#where the wind blows (2022)

[andstuffsketches]

[sketchy comic of a One Piece au. Sabo says “I’m going to do a Revo mission at this concert”. an arrow pointing to him says “clueless” Uta sings the first lines of Shin Jidai and he says “augh!”, head in his hands. Sabo bursts into Uta’s backstage, saying “Uta, It’s me, your long-lost brother!” Uta waves him off dismissively, saying, “I’ve heard that one before. Security!” She then turns around and says, “wait, Sabo?!”  They rush into a hug, saying “you’re alive?” and “I had amnesia!”. Their embrace is interrupted by someone offscreen announcing, “Breaking news: Fire-Fist Ace is going to be executed next week!” Sabo and Uta look at each other in alarm]

Marineford is affected by the saul au, yeah

[tastywormfood]

You where the sun, and I was crashing into you. (redraw)

[narasgifs]

Where the Wind Blows (2022) - Tony Leung & Aaron Kwok

[image description: a set of gifs made of one scene in the movie Where the Wind Blows (2022) featuring Tony Leung and Aaron Kwok. Tony Leung's character is playing the piano while Aaron Kong's character is dancing.

/end]

[actiniumwrites]

hiya! if your requests are still open could i request a scenario any of the “immortal” characters (e.x: the archons & adepti) with a mortal!reader who exchanges a part of them to become immortal so that they don’t have to worry about leaving the character? the reader’s gender is up to you!

𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋 (𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄)

synopsis: in which you exchange your vision for immortality, determined to live an eternity with your lover

characters: venti, zhongli, scaramouche, and dainsleif x gn!reader

warnings: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, crying, mentions of death and mortality, fear of death, mentions of morbid conversations, scaramouche might be a little ooc here, purposefully inaccurate depictions of how celestia and visions work

notes: um so this request was sent to me back in november of 2022, so, anon, i am very sorry it took me so long to write this. i loved the idea a lot so i hope you enjoy this. also i’m not 100% sure scaramouche is immortal, but he’s been around for centuries and isn’t human so we’re just going to assume he is 👍

Venti:

The wind was blowing softly as you walked up to the giant tree, Vennessa’s Tree. You could hear the faint sounds of a lyre playing an alluring tune among it. If your boyfriend was anywhere, it was here…or the bar.

An off key note made your eyes snap up from where you were watching the ground, not expecting him to have heard you so easily.

“Hello, my love!” Venti cheered.

“Hi, Venti,” you lovingly spoke softly, moving to sit down next to him. Your head carefully moved to rest upon his shoulder and he continued to play softly, although this time around, it was a different song — one of your favorites.

A smile pulled at the sides of your lips. It was the first one since you’d gotten back from your journey. The very same journey your boyfriend was unaware of.

When he finished playing it, Venti set the lyre down next to him against a tree root. His face turned serious, “Something’s wrong.”

“Is there?” you played dumb, unsure of how to bring up the topic at hand. Venti didn’t fall for it. He never did.

He began to scan over your body for any sign of injuries, afraid something bad happened. When he saw there was nothing there, his hands gently placed themselves on the sides of your cheeks so he could rotate your head. He smiled the whole time, but you knew he was just masking his concern.

“I can feel it,” he said slowly, eyes squinting as he looked far off into the distance, “something’s different.”

You tried to hold it back, but tears sprung to your eyes. There was no hiding it now, “Venti, I…”

“Hey, hey, hey,” he hurriedly wiped your tears as you looked up at him, “it’s okay, I swear! You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s just,” you sniffled. The tears weren’t from injuries or hurt feelings, but simply because you were overwhelmed. The entirety of your future was now uncertain aside from the fact that you could no longer face death. You had centuries ahead of you, and it wasn’t something you had before, “my vision. I traded it.”

“What? Why would you…” he mumbled, mind racing back and forth. You loved your vision. It was something you had worked so hard for as a child, a representation of your dedication. It wasn’t like you needed money or anything, so why would you get rid of it?

Through your tear filled eyes, you smiled, “You don’t have to worry anymore, Ven. All those years ahead, we can spend them together.”

“You…you’re…?” he breathed out heavily, realization hitting him all at once. A smile broke through his lips, happy tears of his own were beginning to form, “you did that for me?”

You nodded and he threw himself against you, embracing you tightly. In all the years he had been alive, Venti was sure he would be alone forever. But in life and death, you were with him forever.

Zhongli:

Zhongli hadn’t noticed right away.

He was perceptive, yes, but there didn’t seem to be anything amiss with you at first. You often hid things very well. It was one of the only things he didn’t like about you. If something were to go wrong because he wasn’t observant enough with you, Zhongli would feel perpetually guilty.

It wasn’t until weeks after your journey that he had finally realized something had changed.

You seemed normal for the past few weeks. There were a few moments where you were oddly fidgety or anxious, but he chalked it up to the fact that you had just gotten back from a work trip. Perhaps you were tired out from it. Plenty of people came back a little on edge from trips, he had seen it first hand.

When it became continuous, worries began to whisper in his ear. No, he hadn’t thought you cheated or did something bad. Zhongli knew you well enough to know you weren’t that kind of person. If anything, he was worried that something bad had happened to you. That maybe someone hurt you or there was something you couldn’t tell him.

So, he brought it up at dinner one day.

His hand reached across the table, warmly cupping it around yours. His thumb gently traced over the back of it, a soothing action he knew you loved. He inhaled and pursed his lips before bluntly asking, “Did someone hurt you? Because if they did, I want you to know you can tell me and I will take care of it.”

Your face morphed into confusion, awkwardly laughing at his wild assumptions, “I’m sorry, what? Where’d you get that idea?”

Zhongli retracted his hand from yours slowly. His face was now equally as confused as yours, “I apologize, my love. You have been acting rather off since your trip. I thought maybe something bad had happened or someone may have hurt you. Am I incorrect?”

Another awkward laugh fell from your lips before you sighed and averted your eyes to look out the window of the restaurant, “Yes, but nothing bad happened. I’ve just been a little…down about something.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head a bit to the side, “If you were feeling upset, you could have come to me. You know I hate to see you like that.”

“I know, I just,” you started hesitantly, “I wasn’t ready to tell you yet.”

“Tell me…what?”

The whirlwind of emotions you had been feeling over the past few weeks began to hit you harshly and you couldn’t stop the tears from forming in your eyes, “I traded my vision, Zhongli.”

He took a few seconds to process, but his hand grabbed yours again. He wasn’t sure what you were talking about, but the fact that you were crying was enough to scare him, “I…I am afraid I do not understand.”

“I made a deal with Celestia…to be come immortal. In exchange for immortality, they took my vision,” you explained slowly, staring down at the table.

Zhongli rose from his seat slowly before walking to your side of the table. He kneeled down beside you, a few tears springing at his own eyes as he looked directly into yours, “Why would you do that?”

“For you,” you breathed out happily, cupping his face as the tears fell from your eyes “I want to be with you forever, Zhongli.”

Zhongli rose a bit from his place on the floor. Cupping your face with his hands, he kissed you softly, yet eagerly. You could feel the love and passion with in it. All the sadness melted away in an instant.

He had witnessed so many of his friends and past lovers parish before him. Victims to time and mortality. But here you were, willing to sacrifice something you cared for so much to spend an eternity with him.

And in that moment, Zhongli realized he’s never loved someone as much as he’s loved you.

Scaramouche:

You were used to Scaramouche pushing you away when things got rough. Not because he was angry with you or tired of you, but because his emotions were too much to handle. The sadness was too much to bear.

The conversation of immortality had come up very often. A worry of his that he just couldn’t seem to shake.

What would happen when you were gone?

How was he supposed to move on?

Love someone else?

If Scaramouche was being honest, he knew there was no way he could love another. Not after you, the one person he’s ever truly loved and the only one he hasn’t lost. You understood and cared for him in a way that no one else ever had or ever could. Despite not having a real heart, his love for you was so strong enough to make him feel like he did.

When you left for some sort of trip, Scaramouche hadn’t been suspicious of anything. You claimed it was for your job — just a week long trip out of Sumeru to take care of some business. It seemed urgent, according to you at least. He understood and didn’t question any part of your story, even if it did have holes in it.

Although he didn’t show it outwardly, the week without you was rather miserable for him. Anytime you were gone, everything seemed to remind him of the centuries that he had been alone. The people he had watched die or turn on him and how weak he felt. It made him wonder, once again, how he could ever live without you.

When you returned days later, it was late at night. The lights to your shared home were turned off and everything was silent. You dropped your things inside, but before you could head to your room, you caught a glimpse of your boyfriend through the window. His hat was cast aside on the grass next to him where he was lying down. The wind was blowing his hair softly across his face as he gazed up at the stars, something you frequently did together.

Coincidentally, it was during those times that the topic of immortality would come up. The stars made Scaramouche sad when he peered up at them. Despite not believing in their genuine existence, he would hate to look up one day and find you among them. Far away from him. Mortality permanently holding you in its grasp.

You silently walked outside to where he was lying down, careful not to disturb him. You laid down next to him, gently taking his hand in yours. His fingers interlocked themselves with yours, but he didn’t bother to turn and look at you, already knowing who it was. When you looked to him, however, his eyes were glistening with small tears, the stars reflecting in them. He looked ethereal, but you hated how sad he looked — eyebrows furrowed, a frown pulling his lips downward.

“I’m not ready for you to leave,” he whispered painfully, voice cracking a bit as his eyes finally met yours.

You send him a fond smile, eyebrows turning upwards, “I’m not leaving anytime soon. You don’t have to worry.”

“But you will,” he started, a hint of anger laced his voice, directed at those who dared to take away the one thing he loved, “You’ll leave eventually. Just like everyone I’ve ever known. It’s only a matter of time.”

You sat up slowly, reaching into the pocket of your pants and grabbing something out. A flash of metal caught Scaramouche’s eye. He sat up instantly, recognizing what the mysterious object was.

It was your vision. The bright shining blue light it normally had was entirely gone, drained of power. Wordlessly, you handed it to him. He grabbed it, but looked up into your eyes with confusion. When he did, he finally noticed the exhaustion and dried tears all over your face.

“What is this?” He angrily inspected the grayed vision in his hands, “What happened to you? If someone hurt you, I swear to you, I’m going to kill them.”

“No!” you quickly exclaimed, interrupting his oncoming burst of anger, “No one hurt me. I did this myself.”

“Start explaining,” he demanded. Although he looked angry, you could see the worry and fear in his eyes.

“I’m tired of these conversations,” you hesitantly started, averting your eyes to a tree in the distance. You could feel your own sad frown pulling at your lips as you fidgeted with the vision he had returned to you. Inhaling, you continued, “If I’m being honest, I’m not okay with leaving you either. It tears me apart to see you like this, Scaramouche. It sounds selfish, but I…I don’t want to think of your life without me. Not when it’s already hurting you this much and I’m not even dead yet.”

You paused to wipe the tears that had unknowingly began to fall from your eyes. Gesturing to the vision, you explained, “The trip I went on wasn’t for work, and I’m sorry for lying to you about it. It was to make an exchange. By trading this with Celestia, I’m no longer mortal.”

Scaramouche’s eyes flickered back and forth between yours and the lifeless vision rested in your hands. A mix of anger, sadness, and relief hit him all at once. Years of memories flashed in his head from all the mistreatment in Inazuma, the Harbingers, and to his newfound life in Sumeru. But most importantly, he saw you and all the ways you’ve loved him ever since you found each other. His voice wobbled a bit, dancing between the lines of neutrality and sadness, “Why would you do that for me?”

You tossed the vision to the side and held his hand again, “My vision may have meant a lot to me, but nothing will ever mean as much to me as you do. I would trade everything I’ve ever owned to be with you forever if that’s how it had to be.”

The two of you laid back down together against the cool grass, staring back up at the stars. This time, however, his arms embraced you tightly. The stars seemed to shine a little more brightly, a little more beautifully. There was no chance for them to take you away from him anymore, and Scaramouche was forever grateful for that.

