my mum replied, before accepting the flowers with a chuckle. "You lovely ladies are spoiling us! Do mind my husband. He's just making sure the roast doesn't burn."

"I just wanted to say that we're also really grateful for all the food you've been sending over recently," Lara added with a small smile. "It's been a massive help."

"And it tastes beautiful," Sam added jokingly.

My mum began to smile sadly as she looked between them both and I knew what she was thinking. Please don't bring it up. Please don't bring it up. Please don't bring it up.

"I'm here to help in any way I can," was all she said, as I held my breath. Then when I shot her a look, pleading for her not to mention Yamatai with my eyes, she cleared her throat. "I'm gonna check on dinner. Y/N will take you to the dining room."

As she walked away, Sam and Lara seemed confused, so I attempted to brush it off as I took the lead to the dining room.

Soon enough, my dad joined us, introducing himself to Lara and reacquainting himself with Sam, before my mum brought out the dinner and we all dug in. To my relief, they both steered away from all things Yamatai, instead talking about work or family or anything else that wouldn't make them upset.

Sam settled in easily enough, as she always did when she spent time with my parents. I was more concerned about Lara, who initially didn't want to come tonight and was acting a little shyer than usual. Thankfully, she seemed to warm up to everyone as the evening went on, and I was glad my parents were able to put her at ease. They truly did like her, and contrary to Lara's fear, they didn't blame her one bit for our disaster voyage.

To make things even better, my mum went out of her way to truly help Lara feel at home by baking her a special dessert.

"Y/N mentioned you fancy a Jaffa Cake every now and then," my mum teased Lara as she brought out the cake in her hand and set it down, "so I thought I should make something special since it's your first time coming over. It's a Jaffa Cake cake!"

Lara stared at the cake with surprise, smile on her lips in disbelief. "What? Seriously?"

"This is literally her dream dessert, you know that?" Sam said to my mum with amusement.

My mum chuckled as she took her seat. "I figured."

Lara blinked, speechless, before her eyes glanced at me across the table, unsure. I nodded reassuringly, trying not to laugh, and then she looked to my mother with sparkling eyes.

"This looks amazing, Y/M/N, I don't even know what to say."

"You don't need to say a thing," my mum assured her. "Just dig in!"

Lara pressed her lips together, smile permanently fixed on her face in a way that warmed my heart.

After having some dessert and tea, my mum insisted on boxing up some leftovers for Sam and Lara.

"Sam, it's been a pleasure as always," my mum said with a smile, before offering her the food. "This is for you and Lara."

"Awesome," Sam mumbled as she accepted the bag, before hugging my mum. "Thanks, Y/M/N."

My mum laughed before looking to Lara. "Lara, love, it's been an absolute delight meeting you tonight. I hope we can see more of you. You're part of the family now!"

Lara smiled, cheeks turning pink. "Thank you, Y/M/N. I appreciate that."

I watched them both hug, always grateful for my mum's ability to put someone at ease.

After she and my dad wished Sam and Lara a good night, I walked them down the hall to see them out.

"Get back safe, yeah? Text me when you're home," I told them both.

"We will," Sam assured, before lifting the bag of food in her hand. "Can't wait to devour this tomorrow."

I chuckled tiredly, accepting her hug before opening the door for her. She stepped outside as I looked to Lara with a grateful smile.

"Thank you for coming, Lara. I'm really glad you did. It wouldn't have been the same without you."

"I don't know about that," she said with a slight snicker, before looking between my eyes patiently, "but thank you. I..."

I waited, curious, but then Sam interrupted, calling for Lara impatiently.

"Thanks for having me," Lara said quickly, aware of Sam's whining in the background, though a tender smile was on her lips. "Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, Lara." I pulled her in for a brief hug, though my insides were spinning butterflies at the proximity.

She offered me a final smile before I watched her join Sam's side, the two of them walking away. I exhaled gently, closing the door and unable to clear my thoughts of Lara.

—

A few days later, I was over at Sam and Lara's flat, helping Sam do some cleaning and throwing some old belongings out. With Sam, this meant waiting for her to decide whether a possession was worth keeping or not, fighting her about it, then finally getting rid of the clutter.

As I was leaving another full box of belongings by the front door as Sam continued to dig around her bedroom, I heard keys jingling in the door. Straightening up, I saw Lara letting herself in, eyes finding mine with confusion.

"Y/N?" she said with surprise, shutting the door behind her and kicking off her shoes. "What are you doing here?"

"Just helping Sam get rid of some stuff," I said, before noticing her gym outfit and headphones. "You go to the gym?"

As if suddenly aware of her appearance, she glanced down before wiping the film of sweat from her face with her sleeve. "I– no, sorry, I'm all gross. I went on a run."

I chuckled, shrugging. "It's cool."

She cleared her throat, smiling a little, before saying, "I was actually meaning to call you so it's good you're here." When I lifted a brow curiously, she continued, "I wanted to thank you properly, for dinner the other night. Your family are really lovely and accommodating and I just–"

She paused, eyes flickering away momentarily, and I wondered what she was so nervous about, but I didn't want her to feel rushed, so I waited.

"It was the first time I've properly felt at home somewhere since, well, since I was a child," she continued slowly, awkwardly, and I hung onto every word.

"I'm glad," I spoke gently. "My parents love you. And I really enjoyed having you there."

She breathed out, nodding. "Even after everything... I'm glad it went well. I should have said as much the other night, but... yeah."

I couldn't help but smile at her adorable uneasiness. "No problem, Lara."

She swallowed visibly, eyes meeting mine briefly, before hesitating.

"What is it?" I asked, noticing she was holding back. "What's on your mind?"

