#// But then seeing this is an idiom that she may not have heard before

[raging-violets]

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles?

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

Fanfic Writer Asks | Ask Box

Riley's answers:

2. Do you read/reread your own fics? – I do, so I can remember what it was that I was going to do before I stopped writing it for whatever reason I did, lol. Otherwise, I re-read it if I haven't in a while simply because I enjoyed it. Also, I'm reading it as I'm writing it so there's no way I'm not reading it, if that makes sense.

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? – Well, this is hard considering I have over so many of them that are finished that are posted online, so many that are finished that will never see the light of day other than between myself and my sisters, and also in that there's more than that from those I deleted over previous years. BUT it's any of The Flash and the Flame series (The Flash), and of my Elementals series (SLOZAC/SLOD), The Can't Help It Series (SLOZAC/SLOD), and any of my Big Time Rush ones, I honestly can't choose just one.

4. How many WIPs do you have right now? – 100+

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write? – My idea of a Bit Beast War for Beyblade and my idea for Teen Wolf of a mythical creature hit list. I will never write them.

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now? – *Checks Notes* Over 30 across multiple fandoms.

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters? – It's either a play on the theme to the fic, a play on words, or it's a play on a idiom.

16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles? – At the very end. Most of my documents are titled [insert title here] until I come up with it.

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs. – From the next chapter of "The Night Witch" (Narnia)

“I don’t know, I think she has something there. I mean, Jadis was known as the White Witch. She had powers all over the realm of cryogenics,” Susan explained. She looked to Edmund and Peter and added, “Ice and winter,” as if explaining something to a child. Both of her brothers gave her exasperated looks in response. “We’ve all heard the stories from Professor Kirke…of her immortality.” “And then Nikabrik, the hag, and the werewolf tried to bring her back,” Peter agreed. “Her body may be gone but…” he swallowed hard. “That doesn’t mean her life is.” “You said the powers were like hers…but not exact. Lu, what did you mean?” “Exactly as I said. There’s another witch out there, the magical powers…I can feel it. Professor Kirke explained it me, when he told us stories of his uncle and what happened with him and Polly. I know the feeling of that magic; I can sense it. It’s similar but is the strongest at night. Just as Jadis was strongest in winter…she was the White Witch, and this one…” “Is a Night Witch,” Edmund finished for her. He shrugged in light appreciation. “Good name.”

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written? – “Whatever It Takes (To Get Me Out Of Here)” for my Degrassi fic...which I really need to get back to.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why? – Yep, all the time, and it's mostly because something about it isn't working and I can't force it to work.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing? – I usually know the end line/the end scene of a fic before I write anything else of it. So, I come up with the end before I come up with the plot and work my way into how to make the end make sense.

-

Rhuben's answers:

2. Do you read/reread your own fics? – Yes! Most of the time it’s to remind myself what idea I’ve already done, or where I am in a fic I’m currently writing because it’s been so long since I updated it, but yes. A lot of it is cringy, but it’s also fun! A lot of the time I can remember where I was in my life at the time I wrote it, or I can pinpoint what inspired me to write it in the first place.

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? – As far as completed ones go, probably my Flash fanfic (In a Flash) or my Big Time Rush fanfic (Never Again). They were the first two “big” ones I’d say I did from start to finish that I felt was complete in terms of what beats I wanted to hit, what tones, the characterization, and everything really felt like it came together. (I do have a bad habit of starting fics and never finishing them, or just silently deleting them, or just going with a new WIP as soon as I get that idea).

4. How many WIPs do you have right now? – A LOT! Is the short answer. But that also depends on what you mean by WIP. Did I actually start writing out parts or just open a document and just dump my base ideas? Counting them, 50+

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write? – Honestly, probably my SSX 3 fanfic about Skye Simms and her best friend (my OC) competing for a wild card spot into the circuit for that year. My OC gets it for that game iteration and realizes how out of her depth she is as her base sport is wakeboarding. I’ve been really into this idea for a looooooooooong time, but don’t know if I’ll ever actually do it.

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now? – I always have idea for fics. It could be new ideas or just different ways to write the same trope for the bajillionth time. But, I have ideas for: Digimon, Pokemon, SSX 3, Beyblade, Kingdom Hearts, Miraculous Ladybug, Power Rangers, The Artful Dodger, Young Justice, Mighty Ducks, Superstore/Big Time Rush crossover, The Flash/Criminal Minds crossover, Chicago Fire/Chicago PD, X-Men (movies), and more I’m forgetting as I think of this off the top of my head. (And that's just for things I'd post online.)

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters? – 9 times out of 10 it’s a song title or a lyric. I’m listening to music allll theeeee timmeeee and tend to get stuck on certain phrases that just latches on to my brain. Otherwise, it’s titles from episodes of other shows, or random book titles I come across.

16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles? – If I don’t already have an idea for the series/fanfic title, it’ll usually come as I’m writing up the (FFN/full-length) summary of the fanfic because I like to try and have something quippy or punny or clever in the summary that goes along with the title or the overarching plot.

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs. – From my DC’s Stargirl fic, “Collateral Damage”

“If my parents catch me eating this, they’ll ground me into dust.” Still, Artemis Crock quickly removed the plastic from the Twinkie in her hands and took a large bite of the spongy treat. Her eyes fell shut, and a smile graced the curve of her lips as she chewed. “But, it’s so good,” Connie Sinclair said, using her finger to wipe away the glob of cream oozing out of the Twinkie in her own hand. She licked the cream off her finger and sighed. “Mmmm.” “Tell me about it,” Artemis said, her words barely managing to tumble out of her mouth before she took a second bite.

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written? – “Silent Pages, Loud Words.” It’s the title of a Big Time Rush one-shot focusing on Kendall, but I always really felt something deep with that phrase.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why? – YES!! All the time! Mostly it’s because by the time I write the stuff around it, it doesn’t fit with the tone of the chapter anymore. There’s a section from my Flash fanfic “Out of Focus” where Iris West is supposed to spend time with her estranged mother without her knowing about it, and I’ve tried to fit that in the past four chapters, and it still doesn’t work and I keep moving it somewhere else.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing? – Yes; A lot of the time, the ending is one of the things I write right after the first chapter. Recently, a lot of my fics are like “novelizations” of the movie/tv series they’re based off of, so I know how it ends canonically, but it’s how it’d change regarding my OC that makes it fun to write the different stuff. I already have the ending to my Criminal Minds fic (which I REALLY need to get back to) written and ready to go.

[withperfecttempo]

@tartarusdwelt asked:  ‘ you have an army of words hidden behind your teeth ’ / g'raha to sona!

Her gaze lingers, surprise and intrigue lingers on her face as she narrows her thoughts on the expression. She tries to hold back her brows from furrowing as she puzzles over it. “Army”, must mean “many. “Hidden behind teeth”? Sona is at a loss. What words ever formed behind a closed mouth and throat that could not produce its own sound to form these words? She blinks once, grappling onto ‘words’ as a centerpiece to construct the rest of the meaning. Her hand raises, fingers split and press against her lips. 

A moment later her eyes widen and she gasps when she believes she has some direction in what the Exarch might mean all while realizing her confusion had yielded a degree of awkward silence between them. 

‘Do you mean that I have much to say? Many thoughts?’

[the-iceni-bitch]

For ur wheelie thing (lol I forgot the name)

Kinks: accidental stimulation & exhibitionism

Character: Steve Rogers

Prompt: “I need it”/so ask nicely”

Luv all ur writing!

Oh my god nonnie!! Lemme tell you I squealed a little bit when I got this one. This is gonna be good boy Avengers Steve because I love the idea of domming that virgin.

Again, this is smut, so no minors!!!

Steve thought he was going to die.

The two of you had been seeing each other for a few months. It had been nice to have something to distract him, and he really had missed being able to spoil a girl.

But you were a whole lot different from the dames he used to take out in the forties.

You never wanted to let him pay for anything, you'd actually rolled your eyes at him on your last date when he'd snatched the check out of your hand. Also, he couldn't remember any woman shoving him against the wall and devouring his mouth until he was a panting, whining mess. And every time you finished a date you were practically pouncing on him, he'd even heard you growl a few times through your apartment door when he'd insisted on cutting things short before they went too far.

All he wanted was to take it further though. And he felt like a damn pervert each time he got home after one of your dates and had to desperately jerk himself off. What was he supposed to do though? Sure, he knew that gals nowadays were freer with their affections, but he wanted to make sure you knew how much he respected you.

That was why he had invited you to the game night Tony was throwing, hoping that introducing you to the team would provide some sort of distraction from how much he wanted to bury himself in between your legs.

It may have been a mistake, though.

"Oh, fuck you, Stark!" You were flipping Tony off from across the table after he bought another one of your properties out from under you in Monopoly.

"I am so sorry that I understand how capitalism works and can use it to my advantage." Tony made a mock wounded gesture and grinned at you before waving his fake money in your face. "Cap, I cannot believe you are dating a girl who swears like a sailor. Has she taught all the bad words?"

Poor Steve was starting to blush. For some reason, hearing you cuss out Tony was just making it even harder for him to not imagine your lips wrapped around his cock. Which was the absolute opposite of the respectful attitude he was trying to take with you.

“Don’t tease him, Tony!” You frowned at the man as you leaned against Steve’s knee. “I don’t care that you’re Iron Man, I’ll slap that smirk right off your face. Do you want another drink, baby?”

“No I’m good.” He swallowed thickly when you stood up and stretched, sighing when you ran your fingers through his hair before moving to the bar.

“Aww, look at you, Cap!” Maria was giving him a knowing grin when he turned back to face the group. “Someone’s got it bad!”

“Guy’s, c’mon.” He usually didn’t mind some good natured ribbing, but with how frustrated he already was it was just making him crankier.

“Yeah, guys, let’s be nice.” Tony looked a little too full of himself for Steve to trust he wasn’t going to be an ass. “She pop your cherry yet, Rogers?”

“What the fuck, Tony?” Steve choked on his beer while the rest of the team cracked up.

“Oh, she did teach you all the bad words!” Tony dodged the pillow Steve lobbed at him with a guffaw.

“What is this cherry popping?” Thor looked slightly confused at the turn the conversation, Earth idioms always seemed to have that effect on him.

“Tony’s asking if Y/N took Steve’s virginity.” Clint explained, laughing lightly when realization dawned on the giant blonde’s face.

“Aha, you’re a virgin Steven?” Thor seemed to be genuinely interested, rather than endlessly amused like everyone else.

“I’m not having this discussion with you assholes.” Steve sank back into the couch and pouted. He wasn’t a virgin, it had just been a while. 

“What were you all talking about while I was gone?” You grinned when the conversation suddenly stopped once you came back into the room, Clint clapping a hand over Thor’s mouth when the god tried to explain what they had been discussing. “Fine, keep your secrets. What’re we playing next?”

“What do we think about Twister?” Everyone cheered at that, and you sank onto Steve’s lap while you waited for Tony to come back.

Well, shit. All the care he had been taking the whole night to not turn into a horny idiot went right out the window when your ass settled into the dip in his lap. And your head leaning against his shoulder meant the scent of your shampoo was filling his nostrils and making it impossible for him to think about anything except burying his face in it while he fucked you from behind.

“You ok, Stevie?” You wriggled a little when you turned to face him and he sucked in a harsh breath. “You seem kind of tense.”

“Yeah, I’m, god, I’m fine.” He was lying, the way you were moving as you chatted with the team was making him hard.

“Honey, are you su... oh.” Your voice dropped to a low purr once you felt his bulge growing underneath you, tilting your head back so you could murmur directly in his ear. “Did you want some help with that, Stevie?”

“Baby, fuck.” He didn’t care any more, he was hard up, and you smelled so good. “I need it.”

“So ask nicely.” You’d been waiting so long for this boy to break, you felt like torturing him a little, rolling your hips against him and grinning at the desperate whine he let out.

“Honey, please.” It was fucking painful, he was cursing himself in his head for holding out for so long.

“I’m gonna go help Steve with something in the kitchen.” You announced, keeping your body in front of his when the two of you stood up to start making your way out of the game room.

“Really prefer if you could help him in almost any other room.” Tony called after you, shaking his head as the two of you scurried away. “Ok, who had ‘Cap breaks at game night’ in the pool?”

As soon as you were out of sight of everyone else you were yanking Steve’s face to yours, winding your fingers through his hair and dragging him down the hall as you tugged at his lips with your teeth. He was moaning and whining desperately against your mouth, opening up and letting you curl his tongue against his while his fingers dug into your waist.

God he was stupid. Why couldn’t he think of any good reason for why he’d been putting this off? You were so soft and warm and he just wanted to get you back to his room and...

“Shit, baby, what are you doing?!” He hadn’t even noticed when you shoved him against the wall, but when you disconnected to kneel in front of him he came back a little bit.

“Can’t make it back to the room.” You mumbled, mouthing at the bulge in the front of his jeans and whipping off his belt. “Already waited too fucking long.”

“Honey, the team could walk through any minute.” Although it was a little hard for him to actually care when you ripped his fly open and nipped at the outline of his cock through his boxer briefs. “Ah, fuck.”

“That’s what makes it so exciting.” You winked at him before drawing his weeping cock out and immediately wrapping your hand around him. “Oh, fuck sweetie.”

“Y/N, oh god.” All of his concentration was going to not coming immediately like a teenager when you squeezed along his length. 

“Just look at this poor thing.” You pouted as you started pressing soft kisses all over his shaft, trying not to act too pleased when he jumped in your hand. “So pretty and needy. Have you not been taking care of him, Stevie?”

“Baby, unngh.” His knees almost buckled when you suckled gently at his swollen head, he had to brace himself against the wall to keep from collapsing. “That feels so good.”

“I know, I’m gonna take such good care of him.” You grinned at the thin keen he let out when you flicked your tongue over his slit to lap up his precum. “Keep him wet and warm all the time like he deserves.”

The column buckled when he thumped his fist into it once you took him fully into your mouth, swallowing him down your throat until your nose was nuzzled against the well trimmed hair at his base. A steady stream of obscenities started falling from his lips when you drew back before shoving your face forward again and massaging the thick vein that ran over the underside of him with your tongue. 

One of your hands trailed under his shirt so you could drag your nails over his chest, your painfully stretched lips quirking at the corners when he wrapped his hand in your hair and let out a low groan. You could tell he was still holding back though, even when you brought your free hand up to fondle his balls he wasn’t fucking your face like you really wanted.

So, you slapped his nipple and trailed your hand up to wrap around his throat, and that did what you wanted.

“Ah, baby, fuck!” His hips bucked into your face and you hummed with satisfaction. “Shit, I’m gonna come.”

Look, you prided yourself on your swallow game. You were firmly planted in the “spitters are quitters” camp. But you were not prepared for the sheer volume of cum that was suddenly shooting down your throat. There was no way you could swallow fast enough, having to pull him out while you coughed and spluttered around the ridiculous amount of cum that was overflowing your mouth, but somehow still coming out of him.

“Honey, are you ok?” Oh god, it had finally stopped. “I’m so sorry, I probably should have mentioned a couple side effects there are from the serum.”

