Have you ever noticed the parallels between the nameless child Kunikuzushi took care of pre-Fatui and Nahida and get the feeling that history will repeat
Although this time perhaps, bc Nahida is a god, by the time the Wanderer has found her she'd have shrunk down into a tiny leaf, easily blown away, easily crushed underfoot if one was not careful.
With shaky breaths, he cups her with one trembling hand while ripping the cloth of the left side of his shirt with the other, creating a hole where the heart should be. The skin on his chest cracks, and a door swings open, revealing a compartment once built for holding the cursed remains of god.
The Wanderer, now hunched over like a pilgrim in prayer, brings the leaf close to his chest and gently places it in the compartment. For the first time in his life, he was grateful for his long life, the super resilience of his body made by Irminsul.
If there's nothing else he could do, he could wait. He will wait. He will make sure Nahida sees the brilliance of the sun once more. One day, they shall be reunited.
@feroluce babe, there's someone at the door for you!
This hitting every single one of my partner in crime's buttons aside, it also hits a lot of mine so I in fact had not noticed but I will now happily be noticing. I had thought of making use of his gnosis compartment before, but in a much less... Wholesome context. This one, though, I also like.
Especially the bittersweet realization that as the Wanderer finally gets what he's been craving for centuries - the power of a god, feeble as it may have become, hosted within his body - letting him fulfill the very purpose he was created for at last... He feels nothing. None of the satisfaction, of the elation he long thought would come with this moment. Instead, he's alone, and he feels more hollow than ever.
(But he's used to feeling alone, and this is something he's learned to endure. And endure it he will, because the faint thrum of divine energy in his chest beats gently like a promise - this time you know you won't be alone forever.)
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No Upside Down AU where Dustin says fuck it and invites his favorite band to his wedding.
Corroded Coffin shot to popularity when he was 17, and even now, eight years later, they're still his favorite band, his favorite music to put on whenever he's working late on one project or another. Him and the boys have been to a handful of concerts over the years, and it's some of the best memories he's created with his friends.
After he proposes to Suzie and they're working on the invitation list, he jokingly proposes the idea of inviting the band. To his surprise, Suzie encourages it, telling him that he has nothing to lose.
So when they mail out the invitations six months before the wedding, there's one in the stack addressed to the Corroded Coffin PO box, along with a short but heartfelt letter.
In the midst of planning and working and everything else, he forgets about it. The day of his wedding, Mike comes stumbling back into the room where Dustin is getting ready, stammering about "Band- it's the- they-!"
It takes a moment for the three of them - Dustin, Lucas, and Will - to decipher what he's saying, but when they realize-
Dustin sees them once he's up at the church altar, a few rows back on the groom's side. All four members of Corroded Coffin plus a woman Dustin in pretty sure is their manager. He's vibrating as the ceremony starts, and the thing that pulls his attention from the surprise guests is Suzie, absolutely fucking radiant as she walks down the aisle towards him.
It's a bit of a blur after that, and Dustin doesn't get the chance to talk to the band until the reception, after the first dances when he actually has a chance to mingle.
The group is genuinely delighted to meet him and Suzie, says that they've had people ask them to perform at their weddings before, but they'd never just been invited. So they made sure to add it to their schedule, and even brought them a wedding gift.
(Yes, Dustin loses his entire mind over the signed guitar. The chunk of money meant to go towards their honeymoon is also nice, he guesses.)
They happily give autographs and take photos with anyone who asks, and Dustin gets to have a dream conversation about D&D with Eddie, the lead guitarist. It makes an already amazing day all that more special, especially when Eddie gives Dustin his personal number and tells him to call whenever he wants to chat.
(And later on, if Dustin catches Eddie making eyes at Steve, his babysitter-turned-older brother figure, and he also happens to see Steve flirting back, well. You can't blame him for encouraging it.)
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𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 , love + honey ! the northern kingdom awaits the arrival of selene lannister nee marbrand, astris saltcliff + syrio upcliff within the next 24 hours or risk reopening. the following fc(s) are now taken: natalie dormer, tati gabrielle, mahesh jadu
⟨ natalie dormer. cis woman. she and her. thirty. ⟩ we welcome selene lannister nee marbrand to winterfell , the ruling lady of lannisport. keep an eye out for their elusive nature, they tend to cover it up by acting self dependent. rumor has it they are for the peace treaty, and their loyalties lie with house lannister. you’ll know it’s them when you get flashes of a leg exposed from the slit of a dress , a sword constantly at the woman's side , hounds aching to feed — love
⟨ tati gabrielle. demi woman. she+they. 24. ⟩ we welcome astris saltcliffe to winterfell , the lady of saltcliffe. keep an eye out for their manipulative nature, they tend to cover it up by acting bold. rumor has it they are neutral to the peace treaty, and their loyalties lie with houses greyjoy + saltcliffe. you’ll know it’s them when you get flashes of the spray of salty water as the ship crests a wave + the bitter burn of rum as it slides down your throat — honey. she+her. 28. cst. *a kaelys bestie
⟨ mahesh jadu. cis man. he+him. 40. ⟩ we welcome syrio upcliff to winterfell , the ruling lord of witch isle. keep an eye out for their uncaring nature, they tend to cover it up by acting observant. rumor has it they are neutral to the peace treaty, and their loyalties lie with houses upcliff + arryn. you’ll know it’s them when you get flashes of the sound a blade makes as it cuts through the air + the sizzle of water on a burning flame — honey. she+her. 28. cst.
