#The act of traveling over snow on skis.

[iovesia]

𐚁֙࿐ SNOWED IN.

tbosas mlist.⠀ 𑇓 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪ ⠀ex-bf!coriolanus snow⠀𝑥⠀f!reader.

synopsis. the last thing you wanna do is share a cabin with your ex— let alone be snowed in together.

contents. modern au. headcanons. established relationship?. forced proximity. implied infidelity. toxic!coriolanus. brief nsfw. not proof read.

⋆ 𓂃 ﾟ .⠀josie's little note: merry late christmas my lovelies! here's some holiday themed smut from yours truly.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ⠀you and coriolanus had conveniently broken up in the coming weeks before the annual ski-trip with your friend group. your paranoia got the better of you when you notice him and a certain brunette songbird getting closer.

"nothing's going on— you're being crazy," he sighs, rolling his eyes as he suddenly gets out of bed. safe to say, your accusations had killed the mood according to his haste in putting his pants back on.

"would it even really matter as long as i come home to you?"

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ safe to say, you put your foot down that night and called it quits. coriolanus being a stubborn bastard couldn't help but badmouth you to your mutual friends— creating an awkward tension for the upcoming trip.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ the trip was doomed from the start when you realised you would be squeezed against him in the tiny travel van to the cabins. none of your friends were willing to trade, choosing to sit with their own lovers— so there you were, pressed up against coriolanus' side. the blond made no effort to even acknowledge you, keeping his head facing the frosty window for the entire 6 hour drive.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ to make matters worse, you completely forgot that you two had initially booked a cabin to share. you were too embarrassed to ask your friends to trade, while coriolanus shamelessly demanded his friends to swap with him.

your friends shared brief glances before shaking their heads no. coriolanus lets out a scoff, like a spoiled brat not being handed his present— while you tried to maintain some level of humility. there was no need to spoil your friends' vacation as well.

you could handle a week with your ex.. right?

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ unfortunately, coriolanus had other plans. now that you two weren't together anymore, you finally started to notice all his little .. quirks that you were ignorant to before.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ like his incessant need to keep everything organised, keep everything clean. can you brush your teeth quieter? it's annoying to listen to. organise your clothes! don't leave your suitcase sprawled out. you knew he was acting out because he was bitter. but to avoid another argument, you begrudgingly obeyed his complaints.

"i nearly tripped and broke my neck. twice," he mumbles venomously, purposefully shoving your suitcase to the wall with his foot. mimicking his tone under your breath, you stand up from your bed.

"since when did you become a tightass?" you retort.

"since when did you become a slob?"

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ thankfully, during the majority of this hell-week you managed to avoid coriolanus while skiing, and choosing to sit at opposite ends of the table during dinners. you can feel his piercing glare occasionally, but when you turn to meet his gaze, he turns his head away.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ your mutuals friends pry the two of you for information on why you split up. while you remain vague, you overhear coriolanus smugly conjuring up some story about you being insecure and over possessive. what a hypocrite.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ just on the evening of your final night in the cabin, you hear a sudden thud that shakes your nightstand. the wind and snow were bad during every night of your trip— but this .. this one was especially bad.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ much to your horror, the only thing that awaits you the next morning is not your friends in the van packed and ready to go.. but a thick sheet of white. pure, hard snow. the snow almost reached the top of the door frame, successfully trapping the two of you inside.

"you've got to be kidding me.." you huff, your shoulder pressed against the door. coriolanus has his back against the door next to you— the two of you banding together to try and shut the door again.

the heavy snow barely makes a dent as you both huff and puff, pushing with all your might. "maybe if someone used their eyes before opening, we wouldn't be doing this," coriolanus rolls his eyes.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ the hours are painful and awkward. according to your group chat, you're gonna have to wait out the snow til the next morning. so much for hotel service. it wasn't all bad in the beginning, with you and your ex just sitting in opposite ends of the room, scrolling on your phones.

you were giggling at a random video on your phone when you felt a nudge on your shoulder. furrowing your brows, you turn to see coriolanus standing oddly close behind you, his face blank.

"what do you want?" you shrug him off.

"phone died," he replies, annoyingly taking a seat right on your bed. you raise a brow, suspiciously eyeing his nonchalant behavior as if he hadn't been throwing himself a pity-party the last few weeks.

"so read a book," you scoff.

"didn't bring one."

"take a nap."

"not tired."

"then imagine me caring," you roll onto your side of the bed, back facing him as he continues to invade your space. coriolanus tilts his head, his face still expressionless as he watches you scroll on your phone.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ you couldn't avoid coriolanus's intense stare. it was penetrating into the back of your head. he was always like this. an observer. practically monitoring every little thing you were doing. it was one of the reasons you fell out.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ coriolanus kept edging closer to you, trying to sneak a peek at who you're texting and you keep shuffling away, trying to preserve an ounce of privacy in this cabin.

"can you not?" you close your phone, setting it to the side. coriolanus' blank face breaks into a sly smirk, as he shrugs his shoulders. "you're so nosy."

"don't want me to see your texts to sejanus?" coriolanus pouts mockingly, his head tilted. "you've always had a thing for him.. everyone knows it— it's probably why you couldn't commit to a real relationship."

there's mockery laced in his tone, but you notice the hint of bitterness. your blood boils at his insinuation. coriolanus's habit of nonchalantly bringing up everything he deems "wrong" with you irks you to no end.

"what's that supposed to mean?"

"you know what i mean."

"that's so rich coming from you," you quip, sitting up from your position. you glare down at coriolanus who was sprawled over your designated bed, like a cheshire cat. "you're used to be all over lucy gray when we were together— didn't see you complaining about commitment then," you throw the pillow at the blond.

"that was different, and you know it," coriolanus scoffs, dismissing your valid point as he gets off the bed, tossing the pillow back at you.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ coriolanus's little quips were just fuel to the fire, as the two of you fall into the vicious cycle of another argument. this tiny cabin keeping your loud voices bouncing off the walls.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ his cold blue eyes glaring down at you, a finger in your face and condescension leaking from his words. you spit back throwing accusations after accusation that coriolanus dismisses easily.

"fuck you, coriolanus," you whisper coldly. his warm breath hits your face, his nose a few inches from yours as his deadly gaze mimics yours. a pregnant pause fills the room, as if all the air has been sucked out the cabin.

"fuck it," coriolanus hisses. his pale fingers pinch into your jaw as he tugs your face close, his lips smashing against yours. you let out a soft squeak in surprise and anger. you slap at his chest, trying to shove him away as he moves his free hand to your waist, pressing you up against his lean figure.

𐑺 ˖ ࣪ ࿐ ྂ your venomous words were consumed by the echoes of moaning and panting. his cruel jabs swallowed by your lips, but his anger evident in how hard he pinches your waist.

"sorry.. did you say something?" coriolanus croons, his forehead against yours. you pant and whimper softly, unable to bite back as your nails dig into his shoulders. his hips were unrelenting as they rutted against you, almost like he was trying to hurt you. your words come out garbled as coriolanus's fingers toy with the bundle of nerves between your legs. "that's what i thought."

coriolanus snow taglist. to be added !

໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১⠀join/remove from my taglist.

© 𝐈𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐀, 2023. do not copy, repost or translate my works.

[papiliotao]

꒰ 𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆 ✩࿐

pairings: kazuha, wanderer, and xiao x gn!reader (separate)

content: fluff, mutual pining, cuddling in kazu and scara's, a bit of a confession in kazuha’s, tranquil beach scenery with kazu, scara is in his wanderer era, you travel with the wanderer, watching fireworks with xiao

summary: under the cover of an enchanting night, romance blossoms.

a/n: i love mutual pining. also, the idea of xiao and scara being soft towards only the reader makes me melt. anyway, i hope you enjoy reading!

Tonight, waves lap at the shore, ebbing and flowing in a steady rhythm, creating a repetitive beat — a baseline for nature’s songs. The sea reflects the darkening skies above, displays of vivid blue and violet lined with subtle shades of rose gold. Sand shifts as you walk barefoot along the shoreline with your closest friend, each grain absorbing the remnants of daytime warmth.

“KAZUHA, hurry up!” you yell, rushing ahead despite the resistance of the miniature dunes beneath you. Playful giggles fill the air as you run and Kazuha chases after you, trying his best to ensure that you remain within his sight.

“Ah, wait!” he calls back, following after you.

Although your legs carry you far, you eventually begin to pant, and your body feels far too heavy to continue on. In a single motion, you dramatically fall to the ground, thankful for the sand below acting as padding. You crash, but fortunately, you’re not injured.

Seconds later, Kazuha catches up. He stands above you, gazing down at your breathless face and smiling softly. Embers of adoration ignite in crimson eyes reminiscent of autumn leaves, burning brightly as he offers a hand to you.

“Are you alright?” he asks, grabbing one of your hands firmly. In one swift motion, he pulls you to your feet, and you nod.

“I’m fine,” you manage to say between gasps for air. You’re still tired, and you suppose you should have conserved some energy instead of attempting to run at the speed of light. However, you know you’ll recover eventually.

Kazuha stares at you for a second, irises mirroring shades of sunset flickering over your each and every feature before he shakes his head.

“You look like you need a rest,” he tells you.

He sits down on the sand and pats the spot next to him, gesturing for you to take a seat next to him. You do as he instructs, and soon enough, you find yourself on the ground beside Kazuha, your shoulders nearly touching.

You glance over at him, admiring the way his snow white hair, highlighted by the dying crepuscule, billows in the sea breeze. Autumnal pools of molten rubies fill with small flecks of gold as he keeps his gaze fixated upon the tranquil sea before you. But nothing rivals the smile that comes to adorn his features — full of wonder, an encapsulation of the sun’s brilliance and the moon’s serenity.

Ethereal. That’s the word that comes to mind while you stare at the beautiful boy next to you, and yet, you fear it’s still not enough to describe him.

He’s perfect. His allure rivals that of the panoramic scenery before you.

You wish you could stay in the moment forever — or at the very least, permanently etch every last detail of today into your memory.

