#writers interaction soothes the soul

[steviebbboi]

Trying to gain some inspo/motivation to write and was wondering if anyone was curious about any WIP’s or my completed works? Feeling eager to get into the spirit and passion of writing! Maybe answering some headcanons or questions about my works could do me some good 🥰🫂🥲🙏

(also, im working on fics that folx have submitted for my writing challenge). So far im working on:

Soulmate AU for Steve Rogers x F!Vigilante!Reader (submitted by lovely @justagirlinafandomworld)

Childhood besties to lovers/'Grouchy!BB who is only soft for you' for Soft!Ransom x Plus Size Reader (submitted by lovely @nicoline1998enilocin)

Biker AU / frenemies to lovers for Biker!Bellamy Blake x F!Sister'sFriend!Reader (submitted by lovely @misscherry-26)

Possessive/or protective manhandling!BB for Bucky Barnes x F!Reader (submitted by lovely @mercurial-chuckles)

Other asks:

SoftHusband!Steve Rogers x Wife!Reader for the lovely @stellar-solar-flare

A pic prompt of a very very stern looking Chris Evans just not having your bratty attitude lately 😏 👀 from an ask from @bigtreefest (would love to write a lil sumthin sumthin for this)

ASK AWAYYYY LADDIES~

[elysiansparadise]

The gentleness that holds a strong and powerful soul. Moved by passion. They put their everything on things that set in motion their inner world. 

Taurus Rising: Strength & Softness

Consistency, loyalty, support and autonomy are perfect words to describe this rising. People with enchanting and natural beauty, accompanied by gorgeousness and a calm attitude in the eyes of others that protects a brave and passionate heart. Life encourages them to develop patience and a persevering attitude. They are people who remain strong and unbreakable, seek to appear stable, strong and very independent even if inside they feel that things are collapsing or if their surroundings are breaking, they want to show that they are strong and that they can handle anything. More easily being the support of others rather than being able to open themselves to being helped or seen vulnerable. 

With Gemini in the 2nd house are people who highly value their intelligence, they take great pride in their knowledge, especially in those topics that matter a lot to them. For them, learning is something crucial in their lives, so they try to know a lot about many different things. They may have a lot of interest in design, gardening, music [specifically singing], writing and reading. Financial topics can attract their attention and they can acquire a lot of knowledge about it. This position can show someone very skilled with money or sales. Being a house linked to value and self-esteem, this specific overlay tells us about people who find themselves constantly questioning their own value, however, it is not just something that only applies to them, as they will question value in those things in which they society puts value. They will question the values ���​of their home or the groups they interact with. Another common thing with them is this inconsistency in their sense of security, feeling unprotected on many occasions. Clear, honest and direct communication is something they deeply appreciate, they love the feeling of being able to have a long and pleasant talk for both parties. They tend to prefer those where they are one on one due to their reserved nature.

Later, we find Cancer in the 3rd house, a placement that could be one of the main reasons behind the soothing and soft essence of this particular Ascendant. With this overlay we see natives with such an appealing way of speaking, sweet and very pleasant, there is something about them that allows them to be very understandable with other people and their emotions. These people are very curious about knowing the depth and complexity behind everything and everyone. When it comes to relating to others, they put a lot of emphasis on knowing the core of others, their emotions, their past and everything that allows them to have a better and more personal understanding of others. They are people with a warm way of speaking, they aren't usually impulsive when communicating and they think very carefully about their words before speaking. We have very capable, talented writers and speakers with the ability to easily evoke feelings in others. They stand out for their good memory and a light touch of warmth in their speech. These people may have melancholy tendencies or may think a lot about the past. If the Moon is making tense aspects or if Saturn is in this house, a tendency to constant periods of depression is likely. Writing can be a way for them to better express their emotions, and reading can be very relaxing as well. One of their ways to better connect with others can be deep talks and in some cases sharing food. If they have siblings, they may have a somewhat variable relationship but they may have a deep affection for them or at least one of them. They can assume the role of older sibling regardless of their age.

Inside Leo in the 4th house, lies a person with a warm heart, a generous disposition towards all those with whom they have a strong emotional bond, and someone who fiercely protects those they consider family. They are without a doubt people who become restless, fun and very charismatic once they trust the person next to them, being more authentic and effusive with them, as well as more warmly open. In family matters, there may be a very strong connection with one of them in particular, likewise, it may indicate a very busy, somewhat dramatic and in some cases noisy environment. These people hide their hearts very well from others, making it visible only to those with whom they feel they really connect, they are capable of loving very strongly and publicly, they are not the type of people to hide their emotions. No matter how calm or reserved they may seem, deep down they are people with great brilliance, with a lot of emotion and great creativity and ideas that brighten the lives of those around them. From a very young age they learned to think about themselves, about doing things that make them happy before wanting to make other people happy. In some cases, it is likely that the native has had to deal with family members who thought only of themselves, who were egotistical, or who did not take into consideration what others or the native felt or wanted. These people may have a tendency to take things personally, they hate feeling that they or their feelings are not taken seriously or valued. Another likely thing is that they are relatively more independent than other members of their family. They hate feeling ignored more than anything in the world, they like to feel and make those they love feel that they are heard.

For Virgo in the 5th house, romance is something sublime when there is devotion and dedication on the part of both parties. These people are capable of loving too much, always establishing the importance of making their partner feel supported, understood and motivated, actions that they seek to receive in return. They are always looking for the relationship to improve, they will seek to know their partner better and more deeply, the conversations about ways to make each other feel better will be very constant as well as the small and significant details. They are people who notice the slightest thing about their partner, changes in their look, tastes, preferences and other areas of their personality. They are very loyal, stable and gentle when they love. They think a lot before allowing themselves to have a romance with someone, they analyze the person in question. They are quite demanding of themselves, and may have the mistaken idea that they could be loved until they are that way or achieve that thing, when the beautiful fact of being themselves already makes them worthy of that love that they so doubt if they can have. . As this is the home of talents and hobbies, it makes them people not only very dedicated to them, but also very perfectionist when it comes to dealing with them, practicing a lot and never settling, remaining willing to learn more and continue improving. They like to do things well and think that if they can't do it to the best they can, it's better not to do it. Their confidence, their gentleness and charm that they are not aware of, makes them people who can attract admiration from others, many even admiring them for all the hard.

In the workplace, people with Libra in the 6th house are extremely capable and excellent. They are very good people at finding solutions to all kinds of problems, from problems related to their work, such as problems of or among others. Diplomatic, responsible and willing to help and collaborate in their work and/or their co-workers. Even if they consider themselves independent and are very skilled on their own, they make teamwork enjoyable and comfortable for themselves and others. Self-care routines are something of utmost importance to them and they will always enjoy taking care of themselves in every way. Their body is their temple, one that they care for with delicacy and attention. These people are very likely to attract a lot of attention from their co-workers, a common placement for romances in the office or work area. They will be able to make good contacts through their work and will be seen as very approachable, helpful and polite people. They are people sensitive to noise or any negative hustle and bustle, preferring to work in quiet environments, with music they like in the background and, in general, in an environment where they do not feel so tense. They can have that tendency to be very perfectionistic, especially when it comes to doing their homework or activities that they really like. They have an excellent eye for aesthetics and decoration, they are very sensitive and appreciative of art, loving the idea of ​​personalizing and decorating the spaces in which they are.

To say that people with Scorpio in the 7th house take relationships seriously is an understatement, and I am not referring to the matter of seeking to get married quickly but to the level of emotional connection that they want with their partner. They are people who want to see beyond the sublime appearance of their partners, but rather the beauty, darkness, secrets, complexity and details of their soul. They long for a very deep emotional connection with that person to whom they swear forever. These people have the ability to make you feel completely loved, from those virtues that you have, to those things that you do not share due to fear or insecurity. They love completely and give absolutely everything in their relationships, which they expect in return. They can have a marriage in which the dynamic is very intense but above all very devoted, one in which your partner's matters become yours and vice versa, where you protect and show yourself completely to the other. Throughout their lives they may experience tense experiences in the field of love or even in any type of relationship. They may have a tendency to be overly wary of the intentions of others, bordering on distrust. They may fear never being able to be loved sincerely or never being able to enjoy the beauties and soft side of love. Future spouse is likely to be a person with very intense emotions, with a lot of appeal, self-confidence and a slightly more serious and mysterious appearance of that emotional and devoted interior.

The sensuality of those with Sagittarius in the 8th house is accompanied by a feeling of liberation, an insatiable curiosity and an open and inquisitive attitude towards sex. These natives are people who enjoy exploring every peak of all the pleasures of life. The emotion of connecting deeply with your partner, exploring every corner of your soul with each caress and reading the complex mind of your loved one with your gaze. Seduction becomes an exciting, fun and very enjoyable game for these natives. There is a deep desire to bring light to your partner's darkness and for your partner to do the same. Traveling through each part of their body becomes the journey they most fantasize about. For them, it is necessary that there be something deeper in the connections to be able to fully enjoy the relationship, that there is the feeling that they are on the same level, that the other person is interesting and open with them. There is a fear of getting lost in the superficiality of life, especially in the aspect of love. There is a feeling of hopelessness in them, the thought that faith is gradually disappearing from their being, the feeling of being left on their own, without guidance. They are very introspective people, sometimes they can spend a lot of time analyzing themselves in their minds. They have a very rich inner world, and a need to find deep and meaningful things in what seems to be a somewhat superficial life.

When we see Capricorn in the 9th house, we can be sure that we find a very intelligent person capable of standing out in the subject of their interest. A great mind that sees the harshness of the world and is aware of it from a very young age. Existential and deep questions are very common, and a tendency to pessimism can become greater if Saturn makes many harsh aspects. They are people who try to be realistic at all times, do not get carried away by the initial beauty of situations and seek to take into account all possible results. Their ambition leads them to want to acquire more and more knowledge, and they can have many academic achievements throughout their university years if they decide to attend it. They may have to work abroad, travel a lot thanks to work or interact with people from other countries because of it. They are very selective people with what they want to learn, they pass the information through filters and always prefer to create their own opinions on topics, especially the most complex or moral ones. As mentioned in the previous point, there may be a tendency to doubt that good things can happen to you, falling into a somewhat negative thinking regarding what you may or may not experience.

When Aquarius is in the 10th house, the native can work in fields related to science, astronomy, physics. It is a common placement for people with interests, skills and work as astrologers. They often choose a career different from what their family has chosen, or something that their family or others consider unusual. These people seek to make a change through their work, and they can also become very notable and remarkable in themselves. These people usually prefer and end up having a job that allows them to meet many people, experiment, learn new things and explore their originality and ideas. They tend to be people who attract attention very quickly, there is a peculiarity about them that makes them stand out from the crowd, likewise, from a young age they know that they want to be different compared to the people they grew up with or lived with when they were young. You can achieve great things if you work on your own, embrace your independence and authenticity. An idealistic and ambitious quality hides in them, these natives dream of achieving many things on their own and making themselves feel proud. They can more easily inspire the masses through their unique personality, perseverance, authenticity and ideas.

One of the things that is not usually mentioned with this rising is their enormous devotion to their friends and the great importance they give the natives in their life, this is given by Pisces in the 11th house. They are people who connect very deeply with their friends, being able to easily sense when they are emotionally bad and, likewise, knowing how to help them in the best way. It is very common for these people to send messages or seek to communicate with them just at the moments when their friends need it. They are the kind of friends who are there through thick and thin, who are a great emotional support and leave beautiful lessons in their friendships. For them it is crucial that their friendships can go through from the most lighthearted and fun moments to the deepest and most emotional ones. They stand out for their empathy and ease of understanding people well even if their experiences and background are completely different. They will seek to genuinely help those they see in poor conditions and treat them as equals instead of further marking their differences. They can have various incomes, but more in fields such as art, through activities in which they help others or even in esoteric matters. They have a great ability to solve other people's problems, usually problems that they find difficult to solve for themselves.

