#The advice I gave was to not pressure her to be nice and polite over her own feelings of danger

[ainadelothwen]

Sitting in the back of the taxi. It's late on a Wednesday night. New moon, dark skies.

We're wending our way over famous hills and curving along the backstreets of San Francisco.

The taxi driver clears his throat, "Did you hear about that serial killer out in Davis?"

I meet his eyes in the rearview mirror. He's a built man, thick strong fingers on the steering wheel, thinning light brown hair on a narrow face.

My hands stray to the seatbelt buckle; the cold metal is reassuring under my fingertips. My purse is a heavy comfort on my lap.

"Yes," I say. The lights of the City flash by, promising sin and vices. "I wonder if they'll catch her soon."

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

Gundam Witch From Mercury Season 2 Episode 7 Review

- I’d like to get off of Prospera Mercury’s wild ride

- Miorine is finally going to Earth, not to escape her life rife with politics, but instead to try and bolster her image. Meanwhile Guel seems pensive to go back. His small time on Earth changed him into a new man, one that doesn’t have a home in either space or on earth. Meanwhile Kenanji, a professional, has no outwardly displayed anxieties and instead just cracks a joke. He’s been immersed in the dark underbelly of Spacian and Earthian conflict so he’s used to the large pressure everyone’s under

- Martin became Secelia’s water boy and I love it. Okouchi got Quentin Tarantino and Dan Schneider in the writing room for that scene. But for as abrasive as she is, Secelia gives some good advice. Martin can’t spend forever wallowing I’m his guilt. He needs to be upfront with his feelings and accept that sometimes, you just gotta do something, even if it hurts

- Guel recognizing Sedo and chasing after him, leaving Miorine to fend for herself was a dumb move, but a realistic one. He wants to reconnect with a proper relationship this time. Plus, it seems like Guel just has a soft spot for kids in general. However, him chasing after Sedo gave him an important piece of information. That Shaddiq was the one ordered the terrorist attacks that got his dad killed, and boy is Guel pissed. I want to see him 5 v 1 Shaddiq’s squad (Renee and Felsi can fight it out alone) and gain his position as the best pilot in the WFM verse

- Speaking of Shaddiq, this man is the biggest fucking “nice guy” I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t even see Miorine as a human, just a perfect porcelain doll that needs saving. Nothing can be her fault, it must be everyone else’s. Which is even bigger cap because he was the one who let Guel abuse Miorine for two school years and didn’t do anything about it. Asshole. He hates Guel for “dirtying” his precious waifu, even though she’s told him to get bent already. He didn’t care about her dying during the Plant Quetta accident because she would have died with his image of her intact, but now he’s left coping and seething.

- Lauda is similarly coping and seething by thinking that Miorine is ruining his older brother. He just hasn’t realized that Guel has grown independent, and Lauda needs to as well.

- The meeting between Miorine and the Earthian representatives was very interesting. Miorine brought up job prospects, but the Earthians don’t care about that. They want people to stop assaulting, murdering, and taking advantage of them! It’s only until Miorine brings them something that can truly help, medical equipment, that they listen to her. But they still aren’t ready to support her because she has no real power. Sadly the small amount of trust they built up was destroyed due to Prospera’s machinations.

- Suletta truly embodying the tanuki she is by digging through the trash, but luckily, Chuchu comes to help her once again and bring her to her friends. Earth House loves her, and they’ll support her through thick and thin. And through this support, she realizes that Eri loves her too. She wants to protect her from the war and violence that she and Prospera will be inflicting. And now, Suletta is motivated to move forward properly and gain a life of her own.

- I’ve been fawning over Till since the fourth episode cause I think quiet boys are cute, but he fucking stabbed me with that hair down look. He’s such a good person, stating that Nika should be the one to tell them, and supporting Martin but not babying him. He supports Miorine on her business ventures, helped Suletta talk to Miorine, and is just an overall calming presence. Top 3 best boy, next to Guel and El5n

- And speaking of El5n, that scene in the prison room was engineered to make me go crazy. Norea is going crazy locked up in that room, only being able to think about Sophie’s death, her loneliness, and her mortality. The drawings that once comforted her are just black scribbles, showing her mental state. When El5n picks up the discarded book for fun, he passes by the dark pictures and lays his eyes on a beautiful lakefront. A life El5n never had, and a life that was cruelly taken away from Norea. They’re both just children, but they’ve been forced to bear the dark and ugly sides of the world instead of the beautiful ones. And in that moment, El5n fully understands and falls for her. He focused so much on his own life, but now he has someone else to protect. A hurt girl with no future, much like El4n, who he couldn’t save.

- As Norea screams at Nika and El5n to die, for everyone to die, she breaks down, realizing she really doesn’t want any death. She didn’t want Sophie, her almost-sister to die in such a horrible way. She doesn’t want to die for some cause that’s way grander than her. She wants a happy life indulging in the simple beauties of Earth. And El5n, someone who understands longing for a happy life despite fate’s cruel jokes, holds her hand and comforts her. The two loneliest people have found each other, and as El5n recognizes her pain, he may bow to stay with her. For someone who said he’ll live no matter what, how tragic yet poignant would it be if he sacrificed his life for Norea? I would cry my ass off. I just want them to live in a lake house, Norea making art while El5n reads books from his predecessor’s library.

- RIP Feng. She worked hard to find a way without fighting and gave Miorine a helping hand. She sniffed out the corruption in the Space League but it came too late. As she struggles from the pain the gunshot gave her, she pushes Belmeria to act. To stop looking away from the pain she’s caused and to truly make a difference for the better.

- Prospera herself doesn’t support the new Ochs Earth, using the distraction she started to destroy the Gundam facility. Prospera acts in her and Eri’s own interest. She doesn’t care about the hundreds of lives she just ruined with her plan. Those lives don’t matter to her as much as her daughter.

- But Miorine cares. As much as she tries to act distanced, she cares. It’s why she gave Suletta a tomato and searched for a way to save lives with GUND-Arm. Miorine cares for others and now in her eyes, she’s caused immense suffering. She went to build up herself, but in that moment, she realized that she should have cared more for the struggling people. With Guel going off on his own revenge play, Miorine is now alone. But Suletta will support her. Just like how Earth House believes in Nika, Suletta will believe in her.

I’m not ready for next episode. Guel and Grassley are going to conflict, Norea will go even more off the deep end, and Miorine will be on her own once again, before she met Suletta.

[atlabeth]

hey! i love your zuko fics so much and was wondering if you’d like to write this, because the idea just popped up: maybe a zuko x reader fluff that takes place before/during LOK? maybe they’re reminiscing about their past adventures w the Gaang while helping out the new Team Avatar? idk it’s just that every time I see old zuko it makes me soft and emotional 🥲🔥❤️ anyways, much love! (and don’t feel pressured to do this at all, I was just thinking abt who I could submit this request to, and obvi my first choice was you 💕)

reminiscence - zuko x fem!reader

summary: just because you and your husband are retired doesn’t mean you don’t have amazing advice for the new team avatar.

a/n: this is so cute omg!! thank you so much for requesting this and thank you for much for your kind words i'm honored <33 im so sorry this took so long

sorry im posting so much lately im trying to stop slacking and publish things that have been wips for over a month sdkjfh

wc: 1.3k

warning(s): none bc i choose to ignore the news of zaheer’s plan right after this scene

-

Retirement was… nice.

You had spent your childhood fighting with the Avatar to end the Hundred Year War, a feat that was only made more difficult with your Fire Nation roots and connection to the banished prince. But all that’s well ends well, and you ended up getting your happy ending together — you had to fight hard for it, though.

You married Zuko at nineteen, three years after he ascended to the throne, and spent the subsequent years balancing your duties as Fire Lady and taking care of your daughter. Ruling the Fire Nation was a lot, but you knew you could get through anything with your husband at your side.

When he told you his plans to abdicate the throne, you were more than supportive. One of Zuko’s biggest fears was becoming his father, and by giving up his position willingly to Izumi, it guaranteed that he wouldn’t fall victim to the power-obsessed ways of his ancestors. It also gave him a well-deserved break after decades of being Fire Lord, and you were more than ready to get out of the world of Fire Nation politics. You had sat through enough meetings to fill multiple lifetimes.

But just because the two of you weren’t as involved in every day affairs of the world didn’t mean that you were completely out of it. No, that was far from the truth. You and Zuko were still some of the most important people in all of the nations, which meant it wasn’t a rare occurrence for your husband to be called off on some sort of mission.

One such mission was stopping the Order of the Red Lotus for the second time; Zuko had been part of the team that stopped them from kidnapping Avatar Korra as a child, so it was no surprise that he had been called to help for a second time. You knew even in his old age that your husband was powerful, but you couldn’t help but feel concerned about everything he was doing.

This concern was ultimately what led you to join Zuko on his trip to meet with Chief Beifong and Chief Tonraq in the Misty Palms Oasis. He had originally been against your involvement, claiming that the Red Lotus was far too dangerous, and he didn’t want to risk you getting injured in any way. You, of course, weren’t having it. “The Avatar’s in trouble, and I’d like to think I know a few things about getting out of trouble.”

One thing was certain after you arrived — it had been far too long since you had ridden on the back of a dragon. You truly adored Druk, and you felt bad for everyone that would never have the opportunity.

After conversing with Lin and Tonraq inside, you all exited to greet the new Team Avatar. If what you were told was true, then they had been through quite a lot since leaving Zaofu. For as long as you had been involved in foreign affairs, you had never met Avatar Korra nor her friends, so you didn’t know what to expect — an awestruck boy that could barely speak wasn’t at the top of your list though.

“Oh my gosh. It’s Lord Zuko and Lady Y/N. I can’t believe it!” He stared at the two of you with wide eyes, his voice getting higher and higher as he whimpered. He looked like he was going to fall over until another black-haired boy pulled him out of the way, his tone apologetic.

“Uh, forgive my brother,” he said as he put his fist against his open palm, his brother following suit. “We’re just really honored to meet you both.”

“It’s no problem,” you smiled as you and Zuko returned the greeting. It had been years since someone had reacted that way towards you, and you would be lying if you said it didn’t amuse you. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

The two boys straightened again as the taller one gestured to them each in turn. “I’m Mako, and this is Bolin. We’re Korra’s friends.”

“Ah, she’s got her own Team Avatar?” You inquired with a twinkle in your eye. “You know, I traveled with Avatar Aang years back along with my husband.”

“Of course I know!” Bolin exclaimed. “Oh, I’ve heard so many stories about your adventures, they’re all so amazing!” His eyes widened and you actually thought that he was going to fall over. “Oh, oh, could you tell us about some of the things you went through?”

“Bolin, we really shouldn’t bother them—” Mako started, but you laughed and waved it off.

“I assure you, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s not often I get to relive my journeys to such avid listeners. What would you like to hear about?”

He thought for a couple seconds then shot back up again. “What was it like when you escaped the Boiling Rock together? You guys were the first people to ever break out, right? That had to be amazing!”

You and Zuko both laughed as you shot him a look. “It was… interesting,” he said.

“By interesting, he means it was a complete disaster,” you corrected. “Everywhere something could’ve gone wrong, it went wrong. They had originally come there to rescue Sokka’s dad, but instead they found Suki and I. Then Zuko got found out and thrown into prison, our first escape plan failed, Sokka almost got found out, Azula showed up… it was honestly a miracle we made it out at all.”

“It wasn’t that bad!” he protested. “Getting thrown into prison was part of the plan, we wouldn’t have been able to get the cooler out if I hadn’t been found out.”

“I guess I can’t complain,” you chuckled. “I did get to punch you a couple times.”

“They are so cool,” Bolin whispered as the two of you went on in the background. He elbowed Mako in the shoulder and gestured towards the couple with his head. “Come on, ask them something! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“I’m not going to ask them something, Bolin—”

“Excuse me, my brother has something he wants to ask too!” Mako shot him a dirty look which quickly disappeared when you and Zuko turned to him attentively.  

“Oh, um…” He coughed and scratched his head. “I guess.. is there any advice you have for us? With this whole Team Avatar thing, I mean.” You smiled at Mako and took Zuko’s hand.

“The friendships you forge during your journey are the most important thing — they’re the things that will keep you going during your darkest moments, and they will last a lifetime. There will be mountains and valleys, ebbs and flows, but no matter what, you will hold an unbreakable bond.”

You felt Zuko squeeze your hand and turned your smile on him as you returned the sentiment then nodded for him to continue. “Never take anything for granted, and trust in fate. You’re where you are for a reason — everything will end up working out in the end.”

You grinned and kissed him on the cheek, humming in agreement. “It did, didn’t it?”

-

After a few more minutes of talking with the two brothers, they went off to join the rest of their group. It was strange being on the outside of it all after how intense your childhood was, but it was… refreshing not to have the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore.

“The world’s in good hands with them,” you murmured as you leaned your head on Zuko’s shoulder.

“They all have that same fire you had when I first met you,” Zuko chuckled. You watched the four of them conversing and a smile graced your lips.

“Oh? Then I think the world’s in very good hands.”

-

perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin

[awanderingdeal]

How about Nado meeting Kuny’s parents

Do with that as you please

Happy

Sad

I don’t mind

Love, Trash Monster :)

Hello Trash Monster! Thank you for your prompt. This one kind of got away with me and loved writing it. It’s actually rather angsty for me, but there is a happy ending. 

CW: coming out, homophobia (mentions of potential harm to queer people), food mentions, very minor sexual content 

Please let me know if you feel I need to add any warnings

Rating: T+ (sexual content is very minor, but the subject content is a bit heavy at points)

Credit for the sweater weather universe goes to @lumosinlove

"You know you don't have to tell them if you don't want to," Jackson grazed his thumb reassuringly over his boyfriend's hand where they were clenched together. They had been sat stiffly on the sofa for the last 20 minutes, waiting for the knock on the door that would announce the arrival of Evgeni's parents.

"I'm want," Evgeni sighed, his words barely a whisper. "I'm just scared. I don't know what they think. What if they hate me?"

Jackson clutched Evgeni's hand tighter, lifting it to his mouth to press his lips gently against his skin. "Zhenya, I mean it. I love you and I will still love you even if you decide you don't want to do this."

Evgeni shuffled impossibly closer, "I love you too, I'm sorry, I'm coward."

"Stop," Jackson frowned. "You are not a coward. This could get you arrested back home. Killed even. You are allowed to be scared." He let out a frustrated sigh, not aimed at his boyfriend, but at the world around him. "Look, how about we just see how things go. I'll follow your lead and there is absolutely no pressure to say anything to them. As far as they know, I'm just your housemate."

"Very good housemate," Evgeni chuckled, although his laugh seemed strained. "Okay, we play by ear."

"Where'd you learn that one?" Jackson teased gently. Evgeni was always dropping new words and phrases he'd learned, his smile quietly proud, and Jackson loved it. 

"I learn from Finn. We both complain about silly boyfriends speaking French and he teach me English," Evgeni explained.

"Hmm, I'm not sure this is a friendship I should be encouraging," Jackson gave a mock glare. 

"Too late," Evgeni smiled. It was a real smile this time, and Jackson felt like his next breath came a little easier than the last. "We go shopping together next weekend. He give good advice unlike you."

"I changed my mind, this is an excellent friendship," Jackson grinned. Evgeni opened his mouth, likely a clever reply on his tongue, but anything he had to say was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. 

Jackson couldn't understand the string of Russian that Evgeni muttered, but he'd have wagered a large amount of money that it wasn't positive. "Hey, relax. It's just your parents. You love them, they love you," he reassured, despite the growing bubble of anxiety in his own stomach. He'd met his Evgeni's parents a few times before, but it felt different now, even though they weren't aware that anything about their son's relationship with his 'housemate' had changed.

"I go now," Evgeni said as he stood, but the words seemed to be aimed more at himself than Jackson. He left the room muttering to himself and running his hands nervously through his curls. 

A minute later, there was a burst of noise. Jackson smiled, letting his breath out with a sigh of relief. Some part of him had decided the world was going to implode the moment the front door opened, but all he heard was the happy sounds of a child and parents being reunited.

"Jackson," Evgeni pushed through the door a moment later. "You remember my Mother and Father?" he asked.

Smiling, Jackson stood. This part was easy. He could be polite. He was Canadian, polite was in his blood. "Of course," Jackson nodded. "It's lovely to see you again, Mr and Mrs Kuznetsov. Evgeni has been looking forward to your stay." He offered his hand out for his boyfriend's mother to shake. 

"I tell you to call me, Yelena," the tall woman said, batting away his hand softly and pulling Jackson into a hug. "Evgeni only wants to see me for Syrinki," she pretended to whisper. Jackson opened his mouth to mention that he had in fact been learning to make the Russian dish so that Evgeni would feel a little less homesick, but reconsidered. The idea felt too intimate, too suspicious. Looking up briefly, he met Evgeni’s eyes, finding a sadness in them. Maybe he had been thinking the same. 

“Nonsense, even big boys like us need a hug from our mom’s from time to time,” Jackson finally settled on a reply. 

Yelena gave him one last squeeze, patting his cheek. “You’re a good boy, Jackson.”

He wasn’t sure if he was making it up, but the moment seemed significant. He looked at Evgeni again, but just received a shrug, so Jackson turned his attention to Mr Kuznetsov. The man really did not speak much English, so Jackson just waved and said, “hello.” The smile he got in return was almost identical to Evgeni’s. 

                                                           ***

It was now day 3 of the Kuznetsov’s week long visit, and Jackson was really starting to think something was up, he just couldn’t quite place what. They sat on the sofa, looking at some photography Mr Kuznetsov had taken. Jackson had been told repeatedly to call him Lev, but he still couldn’t do it in his head. It seemed like a perfectly ordinary thing to do, Mr Kuznetsov was very passionate about his hobby, but Mrs Kuznetsov kept making little comments that Jackson found quite strange. 

“This is church we get married in,” Mrs Kuznetsov explained, pointing to an unassuming, old looking building nestled between some trees. “Would you like to get married, Jackson?”

The question didn’t even throw him this time, just another example of the odd little elements that kept cropping up. The reasonable part of him wanted to chalk it up to an over curiosity, however he was not entirely convinced. “Yeah, one day,” he nodded, training his eyes on the photo so they didn’t wander to look at his boyfriend. 

“No have to be in church though,” Mrs Kuznetsov patted his hand, “not these days.”

Jackson wasn’t sure how to respond to that and thankfully, Evgeni came to his rescue muttering to his mother in Russian. Her reply was terse, but she slid her finger over the tablet screen to reveal the next photo. 

Things moved on smoothly, and soon Jackson was leaving the three of them. As nice as it was to get to know the family, he realised it was a bit awkward for Mr. Kuznetsov and Jackson liked to allow them to spend time together without feeling guilty about leaving him out. He had almost forgotten about the incident, until lunch time the next day. 

