#are you not embarrassed? did you not live through the last seven years and put 2 + 2 together?

[atlabeth]

true luck's kiss

pairing: luke castellan x daughter of tyche!reader

summary: luke is stuck with a streak of bad luck. what better way to get rid of it than with a child of tyche?

a/n: so this was supposed to come out on st patrick's day but unfortunately im the slowest writer in the world and ive also been doing nothing but watch basketball because we sleep in may. anyways here's a short fluffy blurb because it is getting way too sad in here with my hurricane fics lmao

wc: 1.2k

warning(s): none, this is all fluff. i know crazy coming from me

You grimaced as you pulled the arrow back. Sweat dripped down your forehead and you itched to brush it away, but you ignored the urge as you let out a deep breath. 

“Just like that.” Kimia nodded as she stopped behind you. “Perfect angle—now let it fly.” 

You did, and the weight lifted off your shoulders once the arrow embedded itself in the center of the target. 

“Ending on a bullseye,” she said with a grin. “Great work.” 

“Only way to do it,” you said, smiling at her. “Am I a worthy opponent yet?” 

She chuckled and patted your shoulder as she moved on. “Maybe one day you’ll be as good as Cabin Seven. Today’s not that day.” 

You shook your head with a laugh and took your quiver off your back. “Keep telling yourself that!”

A bow and arrow had become your weapon of choice since the moment you stepped foot into camp, and you’d gotten good over the years—so much so that it was a surprise when your mother claimed you. One day, though, you would get an Apollo kid to admit you were better than them. 

You’d just finished putting all your equipment away, and when you turned back, you were met with a mess of brown curls and shining eyes.

“Luke,” you said, pleasantly surprised. “Didn’t know you were in archery today.”

He shook his head. “I’m not. I didn’t come here for archery—I came here for you.”

You chuckled as you gestured with your head, and he got the hint as you started walking together. “How forward of you.”

“It’s a living,” he said with a smile. “How was practice?”

“And small talk?” You pressed a hand to your heart and shook your head. “It must be my lucky day.”

Luke’s smile widened as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. “That’s what I came to talk to you about, actually. I do wanna hear about your day, though.”

You shrugged. “It was boring. Killed it at archery, nearly got killed on the climbing wall—I was gonna head back to the cabin to chill for a few hours before dinner, but it looks like you’ve taken that slot.” 

He chuckled. “So you are free?” 

“I’ve always got some time to listen to Luke Castellan,” you mused. “What’ve you got?” 

“I’m cursed,” Luke said. 

You stopped in your tracks and looked him right in the eye. “...Cursed.” 

He nodded. “I know it sounds stupid, but it’s gotta be true. I mean, nothing is going right for me. I’ve been off my groove with my sword, I’ve lost every canoe race, I nearly burnt my eyebrows off last time I was in the forge, and my team hasn’t won a game of capture the flag this entire month—” 

“I know,” you interrupted. “I’m in your cabin.” 

“So you know how bad my luck’s been lately!” he exclaimed with a gesture. “It— it was embarrassing, but now it’s just pathetic.” 

“You know I can’t fix it, right?” you said wryly. “I’m not my mom.” 

“That’s what Annabeth said,” Luke mumbled. “But— but I’ve seen the way you live—you’ve got luck on tap! Your strawberries are always the ripest, you somehow find drachmas on the ground, and your volleyball serves are better than anyone’s.”

“I play varsity back home,” you said. “No luck needed.”

“Still,” he emphasized, “you’re naturally lucky. You’ve literally got it in your DNA, and I’m fresh out of it. That’s gotta be worth something.” 

“Not really.” You crossed your arms. “So what do you think I can do about this?” 

Luke shrugged. “I dunno. Say something?" 

You barely managed to stifle a laugh. “Like what?” 

“Pray to Tyche,” he said. “You’re her only kid here—she’s gotta be listening.” 

You bit back your smile as you shook your head. “Fine. Just for you.” 

“Thank you,” Luke sighed, watching with bated breath as you cleared your throat, closed your eyes, and pressed your hands together. 

“Tyche, dearest mother, goddess of luck and fortune—I ask you to shine on Luke Castellan on this day. Smile upon my friend and break his very real curse. If you do this for him, in return, he will do all of my cabin chores for the next month.” 

When you opened your eyes, Luke looked quite unimpressed. “Very funny.” 

“Feel any luckier?” you asked with a smile as you started walking again. 

“I don’t think so,” he said, falling into step with you once more. “Especially because you’re putting conditions in your prayers. I didn’t know we could do that.” 

“My mom has a sense of humor,” you mused. “And I also think I might be her favorite.” 

“Not all of us have that privilege,” he said wryly. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he grabbed your arm to stop you.  

“I think I’ve got it,” Luke said. “How about a kiss?” 

Your eyebrows rose, but you couldn’t help showing your amusement. “Now it’s a kiss that’ll break your curse?” 

He shrugged. “Like I said—you’ve got luck in your DNA. Maybe you could pass that along.”  

“Really,” you said dryly. 

“I’ve kinda tried everything,” he said. “A kiss from a lucky and pretty girl is far from the worst option.” 

You chuckled. “You really know how to flatter ‘em.” 

“I try,” he grinned. “Are you up to it?” 

You bit your lip as you looked at Luke. Obviously, he was attractive—you’d always held an appreciation for his curls and the way they would constantly get in his eyes. He cut an impressive figure from constant, year-round training, and he even made the camp shirt look good. And gods, that damned smile got you. 

There were worse things than kissing you, and there were certainly worse things than kissing Luke Castellan. 

“Alright,” you sighed, taking a step forward. “Pucker up, Castellan.” 

Before you could really doubt yourself, you leaned forward and kissed him. You weren’t really expecting to actually… like it. 

Your first thought was that Luke’s lips were softer than they had any right to be. Your second thought was that his cologne was the scent always floating around the Hermes cabin. You didn’t really mind, though. 

Luke gently put his hand on the back of your head to keep you there, and the moment lasted much longer than you initially planned. You also didn’t mind, though your thoughts were far more muddled than they should’ve been when you finally managed to pull away. He seemed to have a gift for that. 

You felt your cheeks flush as you looked at him, not even trying to hide your smile. Turns out kissing Luke Castellan was actually pretty great. “Feel any luckier?” 

“Yeah,” he said with a soft grin, his eyes twinkling. You wondered if he had the same thought about you. “Yeah. I really do.” 

“I think that means it’s worked, then,” you said. 

Luke nodded with mock austerity. “We should probably stick together for the rest of the week, though. Just to make sure this bad luck goes away for good.” 

“You might be right,” you said. “And uh— you think you need an extra boost?” You glanced away as you bit back your smile. “Just to be safe and all. To really get rid of this curse.” 

“You know,” he drew your attention back to him as he brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and you leaned in closer. “I think I might.” 

[brnesblogposts]

story of us

pairing: dexter mayhew x reader

a/n: part of a series that’s also on my ao3 wr1tingtoc0pe :)

————————————

I met Dexter Mayhew on my last day of university. It was our graduation ball and I was dancing with my friends when he caught my eye, not for the first time however.

I’d always noticed him, I’m sure he’d never noticed me but I saw him, he’s hard to forget. Dexter had this aura about him that could only be described as enthralling, not only that but gorgeous blue eyes and a smile that could kill.

20 years ago

“Hi, i’m Dex” The brightest smile made his eyes light up as he held out his hand towards me, the music and lights seemed to stand still as we made eye contact. It took me a few seconds to register that he was talking to me, after an awkward amount of time I finally shook his outstretched hand. he’d never acknowledged me in the four years we’d been on campus together. I gave him my name and told him I knew who he was already, “ The infamous Dexter Mayhew.” I smiled, as did he and I think my heart stopped for a second.

…

“Do you want to dance?”

“I mean I kind of already am” I stated plainly.

“I mean with me” He let out a little scoff, not really a laugh but not not a laugh..

“Oh. yeah, sure” I took the hand he held out to me as he lead me to a quieter area of the dance floor, I could hear my friends squealing as we disappeared.

19 years ago

“Dex!” I ran with outstretched arms for an embarrassing amount of time, probably should’ve waited until I was closer to him really.. when I finally reached him I dropped my bags as he stretched out his arms and I jumped into them, wrapping my arms around his neck as he spun me around laughing.

“Someone’s happy to see me,” he took my bags in his arms.

“Actually i’m just happy to be off of that train. Seven hours.. my bum is sore.” I pouted dramatically as we started walking off of the platform and to the car park.

..

“This time last year we were at the grad ball, can you believe it’s been a year?!” Dexter questioned and I shook my head as the memories of that night ran through my mind.

“I really can’t, i’ve put up with you for a whole year! I deserve a medal.” I spoke exasperatedly and laughed when he gasped,

“you’ve put up with me?? i’ve been putting up with you!” He bumped his shoulder into mine as we reached the car, he opened the boot and put my bags in and then ever the gentleman opened the passenger door for me.

“Dexter Mayhew, what a gentleman,” I quipped as he tipped his imaginary hat at me, closed the door and walked around to the drivers seat.

…

“We’ve been out of university for a year and I have accomplished nothing.” I sighed as I walked next to Dex down the high street.

“We’re twenty three, we’ve got our whole lives ahead of us, we’ll figure it out.” Dex and I were quite different when it came to our outlook on life, he was all about having fun and living for the moment, ever the optimist with the mindset that everything would work itself out. My mindset was quite the opposite, ever the over thinker. Dex was good like that, he was always there to remind me to be in the moment and to have fun rather than stress about the future.

“What do you think we’ll be doing at forty?” It seems so far away but in reality, it’s not.

“I don’t know what i’m going to be doing tomorrow, let alone at forty” How I wish I could live life like Dex could, no plan or worries about the future. “I will say one thing though. I hope I have children by the time i’m forty” This revelation took me surprise because I didn’t know Dex had even thought about that kind of stuff, “what?” He had a little smile on his face as I gathered my thoughts.

“I didn’t think you thought about that kind of stuff” it was endearing that he had though, Dexter with children.. I mustn’t think about it or I might just melt into a puddle of adoration. Before he respond I spoke again “you’d be a great dad, the best.” Maybe he doubted himself because his smile grew at my words, Dexter Mayhew an aspiring father, never would’ve thought it.

“Do you want kids?” he asked as we entered a quaint café and I waited until we had sat down to answer

“I don’t know. It’s a lot to think about, kids are expensive and there’s so many global issues I don’t know if I want to bring a child into this mess-“ I stopped talking when I saw the sly smile on his face as my eyes found the table, “can you stop staring at me like that, please.”

“Sorry” He seemed to have more to say but he didn’t, “What do you fancy?” You is what I wanted to say, but i’m not that stupid.. I dare ruin this beautiful friendship we’ve forged over the last year.

————-

reblogs appreciated! turn on notifs for this post to be notified for part 2 <3

[heartysworld]

Blood of my blood || Jacaerys Velaryon x Reader

A/N: Before y'all come to me, I put a 10 year time jump as I was writing this,no minors in here! I hope you guys like this,I received a couple of requests for Jace in the last few days.

MASTERLIST

It was not often for the north and the south to unite forces through an arranged marriage. However, when Prince Jacaerys flew over to Winterfell to deliver a message he never expected to meet the woman who stole his heart. His only task was to remind Lord Cregan Stark of his father's oath, nobody expected him to come back with his heart stolen by a woman.

Y/N Stark was a beautiful girl at the age of seven and ten. She and her older brother, Lord Cregan, shared an amazing bond ever since she could remember. There was no moment in her life when she couldn't turn to her brother whenever she was in need. The moment Cregan inherited his father's seat as a Warden of the North, Y/N became his closest advisor on any matter that arose. Her brains marched her looks equally. The younger Stark was the one who welcomed the Prince when he arrived at Winterfell on dragonback.

"We welcome you, my Prince, to the North." You said as you stood in front of the gates covered in thick furs. Steam escaped from your mouth as you spoke, similar to the one his dragon, Vermax let out.

"I am honored to be your guest,Lady Y/N. The North is just as magnificent as they say!" The Prince said as he took steps towards you.

"I would be honored to show you more if our beloved lands, but now, I was told there are more important matters to deal with." You said as you motioned with your hand towards the entrance of the city. Prince Jacaerys nodded at your words, following after your steps.

That was the first time you met the man who would later become your husband. People say love does not fare well among war, sometimes this might be true,but in your case, what you felt for your Prince was stronger than anything. Many sacrifices were needed for Queen Rhaenyra to finally claim her birthright that was so suddenly taken away from her. The wolves of the North were ready to die for their Dragon Queen. Those who did lose their lives were never forgotten, the memory of them and their braveness would forever be remembered in the stories and song of the Dance of Dragons.

In Jacaerys your brother Cregan found a close friend,a sworn brother and a loyal warrior. The two fought bravely side by side while you took your brother's position as Warden of the North.

Ten years had passed when Queen Rhaenyra decided it was time to name her heir. After everything her family's been through, she knew no ruler could know what was to come in their way.

"Brother! It is wonderful to see you again! It's been so long since our last visit back home!" You exclaimed as you ran into your brother's arms the second you saw him step inside the halls of the Red Keep. Your heart was fluttering with happiness at the thought that all of your loved ones were finally together again. It was over an year ago since you and Jace visited Winterfell to celebrate your nephew's third name day.

"The feeling is mutual, sister. You've become even more beautiful since I last saw you. How I've missed you." Cregan said as he held you tightly in his arms. Your brother was the last living relative you had and nothing could change the love you had for him.

"Brother..." Your brother said, releasing you from his embrace and opening his arms for Jacaerys.

"I'm happy to see you, Cregan." Jacaerys said as the two shared a hug while you watched them with a smile. All your life you hoped that one day your beloved and your brother would get along, you couldn't be happier looking at them now.

"Next time I see you, you might be King." Cregan said, laughing as he watched the embarrassed smile that appeared in Jace's face. He might be the heir to the Iron Throne,but he way still shy when it came to such topics.

"Don't let my ste-father hear you, might say we're speaking treason." Jace laughed as you three headed towards the chamber where your brother was to reside during his stay.

_

You stood on the right side of the infamous Iron Throne, watching as your husband stood in front of the stairs leading to it while his mother, The Queen,spoke the words her own father had said all those years ago.

"I, Rhaenyra Targaryen, first of her name Queen of the Andals, and the Rhoynar, and the First Men Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm do hereby name Jacaerys Targaryen Prince of Dragons tone And heir to the Iron Throne." Rhaenyra spoke while you watched with a smile on your face as your husband turned towards all the Lords of Westeros who one by one bent the knee for him, including your brother. No Stark was born who ever forgot his oath, that was certain.

"Now,my Lords, let us celebrate our new heir with a feast worth for a King." Your mother-in-law spoke,her words followed by loud cheers as everyone started making their way to the celebration hall. Jacaerys stood in his initial place, waiting for you to make your way by his side.

"My future King." You teased, bowing in front of your husband as you watched the sheepish grin appear on his face for the second time today.

"My Queen." He responded. One if his hands sneaked around your waist, pulling you closer to his body. You pecked his lips softly while your hands caressed his reddened cheeks.

"I don't think I could ever thank the Gods enough for sending you by my side. For over a decade you've done nothing but support me in everything I do. You are going to be an amazing queen, my love." Jacaerys said as he brought one of your hands to his lips, laying a soft kiss on the back of your head.