Dainsleif:

The burden of immortality sat heavily on Dainsleif’s shoulders. It was a curse he bore, but not one he would wish onto anyone else. It was painful, unkind, and often struck those who deserved it the least.

When you had found him, you were not originally aware of the fact that he had been among those who were affected by it. You knew he originated from Khaenri’ah, but you supposed he was like your old friend Kaeya, who was also from there, but was not a bearer of the curse.

Admittedly, it was difficult to be in relationship with Dainsleif at times because of it. He trusted you wholeheartedly, but there was always this lingering sense of doom in his eyes. There were times when he would get close with you, share his past and his deepest desires, but then he would pull away. It was a constant game of back and forth with him.

You were aware it was because he was scared, terrified even. Dainsleif had lived a long life of loss and sadness. He had failed in his duties as the Twilight Sword and, because of that, he was forced to witness the death and destruction of everyone and everything he loved around him. Anyone he had ever loved he had lost, and he couldn’t stand to watch that happen to you too.

You couldn’t bear it equally as much. Dainsleif was the best person to ever have come into your life. Someone you knew could never hurt you. Someone who showed you more love than anyone else ever had. Your love for each other was like no other. The only thing that could truly separate you from him would be death, and he would love you until that day came.

As painfully beautiful as that was, it saddened you to a degree that nothing else could. You did not want to lose him as much as he did not want to lose you. And so, you decided to lessen his punishment. Immortality was supposed to curse him with loneliness and suffering, but that loneliness wouldn’t exist if you were by his side for the rest of time.

You left as soon as possible, vision stored away in your satchel and a notebook in hand. It was your notebook that held your recipes. As a chef, there were all sorts of ingredients across Teyvat that you had to often import or travel to obtain. It was the perfect excuse to leave without him raising suspicion. Because, although Dainlsleif detested the Gods and Celestia, he would never let you do what you were about to do. Not for him, and not for anyone else. Not even for yourself.

It took you about a week to return.

Dainsleif noticed instantly something was different when you returned. It was a little past midnight. He was sitting at the table of your home, window open to his left to let the cool breeze sift through the house. He had been scribbling away at a map when the door walked open, and in walked you.

There were dark circles around your eyes, a conflicting look swirling within them. Part of you looked relieved, while the other part looked saddened. His eyebrows furrowed as you stumbled in through the doorway, whispering a small greeting to him. Quickly, he was by your side and hugging you dearly.

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, voice just barely above a whisper. You leaned against him, head tucked gently into his shoulder as you wrapped your arms around his abdomen. Silently, you nodded.

Dainsleif carefully brought you to the couch in the living room, sitting you down gently and setting your belongings on the small table in front of you. The breeze from the window drafted through again, strong enough to make you shiver. In an instant, Dainsleif was up and moving to shut it quickly so you could be warm and comfortable.

“Something’s wrong,” he started, hand moving to cup your face as you gazed into his eyes tiredly, “I know you aren’t just tired. So please, tell me what happened on your trip.”

You crumbled in an instant, unable to lie to his face, “I traded my vision. I’m sorry, I wasn’t actually going to get ingredients.”

Confusion settled even deeper into his blood as he stared at you, unable to comprehend what you were talking about, “Trade your vision for…what? Why would you need to trade your…oh.”

When he realized, you nodded carefully. The silence that followed suit scared you. You often had a hard time reading him, especially now.

His next reaction shocked you, however. Tiny traces of tears sprung to his eyes, threatening to pour over at any second. Your eyebrows furrowed, but before you could say anything, Dainsleif quickly leaned in and kissed you. Your eyes closed and you returned it, feeling the sadness, desperation, and love behind it. When he pulled away, you could see two or three tears had fallen from his eyes.

Gently, you wiped them away and hugged him tightly. He held you tightly in return, and silently, you both laid back against the couch. Exhaustion hit the two of you at once, knocking you out as you slept within each other’s arms. You had been exhausted from your trip and all the emotions you had felt from it. As for Dainsleif, his exhaustion from being cursed had eased up a bit on him. It him all at once, the realization and the lack of loneliness or worries he would have to deal with from now on. There was no more till death due you part, because finally, Dainsleif had you for forever and you had him.

[namwool]

fave shen jiu fics? i need to read more of him!

I'm incredibly sorry for answering so late!

I made a list with everything I've read and liked so far, hope this helps and can somehow make it up for my lateness! I tried to link the fics but tumblr is being a little bitch, so I had to remove them.

Also, this list includes smut as well, make sure to read the tags!

Liujiu (This is my fave couple, I dream of them like 24/7)

Ongoing

Twin Lotus by s_unfl0wer

The Orchid Grows Where Others Cannot by Iwannabe_lieve

The Wrath Of The War God by NazakiSama166

Devotion by NazakiSama166

Through The Well by NazakiSama166

To You On The Other Side by blackflowertea

Completed

'til death do us part by blackflowertea

The Sword And His Shield by blackflowertea

reluctant romance by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it) 

Bamboozled Into Parenthood by Renyo 

Surrender by xpityx (Restricted)

Would you dual cultivate with me? by FakeAlice

talking is hard by technorat

Curse of the Black Moon Flower by cannon_fodder

skyfire circle by mercurials

night time, hide my eyes by technorat

One Night of Sleep by Otno (restricted)

Flower of Fondness by mohuji (togaki) (restricted)

Tainting You by scumshizun

A Necessary Darkness by xpityx (restricted)

push furniture in front of the door by formerlyknives (restricted)

Je te laisserai des mots by xnemone (restricted)

Utterance by EasternWarrior

spar with me by revesdelimonade

best laid plans by revesdelimonade 

My annoying demon by FakeAlice

forever and ever and ever and ever by pennydaniels

Mamazun by shorimochi

An unexpected visitor by Parmse

Traces by shypersomniac

Give Me Your Best Scripts by Dandesamm

Guide Dog by FakeAlice

a trip around the ninth sun by ectocosme (restricted)

hustling for the good life by Chesra

Jingwei by xnemone (restricted)

Indebted by UmbrellaMartialGod

it's that talk again by revesdelimonade

you and i by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)

it’s a crime you’re not around most of the time by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)

Loving You is Easy by Anonymous

uh... you fight good. by saccharinings

behind the scenes and be vulnerable by Anzie (anzie)

The Downfall of Cang Qiong by Anonymous

Sweet Nectar by Anonymous

altar by fencesit

your long tongue runs along my heart by ectocosme (restricted)

The War God's Redo by GT_GoldenTrashbag

Convenience by Phnx

A Poor Choice Of Words by Pancakes_With_No_Clean_Fryingpans

Comfort by xpityx (restricted)

LiuJiu Week 2022 , Promise , Rewritten by xpityx ( all 3 restricted)

like real people do by revesdelimonade

This Omega Just Want His Off Days by shorimochi

In This World by Ehann

tag team carry romance by Chesra

an open/shut case by Chesra 

Alcohol Free by Dandesamm

make sure i die first by pennydaniels

we should stick together by pennydaniels

you're my best friend, i'll love you forever by pennydaniels

Autumn Leaves by dead_leaves_fall_like_tears

Mirror of Truth by dead_leaves_fall_like_tears

Affection curse by FakeAlice

BREAKING NEWS by mohuji (togaki) (restricted)

be good to me by pennydaniels

As the West Wind Blows by demoniqt (restricted)

to tell you the truth by leviiio

Look Into The Mirror And What Did You See? by Invidia_Envy

you got a way (of making me feel insane) by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)

Gold Amidst Snow by ClearAutumnVibes

Evil Blankets and Senseless Shidis (These Maddening Delights Have Surprising Ends) by I_dont_know_anything_im_sorry

Marital Bliss by Aledono

Who had you was? I yes you would by technorat

Opposite by Ehann

Two Peak Lords Walk Into A Flower Field (you won't believe what happened next!) by Space_Samurai

Secondary When Compared To You by I_dont_know_anything_im_sorry

Old Ghosts Haunt These Hallowed Grounds by xnemone 

Mu Qingfang / Shen Jiu (this one is kinky. You've been warned.)

Just what the doctor ordered by Space_Samurai

In the carriage by Sakuja

Poisonous Love or Mu Qingfang is a psycho bastard by Sakuja

Doctor's orders by Anonymous

Too Much But Not Enough by Anonymous

healer's prescription by ectocosme (restricted)

etch me a third eye to see deeper by ectocosme

make it hurt by technorat

Shen Yuan / Shen Jiu (This one is my guilty pleasure.)

Almost Perfect by kiseki_pop 

Taboo by Anonymous

Captive by Anonymous

five times shizunyuan couldn't get off by YandereDay

I (26m) drank my best friend’s (28f) breast milk by Kasasagi (restricted)

the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated by zigur_zig_ah

Romancing the Villain for Dummies by Chesra

You're the pink in my cheeks (And I'm scared 'cause that means I'm a little bit soft) by BambooSpirit (restricted)

One Thing or Another by Ilthit

the places where others gave you scars by Blue_tea06, Chesra, SteamingOwl

I Don't Take Insults Lightly by D20Owlbear (restricted)

Perfectionist Complex by YandereDay

Dear You by YandereDay

A coat of copper and a bamboo fan by BambooSpirit (restricted)

Press A to romance the Scum Villain by BambooSpirit (restricted)

Tianlang-jun / Shen Jiu (The potential of this couple is honestly amazing.)

Tie Me Down by Anonymous

Seducing the Villain's Father by demoniqt (restricted)

Remarried Empress by demoniqt (restricted)

True Treasure by MissMegh

Spread your Wings by Araceil (restricted)

Gongyi Xiao / Shen Jiu (Cute. That's all I have to say about them.)

Home is With You by Anonymous

Plum Blossom by hasa3810 

Honey Sweet by jeejaschocolate

Because I admire you Master Shen by IrisEvergreen

The Love Letter by shorimochi

Qiu Jianluo / Shen Jiu (pls don't judge me for this one, I am desperate for more Shen Jiu content.)

Mend, Scar by Anonymous

a whiff of coffee and healing, by im_sevenn

Dirty Laundry by im_sevenn

My Life in Your Hands by shorimochi

Target Captured by Anonymous

An unlikely savior by Midnight_illusi0n (not really Qiujiu, but I kinda hope??)

Xiu Ya / Shen Jiu (listen... desperate times calls for desperate measures, ok?)

I've only got Xiao Jiu for one day and if something happened to him I would kill everyone. Period by ectocosme

Through The Time by Invidia_Envy

Bingjiu (.... I have no excuse for this one. I am terribly ashamed.)

What it Means to Fall by xnemone  (restricted)

youtiao by revesdelimonade

The Touch Of Your Hands, The Taste Of Your Lips by mercury_retrograde

Finally by Shireyaki

Spring Flowers by xpityx (restricted)

an inch of longing, an inch of ash by xpityx (restricted)

bigger, not better by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)

Matrimony by spearpoint

The Court of the Night King by 1V1

to break your teeth on love by dearly_anonymous (restricted)

Tale as Old as Time by mrblank8l, shorimochi

When the puppy met a little snake by FakeAlice

Satisfaction Guaranteed, I'm Your Sunshine by YandereDay

Where He Cannot Follow by bloodsongs

No thank you, next! by singlewheelrolling

The Adventure of Bingpup and his Tsundere Shizun by CrazyNekoChan

It's Not Much, Goodness Knows by Anonymous

You are not alone, not anymore by Elis98

Through the Looking Glass by FarawayDreamer (restricted)

and perhaps the greatest grief is being left in a universe where you are gone by sweetlolixo

the hands of fate (my achilles' heel) by Chesra

Soft Skills by beelzebaozi

Smug Kitten's Splurge-Spending System by Anonymous

I didn't put it on the list because it's the most popular and easier to find through the tags, but Yinhua is also one of my faves.