Jackson and Mrs Kuznetsov had made lunch together, which had been strange and yet oddly comfortable. He had realised midway through slicing carrots for the soup that it felt as if they had done this many times before. 

“Oh! I forget,” Mrs Kuznetsov clapped her hands together excitably, getting up from the chair she had just sat on. “I see a photograph in the newspaper,” she said, rooting around in her purse, making a small triumphant noise when she found what she was looking for.  

She placed the clipping down on the table proudly. The photo was of Remus and Sirius. “I think it funny that it in news all the way in Russia,” Mrs Kuznetsov chuckled. “The article was not so nice, so I just cut out photo. Make me think of you. Such nice boys they are.”

Jackson didn’t know what to say, so he just looked at Evgeni. However, his boyfriend was not looking in his direction, staring at his mother instead. Mrs Kuznetsov went about ladling soup into the bowls, humming softly under her breath. 

                                                           ***

It was the final evening of Evgeni’s parent’s stay, and Jackson couldn’t wait to truly release the breath he had been holding. The two older Kuznetsov’s were wonderful, but Jackson wanted to be able to touch his boyfriend, to use the affectionate endearments they had given one another and quite frankly, he was horny. 

That thought was ripped from his mind, by the commotion of Mrs Kuznetsov tripping and throwing her glass of iced tea all over Evgeni. Jackson didn’t know much Russian, but he recognised the swear word that fell from his boyfriend’s lips and the scolding he received from his mother didn’t need translating. Then she began gesturing towards the wet clothing, saying something that made Evgeni’s eyes widen. Jackson would forever maintain that the sound that came out of Evgeni’s mouth was a squeak. 

“Off, off,” Mrs Kuznetsov ordered, her voice firm.

Jackson sympathised with Evgeni’s reaction now. He cleared his throat, mumbling a comment about getting a mop and hurried from the room. On his return, he realised he hadn’t been long enough, finding Evgeni standing in just his underwear. He swore softly to himself, going about mopping the floor, trying his level best to look anywhere but Evgeni. It felt like forever before his mother took his clothing, muttering something about the washing machine. 

“Mama,” Evgeni called, just as she was leaving the room. She looked back, smiling softly and Evgeni took a deep breath. “Jackson is my boyfriend.” He looked at his father and repeated the sentence in his native tongue. Jackson couldn’t recall loosening his grip on the wooden handle, but the sound of the mop clattering on the floor pulled him from his shocked pause. 

“Zhenya,” he breathed. And in that moment, the monumentality of his words seemed to hit Evgeni. Jackson saw the panic cross his boyfriend’s features, tensing his muscles to go and offer comfort, but somehow Mrs. Kuznetsov got there first. There were tears in her eyes, and a thousand thoughts ran through Jackson’s mind. He wanted to console Evgeni. He wanted to assure Mrs Kuznetsov they were good people, that Evgeni was the same son he had been thirty seconds ago. 

“I am so proud of you,” she reached out to grasp Evgeni’s hand. “I wait all week for you to tell me.” 

“What?” The word came from Evgeni and Jackson simultaneously. 

“Evgeni talk you, like I talk Alyonushka,” Mr Kuznetsov smiled. The words were stilted and the accent heavy, but Jackson understood well enough. Evgeni’s cheek took a pink tint to them. 

“I know love when I see,” Mrs Kuznetsov wagged her finger at Jackson as if he was a naughty child. She gave a small sigh, looking between the two of them, “Russia not so nice. But you safe here in USA, and Russia get better. One day, you hold hands there too.” 

Jackson felt tears in his own eyes now. Not even the fact Evgeni was standing in only his underwear could ruin this moment.

“Go put clothes on. I tell story to grandkids one day,” Mrs Kuznetsov smiled. 

“Mama!” Evgeni reprimanded. His next words were Russian, but the embarrassed exchange between mother and son was universal. Jackson suddenly realised he could tell his own parents now, and that seemed both terrifying and magnificent. He wasn't at all worried about their reaction, but it still seemed big. Deciding those emotions could be left for another day, he let himself enjoy this moment.

[ishibishie]

i said i would maybe do this two weeks ago but i'm on a steven loving high and i saw a stupid post that was basically brainless bashing and hate in his tag so i'm here to fix this with steven love and ramble about the baby boy with a........

27 RANDOM STEVEN HEADCANONS POST!

uh cw for mentioning dead parents ig. there's a lot of dead parent stuff here sorry

- steven is asexual and aromantic. he discovered this a bit "late" when he was about 20 years old. despite his high profile in hoenn, he isn't very open about his sexuality and has only come out to a handful of close friends, the first being wallace. it was also wallace who gave him the black ring he wears.

- steven is half galarian on his mother's side. he would often visit the region with her before she died, and steven has very fond memories of watching gym matches: those battles are what inspired him to become a pokemon trainer along with his mother having been one herself in galar before she moved to hoenn. his favorite place in galar is wyndon city and he loves finding any excuse to hop aboard the trains scattered throughout the region to see all the unique scenery pass by and collect rare new stones for his collection.

- he adores space and astronomy! when he can't sleep he'll go outside and look at the stars until he eventually dozes off. this also led him to look into the mythology behind the constellations he sees, and he's had a few passionate conversations with cynthia about pokemon mythology.

- when nervous, steven tends to bite his nails. this has led to many scoldings and impromptu manicure sessions from wallace!

- his biggest fear is ghost type pokemon as he hates thinking about the concept of death. he also dislikes very strong thunderstorms, and being left alone for long amounts of time.

- as a result of his pampered childhood, steven is a bit of an attention seeker. he tends to get fussy and impatient when nobody acknowledges or listens to him. there was an isolated incident of steven throwing a pebble he had in his pocket at someone to make them pay attention when he was at his limit.

- likewise, he absolutely hates getting dirty when he's not caving. a single blemish of dirt on his nice clothes will drive him mad. he hates being disorganized and is a bit of a clean freak.

- he's a big contest fanboy! if a day off and a contest line up on the same day, expect to see steven somewhere in the audience cheering the coordinators on.

- steven and his father have a rocky relationship ever since his mother died. steven always wanted to become a pokemon trainer like his mother, but his father wanted him to take over the devon corporation one day. this unwanted pressure from his father ultimately led to steven running away from home to pursue his dreams when he was 14. now, they're still on speaking terms, but that's not to say steven looks forward to and enjoys their conversations. things only got worse when steven came out to his father and was brushed off as "going through a phase". despite everything, steven one day wishes to reconcile with his father and hopes that they can be as close as they were before his mother died.

- the one thing steven regrets most is never saying goodbye to his mother. the last thing he told her was "see you tomorrow!" before she died the very next day

- he met wallace during the time he ran away from home. the two met in lilycove city, where wallace was practicing for a contest and steven happened to be in the city. steven was intrigued by wallace's skills and ability to charm him with his pokemon. the first thing steven said to wallace was a compliment about his pokemon and the two decided to spend the day hanging out. they've been best friends ever since, and steven tends to see wallace as the big brother he never had and his main source of advice.

- he loves to write, whether it's journalling or taking notes about the rare stones he finds. however, he uses the same notebook for everything so his journal entries are often bordered by crammed-in notes about rocks. good luck reading anything, though: he has very small and cursive handwriting.

- steven is a disaster in the kitchen. the only thing he can make without any risk of burning his house down is a cup of tea.

- he's a big nature lover! in contrast to his sheltered life as the son of the ceo of a big business, he enjoys looking at flower gardens and finds any chance he can to lay down on a grassy hill and let the world move by without a care.

- he enjoys classical music and can play the flute!

- due to how he grew up without many real friends as a kid, steven tends to act a bit childish in personal social situations. he'll simply say whatever's on his mind without thinking twice and randomly cut in whenever someone else is speaking. not to mention he's terrible at holding eye contact. more "professional" conversations are where he shines as his parents taught him everything about etiquette.

- steven is polite to a fault: he usually has trouble telling people no and doesn't like to intrude on other people's conversations even if he was invited to such a conversation. it can make normal small talk awkward for both parties.

- his favorite place in hoenn is sootopolis city. he adores being surrounded by history while chatting with wallace at a local cafe, not to mention taking in the beautiful scenery at night.

- clear, sunny days are his favorites. when he travels to a colder region and gets caught in a sudden snowfall, he likes to watch it snow as it's an extreme rarity in hoenn.

- he loves to read and often wears a pair of reading glasses when he finds the time to open a book.

- steven carries a few special items with him wherever he goes: these include his key stone, the first gym badge he ever earned, an old pocket knife that belonged to his mother, and his mother's galar gym challenge league card.

- he's great at various card games. it's best to cut your losses if you make a bet with steven and he pulls out a deck of cards!

- it's easy to tell if steven is lying: he'll always rock back on his heels and bite his lower lip when doing so. using this knowledge is limited however, as steven doesn't tend to lie very often.

- his favorite food is galarian curry, especially the kind his mother used to make. he also enjoys sampling the cuisine from other regions, especially kalos. when it's time for dessert, he'll never pass up: he's got a bit of a sweet tooth!

- steven is a very laid-back person and hardly anything can really upset him. he tends to laugh off any embarrassing blunders he makes and will sometimes make small quips and jokes at his own expense. however, saying anything bad about the devon corporation will cause him to go on a profane offense, a bit ironic considering his odd and shaky relationship with the company.

- steven wears his jacket everywhere he goes. he's always complaining about being cold and it baffles everyone how he can keep wearing his blazer even in the dead heat of hoenn's summers. since he's always freezing, you can often find him at home wrapped in the fluffiest blanket he owns near the fire.

- even though he's champion of hoenn, steven still feels like he's working towards his initial dream of making his mother proud. he really only sees his championship title as one of many steps he still wants to take to live the life and dreams his mother hoped he would achieve!

(i copy pasted this from my phone notes so if the format is screwy, sorry!)

EDIT 8-30-21: yes i lowkey made this post to combat the people who are bashing on steven for getting a mega evolving rayquaza and posting this hate on his tag. it's fine to not like steven or how zinnia didn't get the mega rayray but for the love of god DON'T post hate in steven's tag! the people checking his tag are people who like him and we really don't appreciate you mindlessly calling our baby boy a racist bitch because you're salty. i'm sure you wouldn't like it if i went into zinnia's tag and posted "haha suck it side character" so. don't be a bitch. be considerate, okay?

[heresathreebee]

That G-D Ring of Yours

High Fidelity’s Robyn Brooks X Female reader

Summary: You seek comfort from your neighbor Rob

Masterlist

There's probably gonna be a part 2

Word count: 2.5k words

Warning(s): +15 | implied cheating, internalized homophobia, heterosexism, author and Rob swearing, no hate to polyamorists but major hate to bad faith players, shameless self insert, no beta, barely edited, long as fuck I'm so sorry

Author's note: I'm having anxiety for no discernable reason and my brain has decided this is ideal fuel for a fic, so please enjoy. EDIT: ha ha yeah still anxious but we're doing stuff about it

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

"-- And she just touched my hand by accident and I just felt this–  this spark between us…" 

It was so sweet how he was talking about it. Or at least it would be were this not your fiancé explaining how he had been seeing another person behind your back. Had you rushed into things with him? Gotten hitched after three months because of familial pressure to settle down and start your family? Quite possibly.

But it didn't make that stabbing in your gut hurt any less. 

You had been a little gung-ho from date number 1, but he had been right there with you the whole time. Date number 2 happened the following weekend and then you just kept seeing each other more and more until before you knew it you had been introduced to each other's extended families and announced your engagement on Valentine's Day. 

You started to suspect something was amiss on Sunday, when you were braiding your hair on the bed and he had gone to take a shower. He accidentally set his phone screen aside with a text chat still open. Thinking nothing of it (he had already told you he was talking to Mark about getting drinks tonight), you looked at the name and saw it belonged to a woman you had never heard of before. Your immediate reaction was 'she must be a new coworker or a cousin,' but then you glanced again and saw the text conversation mirrored the same kind of ‘sentiments’ he texts you. 

The dirt burned into your brain for eternity: 

You had looked away then. You were actually not going to say anything at all to him that night– had planned to bring it up after Tuesday dinner with your auntie's family, but something came up. It turns out that Jessabelle also frequented the same Starbucks as you (and she's your age, not a teen like you worried). You can't even find it in you to be mad at her since it seemed like she had no idea who you were when she showed you the picture of her date at a baseball game. You tried not to puke as you asked for her number and to send her that picture "for her contact profile." 

You hadn't heard a word your fiance had said since the beginning of the phone call and you cut him off with some excuse you barely remember. You tossed your phone carelessly onto the couch and laid back on the cushions in defeat. What now? 

You weren't really a drinker or a smoker, and you didn't exactly have friends who would be supportive right now. You could hear them now, your family too– asking you what you did wrong, telling you to just forgive him or how to get even, or simply saying 'well what do you expect? Boys will be boys.' 

Maybe… no, you definitely need to get this off your chest before you do something stupid like pretend to forget about it. You had a bad habit of that because you tend to fall fast and hard. Perhaps your neighbor could give you some advice. 

Thank the Lord for fire escapes. Rob lived on the floor beneath you, always playing something good from her huge collection of vinyl records. You've told her at least a hundred times before if she played nothing but Phil Collins for the rest of eternity, you could die happy. You crossed your fingers and hoped you weren't being weird or invading her privacy. 

Thankfully, she seemed to be expecting you. She even motioned that the latch was undone and waved you inside. Ok the second wine glass made your face grow hot. 

"I'm not interrupting am I?" 

Rob gave you a warm smile. "I could hear you pacing around your kitchen for about an hour. Was about to come and get you actually." 

She pressed the glass into your hand and you made an effort not to grimace. Rob liked her drinks cheap and strong and she never held back. You tried a sip just to be polite, and she snorted at the face you pulled. 

"That's right, you like that sweet stuff. What's it called again?" 

"Stella Rosa," you mumbled, grateful when she takes the glass back and hands you a water to replace it. 

"Favorite flavor," she asked looking at her phone. 

"Uh… the peach and the rosé. They're all pretty good, not gonna lie." 

"OK, take this, grab a blanket from the hall closet, and tell me what's going on." 

You curled up on Rob's couch and put your feet up. There were piles of records all over the place, empty beer cans and a pizza box or two on the coffee table. Your neighbor tapped away at her phone screen before silencing it and slipping it in her back pocket. She gave you a minute or two to speak up, sipping her drink like you two had all night. Which actually you did as you did not want to see your fiancé right now. 

You felt two fingers gently tap your forehead. "Come on, dreamer, tell me what's going on in that head of yours." 

You swallow the lump in your throat. "I feel a little over dramatic saying my life is about to fall apart." 

Rob raised her eyebrows at you. "Damn, OK." 

You rush to correct yourself– explain your weird sentiment in more detail but you end up just vomiting words until your voice is hoarse. 

"I mean– like– like it's not falling apart per say or whatever– I… the rest of my life is fine its just my relationship that's screwed. Which I guess I'm more worried about because it's gonna screw up all my other relationships for a while too– dang it, let me start over–" 

"Babe! Slow down. Breathe." Rob switched drinks with you and against your better judgement you took a sip. Oddly enough it did calm you down. "So… it's your fiancé, right? What did he do?" 

You stared at her trying to unscramble your thoughts. "He… I found out he was kind of... dating another person. After I found out, he tried to explain that he didn't think I would mind–" 

Rob barked, "let me guess: he didn't think you were exclusive? Pull the Main Chick, Side Chick schtick? Tried to claim 'polyamory' after he got caught?" 

Two and two clicked together at last. "Yeah… yeah, he did!," you scoffed, "and it's not like it didn't ever come up in conversation: we spent our third date talking out our, like, sexualities and fantasies and fetishes and shit. If he was polyamorous, wh- why wouldn't he have brought it up then?" 

"That is so fucked." 

You took a deeper draft of her wine, coughing before setting it aside. Up until now, you've been numb. Now there's this wave of anger boiling up to the surface and you hear yourself getting louder. Rob doesn't flinch but she does give you this look of empathy unlike anything you've seen before. 

"If he– if he would have just asked me, I would have told him it was fine. My family does shit like that all the time: nobody bats an eye! If he really thought I wouldn't mind, he wouldn't have been so freaking sneaky about it. He literally lied, Robyn!" 

You whipped around and for a brief moment you knew you looked crazy. "He said he was going out for drinks with his guy friend, but he was making plans to go to a baseball game with a girl I've never heard of! If he really thought I wouldn't mind, or if he 'thought I would understand,' then why would go out of his way to lie about who he was with?" 

Someone buzzed Rob's door and she left you on the couch momentarily, coming back quickly with two bottles of your favorite wine. "Damn girl, these are kinda bougie: Peach or Rosé?" 

"I--"you choked, "Robyn you didn't have to–" 

"Peach it is!" She unscrewed the caps and handed you the whole freaking bottle of white, downing the last of her merlot and getting a fresh glass for you. 

You felt a little guilty she had spent money on you. But then again it had been her choice. If she didn't want you there, Rob wouldn't have let you in in the first place. Maybe you were just a tinsy bit worried you shouldn't be here. 

You and Rob took a break from talking to put on music and get a little tipsy. It came much easier with the help of the Stella Rosa, though Rob initially complained it was 5.5%, she did get accustomed to the sweetness pretty fast, and after consuming half the bottle, realized it was a little easier to get carried away with a drink like this. She admitted it was her first time trying rosé and now she was hooked. Eventually you started talking again, just spilling your guts out with no filter anymore. 

"I really think I just hate myself," you said cuddling the cool glassware. "When I found out, I wasn't even thinking of it as a betrayal of my trust– it felt like I was trying to come to terms with it so I could continue with the relationship. Not because it would make me happy but because… I don't know… it's what everybody else wants me to do. They don't even know about it and I was fully prepared not to tell them even though they'd want me to marry him whether they knew or not." 

Rob barked a laugh of surprise. "Doh-K!" 

"What?" 

"Nothing, nothing…" she said, "keep going." 

You stared off into the middle distance and leaned into her side. She was a tiny bit warm despite her lithe figure. Made you want to throw your blanket over her shoulders and share your greater warmth. 

So you did (you're not great at acting out your desires but this is nice!)

"It's just easier," the words left your mouth unbidden, "I don't even know what that means, but it's true. I don't want to marry him anymore but I don't want to break it off. Not marrying Fiancé means disappointing my family. It means having to find an entire new man to marry sooner rather than later because I'm already 'behind' and lowering my already low expectations. 

"It's not gonna make me happy, but I just think it's easier to keep this wedding going because at least I won't have to find somebody new who might not be as good for me just because I didn't want him. Another man won't make me happy so there's no reason to drop him... except that I don't want him." 

Rob's brow furrowed. "Are you saying it's easier for you to please your family than it is to be happy?" 

"Yes? I– no, I– … I don't know," you sigh. "I guess you could say my priorities are a little… mismanaged." 

