#do I tag Serah in this?

[akimojo]

I'll forever love serah for deciding to save the future with noel...... not out of obligation or a sense of duty, but because she's taking control of her own life for the first time in 3 (possibly much longer even) years and saving the world is what she wants to do

In the dream world when she has the choice to back down and live peacefully, her wants of being with her family again (fake or not) and saving the future conflicting with each other, she realizes that for the first time in probably her entire life, there are people relying on her because of what she herself set in motion, all as a result of her newfound agency and courage

The old serah would've probably chosen to stay living in the dream, she might’ve preferred the comfort of a fake sanctuary over a grim reality with an unlikely shot at a happy ending, but the new serah isn't content with running away and staying put anymore, she'd rather die going for what she really wants than live a life devoid of true meaning when she could've wanted more

The mirror still being in her room during the fate and freedom paradox ending is representative of that, she may have forgotten all about her journey, but there's something tugging at her, something deeply wrong about her situation that gnaws at her core and leaves her to wonder about what she's missing when she should feel fulfilled, and that feeling scares her

[danifart]

[pippatis]

A friend of mine had to go away for a little while and she wanted to take some of my drawings with her so I busted these out in like 2 hours

[seduceme-lovestruck-thearcana]

@givelightningherharem

BROO!! I’m sorry, I know I’ve never spoken to you, but I love your content and I’ve seen that you love snerah (just like me) and AGH!

I know you’ve pointed out the fact that Lightning and Serah open up their arms in the ending of LR, basically motioning for Snow and Hope to go into their arms (separately). But I also just noticed that Snow opens up his arms when he gets closer to Serah. At least, it LOOKS like it to me.

It is incredibly hard to see without seeing the video, but if you watch the ending scene, you can see his arms widening and it looks like he’s going to hold Serah😭😭.

I may be wrong since it’s hard to see, but I like to imagine that’s what he’s doing🥹

[p-redux]

So, more info from Hyrox Glasgow 2024! Again, thanks Team for all the DMs, I really appreciate you! ❤️

Reminder of what I posted yesterday.

And

So, today, I get this video of Sarah Holden competing at Hyrox Glasgow, and you can CLEARLY hear Sam Heughan cheering her on. Sam's voice is at the very end. At the beginning, you hear a man with a thick Glasgow accent pronouncing Sarah's name Serah. That's NOT Sam. There's also a woman's voice. And at the END of the video, you can hear Sam's unmistakable "C'mon, Sarah!" This was shared by one of the Team and I saved it to my YouTube Channel. Enjoy!👇

I also received this DM with additional info. 👇 Posted with permission.

Here's the pic where Sam is tagged. 👇

And Sarah posting she got FOMO aka Fear Of Missing Out and spontaneously competed today in the women's open race. 👇 She definitely matches Sam's energy level! I'm tired just looking at her. 😊

Anyhoooo, I also got some conflicting info regarding whether Sam competed yesterday after all. I was alerted to this Tweet. 👇

And then I received this DM from someone I've never talked to. 👇

It's all very confusing. On the one hand, it is weird that if Sam competed, he never posted anything on his own IG. On the other hand, Hyrox DID post his results as if he DID compete yesterday. 👇

If Sam decided to not compete and wanted to give his slot to someone else, why wouldn't Hyrox be able to substitute the other man's name? Everything is computerized, so I don't see why they couldn't have made the change easily. Also, isn't it fraudulent to post results with Sam Heughan's name if he wasn't the one competing?

On the flip side, if Sam didn't actually compete, then he literally went to Hyrox to watch Sarah! Those saying "No, he went to watch his friend, Valbo. who also competed." Yeah, except Valbo didn't compete until 6:00 PM yesterday, and Sam was there at 12:00 PM, when the women's competitions started. Literally RIGHT THERE where Sarah was competing. 👇

No reason for Sam to be there 6 HOURS before Valbo was competing if he only went to support Valbo. 🤷‍♀️

I ran out of room to post pics since Tumblr limits to 10 pics, but I also got a DM saying Sam got a bunch of new Instagram follows who are Sarah Holden fans. That leads me to think they went to follow him because they saw him with Sarah at Hyrox.

So, that's it for now. I'm in the process of vetting someone from the Glasgowish area who approached me with some Sam and Sarah info. If she and the info check out, then I'll post it.

PS. I'm hearing from people that my usual haters and assorted newish haters are gnashing their teeth about my #samarah posts...same as it ever was. This has happened any time I've ever posted about Sam possibly dating someone. If you look at my track record for the last 10 years, my info has been at least 90% accurate. No one in the Outlander fandom would have known about Cait and Tony, and Sam and Cody, Abbie, Mackenzie, etc if not for my INSIDER source info, and me posting it FIRST. Facts, people. So, the hate makes no never mind to me. I keep doing me. I'm here for those who want the info. If that's not you, go somewhere else. Simple as that.

Oh, one more thing...the LIE that I have a restraining order against me from Sam resurfaced in my Inbox. Let's use our brains once in our lifetime, shall we? If I had a restraining order or a cease and desist, I wouldn't still be here, now would I? Doh. 🤦‍♀️ My blog is just like any celebrity news blog. It's called freedom of speech, peeps. And in the USA people have died to protect this right. That's all, folks.

[kalebsded]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FINAL FANTASY XIII -LIGHTNING RETURNS!!!!

I just finished Lightning Returns. Holy fuck that ending was BIZARRE but also the exact ending I wanted. I LOVED every second of the main story. I love the anti government/religion, I love the (in my eyes) hints at queerness, I LOVE the reunions, I love that they did closure for the sequel characters?? I LOVE CAIUS/YUEL/NOEL'S ENDING SMMM!!! I love literally everything about the end.