"Jace...you don't have to say anything." You started but his lips interrupted you before you could continue.

"Don't prevent me from expressing my gratitude towards you,my live. The past decade as your husband is the happiest moment of my life. I'll always say how thankful I am for you and your love." Your husband continued.

" I know you love me,and I love you, Jace. Let us not think of the past anymore. It is all behind us,let us look what is to come,our future,our family." You spoke. The Throne room was now empty,the only people left were you and your husband.

"I cannot wait to make you a mother as well as Queen one day. Our children will be the luckiest in the Realm to have you as their mother."

"Now when you mention this...I think we might have a babe of our own sooner than we think, love..." You said, watching as the expression on Jace's face shifted with countless emotions,from surprise and happiness to fear and amusement.

"Are you saying..?" He started, not daring to finish his sentence.

"I missed my bleeding, twice, when I think about it now. We've been so busy preparing for this day that I lost track of time. Jace, I think I'm with child." You whispered, eyes filling with tears as you finally said it out loud. The thought of this has been haunting you for the past fortnight, never gathering the courage to say it out loud, but now, with only your husband present you finally felt confident enough.

"Oh my beloved!" Jace said,his voice loud, echoing around the rooms of the Throne Room. His strong arms enveloped your body as he spinned you around briefly before putting you down on your own feet.

"We still need to visit the Maester, thought. Let's go tonight, after the feast ends. How about that?" You asked with hopeful eyes.

"Yes,yes, of course. Whatever you wish for you shall have it!" Your husband said with the biggest smile ever present on his beautiful face.

Three years later

"Lucaera, slow down!" You yelled after your two your old daughter who ran a few feet in front of you towards the flowers she loved so much.

Your daughter was a ray of sunshine, nobody could deny that. A perfect mixture of both you and your husband, she had inherited her grandmother's silver hair,but her father's beautiful brown eyes that you loved so dearly.

Jacaerys was the one to suggest naming your firstborn after his late brother. A few hours after you had given birth,your babe was still nameless. That was until her father quietly asked if he could suggest a name he thought would suit her just perfect.

The moment you heard the name he had come up with your heart clenched. You couldn't blame him, however,he woutforever grieve his little brother no matter how much time passes. The only thing that could be done is to honor him and his memory by naming your child after him.

"Is she giving you trouble again,my love?" The voice of your husband made you slow down as he emerged from behind one of the bushes, Lucaera nestled securely in his arms as she giggled loudly at his words. She knew her father would never scold her, he was her safe place.

"No more than usual, dearest." You answered as you gestured for him to give you a kiss as he had just peppered your daughter's face with sweet kisses.

"You are quite the storm, aren't you, little one?" Jace asked Lucaera, causing her to laugh out loud.

"Dada, be nice!" She exclaimed with her sweet voice that made your heart melt every time.

"She's gonna be my demise one day, I swear." You sighted.

Despite being a troublemaker at just two years old, Lucera was the light of yours and your husband's life. Her little voice brought life among the cold and dark walls of the Red Keep that are soaked with so much blood and tears. All you had now was proof that whatever you did in the past was worth it, looking back at it now.

Taglist

@ccallistata @social-life-does-not-exsists @kiribrima @westsidelegendary @vaf24

@edum123 @kittycatcait219 @nataliarosana60 @scarletraine @strawbbyjamb @rosey1981 @dunkle-mondseite @anaisbambia @yourswitchling @misskatiewrites @sprikadirkkirk @barnesfilms @beelanie

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@idkjj04

[orionsstory]

that kind of devotion | anarcia (7)

yayy chapter seven is here :) as always, don't forget to check it out on ao3 !! and leave a comment if you liked it teehee

---

For the next two weeks, Marcia found herself texting Lotus every waking moment. During breaks, during dinner, any free time she had was spent laughing at her jokes or smiling at a picture she sent. She got to find out she loved ducks (through the several pictures she sent of the ones at the nearby park- Marcia didn't mind though) to her favorite song (Boss Bitch by Doja Cat, a song Marcia had found herself listening to nonstop lately). If she was lucky, Lotus would even call her after her patrol, and the two would talk for hours. They mostly talked about their day and the investigation, but sometimes Marcia would slip in a story about her growing up, or Lotus would tell her a story about Sasha. The two had grown much closer in the past two weeks, getting along like a house on fire.

Even now, she was sitting on the couch texting Lotus. She giggled at a text the other girl had sent before she was drawn out of her thoughts by someone nudging her leg. "I need to sit down too, you know." Luxx rolled her eyes as she sat down, handing Marcia her food. "Put your phone down and eat, you've been glued to that thing lately. It's your one day off and you've ignored me the whole morning!"

Marcia takes the food from her, "I'm sorry! It's just so...exciting! We've pretty much gone from talking a few times a month to every day, it's hard not to be so engrossed."

"Aww, she's down bad." Luxx teased her.

"No, I'm not down bad. I'm a lover."

"Marsh, that's the same thing."

"It's totally not! Well...maybe a little. Whatever..." She flushed in embarrassment, rolling her eyes. Luxx chuckled at her,  "Isn't that sweet, you know I haven't seen you this excited over a girl since that one in college...what was her name again?" Marcia cringed at the memory, she had to admit she may have the tendency to fall for people quite easily, but Lotus wasn't the same.

"That's not the same thing. Lotus is different."

Luxx raised her eyebrow, so she continued, "She shows genuine interest in me. She cares about my theatre stuff and how my day is. She texts me pictures of cute dogs she sees because she knows I'll love them. She's...thoughtful. Also, she didn't forget my name after one date, so she's already leagues ahead of Caitlin."

Luxx laughed, "Oh my god, I forgot about that! What did she call you again? Maria?"

"Miriam. She said she knew it was some old lady's name."

"Oh my god, she was awful. I'm so glad that lasted like, two weeks."

"You and me both. Anyways, what were you thinking of doing?"

"Well, since we're all getting together after your show tomorrow, I figured we could just lie low today. We could go to that coffee shop you like and people-watch."

Marcia was sold. "You know me so well, Luxx."

"Of course I do. We've been friends for like 10 years, it'd be sad if I didn't. Now let's go, I want to get a good spot before it gets busy."

-

They arrived at the small shop, setting their items down on the counter facing the biggest window. Marcia took a seat, taking out her drawing supplies as Luxx went to grab their drinks. It had been a while since they had been able to do this- they used to do it all the time in college, watching the people pass by and wonder about their lives while they worked on essays or assignments. They would wonder about their own lives, and what the future would be like. Marcia likes to think her younger self would be proud of where she is now. It makes her smile.

"One tea with honey for you...and an espresso for me!" Luxx hums as she sits the drinks down, sliding onto the seat beside Marcia. She brings out her own drawing materials, peering out the window.

"I missed this. Feels like it's been forever since we've done this."

"I know, it feels like we barely have time anymore. I guess that's what it means to be an adult."

Luxx nodded, her pencil sketching across the page. "Such is capitalism. Ugh, I'm so antsy to get this collection done. We're almost ready to go into production, so my stress is mostly over."

"Oh, I'm excited to see the collection! You're taking me to see the show, right?"

"Who else is going to be my plus one?" She laughs, taking a sip of her drink. "Oh yeah, that's good. Fuck, I've missed good coffee. The office coffee is so shitty, Marsh. Oh my god, it's horrible."

Marcia smiled, opening her own sketchbook as she began sketching some of the people outside. "For a luxury brand, you would think they could afford a better coffee machine." She laughed, scribbling in a woman's dark coat. "Maybe they'll get you a new one for Christmas."

Luxx rolled her eyes, "Please, don't give me hope. Irene keeps saying she's going to fix it and improve it herself but we've been so swamped she hasn't had time yet." She looked up for her next target before selecting a man with a dog. "Look at that dog- isn't it cute? Ugh, I wish I was better at animals. It looks like a rat."

Marcia leaned over to look at the sketch, rolling her eyes. "It looks great, you're being dramatic. That is a cute dog though, what a baby." She cooed, snapping a picture of it before she sent it to Lotus. "How is the collection going anyway? Weren't you guys almost done like, a month ago?"

"Well, we were going through final revisions, but they decided to scrap some of the looks so we had to come up with some new ones. I'm hoping this will be the final round though. I've got some of the early concepts for designs in here though." She answers, flipping through her sketchbook to show Marcia some of the designs. 

She always admired the other girls' aesthetic, Luxx's usual grungy and dark designs had seemed to translate perfectly to spring fashion. Desaturated colors and skirts with purposeful rips and tears turned a skirt into the shape of a flower, an impressive feat. Marcia had seen Luxx make gorgeous designs that weren't her aesthetic, but these ones were special. She always loved it when Luxx could show her passion through her designs.

"Dark forest...what a theme, right?" She softly chuckles, flipping back to the sketch she was working on. "I like it though. I think it'll be our best collection yet."

Marcia proudly smiles, returning to her own sketch of some scenery. They sketched in comfortable silence for some time, Marcia having stopped sketching the people outside and started sketching Lotus. She didn't mean to, it was just sort of a habit at this point.

"That's really good, is that Lotus?" Luxx asks, leaning over. Marcia nods, her face tinged red. "Is she coming to your performance tomorrow?"

"No, but she's coming for my first night as Elle. I'm really excited, I hope she'll like my performance- I've been working so hard on it. God, I hope it goes well, what if I choke?"

"You won't choke. You were like, born for this. You're gonna kill it."

Marcia smiles at her, "Thanks, Luxx."

-

Luxx volunteered for dinner duty that night, allowing Marcia a moment to herself. To debrief, to prepare herself for tomorrow. She felt the nerves creeping up, like they did for every show she had done. She had to remind herself that it was going to go well, that she was going to do well. She focused on the warm water of the shower that was beginning to turn cold- maybe she had been in there longer than she thought.

She stepped out of the shower, wrapping her hair in a soft pink towel before beginning to dry herself off. It was nice, and for a moment she felt calm as she blow-dried her hair, the muffled music of Ariana Grande playing in the background. 7 rings was interrupted by the ringing of her phone, Marcia clicked off the hair dryer as she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, doll." Lotus' voice came from the other end. "Are you able to talk?"

Marcia hummed, "For a little bit- Luxx will kill me if I miss dinner." She wrapped her soft pink robe around her as she left the bathroom and entered her bedroom across the hall. "I thought you're usually on patrol around this time of day?"

"I am, but it's always a slow start. Thought I'd talk to you until I get a call."

She softly smiled, "Well, I won't complain about that. How's your day been?"

"Pretty standard. I'm hanging out with my coworker soon, but other than that nothing of note. But enough about me- you're gonna be on Broadway tomorrow! How are you feeling?"

"Nervous. Excited. I can't tell- I think it's both." She chuckled, "I know I'll probably do well, but it's just those pre-show nerves, you know?"

"Nah, I know you're gonna crush it."

"But how do you know? What if I...I don't know, trip and break my arm or something."

"I think you'd still perform, even if you had to be in a cast. Don't worry. Besides, isn't the saying break a leg?"

Marcia softly sighed, a smile creeping onto her face as she rummaged through her dresser for her pajamas. "Yeah, it is...and you're probably right. I'm way too excited about this. I just can't believe it's finally happening!"

She heard a faint buzzing on the other line, vaguely recognizing it as the sound of a call.

"Do you have to go?"

Lotus sighed, "Yeah. I do. I'm sorry. Hey- break a leg tomorrow. You're gonna kill it."

Marcia smiled. "Thanks, I will."

She heard Lotus laugh, she could practically see the other girls smile in her head.

"Atta girl."

-

The next morning was a blur. She remembered waking up to a 'break a leg ;)' text from Lotus and eating breakfast with Luxx, but time seemed to fly by after that. Her usual subway ride seemed to take five minutes, and their rehearsal that morning felt like it had happened in a second.

Now, she was in the dressing room with her castmates, all giddy and excited for the show. She applied the last of her blush and made sure her costume was perfect, waiting in the wings with the rest of the ensemble for the first number to start. Many were excitedly whispering to each other, the air in the theatre felt electric.

"Who's here for you tonight, Marcia?" One of her castmates and friends, Plasma, asked her.

"My friends and one of my cousins- we're going out afterward. What about you?"

"Some of my friends- and my mom, she flew in from Texas to be here. I can't believe it's opening night!" She excitedly shook Marcia's arm, causing her to smile.

"I know. Oh! There's the house lights, we're going!" She excitedly whispered, taking her place in preparation. She felt the anxiety returning to her chest, taking a deep breath as the curtains drew open.

They began their first number, which went as perfectly as it could. Marcia hit all the right steps, all the right notes, and stayed in character the entire time. She felt the anxiety in her chest dissipate after the first number, it turning into a feeling of joy. She felt good going into the second number, which turned into feeling great for the entire first act. During intermission, she and Plasma celebrated their success, which meant excitedly talking about the show while they made costume and makeup adjustments for the second act.

The second act also went spectacularly. She could tell the entire cast was bringing their all, and the audience could too. Every time the audience laughed or cheered her drive became stronger, causing her to perform even better. By the time curtain call came, she was exhausted- but proud. As she bowed with the rest of the ensemble, she could hear Luxx's cheers above the rest. She couldn't see her group because of the house lights, but that was enough to put a smile on her face. 

She's able to get out of her costume and makeup fairly quickly, only delayed by her and Plasma geeking out about the show- releasing the remainder of the energy they had for the night. Eventually, she gathered her things and left, signing some things for a few fans at the stage door before spotting her friends.

"MARSHALL!" Luxx squealed, tightly hugging the other girl. Marcia giggled as her friends swarmed her, excitement filling the air. Jan raved on and on about her vocals and dance moves, her cousin was a fellow theatre nerd and they often spent their childhood watching different musicals (and poorly reenacting them). Robin, although less experienced in the theatre world, complimented her performance and gave her a bouquet- which Amethyst almost crushed as she pulled the group in to take a photo.

Marcia feels elated as the group returns to her apartment, giving her time to change into a sparkly mini-dress. She quickly shot a text to Lotus before coming back out, rejoining the girls who had also changed. They took a quick shot of some tequila they had lying around the house before heading to the nearest gay bar.

-

"My girlfriend said she and her friend are a few minutes away," Robin yelled above the noise, trying to keep Amethyst from getting swallowed up by the crowd. "I'm making them get us drinks- what does everyone want?"

The girls shouted out their various drink orders to Robin, drowned out by the club's music. The lights strobed and Marcia could feel her body vibrating from the bass. She danced with Luxx and Amethyst, letting herself go and focusing on having fun- she deserved it, after all. She felt her legs growing sore, but it didn't bother her. She would regret it in the morning, however it wasn't anything she couldn't deal with.

They only stopped dancing when Robin squealed, throwing herself into the arms of a girl who had just walked up. "That's Aura," Amethyst shouted so they could hear, the other girls nodding along. "Who's that beside her?" Marcia asked, referring to the girl who had appeared beside Aura.

She was wearing a short red dress and a leather jacket, and her long light-colored hair was straight and worn down, with some bobby pins to keep her bangs back. She looked like she had some darker streaks in her hair, but she couldn't be too sure with the blaring club lights. From what Marcia could see, she had a pretty athletic build and a scar over her left eye. She felt like she knew the girl, but she couldn't place her finger on why.