"Sure, you could say that." Rob wrapped her arms around your shoulders and you inhaled the scent of her soap and cigarettes. "What if you tried… like… not doing that anymore...? You just said you do whatever your family wants you to do. So, just like do what makes you happy for a change." 

It really does sound so simple the way she puts it, doesn't it? Why are you doing this to yourself? You're not dependent on them for money or security or happiness for that matter. So... why has your whole life been centered around pleasing them? 

"I think… I think I've never really sat down and thought about what makes me happy," you admitted. "I think it's just been that way forever and I might have been too scared to try anything else." 

Rob hummed. "Are you still scared now?" 

Are you? You look into her eyes and ask yourself a question that has never crossed your mind with such depth. You used to be scared– but what is it about your happiness that you are so afraid of? OK, let’s start a little simpler: what are things that make you happy? 

“I like…” you swallowed, trying to break down the barriers you’ve built years and years ago. “I like… coffee. I like… short skirts. I like… girls– I like… my job. I like… music. I think I’d enjoy camping, you know, some day…” 

Your words… these things seemed so arbitrary and trivial. But in your house, these things cause dissent. “My family has an opinion about everything. There’s no right way to live in all of their eyes, but I think I figured out a way to get past it. Keep my head down and do what’s expected of me. Graduate college, get a respectable job, find a man to marry, drop the job and become a mother. Just… don’t make waves. It seemed better because the cousins who didn’t or couldn’t… well they became the butt of every joke at the family dinner. Lisa had one miscarriage so she was a ‘failure’ and Don never dated girls so he was gay and that was ‘bad,’ but grandma Zelda did everything a good Christian woman could do and they still gossiped about her behind her back… 

“And I just… I just let their ignorance control me for my entire life.” God, you could cry right now, but somehow it just felt too good to say it outloud. “That.. that is so fucked.” 

Robyn snorted, and you turned to her as if you’d forgotten she was there. There it was again, that sympathy. Not pity, she did not burden you with tears of her own or try to be angry for you. She just listened and understood. You twisted the diamond encrusted ring on your finger and stared at her. You felt it, that feeling in your heart. No one else had given you that look, like she could really see you. 

“You’re not going back to Fiancé, are you?” Her question was equal parts worrisome and hopeful and you already knew the answer in your heart. 

“No.”

And that was it. Decision made. Actually easier than you'd thought. Maybe not down the road but it felt good for now. There's the telling your fiancé it's over, the moving out, the public announcement, the inevitable feeling of failure, your family, god, his family too. Untangling your lives would be long and hard. You're not sure if you have that level of commitment and motivation in you but fuck it. Problems for tomorrow.

You rest your head on Rob's shoulder and hope your not pushing any boundaries. She doesn't stop you though, in fact she snuggles you deeper into her. You get the feeling she's been here before though your not sure which side or how bad it was for her.

"I like you way more in the few times I've met you than any man I've ever dated," you heard yourself say. "I'm sure that means something but I'm too tired to decide anymore. No tonight at least."

Rob chuckled. "I like you too, sugar."

If you made it this far, hi 💛 appreciate you, leave me a comment! Or just comment "💛"

[miracleonice87]

Make You Feel My Love with Nathan MacKinnon

a Nathan MacKinnon song fic

a/n: season outcome, timing, and stats = totally fake. based on Nate’s public mentions in past interviews of seeing a sports psychologist, which is really inspiring to me. seeking professional advice is a GOOOOD thing! also, wasn’t originally intended to be a song fic, but Adele’s version of Make You Feel My Love (originally by Bob Dylan) came on while I was finishing it up, so I went with it! last note: pretending Tyson never got traded to the Leafs is the best part of writing hockey fanfiction. 🥺

summary: Angry/Sad Nate loses in the playoffs and takes his frustrations out on his girlfriend Sam, who gets comfort and advice from his teammates and friends.

warnings: swearing; isolated, individual outbursts of anger but NO physical violence; mentions of counseling/therapy and the practice of sports psychology (obviously, like I mentioned, this is a good thing but just something to know); crying Nate (I feel like that deserves a warning)

_____

Deflated, I sat in a bulky black chair in the team family room deep in the recesses of the Pepsi Center for several minutes after leaving the wives and girlfriends suite, needing a moment away from prying eyes and cameras to process what had just occurred.

The Avalanche had been one of the highly favored teams in the West all season long, yet had just been swept in the second round of the playoffs. My boyfriend, Nathan MacKinnon, widely regarded as one of the best players in the NHL, had totaled only one point in the 11 playoff games the team had played this year, earning a single assist on a Mikko Rantanen goal.

Needless to say, that hadn’t been sitting right with Nate.

He’d been short with me since the first few games of the postseason; even shorter than he typically got when he was in a drought. I had tried to give him space, but he snapped about the smallest questions I asked or requests I made of him: what he wanted for dinner, or to be sure he called to wish his sister Sarah a happy birthday. He sometimes mumbled an apology in my general direction, but more often than not, he simply left the room in a huff. I tried my best to be patient — to give him space.

It was abundantly clear that the pressure that always loomed heavy over Nathan like a thick, dark cloud had now intensified. I knew, without him ever verbalizing it, that he felt more burdened than ever before to live up to the hype — to the expectations he had for himself, and to those placed on him, either explicitly or implicitly, by the entire hockey community and the media.

When the rain is blowing in your face

And the whole world is on your case

I could offer you a warm embrace

To make you feel my love

I sat still with my head in my hands for what seemed like forever, until sweet Mel Landeskog, whom I had become so close with over the last four seasons of watching our significant others play together, came and rubbed my back gently through the custom Avs denim jacket that hung on my shoulders. I lifted my head to look at her, a sympathetic smile etched on her beautiful features.

“I’m sorry, Sammy,” Mel offered. “I know he’s gonna be so hard on himself. But he had such a great season — he needs to be proud of that,” she reasoned. I nodded.

Mel was right. He had had a truly remarkable regular season — he had scored 95 points in 82 games after a enduring a considerable slump for much of the previous year. This year stood in stark contrast to last. He had been riding high for many weeks; that is, until playoffs hit.

I stood to wrap Mel in a hug, appreciative of her gesture of support but unwilling to reflect on Nate’s play right now. “Thank you, Mel,” I told her as I squeezed her tightly. “I’m gonna miss you so much this summer,” I added, gesturing to the car seat on the floor beside her. “And Nate and I will both miss that little one, too,” I said as I blew Linnea a kiss, making her giggle, a welcome sound after a heartbreaking display on the ice. Mel glanced down at her baby daughter, beaming.

“I know, honey. We’ll miss you too. But it won’t be long until we’re all back here together, plus we’ll see each other for a couple of these bachelorette parties and summer weddings and get-togethers, yeah?” she said with a nudge.

“Yeah, that’ll be nice. Until then, you guys be safe,” I told her. With one last hug and quick kisses to each other’s cheeks, Mel picked up Linnea in her seat and exited the room. I realized that she and I had been the last two wives or girlfriends to leave, with most of us having exchanged quiet goodbyes in the suite before making hasty escapes to the parking area to console our respective sad hockey players.

With a groan at the depressing thought, I pulled my jean jacket tighter to my torso and walked slowly out the open door.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear

And there is no one there to dry your tears

I could hold you for a million years

To make you feel my love

The locker room doors stood maybe ten yards down the hall. The usual rambunctious ruckus that so often echoed off the cinderblock walls was tonight exchanged for a thick silence. It seemed that most of the guys had already left, and those who remained were noiseless. I softly greeted a few of the familiar men who made their way out the doors, offering only a sad smile and a few words of comfort to each, knowing that they weren’t in the mood to engage. They were, however, still polite, with several of the players embracing me briefly or kissing my cheek as they left the building.

Gabe Landeskog was among the very last to leave the room, unsurprisingly, as he was ever the responsible and respectable captain. He spotted me immediately and enveloped me in his strong grasp.

“Hi, friend,” I whispered into his shoulder, worried that my voice would break. “Hi, söt flicka,” (sweet girl) he countered.

“I’m sorry, Cap,” I told him quietly. He pulled back and shook his head. “Don’t apologize. Wasn’t our year,” he replied with a shrug. “As you can imagine, Nate is taking it pretty hard...” his voice trailed off. “I just want you to be prepared,” he finally added, carefully.

My stomach knotted. I tucked some of my hair behind my ear and swiftly licked my lips, feeling anxiety pool in my gut.

Gabe placed a firm hand on my shoulder. “Just remember it’s not you he’s upset with. It’s himself,” he said softly. I quickly glanced up at him and nodded. “Thank you,” I choked out. “Now you better get going. You’ve got two beautiful girls waiting for you,” I told him, feigning a bright grin. He tried to mirror my expression, but fell short. It was unnatural to see such sadness in his normally joyful visage. He squeezed my upper arm.

“That I do,” Gabe agreed. “We’ll see you soon, Sam.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “Bye, Cap.” He gave a solemn nod and disappeared down the hallway.

My unease only multiplied after my exchange with Gabe. I began to pace slowly in a circle. I jumped a few moments later when the door flew open with a screech, Nate emerging from behind it, a bitter, dark expression on his face.

I greeted him softly, tentatively, reaching a hand toward him.

“Nate, baby, I —“

My boyfriend brushed past me in a flash, causing a literal draft of air to hit me as he held up his hand, never even making eye contact with me as he practically stomped down the corridor.

My blood ran hot — how dare he not acknowledge my presence after I had attended how many home games, and even road games, supporting him and cheering him on, no matter what? And that was just this season — what about the three prior? Why was he shutting me out? My heart thumped against my ribcage.

“Nathan,” I called, my voice firm this time, whipping around to face his back and then fumbling with the chain of my Louis Vuitton bag as it fell from my shoulder. Discombobulated, I threaded it back over my arm clumsily and took two hurried steps in Nate’s direction, but he was already out of sight.

Just then, I noticed our close friend Tyson Barrie standing a few feet behind me. I could infer from the way he was approaching me gingerly, which was highly unlike him, that he had witnessed our exchange, or the lack thereof. I sighed and pressed a hand to my forehead, his hand coming to grip my other elbow.

“Sam, sweetheart... you okay?” Tyson asked softly. Hot tears pricked my eyelids, but I refused to let them fall, blinking them back with a sniffle. My hand fell back to my side — I was shaking now.

“I knew he would be mad...” I began. “But what the fuck, Tys?” My voice wavered.

Tyson instinctively pulled my waist to his side, giving me a quick, protective kiss to the temple, before pulling away and offering me his hand.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home,” he volunteered. With another sniff, I shook my head. “No, it’s okay, Tys. I drove, thank god,” I spat. “Besides, you’re dealing with the same disappointment. You need to go home with Em and unwind,” I insisted, smoothing one hand over his suit jacket. His head dropped and he offered a weak nod.

“I guess. But listen, if he’s still not acting right, call me, okay? You know you can come over. You’re always welcome, especially when he’s being such an ass,” Tyson said, the end of his sentence turning into a growl. We both sighed; I nodded.

“Thanks, Tys. I’ll let you know. And listen, I’m sorry... about tonight. I know it hurts,” I told him, hugging his neck with one arm. He spread his fingers over my back and gave me a squeeze before stepping back to look into my eyes.

“It’s just hockey,” he said quietly. I smiled weakly and nodded once. “Bye, Sam. See you soon,” he said, rubbing one hand over my shoulder as he turned and made his way down the hall to find Emma.

If only Nathan shared his friend’s logic and sentiment.

I dropped my head back at the thought, tears once again collecting in my eyes. I forced them closed in an attempt to stay composed. With another sigh, I slowly started toward the private parking garage where my vehicle waited.

Unsurprisingly, as I stepped through the glass door and into the garage where I spotted my Audi, the spot next to me where Nate’s Porsche had been was empty. I unlocked my car, tossed my bag and scarf into the passenger side, and slammed my door shut before giving the steering wheel two firm bangs with the palm of my hand. My body still hadn’t stopped trembling.

I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue

I'd go crawling down the avenue

No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do

To make you feel my love

I rested my forehead against the leather steering wheel for a moment before drawing a breath and finally backing out of my spot and exiting the garage, apprehensive of the scene I might find at the condo Nathan and I shared.

_____

I stepped through the front door tentatively, chewing on the inside of my lip. I was careful not to make a sound, walking on tiptoes to avoid clicking my heeled boots on the white tile floor. I dropped my purse onto the table in the entryway and reached to hang up my keys on the rack by the closet when I heard the distinct sound of glass — a lot of glass — shattering.

I froze.

The plans I had formulated in my head during my drive to confront Nate as soon as I arrived home suddenly seemed too unnerving to carry out.

My knees were nearly knocking together as I zipped through the living room and tucked myself behind the wet bar in one corner of the room. I hid myself in a partially-enclosed area where the wine and beer fridge stood, then felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I fumbled to answer it, not wanting to make too much noise.

Sidney Crosby, the onscreen caller ID read. I tapped the green button.

“Hello?” I was caught off guard by how frightened my own voice sounded as I answered.

“Sam, hi. Are you home?” Sid’s usually calm and collected tone was now bathed in concern.

“Hi, Sid. Yeah, I just got home. He’s, uh... it’s not good,” I said quietly, glancing at the staircase as I heard another thud upstairs, this time what sounded like a pair of shoes against Nate’s closet wall. On the other end of the call, Sid heaved a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, I figured,” he said tensely. “I tried calling him thinking I might catch him on his way home and talk him down a bit, but he ignored my call. I’m sorry, Sam. Are you alright?”

I glanced down at my free hand which rested on the oak wood of the bar. I was still trembling, my fears of coming home to chaos having been realized.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I choked out, lying through my teeth. “It’s just hard to watch.”

A deep hum of understanding came from Sid’s throat. “I bet. Have you talked to him?”

I shook my head, despite the fact that Sid was nowhere nearby to see the gesture. “No,” I vocalized weakly. “He uh... he kinda... he didn’t wanna talk to me at the arena... I don’t think.” I fiddled with my promise ring on my left hand as I made the admission. It didn’t even sound like Sid was breathing on the other end of the line.

“You’re telling me he blew you off?” he asked gruffly. I could envision Sidney running a hand over his face before gripping his neat curls atop his dark hair, as he often did when frustrated. I opened my mouth to confirm, but couldn’t actually bring myself to do so, knowing what his reaction would be. I also didn’t want to confess to the commotion I had just heard upstairs, knowing that it would further upset my concerned friend, on my behalf. Instead, I let my silence do the talking.

“Goddammit, Sam,” he growled. “I’m so sorry. He’s young. He- he... I used to do this shit, too,” Sidney admitted with a quick breath. “It’s bullshit. He’s just angry with himself and he’s taking it out on you and it’s not fair. I had hoped I had set a better example about how to deal with these things when they happen... but apparently not.”

A couple of hot tears fell to my face as I responded. “This isn’t your fault, Sid.” He retorted immediately, “Well, it’s sure as hell not yours, either.”

We both sat in contemplation for several moments, neither sure of the next step to take. Then, Sid decided.

“I won’t call him again because he needs to talk to you first. But I am going to text him and urge him that he needs to let you in,” Sid insisted. “He needs to let somebody in,” he repeated. “And it needs to be you first.”

More tears were falling now, and I glanced up at the chandelier overhead and pulled my phone from my ear for a beat to try and settle myself. I wiped at my face with the bottom of my thumb.

“Okay,” I finally whispered. I hadn’t ever really cried around Sid, and while he was one of the nicest and most genuine human beings on the planet, I knew he wasn’t quite accustomed to emotional encounters like this one, and I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by letting him hear the sobs that were bubbling up in my chest.

“It might not feel like it right now,” Sid broached, speaking in a soothing tone reminiscent of my father’s or brother’s when trying to console me. “But you’re right where you need to be. So is he. He needs you, Sam.”

I've known it from the moment that we met

No doubt in my mind where you belong

“Sam?” Nate suddenly called out from the balcony above me, his voice not sounding heated, but doleful instead. From where he stood upstairs, he couldn’t see me.

“Was that him?” Sid asked. “Yeah,” I said softly, somewhat in response to both men. “Good. He’s coming around. Trust me. I’ll let you go. Text me later, eh?” Sid requested, sounding slightly relieved. “Yeah, I will. Promise. Thank you. Bye,” I said hurriedly before ending the call.

“Sam?” Nate’s voice echoed off the walls once more, sounding desperate this time. My pulse quickened.

“Yeah. I’m coming,” I said softly. I stuffed my phone back into my pocket, took a steadying breath, and turned to walk upstairs and face him.

By the time I arrived on the second floor only a handful of moments later, Nate was already back in our bedroom, seated in the oversized Queen Anne chair near the center of the room, elbows on his knees, chin almost to his chest. I was shocked to hear small sobs escaping his lips. He glanced in my general direction, not meeting my eyes, and cried harder.

“I can’t even look at you right now,” Nate finally spoke, somewhat coarsely. My heart seemed to shatter right then, and I felt my body steel in self-defense, preparing for war.

“I can’t even believe how I treated you back there. I’m such an awful fucking human. I’m a monster. I’m so sorry,” Nate added tearfully, catching me off guard.

The storms are raging on the rolling sea

And on the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain't seen nothing like me yet

I immediately let out three sobs that seemed to have been lodged in my throat for almost an hour now and, in an instant, closed the gap between us. I dropped to my knees in front of him and laid my head in his lap, hugging his calves. Never before had we shared such an intensely emotional moment. Above me, he covered his eyes with his hands and drew shallow, gasping breaths in an unsuccessful attempt to calm himself.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he cried, not touching me of his own accord. “I’m so sorry.” I picked up my head and looked at him, urgency coursing through my veins. I needed him to come back to me.

“Nathan, baby, hey,” I coaxed, rubbing his big thigh with my hand, which looked so small in comparison. “Look at me. Please? I need you to.”

After a beat, Nate finally lifted his head from his hands, his pale skin slightly splotchy and tinted red, blue eyes shimmering behind more tears that threatened to fall.

“There’s my handsome man,” I said softly, combing my fingers through the neat hair near his ears, watching him slowly return to me.

“Hey, I want you to listen to me, okay? Tonight you’re allowed to cry it out, or punch our pillows, or run on the treadmill all night to blow off some steam. And then I’ll give you a couple more days to swallow this. But after that? We’re gonna check in with Dr. Butler, both of us, so she can give us some ways to cope with this.”

Nate’s shuddering breaths had finally started to slow as I spoke, referencing one of his most trusted allies, the Denver-based sports psychologist he had been seeing now for a few seasons to help him deal with not only hockey-related challenges and mental blocks, but also general anxiety, in order to boost his mental health. I was careful not to allow my tone to come across as if I were babying him, but instead offering comfort and, more importantly, suggesting help. “Because tonight? These last couple weeks? This can’t be it. We can’t deal with things this way. I don’t want you shutting me out, or Sid, or your family, okay? You wouldn’t let me do that — I’m not gonna let you,” I added.