There are just a few things I don't understand:

When Lightning first goes down onto the first little bit of the cathedral, and she talks to Lumina, everything was pretty much okay until Lightning decides to make sure Vanille doesn't do the soul song. When Lightning decides to run off to do that, Lumina suddenly breaks down and begs her not to leave.. AND THEN POOFS AWAY WHEN LIGHTNING LEAVES??? Just go with Lightning, kiddo. It's not like she would've stopped Lumina if she was gonna help? Lumina seems pretty powerful too, she could've been a big help. 😭

When Lightning talks to "Cid." If Lightning could talk to the dead and hear them out better than Vanille could, why didn't they do that sooner than legit the last day to talk? Vanille could hear all of them at once and it was suffocating, but Lightning could hear one guy out that was speaking for all the dead, and actually figure out what to do. Why'd they wait till the very end to suddenly throw that bit of kinda big story at us? Lightning and Vanille could've talked it out and the whole soul song thing could've been stopped way earlier.

If Lightning lost her emotions not because of the gods, but because she shut them away when her mom passed, how come she actually had character in the first game, then suddenly she becomes helpers for God's and becomes emotionless?? Shouldn't she have been emotionless from the start if she "made herself emotionless?" She was pretty emotionless in XIII-2, and Lumina wasn't a thing, so it can't be because Lumina took the emotional part of Lightning and left her with only logic. Plus, if she genuinely couldn't feel any emotion till the very end of the game, why did she care to help Serah, or any of the others, and genuinely care when they were hurt? If she only cared about Serah, she could've saved many other souls, yet she went after people like Snow and Caius who were difficult or even impossible to save. She could've just stuck to finding oil for Bachti and small things like that. 😭😭

Remember these?

She felt genuine emotions like joy, worry, annoyance, and more but those are the pictures I have at the moment. If she lost her emotions because of herself, shouldn't it have been flipped? Where she is emotionless in the first game and grows to show her feelings by LR? She even was really shut off from everything in the very beginning and warmed up to the others enough to show emotion. But no?? more time passes and she shuts off after growing so much in game one???

This one I'm almost more mad about than Hope constantly in your ear bothering you all of LR.

If Noel cared enough about Serah to help at the very end of the game, why didn't he just help though the whole game? He wasn't doing anything after we beat him in the fight other than wandering Luxerion. He could've just tagged along. Lightning told him the goal was to save Serah before they fought and all he cared about was his Yuel, but suddenly at the very end he cares now? I could see why Sazh and Snow didn't tag along. Sazh had Dajh to spend the remainder of time with, and Snow technically had a house to rebuild even though it wasn't worth it since the end of the world was approaching, but I guess it's a better excuse than; "I only care about Yuel right now, so you can save Serah on your own."

If Lightning and Fang knew that Vanille was being manipulated a few days before the end, and Vanille regularly wanders the cathedral later in the day, and at least Lightning knows this, why didn't they just tell her? Maybe Fang knew less and didn't believe she could convince Vanille yet. But Lightning doesn't have an excuse. Lightning found out Vanille was being manipulated and why a few days before the end, and we could go up to Vanille and talk to her still. Why didn't Lightning tell her before the soul song was about to be performed??? She didn't even try at all, maybe if there was a scene where she tried and it didn't work without Fang being there for some reason then maybe the end would make more sense, but it was actually very preventable. Lightning also didn't know that Buhnavelze (or however you spell that thing,) was controlling Hope yet, so maybe Hope could've had a suspicious scene where he tells Lightning to go do something "important" before she tries to tell Vanille? That would've been great.

I also didn't understand "fake Serah" at all? Like, they said things like, "she was a fake the whole time." So that means for how long? Cause the whole time would mean she wasn't ever real including before the L'cie stuff, but I don't think they meant that? Unless they did? They mean just for after she died right? There's no way they mean to say that the whole first game journey was for a fake sister/fiance, right? The whole XIII-2 journey would've also meant nothing because the main character would've been fake, and saving her in LR would be pointless if she was fake the whole time too? So they had to have meant when she randomly appeared to attempt to toy with Lightning, right?

What happened to the fakes anyways? Tf happened to fake Serah? Did she just get cast aside bc she wasn't the real Serah? She explained that she had feelings and a soul, just not Serah's soul, which means she was a real person too. Did I blink and miss the scene where she turned into only a soul too or go into Lightning's heart or something? Cause after all the talk of doing what's right and making sure to save literally everyone except for Caius and most the Yuel's, there's no way they'd cast aside someone like that just because she isn't the actual Serah, right?

Now this one is probably gonna be excused with "they're just optional NPCs!" But I'm still gonna ask.

The fuck did they do? Did they develop mental disorders and become disabled? The side quests are SOOOO dragged out, and all they do is yap and yap. Most the quests are; "go up the hill and find the thing we've been searching for, for 500 years." Or "go find my wife's broken calculator for me that's just over there in the sand by the skeleton. My poor dumb soul can't be saved without that broken calculator." Like, really? Pretty much all the side quests are just nonsense fluff that they could very well do themselves. Why do their souls depend on Lightning doing everything, and why do they talk so much for so long and drag out everything as much as possible? AND WHY DO YOU GAIN LEVELS OFF OF THE DUMBASS FLUFF QUESTS THAT'RE SO SO PAINFUL? WHY WAS BUHNAVELZE SO HARD AFTER DOING MOSTLY ALL THE QUESTS TOO? YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT HE'S EVEN MORE DIFFICULT WITHOUT DOING ALMOST ALL QUESTS? I ALMOST HAD TO START COMPLETELY OVER ON THAT FIGHT 😰

Don't tell me about the four rooms at the end either, the fights in there were also way too hard and I couldn't do a single one. That shit is for new game+

Why is Buhnavelze so annoying? Like, he controlled Hope's body, right? Hope talked in your ear about everything and as many useless things as possible. Real Hope didn't do that. Why is Buhnavelze really damn annoying?