Soon enough, the last threads of warmth are pulled from the earth with the disappearance of the sun, and a chill begins to radiate as the cold light of the moon overtakes the sky. Every hint of marigold, coral, and canary completely vanishes. In their place, a deeper midnight blue ebbs into the heavens. As the wind passes by, you feel a slight shiver run down your spine.

And your discomfort doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Are you cold, my dearest?” Kazuha asks you.

The term of endearment causes a warmth to rise to your cheeks. Although affectionate words aren’t rare with Kazuha, your friend is making it sound as though the two of you are a couple.

However, your embarrassment fades as another gust of glacial fervor drifts by to steal the heat from your face, you force yourself to nod. You know that even if you lie, Kazuha will be able to see right through you. You’ve been friends for a while now, and given Kazuha’s attunement to nature, it’s nearly impossible to deceive him.

The wandering samurai wraps an arm around you, igniting a warmth akin to the caress of golden sunrays. His embrace is so warm… so comforting…

You feel your eyelids becoming heavy, and your head involuntarily falls to Kazuha’s shoulder. Slumber begins to overtake you. Tendrils of tantalization pull you deeper into a realm of oneiric euphoria, blurring out the waking world in the process.

But through it all, thoughts of the boy beside you, the one who embodies transient autumns in both looks in personality, never leave your mind.

Just as you feel yourself falling into a plane of enchanting fantasies, you hear six soft words spoken in tandem, whispered by a voice more delicate than the marine zephyrs surrounding you.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Wow, you’re really bad at this,” the WANDERER huffs. “At this rate, we’ll freeze to death.”

You can feel the Wanderer’s indigo gaze, a flawless mimic of the night sky, piercing into the depths of your soul, scrutinizing your every move. At the moment, the only illumination is provided by phantasmagoric stars dotting a canvas of murky navy and violet, but it seems to be enough for him to make out your silhouette against the surrounding shadows.

You sigh, tangible frustration permeating the otherwise serene evening air as you exhale.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “I guess I’m just tired or something.”

For a few seconds, a defeaning silence fills the atmosphere, transforming the ambience into one of awkwardness.

And then you feel the Wanderer sit down beside you.

“Whatever,” he mutters. “You’re clearly exhausted and in no state to be starting a fire.” For some reason, his tone of voice is far less pointed than usual, changing from an embodiment of everwinter storms to something more akin to a honeyed warmth — a tranquil portrait of summer’s joys.

You open your mouth to apologize again, but before you can speak, you hear grass rustling as the Wanderer stands up. Your gaze follows his barely-visible figure as he walks a short distance from where you’re sitting back to the small tent you set up earlier. He rummages around for a second before returning and draping a blanket around your shoulders.

“Don’t bother thanking me,” he says, sitting back down next to you.

Your traveling companion looks up at the star-speckled sky, and you swear you can see galaxies full of vibrant magenta and ocean blue reflected in his irises.

“Aren’t you cold too?” you ask, breaking the fragile, short-lived silence into fragments with words that echo in the midnight air, seemingly amplified in the midst of a peaceful moment.

The Wanderer simply shakes his head in response.

“There’s no need to worry about me,” he says.

And yet you still can’t help but feel guilty. You’re nice and cozy underneath the protection of a velvety blanket, safe from the frigid fingers of encroaching night. Meanwhile, the Wanderer is left to fend for himself.

What if you just share the blanket?

The idea is certainly tempting, but you’re a little too scared to follow through with it. Throughout your time with the Wanderer, you’ve gotten the feeling that he’s rather unfond of touch. After all, with his snarky attitude and unfriendly demeanor, he’s the antithesis of a cuddly person.

However, as you shift to sit in a more comfortable position, your fingers accidentally brush against his, causing you to flinch.

He’s cold. Incredibly cold.

And yet not a shiver runs down his spine.

Is he pretending to be alright for your sake?

The mere thought is enough to send another wave of warmth through your body, and suddenly, you feel less alone in the midst of enigmatic darkness. You realize that although he doesn’t outright show it, the Wanderer cares about you. Your heart flutters with the delicacy of a butterfly’s iridescent wings.

“You’re looking out for me,” you whisper under your breath. A small smile dances across your lips, and you decide to take a risk, jumping off a ledge of certainty and into an abyss filled with unknown feelings and fragile bonds.

With one swift movement, you take the end of the blanket closer to the Wanderer and wrap it around his shoulders. Now you’re sharing, and you can feel him pressing up against you. You swear you can feel the tempo of your heartbeat intensifying, each thump resounding in rapid succession.

To your surprise, the Wanderer doesn’t try to push you away. Instead, he scoots towards you.

“You don’t mind this?” you ask him, anticipating his response with bated breath.

For a second, silence fills the night, sending your mind into a polarizing frenzy and your heart into a panic. However, when the Wanderer speaks, you feel the tension leave your body.

“I don’t…” he starts, pausing briefly to consider his next words. Perhaps the surrounding darkness gives him courage, or perhaps he simply can’t suppress his feelings anymore because his next words are entirely unexpected, “but only because it’s you.”

Petals of red and gold bloom into voids of darkness, illuminating endless night in a display of phosphorescent flowers. But the sky isn’t the only thing that undergoes a stunning metamorphosis due to the luminous grace of the fireworks painting the shadows. In the edges of your vision, borders frayed from staring at the breathtaking sight before you for far too long, you catch an spark blaze alight within the honeyed amber of XIAO’s eyes. A subtle smile graces his features.

It’s barely noticeable, but it’s there.

You turn your attention to the beautiful boy beside you, absolutely captivated by the grin adorning his face. Displays of happiness from Xiao are rare, occurrences rivaling the convergence of sun and moon — a total eclipse. Your heart beats erratically, creating an exhilarating backing for a nocturne composed of the crackling of fireworks.

“You’re smiling,” you whisper.

Xiao grunts dismissively.

“Nonsense,” he says, wiping all traces of childish wonder and carefree bliss from his face. “The foolish antics of humans mean nothing to the Adepti.”

You feel the corners of your lips turn down. It’s almost like Xiao’s mood is infectious at the moment. When he’s smiling, you’re smiling, and when the euphoria fades from his expression, a certain lightness seems to vanish from the atmosphere.

“Oh, I see.” Your voice comes out meek, dulled by the immense disappointment filling your heart.

You want nothing more than to see Xiao happy. Throughout your time together, you’ve grown to care about him — admittedly a little bit more than platonically — and yet despite your concerns, you feel like Xiao doesn’t share the same sentiments. Xiao doesn’t quite care about his joy as much as you do. He’s far more content with protecting you, and although his actions never fail to cause giddiness to overwhelm you, you can’t help but want to see him smile for once.

Perhaps he’s scared of shattering the cold and distant image he’s crafted, despite the fact that you already know it’s all a fragile illusion formed from jagged shards of the most delicate crystal. Deep down, you know Xiao is caring and warm, akin to a flawless summer day, complete with golden rays of sunlight beaming down at you and a honeyed caress.

It seems that Xiao has noticed the negativity radiating off of you because as you avert your gaze, staring at the wooden floor of Wangshu Inn’s balcony, you hear Xiao’s voice once again.

“Wait,” he interjects, cutting through the thick silence with a singular pointed word, sharper than a dagger constructed from the toughest of diamonds. “I… should explain myself,” he mumbles.

Although you look up once more to make eye contact with Xiao, you’re unsuccessful. Now he’s the one avoiding your stare, and he looks nothing short of endearingly shy. Gilded lamplight illuminates his features, making the sunset blush dawning on his cheeks all the more apparent to you.

“I wasn’t…” Xiao manages before pausing once more. “I wasn’t only smiling because of the fireworks,” he forces himself to say.

His words pique your interest. Although the rest of the night is exceptionally beautiful, the various acrylic hues burgeoning across a canvas painted a dark obsidian shade are the most noteworthy sights of the evening. When you try to think of anything that even closely parallels their beauty, nothing comes to mind.

“I felt at peace,” he says, his voice softening, “because you were beside me.”

You inhale sharply. The air feels far too electrifying at the moment, shocking you with an unexpected elation. You didn’t expect Xiao to be so forward, and yet, here he is, more or less telling you how much you mean to him. Many words remain unspoken, but you already know Xiao well enough to understand the weight of that one sentence.

As you glance over to the adeptus once more, a grin dances across your face. Aureate galaxies meet your gaze, sparkling with the subtlest hints of adoration.

The blush across Xiao’s cheeks only intensifies as the corners of his lips turn up once again in a shy smile.

It’s luminous. His expression, a true embodiment of equanimity and contentment, turns even the most breathtaking of fireworks more vibrant and the brightest of stars more radiant.

It’s at that moment that an epiphany strikes.

Contrary to what you had believed just moments prior, there’s one thing that rivals the stunning nature of the rainbow-infused pyrotechnics before you: the soft grin adorning Xiao’s features, accentuating each part of his face with a light brighter than that of an imploding supernova.

thank you for reading! i have a few more drafts that are close to finished, so i might post again soon (no promises though because i tend to procrastinate on my writing).

[lou-struck]

Locked Out

Eijirou Kirishima x reader

25 Days of Ficmas Day 8

W.C: 1.7k

Warnings: Reader accidently gets locked out in below freezing temps. Kiri feels bad, symptoms of being cold.

~After you were accidently locked out of the house in a snowstorm, your boyfriend tries to warm you up.

For as long as you have known him, Eijirou Kirishima's love language has been Acts of Service. This man just loves to do little things for you that you don't like doing for yourself. Whether it's moving your laundry into the dryer on busy mornings or watering your houseplants, Kiri will jump at the chance to help you out and make your life a bit easier.

At first, you weren't used to having someone there who wanted to help you, but now it is safe to say you are just a bit spoiled from the Pro Hero's doting behavior. 

After a long day's work, you came home to darkened skies and your boyfriend shoveling the snow from your driveway- another necessary task that you really didn't want to do. A tall pile of snow rests in the grass, and you see the wet, salt-covered asphalt of your driveway for the first time in days.