Nate nodded quickly. “Absolutely, babe. I was just gonna say, as soon as I heard you on the phone downstairs, it really just hit me. I realized I needed to text her and set up an appointment,” he told me, his voice no longer shaky. “And that I needed to apologize to you,” he added softly. I nodded, and he grabbed my hands, pulling me to my feet and then back down to lie in his lap. I threw my legs over one arm of the chair and settled against his chest.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to find comfort in Nate’s heartbeat for a moment, as he pressed soft kisses into my hair, before I looked around the room, assessing the damage. I noticed that his suit coat lay crumpled in the middle of his closet floor, his shoes having bounced off the wall there as I suspected, and they sat out of place atop his neatly assembled collection of footwear. Across from us, I noticed the source of the shattered glass — a shadow box display from Nate’s unforgettable rookie season hung just slightly crooked on the wall, the glass in the front completely broken out, save for the shards along the inner edge of the frame.

Nate followed my gaze to the mess and sighed. “I’m really sorry about that, Sam,” he said, shame creeping into his tone. I nodded knowingly. “What did you throw?” I asked. “That puck they gave me from the last game of the regular season. It was on my dresser when I set my wallet down and it just set me off,” he admitted sheepishly. “It was stupid.”

“Yes, it was stupid to break something that’s valuable to you, but it’s not stupid, what you’re feeling,” I told him firmly. “Besides, we’ll get a new glass panel and it’ll be good as new.” His grip around me tightened, appreciative of my response. “Thank you,” Nate whispered into my ear. I turned to kiss his lips slowly and deeply. He finally pulled back, only to murmur, “I don’t deserve you. I’m so grateful I have you.” I smoothed my thumb across his cheekbone. “I’m always going to be here for you, Nate,” I promised. He gave me one more solemn kiss.

“Listen, I’m gonna carry you into the bathroom so you don’t even get close to any shards of glass, and I’ll clean all this up while you run us a bath,” Nate told me. “I’ll join you soon. I think it’ll be good for both of us, eh?” I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck as he easily picked me up bridal-style and headed toward the en suite.

Things were far from perfect, but I was prepared to do everything in my power to get us as close as possible. From the change in his demeanor, I knew Nate was, too.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn't do

Go to the ends of the Earth for you

To make you feel my love

[ourloveisforthelovely]

In Love and Death. Part 7

Harry Potter AU 

Link to chapter 6

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader. Implied Harry Potter x Reader 

Rating: M-minor smut

______

Nice summer heat…

You thought with a smile before running a hand through your sun-drenched hair. Several months had passed with no mentions of Evan. It seemed as if your father had dropped off of the earth. This led to your current situation. You lay back on a beach chair with Regulus beside you. The two of you had snuck off to the Canary Islands for a “break.”

This was the time to go and do it. Tonks was due in a few short weeks and that “crazy” would keep you busy for a while. Moody and Remus thought that it was a little reckless to go sneaking off alone to screw each other on a beach (Moody’s words). Remus suggested taking someone with the two of you but Regulus immediately shot that down.

“I am not taking someone to come watch us, you weirdo.”

Regulus muttered when Madeye suggested it. Moody was genuinely confused as to why it was such a problem to take someone else along. He even suggested Sirius, who automatically shook his head.

“I am NOT about to spend a week of my time watching them hook up multiple times a day. I already have front row seats to the Regulus and Y/n snog fest. I do not want to see more. I already hear how talented Regulus is with his pretty little mouth. You know, I am stopping this conversation”

You giggled at the thought of the way that Regulus was glaring at his brother over that comment.

“What?”

Regulus questioned. His eyes were blocked by black sunglasses as he turned to you. You turned on your side to run your finger down his chest.

“Just thinking about you calling Madeye a weirdo and Sirius being...himself.”

Regulus scoffed.

“I am not about to have some twat come watch us on our private vacation. I could get used to this, you know.”

You had to agree. Sure, it wasn’t possible for the two of you two be alone in some warmed climate vacation spot forever. Both of you were needed much back home to think of selfish wants.

“Love?”

Regulus questioned. He knew that frown well. You were considering his words too closely. He waited a few seconds before reaching out and pulling your body on top of his.

You immediately smiled and leaned down for a kiss.

“This bikini has been teasing me from the moment that you put it on.”

You reached down and gently took Regulus’ sunglasses off to look into the eyes that you loved so much.

“Are you going to do something about it, beautiful boy?”

Regulus slipped his hand between your bodies to push your bikini bottom out of his way. You gasped the moment his index and middle finger slipped inside of you. Regulus sat up enough for you to wrap your arms around his shoulders.

“That's it, baby. Moan for me.”

“Reggie, there are people nearby. They’ll hear.”

Regulus gave you a smirk before curling his fingers. You moaned a little louder. Regulus gently pulled your bottom lip into his mouth as his phone began to ring.

“Damn it!”

Regulus cursed as he quickly fixed your bikini back and reached around for his cell phone. He frowned seeing Sirius’ name.

“Fucking Sirius. I swear he acts worse than a 40-year-old housewife with nothing to do.”

You giggled as he answered. Reaching down you stroked your hand over the bulge in his shorts as Regulus listened to whatever Sirius was saying. Regulus reached down and took your hand in his as his erection started to quickly vanish.

“We’ll be there soon.”

Regulus ended the call before focusing on your confused expression. He understood. You were curious as to why he shoved you away. Regulus never shoved your hands away from him.

“We have to get back. Tonks had the baby.”

Your mouth dropped as you quickly pulled on the loose maxi dress that had been thrown on the ground.

“Why did they just call us? Did all three of them forget how to work a phone?”

Regulus had pulled on his black dress pants and a matching shirt. He was not about to show up to a hospital half-naked.

“I am slightly thankful that they didn’t call. I didn’t want to witness that.”

Regulus didn’t give you time to object before wrapping his arms around you to apparate to the hospital.

Seconds later, Regulus was practically running after you into the hospital. You were on a mission and wasn’t about to slow down. Tonks was your best friend and she needed you! It wasn’t until Remus stepped out of the hospital room did you stop. He smiled.

“Everything is fine.”

“Fine? Did you forget how to work a phone?”

Remus chuckled as he hugged you.

“Things happened rather quickly. You can come in a minute. They are getting things settled. I’m going to get some tea. Sirius is in the waiting room trying to calm himself down. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in there too.”

You were thrilled to hear that your school friends were in the same building as you. It had been a good bit since you had seen Harry. Despite being in rivaling houses, you had always liked Harry, Ron, and Hermione. There was the little voice in your head that said Harry had always liked you a little more than he let on but was too polite or too scared to say it.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room…

Harry sat beside Sirius, who still hadn’t said more than three words. He kept glancing between his godfather and the doorway. Remus said that you were on his way and Harry was eagerly waiting. He had wanted to see you for some time. Since you had gotten your job as an auror, you weren’t as available to your friends as you once were. The last time that he had actually spoken with you was before you left for a mission in Greece.

He regretted not talking to you sooner. Maybe it was his confusion over who he liked more Cho or you. Being a teenage boy and having two girls that he liked was hard.

The moment that you walked around the corner, Harry was on his feet. You smiled immediately.

“Hi, Harry.”

You said cheerfully before he pulled you into a hug.

“It's good to see you! I haven’t talked to you in ages.”

Harry replied. He was the first to pull away before looking at you. You had, if possible, gotten prettier. What stopped Harry’s attention was a healing love bite. Harry frowned. The last he heard, you were single. Just who were you dating?”

You let go of Harry before turning to hug Hermione and Ron. Harry didn’t have to say anything for Hermione and Ron to see the disappointment on their best friend’s face. It didn’t help that Harry had commented on how he was going to tell you how he felt about you. Now that was shot to hell.

When you stepped backward and wrapped your hand through Regulus’, Harry’s frown intensified.

“This is my boyfriend, Regulus.”

Harry blinked a few times.

“I thought you were dead.”

Regulus shrugged.

“Yeah, other things happened.”

Regulus turned his attention back to Sirius. His brother was pale as a ghost as Regulus fought a laugh. Why Sirius’ current state was so funny...he had no idea.

“Sirius, are you okay?”

Sirius shook his head.

“I saw things that I never want to see again.”

Regulus turned his attention back to you before motioning to a chair. You quickly sat down on Regulus’ lap enjoying what was left of your closeness. Regulus, who had picked up on Harry’s annoyance, decided to play into the other boy’s jealousy. He knew that he had nothing to worry about with Harry but Regulus’ own jealousy and insecurities were beginning to flare. Regulus pulled you into a soft kiss.

Ron leaned over to Harry.

“If they keep on like that then Y/n may be having a baby soon!”

Harry had to look away so he wouldn’t lose his temper. It didn’t help that when Regulus’ hand reached up to touch your face, Harry saw the dark mark on his arm.

“They’re snogging in a hospital.”

Hermione whispered, feeling slightly embarrassed.

You were the first to stop the little snog fest as Remus stepped out and motioned you over.

“Coming, Reggie?”

He shook his head. That room was the last place that he wanted to visit at the moment.

“I’ll be right here, darling.”

You gave him a smile before going to join Remus.

The moment that stepped into the room, Tonks looked up at you with a smile. She was relieved to see you standing there.

“Y/n, I’m so glad to see you.”

You quickly walked to her side and gently kissed Tonks forehead. Wrapping your hand around hers as you sank down into the chair beside the bed.

“Was it horrible, Dora? I’ve been really worried about you...especially since you started getting ill for a second time.”

Tonks shook her head.

“You worry too much. The worst part was the pressure...pushing wasn’t fun but watching Sirius and Remus near panic was hilarious. You would have enjoyed that.”

You smiled.

“I’m sure Regulus would have been panicking too if it were me.”

Tonks laughed. She didn’t foresee Regulus getting too panicky over anything. The boy always seemed to be keeping his cool on most things.

“I think that he would be the one man that would be calm. Now hold your arms out. It's time for you to start working on being a godmother.”

Your eyes showed fear as Tonks put the baby boy in your arms. Sitting motionless for a moment, you looked down at the baby with a smile. You remembered Regulus’ advice of not saying that the baby looked like a potato.

He’s darling…

You thought with a smile as the baby boy opened his big blue eyes. Tonks watched with a smile as your finger stroked his cheek.

“His name is Teddy. I think it's safe to say that Remus is the father.”

You nodded in silent agreement as Tonks sat up a bit more. She wanted to beg you to consider seeing a healer but knew that you wouldn’t hear of it. Tonks couldn’t tell you that she had heard Regulus make a comment to Sirius about “it being regrettable that Y/n and I won’t be able to have a child.”

The moment that Teddy started to cry, Tonks was pulled from her thought and giggled at the expression of terror on your face.

“Dora, what do I do?”

“Hand him, here. You have a lot to learn.”

_______

@fairywriter-oracle

@amelie-black

@swinginsoulbailiffrascal

@realgaytrash

@swinginsoulbailiffrascal

@sunles

@hello-love06

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@authoressskr

@summer-novak

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts

@shaylybaby2032

@knight-of-gleefulness

@marichromatic

@maggioli-m

@li0nh34rt

@tas898

@shitfaceddaniel

@wontlookaway

@mycuddlycorner

@stuckinsaudi1

@untoldshortsofthefandoms

@sprnaturallover

[scholarlypidgeot]

6?

Charles had told her he’d be waiting in the fancy tea shop downtown - hence the nice clothing. She got a feeling that the soft cashmere she’d taken the liberty to wear, rather than the bring, would be well suited to the setting.

“Oh,” he laughed when he saw her step up to the table, “so that’s where my sweater went.”

She felt her mouth twitch upward as she pulled it closer around herself. “Yeah. You left it at Eva’s house and I kind of.... You can have it back, if you want.”

He stepped back, as if appraising her. She posed, drawing a chuckle out of him.

“No, I think it suits you quite well.” His face turned mock-serious. “Be careful with it, though. It is very expensive.”

“So I shouldn’t wear it while working. Got it.”

“It suits you, though. I think that it’s appropriate for today, considering that-”

There was a soft sound nearby, like someone clearing his throat. and for the first time Patrisia noticed there was someone else here. His face was more defined than Charles’, but while it lacked his softness, there was nothing harsh about it. Charles laughed again, as if he’d simply forgotten something, and waved the sound away.

“I was getting there, brother dear. Trisha, this is my brother, Crown Prince Henry of the Iron Throne. Harry, this is Patrisia Suanders.”

“Patrisia, this is my brother, Crown Prince Henry of the Iron Throne.”

Patrisia almost fell over as she moved to dip into a steep bow, knees bending somewhat.

The Crown Prince rose to his feet, and gently placed a hand on the back of her head to acknowledge the act of deference. When he removed it, she knew she could rise, and she adjusted the sweater again as she did so.

“Charles was just telling me about your leatherworking capabilities,” the Crown Prince explained, and Patrisia noticed he had a polite smile. “While I’m in town I’m hoping to find someone who might assist me in the craft of some armor I could wear to political gatherings, for my own protection.”

Patrisia flushed as the meaning of his words settled, and she shot a furtive glance to Charles, who gave an encouraging but unhelpful smile in response. She had heard more than enough about the Crown Prince, but to be in his presence, and even more so, to be asked about her work, was a terrifying honor.

“I’m an ameteur, and-” she realized she was clutching her right hand in her left again, and folded both hands behind her back. “And a lame one at that, Sir Prince. I couldn’t possibly…”

The Crown Prince put up his hands in a placating gesture. “I wouldn’t dream of placing that kind of pressure on you, Miss Suanders. But I was hoping to get some advice from someone who wasn’t worried about cost. Prince Charles tells me that you’re familiar with the ins and outs of peryton leatherwork in particular.”

“I am, Sir Prince. My father owns a farm in the South Country.”

The Prince’s head tilted. “A large one?”

“Yes, Sir Prince. More of a range, really, although we also have a plantation. That’s mostly for the deer, though we do harvest apples every now and again.”

Prince Henry smiled, politely, and gestured to one of the chairs in the warmly lit room. She waited for him to return to his seat, and then sat down herself.

-----------

And one of the final members of our cast makes his appearance - meet Crown Prince Henry of the Iron Throne, Charles's older brother! Future heir to an empire! Suffers horrible traumas at my hands down the road!

@borgesperovago @that-catholic-shinobi@bespectacled-ghost@mad-ad@distance-does-not-matter - if you'd like to be added to/removed from this list, please let me know!

Thanks for the ask! The game for this ask can be found here. Feel free to send more!

[thecomposerofstories]

Information on Amy.

(Be warned it's a ~little bit~ long, any other pieces of information you want to know I'll gladly answer if you ask.)

~General Information~

Fandom: Toy Story.

Name: Amy the Ragdoll.

Nickname, if any: Amy, Ames, and Doll-Face(usually by more villainous characters or used in a joking manner).

Gender: Female.

Sexuality: ??? (I mean I know the gender of who she has a crush on, but I'm unsure on what her actual sexuality should be tbh)

Age: Mentally, mid-twenties in the first story second movie, thirties to forties in the third and fourth. Physically, she doesn’t have an age, but in regards to when she was made (the 1950’s) makes her fifty to sixty.

City they currently live in: San Francisco, apparently that’s where Toy Story takes place.

Any pets: Would Rex count? He just follows her around like a nervous puppy.

Current occupation: I mean she’s practically a therapist, but she’s a toy and she only treats Rex so it probably doesn’t count lol

~Physical Appearance~

Height: 10 inches.

Body type: Stocky, but a bit gangly too, similar to Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Eye colour: Black.

Skin tone: Light.

Clothing style: Pale green/turquoise shirt with short puffed sleeves, with a denim dungaree dress with a daisy print in the centre over it. She wears yellow rain boots.

Hairstyle: No style, it’s just there. It’s messy and gets in her face easily and is made out of dark brown thin string.

~Speech/Language/Communication~

Amy speaks quietly and politely, rambles a bit if left without a reply or under pressure, very nervous in front of intimidating characters.

First language: English.

Learned languages: A bit of Spanish (Ya’ll remember Toy Story 3!)

Accent: American.

Pitch of voice: High, but soft, not quite annoying, unless she’s stressed, then it gets very pitchy and shrill.

~Behaviour/Habits~

Amy tends to just stand there when she can’t find anything to do, and will immediately try to find Rex, Hamm, Buzz or Jessie if surrounded by strangers (Though she’s not sure if it’s for their comfort or her own) Amy is very polite.

Spending habits: She doesn’t like to be made a fuss of at all, the very fact of someone giving something to her is unnerving (even if the thing never costed anything at all) and she feels compelled to give the giver something in return.

Morning routine: She gets up same time as the others, but wishes she could stay in bed a bit longer though. Before she came to Andy’s room, her sleep pattern was all over the place.

Bedtime routine: Similar to above, now she goes to bed the same time as the others, but before she just slept and got up willy-nilly.

Nervous habits: Amy will try to find Rex if she’s nervous, and she’ll pretend it’s because she’s worried for him, which is quite true, but she also just feels most safe with him. Speaking of, Amy will let Rex hold her hand and squish it whenever he or Amy is nervous, it’s calming to the both of them.

Bad habits: Not a very good exerciser, but then again, she’s spend basically half her life in a small attic, so I’ll give her a break.

Skills/talents: She’ very logical, mind-over-matter, (mostly, very good at calming others down and/or convincing them. She’s very good at spelling and knows quite a lot of words, some of which others haven’t even heard of.

Hobbies: Reading, talking (especially with Rex, Jessie or Hamm), and generally just lazing about or walking around somewhere, on her own or with a friend.

~The Past~

Amy’s first owner was a little girl called Alice. Alice loved nothing more than to read Amy stories (Mostly fairy tales), but of course, Alice grew up like all kids do, and she left Amy in the attic for someone else to have her.

Amy waited for many years, and all that time she’d never given up that someone would find her.

She thought she’s hit the jackpot when Andy and his family move into Alice’s old house, but they don’t go up into the attic to collect her. Some weeks later, though, Andy’s mother brings a set of boxes filled with junk into the attic and leaves. Woody, Buzz, Slinky, and Rex were trapped in one of the boxes (Call me a cheater but this part was actually inspired by a Toy Story comic, where those four toys get stuck in the attic that way and have to escape. It struck me odd that they never met at least one new friend there, so I made one. It was also my first story, I needed some inspiration!)

Amy, in a fit of panic, goes and hides.

But then she’s found by Rex as he and the others try to find a way out.

They then decide to let the strange, dust-covered ragdoll come back to Andy’s rom with them. (well, Rex did, anyway.)

Home town: Would Alice’s old room count? But it’s now Andy’s Room, so it won’t count will it?

Happy or sad childhood: Pretty normal to be honest, as normal a life as a toy could have anyway. And as for sadness, having spent all that time on her own for all those years, having missed out on so much, is a little sad. But Amy made sure she never became bitter over it or used it as an excuse for anything.