Despite all the flaws, I still love it and will be going rabid over it. This hyper fixation will be the most over the top so far because it's too good. I could make a bigger rant than this about why I love it, but I won't.

Please tell me about these things if you know about them though. I'd love to hear it out and learn why all these things happened the way they did.

[cipheramnesia]

dropping a line to say I love gkw so so much!! I am rooting for The Nameless Duo so hard and also manifesting a less bananas day for Serah

I went through my tags to find and reread Briar City as well and fundamentally I love your writing so much. your worldbuilding is phenomenal and if you ever put your stories up on AO3 or your own site please holler about it because I will bookmark those SO FAST

In Conclusion: I simply love everyone so much and want Our Nameless Hero(es) to have a Nice Restful Day at some point in their newly free lives

That is incredibly kind and getting positive feedback on writing is helping me keep going these days. I have got an AO3 here, which includes last year's complete nanowrimo Girl Bites God (not my best work), the biohorror transbian mecha story "Vivisection", and several Lisa Frank Gulch short stories (also the incomplete "Girl And Her Dog" because I realized there were several important details wrong and I have to revise it). You need to be logged in to see some of them.

Fun fact about Briar City: I don't know if you've seen the Fortunes asks I do, but Briar City and those asks share the same world. I have to finish Briar City because the ending is very important for me.

Serah is intended to be a recurring character for GKW, and there are some actual names coming soon, including a title, which should explain what GKW actual stands for. It's a little different because it's a collaboration between @rox-and-prose and myself, because we tend to develop interesting characters and ideas together. We are also working on some further adaptations of the story, even though it's still being written. The more you know.

[eemamminy-art]

Any games missing are because I don't know them that well/didn't finish them/there aren't enough female characters in the first place/etc.

(also I feel it needs to be said, I left Agrias off of FFT and skipped FFV entirely because both she and Faris are already butch so I would just be drawing them normally lol not that I mind!! I probably will add Agrias with Ovelia if I do end up doing FFT though c: )

and of course I already did ff8!

[danhang]

#DANHANG  : independent, literate & highly selective multi - muse roleplay blog ; features canon & oirignal characters from various media. canon + headcanon based. mature themes will be present & properly tagged.

as adored by cherry ( 25+, she / her, gmt + 1 ).  i only use the beta editor, so please do not use the legacy editor when writing with me. DNI : minors & personal blogs

a gentle study on : the obstacles & beauty of adolescence, betrayal & trust, the    power of will & the desire to do good, heroic tendencies  /  heroic    foolishness, beautiful girls have sharp claws too, the desire of  self - indentification &  the perpetual need for validation.

lovingly affiliated with : @kazekamis

rules, muses & mains under the cut ( temporarily )

RULES.

this blog is private meaning i will only interact with mutuals. and while i'm open to all fandoms and crossovers, i reserve the right to not follow back if i 1.) either don't see our muses interacting, 2.) your blog is full of picture posts, 3.) you don't tag your triggers. proper roleplay etiquette and human being sense is required when following me, aka don't be a douche, ableist, racist, homophobe, or proshipper.

i'm not affiliated with any of the fandoms i write.

regarding triggers, they will be appearing on this blog in form, but not limited to, angst, violence, depression, mentions of war, mental health and ilnessess. everything will be tagged accordingly. smut content will be found on this blog only with muses off age and rather scarcely.

i'm not a fast writer, nor do i have the time to reply daily. please don't rush me when it comes to writing because the more you rush me, the less i'm likely to actually reply to you. this is a hobby and i'll always treat it as such.

my portrayal is primarily based on canon material from shows, games, mangas and visual novels, mixed with headcanons i've created for my muses. if you ever have any questions about my muses, feel free to approach me!

muses are multi-ship unless stated otherwise. i do accept mains and wish to be granted the same privilege if i were to accept you as mine. if we ship, i give and expect ship exclusivity. let's have fun. :')

credit icon border, post & blog banners @poetryrph

MUSES.

CARD CAPTOR SAKURA. kinomoto sakura EIGHTY-SIX. shinei nouzen FINAL FANTASY. aymeric de borel, noctis lucis caelum, serah farron, snow villiers, yuffie kisaragi, yuna GENSHIN IMPACT. navia caspar, yae miko HAIKYUU. kageyama tobio, oikawa tooru HONKAI: STAR RAIL. gepard, kafka, robin JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE. higashikata josuke KINGDOM HEARTS. sora LEAGUE OF LEGENDS. alune, luxanna crownguard, zoe MORIARTY THE PATRIOT. sherlock holmes MYSTIC MESSENGER. choi saeyoung PERSONA. kujikawa rise, takamaki ann SAILOR MOON. aino minako TEARS OF THEMIS. marius von hagen

MAINS.

ann: @halchron ( ryuji ; ship exclusive ) marius: @cauterisen ( ship exclusive ) noctis: @halchron ( prompto ; ship exclusive ) oikawa tooru: @kazekamis ( kuroo & sugawara ; ship exclusive ), @violevin, @cauterisen ( ship exclusive ) rise: @halchron ( yu ) sherlock holmes: @violevin snow villiers: @halchron ( hope ), @violevin, @kazekamis ( lightning ) sora: @kazekamis ( kairi ) yuna: @halchron ( tidus ; ship exclusive )

[starswritteninourscars]

Happy DADWC Friday! How about "Crushed Elfroot leaves" from the Artifacts of Thedas prompt list for the character or pairing of your choosing?