I think I covered everything?

If anyone has anymore suggestions for some other fics I can read, please let me know!!

[yui-samidare-reborn]

The Past returns (1 Year blog special)

Lightning cracks across the sky just like it had done last year.  The wind blows rapidly as trees sway while someone works on their computer, Akira has returned. His finger clack away at his keyboard as he chomps down cheeseballs. There seems to be an odd celestial event occurring, the sky swirls a bit as it looks like rain is about to break from the sky, but it does not.

Akira: The Samidare Paradox should allow for a weakening of the temporal barrier, at least temporarily.

He decides to test it, Akira creates another doorway, and focuses on a moment in the past before plucking someone and dropping them in 2022. As the mist subsides, a man with oddly shaped hair drops his knife on the ground.

What is this place?

Hello Mikado Shinsen..or should i say, chairman of the Victims Catharsis Committee?

His cold eyes look around the world. Something has changed, time had marched on.

So: The disaster which was foretold of came to pass?

Yes. Junko Enoshima rose like a force of nature...

he pauses as he looks at Akira.

If i were alive, she wouldn’t have. The Apex Detective would have sought to her demise. That was Samidare’s problem, she proclaimed to be about the greater good, but when push came to shove, she decided to save one life over billions.

If the Detective King Couldn’t stop her, then how could you?

I had connections, dear boy, an entire network of recruiters, judges, politicians, union bosses and oh so much more in my back pocket.

So, we should just kidnap Yui right?

No. We should set in moment an event to truly engineer her downfall. Not as fancy as kidnapping her and her loved ones, but one to truly end her career as a detective, thus calling into every case she’s ever been involved in, and once that’s over, she’ll beg to be sent back to where she came from.

However, the sky soon became unstable. The fabric of time was starting to unravel, the just didn’t know it yet.

—————————————-———

@mystery-orphans-club​, @ anyone who wants to join.

[beautifulmars]

HiPOD 24 Jul 2023: Where the Wind Blows

With this observation, we look at changes since 2010 and with other subsequent images that we have acquired of this area. Bidirectional wind regimes were detected here, so tighter imaging will help understand when east- or west-blowing winds dominate. Dunes are particularly suited to comprehensive planetary studies because they are abundant over a wide range of elevations and terrain types.

ID: ESP_073531_1380 date: 3 April 2022 altitude: 254 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

[jmdbjk]

Needed a moment to collect.

I hear the winds of the wasteland blowing through my head because it will feel so barren without them. It's not as if we see them in real time everyday...but... I already miss them.

It's the same feeling I had after the June 2022 Festa dinner. I was so bereft it was mind-blowing. They tried their best to convey what their plan was and to reassure us and they asked us to listen to them and trust them.

Many struggled with that request.

It was slow realizing it wasn't the end and then everything accelerated and these past few weeks/months have been a doozy. Look at what this past year and a half brought us. More Bangtan joy than I thought was possible!

Now, for me, its just knowing they won't be going about their regular crazy days staying up until dawn, or flying out in the morning just to sleep for the next 10 hours on a plane and land at who knows what time where ever, and hit the ground running. Or going out with their friends to a meat restaurant to just eat, drink and chill. Or working on music or choreo or planning whatever. Or visiting art galleries or museums and stopping for coffee on a beautiful day.

They certainly didn't update us everyday about those things but they did just enough for us to know that's what their lives entail and let us fill in the rest. All that's on pause now.

It is hard to comprehend that Jungkook just wrapped up a very successful solo release just to put it all aside and step away.

His heartfelt letter was precious. I expect something similar from Jimin.

They knew they were going to do it. We knew to expect it. Still...

This is something they are required to do, they are going to do and they are prepared to do it.

Let them do it in peace, grace and dignity.

They prepared some things for us. Be grateful.

Though it's tough knowing the time has come, I also know that they are not going to let those wasteland winds linger in my head very long. They are already dissipating because we have stuff coming down the pipe:

We heard last year that the Disney+ documentary was going to be a series and here it's coming soon. It will take us through to January.

And now the excitement is through the roof upon learning Jimin and Jungkook are about to head to Japan.

The MAMA Awards are being held at the Tokyo Dome, Tuesday, Nov. 28. They are leaving today/tomorrow. Plenty of time to relax, have a little down time and vacation, shoot some content, and then accept their awards Tuesday night.

We already know a "travel with Jimin and Jungkook" is coming soon. Should we anticipate a revisit to GCF Tokyo, or maybe something else similar? I love those two so much, they're always on my mind. They've been so sneaky and careful only because they know this is something special for us. Maybe it will come to us following the Disney series. We don't know what content they've got in the can, ready to follow.

Then we will have a few more months before Jin returns next summer.

Jimin and Jungkook. In recent months, I've gotten really good at filtering out the noise. I've sat here with calm understanding about Jimin and Jungkook, seeing them STILL the same with each other in every bit of new content they've shared. I only need my own two eyes and ears to detect that strong bond. They have the thing that is precious between two people. Grand gestures are not necessary and not their style.

They love their fans... that would be us: ARMY... they love us. They want to give us what we want. They live for that. So Jimin brought back his blonde hair, showed us his moons running down his back. And Jungkook stepped out of the shower naked. They KNOW what we want and want to give it to us as best they can! They know we love them and want to show off their chemistry.

Not gonna lie, this past year flew by for me. It was month after month of anticipation. And now here we are at the end of the year.

All the arguing and fighting and ugliness that some engage in is just noise. Our mens are gonna be the good and honest beings they are no matter what anyone says. Listen to them.

We expect them all back mid-year 2025. We expect a wonderful new most beautiful moment in life. We expect the best is yet to come. We expect something amazing and we won't be disappointed. Trust them.

Their plan is already in motion and has been. We wait™️.

[underground-secret]

The Hunter and the Witch~ Dean Winchester x f!reader

Description: Just before they leave Kansas the group decides to eat and rest before continuing, giving Y/N the time she needs to visit her mother’s gravestone.

Warnings: angst, mentions of death, dead parent, visiting a graveyard, lonely, angst with a happy ending (the happy ending almost didn’t happen)

Tag list: @jesllianaquilesrolonsworld , @okayiamkassandra , @fablesrose , @ada--44

Word Count: 2022

Reunion

(Master list, Previous ch, Next ch)

I sit in the backseat of the Impala, the wind blowing from the open window, messing up my hair and the book I have in my lap. My spell book. I look down at the hard brown book, only minutes ago did I have a small fight with Dean about what to do with it but even now the urge to do something itches at my bones.

With a small huff I open my bag pulling out a pen before flipping open to the page, on the top left corner I write “April 2005–bags did not work on a house haunted with a poltergeist.” The small warning did nothing to ease me but it would have to do for now, because to rip the page would be to destroy a piece of my mother and a piece of myself.

Dean was right, I'm not afraid to admit that, I am afraid to admit, however, that I acted harshly to his remarks. I knew I shouldn’t have reacted like that, I knew it even in the moment but the words left me too quickly for any rationale to hit me. I felt bad, it must have been hard for him to see his mom again and then there I was causing an argument to rub salt in a wound. Most of all I pity myself for getting like that, an awful anger festering in my gut.

"Hey, how 'bout we grab a bite and take a breather?" Dean suddenly speaks, breaking the silence of the car. I look up from my lap, where the book rested, I meet his eyes in the rear view mirror giving a small nod. I was hoping we would stop somewhere for a while so I could sneak away and visit someone. Sam agrees too so we drive on for a while.

I watch the view from my window the whole time, watching the trees and buildings go by when it suddenly becomes very familiar. I don’t know if it was on purpose or not but we pulled right up in front of my favorite diner, I always went there it had become a go-to very quickly. Different memories flash in my mind to the many times I went with my brother, friends, and even Dean. It’s then that I think it must have been on purpose but instead of happiness filling me it’s a sort of dred.

Even so nothing more is said as we exit the car, but just as I close the door behind me I say, “You guys go ahead, I'm not hungry.”

Dean gives me a confused look but it’s Sam that speaks up, “Do you want us to save you something?”

“No no it’s okay, thanks” I shake my head, clutching the strap of my bag to me. “Could you just text me whatever motel we’ll be staying at, in case I come back and you're not here”

“Where ‘you heading off to?” Dean asks, confusion and concern written in his eyes.

“Oh, I’m just gonna walk around” I half lie with a tight lipped smile to finish it off. Still Dean looks at me skeptically, which I suppose is completely fair, but he doesn't say anything about my blatant lie either. With a simple bye I walk away swiftly, feeling the burn of their gaze on me, only slowing down when I'm out of sight.

My feet guide me, the route so familiar I could do it blindfolded. I spent so many years in this town, and yet it all seems so foreign. It was like I was walking back in time directly toward my past, except nothing is exactly as I remembered it to be. I hate to admit it but I never thought I’d be doing this again.

At each crossroad I wait at, my heart feels like it’s being squeezed. A desperate sadness filling my lungs, how was it possible for something to be so familiar yet so foreign? It didn’t make sense. Yes time changes all things, and yet I think I expected it to still be the same like it couldn’t possibly change because this is where I grew up. Maybe it was because I never thought of this place anymore, hadn’t needed too. My past died here and I moved on because it was the only thing left to do. I never came back, never visited, never wondered what my friends who I met here were doing.

It hurt too much to think of Kansas when out of all the wonderful memories only the worst ones stuck out, branding itself to this place I called home.

I slow to a stop in front of a flower shop, the same one I always went to. I enter the small establishment, the bell ringing as I open the door. The strong aroma of all sorts of flowers hitting my nose, I don’t need to look around to know exactly what I want. What I came for.

I walked up to the counter immediately noticing the owner wasn't behind it, I remembered she always was and she even refused to hire any workers because this was her store and she didn’t want any “hooligans” to ruin her work. I have to remind myself that it’s been years, not a week or a month but years since I’ve been here. She probably retired or…no. I won’t let myself think that.

I leave with my bouquet of forget me-nots and white roses, my moms two favorite flowers. I hold the assortment gently as I continue my long walk. My mother loved forget me-nots she would gush over the meaning and the many poems and analogies she had heard, she was a romantic so the meaning was never lost on her. I definitely got that from her.

Eventually I arrive at the cemetery, the large black gate creaking as I push it open. I carry on the path taking a couple twists and turns before arriving at the gravestones. It was unkempt with dead leaves covering it, the sight alone made me want to cry. I wipe away the leaves that lay on top of it, using my shirt to clear the dirt from her name not caring about it getting dirty. I sit criss-cross right in front of her, “Hi mommy” I smile sadly, tears already filling my eyes. “I brought you flowers” I lift them slightly in emphasis.

Feeling it to be too improper to just lie them down, I produce a glass vase filled with water. Carefully I take the plastic wrapping off the bouquet, freeing the flowers from their restraint before placing them in the vase just beside her grave stone.

I let out a heavy sigh, “I missed you…I’m sorry I haven’t visited you since I moved away”

“God.” I sigh, looking up to the blue sky, fluffy clouds scattered over it, trying to prevent the tears from falling.

“You know” I laugh sadly, looking back at her, “This whole time we were here I planned on seeing you and I thought of so many things i’d like to tell you about, but now.…” I breathe out. “I don’t know.”

“There’s hardly a day that goes by in which I don’t miss you, It’s gotten easier since, well, you know.”

“But being here.” My voice trembles, “I feel as if I could lose my mind to the grief, I thought I was past that. Past being so…lost. Alone?”

I laugh, tears falling from my eyes, “I could really use one of your hugs right now”

I wiped my face, my cheeks feeling stiff from the tears, “I met your friend Missouri, she’s great, I'm surprised you or dad never mentioned her before.”

“Um. I’m with the Winchesters right now, helping ‘em out” I tell her, trying to think of the positives right now instead of the squeezing of my heart.

