#dragons located... in my socks

[captainrufflebanger]

I feel like an extremely niche portion of tumblr would appreciate the fact I use a ceramic dragon egg I made as a darning egg for socks.

And you know what, it works FANTASTIC

[moophinz]

🌈 ✨ More Like A Dragon: Yakuza Adaptation Information ✨ 🌈

Using these two articles from Famitsu and 4Gamer, I’ve found more information that didn’t get put into any of the translated articles for some reason. There’s also this video of the press conference which helped as well.

(I had to make do with Google translate of course so the translation isn’t perfect so don’t take it too literally, but it still allowed for me to get an understanding of what type of stuff they talked about.)

•Something brought up quite a bit is the differences in the time periods. With change within the characters and the setting itself. They’re really honing in on that. It also seems the series goes back and forth between ‘95 and ‘05.

•They might be referring to Kiryu throwing himself in jail for Nishiki as a mistake which I find very interesting.

•Ryoma was told by the director, Take, to not imitate Kiryu to a T, and instead, add his own spin on the character. Something Ryoma notes is that Kiryu is “affectionate and hungry for love.” Which is very interesting.

•Ryoma got super dedicated to his role. So much so that he stated it was partly him and partly Kiryu, but he couldn’t separate him from himself. He also said he trained physically for months, and Take states that he did his own stunt work and fighting.

•Interestingly, through the body of work, the director also wants to make a point about the pointlessness of fighting which is certainly painting a picture for me. I imagine it’ll really affect the main plot’s conflict.

•The underground coliseum will be featured as I learned through this clip. Also, contains a little more about Ryoma fighting on his own.

•The most important bit of info, however, is this. Full stop.

Bonus:

•The eyes being drawn onto the dragon on the gold screen was intended to be a prayer ceremonial gesture to hope for the future of the live action. Thusly, Ryoma blessed it.

[tj-crochets]

Okay I think I have reached my limit on organizing for the day but I did get laundry folded and put away before the load of laundry currently in the wash is done so that I can use my clean laundry bag to haul it upstairs, so that's a win!

Cleaning update! Posting it here so I can keep track and remind myself I am making progress: - cleaned off one and a half fabric shelves (not sets of shelves) of everything and went through every item, reorganized, moved the yarn (how'd it get there???) to the yarn shelves, found the Mars Rover I'd been sewing a loooong time ago (just needs wheels). Also found a crocheted dragon that just needs wings (why did I put it there????) - got distracted, cleaned the floor of my closet, got a bunch of clothes added to the donation pile, moved the donation pile into a basket I'd cleared out from the fabric shelves - broke down some cardboard boxes so they are ready for recycling - got distracted again, got overwhelmed at the idea of narrowing down my collection of books, and pulled every book I have not read yet off my shelves and stacked them in neat piles on the floor. That way I can read them and make an informed decision about keeping them or not

All of this does mean my room looks worse than when I started somehow but I am trusting the process

edit: this is unrelated to my other cleaning post this is more of an "oh my gosh TJ just put the items on shelves/in drawers where they go" than a "clean this surface" kind of cleaning lol

[everwhovian]

jun-ho opening a drawer

I will just roll with this, okay? I decided that kid!Jun-ho needs to cause some chaos! So, he pretends to be a pirate! Pirates have to find treasure so... he opens a lot of drawers.

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ○△□ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

Yuna had agreed to babysit Jun-ho for the night – just a simple favor for her boyfriend’s stepmother while she worked a late shift.

She figured it would be an easy evening: snacks, cartoons, maybe a bedtime story.

She was wrong.

Because the second Jun-ho stepped through the door, sleepover mode activated at full throttle. And now –

The first thing Yuna heard was the sound of a drawer sliding open.

The second was a very enthusiastic: “Aha! Suspicious object located!”

She looked up from the couch just in time to see Jun-ho, clad in an oversized bandana and one of In-ho’s old button-down shirts tied like a cape, standing triumphantly in the middle of the room with a pair of kitchen tongs clutched in one hand like a sword.

He had turned their apartment into a pirate ship.

And apparently, he had appointed himself captain.

“Captain Jun-ho,” Yuna said, crossing her arms, “is there a reason the cutlery drawer is currently open and half-empty?”

“There might’ve been clues,” Jun-ho said seriously, eyes scanning the room like he expected buried treasure to burst out of the floorboards any second. “Pirates have to check everything.”

“Everything?”

He nodded solemnly. “Every thing.”

Yuna raised an eyebrow just as he sprinted into the bedroom.

“Wait – Jun-ho, no –!”

Too late. The sounds of rummaging commenced. The closet door creaked open. A drawer slammed shut. Something clattered to the floor.

Yuna pinched the bridge of her nose, half-sighing, half-smiling. “In-ho’s going to have a heart attack.”

Jun-ho came barreling into the living room dragging a battered shoebox labeled ‘old cords & cables’ like it was a chest of ancient gold. Dust trailed behind him like cannon smoke.

“I found it!” he shouted. “It was in the dragon’s cave! …Under your socks!”

“Is the treasure a broken phone charger and a tangle of mystery wires?”

“Mystery is the key word,” he said, eyes gleaming. “Real treasure is always hidden under boring stuff.”

Yuna laughed despite herself, reaching over to tousle his hair. “Alright, alright. But Captain Jun-ho – maybe your ship needs a snack break before it gets raided by hangry sea monsters.”

He gasped. “There are sea monsters?!”

“Oh yeah. They come out when blood sugar gets low.”

Jun-ho paused, considering this with great seriousness. Then he nodded. “Okay. But after snacks, I’m checking under the couch. I think that’s where hyung hides the real treasure.”

Yuna rolled her eyes with a grin. “If you find my missing earring under there, I’ll give you ten gold coins and a juice box.”

“You drive a hard bargain, First Mate Yuna.”

He marched off toward the kitchen, shoebox in tow, mumbling something about enchanted cables and cursed furniture.

 

The front door clicked open.

In-ho stepped inside, shutting it behind him with a soft thud. He rolled his shoulders, loosening his tie, and dropped his keys into the bowl by the door.

He expected quiet – maybe the soft hum of the TV, Yuna curled up with a book.

Instead –

“FIRST MATE YUNA, GUARD THE FRIDGE! I’LL FEND OFF THE KRAKEN!”

In-ho blinked.

A blur streaked past the kitchen doorway – wearing his old shirt as a cape, a belt tied around his waist, a spatula in one hand, and a colander strapped to his head like a helmet.

“Jun-ho?” In-ho called, brows lifting.

“HYUNG!” Jun-ho skidded to a halt, eyes wide and glowing. “You’re back! We’re under attack!”

He sprinted across the room and flung himself into In-ho’s waist before he could even remove his boots.

“We’re on a ship now,” Jun-ho explained breathlessly. “I’m the captain. Yuna’s first mate. And you –” he paused dramatically, “you’re the grumpy lookout!”

Without waiting for a response, Jun-ho grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the living room.

In-ho blinked slowly, taking in the full destruction: couch cushions on the floor, pillows stacked like sandbags, open drawers, and a wooden spoon jammed upright in a potted plant.

Yuna looked up from the couch, deadpan. “I’m babysitting.”

In-ho squinted at the chaos. “Are you sure?”

Jun-ho was already tossing cushions again. “Yuna said if I find her earring under the couch, I get ten gold coins!”

In-ho shook his head and sat on the arm of the couch, watching as Jun-ho crawled under it like he was diving into a cursed cave. A sock was stuck to the side of his head. He looked ridiculous.

In-ho ran a hand down his face. “How long was I gone?”

Yuna shrugged. “He’s efficient.”

He bent to untie his shoes, still looking around like he hadn’t quite caught up to the scene. “Did he eat?” he asked.

“Snack break fifteen minutes ago,” Yuna said. “He’s running on one string cheese, four grapes, and the unholy power of imagination.”

“Sounds about right.”

“You missed the sea monster invasion and the Great Cable Chest Discovery of 7:13 p.m.”

There was a pause as he took it all in again – the colander helmet, the pillows on the floor, the wooden spoon in the plant.

“…Right,” he said finally.

Jun-ho popped up behind the coffee table. “Okay, lookout, you have to shout if you see danger!”

In-ho looked at him, at Yuna, then back at Jun-ho – who had dirt smudged on his cheek and determination in his eyes.

“Define danger,” In-ho said slowly.

“Anything boring.”

Yuna smothered a laugh. “So… bedtime?”

Jun-ho gasped. “Treason!”

In-ho raised both hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. Just let the lookout find a clean pair of socks first.”

Yuna grinned, leaning her head back on the couch. “Welcome home, by the way.”

In-ho glanced over at her – then at the mess, and the shoebox treasure chest, and Jun-ho now crawling into the coat closet.

He sighed, but there was no bite to it. Just amusement, and something a little fond.

It wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t tidy.

But it was full of life.

And honestly?

It was perfect.

[sunny374940]

WIP... Thursday :D

@spinfins, @lavender-tea-fling, @mercars-musings, @starfleetteddybear, @redheadsramblings, @sorrowsfallallaround

Hi guys, sorry to summon you onto a post that's not fanfic, but I would really value your opinion. I have been GRIPPED by the beginnings of writing an original story and am wondering whether there's any merit in pursuing the thing further. So I'd be grateful for your thoughts, but no hard feelings if you don't want to look at this <3 (also consider yourself tagged if you wanna share any of your wips)

The story is shaping up to be a modern fantasy romance / adventure / something and it's v. gay. It's about a half-elf researcher who is assigned a bodyguard (he doesn't want a bodyguard and definitely doesn't need one, thankyouverymuch) and there will be much pining and peril and feelings from the look of it.