I went with non-Warden Cousland for this, and I'm fairly pleased with how it came out. Elissa has the spirits, but she's new at the experience thing. She's a long way from Inquisition Commander here.

Tagging @dadrunkwriting

The infirmary tents at Ostagar had a stench all their own, layered over the general smell of the war camp like a sheen of rancid oil over chicken soup gone bad. It smelled of elfroot and rot, spindleweed and vomit. Elissa Cousland avoided it for nearly a week after arriving before finally storming in the day the senior Grey Warden returned with his mage recruit.

“What is this?” she demanded, tossing a handful of crushed elfroot leaves on the camp desk where a middle-aged scribbled away in a ledger. Maybe he was the one in charge, maybe he was a clerk. Either way, he wasn’t currently saving someone’s life.

The man’s beady eyes blinked up at her through the curtain of hair that had fallen into his face.

“Who are you?” he said after a long pause.

“Elissa,” she said. “Elissa Cousland. This came in for our wounded not an hour past. What is it?”

The man gave her and the House Cousland heraldry on her tunic a once-over, bowed without standing, and picked up the leaves.

“It’s elfroot, my lady. Excellent for wounds, especially–”

“I know that,” Elissa snapped. “Specifically it’s gossamer elfroot. I sent an order for royal elfroot. Any competent herbalist should be able to tell the difference!”

“Just so, my lady,” the man replied. “But our stores of royal elfroot are limited. My lady’s brother reported relatively minor wounds. I have ordered what we have of the royal variety reserved for amputations and infections.”

Somewhere not too far off, a man’s moans turned abruptly to a wailing scream. Elissa felt her stomach drop

“How much do you have?”

He named a figure. A very low figure, for the size of the army.

“We are holding much of it here in the royal encampment, though of course the other infirmaries have some for emergencies,” he continued. “Already I have reports of underground trade among the officers.”

“I see,” Elissa said.

“I’m sure you do, my lady,” he said in a very neutral tone.

“I’m taking a patrol into the wilds tomorrow,” Elissa said. “I’ll bring back what I can.”

“My lady, I thank you for your generosity, but–”

“Serah,” Elissa cut in, “before you assume I am another blundering warrior who has never opened an herbal in her life: How many noblewomen have you known who could tell gossamer elfroot from bitter?”

“I must admit, Lady Elissa, that I am not acquainted with many women of that station,” he said, brushing greying hair out of his eyes and smearing ink across his cheek in the process. “Perhaps I should not have assumed.”

“Oh, you’d be right most of the time,” Elissa said, “but probably not. I’ve recently been reminded of the danger of assumptions.”

[glowing-blue-feathermage]

WIP SUNDAY MONDAY

tagged by @sulky-valkyrie ! I actually have a WIP to share for the first time in forever! This is from chapter 6 of Vertigo. It is, in fact, happening! ~o~ Lirene pushed herself off the door and propped the broom beside the wall, letting the subject drop. “Have you eaten?” Anders considered the question, trying to visualize his last meal. A bowl of weak stew, mostly broth, a few sad pieces of celery, and tiny chunks of meat that he had purposefully not examined. One of his patients had insisted on sharing it with him. “Yesterday, I think?” he said.  Lirene pursed her lips and took a step toward one of the shelves. She reached into a crate and took something out that Anders’ brain struggled to place for several long seconds. “Is that an orange?” he gasped, seconds before Lirene put the fruit in his hands. It wasn’t large, but it was a lovely, healthy color, ripe and fragrant when Anders held it to his nose in delight. “Where in the Maker’s name did you get this?” “The mysterious Ferelden,” Lirene told him, turning around and opening the door. She glanced back at him. “Take some back to the clinic with you.” She was two steps outside the door when she turned around again, her face stern, catching Anders with one thumbnail piercing the flesh of the orange. “For yourself. You’re no good to anyone if you starve.” “Yes, serah,” Anders quipped with a smile, too thrilled with his unexpected bounty to argue. Lirene knew he’d give them away, and the sigh he got in return said it. 

I tag @tobythewise , @lothrilzul , @ladysavannah908, @jazzmckay and whoever else wants to do it! <3

[sulky-valkyrie]

Find the Words

Rules: Search your works for the given words and post the context of what you find! My given words (from @squadron-of-damned) were youth, hypocrisy, burrow, and biased.

YOUTH - I couldn't find this anywhere, but here's a bit of "young" from The Room at the Top of the Pearl

A young man with dark hair walked in, followed by a huge chair - presumably it was being carried by the butler, but all Fenris could see were fingers. He was handsome enough, but in a bland forgettable way. “Serah Sparkle! Will this do for your escort?”

HYPOCRISY - I hope a bit of "hypocritical" will suffice from Anything for Her, Even This

One hand reached back for Alistair’s, twining their fingers together, as the other reached forward, brushing hair back and cupping Morrigan’s cheek, and Maker, the way the witch leaned into Ris’ touch answered every question. He’d just slept with her, and somehow, he was the one intruding. No words were needed. The elf glanced back at Alistair and squeezed his hand. He nodded. It would be terribly hideously hypocritical of him to object. Really, as long as Tabris was happy, he didn’t care.