The inner desire to be an independent person and capable of resisting everything that life brings to them is born from the need for protection. What is left to do when there is nowhere or no one to find that stability? Will there even be stability in this turbulence called life? Within them lies someone active, intent on striving until they can finally find and enjoy some peace. A resounding fear in them comes from always being in search of something they cannot have: inner peace, a comfy and peaceful life. With Aries in the 12th house, everything feels fast and spontaneous, from their deepest emotions to the environments in which they grow. In their mind and subconscious are recorded all those times in which they had to stand up for themselves, times in which perhaps there was no one to rely on, in which they came to the conclusion of never being able to rely on anyone other than them. them, in having to tame the tides of life on their own. The fear that it would always be like this grew in them. Not many are allowed to know their core/what they really are for fear of different things, of getting hurt, of being judged, but in them we can find people full of passion, ambitions and with an endearing quality of joviality. They are somewhat restless and spontaneous people deep down, something that is not usually perceived by their calm appearance. They are gifted with a strong temperament, and although they are sweet and kind, they will not be afraid to bring out that impetus and anger if you hurt or touch something very personal to them. These people focus a lot and use a large part of their energy in facing their inner struggles, to which they never give up no matter how tense they may be. It is likely that at many points in your life you felt that in some cases you were about to lose the battle, but your perseverance and inner strength will mean that in the end you will be able to overcome those problems that you usually do not talk to anyone about.

[someobsessionrequired]

Hello new follower here could I request some heat and wire headcanons? Hope you have an amazing day Much love 💜

Absolute best boys request, most definitely can do!

Heat and Wire

General headcannons

Heat

Ignore this man's constantly depressed grumpy look under all that he is one of the gentlest souls in the kid pirates crew!

Tends to spook off the new recruits early on but it does not take long to get to what beneath the surface

100% is everyone's go to guy if someone needs to get something off there chest

AMAZING LISTENER! He can read a room so well and can tell when it's time to just listen and let people get what they need off there chest, but when it comes to giving advice he is god teir

Spend most of his free time with Wire and Killer

Often gives Killer a hand in the kitchen, he is one of only a few souls that man will let touch his kitchen as that is his personal Safe Haven

When not sending the crew off to do tasks and helping keep things running on board the ship he spend his free time with Wire

The two often can be found sitting at the bow of the ship, Heat tends to carry the conversation talking about anything that comes to his mind often hopping topic to topic

Even with the chaos of the conversation Wire listens contently a small smirk landed on his face

Other times when Heat finds himself burnt out from the chaotic nature of the ship and crew he will mearly sit with the other staring out at the soothing water, it's a comfortable silence as the two enjoy each other's company

Wire

Wire on the other hand has one of the most off putting resting bitch faces

Unlike Heat he is a tough person to fully understand

He tends to keep more to himself giving minimal interaction to the newcomers to the ship

Man of few words, few have actually heard him speak often the new crewmates think the man is mute

This however is not the case, he just does not see a point to make small talk keeping himself more reserved

Never mistake this as a lack of care, he deeply cares and respects the crew and there service to Kid, if anything he is one of the most observitive of the crew

Often taking his worry to Heat knowing the man is much better with communication in a way he can't grasp

He spends most of his time with Heat and Kid

Kid often finds himself working ungodly hours tinkering away at miscellaneous projects in his Workshop, due to this Wire often finds himself delivering meals to Kid directly

Kid values Wires opinion greatly and will often go off about his projects during these deliverys

He is a fantastic listener, this man truly absorbs information though it may take a few moments longer than most he offers amazing advice and simple encouragement

He truly values Heat and his friendship and time spent together, those moments of Heat's ramblings or even the simple Quiet Moments fill him with a warmth

Writers note:

I love these guys so much! Completely underrated characters thank you so much for the request <3

[lifeofpriya]

Behind the Mask - Jack Draper [Knight AU]

[gif credit goes to @pyotrkochetkov]

a/n: @2manytabsopen and i were having a chat about a knight au with jack and this was the result of that 🤭 i had writer's block for a few days, so yeah, sorry if it's a little crappy

summary: you and jack, your enigmatic knight/bodyguard, who has concealed his face for years, harbor a secret connection known only to you two...

"Your Highness, I heard screaming from the garden," Jack said with urgency laced in his voice as he barged into your bedroom. His eyes, the only visible part of his face, searched yours for any sign of distress.

You simply pointed at the rat that had been scurrying across the room, "rat," you whispered, your heart racing.

Jack's gaze followed your trembling finger and a soft chuckle emerged from his lips as he took off his helmet, revealing his eyes, an intoxicating shade of hazel that danced with amusement. "Ah, I'll take care of that," he said, placing the helmet on the intricately carved bedpost, the metal clinking against the wood.

Jack, your ever-present shadow, had been by your side since before you could remember. His true identity was a mystery to everyone in the castle, but to you, he was your confidant, your protector, and the one person who knew your deepest secrets. His face remained a canvas of shadows. His eyes were the gateway to his soul, expressing a world of emotions that his stoic exterior often concealed.

Jack approached the terrified creature, his boots echoing on the cold, marble floor. The rat, realizing it had been found, froze mid-scurry, its tiny black eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight. With surprising gentleness, Jack knelt down, his armored knee clinking as he bent. His gloved hand reached out, and the rat, recognizing the lack of threat, cautiously approached.

"Jack, be careful," you warned, your eyes wide with fear and concern. But Jack's movements were fluid and calm, a stark contrast to your racing heart.

Jack spoke softly, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I've handled worse than this." He carefully picked up the trembling rat, its tiny claws digging into his thick leather gauntlet. He carried it to the open window and set it free into the night, watching it scurry away out into the moonlit courtyard.

You sighed with relief, "Thank you, Jack."

Jack turned to you, his eyes still holding the gentle warmth from his interaction with the rat. "It's nothing, really," he replied, placing the helmet back on his head, the shadows reclaiming his features.

You felt the sudden urge to reach out and touch his face, to uncover the secrets behind the steel mask. But you knew better. The mystery was part of his allure, part of what made him your devoted protector. You've shared countless moments like these, where Jack's unyielding strength had been the only thing keeping you grounded in the whirlwind of royalty.

"Your Highness," he said, breaking the silence. "You should rest."

You nodded, feeling the weight of the day's events pressing down on you. "You're right," you replied, your voice small.

Jack stepped closer, his armored presence seemingly filling the space between you and the door. "Is there something on your mind?" he asked, his voice a comforting rumble.

You hesitated, the plush velvet of the bedcovers feeling warm against your skin. "Jack, can I ask you something?"

The knight's eyes searched yours for a brief moment before nodding, "Of course, Your Highness."

You took a deep breath, the scent of the garden's night-blooming flowers wafting in through the open window. "Jack," you began, "why do you not let others see your face? Why just me?"

Jack paused, his eyes searching yours for understanding before he spoke. "My face holds no importance, Your Highness. It is my duty to serve, not to be seen." His voice was a soothing balm in the quiet night, the candlelight casting a soft glow on the polished armor that encased his body.

You felt a pang of curiosity, mixed with a hint of sadness at the thought of Jack being nothing more than a shadow to everyone else. "But to me, Jack," you pressed gently. "What makes me so special?"

Jack took a moment before responding, his eyes holding yours. "Your Highness," he began, his voice softer than usual, "you've always seen past the armor, past the duty. You've seen me as a person, a friend, not just a knight."

You felt a warmth spread through you at his words, a feeling that had been building since you first met him all those years ago. The way he looked at you, even with his face hidden, was something no one else in the castle had ever done.

"But why hide it from everyone else?" you asked, a hint of curiosity in your voice. "Surely, they would see you the same way."

Jack's eyes searched yours for a moment, as if weighing his words. "Perhaps," he conceded, "but the mask serves a purpose. It is a reminder of my role, a shield to protect me from the perils of emotion and attachment."

You nodded slowly, understanding the gravity of his words. "Yet you let me see your true face," you murmured, your voice barely a whisper.

Jack's eyes searched yours, a silent conversation passing between you. "You are the only one who has earned that right," he said, his voice thick with a warmth that seemed to fill the room.

You felt a blush creep up your cheeks, unsure how to respond to the sudden intimacy.

"Jack, I—"

He held up a hand, the gesture gentle despite the steel beneath his gauntlet. "Your Highness, I must insist you rest." Concern etched lines in his eyes that the mask couldn't hide.

You nodded, swallowing the words that hovered on the tip of your tongue. The candles flickered, casting a warm glow across the room that made the armor seem less imposing. "Alright, Jack," you conceded.

Jack lingered for a moment longer, his eyes searching yours before he nodded in understanding and moved towards the door. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call for me," he said, his hand on the ornate doorknob.

"I will, Jack," you assured him, the weight of his words settling over you like a warm blanket. You watched as the door clicked shut behind him, leaving you alone with the flickering candles and the gentle whispers of the night outside.

Rest, however, was not what you found. Your thoughts raced with questions about Jack, the man behind the mask. His dedication to his duty was unwavering, yet there was something more, a depth to him that no one else seemed to notice.

The moon had climbed high in the sky, casting a silver glow through the lace curtains. You lay on the soft pillows, the silk sheets cool against your skin. The castle was a symphony of night sounds: distant footsteps, the occasional muffled laughter from the guards, and the steady tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the hall.

But your mind was with Jack, the enigma who had been your closest companion since childhood. His words echoed in your head. "You are the only one who has earned that right." What did he mean by that? Was it because you were royalty, or was there something more?

You pushed the bedcovers aside and slid out of bed, your bare feet whispering against the cool stone floor. The moon's glow beckoned you to the window, and you pondered over the complex tapestry of Jack's life. His eyes, the only part of him you've ever seen, had revealed so much and yet so little.

Making your way to the balcony, the night air greeted you with a gentle embrace. The castle's towers loomed tall and shadowy, the stars above like scattered jewels in the velvet sky. You leaned against the railing, the stone cool and reassuring under your palms. The whispers of the night grew louder, as if the castle itself had secrets it longed to share.

Jack's words lingered in your mind, a puzzle you longed to solve. His eyes, those warm, hazel orbs, had always been a comfort to you, but now they held a mysterious allure that you couldn't ignore. You wondered what his smile looked like, what his laugh sounded like when he wasn't playing the stoic knight.

The night was calm, the air crisp with the promise of secrets waiting to be unveiled. You decided to explore the castle, perhaps to find answers or maybe just to escape the tumult of your thoughts.

Making your way through the dimly lit corridors, you felt like a ghost, the shadows playing tricks with the flickering torches that lined the walls. The castle was vast, a labyrinth of grand halls and hidden passages that you had explored countless times with Jack by your side. Each step was a memory, each whisper of fabric against stone a reminder of the adventures you two had shared.

You wandered aimlessly, your heart beating in sync with the rhythm of your footsteps. The air grew colder as you ventured deeper into the castle's oldest wing, the one that was rarely used. The scent of dust and forgotten stories hung heavy in the air. The portraits of your ancestors watched you pass, their eyes following you like silent sentinels.

"Your Highness, why are you up at this hour?"

Jack's voice, low and concerned, pulled you from your thoughts. You spun around, your hand flying to your chest as your heart leapt into your throat. The moon's silver light bathed him in an ethereal glow, his armor gleaming like a specter in the night.

"Jack," you breathed out, trying to steady your racing pulse. "You startled me."

He took a step closer, the plates of his armor shifting with a soft clank. "Forgive me," he said, his eyes searching yours for any sign of distress. "Is there something you seek?"

You took a moment to gather your thoughts. "Just… I couldn't sleep. Thinking about earlier, I guess," you admitted, your voice small in the vastness of the hallway.

Jack's eyes searched yours for a moment before he spoke. "Your Highness, is there something specific you wish to discuss?"

You swallowed the lump in your throat, the words you had rehearsed in your head suddenly lost to the night. "I just… I wonder what it's like for you, behind that mask," you whispered. "What do you look like when you laugh? What does your smile look like?"

Jack was silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving yours. "My smile is nothing special," he said, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his eyes, the only part of his face not covered by the shadows of his mask. "But when it's for you, it feels like the sun breaking through a storm."