So if anyone wants to look at the thing, it's down here (this is the first page and a little, working title is Damn Sky Whales).

The doorbell rang, startling Fern out of his research. Was it the time already? Surely not, he'd been at this only for - he checked his phone - four hours now. Damn. It was the time.

He threw on whatever clothes he could manage to locate in the mess that was his bed, grateful to Past Fern for the great idea of taking a shower before settling down to more work, and ran to the front door. He opened it in a rush and found himself eye to chest with a stranger. The chest was quite wide, he couldn’t help noticing, bordered by well muscled arms. He took a step back to look the man in the face, which was some way up. Fern wasn’t that short, surely?

“You are not my driver.”

The man was giving him a curious look and Fern could feel his mismatched socks staring accusingly from his shoes. His hair was probably a terrible mess too.

“I’m your bodyguard, sir,” he said, as if that explained anything.

“I don't have a bodyguard.”

“Well, now you do. But I can drive, if that helps.” 

Fern could tell from the amused glint in his eyes that he definitely noticed his ogling, as well as his socks. And he was human. Of course. No self-respecting elf would take the job of safeguarding a half-breed like him. 

“I am certain I don’t need a bodyguard.”

He was being a bit childish, arguing like that, but the way he couldn’t dissuade him was getting annoying. 

“Your mom made the arrangements on your behalf.”

Ah. His dear elven mother. She did enjoy taking over his life. But for all her faults, her support put him through university, when it wasn’t easy for a half-elf to even be admitted to study. Though his academic success was entirely his own, she wouldn’t take the credit there.

It seemed that there was no point in arguing with the bodyguard. His bodyguard. Why would he need one, anyway? Yet another of mother’s idle fancies, most likely. He wouldn’t be able to protect him if anything went wrong today, but she probably felt better for doing this.

“Ugh. Alright. What’s your name?”

“Gareth, sir. So, where we going?”

“We will be inspecting a dragon's lair today. Their numbers have been dwindling over the past few years and I will get to the bottom of this. They are thaumivores and the background magic-”

The bodyguard was watching him with a stony expression.

“You don’t care about the dragons, do you?” he sighed. Why did he even bother?

“Sorry, never given much thought to the sky whales, sir.”

That damn comparison! Just because they floated calmly through the skies and allowed the magic to pass through them, everyone considered them to be useless annoyances that meddled with air traffic. He was being unfair to actual whales right now, but that was besides the point. He could feel the beginnings of a rant coming on.

“They are much more complex than that! They are not mere krill-feeders, the thaumic ecosystem itself is dependent on their presence. They harmonize the magical frequencies, do you know how many wild magic storms there would be without them?”

The corners of the bodyguard's mouth were quirked up just the slightest bit. He was trying to get a rise out of him! Fern deflated. He hadn’t really slept last night, he’d been too caught up in poring over maps of thaumic interference to notice that it was getting late and only nodded off for a few hours amongst the papers spread out on his bed.

“Let’s just go, it’s a long drive.”

“As you say, sir.”

“Could you dispense with the ‘sirs’? I’ve had enough for the whole week already. I’m Fern.”

He didn’t argue, to Fern’s surprise.

“Alright. And why do you need a driver? Your hands too soft for the steering wheel?”

“I don’t like to drive, simple as that. So this is the one thing my mother’s wealth allows me that I take advantage of.”

He didn’t have to tell him that his mother actually insisted on him having a driver after the last time he made a brilliant breakthrough in his research while driving to work and nearly killed himself by slamming the car into a lamp post when he got lost in thought.

[deedala]

🍃weekly tag wednesday🍃

hello yes do you remember me? shits been crazy but i think i can finally focus for enough consecutive minutes to complete WTW this week!! thank you Kat @mybrainismelted for the game and for tagging me!! + ty @suzy-queued @gallapiech @energievie @lingy910y @catgrassplantdad @spookygingerr @mmmichyyy @thepupperino

Name:  deanna

Location:  not chicago 😔

Age: noel~

You have an unexpected extra day off work or school!  What are you going to do? oohh maybe i can make some gifs!!

What is your favorite way to spend a summer day?  inside somewhere cool and out from under the sun 💀

What is your favorite way to spend a winter day?  uhhmm...also inside and somewhere warm but not too warm cuz i wanna be in fuzzy socks and a sweatshirt and maybe even my fuzzy robe

What do you do to unwind at the end of the day?  go the fuck to bed and read a fic until i pass out

Do you play any sports?  i do not

Other than fanfic, what is your favorite genre to read?  i dont understand the question 🤔 (i guess mainly i've read YA girl protag adventure series books other than fic... oh and some dragon age novels, but is that just official fanfic? 😆)

What is your comfort movie/tv show?  many and it depends on my mood but some of them would beeee... vampire academy, new girl, everybody wants some, shameless, gallavich scenes (its two different vibes okay? lol), bob's burgers, edgar wright movies, star trek voyager, palm springs, okay i gotta stop....

Do you write or draw?  i do like to draw

What other arts or crafts do you do?  uuhhh gifmaking?

Describe your perfect breakfast:  dunkin donuts coffee with french vanilla creamer and oatmilk and an omelette and hash browns (the food part of that happens maybe once a year tho i wish i could live such a life lolol)

and now i'll tag some nuggets who might want to play too! <3 @too-schoolforcool @michellemisfit @darlingian @celestialmickey @sleepyheadgallavich @jrooc @blue-disco-lights @crossmydna @wehangout @gardenerian @gallawitchxx @heymrspatel @palepinkgoat @the-rat-wins @sam-loves-seb @creepkinginc @softmick @callivich @loftec @burninface @rereadanon @vintagelacerosette @sickness-health-all-that-shit @whatwouldmickeydo @spoonfulstar @howlinchickhowl @captainjowl @iansw0rld @y0itsbri 💖

[puddle-nerd]

Golden Afternoon

Summary: Just two best friends enjoying the sunshine and a good book. (slight Lo’ak/Human Reader)

Prompt #1 for my submission for #𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬𝟏𝟒𝐃𝐎𝐋𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

Story Tags: No use of Y/N, Female Reader, Na'vi Language, Na'vi & Human Interactions, Friends, Secret Crush

Na’vi Translation: Iknimaya – (Na’vi for “Stairway to Heaven”) is a treacherous but fundamental rite of passage in which a young Na’vi hunter must select, capture, and successfully bond with one of the ikran who nest in the Hallelujah Mountains

Ikran – also called “Mountain Banshees”, they are large, dragon-like aerial predators often tamed by tribes of Na’vi for thousands of years for traveling long distances, for hunting from the air, or even during times of war

Uniltìranyu – translated to dream-walker in the Na’vi language, it is another term meaning for genetically engineered human/Na’vi-hybrid bodies, designed to serve as a remotely controlled vessel for a human mind

AO3 Link

“Hey, ready to go, Mamas?”

You looked away from your self-appointed art project of redecorating the walls of your private bunk within the human compound and grinned up at the younger son of Jake Sully who was – unfortunately for him – grounded once again for going out with Spider and doing something stupid and reckless. So, with no flying and no access to his best male friend for the next two weeks, that meant you more or less had him all to yourself. Not that you were complaining in the slightest. You had had a crush on him for the last three years since you turned eleven and it didn’t look to be going away any time soon. “Yeah,” you agreed, putting your paintbrush into the dirty cup of water so it wouldn’t solidify. Again. He squinted, stepping into your bedroom and peered closely at the scene you were painting on your metallic wall just for the hell of it. “Am I dressed okay?”

The Na’vi hybrid glanced over your outfit of light blue overall shorts and a white tee shirt and nodded. Then turned his gaze back onto what you had been working on. “You’re getting good,” he complimented and you beamed up at him, your cheeks turning rosy as you muttered back a shy ‘thank you’. You shuffled off your messy bed and located your boots and the socks you wanted to wear with them and slid them on – not in that order, though. “Oh, hey, bring the book.”

You grabbed the old novel that had been republished about some sixty years prior back on Earth and followed him out of your room and to the nearest exit of the compound, grabbing a mask in the airtight antechamber as he put his nitrogen mask back on the proper hook. Once it was secured in place upon your face, he opened the vestibule door and you stepped outside into the beautiful world of Pandora. You were always in awe of the world you had been born on and sometimes wished that you could breathe its air as easily as Lo’ak could. Alas, you were fully human and Norm had told you creating you an Avatar was out of the question until you were at least eighteen years of age. Hormones, he cited, which was bull shit but since you were just a kid, then there wasn’t really anything you could do about it until then. Besides, it was only another three years, seven months, and five days away. But who was counting?

The Na’vi hybrid rolled his golden eyes as he looked back over his shoulder and took in your expected look of awe. He reached down and scooped you up, laughing as you squeaked. Expertly, he moved you to sit on his shoulders while you carefully handled his neural queue so you didn’t accidentally sit on it.

“Careful, Mamas,” he cautioned you, as he did every time. “Sensitive, remember?”

You hummed your agreement, carefully draping the black braid over his shoulder to rest down his lean chest. With you now settled upon his shoulders, he took off, being able to move much faster than he would have if he had let you walk. You were nowhere near as fast as Spider was who was now reaching six feet tall at sixteen years of age so it made sense for Lo’ak to carry you. Plus, without you struggling to keep up, you could take in the scenery a lot better. Just like you liked to do.

Thinking of ages led you to consider upcoming birthdays.

“Hey, Lo,” you inquired, running your fingers idly through his braids as you continued to gaze at Eywa’s beautiful world. He grunted, letting go one of your calves briefly so he could get himself over a log that was surely your height. “Your birthday’s coming up, right? Have you thought about what you wanted? For your birthday?”

