#I'm just reminded of how much they stole from Miles

[shieldofiron]

Following up on your reply to my comment...

Dr Hargrove is so bone tired, he might need Nurse Steve to help him in the shower.

Can't risk him slipping and getting concussed...

See all the other parts of the Doctor AU here. This is Part 5

"Haven't you heard of the dangers of drowsy showering, Nurse Harrington," Doctor Hargrove had a way of pulling Steve forward without laying a single hand on him. That was how he found himself fidgeting in the front door of Doctor Hargrove's cozy book-filled apartment.

Steve eyed the overfilled ashtray, the picture of Doctor Hargrove with a pretty red-haired girl in a graduation cap that hangs over the armchair. Anything to not look at his face.

"Ah..." Steve shifted from one foot to the other.

"Don't worry," Doctor Hargrove leaned in to Steve's space, "I won't go too far today. Just wanna take a look at you. Maybe kiss those pretty pink lips."

Steve swallowed, "O-oh. Okay."

Doctor Hargrove's eyes flickered over Steve's face, igniting a flame.

"You have a shift tomorrow?" He asked, his cigarette tinged breath dusting across Steve's face.

Steve shook his head, "Wednesday and Thursday are my new weekend."

Doctor Hargrove hummed low in his throat, "Remind me to thank Heather for that."

He tore off his shirt and walked behind the couch and towards a door without looking back and after a moment, Steve followed, unable to resist the siren's call of Doctor Hargrove's broad muscled chest.

The bedroom was dominated by a huge orgy-sized bed that filled Steve's mind with wild imaginings. But he didn't have time for that. He peeled off his scrubs and followed the sound of the shower.

Doctor Hargrove turned, glancing back at Steve and let down his hair. Like he knew what it did to Steve.

"Christ.... you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen in person," Doctor Hargrove whispered.

"You don't have a mirror or anything?" Steve asked.

Doctor Hargrove smiled, "Come on. I wanna scrub off the day and get in bed with the most beautiful man in the world."

The spray was gloriously hot, and Steve practically melted against the side of the glass walled shower when Doctor Hargrove stepped in and slid his hands around Steve's waist. Like they'd always belonged there.

"You can call me Billy, by the way," He smiled, and the steam fogged up Steve's vision, making the whole thing feel dreamy soft. "Unless you wanna call me Doctor all the time. That could be fun."

"Ah," Steve's knees got even weaker, and he put his hands on Billy's arms to brace himself, trying not to whimper when it felt like the arms flexed under his grip. "Okay, you can call me Steve."

"Steve," Billy wrapped his arms tightly around Steve's waist, lifting him slightly and angling his chin up.

There was a breathless moment before they actually kissed, when Billy looked up at him with those pretty, green-blue eyes. His lashes were heavy with water and his tanned skin was scattered with droplets.

And then their lips melded together and Steve forgot all about water and showers and hospitals. He stole his arms around Billy's neck and melted, his legs opening helplessly so Billy could slot between them and press him to the wall. Billy kissed him deeply, making these addictive noises at the back of his throat.

"Maybe," Billy barely broke the kiss to talk, rolling his hips against Steve in a sensuous, leisurely rhythm. "A little more than kissing. Make you cum so I can see that pretty fucking face."

"Aren't you tired?" Steve whispered, following his lips hungrily.

"I'm perking right up for you, Steve," Billy grinned wolfishly, and ground their cocks together until Steve was whining and climbing him, trying to wrap his legs around Billy's waist as tightly as he could.

"Billy," Steve gasped.

"Yes, Nurse Harrington?"

The friction was both too much and not enough, and everywhere Steve looked, he was met with miles of tanned skin, glinting white smiles and glinting gold chains.

Steve choked on an empty breath, his hips working in jerky motions to try to get more friction. He practically whined with relief when Doctor Hargrove wrapped his huge, calloused hand around them both and stroked slowly.

"Mmm F-faster," Steve whined, tripping on his words. "P-please, please..."

"Yeah," Doctor Hargrove cocked his head to the side, his eyes searching Steve's face, "You want it?"

"Uh-huh, I want it," Steve cried weakly.

Billy gripped Steve tightly, pressing him hard against the cold glass wall.

"Then take it," Billy whispered huskily, kissing Steve deeply.

Whatever garbled mess would have come out of Steve's house was buried in that kiss as steam overwhelmed his senses and he came with a muffled shout.

He was just a limp body by the time Doctor Hargrove used Steve's cum to jerk himself off in short, quick strokes, coming across Steve's stomach and chest.

They both clung to the wall of the shower with weak knees, eventually breaking their hold on each other to soap up quickly and rinse off, practically falling over themselves to get to the bed.

Steve's head was clear and quiet, and he felt sort of the way he imagined people did when they meditated. Billy helped Steve into a pair of soft, too big joggers and tucked him against Billy's broad chest. Steve's cheek was plastered against a pin up girl wearing a lifeguard's uniform. Billy's fingers tangled in Steve's chest hair and he sighed with contentment.

"Goodnight Doctor Hargrove," he mumbled, too tired to use any extra brain power on a name.

"Goodnight Nurse Stevie," Billy whispered back, pressing a kiss to Steve's temple.

[mehiwilldoitlater]

Ok so! Creator reader who is heavily associated with a polar bear(it’s their favorite animal) and they get isekai’d and become a polar bear. So they just end up living their best bear life in either Dragonspine or Snezhnaya. Then they get found in 1 of 3 ways

1: they’re in Dragonspine chilling out 😎 and they happen to come across Sucrose or Klee freezing so they decide to carry whoever up to Albedo’s lab and drop them off there. If he’s not there then they stay and keep them warm until he gets there

2: also in Dragonspine they encounter fatui (fun fact polar bears can smell things from at least a mile away so if one comes across you it meant to) and they tear apart their camp( they don’t even want to take anything they just make a huge mess) because they can or because they were genuinely upset or because they want to meet a harbinger.

3: in Snezhnaya they just exist there and actively seek out Childe or Scaramouche when they get back because A) they want to fight or cuddle Child and B) they want to take Scara’s hat (which they totally will if they get the chance)

Just think of it

Harbinger: *looking at reader who completely destroyed a fatui camp* 👁👄👁

Reader: 👁👄👁💢

This is long I’m sorry

OOOH gosh this one made laugh for five minute. Ok so:

1 : There is a polar bear in Dragonspine, and that's OK. It's actually a chill one too; it doesn't try to attack, it stays on its side of the mountain. That's fine, perfect. No one wants a hungry bear around their house, I suppose.

The fact that, technically, a polar bear is actually a human, or better yet, their creator, it's just a thing that... they'll never know! I mean, it's just a bear! How is it possible? By the way, creator aside, Albedo will find some strange traits of intelligence in that animal. He's amazed at the day he found Sucrose and Klee nestled near a potential treat. And he'll be far more amazed when he finds that the animal likes him too, and that it can even understand what everybody is saying and can communicate using writing. He'll consider the idea of keeping the bear at the laboratory, in case something happens... what? No, he's not using the bear like a plushie!

2: It's like a legend among the fatui that operate in the area: a fucking bear that has only the intent to destroy every fatui property. They don't even know what to do! It's like that animal knows when they're armed and attacks at the right time! It doesn't even hurt or kill anybody; it's just like love destroying stuff!They even try to summon a harbinger, and that bear has that expression that simply says, "DO IT YU COWARDS," but every time they just laugh it off because they don't have time for a bear. So the bear's going to cause more mess.

3:In Snezhnaya, there is a rumor that the bear belonged to the former Cryo Archon, but that was denied by the Tsaritsa ("No Tartaglia, I'm absolutely certain that they didn't have any bear, I would have known after all.").

They're just so confused. Does that animal love those two, or is it just a way to know if they're edible? 

Well, Childe loves that big, fluffy thing. He loves the fact that it can kill you with a single bite and still treats him like a pup and takes him somewhere. It reminds him somehow of his mum. He wrestles with it a lot, and every time he just laughs so much that it's forced to sit on his stupid face to let him just shut up.

Scaramouche... it's like Entitled Goose, but with a bear. It's a new stole this, take that every day, and every time that little man tries to put his foot down, there it goes, engulfing his entire face in its mauth. It's scary, but they have that face...

ʕ ㅇ ᴥ ㅇʔ

[angelspathway]

From the start: Miles Morales x black fem! reader

Summary: crush on best friend

Warnings: confessing feelings, feeling heartbroken, injuries, jealously, sadness

Note: I am in my feelings.

Later note: I don't think I am ever gonna finish this. I cannot find the motivation. I'm sorry but, please enjoy.

‘Don't you notice how

I get quiet when there's no one else around?

Me and you and awkward silence

Don't you dare look at me that way

I don't need reminders of how you don't feel the same’

Quietness filled my room. Miles Morales, Harlem's spider man and my best friend, sat in my windowsill, drawing i n his sketchbook. Another picture of that girl he met last year. The atmosphere felt tense, even though neither of us has said a word since he swung into my room, seeking solace from a panic attack. His pencil made scratching noises, heavy and almost sounded like he was ripping the paper. I was still blinking sleep from my eyes because of my disturbed nap. "Miles?"

He looked up at me with saddened dark brown eyes, wiping some freely flowing tears off his cheeks with the sleeve of his puffer jacket. He was breaking my poor lovesick heart with how much this panic attack took affect on him. "You think she forgot about me?" the softness in his sad voice torn me to shreds. I stood up, ignoring the pang in my heart, walking over to him. I sit on the windowsill, scooting closer to him and wrapping my arm around him as he went into another episode of snifflingand crying. I said nothing more as I rub his back. " Let it out, Miles.”

My heart continued to break for him... but it broke for myself. I felt selfish because here was my friend crying about the same girl that he thinks forgot him and I am angry that he still thinks about her while I am here with him all the time.

‘Oh, the burning pain

Listening to you harp on 'bout some new soulmate

"She's so perfect, " blah, blah, blah

Oh, how I wish you'll wake up one day

Run to me, confess your love, at least just let me say’

"Come on, Miles! Not at the arcade too..." I groan in frustration as his mind drifts from eating his nachos to just staring off in the distance, a smile visible on his face. Why couldn't he look at me like that? "Earth to Miles?", I wave my hand in front of his face. I was annoyed about how often he thought about her, especially nowadays.

He snapped out of it, looking at me with that bright look. He gave me the sweetest embarrassed smile, stuffing a nacho in his mouth. "Sorry... Its supposed to be our hangout day-"

"Don’t worry about it. Tell me more about the girl that stole my best friend’s heart." I pretended to be interested about this 'Perfect girl', not wanting him to find out about my seething jealously. My heart was screaming at him to confess to me. To be with me instead of her.

I felt selfish... I should be happy that my bestie has a crush, not anger that I wasn't the girl that he wanted.

But...

‘That when I talk to you oh, Cupid walks right through

And shoots an arrow through my heart

And I sound like a loon, but don't you feel it too?

Confess I loved you from the start’

Nevermind, he owes me nothing for being a friend to him. I may have been there for him every day of my life, but he doesn't owe me anything for loving him so damn much. I should've confessed sooner. Maybe then, I wouldn't have to worry so much about something or someone snatching him away from our friendship.

"Hey. Now you are spacing out?" he laughs, placing his hand on top of mines. My stomach filled with nauseating butterflies as I snapped back to reality. I give him an upside down smile, pulling my hand away from his.

"Let’s go play some video games."

‘What's a girl to do?