You can hardly contain your joy as you turn off your car and run into the Red-headed hero's arms. You press your face into the plush of his padded winter jacket. The surface is cold and silky on your cheeks as he squeezes you tightly. The well-loved shovel clatters onto the ground with a scraping sound, but neither of you really seems to care.

"Did someone order a snow plow service?" he asks, his condensation filling the air as he pants softly from the exertion. 

"Eijirou," you pout, tilting your head to take in his rosy cheeks and snowflake-covered lashes. "You texted me this morning that you picked up a patrol today. Did you really do all of this yourself to surprise me?"

He laughs and looks down at you with a big smile. "Course I did. You hate shoveling the driveway."

You would say something in your defense, but he is absolutely right. "Well thank you. Let's go inside and get you something to eat. You must be starving."

His stomach growls at the very mention of food, and he laughs merrily. "You know me too well. Let's eat."

~

It's amazing to see what a difference an hour inside and a simple meal can do to warm your spirits. 

Your plates have been cleared, and you and Eirjioru have settled into your usual routine of washing and drying the dishes together. Kiri washes the dishes and hands them over to you to dry and put away. 

He lost drying privileges after breaking one too many coffee cups, so this delicate task is all on you.

You place the last few glass plates into the cupboard, and you hear the water shut off.

"Is that it?" you ask as he unrolls his sleeves and steps away from the sink. 

"It sure is, we have gotten good at this whole living together thing."

You laugh and loop your arms around his neck. "I think I like you around."

"You're not too bad yourself." he cheeses, his neck craning downwards to give you a long-awaited welcome home kiss. His slightly chapped lips meet yours tenderly and you feel at ease. Your shoulders slump, and the stress of the holidays seems to disappear momentarily.

He pulls away and says the most attractive sentence known to man. 

"I'll take the recycling out, Baby."

You look over to the overflowing recycling bin in your corner. Crushed cans and boxes pile up past the counter top. He grabs the pile easily and shoves it into the bin, his skin hardens as he aids the process with his quirk. 

As it shuts you realize that he may have missed a partially crushed can that fell off the overflowing pile and onto the floor when the bin used to sit. With a carefree shrug you crouch down to pick it up yourself and toss it into the bin outside. 

As you do, so, you hear the creaky hinges of the back door fly open and the recycle bin frantically slamming onto the ground.

"Eiji?" you call with concern, "Is everything all right?"

"All good," he answers, his voice traveling down the hallway. "Just gotta take a pee."

You laugh as he steps into the bathroom and walk towards the door to take the can out yourself. A pair of fluffy slippers are by the door that you slip on quickly. You spot a few jackets on some hooks but decide to forgo the jacket since you'll only be out for a second. 

AS soon as you step out the door your mostly bare feet land in a pile of snow. The cheap slippers do not protect your poor toes from the elements as you let out a yelp. 

The night air hits you like a ton of bricks. Each step chills you more as you shiver and shake your way to the recycling bin and toss the can in. 

Turning quickly, you run back to the house and reach for the metal door handle.

It doesn't budge.

Letting out an annoyed huff, you twist the knob again.

Still no movement

You push and pull and push some more as you come to a harrowing realization…

Eijirou Kirishima, your super sweet, heroic boyfriend. Has locked you outside in the cold.

You knock frantically on the door as your poor, underdressed body begins to cover itself in goosebumps. But no matter what you do, Eijirou doesn't seem to hear you.

Is he still in the bathroom?

What if he's doing a number 2?

You're running in place now trying to keep yourself warm. Your fuzzy slippers chilling your poor toes from the snow. You know that just waiting here is useless. 

With a huff you begin to walk around to the front of the house so you can punch in the garage code and let yourself in that way. Halfway there, you turn, lose your footing, and fall into one of the many piles of snow on the lawn that Kiri had made from the snow on your driveway. 

Now all of you is freezing.

You make it to the garage and try to punch in the code with shivering hands. But nothing happens. The panel dosent even light up.

The battery must be dead.

Shit. 

You're so cold and miserable. Your wet jeans cling to your skin and begin to partially freeze against your legs. The new frost cracks slightly as you climb the front steps. Your lips tingle and you can hardly feel your face as you rapidly ring the doorbell with a trembling finger. 

The dings and the dongs are so mashed together it creates a whole new sound. Your other hand bangs on the door and every bit of you begs to be let inside. 

The door swings open in a flash, and Eijirou looks at you with a mix of shock and surprise in his features. You were only outside for about eight minutes or so, but to him, it seemed like a lifetime.

He takes in your frozen, unredressed appearance and you see his heart sink. "Oh my god, did I lock you out?"

"Y-yeah." you shiver as he pulls you inside. You filing off your now ruined slippers and they hit the wall with a splat. "W-was c-cold."

"I'm so sorry," he sputters. "After I went to the bathroom, I realized it was more of a Number 2 thing, and I went to grab my phone to scroll. You know how that is." He feels himself going off-topic and brings himself back to the issue. "Anyways, I saw the door wasn't locked, so I locked it on my way back in."

You know he is beating himself up over this, but if you weren't so damn cold you would laugh about this. 

"If I knew you were out there I never would've locked you out in the cold."

"It's okay." you shiver as he leads you into the house to warm you up. He leaves you by the heating vent as he runs around like a chicken with his head cut off, frantically grabbing you new clothes, helping you out of your wet ones, and tossing them in the wash. 

With you all dressed in clothes that are not covered in snow, he settles you on the couch. You try to keep your shivers to yourself but it takes more than new dry clothes to warm you up. 

Your body betrays you, and your heart feels like a guilt-impacted stress ball every time you see the weariness on your ball of sunshine features. 

"Come sit," Kiri gently directs you to the couch and takes the plaid checkered blanket draped aesthetically over it's back and wraps it around you. He tucks you into the cushions in your upright position, "How does that feel?"

"Better," you mumbled. It may have not been a lie, but you certainly could get warmer. 

His crimson gaze bores into you and he runs a hand through his long hair. He sighs and walks off. "You need more." 

And more you get. Eijirou tosses every blanket in sight over you and you feel yourself becoming one with the leather seats. 

You can't stop him, not when you see how guilty he looks for unintentionally putting you in this situation in the first place. But his efforts are working. The shivering ceases and the biting cold outside feels like a distant memory. 

After you can't think you can hold the weight of any more blankets he comes back into the room. He looks over you carefully and finally meets your gaze. "Do you need anything else?"

Wordlessly, you wiggle your arms out from under the mountain of blankets and hold them out to him. Your eyes are half-lidded as the exhaustion for the day hits you. As a silent invitation for cuddles that he never wants to reject. 

He blinks in surprise, "Are you sure you want me in there with you."

He is too good, "Eiji," you say firmly, yet lovingly, "if you don't get under here I swear I'll lock you outside myself."

Your good-humored threat works wonders. The tone in the room shifts and he smiles for the first time since dinner. "Then let me just dive right in." he chuckles, slipping under the mountain so you can cling to him like the koala bear you are. 

Tagging: @enchantedforest-network

[windup-dragoon]

FFXIV Write 2023

Prompt - Noisome Adjective - Having an extremely offensive smell

Content Warning - Mentions of death, gore, violence, and war

Word Count - 1,368

Divine Dragon AU Kiri is a traveling mercenary, defending the countryside from roaming clusters of corrupted monstrosities created for war. Her travel companions include a dragon of divinity turned man, and a goose (duck?) that neither had the courage to eat.

It's the noisome stench of rot that fills her lungs as she gasps for air. Her hands claw and scrape at anything tangible, anything physically there to pull her back into reality. But only wet masses fall away beneath her fingernails, sloughing decaying flesh with ribbons of scarlet viscera. She chokes on vomit at the sight, her mind frantically putting pieces together of the scenery around her.

A field as black as pitch and corpse mounds breathing ash and embers into the smoke hazed sky. Booming sounds echoed in the distance like great thunder that shook the very ground she laid upon. Noise. So much noise. A ringing in her ears that made her head throb. But the sound of the flies were louder yet. Buzzing busily at her ears, gorging themselves upon the garish battlefield.

She squeezed shut her eyes, reaching out desperately for a solid hold to heave herself up with, dreading the thought of who or what body part acted as her leverage. Amidst the chaos of war still raging she could hear footfalls nearby. Lumbering and kicking aside mangled corpses as if wading through fresh snow. She dared only steal a glance as she roused, sucking in putrid air once more at the grotesque sight.

Creatures.

Not quite animal but certainly not man, roaming skeletal bodies with too many limbs and white vacant eyes. In their great maws lined with too many teeth, they gnashed at flesh. Bones splintered and cracked between jaws while they slurped marrow.

Bile rose in the back of her throat. She pitched forward and coughed out the contents of her stomach; ichor splattered her hands and dribbled down her chin.

The monstrosities nearby of course swiveled at the sound, their empty dead eyes focused on the survivor amongst the corpses. With an ear shattering scream they lurched toward her, wielding now weapons made of their own gnarled bones.

Her heart pounded in her ears; a rabbit fearing being caught by the predators now leaping over mounds to grab her. Despite the pain in her broken body, she hurled herself to her feet, kicking away wet leather armor and gore shedding from the decaying masses. A desperate glance back showed more creatures had gathered for the hunt, a few almost merging together to form a sentient mass of rotten flesh and mangled bone.

Another crackling boom rang out around her, shaking the very ground beneath her. She turned again and stopped mid stride. Even the beasts had stopped to look up to the churning skies.

She felt deafened as she watched the sky being torn open, a shock of magicks rippling through the damp air. A white blinding light bathed the silent field before a sigil writ with gold appeared. From it's center was another flash of blinding light; a falling star that burned away everything.

----

Panic woke her from her restless dreaming, heart racing at a rabbits pace in her ears. She swallowed a gulp of cold air and blinked away the burning edges of her nightmare. It had been a beautiful evening. The camp fire had died to little more than embers spitting. Overhead was a sea of stars, a veil of jewels woven delicately by unseen hands. Crickets chirped in the woods around her, everything at peace for the evening.

Yet she could still taste it. The stench of rot and decay, the smoke and ash of war.