Earliest memory: Waking up in her toy store, with a friend of hers for company (a ragdoll Prospector, a much as she remembers) and as she gets bought by Alice’s Auntie, she says she hopes he gets picked up by a kid. (Unbeknownst to her, she would meet him again in a while to find out he never got to experience it)

Saddest memory: One, being left by Alice, yet being so happy for her and how much she’s grown up, if she could cry tears of joy for her owner, she would. Two, some (or most) of the days she spent waiting for a new owner to arrive. And three, watching Rex have a mental breakdown of anxiety.

Happiest memory: One, the time she and Alice went to the park, (Amy absolutely adores nature) Two after sliding down a drainpipe to get to Andy’s room, and three, having known she’d helped her friend out.

Significant events: Being bought, being left in an attic, being rescued from the attic, while gaining some new friends.

~Family~

The entirety of Andy’s room, whether they like it or not, they’re all in this together and are some kind of mish-mash, found family in a sense.

Siblings: I’ve been thinking of giving Amy a brother (since I based her on Raggedy Ann, a matching bootleg Raggedy Andy seems reasonable) bur I’m unsure about it, since I’ve already mapped out Amy’s entire series of stories (Around six or seven all together, so far I’m currently writing only the third) and I can only fit him in the fifth or sixth if I can.

~Relationships~

Romantically? I’d like to say she has a crush on Rex, I don’t know why I thought of it, I was contemplating it one day as I sketched a rough (and terrible) sketch of her, and I drew Rex too because he’s just so fun to draw and I wanted to make a scale for Amy’s size, and one of my friends (who had been watching me) immediately said “I ship it!” and well, the rest is history, I made the decision to ship it too.

Friends: Jessie, Hamm, Buzz, and Rex are her closet friends, but she’d like to say that all the Gang are her friends. Later on she becomes good friends with Mr. Prickle Pants, Buttercup, Trixie and Totoro, and she absolutely loves the peas and Forky.

Best friend(s): Hamm, Mr. Prickle Pants, Jessie, and Rex.

What do people like about them? Amy’s pretty easy to talk to, she’s polite and attentive and will sit in companionable silence with someone if they need it. But she won’t hesitate to give hard truths and advice if it’s needed.

What do people dislike about them? Amy is quite a doormat, if someone is rude to her or breaches anything she just lets it happen, and sometimes she’s too indecisive about her own stuff, unsure whether she’s going to offend others or not over the smallest things, which annoys others quite a bit.

~Mentality/Personal Beliefs~

Amy is a toy of logic, and though she believes others can do it if they set their minds to it, she doesn’t quite believe in herself. She believes she must follow the rules of being a toy at all times, no matter what.

Phobias: Dust. She hates it. It took a good five weeks to brush all the dust out her hair and clothes, and even so there’s still some in her pockets and places she can’t reach. And being alone, too. Now she can’t be alone for more than an hour before she starts to get antsy and nervous. And for a short time books gave her a strange tiredness, after reading them for so long and for so many years she couldn’t even stand the sight of them.

But of course, not for long, since Amy found out Andy had a copy of Red’s Dream by a Mr. William Reeves.

Optimist or pessimist: Depends on the situation really, if her mind can’t come up with a solution, then there’s no point in trying anymore. Unless someone else can think of something, that is.

Personal philosophies: “You are here to make good things happen. No person here is made for one reason only, or even only one. There’s no point in pretending to be someone you’re not just for the attention of others, no matter how cool they are. We should find are own meaning, as we’re the only ones who have control of it.

It’ll take a while, but I swear, it’ll be worth it.”

Biggest dream/wish: Amy wants nothing more than to find meaning for herself, but finds it rather hard to do so. Of course, that doesn’t mean she’ll settle for someone else’s meaning. As cheesy as it sounds, she just wants an adventure. She doesn’t necessarily want to be the hero, though, she’s just happy to go along with the ride so long as it gets her out the house for a few hours. She also, above all else, wants Rex to find meaning too, even if she never does, it would be nice to know that he had.

Greatest strength(s): Persuasion, story-telling, logic, and good grammar.

Biggest flaw: Despite being a ragdoll, Amy can’t sew because of her fingerless hands, which are just soft mittens in shape. Amy is also quite a doormat, as I said before, so if her calm persuasion and reasoning doesn’t work, she’s left to be walked all over.

Regrets: Staying in that dratted attic too long, the window was open, she could’ve just climbed out, but no, she had to stay there for some mind-rotting decades. But if she had just escaped, she would never have met her new friends. Amy just wishes she had met them a lot sooner.

Achievements: Escaped the attic, slid down a drainpipe, leapt onto the windowsill (though nearly knocking Woody and Buzz over in the process) stopped her friend from having a panic attack, and managed to remember the entire Dictionary and is able to recite it down from A to Z, and even Z to A.

Secrets: Not much, just strange feelings for one of her friends, but it’s not much of a secret, Bo knows, and Mr. Potato Head and Hamm could see it from a mile away, and the others have their suspicions.

Goals: Read the entirety of Andy’s (and later Bonnie’s) bookshelves, become more confident in herself, have her own book-worthy adventure, and figure out what those strange feelings for her friend is.

~Likes/Favourites~

Favourite colour: Even before meeting Rex, Amy’s favourite colour was always green. Every time Alice had taken her to the park, Amy adored watching the sunlight pour through the leaves with a golden-green glow.

Favourite book(s): Because it’s sentimental to her, being her owner’s favourites, she loves Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz. They all hold similar plots (a little girl in a blue dress goes to a fantasy land, has a few adventures, and then leaves said fantasy land to go home to her family and responsibilities) but it reminds Amy of her old owner Alice (who was actually named after Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) and their playtimes together.

Favourite Book Quotation(s):

“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”

“There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is facing danger when you are afraid.”

Favourite movie: Amy does much prefer books, since they allow her to imagine the setting and characters in her own way, but doesn’t mind movies, and isn’t picky on what they watch, though she does quite like horror films.

Favourite song: Amy likes any kind of music, new or old.

Favourite game: Amy never really cared for games, the competitiveness always bothered her and stressed her out. But she’s more than happy to watch Rex play his video games and cheer him on.

~Relationships with other characters~

~Rex~

- Hit it off pretty quickly.

- Amy helps him with his anxiety, and helps him find confidence in himself, she acts as a certain therapist to him.

- Both become very stressed without the other around.

- Rex will hold and knead at Amy’s hands sometimes; it calms him down.

- Rex will let Amy ride on his back if she’s tired or needs to see something (Because she’s so short).

- One of them can basically be talking about the most boring-est things ever, yet still the other will hang on to their every word.

~Jessie~

- Became friends pretty quickly.

- Will drag Amy along anywhere.

- Get along fairly well.

- Jessie does the talking and Amy does the planning.

- Jessie always pranks the other toys and makes Amy tag along (along with Hamm).

- Introvert/Extrovert dynamic for sure.

- Both were left in alone for years so like to find solace in each other.

~Hamm~

- Hamm begrudgingly warmed up to the timorous ragdoll.

- Surprisingly good pals.

- Have full conversations without saying anything.

- Like to sit and look out of the window together.

- Hamm makes Amy laugh when she really shouldn’t (mainly when he makes fun of the other toys, mainly Woody).

- Hamm makes fun of Amy having a crush on Rex every once in a while, though he doesn’t mean any harm.

~The Potato Heads~

- Mr. doesn’t really interact with Amy much, but finds her surprisingly tolerable, if a bit high-strung and annoying.

- Like Hamm, Mr. makes Amy laugh at the most wrong moments.

- She and Mrs. Are quite good friends, and she sometimes lets Amy take care of the aliens if she and her husband are busy.

~Woody~

- Are aquianteces.

- Don’t exactly interact much, even though the whole room practically revolves around him, in Amy’s opinion, though she would never say it to his face.

~Buzz~

- Amy thinks he’s super cool (then again, he is Buzz Lightyear, he practically invented coolness)

- Both are just as clueless as one another when it comes to social cues and interactions.

- Amy helps him with vocabulary and spelling every once in a while.

~Mr. Prickle Pants~

- Are absolute BFF’s.

- Go back and forth with book quotes to the point of driving the other toys insane.

~Bo Peep~

- Amy's not exactly sure if Bo has befriended her or not.

- (She has)

- They later become good friends.

- Amy misses their talks, Bo was one of the only toys she could talk to that could keep a secret.

[mc-critical]

hey, welcome back! hope your exams and stuff went well, and that you're doing fine now.

i wanted to hear your opinion on nigar hatun. i remember seeing one post of yours in which you said that she wasn't a favourite of yours like you favoured other characters and honestly, same. i didn't really much understand the fascination with her. she was an interesting character, but i can't imagine having her as a favourite when there are so many more characters who are far more interesting. i wish they gave her an alternate arc. idk what it could be, i'd like to hear your opinion on it. one alternative ending i came up for her is that she was extremely angry at ibrahim for toying with her and hatice for keeping her sweet little esmanur from her so she joins hurrem to defeat them? which hurrem did try but it didn't really go anywhere and nigar was against hurrem for killing ibrahim which just was kinda frustrating. they literally give hurrem no ally in the harem [except mihrimah later on but mihri is overall varying in terms of power] so it would be good for her to have some support in the harem from people who actually hated her enemies like her. she had actual political support from iskender celebi, rustem, and ayaz pasha and all, sure, but she didn't have much support in the harem, like all powerful women of the harem were against her. nigar obviously wasn't powerful like a sultan but she was an old member of the harem, was respected and even though she kinda lost her dignity with the scandal, she could've regained it with hurrem's help. sumbul was there later on but he was just a very faithful servant and didn't really have any real motive to harm any of hurrem's enemies except for out of his loyalty whilst nigar could've cultivated a hatred for hatice and ibrahim. this is a basic plot but i would've kinda liked seeing it. there can be many more ways her character could've ended but it would be good seeing a woman who didn't bow to her feelings all the time. the sultanas couldn't really control their feelings when it came to love because they were princesses who were used to getting what they wanted most of the time but nigar was a servant who also suffered the hardships of slavery and it obviously would've made her tougher as a person so she could control her feelings better; idk, i feel like this is an aspect of women they could've explored [or if they did explore it, i don't remember it lol my memory lapses a lot so i don't remember the show 100%] anyway, would like to hear your thoughts on nigar. thank you. welcome back again <3

Thank you! <33 Yup, I'm fine and the exams went well. Happy Pride month to you, too! 🏳️‍🌈

Hehe, I wrote that post years ago and while Nigar still isn't one of my absolute favourite characters, I've warmed up to her quite a bit. And honestly, now with the wider experience in the fandom, I can say that she isn't all that loved as it looks like. I then was under the limited wrong impression that the BG Mamma forum was a metric of all the popular opinions and yes, they loved Nigar a lot and I was sometimes confused as to why, but really, that and the Russian fanbase are the only places I have encountered that appreciate her all that much. There are characters I find more interesting than her, that's for sure, but she has her charm and I'm firmly against people reducing her to "evil" or "manipulative" or "weak after she fell in love with Ibrahim", so forth.

The thing she sets her first impression with is her intelligence caused by her relatively high experience in the harem. The advice she gave to Hürrem opened the path to her whole goal (as she herself acknowledged in E41) and that makes for quite an impact for a more recurring character. Despite of this, I never viewed early Nigar as someone taking an open side, hence I didn't find her supposed betrayal to Hürrem surprising in the slightest: she is also trying to survive in this environment in any way she knows how and she can't really find a fully comfortable position, because she is well aware that everyone is thinking for their own gain in the end. Including her. So the only choice she has left is to direct herself to where the wind is blowing and get advantages for herself once she gets the chance. Because all the experience has taught her to repress her feelings (E10 to Hürrem: "In this castle you can't show weakness."), opt to be the more level-headed person and seek for the more pragmatic solutions.

And yet she is very sensitive and perceptive to people that are different than the others or that are in need and is willing to lend them her hand. She adviced and helped Hürrem because she found potential in her, because she wanted to see her succeed, but not through endangering her own self or other people in the process (she told Hürrem that her game had gone too far again in E41), but through negotiation, compromise and adaption, to know when to start and when to stop and be respectful to those above her, no matter how hard or limiting that may look in Hürrem's eyes. Hürrem had the tendency in viewing every sign of support that came to her as granted, she still had that naive part of innocence in her in S01 and early on was in a desparate need of someone to lean on and unconditionally follow her path, that's why when Nigar diverted from that path, it hurt and took her a while to start trusting her again. But I didn't see Nigar as all that attached to Hürrem as Hürrem herself thought she was, especially with how Nigar became stuck between two sultanas later in S01 and that rendered her lost and more insecure than usual.

That's also why I don't view her as a two-faced or hypocritical double-crosser. Because for the longest time, Nigar was the one character in the series before Rüstem appeared that was clearly thinking about her own benefit and survival first and foremost from the beginning when darting between the powerful people in the harem and was the one well aware that she simply can't cling to a single side in her own position. Positions aren't permanent and can always change in such circumstances, so why can't she take advantage of this? Because who cares as much about the feelings for a Kalfa they can still order around after all? She has faced disregard from Mahidevran, Hürrem, Ibrahim and even Hatice. It is pretty understandable that she's going to seek the best opportunity for herself.

That whole facade breaks when she falls in love with Ibrahim. During rewatch, I found myself to have a soft spot for this character deconstruction, especially in S02. I know that it came to pass because of her falling in love with a man that doesn't share the same feelings and there were moments where it looked like she overdid it, even in S02, but for me, the whole thing nicely added a new layer of depth, while still feeling true to Nigar's character. Her future relationship with Ibrahim had been building up back in S01, when Ibrahim (both inadvertently and not I fully believe) played a part in helping her solve the first internal conflict she had (that is the struggle between the two sultanas). Maybe this didn't mean that much to Ibrahim, maybe he was simply trying to be helpful, but it meant a lot to Nigar - that was probably the first time someone seemed to take her feelings into account and actually listen when she couldn't help, but crack under the pressure. So it is only natural that she would search for this source of comfort once again, being ready to face every risk in the process. When she is appointed to Hatice and Ibrahim's castle, when she's practically left alone with Ibrahim, she decides to take that chance, to taste the forbidden fruit. He gave her something she never received and due to her not allowing herself to show weakness and having to cave to everyone else's demands before that, every ounce of affection Ibrahim shows her, it means the world to her. Thus she begins to idealize what she has with him, to the point of denial and delusion, and centers her loyalty completely on him. But that loyalty never seems to falter.  She began to resent and/or hate everyone who could possibly stand in Ibrahim's way, something she wouldn't have ever done before. She keeps her level-headed self and intelligence (I don't think that this plot line reduced it in any way, not even when she was at her worst.) and she's ready to take any opportunity for herself (case in point: her marriage with Rüstem.), but now her softer sides and her wish for affection are showing all the more.

The problem I have with Nigar's character, writing-wise, and now that I think about it, the main subject of why I didn't get the deal with her back then (along with considering her S01 self bland.. somehow?), is her S03B characterization. While her falling in love with Ibrahim plot-line became an important part of S02 Nigar's storyline, I don't think it overshadowed or dominated over her other characteristics, making for a neat balance of traits and an interesting, nuanced character. In an attempt to keep her for longest time possible in the story, S03B flanderized her in every possible way and overexaggerated her biggest strengths and flaws until they became stale and unbelievable. Her love for Ibrahim read as а near obsession narratively and her opportunism coupled with her will for revenge, which put her into many repetitive intrigues. At one point I even felt she was reduced to a plot-device (the moment Şah Sultan appointed her as a spy) and she felt a little too purposeless and to have totally outstayed her welcome until her last moment in the series.

The root of this problem is again, that they just didn't know when to stop with Nigar. To be brutally honest, she had no long-term role left to play after Ibrahim's death and it was time for the writers to let her go and maintain her generally strong characterization. The ending I would've chosen for her is to simply have Matrakcı give her Esmanur's location and for her to live with her daughter in piece. I know that because of the tonal shift, the show seemed to be already inclined that everyone had to have a tragic ending of sorts, to underline the growing ruthlessness and cruelty of the themes, but I fully believe that Nigar was one of the only characters that were terribly forced through their tragic endings. She didn't need, nor deserve a tragic ending and I doubt it would've been such a problem for the half-season if she didn't get one. I find a happier ending to be perfectly fine for Nigar and I would've loved to see it, if only for a freshness in ideas for character endings. I loved her Esmanur storyline and to witness her finding happiness with her, the only solace she had left, would have been a great wrap up of her S03 plots and an amazing send-off to Nigar's character.

I appreciate the thought you have put into your ending for her and to be fair, your proposal would be much better than anything S03B gave us. It would nearly correspond with the revenge plot of hers they were going for and it would be something more original at the same time. Hürrem's principal lack of allies doesn't bother me as a fact alone, because all her enemies have understandable reasons to be against her, but what bothers me however, is when the writers try using it to dumb her enemies down and make them doom themselves through their own failings or outright use it to put forced (often soapy) conflicts to make the audience sympathize with Hürrem. Or to make everyone "mistitle" her (is that a word? probably not.) or disrespect her on purpose again for sympathy points (that go beyond the part of her motivation that wants to feel respected and does stuff out of fear not to fall under a less favorable position once again.), without changing the status-quo until say, S04.

It is so deliberate it becomes annoying and seeing something else for a change... honestly, gimme! While I personally prefer a happy ending for Nigar, I would live for Nigar and Hürrem to work together again, while keeping what's become her central motivation intact. It may seem a little OOC for Nigar to work for Hürrem by that point, because she's channeled her loss of the most precious people into rage on those that have taken them away, but it would be a decent shifting of gears and a reverence to her opportunism to work to eradicate those she hates for good, even if it means doing so with one of your bigger enemies. After all, after the mission is fulfilled, she could still work against Hürrem in some way, right?

[Tell me if I got what you meant wrongly, but there is an example of a dynasty sultana putting her love feelings behind and by that I mean Şah Sultan. Her love is in the past by the point she arrived in the castle and her love for Ibrahim is only used as a conflict between her and Hatice, which they get over relatively quick. Sisterly love and ambition are a much bigger priority of Şah's: she cared about Hatice past any resentment she may have harbored over the years and agreed to share her life with Lütfi for the advantage this may bring, even though she didn't love him at all. She divorced him only when he offended the pride of a woman and her own personal pride. Other than that, we indeed didn't have a female character in MC that puts her feelings behind in design as far as I recall, only ones that end up clinging to them completely like Nigar here or ones that let go of them eventually like Mahidevran. Characters that have this design by default are more present in MCK like Safiye, or Turhan, or especially Gülbahar, but as I've said many times, MCK is more ruthless, while MC is more about the personal feelings of the characters, hence every motivation they have is somehow tied to them.]

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

Okay but now that Mipha has reeled Link in, what if she needs to consult her wingman/bff Kohga for sex tips??

One, fuck you for saying 'reeled him in', thats hilarious. Two, this can only end in total disaster. Let's go!