She chewed on her lip. "I lost my parents young and I never had a family, not a real one. I had Roth, but he's..."

"Lara," I started, stepping forward with a hint of concern, but she shook her head.

I waited, and then she pressed her lips together. "Forget it."

Feeling bad for throwing her off, I started, "No, wait–"

"No, it's fine, I'm just rambling," she mumbled.

"Keep rambling," I urged, afraid if she stopped sharing now, she'd never do so again.

She paused, pursing her lips as she looked to her shoes. I watched the strands of her fringe loosen from her ponytail, covering her face for a moment, and fought the urge to push it out the way.

"It all seems so futile now," she admitted.

My confusion only grew. "What?"

Just when I thought she may stay quiet forever, she finally looked up, golden-brown eyes meeting mine. "I like you. A lot. I have for a long time now, but after everything... there's bigger things going on and it's a lot to admit. And I understand if you don't feel the–"

She was rambling again, already talking herself out of her admission, so I kissed her without thinking, lips catching ablaze when they touched hers. She froze, shocked, and I pulled back slightly, finally moving those damned strands of hair from her stunning eyes.

"It's not futile," I assured her, meeting her deer-caught-in-headlights expression. "I actually feel the same way."

She breathed out slowly, a small, hopeful smile forming on her lips. "You do?"

I mirrored her smile, nodding. "Do you know how hard it is to fancy someone who barely spoke a word to you?"

Embarrassed, she looked away. "Not any easier than fancying someone who you couldn't say a word to."

I chuckled. "Touché."

She licked her lips, nervous, before meeting my gaze once more. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged, it being my turn to be nervous. "I don't know... at first, it was because you didn't speak to me much so I didn't think you'd like me back. And then, like you said, after everything that happened... it was a lot. It didn't feel like the right time."

"How about now?" she asked hesitantly. "Is it the right time now?"

"It could be. If you want it to be."

She nodded. "I'd like that."

I began to smile. "Me too."

She smiled too, eyes flickering between mine before settling on my lips, and without another second wasted, she leaned in to kiss me. I closed my eyes as her finger curled around my cheek, pulling me close, and melted into her touch.

I could have stayed there forever kissing her, but the sound of Sam in the hall grumbling to herself about cleaning made us pull apart. I wasn't sure what would happen with the whole Lara and I and Sam thing, but Lara must have had the same thoughts as I.

"We keep this from Sam until we figure out what this is?" she proposed quickly.

I sighed with relief, glad we were on the same page, and nodded in agreement.

"Oh, Lara, you're back!" Sam noticed when she finally entered. "Great, you can help Y/N and I."

Lara's eyes twinkled with adoration as they lingered on mine before she gave Sam a convincing smile. "Sounds good, Sam. Just let me shower and I'll give you both a hand."

I smiled to myself as she walked past Sam and I, heading for the bathroom. I was still in awe.

I just kissed Lara freakin' Croft. Twice!

[niqvassieart]

EMBROIDERED SWEATSHIRT PREORDERS OPEN!

Something a bit different: finally launching my first embroidered design in collaboration with the wonderful 1831 Studio, London! Featuring a funky speedy creature and a mayfly. 𓃩𓆤

Preorders will close in 2 weeks at 5pm UK time on Thurs 4th April 🌸

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1831 has done such a wonderful job in translating my sketchy lines into thread. These cosy sweatshirts are organic cotton and will be made to order to minimise clothing waste. There are two colourways: black and gold on off-white or the more subtle black and burnt orange on grey.

If you live in the UK, there is also an option to send in/drop off a piece of clothing you already own to have this design stitched onto it.

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Please pre-order in my online shop! 🌱🌻🌸

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These will be handled by 1831 Studio directly so any other items in the shop will be sent separately. Thank you for the lovely support as always! ❤️

Film photos by Ryan O'Reilly / @ardeavalley

[csuitebitches]

Personal growth truly isn’t as complicated as some of you make it seem.

If I could write a letter to my 18 year old self…..

��You don’t need to purchase fancy guides or watch hours and hours of YouTube videos. You don’t need to have 13 degrees in psychology in order to understand yourself.

The main reasons why one fails at “levelling up” are quite simple.

Lack of discipline.

Lack of accountability.

Not being able to manage time.

Not being able to say no to things in order to prioritise yourself.

Doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing, and yet, you do it anyway because FOMO.

How do you prevent the above from happening?

You have to be hard on yourself and listen to your rational instinct. When your intellectual side tells you that its best not to engage in a certain thing or not to be lazy about doing something, listen to that side. People always seem to know better but choose the easier path of not doing anything.

It’s your decision whether you want to look back at life and get upset with yourself for not having the willpower to do yourself justice. Or, you look back at yourself and thank your stars that you had the sense to start early.

Even if you don’t end up getting 100% of what you visualised, at least you’ll respect yourself for sticking to your guns and doing what was best for you and your life.

It’s not about ego. It’s not about hustle culture. It’s about ending this cycle of misery and procrastination and constant justification of your mindlessly stupid actions.

It’s time for you to grow up and put in the goddamn effort, because no one else will. You can’t demand the best of the best when you have nothing to bring to the table.

Stop wasting your time with idiots who don’t share the same values as you. Start reading more again. You’re not going to marry that guy you’re with and you know damn well that you’re going to leave him anyway - so just do it already. Stop the vicious cycle of breaking up and getting back.

I’m glad you enrolled in that university, even if you were a little nervous to leave home. It’s going to change you as a person. Absorb those experiences and realise that the world is not black and white.

There’s much to learn from and you’re wasting your time watching brain-dead influencers on YouTube and instagram. Minimise your social media footprint. Go back to doing the things you loved, even if you feel that the whole world mocks you for it. They don’t. Nobody cares.”