"I guess her friend," Amethyst whispered in her ear, "She's hot, right? Is she glaring at us though?" Marcia turned her attention back to the other woman, Amethyst was right- she did seem to be glaring, but she couldn't even clearly see the girl because of the flashing lights.

"Can't tell."

Aura and Robin finally broke apart, allowing Aura to shift her attention to the other girl.

"Oh! This is one of my friends, Anetra!" The other girl nodded her head in greeting. "She doesn't bite, she just has chronic RBF." Aura laughed, Anetra rolled her eyes and playfully elbowed her. Amethyst introduced herself first before Marcia did- she noticed the girl's eyes widen a bit before returning to normal. That was strange, did she recognize her too?

She was going to talk to her more when Aura pulled her away to go get the group's drinks, putting a pin in her plan. That was fine, she'd just talk to her when she returned. However, Anetra didn't return. Aura came back alone, balancing the drinks in her arms.

"Where'd Anetra go?" Luxx asked, taking her drink from Aura.

"She got a call while we were waiting at the bar- came back and said there was an emergency and dashed out. She seemed stressed about it."

"I hope she's okay..." Marcia worried, "Poor girl just got here."

"I'll check up on her later, she's a tough cookie so I'm sure she'll be fine."

That was the last they talked about it, the rest of the night was a blur as they danced and drank until their feet hurt. Marcia tried to tone it down so she wouldn't feel as miserable tomorrow, which worked to some degree. She and Luxx left around 1 am, both deciding to be somewhat responsible. She quickly changed into her pajamas, almost passing out the instant she hit the bed. She shot off a goodnight text to Lotus, who still hadn't answered her last message, which was odd. She worried something may have happened, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind- she was just paranoid.

[whetstonefires]

If Steve Rogers functions as the Superman of the bunch, the noble hero out of the past who inspires the others to greatness, what exactly is Bucky Barnes role, especially as Captain America himself?

I don't think that's a very meaningful analogy because like. The Justice League and the Avengers are very different teams, and despite their fairly similar ethics Clark and Steve are possibly even more different guys.

Captain America's is a solid general all-rounder, very mid-level in terms of actual power. Problems are frequently too big for him. Superman is stupid strong--every so often something shows up that's more powerful than he is, but he spends most of his life finessing his way through using as much force as he needs without overshooting and causing unacceptable collateral damage. He can move planets.

Psychologically, there's a vast gulf there.

The legacy of Krypton and the, the myth of America are roughly the same shape but are worn in completely opposite ways. No one on Earth knows or cares about Krypton except through Superman, and even he doesn't remember it--sometimes Kara does--so it's just pretty shapes and a deep solemnity.

America is messy and current and in-your-face, it was there before Steve and it'll probably outlive him and sometimes he gets so fed up with its foreign policy decisions or civil rights abuses he puts on a different outfit or goes and lives in a bunker.

'Superman' is a big idea that rests entirely on Kal-El as a person and as a force; 'Captain America' as a concept might be built on Steve and his supersoldier status but it's not dependent on him, they keep making a point of that.

Meanwhile they've made Jon Superman but struggle mightily with how to do that without just making him his dad. Of course they'd be struggling less if they'd let him grow up at a normal speed or were willing to lean into what a fucking bizarre person he ought to be after seven years in a cave with his dad's evil twin; basically Jon Kent doesn't have a character right now and they think he can hold up a title. But actually they know he can't that's why they brought Clark back. Superman is a disaster right now.

So anyway. In classic terms, Bucky was the counterpart of Jimmy Olsen. Then he died--I believe this was established in a retcon in the 60s when they brought Cap back, when Marvel was getting its feet under it as the grounded, realistic superhero comic company.

Then Bucky and Jason Todd both came back in 2005 which was kind of embarrassing for everyone imo. Just like. Did you have to do that at the same time you're making each other's cheap stunts look even more stuntlike.

Bucky's actually done better over the last 18 years than Jason tbh, rip--I mean in terms of interesting stories and development. Jason got his own book and all, he just also was subjected to terrible discontinuity of character and was primarily written by Scott Lobdell for like a decade. Terrible.

In terms of who he can be compared to relative to Superman when he's being Captain America, I. Uhhhhhh. No one in any useful way, I don't think. The obvious place to look is the Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen period, but like.

Does Bucky have anything really in common with Cyborg Superman other than being a traumatized cyborg? No. Does he have anything in common with The Kid (later Kon-El)? You'd think there'd be something but there really isn't. Each point they have in common (i.e. dehumanizing lab background) they have diametrically opposed relationships to.

Steve's had duplicates and impersonators, I think the anti-commie guy he beat up that time is kind of like his Cyborg Superman equivalent? Except there's a whole political ideology thing going on there which is just not present with Superman. Anyway, not relevant to Bucky.

...you can I think draw some kind of relationship between Sam Wilson as Captain America and John Henry Irons as Steel, because on the writing end of things there's a definite flavor match, in terms of very deliberately creating a very cool black man and holding him up as an exemplar in a superhero story that otherwise has not got a lot of black people in major roles, and making him the best person to uphold the legacy of the Very Important Hero Guy. Like certain conventions are utilized the same in both instances. In certain ways that was two versions of the same story.

But also not really; Irons was very much pinch-hitting and what made him the best was that he was the one determined to do the work rather than claim the glamor; it's a lot more ceremonious and torch-passing with Wilson. A different deal. Although in some ways that's just because Marvel has hung onto and deliberately invested in the Falcon for decades.

DC Comics stop doing weird stuff with Clark's family and identity and reinvest in the supporting cast challenge. Where is Steel what's going on with him. Does he exist in this timeline.

[laylajeffany]

Hi! A few questions because I’m endlessly curious.

1) If you could meet any two people from Chaos, one OC and one pre-existing character, who would they be and why?

2) Where did you get the names for the OC’s from?

3) How do you come up with Emiliana’s broken idioms? Are they taken from actual French ones, or do you just make them up? And as a follow up, do you speak French or any other language besides English?

4) Can we have a picture of the botanical legos please

5) Do you have any Wednesday stuff, like Funko pops or posters?

Thank you for putting up with my questions!

1- I would have to meet Larissa Weems in canon because even though T. Martel made a physical growth chart of how tall she is in her apartment I don’t think I could actually fully comprehend it until she was in front of me. Of my OCs, I would enjoy hating on low-performing professionals w/Dr. Z, I LOVE being a hater.

2- Sometimes I just know instinctively - sometimes I collaborate with Tracey and we’ll look at lists of names based on culture/nationality. Sometimes I want something that means something specific.


3- I work with a lot of English Language Learners and students with communication challenges, so differences in understanding spoken English are like second nature to me. I usually take a common English phrase and make it a little off - though some are based on what kids had actually said to me in the past. I had five years of formal Spanish instruction and understand and read it fairly well but it comes out of my mouth so un-eliquently that it is usually very embarrassing. I commend anyone who can speak two languages!!!

4&5- A small glimpse at my personal decor as all except Morticia are usually in this spot anyway and there is no identifying material, but please do not be weird about it 🙃 (a disclaimer I make for all).

If you don’t put your LEGO bouquet in your Trixie Motel cup that you physically can’t use because you have only had water from the same Yeti since 2017, you’re doing it wrong. (I didn't have a vase also.) The clashing of aesthetics is important, too. And the impending structural collapse of the particle board-shelf. It’s all part of the chaotically curated brand. (The powder blue wall came with the apartment and I loathe.)

I have had the Wednesday print in every home I have lived in since 2014. Years ago, Tracey got me the Morticia funko. I got the 3D printed rag doll Wednesday last year on Etsy because I love her, and there are some original Addams family prints up on my year-round halloween collage wall, not pictured. Also not pictured, Tracey also got me a taxidermy snake and deaths head hawkmoth for my birthday and Normie Christmas this year - collecting merchandise from my own fic lol XD

The foldable seven inch machete pictuted was from my father on my 30th birthday and I'm not sure I will ever understand why it was gifted to me as it is illegal to carry here on the street and I don't exactly rough it in the woods. I think he was going through a doomsday prepping phase and wanted me to join him in that.

[b1u3butt3rf1yanim3cart00ngirl22]

Manhwa/Manhua/WebToon recommendations I love (Part 1)

*Best Romance/Heartwarming Manhwa*

1) Duchess with an Empty Soul/The Soulless Duchess from Isekai scan

Summary: The naive Yvona is ready to do anything for her amazing fiance! Summon magical beasts and let him take the glory? Sure! Wreck her body for a powerful spell and die for him? Yes! Watch him secretly embrace her trusted cousin Tristan with passion and deride her openly? Oka-wait. What? Just then Yvona dies… and wakes up a year in the past with a burdened heart. Armed with her knowledge, Yvona's ready to fight for herself. And hmm, maybe form an alliance with the coldhearted Duke of Azentine…

2) The Monster Duchess and Contract Princess/The Monstrous Duke's Adopted Daughter from Isekai scan

Summary: The Speràdo family line possesses a secret: shadow magic. But it's been 100 years since someone last wielded it. When Marquis Speràdo tries to sacrifice Leslie for her favored sister Ellie, little does he know that this awakens the power of darkness in her instead. To escape her family's greed and abuse, Leslie's out to make a deal with the Monstrous Duke: adopt her, and her powers will be at the duke's disposal. Will Leslie escape her parents' cruel grip, or succumb to their evil exploits?

3) Lady Baby from Isekai scan

Summary: Calliope has suffered through nature’s law and many accidents. Her family was murdered and an ongoing war ended her life, but she traveled back in time to when she was born?! While Calliope slowly grows, will she be able to figure out who killed her family and stop them in time?

4) A Stepmother's Marchen from Isekai scan

Summary: The iron widow, the spider widow, male hunter, the witch of Neuwanstein castle, the embarrassment of noble ladies……. These were all the words used to describe the Marchioness, Suri Pon Neuwanstein. Despite receiving such criticism from the world, she raised her ‘children’, who were unrelated to her by blood and were old enough to be called her siblings. And finally, on the day of the first son Jeremy’s wedding, she felt that all her hard work had tied all the loose ends together. But she had been terribly mistaken. After hearing the message requesting her to not attend the wedding, she got caught up in an accident and died while leaving the castle. But when she opened her eyes, she woke up on the day of her husband’s funeral, seven years ago. I refuse to suffer any more. I won’t live as I had in the past a second time!

5) The Evil Lady Will Change from Isekai scan

Summary: Athanasia Cloix, a woman whose elegance and beauty is akin to that of a swan lake, was the Duke’s eldest daughter and the Queen of the social circles: an existence near to perfection. Due to some rumors, however, people began to misunderstand and belittle her. As she suffered through these unfortunate events, she learned to conceal her feelings by putting on a façade and agreed to a political marriage with the Winter-comer who’s also known as the “Northern Monster”.

As the Grand Duke, I will do my best to accommodate your needs and desires. But love alone is something I can’t give to you.” Unbeknownst to her, that very man will change her life and thus a new fate is about to unfold.

6) The Remarried Empress from Isekai scan

Summary: Navier Ellie Trovi was an empress perfect in every way -- intelligent, courageous, and socially adept. She was kind to her subjects and devoted to her husband. Navier was perfectly content to live the rest of her days as the wise empress of the Eastern Empire. That is, until her husband brought home a mistress and demanded a divorce. “I accept this divorce… And I request an approval of my remarriage.” In a shocking twist, Navier remarries another emperor and retains her title and childhood dream as empress. But just how did everything unfold?

[halfbakedspuds]

Thanks so much to @honeybewrites for the tag! (Also, I must apologise for being made of stupid, I posted this a few days ago already and ended up putting down the wrong URL for the tagger. Very much am stupid, sorry)

Proud of tag

Rules: post an excerpt you are proud of.

I don't have any non-spoilery extracts like this for Echoes of Shadows and writing for the Tempest Prince is basically non-existent (despite it being my oldest and most well thought out WIP), so I think we'll go with Children of the Stars for this one.

I know this scene is short, but I like it because it's one of the first where you can see the usual tin-soldier demeanour of Adrian slip a little, and it was one of the first 'downtime' scenes I wrote that I liked. It's also the first scene where we can see just how well Lyanni has come to know her human housemate

The front door slammed shut. That was Lyanni's first cue that something was wrong, because not once in almost a year of living with the human had Adrian shown frustration in any capacity.

Bearing that in mind, and at least a bit curious as to what could have driven him to a break in Imperial decorum, she marked the spot she was at in her book and placed it down on the table. However, she chose to remain lounging on the couch for the time being, stretching out all seven feet of her and turning to watch the hallway.

It did not take long for Adrian to show his face, and what a sorry sight it was. His snow-white hair was ruffled, and noticeable dark sackd hung under his eyes. Even his usual stolid demeanour was gone: replaced by the slouched and tired posture of someone who had just gone through hell. He reminded her of a soldier who'd spent years besieged, and she wonder if this had been his constant look a mere three years prior.

He stopped by the rack to look at her, slowly peeling off his soiled coat to hang it up

"Fuck,"

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

He paused for a moment to rub his tear ducts. Clearly, what he wanted more than anything was sleep, and despite his silence on the matter he showed incredible trust in her by allowing himself even such a minor lapse in his usual manner.

A long, silent moment passed before he said, "I am going to go take a shower and calm down before I forsake my dignity further. Then I'll let you in on the shitshow that has been the last few days,"

"Sounds like we've both had it equally bad," Lyanni said, gracefully drawing her body up and onto it's feet, stretching as she strode to the kitchen, "I'll get coffee,"

His body immediately tensed up as he asked, "What happened here, then?"

Lyanni smirked. Zero to machine in point-three seconds. Classic Ajay

She shrugged non-chalantly to indicate that he had nothing to worry about, "Nobles, a hole, and a servitor uprising,"

"Ah," He said and relaxed, as though he actually gleaned something of note from her words, and continued up the stairs.

What's the bet this time?, she thought switching on the biosynthesizer and ordering two cups of coffee: one Levo and one Dextro, Give him three... two... one...

As if on cue, she heard him pause about halfway up the stairs, before backtracking slightly. She turned around just in time to watch him lean over the railing with an embarrassed smile plastered on his face.

"Sorry," He apologized sheepishly, "Hello, Lya,"

She smiled. Adrian, always so mindful of manners, "Heya,"

No pressure tag for @orion-lacroix, @illarian-rambling and anyone else who wants in

[esta-elavaris]

Fallen Through Time

Part Seven [2,452 words]

Note: This part was originally going to be merged with the next part, but it would've ended up being a behemoth so now it's just a nice wee interlude for some Elizabeth/Theodora bonding instead.

An AU of my completed, 400k+ word fanfic Catch the Wind [AO3], in which Elizabeth, not James, is the one to discover Theodora Byrne after she crash-lands into the world of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Also now on AO3 (restricted to registered users only thanks to AI mining, sorry!) and FF.net.

Masterpost - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - *Part Seven* [you're here!]

Tag list [let me know if you want to be added!]: @missfronkensteen​​​​​ @dancerinthestorm​​​​​ @teawithshakespeare​​​​​

“Why are the servants whispering about your having lunch sent to Captain Norrington today?”