Lying on my bed, staring into the bluе

Unrequited, terrifying

Lovе is driving me a bit insane

Have to get this off my chest

I'm telling you today’

With a lot of encouragement from my friends and even Miles parents, I decided I needed to confess to him. My heart was beating out of my chest, scared of how he would react to my confession. I walk towards the water tower, his mom telling me where he was. I stopped in my tracks, my heart breaking in two after seeing blonde hair with pink tips. He seemed so happy talking to her, sharing a plate of food. My shoulders dropped, turning to walk away, feeling guilty for the tears in my eyes. I shouldn't be this upset..

He always talked about her... even during our hangouts. He never looked at me that way, never looked at me past being a friend... and it hurts.. it hurts a lot. Mostly because I've been there for him all this time and he cannot see how much I care for him. I leave the party, tears running down my face. I was gasping and trembling a bit. Why did I ever think he would love me? He loves her. I will never be the girl of his life.

[mxssingmemories]

JUUUUUUULEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS hi okay so UM I HAE AN IDEA. tom holland x platonic bsf reader thing where reader comes out to him? it can be anything u want AND ALSO PLEASE I WANT TESSA IN THERE IF U CAN thank u beautiful i love u beaitiful bye beautiful

Best Friend Ever

Pairing: Tom Holland x platonic!best friend!reader

Summary: Y/N found out some news about herself and really wants to tell her best friend Tom. She's really worried about how he'll react, but he comes through like the amazing person he is.

Warnings: Anxiety, coming out, tooth-rotting fluff <3

Word count: 1.2k !!

A/N: Jules? Posting two fics in a single night?? What is happening? Anyways, I'm loving this request, thank you so much Ash <3. This fic was so much fun to write. Also, reminder that requests are very much open!!

It was a pretty quiet day in the Holland house. Dom and Nikki, along with his brothers, were all out of town on a "vacation" of sorts. Tom ended up staying home to take care of Tessa. He was pretty excited to finally have the house to himself for once, especially since that meant he could invite you over. Everyone knew that you were his best friend-you've been there for him during some of the hardest times in his life. You've known him since before his first Marvel role, and you were so blessed that you got to see him grow up in his own little ways.

You and Tom knew practically everything about each other. He could always tell when you were having a bad day or vice versa, and knew exactly what to do. So, when you showed up on his front porch for the scheduled hangout with a fake smile on your face, he knew something was wrong. He tried to get you to talk to him several times, but eventually just let it be. He knew you well enough to trust that if it was serious you'd come to him in your own time.

You two started your TV marathon-Brooklyn Nine-Nine, of course- and sat down on the living room couch. Tessa immediately curled up in between you both. You leaned into Tom's chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around you providing the casual comfort only a best friend could. His and Tessa's presence and breathing calmed you significantly, even as your thoughts weighed heavily on your mind.

"What if he doesn't support me? What if he breaks off the friendship? What if he hates me?"

Your brain ran through all of the possible outcomes with anxiety, thoughts whirling through your head at what felt like 50 miles an hour. Only when Tom's hand squeezed your arm gently did you come out of it, shooting an apologetic smile at your best friend. He nodded in understanding, holding you just a little closer as if he could protect you from the negative thoughts he didn't even know were there.

Logically, you knew Tom would probably be supportive. He'd had so many positive interactions with LGBTQ fans and family alike, but for some reason your brain thought it would be different. Oh well, you figured, might as well get it over with.

However, the second you opened your mouth, you felt your blood run cold. You quickly shut it again, hoping Tom didn't notice your little speaking mishap.

In reality, Tom definitely noticed. It only made him more concerned for you. You'd been off the whole day, not paying attention to the show at all. He knew all he had to do was wait for you to come to him, but he was still anxious as hell. Tom was a helper, and he had never felt the need to help more than he did in this moment.

"Want to go get some ice cream, Y/N?" he asked, a smile on his face. Your eyes brightened up as you nodded, jumping off the couch. "Okay, I'll get Tessa's leash on. You wanna grab a hoodie from my closet?" As you nodded again, he went to grab Tessa's leash and let you do your thing. You came back downstairs a minute later, all ready to go.

Tom put Tess in the backseat, making sure she was secure. The minute you got in, you stole the aux and Taylor Swift started blaring. When Tom scoffed, you smirked unabashedly-it was Taylor Swift. The ride to the ice cream parlor was uneventful, filled with quieter music and Tessa's paws on your arm. It was peaceful, and for a moment you were finally able to relax.

The bell dinged as you both walked into the shop, Alex coming over to greet you.

"Hey, loves! How's it going?" they grinned, already preparing your orders and Tess' whipped cream.

"Pretty okay, Alex! Mom and Dad are out of town, so me and dingus here are having a sleepover." Tom smiled, making sure Tessa didn't try to sneak behind the counter again. As soon as Alex got your orders prepared, Tom motioned to head out to the car, but you shook your head.

"Is it alright if I stay back and talk to Alex for a sec?" At his nod, you walked back in to find Alex sitting at one of the tables with a milkshake. They smiled and motioned for you to sit down. Nose deep in their milkshake, they motioned for you to continue.

Alex was one of the most open people you've ever met. They made it public knowledge they were trans, and you looked up to them very much.

You gulped. "How..how did you come out to your best friend?" Alex immediately sat up a little straighter and made eye contact with you.

"Well, honestly I feel like they knew. I kind of just came out with it outright. They were so supportive, and honestly it went really well. Why? IS there something you need to tell me?" they asked, a glint in their eyes.

"I'm pan, Alex." you stated, eyes widening when they giggled a bit.

"Dude. I know. I also know that you're terrified to tell Tom, am I right?" At your shrug, they continued, "I can promise you 100% that he's going to support you. He's your best friend, and above all an awesome person. I think you should do it. You got this kiddo," they beamed. Standing up to hug them with tears in your eyes, you started walking out. They grabbed your shoulder, and whispered "it's gonna be fine." Planting a kiss on your cheek, you finally met Tom outside.

You ate your ice cream on the way home, quite enjoying the newfound confidence the chat with Alex gave you.

The second you got home, Tessa jumped on the couch with you, effectively taking Tom's spot. He playfully glared at Tess and scooted her over until he was sat beside you. Turning on the movie, he felt you snuggle up to him and relaxed.

Your heart was beating, however, as you sat up again. "Tom. I really need to get this out and I've been thinking about it for a while, it's completely fine if you don't accept it. I mean it's not fine, it'll suck ass, but I understand-"

our best friend cut you off by placing his hand over your mouth, taking his turn to speak. "Y/N. Please just tell me. I won't judge you, I pinky-promise."

"I..shit. I'm pan."

Realization flashed across his features, and before your eyes could get too teary he pulled you into his chest.

"That's okay, kiddo. I know. I've got you, it's okay love." He continued murmuring support into your ear as your eyes got heavy. You knew you were going to fall asleep soon. You placed your hand on Tessa's head by muscle memory as she scooted towards you, finding enough strength in you to say three words.

"I love you," you sighed sleepily, your best friend's face going soft again at those words. He murmured his reply, but you were already fast asleep. The last thing you registered was the feeling of being loved, and you wouldn't trade it for the world.

[walkingstackofbooks]

DS9 2x05 Cardassians thoughts (rewatching; spoilers for future episodes possibly included)

So the Netflix description for this is Julian is surprised when his "friend" Garak is bitten by a Cardassian boy - lol we all know why the quote marks are there, thank you Netflix XD

"I'm no more a spy than you are a-" "-a doctor" HAH

Dukat describing Garak as "poor Garak. An amiable fellow, if there ever was one" ahaha

Oof I have just realised how personal this episode and alleged child abuse would be to Julian. Well that's one for the fanfic

So how did dukat know about the incident if Garak didn't tell him

OOOH, Julian is ballsy af and it's WONDERFUL: "If I understand the Cardassian political system correctly..." "Who's been tutoring you in Cardassian social studies?" GLORIOUS - I'd love to have seen Julian and Dukat interact more

Sisko demanding an explanation, and Julian's sheepish "He doesn't actually tell me what he really thinks. I sort of have to deduce it." Hilarious.

Kira's little smirk, she enjoyed that

KEIKOOOO, I LOVE YOU, THAT WAS A GREAT TAKEDOWN OF MILES' PREJUDICE. And you are a QUEEN for the Cardassian food

Lol, Miles and Rugal inadvertently bonding over disliking Cardassian food

Aww, Miles is actually trying so so hard and I love him for it

Heh, whenever you see Julian sleeping adorably, you know he's gonna have a midnight guest

Haha I thought he stole the runabout but it's SO much funnier him walking up Sisko in the middle of the night

"Will one be enough?" SASSY and very valid

Julian playing with Garak's eye thing tool? :3

That little Cardassian girl is so cute

Julian stopping and looking, you know he wants to do more for these kids

Love it when Julian is annoyed

"I believe in coincidences. Coincidences happen every day. But I don't trust coincidences"

This is such a desperately sad story. There is no good ending here.

Rugel is really excellent, I wish we could see him again

I should stop commenting on Bashir heavy episodes because it's just a steam of "I love him"s really... But I DO. And his takedown here of Dukat is SO GOOD

Miles telling Rugel to come visit, my heart

Really not sure this is the best outcome? Removing a kid from everyone he's ever known and loved in favour of "bio family"? Ehhhh. Though learning to not hate yourself is hopefully good? Ugh like I said, there is no good solution here

Well seeing Garak and Bashir with together and interact is an absolute delight and I am even more mad than I was at being robbed of that in later seasons now I've been reminded just how his they are together. GAHH

Oh no I've just seen the next episode is Melora... that's a desperately cringe one isn't it. Fudge

[every-aj-needs-an-angel]

Rules: post 10 of your favourite comfort movies then tag 10 people.

Thank you for the tag @its-all-ineffable 💖

The Holiday. Hot people Christmassy romcom, what's not to like? What Jack Black does with his character!! Beautiful!! And do I need to say more than Kate Winslet? Also single dad Jude Law in glasses!! Cameron Diaz rocking out to The Killers!! And driving a Mini down a country road and nearly getting wiped out by a lorry. So accurate it's *chefs kisses* Favourite scenes include: Arthur's moment to shine, Miles and Iris in Blockbuster and the tent scene with the kids with an honourable mention for Mr Napkinhead 😂 It's my go-to movie whenever I'm sad because it's just so stupidly funny and adorable.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Jim Carrey. That's all I have to say. Honestly, I've seen this film a million times. I can quote it by heart and do so regularly much to my mums annoyance. The schedule scene is very me anytime I'm invited anywhere 😂 some favourite quotes "Am I just eating because I'm bored" "Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY!" "We're gonna die! I'm going to throw up, and then I'm gonna die!" "The insolence! The audacity! The unmitigated gall!" "Nice kid... bad judge of character" (absolutely me with my niblings) It's just the perfect remedy whenever I'm ill.

The Muppets Christmas Carol. I love all the adaptations but this one is my favourite. Me and my mum snuggle up every Christmas Eve and sing along. It reminds me of the magic of childhood Christmases and soothes something deep in my soul.

The Old Guard. This is the only adrenaliney one cos I have anxiety and I need chill shit if I watch a film but Joe & Nicky are my perfect Immortal Husbands and the tiny details of their relationship are all-encompassing and easily distract from all the murder and kidnap 😂

Mary Poppins. Do I need to say more than Julie Andrews? Dick Van Dyke. The outfits. The songs. Suffragettes. Tea parties on the ceiling. Dancing penguins. The merry-go-round horses. When I was a kid my mum used to foster so our house was always full of kids who needed someone to love them, make them feel safe and bring them some joy. That's probably why Poppins is one of my comfort characters, my mum was her.