She reached for her canteen to drown away the memories but was met with only the remaining few drops of cool water. Of course she had forgotten to refill it before bed. Just her luck.

It was only then as she cast aside her bed roll and rose to her feet did she notice her companions belongings neatly set aside with no one to be seen. Weary still from sleep she gave it little thought before marching down to the stream they had camped beside.

Nightmares of that day were frequently revisited against her best efforts. It always felt as if she had been thrown back into the fray, that any moment she would realize that the brisk night air was the dream and her reality was nothing more than viscera and rot. The mere thought of it made her stomach twist.

At the shoreline the stream babbled gently into the night. A melody that soothed the ache in her head. She dipped her canteen in first, the rush of water at her fingertips giving her a chill down her spine. Once the pouch was full to the brim, she kicked off her boots and took careful strides into the crystal waters.

"Come to bathe?" A voice called from the reeds along the way.

Kiri lifted her chin, spying a familiar white goose lazily floating along the streams current. "No," she replied, reaching out to pat the goose as it went by. "Just needed water."

Mismatched eyes fought against the darkness to make out the silhouette of her traveling companion. The reeds hushed as his body moved through them, the water spluttering against him. His thick hair had been let loose from its tie and hung down over his shoulders, the ends curling slightly with still dripping water. In the starlight she could see the pearlescent tones on his skin, beads of river water looking like glittering diamonds against it.

She felt warm seeing him this way but quickly turned her focus to a gathering of fireflies opposite him. "Could've stayed in the brush, ya'know."

The gentle rumble of a laugh escaped him. "And miss the look on your face?"

Kiri rolled her eyes. "What if someone sees ya'?" Vaguely she gestured to him, referring to the long dragon tail he was currently using to spin the goose around as it drifted by.

"I have trousers on." He raised his shoulders, feigning innocence. After a moment he dove under the water, becoming a moonlight glimmer of a silhouette beneath the ripples.

Hien reappeared before her, like a fish contemplating the hook before breaking the surface. His hair blended seamlessly into the dark waters but the rest of him still held an almost unworldly shimmer in the darkness.

"I know that expression. Another nightmare.”

A sigh on her lips gave away the answer. Kiri placed a hand on his forehead, trying desperately to dunk him. "And what of it? | ain't in the mood to be lectured by an exhibitionist."

Struggle all she might against him, Hien refused to sink back down. Instead he rose to his full height, taking the hand on his forehead and holding it between his clawed fingers carefully. With his free hand, he gestured to the pants that were slipping off his hips.

"A lecture wouldn't help, but perhaps a listening ear will."

Instead of an answer, Kiri marveled at the warmth of his hand holding hers. She hadn't truly realized how brisk the night had become until now. Nor had she thought a dragon would be so soft and warm. Absently her fingertips brushed along the lines of his palms, a fate written on flesh that she couldn't decipher.

A light honk from their goose companion drew her back, her hand slipping between his fingers to fall at her side. Her mouth felt dry as she recalled the noisome vapors that plagued her.

How do you tell divinity the horrors of war? That even if she endured amnesia, her body would always remember. The sound of bone breaking beneath your feet. Sinew and entrails stuck underneath your nails. The taste of blood and ash on your tongue. Her body would never forget what she had endured.

The same war that brought low a divine dragon like a falling star. Captured him as if a firefly in a jar to be admired until it died of suffocation. But while he had freed himself of his tormentors, she could never escape, doomed to suffocate alone in her own jar.

Kiri forced herself to smile, brushing aside starlight hair and averting her eyes. "I'll head back first. Get the fire goin’ again and all."

"Kiri…"

His voice trailed, replaced by the quiet babbling of the stream and all the creatures of the night humming a chorus.

[cloudninetonine]

Linktober: Snake/Serpent/Dragon

"It's weird, I don't think I ever expected to see the Bridge of Hylia covered in snow like this." Gently bumping Calamity's shoulder, you smiled. "This sight is too pretty for a friend, Link, you sure you're not trying to romance me?" 

The Hero of Calamity was a little strange to you. Maybe it was because he bore the face of one of your closest friends but acted nothing like him, Wild, a free spirit with a sense of adventure and Calamity, a man of silence who stayed within the walls of Hyrule Castle. You understood though they weren't the same person, even if they had lived semi-similar lives, Wild was Wild and Calamity was Calamity. 

Though, you hated how tired Calamity looked. Even after the defeat of Ganon within their timeline, he still looked to be overworked and stressed, not uttering a single peep at the arrival of your group, only surveying you all then following the demands of the King. 

So, you did what you thought was best and invaded the man’s life to show your appreciation and care. Sure, he fought it at first, argued that you weren’t his caretaker, nor his mother but yet, you could see how the bags under his eyes lightened when you made sure to bring him meals,, to clean his uniform, to coax him out of the castle- anything in your power so that the man could finally relax.

And it paid off.

Hearing him speak for the first time nearly had you dropping the food in your hands, the appreciative smile and his gratitude had your face warm.

So now you were here, his gift to you, as he put it, in the form of a horseback ride to the Bridge of Hylia over Hylia Lake.

It really was so beautiful in person.

“I haven’t the slightest clue of what you speak of.” The man teased, helping you down from his Epona’s back to the snowy floor below, grabbing an enchanted blanket from the pack on her side to throw over her before tugging you towards the fencing. “I merely wish to show appreciation.”

“Appreciation? By giving me frostbite.”

“I can return you if that’s what you wish-”

“No, no! I like it! It’s very pretty here.” When he chuckled you pouted, leaning against the stone of the bridge. “Hyrule during the winter sure is a sight to see.”

“Don’t focus too hard on the snow, now, or you’ll miss what I wanted to show you.”

“Miss what-”

You had completely forgotten, but then again, you didn’t expect them in Calamity’s timeline, your mouth dropping in awe at the sight of the great and mighty spirit of lightning, Farosh, came flying gracefully out of the cold waters of the lake, ascending further into the skies in their usual path.

Only once before had you seen them, in the exact same place at a different time, watching them fly off in the exact same awed silence as they disappeared into the distance.

Farosh grew closer and with that came their magic, the feeling of the winds picking up around you both from their mere presence, the snow which had previously fallen softly to the stone below brewing up to join the great beast’s past, highlighted by the magic of Farosh’s lightning as they flew overhead, the feeling of your voice returning as you cupped your mittened hands around your mouth and bellowed.

“HI FAROSH!”

You cheered when they responded in kind, a strong roar echoing through the area as you raced to the opposite side of the bridge to follow their trail, the snow framing your form. Calamity was right on your heels with the softest of smiles supporting his features, standing beside you as you waved them goodbye, wishing safety on their travels. His eyes stayed focused on you, shining with a spark relit in the fire that was your presence, heart beating wildly in his chest.

“You know, Link.” You started after a moment, eyes focused on Farosh’s retreating figure. “What I said earlier? About this being romantic? Well….”

With a moment of hesitation, your mouth going dry you willed yourself to continue.

“I wouldn’t be so opposed if this was supposed to be a romantic gesture.”

Calamity’s own gloved hand came to cover your own, squeezing it gently.

“That makes the two of us.”

[jubileegeode]

Gonna just write some TOTK angst I guess??

Endgame Zelda TOTK spoilers ahead, read at your own discretion <3

This story takes place after the defeat of Ganendorf, and the destruction of his secret stone.

Zelda, now somewhat returned to her mind, was still suffering the consequences of her actions.

Her mind would drift, and she'd forget things. Important things at times.

Link was of course helpful and accomedating, but time kept slipping past the princess.

And so one day, helping tend to the Hateno school's garden, she found herself drifting again.

And when she came back to herself, the world was covered in snow. a woman informs her that she was her student, and Zelda had spent 15 winters in that garden.

Zelda was looking at infinity again, as she was when she first swallowed that stone. She realized that an immortal dragon is named such for a reason, and she hadn't seen eternity quite yet.

The news was hard on everyone, though Link always was very hard to read. His conduct hadn't changed one bit over the years, sticking to her side until his hair turned grey, aiding her in her travels to the shrines of any god that would listen.

The horned god had no room to store her endless vitality and the trades haven't aged her a day. The bretheren in charge of poes refused her an afterlife, and of course...

Hylia almighty, had no advice to her but encouragement on her brave sacrifice and noble life. Zelda did not enjoy these.

Her friends, her allies, her students, Link...

She had buried them all.

Her brief periods of awareness were spent in communion with Mineru, who's power as a sage of spirit enabled her to offer guidance and support from beyond the veil.

Mineru had found Zelda's path to the afterlife, she's hopeful! Mineru has given up her residence in the land of the living, and Zelda was too slow to act, so they opted for a messanger!

a hero of a new age! Zelda was quite fond of this Link, though she knew not why

and she pleaded with him to obtain the required meterials to split her soul from her spirit, stripping all of her power into a still living light dragon to carry on her role.

As she departed from the living world at long last, joining her family and friends in peace and love and dance, she could see dark skies behind her, accentuated by a massive gloomy serpant.

An immortal dragon is named such for a reason...

But that's hardly her problem anymore.

[gifjakes]

I’ve been silent for a while - it was a busy but adventure filled Autumn and end of 2023.

Meetup in Porto, followed by an extra week in Spain that culminated in me playing acting like I was in the Vuelta and breaking a thumb in a bike crash. Then it was off to be in my friend Visrut’s wedding and some time with family on the east coast. I spent only 5 days in my own bed in September, exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Seattle autumn was abnormally dry so I got in a lot of biking and hiking in October and November before the long damp dark finally settled in over the PNW.

December resulted in more travel - I was in France for a week again which was a much less planned vacation that was super relaxing and enjoyable, and back home to see family once more.

The new year finds me back in my old haunts, entrenched in my usual ways - skiing and playing in the snow that took way too long to arrive on the Cascades. I’ve already been down to eastern Oregon once this month and will be back in a week for more mountain time.

This seems to have gotten kind of long, but that’s usually what happens when you’re tired and ready to ramble. Nonetheless, I just wanted to say thanks to all my friends, family, coworkers and any other cool people I’m grateful to have met or gotten to do cool things with in 2023. You all are really what it made it great. I hope 2024 is much of the same in that sense. See ya around.