He paused and his ears twitched, tickling the insides of your knees as they did so. Then he shrugged, chuckling as you yelped as the movement threatened to topple you. His firm grip on your calves proved he had you steady, though. “I really just want to pass my Iknimaya,” he muttered, voice going flat. “It’s so embarrassing that I got thrown off the cliff. Neteyam did it his first try! Heck, even Dad did it his first try and he was a uniltìranyu at the time!” You shushed your best friend gently and laid your cheek atop his head, rubbing your face soothingly over his braids. He calmed, adding a quiet, “Sorry. It’s just… I’m not perfect like him and I swear Dad just constantly looks at me in disappointment.” He sighed and sniffed, going quiet for a while, just allowing you to continue petting him comfortingly. Then his ears twitched and he paused, asking, “Could you make those chocolate chip cookies again? A whole batch just for me?” You grinned, retorting, “As long as you don’t eat them all in one sitting and complain about a stomach ache later.” He huffed and nuzzled his temple into your knee, replying, “Yeah, yeah, whatever, nag.” “I nag because I care,” you countered. He squeezed your calves in a silent acknowledgement of your words and finally decided to stop next to a pond. Drawing you up and off his shoulders, he let you settle on the lush grass before he flopped onto his back and smiled up at you. Drawing out the ragged book, you settled yourself against his side and opened it to where the bookmark lay. Clearing your throat, you open my mouth and begin to read aloud as you have every day since Lo’ak’s most recent grounding, silently thinking to yourself that Lo’ak enjoyed the main character (despite her being a human female) because she was secretly just as much as an outcast as he felt most days, being “Divergent” and all. “Chapter twenty-one: the door to the Pit closes behind me, and I am alone. I have not walked this tunnel since the day of the Choosing Ceremony…” You continued to read through the chapter in the golden afternoon sunlight and was about to start the next one when Lo’ak suddenly let out a yawn behind you and you realized he was starting to fall asleep. You put the bookmark back into place and turned against Lo’ak’s stomach, leaning against him and just admiring his sleepy face. He mumbled, “I’m awake.” He immediately yawned widely, revealing his sharp canines. “Uh huh,” you teased. “Don’t fall asleep out here. You’ll be thanator chow in no time.” He snorted but pushed himself up and rubbed at his face. “Guess I should get you back,” he commented. “Can we do this again tomorrow?” You smiled and nodded, secretly hoping he was enjoying spending all the time he did with you as you did with him.

𖥸 · ─────── · 𖥸 · ─────── · 𖥸

Originally Posted: 03 February 2024 Word Count: 1,147

@crybabies-heart, @cryingwhilereading, @ikeyniofthetayrangi, @erenjaegerwifee, @bambithewriter, @lloreya

AO3 Link

[tzds-gt]

Missing Him

A certain Siren is having a bad day. King thinks she knows where to find him.

Warnings: Mentions of drug use (questionable in both responsibility and accuracy), mentions of paranoia of a loved one dying, general January blues

King groans and slams the front door behind her. Bag down (on the bench, don’t leave it there), boots off (can’t get the damn zipper with these stupid-!)- gloves off, then boots off (hope that leather’s okay in the snow…), scarf and coat on the rack. She grabs her bag and hops into the foyer of her and Icarus and Kraken’s home, avoiding wet boot prints and chunks of sidewalk salt as she lands near her slippers.

“Kraken! I’m home! Holy shit, it’s worse out there than we thought- a dragon isn’t built for this kinda weather! There’s over a foot of snow out there!” She hollers into the house.

There’s no response.

“Kraken? Hello?” She sniffs the air- it’s hard to tell if he’s here or not. His scent is all over the dang house. Wrinkling her nose, she projects a little further into the house in the only way to talk to a seemingly empty room. “HEWWO?”

Nothing.

She shrugs. There’s a distinct possibility he’s in his game room, so she tests her wings (a little numb, but she’s not going far), crouches, and springs into the air. Her talons curl around the railing through her fluffy socks but she gets no traction, sending her careening to the floor of their upstairs hallway.

“Ow,” she says, despite the fact that it’s been a long time since she wasn’t mildly invincible. “Misteww Obama??? Hewwo? Did you hear that? I’m okay by the way, Misteww Obama, UwU!” She lolls her head to the side and at least expects to hear footsteps from wherever Kraken is. Preferably frantic ones, but casual with an added oh my god can you not with that fucking VOICE would be just as well.

Alas, she gets nothing.

“Am I just yapping to an empty house?” She pushes herself to her feet, padding down to the siren’s domain and poking her head in. “Am wasting a perfectly good bit when it won’t even be unappreciated?”

The answer appears to be a resounding yes, as she checks from room to room. There’s a cold cup of coffee sitting on the dining room table, but other than that there are no clues as to where Kraken could be. His car is in the garage, but his snow gear is gone, but there are also no new prints in the fresh, clean snow- he loves stepping in it. There’s a line of boot prints by the front walk where he’s just had to feel the crunch.

At a loss, she makes an attempt to cyberstalk him. Their locator app is often forgotten- or used to locate lost phones, more like. King pulls up the map:

King

At Home

Icarus

Location Unknown

Levi

Location Unknown

“Oh.” King says. Icarus’s location is very much known to her- his ‘hometown’ burrow, sleeping out the shitshow of Daylight Savings and snowstorms. It’s better suited to his hibernation than their house in Cloverfield. She has a sneaking suspicion she knows why Kraken’s location is also unknown.

Sighing, she drags herself back to the mud room, griping through every step of putting on warm winter clothing. He could have at least shot her a warning text, geez.

She steps through the front door a second time, imagining her feet won’t hit snow. They still do, but the scenery around her changes in the blink of an eye- instead of the suburban neighborhood she, Icarus, and Kraken spend most of their time in, she’s suddenly in the forest she spent a good portion of her life in with Icarus. It’s bright out here with the sun and the snow. She squints, pulling out her phone and checking the locator app again. The map is stuck in its gridded loading screen, but something did update:

King

Location Unknown

Icarus

Location Unknown

Levi

Location Unknown

Map or no, she knows the way like the back of her glove. There’s a dented path where someone else slogged through a while ago. The shoe prints have been dusted over, but King is fairly certain she knows what the soles look like. Instead of trying to step where the boot prints are, she just launches herself up again- there’s hardly snow resistance in the air.

She flies and glides until she reaches the clearing- Icarus’s burrow has been made to look like a whimsical fallen log half sticking out of the ground. She assumes that’s some sort of in-joke between the basilisks who made this place- they seem far too serious to have made a cute design decision. Still, she opens the door and is immediately greeted with all of Kraken’s winter gear slung haphazardly across the entryway.

“Found you.” She murmurs, slipping off her coat and boots once more.

Last door on the left, she heads down the unlit hall, and even she hesitates in the open archway. She remembers this. Lonely winters, the lack of sunlight and her own very recent exile tearing her apart at the seams, her only support system completely unreachable.

She shivers. Kraken.

She does see him as soon as she enters. He looks like a famous painting- she can’t remember which one right now. Someone mourning their dead lover or something. He’s splayed over the serpentae’s chest, his long tentacles spread everywhere. His eyes are open when she looks, but they’re red and puffy. His mascara is dripping. His hair is a mess.

He doesn’t acknowledge her.

“Hey.” She says quietly, kneeling beside him.

His eyes flicker over to her and he turns away. “King? How’d you…?”

“Lucky guess.” She shrugs, wrapping one wing about the hopefully-asleep basilisk (he gets awake, a little, sometimes, not enough to really do anything though) and one around Kraken’s shoulder. “You miss him too, huh.”

He nods.

“And are you high or were you crying?”

“Both.” He murmurs. “I didn’t… not here. His lung.”

She nods, making a mental note to check his smoking spot on the back deck next time he vanishes. “I think he appreciates that.”

Kraken curls in on himself more.

King sighs. “Hey, you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Kraken shivers.

She thinks. “Then can I interest you in a ‘we sit here silently and don’t acknowledge each other until you feel like talking?’”

“Works.” He mutters balefully.

She stands, moving around to Icarus’s back and leaning against his shoulders. A lot of things are fair game with a sleeping Icarus- as far as moving him around goes, they can use him as a table to play scrabble on for all he cares. She’s got stuff to do anyway, so naturally she falls into the hole of Mobile Game Hell for several minutes.

“It was… really stupid.” Kraken says softly, breaking her concentration.

King perks up. “Okay…”

“I uh… remember that new strain I got at the dispensary?” He asks. “The one that’s supposed to give you more energy or something?”

King nods. “You were thinking of long and boring studio nights when you bought it.”

“Yeah, well… I thought I should test it out, just to see what the effects were and how long they last, and… turns out it just made me really paranoid.” He shuffles awkwardly.

King tilts her head. Neither she nor Icarus care for his weed habit- Icarus because he’s only got one lung, and King because she’s a weenie and can breathe smoke for free. That said, she has no idea what to do with this information. “And… then what happened?”

“I uh… got it in my head Icarus was gonna die over hibernation. So I came here to make sure he’s uh… breathing. And I kinda… freaked out on him. And then it wore off, so I felt awful for disturbing him, even though he’s… you know… so now I’m just… rotting here.” He looks up at her.

King sighs. “Can’t be worse than the screaming, crying tantrum I had the first year we lived together.” She pats Icarus’s shoulder. “This is rough for all of us. I get it.”

“Christ.” Kraken says. “I- I kinda don’t want to leave. I mean, I know it was the weed talking, but that one was really intense.” One of his sprawled tentacles finds her tail to curl around. “Like, what if they cracked the code for future-vision-weed on accident?”

King rolls her eyes affectionately. “Future. Vision. Marijuiana.”