Alice In Wonderland. Any of the adaptations. They're all brilliant. I do love the 1951 animation though mainly bc I adore the dormouse scene but becoming BFFs with a load of weird and wonderful creatures in a dreamstate is just *chefs kisses* Any scene with The Mad Hatter in any of the adaptations is my favourite but I am a sucker for the clean cup move down scene.

Sherlock Gnomes. I also love any Sherlock adaption but this one's just hysterical. Watson is just done™️. Sherlock and Juliet's squirrel disguise when sneaking through the park kills me every time. Moriarty as a pastry mascot and the fact he has dumb gargoyles as his assistants. Perfection really. Honestly, this film is just so fucking stupid you can't possibly feel sad when you watch it.

Monsters, Inc. bc it might've been like twenty years but I still want a Sully hug!! Also the pure beautiful hilarious chaos that is this film cracks me up. "Mike Wazowski", "Always watching" and "Put that thing back where it came from or so help me" are just killer lines. I absolutely adore The Abominable Snowman too he's just too sweet.

The Addams Family. Any of the films. All of the films. Gomez and Morticia are ultimate couple goals. They adore each other. Support their kids unconditionally. So kind and generous it often gets them in trouble. They're just perfect.

Red, White And Royal Blue. Last but not least, only because it's the newest. This film was amazing!! I adored the book and although the film is different I love that it's basically a 'what if' fanfic of itself. It was genuinely lovely to be able to watch a queer story and be able to relax with it!! Don't get me wrong I love how profound queer films can be but they either have me gripped in anxiety waiting for the shoe to drop or have me reaching for a comedian to brush away the deep-seated sadness. I felt so safe and yeah they have their ups and downs like every couple but I think I'd have felt the same safety with those characters even if I hadn't read the book first. 5* 10/10 highly recommend. Will be watching this on repeat for the foreseeable future.

Absolutely no pressure tags @mickalaem @flowercrowngods @auroraplume @estrellami-1 @i-less-than-three-you @mentallyundone @hbyrde36 @penny00dreadful @adhdsummer @writingfanficsfan 💖

[lifesver]

@fcused said: ❛ just keep moving. don’t look back. ❜ / probably a traumatizing situation that they are walking away from but. :-]

he asks her how she does it. how she puts one foot in front of the other, even when the whole world was this monstrous. this cruel. just an empty expanse full of skeletons and pointless violence for miles around. something life in a vault never prepared him for, even a little bit. he asks because she's lived her whole life in this place — in reality. while leland had lived his whole life in some sunny daydream. a small, safe fishbowl he was happy to circle for eighteen years of his life. he just hadn't known it, until now. sitting under the dilapidated porch of a pre-war house by the water. with one friend left at the end of the world.

he felt nothing but guilt, when he remembers how he had first looked at old, rundown houses like this. at people like connie, struggling to survive out in the wastes, who stole from each other and pulled their weapons at the drop of a hat. only to find out it was him who was the strange one. only to find out what exactly he was willing to do, when his back was against the wall.

and connie is quiet for a long time as she considers his question, thinking carefully like she does. when she finally looks at him, her answer is measured, uncharacteristically soft; ' you just keep moving. don't look back. ' it's simple, and honest. it's still hard to hear, though. leland wonders how many times she's said it to herself. just keep moving. don't look back. don't look back. there's nothing for you there. if there were things she held close to her heart, and didn't ever tell him. things he might not ever really understand about living up here.

the answers he himself had wanted so badly had come at the cost of shattering that little daydream he had imagined, about coming home to his vault safe and sound. about finding that his memory had gotten it all wrong. he would have introduced connie to everyone. mom would have liked her. april too. he could tell them how much she had done for him. that she had saved his life. that he was glad to have such a good friend. maybe she'd even want to stay with him there, in the vault. where it was safer and kinder than the world up top.

his chest squeezes. he felt stupid, and naive. but connie's known that the whole time, hasn't she? and still, she went along with him. still, she called in favours for him, and made sure he got his answers. as horrible as they turned out to be.

the radio hums through a broken kitchen window, and the storm patters over the failing roof. to leland, it's comforting to know there was still someone out there, across this vast expanse of wasteland, who played songs for anyone who might listen. maybe songs that reminded them of someone, or some time that was better. and as ugly as people could be to one another up here, humanity would still sprout through the cracks, finding a way in the dark.

even when there was no one waiting for you. no more home, except the ones you made with the people around you. leland's eyes turn to watch connie's profile, and the way the porchlight illuminates her sharp lines. eyes flutter with unshed tears. he breathes a laugh, hands wringing between his knees.

❝ you must think i'm really dumb. ❞ for thinking there would be something. for going through all this, just to know he had nothing left. no one, left. he sees the flooded halls of vault 41 behind his eyes when he closes them. the drift of a cafeteria tray, books and fragments of life cut short. how horrible it all looked, in morbid stasis. how the shiny blue of the vault-tec suits were the only way to identify that the corpses had been people he knew at all—

all those people. all that death. they were told they'd always be safe, in the vault. if they just stayed in the vault, it would be alright— he was beginning to lose track of everything he'd been lied to about. ( he misses his mother. he thinks he might be gut-wrenchingly angry at her, too. )

eyes squeeze shut. open again, pinpricked with tears.

❝ thank you, ❞ he manages, roughly. ❝ for. coming with me. for... doing all this, for me. ❞ i don't know if i would have managed alone. i don't know if i would have survived any of this. ❝ it... means a lot. i'm sorry that it was a waste of time. ❞ at least you know, now. at least there's no more useless hoping.

leland stares out at the dark, irradiated sea for a long time, listening to the radio. listening to the waves lapping at the shore. it wasn't so long ago when a tough wastelander girl found a hapless vault-dweller lying out there in the sand. they've already been through so much, together. and leland's warmed slightly by his fondness in the moment. for that tough wastelander girl who told him off so often, who folds her arms and huffs at his jokes. thinks — if he only ever has one friend ever again, he's thankful it's connie.

he turns his head slightly to her;

❝ do you ... ever miss home? ❞ quiet and gentle-eyed; ❝ would you maybe... tell me about it? — if you want to, i mean. ❞

[google-searchhistory-official]

'So Mr. Grimm. Where'd the name come from? I understand Pepsi came about just walking amongst trash. But Grimm... Why that name? Even with the two little "M's" at the end. I doubt it was your actual surname in life as a human. No... you stole it from the brothers Grimm when you started becoming monstrous. Why sully the lineage you deviated from, dirty a surname with blood it should have never had. You chose Grimm because of their fairytales. Morbid and gruesome in their ends. An end you hoped to face but never did.'

"Sure? I guess it makes sense but on the other hand I don't remember being fully human. It was just what I could recall from beyond the void"

'Tell me... Have you seen your reflection?'

"No."

'Not even by accident when drinking water or passing by a glass window?'

"I don't go into human settlements and have no need of food or drink."

'Your decrepit, scrawny appearance says otherwise. You have need of sustenance but outright refuse it. You're scared to live without the comfort of pain.'

"I'm not scared. I admit to being a monster and from my understanding, monsters will be forced to pain if they refuse to accept it. I just skip the middle man and accept the worst pain I can before others can use such a nothing feeling against me. I keep myself on the verge of death for the exact same resson."

'You are very contemplative for a monster. But what a shame, you cannot see your own fear despite that.'

"What fear could I possibly hold. Death has no meaning to me and I trudge through life knowing nothing can hurt me in a way I don't expect."

'You fear reminders of humanity. This very conversation you have shifted anxiously in your seat. Your reflection would bring back the reminder of a more human appearance. You are very reluctant to pull memories from before this 'void' that the only thing you have given me from it is your name. You are scared of falling back into human tendencies and call yourself a monster to refuse the very idea of any humanity you cling to. I must say, you are a very polite monster to have allowed this conversation.'

"...Tell me. What reason would I have to not indulge this conversation. You are aware I'm depriving myself of food and drink and that makes me seem weak. That you can kill me at any moment with that concealed sidearm despite only having one bullet in the chamber. I'm polite out of necessity, and out of boredom."

'How long have you known about the gun?'

"I could smell the gunpowder a mile away. You were doing target practice before you came to meet me and that sour smell mixed with the sweet scent of metal gave you away."

'...You don't seem mad?'

"Despite your insistence of what I fear, I still recollect emotions of my time as a a human. Of a kid scared of the boogeyman. You are living a child's nightmare just being in my presence. Your curiosity is strong but I still smell fear on you. I commend your bravery to seek out and interview monsters."

'...'

"What's the matter doc. Cat got your tongue? Realizing that psychoanalyzing a monster does not work when the monster can see through your fancy words and analysis?"

'Are you just playing with me? Is this a long and drawn out way to trap your food?'

"No. Like I said, I'm bored. Besides, I want my first meal to taste good. Not just a random kill of some nosy human who, well, smells more of urea than fear. Tell ya what, if it makes you feel better. Shoot me with that bullet, I'll drop to the ground, and you get to run feeling like you did something in spite of your fear."

'...No. I'm not going to shoot you. I'll leave you be to your twisted world.'

"Why? Does death scare you? Oh... That's it isn't it. Death scares you so you wanted to find the undead"

'No.'

"No? Give me your gun then."

'...Goodbye Mr. Grimm. You are a pitiful being. So much so I think you'd oughta change your name to Gollum'

"I'll stick with Pepsi Grimm thank you very much."

[tchallakingforever]

Not to be a bitter bitch but they really couldn't let Spider Man: Into the Spider Verse be out just a month before shoving p*ter p*rker down our throats again. Turns out I'm still angry about mcu pp and I have seen way too much itsp pp and not nearly enough Miles content, AS IT'S HIS MOVIE!!!!!! I'm sorry for being upset but Miles is one of my favorite comic book characters and one of the first comics I read. And it kills me that he doesn't get enough love and respect as he rightly deserves!

[aphrodite-would-be-proud]

Anon said: tried to read through all your request rules, but I didnt specifically see which Characters you write for. If you do, could you write for Porco helping his S/o sleep? I have super bad insomnia most days, and I just really want something fluffy with Porco...just cuddles or stories or something. If you dont write for Porco though could you switch it with a AoT character you do write for, I'm not really picky. Thank you so much in advance! 🥺💗

Porco helping you sleep

{Porco x reader | tw:none | sleep help, fluff | canon }

{ "The Night School" C.1660-C.1665 By Gerrit Dou 1613-1675 }

Unmoving shadows cast into the empty white walls, slightly flickering with the flame on the white candle sitting on the nightstand. Half lidded eyes observe their small movements for they're the only interesting thing in this empty hotel room you've been assigned. 

Your beige uniform tucked into the small closest with a single hanger inside, the armband hanging on the closest door for easy reach. The squeak of the spring mattress chirping up whenever you moved to flip your too stiff pillow. 

Judging by the amount of melted wax collecting on the bottom of the candle, you've been awake for far too long. 

This isn't the first time this has happened, you're used to getting acquainted with the room's walls and shadowy furniture.

Sleep has abandoned you long ago, its friend insomnia visiting you daily instead. Only leaving every week or so to remind you of what you could never have, taunting almost.

You've tried to force yourself to sleep really, did every known trick in the book, you even tried mediation like Zeke has been preaching to you about, but to no avail. so you've started making peace with the thing, you know at least using the night time to get things done since you're not getting rest either way.

Books were your first friend, for staring at the walls could only be entertaining for so long, but now with your stash of books miles away back home, you're left with nothing else to do.

The nightstand drawer only contained an emergency gun with several bullets inside, and the pocket knife under your pillow wasn't interesting enough.