“Stevie, I’m fucking great.” You beamed up at him once you had finally caught your breath, tears leaking down your cheeks and your lips and chin coated in thick ropes of his spend. “I probably should have mentioned that I’m a little bit of a cumslut, so this is gonna work out great for both of us. What other side effects are there?”

“Uh, well...” He was having trouble talking as he watched you scoop the excess cum with your fingers and suck them clean, his gaze flicking down to his cock when he couldn’t form a complete sentence.

“Hmm? Fuck, you’re still hard.” You were fucking giddy, fully expecting that there was no way you were going to be able to walk for a couple days after tonight. “This is very important information, Stevie. We’re gonna take full advantage of this. Let’s go.”

He barely had a chance to tuck himself back into his pants before you were dragging him down the hall. A very small part of him was worried that he may have bitten off more than he could chew with you, but mostly he was just excited for whatever you were going to do to him.

[addieparrilla]

Scary Movie

Pairing: May Parker x Fem! Reder

Summary: Peter tells you to wait for him at his house while he arrives and May offers to keep you company.

Warnings: ONLY for those over 18 years old (minors/blank blogs will be blocked), penetrative sex (fingering), oral sex and interruption.

Words: 1.8k

This is the first fic I write please be kind, English is not my first language sorry if there are mistakes.

"Hey, are we still playing paintball today?" I asked over the phone as I tossed my protective gear into a large black duffel bag.

"Yeah, I have some errands to run first, but you can go ahead and wait for me at my house, I'll be there in an hour or so," Peter replied as he drove down the road.

"Okay, I'll relax there, door open?" I zipped up my duffel bag and slung it over my shoulder before heading out the door of the bar.

"No, my aunt isn't here, she has a conference or something. Use the key under the flowerpot," Peter reminded me.

"Ah, got it, I'll see you there."

"Bye." After I heard Peter hang up, I put the phone in my pocket and started walking towards his house. Wind flowed through my hair, occasionally blowing my leather jacket open to expose a gray tank top underneath. I can't say I wasn't disappointed that Peter's aunt wasn't there. Dammit. Just thinking about May makes me shiver. I always thought May was incredibly beautiful. Long light brown hair, matching brown orbs, the sexy glasses she wears…that jaw line…I snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed she had arrived.

Approaching the door, I followed Peter's instructions, took the key from under the flowerpot and unlocked the door before putting it back. I walked in and closed the door softly behind me. He led me into the living room, I put my bag on the floor before going into the kitchen and getting a soda from the fridge. I rarely found a 12-pack of soda in the Parkers' fridge. You opened the soda, twisting the tab until it came loose, I've been doing this for as long as I can remember. He tossed the tab in the trash before returning to the living room and turning on the television.

About 15 minutes passed before he heard a door open. He looked towards the door and I saw May standing there, a smile on her face.

"Hello Y/N," he greeted me as he walked into the living room, adjusting his glasses which I found absolutely sexy. I swallowed hard as I watched May as quietly as possible without getting caught.

"Uh, hi May, I didn't expect you to be home."

"And why wouldn't I be in my own house?" May chuckled.

"Peter told me you had some kind of conference."

"Ah, that ended shortly after an argument between Mr. Stark and Happy began."

"Tony doesn't he ever start an argument?" I asked while taking a sip of my soda.

"He has a bad temper, I'll give you that," May shook her head. At that moment I received a text message. I took my phone out of my pocket and read Peter's text message:

'Hey Y/N! I'm sorry, but I'll be another hour or two at the robotics club. Feel free to raid the cabinets if you're hungry :)' he sighs before pocketing my phone. "Peter will be at least an hour or two."

"What were you planning to do today?" May asked.

"We were going to go play paintball, finally I was going to beat him up" I said between laughs forgetting who I was talking to.

"Idiom."

"Sorry! I totally forgot to censor it," I mentally cursed myself for that slip.

"Okay Y/N I can keep you company if you don't mind of course."

"S-of course, why not," I smiled and silently patted myself on the back for holding myself back.

"Well, would you like to watch a movie with me? You can choose," May offered, smiling.

"I'd love to May. Hmmm, now let me think…" I stayed there thinking about a movie. My eyes lit up with excitement as I smiled. Something told May that she wasn't going to enjoy the movie she was about to tell, but she had to try. "The new Halloween," I said smiling. Peter had told me before that his aunt hated horror movies, every jump would send her flying into his lap. I knew this could be used to my advantage.

"As you wish, put on the movie and I'll make some popcorn." May said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a bag of popcorn and putting it in the microwave. She hated horror movies, she lost all clout and looked pathetic when she got scared, but it was what she had asked for. Pete's friend she'd only known for a few months… May couldn't get the girl out of her mind. His attention was drawn back to the popcorn as it popped. May returned to the living room with a large bowl of popcorn. I support him on the coffee table before going to the closet and grabbing a blanket. She sat next to me on the couch and pulled the blanket over us, putting the bowl of popcorn between us.

About 20 minutes later, the bowl of popcorn was placed on the coffee table and it was time for the first jumpscare. I smiled as I looked at May who was staring intently at the screen. Just as I looked back at the screen, there was a jumpscare and May jumped closer to me, throwing herself onto my lap. She blushed and silently apologized for her action. I slowly slid my hands under the blanket nonchalantly. I felt the warmth of the brunette's body and felt an all too familiar wetness on my panties. He moved me slowly, my clit throbbing for attention.

"You are well?" May asked while looking at me.

"Yeah, just getting more comfortable," I smiled as the next jump appeared and gave me access to May's thigh without her noticing. I smiled silently to myself as I looked at May's eyes that were glued to the screen. I slid my hand a little further down May's thigh. May's eyes widened a little as she felt my hand get closer and closer to her wet sex. May looked at me. "Y/N, what are you… oh my god," she half said, half groaned when I placed my hand on her mound. I slowly moved closer to May and brought our lips together in a searing kiss. May was taken aback for a second, but wasted no time kissing me back. Our tongues danced together as I placed my hands on May's cheeks and May's went behind my back.

"Wait' Y/N," May pulled back for air and looked at me with pure lust. "How long do we have until Peter returns?" he asked breathlessly.

"We have at least another hour before he gets back," I said smiling. The second May heard those words, she pulled me onto her lap to straddle her, kissing me passionately. May's tongue came out of her mouth, asking for permission to enter my mouth. I parted my lips slightly, allowing May's tongue to enter my mouth. It didn't take long for me to unbutton Aunt Peter's shirt while the brunette took off my jacket. I broke the kiss to remove my tank top, leaving us both in our bras. I took a minute to appreciate the black lace bra May was wearing, the way it held her supple breasts in place. She licked my lips in anticipation.

"Y/N, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop looking at me like a teenager," May said, snapping me out of my little trance. My lips found a spot on May's neck as I unhooked her bra, tossing it somewhere in the room. I let my mouth fall to the top of May's breast, letting my kisses linger until they latched onto a nipple.

"Yeah Y/N," May moaned as her hands tangled in my hair. I released May's chest with a pop and moved on to the other. I took my time with this one, rolling a hardened nipple in my mouth, biting down gently. Another ragged moan escaped her lipstick-smeared lips. As I sucked, I let my hands unbutton May's pants and take them off, I started kissing May's collarbone until I kissed her lips deeply. May grabbed my wrist and placed it between her legs, not realizing how slow she was being. I smiled and took the hint, he slid his hand over the black lace, running his fingers along the slick folds. May gasped and clung to my body, biting my lip, getting more and more aroused by how wet May was.

"My God," he sighed, brown meeting my eyes filled with nothing but desire and lust. I rubbed her clit in circles as May moved her hips to get more attention. May threw her head back, moaning softly as I teased her entrance with a finger, slowly pushing her in, feeling the walls tighten around my finger. May let out another moan as she clutched at my skin. I smiled and began to pump my finger in and out of May slowly, pressing my palm against her clit.

"More, use more fingers," May said. I slid another finger inside and hooked May, moving my fingers at a fast pace, using my thumb now to apply pressure to her clit.

"Fuck is so good, shit i'm coming!" May cried as she convulsed as she came. I could feel May's walls contract around my fingers. I smiled and let May continue riding my fingers to finish her orgasm. Slowly pull your fingers out, licking your fingers clean, moaning at the sweet taste. May leaned back on the couch, her body soothing from the mind-blowing orgasm she'd just had. Once May regained her composure, she shifted her position and unbuttoned my tight skinny jeans, sliding them down my thighs. May propped me up on the couch in a comfortable position, kicking off her shoes and pants in the process. May lay down between my legs, gazing at the gleaming, shaven mound before her. May smiled as she placed kisses on the inner thighs of her legs, loving the way I moved under her. I moaned as May took her tongue and licked at my wet slit.

"Oh shit May," I moaned as May slipped a slender finger into my entrance, her mouth covering my clit, sucking on it hungrily. May slowly slid another finger inside, letting me adjust to it before she slowly began pumping her fingers in and out of my slick wetness.

"Wow wow Y/N, someone's pussy is pretty wet," May smiled as she quickened the pace of her fingers, sucking on my clit, swirling her tongue in circles around my clit.

"Fuck," my lips spoke as I moaned weakly, looking up at the best view of my life. May slipped a third finger inside me as I moved my hips, fucking May's fingers.

"Shit!" I yelled as I came hard over May's fingers and mouth. I let my breath out as May slowly pulled her fingers out, licking her fingers, loving the taste. May climbed up my body and kissed me passionately, tongues trying to dominate each other, teeth scraping, but still loving. Neither of us heard the door open.

"Y/N? Are you here?" Peter's voice sounded in the hall.

"Shit!" May and I said in unison, looking at each other.

[appalachianapologies]

@saintsurvivors this isn’t even your fault but im still blaming you anyway because i i don’t know why

Jack looks down at the kid. The baby. Still squirming in a onesie inside of a crib. Not yet old enough to be considered a kid.

The crib is familiar.

Jack watched behind Ellen as she and her husband slowly constructed the nursery. He caught a screw before it fell to the ground and forced Ellen to bend down to retrieve it. Ensured that she didn’t do any of the heavy lifting.

It’s been months, and Jack still pauses when Ellen comes into view. The urge to check her, up and down, to make sure nothing is wrong. Something about old habits and something else—Jack’s heard the human idiom a few times.

But she’s supposed to be a distant memory at this point. Something that Jack doesn’t need to focus on. She’s no longer Jack’s concern, and it’s high time that he forgets about her.

The baby squirms again. Hands balling into teeny tiny fists, eyes scrunching up. He’s not comfortable. But he doesn’t cry.

Jack’s surprised.

Humans cry. Especially infants. It’s the only way that they’re able to express anything, so Jack certainly can’t blame them. Communication is finicky.

But the baby in the crib doesn’t cry, which means that no one is going to notice his discomfort.

It’s been hours since Ellen or her husband has checked up on the kid, and Jack knows that it’s going to be hours more. The parents are downstairs, each working. Blissfully unaware that their own child is experiencing discomfort.

The baby’s eyes squeeze a little tighter, head falling to the side as he squirms a little more.

Giving an oh-so-human sigh, Jack frowns.

He’s not here to be a babysitter, no matter what jokes he’s made before.

He’s here for explicitly life-saving.

Got a stern talking to when he didn’t follow those directions with Ellen.

And the baby is most definitely alive. Uncomfortable, but alive.

Still, it pains Jack. Not in the way that he’s bound to a specific human, the way that he can feel their hurts before the humans’ brains can comprehend them, but somehow different. It hurts him in a way he’s not really familiar with. Like an aching where he’d normally feel a human having a heart attack.

Jack doesn’t even need to check to know that the parents aren’t going to fix whatever it is that’s bothering their child.

It isn’t strictly life-saving, but Jack still reaches out. Barely touches the baby’s fist with his first finger, pausing when he uncurls those little fingers and wraps them around Jack’s offered appendage. The entire fist barely reaches up two knuckles, but the grip is stronger than Jack was expecting.

Slowly, and far too quiet for anyone else in the house to hear, Jack begins to hum.

Some song that he heard a million times because Ellen had a cassette tape she listened to every day when she drove to work, and this song was the second one on side one. Jack’s heard it at least twice every day for months.

The song itself doesn’t mean anything to the baby, Jack knows that much, but maybe it’s the soft humming that calms him down. Whatever the case may be, the squirming stops, and his other hand slowly uncurls until it’s back to five small fingers attached to an open palm.

Though the one holding onto Jack’s finger stays tight.

When he falls back asleep, Jack will take his finger back. Disappear back to a place where humans can’t see him. Can’t comprehend him.

Back to what he’s supposed to be doing.

Strictly and only saving Angus MacGyver’s life.

[uraharashopslut]

"Daddy" - Byakuya Kuchiki smut

18+

Prompt: Byakuya overhears a squad member refer to him as daddy.

-

His feet padded softly through the grass. Squad members chatted with one another all around him, but his eyes remained on the horizon. Until he saw her. She was standing in the corner of the Squad Six garden with her friend Tamiko Nakamura, dark hair swaying in the breeze in long tendrils behind her. The corners of her mouth pulled up into a smile as she laughed.

His heart fluttered softly, frustratingly. Since Hisana's passing, his heart stirred for no one, and he'd concluded it would never stir again. That was, until she joined his squad. She'd risen quickly through the ranks, now holding the Third seat. Her effortless strength caught his attention, and her air of dignity kept it. There was an elegance in the way she carried herself.

"She was destined to be a noble," Byakuya thought to himself as his path neared her presence.

"You could help fulfil her destiny," Senbonzakura whispered in his head.

He shook his head at the thought. He'd pressured the Kuchiki clan enough by marrying a commoner, something he'd sworn to never do again, but who said anything about marriage?

He shifted his focus to the horizon again as he neared her. The darkest thoughts in his mind could never be brought to light, especially to her. Better to redirect himself until the feelings were subdued.

"There's just something about him," he heard her say.

"What do you mean?" Tamiko asked.

"He's just," she sighed. "Okay fine, I'll just say it, but you can't make fun of me."

Tamiko laughed. Byakuya's eyes may have been on the sky, but his attention was directed at the girls' conversation.

"Just say it!" Tamiko prodded.

"Okay, um, Kuchiki-taicho is just such a daddy."

His heart skipped a beat. He'd never heard such a phrase before.

"That's definitely not what I thought you were about to say," Tamiko snickered.

"Don't make fun of me!"

Confused, Byakuya flash-stepped into his office. Daddy? What did she mean by that? His heart betrayed his cool by rapidly increasing it's tempo.

"A term of endearment, perhaps?" Senbonzakura offered.

"Not likely. The squad members typically fear me," Byakuya reasoned with his zanpakuto.

"If you don't ask, you'll never know."

"Whom would I ask, Senbonzakura?" he questioned.

"Who would know?"

His mind raced. Who could he ask? Who could be trusted?

Rukia.

He flash-stepped to the Thirteenth Squad's barracks and into Ukitake's office.

"Kuchiki-taicho, what a surprise! What can I do for you? Shall I brew some tea?" Ukitake asked, raising from his chair.

"I have no need for tea at this moment, Juushiro. Where is Rukia?"

"Your sister is in her quarters, Kuchiki-san."

"Thank you," he replied, disappearing in a flash.

His feet touched down lightly as he made his way to his sister's living quarters.

"Imouto {Japanese for "little sister"}, may I enter? I have a matter that requires your knowledge," he called out from behind her door.