“Okay, well, it sounds ridiculous when you say it.” Kraken backpedals.

“At an entirely random dispensary in Cloverfield, Illinois, that wasn’t even trying-”

Kraken finally looks at her. “Fine! I get it! I get it! I’m being delusional!” He’s got a tiny smile- not at all like his normal face-splitting grin, but King knows to take a win when she can.

“Besides,” King says, “if any controlled substances turn up with magic powers it’s gotta be mushrooms, right?”

Kraken finally cracks a real smile. “I’m glad you found me here. I was uh… moping, I guess, after all that.”

“Sorry you had a bad trip.” King says.

“How was your interview?” He asks suddenly. “No inane questions about whether Kyra gets trapped in a love square?”

“Ugh.” King groans. “Remind me to vet these guys for basic reading comprehension before giving them my book.” She pauses, glancing down at Icarus. “Do you… feel like you can leave him alone?”

“Mostly.” Kraken says. “I can be brave.”

“Okay.” King says. “Let’s go home, then, and I’ll tell you about that damn interview.”

[prismaticpichu]

Dear Zack and Sephiroth,

To Zack: is snuggles allowed?

I'm confused.

Both: Do you know about Northern lights? Have you seen it before?

To Sephiroth: Do you like science? can you explain why?

I'm sorry if that was rude.

To Zack: Which board games you like?

Both: Which plushies are your favorite?

To Sephiroth: I'm sorry, I like your hugs so much! Can you hug me please?🥺💛🩷🩵✨🌟🫂❇️🎇🎆❤️🤗.

Both: You guys are the best!💟.

Zack: Heya Bob! Good to see ya again!! ✨

Zack: Snuggles?? Is that the name of a plushie? Are you asking if he’s allowed in ShinRa Tower…? Heh! I’m just pulling your sock V^ω^V l don’t see why snuggling wouldn’t be allowed in the appropriate locations with the appropriate people! I snuggle up against Seph on the couch all the time! You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve fallen asleep wrapped in my best bud’s arms, some cheesy movie playing in the back <3 Guy is such a soft serve ice cream come when you get to know him!!

~

Zack: The Northern Lights??? Ooohhhh yeah!! You mean when the sky goes all disco with color!! I personally haven’t seen them during my own lifetime, but they sure do make beautiful desktop screensavers!

Sephiroth: Ah, yes. You’re referring to Aurora Borealis. Despite never seeing it myself, I am indeed aware of the natural phenomenon.. It is actually caused by the planet’s electromagnetic field interacting with particles from the sun, which was only one of the many facts I researched while a small child in the labs. Astronomy and geoscience have always been favorites of mine, to answer your other question.There is also no need to apologize; your query is perfectly appropriate. But to reiterate—yes, I am indeed an avid readers science nonfiction, predominantly homing in on the study of space and natural phenomena that occur on the planet. I suppose this stems from being surrounded by such a rich scientific atmosphere as a child. However, while my “father” studies biochemistry, I have strictly chosen to focus my studies on other fields. I am not interested in cellular matters, and I don’t think I ever will be.

~

Zack: Ooh! Good question!! I think I gotta spring for Jenga!! (Whiiiich I think counts!) ✨ There is really nothing funnier on this planet than watching Seph decide which block to move like each piece is a wire attached to a bomb or something. It’s good stuff!! OOH! Also Twister!!! (P.S!! DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME WITH SOMEONE WITH KNEE-LENGTH HAIR YOU WILL GET TANGLED LIKE A MEATBALL IN SPAGHETTI.)

~

Zack: My favorite plushie?? Easy cheesy! That’s my ol’ pal, Muffin… AND his twin brother, Stuffin, who’s another little dragon dude who Seph stitched up for me on my birthday. Never can I miss a night without them!!

Sephiroth: Hmph. I do not own many “plushies”… barring the one Zack purchased for me, of course, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of our friendship. So I suppose my answer would have to be my stuffed Ifrit.

~

Sephiroth: Heh. I never knew someone besides Zack could be so fond of my embraces. It is actually… quite nice. Most people are afraid of me, you know. It’s most certainly a chance of pace. Ergo, I accept your request for another one.

*still stiff, but noticeably less awkward, Sephiroth puts both his hands on your shoulders in a vague embrace. the contact lasts for about four seconds.*

Sephiroth: I hope that was adequate ^_^

~

Zack: NO U, MY FRIEND!! YOU’RE THE BEST!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Sephiroth: Heh… so I’ve been told. But the words are always less hollow when coming from a genuine soul.

[kyndaris]

Behind the Scenes with The Little Prince

On our second day in Busan, bleachpanda and I headed to Gamcheon Culture Village. It is a place known for its twisting alleys and colourful houses and painted murals. Built on a steep mountain-side slope, it's often been called Korea's 'Santorini' or the 'Machu Picchu' of Busan. But the creation of Gamcheon Culture Village was due to a project to contribuet to the social, cultural and economic regeneration of an underprivileged village through culture and arts while also preserving the village's original features and historic value.

Consequently, it was a must-see location for bleachpanda and I on our trip while we were in Busan.

Of course, getting to it was a trek and a half as bleachpanda and I took a local bus towards a stop nearby and climbing up a fairly steep hill. While there was another bus we could have changed to, the internet had told me the walk wasn't too long.

What it didn't tell me about were the changes in elevation!

At the very least, we didn't explore the labyrinthine alleys running in and out of Gamcheon and kept to the main road whilst we were there. I don't think our knees would have liked us for climbing up and down a series of stairs.

Still, given the brisk morning we endured on the first day of March, the climb up to Gamcheon served to warm us up before we entered the village proper. Bleachpanda, as always, immediately zeroed in on the first souvenir shop that caught our eye, buying up almost all of their stock of earrings and other goods supposedly for her family and friends. I tried valiantly to stop bleachpanda from spending more than her means but she would not be denied.

Wait. She's telling me that's not quite the full story and to stop spreading lies lest she murder me in my sleep.

Fine! Bleachpanda did buy a copious amounts of pins and a few other souvenirs for her friends (none for me though despite the fact I'm her best friend in the world), but it was not so much that it would break open her suitcase. I, on the other hand, picked up three pairs of socks and even nabbed a crocheted dragon keyring. It was a bit expensive but it was also very cute and adorable.

What stood out to me as bleachpanda and I explored Gamcheon, I couldn't help but notice a strange obsession with Le Petit Prince everywhere I looked. As most people know, Le Petit Prince is a story written and illustrated by a French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. According to Wikipedia (because, as we all know, it is a fount of knowledge that is, in no way, inaccurate and should always be everyone's go-to place when it comes to information), it is the second most translated work ever published.

The story itself revolves around an aircraft pilot's chance encounter with the little prince and his journey across the stars after feeling the need to expand his horizons after falling in love with the rose. After seeing so many different thing, taming a fox, and befriending the aircraft pilot, the little prince desires to return home and see the rose again. He does so by allowing a snake to bite him. When the pilot awakes the next morning, the prince's body cannot be found.

While I haven't read the book, I have attended a live stage show of it when it was hosted in the Sydney Opera House and watched a movie.

In any case, Gamcheon had plenty of murals of the Little Prince. There was even a sculpture of him staring out over Gamcheon with his fox companion that many tourists lined up to take photos with. Heck, there was even Little Prince bread filled with either custard cream or red bean paste!

Besides The Little Prince, there was also much love for the Korean boyband, BTS (short for Bangtan Sonyeondan). Though I don't have an undying love for the group, I did remember hearing that BTS went on hiatus from recording and performing to focus on solo projects, and to also complete their military service.

Having missed our chance to rent out a hanbok while in Seoul, bleachpanda and I stumbled upon a rental store in the heart of Gamcheon. While I have never revealed my face here on my blog, I think it appropriate that I do a 'back-of-the-head' reveal. More importantly, I just wanted to show off the hanbok we rented because we could only wear it for an hour and it cost bleachpanda and I 15,000 Won each.

Still, although it was only for an hour, we had plenty of time to prance around Gamcheon village and take several photos in and around the nearby streets.

Once we had explored Gamcheon to our satisfaction, we decided to head to the beach. Yes, it was a blistering cold day and we were never going to head down into the water, but I had heard good things about Haeundae Beach, and my work friend had also recommended it. So, after taking a bus down from where Gamcheon Culture Village was located, we took the 1003 bus all the way to the other side of Busan.

At Haeundae Beach, we strolled down the promenade and took in the sights of the locals and tourists gathered there. Haeundae, according to hte internet, is South Korea's most famous beach and is often filled to the brim with umbrellas during the peak August travel season.

Of course, since bleachpanda and I were there in March, there was hardly an umbrella in sight. Nor was there anyone in the water.

It was, after all, only 4 degrees Celsius.

Now, while Haeundae Beach is a popular destination for many, my work friend had also told me there were sky capsules that would allow tourists to get in an excellent view of the coastline.

Unfortunately, by the time we arrived to book a sky capsule, a vast majority of the bookings had been taken. As bleachpanda and I had an early start tomorrow, we chose to forego the capsules and head back to Busan Station to grab an early dinner (as we had skipped lunch). This turned out to be Chinese dumplings at Maga Mandu. And what big dumplings they were - especially when bleachpanda ordered the steamed prawn dumblings!

Thus ended our second day in Busan!

And what a day it was! From a morning trek up to Gamcheon, putting on a hanbok and gallivanting around with The Little Prince, to taking in the sights and sounds of Haeundae Beach. All the while on a public holiday! The 1st of March is a national day to celebrate Korea's independence from Japan.

But we also had an early start to the morning and so were quick to retire. After six days in Korea, we were returning back to the Land of the Rising Sun.