[iwant-fuitgummi]

Liyue Headcanons pt. 2! (pt. 1 here)

Beidou

she/they

35

Cisgender Woman, Lesbian

Married to Ningguang

Family: Kazuha (FF Son), Xinyan (FF Daughter), Yaoyao (FF Daughter)

Best Friend: Ganyu

Beidou has a large lightning scar over her left eye from her battle with Haishan.

They see Yaoyao as their daughter.

Beidou and Ganyu are actually best friends in canon! Beidou's "About Ganyu" line says that the two of them "get on like a house on fire", they just don't talk about it much due to their reputations.

They hang out with Thoma whenever they're in Inazuma. They're best buds! Beidou brings him souvenirs from Dornman Port to remind him of Mondstadt.

Beidou and Ningguang exchange letters via Beidou's Red Vulture (yes, she tamed one). The vulture, Xun, is a regular sight in the skies of Liyue due to the amount of time Beidou's at sea.

She has a Devon Rex named Yijun. She reminds Beidou of Ningguang due to her affectionate personality (which is reserved for beidou only). Yijun only really lets Beidou and Yaoyao near her.

EXTREMELY built. Buff Beidou real.

This is already canon, but short people aren't allowed to drink on the Alcor. Sorry Kazuha.

She wears braces on her arms.

Both legs were amputated at the knee due to sailing accidents and battles. She wears those thigh high boots to disguise it.

Literal local legend in Liyue.

Ganyu

they/she

~25 (physically), 3000+

Agender, Asexual, Lesbian

Dating Keqing

Family: Zhongli (FF Dad), Cloud Retainer (FF Mom), Shenhe (FF Sister), Xiao (FF Brother)

Best Friend: Beidou

I gave them goat ears because they deserves cute fluffy ears :(

I put snowflakes in her hair. Her vision starts to act up when she falls asleep and it begins to snow around her. There's a lot of snow, due to her narcolepsy.

Beidou and Ganyu are actually best friends in canon! Ganyu's "About Beidou" line says that she gets super angry when people talk crap about Beidou and has to restrain herself from snapping. They just don't talk about it much due to their reputations.

Narcoleptic 100%. She falls asleep in meetings all the time, but Keqing takes excessive notes to keep her updated on what she missed.

Qiqi gives them herbs whenever she sees them. All she knows is that Ganyu likes them, and Qiqi wants people to be happy.

Shenhe

she/they/he/one

31

Cassgender, Pomosexual

Family: Cloud Retainer (FF Mom), Ganyu (FF Sister), Chongyun (Nephew)

Best Friend: Traveler

Autism.

tbh I don't think about Shenhe like at all. I'm still holding a grudge from when she tried to ruin my pity for Baizhu.

Hu Tao

she/they/he/it/boo

22

Xenogender, Aroace

Family: Zhongli (FF Dad), Xiao (FF Brother)

Best Friend: Yanfei

They briefly dated Yanfei before realizing they were Aroace.

Has ADHD. She gets bored really easily and her office is full of fidget toys that Zhongli bought for her. They're all ghost themed :3

He rarely sleeps. Since he can see ghosts, he sees them out of the corner of his eyes when he's trying to sleep.

Boo has two pet dogs. A Chow Chow named Chun Hua, and a Pekingese named Yinyue. Boo got Yinyue first, since she could also see ghosts. Then, boo got Chun Hua to keep Yinyue company when boo was away.

Keqing

she/they

25

Demigirl, Lesbian

Dating Ganyu

Family: Xinyan (FF Sister)

Best Friend: Ganyu

She sees Xinyan as a little sister. She likes her music and ensures that all of her concerts get approved, no matter what others say.

I'm sorry but I forget she exists like 90% of the time :(

Yelan

she/her

29

Cisgender Woman, Panromantic, Homosexual

Family: ?

Best Friend: Ningguang

She has a huge crush on Ningguang, but she doesn't wanna mess with her happy marriage...she has considered asking Beidou and Ningguang how they feel about polyamory, though.

Playfully flirts with Shenhe, but they don't realize that's what she's doing. She also invites them to Qixing events as her plus one sometimes.

I don't have many Yelan thoughts I'm sorry

Yun Jin

she/her

20

Transgender Woman, Asexual, Panromantic

Family: Yun-Han Opera Troupe, Yaoyao (FF Sister)

Best Friends: Xinyan, Xiangling

I gave her more makeup, referencing Chinese opera singers.

Helped Xiangling teach Yaoyao learn how to use a polearm.

She sneaks out of the Opera House to hang out with Xiangling and Xinyan. She also helps promote Xinyan's shows, despite the difference in their genres.

Dances with Shenhe and helps her learn how to converse in a formal setting, just in case she needs to go to a Qixing event with Yelan.

Yanfei

he/she

23

Bigender, Aromantic, Bisexual

Family: Madam Ping (FF Grandmother)

Best Friend: Hu Tao

She briefly dated Hu Tao before realizing she was aromantic.

She's pen pals with Shinobu, and often gives her tips on how to help the Arataki Gang avoid the Shogunate and its laws.

He has pretty bad hearing due to his horns practically coming out of his ears. There's a bell on his office door to help know when someone's there.

He has a pet cat named Piaoliang. She stays in his office and lets him know when there are visitors, since he often can't hear them. Piaoliang also has a bell on her collar to help Yanfei know when she's there.

[4rainynite]

EAH Dorm Headcanons pt 19

Helga & Jackie

One's a lost traveler with a sweet tooth and the other's a cold-hearted ex- criminal.

Both these girls have mean streaks in them! While Helga will lie and act all innocent, Jackie will be straight forward and take anything from you by force or trickery.

I honestly believe Helga & Jackie would not get along due to both are the leaders of their duos and would butt heads with one another.

Helga's side of the dorm:

Helga is the future Hansel, and she has a rep around the school for her sweet tooths and lies. The Crumb cousins are Headmaster Grimm's lackeys and will worship him to levels even Apple White won't cross. When, the cousins aren't following the headmaster you can find them antagonizing students with evil destinies (Raven & Ginger) or stuffing their faces with sweets.

I can see the decor on Helga's side of the dorm similar to gingerbread house (heck, might even be made of gingerbread), with candy and pastry themed furniture that lean heavily on the pastel color scheme.

Helga has many antique gumball machines and canisters filled with candy. Helga makes it clear that no one is allowed to her candy except for Gus, even then she is stingy with her treats.

With all the yelling she does, Helga has cough drops in her dorm. On hand for when she feels her throat going raw.

Helga totally has a mini fridge -No! A full-size fridge in her dorm to store her candy and other sweets.

She uses the floorboards to hide snacks and has many hiding places on her side of the dorm.

In the books Helga and Gus had green in their color scheme and hiking boots before they appeared in the show. So, there are hints of green in the furniture and a huge hiking boot collection.

Jackie's side of the dorm:

Jackie is a snow elf who spent her days along with her brother Northwind working at a snowflake factory that was extremely boring for the two. The two tried to take over the kingdom in 'Epic Winter' only to fail. Sometime later the two were given a second chance (like Courtly) to either continue being prisoners at The Top of the World or attend Ever After High School and do community service there (they picked the latter). Jackie only accepted to get away from manual labor (and because Northwind wanted to go).

Jackie takes great pride and her culture, so she wears traditional 'The Top of the World' clothing and brings trinkets to remind her of home.

Jackie is one of the few students who brought furniture from home to the dorms.

In her free time see likes to make snow people and other arts and crafts as a hobby she picked up at school.

Seeing how sporty her outfit is I can see Jackie being into Winter sports like snowboarding, skiing, bobsledding, and etc so she keeps sports equipment in her dorm.

Due to their ability to transform into animals the twins don't have pets, but if they did it would be penguins (because they look like tiny butlers).

Jackie owns a coffee/ hot chocolate machine that she keeps in her dorm (Helga is forbidden to use it).

[freddieslater]

you know I can't resist... scydia

His fingers glide down the curve of her hip like a skier on a slope. It was only because of Lydia that Scott ever went skiing, when she took him last year during the winter. He hated it. It was like ice skating but worse because when he fell, he slid in the snow and down a hill where he faceplanted like an idiot.

Smooth skin turns thin and white. Stretching out along her side in a curve that almost meets in the middle to form a full moon.

Lydia had laughed when he fell in the snow.

The soft noise floats out of his mind and into the air between them as her body both pulls away and pushes closer to his light touch. She murmurs something, muffled by her pillow, then turns her head to look up at him. Her eyes crinkle when she finds him gazing back intently, caught in the act with hasty innocence.

"Sorry," he says quietly, aware that there are other sensitive ears around them that could easily tune in. "What did you say?"

She gives him that look; her lips press together, forming a little heart as the real one skips a beat like it's playing a familiar game on a warm, sunny day.

"I said" --she catches his hand in hers as he moves it, just a little bit, sliding up the slope of her ribs-- "that tickles."

Scott bites the inside of his cheek but it does nothing to tone down his smile, which is mirrored back at him when he unabashedly says, "Sorry. My bad."

He strokes his thumb over a small indent between her ribs, feeling her sharp inhale. It's quickly pushed back out in a chuckle that she smothers when she presses their lips together. Neither one of them are entirely awake yet -- hell, they've barely slept in the last forty-eight hours. Yet somehow none of it seems to matter.

They meld together so easily, his arm winding around her to pull her body closer to his as her own hand travels up his bicep to his neck. It's been a hectic two days. They've nearly died a few times. Scott's not entirely sure they'll survive tomorrow with the way things are going.

But it doesn't matter. The world could be ending right this very moment, and he still wouldn't want to be doing anything else. With Lydia, everything else is quiet. Ironic, maybe, but it's the truth. When things get bad, he reaches for her, and she's there. And, somehow, he just knows it'll be okay, one way or another.