The door slid open.

"Nii-sama, come in," Rukia replied, stepping to the side. "What can I help you with?"

"You're familiar with the idioms of the current generation, are you not?"

"Yes, what do you want to know?" Rukia asked, pouring a cup of freshly brewed tea. She handed the cup to Byakuya before pouring a glass for herself.

Rukia sat cross-legged on the ground and gestured for Byakuya to do the same. She took a sip as her brother sat.

"What does the term 'daddy' refer to?"

Rukia spat her tea upon hearing Byakuya's question. Her eyes widened.

"Nii-sama!"

"What is it? Is it an offensive word?"

Rukia contained her amusement. "Definitely not, but, I am curious, what was the context?"

Byakuya shifted uncomfortably. "I overheard a member of my squad, when conversing with a friend, refer to me as 'daddy'. What is it's meaning?"

Rukia crossed her arms. "I'm not sure I should divulge. You were eavesdropping!"

"Nonsense. I was doing no such thing. I simply overheard as I was walking past to my office," he replied smugly.

"Are you certain you want to know?"

"Why won't you tell me? Does it have a bad connotation?" he pressed.

"Not exactly, although you might find it dishonorable."

"Dishonorable? What is it's meaning? Disrespect will not be tolerated within my squad."

Rukia chuckled to herself. "Nii-sama, people often refer to men they have sexual interest in as 'daddy' in a reference to the man's dominant nature."

Byakuya's eyes widened and his back stiffened. He felt his face warm despite maintaining it's usual pale color. "I see."

"I asked if you wanted to know. I didn't want to tell you," Rukia said, standing and grabbing her brother's empty cup.

"Indeed." Byakuya rose to his feet. "I appreciate the information you have shared with me. If you'll excuse me."

With that, he flash-stepped to the Squad Six gardens. His heart beat loudly in his chest as he breathed in the summer air, filling his lungs. All of the squad members had retired to their living quarters for the evening. Byakuya's feet grazed the wooden paneling of the barrack floors as he flash-stepped to Ayame's private quarters.

"Satō-san. May I speak with you?"

The paper door slid open, revealing the dark-haired, ethereal girl.

"Kuchiki-taicho, what an honor, do come in." Ayame bowed deeply in respect.

Byakuya made quick work of closing the door, drawing his katana and pulling Ayame back against his chest, his blade pressed to her throat.

"You understand I could shred you to pieces with one command of my blade, do you not?" Byakuya said, his voice hushed and intimidating.

"Yes, Kuchiki-taicho," the girl replied.

"Why then have you dared to dishonor my name in the presence of Nakamura-san?" he questioned, strengthening his grip on the girl.

"I would never dare, Kuchiki-sama."

"I was walking the perimeter of the squad garden today and the wind carried your conversation with Tamiko to my ears."

Ayame's cheeks flushed crimson as she squirmed against his restraint. The tinge of pink on her cheeks reminded Byakuya of a cherry blossom in the spring. His fingers begged the caress the soft skin but he resisted.

"My apologies, Kuchiki-taicho, I can explain," Ayame started.

"There is no need. Do not waste my time." Byakuya released the girl, who stepped away, turning to face him.

"Kuchiki-taicho, what can I do to make amends?" the girl asked, making dignified direct eye contact with her captain.

Her audacity caused Byakuya's mind to flood with the salacious thoughts he'd worked to keep at bay. He took a step towards her, his presence towering over hers.

"I can overpower you in many ways beyond my zanpakuto's abilities, Satō-san."

"I deeply apologize, Kuchiki-taicho," Ayame responded, lowering her eyes to the ground in respect.

"Disrespect from a subordinate towards their captain must be dealt with swiftly, do you understand?" Byakuya continued, his eyes darkened with lustful desires. He used one hand to grab Ayame's wrist and pull her close to him, and the other to raise her chin so she had no other option but to look him in the face.

Ayame's pupils dilated when she locked eyes with the man standing above her, his face inches from hers. "I think I'm starting to understand, Taicho."

"Good. Now repeat how you described me to Nakamura-san."

Byakuya felt Ayame's heart race as he gripped her wrist between them.

"I told Tamiko-san that you were 'such a daddy'," Ayame said, her voice dropping to a whisper at the end.

Unsatisfied, Byakuya gripped her chin and raised her face even closer to his.

"What did you call me?"

"Daddy," Ayame said matter-of-factly, her confidence pushing through the layers of shame, embarrassment, and now, arousal within her.

Byakuya closed the distance between their lips, releasing her chin from his grasp and running his hand along her jaw to the small of her neck, his thumb resting gently on her throat. Ayame warmed into the kiss and ran her free hand up Byakuya's clothed chest. Taking her cue, Byakuya slid his tongue masterfully against the crease of their lips, begging for entrance to go deeper. Butterflies danced in the hollow of his stomach for the first time in decades. He released her wrist and put his hand on her waist, pulling her body closer into his chest. Ayame broke away for air, bewildered and bewitched.

"Kuchiki-taicho," she started.

Byakuya refused to let her finish her thought. He placed both hands firmly on her hips and guided her back against a wooden support beam in her room, showering kisses along the length of her neck. A soft whimper escaped her lips as his mouth connected with the most sensitive part of her neck. He sucked ever so slightly, eliciting another moan of satisfaction.

Ayame's hands found the front of his robes and pulled both sides apart, revealing her captain's firm chest, chiseled from a century of training. Byakuya's heart raced as her hands explored his bare skin. He pressed his body against hers.

Their lips connected again. This kiss was different from the first. This kiss was hungry and demanding. Ayame brought her teeth down on Byakuya's lower lip, tugging gently. Unable to control himself, he grabbed her thighs, hoisting her up and pinning her against the beam. Ayame wrapped her legs around his waist.

Byakuya gripped her waist with his arms as Ayame rolled her hips against his pelvis. She brought her hands up to his hair, tugging it free from the hair pieces that usually adorned his head, indicating his nobility. Ayame pulled away from the kiss, admiring the way the raven-black strands fell like silk around his face.

Byakuya took the opportunity to carry the girl to her futon, laying her down. He knelt between her legs and untied the belt holding her robes together. His lips started at her collarbones, adorning them with kisses, then worked his way down her chest, between her breasts. As his kisses trailed lower, he opened the front of her robe further until she was completely exposed. He kissed from her ribs down to her navel before lifting his head, admiring the figure of the woman beneath him.

"Exquisite," he remarked outloud, trailing his fingertip below her belly button.

Ayame's cheeks twinged pink at his comment. "Taicho, I," she started.

"Call me by my name," Byakuya interrupted, kissing the inside of her thigh.

"Byakuya," Ayame continued. "I don't know what to say."

Byakuya slid his hands up her shins and down her smooth thighs, lowering himself. He positioned his face between her legs and looked up at her.

"Then don't say anything at all."

He planted a kiss to the left of her folds, then to the right, his lips lightly grazing over her core as he switched sides. He traced his tongue around her center, avoiding the throbbing bundle of nerves crying for his attention.

Ayame whimpered as he teased her, her legs threatening to close around his neck with the slightest provocation. Byakuya looked up from between her legs and locked eyes with her. He slowly brushed his tonge in a circle around her aching bud, watching as her neck arched in pleasure. He licked deeper and deeper with every flick of his tongue, each gesture masterfully intentional.

Byakuya pulled her legs over his shoulders and lifted her hips so she was at his eye level. Her body twitched and squirmed as he continued to play with his tongue. He positioned his lips over the bud, sucking ever so slightly.

"B-Byakuya, don't stop, I'm so close," Ayame whimpered, tangling her hands in his hair, gripping the black strands tightly.

Byakuya buried his face deeper, maininting eye contact with the girl. His tongue moved along the slick folds of her inner lips then drummed against her clit. Ayame's eyes rolled back into her head as his worship between her shaking legs reached its peak. A breathy moan escaped her lips as her hips bucked forward, grinding against Byakuya's face.

"Oh, Byakuya," she sighed, riding out her high.

Byakuya lapped up the sweet juices of her body before fully untying his disheveled robe. The fabric draped loosely around his figure and displayed his statuesque build. Ayame sat up, admiring his body. She ran her hands slowly up his abdomen and chest. She moved to her knees and pushed him down to the futon, straddling his lap.

His hair clung to the beads of sweat on his brow. Ayame traced the edges of his abs before pushing his robe to the side, revealing his fully erect member. Looking up at him, she closed her mouth around the tip, sucking. Byakuya let his head roll back. Ayame dragged her tongue up the underside of his shaft, causing his legs to spasm slightly. She pulled his full length into her mouth. A moan escaped Byakuya's stoic mouth as she started to bob her head up and down. Ayame used one hand to rub the base of his cock in time with the movement of her mouth. Byakuya placed a strong hand on her head, gripping her hair.

Ayame continued to pleasure her captian, feeling his member twitch in her mouth. Byakuya pulled her up to his face and kissed her ravenously. He flipped them over so he was on top, placing one hand to the left of her head. He lined himself up with her still-soaked entrance.

"Byakuya, are you sure this okay? You're a noble. I'm sure there will be people who object," Ayame asked.

"I've disappointed their expectations before. Do you object?" Byakuya asked, teasing her entrance with the tip of cock.

"Not at all."

With her permission, Byakuya pushed himself into her. Her walls welcomed him, pulling him deeper.

"Is that alright, Ayame-chan?"

"Yes, Taicho," Ayame breathed, adjusting to his girth.

"Not Taicho."

"Byakuya."

"Also not Byakuya," he said, pulling out slowly.

Ayame's cheeks flushed darker. "Yes, daddy," she said cautiously.

"Good girl," Byakuya praised as he plunged into her again, deeper than before.

Ayame threw her head back with a gasp. Byakuya began thrusting his hips forward repetitively, hitting deeper and deeper with every stroke. He put his other hand on the right side of her head, caging her in.

Ayame's inner walls sucked and pulled at his length, beckoning him further inside. The slap of skin and the smell of pheromones filled the air as Byakuya grew more frantic with his ministrations. The rigid tip of his cock dragged across her spot with every thrust. Byakuya leaned back and hiked one of Ayame's legs over his shoulder, offering a different angle. Her hips rolled, legs shaking, the knot in her stomach threatening to unwind.

"Call me that name again," Byakuya breathed.

He brought his thumb down between her legs and brushed agasint the bundle of nerves. Ayame's back arched off the futon as fireworks erupted inside of her.

"Oh, daddy, that feels so good!" she moaned as her insides contracted, pulling Byakuya's release closer. He dropped her leg and positioned himself above her again, leaving passionate kisses along her neck. His breathing turned shaky as he neared his own release, milked by her core.

Ayame whimpered with each thrust his body gave. With a final heave, ecstasy ripped through his body. He moaned, muffling the sound in the curve of her neck. His back expanded with each haggard breath.

"Next time, don't wait fifty years before touching a woman," Senbonzakura said.

Byakuya shoved the thoughts of his zanpakuto to the side and removed his captain's haori, gingerly wiping the girl clean. He laid on the futon beside her as he regained his breath.

Ayame propped herself up with one elbow. "For the record, Taicho, this is exactly what I meant when I said you were 'such a daddy'."

Byakuya smirked at the girl. "I know."

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

The time has finally come! Welcome to the analysis of the last song from Encanto – All of You

- And we’re starting on a negative note, because why did the translators think that it’d be a good idea to change the line “But we’ll get by just fine” to “Nothing [in life] comes for free”

- This is a minor nitpick, but “You’re more than just your gift” is in Polish “There are more things that count” which is the closest translation, but it’s less direct :(

= I have to say “A mistake grew from my love” is a beautiful line, but it’s still not the same as “Just so afraid I’d lose you too”

*They juggled singular and plural “you” in a very smart way here I have to say

+ All of you is so smartly translated! Since “all” is gendered in Polish, they simply take the chance that it’s repeated and use first the feminine version, then the masculine, hence “Cała ty, cały ty”

+ “Yes, does anyone want to talk about Bruno?/Then maybe I’ll go!” hsbvhjsbchs

= “wyszło” and “wszystko” is a really nice rhyme

- But other than that, Bruno’s part isn’t the best in terms if exact translation? Honestly I don’t really understand what he was trying to say, like, I have the lyrics before my eyes and I don’t get the meaning so maybe that’s a problem with me. I’m also not sure if “Mam ten gest” was supposed to be a Frozen reference like in the original or not? Though it reminds me more of “It’s hard to be a god” but this one is definitely a problem with me

+ Felix’s voice sounds extremely weird here and he’s barely audible but he says “szwagier” (brother in law) so yay

+ Bruno’s informal contractions are conveyed in him saying “siory” instead of “siostry” to his sisters :>

+ “Hey, we're just happy that you're here, okay?” turned into “You’re finally where your home is” 🥺

= No mention of them being triplets, but personally I’m glad, it would sound weird

+ “Nothing’s gonna stop us!”

+ HBHCBSHDCBSHDCB “cała wieś” hzbdhjbsc why is it so funny to me XDD

* He literally says the whole village is coming but like, Encanto was always called a town and the sheer word village is just so funny to me in this context

+ “SO MANY ROADS (SO MANY ROADS) LEAD TO THE HOME’S TRESHOLD” 😭

+ “Strength or not but I have my reason” I really like it :3

+ “Let’s plant something may it grow/ To the stars and you too/ Fly there” I like it, it’s a nice callback to Isa’s song and I think it even makes more sense than the og line of “C'mon, let's plant something new and watch it fly/ Straight up to the sky, let's go” because why would the plants fly XD

+ “Though the stars are burning, the constellations will glow” I love this line and also the implications

+ Mira uses a colloquial idiom “to be in a ditch” which has the same meaning as “to be blue” :D

+ The difference is very slight but Szczepaniak really just pronounces the line “Have you met Dolores?” with such sweet curiosity (and contrariness?? Like the tone you have during bantering I guess) in her voice :3

+ “Papa” with a strong p is such a good substitute for “g’bye”

+ Okay I’m going to translate the entirety of Dolores’ part because I just prefer it y’know, I genuinely like it better

“You have such a voice/ You take care of your mom just a perfect son/ And you write lovely poems in the evenings right before bed/ So maybe you’d wake up and maybe you’d notice me?” “Dolores… where had I had my eyes?” “Talk to me like that”

I just- It’s better

Fight me

Though I have to admit I never understood what’s the deal with “I see you/I hear you” like?? Is this a reference to something? Is this a thing people say to each other in the US?? Why is this a big deal she literally heard him all the time

+ Just “It’s our home” instead of “Home sweet home”, I suppose I like the use of sayings in the characters’ lines, but well, first of all we don’t really have this one here, second it stays as the reference to “The Family Madrigal” and three, I just think this simple line really works here

= Instead of “celebration” Alma says something similar to “chaos” though a little more affectionate XD

+ Bruno’s voice when he says “We need a doorknob”, really, you just have to hear it, it’s like “well duh” but good natured XD

+ The line “For you, please take it” itself and the way Antonio says it 🥺

+ “You have such fire [embers?] within/ Such bravery you have inside”

+ “Open the door” “And your eyes too”

- We don’t get “Abre los ojos” :(

+ “ Do you see anyone?/ Is someone there?” “Oh yes… it’s me” ijwegqijugqhu 😭

And on this note we officially finish our translation comparison journey! As for “All of you” itself, I’d say it starts pretty weakly, but it really picks up to the point that there really are some parts I like more in the dub, so really a perfect song to end this movie.