[elicathebunny]

🏹𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄.

🖤 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒:

𝑰. 𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑰𝑺 𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑭-𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬?

𝑰𝑰. 𝑾𝑯𝒀 𝑫𝑶 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑪𝑲 𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬?

𝑰𝑰𝑰. 𝑯𝑶𝑾 𝑫𝑶 𝑾𝑬 𝑩𝑬𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑭-𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑫?

𝑰𝑽. 𝑯𝑶𝑾 𝑻𝑶 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝒀 𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑫.

🖤 𝐈. 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅-𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄?

Self-discipline: the ability to control one's feelings and overcome one's weaknesses.

e.g. waking up early, making your bed every day, working out consistently, being on time, etc...

🖤 𝐈𝐈. 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐂�� 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅-𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄?

Unclear Goals

Motivation Issues

Fear of Failure

Distractions

Instant Gratification

Perfectionism

Burnout

Lack of Accountability

External Validation

Inconsistent Habits

Impulsive Behavior

🖤𝑰𝑰𝑰. 𝑯𝑶𝑾 𝑫𝑶 𝑾𝑬 𝑩𝑬𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑭-𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑫?

Set smart goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound

Start small and build up over time: "For example, if your ultimate goal is to run five miles without stopping, set an initial goal of running a quarter mile without stopping." This helps with burnout and gets you used to doing difficult things by starting relatively easily.

The 5-second rule: When you have a thought or feeling, act within 5 seconds before your brain starts rationalising and talking you out.

Create a routine: Set up a daily schedule that aligns with your goals. Having a routine helps build consistency, making it easier to stay disciplined over time.

Embrace Failure: Don't fear mistakes. Instead, view them as valuable learning experiences. Analyse what went wrong, adjust your approach and move forward stronger. Don't beat yourself up for bad days, use those days as a reference for what you can do better and what not to repeat again. Don't give up after a few tries, keep going and fall in love with the process.

Minimise Distractions: Identify activities or environments that distract you. Minimising these distractions creates a focused space for you to work on your goals and reduces procrastination.

Make your goals visible: Make a vision board out of them, make them your wallpaper, stick them on your fridge, blue tack them to your walls, put pictures around your mirror and write them down in a place where you can clearly see them to remind yourself constantly of what you want.

Prioritise Tasks: Learn to prioritise tasks based on their importance and impact on your goals. This helps you allocate your time and energy efficiently.

Pushing through: Sometimes we don't like or want to do the things that are good for us. In these situations, you honestly have to choose between getting closer to your goal or staying where you are now. Imagine yourself in the next 6 months if you stay consistent, or are you going to just keep dreaming and waste another year?

Knowing your limits: Knowing how far you need to push yourself and when to stop is necessary. You don't want to overdo this process. Giving yourself goals that are so far out of reach before doing things to narrow the gaps will make you give up.

Practice Delayed Gratification: Train yourself to resist immediate rewards for the sake of long-term benefits. This skill is fundamental to maintaining discipline, especially when faced with tempting shortcuts. "An example of delayed gratification is a parent asking a child to clean up their room or finish their homework before the child can play video games."

🖤𝑰𝑽. 𝑯𝑶𝑾 𝑻𝑶 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝒀 𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑫.

Set Realistic Goals: Ensure your goals are achievable and realistic. Unrealistic expectations can lead to frustration and a decline in discipline. Although it is still good to aim big, aiming big without connecting the dots on how you will get there will leave you confused and might lead you to give up.

Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. This positive reinforcement keeps you motivated and on track.

Review and Adjust: Regularly assess your progress and be willing to adjust your approach. Flexibility is key to overcoming challenges and staying disciplined in the long run.

Visual Reminders: Keep your goals visible. Create visual reminders or vision boards to reinforce your commitment and consistent action.

Establish a Routine: Stick to a daily routine that incorporates your goals. Consistency builds habits, and habits are the foundation of discipline.

Stay Accountable: Share your goals with someone who can provide support and hold you accountable. This could be a friend, family member, or mentor.

Prioritise Self-Care: Ensure you're taking care of your physical and mental well-being. A healthy, balanced lifestyle contributes to sustained discipline.

Learn from Setbacks: Instead of seeing setbacks as failures, view them as learning opportunities. Understand what went wrong and use it as insight for improvement.

Avoid Overcommitting: Be mindful of your limitations. Overcommitting can lead to burnout and a decline in discipline. Focus on quality rather than quantity.

Stay Intrinsically Motivated: Cultivate internal motivation by reminding yourself of the intrinsic benefits of your goals. Connect emotionally with your objectives.

Embody your potential.

xoxo 💋 @elicathebunny

[prettyoatmeal]

General König Headcanons (x reader? Read AN)

Yeah, title is self explanatory, just some random headcanons I've thought of and need to get out of my head. There are some x reader headcanons. Even though it's not the majority, I've decided to include it in the title for the reason that there are some scattered within the mix. Take this as like a 'living with König' typa thing.

Content Warnings: None

Genre: All fluff, nothing explicit

Masterlist here!

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

I feel like with his mental health history, he'd have some special way to calm himself down in stressful situations or just all the time.

Maybe a fidget toy? Like the small dimple ones.

Not too small since his hands are pretty above average in size, but yknow what I mean.

He'd need a way to release that nervousness or excitement he's feeling.

Though, his favourite things to fiddle with would probably be your hands. Running his fingertips along your middle finger down to your palm, gently stroking the skin, slowly intertwining his fingers with yours. Definitely comforting.