Your heart fluttered at his poetic words, the warmth in his voice reaching places within you that had long been cold. You stepped closer to him, the gap between you feeling as vast as the space between the stars above.

Without any hesitation, Jack took off his helmet, the metal clanging against the stone floor. The shadows lifted from his face, revealing a smile that could indeed brighten the darkest of days. His hair was a soft mess of chestnut and gold, the kind that looked like it was painted by the sun. His features were sharp and strong, yet the tenderness in his eyes was undeniable.

You stared at him, your heart racing. The sight of his smile was like a revelation, a treasure long hidden beneath layers of duty and expectation. The corners of his mouth crinkled, his cheeks dimpled slightly, and the warmth of his gaze washed over you like a gentle summer rain.

"Jack," you breathed, reaching up to touch his face. His skin was smooth, a stark contrast to the rough fabric of his uniform. The touch was electric, sending a jolt of energy through you as your fingertips traced the lines of his jaw, feeling the stubble that had grown during the day.

He didn't flinch or pull away, his gaze never leaving yours. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment, for you to finally break the barrier that had stood between you for so long.

"Your Highness," Jack said, his voice a gentle caress in the silence of the night. "I am sworn to protect you, not to burden you with my… imperfections."

You looked into his eyes, the hazel depths holding a vulnerability you had never seen before. "Jack, there's nothing imperfect about you."

Jack's smile grew, the warmth of it reaching into your soul. "You're kind to say so," he said, his voice a low murmur.

You stepped closer, the heat of his body mingling with the coolness of the night. "Jack, I—"

He leaned down, the shadows of his face playing in the moonlight. His gloved hand reached up to cup your cheek, the leather surprisingly soft against your skin. "Your Highness," he whispered, his voice thick with a mix of longing and duty.

You didn't know what to say, the words you had planned to express now tangled in the emotions swirling within you. All you could do was look into his eyes, the windows to his soul that had always been open to you.

Jack's gaze searched yours, his thumb brushing against your cheekbone in a tender caress. His hand was calloused from years of holding a sword, yet it was gentle as it cradled your face. You felt the warmth of his breath against your skin as he leaned closer, his eyes never leaving yours.

The moment stretched, a delicate thread connecting your hearts that neither of you dared to break. The castle slept on, oblivious to the monumental shift happening between you two in the dusty, moonlit hallway.

Jack's hand lingered on your cheek, his thumb tracing the line of your jaw with a softness that seemed almost unreal, given the hardened exterior he presented to the world. You felt your own hand rise, trembling slightly, to touch his face in return. Your fingertips grazed the contours of his cheekbones, the bridge of his nose, the warmth of his skin beneath the thin layer of stubble. It was a moment of silent confession, a declaration of feelings that had been hidden beneath layers of friendship and duty.

You leaned into his touch, the warmth of his hand a comfort that had become as familiar as your own heartbeat. His eyes searched yours, the hazel depths revealing a maelstrom of emotions—concern, loyalty, and something else, something deeper and more profound than you had ever dared to hope for.

"Jack," you whispered, your voice shaking with emotion. "I've always felt safe with you, but now I feel something more."

Jack's eyes searched yours, a silent question lingering between you. The air grew thick with unspoken words, the only sound the distant toll of the castle's grand clock. His thumb paused on your cheek, and you could see the internal struggle in his gaze.

"Your Highness," he murmured, his voice a gentle rumble in the quiet night. "I am not… permitted to feel such things."

You leaned in closer, the warmth of his hand on your cheek a stark contrast to the cool marble beneath your bare feet. "But you do, don't you?" you whispered, your heart racing. "I've seen it in your eyes."

Jack's gaze searched yours, a silent battle raging behind the hazel shields. His hand trembled slightly before he spoke, "Your Highness, my feelings are not… appropriate."

You stepped closer, the warmth of his hand a comforting presence. "Jack," you murmured, "feelings can't be wrong, not when they're as strong as what I feel for you."

Jack's eyes searched yours, the hazel pools filled with a turmoil of emotions. His hand, still cupping your cheek, felt warm and steady despite the tremble that had gripped his fingers. "Your Highness," he began, his voice strained, "my duty—"

You placed a finger against his lips, silencing his protest. "Jack, you're more than just a knight to me. You've been my friend, my confidant, my protector. And now," you whispered, "you're something more."

Jack's eyes searched yours, the conflict within him as clear as the stars above. He took a deep, shaky breath before speaking, "Your Highness, if I allow this, there's no turning back. My duty is to protect you, to serve the crown. Nothing else."

You nodded, understanding the gravity of his words. "Jack," you whispered, "I know. But what if… what if my happiness is part of that duty?"

Jack's eyes searched yours, the shadows playing across his unmasked face revealing the depth of his internal struggle. His hand on your cheek grew still, his thumb stopping its gentle caress.

"Your happiness is the crown's happiness," he said, his voice a solemn promise. "But, my duty—"

You took his hand from your face, the warmth of his palm a reassurance that he was real, that this moment was real. "Jack, if loving you means I'm happier, then it is my duty to love you. And if being loved by me makes you happier, then isn't that your duty too?"

Jack's eyes searched yours, the hazel depths filled with a tumult of emotions. "Your Highness," he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't understand."

You stepped closer, the warmth of his hand a comforting presence. "Jack, I do understand," you insisted gently. "We've been through so much together. I trust you more than anyone else in this world. And if this is what makes us happy, then isn't that worth fighting for?"

Jack's hand tightened around yours, the warmth of his skin seeping into your bones. He was silent for a long moment, the only sound the distant toll of the castle's grand clock echoing through the corridor. The shadows played across his unmasked face, revealing the internal struggle he faced.

Before he could say another word, you leaned up and pressed your lips to his, the softness of your kiss a stark contrast to the hard lines of his jaw. Jack stiffened, his hand frozen on your cheek, and for a heartbeat, you feared you had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.

But then, something within him seemed to give way. His armor creaked as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer. His mouth moved with yours, tentatively at first, as if learning the contours of something precious and new. His kiss grew deeper, more urgent, as if he had been holding back this part of himself for an eternity.

The world outside the castle walls ceased to exist in that moment. All that mattered was the two of you, entwined in the quiet embrace of the night. The shadows danced around you, as if celebrating the revelation of this long-hidden love.

[patrice-bergerons]

It's me again! I'm your big fan sheakspeare

For the ask game this time: Law AU and "processing" and also "theme song"

🩵

send me fic asks!

Hiiii my JMW Turner (highest personal honour I can bestow on any artist) 💞😍I love you for this ask, because I can talk about the law au ad nauseam, although for that very reason you may soon regret your ask hahah

Re the theme song, I thought about it and I really do not have a good answer - so I will turn it back to you and ask if there are any songs that remind you of this verse.

Re process: this au started as a quick one shot - I was tired one weekend and wanted to write a little h/c piece, to soothe my own soul as much as anything else. And then it grew wildly out of control because (a) I have been toying with a rival lawyers set up for years without finding a ship that fit it well, (b) the reception the story got was more enthusiastic than I could dream of and (c) I realised I am fascinated by this specific version of James and Francis, and how elements of canon translate into its particular modern setting.

But because it was meant to be a one shot, I really did not write what we are owed with any master plan in mind. So writing more for the AU became an exercise of- who are these people? what formed their views of the world, including in large part, their lived experiences up until that point? in what ways is that similar to and different from canon? And given who they are, where do they go from that moment of unexpected, genuine connection? And how can I help or hinder them with Plot TM.

Because what we are owed is from James's POV - who really does not know Francis well - it took some thinking and trial and error in principles or sleep to get Francis' voice - as well as his reactions - right.

Then on James's side, I am absolutely fascinated by what his not even being fully english and a bastard in canon means to him - in the context of canon, and also equally, here, where the absolute repercussions for both are far lower. And yet, class structures are still so wildly entrenched in England in a way that eclipses both Turkey and the US, so where does that leave us? And immigration and cultural identity themselves are themes that are very personally relevant to me.

So I have gone and built this whole backstory for him., which kind of mirrors and kind of differs from canon. He is also wildly traumatised. And yet, he has unpacked none of it and so even if *all that* is driving much of how he reacts to the world around him, he himself is not necessarily aware of the causal links. Further, his own sense of self vs what he projects onto the world vs what Francis thinks of him are three very different things - and we do only have Francis to interpret his motives for us, when that itself is based on incomplete info and coloured by Francis's own world views and insecurities and depression.

SO writing from Francis's POV means that I must first chase every plot event and interaction to that place of shame and guilt and trauma for James, let it inform what he will do, decide why he thinks he is doing what he is doing, as well as what he wants Francis to think, and then put that input thru the framework Francis has for how the world in general and James in particular works.

This is at once immesensely and wildly fun as a writer but also frustrating because a part of me wants to tell the whole world about that very source - without painstakingly building for a reveal. I do hope though that once the readers know James's whole story, they can go back to re-read all the earlier installments and think OH OH that makes SENSE. Fingers crossed.

[windsandwaves]

Winds and Waves Session 7

One of the best things about being a DM and a writer is getting to do foreshadowing… This whole scene from Session 7 between Aeroki and Akuji (two of my NPCs) is possibly one of the best examples of that.

The absolute INSANE amount of foreshadowing in this interaction! Let me break it down:

Akuji calls Aeroki “Your highness”, referring to his title as king of Maya. Immediately Aeroki humbles himself,

“You needn’t call me that… In the Goddess of Fate’s grand tapestry, I am far beneath a Reaper.”

“It is a title of respect. One that you have more than earned in the eyes of the Raven Queen herself.”

The king mutters something to himself quietly,

“Gotten, ich wünschte ich glaube das auch.”

(Gods, I wish I could believe that too)

This is of course referring to the fact that Aeroki doesn’t believe the Gods care about him, and moreover the fact Aeroki feels betrayed by the Gods in general. When Akuji soothes that even The Raven Queen still respects Aeroki, and that Aeroki has earned his place as king of Maya, Aeroki basically flat out rejects the sympathy.

When Akuji tries again to reassure Aeroki that the Raven Queen will protect Coral and her friends on their journey, Aeroki once again scoffs, because The Raven Queen is the Goddess of Death and therefore her ‘protection’ is a death sentence. Akuji immediately stiffens and retorts,

“Death has existed as long as mortals have lived, long before the Raven Queen even gained her own godhood.” He replies almost sternly, defensively. “We do not cause the deaths to occur, we simply collect the lost souls and lay them to rest…”

Death has existed long before the Raven Queen, because it was The Vulture who once commanded death. The Raven Queen herself used to be a mortal. Once The Vulture fell from his place in the Pantheon and disappeared, the Raven Queen took his place, but the balance between life and death has been broken ever since.

“You know this, Aeroki. You have seen it for yourself.”

After adopting Coral, Aeroki briefly worked alongside Akuji, helping the Reaper to collect lost souls and rescue any survivors, as self-inflicted penance for his crime of summoning The Lich King. But this is also an incriminating statement, suggesting that Aeroki knows more about the Vulture’s downfall.

“And that is precisely why I cannot let Coral leave Maya… There are many great evils in the world...”

“But, if you do not let her explore the world for herself, how will she ever learn to protect herself against those evils? How will she gain the courage to fight against her own?”

The line, “How will she gain the courage to fight against her own? (evils)” is a direct reference to the fact that Akuji knows about Coral’s curse, as well as how to stop it. He is basically saying, “You have been way too overprotective and Coral is suffering from it. She needs to go out and live her life to the fullest before the curse completely consumes her. Akuji is once more encouraging Aeroki to let Coral and the others find The Heart of the Sea here, because he knows that it can help her.

Aeroki sighs. “You’re right… I know I cannot keep her sheltered here forever… But is it really selfish of me to want to try?”

Oh, my son. He wants to keep his daughters safe from harm, and in his mind Maya is the safe haven that he built for them. And yet, he knows that every bird must leave the nest eventually. He knows deep down that he has to let Coral and Fringille go. And what’s worse is he realizes that the best way to protect them is by sending them away from himself.