She hums quietly in the back of her throat and pulls away. She doesn't go far, just enough to lean their foreheads together as she caresses his cheek. He's torn between opening his eyes to see the tiny smile he knows she's wearing, and the way her eyes flutter beneath closed lids -- or keeping them closed and letting his other sense be enraptured by her touch, the softness of her skin, the smell of her perfume mixed with the nearly overwhelming scent of something neither of them has quite put a name to yet.

But they know. Words aren't needed to say it.

He opens his eyes and finds her already gazing back at him. They both smile, and they know. It's in the way Lydia's eyes flit between both of his, pulling her lips between her teeth with a sudden shyness. It's in the way Scott gently tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear and lets his fingers linger, caressing her cheek with a softness that would have startled her a few months ago. And it's in the way that he knows that, and so he shows her that softness and tenderness at every given opportunity, through caresses and kisses and looks and words. The way he holds her hand and body and heart in his own and she doesn't doubt for a second that she is safe, and he knows that even if he does faceplant in the snow, she'll be right there to help him laugh it off and help him back up.

So, yeah. They don't say it. Not yet.

But they know.

[zealoptics]

"Yurts, Powder, and Global Perspectives: A Jalpak Tash Journey through Kyrgyzstan's Snow-Covered Peaks"

By Sam Thackeray

My second trip to Kyrgyzstan began with an entirely new set of emotions from the previous. My excitement about the unknowns was replaced by excitement for the knowns. The chance to see friends again, both local Kyrgyz and fellow guides from other parts of the world. To be back at Jalpak Tash and living full time out of traditional yurts. And to ride some of my favorite lines, and the possibility of riding some which had eluded us last year. Mixed in was also apprehension. Not from the uncertainty, like before, but from the preconceived notions of what this season might, or might not hold for us.

Somehow, after only doing this once prior, it all seemed so familiar. The long journey to the other side of the world felt like returning to an old haunt. There was a certain type of freedom in knowing what to expect, but also knowing what I wanted from the trip. Such as a stop at the elaborate and seemingly out of place World Nomad Games Arena. Or knowing what to expect for food at the traditional roadside stop during the journey from Bishkek, the capital city, to Karakol, the Wild West town that serves as the jumping off point for all of our trips.

I find it an interesting experience to travel to a country which has served as a “mixing pot” for thousands of years. Over the millennia Kyrgyzstan has been ruled by Persians, Mongols, Chinese, and Russians. These various influences are readily apparent in locals’ appearance, the architecture and infrastructure, vehicles, food, and religious practices. I find myself wondering what the United States might look like after a few more centuries of mixing.

A long and somewhat disorienting day of travel finds us at the guest house in Karakol, run by one of the two local families we partner with to make these trips happen. Without their support and knowledge these trips would be astronomically more challenging. We eagerly repack our bags for the journey into the mountains and succumb to exhaustion.

Day 2 in country finds us loading several weeks’ worth of gear into the infamous UAZ, the soviet era 4-wheel drive van, part jeep, part Vanagon. Excitement builds as the 40 Tribes zone comes into view and we approach the tiny village at the base the mountains to reunite with Nurbek, our camp chef, and Kas, our hut keeper and tail guide. Big hugs are shared and our bags are quickly whisked away on horse-back for the 4-mile approach to our yurt Shangri La.

The next few days are spent putting the final touches on camp, breaking in the skin tracks that act as our major arteries to the peaks, digging pits to get a feel for the snow, and of course skiing and snowboarding. Because, after all, that is what we are here to do!

Our first group arrives with good weather, sunny days, and a strong thirst for powder! We are happy to share that, while still a shallow snowpack, we have more snow than last season. Which makes for some beautiful turns and manageable avalanche conditions, allowing us to head almost immediately into the alpine. As always, we are dealing with our self-described avalanche problem, facetlanches. Cold and relatively dry weather develops an unconsolidated snowpack, which makes Kyrgyzstan a classic ski destination, but also comes with its own challenges. The faceted snow does not adhere well to steep terrain and can often be triggered by a skier or rider, but luckily these avalanches tend to be small, predictable, and incredibly slow moving. Which allows us to confidently navigate the large, alpine terrain.

Full days of powder skiing are followed by sunny apres on the yurt platforms, a feast cooked up by Nurbek for dinner, and a game or two of Yahtzee, which generally involves a couple shots of Russian Vodka. By about 8 O’Clock, everyone is ready for bed and we sink into our comfy floor beds for a long night of yurt dreams.

Living in a yurt for a week, or three, is an intimate setting. Everyone becomes familiar with each other’s habits and quirks. And it also provides for a unique opportunity to share ideas with people from around the globe. No one ends up in a yurt, in the middle of nowhere, in Kyrgyzstan, to go skiing, by accident. Everyone has unique stories, backgrounds, and tales from previous world sojourns. Life stories that all lead us to this one place in time, together. This is one of my favorite aspects of these trips. This time around I am particularly interested in Kas, the local ski guide’s take on Russia, Ukraine, and Russian’s fleeing conscription to Kyrgyzstan. It’s a complicated affair, but he doesn’t really understand the refugee’s side. In short, there are over 1 Million Russians who have fled to Kyrgyzstan to avoid fighting in the war with Ukraine. I don’t know how many have fled to other countries globally. His view is if the million in Kyrgyzstan united and marched against the Kremlin, that would be enough to oust Putin and end the conflict. An interesting point for sure, and it leaves me wondering what I would do if I were in their position? Kas says “You can have a rich country and a powerful government, or you can have freedom”. The Kyrgyz are choosing freedom.

We begin to settle into a routine. Coffee at 7, breakfast at 8, off and touring by 9:30, no alpine starts at Jalpak Tash. The days begin to bleed together in a whirlwind of powder, Yahtzee, and Vodka. Several storms move through the region changing the snowpack and avalanche conditions and, on some days, obscuring the peaks. We are able to ride in the alpine most days, but other days we take shelter in the trees and enjoy a different side of the Tian Shan. Each week is capped with a massive bonfire overlooking the Issyk Kul Valley and the distant Kungoy Ala-Too Mountains, forming the border with Kazakhstan.

Each week brings something new. A new group of guests, new weather, new opportunities to ride different lines. The yurts are beautifully situated at tree line with access to multiple peaks and ridgelines, allowing one to always feel the power of these mountains. After several hours of skinning and boot packing one can reach the summit of, what by many standards are large mountains, only to gaze to the East and see peaks looming thousands of feet above. It is quite surreal and an indescribable beauty. And then we ski 2,000 feet of powder back down to the yurts. A euphoric experience all on its own.

Over the three weeks I was there I shared yurt time, meals, and turns with fellow Americans, Canadians, Kyrgyz, Brits, Scotts, French, Australians, Kiwis, and Mexicans; continuing to mix the pot of cultures and world views. During our tenure the mountains and weather allowed us to summit the peaks many times and we were able to ski some of the classic and crown lines of the zone. Other days the mountains left us wanting more and dreaming of the lines we weren’t able to ski.

And so, we wait for another year.

-Sam Thackeray

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (May 28)

The Church remembers St. Bernard of Menthon on May 28.

He was born in 923, probably in the castle Menthon, near Annecy in Savoy. He died at Novara in 1008.

He was a descendant from a rich, noble family and received a thorough education.

He refused to enter an honorable marriage proposed by his father and decided to devote himself instead to the service of the Church.

Placing himself under the direction of Peter, Archdeacon of Aosta, under whose guidance he rapidly progressed, Bernard was ordained priest.

On account of his learning and virtue, he was made Archdeacon of Aosta (966), having charge of the government of the diocese under the bishop.

Seeing the ignorance and idolatry still prevailing among the people of the Alps, he resolved to devote himself to their conversion.

For forty two years, he continued to preach the Gospel to these people and carried the light of faith even into many cantons of Lombardy, effecting numerous conversions and working many miracles.

For another reason, however, Bernard's name will forever be famous in history.

Since the most ancient times, there was a path across the Pennine Alps leading from the valley of Aosta to the Swiss canton of Valais, over what is now the pass of the Great St. Bernard.

This pass is covered with perpetual snow from seven to eight feet deep and drifts sometimes accumulate to the height of forty feet.

Though the pass was extremely dangerous, especially in the springtime on account of avalanches, it was often used by French and German pilgrims on their way to Rome.

For the convenience and protection of travelers, St. Bernard founded a monastery and hospice at the highest point of the pass, 8,000 feet above sea-level, in the year 962.

A few years later, he established another hospice on the Little St. Bernard, a mountain of the Graian Alps, 7,076 feet above sea-level.

Both were placed in charge of Augustinian monks after pontifical approval had been obtained by him during a visit to Rome.

These hospices are renowned for the generous hospitality extended to all travelers over the Great and Little St. Bernard, so called in honor of the founder of these charitable institutions.

At all seasons of the year, but especially during heavy snow-storms, the heroic monks accompanied by their well-trained dogs, go out in search of victims who may have succumbed to the severity of the weather.

They offer food, clothing and shelter to the unfortunate travelers and take care of the dead.

They depend on gifts and collections for sustenance. The majority of these men live at the hospice while some have charge of neighboring parishes.

The last act of St. Bernard's life was the reconciliation of two noblemen whose strife threatened a fatal issue.

He was interred in the cloister of St. Lawrence.

Venerated as a saint from the 12th century in many places of Piedmont (Aosta, Novara, Brescia), he was canonized in 1681 by Innocent XI.

Pope Pius XI confirmed Bernard as the patron saint of the Alps in 1923.

His image appears in the flag of some detachments of the Tyrolean Alpine Guard.

He is also the patron saint of skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

Girls in Red

Wonderland

Savannah

Completely Under Your Love

What’s Real and What’s Not

Sandy Skies Ahead

"Ok, the mirror should be all fixed. You know what to do, Yuu," Crowley says, sitting in a chair while reading a romance novel.

"I hope you come and get me if I'm in trouble," I sneer, annoyed by Crowley's lack of caring for my wellbeing.

"You'll be fine. Besides, Ace and Deuce already entered before you."

"They what?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I was being oh so kind and wanted to surprise you! Who wouldn't want friends helping them out?"

"In case you've forgotten, I have almost died there, sir! You know what, never mind! I'll find them on our own! Come on, Grim!"