Getting up from the bed, you picked up the candle before slowly inching the creaky door open. Maybe a glass of water could help, who cares that this is your third time going for water in the last hour? Well hydration is important after all, or so you tried to bargain for an excuse to stretch your legs.

Attempting your best to glide through the old wooden boards without as much as a squeak, you headed towards the kitchen, passing through several other bedrooms in the process, probably all deep in dream land already.

Everything was too quiet, the sound of water filling the glass was the only thing interrupting the silence, its cool feeling going down your dry throat helped you a bit.

Drinking down what you can, you decided to take the rest with you back, a good excuse for a trip to the bathroom later. Although as you turned, a figure was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and staring at you.

"Isn't it too early for breakfast?" Porco said, covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned, "you should get some rest while you can, we're getting thrown in the front trenches tomorrow." 

Just the mention of it made your stomach roll at the thought of staying in a muddy hole for days, the smell of gunpowder and yelling of soldiers, not to mention the crowded train rides back home.

"I know, it's just…" you stared at the water moving inside your glass while tilting it, "one of those days, you know?" 

eyes narrowing with his eyebrows pulling down in concentration, even Porco's sleep clouded mind could recognise the heavy bags under your eyes. The ride here used all of your energy and now you're too tired to even sleep.

Feeling an unpleasant weight on his chest, he wasn't sure what to say as he approached you, awkwardly leaning against the sink, a heavy sigh left him.

"You know, you should bother me more often, I don't mind it." His gentle tone was followed by a melancholic smile, "let's just...go to bed."

With that his hand wrapped around your wrist, loosely at first like he was reluctant about it, before it got more secure once you didn't pull away.

…

The old door gave out a creek as it closed behind you, the room dimmer than you left it with the candle you're carrying almost burning out. 

Looking at the small bed with a single pillow, you wondered how the two grown people would fit in it and judging by the frustrated look Porco was eyeing it with, he must be thinking the same.

Looking at him, your mind wondered back to all the battles you've fought together. For some reason the superiors always seemed more strick and harsh with him, especially after the paradise mission was launched.

Belitting and nagging, carelessly throwing him in risky situations.

Your grip tightened around the water glass, feeling growing thickness in your throat. "Hey...it's okay you can go to your room, you need sleep." You said moving past him to sit on the bed, "I'll be fine."

"Should've thought of that before waking me up, now scoot over." He said, rising an eyebrow and stepping closer.

"I didn't wake you up, you're just a light sleeper." Laying down, you stretched your limbs filling the bed, "there's no room, it won't fit."

Silence filled the room for a while, you could feel his eyes roaming over you, "Oh really? Well…"

One second, you were laying on the mattress while staring at his stubborn expression in confusion, the next a pair of arms was lifting you up as he stole your place before dropping you on him. His arm circled your waist not trusting that you won't pull away

"I made it fit." he looked at you with smugness in his eyes

His warm skin felt comforting against yours, contrasting with the cold room air, you could hear his slowing heartbeat with being so close to his chest, your legs slowly tangling to fit under the blanket covering you.

Apparently that's as far as his genius plan went, because after that an awkward silence filled the room.

"So...you made it fit huh?" You couldn't help but say, a grin slowly spreading on your face. 

Porco blinked in response, tilting his head, before his eyes stilled as his ears flushed. "Fucking god, you're such a-" his attempt to scold you was interrupted by a chuckle escaping mid-sentence.

Having a contagious laugh, soon enough you too joined him.

After it died down, the atmosphere was replaced by a much more relaxed one as his hold on you softened, more intimate than the previous one. 

"When I was a kid, i used to have trouble sleeping- well more like i was too stubborn to fall asleep." Porco said, trailing his finger up your back soothingly, "and since Marcel was stuck sharing a room with me, he'd tell me stories to get me to fall asleep."

"What kind of stories?" 

"...if you tell this to anyone I'm reporting you to the higher ups you for treason, they were flower stories." Clearing his throat, you could feel his heartbeat rising under you, 

Closely watching your reaction, Porco continued after some seconds. "now I'm not calling you a kid nor do i think it's as simple, i just think...we should give it a chance." 

With the heaviness of the blanket above you and warmth of his body underneath you, it was hard to refuse his request, especially with the way he looked at you so earnestly. 

You agreed, and felt his other hand reach to pull up the blanket more, tucking you protectively between his body and the soft fabric. 

"This first one is called...well i don't remember what names Marcel gave them, but it's about poppies."

Crimson red bringers of eternal sleep, their crumbled petals and dark centers often found in the ancient tombs of soldiers.

As the mother of nature, Demeter, mourned and grieved from the betrayal of Zeus, it wasn't only the mortal realm in which death loomed at every corner, for her own mind was a tormenting prison of never ending suffering.

And so a droplet of her blood sprang and flourished to create a six petaled flower, easing her heartache if only for a moment as the poppy put her to sleep, numbing the pain.

Following in her trail was a red carpet of poppies, soon enough death and sleep themselves wore the flower, red crowns resting on top of Thanatos's held up head and one almost slipping from Hypnosi's leaning one as he dozed off. for eternal sleep was only another name for visiting the underworld. 

A symbol of peace in resting and condolence for the loss of a loved one, became the poppy's role. 

"This is why you'd often see them in people's front pockets whenever we return home." Porco said, the light slowly vanishing from the room as the candle burned itself out, the flame snuffed.

You've never questioned why a delivery of poppies would always be on the requirements in each returning celebration, it's just always been there. 

Slow and easy breathes flew through you, lazily stretching your arms up till it met something soft. Porco seemed to tense as your fingers loosely combed through his hair, leaning into the touch after a while.

"Don't stop." He murmured, sleep clear in his voice as another yawn left him.

"Do you have any other stories?" Drowsiness sweeping through your mind, you buried your hed deeper against his neck, eyelids fluttering shut.

"Yeah just…" his hand stilled from behind you as he looked into space attempting to recall a memory, soon enough the soft stroking returned. "This one is about peony."

Named after none other than Paeon himself, these flowers lived up to their reputation of healing and honour, for they have their own story to tell.

How the peony came to be declared king of flowers.

During the Tang dynasty, empress Wu Zetian strolled through her garden. Frowning at the empty field of green covered in thick white blankets of snow, the harsh season not showing mercy for the plants.

With a new goal in mind to flip this dreadful looking graveyard of a garden, she set to defy nature for she is the ruler of the land and her word is law.

Per her majesty's order, all flowers shall bloom in the midst of winter's visit.

As the word travelled far, all the fairies in the land couldn't believe their ears, how could such delicate fragile petals grow amidst the storm and snow. For flowers only bloom in spring, how could we go against mother nature?

While merciless mother nature was cruel, she couldn't compare for the empress's strong rule. For the fairies feared for their wings as their knees shook in her presence.

When the sun shined again, it welcomed colourful fields of different flowers in full bloom. The empress was pleased with their sweet smell and proud colours, each one rivaling the other.

And yet, she stood still near one flower bed, eyes wide. The peony deified her words and stubbornly refused to open, only sticks and brittle leaves left in their place.

In a fit of rage, the empress banished the flower to a far away city, striping away their status.

Living up to their stubborn nature, the peony bloomed that spring the most beautiful flowers humans have ever seen, turning the city of Luoyang into a heavenly soft land as their petals danced through the wind.

But their beauty couldn't last long, for a hungry fire swallowed them all, under the order of the empress who turned their green to coal.

And yet to everyone's surprise, when the earth circled the sun again, the peonies were back in bloom. Springing from the ashes were their mesmerising big petals and soft colours. 

In their respect, the fairies crowned them for their bravery as the ruler of the flowers, for wasn't it for their sacrifice the flowers wouldn't have been freed.

"They stayed on the right way, even if it meant going against the world." Porco's slurred words were half muffled against the pillow, head buried in it, his eyelids seemed to get too heavy for him to force them open again.

Turning his head to the side, you felt his lips press a light kiss against your forehead before whispering a goodnight, his hold still comfortably secure around you as if you might slip away. 

Soon enough, you too drifted into sleep as only his soft snoring filled the room. The moon watching over both of you through the windows as her light barely reached inside. 

And at this instant, you didn't think there was anywhere else in the world you'd rather be. Thoughts of what the future holds were pushed to the back of your mind next to the past, for the present is now and what a waste it would be not to bask in these rare moments of peace in this horrible world

[jvzebel-x]

💝 circa 2015 ~ present 💝

🦋

when people first heard me speak, for years, the first thing they'd note was the crystal English, clearly spoken&carefully grammatically groomed. the way i couldn't code-switch verbally, the split second&pause to blink(&translate). as a child, it made me furious because it marked me apart as much as the translucent skin no one could ever explain, no matter how much sun i ever got, thick blue veins pulsing under skin that could never hide them regardless of how brown my skin turned. my mother raised me differently than she raised her other children: i am her eldest daughter, the one who stole her beauty in the womb&changed her life forever, the miracle baby she was never supposed to have that grew next to an ovary that needed to be removed during pregnancy. there have always been expectations, rules for the trade i made in utero, the very first deal with the devil i ever sealed to see daylight. every time she beat the mispronunciation out of me, she reminded me that it marked me as stupid, as ignorant, as a lazy islander, just like it had marked her, &every time someone noted my speech, the unspoken part was how they weren't expecting it from me. now, as an adult, it makes me furious because people think that my assimilation is a compliment, not a scar, &twice as much because my accent only comes out with the fury&proves the stereotype right.

the silence from either side of my family is deafening, the way that silence is so often heavier than any word that could be said over a staticky phone line, the same way distance is so often so much more than just measurements in how the crow flies. twelve miles is almost nothing, but a childhood believing your parents are both God&Devil can turn twelve miles into levels of hell, if you do it right. an angry mother with a score to settle can't be contained by an island, an ocean, millions of miles, or the alleged freedom that comes with aging out&moving away, &sometimes silence is the only way to say that. sometimes, "i'm sorry this is happening to you," is the only way someone can say, "i can't let this happen to me, too." &"mom&dad will be visiting some time soon," means, "if mom finds out i'm letting you crash on my couch, she will kill me." sometimes, "call me if you need anything else," really just means, "anything else, anything else, but this." but when i survived&my brother hugged me, when he saw the aftermath of the year&the place i'd found to live, after all, that silence was only apologies, only the silence of a lifetime of just trying to survive&trusting each other to understand that-- &i do.

i was raised in polarity in every way: my parents called our neighborhood "Nu'uanu" not "Kalihi", as if the name change would change the three police stations or the kam4 gang colours or the kpt knife fights or the meth ziploc baggies. this subtle mental gymnastics trick was one of the few things they could ever agree on, but none of their kids ever agreed from either side of the divided household. i was raised with a father, but not by one: i was the sacrificial lamb, the golden goose fated to die full of potential the second i opened my mouth to prove it didn't matter how much i looked like my father when i sounded just like his wife, had my nose in a book just like his wife, thought i was smart just like his wife, had a smart mouth just like his wife, took a hit just like his wife. i was my father's least favourite child, but my mother's best friend, &this worked out for both of them, in the end, because they could each blame me on the other.

every bottle of darkened sauce or infused oil i've ever had, i've refilled with water to get every drop of it out-- just like my mother before me, &her mother before her, this is the only thing i know of cooking from my mother, this act of careful conservation&the collection of mismatched bottles under the sink. i spent hours&hours&hours of my life in the kitchen with her, but cooking was an art she'd taught herself, a sacred craft she'd learned on her own. cooking was how my mother illustrated her love for her family, in feeding her sons who could&would eat plate after plate&shower her in compliments the entire time, &her husband who was only ever happy with her around dinnertime. cooking was my mother's sacred&special place, &hers alone: i was only allowed to watch, &expected to keep her company while she made magic out of food stamps&air. the first time she saw my spice collection once i'd moved out, she laughed, she was so shocked: she just had never thought i was the type to want to cook without a family to feed.

it isn't always about what's there-- sometimes, it's about what's not, &what you'll do to fill the space.