Would probably be a chronic nail biter and wears gloves outside his job to actually stop himself from tearing up his nail beds. Would have probably also used the bitter nail polish originally, but he probably found it too gross (behold, the function of the product). Found the gloves work way better. Out of sight, out of mind.

Since he has quite a large build, both in height and in muscle, he has trouble finding clothes his size in a lot of store. Trousers will fit his hips but the legs would be too short, or be too loose around his hips but legs are just right. He'd need to get them tailored to make sure they fit just right.

Would realise that taking so many pieces of clothing at once or over time to the seamstress would become expensive when repeated so many times, so he'd take on sewing as a hobby.

i.e. why he has his little DIY mask situation going on.

The mask had been made from a black shirt, so he'd be big on finding ways to save material and minimise the land waste.

Sewing would give him a nice distraction from the outside world, gives him time to do what he enjoys. It's a good way to kill time.

The needles would be so small compared to his fingers so he'd definitely need his gloves on for that just in case he were to accidentally prick himself.

Very big on keeping his home clean, gives him another distraction. Sweeping and mopping, generally tidying his desk and office, polishing furniture.

He finds himself very accomplished and happy with himself knowing he can keep his home looking pretty and spotless.

Speaking about something pretty,

Would have the prettiest puppy dog eyes ever.

Beautiful downturned eyes and heavy eyelids, probably green or blue, of course they give the prettiest eyes ever to the largest, most terrifying soldier.

During the time he's deployed, he'd be required to comply with KorTac's code of conduct and keep his hair cropped. Though when he has his time off, he likes growing it out and keeping it long. He finds it soothing to brush and comb through his locks, pinning his fringe out of his face with bobby pins as he curls the rest of his hair into a bun or a ponytail.

Uses special shampoos, conditioners and oils to keep his hair strong and healthy.

That being said, he loves when his S/O or a close friend plays with his hair.

Loves head scratches and massages, especially when it's someone else's hands.

If you listen really closely, you may just hear him purr as you work your fingertips along his scalp. Could definitely fall asleep to your massages.

That being said, when he's at home, he'd be a very heavy and very quiet sleeper. Maybe a few small hums is all you would be able to hear from him.

Waking him up would be a bit of a challenge as he'd be so exhausted from returning home that he'd be knocked out for a good 12+ hours.

Won't be all for braiding flowers into his hair, but if you do it for him then he's never taking them out.

Same with friendship bracelets or necklaces or rings. He wouldn't really be one to wear jewellery of any kind, but will forever wear whatever accessory you give him without any second thought.

Gives me big nose vibes (what Doja said), tooth gap, split lip, prominent, visible scarring along his lips and nose.

Due to how his sheer size already and he's prone to standing out in a crowd regardless of what he's wearing, I feel like he'd want to keep a mask on a lot of the time.

He's already way above average in his build, the last thing he'd want to do is draw anymore attention to himself.

That being said, he probably has the best skincare routine ever.

Cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser, then sunscreen in the morning or a different cream at night.

In comparison to his rougher hands, you bet his cheeks are soft and plush. That being said, I reckon he'd keep his face shaven, maybe a little stubble.

WEARS READING GLASSES!!!!!!

Would wear those old man glasses with the thin metal frames and wide lenses.

Grandpa energy even though he's just in his early to mid thirties.

Will occasionally ask for help to define words for him if he reads or hears one which he doesn't know the meaning for.

"Engel, what does.. coi..tus.. 'coitus' mean? and why did the audience laugh after Sheldon had said it.. I don't understand American humour."

Since he enlisted in the military at age 17, barely an adult, he'd missed out on a lot of key moments in life like graduation at high school or a university, or finding himself a lover and marrying them, getting drunk or doing drugs with your best mates for the first time. He's lost a lot of time in the military, it makes him a little sad thinking how much he's devoted his life to becoming a mercenary. So when he's with you, he spends his time enjoying doing little things with you, such as when cooking or cleaning together.

Wouldn't prefer to go out and do anything out in public, but if you ask him really nicely, he'll go out with you to a park or a communal area for a sit down or to have an ice cream or whatever you're feeling.

Plays candy crush.

On level 1496.

Very talented with his thumbs.

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

Yeah thats all :3 hope you enjoyed

Goodnight <3

[rqbossman]

Hallow!

I was wondering how many hours a day/week you spend on writing/editing/proofreading/etc. when working on projects? I've really been struggling with making any progress on my one book I'm writing. I do not have any deadline to adhere to, to make me work faster, but I still feel like it goes so incredibly slow.

This is one of those questions I get a lot and never have the time to give a proper answer. The problem is it's not answerable. Well, not in the way you think at least. When working on a project I use a system called batching where I work in clumps to minimise turnaround time. I.e. one week I will spend doing as much writing as possible, the next week I will do as much admin as possible, the next week I will do as much sound design work as possible etc. I do this so that when I am feeling lazy I can treat myself with work from a different clump for variety rather than just resorting to pure procrastination. it scratches the procrastination itch without being actively unproductive when I can't afford to waste time. To answer your specific question though novels and scripts are very very different to write and need pretty distinct skill sets. There's a reason I still haven't finished a novel, its super slow (comparatively) and requires a huge amount of dedicated grind, scripting dialogue on the other hand I find is just a case of sit down then words happen. Assuming I am on a dedicated writing clump, undisturbed with no other draws on my time and I deliberately trigger my huyperfocus I tend to write for about 7 hours/ 7000 words a day but that isn't sustainable and ends up leaving me exhausted by week's end and needing a recovery period. (Hence the batching.) I still have not found a way to write sustainably hence why Jonny impresses me so much since he can script AND novel simultaneously. I think honestly its not about the hours you put in as much as it is about regularity of contribution. I only really made any headway once I was a full-time creative. Anyone who can juggle full time work and write a novel is far more talented than I will ever be. It's very much my own "white-whale".