Well. There went her plan to keep things secret. It had been little over twenty-four hours since those great strides were made in her…well, ‘relationship’ was much too strong a word, as was friendship. Her acquaintanceship with Captain James Norrington, and in a mark of thanks, Theo had flouted anachronism and put all of her culinary abilities into making and sending a sandwich down to his house so that he could actually have lunch. In doing so, she’d technically invented the sandwich, but she wasn’t sure if that counted as plagiarism or not, so she resisted the urge to pat herself on the back.

With any luck, he wouldn’t suspect that it was poisoned, would actually eat the damn thing, and she could go about the rest of her life feeling like she’d been able to establish something that vaguely resembled reciprocity for all that was being done for her around here.

“He was kind to me. In town – yesterday. Very kind. I was trying to show my thanks,” Theo explained. “Please don’t tell me this is the part where you say what I did was actually wildly inappropriate and equates to a marriage proposal around here.”

Ever since Theo had proven herself able to remain conscious past eight at night, she and Elizabeth had slipped seamlessly into a routine that made her (for the first time, she had to admit) mournful that she’d never had a sister growing up. Each night after dinner and time spent milling around in the sitting room, they would retire to their rooms and change – Elizabeth with help, and Theo with as little assistance as possible. There were no two ways around needing assistance out of the outermost layers, with a quite frankly stupid number of laces and ties and clasps in every unreachable direction, but once those were dealt with she’d be left to change into a nightgown on her own.

Last she heard, the general consensus among the servants was that she had terrible scars that she was much too embarrassed of to allow to be seen. That suited her just fine.

Once they were settled and the house had grown quiet, either she or Elizabeth would creep out of their respective bedrooms – they tended to alternate, for the sake of novelty – and make the short journey down the hall, padding barefoot to the room of the other, where they’d sit and whisper and giggle to an hour so stupidly late that often they were still talking when the sky threatened to grow light outside, and the return journey seemed an arduous task indeed. It reminded her of days from her high school years – having all of her pals around her, packed into somebody’s living room in sleeping bags on the floor, talking about anything and everything into the wee small hours until someone inevitably groaned from a pile of blankets in the corner that everybody should just shut the fuck up and sleep.

At first, Theo feared Governor Swann would be annoyed by it – that he’d find his daughter’s association with her to be inappropriate or something – but one morning over breakfast, he’d joked lightly that it might be easier for all involved if they just shared a chamber, and that was that. Although she couldn’t pretend not to be relieved that it hadn’t been a serious suggestion. Her friendship with Elizabeth was proving a boon here, and it grew fast, but she still needed space to process just how ridiculous her current circumstances were.

Now, though, she was glad to have her new friend with her, cross-legged on her bed, regarding her with curious brown eyes as she slowly brushed her long golden locks out.

“Not inappropriate, no. Unconventional, perhaps,” she allowed.

“Well, that seems to be my trademark here,” Theo snorted.

“What happened? In town?”

“It was nothing.”

“Good, it should take you no time at all to tell me, then.”

Theo groaned, and Elizabeth smirked.

“Some women were, uh, a bit impolite…”

As novel as Elizabeth found Theo’s modernity, she doubted she’d approve if she referred to the ladies of Port Royal as utter raging bitches.

“…and he – Captain Norrington, I mean – witnessed it and went out of his way to nip it in the bud. I don’t know if I’d have expected that sort of thing from a vaguely warm acquaintance, never mind someone who barely likes me at all. It was good of him. It…it deserved proper thanks.”

Elizabeth, thank god, seemed much more preoccupied with the direction her explanation had taken rather than focusing on the inciting incident itself. Which, Theo had to admit, had been her intention.

“I’m glad to hear you see that he’s not all bad,” she mused quietly.

“Oh, I never thought he was even half bad. Or a quarter- well, I mean, you get the point. I knew he was only doing his job, or his duty or whatever, with how he was when we met. It was understandable. I just didn’t really enjoy the end result from a personal standpoint. That wasn’t his fault, though. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. He’s a good man, and he was doing what he had to do. I’m mostly just relieved that Governor Swann managed to work some real verbal wizardry to make up for me lodging my foot into my mouth during that first meeting. I wasn’t expecting it to have done the trick, but it looks like it did.”

Or maybe her own apology had made some sort of difference. Watching his reaction at the time, she didn’t think that it had, but he was basically the posterchild for the English stereotype of the stiff upper lip, wasn’t he? It wasn’t wild stretch of the imagination to think he just wouldn’t show what he was truly thinking.

In any case, her mood was even more improved because his advice had proven utterly sound. She’d returned to town that very morning, and caught Will long before his employer had even deigned to turn up from wherever it was he was likely passed out.  That had been her intention, of course, but she also knew she’d be able to avoid Port Royal’s finest critics at such an hour, too.

****

When Will Turner crossed her path for the first time, he gave her little more than a polite nod as he met her gaze while walking by. There was a second glance, but Theo knew that was because she was staring at him like…well, the way one stared at a person when one had spent far more time than was healthy watching said person prance about dressed like an elf. Recovering quickly, she stepped after him as he strode by towards the smithy, calling to his back.

“Hello? Excuse me – sorry…”

He’d slowed as if not entirely certain it was indeed him she was calling after. And that would’ve been a fair assessment to make. She was dressed as someone of Elizabeth’s station, given it was one of Elizabeth’s dresses she wore, and he was still firmly rooted in the phase of believing himself to be far beneath that station. How many of the ladies here ever afforded him a second glance? Other than Elizabeth herself.

“May I help you, miss?” he blinked owlishly at her.

To Theo’s eye, he seemed a far cry from the man who would one day captain the Flying Dutchman. Although she supposed that journey was what the eight hour long trilogy was all about.

“I hope you can,” she smiled sheepishly, fidgeting with her skirts and trying to add an air of damsel in distress to her general demeanour. “My name is Theodora – Theodora Byrne, I’m staying with-”

“You’re the one Miss Swann found on the beach,” he saved her the explanation, watching her with a newfound level of interest. “The Governor’s guest.”

Ah. Of course. Norrington wouldn’t be the only one keen to make sure she meant no harm.

“Yes,” she said with an attempt at an embarrassed smile. “I see my reputation precedes me. That’s…that’s sort of why I’m here.”

From there, she dove into much of the same story she’d told Norrington the day before – but, as he’d advised, with added misty eyes and a wobbly lip thrown in for good effect at the end.

“I can give you these,” she added at the end, showing him her handful of euros. “All of them. You can’t exactly spend them here, but I’m sure if you melt them down they’ll be worth something.”

It was a bit of a risky move – given that they had years stamped on them and all, but what would his mind jump straight to? That she got them from a few centuries from now, or that they were just some sort of strange serial number?

Will hesitated, openly taking measure of her, which she endured with as much patience and grace as she could muster all while knowing she was essentially begging a stranger for a favour. Then, finally, he’d sighed and asked to see the necklace. Theodora watched with bated breath as he examined it closely, holding it up to narrowed brown eyes and scrutinising every part of the necklace - from every possible angle, no less. Then he sighed again.

“I believe I could replicate it,” he said, and then hastened to add, “well – replicate isn’t quite the right word. It wouldn’t be an exact copy. But I could make something that’s…”

“In-keeping with the spirit of the original thing?” she offered.

“Yes. Yes, exactly. I cannot promise miracles – and I cannot promise it will be done swiftly – but I can do it.”

“Really? You can? I mean, you will?”

“I will.”

Theo beamed, immediately going to rifle through the coins in her hand before he stopped her.

“Keep them. If it’s for- well. Consider it a gesture. From one castaway to another.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Really. You’ve no idea how much this means.”

“I think I have some idea,” he said, and she felt herself flush at just how giddy she’d become.

She just really needed a damn win around here. Norrington’s change in attitude towards her had certainly counted as one, but this? This was the cherry on top. She’d need to send him an entire foot-long sub at this point just to really thank him.

“May I ask…”Will interrupted her as she began to take her leave. “You sought me out. Not my employer. Why?"

Norrington, she knew, would never forgive her if she blabbed. Nor would she, even if she thought he wouldn’t mind. It’d feel skeevy, somehow. Plus, she knew he and Elizabeth would end up together anyway. What would it hurt to give him a little hope?

“Elizabeth told me about you,” she admitted.

God, he looked like she’d just handed him the world on a platter.

“She did?”

“Given our similar histories, I think my arrival brought up some memories.”

“Yes,” he nodded, collecting himself but still failing to hide the beginnings of a smile on his face. “Yes, I imagine it did. Good day, Miss Byrne. I’ll send word when it’s ready.”

****

With Elizabeth sitting here before her now, it was difficult for Theo to keep a lid on her triumph – feeling very much like a kid who was bursting at the seams with a secret they were just dying to tell. Controlling herself would be worth it, though, so that was precisely what she did.

“These women – these impolite women,” Elizabeth said. “Did you happen to catch their names.”

Yes. Some.

“No,” she shrugged.

“What did they look like, then? I’ve already some notion of who it might’ve been, Theo, so it’s pointless your protecting them.”

“Protecting them?” Theo echoed with a laugh. “Why? What are you going to do to them?”

“Lots of very terrible things. To you, too, if you make my work more difficult by leaving me to figure everything out the hard way.”

“Elizabeth.”

“Theodora.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No.”

“My, this really is a very sophisticated technique for debate, do they teach it to everybody where you’re from or are you just terribly gifted?”

God, the joke about being a master debater just wrote itself. But she held back that particular joke, knowing she was permanently walking a bit of a tightrope here of what was charming and what was just shocking. Well, at least until Jack turned up. Then she could be her real, utterly classless self.

“I don’t want trouble,” she said simply. “It was nothing.”

“It was enough for Captain Norrington to feel like he needed to step in.”

“And he very gallantly did so, which means it’s all handled. It’s fine. I’m not going to be the stranger who turns up and starts sowing discontent because some daft bints wanted to get a rise out of her.”

“But then what am I to do with all of this energy I have for concocting cruel and unusual punishments for them?" Elizabeth asked.

"I hear embroidery is all the rage here. Channel it into that."

Elizabeth gave a laugh that sounded more like a scoff – and Theo began to suspect all of that cruel and unusual energy would soon be sent her way. But before she could worry too much, the blonde sighed and flopped backwards onto the bed, contemplating the canopy above her.

“Well, it’s the dinner party tomorrow – during which you’ll be launched into our fine society.”

“Like a bomb?”

“Perhaps – depending on what you say and do.”

“Great.”

Elizabeth smiled a little. “I devised this carefully, you know. As guest of honour, you’ll be seated to my right, so I’ll be able to help should you run into difficulty. It’s not a ball, so there’ll be no dancing – although I will have to teach you that eventually. The most you’ll have to worry about concerns the after-dinner entertainment – cards, chess, and such. But given that you’ve said you’re familiar with those, I expect it should all go swimmingly.”

“You know what they say about expectations.”

Arching a dark eyebrow at her, Elizabeth waited patiently. Theo smirked. “They lead to disappointment.”

“Good God, have you never heard of optimism?” she snorted.

“What’s that? A card game in these parts?”

That earned her little more than an eyeroll, but the small smile remained on Elizabeth’s face as she remarked ruefully.

“I must confess, though, I’ve no wish for it to go too well. Lest you end up betrothed before the year is through.”

Theo snorted. “Can’t imagine much worse than that.”

All Elizabeth gave in response was a soft hum, and then she murmured quietly.

“It depends on the groom, I suppose.”

[fy-wonwoo]

[230809] Your friendly neighborhood GAM3 BO1 is here

WONWOO and SEVENTEEN show what makes gaming truly fun

As he progressed through Sue’s Cooking Game on a May 6 stream, Weverse Live viewers saw an awkward, almost embarrassed smile take over WONWOO’s face. “How did you know I like washing dishes?” It was an unexpected response from the SEVENTEEN member to the game over message (“Just wash the dishes”) after he failed the goal of clicking around the screen to cook ramyeon within the time limit. WONWOO isn’t terribly familiar with such simple games—he’s much more versed in games like League of Legends and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS that demand a combination of skilled reflexes and strategy, as his fans know. And his line about the dishes drew an affectionate laugh from them. “If you don’t know [the game], you can look at my face,” he joked (but there’s no joking about how seriously handsome he is). And his sincerity was evident when he brushed off a loss with a simple, “That’s unfortunate,” only to give it another go—all spoken in the same calm voice, and with his same signature upright posture, that he maintains as he talks through the games. And that’s how WONWOO’s GAM3 BO1 series got its start.

WONWOO’s always been a gamer. “When I was a trainee, gaming was my only hobby,” he said. Three years ago, he could be seen streaming his PUBG gameplay on the Chinese site Huya Live. When he played Crazy Arcade in the “GSVT E-Triathlon Championship 2022” episode of the group’s original series GOING SEVENTEEN last year, “you could tell he’s a real pro based on the username he chose and the way he plays,” according to Yi Yunju, leader of the PLEDIS New Media Part. WONWOO’s gaming caught the attention of not only fans but the wider public as well. When he played Stray, a game set in a dystopian future where the player takes control of a cat, he was quick to understand the overall structure of the game, immediately distinguishing those quests he felt were required to progress versus those that weren’t very important and skipping over the latter. He also made sure to show off to viewers how cute the feline protagonist could be.

The first episode of GAM3 BO1 was born out of WONWOO’s longstanding interest in and opinions on gaming. “WONWOO spoke up about wanting to start doing Lives about gaming,” lead professional Yeom Ji Been, with the HYBE Artist Content 4 Studio, said, “so we ended up putting together a team to get all the equipment ready and help film the videos.” The name of the series derives from the SEVENTEEN song “GAM3 BO1”—a hip hop unit song that features WONWOO—and was only decided in the middle of the first episode. In the two months since and up to July 28, seven episodes have been broadcast live, averaging a whopping 3.3 hours each. Yeom said it was also WONWOO who came up with the ultimate format for the show, starting with the second episode where he opened with a simple Flash game similar to Sue’s Cooking Game and warmed up with the League of Legends map Howling Abyss for ARAM play (“all random, all mid,” one of League’s gameplay modes) before moving onto the main game of the episode. “Fans were really into seeing Flash games like the Sue series,” Yeom added. Flash games were popular in the early 2000s and mainly provided through web portals, where it was easy for kids to come across and play them. These games stir up old memories for CARAT and also encourage communication between them and WONWOO as they give him tips in the chat. Viewers looking for a more complex gaming experience get to enjoy WONWOO warming up as he plays League’s Howling Abyss, followed by the main game of each broadcast, which lasts longer than the other segments. Between the games’ engaging visuals and stories, and the process involved in completing different quests, the streams become totally immersive for those watching, with no previous knowledge of the games necessary. It’s like a gift basket of goodies whether you’re into gaming or not. When WONWOO plays live, hashtags about him start trending on Twitter. He’s even brought other members of SEVENTEEN on to play with him. In all aspects, he’s just like any pro streamer.

Keep reading!

[misscorn]

Day 5 - Free prompt/AU

Even though there are two more days for @sihjrweek I think this is going to be my last entry so I can focus on finals and such :) this one will be posted as a standalone story on my fanfiction.net account Sixty Teacups. It may or may not be continued

-

Onodera Ritsu normally would never dare to approach an older kid on the playground at school. At seven years old he didn’t even have the courage to approach kids his own age, being incredibly shy and perhaps a tad sensitive. The only reason he and An were friends was because their families had been close before the two of them had been born. The children had no choice but to get along, but it worked out in the end that the two of them did genuinely enjoy each other’s company. 