I hope you enjoyed all the analysis posts and you’ll enjoy them for other media as well!

[farthngdr]

Some Thoughts on “Dead to Rights” by Radio Company

First, if you are not a Cockles truther, you should probably look away. My tinhat is so tight it hurts. Surgical removal has been deemed too risky and would probably result in my demise.

The comments here are entirely mine, as are the assumptions incorporated into my lyrics analysis about real-life people and their relationships. No disrespect is intended. Please do not contact Jensen, Misha, or Danneel about anything you read below, or about anything Cockles-related, because there is absolutely no evidence for anything I am saying here, and their lives are essentially unknown to us.

Thank you.

_______________________________________________________________

She said It all will change If not it all can wait It may die away Over time But I do believe It's better than being alive It's better than being alive It's better than being-

Bombs away Only just begun You want to be the one to say you love The rain-

fall

When all the while the angels call; The only way to see just how it comes to be Every day To know it all falls away.

You had me dead to rights Holding down my chain; You had me dead to rights I got out again; Never been the same.

Song composed by Jensen Ackles and Steve Carlson

No official statement has ever been made by the two songwriters as to who wrote the lyrics, who wrote the music, or if words and/or music were composed by both. I am proceeding on the assumption that Jensen wrote the lyrics. He has mentioned writing lyric ideas on notepads (as shown in the above photo), and so indeed he gives much thought to his lyric-writing process.

In another track from Vol. 2, “City Grown Willow,” a song clearly written by himself, he uses “chain” imagery. Clearly, the concept of the chain resonates for  him, whether the chain belongs to his lover, in “City Grown Willow,” or, as in this song, the chain is attached to himself, with the other end being held by the “she” he refers to throughout this lyric.

In addition, a close examination of other tracks by Radio Company share similar lyrical hallmarks as “Dead to Rights”: the invocation of a “she” in “City Grown Willow,” who I maintain is the same “she” as the one here, namely Danneel; “bombs away,” a metaphor for his emotional relationship with the “bomb,” i.e., Misha, recalls “cannonball, rise and fall,” from Vol. 1; other similar MC metaphors are the “fire” from “Jump into the Fire,” and “he stokes the flames ‘cause he is amused by the glow,” from “City Grown Willow.” Other JA lyrical hallmarks can be identified here as well.

________________________________________________________________

“’Dead to rights’ means having overwhelming evidence of someone's guilt, having irrefutable proof that someone is responsible for something. The idiom ‘dead to rights’ came into use before the 1850s in the United States.”

“’Dead to rights’: In the act of committing an error or crime, red-handed. For example, ‘They caught the burglars dead to rights with the Oriental rugs.’ This phrase uses ‘to rights’ in the sense of ‘at once.’”

________________________________________________________________

The theme of guilt is embedded in these lyrics--the narrator, JA, is guilty of something, and he was “caught red-handed,” as it were, by someone, the “she” in the song--his wife. The “guilty” act was more, I believe, her intuiting/noticing that her husband was in love with another--early days, perhaps before much had occurred between the two men, but wives are smart, and they can sometimes intuit when their men are in love with another, even before the husbands know themselves. 

“She said”---This song focuses on the fact that the narrator’s wife notices instantly--”at once”-- the “act” for which he feels guilty. And she voices it to him--she knows he is in love with another. And she also knows who. 

Thus, the “dead to rights” reference--she knew right away when her husband fell in love, and that he either wants to, or already has begun, pursuing a romantic relationship with his love. She “caught him red-handed,” even though a “crime” has not literally occurred, and, most importantly, *she is not angry or judgmental*; rather, she is concerned. 

She has thought about it before she confronts him with it. She is philosophical: “It all will change”--that is, this could be a momentary fancy, and if you follow through, everything will change in your life. “if not”--that is, if this is something lasting and substantial--then “it all can wait.” What’s the rush? Why not cool your jets and see if you still feel the same way in a few months? And know too, if you do pursue this, “It may die away over time.” So be careful. Don’t jump into the fire. You could get burned. I don’t want that for you.”

What is his response to her words? He acknowledges to her: “You are right.” 

He concedes that everything she says is true. But he has thought about it too. A lot. And he realizes something: “But I do believe it’s better than being alive.” This cryptic line puzzled me initially. “What” is better than being alive? Then one day, after hearing the track a few times, it hit: If the relationship crashes and burns--if it does die, and his heart is destroyed in the flames and ash--then so be it. He has decided that being with this person, jumping into the abyss with him, which could result in his own  metaphorical “death,” is exactly what he will do, because “dying” from the possible fallout of a disastrous love affair is preferable to the agony of continuing to live without him.

“You want to be the one to say you love the rain.....fall” --I love the pause here, putting the emphasis on the “fall,” conjuring up the act of falling in love; and also, the possibility of falling to one’s death. And of course, the biblical “fall”--we’re all fallen from grace. He is reminding her that it is she who always says she loves the rain--metaphorically, the rainy days, the times when things aren’t necessarily all sunshine and roses. She understands and accepts life’s gifts and risks. (And we learn in “City Grown Willow” that, in fact, “Her faith in love is better on sunny days.”)

“When all the while the angels call”--I cannot emphasize enough how unequivocally this imagery refers to MC. If I have to explain how many times J has called M an “angel”.....The point being, the angel calling him is impossible for him to ignore, and he just plain doesn’t want to. When an angel calls your name................you go.

“The only way to see just how it comes to be”--a typical Jensen cryptic line, when he wants to say something but doesn’t want to be too revealing, so he does so with the utmost vagueness, to the point where his meaning is almost impossible to decipher. That cryptic line, combined with the rest of the verse, “Every day/To know it all falls away,” strikes me like this: “The only way to know if I should do it or not, is just to do it.” And in the end, he philosophizes, everything falls away in any case--”even you and I will someday be parted.” The idea of mortality--of the limited span of time we inhabit this life--is heavy on his mind. And again, he has made his decision: His love is so deep, so compelling, that he is willing to risk everything--heart and soul--to be with the angel who is calling him.

_______________________________________________________________

ADDENDUM TO MY POST:

Unless Steve Carlson has said publicly that he specifically wrote the *words* to City Grown Willow, I maintain steadfastly that Jensen composed the lyrics. It makes sense that Carlson had written the guitar piece itself, with its beautiful, cascading notes and striking chord progressions, which demonstrate his skill as an instrumentalist. It’s no accident that the recording itself features only Carlson’s playing, with no other instrumental accompaniment--probably exactly the way Jensen first heard it.

Jensen heard Steve play the piece, loved it, and proceeded to write words for it. When Carlson says he played this piece for Jensen and that he had written it years prior, I take that to mean that Jensen loved the sound of the guitar and wanted to work with it.--that the song had no words. The lyrics have the hallmarks of Jensen's writing style; the content fits his situation, with a female and 2 males as the protagonists; and HE is “the man from the mountains.” That’s not Carlson’s identity--that's a moniker Jensen deliberately chose for himself, as he makes clear in the music video. 

If anyone can provide for me a direct quote from Carlson that he wrote the words, I will retract my statement. Until then, I hold my position.

[shinydelirium]

MLQC Season 2 Chapter 15 (Kiro’s Chapter) Part 3 [Land of Map Country] Translation [CN]

I’ve mentioned before in an earlier post about how s2ch15 is the BEST Kiro chapter I have ever read so far in MLQC. This part 3 is the start of it all.

Thanks again for helping @link4eva​

 ***Once again DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED!!!*** 

Enjoy~

For the previous translation of Chapter 15: Part 1, Part 2.

[Land of Map Country]

The footsteps behind me suddenly sped up as if they were close. I stepped forward without hesitation and quickly jumped into the tram.

The tram closed its doors at the same time and started to move.

I looked out the window behind me with lingering fears but saw no one.

Kiro: Don’t worry, he can’t catch up to you. This is a superhero’s car.

Kiro seemed to read my thoughts and comforted me in a relaxed voice.

I steadied my breathing, looked around the car, and found that the monitor on the roof was lit with red dots, so I turned off the map and waved to it.

MC: Thanks for all the help, superhero!

Kiro: Eh? Wasn’t that already obvious?

He deliberately dragged out his words to show disappointment which made me instantly laugh.

Kiro: I thought you would make a long list about how you really feel right now.

MC: True emotions can be said face-to-face.

Hearing my words, Kiro was silent. After a long time, he laughs and replies to me in a low voice.

Kiro: I’ll remember what you said.

Kiro: I have controlled the route of this tram and it will bring you safely to my side.

Kiro: Next, Miss Chips will have a good rest in the car and she will arrive at her destination soon.

“Soon”…

I was taken aback for a moment and felt a somewhat uneasy.

Do I really want to see Kiro? Why did he hide during this time?

I glanced out of the window and the fog blurred the boundary between heaven and earth, looking chaotic and at a loss.

To this day, I still don’t know why Kiro suddenly put on the “Helios” mask, but I am quite sure what must have happened.

He is like a Rubik’s cube, its colors shuffled with different secrets scattered on each side. ***Sidenote: What an absolutely perfect analogy to describe Kiro!***

No matter how hard I try, I can’t put together a complete Kiro.

He seemed to have carried many secrets and heavy responsibilities from the beginning.

I know that everyone has secrets and they don’t want to show them to others.

He didn’t want to tell them, so I didn’t ask.

Because of an adult’s self-righteous maturity and tacit understanding. Because he is afraid of touching the corners he does not want to touched….

Because I am afraid of being hated.

And in this way, it seems that the distance between us is gradually drawn further.

I took a deep breath and decided to abandon those inexplicable adult principles and looked at the surveillance with a sincere expression.

Even if he will be hated, I have to hold on tightly to his hand.

MC: Kiro, I miss you very much.

MC: Although I don’t know why you left suddenly, but now that you found me, I’m really happy.

MC: In fact, I have been looking for you all this time and I have been looking forward to seeing you.

MC: No matter what happens to you or what you become, I don’t care.

MC: To me, a healthy Kiro is the most important thing.

There was silence over the collar. After a long time, there was small, low voice.

Kiro: MC, I….I miss you too.***Sidenote: WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! TAT***

Kiro: I have also been looking forward to meeting you at that time. You may not believe it but I missed you much more than you can imagine.

His voice is very soft, but I can hear it very clearly.

During this time, the tram came to a halt slowly and I found that it stopped at the door of a department store near the city center.

Kiro: MC, go to the underground parking lot.

His voice was muffled and a little nostalgic.

Kiro: You can just follow the No.2 safe passage and go down. The signal in the underground parking lot isn’t good…..I’ll have to cut off the communication for now.

MC: Okay, I’ll go in right away.

Kiro:…Mm. Miss Chips, goodbye.

Kiro: Also, to “see” you again, I am very happy.

As soon as his voice fell, the collar was completely silent. My heart felt a little strange but I quickened my pace nonetheless.

Maybe he listened to what I said just now.

Thinking of this, I started running, wanting to see him even sooner.

Running out of the safe passage, I saw a figure standing at the door.

MC: Kiro!

I ran and leaped forward. The figure paused, then slowly turned around, revealing a sharp profile—

At the moment I met his eyes, my footsteps became slower and slower, and I finally stopped in the open space a few meters away from him, unable to smile.

MC:….Helios.

Helios looked straight at me. The indifference between his brows and eyes made my heart feel weak.

Why is this happening?

He clearly said just now, “I’m looking forward to meeting you.” Is it a temporary remorse? Or can he only face me in this way?

I couldn’t hold his cold gaze and lowered my head in a daze.

That invisible line seemed to have shown up again, between me and him.

No wonder his tone was so helpless and low just now. No wonder he never mentioned meeting with me.

He still remained in the circle of the map and refused to come to me.

Helios looked at me, concealing the complex emotions in his eyes and his mouth became a sharp thin line.

Helios: From the look on your face, you really don’t want to see me.***Sidenote: DAMN!!! TALK ABOUT A COMPLETE 180 JUST LIKE THAT!!!***

I took a deep breath, smiled and raised my head.

MC: How could that be! I think it’s a coincidence, Helios, meeting you here like this.

No matter what kind of him, he is him. If Kiro only wants to face me in this way, then I will do so with sincerity.

He turned and strode towards the depths of the parking lot but something seemed to flash in his eyes.

I ran to keep up and walked to his side.

He didn’t wear a collar, so he should be a “human” card. I deliberately kept my distance from him to avoid accidentally touching him.

MC: Helios, where are we going?

Helios: It’s “I”, not “we”.

MC:…..

I frowned but since he didn’t flat-out refuse me, I just assumed he accepted that I would act with him.

Soon we walked into a fire control room.

Helios stopped in front of an unremarkable wooden door in the room. He took a key from the door frame and opened the wooden door.

Behind it seems to be a utility room. The space isn’t large.

MC: What are we…”you” doing here?

Helios: Last time you said that you want to investigate the hunter game and the lighthouse. Are there any results?

MC:…..

MC: Helios, the conversation should be about you and me, not selectively ignoring each other’s problems.

Helios: Let me ask again, what is the relationship between the hunter games and the lighthouse?

I calmed down my emotions and explained my conjecture about their relationship based on the overall situation.

He listened without saying a word and squinted when he heard that the hunter game might be related to opening the lighthouse.

Helios: According to you, the hunter game relies on powerful Evol energy fluctuations to open the lighthouse.

MC: Yes.

Helios: How did you open the lighthouse last time?

MC:….. After being pricked, there was a “click” and I fell.

He frowned and looked at me with a confused look.

Helios: Describe all the events that occurred at that time.

Helios: Start from when you squatted by the stone slab.

MC: Were you close by?

My eyes lit up and looked at Helios. Hearing my question, he instantly stopped.

Helios: Don’t ask boring questions, just say it.

MC:….I just squatted there, carefully looked at the slab for a while, then reached out and touched it.

MC: It’s like it was alive and then I found a cut on the palm of my hand and my feet lit up.

MC: Then I felt the ground under my feet moving along with the sound of gears turning and I fell.

MC: And then, I met you.

He raised his eyebrows, showing a familiar expression of disdain.

Helios: Blindly feeling your way around without knowing what’s hidden, how foolish.

MC: It was just a matter of trial and error.

***Sidenote: Had to look these above quotes up online cuz Google Translate wasn’t making any sense and found out it was an idiom. Basically, Helios thought it wasn’t wise for MC to just reach out and touch things without knowing what would happen afterwards. I hope I interpreted it right***

He ignored me, turned around and took out a sealed test tube container.

Helios: Reach out your hand.

I do not know why he said this.

He took out the knife he carried close to his body and quickly cut my finger with a sharp movement. I didn’t even feel any pain.

Helios: Drip the blood in by yourself.

MC: …..

Although I was very confused, I obediently dripped the blood from my finger into the glass test tube according to his instructions.

Worried that it wasn’t enough, I squeezed my finger a little bit harder.

Helios: What are you doing?

He snatched the test tube, furrowed his eyebrows and stared at me.

MC: What? Didn’t you say to drip blood into it?

Helios: …..