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends: EP8 Sand & Ray's 'Never Friends' Scene

I wanted to do a deep dive into this scene, because it really exceeded my expectations. It sets the tone beautifully for Sand's current state of mind, and First delivers such a wonderful, nuanced performance here. Easily one of my favourite Ray/Sand interactions yet.

Sand is looking noticeably weary after witnessing Ray and Mew dancing in the bar. The poor boy just looks so tired and dejected, as if he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Unfortunately for him, the bar is where he works so he's not able to avoid being in a place Ray and Mew frequent together.

Ray approaches and tries to behave as he normally would. He asks to borrow Sand's lighter, a little call back to Episode 1. The camera lingers on Ray's reaction when Sand simply hands it over. Another nod to where Sand had lit his cigarette for him previously. A split second detail, a very clear message: 'It's not my role to take care of you anymore. You have someone else for that now'.

Sand being Sand, is still concerned about how Ray is doing and asks about his arm. They fall into a little routine patter before Sand gets straight to the point. I give him such kudos for doing this, for choosing not to skirt around the subject but confront it head on. Besides, it's not as if avoiding it is going to make it hurt any less. "So what's going on between you and Mew?" Sand frames it as a question, because he wants to hear it from Ray himself. It's the least he deserves. There's also a challenging air in the way Sand looks at Ray with his eyebrows slightly raised. 'Humor me. And don't lie.'

Ray looks visibly uncomfortable and hesitant. I do believe Ray exhibits a conscience where Sand is concerned. He at least has the decency to feel guilty. I think he was hoping they could continue 'as normal' for a little while longer, so he wouldn't have to tackle this difficult conversation. Ray's wordless reaction gives Sand all the confirmation he needs.

Before Ray has anything to say, Sand jumps in with, "Congrats, you're no longer in the friend zone." The way he says this feels 100% genuine. I do think that Sand wishes the best for Ray, because he's in exactly the same position as Ray once was - pining after someone who doesn't return his feelings. So he gets it. He can acknowledge how nice it must be for Ray to finally be reciprocated. This is an example of Sand's 'if you're happy, I'm happy for you' response, because it means the attention is deflected off him.

What Ray says next is also quite telling. He's says things are good but it's very early days, and they're essentially seeing how it goes. "It's okay." Note how Ray doesn't gush or seem particularly animated. A few brief but fairly non-descriptive comments. You'd expect him to be over the moon. I feel like this is Ray's attempt to be minimise the damage by downplaying things. He doesn't want to overly dwell or flaunt his happiness in Sand's face. I also believe there's a degree of honesty here, that Ray has some genuine reservations about Mew and their future as a couple, (that perhaps he's been trying to ignore).

The next few lines absolutely gutted me. "Good, you can finally end the secret crush. Such a waste of time, right?" 'Good for you, you're no longer suffering (like I am)'. When Sand talks about a waste of time, he's referring to himself. 'At least you no longer have to kill time with me, when you really wanted to be with Mew, what a relief that must be.' Sand is massively self-deprecating here. The time they spent together was not special. It didn't have the same meaning to Ray as it did to Sand. Everything he did was meaningless in context because he thinks Ray was simply 'settling for second best' in the meantime. Sand often uses this tone to imply his own foolishness. For continuing to care so much for Ray when he's getting nothing back.

Ray then asks "Are you okay?" I've noticed that when Ray poses this question, he's not really asking. He already knows or he wouldn't ask in the first place. He's basically saying, 'You're not okay but tell me why', allowing Sand to further divulge. However, Sand is never going to give a honest answer to that question. He's always putting on a brave face and pretending to be okay even when he clearly isn't.

Sand then comes back with his classic, "Why wouldn't I be?" "You're seeing someone you've always loved. It's a dream come true." Not a single thing Sand is saying is about his own feelings. His own pain. His own turmoil. He's purposely shifting the focus to Ray, 'well you're happy so I don't matter. It's your dream come true, so my feelings aren't part of this equation' - which just breaks my goddamn heart. 'Who cares what I feel or think about this. I get no say.'

Ray ponders for a second or two. You can tell he's at a loss as to how to salvage things with Sand without losing him completely. So he offers the next best thing he can, in order to still keep Sand around. "Can we still be friends?" Which means, 'I still want to spend time with you. I still want you to be part of my life'. And Ray's face is full of hopeful naïveté that Sand will agree (this boy really has no idea how agonising that would be). For Sand, this is like adding insult to injury. 'Friends' has no clear definition in Ray's terms, and Sand is wary of Ray's tendency to blur that line. So Ray asking him if they can still be friends doesn't really mean anything, which prompts Sand's "You and I have never been friends from the get-go". 'We need to stop fooling ourselves that what we were doing was ever friendship. I've woken up, you need to too'. Sand is not prepared to participate in muddying the waters, especially now Ray is dating someone. It's not fair to anyone involved.

"We have nothing in common. Besides, I don't know why I should be friends with you." This is probably the harshest thing Sand says in this entire conversation. He's very pointedly trying to create distance. Despite evidence to the contrary, he's alluding to differences between them that should justify that distance, justify him pulling away. Sand is just so resigned and matter of fact about all this because he knows there's nothing Ray can say to refute his thinking. It's all far too late anyway.

Ray displays a moment of slight panic and he's clearly thrown by this. 'It's not like that. Don't reduce it to that'. One thing we can be sure of is it upsets Ray to imagine no longer having any connection to Sand. This indicates to me that Ray does value Sand in his own way. Right now he just has no idea what he can offer to keep Sand close to him, because there is no legitimate reason for doing so since he now has Mew.