I swallow down a sob, my throat feeling tight with emotion once more, “I know you’d like to hear all the good in my life but being here, I can’t— I just. I miss you”

“I don’t care if that’s redundant when it’s the truth, I just…I’m so lonely” A sob breaks through my lips, and the tears flow down my face rapidly only this time I don’t try and conceal it. “That sounds so horrible to say because I’m with people I love and care so deeply for, yet something feels wrong. Something is missing and I don't feel quite whole.”

More tears fall, my eyes blur with it. Her gravestone and the flowers turn into a gray, green, blue, and white mix. “Have you ever felt that way?” I ask her even though I know I won’t get a response.

I sit there in silence for a few moments not really knowing what to say or what to do. I don’t want to leave just yet because I don’t know when I’ll be back, and to leave would feel like turning my back on her all over again. I scoot the way I sit so that my back is resting on the side of her gravestone with my legs extended in front of me. I lean my head to the side to rest on the frigid stone.

“I figure I’d find you here” A deep familiar voice suddenly says. My eyes shoot up from my fingers, watching Dean's approaching figure, a cup of something in each hand. I swiftly sit up, wiping at my face quickly trying to remove any evidence that I'd been crying, “What are you doing here.”

“Well Sammy bailed on me for some beauty sleep after you left. Noticed you were off, especially when you skipped out on one of your favorite diners.

‘Figured you’d end up here.” He’s closer now only a few paces away, I stand up to meet him. I don’t understand why he came or how he even remembered where her grave would be, “No offense but why’d you come here?”

He shrugs all nonchalantly, “Didn’t want you to be alone.” It was sweet he was here but it almost felt awkward, like this was too private of a moment. “I can leave if you want” He offers, sensing my hesitance.

“No! no it’s okay, thank you for coming, that's really sweet of you.” I spill out quickly, leaving out the part that my mom wouldn’t mind him being here either.

He shrugs again, “You’d do the same for me.”

“Also, I brought you a milkshake for old time sake. Wasn’t sure what flavor you’d go for, but knowing how indecisive you are anyway I got you a vanilla chocolate mix thing.” He extendeds one of the blue paper cups towards me and I knew he got them from the diner.

I take the cup from him, the coolness immediately seeping into my hand, “You know me well” I smile looking down at the milkshake not being able to meet his eyes. Now sweet wasn’t even the right word to describe him, he brought us milkshakes because when we hung out we would almost always go to a diner and get them with fries or a whole meal depending.

“I told you I did” He responds, reminding me again of our previous “fight.”

I look back at my moms grave, the flowers I brought sitting in the vase somehow the scene feeling lighter now. “We can stay, drink these here, if you want.” He offers, again sensing what I’m thinking.

I turn my head back towards him, this time meeting his green eyes, “No it’s okay.” And it was, I knew my mom would want this. She would want me to walk away now when I was happier and with someone I loved—that romantic in her shining through again. He nods and we begin to walk away, I take a sip of the milkshake, “God that’s good” I smile and he laughs.

We walk silently mostly, “Sorry about before, with the spell book. You were right.”

He swings his free arm around my shoulder tugging me closer to his side, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.”

[polkadotmotmot]

Paul Robas - Where the wind blows, 2022 - Acrylic on wood

[lovelytsunoda]

fairytale of new york // mick schumacher

summary: it's her first christmas alone, and he's wandering around new york in the middle of an existential crisis about his future. it was simply meant to be

pairing: mick schumacher x female reader

you were handsome, you were pretty, queen of new york city. happy christmas your arse, i pray god it's our last. and the boys in the nypd choir still singing 'galway bay', and the bells are ringing out, for christmas day (..) i could have been someone, well so could anyone

warnings: angst: mentions of mick losing the haas seat, guenther steiner mention, anxiety and loneliness, metions of hospitals and thyroid problems. cheesiness, a romance book-worthy meet cute, sexual tension, body image/insecurity, implied smut.

author's note: fuck guenther steiner. netflix created a monster as soon as they made him a series regular. and fuck gene haas, i hope he goes back to federal prison for tax evasion. mick really gave his all this season and got nothing in return.

new york city, new york. december 22nd, 2022

they've got cars as big as bars, they've got rivers of gold, where the wind blows right through you, no place for the old

she still wasn't used to the sounds of the city.

new york city raged around her as she walked down the sidewalk, her adidas tennis shoes squelching in the muddy slush.

there was no destination in mind, she just knew that she couldn't stay in her residence alone. her roommates had gone home for the holidays. her own parents had decided to embrace their newfound freedom and flew to puerto rico, leaving y/n to navigate the holidays on her own.

she was a small town girl at heart, raised on a vineyard in niagara falls. new york city had been a big change for her, but she was halfway through her semester and she wasn't sure if moving had been the right call for her.

she was still thinking when she felt the impact, a hard body running right into hers. the impact forced her off the sidewalk, and she fell in between two parked cars. melted slush soaked through her jeans and stained her puffer jacket, her glasses knocked from her face with the impact.

"what the hell is wrong with you?" she shouted, inspecting her glasses for cracks or scratches. "if there's anything wrong with my glasses, you're buying me new ones, asshole!"

"are you alright?" the person said hurriedly, kneeling down the help her to her feet. "i'm so sorry!"

he had a soft face, one that reminded her of an owl. his bright blue eyes were panicked, and his voice had a touch of an accent that she couldn't quite place.

she got to her feet, with some help from the handsome stranger, her feet sliding through the damp street shoulder.

"it's no big deal." she was breathing heavily, her anger dissipating the longer she looked at his soft face. "i should have been paying more attention."

"no, no. it's my fault. can i buy you a drink?"

"can i get your name first?"

"mick." he said softly, extending his gloved hand for a handshake.

"y/n. now, about that drink."

when you first took my hand on that cold winter's eve, and you told me that broadway was waiting for me

twenty minutes later, they were sitting in an old-timey british pub, with john lennon on the speakers and a basket of onion rings in between the two of them as they nursed hot drinks.

"i'm sorry about your jeans, by the way." mick said apologetically, swiping the whipped cream from the top of his hot chocolate onto his pointer finger before licking the cream off his skin.

the action sent shivers down y/n's spine as she shrugged to hide the involuntary action. "it's no big deal. they'll dry."

"still, i feel bad."

"well, don't." she smiled. "what brings you to new york? you're not from around here, are you?"

"but you're not either. not a hint of new yorker in your tone."

"touche. i'm canadian. i was raised in wine country, just over the border in old niagara on the lake."

"switzerland. genolier, but not too many people know where that is." mick laughed lowly before shoving an onion ring in his mouth. "new york was a pretty last minute decision, actually. didn't want to go home, didn't want to go to the ranch." i needed to be some place where people didn't know who i was. he didn't say it out loud, but he yearned to. "i lost my job in november. i'm not sure where to go from here, to be honest."

"i'm sorry to hear that." she frowned, taking a sip of her own hot chocolate, flinching as she felt it scald her tongue. "and around christmas as well. christ, your boss was a heartless bastard. this is my first christmas without my family around. my grandparents are in europe, enjoying retirement and all that bullshit. they've been retired for fifteen years, they just seem to not like staying in canada very long. and my parents are in puerto rico on a beach somewhere."

"so why aren't you with them?"

"i moved out when i went back to college. i took a gap year right after high school, and then it was two years digitally during covid, and my parents told me that i needed to" she paused, getting her fingers ready to make air quotes. "spread my wings." she ran her fingers through her hair, resisting the urge to mess with her hoop earrings. "it's lonely. making friends in university isn't as easy as they claim."

"tell me about it." mick laughed. "you can't make people like you. like my boss."

"does he live around here? we can key his car." y/n suggested halfheartedly, stealing another onion ring from the basket.

mick laughed. the first genuine laugh in weeks. the first genuine laugh since abu dhabi. "well, guenther lives in austria, so that might be a little difficult."

"austria? jesus." she laughed. "hey, this might sound strange, but has anybody ever told you that you look like micheal schumacher?"

mick's cheeks flushed pink as he thought about a response. "he's my dad." the german said simply, showing y/n a picture on his phone. "all i ever wanted was to make him proud, you know. do you watch racing?"

y/n smiled fondly, looking down at the iphone. "my grandfather did. i remember the schumacher era well, his big mercedes comeback. i haven't watched f1 in years, actually. granddad spent some time in the hospital for thyroid problems, and i'd sit with him for hours on end watching races with him while he was in for treatments."

"would you beleive me if i told you that i was a driver?" saying it stung. he still couldn't get used to the fact that he wasn't going to get to drive any more, even if he did sign the reserve contract with mercedes.

y/n raised an eyebrow. "i'd have to see it to believe it, schumacher."

mick laughed, pressing a few more buttons on his phone, pulling up a picture from abu dhabi, his last race ever. it was him and seb, with lance in the corner of the frame and esteban behind them both.

he was going to miss everybody so much.

"is that sebastian vettel?" y/n's eyes widened as she looked at the phone again. "the sebastian vettel? he's still around?"

"he just retired, actually. he had a great run, didn't he."

"he did."

"you said you were in university? what are you studying?" mick asked, shifting the focus of the conversation to the young woman across from him.

"english literature, with a focus on the mystery-thriller genre." she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. she was a nerd through and through, occasionally embrassed to admit her degree ut loud.

english lit was the fallback option for people who didn't know what they wanted to do with their lives, and the fact that she took a gap year first would tell everybody everything they needed to know about her.

except she was starting to get an idea of what she wanted. she just wanted to be around books, be it in a publishing agency or a librarian.

"so you're like, really smart." mick gushed

she brushed her hair behind her ear, hoping that mick would assume the red in her face was from the american winter raging on outside. "i don't know if those are the words that i would use, to be honest. i'm in like, the middle half of my class. incredibly fucking average. i've just always known that i wanted to spend my life around books.

conversation had reached a comfortable lull, with the duo sneaking the other longing glances as they munched on the onion rings and drank their hot chocolates.

mick thought she was stunning: with her shoulder length hair that shone in the lights from the bar, the cat's eye glasses that framed her eyes so nicely, the small golden nose ring that glittered against her skin. but more so than that, he enjoyed her company. her soothing voice, her beautiful laugh. her aspirations and eccentricities.

y/n was entranced by mick schumacher. his passion, his vibrance, his sunshine attitude that could light up an entire room without even trying. was it too soon to say that she had fallen for his soft features, his bright blue eyes and his beautiful hair?

sinatra was swinging, all the drunks they were singing, we kissed on a corner, then danced through the night

the song on the stereo changed, a group of drunk nyu frat boys in the corner who had been celebrating the end of exam season throwing their arms around each other and belting out the words.

y/n laughed at the group, before she started singing along herself. "and then we sang a song, a rare old mountain dew. i turned my face away, and dreamed about you."

"you have a great voice." mick said shyly, not wanting to embarass y/n.

"no i don't." she laughed, fighting the urge to hide her face behind her hands. "i just really like this song. it's my favorite holiday song. 'fairytale of new york'. it's not my favourite version, though. i like the creeper version better than the original. not the most popular opinion."

mick raised his eyebrows. "it's a little depressing."

"it's beautiful. melancholic, almost." mick didn't miss the sparkle in her eyes as she started talking about music. "i went through a phase in high school, I was really into the punk bands of the seventies and eighties, like i was a complete nerd about it. i could recite any fact about the sex pistols or the clash in seconds. sorry, i'm rambling."

"no, no. keep going. i think its cute." he regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth, a dusting of pink coating his pale cheeks.

why did you say that, schumacher? you're not as smooth as you think you are. what would sebastian say?

"do you want to dance?" he offered up instead, getting up from his side of the table and extending a hand for y/n to hold on to.

y/n looked at him, slightly confused but taking his hand anyways, an electric shock coursing through her veins at the closeness. "you know how to dance?"