“You have already thought long and hard about this choice… Why, then, did you come to see me?”

“Because you know…”

“You know better than anyone why I cannot let her go.”

He’s trying to prove to himself that he can let Coral and Fringille spread their own wings and be on their own, and yet, he also doesn’t want to lose the only family he has left.

“But you must. She must. The darkness…”

AKUJI KNOWS. AKUJI KNOWS THAT AEROKI HAS NO SOUL. HE KNOWS ABOUT THE CURSE. But AEROKI DOESNT KNOW HE KNOWS.

Remember, Aeroki was convinced that if Akuji ever found out that he was The Fallen Champion, Akuji would have to kill him.

Akuji is basically admitting that he knows about Aeroki’s curse as well. That’s why Aeroki gets so freaked out here.

Then the rest is just Akuji and Aeroki basically making excuses to end the conversation and do their separate shady business, but all the same Akuji reassures Aeroki that he is always welcome in the Raven Queen’s Court… Don’t forget that.

“Thank you Akuji. I won’t forget that.”

Pause. Fast forward to Session 66:

“No, I guess I didn’t think at all.”

He forgot. Aeroki forgot that Akuji basically promised to be there for him no matter what, because he was convinced by his own anxiety that Akuji would literally kill him if he ever knew the truth about what Aeroki did…

But as this entire passage shows, Akuji already knew, and he offered Aeroki his protection anyway.

[quizzyisdone]

Bigger Than The Whole Sky | Russell Adler Oneshot

A/N: So, a little while ago I had to put my cat, Sweetheart, down. She was named ironically, because she wasn't the nicest cat, but she was my soul cat and I loved her deeply. She was the co-writer of every fic I have ever posted and even though it's been about 2 months, I so desperately miss her and to lose my co-author made writing unexpectedly very difficult. However, she was the inspiration behind these Adler headcanons, and now I would like to write one final piece to honor her memory. Enjoy! Word Count: 2k Pairing: None

Warnings: Mentions of death (animal and human), strong language, mentions of Cold War era politics, and grief

Please see this fic if you would like context behind Adler's son.

** Title inspired by Bigger Than The Whole Sky by Taylor Swift

No words appear before me in the aftermath Salt streams out my eyes and into my ears Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness

Adler was never one to let his emotions get the better of him, to let his hands shake and his body tremble as he silently cursed God for making him play His role to his little girl. His hands trembled violently, angrily, but mostly importantly with such an agonizing grief as he shoved his keys into the ignition.

He glanced into the rear view mirror, catching a glimpse of the empty carrier in the back seat -- which had nearly broken him. Just an hour ago, there was a living being in there, now there is not. She should be in that carrier, meowing desperately to get out because of how much she hated that thing. Adler always liked to think that they had that in common -- a fear of small, enclosed spaces. 

Even if she hated it, what wouldn’t he give for her to be in that carrier once more, to hear her incessant, annoying, high pitched meows, only for her to then ignore his existence out of spite for the next day. 

As he put the clutch in reverse, he sadly laughed, musing that he had agonized less over actual people that had died under his command. When Park, before she too had died, found out about Greasy (who was so aptly named due to her dirty, ragged appearance), she had joked often how Adler had effectively replaced genuine human interaction with the company of a cat -- the least likely suspect for a man such as him.

She was right though, Adler looked nothing like the part of a man who preferred cats or even any animal for that matter. He was scarred, gruff, burly. Any onlooker would assume that if anything,  he had owned a working, military breed dog trained to fend off any home invader. While it was true he did have a fondness for the canines he worked with in Vietnam, the company of a cat was far preferable. A fact that had been true for his entire life.

He had owned many cats throughout his life, mostly thanks to his mother, who before she had passed as well all those years ago, took in any stray that came begging for food. Their quiet and hard won affection had always been a comfort when his father would turn violent during his childhood. After he grew up, it had become essential for soothing his fears during the night when he had to relive everything. 

After his mother and Adler’s own son had passed away, both of cancer, he swore up and down that he simply didn’t have the capacity to love anyone, much less an animal, so deeply. It was difficult to love anything when everything you loved eventually died.

But Greasy changed that.

__

In the months following his divorce after the death of his son, life had been exceedingly lonely, even with the sympathetic company of Sims and his wife. Days blurred together, his body constantly set in motion but his mind and heart stuck on the day he cradled his son’s body in his arms, begging no one in particular to bring back the one good thing about him. His house, which once had been lively with the pitter patter of little James and the laughter of his now ex-wife, Farah, was devastatingly quiet. The only noise was the occasional clink of yet another bottle of whiskey and the click of a lighter. 

Eventually, after months of nothingness, Adler became not necessarily content with this new dynamic, but accepting of it. He had resigned himself to a life of emptiness, simply drinking the days away when he wasn’t on assignment. It’s how everyone else turned out in his line of work anyway. He would scoff at his own naivety, thinking he could be different, that he could be happy.

God was never that kind to men like him. 

Or so he thought. 

One night, when Sims became tired of Adler losing himself in his own grief and decided to at least get him to come out of the house, they came across little Greasy. He and Sims had gone over to some dive bar which has since shut down, and after a few drinks, Adler began reminiscing again. Quick to the punch, Sims took him to Burger Town.

The one constant in their adventures, no matter where in the world they were, there was always a Burger Town. It had become a small comfort to Adler, when he became tired of local, shit cuisines or military issued MRE’s. 

There, they discussed politics, how their lives were uniquely affected by the actions of politicians, many of whom will never have to witness the consequences of their actions. From Carter to Krushchev, arms races and proxy wars (many of which the pair had taken part in), a philosophical debate ensued as if their opinions actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. 

They don’t, and it was the one thing Adler and Sims agreed on wholeheartedly. The superpowers will do as they please with little regard to their own, no matter which economic ideology they enforce. It was a fact that had once bothered them, how inconsequential they were to the pages of history, despite however much they sacrificed for it. Keyword being “once”. 

Now, it didn’t matter and they didn’t care, and there was a certain freedom in that. Yes, they were still indentured servants unto the American government, but such acceptance gave way to a certain peace of mind. Peace of mind that no matter what, they will not endure the ire or the love of future generations. 

It provided some much needed indifference to their terrible actions done in the name of patriotism.

Such a conversation, one which they had many times, was enough to get Adler’s mind off of things, and Sims felt he was emotionally stable enough to be left alone. However, on the way to the car in the parking lot, Adler heard a meek little squeak and hiss. Glancing down, a feral kitten, covered in what he could only guess was old fryer grease, was looking back at him from his feet, ears down and paralyzed in fear, much like a deer in headlights.

Adler, without much thought, picked it up, cooing and shushing it as the poor kitten began to struggle and hiss and bite. Given its size, however, it couldn’t inflict much damage to the war-hardened Russell Adler. 

“Put the goddamn cat down, Doc.” Sims had hollered from the other side of the car. Adler simply shook his head.

“It’ll die if I leave it.” He said quietly, hushing the kitten and shoving it down the front of his shirt for some warmth for such a little thing. It was the middle of February, the Boston cold had surely taken its toll on the creature.  The grease against his bare chest made Adler squirm inwardly, it was certainly an unpleasant feeling, but he ignored it for the sake of the cat.

Sims raised his hands in defeat and the two climbed into the car, on the way to Adler’s apartment. It was mostly silent, save for the constant protests from the cat and Adler’s attempt to pacify it.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” He’d occasionally whisper and Sims would pretend not to hear. His words of comfort very closely echoed what he heard him say to Farah or James when either of them would break down. Always strong and steadfast, a staunch defender of those he loved. It was a title he hadn’t held in years, and one that was so sorely missed, as far as Sims could tell.

From the wheel, Sims looked down at the kitten, small and scrawny, a brown tabby whose fur was tousled and blue, angry eyes staring back. Call him crazy, but it reminded him of James. Eyes shrouded in blue with an unmistakable, stubborn will. Brown, wild hair that went off in all directions. At least, that’s what he had looked like before the cancer ravaged the poor toddler’s body. 

Normally, as his best and probably only real friend, Sims would’ve made fun of him for such a sudden lapse in his normal character, teasing him for going all soft. But he knew that was the one thing desperately needed in Adler’s life -- softness and the fragility that came with it. 

When the two arrived back, they went back and forth for a half hour debating names for the little thing. It was a female, so Sims offered pretty, girly names to match the wretched looking thing whilst Adler washed her in the kitchen sink, but there was not a single name that Sims offered that he thought fit her. 

“Maddie?”

“She doesn’t look like a Maddie to me.” Adler half smirked, the first Sims had seen in months.

“Lucy?” Sims suggested, and he scoffed.

“I’m not naming the cat after my dead mother.” He chuckled as Sims’ eyes went wide with embarrassment, but Adler brushed it off lightheartedly. He pulled her out of the sink, handing her to Sims who was prepared with a towel. 

She was shaking and shivering, but being as feral as she was, the kitten still kept fighting them tooth and claw. Not that such a small, defenseless thing could do much against their war hardened hands. Gingerly, Adler touched the grease mixed with fleas and dish soap that covered his sink as he went to clean it. 

“How about Greasy?” He said softly, musing at the disgusting state she was found in.

Sims guffawed. “Greasy? Now you’re just setting her up for failure.”

“It fits her.” He shrugged. 

“Greasy it is.” Sims said as he went to pat her on the head, to which she promptly bit him on the finger, drawing blood and also a laugh from Adler. A real one. One which he hadn’t heard since before James passed, since before the diagnosis. 

__

Adler, tears still in his eyes that he vehemently refused to let fall, glanced out the side of his window at a stoplight. Burger Town. He laughed dryly to himself. A cruel fucking joke from God. Or a sign he mused silently, not that Adler was the religious sort.

It was the same Burger Town where Adler and Sims had found Greasy fifteen years ago.  Without much thought, he pulled into the turn lane that led to the restaurant, muttering that he needed some comfort food after today, disregarding the sentimentality of the place. 

He hadn’t even realized he pulled into the exact spot where Sims had parked his car that night. Adler slammed the door shut, wiping his eyes and attempting to pull himself together. He ordered some fries and a milkshake and sat in their normal corner booth, pitifully shoving fries into his mouth as he gulped down the shake. Truthfully, his entire time in the restaurant was a mind-numbing blur that he couldn’t really remember.

However, he did recall that when he went back to his car, he took one last look down at the concrete, the exact spot where Adler had picked her up. It’s funny, the things he remembers and the things he can’t. Adler, for the life of him, cannot recall the color of his mother’s eyes, the model of his first car, or the name of his first girlfriend. But for whatever reason, Adler recalled, in remarkable detail, that crack in the pavement that Greasy was standing on when he first picked her up. It was raised slightly, and the imperfection in the poorly kept concrete extended about halfway through the marked parking spot, and weeds always grew along the length of it. 

In that crack, amongst the sharp and jutted weeds that grew there, there also sprouted a yellow dandelion. Adler finally let out a sob as he picked the flower, placing it gently upon Greasy’s empty carrier.

Did some bird flap its wings over in Asia? Did some force take you because I didn't pray? Every single thing to come has turned into ashes

__

To my baby girl, I loved you more than anything. You made everything better and I still struggle without you. I'm sorry I couldn't have done more to save you.

[clawbehavior]

Hi ♥

I hope you are doing well ♡

For the ask game: 23,49 and 50

hi friend! i hope this weekend is good to you, that you rest and nourish well and get bright sunlight! i had a blast with these questions and 49 in particular, so thank you so much for playing anon ❤️❤️

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

an au based in 'his dark materials' where gaon and yohan's souls are personified as animals and how the four of them interact. can you imagine gaon touching yohan's soul with his bare hands and how that makes the older man feel???

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

here's an excerpt from 'enantiomers', my twins isaac and gaon fic:

‘elijah,’ yohan says, nudging her so she looks at him. he swallows hard around the sudden lump in his throat. she’s a sure weight in his arms and the most precious thing he's ever held. ‘do you know how happy you make me? gaon says i'm overflowing with love, but you made me this way.’

she coos when he rubs her back, soothing himself with the motion. 