[teacup-tyrant]

SHADOW & BONE REVIEW: EP 4

On this episode: I crack open a bottle of kvass, the famous goat finally shows up, traditional Kazakh hats, I complain about onion domes, 1870s Russian composers, communist propaganda in Ravka (its more likely than you think), the Canadian national anthem, and a wild Leigh Bardugo appears.

...yes these are ALL things I found connections to in this episode because I am a fount of useless knowledge. There were LOTS of fun things to pick up on in this episode.

It is 10:30 am and I am busting open my bottle of kvass. Can you see my Grishaverse shirt in the reflection?

Kvass is non-alcoholic if you didn’t know, or very, very low percentage. My mom is from Poland and she says it means “sour” in Polish. Hmm yeah it’s pretty sour. Like a sour beer without the booziness. I’m drinking it out of a pewter tankard I stole from my Grandma’s bar years ago bc I wanted it. Ok, onward.

- Oh hello stag, you gotta nice rack eh heh heh I'm so sorry

- GENYA MY BEAUTIFUL LADY, WELCOME TO THE SHOW

- Was that a naked Alina BUTT?! Ok was not expecting that, ahahaha

- Fucking racist Ravkans (x2)

- I finally figured out who Genya reminds me of: Emilia Clarke with a different wig

- I have a pimple on my eyebrow, can you fix that plz Genya? Every teenage girl is crying right now wanting these IRL filter powers

- Oh ok the Crows are in West Ravka now already, womp. Just when I said I liked that they were in Ketterdam for longer than a second, booo

-Hah Kaz looks like a completely different person in the daylight. This is the first time it hasn’t been night for the crows

-NINAAAAA YOU SAY?!

-Ohhh she’s posing as Wandering Isle girl, I had been wondering about the plaid clothes in all the stills for some time. And Danielle gets to use her regular accent, lovely!

-Is that Fjerdan wearing a wolf?! If he’s Druskelle he should not be WEARING a wolf

- It’s so funny seeing all these stills that tumblr has been pouring over for WEEKS AND MONTHS show up in real-time

- HAHA Inej just dropping from the roof like nbd

- He said they need A GOAT. HERE WE GO BOYS, HERE COMES THE GOAT.

- "I’ll get the goat." Yeah you will, you edgy boy you, I can’t wait to see how hilarious this is going to be

- JESPER, NO. (Jesper yes) god Kit is such a delight in every scene

- Haha Alina’s veil looks stupid. Maybe get her one that matches her outfit at least. C'mon Genya, you know better

- Did she say "He cares little for mudbloods?" Well shit, he must be a Death Eater

- The Grand Palace. Man, it all looks so French. This is so nit-picky of me but I don’t like that the domes are so small and all at the same level. BUT if they made them staggered, it would look maybe TOO much like Russian Orthodox architecture? It's not like we don't already know we're in fantasy Russia. I still want the domes to be bigger. They are properly gold at least. Maybe there are more. Doesn’t Inej repel down from one in the trailer? I wanna see that one.

- I SEE LEIGH

- Fucking racist Ravkans (x3)

- Look at those soldiers wearing hussar jackets! I love the braiding on them, do you how hard it is to sew trim in a million parallel lines and have it be exactly even? It's really hard.

- OMFG LEIGH HUGGED HER IM GOING TO BURST INTO TEARS. It must have meant so much to her to be able to do that on screen, you can tell that hug was 100% genuine

- KAZ CARRYING THE GOAT. I am deceased. I am passed out. Someone send a healer, I have flatlined

- These propaganda posters tho! Is that Stalin?! He's got the same mustache! Is the Bolshevik revolution coming?! Sorry Ravka, it is time for communism, get in the 5-mile line for your bread and potatoes. Any funny business and you’re going to the gulag for life.

- Oh wait, I just realized Kaz is wearing a hat. And y’all made such a big deal about his hat and I ONLY just noticed it right now. It’s fine. I wrote a big meta about how Kaz is mafia-coded and wtf do mafiosos wear? Fedoras. ...shit I haven’t posted that meta yet, stand by, I'll get to it later

- Oohhh! That lady on the side of the platform is wearing a traditional hat like they wear in Kazakhstan!!! These are the cultural bits I live for! Amazing!

- This is about to be the heartfelt scene with the goat isn’t it. "He’s adorable." "Don’t get attached." Just kill me know, it’s fine, I can handle it.

- Matthias! Hello! Good to see you! The gangs all here! ...'cept for Wylan. At least he was mentioned. Not by name though. Book readers know.

- Goat on a leash. We were wrong about Kaz being a dog person. He is, in fact, a goat person.

- HAHA Jesper being chased to the train. The look on Kaz’s face is just: godDAMN IT Jesper why are you always like this

- Ok I love everyone’s I crossed the fold scars??? Badass. Like August’s tallies from This Savage Song by VE Schwab

- Whatever this machine is, Nikolai would like it. Maybe he had a hand in inventing it. Or, Sturmhond, rather.

-OMG ZOYA, SAVAGE. And I don’t mean the physicality.

- Oooo! Bodkin is wearing one of those woven Slav belts that you typically tie around a Vyshyvanka shirt but uhhh he's not wearing it properly. It doesn't go around your neck. Good try, though.

- Oooo the books in the library are pretty! The illustrations are lovely. And some of them are handwritten and some printed. Beautiful details

- The Lives of Saints. Shit, I don’t actually own that book. Sorry I’m a fake fan, I don’t even deserve to be here.

- Has Baghra always lived in a cave? I thought Baba Yagas live in huts. A hut on chicken leg stilts. ( ie Pictures at an Exhibition, Modest Mussorgsky, 1874.)

- Now Baghra, SHE has a nice raspy voice. I will say this about Kaz: he doesn’t have The Voice but I’m ok with it. I kind of like the contrast of him having a more soft voice bc Kaz is already sharp and gravely enough in other ways. You can't have everything. And Freddy is really damn good so I won't hear a word against him. Fight me.

- Oh she said “what are you.” Remember who else said the same words? Such connections, wow. I wonder if they're related.

- Aw, Trainman has 2 tin icons in the corner. Just like what Russian hockey players put in their equipment stalls. Religious people keep their icons close. We love to see it.

- Are you planning on using the goat as bait for volcra? Is he their canary that you send down a mine shaft to tell if there’s carbon monoxide?

- Is that Polish crystal on this table? I swear my mom has the same wine glasses in her China hutch.

- Jesper will not throw out the goat, he will hug the goat and shut the hell up. Sir, that is his emotional support goat.

- Ok wow that is some good precision shooting. Was that fabrikator magic making that shot?

- Alina is doing a voiceover recap. Kinda weird. Should have used new material instead of clips from previous episodes. We're only on ep 3, we don't need a recap yet.

- Nuh uh, sory the “true north” is actually Canada, the words are in their national anthem. "The true north strong and free!"

...It is now noon, I need lunch brb.

ep1 | ep2 | ep3 | ep4 | ep5 | ep6 | ep7 | ep8

[dontcallmebabyxx]

Chapter 1: English Boy

Sage's POV:

7:00am and the alarm went off. It's been 3 days of this new lifestyle I'm trying to live and I'm actually enjoying the extra time I have in the mornings, given the fact I used to wake up somewhere around 11am, but hey! Adulting and productivity at it's finest, or so I like to believe.

I recently moved to L.A to pursue that dreamy fresh start every 20-something year old dreams of. After just a few days here, I found a job in a little coffee shop and have been working there since, it's really cool actually, the place is amazing, the staff is nice and I'm a whore for coffee so it's a win-win situation.

Getting out of bed after checking my phone for any notifications that I might have missed in my sleep, but all I got were a bunch of messages from my sister having a crisis after finishing the last episode of The Vampire Diaries, and I mean... I get her.

I'm really taking this whole new and improved lifestyle very seriously, I'm meditating and everything, even lighting some incense here and there to get the whole scene and mood going.

After my whole yogi moment I went to the bathroom and started getting ready for work. I stared at myself in the mirror and said my daily affirmations: "I'm smart, I'm capable, I'm a bad bitch, I'm worth it, and I'm loved" I tell myself pushing back the memories as I say that last part. Today is going to be a good day because I have an early shift so that means I get to work with my sister, who was the one that got me the job in the first place.

I am pretty basic when it comes to clothes and always prioritize comfort over looks, unless I go out. Only then and there will I risk my wellbeing and wear high heels and tiny ass dresses to remind myself that I can also be THAT bitch. On the day to day I'm pretty basic. I really like warm colors so most of my closet is based around that color scheme.

I made my way (downtown) in this chaotic ass, traffic-filled city that I love very much, hating myself for even thinking about A Thousand Miles as I drive myself to work and officially start my day.

After saying hi to the staff and starting getting everything ready, Sydney arrives.

"I'm sorry! I overslept" Syd said as she rushed behind the counter to the back of the shop and got ready for her shift.

"Chill, it's still pretty early. You still have 20 minutes and I already got everything set up" I reassured her.

"You're an angel, thanks" she said, coming behind me and hugging me.

A few hours into the shift I started cleaning some tables and saw a group of people coming in. And as I was about to greet them, I heard a familiar voice.

"Sage?" I looked at her and recognized her immediately.

"Holy shit Sarah!" I said smiling and hugging her, she hugged me back and introduced me to her friends.

"Guys, this is Sage. We were neighbors back in London". "This is Charlotte" she said and Charlotte greeted me with a hug

"So nice to meet you" She said with a big smile on her face.

"You too!" I said, smiling back.

"And this is Ny", Sarah said gesturing towards her

"Hi!" She said and we hugged too.

We walked to the counter and I took their order.

"Sydney? Since when do you two live here?" Sarah said as soon as she saw my sister.

"We moved here with my dad a few months ago, mom stayed back in London though" Sydney explained smiling at her.

As I gave them their order, Sarah said "we should get together, catch up and drink some wine like our moms did when we were little, it's our time to have those kinds of nights" Us three laughed remembering those days and how close our moms are. "The girls and the rest of the group are coming over to my house tomorrow for dinner and you two are coming" she gave me a stern look knowing that I'm not one to be around many people.

"Fine, we'll be there" Syd and I agreed, exchanging phone numbers with Sarah and getting back to work.

*The next day*

It was nearly 4:00 pm when I left work after my shift ended. Sarah's dinner started at 9:00 but she texted me earlier telling me to be there at 7:00 so we could have some time to catch up just the two of us.

I got home and decided to call my mom to tell her about yesterday.

"Hi mom" I greeted her as she answered the FaceTime call.

"Hi sweetie, how was your day? I'm sorry I couldn't call you back yesterday, the girls came over and we had a wine night" she said laughing.

"It's fine mom, don't worry" I reassured her, "Speaking of wine nights, I ran into Sarah yesterday at the cafe.

"Sarah Jones? Wow, you two hadn't seen each other since she moved! How is she?".

"She's great. I'm going to her house today to catch up and meet some of her friends" I told her.

"I heard from her mom that she's drumming for this English boy, maybe you know him!" She said

"Wouldn't know mom, I just recently started following her social media and haven't had the time to stalk her" I said laughing and she joined me.

We talked just for a little while given the time zone, then said our goodbyes because it was getting late and I had to start getting ready. I headed to my bathroom and began undressing as I put on some music. I chose one of my favorite playlists called "Middle School Me" which is basically my indie-emo-punk phase and I love it.