BURROW - from Dark Promise Broken

"Schmooples isn’t too fond of snow, but as long as I have a blanket for him to burrow in, he’s as happy as a pig in mud. The Guardian is still here, but doesn’t come out often - it seems he only challenges people once, and only a few of the scholars are able to make the climb up to the mountain."

BIASED - this is from an as yet unpublished fic @glowing-blue-feathermage and I have been working on for over six months

Anders shook his head tiredly. "She was in a cage, Fenris. For dogs. That might be how you train dogs, but it isn't how you teach a person." "A cage," he repeated. "An actual cage? Or is this what you've decided to style the Circle as?" The mage groaned and rested his forehead on the table. "Someone else tell him, alright? I'm too biased to be trusted and too tired to argue."

I obviously have to tag @glowing-blue-feathermage because she's the literal best, but I'm also gonna have to no pressure tag @justcallmecappy @blarrghe and @rosella-writes to go a hunting for majestic, feral, kinship, and impact.

[ser4h]

ALWAYS AN ANGEL , NEVER A GOD. #SER4H AN INDEPENDENT AND PRIVATE WRITING BLOG FOR SERAH FARRON OF THE FINAL FANTASY XIII FRANCHISE ( IGNORING LIGHTNING RETURNS ) . WRITTEN BY EVIE , SHE / THEY & 29. TEMPORARY GUIDELINES BELOW THE CUT !

A STUDY IN : GIRLHOOD VS GODHOOD , FATE , STEEL BENEATH SILK , SACRIFICAL LAMBS , LOVE DEFIES ALL , FOUND FAMILIES , SOFTNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS , & HOPE AT THE END OF ALL THINGS.

001. hi ! i'm evie , she / they , 29 & cst. i'm a mom of four tiny humans , currently studying and working full time in the mental health field. my life is hectic, i keep a busy schedule. roleplay is a hobby and escape for me , so i don't always get to be around. activity here can range from medium to low ! if we're mutuals , please be patient with me for replies , i promise i'm super excited to interact ! 002. the usual applies here : behavior like racism , sexism , homophobia , transphobia and others won't be tolerated here. if there is someone i'm interacting with who has shown behavior like this in the past, please let me know! 003. this blog may feature heavy and triggering content due to source material. triggers will be tagged with ' cw ' or ' tw ' . if there is anything i am not tagging , please let me know so that i can fix that ! 004. the best way to interact with me is via inbox prompts. i try to reblog them often. they tend to be easier for me to answer then starter calls. i am always up for plotting , so please never hesitate to reach out. 005. this blog is multi-ship and chemistry based. i'm always up for plotting dynamics for our muses ! chances are if you ship something , i do too. i always encourage plotting of other dynamics too !

[pen-of-roses]

WHG Prompt 1-The Day of the Reaping

WHG Tag List: @concealeddarkness13 @ratracechronicler @maple-writes @clocksandchaos @knmartinshouldbewriting @forthesanityofsome (let me know if you want to be added!)

Serah Reide

Dread whispered, unintelligible, yet all too familiar in their ear, as they warmed another vial before tipping it into the drink. It was an insistent thing that lingered in their mind usually until they acted upon it in some way, and any other day, she would spend hours if necessary to try and understand anything that could help.

Another pair of shaking hands accepted a mug from her. Frantic eyes not noticing the sparks of gold checking for any other injuries or concerns as he drank at her table. Veyrit above, they couldn’t possibly be old enough for the Games yet.

Any other day.

But not today. Today it was all too clear why it was whispering, and just like every year, there was nothing they could do.

“Thank you, Miss Reide.”

Nothing except this small aid that seemed just as damning as everything else. Too many kids had filtered in and out of their small rooms over the morning. It had started two years before, when they’d helped Evan’s sister before her first Reaping, and then the news had spread like wildfire that “Healer Reide can even fix your fear!” This had never been how they’d wanted to know more of the people around them.

“It’s nothing,” they answered with a faint smile. “Are you feeling better?”

Edel turned large dark eyes up to her. “I’m still scared though.”

That steady rhythm still played, even though it was hopeless.

“You want to know a secret?” He nodded. They made a show of looking around the room, before leaning in. “So’s everyone else. And there’s so many other names in there that the chance of you being picked is so small.”

“But I had to put it in a lot of times.”

“Then someone will volunteer for you okay? No one will let a kid like you go in there.”

“Do you really think that?”

She nodded and smiled, even if the Dread whispered the truth with its usual noise. District Six was not known for its volunteers, nor its Victors. But it seemed enough for Edel, who hugged her a bit too tightly, all boney hands and elbows digging in. “You should get going now, I’m sure your sister needs you too.”

Those wide eyes looked up at her again with a faint smile, before darting quickly out the door. His mother gave a short nod before following after.

Outside, the sky was picture perfect, bright blue and cloudless, completely at odds with the reality of what was happening below it. Not even the warm, shining sun could chase away the chill settled in their bones, even with the help of the patchwork blanket draped across their shoulders and their own mug of tea. If anything, it was just mocking them all.

They closed the door.

Checking the time, they began to clean up the kitchen. There was only a few hours left, and parents would be corralling their children too much for anymore to slip away most likely. Not to mention, they still needed to get dressed themself.

The dress was nice. Beautiful really, and far too expensive to be hanging in her closet with its glittering and lacey white and gold fabric. All black would be more appropriate for the occasion. But though she was allowed her own home, she still had to keep up appearances with the other Casters. The gold was still too bright in the mirror, and the white suffocating.