‘samcheon has to go away for a while, elijah. i don't know for how long --’ he halts because his throat hurts something awful. she pulls her fist out of her gummy mouth and stares. ‘i won't be here to help, so you have to be good for eomma and appa, okay?’ her dark eyes roam over his face worriedly. 

he rubs their cheeks together, breathing in her soft baby smell. he loves her so, so much. with everything he has. 'don't forget me, okay,' he pleads in a whisper.

‘yohan.’

he whirls around so fast that his backpack knocks the baby monitor off the nightstand and to the carpeted floor. heejin, hair in a messy bun and in sleep attire, doesn't startle. 

‘nuna, i -- i'm not stealing her,’ he says defensively, feeling like an interloper. what if she finds him strange? what if she doesn't want him around elijah anymore?

heejin snorts. ‘is it kidnapping if it's voluntary?’ she asks, shutting the door behind her and coming over. she surprises him by wrapping her arms around them. 

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

whenever i fall into a rut in writing, i think to myself, 'i will try x y z strategy. if those don't work, i'll go on Tumblr to do an ask me game (like this one) because getting curious readers in my inbox resets my brain like nothing else.' and it works. so thank you, my anons and my moots for helping a writer along their way.

[dontbelasagnax]

This is nitpicky but before I reply to this, I feel it's important to distinguish between "content" and "creation".

Content is a word devoid of artistic merit, its only purpose is to be consumed. Let me explain why.

We live in a day and age of overconsumption. The availability we have to see the worst horrors happening at every inch of the globe at the scrolling of a finger over a glass screen--a seemingly endless news cycle of mankind's unrelenting cruelty--combined with awful working conditions and inadequate pay, along with an inhumanely high cost of living is a unique cocktail.

Corporations bank on your growing desensitisation and need for escapism by flooding every market with "content"- some product that can temporarily fulfill the consumer's needs.

To go further in depth, the quality of products has greatly diminished because corporations realized they can spend less time and money creating a worse product then upmark it and their customers will still buy it; in fact, customers will end up buying more because cheap products need to be replaced frequently. In terms of media, there is an oversaturation of "short form content" because it's the perfect way to keep viewership engaged as the constant barrage of new media, advertisements, and horrific news paired with piss poor living conditions has caused attention spans to noticeably shorten. The complacency of this hopeless cycle means that people are always searching for something new to temporarily soothe their unhappiness.

Most creatives on social media can tell you how soul sucking it is to try to keep up with the demands to post regularly in order to stay relevant enough that people are interested in your creations. In this economy, your art is viewed not as a valuable piece of work that will outlast you but instead a piece of content you hope is eye catching enough that someone will choose to "consume" and stare at it for two seconds, press the like button, and then forget it ever existed as they look for the next best thing.

That is the difference between "content" and "creation". And, yes, to many of us that difference matters.

Now Onto My Actual Response

I would say there's a sizeable amount of people in fandom that want to bring back The Days Of Old where fandom is just a bunch of people who get together to talk about the thing they really like instead of what fandom seems to be nowadays which is a dick measuring contest of competing with fellow fans to gain fruitless popularity peddling fanfiction and fanart.

It obviously depends on the fannish attitudes of your fandom/parts of your fandom but in my experience, people generally still just want to talk excitedly about the thing they really like with anyone and everyone but they're scared. People get intimidated by artists and writers because recent fandom culture dictates that you treat them like celebrities; you silently observe, talk at them in comments not expecting a reply, or talk about them with a trusted group of friends. On the flip side, many creatives have social anxiety and are afraid of reaching out to other people and/or just don't know how. You'll often see creatives band together and form friendships because it's easier in this culture to get past these barriers by expressing mutual admiration of fanworks, thus creating a bond.

But the thing is, I've seen it happen multiple times that someone joins a discord server and the writers and artists freak out because this person has been leaving them sweet comments for months or years and they can finally talk to them!

Directly tying into this, a common reason I've seen people give for why they don't reblog is that they don't have any followers and therefore no one would see it. The thing is, when you make a habit of reblogging, commenting, and generally interacting with your fellow fandom goers, people take notice. Your compassion and enthusiasm is appreciated and you become a person that people look forward to seeing in their notes or in the comments of their work on ao3. As an artist, a writer, and someone who makes too many (not enough) textposts on tumblr about my OTP kissing, I personally have many followers that I think fondly of. Maybe one day we'll all be friends :3 (I am unfortunately one of the creatives mentioned that doesn't know how to start talking to people 🫣)

I find as fandom has assimilated towards a capitalist mindset of consumption, there has been a larger focus on fanart and fanfiction- both in spaces that view creatives as "content creators" and spaces where creatives are seen as writers and authors but lauded similarly to celebrities or deities for gracing the common people with their creations.

This has produced a side effect wherein fanart and, primarily, fanfiction are seen as the Best Forms Of Transformative Works... which means that any other type of transformative work is thrown by the wayside.

There should be no hierarchy of fanworks - every single work is a labor of love (or spite... I see y'all throwing middle fingers to canon 😉) and should be recognized as such. Fandom is a community. It's not a transactional relationship. Everyone contributes and interacts out of shared passions and interests.

If you make podfics, gifs, photo edits, fanvids, fan binding, metas, fiber arts, jewelry, fanmixes, translate fics to another language, run/contribute to a fan wikia or compile lore and resources in other ways: I see, appreciate, and cherish all the hard, love fueled work you put into your creations.

Not to say that fanfic and digital art are over-appreciated (Since I do see that many people are allergic to pressing reblog. It's a community. We're supposed to share and communicate. Lurkers are valid but for the most part, interaction with like-minded people is what fandom is intended for.) but the pedestal they are placed on needs to be lowered. Your favorite artists and authors are real people with real lives. They piss and shit just like you. They work in retail and healthcare and are unemployed due to disability. There is nothing extraordinary about them and they are wonderful human beings all the same. No one is better than anyone else. We're all equals here on this playground.

That said, I think we need to uplift the underappreciated fanworks and creators and give them more attention so they are on equal footing with fanfic writers and fanartists. Reblog the gifsets and tell the creator you're in love with how they colored the gifs, keyboard smash in the tags when reblogging a plush doll someone crocheted of your blorbo, try listening to a podfic on your commute home instead of an audiobook and remember to leave a comment when you get home.

As a final note, I want to give a warm hug to anyone who has sat refreshing tumblr or ao3 hoping that maybe someone will tell them they did a good job. To anyone who has considered quitting their fandom endeavors because their posts or works never get as much attention and love as the rest of the artworks or fics in the fandom tags, your creations are worth making and sharing. Numbers do not equate to quality, nor can they convey how loved your creations are by a given person. Only you can bring your unique sparkle to fandom and your presence is absolutely welcome no matter how big or small, grandiose or inconsequential, important or worthless you think it is.

[haunted-nightmares]

"she could poison you with her soothing presence"

... dive deeper, deeper into her empty soul, what do you see?...

Basics

☪︎ 19 . INFP 4w5 . She/ her .

☪︎ Ability: Midnight tales (details on update)

☪︎ Real name: Rei Hotaru - 玲蛍

☪︎ Code name: Maru - 丸

☪︎ Boss of the informations gathering organization - "The Root" 根本

☪︎ Occupation: Undercover spy - part-time coffee shop owner and writer

☪︎ Likes: Lavender, quiet, classical music (most preferred Tchaikovsky), jasmine tea, painting, poetry, chemistry, autumn, night, dark or pastel colors (e.g. lavender purple, pastel blue, deep blue, wine red, ...), moon and stars

☪︎ Dislikes: Loud noises, lack of creativity, bright light, colorful colors, mathematics, sports, unnecessary human interaction, summer, the sun

More about her:

╰┈➤ She is albinism

╰┈➤ Her birthday is on 24:59, 30th July, which she both likes and hates because it's between Autumn - the season she loves and Summer - the season she dislikes.

╰┈➤ Since 7, Rei experienced "Hanakanjō disease" (in which flowers bloom on her skin when she experiences extreme emotions. If these emotions are positive, they are harmless, but if these emotions are negative, they may result in agony, or if she pulls it out she may die. In this case, the flower blooms near her eyes, so you can't see her eyes. Instead, you'll see flower petals cover the upper half of her face)

╰┈➤ Although I've said that she has white hair, the color often changes to pale grey-blue due to the effect of light.

╰┈➤ Her existence is often unrecognizable to the others. Maybe it's because she tries to avoid the attention, or simply because she's too forgettable. Who knows?

╰┈➤ She's a pianist. Plays the piano very well.

╰┈➤ Often writes poems in her free time, her love for poetry has never been taken lightly.

╰┈➤ She can be a big tease when she wants to be, and please note that this is a very polite and formal girl when you first talk to her

Character's design (from my art blog)

[yogabilityaustralia]

Yoga and Meditation Classes in Sydney

Yoga meditation is an ancient practice that has been known to enhance well-being and provide peace of mind. It is a holistic approach to health and can help you improve your mental clarity, physical balance, and emotional stability.

For beginners, it’s a great way to relax and feel at ease. You can find many different types of meditations to choose from.

Meditation

Meditation is a technique that has been practiced for centuries to achieve mental clarity and emotional balance. It involves focusing on a particular object or thought and has been found to reduce stress levels, improve sleep quality, and boost concentration. It is a form of yoga that is practiced by many different cultures and religions to cultivate a sense of calm and peace.

In yoga and meditation classes Sydney, you learn to focus your attention on the present moment, which helps you manage stress and improve short-term memory. This technique also builds self-confidence by enabling you to overcome challenges and build your resilience.

Some people find that strong emotions such as anger and sadness arise during stillness, but this is a natural part of the process. The important thing is to recognise the thoughts and accept them as they are, not to fight them. Then you can refocus your attention to something else, such as breathing deeply or visualising chakra colours swirling around your body.

Yoga

Yoga is a practice that includes meditation, breathing exercises, and poses that help improve strength, balance, and flexibility. It also helps reduce stress and promote overall well-being. It has been shown to decrease anger and improve heart health and overall immune function. It also increases feelings of compassion and interconnection.

Whether you’re looking to connect with your inner self or improve your physical wellbeing, Yoga Peace Australia has classes for every level. Their studios are located throughout Sydney and offer a holistic approach to nurturing your mind, body, and soul. Their Intro Passes, Class Passes, and Membership Programs start at $39, $25, and $35 respectively.

Nothing says “Sydney” more than a yoga class by the sea. Flow mOcean’s floating yoga studio in Manly Cove offers an all-levels class with the calming water and soothing sounds of the crashing waves as your backdrop. Or, head to Bondi or Bronte beach for a sunrise or sunset class with Yoga by the Sea.

Self-confidence

There are many benefits of self-confidence, including the ability to speak up for yourself in a healthy way and to go after your goals. Confident people also tend to have a more enjoyable time interacting with others in social situations and are more likely to be successful.

Having high self-confidence can help you overcome problems like excessive rumination, which is the tendency to mull over worries or perceived mistakes ad infinitum. Studies show that rumination can cause anxiety, depression and low selfesteem, so focusing on positives and being more confident can help you combat these issues.

One of the best ways to build your confidence is through yoga and meditation. Both practices are known to strengthen the body, improve breathing and mental clarity, and provide a sense of peace. They are also effective at reducing stress levels and improving short-term memory. There are several yoga studios in Sydney that offer these classes, including Modern Movement, Scout Pilates + Yoga and Egg of the Universe.

Sydney Solis

Sydney Solis is a writer, yoga instructor and teacher. She is also a practitioner of kamishibai, the art of Japanese picture story telling. She has published poetry and stories and is a life coach. She also offers a variety of yogability Australia classes in her studios.

Her internationally acclaimed Storytime Yoga program teaches peace, health and literacy through story and yoga. It also teaches self-reflection and body awareness through multicultural wisdom stories. It is an award-winning body-centered, crosscurriculum education that produces healthy, peaceful and literate kids, families and communities.