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consequence
price x f!reader | 1069 words nice
tags: loser x loser, john price having a sliver of game, but it works
a/n: continuation of this shortie. played myself here. 💀
“orange?”
“green.”
“what?”
“sorry, are we not naming colors?”
he's simultaneously wounded and amused that she doesn’t even look up to lash him with her tongue. suppose his attempts are ten a penny—she gets chatted up every day; he’s seen it firsthand.
ever since he tracked her to the shop a little over three weeks ago, he’s become a regular. he goes out of his way to visit and watch her handle interested parties like a professional. from the vantage of his usual table, he pretends to read or scroll on his phone, listening in on how she rebuffs them. his own politeness is rewarded with a gradual drop in her guard.
see, from his observations, he’s deduced what other prospects lack: persistence. something he has in spades.
he moves down the counter with her. it’s always slower in the afternoon, affording the time to talk. her good-for-nothing coworker is on another break.
“your cast.” he gestures. “brand new?”
she fumbles the tamper and bites out a quick, “yep.”
“no signatures.” her last one—bright blue—was nearly black with names and drawings just yesterday.
“got it this morning before i clocked in.”
“your boss still made you come in after that?”
“yeah, well, some of us have to work—shit.” she drops the tamper and portafilter, both thunking onto the rubber mat at her feet. grounds litter the counter and floor, and her eyelids twitch.
accident prone. unlucky. perhaps both.
john considers jumping the bar. a glance at the staff door says her coworker isn’t rushing to help, but he can’t push the line he’s drawn. in pencil. with a light hand.
after all, it wasn’t too long ago that she was jilted in love. she might as well wear a handle with care label.
she swears, fetches a hand broom and pan, then ducks.
“can i—?” he starts.
“absolutely not.” she snips, alternating tools in her good hand, piling the spilled grounds.
john lets a brief silence stretch, listening to the broom swish and other customers typing on laptops. he leans far enough to cast a shadow over her, and his mind wanders off.
“i didn’t mean to snap. or insinuate you’re, uh, underemployed.”
his focus splinters, his daydreams burst. god help a lech like him. sees a pretty girl on her knees and he’s fifteen years younger. christ. he distracts himself with the mess on the counter.
“takes more than a smart remark to hurt me.”
“yeah? well, watch out for scooters. that’s all it took to hurt me.” she smirks with eyes downcast, sweeping the pile into the pan.
if you’d just popped to the door, love. fessed up. i’d’ve taken care of you.
“mm, you’re resilient though. you got back up.”
she stands, shrugging. “like i said. had to. girl’s gotta eat. bills don’t pay themselves.”
“truer words.” john offers his share of collected grounds and a smile.
she murmurs thanks as she disposes of the coffee and moves to restart his drink until he raises a hand.
“give it a rest.”
“you paid for it.” she squints, disbelieving he’s passing on his coffee. her lips press together, and the small scar from the crash punctuates her uncertainty.
“i want somethin’ else.” his true intentions must bleed through his eyes because the corners of her mouth then pull down. he swiftly adds, “let me sign it.”
she nearly drops everything a second time. “you want to sign it. my cast?”
“do you have somethin’ else i could sign?”
her nostrils flare when she’s surprised. embarrassed? it’s cute. he wants to see it again.
“fine. here.” she dumps the pan, sets it aside, and hands him the marker she keeps clipped to her apron.
he’s careful when he leans closer, concentrating, ignoring the ding of the bell above the cafe’s door. the warmth of her skin seeps through where he holds her arm steady. his chin dips, relishing the strong scent of espresso and how nice and still she’s standing. it’s impulsive, deciding to smudge the line he’d drawn.
she only notices as he writes the last digit next to ‘john’.
“are you—is that your phone number?”
the bell rings again, and a cluster of voices follow.
“it is.” john confirms with a satisfied grin, glancing at his uniform scrawl. he caps her pen and slides it into the top pocket of her apron. time’s run out with the arrival of the mid-afternoon rush. clockwork. “good chat.” he winks, savors the finer details of her sweet, bewildered expression, and weaves around the small crowd of office workers in for a pick-me-up.
he’s pure confidence on the trip home, imagining what she’ll say when she calls or texts. how he’ll surprise her with his car on the first date. what? why’re you staring like that? how does it look familiar? he cracks himself up, thinking of how he’ll pry a confession out of her, then lean into it. what a coincidence. must be fate, visiting your shop.
his phone remains on the table as he goes about the rest of the day, half-heartedly doing what needs to be done while home. she works until seventeen-hundred, so he doesn’t expect immediacy. it doesn’t stop him from finding excuses to hover nearby or snatching up the device when it pings ten minutes after closing.
>> if this is a plot to get free drinks, i only get one a shift and it’s for me
> It’s a ploy to buy you a drink, if you’d like.
three dots appear and disappear rapidly.
>> i’m not drinking right now
>> considering how i got the cast
> then what are your plans for tomorrow?
persistence.
>> supermarket
> Wonderful. Send your address. I’ll pick you up.
>> oh you’re one of those guys
>> self invitation type
>> you don’t need to come???
> Are you going to carry them yourself?
another round of dots.
>> good point
>> fine, be my muscle
> Gladly.
she sends her address, which he promptly inputs into a search engine. decent area, expensive rent. clicks his tongue as he clicks through the photos from an old listing. hopefully, the pathetic-looking deadbolt’s been updated.
he suggests a time.
>> works for me
> Good. See you tomorrow.
>> yeah yeah, night john x
his eyes hitch to the ‘x’, and his chest tightens. he exits the rental site and glances around his flat. yeah, she’ll fit in quite nicely.
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