Maybe it was my very calm attitude that made him speechless, but his mouth was slightly open and he didn’t say anything.

In the end, he just lowered his head and opened the paper bag in his hand, took out the iodine and band-aids from it, and threw them to me.

MC: You forgot again. No matter what you say or do, I trust you.

There was a momentary pause in his fingertips, trembling slightly. He didn’t speak but he knew what I was talking about.

Whether you are Kiro or Helios, yes, it’s all the same to me.

My heart will always trust you unconditionally.

Helios watched in silence as I bandaged my finger, took out a small knife, turned the hilt and handed it to me.

Helios: Keep this with you.

I looked at the heavy knife which made me feel somewhat distant but familiar.

A long time ago, I also received this knife.

Many things are like a circle. I thought I had walked for a long time, but I found that I had come to a certain corner where I had left.

MC: Is this kind of self-defense alone really enough?

Helios: No need to repay me.

I quickly took the knife and saw him turning around to leave the room and I hurriedly followed after him for a few steps.

He stopped, making me pause mid-step, then he put his hand on the doorknob, horizontally in front of me.

Helios: Stay in here, I put enough aerosol in it.

MC: If you’re going to solve the hunter game, I can help you.

Helios: I said no need.

Helios: I will end this game in my own way.

He didn’t give me time to speak and took a big step back, closing the door of the utility room with a “bang”.

“Click--”

The door was locked.

-End of Part 3-

Continue to Part 4 

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

I'm sure I'll come up with more these are so fun oh my god!!!

Here are some idioms

Aren’t you a cat with cream? - Aren’t you smug/proud?

Even the stars die - Everything dies (Often said to individuals in an existential crisis)

Wilted flowers only need water and sunshine - I figure this one is probably said to young sellers who are upset/hurt

Would you care to see if the moon heard? -When one is being overly loud, probably said more by Unseelie / Basically ‘I think ‘insert country besides on you are in’ heard you

A tongue of shards - To describe someone with a cruel tongue/ who is mean

When I am surrounded by wolves who are dressed like rabbits, do I need rabbits at all? -Basically ‘with friends like those, who needs enemies?’

More starved than a bear after hibernation - Really really hungry

To be ‘like a skunk’ - To be generally unpleasant (Okay I love skunks, but I know many people don’t)

A tree may not grow in a day, yet it often falls in one - Probably a seelie saying but it means that even the strongest/oldest foes can be beaten

Do I look like I have your petals? -Probably Unsselie who are awful to the Seelie asking if they look like they care

And that is all the owl screeched - equivalent to ‘that’s all she wrote’

Have you swallowed a bee? - Cat got your tongue (My cat swallowed a wasp and it stung him the whole way down, his throat swelled so I think it tracks)

At least the crickets quiet - Talking about someone who does not shut up

Had I been a human - Equivalent to when pigs fly

Did a horse kick you when you were young? - a very unkind thing to say, probably more of an Unseelie thing, but there are cruel beings in any species/sub-species meaning ‘Were you dropped on your head’

Vines grow slowly, but at least they grow - also cruel, To describe someone who is particularly dumb 

Have you lost your season? - Asking if they’ve lost their mind

And you would count your flowers before they bloom? -A Seelie phrase that’s equivalent to counting your chickens/ducks before they hatch

If you water plants enough even they die, - An Unseelie saying about seelies that is cruel meaning if you give them enough they die themselves

Why are you set on a rock? - Why are you set on something so stupid?

Do you believe the sun stops shining when you no longer see it? -Do you only believe what you can see?

I would sooner ingest iron/salt - I’d rather die

---

V: these are all so fun, i love them!!!!!

[lyxanislive]

Crashing (A Shallura fic) - Chapter 2

the continuation is here:

NOW ON AO3 

---

When Adam and Shiro break up Shiro crashes at his strange friend Allura’s house. Everything is going well until he’s kicked off the Kerberos mission and Allura takes everything he thought he knew and throws it out an air lock...

There’s now going to be a 3rd chapter because I couldn’t get it all in one.

preview under cut!

Allura had stood and was now pacing in the small dining area. He watched her as she emphatically moved her hands as if conducting the orchestra of her chaotic rant.

"Is my quintessence not good enough for them? Oh, I can't completely eradicate it, and that's my fault? I'm sorry I don't have the capability of a ODT 2700 medipod! How selfish of them! They did no better in your case! You're better than before I met you, and that's suddenly suspicious to these primitive health care professionals? What sort of backwards planet sees someone's health improve and then punish them for it? The only pilot worth a damn on this rock is being grounded for the sin of good health! Why did I even bother giving you my quintessence in the first place then if they wanted you half dead! Imagine not wanting your explorers in peak physical health! This is my fault CLEARLY. I should have known this planet wanted you sick for space. Ridiculous, Shiro. Absolutely ridiculous. This would never happen on Altea, you wouldn't have had to live in pain on Altea. But clearly Earth wants to squander good health and fortune and kick the only quiznacking good pilot off their most important mission! Now how are we to get you into space? Do they think of nothing but themselves? They've completely ruined all my perfect calculations!"

She stopped to take a breath and Shiro quickly cut off her weird ramble.

"Allura, what are you talking about?"

He was genuinely confused. Not only was she talking so fast he barely understood, but some of the words he thought he heard weren't even real words.

"Who gave the order?" Allura had stopped her manic tirade, ignoring his question completely. She stopped pacing and moved to stand in front of Shiro. Her entire demeanor had changed. Gone was a frantic little girl on the verge of a breakdown. Now she was an empress.

"Who gave the order?" She asked again. Shiro was in the military long enough to know it was an order.

"Admiral Sanda." He responded immediately, like with most orders. She nodded thoughtfully and held her hand out to him.

"Give me your phone. I will speak with her." It was still an order, her voice was still strong and cold. She was taking charge, and it was a little hot.

"I'm not giving you my phone, Allura. She won't talk to you. She won't change her mind because of some civilian Karen'd her." Allura made a face and for the first time since the news, Shiro smiled. It was a really ridiculous pout that scrunched her whole face. "Allura, it'll be okay. Really. We'll figure it out."

She crossed her arms as she sat back down. "We could negotiate with her. I've played with military types before, and she's not even the leader of this planet."

"There's no negotiation. I'm on Administrative Leave. And I think the phrase you want is 'who died and made her queen' not 'leader of the planet.'" He tried to help her with the idiom.

"Shiro." Allura bit her lip and looked down to her shoes. Her voice was even, but sad as she spoke. "You're supposed to be in space. I may not have the ruthlessness of the Galra, but I am not a pushover. I can negotiate something, be it peace, a trade, anything. I refuse to leave here without you."

That threw him, he blinked at her replaying that sentence in his head. 'Supposed to be in space'? 'The galra'? 'Negotiations'? 'Leaving here without him'? What was she even talking about? Instead of all those questions, he only asked "Allura?"

She sighed and looked up at him, scooching forward on the floor until her hands could rest on his knees and she could look into his eyes.

"Shiro, I came to this planet to find you. I didn't know it was you then, but the instant I met you I felt it. I feel it now. I am not leaving here without you."

That cleared up nothing - there was still too much going on. Was she confessing her love for him? He swallowed. Whatever was in Allura’s eyes was inviting, comforting, hopeful.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Thank you "Worthwhile Trade". The idea of Baxia turning into an guai is so interesting. I liked imagining the part where she hit NMJ for his idiocy. My brain is projecting "married couple" vibes, omg. I admit despite how weird WWX spoke about the events, the time travel part flew over my head until the tags spelled it out for me. (TBC)

(Cont'd) Also... did NMJ mean it in THAT dual-thing way when talking WRH's prefs? And the last part, where WWX used resentful energy to sub NMJ's qi. I assume he can still cultivate since his core's still there, if emptied? But I wonder what'll happen to his energy once restored Can't help but think his renewed qi will inevitably be affected by the traces of the previous energy that once circulated. He's not going to become a walking stygian tiger or something, is he? Off the wall guess, sorry!

----

sequel to Worthwhile Trade (ao3), also on tumblr

Wei Wuxian didn’t understand Nie Mingjue.

He didn’t understand the way he thought, the way he acted – the way he smiled when he woke up, the way he opened his arms when Nie Huaisang threw himself into them with a wail and said, “It was worth it for you, didi; it always is if it’s for you. Don’t you know that?” the way Wei Wuxian had always shamefully thought of saying, as if something like that could just be said like that, out in the open.

The way Nie Mingjue shrugged when the doctors said his cultivation would likely never recover, that he should have died, that they didn’t understand why he hadn’t; the way he said, seeming even satisfied, that it was a worthwhile trade.

It’s not a trade, Wei Wuxian wanted to scream at him. It’s a sacrifice! It hurts and you’re sad, no, worse, you’re resentful about it and you shouldn’t be because it was your choice, your decision, but you see someone else with everything that you worked so hard for and you’re angry when you shouldn’t be angry and you feel bad and you turn away; it hurts them when you do and you’re glad, you miserable thing, you’re happy that they’re hurt because why should you be the only one whose hurt –

Perhaps the problem wasn’t that he didn’t understand Nie Mingjue.

Perhaps it was only that he saw in Nie Mingjue his own faults, his own deficiencies, the ones he’d tried so hard to hide in the sea of his poor memory.

“You’ll die if you don’t find a way to cultivate,” he said instead, hovering by the door. He’d say that he didn’t mean to ruin the mood, but he kind of did, and Baxia’s eyes on him were cold as if she knew.

As if she knew everything.

How he’d gone back to the past, how he’d changed things, how it was his fault that Nie Mingjue – who’d never done a single thing to hurt him, who’d been upright and righteous and good and whose brother loved him enough to –

Wei Wuxian had made a point of avoiding Baxia.

Not that she was that easy to avoid. She was tall for a woman – not as tall as Nie Mingjue, but proportionate to him in the sense that she was as much taller than the average woman as he was taller than the average man – and she walked as though people should flee before her, a tread that only felt heavy because of the almost visceral rage that surrounded her like a cloud.

Nie Huaisang had found robes for her, somehow, and they were the least feminine robes Wei Wuxian had ever seen a woman wear, though he supposed he still hadn’t seen that given that Baxia wasn’t exactly a woman.  Cut in a martial style, a dark shimmering grey that seemed in some lights to be almost red – she had been born as a human in a mantle of blood and she would not let anyone forget it.

“I should have died already,” Nie Mingjue said, as if the world’s scariest guai didn’t have her hand on his shoulder right next to his vulnerable neck. “You came up with a solution, Wei-gongzi, and for that I thank you. Even if we are not able to solve the next stage, being able to see my loved ones is worthwhile.”

Wei Wuxian could learn to hate that word.

“I have a solution, of a sort,” he said, irritated and not entirely because his reveal had been preempted. He’d hoped to sort of ease into it, somehow. “You lack the capacity for regular cultivation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use demonic cultivation.”

“What? No, we can’t do that,” Nie Huaisang said, biting his fingers anxiously. “Anyway, doesn’t demonic cultivation harm the temperament?”

“You mean my temperament can get worse?” Nie Mingjue teased, and Nie Huaisang smacked him so lightly that it didn’t even displace his clothing. “I don’t know any means of demonic cultivation, Wei-gongzi –”

“Call me Wei Wuxian,” Wei Wuxian said. “Please.”

“Wei Wuxian, then,” Nie Mingjue said. “All the methods I’ve ever heard of were forbidden for very good reasons – but perhaps those conditions are not the same in the method you know.”

Wei Wuxian tensed. “How do you know that I know one?”

“You saved me, didn’t you?” Nie Mingjue said practically, and well, yes, Wei Wuxian supposed he had a point – “And anyway, Baxia can tell.”

Wei Wuxian shivered. “I don’t use it,” he argued. “How can she tell?”

At Nie Huaisang’s instigation, Baxia had recently started experimenting with smiles. She put one on her face now.

It was terrifying.

“Tell me about it,” Nie Mingjue requested. “The powers and the price, all of it.”

“You’re actually considering this?” Nie Huaisang exclaimed. “But da-ge…!”

“Wei Wuxian was not wrong when he said that I would die if I didn’t find a way to cultivate despite having given up what I have,” Nie Mingjue said. “If I die, what will you do?”

Oh, not much, just become a mastermind capable of puppeting the entire cultivation world to enact revenge for your death. Nothing big.

“But – da-ge has always put such a priority on remaining on the righteous path…”

“That’s why I asked about the costs,” Nie Mingjue said patiently. “I will not abandon righteousness simply because I adopt a new method of cultivating.”

“Everyone will revile you even if you are righteous,” Wei Wuxian warned him.

Nie Mingjue shrugged. “Who is everyone? What do I care for them? You do the right thing because it is right, not for the sake of fame.”

Wei Wuxian had once thought the same.

“If everyone in the cultivation world thinks you are evil, they will paint you as evil no matter what you do,” he insisted. “No matter how righteous your motives –”

“Let them think he’s evil, then!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed. “He could be the most black-hearted cultivator in the land, but he’s still my da-ge; my Nie sect and I will protect him!”

“Huaisang! No! That is not how righteousness works – if I ever truly become evil, you are to cut me off at once, kill me if necessary –”

“No way!”

“Huaisang – Baxia, tell him; evil cannot be endured –”

Baxia was looking at her fingernails. She’d picked that gesture up from Sect Leader Ouyang, when he was trying to be pointed about ignoring someone; it was extremely irritating to absolutely everyone who wanted to know who she was and what she was doing here and Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian had teamed up to convince her to keep doing it.

Possibly a mistake, in retrospect.

“Baxia. I know you agree with me on this. Evil is evil, and must be eradicated no matter who it may be.”

She gave him an unimpressed look.

“I know I’m not evil yet,” Nie Mingjue argued, apparently understanding her without any difficulty whatsoever. He’d just woken up from a month-long coma and he could already speak fluent human-saber, it was really unfair. And this man had succumbed to Jin Guangyao’s wiles? Lan Xichen had more to answer for than he knew. “But if I ever become evil – what? No, we will not burn that bridge when we come to it, that’s not even the right idiom, who is teaching you these things –”

Nie Huaisang coughed and hid his face behind a fan.

Wei Wuxian was not going to laugh.

Nie Mingjue growled at them all and turned back to Wei Wuxian. “Explain,” he demanded. “The rest of you, out.”

“But –”

“Out. One of us has to cultivate the righteous path, and if it can’t be me, it has to be you. Baxia?”

She picked Nie Huaisang up by his collar, for all the world like a mother dog picking up her pup by the scruff of its neck, and walked out.

Nie Mingjue picked up demonic cultivation faster than anyone else Wei Wuxian had ever met or even heard of. He wasn’t sure if that demonstrated an unnerving aptitude or if it was simply that Nie Mingjue was surpassingly talented – Wei Wuxian had never met anyone like himself before, someone for whom all things came easy, and it was an unexpected delight to meet a kindred soul somewhere where he’d long ago given up hope. He’d never planned to unveil demonic cultivation in this life unless he truly needed it – he didn’t want to hurt his Lan Zhan the way he had in his first life, and anyway Jiang Cheng and Uncle Jiang and Madame Yu were all alive, with hundreds of Jiang sect members to boot, there was no need for his sacrifice – but the part of him that was more researcher and inventor than cultivator luxuriated in their discussions.