"my mother raised me properly." mick laughed as he pulled her closer, leading her in a clumsy ballroom waltz and trying to keep himself together, overwhelmed by her vanilla scented perfume, her closeness to her body. "just follow my lead."

they matched their footsteps, circling around the carpeted floor and the frat boys in the corner, the couples sharing drinks after work, the group watching the premier league on the tv above the bar. the world narrowed down to just the two of them, fingers laced together and arms around backs to hold the other close while y/n sang along under her breath.

they stopped dancing as the song faded out, foreheads pressed together as they stood between empty tables.

"can i kiss you?" mick asked softly, scared that if he was any louder, his voice would betray him.

"yes." she answered equally as quiet, wanting to keep the moment a secret between the two of them.

their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss, mick's lips warm and soft against her own. she pulled away, a bright smile on her face as she rested her forehead against his.

"i don't usually kiss strange men in bars, you know."

mick laughed, both his hands resting comfortingly on her waist. "and i dont kiss strange women in bars, but i'm really happy to make you the exception."

"i'm glad. now, can you kiss me again? if we're going to break these rules, i think we should go all out."

and then mick kissed her, with twice as much feeling this time, each kiss punctuated with giggles and bright smiles.

you were handsome, you were pretty, queen of new york city

their giggles echoed off the hallways of the residency building. the apartment had been shoddily built for the sole purpose of housing students away from the university campus: three floors with paper thin walls and metal doors with electronic locks, pre-fabricated and cookie cutter pre-furnished three-bedroom apartments behind every electronic combination lock.

the hallways were hung with dollar-store tinsel, whiteboards with festive doodles proclaiming who lived where, the sound of christmas carols wafting up from the lobby and through the thin drywall.

she held mick's hand in hers, and the driver longed to touch every inch of her body as they ran down the hallway, the pom-pom on the tip of her winter beanie hat bouncing up and down as she ran, flared jeans swirling around her legs as she stopped in front of a door with a handmade wreath hanging off the front door, covering up the names on the whiteboard.

"all of my roommates went home for the holidays. it's just me here, we aren't in anyone's way." she said softly, pushing the door open.

a large christmas tree stood in the small living room, covered in mismatched garlands, homemade ornaments blinking rainbow lights and a picture of ryan reynolds perched at the top where the star should have been.

the sight brought a smile to mick's face. It was a glimpse into the life of a girl he could see himself falling in love with.

a girl that could help him find out who he was outside of the sport he had given so much of his life to.

"i'm just in here." she said softly, opening a door with a poster of guns n roses on the front, a small hangar reading "y/n's room" in calligraphy hanging off the doorknob. "sorry, it's a little bit of a mess."

"that's okay." mick beamed, taking everything in. everything in the youngest schumacher's life had been cookie cutter, neat and organized as a pin. he was ready to embrace a bit of disorder once in a while. "i actually like it. feels cozy."

every available surface of her room was covered in books: overflowing bookshelves next to the desk, another makeshift shelf constructed at the end of the bed that was filled with overflow, a few mismatched photo storage boxes on the bottom shelf. the walls were a collage of all the things that made y/n who she was: art cars with paintings from van gogh and monet, polaroid pictures of her and her small circle of friends from home, postcards of all the places she wanted to see. strings of fake flowers, their plastic petals bright against the cream colored paint.

y/n smiled as she flicked on the warm-colored fairy lights hanging above her bed, lighting a small scented candle that was on the side table before she took off her jacket and beanie, ruffling her hair in a way that allowed mick to see something that he hadn't originally noticed in the dim lighting of the pub: the magenta streaks running through the undersides of her hair.

"what?" she asked, a smile on her face when she caught him looking.

"i just noticed the streaks in your hair. i think it looks really good. you're beautiful, you know that?"

she shook her head, kicking off her shoes before crossing to where mick was, looping her arms around his neck. "unfortunately, that's not something i've heard from too many people."

"i don't understand why." he said, gently kissing the top of her forehead as he rubbed his thumbs up and down her torso, over her knit sweater like the gentleman that he was. "and if you'll let me, i want to show you just how beautiful you are, even if i only have you for one night."

she slipped her glasses off her face, folding the arms in and resting them on top of her romance book before turning back to mick and kissing him softly, cradling his face in her hands.

she never wanted to let him go.

she shivered under his touch as he undid the buttons on her cardigan, stripping her top half down to her lacy black camisole before he gently pushed her onto the bed, climbing on top of her and pressing his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. her fingernails left scratch marks across his abs as she slipped her hands underneath his sweater, bunching the fabric up as she tried to strip the german of all the clothing covering his upper half.

as he kissed down her neck, mick could feel himself getting hard, fully at the mercy of her labored breathing, the low moans and whines she let out as he nipped at her skin and dug his fingers into her jean-clad thigh, wrapping her leg around his body before he grinded into her, trying to find any kind of relief that he could.

his hands tugged at the cotton camisole with enough fervor that he was sacred it might rip as he scrambled to push it up, pressing kisses to y/n's stomach before she sat up, gently pushing him away.

y/n didn't know why she did it. why she let the sudden wave of insecurity and anxiety keep her from getting something that she finally wanted. thoughts about the stretch marks and acne scars marring her breasts, her not-so-flat stomach that mick was sure to notice soon enough. the little inner demons that would be the death of her.

"what's wrong, pretty girl?" mick's voice was gentle and soft as he brushed a lock of magenta hair from her face. "is it too much? too fast? please, let me know how you're feeling." he was gentl as ever, bringing y/n's hands to his lips so he could place a kiss on her knuckles.

she sucked in a deep breath, taking things into her own hands, making the conscious decision to overcome her demons as she pulled the camisole over her head, reaching behind her to undo the cotton tommy hilfiger bra, putting every vulnerable part of herself on display, hoping that mick would see past it, fighting the urge to cover herself with her hands, to shrink back into the person she used to be.

mick kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, her nose, and her lips, her head cradled in his hands. "you're the most beautiful woman that i have ever seen, and i wish you could see that in yourself the way that i do."

"tonight, you've helped me find that part of myself, made me feel things that i never thought were possible for me. and if we only have one night, i want to make the most of it." she said confidently, unsure of where that confidence had come from but knowing it was from the part of herself she had been trying to find for so long. "kiss me, schumacher."

the boys in the nypd choir still singing galway bay, and the bells are ringing out, for christmas day.

they didn't leave the bed that night unless they absolutely had to, one of her grandmother's heavy knit blankets draped overtop the duvet as they lay together in a tangle of limbs. the air was punctuated with bright giggles as they kissed, big smiles on their faces.

neither of them wanted to let the other go. they knew what this was: a one night stand, nothing more.

but maybe it didn't have to be that way.

"mick?" she said softly, moving to sit up, the oversized def leppard shirt hanging off her frame, making her look smaller than ever. "where do we go from here? i know that we went into this thinking it would be a one time thing, that you would go back to switzerland, and i'd stay here. but i don't know if i want that any more."

mick sat up, still shirtless and with a thoughtful look in his eyes. a shiver ran through his body from the cold, and y/n instantly reached for the blanket, wrapping the corners around his torso.

"that's not what i want either, pretty girl. what i've felt tonight is nothing that i've ever felt with another girl."

she shifted in place, resisting the urge to reach for the driver. "so what now?"

"i've got no plans. no sport to go back to. i could stay in new york while i try and figure my future out." mick took her warm hand in his cold one. "i want to make this work, y/n. i want to get to know you, to wake up next to you every day. and if i ever get back to racing, i want you to be in the garage at my side."

"okay." y/n said, trying not to cry (the good kind of tears, of course!) "okay. let's do this. tomorrow i'll show you all my favourite places in new york?"

mick laughed. "sounds like a really good plan."

and then he kissed her again, wide smiles on both of their faces.

and even more important than that, they had hope for the future.

__________

tags: @sidcrosbyspuck @flannel-cures @libraryofloveletters @diorleclerc @magnummagnussen @daydreamingleclerc

[rainstormsdarling]

A Court Across Seas and Stars

Chapter 1

Summary: In present-day Edinburgh, Feyre Archeron is having a morning like any other – filled with research for her PhD in art history and endless cups of tea. Suddenly a mysterious and extraordinary male appears, and she is drawn to his side compelled by his dark allure. When Rhysand returns to Prythian, Feyre embarks on a journey that sweeps her not only into realising her true power and passion, but also into the arms of male that is not of her world. But Rhys and Feyre must confront their own histories that haunt them in different ways, and question where they truly belong. In what begins with a search for the truth, Feyre finds herself torn between two worlds and two irreconcilable choices; love or her life.

please see the end for notes :)

....

Edinburgh, Scotland - 21st December 2022 (Winter Solstice)

When Feyre thinks about all the work she has to complete by the end of the month, she feels paralysed.

So mostly, she doesn't.

Instead, she paints.

For her, painting wasn’t just a productive form of procrastination, there was also a deeply therapeutic aspect to creating something soulful with her hands.

On this particular winter morning, the heady scent of earl grey tea, banana bread, and oil paint filled the air of her tiny Edinburgh flat and drifted over to the second-story window that was cracked a third of the way open -as far as it could go - where condensation dripped down onto the weathered and flaking sill.  

She lifted the canvas off its mounts, placing it haphazardly on the kitchen benchtop amidst an assortment of reference books, open laptop, and freshly baked banana bread that adorned the hardwood countertop.

Her colleagues at the art gallery would surely applaud her new contribution. And she didn't mean the art - unless they were suddenly accepting banana bread as a modern art form.

Feyre excelled at justifying even the most irrational choices to herself. Amidst the relentless deadlines of her penultimate year of doctoral research in art history, indulging in a third piece of banana bread felt undeniably well-deserved, even if it was 9 AM on a Wednesday morning and she ought to be on her way to the library right now.

...

After dropping off half of the banana bread to the art gallery where she worked, later that morning Feyre made her way across campus in the mid-winter mist, frost nipping at the tip of her nose and bitter gusts of wind blowing tendrils of her brown hair that had fallen free from her bun away from her face. 

Outside the library she stomped her boots, flicking off little droplets of rain and wayward leaves, before pushing through the great doors. This early in the morning the library was clear and mostly empty, and she made her way up to the seventh floor, where she took her usual spot on a desk hidden amongst the rarely visited section on reference materials for the history and philosophy of renaissance art.

Sitting down with a quiet sigh, she took out her laptop and supplies, glancing out the rain-streaked window before opening a spreadsheet and starting work for the day.

She worked through lunch and into the early evening, absentmindedly twirling her pen in knots through her dark hair. Thoroughly engrossed in the statistical minefield of the dataset she was working on; she almost didn’t notice when she felt rather than heard a heavy thud from behind her. Scrunching her eyebrows, she looked up just as another rumble sent dust falling from the wooden beams above her head.

‘Hello?’ She called, jumping to her feet.

Creeping tentatively down the corridor, it felt like all the many particles in the air were vibrating around her.

Something about the dimly lit stacks at the end of the hallway called to Feyre; a sense that she was stepping towards something intended to be unseen, unnoticed. But a low thrum echoed in her blood and in her bones, urging her onwards. The air around her felt noticeably cooler now, almost freezing, as she reached the final row of shelves. As if all the windows in the library had been thrown open to the icy winter wind.

Peering around the corner, her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. Crouched on the ground, surrounded by scattered books and loose pages in varying degrees of damage, was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

Everything about the man in front of her seemed to exude danger, and yet she could not for the life of her stop staring at him. Dark hair fell across his forehead in a disarray of midnight blue-black strands offsetting his suntanned face. His white dress shirt was partially untucked from his black leather pants and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, displaying strong forearms that were covered in whorls of dark ink. The tattoos flowed under his shirt, over his chest where they peeked through the unbuttoned neckline, and up his neck.

She had an inkling the strange markings continued down the rest of him, too, but as her eyes traveled downwards, she caught the hilt of a vicious-looking dagger strapped to his side. Although disheveled, there was no denying the dark allure that seemed to radiate from him.