[daphxharlow]

This is the story of a girl with nothing to lose. The haunting tale of her woes and where they led her. TW: Sexual Abuse, Arson, Institutionalization, and Addiction. 

⟢ ❝ He came back again last night and TORE me like paper. He opened me like a flower of PAIN, and it felt g o o d. He sank into me and set me on fire, like he always does. Made me B U R N from the inside out. ❞ ⟣

☪ Daphne Marie Harlow ☪ 28 ☪ Midnight Shift Waitress (Novice Hacker for Asterisk) ☪ Broken Soul

✓: Innovative, Introverted Extravert, Crafty, Open-Minded.  ✗: Awkward, Withdrawn, Moody, Irritable, Blunt, Cynical.

ℓιкεs; Computers, Free Food, Indie Films, Energy Drinks, Thunderstorms. ∂ιsℓιкεs; Unfinished Projects, Cartoons, Wine, Well-Done Steak, Summer Heat.

𝔸𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕔: The sound of rain hitting the window. Lava lamps. The swift click of fingers against a keyboard. Empty pizza boxes. Burnt spoons. Mix-Matched Socks. Screaming at the top of your lungs. Cold sweats. The rapid clicking of a pen. Dirty Converses. Black light posters. Fleetwood Mac records on repeat. Baggy hoodies. Dozens of Polaroids scattered across the floor. Cracked mirrors. Muddy bare feet. Unkept blonde hair. Humming during conversations. Spilt bong water. Pomegranate body wash.

↪ So I leave wantin’ just to hide. Knowin’ deep inside. You are comin’ to me, You are comin’ to me. Born and raised just outside of Memphis, Tennessee, Daphne was the only child of David and Bethy Harlow. Her parents struggled with her throughout her entire childhood. There was always something off about her, whether it be her violent outbursts, the rapid mood swings, or her rejection of intimacy. As she aged, it became clear that a majority of her misbehavior was centered around her mother’s brother, who lived with the Harlows. For as long as she could recall, the man who was supposed to care for her had abused her—taking advantage of her youth and destroying her innocence. As she developed, the vilification evolved into extreme matters of destruction. She was ten when she confessed her uncle’s sins to her mother, imploring her to cast out her abuser. Instead, she waved off her daughter’s claims, subjecting her to vile monstrosities.

↪ Doctor, doctor, please listen! My brain is scattered, you can be Alice, I’ll be the mad hatter. If no one believed her cries for assistance, she’d make her emotions understood. At the age of thirteen, Daphne set fire to her family home with her uncle inside. It wasn’t justice, but the heinous deed certainly eased her turmoil for the time being. Everyone was terrified, bewildered as to why she’d act out in such a treacherous way. Though the house couldn’t be saved, her uncle made it out with a few burns, A small price for what he’d done to her. Unable to comprehend their daughter, the Harlows sent her away for treatment. A rehab for the mind and soul. But you know what really goes down in facilities like that? You’re introduced to the very best and the worst that the universe has to offer. It was during that time she first fell in love; the lucky guy’s name was Heroin, and he loved her better than anyone else ever dared.

↪  The deeper you stick it in your vein, the deeper the thoughts, there’s no more pain. I’m in heaven, I’m a God. I’m everywhere, I feel so hot.  Time ticked by, and the blonde plunged into the rabbit hole, spinning and twirling deeper into addiction. Painkillers, Heroin, Cocaine, oh my. Whatever transmitted her to the heavens and put her spirit at peace. For years, her family attempted to right the wrongs that had her spiralling, but nothing stuck. Nothing was forever. At twenty-four, she finally disappeared, leaving the only world she’d ever known to lose herself in a city full of whispers and fear. For a place where she’d simply fit into the skyscrapers and endless stream of taxi horns. A location where she was free to live her life as she felt she should.

↪�� It’s a funny feeling being taken under the wing of a dragon… It’s warmer than you’d think. NEW YORK CITY! The violent, cruel stomping grounds she now called home. The drugs were plenty, the crime was endless, and without much of a fight, she found herself a nice little gig putting her mild talents with a keyboard to work. The pay was good, and the assignments weren’t too demanding. It gifted her the opportunity to feed her habit and fund her constant need to upgrade her equipment.  Getting involved with a gang? In a city like the Big Apple? What could possibly go wrong?

[pretentious-art-love]

Show Reviews #14 - One Piece's The Adventures of the Straw Hats

Finally, finally, FINALLY! The arc that shows the other cool worlds I saw back on Amazon Lily.

So on the One Pace cut, this arc is only 21 minutes long, that, with the 13 minutes used for Amazon Lily, makes it 34 minutes long. It is a little too short, I guess. I was told it is because the original is even shorter, being just cover stories. However, I wanted to see more of these worlds, I wanted to spend my time with them! This has been the only time in One Piece so far this happened to me, but, the pacing was just too fast.

However, the original Toei cut has 123m of content for this arc! (It is actually a little more, but I removed some stuff for my own version, you will see why later). A few flashbacks here and there but this is perfect! Why? Cuz all worlds are great, let's go one by one, full spoilers ahead!

Nami falls on a Sky Island, I do love the concept of Sky Islands but I never felt like the islands of Skypiea felt like Sky islands because of a lack of whimsy in their structure, this one does. Haredas is such a sweet old man and I hate when Nami hits him, hate her, the shower scene was kinda unnecessary, but I like the whimsy of weather technology.

Franky falls in a futuristic snow island, I guess its fine, but I love the idea he changes of personality based on what kind of drink he uses to recharge. I doubt such thing is canon, but the scene with the wolves is slapstick fun, Vegapunk is a mystery and I am slightly intrigued.

Chopper falls in an island of giant birds and helps one of them recover while he tries to escape from the locals who want to eat him. I also like how each character finds someone to connect to while they are lost, the new characters themselves show us more of each island through them.

Sanji is an absolutely bonkers example, he has no one that can help him, and the island of the people of maiden hears feels rather evil. Around the end, he ends on a fight and he slowly gets mind controlled to present as a girl. Holy shit, that's a double combo of force fem and mind control, two ways to mess up someone's self! I don't know how much of the Toei anime is directed to kids but seeing stuff like this here is straight up wild. I didn't like the first part of his arc on episode 419 where he thinks the girls are cis girls but then he finds out they aren't and he runs away, it feels too akin to the "trap" humor of back in the day. I did cut most of his stuff in episode 419 (I actually left only what we got from Amazon Lily 6 in the Pace cut), but I also left all the fight and stuff we got in episode 454, which is equal parts upsetting and amusing.

Usopp ends in a goofy giant insects and food island where he finds a nice fella called Heracles, the hero of the forest, Usopp doesn't have much of an arc here and we only see him being stupid, but all his scenes in this arc where he eats so much are so fucking funny.

I didn't get to see any new info or scenes from Brook in the Toei cut, but as a random thought, it is funny he is called Satan-sama by the locals, if I watched One Piece as a kid that would have been enough for my mom to forbid it to me (my mom never allowed us to watch Pokemon or Dragon Ball because she thought they were diabolic).

Zoro finds Perona, ahhh, every time I see Perona, I feel like I'm flying, I don't know why but, she is just so awesome, like, she floats, her power is depression, her design with twin tails, the crown hat, the red boots, the stripped socks and the umbrella is just great, so great, her power is to give you depression, she can make fake copies of her body or appear huge, and her laugh is so fricking sweet, so so sweet. I don't know man, Perona is everything, Zoro is a lucky man.

The best story of all of them all has to be Robin's, of course, after falling in the middle of a prison country located on a bridge. she meets a girl called Soran who hides her in the attic and they become friends, Soran shows her the drawings of the other worlds she imagines and tells her how much she wants to escape. Robin's whereabouts are revelaed by one of the women that were keeping her around who snitches on her and then Robin is forced to go with the authorities to avoid having the women (and Soran) be sent to torture. It is a very poignant remainder of injustice in the places of the world in One Piece. Even if one of the women who knew her snitched on her, but when you can't hate her at all because you know she is suffering too.

The art style of this story is really nice, it reminds me of stuff like the Mind Game movie. Also the idea of a country that is on a bridge and a bridge that has been being built for centuries is delightfully absurd.

Overall, great arc, great arc, it is a bit hidden, considering in the manga is just a cover story, and the Pace cut takes away a 75% of it (according to the guide). I also don't know how many of this stuff I can consider canon or what stuff would end up getting contradicted by the manga, but, it shows me something of this show I really like. World building. Many places full of wonder and whimsy, many places full of sadness, at the end you end up feeling lost in every single one of them.

9/10

[mainstoryarchive]

Revolution - 43: Trust

Translator: Creampuffs

Kuro: Hm? Yeah, that’s my embroidery. I’m good at sewing and stuff.

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: Dojo

Kuro: Hm? Yeah, that’s my embroidery. I’m good at sewing and stuff.

It’s ‘cause it makes my lil’ sister happy. I’ve made stuff like socks, aprons and an arts and crafts bag for her.

Tetora: Heheh ♪ Taishou’s just as good as any professional~ He’s the one who made the outfits for “AKATSUKI”, you know!

He also made the outfits for the unit I’m in, “RYUSEITAI”~♪

Kuro: Yeah. The dance moves from Tetsu’s unit are pretty intense, so you’ve got to make sure the outfits are sturdy, otherwise it’ll come apart.

They were actually pretty difficult to make.

Well, I can always mend it if it gets ripped somewhere.

Make sure you wear ’em with care. I’m not a factory, so I can’t spend all my time making outfits.

Well, I do enjoy sewing, though.

…Oh? You want to make outfits for your unit, too? I can make ’em for ya, if you’d like.

I don’t need anything in return. If it’ll make the issue with the handkerchief even, then that’s enough.