“Ah, don’t act like we didn’t catch that, you little guppy you!”

Kohga had invited Mipha over for their weekly tea, and she was escorted by none other than Link. Knight who wielded the Master sword, silent hero, and Mipha’s boyfriend. As in, hand holding, snack sharing, and as he just saw, smooching basis. Mipha covered the lower half of her face, blushing up quite the storm as she walked into their base. Kohga nudged her shoulder as he walked her inside, practically giddy to see his little fishy so happy.

“It’s n-nothing! Really it wasn’t!”

“He planted a big, fat smooch, right on your fishy face! I saw it! Sooga saw it too, right?”

Sooga, as ever, clung to his Master’s hip. He nodded.

“Plus your lipstick is just a pinch smudged, your highness.”

Mipha checked her lipstick, as if she was caught doing something so lewd. Kohga pulled her chair out for her once they sat down at the dining table, chuckling as he took his own seat.

“I remember MY first boyfriend. I was no worse than you were. All giddy and excited. Though, my first boyfriend wasn’t as cute as yours, so hats off.”

Kohga motioned for one of the blade masters to bring over their tea and afternoon crepes. Her favorite dessert, made from fresh whipped cream, wildberries, and some fleet lotus seed sauce to top it all off. She nodded in thanks, ever the polite thing.

“Well, thank you, Kohga. It’s very sweet of you, helping me talk to Link. I think I’d stil be pining, if not for you.”

Kohga waved his hand, taking a sip of his tea.

“Eh, you would’ve gotten him eventually. You’re a cute little thing, he’d have to be blind. Or gay. Kinda thought it’d be the second one if anything, but hey.”

Mipha chuckled at that, helping herself to a bite of the crepe. He could tell she loved his cooking, given the way her eyes just seemed to light up. Kohga honestly and truly loved seeing her so happy. Though, he could sense she was...distracted. He took another sip of his drink.

“Alright, what’s eating you?”

“Pardon?”

“Something’s on your mind. Talk to me. Is it Zelda? I can take care of her.”

Mipha shook her head wildly.

“No! No no no, it’s not worth killing her over!”

Kohga held his hands up a bit in defense.

“I MEANT setting her up with a date. Jeez, murder isn’t the FIRST thing I go to. Even though I do it with style, don’t I Sooga?”

“Yes, Master Kohga.”

Mipha sighed in relief.

“Oh, good. Well, no, it’s not Zelda. We’ve talked about this, and she said she was happy for us. Even though she looked saddened, I can tell her feelings are true and sincere.”

“So...what’s the problem, then?”

Mipha held onto her tail fin, hiding her face in it. Whatever it was, it was clearly something embarrassing. Kohga motioned for her to get on with it, and she groaned a bit.

“Well...Link and I...are planning to...uhm…”

“Make love?”

Sooga interjected. Mipha nodded, practically burning up in her seat. Kohga threw his head back in laughter, smacking the table.

“Seriously?! Thought you guys were gonna be total prudes and WAIT! I fail to see a problem. Is it your dad? He seems like a real ‘wed before bed’ kinda guy.”

Mipha shook her head.

“While father does think like that, it is not his body he is offering. It is mine.”

Kohga nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his tea. His own dad was kinda like that, not that Kohga ever cared.

“Good on you! Proud of you, lil’ Princess. Though, the problem is what exactly?”

Mipha fumbled with her hands, before forcing herself to come out with it.

“I’ve never...done that before. I’ve only ever kissed one other man before, and that was one time. I’m...worried I won’t please him. So, since you and Sooga are very comfortable with one another, I was wondering...if you’d have advice for my first time?”

Kohga sat there for a second, deep in thought. Sure he acted goofy here and there, but Mipha was trusting him with something HUGE. The first time was one you don’t forget, ESPECIALLY when it was someone you really, really liked. In Kohga’s opinion, the vibe of the first time could make or break a relationship. She was coming to HIM for this, and it wasn’t something he was going to take lightly. He polished off his tea, before nodding at her.

“Okay. First things first, stuff you gotta tell ANYONE for their first time. You know, don’t get pressured into anything you don’t want. Don’t expect something wild and perfect, you guys are BOTH learning and exploring. And have fun with it! It’s supposed to be a fun thing, so it’s okay to laugh, to mess up, to just do things wrong. Long as it’s comfortable for you.”

While his words were true, he could tell Mipha was expecting way more. He probably just recycled some stuff she’d heard from ANYONE on this subject. He looked around, as if he didn’t want to be caught telling her some kind of secret.

“But...if you want something more...helpful than that, I can give you a little tip.”

Mipha’s eyes lit up in interest. Kohga motioned for Sooga to sit down next to him.

“Put your hair down for me, imma show her something.”

Sooga looked puzzled, as well as Mipha, but he obeyed, untying his hair, and lightly shaking it to help it settle. Mipha was clearly a bit surprised by seeing his hair down, as it wasn’t a common thing for a yiga to do, but that didn’t matter right now.

“Okay, so I know Link’s type, completely. He’s the strong, silent pretty boy. I can tell he likes his hair played with by just that alone, but have you SEEN all the way he styles it? This is a trick he’s gonna love, guaranteed. Now, flat hand,you’re gonna run your fingers through his scalp, like so.”

“Master Kohga, I don’t think it’s app-”

The second he felt Kohga’s fingers run through his scalp, he silenced himself.

“Then you make a fist. Don’t YANK, but have a little bit of ‘oomph’ in your pull. Watch.”

Kohga ran his fingers through his scalp again, before grabbing a good chunk of his hair, and pulling it back, making Sooga’s head fall back. Sooga’s fingers gripped the chair below him.

“See? Sooga here loves that shit. Don’t be afraid to get a nice handful, really shrunch up some of that pretty hair. Now this is something SOOGA likes, but you should test it out on Link, I’m pretty sure he’s just as much of a slut as Sooga is.”

Sooga was about to retort against such a claim, when Kohga moved his mask up, just enough for his lips, and started to nibble at his ear. His teeth ran along his earlobe, slowly and steadily. It made Sooga visibly squirm in his seat, and had Mipha not been staring at them, aghast, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from moaning. It was so slow, so careful, so FIRM. He never wanted Kohga to stop. He pulled away however, finally letting go of his hair. Kohga put his mask back down, shrugging.

“Pair that up with some neck nibbles too, I can pretty much guarantee he’ll be fawning over you. That’s my advice. Okay, you can go now Sooga.”

“I...uhm...think I need to stay sitting down, for just a moment.”

“God, you’re easy.”

Kohga rolled his eyes. Mipha could only gawk as the man next to him sat there, legs closed, and mask into his shaky palm. Mipha opened her mouth to speak, but found her words unable to escape. Kohga chuckled, shaking his head.

“I know how to treat boys. You gotta have a nice, firm hand. In every case. Either way, you got it, Mipha. He clearly likes you for you. Right Sooga?”

Sooga gave a meek nod, still lost in the sensation of his hair in his master’s clutches. 

Suffice to say, Link was in for quite the surprise.

[ts-unpopular-opinions]

Side Track Opinions part 5: Roman

(I’ve been saving Roman for a while now and I am PUMPED! So here’s a late birthday present to our royal lad ❤️ It’s also super nice to save the creativitwins for last because both of their playlists reference each other quite a bit 👌)

1) A Gay Disney Prince: I mean... are any of us surprised? This song is basically Roman’s anthem, so it was bound to be on his playlist. I do find it interesting that both Roman and Remus are the only sides with songs made by Thomas on their playlists. I guess it goes to show that having a big ego runs in the creative family 😂

2) Wonderboy: Only two songs in and we already have a song about Remus, or “young Nastyman, archrival and nemesis of Wonderboy” in this case. You’ll start to get the idea from Roman’s playlist that he really misses being with his bro. This song portrays Roman as almost a perfect and untouchable force. He is seperated from all of his nasty thoughts and is the perfect embodiment of what Thomas sees creativity as (“High above the mucky-muck, castle made of clouds, There sits Wonderboy, sitting oh so proudly. Not much to say when you're high above the mucky-muck.”). I like to imagine that the singer of the song is Thomas, looking to Roman for comfort. Creativity most likely split as a way for Thomas to, not very healthily, cope with his intrusive thoughts (“Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck man?”). It’s also interesting to note that at the end of the song, Roman and Remus seemingly join forces very successfully (“Well, Wonderboy and Young Nastyman joined forces; they formed a band the likes of which have never been seen”). Perhaps this is hinting at either Romans want to have his bother back, or possibly foreshadowing to their relationship dynamic in the future. I know I’d love to see Roman and Remus team up together in future episodes, maybe even against Patton and Janus in the next episode?

3) Disney Princess: This song is all about Roman dreaming about being in the lives of different disney princesses. Honestly it’s not super deep, but it does show just how much Roman loves to fantasize about escaping reality and living in his ideal dream world. He wishes his life were more interesting and exciting like what you would see in a movie. Also, Roman is SO desperate for someone to love him... poor guy (“I'd be a handsome man's wife And we'd kiss and we'd kiss And we'd kiss”).

4) Broadway, Here I Come!: (tw suicide) So this song is... interesting. It can be interpreted in two different ways: one being a song about how making it on broadway is a huge leap and very difficult, and another about a person literally jumping off of a building and commiting suicide. I always think of Logic vs Passion during this song because while Roman believes he is acchieving his dreams and is willing to take risks, Logan just believes he’s setting himself up for failure. I think Logan’s view on Thomas’ life and career choice is very hard on Roman and, by the topic of the song, affects him greatly (“The people all are pointing. I bet they'd never guess, That the saint that they're anointing Is frightened of the mess”). He doesn’t know if Thomas will succeed and that makes him doubt himself and causes his work to suffer (“The pressure it increases, The closer that I get” “And the last thing I hear. As the impact grows near, Is it a scream or a cheer?”).

5) Hallelujah: This song, like the one before it, shows a lot of Roman’s insecurities. Roman has a set plan for Thomas in life, but he constantly doubts it and himself due to the comments he gets from other sides (“Somedays I don't think my mama Thinks I'm good enough to be a superstar” “Somedays I don't think my daddy Thinks I'm good enough to be a superstar”). I don’t know specifically which sides he could be talking about in these two lines, but Logan is definately one of them. I like to think he could also be talking about Patton. I mean Roman probably worries constantly about being too much like Remus and disappointing Patton. Roman probably literally thinks that Patton doesnt think hes GOOD enough. Despite all of this self doubt, Roman still seems determined to reach his dreams and prove the others wrong (“But one day I will show him I'm a diamond in the rough, I'll be a superstar” “Yeah, there's a crown covered in glitter and gold I'm gonna wear it, whether you like it or not”).

6) Holding Out for a Hero: This song is from Thomas’ perspective! Thomas DOES see Roman as his hero despite what Janus’ not at the end of the most recent episode may have you believe. Roman acts as Thomas’ protection from all of his darker and more disturbing thoughts. Thomas uses Roman, a picture perfect image of creativity to help him escape from all the bad things in life and in his head (“Where have all the good men gone And where are all the gods? Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn And I dream of what I need”). Thomas literally created Roman to be a perfect knight in shining armor. The singer in the song shows this by listing off everything that they believe a hero needs to be/have, Similar to what Thomas would have done in the creation of Roman.

7) If I Dare: I’m conflicted about what this song could mean. At first glance it seems to be about Roman willing to do anything in order to get more creative control over Thomas (“If I dare to risk it, then I know that I'm willing to. If I dare to want this, to want more than I have” “I am holding out for more than what I have now”). Roman really wants to be trusted more and would seemingly take huge risks in order to get that. The part that throws me off is this line: “When the room gets dark, and I am quiet. There's a voice that's soft, like someone's silhouette Saying, "Don't let me go yet"”. To me, this sounds like its about Remus. Possibly Remus begging Roman to not get rid of him and to remain as one. What confuses me is that the line felt so out of place with the rest of the songs meaning. I’m not sure what to do with that information, but if anyone has ideas, let me know.

8) Go the Distance: Roman is so patient... and so unrealistically hopeful... He continues to lay down and let the other sides get their ways because he believes that the wait will be worth it when he finally gets his say (“I'll be there someday, I can go the distance” “I know every mile would be worth my while” “And a thousand years would be worth the wait. It might take a lifetime but somehow I'll see it through”). Despite how many times hes been ignored and let down, he continues to hope that his chance may come one day. Theres also this line: “But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part. For a hero's strength is measured by his heart, oh” which makes me think big time of SvS. He gave up his glory in favor of what Patton wanted because he thinks that it was the more heroic thing to do.

9) Flamboyant: The title really says it all. Roman is extra™️ and he knows that all of the other sides think so too (“I'm a very flaming flammable guy. Some say my fire burns way too high. Some say they find me too hot to touch. But I, I think it's not enough”). I also think its important to note that this song feels a bit out if place with the canon Roman that we know. From what we’ve seen of Roman, he holds back a lot. He denies a great deal of his greed and wants in order to make the others happy and fill in his “hero” persona. This song portrays Roman as having no restraint and not wanting the others to boss him around (“Don't tell me what to do, Don't tell me what to say” “Turn down? I never do” “And no time for restraint”). I’d love to see more of this assertive side of Roman in canon, but right now you can tell that he is holding back. He wishes he didn’t have to, but he feels as though it is necessary to distance himself from Remus.

10) Jumpstarted: Let me set the scene. Thomas is just out an about enjoying his day, he holds open the starbucks door for the guy behind him and... omg... he’s hot... he’s the love of your life Thomas! Roman the proceeds to fanticize about marrying and starting a family with this one random guy that they’ve never talked to nor seen before (“The only one I want is you. I hear the bells and the ring and already, Four kids and the big ol' wedding Singing, You” “And how was I to make a long walk home. You got me feeling like I'm overdosed”). This whole song is just Roman singing about his head-over heals love for a guy in Thomas’ head while Thomas has to act normal and even warns the dude to run away while he has the chance (“Take my advice and run while you still can”). Roman’s quite a hopeless romantic.

11) Brave New Girl: Remember how I said Roman has been holding back and trying to be more polite in order to make himself less like Remus? Well this song is the opposite of that. This is what Roman wants. Roman wants to let lose and be his wildest self again (“She wants a good time” “She needs to really really find what she wants” “There's a brave new girl And she's comin' out tonight” “Who knew she could feel so alive” “Won't take a back seat”). I like to imagine this song taking place after the events of POF. I mean if the others are just going to accept that Janus is good now, then does that mean Remus is good too? If that the case, then what was the point of him and Remus splitting in the first place? This song makes me think that Roman and Remus could team up together in either the next episode, or future episodes to come. Roman is lost and doesn’t really know why he is who he is anymore, so he seeks out Remus, the only one who really understands what he’s going through (“So she met this man, He was kinda rough. He said, girl, what you lookin' for? She said, I don't know I go with the flow. He said, let's get on the floor”). The man in this song could also be Janus I suppose. He does compliment the singer and flatter her, but after the events of the last episode, I find it hard to believe that Roman would be willing to fall for Janus’ flattery again.

12) Every Boy: Roman wants to kiss every boy in the world... and it’s never enough. That is all.

13) Primadonna: What a bop! This song is honestly so good! Again with Roman’s songs making him out to be a lot greedier and wild than he actually has acted in canon (“You can count on me to misbehave”). This song is what I imagine Roman would act like if he had nothing to worry about other than being himself. Roman wants a lot of things and he wants everyone to adore him for the beautiful prince he is (“All I ever wanted was the world” “I can't help that I need it all” “When you give, I want more, more, more” “I wanna be adored” “I know I've got a big ego”).

14) King: You can already tell by the name what this song is about. I’m honestly shocked how obvious it is. At this point we don’t know who made the decision for creativity to split, but this song and a couple of others in the playlist seem to suggest that it was the Roman part of original creativity who decided to push Remus out. He felt as though it was the only way to successfully move forward (“I had to break myself to carry on”). The others sides (I’d like to imagine Patton) tried to convince Creativity to split and despite his not wanting to. His decision to split seemed like it was a very hard one to make and left a lot of pain in its wake (“They say it's easy to leave you behind. I don't want to try” “Is it worth the price?”). Original creativity felt powerful and strong when he was whole, so of course he didn’t want to split (“I was a king under your control”). The song seems to suggest that he tried to repress his ‘Remus’ thoughts in order to remain whole and not lose a part of himself, but this could only work for so long (“Don't wanna have to lose All that I've compromised to feel another high. I've got to keep it down tonight”). In the end, the Roman side of creativity finally won out and both Roman and Remus decided to let each other go (“I wanna feel like you've let me go, So let me go”).

15) Cheap Queen: This song really shows Roman’s struggle with his identity. He’s so quick to change for others in order to be accepted by them (“I can be good sometimes. I'm a cheap queen. I can be a what you like. And I can be bad sometimes. I'm a real queen. I can make grown men cry” “I'm gettin' too cocky since everyone wants me, It's harder to be myself”). This convices me that the way that he’s been acting in the last few episodes (not insulting anyone, very opposed to Janus) is soley him trying to prove that he is good and nothing like Remus. He’s been hiding his true self which we see a lot of in episodes before Remus was introduced. Roman doesn’t want to disappoint Patton in fear of Patton wanting him to split again.

16) Humility: ANOTHER song about Remus. This song is really interesting. It shows us that Roman is VERY confused about his opinion on Remus. He’s lonely and feels incomplete without Remus, He NEEDS Remus back (“I need you in the picture That's why I'm calling you” “I'm the lonely twin, the left hand” “I don't want this isolation” “See the state I'm in now?”). Right after Roman has these thoughts and feelings though, he instantly tries to block them out and retrain the idea that Remus is bad (“Reset myself and get back on track”). He wants Remus back so badly and feels some sort of remorse for kicking him out, but then he ignores those emotions and acts like he hates Remus another moment (“If I pick it up when I know that it's broken Do I put it back? Or do I head out onto the lonesome trail And let you down?”).

17) Aint Got it Like That: Roman is greedy and wants a lot of things, we’ve established this. Most of this song is about how Roman wants more than what he has now, but he still believes it will come if he just waits long enough (“'Cause I ain't really got it like that And one day Imma have it like that And I know that it can't stay this way And one day Imma finally get paid”).

18) Dreamer: I’m not sure whose perspective this song is from, but this feels like a comfort song to Roman. We know that he has a lot of insecurities and struggles to create things because he worries that his ideas won’t be good enough or will be too much like Remus’ ideas. But this song goes completely against that mindset. It’s what Roman wants to hear: “Dream little dreamer, Don't care what they say” “You can do anything” “Dream like you won't fail. Sing like no one's there. Dance like you don't care. Dream.” “Don't fear little dreamer, You'll get there one day” “And I know that it's scary, But you'll succeed” “You're exeptional, You're original” “You're magnificent, You're sensational”.