Sydney is a resident of Seattle, Washington and can often be found on the UW campus volunteering at the student farm or wandering the city with a good book in hand. She is also a longtime fan of yoga, which improves balance, flexibility, posture, stamina and concentration. She teaches meditation and yoga at her studio, Egg of the Universe. She also offers free meditation classes in her community.

[mjgreener]

There is something so comfortable about having this blog. It has been with me since high school, and I can remember first encounters with artists, writers, musicians who I now love while on my dash. Hidden public metrics soothe my soul. The ask box is so intimate. And yet, there is something sinister about valuing this blog. The pseudo connection and privacy, the persistence of doomscrolling no matter the app, the layers of separation between myself and other users. I'm not sure if we will ever get back to face to face. I hope we can. I hope I will one day feel comfort in tangible interactions. In the digital age, I understand that what I find comfortable is still draining me. Driving me further.

[kapil-sharma-123]

The Future of SEO: Trends to Watch in 2024

The Future of SEO: Unveiling the Crystal Ball for 2024

In the unpredictable world of digital marketing, where search engines are the keys to visibility online and algorithms follow their mysterious rhythms, the digital landscape can be likened to a raging beast with ever-shifting sands that threaten to bury those who remain motionless. However, amid this turbulent sea, there are glimpses of hope that point us in the direction of the SEO El Dorado of 2024.

Evolution of the Algorithm Whisperers

AI & ML (Artificial language & Machine Learning) Integration

The days of robotic content and keyword stuffing are long gone. These days, the algorithmic gods seem to starve for complexity, comprehension, and a virtual dance with the human spirit. Here, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning take centre stage, their insatiable tentacles analyzing user intent, spotting relevancy, and creating a mosaic of customized search results. Do you recall the cheese-making blog post from last week that you just skimmed through? Once more, there it is, tucked away among the local cheesemonger’s search results. Quite mysterious, right??

NLP (Natural Language Processing)

However, AI can whisper words as well as be a nosy parker. Through the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP), search engines can interpret the implicit intentions and hidden meanings that lie beneath our search words. Hence, communicate your truth without resorting to a term thesaurus, as algorithms are attentively deciphering your meaning through meticulous analysis.

User Experience

Furthermore, we must not overlook the user experience, that capricious mistress who can consign websites to the virtual hell of bounce rates. Continental drift-like page load times? Text that like a drunken tax code? Put it out of your mind. By 2024, the most popular websites will be those that soothe visitors like infants, dance with interaction, and sing to the soul.

From Text to Pixels and Back Again

Visual Intended Search

But wait, words aren’t enough in the future. Images and videos speak louder than words can, making visuals the new language. A picture does say a thousand words in this era of visual search. Make your photos pop by optimizing them with relevant captions and evocative alt text. Your images of products? Don’t merely present the item; instead, weave its legend and enchantment into the digital fabric.

Voice Search

The voice revolution comes next. We’re no longer only pecking away at tiny keyboards; instead, we’re giving our gadgets commands and expecting prompt responses to all of our requests. Modify your content, create questions that flow like a conversation, and answer questions before they are even posed.

Content: The King (and Queen) of the SEO Arena:

Content Quality vs Quantity

Amidst the technological sophistication, excellent content remains the cornerstone of effective SEO. 2024 will see depth above breadth. Instead of producing a constant stream of superficial blog entries, create content that connects with readers, enlightens, amuses, and makes them itching to read more. This is the point at which you, the writer, transform into an artist, crafting captivating stories and arranging facts into delightful tapestries.

Relevancy in Keywords

Naturally, keywords still have a place in SEO, but their function is changing. These days, context is everything, and it takes greater skill to balance relevant terms with user intent. Instead of just throwing meaningless words into your writing, incorporate them into your story so they become inconspicuous outlines in your masterwork.

Featured Snippets

And lastly, a snippet that glories in the top place at position zero, the much sought-after holy grail of the SERPs, was highlighted. Optimize your material and make it compelling, clear, and educational. Become the page’s oracle by providing an answer to the question before it is even asked.

A Glimpse into the Crystal Ball:

What then do we see when we look into the crystal ball of 2024? A world in which voice commands create a digital symphony visually attracts inquisitive eyes and artificial intelligence whispers in the ears of algorithms. But the human touch is still crucial at the core of it all. Compose with fervour, optimize with intention, and accept the constant dance of search engine optimization. That’s the only way you’ll emerge victorious from the digital wilderness and take your proper place among the sun-kissed fields of 2024’s search scene.

Understand that nothing is certain about the future. It’s like a blank canvas or unwritten tale waiting to be painted or written. Now grab your digital paintbrushes and creative juices, and get ready for the SEO journey that lies ahead! Accept uncertainty, try risk-taking tactics, and use your curiosity as a guide. Note that the most adept navigators accept being lost from time to time. You never know, perhaps your diversion will reveal a secret SEO way to algorithmic wealth.

Therefore, remember these key points before you head out on the SEO journey:

Never undervalue the influence of a community. Collaborate with other SEO explorers, share your knowledge, and gain insight from each other’s failures and successes. The pack’s collective wisdom is far more powerful than the howl of a lone wolf.

Continue to be insatiably curious. The algorithms are dynamic, changing with every new moon, their dance moves constantly. Read trade journals, go to virtual conferences, and never stop challenging the status quo. Never forget that learning new things throughout your life is your fuel; SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.

Assess, evaluate, and modify. Your website is your online identity, and the data it collects tells a story about how well your identity works. Keep assessing your development, evaluate your outcomes, and don’t be afraid to make necessary modifications. Every setback serves as a springboard, and every setback yields a lesson.

Remember the person behind the screen at all times. In the end, SEO is about building relationships with people, learning about their requirements, and satisfying their desires rather than just being about algorithms and keywords. Make your content a guiding hand that helps consumers reach their online objectives.

Final Verdict/Thoughts

Thus, brave explorers, let’s conquer the world! SEO has an exciting future ahead of it with a wealth of opportunities. To succeed, remember that you must chart your path using creativity as your compass and passion as your fuel rather than just mindlessly following the map. In the future, SEO will be a variety of creativity, empathy, and connections with others rather than just a technical dance. Let’s weave that future together. Word, image, or voice command at a time—we control the future. Proceed now to secure your spot in the 2024 SEO El Dorado!

[thehungrykat1]

The Writers Bar at Raffles Makati Launches Harmony in Forms Afternoon Tea Inspired by Hans Brumann & Impy Pilapil

The Writers Bar at Raffles Makati proudly unveils its latest opulent offering, the "Harmony in Forms Afternoon Tea," a fusion of exquisite culinary craftsmanship and captivating visual arts. This new afternoon tea set can be enjoyed starting January 26, 2024 and this unparalleled experience is a testament to the Raffles brand's unwavering commitment to the arts.

The Hungry Kat was invited last week to the launch of the Harmony in Forms Afternoon Tea so I made my way back to my favorite luxury hotel in the country. The afternoon tea set is available daily at the Writers Bar from 2:00pm to 3:30 pm and from 4:00pm to 5:30pm at P3,200 nett for two persons which includes a choice of premium TWG tea or coffee with optional upgrades for mocktails and cocktails.

In collaboration with two distinguished Filipino artists, the Writers Bar's Harmony in Forms Afternoon Tea transcends the ordinary, showcasing seven sublime sculptures of renowned jeweler Hans Brumann and three mesmerizing masterpieces from the Aquabella series by master artist Impy Pilapil.

The Writers Bar is open from 2:00pm to 11:00pm daily at the ground floor of Raffles Makati. A revered institution at all Raffles locations, the Writers Bar pays tribute to all the iconic writers who have found inspiration at Raffles over the years. Designed to resemble a library and bathed in natural sunlight, it is an oasis of calm and tranquility, surrounded by soothing music, exquisite art, and the written legacies of literary luminaries.

Elegance permeated the event last January 25 which was graced by luminaries from the diplomatic community, esteemed hotel patrons, media personalities and key opinion leaders. Hosted by Raffles and Fairmont Makati’s Cluster Director of Business Development, Rubi De Vera, the soirée commenced with eloquent opening remarks by Raffles and Fairmont Makati's Director of Food and Beverage, Anne-Sophie Hurtaud, who declared, "Arts and Culture are not mere embellishments; they are the very soul of the Raffles brand. Today, with the unveiling of Harmony in Forms, we celebrate the rich tapestry of creativity that defines our brand's profound passion for the arts."

Hans Brumann's body of work spans more than half a century and is characterized by a consistent and recognizable aesthetic that he has developed over that time. This style combines the sleekness of contemporary sculptural design with a dash of whimsicality and a keen eye for color. Even now, at the venerable age of 80, he continues to bring a certain sense of curiosity and wonder to sculptures, creating breathtaking pieces that range from bas-relief to free-standing works. Here he presents Bird, a painted steel with molave base sculpture that you can also find at the Galerie Hans Brumann.

The Aquabella Series by Impy Pilapil was inspired by her fascination and dreams of the aquatic world and life underwater. Impy Pilapil is a versatile multi-media artist, sculptor, muralist, and interactive art innovator who is known for her elegant and timeless compositions. Through the years, she has created remarkable works in various mediums such as paper, glass, steel, wood, and stone. She has exhibited around the world and her creations form part of choice collections of banks, multinationals, and discerning private collectors.

Afternoon tea is an elegant pre-evening tête-à-tête popularized in Europe with its own history and traditional ceremonies. Raffles has been serving afternoon tea for more than 100 years so you can always get the best high tea experience in the country here. We started our journey with a glass of the Dreamer Mocktail with its refreshing blend of citrus flavors.

Curated by the hotel's culinary virtuosos under the guidance of Executive Chef Bela Rieck, the Harmony in Forms Afternoon Tea set is a symphony of visual and gastronomic delight. It is presented in three lovely tiers which will be placed on your tables.

But before that, our afternoon tea began with their scones. Chef Bèla combines the Classic Scones together with Lemon Coated Scones. These are paired with clotted cream and strawberry jam plus honey. Slice your scones in half horizontally and place the cream or jam on top, depending on your preference.

The bottom layer of the tea set consists of Culinary Arts which features art-inspired creations such as the Wood-smoked salmon canapés, Steel-cut foie gras terrine with red apple, Paper-wrapped marinated truffle chicken, Mini stone oven pizette with Kalamata olives and chorizo, and Mini mushroom quiche.

The middle tier comes with Sweet Temptations like the Wood-charred pineapple tartlets, Pistachio éclairs, and Paper-thin flower petals on double chocolates.

Lastly, the topmost tier comes with even more sweet items such as the Limestone lemon tarts, Glass shard macarons, and Steel-blue berry cheesecake bites.

Guests will also get their choice of coffee or tea from Raffles Makati’s finest selection of flavors courtesy of TWG Tea. For a more bubbly afternoon tea experience, there’s also an option to upgrade your tea set to include two glasses of Dreamer Mocktail for only P500++. Better yet, upgrade it to two glasses of The Artist Cocktail for P800++. Elevate your afternoon to an artful crescendo with Harmony in Forms Afternoon Tea at The Writers Bar, where luxury meets artistic transcendence. Book your seats now at https://bit.ly/BookTheWritersBar.