*Something Good Can Work* started playing and I can't help but move to the little beat as I entered the shower. I did the usual and washed my hair so it's easier to style later.

I finished my shower, wrapping myself in a towel and wrapping my hair on an old cotton t-shirt because I learned from a youtube blogger that that's the best way to prevent frizz, and I hope and pray it works because I've been bleaching my hair and it's coming to bite me in the ass now.

I moisturized and opened my closet deciding on what to wear, and after trying on my top 3 choices, I went for a black dress because you can NEVER go wrong with a black dress, and dressed it down a bit with some black boots and a oversized denim jacket that I stole from one of Sydney's ex.

I like wearing short sleeves because you can see my tattoos, which I love and adore with all my heart.

I got my keys, checked my phone to see if Sarah sent me the address already which she did, double checked that I had everything I needed in my purse and headed to the door. I got in my car and continued listening to my playlist and laughed as Avril Lavigne started playing and I sang along as I made my way to Sarah's house.

I arrived with 10 minutes to spear and rang the bell. Sarah opened the door and gave me a tight hug which I gladly accepted and hugged her as well. "Holy shit, you look great! Come in" she said, giving me space to walk through the door and into her house. She took my purse and my jacket and handed me a glass of wine which I took and thanked her for. "Where's Sydney?" She asked, seeing that I came by myself.

"She has a test on Monday so she stayed home".

"Oh yeah, you live with your dad right?" She asked, sitting down on the couch and I took a seat next to her.

"No, just Syd. I have my own place, it's not that far from here actually" I explained.

"That means you're hosting the next wine night" she said, making me laugh.

After a little catching up I remembered what my mom told me and ask Sarah,

"So, my mom told me you're some English boy's new drummer" I told her, bringing the wine glass to my lips to take a sip.

She laughed out loud "some 'English boy', oh my god that is amazing. But yes, I actually just came back from touring with him. Ny and Charlotte are also in the band and the guys you'll meet today too" she said.

"Oh, and am I meeting the English boy today as well?" I ask grinning.

"Yes, but I'm not telling you who he is, I want to see you shitting your pants when you meet him".

"Is it Tom Misch? Because if it is I will actually shit myself".

"I guess you'll have to see when he arrives" she laughed and I told her that's no fun.

It was now 9-ish and people started arriving. The first one to arrive is Mitch, who I greeted and hugged as Sarah introduced us. And I swear I could feel a type of vibe going on between them but I decided to push aside and interrogate Sarah about it another time. Then Ny and Charlotte arrived and when they saw me they approached happily to greet me which I appreciated because I was starting to get anxious about meeting all these new people.

"I was telling Sage about how we are the band for this 'English boy' as she called him" Sarah air quoted telling them as they sat on the couch and some chairs around the coffee table.

"English boy? yes, I guess you could say so" Mitch said, laughing.

"Hey! it was my mom who called him that in the first place" I said smiling while pouring Ny a glass of wine.

We continued talking about random topics, I told them a little bit about myself, and they did the same. I stood up and went to the bathroom, and as I was walking out the door I bumped into somebody.

"Omg I'm sorry, I wasn't looki-" I stared up at him and holy shit! It's Harry Styles.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine." he said "I'm the English boy, you must be Sage". He said, stretching out his hand to greet me

"Yes. Nice to meet you English boy." I said, stretching out my hand to shake his, blushing at the fact Sarah already told him but not surprised at all that she did.

"Well, if you excuse me I have to take a wee" he said, laughing and I moved to let him go into the bathroom. I walked to the kitchen and saw Sarah there.

"What the actual fuck Sarah Jones?! English boy is THE Harry Styles?" I said shocked to which she laughed.

"He is. I figured you wouldn't know because I know you, and I can tell you don't follow him like you do to others, but I told you you would shit your pants because I know deep down there, directioner Sage still exists" She said, eating a grape out of the charcuterie board she's preparing.

"Ok first of all, I was NOT a directioner. I liked a couple songs and that's it" I joked, trying to minimize it. "And if I had to choose one I'd go with Zayn" I told her, rolling my eyes jokingly. "But still, wow. I really don't follow him or his solo music really, but this is huge Sarah! I'm so happy for you" I told her, feeling genuinely happy for her.

"Yes, we have a great team. I'm giving you a copy of the album because I know you haven't properly listened to it" She said. Which is true. I only listened to Only Angel once on the radio, and it's actually a great song, it was stuck in my head for like a week. I might give this album a chance and crank it in my apartment.

We headed to the living room and Harry followed behind as soon as he exited the bathroom. He got behind me near my ear and said, "Sarah told me you're not a fan, I gotta say it really hurts my ego but I might push it behind and turn you into a fan".

"Oh, really?" I said, raising an eyebrow and turning to him.

"Well, whether or not you become a fan it's up to you, but I would like to get to know you and you to know me, the actual me I mean" he said, sitting next to me.

"We'll see about that" I told him as I brought the wine glass to my lips. I wondered if this thing actually looked hot like in the movies or if I just looked like an idiot.

We continued talking and laughing as Sarah told stories about our teen years and all the stupid shit we did.

"And that's how Sage broke her arm on a date" she finished the embarrassing ass story which I wished she had forgotten, but how could she... she was the one that came to my rescue when I fell down the window trying to sneak out the boys house when his parents got there. We definitely lived the best teen years together, I really missed her and I'm glad we met again.

Around 2:00 am I decided it was time to head back home,

"Guys it was lovely meeting all of you and I'm sure we'll hang out again soon but I really need to go" I said standing up.

"Oh come on Sage!" Charlotte complained laughing, "it's still pretty early".

"I know but I have an early shift tomorrow so I should get going" I grabbed my jacket and my purse and started to make my way around saying goodbye to everyone, thanking that I only had one glass of wine because I wouldn't be able to drive otherwise.

As I got to Harry he smiled as he hugged me "Maybe I'll come visit you tomorrow at work. Ny says your apple pie is out of this world" he said.

"If I may say so myself, it's pretty fucking awesome" I said laughing.

"Bye Sarah" I said, hugging her and walking to my car.

I arrived, got ready for bed, and stared at the ceiling until I managed to push behind all the dark thoughts and memories that haunt me daily, and finally fell asleep.

[edencantstopfallininlove]

A Declaration

You might want to read this all the way through. There’s something quite important that I want to share with you guys... However, if you reblog, don’t spoil the surprise in your response or the tags! In light of more recent posts, feel free to ignore that now!

As a disclaimer, I know nothing about fashion and I make that pretty obvious, but heck it

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

How fortunate it was that the streets of Port Maerifa were so quiet that evening. The blue accents of the city's architecture were bolstered by the coming of twilight. A faint sea breeze danced about from the docks. As day slowly shifted into night, a pair of footsteps could be heard ambling along the streets.

Dhar was leading the way, guiding his lover by the hand as they moved towards their destination. This was a date they had been planning together for weeks; now that it was finally drawing to a close, Heather took the opportunity to really drink in the sight of the man who stole her heart. He had abandoned his usual armour in favour of a white shirt with a leather jacket, indigo denim slim jeans and black dress shoes that seemed to shine a little in the blue hour. Over his shoulder, he wore a small musky red bag with a thin strap; she wondered why he would need it on a date, but proceeded not to think about it again once they were out the door. All in all, she thought he looked just as gorgeous as always, if not even more so.

For their date, the two had put together a whistle-stop tour of their favourite spots. Each destination had a story behind it, a reason for them to slow down and reminisce. Deep down, Heather contemplated the possibility that there was a greater motive behind the whole thing. The final stop on their tour had taken them to a spot they knew all too well. The arch at the city’s foot.

"Oh, this place," said Heather, thinking aloud. "Remember the whole 'who stays and who goes' talk we had here? When you told Ajna - you told everyone - that you had nowhere to belong?"

"That I do," replied Dhar, "but a lot's changed since then. And I find myself thinking that less and less as time goes by; as I spend more new days with you."

"You’re so right. I've been thinking about the friends we've made on our journey, how we've come to be like family to each other. I hope you've felt it, Dhar. That there are people who care about you and are proud of how far you've come."

There was a long, comfortable silence as the couple stood side by side and drank in the atmosphere of the city. Feeling the urge to happy-stim, Heather clicked together the short heels of her black flats. She loved little gaps like this, where she could take a moment to feel the cool air brushing against her skin, ruffling the knee-length skirt of her blue summer dress, and appreciate everything that had built up to this moment. Every high, every low, every failure and triumph that led the two of them down their respective paths, and to each other.

"Marry me."

And then she heard them. The two words that dissolved her train of thought. Heather flinched on the spot as she tried to make sense of everything. The gentleness in Dhar's voice, the feeling of his fingers interlocking with hers, the fondness in his eyes... Was he staring at her the whole time?!

"Dhar, have you been hanging around Baozhai?" she asked, stammering her way through. "Did she imbibe you into this before we left?"

Dhar had to laugh. "Gods no, you know I won't drink that crap of hers!"

"Neither will I, to be fair."

"Come on, I'm serious! I want us to get married. I can’t think of anything better than being able to spend the rest of our lives like this."

Still not entirely believing what she was hearing, Heather turned to hold her lover's free hand as their gazes met.

"Just being with you is... already so much more than I ever thought I deserved. You know my past. There have been times when I've wondered whether you'd be happier without me. And yet, no matter how far I fell into the cycle of self-doubt, you've always been there to help me back onto my feet. It's you who moulded me into the man I am now. Someone who truly feels worthy of this woman's love. And believe me, you deserve it all in return. I want to remind you every day of how strong you are. How supportive, how compassionate, how beautiful, inside and out. Cliche as it sounds, you are, without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, I literally wouldn't be here if not for you. Whatever the future holds for us, I want us to always be around to support each other. Because you and I? We're a team."

After a brief pause, Dhar abruptly shifted a single hand around in the shoulder bag. "Shit, where'd I put the damn thing...?"

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'll help you look for it if you-"

Heather was silenced first by the sight of the black box (it wasn't all an elaborate joke), then by the ring itself as Dhar knelt down and opened it - the silver band twisted upwards, with one line on each side adorned with amethysts that led the eye towards a single large orange topaz. What else could she do in that moment but gasp?

"Heather, my saviour, my rock, my love... Will you make me the happiest person in all the worlds?" His hopeful smile was offset now by glassy eyes, looking at Heather as if she were the most incredible thing to ever exist as he finally got to the big question. "Will you marry me?"

Heather's eyes sparkled as she preserved the memory of a display of love and vulnerability that she never would've expected from Dhar when they first met. But he was not the same man he was back then. He had grown so much kinder, nobler, truer; her heart swelled with pride at the privilege of being a part of that change.

If only he knew she’d made up her mind long ago.

"Yes!! Of course!" she cried as she dived in and enveloped her beloved in the biggest, tightest embrace he had yet been given. Dhar was, frankly, amazed that he managed to maintain his hold on the ring box.

"Woah, don't hug me! I should be hugging you!!"

He was quick to get over the shock, though, melting into his now fiancée’s touch and, at last, allowing himself to cry. After holding back long enough to say his piece, hearing the answer he had sought cemented this as the best day of his life, and now was the time to set his elation free.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess right now..." he said when he let go after what seemed like aeons.

"A hot mess, maybe," replied Heather with a laugh as the ring was placed on her finger. "Still, you did say you'd be the happiest person in the worlds. You kind of asked for this!"

"I suppose I did, yeah. But it was worth it."