Grim and I angrily go in the mirror and land on the bright green grass, wearing red cloaks. My hair is a rose red, while Grim has red in the places where blue usually is.

"Oh, cool, we're Rose Red! My mom used to tell me about how she was Snow White's sister that everyone left out!" I squeal, looking at her red locks. "I've got to take a picture of this."

Grim hands me the camera Crowley gave me, and we take a selfie in their new forms. I put the photo in a nice place where it will stay and venture through the woods to find the Evil Queen's castle. After an hour of going through bushes, vines, and logs, we find the Evil Queen's castle. It's bigger than usually pictured, and the well is shiny and clean.

"Woah, this place is amazing!" I squeal, dusting myself off.

"Snow White, go see who's at the door?!" The Evil Queen yells, making Grim and I think of running away.

Neige, known as Snow White, trots down the stairs and hugs me.

"I'm so glad you're back! I'd thought you'd never return from your travels! Tell me, how was it?!" Neige questions, spinning around and hugging me, Rose Red, his sister.

"It was fun! I saw a lot of magical things! Tell me, how is stepmother?" I ask, following Neige up the stairs.

"She's-she's fine. Stepmother has been on edge lately, but we've gotten along better recently. Come on! I have to show you a surprise we made!" Neige exclaims, running up the stairs and going to the Evil Queen's room.

I follow behind and glance at the purple decor around the room. But the most intriguing part was the blood splatter elegantly hidden behind a violet curtain. I tiptoe into the room while holding Grim and find a bloody sight. A young white man with brown hair and noble blue clothing is splayed across the table with his stomach cut open and guts spilling out. His eyes are lifeless but have the eternal look of pleading for help. I back away, knocking over a vase, gaining the attention of Neige and his stepmother.

"We killed him for you," Neige says, touching my shoulder.

"He was looking for you so he could take you away to his kingdom. You have to understand why we did this," The Evil Queen adds, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"No! He wasn't coming for me! He was coming for you, Snow!" I scream, pushing them off of you.

"Why does that matter? I like staying here with my stepmother. I like staying here with you. We don't need anyone else," Neige calmly says, stepping toward me.

God! I go into this story expecting everything to be normal, but instead, I get Norman Bates and his evil stepmother!

"I thought you two hated each other!" I scream, going behind the dead prince.

"Not anymore! I’ve realized there’s more to the world than beauty! And that’s love!” Vil says, making me shiver in disgust.

"I hope you mean love in a platonic way," I groan, trying not to gag. "Oh God, why couldn't I have a story with characters that act normally!"

"Please don't leave. We've only just begun to your presence," Vil pleads, his heels clicking more as he walks toward me.

Neige circles in from the other direction leaving me nowhere to go. Nowhere to go but down, that is! I hold onto Grim tight and leap out the tower window, trying to grasp the vines for a soft and hopefully painless fall. I grab the thorniest part of the vine, inches above the ground. I recoil my hand, rose-red blood going everywhere, and flee for the woods. As I go into the woods, the thorns and vines seem to circle in until I find a cottage.

"Come out, dearest! You can't hide from us for long! You'll never survive in these woods in the dark!" Vil yells, his voice sounding like an old wicked wizard's.

I run to the cottage, lock the door behind her, and hide underneath a small bed. She stays there as the daylight wanes and the woods begin to get a bit wilder.

"Wow, these woods are truly something else," I say, noticing the ground-shaking footsteps of a giant or large beast. "You can hear people talking and the magic gathering all at once."

The cottage door suddenly slams open and hurried footsteps go to a bed next to me. A girl with auburn with dark red hair and a red cape slides underneath a bed accompanied by a lovely gray wolf. Their green eyes look at me, and she flashes a nervous but friendly smile.

"Nice red cape," She compliments, taking down her hood.

"Thank you. Say, are you hiding from someone as well?" I ask, stroking Grim's back as he sleeps.

"It's not the Big Bad Wolf this time. I made a couple of giants mad while trying to help this baker couple break a curse. My friend, Jack, I think he killed a giant's husband, and now the family wants revenge. But what about you? What are you running from?" The girl asks, huddling her knees.

"I was visiting my stepmother and sister-you'll probably know them-the Evil Queen and Snow White. Everything was going well until I found the prince on a table covered in blood, and his stomach split. And to think I thought my sister loved him," I say, still in shock that Snow White and the Evil Queen killed the prince. "Turns out they get along too well and want me to stay in that tower as well.”

"Really? I thought the Evil Queen didn't like Snow? Crazy how things change so fast. My name's Blanchette, but most people call me Little Red Riding Hood. Nice to meet you, now what's yours?"

"My name's Rose Red. Any idea how to get out of these woods?"

"No idea, but most brilliant ideas come in the midst of darkness. Come, it's best we travel now while the giants head toward the kingdom."

Blanchette gets up with me and travels through the woods in the darkness. Our arms are together as we skip through the woods. A man with a blonde bob suddenly appears in front of us, offering his services.

"Oh, Mr. Huntsman, you've appeared again! Off to kill some more beasts?" Blanchette asks, smiling at Rook, the Huntsman.

"No, no. A queen and her stepdaughter have caught my eye. No person, never mind, two would be caught dead in the woods at this time of night," Rook replies, giving a creepy smile.

"Well, we'll be sure to yell for help if we spot them. Good day, sir!" Blanchette says, quickly skipping forward to get away from Rook.

Even though they were feet away, I could still feel Rook's eyes boring through me. The path begins to clear with fewer vines surrounding the road. The road gets darker, and soon, we encounter a black canyon.

"I guess this it?" Blanchette asks, throwing a rock into the darkness only to hear silence. "There's got to be a way across."

"I think we have bigger problems, way bigger problems!" I exclaim, pointing at the giants, Neige and Vil, walking toward us.

"Oh no," Blanchette says, staring at the giant. "Huntsman, if you're around! Now would be a great time to help!"

"Found you!" Neige and Vil say, running towards me.

I make a last-minute duck and Neige and Vil jump into the darkness. Their screams get softer and softer until no one can hear anything except a gentle thud. An arrow hits a giant in the eye, and the two others come tumbling into the dark canyon. Their bodies create a bridge to the other side, letting Little Red and Rose Red(Yuu/me) travel to the brighter side of the woods where the sun rises. We, the two girls in red run across the giant's back, leaving the woods together.

"I made it! We made it!" Blanchette squeals, hugging me while spinning around. "I hope I see you again!"

"Goodbye!" I say, hugging Blanchette back and not letting go. "Oh, wait! Let's take a picture!"

I pull out my ghost camera and take a picture of her and Blanchette. The morning sun washes over the girls, bringing a classic fairytale end to the story.

Grim and I appear outside the Dark Mirror, but with two keys instead of one.

"Ooh! Look! We got a key with a red hood and a mirror!" Grim yells, pawing at my key chain.

"We got more than that, Grim! Look at this awesome cape!" I exclaim, spinning around in the red cape.

"I see you two are happy," Crowley says, getting up from the floor as if he's fallen.

"Yep!" Grim and I say together.

I take out the selfie from earlier and smile at it. I take the photo of Blanchette, myself, Grim, and Blanchette's wolf from the ghost camera, putting it into her cape's pocket. Grim and I skip out of the Mirror Chamber and back to Ramshackle, happy as one can be.

3rd POV

Meanwhile, Ace and Deuce come out of the Mirror Chamber traumatized by what they’ve seen.

“I had no idea fairytales were so brutal!” Ace cries, helping Deuce steady his balance.

“Between chasing Cinderella and getting rid of the giants I’m quite tired of fairytales. What happened with Little Red anyway?” Deuce replies, hobbling out of the room.

“Who knows,” Ace responds.

[mymiraclebox]

Canon Kwamis: Longg, Fluff, Sass

Longg: -Dragon of Storm -Elemental, True Neutral -"Cloudy Skies!"/"Clear Skies!" -Choker -Sword -He/Him -Dragon fruit

Elemental Dragon - With the proper phrase, the holder can summon one of the elements that make up Storms of the location they are in. On earth this tends to be water, wind, and lightning; in colder environments he gains more control over ice and snow, etc. This extends beyond Earth too: on Mars the Storms they could control would be dust storms, while on Venus they would still have lightning powers but also sulfuric acid from their rain. Near a star he could control solar storms, on Saturn they would manipulate diamonds, or have full power over the red spot on Jupiter, etc.

Tempest - The user creates and summons a giant Storm which engulfs a whole area, that exact Storm depending on location. The ferocity of the Storm is said to reflect the holder's current emotions.

Cyclone - The user is able to become one with an Element of a Storm, and travel through wherever the Storm rages.

Fluff: -Rabbit of Evolution -Timekeeper, Neutral -"Clockwise!"/"Counter-clock wise!" -Pocket Watch -Umbrella -She/Her -Carrots

Burrow - A portal is created that leads to a location outside of spacetime, with windows that lead to various points in time of the location the user entered from. Multiple Rabbits can inhabit the Burrow at once, and guard the timeline from rogue Rabbits.

Sass: -Cobra of Opportunity -Timekeeper, Neutral -"Scales slither!"/"Scales rest!" -Ouroboros Bracelet -Bolas -He/Him -Gummy Worms

Second Chance - The user marks a point in time, which they can return to repeatedly as long as the power is active, resetting time while retaining their memories. If another Second Chance is created then the old one is overwritten.

Instinct - Gives the user an innate ability to spot a moment of Opportunity that they can turn to their favor. Often times they don't know what that moment will provide, but only that they should act at that time.

[turtlethon]

“A Real Snow Job”

Season 7, Episode 3 First US Airdate: September 25, 1993

Krang and Shredder hatch a plan to alter the climate of Austrian Alps.

The “Vacation in Europe” side-season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues with “A Real Snow Job”. Misty Taggart is the credited writer for this adventure, which aired on CBS in a double bill with “Venice on the Half-Shell".