Having An meant that Ritsu always had someone to talk to at lunch or play with at recess, so Ritsu never had to feel lonely or left out. An had other friends that she sometimes included in their conversations or games, but she preferred Ritsu’s company over theirs, declaring him her best friend rather clearly through her actions. However, their little buddy system wasn’t perfect. There were days like today, where An was absent from school, presumably because she was sick. This left Ritsu to his own devices for most of the day, but especially when the time came for lunch and recess. 

Lunch was bearable. The tables were always crowded with kids, no one ever really sitting alone, though that didn’t necessarily mean Ritsu was sitting with people either. No one seemed to pay any attention to Ritsu as he quietly listened to all the excited prattling that surrounded him, but he almost preferred it that way. He was okay with enjoying his meal without having to worry about being polite and engaging and - most of all - not getting himself labeled as a weirdo. Being considered boring or shy was easy to undo, but being considered weird was harder to escape. Ritsu wasn’t entirely sure yet what the rules were; what got you side eyes and got you called names. So, he opted for just keeping to An until he could figure out what these unspoken rules were.

Once lunch was over, though, he could feel his palms start to sweat as something that he didn’t have a name for yet - something called ‘self-consciousness’ - started to overwhelm him. The children were ushered outside to play for a while and Ritsu stood paralyzed with options, all of which seemed like poor ones. There were several games going on, all of which Ritsu could ask to join, but what if the kids said no? What if they already had enough players? Or what if Ritsu ended up being no good at the game and embarrassed himself with how poorly he played? And then they made fun of him? Ritsu could go on some of the playground equipment, but the swings were naturally all already taken and he didn’t want to wait around the entire time for one to potentially free up. Going down the slide over and over again would be boring and the monkey bars always turned his hands red and made them hurt. Sometimes he and An would sit at a little picnic table and play hand games with one another - or even card games if one of them had brought cards with them that day - but Ritsu obviously couldn’t just sit at the table by himself. He’d definitely look strange if he did that. 

At the thought of the picnic table, Ritsu’s gaze naturally wandered over to it, wondering if it was currently occupied. He wasn’t surprised that there was someone sitting there, but he was surprised to see that they were sitting there alone. It was a boy with dark hair and skin pale enough to make Ritsu momentarily concerned about whether or not he put on sunscreen (Ritsu’s mom made him put some on every morning). Ritsu had seen the boy on the playground before, but really hadn’t paid any attention to him in the past. Ritsu had no reason to know or care about him - he definitely wasn’t in Ritsu’s class - and they seemingly both lived in their own little worlds that a select few of people were allowed into. 

It looks like he’s reading a book, Ritsu thought as he continued to watch from a distance. It almost made Ritsu want to smile, seeing another kid have a genuine interest in reading. Ritsu loved to read! An was not as enthusiastic about the activity, meaning that the two of them never talked about it. Why had Ritsu never thought about reading during recess before? It was the perfect activity to do on your own! No one would think he was weird for reading on his own, right? Reading was fun and it wasn’t an activity traditionally done with other people. I should have brought a book out here with me, Ritsu thought with just a twinge of disappointment. Maybe I can ask him about what he’s reading? Ritsu could feel his heart start to beat faster at the idea, but he slowly started to shuffle his way towards the table anyway. No, he couldn’t do that, he didn’t know this kid! And despite the boy sitting down, Ritsu could tell that he was taller. What if he was older? What if he was mean? Ritsu paused in his approach, closer now, but not nearly close enough to speak to the boy. I don’t want to be alone for all of recess, though…I’ll just say hi, I can do that, saying hi isn’t scary! Ritsu still felt terrified even as he tried to convince himself that he had nothing to fear. 

Ritsu slowly started to walk over again until he was standing by the table, across from the boy. The boy didn’t notice Ritsu at all, not even glancing up from his book. Ritsu took a deep breath before smiling. “Hi.” He said. He waited a few seconds for a reaction of some kind before realizing that the boy must not have heard him or didn’t realize that Ritsu was talking to him - or worse, he was ignoring Ritsu. Ritsu decided to believe one of the first two, otherwise he would turn tail and hide somewhere on the playground for the rest of recess. “Hello.” He said, a little louder this time. 

This time, the boy did look up, his expression blank as his eyes landed on Ritsu. “...Hi?” He said after he fully registered the fact that he was being spoken to, his eyebrows furrowing a little bit and a frown tugging at his lips. 

That wasn’t a great sign, but Ritsu wouldn’t be discouraged. Yet. “What are you reading?” Ritsu asked. “I really love to read, but Anchan doesn’t - An is my friend - so I don’t ever get to talk about books with her.” He added, feeling as though he needed to explain himself, but he just felt more and more stupid as more words escaped him. “Oh - I didn’t even - um - I’m sorry,” The manners that his mother had instilled in him were suddenly coming back. He was doing this all backwards! He hoped that there was still a way for him to salvage this conversation. “My name is Onodera Ritsu. It’s nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

“...Saga Masamune.” The boy answered quietly, a little overwhelmed with the amount of energy he was suddenly on the receiving end of.

“What grade are you in? Are you one of the older kids? That book looks a little harder than what I usually read, is it interesting? Do you always read during recess? I really love to read, but I don’t ever read during recess cause I’m usually playing with Anchan, but she’s out sick today, so I don’t have anyone to play with, but you’re really smart for bringing a book out here, I’ll probably do that next time.” Ritsu knew he was rambling at this point, but for some reason he couldn’t get himself to stop. 

“You already said that.” Was all Saga said in response.

“What?” Ritsu frowned, confused. 

“You already said you really love to read.”

“...Oh.” Ritsu said, standing a little more rigidly. 

“Why are you talking to me?” Saga asked bluntly, not intending on sounding cruel, but it still made Ritsu’s eyes burn with the desire to cry. 

“I’m sorry.” Ritsu said, though he wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. He felt as though he had made some kind of transgression from Saga’s reactions to him and he wanted to make it clear that he hadn’t meant to. He’d just wanted to be friendly. 

“You’re sorry for talking to me?” Saga asked, tilting his head slightly. 

“No - I’m - uh…” 

“Why are you talking to me?” Saga repeated, not finding Ritsu’s apology a satisfactory response to his question. 

“I-I just wanted to know about the book you were reading…” Ritsu said. 

Saga hesitated for a moment before he put his bookmark between the pages and shut it, sliding it over on the table toward Ritsu’s side. 

Ritsu stared in surprise at the silent offer before he decided to sit across from Saga, taking the book as invitation to do so. He picked it up, it being a book that was a part of a children’s series that Ritsu had not read as it was just slightly above his level, but maybe he should give it a try if Saga really liked it.

“I’ve never read it. What’s it about?” Ritsu asked as he held the book out back to Saga. 

Saga took it. “A detective.” He answered vaguely, obviously not the biggest conversationalist. “But I think I already figured out the answer to this one.”

“Don’t tell me! If I read it I wanna see if I can figure it out too.” Ritsu said with a smile, some of his cheeriness starting to return. 

“Okay.” Saga said. “This is the third one in the series. The school’s library has all of them.” 

“I’ll have to check out the first one then.” Ritsu beamed. He was sure if he got stuck on any words that his mother would be more than happy to help him out. 

Saga just gave a short nod, glancing between Ritsu, the book, and their surroundings, not entirely sure what to do or say at this point. He really wanted to get back to reading, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to focus with this kid sitting in front of him now. Does he want something from me? Did someone put him up to this or something? Saga didn’t understand how or why that would be a funny joke, but it made more sense to him than someone suddenly taking a genuine interest in him. 

“Do you always read during recess?” Ritsu asked again since Saga hadn’t answered him earlier. 

“Yeah.” Saga answered. 

“You don’t ever play with your friends?” Ritsu continued. 

“I don’t have friends.” Saga said plainly, seemingly unaffected by this fact. 

Ritsu was a little stunned at that admission and hoped that it didn’t show too badly on his face. “Oh - well - th-that’s okay! Anchan is my only friend, so not having a lot of friends isn’t a bad thing.”

“I didn’t say it was.”

“Um…” Ritsu could feel himself panicking again. If all kids were this difficult to talk to then Ritsu had a feeling that he was going to have a very hard time making new friends. “W-Well, maybe next time you can play with me and Anchan. If you want to! And If she’s here tomorrow. She might still be sick.” 

“I like just reading.” 

Ritsu’s shoulders slumped a little as that seemed to be a rejection of his offer. “Okay. If you wanna keep reading, you can, I won’t talk anymore.” 

Saga opened his book back up and Ritsu stood up from the table, feeling as though he hadn’t totally succeeded in his attempt to make a new friend, but he wasn’t going to give up yet. 

He would just have to be more prepared for next time!

-

The way Ritsu prepared was speed reading through the first two detective stories that Saga had read. An was back at school, so Ritsu didn’t get much of a chance to read during recess, but he was determined to catch up to where Saga was so that maybe they could talk about the books! Saga hadn’t seemed to totally mind Ritsu’s presence the other day, even if he hadn’t seemed totally thrilled either, so Ritsu was sure he could manage to become friends with him. 

Several days passed since Ritsu’s first attempt to befriend Saga and now Ritsu was acutely aware of his presence. Every recess his eyes were drawn toward him regardless of where Saga sat on the playground. Saga was always reading, the books changing every day, and Ritsu started to worry he’d never catch up as Saga seemed to read just as fast - if not faster - than him. 

“I found you!” An exclaimed as she snuck up behind Ritsu and tapped him on the shoulder. He had been ‘hiding’ behind a tree in a game of hide and seek. In reality, Ritsu had picked this spot because he could easily peek at Saga from afar. Ritsu jumped at her words, turning around to face her quickly. 

“Anchan, you scared me!”

“This isn’t a very good hiding spot, Richan.” An said. “And what were you looking at anyway? Are you spying on someone?” She asked, sounding scandalized. 

“No! No, I’m not spying on anyone!” Ritsu denied immediately, but An was already looking around to see who Ritsu could’ve been watching. 

“It’s that boy you’re always looking at! Were you looking at him again?” 

“No, no I wasn’t, I wasn’t looking at anyone!” Ritsu slapped his hands over his face, partly to hide his shame and partly to try to distract An with the game. “It’s my turn to count, go hide!” 

“No, tell me why you’re always spying on him!” 

“I’m not spying!” Ritsu repeated before he loudly started to count to emphasize to An that he was starting the game regardless of whether or not she was ready. 

An made a sound of distress before Ritsu heard her run off. 

She ended up sprinting past Ritsu, trying to quickly come up with a hiding spot. Why hadn’t she thought of one while she was seeking? She ran up to the small picnic table that Saga was sitting at and spoke quickly. “Can I hide under the table?” She asked. She had a feeling that Ritsu wouldn’t come anywhere near Saga in his search for her and she’d win. 

Saga frowned. “What?”

“My friend and I are playing hide and seek and I don’t think he’ll look over here if you’re sitting here!” She explained quickly, nervously looking over toward the tree that Ritsu was still standing by. “Just scoot over to the end!” She said before she got under the table.

Saga scowled a little and scooted over like she said. “I can go somewhere else.”

“No, that defeats the whole point! If you’re sitting here, he won’t think I’m under here! Just keep reading your book.” She said. 

Saga huffed. “I don’t really care if your friend finds you or not.”

“You don’t have to be rude about it.” An said. “I’m not bothering you, I’m just sitting here.” 

“You’re in my space.” Saga complained. “Now I have to make sure I don’t accidentally kick you or something.”

“I’m not in your space.” An disagreed, holding out her arm to hover just by Saga, almost poking his leg. “Still not in your space, not touching you.” 

Saga frowned. “Go away, you’re annoying.”

“But I’m not doing anything.” An reiterated, not affected by the insult, still just barely not touching him. “By the way, do you know Richan?” She asked, withdrawing her arm to sit it in her lap. 

“Richan?” Saga echoed. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ritsu, Onodera Ritsu, he’s my best friend, he’s the one who’s looking for me.” An said. “But he keeps looking at you during recess, so I was wondering if you knew him.” 

Saga had noticed Ritsu watching him since the day that they talked, but he had elected to just ignore it since the kid hadn’t attempted to approach him again. He had no idea what Ritsu’s deal was and decided to chalk it up to him just being weird. Instead of answering An’s question, Saga scanned the playground for Ritsu, standing up once he spotted him and taking a deep breath. 

“RITSU! YOUR FRIEND IS HIDING OVER HERE!” He shouted to get his attention. 

“HEY!” An shouted in protest. “Why would you do that?!” She asked, scrambling to get out from under the table as Ritsu started to approach. 

“Because you’re annoying.” Saga repeated, sitting back down. 

“IT DOESN’T COUNT IF YOU CAN’T CATCH ME!” An shouted, running away as Ritsu got closer to her. Ritsu stopped in front of Saga’s table instead of giving chase right away. 

“D-Do you wanna play with us?” Ritsu hesitantly asked. 

“No.” Saga answered. 

“Oh, okay…I read the first two books from that detective series! I really like it so far.” Ritsu said, swallowing hard as he hadn’t expected to be speaking to Saga today, but he may as well take the opportunity now that he had it. 

“Shouldn’t you be looking for your friend?” Saga said, in a bad mood from An teasing him.

Ritsu deflated a bit at that. “Yeah, I should. Um…thanks for telling me where to find her! I’lltalktoyoulaterbye.” He quickly ran off in the direction he had seen An go.

They’re both weird, Saga thought with a sigh as he went back to his book. Hopefully they’ll leave me alone, he added silently before engrossing himself back in his story. 

-

“Can I sit with you?”

Saga looked up from his book, spotting Ritsu standing nervously in front of him. Ritsu was holding his own book, Saga recognizing it as the fourth in the series he was currently reading. 

“I won’t talk! I just-I wanted to read too. An is playing with her other friends and I didn’t feel like playing with them.” Ritsu explained. An and her girlfriends had decided to play fairies today and Ritsu wasn’t particularly interested (mostly because An’s friends always seemed to change the rules of what was and wasn’t allowed). 

“Sure, I guess.” Saga said and Ritsu beamed so brightly you would have thought Saga had offered him a star. Why is he smiling at me like that? He’s so strange…it’s not like I own this table, he can sit wherever he wants. 

Ritsu sat down across from Saga and opened his mouth as if to speak before he remembered his promise not to talk. He opted for a shy smile instead before he opened up his book.

Saga watched him for a couple seconds, as if he didn’t believe that Ritsu was just going to sit and read quietly with him. 

I guess this isn’t so bad, Saga thought as he continued to watch Ritsu. He got pretty far into the series in a small amount of time, I wonder what he thinks of it so far…he wouldn’t mind if I asked him, right?

Why is he staring at me? Ritsu wondered at the same time, feeling his face starting to heat up. Does he actually not want me to sit here? Why would he say it’s okay then?

Ritsu stared down at his book, hoping that Saga would eventually stop. 

“Do you like the book?”