Almost instinctively, Dhar slid two fingers under Heather's chin, lifting her head to lock eyes with her in a silent request for permission. She responded with a subtle nod and, in the fading moonlight, accompanied by distant ocean waves, their promise of a union was sealed with a deep, lingering kiss, hands resting in each others’ hair, smiling against each others lips. It came so naturally, like it was always meant to be.

"Thank you, Heather. For everything. I love you... So, so much."

"Likewise, Dhar. I promise you won't regret this. Here's to our future - together."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Soooo yeah, you probably all saw this coming a mile away, but...

As of today, Dhar and I are engaged!

An official announcement post will be going out at some point in the next few days, fingers crossed!

For reference, the ring looks like this: (psst everyone pitched in)

@ode-to-joie @tuff-and-fluff @f-orever-and-ever @abigailsfictionalothers @kitten-ships @dazailovemail​ @growlitheships @fawnships @fireemlmblem​ @rosepetalcharm​ and everyone who’s been kind enough to listen to me gush about my selfship!

[rivalsforlife]

one more ahaha but the cherry blossom scene at the end of catch up game ch 3 because i'm still thinking nonstop about it all the time 👀👉👈

ABSOLUTELY I CAN also for anyone reading this go look at Mika’s art which inspired this scene. It’s the tumblr version so you can reblog it too, which you should do, even if you don’t read my long rambling,

okay once again rambling below...

Traditionally, Larry Butz arrived at any social gathering anywhere from half an hour to three hours later than the time he was told, so all things considered, he was actually early. Phoenix wasted no time informing him of the latest betrayal among their small elementary school friend group.

this is a direct callout to one of my friends from high school, where we started seriously considering telling her that any social event we were planning started an hour earlier than it actually did so that she’d make it there on time. We never did in case this turned out to be the time she actually made it on time, but still.

“Larry, remember that one time we were trying to make that gigantic hopscotch game, and we ran out of chalk?” He pointed an accusatory finger at Edgeworth, who sighed. “It turns out, Edgeworth hid it all along!”

Larry blinked, then shrugged. “Oh yeah, right, that. Well, I kind of had an idea…”

“Wh — You hid this from me too?! D-Death! The death penalty for the both of you!”

“Why does this all sound so familiar,” Edgeworth commented under his breath.

I think this part is mostly there so Larry actually does something because I couldn’t find any real way to fit him into this fic...? Anyways the dialogue there with Phoenix threatening the death penalty on Miles and Larry is pretty much directly lifted from the end of Turnabout Goodbyes, which is why Miles comments on it sounding familiar. 

They continued on in that vein for some time, dredging up old elementary school memories. Phoenix proclaimed to be the only innocent member of that group, before Edgeworth brought up a set of very nice gel pens Phoenix reportedly stole from him. Phoenix and Edgeworth got caught up in their argument, and barely even noticed when Larry wandered away, joining Maggey and Gumshoe at the fishing pond while Franziska critiqued them.

This sort of familiar banter was normal. As Edgeworth teased in that same way he had ever since Phoenix first faced him in court, he had to wonder if he’d just imagined the way Edgeworth had been looking at him during the party. Maybe everything was fine, after all.

Not pictured: Phoenix and Miles leaning in closer to each other as they argue. too close. Larry tries to comment but neither of them hear him. Eventually he just walks away because he’s sick of third-wheeling with these two. It’s my firm belief that if there weren’t the court benches in the way that they need to slam, these two would slowly walk closer and closer to each other as they argue because they. uh. want to “intimidate” each other. that’s why they’re nose to nose like that. the whole courtroom is suddenly very uncomfortable.

Haha anyways also I think these two would pick the dumbest things to argue about all the time? Never seriously arguing, the just like bickering because they don’t know how to hold conversations about their feelings.

“You still haven’t explained exactly what happened to my gel pen set,” Edgeworth accused, as they circled around the argument for the third time.

Phoenix threw his hands up in the air. “I just forgot to return it! I didn’t know you were so bothered by it. You should have brought it up!”

“Back then? You were so sensitive. If I brought up that you might have upset me in the least, you would have burst into tears.”

“I wasn’t that sensitive.”

Edgeworth sighed. “Wright, you cried when I got a question wrong on a spelling test, because you thought I would be sad about it.”

“And you were!” Phoenix retorted. “You cried for like an hour!”

“Because when you started crying, I thought it was something I had to be ashamed of!”

More bickering, pretty much! Also I do think Phoenix cried A Lot and was super sensitive up until the whole Dahlia trial which traumatized him pretty badly... 

Anyways the REAL story behind this incident which I am making up just now is probably that Miles was on the verge of crying because of Getting Something Wrong -- which I totally get, I absolutely almost cried over spelling tests as a baby -- and Phoenix picked up on this and realized his best friend was sad and started crying, which made Miles start to fully cry, and it just became a mess.

Meanwhile Larry with the 3/10 on his spelling test was just like “I don’t get what you guys are so upset about a 9/10 is great” which just makes them cry even more.

(Then Gregory probably found out about this incident and sat Miles down and gave him a speech about “everyone makes mistakes and it’s okay to not be perfect all the time, this is a learning opportunity and it shows you what you need to work on!”

:)

That sentiment didn’t last very long.)

Wow I’m getting off topic, moving on --

Phoenix crossed his arms. “I remember this whole thing very differently than you do. You cried first.”

“I never cried in fourth grade.”

Phoenix leaned in and whispered into his ear, “Origami.”

“Do not bring that up!” Edgeworth hissed as Phoenix reared back, laughing.

I don’t know if you need to lean in super close and whisper that in his ear though Phoenix, that might be a bit unnecessary. Miles got lucky here in that his Eternal Shame over not being able to fold an origami crane in fourth grade overrode whatever reaction he undoubtedly would have had about Phoenix’s face being very close to his face.

Anyways this banter is here in the fic mostly because I really wanted to show them being all comfortable and happy with each other. That was a major thing I wanted to push as much as possible in these earlier chapters, that they do care about each other a lot even before we enter the more outright romantic territory.

“Regardless, I am certain you took my gel pen set, so don’t try to blame faulty memory on that one. I bet you carelessly used them all up, didn’t you?”

“Hardly! I wouldn’t even touch it after you left. It reminded me of you.”

Some of the fight left Edgeworth’s stance. “Really?”

“Well… yeah.” He wasn’t sure why the admission suddenly felt like a confession of an entirely different sort.

aw man Phoenix you brought feelings into your banter NOW what are you going to do.

I’m preeetty sure I have books that I lent to my friends in fourth grade that they never gave back so it’s of course not an inherently romantic thing, they probably just forgot it was mine and obviously aren’t going to bring it back now ten years later, but for Phoenix in this case it was probably more like “I borrowed these gel pens from Miles and then keep forgetting to give them back but was going to after winter break, and then he left, so I need to hold onto them until he comes back”. Miles was taken from his life so suddenly it probably had a huge effect on him, especially since he had few friends at the time and Miles made such a big impact on him.

The two of them sat underneath the tree in a sudden, serene quiet. They’d both discarded their suit jackets at some point, down to their dress shirts and waistcoats. Phoenix pretended not to notice the way Edgeworth’s eyes darted across the line of his shoulders and lingered longer than they should have.

I don’t ever really pay much attention to what people are wearing or what they look like at any particular time when I’m writing, but in this case I took extra care to make sure they were in the same outfits as in the art that inspired this!

Maybe I’ll ramble a bit more about that! Pretty much the “theme” of narumitsu week this year was “cherry blossoms”, so I wanted to find some way to incorporate them into this fic somewhere somehow. I decided to have that as a focus on Free Day because I enjoy having structure and wasn’t sure what to have for the day.

Some of this scene, mainly the picnic, is inspired by that one official art here. The first iteration of this chapter had everyone in it (with the obvious exceptions of Diego and Mia) but then I took out Maya and Pearl for reasons I explained when I was talking about the scene in chapter 6 where I decided to cut a lot of Maya’s scenes out of this fic... even though I love her a lot.

And of course when I thought about cherry blossoms and narumitsu I thought about Mika’s art, yes I am linking it again, which I believe she posted about a month or so before I started planning and I was Thinking About It Constantly. It’s gorgeous and since there was the perfect opportunity to use it here I just couldn’t resist and here we are.

Back to the paragraph: Miles attempted to subtly check Phoenix out. It was not subtle.

“Do you still have those gel pens?” Edgeworth asked, softer. “I think you owe me them, after everything.”

“Oh, shut up,” said Phoenix, but it was difficult to have a heated argument right now, for some unknown reason. “If I still have them, they’re in a box somewhere. Plus, they ought to have dried up by now.”

“I doubt it.” A faint smile was beginning to crawl on Edgeworth’s face. “Those gel pens were state of the art.”

“Sure they were,” Phoenix dismissed. “And, what, you’re going to use them? Sign your fancy prosecutor documents in bright pink?”

“What makes you think I don’t do that already?”

“You wouldn’t — oh, wait, of course you’d have customized ink in the same colour as your entire wardrobe, who am I even talking to…”

“Mhm.” Edgeworth brushed his bangs from his eyes, a motion that Phoenix’s brain decided to fixate on for some reason. “But really, you went to all the trouble of keeping the set, and you never used any of them?”

(Miles voice) “oh so you kept something as trivial as that for so long because they reminded you of me? Tell me more. Why do you want a reminder of me. What exactly do you think of me, Wright,”

hm pretty much as soon as Phoenix brought Feelings into this conversation the atmosphere kind of changed and you can now imagine Miles staring with the most adoring expression at Phoenix while Phoenix is ignoring this with such intensity that it doesn’t even show up in his narration. But he also watches the way Miles brushes his bangs from his eyes, so he’s not much better.

And thinking about it now this scene really went on for too long about gel pens hahaha... 

“Objection!” Phoenix declared. “I used the blue one to write you letters at first.”

“Ah, of course you did. I never got any of those… How many did you send?”

“I don’t even want to know…”

Edgeworth hummed and looked off into the distance, where Gumshoe was demonstrating how to cast a line. “Your level of dedication is something else,” he said, as if to himself.

“Well, yeah. You were my only non-Larry friend. You were…” Phoenix swallowed. “You were important to me, you know? You saved me.”

“You keep bringing that up. You’ve more than returned the favor, you know that, don’t you?”

“I’m inclined to disagree.”

I don’t have a consistent headcanon about whether Miles got or read the letters, in this fic presumably von Karma intercepted them and got rid of them... and then presumably Miles ignored any that were sent to him as an adult.

Also these two are going to have ridiculous arguments about who saved who until they’re on their deathbeds, I’m sure.

Edgeworth turned back towards him as if to retort, but stopped halfway, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at Phoenix.

“... Something on my face?” Phoenix asked, trying to quell the feeling of some sort of anxiety that bubbled up when Edgeworth stared at him like that.

insert mikacherryblossomart.png

Miles turns away for one second and then suddenly oh no he’s even more gorgeous now

Edgeworth was silent for some time. Then, very softly, he said, “You have cherry blossom petals in your hair.”

“What? Do I?” He reached a hand up to brush them out, but Edgeworth stopped him by grabbing his wrist, freezing Phoenix.

“With your hair, you’ll never get them out like that.” With his spare hand, Edgeworth began to pick each individual petal from his hair. “You look so — silly, Wright.”

Partially a callback to the beginning of chapter 3, when they were kids:

“Y-Your hair,” Miles managed to say through stifled laughter. “One of the flowers fell into it.”

Phoenix hands shot up into his hair. “Really?”

“You look so silly, Phoenix.” When Phoenix failed to find the flower, Miles reached out. “Here, let me.” 