19) Paving the Runway: This feels like a song from Roman to Thomas and gosh it just feels so loving and sweet... Roman has such big dreams for Thomas and he has so much faith in him (“Cause I know that one day you're gonna fly”). He encourages Thomas to go for his dreams and excel, something that he is hardly told himself (“Go after your dreams, Crazy as they may seem. Go chase all the stars in the sky” “You will reach higher than I ever could”). Roman does everythig he can to set Thomas up for success and to help him reach his dreams (“Darling, stand on my shoulders” “Baby, I'll be paving the runway”).

20) Go.: Again, I’m not sure who the singer of this song is, but I can tell its exactly what Roman wants/needs to hear. Roman is very clearly holding back due to his fear of becoming too much like Remus and that is making it very hard to do his job (“The fear within Has held you hostage. Break free and live. GO.”). This is a good song to be Roman’s last song because I think it helps to show us where Roman’s character is going in the future. He is going to let lose and relax eventually. Perhaps this will lead to him creating the better relationship with Remus that he’s been hoping for throughout this whole playlist. I predict that next episode, well start to see some of this newer, less refrained creativity from Roman.

(And that’s that! If you can tell that theres some tension between Roman and Remus from this playlist, just you wait for Remus’! As usual, let me know what you thought of this ❤️ Love you guys!)

[razorblade180]

Sunshower 12

“Wow, That sure is a lot of you just dumped onto me.” Kali said to Ilia. The two women sat on the Belladonna porch and drunk tea, discussing the events that had transpired recently. “So, did it feel good?” The feline smiled.

Ilia slouched in her chair. “I don’t see how that is important.”

“Mmmmm I think you do.” Kali bluntly stated. “It’s definitely not the most important, but definitely top ten. Five...maybe three?”

“Can we move on from this if I answer the question?”

“Of course!” A childish smile grew on Kali, as if she was a gossiping school girl. Ilia took a long sip of her tea before looking into it. She had an answer to Kali’s question. Thinking about it was just so...much. Damn Sun, making her brain do these mental gymnastics. “It felt...gratifying. No, that’s not the word. Each time was under a different circumstance but all three times had this strange feeling I can’t quite describe. I just know the feeling wasn’t a bad one. It was very exposing, in more ways than one.”

Kali nodded, “I see. Makes perfect sense”

“What makes you say that? I sound like a riddle.”

“Yeah that’s emotions for you, they don’t make sense most of the time. Not unless you take the time to understand what causes them.” Kali watched Ilia’s face scrunch up. Kali couldn’t help but giggle. “Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of your situation by any means. I just wasn’t expecting such a face.”

“You should’ve. What exactly do you mean by ‘understand what causes them?’ I hope you’re not implying…” Ilia turned a little pink.

“Ha! That’s between you and him” Kali waved her back forth. She would never give such reckless advice, on the first go around. “All I meant was to look inward, ask the big questions you know you’re avoiding. Making mountains out of molehills is a problem both you and Blake share.”

Hearing that didn’t exactly give Ilia a warm feeling. Thinking about Blake still made her very upset. Kali caught on to the girl’s unpleasant silence.

“Sun gave off that same demeanor when he was around Blake.” Ilia snapped back into the conversation now she was looking guilty. Kali smiled softly. “Now, now, no need for that face. Like I said before, emotions take time to understand. The same way hurt needs time to heal. I do hope you both don’t remain upset with my daughter. You mean so much to her.”

Coming to Kali was a good idea. Her words were always so understanding. Neptune had been doing a good job but it felt good to have a more familiar face to confide in. Judy would’ve been good if she wasn’t so….Judy all the time.

“I know. The problem was she meant more to me than I did her, but I’d rather not get into that at the moment. Let’s back pedal a bit. What do you personally think would be a good way to start sorting things out?”

“You see I’m more of a full throttle kind of woman, but that might be too much for you.”She laughed lewdly, emotions make themselves known in the heat of the moment.”

Ilia was once again rethinking her decision to tell Kali. “Please be serious.”

“I am!!!” Kali exclaimed, her tea almost spilling. “That’s up to you though. It gets results though.” More pink spread on Ilia’s face. “Kali, that’s not an option! In case you have forgotten, I’m me!”

“So?”

“What do you mean so? Sun is outside my particular wheelhouse. That would be weird, completely out of the question.”

“Yet here you are, telling me he’s taken you to bed.”

“Hey, I took him to bed. Not the other way around.” Ilia corrected.

“Sweetie you are only making my point more valid.”

“I...well...that doesn’t change anything! Listen this is uncharted territory for me and it’s for good reason. Guys don’t do it for me. Never have, never will. Connecting, confiding, simply just being myself; I’ve learned a long time ago who brings those out of me. It would be insensitive to Sun if I toyed with him in such a way. He’s a good guy, a friend. He’s my friend.” Those words made her smile. It was nice to call him a friend. So why did it make her feel selfish too. Inconsiderate even.

Kali kept carefully watching the girl as she poured more tea. Though Ilia was fairly mature for her age, Kali had to remember most of it came from experience derived from sorrow. Outward forces had shaped her. It was tough to say just how much internal self reflection she’s done, but Kali was positive the subject of romantic feelings was one Ilia had a thorough rasp on. Still, like everyone, there’s always a few things that get overlooked or haven’t been explored yet.

“You have a good point, You would know yourself better than anyone else would. I bet this is a topic you’ve had with yourself countless times. Yet I can’t but wonder….” her voice trailed off, confusing Ilia.

“Wonder what?”

“The world is a big place with countless people. Plenty of which fall into groups we don’t usually find ourselves associating with. Like how the White Fang. Many members chose a side that resonated with them, but it didn’t mean there weren’t a few who looked on the opposing side and saw someone and felt connected with. Haven is proof of that. You’re proof of that. I know I may be out of line and even far too presumptuous, but is it too crazy to think one person who doesn’t fit into your usual ‘wheelhouse’ might work just as well; that a single boy out of billions could...invoke feelings of some kind?

Ilia didn’t know how to respond to a question like that. She wasn’t even sure if she followed the logic correctly. It had to be false though, right? One out of two consistencies in her life had already been toppled over when she turned traitor. She was so sure about Adam’s actions. Her actions, but those were called into question; until eventually she realized the cracks in those beliefs. This was different though. It wasn’t political, it was personal. Ilia knew who she was in that regard. If she didn’t then…

“If you’re right, then what does that say about me?” Ilia clenched her teacup,cracking it from the pressure from her anxious hands. She didn’t know why but she could feel herself tear up. “I’ve never known anything about myself my entire life? That can’t be true.”

“It isn’t. It just means you’re growing. What you know is gaining more knowledge.”

“That’s frustrating. It’s downright upsetting, and scary.”

“Sounds like to me you just understood your feelings”

Ilia let out a small gasp. Her eyes widened, shocked about the way Kali had gotten an inkling of Ilia’s complex feelings figured out.

Kali took Ilia by the hand. “Now then, what are you going to do with that knowledge?”

“The million lien question. Doing nothing would be the terrible option huh?” Ilia rubbed her chin, putting critical thought into what her next moved to be. “I guess…”

xxxx

“You’re skipping out on tonight!?” Judy blurted out.

Ilia put her hand over the cops mouth to silence them. “Shhhh! Why are you being so loud!? I don’t think Dan wants to hear you from the kitchen!”

The waiter in question walked out with sparking mugs filled with coffee for the table of four. “Don’t worry, one more loudmouth doesn’t sound that much different from three.”

“Damn Daniel, you gonna shoot us like that? I thought we were friends? Especially after my tip.” Neptune said. He clenched his chest dramatically as if he was actually offended. Judy laughed.

“Wow goggles, couldn’t get it on with me last night so Dan got the tip instead? I respect that. Everyone’s head turned to Judy in shock, except Ilia. She slowly put her head down to cringe. How was her parole officer the least mature person here?

“Dan I think I need a little more caffeine in mine after dealing with that exhausting remark.”

“What if I put cream-” he cut himself off. He could see the corner of Judy’s lips start to turn up. “Sugar cubes, I’ll dump sugar cubes in yours.”

Ilia gave him a thumbs up and he went on his way. “As I was saying, I’m actually just going to stay home this time around. When the partying starts. A night to recuperate, have me time.” She took a long sip from her mug. It was hard to tell if it was the mental workout or the one in her home that had her tired. This caught Sun’s attention, along with her statement. He was pretty sure that this involved him. Good or bad, now that was a little bit harder to read, but he thought best not to pry. He could use a little me time as well.

“Okay, I hope it goes well.” He said. It caught Ilia a little off guard by the look she gave him. She wasn’t sure how he’d take that news most likely. Ilia smiled and nodded at him. Yeah, they were alright. That’s all Sun really needed to know.

“Did you two have sex?” Judy said, cutting back into the conversation the best way she knew how. Neptune choked on his coffee while Sun’s brain turned to static, an option that was safer than saying something he might regret. Ilia’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. Somehow she managed to maintain the usual color of her skin, but that didn’t stop the heat rising to her face.

“Judy!” She shouted, “Why would you say that!?”

The cop shrugged, “It’s a valid question. You look tired, both of you were together for who knows how long, and anything is possible.”

“He’s not my type.” Ilia could feel herself saying that a lot in the future. It was the truth, but it made her feel a little bit of an ass. Like she was dismissing Sun in an ugly way.

Judy wasn’t convinced though and for good reason. “Ilia I’m not your type either but that hasn’t stopped us from some crazy nights.” Judy saw everyone’s jaw drop.

Neptune had barely recovered from her earlier question. “I’m...I’m sorry, you two have slept together?” He coughed.

“Oh yeah, Ilia and go way back. Oh I could tell stories.”

“Which you won’t!” Ilia said, now blushing.

“Don’t be ashamed. I’m irresistible. You could only survive so much of my flirting. I had a way of pushing your buttons, along with flipping switches.”

Sun raised an eyebrow. “Switches?”

“What kind?” Neptune added.

“Can you not!?” Ilia felt like she was going to die. How did she surround herself with three people that constantly put her in weird situations. What made it worse was Sun being at the table!

Judy could tell how badly Ilia wanted this to stop. The opportunity was too good to pass up. “You’re looking pretty flushed. We’re all friends here.” Judy pointed to themself. “Some people enjoy cuffs and a good hair tug.” Judy rubbed her leg against Neptune’s to make him blush nervously. Hopefully he’d remember that. Judy shifted their eyes to Ilia and mumbled. “Others like their butt-”

Ilia covered Judy’s mouth so fast, the embarrassment too much to handle. She didn’t even attempt to look at Sun or Neptune, who clearly knew where that headed. Neptune looked at Sun with intrigued eyes. Sun could only blush and shake his head no. If Judy was paying attention then she would’ve noticed the silent confession to her question earlier.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Ilia asked

Judy looked at the girl’s hand, which was still on their face until it was removed to reveal a smile. “Easy, I like seeing you be so expressive. You’ve been so down on yourself and less colorful until recently. I don’t know what’s changed but I’m glad the Ilia that does community service then goes home to sleep is slowly going away. The white fang was bad, but it made you lively at least.”

That was more of an answer than Ilia expected. Had she been less lively? Sure she had gotten into a pretty boring routine, but topping organized crime is almost impossible. Most things are boring once you do that. Ilia scratched the back of her head. “Be that as it may, can you not bring up the past like that. I don’t air your dirty laundry.”

“Ilia, do you have clean laundry?” Judy chuckled.

“You…” It was hard arguing against the truth. “Stop picking on me! Why are you this exhausting?” Ilia deflated. Judy rubbed her back to comfort her as if she wasn’t the reason for this! “First you weaken me and now you’re building me up?”

“Lighten up. Say, if you aren’t going to the party tonight then let’s all go to the beach right now to have fun. A lot of people party hard so it should be less crowded.

“Can we do something inland?” Neptune asked politely. All he got was judgmental looks. “Y’all are so mean.”

“Nobody is making you get in the water dude.” Sun pointed out. “You will probably get wet by the end of this, but life be like that sometimes.”

“That doesn’t make me want to go!!!”

“The beach sounds nice.” Ilia said, thinking about the opportunity to relax on the sand. “I’m not changing into a swimsuit though.” Ilia has a feeling if Judy saw a possible hickey or bruise then more questions would be asked.

“Are you sure about that?” Judy smirked.

“Yes, I’m not wearing one.”

xxxx

“Do my choices mean nothing to you.” Ilia groaned, wearing a swimsuit. Judy had somehow got her to wear a black bikini with gold stitching. She had managed to wear a black cover up skirt that matched. It actually looked pretty nice, but Ilia wasn’t going to admit that. Judy was too busy having fun in her red two piece to notice Ilia had made her own skin a little darker to hide a hickey on her chest and shoulder. “Sun needs to stop biting so hard.” Ilia thought. It took a few minutes to register what she just thought. “Wait, why am I talking like there’s gonna be a next time!?”

“You okay?” Said the man in question. Sun wore navy blue swim trunks. The upside about always having your shirt open is your always beach ready. He sat next to Ilia on her beach towel as they watched Judy mess with Neptune, who was wearing red trunks.

“I’m fine. A little surprised that Neptune owns trunks.”

“Those are just my other pair. So, I don’t mean to pry…”

“I don’t want to talk about my kinks.” She blushed.

“What? I was gonna talk about skipping the party.”

“Oh… right.” She wanted to kick herself. “Forget what I just said.”

“Okay.”

“I’m serious! We are never discussing that, Sun Wukong. So don’t get any weird ideas.” Ilia elbowed him.

“You told me not to go down on you. If that’s the line then in what world do I get to crazier stuff.”

“That’s fair. Yeah I think it is best to spend some time alone later tonight. No offense to you or anything but-”

“I get it. Take your time.” Sun laid on his back and closed his eyes to enjoy the rays.

“Will do, thanks.” Ilia noticed just how calm he was about most of this. It made her a little envious honestly. “You’re taking this well.”

“Am I? I might look like it, but I feel a little anxious. Even now. Is that normal?”

“You are asking the wrong girl. Normal has never applied to me in any part of my life. That’s on me though.”

“Crime is the spice of life.”

“Is that how you justify stealing?”

“Hehe, maybe. You should try it.” He joked.

“I did, your virginity.” Ilia looked down to see Sun look at her with the most ‘why are you like this’ look ever. She couldn’t help but laugh, which made him smile.

“This is nice.” He sat up. “I like our talks.”

“Yeah, me too. Who would’ve thought you’d be good at conversations?”

“Uhh me?” Sun bluntly stated, pointing to himself. “Remember, I’m the one who kicked Blake back into high spirits! My positivity is infectious!”

“Let’s hope that’s the only infectious thing.”

“Wh-you literally just mentioned taking my-”

“Hey you two!”

A voice cut him off from behind. Sun and Ilia turned around and had their sunny moment get a little dimmer. Blake and Yang stood with beach gear and in bikinis. Each wearing the other’s color. “Fancy seeing you two here.” Yang cheerfully said.

“Mind if we join you?” Blake smiled, genuinely happy to see two of her favorite people. “We haven’t spent time together yet.”

The pair of confused friends looked at each other, then back at Blake and Yang. No time like the present. They could only avoid things for so long. Ilia tensed up a little but was jolted out of it the moment Sun’s tail discreetly rubbed her ankle. It was oddly tension releasing.

“Sure.” She nodded, “let’s chat.”

Part 11

[varian-the-unstable-alchemist]

Arrival Redo

OKAY SO

VARIANS INITAL ARRIVAL WAS STUPID

SO

THAT DIDNT HAPPEN

THIS HAPPENED INSTEAD

ANY QUESTIONS?NO?GOOD-

HERE

Im not tagging anyone okay-

just-

here

Yes I took inspiration from several fanfictions that I liked

please don't hate me

***

Varian looked down at the ground as he walked. Papers gathered in his arms, lost in thought. Rapunzel had tasked him with making the Dungeon more hospitable for prisoners, after he told her how terrible it was down there.

Being the Royal Engineer, he didn’t have the right to refuse, but he hated working on the project. He only needed to be down there for reference point, he wasn’t the one who would be carrying out the designs (thank god), but every second he was down there was like a weight pressing down on his chest. He constantly felt like he was stuck, like he wouldn’t be able to leave, and this place would be the last he would see. Not to mention the prisoners themselves. One in particular had been making the task nearly unbearable. He tried to ignore him, but the man knew exactly how to get under his skin...

He hadn’t told Rapunzel about his discomfort. It wasn’t up to him to decide which jobs he did and didn’t take on. And she’d been busy lately anyway, even though it’d been months since Zhan Tiri’s attack, they were still rebuilding. The pressure had only increased when her parents announced that they would be retiring soon, and Rapunzel would become queen.

Varian let out a breath, it’s okay, he could do this. He’d survived prison, attempted murder, all kinds of crazy magic, kidnapping, and a demon attack. He could survive this project. Besides, it wa-

Voices cut into his thoughts. Varian paused, looking to his left at a door that was slightly ajar. He weighed his options for a moment, before curiosity got the better of him. He moved to stand next to the door, leaning in to hear what the people inside were saying.

“-ust don’t know what to do, Nigel!” Varian recognized that voice as Rapunzel’s. She sounded frustrated.

“Your majesty, you already know my opinion on the matter.” Nigel’s nasally voice sounded from inside.

“I am not firing him! He’s the best person for the job and you know it! I-I just... he seems so stressed lately, and I don’t know how to help...”

“well, I’m not quite sure how to help with that, but, there is the matter of the letters.”

“We’ve already talked about the letters.”

“Princess, with all due respect, we can’t just ignore them.”

“Yes, we can! Just because a few citizens are upset that, doesn’t mean I’m going to change something that doesn’t need changing! And I want you to make sure that Varian doesn’t hear a single word about them!”

“Your highness, I-“

Varian had heard enough. He stepped into the room. “That I don’t hear a single word about what?”

Rapunzel looked up at her, eyes wide. She was unable to find words.

“The matters of the Princess are none of your concern.” Nigel said with undisguised dislike for the teen in front of him.

“They are if they involve me.” Varian said, crossing his arms.

“Varian I...” Rapunzel started “I-I can’t tell you, but trust me when I say that you’re better off not knowing.”

“Great, so now you’re keeping things from me. Rapunzel, what is this about? What are the letters?”

“I...” she looked away, biting her lip. “...Varian, please...”

“You’re still not going to tell me?! They’re about me, aren’t they?”

Rapunzel looked away, and Varian felt his face heat in anger. He clenched his fists. “Fine! Fine, you’re not going to tell me, that’s fine.”

He turned, moving to storm towards the door.

“Varian-“ Rapunzel tried

“I’ll be in my lab.” He snapped, before slamming the door behind him.

***

Varian sat at a table at his workbench, leaned back and staring at the ceiling, letting the anger wash over him. Yes, he was being unreasonable, but he was sick and tired of being treated like a child, having things be kept from him simply because whomever was in question felt like he couldn’t handle it. Having one of the only people in the world he genuinely trusted do it...