Harmony in Forms Afternoon Tea

1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue, Makati City

8555-9840 (https://bit.ly/BookTheWritersBar)

www.raffles.com/makati

www.facebook.com/RafflesMakati

[syifablog2]

Exploration into: Denny Ja 42’s Choice “The giant collapsed”

In the world of Indonesian literature, the name Denny Ja has been in the spotlight over the past few decades. As one of the most productive and respected writers in Indonesia, Denny JA has created extraordinary work by combining rich imagination with deep thinking.    One of Denny JA’s latest works that should be highlighted is “The giant collapsed too”. In this work, Denny JA invites readers on an interesting and meaningful journey to a world full of secrets and secret.    “The giant collapsed also” tells the story of a young man named Raka who is trying to find his identity in the middle of the upheaval of modern life. Raka, which is described as a complex character, is trapped in a conflict between personal ambitions and social responsibility.    In his exploration, Raka met with various interesting characters who gave him new insights about true life and meaning. Denny Ja carefully illustrates the interaction between Raka and the characters in a charming way, presenting a living and emotional dialogue.    However, it is not just the plot that makes this work stand out. The typical Denny Ja writing style also gives a unique touch to this story. He is able to play words beautifully and describe the atmosphere in a charming detail. Each sentence seems to be chosen carefully, creating a soothing and seeping rhythm into the soul of the reader.    The theme raised in “the giant collapsed also” is also very relevant to the social reality that exists in Indonesia today. Denny Ja cleverly discussed issues such as social injustice, corruption, and individual struggles in achieving justice. Through a strong narrative and strong character, he invites the reader to reflect on this problem and encourage them to act.    In addition, “The giant collapsed also” also offers an amazing picture of the natural beauty of Indonesia. Through a detailed and colorful description, Denny Ja managed to elevate the cultural wealth and natural beauty of Indonesia into the story. The reader will feel as if they are walking in a place described by the author, breathing the fresh air of the mountains and feeling the warmth of the sun on the beach.    No wonder the work of Denny Ja is always awaited by his loyal readers. He was able to build a world in his convincing story that the reader felt as if they had been involved in the same adventure as his characters. Every page that is read presents unforgettable excitement and nervousness.    Denny Ja is a writer who is not only entertaining but also has a strong moral message in his work. He uses the power of words to inspire people and encourage them to see the world with a broader perspective. In “the giant collapsed also”, he invited the reader to dare to face challenges and struggle for justice.    As readers, we will not only be entertained by interesting stories and complex flows, but will also be inspired by messages delivered by Denny Ja. He encouraged us to be a better person and dare to appear against injustice around us.    “The giant collapsed also” is a work that cannot be missed for Indonesian literature lovers.

Check in full: Exploring the depths: The Chosen Work of Denny Ja to 42 “The giant collapsed also”

[redbleedingrose]

Always - Part 6

Azriel x Reader

Summary: You and Azriel have been best friends for years after you joined the inner circle as the top healer in Velaris. But with Elain and Nesta’s recent arrival, Azriel has begun to ignore your friendship in favor of being together with Elain. You are heartbroken, and it is Starfall where you will be confined in the house of wind with Azriel and Elain. Everything will be okay though… right?

Warnings: Smut (Minors DNI, 18+), angst, straight up angst, cursing, first time writing Word count ~ 4.8k. Masterlist  Part 7

A/N: Hello my lovely readers!!! Thank you so much for your patience and everlasting support. The end is fucking near!!!!! I think part 7 may be your last part followed with an epilogue. I really struggled to write the smut in this chapter, and its kinda shocking considering the amount of smut I read lmfao. But, we got through it. Step 1 studying is keeping me busy, so please send some positive vibes. I love your comments, reblogs, likes, and asks, so please please please keep them coming. I am in constant need of validation as a writer; any interaction means so much to me. I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I did, and as always (no pun intended), I hope it does the other parts justice. 

Azriel shushes you, kissing away the tears that had rolled down your cheeks, “I will Y/N,” he whispers into his kisses. His scarred hands traveled up your waist from where he was straddling you, up to your hands that lay beside your head, fisting the silk sheets beneath. His fingers gently pull your grasp open before intertwining your hands together, his half-lidded gaze meets yours as he peers into your soul. The only sounds filling your bedroom are the sounds of your breath mixing with his. The only light in the room is coming from the fire cracking in the hearth, darkness swarms the room as his shadows cocoon you both into the bed. Impatience was growing steadily within you, you arched your back, bucking your hips against his, “Az- please,” but he only pressed further into you, stopping any movement. But you felt it, his hard length catching right where you needed him, his membranous wings flared out covering the entire bed. A whimper escaped you as your eyes fluttered shut, remembering the drunk conversations with Morr and Feyre about the correlation of wing span and a not so inconspicuous part of Illyrian males. “Patience dove, We have all the time in the world. You’re mine.” 

You wanted to snark back at him. But you couldn't, not when the smell of his arousal overwhelmed every one of your senses. Gods, you wanted him desperate for you. You wanted him to be frenzied for you. 

Finally, after what felt like centuries trapped beneath him in waiting, Azriel squeezed your hands thrice, “Open your eyes for me, sweetheart.” You forced your eyes open as he dropped his head into your neck, pressing rough kisses into your skin as his fingers moved to play with the waistband of your pants. He kept moving up and down, kissing and licking every inch of your skin, trying to find your most sensitive part that would cause you to shatter beneath him. Breathless. You were fucking breathless. You couldn’t breathe. Every part of you was consumed by him. And he was only fucking kissing your neck. But you never wanted him to stop. You wanted him to kiss you forever. You wanted him to love on you forever. He shuddered against you when he lapped at your skin, allowing himself to savor your taste. Your moan fused with your gasp right when he bit into that juncture between your neck and collarbone, arching your back, trying to egg him on. He shifted swiftly, focusing his efforts onto suckling at the tender spot, soothing it in apology as your skin darkened.

He slowly pulled away, like he was struggling to do so, like he wanted to continue devouring your neck, and turned his half lidded gaze to you, tugging at your pants, silently asking for permission. Puffs of breath between you intermingled as you leaned your head back into the soft pillow behind you, closing your eyes once again as you nodded lightly, the excitement, the anticipation of it all, overwhelming you. That's how it was with Az, overwhelming. Even when you were just friends, every part of him was all consuming. You could never get enough. Azriel, ever the inquisitive one, received your signal almost immediately, tugging your pants off in a smooth motion. 

His breath caught, head falling into your shoulder as he caught sight of your throbbing sex. Every drop of pleasure drips down to your thighs and onto the bed. You shivered when he bit into your shoulder this time, hard, teeth leaving indents into the smooth skin. “Mother above,” he rasped out, “No panties sweetheart?” He let out a shaky breath, the scent of his arousal became much more potent in your bedroom, and he gripped your chin, pulling you forward, “Eyes open, Y/N.” An order from the spymaster that had your eyes shooting open. The tone in his voice to anyone else would have had them trembling at their knees, begging for mercy, but here, with you, that tone. That voice. It told you everything. It told you that he was losing control, quickly, and that he was desperately trying to get a handle on it. 

You smirked up at him, finally having the upper hand. You didn’t need to respond, you had him just where you wanted him, just where you needed him. Every second that passed between you felt more urgent then the next. And he was going to give in. Give in to you.This patient act of the spymaster was just that, an act. Gods, it was practically his job to be patient, but you knew. You were seconds from pushing him over the edge, and you knew that when he would fall over, only carnal desire would be left in him. You hiked your legs onto his hip, giving him full view and access to your cunt. He sucked in a sharp breath as his digits dipped into your folds, stroking up to your clit, circling once, tightly, before pulling away, enjoying himself as he watched you respond to his touch. Gods, you could scream. Rumor has it Az was the darkest and the most relentless in his bedroom activities compared to his brothers. Cauldron boil you, his endless teasing was only proof. And you wanted it to stop. But you also wanted him to keep going, to see how far he could push you into depravity, as shameless as it sounded. 

His grip on your chin turned your gaze away from him and towards his glistening fingers that he had lifted into view, soaked with your arousal as he brought them up to his lips, sucking off the juices as he whined out at your taste. “This all for me, Dove?” 

He sounded… Gods, he sounded intoxicated. Intoxicated off you. You whimpered in response, nodding eagerly, trying to get him to touch you, to fuck you, anything as all the blood rushed down to where you ached. You flung your arms away from their resting place beside you, and reached down to tear his shirt off, desperate for more. Desperate for more contact. Desperate for more skin. Desperate for him. The spymaster’s teasing left you insatiable, you couldn't get enough, you could never get enough. Before you could lift his shirt up past his waist, his shadows gripped onto your wrists, pulling them away and locking them up above your head. Restraining you from another further movement. 

The shadowsinger’s chest rose and fell with harsh breaths, as he tried to collect himself from your admission, his restraint completely lost. He tapped at your thighs, and unlatched your legs from his waist silently, fingers moving to grip your thighs as he lowered himself to face your sex, like he needed some kind of support to keep him from collapsing. He breathed in once, twice, hazel eyes rolling back at your scent, before blowing his exhale onto the sensitive skin causing you to writhe, “Az, please.” You didn’t know how much more waiting you could handle. You felt like you were going to explode. His eyes locked onto yours, the sudden voice knocking him out of his stupor. His swollen lips lifted into a smirk at you, “So needy for me, dove,” before he latched onto your core and moaned into you. 

You jerked against his lips, panting out his name, trying to squeeze your legs shut at the sudden electrifying sensation. You almost fell apart right then and there, you whimpered at him, “Fuck baby.” His fingers clenched at your thighs, his grip tight enough to leave light bruising for you to deal with in the morning, and his shadows wrapped around your ankles, pulling you apart to hold you open for him to feast upon. He gave you a long broad stroke through your folds before he swirled his tongue around your clit, over and over and over and over again. He pulled back for just a second to blow a whisper of air on it, the cool air caused your entire body to shudder, before going back in to lick, suck, kiss at the flesh. His scarred digits brushed against your opening, circling it a couple of times as his tongue flicked his name onto your mound before pushing in. 

Your jaw dropped, as he stroked one finger, and then two, and then three, into your silky inner walls. Pounding his fingers in and out, in and out, with no mercy. His fingers curved and hit the spongy part of your inner wall spontaneously, a strangled noise left you as he adjusted his focus onto rubbing right there. He huskily purred into you, “taste so good f’me sweetheart.” Your cunt clamped down at his words, trying to keep him inside, begging him to keep going, begging him to never stop.

Your heart was racing out of your chest, every part of you was burning from the heat, as you felt your core tighten. The coiling tension in your abdomen was building at a steady pace. You were trembling, nerves on fire, his name coming out in gasps. Only his name and nothing else, nothing could come to mind. “Cum for me, dove.” His command was so strong. So powerful. “Cum for me,” he groaned again. Your eyes squeezed shut, and a golden thread snapped into place, as the tension in you broke, choked sobs leaving your lips, waves of pleasure racked your entire shaking body, as your walls began to spasm and contract around his fingers. 

Pleasure. Jaw dropping pleasure. Mind-empty pleasure. Tears slipping down your cheeks pleasure. Colors bursting around you pleasure. Unimaginable pleasure. Coursing through you. Coursing through that thread, down to the other end. Sinking to your pores. Slipping into the very cells that make you up. You couldn’t think. Nothing had settled in. Only Az. Everything that ever was, everything that is, everything that ever will be is him. Is the spymaster. Is the shadowsinger. Is Azriel. 

The aftershock rocked your body as you slumped over, trying to catch your breath for the first time in what felt like hours, Azriel’s whispers came to the forefront of your mind, “So good for me, sweetheart,” dulling out any attention to the recent thread that had appeared within you. He continued as he pulled his fingers out of you tenderly, “You did so good for me, I’m so proud of you.” He slowly kneaded at your thighs, kissing gently into the taut skin trying to get you to relax. His shadows release you from where you were held, as you continue to pant from the aftermath. Your eyes stayed shut, trying to focus on the sound of your voice when it hit you. 

The thread. The fucking thread. You tried to stay calm, not wanting to give anything away to Azriel. You gave a slow tug at the thread, expecting for nothing to come back, but to confirm that it was there. That you were not imagining it. Because if you were imagining it… well you don’t think you could handle that. What you weren’t expecting was the yank back, the pleasure and happiness and worry streaming down back at you. What you weren't expecting was the silent words that Azriel mouthed into your skin, “I love you mate.” 