Nie Mingjue was a lot more concerned than Wei Wuxian had ever been with consequences, and how to mitigate them, but he supposed that made sense: losing his cultivation hadn’t impacted that Nie temper one bit, and demonic cultivation was likely to make things worse. Moreover, Nie Mingjue was simply who he was, stiff and unbending, as much steel in his spine as in Baxia’s; he could almost be described as being rigid in his thinking except for the fact that he was in fact seriously considering becoming a demonic cultivator.

“We’re saber cultivators,” Nie Mingjue said when Wei Wuxian tentatively brought it up. “Like a saber, our nature is to be firm and unyielding, not flexible like the sword, but we cannot allow ourselves to become too rigid – a too-rigid saber will break upon encountering an obstacle. It’s a difficult balance to keep, and one made more difficult by our cultivation style.”

“The demonic cultivation aspects, you mean? Using yao to refine your saber spirit?”

“One day, though not today, I’m going to ask you how you know about that,” Nie Mingjue remarked, and although his tone was causal Wei Wuxian’s back went cold. “And I’ll expect you to tell me the truth when I do. But not today. Anyway, yes, that’s what I mean. Do you know what they mean when they say that demonic cultivation harms the temperament?”

Wei Wuxian hesitated. “I assume you’re going to tell me something other than ‘it drives you crazy and makes you kill people’?”

Nie Mingjue snorted. “Sometimes I wonder how someone as smart as you got sent home before you finished your lessons at the Cloud Recesses, but other times it’s fairly obvious.”

Wei Wuxian shrugged, embarrassed.

“Do you really not know?”

“No one taught this to me,” Wei Wuxian said, stung. “I came up with it on my own. How would I know?”

“All demonic cultivation has the same root,” Nie Mingjue said. “Obsession.”

“With killing, yeah, I know, I’ve heard it a million times –”

“Shut up and listen, you impertinent brat. The killing comes later. It starts with obsession. Obsession with righteousness, obsession with love, obsession with the pleasures of this world, with power – a human becomes a demon when they cannot overcome the obsessions within their heart, and the obsession consumes them. In time, a demonic cultivator who is obsessed with power will do whatever it takes to obtain that power, and not mind the blood shed to do it; a demonic cultivator who is obsessed with love will kill everyone who they perceive stands between them and their love, a demonic cultivator who is obsessed with righteousness will turn to murder when in their judgment something that ought to be condemned goes unpunished…”

“What about one who only wants what’s best for his family?” Wei Wuxian said, and he did not know if the challenge in his voice was about Nie Mingjue’s future or his own past.

Nie Mingjue shrugged. “Two roads that I can see: first, their family turns away from them for what they have become and they become vicious with the abandonment, becoming quick to lash out against the world and eventually doing something that causes the world to turn against them.  Second, their family stands by them, and eventually the world causes some harm to them – and the demonic cultivator turns to madness in revenge.”

“Not exactly an optimistic outlook.”

“Not especially, no.”

“You don’t seem as concerned by that as I would have thought.”

Nie Mingjue’s lips twitched. “I have a solution.”

“Would you like to share?”

“Using resentful energy to cultivate our sabers makes them prone to obsession, driving them ceaselessly to fight evil, destroy it, without discrimination. It makes them stronger, but also more dangerous – and that is why they must be carefully controlled.”

Wei Wuxian frowned. “So, what? You’re going to be the saber now? Under whose control?”

“Huaisang’s, of course,” Nie Mingjue said, as if it were obvious. “For better or for worse, he is sect leader now. Who else would it be?”

“But – what if you disagree? What if he wants to do things one way, and you another –”

“Then I argue and probably yell a lot, and if in the end he still insists on doing things his way, I listen,” Nie Mingjue said dryly. “That’s how hierarchy works. Isn’t it the same for you? When your shidi, Jiang Cheng, becomes sect leader, you’ll need to listen to him – or leave the sect. There’s no middle ground.”

Wei Wuxian scowled.

“A sect leader that can’t control his disciples is worse than a demonic cultivator,” Nie Mingjue said. “He’s weak. A target, ripe to be ripped apart and devoured by other sects – resources raided, disciples poached, responsibilities taken away...It’s not a fate I would wish on anyone. If you can’t commit to obeying, commit to leaving so that you don’t end up promising more than you can give.”

Ouch.

Just – ouch.

Great advice, fantastic advice, world-class advice, and totally useless because Jiang Cheng had travelled back in time with him and was therefore convinced that Wei Wuxian was just looking for the first way out of the Jiang sect he could find, no matter what Wei Wuxian said or did about it.

(Even Madame Yu was concerned by the new coldness in their relationship and had tried to talk to him about it, which – Wei Wuxian didn’t know what to do with that. It didn’t match any of what he had thought he’d understood.)

He decided to focus back in on the demonic cultivation lessons, shifting from theoretical discussions to the practical, and that, unfortunately, was when they encountered an issue.

“What do you mean you can’t play an instrument?” Wei Wuxian demanded, appalled. “It’s one of the Six Arts! Everyone can play some sort of instrument – even Nie Huaisang plays an instrument!”

“Everyone agreed it was better that I stop learning,” Nie Mingjue said defensively. “It’s all just plucking on strings or blowing air in pipes, and yet no matter that I did exactly what the teacher said to do, it never worked, that’s all.”

“Didn’t Zewu-jun offer to teach you…?”

“He did. And then he said it would be better if we stopped, too.”

The reason, Wei Wuxian soon learned, was that Nie Mingjue was almost completely tone deaf, and the only reason it was almost was that he was still capable of differentiating speech.

“I agree with the majority,” he said after an extremely frustrating day. “Stop. Never pick up an instrument ever again. And don’t let anyone but Zewu-jun play something especially for you, either, okay? Even if they’re highly recommended.”

“An interesting request,” Nie Mingjue said, eyebrows arched skeptically. “May I ask why?”

“Because you’ll have no idea if they’ve changed the music on you,” Wei Wuxian said bluntly. A great deal about the man’s murder in a different life made sense now, and Jin Guangyao’s brilliance in hiding the score of Turmoil inside of Clarity was a little less impressive when played to a man who thought all music, without exception, was just plucking strings or blowing air. “Musical cultivation is deadly in the right hands, especially if you lower your defenses against it. Just consider it a precaution.”

Nie Mingjue’s eyebrows remained arched, but he hummed in agreement.

“I guess we’ll have to think of a new way for you to cultivate demonic cultivation,” Wei Wuxian said, rubbing his face. He had not been planning on having to invent demonic cultivation at all in this life, and now he needed to not only ‘invent’ the original but actually come up with something new. Why was his life so hard? “How did you previously manipulate external energy?”

“With Baxia.”

“Well, that’s not helpful, is it? You can’t wield a human being. Perhaps another saber…?”

That didn’t work, primarily because it turned out that Baxia had strong feelings about Nie Mingjue even thinking about using another saber and well, as far as Wei Wuxian was concerned, whatever Baxia wanted, Baxia got.

(Nie Huaisang had had to go to Heijan once, with Wei Wuxian and Baxia accompanying him since Nie Mingjue wasn’t ready yet, and some unlucky Wen captain had tried to ambush them. That captain, and his squad, were not granted the courtesy of an intact corpse, and Baxia hadn’t even gotten a speck of blood on her nice new robes – no, Wei Wuxian would not be crossing Baxia any time soon.)

“There’s got to be something,” Wei Wuxian said, and Nie Mingjue agreed, and in the end they found something.

Nie Mingjue had been absent-mindedly playing around with one of Nie Huaisang’s fans when one of the fierce corpses Wei Wuxian had raised as practice targets had gotten loose; instinct had taken over and Nie Mingjue had lashed out with the weapon at hand as if it were a saber, and the resentful energy had surged in response –

Baxia was apparently not threatened by the notion of her master using a fan as a weapon, not even one inlaid with steel and heavy cloth with enough layers to catch a sword in.

(If Wei Wuxian needed to go have some time to himself at the sight of Nie Huaisang, dressed as a sect leader with his saber always at his side, standing next to Nie Mingjue holding a fan – well, that was his problem, and also one he intended to show to Jiang Cheng at the next possible opportunity. Someone else deserved to have their mind wrecked by the incongruity as much as he had.)

Even without the weirdness of Nie Mingjue, it was more than a little odd to see Nie Huaisang in the robes of a sect leader without him acting like the Head-shaker. The shock of having to become sect leader had fallen heavily on him: he had become a little more serious, a little more earnest (though still a bit frivolous); he was more inclined to listen and think things over, less inclined to run away.

“If da-ge is going to become a demonic cultivator, someone needs to stand behind him,” Nie Huaisang said simply when Wei Wuxian had tried probing. “He’s always held the world up for me – it’s the least I can do for him. I may not be able to do much, I might be terrible at it, but I owe it to him to at least try.”

Wei Wuxian wondered, sometimes, if Jiang Cheng would have stood up for him if only he had trusted in him, believed in him, the way Nie Mingjue believed in his notoriously useless little brother.

Maybe he’d ask, when he went back to the Jiang sect.

Maybe he’d –

“What the fuck is wrong with you,” Jiang Cheng said as a greeting, and for once Uncle Jiang didn’t disagree. “All those letters and you never once mentioned the terrors?”

“The what,” Wei Wuxian said, and that was how he learned that while he was on his way back to Yunmeng neither Baxia nor Nie Mingjue had wasted any time utilizing their newfound skills out on the battlefield.

Nie Huaisang was never going to be a particularly respected sect leader, especially by those that had met him beforehand, but evidently that wasn’t really important given that he was constantly flanked by what was being called the two terrors of Qinghe.

Nie Mingjue preferred darker colors now that he was no longer sect leader, the same dark grey shading towards black that Baxia had selected for herself, and the selection somehow made him seem even taller, verging on inhuman, and Baxia standing beside him, her human features patterned roughly after his, made the two of them appear a matched set. Nie Mingjue wielded the fan that Wei Wuxian had helped him design, which he had forged with his own hands out of the metal from the Xuanwu’s cave that Wei Wuxian had foolishly figured someone ought to get some use out of, painted over with a cinnabar array in Nie Huaisang’s careful brushstrokes, and in his hands it was both weapon and conduit for the raising of armies of corpses. Baxia, for her part, held nothing but required nothing, a sweeping gesture of her hand more devastating than a dozen blows with the saber.

They were terrifying, a nightmare writ large and unmistakably dangerous, undeniably demonic cultivators in a way that was entirely different from Wei Wuxian’s own dramatics, and it unnerved the rest of the cultivation world the way Wei Wuxian had feared it would.

“It won’t be a problem,” Jiang Cheng said impatiently. “The Nie sect are ascending in strength, and this only adds to their mystique – who would challenge them?”

“Uh, Jin Guangshan,” Wei Wuxian said. “Like last time?”

Jiang Cheng huffed. “At this rate, I don’t even think Jin Guangyao will bother defecting to the Jin sect,” he said. “Not if he knows how to play his cards right. The Nie sect’s strength in the original version was never about Chifeng-zun’s skill with the blade alone. It was the whole sect’s strength, with Chifeng-zun’s ability to wield them as skillfully as he did his saber; he’s an outstanding general. And now they have him as a general, him as a demonic cultivator, and whatever the fuck is going on with Lady Baxia –”

“I already told you. She’s a guai.”

“Like I already told you, it doesn’t matter how many times you say that, I will immediately expel the knowledge from my mind and you should too. ‘Immortal cultivator cousin that my brother named his saber after’, like what Nie Huaisang has been putting about, is a perfectly acceptable cover story.”

“And the fact that his saber disappeared at the same time?”

“Coincidence,” Jiang Cheng said firmly. “And we’re sticking with that. Anyway, the point is that if you’re an ambitious man, the Nie sect is the place to be right now and probably will continue to be in the future. This is going to be evident to both Jin Guangshan and the future Jin Guangyao, and we’ll need to deal with that.”

“I’ll keep an eye out,” Wei Wuxian promised. “After rescuing Chifeng-zun and helping with the demonic cultivation, I’ve gotten pretty close to them.”

“Mm. And how about your other mission?”

Wei Wuxian scowled at the smirk on Jiang Cheng’s face. “You know perfectly well that I haven’t had any time to seduce Lan Wangji, what with how busy I’ve been. I don’t even know for sure if he likes me yet -!”

“You’re an idiot, he does, and you’re not allowed to keep us all in suspense for two decades this time. Figure it out.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m sticking you with the job of being an information courier and you leave for the Lan sect front line tomorrow.”

“You are the best shidi ever,” Wei Wuxian said, and meant it.

Jiang Cheng huffed. “Yeah, well,” he said as if his cheeks weren’t red. “Remember that in the future. In this life we’re the Twin Heroes, you hear me? No take-backs.”

Nie Mingjue was right: Wei Wuxian would need to either learn to obey or tell Jiang Cheng early on that he was leaving, and walking a path in the middle would only cause heartbreak all over again.

“Okay,” he said, deciding to ask Lan Wangji for advice on obedience. Surely that was something that could be learned? “Deal. You do know that that means Lan Wangji’s going to have to marry in, right?”

“Oh no,” Jiang Cheng said, voice entirely flat. “How terrible. I’ll find a way to manage dealing with that ice block somehow…listen, I don’t care if you end up calling him Wei Sizhui in this life, but don’t ruin his character. He was perfectly nice.”

“I don’t know if he’s even been born yet,” Wei Wuxian said glumly. “I’ve been looking, but…”

“I’ve asked some of Mother’s spies to keep track of Wen Ning and Wen Qing,” Jiang Cheng said. “Collecting evidence we’ll need for their inevitable post-war trial, assuming we want them to live better lives than just refugees. Give it time, we’ll find him.”

“Now I just need to see if Lan Wangji will want to raise children with me…”

“Wei Wuxian. I don’t care. Go.”

[keeptheotherone]

Do You Promise?

Chapter 1 of a new WIP, just for you, my Tumblrers <3

August 1999 the Burrow’s garden Weasleys’ 2nd Annual End of Summer Celebration

Charlie Weasley sat on the fence separating his mother’s vegetable patch from the garden, thinking about the last time he’d sat here, one year ago. Then it had been Bill at his side, not his little sister.

“Knut for your thoughts,” she said, pushing herself up.

“Where’s your boyfriend?”

Ginny raised her brows at the implication of his answer but didn’t tease. “Around.”

“Mmm.” He’d been home for more than twenty-four hours, but he hadn’t seen Potter once. At Christmas, they’d been a package deal, never out of arm’s reach of the other. “I thought he might have had to work.”

Ginny shook her head, pigtails dancing round her shoulders like they had when she was shorter than this fence. “Today and tomorrow, but not tonight. Mum made them promise.”

By “them,” Charlie knew she meant Ron and Harry. But … Mum made them promise? Not Ginny, or even Hermione?

“Well, he’d better show up,” Charlie said, taking a drink of his beer. “He owes me a rematch.”

They had played Quidditch in the orchard last year, he and Ginny and Potter and George and a bunch of kids he hadn’t known. Played past sunset into darkness, until Professor McGonagall ended the pick-up match without a capture of the Snitch.

Ginny muttered something that sounded like “he owes me a hell of a lot more than a rematch,” but Charlie let it slide. Ginny could take care of herself.