But well, it doesn’t hurt to learn how to sew… I’ll give you the fabric and tools, so I’ll teach you the ABCs of making outfits.

I’m sure your friends would be happier if you made ’em, though.

There’s nothing better than having an outfit made with love by someone who knows you inside out.

…Little Miss. I’m second-in-command in “AKATSUKI”, one of the main forces of the Student Council. But, by no means, am I in favour of the current circumstances at the academy.

I have my position and duty to consider. I won’t be able to openly help you.

If you and your unit are planning on opening a rift in the current state of this stagnant Yumenosaki Academy, then I’ll be cheering you on in the shadows.

It’s disappointing, but that’s all I can do. I’m pretty skilled with my hands, but it seems I’m not skilled enough to live my life the way I want to.

Tetora: W-What does that mean? Transfer Student-san, are you trying to oppose the Student Council?

That’s awesome~! No one has ever confronted them head-on or even attempted to go against them, and you want to challenge them to a battle?

That’s so cool~ You’re blazing, Transfer Student…☆

I’ve got a grudge against the Student Council for ruining the Dragon King Competition, too! I’ve been feeling so bitter that I can’t even sleep at night!

It’s not only me, everyone’s waiting for a saviour to appear!

Because the leader of my unit, “RYUSEITAI”, is the way he is, we can’t go against the Student Council since they’re a part of the "justice"!

I’d just lose pathetically if I challenged them over and over again by myself!

So if you can give them a taste of their own medicine, then I’ll support you from the bottom of my heart!

No, I beg of you – please settle the score for us…!

Kuro: Leave it at that, Tetsu.

Little Miss here will be walking across a dangerous tightrope. If you make her shoulder a lot of things, then she’ll lose balance and she’ll fall into the depths of hell.

You guys are planning something for the “S1” next week, aren’t you? I’ve heard about it from the vice-president… from Hasumi.

He couldn’t care less for you guys, though.

The Student Council has their own information network within the academy.

They don’t know what exactly you’re plotting, but one thing they do know is that you guys will definitely do something.

Don’t let your guard down, and concentrate on what you have to do.

The Student Council here has too much power. We’re basically dancing in the palm of their hands.

But, go and bite away at that hand.

Something is definitely bound to change.

I’m looking forward to what you’ll do, Little Miss.

[ ☆ ]

← prev ❖ all ❖ next →

[sunny374940]

Damn Sky Whales

Hi, remember that bit from the original story I posted a while back? The first two chapters are up, if you want to give them a read.

The summary:

Fern is a half-elven researcher, who is trying to figure out why dragons are disappearing. He gets assigned a bodyguard, whom he doesn't at all need, doesn't want him, surely. Until he does find himself wanting him. A lot. Gareth, for his part, is a former mercenary turned bodyguard, who is just trying to make a living in a world where elves call the shots. He is a professional and is very definitely not going to fall for his client. There is much pining, eventual adventure and daring rescues in the future.

Read here on ao3

Here's a bit from the first chapter.

The doorbell rang, startling Fern out of his research. Was it the time already? Surely not, he'd been at this only for - he checked his phone - four hours now. Damn. It was the time.

He threw on whatever clothes he could locate in the mess that was his bed, grateful to Past Fern for the great idea of taking a shower before settling down to more work, and ran downstairs.

He opened the front door in a rush and found himself eye to chest with a stranger. The chest was quite wide, he couldn’t help noticing, bordered by well muscled arms. He took a step back to look the man in the face, which was some way up. Fern wasn’t that short, surely?

“You are not my driver.”

The man was giving him a curious look and Fern could feel his mismatched socks peeking accusingly from his shoes. His hair was probably a terrible mess too.

“I’m your bodyguard, sir,” he said, as if that explained anything. 

Babes, the whales are here :D @lavender-tea-fling, @sorrowsfallallaround, @spinfins, @redheadsramblings, @mercars-musings, @starfleetteddybear

[dragoncityinteriordesign]

The good Deputy Chief’s promo pic made me wonder: Where are everyone else’s photos staged?

Zhao Yunlan: On his desk, of course. He seems to have moved his computer monitor, presumably because his lack of ass kept knocking it over.

Shen Wei: He’s over in the corner of the main room with all the clocks, in one of the armchairs that nobody ever sits in. He is also wearing no socks and his least attractive shirt. Someone please come take him home, Black-Cloaked Envoys only do this when they are very distressed.

Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan: They’re posed in front of the Dragon City map, presumably where the Dragon City map usually is in the SID main room. They just dragged over the couch that’s usually at the center table.

Zhu Hong: She’s up the steps over behind Da Qing’s desk. You can see the foosball table in the distance behind her.

Lin Jing: At one of the lab tables, but not his usual desk. I do not believe for a moment that he is a man who would actually think out problems on a chalkboard. Those are just to impress people.

Wang Zheng: She’s in Zhao Yunlan’s office, over in the corner, probably cleaning it up once he’s gone home for the day.

Sang Zan: The library, naturally! Most of the spines are unreadable, but they have him right in front of two upside-down copies of that fake version of On the Origin of Species and a somewhat pointed Wild Animals in Captivity.

Guo Changcheng: He is, perplexingly, somewhere that doesn’t actually exist in the show itself. The little side-by-side cabinet he’s in front of is over against the wall by the main room’s windows, and the snail lamp is usually found on Da Qing’s desk. The iron bird in the white wood frame and the globe-on-a-stick statue, however, as far as I’ve seen, are nowhere to be found in the SID building.

Chu Shuzhi: Location first. He is staring, somewhat hilariously, into the reflective side of the two-way mirror that looks into the interrogation room; you can see the grate and the fire extinguisher reflected behind him. Okay, good job paying attention to that -- now let’s talk about how Lao Chu’s initial design was just mind-blowingly gay-coded. He’s still got his black sleeveless shirt and black(-ish) pants, but instead of his big black coat and pashmina, we are treated to the bare-armed sight of him in a black leather vest? with rivets down the back?? and a chain hanging from one of the pockets??? You know the censors took one look at that and went, nope, that man is clearly a homosexual, tone it down. ...I don’t know if buzzing his hair even shorter and giving him Zorro detailing is as much toning it down as it is toning it vaguely sideways, but you know what? I can’t complain.

Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan (again): Oh my god you two are sitting on Chu-ge’s desk. You are being gay right on top of his desk. He already has Lin Jing’s annoying little fidget molecule to deal with, and now you are being gay on his desk. Go to gay hell jail.

[harpyloon]

i’ll catch you

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x fem!Reader

Summary: "Up close, Y/N could see the familiar freckles splattered all over his nose and cheeks. He was towering over her like he always did. She used to be the little second year Hufflepuff always idling by the entrance to the Great Hall hoping to bump into the famous Charlie Weasley. Studying on the Quidditch pitch, watching him behind her textbook, captaining the Gryffindor team. Climbing the beech tree by the lake again and again, hoping Charlie Weasley would somehow walk by once more to offer her a hand..."

☞ Curse Breaker reader x Dragon-tamer Charlie Weasley

Warnings: Fluff, sprinkles of angst, dragons (duh), mentions of a dead animal, mentions of dragon eating dead animal (lol), post-war timeline (although not that important)

WC: 4.5k+ , Part 2 coming soon!

Read on AO3

Beautiful rays of golden sunlight were peaking through the blinders of Y/N's cabin. It was going to be a lovely day with the perfect weather to seek out a bit of adventure, and although she was sure she had countless other affairs to address before kicking off with her assignment the next day, a blathering Bill Weasley was not one of them.

"Are you even listening?" his tone was way beyond impatient. "You know what? Don't answer that. I know for a fact that you never pick up anything I say. Ever."

Y/N rolled her eyes as she busied herself with stuffing her socked feet inside a pair of brown chunky hiking boots. She didn't plan on going very far. Her colleagues were currently lounging in the dining hall about five cabins down, sipping piping hot ciorbă, munching on breakfast toast, and relishing their only foreseeable off day before the start of the big dig tomorrow. Some were even dozing off still, earning as much sleep as they could to compensate for the long nights to come.

It's true what they say about grumpy Curse Breakers. But nobody realized that they just spent too much time with their eyes wide open.

"You know, Bill," Y/N mused, "you always call me the drama queen. What does that make you then?"

The floating head over the fire scoffed, "A concerned superior."

"Well, there's nothing to be concerned about."

"Where are you headed?"

"I'm going for a walk."

"No walks," ordered Bill, his face stern.

"Everyone's out and about today!"

"No walks for you."

Y/N laughed. "Oh yeah?"

Bill sighed. He knew trying to be hard-nosed was futile. "No walks alone at least."

"Are you sure there's no bun in Fleur's oven yet?" Y/N teased. "You're sounding more like a papa bear with each passing day."

She heard a soft melodic laugh within the fire where Bill's head was when suddenly, another floating head appeared right beside his. This time, all blonde and very French

"There iz no bun yet, mon cher. But I think he az been practicing fatherhood with you." Fleur gave Y/N a wink. "I 'eard zer are many 'andsome men in Romania. With a leetle beet of exzploring yo—"

"There will be no exploring," barked Bill, sending his wife a warning glance, which she ignored.

"—you might find someone az adventurous az you are," Fleur beamed, "And very macho."

"Darling," Bill sighed, "is this necessary?"

With a flying kiss to Y/N, Fleur was gone.

Shrugging on a light parka, Y/N gave Bill a knowing look, "You see? Your wife said I could use a macho man."

"Oh please. You're in a Curse Breaker camp."

"Hey, there are loads of macho men here."

"Macho enough for you?"

Y/N wrinkled her nose but ignored the question.