You barely heard it, locked into focus on the bond that had appeared at your climax. He mouthed it into your skin so quietly, you literally almost entirely missed it in the haze of it all. But words like that, they weren’t ones to be missed. They weren’t ones to be ignored. No. Those words were more. They were more than that. They- They rung. They rung in your head. They rung loud as your body froze. Ice water poured over you, as if a bucket of it had been flung onto you by Azriel himself. And suddenly, your breathlessness wasn’t from pleasure anymore, but from confusion. Any remaining bits of pleasure in your body were flung out by the words, replaced by the strain of trying to comprehend. Trying to comprehend the words he had just uttered. Trying to comprehend that your mating bond had snapped. Trying to comprehend that Azriel had felt it and tugged back. Azriel had tensed with you at the realization of what he had just admitted. Words that he probably never meant to slip out. His shadows suddenly flung around, the cool darkness of them covered him up as if he was trying to hide himself from you. 

It felt as though you had been stung by him. You shoved him off of you, your eyes darting back and forth between his pleading ones, as you scrambled to pull the comforter that had been shoved aside by your earlier activities to cover yourself. You didn’t know what to do. You didn’t know what to say. After all this time, the words that you had craved for, the words that you had prayed for day in and day out, left you feeling stung. “What the fuck did you just say?” you blurted out. You couldn’t understand. You didn’t understand. You wanted to make sure you heard correctly, even though you were one hundred and ten percent sure of the words he had just uttered into your thigh. 

“Y/N,” Azriel's voice croaked as he murmured out your name, he reached out to touch you? Hold you? But your body jerked back. You didn’t want him to hold you. Not until he explained himself. Not until he told you what was going on. Not until he… well… you didn’t even know. The thought of him holding you right now made your skin itch, only seconds ago your body was shattered beneath him in pleasure, and now? Now, you couldn’t even think of that. Now, all the pain from this past week and month was coursing through you, through your bond, straight into him. His face fell at the sensation, and he dropped his arm back to his side, clenching his fists as he did so, staring at them with disgust. You repeated yourself again, voice louder, almost hysterical this time. 

His eyes shut tightly, and he took a couple of breaths before he throatily replied, “I love you Y/N. And I am your mate. And you are mine.” The last bit was so quiet, it muddled with the crackling of the embers and wood in the fireplace. You were completely and utterly stunned. This was not how you expected for your night to go. This was not how you expected for all this to go down. In fact, you had almost thought to yourself a couple of different times that any feelings you had towards Az, were unrequited. Especially when Elain had come into the picture. The thought of Elain brought on a whole shitload of questions to your attention.

Exhaustion threatened you, it made you want to collapse and tell Azriel to leave. Your heart had fallen deep in your chest, the knot in your throat paralyzed you. But you knew, gods you knew, the only way you and Az were going to get through this, was to talk it out right now. Selfishly, you didn’t want to. You wanted to go back and rewind time to a couple minutes ago and live in it forever, and forget that this had ever happened. You wanted to stop this moment from continuing because you were scared, and you were angry.  The flames of anger towards Azriel shot out, dread filled you because now everything that had happened these past few months was made worse. 

The thought of not knowing why Azriel pushed you away had become a thousand times heavier in your chest, he had known you were mates. He had known you were mates, and yet he still pushed you away. You hissed out, trying to maintain your composure, trying to not let him see how much this was effecting you, trying to build distance between you and on top of that a wall to separate you two, “How fucking long have you known?” Any intimacy that you had held for him during this night, was lost into the darkness of his shadows. You silently hoped that the bond had just snapped for him as well, but his reactions to your anger and sadness were only pointing you in the other direction.  His wings tucked tightly into his back, he almost cowered at your tone and hesitated, “I’ve known since-,” you interrupted him, throwing any mental shields up, trying to block him out from the bond, and already impatient with his slowed response time, “Since when Spymaster?” He flinched at the name as though he hated hearing you call him that, a pained whimper left his lips at you distancing yourself from him, “A little before under the mountain.” 

Hell had fucking frozen over. You laughed breathlessly in shock, it wasn’t funny. No, this was the most confused you had ever been. Since before Amarantha’s reign? That had been more than half a century ago. A mix of emotions were flooding through you, as you tried to process what Azriel was saying. A mix of happiness because mother above, how you were in love with Azriel words could not describe, but also pain because of the loss of time you could’ve shared together, pain because of his recent acts of pushing you away, pain because he had hid this from you, confusion as to why he hid this from you. 

Why hadn’t he said anything? In all your years of knowing him, Azriel was the kind of male who obsessed after mating bonds. He had told you himself, many different times: whenever he was drunk, whenever he was sober, whenever he was jealous of his brother's bonds, how he wished and prayed for a mate. How he wished and prayed for his equal. How he would adore her and love her. “Even if she’s a fucking worm, Y/N,” he would reply, grinning at your ridiculous questions. Was he upset or disappointed by our match? Was he going to reject you for Elain? Was he ashamed? The ugly doubts all reared its head at you. All of your doubts. All the devastating emotions you had felt in the past couple of months, slammed back into you. 

You couldn’t think straight, all these thoughts and doubts were overwhelming with the pain. And you couldn’t do it anymore. You couldn’t deal with it any longer. It was stifling. “Were you even going to tell me before you slept with me?” The question was spit out, the knot in your throat was nearly choking you. You didn’t let him respond, “Please get out of my home Azriel.” You were the kind of person who said things they didn’t mean out of anger. And you were sure that if he stayed in your presence any longer, those words would come tumbling out. And there would be no way to fix the already existing damage. The damage that he had fucking done on what was supposed to be a beautiful and sacred bond. 

His gaze snapped to yours, tears were streaming down his cheeks as his face twisted in agony. You needed to come to terms with everything. Come to terms with the fact that he hid this bond, what was supposed to be a beautiful and happy thing, from you. Come to terms with the fact that he had pushed you away for months, knowing that you had been bonded with him. Come to terms that he might want to reject this bond, this beautiful, wonderful bond that you had prayed for. The thought made you shudder, heart dropping even further than it already had, but you had to come to grips with reality. Why else would he push you away? Why else would he focus so much of his time and attention on Elain, rather than focus on you and building your bond? None of it made sense. 

Azriel jostled, pulling you away from your thoughts, as though he could hear them and was hurting at them, he leaned towards you and grabbed onto your hands tightly, squeezing thrice.“No, no, no. Please Y/N. I am not letting you do this again. I am not letting you shove me out-” 

“You pushed me away Azriel,” you screamed with only venom in your voice, hysteria seeding through every part of you as you mentally placed bricks between you and him, blocking him off from reaching you through the bond. You didn’t know if you wanted him to remove his hands and never let him close again, or if you wanted him to hold on and let his warmth seep into your freezing flesh. You continued, “Even now, even after everything, you still don’t see where you went wrong, Az.” Panic oozed from him, draining the scent of arousal from your room, the bitter scent of his fear surrounding you. His eyes tried frantically to meet yours, begging you to look at him, begging you to see him. But you had seen him. For several months. As he ignored you. As he let you believe your friendship meant nothing to him. As he let you believe that you were being replaced. 

Even when Azriel was obsessed with Morr, he never let you doubt your place in his life. He was always there with you. He was always so reassuring of your presence, always so wanting of you. Anytime you were busy with patients, he would wait, hours upon hours, for the chance to speak with you. Anytime you were busy with paperwork, he would rush to help you so he could get even the slightest bit of your attention. And you could handle that. Because you loved him, and even though he longed after another, a small part of you knew that he loved you. Even if his love was platonic, it was enough. But with Elain, Gods you didn’t want to go through this again. You didn’t want to think about it again, you had been mulling over it for the past week, for the past couple of months, and you were sick of it. 

His mouth dropped open before snapping shut, several times, trying to let the words spill out, but all of them seemed to be stuck on the tip of his tongue. You had never seen Azriel so speechless, so stressed. Every part of him, the tight wings, his straightened back, his scarred hands gripping tightly onto yours, his shadows darting around the room screeching at him to say something, anything to rectify the situation pointed towards his distress. Part of you felt sorry for him, but you couldn’t let your love for him, your devotion to him, stop you from knowing the truth. The truth about why he had hidden this from you and had acted the way he had. Even if Azriel was your mate, you knew that it is important that you didn’t let him treat you this way, didn’t let him get away with what he had been doing. Because best friends don’t do that to each other. Mates don't do that to each other. 

You rambled out your sorrow, filling the silence between you, “Azriel, I can’t. I can’t do this if you don’t see what you did to me. You hurt me, to the point where I couldn’t breathe for a week. To the point where I couldn’t get myself out of bed for a week. I deserve better than that. And…  and I think you know that. And to now hear that you knew? You have known all this time, that we were mates, that you could feel my pain and had known about it. So I guess… I guess I don’t understand what it is that you were trying to do. I-... I don’t understand. I don’t understand you, Az.” You feel broken. You didn't want to admit it, but even if Az gave you an amazing apology or explanation for the way he had acted, you weren’t sure it would be enough… enough for you to move on from this. You didn’t know how you were going to come back from this. How you both were going to come back from this. “All I know for certain Az, is that I would’ve never done this to you. Never.” Your voice broke as you leaned back to stare at him, listening to what he has to say, giving him the chance to speak. 

He brought his hands to yank at his hair, his eyes were squeezed shut as tears slid down his cheeks, uncontrollable sobs escaping him, racking his chest. Ebbs of his regret reached you through the bond despite the mental block you had set up, which only meant the force of his regret was all consuming to him. His shadows swarmed you, trying to pull you in closer to their master, their cool touch leaving goosebumps on your naked skin. He took deep breaths as he tried to block out the ache in his chest, to concentrate on finding the right words to tell you everything that he had been thinking this past week, these past months, this half century he had lived in silence. 

At this point, you desperately wanted him to defend himself, you wanted him to explain, you wanted him to take the pain away, you wanted him to show he adores and loves you, prove he wants you. Because you were scared he didn’t. His earlier confession meant nothing in the face of your new reality you were coming to grips with. 

You had left the ball in his court. And you both knew that. You both also knew that this was the moment, the defining moment which would decide whether or not you would even allow the chance for Azriel to make up for his mistakes. He knew that this would be the moment you would decide if your relationship would move forward, or if you were going to let him go. And cauldron boil him alive for all he cares, he never wants you to let him go. He would rather burn alive a hundred times, heal over and over, just to be burnt alive again, knowing the pain already, his scarred hands bearing the evidence, rather than you letting him go, rather than you moving on however undeserving he is to have you, rather than you rejecting the bond. 

The tears continued to streak down his face, he gasped out in between his sobs, “Please Y/N. I am begging you, if you want I'll get on my knees. I promise you one hundred percent honesty, no lies, no deception, only the truth. Just… just don’t let this be the way we end tonight. Please. Please.” He reached his hand out again, hoping, praying on all the gods in the stars, on the mother above, on the cauldron, on whatever existed out there he didn’t know of, that you would hold onto it, that you would give him some semblance of reassurance that you would listen he knew he didn't deserve. 

And your traitorous hands reach out on their own volition to latch on, squeezing tight, trying to calm him, trying to reassure him, your love for him going beyond any description. “Okay,” you whispered out knowing he would hear you over his sobs. You weren’t sure that his explanation would be enough. But you wanted to know. You wanted to hear what he had to say. A big part of you that you buried deep within you wanted to forgive him. The feeling of hope snaked through you, as you prepared to listen to him. This time, without any interruption, without any judgment.  

He shuddered in a heavy breath, silencing his sobs. He had one chance to make this right, and he knew his fate was resting on his shoulders. “I want to start off by saying, I am sorry Y/N. I am so unbelievable and unimaginably sorry. I cannot express enough how sorry I am, but if you give me the chance, I will show you, every day, for the rest of our lives how sorry I am. I mean… I-,” he paused, and you squeezed his hand again, urging him to continue, “I want you to know that you have a choice here. You have a choice to accept the bond or reject the bond.” He shuddered as he whispered it out into existence, “I promise I won’t get in the way of whatever decision you want to make, and I promise to accept it, no matter the outcome. I… I don’t know where to begin.” His hazel eyes lifted to yours, pleading, he was floundering in fear. Tears brimmed at your eyes, you squeezed his hand once more, “Start at the beginning Az.”

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