 Phoenix remained still as Miles reached up to the top of his head and picked the flower out of his hair. “Your hair’s really soft,” Miles said quietly, before handing it over to Phoenix. “Here you go.”

because Miles apparently remembered that it was difficult for Phoenix to get the petals from his hair the first time, and also, wanted an excuse to touch Phoenix’s hair again.

But also the dialogue and interactions are ONCE AGAIN INSPIRED BY MIKA based on this reply to my reply to the art on twitter. look at that you can go and retweet the art on twitter too!

Overall this gives us an accurate Thoughts to Speech translator for Miles:

Miles: You have cherry blossom petals in your hair and it is going to kill me.

Phoenix: What? Do I?

Miles: No, wait, don’t brush them out, I want to touch your hair because it is soft and this is the perfect excuse. You look so captivating.

if Miles had said that out loud though it would probably have killed both of them.

Phoenix let out an awkward, low laugh, starting somewhere deep within his chest. “R-Really.”

“Mhm.”

Edgeworth’s eyes locked with Phoenix’s, and time seemed to freeze. There was a sudden thrum of tension in the air, as if Phoenix were in a play and he’d suddenly forgotten his lines, forgotten he was supposed to be in a play at all.

(chanting) “kiss kiss kiSS KISS KISS --”

But before either of them could break the sudden spell over them, a fishing hook whirred through the air, and —

“Ack, I — I think I got it stuck!”

but of course that needs to be interrupted at the worst possible time because this is fanfiction and this is how things work!

“In the tree?! How did you even manage to get it that far?”

“Don’t worry about it, Maggey, I can climb up the tree and get it unstuck, just hang on —”

“No, no, if I just give it a big yank—”

“Maggey—!”

I broke the first rule of writing dialogue because I can’t really remember who’s supposed to be saying what. I think that Maya had a few lines here and then I didn’t change them since there were no dialogue tags...

Pretty much -- Maggey with her eternal luck tried to fish but released the line too early as she was swinging back so the line went back and got caught in the tree branches directly above Phoenix and Miles.

I think the dialogue progression goes Maggey -> Originally Maya but now either Larry or Franziska -> Gumshoe -> Maggey -> everyone going MAGGEY NO!!!

I remember going fishing with my grandpa once a long time ago and either I or my brother did get the fishing line stuck in a tree. would not recommend.

The branch above Phoenix and Edgeworth jostled, and pink petals burst all around them, fluttering down and catching in their hair and on their clothes. One petal even fell behind Edgeworth’s glasses.

They stared at each other for a moment, stunned, Edgeworth’s hand still loosely wrapped around Phoenix’s wrist, as Maggey shouted apologies from the distance.

There are no cherry blossom trees where I live so I have no idea if we’re even in the right season for this or if cherry blossom trees even behave this way - but I’m basing it off of... you know when it’s that point in fall where if you shake a tree branch leaves will just scatter everywhere? That. 

Also RIP to the other four who were just having a grand old time fishing and then turn around seeing these two sitting really close to each other almost holding hands about two seconds away from a kiss... which they’d just interrupted...

And then — the most incredible thing happened, and Edgeworth began to laugh.

Phoenix could have catalogued all the laughs he heard from Edgeworth: the usual, short laughs often mistaken for a scoff by those who didn’t know him as well as Phoenix did; the triumphant, smug, courtroom laughs when he thought he had Phoenix cornered; to the quiet, restrained ones in private that were more of a hum than anything else. This laugh was new.

This was a full-on fit of laughter bubbling deep in his chest and spilling from his mouth, which Edgeworth quickly covered with his free hand, with the additional bonus of covering his reddening face. It wasn’t something hidden or faked or triumphant, it was genuine, and open, and Phoenix could swear it was one of the most beautiful sounds he ever heard.

Miles here is going through an emotional rollercoaster having been two seconds away from finally kissing the love of his life only to be interrupted at the worst possible time, which is just so on brand for the two of them that he can’t help but start laughing hysterically. Plus Phoenix probably looks absolutely shocked suddenly covered in petals, which doesn’t help.

Then the next two paragraphs are brought on by Phoenix Pining and also me wanting Miles Edgeworth to laugh more... 

From my notes for this scene:

They stare at each other for a moment and laugh, and Miles’ laugh just utterly captivates Phoenix and makes him fall so completely in love immediately and oh no he is screwed he is utterly screwed.

So pretty much I had to encapsulate the “falling so completely in love immediately” part which I decided to do by focusing on Miles laughing. I wanted to draw a lot of attention to that which is why there are so many paragraphs dedicated to Miles laughing and Phoenix thinking about Miles laughing.

Trucy’s laughter always made the world feel a little brighter, and made Phoenix feel stronger. Edgeworth’s laugh did the opposite; it dislodged something inside of him, it weakened him, it made the whole world go soft and fuzzy around him. Instead of illuminating all the good in the world, it turned Phoenix’s world into one person.

More focus on Miles’ laughter but also... kind of drawing attention to Phoenix’s reaction to this being different from his reaction to other people he cares about laughing? Because feeling warm and happy when seeing someone you care about non-romantically laugh is normal, but then I wanted to make it clear that this is a different sort of feeling for Phoenix. 

Also Phoenix has to realize this is a different sort of feeling for him because otherwise he could brush it off like he’s probably dismissed all of his romantic feelings throughout the years as “oh I’m just glad my friend is happy, and I rarely ever hear Edgeworth laugh so him being relaxed enough to laugh like that makes me feel happy too,” but it’s not what he’d expect if he just sees Miles as a friend. And it’s described as weakening in the paragraph because right now the subject of his romantic feelings for Miles isn’t something that Phoenix can fully or easily accept right now (as chapter 5 would indicate).

Edgeworth’s fit of laughter subsided, and he shifted his hand so he could look at Phoenix again, the hints of a shy grin peeking out between his fingers, his hair and his shirt and his face adorned with a sweet, gentle pink. It was like looking at an entirely different person — or, no, the same person, but with all armor off, all guards lowered.

Miles is very embarrassed right now but kind of... in a good way...? Like again, almost kissed the love of his life then rudely interrupted at the last possible moment, plus Phoenix’s whole reaction to the thing gave Miles the impression that Phoenix wanted to kiss him as well, so he’s feeling a little giddy. Plus he was just laughing a lot when he normally doesn’t do that. Overall he’s not used to expressing his emotions so he’s embarrassed and a little shy about it...

The part about Miles’ “hair and shirt and face adorned with a sweet, gentle pink” refers to both the cherry blossom petals (in his hair and clinging to his shirt and a bit on his face) and also him blushing quite a bit.

It all feels a little out of character honestly haha because Miles isn’t really the type to be blushing hardcore like this and be a little shy, buuut in this case I let myself get away with it because he’s dealing with romantic feelings he hasn’t ever dealt with at this level before, and it’s also out of character just enough to really strike Phoenix in the heart. You can just imagine him staring at Miles with the most lovestruck expression on his face because he hasn’t seen this side of Miles before and he loves it.

Phoenix’s heart stuttered in his chest, and may have stopped entirely.

He was screwed.

He was completely and utterly screwed.

And even Phoenix can’t deny that he’s super in love at this point. 

I think I wrote this part, changed the words “screwed” to “doomed” right before posting, and then switched it back again for no particular reason. The Vibe just felt a little off but oh well.

Then the next chapter skips over the rest of this picnic but honestly Phoenix’s brain skipped over the rest of this picnic as well. Imagine the two of them just kind of standing around in a lovestruck daze for a while. I think Franziska had to physically drag Miles out of there. no one knows how Phoenix got home, not even Phoenix and least of all me!

But thank you Mika for requesting this!! And for drawing such incredible art for me to base the chapter around haha!!!

[halzore]

Congratulations on 200 followers 🎉 I'll bite with the ship requests. Starting with what you listed: I've never actually sent one before tbh. I'm a female and I go by she/her pronouns. I'm a good ol' pisces. I'm a short person (5ft), my hair is like a dirty blonde and I have blue-green eyes. I got thighs for days, so I have that going for me. I'm definitely more on the thin side, but I'm not a skinny little stick. Vibes I give to others? I'm told I'm a nice person, and that I'm funny and a smart ass. People also think I come off as innocent, like someone who doesn't ever swear and wouldn't ever be extremely angry or something. I've been called cheerful and people always wonder how I have so much energy in the morning. I like giving people things, and sharing. It makes me happy to see other people happy, and I'm definitely, 100%, very stubborn. If I don't want to do something, I will dig my heels in and you are not changing my mind. If I want to do something, you're going to have to try really hard to get me to not do it, but I'm not likely to listen. Despite my cheerful nature, I can be pretty shy. I'm not likely to go and talk happily right away unless you approach me first and just have like, easy to get along with energy (like probably Echo). If you come off as gruff and an asshole (Like Crosshair cause he seems like an asshole), I'd probably just retreat further into my shell. I try not to hold grudges, but I kind of do. I'll give an example of something that actually happened. I let my brother borrow object A to take with him to go somewhere. He lost it because someone (probably) stole it. He didn't really apologize and insisted it wasn't really his fault because it got stolen. I'm, obviously, upset because he lost something that was mine, but I'm not gonna sit here and be all mad over it and let it affect how I treat him. However, if he asks to borrow something of mine to take with him somewhere, you bet your ass I'm gonna say no and reminded him of that. Kind of like a forgive but never forget. I'm also really good at getting mad at myself for doing stuff that, if someone else had done, I wouldn't get mad, or being hesitant to do things that, if someone else did, I wouldn't bat an eye. Like a, it's okay if someone else does it but it's not okay if I do it. Applies to me but not to thee. I also daydream, like all the time. It's embarrassing how much I do, to be honest. It's also why I really like reading because I can just submerge myself into the great big universe that isn't the one I live in. I promise, this will be the last thing I mention with my overly long, overly explained thingy (I'm really bad about over-explaining. I do it all the time), I 100% love music. I was even in a marching band when I was in high school. I played trumpet, french horn, a lil of the tenor sax, a bit of piano and I can kind of play like the marimba and the glockenspiel (bells). I really like music theory, and least the fun parts, not the parts that make you cry, and, if given the chance, I could go on and on about music and probably talk your ear off. It's one of the few things I can just talk over and not get tired of talking. Anyways I'm going to stop typing now. I don't know how to end messages so here's a smiley face 😊

Ooh! the more information the merrier.

Also can defintiely relate to the forgive but not forget. I am pretty sure i have that tattooed on my soul.

Without further ado however.

I ship you with....

REX!

*cracks knuckles* let’s get started

So it’s a no brainer

100% it’s Rex and you want to know why. Its because you have a smile that could light up a room and every ounce of energy that you exude turns a little light on inside rex’s heart and gives him the little boost he needs to get through the day

You have grit, and you have your own mind and Rex absolutely adores that about you. He has to make important decisions every single day and he values the fact that you are able to challenge him and take the lead when he just can’t anymore.

He really loves how you are around his brothers, you are like a little rest from the war, allowing them to be normal and have fun, even if sometimes you rile them up into trouble that Rex has to sort out later.

I HC that Rex is really into smooth Jazz (think Kind of Blue - Miles Davis) as it just Calms him, but he is super interested in your analyses of your favourite works, because he likes to understand how things work and are put together

Rex realy enjoys spending his time with you, even if for some of it you are off with the fairies.

He always makes sure to remind you when he sees that you’re being too hard on yourself. He does it in the most low key way, placing a hand on your shoulder and saying something like “How would you have reacted if Fives had done it.” and he won’t leave until you had reevaulated and started with more positivity

You two are the blondest baddest bitches in the GAR and definitely have the rest of the battalion jealous with how good you two look together.