The raccoon curled up on his chest chittered next to him, pressing his furry head into Varian’s cheek in an attempt to comfort him. The fuming boy took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, raising a gloved hand to scratch the ring-tailed bandit behind the ears. Ruddiger made a sound akin to purring in reply.

His lab was nice, to his tastes at least. It was messy, but it helped add to the personality. It’d been gifted to him along with the position of Royal Engineer.

Varian looked up at the sound of the door opening. He’d been expecting Rapunzel, and was surprised when he was met with Nigel instead. Ruddiger moved to curl around Varian’s shoulder’s protectively, narrowing his eyes at the man. The man looked around the cluttered room, distain and disgust easily visible on his face. There was a stack of paper clutched in his hand.

“What do you want?” Varian asked less than politely. He really wasn’t in the mood to bother with protocol.

Nigel moved his eyes to the teen in the chair with distaste. “You wanted to know what was in the letters, so here they are.”

He tossed the stack of papers the the ground next to Varian’s chair. Varian looked from the papers to him, puzzled.

“Wha-“

“If I’m being honest, I agree with every word they say. And, frankly I think a mutt you should follow their advice.” He turned, moving back towards the door. He paused at the doorway, looking back with his eyes narrowed and lips pulled back in a sneer. “By the way, you aren’t fooling anyone with your little drag show, young lady.”

He closed the door before Varian could spit a scathing comment. Ruddiger hissed at the closed door, tail swishing. Varian closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. This wasn’t the first time someone had purposely misgendered him. It shouldn’t effect him this much.

After a moment, he mulled over the first insult he’d used... “mutt” It left a foul taste in his mouth... dehumanizing. He guess it came from the fact that his parents had both been refugees, he wasn’t even Coronian... or, at least not in most people’s eyes. But he’d been born and raised here. To say that he was belonging to any other kingdom would feel wrong. It didn’t matter anyway. He took a deep breath and stood, walking over to the pile of paper.

Ruddiger’s ears flattened against his head, letting out an anxious trill. He pawed at Varian’s face, but Varian ignored him, looking down at the paper at the top of the stack.

“Princess Rapunzel,

As a Citizen, I have stood by all your decisions as Princess and temporary queen except for one. Your decision to pardon two of the kingdom’s most dangerous criminals is something I cannot possibly fathom. At least Cassandra has left the kingdom, but to keep the traitor Varian on staff? It’s honestly horrifying to me and several others. A dangerous criminal like him should be locked in prison or dead, kept away from yourself and your people, not gifted with a position so high in rank. I sincerely hope you take my words into account.

Wishing for the best,

A troubled citizen.”

Varian knew he should stop. He knew that nothing good could come from reading more, but he pressed on, flipping the page and reading the next.

“Varian,”

That was odd. It was addressed to him, why hadn’t he received it? Was the Princess Reading his mail?

“I don’t know what you’ve done to the royal family. Whether you’ve bewitched them or used some kind of mind game, I want you to know that you don’t have everyone fooled. If I were you, I’d turn yourself in or jump off Corona bridge before people discover your true intentions. Lord knows you deserve it after what you’ve done. We’re watching you.“

Varian pressed on. Some were signed, some weren’t (although very few had names attached), some addressed to himself, some to the Princess, a handful were even addressed to the king or queen. Some (he ones that Varian assumed were from old Corona), addressed him by his old name and called him a witch. But, despite the differing methods of explaining it, they all had the same idea; Varian was  a dangerous criminal and shouldn’t be working at the castle.

When he’d finally finished reading, he sat there, numb. He closed his eyes, swallowing. He understood now why the Princess hadn’t wanted to show him. Despite acknowledging the Princess’s reasoning behind her actions, he didn’t regret reading them. Now he knew how people perceived him, now he knew that he had to be more careful.

Shakily, the ravenette stood, raising Ruddiger from where he’d been curled around Varian’s shoulders and placing him on his work chair. The small mammal trilled in worry for his human, tail swishing behind him. Varian gave his friend a small smile. (it was fake, of course, but Varian had become very skilled at making them look convincing as of late)

“It’s okay, buddy, I’m alright. I just need a minute alone... I’m going to take a walk...”

The raccoon reluctantly curled into a ball, still looking up at his human with concern as he turned, grabbed the backpack he kept with himself at all times when going out, and walked towards the door

The castle was relatively quiet, most people who usually resides here were out enjoying the beautiful day. Light filtered through the stained glass windows built into the wall. Varian had never re-adjusted to the light level of the capital. It was nicknamed the kingdom of the sun for a reason, but after the crushing darkness of the dungeon beneath his feet, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to take the brightness for granted again.

As he stepped out into the courtyard, several guards waved at him. He nervously waved back, anxiety bubbling in his chest at the sight of the uniform they wore. Eugene had given it a name... what was it? Fear of authority? That sounded right... strangely enough, Eugene was the only person in uniform that he wasn’t scared of.

He made his way through the capital, people around him going about their business. Their reactions to him were diverse, some smiled and waved, some sent glares his way, some ignored him completely. Varian kept his eyes fixed on the ground, trying to make himself small.

Eventually, he made it outside the main city. He walked across the bridge, keeping one hand on the railing. He paused in the center, eyes lingering on where he’d stood only a few months ago, looking down at the water as his form shook, trying to force himself to move forward.

He shook himself out of the memory, he was in a better place now. Sure, he still had the occasional depressive episode or panic attack, but he had been doing great considering all that had happened to him.

He stepped off the bridge, pausing a moment to decide whether he should keep going along the path or walk through the forest. He decided that the latter would be more interesting and started walking slightly to the left.

Because of Varian’s tendency to spend hours or even days locked in his room and his fascination with technology, one could guess that he wasn’t a nature person. But, in reality, the opposite was true. Varian was quite fond of the outdoors and of nature itself. He’d always been better with animals than he was with people, and a walk through the forest had always been his second favorite way to calm himself down (the first being alchemy, but even the idea itself was tiring to him at the moment). He sighed, closing his eyes and letting the sounds and feelings of the forest wash over him.

He wasn’t upset. The people who wrote the letters were justified on their feelings. He’d attacked the kingdom, tried to kill its leaders, been sent to prison, escaped with a Saporian terrorist, and taken over the kingdom. Then, in what must have seemed like the blink of an eye to them, Rapunzel had returned, completely pardoned him for everything he’d done, and been rewarded with a position of high honor. No wonder they were suspicious of him.

No, he wasn’t upset that multiple of them had told him to kill himself, or that he should be back in the prison he now hated with every fiber of his being.

He definitely wasn’t.

As for Rapunzel, he wasn’t angry at her. He knew her. She could be scarily protective when she needed to be, and she saw it as her duty to keep Varian safe. Emotionally and physically. He had no right to be angry that she’d read his mail, kept something as big as this from him, and still hadn’t fired that good-for-nothing advisor.

Since his recovery, he’d learned to keep all negative emotions under lock and key. Especially anger, now that he knew how quickly it could spiral out of control. So he knew that that definitely wasn’t what he was feeling as he walked deeper and deeper into the thickening trees.

It was precisely thirteen seconds after the teen decided that he was under no circumstances angry at Corona, its people, or its Princess, that he found himself falling.

[crowleyellestair]

Hello! * waves hand excitingly like a five years old* Could You please write somethig for Eskel? I love him so much and there are just a few drabbles about him. I was thinking something fluffly? Like he's courting reader (or something like the blurb you wrote)? He's such soft boi

 Sorry for the tardiness, but I’m officially done with the college semester, and can finally get to writing!

AN// He is a soft boi. Bashful boy, I call him. Much longer than I intended, but I hope you like it!!

 Aedd Gynvael was out of the way for any witcher, unless one was coming back to Kaer Morhen from the Dragon Mountains. There was really no reason Eskel had made his way up to the place the first time round. He hadn’t had any food for the trail, but he was also a week early, and could easily hunt. Maybe it was his distinct need for people. Despite being a witcher, he still enjoyed company. He loved his pack, but Lambert wasn’t the freshest flower to take all contact from. Gynvael wasn’t exactly the best place for large numbers, and proved perfect for small interactions. Maybe he had made his way up for one final contract. Usually, Eskel reveled in the relaxation and laidback training, but he felt something under his skin, aching to expel energy.

Maybe it was fate.

That’s what Dandelion had believed, at least. Eskel didn’t know how he found himself asking the bard for help either, but mindlessly walking to Gynvael had worked out so perfectly- the very thing that led him here now. Y/n was a bookshop owner that had moved there after her aunt passed. She had lived in the south, and had quite the enterprise, though she felt she had a duty to keep that store in her family. He hadn’t known there was a bookstore there, and it seemed quite old. Again, most witchers don’t happen upon Aedd Gynvael, but Eskel had connections. Every bookstore knew of every other official store, yet he had never heard of this one. It was luck that only a month before he had visited, Y/n took over the shop.

It was even more luck he had come upon for her to be a gentle soul, happily inviting him in. Y/n had taken one look at him and pointed him to a few books he had loved, somehow reading him just as easily as the books that surrounded them. Y/n had actually found some titles he hadn’t heard of, and he left after a great discussion on the validity of new Elven poetry with a handful of new books.

It wasn’t until he had made it back to the fortress that he found a small book under the pile. A short Dwarven love novella. Now, Eskel loved books, and he didn’t discriminate on what he read. He does have preferences though, and a guilty pleasure of his were those small love stories that wives read once they finished with their sewing circles. There was a long contemplation on whether or not she was a mage or had some form of magic, but he remembered not feeling anything. So, once winter had passed, he decided to place the books on his personal shelves, and take some important texts back to her that she lacked in her personal selection.

A year had passed, and when he went back, he found the woman still in the little shop. A small bundle of books was wrapped for his reappearance, despite her admitting she wasn’t sure he’d ever visit again. Eskel had spent a week in town, arriving two weeks earlier, so he could have time to spare.

Eskel wasn’t one to rush into things, unless he was following his fellow wolf. But he trusted them to have at least some semblance of a plan. With Y/n, however, he was ready to rush into anything headfirst. There were too many kind smiles or polite offerings that he would be a fool to even think of passing her by. When he heard Dandelion was visiting for the winter, he hadn’t thought of the repercussions of courting the woman, he simply asked how he could.

So, there they sat, the grand hall empty despite the two at the table. The witcher had snuck away from scaffolding to try and get the bard alone. There were brown locks being tucked under a bonnet despite there not being a need for the feathered hat. Eskel had started to regret asking, as the younger man seemed too excited to help.

“I’m just saying that it might help if I saw the lady.”

“I don’t need an audience, bard. I simply need ideas for courting.” His hand brushed his cheek, and his eyes casted to the table. “I haven’t been near any court in a while, and I don’t know what is considered acceptable.”

“Aedd Gynvael hasn’t seen a proper court in a while either.” Golden eyes shot up to the poet, and he sighed apologetically. “What have you done so far? Where do you want this to go? A simple romp or something a little more permanent?” While the witcher had started this, he certainly wasn’t ready to finish it. He doesn’t want any of the brothers to walk in, but an excuse to get him out of the mess he has created would be welcome.

“Don’t know yet. I gave her some old tomes for her personal collection, and I hung around town to just…talk.” And they had. Eskel had walked her to and from everywhere she went, and they spoke of everything. He didn’t know what it was, but she was able to coax stories out of him like syrup over hot pastries. The man had unburdened himself of so much over the week that was soaked up by a caring ear. It was a blessing and a curse, as it meant that Y/n didn’t speak too much of herself, thoroughly making courting much harder. Eskel didn’t know her favorite flower or poem. He wasn’t even sure if she truly loved music- all things that normal courtship has and expresses love.

Love

Maybe too early to say such a word, but the excitement of him being able to have it in the future when he thought he could never be on the receiving end has set everything on a faster timetable. But he doesn’t want to cheap out on her- Y/n deserves proper courting. Proper courting for a proper lady. It was clear that she was more of a lady than any in high courts or any daughter of a noble. Hell, she could be more of a man than most, as well. But maybe he shouldn’t bring that up to her. She might laugh at the thought, but even the slimmest chance of offending puts that off the table.

“Eskel, my friend, out of everyone here, I expected you to be the romantic. Yet here you are, giving me nothing to work with.” Julian’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, though the pressure to add more pushed them from his mind out into the open.

“She’s manly.”

“What?” Shock and confusion painted his face, and Eskel felt like his face would melt by the embarrassment.

“I mean… Y/n has a way about her. She’s more noble than most knights I know. Her time in the south hadn’t treated her right, but despite that, it was her home. She only moved up here because her aunt wanted the store to stay in the family.” Dandelion nodded in understanding before his hand went to cup his own chin in thought.

“She’s a bookstore owner, lives on her own, has gone through hard times in the south…hm. Write her your own poetry.” Eskel practically choked on the inhale of breath at his advice.

“My own? I don’t think that’s wise.” The poet’s brow raised, not believing that his advice isn’t being taken. Eskel started to internally scold himself now that he needs to write poetry. He’s read thousands of poems, but that didn’t mean he was qualified to write his own.

“Eskel, I’m trying to help you start. I know it seems farfetched, but what do you have in mind? You need something for her to remember you by. If you’re traipsing in the south for two thirds of the year, she needs something powerful and from the heart.” The witcher’s shoulders sagged an inch, conceding to his fate.

“When you put it like that, bard, it makes sense.” The two men stare at each other for a couple of moments, Dandelion letting the older man work through his thoughts. Bashfully, the witcher’s hand found his cheek again, feeling the heat under even the scarred skin. “How do I… start?”

 Winter came and went for the shopkeeper. Gynvael didn’t have much foot traffic, but Y/n had started to incorporate a library system within the shop, allowing people to borrow for a smaller fee. The change of weather from the south to the north had been drastic, and the first winter had been dreadful. This winter, however, was made much warmer due to the heat in her chest. Eskel hadn’t visited after the first winter, only giving her the books once he made his way back before this one. The thought of him carrying important tomes for half a year just for her had a way of lighting her world. Being a business owner herself often scared away suitors despite their interests in her. Court life was also difficult. In the south, she was either made fun of for reading too much, or she wasn’t encouraged to express opinions created by these books, even if they were historically accurate. The north had been a nice change. And despite the weather and longing, Y/n wouldn’t change her station after the witcher tried to sneak into her store as to not be seen by the rest of the public.

The large man had seemed swept off his feet by her, and she couldn’t believe it. A small bookstore owner lifting him up just through books and being kind? It made her yearn to know what he had gone through. She had gotten some stories, but she knew she’d sit and wait her whole life if she had to, just to hear more about him.

When the bell went off in her shop, she now only wished it to be that man. Winter was officially over, but Y/n understood her location in relation to the rest of the continent. It would be out of his way to travel to her, then travel south, but when she didn’t hear footsteps after the bell, her heart soared. As she suspected, the large man stood in the lobby of the shop, arms tight to himself, and eyes casting everywhere on high alert.

“Did I miss the year, or are you really here after winter?” A large smile spread on her face upon seeing the man. She would never admit to anyone that her smile grew upon seeing his red face match the color of his gambeson. Though, she was sure that he could hear how fast her heart was.

“I wanted to see you.” It slipped past his lips without running through his filter, and his heart also sped. “I mean, I have something for you.” Eskel was fine and excited to start something, but he didn’t want to seem like he was dragging her along due to his speed. He wanted to be by her side every step of the way. The brown parcel in his hand was burning, and he regretted how fast he jabbed the wrapped item towards her. The witcher was mesmerized as her smile never faltered. Y/n’s fingertips brushed gently along the back of his fingers as she took hold of it, and Eskel did everything in his power not to flinch. When his hand was emptied, he did everything in his power not to reach out. The woman nodded towards the seat behind the counter, and pulled the small footstool out from between some shelves. Even after he insisted heavily during his last visit, she always made sure he sat in the chair, rather than the stool or standing.

She sat, carefully unfolding the brown wrappings, as if that too was apart of something precious. Eskel’s hands started to fidget in his lap. Y/n sat in front of him, looking like a black pearl on shore. The smile faded to a gentle grin, but the joy of his return was ever present. A light dress was all she wore, seemingly used to the colder weather, and now it being spring, trying to reason with mother nature to bring warmer tides simply through fashion. Her hair was down, caringly cupping her face as a mother did a babe. Gentle eyes tried to catch glimpses of him, seemingly not capable of holding resentment for him. The more he thought about everything that was perfect about her, he started to try and predict what her reaction might be. He was lucky enough to travel down the trail with Geralt and Dandelion, who reassured him every step of the way. Now, he can’t bare what his mind has conjured. He finally made his mind up, moving to leave when he heard a small gasp.

The small book had been hard to make, but he was pretty proud with how it turned out in the end. There had been a witcher, long passed, that had been a poet, who had kept a book in their library. Vesemir had given it to him, somehow finding out his plan. The cover and spine were nice, but the pages had been falling out. There weren’t any extra pages either, but Vesemir had paper pulping supplies the younger witcher used. After finishing the paper, he rearranged everything, attaching it to the spine and adding some ironwork detailing at the edges. The first half was poetry and musing of the other witcher about life and witchering, but the second half was all Eskel’s poetry of the woman now holding the book.

Y/n gently carded through the pages, stopping on the little note he wrote for her at the start of his section. It was simple and quick, but lifechanging for her.

Remember me. I’ll always come back.

The witcher could hear- almost feel, her heart pounding. The grin had spread like a wildfire and she bolted from her small stool into his standing form. The arms around his waist were crushing, but he quickly folded himself around her as well.

‘Would you mind reading some to me?” she asked. Of course, he had agreed, and she closed the shop despite it being morning. He was brought to her home above the shop, and was in the common room were there wasn’t a couch, but a cushion area by the window. She sat, back to chest as he read to her. They both had seemed to fall asleep, waking the next day. Eskel had to leave, but he gave her the address of the postal in the south that he would visit twice while away if she ever had the inclination to send something. She told him that she would probably start writing even minutes after he would leave, as she would already miss him. Before he left, he noticed a shelf completely empty besides a handful of books. He knew the tomes he gave her were in her room, but when asked, it was apparently for him.

“I order things from other places, or sometimes I leave for Oxenfort showings, and I grab things I think you’ll like. I already have a new parcel, if you want to take some for the road. If not, you always have a shelf here.” Eskel agreed, and promised to write to her. It was a month into traveling, and he had already lost his small comb on the bottom of his bag.

As he rummaged through, he found another small book that he didn’t remember putting in there. He pulled it out, recognizing the quickly scrawled authors name. The inside of the cover had a small, fine writing made out to him.

I know the author of that Dwarvish novela, and asked if he’d write a second part after you said you’d enjoyed the first. It’s your own personal copy, as he isn’t going to ever publish it. Enjoy.

There’s another note under it, somewhat smudged due to the ink not drying in the time she wrote it and closed the book.

There’s no way I could ever forget you. I’ll always be waiting

(Check out my other Eskel Blurb : Reading)