Ritsu was startled by the question and looked up, meeting Saga’s gaze. “Y-Yeah, I do! I’ve enjoyed all of them so far!” He said, his bright smile returning.

Saga had to fight back the urge to squint at the sight of it. Was Ritsu always so shiny? He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to handle that. 

“I haven’t been able to figure out any of the mysteries on my own yet.” Ritsu’s beam was replaced with a pout. “I’m gonna keep trying, though!” He added quickly, not wanting to seem like he was giving up. He was determined to put together the pieces himself with at least one of these stories and when he put his mind to something he followed through. 

“That’s the book with the missing dog, right?” Saga asked.

Ritsu nodded enthusiastically. “Yup!”

“Do you have a guess about who took the dog yet?” 

“Well, at first I thought it might be the older brother, but now I’m starting to think that maybe it’s actually the dog owner’s best friend.” Ritsu said. “But don’t tell me if I’m right or wrong!” He added quickly. 

I thought it was the brother too, Saga thought. He’d been extremely annoyed when he realized he had been wrong, but at least Ritsu had gotten off that red herring. “Which one’s been your favorite so far?” Saga asked. 

“The second one. I think the amusement park setting is cool.” Ritsu smiled. 

“I like the second one too.” Saga admitted, having enjoyed it for the same reason. “There are ten in the series, at least so far. Are you gonna read them all?”

“I plan to!” Ritsu said. 

“What are some of your favorite books?” Saga asked. If Ritsu liked these books, then maybe Saga would like some of the books that Ritsu had read. 

Naturally, Ritsu launched into a long talk about several books that he had read and believed wholeheartedly that others should read as well. 

It’s kind of funny to watch him get so excited, Saga thought, listening attentively. I guess talking to him isn’t all that bad. 

Saga essentially forgot about his own book, becoming swept away in Ritsu’s enthusiasm. He still didn’t speak much, letting Ritsu do almost all the talking, but he found that he didn’t mind listening so much. 

“C-Can I sit with you again tomorrow?” Ritsu shyly asked when the teachers started to call the kids back in. 

Saga considered the question for a few moments before shrugging noncommittally. It wasn’t outright rejection so Ritsu interpreted the gesture as an okay. 

“I’ll probably finish this book by tomorrow, so I’ll bring a different one with me. Maybe I can bring one from home that I like for you to borrow? But only if you promise to take super good care of it, my mom would get really mad if one of my books got dirty or torn.” Ritsu said as he stood up, kids all around them abandoning their fun and games to get back inside.

“I promise.” Saga said.

Ritsu’s sunshine-smile came back and Saga felt weird at the sight of it, it making him want to rescind his words, but he supposed there was no taking it back now. 

Maybe spending recess with someone else would be a nice change. 

-

Saga still wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about Ritsu, even after spending several recesses together in a row. Sometimes Saga really enjoyed their conversation (they talked about books most often, which Saga liked, but sometimes they dove into other fun topics like the animals they liked, their favorite superheroes, what they wanted for Christmas this year, a variety of kid-typical topics), other times he wanted Ritsu to stop talking because the sight of Ritsu’s smile made him feel weird again, and most recently they hadn’t talked at all. Instead, Ritsu had shyly offered to sit side by side and read a book he had brought from home together. 

Weird, this is weird, Saga had thought, their shoulders pressed together as they both poured over the book, I should scoot away, right? He had thought, but hadn’t done it. In the end he decided not to mention it at all and the two of them continued reading until recess was over. That had been the day before the weekend, so Saga spent the weekend away from Ritsu as neither of them had dared to broach the topic of potentially spending time together outside of school yet. Ritsu didn’t know where he stood with Saga well enough and Saga hadn’t even thought of it as an option. 

Come recess on Monday, Saga had finished the book that Ritsu had lent him over the weekend and he was actually looking forward to seeing Ritsu. Which was weird. Definitely weird. Ritsu was making Saga weird. The thought of that made Saga huff a little bit, but he waited for Ritsu to come over and sit with him anyway. 

“Hi!”

Saga looked up from the book he had already read, having decided to just reread the first couple pages while he was waiting so he didn’t get bored. Ritsu stood there, smiling kindly like always. 

“Hi.” Saga replied, closing the book and holding it out toward Ritsu. “I finished it.”

“Oh!” Ritsu took it back, but Saga noted that Ritsu didn’t sit down. “Thank you - did you like it?” He asked, getting excited before shaking his head. “Wait, no, let’s wait to talk about it tomorrow. If we start talking about it now, I won’t want to stop.” Ritsu said with a soft laugh.

Saga frowned a bit and furrowed his eyebrows. “Why can’t we talk about it now?”

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with you, so Anchan made me promise that I’d spend this recess with her.” Ritsu explained, looking back over to where An was currently jumping rope while she waited for Ritsu. “I came over here to let you know I’d be playing with her today. But you can play with us too, if you want!”

Saga looked over at An, unable to help the scowl that came to his face, not having quite mastered keeping his face as still as stone yet. Why did Ritsu have to play with her? She was annoying and Ritsu had told him that she didn’t even like to read, so she couldn’t have interesting conversations about books like Saga could, and it wasn’t fair that An had made Ritsu promise! Shouldn’t it have been Ritsu’s choice? If Ritsu could choose, he’d definitely choose to spend recess with Saga. Right? Right? Saga was more fun than An, right? He couldn’t recognize the feeling beginning to curl inside him, all he knew was that it was ugly and didn’t feel good and he wanted it to stop. 

“No, I don’t want to play with An, she’s annoying.” Saga snipped.

Ritsu frowned at that. “H-Hey, that’s not nice, you shouldn’t talk about her that way.”

That ugly feeling just grew worse as Ritsu defended An. “Well, she is! And I don’t care that you want to hang out with her, you’re a weirdo anyway, so leave me alone.” 

Ritsu flinched, looking as though Saga had just struck him across the face. Weird, Saga thought he was weird. Why? Hadn't they been getting along? What had suddenly changed between them to make Saga say these things? He sniffled, not having the courage to ask Saga why he was suddenly being mean to him, so he turned tail and went over to An quickly while he tried not to cry. 

An paused in her rope skipping, holding the jump rope in her hands. “Hey, Richan. Is he gonna play with - hey, what’s wrong?” She frowned when realizing her friend was on the verge of tears. 

Naturally, being asked what the issue was made Ritsu unable to hold his tears back anymore. “I-I don’t know, h-he just started being m-mean all of a sudden and c-called me a weirdo a-and told m-me to leave him a-alone.” He said through his tears, his breath catching every few words as he harshly rubbed his eyes to try to get them to stop crying, too upset to clarify who ‘he’ was, but An was smart enough to make the connection.

An frowned, her grip tightening on her jump rope. “I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“N-No, wait, Anchan-” Ritsu tried to stop her, trailing after her as she approached where Saga sat. 

Saga frowned at both of them. “What?” He asked with a huff, just wanting to be left alone.

An let one of the handles of her rope shoot out like a whip and hit Saga in the arm. 

“OW!” He complained, standing up and taking a few steps away from her. “What is wrong with you?!”

“What’s wrong with you?! Why are you being mean to Richan?!” She demanded, holding the rope as if she were prepared to hit Saga with it again. 

“I wasn’t being mean, I just told him that I don’t care if he hangs out with you!” Saga said. 

“Before or after you called him a mean name?” An asked, starting to gear up her weapon of choice. 

“Anchan, don’t hit him again, you’re gonna get in trouble!” Ritsu said, his cheeks still a bit tear stained. 

“It’s not my fault he’s a weirdo crybaby.” Saga said defensively. 

SMACK

“OW, KNOCK IT OFF!” 

“Then say you’re sorry!” An ordered him. 

“Why should I do that?” Saga asked indignantly. 

“Because you don’t call your friend mean names!” An said. “Duh, do you not even know that much, idiot?”

“You just called me an idiot!” Saga pointed out.

“We’re not friends!” An shouted at him, raising her jump rope to emphasize her point. “Now say you’re sorry to Richan or you’re banned from talking to him ever again!”

“You can’t do that!” Saga scowled. 

“Yes I can! My mommy and his mommy are best friends, so I’ll tell them about you being mean to him and then Ritsu won’t be allowed to talk to you anymore.” An said confidently. “So say you’re sorry.” She narrowed her eyes, her jump rope at the ready to strike a third time. 

Saga glared at her before looking at Ritsu, who was standing there uncomfortably and avoiding looking at Saga. 

I really didn’t mean to make him cry, Saga thought. The sight of Ritsu standing there looking so dejected made a heavy pit form in Saga’s stomach. It was even worse than that ugly feeling he’d felt earlier. 

“Ritsu?” Saga mumbled, trying to pretend like the threat of the jump rope wasn’t still looming over him. 

Ritsu sniffled a couple times, trying to make himself as small as possible, not wanting anyone to look at him. “What?”

“I’m sorry…” Saga apologized. “I shouldn’t have called you mean names.”

“Did I do something?” Ritsu asked anxiously. Was this his fault, somehow?

“Of course you didn’t, Richan. He was just being mean.” An huffed before Saga could even answer. 

“But why?” Ritsu insisted. 

Saga sighed and crossed his arms, looking down. “I was mad that you’d be playing with An today.” He admitted reluctantly. 

“But I said you could play with us!” Ritsu said, even more confused. 

“I don’t want to play with An.” Saga huffed, rubbing his arm where a bruise was undoubtedly starting to form from being smacked with her jump rope. “I just want to talk to you…” He admitted. 

“Well, I’m Richan’s best friend.” An said. “Which means we play together all the time and if you wanna be Richan’s friend then you just have to deal with it.”  

Saga scowled again, that ugly feeling coming back. “Well, maybe I’ll just be Ritsu’s best friend instead.” He declared. 

An stared at him, her jaw dropping in shock. “No! You’ll never be his best friend, I’m his best friend!” She exclaimed. 

“For now.” Saga sneered. 

An’s delicate features contorted into a harsh glower. “Shut up!”

Ritsu gasped at her words. “Anchan, that’s not nice!” He said, glancing around in a panic to make sure no teachers were paying attention to them. 

“Make me.” Saga challenged and regretted as he remembered her jump rope and her eagerness to use it against him. 

She raised her jump rope to do just that, but Ritsu quickly stood in front of Saga. 

“Stop it!” Ritsu said. “This is-this is stupid.” He said, starting to feel overwhelmed. “He already said he was sorry so can we please go play?” 

An took a deep breath and lowered her rope. “Fine. But if he makes you cry again, I’ll make him regret it!” She warned, turning around and stomping off. 

Ritsu relaxed a little as she went off the war path and went to follow her, but Saga grabbed him quickly by the wrist before he could. 

Ritsu looked back toward him. “Um, y-yes?” He asked.

“I really am sorry, Ritsu…” Saga said. “Will you still spend recess with me tomorrow?”

Ritsu hesitated for just a moment before slowly nodding. “If you want me to.”

“I do.” Saga said quickly. “Promise you’ll spend recess with me?” He asked, not wanting to risk An cutting in on their time together. If An could make Ritsu promise then so could Saga! 

Ritsu nodded again. “I promise.”

“RICHAN! Come ON!” An called out after she realized that Ritsu wasn’t right behind her. 

Saga reluctantly let go of Ritsu’s wrist. “Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.”

Ritsu gave a soft, shy, unsure smile and Saga hoped he’d get a brighter one tomorrow. 

“What did he say to you?” An asked as Ritsu came over to her.

“He just said he was sorry again and that he wanted to spend recess together tomorrow.”

“What? You’re not really gonna play with him tomorrow, are you Ritsu?”

“Um, I promised…”

“That is so not fair!” An complained. “Promise you’ll play with me the day after tomorrow, promise, promise!” 

“Okay, okay, I promise.” Ritsu assured. 

“Good.” An said, determined to keep her title as best friend. 

Saga was just as determined to yank it away from her

[astertiae]

YGO Rare Pair Week 2023 Day 2: Hurt/Comfort / Kiss / Rain

I finally banged out some writing! Here is some AsuMac or ReggieAsuka for the yugioh rare pair week because I need to live up to my CEO of AsuMac title oops

You can also read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49407820/chapters/124685782

Fic below, the prompt I went with is Rain with a sprinkling of Hurt/Comfort thrown in:

---

Mac had gotten her ears pierced when she was seven years old, on a Saturday, at a strip mall Claire’s when she sat extremely still in that tall chair as the teen employee pulled out the piercing gun. Her dad squeezed her hand, seemingly more scared than she had been, and said, “You’re so brave, Mac.” She squeezed his hand back, or tried to, noting how warm her dad’s palm was, how it enveloped her hand completely, and the callouses at the joints of his fingers from the pen he used at work pressing against them all the time.

There was a burst of pain, and Mac had squeezed her dad’s hand as hard as she could, to prove to him how brave she was, and then he had helped her pick out an extra pair of earrings to take home. They settled on little silver planets, and her dad let her buy a rainbow choker, too. She stretched it out between her hands on the car ride home, watching the interlocking plastic loops expand and contract. Lulled by the rumbling of the car, she fell asleep, and her dad carried her inside, making sure the choker and earrings didn’t fall from her lap.

A year later, her dad got possessed, and Mac along with him.

The most annoying part was she had gotten used to it. She always hated hearing Tragoedia’s voice, had done her best to rebel against him, but now?

Shaking her head to clear the static didn’t help. It only reminded her of the silence she should enjoy.

She hadn’t worn earrings in nearly six months. After the transmitter shattered, there was too much going on to worry about her ears. Whether her dad was okay, for one. For another, who Mac was. She didn’t like to think about that second point for too long.

The earrings in the store window were small, almost delicate: two silver snowflakes set in the center with the tiniest rhinestone.

“Mac?” Alexis Rhodes’s voice cut through the silence. Mac put on the most neutral expression she could muster before turning to face her. She could never explain how relieved she was, hearing a familiar voice. And a warm one, at that.

Alexis clearly wasn’t bound to the same stoicism, her eyes widening with delight when Mac turned, and her suspicions were confirmed. She held her umbrella over her shoulder, her boots slightly damp. Mac kept herself from flinching as Alexis moved closer, droplets splashing her as they slid off the umbrella.

“Sorry,” Alexis gave her an apologetic smile. “What are you doing out here? Did you forget your umbrella?”

“I didn’t think I would be out so late,” she slipped into a smile easily. “The weather was fine this morning.”

A crack of thunder, the honking of several car horns stuck one after another in a line. How had she not noticed before? Even this was better than the silence that plagued her.

She nodded at Alexis’s umbrella. “I didn’t think you were into that kind of thing. Sheep tokens. Cute.”

Alexis blushed, her hands tightening around the handle. “I’m not. It’s Atticus’s – I borrowed it before I left his dorm last week.” She looked away, stammering, “Well, I mean, I hope he doesn’t need to leave the dorm today, haha! I figured I’d return it before the next time it rained, but it looks like I didn’t. Somehow, that makes me feel kind of bad.”

“Ah,” said Mac. She wished Alexis would look at her again. The big eyes and pink cheeks suited the otherwise usually composed duelist. “That does seem more aligned with what Rhodie would like.”

To Mac’s delight, Alexis’s cheeks reddened further. “That nickname is so embarrassing! I can’t believe he conned people into calling him that.”