If anything, looking at it only made the Dread louder. More a rapid river than its usual whispers, words almost audible under its surface. Maybe if they could reach just a little further, there would be an answer, a way to stop the blood that would spill. It was right there if they just–

She blinked at a knock at the door, confused by the golden cast receding back down her arm, and the words slipping from her grasp.

“Just a minute!”

“Reide, you better be getting ready in there!” Even the whispering in their ear couldn’t keep the smile off their face at that voice.

“Or what, are you going to dress me yourself?”

“If I have to, yes. You know as well as I do they’ll have our heads if we’re not there and presentable on time.”

“And there’s still two hours time before we even need to leave, Moore,” she scoffed, opening the door for him.

“Yeah, and you take fifty years to be made presentable. Just look at your hair, have you even combed it this morning?” Evan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“Why bother when I know you’ll insist on doing it for me.” They raised their own in response with a smile, getting one in return. Then they looked at his outfit. “Abysses, that’s awful. 

His glare didn’t negate the truth. The suit was almost entirely white with gold detailing and for once, they seemed to have gotten the better deal on outfits. At least the dress had color. All he got was his natural red hair carefully pulled back from his face.

“You’d think we were going to a wedding and not a funeral.”

He looked over at the mugs in the sink back to them. “Were there many this morning?”

“Aren’t there always? Tea?”

“Abysses, yes.”

They fished out his mug from the cupboard as he collapsed onto the threadbare couch, pulling at the collar of his suit. “You could spill this on it, you know. They’d have to let you change then.”

“Tried that already. It’s almost like we know how to do magic, or something to fix that instantly.”

She handed him the tea and dropped down next to him, head on his shoulder. For a few moments, they sat in silence, just enjoying the other.

The whispering was growing louder again.

“Evan.”

“Hm?”

“Something…something feels off this year. Different.”

He tensed under her, hands stalling from lifting the mug. “Different how?”

“It’s louder. I don’t know why, I can’t hear anything else, but it’s definitely louder. Like something’s coming.”

“Well, whatever it is, we’ll get through it, like we do every year. I’ll come over after everything’s done, and you’ll make horrible food-”

“My cooking’s not that bad!”

“Horrible food, and we’ll stay up way too late or we’ll sneak off to that clearing you found and watch the stars from there, until my aunt finds us to scold like we’re school children and not responsible adults–well, like I’m not a responsible adult.”

“I’m more responsible than you!”

“Mhm, whatever helps you sleep at night, Reide.” He took a sip of the tea as she knocked her shoulder against his. “Hey! It’s your couch I’ll spill this on you know!”

They stuck their tongue out.

“So mature.”

“I said responsible, not mature,” they laughed, which only made him shake his head with a fond smile.

All too soon, their laughter faded though, and they pressed a little closer to him even if it didn’t feel like quite enough. That roaring river of Dread too loud at the thought. Like this was the last time they might get to do this.

“Evan, I’m scared.”

[owl127]

single moms meet at boyband show

(Ao3)

Lexa focused on the green at the tip of Serah’s braid as she followed her daughter through the never-ending crowd.

"Mom, I want to be up front for the starting band!" Serah cried from right in front of Lexa, and Lexa took three long strides to catch up with her daughter. 

"Do you have your phone?" Lexa asked for the fourth time, to which Serah rolled her eyes.

"Yes."

"Full battery?"

"93%."

"And the location tags?"

Serah looked around them, biting her lips as other teens—mostly girls—ran to the front of the stage. "Yes, one in my purse and one in my belt," she said between gritted teeth, all unnecessary teen rage. Lexa nodded, reaching for her daughter’s hand. God, she would be taller than Lexa soon. 

"I’ll be back at the food stalls. I’ll call you, but we meet here after the concert, okay?"

"Okay, mom, now please can I go? The opening band is about to start!" 

"Alright. And Serah?" 

The fourteen-year-old stopped in her tracks to turn back and glare at her mom. "What!"

"Have fun." Okay, it was true: Lexa liked to torture her daughter sometimes, but just a little bit, so she wouldn’t get completely lost in her head. One of her books said it was a way to bond with teenagers.

A small smile cracked Serah’s frown, and she nodded, all limbs and gracelessness as she followed the flow of screaming girls to the front of the stage.

Lexa had no idea what she had done to have a daughter who liked boy bands, but there she was, escorting her only baby to said band’s show. Lexa had been a hardcore punk at that age, parading black, rebellion, and a couple real, unmemorable tattoos. At the same time, that was the lifestyle that led to an early pregnancy, so maybe having a daughter who loved bands with an odd number of boys was a good thing.

Lexa looked back at the kiosks line and started to look for anything that said coffee when someone stumbled at her back. Lexa tripped forward but reacted in time to hold the person, who would for sure fall on the dirty grass if Lexa hadn’t reached for their hips and arms.

"Oh my God, mom! You’re so clumsy!"

"I’m so sorry," the woman in Lexa’s arms said, flushing a beautiful shade of pink. Lexa’s hands were warm where she touched her.

"Mom!"

They broke apart at the teenager's yelling at them.

"Are you alright?" Lexa asked, but the woman faced the teen instead.

"I tripped because you’ve been running since the gate. Now where’s your phone?"

"I have it. Now can I go?"

"Don’t lose your phone!"

"I won’t!" The teen bobbed her head in excitement, her tight curls, a coppery shade of auburn, bouncing in her head. "Now can I go? The opening band is on the stage!"