Uneasy, she stepped backwards, and directly into the bookshelf behind her. A gasp slipped past her parted lips as he sharply glanced up at her, his features as stinging as cut glass. 

 Before she could blink, the stranger had drawn a sword into his right hand from where it was sheathed against his spine. It sang as he swept it through the air, holding it at her neck.

She glanced down at the sword, and angled her chin higher, swallowing deftly. The blade's length was inscribed with runic letters which emitted a faint obsidian glow, casting shadows from where he pointed it at her.

Her heart pounded like a drum, but she kept her focus on his eyes as she asked faintly, ‘Do you need any help? I - heard a loud noise...’ 

Pale blue-violet eyes narrowed as they scrutinised her, piercing in their intensity against his golden skin. So intensely deep that she felt like she could fall into a thousand skies full of stars if she stared into them long enough.

‘Who are you?’ He said finally.

The cadence of his voice, deep and even, but rough around the edges sent shivers along her skin and spread goosebumps in their wake. It was a rich, cultured voice, accented in a way she had never heard of. It wasn’t exactly said as a question either, but more of an order, and Feyre bristled at the command in his tone.

‘Who are you?’ she challenged in return, raising an eyebrow.

Realising as soon as she said it that it probably wasn't the smartest to question a stranger alone, and who was holding what looked like a very real and very sharp looking sword to her neck. She nervously glanced down at the sword once more, then back to him.

Although, she certainly hadn’t noticed him in the library before, and she would have, without a doubt. Feyre’s mouth dried out. Great, she was literally being held at - sword point - and she was thinking about his looks? She supposed some people must find him irresistibly attractive, in a basely sexual sort of way, if they could get past the unsettling aura of carnal danger and depravity that emanated from him.

The man languidly stepped out of his crouch, lifting the sword with him so the blade maintained its perfect balance at her throat. Feyre pressed her back closer against the bookshelf behind her as he rose to his full height with sensual grace. He would have to be at least a whole foot taller than her, six foot five or more, and her breath caught in her throat as he prowled closer. His eyes seemed to twinkle in dark amusement as they beheld her in front of him, a half-smile playing on his lips, like he could smell the emotions coursing through her. As if he could hear her traitorous heart beating furiously in her chest.

His smile curled upwards as she willed her heartbeat and breathing to calm, this man was clearly an actor or performer. The billowy shirt, tight leathers, the long sword, merely costume for a peculiar period-drama the university’s theatre department currently had in season.

Carefully he stepped around the books strewn across the floor, only stopping once he faced her, not more than a metre away, studying her with a predator’s gaze. Her shoulders stiffened with his close proximity.

‘I’ll ask you again, who are you and where have you brought me?’ 

 ‘What do you mean where have I brought you? All I heard was you thumping around back here and I came over to check if you were alright.’

She swallowed thickly, and surveyed him once more, taking in the fine leather boots that appeared to be half-heartedly concealing more blades. He made an impatient sound and she dragged her eyes up to meet his again, only to find that he seemed to have leaned in even closer. Her whole body felt on edge from the intensity of her vulnerability.

His warm breath fanned over her cheeks as he demanded ‘Where. Are. We.’ 

She lifted her chin, nervously tucking her hair behind her ears, ‘We're in the faculty of fine arts library. Now, would you mind stepping away from me please?’ 

The air shifted and he went preternaturally still as he tracked her movements with wide eyes. Shock and confusion flashed across his features, so quick she could scarcely believe she saw it as his expression molded back into something that resembled cool indifference once more.

‘Forgive me’ he murmured, bowing his head slightly. But his eyes remained locked on hers as he took a careful step back. ‘I seem to have ah… lost my place.’ 

‘Right…’ She shifted uncomfortably on each foot. Her eyes sliding between his eyes and the long double-edged sword, where the gleaming obsidian light leaked from its tip right up to its dark hilt. Noticing her stare, he sheathed it smoothly on his back behind him. 

She fiddled with her necklace nervously, running the amulet between her thumb and forefinger. ‘Are you a theatre student?’ She asked abruptly.

‘No, I don’t belong to the theatre.’ His eyes narrowed in disdain.

 She looked around at the shelves, and the discarded books on the floor again. Not really knowing what else to say, she said  ‘We should really tidy this stuff up before the librarian comes up.’

Not waiting for an answer, Feyre stepped around him and began picking up books. Some seemed to be close to falling out of their bindings, errant pages coming loose. ‘How on earth did you manage this?’ she asked.

‘I fell’ he said, looking up from the books he was beginning to stack in a neat pile. ‘What is earth?’ Only curiosity laced the question.

‘What –‘ she started to say,  but as she did the heavy book in her hands started to glow, light shining outwards from the spine. The air was thick with the combined aromas of book-like mustiness and something metallic, a tang of mineral bitterness that seared her nose.  A low rumble shook the air, echoing off the walls and sending more books tumbling in its wake. She let go of the tome and stumbled back, only to find it shockingly still hovering in the air before her. Magic - that scent that effused the air and gave it a strange charged quality - it was magic making the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

‘What the– can you see this?’ Looking up at the stranger with wide eyes.

‘Yes, I – you need to tell me where we are -‘ he started, but then the pages froze in the air, mid turn. Like someone had gotten out a remote control and hit pause. Everything went still as the whole world around them paused in time, even the wind outside seemed to halt its course through the trees for a moment as the heavy tome dropped to the floor with a resounding thud. That strange glow dissipated until only the waning December sunlight at dusk shone from the window of the dimly lit, dark wood library once more.

Feyre sucked in a breath, her heart pounding. The late nights working, studying, and never getting enough sleep had finally caught up with her. She was actually seeing things, and having hallucinations. The sense of panic that rolled through her then was staggering, but the tome, old and heavy, leather-bound and covered with dark inscriptions was still not a mere half a metre before her. Like the mysterious stranger who studied her now with narrowed eyes. 

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to take a slow breath, steadying herself against the bookshelf behind her. This couldn’t be real, he couldn’t be real, she thought. Obviously, he was nothing more than a hallucination, a very vivid one at that, but not real nonetheless. It was frightening that she had lost her grasp on her senses so fully, but she could only stand there, frozen, as panic rushed through her veins like acid.

Her attempts to breathe and calm herself were failing, and she felt a familiar anxiety rising up within her chest, her lungs stuttering in small, rapid inhalations. ‘Darling’ said a low, even voice from above her, and suddenly she felt a firm but barely there pressure applied to her shoulder. The stranger’s hand, warm and broad, gripped her shoulder, his thumb rubbing up and down gently.

‘Take slow, deep breaths’ he said softly. ‘Can you hear me?’

She took a breath, and then another.

‘Yes.’ Unfortunately, she didn’t add. She didn’t want to admit that everything she had just seen and heard from him right now was most probably a sure sign of insanity. Wringing her hands at increasing speed, ‘I’m fine – well, no, I’m not. But I will be. I’m just stressed out, another overworked grad student, on the verge of a full-blown panic attack and now I’ve started seeing things – no, conversing with figments of my imagination, and –‘

‘You’re not seeing things.’ The stranger interrupted, ‘Well, you are, but not figments of your imagination. I’m really here and you are really talking to me’. He paused. ‘Why don’t you tell me your name?’

She peeked open her eyes. He stood directly in front of her, absurdly intimidating with his dark eyes, staring down at her from his height – which now that he was so close it must be well over the six foot something she originally thought. And his hand, large and pleasantly warm, was still wrapped around her shoulder. She let her hands fall to her sides and sighed resignedly.

 ‘It’s Feyre’

‘Fey-ruh’ he repeated, drawing out her name in that low voice of his like he was testing it on his tongue.

She eyed him warily, ‘Yes, Feyre. And what’s yours then?’

‘Rhysand’ he said shortly, with a scowl. A strange, odd name. A name that didn't sound of this time or place. 

‘What is happening to me?’ She asked breathlessly.

‘Concentrate, Feyre. Take another breath.  What you saw just now – with the book –‘

‘Glowing and flipping through the air, you mean?’

‘Yes that –‘

‘Wasn’t real, right? and neither is this conversation, so now I’m going to walk back to my desk, pack away my stuff, go home and pretend this never happened.’

He stared at her for a moment, then dropped his arm and nodded. ‘If you want to forget it, fine. But at least tell me how to activate the portal in this-’  he looked around darkly ‘library… before you go. I would like to get back to my world before dinner if possible.’

He lifted one eyebrow, staring expectantly. For a minute she just blinks up at him, confused.

‘Look, whatever is going on here I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. I really have to go now.’ Taking a deep breath, she turns around hurriedly and starts down the corridor. Only to come face to face with none other than the austere senior librarian, Ms. Argyll. Feyre was almost certain the stern older lady was capable of moving silently through the dark wood halls, appearing from between the shelves at the slightest noise. Never mind the wrath you might face if you fail to return a book on time or in less than perfect condition.

‘Miss Archeron, do I need to remind you that this floor is of silent study?’ She said in her icy Scottish burr, which altogether made her more frightening. Feyre froze. If Ms. Argyll stepped any closer, she was going to see the destroyed books hidden behind the stacks she now stood in front of.

‘Ah.. no. I mean, no, I know. Sorry, Ms. Argyll.’ Stepping forward nervously, Feyre angled her body hopefully to shield the fallen books behind her.

Ms. Argyll stared grimly down at Feyre from her red-framed glasses. ‘And who, may I ask, were you talking to?’

‘Well, I was just practicing –‘ Feyre started to say when she felt movement to her left.

‘That would be me, my lady, please let me apologise for any disturbance we might have inadvertently caused. Feyre here was graciously helping me locate a book,’ Rhysand said smoothly from her left.

Ms. Argyll narrowed her eyes ‘You know young man, that’s what the computers are here for’

‘I am not a young- computer?’ He looked at her with a mildly confused expression.

Feyre jumped in, ‘Please rest assured next time I will absolutely make sure to send him down to the front desk if he has any trouble finding something. We are really sorry about the disturbance, and we’ll be leaving now’ She turned to Rhysand expectantly.

‘Yes’ he confirmed, nodding at her.

‘The library closes in twenty minutes even so.’ Ms. Argyll seemed unconvinced but sniffed haughtily regardless. ‘See to it that you two return any books to their rightful places'. With a final severe glance of disapproval, she turned on her heel and stalked – indeed silently – down the hallway.

Feyre exhaled, before turning abruptly to face Rhysand. ‘She can see you’

‘Yes.’ He drawled, ‘and so can you.’ Again, with that raised eyebrow.

‘Ughh’ She rolled her eyes, ‘Are you going to tidy up those books?’

‘Already done, sweetheart’

‘That’s not possible, and don’t call me –‘ She stepped around him, but the books were indeed placed back in their spots on the shelves. Not one yellowed page to be found scattered on the floor.

She whirled back to him. ‘Alright, what is going on here? There had to have been at least fifty books, not to mention the mess caused–‘

‘You two, out. This instant!’ Came Ms. Argyll’s raised voice down the corridor.

She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to her desk where she started packing up her things hurriedly.  ‘This is unbelievable. She’s going to be on my back for weeks, and I needed that twenty minutes - I have at least five more books I need to reference.’ She whisper-shouted up at him. 

Rhysand only looked back at her, his mouth quaking in faint bemusement as she hastily shoved her supplies back into her bag. He was leaning casually against the desk, as if a suddenly glowing book was an ordinary occurrence for him. To her disbelief, tucked under his arm, although no longer glowing, was the very book from before.

‘What on earth are you doing with that? You can't seriously be thinking about taking that out of the library?’

‘Darling, I can and I will.’ He crooned. ‘and again if you’d care to enlighten me. What is this earth?’ He cocked his head to the side as he studied her, and she could have sworn there was true curiosity in his eyes. 

Feyre’s chest was tight with anxiety merely considering the question like she’d found herself on the precipice of the unknown and had no choice but to leap. Her head was growing light, and entertaining the idea was pure nonsense. Instead, she shook her head and strode for the direction of the stairs, not caring if he was following or not.