He and Bill had made sure of it.

“Shouldn’t you be with your friends?” 

“Thanks, Charlie, that means a lot.” She swiped the bottle from his loose grasp and drank.

Charlie had to remind himself she was of age to keep from overreacting, but even so, his hand twitched reflexively.

Ginny saw it and smirked round the glass, tipping her head back and the bottle up, taking several long swallows just for show.

“Yeah, you can have my beer, Sis. I’ll just get another, no problem.”

She finished with a pop and licked the foam from her upper lip before handing it back. “Thirsty.”

Charlie held the bottle up to the light—there was exactly one swallow left. “Brat.”

Ginny was predictably unfazed, gazing over the crowd starting to assemble round the food tables. “I talked to Angelina. She said Alicia couldn’t make it this year.”

“Who?” Charlie said, right as a picture of a perky brunette, with equally perky … anatomy … popped into his mind. Shit. Alicia wasn’t avoiding the party because of him, was she? The same age as George, she would know most of the people attending tonight. He’d thought they parted on good terms, all things considered….

“I thought you might be watching for Amy.”

“Amy’s coming?” He hadn’t seen Amy Green since he had invited himself back to her room and she politely declined. 

“Fleur wasn’t sure,” Ginny said casually, as if she hadn’t just dangled fairy lights in front of a niffler. “She said she encouraged her to come since she sounded a little down, but Amy didn’t commit. I hope she does, don’t you?”

“Of course. I haven’t seen Amy since the memorial. It would be good to catch up.” Charlie took a subtle deep breath, repeating the mantra he told himself when he occasionally woke with her on his mind. You asked, and Amy said no. It doesn’t matter if she isn’t seeing anyone. She’s still unavailable, Weasley. No benefits, just friends.

“I remember, you know. You think I was too young to understand, but I remember. In Egypt.”

Charlie scoffed. His baby sister celebrated her twelfth birthday the summer his family had visited Bill in Cairo. “Oh, yeah? And what do you think you remember, Gin-Gin?”

“I know Bill was an arse,” she said bluntly.

This reversal of her usual hero worship got Charlie’s attention.

“I know you weren’t. And that you liked her. I know you two went out together, and you’ve both dated other people since … but you’ve never dated each other.”

Charlie sighed. “Ginny….”

“Bill’s married,” she said simply. “It doesn’t matter any more.”

“I never thought I’d say this … but go find something else to do. Even if it’s Harry.”

****

Charlie did not leave his post on the fence rail, content to get quietly drunk and watch his family enjoy themselves. He had wondered why he’d bothered making the trip in—it made three in a month, when you added the party to Ginny’s and Percy’s birthdays—but now admitted to himself it had been in hopes of seeing Amy. After all, she hadn’t refused him, exactly; she’d refused the timing. 

“I think we both know what will happen if you walk me back to Hogsmeade.”

He raised his brows, leaving the challenging “so?” unspoken.

Amy closed her eyes, then pulled her hand from his. “Not today, Charlie.” She waved her hand at the gates and the castle and the grounds beyond, where the first Remembrance Ceremony had just ended. “Not after this.”

“Oi, sleepyhead!”

Charlie opened his eyes to find an object in eminent danger of colliding with his nose. He snatched it from the air in sheer self-defense, then groaned when he realized he’d just crumbled one of the best biscuits he’d ever had in his life—a biscuit he’d been waiting all year to taste again.

Percy laughed. “Nice catch, Captain.”

“Shut up,” Charlie muttered, trying to transfer the contents of his hand to his mouth without wearing them.

“Full of snappy retorts tonight, I see.”

Charlie eyed his next-youngest brother, his cheery demeanor highly suspicious. “Did you just get laid?”

Percy slung one arm around his shoulders. “I, in the utmost gesture of brotherly solidarity, am foregoing my own numerous opportunities to assist you in yours, however few and far between they may be.”

“You’re pissed.” Alcohol did not make Percy more relaxed; it made him more Percy-ish.

Percy squinted one eye closed and looked towards the gate. “Perhaps,” he conceded. “But not so drunk I can’t recognize a certain beautiful brunette.”

It was Amy. She was wearing—well, Charlie supposed it was technically a dress, but he’d seen similar items under a dress or robes more than once. It was black and flow-y, with red flowers and skinny straps made to make a man think of slipping them off, and just like that Charlie saw the garment puddled at her feet. She was taller than usual in thick sandals, and even from this distance, with the cut of the dress and the way she moved—he could tell she was braless. He raised the bottle to his mouth before remembering it was empty.

“Godric, I wish I had a camera,” Percy said wistfully. “George and Ron are never going to believe this.”

Charlie realized he was making a fool of himself, closed his mouth, and turned, shaking off his brother’s arm. “What’s she doing now?”

“Making a beeline for us.”

Charlie spoke through clenched teeth. “Shut up and get the—”

“Amy! What a pleasure. We’re so glad you could make it.”

Charlie turned to find his brother kissing Amy on both cheeks with minimal difficulty, despite their height difference. His heart skipped a beat. She was taller; he could kiss her easily.

No, not kiss. We’re friends!

Oh, who was he kidding? Unless she flat-out declined, he was sleeping with Amy Green tonight. They could figure out the friendship stuff tomorrow.

“Hey,” she said, pausing just shy of kissing distance (cheek or otherwise).

“Hey.”

Her hair was down, as it often was, but she had pulled back the front above her ears, exposing small purple and silver earrings (her house colors) and … a blush?

“I would offer to bring you a handful of biscuits, but something tells me you two aren’t going to be here for long.” Percy smirked. “Take care, Amy. See you tomorrow, Charlie.”

Charlie glanced at Amy to judge her reaction. “I’m sorry. He’s, er—”

“Taking the piss?” She offered the British idiom with a grin.

Charlie returned it. “I was going to say ‘pissed,’ but yeah. That too.”

She laughed.

“I keep telling you, you’re lucky to be an only child.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, brushing her hands over his chest with slow, deliberate strokes that were in direct opposition to her presumed goal of removing crumbs. “Brothers can be useful. I figured even if you turned me down, not all of you would.”

Charlie froze, just for a second, his brain short-circuiting to a night more than a year ago, before Ron had left for Australia. “Well, if she actually says it with words, that’s always a good sign, although if she strips her knickers off, that’s even better.”

Wait a minute … she wasn’t commando under that thing … was she?

It took a few moments for the silence to catch his attention.

“I take it that’s not a no,” Amy said dryly.

“No. It’s not. But—”

Her expression darkened, and she pulled away slightly. 

“The terms haven’t changed.” 

“I didn’t think they had,” she said cooly.

They had been here before, the autumn after Voldemort came back. Grimmauld Place, an unexpected post-meeting raid, high spirits and adrenaline … and the darkened hallway where Amy had turned him down. “I like strings,” she’d said, and walked away.

The staccato drumbeat of the Weird Sisters’ Do the Hippogriff pulled Charlie from the memory.

“Drink?” he asked, indicating his empty bottle in case she hadn’t heard him over the noise.

“Not really.”

He’d already started towards the tables, but her answer drew him up short. “Really, Amy, you could at least buy me dinner first,” he said sarcastically.

She sighed. “Look, Charlie, I don’t want to play the game. It’s why I’m here. Now, am I wasting my time or not?”

For the second time that night he found himself holding on to his temper. He was starting to see how she’d got under Bill’s skin, why he’d had such a hard time letting her go even when Bill had known he didn’t want to pursue a relationship with her.

“So what, you thought you’d just fly in, snap your fingers, and I’d jump?”

“Am I wrong?”

Godric, she was obnoxious. She was also beautiful, confident, and sexy as hell, and Charlie was honest enough to admit he found the balance of power between them as intoxicating as it was infuriating. 

“We could get a room at the Leaky—in magical London—or maybe Hogsmeade?”

“I have a room in the village.”

Damn. When Amy made up her mind, she didn’t mess around.

“All right,” he agreed. “One last thing, though.”

He stepped into her space, close enough to ruffle her skirt with his legs and watch the gooseflesh pebble across her chest and shoulders. He ignored the temptation to follow it down and looked her in the eye. In heels, she was as tall as he, but his wide shoulders and bulky frame dwarfed her. He paused to let her consider this fact, still not touching her, before dropping his voice.

“You will not be in control the entire night.”

Her reaction went straight to his groin—a sharp intake of breath, dilated pupils, a shiver she tried to suppress. Then she smiled, a sly, knowing smile that reached all the way to her eyes and made them sparkle in the fading sunlight.

“Do you promise?”

[dangcommaannie]

TanaKiyo parents AU hcs

Okay, so when Kiyoko tells Tanaka that she's pregnant, no one is happier than he is. It 100% one of the happiest days of his life alongside their wedding and soon to be when their child is born. He doesn't waste a minute to call up everyone that they know to tell them the good news and Noya is hurriedly making little four character idiom onesies for the baby already. He's super hype and super excited about it and gets really invested in learning more about childcare and babies, and he accompanies Kiyoko to all of her appointments and takes all of the baby care classes with her, but at some point in all of this learning, Tanaka starts to realize that, oh shit! They're gonna have a baby and this is a lot more work than he thought it would be. Overwhelmed with anxiety and worry about messing up, he calls Saeko, not just for help, but also to thank her because I hc that their parents are either not super involved or are out of the picture, so Tanaka was largely raised by Saeko. So he calls her to thank her because he hadn't realized how much trouble she must have been going through trying to take care of the both of them and she kinda laughs it off, but honestly, she's thankful and seeing him happy was enough of a thanks for her.

Of course, Auntie Saeko was always involved since the beginning, but she is even more now, checking on, not just her brother, but on Kiyoko as well because they 100% became friends after all the time Saeko spent with the volleyball team. It's for those reasons that not only do Tanaka and Kiyoko decide to ask Saeko to be the godmother, but when they find out their having a girl, they name her Saemi, written as 冴実 because it uses the same kanji used in Saeko's name 冴子.

When their daughter is finally born, Tanaka is super protective of both her and Kiyoko, and he absolutely spoils Saemi rotten. He thinks she's the cutest girl in the entire world, but only second to Kiyoko, of course. lol! Saemi absolutely adores him too and he loves making her laugh. As promised, Noya makes many onesies for her as well, and she likes him because she likes to pull on his hair. Noya and Saeko are both 100% the fun aunt and uncle, and when Saemi gets older, they definitely take her out on wild adventures randomly, both for them and also so Tanaka and Kiyoko can get a break from parenting too. Even though Tanaka did prepare a lot, there was still a part of him that was afraid of messing up or doing something when Saemi was first born, but when he first saw her smile, he knew he'd do anything in his power to make sure she was happy and safe. Kiyoko often comes home to seeing them napping together and when she finally learns to speak, Kiyoko sent the video of Tanaka crying to all of their friends when he first heard her say, "Papa"

A few years later, Kiyoko finds herself pregnant again. This time, a boy. Tanaka is losing his mind over the fact that his son is gonna have a big sister because he's reminded of him and Saeko, but this time, he makes sure Saemi know that he's gonna be there to take care of her now matter what. Saemi is also very excited to have a little brother and checks up on him everyday by talking to Kiyoko's belly and explaining volleyball to him. They decide to name their son Yuunosuke, written as 夕之介, using both kanji from Noya's name and Tanaka's name, since Noya is Yuunosuke's godfather.

This second time around, Tanaka is much more relaxed and prepared since he's done it all with Saemi before. It also helps that Yuunosuke takes after Kiyoko and is more reserved, but he still has his father's love of volleyball. Like her father, Saemi is very protective of Yuunosuke, but Yuunosuke is just as protective of Saemi and isn't afraid to stand up for her either. They both play volleyball when they're younger, but eventually, only Saemi continues playing, while Yuunosuke finds other interests that Tanaka is 100% in full support of. He may not fully understand it, but he does his best, even if it means staying up late to try and figure things out.

[sorrytodistract]

such a fun and natural sight

Day 4 of @jayviesource’s 12 Days of Jayvie is Artists AU

You can check the previous days here

“A little bit to the left,” His voice was patient as she adjusted her movement, her head tilting slighty to follow his instruction. 

“Perfect,” he nodded and Evie did her best not to chuckle. He was being too nice really but she did agree to be his model for his photography project. She didn’t mind posing for him in her leotard and leggings but when he first asked her about being his model, she expected a more… private setting for some reason. 

In all honesty, she mostly accepted to help him so she would finally be able to tell him how much she wanted them to be more than friends. 

Evie had known Jay for about three years now and had had a crush on him for about the same amount of time. The thing was, she was a flirt and everyone that had ever heard of her on campus knew that. But when it came to Jay, she didn’t know exactly what was preventing her from gathering her courage to simply tell him she wanted them to be more than friends.

Actually, she had tried to be subtle a few times but she had come to realise that Jay was more oblivious than any guy she had ever flirted with. It was a shame really knowing he was as much of a flirt as she was.

“Jay?” She asked softly. She was tired of beating around the bush with him. It was high time he knew how she felt and did something about it (hopefully). 

The young man looked up from the screen of his camera to meet her eyes. Evie was silent for a moment, a lump appearing in her throat as his brown eyes bore into hers. She couldn’t do that, what if he didn’t reciprocate her feelings? They had been friends for a while now. Best friends even, if she dared thinking it. She had been dancing ever since she started kindergarten and even though Jay had begun photography in a club during his high school years, he had always had an eye for it. They met when Jay offered to be in charge of taking the pictures of the dancing classes to introduce the program to the new students. They got along right away, their banter easygoing and their vibrant personalities matching as if they had known each other since they were children. If she remembered correctly, it seemed that at the beginning of their relationship, Jay was interested in developing a more romantic relationship with her but she was dating at the time and when one of her dancer friend pointed it out to her it was too late, as Jay already had someone else on sight. It was as if they had been in a game of cat and mouse ever since, with one of them always in a relationship when the other wasn’t and vice versa. 

But things were different now. For the first time since they had known each other, they were both romantically available: Jay had broken up with Audrey, a dancer from Evie’s group with which he’d had an on and off relationship for a few months and Evie was single ever since she caught Doug making doey eyes at Alicia, a girl from his drama class - she always wondered why her ex-boyfriend chose this career seeing as he was definitely more pragmatic than artistic - she had been mad at first but soon enough she realised it was for the best as their relationship had kind of felt like a burden from the beginning. 

“Is there something wrong?” His voice brought her back to the present and she realised he had been waiting for her to say what was on her mind this whole time. She shook her head lightly.

“Sorry, I was-”

“Miles away, it seems,” Jay chuckled. He stood up and walked closer to her. 

“A penny for your thoughts?” His signature smile made her heart melt. It was now or never.

“I was thinking that… maybe we could get a drink together after? If you aren’t busy of course.” She had started her sentence watching it but her courage was slowly fading as she went on and he kept looking at her, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. She averted her eyes at the end. Maybe this was a bad idea and she had been misreading all the signs from the beginning. 

Evie heard Jay clearing his throat and she was dying to see the expression on his face but she was too scared to find disappointment or worse, disgust.

“Now I feel like a fool.” Jay’s voice was quieter than she'd ever heard it and as she raised her eyes to meet his, it was her turn to be confused.