"Well, William," she said, emphasizing Bill's full name, "I, am a Curse Breaker in the middle of the Southern Carpathians." Stuffing her wand through her belt loop, she looked at him with finality. "And I am not passing up this opportunity."

"Remember when they assigned you to Egypt with me and you went on exploring? Your exploring is bad luck, Y/N, and I did not assign you to Romania to bring bad luck."

"Excuse you, the Egypt Goblins loved me."

"Goblins don't love wizards," retorted Bill.

"I think they were particularly fond of me."

"You Reductored an entire bloody Pyramid!"

Y/N was losing her patience. She wanted to sift through the mountains in the morning sunlight. Discover hidden caves and wade through cold springs. She had her breakfast way earlier than everyone else for this sole purpose.

"I promise I'll be good."

"Take Weiss with you."

Y/N glared. "Absolutely not."

"Take someone."

"I'm walking out on you right now. Don't forget to put out my fire."

"Y/N."

"I'll see you later!"

"I have to tell you—"

Without looking back, she waved at Bill and stepped out into the crisp Romanian morning.

The skies were bright and cloudless, the sun slowly rising up east. The Curse Breaker camp in the middle of the Transylvanian Alps was in for a late morning. It was quiet, apart from the whispers of the forest beside them; chirping birds, singing crickets, and the distant sound of a nearby stream.

Trudging up the rough pavement towards the foot of the nearest hill, Y/N felt an ounce of guilt seep through as she marveled at the scenery before her. Bill was the reason she got the Romania assignment. She wasn't half bad a Curse Breaker. From an outsider's perspective, some would even call her brilliant. She's aced all her missions in her first year on the job—way ahead of all the others in her year, and was even able to crackdown a dark magic-infested tomb in an assignment she co-lead in Egypt. She was quick, smart, and as brave as the career entailed.

Only one thing stood between her and a good reputation in Gringotts. Her impulsiveness.

She couldn't help it. Y/N's successes partnered with tragedies—accidents; her brilliance came with sheer will and almost violent haste. The problem is you can't think twice Bill would always say. Not everything is done in a snap, Y/N.

Bill Weasley was the only senior Curse Breaker with enough patience to supervise her. It must have been fate or a miracle that had him in temporary assignment at the London Gringotts when she graduated Hogwarts. If she were received by anyone else, or if he were back in Egypt instead, she didn't think she'd ever make it out into the field. Or worse, last a few months.

"I'll be good," she mumbled to no one in particular. Or maybe she hoped that Bill would hear. She'd floo him again later.

Trekking up the slope with hands snuggled warm inside her faux-fur-lined pockets, Y/N inhaled the fresh earth surrounding her. This was her calling. Nature. Adventure. The unknown. She was fantastic with spells and jinxes and once thought of becoming an Auror—but Aurors spent too much time indoors, on desks, drowning in paperwork and tailing dark wizards. She knew in her heart she wasn't born to enforce the law.

On the opposite side of the hill was a deep gorge between two towering mountains and a long serpentine stream. Elated at the sight, she followed the gentle flow of water over the rocks. Without thinking (because when does she ever), she slipped off her boots and socks, and despite the chilly morning, prepared to wade the ice-cold water. She dipped one toe in for good measure—a pause.

That couldn't be right.

Submerging one whole foot into the water confirmed her confusion. Strange. Almost all waterways in Romania led to the Black Sea, if not the Adriatic. Why was it warm?

This isn't the bathing stream she thought. The senior Curse Breakers back at camp had instructed them of assigned fresher areas where warming charms would be cast. She didn't remember this gorge being part of last night's tour.

Ankles deep in the water, Y/N trailed the soft currents. It was deliciously warm. A deliberate contrast to the icy breeze left by the trail ends of winter. It was supposedly mid-spring, but the winds still gave her the chills.

She took no notice of how far she was going, the water neither rising nor falling. If she were to guess it must've almost been half an hour given by the direction of the sun. The warm water and small pebbles were therapeutic beneath her feet. The walk didn't tire her at all.

Finally, the chasm's end came to view. Heart beating with excitement, she hastened her pace, dampening the legs of her trousers that she attempted to roll up. But just as her feet crossed the lip between the two mountains flanking her, she felt the oddest sensation: it began at the top of her head, traveling down her arms to her toes—as if a big fat raindrop landed on her scalp and entered her body.

She glanced at the clear blue sky. There was no cloud in sight for miles.

And then, it was suddenly very humid.

"What the..." she glanced back through the gorge. Nothing was out of order and nobody was in sight. Looking down at her feet, her surroundings were now as warm as the water she stood on. Her parka felt too thick.

Again, strange.

Trying to shake away her curiousness, Y/N trudged on.

All is well she chanted inside her head. All is well and the wind just blows differently on this side of the alps.

But no matter what she told herself, ripples of unease still disturbed Y/N. She was beginning to sweat and it wasn't just her nerves. The wind didn't blow differently on this side of the mountains because there was no wind. It was dry, dank, and very very warm.

To rattle her nerves even further, the water she was wading on was getting hotter as she went on that she had to leap on land once again. But as soon as her bare soles made contact with the grass, she yelped in pain.

"Merlin—OW."

The earth was burning. As if it bathed in the sun for too long. As if she were in the middle of a dry desert. She knew the feeling, she's been to Egypt. But why the bloody hell would Romanian soil feel this hot? Moreso in the heart of the Southern Carpathians?

Locating a jutted-out slab of rock, Y/N hopped over to sit and gather her bearings, drying her damp feet and staring at her boots and socks. She didn't want to slip them back on. The heat was intense. But it was either the boots or the sizzling soil.

She shrugged off her parka after lacing up her boots and was grateful for her reckless choice of wardrobe this morning. She opted for a ribbed shirt under her jacket—instead of a sweater—in urgent intention to get away from a nagging Bill. Now it served her well. It wasn't as thin as she would have deemed appropriate for the current temperature, but at least her neck and arms could breathe.

Gazing over the expanse of the clearing she emerged in, she suddenly became aware of the lack of green in the area. The grass was almost a withering brown—crunchy and dry. Trees weren't scattered about like the thick oaks all over the Curse Breaker camp; instead, they were clumped, almost systematically, in relatively rectangular patch formations. As if deliberately rooted as such.

Muggles Y/N thought. It was only them who had the peculiar habit of reorganizing nature.

Tying her parka around her waist, she treaded the clearing, the grass crisp beneath her boots, and approached the nearest cluster of trees. She wondered if this were one of the areas they'd be digging up. Senior Curse Breaker Digby Youssif oriented them of specific crackdown areas to look forward to in the next few months. Although almost all wizarding families were well-accounted for in Romania, there were still trifling amounts of intel on hidden vaults under protective spells cast by untraceable ancient tribes.

Y/N loved digging assignments. She was particularly fond of discovery. And if Ancient Runes was Hogwarts' least-loved lesson, she rather enjoyed Professor Babbling's classes. Well, most of the time. It was her pride and joy to have snagged an 'Outstanding' for her O.W.Ls—

Crack!

A sudden gust of wind whipped through the trees ahead of her. On instinct, Y/N drew her wand from her belt loop. Nothing was so dangerous about the wind. But it felt so...

The sound came out of nowhere, she thought it was imagining it. A steady drumming beat. Powerful and humming. An engine? she thought. But that was impossible. They were told that the area was blocked off from muggles for the duration of their stay. She paused in front of a towering ashtree. The sound was growing louder and louder. Nearer. She didn't know why but she was compelled with the need to hide.

Climb.

She felt ridiculous, clambering up an ashtree and settling on its thickest branch. Her superiors back at camp were clear that the mountains were safe, its perimeters were secured for their dig. Curse Breakers always made sure missions wouldn't come across outside interference.

Then why was her heart beating so fast?

The drumming sound was growing nearer. Behind her—above.

Peering at the sky through the leaves, a massive dark figure swooped overhead and landed with an earth-shaking thud on the clearing right in front of her tree.

Y/N felt like she was going to choke on her own spit when a deafening, earsplitting roar echoed through the mountains.

Dragon.

Fully grown, enormous, and vicious-looking, the beast had emerald scales that glinted in the morning sun. Its body was bulky, way stockier compared to the common dragons in textbooks. It had a massive head that seemed even larger than its body, and on it sprouted two long glittering golden horns. Its claws had the same golden color, and it was rearing onto its hind legs, hunching over a figure... chewing...

All the breakfast Y/N had only hours before felt like rising up her throat. An enormous dragon only meters in front of her was chewing on a dead animal, clearly having his own meal. And there she was, perched on an ashtree, ready for dessert.

Don't panic she told herself, but feeling green. She's never faced a dragon on a mission before. They tackled them in her first year on the job—Curse Breakers didn't really need training, the task calling for hands-on work—but never in her life did she ever think she'd have to face a real dragon.

I don't have to face it Y/N thought, I just have to stay here until it flies away, and run back to camp.

Wiggling up to a squat, she eyed the neighboring branch a few feet to her right which was higher up and positioned behind a thicker cluster of leaves. It didn't require a jump, but more of a really careful split; hugging the trunk tightly, she stretched her right foot across, shifting her weight to her right leg, her arms choking the tree trunk in a death grip, legs spread wide midair—

"Scuzati-ma?"

Y/N didn't fall. Thank Merlin she didn't fall. But she lost her momentum in surprise and panic, her left foot sliding from the previous branch, making her push off the trunk in haste, throwing her weight across completely. She grabs a dangling thin branch above her at the last minute, her body tilted towards the forest floor.

A forest floor where a man now stood, peering up at her curiously.

She was breathing hard, her heart thumping erratically, both from the fear of falling and being heard by the dragon so close by.