She looked so perturbed that a laugh escaped Mac. She held her hand over her mouth as quickly as possible to conceal it, but Alexis met her gaze again, at least.

“I guess I don’t feel as bad about stealing his umbrella now that I know he still goes by that ridiculous nickname.” She turned to the window, her eyes widening when she saw the earrings.

“Speaking of ‘things I didn’t think you’d be into,’ were you looking at those earrings? They’re so cute.” She beamed, her eyes shining despite the gray air. “I didn’t know you liked that kind of thing, either.”

Neither did Mac. Truthfully, she didn’t like earrings like those; or, she wasn’t sure if she did. Too cutesy, childish, even. The Mac she was now didn’t. Maybe the Reggie she could have been, before Tragoedia ruined her life, would like them.

“I was just looking at them to pass the time,” she said instead. “Although,” she continued, watching Alexis lean in closer to the window display, “I think they’d suit you.”

“Me?!” Alexis straightened up so quickly her umbrella dropped a deluge of collected rainwater on her arm. She squeaked in discomfort before waving her free hand in front of her, laughing. Her cheeks had regained that pink tinge Mac liked so much.

Mac bit back a smile. She had never liked the color pink before.

“They’re really pretty,” said Alexis, softly touching the lobe of her ear beneath her hair. “But I don’t have my ears pierced.”

“Shame,” said Mac. “You’d look pretty in them.”

“So would you!” Alexis responded a little too quickly. “I mean, I think you should get them, if you like them. You do have pierced ears, right?” She peered at Mac, squinting like she was trying to see through her hair.

Mac shrugged. “I do. I haven’t worn earrings since the whole, you know, possession thing.”

“Ah, right,” Alexis said. She stood frozen in place.

Another car honked, a long honk. As if in response, the sky opened up, rain pouring down in ear-shattering roars.

“The rain’s really not letting up, huh,” Alexis said, tension broken by the shift in the weather. She gave Mac a small smile, holding her umbrella up slightly. “I’d offer to walk with you, but I don’t know if this umbrella will hold up against,” she glanced at the wall of water beating down from the awning, “that.”

“Thanks for the offer anyway.” Mac leaned back against the wall of the storefront. “Good luck getting back, though.”

“Yeah,” Alexis said, frowning at the rain. “I think it just got worse than it was? How is that even possible?” She took a tentative step forward.

Then, she stopped, closing her umbrella instead.

“What are you doing?” Mac found herself leaning forward, hand partially outstretched toward Alexis.

“Why don’t we walk around the shop a bit first?” Alexis suggested. “We can wait for the rain to die down a little. Plus, I can look for something for Atticus, to make up for stealing his umbrella.”

She turned back to Mac, the barest hint of apprehension written in the curve of her brow.

“Okay,” Mac agreed. Alexis’s sudden smile glowed, so brightly that Mac had to glance behind her to check that the rainclouds had not parted.

They crossed the threshold of the store, greeting the associate in turn when she greeted them.

The earrings winked at them, or at Mac, from the window display. Mac clenched her fist at her side, remembering how her dad held her hand at that Claire’s years ago. She couldn’t remember what had happened to the planet earrings, whether she had thrown them out, or lost them. She never had the chance to swap them out for the starter earrings she got.

“Oh, look!” Alexis exclaimed from the bracelet display. “They have a planet charm line for bracelets. See this gold one? It reminds me of your Shining Venus, Mac. Oh, it’s on sale, too. But I’m not sure if it’s really my style.”

“Tell you what,” Mac said, to avoid saying, those earrings remind me of your Ice Queen. “I’ll buy the earrings if you buy the bracelet.”

Alexis pondered it for a second, her eyes fixed with longing on the bracelet. “Hmm, that wouldn’t leave enough to get Atticus a gift, though.”

“You don’t have to get him anything,” Mac said. “Siblings steal stuff from each other all the time, right? Besides, knowing him, there are plenty of people throwing themselves at a chance to share an umbrella with him if he wanted to go out today.”

Alexis grinned, a grin that reminded Mac of her face when her opponent activated her set traps. “Alright, then. Deal.”

“I’m excited to see you wear your new earrings,” Alexis said, as Mac held up the earrings to her ear in one of the store mirrors.

Maybe they suited her after all.

“Alexis,” Mac said, when she was done.

“What is it?”

“Thank you.”

“Huh? What are you thanking me for?” Alexis asked, her brow crinkling in confusion.

For not leaving me with the silence today. “I needed new earrings today. Thanks for helping me out.”

Alexis laughed. “I’m happy to be of help. It was good to hang out with you, Mac.”

The shopkeeper rung them up, and they walked out the door together, retreating under the awning with their new trinkets. The rain had lightened up, a steady downpour rather than a deluge.

“Should we try to head back to the academy?” Alexis asked, wiggling her umbrella.

Mac agreed. They walked back under the same umbrella without really speaking, letting the rain wash around them like a curtain. The silence wasn’t so bad when she was next to Alexis, Mac decided.

[darkestspring]

Cersei, glaring at baelon II as he cornered her in the throne room: “Why did you care about Robert’s bastard? She was his child, not yours. She wasn’t your Argella! Yes, I know about all about your children- especially how gaemon palehair defended himself from a incompetent child. Argella Targaryen, one of the members to put a great shame on house targaryen and baratheon. I was always embarrassed to hear that my late husband and his brothers always insisting that she was attacked first.”

Baelon chuckles at her, eyes filled with amusement. "I'm sorry, we're you there to know what happened? You never knew Argella Targaryen, I did. She lived and breathed dragons. Every intricate move that only seasoned dragon riders can do, she could do at seven years old. Yet you believe the word of a bastard about a legitimate princess? I'm not sure who's more stupid, the historians that believed that imposter bastard that died so easily by my hand, or you. You pathetic false queen." His purple eyes stare directly at her as carnifexs roar tore through the air. "Ah, my first chikd has come at last. My taste of victory and your taste of death."

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Fics With Titles That Start With U (2) Masterlist

part one

Links last checked: July 8th, 2024

Uh, No Homo Bro? (ao3) - enthuzimuzzy

Summary: Phil helps a drunk Dan up the twenty seven steps to their apartment on his birthday, forgetting what's behind the door. And that Dan really can't hold his alcohol.

Una in Perpetuum [Together forever] (ao3) - LiterallyAmazingPhan

Summary: Dan Howell comes from a respectable family of Gryffindors, so it’s a surprise to find himself sorted into Slytherin. Believing the house’s reputation, Dan was positive his fate would be to turn evil. Little did he know that a certain Hufflepuff would turn all of his expectations around and lead him to a wildly different path. Follow the adventures of Dan and Phil through Hogwarts as they grow and learn all there is about love and magic, side-by-side as they have to face the biggest threat of all.

unashamed, wide open for joy (ao3) - queerofcups

Summary: Dan laughs a little and says, “Oh, I, ah. I make videos. For people. Online.”

“Oh!” Phil says, sounding a little surprised, but not put off. He laughs quietly, almost to himself, and says, “I do too, actually.”

It turns out, “I make videos for the internet” can have multiple meanings.

Uncle Dan (ao3) - Ragopamplina

Summary: Dan is a Lester. He knows it, but still, he enjoys little reminders.

(TW) Uncle Nick (ao3) - TrashFan

Summary: Phil accompanies Dan to one of the Howell's notoriously drab get-togethers expecting to be bored out of his mind. But when a figure from the past show up and shuts down both Howell boys, Phil wishes more than anything that things could be uneventful and boring.

Underneath the Bandages (ao3) - philsdrill

Summary: Dan hits his head whilst masturbating, and despite being rather awkward, the incident brings him closer with his best friend, Phil.

undisclosed desires (ao3) - outphan

Summary: Daniel Howell is UK's most popular musician. He loves his music, the world he's a part of. But Dan Howell doesn't. Then the director of his new music video quits and soon a storm begins that cannot be stopped.

Unexpected Encounters - cellohowell

Summary: Phil wasn’t expecting to be used as a pillow by a random stranger on the way home on the tube. And he certainly wasn’t expecting the stranger to not remember what had happened.

Unexpected Guest (ao3) - irphanfic

Summary: Phil has been nervously waiting for Dan to come back from his 10 day trip with some of his university friends so they could celebrate their four month anniversary.

What he didn’t expect was that Ben (one of Dan’s friends) had to stay with them for two more days because his fight back home was cancelled.

Unexpected Trip - paradisobound

Summary: While Dan and Phil are in the USA for Vidcon, they go with Cat to an animal shelter and Dan falls in love with Holly, a 7 year old corgi mix.

Unforeseen Firsts (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: Dan's studying at Manchester University. Phil lives in his first proper flat. One evening Dan catches Phil doing something a bit embarrassing.

(prompt for tumblr from anon: "Sorry... just the noise you just made was... really hot.")

Unless (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: In a stormy London, where all hope is lost, Dan and Phil have the opportunity save two more lives.

unraveled (ao3) - symmetricdnp

Summary: Dan and Phil have a lazy day in and appreciate what they have, and Dan edges Phil for an hour.

Unrequited (ao3) - thiccennugget

Summary: Phil doesn't believe in soulmates. Dan's been searching for his for years.

until the sun turned blue (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Standing in front of a sex shop in Portugal, where they know no one and barely speak the language.

(a 2010 fic)

Until the Very End (ao3) - cherryblossomphil

Summary: seven snapshots from Dan and Phil’s time at Hogwarts, year by year

until you come back home (ao3) - lestered (clonetrobed)

Summary: it's 2009, distance sucks, and phil's probably (definitely) in love.

untitled (waking up) (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: when had dan stopped being happy?

up and up (ao3) - watergator

Summary: it's early 2009. phil lester is a 22 year old who is single and has casual sex with one of friends. then one day a boy named dan comes along and things begin to change.

Up-Down Hills and Forgotten Pills (ao3) - philsdrill

Summary: A road full of hills and forgetting his pills isn’t exactly Phil’s idea of fun. Phil gets travelsick on the tatinof bus and Dan looks after him.

Up With The Birds (ao3) - irphanfic

Summary: Dan is a single parent and he decides that he and his son Theo need to move into a new house. What will happen in the new neighbourhood?

Us Against... (ao3) - husbants

Summary: While he's trying to fall asleep, Dan hears a noise and he can't help his imagination from running wild. When Dan and Phil find the source of this noise, well... it's not exactly what they would have guessed.

Use Me (ao3) - quesalpha (ummonique)

Summary: punk!Phil and pastel!Dan have to spend time together now that their mums are working together. Phil is more innocent than Dan expects and Dan is less innocence than Phil expects

[czenzo]

Seven Years - Chapter II

[ao3] chapter links: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

summary: Charlie swung the door open, and his world promptly came crashing down around him. It had been seven years since Charlie last saw Nick Nelson, but he had barely changed – aside from the extra inch or so of height, the beard, and the fact he’d put on a bit of weight and muscle. Charlie’s brain couldn’t process it quickly enough, and so he simply stood, slack-jawed, waiting for Nick to say something.

Seven years after they broke up, Nick suddenly shows up at Charlie’s door, changing the course of their adult lives.

words: 2706 rating: M

note: tw for a brief mention of animal death (I'm so sorry), if you'd like to avoid it then once you reach “So how’s Nellie and Henry?”, skip to “How is she? Your mum?”

Charlie groggily opened his eyes and immediately winced at the sliver of sunlight peeping through his curtains. It gave him a moment to work out whether his memories of Nick showing up at his door were reality, or simply a cruel fantasy conjured up by his own sadistic brain, but no amount of time could help him reach a conclusion.

He was alone in his room. What time was it? A quick glance at his too-bright phone screen told him it was roughly seven o’clock in the morning.

Good god, that was way too early for him.

Charlie hauled himself out of bed anyway. The desire to find out if Nick Nelson had truly stayed the night after eating takeout and talking all evening long far outweighed his desire to stay in bed. He moved to the living room, footsteps light, and cautiously peered over the back of the sofa.

It was there that Nick Nelson lay, feet dangling over one end and hands tucked behind his head at the other, blanket loosely covering his body.

Charlie resisted the urge to reach out and touch him.

It was real. He was real.

He had another chance at keeping Nick Nelson in his life.

❃

Finding Nick still there had both startled and excited Charlie so much he knew there was no point in trying to get back to sleep; instead, he brewed himself a cup of tea and opted to read, keeping an ear out for Nick waking up.

He’d mentioned having his teacher conference today, but Charlie had absolutely no clue what time it was at. He could only hope Nick had set himself an alarm. (Though back when they were together, Nick had never set alarms. He’d never needed them on account of his body always naturally waking up at the right time, and Charlie had always envied it.)

True to form, he heard Nick stirring less than an hour later, without the need for a blaring alarm. Some things never changed.

It took him an embarrassing amount of time to work up the courage to leave his room – it was as if the previous evening had never happened, and his body was suddenly full of self-doubt and hesitation. He thought he'd left all of that in his teenage years. Having a hint of nausea in the pit of his stomach wasn’t a particularly pleasant way to start the day, and it was so stupid. If anyone should be feeling awkward, Charlie reasoned, it should be Nick. He was the one who did the breaking up, on account of–

No. Charlie shook that line of thinking away. He didn’t need to be wasting his time and energy on it. They were trying to rekindle their friendship; nothing more, nothing less. And Charlie was content to keep it that way.

When he finally emerged from his room, hands gently picking at his nails to ignore the way they trembled ever so slightly, he found Nick sat up on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.

“Morning,” Charlie said, startling Nick so much he was surprised the phone stayed in his hand.

“Jesus, Charlie,” Nick breathed, a smile forming on his face. “Morning.”

“Sleep well?”

“Yeah, yeah I did.”

“Good, good…” Charlie absently rocked back on his heels. “Have you had any breakfast?”

“Er– no, I wasn’t sure where to find any.”

The nausea in Charlie’s stomach subsided upon being reminded that he had the upper hand here – this was his flat, his space, and he was far more familiar with it than Nick was. It was going to be fine.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, feeling the tension melt from his muscles. “Cereal’s in the first cupboard on your left, uh, and there’s eggs in the fridge, or– y’know, I could just sort you something out myself. What do you want?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” Nick said, eyes darting this way and that as he tried to make a decision.

“I was gonna make an omelette, if you want one too?”

“I’m not gonna say no to that,” Nick replied. “There anything I can help with?”

“No, no, you’re fine,” Charlie reassured him as he made his way into the kitchen, hearing Nick call out his thanks as he went.

After seven years of not seeing or hearing from him, Nick Nelson was sitting in his living room while Charlie cooked breakfast for him. (All because he hit his car?) It was too strange to dwell on, and so Charlie busied himself with going through the motions of making food. As he cracked the eggs he tried not to think about Nick’s beard, while he whisked them he didn’t allow himself to remember the way his muscles strained the sleeves of his pyjama t-shirt, as he poured them into the hot pan he tried to forget the way his name sounded in Nick’s deeper voice, and while he flipped over the half-cooked omelette and added some cheese Charlie let out a sigh, because he’d failed at every step. The omelette turned out fine, but Charlie’s heart sure as hell did not.

He was falling for Nick again.

Fuck.

It was so stupid, so childish. Nick had moved on, and Charlie thought he himself had – no, he really had, he was fine and had even gone on dates and flirted at bars and kissed and teased men who weren’t Nick, who looked nothing like Nick, and who would never be Nick. He’d moved on until Nick reappeared at his door and Charlie was stupid enough to ask him to stay.