She took the stairs two at a time, only stopping to exhale once she was out of the library and the great doors were sliding shut behind her. It had snowed while she had been inside. The courtyard outside was blanketed in it, and the visual relief alone from all the darkness and unease she felt inside the library was soothing. She squared her shoulders, slowly descending the outside steps.

‘Wait –‘ a deep voice said behind her. She whirled mid-stride, boots slipping on the slick steps. Losing her balance - her eyes closed, bracing for impact – but then suddenly there was a large, warm weight steadying her. A firm pressure on her upper back and waist, as Rhysand caught her.

Feyre opened her eyes and looked up with a wince.

‘Are you okay?’ He said it in a low, intimate tone. She swallowed thickly, but her answer caught in her throat, his face was so close and her heart was beating too fast. Although only concern was written over his features, an incredibly confusing blend of desire and irritation swirled in the pit of her stomach. Did she actually just fall for a guy? And a ridiculous one at that. Can this day get any worse? Rhysand lifted her to her feet but kept his hands on her waist.

‘You alright, lass?’ the gruff voice of the campus security guard, as he trudged over. ‘Is this man bothering you?’ twitching his head towards Rhysand as he dropped his hands and stepped back.

 ‘Um no, everything’s fine. I just tripped that’s all.’ She looked between them.

The security guard surveyed them with narrowed eyes, his eyes halting over Rhysand’s clothes, before glancing back up at her. ‘Very well. You two best be off then. Channel four is saying there’s a storm on the radar tonight you know.’

Feyre looked up at the grey sky then and noticed the cooling temperature. Grimacing, she said, ‘Alright, have a good evening then,’ 

 The security guard merely shrugged, making an indecipherable noise in reply, and ambled off.

She stared blankly into the distance as he made his way through the snow, her breath clouding in front of her.

‘Feyre’

‘Yes?’ She turned to face Rhysand. His brow was furrowed again, glaring fiercely off at the security guard, before fixing on her once more. He started opening his mouth, but then closed it again.

‘Thanks for catching me’ she said softly.

‘Of course,’ inclining his head slightly, ‘Forgive me, darling, I didn’t mean to startle you.’ He purred, and his eyes seemed to darken imperceptibly. Great, she was staring again. 

 ‘That’s alright. I um, really should be going now though…’ She looked towards the snowy courtyard and streets that lay beyond the campus buildings.

He was frowning at her ‘Where will you go?’

‘Home. To my flat’ She turned to go, she really didn’t feel like explaining her actions to this strange man who looked like he’d walked out of a bizarre period drama.

‘What is a flat - never mind. You will go without anyone to accompany you on your travels?’

Throwing her hands in despair, Feyre turned back and faced him.  ‘Yes of course I will. Do you need something?’

‘You act uncommonly strangely for a female of your age’ 

Feyre grit her teeth and raised a brow. ‘A female my age?’ He couldn’t be serious, she seethed. ‘What, pray tell, do you mean by that?’

Rhysand merely gestured to her, his face expressionless like what he was pointing out was the most obvious thing in the world.

They stared at each other for a moment in stilted silence.

‘Your behaviour, your odd manner of dress. You are a human woman are you not?’

She stared at him perplexed. ‘What's wrong with what I’m wearing?’ She looked down at her cream-coloured blouse, dark denim jeans, heeled boots, and coat. She looked good, better than good even. Considering most days, she couldn’t be bothered to change out of her grad student uniform of a fluffy sweater and black yoga pants. As if he could talk with that ruffled neckline. She rolled her eyes skyward, this man was infuriating.

She blew out an aggravated breath. ‘Look Rhysand – if that is even your real name – I don’t care if this is a new method of acting practice, or some kind of sick joke, or whatever. I really don’t have time for this and I want no part in it. Alright? Goodbye, and I wish you all the best for your performance.’ With that, she turned sharply and walked towards the lane leading out of the campus grounds.

Notes: if you are still here thanks so much for reading, I appreciate it and would love any and all feedback - let me know if you would like me to keep going.... follow the story on ao3 here

[narasgifs]

Where the Wind Blows (2022)

"Sorry for leaving early."

[image description: a set of gifs from the movie Where the Wind Blows (2022). 1. Nam Kong sits on a bench in a park while his dad walks into the frame. 2. His dad sits down and he tries to take the glass of wine away from him. "You've had enough." His dad pulls the glass back. "Stop nagging!" 3. His dad drinks from the glass. "I'm drinking because I'm happy." 4. "I'm getting married to make you happy." 5. His dad turns to him and asks: "How are you?" 6. He shrugs. "Same old, same old." 7. They are shown from behind. Nam Kong puts his head on his dad's shoulder. "Pa, I miss you." 8. His dad asks. "What do you plan to do next?" 9. Nam Kong says while still sitting with his head on his dad's shoulder. "You know how it is in our family. We'd never replace a dead dog." 10. His dad says: "Stop doubting yourself so much." 11. Nam Kong is sitting alone on the bench, asleep, with his head resting on the back. The bride walks into the shot, looking for him.

/end]

[zacharyleartist69]

The Mystic Graveyard

Summary: Sally and Dr Facilier have to work together to escape the creepy graveyard before the Fractures gets to them.

Note: This is an old story that was made back in 2022 when Sally hasn’t been added in the game and when I drew Dr Facilier if he we're in Mirrorverse (because I love him, and I want him in the game-)

Warning: Violence and implied gore will be present in this story. If you are sensitive to these types of things, then I suggest you should not be reading this. Thank you for your time.

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

The moon shines through the thin clouds as it lights up the darkest lands. Aside from the sounds of the sleeping guardians and creatures, evil entities roams around the opened land with sharper weapons and eyes glow intimately. Especially a specific land.

The Graveyard.

The Graveyard is a place full of ghost and ghouls. Tombstones and dead bushes and grass around the area.

The sound of doors swinging open surface the cold dead silence. Wind blows through the entry with dead leaves traveling out of the door.

A stitched hand appeared out of the door, grabbing the brim of the entry. A figure soon comes out of the entry way and take out the basket from the hole "This should be the place, it wasn't easy sneaking out, but I made it".

The ragdoll dust off her dress as she looks around the graveyard then pick up the basket off the ground to start exploring for an exit. She looks up to find a gated door not too far from where she's standing "Ah there it is". She hums to herself as she walks down the path until she lay her eyes on a stoned wall.

Baffled by her discovery, she glances around the area to see if she took the wrong direction. She soon spotted the gated door behind her and started walking towards it. However, as soon as she stepped closer to the gate, a stone wall constructed itself to block the exit. She falls back from the sudden build and backed away as she watches in awe "What the- Did that wall just build itself?". She slowly stands up on her feet carefully with the help of a nearby tombstone, staring at the wall "This isn't an ordinary graveyard... Not the ones that Jack and the others go through".

She picks up the basket one more time then inhales softly, calming her sudden nerves "There must be a way out of here... Just gotta keep looking". She walks away from the tombstone she is standing by and starts searching for a way out. However, the eyes of the stone she was standing near darted directly to her direction and a shadow form around the stoned face with a cold gaze.

After walking for what seems like forever and bumping into dead ends, she sighs in defeat and sit on a tombstone with her hands on her cheek as she bows her head low "I'm never gonna get out of here...".

"I knew you'll give up at some point"

The doll struck her head up quickly from the sudden voice and looks around to find who ever speaks to her "Hello? Is anyone here?". She steps forward and a flashed of green light surfaced in front of her.

Voodoo mask and dolls started to creep out of the shadows as it starts singing a little song, taunting the now frightened ragdoll. The shadows around the grave started to scurry into one spot, forming a figure against the nearby stone wall.

The shadow snaps their purple glowing eyes open to stare at the ragdoll then moves forward, a foot formed out of the black blob on the wall. The ragdoll backed away in fear until she bumps into her basket as the figure walks closer and closer to the doll.

The tall mysterious half skulled figure looks down at the doll as they hold their hand out to summon their cane out of the cracks then holds it close "So we finally meet-".

The tall figure was cut off by a hit to the head by the ragdoll with her bottle in her hand "OW! What the fuck was that for!".

"W Who are you! Are you one of Oogie's friends? I'm not afraid to strike again if you come any closer!" The ragdoll asked, holding up the bottle in front of him shakingly.

"Oogie? You mean the boogeyman; how do you know him?" The shadow man raised an eyebrow as they look at the ragdoll.

The ragdoll raises the bottle to strike again, but the shadow man immediately snaps his fingers to summon his shadow friend to grab her wrist in place. The ragdoll struggles a bit to break free from the grip then huffed in frustration "Let go!".

"Stop being so stubborn, besides I can't just let you go you'll hit me again" The shadow man crosses his arms as he glares down at the doll. However, the doll quickly pulls her string and detach herself from her arm but falls back on the ground.

The shadow man is taken aback on what he saw then motion his shadow friend to give him the arm. The shadow swiftly floats around the doll to give the arm to his holder and hides behind him.

"Hey give it back!" The ragdoll said as she gets back up on her feet.

The shadow man grabs the bottle out of the dolls hand and pop the top off "Step closer and I'll dump this concoction on this dead land.".

"Wha- W wait don't I worked really hard on that" The ragdoll begged as she put her hand up, a sign of defeat. "Yeah... That's what I thought" the shadow man taunts a bit as he grabs the arm and tosses it on the ground in front of her.

The rag doll quickly grabs her arm and take the needle out of her hair then the thread out of her pockets to start stitching her arm back in place. The shadow man watches intensely, leaning back against the stone wall "Interesting".

Once the ragdoll finish stitching herself up, she bites down the thread to cut it off then put away her sewing supplies. She stands up on her feet and dust herself off as she looks at the shadow man "can I have my bottle now, Mister...".

"It's Dr Facilier to you, ragdoll" Dr Facilier said with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"It's Sally..." Sally corrected him with a soft whisper.

"Mmm? What was that you say, dollface?" Dr Facilier teases as he leans close to Sally.

Sally narrows her eyes at him, feeling a bit annoyed "It's Sally.".

"See that wasn't too hard" Dr Facilier said snarkly as he pats Sally's head gently then stroke his boney claw through her bloody red hair when he pulled away, "Although, I do have to say that your stitch work looks... immaculate- aside from the lack of buttons and the use of dead leaves instead of cotton-"

"Okay that's enough" Sally cuts him off as she backs away from Dr Facilier, "I need to get out of here to meet up with Jack, but it seems that I can't leave. Do you know how to get out of here? Like an exit.".

"Well, you're in luck, I do have an answer to that question... but you gotta pay for it darling" Dr Facilier twirls his cane in his hand and slams it down to lean back with it. Sally was taken aback from his request then raises an eyebrow "Pay to speak?".

"Well, that's just how it works when you live a life like I did, gotta get the green from the rich" Dr Facilier slithers to Sally's side as he rubs his boney fingers together. Sally looks up at him then steps aside, clearing her throat "Well... I don't really have any 'Green' on me. I only have my bottles, potions, and my needle and thread".

Dr Facilier scoffed at her then walks to the nearest tombstone to sit on it "Then I won't speak unless I get what I want". Sally stammered a bit as she extends her hands out, but before she could speak a roar surfaced the atmosphere.

the two turns their attention to the sound and suddenly arrows started flying up in the air to their direction. Dr Facilier quickly sinks in the ground as Sally steps aside but tumbles to dodge the arrows.

A group of fractures immerges from the tombstones, looking aggressive and threatening.

Dr Facilier emerges from the ground "Looks like they're back.".

"Back? What do you mean- EK!" Sally crawls away quickly to dodge a swing of an axe from the enemy. Dr Facilier floats out of hiding and uses his cane to summon creaks on the ground, letting his 'friends on the other side' roam around freely and attacking the fractures.