As a form of consolation, or perhaps a last ditch attempt to tug on Sand's heart strings, he admits, "but when I'm with you, I'm so damn happy." Ray means well by saying this, as in you make me happy. 'That's got to mean something, right?' But by phrasing it this way, it comes across as he's making this all about him. Sand is desperately searching for evidence to prove Ray does care about him, and he keeps coming up empty. He's run out of reasons to stick around anymore. And Ray's not saying the right things to prove him wrong.

Sand deflects again. '(So what if I might make you happy?) You'll be happy with Mew too. I'm nothing special. You'll get to spend time with him in the same way we did'. "You might even be happier," said with a smile no less. Another absolutely gut wrenching line. Sand's sadness clears briefly and he looks sincerely like he wishes Ray the best. It almost feels like a farewell of sorts. 'He'll make you happier than I did. Because I'm not good enough. I'm not what you want.' This is yet further indication that Sand doesn't think he's left any lasting impression on Ray. Whatever they shared with one another, Ray can easily replicate with Mew instead. He's easily replaceable.

Ray reaches out to stop Sand from walking away. Ray is conflicted. He feels regretful over Sand, which he shouldn't be feeling. He's worried that this time Sand is really slipping from his fingers, and there's nothing he can do about it. Because what's done is done. He chose Mew. So what else is there to say?

Sand follows up with, "Let me go already." 'Stop torturing me. Stop giving me false hope when you've already made your choice. Forget me so you can continue being happy and I can move on. Don't make this difficult for me.' Even in this line, I can hear Sand's care for Ray permeating through it. Sand knows he's isn't what Ray wants. He can make Ray happy but not happy enough to choose him. So the best he can do is to send Ray on his way, and to wish him well. All he asks is for Ray to return the favour, and leave him alone to heal. Akin to his addiction, Sand is telling Ray that he needs to let go from clinging to him like a crutch. Because the only purpose he serves is a crutch and nothing more.

He wants Ray to want him for him, and not as a safety net. Not because he provides Ray with some form of temporary comfort or company. Not because he's a means to pass the time.

Why I adore this scene so much is due to the enormous strength and kindness Sand displays here. He could have been much colder with Ray. He could have been petty, outraged, bitter, resentful. But you truly sense his helpless love for Ray throughout the entire interaction. He's still trying to deliver his message in the most considerate way he can manage. He firmly holds his ground but without any malice. 'The tragedy is I can't help but love you, despite what you've done to me'.

[esamastation]

Part thirty of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine

-

"... And so, to minimise the chances of further incidents, Sephiroth was immediately assigned a priority mission in the Wutai region," Tseng concludes his report, his eyes fixed squarely by the President's nameplate on the desk. "A decision approved and backed by Director Deusericus, seeing as Sephiroth had fourteen missions pending in the area."

President Shinra hums, noncommittal. "And now I have an irate Head of Science Department to handle."

"I thought it would be better than the alternative," Tseng says simply.

"Hmph," the president answers. "What is Sephiroth's status now?"

"He's on board the troop transport SXR-774 and will be landing directly in Wutai in approximately twelve hours," Tseng reports. "Mentally and physically it's hard to tell - the last thing he did when still in this building was throw up a considerable amount of blood -"

"Hah!" The President snorts. "Yes, I saw the video."

Damnit, Reno. "Yes, sir. In any case, my people on board the transport report that he seems to be feeling better now."

"I see," the President scoffs and looks away, drumming his fingers against his enormous desk and turning away. "And what about his supposed newfound abilities? Hojo mentioned something about a new level of energy control - is Sephiroth finally starting to justify all the money that went into his creation?"

"... Sir?"

President Shinra slaps his desk. "Is he finally living up to his damned heritage? Is this him finally exhibiting Ancient abilities?"

Tseng hesitates. Ah. That. "Though it's… difficult to say for sure, it does seem that Sephiroth has developed some kind of new ability," he admits. "My agent with him heard him call what he was doing energy alignment, and said that Sephiroth also questioned the source of MP and where it resides in the body. So, one might reasonably theorise that Sephiroth is becoming more… aware."

The President stands up. "More aware," he repeats and turns to the windows that cover the walls of his penthouse office with their complete view of the city. "More… aware. Energy alignment. Professor Gast told me that the Ancients could feel the Mako flowing in the Planet. Could it be something like that?"

Tseng hesitates. "I… couldn't say, sir. It's possible."

President Shinra hums. "Good, good. And you sent him to Wutai too. Excellent," he decides. "That's better than Hojo locking him up in the labs! Better let the boy test his new abilities in the field. And your people will keep an eye on him?"

"Around the clock, sir," Tseng promises.

"Good! That's good," the President nods, clasping his hands behind his back and looking over Midgar with satisfaction. "Two decades of waiting. It's been expensive, but finally we will have some return for our investment. And who knows… maybe in Wutai he will find us the Promised Land, and we can put an end to all the… waste here."

Tseng presses his lips together and says nothing to that.

The President nods to himself. "Good. Keep me posted on Sephiroth's progress. The moment anything comes up, I want to know about it."

"Yes, sir, of course," Tseng bows his head. "What about Professor Hojo?"

"I'll handle him," President Shinra mutters. "Hojo has gotten a little annoying. It's unfortunate. All his best contributions are decades behind him - he lost his vision a long time ago, but… he still has his uses."

Mostly as a deterrent, yes. Tseng thinks. "Very good sir. If that will be all…?"

"Yes, yes, go - oh, and get me the full file on Sephiroth," President Shinra says and nods to himself. "I should refresh my memory."