As Charlie was plating the first omelette, Nick entered the kitchen, and Charlie had a split second to straighten his deflated shoulders and widen his drooping eyes before the other man noticed.

“There you go,” he said, motioning to the plate with his spatula. “Oh, shit, I didn’t even ask if you wanted a drink or anything.”

“S’alright,” Nick said, taking his plate over to the kettle. “I’ll sort it. Tea?”

“Coffee, please.” God knew he needed it.

Charlie’s omelette was turning out significantly worse. He was hyper-aware of Nick’s presence behind him, as he munched on his breakfast and prepared their morning doses of caffeine. Luckily the tea bags, coffee, and sugar weren’t too hard to find, so Charlie didn’t have to listen to him asking where things were in his sleep-deepened voice, but it didn’t escape his notice how his arm bulged and stretched through his sleeve as he opened the fridge and reached for the milk.

Jesus Christ, stop staring, Charlie thought.

Nick had finished making the drinks and was about done with his omelette when Charlie finished making his own, and as they both returned to the living room he incessantly thanked and complimented him on the cooking.

“It was just an omelette,” Charlie said. “I’m not a renowned chef or anything.”

“Consider the career change,” Nick replied, sipping on his tea. He checked the time on his phone, and Charlie stole a glance too. It wasn’t far off nine o’clock.

“What time’s your conference thing?”

“Eleven,” Nick said. “It’s not far from my hotel though, and my hotel isn’t actually that far from here. It’ll be fine. You have anywhere to be today?”

“Mm,” Charlie nodded around a mouthful of egg. “Meeting up with Tao in a bit.”

Nick paused with his mug halfway to his mouth. “Tao? Are you still good friends?”

“Yeah, ‘course. I still speak to most of the secondary school lot, really.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

“Do you?”

Nick made an uncertain noise. “Not really, honestly. After… everything that happened before I left for uni, it, uh. Conversations started to die out quicker, I guess. I talk to some of the rugby lads, and Tara every now and then, Isaac once in a blue moon.”

“Oh,” Charlie frowned. He didn’t know what he expected; once Nick left he’d been adamant about not bringing him up around his friends – he didn’t care if they spoke to him, it was none of his business. But knowing they all stuck with Charlie was… it was comforting, honestly, though he couldn’t ignore the twinge of guilt that hit him. Nick had been forced to start anew, at university without the cushion of having friends back at home.

That must’ve hurt.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie would’ve been glad to hear it, but twenty-four-year-old Charlie wasn’t so sure.

“It was fine, though,” Nick carried on, seemingly seeing the sadness in Charlie’s eyes. “I get why it happened. I still managed to settle into uni and make other friends, so it was fine.”

“Yeah,” Charlie said. They’d managed to stick to more light-hearted topics the night before as they stuffed their faces with Chinese food; the sudden shock of talking about their teenage memories in the morning light was almost too much.

But, Charlie supposed, if they were to try being in each others’ lives again, it had to be done.

“I bet Tao hates me now, doesn’t he?” Nick said with a laugh.

“Hate is a strong word,” Charlie replied.

Nick raised an eyebrow. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“So how’s Nellie and Henry?”

“Nellie…” Nick’s eyes were suddenly glued to his feet. “She, uh, she passed away a couple of years ago.”

“Oh,” Charlie breathed. “Oh Nick, I’m so sorry. That must’ve been so hard on you.”

“Yeah, it was. But, y’know, she lived a happy life, and everything. She really did try ’n stay as long as possible, but, once they get to a certain age… It’s kinder to… yeah. It wasn’t fair to force her to keep going.”

“She had the best life a dog could ask for.”

“I like to think so,” Nick smiled bittersweetly. “Henry’s doing well, though. Keeps my mum company between my visits.”

“That’s good,” Charlie replied, suppressing the wave of emotion that hit him at the mention of Nick’s mum. Sarah Nelson had been like a second mother to him.

Seven years.

God.

“How is she? Your mum?”

“She’s good, yeah. I think it was hard on her once I properly moved out after uni. When David left she still had me, so… But she adores Henry, and I try to visit as much as I can. How about your family? How's Tori?”

“Tori’s doing well, yeah,” Charlie nodded. “She’s still with Michael. He’s started not-so-subtly asking me questions about Tori’s preferences for rings. And, uh, mum and dad are fine. I visit when I can. And Oliver – ah, well, he’s grown quite a bit since you last saw him. Full-on teenager now. I’m starting to worry he might end up taller than me.”

Nick’s smile stayed on his lips all throughout, nodding along as he listened intently, and Charlie wondered how the bar was so low that that was enough to make him want to swoon. He took a deep breath, finished off his (now somewhat cold) omelette, and inhaled the last dregs of his (even colder) coffee.

“I’m glad they’re all doing okay,” Nick said, rising from his seat. “I should probably start getting ready. Thanks again for breakfast, Charlie.”

“No problem.”

❃

Cleaning and washing up was a welcome distraction from all the thoughts racing through his mind; if he focused hard enough on scrubbing a particularly stubborn piece of dried food, he almost forgot about the other person in his flat. (But not completely.)

He wasn’t due to meet Tao until later that afternoon, so Charlie was more than content to stay in his pyjamas for now. Nick, in the meantime, was in the bathroom, changing into… whatever it was that teachers wore to teacher conferences, no doubt pimping and preening himself to show off what Charlie could’ve had but didn’t get in his adult life.

No, no. He didn’t have the need for that kind of thinking. (What would it be like to kiss him with that beard?) Stop.

To drown out his thoughts even more aggressively, Charlie pressed play on his phone and badly sang along to the tunes that followed. It was a bad mish-mash of sung words, unsure noises, and humming when he didn’t know the lyrics, but it kept him occupied and happy – so much so, that he didn’t notice Nick come into the kitchen as he was drying off the dishes.

“I like this song,” Nick said, sending Charlie jumping ten feet into the air like a startled cat. “Oh, sorry. Thought you knew I was here.”

Charlie tentatively pressed pause on the music. “I… did not. But at least I’m properly awake now.” He placed the last plate into the cupboard and turned to face Nick, then immediately regretted that decision.

Nick was in a crisp, clean, white button-up shirt, perfectly tapered to rest on his broad shoulders and narrow at his hips, disappearing into a pair of trousers that hugged all the right places and reminded Charlie that Nick was an avid rugby player. The neatly knotted tie, the leather watch, the shiny belt buckle, the polished shoes…

Charlie almost forgot how to breathe.

“You look…” he paused. “Like a teacher at a posh private school.”

“Thanks. Exactly the look I’m going for,” Nick replied, leaning against the countertop and making Charlie hate him even more. “The other teachers at these conferences can be so pretentious sometimes. I hate how I feel like I have to impress them, or something.”

“Yeah, no, it’s really rubbish,” Charlie said unconvincingly.

Nick checked his watch. “I’ve already packed my stuff back into my suitcase, so I’m all ready to head off and check into my hotel. Hope they won’t mind I skipped a night.”

“Ah, yeah… At least you didn’t pay for it.”

“Very true,” Nick said, standing up straight. “Well, uh… thanks again for having me. It’s been nice.”

“It has, yeah,” Charlie replied, finding himself sounding more sincere than he intended to. He followed as Nick left to scoop up his suitcase and head to the front door. “Hope the conference goes well.”

Nick was reaching for the door handle when he stopped moving completely. Slowly, eyes narrowed with apparent uncertainty, he looked over his shoulder.

“Do you… wanna stay in touch?”

Charlie thought about it for a moment. The sensible side of him said no, that he should let Nick leave and forget he never came by just like he should’ve done yesterday, but the hopeful side of him said yes far too enthusiastically, said that they should stay in touch and make plans and slowly intertwine each others’ lives once again.

He sighed inwardly. There was, unfortunately, a very obvious winner.

“Sure,” he said, and Nick immediately pulled out his phone.

“Has your number changed?” he asked, and Charlie shook his head. “Oh. I was kind of hoping you’d say it had.”

“Why?”

“So I could pretend I didn’t still have it saved.”

Internally, Charlie screamed.

“You never were one for regularly cleaning out your phone,” he managed to reply. “Bet your camera roll is full of useless screenshots, too.”

“Haha, yeah, you got me. I’ll just– I’ll send you a message now to make sure it’s all in working order, yeah?”

Moments later, Charlie’s phone buzzed from his pocket. He pulled it out, unlocked it, and stared at the new message from an unknown number.

He’d deleted Nick’s contact long ago (seven years), but the number was as familiar to him as his own face. He’d recognise it anywhere.

Charlie created a new contact, and the message now read:

[Nick Nelson] Hey

It was so simple, so cautious, a message that seemed to tiptoe around him in fear of crossing an invisible line. Charlie didn’t let himself stare at it for a moment longer and slid the phone back into his pocket.

“Keep in touch. You’re more than welcome to visit while I’m here for the weekend, yeah?” Nick said.

He gave Nick one last farewell smile before he watched him leave and shut the door behind him.

Charlie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned his head against the door. He was full of uncertainty, doubt, and tentative excitement. He had no idea how things would turn out between him and Nick, but he was certain about one thing:

Tao was going to freak out.

[loveforpreserumsteve]

Most Likely (high school reunion Stucky fic)

Ten:

There were some things that Steve didn't want to talk about. But since he had agreed to go down this road, he knew he had to. He was still curious as to what Bucky's daughters looked like. Even if he didn't know anything about who their mother was. And honestly, Steve wasn't sure if he wanted to know about their mother.

"Alright," Steve started. "I showed you mine, now show me yours."

A crooked smile tugged at Bucky's lips, instantly causing Steve's eyes to drop to them. Still hypnotized by them even after all these years. Especially after all these years. It was almost like his feelings surged forward and were going to get their vengeance for being locked away for twenty-fucking-five years.

Briefly leaning into Steve's space, Bucky removed his wallet from his back pocket and opened it. He didn't have a plastic insert like Steve did, but he did have pictures. Lots of pictures. As he pulled them from the cash pocket, he sheepishly smiled at Steve.

"I, uh, don't have any recent ones," Bucky admitted.

Steve couldn't help but smile at that. Figuring that the brunet was sentimental about the pictures he carried with him. Of course, Steve was too. Always adoring the pictures of when his kids were young – probably too young to even remember.

The first picture caused Steve to instantly smile. The little girl with wild curls peeking out from a large hat. Sure, she wasn't smiling in the picture itself, but how many pictures did he have – and love – where his kids weren't smiling. It just seemed like a phase that all little kids went through.

"That's Vienna," Bucky smiled, "She was about seven there, I think. Now she's in that fun phase where she's embarrassed by everything."

"Yeah, Harrison and Maggie-Mae are living there too."

Nodding, Bucky said, "She's a good kid though. Still wanting to spend time with her dear ol' dad even though she's sixteen."

"That must be nice," Steve chuckled. "All Harrison wants to do is talk to his girlfriend."

"First one?" Bucky correctly assumed.

"Oh, yeah. 'M definitely not excited about the inevitable break up."

"Don't blame ya. It's always the hardest."

Taking the next picture in his hand, Steve gazed down at the little girl with missing teeth and her hair in rollers. Despite not looking anything like Bucky, she was adorable. Big blue eyes, cute nose, and plump lips. It all seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"That's Enola," Bucky said, smiling. "She was about six there."

"And how old is she now?"

"Almost twenty-five."

Instantly, Steve's gaze lifted from the picture to his best friend. His former best friend. Twenty-four. He had a child twenty-four – almost twenty-five – years ago and he didn't even feel the need to tell his best friend?

Did Steve ever matter to Bucky? Like, EVER?

Clenching his jaw so he wouldn't say something that he'd eventually regret, Steve returned his attention back down at the picture. The hurt and the anger and the heartbreak all bubbled up inside of him, like a volcano ready to explode.

It was bad enough to know that he wasn't even considered to be Uncle Steve, but to know that it was that early on in their fallout? That was worse than a knife in the back. It was a knife right to the heart. Every beat brought forth new pain.

What d'ya think was gonna happen? That coming here would mean you could be how you used to be? How can you be friends when you never were to begin with?

Picking up the next picture, Steve's blood ran cold.

There, staring back at him was blue eyes, cute nose, plump lips, all in a heart shaped face. God, it was so transparent as to who their mother was. And it was the last person that Steve ever would've assumed it would be.

"That's Bianca." Bucky cleared his throat. Steve wondered if Bucky could hear his heart breaking, or if he even cared. He trudged on as though nothing had happened. "She was five – maybe six – when that was taken. Hard to believe she's twenty."

"Yeah," Steve managed to croak out. Handing the picture back, Steve downed the rest of his beer. Realizing that that wouldn't be enough to have this conversation, he excused himself, "I'm gonna get another beer." And since Sarah and Joe Rogers raised him right, he offered, "Want me to get you another?"

"Uh," Bucky put the pictures back in his wallet, "Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks."

Natasha, Steve internally grumbled. Fucking Natasha Romanoff. She was Becca's best friend. She was supposed to only be Becca Barnes's best friend.

How could they? How could he?

Sure, Steve would've been upset about missing out on Bucky's marriage and kids no matter who he was with. But for it to be someone that Bucky used to say had cooties? For someone that Steve had grown up with and considered a friend? And for Steve not to even get an invitation? Or a Hanukkah card? Something? Anything?

But instead, he got nothing.

No replies.

No returned phone calls.

No change of address.

No wedding invitations.

No growing old together.

What the fuck did you think was going to happen?

At the bar, Steve ordered two beers. Then, he chugged the one for himself and asked for one more. He needed to be at least a little buzzed if he was going to continue being around Bucky. Because if he didn't, he'd either cry or punch something. Maybe he'll do either – or both – before the night ended.

I never should've fucking come here.

Taking a swig from his new beer, Steve tried to steady himself emotionally before heading back to the table. Bucky was still sitting there, but there was a lot off in his posture. Holding his face in his hands as though he was trying to brace himself.

For what?

Steve shook his head and announced his return, "Here ya go."

Sitting up, Bucky smiled that little insecure one that reminded Steve of late night confessions about their deepest fears. Like aliens taking over the world or there being an alternate mirror universe where one's reflection didn't line up and then attack them. Just normal things discussed in the middle of the night at weekly sleepovers.

"Thanks," Bucky accepted the beer.

For a moment, Steve stood there. At war with himself. He had been waiting for this moment for twenty-five goddamn years! Had daydreamed about how their reunion would go. But as he stood there, thinking about how Bucky had hidden so much from him, Steve just wanted to take a bubble bath and get drunk from the minibar.

"Hey, I'm gonna head out –"

"Are you staying with –" realizing Steve's words, Bucky weakly joked, "Already quitting? 'Guess you are old."

Steve tried to laugh – really, he did – but it came out weird and distorted, and nothing like his normal chuckles. Shrugging, Steve half-exaggerated, "It's been a long day. Y'know, jet lag or whatever."

"Oh," Bucky deflated, "Okay, yeah."

Nodding, Steve turned to leave the banquet hall so he could head up to his room. Bucky stopped him though, "I'll see you tomorrow though, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Steve falsely confirmed.

When hell freezes over.