Sally scurry up on her feet and runs to be Dr Facilier side but gets cut off by a melee enemy. Without thinking, she swung her basket across the fracture's face then kick its kneecaps and starts running again "Sorry!".

"Don't apologize to those things, they are the reason why we are trapped here" Dr Facilier said as he struck a purple lightning out of his cane to get the fractures away. Sally widened her eyes as she looks at him then gasped when she gazed behind him "Watch out!". She jumps forward to push him behind a tombstone then roll down the hill to get away from the fractures.

Dr Facilier slams his body against the stone wall and yelped in pain as he holds his back "Fucking hell...". Sally pushes herself up to look at him "Oh no... I I'm sorry I was trying to save you". "It's fine... just next time push me to somewhere soft" he said with a hint of pain, sliding to the side to regain his composer.

Sally let out a gasped in horror as she looks at Dr Facilier's back. His back is full of white cracks and dripping with blood. "H How hard did I hit you" she whispers, feeling terrible for what she had done.

Dr Facilier look at Sally for a moment then let out a sigh "No you didn't do this... yet... It just from the hits I've taken from this dreaded graveyard". Sally tilted her head a bit, confused on what he meant. He slowly stands up with the help of his cane as he groans in pain "Look, the reason why we can't leave is because this place is cursed, and the only way out is to defeat those purple things roaming around the yard. I discovered that when I killed one out of frustration after attempting to escape for the thousandth time. But alas, I got swarmed by so many of them to the point I have to go into hiding. I have to slither around the grave for who knows how long just to avoid contact... I'm on the brink of death at this point... again- I'm still adjusting on how this place works".

Sally softened her gaze as she listens to Dr Facilier then bows her head "So... you've been fighting all this time just to escape? That's horrible".

"Literally" Dr Facilier pops his back with a hiss of pain then adjust his vest, "Well at least I'll die trying".

Sally thinks for a bit then turns her head to look at the green bottle in her basket "... I was saving this to give it to Jack but... I think this will help". She grabs the bottle and pops the bottle cork off. Green butterflies started to fly around the air as smoke started to form out of the bottle.

As the butterflies escape from the bottle, one landed on Dr Facilier's shoulder and rest there. Dr Facilier raises an eyebrow curiously as he looks at the faded creature "What the fuck is this?".

"It's a special drink I brew every time Jack feels sad or stress" Sally blushes a bit at the thought of Jack, "He loves them...".

Dr Facilier cringes a bit then flicks the butterfly off of his shoulder as he turns his back on Sally "well get these things away from me.". A butterfly landed on his back and melts onto his back, healing his cracks.

Sally widened her eyes in shocked on what she witnessed "That butterfly healed you!".

"I- What." Dr Facilier turns his head backwards to look at Sally then down at his back. Butterflies soon started to fly on his back and fades on it to heal his wounds.

Soon, Dr Facilier feel the pain go away in the flash. He fixes his head to face Sally correctly then darted his gaze to the green bottle in her hand "... what else can you do with that".

"I guess it heals. It doesn't usually do that, it supposed to calm down nerves and stress" Sally explained as she holds the bottle close to her chest. Dr Facilier thinks for a moment then forms a devilish smirk under his skull mask "I have an idea... just follow my lead.". She feels a little hesitated at first, but the thought of getting out of the graveyard just struck across her mind. The thought of being in Jack's arms when they reunite made her leaves ruffle a bit in warmth. She takes a deep breath and nods her head "Lead the way.".

After some time of preparation, Dr Facilier and Sally peaks over a bush to see where the fractures are roaming. The fractures are located near a gated door, leading the way out. "Ready?" Sally asked as she takes her bottle out of her basket. Dr Facilier nodded his head then steps out of hiding and blows a whistle to get the enemies attention "OI! I AM RIGHT HERE YOU CHUMPS, COME AND GET SOME!".

Immediately, the bow wielding enemies' shots fire as soon as they spotted Dr Facilier.

Dr Facilier immediately swirled around the arrows thanks to his shadow like lanky body then summons his friends from the graves once again to fight. Each of the shadows scratches and claws the enemies to pop them into pieces while Dr Facilier uses his cane to create electric bolts to zap the enemies in the heart.

One by one, the fractures fall and breaks into pieces and soon left with one still standing. This fractured creature charges at Dr Facilier with his sword in hand, but Sally comes out of hiding and strikes it by using her basket as a weapon. The final fracture falls to the ground for it to shatter into pieces like the rest.

"Nice hit" Dr Facilier complimented as he stares down at Sally.

"Thanks, this basket is sure coming in handy after all" Sally giggles a bit as she swirls the basket around with her arm.

Suddenly, a strike of white lightning strikes Sally against the stone wall and shadow-like hands starts reaching out to attack Dr Facilier.

Dr Facilier instantly forms a shield around himself with the power of his cane and expands the bubble to push the shadow away. Once the bubble fades, he spotted two figures in the fog. He squints his eyes to see who they are then widened them "Shit...". The two figures soon reveal themselves as the replica of him and Sally but darker and purple.

The Fracture Sally opens her purple bottle and holds it up high, letting the butterflies escape and floats around the Fractured Dr Facilier. The Fractured Facilier let out a demonic roar as he darted towards Dr Facilier.

Dr Facilier quickly swings his cane upwards to upper cut his evil replica then uses his shadows to pin it against a tombstone. However, the Fracture Sally came up out of nowhere and punches him straight in the jaw. He fumbles back as he clutches his jaw, but the Fracture Sally strikes again by slamming his basket against his gut then throws some punches across his face once his guard is low.

Sally pulls Dr Facilier pulls back to get away from the Fracture Sally and punches her on the face then kicks her on the side to push her away. Dr Facilier groans in pain a bit as he holds his face "How the hell can you hit that hard?".

"I've read many fighting books in my free time when I moved into Jack's manor, they are pretty interesting" Sally admitted as she holds up her fist with determination. Dr Facilier simply nodded then nudges her hand off of him so that he can summon more shadows from the graves to attack the replicas.

However, The Fracture Facilier uses the shadow against Dr Facilier to grab him and Sally then holds them up in the air, crushing them. Sally and Dr Facilier started to crack up as they struggle to break free from the grasp.

Dr Facilier turns his head to look at Sally with a grunt "Sally. The bottle.". Sally nodded her head then throws her boot forcefully to break it off of her leg. The boot flies towards the basket and breaks the bottle into pieces, causing the smoke and butterflies to form out of it.

The Fracture Dr Facilier started to feel dizzy as he inhales the smoke then falls to the ground, stunned by the smell. Dr Facilier and Sally falls down and land on the dead grass once they are free. The butterflies landed on them to start healing their wounds.

Dr Facilier tosses his cane to the side and steps forward "Alright, save the best for last". The Fracture Sally stares at him and charges at him, holding her fist up in the air. Sally was about to step in but the shadows pull her back "What the- Facilier!".

Dr Facilier doesn't say anything, he takes a deep breath and breaks the relic on his chest into pieces with his fist. The purple ooze started to form into a dark color as it wraps around him, taking over his body like it's searching for a holder. He let out a primal scream as he transforms into his final form: The True Shadow Man.

The Fracture Sally stops at her tracks and backs away as she looks up at the growing shadow beast in front of her. The Shadow Man glares down at her then starts punching her into the ground, letting the anger out on this poor replica. In one final sweep, he punches the replica to break it in half then explode into tiny pieces.

The Fracture Facilier soon started to wake up from his slumber and tries to stand up, but the Shadow Man swung his large hands at him to slam him into the tombstone.

The Shadow Man uses his shadow ability to dive into the mouth of his replica and started squirming inside to rearrange his organs until he started to blow up like a balloon. Soon a pop sound echoed through the graveyard and pieces of the Fracture Facilier scattered around the ground.

Sally pops her head out of the hiding "Facilier?...".

The Shadow Man slowly transforms back to his normal state and falls on his knees to throw up bits of purple ooze "Ugh hold on... Let me just-". He started to throw up once again as Sally comes out of her hiding place and pat his back gently "There we go, let it all out".

After a few seconds of vomiting, Dr Facilier and Sally hears the gate unlocking and swinging widely, giving them access to the outside world. Dr Facilier widened his eyes at the sight of the opened gate "We... we did it".

"We... DID!" Sally exclaimed in joy as she helps Dr Facilier up and starts running out of the graveyard, twirling and jumping around on the clean grass then flopping down on it with laughter.

Dr Facilier hesitated a bit as he steps forward, but when he touches the clean grass, he instantly flops down to feel it "Oh thank the shadows! We're free! We're actually free!".

"Right!" Sally added as she looks at Dr Facilier with pure joy then started to laugh once again, holding back the tears. He soon joins in the laughter section as he strokes his face with is boney hand "Holy shit this doesn't feel real at all! We are actually outside of the graveyard!".

The two laugh together on the ground for what it seems like hours until they pass out from exhaustion.

A glowing light soon appeared in front of the sleeping guardians and a mouse float down to look at them, levitating the Stellar Crystal over his hand "Finally I found them... let's get them home."

.

.

.

The End.

[dindjarindiaries]

Dincember - December 5: Cold

character: Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

prompt: Cold

main masterlist • dincember 2022

The sound of frozen beskar hitting metal alerts you once again. You turn your head to look at Din in the corner of the hull. He’s shivering once again, the muscles of his body tensed as he keeps his arms crossed over his chest. The gaping hole in the side of the Razor Crest blows more cold air in, and Din’s tremors get worse.

You heave a soft breath, creating a small wisp of crystallized air. “Hey.”

Din’s helmet rises from where it’s been leaning against the Crest. He manages to tense even more as he gives you his full attention. Your lips tighten.

“You’re cold.”

Din makes a visible attempt to relax, though another gust of wind foils his plans. “I’m fine.”

“Din.” You form a stern knit in your brow. “You gave all the blankets to us.” You shift the child’s position in your arms, freeing one as you take a hold on the layered blankets over your shoulders. You extend your arm out and offer the free space to him. “You need them just as badly.”

Din’s visor turns to the makeshift cover on the hull before he looks at you again. With a heavy sigh of defeat, he nods. “Okay.”

You smile as you watch him stand and make his way over to your side. “Good.” Din takes his place beside you, his gloved hand touching your own as he secures his half of the blankets over his shoulders. “You were starting to worry me.”

Din tilts his helmet at you, a slow motion. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

You scoff. “You say that like it’s easy.”

Din shrugs, his gloved hands playing with each other on his lap. “It’s just…” he pauses, holding a breath, “I’m the one who got us into this mess.”

“That doesn’t matter.” You speak up before he has a chance to go on. “You don’t deserve to freeze because of an accident, Din.”

Din’s visor looks from his hands to your gaze. He stops fidgeting, instead remaining intent on you.

“You always take such great care of us.” You rest your head against his arm and close your eyes in content. “Let us do the same for you.”

Din relaxes underneath your cheek. His gloved hand searches for your free hand and finds it, the leather intertwining with your skin as your fingers lace together. “You make a convincing argument.”

main masterlist • dincember 2022

all star wars characters: @hugmekenobi​​​​​ @themarvelousbee​​​​​ @nembees​​​​​ @amneris21​​​​​​@wildmoonflower​​​​​ @bombshe77​​​​​ @harriedandharassed​​​​​ @againstacecilia​​​​​ @ladykatakuri​​​​​ @bludyl​​​​​ @acourtofdreamsandnightmares​​​​​

din djarin: @swol-bear​​​​​ @notagamersdey​​​​​ @les-ingenue​​​​​ @booksaremyyoga​​​​​ @hp-hogwartsexpress​​​​ @dheet​​​​​ @mccn-bcys​​​​​ @alwaysdjarin​​​​​ @reader-without-a-story​​​​​ @cyaredindjarin​​​​​ @toobsessedsstuff​​​​​ @unofficialavenger90​​​​​ @tizylish​​​​​ @your-slutty-gf​​​​​

↳ add yourself to a taglist here!

[geek-and-nina]