"Er—esti bine?" the man asked. Y/N saw that he had his arms out as if braced to catch her if she fell. When she didn't answer, the man spoke again, "Ai nevoie de ajutor?"

She blinked down at him. "What?"

He chuckled. She hated it. It hurt her pride. "I said, do you need any help?"

He was loud. Too loud. She righted herself on the branch, pulling to lean back on the trunk behind her. Then risking a peek, she checked on the dragon who was still munching on the dead cow with gusto.

She looked back down to find the man with his eyebrows raised at her, his face painting amusement. It was impossible not to take note of his red mane pulled into a low bun. He looked awfully familiar... and he was going to get them killed.

"Could you," she whispered as loudly as she could, "keep your voice down?"

The man snickered once more, showing no effort of lowering his tone. "Why?"

"Are you blind?" she wanted to strangle him. "There's a bloody dragon!"

The redhead glanced at the scaly beast and heaved out a sigh. "Okay. Yeah, you're right. It's way past breakfast. He's missing nap time."

Y/N looked at him incredulously. He shrugged, "But what can I do? He slept in this morning. Lazy beast." Looking back up, he asked, "Want to meet him?"

He's mental she thought. That had to be it.

But the redhead only laughed. He keeps laughing. He must've noticed the stupefied expression on her face because he simmered. "Give him a minute and you can come down. It's already his fifth haul so he's bound to get dozy and fly back to the nest." He started walking towards the clearing when he paused and turned back, "Although, you can come down now. I promise he won't eat you."

Y/N watched as the man walked up to the feasting dragon—she was peering behind the thick tree trunk, using it as a shield. He's insane. Drawing a wand from a sheath attached to his calf, the man aimed a stunning spell right by the beast's tail.

"Alright, Darius, I think you've had enough," he called. He kept his distance, a good few meters away, but his gait was calm, almost lazy.

The dragon glanced at the man, its fangs bloody. Y/N wanted to grab the redhead and run. But it was a crazy thought, and she was rooted on her spot on the tree branch, frozen in fear.

The man gave a sharp whistle and the dragon grunted, smoke coming out of its nostrils. It ignored him and continued to munch on the cow.

Another stunning spell was aimed right by its claws and the dragon emitted a low growl. Y/N didn't know if she was imagining it but the creature seemed sluggish on its feet, swaying... almost drowsy.

"Off you go," said the man, "up." He sent one more stunning spell right in front of its snout. It was a clear miss, purely intentional.

The dragon heaved a loud angry roar. But instead of diving for the man like she expected, it started flapping its wings, gaining momentum. Y/N held onto the tree trunk tighter so as not to be swayed by the sudden rush of winds the creature was yielding. And then with a strong push off the ground, up it soared, growling low in its throat, and was out of sight.

Y/N's legs felt like jelly slugs, but her arms refused to let go of the tree trunk. What in Merlin's name just happened?

"Y/N."

She gave a short yelp, coughing on her next breath. "Excuse me?"

The man was back, now by the foot of the tree once again. "Come down."

"How do you know my name?" she demanded.

He had a really handsome smile. A really familiar, handsome smile...

"I should be offended," said the man. "Come down." There it was again, that smile. "I'll catch you."

I'll catch you.

I'll catch you....

 "Come on, Y/N, I'll catch you!"

"No you won't!" said Y/N. Her cheeks were wet with tears.

She was perched on the beech tree by the Black lake, her legs dangling above the shallow water. She had attempted to retrieve her Spellman's Syllabry textbook that Cassian Loxias chucked up the branches for fun.

"Yes I will, I promise," consoled Charlie. "I'm a prefect, remember?" he gestured to his badge, "I'll make sure you're safe."

Sniffing up snot that was escaping her nose, she hiccuped softly against the back of her hand. "Our prefect doesn't do that very much."

Charlie chuckled. "I'll make sure to have a word with Professor Sprout about her Hufflepuff prefects."

When he saw the horror on her face, he held up his hands, "It didn't come from you of course. Will you come down now? I swear I'll catch you."

Y/N looked into Charlie Weasley's eyes and saw nothing but pure candor. Biting her lip, she said, "Do cross your heart, or hope to die?"

He traced a cross right above his chest. "Cross my heart, or hope to die."

 "Y/N. Y/N?"

Y/N blinked.

Charlie Weasley. Charlie dragon-tamer Weasley. Charlie the hot brother Weasley—

"Are you still breathing? Do you need me up there?"

Trying to gather her bearings, Y/N extracted herself from her hold on the tree trunk, went down onto a squat, and leaped off, landing on the crunchy grass with a thump.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her as she dusted her trousers, "I see you don't need catching anymore."

She took in the man before her. "Charlie Weasley."

His grin was dazzling."Caught on, have you?

From up close, Y/N could now see the familiar freckles splattered all over his nose and cheeks. He was towering over her like he always did. She used to be the little second year Hufflepuff always idling by the entrance to the Great Hall hoping to bump into the famous Charlie Weasley. Studying on the Quidditch pitch, watching him behind her textbook, captaining the Gryffindor team. Climbing the beech tree by the lake again and again, hoping Charlie Weasley would somehow walk by once more to offer her a hand...

There were so many things she could've done, seeing him again for the first time after all these years. He was gone as soon as he graduated Hogwarts, flying to Romania to study dragons. Everyone always thought Charlie would be going Quidditch pro, being captain and seeker. He had the build, the skills, and the charm. Hogwarts alone had fan clubs in his name and rumor had it that the Falmouth Falcons were just waiting for him to finish seventh year.

But others didn't see Charlie as Y/N did. They didn't see him hoarding books on care of magical creatures in the library. They didn't notice him sneaking off to Hagrid's on the weekends, taking Fang for walks or feeding the Blast Ended Skrewts in the garden. Nobody paid attention to the copy of Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them that Charlie practically glued to his side. Only Y/N did. And now that she thought about it, she didn't like that she knew so much. It made her feel like a creep.

So instead of hugging him in delight like she actually wanted, she took a swipe at his shoulder.

"You git," she hissed. "You scared me to death! How did you do that? I thought taming dragons was impossible."

"It is. Most of the time," Charlie shrugged. "Darius is a Romanian Longhorn. Mostly harmless compared to the others especially when he's full. Not that difficult to send him back to the nest when he can barely stand on his feet."

"Harmless? I could've been dessert!"

Charlie laughed. He was still always laughing. "You look delicious, yes, but I'm not letting Darius have you."

What the fu—Y/N inhaled slowly, cautiously. Then exhaled through her nose. She didn't know how to respond. Seeing him again after so long, without warning or preparation, was messing with her senses

"It's good to see you, Y/N," he said and walked closer. Close enough to tugged at her braid. She didn't know why he did it, but he looked like he just had to. "You look good."

Y/N's heart was beating rapidly once more, but this time, for all the wrong reasons. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Charlie gazed back into her eyes as if seeing her for the first time.

"Too long."

Again, she didn't know how long it took her to reply, but she cleared her throat, "How—did you know it was me? The first time?"

Charlie's eyes were still roaming all over her face. "No. Not until you spoke."

Y/N must've held a questioning look because he added, "I'll never forget that voice."

He was saying such strange things. Were they strange? Or was it just because he affected her so?

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, you wouldn't come down, would you? I see you still have a thing for trees."

Y/N rolled her eyes.

"I didn't know the dragon reservation was in the alps," she said. "Do you know we're camping nearby?"

"'Course I do. You lot are beside dragon territory for a reason."

Excitement and fear raised Y/N's nerves. "What are you talking about?"

Charlie bit his lip. "You'll see."

"Are we digging in the reservation?"

He was walking out into the clearing now, beelining back towards the opening of the gorge.

"Charlie!" Y/N jogged to keep up. "Are we?"

He only smiled, "Patience, darling."

Darling. He used to call her that all the time even when they were back in Hogwarts. She always tried to ignore the fluttering feeling her chest made when he used the endearment, reminding herself that he must've used it on everyone else, not just her.

"Why did no one back at camp tell us anything?"

"I probably should've kept my mouth shut," was his only reply. They were crossing the two mountains flanking the stream, and as soon as they cut through the border, Y/N felt the same sensation she did when she went through the clearing. But this time in reverse, it was as if the raindrop was sucked back up.

She glanced up at the mountains. "Did you feel that?"

"Shield spells," explained Charlie. "To keep the muggles out. Temperature charms as well to regulate the reservation climate. Although the dragons do enough of their warming on their own, it's for precaution."

They walked up the stream, tracing back Y/N's previous path.

"Are you bringing me back to camp?" she asked.

"That, and I have to see Digby. Iron out tomorrow's schedule."

"So we are digging inside the reservation," Y/N didn't know if she was more thrilled or afraid.

Charlie glanced at her, "You heard nothing from me."

Studying his features as they strolled, Y/N couldn't help but admire how much Charlie Weasley grew up to be. He's always been lean and strong, especially with being an athlete back at Hogwarts, but now he seemed so much larger than life. Red tendrils were escaping his low bun and framing his chiseled face, there were a few scars on his nose and one under his lip. She shouldn't have been able to see it but she couldn't stop staring. He was big. Stockier than she'd ever seen him; hands wrapped in gauze and rope slung over a hook on his hip.

Charlie Weasley, dragon-tamer.

And he was staring right back at her.

"You have to take me to see more dragons," Y/N breathed. She didn't know where her voice went. It was all airy and she didn't like it. She hoped he would assume it was because of their walk.

Charlie stopped, deep brown eyes boring into her own. He was panting slightly too. Maybe it was the walk.

"Okay," he exhaled. "Promise."

"Cross your heart?" she almost whispered. Almost.

Two fingers traced a cross over Charlie's chest, his gaze not leaving hers, "Cross my heart."