Today the Turtles travel through the Alps of Austria, the Turtle Van having been fitted with special rear tracks to allow it to forge a path through the snow. Splinter is drawn glaring angrily at both Michaelangelo and Donatello, so perhaps it’s for the best that he splits off from the group here, heading into the mountains to engage in meditation. The Turtles wave their sensei goodbye before continuing their journey to Lichtenbruck, which is similar in name to the real-world locale of Lichtenberg but as far as I can tell has been made up for the purposes of this episode.

April and Irma get some new, decidedly early-nineties outfits today as they’re given skiing instructions by the tall, dark and somewhat dopey instructor Rudy. Recreation isn’t the reason the Channel 6 ladies are here though, as Burne has asked them to cover the Olympic skiing trials. As April leaves the slopes to review the tapes of her footage, she notices that the snow is beginning to melt, despite this being “the middle of winter”. (Wait, the first episode of the European Vacation arc took place on Bastille Day, in the middle of July. Have the Turtles been wandering around Europe for half a year?!)

Krang is monitoring April’s activities from Dimension X, and goes on to check in with Shredder, who’s implementing a plan to melt the glaciers and flood the village below, apparently just to be dickish as this doesn’t help to free the Technodome in any way. Bebop and Rocksteady are dropped through a portal to accompany Shreds, as they have a side mission to carry out involving April.

The Turtles make another stop on their way to the village, as Raphael insists on trying out skiing for himself. Wacky antics follow as he soon winds up in trouble, the other members of the team heading downhill to help him, but all four ultimately wind up in a heap. Meanwhile April reviews the footage of her reports over the previous days, noting that less snow appears each time. She calls the Swiss weather bureau to inform them of her findings.

Bebop and Rocksteady are supplied with rocket sleds, which they soon manage to crash. After being chastised by Krang, who reminds them of their mission to destroy April’s tapes, they continue past the big seam that appears on-screen on their way to the village. (Production values haven’t increased much since the Turtles were in Paris.)

April receives information revealing that the area of the ozone lair immediately above the Alps is rapidly melting. She attempts to relay this to Donatello via Turtlecom, but the conversation is cut short when Bebop and Rocksteady arrive, set on abducting her.

Act two opens with April dropping one of her VHS tapes out the window of her chalet. This goes undetected by Bebop and Rocksteady, who carry her and the rest of the cassettes away. Irma and Rudy arrive at the ransacked building first, the cries for help from April’s friend alerting the Turtles. After some investigation, the team recover the tape thrown outside and reach the same conclusion that April had – that the snow is melting rapidly, which must be Krang’s doing.

April is brought to Shredder’s hideout, where Krang appears on a multiple monitor setup in easily the coolest visual of this episode. The two villains use a model to demonstrate their plan, simulating the impending flooding of Lichtenbruck and explaining that the world’s temperatures will raise, this village being just the first target, which at least makes a little more sense. Elsewhere, the Turtles return to their van alongside Irma and Rudy, with Donatello using the vehicle’s equipment to pick up on unusual zoetropic waves – microwaves that are altering the climate.

At his hideout, Shredder tasks Bebop and Rocksteady with setting up the final relay station needed to implement the Scheme of the Day. April attempts to sabotage this plot by buttering Shreds up, suggesting that he could be a guest on her new show, “Lifestyles of the Vicious and Infamous”. Incredibly, this works, as the masked villain agrees to free the reporter from her restraints so she can film him. We get a few crumbs of backstory here as Shredder explains the roots of his evil ways, revealing he was “just born that way I guess – mother kept threatening to run away from home”. Krang interrupts this to yell at Shreds for being side-tracked, providing April with an opportunity to reach for her Turtlecom only for the Foot Clan leader to unwittingly crush it under his foot.

We hastily need to come up with a cliffhanger to ensure the viewers stick around through the commercial break, and so the Turtle Van is seen veering out of control, falling off a cliff edge and down a slope as act two ends. When we return Donatello implements a parachute to break the vehicle’s fall. More problems follow as the ice beneath the vehicle begins to crack, almost pulling Michaelangelo into it after he ventures outside. After he uses a grappling hook to return to safety, an odd moment follows where Leonardo chastises Rudy, suggesting that as a tour guide this was his fault. (This makes no sense as the team were tracking the zoetropic waves, Rudy had nothing to do with it – perhaps there was some dialogue or even entire scenes removed here that showed him leading the Turtles astray.)

Bebop and Rocksteady set up the final relay station, allowing Krang’s scheme to be fully implemented. The snow nearby is seen beginning to melt, but Leo and Mikey arrive to confront the henchmen in... the Turtle Blimp? I suppose if it really has been half a year since the team arrived in Europe then they’d have had plenty of time to arrange to have the Blimp sent over somehow. Meanwhile Donnie and Raph confront Shredder in his hideout. To prevent our heroes from stopping his plan Shredder destroys the controls, an avalanche seen on the network of screens in the hideout. Joining the two Turtles are Irma and Rudy, and in a genuinely shocking moment it’s revealed that the ski instructor is an evil cyborg controlled by Shredder. Rudy turns out to be not long for this world as he’s swiftly kicked into a control panel by Raphael.

As Shredder tries to escape only to find his exit route blocked by snow from the avalanche, Donatello works to create a solution to the current crisis. Using Rudy’s wiring, he connects the cyborg’s power source to the relay’s control panel, allowing the team to stop the machine and return temperatures to normal.

Later, Shredder is seen in a snowstorm alongside Bebop and Rocksteady. The mutant duo loses patience with their boss after he’s unable to pinpoint where Krang’s portal back to Dimension X is supposed to be, pelting him with snowballs. Back in April’s chalet, the Turtles eat pizza before being introduced to Irma’s latest love interest, an un-named man who she assures the team isn’t a cyborg as she “ran him through the metal detector at the airport”. We close out with everyone engaging in uproarious laughter.

“A Real Snow Job” retains some of the unfortunate quirks from “Rust Never Sleeps”, the individual stories within this side-season being frustratingly contradictory and disconnected. It’s a real shame as the wider scope of the Vacation in Europe and the idea of the team travelling from country to country had the potential for a kind of ongoing storytelling we don’t usually get in this incarnation of TMNT.

As we’ve established, Shredder and Krang’s plan here makes little sense as even messing with the climate on a global scale doesn’t resolve their problems with the Technodrome being wedged in an asteroid in Dimension X. The revelation that Rudy was a cyborg the entire time is even crazier given that he must have been created long before Shredder had any awareness that the Turtles were in Austria. Rudy seems to have been built solely to mess with April, but the idea that he’s a saboteur is only hinted at by a single line of dialogue from Leonardo suggesting that he was giving the team bad advice, and he spent most of his existence cavorting with Irma anyway. (For what it’s worth, Irma is unfazed upon discovering Rudy to be a cyborg, declaring that she’s “open minded about these things”; this is consistent with her characterisation in previous adventures, as you may recall from REX-1's first appearance.)

One last note concerning Rudy: his name is given as “Gustav” in the synopsis for this story from the official TMNT website. I have no clue where that came from, Rudy certainly feels like a better fit for his slightly goofy character to my ears. The title accompanying the description is listed as simply “Snow Job”, although the full one is used in the actual list of episodes, another possible mid-production change.

This arc is proving to be a tough watch. Italy will be the next stop on the tour, as we join the ninja teens for "Venice on the Half-Shell".

[mindsetobservances]

I haven’t been posting online because honestly things have been going well for me. And I’m immensely grateful for that. But the past few days have been absolutely absurd.

Last month my mother booked plane tickets for me and my husband to come visit her and my brother to celebrate the holidays. The night before our flight departed I received a text that we had been delayed. I called her to let her know what was going on and to update her of our itinerary. In this conversation she discovered that my husband and I were not traveling with checked bags. (For context, she lives in a ski town) she had previously thought we were bringing our ski equipment, but my husband and I decided against it because it would have been an inconvenience for us, we were only going to be in town for a few days and hauling our gear didn’t seem worth it. After finding out we didn’t have our ski gear she began yelling at me over the phone. Just blowing up about how stupid we must be and why would she fly us out if we weren’t planning on skiing. (My husband and I care about just spending time around my family regardless if on snow or not).

I communicated with her that I did not want to be yelled at, patronized, talked down to etc. She continued to grow more agitated and lashing out saying some pretty terrible things. Becoming so nasty i feel comfortable calling it verbal and emotional abuse. She’s projecting onto me, thinking she can do no wrong and I’m the cause of all this. All I want to communicate is I don’t want to be treated poorly (and I admit I fired my own shots) she cannot comprehend my perspective, she feels I have disrespected and betrayed her bc I didn’t bring my skis. It’s so silly to me. I try and tell her how I’m feeling and share my position, she tries to turn me against my husband, she tells me I don’t know what I’m feeling, she gaslights me, she attempts to manipulate me, etc. It’s terrible, It’s been going on for hours, I’m in tears by the time my husband and I actually arrive at our destination. Not to mention we also had a layover and had to take a bus bc she abandoned us at the airport.

This morning she comes over to the family condo unannounced and I’m like I can’t just act like everything is fine. You’ve been so terrible to me and I don’t deserve that. I tell her everything again, I read out oud the messages she’s sent over the past 24 hours. She’s unable to take responsibility. She cant barely give a genuine apology. And I’m the one she blames, I am so hurt, so heartbroken. I see her now, perhaps I have been dealing with this for longer than I remember, it’s unfair, I’m angry. She genuinely believes that I’m at fault. That’s I’m selfish, that I aim to hurt her. All because I prefer to travel light. That I don’t care where we are but I just care about being with my family. And I’ve tried to communicate this, but she has put her pride above her family. She has prioritized feeling angry about over our decision instead of being grateful we’re just here.

I’m terribly sorry, I am sick. Unfortunately my brother has been dealing with this for a few years, we are with him now. I wanted a nice vacation, and instead I’m turned into a monster bc I didn’t want to inconvenience myself. She could have communicated that we should bring our skis. And things would have been different

I believe she is emotionally immature. If you have read to the bottom I thank you. I feel I can no longer continue, but I may rant more later. If you are able to offer any support or advice I would appreciate it. We’ll see how things continue to develop over the weekend…