"Yeah, but stay close to your phone!" The woman’s plea was lost as her daughter rushed in the same direction Serah had disappeared into.

"They always seem to lose the phone," Lexa said, and she found herself staring at that pink blush again.

"Right?  And fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to trip all over you."

"It’s okay. This grass is horrible." Lexa looked down at the woman’s red converse, a stark contrast to her boots.

"Do you want some coffee? Or a drink?" Lexa looked up again to get lost in freckles and blue. "I’m sorry, maybe my daughter is right and I’m always talking too much," the woman continued before Lexa could respond. "I don’t even know if you’re here with a partner or whatever; I just assumed you’d be another mom."

"I’m mom. I mean, yes, I’m with my fourteen-year-old. She also ditched me for the opening band."

"I think they all sound the same."

"And coffee sounds good. I’m going to need some to survive the night. And—" Lexa cleared her throat, falling into step next to the woman "—No partner. It’s just me and Serah." There was that beautiful blush again.

"Coffee it is, then. And it’s just me and that thirteen-year-old you met. Lumi. But she’ll tell you she’s fourteen. This is her birthday present, actually."

They sat at the kiosk, far from the screaming crowd, with the bartender making espresso shot after espresso shot for the multiple parents. A couple dads talked about football next to their stools while a flock of suburban moms ordered margaritas.

"I’m Lexa." She extended her hand and offered to pay for the coffee.

"Clarke." She accepted the coffee with another blush, and Lexa realized she loved to watch those cheeks fire up. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad concert after all.

0000

Lexa wasn’t sure how that happened. Okay, maybe she had a clue, since the only time she had been with a man ended up with Serah, and she had enough flings with coworkers to have a certain reputation in her station. But whatever the reasons, Lexa was not complaining about having Clarke’s tongue in her mouth or her legs wrapped tightly around her as they made out behind the dirty alley of stalls that served terrible coffee. Under the sound of broken-hearted love, Lexa pressed closer until Clarke moaned in her mouth, all velvet and want. Lexa pulled back to allow curious lips to explore her neck and moaned low under Clarke’s ears. Clarke pressed harder, uncaring that the two single, thirty-something moms were dry-humping in the dark while their daughters screamed at hairless boys.

"You okay?" Lexa whispered the question when Clarke hissed after a hard kiss.

"Oh, I’m great!" Clarke gasped, finding Lexa’s lips again. "It’s just... it’s been a while. Single mom and all."

Lexa nodded. She knew the drama.

"I wish I could touch you," Lexa confessed between blonde tresses, inhaling the lingering scent of rose shampoo. Clarke moaned in response, grinding harder on Lexa’s thigh. "I bet you’re—"

The loud ringing of their phones cut off Lexa’s, admittedly, dirty talk, and they parted at the accompanying vibrations in their pockets.

"Shit," Clarke mumbled as she checked her phone. There was a lack of endless screams in the air. "I think the concert’s already ended."

Lexa was focused on her phone, Serah’s calls and texts, typing furiously back. "Let’s go back to the stalls."

"Oh, shit." Clarke, flushed and grinning with kiss-swollen lips, placed both hands on Lexa’s abs, stopping her. "I might have given you a hickey. Sorry." Lexa’s eyes widened, and she touched her neck. "The other side… I think you should lose the braid."

And that was how Lexa found her daughter in front of the coffee stall, typing furiously on her phone. "Mom!" she yelled when Lexa approached.

"Hey, honey, how was it?" Lexa placed both hands in her pockets, running her fingers through her hair.

"Why are you acting weird? And what happened to your braid?"

"Mom!" They looked to see Clarke hugging her daughter; there was an excited squeak between them. "It was awesome!"

"I’m glad, baby." Clarke waved at Lexa, and Serah looked between them, eyes narrowing.

"Clarke." Lexa cleared her throat when Clarke approached while holding her daughter’s hands. "This is my daughter, Serah."

"Hi," Serah said while eyeing Clarke up and down.

"Hey. This is Lumi, my daughter."

"Hi." Lumi waved at Serah, then saw the pin in her jacket. "Which song is your favorite from the new album?"

Serah’s frown melted into a smile as the girls started to talk about the show. Lexa took a step closer to Clarke but didn’t touch her. "Where did you park?"

"Oh." Lexa would never get tired of seeing that beautiful blush. "We took the bus here. We’ll probably Uber back."

"Can I offer you a ride?"

"It’s alright, we’re used to it." Both moms stared at the girls as they talked non-stop about the concert and the band, and Clarke shrugged. "Yeah, a ride would be nice." 

As they walked to the parking lot, Serah pulled Lexa to one side. "Mom."

"What’s up, kiddo? I hope you don’t mind that we’re giving them a ride."

"It’s not that." Serah kicked a pebble on the dirty road parking lot. "Lux is fun. I want to be friends with her."

"That’s great."

Serah kept staring at Lexa, their eyes so much alike that it gave Lexa the chills sometimes, like now. Lexa did have a reputation, but she also had a daughter who was too smart for her own good.

"Please don’t ruin this," Serah pleaded. "Don’t make it like my swim teacher. Or my violin teacher."

"You didn’t even like violin."

"That’s not the point."

"We got a discount for three months."

"Lux is nice, and she also has a PS4. Please don’t mess up with her mom, please."

Lexa scoffed. "Why do you even—"

"You have a hickey, mom."

Damn kid. 

"Alright, I’ll behave. For you," she promised.

Serah kissed Lexa’s cheek. "I love you, mom."