"I will have it delivered to your desk within half an hour."

Tseng heads down from the President's office, taking a moment to arrange the file delivery. Cissnei could handle it, she has the evening shift. Checking his watch, he then considers his options, and the likely trouble waiting for him should Professor Hojo find out that Turks were involved in ferrying Sephiroth out of Midgar.

Reno and Rude are in the air, and there wouldn't be any updates either way until tomorrow. And Tseng has finished his paperwork for the day…

Loosening his tie, Tseng rolls his shoulders and mentally punches out for the day. He's out of the building and on a train before anyone can stop him - and soon after that, he's on his way down to Sector Five slums. The way down there is as familiar to him as the way to Shinra Building… though it's been a while.

He doesn't quite relax until he enters the sphere of Aerith's influence, and sees the first specks of green in the ground. Finding her isn't difficult - all you need is to follow the flowers. 

They're always facing her, wherever she is.

Right now at the Leaf House school, dressed in a pale blue dress with her long hair done up, helping the school staff arrange some sort of evening party. They're stringing fairy lights all around the schoolyard, and Aerith is setting up flower arrangements. It takes Tseng no time at all to figure out it's for someone's wedding party.

He hides in an alleyway and watches as Aerith spreads flowers, joy and life all around her, effortless and natural as breathing. She's sixteen now, and really coming into her power, that mysterious power no one truly understands, but everyone wants a piece of.

Power, which Sephiroth was supposed to have.

Tseng has read his file - all of them, even the one Hojo buried and pretended didn't exist, the one written by his predecessor, Shinra Electric Power Company's original Head of Science - Aerith's father.

How alike they two are. Aerith, the daughter of Professor Gast Faremis and Ifalna, and Sephiroth, the son of Professor Hojo and…

Sephiroth was an accidental success born out of a failure. The experiments that went into his creation made the SOLDIER program possible - but that's not what he was originally intended for. He was supposed to be the first step in the return of the Ancients… but he never showed the right signs. 

Instead what he had was raw, unmitigated power. And Shinra Electric Power Company liked power. And so the SOLDIER program took off.

If Sephiroth now starts showing powers like those of the Ancients… What would it even look like? Comparing Sephiroth to Aerith's is really like comparing a sword to a flower. They aren't even in the same realm as each other. Tseng really can't imagine it. The idea of a SOLDIER with the power of the Ancients…

Sephiroth is what Shinra made him, ultimately. He has never made anything grow. 

In the schoolyard Aerith laughs at something another girl says before making a mock offended face and throwing a flowerbud at her. They end up chasing each other around a table before heading inside the school, arm in arm, two girls with far too much hope for the world in their hearts.

Sighing, Tseng adds an annotation to Aerith's watch logs about her being in good health and safe, and turns to leave. 

He has no hope for Sephiroth, but if his existence keeps Aerith, who's growing up so fast, off the company's radar a little longer… he can't help but be grateful.

-

Btw I am ignoring lot of Compilation stuff here, and no one (except for SY and Hojo) know that Jenova isn't actually an Ancient.

[wanderingelvis]

hiii could you do a fic where reader gets her period and elvis comforts her with cuddles and whatever reader wants.hope this is okay for you 🫶

Of course!! Sorry that it took a while, I'm making my way through the requests! 💖

🧚🏻 Masterlist 🧚🏻 word count: 1,087 pairings: elvis x f!reader warnings: mentions of dr nick!!!! i obviously do not like him, but i'm writing it before everyone knew that he was dodgy

Getting your period each month was something you never looked forward to, why would you? It was endless stomach cramps, exhaustion and heightened emotions.  And today was that day.  After waking up due to the discomfort, you already weren't in the best of moods, which was only worsened when you realised that Elvis wasn't in bed with you, but rather in the dining hall, meeting with the Mafia to discuss his upcoming tour.  Elvis always made you feel better when you were on your period. He never patronised you or minimised the way you felt, he knew you were in pain and the only thing he'd focus on was making you feel better. You were friendly enough with the Mafia that you didn't really mind if they saw you in your pyjamas, feeling a little worse for wear. Besides, if any of them even gave you a second-look, everyone knew that Elvis would kick them out of Graceland. So, you didn't really waste any time in going looking for the man. You opened the door tentatively, not wanting to disturb Elvis, but equally desperate to be around him when you were feeling so needy. "There's my baby," Elvis smiled ever so briefly before his face dropped immediately after seeing that you weren't well. "Not feeling so good, hmm?" Elvis cooed, patting his lap for you to climb up onto. 

He was dressed in a navy blue suit with a white shirt. He had his sunglasses on after a night of heavy drinking and the beaming morning sun. You shook your head with a pout on your lips as you hitched yourself up onto his lap slowly, not wanting to cause yourself anymore pain in your abdomen. "Tummy hurts." You mumbled quietly, cuddling into Elvis as closely as you could. You loved the way he smelt, of Old Spice, cigar smoke and whatever fancy drink he had by his side. "Time of the month." You whispered so that none of the Mafia would hear. You liked them all, but some things were just a little too personal to share. "I'll get someone to call Dr Nick, he can come over and help make you feel better lil' mama?" Elvis suggested, but you cutely scrunched your nose up at the idea. It's not that you didn't like Dr Nick, he was always nice to you and you did always feel better after you saw him, but the last thing you wanted right now was for another person to be in this house. Half of the Mafia were already sat around the table, watching your interactions with Elvis which was bad enough, you just wanted to curl up in Elvis' enormous bed with him. "Just want you." You admitted softly, concentrating on the necklace he was wearing that hung right at the opening of his shirt where his chest was exposed. Elvis could tell by your demeanour and circumstance that you were feeling extra needy today and that you were going to need a lot of tender care but he didn't mind - in fact, he loved being needed so much. 