“... I was the one who was supposed to ask you out first.” He chuckled, his broad smile lighting his face up. 

Evie harrumphed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well… I wouldn’t have had to if you’d taken the opportunity weeks ago,” she was teasing him of course but the relief she was feeling was almost overwhelming.

Jay gasped in mock outrage. “Oh so that’s how it went for

Jay had no idea how she would have ended her argument as he crashed his lips against her in a valiant effort to shut Evie up. Seeing as she immediately kissed him back and moaned when his tongue made contact with her lips, it was probably the best idea he’d had this day. At least that’s what he thought until he felt her hands pushing him away from her.

“Jay…” her eyes were still closed and she was licking her lips, which was a very distracting sight but the photographer did his best to focus on her words. Evie looked up at him, a look of mirth mixed with a hint of annoyance. 

“Did you just kiss me to shut me up?” Jay couldn’t tell if she couldn’t believe him or if she wanted to kiss him again so he was not certain his next words wouldn’t ruin everything.

“Well you did just tell me that the ball was in my court so…” He shrugged and attempted to smile at her, even though he probably looked more confident than he actually was.

He had been wanting Evie ever since the day his eyes landed on hers. She was perfect. Talented, smart, interesting, and possibly the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. And she was approachable. He had been a bit taken aback at first when they started to interact because he would have taken her as the popular “mean” girl. Looks could be disappointing. But in her case it was for the best. She had been the girl of his dreams but as soon as they started to be friends and hanging out together, Jay realised he was too much of a coward to try to ask her out and risk losing her friendship if she said no. He wasn’t an idiot (well, except when it came to Evie apparently) he knew his looks and attitude were attractive and he wasn’t afraid to use them but for some reason in his mind it had never worked on Evie. She was much too good for that. He just realised now that they may have been flirting all along but were both too dumb to realise it was more than a friendly game for both of them. Oh the fear of rejection… it made them waste quite a bit of time.

Evie smiled back at him, almost shyly. Jay cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb grazing it softly.

“I’m sorry I was too much of a scaredy-cat to let you know how I felt from the beginning.”

Evie nodded. 

“Well… if you hadn’t done anything today I would still have had one last plan.”

Jay’s eyebrow raised in question and Evie smirked back at him before putting her arms around his waist.

“Well Mister photographer, what do you say to a private photo shoot… in the nude?” 

His gobsmacked expression was one for the ages and if it wasn’t for the rise and fall of his chest, she would have thought he was having a heart-attack. Evie really wanted to burst out laughing but she had her priorities straight and so she swiftly took the camera hanging around his neck to snap a few shots of his face while he was still recovering. She only managed the few though because as soon as he realised what she was doing, he reacted by trying to get his camera back. He started to tickle her sides so she would let go and as she finally cracked and began to giggle uncontrollably, he soon joined her hilarity.

“You minx! You’re going to be the death of me,” he stated as he finally got a hold of his device and they were slowly coming down from their high. She looked up at him, still proud of her deed and leaned forward to give him a long kiss. Jay’s hand came up to rest against the side of her neck as she deepened the kiss. When they finally broke apart, Evie gathered her stuff while Jay put away all his material too. As soon as they were done, Evie grabbed his hand so they could walk out hand in hand, towards her dorm.

“Speaking of death,” Evie began conversationally, “I wouldn’t mind experimenting “la petite mort” with you as soon as possible…”

Jay frowned at her for a moment, until he was struck by a flash of realisation at her words… he remembered the idiom from one of his literature classes. He could feel himself blushing as he let his mind wander towards that territory while Evie delightfully watched his micro-expressions. She laughed once again when he stopped abruptly to kiss her passionately, his tongue caressing hers teasingly, his right hand went down to grab her bum gently and Evie squeaked. She glared at his annoying smirk but his other hand was still holding hers and he didn’t waste time with more words as he dragged Evie towards her dorm.

[elliemarchetti]

Bitterness and Broken Dreams

Haldir x female half elf OC

Legolas isn’t with the Fellowship and in his place we have Elva, the only woman in a group otherwise made up of men only.

Part 1

Part 2

Words: 2557

The sun was sinking behind the mountains, with the shadows deepening in the woods, when they went on again. Their paths now went into thickets where the dusk had already gathered, the night prompting the elves to uncover their silver lamps. Suddenly, they came out into the open again and found themselves under a pale evening sky pricked by a few early stars. There was a wide treeless space before them, running in a great circle and bending away on either hand, beyond, a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, with grass as green as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. Upon the further side, a green wall encircling the hill rose to a great height. Haldir turned towards the Fellowship to welcome them to Caras Galadhon, the city of the Galadhrim.

“We cannot enter here, for the gates don’t look northward: we must go to the southside, and the way isn’t short.”

At those words, they walked in silence along a road paved with white stones, the city ever climbing up like a green cloud upon their left; as the night deepened, more lights sprang forth, until all the hill seemed afire with stars. They came at last to a white bridge, beyond which the gates rose, set between the ends of the encircling wall. Haldir knocked and spoke, making the gates open soundlessly, although there was no sign of guards. The travelers passed within, entering quickly the City of the Trees, where no folk could be seen, nor any feet could be heard upon the paths, but many voices spoke about them in the air above. Far away, they could hear the sound of singing, falling like soft rain upon leaves. They climbed many stairs, until they came to the high places and saw before them amid a wide lawn a fountain shimmering, lit by silver lamps that swung from the boughs of trees. Upon the south side of the lawn, stood the mightiest of all the trees, its great smooth bole gleamed like grey silk, and up it towered, until its first branches, far above, opened their huge limbs under shadowy clouds of leaves. Beside it, a broad white ladder stood, and at its foot three Elves clad in grey mail were seated.

“Here dwell Celeborn and Galadriel,” said Haldir. “It’s their wish that you ascend and speak with them.”

One of the Elf-wardens blew a clear note on a small horn, and it was answered three times from far above.

“I’ll go first,” said Haldir. “Let Elva go next, and with her Frodo. The others may follow as they wish. It’s a long climb for those that are not accustomed to such stairs, but you may rest upon the way.”

As they climbed slowly up, they passed many flets, some on one side, some on another, and some set about the bole of the tree, so that the ladder passed through them. At a great height above the ground, they came to a wide talan, great as the deck of a ship. On it was built a house, so large it almost would’ve served for a hall of Men upon the earth. Elva entered behind Haldir, and found that she was in a chamber of oval shape, in the midst of which grew the trunk of the great mallorn, now tapering towards its crown, and yet making still a pillar of wide girth. The chamber was filled with a soft light, walls green and silver and its roof of gold. Many Elves were seated there: on two chairs beneath the bole of the tree and canopied by a living bough there sat, side by side, Celeborn and Galadriel. They stood up to greet their guests, after the manner of Elves, even those who were accounted mighty kings. Very tall they were, and the Lady no less than the Lord. They were clad wholly in white; and the hair of the Lady was of deep gold, while her husband’s was of silver, long and bright. No sign of age was upon them, unless it were in the depths of their eyes, for these were keen as lances in the starlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory. Haldir led Elva before them, and the Lord welcomed her in his own tongue. The Lady said no word, but looked long upon her face.

“Sit now beside my chair, Elva of Mirkwood,” said Celeborn. “When all have come, we will speak together.”

Each of the companions he greeted courteously by name as they entered.

“Welcome Aragorn son of Arathorn!” he said. “It’s eight and thirty years of the world outside since you came to this land, and they lie heavy on you. Here, lay aside your burden for a while.”

“Welcome Gimli son of Gloin! It’s long indeed since we saw one of Durin’s folk in Caras Galadhon, but today we have broken our long law. May it be a sign that though the world is now dark, better days are at hand, and that friendship shall be renewed between our peoples.”

Gimli bowed low and sat next to Elva.

“Here there are eight,” said the Lord, when all the guests were seated before his chair. “But nine were to set out, so said the messages. But maybe there has been some change of counsel that we haven’t heard of, after all Elrond is far away with darkness gathering between us, growing longer day by day.”

“There was no change of counsel,” said the Lady, speaking for the first time. “‘Gandalf the Grey set out with the Fellowship, but he didn’t pass the borders of this land. Now tell us where he is, for I much desired to speak with him again. I cannot see him from afar, unless he comes within the fences of Lothlorien: a grey mist is around him, and the ways of his feet and of his mind are hidden from me.”

“Gandalf the Grey fell into shadow,” Elva answered, when she realized that no one else would dare speak such bad news. “He remained in Moria and didn’t escape.”

At her words, all the Elves in the hall cried aloud in grief and amazement.

“These are evil tidings,” said Celeborn, “the most evil spoken here in long years full of grievous deeds. Why has nothing of this been told to me before?” he asked Haldir, in the elven-tongue.

“He has no fault in this,” replied Elva, in the same idiom, “for we haven’t spoken to him of our deeds or our purpose.”

All eyes in the room were suddenly turned towards them, but she was used to it, although she didn’t usually offend such prestigious guests in that way, and moreover in their house.

“At first we were weary and danger was too close behind; and afterwards we almost forgot our grief for a time, as we walked in gladness on the fair paths of Lorien,” Aragorn added, helping her. “Yet our grief is great and our loss cannot be mended, as Gandalf was our guide, and he led us through Moria.”

“Tell us now the full tale!” ordered Celeborn, so Aragorn recounted all that had happened upon the pass of Caradhras, and in the days that followed, speaking of Balin and his book, the fight in the Chamber of Mazarbul and the fire, the narrow bridge and the coming of the Terror, an evil of the Ancient World both a shadow and flame, strong and terrible, known as Balrog of Morgoth, the most deadly of all elf-banes,  save the One who sitting in the Dark Tower.

“We long have feared that under Caradhras a terror slept, but had I known that the Dwarves had stirred up this evil in Moria again, I would’ve forbidden you and all that went with you to pass the northern borders,” the Lord said to Gimli.

“Don’t repent of your welcome to the Dwarf,” his wife scolded him. “If our folk had been exiled long and far from Lothlorien, who of the Galadhrim, even Celeborn the Wise, would pass nigh and wouldn’t wish to look upon their ancient home, though it had become an abode of dragons? Dark is the water of Kheled-zaram, cold the springs of Kibil-nala, and fair were the many-pillared halls of Khazad-dum in Elder Days, before the fall of mighty kings beneath the stone.”

Hearing the names given in his own ancient tongue, the dwarf looked up and met her eyes: wonder came into his face and it seemed he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw love and understating laying there, pure and untouched. With a smile, he rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying that yet Lorien's land was fairer, and its Lady was better than all the jewels hidden beneath the earth.

After a long silence, Celeborn spoke again: “I didn’t know that your plight was so evil. Please, Gimli, forget my harsh words, as I spoke in the trouble of my heart. I’ll do what I can to aid you all but I won’t give you counsel, saying do this or do that, although I feel compelled to warn you that your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Fellowship is true.”

As soon as the echo of his voice died, his wife held them with her eyes, and in silence looked searchingly at each of them in turn. None save Elva and Aragorn could long endure her glance. Sam quickly blushed and hung his head, making her smile: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled,” she said, “as tonight you shall sleep in peace.”

They all sighted, and suddenly felt weary, as those who have been questioned long and deeply, though no words had been spoken openly.

“Now you can go,” Celeborn dismissed them. “You are worn with sorrow and much toil, so even if your Quest didn’t concern us closely, you should’ve taken refuge in this City to rest, heal and refresh. For a while, we won’t speak further of the road ahead of you.”

During the descent, the Fellowship was divided: it was decided that Elva and Aragorn would be housed in Haldir's abode, while the hobbits, Gimli and Boromir would sleep on the ground, in a pavilion among the trees near the fountain, where soft couches and white pillows were laid, so that everyone's customs and habits were respected. Gimli didn’t show much pleasure in being divided from two of his companions, but Elva reassured him quietly, and followed Haldir away from the royal quarters. As they went on, the talans became smaller and smaller, but still suitable for hosting large families. The road to their guide’s home was long and silent, but no one seemed upset to be left alone with their thoughts. A quick climb, and the landlord welcomed them in a cozy but slightly dusty place, which gave Elva the impression of a finely furnished but rarely used room. There was a bedchamber for every one of them, and Haldir first pointed out to Aragorn the one he should consider his own for as long as they were within the green walls: when they were on leave from their role as border guards, it belonged to Rumil, whose love for music shone through the shapes of the instruments covered with fine gray velvet leaning against the wall, waiting patiently to be used again. Orophin's quarters were more modest, probably the room he had previously shared with his brother closest in age. The furniture was minimal, almost spartan, but two of the walls were almost completely hidden by tall bookcases, containing worn and crumpled volumes, which, unlike their elven master, didn’t seem able to withstand the inexorable flow of the time and neglect.

"I thought you were the family diplomat," Elva commented, before her host could retire. For some strange reason, she longed to spend more time with him, to know more deeply that soul she probably would never have a chance to meet again, once the gates of Caras Galadhon were left behind.

"My brother doesn’t study other peoples," he replied, with a certain tenderness in his voice, “but he wants to discover the forgotten history of ours, so that in our roots we can gain strength and be once more united as we were. If you had the opportunity, I think you would’ve got to discover many common interests.”

“The same I share with any other elf, I guess,” she replied, knowing very well how much her specie missed the lost times, the ones destined not to return.

“There is more hope in your tones, and a glimpse in your eyes that says those aren’t just empty words, but you’ll fight to chase away the darkness and keep the light bright. I suppose this is why you’ve been able to hold Lady Galadriel’s gaze for so long; you really want to finish this journey.”

Elva never knew why she felt her ears begin to warm, the redness radiating almost to her cheeks. Perhaps it was the compliment, more genuine and purer than any appreciation on her beauty, perhaps is strong belief in something untrue, or perhaps the fact that Aragorn was just beyond the thin wall, probably hearing everything. The truth was that Lady Galadriel had shown her a way out, a possible future within the walls of Caras Galadhon, where she would still be able to carry on her work, a diplomat always on the go, able to bring Lothlorien back to her ancient glory. There was hope in her vision, the same sometimes she had been blamed for, and light, and happiness. The streets of the city were teeming with individuals of all kinds speaking new and ancient languages, trading and confronting each other in peace, while she, well-liked as she had never been, wandered among the trees alongside the elf who at the moment stood in front of her, holding his arm. That was why she hadn't looked down, she was too afraid that someone else, perhaps the person directly concerned, might read on her face what even Lady Galadriel probably hoped she would accept.

"Are her visions always true?" Elva asked, too embarrassed to be able to support the blue eyes that were looking at her as if to wish they could access her deepest secrets.

"Sometimes," he replied vaguely. "I’m not familiar enough with the Lord and his consort to be able to afford to know anything more than soldier's gossip."

“But you’re not just a soldier,” she objected, resolutely. "You’re a diplomat, and a spy."

A sad smile broke out on Haldir's handsome face, a smile that tinged his eyes with a streak of regret.

"Our trees may have golden fronds, but not all that glitters is precious, and they too cast long shadows, which many don't like to look at," he replied, and with those gloomy words he took his leave, wishing her a good rest. Elva wanted to hold him back, ask him for more, heal that wound from the past that evidently was still open, but she didn't have the courage, and soon she found herself alone, standing in the center of a room that smelled of bitterness and broken dreams.