Lexa looked behind them to find Clarke listening to her daughter, but her eyes were focused on Lexa. She winked, her cheeks flushed with the wind. 

Okay, Lexa might be in trouble with that promise.

[rosafulmen]

random  wishlist  of  ideas  i’d  love  to  explore  for  light  (  kind  of  an  ice-breaker,  kind  of  like  a  springboard  )  :

anything  in  her  verses  tag.  or,  when  looking  more  at  the  themes,  explorations  of  guardianship  and  its  failings,  what  makes  a  god  a  god  (  the  question  of  benevolence  verses  malevolence  ),  clawing  oneself  from  the  brink,  themes  of  found  family  and  love  despite  unfathomable  odds.

explorations  of  the  verses  xiii  lore;  including,  but  not  limited  too  :  the  influence  of  etro,  light’s  memories  as  ‘the  saviour’  and  what  that  means  for  this  new  world,  watching  the  war  of  a  world  she  helped  bring  about  (  all  the  while  knowing  most  of  the  world  has  no  memory  of  her  or  her  friend’s  sacrifices  ),  themes  of  faux  gods,  worship  and  the  suspension  of  vahalla.  there  are  so  many  themes  that  can  be  snatched  from  both  xiii  and  xv,  take  your  pick.

i  have  to  properly  write  out  my  kingdom  hearts  verse,  but  literally  anything  in  that.  lightning  and  her  sister  were  from  radiant  garden  but  she’s  very  estranged  from  the  main  crew.  let  her  mentor  the  kids.  let  the  kids  crack  past  her  protective  layer  to  all  those  themes  of  hope,  perseverance,  and  strength  of  heart.  watch  light  panic  when  serah  runs  off  to  help  them.  let  her  begrudgingly  assist  because  she  claims  she  ‘doesn’t  care  about  them’  (  she  absolutely  does ).

anything  to  do  with  the  horror  /  existentialism  of  being  the  saviour???  the  very  fact  light  had  no  guarantee  she  would  remember  people  in  the  next  world  and  vice  versa  so  every  ‘saving’  was  just  a  heralding  to  death.  that  liminal  space  of  being  like  ‘we  have  no  promise  of  tomorrow,  so  let’s  live  for  today’.

same  deal  with  l’cie,  just  a  different  topping.  what  if  tomorrow  our  brands  advance  and  we  lose  ourselves.  what  makes  us  who  we  are.  what  makes  us  monsters  ?  just  all  the  horror  of  gran  pulse  and  seeing  those  cie'th  stones.

angst.  i  am  an  angst  fiend.  again,  the  xiii  verse  deals  with  a  lot  of  themes  of  loss  /  death  and  how  people  cope  with  it.

anything  where  light  is  a  bodyguard  sounds  absolutely  hilarious.  let  her  make  flying  commentary  under  her  breath  while  your  muse  holds  it  together.  let  them  take  her  to  places  she  would  HATE.

i’ll  probably  expand  on  this  later,  this  is  just  a  dump.

character  specific:

hope  —  to  this  day,  i  have  still  not  roleplayed  with  a  hope  and  i  am  DESPERATE  to  explore  the  bond  between  them.  give  me  all  the  themes  of  family  and  light  coming  to  terms  with  how  poorly  she’s  treated  serah  through  him.  let  her  do  right  by  hope.  let  her  love  him,  protect  him  and  watch  him  become  a  man.  give  me  all  the  themes  of  how  his  name  embodies  what  he  is  to  her.

serah  —  a  lot  of  the  same  themes  as  hope.  ALSO  if  serah’s  want  to  indulge  in  my  snow/light  angst  i  will  just  eat  that  up  for  breakfast.  it’s  the  absolute  self-hatred  lightning  has  that  her  sister  is  in  crystal /  dead  and  she’s  alive  and  she’s  still  managing  to  ruin  her  life.  how  serah  responds  is  totally  up  to  you.  also  themes  of  sisterhood  and  companionship.  let  them  go  to  coffee  shops.  let  light  teach  her  how  to  do  her  hair  and  makeup  when  their  mother  died.  PLEASE.

snow  —  hi,  i  ship  them.  outside  of  that,  just  the  development  of  their  bond  ;  where  light  once  considered  him  an  adversary,  now  he  is  a  friend.  how  his  staunch  optimism  imprinted  on  her  to  the  degree his  ambivalence  in  returns  gave  her  the  worst  anxiety  attack  of  her  life.

fang  —  how  two  women  can  be  the  same  but  also  very  different.  themes  of  guardianship  and  looking  after  those  smaller/weaker  than  you  (  the  costs,  the  sacrifices,  etc  ), drawing  strength  from  each  other.  the  growing  pains  and  awkwardness  of  two  people  primed  for  war  now  having  to  all  but  domesticate  at  the  end  of  LR.

vanille  —  a  lot  of  the  same  themes  of  sisterhood  that  i  applied  to  serah.  exploration  of  godhood  and  its  flaws  (  girlie  you  absolutely  did  not  need  to  pull  your  shit  in  LR,  love  you  ).

sazh  —  dajh’s  awkward  babysitter,  lightning.  i  love  the  role  he  took  in  xiii  as  a  sort  of  semi-parental  figure  /  guide.  he  wasn’t  overbearing  or  pushed  boundaries,  but  there  was  a  mutual  exchange  of  ideas  and  advice.  let  him  complain  his  bones  are  old  and  creaking  but  he’s  loving  every  second  of  it  and  light  just  smirks  so  sardonically  and  ups  the  anti.