He wouldn't openly admit it, but your neediness was one of the things he loved most about you. You never needed him to sing, do some crazy stage antic or for his acting ability, you just needed him as he was, and he needed to hear that every now and again.

"Mary, can you make a heat pad for Y/N?" Elvis asked his cook and housekeeper. "Honey, do you need or want anythin' else?" Elvis said sweetly. You shook your head and Elvis nodded to Mary, indicating that just the heat pad would suffice. "Okay little un', I'll finish this meetin' and kick this good-for-nothin' lot out," A comment that caused a chuckle around the table. "And then I'm all yours and we can start makin' you feel better, how's that soundin' sweet girl?" He suggested. "Sounds good." You said softly with a small nod, making Elvis smile.  "Atta girl, you wanna stay with me for the rest of the meetin'?" Elvis asked you. You nodded, relaxing your head against the upper side of his chest.  Elvis continued on, talking about who he needed doing what job on the next small tour he was about to embark on. 

It was all nonsense to you and you knew that Elvis didn't like mixing his personal life with his business, so you didn't bother pay much attention. Elvis attentively rubbed soothing circles on your tummy, never applying too much pressure that it would be painful, but generating enough warmth that it would ease the discomfort a little. Once the meeting was over, everyone headed out and you settled on the couch in the living room, in front of the brand new television set Elvis had bought for the pair of you. Elvis had recently bought a VCR set too, which was incredibly exciting for you as you loved movies and had bought several for you and Elvis to enjoy, even if Elvis didn't always actually have time to. Elvis walked over, crouching down on the balls of his feet to be level with you, with a grin plastered on his face.

"Now," Elvis started coyly, his grin and playful tone being infectious and making you smile with anticipation as to what he was about to say. "How's about I go into the kitchen, grab us a lotta chocolate," He paused, watching as your eyes went wide at the sound of chocolate. "A lotta candy, a lot of ya favourite apple juice," You giggled at the suggestion of your favourite drink. "And you scootch on over and I'll sit right there with ya, and we can cuddle and watch you're favourite movie and make you feel all good n' better. What d'ya say, doll?" He asked, chuckling as your head bobbed up and down eagerly. "Yes please, Elvis." You giggled as he opened his arms for you to fall into. You gave him a cuddle before he pushed himself back up and walked out into the kitchen, sending a wink your way first, making you let out one more giggle. The rest of the day was spent eating your favourite foods, drinking your favourite drinks and watching your favourite movies - all in the company of your favourite person. Elvis made sure to pepper you with kisses, run his fingers through your hair when you laid down and had your head rested in his lap.  The period pain didn't go away, Elvis wasn't a miracle worker but you couldn't imagine being with anyone else. 

[wayfayrr]

Hey I saw your post, that the requests are open so I want to give you one.

I don't know if your tears got ripped out of his adventure and joined the Chain or after his journey where he got arm back. So what about. Reader replaces Zelda as the Light Drago , completely or basically pushed her away from that is your decision. But I kinda want fluff where Reader helps Tears beat that overgrown lizard named Ganondorf and catch them, where he finally can say how he feels as they helped him through his first journey with Wolfie.

What I'm leaning towards with him is post journey but he has a prosthetic rather than getting his own arm back, it's something he built himself and still has the abilities from the game, another thing I'm trying to incorporate is a few things that make him different from wild, they'll show themselves in time but the one that's most important for this is how he didn't have wolfie :3c

these little reqs are gonna just be tiny drabbles to flesh him out a little more, and like you asked it's just a bit of fluff post ganon with him and reader - it doesn't really go into depth about the how but it's post reader being turned back. I hope you'll like it!! <3

“You’re scratching again, do you want some more salve?”

“Only if it isn't a bother.”

“It's never a bother - nothing is if it's for you. You don’t need to wait for the itching to get bad, or for me to notice for you to ask. I’ll do anything to help you, you know that.”

“I do.”

He knows the reason I don’t ask just as well as I do, it’s an unspoken acknowledgement that he keeps trying to get me to change my mind; he just doesn’t know how close he gets to changing it. He knows it wasn’t his fault that I was dragged into this mess, that it’s not his fault and that I hate how he blames himself for every accident that led to it. 

“Then stop dragging out whenever you’re in pain.”

“I don’t want to be a bother though, I can deal with this. It’s nothing compared to what you went through, you’re already doing enough helping me get home.”

“It doesn’t feel like enough, you spent millennia as a dragon, you fixed the master sword, you were the reason I could kill ganon. I can never repay that.”

Seems like that was enough to push him to the edge, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and threatening to overflow as he applied a cool salve to the patches of scales still dotted upon my skin. He’ll never stop feeling guilt for me having ended up helping him throughout both of his quests not as long as we have to keep doing this, the best I can do now is try to minimise it. Pressing a couple of kisses to his face feels like the best place to start. 

“And you don’t need to, if I had the chance to go back to the start and do this all over I would.”

“Wh- but why? All of those wasted years, all that time away from your home… why would you do it all again?”

“Because it means I get to be with you. I wouldn’t trade that for anything lilac.”

I’ll never get over how red he gets whenever I call him that, the reaction alone is priceless.

[teamcosplaycouture]

A big thanks to Snap Happy Ian for these most excellent photos. This Revolver Ocelot costume was mostly assembled from pieces found at op-shops and military swap meets. I added the capelet to the jacket about a year ago, and dyed the bandolier and styled the wig the night before the expo. I wear a lot of these items as part of my everyday wardrobe, with the intention of minimising the waste and excess that cosplay often entails.